bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Method for Mapping Future Urbanization in the United States
Authors: Bounoua Lahouari , Nigro Joseph , Thome Kurtis , Zhang Ping , Fathi Najlaa , Lachir Asia
Published: April 2018

Cities are poised to absorb additional people. Their sustainability, or ability to accommodate a population increase without depleting resources or compromising future growth, depends on whether they harness the efficiency gains from urban land management. Population is often projected as a bulk national number without details about spatial distribution. We use Landsat and population data in a methodology to project and map U.S. urbanization for the year 2020 and document its spatial pattern. This methodology is important to spatially disaggregate projected population and assist land managers to monitor land use, assess infrastructure and distribute resources. We found the U.S. west coast urban areas to have the fastest population growth with relatively small land consumption resulting in future decrease in per capita land use. Except for Miami (FL), most other U.S. large urban areas, especially in the Midwest, are growing spatially faster than their population and inadvertently consuming land needed for ecosystem services. In large cities, such as New York, Chicago, Houston and Miami, land development is expected more in suburban zones than urban cores. In contrast, in Los Angeles land development within the city core is greater than in its suburbs.
Assessment of Excess Sludge Ultrasonic, Mechanical and Hybrid Pretreatment in Relation to the Energy Parameters
Authors: Skórkowski Łukasz , Zielewicz Ewa , Kawczyński Artur , Gil Bożena
Published: April 2018

Anaerobic digestion is the most common stabilization process at large sewage treatment plants. To improve its effects, a sludge pre-conditioning process called disintegration is recommended. The aim of the presented study was to compare the direct effects of various types of mechanical disintegration, performed for the same excess sludge, in relation to the energy parameters and effectiveness of the process. Four different disintegration methods were used: mechanical disintegration in semi-technical and laboratory scale homogenizing mixers, ultrasonic disintegration (US) and combined (hybrid) process. The disintegration was performed for volumetric energy EV = 4.67–100 kWh m−3, the results were evaluated based on dispersion (kdCOD, kdCST), lysis (kdSCOD), acidification (kdVFA) and nutrient release (kdTN, kdTP) disintegration indicators. The statistical analysis of the results indicates the influence of disintegrator type (mixer/US/hybrid), scale (laboratory/semi-technical) and energy input on the direct results of disintegration. Hybrid disintegration delivered better direct results than two pre-treatment processes used separately. The efficiency of the hybrid process defined as the increase of the indicator (disintegration products—∆FCOD, ∆SCOD) per unit of energy was considerably higher than for a single stage disintegration process.
lncRNA MNX1-AS1 Promotes Glioblastoma Progression Through Inhibition of miR-4443
Authors: Gao Yan , Xu Yongchuan , Wang Jue , Yang Xue , Wen Lulu , Feng Juan
Published: April 2018

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been acknowledged as important regulators in various human cancers. lncRNA MNX1-AS1 has been shown to be an oncogene in epithelial ovarian cancer. However, the function of MNX1-AS1 in glioblastoma (GBM) remains largely unknown. Here we found that the
expression of MNX1-AS1 was significantly upregulated in GBM tissues and cell lines. Knockdown of MNX1-AS1 significantly inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion of GBM cells. In terms of mechanism, we found that MNX1-AS1 could bind to miR-4443 in GBM cells. Overexpression of miR-4443
significantly inhibited the expression of MNX1-AS1 and vice versa. Moreover, there was an inverse correlation between the expression levels of MNX1-AS1 and miR-4443 in GBM tissues. We found that overexpression of miR-4443 inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion of GBM cells. We
also showed that inhibition of miR-4443 reversed the effects of MNX1-AS1 knockdown on GBM cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Taken together, we found that MNX1-AS1 promoted the proliferation, migration, and invasion of GBM cells through inhibiting miR-4443.
Sports Tourists and Non-Sports Tourists: Are They Different in Terms of Sociodemographics, Psychographics, or Behavior?
Authors: Tasci Asli D. A. , Hahm Jeeyeon (Jeannie) , Terry Deborah Breiter
Published: April 2018

Researchers have paid increasing attention to sports tourists as destinations have realized the potential for the significant economic impact of sports tourism. Many studies have profiled and segmented sports tourists using different techniques. However, there is a lack of research
that compares sports tourists with non-sports tourists. The current study conducted a comparison using several sociodemographic, psychographic, and behavioral characteristics from a large data set gathered on an online research platform. Although study results show some differences between
sports and non-sports tourists, effect size metrics render these differences miniscule or even negligible. Besides practical implications for destination marketing organizations, future research suggestions are also provided in order to decide if sports tourists need to be targeted differently
from non-sports tourists.
Proud to be British: An Autoethnographic Study of Working as a Games Maker at London 2012
Authors: Sadd Debbie
Published: April 2018

This autoethnographic study of working as a Games Maker at London 2012 demonstrates the motivational challenges behind volunteering for an event nearly 2 years in the future and the issues this causes. The task of keeping 70,000 international volunteers motivated over a long time frame,
while not providing any financial incentive, was a huge risk and investment; yet, the response from athletes, media, and the general public when the Games ended was that the Games Makers were a vital part of the success of London 2012. This study shows how the initial stages of the volunteer
program suggest that even though the author was preselected, the generic training, primary knowledge exchange, and pre-Games engagement were potential demotivators. It was only once that the role-specific and venue training were undertaken, that the volunteer enthusiasm returned. This study
follows a personal journey of one such volunteer. The article modifies Bang and Chelladurai's original motivational pull theory, by arguing through an autoethnographic study, that motivations will change over the timescale of the volunteer experience and involvement. It does this in contrast
to previous studies that have favored quantitative methods, with data collected at one point in time, as opposed to this study, which captures motivation over a 24-month period.
Comparing Event Attendees and Their Telecast Audiences: A Case Study of a Commemorative Event
Authors: Hede Anne-Marie , Thyne Maree , Josiassen Alexander , Garma Romana
Published: April 2018

Attendees who are physically present at events are not the only consumers of events. Indeed, in many cases, the number of people who watch an event via its telecast far exceeds the number of people attending the event. In this context, gaining information about event telecast audiences
is as critical as gaining information about event attendees. However, most of the research undertaken on understanding event consumers has focused on attendees who are physically present at events. Very little is known about how consumers of the telecasts of events compare with attendees at
events. This research aimed to address this knowledge gap and identify whether consumers of a telecast event were similar to, or different from, those consumers who attend events in person in terms of their demographics, psychographics, and behavioral intentions. The focal event for this study
was a large-scale national commemorative event in Australia and New Zealand. Data were collected using an online questionnaire from a purposive sample (n=1,152) comprising both Australian (58%) and New Zealand (42%) residents, of which 580 of the entire sample were attendees at the
event and 572 participated in the event via their telecasts. The results show that the two cohorts (1: event attendees and 2: event telecast participants) with an interest in the event show significant differences. Event attendees and event telecast participants are different in terms of gender,
experience with the event/telecast (first-time participation, number of prior events, and number in party), motivations, emotions experienced, satisfaction, and behavioral intentions regarding the event/telecast. However, the two cohorts did not differ on age, education, household income,
or their levels of patriotism. This study contributes to the event management literature as it extends our knowledge of consumers of events and provides a comparative analysis of event attendees and event telecast participants of a large-scale event. These findings provide valuable insights
for event and telecast planners as well as other stakeholders about the two cohorts of event participants. The study is novel because it reports on data collected from both Australians and New Zealanders about this event rather than focusing on just one country, as previous research has tended
to do.
Understanding Wedding Preferences of the Millennial Generation
Authors: Myung Eunha , Smith Katie
Published: April 2018

This study examined the wedding preferences of the Millennial generation, specifically Millennial females, by focusing on their preferences for the wedding ceremony and reception venues, food and beverage options, and the most influential sources for wedding detail ideas. The study
found that a religious space was the most popular wedding ceremony venue and preferred types of wedding reception venues were a hotel and a banquet hall. Preferred food and beverage purchasing options included traditional sit-down dinner style of reception along with an open bar. The website
Pinterest was a key communication and social marketing tool for companies to interact with Millennial women regarding wedding-related information, inspiration, products, and services.
Let’s dance
Authors: Laurichesse Floriane , Rabau Sophie
Published: April 2018

Résumé
Informel et collectif (Bayonne, mercredi 31 janvier)
Authors: Cosnay Marie
Published: April 2018

Résumé Attendre un impossible rêve
Mobile people
Authors: Milne Anna-Louise , M. B.
Published: April 2018

Résumé Pas bouger, pas parler
À la porte de la Chapelle
Authors: D’Ignazio Serge
Published: April 2018

Résumé Portfolio
Guider ceux qui arrivent
Authors: Borgnet Yann
Published: April 2018

Résumé Premier de cordée
All migrants welcome
Authors: Youpi Atelier
Published: April 2018

Résumé Appel d’air
Frères dans l’expulsion
Authors: Lecadet Clara , Network of Ex-Asylum Seekers in Sie Le
Published: April 2018

Résumé O’Brother
Nous n’avions pas ressenti la séparation
Authors: Othman Alfadel Youssef
Published: April 2018

Résumé Absence
« Boza ! » disent aussi les femmes
Authors: Tyszler Elsa
Published: April 2018

Résumé Migrantes
Les frontières européennes au Niger
Authors: Boyer Florence , Chappart Pascaline
Published: April 2018

Résumé Externalisation des frontières
La Grèce après l’espoir : en attendant le possible
Authors: Giovanopoulos Christos , Vermeersch Laure
Published: April 2018

Résumé Post Syriza
Détours de Ville lumières
Authors: Hobé Alain
Published: April 2018

Résumé Miniature
Ailleurs et autres lieux
Authors: Jaber Hana
Published: April 2018

Résumé En migrant, en écrivant
Résistance féminine à Idleb : itinéraire d’une activiste
Authors: Loris-Rodionoff Charlotte
Published: April 2018

Résumé Parole d’éxilée
Expression d’Évian
Authors: Rabau Sophie
Published: April 2018

Résumé Que d’eau, que d’eau
Performance Evaluation of Energy-Aware Virtual Machine Placement Techniques for Cloud Environment
Authors: Sharma Oshin , Saini Hemraj
Published: April 2018

The most dominant service of cloud computing is infrastructure as a service (IaaS). Virtualization is the most important feature of IaaS and it is very important for the improvement of resource utilization; but along with this, it also degrades the system's performance and makes them overutilized. Therefore, to solve the problem of overutilization or underutilization of machines and performance improvement of machine, the VMs present inside the physical machine needs to be migrated to another physical machine using the process of VM consolidation, and the reduced set of physical machines after placement needs a lesser amount of power or energy consumption, which is the main aim of energy-aware VM placement. This chapter presents a decision-making VM placement system and compares it with other predefined VM placement techniques. This analysis contributes to a better understanding of the effects of the placement strategies over the overall performance of cloud environment and also shows how the one algorithm delivers better results for VM placement than another.
Oxidation Resistance and Mechanical Enhancement of Ferro-Silicon Nitride on Silica Sol Bonded SiC Castable
Authors: Chen Ding , Gu Hua Zhi , Huang Ao
Published: April 2018

Silica sol bonded SiC castable have obvious advantages of slag resistance and thermal stress damage resistance. However, they are not widely used due to their weak oxidation resistance at high temperature. Ferro-silicon nitride is added to improve the oxidation resistance of SiC castable. The efficiency of SiC castable in the presence of different contents of ferro-silicon nitride was evaluated through sintered properties, isothermal oxidation behaviors and microstructural analysis. The results show that sample with 5wt% ferro-silicon nitride possessed good mechanical behavior after heat treatment due to its acceleration for the formation of SiC whiskers. At 1500 °C, Isothermal oxdation curve indicated that the oxidation progress performed two-stage model controlled by chemical reaction at the earlier period and diffusion at the later period. Sample with 5wt% ferro-silicon nitride present faster oxidation rate (kc) at the earlier stage versus the contrast sample (0.025 mg·cm-2·min-1 vs 0.087 mg·cm-2·min-1), and slower oxidation rate (kd) at the later stage (0.145 mg·cm-2·min-1 vs 0.137 mg·cm-2·min-1). After 470 min isothermal oxidation test, the weigh gain of sample with 0 wt% ferro-silicon nitride exceeded the sample with 5wt% ferro-silicon nitride.
An analysis of physical vulnerability to flash floods in the small mountainous watershed of Aceh Besar Regency, Aceh province, Indonesia
Authors: Azmeri A. , Isa Amir H.
Published: April 2018

Vulnerability is a loss rate perceived from elements at risk owing to the impact of hazards on determined magnitude and frequency. Vulnerability assessment of elements at risk is a critical component in the risk assessment framework. Considerable studies regarding flash floods have been conducted, but the depth of information on vulnerability is still limited. This study presents a model of the physical vulnerability of buildings caused by the incidence of flash floods, which is strengthened through intensity of the impact process and loss. This model used a non-linear regression approach using behavioural data in the form of the propagation height of the flood. The order-2 polynomial distribution can represent the relationship between the magnitudes of the best process and loss rate. The results are the risk assessments of an exposed area in mitigation strategies.
Using fundamental, market and macroeconomic variables to predict financial distress: A study of companies listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange
Authors: Sabela Sibusiso W. , Brummer Leon M. , Hall John H. , Wolmarans Hendrik P.
Published: April 2018

This study presents a three-stage approach in determining financial distress of companies listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. A novel feature of the present study is that it deviates from a binary classification of corporate distress prediction to present a multinomial outcome where the model predicts distressed, depressed and healthy companies. The research results show an improvement in the prediction accuracy rate when fundamental data is combined with market-based data. However, the further addition of macroeconomic indicators does not enhance the prediction accuracy.
The short-run performance of equity issues in South Africa: Bad timing or a last resort?
Authors: Seetharam Yudhvir , Da Cunha Jesse A.
Published: April 2018

Understanding the stock market’s reaction to secondary equity offerings (SEOs) is vital for managers who are commonly tasked with deciding on how to finance their firm’s operations. This study investigated the short-run performance of firms conducting equity issuance on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) over the period 1998–2015 by exploring both rational and behavioural models in predicting SEO behaviour. Event-study analysis reveals that the market generally reacts negatively to the announcement of SEOs with a statistically significant average two-day cumulative abnormal return of -2.6%. We also found that the probability of a firm conducting a SEO is significantly negatively related to the number of years listed and the future share return. Although it would make sense that more corporate activity takes place during periods of high investor sentiment, there is no significant evidence that firms conducting SEOs are attempting to time the market.
Rabies of canid biotype in wild dog (Lycaon pictus) and spotted hyaena (Crocuta crocuta) in Madikwe Game Reserve, South Africa in 2014–2015: Diagnosis, possible origins and implications for control
Authors: Sabeta Claude T. , Janse van Rensburg Drienie , Phahladira Baby , Mohale Debra , Harrison-White Robert F. , Esterhuyzen Carlien , Williams June H.
Published: April 2018

Both domestic and wild carnivore species are commonly diagnosed with rabies virus (RABV) infection in South Africa. Although the majority of confirmed rabies cases in wild carnivore species are reported from the yellow mongoose (Cynictis penicillata), the rest are from other wild carnivores including the highly endangered wild dog (Lycaon pictus). Lyssavirus infection was confirmed in two wild dogs and a spotted hyaena (Crocuta crocuta) in the Madikwe Game Reserve, North West province in South Africa, in 2014 and 2015, using a direct fluorescent antibody test and immunohistochemistry. There had been no new wild dog introductions to the Madikwe Game Reserve for many years and the wild dogs were last vaccinated against rabies approximately 11 years prior to the incident. The first euthanised wild dog was the last surviving of a break-away pack of 6, and the second was the last of a larger pack of 18, the rest of which died with no carcasses being found or carcasses too decomposed for sampling. Subsequent antigenic typing of the lyssaviruses indicated that they were canid RABVs. The RABVs originating from 22 wild carnivore species, 7 dogs, and a caprine, mostly from the North West province, were genetically characterised by targeting a partial region of the nucleoprotein gene. The nucleotide sequence analyses of these viruses and two previously characterised RABVs confirmed that the outbreak viruses were also canid rabies, phylogenetically clustering with virus isolates originating from black-backed jackals recovered between 2012 and 2015 from the North West province, and domestic dogs from neighbouring communal areas. The source(s) of the mortalities and possible reservoir host(s) for the virus could only be speculated upon from data on specific predator numbers, movements and behaviour, kills, park management and the changing environmental ecology, which were monitored closely in Madikwe over several years. The most likely rabies sources were from boundary fence contacts between wild carnivores within the park, with domestic dogs or cats and/or naturally occurring wild carnivores outside the park. The associated risk of zoonotic infection and threat to important and endangered predators may be mitigated through regional rabies control primarily in domestic dogs and cats, as well as by preventative vaccination of at-risk park employees and their pets. The importance of ongoing prophylactic rabies protection by regular vaccination of highly endangered wildlife carnivores and the submission of carcasses for rabies diagnosis of any wild or domestic animals behaving uncharacteristically or found dead is emphasised.
The persistence of spirit
Authors: Meihuizen Nicholas
Published: April 2018

No abstract available.
Knowledge retention in a platinum mine in the North West Province of South Africa
Authors: Makhubela Salmon , Ngoepe Mpho
Published: April 2018

Background: Knowledge retention plays an important role in combating organisational knowledge loss. However, some organisations, including mining companies, still lose organisational knowledge because of employees’ retiring, resigning, downsizing, attrition and so on. This leaves the organisations with a shortage of qualified senior experienced employees to meet production needs, which has a negative impact on the running of the operational functions on a day-to-day basis. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate knowledge retention strategies in a platinum mine in the North West Province of South Africa. Method: The study used qualitative research approach. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and document analysis. Results: The key findings of the study revealed that although the mine has a knowledge retention policy, some of the employees are not aware of its existence and there was not enough support of knowledge retention initiatives from the management. Conclusion: The study concludes by arguing that having knowledge retention policy, strategies and initiatives on paper but failing to implement is as good as not having it. The organisation needs to implement knowledge retention policy in order to benefit from the knowledge retention initiative.
Posterior transpedicular screw fixation of subaxial vertebrae: Accuracy rates and safety of mini-laminotomy technique
Authors: Celikoglu Erhan , Borekci Ali , Ramazanoglu Ali , Cecen Dilber , Karakoc Abdullah , Bektasoglu Pinar
Published: April 2018

Background and Aim: Posterior cervical transpedicular screw fixation has the strongest resistance to pullout forces compared with other posterior fixation systems. Here, we present a case on the use of this technique combined with a mini-laminotomy technique, which serves as a guide for accurate insertion of posterior cervical transpedicular screws. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed data from 40 patients who underwent this procedure in our clinic between January 2014 and March 2017. Results: The study population comprised 27 males (67.5%) and 13 females (32.5%) aged 15–80 years (median, 51.5 years). Surgical indications included trauma (n = 18, 45%), degenerative disease (n = 19, 47.5%), spinal infection (n = 2, 5%), and basilar invagination due to systemic rheumatoid disease (n = 1, 2.5%). In the 18 trauma patients, 14 short-segment (1–2 levels) and 4 long-segment (≥3 levels) posterior cervical instrumentation and fusion procedures were performed. The mini-laminotomy technique was used in all patients to insert, direct, and achieve exact screw fixation in the pedicles. Pedicle perforations were classified as medial or lateral and were also graded. Among the 227 cervical pedicle fixations performed, 48 were at the C3 level, 49 at C4, 60 at C5, 50 at C6, and 20 at C7. Axial computed tomography scan measurements showed that 205 of 227 (90.3%, Grade 0 and 1) screws were accurately placed, whereas 22 (9.69%, Grade 2 and 3) were misplaced. However, no additional neurological injury due to misplacement was observed. Conclusion: As negligible complications were observed when performed by experienced surgeons, the mini-laminotomy technique can be safely used for posterior transpedicular screw fixation in the subaxial vertebrae for single-staged fusion.
Adverse event with the use of carmustine wafers and postoperative radiochemotherapy for the treatment of high-grade glioma
Authors: Salle Federico , Lahiani Wissem , Spagnuolo Edgardo , Palfi Stéphane
Published: April 2018

Randomized, controlled trials have shown significant improvement of survival after implantation of 1,3-bis(2-Chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea (BCNU) wafers for patients suffering from high-grade glioma. A combination of local chemotherapy with BCNU and concomitant radiochemotherapy with temozolomide (TMZ) appears to be attractive to enhance the overall survival, even though these treatments may potentially cumulate their toxicity.We report a clinical case of a patient submitted to this combined treatment protocol. Severe brain edema and a cystic formation in the surgical cavity rapidly developed. Data supporting the use of Gliadel® combined with TMZ comes from small retrospective studies, and some series have shown a very high rate of adverse events (AEs) when this multimodality treatment is applied. Combined protocols of local and systemic chemotherapy might provide survival benefits, although AEs seem currently underestimated.
Nollywood in Cameroon: Transnationalisation and Reception of a Dynamic Cinematic Culture
Authors: Endong Floribert Patrick C.
Published: April 2018

The Nigerian film industry (Nollywood) has phenomenally exploded to the extent of affecting audiences and social institutions in various African countries. In Cameroon particularly, various indications suggest that the industry is positively received, despite the persistence of perceptible anti-Nigerian and nationalist feelings among sections of the country’s audiences and communities of cinema ideologues. Using empirical understandings, observations and secondary sources, this paper seeks to explore how the Nollywood phenomenon is manifested and received in the Cameroonian market. It precisely examines the various indexes of Nollywood presence in the country which can be seen in (i) the place Nollywood films have in television broadcast in the country, (ii) the extent to which Nollywood films affect local cinema production in Cameroon and (iii) Cameroonian audiences’ attitudes towards Nollywood films and actors.
Investigating Arabic Pragmatic Markers in Spoken Discourse: A Literature Review
Authors: Azi Yaseen
Published: April 2018

Generally speaking, the current paper demonstrates a detailed and critical exploration of Arabic pragmatic markers (PMs) in spoken discourse. Although there seems to be less agreement on the topic of the particular phenomena that the current study is addressing, my study will use the term PM instead of discourse marker (DM). For clarity, it should be identified that a PMs in this study is “most commonly used as a general or umbrella term covering forms with a wide variety of functions both on the interpersonal and textual levels” (Zienkowski, Östman, & Verschueren, 2011, p. 227); therefore, DMs or any other linguistic elements with discourse functions are considered as a subtype of a PM (see Fraser, 2009; Aijmer,2013). Based on the literature review, treating the phenomena as PMs will provide us with a more comprehensive approach towards the study of that particular phenomena in Arabic dialects; such an approach does not only focus on texts, but also incorporates social, cultural, and linguistic aspects of the contexts into our analysis of the phenomena. Briefly, the structure of this paper will be divided into the following sections: a definition of pragmatic markers, theoretical approaches of PMs, PMs in the Arabic literature, variations in Arabic, a variational pragmatic approach and PMs, treatment of PMs in Arabic literature, PMs in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), PMs in Dialectal Arabic, and conclusion.
Distribution of Cadmium in Sweet Corn Grown on a Peat Soil and Its Implication on Food Safety
Authors: Susana Rini , Suswati Denah
Published: April 2018

Cadmium (Cd) is a heavy metal that can contaminate agricultural soils, in which one of the sources of Cd in agricultural soils is the use of phosphate fertilizers. Some plant species are known to have the ability to accumulate large amounts of Cd in their organs despite the Cd content in soil is relatively small. Cadmium distribution in various organs of plants also shows a diverse variation. Maize is able to accumulate Cd in its organs, either in roots, leaves or grains. This study aims to determine the distribution of Cd in sweet corn plants grown on a peat soil. Samples of maize plants were taken from nine maize fields in the village of Rasau Jaya 1, Rasau Jaya subdistrict, Kubu Raya district, West Kalimantan. The cultivars of sweet corn planted were Zea mays saccharata cultivar Bonanza and Zea mays saccharata cultivar Secada. Samples for roots, leaves, stems and panicles were taken at the stage of early grain filling. Grain samples were taken at the phase of fresh pod consumption. The Cd contents in the plant organ tissues were determined using dry ashing method. The  results showed that the distribution of Cd in plant organs of sweet corn cultivars Secada and Bonanza follows the pattern of Cd in leaves > roots > grains > panicles > stems. The leaves contain the highest concentration of Cd, while the stems contain the lowest amount of Cd. The Cd concentration in leaves is about 3.5 times higher than that in grains, and 1.5 times higher than that in roots. The average Cd content in grains of sweet corn  is 0.037 mg kg-1, which is still below the safe limit of Cd content in grains allowed by the Standar Nasional Indonesia, i.e. 0.2 mg kg-1.
Analysis of 801 Work-Related Incidents in the Oil and Gas Industry That Occurred Between 2014 and 2016 in 6 Regions
Authors: El Bouti Moahamed Younes , Allouch Mohamed
Published: April 2018

Oil and Gas Industry (OGI) faces a number of evolving and various types of risks and hazards that give rise to serious incidents. To conduct this study 801 incidents reports have been numerically analyzed, evaluated and interpreted. These incidents reports covered various severity levels, which have been occurred in 6 regions across the world, from 2014 to 2016. The analysis focused on global oil and gas industry. The study has shown that Occupational Work-related Incidents (OWRIs) occur mostly in October and especially in spring time. In addition, it has pointed out that the region of North America is the most affected area; almost one-third of OWRIs occurs in turbine hall area. Surprisingly, the study also revealed that three-quarters of the OWRIs did not occur in High-Risk Activity (HRA) and half of the incidents took place with no tooling involved. Noticeably, the main recurrent and frequent event was struck against or by (SAoB) that resulted dominantly in slight injuries that required only first aid care, and the most affected body part is the finger by “Cut (Laceration)/ Pinch”. The study has confirmed that the hazardous working environment in OGI was the direct cause for half of the OWRIs. However, based on the revealed results, it will be the assumptions that human factors have a crucial impact on the workplace safety and a contributing factor in the incidents. Some control measures were suggested accordingly.
The Relationship Between Multiple Intelligences and Language Learning Strategies and Gender
Authors: Ansarin Ali Akbar , Khatibi Samira Paki
Published: April 2018

This study set out with the aim of assessing whether Multiple Intelligences profiles of Iranian students would exert any influence on their use of language learning strategies as important determining factors in the language learning. Additionally, we explored the role of gender and different proficiency levels on EFL learners’ multiple intelligences. A total number of 303 EFL learners, 164 males and 139 females participated in this study, 112 were Elementary, 92 were Intermediate students and 99 were advanced level, within the age range of 12 to 33 at Jahade Daneshgahi of Tabriz. The instruments used to elicit information for this study were MIDAS and the Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) Questionnaire. Initially, we homogenized the English proficiency of the participants, by administering Nelson English Language Tests. Results showed a significant relationship between the variables of multiple intelligences (MI) and Strategy Inventory of Language Learning (SIL). Results of multivariate tests showed a significant positive difference between the MI scores and different proficiency levels but no significant difference in MI scores across genders. a significant difference was found in musical intelligence of participants at different proficiency levels. In terms of implications of the study it is suggested that before choosing any teaching materials, educators should conduct needs analysis and test in order to find out the MI profile of the students and to avoid having any mismatch between selected topics and the students’ needs.
Analysis of the Intended Learning Outcomes and Learning Activities of Action Pack Textbooks in Jordan
Authors: Omari Hamzah A.
Published: April 2018

This study aims to analyze the intended learning outcomes (ILOs) and learning activities in Action Pack textbooks for Jordan in light of the EFL curriculum objectives. in Jordan (delete “in Jordan”, because it is redundant). The sample of the study consisted of Action Pack textbooks for three grade levels students ( delete “students” because it does not seem necessary to the meaning of the sentence) (grade 6, 10, 12) during the academic year 2014/2015. A specially prepared coding sheet was developed by the researcher to analyze the collected data based on a five- point Likert scale. Validity and inter-rater reliability were ensured prior to data analysis. Means and standard deviations in addition to One Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) were used to answer the questions of the study. The results showed that the outcomes and activities in Action Pack textbooks reflect the curriculum objectives to a certain extent. It was recommended that curricula expert, textbook authors and the Ministry of Education (MoE) in Jordan work more closely, so that a higher degree of match between curriculum objectives, textbooks outcomes and learning activities can be achieved.
Econometric Analysis of Polish Companies’ R&D
Activity Management
Authors: Brożek Katarzyna , Kogut Justyna
Published: April 2018

Nowadays, in order to maintain strong and stable position on the market,
companies shall know and apply many rules. One of them is R&D (Research and
Development) activity. This means that entrepreneurs striving to maintain their
competitive advantage are forced to continuous improvement of R&D activity. The
management of the enterprise in an appropriate manner is also very important.
Taking into consideration the importance of R&D in achieving business success,
it seems reasonable to study this area continuously. Therefore, in this paper an
econometric analysis of the impact of three selected factors, on the level of internal
expenditure on R&D in enterprises in Poland, in the years 2007–2014 with regard
to territorial division was proposed. The group of selected factors include: research
units in the business sector, net profit of enterprises and number of employees
in R&D sector. The main purpose of consideration is to answer the following
research question: “Which of the studied factors is the most significant?” The
article is divided into four parts. The first presents the theoretical analysis of R&D activities, the second one shows the issue of R&D management in enterprises. In
the third part of the article the aspect of the model construction was discussed,
while the last of the paper contains the results of the model estimation. The
summary contains the conclusions of the conducted research.
Variety of Knowledge Sources and Competency Acquisition Modes in the Scope of HRM in MNCs in Central Europe – Empirical Research Results
Authors: Stor Marzena
Published: April 2018

The main goal of the article is to identify changes that appeared in local subsidiaries of MNCs in Central Europe in the scope of variety of HR knowledge sources and HR competency structuring and acquisition as a  response to the changing macroeconomic conditions in the last decade. Additionally, the aim is to determine if such changes have been experienced in Poland and whether they have been similar to those that characterize Central Europe or not. The empirical research findings come from 5 Central European countries. The general conclusion is that to face altering worldwide economic situation MNCs had to reformulate their strategies of operation and this found its reflection not only in changing practices within the variety of HR knowledge sources and HR competency structurization and acquisition but within the scope of these practices evaluation from the management perspective as well.
Teacher’s Creative Potential as a Determinant of Schools Innovativeness
Authors: Piwowar‑Sulej Katarzyna
Published: April 2018

The aim of the article is to answer the research questions that concern both the essence of pedagogical innovation and the opportunities and barriers of creating detailed components of teachers’ creative potential in the workplace. The article presents the definition of pedagogical innovation created on the basis of the general notion of innovation. The author introduces a typology of innovation that can be implemented at schools and discusses the ways of shaping teachers individual creativity. She also points out the shortcomings in the activities related to shaping the creative potential of teachers.
Українська релігійна лексика в газетних номінаціях-словосполуках
Authors: Kowtun Albina
Published: April 2018

The article identifi es peculiarities of the stylistic transposition of religious lexemes that
are the members of metaphorical phrase nominations in modern Ukrainian mass media.
Renewal of nominative phrase metaphors by replacing frequent lexemes with religious
lexemes reinforces the semantics of these semantic-syntactic associations giving them
expressiveness. Religious lexemes that update phrase nominations, already known and
the new ones, undergo semantic shifts. Semantic transformations of religious lexemes in
contextual nominations are likely to demonstrate ironic connotations and combinations of the incongruous in terms of style and stylistics. Overcoming traditional syntagmatics
and recurrent actualizations of new meanings in diff erent contexts “strengthen” the new
semantics transforming particular meanings into separate ones.
Функційність іменників і дієслів у політичній рекламі
Authors: Osewska Monika , Romaniuk Svitlana
Published: April 2018

The article deals with political slogans placed on billboards and advertising spots
dedicated to political advertisement and the 2014 Parliamentary elections. Following the
time after ‘Euromaidan’, the 2014 elections were the fi rst after the dissolution of the
Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine 7th convocation. The author presents research categories of
the noun and verb (i.e. degrees of comparison of adjectives and forms of numerals and
adverbs) which she fi nds the most important. The author concludes that nouns and verbs
appear more frequently and are more visible than other parts of speech. What is more,
a choice of appropriate lexis aff ects the way we perceive advertisement.
Diagnosing of a complex technical object in four-valued logic
Authors: Duer Stanisław , Bernatowicz Dariusz , Wrzesień Paweł , Duer Radosław
Published: April 2018

This paper presents the essence of an investigation of a complex technical object with the use of four-valued logic. To this end, an intelligent diagnostic system (DIAG 2) is described. A special feature of this system was its capability of inferring k at {k = 4, 3, 2}, in which case the logic {k = 4} is applied. An important part of this work was to present the theoretical foundations describing the essence of inference in the four-valued logic contemplated. It was also pointed out that the basis for classification of states in the multiple-valued logic of the diagnostic system (DIAG 2) was the permissible interval of changes in the values of diagnostic signal features. Four-valued logic testing was applied to a system of wind turbine equipment. Keywords: technical diagnostics, diagnostic inference, multiple-valued logic, artificial intelligence
Password protection in IT systems
Authors: Rodwald Przemysław , Biernacik Bartosz
Published: April 2018

The aim of the article is to systematise the methods of securing static passwords stored in IT systems. Pros and cons of those methods are presented and conclusions as a recommendation for IT system designers are proposed. At the beginning, the concept of cryptographic hash function is presented, following discussion of methods of storing passwords showing their evolution and susceptibility to modern attacks. Results of research on masked passwords of Polish banks IT systems are presented, as well as the most interesting examples of adaptive password functions are given. Then, the systematisation of password protection methods was carried out. Finally, the directions for further research are indicated. Keywords: computer security, password, authentication, hash function
Analysis of dynamic displacement of reinforced concrete deep beams made of high strength concrete Part I: Analysis of dynamic displacement of a reinforced concrete deep beam made of high strength C100 grade concrete
Authors: Cichorski Waldemar
Published: April 2018

The work presented is a three-part set of studies containing a comparative analysis of the displacement state of rectangular concrete deep beams made of concrete of different classes of very high strength, loaded dynamically. The analysis was carried out on the basis of the method presented in this paper [1], which allows for the physical nonlinearity of structural materials: concrete and reinforcing steel to be taken into account. Each part of the work contains the results of numerical solutions of the displacement state of the deep beams separately for the concrete strength of C100 grade, C200 grade, and C300 grade, in each case reinforced with ordinary steel and increased strength steel. Comparative analysis is carried out in Part Two and Part Three, where the results obtained in these parts are respectively compared with the results obtained in the preceding parts. The analysis includes the mutual relations of mechanisms for achieving dynamic load carrying — capacity. The results describing the variation of displacements in time indicate the characteristic features of the deep beam effort and allow for the inference on reaching the state of the dynamic load carrying — capacity. In general, the work confirmed the accuracy of the assumptions and deformation models of concrete and steel as well as the effectiveness of methods of analysis proposed in paper [1] for the problems of numerical simulation of reinforced concrete deep beams behaviour under dynamic loading. The key assumptions used in the analysis are presented in the first part of the paper. The characteristic features of structural materials: concrete and reinforcing steel are presented, taking into account the modified idea of modelling of the dynamic properties of concrete as a material of very high strength. An analysis of the displacement state of rectangular reinforced concrete deep beams made of very high strength concrete of C100 grade under dynamic load for two types of reinforcing steel — ordinary and increased strength — was carried out. Key words: mechanics of structures, reinforced concrete structures, deep beams, dynamic load, physical nonlinearity
Motor Oil Classification Using Color Histograms and Pattern Recognition Techniques
Authors: Ahmadi Shiva , Mani-Varnosfaderani Ahmad , Habibi Biuck
Published: April 2018

Motor oil classification is important for quality control and the identification of oil adulteration. In this work, we propose a simple, rapid, inexpensive and nondestructive approach based on image analysis and pattern recognition techniques for the classification of nine different types of motor oils according to their corresponding color histograms. For this, we applied color histogram in different color spaces such as red green blue (RGB), grayscale, and hue saturation intensity (HSI) in order to extract features that can help with the classification procedure. These color histograms and their combinations were used as input for model development and then were statistically evaluated by using linear discriminant analysis (LDA), quadratic discriminant analysis (QDA), and support vector machine (SVM) techniques. Here, two common solutions for solving a multiclass classification problem were applied: (1) transformation to binary classification problem using a one-against-all (OAA) approach and (2) extension from binary classifiers to a single globally optimized multilabel classification model. In the OAA strategy, LDA, QDA, and SVM reached up to 97% in terms of accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity for both the training and test sets. In extension from binary case, despite good performances by the SVM classification model, QDA and LDA provided better results up to 92% for RGB-grayscale-HSI color histograms and up to 93% for the HSI color map, respectively. In order to reduce the numbers of independent variables for modeling, a principle component analysis algorithm was used. Our results suggest that the proposed method is promising for the identification and classification of different types of motor oils.
Developing Inclusivity and Exclusivity Panels for Testing Diagnostic and Detection Tools Targeting Burkholderia pseudomallei, the Causative Agent of Melioidosis
Authors: Williamson Charles H D , Wagner David M , Keim Paul , Sahl Jason W
Published: April 2018

Background: Diagnostic tools designed to target Burkholderia pseudomallei, the causative agent of melioidosis that was classified as a Tier 1 Select Agent by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, have typically suffered from false-positive and false-negative results because of a lack of understanding of the genomic diversity of B. pseudomallei and its genetic near neighbors. Objective: In this review, we discuss a strategy for using comparative genomics to guide the design of inclusivity and exclusivity panels for the validation of assays as defined by the Standard Method Performance Requirement (SMPR). Methods: Based upon a literature review, comparative genomic analyses, and hands-on experience with diagnostic development and testing, we describe important factors to consider when developing inclusivity and exclusivity panels for testing diagnostic and/or detection tools. Results: The genomic diversity of B. pseudomallei is substantial, with the genome characterized by horizontal gene transfer, including the acquisition of genomic islands from near-neighbor species. This genomic diversity, core genome reduction, and signal erosion can complicate molecular diagnostic tool development and validation. Conclusions: Accurate diagnostic and/or detection tools targeting B. pseudomallei, an important pathogen from a public health and biodefense perspective, are needed for many applications. Utilizing whole genome sequencing data and comparative genomic techniques can guide the development and validation of such tools. Amplicon sequencing assays and assay redundancy can provide improved assay performance. Highlights: When developing and validating diagnostic and/or detection tools targeting B. pseudomallei, it is important to consider genomic diversity, genome reduction, and signal erosion to reduce the effects of typical diagnostic errors.