bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Performance analysis of regularization algorithms used for image reconstruction in computed tomography
Authors: Wysoczański D. , Mroczka J. , Polak A.G. 
Published: May 2018

Abstract
Computed tomography is one of the most significant diagnostic techniques in medicine. This work is focused on hard-field imaging, where signals take a form of straight rays and the reconstructed image can be presented as a matrix with unknown pixels. Algebraic methods for direct computation of the image have not been used in practice because of the scale of the problem and numerical errors appearing in the solution. The aim of this work was to analyse the performance of direct algebraic algorithms for tomographic image reconstruction including regularisation mechanism such as: generalised regularisation, Tikhonov regularisation, Twomey regularisation and ridge regression (RR), as well as comparing the results with the filtered backprojection (FBP) as the reference method. The performed analyses demonstrated that the regularised algebraic methods are more accurate than the commonly used FBP, and RR appeared the most precise among them. Additionally it was shown that the invariant system matrix (inverted during calculations) can be easily determined by solving the forward problem. Finally, potential directions of further research have been pointed out.
Study on coal microstructure for porosity levels assessment
Authors: Miedzińska D. , Niezgoda T. , Małek E. , Zasada D. 
Published: May 2018

Abstract.
The problem of methane existence in coal beds has been known for many years. It was and still it is a danger to coalminers. The aim of the research, presented in the paper, is to show and assess the porosity structure (especially micro and nanoporosity) in accordance to the dimensions of carbon dioxide particle. The characteristic surface morphology of the sample and the disclosure of the carbon porous structure have been obtained using the scanning electron microscope (SEM). The presented study of the coal microstructure is a part of the coal demethanation method with the use of liquid CO2, that has been proposed by the Military University of Technology.
gC-Studio – the environment for automated filter design
Authors: Katarzynski P. , Melosik M. , Handkiewicz A. 
Published: May 2018

Abstract
The paper presents the idea of software suite integrating the tools supporting the analog filter design. It uses the prototype circuits that are composed of gyrators and capacitors. The essential, behavioral parameters are characterised for the filtering structures. The basic assumptions formulated before the implementation are also mentioned. The structure of the software suite is discussed, its functional properties and the implementation issues are mentioned. The resulting software brings the automation of designing SISO filters as well as the filter pairs. In the proposed solution the VHDL-AMS language is assumed as the formal method of hardware description.
Organochlorine Pesticides and Polychlorinated Biphenyls in Game Animals from Poland
Authors: Niewiadowska Alicja , Kiljanek Tomasz , Semeniuk Stanisław , Żmudzki Jan 
Published: May 2018

Abstract
The occurrence and concentrations of organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were determined in 141 adipose tissue samples of wild boars, roe deer, and red deer from different regions of the country, collected in 2010/2011. The determinations of HCH isomers (α-, β-, and γ-HCH), HCB, DDTs (p,p’-DDT, o,p’-DDT, p,p’-DDE, and p,p’-DDD), and PCBs (six indicator PCB congeners 28, 52, 101, 138, 153, and 180) were carried out using the capillary gas chromatography. The mean concentrations of DDTs expressed on the fat basis ranged from 0.241 mg/kg (wild boar) to 0.032 mg/kg (red deer), and for PCBs from 0.015 mg/kg (wild boar) to 0.010 mg/kg (roe deer). The mean contribution of p,p’-DDE to DDTs and PCB 153, PCB 138, and PCB 180 to PCBs exceeded 80% and 90% respectively, in all game animal samples studied. Higher contents of chlorinated hydrocarbons were detected in game animals originating from industrial regions.
High-Energy Diet at Antepartum Decreases Insulin Receptor Gene Expression in Adipose Tissue of Postpartum Dairy Cows
Authors: Zhang Zhigang , Wang Jianguo , Gao Ruifeng , Zhang Weiqian , Li Xinwei , Liu Guowen , Li Xiaobing , Wang Zhe , Zhu Xinglin 
Published: May 2018

Abstract
The objective of the study was to determine expression of gene of insulin receptor (INSR) in adipose tissue of postpartum dairy cows fed diets containing different amounts of energy at the antepartum period. Healthy pregnant dairy cows (n=45) on 21st d of the antepartum were divided into three groups differing in diet composition, namely: control group fed a normal diet, high energy group fed a high energy diet, and low energy group fed a low energy diet. Twenty-one days after parturition, INSR gene expression in adipose tissue was determined by internally controlled reverse transcriptase PCR. The level of INSR mRNA in adipose tissues of cows fed the high energy diet was substantially lower than that in cows fed normal or low energy diets. A relatively higher level of INSR mRNA in the adipose tissue of cows fed low energy diet may be beneficial for gluconeogenesis and lipogenesis, which can relieve an energy negative balance. Reduced level of INSR mRNA in adipose tissue of cows fed high energy diet indicates that the response to insulin has significantly decreased.
Application of Hyaluronic Acid Sodium Salt and Vitamin C in the Therapy of Dogs with Hypertrophic Osteodystrophy
Authors: Aleksiewicz Roman , Lutnicki Krzysztof , Komsta Renata , Kostro Krzysztof 
Published: May 2018

Abstract
Radiographic examination of the distal radius and ulna of dogs showed changes in metaphyseal areas of both bones characteristic of hypertrophic osteodystrophy (HOD). The serum of the patients showed increased activity of alkaline phosphatase (ALKP) and elevated concentrations of Ca and P. Oral application of vitamin C and injection of sodium salt of hyaluronic acid in the bolus caused a reduction in swelling, disappearance of pain symptoms around the joints, and increased appetite. Radiographic examinations performed on the 60th d of treatment revealed the withdrawal of the changes characteristic for HOD. The chosen biochemical parameters tested during the treatment showed a decrease in comparison to the values before treatment, namely: ALKP by 27.7%, Ca by 22.2%, P by 12.3%, and Mg by 2.4%. Clinical condition of the animals was defined as good or very good. The use of hyaluronic acid and vitamin C in the treatment of HOD in the first stage of the disease proved to be highly successful, resulting in the inhibition of the disease course.
Effect of Exogenous Proteases on the Spermiogram and Microscopic and Macroscopic Characteristics of Boar Ejaculate
Authors: Zielonka Łukasz , Przewoski Włodzimierz , Gajęcka Magdalena , Jakimiuk Ewa , Gajęcki Maciej 
Published: May 2018

Abstract
A growing interest in enzymatic growth promoters prompted the authors of the study to investigate the effects of a stimulating enzymatic complex on ejaculate characteristics of boars. The enzymatic complex comprising five proteases (proteinases - endopeptidases) and two peptidases (exopeptidases) was obtained by fermentation from Streptomyces fradiae. This complex was added to boar diets for 3 months at the initial doses of 90 (group E1) and 120 (group E2) g/ton of feed in the first week, followed by 40 and 60 g/ton, respectively, in the following weeks. Evaluation was based on the assessment of key ejaculate characteristics (volume, sperm concentration, total sperm count, primary and secondary sperm defects). The enzymatic complex improved the microscopic and macroscopic characteristics of boar ejaculate by increasing sperm concentrations and total sperm counts, and decreasing the volume of the analysed ejaculates without significant changes in the spermiograms of primary and secondary defects.
Spectrophotometric Analysis of the Resazurin Reduction Test as a Tool for Assessing Canine Semen Quality
Authors: Strzeżek Rafał , Filipowicz Krystyna , Stańczak Marta , Kordan Władysław 
Published: May 2018

Abstract
The resazurin reduction test (RRT) was subjected to spectrophotometric analysis to evaluate the quality of canine semen. Twenty four samples of canine semen were analysed. The absorption peaks for resazurin and resorufin were determined at 615 and 580 nm, respectively. The RRT ratio (RRTsperm-the ratio for samples containing spermatozoa, RRTplasma-the ratio for samples containing seminal plasma) was calculated by dividing the absorbance at 580 nm by the absorbance at 615 nm. Spearman’s correlation test was used to determine the significance of correlations between the analysed sperm parameters and the results of the resazurin reduction assay. The RRT ratio was highly correlated with sperm motility (r=0.68, P<0.01), progressive sperm motility (r=0.61, P<0.01), the subpopulation of cells with rapid velocity (r=0.72, P<0.01), and the subpopulation of cells with medium velocity (r= -0.54, P<0.05). A negative correlation was observed between the reducing capacity of seminal plasma vs. sperm with plasma membrane integrity (r= -0.60, P<0.01) and sperm with normal morphology (r= -0.58, P<0.01). The RRT test can be used as an additional tool for evaluation of the quality of canine semen.
The determination of Schumann resonance mode frequencies using iterative procedure of complex demodulation
Authors: Ondrášková Adriena , Ševčík Sebastian 
Published: May 2018

Abstract
The more precise determination of instantaneous peak frequency of Schumann resonance (SR) modes, especially based on relatively short signal sequences, seems to be important for detailed analysis of SR modal frequencies variations. Contrary to commonly used method of obtaining modal frequencies by Lorentzian fitting of DFT spectra, the attempt was made to employ the complex demodulation method in iterated form. The results for SR signals contaminated with low-frequency noise and hum in various degree as well as the comparison with standard method are presented. Real signals of vertical electric field component picked up at the Astronomical and Geophysical Observatory of Comenius University at Modra, Slovakia, were the primary sources.
Non-observation RINEX compression
Authors: Bezručka Juraj 
Published: May 2018

Abstract
RINEX format is a result of an effort to standardize exchanging GNSS related data in human readable receiver independent format. Besides observation data, RINEX is also de facto standard for exchanging navigation message or meteorological data. The paper describes simple compression methods for navigation messages and meteorological data files. Both formats have their specific features, therefore different methods were used. Followed by standard compression the algorithms reduce the file size by more than 20 percent compared to standard compression. Thanks to the properties of weather and regular parameter observations it allows to reduce the file size of meteorological RINEX to a mere fraction of its original size.
A Stand-alone Station and DSP Method for Deep Sky Objects Astrophotography
Authors: Suszynski Robert 
Published: May 2018

Abstract
This article presents the basic assumptions and aspects of the design of a stand-alone station for deep sky objects (DSO) astrophotography. It describes the main elements of a project concerned with automatization, remote control and autoguiding [1-5] of a system. The article also covers in further detail the innovative use of a driver with an ATMEGA16 microcontroller and dedicated software for controlling the astronomical dome and its synchronization with telescope movement. Furthermore, a new concept of reprogrammable digital circuit implementation for auto-guiding systems is shown, which operates with a popular CCD webcam and ST4 compatible equatorial mounts. This idea was verified by the circuit prototype implemented on an Altera Cyclone II FPGA device and tested with real sky objects. A fully functional solution for performing automatic observation is presented. The project was also designed for amateur-astronomy, and therefore, user-friendly configuration and maintenance constituted very important factors, which were taken into consideration.
Cluster Based Optimization of Routing in Distributed Sensor Networks Using Bayesian Networks with Tabu Search
Authors: Bhajantri Lokesh B. , N. Nalini 
Published: May 2018

Abstract
Distributed Sensor Networks (DSNs) have attracted significant attention over the past few years. A growing list of many applications can employ DSNs for increased effectiveness especially in hostile and remote areas. In all applications a large number of sensors are expected and requiring careful architecture and management of the network. Grouping nodes into clusters has been the most popular approach for support scalability in DSN. This paper proposes a cluster based optimization of routing in DSN by employing a Bayesian network (BN) with Tabu search (TS) approach. BN based approach is used to select efficient cluster heads and construction of BN for the proposed scheme. This approach incorporates energy level of each node, bandwidth and link efficiency.
The optimization of routing is considered as a design issue in DSN due to lack of energy consumption, delay and maximum time required for data transmission between source nodes (cluster heads) to sink node. In this work optimization of routing takes place through cluster head nodes by using TS. Simulations have been conducted to compare the performance of the proposed approach with LEACH protocol. The objective of the proposed work is to improve the performance of network in terms of energy consumption, throughput, packet delivery ratio, and time efficiency of optimization of routing. The result shows that the proposed approach perform better than LEACH protocol that utilizes minimum energy, latency for cluster formation and reduce overhead of the protocol.
A preliminary Exploration of Operating Models of Second Cycle/Research Led Open Education Involving Industry Collaboration
Authors: Olsson Ulf 
Published: May 2018

Abstract
Scientists from five Swedish universities were interviewed about open second cycle education. Research groups and scientists collaborate closely with industry, and the selection of scientists for the study was made in relation to an interest in developing technology-enhanced open education, indicated by applications for funding from the Knowledge Foundation 2013. The study is founded on Conole’s (2012) seven organizational purposes for open education, Coursera’s eight models (Daniel, 2012), and Clarke’s (2013) four strategies for open education, and raises the question whether open education and MOOCs might be a way to reinforce research collaborations and research environments. The researchers displayed a positive attitude towards expanding the technology-enhanced learning and openness, and foresee few problems with openness when industry participates in teaching. Nonetheless, the scientists’ operating models and strategies for developing technology-enhanced learning and open education, are vague. Conclusively: although the interest is obvious, in order to succeed with technology-enhanced open education and strengthening the research groups, the variables for purposes, operating models, strategies, pedagogic models, and obstacles need to be calibrated and made more deliberated, preferably in collaboration between the scientists and industry.
Intercultural Blended Design Considerations: A Case Study of a Nordic-Baltic Course in Autism Intervention
Authors: Käck Annika , Roll-Pettersson Lise , Alai-Rosales Shahla S , Høium Kari , Männikkö-Barbutiu Sirkku , Fors Uno G.H 
Published: May 2018

Abstract
Specialized educational programs previously unavailable to many students are now accessible to students spread throughout the world. In particular, this globalization presents new opportunities and challenges for universities educating professionals in the field of autism treatment. The aim of the present case study is to analyse the experiences of students who participated in an intercultural graduate level blended learning course in applied behaviour analysis with an autism focus. Students were enrolled in universities in four Nordic-Baltic countries. Country based focus group interviews and surveys were used to explore student’s experiences and perceptions. Results indicate that access to expertise and interacting with other cultures were noted to positively affect learning experience. Risk for cultural divide due to discrepancies in technology, differing pedagogical traditions, and understanding of English were also reported. Implications regarding the potential risks and benefits inherent in intercultural blended learning courses are discussed and suggestions are offered for enhancing the success of such courses.
Connecting Multiple Intelligences through Open and Distance Learning: Going Towards a Collective Intelligence?
Authors: Medeiros Vieira Leandro Mauricio , Ferasso Marcos , Schröeder Christine da Silva 
Published: May 2018

Abstract
This theoretical essay is a learning approach reflexion on Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences and the possibilities provided by the education model known as open and distance learning. Open and distance learning can revolutionize traditional pedagogical practice, meeting the needs of those who have different forms of cognitive understanding. This tool has in itself the potential to build knowledge collectively. The conclusions raise new questions for future discussion, shedding some light on the open and distance learning not as a mere tool to spread education, but as a means to reach new levels of comprehension and consciousness, reflecting on the role of education itself.
Engineering College Lecturers Reluctance to Adopt Online Courses
Authors: Pundak David , Dvir Yoav , Valley Jordan 
Published: May 2018

Abstract
The paper investigates difficulties involved in integrating online courses in academic colleges. Despite their growing prevalence in Israel and worldwide there are still no online courses offered as part of the learning process in many colleges. In order to identify factors for this phenomenon, a study was conducted to investigate the attitudes of 137 lecturers in an academic college concerning online courses. A questionnaire was employed to examine attitudes in four areas: cognizance of the online courses, willingness to teach these courses, influence of online courses on the college’s reputation and teaching methods in online courses. The study identified four sources of reluctance among college instructors to teach in these courses: lack of knowledge concerning teaching methods, fear of a heavy work burden, concern that students’ achievements might fall and impairment of the college’s reputation. Since there is desire to integrate online courses in academic colleges, it is recommended that an online pedagogy support centre should be opened in these colleges, and that colleges should consider making it mandatory for students to take at least one compulsory online course during their degree course.
Sibling Rivalry: Estimating Cannibalization Rates for Innovations
Authors: van Heerde Harald J. , Srinivasan Shuba , Dekimpe Marnik G. 
Published: May 2018

Abstract
To evaluate the success of a new product, managers need to determine how much of its new demand is due to cannibalizing the company’s other products, rather than drawing from competition or generating primary demand. A new model allows managers to estimate cannibalization effects and to calculate the new product’s net demand, which may be considerably less than its total demand. The new methodology is applied to the introduction of the Lexus RX 300 using detailed car transaction data. This case is especially interesting since the Lexus RX 300 was the first crossover SUV, implying that its demand could come from both the SUV and the Luxury Sedan categories. As Lexus was active in both categories, there was a double cannibalization potential. Indeed, demand is shown to originate from different sources and to vary over time. The results contain valuable insights for evaluating and managing brand extensions.
Seeding a Message to Harvest Reach. Predicting and Optimizing the Spread of Electronic Word-of-Mouth
Authors: van der Lans Ralf , van Bruggen Gerrit , Eliashberg Jehoshua , Wierenga Berend 
Published: May 2018

Abstract
In a viral marketing campaign organizations stimulate customers to forward marketing messages to their contacts. To optimize a viral campaign it is necessary to predict how many customers will be reached, how this reach evolves, and how it depends on promotion activities. a new Viral Branching model can provide these results. It is based on insights from epidemiology and the spread of viruses and was adapted to a marketing context and an electronic environment. The model is applied to an actual viral marketing campaign in which over 200,000 customers participated during a six-week period. The results show that the model quickly predicts the actual reach of the campaign and serves as a valuable tool to support marketing decisions related to online campaigns
Does Quality Win? Competing Against an Entrenched Market-Leader in High-Tech Markets
Authors: Tellis Gerard J. , Yin Eden , Niraj Rakesh 
Published: May 2018

Abstract
In recent years, with some early entrants to a market commanding huge market shares, critics have wondered whether the best quality products win in the market place. Early entrants can gain a position of wide-spread acceptance among users. The fact that a critical mass already uses the product might prompt new consumers to snowball onto this early choice leading to consumer lock-in. Many economists fear that such “network effects” may enable inferior products to defend their entrenched positions even against higher quality alternatives. This article tests the validity of this premise in 19 high-tech markets including hardware, software, and services.
Results indicate that contrary to the above fear, healthy market evolution occurs in most cases without regulatory intervention. Better quality entrants gain market dominance within three to five years of entry. The findings also show that it makes sense to invest in developing high quality products even if the market seems dominated by an entrenched industry leader and that network effects even increase market efficiency in some cases
Customization: A Goldmine or a Wasteland?
Authors: Franke Nikolaus , Keinz Peter , Steger Christoph J. 
Published: May 2018

Abstract
Should firms invest in customization strategies? Customization is a “hot” topic advocated in many popular books and articles. On the other hand, spectacular failures in the recent past have raised doubts. We experimentally tested the value customization generates for customers in the diverse product categories of newspapers, fountain pens, kitchens, skis, and cereals. The findings are clear: customization by far outperforms the more traditional strategies of segmentation and mass marketing
MIR talks to Vinita Bali, Managing Director and CEO of Britannia Industries
Authors: Reddy Srinivas K. 
Published: May 2018

Abstract
Today we live in a truly global economy, no matter whether we talk about goods, services or manpower. Whereas economic growth rates in Europe and North America remain moderate, many Asian countries are booming despite last year´s economic downturn. This is reason enough for MIR to take a closer look at one of the rising stars: India. In June 2010, MIR talked to Vinita Bali, one of the few female CEOs of leading companies, who has worked in influential marketing positions on five continents. In describing how Britannia, one of the most famous Indian brands, handles everyday business and marketing challenges, she delivers a bright picture of the Indian economic situation