bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Assessing memory rehabilitation outcomes using Adaptation to Memory Difficulties Outcome questionnaire
Authors: Harnell Rachel , dasNair Roshan , Lincoln Nadina B 
Published: February 2018

Background/Aims: There are few measures available to assess the outcome of cognitive rehabilitation. The Adaptation to Memory Difficulties Outcome questionnaire was designed to assess the outcome of memory rehabilitation. The aim of this study was to examine the internal consistency and concurrent validity of the Adaptation to Memory Difficulties Outcome questionnaire, and to evaluate its responsiveness to change for people with traumatic brain injury who received memory rehabilitation. Methods: The Everyday Memory Questionnaire was administered as a baseline assessment in a randomised controlled trial of memory rehabilitation. Participants in the intervention group received ten weekly group memory rehabilitation sessions. The Adaptation to Memory Difficulties Outcome questionnaire was administered at the first and last intervention session. Findings: Of the 171 participants randomised to the intervention group, 118 completed the Everyday Memory Questionnaire and Adaptation to Memory Difficulties Outcome questionnaire. The internal consistency of all subscales was acceptable to good (α>0.7), with the exception of the control subscale, which was unacceptable. There were statistically significant but low correlations (rs 0.17 to 0.34, p<0.05) between the Everyday Memory Questionnaire and the three subscales of the Adaptation to Memory Difficulties Outcome questionnaire section A, before treatment. There was a statistically significant improvement (p<0.001) between baseline and follow-up for all subscales on the Adaptation to Memory Difficulties Outcome questionnaire with large effect sizes (0.59–0.94). Conclusions: The Adaptation to Memory Difficulties Outcome questionnaire had good internal consistency on most scales and was responsive to change, but assesses different aspects of memory rehabilitation outcome from the Everyday Memory Questionnaire.
Effects of recasts and form-focused instruction on the acquisition of novel vocabulary
Authors: Yang Yingli , Zhang Lawrence Jun , Chen Ling 
Published: February 2018

Abstract
The present study explores the effects of recast plus form-focused instruction and form-focused instruction on vocabulary development and the mediating effect of working memory. Sixty-six university students were assigned to a recast plus form-focused instruction (FFI) group, a FFI group, and a control group. The instructor provided recasts on non-target vocabulary items in the recast plus FFI group, whereas the FFI group completed two form-focused vocabulary tasks only. Pretests, posttests, and delayed posttests were administered to examine learners’ development of target vocabulary items. A reading span test was employed to examine learners’ complex working memory capacities. Results show that the recast plus FFI group exhibited superior performance over the control group on both posttests and delayed posttests with large effect sizes. Working memory did not significantly correlate with vocabulary development in either treatment group.
Aesthetics of Building Material in the Buildings of Architect Augusts Malvess
Authors: Krastiņš Jānis 
Published: February 2018

Abstract
Architect Augusts Malvess is well-known in history of Latvian architecture in general and in architecture education in Latvia in particular, but so far not all of the buildings designed by him have been identified and architecture of his creations has not been evaluated in the context of artistically stylistic and theoretical principles. The article presents the analyses of the architect’s specific creative approach based on the use of various building materials with the purpose of achieving artistic expression. Several until now unknown, but significant facts in the history of Latvian architecture have been explored.
Advanced Modeling Techniques for Architectural Design Education
Authors: Riekstins Arne 
Published: February 2018

AbstractThis article discusses the usage of advanced modeling techniques in architectural design education from the viewpoint of CAD/CAM paradigm that is setting new standards for the teaching and the industry. Parametricism is one of the main driving forces in architecture that exercises complexity possible only through 3D modeling tools and using generative algorithms. Most of the design skills are being learned by applying the obtained knowledge in academic design projects and their supplementary classes.
Corruption and Medicine Quality in Latin America: A Pilot Study
Authors: Bate Roger , Mathur Aparna 
Published: February 2018

Abstract
Fake and substandard medicines are a significant problem in developing nations, and a growing problem in developed ones too. There have been assessments of basic medicine quality from many countries and regions across the world but almost none in Central and South America. Over the past decade, as part of our research, we have collected over ten thousand samples of medicines from 22 cities in emerging markets, but the only one from the Latin region was Sao Paolo in Brazil. We have now rectified this gap, at least for one critical medicine, the broad spectrum antibiotic ciprofloxacin. Using original, self-collected data from ten countries in Latin America, we test whether the 687 Ciprofloxacin treatments pass the Global Pharma Health Fund e.V. Minilab® protocol to identify substandard or counterfeit medicines. In terms of quality, 93 percent of drugs were good quality. Within the drugs that failed the quality test, the majority were substandard rather than fake. About 26 % of the poor quality drugs were fake, with zero active pharmaceutical ingredient (API), while the rest were substandard, with less than 80 % API. In line with results from our earlier studies, we find that products that were locally registered, as well as those with SRA or WHO pre-qualification, were more likely to pass the test. A new finding in this paper is that corruption is a key predictor of poor quality drugs. Less corrupt countries had higher levels of passing drugs.
Smooth operator: remittances and household consumption during fiscal shocks
Authors: Beaton Kimberly , Cevik Serhan , Yousefi Seyed Reza 
Published: February 2018

Abstract
With 250 million migrants globally, remittances are one of the major sources of income in many developing countries. While there is abundant evidence that remittances facilitate consumption smoothing, the literature has not considered whether this effect varies with the fiscal stance and during fiscal shocks. Our focus is therefore on whether the consumption-smoothing effect changes with fiscal policy phases and whether remittances and government support are substitutes or complements in stabilizing household consumption. We take a holistic approach to investigating this relationship combining cross-country and household-level analysis. We find that remittances help smooth consumption, and hence improve welfare, more during fiscal consolidation episodes, while this impact is insignificant during fiscal expansions. The results also indicate that the effect is more pronounced in countries with greater reliance on remittances.
Effect of a combination of flip and zooming stimuli on the performance of a visual brain-computer interface for spelling
Authors: Cheng Jiao , Jin Jing , Daly Ian , Zhang Yu , Wang Bei , Wang Xingyu , Cichocki Andrzej 
Published: February 2018

Abstract
Brain-computer interface (BCI) systems can allow their users to communicate with the external world by recognizing intention directly from their brain activity without the assistance of the peripheral motor nervous system. The P300-speller is one of the most widely used visual BCI applications. In previous studies, a flip stimulus (rotating the background area of the character) that was based on apparent motion, suffered from less refractory effects. However, its performance was not improved significantly. In addition, a presentation paradigm that used a “zooming” action (changing the size of the symbol) has been shown to evoke relatively higher P300 amplitudes and obtain a better BCI performance. To extend this method of stimuli presentation within a BCI and, consequently, to improve BCI performance, we present a new paradigm combining both the flip stimulus with a zooming action. This new presentation modality allowed BCI users to focus their attention more easily. We investigated whether such an action could combine the advantages of both types of stimuli presentation to bring a significant improvement in performance compared to the conventional flip stimulus. The experimental results showed that the proposed paradigm could obtain significantly higher classification accuracies and bit rates than the conventional flip paradigm (p<0.01).
Planning and regulation of pre-final cuttings in Poland – a proposal for change
Authors: Borecki Tomasz , Pieniak Dariusz , Stępień Edward , Wójcik Roman 
Published: February 2018

Abstract
Scheduling and regulation of the forest use are of much importance in forest management. Decisions regarding the manner, timing, and intensity of tree felling result in long-term effects, as these affect the species and age structure of forests, along with the direction and dynamics of changes in forest resources. Above all, serious doubts concern the way of determining and accounting for the prescribed forest utilization, and in particular, the possibilities of the pre-final cuttings. In recent times, the precise determination of the pre-final cuttings by volume has been given up. According to the law, the area of pre-final cuttings is now obligatory taken into account. Consequently, it is not possible to determine the total volume limiting the amount of timber to be harvested, thus, there is decreased the value of the forest management plan as the document approved by the minister responsible for forestry as well as the basis for forest management. For practical reasons, the specified pre-final cuttings by volume are considered as indicative.
Connecting the planned pre-final cutting volume with the expected volume increment of the stand has not been relinquished. In the present paper, the authors called attention to a necessity for further improvement of the medium-term planning of pre-final cutting volume. A need to change the definition of the incidental cutting was emphasized. As said by the authors, the term “incidental cutting” should denote harvesting wood from diseased and dying or dead trees, along with eliminating the effects of tree damage caused by fortuitous events. Accordingly, the incidental cuttings that are inherently unpredictable, should not be directly attributed to pre-final cutting products. Keeping in mind the incidental cuttings, the authors proposed the method of reckoning the forest use, which would allow for correct accounting with regard to the prescribed pre-final cuttings.
Influence of nitrogen fertilisation on biometric features of two-year-old seedlings of pedunculate oak subjected for root pruning
Authors: Hauke-Kowalska Maria , Kasprzyk Winicjusz 
Published: February 2018

Abstract
Pruning is one of the important cultural treatments that have potential to influence hardwood seedling morphology. The aim of the study was to compare the growth of pedunculate oak seedlings, performed pruning roots, in the second growing season, fertilised full and reduced dose of nitrogen.
A total of 24 experimental plots, each with an the area of 0.04 ha, were designated. The roots pruning were made at the end of February 2014 using root pruning machine EGEDAL. The fertilisation, for all seedlings, was performed using ammonium nitrate in an amount of 25 kg ha−1 of nitrogen. The second fertilisation was performed only for variants 2 and 4. For these variants, urea was used in an amount of 25 kg ha−1. At the end of the growing season, the root collar diameter and the height of seedlings were measured.
A dose of nitrogen affects the height of pruned seedlings. The effect of the full dose of nitrogen on the height of the pruned seedlings was a statistically significant (p ≤ 0.05). There was no statistical difference in the height of the seedlings without pruning, fertilised with different dose of nitrogen.
Analysis of root collar diameter showed the significant differences between the variants. The Tukey test, at the significance level of p ≤ 0.05, showed a significant impact on the root collar diameter of pruned seedlings but no proven effect of nitrogen fertilisation. To conclude, we found that it is reasonable to reduce the doses of nitrogen fertilisation to half of recommended amount (25 kg ha−1) if the root system is not pruned during the second growth year. Seedlings that has received pruning should be fertilised using the recommended doses of nitrogen.
Drivers of land use change and carbon mapping in the savannah area of Ghana
Authors: Koranteng Addo , Adu-Poku Isaac , Zawila-Niedzwiecki Tomasz 
Published: February 2018

Abstract
Land-use and land-cover change in both forest reserves and off-reserves is a critical issue in sub Saharan Africa. Deforestation and conversion of forest land to agricultural land continue to be one of the major environmental problems in Africa, and for that matter, Ghana cannot be exceptional; and its resultant effect is the loss in the ecological integrity and the quality of forests, resulting in carbon loss and the resultant climate change effects (FAO 2016). The study area covers the Community Resource Management Areas (CREMA) of the Mole National Park in Ghana, and this study reveals that the area is well endowed with a diverse composition and structure of woodland including dense, open and riverine stretches, which – under the national definition of forest – qualifies as forest. The results reveal that there had been an annual deforestation rate of 0.11% over the period of review. It was concluded from the study that woodland had high carbon stocks with an average carbon of 80 tC/ha, the highest being 194 tC/ha and the lowest being 7 tC/ha, which was recorded in the dense woodland and grassland respectively. The fluxes within the land sector in the study area are moderate and the potential of the area to qualify for as REDD+ is very high. However, the drivers of deforestation, especially bush fires and illegal timber harvesting, are challenges that need to be addressed.
Economic evaluation of recreational use of forests roads on the example of Pisek City Forests Ltd.
Authors: Březina David , Hlaváčková Petra , Fialová Jitka 
Published: February 2018

Abstract
An additional objective of the research, which was a part of the project “Quantification of the Effect of the Selected Forest Enterprise on the Local Economy of the Region” of the Internal Grant Agency (IGA) of Mendel University in Brno conducted in 2016 was a large case study of the property of Pisek City Forests Ltd. This article is focused on surveying the willingness of area visitors to pay for usage of the recreational function of forests and evaluation of the used method. The evaluated part of the questionnaire survey was based on the method of contingent valuation founded on the willingness of respondents to pay for recreational function. It was found in the results of the questionnaire survey that visitors are not very willing to pay for recreational function, and it is especially because forests in the area of Pisek City Forests Ltd. are perceived as public assets and thus access to them should be without fee. Furthermore, there were problems found with the method. Thus it is necessary to find a new way of evaluation of the recreational potential of the area.
Molecular analysis ofPhytophthoraspecies found in Poland
Authors: Oszako Tomasz , Sikora Katarzyna , Belbahri Lassaâd , Nowakowska Justyna A. 
Published: February 2018

AbstractPathogens ofPhytophthoragenus are common not only in forest nurseries and stands, but also in water courses. Species ofPhytophthoraspread with plants for plantings (and soil attached to them) and with water courses as well, attacking the plants growing in riparian ecosystems. Several specialized organisms damaging only one tree species were identified likeP. alnion alders orP. quercinaon oaks. SomePhytophthoraspecies can develop on several hosts likeP. plurivoraandP. cactorumon oaks, beeches, alders, ashes and horse chestnuts. Other oomycetes likeP. gallicaspecies was found for the first time in Poland in water used for plant watering in forest nursery. SpeciesP. lacustrisandP. gonapodyideswere found in superficial water.PhytophthoraspeciesP. polonicawas identified in the declining alder stands for the first time in the world, andP. taxonhungaricaandP. megaspermawere found in the rhizosphere of seriously damaged ash stands for the first time in Poland. The most often isolated species wereP. plurivora(clade 2) with frequency 37% andP. lacustriswith frequency 33% (clade 6). The best represented clade 6 revealed the occurrence of 6 species:P. gonapodyides, P. lacustris, P. megasperma, P.sp.raspberry,P.taxonhungaricaandP.taxon oak soil.
Beyond the Walls: Locating the Common Denominator in Herod’s Landscape Palaces
Authors: Gassner Evie 
Published: February 2018

AbstractThe Question of King Herod's personal involvement in the Building Projects attributed to him was always one of the more dominant topics in the study of Herodian archaeology. The purpose of this short paper is to try and answer this question by researching and discussing the location of a ‘common denominator’ in the structure of Herod's “Landscape” palaces, through the study of the relationship each palace has with its surroundings. These palaces-the Promontory Palace in Caesarea, the Third Palace in Jericho, the Northern Palace in Masada and the Palace of Great Herodium-were chosen as case studies for their scale, architectural complexity and the unique connection they share with the landscape. While a close study of the interior of the palaces and their structural units show that each palace plan is unique and shares almost nothing in common with the other plans, a research of the landscape in which the palaces are located indicates that a common denominator to all four palaces can be found in the forms of the elements of water and the dramatic landscape. These two elements, combined with the uniqueness of the structures themselves, point to Herod's own involvement in the planning of the four “Landscape” palaces.
Landscape Archaeology in the Wādī al-ʿArab Region
Authors: Soennecken Katja , Olsvig-Whittaker Linda , Leiverkus Patrick , Shmida Avi 
Published: February 2018

Abstract
As an integral part of the Gadara-Region-Project, a survey of the Wādī al-‘Arab region was conducted during the years 2009-2012, by the Biblical-Archaeological Institute Wuppertal and the German Protestant Institute for Archaeology in order to achieve a better understanding of the hinterland of the main study site Tall Zirāʿa and to provide answers concerning settlement pattern, trade relationships and the importance of sites throughout time.
On the basis of this survey we used ecological approaches to see what correlation might exist between archaeological sites and habitat. Since more than half the sites in this survey had Roman occupation, we asked what difference, if any, was there in the distribution of Roman sites compared to previous occupations. A comparison was made of “new” Roman sites (those not previously occupied in the Hellenistic period) with those that had both Roman and Hellenistic occupation.
Open water, riverine habitats, and large archaeological sites all seemed connected. In addition, analysis indicated a correlation of older (more successful or established?) sites with open water and new Roman sites were less related to water. We knew that Roman engineering both of cistern systems and aqueducts opened new areas (such as plateaus) for settlement and exploitation. Hence the weaker correlation of new Roman sites with natural water was reasonable.
New Directions with Digital Archaeology and Spatial Analysis in the Jezreel Valley
Authors: Homsher Robert S. , Adams Matthew J. , Prins Adam B. , Gardner-Cook Ryan , Tepper Yotam 
Published: February 2018

Abstract
The Jezreel Valley Regional Project (JVRP) is a long-term multidisciplinary project investigating human activity in the Jezreel Valley through all periods through the modern era. This research incorporates extensive and intensive archaeological survey and excavation at several spatial scales, and utilizes a number of methodological approaches to documentation and spatial analysis. One of the major challenges of this project has been coping with a high volume of data, and integrating cutting-edge technology into our workflow to solve the problems that many archaeologists face. This paper will present an overview of our field-based methods of data acquisition, particularly by means of 3D photogrammetry, remote sensing, and high-precision ground control. When integrated through our data management system and used in GIS applications, these data not only produce plans and imagery far more precise than conventional approaches, but the methods used are incredibly time-efficient, cost-effective, and produce archival digital data. Furthermore, we will report on results of spatial analysis of archaeological activity in the Jezreel Valley in conjunction with digital terrain and hydrological modelling of the landscape. These digital techniques allow us to study human and environmental changes in the landscape like never before.
“To Sartaba, From Sartaba” A New Proposal to Identify the Location of the Second Station on the Beacon Line from Jerusalem to Babylon
Authors: Frumin Mitia 
Published: February 2018

Abstract
The Hebrew calendar is a lunisolar calendar. Its months are based on the revolution of the moon about the Earth, as it is said: This is the burnt offering of every new moon throughout the months of the year1 (Num. 28:14)
At the present time the moment of the true new moon is approximated mathematically. However during the Second Temple period, the beginning of the new lunar month had to be observed and certified by witnesses. Then the Sanhedrin Court was to make a public proclamation on the first day of the lunar month (ראש חודש).
In Mishnah, Tractate Rosh Hashana, Chapter 2 describes the process of communicating the information about the beginning of new month through the chain of beacon fires:
“From the Mount of Olives to Sartaba, and from Sartaba to Grofina, and from Grofina to Hauran, and from Hauran to Bet Biltin. From Bet Biltin they did not move, but rather waved back and forth and up and down until he saw the whole of the diaspora before him lit up like one bonfire.”2
Questioning of reliability of the quoted above description, its completeness and exclusiveness of the delineated in the Mishnah route is beyond the scope of the presented research. In this article we’ll apply methods of the geographic information systems (GIS) analysis in order to examine the existed theories regarding localization of Sartaba - the second mentioned station in the chain of beacon fires, reveal their discrepancies and propose an innovative, albeit rather technical, solution for long-known problem.
Estonia And UNIFIL: The Benefits to a Small State of UN Peacekeeping
Authors: Lawrence Tony 
Published: February 2018

Abstract
This article considers Estonia’s contribution, since May 2015, of an infantry company to the Finnish contingent of the Finnish/Irish battalion of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon. It is intended to provide a case study of a small European state’s involvement in UN peacekeeping in the ‘post- Afghanistan’ security environment. Drawing on interviews with Estonian officials and peacekeepers, it sets out the rationale for Estonia’s contribution and explores the degree to which participation has met the expectations of the Estonian defence leadership. It concludes that participation in UNIFIL has largely been a valuable policy, both politically and for the defence forces.