bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
AirBaltic Case Based Analysis of Potential for Improving Employee Engagement Levels in Latvia through Gamification
Authors: Ērgle Daiga 
Published: April 2016

Abstract
In 2014, airBaltic Corporation introduced a gamified electronic platform called Forecaster with a purpose to increase its employee engagement. The article considers the approach used by the organisation, analyses results, advantages and drawbacks of the organisation, and mainly formulates recommendations for the organisation in order to improve impact on employee engagement through gamification. As a result of the research, the author proposes 8 steps that are useful and applicable to any organisation, and as such those may serve a broader purpose than just improving airBaltic Forecaster tool. The objective of the paper is to draw learnings and put forward suggestions for the organisations in Latvia that are concerned with improving their employee engagement and demonstrate how gamification can be helpful in their endeavour.
Practical Aspects of Physical and MAC Layer Security in Visible Light Communication Systems
Authors: Blinowski Grzegorz J. 
Published: April 2016

Abstract
Visible light communication (VLC) has been recently proposed as an alternative standard to radio-based wireless networks. Originally developed as a physical media for PANs (Personal area Networks) it evolved into universal WLAN technology with a capability to transport internet suite of network and application level protocols. Because of its physical characteristics, and in line with the slogan "what you see is what you send", VLC is considered a secure communication method. In this work we focus on security aspects of VLC communication, starting from basic physical characteristics of the communication channel. We analyze the risks of signal jamming, data snooping and data modification. We also discuss MAC-level security mechanisms as defined in the IEEE 802.15.7 standard. This paper is an extension of work originally reported in Proceedings of the 13th IFAC and IEEE Conference on Programmable Devices and Embedded Systems - PDES 2015
Noise Detection for Biosignals Using an Orthogonal Wavelet Packet Tree Denoising Algorithm
Authors: Schimmack Manuel , Mercorelli Paolo 
Published: April 2016

Abstract
This article deals with the noise detection of discrete biosignals using an orthogonal wavelet packet. In specific, it compares the usefulness of Daubechies wavelets with different vanishing moments for the denoising and compression of the digitalised biosignals in case of surface electromyography (sEMG) signals. The work is based upon the discrete wavelet transform (DWT) version of wavelet package transform (WPT). A noise reducing algorithm is proposed to detect unavoidable noise in the acquired data in a model independent way. The noise of a signal sequence will be defined by a seminorm. This method was developed for a possible observation during a fracture healing period. The proposed method is general for signal processing and its design was based upon the wavelet packet.
Application of High-Resolution 3D Scanning in Medical Volumetry
Authors: Chromy Adam 
Published: April 2016

Abstract
This paper deals with application of 3D scanning technology in medicine. Important properties of 3D scanners are discussed with emphasize on medical applications. Construction of medical 3D scanner according to these specifications is described and practical application of its use in medical volumetry is presented. Besides volumetry, such 3D scanner is usable for many other purposes, like monitoring of recovery process, ergonomic splint manufacturing or inflammation detection.
3D scanning introduces novel volumetric method, which is compared with standard methods. The new method is more accurate compared to present ones. Principles of this method are discussed in paper and its accuracy is evaluated and experimentally verified.
SMTBDD: New Form of BDD for Logic Synthesis
Authors: Kubica Marcin , Kania Dariusz 
Published: April 2016

Abstract
The main purpose of the paper is to suggest a new form of BDD - SMTBDD diagram, methods of obtaining, and its basic features. The idea of using SMTBDD diagram in the process of logic synthesis dedicated to FPGA structures is presented. The creation of SMTBDD diagrams is the result of cutting BDD diagram which is the effect of multiple decomposition. The essence of a proposed decomposition method rests on the way of determining the number of necessary ‘g’ bounded functions on the basis of the content of a root table connected with an appropriate SMTBDD diagram. The article presents the methods of searching non-disjoint decomposition using SMTBDD diagrams. Besides, it analyzes the techniques of choosing cutting levels as far as effective technology mapping is concerned. The paper also discusses the results of the experiments which confirm the efficiency of the analyzed decomposition methods.
Method for Filling and Sharpening False Colour Layers of Dual Energy X-ray Images
Authors: Dmitruk Krzysztof , Mazur Michał , Denkowski Marcin , Mikołajczak Paweł 
Published: April 2016

Abstract
An X-ray scanning and image processing have a vast range of applications in the security. An image of a content of some package being passed for example to an airplane or to the court house may help to figure out if there are any dangerous objects inside that package and to avoid possible threatening situation. As the raw X-ray images are not always easy to analyze and interpret, some image processing methods like an object detection, a frequency resolution increase or a pseudocolouring are being used. In this paper, we propose a pseudocoloring improvement over material based approach. By addition of the edge detection methods we fill and sharpen colour layers over the image, making it easier to interpret. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the methods using real data, acquired from a professional dual energy X-ray scanner.
Mathematical Model of Communication Delays in Wireless Networks
Authors: Krupanek Beata , Bogacz Ryszard 
Published: April 2016

Abstract
The paper presents a new conception of building probabilistic models of communication delays in wireless networks that basis on using a delta function sequence to describe retransmissions between a transmitter and a receiver. It is assumed that the access time of the transmitter is described by a probability density function and the communication channel established in the wireless medium is disturbed by passive or active factors which cause that the transmission can be not correct and the sent data have to be retransmitted. Theoretical considerations have been verified by measurement results obtained by using the experimental system developed for investigating delays caused by external disturbances influencing the wireless transmission. A method of identification of the proposed model parameters and verification of the identified values has been presented.
Enhanced European Coordination of Accelerator Research and Development – EuCARD2 – Global and Local Impact
Authors: Romaniuk Ryszard S. 
Published: April 2016

Abstract
Wide scale, European, infrastructural research projects on accelerator science and technology are under realization since 2003. CARE project was realized during the period 2003/4-2008, and next EuCARD during 2009-2013. Now during 2014-2017 there is successfully continued EuCARD2 - Enhanced European Coordination of Accelerator R&D. European accelerator R&D community prepares next continuation of the EuCARD inside the Horizon 2020. The paper presents the work developments of EuCARD. Several institutions from Poland are participating in EuCARD: NCNR in Świerk, IChTJ, technical Universites in Łódź, Wrocław and Warsaw. Realization of the project during the last 12 years gave numerable and valuable results combined with essential modernization of the European research infrastructures. From the point of view of domestic interests, where we do not have large research infrastructures, the considerable benefits are associated with the participation of young researchers from Poland - engineers and physicists, in building of the top research infrastructures. Due to such participation, high technologies are developed in several centres in the country. The EuCARD project organizes annual meetings summarizing periodically the R&D advances. The EuCARD AM2015 was held in Barcelona in April.
Distribution of Iodine and Selenium in Selected Food Commodities
Authors: Strapáč I. , Baranová M. 
Published: April 2016

Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the distribution of the contents of iodine and selenium in selected food commodities. Fresh food commodities were mineralized and analysed for their iodine and selenium content by Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry using the calibration curve as the method for determining the contents of the elements. The average fruit and vegetables concentrations of iodine were very low. The cow’s milk, other dairy products, eggs, poultry, fresh water fish, beef, liver, and mushrooms are frequently regarded as the most important natural source of dietary iodine from common foods. The higher concentrations of selenium were recorded in the kidney, liver, pork, beef, poultry, fresh water fish, hen’s eggs, cow’s milk, other dairy products, wheat flour, fats, coffee, peppers, mushrooms and potatoes.
Analgesic Effect of Tramadol and Buprenorphin in Continuous Propofol Anaesthesia
Authors: Capík I. , Nagy O. 
Published: April 2016

Abstract
The objective of this study was to compare in clinical patients the analgesic effect of the centrally acting analgesics tramadol and buprenorphine in continuous intravenous anaesthesia (TIVA) with propofol. Twenty dogs undergoing prophylactic dental treatment, aged 2−7 years, weighing 6−27 kg, were included in ASA I. and II. groups. Two groups of dogs received intravenous (IV) administration of tramadol hydrochloride (2 mg.kg−1) or buprenorphine hydrochloride (0.2 mg.kg−1) 30 minutes prior to sedation, provided by midazolam hydrochloride (0.3 mg.kg−1) and xylazine hydrochloride (0.5 mg.kg-1) IV. General anaesthesia was induced by propofol (2 mg.kg−1) and maintained by a 120 minutes propofol infusion (0.2 mg.kg−1min−1). Oscilometric arterial blood pressure (ABP) measured in mm Hg, heart rate (HR), respiratory rate (RR), SAT, body temperature (BT) and pain reaction elicited by haemostat forceps pressure at the digit were recorded in ten minute intervals. The tramadol group of dogs showed significantly better parameters of blood pressure (P < 0.001), lower tendency to bradycardia (P < 0.05), and better respiratory rate (P < 0.001) without negative influence to oxygen saturation. Statistically better analgesia was achieved in the tramadol group (P < 0.001). Tramadol, in comparison with buprenorphine provided significantly better results with respect to the degree of analgesia, as well as the tendency of complications arising during anaesthesia.
Antioxidant properties of selected culinary spices
Authors: Słowianek Marta , Leszczyńska Joanna 
Published: April 2016

Summary
Introduction: Seasonings added to food enhance its flavor and texture. Some of them can also extend their shelf-lives thanks to the presence of antioxidant compounds. Objective: The aim of the study was to investigate twenty eight commercially available spices for the total phenolic contents and antioxidant activity. Methods: Total phenols were estimated according to the Folin-Ciocalteu method. Antioxidant activities of the extracts were determined with DPPH assay. Results: Our results showed that the most of analysed spices are rich in phenolic compounds and demonstrate good antioxidant activity. The total polyphenol content oscillated around 0.9-155.1 mg GAE/g with the lowest value for sesame and the highest for cinnamon. The DPPH radical scavenging ability expressed as % ranged from 4.1% for sesame to 94.9% for cloves. Moreover, a moderate correlation (r=0.63, p<0.05) was reported between antioxidant activity and total phenolics, revealing that phenolic compounds are the important antioxidant components in the examined spices. Conclusion: The study shows also that a lot of spices can serve as food preservatives and, at the same time, have a beneficial effect on human health.
Recalculating the White Page-GPS Love in Comme dans un film des frères Coen
Authors: Hastings Valerie 
Published: April 2016

Abstract
Hastings reads the novel Comme dans un film des frères Coen (2010) by Bertrand Gervais as addressing both the midlife and the blank page crisis. Indeed, the main character of this novel is a writer in his fifties who still suffers from the failure of his last novel ignored by the critics. Disenchanted, he slowly enters a world of fantasy, and falls in love with the voice of his GPS he called Gwyneth “parle trop” (speaks too much) therefore recalling the name of the actress with the same name. He gradually loses contact with his wife and his son, a successful painter, and is transformed into “the man who was not there” another character from a movie by the Coen brothers entitled The Barber: the man who was not there. Hastings asks: How could one get lost with a GPS? After the main character had initially bought his GPS for a trip in Australia in order to find his way, it started to go beyond its role as a road guide and questioned where he was in his relationship with his wife, in his career as a writer, and in his skin as a mature man. Not only was the GPS not fulfilling its purpose but also it started to ruin a fragile relationship hoping to find its way back to love during a last minute trip in Australia. Even after destroying the annoying talkative GPS, it continued to disrupt the couple in the plane on the way back to Canada. As much as Gwyneth the GPS is synonymous with escape and freedom, it is also showing the main character the wrong way, the way out of his reality, out of his family and out of his life. His attempts to free himself from Gwyneth are worthless, her image is still there, haunting his thoughts like images from a movie. But the displacement happens at another level than just the diegetic one. The confrontation of the text with moving images has consequences on the shape of the text itself. The mapping of the text on the page is influenced by this amalgam. The white page becomes a space where words are rearranged in different ways, some of which suggest poetry, other cartoons or cinematic images. The displacement of literature in areas that were previously foreign to it is at the heart of creative activity, and determines its renewal. Hastings presents the consequences resulting from the confrontation with the GPS, both on the mapping of one’s identity as well as the mapping and the shaping of the text itself.
Between logos and doxa: The Intelligence of a Machine
Authors: Duarte German A. 
Published: April 2016

Abstract
This paper deals with Parmenides of Elea’s way of inquiry about reality and the opposition emerging from it. In more detail, it analyses how Parmenides’ concepts of logos and doxa present some analogies with Bergson’s thoughts about duration and Time and how these theories influenced the understanding of visual media, especially the cinematographic camera. This survey will allow us to demonstrate that some scientific theories about space that accompanied the development of the cinematographic camera progressively allowed for the birth of a new understanding of this device. In the last section of this study, we will then focus on the way through which the film camera - understood as an intelligent device - passes from the sphere of doxa to the sphere of logos.
Cohabitation among Tertiary Education Students: An Exploratory Study in Bulawayo
Authors: Svodziwa Mathew , Kurete Faith 
Published: April 2016

Abstract
Cohabiting has been associated with a number of problems including sexually transmitted diseases and HIV and AIDS, abortions, sexual abuse and violence, low academic performance, increased cost of medical care and unwanted pregnancies. However, there is little documented information on the extent and the factors influencing cohabitation among the youth and especially among tertiary education students. This study therefore sought to fill this gap by investigating factors that lead to the prevalence and practice of cohabitation by tertiary education students. The research adopted the interpretivist philosophy. The qualitative research methodology was employed in order to understand in greater detail the behaviors, attitudes, opinions, and beliefs of the respondents on cohabitation among tertiary education students. The study used the survey research design. Primary research was conducted using questionnaire surveys that were administered to tertiary education students who participated at the Tertiary Education Sports Association of Zimbabwe in July 2016. There were 100 questionnaires distributed and 78 questionnaires were returned making 78% response rate. The respondents were randomly sampled to participate in the study. The study reflects that cohabitation among the Tertiary education students is quite common. The study noted that it is mostly caused by lack of accommodation, problems with roommates, lack of privacy and the need to be close and intimate with one's lover. In results cohabitation exposes students to premarital sex and other consequences such as unwanted pregnancies, abortion, complications and sexually transmitted infections. The study recommends that tertiary education students should be enlightened during orientations about the dangers of cohabitation. Parents should be encouraged to visit their children and find where and whom they live with while in school.
LBPV for Recognition of Sign Language at Sentence Level: An Approach Based on Symbolic Representation
Authors: Nagendraswamy H.S. , Kumara B.M. Chethana 
Published: April 2016

AbstractRecognition of signs made by deaf people to produce equivalent textual description for normal people to communicate with deaf people is an essential and challenging task for the pattern recognition and image processing research community. Many researchers have made an attempt to standardize and to propose a sign language recognition system. To the best our knowledge, according to the literature survey, most of the work reported has concentrated at the fingerspelling level or at the word level, and less work at the sentence level has been reported. As sign languages are very abstract, fingerspelling or word level interpretation of signs seems to be a tedious and cumbersome task. Although existing research in sign language recognition is active and extensive, it still remains a challenge to achieve accurate recognition and interpretation of signs at the sentence level. In this paper, we made an attempt to address this problem by proposing an approach that exploits the texture description technique and symbolic data analysis concept to characterize and effectively represent a sign, taking into account the intra-class variations due to different signers or the same signers at different instances of time. In order to study the efficacy of the proposed approach, extensive experiments were carried out on a considerably large database of Indian sign language created by us. The experimental results demonstrated that the proposed method has shown good recognition performance in terms of F-measure rates.
Downregulation of AdipoR1 is Associated with Increased Circulating Adiponectin Levels in Serbian Chronic Kidney Disease Patients
Authors: Sopić Miron , Joksić Jelena , Spasojević-Kalimanovska Vesna , Bogavac-Stanojević Nataša , Simić-Ogrizović Sanja , Kravljača Milica , Ivanović Zorana Jelić 
Published: April 2016

SummaryBackground:Since the rise in plasma adiponectin levels in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients has not yet been elucidated, we sought to investigate if patients on hemodialysis (HD) have altered expression of adiponectin receptors in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) compared to healthy subjects.Methods:This study included 31 patients with chronic kidney disease on HD and 33 healthy subjects (CG). Circulating adiponectin levels were measured by ELISA while AdipoR1 and AdipoR2 mRNA levels in PBMCs were determined by real-time PCR.Results:Plasma adiponectin levels were significantly higher in patients compared to control group (P=0.036). After adjustment for age, BMI and creatinine, this difference became even more significant (P=0.004). In both groups adiponectin correlated with creatinine (CG: r=−0.472, P=0.006; HD: r=−0.375, P=0.038), triglycerides (CG: r=−0.490, P=0.004; HD: r=−0.488, P=0.005), insulin (CG: r=−0.386, P=0.038; HD: r=−0.506, P=0.012) and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (CG: r=−0.672, P<0.001; HD: r=−0.584, P=0.001). Significantly lower expression of PBMCs AdipoR1 mRNA was found in patients compared to CG (P=0.034), while AdipoR2 mRNA levels were similarly expressed in PBMCs in both groups.Conclusions:Complex pathological processes in CKD cause downregulation of AdipoR1 which could ultimately influence AdipoR1 protein levels leading to a state of »adiponectin resistance«.
Adventure into Peacetime Intra-Alliance Espionage: Assessment of the America-Germany Saga
Authors: Amusan Lere , Mchunu Siphiwe 
Published: April 2016

Abstract
Peacetime espionage is often employed by states as a means of acquiring information about competitor states in the international system. However the practice is not limited to competitor states. In a world where security concerns are an ever-present consideration for state action, acts of espionage normally reserved for use against enemies are also used against ally states. The basic premise is that while alliances are able to foster mutual trust and cooperation, they do not conclude that an ally will always be trust-worthy and faithful, most especially, when it involves issues of national interest. The international system and a need to safeguard one’s own interests and population mean that espionage, even against an ally, will remain a necessary state function and all states should therefore remain vigilant against attempts at infiltration of their state secrets. The question of peacetime intra-alliance espionage and the consequences thereof has yet to be answered and it is the purpose of this research to fill that intellectual gap. This research will look at traditionally allied countries, with a long record of cooperation, and not competing states. To achieve this, the case from 2013 of two North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) allies, Germany and the United States (US), are our main focus. Lessons worth drawing from this, by NATO small states members, shall be discussed.
Spatial Kinematic Analysis of Double 4-Link Coupler Used in Low-Floor Tram Powertrains
Authors: Maniowski Michał , Czauderna Tomasz 
Published: April 2016

Abstract
The paper presents kinematic characteristics of the double 4-link coupler system, used in actual powertrain of low-floor trams (NGT6-Kr). The spatial kinematic model of the couplings was formulated assuming ideal joints and rigid members. The constraints equations of the mechanism were solved iteratively and differentiated to obtain the Jacobian matrix. The mobility and singularity analysis of the coupler mechanism was performed on the basis of the Jacobian matrix.
Kinematic characteristics of the single and double coupler system were analyzed for gross angular and linear axle displacements (misalignments), taking the advantage of the fully nonlinear model. The coupling system was evaluated based on criteria describing homokinetics, balancing and clearance demands, and angular displacements in the joints. These criteria were determined for different design parameters like: coupler proportions, platform shift and angle, middle shaft length.