bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Personality Attitudes Affecting Employee Learning and Development: Prerequisites of Behaviour Leading to Learning and Development
Authors: Vnoučková Lucie 
Published: January 2017

Purpose: This study aims to reveal current approach and reactions of employees towards learning and development in organisations and to specify variants of behaviour as factors affecting employee development. Methodology/Approach: The study is based on evaluation of quantitative research. The data were collected via electronic questionnaires. The sample contains 211 employees from organisations across sectors. Bivariate and multivariate statistical methods and analyses were used to lower the number of possible single approaches and practices. Analyses formed valid factors, which influence and determine employee development.Findings: Results identified and verified different ways of reactions of respondents on organisational learning and development. Main searched areas of employee behaviour variability are motivation, affect and performance. Factors described in the presented article show the main ways which are used by employees in order to pass the learning and development process. Variability of employees’ reactions on learning and development process and its impact on performance is described using quantitative data.Research Limitation/implication: The results may be used in praxis in organisations to manage employee behaviour in order to grow constantly and use their own potential talents and leaders. Besides this study there are several promising avenues for further research. It would be useful to know the impact on life-long development and there should be an investigation of the longer term impacts of learning in organisations.Originality/Value of paper: Employee learning and development are truly crucial for organisational and economy development. But the process of learning and development is not constant. Variability of employee behaviour during organisational education and development is currently discussed theme, however there is a lack of studies and researches focused on this area. Therefore this paper identyfies and describes variability of emoployee behaviour during the learning and development process. Employees react in five different directions (positive, negative or neutral as resignation) and the impact on organisation is either positive or none.Category: Case study
Logistics Simulation Game Proposal – a Tool for Employees’ Induction
Authors: Olexová Cecília , Gajdoš Jozef 
Published: January 2017

Purpose: The main purpose of this paper is to propose the development of a simulation game and to explain the use of the proposed logistics simulation game in the induction programme of new employees in real company settings.Methodology/Approach: The proposed logistics simulation game is based on a conceptual modelling framework – mostly a specification of the parameters and variables, and the relationships between them, as well as the adjustment of the game to the real conditions and company’s requirements. Findings: The purpose of the proposed simulation game is to verify that the worker understands his or her duties, to clarify the activities that s/he should do and which s/he is responsible for in the logistics department of a selected company. The aim of the game is to manage internal transportation in a way that would achieve the lowest level of connected logistics costs together with the maximum use of production lines capacity per single shift. The worker makes decisions during the simulation game in which s/he proposes the values of the variables in the logistics activities to achieve the aim of the game. The game evaluation is based on a comparison of the results obtained by the worker with the optimal task solution and with his or her previous results.Research Limitation/Implication: The logic of creating a simulation game is universal. An applicable simulation game has to be tailored to a particular company and the requirements of an induction programme to a specific job. The proposed simulation game was tested in a specific company; its application in different types of companies would be needed in future.Originality/Value of Paper: The induction programme has rarely been the subject of theory and research, in comparison to other functions of human resource management. Thus, the paper contributes to theory and practice by presenting the partial results of research focused on an innovative approach in the induction training of new employees in a logistics department.
Rational homotopy of complex projective varieties with normal isolated singularities
Authors: Chataur David , Cirici Joana 
Published: January 2017

AbstractLetXbe a complex projective variety of dimensionnwith only isolated normal singularities. In this paper, we prove, using mixed Hodge theory, that if the link of each singular point ofXis(n-2)${(n-2)}$-connected, thenXis a formal topological space. This result applies to a large class of examples, such as normal surface singularities, varieties with ordinary multiple points, hypersurfaces with isolated singularities and, more generally, complete intersections with isolated singularities. We obtain analogous results for contractions of subvarieties.
Effectiveness of online versus live multi-family psychoeducation group therapy for children and adolescents with mood or anxiety disorders: a pilot study
Authors: Sapru Iman , Khalid-Khan Sarosh , Choi Elaine , Alavi Nazanin , Patel Archana , Sutton Chloe , Odejayi Gbolahan , Calancie Olivia G. 
Published: January 2017

Abstract

Objective:
[1] To highlight the effectiveness of multi-family psychoeducation group therapy (MFPGT) in children with mood or anxiety disorders; [2] to measure change in knowledge and awareness of mood and anxiety disorders in families and children; and [3] to compare the relative effectiveness of online compared to live MFPGT.

Method:
Participants included families of children (12 years or younger) referred with a mood or anxiety disorder to the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Queen’s University (n=16) who were on a waitlist to see a psychiatrist. Change was measured through questionnaires for all parents before and after the program. Using SPSS v22, comparisons between the online (n=6) and live (n=10) groups were made using the Mann-Whitney U test and within group comparisons were made using Wilcoxon signed-rank test.

Results:
The online and live education groups showed similar overall improvements in knowledge acquisition and expressed emotion in participating families. However, statistical significance must be interpreted with caution due to the small sample size.

Conclusions:
Online MFPGT may be an effective way to increase knowledge, provide resources and support and build on skills thus giving individuals more control and confidence when dealing with a mood or anxiety disorder while on a waitlist. MFPGT showed equal efficacy in live and online groups, indicating that the online program has the potential to be a more convenient and accessible program for families. More research is needed with a greater sample size.
Potential Consequences of the Energiewende for the Manufacturing Sector in Germany
Authors: Bardt Hubertus 
Published: January 2017

Abstract2
The abandonment of nuclear power and new focus on renewable energy sources represents a fundamental change in the structure of Germany’s electricity supply. In the wake of this change in energy policy (which is widely referred to as an energy turnaround), prices started to rise immediately and further increases are to be expected in the years ahead. For the manufacturing sector, this cost burden has been mitigated by exempting energy-intensive sectors from additional costs. However, this causes high levels of uncertainty for large electricity consumers as their current exceptional status may be called into question at some point in the future.
Moreover, the price and cost effects of the German energy policy are not only restricted to energy-intensive enterprises. The metal production, parts of the chemical industry and other industries closely linked to electricity consumers in a complex value chain face higher price and cost risks, as do large segments of the manufacturing sector, which work closely with energy-intensive companies. These dense networks are critical in the joint development of innovations, one of the German industry’s main competitive advantages.
This strength of the German economy may turn into a risk if the future of electricity-intensive industries is hampered by rising national energy prices. A potential relocation of energy-intensive companies to other countries would also weaken the competitiveness of other areas of German industry. Such risks need to be compared with new market opportunities provided by the energy turnaround. The industry seeks those opportunities especially in renewable energies and techniques for improving energy efficiency.
Rebalancing the Market Power. Manufacturer and Retailer Brands in the German Food Retail Market
Authors: Bielig Andreas 
Published: January 2017

Abstract
The German food retail market is considered to be one of the most competitive markets worldwide. A narrow oligopoly of domestic retail chains dominates competition at the national and regional levels, driven mostly by price competition and extensive market coverage. As a result, market entrance for potential newcomers is highly restricted, even for such global players like Wal-Mart, which retreated in 2006 after nine years of substantial financial losses in Germany. There have been discernable attempts by the domestic incumbents to rebalance the traditional “task division”, affecting the range of customers choices as well as retail brands. However, within ten years the share of large retailers brands earnings in the total food retail market increased from 21.8 percent to 38.8 percent in 2012, as “house brands” optimized their assortment, increased their independence from main suppliers and squeezed out competitors. The empirical analysis presented below describes the role played by different retail brands in German food retail market as measured by their market power, and considers its political implications.
A Dynamic Capabilities Perspective of High-Growth Firms: Organizational Aspects
Authors: Szalavetz Andrea 
Published: January 2017

Abstract
Drawing on interviews conducted at five Hungarian high-growth firms (HGFs), this paper discusses how dynamic capabilities shape the outcome of HGFs’ efforts to meet the managerial challenges posed by rapid growth. HGFs are investigated in the context of a relatively under-researched country: Hungary. The research demonstrates that dynamic capabilities have strong explanatory power for the surveyed companies’ achievements, in a similar manner to what is established in the literature on HGFs in advanced economies.
The micro-mechanisms of DC’ deployment is explored by investigating the organizational solutions implemented at the surveyed firms in response to emerging growth-related problems. These responses were found to be similar across the sample. The recurrent growth-related reconfiguration of organizational structures and introduction of various organizational innovations were the result of systematically developed DC and non-abating organizational learning.
Economic Growth, Exchange Rate and Constrained Competiveness of the Tourism Sector in Andalucía
Authors: Nasir Muhammad Ali , Wu Junjie , Guerrero José Calderón 
Published: January 2017

Abstract
This paper examines the relationship between tourism and economic growth, analyzing key factors affecting tourism income in Andalucía, Spain. Based on time series annual data for the period 2005 to 2012 and a multiple regression analysis we show that international tourism has made an important contribution to Andalucía’s economic growth. Some of the factors considered in the analysis include the number of luxury hotels, the hotel price index and the exchange rate, though the latter is outside of the control of local authorities under the European Monetary Union (EMU).
New image analysis method for the estimation of global and spatial changes in fruit microstructure
Authors: Pieczywek Piotr M. , Cybulska Justyna , Dyki Barbara , Konopacka Dorota , Mieszczakowska-Frąc Monika , Zdunek Artur 
Published: January 2017

Abstract
A new image analysis method for the spatial characterization of microscopy images of fruit microstructure is proposed in order to analyse the heterogeneous microstructure of unprocessed fruit and the possible inhomogeneous effects of various technological treatments on this microstructure. The micro-structure of tissue samples was characterized using the global statistics of size and shape parameters calculated for all visible objects. Global analysis was supported by a novel algorithm that allowed for drawing of the maps of the cell wall fraction from microscopy images and for the analysis of both global and local compaction or loosening of tissue. The spatial distribution of the cell wall fraction was visualised in the convenient form of bivariate histograms. To test the developed image analysis protocols, structural changes resulting from ultrasonic and osmotic treatments of apple tissue samples were studied. Peeled and cored apples were submersed in a liquid medium (distilled water or 60 °Bx sucrose solution) for 45 and 90 min with and without ultrasonic treatment. After these treatment procedures, tissue samples were cut into slices, stained and imaged using a microscope. The proposed method allowed to characterise the effects of different sample treatments.
Effects of long-term use of different farming systems on some physical, chemical and microbiological parameters of soil quality
Authors: Gajda Anna M. , Czyż Ewa A. , Dexter Anthony R. 
Published: January 2017

AbstractThe aim of this study was to compare the effects of different farming systems (organic, integrated, conventional and monoculture) on some soil properties as: bulk density, contents of readily-dispersible clay, organic matter and particulate organic matter, and enzymatic activity measured in terms of the intensity of fluorescein diacetate hydrolysis. Soil under permanent grass was used as a control. The study was conducted on the 20 years lasting field experiment. Samples of Haplic Luvisol soil were collected twice a year on fields under winter wheat from the layers of 0-5, 5-10, 15-20, and 30-35 cm. Within arable soils the soil under organic farming contained the greatest amount of organic matter, which influenced strongly the readily-dispersible clay content, especially in the layer of 5-20 cm. The readily-dispersible clay content in soil under organic farming was 3 times lower, as compared to the conventional and monoculture farming. The highest contents of particulate organic matter 6.2 and 3.5 mg g−1air dry soil, on average were measured in the 0-5 cm layer of control soil and soil under organic farming, respectively. Also, soil under organic farming and control soil from the depth of 0-5 cm showed 2-2.5 times greater activity of microorganisms in fluorescein diacetate hydrolysis than soil under conventional and monoculture farming. Increase of concentration of organic matter in soil under organic farming decreased soil bulk density. Statistical analysis showed significant correlations between studied parameters of soil quality and confirmed their effectiveness as indicators of disturbances in soil environment.
Concentration of soil CO2 as an indicator of the decalcification rate after liming treatment
Authors: Chmiel Stanisław , Hałas Stanisław , Głowacki Sławomir , Sposób Joanna , Maciejewska Ewa , Trembaczowski Andrzej 
Published: January 2017

Abstract
This paper presents the results of investigation of decalcification of acid sandy and loamy sand soils by infiltration waters, and potential Ca-leaching after liming treatment. For this purpose, monthly measurements were made of the concentration of CO2 in the soil air, dissolved inorganic carbon in the soil waters, and their ionic composition. The determined dissolved inorganic carbon ranged from 5.9 to 10.6 mg dm−3 and from 9.9 to 16.5 mg dm−3 for the sandy and loamy sand soil, respectively. The Ca concentration in soil waters was determined as 5.9-12.4 mg dm−3 in sandy soil and 14.2-19.8 mg dm−3 in soil loamy sand. The calculated rate of decalcification amounted to 23.0 kg ha−1 year−1 in soil sandy and 19.4 kg ha−1 year−1 in loamy sand soil. The potential Ca-leaching is predicted as 124 kg ha−1 year−1 for S and 87 kg ha−1 year−1 for loamy sand soil. At the treatment level of 3 000 kg ha−1 4 year−1 of CaO, ~20% of the Ca-fertilizer can be leached after the liming treatment. The results of the CO2 concentration in the soil air may be useful in estimation of Ca-leaching from soils developed by slightly clayey sands and clayey sands in zones with a moderate climate.
Improved discrimination among similar agricultural plots using red-and-green-based pseudo-colour imaging
Authors: Doi Ryoichi 
Published: January 2017

Abstract
The effects of a pseudo-colour imaging method were investigated by discriminating among similar agricultural plots in remote sensing images acquired using the Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (Indiana, USA) and the Landsat 7 satellite (Fergana, Uzbekistan), and that provided by GoogleEarth (Toyama, Japan). From each dataset, red (R)-green (G)-R-G-blue yellow (RGrgbyB), and RGrgby−1B pseudo-colour images were prepared. From each, cyan, magenta, yellow, key black, L*, a*, and b* derivative grayscale images were generated. In the Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer image, pixels were selected for corn no tillage (29 pixels), corn minimum tillage (27), and soybean (34) plots. Likewise, in the Landsat 7 image, pixels representing corn (73 pixels), cotton (110), and wheat (112) plots were selected, and in the GoogleEarth image, those representing soybean (118 pixels) and rice (151) were selected. When the 14 derivative grayscale images were used together with an RGB yellow grayscale image, the overall classification accuracy improved from 74 to 94% (Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer), 64 to 83% (Landsat), or 77 to 90% (GoogleEarth). As an indicator of discriminatory power, the kappa significance improved 1018-fold (Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer) or greater. The derivative grayscale images were found to increase the dimensionality and quantity of data. Herein, the details of the increases in dimensionality and quantity are further analysed and discussed.
Different scenarios for inverse estimation of soil hydraulic parameters from double-ring infiltrometer data using HYDRUS-2D/3D
Authors: Mashayekhi Parisa , Ghorbani-Dashtaki Shoja , Mosaddeghi Mohammad Reza , Shirani Hossein , Nodoushan Ali Reza Mohammadi 
Published: January 2017

AbstractIn this study, HYDRUS-2D/3D was used to simulate ponded infiltration through double-ring infiltrometers into a hypothetical loamy soil profile. Twelve scenarios of inverse modelling (divided into three groups) were considered for estimation of Mualem-van Genuchten hydraulic parameters. In the first group, simulation was carried out solely using cumulative infiltration data. In the second group, cumulative infiltration data plus water content ath= −330 cm (field capacity) were used as inputs. In the third group, cumulative infiltration data plus water contents ath= −330 cm (field capacity) andh= −15 000 cm (permanent wilting point) were used simultaneously as predictors. The results showed that numerical inverse modelling of the double-ring infiltrometer data provided a reliable alternative method for determining soil hydraulic parameters. The results also indicated that by reducing the number of hydraulic parameters involved in the optimization process, the simulation error is reduced. The best one in infiltration simulation which parametersα,n, andKswere optimized using the infiltration data and field capacity as inputs. Including field capacity as additional data was important for better optimization/definition of soil hydraulic functions, but using field capacity and permanent wilting point simultaneously as additional data increased the simulation error.
Integration of experimental and computational methods for identifying geometric, thermal and diffusive properties of biomaterials
Authors: Weres Jerzy , Kujawa Sebastian , Olek Wiesław , Czajkowski Łukasz 
Published: January 2017

Abstract
Knowledge of physical properties of biomaterials is important in understanding and designing agri-food and wood processing industries. In the study presented in this paper computational methods were developed and combined with experiments to enhance identification of agri-food and forest product properties, and to predict heat and water transport in such products. They were based on the finite element model of heat and water transport and supplemented with experimental data. Algorithms were proposed for image processing, geometry meshing, and inverse/direct finite element modelling. The resulting software system was composed of integrated subsystems for 3D geometry data acquisition and mesh generation, for 3D geometry modelling and visualization, and for inverse/direct problem computations for the heat and water transport processes. Auxiliary packages were developed to assess performance, accuracy and unification of data access. The software was validated by identifying selected properties and using the estimated values to predict the examined processes, and then comparing predictions to experimental data. The geometry, thermal conductivity, specific heat, coefficient of water diffusion, equilibrium water content and convective heat and water transfer coefficients in the boundary layer were analysed. The estimated values, used as an input for simulation of the examined processes, enabled reduction in the uncertainty associated with predictions.
Modelling of mass transfer kinetic in osmotic dehydration of kiwifruit
Authors: Jabrayili Sharokh , Farzaneh Vahid , Zare Zahra , Bakhshabadi Hamid , Babazadeh Zahra , Mokhtarian Mohsen , Carvalho Isabel S. 
Published: January 2017

Abstract
Osmotic dehydration characteristics of kiwifruit were predicted by different activation functions of an artificial neural network. Osmotic solution concentration (y1), osmotic solution temperature (y2), and immersion time (y3) were considered as the input parameters and solid gain value (x1) and water loss value (x2) were selected as the outlet parameters of the network. The result showed that logarithm sigmoid activation function has greater performance than tangent hyperbolic activation function for the prediction of osmotic dehydration parameters of kiwifruit. The minimum mean relative error for the solid gain and water loss parameters with one hidden layer and 19 nods were 0.00574 and 0.0062% for logarithm sigmoid activation function, respectively, which introduced logarithm sigmoid function as a more appropriate tool in the prediction of the osmotic dehydration of kiwifruit slices. As a result, it is concluded that this network is capable in the prediction of solid gain and water loss parameters (responses) with the correlation coefficient values of 0.986 and 0.989, respectively.
Old Babylonian Religious Poetry in Anatolia: From Solar Hymn to Plague Prayer
Authors: Metcalf Christopher 
Published: January 2017

Abstract:In a recently published Old Babylonian Sumerian solar hymn, a diseased supplicant inquires into the nature of a past but unknown religious offence with which he has angered his personal god. The present article contains an interpretation of this passage and a discussion of its various Hittite versions, which range from an almost literal translation (in the Prayer of Kantuzili) to renderings that were strongly adapted to Hittite customs (in the prayers of Mursili II.). This unusually well-documented case offers new insights into the translation and adaptation of literary texts in the ancient Near East.