bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The influence of non-specific anti-pruritus treatment with cyclosporine A on transepidermal water loss (TEWL) in natural atopic dermatitis in dogs
Authors: Zając M. , Szczepanik M. , Wilkołek P. , Adamek Ł. , Pomorski Z. 
Published: July 2015

Abstract
Atopic dermatitis is a common allergic skin disease in dogs. Monitoring the progress of treatment and the assessment of the severity of disease symptoms are crucial elements of the treatment procedure. One of the common means of assessing the severity of the clinical signs of the disease is the CADESI 03. Research studies have pointed to a possibility of assessing the severity of skin lesions by means of measuring biophysical skin parameters such as TEWL, skin hydration and erythema intensity. The aim of the study was the assessment of changes in TEWL and CADESI values measured in ten different body regions during non-specific anti-pruritus treatment. The examination was performed on ten dogs with atopic dermatitis (age from 2.5 years to 7 years, mean age 3.8 years). The measurements were performed in the following body regions: the lumbar region, the right axillary fossa, the right inguinal region, the ventral abdominal region, the right lateral thorax region, the internal surface of the auricle, interdigital region of the right forelimb, cheek, bridge of nose and the lateral site of antebrachum. A statistically significant decrease in CADESI values was reported starting from the second week of treatment. In the case of the mean TEWL values, a fall was observed after one week of treatment in the ventral abdominal region and the interdigital region, after two weeks of treatment in the axillary fossa and the inguinal region, and after three weeks in the cheek and the lateral thorax region. There was no statistically significant decrease in TEWL values in the course of treatment in four other regions.
Effect of dialysis of dog semen on sperm characteristics and some biochemical components of seminal plasma
Authors: Strzeżek R. , Koziorowska-Gilun M. , Kiełczewski K. , Kordan W. 
Published: July 2015

AbstractThe aim of this study was to investigate the effect of dog semen dialysis on sperm characteristics and some biochemical components of seminal plasma. Whole ejaculates were dialyzed against Tris-citrate-fructose extender for a 5 h period at room temperature (using semi-permeable cellulose tubing of 12-14 kDa molecular weight cut-off). It has been demonstrated that the long-term dialysis of dog semen causes a significant decrease in sperm quality parameters and disrupts the biochemical properties of seminal plasma. This procedure requires further improvement.
Developmental Trajectory of Audiovisual Speech Integration in Early Infancy. A Review of Studies Using the McGurk Paradigm
Authors: Tomalski Przemysław 
Published: July 2015

Abstract
Apart from their remarkable phonological skills young infants prior to their first birthday show ability to match the mouth articulation they see with the speech sounds they hear. They are able to detect the audiovisual conflict of speech and to selectively attend to articulating mouth depending on audiovisual congruency. Early audiovisual speech processing is an important aspect of language development, related not only to phonological knowledge, but also to language production during subsequent years. Th is article reviews recent experimental work delineating the complex developmental trajectory of audiovisual mismatch detection. Th e central issue is the role of age-related changes in visual scanning of audiovisual speech and the corresponding changes in neural signatures of audiovisual speech processing in the second half of the first year of life. Th is phenomenon is discussed in the context of recent theories of perceptual development and existing data on the neural organisation of the infant ‘social brain’.
Accuracy Of The GPS Positioning System In The Context Of Increasing The Number Of Satellites In The Constellation
Authors: Specht Cezary , Mania Mateusz , Skóra Marcin , Specht Mariusz 
Published: July 2015

Abstract
A possibility of utilising the GPS system for navigation and transport are fundamentally dependent on the accuracy in positioning. Two fundamental factors decisive for its value are the values of the User Range Error (URE) and Dilution of Precision (DOP), strictly related to the number of satellites forming the constellation. The nominal constellation of GPS satellites consists of 24 units which gives a possibility of identification of coordinates all over the globe. In the last few years, however, the nominal number of satellites in the constellation was much higher, and the URE value has been constantly increasing.
The authors of the paper try to estimate the impact of the changing number of GPS satellites on accuracy of position coordinates with a variable URE value. Mathematical model for estimating geometrical indicators’ value, utilising data derived from the almanac files has been presented. Following a drawn-up algorithm and calculations made with Mathcad software, the authors carried out a comparative analysis of mean daily values of DOP indicators for a variable number of satellites included in the GPS constellation in the years 2001-2013. Then, the authors have established representative values of Two Distance Root Mean Square Error (2drms) 2D and 3D, and calculated a percentage increase of accuracy in the period under discussion.
A Proposal Of Simulation Model Of A Wind-Steering System For Sailing Yachts, Based On Single-Stage Servo-Pendulum Coupled With Main Rudder
Authors: Piętak Andrzej , Mikulski Maciej , Melzacki Marek , Czerwiński Kamil 
Published: July 2015

Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate possible application of fast design prototyping methods for wind-steering systems used in offshore sailing yachts. The development of such methods would help to speed up the construction work and reduce the scope of necessary experimental research, prior to implementation of the system. In the present work, based on an analysis of existing designs of windvane systems, a preliminary selection of the system configuration has been undertaken, in terms of a compromise between efficiency, performance, and design complexity. Construction design of a single-stage, servo – pendulum system, has been developed by using the Autodesk Inventor design package. Next, based on the design data, a simulation model of the system, has been produced by using Matlab - Simulink software and SimMechanics library. The model was further verified in terms of kinematics mapping with the use of Matlab visualization tools.
Problems Of Determination Of Welding Angular Distortions Of T - Fillet Joints In Ship Hull Structures
Authors: Kozak Janusz , Kowalski Jakub 
Published: July 2015

Abstract
Ship hull structure elements are usually joined by welding. Welding distortions may cause many problems during manufacturing process. In the literature a wide spectrum of suggestions has been proposed for correct estimation of welding deformation, particularly angular ones, in the fillet welded T-joints. In this work a verification of certain methods selected from the literature is presented basing upon the results of the laboratory measurements. To this end, values determined on the basis of engineering hypotheses have been compared with those obtained from the laboratory tests.
Controlling a demographic wave in defined contribution pension systems
Authors: Angrisani Massimo , di Palo Cinzia 
Published: July 2015

Abstract
In several developed countries, the baby boomers will come to retire in the next decades. This problem will threaten the sustainability and the intergenerational equity of mandatory pay-as-you-go pension systems because they will have to drain the “demographic wave” of retirees with a relatively small number of contributors. In this paper, we give the operating method developed on the basis of a general principle, which a defined contribution pension system, in a state of stable sustainability, should adopt to control these issues in the presence of a demographic wave. In the theoretical profile, our approach breaks and overcomes the classical juxtaposition between funded and pay-as-you-go pension schemes, carrying out the integration of the two financial methods.
Comparison of hybrid volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) technique and double arc VMAT technique in the treatment of prostate cancer
Authors: Amaloo Christopher , Nazareth Daryl P. , Kumaraswamy Lalith K. 
Published: July 2015

Abstract

Background. Volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) has quickly become accepted as standard of care for the treatment of prostate cancer based on studies showing it is able to provide faster delivery with adequate target coverage and reduced monitor units while maintaining organ at risk (OAR) sparing. This study aims to demonstrate the potential to increase dose conformality with increased planner control and OAR sparing using a hybrid treatment technique compared to VMAT.

Methods. Eleven patients having been previously treated for prostate cancer with VMAT techniques were replanned with a hybrid technique on Varian Treatment Planning System. Multiple static IMRT fields (2 to 3) were planned initially based on critical OAR to reduce dose but provide some planning treatment volume (PTV) coverage. This was used as a base dose plan to provide 30-35% coverage for a single arc VMAT plan.

Results. The clinical VMAT plan was used as a control for the purposes of comparison. Average of all OAR sparing between the hybrid technique and VMAT showed the hybrid plan delivering less dose in almost all cases except for V80 of the bladder and maximum dose to right femoral head. PTV coverage was superior with the VMAT technique. Monitor unit differences varied, with the hybrid plan able to deliver fewer units 37% of the time, similar results 18% of the time, and higher units 45% of the time. On average, the hybrid plan delivered 10% more monitor units.

Conclusions. The hybrid plan can be delivered in a single gantry rotation combining aspects of VMAT with regions of dynamic intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) within the treatment arc.
Capability and limitations in laboratory determination of stiffness parameters of soils
Authors: Lipiński Mirosław J. , Wdowska Małgorzata K. 
Published: July 2015

Abstract
The paper concerns laboratory methods for determination of soil stiffness. Major criterion for selection of analysed equipment is range of strain in which stiffness can be reliably determined. Substantially, various configurations of triaxial apparatus are referred to i.e. with standard cell and with the modified one. Additional system for internal measurement of strain is described and rational (based on test results) for use of it is presented. As to shear wave velocity measurement as a mean to obtain initial stiffness, requirements for proper measurement and interpretation was given. Finally, an approach to determine Poisson’s ratio on the basis of combined results of cyclic triaxial and resonant column tests was presented.
The Significance Of Space In Iris Murdoch’s The Unicorn As A Twentieth-Century Irish Gothic Novel
Authors: Jarząb Joanna 
Published: July 2015

Abstract
During the twentieth century almost all literary genres came back to prominence in different and alternative forms. The Gothic is no exception to this phenomenon as many a writer made an attempt at using this eighteenth-century genre once again, but adding to it some contemporary elements. Consequently, an abundance of new techniques have been introduced to Gothic fiction to evoke the feeling of horror and terror among the more and more demanding readers of modern times. Still, some writers prefer to return to the traditional concept of the Gothic – as does Iris Murdoch in her novel The Unicorn. The purpose of this article is to analyse the text from the perspective of the Irish Gothic. Those features of the genre which are traditional as well as local are going to be discussed in the context of space as the dominating aspect of the novel. The typical Irish landscape abounding in marshes, bogs and the sea will be contrasted with the inner space of the house, and its resemblance to the old Victorian mansions popular among the Anglo-Irish ascendancy of nineteenth-century Ireland. In what follows, the paper aims at showing how Murdoch’s skilful play with the spatial differentiation between the inside and the outside dislodges other more universal issues, such as the question of freedom, of social taboos and of the different anxieties still present in Irish society today.
Nurslings Of Protestantism: The Questionable Privilege Of Freedom In Charlotte Brontë’s Villette
Authors: Mazurek Monika 
Published: July 2015

Abstract
In Charlotte Brontë’s Villette, a number of foreigners at various points express their amazement or admiration of the behaviour of Englishwomen, who, like the novel’s narrator Lucy Snowe, travel alone, visit public places unchaperoned and seem on the whole to lead much less constrained lives than their Continental counterparts. This notion was apparently quite widespread at this time, as the readings of various Victorian texts confirm – they often refer to the independence Englishwomen enjoyed, sometimes with a note of caution but often in a self-congratulatory manner. Villette, the novel which, similarly to its predecessor, The Professor, features a Protestant protagonist living in a Catholic country, makes a connection between Lucy’s Protestantism and her freedom, considered traditionally in English political discourse to be an essentially English and Protestant virtue. However, as the novel shows, in the case of women the notion of freedom is a complicated issue. While the pupils at Mme Beck’s pensionnat have to be kept in check by a sophisticated system of surveillance, whose main purpose is to keep them away from men and sex, Lucy can be trusted to behave according to the Victorian code of conduct, but only because her Protestant upbringing inculcated in her the need to control her desires. The Catholics have the Church to play the role of the disciplinarian for them, while Lucy has to grapple with and stifle her own emotions with her own hands, even when the repression is clearly the cause of her psychosomatic illness. In the end, the expectations regarding the behaviour of women in England and Labassecour are not that much different; the difference is that while young Labassecourians are controlled by the combined systems of family, school and the Church, young Englishwomen are expected to exercise a similar control on their own.
Stock Market Linkages: Evidence From The US, China And India During The Subprime Crisis
Authors: Singh Amanjot , Kaur Parneet 
Published: July 2015

AbstractThe Subprime crisis spillovered the returns and volatility from the US stock market to the other integrated economies. The present study attempts to analyze the stock market linkages between the US, India and China, especially during the US subprime Crisis. The technique of Tri-Variate Vector Autoregression and the Spillover Index has been employed so as to analyze the relations during the time period 2007 to 2009. To estimate the time varying risk parameters, the technique of Threshold Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroskedastic [TGARCH (1,1)] model has been used. A uni-directional causality has been observed from the US market to the Indian and Chinese market, whereas another unidirectional causality has also been spotted running from the Chinese market to the Indian market in the context of stock market returns during the crisis period. A unidirectional volatility spillover from the US to the Indian market and from the Indian to the Chinese market has been found to be significant. As per the volatility Spillover Index, the cross market impact on the volatility reduces over a time period 2007-2009, due to the increased impact of the past volatility and the presence of 'leverage effect'. The falling returns added to the volatility in the respective markets. The efficient tests of causality inspired by Hill (2007) reported an indirect impact of the US market volatility on the Chinese market via Indian. The portfolio managers should discount this information well ahead of time to maintain the portfolio values by taking positions in futures and options market.
An Unlikely Pair: Berlinde De Bruyckere and J.M. Coetzee
Authors: Kusek Robert , Szymański Wojciech 
Published: July 2015

Abstract
Despite J.M. Coetzee’s ostensible interest in the issues of - largely speaking - visuality, the links between Coetzee’s oeuvre and ‘images’ have not been sufficiently explored either by art or literary critics. The paper offers a detailed discussion of the cooperation between Coetzee and the Belgian artist Berlinde De Bruyckere which has so far resulted in one installation and two art books co-authored by Coetzee and De Bruyckere. Special attention will be paid to the piece “Cripplewood/Kreupelhout” shown in the Belgian Pavilion of the 2013 Venice Biennial and the catalogue published in its wake. Also, a number of questions related to the nature of Coetzee’s contribution to both projects, the role of a curator and his relationship with the artist, as well as the catalogue’s generic affiliation and its position in Coetzee’s body of works are thoroughly addressed.
‘Hollandse’ dorpen in Polen: Hoe anders waren ze eigenlijk?/ ‘Dutch’ Settlements in Poland: How Different Were They Actually?
Authors: Wenderski Michał 
Published: July 2015

Abstract
The ‘Dutch’ colonisation in Poland, which took place between the 16th and the 19th century, left a clear architectural and spatial mark in the Polish countryside. The newcomers, originally from the Low Countries and later from Germany and other parts of Europe, created independent communities which did not establish strong ties with adjacent villages. Moreover, contrary to autochthonic peasants, the colonists enjoyed freedom and a relatively high social status and were often rather wealthy. Hence their villages and farmsteads differed from local ones being generally speaking more representative. It has often been assumed than the ‘Dutch’ settlements in Poland shared more similarities with the Dutch or Frisian countryside than with the neighbouring villages and that both the settlements as well as the farmhouses differed substantially from local building traditions. This paper explores how much the ‘Dutch’ villages and farms were in fact distinguishable from their local counterparts and to what extent they coincided with building traditions in the Low Countries and in Germany.
Ecologische thematiek in hedendaagse fi ctie: Uitdagingen van milieufi losofi e, ecokritiek en animal studies voor de Nederlandstalige literatuur/ Ecology in the Contemporary Fiction: The Challenges of Environmental Philosophy, Ecocriticism and Animal Studies for the Study of Dutch and Flemish Literature
Authors: Sedláčková Lucie 
Published: July 2015

Abstract
This article is based on the belief that in every historical period, there is a certain part of the literary production that reflects the recent events or tendencies in the contemporary society. Using my dissertation, in which I did research on the representations of the globalisation in recent Dutch and Flemish fiction, as an example of which issues were or were not represented in a number of selected Dutch-written novels, I point out that ecology, which turned to be a non-issue in my corpus, deserves new attention at this moment. My article suggests some attitudes that can help to interpret the ecological issues and the tightly connected subject of animal rights. The new challenges for the literary studies are first of all presented by the ecocriticism and the (critical) animal studies
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of a National Newborn Screening Program for Biotinidase Deficiency
Authors: Vallejo-Torres Laura , Castilla Iván , Couce María L , Pérez-Cerdá Celia , Martín-Hernández Elena , Pineda Mercé , Campistol Jaume , Arrospide Arantzazu , Morris Stephen , Serrano-Aguilar Pedro 
Published: July 2015

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:There are conflicting views as to whether testing for biotinidase deficiency (BD) ought to be incorporated into universal newborn screening (NBS) programs. The aim of this study was to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of adding BD to the panel of conditions currently screened under the national NBS program in Spain.METHODS:We used information from the regional NBS program for BD that has been in place in the Spanish region of Galicia since 1987. These data, along with other sources, were used to develop a cost-effectiveness decision model that compared lifetime costs and health outcomes of a national birth cohort of newborns with and without an early detection program. The analysis took the perspective of the Spanish National Health Service. Effectiveness was measured in terms of quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). We undertook extensive sensitivity analyses around the main model assumptions, including a probabilistic sensitivity analysis.RESULTS:In the base case analysis, NBS for BD led to higher QALYs and higher health care costs, with an estimated incremental cost per QALY gained of $24 677. Lower costs per QALY gained were found when conservative assumptions were relaxed, yielding cost savings in some scenarios. The probability that BD screening was cost-effective was estimated to be &gt;70% in the base case at a standard threshold value.CONCLUSIONS:This study indicates that NBS for BD is likely to be a cost-effective use of resources.
La raison et la foi. Des philosophes Polonais rapprochent les deux domaines
Authors: Zuziak Władysław 
Published: July 2015

This paper presents three attempts of grasping the relations between faith and reason made by M. Heller, J. Tischner and K. Tarnowski. Reason and faith are two foundations for human desire to understand the world. Without them, no attempts to understand can take place. As Heller points out, both of them, due to cooperation, support development and help to eliminate dangerous simplifications. Faith, or more precisely – religious thinking – is, as J. Tischner famously argued, a condition for dialogue, for being open to others and community. Faith gives strength and courage, supports the search for existing (although very often unconscious) ties that bonds people. Faith allows us to discover the meaning and purpose of our lives. K. Tarnowski goes even further and claims, that faith reveals “the surplus” of meaning, which invites us to investigate what is impossible to express- the Mystery. Only in the face of Mystery, by a communion with the Other, can we feel that the presence of the Other is important for our existence. The three philosophers from Krakow emphasized in their works, that the relations between faith and reason, although connected and supplementing themselves, require much attention from both scientists, who create rational models of reality, and theologians, who aim to create a coherent vision linking these two aspects of human world.
Jesus in Narnia. Narrative Katechese im Werk von C.S. Lewis
Authors: Garmaz Jadranka , Komljenović Petar 
Published: July 2015

This paper seeks to explore the narrative catechesis and elements of religious pedagogy in C.S. Lewis' “The Chronicles of Narnia” and to critically ponder on the following questions: To what extent is the message of faith conveyed to the reader by Lewis' story-telling? In which way is a narrative approach to theology and catechesis articulated and realised? Why is the narrative catechesis useful and what is its role in the context of the overall mission of the Church i.e. the preaching of the Gospel? In order to provide answers to these questions the first part of this paper outlines a Christian allegory of the Narnian stories. The second part deals with the formalistic approach as using allegory, allusion, and symbolism to interpret Lewis' narrative. The third part outlines the need for a critical awareness and the role of theological narrative in flourishing humanity and human wholeness. The concluding section presents an overall assessment of Lewis's Christian fantasy and its faith-shaping impact.