Challenges of impact assessment in Social Innovation: A qualitative study from two European rural regions

Over recent years, various approaches to assessing the impacts of social innovation (SI) have developed without a uniform method having arisen. There are some issues around how impacts can be assessed, connected with the questions on the nature of impacts, the levels of analysis and effects of a purely positivist approach to impact assessment. While attempting to assess such impacts, various SI initiatives face the diversity of challenges. To this end, the aim of the article is to investigate the experience of said initiatives promoting social innovation related to impact assessment of social innovation. The paper is based on an empirical study conducted with the local development associations and local action groups involved in social innovation projects in two rural regions of Austria and Portugal. The results indicate that, despite recognising the importance of impact assessment regarding social innovation activities and the opportunities it provides, local organisations in question face many challenges in assessing the impacts of social innovation, including conceptual and practical difficulties.

Design and construction of hardware and software for autonomous observations of Transient Luminous Events

Transient luminous events (TLE) are phenomena which are currently on the rise in terms of sightings. However, there is no widespread uniform method of their observation and subsequent image processing. Therefore, our project focuses on the design and construction of hardware that can record TLE. It consists of a low gain, colour, CMOS camera with a bright, wide lens connected to a small, power-efficient single board computer. The project also includes writing software to control the hardware. The software decides whether to capture or not and at what orientation there is the biggest chance to capture a TLE. The software can process and classify the created photos based on deep neural networks. As a final product, we have developed the whole apparatus from a hardware and software point of view and installed it at the Astronomical Observatory at Kolonica Saddle in Slovakia, Central Europe. The plan for the future is to make similar apparatuses to spread the observation network.

Classification of Dimensional Deviation in Additive Manufacturing LPBF Process for AlSi10Mg Alloy According to ISO 286 and ANSI B4.2

Additive manufacturing (AM) processes are gaining popularity and are currently used in many research activities including the biomedical applications, the automotive industries and the aerospace. Laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) is an important AM process. Metallic LPBF process is experiencing significant growth, but one of the difficulties facing this growth is limited knowledge of its dimensional and geometrical performances, in addition to the inability to predict it. In this paper, we present the dimensional deviations of some LPBF-manufactured parts selected for this investigation. a uniform method was developed regarding relevant test specimens to examine dimensional deviations in order to derive dimensional tolerance values. The manufactured test specimens were measured to examine the process dimensional deviations behavior. These parts were manufactured from AlSi10Mg powder using an EOSINT M280 printer. The results show possible dimensional tolerance values that were classified from IT1 to IT11 according to the international standard ISO 286.

Media debates over the renaming of the cityscape

This contribution presents two case studies: Poznań in Poland and New Delhi in India, focusing on the media coverage surrounding the re-naming of one street in each location. We apply a uniform method – the Discourse Historical Approach – to analyse newspaper articles, below-the-line comments and Internet forum discussions. As symbolic marking of the territory can be recruited for a political agenda going beyond memory politics, this article not only investigates the public controversy surrounding the (re-)naming of the cityscape, but also addresses the questions of how these debates link inter-discursively with other issues in contemporary politics, such as the independence of the judiciary in Poland and social justice in India.

On the classic Solution of Fuzzy Linear Matrix Equations

Since most time-dependent models may be represented as linear or non-linear dynamical systems, fuzzy linear matrix equations are quite general in signal processing, control and system theory. A uniform method of finding the classic solution of fuzzy linear matrix equations is presented in this paper. Conditions of solution existence are also studied here. Under the framework, a numerical method to solve fuzzy generalized Lyapunov matrix equations is developed. In order to show the validation and efficiency, some selected examples and numerical tests are presented.

Cross-linguistic influence in simultaneous and early sequential bilingual children: a meta-analysis

Although cross-linguistic influence at the level of morphosyntax is one of the most intensively studied topics in child bilingualism, the circumstances under which it occurs remain unclear. In this meta-analysis, we measured the effect size of cross-linguistic influence and systematically assessed its predictors in 750 simultaneous and early sequential bilingual children in 17 unique language combinations across 26 experimental studies. We found a significant small to moderate average effect size of cross-linguistic influence, indicating that cross-linguistic influence is part and parcel of bilingual development. Language dominance, operationalized as societal language, was a significant predictor of cross-linguistic influence, whereas surface overlap, language domain and age were not. Perhaps an even more important finding was that definitions and operationalisations of cross-linguistic influence and its predictors varied considerably between studies. This could explain the absence of a comprehensive theory in the field. To solve this issue, we argue for a more uniform method of studying cross-linguistic influence.

Dem Anfang auf der Spur — die Suche nach DNA-Replikationsursprüngen

Timely and accurate duplication of DNA prior to cell division is a prerequisite for propagation of the genetic material to both daughter cells. DNA synthesis initiates at discrete sites, termed replication origins, and proceeds in a bidirectional manner until all genomic DNA is replicated. Despite the fundamental nature of these events, a uniform method that identifies origins of replication in a comprehensive manner is still missing. Here, we present currently available and discuss new approaches to map replication origins in mammalian genomes.

An Irrigation Homogenity Assessment of a Variable Rate Sprinkler Irrigation

Nowadays, the development of irrigation is increasingly recognized as a necessary factor in agriculture, primarily because of global warming. Depending on the field conditions, the most commonly used method is sprinkler irrigation. The spray uniformity of sprinklers installed on the field irrigation equipment can be characterized by the Christiansen-uniformity coefficient (CUc%) and the distribution uniformity coefficient (DU%). Our investigations were carried out on the lateral moving irrigation equipment of University of Debrecen, Institutes for Agricultural Research and Educational Farm and Nyírbátor’s company in Hungary in 2019. Variable rate irrigation (VRI) is used in Nyírbátor. In contrast, the VRI has given positive results, making an irrigation equipment with the VRI a safer and more uniform method than a conventional linear irrigation equipment.

Estimation of Gas Loss in Methodology for Determining Methane Content of Coal Seams

The determination of natural gas content in coal seams is essential to safe mining activities and to estimate gas resources. It is used to estimate methane emissions into workings, which is very important when using preventive measures of methane ignition and explosion. Methane content in a coal seam is mostly determined using a direct method. However, a problem with estimation of gas loss during collecting a sample in a mine occurs in each method. That gas loss is estimated using different procedures. In the Polish mining industry, methane content in a coal seam is mostly determined during roadway advancing faces in coal seams. The differences in procedures for determining methane content in coal in various laboratories gave rise to starting research into developing a new method. This article presents results of study of gas loss unification for the determination of methane content in coal seams. The research focused mainly on determining a uniform method for estimating gas loss using the early adsorption diffusion process. The method of coal sample saturation with methane was used to measure gas desorption rate. Saturation pressures of samples were determined for coal seams in the Upper-Silesian Coal Basin. The analysis of desorption results allowed to determine the dependence between methane content in a coal sample and the initial methane content in a coal seam. It was concluded that the desorption rate was highest within two minutes. For the procedure of coal sampling, gas loss was determined at 12% of both desorbed and residual gases. The presented research results gave rise to developing a uniform method for determining gas content used in Polish coal mining. The method was accepted as the national standard. Methodology using a new gas loss estimation procedure allows for achieving relatively fast results of the determination of methane content in coal seams, which is very important, especially in gassy mines.

ENZYME DIAGNOSTICS IN SPORTS PRACTICE (LITERATURE REVIEW AND PERSONAL EXPERIENCE)

Aim. The paper aims to analyze and summarize the data about enzyme diagnostics in athletes of different sports. Materials and methods. Creatine kinase (CK) activity was measured in 20 highly skilled male biathletes aged from 18 to 23 years. Fasted blood samples were taken in the morning before exercise and the next day after a 90-minute ski run by a uniform method. Biochemical analysis was performed by using the Architect c4000 and i1000SR (Abbott, USA) automated analyzers with reagents and control materials from the equipment manufacturer. Results. An increase in CK activity in biathletes is observed at the end of the preparatory period, and normalization occurs by the middle of the competitive period. When studying CK activity in 10 male handball players aged from 18 to 21 years the day after training, it was found that the increase in enzyme activity depended on the playing position. Goalkeepers exceeded the norm many times compared to field players. The highest serum CK activity after exercise was observed after prolonged exercise such as extra-long marathon and uphill running, which involved eccentric muscle contractions. In triathletes after competitions (full distance), CK activity increased to 1200 U/L, after 48 hours of recovery it dropped to 400 U/L. Conclusion. Thus, enzyme diagnostics today is a relevant and objective method for assessing the state of health and the muscular system, including organs such as the heart, liver, and brain. Therefore, control over the level of basic enzymes should be carried out regularly in the preparatory period both as part of an in-depth medical examination and if an athlete is suspected of being overtrained or injured.