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Search results for: CONSUMER BANKRUPTCY
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Fashion Games, Fashion in Games and Gamification in Fashion. A First Map
PublicationFashion companies have been using different forms of entertainment such as film and television, sport, music, museums, and photography as inspiration sources and as communication and marketing channels for decades. However, in recent years, they have also started to consider the gaming world. While gaming offers a potential revenue stream from sales of physical and digital clothing, change in it is also the gateway to access new...
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Investigation of the Combustion Processes in the Gas Turbine Module of an FPSO Operating on Associated Gas Conversion Products
PublicationIn this paper, we consider the issue of thermo-chemical heat recovery of waste heat from gas turbine engines for the steam conversion of associated gas for offshore vessels. Current trends in the development of offshore infrastructure are identified, and the composition of power plants for mobile offshore drilling units and FPSO vessels is analyzed. We present the results of a comparison of power-to-volume ratio, power-to-weight...
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Effects of Noncontact Shoulder Tool Velocities on Friction Stir Joining of Polyamide 6 (PA6)
PublicationIn this study, the effects of the traverse and rotational velocities of the noncontact shoulder tool on the heat generation and heated flux during the friction stir joining of high-density polyamide 6 (PA6) polymer were investigated. The computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method was employed to simulate the thermomechanical phenomena during the friction stir joining (FSJ) process of PA6. A developed model was used to consider the...
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Exhaled breath analysis by resistive gas sensors
PublicationBreath analysis has attracted human beings for centuries. It was one of the simplest methods to detect various diseases by using human smell sense only. Advances in technology enable to use more reliable and standardized methods, based on different gas sensing systems. Breath analysis requires the detection of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) of the concentrations below individual ppm (parts per million). Therefore, advanced detection...
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Detecting coupling directions with transcript mutual information: A comparative study
PublicationCausal relationships are important to understand the dynamics of coupled processes and, moreover, to influence or control the effects by acting on the causes. Among the different approaches to determine cause-effect relationships and, in particular, coupling directions in interacting random or deterministic processes, we focus in this paper on information-theoretic measures. So, we study in the theoretical part the difference between...
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On the non-linear dynamics of torus-shaped and cylindrical shell structures
PublicationIn this study, the non-linear dynamic analysis of torus-shaped and cylindrical shell-like structures has been studied. The applied material is assumed as the functionally graded material (FGM). The structures are considered to be used for important machines such as wind turbines. The effects of some environmental factors on the analysis like temperature and humidity have been considered. The strain field has been calculated in...
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On the deformation and frequency analyses of SARS-CoV-2 at nanoscale
PublicationThe SARS-CoV-2 virus, which has emerged as a Covid-19 pandemic, has had the most significant impact on people's health, economy, and lifestyle around the world today. In the present study, the SARS-CoV-2 virus is mechanically simulated to obtain its deformation and natural frequencies. The virus under analysis is modeled on a viscoelastic spherical structure. The theory of shell structures in mechanics is used to derive the governing...
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Digital Gaps and Economic Inequalities in MENA Countries: An Empirical Investigation
PublicationThis research contributes to the present state of the art by examining changes in cross-country inequalities in digital technologies deployment and economic performance. Our empirical target builds on the hypothesis that rapid global diffusion of digital technologies unequivocally leads to gradual eradication of cross-country digital gaps and cross-country inequalities in terms of deployment of ICT; the technology convergence occurs....
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Creating new voices using normalizing flows
PublicationCreating realistic and natural-sounding synthetic speech remains a big challenge for voice identities unseen during training. As there is growing interest in synthesizing voices of new speakers, here we investigate the ability of normalizing flows in text-to-speech (TTS) and voice conversion (VC) modes to extrapolate from speakers observed during training to create unseen speaker identities. Firstly, we create an approach for TTS...
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Towards application of uncertainty quantification procedure combined with experimental procedure for assessment of the accuracy of the DEM approach dedicated for granular flow modeling
PublicationThere is a high demand for accurate and fast numerical models for dense granular flows found in many industrial applications. Nevertheless, before numerical model can be used its need to be always validated against experimental data. During the validation, it is important to consider how the measurement data sets, as well as the numerical models, are affected by errors and uncertainties. In this study, the uncertainty quantification...
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Defending against Fake VIP in Scant-Transparency Information Systems with QoS Differentiation
PublicationIn client-server information systems with quality of service (QoS) differentiation, Client may deplete Server’s resources by demanding unduly high QoS level. Such QoS abuse has eluded systematic treatment; known defenses using Client authorization, payments, or service request inspection prior to QoS assignment, are heuristic and environment-specific. We offer a game-theoretic approach on the premise that a service request is occasionally...
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Glutathione-mediated conjugation of anticancer drugs: an overview of reaction mechanisms and biological significance for drug detoxification and bioactivation.
PublicationThe effectiveness of many anticancer drugs depends on the creation of specific metabolites that may alter their therapeutic or toxic properties. One significant route of biotransformation is a conjugation of electrophilic compounds with reduced glutathione, which can be non-enzymatic and/or catalyzed by glutathione-dependent enzymes. Glutathione usually combines with anticancer drugs and/or their metabolites to form more polar...
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Critical graphs upon multiple edge subdivision
PublicationA subset D of V (G) is a dominating set of a graph G if every vertex of V (G) − D has at least one neighbour in D; let the domination number γ(G) be the minimum cardinality among all dominating sets in G. We say that a graph G is γ-q-critical if subdividing any q edges results in a graph with domination number greater than γ(G) and there exists a set of q − 1 edges such that subdividing these edges results in a graph with domination...
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Deformation of an elastic second gradient spherical body under equatorial line density of dead forces
PublicationWe consider deformations of an elastic body having initially a spherical shape. Assumed deformation energy depends on the first and second gradient of displacements. We apply an equatorial line density of dead loads, that are forces per unit line length directed in radial direction and applied along the equator of the sphere. We restrict ourselves our analysis to the case of linearized second strain gradient isotropic elasticity...
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USING ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORKS FOR PREDICTING SHIP FUEL CONSUMPTION
PublicationIn marine vessel operations, fuel costs are major operating costs which affect the overall profitability of the maritime transport industry. The effective enhancement of using ship fuel will increase ship operation efficiency. Since ship fuel consumption depends on different factors, such as weather, cruising condition, cargo load, and engine condition, it is difficult to assess the fuel consumption pattern for various types...
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Nutritional and Pharmaceutical Properties of Bioactive Compounds in Organic and Conventional Growing Kiwifruit
PublicationThe bioactivity of two kiwifruit’s cultivars growing under organic and conventional conditions were studied and compared. The bioactive compounds were extracted with water and ethanol using similar conditions which are applied in pharmaceutical applications and for daily fruit consumption such as tea drink. Antioxidant radical scavenging assays [ferric-reducing/antioxidant power (FRAP); cupric reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC);...
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The Simulation of Activated Sludge System for Optimization of Predictive Aeration at Large WWTP
PublicationEffective use of biodegradable substrates as an internal carbon sources (ICS) for denitrification and EBPR and predicting performance of aeration systems during nitrification in activated sludge bioreactors, may be useful in realization the sustainable development by potentially saving energy consumption at WWTPs. A large number of WWTPs use activated sludge systems with an integrated removal of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus...
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Higher Absorption of Vitamin C from Food than from Supplements by Breastfeeding Mothers at Early Stages of Lactation
PublicationThe aim of the present study was to determine the effect of vitamin C supply in the diet of lactating women on vitamin C concentra¬tions in human milk (n = 97) sampled at different stages of lactation. Vitamin C levels were measured by liquid chromatography. Dietary intake of vitamin C was determined based on 3-day food dairies kept by breastfeeding mothers. Maternal dietary intakes of vitamin C from natural sources on lactation...
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Evaluation of the content of inorganic anions in tree saps
PublicationTree saps were once commonly used in the countries of Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. Although once almost forgotten, their popularity has been growing recently as part of an interest in organic food and traditional medicine. Tree saps, tapped mainly from birch and maple trees, are drunk both fresh and fermented or are used as raw material for the production of food products, e.g. syrups. The aim of this study was to determine...
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Combination of instrumental and qualitative descriptive analysis for evaluation of selected tonic waters quality features
PublicationThe combination of sensory and instrumental analysis was applied for quality assurance of selected tonic waters. The Quantitative Descriptive Analysis (QDA) in terms of fourteen sensory attributes (aroma, astringency, bite, burn, numbing, tongue heaviness, carbonation, mouth coating, sweet taste, sour taste, bitter taste, sweet aftertaste, sour aftertaste, bitter aftertaste) of selected tonic waters was performed by sensory experts....
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Pharmaceuticals and other contaminants of emerging concern in Admiralty Bay as a result of untreated wastewater discharge: Status and possible environmental consequences
PublicationConsidering how the impact of human activity in Antarctica is growing, the aim of this study was to conduct the first assessment of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), other emerging contaminants (ECs), and antibiotic resistance genes present in the western shore of the Admiralty Bay region of King George Island. In total, more than 170 substances were evaluated to assess the potential environmental risks they pose...
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Chemical and biological characterization of Ocimum basilicum L. phenolic extract and essential oil derived through ultrasound and microwave-assisted extraction techniques
PublicationPlant-derived bioactive molecules are increasingly utilized in food processing as natural additives, driven by a growing interest in healthier lifestyles. This trend has spurred industries to reformulate products to meet the demands of health-conscious consumers. This study investigates the phenolic extract and essential oil of O. basilicum L. obtained via ultrasound-assisted extraction and microwave-assisted extraction, respectively. Characterization...
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SUICIDES FOR ECONOMIC REASONS AS A MEASURE OF THE STATE OF THE ECONOMY: THE CASE OF POLAND
PublicationSuicides are a phenomenon observed in many countries. The causes of a decision so drastic as far as consequences are concerned include i.a. economic reasons. The question arises whether the changing number of suicides reflects the state of the economy. The direct link between the state of the economy and suicides has not been sufficiently studied so far. The authors of this article attempted to identify the links between selected...
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Broadband Modeling of Motor Cable Impact on Common Mode Currents in VFD
PublicationExamination of conducted EMI generation and propagation in AC motor drives fed by frequency converter requires to consider parasitic capacitances in converters, motor windings and feeding cables to be taken into account. AC motor winding voltage transients and related common mode currents are significantly correlated with resonance effects occurring in converter's load circuits. Intensity levels of these phenomena depend...
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Chosen aspects of muscle biomechanics
PublicationConsidering a striated skeletal muscle as a different properties mechanical system, one can understand series of important phenomena happening in a real muscle phenomenon of muscle: 1) force delivery to skeletal apparatus through tendons; 2) changing of exerted muscle belly mass distribution with regards to skeletal apparatus; 3) beginning drop of muscle force. A disregard of first phenomenon causes an impossibility to explain...
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Quantitative Assessment of Operation of Ship Main Diesel Engine
PublicationOperation of ship propulsion system is associated with realization of definite operational goals. If to elements of the system the operational reliability strategy could be applied, the situation would be very simple as existing conditions would unambiguously determine application of means being on hand. However decision to reject application of the strategy (even if hypothetical) becomes obvious with a view of necessity of ensuring...
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Simulation of unsteady flow over floodplain using the diffusive wave equation and the modified finite element method
PublicationWe consider solution of 2D nonlinear diffusive wave equation in a domain temporarily covered by a layer of water. A modified finite element method with triangular elements and linear shape functions is used for spatial discretization. The proposed modification refers to the procedure of spatial integration and leads to a more general algorithm involving a weighting parameter. The standard finite element method and the finite difference...
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Grain type and size of particulate matter from diesel vehicle exhausts analysed in transmission electron microscopy
PublicationThe aim of this research was to apply a simple and quick method of size and shape characterization by TEM to diesel exhaust particles from large-capacity, high-performance trucks. Particulate matter (PM) samples were collected while the engines were idling. It was found that PM from vehicle exhaust emissions can be divided into three groups: soot, irregular-shaped particles and circular particles. Irregular-shaped particles and...
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Expedite EM-driven generation of Pareto-optimal trade-off curves for variable-turn on-chip inductors
PublicationThis work presents a novel approach to computationally efficient Pareto front identification for variable-turn on-chip inductors. The final outcome is a set of solutions that correspond to the best trade-offs between conflicting design objectives. Here, we consider minimising inductor area and, simultaneously, maximising its quality factor, while maintaining a specified inductance value at a given operating frequency. As opposed...
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Optimal selection of input features and an acompanying neural network structure for the classification purposes - skin lesions case study
PublicationMalignant melanomas are the most deadly type of skin cancers however detected early enough give a high chances for successful treatment. The last years saw the dynamic growth of interest of automatic computer-aided skin cancer diagnosis. Every month brings new research results on new approaches to this problem, new methods of preprocessing, new classifiers, new ideas to follow etc. In particular, the rapid development of dermatoscopy,...
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Does technology matter for economic development? Empirical evidence for Latin American Countries
PublicationThe spread of new Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) has been recognized worldwide. ICTs are broadly perceived as tools facilitating economic growth and development, especially in backward countries. They are easy and cheap to adopt, require minimum skills for effective use, and bring opportunities for disadvantaged societies. They enable education, knowledge dissemination and sharing, and processing and storing...
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Graph Decomposition for Memoryless Periodic Exploration
PublicationWe consider a general framework in which a memoryless robot periodically explores all the nodes of a connected anonymous graph by following local information available at each vertex. For each vertex v, the endpoints of all edges adjacent to v are assigned unique labels within the range 1 to deg (v) (the degree of v). The generic exploration strategy is implemented using a right-hand-rule transition function: after entering vertex...
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Cost-efficient design optimization of compact patch antennas with improved bandwidth
PublicationIn this letter, a surrogate-assisted optimization procedure for fast design of compact patch antennas with enhanced bandwidth is presented. The procedure aims at addressing a fundamental challenge of the design of antenna structures with complex topologies, which is simultaneous adjustment of numerous geometry parameters. The latter is necessary in order to find a truly optimum design and cannot be executed-at the level of high-fidelity...
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Increased Certification of Semi-device Independent Random Numbers using Many Inputs and More Postprocessing
PublicationQuantum communication with systems of dimension larger than two provides advantages in information processing tasks. Examples include higher rates of key distribution and random number generation. The main disadvantage of using such multi-dimensional quantum systems is the increased complexity of the experimental setup. Here, we analyze a not-so-obvious problem: the relation between randomness certification and computational requirements...
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Clinical studies of detecting COVID-19 from exhaled breath with electronic nose
PublicationThe COVID‑19 pandemic has attracted numerous research studies because of its impact on society and the economy. The pandemic has led to progress in the development of diagnostic methods, utilizing the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) as the gold standard for coronavirus SARS‑CoV‑2 detection. Numerous tests can be used at home within 15 min or so but of with lower accuracy than PCR. There is still a need for point‑of‑care tests available...
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Investigating the Effects of Ground-Transmitted Vibrations from Vehicles on Buildings and Their Occupants, with an Idea for Applying Machine Learning
PublicationVibrations observed as a result of moving vehicles can potentially affect both buildings and the people inside them. The impacts of these vibrations are complex, affected by a number of parameters, like amplitude, frequency, and duration, as well as by the properties of the soil beneath. These factors together lead to various effects, from slight disruptions to significant structural damage. Occupants inside affected buildings...
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Environmental characteristics of a tundra river system in Svalbard. Part 1: Bacterial abundance, community structure and nutrient levels
PublicationThe Arctic hosts a set of unique ecosystems, characterised by extreme environmental conditions and undergoing a rapid change resulting from the average temperature rising. We present a study on an aquatic ecosystem of the Revelva catchment (Spitsbergen), based on samples collected from the lake, river and their tributaries, in the summer of 2016. The landscape variety of the study site and the seasonal change in the hydrological...
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UV Light-Modulated Fluctuation-Enhanced Gas Sensing by Layers of Graphene Flakes/TiO2 Nanoparticles
PublicationWe present experimental results of fluctuation-enhanced gas sensing by low-cost resistive sensors made of a mixture of graphene flakes and TiO2 nanoparticles. Both components are photocatalytic and activated by UV light. Two UV LEDs of different wavelengths (362 and 394 nm) were applied to modulate the gas sensing of the layers. Resistance noise was recorded at low frequencies, between 8 Hz and 10 kHz. The sensors’ response was...
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Highly crystalline colloidal nickel oxide hole transport layer for low-temperature processable perovskite solar cell
PublicationHighly crystalline NiOX usually requires high annealing temperature (>300 °C) which is incompatible with flexible substrate and might consume high amount of energy. Herein, we demonstrate a facile emulsion process to synthesize highly crystalline, low temperature deposition (<150 °C) and solution processable NiOx nanoparticles (NPs) as a hole transport layer for the perovskite solar cells (PVSCs). A novel surfactant of tetramethylammonium...
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Jaroslaw Spychala dr
PeopleOprócz bardzo dobrego wykształcenia osoba posiada również wieloletnie doświadczenie zawodowe, które jest poświadczeniem tego, że potrafi wykorzystać swoją wiedzę teoretyczną w praktycznych działaniach. Doświadczenie zawodowe jest bardzo bogate i rozbudowane. Ze względu na nabyte całkiem nowe umiejętności zwiększa się atrakcyjność doświadczonego pracownika. Są to między innymi kreatywne myślenie, zorientowanie na cel, odporność...
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Coupled nonlinear Schrödinger equations in optic fibers theory
PublicationIn this paper a detailed derivation and numerical solutions of CoupledNonlinear Schr¨odinger Equations for pulses of polarized electromagnetic wavesin cylindrical fibers has been reviewed. Our recent work has been compared withsome previous ones and the advantage of our new approach over other methods hasbeen assessed. The novelty of our approach lies is an attempt to proceed withoutloss of information within the frame of basic...
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Hat problem on odd cycles
PublicationThe topic is the hat problem in which each of n players is randomly fitted with a blue or red hat. Then everybody can try to guess simultaneously his own hat color by looking at the hat colors of the other players. The team wins if at least one player guesses his hat color correctly, and no one guesses his hat color wrong; otherwise the team loses. The aim is to maximize the probability of a win. In this version every player can...
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Recovery of Anammox Biomass at Short Hydraulic Retention Time in a MBR Reactor
PublicationThe anammox system has been consider as an economical option for treating high concentration of nitrogen and poor in biodegradable orgaednic carbon wastewaters. This process is attractive option compared with conventional nitrogen removal because it provides a significant saving in aeration and organic addition for denitrification. The anammox technology has been applied mostly for concentrated nitrogenous wastewater containing...
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Approximation Strategies for Generalized Binary Search in Weighted Trees
PublicationWe consider the following generalization of the binary search problem. A search strategy is required to locate an unknown target node t in a given tree T. Upon querying a node v of the tree, the strategy receives as a reply an indication of the connected component of T\{v} containing the target t. The cost of querying each node is given by a known non-negative weight function, and the considered objective is to minimize the total...
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Optimization of hybrid parallel application execution in heterogeneous high performance computing systems considering execution time and power consumption
PublicationMany important computational problems require utilization of high performance computing (HPC) systems that consist of multi-level structures combining higher and higher numbers of devices with various characteristics. Utilizing full power of such systems requires programming parallel applications that are hybrid in two meanings: they can utilize parallelism on multiple levels at the same time and combine together programming interfaces...
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Collision-Free Network Exploration
PublicationA set of mobile agents is placed at different nodes of a n-node network. The agents synchronously move along the network edges in a collision-free way, i.e., in no round may two agents occupy the same node. In each round, an agent may choose to stay at its currently occupied node or to move to one of its neighbors. An agent has no knowledge of the number and initial positions of other agents. We are looking for the shortest possible...
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Distributed graph searching with a sense of direction
PublicationIn this work we consider the edge searching problem for vertex-weighted graphs with arbitrarily fast and invisible fugitive. The weight function w provides for each vertex v the minimum number of searchers required to guard v, i.e., the fugitive may not pass through v without being detected only if at least w(v) searchers are present at v. This problem is a generalization of the classical edge searching problem, in which one has...
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Zero-knowledge convincing protocol on quantum bit is impossible
PublicationIt is one of fundamental features of quantum formalism that o n one hand it provides a new infor- mation processing resources and on the other hand puts funda mental constraints on the processing of quantum information implying “no-go” theorems for cloni ng [1–3], bit commitment [4, 5] and deleting [6] in quantum theory. Here we ask about possibilit y of “zero knowledge” scenario which, for its simplicity, can be considered as...
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A modified hat problem
PublicationThe topic of our paper is the hat problem in which each of n players is randomly fitted with a blue or red hat. Then everybody can try to guess simultaneously his own hat color by looking at the hat colors of the other players. The team wins if at least one player guesses his hat color correctly, and no one guesses his hat color wrong; otherwise the team loses. The aim is to maximize the probability of a win. There are known many...
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IRREGULARITIES IN UNIVERSITY PROCESSES CONCERNING THE LEAN MANAGEMENT TYPOLOGY. THE PILOT STUDY RESULTS
PublicationPurpose: Identify the attitudes regarding key irregularities in university activities of universities referring to muda, mura, and muri from the perspective of two groups of stakeholders - academic teachers and administration/service personnel. Study design/methodology/approach: A pilot quantitative study using a questionnaire containing 48 statements regarding six categories of irregularities assessed according to the 5-point...