bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An interval observer design for uncertain nonlinear systems based on the T-S fuzzy model
Authors: Menasria Yamina , Bouras Hichem , Debbache Nasreddine
Published: October 2017

A new approach to build an interval observer for nonlinear uncertain systems is presented in this paper. Nonlinear systems modeled in the Takagi-Sugeno (T-S) form are studied. A T-S proportional observer is first issued by pole-placement and LMI tools. Secondly, time-varying change of coordinates for each dynamic state estimation error is used to design an interval observer. The system state bounds are then directly deduced.
A new 3-D jerk chaotic system with two cubic nonlinearities and its adaptive backstepping control
Authors: Vaidyanathan Sundarapandian
Published: October 2017

This paper presents a new seven-term 3-D jerk chaotic system with two cubic nonlinearities. The phase portraits of the novel jerk chaotic system are displayed and the qualitative properties of the jerk system are described. The novel jerk chaotic system has a unique equilibrium at the origin, which is a saddle-focus and unstable. The Lyapunov exponents of the novel jerk chaotic system are obtained as L1= 0:2974, L2= 0 and L3= −3:8974. Since the sum of the Lyapunov exponents of the jerk chaotic system is negative, we conclude that the chaotic system is dissipative. The Kaplan-Yorke dimension of the new jerk chaotic system is found as DKY= 2:0763. Next, an adaptive backstepping controller is designed to globally stabilize the new jerk chaotic system with unknown parameters. Moreover, an adaptive backstepping controller is also designed to achieve global chaos synchronization of the identical jerk chaotic systems with unknown parameters. The backstepping control method is a recursive procedure that links the choice of a Lyapunov function with the design of a controller and guarantees global asymptotic stability of strict feedback systems. MATLAB simulations are shown to illustrate all the main results derived in this work.
Relationship between the observability of standard and fractional linear systems
Authors: Kaczorek Tadeusz
Published: October 2017

The relationship between the observability of standard and fractional discrete-time and continuous-time linear systems are addressed. It is shown that the fractional discrete-time and continuous-time linear systems are observable if and only if the standard discrete-time and continuous-time linear systems are observable.
Partial molecular volumes of cholesterol and phosphatidylcholine in mixed bilayers
Authors: Gallová J. , Želinská K. , Balgavý P.
Published: October 2017

Dispersion of multilamellar liposomes of dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) and cholesterol (CHOL) were studied by vibrational densitometer for the CHOL mole fractions X = 0−0.54 in the temperature range 18−50 °C, both below and above the main phase transition. DMPC-CHOL bilayers served as a simple model for lipidic part of biological membrane. Volumetric parameters are essential not only to evaluate the data obtained by scattering and diffraction methods on model membranes but can provide valuable information about molecular packing in bilayers and the phase behaviour of lipid-CHOL mixtures. In this paper, preliminary results regarding the changes in the specific volume of lipid bilayer with increasing temperature and CHOL content are presented. Different values of apparent molecular volume of CHOL for different CHOL mole fraction pointed out the non-ideal mixing of DMPC and CHOL.
Inter- and intra-specific variability in δ13C and δ18O values of freshwater gastropod shells from Lake Lednica, western Poland
Authors: Apolinarska Karina , Pełechaty Mariusz
Published: October 2017

This study focuses on the inter- and intra-specific variability in δ13C and δ18O values of shells and opercula of gastropods sampled live from the littoral zone of Lake Lednica, western Poland. The δ13C and δ18O values were measured in individual opercula of Bithynia tentaculata and in shells of Bithynia tentaculata, Gyraulus albus, Gyraulus crista, Lymnaea sp., Physa fontinalis, Radix auricularia, Theodoxus fluviatilis and Valvata cristata. The gastropods selected for the study are among the species most commonly found in European Quaternary lacustrine sediments. The carbon isotope composition of the gastropod shells was species-specific and the same order of species from the most to the least13C-depleted was observed at all sites sampled. Differences in shell δ13C values between species were similar at all sampling sites, thus the factors influencing shell isotopic composition were interpreted as species-specific. The δ18O values of shells were similar in all the species investigated. Significant intra-specific variability in shell δ13C and δ18O values was observed not only within the populations of Lake Lednica, which can be explained by heterogeneity of δ13C DIC, δ18O water and water temperature between the sites where macrophytes with snails attached were sampled, but also between individuals sampled from restricted areas of the lake’s bottom. The latter points to the importance of factors related to the ontogeny of individual gastropods.
Patient safety culture shapes presenteeism and absenteeism: a cross-sectional study among Croatian healthcare workers
Authors: Brborović Hana , Brborović Ognjen
Published: October 2017

Healthcare workers have high rates of injuries and illnesses at the workplace, and both their absence from work due to illness (absenteeism) or working ill (presenteeism) can compromise patient safety and the quality of health care delivered. Following this premise, we wanted to determine whether presenteeism and absenteeism were associated with patient safety culture (PSC) and in what way. Our sample consisted of 595 Croatian healthcare workers (150 physicians and 445 nurses) who answered the short-form WHO Health and Work Performance Questionnaire and the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture. The results have confirmed the association with both presenteeism and absenteeism in several PSC dimensions, but not as we expected based on the premise from which we started. Opposite to our expectations, lower job performance (as a measure of presenteeism) was associated with higher PSC instead of lower PSC. Absenteeism, in turn, was associated with lower PSC, just as we expected. These findings suggest that it is the PSC that shapes presenteeist and absenteeist behaviour and not the other way around. High PSC leads to presenteeism, and low PSC to absenteeism. We also believe that the presenteeism questionnaires should be adjusted to health care and better define what lower performance means both quantitatively and qualitatively in a hospital setting
The Books of Hanuš Jelínek and Božena Jelínková in the National Museum Library in Prague
Authors: Kašparová Jaroslava
Published: October 2017

The article points out the uniqueness of the personal book collection of the Czech poet, translator and theatre critic Hanuš Jelínek, one of the most prominent figures in Czech–French cultural relations. Based on the owner’s last will, it has been deposited in the National Library in Prague since 1951, when the book estate was handed over to the National Museum after the death of his wife, Božena Jelínková-Jirásková, an academic painter, and it also contains books that belonged to her. The book collection, which still awaits further research and is hardly known to the wider professional public, is a very valuable source on the life and work of Mr and Mrs Jelínek as well as an important source of information on the history of Czech-French cultural transfers and the cultural history of Europe in the first half of the 20th century.
Vilém Gabler’s Library and Alexander the Great
Authors: Měřička Matěj
Published: October 2017

The article is divided into three parts. The first one aims to present the figure of Vilém Gabler, a close colleague of Karel Havlíček and František Ladislav Rieger, as a person important for the beginnings of Czech–French relations and for the spread of the knowledge of the Czech language and culture in the Czech milieu. The second part is devoted to the summary of previous research and the reconstruction of the personal library of Vilém Gabler, scattered in the central collection of the National Museum Library. The last, third part discusses Gabler’s article Alexander Veliký [Alexander the Great], written in reaction to the work Alexandre le Grand from the pen of Alphonse de Lamartine and under the impression of the events of 1859. Despite its thematic focus on the ancient commander, it provides abundant information on the author’s view of the recent Austrian-Czech past as well as present. It thus shows a man with his own world of opinion and moral schemes created based on his own experience from 1848 and strongly influenced by the study of French history, especially the period after 1789.
The Literature Related to Karel Havlíček Published in Německý and Havlíčkův Brod in the 20th Century
Authors: Tvrdý Petr
Published: October 2017

Text provides a summary of the regional literary production concerning Karel Havlíček that was published in Německý and Havlíčkův Brod in the 20th century. Since more significant interest in this native of Borová was associated with his special anniversaries, the author also pays more detailed attention to several collections that were devoted to this topic and, in the local conditions, significantly affected the tradition of Karel Havlíček. The author farther mentions typical phenomena connected with Havlíček: the unveiling of his statue in the Future (Budoucnost) Park in Německý Brod in 1924, the celebrations of the local secondary school in 1935, the renaming of the town to Havlíčkův Brod in May 1945, the attempts to publish Havlíček’s collected works by the publisher Chvojka, as well as the renewal of the journal of the Brod museum. The text is also a contribution to the perception of Karel Havlíček in the past, especially in the periods after 1918, after the Second World War and in the 1950s.
The Family of the Prague Patriotic Physician Václav Staněk in the Revolutionary Years 1848 and 1849
Authors: Srbová Veronika
Published: October 2017

The article deals with the topic of family in the Czech patriotic milieu of the 19th century on the example of the family of Václav Staněk, a physician and patriot. Václav Staněk was in close contact with Josef Frič and František Ladislav Čelakovský. Before the revolution in 1848, Staněk and his wife Karolina opened a Czech ‘parlour’, one of the first places for women interested in education. The paper focuses on the public activities of the family during the revolution 1848 and presents the work of Václav Staněk at the Imperial Diets in Vienna and Kroměříž. Not only does it pay attention to the political activities of Staněk himself, but it also shows the political opinions of his wife a partly his daughter as well. An important space is dedicated to the everyday life of V. Staněk as a member of the Imperial Diets in Vienna and Kroměříž and to the everyday life of his family in Prague. The main source of information is the rich and unexploited correspondence of the Staněk family, which provides insight into the political and family life at that time.
Julius Nestler and the “Nestler Collection” in the Náprstek Museum: Nationalism, Occultism and Entrepreneurship in the Making of Americanist Archaeology in Central Europe
Authors: Křížová Markéta
Published: October 2017

The text aims to present the broader context and biography of Julius Nestler, an amateur archaeologist from Prague, who at the beginning of the twentieth century pursued excavations in the ruins of Tiahuanaco/Tiwanaku and brought to Prague a unique collection of about 3,600 pieces, now deposited in the Náprstek Museum in Prague. A biographical study of Nestler has revealed his wide interests. During the period of Czech-German competition in Bohemia he promoted “German science”. He cooperated with entrepreneurial groups in Germany that were trying to penetrate Latin America economically, as a Freemason actively capitalised on a transnational community of associates; and at the same time was an adherent to and propagator of occultism. All these facets of his personality shaped his activities in the recently-established field of Americanist archaeology.
Shepespuptah Idu According to Evidence from his Rock-Cut Tomb at Abusir South
Authors: Vymazalová Hana , Havelková Petra
Published: October 2017

The article discusses evidence uncovered by the mission of the Czech Institute of Egyptology, Faculty of Arts, Charles University in Prague at the necropolis of Abusir near Egypt’s capital Cairo. The tomb of Shepespuptah Idu was one of the four rock-cut tombs in the tomb complex of Princess Sheretnebty in Abusir South. It was uncovered in 2012 and its exploration continued until 2013. The identity of the tomb owner is known from hieratic inscriptions in his tomb chapel, which tell us about his name, nickname and titles. Shepespuptah held administrative titles associated with legal matters and royal offerings and the latter offices connect him with the economy of the royal funerary cults. The burial of Shepespuptah, which was found in his sarcophagus reveals interesting details about his health.
Logatome and Sentence Recognition Related to Acoustic Parameters of Enclosures
Authors: Kocinski Jedrzej , Ozimek Edward
Published: October 2017

The paper deals with relationship between speech recognition and objective parameters of enclosures. Six enclosures were chosen: a church, an assembly hall of a music school, two courtrooms of different volumes, a typical auditorium and a university concert hall. Dirac 4.1 software was used to record impulse responses (IRs) in the chosen measurement points of each enclosure. On this base, the following objective parameters of the enclosure were determined: Reverberation Time (RT), Early Decay Time (EDT), Weighted Clarity (C50) and Speech Transmission Index (STI). A convolution of the IRs with logatome tests and the Polish Sentence Test (PST) was made. Logatome recognition and speech reception threshold (SRT - i.e., SNR yielding 50% speech recognition) were evaluated and their dependence on the objective parameters were determined. Generally a linear relationship between logatome or SRT and RT or EDT was found. However, speech recognition was nonlinearly related (according to psychometric function) to STI values. The most sensitive range of the logatome and sentence recognition relative to STI changes corresponded to the middle range of STI values. Below and above this range, logatome and sentence recognition were much less dependent of STI changes.
Multifractal Nature of Diesel Engine Rattle Noise in Vehicle
Authors: Puchalski Andrzej , Komorska Iwona
Published: October 2017

The investigation results of the emission of noises accompanying the diesel engine powertrain running in unloaded condition at low or idle speed, are presented in the hereby paper. The multifractal nature of the tested signals was confirmed by means of two groups of parameters. The proposed local parameters are based on the distribution of the probability density of measures, segregated into subsets according to pointwise Holder exponents. The obtained spectra constitute a set of multifractal measures related to singularities representing the local scaling of measures in various points of the time series. Global parameters were defined on the basis of multifractal measures of the parametrised Renyi’s entropy. These are properties treating summarily the whole spectrum of the emitted noise and reflecting changes of the vibroacoustic energy levels generated by noise sources. The tests encompassing simultaneous application of both groups of parameters confirmed their efficiency in the comparative analysis as well as in the subjective assessment of the noise level generated in the drive system of vehicles with diesel engines. This opens new possibilities within the simulation range of vehicle noises, for the needs of constructing the passive and active reduction systems of the effects of the vibroacoustic energy propagation.
Utilisation of the Coherence Analysis in Acoustic Diagnostics of Internal Combustion Engines
Authors: Dabrowski Zbigniew , Dziurdz Jacek , Górnicka Dorota
Published: October 2017

The leading thought of the present text is that the internal combustion engine noise - regardless of all possible inconveniences - is a good information carrier that allows for the explicit diagnostics of such subtle defect as the valve face decrement which is so small that it is in practice ‘unnoticeable’ by the standard diagnostic-controlling system of a passenger car. However, such defect at its further propagation can be much more dangerous. Thus, diagnosing its initial state is worth trying. This study is a continuation of investigations where efforts were undertaken to perform the efficient diagnostics on the bases of observations and analyses of mechanical vibrations of the engine head.
Geographic envelope of the Moon and the identification of Moon landscapes with the use of the axiomatic method
Authors: Kyryliuk Serhii , Kholiavchuk Dariia
Published: October 2017

Three consequent concepts that build up the algorithm of the identification of modern landscapes on the Moon surface are suggested. They are anaglyphonosphere axiomatic and landscape concepts obtained with the use of the axiomatic method. The first concept depicts the geographic envelope of the Moon as an anaglyphonosphere layer (relief) that is a continuum (total environment). The latter becomes the research subject for both a geomorphologist and a landscape researcher. Continuity, dynamics, range (amplitude), and erosion potential determine anaglyphonosphere. Axiomatic concept means constructing the sole scheme (mathematically determined) of the search for the elementary surface units using the geometric interpretation of surface patterns of the Moon and its landscape interpretation. The landscape concept is based on the classical principles of the landscape theory and the axiomatic principles of the previous concept. The synthesis of concepts is implemented in the models of Moon landscapes of four scales: zero, linear, two- and three-dimensional. The paper offers the last two models of Davy Catena. Proposed concepts with appropriate correction can be used in parallel studies of the natural environment: geological, geomorphological, climatic, etc. The advantages of the axiomatic method consist in the objective approach to the division of the surface into specific units (the landscapes in our case). The proposed method of identifying and displaying the landscape complexes on the lunar surface can be a significant complement for the study and mapping of terrestrial planets, satellites of planet-giants, etc.
Observational data and orbits of the asteroids discovered at the Molėtai Observatory in 2010–2012
Authors: Włodarczyk Ireneusz , Černis Kazimieras , Zdanavičius Justas
Published: October 2017

This paper is devoted to the discovery of asteroids at the Molėtai Astronomical Observatory (MAO) in 2010- 2012 together with the orbital analysis of two dynamically interesting Near Earth Objects (NEOs) discovered at the MAO, namely 2006 SF77 and 2010 BT3. We used the OrbFit software v.5.0 to compute orbits and to analyze orbital evolution of 2006 SF77 and 2010 BT3. We computed value of the Lyapunov time: 830 years for 2006 SF77 and 1650 year for 2010 BT3.We also searched for possible impacts of 2006 SF77 and 2010 BT3 with the Earth, Venus and Mars in the next 15000 years.
Clutter and the Clash of Middle-class Tastes in the Domestic Interior
Authors: Ferry Kathryn Rachel
Published: October 2017

Interior design offered new members of the Victorian middle-class a means to demonstrate their success. Yet the choices they made in decorating domestic spaces could be harshly judged, in particular by self-proclaimed taste-makers who, though middle class themselves, came from a newly professionalised group of critics, artists and architects. The styles most hated by these arbiters were those designed to express wealth and status, often through new manufacturing techniques that promoted effect over craftsmanship. This article seeks to examine middle-class taste on its own terms and reveals how it evolved under the influence of the Aesthetic or “Art” Movement of the 1870s. Though ideas about what constituted “good” taste were more widely disseminated after this period the Victorian love of clutter continued unabated.
A dimensional restriction for a class of contact manifolds
Authors: Loiudice Eugenia
Published: October 2017

In this work we consider a class of contact manifolds (M, η) with an associated almost contact metric Structure (ϕ, ξ, η, g). This class contains, for example, nearly cosymplectic manifolds and the manifolds in the class C9 ⊕ C10 defined by Chinea and Gonzalez. All manifolds in the class considered turn out to have dimension 4n + 1. Under the assumption that the sectional curvature of the horizontal 2-planes is constant at one point, we obtain that these manifolds must have dimension 5.
Unveiling Hidden Social Design: New Roles for Sociologists
Authors: Popov Lubomir , David Gary
Published: October 2017

This paper will help foster a more favourable attitude to professional involvement in social design projects and highlight new areas of professional opportunity for sociologists. To overcome the psychological barriers to design engagement and to foster motivation for social design, the authors discuss a case of social design decision making by non-sociologists. The methodology is informed by Activity Theory and Design Theory, and the approach adopted is based on analyzing current best practices, departing from conventional and customary practices. The authors discuss the Fun Palace, which was an innovative architectural project in the 1960s Great Britain, conceived with a fundamental social aim of providing life-long education and professional retooling to working class people in a relaxed and entertaining environment. The paper highlights the sociological nature of decision making in the planning phase of the project as well as the need for sociological knowledge and skills. The explication of the social design activities in the Fun Palace project can inspire sociological practitioners with ideas about entering into various industries and, in particular, in the design of social organizations and buildings.
Spontaneous Spondylodiscitis - Epidemiology, Clinical Features, Diagnosis and Treatment
Authors: Petkova Aneta S. , Zhelyazkov Christo B. , Kitov Borislav D.
Published: October 2017

Spontaneous spondylodiscitis is a rare but serious infectious disease which is a combination of an inflammatory process, involving one or more adjacent vertebral bodies (spondylitis), the intervertebral discs (discitis) and finally - the neighboring neural structures. In most cases the condition is due to a hematogenous infection and can affect all regions of the spinal cord, but it is usually localized in the lumbar area. The most common clinical symptom is a pronounced, constant and increasing nocturnal paravertebral pain, while consequently different degrees of residual neurological symptoms from nerve roots and/or spinal cord may appear. The disease course is chronic and the lack of specific symptoms often prolongs the time between its debut and the diagnosis. This delay in diagnosis determines its potentially high morbidity and mortality. Treatment is conservative in cases with no residual neurological symptoms and consists of antibiotic therapy and immobilization. Surgical treatment is necessary in patients with neurological deficit, spinal instability or drug resistance.
The Role of Cytomegalovirus in Congenital and Early Postnatal Infections in Northeastern Bulgaria
Authors: Stoykova Zhivka D. , Ivanova Lilia I. , Todorova Tatina T.
Published: October 2017

Background:Human cytomegalovirus is a ubiquitous, large enveloped DNA β-herpesvirus that, like other herpesviruses, establishes lifelong latency following primary infection. It is the most frequent cause of congenital, neonatal and early postnatal infections with long lasting sequelae.

Aim:The aim of the present study was to assess the prevalence of cytomegalovirus among a cohort of newborns and 1-3-month-old children with neurological symptoms, physical retardation, prolonged jaundice, thrombocytopenic purpura and other disabilities.

Materials and methods:The study was a retrospective cross-sectional analysis of serological screening data for detection of specific anti-cytomegalovirus IgM and IgG in children from Northeastern Bulgaria.

Results:Between 2003 and 2015, average prevalences of 18.8% (95% CI: 15.4 to 22.2) for anti-CMV IgM antibodies (suggesting acute infection) and 84.7% (95% CI: 81.6 to 87.8) for anti-CMV IgG antibodies were measured in a total number of 517 samples. The prevalence rate of anti-CMV IgM in 1-3-month-old children was 4-fold higher than that in newborns [25.8% (95% CI: 21.1 to 30.5) and 6.4% (95% CI: 2.9 to 9.9, respectively]. In contrast, no significant difference was found for anti- CMV IgG positivity between newborns and 1-3-month-old infants (84% and 85%, respectively).

Conclusions:The data obtained strongly encourage screening of pregnant women for anti-CMV IgG and IgM to avoid transmission of the infection and severe complications of congenital infection.
Implementation of Instrument Based on Eight Health Related Quality of Life Domains for Measuring of Willingness to Pay for Psoriasis Treatment
Authors: Dobrev Hristo P. , Atanasov Nikolay G. , Dimitrova Donka D.
Published: October 2017

Background:Psoriasis vulgaris (PsV) is a chronic skin condition that has a major impact on health-related quality of life (HRQOL).

Aim:To determine the individual burden of PsV on HRQOL using willingness to pay (WTP) instrument.

Materials and methods:Fifty-one consecutive PsV patients were asked to evaluate their overall health and psoriasis affected health by visual analogue scale (VAS), and interviewed on 8 domains (physical, emotional, sleep, work, social, self-care, intimacy, and concentration) of HRQOL and WTP for a hypothetical cure in each domain. Two additional questions proposing 6 alternatives for therapy were also asked. The analysis is performed with descriptive and frequency statistics, Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests.

Results:The domains ranked highly were: physical comfort (90%), social comfort (77%), emotional health (75%) and work (53%). The following tendencies concerning WTP for top four impacted domains were found: the median WTP were the highest in the top impacted domains; the younger patients were willing to pay more than the older ones; the highest median WTP amounts appear in the lowest income group; the highest median WTP is associated with smaller psoriasis affected health VAS scores. The largest proportion and number of patients (37.3%, n=19) stated preferences for the systemic therapy. The second preferred choice was the thalassotherapy (29.4%, n=15).

Conclusions:The utility and reliability of the instrument based on the assessment of WTP stated preferences for 8 domains of HRQOL for evaluation the individual burden of psoriasis were strongly supported.
Application of Platelet-Rich Fibrin and Injectable Platelet-Rich Fibrin in Combination of Bone Substitute Material for Alveolar Ridge Augmentation - a Case Report
Authors: Chenchev Ivan L. , Ivanova Vasilena V. , Neychev Deyan Z. , Cholakova Radka B.
Published: October 2017

Background:Different barrier membranes and augmentation techniques are used in oral surgery to recover lost bone structures with varied success. Recently, a combination between bone graft materials and Platelet-Rich-Fibrin (PRF) is implemented in the periodontology and implantology.

Aim: The aim of this case report was to assess the possibility for augmentation of the alveolar ridge in the frontal region of the upper jaw, utilizing a combination of bone graft material, injectable platelet-rich-fibrin (i-PRF) and advanced platelet-rich fibrin (A-PRF).

Materials and methods:An 18 year-old male with expulsion of tooth 11 and partial fracture of the alveolar ridge was treated with augmentation of the alveolar ridge using bone graft material, injectable platelet–rich-fibrin(i-PRF) and advanced platelet-rich-fibrin (A-PRF). Clinical results were reviewed 4 months after the augmentation and a dental implant was placed.

Results:The postoperative period was uneventful. The control CBCT scan showed good organization of new bone allowing placement of a dental implant.

Conclusion:The successful clinical and radiographic results of the case suggest that using A-PRF and i-PRF can be beneficial for bone augmentation of the alveolar ridge before implant placement.
Community Noise Exposure and its Effect on Blood Pressure and Renal Function in Patients with Hypertension and Cardiovascular Disease
Authors: Dzhambov Angel M. , Tokmakova Mariya P. , Gatseva Penka D. , Zdravkov Nikolai G. , Gencheva Dolina G. , Ivanova Nevena G. , Karastanev Krasimir I. , Vladeva Stefka V. , Donchev Aleksandar T. , Dermendzhiev Svetlan M.
Published: October 2017

Background:Road traffic noise (RTN) is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and hypertension; however, few studies have looked into its association with blood pressure (BP) and renal function in patients with prior CVD.

Aim:This study aimed to explore the effect of residential RTN exposure on BP and renal function in patients with CVD from Plovdiv Province.

Materials and methods:We included 217 patients with ischemic heart disease and/or hypertension from three tertiary hospitals in the city of Plovdiv (March – May 2016). Patients’ medical history, medical documentation, and medication regimen were reviewed, and blood pressure and anthropometric measurements were taken. Blood samples were analyzed for creatinine, total cholesterol, and blood glucose. Participants also filled a questionnaire. Glomerular filtration rate was estimated using the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) equation. All participants were asked about their annoyance by different noise sources at home, and those living in the city of Plovdiv (n = 132) were assigned noise map Ldenand Lnightexposure. The effects of noise exposure on systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) were explored using mixed linear models.

Results:Traffic noise annoyance was associated with higher SBP in the total sample. The other noise indicators were associated with non-significant elevation in SBP and reduction in eGFR. The effect of Ldenwas more pronounced in patients with prior ischemic heart disease/stroke, diabetes, obesity, not taking Ca-channel blockers, and using solid fuel/gas at home. Lnighthad stronger effect among those not taking statins, sleeping in a bedroom with noisy façade, having a living room with quiet façade, and spending more time at home. The increase in Ldenwas associated with a significant decrease in eGFR among men, patients with ischemic heart disease/stroke, and those exposed to lower air pollution. Regarding Lnight, there was significant effect modification by gender, diabetes, obesity, and time spent at home. In some subgroups, the effect of RTN was statistically significant.

Conclusions:Given that generic risk factors for poor progression of cardiovascular diseases cannot be controlled sufficiently at individual level, environmental interventions to reduce residential noise exposure might result in some improvement in the management of blood pressure and kidney function in patients with CVD.
The development of the glass industry in central Vietnam
Authors: Mikoláš Milan , Drenda Jan , Pechar Tomáš , Tvrdý Jaromír , Mikoláš Martin , Mikušinec Jozef , Abrahámovský Ján , Néč Bohumil
Published: October 2017

A modern society is characterized by functional infrastructure and sufficient number and variety of materials in the form of various technical goods. All these civilization achievements are not only the result of human skills, but their material principles are based on industrial minerals. This group of materials includes a wide range of the natural raw materials which are used in many industries. This includes the raw materials for the manufacture of glass, ceramics or fillers. In 2014 was complete three-year international development aid project under the title “The Development of the Glass Industry in Central Vietnam”. The aim of the project was to find suitable sources of raw materials in formulations for glass production based on previously proven Phong Dien deposit of glass sand. Works carried out for the Czech Development Agency the GET Company from Czech Republic, Prague. In addition to the optimisation of the glass batch, detailed technological research was also implemented with the goal of achieving the full utilisation of Vietnamese raw materials for the manufacture of high quality glass. The production programme may be varied - focusing not only on the purest crystal type glass, but also on flat glass and container glass and even coloured glass.
Hard (bituminous) coal resources in Poland – expectations and reality
Authors: Sermet Edyta , Nieć Marek , Chećko Jarosław
Published: October 2017

There are numerous enthusiastic opinions on UCG possibilities. UCG is presented often as suitable for the utilization of coal resources which are inaccessible or difficult for conventional mining. Application of UCG coal basins in Poland is limited by their specific geological features. The most important are: hydrogeological and tectonic restraints, the occurrence of numerous coal seams with which gasification will interact, and the predominance of thin coal seams, less than 1.5 m thick. The detailed evaluation of hard (bituminous) coal resources in Poland explored up to 1.000 m depth, and careful selection of possible UCG sites has demonstrated that only about 10% of it may be gasified underground. Reasonable resource utilization is a serious problem in the multi-seam coal deposits. Coal resources are a nonrenewable part of the environment. Therefore, reasonable resources utilization is defined as their best possible recovery (considering acceptable costs). At the recent state of knowledge on UCG, its application in Poland, contrary to the former expectations, is seriously restrained.
Discount rate selection for long-term sequential mineral projects
Authors: Saługa Piotr W.
Published: October 2017

Mineral projects depict various specific features that differentiate them from alternative investments in other industries. Among these features, one can specify unique characteristics of mineral deposits such as scarcity, geological setting and structure, resource/reserve uncertainty and depletability. Resource uncertainty results in the sequential nature of operations (exploration, development and production stages). Other specific features of mineral projects include long investment - and production periods, high capital intensity, varying production conditions, unpredictability and high volatility of mineral prices, etc. Specific features of mineral projects are sources of exceptionally high risks. To ensure the payback of high capital costs these significant risks must be addressed in the economic evaluation of a mineral project. In the discounted cash flow analysis, DCF, which is the most commonly used in evaluations of such ventures, all project uncertainties are reflected in a level of the discount rate used for the actualization of future cash flow values. The riskier project has a higher discount rate. Apart from being extremely high risk, mineral projects are both sequential and long-term - the first feature means that the extent of a project risk decreases dramatically over time, and second - that care should be taken when evaluating these projects because cash flows arising in later years of the project lifetime have little value. The paper delivers a proposal to apply the time-varying discount rate to the economic evaluation of a mineral project. The first part introduces a commonly accepted approach to evaluating discount rates along with conceptions of adjusting them to risks of individual projects. In the following sections, the article presents the current practice in the setting of discount rates for mineral projects and then a proposed modification of this approach by introducing the time-varying discount rate. In the end, a verification of the proposed suggestion based on a copper project example has been delivered.
Methods of improvement chalcedonite processing effectiveness with the use of density separation
Authors: Naziemiec Zdzisław , Pichniarczyk Paweł , Saramak Daniel
Published: October 2017

The article regards the issues related to chalcedonite processing by means of particle size classification as well as densimetric separation. Chalcedonite is an unique rock and material with wide industrial applications in various industries. The investigative program included laboratory tests of chalcedonite classification in the classifier and the jig, as well as separation of the material in the dense liquid. The obtained results indicate that the products of particle size classification of chalcedonite in the classifier are characterized by a different chemical and mineralogical composition. The 0-0.3 mm particle size fraction contains over 96% of quartz, while the fine size fraction below 0.063 mm contain about 80% of quartz and 20% of clayish minerals. In the next stage of the investigative program, the densimetric separation of chalcedonite material in the jig and in dense liquid, was carried out. The results of the density classification in the jig indicate the different absorbability of the obtained chalcedonite density fractions. Fractions with a higher density were characterized by lower water absorption. The results of separation in the dense media liquid also showed that the obtained aggregate products are of significant differences in absorbability as well as high variability of the strength parameters. The results of the investigations show that the obtained products of the classification can be more efficiently utilized in industry, due to their diverse chemical and physical characteristics.
How to get rid of mitochondria: crosstalk and regulation of multiple mitophagy pathways
Authors: Zimmermann Marcel , Reichert Andreas S.
Published: October 2017

Mitochondria are indispensable cellular organelles providing ATP and numerous other essential metabolites to ensure cell survival. Reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are formed as side reactions during oxidative phosphorylation or by external agents, induce molecular damage in mitochondrial proteins, lipids/membranes and DNA. To cope with this and other sorts of organellar stress, a multi-level quality control system exists to maintain cellular homeostasis. One critical level of mitochondrial quality control is the removal of damaged mitochondria by mitophagy. This process utilizes parts of the general autophagy machinery, e.g. for the formation of autophagosomes but also employs mitophagy-specific factors. Depending on the proteins utilized mitophagy is divided into receptor-mediated and ubiquitin-mediated mitophagy. So far, at least seven receptor proteins are known to be required for mitophagy under different experimental conditions. In contrast to receptor-mediated pathways, the Pink-Parkin-dependent pathway is currently the best characterized ubiquitin-mediated pathway. Recently two additional ubiquitin-mediated pathways with distinctive similarities and differences were unraveled. We will summarize the current state of knowledge about these multiple pathways, explain their mechanism, and describe the regulation and crosstalk between these pathways. Finally, we will review recent evidence for the evolutionary conservation of ubiquitin-mediated mitophagy pathways.
The inhibition of the mitochondrial F1FO-ATPase activity when activated by Ca2+ opens new regulatory roles for NAD+
Authors: Nesci Salvatore , Trombetti Fabiana , Ventrella Vittoria , Pirini Maurizio , Pagliarani Alessandra
Published: October 2017

The mitochondrial F1FO-ATPase is uncompetitively inhibited by NAD+ only when the natural cofactor Mg2+ is replaced by Ca2+, a mode putatively involved in cell death. The Ca2+-dependent F1FO-ATPase is also inhibited when NAD+ concentration in mitochondria is raised by acetoacetate. The enzyme inhibition by NAD+ cannot be ascribed to any de-ac(et)ylation or ADP-ribosylation by sirtuines, as it is not reversed by nicotinamide. Moreover, the addition of acetyl-CoA or palmitate, which would favor the enzyme ac(et)ylation, does not affect the F1FO-ATPase activity. Consistently, NAD+ may play a new role, not associated with redox and non-redox enzymatic reactions, in the Ca2+-dependent regulation of the F1FO-ATPase activity.
On the nature of mixed languages: The case of Bildts
Authors: Versloot Arjen
Published: October 2017

It was recently claimed, in the
Crop residue recycling for economic and environmental sustainability: The case of India
Authors: Devi Saroj , Gupta Charu , Jat Shankar Lal , Parmar M.S.
Published: October 2017

India is one of the key producers of food grain, oilseed, sugarcane and other agricultural products. Agricultural crops generate considerable amounts of leftover residues, with increases in food production crop residues also increasing. These leftover residues exhibit not only resource loss but also a missed opportunity to improve a farmer’s income. The use of crop residues in various fields are being explored by researchers across the world in areas such as textile composite non-woven making processes, power generation, biogas production, animal feed, compost and manures, etc. The increasing trend in addition of bio-energy cogeneration plants, increasing demand for animal feedstock and increasing trend for organic agriculture indicates a competitive opportunity forcrop residue in Agriculture. It is to be noted that the use of this left over residue isoften not mutually exclusive which makes measurement of its economic value more difficult.For example, straw can be used as animal bedding and thereafter as a crop fertilizer. In view of this, the main aim of this paper envisaged to know about how much crop residue is left unutilized and how best they can be utilized for alternative purposes for environmental stewardship and sustainability. In this context, an attempt has been made to estimate the total crop residue across the states and its economic value though data available from various government sources and a SWOT analysis performed for possible alternative uses of residue in India. This paper also discusses the successful case studies of India and global level of use of crop residues in economic activities. Over all 516 Mtonnes of crop residue was produced in 2014-15 in India among which cereals were the largest producer of crop residue followed by sugarcane. The energy potential from paddy rice straw crop residue was estimated as 486,955 megawatt for 2014-15 and similarly for coarse cereals it was 226,200megawatt.
The effect of environmental conditions on the content of selected micronutrients in spelt grain
Authors: Knapowski Tomasz , Kozera Wojciech , Wszelaczyńska Elżbieta , Pobereżny Jarosław , Cieślewicz Joanna , Chmielewski Jarosław
Published: October 2017

The aim of the study was to determine the effect of application of small amounts of nitrogen to the soil together with foliar application of micronutrients on the content of copper, manganese and zinc in the grain of spelt (Triticum aestivum ssp. spelta L.). The study was based on a two-factor field experiment conducted in 2009–2011 on very good rye complex soil. Nitrogen was applied in the form of ammonium nitrate (34% N), and manganese and copper were applied to the leaves in the form of the fertilisers Adob Mn (1.5 l∙ha−1) and Adob Cu (1.0 l∙ha−1), respectively. The results indicated that the nitrogen fertilisation, the foliar application of micronutrients and the interaction of these factors significantly determined the contents of copper, manganese and zinc in the grain. The highest content of Cu and Mn in the material was obtained following the application of 50 kg N·ha−1, and an increase in nitrogen application (to 50 kg·ha−1) caused a decrease in the content of zinc in the grain. Foliar application of Cu, Mn and both elements together resulted in significant changes in the concentrations of Cu, Mn and Zn in the plant material as compared to treatment without the application of micronutrients. The mineral fertilisers at the rates applied had a beneficial effect on the chemical composition of the grain, and thus on its quality, and this was achieved with substantially lower consumption of agrochemicals than that in the case of agrotechnical procedures for traditional cereals. It can, therefore, be concluded that this practice is environment friendly and can significantly reduce the negative impact of agricultural activity.
Reducing Flood Risk using Computer System for Monitoring River Embankments
Authors: Chuchro Monika , Franczyk Anna , Bukowska-Belniak Barbara , Leśniak Andrzej
Published: October 2017

In order to learn about the phenomena occurring in flood embankment under the influence of external factors, including the increasing water level in the river during floods, a Computer System for Monitoring River Embankment (ISMOP) was developed using an experimental flood embankment. The project was carried out by a consortium consisting of AGH University of Science and Technology departments (Computer Science, Hydrogeology and Engineering Geology, Geoinformatics and Applied Computer Science and two companies (NEOSENTIO and SWECO Hydroprojekt Kraków) in co-operation with the Czernichów Community Council.

An experimental flood embankment was built with two parallel sections with a length of 150 m and a height of 4.5 m, connected by a meandering, creating a reservoir that can be filled with water. For the construction of the embankment, different types of soils were used in all the five sections. Inside the flood embankment 1300 sensors are placed, including sensors for temperature, pore pressure, vertical displacements, as well as inclinometers. Also fiber optic strands, capable of measuring the temperature of the flood embankment on the upstream side, are located inside the experimental embankment [ismop.pl].

Together with the real experiments, numerical modelling using the Itasca Flac 2D 7.0 was performed in order to describe the impact of water pressing on the flood embankment and the impact of increasing and decreasing reservoir water level on the phenomena that occur within the embankment.

The results of modelling compared with the real sensor data allowed the evaluation of the current and future state of the embankment. Based on the data measured by the sensors and data received during the numerical modelling, a group of algorithms that allowed detection of anomaly phenomena was developed.
Present state and changes that occur within plant communities growing on the floating mat that surrounds the Moszne lake (Polesie National Park)
Authors: Zagórowicz Anna
Published: October 2017

The first recordings of flora and vegetation in the surroundings of the Moszne lake (Polesie National Park) started from 1960. In 1980s the water conditions in this area changed and affected the organisms that lived there. The aim of this research was to recognize the present state and changes that occurred within flora and vegetation in the course of 18 years (1995–2013). In 2013, at the beginning of June, 34 phytosociological relevés were made on the floating mat that surrounds the Moszne lake in the same locations as they were done in 1995. The obtained data was collated with figures from the literature by comparing the frequency of plant species and plant communities, average plant species coverage and by calculating Sørensen indexes. The results showed that almost the same plant communities were identified in both terms of research. It was found that 35% of the plant species had disappeared after 18 years and that the biggest increase in percentage coverage was noted in case of Phragmites australis and Sphagnum fallax. Those findings show that it is very difficult and sometimes even impossible to reverse the negative influence of water condition change on bogs.