Airport Emissions of Particulate Matter

This article presents an overview and results of research of Airport Emissions of Particulate Matter (AEoPM). The AEoPM thesis creates an environment for summarizing local airport particulate matter emissions, for evaluating their contribution to overall local air pollution and for comparing the relative contributions to overall particulate matter emissions from each individual source of emission. The study researches the situation at Hradec Králové regional airport and then applies this gathered data to the airport‘s surrounding area. Next it poses the question: Is it appropriate to restrict Hradec Králové Airport’s operations when emission limits are breached? The answer is then found and presented in this article. Last but not least, the study deals with other local industry sources of particulate matter emissions in the monitored area and also compares the typical flight activity to the road activity one commonly used in the area

Forecasting companies' future economic development

The subject of this paper is financial forecasting. The objective is to predict whether a company can continue in successful operation or is jeopardised by default. The paper takes into account an application of discriminate analysis concerning data files of 85 non-bankrupt, and 85 bankrupt firms in the Czech Republic, at which point mining companies are in minority, industrial enterprises predominate. 5-8 input variables in the form of ratios and indexes have been used for the analysis. The non-bankrupt vis-à-vis bankrupt classification accuracy is defined.Web of Science17211811

Progress and trends in pediatric hematopoietic cell transplantation in Central-East European countries

Hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is widely used as a treatment for acquired and congenital disorders. In recent years, a significant increase in transplant activity around the world has been observed, especially in Eastern European countries. This article aimed to assess progress and trends in pediatric HCT in Central-Eastern European countries between 2013 and 2018. Transplant activity survey in 2013 and 2018 in nine Central-Eastern European countries (Czech Republic, Croatia, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Ukraine) was performed. The highest transplant rates in total were found in the Czech Republic and Hungary. When calculated per 10 million of the pediatric population, a 25.9% increase in the number of allo-HCT was observed with the highest in Croatia, Romania, Lithuania, and Poland; and a 12.2% increase in the number of auto-HCT was observed with the highest in Slovenia, Slovakia, Romania, Poland, Ukraine, and Croatia. We have shown, over the years 2013 and 2018, in some countries of Central-Eastern Europe that there was a significant increase in transplant activity, especially in those with the lower rates. This increase was observed mainly in centers already existing in 2013, especially in the allo-HCT setting. The rise of activity was significantly less influenced by the creation of new transplant centers or the increase in the number of pediatric transplant beds. In conclusion, our analysis indicates that in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Lithuania, and Slovenia, the actual infrastructure and the number of HCTs cover the needs, whereas in other countries, especially in Romania and Ukraine, the number of HCT needs to be increased

Airport Emissions of Particulate Matter

This article presents an overview and results of research of Airport Emissions of Particulate Matter (AEoPM). The AEoPM thesis creates an environment for summarizing local airport particulate matter emissions, for evaluating their contribution to overall local air pollution and for comparing the relative contributions to overall particulate matter emissions from each individual source of emission. The study researches the situation at Hradec Králové regional airport and then applies this gathered data to the airport‘s surrounding area. Next it poses the question: Is it appropriate to restrict Hradec Králové Airport’s operations when emission limits are breached? The answer is then found and presented in this article. Last but not least, the study deals with other local industry sources of particulate matter emissions in the monitored area and also compares the typical flight activity to the road activity one commonly used in the area

Economics of mine water treatment

Mine water poses a significant problem in lignite coal mining. The drainage of mine water is the fundamental prerequisite of mining operations. Under the legislation of the Czech Republic, mine water that discharges into surface watercourse is subject to the permission of the state administration body in the water management sector. The permission also stipulates the limits for mine water pollution. Therefore, mine water has to be purified prior to discharge. Although all mining companies operate mine water treatment plants, there is hardly any utilization of the final effluent. The high expenditure involved in the more sophisticated methods of mine water treatment has fuelled the search for the commercial utilization of the effluent.Web of Science112215915

Szarvasi-1 and Its Potential to Become a Substitute for Maize Which Is Grown for the Purposes of Biogas Plants in the Czech Republic

The domestic biogas market has been developing rapidly, and legislation (The Act) supporting the use of renewable energy sources has come into force. In light of this act and investment support from national programs co-financed by the European Union (EU), the total number of biogas plants has recently increased from a few to 600. The total capacity of electricity generation of those 600 installed plants exceeds 360 Megawatts (MW) (as of mid-2018). Such dynamic growth is expected to continue, and the targets of the National Renewable Energy Action Plan are projected to be met. The use of waste material, which was urgently needed, was the original aim of biogas plants. However, in certain cases, the original purpose has transformed, and phytomass is very often derived from purpose-grown energy crops. Maize is the most common and widely grown energy crop in the Czech Republic. Nevertheless, maize production raises several environmental issues. One way to potentially reduce maize’s harmful effects is to replace it with other suitable crops. Perennial energy crops, for example, are possible alternatives to maize. A newly introduced species for the conditions of the Czech Republic, Elymus elongatus subsp. ponticus cv. Szarvasi-1, and some other well-known species—Phalaris arundinacea L. and Miscanthus × giganteus—are suitable for Czech Republic climate conditions. This paper presents the findings of the research and evaluation of environmental, energy-related, and economic aspects of growing these crops for use in biogas plants. These findings are based on 5-year small-plot field trials. The energy-related aspects of producing Elymus elongatus subsp. ponticus cv. Szarvasi-1, Phalaris arundinacea L., and Miscanthus x giganteus are reported on the basis of experiments that included measuring the real methane yield from a production unit. The economic analysis is based on a model of every single growing and technological operation and costs. The environmental burden of the individual growing methods was assessed with a simplified life cycle assessment (LCA) using the impact category of Climate Change and the SimaPro 8.5.2.0 software tool, including an integrated method called ReCiPe. The research findings show that Szarvasi-1 produces 5.7⁻6.7 Euros (EUR) per Gigajoule (GJ) of energy, depending on the growing technology used. Szarvasi-1 generates an average energy profit of 101.4 GJ ha−1, which is half of that produced by maize (214.1 GJ ha−1). The environmental burden per energy unit of maize amounts to 16 kg of carbon dioxide eq GJ−1 compared with the environmental burden per energy unit of Szarvasi-1, which amounts to 7.2⁻15.6 kg of CO2 eq GJ−1, depending on the yield rate. On the basis of the above-mentioned yield rate of Szarvasi-1, it cannot be definitively recommended for the purpose of biogas plants in the Czech Republic

Classifying quarries vis-a-vis prospects of profitability

Similar to the case of any other business venture, the activities of mining industries are profit-oriented. Nothing will stop successful businesses in their quest for new localities to be prospected for minerals of their choice, because the useful economic life of any mine is limited. Before starting the process of land acquisition, it is important for any mining company to be able to forecast the profitability of the venture. The focus of this paper has been on the prospects of success, concerning the case of the opencast extraction of aggregates for construction. A set of 70 successful and loss-making quarries was subjected to investigation. An international company owns the quarries, which are located in seven European countries. The method of discriminate analysis provided the criteria for assessing future economic performance. The same criteria served the purpose of classifying other quarries belonging to the company.Web of Science112225525

Socioeconomic status and adiposity in childhood cancer survivors: A cross-sectional retrospective study.

This is a retrospective cross-sectional study examining the association between unemployment, cancer type, treatment and total body fat percentage of childhood cancer survivors recruited at St. Anne's University Hospital in Brno, Czech Republic. A total of 55 survivors aged 18-49 who were in remission of cancer and fulfilled the criteria for body composition measurements by the BIA and completed questionnaires investigating their socioeconomic status, employment status, and history. There was a significant relationship between the employment status and central nervous system-directed treatment (c2(1) = 7.53, p = 0.006, Cramér's V = 0.38) and between the type of cancer and employment status (c2(3) = 7.83, p = 0.049, Cramér's V = 0.38), the highest unemployment rate was recorded for brain and spine survivors (72.7%) compared to survivors with other diagnosis (35.7%) (uLR(1) = 4.91, p = 0.027; OR = 4.80, 95% CI:1.10-20.86, p = 0.036); these survivors did not have a significantly different body fat percentage compared to survivors with other diagnoses (t(53) = 1.29, p = 0.202, Cohen's d = 0.41) Interestingly, the survivors reporting having a partner also had a significantly higher percentage of body fat (t(53) = 2.90, p = 0.005, Cohen's d = 0.81). A linear regression model was used to model the percentage of body fat in relation to a set of selected variables and the we observed a significant effect of sex (female vs male: b = 6.37, 95% CI: 1.82-10.93, p = 0.007), partnership status (yes vs no: b = 5.65, 95% CI: 0.67-10.62, p = 0.027) and category of diagnosis (Brain and spinal column tumors vs Other solid tumors: b = 12.40, 95% CI: 0.59-24.21, p = 0.040; Brain and spinal column tumors vs Lymphoma: b = 14.02, 95% CI: 2.06-25.97, p = 0.023). Employment status and risk of adiposity in childhood cancer survivors depends on the type of treatment and diagnosis group, which may significantly impact their lifestyle and overall quality of life after treatment. Trial registration: This study was registered on July 29, 2022, at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05481229)