An experimental study of laboratory hybrid power system with the hydrogen technologies

This paper presents very small laboratory hybrid photovoltaic-hydrogen power system. The system was primarily assembled to verify the operability of the control algorithms and practical deployment of available commercial hydrogen technologies that are directly usable for storage of electricity produced from renewable energy sources in a small island system. This energetic system was installed and tested in Laboratory of fuel cells that is located in the university campus of VSB-Technical University of Ostrava. The energetic system consists of several basic components: a photovoltaic field, accumulators bank, water commercial electrolyzer and compact fuel cell system. The weather conditions recorded in two different weeks as model weather and solar conditions are used as case studies to test the energetic system and the results for two different cases are compared each other. The results show and illustrate selected behaviour curves of the power system and also average energy storage efficiency for accumulation subsystem based on hydrogen technologies or at the energetic system embedded components. On the basis of real measurement and its evaluation the ideal parameters of the photovoltaic field were calculated as well as the hydrogen technologies for supposed purpose and the power requirements

Chosen aspects of human capital development in regions of the CR

The essential measurable part of human capital is education. Educational, research and development capacities, economic development of regions, labour market, education of the population, and educational effects in regions of the CR in 2008 are the theme of this paper. The authors have analysed the total of 15 indices, which were shown in logical and conclusive mutual relations. The authors tried to quantify and from this point of view to compare the regions of the CR in light of the economic effect of education, which is based on the status of people with university education in the labour market – this is a combination of higher remuneration, higher economic activity and better employability of people with university education. The effect of education was assessed in the relation to the values of corresponding indices for the whole CR. In this case, a special status of the capital city of Prague and Central-Bohemian Region were manifested, while the opposite end of the ladder was occupied by Karlovy Vary Region and Ústí Region. In most cases, the status of university educated population of the regions corresponds with the values determined for all the CR. An interesting view can be presented by a comparison inside regions, in the relation to the values of indices for the given region. Here the largest effects from education were manifested mainly in some less developed regions, while e.g. Prague, a traditional leader in all similar analyses, is from this point of view found almost at the back

Disparity between the districts of the Czech Republic according to the indicators of de­ve­lop­ment potential

The paper deals with the analysis of disparity between the regions of the Czech Republic according to 6 indicators determined for the evaluation of implementation of the project approved by the government ‘Strategy of Regional Development of the Czech Republic for the Years 2007–2013’. The source data relating to the year 2007 were obtained from the web pages of the Czech Statistical Office. Charts were drawn up describing the level of indicators according to the respective regions and according to the whole file of regions; after that, characteristics of the level and variability were established. Since the indicators have different units of measurement and level, the original data were converted to standardized variables; on the basis of this, interregional differences were evaluated using cluster analysis and the regions were divided into homogenous groups. The key result of the work is quantification of the level of the development potential of the individual regions of the Czech Republic through total indexes of regional development and determination of the order of the regions. Charts were also drawn to illustrate the order of the regions

Vývoj věkové struktury a zatížení produktivní populace v regionu Jihovýchod podle velikostních skupin obcí

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Convergence processes of selected demographic indicators in regions of the Czech Republic

A number of authors deal with problems of convergence, divergence and disparities, particularly with reference to economic growth and its comparison in groups of countries. This paper is aimed at problems of using basic methods of measuring the convergence at the evaluation of the development of selected demographic characteristics of particular regions of the Czech Republic for the period 1992 to 2007. From demographic data provided by the Czech Statistical Office some indicators were selected associated with aging the CR population. In particular, following indicators were used: the proportion of productive population, coefficient of loading the productive population by young persons, coefficient of loading the productive population by old persons, coefficient of the total loading and index of age. A precondition served as a working hypothesis that in addition to the negative demographic development affecting the CR as a whole, the convergence of its particular regions also occurred, viz. regions at the level of NUTS 3. At the quantification of convergence processes in particular regions of the CR, the method of beta convergence was used (in a simplified linearized form) as well as the method of sigma convergence. Both methods predicate unambiguously on the convergence of the CR regions from the point of view of all examined demographic indicators. From the aspect of both methods, the fastest convergence occurred in the studied period in the indicator of loading the productive population by old persons. In this indicator (as the only from monitored ones), no disparity showed as well, ie a region showing an isolated development was not noted. Opposite situation manifested itself at the indicator of loading the productive population by young persons. Only elimination of the capital city of Prague reversed an original result showing evidence of the divergence of regions from the aspect of this indicator. Disparities of the capital city of Prague occurred even at other two indicators. Only from the aspect of age, the Central Bohemian region became a region being beside the general trend of convergence

Convergence processes of selected demographic indicators in regions of the Czech Republic

A number of authors deal with problems of convergence, divergence and disparities, particularly with reference to economic growth and its comparison in groups of countries. This paper is aimed at problems of using basic methods of measuring the convergence at the evaluation of the development of selected demographic characteristics of particular regions of the Czech Republic for the period 1992 to 2007. From demographic data provided by the Czech Statistical Office some indicators were selected associated with aging the CR population. In particular, following indicators were used: the proportion of productive population, coefficient of loading the productive population by young persons, coefficient of loading the productive population by old persons, coefficient of the total loading and index of age. A precondition served as a working hypothesis that in addition to the negative demographic development affecting the CR as a whole, the convergence of its particular regions also occurred, viz. regions at the level of NUTS 3. At the quantification of convergence processes in particular regions of the CR, the method of beta convergence was used (in a simplified linearized form) as well as the method of sigma convergence. Both methods predicate unambiguously on the convergence of the CR regions from the point of view of all examined demographic indicators. From the aspect of both methods, the fastest convergence occurred in the studied period in the indicator of loading the productive population by old persons. In this indicator (as the only from monitored ones), no disparity showed as well, ie a region showing an isolated development was not noted. Opposite situation manifested itself at the indicator of loading the productive population by young persons. Only elimination of the capital city of Prague reversed an original result showing evidence of the divergence of regions from the aspect of this indicator. Disparities of the capital city of Prague occurred even at other two indicators. Only from the aspect of age, the Central Bohemian region became a region being beside the general trend of convergence

Czech students and EU – knowledge and views

The paper deals with the results of a pilot study themed “Czech students and EU”, which adum­bra­ted a prepared extensive research in graduation years of secondary schools of the region Vysočina on the occasion of the Czech chairmanship in the European Union in the first half-year of 2009. The pilot study included 362 students of the Polytechnic College in Jihlava. Its objective consisted particularly in the rectification of a questionnaire and exploratory research into relationships between the know­led­ge and opinion parts of questionnaires even within the both mentioned parts by means of factor analysis and methods of structural modelling. With respect to the considerable number of respondents and standard conditions, which were ensured at completing the questionnaires it is not possible to ignore even results concerning the knowledge and views of the group of respondents as a whole as well as particular specific segments. Our research was inspired by a “Eurobarometer”, but with respect to a fact that (unlike the Standard Eurobarometer) it refers to a specific target group, ie studying young people, it concerns only partly and only in some questions comparable examination. Therefore, the questionnaire (in contrast to Eurobarometer) involves also the knowledge part. This part includes eight fields. With respect to the study orientation of the respondents surprisingly worse results occur particularly in fields Institution, politics and law of EU (30% successfulness) and Economy and finance of EU (37% successfulness). On the contrary, the highest successfulness (of course, only relatively) was noted in fields Culture, education and sport in EU (63%). Generally, knowledge of students can be unambiguously evaluated as poor. The opinion part includes in total 20 items, which are divided into five fields. In particular respondents, sex, the size of the place of residence, political profile, social group of a household, ideas of a future carrier, knowledge of languages and interest in problems of EU were determined by means of identification questions. As for the opinion part, it is possible to state that opinions of students are not too marked (answers in the central part of an evaluation scale predominate but, at the same time, all values of the scale were used in all questions) and differences between segments of respondents are generally insignificant. The subject of the paper is particularly aimed at the analysis of results of the opinion part, in the concrete eight items from two fields (Social dimension of EU and Me and EU). For the first area, segments were compared according to sex and political orientation and for the second area, according to sex, language knowledge and interest in EU problems

Living and social standard of population in the regions of the Czech Republic

Living and social standard of the population of the regions of the Czech Republic has been assessed by means of six expert selected indicators. Characteristics of the levels and variability, correlation and regressive relations between the indicators were determined and the regions were divided into groups using cluster analysis. Based on the 4 main indicators selected by means of factor analysis, global scores of weighted standardised values of indicators of living and social standard of the population were calculated for the respective regions and the order of regions was established

Prebiotic effect of fructo–oligosaccharides on growth and physiological state of rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum)

Rainbow trout at an average weight of 240 g were examined for the effect of dietary fructo–oligosaccharides in the diet on their growth and physiological state through selected biochemical parameters of the blood plasma. The prebiotic product Profeed® (experimental group, EG) was administered on a continuous basis at a rate of g kg−1 of pellets for 105 days. The best growth performance for the EG was found in 42 days (363 ± 34.7 g vs. 340 ± 36.7 g, P = 0.003) and in 63 days (387 ± 35.6 g vs. 364 ± 42.3 g, P = 0.011). SGR of the fish from the EG was 0.69% and from the control group (CG) was 0.70%. The feed conversion level was 0.82 in the EG and 0.86 in the CG. Survival rate was 99% (EG) and 98% (CG). The results of the biochemical examination indicate significant differences in the creatinine (28 ± 5.5 vs. 22 ± 3.05 µmol L−1) and the sodium cation (157.9 1.66 vs. 155.7 ± 1.49 mmol L−1) level and in the catalytic concentration of alkaline phosphatase (5.18 ± 1.57 vs. 3.43 ± 0.78 µkat L−1). The positive results of the growth and biochemical tests as well as the favourable feed conversion suggest that it would be worthwhile to test higher concentrations of the Profeed® prebiotic product