ComplexTrans Total Ground Mobility Solution Based on Mutual Adaptation and Deep Cooperation of Road and Rail

Current land transport is not optimal. Road transport is congested and rail transport is under-utilised and unprofitable. Land transport is based on the burning of fossil fuels and contributes to climate change. Hence the EU’s desire to push for electric propulsion on the road and to make rail the backbone of Europe’s transport system. Developments in transport are solving some problems but creating others. The ComplexTrans project addresses private and public transport of people and freight in and between cities and removes current and upcoming transport problems in a natural way (without restrictions and subsidies), based on the mutual adaptation of electric road and rail vehicles and their deep intermodal and multimodal cooperation and using fast mixed passenger/freight trains. The solution for land transport is not competition but cooperation between road and rail

The Broker Simulation Model in the Emission Allowances Trading Area

This paper is focused on possibilities of simulations of emission allowances trading within the EU emission trading system using new designed broker simulation model which integrates different original soft computing and decision making methods. Firstly, the paper presents the background of the EU emissions trading system and an overview of different methods used in current research connected with CO2 emission allowances trading. The key part of the paper focuses on the broker simulation model creation and application. The results are based on expert systems with fuzzy rule bases, nonlinear fuzzy rule based predictors and fuzzy rule based behavior modelling. The application part of the results has been performed in Matlab. The broker simulation model is able to make decisions connected with the traded amount, price of allowances and buy/sell actions within the time on the market. Keywords: EU ETS; Fuzzy modelling; Broker JEL Classifications: C44; Q48; Q5

Sequence-Form Algorithm for Computing Stackelberg Equilibria in Extensive-Form Games

Stackelberg equilibrium is a solution concept prescribing for a player an optimal strategy to commit to, assuming the opponent knows this commitment and plays the best response. Although this solution concept is a cornerstone of many security applications, the existing works typically do not consider situations where the players can observe and react to the actions of the opponent during the course of the game. We extend the existing algorithmic work to extensive-form games and introduce novel algorithm for computing Stackelberg equilibria that exploits the compact sequence-form representation of strategies. Our algorithm reduces the size of the linear programs from exponential in the baseline approach to linear in the size of the game tree. Experimental evaluation on randomly generated games and a security-inspired search game demonstrates significant improvement in the scalability compared to the baseline approach

Artykuł oryginalnyOcena zmienności przepływu krwi w aorcie jako metoda przewidywania odpowiedzi na obciążenie płynami u spontanicznie oddychających zdrowych osób

Background: Assessment of fluid responsiveness is an important topic in acute cardiology. Echocardiographic measurement of respiratory variations of aortic blood velocity in ventilated shock patients can accurately predict the effect of volume expansion. On the other hand, it remains unclear whether this respiratory variability is a common physiological reaction to hypovolaemia and whether its measurement is applicable also in spontaneously breathing patients. Aim: To assess whether respiratory variability of peak aortic blood flow velocity (DVpeakao) and of aortic velocity time integral (DVTIao) reflects preload-dependent changes of cardiac index (CI) and whether it predicts fluid responsiveness in healthy spontaneously breathing volunteers. Methods: DVpeakao, DVTIao and CI were measured by transthoracic echocardiography in 20 volunteers at baseline and after intravenous administration of furosemide (0.5 mg/kg). Afterwards, volunteers were randomised to rapid intravenous volume expansion (group A) or no expansion (group B) and assessed finally. Results: Hypovolaemia induction was associated with a decrease of CI (from 3.25 ± 0.50 to 2.28 ± 0.43 l/min/m2, p 15%) with a sensitivity of 89% and specificity of 100%. Conclusions: DVpeakao and DVTIao reflect preload-dependent changes of CI in healthy spontaneously breathing volunteers and predict fluid responsiveness.Wstęp: Ocena odpowiedzi na obciążenie płynami jest istotnym zagadnieniem. Wykazano, że na podstawie echokardiograficznych pomiarów oddechowej zmienności prędkości przepływu krwi w aorcie u chorych we wstrząsie podczas mechanicznej wentylacji można dość dokładnie przewidzieć skutki podania płynów. Nie wiadomo jednak, czy ta oddechowa zmienność jest typową fizjologiczną reakcją na hipowolemię i czy pomiar prędkości przepływu krwi w aorcie jest również użyteczny u chorych oddychających samodzielnie. Cel: Ustalenie, czy oddechowa zmienność szczytowej prędkości przepływu krwi w aorcie (DVpeakao) i całki tej wartości (DVTIao) odzwierciedla zależne od obciążenia wstępnego zmiany w rzucie serca (CI) i czy przewiduje odpowiedź na obciążenie płynami u spontanicznie oddychających zdrowych osób. Metody: Wartości DVpeakao, DVTIao i CI mierzono za pomocą echokardiografii przezklatkowej u 20 zdrowych ochotników przed i po dożylnym podaniu furosemidu w dawce 5 mg/kg. Następnie uczestnicy badania w sposób losowy zostali przydzieleni do jednej z dwóch grup: szybkiego dożylnego podania płynów (grupa A) lub bez obciążenia płynami (grupa B). Wyniki: Wywołana furosemidem hipowolemia spowodowała spadek CI (z 3,25 ± 0,50 do 2,28 ± 0,43 l/min/m2, p 15%) z czułością 89% i swoistością 100%. Wnioski: Wartości DVpeakao i DVTIao odzwierciedlają zmiany w CI zależne od obciążenia wstępnego u spontanicznie oddychających zdrowych osób i przewidują odpowiedź na obciążenie płynami

Development of metallocomplex amino acids synthons for the asymmetric preparation of α-amino acids by stereoselective introduction of a side chain. Evaluation of the model asymmetric preparation of alanine and β-13C monolabelled α-aminoisobutyric acid

In this communication the evaluation of eleven new metallocomplex alanine synthons bearing C2-symmetric benzyl groups with electron-donating and electron-withdrawing substituents is described. α-Methylated glycine synthons (alanine complexes) were evaluated alongside alanine synthons in order to obtain a deeper understanding of the relationship between their structures and stereochemistry of monoalkylated products and to choose several candidates for their further tests for stereospecific preparation of 6-[18F]FDOPA. Glycine-derived analogues of the complexes 3–5 are the best candidates for the development of a 6-[18F]FDOPA preparation procedure. In the model epimerisation reaction they demonstrated the best performance, much better compared to the previously described compound 2. Complexes 3, 5 and 8 are the best in asymmetric preparation of β-13C monolabelled α-aminoisobutyric acid. They have to be tested in the preparation of α-methyl amino acids like 6-[18F]-α-methylDOPA and 2-[18F]-α-methyltyrosine

Using Correlated Strategies for Computing Stackelberg Equilibria in Extensive-Form Games

Strong Stackelberg Equilibrium (SSE) is a fundamental solution concept in game theory in which one player commits to a strategy, while the other player observes this commitment and plays a best response. We present a new algorithm for computing SSE for two-player extensive-form general-sum games with imperfect information (EFGs) where computing SSE is an NP-hard problem. Our algorithm is based on a correlated version of SSE, known as Stackelberg Extensive-Form Correlated Equilibrium (SEFCE). Our contribution is therefore twofold: (1) we give the first linear program for computing SEFCE in EFGs without chance, (2) we repeatedly solve and modify this linear program in a systematic search until we arrive to SSE. Our new algorithm outperforms the best previous algorithms by several orders of magnitude

Integration of TGF-β/Smad and Jagged1/Notch signalling in epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition

Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transitions (EMTs) underlie cell plasticity required in embryonic development and frequently observed in advanced carcinogenesis. Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) induces EMT phenotypes in epithelial cells in vitro and has been associated with EMT in vivo. Here we report that expression of the hairy/enhancer-of-split-related transcriptional repressor Hey1, and the Notch-ligand Jagged1 (Jag1), was induced by TGF-β at the onset of EMT in epithelial cells from mammary gland, kidney tubules, and epidermis. The HEY1 expression profile was biphasic, consisting of immediate-early Smad3-dependent, Jagged1/Notch-independent activation, followed by delayed, indirect Jagged1/Notch-dependent activation. TGF-β-induced EMT was blocked by RNA silencing of HEY1 or JAG1, and by chemical inactivation of Notch. The EMT phenotype, biphasic activation of Hey1, and delayed expression of Jag1 were induced by TGF-β in wild-type, but not in Smad3-deficient, primary mouse kidney tubular epithelial cells. Our findings identify a new mechanism for functional integration of Jagged1/Notch signalling and coordinated activation of the Hey1 transcriptional repressor controlled by TGF-β/Smad3, and demonstrate functional roles for Smad3, Hey1, and Jagged1/Notch in mediating TGF-β-induced EMT

Procesy probihajici v zeminach pri dekontaminacich metodami ventingu.

This work summarizes the development history of methodic of laboratory venting experiments, including apparatus development and optimization, development of methodic of monitoring outflow contamination, development of methodic of sampling undisturbed soil core samples and results application at long term contaminated sites.Summary in EnglishAvailable from STL, Prague, CZ / NTK - National Technical LibrarySIGLECZCzech Republi