Herausforderung für beide Seiten

Im Juni letzten Jahres hat der Europäische Rat in Göteborg die Europäische Nachhaltigkeitsstrategie verabschiedet. Um der Bedeutung der Strategie für Po­len gerecht zu werden, initiierte das Institut für Nachhaltige Entwicklung ein Projekt zur Meinungsbildung der Zivilgesellschaft (1). Im Folgenden werden die Ergebnisse zu den drei für die Erweiterung wichtigsten Themen Umwelt, Land­wirtschaft und Verkehr vorgestellt

Mass-Spring System (MSS) 3D simulation of a thin flexible membrane with a new model of the elasticity parameters

Mass Spring Systems (MSS) are often used to simulate the behavior of deformable objects, for example in computer graphics (modeling clothes for virtual characters) or in medicine (surgical simulators that facilitate the planning of surgical operations) due to their simplicity and speed of calculation. This paper presents a new, two-parameter method (TP MSS) of determining the values of spring coefficients for this model. This approach can be distinguished by a constant parameter which is calculated once at the beginning of the simulation, and a variable parameter that must be updated at each simulation step. The value of this variable parameter depends on the shape changes of the elements forming the mesh of the simulated object. The considered mesh is built of elements in the shape of acute-angled triangles. The results obtained using the new model were compared to FEM simulations and the Van Gelder model. The simulation results for the new model were also compared with the results of the bubble inflation test

Perspektywa długoterminowa agroturystyki. Elementy strategii

Purpose of the study was to identify and diagnosis of opinions, preferences, behaviors and expectations of the citizens of cities with respect to agritourism. Surveys were conducted in March and April 2014 on a sample of 573 adult city dwellers. About 45,5% of the respondents were not interested in leisure in the countryside. The remaining part had a more positive attitude to this form of tourism – 3/4 of them were on a tourist farm, the others were planning the first trip of this type. As reasons for choosing this form of tourism was pointed chance to relax in peace and quiet, health-promoting natural values of rural areas, the desire to change the current method of relaxation and competitive price. While choosing a particular farm respondents took into account value for money and the convenience of driving directions. Information on farms searched on the internet and among friends. Tourists manifested great interest in active forms of leisure. A large part of them willingly met by rural cultural sphere. Recognizing behaviors, expectations and preferences of the main group of clients agritourism farms - city dwellers, should contribute to the improvement of the offer and dynamise development of this form of tourism

Split-and-merge Tweak in Cross Entropy Clustering

Part 3: Data Analysis and Information RetrievalInternational audienceIn order to solve the local convergence problem of the Cross Entropy Clustering algorithm, a split-and-merge operation is introduced to escape from local minima and reach a better solution. We describe the theoretical aspects of the method in a limited space, present a few strategies of tweaking the clustering algorithm and compare them with existing solutions. The experiments show that the presented approach increases flexibility and effectiveness of the whole algorithm

Mass-Spring System (MSS) 3D simulation of a thin flexible membrane with a new model of the elasticity parameters

Mass Spring Systems (MSS) are often used to simulate the behavior of deformable objects, for example in computer graphics (modeling clothes for virtual characters) or in medicine (surgical simulators that facilitate the planning of surgical operations) due to their simplicity and speed of calculation. This paper presents a new, two-parameter method (TP MSS) of determining the values of spring coefficients for this model. This approach can be distinguished by a constant parameter which is calculated once at the beginning of the simulation, and a variable parameter that must be updated at each simulation step. The value of this variable parameter depends on the shape changes of the elements forming the mesh of the simulated object. The considered mesh is built of elements in the shape of acute-angled triangles. The results obtained using the new model were compared to FEM simulations and the Van Gelder model. The simulation results for the new model were also compared with the results of the bubble inflation test

Loss of E-Cadherin Staining Continuity in the Trophoblastic Basal Membrane Correlates with Increased Resistance in Uterine Arteries and Proteinuria in Patients with Pregnancy-Induced Hypertension

Pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH), especially when complicated with pre-eclampsia (PE), could be a life-threatening complication of pregnancy. Pre-eclampsia is one of the leading causes of perinatal morbidity and mortality in women. Pre-eclampsia is mainly characterized by hypertension and kidney damage with proteinuria. Abnormal placentation and altered structure of the placental barrier are believed to participate in the pathogenesis of pregnancy-induced hypertension, leading to PE. In the current study, we aimed to analyze the immunohistochemical expression pattern of E-cadherin and p120, two markers of epithelial–mesenchymal transition, in placental samples derived from a group of 55 patients with pregnancy-induced hypertension, including pre-eclampsia and 37 healthy pregnant controls. The results were correlated with the presence of an obtained early uterine artery flow notching during diastole on Doppler ultrasound. We observed a higher frequency of discontinuous E-cadherin staining in the basement membrane of syncytiotrophoblast in patients with PIH/PE compared to controls (p p p = 0.013, Fisher’s exact test). These findings suggest that E-cadherin contributes to the integrity of the placental barrier, and its loss could be an immunohistochemical marker of PE

Influence of the Car Movable Aerodynamic Elements on Fast Road Car Cornering

In the case of road cars, road safety is the primary factor. The geometry of high-speed road cars has no regulatory restrictions. In addition to the high engine power and effective shape, they can use various types of additional movable aerodynamic elements to adjust their aerodynamic characteristics to the road conditions. Based on the geometry of a two-seater prototype of such a vehicle, a numerical analysis of the influence of a number of additional movable aerodynamic elements on its aerodynamic characteristics was performed. Several of them were installed on the prototype. An electronic system recording a number of motion parameters of the entire car body and some of its movable elements installed on the body was designed and built. The system has been adapted to program the motion of additional aerodynamic elements according to the set algorithms of their activation, temporarily changing the aerodynamic characteristics of the car. An experimental study of the effect of changes in the aerodynamic characteristics of the prototype on its dynamic properties during a drive through a test road section was carried out. It was shown to what extent an average driver can increase the safe speed of the curve of the road using the possibilities of moving aerodynamic elements installed on it