Enhancement of the Corporate Environmental Performance

Abstract In the course of the implementation of the environmental management system (EMS), during the planning phase it is of high priority to explore, select and analyse the relevant environmental aspects and impacts. This is the precondition to enhance the real environmental performance (EP). The applied processes are often specific, formal and influenced by the self-interest of a company. The purpose of our work was the uniformly interpretable evaluation of the varied processes, and the creation of an EMS enhancement model through which the physical EP can be improved. The quantitative empirical research (2010-2011) has been conducted by using questionnaires in 114 domestic and multinational companies applying an EMS according to the international standard ISO 14001. In the created database, we have determined the variables which are relevant and adjustable in the process, through a descriptive and multivariable statistical survey. On the basis of the identified performance dimensions, corporate performance indices have been created: the environmental motivation (MOT), environmental performance (EPI), environmental impact evaluation (EIE) and environmental management (EMI) as well as the aggregative index (AGG). With their help, the evaluation of the surveyed corporate performance can be executed uniformly, in a quantifiable way, without any intervention in the corporate processes. Along the outliers of EMS optimization variables, we have identified development points. Their impact was assessed by sensitivity analysis of the indices. The described method offers a model for EMS development, based on self-evaluation.</jats:p

Experimental and Statistical Analysis of Formwork Beams Reinforced with CFRP

Enhancement of structural behaviour of various construction materials using fibre reinforced plastics (FRP) is an important branch of engineering research, including the increasing application for structural timber as well. This study deals with the reinforcement of standard construction formwork timber beams with carbon fibre reinforced plastics (CFRP). Beams with various amount of reinforcement were prepared using simultaneous formation of lamella and bonding. Laboratory bending tests are carried out and load-deflection data were measured to experimentally determine the change of load-bearing capacity and stiffness with respect to non-reinforced reference sample, as well as to assess the structural behaviour. Evaluation of failure modes is carried out on each specimen. A statistical analysis of the experimental results using t-test is also made. The experiments prove the enhancement of structural behaviour, especially in terms of the increased load-bearing capacity, the increased ductility in certain cases, the decrease of the scattering of results, and also in failure modes

Oigopeptidázok regulációs és katalitikus mechanizmusa = Regulatory and catalytic mechanisms of oligopeptidases

Az oligopeptidázok csak kisebb peptideket hidrolizálnak. Ennek okát a proliloligopeptidáz (POP) enzimnél vizsgáltuk, amelynek fontos szerepe van a központi idegrendszer működésében. Az általunk meghatározott kristályszerkezet azt mutatta, hogy az enzim egy peptidáz és egy propeller doménből áll, és az utóbbi gátolja a nagyobb szubsztrátoknak az aktív centrumhoz való jutását. Diszulfid keresztkötésekkel és stabilitás vizsgálatokkal kimutattuk, hogy a zárt propeller nem engedheti be a szubsztrátot, az csak a két domén között, azok flexibilitása réven juthat az aktív centrumhoz. Az itt megnyíló kapu azonban kiszűri a fehérjéket. Kimutattuk továbbá, hogy a valproinsav, a depresszió egyik gyógyszere, gátolja az enzim működését. Ugyancsak megállapítottuk, hogy a POP családba tartozó PREPL fehérje, melynek hiánya súlyos betegséget okoz, nem rendelkezik hidrolitikus aktivitással. Egy másik, szintén a POP családba tartozó enzimről, az acilaminoacil peptidázról kimutattuk, hogy a katalízisben résztvevő oxianion kötőhely működését jelentősen károsítja egy a kötőhelyen kívüli aminosav mutációja. Röntgen krisztallográfiával igazoltuk, hogy a mutáció megváltoztatja a kötőhely szerkezetét. Lényeges különbséget találtunk az emlős és egy bakteriális acilaminoacil peptidáz között. Míg az emlős enzim valódi exopeptidáz, acilaminosavat hasít le a peptidlánc végéről, addig a bakteriális enzim endopeptidáz aktivitással is rendelkezik. Ez arra mutat, hogy az enzim a fejlődés során specializálódott. | Oligopeptidases hydrolyze small peptides only. The reason of the limitation was studied using prolyloligopeptidase (POP), which is involved in the function of the central nervous system. As we have shown the enzyme is composed of a peptidase and a propeller domain, the latter preventing the access of the substrate to the active site. Using disulfide cross-linking, molecular dynamics calculations and stability investigations, we have demonstrated that the substrate enters the active site between the domains, thanks to the flexibility of the protein. This gate, however, excludes the protein from the catalytic centre. We have also demonstrated that valproic acid, a drug for treating bipolar depression, inhibits POP. Furthermore, the PREPL protein of the POP family, the lack of which causes serious illness, was shown to be inactive. Acylaminoacyl peptidase, an important member of POP family, has also been investigated. A mutation outside the oxyanion binding site considerably impaired the catalytic activity due to a distortion in the structure of the oxyanion binding site, as demonstrated by X-ray crystallography. A significant difference was observed between the mammalian and a bacterial acylaminoacyl peptidase. While the mammalian enzyme proved to be a true exopeptidase cleaving acylaminoacid from the N-terminus of peptides, the bacterial enzyme also displayed endopeptidase activity, indicating that the enzyme specialized during evolution