Informacijski sistem za znanstvene raziskave mikroklime v kraških jamah: Primer Postojnske jame, Slovenija

The paper presents the construction and operation of a cave information system on the example of the Postojnska jama cave. It thoroughly describes the construction of the basic modules of the cave information system, such as an automatic cave measuring station with sensors for measuring air temperature, air flow and CO2 concentration, and a central unit for collecting, saving, processing and displaying data. The system provides quality automatic measurements for the scientific study of the micrometeorology of karst caves. Its construction is based on good practices stemming from many years of experience in taking measurements in the external atmosphere and in karst caves. The paper is rich and comprehensive guideline for automatic cave measuring system construction for scientific and tourist management purposes.V članku na primeru Postojnske jame predstavimo izdelavo in delovanje jamskega informacijskega sistema. Podrobno opišemo izdelavo osnovnih gradnikov sistema. Mednje spadajo jamska merilna postaja s senzorji za merjenje temperature, vetra in koncentracije CO2 ter centralna enota za zbiranje, procesiranje in prikaz podatkov. Sistem zagotavlja kakovostne avtomatske meritve za znanstvene raziskave jamske mikroklime. Zgradba sistema temelji na dolgoletnih izkušnjah iz okoljskih meritev v jamskem in zunanjem okolju. Članek je tudi priročnik za izgradnjo avtomatskih merilnih sistemov za raziskovalne namene in za podporo pri upravljanju turističnih jam

AUTOMATIC PROSODY GENERATION IN A TEXT-TO-SPEECH SYSTEM FOR HEBREW

The paper presents the module for automatic prosody generation within a system for automatic synthesis of high-quality speech based on arbitrary text in Hebrew. The high quality of synthesis is due to the high accuracy of automatic prosody generation, enabling the introduction of elements of natural sentence prosody of Hebrew. Automatic morphological annotation of text is based on the application of an expert algorithm relying on transformational rules. Syntactic-prosodic parsing is also rule based, while the generation of the acoustic representation of prosodic features is based on classification and regression trees. A tree structure generated during the training phase enables accurate prediction of the acoustic representatives of prosody, namely, durations of phonetic segments as well as temporal evolution of fundamental frequency and energy. Such an approach to automatic prosody generation has lead to an improvement in the quality of synthesized speech, as confirmed by listening tests

Fascijalni alt slobodni režanj u kirurgiji glave i vrata

ALT režanj opće je poznat u plastično-rekonstruktivnoj kirurgiji, ne samo glave i vrata, već i ostalih regija u tijelu. Kratica dolazi od engleskog naziva „AnteroLateral Thigh flap“, što prevedeno na hrvatski, označava anterolateralni bedreni režanj, a koncept odizanja i vaskularnu anatomiju opisao je Song još 1984. godine. Od tada se ovaj slobodni režanj koristi u rekonstrukciji mnogih defekata u tijelu, a svoje mjesto našao je i u kirurgiji glave i vrata, te je uz podlaktični radijalni slobodni režanj, drugi najčešće korišteni slobodni režanj za rekonstrukciju mekotkivnih defekata. Snažna i relativno konstantna vaskularna opskrba, veliki volumen tkiva, te niska stopa morbiditeta donorskog mjesta, guraju ga u sam vrh rekonstruktivne ljestvice. ALT režanj baziran je na perforatorima descendentne grane lateralne cirkumfleksne femoralne arterije koja je prvi ogranak duboke femoralne arterije. Descendentna grana na svom putu perforatorima opskrbljuje fasciju i kožu iznad mišića vastusa lateralisa, kao i sami mišić, te se stoga na istoj peteljci mogu odići razne varijante ovoga režnja – kutani (suprafascijalni), fasciokutani, fascijalni, adipofascijalni, miokutani, te muskularni – sami vastus lateralis. Fascijalni i adipofascijalni ALT slobodni režanj, iako korišten i ranije, u rekonstrukciju defekata glave i vrata, u većem opsegu uveden je 2003. godine od strane V. Agostinija i suradnika koji opisuju iznimno uspješne rekonstrukcije defekata usne šupljine ovim režnjem. Od tada je zbog svoje velike podatljivosti, ne prevelikog volumena, sigurne vaskularne opskrbe, te nedostatka dlaka, ovaj režanj postao često korištena varijanta ALT režnja. Svoje mjesto u kirurgiji glave i vrata fascijalni slobodni ALT režanj našao je u rekonstrukciji sluzničkih defekata u području usne šupljine, posebice kod defekata nakon resekcije jezika i dna usne šupljine, u rekonstrukciji traheoezofagealnih fistula, u rekonstrukciji nosa nakon totalne ili hemirinektomije, te kao adipofascijalni režanj u augmentaciji lica kod defekata nastalih nakon totalne parotidektomije. U ovom predavanju prikazati ćemo rezultate i primjere rekonstrukcije fascijalnim ALT slobodnim režnjem, tima za kirurgiju glave i vrata s Klinike za otorinolaringologiju KBC-a Sestre milosrdnice u Zagrebu

Fascijalni alt slobodni režanj u kirurgiji glave i vrata

ALT režanj opće je poznat u plastično-rekonstruktivnoj kirurgiji, ne samo glave i vrata, već i ostalih regija u tijelu. Kratica dolazi od engleskog naziva „AnteroLateral Thigh flap“, što prevedeno na hrvatski, označava anterolateralni bedreni režanj, a koncept odizanja i vaskularnu anatomiju opisao je Song još 1984. godine. Od tada se ovaj slobodni režanj koristi u rekonstrukciji mnogih defekata u tijelu, a svoje mjesto našao je i u kirurgiji glave i vrata, te je uz podlaktični radijalni slobodni režanj, drugi najčešće korišteni slobodni režanj za rekonstrukciju mekotkivnih defekata. Snažna i relativno konstantna vaskularna opskrba, veliki volumen tkiva, te niska stopa morbiditeta donorskog mjesta, guraju ga u sam vrh rekonstruktivne ljestvice. ALT režanj baziran je na perforatorima descendentne grane lateralne cirkumfleksne femoralne arterije koja je prvi ogranak duboke femoralne arterije. Descendentna grana na svom putu perforatorima opskrbljuje fasciju i kožu iznad mišića vastusa lateralisa, kao i sami mišić, te se stoga na istoj peteljci mogu odići razne varijante ovoga režnja – kutani (suprafascijalni), fasciokutani, fascijalni, adipofascijalni, miokutani, te muskularni – sami vastus lateralis. Fascijalni i adipofascijalni ALT slobodni režanj, iako korišten i ranije, u rekonstrukciju defekata glave i vrata, u većem opsegu uveden je 2003. godine od strane V. Agostinija i suradnika koji opisuju iznimno uspješne rekonstrukcije defekata usne šupljine ovim režnjem. Od tada je zbog svoje velike podatljivosti, ne prevelikog volumena, sigurne vaskularne opskrbe, te nedostatka dlaka, ovaj režanj postao često korištena varijanta ALT režnja. Svoje mjesto u kirurgiji glave i vrata fascijalni slobodni ALT režanj našao je u rekonstrukciji sluzničkih defekata u području usne šupljine, posebice kod defekata nakon resekcije jezika i dna usne šupljine, u rekonstrukciji traheoezofagealnih fistula, u rekonstrukciji nosa nakon totalne ili hemirinektomije, te kao adipofascijalni režanj u augmentaciji lica kod defekata nastalih nakon totalne parotidektomije. U ovom predavanju prikazati ćemo rezultate i primjere rekonstrukcije fascijalnim ALT slobodnim režnjem, tima za kirurgiju glave i vrata s Klinike za otorinolaringologiju KBC-a Sestre milosrdnice u Zagrebu

The Removal of Ni2+ and Cd2+ -ions onto Synthetic Mineral Based Composite Functionalized by Polyethylenimine

This study presents the synthesis of porous cordierite- based ceramics and its surface activation by polyethylenimine/nano-CeO2 for the heavy metal removal. The synthesis was carried out by the addition of following powders: MgO, Al2O3, and SiO2 in 2:2:5 molar ratios, respectively. The oxide(s) mixture was further processed in two sequential stages: i) ball milled in the ethanol for 40 minutes and palletized under the pressure of 3 t/cm2, as a pre-sintering process, and ii) the pallets were further sintered for 2h in the air atmosphere at 1350 oC, under a heating rate of 20 oC/min. The sintered mineral composite was crashed and sieved, and mixed with 20 wt % of nanocellulose, as a pore forming agent. Nanocellulose mixture was pressed into pallets under 5 t/cm2 and sintered at 700 oC, under a heating rate of 5 oC/ min. The obtained synthetic cordierite was further tested as the adsorbent activated by polyethylenimine/ nano-CeO2 for the removal of Ni2+ and Cd2+ -ions. The adsorption isotherms, kinetics models, and thermodynamic parameters were also analyzed, manifesting that the adsorption is a spontaneous and endothermic process. The phase composition of the pristine and activated cordierite was analyzed by the X-ray diffraction method (XRD), Fourier transformation infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). This work has shed light on the mechanism of heavy metals removal from the aquatic medium using the novel hybrid (nano)synthesized material

THE DEVELOPMENT OF TEMPERAMENT EVALUATION OF MEMPHIS, PISA, PARIS, AND SAN DIEGO-AUTO-QUESTIONNAIRE FOR ADOLESCENTS (A-TEMPS-A) IN A SERBIAN SAMPLE

Background: Previous studies suggest that temperament features of adolescents may be good predictors of the development of future psychopathology in this population. The aim of the study was to adapt the content and validate the psychometric properties of the Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris, and San Diego - Auto questionnaire in a sample of Serbian adolescents. Subjects and methods: The sample included 2113 adolescents, 56% girls and 44% boys, average age 16.73±0.47, attending 48 Serbian secondary schools. The base for the development of this scale included Serbian standardised versions as well as the TEMPSI, Interview version. Results: The final scale is comprised of 36 items, with six factors (depressive, cyclothymic, hyperthymic, irritable, and anxiouscognitive/ somatic) explaining 39.9% of the total variance, the internal consistency coefficient α=0.77, and the average test–retest coefficient (rho=0.84). The correlations among the temperaments ranged from weak to moderate, with the highest positive correlations between the depressive, cyclothymic and anxious scales. The highest values were detected on hyperthymic and the lowest on depressive temperament. Significantly higher scores of depressive, cyclothymic and anxious temperaments were detected in girls, whereas boys had higher scores on the hyperthymic scale. Conclusions: The scale has shown good psychometric properties, which encourages its further use in adolescent population. The results show certain specific features of this population, such as higher scores on all temperament types than the ones in student and adult population and a tendency of socially desirable answers

New Blood Level Measurement System in Blood Separating Machine

Standard versions of blood separators typically use medium-price color sensors for a detection of a boundary level between red blood cells and plasma, at the last gate – at hose clamps. Discrete number of sensors is related to a number of significant levels to be detected thus making blood separation potentially faulty and unreliable. Our target was to make flexible, low cost replacement for level detection system that can be easily integrated into the existing product. We came up with an image processing solution that uses USB web-camera, ARM based off-the-shelf board – BeagleBone black and free OpenCV library. Flexibility is held in much higher, selectable number of levels, freely positioned USB camera and brand-free independent processing platform, as well as semi-automatic calibration system. By adding minimum additional electronics, we managed to integrate our solution into existing Blood processing machine. In conclusion, we added a new value to the machine at lower cost in production, increasing measurement frequency and resolution needed for improvement of blood separation process. Next step is to try to use two USB cameras on a custom-made board, for simultaneous level detection on two-channel blood separator, bringing the system integration to the higher level

Social challenges in education for sustainable engineering future: Transformative guideline

Engineers are educated and trained to take the lead in sustainable development, tackling worldwide difficulties like depletion of natural resources, contamination, fast-growing populations, and ecological degradation. The relevance of government entities dealing with sustainable development is linked to the societal problem of future education. While all social-economical and/or technical variables play a role in determining the outlook in which each competence originates, novel-adaptive thinking, social intelligence, design mentality, and sense-making, social imagination (cross-sectoral fertilization), cognitive load management, virtual collaboration and networking, and novel media literacy suggest representing crucial drivers for the development of each ability. An extensive selection of continuing education programs enables graduates to improve subject-specific skills and extend their professional networks, with the objective of preparing motivated and highly-trained professionals for the job market. It is feasible to achieve the aim of a sustainable engineering future by recognizing the relevance of these criteria, comprehending, and adequately fulfilling them

ANALASYS OF TWO LOW-COST AND ROBUST METHODS FOR INDOOR LOCALISATION OF MOBILE ROBOTS

This paper presents two simple and cost effective indoor localisation methods. The first method uses ceiling-mounted wide-view angle webcam, computer vision and coloured circular markers, placed on the top of a robot. Main drawbacks of this method are lens distortion and sensitivity to lighting conditions. After solving these problems, a high localisation accuracy of ±1cm is achieved at about 5 Hz sampling rate. The second method is a version of trilateration, based on ultrasound time of flight distance measurement. An ultrasonic beacon is placed on a robot while wall detectors are strategically placed to avoid an excessive occlusion. The ZigBee network is used for inter-device synchronisation and for broadcasting measured data. Robot location is determined as a solution to the minimisation of measurement errors. Using Nelder-Mead algorithm and low-cost distance measuring devices, a solid sub 5 cm localisation accuracy is achieved at 10Hz