Design and Realization of Acoustic Treatments of Acouctic Space for Musical Production

Tato práce se zaměřuje na akustické vlastnosti prostoru určeného k hudební produkci a reprodukci. Věnuje se postupům, které se používají při zjišťování akustických parametrů místnosti včetně virtuální modelace a simulace akustických vlastností daného prostoru. Následovně jsou navrženy různé typy akustických prvků, sestrojených tak, aby došlo ke zlepšení situace v určitých frekvenčních pásmech, a které by měly vylepšit kvalitu poslechu v problémovém prostoru. Na konec je provedena jejich konstrukce a jejich funkčnost je ověřena opětovným změřením akustických vlastností.Subject of this thesis are acoustical properties of space which is used for musical production and reproduction. It covers procedures, which are used for finding out acoustical parameters of chosen space, including virtual modeling and software simulation. Next, there are calculations and design of acoustical elements, which should help to improve quality of music listening. At the end those elements are created and applicated with their functionality verified by measuring acoustical properties

Mortality from gastrointestinal congenital anomalies at 264 hospitals in 74 low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries: a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study

Background: Congenital anomalies are the fifth leading cause of mortality in children younger than 5 years globally. Many gastrointestinal congenital anomalies are fatal without timely access to neonatal surgical care, but few studies have been done on these conditions in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). We compared outcomes of the seven most common gastrointestinal congenital anomalies in low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries globally, and identified factors associated with mortality. // Methods: We did a multicentre, international prospective cohort study of patients younger than 16 years, presenting to hospital for the first time with oesophageal atresia, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, intestinal atresia, gastroschisis, exomphalos, anorectal malformation, and Hirschsprung's disease. Recruitment was of consecutive patients for a minimum of 1 month between October, 2018, and April, 2019. We collected data on patient demographics, clinical status, interventions, and outcomes using the REDCap platform. Patients were followed up for 30 days after primary intervention, or 30 days after admission if they did not receive an intervention. The primary outcome was all-cause, in-hospital mortality for all conditions combined and each condition individually, stratified by country income status. We did a complete case analysis. // Findings: We included 3849 patients with 3975 study conditions (560 with oesophageal atresia, 448 with congenital diaphragmatic hernia, 681 with intestinal atresia, 453 with gastroschisis, 325 with exomphalos, 991 with anorectal malformation, and 517 with Hirschsprung's disease) from 264 hospitals (89 in high-income countries, 166 in middle-income countries, and nine in low-income countries) in 74 countries. Of the 3849 patients, 2231 (58·0%) were male. Median gestational age at birth was 38 weeks (IQR 36–39) and median bodyweight at presentation was 2·8 kg (2·3–3·3). Mortality among all patients was 37 (39·8%) of 93 in low-income countries, 583 (20·4%) of 2860 in middle-income countries, and 50 (5·6%) of 896 in high-income countries (p<0·0001 between all country income groups). Gastroschisis had the greatest difference in mortality between country income strata (nine [90·0%] of ten in low-income countries, 97 [31·9%] of 304 in middle-income countries, and two [1·4%] of 139 in high-income countries; p≤0·0001 between all country income groups). Factors significantly associated with higher mortality for all patients combined included country income status (low-income vs high-income countries, risk ratio 2·78 [95% CI 1·88–4·11], p<0·0001; middle-income vs high-income countries, 2·11 [1·59–2·79], p<0·0001), sepsis at presentation (1·20 [1·04–1·40], p=0·016), higher American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score at primary intervention (ASA 4–5 vs ASA 1–2, 1·82 [1·40–2·35], p<0·0001; ASA 3 vs ASA 1–2, 1·58, [1·30–1·92], p<0·0001]), surgical safety checklist not used (1·39 [1·02–1·90], p=0·035), and ventilation or parenteral nutrition unavailable when needed (ventilation 1·96, [1·41–2·71], p=0·0001; parenteral nutrition 1·35, [1·05–1·74], p=0·018). Administration of parenteral nutrition (0·61, [0·47–0·79], p=0·0002) and use of a peripherally inserted central catheter (0·65 [0·50–0·86], p=0·0024) or percutaneous central line (0·69 [0·48–1·00], p=0·049) were associated with lower mortality. // Interpretation: Unacceptable differences in mortality exist for gastrointestinal congenital anomalies between low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries. Improving access to quality neonatal surgical care in LMICs will be vital to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3.2 of ending preventable deaths in neonates and children younger than 5 years by 2030

Near-Infrared Spectroscopy and Extractive Probe Sampling for Biomass and Combustion Characterization

Biomass is characterized by highly variable properties. It can be converted to more valuable energy forms and products through a variety of conversion processes. This thesis focuses on addressing several important issues related to combustion and pulping. Experimental investigations were carried out on a biomass-fired industrial fluidized-bed boiler. The observed combustion asymmetry was explained by an imbalance in the fuel feed. Increased levels of carbon monoxide were detected close to boiler walls which contribute significantly to the risk of wall corrosion. Moreover, extensive literature analysis showed that near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) has a great potential to provide property information for heterogeneous feedstocks or products, and to directly monitor processes producing/processing biofuels in real-time. The developed NIRS-based models were able to predict characteristics such as heating value, ash content and glass content. A study focusing on the influence of different spectra acquisition parameters on lignin quantification was carried out. Spectral data acquired on moving woodchips were found to increase the representativeness of the spectral measurements leading to improvements in model performance. The present thesis demonstrates the potential of developing NIRS-based soft-sensors for characterization of biomass properties. The on-line installation of such sensors in an industrial setting can enable feed-forward process control, diagnostics and optimization