Mean Radiant Temperature Measurement

Závěrečná práce je zaměřena na parametry prostředí, především na střední radiační teplotu, která představuje parametr s dobrou vypovídající schopností. V bakalářské práci se seznámíme se způsoby měření střední radiační teploty a s vhodnými přístroji určených pro toto měření. Nedílnou součástí práce je také seznámení s faktory tepelné pohody člověka, které ji výrazně ovlivňují. V další části bakalářské práce je návržen jednoduchý snímač pro měření střední radiační teploty a jeho ověření.This work is focused on parametry environment. In particular, this work is focused on the mean radiant temperature, which is a parameter with good meaningful capabilities. In The work we introduce with some ways mean radiant temperature measured and what are currently the sensor for this measurement. An integral part of this work is also Introduce the human thermal comfort, which plays an important role in measurement mean radiant temperature. In another part of the thesis is done propose a simple sensor for measuring the mean radiant temperature. And with other devices that are designed to measure the mean radiant temperature is verifying its functionality.

Modelling of organic electrochemical transistors

Tématem práce je tvorba virtuálního modelu elektrického pole kruhového organického elektrochemického tranzistoru (OECT) a následné srovnání vypočítaných hodnot s reálným systémem rotačně symetrických elektrod. Rozložení potenciálu v tranzistoru bylo modelováno pomocí metody konečných prvků a ze získaných výsledků bylo určeno rozložení intenzity elektrického pole a proudového pole. Následně bylo provedeno kontrolní mapování potenciálového pole v reálném systému hliníkových elektrod, ponořených do vody. V práci je uveden model elektrického pole OECT s dosud neobvyklým kruhovým uspořádáním. Model musel být z důvodu nedostatečné výpočetní kapacity značně zjednodušen. Výsledky kontrolního experimentu souhlasí s vypočítanými hodnotami i přes značné zjednodušení. Odchylky výstupní charakteristiky modelu od výsledků reálného OECT byly způsobeny zjednodušením modelu oproti skutečnosti.The topic of this work is the making of a virtual model of a circular organic electrochemical transistor (OECT) and its electric field, and comparison of the computed results to a real system of rotationally symmetrical electrodes. The electric potential field in the transistor was modelled using the finite element method and the electric field and current field were determined using the results. Later, the electric potential field was mapped in a real system of aluminium electrodes, submerged in water. The electric field model of an unusually configured circular OECT is presented in this work. Due to insufficient computing capacity, the model had to be significantly simplified. The computed results agree with the experimentally determined potential field despite the simplification. The deviations of the model output characteristic from real OECT characteristic were caused by simplifying the model in respect to reality.

Measurement of the Liquid Level

Úkolem této bakalářské práce je navrhnou měřící zařízení pro měření výšky hladiny ve studni, práce se skládá ze dvou části. Teoretická část, zabývající se metodami měření výšky hladiny. Praktická část, navrhnutí měřícího zařízení, které obsahuje napsání kódu pro naprogramování zařízení a sestavení měřícího zařízení k testování.The task of this bachelor thesis is to design a measuring device for measuring the level in the well, the work consists of two parts. Theoretical part, dealing with methods of level measurement. The practical part, the design of the measuring device, which includes writing a code for programming the device and assembling the measuring device for testing.430 - Katedra elektronikyvelmi dobř

Studying the properties of molecular photoactive materials via the methods of computational chemistry

V této práci jsou nejprve rychle nastíněny principy teorie funkcionálu elektronové hustoty (DFT), spolu s praktickými metodami hledání nejníže energeticky postavených struktur organických molekul a predikování jejich spektroskopických a elektronických vlastností. Poté jsou prezentovány výsledky teoretické analýzy geometrie a elektronové struktury dvou druhů molekul v kombinaci s experimentálními výsledky. Nejprve jsou diskutovány alloxazin, lumazin a jejich deriváty, souhrnně nazývané flaviny, které reprezentují molekulární materiály. Naproti tomu, struktury na bázi polythiofenu reprezentují polymerní materiály. V případě flavinů byla nejprve nalezena nejlepší možná korelace teoretických absorpčních spekter s experimentálními na základě výpočtů se třemi různými bázovými soustavami v kombinaci s funkcionálem B3LYP. Dobrá shoda byla nalezena pomocí metod B3LYP/6-31+G** a B3LYP/aug-cc-PVDZ, které dosáhly korelačních koeficientů 0.95 a 0.96. Naproti tomu soustava def2SVP dosáhla pouze 0.94. V tomto kontextu se tak metoda B3LYP/6-31+G** jeví jako nejefektivnější vzhledem k náročnosti na výpočetní kapacitu. Měřením absorpčních spekter vybraných flavinů ve směsi dimethylsulfoxidu (DMSO) a vody byla získána spektra jednotlivých izomerů – alloxazinové a isoalloxazinové formy. Reakce těchto molekul na změny koncentrace DMSO a vody bude předmětem dalšího studia. U polythiofenů byly studovány optické a elektrické vlastnosti na modelových oktamerech, zatímco geometrie a konformace adamantylovaných substitutentů byly z důvodu vysoké výpočetní náročnosti modelovány na trimerových molekulách. Bylo zjištěno, že thiofenový řetězec s postranními methyladamantylovými skupinami vykazuje vyšši rigiditu než řetězec substituovaný ethyladamantylem, což bylo později potvrzeno krystalografickou analýzou a skenováním povrchu pomocí mikroskopie atomárních sil. Byly nalezeny krystalické struktury s parametry srovnatelnými s poly(3-hexylthiofenem) (P3HT). Na základě tohoto výzkumu byly navržený nové páteřní řetězce pro možnou syntézu, jako hlavní doporučení se zde jeví snížení počtu substituentů, aby adamantylový postranní řetězec byl přítomen pouze na každém druhém či třetím thiofenu. Zde prezentované molekuly jsou zajímavými kandidáty pro využití v optoelektronice, a teoretické predikce dosahují dobrou shodu s experimentem, přestože jejich srovnání není vždy triviální, jako je tomu například u postranních řetězců polythiofenu.In this work, the principles of theoretical density functional theory are briefly discussed first, together with the method of searching for lowest-energy structures of molecules and predicting the spectroscopic and electronic properties. Afterwards, the results of the theoretical analysis of the geometry and electronic structure of two types of molecules is presented, combined with experimental results. First, the alloxazine and lumazine, considered together as flavins, and their derivatives represent molecular materials, while adamantyl substituted polythiophenes represent polymer materials. With respect to the flavins, different basis sets, together with the B3LYP functional, were used to find the best possible fit to experimental absorption spectra. Here, the B3LYP/6-31+G** and B3LYP/aug-cc-PVDZ methods proved to have the best correlation, with correlation coefficients 0.95 and 0.96, respectively, while the def2SVP set reached 0.94. In this context, the B3LYP/6-31+G** method seems to be the most cost-efficient. By measuring the absorption spectra of selected flavins in a mixture of dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) and water, the spectra of flavin isomers – the alloxazine and isoalloxazine form were gained. The response of these molecules to changes in the concentration of DMSO and water will be the object of further study. For the polythiophenes, the electronic and optical properties were theoretically investigated using model octamers, while the conformations of the adamantylated side chains were considered using trimer molecules, due to a high computational complexity. Here, the methyladamantyl thiophene was found to have a more rigid structure compared to the ethyladamantyl substituted chain, which was later confirmed via crystallographic analysis and atomic force microscopy scans. Crystal structures were confirmed to be present, with lattice parameters comparable to poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT). Inspired by this research, different polymer backbones based on polythiophene were considered for future synthesis. The main recommendation here is to lower the amount of side substituents, so that only one in two or one in three thiophenes bear an adamantylated side chain. Overall, the molecules presented here are interesting candidates for future use in optoelectronics, and the theoretical predictions generally agree with experimental results, although the comparison with experiment is not always trivial, e.g., in the case of the polythiophene side chains.

Two-stage Gearbox 3D Printing

Cílem bakalářské práce je tvorba prototypu dvoustupňové převodové skříně pomocí 3D tisku. Pro tvorbu výchozího počítačového modelu byl použit program Autodesk Inventor Professional. Finální model byl vytvořen metodou Fused Deposition Modeling, s použitím materiálu ABSplus, na zařízení uPrint SE.The aim of this bachelor thesis is creation of two-stage gearbox by method of 3D printing. For the creation of basic computer model has been used software Autodesk Inventor Professional. Final model has been created by method of Fused Deposition Modelling, on device uPrint SE.

Mounting Frame Design for IC Engine Testing

V této práci se zabývám konstrukcí rámu pro uchycení motocyklového čtyřválcového řadového spalovacího motoru k dynamometrickému zkušebnímu stanovišti. Cílem je, aby navrhnuté řešení zajišťovalo dostatečnou mobilitu a do budoucna také univerzálnost. To znamená možnost přestavby na další motory.In those diploma thesis I engaged in design of mounting frame for mounting mtorcycle four-stroke inline combustion engine to dynamometric testing site. The goal is necessary mobility and versatility of the design. That mean the construction would be useful for other motorcycle engines.

Drugs that Kill Cancer Stem-like Cells

The hallmarks of cancer include processes like self-sufficiency for growth signals, insensitivity to growth-inhibitory (anti-growth) signals, evasion of programmed cell death (apoptosis), unlimited replicative potential, sustained angiogenesis, and tissue invasion and metastasis (Hanahan & Weinberg, 2000). Recent research dictates that these definitions, while valid, ought to be enriched. That is, we should also consider tumours as a heterogeneous ‘collection of cancer cells’ with a hierarchy. This ‘hierarchical hypothesis’ tells us that tumours contain a minute (sometimes very small) sub-set of cells with distinct properties from the bulk of the tumour mass (D’Amour & Gage, 2002; Visvader & Lindeman, 2008; Visvader, 2009). These cells feature certain characteristics inherent to stem cells, including the capacity of self-renewal, asymmetric division and differentiation. They have also a very high propensity to form tumours. Therefore these cells are referred to as cancer stem cells (CSC) or cancer stem-like cells or, better, tumour-initiating cells (TICs). The terminology, while not too important, may be misleading though, since the term ‘cancer stem cells’ implies that we are dealing with true stem cells, which is not possible to reconcile with at this stage, perhaps even more so, since the origin of CSCs is not exactly known.Griffith Health, School of Medical ScienceFull Tex

The Effect of Stimulus Contrast and Spatial Position on Saccadic Eye Movement Parameters

The study is supported by LCS Project No 2021/1-0219, the UL Foundation Project No 2260 and LU project No. Y5-AZ77-ZF-N-100. The research is being developed with the support of LZP FLP project No. lzp-2021/1-0219, LU Foundation and SIA “Mikrotikls” project No. 2260 and LU project No. Y5-AZ77-ZF-N-100. The Institute of Solid-State Physics, University of Latvia (Latvia), as a center of excellence, has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Framework Programme H2020-WIDESPREAD01-2016-2017-Teaming Phase 2 under Grant Agreement No. 739508, project CAMART2.Background: Saccadic eye movements are rapid eye movements aimed to position the object image on the central retina, ensuring high-resolution data sampling across the visual field. Although saccadic eye movements are studied extensively, different experimental settings applied across different studies have left an open question of whether and how stimulus parameters can affect the saccadic performance. The current study aims to explore the effect of stimulus contrast and spatial position on saccadic eye movement latency, peak velocity and accuracy measurements. (2) Methods: Saccadic eye movement targets of different contrast levels were presented at four different spatial positions. The eye movements were recorded with a Tobii Pro Fusion video-oculograph (250 Hz). (3) Results: The results demonstrate a significant effect of stimulus spatial position on the latency and peak velocity measurements at a medium grey background, 30 cd/m2 (negative and positive stimulus polarity), light grey background, 90 cd/m2 (negative polarity), and black background, 3 cd/m2 (positive polarity). A significant effect of the stimulus spatial position was observed on the accuracy measurements when the saccadic eye movement stimuli were presented on a medium grey background (negative polarity) and on a black background. No significant effect of stimulus contrast was observed on the peak velocity measurements under all conditions. A significant stimulus contrast effect on latency and accuracy was observed only on a light grey background. (4) Conclusions: The best saccadic eye movement performance (lowest latency, highest peak velocity and accuracy measurements) can be observed when the saccades are oriented to the right and left from the central fixation point. Furthermore, when presenting the stimulus on a light grey background, a very low contrast stimuli should be considered carefully. © 2023 by the authors. --//-- This is an open access article Goliskina V., Ceple I., Kassaliete E., Serpa E., Truksa R., Svede A., Krauze L., Fomins S., Ikaunieks G., Krumina G., The Effect of Stimulus Contrast and Spatial Position on Saccadic Eye Movement Parameters, (2023) Vision (Switzerland), 7 (4), art. no. 68, DOI: 10.3390/vision7040068 published under the CC BY v 4.0 licence.LCS Project No 2021/1-0219; UL Foundation Project No 2260; LU project No. Y5-AZ77-ZF-N-100; LZP FLP project No. lzp-2021/1-0219, LU Foundation and SIA “Mikrotikls” project No. 2260 and LU project No. Y5-AZ77-ZF-N-100. The Institute of Solid-State Physics, University of Latvia (Latvia), as a center of excellence, has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Framework Programme H2020-WIDESPREAD01-2016-2017-Teaming Phase 2 under Grant Agreement No. 739508, project CAMART2

Prohepcidin Levels in Refractory Anaemia Caused by Lead Poisoning

Recent research evidence suggests a central role for hepcidin in iron homeostasis. Hepcidin is a hormone synthesized in the liver. Hepcidin is also thought to play a vital role in the pathogenic mechanism of anaemia in patients with inflammation or chronic disease. A 38-year-old female who presented with recurrent abdominal pain was found to have raised urinary porphyrins and a blood lead level of 779 μg/l. Her haemoglobin level was 8.3 g/dl. Her MCV was normal. Serum ferritin, B12 and folate were normal. Her serum prohepcidin level was 2,489 ng/ml (normal <450 ng/ml). To our knowledge, this is the first report of raised prohepcidin levels in a patient with anaemia of chronic disease resulting from lead poisoning

Tailoring the composition of novel wax esters in the seeds of transgenic Camelina sativa through systematic metabolic engineering

The functional characterization of wax biosynthetic enzymes in transgenic plants has opened the possibility of producing tailored wax esters (WEs) in the seeds of a suitable host crop. In this study, in addition to systematically evaluating a panel of WE biosynthetic activities, we have also modulated the acyl‐CoA substrate pool, through the co‐expression of acyl‐ACP thioesterases, to direct the accumulation of medium‐chain fatty acids. Using this combinatorial approach, we determined the additive contribution of both the varied acyl‐CoA pool and biosynthetic enzyme substrate specificity to the accumulation of non‐native WEs in the seeds of transgenic Camelina plants. A total of fourteen constructs were prepared containing selected FAR and WS genes in combination with an acyl‐ACP thioesterase. All enzyme combinations led to the successful production of wax esters, of differing compositions. The impact of acyl‐CoA thioesterase expression on wax ester accumulation varied depending on the substrate specificity of the WS. Hence, co‐expression of acyl‐ACP thioesterases with Marinobacter hydrocarbonoclasticus WS and Marinobacter aquaeolei FAR resulted in the production of WEs with reduced chain lengths, whereas the co‐expression of the same acyl‐ACP thioesterases in combination with Mus musculus WS and M. aquaeolei FAR had little impact on the overall final wax composition. This was despite substantial remodelling of the acyl‐CoA pool, suggesting that these substrates were not efficiently incorporated into WEs. These results indicate that modification of the substrate pool requires careful selection of the WS and FAR activities for the successful high accumulation of these novel wax ester species in Camelina seeds