The Czech adaptation of the Klein et al’s unidimensional targer-neutral scale of commitment

This study describes the process of translating, adapting and validating the Klein et al’s Unidimensional Target-neutral Scale of Commitment (KUT) into Czech. The KUT scale is a self-report scale that consists of four items. The scale was adapted using three independent translations into Czech, one back-translation into English by a native speaker, assessment by experts, and piloting in cognitive interviews with 13 respondents. The study also provides evidence on the scale’s reliability and validity for measuring organizational commitment defined as a psychological bond with an organization. The analyses were based on data obtained from 811 Czech-speaking adults working for Czech organizations. Using ordinal structural equation models (SEM) estimated on the polychoric correlation matrices with the robust WLSMV estimator, the Czech adaptation of the KUT scale showed similar psychometric characteristics to the original English version. The Czech KUT scale is unidimensional and internally consistent. All items have high factor loadings. The scale is invariant across groups defined by gender, workload and the sector in which the organization operates. The convergent validity is supported by the fact that the organizational commitment measured by the Czech KUT scale relates positively to job satisfaction, self-rating of job performance, extra-role behaviour and negatively to turnover intention. The Czech KUT scale also proved incremental validity to job performance over job satisfaction measured by Job Descriptive Survey. Therefore, the scale is a valid instrument for measuring organizational commitment within the Czech-speaking population. It can be used for organizational surveys as well as for research within the organizations

Prijenos topline tijekom hlađenja vrućih površina pomoću vodenih sapnica

Method of cooling in a secondary zone of continuous casting of steel has a significant influence on a quality of continuously cast products mainly from the point of view of internal and surface defects as well as zonal segregations. At the department of thermal engineering, a physical model of the secondary zone has been developed, which enables testing of both water and water-air nozzles. During laboratory measurements cooling effects of a cone nozzle have been expressed by means of three parameters. Most commonly used parameter is an admission characteristic, infrequently heat transfer coefficient is determined and newly a measuring of dynamic impact of the cooling water has been introduced.Tijekom kontinuiranog lijevanja čelika, hlađenje sekundarne zone od značajnog je utjecaja na kvalitetu odljevaka sa aspekta unutrašnjih i površinskih pogrešaka te u kontekstu zonske segregacije u materijalu. U odjelu za termoenergetiku razvijen je fizikalni model sekundarne zone, kojim je omogućeno ispitivanje vodenih sapnica i sapnica za hlađenje mješavinom vode i zraka. Tijekom laboratorijskih mjerenja, efekti hlađenja koničnom sapnicom izraženi su trima parametrima. Nejčešći je pritom parameter admisijske karakteristike, ponekad se određuje i koeficijent prijelaza topline a recentno je uvedeno mjerenje dinamičkog utjecaja rashladne vode

Cortical thickness mapping to identify focal osteoporosis in patients with hip fracture.

BACKGROUND: Individuals with osteoporosis are predisposed to hip fracture during trips, stumbles or falls, but half of all hip fractures occur in those without generalised osteoporosis. By analysing ordinary clinical CT scans using a novel cortical thickness mapping technique, we discovered patches of markedly thinner bone at fracture-prone regions in the femurs of women with acute hip fracture compared with controls. METHODS: We analysed CT scans from 75 female volunteers with acute fracture and 75 age- and sex-matched controls. We classified the fracture location as femoral neck or trochanteric before creating bone thickness maps of the outer 'cortical' shell of the intact contra-lateral hip. After registration of each bone to an average femur shape and statistical parametric mapping, we were able to visualise and quantify statistically significant foci of thinner cortical bone associated with each fracture type, assuming good symmetry of bone structure between the intact and fractured hip. The technique allowed us to pinpoint systematic differences and display the results on a 3D average femur shape model. FINDINGS: The cortex was generally thinner in femoral neck fracture cases than controls. More striking were several discrete patches of statistically significant thinner bone of up to 30%, which coincided with common sites of fracture initiation (femoral neck or trochanteric). INTERPRETATION: Femoral neck fracture patients had a thumbnail-sized patch of focal osteoporosis at the upper head-neck junction. This region coincided with a weak part of the femur, prone to both spontaneous 'tensile' fractures of the femoral neck, and as a site of crack initiation when falling sideways. Current hip fracture prevention strategies are based on case finding: they involve clinical risk factor estimation to determine the need for single-plane bone density measurement within a standard region of interest (ROI) of the femoral neck. The precise sites of focal osteoporosis that we have identified are overlooked by current 2D bone densitometry methods

Scenario-based requirements elicitation for user-centric explainable AI

Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) develops technical explanation methods and enable interpretability for human stakeholders on why Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) models provide certain predictions. However, the trust of those stakeholders into AI models and explanations is still an issue, especially domain experts, who are knowledgeable about their domain but not AI inner workings. Social and user-centric XAI research states it is essential to understand the stakeholder’s requirements to provide explanations tailored to their needs, and enhance their trust in working with AI models. Scenario-based design and requirements elicitation can help bridge the gap between social and operational aspects of a stakeholder early before the adoption of information systems and identify its real problem and practices generating user requirements. Nevertheless, it is still rarely explored the adoption of scenarios in XAI, especially in the domain of fraud detection to supporting experts who are about to work with AI models. We demonstrate the usage of scenario-based requirements elicitation for XAI in a fraud detection context, and develop scenarios derived with experts in banking fraud. We discuss how those scenarios can be adopted to identify user or expert requirements for appropriate explanations in his daily operations and to make decisions on reviewing fraudulent cases in banking. The generalizability of the scenarios for further adoption is validated through a systematic literature review in domains of XAI and visual analytics for fraud detection

Heat transfer during cooling of hot surfaces by water nozzles

Method of cooling in a secondary zone of continuous casting of steel has a significant influence on a quality of continuously cast products mainly from the point of view of internal and surface defects as well as zonal segregations. At the department of thermal engineering, a physical model of the secondary zone has been developed, which enables testing of both water and water-air nozzles. During laboratory measurements cooling effects of a cone nozzle have been expressed by means of three parameters. Most commonly used parameter is an admission characteristic, infrequently heat transfer coefficient is determined and newly a measuring of dynamic impact of the cooling water has been introduced

Size-resolved, quantitative evaluation of the magnetic mineralogy of airborne brake-wear particulate emissions

Exposure to particulate air pollution has been associated with a variety of respiratory, cardiovascular and neurological problems, resulting in increased morbidity and mortality worldwide. Brake-wear emissions are one of the major sources of metal-rich airborne particulate pollution in roadside environments. Of potentially bioreactive metals, Fe (especially in its ferrous form, Fe2+) might play a specific role in both neurological and cardiovascular impairments. Here, we collected brake-wear particulate emissions using a full-scale brake dynamometer, and used a combination of magnetic measurements and electron microscopy to make quantitative evaluation of the magnetic composition and particle size of airborne emissions originating from passenger car brake systems. Our results show that the concentrations of Fe-rich magnetic grains in airborne brake-wear emissions are very high (i.e., ~100–10,000 × higher), compared to other types of particulate pollutants produced in most urban environments. From magnetic component analysis, the average magnetite mass concentration in total PM10 of brake emissions is ~20.2 wt% and metallic Fe ~1.6 wt%. Most brake-wear airborne particles (>99 % of particle number concentration) are smaller than 200 nm. Using low-temperature magnetic measurements, we observed a strong superparamagnetic signal (indicative of ultrafine magnetic particles, < ~30 nm) for all of the analysed size fractions of airborne brake-wear particles. Transmission electron microscopy independently shows that even the larger size fractions of airborne brake-wear emissions dominantly comprise agglomerates of ultrafine (<100 nm) particles (UFPs). Such UFPs likely pose a threat to neuronal and cardiovascular health after inhalation and/or ingestion. The observed abundance of ultrafine magnetite particles (estimated to constitute ~7.6 wt% of PM0.2) might be especially hazardous to the brain, contributing both to microglial inflammatory action and excess generation of reactive oxygen species

Cortical thickness mapping to identify focal osteoporosis in patients with hip fracture.

BACKGROUND: Individuals with osteoporosis are predisposed to hip fracture during trips, stumbles or falls, but half of all hip fractures occur in those without generalised osteoporosis. By analysing ordinary clinical CT scans using a novel cortical thickness mapping technique, we discovered patches of markedly thinner bone at fracture-prone regions in the femurs of women with acute hip fracture compared with controls. METHODS: We analysed CT scans from 75 female volunteers with acute fracture and 75 age- and sex-matched controls. We classified the fracture location as femoral neck or trochanteric before creating bone thickness maps of the outer 'cortical' shell of the intact contra-lateral hip. After registration of each bone to an average femur shape and statistical parametric mapping, we were able to visualise and quantify statistically significant foci of thinner cortical bone associated with each fracture type, assuming good symmetry of bone structure between the intact and fractured hip. The technique allowed us to pinpoint systematic differences and display the results on a 3D average femur shape model. FINDINGS: The cortex was generally thinner in femoral neck fracture cases than controls. More striking were several discrete patches of statistically significant thinner bone of up to 30%, which coincided with common sites of fracture initiation (femoral neck or trochanteric). INTERPRETATION: Femoral neck fracture patients had a thumbnail-sized patch of focal osteoporosis at the upper head-neck junction. This region coincided with a weak part of the femur, prone to both spontaneous 'tensile' fractures of the femoral neck, and as a site of crack initiation when falling sideways. Current hip fracture prevention strategies are based on case finding: they involve clinical risk factor estimation to determine the need for single-plane bone density measurement within a standard region of interest (ROI) of the femoral neck. The precise sites of focal osteoporosis that we have identified are overlooked by current 2D bone densitometry methods