Software engineering

Today's software systems generally use obsolete technology, are not integrated properly with other software systems, and are difficult and costly to maintain. The discipline of reverse engineering is becoming prominent as organizations try to move their systems up to more modern and maintainable technology in a cost effective manner. The Johnson Space Center (JSC) created a significant set of tools to develop and maintain FORTRAN and C code during development of the space shuttle. This tool set forms the basis for an integrated environment to reengineer existing code into modern software engineering structures which are then easier and less costly to maintain and which allow a fairly straightforward translation into other target languages. The environment will support these structures and practices even in areas where the language definition and compilers do not enforce good software engineering. The knowledge and data captured using the reverse engineering tools is passed to standard forward engineering tools to redesign or perform major upgrades to software systems in a much more cost effective manner than using older technologies. The latest release of the environment was in Feb. 1992

The problems and outcomes of the industrial land redevelopment in Visegrad countries

Peer Reviewe

Small Cnc Cutting Machine

This paper deals with design and realization of a large format 2D CNC machine for cutting thin soft materials, especially the cardboard. It includes design, build and revive individual parts of mechanic construction, control electronics and main control program, which processes the input data from external medium (PC or SD card). Important properties are large working area and high speed of movement

CANbus controlled power converter

Táto diplomová práca sa zaoberá návrhom a realizáciou DC/DC meniča, ktorý umožňuje výkonovú konverziu z 10-52 V vstupného napätia na 10-52 V výstupného napätia pri maximálnom výstupnom prúde 3 A. Zdroj zároveň dokáže komunikovať s nadradeným systémom po zbernici CAN. V prvej kapitole sa venujem dostupným integrovaným obvodom DC/DC meničov, s následným výberom jedného najvhodnejšieho typu pre moje zapojenie. V druhej kapitole navrhujem ideovú schému meniča, do ktorej zahrňujem požiadavky zo zadania práce ako aj moje prídavné. V tretej kapitole riešim návrh elektronického obvodu spolu s výpočtom regulačných slučiek. V štvrtej kapitole navrhujem firmware pre MCU STM32, ktorý riadi menič a komunikuje s nadradeným systémom. V poslednej kapitole sa venujem testovaniu meniča.This thesis deals with the design and realization of a DC/DC converter, which allows power conversion from 10-52 V input voltage to 10-52 V output voltage at a maximum output current of 3 A. The converter can communicate with the superior system via the CAN. In the first chapter I deal with the available integrated circuits of DC/DC converters, from which I choose one for my application. In the second chapter, I propose a block scheme of the converter, which includes the requirements from the assignment as well as my additional ones. In the third chapter I deal with the design of an electronic circuit and with the calculation of control loops. In the fourth chapter I propose firmware for the STM32 MCU, which controls the device and communicates with the superior system. In the last chapter the DC/DC converter is tested.

Paleoenvironments during the Rhaetian transgression and the colonization history of marine biota in the Fatric Unit (Western Carpathians)

Terminal Triassic environmental changes are characterized by an integrated study of lithology, litho- and cyclostratigraphy, paleontology, mineralogy, geochemistry and rock magnetism in the Tatra Mts. The Carpathian Keuper sequence was deposited in an arid environment with only seasonal rivers, temporal lakes and swamps with scarce vegetation. Combination of a wide range of $\delta^{18}O$ values (-0.7 to +2.7) with negative $\delta^{13}C$ values documents dolomite precipitation either from brackish or hypersaline lake water, or its derivation from pore water comparably to the Recent Coorong B-dolostone. Negative $\delta^{13}C$ values indicate microbial C productivity. Rhaetian transgressive deposits with restricted Rhaetavicula fauna accumulated in nearshore swamps and lagoons. Associations of foraminifers, bivalves and sharks in the Zliechov Basin were controlled by physical factors. Bivalve mollusc biostromes were repetitively destroyed by storms, and temporary firm bottoms were colonized by oysters and burrowers. Subsequent black shale deposition recorded input of eolian dust. Bottom colonization by pachyodont bivalves, brachiopod and corals started much later, during highstand conditions. Facies evolution also revealed by geochemical data, C and O isotope curves reflect eustatic and climatic changes and help reconstruct the evolution of Rhaetian marine carbonate ramp. The Fatra Formation consists of 100 kyr eccentricity and 40 kyr obliquity cycles; much finer rhythmicity may record monsoon-like climatic fluctuations. Fluvial and eolian events were indicated by analysis of grain size and content of clastic quartz, concentrations of foraminiferal (Agathammina) tests in thin laminae indicates marine ingression events. Magnetic susceptibility (MS) variations reflect the distribution of authigenic and detrital constituents in the sequence. Increasing trend of MS correlates with the regressive Carpathian Keuper sequence and culminates within the bottom part of the Fatra Formation. Decreasing trend of MS is observed upwards the transgressive deposits of the Fatra Formation

Vehicle detection using panchromatic high-resolution satellite images as a support for urban planning. Case study of Prague's centre

The optical sensors on satellites nowadays provide images covering large areas with a resolution better than 1 meter and with a frequency of more than once a week. This opens up new opportunities to utilize satellite-based information such as periodic monitoring of transport flows and parked vehicles for better transport, urban planning and decision making. Current vehicle detection methods face issues in selection of training data, utilization of augmented data, multivariate classification or complexity of the hardware. The pilot area is located in Prague in the surroundings of the Old Town Square. The WorldView3 panchromatic image with the best available spatial resolution was processed in ENVI, CATALYST Pro and ArcGIS Pro using SVM, KNN, PCA, RT and Faster R-CNN methods. Vehicle detection was relatively successful, above all in open public places with neither shade nor vegetation. The best overall performance was provided by SVM in ENVI, for which the achieved F1 score was 74%. The PCA method provided the worst results with an F1 score of 33%. The other methods achieved F1 scores ranging from 61 to 68%. Although vehicle detection using artificial intelligence on panchromatic images is more challenging than on multispectral images, it shows promising results. The following findings contribute to better design of object-based detection of vehicles in an urban environment and applications of data augmentation.Web of Science16211910

Veno-venous two-site cannulation versus veno-venous double lumen ECMO: complications and survival in infants with respiratory failure

Objective. To compare complications and survival between the two-site veno-venous versus the veno-venous double lumen extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in infants with respiratory failure. Methods. The Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO, Ann Arbor, Michigan) provided the registry database, collected between 1999-2009 for this research project. During this period, 9086 infants 7 kg birth weight (BW) were treated with ECMO. From these children, those who were older than 32 days and received veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV ECMO), were extracted for analysis. From a total of 270 infants who met the inclusion criteria, 236 infants were treated with veno-venous double lumen (VVDL) ECMO and 34 infants received VV two-site ECMO. ELSO records were reviewed for the following information: demographic data, type of ventilation, ventilator days and settings during ECMO, complications during ECMO and survival. Results. Eighty-seven percent (n=236) of infants were cannulated with VVDL and 13% (n=34) with VV two-site cannulation. Twenty-four hours after ECMO onset, ventilator settings were significantly higher in the VV two-site group. Median ECMO duration was significantly shorter in the VV two-site group (137(90/208) vs. 203(128/336) hours, p=0.01). Total complication rate and survival rates (71% in the VVDL group and 56% in the VV two-site group) were not significantly different. Conclusion. Both cannulation modes for ECMO are safe for use in infants with respiratory failure. The decision regarding which technique should be used for this group of patients depends mainly on best practice experience of the individual ECMO center and on the technical equipment routinely used by the center

Rosiglitazone Inhibits Acyl-CoA Synthetase Activity and Fatty Acid Partitioning to Diacylglycerol and Triacylglycerol via a Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor- -Independent Mechanism in Human Arterial Smooth Muscle Cells and Macrophages

Rosiglitazone is an insulin-sensitizing agent that has recently been shown to exert beneficial effects on atherosclerosis. In addition to peroxisome proliferator–activated receptor (PPAR)-γ, rosiglitazone can affect other targets, such as directly inhibiting recombinant long-chain acyl-CoA synthetase (ACSL)-4 activity. Because it is unknown if ACSL4 is expressed in vascular cells involved in atherosclerosis, we investigated the ability of rosiglitazone to inhibit ACSL activity and fatty acid partitioning in human and murine arterial smooth muscle cells (SMCs) and macrophages. Human and murine SMCs and human macrophages expressed Acsl4, and rosiglitazone inhibited Acsl activity in these cells. Furthermore, rosiglitazone acutely inhibited partitioning of fatty acids into phospholipids in human SMCs and inhibited fatty acid partitioning into diacylglycerol and triacylglycerol in human SMCs and macrophages through a PPAR-γ–independent mechanism. Conversely, murine macrophages did not express ACSL4, and rosiglitazone did not inhibit ACSL activity in these cells, nor did it affect acute fatty acid partitioning into cellular lipids. Thus, rosiglitazone inhibits ACSL activity and fatty acid partitioning in human and murine SMCs and in human macrophages through a PPAR-γ–independent mechanism likely to be mediated by ACSL4 inhibition. Therefore, rosiglitazone might alter the biological effects of fatty acids in these cells and in atherosclerosis

Coordinate Regulation of Lipid Metabolism by Novel Nuclear Receptor Partnerships

Mammalian nuclear receptors broadly influence metabolic fitness and serve as popular targets for developing drugs to treat cardiovascular disease, obesity, and diabetes. However, the molecular mechanisms and regulatory pathways that govern lipid metabolism remain poorly understood. We previously found that the Caenorhabditis elegans nuclear hormone receptor NHR-49 regulates multiple genes in the fatty acid beta-oxidation and desaturation pathways. Here, we identify additional NHR-49 targets that include sphingolipid processing and lipid remodeling genes. We show that NHR-49 regulates distinct subsets of its target genes by partnering with at least two other distinct nuclear receptors. Gene expression profiles suggest that NHR-49 partners with NHR-66 to regulate sphingolipid and lipid remodeling genes and with NHR-80 to regulate genes involved in fatty acid desaturation. In addition, although we did not detect a direct physical interaction between NHR-49 and NHR-13, we demonstrate that NHR-13 also regulates genes involved in the desaturase pathway. Consistent with this, gene knockouts of these receptors display a host of phenotypes that reflect their gene expression profile. Our data suggest that NHR-80 and NHR-13's modulation of NHR-49 regulated fatty acid desaturase genes contribute to the shortened lifespan phenotype of nhr-49 deletion mutant animals. In addition, we observed that nhr-49 animals had significantly altered mitochondrial morphology and function, and that distinct aspects of this phenotype can be ascribed to defects in NHR-66– and NHR-80–mediated activities. Identification of NHR-49's binding partners facilitates a fine-scale dissection of its myriad regulatory roles in C. elegans. Our findings also provide further insights into the functions of the mammalian lipid-sensing nuclear receptors HNF4α and PPARα