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This study aimed to examine personal goal setting and identity processes in Czech university students. A total of 1,347 Czech emerging adults completed the questionnaires on goal setting, identity commitment, and identity exploration in various life domains (romantic relationship, education, and work). First, our study showed that in our sample, goals related to education were the most prominent. Second, higher identity commitment or exploration in one domain predicted setting the goal in the same domain, supporting the notion of the interrelatedness of identity formation and goal pursuit. Additionally, those who set work-related goals reported fewer goals associated with romantic partnership, marriage, and family, suggesting individual differences in goal preferences. Our study adds to the knowledge of European emerging adults’ identity processes and goal selection processes. Furthermore, our findings stress the holistic approach when investigating personal goals.

This study aimed to assess vestibular function in 39 patients who underwent neurectomy for vestibular schwannoma.

The paper deals with the research on the properties of secondary raw materials resulting from the recycling of used tyres and their potential utilization for the production of construction insulations. Evaluation of the possibilities of utilization and a complex analysis has been executed on the basis of the defined basic physical, thermal-insulating and fire properties of the raw textile fibres examined. The results of the research on the material examined indicate possible exploitation of this potential material for the construction of environmentally-friendly objects. Thermal insulating parameters have been determined by the value of thermal conductivity coefficient λ. For measuring of thermal conductivity coefficient of fibres has been used the special laboratory device – the Cooling Box. Physical properties have been determined by microscopic examination and by laboratory measuring of fibres length, diameter, pour bulk and compressed bulk densities. Fire characteristics were determined during several fire tests of textile fibres. On the basis of performed fire test has been determined the combustion heat, flash point (FIT) and ignition temperature (SIT).

This paper describes the results of a scientific project focused on determining of the Airborne Sound Insulation of a peripheral non-load bearing wall made of straw bales expressed by Weighted Sound Reduction Index. Weighted Sound Reduction Index was determined by measuring in the certified acoustic laboratory at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at Brno University of Technology. The measured structure of the straw wall was modified in combinations with various materials, so the results include a wide range of possible compositions of the wall. The key modification was application of plaster on both sides of the straw bale wall. This construction as is frequently done in actual straw houses. The additional measurements were performed on the straw wall with several variants of additional wall of slab materials. The airborne sound insulation value has been also measured in separate stages of the construction. Thus it is possible to compare and determinate the effect of the single layers on the airborne sound insulation.

The overall energy performance of buildings is determined not only based on structural and material solutions of the building. Boundary conditions affect the results of evaluation of the energy performance too. This paper deals with buildings in the Czech Republic. The paper is devoted to the evaluation of energy performance of buildings under changing boundary conditions. This means the change of the intensity of ventilation, changes in the structures’ accumulation and influence of thermal connections.

AbstractA method allowing the determination of the total iodine content and iodine species in samples of animal tissues using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) as an element-specific detector was developed. The total iodine content was determined after microwave digestion with 25% (w/w) water solution of tetramethylammonium hydroxide. The detection limit was 26.9 μg kg−1I, and the accuracy of the determination was proven through the analysis of SRM “Non-Fat Milk Powder,” porcine liver, and Atlantic Cod muscle samples using standard addition methods. The extracts for the speciation analysis were prepared through sample dispersion in water using an Ultra-Turrax®T10. The extraction yields ranged from 46 to 84% for different types of tissues. The determination of the inorganic iodine species was performed using ion-exchange chromatography (PRP X100, mobile phase 100 mmol L−1ammonium nitrate, pH 7.4) coupled to ICP-MS. A detection limit of 1.1 μg kg−1I was obtained for both species. The organic iodine species were separated using size-exclusion chromatography (Superdex 75 column, mobile phase 20 mmol L−1Tris–HCl, pH 7.5) and also detected using ICP-MS. Samples of porcine muscle, liver, kidney and thyroid gland, chicken muscle and liver and Atlantic Cod muscle were analyzed. The porcine thyroid gland and Atlantic Cod muscle samples were the richest in iodine (a more than 10× greater content of iodine than the other samples). With respect to the inorganic species, only iodide was found in the sample extracts. Conversely, many organic iodine species were found in the extracts.

Salt (sodium chloride) is one of the main sources of sodium in a diet. However, high salt intake (9–12 g/day) is considered a serious health problem. In response to the urgent need for reduction in sodium intake, the World Health Organization (WHO) initiated a global movement for reducing salt intake to less than 5 g/day by 2025. This study focuses on the current salt (sodium) contents in selected foods on the Czech market. For market research, we chose foods with high salt contents. Products with high salt contents from 20 stores of seven food retail chains and three online shops operating in the Czech Republic were selected. 1047 products, including 163 breads (G1), 111 olives (G2), 365 cheeses (G3), 94 ketchups (G4), 92 chips (G5) and 222 hams (G6), were investigated. Large proportions of the products on the market in the Czech Republic exceeded the salt content limits recommended by the WHO, specifically 71.8% breads, 83.3% semi-hard and processed cheeses, and 91% hams. The results were statistically analyzed and compared with other European studies.

Permanent increase of energy prices leads to the construction of new houses in the low-energy and passive standard. In particular, the development of wooden buildings in recent years has experienced a boom and their positive qualities are coming to the attention of potential investors. Thanks to this the new technologies of construction are still being developed and the new wood-based materials tested. All of these materials and technologies must follow the standards which tightened the thermal technical requirements.

The aim of the contribution is to confirm or rule, by using non-parametric Kruskal Wallis test, the hypothesis published [1] that the construction type and building materials have not statistically relevant effect on the final building airtightness. For non-parametric test is used the same sample as in [1], where the impact of construction type on the airtightness is refused by using parametric test - one way analysis of variance (ANOVA).

The value of air permeability, or the value of n50 provides important information about the impermeability of the building envelope and thus the quality of internal environment of the building. It is also one of the main evaluation criteria in classifying energy efficient buildings. Air permeability is determined by Blower Door Test where the fan blows air in or out from the measured area. The measurement is performed in a overpressure and afterwards in a underpressure during which the leaks are detected. The frame is usually placed into the front door which themselves is a weak part in the building envelope, and thus the rate of leakage completely denies. The effect of leakage of the front door is so significant that it can often cause a misclassification of the energy efficient buildings. We have tested this hypothesis by Blower Door Test on a passive timber construction build in 2007 during which we have measured the object in position of measuring device placed in the front door and the balcony door that are not encumbered by leaks caused by a security hardware and by other specific elements

Our previous study showed that single injection of methamphetamine decreases social interaction (SI) in a dose-dependent manner that was further affected by stressful environment conditions. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of methamphetamine and its interaction with gonadal hormones on SI. Adult male and female rats were gonadectomized and assigned to testosterone-treated and oil-treated groups in male rats and estradiol-treated and oil-treated groups in female rats, respectively. Hormones were administered 30 min before each habituation in the open field. All four hormonal groups were further divided to control (without injection), saline (1 mlkg saline injection), and methamphetamine (1 mgkg) groups. Injections were applied 30 min before the SI test. The total duration and the total number of SI and nonsocial behavioral patterns were assessed. This study showed that an acute methamphetamine administration in a dose of 1 mgkg decreased different types of SI in both sexes. In contrast, the same dose of methamphetamine increased locomotion and rearing behavior in male and female rats. The frequency andor duration of SI (especially mutual sniffing and allogrooming) was lower in adult female rats relative to gonadectomized male rats, but locomotion was increased in female relative to male rats regardless of the presence or absence of gonadal hormones. In conclusion, this study is novel especially because it examines SI in both sexes in relation to the presence or absence of gonadal hormones.

The effects of long-term exposure to air pollution on respiratory symptoms and respiratory hospitalization (for asthma, bronchitis or pneumonia) were assessed in a cross-sectional study of children (ages 7–11 years, N=667) living in a moderately industrialized city in Central Slovakia. Individual health, residence and family history data obtained through the CESAR study were coupled, using Geographic Information System (GIS) technologies, with total suspended particulate (TSP) exposure estimates derived from dispersion modeling of almost all local stationary sources. These data were used to assess, at the intra-city level and child-specific level, the potential for TSP as a risk factor for respiratory disease in children. TSP, PM10, and PM2.5monitored ambient concentrations are highly correlated in the study location. Modeled TSP concentrations resulting from local source emissions are dominated by a large wood processing facility, suggesting variation in exposures among children. The prevalence of respiratory non-asthmatic symptoms and hospitalizations was associated with increased TSP. No association between long-term exposure to TSP and asthma diagnosis or wheeze symptoms was found. Logistic regression modeling indicated a significant increase in hospital admissions for asthma, bronchitis or pneumonia associated with increasing air pollution (OR 2.16, CI, 1.01–4.60), doctor-diagnosed bronchitis (OR 1.53, CI, 1.02–2.30), and parent-reported chronic phlegm (OR 3.43, CI, 1.64–7.16), expressed as odds for a 15 μg/m3increase in estimated TSP exposure, and these increases are not due to differences in socio-economic, health care or other identified factors.Journal of Exposure Analysis and Environmental Epidemiology (2001) 11, 33–40. 10.1038/sj.jea.7500141

Epidemiological studies have associated adverse health impacts with ambient concentrations of particulate matter (PM), though these studies have been limited in their characterization of personal exposure to PM. An exposure study of healthy nonsmoking adults and children was conducted in Banska Bystrica, Slovakia, to characterize the range of personal exposures to air pollutants and to determine the influence of occupation, season, residence location, and outdoor and indoor concentrations on personal exposures. Twenty-four-hour personal, at-home indoor, and ambient measurements of PM10, PM2.5, sulfate (SO42−) and nicotine were obtained for 18 office workers, 16 industrial workers, and 15 high school students in winter and summer. Results showed that outdoor levels of pollutants were modest, with clear seasonal differences: outdoor PM10summer/winter mean=35/45 µg/m3; PM2.5summer/winter mean=22/32 µg/m3. SO42−levels were low (4–7 µg/m3) and relatively uniform across the different sample types (personal, indoor, outdoor), areas, and occupational groups. This suggests that SO42−may be a useful marker for combustion mode particles of ambient origin, although the relationship between personal exposures and ambient SO42−levels was more complex than observed in North American settings. During winter especially, the central city area showed higher concentrations than the suburban location for outdoor, personal, and indoor measures of PM10, PM2.5, and to a lesser extent for SO42−, suggesting the importance of local sources. For PM2.5and PM10, ratios consistent with expectations were found among exposure indices for all three subject groups (personal>indoor>outdoor), and between work type (industrial>students>office workers). The ratio of PM2.5personal to indoor exposures ranged from 1.0 to 3.9 and of personal to outdoor exposures from 1.6 to 4.2. The ratio of PM10personal to indoor exposures ranged from 1.1 to 2.9 and the ratio of personal to outdoor exposures from 2.1 to 4.1. For a combined group of office workers and students, personal PM10/PM2.5levels were predicted by statistically significant multivariate models incorporating indoor (for PM2.5) or outdoor (for PM10) PM levels, and nicotine exposure (for PM10). Small but significant fractions of the overall variability, 15% for PM2.5and 17% for PM10, were explained by these models. The results indicate that central site monitors underpredict actual human exposures to PM2.5and PM10. Personal exposure to SO42−was found to be predicted by outdoor or indoor SO42−levels with 23–71% of the overall variability explained by these predictors. We conclude that personal exposure measurements and additional demographic and daily activity data are crucial for accurate evaluation of exposure to particles in this setting.Journal of Exposure Analysis and Environmental Epidemiology (2000) 10, 478–487. 10.1038/sj.jea.7500136

Infrared (IR) reflectivity and submillimeter transmission measurements of ferroelectric and paraelectric LaBGeO5 single crystals were carried out in the temperature range of 300 to 870 K. From the classical oscillator fit to the spectra, the complex dielectric function in the range of 4 to 3000 cm—1 was calculated. In addition, room temperature polarized Raman spectra were recorded and evaluated which, together with the known high temperature Raman data, enabled us to identify and classify all of the 46 transverse optical modes predicted by the factor-group analysis and their longitudinal optical analogues. The order–disorder type of the ferroelectric transition at Tc  800 K was confirmed by revealing a microwave critical relaxation near and above Tc. However, this relaxation vanished below 700 K and an anomalous IR phonon mode was detected which softens partially from 87 cm—1 at 300 K down to 60 cm—1 near Tc, where it becomes nearly overdamped and coupled to the relaxation. This represents a novel partial displacive feature which is revealed when the structure below the order–disorder transition becomes ordered.

A modification of radiocirculography suitable for the investigation of children suffering from congenital heart disease was developed and tested in 55 children with intracardiac shunts. Comparison of data derived from radiocirculography with the data obtained by conventional cardiac catheterisation showed radiocirculography has a high degree of accuracy when it is used to assess shunt size. Pulmonary arterial and capillary pressures and pulmonary resistance values were derived from radiocirculography findings and compared with those obtained from catheterisation studies: only in children of school age could the two be closely correlated. In cyanotic heart disease morphological analysis of the radiocirculographic curves proved an especially helpful diagnostic aid. The close agreement between the assessment of aortic override when using angiography and radiocirculography was demonstrated.

Chronic marginal vitamin C deficiency lasting 270 days induced hypertriglyceridaemia, an abrupt fall of ascorbic acid in all organs and a significant decrease of α-tocopherol in the liver and the lungs in guinea-pigs.