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The Conference on Power System Engineering has a long-term tradition. It is an annual meeting of professors and experts from departments and universities where power system engineering is taught. The 21st year of this event was held in Pilsen (Czech Republic) between 7th and 9th September 2022 and was hosted by Department of Power System Engineering of Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of West Bohemia in Pilsen.

The Conference on Power System Engineering has a long-term tradition. It is an annual meeting of professors and experts from departments and universities where power system engineering is taught. The 20th year of this event was held in Pilsen (Czech Republic) between 7th and 9th September 2021 and was hosted by Department of Power System Engineering of Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of West Bohemia in Pilsen.

This article describes the results of a project whose task is to research and develop a screw expander through the inversion of a screw compressor. The article summarizes aspects of the construction of an experimental device that works with an oil-flooded air screw expander. The expander was subjected to experimental and numerical analysis, the results of which are presented in the article. Numerical analysis to examine the expansion process is performed both on the basis of the analytical geometric description of the working chamber of the expander and on the basis of the geometry obtained from a 3D scan of a real machine. The results of experimental and numerical analysis will be used to integrate an oil-flooded screw expander into an energy unit for the use of low-potential heat, for example in ORC systems.

In recent years, numerous proposals have been made with the aim of establishing a systematic hierarchy of relationships for languages for special purposes (LSP), and different approaches have been classified in terms of vertical and horizontal models. Recently, however LSP research has moved more and more towards Applied Linguistics and a segregation has emerged between studies focusing on systematic topics and those based on concrete case studies. While studies in applied LSP research have increased, work on systematic approaches has been neglected. The present study follows a different approach, in that instead of segregating the analysis of concrete case studies from the work on systematic approaches, examples from case studies will be used for testing and revising systematic approaches. In this paper we shall first address the question based on these examples of which long established classifications need to be revised, and consider further whether revising and applying classifications is the way to go in LSP research or whether there is a need for a new typology. In the present paper we shall thus be building on and developing the work on structuring LSP in (Roelcke 2014) and on project-specific terminology (Pelikan & Roelcke 2015).

Although adolescence is characterized by increasing individuation, parental support represents an important resource especially in early adolescence. This multi-informant study examined the role of parental self-efficacy in providing emotional and instrumental support when early adolescents partially learned from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on a resources model of coping, we examined effects of parental self-efficacy on early adolescents' reports of self-regulated learning (SRL), learning self-efficacy, and positive emotions, mediated via early adolescents' problem-focused and emotion-focused coping. Assumptions were tested among 263 Austrian parent-child dyads. While the mediation assumption was rejected, we identified positive associations between emotional support and SRL, and between problem-focused coping and SRL, learning self-efficacy, and positive emotions. Instrumental support negatively related to SRL, suggesting benefits of emotional over instrumental support.

We propose a new linkage learning genetic algorithm called the Factor Graph based Genetic Algorithm (FGGA). In the FGGA, a factor graph is used to encode the underlying dependencies between variables of the problem. In order to learn the factor graph from a population of potential solutions, a symmetric non-negative matrix factorization is employed to factorize the matrix of pair-wise dependencies. To show the performance of the FGGA, encouraging experimental results on different separable problems are provided as support for the mathematical analysis of the approach. The experiments show that FGGA is capable of learning linkages and solving the optimization problems in polynomial time with a polynomial number of evaluations.

In the wake of COVID-19, university students have experienced fundamental changes of their learning and their lives as a whole. The present research identifies psychological characteristics associated with students' well-being in this situation. We investigated relations of basic psychological need satisfaction (experienced competence, autonomy, and relatedness) with positive emotion and intrinsic learning motivation, considering self-regulated learning as a moderator. Self-reports were collected from 6,071 students in Austria (Study 1) and 1,653 students in Finland (Study 2). Structural equation modeling revealed competence as the strongest predictor for positive emotion. Intrinsic learning motivation was predicted by competence and autonomy in both countries and by relatedness in Finland. Moderation effects of self-regulated learning were inconsistent, but main effects on intrinsic learning motivation were identified. Surprisingly, relatedness exerted only a minor effect on positive emotion. The results inform strategies to promote students' well-being through distance learning, mitigating the negative effects of the situation.

Charged Higgs bosons are predicted in several extensions of the Standard Model, where the Higgs sector contains more than one doublet of complex scalars, for instance in the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM). For mH+ < mtop, the dominant production mode for charged Higgs bosons at the LHC is via the decay t → bH+ of one of the top quarks in tt¯ ${m{tar t}}$ events. We present results on the search for such light charged Higgs bosons in the ATLAS experiment, with emphasis on the decay H+ → τν.

Abstract Background Health literacy concerns the knowledge and competences of persons to meet the complex demands of health in modern society. Although its importance is increasingly recognised, there is no consensus about the definition of health literacy or about its conceptual dimensions, which limits the possibilities for measurement and comparison. The aim of the study is to review definitions and models on health literacy to develop an integrated definition and conceptual model capturing the most comprehensive evidence-based dimensions of health literacy. Methods A systematic literature review was performed to identify definitions and conceptual frameworks of health literacy. A content analysis of the definitions and conceptual frameworks was carried out to identify the central dimensions of health literacy and develop an integrated model. Results The review resulted in 17 definitions of health literacy and 12 conceptual models. Based on the content analysis, an integrative conceptual model was developed containing 12 dimensions referring to the knowledge, motivation and competencies of accessing, understanding, appraising and applying health-related information within the healthcare, disease prevention and health promotion setting, respectively. Conclusions Based upon this review, a model is proposed integrating medical and public health views of health literacy. The model can serve as a basis for developing health literacy enhancing interventions and provide a conceptual basis for the development and validation of measurement tools, capturing the different dimensions of health literacy within the healthcare, disease prevention and health promotion settings.

Writing reflects some of the different characteristics of the language being used and of the people who are communicating. The present paper focusses on the internal written communication in international and inter-disciplinary research projects. Using a case study of an international public health research project, it argues that the authorship and the languages used in internal project communication are not neutral but help to generate or reinforce power hierarchies. Within research partnerships, language thus raises ethical issues that have so far been neglected. Current ethics guidelines often focus on interactions between scientists and participants of social research and clinical trials, with less attention paid to the interactions among the scientists themselves. Describing all the different project phases based on writing within a research project, the paper distinguishes different influences on the distribution of power that emerge through a focus on written communication. The focus of the present paper is to illuminate the issues of ethics, power and the dimensions of hierarchy, physical location and native versus non-native English speakers that arise from paying attention to such communications.

Background: A complement imbalance in lung alveolar tissue can play a deteriorating role in COVID-19, leading to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). CD55 is a transmembrane glycoprotein that inhibits the activation of the complement system at the intermediate cascade level, blocking the activity of the C3 convertase. Objective: In our study, lung specimens from COVID-19 and ARDS-positive COVID+/ARDS+ patients were compared with COVID-19 and ARDS-negative COVID–/ARDS– as well as COVID–/ARDS+ patients. Methods: Histochemical staining and immunolabeling of CD55 protein were performed. Results: The COVID–/ARDS– specimen showed higher expression and homogeneous distribution of glycosaminoglycans as well as compactly arranged elastic and collagen fibers of the alveolar walls in comparison to ARDS-affected lungs. In addition, COVID–/ARDS– lung tissues revealed stronger and homogenously distributed CD55 expression on the alveolar walls in comparison to the disrupted COVID–/ARDS+ lung tissues. Conclusions: Even though the collapse of the alveolar linings and the accumulation of cellular components in the alveolar spaces were characteristic of COVID+/ARDS+ lung tissues, evaluating CD55 expression could be relevant to understand its relation to the disease. Furthermore, targeting CD55 upregulation as a potential therapy could be an option for post-infectious complications of COVID-19 and other inflammatory lung diseases in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ongoing social changes taking place on a global scale have made universities respond to these new challenges by offering new study programmes, implementing modifications of study plans, taking up new research focus as well as by broadening the offer of adult education. These changes necessarily require modifications in terms of the structure and the style of management in university departments and institutes representing the most elementary university structure. In this article, a methodological analysis of university environment has been carried out as well as the identification of problems linked with the traditional styles of the central European university organization and management. Then follows the categorization of four styles of university management as they are recognized these days and subsequently the possibility of transforming the institutions of higher education into virtual universities (network universities) has been considered. Virtual (network) universities are most commonly associated with the styles of management encountered in enterprises and they are believed to be able to ensure the requirements as for the education of population in the environment of global society.

Background: Diabetes self-management education (DSME) is generally considered to be a key determinant of the treatment outcomes and related costs of diabetes mellitus. While DSME programmes generally have positive outcomes, their effects may depend on certain factors, such as the type of programmes provided and patients' level of health literacy (HL). Low HL has been associated with poorer self-management behaviours and poor medication adherence in diabetic patients, but its impact on the effects of DSME has not yet been systematically investigated. This study aimed to investigate the influence of HL on the self-reported effects of DSME programmes while taking the type of programme into consideration. Method: A total of 366 diabetic patients from nine countries completed a questionnaire measuring HL, self-management behaviours, problem perception, coping, perceived general health and well-being, before and after participating in a DSME programme. Results: DSME programmes were found to have positive effects on self-reported self-management behaviours and almost all psychological and health outcomes, regardless of HL level. Patients with high HL scored better on several diabetes outcomes than those with low HL, but all patients described benefiting from DSME. Individual and group-based programmes resulted in more positive effects on several diabetes outcomes than self-help groups, but no interaction with HL was found. Conclusion: Our findings confirm those of previous studies showing that DSME programmes have positive effects and that low HL is associated with lower diabetes outcomes but do not support the assumption that the effects of DSME programmes are influenced by the patient's HL. However, due to the limitations of this study, further investigation is necessary to support these findings and improve our understanding about the impact of HL on DSME programmes' effectiveness.

Although adolescence is characterized by increasing individuation, parental support represents an important resource especially in early adolescence. This multi-informant study examined the role of parental self-efficacy in providing emotional and instrumental support when early adolescents partially learned from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on a resources model of coping, we examined effects of parental self-efficacy on early adolescents' reports of self-regulated learning (SRL), learning self-efficacy, and positive emotions, mediated via early adolescents' problem-focused and emotion-focused coping. Assumptions were tested among 263 Austrian parent-child dyads. While the mediation assumption was rejected, we identified positive associations between emotional support and SRL, and between problem-focused coping and SRL, learning self-efficacy, and positive emotions. Instrumental support negatively related to SRL, suggesting benefits of emotional over instrumental support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spread of non-native species is one of the outcomes of global change, threatening many native communities through predation and competition. Freshwater ecosystems are particularly affected by species turnover with non-native species. One species that has been established in Central Europe for many decades - or even a few centuries - is the amphipod crustacean Gammarus roeselii. Although G. roeselii is nowadays widespread in major river systems, there have been recent reports of its spread into smaller streams that are typically inhabited by the native species Gammarus fossarum. Due to their leaf shredding ability, G. fossarum takes up a key position in headwater streams. This raises the important question, to what extent G. roeselii can equivalently take over this function. To answer this question, we collected both species from nine different sites in a mid-mountain river system (Kinzig catchment, Hesse, Germany) and investigated their functional similarity using a combination of stable isotope analysis, gut content and functional morphology. The species hardly differed in morphological characteristics, only females showed differences in some traits. Gut content analysis indicated a broad dietary overlap, while stable isotopes showed a higher trophic position of G. roeselii. The observed functional overlap could intensify interspecific competition and allow the larger and more predaceous G. roeselii to replace G. fossarum in the future as a headwater keystone species. However, the differentiation in the stable isotopes also shows that co-existence can occur by occupying different trophic niches. Moreover, the wide range of inhabited sites and exploited resources demonstrate the omnivorous lifestyle of G. roeselii, which is likely to help the species succeed in rapidly changing environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Mujeres que influyen (Women of Influence) project is a collaboration between researchers at University of East Anglia and PUCP, and young women from the Junín area of Peru who are members of the National Council of Indigenous Women of Peru. It takes its starting point from an acknowledgement that although women play a fundamental role in the preservation of biodiversity and ancestral knowledge, these contributions often go unrecognized and underdeveloped (Ketty Marcelo, 2018), to the detriment of the very culture and environment that should be preserved. Our women-led participatory project, uses film (production, screening, analysis) to highlight the potential and importance for active and organised participation by these young women in their communities in order to protect and nurture their natural resources. Working alongside Asháninka and Yanesha young women, we seek to demonstrate the value of young female involvement in community decision-making, addressing the cultural and societal inequalities that may disrupt their path to leadership and influence. In this paper, we focus on the methods developed in the project, particularly the value of participatory video production as a form of activism, with the outputs serving as creative manifestos in themselves. The co-designed activities have led us to reframe fieldwork as auto-ethnographic digital collaborations that have sought to disrupt power hierarchies and facilitate the co-production of new knowledge. We reflect on how our Indigenous partners have helped us rethink issues of sustainability, resilience and alternative strategies to respond to gender dynamics, political ecologies and environmental challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]