The article deals with estimating deformation between the African and the Eurasian Plate in the Eastern Mediterranean on the basis of GPS coordinate time series. Two sources of velocities were used for processing. The first was the freely available site velocities from the European Permanent Network (EPN). The second was the Egyptian GPS permanent network velocities. Their values were determined by the following technique. Firstly, the Egyptian site coordinates were computed from GPS daily observations, using the fiducial EPN stations. The daily site coordinates at a given time interval result in coordinate time series, which were analysed and used on velocity estimation of the Egyptian stations. Then the apparatus of the mechanics of continuum was applied to all resultant velocities. The regions of possible mutual interactions between the Eurasian and the African Plate in the Eastern Mediterranean were detected. The basic idea of this contribution is the common processing of GPS daily measurements from the Egyptian permanent network together with the EPN data. The available Egyptian GPS data cover almost the last three years, which represents a sufficient time interval for velocity estimation. Introducing the Egyptian permanent GPS measurements into processing enables a better estimate of deformations in the Eastern Mediterranean., Antonín Zeman, Khalil Hassan, Jan Holešovský, Abdel Monem S. Mohamed, Zbyněk Novotný, Mahmoud M. Salah, Jan Kostelecký and Radwan M. Ali., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Brown coal open pit mining in the basin under Krušné Hory Mts. came to contact with slopes of the mountains, and a problem of the stability in high and steep slopes in the crystalline rock became an important question. The question concerns Jezeří Castle built on the top of one of the hills in a most endangered section where even a supporting pillar in the sediments under the slope toe was left to support the slope. As a result, an extensive monitoring program regarding deformations was initiated in the region. The program involved several methods and some important results are discussed. The results that are displayed concern mainly measurements done in geophysical tiltmeter stations in two underground galleries driven into the two steep slope sections showing most dangerous situation, as well as extensometers located in the same locations. Long-term monitoring revealed a tectonic deformation process of a natural origin that is registered as slow and systematic tilts. Besides, it revealed several periods of anomalies that are of basic importance. During a long period of observation from 1982 till 2005 three important deformation anomalies were registered: the event of 1994, the event of 2002, and the event of 2003/2004. The first and the third event have been classified as of a large regional character that affected a wide mountainous area and could be interpreted as a tectonic impulse originating within the mountainous structure of the so called "Dome of Hora Svaté Kateřiny". The second event has been considered different, strictly connected with extreme precipitation of August 2002. The anomaly was evidenced even deep in the crystalline, so that it could not be seen as of a superficial character only. The movement which was registered at that time was oriented right into the pillar supporting the slope., It is concluded that it was a short manifestation of instability in the critical profile "Jezeří - pillar", which stresses the important stabilisation function of the supporting pillar without which the profile will be probably destabilised., Blahoslav Košťák, Bohumil Chán and Jan Rybář., and Obsahuje bibliografii
The modern trend in high power laser applications such as welding, cutting and surface hardening lies in the use of solid-state lasers. The output beam of these lasers is characterized by a Gaussian intensity distribution. However, the laser beams with different intensity distributions, e.g. top-hat, are preferable in various applications. In this paper we present a new type of deformable mirror suitable for the corresponding laser beam shaping. The deformation of the mirror is achieved by an underlying array of actuators and a pressurized coolant that also provides the necessary cooling. We describe the results of the surface shape measurement using a 3D scanner for different settings of actuators. Further, we show the achieved intensity distributions measured by a beam profiler for a low power laser beam reflected from the mirror. and V poslední době nastává rozmach používání pevnolátkových laserů ve výkonových aplikacích, jako jsou laserové svařování, řezání a povrchové kalení. Výstupní svazek těchto laserů má gaussovské rozložení intenzity svazku. Pro výše uvedené aplikace by však v mnoha případech bylo žádoucí rozložení s konstantní intenzitou svazku v jeho průřezu, tzv. top-hat. Článek popisuje nový typ deformovatelného zrcadla vhodný pro transformaci rozložení intenzity ve svazku. Deformace zrcadla je vyvolána maticí tahových elementů připojených na zadní stranu tenkého zrcadla, které působí proti tlakové síle chladicí vody. Byl zhotoven funkční vzorek deformovatelného zrcadla. Bylo provedeno měření jeho tvaru povrchu pro tři nastavení tahových elementů pomocí 3D skeneru. Dále byla ověřena schopnost požadované transformace svazku užitím nízkovýkonového laseru s gaussovským rozložením a měřením odraženého svazku profilometrem intenzity.
Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and its sulphate-bound form (DHEAS) are important steroids mainly of adrenal origin. Their physiological and pathophysiological functions are not yet fully identified, although a number of various possible features have been hypothesized. Most popular is the description of the “hormone of youth” as the long-term dynamics of DHEA levels are characterized by a sharp age-related decline in the late adulthood and later. Low levels of DHEA are, however, associated not only with the ageing process but also with diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases and some neurological or immunological entities. In the past decade, a number of brief studies have concentrated on these relationships and also on the role of exogenous DHEA in health, disease and human well-being. This article tries to summarize some of the most important facts achieved recently., P. Celec, L. Stárka., and Obsahuje bibliografii
This study aimed to examine relationships between DHEA(S), anthropometric parameters, oral glucose tolerance test derived data and lipid spectra in a Czech non-diabetic population. 380 healthy volunteers both with and without a family history of diabetes type 2 (DM2) were en rolled into the study (women: n=235, age 28.9±9.4 years, BMI 22.3±4.5 kg/m2, men: n=145, age 32.3±10.0 years, BMI 24.7±3.6 kg/m2). Spearman’s correlations (both without and with the adjustment for age, age and BMI), as well as ANCOVA were used. Non-adjusted data showed many “beneficial” correlations between DHEA(S) and both anthropometric and metabolic variables. Statistical analysis revealed that almost all correlations of DHEA(S) to adiposity and fat distribution in men as well as in women disappeared after the adjustment. There are, however, differences between men and women in the correlation of DHEA(S) to insulin sensitivity and lipid levels. The use of hormonal contraceptives (COC) is also an important factor in this relationship. In men and also in women using COC, DHEA-S after adjustment correlated positively with fasting and stimulated glucose, insulin and C-peptide, and negatively with insulin sensitivity. In this respect, the benefit of DHEA(S) supplementation seems - at least in terms of its alleged antiobesity and antidiabetogenic effects - to be more than controversial., B. Bendlová, J. Vrbíková, M. Hill, M. Vaňková, P. Lukášová, J. Včelák, D. Vejražková, K. Dvořáková, R. Hampl, K. Vondra, L. Stárka., and Obsahuje bibliografii a bibliografické odkazy
In this note, we are concerned with delay-dependent stability of high-order delay systems of neutral type. A bound of unstable eigenvalues of the systems is derived by the spectral radius of a nonnegative matrix. The nonnegative matrix is related to the coefficient matrices. A stability criterion is presented which is a necessary and sufficient condition for the delay-dependent stability of the systems. Based on the criterion, a numerical algorithm is provided which avoids the computation of the coefficients of the characteristic function. Under some conditions, the presented results are less conservative than those reported. A numerical example is given to illustrate the main results.
We studied delayed effects of elevated plasma levels of corticosterone (Cort) on volumetry, neuronal quantity, and gross marks of neurodegeneration in the hippocampal formation of Long-Evans rats. Animals were exposed to increased CORT levels for three weeks via implanted subcutaneous pellets. Volumetry, neuronal quantification and gros s marks of degeneration were measured seven weeks after the termination of CORT treatment. We observed significant differences in volumes and especially in laterality of hippocampal subfields between control and CORT- treated animals. We found th at the left hippocampus was substantially larger than the right hippocampus in the corticosterone-treated group, but not in the control group. In the control group, on the other hand, right hippocampal volume was markedly higher than all other measured volumes (hippocampal left control, hippocampal left CORT-treated and hippocampal right CORT-treated). Left hippocampal volume did not differ between the groups., P. Zach, J. Mrzílková, L. Řezáčová, A. Stuchlík, K. Valeš., and Obsahuje bibliografii
We compared delayed fluorescence (DF) excitation spectrometry with radiocarbon (14C) technique using a monoalgal culture of Chlorella vulgaris grown under natural temperature and irradiance. This was done by monitoring the DF, in parallel to quantum efficiency (QE) and index of radiant energy utilization efficiency (Ψ) as calculated on the basis of carbon uptake measurements by radiocarbon technique. During the diurnal cycle, temperature, irradiance, and chlorophyll (Chl) contents were monitored in the algal culture that was kept in an open transparent plastic tank submerged at the surface of Lake Kinneret, Israel. The DF signal correlated with both the QE (r 2 = 0.869, p<0.01) and Ψ (r 2 = 0.977, p<0.01) during a diurnal cycle. We suggest that, besides the measurement of active Chl and phytoplankton population composition, the DF signal provides additional information on the QE and Ψ in phytoplankton population. and E. Kurzbaum, W. Eckert, Y. Z. Yacobi.