Tomas Bata University in Zlín
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A large-scale decision-making model for the expediency of funding the development of tourism infrastructure in regions
No full textThe main goal of this study was to develop a hybrid decision-making support model regarding the feasibility of financing the development of tourism infrastructure of regions for V4 countries, based on the predicted assessment of the level of tourist movement in relation to the infrastructure and accessibility of the studied regions, expert opinions regarding the level of quality of tourist services and tourism development, as well as opinions of experts regarding the prospects of rapid growth of tourist movement in the region. For the first time, a hybrid fuzzy model for assessing the level of tourism quality in the region was developed, using the opinions of experts regarding the level of quality of tourist services and tourism development. For the first time, a five-layer neuro-fuzzy model was developed to derive a quantitative and linguistic assessment of the level of feasibility of financing the development of tourist infrastructure based on the experience, knowledge, and competences of experts regarding the prospects of rapid growth of tourist movement in the studied region. The research results were tested, and the developed model was verified on real data for 43 regions of the V4 countries
Investigation of selected key indicators of circular economy for implementation processes in sectorial dimensions
Get PDFThe main goal of this study is to investigate and to evaluate the selected indicators of the circular economy to advance the development of effective tools and policies regarding the circular economy system. This investigation is supported by the three research questions covering the topics of dependence of the circular economy on the use of reusable material, help with the reuse of circular material for economic sectors to establish a platform for effective policy development and implementation, and finally, the necessity of quantifying circular economy indicators to obtain an accurate picture of the circular economy sector relationships. The eight research hypotheses are considered, five of which are rejected. The gross investment of the circular economy sector in tangible goods in the both explored variants – expressed in the currency units also as the share of gross domestic product, circular economy sector value added at factor cost, the glass packaging waste recycling rate, the metallic packaging waste recycling rate, and the municipal waste act in the statistically significant way. The study applies a regression analysis technique with consistently validating test outcomes. The discussion section introduces the implications of the analytical outcomes with a potential of the setting current policies in the circular economy system and the construction of the new ones.Agentúra na Podporu Výskumu a Vývoja, APVV, (APVV-21-0188)Slovak Research and Develop-ment Agency [APVV-21-0188
Coating of carbonized leather waste with the conducting polymer polyaniline: Bicontinuous composites for dye adsorption
Get PDFLeather waste carbonized at 800 °C in an inert atmosphere was coated in situ with the conducting polymer polyaniline. The composition of composites varied from neat carbonaceous to polyaniline. Due to the fibrous collagen structure of the original leather after carbonization, the composites had a bicontinuous conducting morphology. The resistivity of composites determined as a function of applied pressure from 0.1 to 10 MPa fell mainly into the range of units to tens of Ω cm. In contrast to neat polyaniline, the composites maintained a good level of conductivity even under alkaline conditions. The application of a composite as an adsorbent of organic-dye pollutants in water treatment was illustrated using methylene blue and methyl orange with an eye to future functional adsorbents controllable by applied electrical potential.Ministerstvo Školství, Mládeže a Tělovýchovy, MŠMT, (RP/CPS/2022/005)Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports of the Czech Republic [RP/CPS/2022/005
Robot automation testing of software using genetic algorithm
No full textThe demand for excellent software has significantly increased in recent years, bringing the importance of testing-related challenges into the limelight. When generating test data for software testing, the test data must be able to unearth potential software defects, while the test adequacy criterion guarantees the quality of test cases. However, optimizing test data during software testing can improve software reliability. Recently, population-based metaheuristic search techniques (e.g., evolutionary testing) have been utilized in software testing. In this study, we propose and implement a method that utilizes a genetic algorithm to optimize test data for robot testing. Due to its advantages over traditional testing methods, several businesses have recently started using robot-automated testing systems for various applications. We implement a Robot Framework (R.F.) where we receive the data generated by a genetic algorithm. Furthermore, this generated data then acts as a request body for R.F. to test the fitness values and use the generated data as our necessary data sets.Tomas Bata University in Zlin, TBU, (IGA/CebiaTech/2023/004
Comprehensive review on waste generation modeling
Get PDFStrategic plans for waste management require information on the current and future waste generation as a primary data source. Over the years, various approaches and methods for waste generation modeling have been presented and applied. This review provides a summary of the tasks that require information on waste generation that are most frequently handled in waste management. It is hypothesized that there is not currently a modeling approach universally suitable for forecasting any fraction of waste. It is also hypothesized that most models do not allow for modeling different scenarios of future development. Almost 360 publications were examined in detail, and all of the tracked attributes are included in the supplementary. A general step-by-step guide to waste generation forecasting, comprising data preparation, pre-processing, processing, and post-processing, was proposed. The problems that occurred in the individual steps were specified, and the authors' recommendations for their solution were provided. A forecasting approach based on a short time series is presented, due to insufficient options of approaches for this problem. An approach is presented for creating projections of waste generation depending on the expected system changes. Researchers and stakeholders can use this document as a supporting material when deciding on a suitable approach to waste generation modeling or waste management plans.Technology Agency of the Czech Republic, TACR; Grantová Agentura České Republiky, GA ČR: FSR FORD 5-6/2022-23/FLKŘ/001; Univerzita Tomáše Bati ve Zlíně; Ministerstvo Životního Prostředí, MŽP: GA 20-00091Y, SS02030008Technology Agency of the Czech Republic; Ministry of the Environment of the Czech Republic [SS02030008]; Czech Science Foundation [FSR FORD 5-6/2022-23/FLKR/001]; Centre of Environmental Research: Waste management, circular economy and environmental security [20-00091Y]; [TIRSMZP719
Enzyme conditioning of chicken collagen and taguchi design of experiments enhancing the yield and quality of prepared gelatins
Get PDFDuring the production of mechanically deboned chicken meat (MDCM), a by-product is created that has no adequate use and is mostly disposed of in rendering plants. Due to the high content of collagen, it is a suitable raw material for the production of gelatin and hydrolysates. The purpose of the paper was to process the MDCM by-product into gelatin by 3-step extraction. An innovative method was used to prepare the starting raw material for gelatin extraction, demineralization in HCl, and conditioning with a proteolytic enzyme. A Taguchi design with two process factors (extraction temperature and extraction time) was used at three levels (42, 46, and 50 °C; 20, 40, and 60 min) to optimize the processing of the MDCM by-product into gelatins. The gel-forming and surface properties of the prepared gelatins were analyzed in detail. Depending on the processing conditions, gelatins are prepared with a gel strength of up to 390 Bloom, a viscosity of 0.9–6.8 mPa·s, a melting point of 29.9–38.4 °C, a gelling point of 14.9–17.6 °C, excellent water- and fat-holding capacity, and good foaming and emulsifying capacity and stability. The advantage of MDCM by-product processing technology is a very high degree of conversion (up to 77%) of the starting collagen raw material to gelatins and the preparation of 3 qualitatively different gelatin fractions suitable for a wide range of food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic applications. Gelatins prepared from MDCM by-product can expand the offer of gelatins from other than beef and pork tissues
Endofibrosis as a cause of peripheral artery disease: a comprehensive review and proposal of two novel algorithms for diagnosis and treatment
Get PDFEndofibrosis is a rare condition affecting blood vessels, occurring mainly among young healthy athletes. This condition arises as progressive stenosis of the iliac arteries, which attenuates the blood circulation of the limb, thus leading to pain during movement. Iliac artery compression was first described in 1984 among professional cyclists. Some authors have reported that up to 10–20% of top athletes are affected. Endofibrosis is one of the rare causes of peripheral artery disease, in which the exact prevalence is unknown, possessing no any accurate data. This comprehensive review is purposed to sum up the current knowledge of endofibrosis and ensure concise information about its etiology, and diagnostic and treatment modalities. In addition, two cases including imagery are purposed to be presented to illustrate the perioperative findings
Employee attitude to organisational change in small and medium-sized enterprises
No full textThe crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic affects the daily operation of organisations, which also brings changes in the life of their workforce. Managing organisational change has been a significant challenge for organisations for several decades. The aim of the research is to assess the behaviour of affected employees toward organisational change. It is examined how different groups of employee's experience change in general and what they think about organisational change. Furthermore, it is explored whether employees understand the motivation behind the change and how does the change impact their organisation. To answer the research questions, a comprehensive questionnaire survey of small and medium-sized enterprises in Hungary was conducted in autumn 2021. The suitability of the application of factor analysis evaluating the dependence of selected areas of the questionnaire was supported by Barlett test a Cronbach's alfa coefficient. For individual hypotheses two-sample t-test, contingency table analysis, and Pearson's Chi-squared test, were applied. The evaluation of the 215 questionnaires shows that the behaviour of employees toward organisational changes is different. The difference in attitudes to the benefit of organizational change for employees were identified, but not for enterprise. Furthermore, the difference in attitudes between employees who have undergone organizational change in the enterprise and those who have not undergone organizational change, were identified too. It is interesting that contingency between the extent to which managers play a role in change and the well-executed nature of change were detected. The practical usage of the research can be helpful for SME management, especially in the HR field. The management can consider that employees may be afraid of the changes if they are ahead of them, but if the change is handled well, people will think positively of it
Innovation activity and the outcomes of B2C, B2B, and B2G E-Commerce in EU countries
No full textThis study quantifies the relationships between innovation activity and the outcomes of business-to-consumer (B2C), business-to-business (B2B), and business-to-government (B2G) e-commerce by companies and the eco-nomic development of EU member countries. The relationship of e-commerce with innovation activities and the economic development of countries was evaluated. The analysis input was represented by annual data from the EU from 2013 to 2021, and the indicators of the e-commerce companies (where B2C, B2B, and B2G represent one variable) were classified according to company size. Twelve e-commerce indicators were analyzed in total. The panel regression analysis confirmed that a higher rate of innovation is associated with a higher rate of e-com-merce, which, in turn, is associated with a higher rate of economic development in countries. Most of the re-lationships explored were confirmed. Nevertheless, when specifying them, it is necessary to consider the specifics of B2C and B2B with B2G. The the cluster analysis demonstrated that Bulgaria and Romania are among the countries that should pay more attention to this issue
Graphene oxide produced from spent coffee grounds in electrospun cellulose acetate scaffolds for tissue engineering applications
Get PDFBiomaterials are widely used in the field of tissue engineering as coatings, scaffolds, or injectables. Since these materials need to be compatible with the biological conditions of the human body, improving the sources and methods of production for biomaterials call for continuous innovation. In this study, fibers were electrospun from cellulose acetate (CA) polymer solution using graphene oxide (GO) as a filler, for bone tissue engineering applications. The GO was synthesized from spent coffee grounds, a carbonaceous source that is discarded abundantly. A non-energy-intensive methodology was used for the production. CA with 5 wt% of GO nanoparticles was dissolved in a dimethylacetamide and acetone solvent mixture to produce the polymer solution. The nanofibrous scaffolds were tested for their morphological and mechanical properties as well as their biocompatibility. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results showed that electrospinning produced smooth nanofibers with very few beads. Fiber diameters decreased with the addition of GO nanoparticles. Mechanical testing showed that modified CA scaffolds exhibited an improved tensile strength of 115.75 kPa on average compared to the pristine ones. In addition, a cell culture study revealed that using graphene oxide as a modifier of the matrix is non-toxic and promoted cell growth. The oxygen-rich and hydrophilic nature of GO played a role in the biocompatibility of the produced fibers. In general, this study showed that agro-residual biomass can be used to produce and modify biomaterials. This aspect contributes to research on sustainable bio-composites and the effort in environmental conservation.IGA/CPS/2022/006, RP/CPS/2022/005; Tomas Bata University in Zlin, TBU; European Cooperation in Science and Technology, COST: CA-17107; Ministerstvo Školství, Mládeže a Tělovýchovy, MŠMT: MSMT-44726/2013; Narodowe Centrum Nauki, NCN: 2019/33/B/ST5/0131