Tomas Bata University in Zlín
Institutional repository of Tomas Bata University LibraryNot a member yet
10673 research outputs found
Sort by
The impact of extension services and policies on cocoa productivity in the western region of Ghana
No full textCocoa production dominates the agriculture sector in Ghana and plays a crucial role in the domestic economy and the world economy. However, over the past decade cocoa production in Ghana has been baffled with low productivity prompting successive governments and stakeholders to come up with policies and initiatives to improve production. However, despite these numerous policies, Ghana continuous to have the lowest average yield in relation to international comparisons. This study used the Structural Equation Model (SEM) and data for this study was sourced from 90 cocoa farmers in Juaboso, Bia West and Bibiani districts in the Western region of Ghana using semi structured questionnaires and the simple random and purposive sampling techniques. The Structural Equation Model results have also demonstrated that the most significant factors (policies) affecting cocoa productivity in the study area were the fertilizer subsidies offered by the government and the extension services provided by the ministry of agriculture in collaboration with the Ghana COCOBOD. However, the CODAPEC mass spraying exercise didn't contribute significance to cocoa productivity.Internal Grant Agency of the Faculty of Management & Economics of Tomas Bata University in Zlin [IGA/FaME/2021/004
Comparative degradation study of a biodegradable composite based on polylactide with halloysite nanotubes and a polyacrylic acid copolymer
Get PDFThis study investigates the optimal composition of two additives to accelerate the degradation mechanism of polylactide (PLA) material under different conditions: abiotic hydrolysis, biotic degradation and composting conditions at the laboratory scale level. The composites were prepared from a PLA matrix with a synthesised additive based on a copolymer of polylactic acid and polyacrylic acid (PLA-g-PAA) with inorganic filler halloysite (HNT). The aim was to design a composite material with improved physical and chemical properties and accelerated degradability than conventional PLA, which would apply to products incapable of mechanical or chemical recycling. The addition of HNT alone helped increase Young's modulus by 15-25 % but worsened the elongation, which was compensated by adding a second additive in the composite. The experimental data from abiotic hydrolysis and biodegradation were processed using appropriate kinetic models. Abiotic hydrolysis was recorded by changes in molecular weights and released carbon (GPC, TOC-L), confirming its acceleration in PLA/ 5H/20PLA-g-PAA composites by a faster release of ester bonds in PLA. A similar effect was observed during biotic degradation using the measured CO2 content (GC instrument), which was demonstrated by accelerating from 0.0238 day-1 for neat PLA to 0.0397 day-1. In composting conditions, the course was the fastest up to 45 days; samples containing additives were disintegrated by 94.1-99.8 %, without depreciating the properties of compost and plant germination.RP/CPS/2022/002; IGA/CPS/2021/002; Ministerstvo Školství, Mládeže a Tělovýchovy, MŠMT: 8JPL19031Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic [8JPL19031]; Internal Grant Agency of TBU in Zlin [IGA/CPS/2021/002]; DKRVO of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic [RP/CPS/2022/002
Long-term antimicrobial effect of polylactide-based composites suitable for biomedical use
Get PDFThis work deals with the preparation and characterization of antimicrobial polymeric composite materials based on polylactide, which is currently widely investigated to produce temporary implants. Polylactide was blended with antimicrobial fillers: silver, hexadecylpyridinium or hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromides anchored on vermiculite or graphene oxide matrices in an amount of 1% wt. The prepared samples were characterized by conventional methods, further they were exposed to degradation tests in physiological saline conditions and characterized for their antimicrobial properties using common pathogen microorganisms. It has been proven that the prepared polylactide composites change their antimicrobial effects after being in physiological saline of pH 7 and 9 for 0-6 months. The weight of the composites changed by about 10%, and antimicrobial properties were growing over time. The effectiveness of the composites was confirmed for 6 months at minimum. Therefore, they are suitable for the preparation of temporary stents, catheters or implants suitable for fracture fixation.European Commission, EC: LINKA20364; Ministerstvo Školství, Mládeže a Tělovýchovy, MŠMT; Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, CSIC: CZ.02.2.69/0.0/0.0/19_073/0016945, DGS/INDIVIDUAL/2020-001MSMT Operational program Research, development and education - European Union; CSIC [CZ.02.1.01/0.0/0.0/17_049/0008441]; MSMT Operational Programme Research, Development and Education [CZ.02.1.01/0.0/0.0/17_049/0008441]; [LINKA20364]; [CZ.02.2.69/0.0/0.0/19_073/0016945
Evaluation of breast stiffness pathology based on breast compression during mammography: Proposal for novel breast stiffness scale classification
Get PDFBreast cancer is diagnosed through a patient's Breast Self-Examination (BSE), Clinical Breast Examination (CBE), or para-clinical methods. False negativity of PCM in breast cancer diagnostics leads to a persisting problem associ-ated with breast tumors diagnosed only in advanced stages. As the tumor volume/size at which it becomes inva-sive is not clear, BSE and CBE play an exceedingly important role in the early diagnosis of breast cancer. The quality and effectiveness of BSE and CBE depend on several factors, among which breast stiffness is the most important one. In this study, the authors present four methods for evaluating breast stiffness pathology during mammography examination based on the outputs obtained during the breast compression process, id est, without exposing the patient to X-Ray radiation. Based on the subjective assessment of breast stiffness by experienced medical examiners, a novel breast stiffness classification was designed, and the best method of its objective mea-surement was calibrated to fit the scale. Hence, this study provides an objective tool for the identification of patients who, being unable to perform valid BSE, could benefit from an increased frequency of mammography screening. Dum vivimus servimus.Ministerstvo Školství, Mládeže a Tělovýchovy, MŠMT: SP2021/66; Ostravská Univerzita v OstravěFaculty of Medicine, University of Ostrava, Ostrava, the Czechia [SGS02/LF/2016, SGS16/LF/2017]; Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports from the Specific Research Project [SP2021/66]; VSB-University of Ostrava, Ostrava, the Czechia [SP2021/66]; University of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czechi
The impact of including carbonyl iron particles on the melt electrowriting process
Get PDFMelt electrowriting, a high-resolution additive manufacturing technique, is used in this study to process a magnetic polymer-based blend for the first time. Carbonyl iron (CI) particles homogenously distribute into poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) melts to result in well-defined, highly porous structures or scaffolds comprised of fibers ranging from 30 to 50 µm in diameter. This study observes that CI particle incorporation is possible up to 30 wt% without nozzle clogging, albeit that the highest concentration results in heterogeneous fiber morphologies. In contrast, the direct writing of homogeneous PVDF fibers with up to 15 wt% CI is possible. The fibers can be readily displaced using magnets at concentrations of 1 wt% and above. Combined with good viability of L929 CC1 cells using Live/Dead imaging on scaffolds for all CI concentrations indicates that these formulations have potential for the usage in stimuli-responsive applications such as 4D printing. © 2022 The Authors. Macromolecular Materials and Engineering published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.RP/CPS/2022/003; Joachim Herz Stiftung; Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, DFG: INST 105022/58‐1 FUGG; Volkswagen Foundation: 93418; Ministerstvo Školství, Mládeže a Tělovýchovy, MŠMT; Grantová Agentura České Republiky, GA ČR: 19‐17457S; Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, JMU; Graduate School of Life Sciences, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, GSLSVolkswagen Foundation [93418]; Joachim Herz Foundation; Bavarian State Ministry of Science and the Arts and the University of Wurzburg; German Research Foundation (DFG) State Major Instrumentation Programme [INST 105022/58-1 FUGG]; Czech Science Foundation [19-17457S]; Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic - DKRVO [RP/CPS/2022/003]; Projekt DEA
Online interactive education of people in the field of protection of soft targets
No full textThis article discusses the possibilities of interactive online education of people in the field of protection of soft targets. The initial premise is the fact that at the time of the attack, the victims of the attack (people) are always present and professional assistance is not available until their arrival. In our opinion, educating the general public in suitable areas is key to reducing the negative effects of violent attacks. Our research seeks to find a time- and cost-effective way to educate and train people in this area. The article presents the current progress in our research on this issue. © 2022 IEEE.Tomas Bata University in Zlin, TBU: IGA/CebiaTech/2022/00
Effect of bariatric surgery on fatty liver disease in obese patients: A prospective one year follow-up study
Get PDFBACKGROUND: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), often associated with obesity and metabolic syndrome, manifests itself as steatosis, hepatic fibrosis, cirrhosis, or even end-stage liver disease. NAFLD causes inflammation, insulin resistance and cardiovascular complications. The current study aimed to evaluate the beneficial effects of bariatric surgery on biochemical parameters of hepatic functions in obese patients by comparing them before and one-year after the surgery. METHODS: A total of 72 morbidly obese patients underwent bariatric surgery between 2016 and 2018. The incidence of diabetes mellitus in this group was 29%, median body weight was 124.5 kg (109.0-140.0) and mean body mass index (BMI) was 44.38 ± 6.770 kg/m2. The used surgical procedures included gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomy, laparoscopic gastric plication, and single anastomosis duodeno-ileal bypass-sleeve gastrectomy. Biochemical parameters including ALT/AST ratio (AAR), NAFLD fibrosis score (NFS), hepatic fibrosis index (FIB-4) and Fatty Liver Index (FLI) were evaluated in all patients at the time of surgery and one year after the intervention. RESULTS: Significant improvement after the intervention was observed in 64 patients. A significant reduction in body weight (P<0.0001), waist circumference (P<0.0001), and body mass index (P<0.0001) were observed. NAFLD liver fibrosis index changed significantly (P<0.0001), suggesting a trend of improvement from advanced fibrosis towards stages 0-2. The FIB-4 fibrosis index indicated significant improvement (P=0.0136). Besides, a significant decline in hepatic steatosis (P<0.0001) was observed after bariatric surgery as compared to the pre-surgery fatty liver conditions. CONCLUSION: Among the strategies to overcome NAFLD-associated impediments, bariatric surgery can be considered effective in reducing obesity and metabolic co-morbidities. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04569396).University of Ostrava in The Czech Republi
Slicing aided large scale tomato fruit detection and counting in 360-degree video data from a greenhouse
Get PDFThis paper proposes an automated tomato fruit detection and counting process without a need for any human intervention. First of all, wide images of whole tomato plant rows were extracted from a 360-degree video taken in a greenhouse. These images were utilized to create a new object detection dataset. The original tomato detection methodology uses a deep CNN model with slicing-aided inference. The process encompasses two stages: first, the images are cut into patches for object detection, and consequently, the predictions are stitched back together. The paper also presents an extensive study of post-processing parameters needed to stitch object detections correctly, especially on the patch's borders. Final results reach 83.09% F1 score value on a test set, proving the suitability of the proposed methodology for robotic farming.IGA/CebiaTech/2022/ 001; Technology Agency of the Czech Republic, TACR: FW01010381Technology Agency of the Czech Republic [FW01010381]; Internal Grant Agency of Tomas Bata University [IGA/CebiaTech/2022/001]; Faculty of Applied Informatics, Tomas Bata University in Zli
The impact of single minute exchange of die and total productive maintenance on overall equipment effectiveness
Get PDFDue to intense global competition, manufacturing companies need to improve and optimize productivity, increase production and flexibility, and gain competitive advantages. Companies have begun to look for new approaches and strategies in the field of production management. This includes tools like Single Minute Exchange of Die (SMED) and Total Productive Maintenance (TPM), which aim to manage machines and equipment, reduce waste and lead time, and ensure and enhance competitiveness. The main objective of this study is to explore the connection and the context of the use of industrial engineering tools, namely SMED and TPM, and to monitor and evaluate Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) in industrial companies in the Czech Republic. A comprehensive questionnaire survey of 200 companies and a detailed evaluation of the operational performance of 92 companies were carried out from the third quarter of 2019 to the third quarter of 2020. It was found out that 20.5% of companies implemented SMED, 26.5% of companies implemented TPM, and 54.0% of companies did not monitor and evaluate OEE. The research confirms the theoretical link between SMED and OEE and between OEE and TPM. The statistical significance of the use of SMED and TPM separately was not demonstrated. However, the mutual interaction of using TPM and SMED on the OEE level was proved.Tomas Bata University in Zlin, TBUInternal Grant Agency of FaME TBU in Zlin; TBU in Zlin [IGA/FaME/2019/007
Metrological comparison between heterogeneous surfaces and their imprints
Get PDFThis article seeks to compare the roughness characteristics of surfaces created through unconventional machining technologies, specifically utilizing plasma and laser. Cuts of different thicknesses of material were taken for this purpose. Furthermore, the article presents an evaluation of surfaces obtained from an impression material SILOFLEX (R), followed by the determination of similarities between these impressions and original surfaces. In this work, we mainly aimed to statistically find and determine the differences between the evaluation of surfaces in accordance with ISO 4287, ISO 4288, and ISO 25 178. Next, investigation analysis of the machined and replicated surfaces was done utilizing the contactless profilometer and the follow-up statistical evaluation of measured data from compared surface groups.[IGA/FT/2022/007 TBU