54 research outputs found
Matjaž KLEMENČIČ, Tadej ŠERUGA, 2019: An overview of the history of the Slovenian community in Ely, Minnesota
No full textThe author presents the scientific monograph by Matjaž Klemenčič and Tadej Šeruga, entitled Overview of the history of the Slovenian community in Ely, Minnesota , which was published in 2019 in the Zora International Book Collection
Nanofiltration of polyamidoamine-epichlorohydrin resins with the aim of reducing the content of dangerous substances
No full textPoliamidamin-epiklorohidrinske (PAE) smole se uporabljajo pri izdelavi različnih vrst papirjev in so namenjene izboljševanju mokre jakosti papirja. Pri proizvodnji PAE smol nastanejo različni klorirani stranski produkti, med katere sodita tudi 1,3-diklor-2-propanol (DCP) in 3-monoklor-propan-1,2-diol (MCPD). Zaradi zmanjševanja vpliva na okolje in potencialne nevarnosti kloriranih stranskih produktov na zdravje ljudi, je v praksi vse večja težnja po proizvodnji tovrstnih smol z nizko vsebnostjo nevarnih stranskih produktov. Za nižanje njihovih koncentracij v obstoječih smolnatih produktih se je v tej magistrski nalogi raziskovalo primernost uporabe membranskih tehnologij. Preko opravljenih diafiltracijskih ciklov PAE smol se je testiralo kompozitne spiralno navite membrane iz različnih filtracijskih razredov: ultrafiltracija, nanofiltracija in reverzna osmoza. Pri tem se je spremljalo stopnjo zadrževanja PAE smol in prepustnost kloriranih stranskih produktov ter istočasno merilo spremembe v permeabilnosti membran. Ugotovljeno je, da je nanofiltracija s premerom por od 150-300 Daltonov najbolj primerna za zniževanje vsebnosti stranskih produktov, reverzna osmoza pa je potencialno primerna za koncentriranje stranskih produktov v permeatu, kar zniža količino odpadne vode. Hkrati je bilo ugotovljeno, da je za razredčevanje PAE smol in spiranje membran najbolj uporabna nakisana voda, s primerljivo kislostjo, kot jo imajo osnovne PAE smole. Na tak način je možno doseči dolge diafiltracijske cikle z minimalnim mašenjem membran, kar bo možno v prihodnje prenesti tudi na večji industrijski nivo.Polyamidoamine-epichlorohydrin (PAE) resins are used in the manufacture of various paper grades and are intended to improve the wet strength of paper. During their production, various hazardous chlorinated by-products are produced, including 1,3-dichloro-2-propanol (DCP) and 3-monochlorpropan-1,2-diol (MCPD). In order to reduce their environmental impact and the associated potential risks on human health, there is a growing need in producing PAE resins with lower concentrations of hazardous by-products. This masters\u27 thesis examined the suitability of membrane technology as a solution in lowering their concentrations in existing resinous products. By performing diafiltrations of PAE resins, different filtration classes of composite spiral wound membranes were tested: ultrafiltration, nanofiltration and reverse osmosis. Membranes’ performance in retaining PAE resins and allowing chlorinated by-products to flow through into the permeate was monitored in parallel with continuous measurements of membrane permeability changes due to fouling. It has been established that nanofiltration with pore sizes from 150-300 Daltons is the most suitable for reducing the content of by-products, meanwhile reverse osmosis is potentially suitable for concentrating them in the obtained permeate, which enables recovery of water for further diafiltration of PAE resins. Additionally, it was found that acidic water with a comparable acidity to PAE resins is the most appropriate for dilution of PAE resins and membrane rinsing. In this way, long diafiltration cycles with minimal membrane fouling can be achieved, which will be brought to a higher industrial level in the future
Judgment of the Court of Justice in C-526/14 Tadej Kotnik and Others v. Državni zbor Republike Slovenije and permissibility of granting State aid to financial institutions
No full textThe present work explores the Court of Justice’s decision in C-526/14 Tadej Kotnik and Others, along with its background, elements that led to it and subsequent developments in EU law. The author comments on the Court’s reasoning to discover whether the case was decided meritoriously or per incuriam
Matjaž KLEMENČIČ, Tadej ŠERUGA, 2019: Pregled zgodovine slovenske skupnosti v Elyju, Minnesota: Maribor: Univerzitetna založba Univerze. (Mednarodna knjižna zbirka Zora, 132). 426 str.
No full textThe author presents a scientific monograph by Matjaž Klemenčič and Tadej Šeruga entitled Pregled zgodovine slovenske skupnosti v Elyju, Minnesota [Review of the History of the Slovenian Community in Ely, Minnesota], which was published in 2019 in the Zora International Book Collection.Avtor predstavlja znanstveno monografijo Matjaža Klemenčiča in Tadeja Šeruge z naslovom Pregled zgodovine slovenske skupnosti v Elyju, Minnesota, ki je leta 2019 izšla v Mednarodni knjižni zbirki Zora
Probabilistic Online Robot Learning via Teleoperated Demonstrations for Remote Elderly Care
No full textDaily household tasks involve manipulation in cluttered and unpredictable environments and service robots require complex skills and adaptability to perform such tasks. To this end, we developed a teleoperated online learning approach with a novel skill refinement method, where the operator can make refinements to the initially trained skill by a haptic device. After a refined trajectory is formed, it is used to update a probabilistic trajectory model conditioned to the environment state. Therefore, the initial model can be adapted when unknown variations occur and the method is able to deal with different object positions and initial robot poses. This enables human operators to remotely correct or teach complex robotic manipulation skills. Such an approach can help to alleviate shortages of caretakers in elderly care and reduce travel time between homes of different elderly to reprogram the service robots whenever they get stuck. We performed a human factors experiment on 18 participants teaching a service robot how to empty a dishwasher, which is a common daily household task performed by caregivers. We compared the developed method against three other methods. The results show that the proposed method performs better in terms of how much time it takes to successfully adapt a model and in terms of the perceived workload.Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository 'You share, we take care!' - Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.Human-Robot Interactio
The power of composition
No full textDesigned form is not about creating a good appearance. Nor is it restricted to the small scale. The small scale, however, can be used as a valuable playground and laboratory for large scale landscape designs. Three case studies are compared in which similar compositional principles are used at different scales and complexities: the technical, agricultural, pedagogic social reform landscape of the Gartenreich Dessau-Wörlitz (Duke Leopold III of Anhalt-Dessau, 1760-1830), the theatrical urban design for London connecting the government centre with the landscape panorama (John Nash, 1810-1826) and the residential urban landscape of Borneo-Sporenburg in Amsterdam (West8, 1993-2000). In each we can recognize the formal principles of the picturesque garden. Not the style, image, or shape, but the formal (visual-spatial) principles: landscape fragments that are connected by a route as a scenographic succession of composed scenes or tableaux, using the existing topography as a base. Such timeless compositional principles, as the relation between form and space as the initiator and carrier of structure, are versatile enough to accommodate and generate varying uses and processes. These examples illustrate a landscape architectural position that is in its essence not about problem solving but about creating form as condition for different uses, intended and unintended, expected, and unexpected, for human and non-human practices and experiences.Landscape Architectur
Research data from the corpus of Slovenian crime fiction by Sergej Verč, Tone Frelih, Avgust Demšar, Tadej Golob, Mojca Širok and Irena Svetek from the perspectives of gender, ethnicity and class
No full textDani raziskovalni podatki so del večletne sistematične raziskave, v kateri je avtor analiziral serijske in sodobne slovenske kriminalke s perspektiv kulturnih študij. Raziskava je izhajala iz študij reprezentacij, ki prek analize ponavljajočih se reprezentacij (seksualnosti, spola, etničnosti in razreda) reflektirajo prevladujoče reprezentacijske režime (konservativne, liberalne ali kritične) in njihovo politiko reprezentacij. Avtor raziskave je v svojem preteklem raziskovalnem delu ugotovil, da so v omenjenih romanih identitete likov morilcev in žrtev prevladujoče zaznamovane s seksualnimi konotacijami (samskost, prešuštvo, homoseksualnost, promiskuiteta, ločenost, vdovstvo), ki se ne umeščajo v simbolni imaginarij heteronormativne monogamne partnerske zveze. Eden od ciljev raziskave je bil ugotoviti, kako se v analiziranem korpusu petintridesetih romanih šestih sodobnih slovenskih pisateljev in pisateljic serijskih kriminalnih romanov (Tone Frelih, Sergej Verč, Avgust Demšar, Tadej Golob, Irena Svetek in Mojca Širok) seksualno neheteronormativne/ali družbeno nesprejemljive seksualne konotacije likov detektivov, morilcev, žrtev in lažnih osumljencev povezujejo z drugimi identitetnimi označevalci – s spolom, razredom in etničnostjo. Raziskovalni podatki obsegajo petintrideset dekonstrukcijskih tabel v slovenskem in angleškem jeziku. Raziskava ni bila financiranaThe research data presented here are part of a multi-year systematic study in which the author analysed serial and contemporary Slovenian crime novels from the perspectives of cultural studies. The research was based on studies of representations, which reflect on dominant representational regimes (conservative, liberal or critical) and their politics of representation through the analysis of recurrent representations of (sexuality,) gender, ethnicity and class. In his previous research work, the author of this study found that in the novels in question, the identities of the characters of the murderers and victims are predominantly marked by sexual connotations (singleness, adultery, homosexuality, promiscuity, divorce, widowhood) that do not fit into the symbolic imaginary of a heteronormative monogamous partnership. One of the aims of the research was to find out how the corpora of thirty-five novels by six contemporary Slovenian writers of serial crime novels (Tone Frelih, Sergej Verč, Avgust Demšar, Tadej Golob, Irena Svetek and Mojca Širok) link the sexually non-heteronormative/ or socially unacceptable sexual connotations of the characters of detectives, murderers, victims and false suspects with other identity markers - gender, class and ethnicity. The research data comprises thirty-five deconstruction tables in Slovenian and English. The research was not funded
Creativity of biotechnological immunology: invention, naturalness and being
No full textThe article discusses three intertwined issues posed by the modern biotechnological immunology and its creativity potential: invention, naturalness and Being. In the first part, the author reflects on evolutionary paradigm and Peter Sloterdijk’s theory of immunology, particularly in their relation to the biotechnological enhancement of human beings. The second part discusses Being’s own naturalness and the possibility of creative invention. In the third part, the author combines these viewpoints to highlight some metaphysical challenges of biotechnological immunology. Most importantly the forgotten question of what does it mean to be, especially after the postmetaphysical annulment of the possibility of death. The core thesis argues for the naturalness of the creative biotechnological practice for preventive and reparative purposes.
First published online: 11 Apr 201
Pool-boiling performance on thin metal foils with graphene-oxide-nanoflake deposit
No full textThe pool-boiling performance of water on thin metal foils with graphene-oxide deposition was studied. The boiling performance was evaluated both on fully coated surfaces, achieved by spin-coating, and surfaces with a laser-textured nucleation site, into which graphene oxide was added via drop-casting. During the experiments, a high-speed IR camera was used to obtain the transient temperature and heat-flux distribution. At the same time, a high-speed video camera was used to acquire synchronized bubble-growth recordings. In addition, a surface-wettability analysis was conducted for all the samples. In the case of fully coated samples, graphene-oxide deposition resulted in an increased number of active nucleation sites and an increase in the nucleation temperature, leading to a lowered nucleation frequency. Meanwhile, samples with a single laser-textured nucleation site enabled the analysis of isolated vapor bubbles, confirming that graphene-oxide deposition leads to a higher nucleation temperature, consequently resulting in a larger bubble-departure diameter and longer growth time. Two explanations for the results are proposed: the wettability of graphene-oxide deposition and the filling of surface microcavities with graphene-oxide nanoflakes
Channel closure in large sand-bed braided rivers
No full textIn large braided rivers, river training is often required to protect the banks against erosion, to improve navigability and for land reclamation. Closing one of the channels is a promising option to achieve these goals. However, there is a lack of systematic research on channel closures and no guidelines for their use exist. In the few documented cases, the river reopened the closed branch by eroding a channel across the island that separated the channels. The goal of this study is to analyse the consequences of closure, find the variables that affect channel reopening and provide guidelines for channel closures. The problem is studied with a numerical Delft3D model. A simplified reference case is set up, with two branches separated by an island. It is based on typical reaches of large braided rivers. Initially, one of the channels is closed with a combination of a weir in the channel and a short embankment on the island. A bypass channel is eroded around the weir in the first weeks of the wet season. A sensitivity analysis of different physical properties is performed in order to determine how general the simplified case is. Quantitative results vary, but the qualitative morphological response to closure remains similar. The largest part of the study consists of analysing simulations with various interventions. Combinations of a weir in the channel and embankment on the island, multiple weirs, roughness elements, vegetation and partial closures with bandals are tested in different positions along the channel. Analysis is extended by including simulations with higher water levels, four additional geometries and some longer-term simulations. Finally, aggregated results are analysed to find connections between variables. Channel reopening due to formation of channels on the island is the main cause of reduction in closure effectiveness. Bypass channels of varied depth form around the intervention in most cases. Channels across the island mostly occur when longer embankments are used. Their extent is less predictable and increases in time, so they should be avoided. The type of channel on the island that will most likely develop can be predicted from the initial hydrodynamic conditions after closure. Correlation between erosion of channels on the island and the initial hydrodynamic conditions is found. The water level gradient is the most important parameter that determines the location and degree of channel erosion. Water depth on the island plays a role when water levels are relatively low. Higher water levels cause more erosion, which can be mostly prevented with the use of submerged weirs. Flow patterns on the island determine the exact position of the eroded channels and directly contribute to erosion. Sediment supply to the newly formed channels reduces their growth. Deposition in the closed branch improves conditions over time, especially with interventions that do not block the channel fully. Length and width of the island play a role in the extent of erosion on the island, whereas channel and bifurcation asymmetry mostly do not. The best overall solution is found to be a combination of a weir with a long embankment or roughness elements. Further details, such as position of the interventions and weir crest height, depend on goals of closure and water levels in the system.Civil Engineerin
- …
