This thesis aims to set a complex view on the economy of the Russian Federation, show its strengths and weaknesses and evaluate its competitiveness in the context of oil and gas reserves. For this purpose the thesis is divided into three chapters. The first one analyses Russian macroeconomics and rates its efficiency, especially after 2000 and in relation to the global financial and economic crisis in 2008. Furthermore, the thesis describes country's energetic sector, its issues and perspectives, impact on economic growth and consequences of insufficient diversification and Russian dependency on export of resources. The main contribution of the thesis represents the last chapter which aims to identify Russian potential with regard to competitiveness, classify its possibilities, suggest solutions and changes needed to enhance competitiveness and ensure sustainable growth independent on resource prices. In conclusion, possible perspectives of Russian development until 2030 are brought forward. The analysis of competitiveness is based on the methodology of the World Economic Forum and Global competitiveness index.

Substantial evidence exists regarding how skeletal muscles use energy and how this affects muscular performance. What remains unclear is how characteristics of muscle energetics affect whole-body energetics during daily living, and what effects this may have on mobility. The goal of this study was to determine the associations between muscle and whole-body energetics including the relationships between: 1) muscle PCr depletion (∆PCr) in response to light intensity isotonic contractions and the oxygen deficit at the onset of a 30-min treadmill walk (30MTW), and, 2) muscle oxidative capacity and excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC; 30MTW), respiratory exchange ratio (RER; 30MTW), and peak oxygen consumption (VO2 peak) from a graded treadmill test. Eight healthy young (28.4 ± 3.5 years) male participants were studied. Muscle energetics were measured via 31-Phosphorus magnetic resonance spectroscopy (31P-MRS). Muscle ∆PCr was determined as the change in PCr during 2-min of isotonic knee extensor contractions. Muscle oxidative capacity was determined as the rate constant (kPCr) of a PCr recovery following 24-s of maximal isokinetic knee extensor contractions. Whole-body energetic responses to the 30MTW were measured via indirect calorimetry. Oxygen deficit and EPOC were determined as the time constants of the change in oxygen consumption at the onset and offset of the 30MTW, respectively. Respiratory exchange ratio was determined as the mean RER during minutes 7-30 (RER L23), 25-30 (RER L5), and 29-30 (RER L1). Peak oxygen consumption was the highest 30-s average of oxygen consumption during a graded treadmill test, normalized to total mass and lean mass measured by dual-X-ray absorptiometry. Spearman rank correlation coefficients (rs) were calculated to evaluate the associations between independent variables (muscle ∆PCr and oxidative capacity) and dependent variables (oxygen deficit, EPOC, RER, and VO2 peak). Muscle ∆PCr had a positive association (rs = 0.46, p = 0.30) with oxygen deficit. Muscle oxidative capacity had a negative association with EPOC (rs = -0.64, p = 0.14), RER L23 (rs = -0.64, p = 0.14), L5 (rs = -0.68, p = 0.11), and L1 (rs = -0.74, p = 0.07). Muscle oxidative capacity had a positive association with VO2 peak per lean mass (rs = 0.64, p = 0.10), but not VO2 peak per total mass (rs = 0.14, p = 0.75). These results provide promising preliminary evidence that muscle energetics are associated with whole-body energetic response to daily-living type exercise.

This master`s thesis is concerned with a business plan of changing the heating medium. The thesis analyses the current conditions and problems of the company, and offers a business plan, implementation of which will increase the profit of the company and ensure its future growth.

This diploma thesis deals with the history and the development of the gas industry in Czechoslovakia, namely the construction of the transit gas pipeline and development of the gas transit system. One of the part of this thesis is a history of the coal gas and the reasons for its gradual replacement by a natural gas. The metodology of this thesis is based mainly on interviews based on the method of oral history, on archival records, and contemporary literature. Primarily it is focused on oral history fieldwork, particularly on the personal experiences of narrators who were direct participants in the construction. This work is also focused on the circumstances of the negotiations of the construction of a transit gas pipeline and further expansion of the transit system from the seventies to the nineties of the 20th century. Keywords Transit pipeline, natural gas, gas industry, economy, energetics, coal gas, normalization

Introduction: Instrumented gait analysis and inverse dynamics are commonly used in research and clinical practice to calculate lower extremity joint kinetics, such as power and work. However, multisegment foot (MSF) model kinetics have been limited by ground reaction force (GRF) measurements. New technology enables simultaneous capture of plantar pressure and shear stress distributions but has not yet been used with motion capture. Integrating MSF models and pressure/shear measurements will enhance the analysis of foot joint kinetics. The purpose of this study was to develop methodology to integrate these systems, then analyze the effects of speed on foot joint kinetics. Methods: Custom software was developed to synchronize motion capture and pressure/shear data using measured offsets between reference frame origins and time between events. Marker trajectories were used to mask pressure/shear data and construct segment specific GRFs. Inverse dynamics were done in commercial software. Demonstrative data was from 5 healthy adults walking unshod at 3 fixed speeds (1.0, 1.3, and 1.6 m/s, respectively) wearing retroreflective markers according to an MSF model. Plantar shear forces and ankle, midtarsal, and first metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint kinetics were reported. Speed effects on joint net work were evaluated with a repeated measures ANOVA. Results: Plantar shear forces during stance showed some spreading effects (directionally opposing shear forces) that relatively were unaffected by walking speed. Midtarsal joint power seemed to slightly lag behind the ankle, particularly in late stance. Net work at the ankle (p = 0.024), midtarsal (p = 0.023), and MTP (p = 0.009) joints increased with speed. Conclusions: Functionally, the ankle and midtarsal joints became more motorlike with increasing speed by generating more energy than they absorbed, while the MTP joint became more damperlike by absorbing more energy than it generated. System integration appears to be an overall success. Limitations and suggestions for future work are presented.

<p>Development of complex aerospace systems often takes decades of research and testing. High  performing propellants are important to the success of rocket propulsion systems. Development  and testing of new propellants can be expensive and dangerous. Full scale tests are often required  to understand the performance of new propellants. Many industries have started using data science  tools to learn from previous work and conduct smarter tests. Material scientists have started using  these tools to speed up the development of new materials. These data science tools can be used to  speed up the development and design better propellants. I approach the development of new solid  propellants through two steps: Prediction of delivered performance from available literature tests,  prediction of ideal performance using physics-based models. Random Forest models are used to  correlate the ideal performance to delivered performance of a propellant based on the composition  and motor properties. I use Parsimonious Neural Networks (PNNs) to learn interpretable models  for the ideal performance of propellants. I find that the available open literature data is too biased  for the models to learn from and discover families of interpretable models to predict the ideal  performance of propellants. </p>

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Introduction: Recent evidence in isolated mitochondria and permeabilized muscle fibers in ex vivo using simultaneous measurements of O2 consumption and ATP production suggest that mitochondrial efficiency provides an additional mechanism to fine-tune oxidative phosphorylation rate to ATP demand in skeletal muscle. However, in the absence of a direct measurement of both VO2 and ATP synthesis from the same region of the contracting muscle, whether this mechanism plays a role in the skeletal muscle in vivo is still unknown. Purpose: Using a noninvasive approach combining phosphorus and proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (31P/1H-MRS), the present study aimed to determine skeletal muscle ATP synthesis rate and muscle VO2 during a graded dynamic plantar flexion exercise to determine mitochondrial efficiency in contracting skeletal muscle contraction. Method: To measure mitochondrial efficiency under physiological conditions, we applied a recently developed methodological approach in ex vivo to human gastrocnemius muscle in vivo using 31P/1H-MRS noninvasive techniques. We conducted a series of constant workloads and ischemic protocols to assess oxidative ATP synthesis (ATPox) rate and Myoglobin-derived oxygen consumption (Mb-derived VO2). Specifically, during two separate visits, in 12 healthy, sedentary to recreationally active young male adults, we determined the ATPox rate by measuring the initial phosphocreatine (PCr) resynthesis rate during recovery and Mb-derived VO2 during 30 seconds of occlusion at the end of each given exercise workload. Results: The calculated mean power output during constant load performed by all subjects increased linearly at each incremental workload for both 1H and 31P visits. The mean percent coefficient of variation (CV%) at all exercise workloads (25% of WRmax= 6.0 ± 6.6, 50% of WRmax = 4.5 ± 2.7, 75% of WRmax = 4.9 ± 3.9, 100% = 7.0 ± 4.5) demonstrated high reliability and reproductivity in power output between each visit. The mean concentration of PCr consumption at the steady state remained constant between 25 and 50% of WRmax (28.6 ± 1.7 and 28.2 ± 1.4, respectively) but increased linearly beyond 50% of WRmax (75% = 22.9 ± 1.4 mM and 100%= 18.0 ± 1.4 mM, respectively). Mean intracellular pH was not significantly different between 25 and 50% of submaximal workloads (6.98 ± 0.02 and 6.97 ± 0.02, respectively). Intracellular pH dropped to 6.94 ± 0.02 during the last min of exercise at 75% of WRmax and further decreased at 100% of WRmax, (6.87 ± 0.03). The percentage of Mb oxygenation level and partial pressure of oxygen(PO2) at the steady state exhibited a consistent linear decline with increasing workload. Accordingly, a distinct and strong linear relationship was found between the MbO2 and workload (r2 = 0.71). Similarly, as the exercise workload increased, the ATPox synthesis rate also increased linearly throughout all exercise workloads (r2 = 0.45). In contrast, there was no significant change in Mb-derived VO2 with increased exercise workload averaged over a 30 s (r2 = 0.36) and 10 s time frame (r2 = 0.17). As a result, there was no significant correlation between ATPox synthesis rate and Mb-derived VO2 across exercise intensities. However, at rest, the P/O ratio in the gastrocnemius muscle was 1.95 ± 0.68, consistent with theoretical values and previous studies in mice. Conclusion: Despite the decrease in MbO2 (%), Mb-derived VO2 from both 30 and 10 s averages remained relatively constant during the ischemic protocol, likely due to O2 availability limitation induced by the prolonged occlusion and the slow time-resolution for measuring the dMb signal, which precluded the quantification of mitochondrial efficiency during exercise. However, mitochondrial efficiency calculated at rest was in agreement with previously documented values using other methodologies and thus can provide an additional parameter to more comprehensively evaluate mitochondrial function in vivo.

<p>The ignition of energetic materials, and specifically solid propellants, is a complex process</p> <p>that must be safe, consistent, and precisely controlled. There is a wide range of applications with</p> <p>specific ignition requirements for solid propellants including inflation of airbags, propulsion</p> <p>systems (including rockets), as well as arm and fire devices. Currently, electrical or percussion</p> <p>pyrotechnic igniters are most the commonly used ignition systems. These systems must be</p> <p>carefully designed to deliver the proper amount of energy to a specified surface area of the</p> <p>propellant. A photon light source (i.e. flash or laser-based, ranging from UV to IR wavelengths)</p> <p>can potentially be used to ignite energetic materials with lower input energy and more precise</p> <p>spatial and temporal control, thereby improving safety and reliability by eliminating electrical</p> <p>systems used in pyrotechnic igniters. In addition, they could be potentially safer from stray</p> <p>electrical charges causing unintentional ignition.</p> <p>The purpose of this work is to further explore the potential of optical ignition for energetic</p> <p>systems and identify ideal materials that can be used for optical ignition. In order to identify</p> <p>optically sensitive materials, we will study ignition energies, ignition delays, flame temperatures,</p> <p>and other combustion characteristics for possible energetic materials. This research addresses a</p> <p>gap in understanding of optical ignition for energetic materials, as finding and integrating materials</p> <p>that are optically sensitive while still being practical can be extremely challenging. These</p> <p>challenges include: (1) a lack of absorptivity to optical wavelengths in the UV to low-IR range,</p> <p>and subsequently, a very high sensitivity to input energy at the absorptive wavelengths that makes</p> <p>sustained ignition difficult, (2) a need for full density materials in practical energetic systems,</p> <p>while optically sensitive materials are exceedingly difficult to ignite as packing density increases</p> <p>due to heat transfer, and (3) the lack of research regarding novel fuels/oxidizers for the specific</p> <p>purpose of optical ignition.</p> <p>Metal/fluoropolymer energetic materials have been of interest to the energetic materials</p> <p>community for many years. Due to fluorine’s excellent oxidizing ability, they can be used in</p> <p>composite materials with metal fuels to produce energetic materials for a wide variety of</p> <p>applications. Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), polycarbon</p> <p>13</p> <p>monofluoride (PMF), and terpolymers such as tetrafluoroethylene, hexafluoropropylene, and</p> <p>vinylidene fluoride (THV) have already seen extensive use in applications ranging including</p> <p>protective coatings, strain gauges, and electronics. However, when combined with metals such as</p> <p>lithium, magnesium, aluminum, or titanium, they also present an opportunity for a wide variety of</p> <p>energetic materials. For this study, metal/fluoropolymer composites present a novel opportunity</p> <p>for exploring optical ignition of widely absorptive, full-density energetic materials. This work will</p> <p>characterize the combustion and sensitivity of metal/fluoropolymer composites to provide novel</p> <p>materials for optical ignition of energetics.</p> <p>Specifically, this work will begin with finding a suitable energetic composite that is optically</p> <p>sensitive. Once this material has been identified, research will be done to thoroughly characterize</p> <p>the optically sensitive composite by looking at additive manufacturability, flame temperatures, and</p> <p>ignition sensitivities from various methods and formulations. Once the material has been</p> <p>thoroughly characterized, it will be implemented into solid propellants to test the feasibility of the</p> <p>material in practical energetic systems. Finally, the lessons learned from this work will be applied</p> <p>to novel formulations to identify new optically sensitive energetic composites.</p>

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