Customer Preferences for Organic Agriculture Produce in the Czech Republic: 2016 and 2019

The article analyses the customer attitude towards the qualities and benefits of organic agriculture production for farmers and customers in the Czech Republic, comparing the situation in 2016 and 2019. More than 2500 respondents were subject to the marketing research in the years 2016 and 2019. The data were processed using correspondence analysis and logistic regression. The research study shows that the number of respondents who consider organic food is growing; at the same time, there is a rather large share of consumers who believe organic food to be of better quality. The results show a favourable change in the popularity of organic food. While, in 2016, the main decisive factor in shopping for organic food was its price, in 2019, the main criterion, for the respondents, was quality, with the criterion of price being complemented by the perception of organic food as healthier than conventional food. At the same time, it was established that, the amount spent on organic food in 2019 was higher than that in 2016. This finding was in positive correlation with the increase in respondents’ income. For farmers, organic farming is a promising alternative to conventional agriculture due to a rising demand for organic produce.

Influence of changing working conditions on exit from paid employment among workers with a chronic disease

ObjectivesTo investigate the relation between changes in working conditions and exit from paid employment among workers with a chronic disease.MethodsSix waves from the longitudinal Study on Transitions in Employment, Ability and Motivation (2010–2016), enriched with tax-based employment information from Statistics Netherlands (2011–2017), were available for 4820 chronically ill workers aged 45–63 years (mean 55.3 years, SD 5.1). A change in working conditions (physical workload, psychological job demands, job autonomy, emotional job demands and social support) was defined as an increase or decrease between two consecutive waves of at least one SD. Discrete-time survival models with repeated measurements were used to estimate the relative risk (RR) of a change in working conditions on exiting paid employment in the following year compared with no change and consecutive favourable working conditions.ResultsA favourable change in physical workload lowered the risk to exit paid employment (RR 0.46, 95% CI 0.22 to 0.94). An adverse change in psychosocial working conditions, especially a decrease in social support (RR 2.07, 95% CI 1.52 to 2.81), increased the likelihood to exit paid employment. In contrast, a favourable change in psychological job demands increased the risk to exit paid employment (RR 1.57, 95% CI 1.09 to 2.24). Multiple adverse changes increased the risk to exit paid employment up to six times (RR 6.06, 95% CI 2.83 to 12.98).ConclusionsChanges in working conditions among workers with chronic diseases influence exit from paid employment. Ensuring that working conditions can be adapted to the needs of workers with a chronic disease may help to extend working life.

Ageing Populations

The changes in demography, together with low investment and poor productivity, have been responsible for the whole of the decline in the trend growth rates of the UK and US economies. Living standards measured by GDP per person are given a boost when the population of working age grows faster than the total population. This favourable change in demography was the situation up to 2008. Until then living standards tended to improve faster than productivity. Since then the total population has been growing faster than the numbers of working age and living standards will now tend to grow less rapidly than productivity. The impact on prosperity has been sharp because we have moved from a favourable to an unfavourable situation.

Chapter VI

Some account of Brimstone-Hill in Montserrat—Favourable change in the author’s situation—He commences merchant with three pence—His various success in dealing in the different islands, and America, and the impositions he meets with in his transactions with Europeans—A curious imposition on human nature—Danger of the surfs...

To compare the efficacy and safety of intravaginal misoprostol and intracervica lcervigel for induction of labour

Background: This randomized prospective study was conducted in the department of obstetrics and Gynaecology Batra Hospital and Medical Research centre from 1st March to 30th April 2008 to compare the safety and efficacy of intravaginal misoprostol and intracervical dinoprostone gel (cervigel) for cervical ripening and induction of labour.Methods: 80 women were recruited in the study. 40 women were administered misoprostol tablet 25ug vaginally while the other 40 were given intracervical cervigel.Results: A total of 85.1% (68 patients) delivered vaginally (33 in the misoprostol group and 35 in the cervigel group) i.e. spontaneous vaginal and assisted vaginal deliveries. The mean interval from start of induction to vaginal delivery was 707.63+146.511 minutes in the misoprostol group and 833.13 +144.36 minutes in the cervigel group with p=0.001 which was significant statistically. Though both the groups showed a favourable change in Bishop’s score after induction but this was not statistically significant. However, the number of doses required in both the groups to produce an effect on cervical ripening and dilation was statistically significant p=0.001, cervigel group requiring lesser dose (42.5% in cervigel vesus 7.5% in the misoprostol group after administration of 1st dose).Conclusions: Both 25ug misoprostol intravaginal and dinoprostone gel intracervical are equally effective and safe for cervical ripening and induction of labour.

THE INFLUENCE OF DIFFERENT VEGETABLE DISPERSION PHASES ON THE ROLLING CONTACT FATIGUE OF BIODEGRADABLE LUBRICATING GREASES

The paper discusses the influence of the vegetable dispersion phase on the rolling contact fatigue of bearings lubricated with ecological lubricating compositions. Four vegetable oils were used for the production of lubricating greases: rapeseed, sunflower, soybean, and castor. For comparison purposes, the synthetic and mineral oils were used as well. The rolling contact fatigue (pitting) of bearings lubricated with particular compositions were investigated and evaluated for each base oil. The tribological tests were carried out using T-03 four-ball machine under high load conditions. Based on the obtained results, it may be concluded that vegetable oils, such as rapeseed, sunflower and castor, as the base of lubricating grease positively affected the rolling contact fatigue of tribosystems lubricated with the above-mentioned compositions in comparison to the control lubricated with greases based on mineral or synthetic oil. There is no favourable change in rolling contact fatigue of tribosystems lubricated with greases based on soybean oil.

Everyday Physical Activity of Students in Nyíregyháza

The popularity of physical education lessons has already been demonstrated by a lot of essays, however, it has also been revealed that this popularity, as well as the frequency of doing sports, tends to decrease at later ages of life. Pursuing sports has a positive effect on academic performance. Introducing PE as an everyday lesson at schools was a milestone in physical education. Provided the aims are realised successfully, the general state of health of students can show a favourable change. The aim of our research, on the one hand, is to reveal how important physical education is as contrasted with other school subjects, according to those students asked. On the other hand, we aim to examine how the certain positive and negative attitudes of the subjects of our study appear in the resulting figures. The research was conducted in the form of self-completion questionnaires in four different funded institutions in Nyíregyháza (n=285), in May, 2014. In the course of evaluation, we have used multivariate function analysis as well as frequency research and cross table reference. Participants mainly regard PE as important as other school subjects, however, boys significantly regard it more important than girls do. Those who do sports on a regular basis were more likely to agree that PE lessons are conducted in a friendly atmosphere than those who do sports less. Significantly, boys tended to agree with positive statements about sport.

Studies of the Prefabricated Housing Construction Market in Poland

The directions of development of the construction market are not only related to the need to own one’s own home but also to increasing functional and economic requirements and conditions of sustainable development. The perception and understanding of prefabrication in housing construction are undoubtedly starting to change. Sustainable construction criteria may constitute a significant turning point and support for the development of new prefabricated housing construction technologies. Entrepreneurs are slowly perceiving an opportunity for the development of prefabrication in the construction market. The implementation and popularisation of ready-made homes will undoubtedly constitute a favourable change in the Polish construction market; however, this will require a modification of habits. This article presents an historical analysis of the development of the prefabricated housing construction market as well as an attempt to answer questions concerning the future of prefabrication in housing construction in Poland based on the conducted studies.

lmpact of aluminium sulphate fertiliser on selected soil properties and the efficiency and quality of pine seedlings in the forest ground tree nursery

The alkalisation of soil is a common phenomenon in forest ground nurseries. Liming, inadequate fertilisation and the use of hard water for irrigation are the main reasons for this alkalisation. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of fertilisation with aluminium sulphate on soil pH, the activity of selected soil enzymes, efficiency as well as the growth parameters of pine seedlings. The study was conducted in a forest nursery, on a plot with soil pH 6.4 in water and 5.9 in 1M KCl. Such a pH is not conducive to the production of conifer seedlings, particularly pines. Two different doses of aluminium sulphate fertiliser were applied: 740 kg ha-1 and 1110 kg ha-1. Both doses significantly reduced the soil pH, whereas soil enzyme activity did not change. The lower dose had a positive impact on the growth parameters of pine seedlings, while the higher dose led to their deterioration. We observed statistically significant differences in average primary and lateral root lengths, number of short roots, and thickness of the neck root of seedlings. One- and 2-year-old seedlings did not show symptoms of nutrient deficiency and neither did concentrations of the investigated macronutrients and selected micronutrients in needles indicate such. After applying the higher fertiliser dose, we observed a favourable change in the composition of mycorrhizae. Out of the potential seedling pathogens we found Cylindrocarpon spp., Fusarium spp.,Phytophthora spp., Pythium spp. and Rhizoctonia solani of which the most frequent were Fusarium oxysporom, Pythium spp. and R. solani. Their occurrence frequency differed between the treatments used in this experiment. This study confirms the positive effects of a low aluminium dose on the performance and growth parameters of pine seedlings. However, on the basis of the conducted experiments, it is difficult to say, whether this positive effect is due to a direct action of aluminium on the seedlings or rather an indirect effect caused by lowering the soil pH, which in tum impacts on mycorrhizae composition and hence pathogen development.