ABSTRACT The monograph deals with neuroscience and its use in the field of economic disci-plines with an emphasis on management, marketing and business, as well as its use on the basis of intelligent systems. Part of it is the institutionalization of neuroscience in the form of neuro-centers and the possibility of their establishment and management, especially in a university environment. The monograph also responds to problems associated with the application of the neuroscientific approach in economic disciplines and their solution based on an ethical ap-proach and management of this activity. Keywords: neuroscience, neuroeconomics, neuromanagement, neurobusiness, neuro-marketing, consumer neuroscience, nanoneuroscience, neuroethics, code of ethics, neurocen-ter. The monograph is a part of the scientific project VEGA 1/0354/22 - Consumer neu-ro-science - an innovative approach to optimizing sustainable business and marketing perfor-mance based on modern intelligent systems.

INTRODUCTION The stabilized state of the natural environment, which existed millions of years before the first human ancestors appeared on the Earth, is now beginning to change to a slightly destabilized one. The natural balance is disturbed by human activity. Man disposes of the most powerful and productive tool - his brain and an ability to think. This human ability is further enhanced by highly effective mutual communication between the people. In this way, the fruits of the mental work of a person, as an individual, spread faster and are also realized faster. Unlike other animals and plants, man does not draw from his environment only as much as he necessarily needs for his life, but has created high demands and demands for himself, which he calls the standard of living. We have neglected in recent decades, our faith in the general power of the mind technology, which can protect a life from any problem, still persists in us, even if it receives great cracks during major natural and anthropogenic disasters. Humanity often uses natural resources disproportionately with its thoughtless activities, irreversibly contaminates the environment, sometimes not only from our point of view, but also from the point of view of future generations. Humanity also uses natural resources to a large extent to build works that serve several generations and enable the use of alternative and renewable energy sources to an increasing extent (for example, the construction of hydro and wind power plants). The question is whether humanity currently uses and will use the earth's energy and raw material potential in the future to build sufficient environmentally suitable energy resources for the life of future generations. By this, we mean a process that includes not only the transition from energy production from fossil sources to renewable sources, but also the transition to less energy-intensive technologies and to products that require less energy for their operation. The problem from the point of view of the future is not the lack of energy, but the fact that with the growth of energy production, not only production but also environmental pollution increases. The external environment represents the interactions of three natural spheres, namely the atmosphere, hydrosphere and pedosphere, as well as the mutual connection with the biosphere. The authors of the monograph focus their attention precisely on this area. They present the results of their long-term scientific and research activities in these areas. The worldwide problem of surface water pollution is eutrophication, which means the excessive growth of plants and algae in waters with a high content of nutrients, especially nitrogen and phosphorus. In this area, original technical solutions designed by the authors of the monograph are presented, which are protected by domestic and foreign patents granted in the USA, Canada and Japan. For several years, the authors' workplace has focused on the research, prediction and prevention of the spread of the emissions and the immissions of noise, vibrations, non-ionizing radiation, lighting and solid aerosols in the working and living environment. An attention is also focused on the development of methodologies, techniques and technical solutions for minimizing these emissions and immissions. Selected results of scientific research in this area are presented in the monograph. Also interesting are the results of scientific research aimed at the research of heavy metals present in the soils. The results are confronted with the research carried out about 10 years ago in an identical location. The presence of heavy metals represents a serious environmental burden. The attention of the authors of the monograph is focused on the research of the impact of mechanical engineering production on the environment. The results of the scientific research work are presented and focused on "Environmental and Economic Factors and Their Expressions" and "Environmental Evaluation of Mechanical Engineering Products in Their Conceptual Phase". The protection of the environment and the direction towards the development of society, which will enable economic development, increase the standard of living and at the same time preserve nature and resources for future generations, require knowledge of the current state. The result would be a qualitatively and environmentally more acceptable approach to the use of resources, production and consumption, which would not arise on the basis of orders or prohibitions, but on the basis of natural human knowledge, which can be further developed without the threat of sanctions or regulations. The monograph can be an inspiration for researchers in their subject area of research. At the same time, it can help the new generation orientate in the areas of environmental protection.

Techniques of Die Casting

PREFACE The winner of the swimming sprint disciplines is often decided by hundreds of seconds, so all the factors that limit the swimming performance in a given swimming discipline must be perfectly mastered. Swimmers must perform starts in the shortest time possible, swim over a specific course, execute turns and finish the race (the end of the race is completed by touching the touchpad). Start dive is an integral part of every swimming race. Several studies (Cossor & Mason, 2001; Lyttle & Benjanuvatra, 2005; Okuno et al., 2002; Tor, Pease, & Ball, 2014) have shown that start is defined as the time between the signal and the moment when the swimmer reaches the 15-m distance. However, 5 m, 7.5 m, 9 m, 10 m or 12 m were also used as the locations to set the finish of the start phase. Likewise, the swimmer’s head, hip, toe or hands were used as the reference segments (Arellano, Moreno, Martínez, & Oña, 1996; Biel, Fischer, & Kibele, 2010; Lee, Huang, & Lee, 2012; Takeda, Takagi, & Tsubakimoto, 2012; Welcher, Richard, Hinrichs, & George, 2008). There is a relationship between the length of the race and factor loading. In sprint races (50 or 100 m), the race time depends on the start at a rate of 24% (50 m) and 11% (100 m) (Argüelles-Cienfuegos & De La Fuente-Caynzos, 2014). The shorter the race, the more important is the start. The technique of starts in swimming has developed over the years, with two basic types of start – grab start and track start, which differ in the leg position on the starting block. With the grab start, the swimmers place their feet on the front part of the block. With the track start, the swimmer places one of his legs in the front and the other in the rear part of the starting block. This position leads to a more effective upper- and lower-body recruitment during the block phase (Benjanuvatra, Lyttle, Blanksby, & Larkin, 2004; Breed & McElroy, 2000). The grab start appeared in the late 1960s, and the track start appeared in 1973. Both techniques (grab start and track start) coexisted for more than 40s due to disagreements over their advantages. The results of a various of studies (Benjanuvatra, et al., 2004; Blanksby, Nicholson, & Elliott, 2002; Juergens et al., 1999; Shin & Groppel, 1986; Welcher, Hinrichs, & George, 2008) have not shown which of the start technique specified above is more effective. Despite inconsistent findings the track start is more popular with performance and world-class swimmers, which may be attributed to improved stability on the starting block, which reduces the risk of false start and subsequent disqualification (Breed & McElroy, 2000; Vantorre, Seifert, Fernandes, Vilas-Boas & Chollet, 2010a). The start is one of the commonly used block start techniques in competitive swimming (Tanaka et al., 2020), consisting of the block phase, flight phase, water phase, and swim phase (Blanco, Blanca, & Arellano, 2017). Out of all phases, swimmers produce the highest velocity in the block phase. In this phase, the average horizontal takeoff velocity is significantly correlated with times to 5 and 15 m (Garcia-Ramos et al., 2015). Before 2009, swimmers started from traditional starting blocks equipped with handles on both sides. Since 2009, swimmers in Slovakia and worldwide have been using a new starting block (manufactured by Omega) at world-class swim events. The latest block has a rear footrest that is adjustable in the front and rear directions (5 positions in the range of 200 mm) at an angle of 30° (90° rear knee angle) (Swiss Timing, 2014). This technical innovation resulted in the modification of the basic position during the track start. When using the new OSB starting block, swimmers place the rear foot against the so-called kick plate, which resulted in the name of the new start technique – kick start. This fact supposed the decline in grab start and track start popularity in last years’ competition. The dramatic changes in the start techniques in the past years make it necessary to review the current knowledge about this phase of the swimming race. Author

Introduction At present, non-destructive testing is an integral part of virtually all industries. Being able to „see “inside any component without compromising its integrity is a huge advantage and an economic benefit at the same time. Methods of non-destructive material testing use various physical principles that enable finding even the smallest defects, whether on the surface, near the surface but also at greater distances from the surface of the inspected component. The present monograph is focused on an overview of physical principles, approaches and technical equipment of two very well combinable methods of non-destructive testing. The technique of ultrasonic non-destructive testing is one of the volumetric methods for testing materials, and its application makes it possible to check and detect internal defects at any distance from the surface of the tested component. It uses the propagation of mechanical vibrations in solids at high frequencies and their reflection from the acoustic interface. Thanks to the known speed of sound propagation in specific solids, it is possible to determine the position and size of a defect very accurately. The eddy current method belongs to a surface methods category, i.e. its radius of action are the surface and subsurface layers of the tested components. It is based on the principle of eddy currents in the tested object, which are excited by the alternating magnetic field of the probe (coil). Eddy currents tend to close in a loop. If the excited eddy currents reach a defect inside the material or an environment with a different conductivity and permeability, their flow changes. This results in a change in the secondary magnetic field excited by the eddy currents, and thus a change in the volt-ampere characteristic detected by the probe. By combining ultrasonic testing and the eddy current method, it is possible to cover both the surface and near-surface layers, as well as the volume of material below the surface of the component. These methods are widely used in the inspection of cold drawn pipes, for they are able to detect surface cracks, as well as internal defects, across the entire volume of the final product. The great advantage of both methods is the possibility of in situ defect detection in course of the respective technological process. This makes it possible to address the problem immediately and eliminate the same at minimum downtime.