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MENDELU Repository

Welcome to the Open Repository of research and development results of the Mendel University in Brno. The repository serves to archive Open Access publications of university authors. Publications are automatically sent from the OBD system to the repository in the DSpace system.

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To upload articles and other publications to the repository, contact the Open Science Centre: repozitar@mendelu.cz. Before uploading publications, the record must be created in the OBD system.

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Recent Submissions

Access status: Open Access ,
Comparison of Asian and European Plum Cultivars in Terms of Storability
(Taylor & Francis Inc., 2026) Šnurkovič, Petr; Soural, Ivo; Balík, Josef; Horák, Miroslav; Híc, Pavel; Dočekalová, Hana; Fiala, Jonáš; Nečas, Tomáš
Plums are an important fruit that is widely grown in temperate climates in Europe, such as the Czech Republic. Currently, stone fruits, including plums, are more susceptible to ongoing climate changes, which leads to a lower production. One possible solution is to cultivate Asian species, which show greater resistance in that regard. The fruit of Asian plum trees feature a higher variability of fruit - size, aroma and color. To support more significant distribution of such species in the European temperate zone, it is necessary to monitor their resistance as well as the potential of storing the fruits. The low storage temperature of 1oC vs. 20oC (shelf-life) had a more significant effect on carbon dioxide and ethylene production than the composition of the ultra low oxygen (ULO) atmosphere vs. random atmosphere (RA). Based on the physiological response observed, the "Sorriso Di Primavera" fruit can be classified as having a suppressed climacteric phase.
Access status: Open Access ,
Going Smart in the Brno Metropolitan Area: Local Actors’ Perspectives and Experience
(Routledge Journals, Taylor & Francis Ltd., 2026) Ševčík, Michal; Chaloupková, Markéta; Šmarda, Martin; Vojáček, Filip; Konečný, Ondřej; Hromková, Lenka; Smolík, Josef
Drawing on 16 interviews across the Brno Metropolitan Area (BMA) in the Czech Republic, this article clarifies local actors' perceptions of the smart city (SC) concept, examines the roles of metropolitan and regional governance in advancing it, and documents the implementation of, and experience with, smart projects in both the core city of Brno and its hinterland municipalities. We distinguish between predominantly technocentric and holistic perceptions of the SC concept. While many actors view "smart city" as an overhyped term, tainted by corporate interests and deliberately omitted from the BMA's strategic document, it still emerges in practice through EU-funded Integrated Territorial Investments and other local initiatives. Our analysis highlights the joint regional platform for developing smart measures, compensating for the BMA's limited institutional and financial capacity. Individual municipal SC projects are motivated by grant availability, cost savings, environmental and social objectives, and the goal of enhancing residents' quality of life. COVID-19 accelerated digital adoption, improving communication and access to public services; however, these initiatives sometimes suffer from low citizen uptake and face fiscal and staffing constraints in hinterland municipalities. The article contributes to debates on smart cities and smart territories by offering insights for policymakers and practitioners.
Access status: Open Access ,
Physical contact with male influences uterovaginal junction and sperm storage tubule development in Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) at the onset of the laying cycle
(Taylor & Francis Ltd., 2026) Machura, Marta H.; Lichovníková, Martina; Zmrhal, Vladimír
The sperm storage tubules (SSTs) in the uterovaginal junction (UVJ) of female birds enable long-term sperm storage and are essential for fertility. This study examined how a two-week exposure to a fertile male affects SST morphometry, the incidence of PCNA+ cells (proliferating), and the expression of matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP2) and matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9) in the UVJ of Japanese quail hens. At the beginning of experiment, 8 females with no prior physical or visual contact with a fertile male were selected, along with 8 hens exposed to a fertile male for 14 days. All hens were 42 days old at the beginning of experiment and has begun laying. At 56 days of age, hens from both groups were sacrificed and the UVJ was collected for morphometric, immunohistochemical and gene expression analyses. The results showed that the hens exposed to the male had significantly higher numbers, length and width of SSTs (p < 0.05). The luminal epithelium was thicker, and uterovaginal folds were longer in this group (p < 0.05). PCNA immunostaining revealed a higher incidence of proliferating cells in male-exposed hens (p < 0.05), indicating increased cellular activity within SSTs. Although MMP2 and MMP9 mRNA expression did not differ between groups, immunofluorescence revealed a stronger protein signals in hens exposed to males. The presence of males and mating significantly influences the development of SSTs in quail hens at the beginning of the laying cycle, which can promote a higher capacity for sperm storage.
Access status: Open Access ,
Natural Fiber-Reinforced Composites in Precast Modular Construction: A Critical Review of Structural Viability and Durability Considerations for High-Rise Applications
(Taylor & Francis Inc., 2026) Hosseini, Mahdi; Gaff, Milan; Konvalinka, Petr; Hui, David; Wei, Yang; Ghosh, Pritam; Hosseini, Ahmad; Pandey, Punit Kumar
Natural Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composites (NFRPCs), which utilize renewable lignocellulosic fibers, present a compelling, low-carbon alternative. These materials offer substantial environmental benefits. Furthermore, their low density and high specific stiffness (e.g. flax rivaling E-glass on a weight-normalized basis) make them structurally appealing for lightweight, prefabricated elements in high-rise applications. This critical review synthesized contemporary research on integrating NFRPCs into precast modular structures, rigorously assessing their structural viability, material variability, and long-term durability. The analysis confirmed that NFRPCs are immediately viable for high-performance, secondary applications, such as façade cladding and partition systems. In these roles, they exhibit intrinsically beneficial properties, including a very low thermal conductivity (~0.05-0.15 W/m K) and high acoustic absorption (~0.4-0.8), offering superior integrated thermal and acoustic performance compared to traditional inert materials. Durability is challenged by the hygroscopic nature of lignocellulosic fibers, leading to significant moisture absorption, interface weakening, and substantial mechanical degradation, with retained strength potentially dropping to 40-60% of initial values under severe hygrothermal or alkaline exposure. Compounding this, the high inherent variability of natural fibers results in a large coefficient of variation (~0.30-0.40), which necessitates the use of highly conservative material partial safety factors (~1.8-2.2) in reliability-based design, thereby severely limiting the material's usable load-bearing capacity.
Access status: Open Access ,
Behaviour of European Spruce Bark Beetle—Ips typographus (L.) on Poisoned Traps
(Wiley-Blackwell, 2025) Kula, Emanuel; Hrdlička, Petr
Deployment of poisoned trap trees/logs is an efficient suppressive method to fight Ips typographus (L., 1758) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae), a calamity pest of spruce stands in the European area during the gradation period. Logs from Picea abies (L.) H. Karst., 1881 (Pinales: Pinaceae) laid as traps were baited with IT Ecolure pheromone and were treated with Forester insecticide containing cypermethrin as the active substance. Catching frames were placed under the pheromone trap to gather dead imagines. Behaviour of imagines was observed directly in the field and recorded by camera; video records were evaluated in the laboratory. Higher mean air temperature affected favourably the flight activity of Ips typographus and increased the frequency of arrival on and departure from the surface of poisoned trap trees; the imagines stayed on the trap trees for a shorter time. The numbers of dead imagines under the trap trees did not depend on the temperature. The increasing number of live imagines on poisoned trap trees/logs correlated with the increasing proportion of caught dead imagines, decreasing length of live imagines staying on the trap tree, and increasing frequency of arrival to and departure from the trap tree. The presence of pheromone lure and insecticide treatment induced rectilinear and uninterrupted flight towards and away from the pheromone lure. No attempt was observed to gnaw an entrance hole. Mortality on the poisoned trap tree ranged from 18% to 21%; 40%-60% of poisoned imagines died later due to the contamination.