Abstract
Experimenting is one of the basic tools for design and improvement of products and manufacturing processes. Experiments conducted in industrial conditions should marginally interfere with course of a studied process. These expectations are fulfilled in the best way by so-called passive experiments, in which data is gathered using records obtained from processes conducted in their natural environment and real conditions, without any alteration of set-up parameters. However, it is difficult to control interference originating from variability of studied factors during course of such experiments. That is why use of passive experiments in practice is limited. It is probably caused by distrust regarding credibility of obtained results. Aim of the paper is to compare results obtained from passive and active experiments, conducted in comparable conditions during a process of manufacturing of a selected product and presentation of guidelines for application of passive experiments, developed on the basis of the obtained results.

Abstract
This paper presents an analytical dynamic model of a modular multilevel converter (MMC) in grid-connected operating mode. The proposed model is then efficiently used to design a circulating current controller. The proposed controller can accurately study the dynamic and steady-state performance of the converter through harmonic evaluations. Based on this configuration, the modulation is accomplished so that the stable performance of the converter in the network is obtained, which is considered as the foremost novelty of the proposed control method over existing control methods. In order to mitigate the circulating currents, the proposed controller inserts an estimated second harmonic component into modulation indices, which is considered as the second novelty of the proposed control method. The functionality and capability of the proposed control method are validated using detailed theoretical analysis and simulations with MATLAB/Simulink.

Abstract

Abstract
INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES. The knowledge and skills that enable pregnant women to adopt healthy lifestyles is broad and complex. In addition to factual knowledge, the adoption of health behaviours also implies a set of emotional, cognitive and behavioural skills that allow the use of this knowledge in the context of pregnancy. METHODOLOGY. Cross-sectional, quantitative, descriptive-correlational study with non-probabilistic, intentional sample by convenience (n = 404 pregnant women) with a mean age of 32 years. They answered the sociodemographic, obstetrical and HLS-EU-PT questionnaire (National School of Public Health, 2014). Following the methodology used in the European Survey, four ways of dealing with relevant health information were recognized. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION. Overall, 36.9% of pregnant women presented a problematic level of health literacy, 40.1%, 39.9% and 38.4%, a sufficient level of health literacy in the area of Health Care, Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, respectively. The factorial analysis demonstrates the validity of its framework. The alpha values of the items are above 0.9.The correlations between the different domains and the overall value are all positive and above 0.8. All dimensions of the scale correlate with each other in a statistically significant way, with values for the different domains. The split-half coefficient was alpha = 0.939 in the first half and alpha = 0.930 in the second half. CONCLUSIONS. The results of the present study support the psychometric adequacy of the European Questionnaire on Health Literacy - (HLS-EU-PT) for the population of pregnant women, indicating that it could be used in future trials.

Abstract
Compared to general purpose programming languages, domain specific languages (DSLs) targeting adaptive embedded software development provide a very promising alternative for developing clean and error free run-time adaptations. However, the ability to use several rules in a single adaptation strategy, as allowed by some DSLs, may lead to conflicts and reachability issues, which can eventually lead to functional bugs. Traditionally, such conflict analysis is done using software testing or manual manipulation of automata based models of rules. However, both of these techniques are error-prone and thus can lead to unwanted situations. As an accurate alternative, we propose to use model checking for rule conflict and reachability analysis in DSL adaptation. In particular, this paper provides an approach to formally model DSL adaptation specifications, along with their rules, and identifies a set of generic temporal properties to check for reachability and other rule conflicts, using the finite and infinite state-space based model checking capabilities of nuXmv model checker. For illustration, formal analyses of an energy aware CPU scheduling algorithm, i.e, PAST, for adaptivity rules for a stereo navigation system and for a context aware application are presented. © 2018 IEEE.

Abstract
Despite connections and common traits between geopolitics and international business based on geography and location, literature on this matter is somewhat scarce. This chapter aims to contribute to this literature gap. Using the Russian Federation as a case study and by framing its geopolitical situation, it seeks to answer the following question: What is the importance of geopolitical factors in international location decisions? Applying a hybrid methodology which combines qualitative and quantitative analyses, the chapter concludes though Russia has an innately favorable geopolitical situation, its full potential is not being exploited, remaining latent and underutilized. Additionally, the pragmatic standing of Russia's foreign policy, the permanence of some structures recalling the USSR and the persistence of corruption, and an unsteady business environment place constraints on improving the open market and raises obstacles to FDI.