Dielectric materials are essential components of electronic devices and electric power systems. Consequently, the design and development of new materials with enhanced dielectric response remain of great importance. This dissertation examines three different approaches to enhancing the dielectric response: (i) percolative composites, (ii) polymer blending, and (iii) the induction of …
Knowledge of the pollution activity at the mining and smelting sites and assessment of contamination levels at different sites is not always sufficient for reliable conclusions regarding lead (Pb) provenance and contributions from sources. Pb isotopes have long been used as ‘fingerprints’ of the source of Pb recorded in environmental …
Ferroelectric materials have the ability to convert electrical energy into mechanical energy and vice versa, which makes them widely used as sensors, actuators, and ultrasonic transducers. While their electrical and electromechanical properties are well studied, mechanical properties like Young’s modulus (E) and hardness (H) remain known to a lesser extent. …
Food, water, and sleep form the foundation of human needs, all of which are indispensable. However, unlike sleep, food and water have historically been beyond direct human control. Since ancient times, hunter-gatherers have migrated in search of these essential resources. The advent of agriculture marked a turning point, allowing humans …
This dissertation examines the ecological dynamics of phytoplankton communities in the northern Adriatic Sea, focusing on phenology, environmental drivers, and trophodynamics. The complexity of the region, characterized by the richness of phytoplankton communities, environmental variability and intensive human activities, is not seen as an obstacle but as an opportunity to …
The thesis investigates associations between the biomarkers of lead (Pb) exposure (and mercury (Hg), where applicable) and genetic variability in in vulnerable populations, including pregnant women and their newborns from Italy, Slovenia, and Croatia, as well as Slovenian men of reproductive age. The research utilizes data from the Public Health …
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a diagnostic method that is used for broad range of hospitalized patient, emergency patients, chemotherapy treated and as well the patients that may have infectious diseases. Because the examinations of different patients are usually performed with the same equipment in the same environment, the surfaces …
The rapid advancements in Machine Learning (ML) and Black-Box Optimization (BBO) have led to an increased reliance on benchmarking data for evaluating and comparing algorithms across diverse domain tasks. However, the effective exploitation of this data is hindered by challenges such as syntactic variability, semantic ambiguity, and lack of standardization. …
Permanent magnets are vital parts of various devices, above all, those which are essential for the transition to a green society. However, they are made of materials, including rare-earth elements, for which unlimited availability cannot be taken for granted. Therefore, it is desirable to reduce the content of these materials …
Complex systems, composed of numerous interacting subsystems, exhibit intricate dynamics that are challenging to model and understand. This dissertation focuses on advancing methodologies for detecting the direction and quantifying the strength of couplings in such systems and presents their application to real data. The basics of dynamical systems and chaos …