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Photometric observations of occultations of transiting exoplanets can place important constraints on the thermal emission and albedos of their atmospheres. We analyse photometric measurements and derive geometric albedo ($A_\mathrm{g}$) constraints for five hot Jupiters observed with TESS in the optical: WASP-18 b, WASP-36 b, WASP-43 b, WASP-50 b and WASP-51 b. For WASP-43 b, our results are complemented by a VLT/HAWK-I observation in the near-infrared at $2.09~μ$m. We derive the first geometric albedo constraints for WASP-50 b and WASP-51 b: $A_\mathrm{g}, 21 pages, 7 figures

We present the discovery of a unique object, a chemically peculiar Ap-type star showing $\delta$ Scuti pulsations which is bound in an eclipsing binary system with an orbital period shorter than 3 days. HD 99458 is, therefore, a complex astrophysical laboratory opening doors for studying various, often contradictory, physical phenomena at the same time. It is the first Ap star ever discovered in an eclipsing binary. The orbital period of 2.722 days is the second shortest among all known chemically peculiar (CP2) binary stars. Pulsations of $\delta$ Scuti type are also extremely rare among CP2 stars and no unambiguously proven candidate has been reported. HD 99458 was formerly thought to be a star hosting an exoplanet, but we definitely reject this hypothesis by using photometric observations from the K2 mission and new radial velocity measurements. The companion is a low-mass red dwarf star ($M_{2}=0.45(2)$ M$_{\odot}$) on an inclined orbit ($i=73.2(6)$ degrees) that shows only grazing eclipses. The rotation and orbital periods are synchronized, while the rotation and orbital axes are misaligned. HD 99458 is an interesting system deserving of more intense investigations., Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, 4 tables, accepted in MNRAS

Counterurbanisation as a deconcentrating process of settlement systems is connected with population migration from cities to their geographically distant hinterland located beyond the external border of suburbs, i.e. beyond the metropolitan zones. Many authors consider it a low-intensity process empirically hard to identify. Still, in the South Bohemian region of České Budějovice (RCB) counter-urbanisation was confirmed, although it is not a dominant but rather a highly variable process with some effect on the character of settlements. It seems that after a long period of population and socio-economic decline a new rise started in several municipalities of the RCB rural area. The smallest rural settlements (less than 200 residents) boast now the top population growth rate along with the top net migration rate. In general, the volume of immigration flows to the rural area from the centre and suburbs of České Budějovice is higher in absolute figures than the volume of emigration flows from the rural area. The detailed anonymised database of migrants of the Czech Statistical Office makes it possible to analyse the migration volume and direction by municipalities.

A new generation of the WILLIAM (WIde-field aLL-sky Image Analyzing Monitoring system) camera includes new features such as monitoring of rain and storm clouds during the day observation. Development of the new generation of weather monitoring cameras responds to the demand for monitoring of sudden weather changes. However, new WILLIAM cameras are ready to process acquired image data immediately, release warning against sudden torrential rains, and send it to user's cell phone and email. Actual weather conditions are determined from image data, and results of image processing are complemented by data from sensors of temperature, humidity, and atmospheric pressure. In this paper, we present the architecture, image data processing algorithms of mentioned monitoring camera and spatially-variant model of imaging system aberrations based on Zernike polynomials.

Fulfilling the goals of space-based exoplanetary transit surveys, like Kepler and TESS, is impossible without ground-based spectroscopic follow-up. In particular, the first-step vetting of candidates could easily necessitate several hundreds of hours of telescope time -- an area where 2-m class telescopes can play a crucial role. Here, we describe the results from the science verification of the Ond\v{r}ejov Echelle Spectrograph (OES) installed on the 2-m Perek telescope. We discuss the performance of the instrument as well as its suitability for the study of exoplanetary candidates from space-based transit surveys. In spite of being located at an average European observing site, and originally being conceived for the study of variable stars, OES can prove to be an important instrument for the exoplanetary community in the TESS and PLATO era -- reaching accuracies of a few tens of m/s with reasonable sampling and signal-to-noise for sources down to V$\sim$13. The stability of OES is demonstrated via long-term monitoring of the standard star HD~109358, while its validity for exoplanetary candidate verification is shown using three K2 candidates EPIC~210925707, EPIC~206135267 and EPIC~211993818, to reveal that they are false positive detections., Comment: accepted for publication in PASP

Nowadays we consider information technologies to be an essential part of material teaching tools, i.e. tools which the teacher and student use to achieve given educational goals. The use of visual, auditory and audiovisual media has become necessary in contemporary educational practice. The first section of the chapter deals with the options of using cloud tools in teaching geography (e.g. Google Drive, YouTube, forms, advanced search and easy publication of information, online cooperation in teaching, etc.). At the same time, there is presented a practical example of using mobile technology, social networks and infographics in teaching geography. The second section introduces a tool called ArcGIS online for creating maps and map applications, which is a great help in the creation of interactive learning. The following part of chapter is based on a case study, exploring the possibility of using geocaching to teach geography at Czech schools.

Purpose: To evaluate the influence of haemorheopheresis on anatomical and functional findings in patients with soft-drusen maculopathy. Methods: We investigated 29 eyes (16 patients) and randomized 25 eyes (16 controls) with soft-drusen maculopathy [soft, confluent and reticular drusen, drusenoid retinal pigment epithelium detachment (RPED)]. Each patient received a series of eight haemorheophereses (cascade filtration of 1.5 plasma volume) within 10 weeks. The patients were followed up using Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) charts, optical coherence tomography, fluorescein angiography, electroretinography and measurements of pulsed ocular blood flow. Results: After the procedures, there was a substantial reduction in rheologically active substances [lipoproteins, α2-macroglobulin, immunoglobulin M (IgM), fibrinogen], plasma and blood viscosity. At the 1.5-year follow-up, we noticed soft drusen absorption; reattachment of drusenoid RPED and stabilization or improvement of visual acuity occurred in 72% of patients in comparison to only 39% of patients in the control group. Full-field electroretinograms showed significantly higher scotopic activity of treated patients in comparison with the control group, and mainly insignificant differences in photopic activity between both groups. Despite the significant increase of activity in the paramacular retina in treated patients, the differences in amplitudes of multifocal electroretinography (mfERG) average responses were insignificant between groups. Conclusion: Haemorheopheresis seems to be capable of changing the activity of promoters of the natural course of soft-drusen maculopathy, its development and progression. Visual acuity and electrical activity of the retina can be stabilized or even improved. The therapy has been shown to be effective and safe.

The by-product of the current global economic processes is increasing competitive pressure. In conditions of world economy globalization, the Czech Republic was particularly successful in the 1990s, mainly due to the strategy of “low cost economy”. Low costs were the primary source of competitive advantage. Increasing pressure of large countries with cheap labour force does not allow the Czech Republic make its labour costs lower and use this as a source of economic growth and international competitiveness. Therefore the Czech Republic was forced to direct its further economic development towards the knowledgebased economy. Due to this new priority, in the economic policy the innovative abilities of the companies, increasing quality of human resources, as well as research and development of the new technologies became the most important tasks. For the most of companies these trends were tantamount with the necessity of basic changes in production process organization, management, human resources development, etc. Both inner and outer entrepreneurial environments were thus considerably changed and innovative companies become the carriers of comparative advantages in the regional development. The objective of the article is to assess the current position of the Czech Republic in international perspective as far as the innovative efficiency is concerned. The authors also will try to point the strong and weak sides of the innovation system in the Czech Republic. The second part of the paper analyses the innovative potential of particular Czech regions.

Introduction Hemaphereses are sophisticated procedures performed for many indications even in severely ill patients. Many authors consider quite necessary to register as many details as possible of treatments with therapeutic apheresis. WAA meets the requirement to compare data with centers not performing apheresis for the same diagnosis. In Czech Republic hemaphereses are used in a broad spectrum of indications. Since the year 2004 data on hemaphereses done in Czech Republic have been registered. In this paper we present a survey of our to date recordings. Patients and methods Data of performed therapeutic hemaphereses (plasma exchange, erythrocytapheresis, leukapheresis, thrombocytapheresis, photopheresis, immunopheresis, and rheopheresis) have been entered in WAA registry with many details. We have been evaluated 1289 procedures in 216 patients done in our two centers (center I, center II). Results Center I registered 129 procedures in 41 patients, center II 1260 procedures in 175 patients. The patients are divided according to centers specialization (center II has registered 12 long-term treated patients with LDL-apheresis; mean time of therapy 7.1 years and a median of 34 procedures/patient. Side-effects registered in center I and center II were 3.1% and 5.6% of the procedures, respectively. Most frequent side-effects were citrate toxicity, neurovegetative lability, problems with venous access and hypotension. All were easy to treat, no serious events or death occurred. Conclusions In Czech Republic hemaphereses are performed in a broad scale of indications and now it is nearly 5 years that data are registered in our two university centers. In 2004 we entered WAA registry because it meets the requirement to compare data with centers that do not perform aphereses for the same diagnosis. This comparison would certainly improve efficacy of the hemapheresis therapy even further. To enter WAA registry is easy, at no expense and without any problems.

The aim of this work is to arbitrate the incidence of side effects and tolerability of long lasting LDL-apheresis in familial hyperlipoproteinemia. 1200 procedures were performed and the last 463 of them were evaluated. An immunoadsorption method of LDL-apheresis was used (continuous blood cell separator Cobe Spectra; secondary device: automated adsorption-desorption ADA, Medicap; absorption columns: Lipopak). As a whole, 6.26% adverse events were found and subsequently resolved by standard symptomatic therapy. Vaso-vagal reactions (symptoms of neurovegetative lability) were the most common adverse effects, presented as malaise, weakness, slight and short-term drop in blood pressure or other general signs. They were all well controlled by symptomatic therapy. We conclude that LDL-apheresis in the hands of experienced personnel is a safe procedure. An acceptable procedure duration limit, balancing the possibility to achieve a targeted cholesterol level while still maintaining an acceptable patient tolerance, was confirmed to be 4 hours.

This paper deals with evaluation and processing of astronomical image data, which are obtained by a wide-field all-sky image analyzing monitoring system (WILLIAM). The WILLIAM is an additional experimental camera for project MAIA equipped with wide field lens. The system can detect stellar objects as faint as 6th magnitude. Acquired image data are processed by an algorithm for stellar object detection and identification which is based on coordinates transfer function. Cartesian coordinates at the image data are transformed to horizontal coordinate system. This coordinate system allows searching in astronomical catalogues of stellar objects. This paper presents the components of WILLIAM, its measured electro-optical characteristics and some results of identification.

Additional monitoring equipment is commonly used in astronomical imaging. This electro-optical system usually complements the main telescope during acquisition of astronomical phenomena or supports its operation e.g. evaluating the weather conditions. Typically it is a wide-field imaging system, which consists of a digital camera equipped with fish-eye lens. The wide-field imaging system cannot be considered as a space-invariant because of space-variant nature of its input lens. In our previous research efforts we have focused on measurement and analysis of images obtained from the subsidiary all-sky monitor WILLIAM (WIde-field aLL-sky Images Analyzing Monitoring system). Space-variant part of this imaging system consists of input lens with 180 fi angle of view in horizontal and 154 fi in vertical direction. For a precise astronomical measurement over the entire field of view, it is very important to know how the optical aberrations affect characteristics of the imaging system, especially its PSF (Point Spread Function). Two methods were used for characterization of the space-variant PSF, i.e. measurement in the optical laboratory and estimation using acquired images and Zernike polynomials. Analysis of results obtained using these two methods is presented in the paper. Accuracy of astronomical measurements is also discussed while considering the space-variant PSF of the system.

Most of the classical approaches to the measurement and modeling of electro-optical imaging systems rely on the principles of linearity and space invariance (LSI). In our previous research efforts we have focused on measurement and analysis of images obtained from a double station video observation system MAIA (Meteor Automatic Imager and Analyzer). The video acquisition module of this system contains wide-field input lens which contributes to space-variability of the imaging system. For a precise astronomical measurement over the entire field of view, it is very important to comprehend how the characteristics of the imaging system can affect astrometric and photometric outputs. This paper presents an analysis of how the space-variance of the imaging system can affect precision of astrometric and photometric results. This analysis is based on image data acquired in laboratory experiments and astronomical observations with the wide-field system. Methods for efficient calibration of this system to obtain precise astrometric and photometric measurements are also proposed.

The ESA INTEGRAL satellite, launched in October 2002, is the first astrophysical satellite of the European Space Agency ESA with Czech participation. The results of the first 7 years of investigations of various scientific targets e.g. cataclysmic variables, blazars, X-ray sources, and GRBs with the ESA INTEGRAL satellite with Czech participation are briefly presented and discussed.

The European Space Agency ESA INTEGRAL satellite launched in October 2002 is the first astrophysical satellite of the European Space Agency (ESA) with Czech participation. The results of the first 8 years of investigations of various scientific targets are briefly presented and discussed here, with emphasis on cataclysmic variables and blazars with the ESA INTEGRAL satellite with Czech participation.

This paper presents a study of possible utilization of digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) cameras in astronomy. The DSLRs have a great advantage over the professional equipments in better cost efficiency with comparable usability for selected purposes. The quality of electro-optical system in the DSLR camera determines the area where it can be used with acceptable precision. At first a set of important camera parameters for astronomical utilization is introduced in the paper. Color filter array (CFA) structure, demosaicing algorithm, image sensor spectral properties, noise and transfer characteristics are the parameters that belong among the very important ones and these are further analyzed in the paper. Compression of astronomical images using the KLT approach is also described below. The potential impact of these parameters on position and photometric measurement is presented based on the analysis and measurements with the wide-angle lens. The prospective utilization of consumer DSLR camera as a substitute for expensive devices is discussed.

Efficient development of image processing techniques requires a database of suitable test images for verification of the performance, optimization and other related purposes. In this paper, the DEIMOS, an open-source database, is described including its structure and interface. There is a selected application example on high dynamic range content to illustrate the database features. This HDR image database contains a variety of natural scenes captured with a digital single-lens reflex camera (DSLR) under different conditions. The important capture parameters as well as the important characteristics of the camera are part of the database to ensure that the creation of each image is well documented. The DEIMOS database is created gradually step-by-step based upon the contributions of team members.

We analyze the cycles in the possible intermediate polar V795 Her, the optical counterpart of 2RXP J171256.0+333121, using the photometric V band CCD observations obtained within 5 days in 2008. We find that the times of the minimum intensity of the known cycle of ∼2.8028 hours are more stable than those of the peak intensity. We show that while the smoothed profile of the folded intensity curve is single‐peaked, the profile of its residuals is double‐peaked. We resolve the variations of the superimposed cycle of ∼0.01 d during a single night; this cycle is thus not caused by spin modulation of the white dwarf. We discuss our observations in terms of superhumps.

Aims. We investigate the photometric activity of the cataclysmic variable (CV) V795 Her. We pay attention to the time evolution of the length of its superhump cycle Psh. We investigate how well the superhump profile is reproduced in the individual phases Φsh of Psh. We also analyze the mutual relation of the intensity of the superhump light and the superimposed rapid intensity variations. Methods. We used the photometric V-band CCD observations obtained between 2008 and 2010. The observing run on a given night consisted of a dense series of V-band images (exp. time of 20 s), which enabled us to investigate the superhump profile and the superimposed rapid changes. Results. We identified several time segments characterized by a relatively stable Psh and mean intensity level. We find that inside such a segment, the smoothed profile of the intensity curve folded with Psh displays the largest scatter of the residuals of the mean profile in Φsh of the peak intensity and during the decay from this peak. A zone of quiescence occurs at Φsh ≈ 0.6−0.7. The profile of these residuals can be explained if the strength and luminosity of the spiral arms undergo large variations on a timescale much shorter than the segment’s duration, as predicted in a previously developed model, while the conditions for the disk precession remain much more stable. The formation of these arms is considerably faster than their fading. We find that the emission of the superimposed short cycle (∼0.01–0.02 d) in this CV depends on Φsh. We conclude that it does not come from pulsations of the white dwarf or, generally, from the close vicinity of this accretor. We argue that it is flickering with the site in the disk region that produces the superhump. This flickering is not located in the impact of the stream on the disk. V795 Her is a borderline case in the sense that its disk is close to the switch to the cool state. We explain the suppression of the thermal-viscous instability of the disk in V795 Her as caused by the tidal force that is also the reason for the superhumps. This tidal heating can also help to keep the accretion disks in other permanent superhumpers in the hot state.