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Robust Regularized Cluster Analysis for High-Dimensional Data
Kalina, Jan ; Vlčková, Katarína
This paper presents new approaches to the hierarchical agglomerative cluster analysis for high-dimensional data. First, we propose a regularized version of the hierarchical cluster analysis for categorical data with a large number of categories. It exploits a regularized version of various test statistics of homogeneity in contingency tables as the measure of distance between two clusters. Further, our aim is cluster analysis of continuous data with a large number of variables. Various regularization techniques tailor-made for high-dimensional data have been proposed, which have however turned out to suffer from a high sensitivity to the presence of outlying measurements in the data. As a robust solution, we recommend to combine two newly proposed methods, namely a regularized version of robust principal component analysis and a regularized Mahalanobis distance, which is based on an asymptotically optimal regularization of the covariance matrix. We bring arguments in favor of the newly proposed methods.
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Specific features of nursing care provided to members of the Church of Scientology.
MATOUŠKOVÁ, Eva
The Church of Scientology was officially registered in Los Angeles in 1954. It is present in more than 150 countries of the world, and is professed by over 8 million people. The founder of the movement is the American author of science fiction and fiction, Laffayete Ron Hubbard, who conducted research in the sphere of the human spirit, summarised in his books "Dianetics". Later on, he focused his research on spiritual beings and their abilities. This gave rise to an applicable religious philosophy - Scientology. It has not been possible to register the Church of Scientology officially in the Czech Republic so far, and therefore it acts as the civil association of "Dianetické centrum" (the Dianetic Centre). The number of its members and sympathisers in this country is not very high, reaching approximately 800 persons. Still, it is important for us to know the differences of this minority, to be able to provide its members with nursing care corresponding to their specific needs. This subject is dealt with by the multi-cultural nursing care studying cultures and religions from the point of view of nursing practice. In connection with globalisation, this subject becomes even more topical. The national, cultural and ethnic structure of the population undergoes gradual changes and the number of foreigners legally residing in the territory of the Czech Republic keeps growing. For this reason, it is important even for nurses to be prepared and have at least the minimum knowledge of multi-cultural / trans-cultural nursing care that will enable them to provide adequate nursing care respecting the specifics in question. The objective of my thesis is to get to know the specific features of nursing care provided to members of the Church of Scientology and to establish the specific features of their life style. To meet the objectives, I set five research questions. Research question 1: Do members of the Church of Scientology have specific needs when they are being provided nursing care? Research question 2: What is the attitude of members of the Church of Scientology to the health care provided in the Czech Republic? Research question 3: Do members of the Church of Scientology have specific spiritual needs? Research question 4: What attitude do members of the Church of Scientology have towards their health? Research question 5: Do members of the Church of Scientology have a specific life style? To collect data for fulfilling my research objectives and obtaining answers to the research questions, I applied the method of qualitative research. To conduct the qualitative research I used the technique of a semi-structured interview with the members of the Church of Scientology attending the Dianetic Centre in Prague. The interview contained altogether 46 questions divided into four areas, and the participants were four men and four women of different ages and different lengths of being members of the Church. The qualitative examination established the main and most distinct specific feature in providing nursing care to members of the Church of Scientology, which is maintaining silence at the time when human mind is weakened. Further, the research showed that scientologists respect physicians and do not exclude them in cases of accidents or danger of life. They normally undergo preventive examinations and do not object to being vaccinated provided that they are supplied with sufficient information. The only exception is psychiatry. Being provided with assists constitutes the only spiritual need, and the Church of Scientology has no specifics in terms of diet. This thesis may be used as a study material for general nurses and students of nursing studies, to expand knowledge in the field of multi-cultural / trans-cultural nursing care, which will facilitate providing culture-specific nursing care to members of this religious minority.
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Use of Interest Rate Models for Interest Rate Risk Management in the Czech Financial Market Environment
Cíchová Králová, Dana ; Arlt, Josef (advisor) ; Cipra, Tomáš (referee) ; Witzany, Jiří (referee)
The main goal of this thesis is to suggest an appropriate approach to interest rate risk modeling in the Czech financial market environment in various situations. Three distinct periods are analyzed. These periods, which are the period before the global financial crisis, period during the financial crisis and in the aftermath of the global financial crisis and calming subsequent debt crisis in the eurozone, are characterized by different evaluation of liquidity and credit risk, different relationship between financial variables and market participants and different degree of market regulations. Within this goal, an application of the BGM model in the Czech financial market environment is crucial. Use of the BGM model for the purpose of predicting a dynamics of a yield curve is not very common. This is firstly due to the fact that primary use of this model is a valuation of interest rate derivatives while ensuring the absence of arbitrage and secondly its application is relatively difficult. Nevertheless, I apply the BGM model to obtain predictions of the probability distributions of interest rates in the Czech and eurozone market environment, because its complexity, direct modeling of a yield curve based on market rates and especially a possibility of parameter estimation based on current swaptions volatilities quotations may lead to a significant improvement of predictions. This improvement was also confirmed in this thesis. Use of swaptions volatilities market quotations is especially useful in the period of unprecedented mone- tary easing and increased number of central banks and other regulators interventions into financial markets that occur after the financial crisis, because it reflects current market expectations which also include future interventions. As a consequence of underdevelopment of the Czech financial market there are no market quotations of Czech koruna denominated swaptions volatilities. I suggest their approximations based on quotations of euro denominated swaptions volatilities and also using volatilities of koruna and euro forward rates. Use of this approach ensures that predictions of the Czech yield curve dynamics contain current market expectations. To my knowledge, any other author has not presented similar application of the BGM model in the Czech financial market environment. In this thesis I further predict a Czech and Euro area money market yield curve dynamics using the CIR and the GP models as representatives of various types of interest rates models to compare these predictions with BGM predictions. I suggest a comprehensive system of three criteria, based on comparison of predicti- ons with reality, to describe a predictive power of selected models and an appropria- teness of their use in the Czech market environment during different situations in the market. This analysis shows that predictions of the Czech money market yield curve dynamics based on the BGM model demonstrate high predictive power and the best 8 quality in comparison with other models. GP model also produces relatively good qua- lity predictions. Conversely, predictions based on the CIR model as a representative of short rate model family completely failed when describing reality. In a situation when the economy allows negative rates and there is simultaneously a significant likelihood of their implementation, I recommend to obtain predictions of Czech money market yield curve dynamics using GP model which allows existence of negative interest rates. This analysis also contains a statistical test for validating the predictive power of each model and information on other tests. Berkowitz test rejects a hypothesis of accurate predictions for each model. However, this fact is common in real data testing even when using relatively good model. This fact is especially caused by difficult fulfilment of test conditions in real world. To my knowledge, such an analysis of the predictive power of selected interest rate models moreover in the Czech financial market environment has not been published yet. The last goal of this thesis is to suggest an appropriate approach to obtaining pre- dictions of Czech government bonds risk premium dynamics. I define this risk premium as a difference between government bond yields and fixed rate of CZK IRS with the same length. I apply the GP model to describe the dynamics of this indicator of the Czech Republic credit risk. In order to obtain a time series of the risk premium which are necessary for estimation of GP model parameters I firstly estimate yield curves of Czech government bonds using Svensson model for each trading day since 2005. Resulting si- mulations of risk premium show that the GP model predicts the real development of risk premiums of all maturities relatively well. Hence, the proposed approach is suitable for modeling of Czech Republic credit risk based on the use of information extracted from financial markets. I have not registered proposed approach to risk premium modeling moreover in the Czech financial market environment in other publications.
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Impact of low oil and natural gas prices on the economy of Qatar since 2014
Šamánek, Ondřej ; Stuchlíková, Zuzana (advisor) ; Hasík, Gabriel (referee)
The bachelor thesis examines the impact of the oil and gas prices slump, which befell the world in 2014, on the economy of Qatar. The main objective of the thesis is to evaluate if and to what extend the price collapse influenced the relevant economic indicators and behaviour of the state and companies active in the affected field. The selected objective is examined using the method of data comparison, namely before and after the price slump, and with the help of the case study, in which the qatari company operating in the oil and gas is examined. From the conducted analysis it is possible to conclude that Qatar was directly influenced by the oil and gas prices collapse: its GDP slumped, fiscal deficit increased. The analysed company also experienced troubles caused by low prices: one year after the price slump, total amount of assigned tenders to company decreased substantially and historically high number of tenders was cancelled. Conclusions deriving from the thesis might be applied to other oil and gas export economies in the Persian Gulf, for fundamental traits of such economies are shared with the economy of Qatar.
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Karyotype differentiation of Euscorpius scorpions (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae) in Europe
Novotný, Tomáš ; Šťáhlavský, František (advisor) ; Ráb, Petr (referee)
The aim of presented work is to provide characteristics of the karyotypes of scorpions of the genus Euscorpius. Genus Euscorpius is a typical representative of scorpions in Europe. Its occurrence is wide throughout Europe. Until now, 18 species of this genus have been described. In this work six species were karyologically analyzed and one species was shown to possess only basic diploid number of chromosomes: E. carpathicus - 2n=90, E. concinnus - 2n=88, E. hadzii - 2n=68, E. sicanus - 2n=66, E. tergestinus - 2n=60, E. naupliensis - 2n=60, E. italicus - 2n=36. Description of the karyotypes revealed that all species studied exhibit achiasmatic meiosis; no presence of sex chromosomes was detected. The basic hypothesis of phylogenetic relationships and karyotype evolution of the genus Euscorpius was outlined. High interspecies variability in chromosome total count was found and by analysis of the 16S rRNA gene the taxonomic status of the species was confirmed. Hence, it seems that cytogenetic methods can contribute to the understanding of species diversity and differentiation of possible cryptic species within the genus Euscorpius.
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Multidisciplinary care in hemodialysis centers.
VYHLIDALOVÁ, Mária
It is inconceivable for only one person to take care of ill people in a health care. To achieve the aim which is in particular maintenance of the highest life quality of specimens in health or in disease, is important mutual cooperation of professionals in the branch, where every single ensure care for a patient on the basis of his own knowledge and skills. It is about team co-operation, where every single member of the team has his own obligations, but also rights and authority. The term multisiciplinary care means co-operation of more scientific branches. Hemodialysis patients'nursing care is about team of professionals, who are fully involved in satisfying patients' needs. This co-operation enables primarily the unitary communication, reduction of patient's issue analysis, unified and consecutive nursing care, complete documentation and quality evaluation of provided nursing care of these patients. The aim of the dissertation was to chart multidicsiplinary care's issues at hemodialysis, on the basis of available literature. The dissertation is based on theoretically processed topic by the method of documents' content analysis and method of review and synthesis. Information is obtained from domestic but also foreign science books, scientific magazines, and internet sources. Findings from the 42nd international conference EDTNA/ERCA, which topic was Innovation of renal care through multi-professional leadership, which took place in Malmö, Sweden, from 31st of August to 3rd of September 2013, also contributed. The dissertation is divided into three basic chapters. The first part is focused on team characteristic. There are definitions, types, features, building, composition, roles, conflicts within a team and elemental description of multidisciplinary co-operation. The second chapter deals with a history and hemodialysis as a medical extracorporal method. The third, and the broadest section, is focused on multidisciplinary co-operation at the centre of hemodialysis. It is divided into several sub-chapters. In each of them the information descend from general field to concrete needs of hemodialysed patient and continue to the description of each member of a multidisciplinary team. The result is comprehensive view on provision of multidisciplinary care in the centres of hemodialysis. The output of the dissertation is a draft of the nursing care algorithm within the purview of multidisciplinary care at the centres of hemodialysis. Multidisciplinary care is necessary requirement for assumption of effective, high quality and continuous medical and nursing care at all the centres.
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Marketing strategy adaptation of Chipotle in Czech markets
Hofmannová, Veronika ; Král, Petr (advisor) ; Janecký, Vlastimil (referee)
This Diploma thesis deals with chain of fast food restaurants named Chipotle, which is predominantly known in the United States of America, and its potential entry into the Czech market. The thesis analyzes the marketing strategy of the company and applies its adaptation for the Czech market. The competitive advantage of the company is using local organic raw ingredients of high quality; therefore, the thesis examines the Czech people´s interest in Mexican cuisine as well as issues of sustainable development. The aim of the thesis is to analyze the marketing strategy of the chain of restaurants with Mexican fast food and subsequently to apply the adaptation of the marketing mix to the conditions at the Czech market.
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Changes in structure and phase composition in the surface of tram rail
Švábenská, Eva ; Roupcová, Pavla ; Schneeweiss, Oldřich
We have investigated structure and phase composition of surface layer of tram rails after long time running and the results were compared with those obtained on the original part of material. Changes due to effects of severe plastic deformation together with thermal shocks by friction process were expected. The information about structure and phase composition was obtained by optical and scanning electron microscopy, X-Ray Powder Diffraction, Mössbauer Spectroscopy and Glow Discharge Emission Spectroscopy (GDOES) and this was completed by microhardness measurements. The results show that the surface layer in comparison with the original material exhibits important changes in grain structure, an increase in microhardness and high content of iron oxide and hydrooxides. According to the depth profile of the chemical composition measured by GDOES there is an increase in carbon content in the surface layer which can be effect of up-hill diffusion.
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A Comparison of Preconditioning Methods for Saddle Point Problems with an Application to Porous Media Flow Problems
Axelsson, Owe ; Blaheta, Radim ; Hasal, Martin
The paper overviews and compares some block preconditioners for the solution of saddle point systems, especially systems arising from the Brinkman model of porous media flow. The considered preconditioners involve different Schur complements as inverse free Schur complement in HSS (Hermitian - Skew Hermitian Splitting preconditioner), Schur complement to the velocity matrix and finally Schur complement to a regularization block in the augmented matrix preconditioner. The inverses appearing in most of the considered Schur complements are approximated by simple sparse approximation techniques as element-by-element and Frobenius norm minimization approaches. A special interest is devoted to problems involving various Darcy, Stokes and Brinkman flow regions, the efficiency of preconditioners in this case is demonstrated by some numerical experiments.
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STRAIN ENGINEERING OF THE ELECTRONIC STRUCTURE OF 2D MATERIALS
del Corro, Elena ; Peňa-Alvarez, M. ; Morales-García, A. ; Bouša, Milan ; Řáhová, Jaroslava ; Kavan, Ladislav ; Kalbáč, Martin ; Frank, Otakar
The research on graphene has attracted much attention since its first successful preparation in 2004. It possesses many unique properties, such as an extreme stiffness and strength, high electron mobility, ballistic transport even at room temperature, superior thermal conductivity and many others. The affection for graphene was followed swiftly by a keen interest in other two dimensional materials like transition metal dichalcogenides. As has been predicted and in part proven experimentally, the electronic properties of these materials can be modified by various means. The most common ones include covalent or non-covalent chemistry, electrochemical, gate or atomic doping, or quantum confinement. None of these methods has proven universal enough in terms of the devices' characteristics or scalability. However, another approach is known mechanical strain/stress, but experiments in that direction are scarce, in spite of their high promises.\nThe primary challenge consists in the understanding of the mechanical properties of 2D materials and in the ability to quantify the lattice deformation. Several techniques can be then used to apply strain to the specimens and thus to induce changes in their electronic structure. We will review their basic concepts and some of the examples so far documented experimentally and/or theoretically.
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