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Tidally induced deformation of icy moons
Pleiner Sládková, Kateřina ; Souček, Ondřej (advisor) ; Rhoden, Alyssa (referee) ; Tosi, Nicola (referee)
Within this Ph.D. project, we have developed and validated a modeling methodol- ogy for the evaluation of the influence of friction in regional and global models of tidal deformation in icy bodies. We focus on the role of friction in two specific scenarios: (i) strike-slip faults within Europa's ice shell (expanding the model by Kalousová et al. (2016)), and (ii) the frictional behavior of fault system known as 'tiger stripes' at the south pole of Enceladus, building upon the 3D model of Enceladus' ice shell developed by Souček et al. (2019). Ad (i), we have developed a mathematical model predicting slip at the strike-slip fault, its neighboring bulk's deformation, and the region's thermal evolution driven by two dissipative processes. First, our investigation focuses on the mechanism of meltwa- ter generation, where results indicate a limited potential for generating near-subsurface meltwater and its confinement to the fault region. Second, we confirmed the physical validity of the 'tidal walking' concept, a theoretical model for generating lateral offsets on Europa's strike-slip faults. We show that fault penetration across the entire shell or reaching a sufficiently low-viscosity zone is necessary for producing observable offset, which is unlikely under current europan conditions. Also, our model's...
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The influence of menus in catering establishments on a sustainable development of tourism
Lochman, Josef ; Vágner, Jiří (advisor) ; Jehlička, Petr (referee) ; Matlovičová, Kvetoslava (referee)
Food accompanies a tourist's stay in a destination from the very beginning to the very end and significantly influences the overall travel experience. However, gastronomic experiences also have a significant impact on the environment, as food has to be produced, transported, and processed. This thesis addresses the environmental issue of tourists' diet in detail. The main purpose is to comprehensively approach the problem from several perspectives. Specifically, the thesis has four objectives: 1) to quantify the amount of food consumed globally in tourism and its environmental requirements; 2) to identify the potential drivers behind excessive negative pressure on the environment; 3) to evaluate the level of environmental sustainability of selected European urban destinations and 4) to consider possible opportunities for the sustainable development of a destination in relation to its gastronomic offer. In terms of theoretical framework, the thesis uses the concept of time geography and the theory of planned behaviour to demonstrate the importance of the role of catering facilities in the environmental sustainability of a destination. The reason for this is primarily the limited movement of tourists and their access to catering facilities. Another key element is the structure of local offer (menus),...
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Characterization of germline alterations affecting genes influencing development and prognosis of specific adult cancers
Jelínková, Sandra ; Kleibl, Zdeněk (advisor) ; Hlaváč, Viktor (referee) ; Hájková, Nikola (referee)
In my dissertation, I studied the genetic predisposition of selected types of cancer that have not been systematically studied in the Czech Republic. We used next-generation panel sequencing to identify germline pathogenic variants. Analysis of 1333 patients with ovarian cancer, 527 patients with endometrial cancer, and 334 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma included sequencing using the CZECANCA panel. A specific CZMELAC panel was prepared for the analysis of 264 melanoma patients. We focused on the identification of pathogenic variants in known predisposition genes. We also evaluated candidate genes and phenotypic characteristics in carriers of pathogenic variants. Analysis of high-risk melanoma patients revealed pathogenic variants in melanoma associated genes in 9/264 (3.4%) patients, and an additional 22 (8.3%) patients carried a pathogenic variant in one of the other predisposition genes. The odds of carrying a pathogenic variant were increased in probands with multiple melanomas and in the presence of melanoma in relatives. The incidence of germline pathogenic variants was highest in ovarian cancer, where pathogenic variants were found in 427/1332 (32.0%) patients, with a predominance of mutations in BRCA1, BRCA2, followed by alterations in other ovarian predisposition genes. Breast and...
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A study of non-volatile nitroso compounds in brewing
Malečková, Michaela ; Sobotníková, Jana (advisor) ; Čabala, Radomír (referee) ; Karabín, Marcel (referee)
4 Abstract Nitroso compounds are beer contaminants related to carcinogenicity and can be naturally formed during brewing. They are generally categorized as volatile and non-volatile. Well-characterized and proven carcinogenic compounds are mostly volatile N-nitrosamines, whereas specific non-volatile nitroso compounds are nearly unknown even by structure. This deficiency limits improvements in health-risk assessment and control of beer. The present study focused on these barely known compounds in beer, related to their molecule structures and natural occurrence in beer and malt. Since these compounds form by nitrite reactions with naturally occurring compounds in beer or raw materials, the beer sample was parallelly treated by nitrite and isotopically labelled nitrite-15N at acidic conditions. Due to isotopic labelling, formed nitrite-related reaction products were distinguished by gas chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. By this approach, up to 22 unknown nitrite-related reaction products (N-products) were found and structurally studied from mass spectrometric fragmentation patterns. Besides previously found N-nitrosoproline and N-nitrosoproline ethyl ester, newly characterized compounds in beer were 4-cyanophenol, pyruvic acid oxime, 2-methoxy-5-nitrophenol, nitrosoguaiacol, and 4-nitrosophenol....
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Response of tree rings and NDVI of Central-European conifers to extreme climatic events
Mašek, Jiří ; Treml, Václav (advisor) ; Šilhán, Karel (referee) ; Piermattei, Alma (referee)
Terrestrial ecosystems, mainly forests are important sinks of atmospheric carbon with high year-to-year variability driven by moisture availability. Trees store carbon in various compartments of the biomass, namely in stems, roots, and leaves. In this doctoral thesis, I investigated climate-growth responses of stem biomass (represented by tree rings) and leaf biomass (represented by normalized difference vegetation index; NDVI) of Pinus sylvestris and Picea abies in temperate forests of Czechia. I was interested in (i) general climate-growth responses and specifically, in reactions to drought and (ii) topographical factors influencing these responses at various spatial scales. We demonstrated that climate-growth responses of both species' tree rings in the lowlands revealed a significant positive and negative influence of moisture and temperature, respectively, while in higher elevations the responses were opposite. At a landscape level, the topography of relief modulated responses of Pinus sylvestris tree rings, while at the large-scale level, the geographical position and elevation (temperature gradients) were the main factors for both species. Responses of NDVI were slightly weaker compared to tree rings and did not show the influence of topography at any scale probably because vegetation...
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Study of pyridine derivatives as potential antimycobacterial active drugs.
Nawrot, Daria Elżbieta ; Doležal, Martin (advisor) ; Musílek, Kamil (referee) ; Musiol, Robert (referee)
Univerzita Karlova, Farmaceutická fakulta v Hradci Králové Katedra Katedra farmaceutické chemie a farmaceutické analýzy Kandidát: Daria Nawrot Školitel: Prof. PharmDr. Martin Doležal, Ph.D. Název disertační práce: Studium derivátů pyridinu jako potenciálních antimykobakteriálních léčiv. Mimo období kdy tvořil COVID-19 největší hrozbu pro účinnost zdravotnických systémů na celosvětovém měřítku, zůstává tuberkuloza nejdůležitější příčinou úmrtí na infekční chorobu. Tato skutečnost, spolu se stoupající antibakteriální rezistencí, tvoří zásadní výzvu pro výzkum nových léčiv. Teoretická část tohoto komentáře krátce zvýrazňuje problematiku tuberkulozy a konkrétněji antimikrobiální rezistence. V experimentální části je vedena diskuze o návrhu, syntéze a biologickém hodnocení nových sloučenin zkoumaných během doktorského studia. Navržené sloučeniny byly připraveny a testovány na in vitro aktivitu proti vybraným mykobakteriálním kmenům (M. Avium, M. aurum, M. kansasii, M. smegmatis spolu s kmeny hlavního zájmu - Mtb H37Ra a H37Rv), osmi fungálním kmenům (Candida albicans, Candida krusei, Candida parapsilosis, Candida tropicalis, Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus flavus, Absidia corymbifera, a Trichophyton interdigitale) a osmi bakteriálním kmenům (Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas...
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Hydrophilic Interaction Liquid Chromatography in the Analysis of Intact Glycopeptides
Molnárová, Katarína ; Kozlík, Petr (advisor) ; Coufal, Pavel (referee) ; Cvačka, Josef (referee)
The analysis of glycoproteins represents a significant challenge in glycoproteomics, primarily due to the macro- and microheterogeneity of protein glycosylation. Hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) is a convenient alternative to reversed-phase chromatography, commonly used in glycoproteomic analysis. This dissertation thesis discusses the potential of HILIC in glycoproteomic analysis, ranging from the separation of glycopeptides on polar stationary phases to the use of HILIC in sample preparation processes. First, the effect of acetonitrile concentration on glycopeptide precipitation was investigated, depending on the type of glycan attached. Subsequently, three commercially available stationary phases were tested: a column containing a silica gel modified with five hydroxyl groups, an amide stationary phase, and a zwitterionic stationary phase. Their efficiency in separating glycopeptide isomers, differing only in branching and/or linkage position, was compared. Further research was devoted to the separation of human immunoglobulin G glycopeptides using relatively new columns that have not yet been characterized in glycoproteomic analysis. These columns, provided by Advanced Chromatography Technologies, included unmodified silica gel (HILIC-A), aminopropyl- modified sorbent...
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Black.(Selected cases of phenomena in visual arts, culture and their possibilities in education)
Pfeiffer, Jan ; Fulková, Marie (advisor) ; Havlík, Vladimír (referee) ; Vartecká, Anna (referee)
Univerzita Karlova Pedagogická fakulta DISERTAČNÍ PRÁCE Černá. (Vybrané případy fenoménu ve výtvarném umění, kultuře a jejich možnosti v edukaci) MgA. Jan Pfeiffer 2023 Charles University, Faculty of Education DISSERTATION Black. (Selected cases of phenomena in visual arts, culture and their possibilities in education) MgA. Jan Pfeiffer 2023 Abstract The subject of this work is black, or the designation for color. But it is also an artistic concept and means of expression. The subject of my interest are selected cases of the black phenomenon in visual arts, culture, and their possibilities in education. I understand black as a phenomenon that I explore through my own creative work. In the course of it, I ask myself questions, such as: what stimuli, for example, black gives us and how it is connected with our socio-cultural background and its perception. I also ask contemporary artists working consciously or unconsciously with black, what black enables them in their work, and how it supports them, whether it is crucial for them. My intention is to open new perspectives on the subject of black and its connection with daily life, the ability to treat this phenomenon as a conscious gesture, an opinion - distinguishing different uses of black context. I also examine the possibilities of reasoning verified in...
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Beyond sectarianism: the dynamics of memory in Northern Irish muralism
Rava, Gabriella ; Řehořová, Irena (advisor) ; Asavei, Maria Alina (referee) ; Kocián, Jiří (referee)
Gabriella Rava- Doctoral Thesis Beyond Sectarianism: the Dynamics of Memory in Northern Irish Muralism Abstract: The present research aims to analyze the famous political murals of Northern Ireland within a renewed frame that moves beyond the theoretical dimension that has dominated the study of mural painting in the province. Proposing the concept of 'muralism', which allows for the adoption of a systematic and unitary perspective on this well-rooted practice, this work investigates its contemporary development through the analysis of some functions/trends underlying it. These are identified as: commodification and heritagization, transnationalism, commemoration, archival impulse and the related digitization and archiving of images of murals. These functions/trends, which encompass muralism both within the realm of material culture and digital practices, fall within a theoretical model that describes muralism as a dynamic system through which the communities of Northern Ireland have embodied and transmitted their own collective memories, especially those of the conflict. It is within this model, which highlights the dynamic nature and (auto)poietic character of muralism as a system of memory, that the aforementioned functions/trends are examined, moving on multiple levels of manifestation. These include...
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Unravelling molecular mechanisms of the abasic crosslink DNA repair
Hušková, Andrea ; Šilhán, Jan (advisor) ; Bařinka, Cyril (referee) ; Pavlíček, Jiří (referee)
4 Abstract DNA as the primary carrier of genetic information guarantees organisms to live, grow, develop and reproduce. However, this most vital molecule in the cell is subject to various damages every moment. If it is not repaired, the cell and the organism will eventually succumb to inevitable destruction. One of the most serious damages is abasic site interstrand crosslink (Ap-ICL). Ap-ICL is formed spontaneously when an abasic site covalently pairs with an adenine on the opposite strand. The lack of information on repair mechanisms, the influence of the local sequence and its stability leads to questions about the fate, toxicity and occurrence of these lesions in cells. During evolution, several mechanisms have evolved to repair these and other damages to ensure the organism's survival. A recently discovered pathway known to repair Ap-ICL is named after the DNA glycosylase responsible for removing Ap-ICL. NEIL3 DNA glycosylase is recruited to Ap-ICL by ubiquitylation of DNA helicase, which is part of the DNA replication complex. NEIL3 glycosylase contains several zinc-finger domains, that bind to the damaged DNA and ensure its catalytic function. The molecular mechanism of the NEIL3 glycosylase repair process is currently not known. In order to answer the aforementioned unknowns, the rate of formation,...
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