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Price Elasticity of Electricity Revisited: A Meta-Analysis
Šikl, Vojtěch ; Havránková, Zuzana (advisor) ; Petit, Mathieu (referee)
Despite a plethora of empirical research on electricity demand, results regard- ing estimated price elasticities persist to be inconclusive. Our meta-analysis synthesizes 4521 estimates from 413 studies to explore the presence of publi- cation and endogeneity bias. We code for over 100 variables to quantify the response of electricity consumers to price shifts. The price elasticity of electric- ity is inelastic and the short-run elasticity sample average of -0.231 is double (in magnitude) the short-run elasticity corrected for publication bias, which is -0.116. The long-run elasticity adjusted for publication bias is -0.303. We conclude that experimental studies, while also su ering from publication bias, report unbiased elasticities of -0.07. Our thesis also confirms a significant occur- rence of p-hacking across multiple specifications. By employing Bayesian model averaging, we explore the heterogeneity among reported elasticities, finding that factors such as decreasing tari s, demographics and fuel usage controls, daylight hours and number of citations critically influence the variability in findings. The average and marginal price of electricity and time of use tari s play a negligible role in explaining the di erences in estimated elasticities. JEL Classification D01, Q40, Q49, C11 Keywords...
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Reflection on the concept of reproductive health education in primary education.
Scheithauerová, Lenka ; Marádová, Eva (advisor) ; Šulová, Lenka (referee) ; Kovaříková, Miroslava (referee)
The research yielded in the field fails to explain how reproductive health educa-tion has been implemented in primary schools during the 1990s, and how it ful-filled the initial expectations with which it was introduced, from the perspective of its participants. The objective of the presented dissertation is to propose further potential steps towards the advancement of this domain and to identify topics suitable for further research in the field of reproductive health education on the basis of a survey of available sources, current research and presented re-search. The project examines the issue through the perspective of respondents from two countries: the Czech Republic and Spain. These two European nations implemen-ted reproductive health education during the same period, yet with distinct ap-proaches. Spain, with its strong Catholic tradition, contrasts with the Czech Re-public, which registers a relatively low proportion of individuals with declared religious affiliation, according to statistical data from the Czech Statistical Office (ČSÚ) in 2021. The research participants consist of current adolescents and young adults aged 15 to 26 from the Czech Republic and Spain, who attended primary school during the systematic introduction of reproductive health education. The study aimed to...
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The phenomenon of single motherhood in the online space and public opinion
Němcová, Barbora ; Hájek, Martin (advisor) ; Vocásek, Tibor (referee)
The topic of this thesis is analysing the differences in attitudes towards single mothers in public opinion and media representation. The theoretical part draws on the concepts of feminization of poverty, stigmatization, and agenda-setting theory. The thesis utilizes quantitative methods - factor analysis and contingency table analysis of public opinion (with data from VÚPSV 2019) and content analysis of online articles (326). The analysis of public opinion revealed a diversity of attitudes towards single mothers, with women, single and divorced individuals exhibiting greater support for single-parent parenting and state financial assistance, while men, married individuals, and older respondents tended to disagree. A general tendency to support financial assistance for single mothers was observed. Quantitative content analysis of online articles indicated that the media representation of single mothers is predominantly non- stigmatizing or positive (56%). Despite the prevalence of a non-stigmatizing image in the media, there remains a tendency towards homogenization and stereotyping of single mothers as victims of gender and structural inequalities. The media image reproduces the notion of single mothers as victims dependent on financial assistance, which aligns with the concept of the feminization...
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The effect of ceramide structure on the behavior of thin films modeling the skin barrier.
Šustrová, Terezie ; Pullmannová, Petra (advisor) ; Kováčik, Andrej (referee)
Charles University, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové Department of Biophysics and Physical Chemistry Student: Terezie Šustrová Mentor: Mgr. Petra Pullmannová, Ph.D. Title of Diploma Thesis: The effect of ceramide structure on the behavior of thin films modeling the skin barrier The skin barrier is essential for human survival on dry land, it is located in the uppermost layer of the skin, in the stratum corneum (SC). SC consists of corneocytes that are surrounded by an oligolamellar lipid matrix. The main components of the SC lipids are ceramides (Cer), fatty acids (FFA) and cholesterol (Chol). They are found in the SC in a ratio of 1:1:1. This ratio is essential for epidermal homeostasis. Any change in this ratio may lead to disruption of the barrier function, e.g. to the development of atopic dermatitis or psoriasis. These lipids prevent excessive loss of water from the body and the entry of undesired substances from the external environment into the body. The lipid matrix forms a typical lamellar arrangement in the skin. Lipids form structures with a long periodicity phase - LPP (d ~ 13 nm), with a short periodicity phase - SPP (d ~ 6 nm) and a separated Chol phase (d ~ 3,4 nm). The molecules are organized with each other in a lateral arrangement that can be orthorhombic, hexagonal, or...
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Structural biochemistry of protein NKp80, an activation receptor of human lymphocytes
Pazderová, Kristýna ; Vaněk, Ondřej (advisor) ; Konvalinka, Jan (referee)
Natural Killer (NK) cells can spontaneously destroy target cells, such as infected, damaged, or malignant cells. NK cell cytotoxicity is mediated by activating receptors on their surface, such as NKp80 (Natural Killer protein 80 kDa). The human receptor NKp80 stimulates cytotoxicity through its interaction with its ligand AICL (Activation Induced C-type Lectin), which is constitutively expressed by all myeloid cells. In pathological conditions, such as cancerous or damaged cells, AICL is often upregulated, resulting in the lysis of these cells by NK cells expressing NKp80. This interaction is thus a promising immunotherapeutic target for treating myeloid leukaemia. However, the structures of both proteins have remained elusive. Therefore, we have focused on the successful production of the extracellular domain of these proteins. To improve the production yield of NKp80, we introduced a series of mutations in the stalk region to study their effect on production, stability, and homodimer formation. The introduced mutations significantly increased the production yield allowing for a large-scale production with subsequent crystallisation of the protein. The crystallisation resulted in the elucidation of the hitherto unknown structure of NKp80 homodimer at a resolution of 2.9 Å. However, the large-scale...
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Antitumor activity of HPMA copolymer-bound gemcitabine conjugate potentiation by IAP inhibitors
Ivančík, Martin ; Kovář, Marek (advisor) ; Anděra, Ladislav (referee)
Cancer represents a significant global health challenge, with a substantially increasing incidence. There is a critical need for enhanced prevention, early detection, and improved therapeutic approaches to treat malignant diseases. While chemotherapy remains a standard treatment for many cancers, its efficacy is often limited by cytotoxic effects on healthy cells and numerous side toxicities. In response to these challenges, novel strategies such as combination therapies and drug delivery systems have emerged. In this project, we investigated the cytostatic and cytotoxic effects of two inhibitors of IAP (inhibitor of apoptosis) proteins, LCL-161 and AZD5582, and their potential to boost the anticancer activity of gemcitabine. These compounds were evaluated in five human cancer cell lines: pancreatic (PANC1, BxPC- 3, MiaPaca-2), prostatic (PC-3), and breast (MDA-MB-231) carcinomas. Both IAP inhibitors demonstrated anticancer activity as single agents, with the MiaPaca-2 and BxPC-3 cell lines showing the highest sensitivity. No correlation was observed between the expression levels of IAP genes (cIAP1, cIAP2, XIAP) and the sensitivity of cell lines to IAP inhibitors. However, four of five tested cell lines possessed a consistent pattern in the expression of these three genes. IAP inhibitors were able...
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Fusing image and non-grid-like data for object segmentation
Repka, Samuel ; Nosko, Svetozár (referee) ; Zemčík, Pavel (advisor)
Objekt záujmu sa často dá popísať viacerými dátovými zdrojmi. Napríklad, z obrazu auta sa dá zistiť farba, značka, alebo aj jeho typ. Čo sa ale najskôr nedá, je zistiť stav motora, či beží alebo nie. Táto informácia sa ale dá zistiť inak, sluchom alebo aj dotykom. Aj keď je možné, že jeden dátový zdroj poskytuje všetky potrebné informácie, pridanie modality môže zlepšiť riešenie, kvôli možnej komplementarite dát. Tento proces dátovej fúzie môže byť ale pomerne komplikovaný proces. Rôzne dáta majú rôzne vlastnosti, štruktúry a rôzne výzvy, ktoré s nimi súvisia. Existuje veľké množstvo rôznych metód dátovej fúzie, ktoré sú ale často aplikovateľné len na konkrétne modality. Táto práca prezentuje nový prístup k dátovej fúzii dvoch modalít, primárne za účelom segmentácie obrazu. Jedna z modalít je obraz, druhá je ľubovoľná neštrukturovaná modalita. Prezentovaná metóda využíva graf na spoločnú reprezentáciu oboch modalít, dizajnovanú tak, aby čo najpresnejšie zachytila závislosti v modalitách aj medzi nimi. Graf je potom spracovaný, výsledkom čoho je graf so spojenými dátami, alebo aj priama segmentácia. Prezentované riešenie bolo otestované na dvoch datasetoch (z oblasti mineralógie a drevárskeho priemyslu) a porovnané s inými metódami. Výsledky ukazujú, že riešenie má veľký potenciál ale aj svoje limitácie. V prípade datasetu z mineralógie, výsledky boli výborné a ukazujú, že metóda je schopná dátovej fúzie a dokáže prekonať aj súčasné metódy vo viacerých metrikách. V druhom prípade, výsledky až tak jednoznačné neboli, pretože metóda nevylepšila výsledky v porovnaní s iným riešením, čo ale mohlo byť spôsobené aj ťažkým datasetom.
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Target tracking from radar images
Fojtík, Jakub ; Götthans, Jakub (referee) ; Maršálek, Roman (advisor)
This bachelor's thesis deals with data processing methods for target detection and subsequent target tracking from radar images. Two algorithms are presented, namely CFAR (constant false alarm rate) and BSTC (binary successive target cancelation). The BSTC algorithm continues to be used as the default detection algorithm for subsequent target tracking and evaluation, for which several algorithms are described here, however, special attention is paid to the Kalman filter, which, like the CFAR and BSTC algorithms, is developed here in the MATLAB programming environment in a single and multiple target tracking application.
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Karel Čapek's author's fairy tale in primary education to develop intersubject relationships
Šreinová, Eliška ; Laufková, Veronika (advisor) ; Komberec, Filip (referee)
This master thesis deals with the development of intersubject relations using the author's fairy tale, specifically the author's fairy tale by Karel Čapek. It also examines the development of the fairy tale genre and its features, and the characteristics of Karel Čapek's authorial fairy tales. In the course of research of current reading books, it was determined how often Karel Čapek's fairy tales are included in the reading books (from the book Devatero pohádek a ještě jedna jako přívažek od Josefa Čapka). It turned out that the most frequently used fairy tale is O princezně solimánské. The latter was used in the practical part as a text for the use of cross- curricular relations. The implementation was carried out in the 4th grade with 24 pupils in the lessons of literary education, music education, Czech language and national history. Individual lessons were planned in detail, then implemented, then subjected to a critical analysis and self-evaluation. It turned out that the prepared lessons led to objectives that support cross-curricular relationships. The most successful was the linking of the text with the topic of proper noun in the Czech language lesson and the processing of the same text in music education using a specific excerpt from the film based on the fairy tale. The pedagogical...
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Essays in High-dimensional Econometrics and Finance
Pyrlik, Vladimir ; Anatolev, Stanislav (advisor) ; Volkov, Vladimir (referee) ; Prokhorov, Artem (referee)
Essay in High-Dimensional Econometrics and Finance Vladimir Pyrlik Abstract High dimensionality is a popular contemporary setting in applied statistical analysis of various types of data. Growing dimensionality of the data challenges precise and well-conditioned estimates of statistical models. We address selected high-dimensional methods and their applications to financial market analysis. First, we consider modeling flexible joint distributions using copulas. In Chapter 1, we address estimation of Gaussian and t copulas in ultra-high dimensions, up to thousands of variables that use up to 30 times shorter sample lengths. We employ large covariance matrix shrinkage tools to obtain precise and well-conditioned estimates of the matrix parameters of the copulas. In Chapter 2, we present a new method for estimating the skew-t copula, known for its advantageous properties in characterizing joint distributions, including asymmetry, heavy tails, and asymmetric tail dependence. Our approach involves a two-step procedure based on the simulated method of moments and analytical non-linear shrinkage estimator for large covariance matrices. In both chapters, we also illustrate the benefits of the copula approach in a large stock portfolio allocation. Our analysis shows that copula-based models deliver better portfolios...
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