| |
|
Clustering and regression analysis of micro panel data
Sobíšek, Lukáš ; Pecáková, Iva (advisor) ; Komárek, Arnošt (referee) ; Brabec, Marek (referee)
The main purpose of panel studies is to analyze changes in values of studied variables over time. In micro panel research, a large number of elements are periodically observed within the relatively short time period of just a few years. Moreover, the number of repeated measurements is small. This dissertation deals with contemporary approaches to the regression and the clustering analysis of micro panel data. One of the approaches to the micro panel analysis is to use multivariate statistical models originally designed for crosssectional data and modify them in order to take into account the within-subject correlation. The thesis summarizes available tools for the regression analysis of micro panel data. The known and currently used linear mixed effects models for a normally distributed dependent variable are recapitulated. Besides that, new approaches for analysis of a response variable with other than normal distribution are presented. These approaches include the generalized marginal linear model, the generalized linear mixed effects model and the Bayesian modelling approach. In addition to describing the aforementioned models, the paper also includes a brief overview of their implementation in the R software. The difficulty with the regression models adjusted for micro panel data is the ambiguity of their parameters estimation. This thesis proposes a way to improve the estimations through the cluster analysis. For this reason, the thesis also contains a description of methods of the cluster analysis of micro panel data. Because supply of the methods is limited, the main goal of this paper is to devise its own two-step approach for clustering micro panel data. In the first step, the panel data are transformed into a static form using a set of proposed characteristics of dynamics. These characteristics represent different features of time course of the observed variables. In the second step, the elements are clustered by conventional spatial clustering techniques (agglomerative clustering and the C-means partitioning). The clustering is based on a dissimilarity matrix of the values of clustering variables calculated in the first step. Another goal of this paper is to find out whether the suggested procedure leads to an improvement in quality of the regression models for this type of data. By means of a simulation study, the procedure drafted herein is compared to the procedure applied in the kml package of the R software, as well as to the clustering characteristics proposed by Urso (2004). The simulation study demonstrated better results of the proposed combination of clustering variables as compared to the other combinations currently used. A corresponding script written in the R-language represents another benefit of this paper. It is available on the attached CD and it can be used for analyses of readers own micro panel data.
|
|
Support for Unemployed People Aged Under 30 Years at Entry to the Labor Market
ŠABARTOVÁ, Alžběta
The Bachelor Thesis deals with the problems of unemployment benefits for people at the age up to 30 when entering the employment market. Unemployment is currently one of the serious problems in the world. The reduction in the number of unemployed people is one of the political priorities. The meaning of work as a job is taking an irreplaceable position for the life within our culture. Job loss has a considerable influence on social as well as personal life of an individual. The age is playing a significant role when seeking a job. Especially the time connected with the beginning of the career. School leavers who apply for their first job are concerned. They have no working experience, no practice, and they have so far had no possibility to acquire the basic work habits. A disharmony between zero experience and excessive earnings demands belongs to other root causes of the lack of interest in giving work opportunity to school leavers. Employment Office plays an irreplaceable role for the mediation of job and the consultancy. To solve unemployment within each target group, active and passive labour policies are available. The situation of the specific target group is stimulated especially through single programs and projects. The theoretical part pays attention to the definition and objectification of the unemployment-related terms and the analysis of labour market in Ceske Budejovice. Observations of a number of authors who are dealing with these problems and the related issues are summarized herein. The empirical part is formed by observations from own investigation. Two job-related targets have been set. The first target is to analyse the ideas the young people aged up to thirty, living in the district of Ceske Budejovice, have of their employment. The other target is to analyse the employers´ ideas of giving work to school leavers and young people. In order to fulfil the above targets, two investigative questions have been put: 1: Young peoples´ ideas of earning possibilities are unrealistic. 2: Employers find the European Social Fund helpful in giving work to young people. For the purpose of answering the investigative questions a qualitative research method, namely a case study the study of a few cases was selected. Interviewing was chosen as the most suitable method of data gathering. Initially, ten participants aged up to thirty were interviewed. At the time of interviewing, all of the participants were registered at the Employment Office in Ceske Budejovice and were taking part in a retraining scheme arranged by the Employment Office. When talking with young people I found that their gross commencing salary is expected to amount to approx. 16 200 CZK. The other selective group comprised five employers in Ceske Budejovice. It emerged from the interviews that one of the companies does not utilize the programs and projects announced by the European Social Fund at all. Two of the companies complain about excessive administration. One of the employers must always carefully consider its ability to satisfy the involvement conditions. Some negative feelings also appeared about the frequent changing the blank forms, a low number of announced projects for a particular business branch. The programs being related to deepening knowledge and staff training were most appreciated. The results of the Thesis will give the Employment Office a feedback on the utilization of the European Social Fund by employers and will help in adjusting the conditions for further projects being prepared.
|
|
ELECTRON BEAM REMELTING OF PLASMA SPRAYED ALUMINA COATINGS
Matějíček, Jiří ; Veverka, J. ; Čížek, J. ; Kouřil, J.
Plasma sprayed alumina coatings find numerous applications in various fields, where they enhance the properties of the base material. Examples include thermal barriers, wear resistance, electrical insulation, and diffusion and corrosion barriers. A typical structure of plasma sprayed coatings, containing a multitude of voids and imperfectly bonded interfaces, gives them unique properties - particularly low thermal conductivity, high strain tolerance, etc. However, for certain applications such as permeation barriers or wear resistance, these voids may be detrimental.\nThis paper reports on the first experiments with remelting of plasma sprayed alumina coatings by electron beam technology, with the purpose of densifying the coatings and thereby eliminating the voids. Throughout the study, several parameters of the e-beam device were varied - beam current, traverse velocity and number of passes. The treated coatings were observed by light and electron microscopy and the thickness, structure and surface morphology of the remelted layer were determined and correlated with the process parameters. Based on the first series of experiments, the e-beam settings leading to dense and smooth remelted layer of sufficient thickness were obtained. In this layer, a change of phase composition and a marked increase in hardness were observed.\n
|
|
Arctic tundra dendrochronology
Lehejček, Jiří ; Svoboda, Miroslav (advisor) ; Monika, Monika (referee)
Historically unprecedented environmental change in the Arctic ecosystems is often given into the context of its past and possible future development. In the region where instrumental meteorological observations are scarce archives need to be investigated in order to address this issues. The comprehensive synthesis one of the archives: long-live circumpolar evergreen Juniperus communis L. shrub is presented here. 20 individuals from southwest Greenland were investigated at the cell anatomy level to understand the ecology of the species and unhide its potential for environmental and climate reconstructions. The findings are as follows:
i) Stop of exponential cross-sectional conduit-lumen widening with increasing age is in contrast with conduit-lumen nature of trees. This indicates that shrubs do not need to saturate their water and nutrient demands via traits of classical hydraulic conductivity law but rather developed different mechanisms. Extreme weather conditions result in prostrate growth form. However, different weather factors probably influence shrub growth differently: While snow and wind act mechanically (a), temperature influences the form of growth physiologically (b). a) So long as the young shrub stem has high resilience to bend back to an upright position after snow melt and so long as it can withstand the wind during the vegetation season it most likely grows upright and the conduit-lumens widen. b) Temperature, resp. freeze-thaw events are responsible for the shrubs preference of safety (finite size of conduit-lumens) over hydraulic efficiency, thus not allowing for more primary growth. All of these (and other) factors are apparently working together and the transition of vertical to more horizontal growth is gradual. As a consequence, the conduit-lumen sizes may not have to be further increased (due to ecophysiological restrictions possibly also must not) because water is no longer transported against gravity.
ii) Observed age/growth trend has to be taken into consideration for further employment of the wood anatomical parameter in paleoenvironmental studies. That is, shrub cell parameters can only be used for this purposes if correctly detrended. This allows for more accurate as well as longer reconstructions because youth trend was often neglected in reconstructions based on shrub annual-rings.
iii) The south-western Greenland Ice-Sheet (GrIS) melt rates reconstruction is presented for the whole 20th century. This part of GrIS is considered as the most active. According to the presented reconstruction current GrIS melt rates are not uncommon for the last century being comparable to first decades of 20th century. This finding is particularly important contribution to the debate on Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC). Too high fresh water inputs into the Northern Atlantic from GrIS melting may slow down or even stop the AMOC which would result in more continental climate in Europe. Presented results indicate that this threshold lies higher than observed current melt rates of GrIS.
Fascinating Juniperus comunnis species has shown to be able to address many ecological as well as environmental open questions and due to its longevity and abundant distribution has a great potential to become an important player in the Arctic research.
|
|
Corrosion behavior of plasma coatings CuAl10 and CuAl50 on magnesium alloy AZ 91
Kubatík, Tomáš František ; Stoulil, J. ; Stehlíková, K. ; Slepička, P. ; Janata, Marek
The most common magnesium alloy AZ 91 is widely used as a structural material, but its use is limited at higher temperatures and high humidity. Plasma spraying is a technology that allows to prepare protective metallic and non-metallic coatings on a wide variety of substrates including magnesium and its alloys. In this study, CuAl10 and CuAl50 were plasma sprayed on magnesium alloy AZ 91 with the aim to study corrosion resistance of the plasma sprayed coatings. The corrosion resistance of layers was evaluated by the method of electrochemical potentiodynamic measurement as well as long-term corrosion tests in a condensation chamber with 0.5 mol\nNaCl at the temperature of 35 °C for 1344 hours. Layers with 1, 2, 5 passes and passes of CuAl10 with the thickness ranging from 75 to 716 mm and CuAl50 with the thickness ranging from 64 to 566 mm were prepared. The increased corrosion velocity was observed in the case of thin layers of 2 and 5 passes due to the development of a galvanic corrosion couple. The CuAl10 layer prepared with ten passes has an outstanding corrosion resistance.
|
|
Navigation of mobile robots
Rozman, Jaroslav ; Matoušek,, Václav (referee) ; Šolc, František (referee) ; Zbořil, František (advisor)
Mobile robotics has been very discussed and wide spread topic recently. This due to the development in the computer technology that allows us to create better and more sophisticated robots. The goal of this effort is to create robots that will be able to autonomously move in the chosen environment. To achieve this goal, it is necessary for the robot to create the map of its environment, where the motion planning will occur. Nowadays, the probabilistic algorithms based on the SLAM algorithm are considered standard in the mapping in these times. This Phd. thesis deals with the proposal of the motion planning of the robot with stereocamera placed on the pan-and-tilt unit. The motion planning is designed with regard to the use of algorithms, which will look for the significant features in the pair of the images. With the use of the triangulation the map, or a model will be created. The benefits of this work can be divided into three parts. In the first one the way of marking the free area, where the robot will plan its motion, is described. The second part describes the motion planning of the robot in this free area. It takes into account the properties of the SLAM algorithm and it tries to plan the exploration in order to create the most precise map. The motion of the pan-and-tilt unit is described in the third part. It takes advantage of the fact that the robot can observe places that are in the different directions than the robot moves. This allows us to observe much bigger space without losing the information about the precision of the movements.
|
|
Multimedia Data Processing in Heterogeneous Distributed Environment
Kajan, Rudolf ; Ferko,, Andrej (referee) ; Míkovec, Zdeněk (referee) ; Herout, Adam (advisor)
Pervasive computing sa zameriava odstránenie zložitostí pri interakcii s výpočtovou technikou a zvýšenie efektivity pri jej každodennom používaní. Ale i po viac ako 15 rokoch od sformulovania hlavných cieľov Pervasive computingu existujú aspekty interakcie ktoré stále nie sú súčasťou užívateľskej skúsenosti s dnešnou technológiou. Bezproblémová integrácia s prostredím vedúca k technologickej neviditeľnosti, alebo interakcia naprieč rôznymi zariadeniami predstavujú stále veľkú výzvu. Hlavným cieľom tejto práce je prispieť k tomu, aby sa ciele Pervasive computingu priblížili k realizovaniu tým, že predstavíme spôsob intuitívneho zdieľania informácií medzi osobným a verejne umiestneným zariadením. Predstavili sme tri interakčné techniky, ktoré podporujú intuitívnu výmenu obsahu medzi osobným zariadením a zdieľaným displejom. Tieto techniky sú založené na prenose videa, rozšírenej realite a analýze pohľadových dát. Okrem interakčných techník sme tiež predstavili mechanizmus pre získavanie, prenos a rekonštrukciu aplikačného stavu na cieľovom zariadení.
|
|
(Arbo)viruses in high European Arctic
ELSTEROVÁ, Jana
Since an ongoing climate change covers strongly the polar areas. Higher temperatures and related climate parameters bring the emergence of new parasites and their pathogens to higher latitudes. This may influence zoonotic diseases including arthropod-transmitted diseases. The tick species Ixodes uriae, parasitizing seabirds in the Arctic, may transmit many pathogens including various arboviruses, Borrelia spirochetes and Babesia apicomplexans. In the study we diagnosed 89 individuals of seabird tick Ixodes uriae and searched for arthropod-borne viruses from the genera Flavivirus, Alphavirus, Orthobunyavirus, Phlebovirus and Orbivirus using genus-specific primers. Moreover we searched for presence of Borrelia spp. and Babesia spp. DNA in the ticks. All samples were negative after PCR amplification for all tested pathogens. The result signalizes that tested pathogens might not be present in such high latitudes of European Arctic. Though, the possibility of introduction of these pathogens may be observable in near future due to quick changing of the Arctic ecosystem with the rising of migration of vertebrate hosts including humans to the polar areas. It is though important to continue to study potential presence of pathogens in polar areas. We are working on increase of the number of tick samples to confirm the presence or absence of the tick-borne pathogens in the European Arctic.
|
|
Is genetic diversity congruent with morphological diversity across the distributional range of the Melampyrum subalpinum group (Orobanchaceae)?
CHLUMSKÝ, Jan
Allozymes were used to assess the genetic structure of 27 populations of Melampyrum subalpinum group and an artificial pollination experiment was carried out to examine the possibility of autogamy. Genetic variation was generally congruent with the known morphological variation of the group. The results corresponded with the central-marginal concept. Allelic enrichment due to hybridization with M. nemorosum was observed in some Austrian populations. Czech and Slovak populations do not differ from Austrian populations. The high inbreeding coefficient and the pollination experiment do not contradict the possibility of autogamy.
|
guest ::
