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Impact of Non-Uniform Distribution of Temperature on the State of Stress of Masonry
Beran, Pavel
Deterioration of masonry is caused by inordinate loading and by climatic actions. Climatic cyclic thermal stress in a structure is incurred by unequal temperature gradient across the thickness of homogenous or heterogeneous masonry. Thermal gradient also causes significant stress close to the interface between stone and mortar in masonry made of components with different thermal expansion properties. The values of thermal stress increase with higher thermal gradient. Impact of insolation, absorption of solar radiation, air temperature around the structure, heat transfer coefficient, coefficient of heat conduction, and heat capacity to the temperature gradient in the wall exposed to the exterior weather conditions were investigated with a numerical model. All of these effects or material properties affect the maximal surface temperatures in masonry during summer.
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Unconvential monetary policy adopted by ECB and FED in 2008-2015
Pörner, Marek ; Šetková, Lenka (advisor) ; Ševčíková, Michaela (referee)
The main aim of this thesis is to analyse the accomplishment of the goals set, namely those of the selected unconventional monetary policies approved by the Federal Reserve System and the European Central Bank in response to the last financial crisis. With the FED the attention is focused on Quantitative Easing, whereas with the ECB it is focused on the programmes called Enhanced Credit Support, SMP, OMT and EAPP. Important parts of this thesis are also the explanation of the transmission mechanism of the unconventional monetary policy, the evaluation of macroeconomic impacts of these non-standard tools, the comparison of procedures of the two monitored central banks, but mainly the analysis of selected risks related to those tools. The principal method was an empirical analysis supported by economic studies dealing with the issues mentioned above. In the thesis it was discovered that the individual goals of the monitored programmes were achieved (with the exception of the SMP). With the programme EAPP no conlusion can be drawn because the programme has not been finished yet. Nevertheless, these non-standard tools bring certain risks such as a creation of a bubble in the markets of assets, a redistribution of wealth, a spillover effect, etc. For that reason it will be possible to evaluate the overall effect of the unconventional monetary policies only after a longer time period.
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Coarse-grained particles conveying along a pipe bed
Vlasák, Pavel ; Chára, Zdeněk ; Konfršt, Jiří ; Kysela, Bohuš
The paper describes the results of a flow visualisation of model coarse-grained fully stratified particle-water mixtures. Investigation was focussed on study of the particle behaviour and carrier liquid and conveyed particles local velocities. Glass balls and washed graded pebble gravel of mean diameter of 6 mm were conveyed by water in a horizontal smooth pipe loop with a transparent pipe viewing section of inner diameter 40 mm. Particle movement along the pipe invert and particulate stationary bed, created by two layers of spherical particles of the same size as the conveyed particles, was studied. The effect of stationary bed on local velocity values of the carrier liquid and conveyed particles were determined. It was conducted that the maximum liquid velocity is significantly shifted from pipe centre to a higher position in the flow pattern with stationary bed.
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Speculation on oil markets and its impact on commodity's price
Melcher, Ota ; Taušer, Josef (advisor) ; Baláž, Peter (referee) ; Müller, Štěpán (referee)
This study aims to analyse the precrisis period on the oil markets with a primary objective of assessing the role of speculation in the commodity's price development and its volatility. First it depicts the rapidly increasing speculative activity on the futures market together with the parallel oil price surge. The speculation is initially proxied by non-commercial traders' positions and subsequently quantified by Working's T-index. The paper then uses speculative traders' positions and both spot and futures prices to test for Granger causality within the framework of VAR models. For the sake of consistency it also evaluates causal links between speculation and inventories level. Further the study investigates the speculation impact on volatility of oil prices by employing various approaches in volatility quantification including GARCH models. Contrary to expectations we find that the speculatio's impact on both prices and their volatility is rather insignificant. In the last chapter we therefore seek for an explanation of the oil price developments by examining the market fundamentals. The interaction of supply and demand finally gives substantial evidence for understanding the price developments in the precrisis period.
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Differences between men and women in the Czech labour market
Stroukal, Dominik ; Kadeřábková, Božena (advisor) ; Pavelka, Tomáš (referee) ; Němec, Otakar (referee)
This thesis consists of five articles that apply current world research on labor economics at the Czech Republic and confirms the significant differences between men and women in this market. It shows that gender has a significant influence on the preference on the labor market and, consequently, on employment and health. First, the thesis shows that preferences are relevant determinant of career and then we study the difference in preference of salary for men and women. Subsequently it shows that gender plays a significant role in explaining the relationship between homeownership, and unemployment, as well as unemployment and health. The first chapter was able to demonstrate that the preference for a career has a positive influence on the choice of career. The influence of higher education on prioritizing career proved to be positive and significant. Probability of a career choice is reduced by the presence of children, however, is not dependent on their number, which is contrary to the theory of preferences. The second chapter shows that Czech women prefer more non-monetary rewards than men. It has also been shown that people with university education are same in the preferences of non-monetary rewards regardless of the gender of the respondents, however, compared to the world's research, the Czech higher education increases this preference. It turned out that women prefer risk less than men. The third chapter demonstrates that although the housing market undermines labor mobility and employment in the Czech Republic at the regional level, therefore, that in regions with a higher rate of home ownership is higher unemployment, at the individual level, the owners of housing are unemployed are less likely. The estimates are significantly different for men and women. Men living in owner-occupied housing have a higher likelihood of employment than women. At regional level, however, this thesis shows that the high rate of home ownership increases unemployment for both men and women, in the long run only to women. The fourth chapter showed that men transition to homeownership reduces the likelihood of unemployment next year. For women, this relationship has proved to be insignificant. In addition, as insignificant showed the opposite relationship, the transition from unemployment to the newly acquired home ownership. The last chapter shows that the change in the working status to unemployment will increase in the future probability of worse health. Influence in less than two years, however, proved to be significant. An important conclusion is that men have a significantly stronger relationship between health and unemployment than women.
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The role of acetylation in the RNA recognition motif of SRSF5 protein
Icha, Jaroslav ; Staněk, David (advisor) ; Šenigl, Filip (referee)
Acetylation is emerging as an important posttranslational modification, which is found in thousands of proteins in eukaryotes, as well as prokaryotes. Global proteomic studies implicated acetylation in regulation of various processes like metabolism, gene expression, cell cycle or aging to name a few. In this work I set out to investigate the role of acetylation of a splicing regulatory protein SRSF5 by creating mutations in its acetylation site. I tested the hypothesis that acetylation influences SRSF5 interaction with RNA. I expressed acetylation-mimicking (Q) or non-acetylable (R) mutant of SRSF5 in HeLa cells and measured their interaction with RNA by RNA immunoprecipitation or in vitro by fluorescence anisotropy. Both approaches agreed that mutants interact with RNA less than the wild type protein and Q mutant bound RNA weaker than R mutant. I did not detect further difference in localization or dynamics among the proteins in vivo, which suggests that difference caused by weakened interaction of mutants with RNA was outweighed by other factors influencing SRSF5 behaviour, probably protein-protein interactions. I also found out that mutant SRSF5 proteins do not have a dominant effect on splicing of fibronectin alternative EDB exon. The data obtained give an indirect evidence for the hypothesis that...
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Alcohol addiction among the patients of the Psychiatric Clinic Červený Dvůr
PRAVEČKOVÁ, Michaela
My Bachelor's Thesis focuses on persons addicted to alcohol who are staying in Červený Dvůr Mental Hospital. The goal of the thesis was to find out the most frequent causes of addiction to alcohol in the Červený Dvůr clients and the impact of excessive alcohol consumption on their private life. In addition, the thesis tries to find out how the clients learned about Červený Dvůr Mental Hospital, what the reason for the consent with treatment was and what motivated the clients to undergo the treatment for addiction. The research was based on a qualitative method. The data were acquired using the method of semi-structured interviews and the sample consisted of 8 communication partners. The selection was intentional. For the data analysis, was used the method of patterns collection. The main research question dealt with the issue whether the clients in Červený Dvůr Mental Hospital are aware of the negative effect of alcohol. A partial research question was to find the answer to the question in which situations the clients became aware of the negative effect of alcohol. In addition, what were the main causes of excessive consumption of alcohol in the clients and what is their motivation to undergo the treatment for addiction. Nearly all respondents were aware of the negative effect of alcohol, specifically in relation to their family troubles. The most common consequence of alcoholism was divorce. The clients became aware of the negative influence of alcohol in the case of loss of friends or job. The most frequently occurring cause of addiction in these clients was an unidentifiable craving for a change, which they themselves are not able to explain. At the same time, for more than a half of the respondents the main motivation to undergo the treatment was their wish to live "properly" as they had lived before their addiction developed. These people wish to find the sense of their lives and their vision is that they will be able to function in everyday life as the others are. Another finding resulting from the research was that in the case of all respondents somebody from among their family members was addicted to alcohol as well. More specific results are provided in the practical part of the thesis. The Bachelor's Thesis could be beneficial for both non-specialists and specialists. It could be motivating for people who are addicted to alcohol and are afraid of seeking assistance. The thesis may be used for instructional purposes or for the creation of programmes aimed at better awareness and prevention in the area of addiction to alcohol.
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Supported Emplayment from the Perspective of Emplayers
MYŠÁKOVÁ, Hana
The philosophy of supported employment in the Czech Republic has been developing for over than twenty years. Nevertheless this service is still neglected and only a few non-profit organizations put it into practice. The service is not legislatively based and also the society does not have a clear opinion on employment of people with disabilities. Current labour market situation is not advantageous at all. Therefore some support of disabled people looking for a job is becoming more necessary and required. The employers are an important part of the whole problems, because their attitude to the idea of supported employment plays a significant role. The bachelor's thesis "Supported Employment from the Perspective of Employers" has pretentions to look into supported employment from the employers' point of view. They are not active initiators of the service, but they are important participants for its successful realization. The theoretical part of the thesis tries to describe the basic problems. It covers the service of supported employment from historical development to its importance. It focuses on special characteristics of disabilities and their social impact on human beings. The closing part is dedicated to working opportunities for people with disabilities in the circumstances of current legislative and economic situation. The practical part is written in the form of a qualitative research. The method of questioning and semi-structured interviews were used for the purposes of the research. Eight people were chosen intentionally for the survey. The data gained from the interviews were analysed with the method of open coding. The main aim of the thesis was to map out empoyers' experience with the service of supported employment. Motivation of employers to put this service into practice was the next part of the research. The question was: "What reasons for realization of supported employment do predominate by employers?" The research showed the most frequent facts, which predestine the integration possibility of disabled people in open labour market fundamentally. After the interviews and answering the questions of the research, it was possible to describe the employers' experience with the supported employment service and also their main incentives for its realization. It was found out that employers' experience with the supported employment service is quite limited. Employers often get to know it through the agency for supported employment, which is not only the initiator of cooperation, but it also plays an important role when a disabled person is being employed. An important point of successful employment is often how the emploeyer is satisfied with the agency. The employment of disabled people often brings certain risks connected with the limits of disabilities. Employers, who enable disabled people to work, are aware of that. The impulse for employment can vary from financial advantages, company philantrophy to personal solidarity of the employer. Social responsibility of the company is becoming a trend, that many employers start to know. But it can be presumed to influence the employment of more people with disabilities and at the same time the looking up the supported employment service by the employers. This bachelor's thesis can be contributive to understanding the importance of employment for disabled people's living. It brings information about the employers' experience with the realization of supported employment and motivation to the realization. It can also help to uncover integration obstacles of people with disabilities in open labour market.
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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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HYDROGEN ABSORPTION IN A-Co30Fe55B15
Čermák, Jiří ; Král, Lubomír ; Roupcová, Pavla
Hydrogen solved in amorphous alloys (AAs) influences their magnetic characteristics. AAs are also perspective\nas additives that can improve hydrogen storage kinetic in certain types of ball-milled hydrogen storage\nmaterials (HSMs). Therefore, knowledge of hydrogen solubility and hydrogen sorption kinetics in AAs are of a\ngreat importance for aimed design both AAs with optimal magnetic parameters and HSMs with desired sorption\ncharacteristics. In the present paper, amorphous alloy Co30Fe55B15 (an example of the type a-TM1xTM2y Bz ;\nTM - transition metal) was investigated. Hydrogen concentration c H was measured by Sieverts method in\ntemperature interval from T = 150 °C to T = 350 °C under hydrogen pressure p up to 6 MPa. It was found that\nc H was an increasing function of p and its maximum value was typically 0.5 wt.% H2 at 350 °C and 6 MPa.\nHowever, when the alloy was preliminary hydrogen charged (PHC), the pressure dependence of total c Htot in\nthe first absorption cycle(s) is non-monotonous in dependence on PHC conditions. For the sake of comparison,\nthe same absorption characteristics were measured also in Mg2Ni intermetallic that is a common constituent\nin Mg-based HSMs. Comparing Co30Fe55B15 and Mg2Ni, it was concluded that Co30Fe55B15 shows lower\nhydrogen solubility, but much better absorption kinetics.
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