The use of DNA analysis in kinship studies and investigation of distant biological relationship of people

AJ The thesis deals with the possibilities and problems of DNA analysis in its use in kinship studies and investigation of distant biological relationship of people. It presents a summary of useful DNA markers with a focus on linking autosomal markers and lineage markers - mtDNA and Y-STR; characterizes the typical heredity of individual types of markers and explains the basic principles of interpretation of their analysis. The research also deals with computer software exploited in statistical calculations; case studies, specific examples of the use of DNA analysis in kinship studies and investigation of distant biological relationship of people are also included at the final section. Key words DNA analysis, genealogy, kinship study, STR, SNP, DNA marke

The role of dispersion medium on nanoparticle aggregation and size in biological systems

The use of nanomaterials (NMs) in different areas has been rising for more than a decade. Along with this growth, there is visible development of different testing tools and approaches for measuring the actual size of nanomaterials in biological systems. Test conditions during in vitro toxicological assays are different from the standard conditions under which nanomaterials are characterized and careful evaluation of results is needed. The unique properties and range variety of NMs require the close look how the NMs behave in different dispersion medium over time. In this study we present the results of five types of well-characterized NMs (TiO2: NM-101 and NM-103, SiO2: NM-200, Ag: NM-300K and NM-302) of specific size and shape. The hydrodynamic size and Zeta potentials in suspensions were measured using a dynamic light scattering technique (DLS) (Zetasizer Nano ZS, Malvern, UK). The DLS method is suitable for spherical particles, nevertheless, all samples were measured in order to obtain a rough insight into agglomerate formation in the medium. NM300, NM302, and NM200 aggregated rapidly in the media, thus the cells would be most likely exposed to settled big aggregates then small clusters or individual particles. More stable NMs (NM100 and NM103) showed slight grow along with cultivation time or concentration corresponding to cluster formation. Cells exposed to those NMs would be in contact with small clusters and aggregates of NMs. Measured zeta potentials fluctuated around the stability limit corresponding to observed aggregation

Dendrological survey of selected vegetation in the property of Blatná city

Trees and green areas have always had in general a positive effect to human beeings. Our ancestors were very well aware of this fact during building and widening cities and therefore they created various forms of parks, gardens or alleys. Although these did not correspond to a form as we know it nowadays they still fulfilled the various social or environmental functions. It was important to take care about this greenery and always keep an overview. This aspect became more important as time goes by. This diploma thesis aims to evaluate the status of selected assets of the greenery in the town of Blatna. The status is based on the dendrology revision. During the revision the basic dendrology and qualitative values were identified. Within this work I would like to propose some measures and other following steps and modifications which should help to increase the attractiveness of some less used areas and improved the related green functions. The valuation of the five the most valuable specimens was conducted according to the methodology AOPK ČR. The project created in AutoCAD software which should serve and help to visualize the monitored areas is the last outcome of this paper

The use of BEAS-2B cell line for micronucleus assay in genetic toxicology

This thesis deals with the application of BEAS-2B cell line for micronucleus assay in genetic toxicology. It is divided into two main parts: a) theoretical introduction to the analysis and search for suitable models for testing the impact of air pollution and manufactured nanoparticles, b) practical part that describes the results of micronuclei induction by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), extractable organic matter (EOM) from diesel exhaust particles obtained from emissions of three types of fuel and engineered nanoparticles. BEAS-2B cell line is a nonmalignant human model of lung epithelium which seems to be suitable for micronucleus assay. This assay is commonly used for determining the genotoxicity of various substances to wide variety of cell cultures and also in human studies. In this thesis, the following substances were tested: benzo[a]pyrene, 3-nitrobenzanthrone and 1-nitropyrene as carcinogenic PAHs commonly found in polluted air; EOMs from exhaust particles of 100 % diesel fuel, a blend of diesel fuel and 30 % of biodiesel, 100 % biodiesel and two types of engineered nanoparticles (TiO2 and Ag). The cells were treated with the compounds for 28, 48 and 72 hours. The results confirm the suitability of BEAS-2B cell line as a model for testing the genotoxicity of substances under..

Ekonomická analýza společnosti DŘEVO-MÁLEK s. r. o.

The Bachelor Thesis deals with an economic analysis of DŘEVO – MÁLEK, s. r. o. for the selected reference period of 2013 – 2017. The main objective of the thesis was to assess the economic situation of the company, which is active in the forestry and timber sector, using the financial statements of the company’s financial accounting. The thesis evaluates the developments in the absolute indicators in the asset and capital structure and the developments in the absolute indicators of the profit and loss account. To analyse the financial situation of the company, ratio indicators of the financial analysis were applied with the emphasis put on assessing the dynamics of the developments in the important economic indicators by means of an elementary characterisation of the time series. Finally, the thesis evaluates the economic situation of the enterprise and provides proposals for improving the situation of the enterprise

The Potential of Smart Factories and Innovative Industry 4.0 Technologies—A Case Study of Different-Sized Companies in the Furniture Industry in Central Europe

New innovative technologies of Industry 4.0 are the key to the future development of the furniture industry, which is outdated because of its atypical production and small-series production. For applying the novel trends of Industry 4.0 to the furniture sector, the methodical support of managers, the key users of these technologies, is essential. As there is a lack of knowledge regarding implementation of Industry 4.0, this study focuses on the evaluation of the current status of furniture companies in terms of production structure and Industry 4.0 benefits/threats with the aim of proposing methodological solutions for the implementation of this trend across different-sized enterprises. Data are collected using conduct-structured interviews with project managers who describe their own experience with Industry 4.0 implementation in central Europe. All interviews are analyzed using qualitative content analysis. According to the stakeholders, innovative production and non-production technologies are essential for their enterprises. Application of such technologies increases the efficiency of the whole operation by 30%–50% over the five years since the first innovations were introduced, especially in enterprises with atypical production and large enterprises. This study should serve as the tool for adapting the environmental changes and promoting the innovation approaches of the Industry 4.0 strategies on the central European level

Ecosystem Services in the Context of Agroforestry—Results of a Survey among Agricultural Land Users in the Czech Republic

Agroforestry, the use of trees at the interface between agricultural and forestry systems, is a key component of the multifunctional European landscape, where it provides a whole range of ecosystem services. Its main potential lies in the provision of services including increasing economic yield in agriculture and providing anti-erosion measures. The main objective of this research is to assess the perception of the providing ecosystem services of woody plants growing in agroforestry by farmers as key land users in the Czech Republic. Different aspects influencing farmers’ subjective perceptions were identified, especially depending on conventional versus organic farming methods. Respondents’ views were mapped using a structured questionnaire, which allowed for independently assessing the importance of windbreaks. Respondents considered regulatory ecosystem services the most important ones, in particular reducing soil erosion and flood risk, or increasing the resilience of the landscape to drought. Respondents perceived the physical obstruction of trees during mechanical tillage and the tenancy relationship with the land as the most significant problem with the introduction of agroforestry systems. The aim of this study is to promote innovative approaches in the national agricultural strategy in agroforestry as one of the tools for climate change adaptation towards sustainable agricultural production

Industry 4.0 as an Opportunity and Challenge for the Furniture Industry—A Case Study

The aim of the document is to provide effective guidelines and recommendations for the effective design of the implementation process of Industry 4.0 in the furniture sector and to provide managers with effective guidance in this context. The primary data sources are semi-structured expert interviews and questionnaire surveys. Based on the structured interviews with executives of furniture companies in 2021 and 2022, the main drivers necessary for the implementation of Industry 4.0 in the furniture industry were identified both from the internal company environment perspective using a 7S analysis and from the technological perspective using Industry 4.0 building blocks applied to individual examples in the furniture industry. The respondents agree that the current state of the sector is generally at the Industry 2.0 level. They also recommend SMEs establish inter-company cooperation in production and development, which will enable the involvement of small and medium enterprises in buyer–supplier linkages. They further stress that the application of Industry 4.0 has led to rapid shifts in terms of: an increase in the operational efficiency in a range of 30–50%, a reduction in communication flow, errors and repetitive operations, and thus has directly contributed to the realisation of sustainable production

Změna morfologie a struktury vrstev tvořených nanočásticemi vanadu vlivem jejich teplotního ohřevu

Temperature-driven genesis of morphology and structure of vanadium nanoparticle films fabricated by magnetron-based gas aggregation sources has been investigated. Three temperature regions were identified. In the first one which covers the range from room temperature to approximately 200 °C, the increasing temperature results in the gradual oxidation of nanoparticle films and a slight increase of the individual nanoparticles that form the coating. Despite this, the nanoparticle films in this temperature range preserve their highly porous architecture. Above 200 °C, the vanadium nanoparticles undergo rapid oxidation, which is accompanied by an abrupt change in their mass, crystallinity, morphology, and optical properties (absorbance, photoluminescence). According to XRD, an orthorhombic V2O5 phase becomes the only detectable crystalline phase in the films in this temperature range. Furthermore, the individual nanoparticles start to coalesce, rapidly forming rod-like structures. The size of such formed structures, as well as the size of crystallites rapidly increases with the temperature. This lowers the specific surface area of the coatings and causes a shift in the optical band gap from 2.68 eV to 2.48 eV. Finally, the subsequent heating of the nanoparticle films above 650 °C causes the complete collapse of the coatings due to their melting.Článek pojednává o teplotně řízeném vývoji morfologie a struktury vrstev tvořených nanočásticemi vanadu připravených magnetronovým naprašováním s využitím zdroje shluků částic. Byly identifikovány tři teplotní oblasti. První, zahrnující rozsah teplot od pokojové do cca 200 °C, ve které dochází vlivem rostoucí teploty k postupné oxidaci nanočástic ve vrstvě a mírnému nárůstu počtu jednotlivých nanočástic tvořících povlak. Přesto si však vrstvy v tomto teplotním rozmezí zachovávají vysoce porézní strukturu. Při zvýšení teploty nad 200 °C dochází k rychlé oxidaci vanadových nanočástic, což je doprovázeno prudkou změnou jejich hmotnosti, krystalinity, morfologie a optických vlastností, a k vytvoření krystalické orthorombické fáze V2O5. Jednotlivé nanočástice se navíc začnou shlukovat a vytvářet tyčinkovitou strukturu. Velikost této struktury, stejně jako velikost krystalitů, pak rychle roste s rostoucí teplotou. To má za následek snížení specifické plochy na povrchu povlaků a vede k posunu optického zakázaného pásu z 2,68 eV 2,48 eV. Ohřev vrstev nad 650 °C (třetí teplotní interval) má za následek roztavení vrstvy a tedy její úplné zničení

How do stakeholders working on the forest-water nexus perceive payments for ecosystem services?

Nowadays, great emphasis is placed on the relationship between forest and water because forests are considered as substantial sources of many water ecosystem services. The aim of this paper is to analyze the stakeholder opinions towards the relationship between forests and water and the potential development of water-related payments for ecosystem services (PES) schemes. The study is developed in the context of COST Action CA15206–PESFOR-W (Forests for Water) aimed at synthesizing current knowledge about the PES schemes across Europe. The stakeholder opinions were mapped out using a structured questionnaire consisting of 20 questions divided into four thematic sections. The data were collected through an online survey. The results showed opinions of 142 stakeholders from 23 countries, mainly from Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean Basin. In order to analyze the collected data, the stakeholders were grouped in buyers, sellers, intermediaries, and knowledge providers. The survey results indicated that the most important category of water ecosystem services according to our sample of stakeholders is regulating services followed by provisioning services. Further findings pointed out the highest importance that shared values and direct changes in land management can have when designing water-related PES schemes. The role of public authorities and collective collaboration of different stakeholders, with emphasis on local and expert knowledge, are also identified as of crucial importance. The results show that stakeholder opinions can serve as a starting point when designing PES schemes