Prague Johanniters in the Middle Ages - architecture and wall painting

Bc. Čestmír Cimler: Pražští johanité - architektura a nástěnné malířství Diplomová práce, jak její samotný název napovídá, se zabývá problematikou architektury a nástěnného malířství pražských johanitů v období před vypuknutím husitských válek. V práci je rovněž kladen důraz na typologii a funkci řádových staveb, především těch, které podléhaly českému převorství, jež zahrnovalo do svého celku mimo Čech i Moravu, Slezsko, Uhry a rakouské země. Tomuto zaměření nebyla osud z uměleckohistorického hlediska věnována dostatečná odborná pozornost. Vzhledem k široké působnosti českého převorství byly vztahy mezi tzv. komendami (pojem komenda - z lat. comes - druh, středověké označení pro sídlo rytířského či křižovnického řádu) v tomto územně a politicky významném celku poměrně silné. U výše uvedené tematiky není možné se zcela vyhnout předložení stručné historie johanitů (zv. též rytíři sv. Jana Jeruzalémského, dnes známých spíše jako Maltézský řád), a to jak ve světě, tak na území českého převorství. Z důvodu nesmírného počtu řádových staveb, ať už zachovaných, v torzálním stavu či úplně zaniklých, je stěžejním bodem diplomové práce stavební vývoj hlavního sídla johanitů s kostelem Panny Marie pod řetězem v Praze na Malé Straně, a to od doby jeho založení na konci šedesátých let 12. století až do první čtvrtiny...Bc. Čestmír Cimler: Prague Johanniters in the Middle Ages This thesis, named Prague Johanniters in the Middle Ages- architecture and wall painting is focusing on architecture and frescoes of Order of Malta in Prague before the break of Hussite wars. One of aims of the thesis is also to figure out typology and function of buildings of the Order, falling within the Priory of Bohemia's authority. Art production od the Orderhas not been systematically examined till today. Range of authority of the Priory overlapped the area of Bohemia into Moravia, Silesia, Hungary and Austria. The relations among commandries were quite close, most likely because of expansion of the Czech king Přemysl Otakar II. Under the autority of the Priory of Bohemia was a great amount of commandries. Several of them are preserved till today; others were partially destroyed or even damaged completely. The most important Order's seat in Bohemia was a commandry belonging to the Church of Lady beneath the Chain, founded in 60's of 12th century, developing till the first quarter of 15th century. The Church of our Lady beneath the Chain is a very significant monument because of its architecture. This church is composed of many construction phases, from Romanesque to baroque times. This thesis is focusing on medieval architectonical production...Institute of Christian Art HistoryÚstav dějin křesťanského uměníKatolická teologická fakultaCatholic Theological Facult

Purchasing conditions and behaviour of customers in the Czech countryside – research in selected villages

This paper deals with the problematics of sustainability of purchasing conditions in the Czech countryside. It presents data on the level of equipment of the Czech Republic with capacities for the purchase of fast-moving consumer goods, or food, the availability of shopping places, and the behavior of customers when buying food. It leads to the conclusion that the problem of the availability of a shopping place for buying food in the Czech countryside may not be as fundamental as it is often presented. In the question of the sustainability of retail business in the Czech countryside, the authors refer to the market environment and the natural factors that influence this business. The contribution is supplemented by the results of research into the behavior of customers in specific rural municipalities when purchasing food

Feasibility of Real-time Behavior Monitoring Via Mobile Technology in Czech Adults Aged 50 Years and Above : 12-Week Study With Ecological Momentary Assessment

Background: Czech older adults have lower rates of physical activity than the average population and lag behind in the use of digital technologies, compared with their peers from other European countries. Objective: This study aims to assess the feasibility of intensive behavior monitoring through technology in Czech adults aged ≥50 years. Methods: Participants (N=30; mean age 61.2 years, SD 6.8 years, range 50-74 years; 16/30, 53% male; 7/30, 23% retired) were monitored for 12 weeks while wearing a Fitbit Charge 2 monitor and completed three 8-day bursts of intensive data collection through surveys presented on a custom-made mobile app. Web-based surveys were also completed before and at the end of the 12-week period (along with poststudy focus groups) to evaluate participants’ perceptions of their experience in the study. Results: All 30 participants completed the study. Across the three 8-day bursts, participants completed 1454 out of 1744 (83% compliance rate) surveys administered 3 times per day on a pseudorandom schedule, 451 out of 559 (81% compliance rate) end-of-day surveys, and 736 episodes of self-reported planned physical activity (with 29/736, 3.9% of the reports initiated but returned without data). The overall rating of using the mobile app and Fitbit was above average (74.5 out of 100 on the System Usability Scale). The majority reported that the Fitbit (27/30, 90%) and mobile app (25/30, 83%) were easy to use and rated their experience positively (25/30, 83%). Focus groups revealed that some surveys were missed owing to notifications not being noticed or that participants needed a longer time window for survey completion. Some found wearing the monitor in hot weather or at night uncomfortable, but overall, participants were highly motivated to complete the surveys and be compliant with the study procedures. Conclusions: The use of a mobile survey app coupled with a wearable device appears feasible for use among Czech older adults. Participants in this study tolerated the intensive assessment schedule well, but lower compliance may be expected in studies of more diverse groups of older adults. Some difficulties were noted with the pairing and synchronization of devices on some types of smartphones, posing challenges for large-scale studies

Low Level Communication Protocol and Hardware for Wired Sensor Networks

This paper describes communication protocol, which was originally designed and implemented for end point communication in smart homes. Due to protocol simplicity and architecture robustness, it is possible to use the whole system for other purposes rather than smart home control. For this purpose, the protocol uses the very common RS485 bus. Using metallic connection nowadays may look like a step back, but it is the fastest and cheapest way to integrate real hardware devices into the existing simulation projects. This paper describes the requirements for the whole hardware and software architecture, emphasizing on the descriptions of the protocol and the lowest hardware layers

mHealth intervention delivered in general practice to increase physical activity and reduce sedentary behaviour of patients with prediabetes and type 2 diabetes (ENERGISED): rationale and study protocol for a pragmatic randomised controlled trial

Background The growing number of patients with type 2 diabetes and prediabetes is a major public health concern. Physical activity is a cornerstone of diabetes management and may prevent its onset in prediabetes patients. Despite this, many patients with (pre)diabetes remain physically inactive. Primary care physicians are well-situated to deliver interventions to increase their patients' physical activity levels. However, effective and sustainable physical activity interventions for (pre)diabetes patients that can be translated into routine primary care are lacking. Methods We describe the rationale and protocol for a 12-month pragmatic, multicentre, randomised, controlled trial assessing the effectiveness of an mHealth intervention delivered in general practice to increase physical activity and reduce sedentary behaviour of patients with prediabetes and type 2 diabetes (ENERGISED). Twenty-one general practices will recruit 340 patients with (pre)diabetes during routine health check-ups. Patients allocated to the active control arm will receive a Fitbit activity tracker to self-monitor their daily steps and try to achieve the recommended step goal. Patients allocated to the intervention arm will additionally receive the mHealth intervention, including the delivery of several text messages per week, with some of them delivered just in time, based on data continuously collected by the Fitbit tracker. The trial consists of two phases, each lasting six months: the lead-in phase, when the mHealth intervention will be supported with human phone counselling, and the maintenance phase, when the intervention will be fully automated. The primary outcome, average ambulatory activity (steps/day) measured by a wrist-worn accelerometer, will be assessed at the end of the maintenance phase at 12 months. Discussion The trial has several strengths, such as the choice of active control to isolate the net effect of the intervention beyond simple self-monitoring with an activity tracker, broad eligibility criteria allowing for the inclusion of patients without a smartphone, procedures to minimise selection bias, and involvement of a relatively large number of general practices. These design choices contribute to the trial’s pragmatic character and ensure that the intervention, if effective, can be translated into routine primary care practice, allowing important public health benefits

Participatory development of an mHealth intervention delivered in general practice to increase physical activity and reduce sedentary behaviour of patients with prediabetes and type 2 diabetes (ENERGISED)

Background The escalating global prevalence of type 2 diabetes and prediabetes presents a major public health challenge. Physical activity plays a critical role in managing (pre)diabetes; however, adherence to physical activity recommendations remains low. The ENERGISED trial was designed to address these challenges by integrating mHealth tools into the routine practice of general practitioners, aiming for a significant, scalable impact in (pre)diabetes patient care through increased physical activity and reduced sedentary behaviour. Methods The mHealth intervention for the ENERGISED trial was developed according to the mHealth development and evaluation framework, which includes the active participation of (pre)diabetes patients. This iterative process encompasses four sequential phases: (a) conceptualisation to identify key aspects of the intervention; (b) formative research including two focus groups with (pre)diabetes patients (n = 14) to tailor the intervention to the needs and preferences of the target population; (c) pre-testing using think-aloud patient interviews (n = 7) to optimise the intervention components; and (d) piloting (n = 10) to refine the intervention to its final form. Results The final intervention comprises six types of text messages, each embodying different behaviour change techniques. Some of the messages, such as those providing interim reviews of the patients’ weekly step goal or feedback on their weekly performance, are delivered at fixed times of the week. Others are triggered just in time by specific physical behaviour events as detected by the Fitbit activity tracker: for example, prompts to increase walking pace are triggered after 5 min of continuous walking; and prompts to interrupt sitting following 30 min of uninterrupted sitting. For patients without a smartphone or reliable internet connection, the intervention is adapted to ensure inclusivity. Patients receive on average three to six messages per week for 12 months. During the first six months, the text messaging is supplemented with monthly phone counselling to enable personalisation of the intervention, assistance with technical issues, and enhancement of adherence. Conclusions The participatory development of the ENERGISED mHealth intervention, incorporating just-in-time prompts, has the potential to significantly enhance the capacity of general practitioners for personalised behavioural counselling on physical activity in (pre)diabetes patients, with implications for broader applications in primary care

Nutrition and the ageing brain: moving towards clinical applications

The global increases in life expectancy and population have resulted in a growing ageing population and with it a growing number of people living with age-related neurodegenerative conditions and dementia, shifting focus towards methods of prevention, with lifestyle approaches such as nutrition representing a promising avenue for further development. This overview summarises the main themes discussed during the 3 Symposium on "Nutrition for the Ageing Brain: Moving Towards Clinical Applications" held in Madrid in August 2018, enlarged with the current state of knowledge on how nutrition influences healthy ageing and gives recommendations regarding how the critical field of nutrition and neurodegeneration research should move forward into the future. Specific nutrients are discussed as well as the impact of multi-nutrient and whole diet approaches, showing particular promise to combatting the growing burden of age-related cognitive decline. The emergence of new avenues for exploring the role of diet in healthy ageing, such as the impact of the gut microbiome and development of new techniques (imaging measures of brain metabolism, metabolomics, biomarkers) are enabling researchers to approach finding answers to these questions. But the translation of these findings into clinical and public health contexts remains an obstacle due to significant shortcomings in nutrition research or pressure on the scientific community to communicate recommendations to the general public in a convincing and accessible way. Some promising programs exist but further investigation to improve our understanding of the mechanisms by which nutrition can improve brain health across the human lifespan is still required

Divine and human or the devotional image in the 14th century focused on the evolution of the Pieta

This Bachelor Thesis refers to the genesis of new types of art pieces which were created to excite more emotional experience in the audience connected with the suffering of Jesus and Virgin Mary.Those devotional images like Mystic Crucifiction, Pieta or Maria Gravida began accruing at the turn of the13th and 14th century in the milieu of mendicant monasteries. This Thesis is especially focused on iconography of the Pieta. The mourning Virgin Mary, holding body of the dead Christ is actual theme throughout centuries, expressing the suffering from the lost of her only son. During the 14th century was the theme of Pieta divided into three types (vertical, horizontal and diagonal). Apart form the works of Wilhelm Pinder and Lech Kalinowsky this theme haven't been still compiled. The aim of this thesis is explanation of the terminology of devotional images and it's creation according to the present specialized literature. The main idea of the Thesis is brief clarification of the genesis of iconography of the Pieta (pointed to the three examples from the Czech Republic) and indication of it's function and potential background of creation in the medieval monastic spirituality

Analysis of e-government at the municipal office and the possibility of extension

The progress in information and communication technologies has also touched the sphere of public administration. The electronization of individual areas of public administration allows time and money savings not only for the citizens, but also for the offices and their employees. The main purpose of e-government is to determine the situation of the Czech Republic compared to selected countries regarding to the standards of state administration (confirmed by statistical datas). The benefits of this thesis on the level of the local self-government are suggestions for improvements of running of municipality with extended sphere of influence Černošice in the area of electronization with support of awarded e-government projects. The thesis is divided into theoretical and practical parts. The theoretical part describes projects in the sphere of state government including legislative and programme support of e-government development. Benefit of the practical part of this diploma thesis is the possibility to compare the Czech Republic with other European countries and to provide suggestions for improvements of the situation of e-government, especially in the sphere of influence of the local self-government in Černošice