Sociality and ecology in ground squirrels (tribe Marmotini).

of the Ph.D. thesis Autor: Jan Matějů Name: Sociality and ecology in ground squirrels (tribe Marmotini) Ground-dwelling squirrels are parafyletic group of rodents from the family Sciuridae (tribes Marmotini and Xerini). Ground-dwelling squirrels are semi-fossorial inhabitants of treeless biotopes. They share most aspects of general biology. They usually breed once a year, have exclusively diurnal activity and are omnivorous. On the contrary, ground-dwelling squirrels display different levels of sociality, which makes them an ideal model to study different ecological aspects connected with evolution of sociality. The first part of the Ph.D. thesis is focused on the relationship between sociality and sexual size dimorphism and relative and absolute size of brain. At first, supposing that different levels of sociality are connected with differences in intensity of sexual selection acting on males, we tested association between sociality and sexual size dimorphism as well as association between sexual size dimorphism and body size - so called Rensch rule. Next, we tested correlation between sociality and relative brain size. In agreement with the Social brain hypothesis, we assumed that e.g. solitarily living species should have smaller relative brain size than species living in stable pairs. We found...disertační práce Autor: Jan Matějů Název: Socialita a ekologie zemních veverek tribu Marmotini Zemní veverky (triby Marmotini a Xerini) tvoří parafyletickou skupinu hlodavců čeledi Sciuridae, pro něž je typický semi-fossoriální způsob života v otevřeném prostředí. Zemní veverky mají relativně podobný způsob života, rozmnožují se obvykle jednou ročně, mají výhradně denní aktivitu a jsou omnivorní. Naopak výrazně odlišná je jejich socialita. To činí tuto skupinu ideálním modelem pro testování ekologických hypotéz spjatých s evolucí sociality. Právě vztah sociality a velikostního pohlavního dimorfismu, respektive sociality a velikosti mozku u zemních veverek je řešen v první část disertační práce. Nejprve jsme na základě předpokladu, že s odlišnou úrovní sociality je spojena i odlišná intenzita pohlavního výběru působící na samce, testovali vliv sociality na velikostní pohlavní dimorfismus. Zároveň jsme zjišťovali přítomnost závislosti mezi tělesnou velikostí a mírou velikostního pohlavního dimorfismu - tzv. Renschovo pravidlo. Dále jsme testovali hypotézu "sociálního mozku", tj. zda úroveň sociality ovlivňuje relativní a absolutní velikost mozku zemních veverek. Dle předpokladů by relativní velikost mozku měla být větší u druhů, kde existují dlouhodobé pevné sociální vazby než u druhů samotářských....Department of ZoologyKatedra zoologieFaculty of SciencePřírodovědecká fakult

Leading indicators of crisis incidence: evidence from developed countries

We search for early warning indicators that could indicate important risks in developed economies. We therefore examine which indicators are most useful in explaining costly macroeconomic developments following the occurrence of economic crises in EU and OECD countries between 1970 and 2010. To define our dependent variable, we bring together a (continuous) measure of crisis incidence, which combines the output and employment loss and the fiscal deficit into an index of real costs, with a (discrete) database of crisis occurrence. In contrast to recent studies, we explicitly take into account model uncertainty in two steps. First, for each potential leading indicator, we select the relevant prediction horizon by using panel vector autoregression. Second, we identify the most useful leading indicators with Bayesian model averaging. Our results suggest that domestic housing prices, share prices, and credit growth, and some global variables, such as private credit, are risk factors worth monitoring in developed economies

Increasing Incidence of Geomyces destructans Fungus in Bats from the Czech Republic and Slovakia

BACKGROUND: White-nose syndrome is a disease of hibernating insectivorous bats associated with the fungus Geomyces destructans. It first appeared in North America in 2006, where over a million bats died since then. In Europe, G. destructans was first identified in France in 2009. Its distribution, infection dynamics, and effects on hibernating bats in Europe are largely unknown. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We screened hibernacula in the Czech Republic and Slovakia for the presence of the fungus during the winter seasons of 2008/2009 and 2009/2010. In winter 2009/2010, we found infected bats in 76 out of 98 surveyed sites, in which the majority had been previously negative. A photographic record of over 6000 hibernating bats, taken since 1994, revealed bats with fungal growths since 1995; however, the incidence of such bats increased in Myotis myotis from 2% in 2007 to 14% by 2010. Microscopic, cultivation and molecular genetic evaluations confirmed the identity of the recently sampled fungus as G. destructans, and demonstrated its continuous distribution in the studied area. At the end of the hibernation season we recorded pathologic changes in the skin of the affected bats, from which the fungus was isolated. We registered no mass mortality caused by the fungus, and the recorded population decline in the last two years of the most affected species, M. myotis, is within the population trend prediction interval. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: G. destructans was found to be widespread in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, with an epizootic incidence in bats during the most recent years. Further development of the situation urgently requires a detailed pan-European monitoring scheme

Marketing strategy for the LOGOtherm system with focus on marketing communication

katedra: KMG; přílohy: CD ROM; rozsah: 80 s., 9 s. přílohThe subject of my diploma work is an analysis of marketing strategy of the company Meibes s.r.o. for the LOGOtherm system and a concept of a new communication strategy. The Meibes s.r.o. company is a part of an international Meibes holding and deals with selling armatures and heating system components. The LOGOtherm system is a system for heating and water warming designed for apartment houses. The aim of the work is to increase common knowledge of the product LOGOtherm among the public and to improve communication between the company and specialists. In the first part the company and its{\crq} products are introduced. The next, theoretical part deals with the process of communication, the aims of marketing communication and its` tools and media. It also mentions the usage of internet for the marketing communication. Practical part of the work deals with market and marketing communication analysis for the LOGOtherm product, defying target groups for marketing communication and finally it deals with the own concept of a new communication strategy. The strategy is focused on communicating advantages of the system so that they are well understandable to the target groups. This effect is accomplished by adapting communication for each target group. The concept contains also a media plan with a considered budget.Předmětem diplomové práce je analýza marketingové strategie firmy Meibes s.r.o. pro systém LOGOtherm a návrh nové komunikační strategie. Firma Meibes s.r.o. je součástí mezinárodního holdingu Meibes a zabývá se prodejem armatur a komponentů topných systémů. Systém LOGOtherm je systém vytápění a přípravy teplé vody pro bytové domy. Cílem práce je zvýšení obecného povědomí o produktu LOGOtherm u laiků a zlepšení komunikace mezi firmou a odborníky. V první části je čtenář seznámen s firmou a jejími produkty. V další, teoretické části je pojednáno o procesu komunikace, cílech marketingové komunikace, jejích nástrojích a prostředcích. Také je samostatně pojednáno o využití internetu v marketingové komunikaci. Praktická část této práce se zabývá analýzou trhu a marketingové komunikace produktu LOGOtherm, definováním cílových skupin pro marketingovou komunikaci a vlastním návrhem nové komunikační strategie. Komunikační strategie je zaměřena na prokomunikování výhod tak, aby byla cílovým skupinám jim určená sdělení dobře srozumitelná. Tohoto efektu je dosaženo přizpůsobením komunikace pro každou cílovou skupinu. Návrh obsahuje i mediální plán s uvedeným rozpočtem

Control Unit for Autonomous Vacuum Cleaner

Předkládaná práce se zabývá v úvodní části zpracováním rešerše na téma robotické vysávání a zhodnocení výrobků v této rešerši. Hlavním zaměřením práce je návrh veškeré potřebné řídicí elektroniky a návrh desky plošných spojů. Je také navrţena metoda pro určení vzdálenosti mezi překáţkou a robotem. Dokument dále popisuje problémy spojené s návrhem IR snímače. Poslední částí je návrh řídicího softwaru pro robota a jeho testování.This paper is in introduction focused on review of robotic vacuum cleaning and evaluation of available products qualities. However the main focus of this paper is system design of all subsystems, control systems and PCD design of robot electronics. In this paper is also described a method for evaluating approximate distance of robot from the obstacle. There are also described problems of system design of IR proximity sensors. The last part of this work is development of control software for robot and its testing.

Power supply

This work is focused on development of a laboratory power source with low output ripple, its construction and measuring its basic parameters. Basic point of interestion is systems design of a digital controled power source. Document describes problems which has occured and its solutions. Describes designing of a circuit board, its construction and measuring its parameters. Below describes system design, construction and examination of a display and keyboard for operating the device. As a result of this work is realized and measured system design, which achieved relativem low levels of output ripple, short reaction time on change of load, but slower reaction of a current limit. Some parameters has not been entirely fine-tuned, especialy speed of reaction of current limit, amplitude of output distortion volage and stability diring short circuit on output clamps

Sociality and ecology in ground squirrels (tribe Marmotini).

of the Ph.D. thesis Autor: Jan Matějů Name: Sociality and ecology in ground squirrels (tribe Marmotini) Ground-dwelling squirrels are parafyletic group of rodents from the family Sciuridae (tribes Marmotini and Xerini). Ground-dwelling squirrels are semi-fossorial inhabitants of treeless biotopes. They share most aspects of general biology. They usually breed once a year, have exclusively diurnal activity and are omnivorous. On the contrary, ground-dwelling squirrels display different levels of sociality, which makes them an ideal model to study different ecological aspects connected with evolution of sociality. The first part of the Ph.D. thesis is focused on the relationship between sociality and sexual size dimorphism and relative and absolute size of brain. At first, supposing that different levels of sociality are connected with differences in intensity of sexual selection acting on males, we tested association between sociality and sexual size dimorphism as well as association between sexual size dimorphism and body size - so called Rensch rule. Next, we tested correlation between sociality and relative brain size. In agreement with the Social brain hypothesis, we assumed that e.g. solitarily living species should have smaller relative brain size than species living in stable pairs. We found..