The employees of baby boomers generation, Generation X, Generation Y and Generation Z in selected Czech corporations as conceivers of development and competitiveness in their corporation

The corporations using the varied workforce can supply a greater variety of solutions to problems in service, sourcing, and allocation of their resources. The current labor market mentions four generations that are living and working today: the Baby boomers generation, the Generation X, the Generation Y and the Generation Z. The differences between generations can affect the way corporations recruit and develop teams, deal with change, motivate, stimulate and manage employees, and boost productivity, competitiveness and service effectiveness. A corporation’s success and competitiveness depend on its ability to embrace diversity and realize the competitive advantages and benefits. The aim of this paper is to present the current generation of employees (the employees of Baby Boomers Generation, Generation X, Generation Y and Generation Z) in the labor market by secondary research and then to introduce the results of primary research that was implemented in selected corporations in the Czech Republic. The contribution presents a view of some of the results of quantitative and qualitative research conducted in selected corporations in the Czech Republic. These researches were conducted in 2015 on a sample of 3,364 respondents, and the results were analyzed. Two research hypotheses and one research question have been formulated. The verification or rejection of null research hypothesis was done through the statistical method of the Pearson’s Chi-square test. It was found that perception of the choice of superior from a particular generation does depend on the age of employees in selected corporations. It was also determined that there are statistically significant dependences between the preference for heterogeneous or homogeneous cooperation and the age of employees in selected corporations

Design criteria and applications of multi-channel parallel microfluidic module

The microfluidic technology for function microsphere synthesis has high control precision. However, the throughput is too low for industrial scale-up applications. Current scale-up design focuses on a multi-channel in 2D, in which the distribution uniformity parameter δ increases linearly, resulting in the deterioration of the flow distribution performance. The 3D modular scale-up strategy could greatly alleviate this problem, but no design principles have been developed yet. For the first time, this paper establishes the microfluidic 3D scale-up design criteria. Based on the modular design concept, the design method of 2D and 3D throughput scale-up parameters N and M, distribution uniformity parameters δ and β, and microchannel design parameter KRwere proposed. The equivalent resistance coefficient was defined, and the influence of different parameters on a 2D array and 3D stack was analyzed. Furthermore, the error correction method was studied. It was found that the two-stage scale-up process contradicted each other. A good scale-up performance of one stage led to the limitation of another stage. Increasing the resistance of each channel Rucould both increase the two-stage scale-up performance, which was an important factor. A single-module scale-up system with 8 channels in a single array and 10 arrays in a vertical stack, which had 80 channels in total, was designed and fabricated based on the proposed design criteria for generating Chitosan/TiO2composite microspheres. The average particle size was 539.65 μm and CV value was about 3.59%. The throughput was 480 ml h-1, which effectively increased the throughput scale and the product quality

Toward a mechanistic understanding of microfluidic droplet-based extraction and separation of lanthanides

Droplet-based microfluidic extraction is a promising way for effective lanthanides extraction due to its outstanding mass transfer performance. The separation process can be greatly enhanced with the droplet-based microfluidic extraction technique. However, the interactions between mass transfer, microfluidic dynamics and extraction kinetics are still unclear, which has hindered further manipulation on microfluidic extraction to boost extraction performance. In this study, the mechanisms of microfluidic droplet-based extraction and separation intensification of lanthanides are for the first time unveiled by using a numerical simulation model. The limiting factors for the performance of droplet-based microfluidic extraction are identified through a model-based parametric analysis. The numerical analyses provide a comprehensive understanding of droplet-based microfluidic extraction systems and offer operation and optimization guidelines for future research in this area

Discrepant Catalytic Activity of Biochar-Based Fe and Co Homonuclear and Heteronuclear Diatomic Catalysts for Activating Peroxymonosulfate to Degrade Emerging Pollutants

In this study, biochar-based Fe and Co homonuclear (DAC–Fe–Co) and heteronuclear (DAC-Fe/Co) diatomic catalysts were first prepared via controlling the ligands of Fe and Co, and used to activate peroxymonosulfate (PMS) for the degradation of emerging organic pollutants, such as sulfamethoxazole (SMX), bisphenol A, phenol, atrazine, and nitrobenzene. The results showed that acid pretreatment of biochar was necessary for biochar to synthesize atomic catalysts. The DAC-Fe/Co had higher contents of Fe and Co than DAC–Fe–Co, but lower catalytic activity, in which the SMX first-order kinetics rate constant for DAC–Fe–Co was 4.1 times higher than that for DAC-Fe/Co, achieving 0.32 min–1. DAC–Fe–Co and DAC-Fe/Co could activate PMS to produce similar reactive species, including radicals and nonradicals. But DAC–Fe–Co produced a higher concentration of radicals than DAC-Fe/Co. The density functional theory (DFT) calculation indicated that compared to DAC-Fe/Co, DAC–Fe–Co had a higher adsorption capacity for PMS (−7.90 eV) and lower energy barrier for the regeneration of Fe (−1.20 eV) and Co (−1.16 eV) active sites. The enhanced regeneration of Fe and Co active sites promoted the formation of radicals, which explained the faster SMX removal rate in the system of DAC–Fe–Co/PMS than DAC-Fe/Co/PMS. The DAC–Fe–Co/PMS system exhibited high resistance to inorganic anions and showed excellent catalytic stability in the cycling experiments. This study provides insight into the discrepant catalytic activity of homonuclear and heteronuclear diatomic catalysts for PMS activation to degrade emerging organic contaminants, and offers a new way to prepare the homonuclear diatomic catalyst

Changes in gene expression profile among the different developmental stages.

<p>The number of up-regulated and down-regulated genes between R1 and R2, R2 and R3 are summarized. Between the R1 (3 DAP) and R2 (7 DAP) rice embryo libraries, there are 275 genes up-regulated and 397 genes down-regulated, while there are 128 up-regulated genes and 376 down-regulated genes between the R2 (7 DAP) and R3 (14 DAP) rice embryo libraries.</p

Venn diagram showing the genes expressed in each of the three stages of rice embryo development.

<p>R1, 3–5 DAP; R2, 7 DAP; R3, 14 DAP. Among these genes, 20,856 are expressed at all three developmental stages, 952 are co-expressed in R1 and R2, 792 are co-expressed in R2 and R3, and 793 are co-expressed in R1 and R3. The number of stage-specifically expressed genes is 1,131 (R1), 1,443 (R2), and 1,223 (R3), respectively.</p

Expression patterns in the four expression clusters.

<p>Clusters were obtained by the k-means method on the gene expression profiles of the 1011 modulated genes. R1, 3–5 DAP; R2, 7 DAP; R3, 14 DAP. The most abundant group is Cluster 1, with 543 genes whose expression shows a negative slope during embryogenesis. The second abundant group is Cluster 2, which contained 267 genes whose expression shows a positive slope from 3 to 14 DAP. Cluster 3 is composed of 107 genes that begin to up-regulate at 3–5 DAP, peak at 7 DAP, and decrease thereafter. Cluster 4 consisted of 94 genes that are down-regulated from 3–5 to 7 DAP, then up-regulate to 14 DAP. Their identities and expression clusters are listed in <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0030646#pone.0030646.s004" target="_blank">Table S4</a>.</p

Adaptace marketingove strategie LGI pro český trh

The main goal of the thesis is to develop a specific proposition for adaptation of LGI Czechia's marketing strategy with respect to its current position on the Czech market. The first part of the thesis offers indispensable theoretical knowledge of marketing theory and financial analysis. These theoretical foundations are practically applied in the second part of the thesis, which begins with introduction of LGI Czechia, analysis of its marketing strategy and marketing environment as well as its internal predispositions. Based on particular findings the thesis summarizes key marketing areas suitable for improvement. Next part focuses on the adaptation of marketing strategy as it captures problematic areas and develops specific marketing solutions for improvement. Additionally the thesis also offers basic financial analysis of LGI Czechia in comparison with its competitor Kühne + Nagel

Climate Change and Maize Yield in Iowa

<div><p>Climate is changing across the world, including the major maize-growing state of Iowa in the USA. To maintain crop yields, farmers will need a suite of adaptation strategies, and choice of strategy will depend on how the local to regional climate is expected to change. Here we predict how maize yield might change through the 21^st century as compared with late 20^th century yields across Iowa, USA, a region representing ideal climate and soils for maize production that contributes substantially to the global maize economy. To account for climate model uncertainty, we drive a dynamic ecosystem model with output from six climate models and two future climate forcing scenarios. Despite a wide range in the predicted amount of warming and change to summer precipitation, all simulations predict a decrease in maize yields from late 20^th century to middle and late 21^st century ranging from 15% to 50%. Linear regression of all models predicts a 6% state-averaged yield decrease for every 1°C increase in warm season average air temperature. When the influence of moisture stress on crop growth is removed from the model, yield decreases either remain the same or are reduced, depending on predicted changes in warm season precipitation. Our results suggest that even if maize were to receive all the water it needed, under the strongest climate forcing scenario yields will decline by 10–20% by the end of the 21^st century.</p></div

Functional analysis of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) based on RNA-Seq data.

<p>GO functional enrichment analysis of differentially expressed genes in R2-v-R1 and R2-v-R3. Based on sequence homology, 1,011 DEGs could be categorized into three main categories (cellular component, molecular function, and biological process), in which there are 14, 17, and 20 functional groups, respectively. Among these groups, the terms cell part (GO: 0044464), binding (GO: 0005488), and metabolic process (GO: 0008152) are dominant in each of the three main categories, respectively.</p