Socioeconomic and Spatial Determinants of Occupational Diseases in the Automotive Industry in Czechia

Zdraví a snižování rozdílů ve zdraví mezi zeměmi a uvnitř zemí patří mezi základní globální cíle udržitelného rozvoje pro období let 2016-2030. Výskyt nemocí z povolání se vyznačuje velmi výraznou diferenciací jak regionální, tak i odvětvovou a vykazuje i značnou dynamiku v čase a místě. Vzhledem ke skutečnosti, že Česko z pohledu zaměstnanosti v automobilovém průmyslovém odvětví i produkcí nových vozidel představuje špičku v rámci členských zemí Evropské unie, nabývá nově výzkum nemocí z povolání v automobilovém průmyslu na významu. Disertační práce je koncipována jako ekologická korelační studie zaměřující se na studium determinantů výskytu nemocí z povolání v automobilovém průmyslu. Vlastním jádrem práce je analýza souboru 32 tisíc případů nemocí z povolání (za období 20 let) a souboru dat ze šetření ve 247 firmách automobilového průmyslu (zaměstnávajících téměř 110 tisíc zaměstnanců, tj. 78 % všech ekonomicky aktivních obyvatel pracujících v tomto odvětví). V předložené práci jsou využita dostupná data z rutinních statistik, data ze základních zdravotních a hygienických registrů a data z vlastního dotazníkového šetření. Inovativně se v disertační práci propojuje výzkum globálních produkčních sítí s medicínsko-geografickým přístupem. V závěru disertační práce jsou představeny konkrétní výstupy...Health and reducing disparities in health between and within countries are among the principal global sustainable development objectives for the period 2016-2030. The incidence of Occupational Diseases (OD) is characterized by very distinct differentiation, both regional and sectoral, and has considerable dynamics in time and place. Given that Czechia is at the top among all EU member states in terms of employment in the automotive industry and production of new vehicles, new research on OD in the automotive industry acquires importance. The Ph.D. Thesis is conceived as an ecological correlation study focusing on the study of the determinants of OD in automotive industry. Its own core work is to analyze 32,646 cases of OD (in the past 20 years) and a set of data from a survey of 247 companies of the automotive industry (employing nearly 110,000 employees, i.e. 78 % of the economically active population working in this sector). In the present work are used available data from routine statistics, data from registers and basic sanitation data from a questionnaire survey. The study innovatively links research of Global production networks and medical-geographical approach. At the end of the Ph.D. Thesis, specific outcomes for praxis and discusses possible topics for further research in this area are...Katedra sociální geografie a region. rozvojeDepartment of Social Geography and Regional Develop.Přírodovědecká fakultaFaculty of Scienc

Occupational Diseases in the Automotive Industry in Czechia – Geographic and Medical Context

Objectives: The automotive industry represents the most important industrial sector in Czechia. The objective of this study has been to analyze the occurrence of occupational diseases (OD) in the automotive industry during the period from 2001 till 2014. Material and Methods: Data on OD cases was retrieved from the National Registry of OD. Further, we conducted a survey in automotive companies with focus on occupational health services and positions of the companies in global production networks (GPNs). An analysis of OD distribution in the automotive industry was performed (age, gender, company size and its role in GPNs, regional distribution of studied companies, and regional unemployment rate), and was accompanied by assessment of the quality and range of occupational health services. Results: Employees older than 40 years old have nearly 2.5 times higher probability of OD occurrence as compared with employees younger than 40 years old (odds ratio (OR) = 2.41, 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.05–2.85). Occupational diseases occurrence probability was 3 times higher for women than for men (OR = 3.01, 95% CI: 2.55–3.55). Occupational diseases incidence rates increased with the size of the company (0 OD/10 000 employees in micro enterprises to 57 OD/10 000 employees in large enterprises). A particularly steep rise in OD incidents in the automotive industry was observed in the Plzeň Region between 2001 and 2011. An association between OD incidents and the unemployment rate was not statistically confirmed. Conclusions: A statistically significant increase in OD incidents dependent on company size may be arguably attributed to a higher quality of occupational medical services in bigger companies, which ensures better detection and diagnosis of OD. In the Plzeň Region, the rapid increase in OD incidents was mainly caused by a change in the production process of automobile textiles in one factory due to the introduction of a glue containing isocyanates, which are potent allergising agents. This led to an increase in occupational allergic diseases – bronchial asthma in particular

Monitoring of Wild Animal Species in the Czech Republic

AbstractIn the paper, the method of data collection, processing and visualization of the occurrence of non-indigenous and endangered animal species in the Czech Republic is described. Our new software enables easy data entry about the observation of monitored species to the expert public. The data obtained is then used by expert and scientific institutions in order to search for optimal solutions of nature protection and population management and results are open to the public.This analytic and software solution was developed by the Department of Information Technologies, Czech University of Life Sciences; the data has been also used by the Forestry and Wood Faculty and the Faculty of Life Sciences

EUNIS Habitat Classification: Expert system, characteristic species combinations and distribution maps of European habitats

Aim: The EUNIS Habitat Classification is a widely used reference framework for European habitat types (habitats), but it lacks formal definitions of individual habitats that would enable their unequivocal identification. Our goal was to develop a tool for assigning vegetation‐plot records to the habitats of the EUNIS system, use it to classify a European vegetation‐plot database, and compile statistically‐derived characteristic species combinations and distribution maps for these habitats. Location: Europe. Methods: We developed the classification expert system EUNIS‐ESy, which contains definitions of individual EUNIS habitats based on their species composition and geographic location. Each habitat was formally defined as a formula in a computer language combining algebraic and set‐theoretic concepts with formal logical operators. We applied this expert system to classify 1,261,373 vegetation plots from the European Vegetation Archive (EVA) and other databases. Then we determined diagnostic, constant and dominant species for each habitat by calculating species‐to‐habitat fidelity and constancy (occurrence frequency) in the classified data set. Finally, we mapped the plot locations for each habitat. Results: Formal definitions were developed for 199 habitats at Level 3 of the EUNIS hierarchy, including 25 coastal, 18 wetland, 55 grassland, 43 shrubland, 46 forest and 12 man‐made habitats. The expert system classified 1,125,121 vegetation plots to these habitat groups and 73,188 to other habitats, while 63,064 plots remained unclassified or were classified to more than one habitat. Data on each habitat were summarized in factsheets containing habitat description, distribution map, corresponding syntaxa and characteristic species combination. Conclusions: EUNIS habitats were characterized for the first time in terms of their species composition and distribution, based on a classification of a European database of vegetation plots using the newly developed electronic expert system EUNIS‐ESy. The data provided and the expert system have considerable potential for future use in European nature conservation planning, monitoring and assessment

Socioeconomic and Spatial Determinants of Occupational Diseases in the Automotive Industry in Czechia

Health and reducing disparities in health between and within countries are among the principal global sustainable development objectives for the period 2016-2030. The incidence of Occupational Diseases (OD) is characterized by very distinct differentiation, both regional and sectoral, and has considerable dynamics in time and place. Given that Czechia is at the top among all EU member states in terms of employment in the automotive industry and production of new vehicles, new research on OD in the automotive industry acquires importance. The Ph.D. Thesis is conceived as an ecological correlation study focusing on the study of the determinants of OD in automotive industry. Its own core work is to analyze 32,646 cases of OD (in the past 20 years) and a set of data from a survey of 247 companies of the automotive industry (employing nearly 110,000 employees, i.e. 78 % of the economically active population working in this sector). In the present work are used available data from routine statistics, data from registers and basic sanitation data from a questionnaire survey. The study innovatively links research of Global production networks and medical-geographical approach. At the end of the Ph.D. Thesis, specific outcomes for praxis and discusses possible topics for further research in this area are..

Socioeconomic and Spatial Determinants of Occupational Diseases in the Automotive Industry in Czechia

Health and reducing disparities in health between and within countries are among the principal global sustainable development objectives for the period 2016-2030. The incidence of Occupational Diseases (OD) is characterized by very distinct differentiation, both regional and sectoral, and has considerable dynamics in time and place. Given that Czechia is at the top among all EU member states in terms of employment in the automotive industry and production of new vehicles, new research on OD in the automotive industry acquires importance. The Ph.D. Thesis is conceived as an ecological correlation study focusing on the study of the determinants of OD in automotive industry. Its own core work is to analyze 32,646 cases of OD (in the past 20 years) and a set of data from a survey of 247 companies of the automotive industry (employing nearly 110,000 employees, i.e. 78 % of the economically active population working in this sector). In the present work are used available data from routine statistics, data from registers and basic sanitation data from a questionnaire survey. The study innovatively links research of Global production networks and medical-geographical approach. At the end of the Ph.D. Thesis, specific outcomes for praxis and discusses possible topics for further research in this area are..

Mitigation of Social Exclusion in Regions and Rural Areas – E-learning with Focus on Content Creation and Evaluation

Study materials and learning in general is moving online nowadays. The paper deals with lifelong learning of socially disadvantaged people. Inhabitants of rural areas represent a substantial group there. The fundamental disproportion of digital divide emerges in combination with other factors, which impacts generally. The problem requires a solution then. The main target groups selected for the study are women on maternity leave, seniors and unemployed school graduates. One of the main focuses was on educational materials and their creation and sharing. Several researches such as semi-structured interviews and surveys have been made among the groups. The results show several requirements for e-learning systems and materials. Taking the everything into account, prototype e-learning applications have been developed (web and mobile)

Obezita - novodobá epidemie 21. století =Obesity - Epidemic of the 21st Century

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CONDITIONS AND LIMITATIONS OF MULTIMEDIA SENIOR EDUCATION IN REGIONS

The present paper is aimed at proposing and verifying new methods of distance education that is carried out by means of multimedia tools. It also deals with the development of network services availability in the countryside. Furthermore, computer literacy of education organizers and participants and economic benefits of virtual education are targeted in the paper. The system of the Virtual University of the Third Age that has been offered since 2008 at the Faculty of Economics and Management of Czech University of Life Sciences Prague (CULS Prague) serves here as a tool or prototype for verification of multimedia senior education opportunities in the regions. The above-mentioned system also reacts to and at the same time develops the so-called "third role of universities"

Economic Aspects of Precision Agriculture Systems

The paper deals with an economic assessment of impacts of precision agriculture (PA) on crop production economy. Based on a questionnaire survey and a FADN agricultural product expense-to-revenue ratio survey, it analyses a set of agricultural businesses the structure of which essentially copies the composition of business forms in the Czech Republic’s agricultural sector. The economic assessment applies economic analysis methods based on cost calculations and a calculation formula that considers the commodity and species production structure. Based on an analysis of a number of scientific studies, it determines specific cost savings and makes a quantification of the effect of precision agriculture techniques on costs. In all the production areas, the greatest effect caused by application of precision agriculture techniques was quantified for winter wheat. Conversely, the lowest financial effects are shown in the analysed production areas for spring wheat. We also identified differences in the cost savings between spring and winter barley; the greater savings occur for winter barley. Financial effects in the form of reduced production costs were also found for other analysed crops cultivated by the businesses studied. The financial savings for the pea plant are almost comparable to those for winter barley. The greatest financial savings were achieved for sugar beet