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Kontrahovanie služieb vo verejnom sektore – skúsenosti v Slovenskej a Českej republike
Get PDFCílem monografie je přispět k rozvoji teorie kontrahovaní služeb ve veřejném sektoru a nabídnout praktická řešení pro řízení celého procesu. Predikcí je, že důvodem selhání kontrahovaní služeb ve veřejném sektoru v podmínkách SR a ČR je nízká kvalita kontrakt managementu, proto je také posunutý předmět výzkumu z roviny nákladové efektivnosti do roviny efektivnosti řízení procesu kontrahovaní. Originální předmět výzkumu – vztah dopadu kontrahovaní na efektivnost zabezpečování služeb a kvality řízení kontraktů a inovativní metodika testovaní tohoto vztahu přinesla vědecky cenné výsledky nejen v oblasti teorie kontrahovaní v mezinárodním kontextu, ale i východiska pro návrh řešení problémů v praxi.The monograph responds to the issue of contracting out services in public sector. The aim of the monograph is to develop the theory of contracting out services in public sector and to propose solutions for the contract management in the public sector. To prove the assumption about low quality contract management in public sector in SR and CR as the reason of contracting out failure is the research issue developed from contracting out effectiveness to contract management quality. Original research issue – relationship between contracting out outcomes and quality contract management and innovative methodology testing this relationship brings valuable results in the dimension of contracting out theory in an international context and to define science-based ground for proposing solutions to the contract management in public sector
Beck depression inventory, second edition, Czech version : demographic correlates, factor structure and comparison with foreign data
Get PDFObjective: We aimed to examine whether demographic characteristics (i.e., sex, age and education) correlate with total scores of the Czech version of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II), understand the factorial structure of this scale, compare our results with findings of studies conducted in other countries and provide preliminary normative data for use in clinical practice. Methods: Data of 450 participants were analysed using correlation analysis, non-parametric tests and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Results: Women, and participants with lower education, tended to score higher than men, and participants with higher education. There was no significant relationship between age and total scores. CFA confirmed two factors: cognitive-affective and somatic. Czech participants scored lower than participants in other studies. Preliminary normative data are presented in the form of percentile values for the whole sample and stratified according to gender and education level. Conclusions: We recommend the usage of the BDI-II total score while taking into account also the cognitive-affective and somatic factor subscores. The comparison of our results with other foreign findings shows the need for the development of locally specific normative values for self-reported depression scales
Advanced oxidation processes for the removal of cyanobacterial toxins from drinking water
Get PDFDrinking water production faces many different challenges with one of them being naturally produced cyanobacterial toxins. Since pollutants become more abundant and persistent today, conventional water treatment is often no longer sufficient to provide adequate removal. Among other emerging technologies, advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) have a great potential to appropriately tackle this issue. This review addresses the economic and health risks posed by cyanotoxins and discusses their removal from drinking water by AOPs. The current state of knowledge on AOPs and their application for cyanotoxin degradation is synthesized to provide an overview on available techniques and effects of water quality, toxin- and technique-specific parameters on their degradation efficacy. The different AOPs are compared based on their efficiency and applicability, considering economic, practical and environmental aspects and their potential to generate toxic disinfection byproducts. For future research, more relevant studies to include the degradation of less-explored cyanotoxins, toxin mixtures in actual surface water, assessment of residual toxicity and scale-up are recommended. Since actual surface water most likely contains more than just cyanotoxins, a multi-barrier approach consisting of a series of different physical, biological and chemical-especially oxidative-treatment steps is inevitable to ensure safe and high-quality drinking water
Cyanine-Flavonol Hybrids for Near-Infrared Light-Activated Delivery of Carbon Monoxide
Get PDFCarbon monoxide (CO) is an endogenous signaling molecule that controls a number of physiological processes. To circumvent the inherent toxicity of CO, light-activated CO-releasing molecules (photoCORMs) have emerged as an alternative for its administration. However, their wider application requires photoactivation using biologically benign visible and near-infrared (NIR) light. In this work, a strategy to access such photoCORMs by fusing two CO-releasing flavonol moieties with a NIR-absorbing cyanine dye is presented. These hybrids liberate two molecules of CO in high chemical yields upon activation with NIR light up to 820 nm and exhibit excellent uncaging cross-sections, which surpass the state-of-the-art by two orders of magnitude. Furthermore, the biocompatibility and applicability of the system in vitro and in vivo are demonstrated, and a mechanism of CO release is proposed. It is hoped that this strategy will stimulate the discovery of new classes of photoCORMs and accelerate the translation of CO-based phototherapy into practice
Trop2: Jack of All Trades, Master of None
Get PDFTrophoblast cell surface antigen 2 (Trop2) is a widely expressed glycoprotein and an epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) family member. Although initially identified as a transmembrane protein, other subcellular localizations and processed forms were described. Its congenital mutations cause a gelatinous drop-like corneal dystrophy, a disease characterized by loss of barrier function in corneal epithelial cells. Trop2 is considered a stem cell marker and its expression associates with regenerative capacity in various tissues. Trop2 overexpression was described in tumors of different origins; however, functional studies revealed both oncogenic and tumor suppressor roles. Nevertheless, therapeutic potential of Trop2 was recognized and clinical studies with drug-antibody conjugates have been initiated in various cancer types. One of these agents, sacituzumab govitecan, has been recently granted an accelerated approval for therapy of metastatic triple-negative breast cancer. In this article, we review the current knowledge about the yet controversial function of Trop2 in homeostasis and pathology
Predicting protein stability and solubility changes upon mutations: data perspective
Get PDFUnderstanding mutational effects on protein stability and solubility is of particular importance for creating industrially relevant biocatalysts, resolving mechanisms of many human diseases, and producing efficient biopharmaceuticals, to name a few. Forin silicopredictions, the complexity of the underlying processes and increasing computational capabilities favor the use of machine learning. However, this approach requires sufficient training data of reasonable quality for making precise predictions. This minireview aims to summarize and scrutinize available mutational datasets commonly used for training predictors. We analyze their structure and discuss the possible directions of improvement in terms of data size, quality, and availability. We also present perspectives on the development of mutational data for accelerating the design of efficient predictors, introducing two new manually curated databases FireProt(DB)and SoluProtMut(DB)for protein stability and solubility, respectively
Traffic and Log Data Captured During a Cyber Defense Exercise
Get PDFCybersecurity research relies on relevant datasets providing researchers a snapshot of network traffic generated by current users and modern applications and services. The lack of datasets coming from a realistic network environment leads to inefficiency of newly designed methods that are not useful in practice. This data article provides network traffic flows and event logs (Linux and Windows) from a two-day cyber defense exercise involving attackers, defenders, and fictitious users operating in a virtual exercise network. The data are stored as structured JSON, including data schemes and data dictionaries, ready for direct processing. Network topology of the exercise network in NetJSON format is also provided
The Supreme Court – The Story of a (Post)communist Cinderella
No full textThe chapter is first of empirical chapters studying the application of the judicial treatment concept on three Czech apex courts. It provides an analysis of the Supreme Court, the old post-communist court largely untouched by the transition. The chapter first engages with general patterns in references to the ECtHR case law and their development over time. It analyses changes in historically negative stance of the Supreme Court towards international human rights law. It seeks to explain changes in citation patterns by looking at legal, institutional, and personnel development in the judiciary. Second, the chapter proceeds with a meso-level analysis and asks how and why the Supreme Court refers to the ECtHR’s decisions. It explores the significance of ECtHR case law references for the Supreme Court’s reasoning and employed the legal techniques. It argues that the Supreme Court slowly shifted its position towards the ECtHR due to external pushes: other domestic actors and new judges coming to the board. While in past, its use of the case law was arbitrary and selective, nowadays, it slowly moves to the position of active complier. Finally, the micro-level analyses two controversial areas of human rights protection, immaterial damages and ne bis in idem principle and discusses their evolvement under the ECtHR's influence.Kapitola je první z empirických částí knihy pojednávajících o tom, jak vypadá aplikace konceptu "judicial treatment", tj. zacházení a používání judikatury ESLP nejvyššími soudy v praxi. Kapitola analyzuje Nejvyšší soud, post-komunistický soud, který se transformoval pouze pozvolně. Nejprve se kapitola soustředí na obecné vzorce používání odkazů na judikaturu ESLP a změny pozorovatelné v čase. Analyzuje změny v historicky negativním postoji Nejvyššího soudu k mezinárodnímu právu lidských práv. Vysvětluje změny v používání citací, a to s ohledem na právní, institucionální a personální vývoj v soudnictví. Ve druhé části kapitola představuej meso-úrovňovou analýzu a pokládá otázku, jak a proč Nejvyšší soud odkazuje na rozhodnutí ESLP. Zkoumá význam judikatury ESLP pro odůvodnění jednotlivých rozhodnutí NS, jakož i právní techniky uplatněné při použití odkazů. Kapitola tvrdí, že Nejvyšší soud postupně změnil svou pozici vůči ESLP díky externím vlivům: působení jiných vnitrostátních aktérů, jakož i soudců ze zkušeností z Ústavního soudu nebo zahraničí, kteří posílili složení NS. Zatímco v minulosti bylo používání odkazů na ESLP spíše arbitrární, NS si postupně vybudoval pozici aktivního dodržovatele. V neposledním řadě, kapitola v mikro-úrovňové analýze zkoumá dvě kontroverzní oblasti lidskoprávní ochrany: náhradu nemajetkové újmy a zásadu ne bis in idem, přičemž se zabývá jejich vývojem pod vlivem ESLP judikatury.The chapter is first of empirical chapters studying the application of the judicial treatment concept on three Czech apex courts. It provides an analysis of the Supreme Court, the old post-communist court largely untouched by the transition. The chapter first engages with general patterns in references to the ECtHR case law and their development over time. It analyses changes in historically negative stance of the Supreme Court towards international human rights law. It seeks to explain changes in citation patterns by looking at legal, institutional, and personnel development in the judiciary. Second, the chapter proceeds with a meso-level analysis and asks how and why the Supreme Court refers to the ECtHR’s decisions. It explores the significance of ECtHR case law references for the Supreme Court’s reasoning and employed the legal techniques. It argues that the Supreme Court slowly shifted its position towards the ECtHR due to external pushes: other domestic actors and new judges coming to the board. While in past, its use of the case law was arbitrary and selective, nowadays, it slowly moves to the position of active complier. Finally, the micro-level analyses two controversial areas of human rights protection, immaterial damages and ne bis in idem principle and discusses their evolvement under the ECtHR's influence
Kariérová adaptabilita : její podoby, proměny, souvislosti a role v životě mladých dospělých procházejících středním odborným vzděláváním
Get PDFŽivot v dnešní uspěchané době plné nejrůznějších změn zvyšuje nároky na schopnosti jedince přizpůsobovat se těmto změnám. Významnou roli při zvládání měnících se nároků v pracovní oblasti hraje kariérová adaptabilita. Co to je kariérová adaptabilita? Proč je důležitá a co ovlivňuje? Odpovědi na tyto otázky i řadu dalších přináší monografie s názvem „Kariérová adaptabilita: její podoby, proměny, souvislosti a role v životě mladých dospělých procházejících středním odborným vzděláváním“. Autorský tým v knize, která je první česky psanou publikací na toto téma, představuje konstrukt kariérové adaptability a výsledky ojedinělého výzkumu realizovaného v České republice. V první části čtenář najde analytický přehled různých pojetí kariérové adaptability a příbuzných konceptů. Hlavní část publikace je věnována výsledkům kvantitativně vedeného longitudinálního výzkumu, jehož cílem bylo poznat kariérovou adaptabilitu a její vztahy k řadě vybraných demografických, školních, sociálních a osobnostních proměnných u žáků a později absolventů středního odborného vzdělávání – tedy těch, kteří se nacházejí v klíčové fázi konstruování své kariéry. Mnohá empirická zjištění koncentrovaná právě v této knize jsou přínosná nejen pro rozvoj teorií kariérového poradenství a výzkum kariérové adaptability, ale i pro odborné vzdělávání či praxi kariérového poradenství.Living in today’s rushed time full of various changes increases the demands on the individual’s ability to adapt to these changes. Career adaptability plays an important role in coping with changing demands in the field of work. What is career adaptability? Why is it important, and what does it affect? The answers to these questions and many others are provided in the monograph, entitled “Career adaptability: Its Forms, Changes, Contexts, and Roles in the Lives of Young Adults Undergoing Upper-Secondary Vocational Education,” which is the first publication written on this topic in the Czech language. In the book, a team of authors presents the construct of career adaptability and the results of unique research carried out in the Czech Republic. In the first part, the reader may find an analytical overview of various concepts of career adaptability and related concepts. The central part of the publication is devoted to the results of quantitatively conducted longitudinal research, which aimed to identify career adaptability and its relationships to several demographic, school, relational, and personality variables in the case of students and later graduates of upper-secondary vocational education—those who are in the crucial stages of their career construction. Many empirical findings concentrated in this book are beneficial not only for the career counseling theories and research on career adaptability but also for vocational education or career counseling practitioners
Contemporary challenges of Czech baltistics
Get PDFThe situation of Baltic studies worldwide becomes difficult: we register decreasing numbers of students and lack of interest in the field of the classic Baltic studies as they were established in the early 19th century. Baltic studies are negatively influenced by the changing epistemic ground of humanities. The workshop addressed contemporary situation of Baltic studies, as well possible vectors of their development in the future. Problems of organizing Baltic studies aboad and the experience in the “academic survival” techniques were discussed