Tomas Bata University in Zlín
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Dicarboxylated hyaluronate: Synthesis of a new, highly functionalized and biocompatible derivative
Get PDFSequential periodate-chlorite oxidation of sodium hyaluronate to 2,3-dicarboxylated hyaluronate (DCH), a novel biocompatible and highly functionalized derivative bearing additional pair of -COOH groups at C2 and C3 carbons of oxidized ?-glucuronic acid units, is investigated. The impact of various reaction parameters (time, oxidizer concentration, and molar amount) on DCH's composition, molecular weight, degree of oxidation, and cytotoxicity are investigated to guide the synthesis of DCH derivatives of desired properties. Subsequently, fully (99%) and partially (70%) oxidized DCH derivatives were compared to untreated sodium hyaluronate in terms of anticancer drug cisplatin loading efficacy, carrier capacity, drug release rates, and cytotoxicity towards healthy and cancerous cell lines. DCH derivatives were found to be superior in every aspect, having nearly twice the carrier capacity, significantly slower release rates, and higher efficacy. DCH is thus a highly interesting hyaluronate derivative with an adjustable degree of oxidation, molecular weight, and great potential for further modifications.RP/CPS/2022/007; Ministerstvo Školství, Mládeže a Tělovýchovy, MŠMT; Grantová Agentura České Republiky, GA ČR: 20-28732S, CZ LM2018140, LM2018127Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic - DKRVO [RP/CPS/2022/007]; Czech Science Foundation grant [20-28732S]; Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic [LM2018127, e-INFRA CZ LM2018140
Integrated assessment of the attractiveness of the EU for intellectual immigrants: A taxonomy-based approach
Get PDFThis study proposes a method to comprehensively assess the factors that attract intellectual migrants to certain countries. The authors propose a system of pull factors that characterise the attractiveness of living conditions, intellectual employment, research and professional development to potential migrants. Evaluation of its impact on the main indicator of the attractiveness of countries for intellectual migrants ('brain gain' in the Global Talent Competitiveness Index) was conducted using the example of EU countries. To this end, the authors developed a two-stage evaluation procedure, which combines correlation and taxonomic analysis methods. The system of indicators formed was used to make an integrated assessment of the attractiveness of countries based on taxonomic analysis. This assessment helped identify the group of countries (Luxembourg, Ireland, Sweden, Finland, Denmark and the Netherlands) with the highest migration attractiveness in the EU. The proposed methodology allows us to group countries by the level of their attractiveness for intellectual migrants and assess the possibilities of regulating the institutional environment of migration processes
Barriers to the participation of low-educated workers in non-formal education
Get PDFDespite the increasing pace of technological change and digitalisation of workplaces, low-educated workers continue to participate in non-formal adult education (NFE) to a significantly lesser degree than do other workers. At the same time, low-educated workers also face many other barriers to participation. One key question related to their non-participation is what role the different types of perceived barriers play. Based on an earlier investigation, we have identified dispositional, situational, and institutional barriers to non-participation in NFE. The aim of the present two-step empirical research is to determine the structure (first step) and occurrence (second step) of these barriers in low-educated workers. For this purpose, we have used the specially developed research tool Non-Participation in Non-formal Education Questionnaire (NP-NFE-Q). Based on this validated tool, we have done a two-step empirical investigation on representative sample of low-educated workers from the Czech Republic that shows the strength of situational barriers related to the workplace, and distinguishes individual groups of non-participants through a cluster analysis. The results expand knowledge in the field of adult education and offer practical implications towards the higher participation of low-educated workers in NFE.Czech Science Foundation [GA_19-00987S
Research of resistance of selected materials to abrasive wear to increase the ploughshare lifetime
Get PDFRoad maintenance and cleaning in winter are performed with ploughshares. Due to the fact that the layer of snow and ice that is removed from the road surface contains various hard impurities, ploughshares are exposed to high intensity abrasive wear. This article deals with the resistance to abrasive wear of originally used ploughshare materials and the materials that were designed as a suitable modification of the ploughshare to increase its service life. The chemical composition of materials used to manufacture ploughshare components is unknown. For this reason, they were analyzed with an ARL 4460 spectrometer, which was used to analyze the element content. The main part of the research was focused on the abrasion resistance test, which was performed according to the GOST 23.208-79 standard. Based on the chemical analysis, it was found that the basic body of the ploughshare was made of S355J2G3 steel, and the raking blade material was made of 37MnSi5 steel. The original material (steel S355J2G3) of the ploughshare body as a reference standard was compared to steel HARDOX 450. Furthermore, a sample made of the original material of the raking blade (steel 37MnSi5) was used as a reference standard, the properties of which were compared to the newly designed OK 84.58 and UTP 690 hardfacing materials. The parametric test method of statistical hypotheses was also used to process and evaluate the weight losses of the selected materials.Ministry of Education, Science, Research, and Sport of the Slovak Republic [APVV-19-0550]Ministerstvo školstva, vedy, výskumu a športu Slovenskej republiky: APVV-19-055
Exploring behavioral barriers and interventions in retirement savings: Findings from online focus groups among university students
Get PDFIn a number of countries around the world, population ageing raises concerns about the sustainability of pension systems. A younger generation has conventionally been least likely to save for retirement even if there is a need to take individual responsibility and start saving for their retirement as soon as possible. In this context, the aim of the paper is to identify behavioral barriers and interventions towards retirement savings ceiling to this part of the productive population. For this purpose, three online focus groups were deployed among 16 university students aged 23-24 years. Using the coding process, common categories, related codes and frequencies of responses were determined from the transcribed material. The results pointed at two crucial barriers related to retirement savings: behavioral (present bias, status quo bias, loss aversion, limited attention) and institutional (education, pension policy and trustworthiness of the state institutions). Additionally, three main categories of behavioral interventions were detected to overcome these barriers: simplification of decision-making (easy calculation of pension, default options), use of salience effects (information campaigns, visualization tools, personalized content) and minimizing feelings of loss (framing of messages, financial incentives, products with different types of liquidity). Based on findings, recommendations were formulated for three groups of stakeholders: government, industry (financial providers and pension funds) and employers. The results bring valuable insights to relevant stakeholders regarding behaviors and attitudes of the young generation on retirement savings issues. © 2022 Martin Horák, Soòa Kukuèková, Kamil Dobeš.Technology Agency of the Czech Republic, TACR: TL0300073
Organizational factors, knowledge management and innovation: empirical evidence from medium- and large-scale manufacturing firms in Ethiopia
Get PDFPurpose - The purpose of this study is to empirically investigate the mediating role of knowledge management (KM) in the linkage between organizational factors, namely, organizational culture (OGCUL) and leadership and management support (LMS) and innovation in medium- and large-scale manufacturing firms in Ethiopia. Design/methodology/approach - A sample of 200 firms has been used to gather data using simple random sampling and to test the proposed hypotheses. Structural equation modeling and cross-sectional design were used to analyze the data using LISREL 8.80 SIMPLIS program software tool. Findings - Organizational factors (i.e. OGCUL and LMS) are positively associated with KM and innovation. KM constructs, namely, knowledge sharing, knowledge conversion and knowledge storage, have a significant positive influence on innovation. Knowledge sharing mediates the relationship between organizational factors and innovation. Research limitations/implications - This study has three potential limitations: first, this study is based on a cross-sectional research design. Future research should include longitudinal design to get in-depth insights into the causal inferences. Second, only a few Ethiopian medium- and large-scale-manufacturing firms were included in the sample. As a suggestion for future research, other researchers can include small-scale enterprises using large sample sizes and should examine the effects of organizational factors, KM and innovation across different industries. Finally, this study has only focused on investigating the mediating role of knowledge sharing between organizational factors and innovation. Future research should test the mediating role of the KM process and its constituents (knowledge acquisition, knowledge conversion, knowledge sharing and knowledge storage) between organizational factors and specific aspects of innovation to gain a full understanding of the critical role of KM in organizational innovation. Practical implications - The findings of this study would serve as a guide for policy-makers and managers of manufacturing firms in developing countries in the formulation of policies and long-term strategies. It may also provide a better understanding of the causal relationship between organizational factors, KM and innovation, which in turn has value to directors and managers in manufacturing firms in developing countries as a reference for building a good OGCUL, serving as practical guidance for effective leadership and providing organizational or management support. Specifically, the findings would have the following practical implications: first, firms need to have a combination of KM processes (such as acquisition, storage, sharing and conversion). In practice, developing countries such as Ethiopia have based their innovation strategy on knowledge and technology acquisition through encouraging foreign direct investment. It is not in doubt that Ethiopia has been benefiting from the strategy as a lot of foreign companies have opened their subsidiaries in the country. However, in the authors' view, more emphasis on knowledge acquisition strategy would not take a firm a long time to sustain its innovative activity because it is likely available to firms operating in the same industry, as well as it may hurt a firm's competitive advantage. In addition, by its nature, knowledge may not be retained for future use; it may expire soon. Second, the current highly impulsive and rapid change in the business environment changes the way firms have to operate and deliver products or services. Knowledge (both tacit and explicit) is a resource that can provide a competitive advantage if used well for the intended purpose. In real practice, firms often face challenges in determining where to get knowledge from and how to value or manage it. Besides, knowledge can be obtained from three sources: knowledge can exist in individuals' minds (skills, experience, ideas and insight); knowledge can dwell in a group, which we can call collective knowledge (a team of scientists or researchers); and knowledge can be embodied in an organization's systems, tools, procedures, policies, etc. Knowledge cannot be a valuable resource unless it is obtained and used in designing or producing a product or service. To integrate knowledge with business strategies, there should be a platform or framework that helps to manage it properly. Firm managers, policy-makers and other concerned bodies would consider the three sources of knowledge to foster innovative activities and obtain a competitive advantage. In addition, the authors recommend more emphasis be placed on firm-specific factors (such as OGCUL, leadership, management support and KM) to enhance the innovative capacity of a firm. Finally, the most critical issue to be raised while designing an innovation strategy would be employees' willingness and passion to collaborate with others to develop new ideas, share ideas or implement policies. As knowledge resides in individuals' minds, the knowledge holder should have a passion to share it with those working with him or her. In practice, knowledge sharing depends extremely on the passion and voluntariness of the two parts: knowledge provider and receiver. Therefore, firm managers would design a platform on how to motivate individuals to share their skills, experience and ideas with others through providing incentive packages, punishment and commitment. In this regard, the authors believe that the results would help individuals who are in the position to manage or regulate the manufacturing sector in designing innovation policies, KM policies or technology management policies and business strategies. Originality/value - This study provides new empirical insight into the relationships between organizational factors (such as OGCUL and LMS), KM and innovation in a large sample of firms. To date, the empirical research on these relationships has been mainly limited to descriptive case studies (Chen and Huang, 2009; Zack et al., 2009; Donate and Guadaumillas, 2011), and there is thus a lack of empirical evidence with large samples of firms. Furthermore, there is a scarcity of studies investigating the relationship between organizational factors, KM and innovation in developing countries, especially in Ethiopia. This paper intends to fill this gap and nurture future research studies in the area.Hawassa University and Tomas Bata University in Zlin [IGA/FaME/2020/003]Tomas Bata University in Zlin, TBU: IGA/FaME/2020/003; Hawassa University, H
Changes in the quality attributes of selected long-life food at four different temperatures over prolonged storage
Get PDFThis study reports the development of selected indicators affecting changes in food quality and safety of selected long-life canned (Szeged goulash, canned chicken meat, pork pate, canned tuna fish) and dehydrated (instant goulash soup) food during a two-year storage experiment at four different temperatures. The storage temperatures were selected to represent Arctic (-18 degrees C), temperate (5 degrees C), subtropical (25 degrees C) and tropical (40 degrees C) climatic zones where such food is likely to be stored during, for example, humanitarian and military missions. Microorganism amounts below the detection limit (p = 0.05), were monitored in canned samples. The contents of dry matter, fat and proteins did not change during storage, regardless of the storage temperature (p >= 0.05). During the 24-month storage, all food showed an increase in the level of ammonia (p < 0.05) and the TBARS-value (p < 0.05), whereas the rate of increase in both parameters was significantly higher at higher storage temperatures (p < 0.05). The losses of individual amino acids during storage ranged from 5% rel. calculated on the amino acid contents in Month "0" up to 15% rel. (p < 0.05). With storage temperatures above the freezing point, the hardness values decreased with the increase in the storage temperature (p < 0.05) and prolongation of the storage period (p < 0.05). Moreover, with temperatures of -18 degrees C, the development of hardness, measured as the "decrease rate", was significantly higher compared to the absolute values.Tomas Bata University in Zlin, TBU: IGA/FT/2019/006, IGA/FT/2020/006; Ministerstvo Obrany České Republiky, MOČRMinistry of Defence of the Czech Republic; Tomas Bata University in Zlin [IGA/FT/2019/006, IGA/FT/2020/006
Managing price changes: Role of consumer thinking styles on perceived price fairness and purchase intention
Get PDFConsumers expect companies to practice fair pricing. Understanding the underlying cognitive mechanism that determines consumers' price fairness perceptions is significant. It could help mitigate negative outcomes from unfairness perceptions and place firms in a better competitive position. This study examines the role of consumers' thinking styles in perceived price fairness and purchase intention in a price increase situation. An online experiment was conducted wherein 171 participants across India, primarily from tier-1 cities frequently using car rental services, took part from September to December 2021. The majority of the participants (72) were 21-30 years old (42%). All involved participants met the initial criteria of using car rental services at least once a week. Proposed hypotheses were checked by one-way ANOVA following Tukey post hoc test and PROCESS. One-way ANOVA results shows a significant influence of thinking styles on cognitive attribution with large effect size, F(2, 168) = 28.04, p <.001, eta 2 = 0.25; presents a significant influence of thinking styles on perceived price fairness with large effect size, F(2, 168) = 30.07, p <.001, eta 2 =.0.26; demonstrates a significant influence of thinking styles on purchase intention F(2, 168) = 19.94, p <.001, eta 2 =.0.19. Findings revealed that, in the face of a price increase occurrence, consumers thinking holistically and analytically differ in perceived price fairness and purchase intention. Furthermore, holistic thinkers with higher cognitive attribution perceive a price increase as fairer. Thereby, they have higher purchase intention than analytic thinkers.IGA/FaME/2022/010; Univerzita Tomáše Bati ve ZlíněInternal Grant Agency [IGA/FaME/2022/010]; Tomas Bata University in Zli
Evaluation of the biodegradation of polymeric materials in the freshwater environment—An attempt to prolong and accelerate the biodegradation experiment
Get PDFAvailable international standards describing the biodegradability testing in freshwater were designed primarily for chemicals that undergo relatively fast biodegradation (in the order of days). The current study was undertaken to verify their applicability for testing of slowly degradable polymeric materials, and also describes an attempt to accelerate the biodegradation testing by the increase of the incubation temperature from 25 degrees C to 37 degrees C. The polymers tested include TUV AUSTRIA Belgium certified polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA), polybutylene succinate (PBS), polybutylene adipate-terephthalate, and polylactic acid blend (PBAT/PLA), and an experimental polyester network (ICL-PN). The biodegradation rates of the given polymers at the two temperatures were examined by carbon dioxide evolution and additional information was collected from microscopy observations of the materials and the investigation of the microbial community composition and dynamics. Testing was done at two independent laboratories and the results were compared. It was found that at 25 degrees C the testing environment was relatively stable, and the incubation can be prolonged up to 12 months. At 37 degrees C however some undesirable phenomena like higher variability between replicates and laboratories, fungi development, and biomass autolysis were observed. Moreover, the increase in temperature did not accelerate the biodegradation process. Based on the comparison of results from the two laboratories, recommendations for the experimental procedure are given.Institut de Chimie de Lyon, ICL: IGA/FT/2022/006ICL group; [IGA/FT/2022/006
Two-degree-of-freedom feedback loop factorization for systems with parametric uncertainties and time delay in custom Matlab Toolbox
No full textThe paper presents the Robust Control Toolbox for Time Delay Systems with Parametric Uncertainties for the Matlab system. The toolbox comprises the D-K iteration and the algebraic approach implemented for general 3rd order system with parametric uncertainties in numerator and denominator of plant transfer function and uncertain time delay with factorization of simple feedback controller to the parts in two-degree-of-freedom feedback interconnection. The uncertain time delay is treated using multiplicative uncertainty, the parametric uncertainty is modelled using general interconnection for the systems with parametric uncertainty in numerator and denominator. The toolbox has user-friendly interface empowering intuitive control. © 2022 IEEE.Ministerstvo Školství, Mládeže a Tělovýchovy, MŠMT: LO1303, MSMT-7778/ 2014Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic within the National Sustainability Programme [LO1303 (MSMT-7778/2014)