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Urbanization involves the conversion of natural areas to impervious surfaces, which can lead to an increase in the frequency and severity of flood events in cities. To mitigate flood risk, stormwater ponds are constructed to manage urban runoff. Stormwater ponds can also be colonized by wildlife, but their suitability as habitat is disputed due to potential toxicological risks. This study assessed the suitability of stormwater ponds as habitat for the bioindicators Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) and determined environmental factors that impact their community structure. Odonata (adults, nymphs and exuviae) were sampled at 41 stormwater ponds and 10 natural reference ponds across the National Capital Region of Canada, with a subset of ponds sampled over four years (2015-2018). Plant communities, water quality and surrounding land cover were analyzed at each pond to determine their impacts on Odonata community structure. Overall, stormwater ponds had lower Odonata abundance and a greater variation in species richness and community structure compared to natural ponds but had comparable dragonfly reproduction rates. Plants were the most significant driver of Odonata communities, as stormwater ponds with a high richness of native wetland plants had higher Odonata abundance and community structures similar to natural ponds. Water quality was the second most important driver of Odonata communities with dragonflies showing greater sensitivity to urban contaminants than damselflies. While stormwater ponds had higher concentrations of trace elements than natural ponds (e.g. Ni, V, As), concentrations were generally below toxic levels for all elements except copper and chloride, the latter likely an input from winter road salting. Surrounding land cover was the least important factor affecting Odonata communities. In conclusion, this research demonstrated the importance of local-scale factors related to plants and water quality in sustaining Odonata communities and specifies recommendations for stormwater pond design and maintenance that enhance urban biodiversity.

This thesis deals with the analysis of micromotion of a single charged calcium ion trapped inside the linear Paul's ion trap and the influence of residual micromotion on the systematic frequency shifts of the clock transition of calcium ion. The fundamental properties of the motion of an ion confined within linear Paul's ion trap are shown in general using a theoretical description. The micromotion component of the overall motion is especially emphasized. A model expressing micromotion in the axial direction of the trap is introduced on the basis of the results of the numerical calculation of electric fields inside the trap. The model is compared to the reality experimentally. Then, the photon-correlation method of detection of micromotion is introduced and subsequently used to minimize and to estimate a measure of residual micromotion in all spacial directions. According to the achievable measure of residual micromotion, the systematic frequency shifts caused by this micromotion are estimated. It can be seen that we are able to reach uncertainties of the relative frequency shifts due to micromotion below 10^20. We expect that uncertainty of total motional systematic frequency shift is in our case limited by thermal motion.

This master´s thesis deals with problem of reliability of technical device in general a so there is explained bathtub curve, defects and malfunctions of devices and then there is a brief outline of reliability system. This thesis further briefly describes technical diagnostic and then there is performed the vibrodiagnostic measurements of selected pumps and ventilators in in heating plant Červený mlýn in Brno. Evaluation of their condition is done according to relevant standards. Further there was done a diagnostic of the steam traps through the ultrasound diagnostic. The last part of my thesis deals with the reliability of selected specific pumps in foregoing rating plant. There are showed reliability curves of selected pumps and elaboration of data from their long-term vibrations measurement.

<p>Crude oil is a mixture of hydrocarbons so complex that it is predicted to comprise as many compounds as there are genes in the human genome. Developing methods to not only recover crude oil from the ground but also to convert crude oil into desirable products is challenging due to its complex nature. Thus, the petroleum industry relies heavily on analytical techniques to characterize the oil in reservoirs prior to enhanced oil recovery efforts and to evaluate the chemical compositions of their crude oil based products. Mass spectrometry (MS) is the only analytical technique that has the potential to provide elemental composition as well as structural information for the individual compounds that comprise petroleum samples. The continuous development of ionization techniques and mass analyzers, and other instrumentation advances, have primed mass spectrometry as the go-to analytical technique for providing solutions to problems faced by the petroleum industry. The research discussed in this dissertation can be divided into three parts: developing novel mass spectrometry-based methods to characterize mixtures of saturated hydrocarbons in petroleum products (Chapters 3 and 5), exploring the cause of fragmentation of saturated hydrocarbons upon atmospheric pressure chemical ionization to improve the analysis of samples containing these compounds (Chapter 4), and developing a better understanding of the chemical composition of crude oil that tightly binds to reservoir surfaces to improve chemically enhanced oil recovery (Chapter 6). </p>

Le glioblastome (GBM) est la forme de cancer du cerveau la plus courante et la plus meurtrière. Sa nature diffusive entraine une impossibilité d’élimination complète par chirurgie. Une récidive de la tumeur chez ≥ 90% des patients peut être provoqué par des cellules GBM résiduelles se trouvant près du bord de la cavité de résection. Un implant pouvant libérer de manière durable la protéine SDF-1α, qui se lie aux récepteur CXCR4 à la surface des cellules GBM, peut être utile pour induire le recrutement des cellules GBM résiduelles, permettre leur élimination sélective et finalement réduire la récurrence de la tumeur. Dans ce travail, le SDF-1α a été initialement encapsulé dans des nanoparticules à base d'acide poly-lactique-co-glycolique (PLGA). Une efficacité d'encapsulation élevée (76%) a pu être obtenue en utilisant un processus simple de séparation de phase. Les nanoparticules chargées de SDF-1α ont ensuite été incorporées dans un scaffold à base de chitosan par électrofilage pour obtenir des implants nanofibreux imitant la structure de la matrice extracellulaire du cerveau. Une étude de libération in vitro a révélé que l'implant pouvait fournir une libération prolongée de SDF-1α jusqu'à 35 jours, utile pour établir un gradient de concentration de SDF-1α dans le cerveau et induire une attraction des cellules GBM. Une étude de biocompatibilité in vivo à 7 jours a révélé des signes d'inflammation locale sans aucun signe visible de détérioration clinique chez les sujets animaux. Une étude à 100 jours visant à confirmer l'innocuité in vivo des implants avant de passer aux études d'efficacité dans un modèle de résection GBM approprié est actuellement en cours. / Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and lethal form of brain cancer. The diffusive nature of GBM means the neoplastic tissue can not be removed completely by surgery. Often, residual GBM cells can be found close to the border of the resection cavity and these cells can multiply to cause tumor recurrence in ≥90% of GBM patients. An implant that can sustainably release chemoattractant molecules called stromal cell-derived factor-1α (SDF-1α), which bind selectively to CXCR4 receptors on the surface of GBM cells, may be useful for inducing chemotaxis and recruitment of the residual GBM cells. This may then give access to selective killing of the cells and ultimately reduce tumor recurrence. In this work, SDF-1α was initially encapsulated into poly-lactic-coglycolicacid (PLGA)-based nanoparticles. A high encapsulation efficiency (76%) could be achieved using a simple phase separation process. The SDF-1α-loaded nanoparticles were then incorporated into a chitosan-based scaffold by electrospinning to obtain nanofibrous implants that mimic the brain extracellular matrix structure. In vitro release study revealed that the implant could provide sustainedSDF-1α release for 5 weeks. The gradual SDF-1αrelease will be useful for establishing SDF-1α concentration gradients in the brain, which is critical for the chemotaxis of GBM cells. A 7-day in vivo biocompatibility study revealed evidence of inflammation at the implantation site without any visible signs of clinical deterioration in the animal subjects. A long-term study (100 days) aiming to confirm the in vivo safety of the implants before proceeding to efficacy studies in a suitable GBM resection model is currently underway.

Martina Rolincová Indebtedness of Czech households and its impact on quality of life Thesis Abstract The thesis "Indebtednesst of Czech households and its impact on quality of life," explores the phenomenon of over-indebtedness and thus, what impacts has this problem on life satisfaction of borrowers and their families. The main goal of this work is to describe these effects and instruments how Czech legislation responds to this negative phenomenon. Part of the work is a qualitative research among borrowers, their families and staff of non-bank credit institutions and agencies of discharge. Based on the analysis of this research and legislative background of this issue finds the author next to insufficient financial literacy also gaps in the legislation in protecting relatives against the consequences of wrong decisions of their family members.

La thèse porte sur l’étude des supernovae à effondrement de coeur (CCSN). D’abord, nous avons cherché à modéliser la composition du coeur de l’étoile massive lors de son effondrement. Nous avons élaboré un nouveau traitement de l’équilibre statistique nucléaire à partir d’une équation d’état basée sur l’approximation de noyau unique (Lattimer et Swesty, LS). Cela permet d’obtenir une description plus réaliste de la distribution des noyaux constitutifs du coeur et de quantifier plus spécifiquement le rôle des masses nucléaires. Les distributions obtenues avec la fonctionnelle de masse originelle (LS) et celles obtenues à partir des modèles de masse tels que HFB-24 et DZ10 ont été comparées pour plusieurs conditions thermodynamiques d’une trajectoire typique de CCSN. Les différences de composition pouvant conduire à des déviations sur le taux de capture électronique allant jusqu’à ∼25%, il est apparu important de définir un modèle de masse réaliste à utiliser pour la simulation de CCSN. Pour cela, nous avons réalisé des mesures de masse de précision dans la région d’intérêt, avec un double piège de Penning auprès de l’installation IGISOL (située à Jyväskylä, Finlande). Cinq nouveaux excès de masse ont été déterminés pour les noyaux suivants : 69m,70Co, 74,75Ni et 76mCu. La précision a été améliorée pour cinq autres : 67Fe, 69Co, 76,78Cu, 79mZn. Enfin, nous avons confirmé les valeurs obtenues par des études récentes pour le 77Cu et le 79Zn. Dès lors, les valeurs expérimentales des gaps nucléaires Z=28 et N=50 ont été comparées aux résultats prédits par DZ10 et HFB-24. Ce dernier modèle reproduit mieux l’évolution des gaps en question. De fait, HFB-24 a été utilisé dans notre nouveau traitement statistique, que nous avons implémenté dans une simulation hydrodynamique existante de CCSN. Au final, nous avons observé un impact modéré du modèle de masse sur la composition du coeur en effondrement. Par ailleurs, nous avons montré que ces différences de composition ont peu d’effet sur la dynamique d’effondrement, celle-ci semble plus affectée par le taux de capture électronique. Les études futures devraient se focaliser plutôt sur ce paramètre. / The thesis sets itself in the framework of the study of core-collapse supernovae (CCSN). First, the modeling of the composition of the core of a massive star during its collapse has been investigated. To this aim, we have built a new treatment of the nuclear statistical equilibrium starting from a single-nucleus approximation equation of state (Lattimer and Swesty, LS). This allows a more realistic description of the nuclear distribution inside the core and, more specifically, to quantify the role of the nuclear masses. The distributions obtained with the original mass functional (LS) and those obtained with HFB-24 and DZ10 mass models have been compared for several thermodynamic conditions of a typical CCSN trajectory. The differences in the composition could lead up to ∼25% deviations in the electron-capture rate, thus showing the need to identify a proper mass model to use in CCSN simulations. Therefore, we performed high precision mass measurements in the nuclear mass region of interest, via a double Penning trap at the IGISOL facility (Jyväskylä, Finland). Five new mass excess were determined for the following nuclei : 69m,70Co, 74,75Ni and 76mCu. The precision has been improved for five others : 67Fe, 69Co, 76,78Cu and 79mZn. Finally, we have confirmed the values obtained by recent studies for 77Cu and 79Zn. The experimental values of the nuclear gaps for Z=28 and N=50 have been compared with the results predicted by DZ10 and HFB-24. The latter model better reproduces the evolution of these gaps. Therefore, HFB-24 was used in our new statistical treatment, that we implemented in an existing CCSN hydrodynamical simulation. We have observed a moderated impact of the mass model on the composition of the collapsing core. Moreover, we found that the differences in composition have small effect on the collapse dynamics, which appears to be more sensitive to the electron-capture model. Further studies should thus focus on this parameter.

This work is focused on the development control system flow area in a standardized horizontal sand trap in the Czech Republic used the majority of constructed wetlands for the capture of solid mineral particles. The goal is the development and validation functions of the flow regulator, providing more uniform process of establishment of mineral particles, respectively. reduction of sedimentation of organic components. The actual design precedes the mathematical description through the HEC-RAS, the results are applied in the design of a laboratory model. Work processes theoretically the standardized sand traps, focuses on the comparison of the required residence time of wastewater in the sedimentation area of establishment with the sedimentation time of sand grain on the selected diameter of 0.8 mm. In laboratory conditions were carried out build sand trap model itself, as well as developed a regulatory element. After resolving structural measurements were taken and compared the results with the ideal state. For putting the controller into practice, when an application is planned at the constructed wetlands in Dražovice village, it will have to the most accurate setting of the regulator.

No description available.