Optogenetics is a set of technologies that enable optically triggered gain or loss of function in genetically specified populations of cells. Optogenetic methods have revolutionized experimental neuroscience by allowing precise excitation or inhibition of firing in specified neuronal populations embedded within complex, heterogeneous tissue. Although optogenetic tools have greatly improved our ability manipulate neural activity, they do not offer control of neural firing in the face of ongoing changes in network activity, plasticity, or sensory input. In this thesis, I develop a feedback control technology that automatically adjusts optical stimulation in real-time to precisely control network activity levels. I describe hardware and software tools, modes of optogenetic stimulation, and control algorithms required to achieve robust neural control over timescales ranging from seconds to days. I then demonstrate the scientific utility of these technologies in several experimental contexts. First, I investigate the role of connectivity in shaping the network encoding process using continuously-varying optical stimulation. I show that synaptic connectivity linearizes the neuronal response, verifying previous theoretical predictions. Next, I use long-term optogenetic feedback control to show that reductions in excitatory neurotransmission directly trigger homeostatic increases in synaptic strength. This result opposes a large body of literature on the subject and has significant implications for memory formation and maintenance. The technology presented in this thesis greatly enhances the precision with which optical stimulation can control neural activity, and allows causally related variables within neural circuits to be studied independently.

O senso de urgência para a preservação do planeta e a gestão responsável das organizações, ocupa uma posição de destaque no início do século XXI, na agenda de corporações, escolas de negócios, governos e organizações sem fins lucrativos. O Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) surgiu em 2007, como uma resposta à demanda de organizações participantes do Pacto Global da ONU (UN Global Compact), para a formação de líderes responsáveis e compromissados com o desenvolvimento sustentável. Atualmente a iniciativa PRME tem uma estrutura composta por aproximadamente 700 escolas de negócios, distribuídas em 85 países. Apesar de ser uma rede com mais de 10 anos de existência, com alcance global, nenhuma pesquisa até então investigou o PRME sob o enfoque das redes interorganizacionais e suas variáveis determinantes de efetividade. O objetivo geral desta pesquisa é verificar se o PRME é uma rede interorganizacional efetiva no nível da rede inteira, identificando as relações lógicas das suas características. Uma primeira análise qualitativa de conteúdo investiga documentos institucionais do PRME em busca da comprovação de sua efetividade, posteriormente, são analisados os relatórios de progresso individuais de membros exemplares, chamados PRME Champions, para a avaliação das variáveis que contribuem positivamente para a efetividade no nível da rede. Seis proposições são extraídas da revisão da literatura para serem discutidas empiricamente. As contribuições desta pesquisa são o fornecimento de subsídios teórico-empíricos sobre governança aos stakeholders de redes em busca de efetividade, em especial ao PRME, e a ampliação da compreensão no campo teórico sobre redes interorganizacionais. A pesquisa demonstra efeitos positivos do modo de governança, da estrutura, do funcionamento e do contexto sobre a efetividade no nível da rede inteira. Os dados apresentaram como determinantes da efetividade da rede os seguintes aspectos: existência de controle por organizações externas, organização, sistema de reuniões, agenda escrita, a transparência na comunicação à comunidade externa, o relacionamento dos gestores da rede com agentes externos, a liderança ativa, a liderança em rede, a estabilidade do ambiente, a presença de cultura cívica e o senso de colaboração e cooperação. A existência de comitê de direção, planejamento conjunto da rede, regras formalizadas e a negociação das direções da rede com stakeholders, exercem efeito moderado sobre a efetividade da rede. / The sense of urgency for the preservation of the planet and responsible management of organizations occupies a prominent position in the early 21st century, on the agenda of corporations, business schools, governments, and non-profit organizations. The Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) emerged in 2007 as a response to the demand of participating UN Global Compact organizations for the education of responsible and committed leaders in sustainable development. Currently, the PRME initiative has a structure composed of about 700 business schools, distributed in 85 countries. Despite being a network with more than 10 years of existence, with global reach, none research investigated the PRME under the approach of interorganizational networks and their determinants of effectiveness. The general aim of this research is to verify if the PRME is an effective interorganizational network at the whole network level, identifying the logical relations of its characteristics. A first qualitative content analysis investigates PRME institutional documents to prove its effectiveness, and then the individual progress reports of exemplary members, called the PRME Champions, are analyzed for the evaluation of variables that contribute to the effectiveness at the network level. Six propositions are drawn from the literature review to be discussed empirically. The contributions of this research are the provision of theoretical and empirical subsidies on governance to network stakeholders in search of effectiveness, the PRME in particular, and expansion of understanding in the theoretical field on interorganizational networks. Research shows positive effects of governance, structure, functioning, and context on effectiveness at the whole network level. The data presented as determinants of the network effectiveness the following aspects: the existence of external control, meeting organization, written agenda, transparency in communication to the external community, active leadership, network leadership, the relationship of network managers with external agents, the presence of civic culture, and the sense of collaboration and cooperation. The existence of a steering committee, joint planning of the network, formalized rules, and the negotiation of network directions with stakeholders, has a moderate effect on the network effectiveness.

The master thesis is focused on sorting collected primary data, their subsequent analysis and further comparison in the field of road defects. The collection of pavement failures was done by visual inspection with its recording to a computer for the pavement management system. The data later underwent detailed analysis with the aim to find a potential link between the road defect and the location of the damaged section. The study took place on 2nd and 3rd class roads in the Liberec Region, with special focus on those located near forests. The data collection itself took place in the Liberec Region in 2021. The processing and subsequent evaluation of collected data was done thanks to the availability of comparable data sets from 2014 and 2019 to 2021, so the development of road defects of the selected road network in relation to the surrounding afforestation could be assessed. The last part of this master thesis compares results in different classification levels, time periods and levels of afforestation.

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This master thesis deals with the pavement management system as a tool for a management and maintenance of the roads in the Liberec region. The aim is to collect road failures within the network pavement management system level on roads of 2nd and 3rd class. The resulting data will be used for evaluate pavement condition and make plans of pavement maintenance and rehabilitation in variants. Furthermore, the thesis deals with individual variants in the process of data evaluation when evaluating their suitability and accuracy. The theoretical part summarises the information needed to understand the functioning of the road management system, as well as a description of the software used to collect and subsequent work with the data. In the practical part are presented results of the thesis and moreover the questions arising from the goals set are answered.

Master‘s thesis deals with pavement management system applied on roads of 2nd and 3rd class in region of Hradec Králové. Its task is to collect failures of pavement, evaluate pavement condition and make plans of pavement maintenance and rehabilitation in variants. One of tasks is also to evaluate attitude of pavement management system in regional level, but also to evaluate the contributions and weaknesses of systematic steps and attitude of access of stakeholders.