Whistleblowing in labour relations in the context of the European regulation Abstract Whistleblowing has been a topic of discussion by professionals and the general public for many years. In October 2019, a European Directive on the protection of whistleblowers was adopted, which gave the Czech legislator a clear deadline for the adoption of legislation. At present, some whistleblowers are provided with partial and ineffective protection, and several unsuccessful legislative proposals have appeared in the past as well. There is a new proposal currently in the stage after being sent to the inter-ministerial comment procedure. This piece briefly introduces the concept of whistleblowing, the purpose and implications of this institute in the light of the international and European documents and case law. Within the theoretical basis of individual elements of whistleblower protection, a new Directive on whistleblower protection is further discussed in detail. Due to the minimalist regulation in several EU Member States, the Directive represents a very progressive regulation. The work also provides a detailed analysis of the Irish Protected Disclosures Act and some of its application problems. The Irish act provides protection to a wide range of people who report essentially any violation or misconduct. The act...

Criminal law aspects of data electronization in healthcare Abstract Continuous spread of information and communication technologies into all aspects of everyday life goes hand in hand with importance of data and information. This trend can be also observed in the healthcare sector which has recently experienced massive electronization. However, along with electronization, respective criminal law aspects are developing as well. Relevancy of this issue can be clearly demonstrated on the recent cyber-attacks on healthcare providers, which seriously jeopardize valuable data in healthcare. The aim of this work is to set forth comprehensive summary of criminal aspects of data electronization in healthcare with emphasis on the importance of electronization phenomenon, the issue of cybercrime and selected crimes that may be committed in connection with data electronization. This work also aims at highlighting negative impact of electronization in the global information society. In terms of content, the work consists of five structured chapters, in which the author defined relevant theory behind the issue and subsequently performed her own analysis thereof. The first chapter defines the term "data" as well as its categories and legislative framework with emphasis on area of criminal law and related protection of...

1 Legal Regulation of the Wild Fauna Abstract The aim of this thesis was to map and explain the differences between extensive terminology and legislation in terms of developmentin the past and present. Attentionwas also focused on a historical excursion to the protection of animals in the Czech lands and its development to the present. More specifically, I focused on the category of birds, fish and mammals. Legal regulation of the wild faunadoes not only encompass legislative definitions, historical aspects, but is also an integral part of biodiversity, which is closely linked to this topic . As the environment does not end beyond the borders of our country, this issue must also be given due attention at international level in the light of the effective international conventions. In the first chapter, I consider the inconsistency of terminology in sections of the legal order and categorizing the understandingof the terms (fauna, animal,game) and clarity for its addressees. This means, from an animal perspective, public and private law.. In the second chapter, I focused on the protection of animals in terms of history and legal documents. Already in early historyof the humanrace, man began to affect his surroundings, whether it was huntingor gathering. Over time, with a growinghuman population,he began to...

The present study examined the developing intercultural competence of pre-service English language teachers (ELTs). The nine (9) participants in this study were students within a short-term teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) certification course who engaged in IC exchanges with culturally diverse English language learners (ELLs) within an intensive English program (IEP). The IC exchanges were held once a week over the course of a six-week period. The foci of the IC exchanges were on concepts of cross-cultural understanding in general, and culturally diverse practices within teaching and learning specifically. The purpose of the study was to research how the participant pre-service teachers conceptualized their developing IC competence across the features of attitude, knowledge, and skills (Spitzberg and Chagnon, 2009), as well as their understanding of how to self-direct their IC competence independently. Data were collected through qualitative phenomenographic interview methods before, during, and after the IC exchanges. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, analyzed and categorized under IC features as expressed by the participants. Excerpts of the interviews are presented along with analyses that connect findings to literature of IC competence within educational contexts and second and foreign language teaching, as well as interpretations and discussion by the researcher. The study applied social-cultural theoretical concept of mediation, seeing all human action as subject to multiple interpretations (Eun and Lim, 2009), as well as zone of proximal development (ZPD) that advances the position of learning through interaction and collective engagement between the learner and more capable peers as essential to the learning process (Lantolf and Poehner, 2014). Through analysis of the interviews, the participants expressed benefits of the IC exchanges to their awareness and understanding of diverse cultural practices, specifically within teaching and learning. Participants also expressed a greater self-reflective and ethnorelative stance of their C1, as well as a more developed ability to articulate C1 practices. Additionally, participants discussed a greater understanding of how to foster an environment of cooperative engagement with ELLs within the second/foreign language classroom concerning cultural practices and perspectives. Lastly, analysis revealed the participants' initial understandings and challenges of how to continue developing their IC competence independently. The current study points to the importance of guiding pre-service teachers to develop deeper and more complex understandings of culture. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Spring Semester 2017. / April 10, 2017. / cultural synergy, culture, foreign and second language, Intercultural competence, teacher education, TESOL / Includes bibliographical references. / Jeffrey Milligan, Professor Directing Dissertation; Michael Leeser, University Representative; Peter Easton, Committee Member; Mostafa Papi, Committee Member.

The greatest weather enemy in all fruit destruction is the late spring frost which moves across the country under the high pressure areas that are occasionally seen on the weather maps, and kills the fruit buds.

Resistin, an adipocyte-derived hormone, is thought to represent a link between obesity and insulin-resistant diabetes. The potential role of resistin as a cardioprotective agent has not been explored. Our hypothesis is that resistin has a cardioprotective effect that is mediated by the resistin receptor-coupled activation of PI3K/Akt/PKC/KATP dependent pathways. Our studies demonstrated that pretreatment of mouse hearts with 10 nM resistin for 5 min protected the heart against I/R injury in a mouse heart perfusion model. When mouse hearts were subjected to 60 min of LAD ligation followed by 4 h of reperfusion, resistin pretreatment (33 μg/kg) for 30 min or 24 h before ligation was able to significantly reduce the infarct size/risk area. The protective effect of resistin was abolished by wortmannin, as well as by an Akt inhibitor, triciribine. Resistin's protective effect was absent in Akt kinase-deficient mutant mice. The protective effect was also blocked by chelerythrine, a PKC inhibitor, and εV1-2, a PKCε inhibitor. Finally, the protective effect was blocked by 5-hydroxydecanoate, which blocks the opening of mitoKATP channels. Resistin-induced Akt phosphorylation in HL-1 cells was inhibited by wortmannin and triciribine. Resistin also induced PKCε phosphorylation, which was blocked by triciribine. These studies demonstrate that resistin's cardioprotective effect is mediated by PI3K/Akt/PKC dependent pathways. In addition to cardiomyocytes, resistin also induced Akt phosphorylation in endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells, suggesting that resistin receptors are present in these cells. The effect of resistin on apoptosis was assessed in hearts subjected to 30 min of ischemia and 3 h of reperfusion. There were significantly fewer in situ oligo ligation-positive myocyte nuclei in mice treated with resistin. Our results show that resistin can dramatically reduce apoptosis and infarct size, thus protecting the heart against I/R injury.

Bibliography: leaves 128-148. / The impress of history has been particularly profound in the sphere of environmental perception, in that South Africans, both black and white, have had their notions of the environment shaped by the political forces of the past. Accordingly, this study is placed within the context of historical geography, as its open-ended techniques and multi-disciplinary approach is regarded as the most appropriate way of undertaking a study which crosses both historical and environmental boundaries. A contention fundamental to this study, is that South African environmental awareness and knowledge is at a fairly low level and that black environmental interest and concern in particular, ranges from apathy to outright hostility. It is further contended that the attainment of mass environmental literacy is essential for the success of the environmental movement in this country and that this in turn, is dependent on the adoption of a strategy incorporating an integrated historical, social and political perspective. Historico-political factors such as: the impact of the colonizing process; the dispossession of the indigenous peoples; the effect of racial attitudes; discriminatory land legislation and, in particular, the imposition of the apartheid system in 1948, are evaluated in terms of their effect on the development of black environmental attitudes. The culmination of these factors has led to a distortion of environmental perceptions and attitudes, as well as to the alienation of blacks from the environment. Conversely, the initially exploitative white response to the environment gradually incorporated a preservationist element, subsequently evolving into a conservation ideology which generally ignored black interests and perspectives. The policies and activities of the first black environmental organizations are detailed, in an attempt to place their achievements in historical perspective. Research in this area was conducted using primary sources. Interviews with selected environmental and mass democratic organizations in the Greater Cape Town Region were conducted. Using the techniques of the focused interview, their stance on environmental issues was established and their proposals for a future environmental strategy elicited. It was found that, while only one of the nine mass democratic organizations evaluated had an environmental policy, they were all committed to the establishment of a democratic society as well as to the concept of mass participation in environmental politics. Based on the insights gained from the historical aspects of the study, as well as an assessment of the proposals put forward during interviews, it is concluded that certain preconditions .are necessary for the successful implementation of future environmental strategies, if blacks are to become involved in environmental issues. These are: the destruction of apartheid; the establishment of a democratic state and the enhancement of individual quality of life.

Bibliography: p. 109-111. / This is an academic report submitted in partial fulfilment of the degree Master of Environmental Science. It is written to demonstrate the competence of the writer in undertaking work in the field of Environmental Impact Assessment. The main purpose of the report is the comparative evaluation of two proposed alternative roads, the "Western Access Route" (WAR) and the "Least Cost Alternative Route" (LCAR). Since this is an academic report, it will not be used as a decision-making document and it will not be submitted to the proponent of the alternative roads.

Ozongeneratorer ¨ar v¨aldigt anv¨andbara vid reng¨oring och kan appliceras p˚a en m¨angd olika s¨att, bland annat rening av vatten. F¨oretaget Primozone utvecklar konkurrenskraftiga ozongeneratorer. Vid de system d¨ar ozonet tills¨atts direkt i vattnet kan ett bak˚atfl¨ode ske vid maskinfel. Generatorn ¨ ar mycket k¨anslig f¨or vatten och d¨armed beh¨ovs ett skyddande system. Primozone anv¨ander en mekatronisk skyddsventil f¨or att hindra eventuellt bak˚atfl¨odande vatten. I arbetet utvecklas en ny version av skyddsventilen ˚at Primozone d¨ar m˚alet ¨ar att reducera brister och ¨oka prestandan. Projektet resulterar i tv˚a skyddsventiler. En ren optimering av den nuvarande skyddsventilen ang˚aende bland annat pris, estetik, tillverkning, inkapsling och vikt- och materialminsking med samma prestanda. Den andra skyddsventilen erbjuder stora prestanda¨okningar och ¨ar f¨ordelaktig vid st¨orre system d¨ar annars flera skyddsventiler hade beh¨ovts anv¨andas. / Ozone generators are very useful in sanitation and can be applied in a variety of ways, including water purification. The company Primozone develops competitive ozone generators. In the systems where the ozone is added directly into the water, a backflow can occur in the event of machine failure. The generator is sensitive to water and therefore a protective system is required. Primozone uses a mechatronic protection valve to prevent any backflowing water. During this project a new version of the protection valve for Primozone is developed, where the goal is to reduce shortcomings and increase performance. The project resulted in two protective valves. One pure optimization of the current protection valve including price, aesthetics, weight, manufacturing ,encapsulation and material reduction with the same performance. The second protection valve offers high performance gains and is advantageous in larger systems where otherwise several safety valves would have been needed.

Les problèmes d’hyperpigmentation cutanée sont caractérisés par l’apparition de taches brunes foncées, distribuées irrégulièrement sur la peau, généralement sur les zones photo-exposées. Ce problème largement répandu est la conséquence de plusieurs perturbations cutanées d’une ampleur autant physiologique qu’esthétique. Les rayonnements ultraviolets (UV) jouent un rôle important dans la mélanogenèse mais sont aussi à l’origine de plusieurs dérèglements physiologiques des mélanocytes induisant ainsi leur mal-fonctionnement.L’application d’un écran solaire est un moyen très efficace pour la protection contre les UV et la prévention des problèmes d’hyperpigmentation cutanée. Pour la première fois, nous avons pu mettre en place une nouvelle méthode in vitro pour la détermination du facteur de protection solaire (SPF) d’un écran en utilisant le film Gafchromic® EBT3 comme substrat et en se basant sur le changement de couleur du substrat. La variation de couleur est évaluée par spectroscopie ultraviolet-visible et est rapportée à l’absorbance du film après son exposition à un simulateur de soleil.En plus, nous nous sommes intéressés à la recherche de principes actifs extraits de plantes pour la régulation des problèmes d’hyperpigmentation cutanée. Pour ce, des huiles essentielles (HE) ont été extraites à partir de cinq plantes indigènes ou endémiques au Liban et leur composition analysée par chromatographie en phase gazeuse couplée à la spectrométrie de masse (GC-MS). Leurs effets moléculaires sur les structures cutanées ont été déterminés par analyses in tubo et in vitro. Les analyses enzymatiques in tubo ont permis de détecter une activité anti tyrosinase importante des deux HE d’Origanum syriacum et Origanum ehrenbergii. Cette activité a été liée à la composition phytochimique de chaque HE et a été attribuée au composé majoritaire, le carvacrol. Les études in vitro sur des cultures de mélanocytes ont permis de déterminer une diminution significative de la production de la mélanine en présence des HE et du carvacrol. Nous avons pu établir un lien entre les deux études pour déterminer le mécanisme d’action du carvacrol. Il s’agit d’une inhibition compétitive où le carvacrol se lie à la tyrosinase pour suivre une série d’oxydations enzymatiques bloquant ainsi l’oxydation de la tyrosine et causant un dérèglement de la mélanogenèse.Notre étude est la première à démontrer l’activité anti tyrosinase des HE d’O. syriacum et d’O. ehrenbergii. La complémentarité entre les tests d’efficacité et les analyses GC-MS nous a permis d’attribuer l’activité anti tyrosinase au carvacrol qui agit par inhibition compétitive.Ainsi, l’application de protecteur solaire associée à l’application cutanée de régulateurs de la mélanogenèse pourrait être une solution efficace pour les problèmes d’hyperpigmentation cutanée. / Hyperpigmentation disorders are characterized by an irregular distribution of dark spots on the skin, mainly on photo-exposed skin areas. This widespread problem is the result of several skin disorders leading to many physiological and aesthetic perturbations. Ultraviolet (UV) radiations play an important role in melanogenesis. However, they are also the source of several physiological disorders that induce a malfunctioning of melanocytes.The application of sunscreen is a very effective UV protection method and it is considered a main factor in the prevention of skin hyperpigmentation problems. One of the novelties in our research is that, for the first time, we were able to establish a new in vitro method for the determination of the sun protection factor (SPF) of a sunscreen, using EBT3 Gafchromic® film as a substrate. Our method relied on the color change of the substrate that was evaluated by UV-visible spectrophotometric measurements and valued by the absorbance of the film exposed to a solar simulator.In addition, we were interested in discovering new plant-derived active ingredients for the regulation of skin hyperpigmentation disorders. For this process, five essential oils (EO) of indigenous or endemic plants to Lebanon were extracted and their composition was studied by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS). We studied as well their molecular effects on cutaneous structures by in tubo and in vitro analysis. In tubo enzymatic analysis allowed us to identify an important anti tyrosinase activity of the two EO of Origanum syriacum and Origanum ehrenbergii. This activity was linked to the phytochemical composition of the EO and was assigned to the presence of their main component, carvacrol. In vitro cell cultures of melanocytes enabled us to determine a significant reduction in the melanin production in the presence of the EOs and carvacrol. Furthermore, we were able to define the mechanism of action of carvacrol by linking both in tubo and in vitro studies: carvacrol binds to tyrosinase and undergoes a series of oxidation reactions, thus preventing the oxidation of tyrosine. This mechanism is called competitive inhibition and it disturbs the regular pathway of melanogenesis.Our study is the first to demonstrate the anti tyrosinase activity of the EO of O. syriacum and O. ehrenbergii. The complementarity between efficacy tests and the phytochemical GC-MS analysis was our tool to discover that tyrosinase inhibition is mainly due to the presence of carvacrol that acts by competitive inhibition.Thus, the application of a sunscreen paired with the application of cutaneous melanogenesis regulator could be an effective solution for skin hyperpigmentation disorders.