The master's thesis deals with analysis of foreign professional articles focused on Brexit referendum in 2016. Focus is on review of each article - what type of analysis was used in the article, aim and motivation to do that analysis, and their comparison. In the end of this thesis quantitative analysis of Czech on-line articles writing about Brexit referendum is provided.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of an instructional program designed to explicitly teach text structure awareness to fourth grade students to assist in their understanding of science content in a unit of study on weather. The changes that occurred in teacher thinking and practice were also examined throughout the process of developing and implementing the instructional program. A quantitative analysis was performed to reveal any differences in mean posttest scores between a control group and a treatment group. Results indicated that the treatment group students' science content knowledge was increased significantly more than the students in the control group. A qualitative analysis was also performed to reveal the changes that occurred while this program was implemented into science instruction. Results indicated that by using research and results to guide her instruction, the researcher became more refined as a teacher. Recommendations for further research are discussed.

Studier antyder att kreditbedömningsprocessen hos banker har förändrats över tiden. Numera baseras bedömningen till största del på datoriserade system, vilket har påverkat företagens tillgång till företagsfinansiering. Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka vilka möjligheter bankerna anser att företagen har att kunna utnyttja sina sociala nätverk för att lättare erhålla företagsfinansiering och vilka effekter dessa möjligheter kan ha på bankerna och deras kreditbedömningsprocesser. Studien har baserats på empiriskt material som samlats in genom halvstrukturerade intervjuer med banktjänstemän från Swedbank, Svenska Handelsbanken och Roslagens Sparbank samt en mailintervju med en professor inom företagsekonomi. De nämnda bankerna skiljer sig åt på så sätt att Swedbank är tämligen en vanlig affärsbank, Svenska Handelsbanken kännetecknas för att vara en decentraliserad bank och Roslagens Sparbank är en mindre lokal bank.  Resultaten har visat att bankernas kreditbedömningsprocesser är snarlika avseende stegen som kreditgivarna måste genomgå vid bedömning av ett företag. Tillvägagångssätten för att erhålla och analysera både den kvantitativa och den kvalitativa informationen kan skilja något hos bankerna. Vidare finns det möjligheter för företag att utnyttja sina sociala nätverk för att lättare erhålla finansiering, beroende på nätverkens omfattning, vilka typer av relationer nätverken utgörs av samt vilken typ av information som erhålls från dessa. I och med att bankernas verksamheter är starkt reglerade, har dessa tillvägagångssätt snarare en marginell påverkan på utfallet av kreditärendet än på bankerna och deras kreditbedömningsprocesser. / Studies suggest that the credit assessment process of banks has changed over time. Nowadays, the assessment is based largely on computerized systems, which has affected the companies’ access to corporate finance. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate what opportunities the banks consider that companies have to utilize their social networks in order to facilitate the ability to gain corporate finance and how these opportunities may affect the banks’ credit assessment process. The thesis has been based on empirical material collected through semi-structured interviews with bank employees from Swedbank, Svenska Handelsbanken and Roslagens Sparbank, as well as an email interview with a professor of business economics. The mentioned banks differ in such a way that Swedbank is quite a common commercial bank, Svenska Handelsbanken is characterized as being a decentralized bank and Roslagens Sparbank is a smaller local bank. The results have shown that the banks’ credit assessment processes are similiar to the steps that creditors need to undergo when assissing a company. The procedures for obtaining and analyzing both the quantitative and qualitative information may differ slightly from the banks. Furthermore, there are opportunities for companies to utilize their social networks in order to facilitate the access to corporate finance, depending on the scope of the networks, the types of relationships the networks comprise and the type of information being received. With the banks’ operations being heavily regulated, these approaches have a marginal impact on the outcome of the credit issue than on the banks and their credit assessment processes.

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This paper examines the hypothesis that a change in the elite increases the probability of armed conflict onset. The paper combines the newly constructed WhoGov dataset on cabinet members, with UCDP data on armed conflicts and rebel group. It analyzes changes in the retention rate among cabinet members and average years in cabinet, and how they affect armed conflict – measured as armed conflict onset and rebel group onset. A linear regression model, with country- and year fixed effects, in addition to time-varying control variables, is applied to test the main hypothesis. In addition, three heterogeneity tests are conducted. First, the paper examines whether there are any differences between democracies and autocracies. Second, it examines the differences between changes in cabinet size (widening or shrinking). Third, it analyzes if the effects are bigger for large changes in the elite. Four main conclusions are reached in the paper. First, the results indicates that a decrease in retention rate increases the probability for both conflict and rebel onset. The magnitudes of the estimated effects seem to be sizeable. They are larger in conflict onsets than rebel onsets, in relation to their respective means. Second, for armed conflict onset, the results are driven by autocracies. Third, the probability for armed conflict is larger following a large change in the elites (retention rate). Fourth, no difference in changes to cabinet size is observed.

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No description available.

No / Spermatogenesis is characterized by the succession in time and space of specific germ cell associations (stages). There can be a single stage (e.g., rodents and some macaques) or more than one stage (e.g., chimpanzee and human) per tubular cross section. We analyzed the organization of the seminiferous epithelium and quantified testicular germ cell production and apoptosis in a New World primate, the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus). Tubule cross sections contained more than one stage, and the human six-stage system could be applied to marmoset spermatogenesis. Stereological (optical disector) analysis (n = 5) revealed high spermatogenic efficiency during meiosis and no loss of spermatids during spermiogenesis. The conversion of type A to type B spermatogonia was several-fold higher than that reported for other primates. Highest apoptotic rates were found for S-phase cells (20%) and 4C cells (15%) by flow cytometric analysis (n = 6 animals); histological analysis confirmed spermatogonial apoptosis. Haploid germ cell apoptosis was <2%. Marmoset spermatogenesis is very efficient and involves substantial spermatogonial proliferation. The prime determinants of germ cell production in primates appear to be proliferation and survival of spermatogonia rather than the efficiency of meiotic divisions. Based on the organizational similarities, common marmosets could provide a new animal model for experimental studies of human spermatogenesis.

No / A novel high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) assay for the estimation of formoterol in urine samples was developed and validated. A solid phase extraction (SPE) using Oasis HLB was optimised to isolate formoterol from a urine matrix followed by HPLC with UV detection. This extraction procedure concentrated the final analyte forty times so that UV detection can be used to determine even a low concentration of formoterol in urine samples. The urinary assay was performed in accordance with FDA and ICH regulations for the validation of bioanalytical samples. The samples were injected onto a C18 Spherisorb® (250 mm x 4.6 mm x 5 ¿m) analytical column maintained at 30 °C. The mobile phase consisted of 5 mM of potassium dihydrogen orthophosphate buffer (adjusted to pH 3 with ortho phosphoric acid):acetonitrile (ACN) (70:30, v/v), and the formoterol peak was detected at wavelength 214 nm. The extraction recovery of formoterol from the urine sample was >95%. The calibration curve was linear (r2=0.99) over formoterol concentrations ranging from 1.5 to 25 ng/mL (n=6). The method had an accuracy of >92% and intra and inter-day precision CV% of <3.9% and <2.2%, respectively, at three different concentrations low, medium and high (10, 15, 20 ng/mL). The limit of quantification (LOQ) for formoterol was found to be 1.50 ng/mL. The accuracy and precision at the LOQ level were 95% and %CV <3.7% (n = 10), respectively. The method reported is simple, reliable, precise, and accurate and has the capacity to be used for determination of formoterol in urine samples.

Pendant les trente dernières années, le taux d'incidence du cancer de la thyroïde chez l'homme et la femme a considérablement augmenté partout dans le monde. Cependant, on estime que d'ici à 2019 le cancer de la thyroïde deviendra le troisième cancer le plus répandu chez les femmes dans tous les groupes d'âge en raison de la tendance d’augmentation plus dramatique chez elles. En général, il n'y a aucune raison claire qui explique l'augmentation mondiale de l'incidence du cancer de la thyroïde et il est émis l'hypothèse que cette recrudescence de l'incidence a une étiologie multifactorielle. Bien qu'il soit clair que le progrès technique des modalités de l’imagerie diagnostique telle que l'échographie peut amener à une augmentation du taux de détection du cancer de la thyroïde secondaire au sur-diagnostic des maladies sous-cliniques, il existe des preuves fortes indiquant une vraie augmentation du cancer de la thyroïde. La cartographie cervicale échographique préopératoire est un outil important dans l'algorithme diagnostic du cancer de la thyroïde. Elle aide à identifier l’étendue des métastases ganglionnaires cervicales afin de guider la dissection chirurgicale anticipée. La dissection chirurgicale du cou orientée selon les compartiments anatomiques et guidée par la cartographie cervicale échographique peut amener à une réduction des risques des complications postopératoires et des récidives tumorales locorégionales. Nous avons effectué une analyse qualitative et quantitative de la cartographie cervicale échographique afin d'évaluer la fiabilité diagnostique de ce test. Nos résultats ont démontré une valeur prédictive positive assez élevée de cette modalité diagnostique ainsi q’une association quantitative forte entre les données de la cartographie échographique et les résultats de l’histopathologie. Nous suggérons que l’utilisation de la cartographie cervicale échographique cible les patients présentant un risque plus important d’une maladie persistante / récidivante. / Over the last 30 years, the incidence rate of thyroid cancer has drastically increased in both genders all over the world. However, due to a more dramatic pattern in females, it is estimated that by 2019 it will become the third most prevalent cancer in women of all ages. Overall, there are no clear reasons behind the worldwide increase in thyroid cancer incidence and it is hypothesized that this upsurge has a multifactorial etiology. Despite the fact that recent advances in imaging modalities such as ultrasound can lead to thyroid cancer overdiagnosis by improving the detection rate for subclinical disease, there is strong evidence indicating a true increase in the occurrence of thyroid cancer as well. Preoperative ultrasound cervical mapping, an important tool in the diagnostic algorithm of thyroid cancer, helps to identify metastatic spread in cervical lymph nodes and guides the surgeon for subsequent surgical dissection. Compartment oriented neck dissection directed by ultrasound mapping decreases locoregional tumor recurrence and lowers the risk of postsurgical complications. We conducted a qualitative and quantitative analysis of ultrasound mapping to evaluate this test’s diagnostic reliability. Our results demonstrated that the positive predictive value of this diagnostic modality was sufficiently high and that there was a strong quantitative association between ultrasound mapping and histopathology results. We therefore recommend that ultrasound mapping be used to target patients with a higher risk of persistent or recurrent thyroid cancer.