This diploma thesis targets the evaluation of fifteen chosen EU countries using the methods of multicriteria decision-making. The topic is elaborated from the perspective of a student of the University of Economics, Prague, who chooses a suitable country to gain experience abroad. Students' preferences are recorded in a questionnaire and grouped using direct weights estimation method. The ORESTE, WSA, TOPSIS, PROMETHEE II and MAPPAC methods are described in the thesis and applied to the data using an add-on of Microsoft Excel -- Sanna. Since the questionnaire contains a question on the students' subjective ranking of countries, it is possible to compare the two rankings (subjective and calculated) to determine whether they are comparable and the students' decision-making is consistent.

Camundongos foram selecionados geneticamente para alta (AIRmax) ou baixa (AIRmin) resposta inflamatória aguda, sendo utilizados em experimentos de regeneração tecidual. Foi observado que AIRmax apresentam uma regeneração rápida do tecido da orelha em relação aos AIRmin, sugerindo a existência de loci reguladores comuns para ambos fenótipos de inflamação e regeneração do tecido. Neste estudo investigamos o fenótipo inflamatório e o perfil de expressão gênica global em AIRmax e AIRmin durante a fase inicial da regeneração do tecido da orelha. A análise histológica mostrou que AIRmax apresentam uma regeneração completa, com formação de ilhas de cartilagem e glândulas sebáceas no centro da área regenerada. Os AIRmin não apresentam regeneração. Os dados obtidos sobre edema de orelha e níveis de MPO foram maiores em AIRmax quando comparados com AIRmin (P <0,001). A análise de expressão gênica global mostrou 794 genes ativados e 528 genes reprimidos em AIRmax, enquanto 1.086 genes ativados e 1.145 genes reprimidos nos AIRmin, 48 horas após a lesão. AIRmax e AIRmin apresentaram alta modulação de genes sobrerrepresentados em temas biológicos para resposta inflamatória, adesão celular e quimiotaxia (Gene Ontology). No entanto, foi observado uma baixa modulação de genes sobrerrepresentados para o transporte em AIRmax e para taxia, contração muscular e ciclo de ubiquitina em AIRmin. Nas regiões próximas ao QTL anteriormente encontrado no cromossomo 1, foram observados genes diferencialmente expressos como Stat1, Casp8, Hspe1 e Il1r2, enquanto Lect1, Fndc3 e Egr3 foram detectados no cromossomo 14. Os experimentos com qPCR mostram uma alta expressão de Il-1<font face=\"Symbol\">b, Il-8rb e Mmp9 em AIRmax e Cxcl2, Tnfa e Tgfb em AIRmin. Concluímos que os animais AIRmax e AIRmin apresentam (nos cromossomos 1 e 14) genes inflamatórios diferencialmente expressos que podem estar envolvidos nos fenótipos de resposta inflamatória aguda e regeneração do tecido da orelha. / Mice selected for high (AIRmax) or low (AIRmin) acute inflammatory response were used in tissue regeneration experiments. It was observed that AIRmax present faster ear tissue regeneration than AIRmin mice, suggesting the involvement of common regulatory loci for both inflammation and ear tissue regeneration phenotypes. In the study we investigated some inflammatory phenotypes and global gene expression profiles in AIRmax and AIRmin mice during the initial phase of the ear tissue regeneration. The histological analyses showed that AIRmax regeneration was complete, and cartilage islands and sebaceous glands were formed in the middle of the regenerated area. AIRmin mice displayed not regeneration. Ear thickness oedema and MPO levels were higher in AIRmax than AIRmin mice (P< 0.001). Global expression analysis showed 794 activated and 528 repressed genes in AIRmax, while 1086 activated and 1145 repressed genes were observed in AIRmin mice 48 hours after injury. AIRmax and AIRmin mice presented up-regulated genes over-represented in inflammatory response, cell adhesion and chemotaxis biological themes (Gene ontology). However, down-modulated genes were significant over-represented for transportation in AIRmax and for taxis, muscle contraction and cycle ubiquitin in AIRmin mice. In the previously QTL regions detected on chromosome 1 differentially-expressed Stat1, Casp8, Hspe1 and Il1r2 genes were found, while Lect1, Fndc3 and Egr3 were detected on chromosome 14. qPCR experiments showed high expression of Il-1<font face=\"Symbol\">b, Il-8rb and Mmp9 in AIRmax and Cxcl2, Tnfa, and Tgfb1 in AIRmin mice. We conclude that AIRmax and AIRmin mice presented several (some on chromosomes 1 and 14) differentially-expressed inflammatory genes which could be involved in the acute inflammatory response and ear tissue regeneration phenotypes.

Sublinhagens de camundongos AIRmax e AIRmin homozigotas para os alelos S do gene Slc11a1 diferem na capacidade de reparar um orifício na orelha. Os animais AIRmaxSS regeneraram o tecido da orelha 30 dias após a perfuração, enquanto que os animais AIRminSS apenas cicatrizaram a ferida mas nunca a restauraram completamente. A regeneração da orelha observada nos animais AIRmaxSS deve-se a inflamação menos intensa da área ferida no início do processo de reparação, culminando em baixa deposição de colágeno e expressão da proteína a-SMA na orelha desses animais e a repressão de genes participantes em funções relacionadas à contração muscular. Além disso, detectamos alguns genes candidatos no cromossomo 11 regulando o fenótipo de cicatrização tissular da orelha de camundongos AIRminSS. Os resultados obtidos sugerem que o grau da resposta inflamatória, assim como a ativação ou repressão de genes participantes durante os eventos de reparação tissular podem modular a qualidade da resolução da injúria, culminando em um processo regenerativo ou de cicatrização. / Homozygous AIRmax and AIRmin sublines for Slc11a1 R and S alleles differ in the ability to repair to the ear hole. AIRmaxSS mice exhibited regeneration 30 days after ear punch while AIRminSS animals did not show regeneration. The regeneration observed in AIRmaxSS mice was due to lower inflammation at the beginning of repair process resulting in less deposition of collagen and expression of a-SMA protein in the ears of these animals. Down regulated genes related with muscle contraction was observed in AIRmaxSS mice. In addition, AIRminSS mice presented gene cluster on chromosome 11 with expression profile that predispose them to wound healing with scar. These results suggest that the importance of regulating inflammation in the initial events and the activation and repression of some genes related to the wound healing phenotype can drives tissue regeneration or wound healing after ear punch.

Flavonoids are secondary metabolites that are important in plant defense, protection, and human health. Most naturally-occurring flavonoids are found in glucosylated form. Glucosyltransferases (GTs) are enzymes that catalyze the transfer of glucose from a high energy sugar donor to an acceptor molecule. At this time, it is not possible to accurately predict putative GT activity from sequence alone; biochemical characterization is critical. A flavonol-specific 3-O-GT enzyme has been identified and cloned from the leaf tissues of grapefruit. The enzyme shows rigid substrate specificity and regiospecificity. F3GTs from grape and grapefruit were modeled against F7GTs from Crocus sativus and Scrutellaria biacalensis, and several non-conservative amino acid differences were identified that may impact regioselectivity. This research is designed to test the hypothesis that specific amino acid residues impart the regiospecificity of the grapefruit enzyme. Site-directed mutagenesis was performed on three potentially key amino acid residues within the grapefruit F3-GT that were identified through homology modeling. Enzyme activity of the mutant F3-GT proteins will be analyzed for a possible change in glucosylation pattern. Other flavonoid classes will also be tested with the mutant enzymes to test for change in substrate specificity.

Flavonoids are secondary metabolites that are important in plant defense, protection, and human health. Most naturally-occurring flavonoids are found in glucosylated form. Glucosyltransferases (GTs) are enzymes that catalyze the transfer of glucose from a high energy sugar donor to an acceptor molecule. At this time, it is not possible to accurately predict putative GT activity from sequence alone; biochemical characterization is critical. A flavonol-specific 3-O-GT enzyme has been identified and cloned from the leaf tissues of grapefruit. The enzyme shows rigid substrate specificity as well as regiospecificity. Several F3GT's characterized from other plants also had the ability to glucosylate anthocyanidins, however the grapefruit F3GT did not. This research is designed to test the hypothesis that specific amino acid residues impart the substrate specificity and regiospecificity of the grapefruit enzyme. Site-directed mutagenesis was performed on three potentially key amino acid residues within the grapefruit F3-GT that were identified through homology modelling. Enzyme activity of the mutant F3-GT proteins will be tested with flavonols for a possible change in glucosylation pattern. Other flavonoid classes will also be tested with the mutant F3-GT enzyme to test for change in substrate specificity. The result from this study will add to our knowledge of GTs.

Dans une première partie, la structure électronique de deux membres de la famille des Analogues de Bleu de Prusse (ABP) a été inspectée à l'aide de méthodes basées sur la fonction d'onde. Dans l'ABP NiFe, un changement du couplage magnétique a été mis en évidence lors d'une déformation structurale locale. Basé sur les résultats obtenus pour l'ABP CoFe, un rôle clé dans le processus photomagnétique observé dans ce matériau est attribué aux lacunes cristallines. Dans une deuxième partie, un développement méthodologique a été mené jusqu'à l'implémentation de la méthode FRACCIS (FRAgmented Contracted Configuration Interaction of Single excitations). Elle permet de concentrer l'effort numérique sur un petit nombre de déterminants physiquement importants. De plus, elle constitue un outil d'analyse pour mesurer l'importance de certaines excitations dans le système inspecté. L'application à (H2)2 et C4H6 montre qu'une réduction majeure de l'espace d'IC est possible en gardant une bonne précision par rapport aux valeurs de référence. Ce travail contribue aux efforts vers l'analyse rationnelle de la corrélation électronique. / In the first part, the electronic structure of two members of the family of Prussian Blue Analogues (PBA) has been inspected using wave function-based methods. The NiFe PBA exhibits a change of the magnetic coupling under a local structural deformation. Based on the results obtained for the CoFe PBA, a key role in the photomagnetic process observed in this material is attributed to the crystal vacancies. In a second part, a methodological development has been carried out and has lead to the implementation of the FRACCIS method (FRAgmented Contracted Configuration Interaction of Single excitations). It allows to concentrate the numerical effort on a small number of physically relevant determinants. Furthermore, it constitutes an analysis tool to measure the importance of certain excitations in the inspected system. The application to (H2)2 et C4H6 shows that a major reduction of the CI space is possible while keeping good accuracy with respect to reference values. This work contributes to the efforts towards a rational analysis of electronic correlation.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate if there was any difference in energy expenditure (kcal/min) and oxygen consumption (VO2) between subjects walking with Masai Barefoot Technology ® (MBT) shoes and regular orthopedic shoes. The research hypothesis was that MBT shoes demand more energy expenditure than regular orthopedic shoes. Methods: Seven women aged 49-65 were recruited for the study. The subjects were tested in two sessions, with a minimum of two weeks in between each sesssion. On each test session the subjects walked with both MBT shoes and orthopedic shoes which were adjusted in mass (g) to match the mass of the MBT shoes. While the subjects walked on a treadmill, the oxygen consumption (VO2), heart rate (min-1) and self selected velocity (m/s) for each of the shoe types was measured. Results: Results showed that there is no significant difference in oxygen consumption (VO2) between the MBT and orthopedic shoes. Energy expenditure (kcal/min) was also calculated from the data and the results revealed that there is no significant differ-ence between MBT and orthopedic shoes in energy expenditure (kcal/min) either. The self selected velocity (m/s) between the two shoe types was also found to be insignificant. Conclusion: The results showed no significant difference between the shoes. This could indicate that the specific construction of the MBT shoe has no effect on the energy expenditure (kcal/min) of its user. This lack of difference may be due to the equal mass of the shoes, but since oxygen consumption (VO2) was not investigated in orthopedic shoes with different shoe masses, this conclusion cannot be confirmed. The self selected velocity (m/s) was found to be insignificant and this finding could suggest to that prolonged usage of the MBT shoe may diminish gait parameters dissimilarities during ambulation. This study should therefore be seen as a pilot study and further investigation in this area should be pursued.

Selected mapping (SLM) is a well-known technique used to reduce the peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) in orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) systems. Although SLM scheme can reduce PAPR efficiently, the side information (SI) must be transmitted to the receiver to indicate the candidate signal that generates the OFDM signal with the lowest PAPR. Robust channel coding schemes are typically adopted to prevent erroneous decoding of SI, leading to the lower bandwidth efficiency. To reduce PAPR efficiently and avoid the bandwidth efficiency loss caused by the transmission of SI, two novel PAPR reduction methods are proposed in SFBC MIMO-OFDM systems with two transmitter antennas that employs the Alamouti coding. The candidate signals are constructed in the frequency-domain and time-domain in the first proposed scheme and the second proposed scheme, respectively. In addition, the orthogonality of the space frequency block code is preserved resulting in the data recovery and the corresponding SI can be easily obtained from the conventional Alamouti detection method for both transmission methods. Simulation results show that the BER performance of a SFBC MIMO-OFDM system with the proposed SI detection algorithm is very close to that of perfect SI detection if the extension factor is larger than 1.3.

A cryogenic (325-80 K) ion mobility-mass spectrometer was designed and constructed in order to improve the analytical figures-of-merit for the chemical analysis of small mass analytes using ion mobility-mass spectrometry. The instrument incorporates an electron ionization source, a quadrupole mass spectrometer, a uniform field drift cell spectrometer encased in a cryogenic envelope, and an orthogonal geometry time-of-flight mass spectrometer. The analytical benefits of low temperature ion mobility are discussed in terms of enhanced separation ability, ion selectivity and sensitivity. The distinction between resolving power and resolution for ion mobility is also discussed. Detailed experimental designs and rationales are provided for each instrument component. Tuning and calibration data and methods are also provided for the technique. Proof-of-concept experiments for an array of analytes including rare gases (argon, krypton, xenon), hydrocarbons (acetone, ethylene glycol, methanol), and halides (carbon tetrachloride) are provided in order to demonstrate the advantages and limitations of the instrument for obtaining analytically useful information. Trendline partitioning of small analyte ions based on chemical composition is demonstrated as a novel chemical analysis method. The utility of mobility-mass analysis for mass selected ions is also demonstrated, particularly for probing the ion chemistry which occurs in the drift tube for small mass ions. As a final demonstration of the separation abilities of the instrument, the electronic states of chromium and titanium (ground and excited) are separated with low temperature. The transition metal electronic state separations demonstrated here are at the highest resolution ever obtained for ion mobility methods. The electronic conformational mass isomers of methanol (conventional and distonic) are also partially separated at low temperature. Various drift gases (helium, neon, and argon) are explored for the methanol system in order to probe stronger ion-neutral interaction potentials and effectuate higher resolution separations of the two isomeric ions. Finally, two versatile ion source designs and a method for axially focusing ions at low pressure (1-10 torr) using electrostatic fields is presented along with some preliminary work on the ion sources.

Rengiant jaunąsias krepšininkes galinčias žaisti įvairaus amžiaus grupių čempionatuose, o vėliau ir didelio meistriškumo žaidėjas nacionalinei komandai, aktualu yra stebėti žaidėjų techninį lygį, analizuoti jų fizinį išsivystymą, funkcinį pajėgumą ir metinį treniruočių ciklą. Darbo tikslas – išanalizuoti Lietuvos krepšinio rinktinių krepšininkių (1990 – 1992 metų gimimo) treniruočių metinį ciklą, fizines galias, išsivystymą bei techninį parengtumą ir jų kaitą per metus. Nustatyta, kad jaunųjų Lietuvos olimpinio sporto centro krepšininkių fizinio pajėgumo daugelis rodikliu sezono metu progresavo ir sezonui baigiantis buvo aukštesnio lygio. Statinė jėga, anaerobinis alaktatinis raumenų galingumas, kurio progresą per metus įtakojo per treniruotes ir varžybas atliekami trumpi spurtai ir pagreitėjimai, bei judesių dažnis pasiekė gerą ir tinkamą krepšininkėm lygį. Vienkartinis raumenų susitraukimo galingumas taip pat didėjo, bet šis raumenų galingumas dar nėra pasiekęs krepšininkėm reikiamo lygio. Nustačius krepšininkių kūno masę buvo matyti, kad komandos vidutinė masė padidėjo ir didėjimas buvo ženklesnis riebalų nei raumenų sąskaiton. Techninio parengtumo duomenys, sezono pabaigoje taip pat buvo užfiksuoti geresni nei sezono pradžioje. Nustatėme, kad LOSC komandos metiniame treniruočių cikle rengimo rūšių santykis BFR 25.6 %, SFR 17.2 %, TTR, 57.1 % tirto krepšininkių amžiaus tarpsnyje, beveik atitinka trenerių rekomendacijas, tik reikėtų padidinti valandų skaičių specialiam... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / While preparing the young feminine basketball players who can participate in various age championships and later masters of sport for the national team, it is important to observe the technical level of players, to analyse their physical development, functional abilities and annual training cycle. The aim of the research is to analyse the annual training cycle of Lithuanian feminine combined team (years of birth 1990 - 1992), their physical capacity, development, technical preparation and the change of the mentioned factors during the year. It is fixed that the young Olympic Lithuanian basketball players made a progress in physical abilities during the season and the end of the season reached a higher level. The static power and the anaerobic muscular power which were influenced by acceleration during the training and competition, and the frequency of motions achieved the suitable level for the basketball players. The single muscular contract power also increased, bet this muscular power has not achieved the appropriate level for the basketball players. After defining the body weight it was obvious that the average team weight increased in more grease than in muscles. At the end of the season the results of technical training were better than the beginning of the season. We established that in the given age group and corresponds the recommendation of tutors but the number of hours for special physical training should be increased.