Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T19:14:26Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 5537.pdf: 1932064 bytes, checksum: 3125235f7283d6fb36e1dce9ab252c09 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-07-29 / Universidade Federal de Sao Carlos / The main purpose in this thesis is to analyse the candidate selection process for Federal Deputy in Brazil in the 2010 elections within four parties: DEM, PMDB, PSDB e PT. Heretofore, the study of candidate selection in our country have privileged the formal dimension of selection, like party´s statutes analysis or regional dinamics. In the other hand, except for some exceptions, the conclusions pointed out the impact of brazilian institutional design in candidate selection, undervaluing parties as autonomus units in the process. Therefore, from data about candidacy gathered at the Electoral Supreme Court and a survey applied to one hundred and twenty candidates, we tried to sketch the candidate selection process at the intra-party arena. The conclusions suggests that political parties are capable in divert from institucional incentives and choose candidates by different methods regarding the strenght and direction of the institutionalization. Hence, the different methods bring relevant consequences for the candidates profiles as well for the parties themselves. / O objetivo central desta tese é analisar o processo de seleção de candidatos a Deputado Federal no Brasil durante as eleições de 2010 em quatro partidos: DEM; PMDB; PSDB e PT. Até então, os estudos sobre seleção de candidatos em nosso país privilegiaram aspectos formais da seleção, como análise dos estatutos de partidos ou processos regionais. Por outro lado, salvo algumas exceções, o enfoque para as conclusões sobre a seleção de candidatos esteve sempre nos impactos do desenho institucional brasileiro, subvalorizando os partidos como unidades autônomas no processo. Assim, a partir de dados das candidaturas fornecidos pelo Tribunal Superior Eleitoral e de um survey aplicado a cento e vinte candidatos, buscamos traçar o processo de seleção privilegiando a arena intrapartidária. As conclusões sugerem que os partidos são capazes de contornar o sistema de incentivos institucionais e selecionar seus candidatos por processos diferenciados entre si tendo em vista sua força e direção de institucionalização e que produzem consequências importantes para os perfis dos candidatos, bem como para os partidos em si.

Introdução: As fissuras de lábio e/ou palato (FL/P) são malformações congênitas comuns na espécie humana, apresentando prevalência de 1/700 recém nascidos vivos, variando de acordo com os diferentes grupos étnicos e fatores sócio-econômicos. As FL/P apresentam padrão complexo de herança, estando envolvidos fatores genéticos e ambientais. Entre os fatores ambientais deficiências de vitaminas já foram descritas, e diversos estudos sugerem que o uso de ácido fólico periconcepcional pode prevenir a recorrência das fissuras orais. Objetivos: Estudar características bioquímicas e polimorfismos em genes da rota metabólica do folato em FL/P não sindrômicas (NS). Métodos: Foram incluídas 140 mulheres (113 mães não afetadas de crianças com fissuras e 27 mulheres afetadas). Todas as mulheres realizaram dosagens bioquímicas (B12, folato sérico e eritrocitário, hematócrito, hemoglobina e homocisteína). Foi realizada extração de DNA destas mulheres e seus familiares, assim como de trios adicionais (mãe, pai e filho) num total de 428 indivíduos de 231 famílias. 28 polimorfismos de 14 genes da rota metabólica de folato foram genotipados usando TaqMan (Applied Biosystems) ou reação em cadeia de polimerase (PCR). Resultados: Não foi encontrada associação entre os dados bioquímicos nos dois grupos de mulheres (afetadas e não afetadas). O teste de desequilíbrio de transmissão (TDT) revelou significância para os seguintes polimorfismos nos genes BHMTrs651852 (p=0.04), MTRRrs1532268 (p=0.04) e NNMTrs694539 (p=0.03). A interação gene-gene demonstrou significância entre MTRRrs1532268 versus MTRrs10925235 (p=0.03), MTRRrs1532268 versus MTRRrs1801394 (p=0.003), MTRRrs1532268 versus NNMTrs2852447 (p=0.008), NNMTrs694539 versus DHFRrs1643638 (p=<0.0001), NNMTrs694539 versus SHMT1rs921986 (p=0.0001), NNMTrs694539 versus SHMT1rs2168781 (p=0.03). Conclusão: Polimorfismos em genes envolvendo o metabolismo do ácido fólico podem contribuir para a ocorrência de FL/P. Os genes BHMT, MTRR e NNMT mostraram associação com FL/P. Este estudo foi o primeiro a encontrar associação entre o gene NNMT e fissuras orais. Estes achados, portando, devem ser confirmados por estudos adicionais. Estes dados são importantes para o entendimento dos fatores que predispõem às FL/P, e para ser realizada de maneira mais adequada e individualizada a prevenção desta anomalia congênita com ácido fólico. / Introduction: Cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P) are common congenital anomalies with prevalence of 1/700 live births affecting different ethnic groups and social economic status. CL/P has a complex inheritance involving environmental and genetic factors. Among the environmental factors, deficiency of vitamins were reported and several studies have suggested that the use of periconcepcional folic acid might prevent oral clefts. Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate the biochemical and polymorphisms in genes of the folic acid pathway in non-syndromic CL/P. Methods: 140 women were included, (113) unaffected mothers with CL/P children and 27 affected women. In all women a biochemical measurement (B12, serum folate and eritrocyte, hematocrit, hemoglobin and homocysteine) was performed. We also had DNA extraction of these women and their families, as well as additional trio of (mother, father and son) in a total of 428 individuals of 231 unrelated families. 28 polymorphisms of 14 genes of the folate pathway were genotyped using the TaqMan (Applied Biosystem) or Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). Results: Among the biochemical data in the two groups of women (affected and unaffected with cleft lip children) no association was found. The transmission desequilibrium test (TDT) has showed significance for the following polymorphisms in the genes such as BHMTrs651852 (p=0.04), MTRRrs1532268 (p=0.04) and NNMTrs694539 (p=0.03). The gene-gene interaction has showed significance between MTRRrs1532268 versus MTRrs10925235 (p=0.03), MTRRrs1532268 versus NNMTrs2852447 (p=0.008), NNMTrs694539 versus DHFRrs1643638 (p=<0.0001), NNMTrs694539 versus SHMT1rs921986 (p=0.0001), NNMTrs694539 versus SHMT1rs2168781 (p=0.03). Conclusion: Polymorphisms in genes involving the folic acid metabolism might contribute to the occurrence of CL/P. The genes BHMT, MTRR and NNMT have showed association with CL/P. This was the first study to find association between the NNMT and oral clefts. Thus, additional studies are important to these results. These data are important to understand the causes of CL/P as well as to prevent this congenital anomaly with folic acid.

Submitted by Gabriela Fernandes (gabi.costa.tf@gmail.com) on 2012-05-17T01:43:12Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Gabriela_Fernandes_FINAL.pdf: 1394995 bytes, checksum: b6caa255312f0d9dbaae10f2a7e74551 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Marcia Bacha (marcia.bacha@fgv.br) on 2012-08-16T14:25:20Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Gabriela_Fernandes_FINAL.pdf: 1394995 bytes, checksum: b6caa255312f0d9dbaae10f2a7e74551 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2012-08-16T14:25:45Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Gabriela_Fernandes_FINAL.pdf: 1394995 bytes, checksum: b6caa255312f0d9dbaae10f2a7e74551 (MD5) Previous issue date: 16-12-20 / Com o aumento progressivo do percentual das mulheres nas câmaras legislativas do mundo, examinamos quais seriam suas consequências em decisões de gastos públicos, saúde e educação na pré-infância e até na aprovação de medidas polêmicas, como o aborto sob demanda. Sob a luz dos modelos de ``cidadão-candidato'' e com base em evidências empíricas de que mulheres têm preferências políticas mais voltadas ao bem-estar social, utilizamos o método do corte seccional aplicado a médias no tempo a fim de testar nossas hipóteses. De fato, a presença feminina nos congressos do mundo traz maiores gastos públicos sobre produto, direcionados principalmente a saúde e educação, além de uma redução nos gastos militares. Nas taxas de matrícula em educação pré-primária, também há influência positiva de parlamentares do gênero feminino, o mesmo não podendo ser dito sobre indicadores de saúde infantil. Em uma análise gráfica, encontramos relação positiva entre mulheres nos parlamentos e legalização do aborto e do casamento homossexual. / With the rise of the proportion of women in legislative chambers around the world, we examine which would be its consequences in public spending, early childhood health and education and even in the approval of polemic measures, such as abortion on demand. In light of ``citizen-candidate'' models and based on empirical evidence that women have political preferences leaning towards welfare policies, we use the cross-section method applied to an average over time in order to test our hypotheses. Indeed, female presence in congresses of the world cause higher public spending, mainly directed to health and education, besides a reduction in military spending. In pre-primary enrollment rates, there is also a positive influence of female legislators, but the same cannot be said about childrens' health indicators. In a graphical analysis, we find a positive relationship between women in Parliaments and abortion and gay marriage legalization.

Abstract Osteoporosis is a bone disorder that leads to a reduction in bone volume, deterioration of bone microarchitecture and therefore increased fracture risk. Bone disorders such as osteoporosis commonly have both genetic and environmental components. Family and twin studies have shown the importance of genetics in bone formation and health, but most of the genetic factors contributing to bone formation are still largely unknown. The aim of this thesis was to search for and identify genetic factors that predispose to two different bone disorders manifesting in fractures, namely femoral neck stress fractures and childhood primary osteoporosis without features of OI (i.e. non-OI primary osteoporosis). Furthermore, in vitro studies were performed to elucidate the importance and mechanism of action of identified genetic factors in non-OI primary osteoporosis. By using candidate gene analyses we identified predisposing alleles, haplotypes and their interactions that increased the risk for femoral neck stress fractures in young male military conscripts. The conscripts lacking the CTR C allele and/or VDR C-A haplotype had a three-fold increased risk for femoral neck stress fractures compared to the carriers of both. Furthermore, conscripts carrying the LRP5 A-G-G-C haplotype had a three-fold increased risk for femoral neck stress fractures and in combination with VDR C-A haplotype a four-fold increased risk for stress fractures. These associations were mediated by low body weight and BMI. In the search for genetic factors of non-OI primary osteoporosis in children and adolescent, two novel mutations in LRP5 and two more variants in WNT3A and DKK1 were found in patients. The variants were also observed in the affected family members, but not in the control group. The effects of these variants were examined in in vitro studies and the results showed that some LRP5 mutations and the WNT3A variant might reduce bone formation by decreasing the canonical Wnt signalling activity. / Tiivistelmä Osteoporoosi on luustosairaus, joka alentaa luuntiheyttä ja heikentää luun rakennetta ja siten lisää murtumien riskiä. Osteoporoosin kaltaiset luusairaudet ovat usein monitekijäisiä tauteja, joiden syntyyn vaikuttavat sekä perinnölliset että ympäristölliset tekijät. Perhe- ja kaksostutkimukset ovat osoittaneet perinnöllisten tekijöiden olevan tärkeitä luun muodostuksessa ja terveydessä, mutta nämä tekijät ovat kuitenkin vielä suurelta osin tuntemattomia. Tutkimustyön tavoitteena oli etsiä ja tunnistaa perinnöllisiä tekijöitä, jotka altistavat kahdelle luunmurtumina ilmenevälle sairaudelle: reisiluunkaulan rasitusmurtumille ja lasten primaariselle osteoporoosille. Lisäksi primaariselle osteoporoosille altistavien perinnöllisten tekijöiden merkitystä ja vaikutusmekanismeja tutkittiin in vitro- kokeilla. Reisiluunkaulan rasitusmurtumille altistavien alleelien, haplotyyppien ja näiden vuorovaikutusten tunnistamiseen käytettiin ehdokasgeenianalyysiä nuorten alokkaiden aineistossa. Potilailla, joilta CTR-geenin C-alleeli ja/tai VDR-geenin C-A haplotyyppi puuttuivat, oli kolminkertainen riski rasitusmurtumien syntyyn molempien geenimuotojen kantajiin verrattuna. Myös LRP5-geenin A-G-G-C haplotyypin kantajilla oli kolminkertainen riski rasitusmurtumiin ja VDR-geenin C-A haplotyyppi ja A-G-G-C yhdessä lähes nelinkertaistivat rasitusmurtumien riskin alokkailla. Näiden assosiaatioiden todettiin välittyvän alhaisen painon ja painoindeksin välityksellä. Lapsuudessa tai varhaisnuoruudessa puhkeavan primaarisen osteoporoosin perinnöllisten tekijöiden etsinnässä löydettiin kaksi uutta mutaatiota LRP5-geenistä ja yhteensä kaksi uutta muutosta WNT3A- ja DKK1-geeneistä. Uusien ehdokasgeenilöydösten osuutta primaarisen osteoporoosin syntyyn tukee se, että muutokset löydettiin potilaiden lisäksi heidän sairailta sukulaisiltaan eikä muutoksia havaittu kontrolliaineistoissa. Uusien mutaatioiden mahdollisia vaikutuksia tutkittiin in vitro-kokein, jotka osoittivat, että eräät LRP5-geenin mutaatiot ja WNT3A-geenin muutos alentavat kanonisen Wnt-signalointireitin aktiivisuutta ja voivat siten vähentää luunmuodostusta.

Abstract Meniere’s disease (MD) is an inner ear disorder characterized by vertigo, tinnitus and sensorineural hearing impairment. An inherited form of the disease is called familial Meniere’s disease (FMD). The aim of this thesis was to describe the clinical and genetic features of Finnish FMD and to study its prevalence in Finland. In addition genetic factors previously associated with MD were studied in Finnish MD patients. A total of 38 Meniere-families were analysed in this study. In most of the families the mode of inheritance was found to be autosomal dominant. Meniere-like symptoms such as tinnitus or vertigo were common in these families even in individuals without a full triad of MD. Familial patients were affected earlier, suffered from longer spells of vertigo and had more autoimmune diseases compared to sporadic MD patients. The prevalence of FMD was studied among the patients treated in the Oulu University Hospital and Kainuu Central Hospital during the years 2005-2010. A family history of MD was probable in 23.4% of the cases, but only 9.3% could be confirmed, as it was not possible to gain information from deceased generations. Six candidate genes previously associated with MD were screened for mutations in Finnish MD patients. Two possibly adverse variations were observed in the KCNE1 gene in two patients but in none of the controls. The role of these variations in MD is still unclear and needs further study. The association of MD to the five other genes could not be confirmed, nor was Finnish FMD linked to a previously suggested locus on chromosome 12. / Tiivistelmä Menieren tauti on sisäkorvan sairaus, jolle on tyypillistä huimaus, korvien soiminen ja kuulon heikkeneminen. Tauti voi esiintyä myös perinnöllisenä. Tutkimustyön tavoitteena oli selvittää perinnöllisyyden osuutta Menieren taudissa, kuvata suomalaisen perinnöllisen Menieren taudin tyypilliset piirteet ja tutkia suomalaisessa aineistossa aikaisemmin tautiin yhdistettyjä perinnöllisiä tekijöitä. Tutkimuksessa analysoitiin 38 sukua, joissa Menieren tautia esiintyi perinnöllisenä. Suurimmassa osassa tapauksista periytyminen tapahtui vallitsevasti. Suvuissa esiintyi paljon Meniere-tyypistä oirehdintaa, kuten tinnitusta ja huimausta, ilman Menieren taudin koko taudinkuvaa. Meniere-suvuissa potilaat sairastuivat keskimääräistä aikaisemmin, kärsivät pidemmistä huimauskohtauksista ja sairastivat enemmän autoimmuunitauteja. Perinnöllisen Menieren taudin yleisyyttä tutkittiin Kainuun keskussairaalassa ja Oulun yliopistollisessa sairaalassa vuosina 2005−2010 hoidettujen potilaiden keskuudessa. Potilaista 23,4&#160;%:lla Menieren taudin sukuhistoria oli positiivinen; kuitenkin vain 9,3&#160;% pystyttiin vahvistamaan, sillä tietojen kerääminen edesmenneiltä sukupolvilta ei ollut mahdollista. Kuuden Menieren tautiin aikaisemmin yhdistetyn geenin merkitystä tutkittiin suomalaisessa aineistossa mutaatio- ja ehdokasgeenianalyysillä. KCNE1-geenistä löydettiin kaksi mahdollisesti proteiinia vaurioittavaa sekvenssinvaihtelua, joita ei havaittu kontrollihenkilöillä. Muutosten merkitys Menieren taudin synnyssä jäi kuitenkin epävarmaksi ja vaatii jatkotutkimuksia. Muiden geenien yhteyttä sairauteen ei pystytty vahvistamaan. Suomalainen Menieren tauti ei myöskään kytkeytynyt aikaisemmin ehdotettuun lokukseen kromosomissa 12.

At the 2007 General Synod of the Dutch Reformed Church a compromise resolution was accepted regarding homosexual members. This resolution, inter alia, requires of gay ministers to remain celibate as a prerequisite to be legitimated. This research is a qualitative inquiry to evaluate the impact which this resolution has on the lives of gay ministers and gay candidate ministers. Narrative and postfoundational perspectives were obtained by interviewing six gay ministers and/or candidate ministers as coresearchers, and also by engaging in dialogue with inter-disciplinary experts from Sociology, Psychology and Law. This research traced the history of the Resolution, while the patriarchal and heteronormative discourses underlying the formulation were discussed. These discourses still sustain the Resolution. Interwoven in the Resolution are contradictions and double standards based on prejudice, leading to discrimination against gay ministers and gay candidate ministers. A literature study on prejudice and discrimination revealed many of the negative impacts these have on people on the margins of society. A literature review on gay marriages suggested that gay unions and gay marriages were known from pre-modern times. With the changing of the socio-political climates since pre-modern times till today, attitudes towards gay unions/marriages seemed to havethat the Bible does not categorically say anything about committed, monogamous gay unions or gay marriages. The focus of this research was to determine the impacts of the Resolution on gay ministers and gay candidate ministers. From their stories certain themes revealing the impacts were co-constructed by the co-researchers and the researcher. According to a negotiated meaning-making process a fragile and incomplete understanding of the gay ministers’ and gay candidate ministers’ immense suffering due to their experience of rejection and humiliation by the DRC was formulated. This reiterated the Shame of being gay. In terms of the discrimination levelled against gay ministers, it could, according to the Constitution of South Africa, be regarded as fair. This research suggested that the fairness of the discrimination should be revisited. changed. A study of the biblical texts led to the tentative and incomplete understanding / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2015. / gm2015 / Practical Theology / PhD / Unrestricted

Excerpt: In response to the shortage of special education teachers in rural areas, many teacher preparation programs are providing supervision to pre-service teachers via distance education technologies.

La production de perle de culture par l’huître perlière Pinctada margaritifera représente la seconde ressource économique après le tourisme en Polynésie Française. L’une des voies d’amélioration privilégiée de la qualité de production passe par la voie de la sélection génétique. Dans ce contexte, le déterminisme génétique des caractères d’intérêt perlicole et leurs variations à différentes échelles phénotypiques a été étudié. Les rôles respectifs de l’huître donneuse et de la receveuse, au travers de greffes expérimentales, ont révélées une corrélation positive entre les paramètres de croissance des coquilles de receveuses et la taille des perles, ainsi qu’un effet donneuse sur la qualité de la perle. Les analyses d'expressions de huit biomarqueurs de biominéralisation, codant des protéines des couches aragonitiques ou prismatiques, ont révélé une corrélation entre l’expression de ces gènes au niveau du sac perlier avec à la fois les paramètres de qualité des perles et de croissance des receveuses. L’âge de l’huître donneuse de greffon semble jouer un rôle déterminant aussi bien au niveau des phénotypes de la taille que pour le grade et les défauts de surface de la perle. Enfin, les valeurs d'héritabilité des phénotypes ont été estimées pour la première fois chez l'espèce, au travers de modèle animal utilisant des familles produites en écloserie. Globalement, les résultats montrent une transmission génétique linéaire et schématiquement on peut dire que les receveuses contrôlent principalement la croissance et la taille des perles, alors que les donneuses influencent leur qualité. / Cultured pearl production in the pearl oyster Pinctada margaritifera represents the second largest source of revenue after tourism, and it is the top export industry in French Polynesia. One of pearl farming industry’s greatest challenges is to “produce fewer but better pearls” through genetic improvement. To address this challenge, the genetic determinism of pearl quality traits and how they vary at different phenotypic scales was studied. The respective roles of donors and recipients was explored through uniform experimental grafts and revealed a positive correlation between recipient shell biometric parameters and pearl size, and a donor effect on pearl quality traits. Gene expression analyses of 8 biomineralisation biomarkers, encoding aragonitic and prismatic proteins, highlights a correlation between pearl sac gene expression with pearl quality traits and recipient shell biometric parameters. The age of the donor oyster also played a determining role with respect to the size phenotype and for grade and surface defects of the pearl. Finally, the heritability values of the phenotype were estimated for the first time for this species using an animal model on a family produced in a hatchery setting. Results show a linear genetic transmission and overall, suggest that the recipient oyster primarily controls the size of the pearls while the donor oyster influences the quality.

L’entérite nécrotique aviaire causée par Clostridium perfringens est une maladie économiquement dévastatrice et celle-ci est en émergence dans les troupeaux de poulets de chair éliminant l’usage des antibiotiques. À ce jour, aucune alternative en élevage ne permet de prévenir efficacement la maladie et un contrôle par une stratégie vaccinale serait des plus prisé. Une approche par génomique comparative jumelée à la vaccinologie réverse soustractive et comparative identifiant des protéines bactériennes de surface immunogènes figure parmi les approches méthodologiques des plus prometteuses pour le développement rapide d’un vaccin efficace. Une étude génomique comparative réalisée sur 48 souches de C. perfringens provenant de poulets de chair en santé ou affectés par l’entérite nécrotique a permis d’établir que les génomes analysés étaient composés de 155 700 protéines distinctes, où 13% étaient extracellulaires, 65% cytoplasmiques et 22% membranaires. L’évaluation du pouvoir immunogène de ces protéines à l’aide de l’outil de prédiction VaxiJen v.2.0 a permis d’identifier 4 catégories de scores pour les protéines identifiées, allant de 0,5 (seuil minimal recommandé) à 1,5. Les protéines présentant les scores les plus élevés ont été majoritairement associées à des localisations extracellulaires. La combinaison du score d’immunogénicité et de la localisation cellulaire des protéines analysées a mené à la sélection de 12 protéines candidates vaccinales, la plupart d’entre elles étant de fonction hypothétique. Une description plus approfondie de ces protéines permettra de mieux définir leur fonction, d’évaluer leur potentiel antigénique réel en caractérisant leur interaction avec le système immunitaire de la volaille et ultimement, d’évaluer leur rôle probable dans la pathogénie de l’entérite nécrotique. / Avian necrotic enteritis caused by Clostridium perfringens is a disease with a major economical impact, generating losses up to 6 billion dollars for the poultry industry worldwide. This disease appears in broiler chicken flocks that no longer employ the use of antibiotics. To date, no alternative method allows for the efficient prevention of necrotic enteritis (NE) and a control by a vaccinal strategy would be mostly prized. A comparative genomics approach as well as comparative and subtractive reverse vaccinology identifying immunogenic bacterial surface proteins is one of the most promising methodologies for the rapid development of an efficient vaccine. A comparative genomic study was performed on 48 C. perfringens strains isolated from healthy broiler chickens and from broilers affected by necrotic enteritis. From this study, it was established that the genomes analyzed were composed of 155 700 distinct proteins where 13% were predicted to have an extracellular expression, 65% at the cytoplasma level and 22% within the plasma membrane. The evaluation of the immunogenic potential of these proteins was established with the prediction software VaxiJen v2.0 for which a 0.5 threshold score allowed for the identification of four score categories among the identified proteins, from 0.5 to 1.5. For the most part, proteins with the highest scores were associated with an extracellular localisation. The combination of the immunogenicity score and localisation of the analysed proteins led to the selection of 12 vaccinal candidate proteins that were mostly identified as hypothetical. A more in-depth description of these proteins would allow the assessment of their function, the evaluation of their true immunogenic potential by characterizing their interaction with the avian immune system and ultimately, evaluate their probable role in the pathogenesis of necrotic enteritis.

The topic of this diploma thesis is direct elections of the President of Slovak Republic in context of other Central European countries - particularly Czech Republic and Poland. The subject of my analysis were selected aspects of presidential election, which I analyzed in the third chapter (in case of Slovakia), dedicated to direct elections of Slovak president in 1999, 2004 and 2009; and in the fourth chapter, which is dedicated to last direct election. Among analyzed aspects (in case of Slovak presidential election) a trend of declining interest in the first round of elections was confirmed; also sooner claiming of candidacy, compared with previous elections. The latter fact is connected with longer and longer pre-election campaign, which is also more and more personal and offensive. The ratio of partisan and non-partisan candidates was in all elections about the same (approx. 3:2 in favor of partisan candidates). In the fifth chapter of the thesis I analyzed these aspects in case of direct presidential elections in Poland and Czech Republic. Then, I compared them. According to analysis, women in Poland almost were not standing for president at all (there were even fewer women candidates than in Slovakia), but in Poland we can see much higher number of very prominent candidates (especially former...