Avian life histories range along the axis from slow to fast, with slow life histories being characterized by greater investments in future reproduction, and fast by greater investments in current reproduction. The concept of pace-of-life syndromes refers to the coevolution of life strategies and related physiological, immunological and behavioral traits. Avian species from tropical areas are characterised by slower life histories (longer parental care, later maturation, smaller clutches, reduced metabolic rate) when compared to temperate zone species. Within this latitudinal gradient, investments in the total amount (weight) of body feathers have also been shown to be reduced in tropical birds. It remains unclear, however, whether feather growth itself follows this latitudinal pattern, and is slower in tropical species. Tropical birds have lower basal levels of corticosterone and testosterone, however available studies are based mainly on analyzes of hormone concentrations from plasma. The first aim of this diploma thesis was to evaluate differences between tropical (Cameroon) and temperate zone (the Czech Republic) passerine species in investments in tail feather growth by using methods of comparative ptilochronology. The second aim of the diploma thesis was to analyze concentrations of steroid...

Following thesis has a task to analyse free library laws - czech, slovak and polish. Thesis consists of two parts - theoretical and practical. In theoretical part is analysed firstly czech library law. Later slovak and polish library law are analysed. In practical part is firstly explained method - comparative analysis. Further there are formulated a research questions. Sampling and coding with indicators follow. Then method of analysis is solved - in our case comparation, where czech and slovak library law and czech and polish library law are compared with help of the indicators. In the end there is a brief final summary.

Following thesis has a task to analyse free library laws - czech, slovak and polish. Thesis consists of two parts - theoretical and practical. In theoretical part is analysed firstly czech library law. Later slovak and polish library law are analysed. In practical part is firstly explained method - comparative analysis. Further there are formulated a research questions. Sampling and coding with indicators follow. Then method of analysis is solved - in our case comparation, where czech, slovak and polish library law are compared with help of the indicators. Further there are results of interviews with V. Richter and Z. Matušík. In the end there is a brief final summary.

This master's thesis aims to answer the question of how "Japanese superheroes" in manga differ from their western superhero counterparts in terms of storytelling, design, or motifs. The hypothesis works with the assumption that although Japanese manga follows the superhero genre's basic rules, many differences can be traced between these two comics worlds. These differences stem from the cultural environment in which analyzed comics originated. The theoretical part is divided into several chapters, which deal mainly with the basic definitions and history of researched areas. It begins with the definition of comics as a medium and focused on its technical characteristics and modern predecessors. The next chapter focuses on the essential aspects of the superhero genre, its conventions, and its typology. This thesis wouldn't be complete without defining the term "manga", the history of Japanese comics, and its specific genres and subgenres. Finally, it is also necessary to explain terms such as culture, cultural values , and cultural environment. The work then uses narrative, semiotic, and comparative analysis to examine the properties of six comic titles - three from American and three from Japanese production. Subjects of the research are narrative structures, appearance, and motives of superheroes...

The purpose of this document is to examine the effects of learning music similarly to the way humans learn language to answer the following questions: (1) what are the correlations between language learning and music learning? and (2) how can the ideals of language learning be used to maximize the effectiveness of the music learning process? To achieve this, the stages of language acquisition is examined alongside Edwin Gordon's skill learning sequence to draw comparisons between the music and language learning processes. Examined materials include common beginning band method books and trumpet-specific materials. Common problems public school educators face, as well as solutions to those difficulties are addressed. The solutions are concepts inspired by the language learning process that can be utilized to maximize the learning at both the beginning and advanced stages of learning. A beginner level piece ("Lyra" from Trumpet Stars by H.A. Vandercook) and an advanced level piece ("Danse" from Incantation, Threne, and Danse by Alfred Desenclos) are examined thouroughly with these ideals in mind. In order to maximize results of the music learning process, incorporation of language acquisition ideals is necessary not only at the beginning of one's musical journey, but also into the later years of higher-level learning. Through this, a musician can achieve maximum results with any musical endeavor, ultimately presenting the true opportunity for expression through music.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) and its associated neural and cognitive sequelae are of increasing interest in military populations. Blast-related TBI is becoming more commonplace in military Service Members and Veterans since Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation New Dawn and their following conflicts. It is currently unclear whether blast-related injuries cause unique neural and cognitive deficits. The present investigation, in Study 1, aims to investigate the differences in blast-related and non-blast related TBI using traditional statistical techniques. In Study 2, this study will demonstrate the use of Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) in diffusion tensor imaging data. QCA is a relatively new technique that examines configurations of variables that lead to a predefined outcome. QCA has the ability to uncover configurations of variables not yet considered in empirical literature, which may contribute new perspectives on the many different variables often associated with brain injury. Study 1 demonstrated no significant differences between uninjured and injured subjects in white matter integrity, and no differences between blast-related and non-blast related mechanisms. Study 2 demonstrated limited support for the use of QCA in diffusion tensor imaging. Evidence for the use of this method in other neuroimaging modalities is reviewed

Recommendation systems become more and more necessary due to the growing supply chain. Therefore, scientists are developing models that can serve different recommendation needs faster than before, and it is getting more complicated to choose the model for a specific case. In this thesis, there are three neural collaborative filtering methods compared regarding dataset fit. This research shows that there is no one-fits-all method. There is much space for improvement in all the areas: dataset selection and aggregation, method development and operation, and selective approaches for the analysis of the results. In the thesis, three contrasting datasets are chosen (Chess, Library, and LastFM), and three novel approaches are tested: recently released Dynamic Graph Collaborative Filtering (DGCF) and Dynamic Embeddings for Interaction Prediction (DeePRed) are compared to the Joint Dynamic User- Item Embeddings (JODIE) as the baseline. Results show DeePRed being a state-of-the-art model that outperforms other methods. It runs an epoch for a small dataset in less than a minute, shows great prediction accuracy in an average of 98% for small datasets. However, DGCF does not show accuracy improvement over JODIE but is significantly faster for an extensive dataset. / Rekommendationssystem blir mer och mer nödvändiga på grund av den växande försörjningskedjan. Därför utvecklar forskare modeller som kan tjäna olika rekommendationsbehov snabbare än tidigare och det blir mer och mer komplicerat att välja modell för ett specifikt fall. I denna avhandling finns det tre neurologiska samarbetsfiltreringsmetoder som jämförs avseende deras gran för olika datamängder. Denna forskning visar att det inte finns någon metod som passar alla och det finns mycket utrymme för förbättring inom alla områden: datasatsval och aggregering, metodutveckling och drift och selektiva metoder för analys av resultaten. I avhandlingen väljs tre kontrasterande datamängder (Chess, Library och LastFM) och tre nya metoder testas: nyligen släppt Dynamic Graph Collaborativefiltering (DGCF) och Dynamic Embedding for Interaction Prediction (DeePRed) jämförs med Joint Dynamic User-Item. Inbäddning (JODIE) som baslinje. Resultaten visar att (DeePRed) är en avancerad modell som överträffar andra metoder som snabba genom att köra en epok för liten dataset på mindre än en minut, vilket visar stor förutsägelsesnoggrannhet i genomsnitt 98% för små datamängder. Men (DGCF) visar inte förbättring av noggrannhet jämfört med (JODIE), men är betydligt snabbare för en stor dataset.

Objectives: Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is a non-invasive lesion of an increasing clinical importance. Individual risk assessment is essential for an optimal treatment. Our objective was to identify clinical and molecular characteristics of a subgroup of DCIS with an unfavorable prognosis. Methods: In a population study, we analyzed women with DCIS diagnosed within one mammography screening unit. In the experimental part of this work, we conducted a comparative analysis of five biological markers in normal tissue, DCIS and invasive breast cancer by means of gene expression analysis and analysis of loss of heterozygosity (LOH). Results: We demonstrated a high proportion of pure (no invasive component) DCIS (14.41%) of all breast lesions described as malignant. In our sample, we saw a homogeneous distribution of risk factors without noting a clear pattern identifying high-risk subtypes. We noted significant differences in clinical management of tumors with similar characteristics, which demonstrates the present state of limited use of clinical predictors. In the laboratory experiment, we showed differences in loss of heterozygosity (LOH) between DCIS and invasive breast cancer for BRCA1 (8.69% vs. 44.74%) and BRCA2 (9.52% vs. 45.0%). In contrast, we did not find any differences for p53 (31.82%...

El texto completo de este trabajo no está disponible en el Repositorio Académico UPC por restricciones de la casa editorial donde ha sido publicado. / In this article, a comparative analysis is performed between one-dimensional (HEC-RAS) and two-dimensional (IBER) models, in the evaluation of total scour in the pillars and abutments of a bridge. The case study is the Huallaga bridge, located in the San Martín region, Peru.Based on the geomorphological, hydrological and hydraulic data of the study area and after carrying out an analysis of the different equations for local, general scour; Numerical modeling was performed on the HEC-RAS and IBER software in order to calculate the depths of the scour.The following results were obtained: That in the local scour calculations, the scour depths were less with the 2D software, compared to the values obtained in the 1D software; while in general scour calculations, we obtain greater depths when modeling with 2D software, compared to the values obtained in 1D software

Under what configuration of conditions do ethno-territorial conflicts escalate, and under what configurations of conditions is conflict avoided between a minority and the centre in multi- ethnic states? This dissertation employs qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) in order to capture the causal patterns of conflict escalation and peace preservation. By simultaneously analysing the causes of conflict and the conditions of peace, this dissertation bridges a significant gap in the existing literature that assumes causal linearity and unifinality. The QCA analysis this dissertation conducts is grounded in empirical evidence from the South Caucasus where, after the disintegration of the Soviet Union, three newly independent states emerged and grappled with the accommodation of ethnic-minorities and their evolving identities. The QCA analysis reveals that, contrary to the popular premise that regional autonomy is "an effective antidote" for ethno-territorial wars, autonomy in the South Caucasus was conducive to conflict and the lack of autonomy was conducive to peace. Nevertheless, this dissertation does not suggest that autonomy on its own can explain the complexity of inter-ethnic relations. Rather, it argues that there were multiple configurations of conditions that interacted to produce...