BACKGROUND: Recent epidemiological data indicate that one-third of the U.S. adult population is obese. As a result, healthcare professionals and policy makers are looking to identify creative methods to address this critical health concern. One way that may show promise to promote positive health changes is to convert mechanical energy produced through exercise into stored electricity via energy harvesting (EH) exercise. Previous research has linked pro-environmental attitudes with increased participation in sustainable behaviors. Other research has examined associations between consumption of fruits and vegetables and exercise participation. However, little research examines the association between exercise behavior and environmental concern. And more specifically, EH exercise. OBJECTIVE: To identify if EH exercise can act as a motivating factor to increase exercise participation. METHODS: Phase 1: Qualitative data were collected through a series of one-hour focus groups with ENERGIA Studio members who participate in EH exercise. Four focus groups were completed with 1-5 participants per group (n=12). Topics examined included: 1) perceived effect of EH exercise on the environment and its ability to act as a motivating factor to increase exercise participation; 2) participation in sustainable behaviors and attitudes toward energy conservation and environmental concerns; and 3) perceived benefits of and barriers to fruit and vegetable consumption and exercise participation. Data were used to inform a survey to examine the relationship between how environmental concern influences exercise and dietary practices. Phase 2: Fifteen participants from UMass Permaculture who had irregular exercise participation and pro-environmental beliefs completed an online survey. RESULTS: Significant results were found for associations between: environmental concern and sustainable and organic fruit and vegetable purchasing (p=0.008; p=0.048) among non-exercisers; health concern and organic purchasing (p=0.015) among exercisers; and sustainable practices and fruit and vegetable intake (X2 (1, 12) = 5.285, p=0.022) among non-exercisers. No significant results were found between environmental concern and EH exercise self-efficacy or exercise and fruit and vegetable intake. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides additional research examining how environmental concern may affect dietary and exercise habits. Using the threat of the environment may serve as a potential motivator to increase EH exercise participation and fruit and vegetable intake.

Published Article / The 2012 residents of Huis Welgemoed, a residence for female students at Central University of Technology, Free State Bloemfontein Campus have reported a high prevalence of infections of the vagina and the urinary tract. They assume that this problem is associated with poor hygienic conditions in the toilets of their residence. However, this assumption may not be entirely true, as other factors may also contribute to their problem. Previous studies have shown that there is an evident relation of vaginitis and urinary tract infections (UTI) among students and the practices of personal hygiene or the level of toilet sanitation in their residences. Especially in facilities where the students have complained about the hygiene state of their residence toilets as unsatisfactory. This preliminary study has shown that the residence conforms to the standards set out by the S.A. requirements for toilets in student housing of 1 toilet per 6 students and that the cleaning materials and methods used by staff are adequate. Interestingly, the authors have found that a lack of knowledge around UTI's and VI's regarding basic prevention strategies is most probably the cause of the high incidence of these two types of infections.

The overall purpose of this study is to establish whether auditors in South Africa also fail to issue the appropriate audit opinion on the going concern assumption underlying financial statements the reasons for auditors' failure to issue the appropriate audit opinion on the going concern assumption The hypotheses of this study are tested by examining professional auditing standards and secondary data on the going concern assumption conducting an empirical study of listed industrial compames whose listings were terminated because of financial failure This study provides evidence that auditors in South Africa fail to Issue the appropriate audit opinion on the going concern assumption advances specific reasons for this failure / Auditing / M. Comm. (Auditing)

This study comprises what triggers ethical consumption, based on personality archetypes. It has been conducted through semi-structured interviews. The respondents were students at Linnaeus University in the ages of 20-27. The personality archetypes were mapped through a conceptual model, based on the foundations of a personality; ego or social, with tendencies of having freedom or order characteristics. The respondent’s ethical behaviour was mapped in a conceptual model, then analysed in accordance with existing personalities. The results show differences in what triggers consumers’ behaviour in ethical consumption and that the individual’s personality determines to what extent.

Research supports varied patterns of emotion-modulated startle (EMS) reactivity among depressed individuals. The purpose of this study was to examine whether these varied patterns can be explained by depression, empathic tendencies, and emotional stimuli. The EMS paradigm is a well-validated measure of emotion-modulated reactivity in which the magnitude of startle reflexes in reaction to acoustic stimuli are recorded while participants view pleasant, neutral, and negative images (Lang, Bradley, & Cuthbert, 1990). Young adults (N = 120; Mage = 19.54, SD = 1.41; 75% female) completed self-report rating scales of depression symptoms and cognitive and affective empathic tendencies and the EMS paradigm. Individuals with low depression, regardless of their cognitive (hp2 = .44 and .47) and affective empathic tendencies (hp2 = .49 and .36), and individuals with high depression and high cognitive and affective empathic tendencies (hp2 = .23, .46, respectively) exhibited the typical linear EMS reactivity pattern of increasing startle reflex magnitude from pleasant to neutral to unpleasant images. In contrast, individuals with high depression along with low cognitive and affective empathic tendencies exhibited blunted EMS reactivity patterns (hp2 = .000, .04, respectively). These findings indicate blunted EMS reactivity patterns only in depressed individuals who have low cognitive and affective empathic tendencies and are likely disengaged from emotional stimuli, thus suggesting variability among depressed individuals in motivational states that prime or inhibit the startle reflex.

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The master thesis deals with regulation of group of companies with emphasis on compensation of damages. In the introduction of the paper the law of group of companies is defined and the main purposes of the regulation are pointed out. The main aim of this legal field is to protect minority shareholders and creditors of subsidiaries through the system of compensation of damages. This primary obligation is supplemented by other legal institutes protecting vulnerable subjects. The paper also mentions leading concepts, which represent a template for the new system of regulation in the Act on commercial companies and cooperatives. The analysis of new rules concerning compensation of damages in a group of companies is determined by the structure of provisions in the Act on commercial companies and cooperatives. The most important is a new institute of influence, which protects the integrity and interests of the influenced subsidiary. In case that the parent company affects the subsidiary, the parent company shall compensate damages to the subsidiary and it shall be liable for the subsidiary's debts to its creditors. The paper provides an analysis of group of companies and compares it with rules of domestic and European tax law. It is also compared with rules in previous commercial code. Because of that...

The main objective of this thesis is to determine market value of the company Pivovary Staropramen, a.s. before the merger. Master's thesis is divided into two parts - methodological and practical. Methodological part includes individual steps a procedures, that are used to total value determination of the company. Practical part of the thesis consists especially of strategic and financial analysis, financial planning and company valuation. There is used the model DCF in variant FCFF to determine the market value. For the comparison there is used the book value method. At the end of the thesis there is performed a sensitivity analysis on value growth.

This research considered the perspective of the auditor regarding going-concern reports in light of previous research questions and prior study categorizations. A deeper goal of the study was to find out if a qualitative method would produce a deeper understanding than the quantitative studies of previous research. Interviews were conducted on six Swedish auditors as respondents to learn about their perspectives on going-concern reports. To relate the auditors’ perspectives to previous research, the previous research inspired questions which the respondents answered in their interviews. The previous research inspired questions were then compared and contrasted with the current study’s responses from interviews. This demonstrated differences in obtained information from quantitative researches and a qualitative one. The previous research also offered categorization of the influential factors on auditors. Auditor responses were analyzed according to these categories to demonstrate differences between expected outcomes and the actual outcomes. Agent Theory was utilized in consideration of the auditor as an agent and used the situations and responses of respondent to its fullest without overstepping privacy boundaries.   The research query about auditor perspectives is answered in Results wherein their main concerns are given as raw as possible with rewording only as necessary. Commonalities amongst most respondents included perspectives related to the following: liquidity, cash, financial distress indicators, communications and trust of those communications, experience, changes to key staff or customer figures, auditing standards, regulations, litigations, and mitigating information. The auditors showed behaviors akin to an agent of Agency Theory by utilizing trust risk reduction such as behavioral analysis, corporate culture analysis, and redundancy to check accuracy of data.  The aim to study a qualitative method versus a quantitative method displayed a need for both of the same population to achieve a complete understanding of the perspectives an auditor has for a going-concern report.

The puzzle that drives this study is why Thailand pursued a proactive foreign policy towards greater powers during the Second World War. The main literature on Thai foreign policy-making generally suggests that Thailand is traditionally passive vis-à-vis greater powers. Oftentimes, it is believed that the fate of Thailand is subjected to the dictate of great powers. The empirical cases of Thailand during the Second World War suggest otherwise. How could a conventional understanding of Thai foreign policy make sense of Thailand’s war against France in 1940-41? Similarly, how could one understand Thailand’s defiant behaviours vis-à-vis Japan in 1941-44 despite the latter’s greater military capabilities and influence? This thesis employs the approaches of ontological security and status concern to interpret Thai proactive behaviours during the wartime period. It argues that concerns for status and recognition from the great powers were the primary motivations of Thailand’s proactive behaviours. In order to discern material and ideational motives of the Thai foreign policy-makers, this research heavily relies on archival research and utilises documents which were formerly considered to be classified. This methodological quest is to establish and enhance the credibility of the argument presented in the study.