RADAR is an excellence self-assessment tool which is commonly used to assess results and approaches in excellence models. It could also be used successfully in assessing the strategy formulation process in Dubai' s government. The Thesis is a qualitative research that deploys a case study approach to understand the role of RADAR techniques and practices, and how these can be used in assessing the Dubai Governement 's strategy formulation process, focusing on the justice and security sectors in general and the Dubai Police Force in particular. The researcher always attempts to answer particular questions about why and how RADAR informs and helps in assessing and controlling the strategy formulation process. The study obtained valid information from semi-structured interviews with 17 senior and middle government, security and Police staff members working in the Dubai Police Force, Civil Defense and Immigration Departments. Generally, the findings indicated that: Firstly, RADAR can be used successfully in these researched organisations and can be seen to be important in security assessment function when taking into consideration the cultural aspects of Dubai which are based on Arab and Islamic cultural values. Secondly, the strategy formulation process in Dubai Governement is affected widely by Islamic and Arab culture. Thirdly, the definition of 'citizen' is very complex as Dubai is a cosmopolitan city. This makes it difficult to cater to the stakeholders' needs in the strategy formulation process due to the diversity of the cultures of the different nationalities. Fourthly, the bureaucratic nature of managers in the public sector makes it difficult to deploy the excellence self-assessment tools as they tend to believe that assessment is merely criticism rather than that it supports continuous improvement. Finally, the leadership of Dubai Governement plays a crucial role in leading the strategic thinking and quality drive in both public and private sectors. The leadership vision is to cater to the cultural needs of the different nationalities living in Dubai and translate them into sound strategies.

Nephropathic cystinosis is a rare autosomal recessive disease characterised by raised lysosomal levels of cystine in the cells of almost all organs. It is treated by regular oral and topical administration of the aminothiol, cysteamine(Cystagon™), which possesses an offensive taste and smell. The oral form frequently causes emesis,and should be administered every six hours to be maximally effective. The topical eye drop treatment requires hourly application to be most effective.In an attempt to reduce this frequency and improve the treatment, the preparation and evaluation of three alternative cysteamine containing formulations (suppositories, long-acting ophthalmic gels and an inhaler) was undertaken. The physiochemical properties, stability and release profiles of the active (cysteamine or phe conjugate) from the formulations were evaluated. The suppositories released cysteamine over a 20-40 minute period with a T75= 10-13minutes. They were most stable at 4°C. The analysis of the ophthalmic gels demonstrated that a weak gel network was formed at low shear stress, the bioadhesion of the gel was increased with inclusion of a cysteamine derivative (e.g.mean force of 0.067N compared to 0.107N with compound included) and eight-hour, first order release from the gel was observed. There was significant adhesion observed between the ophthalmic gels and bovine corneal tissue. The pulmonary microspheres were spherical and within the optimum size range for deep lung delivery (1-5μm). However, Andersen Cascade Impactor analysis revealed poor deep lung penetration. In conclusion, these results demonstrated that more development work was required to produce a useful pulmonary formulation of cysteamine, however, formulation of an ocular applicable gel or suppository was readily achievable. The suppository preparations may be particularly beneficial for the treatment of infants, whilst the ophthalmic gel preparations could be developed for daily or overnight use. With respect to pulmonary delivery, microspheres in the optimum size range were produced. However, deep lung targeting was prevented by static agglomeration, which requires further investigation.

Clients rarely present with prototypical presentations for which an “off the shelf” cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) approach can be used, and the most frequently cited rationale for case conceptualisation is matching clients’ unique presentations and therapy goals with available theory and research. In this, it is argued that case conceptualisation guides therapy by ensuring that individual cognitive and behavioural processes are targeted, thereby maximising therapy efficacy. Therefore, therapists who are competent in case conceptualisation should achieve better outcomes. However, little is known about the relationship between competency in case conceptualisation and general CBT competence, or how competency in case conceptualisation is linked to therapy outcome. Forty audiotapes selected from an ongoing study (CoBalT: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy as an adjunct to Pharmacotherapy for Treatment Resistant Depression in Primary Care: a randomised controlled trial) were rated for competency in case conceptualisation and competence in CBT using the Collaborative Case Conceptualisation – Rating Scale (CCC-RS) and Cognitive Therapy Scale – Revised (CTS-R) respectively. The assessment of competence was carried out by independent groups of researchers with expertise in these assessments, blind to treatment outcome. Therapy outcome was measured using The Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II). The results showed that 1) competence in case conceptualisation shared a strong and positive relationship with general CBT competence and, 2) that competence (in case conceptualisation and general CBT competence) was associated with better treatment outcome for depression. The results highlight competence in case conceptualisation as an important facet of therapist CBT competence, and indicate that investing in the training and selection of therapists competent in case conceptualisation as well as CBT competence has the potential to enhance treatment outcomes.

The gauge-invariant formulation of quantum mechanics is compared to the conventional approach for the case of a one-dimensional charged harmonic oscillator in an electromagnetic field in the electric dipole approximation. The probability of finding the oscillator in the ground state or excited states as a function of time is calculated, and the two approaches give different results. On the basis of gauge invariance, the gauge-invariant formulation of quantum mechanics gives the correct probability, while the conventional approach is incorrect for this problem. Therefore, expansion coefficients or a wave function cannot always be interpreted as probability amplitudes. For a physical interpretation as probability amplitudes the expansion coefficients must be gauge invariant.

The theoretical part of this diploma work is focused on the polymeric nanoparticles, their properties and advantages connected with them. There are introduced also particular types of organic and inorganic nanoparticles and methods of their preparation. The great attention was directed on biodegradable polymers in particular to poly lactic-co-glycolic acid, which was used in experimental part as carrier for base of terbinafine branched to tripentaerythritol. PLGA is the most suitable copolymer for practice because of good explored its physical, chemical and biological properties, methods of preparation and factors affecting degradation. The aim of this work was to find suitable emulsifier with suitable concentration for preparation of nanoparticles containing the base of terbinafine, suitable solvent for terpolymer and optimal concentration of emulsion to reach the highest yield of terbinafine without any exceptional loss. How it was mentioned, as carrier was used terpolymer of poly lactic-co-glycolic acid with tripentaerythritol. As technique of preparation of nanoparticles was used emulsification by evaporating of organic solvent (solvent evaporation method). During the experimental work we found out some of conclusions, it goes to reduce of polydispersity with increasing concentration of...

Charles University in Prague Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové Department of Pharmaceutical Technology Candidate: Karolína Valíková Supervisor: doc. RNDr. Milan Dittrich, CSc. Diploma thesis title: Formulation and study of the antimicrobial agent A literary overview of selected characteristics of silver nanoparticles is presented in the diploma thesis. Size measurement methods are described, while considerable attention is paid to photon correlation spectroscopy (PCS), which was used in the experimental part of this diploma thesis. Various methods of silver nanoparticle synthesis are outlined. Later part of the text is focused on the application of silver nanoparticles in areas concerning human health - mainly for the purposes of medicine, disinfection and as components of cosmetic products. Possible toxic effects of silver nanoparticles on human organism are also discussed. The focus of the thesis is in the experimental part. Stability of microparticles in suspensions used for product formulation was studied, as well as the PCS instrument's capability to distinguish the size distribution of particles in aqueous medium in highly polydisperse systems and in highly diluted systems. It was proven that microparticles have a spontaneous ability to form flocks, nonionic surfactants in 0.1%...

Charles Univerzity in Prague Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové Department of Pharmaceutical Technology Candidate: Veronika Müllnerová Consultant: Doc. RNDr. Milan Dittrich, CSc. Title of thesis: Impact of molecular weight and the grade of branching of aliphatic oligoesters on their hydrolytic degradation Theoretical part of the thesis deals with behavior, properties and applications of biodegradable polyesters, mainly copolymers of lactic and glycolic acid (PLGA). This part concerns degradation, erosion and release mechanism. Furthermore, it describes properties that influence the drug release kinetics from systems based on PLGA. The final section of theoretical part is focused on the in situ forming implants, whose carrier of active substance is biodegradable polyester. The experimental part analyzes the influence of different pH of the medium within physiologically common boundaries and also the influence of ionic force on the degree of swelling and polymer erosion. These degradation parameters have been studied on three potential polyester carriers of active substances - PLGA, M3 (terpolymer of lactic and glycolic acid with mannit) and T3 (terpolymer of lactic and glycolic acid with tripentaerythritol). Polymer bodies were kept in temperature of 37řC inside phosphate-citrate buffers with...

The following thesis analyses the form and importance of extreme case formulations based on more than 10 research interviews. Extreme case formulations, i.e. formulations comprising expressions such as "nothing", "everything" or "noone", which present a phenomenon or a circumstance according to its minimal or maximal properties, can constitute a complication in the analysis of research interviews. This thesis expand the existing hypothesis of extreme case formulations by adding new findings, for example the bipolarity of extreme case formulations. In the analysed data, these do often occur together with different clasifiers, which either weaken (softeners) or strengthen (intensifiers) their extreme force. At the same time the following thesis broadens the research of extreme case formulations of interdisciplinary approach, which uses the findings from psychology and rhetoric. The conducted research is furthermore completed with the acoustic analysis of semantically extreme formulations, whose results show that extreme case formulations often tend to be acoustically emphasized. Keywords: extreme case formulation, conversation analysis, discourse analysis, interview, Czech

L'industrie du béton est une source importante d'émissions de gaz CO2 lors de la production de ciment. Une des solutions proposées à l'industrie de la construction est de remplacer le ciment par des matières premières secondaires moins polluantes (ex : filler calcaire, fumée de silice), qui peuvent également améliorer les caractéristiques rhéologiques du liant et accroître la durabilité du béton.Le but principal de cette thèse est donc de : (1) standardiser la formulation de béton issue des différents travaux de recherche publiés tout en assurant une bonne compréhension de ses propriétés rhéologiques; (2) adapter ces principes aux conditions de réalisation (prise en compte des caractéristiques des matériaux locaux utilisés); et (3) vérifier dans le laboratoire ou sur le terrain la viscosité plastique et le seuil d’écoulement des bétons.Outre les moyens expérimentaux classiques nous avons utilisé, dans notre étude, un autre moyen de caractérisation rhéologique : c’est l’écoulement de béton dans un V-Funnel couplé à un canal horizontal en plexiglas. Dans un premier temps nous cherchons à comprendre la corrélation entre la viscosité et les paramètres rhéologiques de béton en se basant sur des modèles proposés dans la littérature. À partir de là, nous cherchons à présenter le modèle qui décrit le comportement de béton. Pour ce faire, nous proposons une corrélation théorique entre la viscosité plastique du béton frais et le temps d’écoulement dans le V-Funnel, puis nous comparons cette solution théorique avec des mesures expérimentales rapportées dans la littérature. / The concrete industry is an important source of carbon dioxide gas emissions during cement production. One of the proposed solutions to the construction industry is to replace the cement by less polluting secondary raw materials (e.g. limestone filler, silica fume), which can also improve the rheological properties of binder and increase the concrete durability.Thus, the development of self-compacting concrete can be seen as an attempt to reduce the environmental impact of the construction. Similarly, the structure optimization also aims at reducing the quantity (in volume) of concrete and is reflected in the use of high performance concrete and ultra performance fiber-reinforced concrete (HPC and UPFRC).The most widely adopted approach to quantify these rheological properties is to experimentally measured the shear stress versus strain rate using a concrete rheometer.In addition to traditional experimental tests such as the V-funnel, spread, sieve stability and L box, in our study we used another test of rheological characterization: it is the flow of concrete in a V-Funnel and then in a horizontal channel Plexiglas.The main purpose of this thesis is to: (1) standardize the concrete formulation outcome of various research works published while ensuring a good understanding of its rheological properties, (2) adapt these principles to the realization conditions (taking into account characteristics of local materials used), and (3) check, in the laboratory or in the field, the plastic viscosity and the flow threshold of concrete.

Freeze-drying of protein pharmaceuticals is a procedure frequently used to obtain stability of the active pharmaceutical ingredientduring distribution and storage. It can be performed in pre-filled syringes, with a lubricous coating of silicone on the inside, to enable the piston moving. The coating changes the environment potentially affecting the features of the freeze-dried cake since the wetting behavior and adhesion to the inner wall is affected.This project aimed to investigate the effect of the siliconization of the cakes. Three different formulations were freeze-dried in nonsiliconized (NS) and siliconized vials using different siliconization protocols. Analysis was done using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA),scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and an embedding method, intended to give information about the cake’s shrinkage, cracking and pore-structure. The water content in the bottom of the cakes was consistently higher than in the top, a difference decreasing over time. Increased surface hydrophobicity lead to increased shrinkage of the cake’s volume and a decrease in fogging. The bottom of the protein cake in the vial siliconized with a commercial silicone emulsion consisted of pores with regularly equal pore size and thick pore walls, a structure not seen in any other cake. All cakes in the silicone emulsion siliconized vials had lower water content than the cakes in the vials using the other siliconization method. The XPS-analysis showed that the cakes in the emulsion siliconized vials contained silicon, indicating an excess of silicone when siliconizing and/or an unstable coating. / NextBioForm