Low-threshold facilities for children and youth are a relatively new and still evolving service. The efficiency and effectiveness of this particular service have not been significantly surveyed yet. Therefore, in this thesis Evaluation of Efficiency and Effectiveness of Services Provided in Low-threshold Facilities for Children and Youth, I tried to outline theoretical aspects of this issue and to compare them with practice. The aim of this thesis was to evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of services in selected low-threshold facilities for children and youth with regard to proven facts and to suggest proceedings that would lead to an overall improvement and higher effectiveness of social services. Based on the research conducted by a questionnaire survey in clients of selected low-threshold facilities for children and youth, and by the secondary analysis of the data obtained in these facilities, I tried to suggest ideas that would lead to more effective provision of services in individual facilities surveyed. In the theoretical part emphasis is placed on the issue of efficiency and effectiveness in facilities providing social services. Furthermore, attention is focused on the description of low threshold facilities for children and youth as an organization providing social services, the legislative base of these facilities, the mission, goals and services through which the mission has been carried out. The main outcomes of the thesis are based on a detailed elaboration of the issue of efficiency and effectiveness of low-threshold facilities for children and youth, and a proposition of procedures which could be used to improve services in surveyed facilities to get closer to clients to meet their needs. The outcomes of the thesis presented in practice can also serve as an inspiration for other facilities of a similar character to evaluate and improve the efficiency of services provided.

La douleur est un mécanisme essentiel pour la survie, mais les douleurs chroniques sont souvent invalidantes. Les douleurs de longue durée sont une des premières causes de consultation médicale, et affectent 20% de la population. Par contre, les traitements actuels sont souvent inefficaces au long cours, avec un ratio bénéfice/risque faible. Il est ainsi une priorité majeure la recherche des nouveaux agents thérapeutiques. Pour ce faire, la compréhension de réseaux impliqués dans la douleur est essentielle.Plusieurs études ont montré que Cav3.2, un canal calcique à bas seuil, pourrait être une cible analgésique prometteuse. En fait, Cav3.2 est exprimé tout le long de voies douloureuses, au niveau périphérique ainsi qu’au niveau central. Notamment, Cav3.2 est fortement exprimé dans la corne dorsale de la moelle épinière, qui constitue le premier relai d’intégration de l’information douloureuse. De plus, grâce à son activation aux potentiels proche du repos, Cav3.2 est bien placé pour réguler l’excitabilité neuronale et l’intégration synaptique. Au cours de cette thèse nous avons étudié la distribution de ce canal dans les interneurones de la lamina II de la corne dorsale. Nos résultats montrent que le canal est exprimé dans différentes types d’interneurones (~60%), majoritairement excitateurs, mais aussi inhibiteurs. De façon intéressante, tous les neurones PKCγ, impliqués dans l’allodynie mécanique, expriment le canal Cav3.2. Nous avons ensuite utilisé une approche virale pour marquer et étudier les propriétés électrophysiologiques des neurones exprimant Cav3.2, ainsi que pour réprimer de façon spécifiques le canal dans la partie lombaire de la moelle épinière. Nos résultats montrent que Cav3.2 participe dans les rebonds dépolarisants sous-liminaires, dans les propriétés des potentiels d’action et dans les profils d’activité électrique de ces neurones. Ainsi, Cav3.2 pourrait jouer un rôle important dans les états douloureux au niveau spinal, caractérisés par des changements dans l’excitabilité. / Acute pain is essential for survival, but chronic pain is often invalidating. Prolonged pain states are one of the first causes of medical consultation, and they are experienced by as much as 20% of the population. However, our current analgesics are not fully reliable in alleviating chronic pains, with low beneficial/risk ratio. Thus, finding new pharmacological agents are a primordial objective. A better understanding of pain networks is necessary.Several studies have suggested that the T-type calcium channel, Cav3.2, might be a promising target for analgesics. Indeed, Cav3.2 is expressed all along pain pathways, both within the peripheral nociceptive track and within the central nervous system. Interestingly, Cav3.2 is strongly express in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord, which is the first relay for pain processing. Furthermore, thanks to their activation near resting potentials, Cav3.2 channels fit well in regulating neuronal excitability and synaptic integration.In this thesis, we have analyzed Cav3.2 expression in dorsal horn interneurons. Our results show that Cav3.2 is expressed in different types of interneurons (~60%), mostly excitatory, but also inhibitory. Interestingly, all PKCγ neurons, involved in mechanical allodynia, expressed Cav3.2. We then used a viral approach to label and study electrophysiological properties of Cav3.2-expressing neurons, and also to specifically delete this channel in the lumbar spinal cord. Our results show that Cav3.2 is involved in subthreshold depolarizations, in the properties of the action potentials and in the firing patterns of these neurons. Thus, Cav3.2 might play an important role in pain states at the spinal cord level, characterized by neuronal excitability alterations.

INTRODUCTION: Despite the unique status of methamphetamine on the Czech drug scene, where the number of problem MA users accounts for 3/4 of all problematic drug users, there is a minimal amount of literature in the literature on how to work with this target group in the addictological care system. OBJECTIVE: The practical part was to monitor the work and access to methamphetamine users in the selected k-centers. Attention was paid to presenting KC clients, perception of key motives in each phases of drug use trajectories, the process of working with clients from first contact to eventual mediation of treatment and description of the specifics of access to MA users. METHOD: The chosen sample was selected on the basis of deliberate targeted selection through the institution. The data were collected by semi-structured interview, which was fixed with audio recording and subsequently transcribed. The patterns capture method as used to analyze the data. FILE: The research sample consisted of eight communication partners (four men). They were employees of selected k-centers, always one worker per facility, from different regions of the Czech Republic, with various length of experience in field (2,5 to 16 years). RESULTS: KC clients are mostly MA users, often polyvalent users, combining MA with other...

(in English): This diploma thesis deals with the theme of low-threshold facilities for children and youth. The thesis is divided into a theoretical and empirical part. At the beginning of the theoretical work, work with risky youth, the theory of risky behavior and its individual types is approached. In detail, a low-threshold facility for children and young people is introduced, including legislative anchoring, principles, target group and individual working methods. At the end of the theoretical part is described system of social services assessment and current events in this area. The empirical part contains research methodology, research results and evaluation. The aim of the thesis is to compare the facilities of the capital city of Prague and the Central Bohemian region and to compare the ideas about the goals of work between the managers and their subordinates. A qualitative method was chosen for the research, when data collection was carried out using semi-structured interviews.

Background: Analysis of client satisfaction with contact center services is one of the important tools for obtaining feedback on the contact center services offered and on interventions by employees. The diploma thesis deals with the interventions offered by the Stage 5 contact center and how it is evaluated by its clients. According to the annual report of Progressive o.p.s. the number of clients in contact is increasing every year and their needs can be expected to change over time. However, we often lack feedback from these service users to think about specific adjustments to existing services. Aims: The aim of the research is to obtain a so-called "consumer" view from the centre's clients. More specifically, to obtain information about their satisfaction with the range of services they use. Based on the respondents' answers, consider or suggest how individual interventions could be improved or new ones proposed. Through research questions, I also focus on the time flexibility of individual interventions in the use of clients. Research set: The research set coincides with the primary target group of the contact center. They are problematic and often long-term users of addictive substances that meet the EMCDDA definition (person using heroin and other opiates, cocaine, amphetamine,...

The growing number of video gamers over the age of fifty has sparked new interests in the transformative power of play and consequently, video games, for a larger demographic of citizens. Researchers have found that digital gaming can have positive effects on the physical, psychological and cognitive well-being of older adults. Of particular interest to this thesis is the potential of games to facilitate social connections between different generations of players. Intergenerational games have focused on improving relations between younger people and older adults by providing enjoyable interactions that can impart cognitive and physical benefits. While previous work has focused on enhancing intergenerational social connections between relatives, non-familial intergenerational encounters have scarcely been explored. Games often feature asymmetrical participation and require long term interest, all factors that can prove challenging to implement for public non-kin intergenerational gameplay. Previous works have shown that the successful use of games is dependent on a number of psychosocial and contextual factors that shape the player experience. One of them is the degree of familiarity between players. Familiarity has been linked to many of the core motivations associated with intergenerational play, exposing doubts of whether the same motivations can be used to inform the design of intergenerational games between strangers of different ages. In addition, for most socio-technical interventions designed for older adults, the characteristics of seniors have predominantly been framed around accessibility and decline. This limited perspective also tends to be true when discussing games designed for seniors. Finally, existing research on games for seniors has mainly focused on seniors who play conventional video games and self-identify as gamers, further marginalizing seniors who do not fit these descriptions. The current design of intergenerational games might not be ready for adoption by the broader society. In response to these gaps, this thesis presents a research through design project aimed to investigate how a general population of older people (who may not be composed of video-gamers) perceive and experience game and play, and map this knowledge to promising playful approaches of intergenerational encounters while at the same time promoting a positive image of older adults as active and sociable members of society. The methodology featured a participatory approach that involved interview studies, co-design workshops, and playtests that helped to articulate the general requirements for an intergenerational game to be played in public spaces. The result of these formative exercises produced Klang Verbindet (“Sound Connects”), an interactive playful system that supports embodied interaction and group exploration of spaces. Designed to be played through body movements, the system employs vision-based algorithms and sound synthesis to provide an age- agnostic space for public play. Interactions with the system were evaluated in two different public contexts, using direct observations, semi-structured group interviews, and post-game questionnaires. Based on these data and the design and implementation of the system, the thesis describes a number of important factors to be considered when designing and evaluating games for non-familial intergenerational interaction. The most important being, to design for short-term and low-entry engagements which are defined as “low-threshold intergenerational encounters”. Within this space, the thesis discusses the distinctive value of - ambiguity, appropriation, and curiosity as drivers of gameplay for rapid mixed-aged encounters in the public context.

Nano-emitters are the new generation of laser devices. A photonic-crystal cavity, which highly confines light in small volumes, in combination with quantum-dots can enhance the efficiency and lower the threshold of this device. The practical realisation of a reliable, electrically pumped photonic-crystal laser at room-temperature is, however, challenging. In this project, a design for such a laser was established. Its properties are split up into electrical, optical and thermal tasks that are individually investigated via various device simulations. The resulting device performance showed that with our design the quantum-dots can be pumped in order to provide gain and to overcome the loss of the system. Threshold currents can be as low as 10’s of μA and Q-factors in the range of 1000’s. Gallium arsenide wafers were grown according to our specifications and their diode behaviour confirmed. Photonic-crystal cavities were fabricated through a newly developed process based on a TiOₓ hard-mask. Beside membraned cavities, also cavities on oxidised AlGaAs were fabricated with help to a unique hard-mask removal method. The cavities were measured with a self-made micro-photoluminescence setup with the highest Q-factor of 4000 for the membrane cavity and a remarkable 2200 for the oxide cavity. The fabrication steps, regarding the electrically pumped photonic-crystal laser, were developed and it was shown that this device can be fabricated. During this project, a novel type of gentle confinement cavity was developed, based on the adaption of the dispersion curve (DA cavity) of a photonic-crystal waveguide. Q-factors of as high as 600.000 were measured for these cavities made in Silicon.

Tato práce se zabývá srovnáváním pervitinových a opiátových uživatelů zejména z pohledu kontaktního centra. Teoretická část se zabývá stimulačními drogami, opioidy a srovnáním těchto dvou skupin návykových látek. Tato část se rovněž zabývá závislostí, problémovým užíváním a nízkoprahovými zařízeními. Výzkumná část si klade za cíl získání podrobnějších informací o rozdílech v návštěvnosti kontaktního centra mezi těmito skupinami uživatelů, získání podrobnějších informací o rozdílech využívání jednotlivých služeb nabízených kontaktním centrem mezi těmito skupinami a vytvoření základů pro další podobné studie. Pro výzkum byla stavena nulová hypotéza: problémoví uživatelé pervitinu a uživatelé opiátů během svého prvního roku využívání služeb kontaktního centra toto centrum navštěvují ve stejné míře. V práci je položeno šest výzkumných otázek, které se ptají na poměr uživatelů opiátů a pervitinu, rozdíly ve vzdělání těchto uživatelů a na samotné rozdíly ve využívání jednotlivých služeb. Pro řešení zvoleného problému jsem si vybrala kvantitativní design. Výzkum zpracovává data od celkem 273 problémových uživatelů pervitinu a opiátů. Respondenti pro tuto studii byli vybráni záměrným (účelovým) výběrem přes instituci a jedná se o data již zaznamenaná v databázi programu FreeBase od 1. 1. 2006 do 31. 12....

The goal of the thesis is describing the value orientation of young people from the socially and culturally disadvantaged surroundings. The thesis is theoretical and empirical and it has a qualitative character. The research pattern are young people who are visiting a low- threshold facility for children and teenagers. We are describing the issue of the age of young people, conception of values, evaluation process, classification of values, value orientation, education to values, moral development of human, socially and culturally disadvantaged surroundings, family, peer groups and the low-threshold facility for children and teenagers in the theoretical part. There was performed an analysis of the value orientation of the selected group of respondents based on the data from semi-structured interview in practical part. The results of research shows that the part of the value orientation of the young people is the family, life in prosperity, free time, education, friends, interest activities, love, surroundings, make own family and responsibility. These parts characterize what is important, valuable and necessary for the respondents.

Možnosti individuálního plánování u dětí ze sociálně znevýhodněného prostředí Possibilities of Individual Planning for Children From Socially Disadvantage Environment Bc. Jana Súkeníková The thesis is focused on the importance and effectiveness of individual planning for children from socially disadvantaged environment in low-threshold services for children and youth. Part of the work concerns the threshold services, followed by a general description of the target group, list of interventions with which social workers operate. As an important part of my job I see definition of living situations, reflexive environmental management and social functioning. The theoretical part is further given a pivotal chapter on individual planning that underpins the empirical section. The practical part includes qualitative research strategy, the main technique was chosen semi-structured interview. The survey is focused on how clients of low-threshold services perceive individual planning. Considering the results of, which I was gone, I realized that the low-threshold services is an appropriate way we can explain to clients that with them we need to create individual planning to a specific period. So I think that from the foregoing that I fulfilled a goal that I set a positive is overlap in my other practical work...