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This thesis is focused on waste management in Czech Republic and it´s pointing in near future. The goal of the thesis is to evaluate the waste management current situation in municipalities in area of MAS Třešťsko and based on detected information design proper waste management strategy which reflects prepared changes in legislation. The goal of the thesis is reached by evaluation of responds on basic questions related to waste management in municipalities, by analysis of waste production data in chosen municipalities and consequential suitable suggestions construction. These suggestions are framed to tending to fulfillment the targets arising from Waste Management Plan of ČR for period 2015-2024, Waste Management Plan of Highlands region for period 2016-2025 and suggested Czech and European legislation. Proposals are focused on edification, raising part of sorted secondary materials, declining the amount of mixed waste production and waste management infrastructure development. Waste management in municipalities in MAS Třešťsko will be more environmentally and also economically effective.

As companies expand their operation worldwide, multinational communication in multi-cultural teams has become an important research topic, therefore, the purpose of this study promises to offer an understanding of how different degrees of the single dimension of culture MAS (Masculinity/Femininity) affects communication in a multinational and multicultural environment, using as a starting point and reference for this study an undis-closed Swedish multinational company with operations in over 70 countries.The cultural dimension of MAS used in the study was proposed by Geert Hofstede (1980) as part of his research on culture, and it is a key element that set the bases of this work.A qualitative research process has been undertaken with an inductive reasoning approach that led to collect data through observation and interviews which then was analyzed under the Laying the Groundwork approach developed by Gioia & Corley (2012) used to build a conceptual map that allowed the researchers to induce principles and theories that can explain how Masculinity and Femininity affect Communication through data-to-theory connections.The findings showed that different degrees of the Masculinity and Femininity dimension create aggregated dimensions that affect communication in a multinational context both positively and negatively. This study also found that communication experiences re-sistance and it is affected when it moves from a feminine culture to a masculine culture. Opposite to this, it was found that communication develops easily when it starts in a mas-culine culture and is directed to feminine cultures.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of the characteristics and roles of management accounting systems (MAS) on today’s business organizations and their management, systems, procedures, people, performance and competitive environments. Design/methodology/approach: A survey-based methodology was utilized in this research to gather organizational information relevant to the different facets of the MAS and their operational and strategic practices impact on organizations operating under increasingly uncertain and competitive environments. A structural equation modeling approach was utilized to uncover relevant relationships and associations among relevant variables. Findings: The findings of this exploratory research revealed a direct influence of MAS on the managerial and organizational performance through the managers’ performance. The results also suggest that MAS is directly influenced by users’ training, and satisfaction, task uncertainty and decentralization of decisions. It was also indirectly influenced by top management support. In addition, the findings also revealed a direct influence of the decentralization of decisions on the managers’ and on organizational performance. Research limitations/implications: While this study addressed important issues that have practical management value, it is limited to a sample from one country. Future studies in different businesses and cultural settings are needed to enhance the theoretical and practical contributions of the findings and conclusions of this study. Practical implications: The issues explored in this study are very much relevant to the utilization and design of MAS and their increasing tactical and strategic roles in the management of today’s business organizations. The findings of this study have relevant practical value for managers as they attempt to cope with increasingly competitive environments through the deployment of their existing capabilities and best practices. In this context, the accounting management system has practical utilities that facilitate the control and management of the operations and strategies of the organization. Originality/value: This research offers practicing management an integrated approach, as they aspire to utilize their organizational MAS to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of their organizations. Integrating the different aspects of management accounting information systems, given their impact on the different aspects of the organization, is needed for the establishment of theoretical research models aiming at the enhancement of the competitive performance of today’s organizations. This study also offers to executives of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) a new multidimensional instrument for assessing the effectiveness of their management information systems, which can help to improve their benchmarking processes.

The current study investigated the Pritchard-Ashwood (P-A) Theory of Motivation (Pritchard & Ashwood, 2008) by examining a measure of P-A Theory labeled the Motivation Assessment System (MAS). P-A Theory combines prior motivation theories such as expectancy theory, goal setting theory, justice theory, and needs theory and consolidates them into one integrated theory of motivation. In essence, P-A theory posits that one’s motivation is determined by four perceptions, including the extent to which one believes: (a) his/her actions will lead to results, (b) his/her results will lead to positive evaluations, (c) his/her evaluations will lead to positive outcomes, and (d) his/her outcomes will satisfy his/her needs. The MAS is designed to capture P-A Theory by assessing these four perceptions, and this dissertation examined tenets of P-A Theory by investigating the measurement properties of the MAS via confirmatory factor analysis. Findings showed that the model set forth by P-A Theory had the best fit compared to the other competing models when analyzing MAS data, suggesting the MAS is an appropriate measure of P-A Theory. This research should help to bridge the gap between motivation theory and practice by providing initial evidence of support for a practical measure that captures the full spectrum of employee motivation as set forth in P-A Theory. Recommendations for future research using the MAS to study motivation are suggested.

Metabolomics is used to reduce the complexity of plants and to understand the underlying pathways of the plant phenotype. The metabolic profile of plants can be obtained by mass spectrometry or liquid-state NMR. The extraction of metabolites from the sample is necessary for both techniques to obtain the metabolic profile. This extraction step can be eliminated by making use of high-resolution magic angle spinning (HR-MAS) NMR. In this review, an HR-MAS NMR-based workflow is described in more detail, including used pulse sequences in metabolomics. The pre-processing steps of one-dimensional HR-MAS NMR spectra are presented, including spectral alignment, baseline correction, bucketing, normalisation and scaling procedures. We also highlight some of the models which can be used to perform multivariate analysis on the HR-MAS NMR spectra. Finally, applications of HR-MAS NMR in plant metabolomics are described and show that HR-MAS NMR is a powerful tool for plant metabolomics studies.

Pulsed field gradient (PFG) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) allows recording of molecular diffusion paths (notably, the probability distribution of molecular displacements over typically micrometers, covered during an observation time of typically milliseconds) and has thus proven to serve as a most versatile means for the in-depth study of mass transfer in complex materials. This is particularly true with nanoporous host materials, where PFG NMR enabled the first direct measurement of intracrystalline diffusivities of guest molecules. Spatial resolution, i.e., the minimum diffusion path length experimentally observable, is limited by the time interval over which the pulsed field gradients may be applied. In “conventional” PFG NMR measurements, this time interval is determined by a characteristic quantity of the host-guest system under study, the so-called transverse nuclear magnetic relaxation time. This leads, notably when considering systems with low molecular mobilities, to severe restrictions in the applicability of PFG NMR. These restrictions may partially be released by performing PFG NMR measurements in combination with “magic-angle spinning” (MAS) of the NMR sample tube. The present review introduces the fundamentals of this technique and illustrates, via a number of recent cases, the gain in information thus attainable. Examples include diffusion measurements with nanoporous host-guest systems of low intrinsic mobility and selective diffusion measurement in multicomponent systems.

<p>This thesis investigates the structure and ion mobility properties within the phosphate and fluorophosphate family of cathode materials for Li ion batteries using solid-state NMR. Developments in lithium ion battery technology are now directed towards automotive applications meaning that many of the cost and safety issues associated with current lithium ion battery technology need to be addressed. Within the current systems the high cost is largely attributed to the use of LiCoO₂ as the positive electrode. Many new and inexpensive Li intercalation materials have been put forward as alternatives to LiCoO₂, however the details concerning the structural and ion-transport properties of these new phases are not well defined. ^6,7Li, ³¹P, and ¹⁹F NMR measurements are an ideal tool to study these properties, as ^6,7Li is able to probe the local environment and dynamics of the mobile ion while ³¹P and ¹⁹F monitor changes in the host framework. Materials selected for study in this thesis include olivine LiFePO₄, monoclinic Li₃M₂(PO₄)₃ (M = V, Fe), the tavorite-based Li₂VPO₄F and Li₂VOPO₄, and the novel layered Li₅V(PO₄)₂F₂. The fluorophosphates have been introduced as higher voltage cathode materials for lithium batteries, however our ^6,7Li 1D selective inversion and 2D EXSY measurements reveal timescales of ion hopping that are relatively slow when compared to those measured in the phosphates. This indicates that the improved power output from the voltage gains may be lost to slow charge/discharge rates.</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

The significance of the removal of the “White Mask” in Ayitian Vodou is to provide an Afrocentric analysis regarding the detriment of Catholicism/Protestantism has inflicted on African agency in Ayiti. The Practice of Ayitian Vodou derives from a variety of West African Spiritual Belief Systems like the Yoruba, Kongo, and Dahomean. During the imperialist era in Ayiti, Ayitians utilized biblical figures to hide their African gods in order to partake in Ayitian Vodou overtly. Due to classism, colorism, racism, and white domination, the camouflage aspect of Ayitian Vodou became a permanent component within Ayitian Vodou. This study proposes that scholars should rely on the method of Masking rather than the popular notion of Double Consciousness in examining African phenomena. W.E.B. Dubois coined Double Consciousness, which does not accurately explain or articulate how African people endured the institution of mental and physical enslavement. Double Consciousness derives from a Eurocentric ideology that operates from depriving African people of their history, culture, perspective, and personal development. / African American Studies

The seamless retrieval of information distributed across networks has been one of the key goals of many systems. Early solutions involved the use of single static agents which would retrieve the unfiltered data and then process it. However, this was deemed costly and inefficient in terms of the bandwidth since complete files need to be downloaded when only a single value is often all that is required. As a result, mobile agents were developed to filter the data in situ before returning it to the user. However, mobile agents have their own associated problems, namely security and control. The Agent Trees Multi-Agent System (AT-MAS) has been developed to provide the remote processing and filtering capabilities but without the need for mobile code. It is implemented as a Peer to Peer (P2P) network of static intelligent cooperating agents, each of which control one or more data sources. This dissertation describes the two key technologies have directly influenced the design of ATMAS, Peer-to-Peer (P2P) systems and Multi-Agent Systems (MAS). P2P systems are conceptually simple, but limited in power, whereas MAS are significantly more complex but correspondingly more powerful. The resulting system exhibits the power of traditional MAS systems while retaining the simplicity of P2P systems. The dissertation describes the system in detail and analyses its performance.