<p dir="ltr">The ability to change the shape of aerodynamic surfaces is necessary for modern aircraft, both to provide control while performing maneuvers and to meet the conflicting requirements of various flight conditions such as takeoff/landing and level cruise. These shape changes have traditionally been accomplished through the use of various mechanical devices actuating discrete aerodynamic surfaces, for example ailerons and flaps. Such control surfaces and high-lift devices are generally limited to their specific functionality and create surface discontinuities which increase drag and aircraft noise. Broadly speaking, the design and study of morphing wings typically seeks to improve the performance of aircraft by completing one or more of the following objectives: reducing the drag from discontinuities in the aerodynamic surface of the wing by closing hinge gaps and creating smooth transitions, reducing weight and/or mechanical complexity by integrating mechanism functionality into compliant structures that can bear aerodynamic load and maintain shape adaptability, and providing unique or optimal functionality to the aircraft by allowing it to adjust its aerodynamic shape to meet the needs of various flight conditions with conflicting objectives and constraints.</p><p dir="ltr">The concepts proposed in this work represent potential methods for addressing these objectives. In each case, a compliant structure with multiple stable states is embedded into the wing. Exploiting elastic structural instabilities in this way provides the advantage that a structure can be made relatively stiff while still allowing for large deformations. In the first case, the development of a 3D-printable rib with an embedded bistable element creates a truss-like 2D structure that allows for modification of the airfoil. Switching states of the elements changes their local stiffness, and therefore the global stiffness of the system. By optimizing the topology of the airfoil, a passive deflection of the trailing edge can be leveraged to change the camber to leverage different lift characteristics for varying operating conditions. Primary work on this concept has included the construction of multiple experimental demonstrators for validating the concept through static structural and wind tunnel testing. In the second case, a cellular material has been investigated incorporating a bistable unit cell with a sinusoidal arch. This provides a metamaterial that can exhibit large, reversible deformations with as many stable configurations as there are rows in the honeycomb. This metamaterial is incorporated into a beam-like structure which can serve as a spar for a spanwise morphing wing, providing sufficient bending and torsional stiffness, particularly when utilized at the wing tip. Extending and retracting the wing by switching the states of the honeycomb rows provides a significant change to the wing’s induced drag and wing loading, making it ideal for optimal flight in both loitering and cruising conditions. Contributions to this concept have been the development and characterization of the bistable unit cell and honeycomb, as well as the design and analysis of the metabeam and morphing wing concept.</p>

Sexual harassment in workplace policies and legal procedures, which are strongly affected by the patriarchy that exists in the legal system, mistreat millions of victims annually. Through the implementation of the WPR Analysis on the Code of Conduct in Public Services on preventing […] sexual harassment in the workplace of the Republic of Cyprus and on C. v. Romania ECtHR case (application no. 47358/20), this thesis aims to present the problems representations, the taken-for-granted knowledge, the stereotypes and the origins of the patriarchal-biased labour policies and legal procedures concerning sexual harassment in the workplace. Along with the use of the legal feminist theory, this thesis presents that in these procedures the problems are represented to be the lack of training among employees and the victims’ behaviors. This results in the marginalization and mistreatment of the victims (women, trans, non-binary, homosexuals, even men) by these patriarchal affected procedures while it is illustrated how gender and sexual orientation are determinative to these male-biased procedures.

This dissertation examines emergent forms of digitally enabled boundary-spanning by considering the within- and cross-field interactions developed by LGBTQIA* organisations on social media. Within scholarship on collective actors characterised by strong collective identities, LGBTQIA* collective action fields have been conventionally found to be rather fragmented and polarised, as well as isolated from other fields. Nonetheless, recent studies have shown evidence of the emergence of cooperative and solidarity efforts by LGBTQIA* actors, suggesting that such LGBTQIA* organisations may actively engage in crossing categorical boundaries and overcoming differences in the attempt to achieve social change. Within this framework, information and communication technologies (ICTs) may provide LGBTQIA* communities with spaces to converge, share experiences, and articulate politicised identities also through the connection with other collective actors. Despite these findings, we currently lack a systematic understanding of the extent to which LGBTQIA* collective actors span field boundaries through the development of digitally enabled interactions, of how such ties evolve over time, and on the circumstances that may favour or inhibit their emergence and duration. Furthermore, the role of ICTs in supporting the emergence of boundary-spanning processes has so far been rather understudied. This dissertation addresses these concerns by conducting a mixed-method comparative research on LGBTQIA* actors based in Madrid and Milan. In particular, it focuses on different types of interactions (mentioning, sharing, and promoting collective action events) developed by such organisations on their Facebook public pages during the 2011-2020 decade. To examine the role of both cultural patterns (collective identities and framing strategies) and structural circumstances (political opportunities and threats), this study combines network and text data, analysed through social network and frame analysis. The findings provided by this research show that Spanish and Italian LGBTQIA* organisations increasingly crossed categorical boundaries through social media between 2011 and 2020, thus suggesting that ICTs do play a role in sustaining boundary-spanning processes. Moreover, they find that collective framing and networking are inextricably entangled, and hence contribute to shedding light on both symbolic and behavioural dimensions of digitally enabled boundary-spanning. To conclude, they show that actors embedded in different socio-political contexts engage in networking and framing, thus emphasising the role of contextual opportunities and threats in moderating the nexus between ICTs and boundary-spanning, as well as between framing and networking. This dissertation contributes to both social movement literature and gender studies. On the one hand, by shedding light on emergent forms of boundary-spanning processes enabled by ICTs, it not only contributes to examining the role of ICTs in empowering marginalised communities, but also further elaborates the entanglement between digital, hybrid, and on-the-ground collective actions. On the other hand, by systematically investigating an emerging phenomenon over time and across contexts, it contributes to generating knowledge on the circumstances encouraging collective actors to overcome differences and cooperate. Understanding this is of utmost importance, since cooperative relations provide collective actors with additional and diverse resources and experiences, as well as political legitimation, to resist processes of democratic erosion and achieve social change.

This theses contains an analysis of market conditions and internal environment at the Šumava hotel in Vyšší Brod and suggestions to improve marketing management. It is an established hotel in an attractive location near the border with Austria and the Lipno dam. In the theoretical part, there are analytical tools, which include analysis of the situation and further sub-analysis, SWOT analysis, and SERVQUAL method. The theses examines two hypotheses that "management at a given capacity hotel will not be conceptual, but random, and that the hotel with this capacity will not be monitor market development and client Leeds adequately". Neither of these hypotheses was confirmed. Proposal made on the basis of the analysis includes marketing strategy in terms of changes in product, marketing communications, distribution and greater focus on attractive target segment, which requires additional personál and professional support. In addition, the proposal for changes in the area of financial management.

Thediploma thesis dealswiththe use of Competitive Intelligence in a small company. Theaimofthe thesis is to findout by the rigorous analysis of competition the biggest competitor and the prediction of possible further steps of this competitor. Thefirst part ofthe thesis introdukces the company, its competitors and the theoretical knowledge is analyzed. The second part analyzes the selected competitor of thecompany and looks for possible further steps of the biggestcompetitor. Thethird part contains suggestions and recommendations for using Competitive Intelligence in small company.

Title: Uncertainties in regional climate models outputs Author: RNDr. Eva Holtanová Supervisor: doc. RNDr. Jaroslava Kalvová, CSc. Department: Dept. of Meteorology and Environment Protection Faculty of Mathematics and Physics Charles University in Prague Present doctoral thesis focuses on the analysis of uncertainties in regional climate model outputs in the area of the Czech Republic. Generally, the uncertainties in model outputs come from inaccuracies of initial and boundary conditions, further from the necessity to parameterize the small scale processes, and the structure of the model, e.g. the choice of numerical schemes or spatial resolution. In case of the simulations of future climate, another source of uncertainty arises. It is the unknown development of forcings that influence the climate system. The analysis in this work focuses on two multi-model ensembles, that come from two international European projects PRUDENCE and ENSEMBLES. The simulated 30-year mean seasonal air temperature and precipitation amounts are used, for the reference period 1961- 1990, and several future time periods. Two techniques were employed to assess the uncertainties. The first one was aimed at dividing the variance of a multi-model ensemble into contributions of regional model, driving global model and emission...

Submitted by Karina Andrade Mattos null (karina_amattos@hotmail.com) on 2017-03-27T16:09:49Z No. of bitstreams: 1 DISSERTAÇÃO DE MESTRADO_KARINA ANDRADE MATTOS _REPOSITÓRIO.pdf: 38116716 bytes, checksum: 108b51c05dd508c255283b851a6cfdee (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Luiz Galeffi (luizgaleffi@gmail.com) on 2017-03-29T19:03:34Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 mattos_ka_me_bauru.pdf: 38116716 bytes, checksum: 108b51c05dd508c255283b851a6cfdee (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-03-29T19:03:34Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 mattos_ka_me_bauru.pdf: 38116716 bytes, checksum: 108b51c05dd508c255283b851a6cfdee (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-02-23 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / A presente pesquisa propõe a análise multimétodos dos espaços verdes urbanos das cidades de Botucatu e Bauru, a fim de valorizá-los. A criação e manutenção de espaços verdes urbanos proporcionam inúmeros benefícios, contudo, tais espaços só se tornam relevantes à vida urbana quando objeto de políticas, programas e projetos públicos bem sucedidos. Nota-se que a partir do final do século XX e início do século XXI, uma consciência em relação à importância desses espaços começou a emergir, tanto por parte da administração pública como da população. No entanto, diante da conjuntura contemporânea baseada na multifuncionalidade dos espaços verdes, na maioria das vezes as ações dos planejadores e administradores não coincidem com as necessidades dos cidadãos. Assim, entender como as diferentes instâncias da sociedade avaliam os benefícios associados a esses espaços, considerando os fatores sociais, culturais, territoriais e políticos do meio, torna-se fundamental para o desenvolvimento e aplicação de estratégias e políticas públicas urbanas participativas e eficientes. Dessa forma, nosso objetivo é verificar se os benefícios dos espaços verdes são igualmente classificados pela população em diferentes áreas urbanas, apresentando divergências ou influências das particularidades locais, e se os benefícios atribuídos pelos cidadãos têm o mesmo valor que os destacados pelas políticas públicas municipais. Para isso, a metodologia adotada inclui diferentes materiais e métodos: pesquisa bibliográfica e documental, estudos de campo, cartografia, entrevistas e o método Best-Worst Scaling (BWS). Os resultados direcionam para três principais constatações: primeiro, que há uma hierarquização dos benefícios dos espaços verdes e que, apesar das diferenças, existe uma semelhança entre a classificação das duas cidades; segundo, que, em Botucatu, a percepção dos cidadãos vai de encontro com as medidas adotadas pela gestão pública municipal; e terceiro, que pesquisas desta natureza são fundamentais para a valorização dos espaços verdes urbanos. / The present research proposes the multi-method analysis of the urban green spaces in Botucatu and Bauru cities, in order to valorize them. The creation and maintenance of urban green spaces provide innumerous benefits, however, such spaces only become relevant to urban life when object of successful politics, programs and public projects. It is noticed that from the end of the twentieth century and early of twenty-first century, a conscience in relation to importance of these spaces began emerging, as much in the public management as in the population. Therefore, in face of the contemporary conjuncture based on the multifunctionality of the green spaces, mostly the action of the planners and managers do not coincide with the necessities of the citizens. Thus, to understand how the different instances of society evaluate the benefits associated to these spaces, considering the social, cultural, territorial and political facts of the place, it is fundamental to the development and application of the participative and efficient strategies and urban public policies. This way, our objective is to verify if the benefits of the urban green spaces are equally classified by the population in different urban areas, presenting divergences or influences of the local particularities, and if the benefits attributed by citizens have the same value that the detailed by the municipal public policies. For this, the methodology adopted includes different materials and methods: bibliographic and documentary research, field studies, cartography, interviews and the method Best-Worst Scaling (BWS). The results point to three main findings: first, that there is a ranking of the benefits in the green spaces and that, in spite of the difference, there is a similarity between the classifications of the two cities; second, that, in Botucatu the citizens’ perception meet the measure adopted by the municipal public management; and third, that researches of this nature are fundamental to the valuation of the urban green spaces.

The design of a country’s tax system is important because of the critical role played by taxation in financing public spending towards economic and social development. In this regard, there is need to enhance the understanding of whether current tax systems in the SADC provide sufficient tax revenue to meet public spending needs. This study provides empirical evidence on the outcomes of existing tax systems in the SADC with the aim of offering a basis for normative evaluation of the regions’ tax policies. Literature posits that there are numerous economic and institutional factors that limit the amount of taxes that a country can actually raise. Against this background, the substantive aim of this study was to assess the determinants of tax capacity and tax effort in the SADC in view of providing a pragmatic approach to tax policy design. The methodology of this study involved the use of both quantitative and qualitative analysis (mixed methods approach) where the latter was used to augment the findings of the former. The first phase involved the use of a multi-step procedure to estimate determinants of tax capacity and tax effort using stochastic tax function and unbalanced panel data for 13 SADC countries. The study disentangled the error term to estimates the random-effects separately from tax effort in order to capture the time- invariant country-specific effects. Further, tax effort was classified persistent (long-run) and transient (short-run). The study was able to estimate the determinants of tax effort and to rank each member state according to its tax effort. The second phase involves a narrative analysis of tax legislation in the SADC over the period 2002-2016. The study used budget statements and Acts of parliament as the major sources of information to identify significant changes in tax legislation over this period. The findings of the quantitative analysis indicate that financial deepening, economic development and trade openness influence tax capacity, while corruption and inflation influence tax effort. In addition, the findings show that the region has low persistent tax effort than transient tax effort, implying that improving tax administration has superseded tax policy reforms. This result is augmented by the narrative record which seemingly shows that tax legislation efforts were largely successful in tax administration but rather limited in view of tax policy. In this regard, the study recommends that tax policy design should be informed by the conditions of a country and policy considerations relating to peculiar circumstances to obtain robust tax policies. / Economics / D. Com. (Economics)

The diploma thesis deals with analysis of the highest and best use of a Building at Vojtova 541/12 in Brno. The theoretical part describes problematics of property valuation, which is closely related to this analysis. In addition, there are the tests underlying the analysis which are: Legal permissibility, Physical possibility, Financial feasibility, Maximum productivity. In the practical part of the diploma thesis are these tests applied of the valued property and then determined the highest and best use.

From January 2016 until August 2021, at least 436 women or girls have been deliberately murdered in Spain by men. Non-intimate femicide (and, particularly, murder committed by complete strangers to the victim, to which this study refers as “stranger femicide”) has historically been, and still is, the most covered type of femicide in the media. This is also the case in the Spanish press, and more specifically, El País, the most read media outlet in the country. This thesis examines how El País framed Diana Quer’s case, the most high-profile, intensively covered femicide case in Spain in the past 5 years. It will also examine which ethical problems the reporting presented. From a feminist perspective and through a mixed-method approach of content analysis and frame analysis, this study examines 86 articles corresponding to the two informative peaks of Diana Quer’s case coverage. The periods go from August to October 2016, the first two months of her disappearance, and from December 2017 to January 2018, the 15 days following her killer’s arrest and crime confession. The findings reveal that the coverage in El País constructed a victimization iconography with DQ’s case that engendered cautionary tales and failed to address femicide as a social issue. The reporting also presented a series of critical ethical problems calling for a reformation of femicide reporting guidelines.