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The basic characteristic and comparison of the community-led local development tools: Local Agenda 21, used in public administration generally, and of the LEADER method, used within Local Action Groups (LAGs), is presented in this paper. It analyses their application in the Czech Republic. It discusses the potential synergistic effects of the application of these tools in two rural locations - the areas of two towns (Chrudim and Litomerice), which are leaders in the application of Local Agenda 21 in the Czech Republic. Both towns are members of LAGs - LAG Chrudimsko and LAG Ceske Stredohori. This combination of Local Agenda 21 and LEADER method are mutually supportive. The conclusion discusses recommendations for the improvement of community-led development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Size, morphology, and surface sites of electrocatalysts have a major impact on their performance. Understanding how, when, and why these parameters change under operating conditions is of importance for designing stable, active, and selective catalysts. Herein, we study the reconstruction of a Cu‐based nanocatalysts during the startup phase of the electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction by combining results from electrochemical in situ transmission electron microscopy with operando X‐ray absorption spectroscopy. We reveal that dissolution followed by redeposition, rather than coalescence, is the mechanism responsible for the size increase and morphology change of the electrocatalyst. Furthermore, we point out the key role played by the formation of copper oxides in the process. Understanding of the underlying processes opens a pathway to rational design of Cu electro (re)deposited catalysts and to stability improvement for catalysts fabricated by other methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To date, copper is the only monometallic catalyst that can electrochemically reduce CO2 into high value and energy‐dense products, such as hydrocarbons and alcohols. In recent years, great efforts have been directed towards understanding how its nanoscale structure affects activity and selectivity for the electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR). Furthermore, many attempts have been made to improve these two properties. Nevertheless, to advance towards applied systems, the stability of the catalysts during electrolysis is of great significance. This aspect, however, remains less investigated and discussed across the CO2RR literature. In this Minireview, the recent progress on understanding the stability of copper‐based catalysts is summarized, along with the very few proposed degradation mechanisms. Finally, our perspective on the topic is given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article is focused on dynamic driving in road transport. Current systems on the market are referred to as dynamic but have their limitations. Traffic management is an important aspect to ensure the proper functioning and safety of transport as an element of critical infrastructure. Ensuring the prevention of possible threats can minimize the possibility of threatening other elements of critical infrastructure. The proposed method deals with dynamic driving in road transport. Dynamically controlled traffic lights should ensure greater smoothness, safety and reduce the number of harmful substances emitting vehicles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the results of an international comparative study on food self-provisioning, an activity still widespread in the countries of the Global North. We collected the data in a sociological survey done in 2010 as a part of the household energy use research project GILDED. We selected a region with urban and rural areas as a case study in each of the five EU countries, including Scotland, the Netherlands, Germany, the Czech Republic, and Hungary. Our article raises two main research questions: (1) What is the level of food self-provisioning in the regions? (2) Who participates in it? Additionally, we inquired into the motivations of self-provisioners using the results of analyses of sociodemographic and food consumption habits for their interpretation. We found that the level of self-provisioning varies considerably among the regions. Its share ranges from 13 percent in Dutch urban areas to 58 percent in German rural areas. The effects of some sociodemographic and geographic factors differ significantly among the countries. However, we can summarize that living in one's own property, living in a house or in a rural area, having a partner or children, being retired, or having a low income increases the probability of food self-provisioning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For me Berg is an unconquered mountain. And so is an orchestra formed of young musicians who vehemently deny that it is just a student affair. Certainly it has an [...]

The rapid development of the sharing economy that has been registered in recent years is caused by a number of factors. The increasingly pronounced effort on the part of all economic entities to contribute towards sustainable development through the application of socially responsible behavior is deemed to be a key factor. The objective of the article is to analyze and evaluate the attitudes of customers towards the benefits of the sharing economy in the field of economic, social, and environmental responsibility using the example of a small post-communist economy—the Czech Republic. Primary data were obtained on the basis of a questionnaire survey. This was elaborated using descriptive and inferential statistics tools. The study that was performed shows that the majority of customers regard sharing as a source of benefits in the field of economic, social, and environmental responsibility, whereas in a complex sense, they perceive these benefits to be equal. Women perceive the investigated benefits of sharing with regard to environmental responsibility as more important compared to men. In comparison with the older generation, the younger generation perceives selected benefits of sharing as more important in all three investigated areas of responsibility. People with a higher education perceive selected benefits of sharing with regard to economic responsibility as more important compared to people with a lower level of education. The article provides original insights into the perception of the benefits of sharing for sustainable development by actors in the sharing economy and is a source of knowledge about their motivations for both policymakers and managers of companies involved in the sharing economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Higher education institutions play a fundamental role in the scientific, economic, social, and cultural development of each and every society. In view of new challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of their social responsibility and ability to effectively communicate the socially–responsible activities which are performed is growing. The aim of this article is to analyze and evaluate the scope and structure of socially-responsible activities communicated on the websites of public higher education institutions operating in a small post-communist country where education plays a traditional role—the Czech Republic, and to formulate recommendations for improvement of the level of communication of social responsibility by higher education institutions. Primary data was obtained using latent analysis of the content of the websites of all public higher education institutions operating in the Czech Republic. The CE3SPA method was applied. The survey which was performed shows that the level of communication of social responsibility by higher education institutions in the Czech Republic is low. Activities in the field of economic and social responsibility are communicated in the greatest scope. On the contrary, activities in the field of environmental responsibility are communicated the least. Public higher education institutions in the Czech Republic should therefore apply the measures proposed in the article, these also being transferrable to practice in other countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fluorescent nanodiamonds (FNDs) with nitrogen‐vacancy centers enable optical readout of local changes in electric and magnetic fields. In article 1803406, Petr Cigler and co‐workers report biomimetic architectures on FNDs based on supported lipid bilayers. They function as "molecular modular bricks", tailoring the interface of particles for specific applications and transducing the changes in local environment to nitrogen‐vacancy centers with remarkable sensitivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fluorescent nanodiamonds with nitrogen‐vacancy (NV) centers respond to local changes in electric and magnetic fields. These responses can be read optically as changes in fluorescence. NV centers do not suffer from photoblinking or photobleaching, making nanodiamonds a viable platform for long‐term imaging of processes inside living cells. However, for any bioapplication, the surface of these particles must be modified to prevent aggregation and nonspecific protein adsorption and to effectively transduce the changes in local environment to NV center. Modular biomimetic interface has been developed on nanodiamonds with remarkable sensitivity for relaxometric readout that takes advantage of self‐assembled phospholipid bilayers supported by the nanoparticle surface. This rapid and robust approach provides synthetic pathway to tunable composition, demonstrated by tuning surface charge and content of spin labels on nanodiamond. The supported phospholipid bilayer interface increases the detection sensitivity about one‐order‐of‐magnitude. Also, a theoretical model of the system is provided, which shows excellent agreement with experimental results. Merging biocompatibility, modularity, and outstanding spin sensitivity in one nanomaterial provides a foundation for development of multifunctional nanoparticles suitable for highly sensitive monitoring of local magnetic field fluctuations and paramagnetic species under physiological conditions. Nanodiamond coated with supported lipid bilayers is a new composite nanomaterial with biocompatible interface. It is highly modular in composition and surface charge and shows outstanding spin sensitivity of nitrogen‐vacancy centers toward local magnetic field fluctuations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Starting compound (I) is prepared in two steps from phenanthridin-6-one. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the catalyst compositional and structural features that control selectivity is of uttermost importance to target desired products in chemical reactions. In this joint experimental-computational work, we leverage tailored Cu/ZnO precatalysts as a material platform to identify the intrinsic features of methane-producing and ethanol-producing CuZn catalysts in the electrochemical CO 2 reduction reaction (CO 2 RR). Specifically, we find that Cu@ZnO nanocrystals, where a central Cu domain is decorated with ZnO domains, and ZnO@Cu nanocrystals, where a central ZnO domain is decorated with Cu domains, evolve into Cu@CuZn core@shell catalysts that are selective for methane (∼52%) and ethanol (∼39%), respectively. Operando X-ray absorption spectroscopy and various microscopy methods evidence that a higher degree of surface alloying along with a higher concentration of metallic Zn improve the ethanol selectivity. Density functional theory explains that the combination of electronic and tandem effects accounts for such selectivity. These findings mark a step ahead towards understanding structure-property relationships in bimetallic catalysts for the CO 2 RR and their rational tuning to increase selectivity towards target products, especially alcohols., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Among the perovskites used to catalyze the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), Ba 0.5 Sr 0.5 Co 0.8 Fe 0.2 O 3-δ (BSCF) exhibits excellent activity which is thought to be related to dynamic reconstruction at the flexible perovskite surface due to accommodation of large amount of oxygen vacancies. By studying the local structure and chemistry of BSCF surfaces, in detail, via a range of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) methods, we show that the surfaces of the as-synthesized BSCF particles are Co/Fe rich, and remarkably, adopt a spinel-like structure with a reduced valence of Co ions. Post-mortem and identical location TEM analyses reveal that the Co/Fe spinel-like surface retains a stable chemical environment of the Co/Fe ions, although its structure weakens after electrochemical processing. Further, it is verified that prior to the onset of OER, the Co/Fe spinel-like surface promotes the formation of the highly active Co(Fe)OOH phase, which enhances the OER electrocatalytic properties of the underlying conductive BSCF perovskite. This study provides a detailed understanding of the fundamental transformations that oxide catalysts undergo during electrochemical processes and can aid in the development of novel oxide catalysts with enhanced activity.

To date, copper is the only monometallic catalyst that can electrochemically reduce CO 2 into high value and energy-dense products, such as hydrocarbons and alcohols. In recent years, great efforts have been directed towards understanding how its nanoscale structure affects activity and selectivity for the electrochemical CO 2 reduction reaction (CO 2 RR). Furthermore, many attempts have been made to improve these two properties. Nevertheless, to advance towards applied systems, the stability of the catalysts during electrolysis is of great significance. This aspect, however, remains less investigated and discussed across the CO 2 RR literature. In this Minireview, the recent progress on understanding the stability of copper-based catalysts is summarized, along with the very few proposed degradation mechanisms. Finally, our perspective on the topic is given., (© 2020 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Au nanoparticles (NPs) are functionalized with chiral (R) or (S) binaphthol phenylboronic acid ligands, (1a) or (1b). The (R)- or (S)-binaphthol phenylboronic acid ligands form donor-acceptor complexes with the chiral dicationic helicene, helquat (P)-HQ(2+) or (M)-HQ(2+), (2a) or (2b). The association constants between (1a)/(2a) and (1a)/(2b) correspond to (7.0 ± 0.5) × 10(5) M(-1) and (2.5 ± 0.3) × 10(5) M(-1), respectively, whereas the association constants between (1b)/(2b) and (1b)/(2a) correspond to (4.0 ± 0.5) × 10(5) M(-1) and (1.8 ± 0.3) × 10(5) M(-1), respectively. Chiroselective aggregation of chiral binaphthol phenylboronic acid-capped Au NPs triggered by the chiral helquats, is demonstrated.