Teachers’ attitudes towards tracking: testing the socialization hypothesis

The paper examines how teachers’ attitudes towards tracking (separating pupils into groups with different curricula on the basis of their abilities and results) differ among various generations of teachers. Fundamental and quick changes in the educational system occurred in the Czech Republic after the Velvet Revolution in 1989 as a unified educational system moved to a system strongly accenting tracking practices. We use this ‘policy discontinuity’ to validate teacher socialization theory and test three alternative socialization hypotheses based on different key periods in teachers’ development: the pupil experience hypothesis, the pedagogical preparation hypothesis and the pedagogical experience hypothesis. We work with a data-set from 2009 covering 1002 Czech teachers. The mean tests and the logistic regression analysis support the socialization theory, however only the pedagogical experience hypothesis was found to be most influential.     

Entrepreneurialism at the University of Zagreb: Managing the Sustainability of Change

This article presents a study of the different aspects of entrepreneurialism at the University of Zagreb in the context of Croatian higher education. The recent history of changes at the University of Zagreb is described using a temporal perspective from the beginning of the development of the European Higher Education Area to the implementation of the Bologna Process in Croatia. The theoretical framework for the study has been Burton Clark's (1998 Clark, B. R. 1998. Creating Entrepreneurial Universities, Oxford: Pergamont and Elsevier Science. Organizational Pathways of Transformation [Google Scholar]) seminal analysis of the main features of academic entrepreneurialism. Each feature: the strengthening of steering capacity, the diversification of financial sources, a stimulated academic heartland, an extended periphery, and integrating entrepreneurial culture have been elaborated using the illustrative examples from university practice and university statistics. The last part of the study gives an overview of the results of the empirical study conducted among university managers, teachers, and students on their perceptions of the university's entrepreneurial culture at the level of the institution as a whole as well as at the level of their respective faculty. In the final conclusions, the main requirements for effective change management within the university context are listed.     

Approximation based on orthogonal and almost orthogonal functions

In this paper, we define a class of almost orthogonal rational functions of Legendre type in a new manner. Relations of these functions with classical exponentional functions orthogonal over interval (0, ∞), as well as classical polynomials orthogonal over (0, 1) are explained. Defining relations of these functions can be used for designing almost orthogonal filters. These filters are generators of orthogonal signals and can be successfully applied in finding the best signal approximation in the sense of the mean square error. The filters orthogonal property enables building of physical (in this case electrical) models of dynamical systems (the sources of signals to be approximated) either with less components for the same model accuracy or higher accuracy for the same number of components than the other known models. New filters represent further improvement of previously designed filters, by the same authors, in the sense of simplicity, higher accuracy, lesser approximation time and even a possibility to approximate signals generated by systems with built-in imperfections. Series of experiments were performed to analyze the dependence of approximation accuracy and the number of filters sections.     

The doping self-reporting game: The paradox of a ‘false-telling’ mechanism and its potential research and policy implications

Establishing a requirement for, justifying public spending on, and evaluating the effectiveness of anti-doping policies all accentuate the need for reliable estimates of doping prevalence in sport. To date, despite considerable effort and much empirical research, this critical information is still not available. Methodological concerns that make doping epidemiology research difficult have been noted, and to some degree addressed in relation to under-reporting bias. In this paper, we use a simple game model to outline a potential responding behaviour among self-reporting athletes on the use of doping that could potentially invalidate any prevalence estimation arising from self-reports. We show a paradoxical situation in which a potential strategic behaviour inevitably leads to a game where the ‘lying’ is a dominant strategy for both doping users and non-users. A slightly more advanced look at the situation might possibly alter this seemingly absurd conclusion, however not in a direction offering any easy solutions for empirical doping research. Although we acknowledge that the proportions of respondents engaging in false telling are likely to vary across samples and differ between doping users and clean athletes, our simple model effectively draws attention to a neglected side of evasive responding in surveys. The response bias that potentially could lead to under- and over-reporting should be considered when self-reported prevalence rates are used to inform anti-doping prevention and intervention policies. Survey methodologies that are able to account for potential distortions would make a considerable contribution to doping research.     

The effect of inspiratory muscle fatigue on acid-base status and performance during race-paced middle-distance swimming

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of pre-induced inspiratory muscle fatigue (IMF) on race-paced swimming and acid-base status. Twenty-one collegiate swimmers performed two discontinuous 400-m race-paced swims on separate days, with (IMF trial) and without (control trial) pre-induced IMF. Swimming characteristics, inspiratory and expiratory mouth pressures, and blood parameters were recorded. IMF and expiratory muscle fatigue (P < 0.05) were evident after both trials and swimming time was slower (P < 0.05) from 150-m following IMF inducement. Pre-induced IMF increased pH before the swim (P < 0.01) and reduced bicarbonate (P < 0.05) and the pressure of carbon dioxide (PCO₂) (P < 0.05). pH (P < 0.05), bicarbonate (P < 0.01) and PCO₂ (P < 0.05) were lower during swimming in the IMF trial. Blood lactate was similar before both trials (P > 0.05) but was higher (P < 0.01) in the IMF trial after swimming. Pre-induced IMF induced respiratory alkalosis, reduced bicarbonate buffering capacity and slowed swimming speed. Pre-induced and propulsion-induced IMF reflected metabolic acidosis arising from dual role breathing and propulsion muscle fatigue.     

Degradation of lead-based pigments by salt solutions

Interactions of lead-based pigments with a number of inorganic salts, one of the most dangerous degradation agents of wall paintings, were studied under laboratory conditions. The results were used to interpret colour changes observed in 11th century frescoes from the church of Saint George in Kostoľany pod Tríbečom, the oldest preserved wall paintings in Slovakia. Interactions of selected pigments (lead white, massicot, red lead) with different salt solutions were performed within long-term laboratory experiments. We used a selection of naturally occurring salts (Na₂SO₄, MgSO₄, CaSO₄, NaCl, NaNO₃, Ca(NO₃)₂, Na₂CO₃, K₂CO₃ and urea) and, additionally, a range of synthetic salts that are often applied to the wall paintings during their cleaning and conservation (NaHCO₃, KHCO₃, (NH₄)₂CO₃, NH₄HCO₃). The reaction products were identified by X-ray powder diffraction. Red lead (Pb₃O₄) has a tendency to darken in all salt solutions containing dissolved atmospheric CO₂ due to disproportionation to plattnerite (PbO₂) and cerussite (PbCO₃). Massicot (PbO) in a wet state reacts with atmospheric CO₂ to form hydrocerussite and finally cerussite. Lead white (PbCO₃ and Pb₂CO₃(OH)₂) reacts with sulphates, carbonates and chlorides to form their respective salts in high yield and, sometimes, without any apparent colour change. Samples taken from the dark brown parts of the wall paintings in Saint George's church were analysed using laboratory X-ray powder microdiffraction. The presence of hydrocerussite, cerussite, plattnerite and lead magnesium carbonate was revealed. According to the results of laboratory experiments, the original lead-based pigment of the now darkened parts was red lead.     

Impact of primary and secondary social origin factors on the transition to university in the Czech Republic

The main objective of this paper is to show to what extent and why students with the same academic aptitude but different social backgrounds have different odds of entering university. For our analysis, we separated primary and secondary factors of social origin in the formation of educational inequalities. The results show that the primary and secondary factors have approximately the same influence on the transition to university. Czech schools do not affect the process of forming educational aspirations and transition to university, and merely ‘classify’ children according to their social origin. This situation emerged during the socialist era and has remained unchanged after the fall of communism (in 1989). However, the mechanism of the social origin effect has changed – while cultural capital with a ‘direct’ impact had a major role to play during the socialist era, at present there is a rather ‘indirect’ influence through economic capital.     

基于生物细胞弹性理论分析供应商关系对供应链弹性的影响

基于生物细胞弹性理论建立了供应链弹性模型,研究了制造商与不同供应商之间的合作关系在需求中断事件的冲击下如何影响供应链的弹性。研究结果表明：加强与自身弹性更强的供应商的合作更能够提高供应链弹性,降低供应链的损失;当供应链上下游企业之间的合作程度较低时,加强两者之间的合作能够迅速提高供应链弹性,而当上下游之间的合作程度较高时,继续加强合作对供应链弹性的影响较小,因此在一定范围内增强上下游之间的合作关系是提高供应链弹性相对经济有效的方法。     

Stimulators and barriers towards social innovations in public libraries: Qualitative research study

Public libraries have a huge potential to be creators and facilitators of social innovation in communities and society. Qualitative research based on interviews with 27 librarians showed that social innovation in libraries can take the form of educational and cultural activities, leisure and networking activities and social support services. The main goal of the research was to find out what factors support and make these innovations difficult in public libraries. A four-layer model of barriers and stimulators for social innovation is presented, which includes structural, local, organizational and personnel levels. The model could serve to inform librarians, their stakeholders and governments about all levels of barriers and stimulators connected to innovation of library services and social re-positioning of public libraries in the future.