This research was conducted to determine what the nature of teachers’ educational beliefs about teaching, knowledge and learning are, whether there is a relation between their educational beliefs and the way in which they instruct, and if a relation exists, what the nature of such a relation is. Teachers’ educational beliefs about the way in which learners learn and what they are supposed to learn, have a major influence on how the teacher instructs and on how the learners achieve. Educational beliefs are a comprehensive phenomenon and include beliefs about everything. Educational beliefs generally refer to beliefs about teaching, knowledge and learning. The construct epistemological beliefs are actually also used in the literature and can be seen as the more restricted construct that only includes beliefs about knowledge and learning. Both constructs are used in this study. The phenomenon of educational beliefs is used concerning the beliefs about teaching, knowledge and learning, whilst the phenomenon of epistemological beliefs are used when concerned with the beliefs about knowledge and learning. Educational beliefs vary from naïve to sophisticated. Teachers are characterised according to their educational beliefs about teaching as more teacher–centered or more learner–centered. Teachers who are more teacher–centered have more naïve epistemological beliefs and promote superficial learning, which leads to lower academic performances. Conversely, teachers who are more learner–centered have more sophisticated epistemological beliefs that promote an in depth approach to learning, which leads to higher academic performances. The implementation of Outcomes Based Education (OBE) requires inter alia a learner–centered teaching approach and more sophisticated epistemological beliefs. These requirements of OBE poses a major challenge to teachers with more naive epistemological beliefs, because beliefs develop over years and are deeply rooted and difficult to change. With this study it was found that the participants’ epistemological beliefs could be typified as a system including more and less sophisticated epistemological beliefs, thus they did not only have naïve or sophisticated epistemological beliefs. It was also found that the participants of this study were more learner–centered than teacher–centered. Participants with more naïve epistemological beliefs were more teacher–centered compared to participants who had less naïve, thus more sophisticated epistemological beliefs that were more learner–centered. A relation was found between teachers with more naïve epistemological beliefs and a teacher–centered approach and teachers with less naïve epistemological beliefs (thus more sophisticated epistemological beliefs) and a learner–centered approach. / Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

The research question addressed by this dissertation is: How is the tourist experience formed and what constitutes the authenticity of the tourist experience for two market segments (motivated and not motivated by learning) of tourists visiting (political) cultural heritage sites in South Africa. The study explores the correlation between three types of authenticity, namely objective, constructed and existential on two independent tourist samples, motivated and not motivated by learning. This research was initiated for three reasons. The first reason forms part of the research problem; South African cultural experiences received the lowest ratings from the international tourists despite the fact that culture and heritage play a role in reimaging South Africa from Big 5 destination into ‘It’s possible’ and ‘Leave ordinary behind’. It was suspected that not all types of cultural heritage products justify such a low ratings, especially not the political cultural heritage sites South Africa is famous for. The second reason emerged from the academic literature on authenticity theories and calls from the influential group of postmodernist scholars to declare the objective authenticity obsolete and replace it with the existential authenticity. The argument that; the hyperreal nature of the postmodern experience and its detachment from reality makes the authenticity of the site redundant, seemed inapt for cultural heritage sites exclusively dependent on their historical and authentic values. The third reason was the inability of the postmodern paradigm to explain the new tourism phenomenon driven by the tourists search for selfdevelopment through authentic experiences. The new emerging paradigm, transmodernity seemed to offer better theoretical framework in explaining the omnivorouessness of tourists’ consumption and the authentic nature of tourist experiences. The correlational character of the research question required a descriptive correlational design and quantitative methodology. The selected research instrument for primary data collection is a self–administered questionnaire. The sampling strategy is a non–probability sampling, and the sampling method is a convenience or accidental sample. The data was collected from November 2010 to February 2011 at the Constitutional Hill National Heritage Site in Johannesburg. The final sample (436) consists of 254 foreign and 182 domestic tourists. The questionnaire was designed to identify the variables pertinent to each type of authenticity of tourists experience and of the resultant tourist experience. The data analysis provided very interesting results. Firstly, the results of crosstabulation proved that more than half (56%) of the tourists expressed strong agreement that the Constitution Hill provided them with authentic experience, hence a proof that political heritage sites are not responsible for the overall low experiential ratings of the country’s culture and heritage. Secondly, the results of the Spearman’s correlation coefficient proved that objective authenticity as an independent variable have strong positive correlation with constructed and existential authenticity hence a proof that objective authenticity cannot be declared obsolete and replaced with existential authenticity. Finally, the results of the t–test proved that motivation for learning and place of birth do not play an important role in how tourist evaluate and experience the authenticity of the site pointing to the omnivorous nature of tourist consumption. In line with the transmodern paradigm, motivation for learning plays a critical role in triggering the transformative, authentic experience distinctive of the existential authenticity. The results of the study also showed that 32% of tourists are in fact the purposeful, New Age, transmodern Cultural Creatives. Proposed theoretical model of authenticity of tourists experience presents a theoretical platform for future research studies. / Thesis (M.A. (Tourism))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa no Estado do Rio Grande do Sul / We come upon critical about to dance and doing dance through techniques or "nontechnical" based in the repetition and copying movements, studies that warn us to the necessity of theoretical insights to legitimize dance and to dance as an expression and communication. Thinking about Wheelchair Dance (DCR) as a manifestation of increasing dance in search of spaces beyond the standardization of movements and gestures, we traced as the central objective of this study was to establish relationships between the Theory of "Self - Move Human" with the DCR teaching. To do this, we long constitute theorists deepening about the Dance that originated notes on aspects inherent the theme, as expressiveness, sensitivity, perception, body and creativity. From this we outline of intervention possibilities for DCR teaching. We understand that they ought not to study, research, write about Dance, one consisting phenomenon of imperceptible variables, by following a predefined method, based on certain assumptions. We commit to develop a theoretical research, a reflection on Dance, incited to argue and write about this phenomenon, enabling new syntheses go to meet the sense and meaning from our study, of our work. We find, in the dialogic relationship movement, possibilities for "doing dance" of expressive and communicative way, taking into account the senses and meanings intertwined in the movement of the subject danceable. / Deparamo-nos com as críticas acerca do dançar e do fazer dança por meio de técnicas ou não técnicas embasadas na repetição e cópia de movimentos, estudos que nos alertam à necessidade de aprofundamentos teóricos para legitimar a Dança e o dançar enquanto expressão e comunicação. Pensando na Dança em Cadeira de Rodas (DCR) enquanto uma manifestação de Dança crescente em busca de espaços para além da padronização de movimentos e gestos, traçamos como objetivo central deste estudo estabelecer relações entre a Teoria do Se-Movimentar Humano com o ensino da DCR. Para isso, ansiamos constituir aprofundamentos teóricos sobre a Dança que originaram apontamentos sobre aspectos inerentes ao tema, como expressividade, sensibilidade, percepção, corpo e criatividade. A partir disso, delineamos possibilidades de intervenção para o ensino da DCR. Compreendemos que não convém estudar, pesquisar, escrever sobre a Dança, um fenômeno constituído de variáveis imperceptíveis, seguindo um método predefinido, alicerçado em pressupostos determinados. Comprometemo-nos a desenvolver uma pesquisa teórica, uma reflexão sobre a Dança, incitados a argumentar e a escrever sobre esse fenômeno, possibilitando às novas sínteses ir ao encontro do sentido e do significado do nosso estudo, do nosso trabalho. Encontramos, na relação dialógica de movimento, possibilidades para um fazer dança de forma expressiva e comunicativa, levando-se em consideração os sentidos e os significados imbricados no movimento do sujeito dançante.

The theoretical part of the thesis deals with the education of pupils with special needs. It describes the term of integration, its types, forms and grades. Subsequently it focuses on possible problems of integration process and concentrates on integration according to the type and level of individual disability. The practical part reflects the integration process from the classmates? point of view. It presents data from the questionnaire survey made by the author of the thesis and compares them with the data collected with the same questionnaire in 2008 by o.s. Rytmus.

Quantum dots (QDs) are potentially advantageous tools for both diagnostics and therapeutics due to their light emitting characteristics. The impact of QDs on biological systems however, is not fully understood. The aim of this project therefore, was to investigate the interaction of a series of different surface modifies QDs with macrophages and their subsequent toxicity. CdTe/CdSe (core), ZnS (shell) QDs with either an organic, COOH or NH2 polyethylene glycol (PEG) surface coatings were used. Fluorescent COOH polystyrene beads (PBs) at (Ø) 20nm and 200nm were also studied. J774.A1 murine ‘macrophage-like' cells were treated for two hours with QDs (40nM) of PBs ($50μg.ml^{-1}$) in the presence of 10% FCS prior to assessment of cellular uptake via confocal microscopy and flow cytometry. COOH and $NH_{2}$ (PEG) QDs, as well as 20nm and 200nm PBs entered macrophages within 30 minutes, and were found to locate within endosomes, lysosomes and the mitochondria. T.E.M. also illustrated particles, including organic QDs, to be present inside J774.A1 cells within membrane- bound vesicles at two hours. Organic QDs were unable to be visualised via fixed cell confocal microscopy. Live cell confocal microscopy (without 10% FCS) did suggest however, that organic QDs entered cells in low quantities up to 30 minutes, after which fluorescence declined. Particle toxicity was determined over 48 hours via the MTT, LDH and GSH assays, as well as via assessment of their potential to produce the pro-inflammatory cytokine (TNF-α) and effect cytosolic $Ca^{2+}$ signalling in the J774.A1 cells. Organic QDs were found to be highly toxic at all time points and concentrations used. Both COOH and $NH_{2 }$ (PEG) QDs induced significant (p<0.0001) cytotoxicity (MTT and LDH assays) at 80nM after 48 hours, as well as significant (p<0.01) GSH depletion over 24 hours at all doses, as well as increasing the level of cytosolic $Ca^{2+}$ at 40nM when assessed over 30 minutes. Organic and NH2 (PEG) QDs were found to significantly increase TNF-α production after 24 hours at 80nM. The findings of this study demonstrate that QDs differ in their uptake by macrophages according to their surface coating, with the organic surface coated QDs being the most toxic. At sub-lethal concentrations, in the presence of 10% FCS, the COOH and $NH_{2}$ (PEG) QDs are taken up resulting in GSH depletion and modulated $Ca^{2+}$ signalling, with $NH_{2}$ (PEG) QDs and organic QDs only eliciting limited TNF-α production. Interestingly however, despite these observations, QD surface coating does not affect the intracellular fate of these NPs, with all of the different surface coated QDs observed to be present in endosomes, lysosomes and the mitochondria within J774.A1 macrophage cells. Therefore, in conclusion, the surface coating of QDs plays a significant role in their interaction with macrophages, their uptake and their subsequent toxicity.

Title: Functional Data Structures and Algorithms Author: Milan Straka Institute: Computer Science Institute of Charles University Supervisor of the doctoral thesis: doc. Mgr. Zdeněk Dvořák, Ph.D, Computer Science Institute of Charles University Abstract: Functional programming is a well established programming paradigm and is becoming increasingly popular, even in industrial and commercial appli- cations. Data structures used in functional languages are principally persistent, that is, they preserve previous versions of themselves when modified. The goal of this work is to broaden the theory of persistent data structures and devise efficient implementations of data structures to be used in functional languages. Arrays are without any question the most frequently used data structure. Despite being conceptually very simple, no persistent array with constant time access operation exists. We describe a simplified implementation of a fully per- sistent array with asymptotically optimal amortized complexity Θ(log log n) and especially a nearly optimal worst-case implementation. Additionally, we show how to effectively perform a garbage collection on a persistent array. The most efficient data structures are not necessarily based on asymptotically best structures. On that account, we also focus on data structure...

This theses is focused on ethical dilemmas, which can appear during the work with people with disabilities. This work is divided into five main parts. In the first part I describe specifics of the target group and the negative impacts of disabilities which can appear. The second part is focused on social work with this target group. The third part deals with ethics and ethical dilemmas. Here I describe ethics in general view and also in the context of social work. Then I define ethical dilemmas and I describe possible solution, all based on literature. The fourth part is about ethical dilemmas in practice. Namely dilemmas, which were mentioned during research probe under which I have conducted interviews with social workers. The last part concerns the analysis of the ethical dilemma according to three ethical theories.

On the field of social services devoted to children with health handicaps and their families there have been recently established lots of new organizations. So it has been becoming more and more up to date topic. The aim of this thesis, named Expectations of parents about the social services provided by Kaňka o.p.s. Tábor, is to find out actual information whether the parents´ expectations identify with providing of these services. Within this thesis there has been defined the following research question: Do the parents´ expectations correspond with the social services provided? The thesis has been divided into the theoretical and empirical part. The theoretical part has been devoted to the sphere of family, the family surroundings which has been the foundation stone of the life of the children with health handicaps. It is also devoted to parents of children with health handicaps in context of social services provided, characteristic of these families according to the law No. 108/2006 about the social services. There has been specified the social service of early care, personal assistance and day care centre offered by the Kaňka o.p.s. Tábor institution. There have been also mentioned particular therapies realized for the children with health handicaps. The therapies seem to be meaningful for these children at least because the children calm down, entertain, relax and develop during them. There have also been mentioned variety of special aids often used during the activities with these children, which make the care easier not only to the families but to all persons taking care of these children. You can also find there some non-profit institutions in the southern Bohemia region, which provide similar services as Kaňka o.p.s. Tábor does. And last but not least the theoretical part is devoted to the term Expectation itself - what do parents expect of the social services mingled with individual planning of social services, thanks to which the particular organization can be better joined in the process of expectations of the social services. The empirical part deals with the institution Kaňka o.p.s. Tábor with respect to the social services provided to the families of children with health handicaps, who attend this institution. There have besides other things been engaged the other services provided by the institution Kaňka o.p.s. That means therapeutic activities, free time activities, rehabilitation integration stays, one-time activities etc. This part has been enriched with the basic case history of individual clients whose families were part of the research. According to these case histories it is more obvious which clients with a health handicap really attend the institution Kaňka o.p.s. In view of the determined aim there was chosen the qualitative research strategy, the method of asking questions, and the technique of half-structured dialogue. The research was realized in the Kaňka o.p.s. Tábor institution and there were involved twenty respondents. For this research there was chosen the method of intentional choice, that means ten parents of children who attend the Kaňka o.p.s. institution and use the social services there and ten parents of children who also attend this institution and not only use the social services, but also the compulsory education. In the thesis there were determined the spheres of questions relating to the given issues of expectation of the social services provided by Kaňka o.p.s. Tábor. During the data processing, systematization and interpretation there was used selective coding within the method of the contents analysis. There were created categories which facilitate the organization and classification of the data. The result of the thesis has shown that in the research there were involved predominantly women in the age from 40 to 50 and most of them were mothers of the children.

The main objective of this diploma thesis is to characterize forms of education in selected enterprise, analyse it in relation to the corporate culture and suggest changes leading to a desirable future state of the knowledge-based economy. In connection with the theme and the main objective of this thesis is the research also focused on the corporate culture, the recruitment and the selection of employees. The theoretical part consists of theoretical knowledge, which relate to the issue of development of employees through lifelong learning, selection of employees, corporate culture and knowledge economy. The practical part contains information about selected company. This part also analyses the corporate culture, the selection and training of employees, through the use of quantitative and qualitative methods. The obtained results are the basis for proposing effective changes. At the end of the diploma thesis are proposed some changes which should improve the current situation, especially the area of employee training to reach a knowledge-based economy in the future.

This diploma thesis is focused on the prevention and monitoring of healthcare-associated infections at the Hospital Prachatice, a.s. The main objective was to describe current situation in the field of prevention of nosocomial infections in this hospital. I focused on verification of medical personnel knowledge of nosocomial infections, the work of cleaners and the quality of hand hygiene of medical personnel. Diploma thesis is focused on the 4 selected departments of the hospital department of internal medicine, gynecology-obstetric department, surgical department and ARO and ICU. Thesis is divided into theoretical and practical part. The present knowledge about the healthcare-associated infections are processed in the theoretical part. To obtain all needed information was used domestic and foreign professional literature. The practical part was about the observation and the short research in the Hospital Prachatice, a.s. The research part was combined. The qualitative method including short interviews with the cleaners was combined with a quantitative method. Within this quantitative method have been used short questionnaires, which were intended for nurses. With these questionnaires I tried to find out their basic knowledge about nosocomial diseases and how they prevent them. The microbiological department of the Hospital Prachatice, a.s. was helpful in monitoring the quality of hand hygiene through method of microbiological fingerprinting. The questionnaires were handed out to nurses which worked on shift in that time on four mentioned departments of hospital. I return total 32 questionnaires back. Questionnaire had 11 questions and my plan was find out the basic knowledge of nurses about the issue. Interviews were conducted with cleaners working on focused departments where the research took place. The microbial fingerprints of hands were collected from medical staff on current work shift including doctors and cleaners. The fingerprints were made on blood agar where after 24-hours of incubation the colonies of bacteria were evaluated. None of the fingerprints was completely negative. I determined totaly 4 research questions: 1. Are all workers of selected hospital departments well informed about nosocomial diseases? 2. What is the hygiene quality of hands among medical staff? 3. On what hygienic level is job of cleaners how often they are cleaning, which way and how often they are changing the working equipment and are the all hygiene criterions followed? 4. How is manipulated with laundry? The results of the questionnaires was surprised for me because most of the medical personnel correctly answered all the asked questions. It was found a total 16 kinds of gram+ and gram microorganisms during a hand hygiene by microbial fingerprints. Most occurred findings was Staphylococcus epidermidis and Microccocus species. In two cases occurred a epidemiologically significant Staphylococcus aureus, which in both cases was found among cleaners. From my observation, investigation and interviews with cleaners I can infer that the work they are doing, they do really conscientiously and normally the health regulations are not violated. Further was found that the manipulation with laundry in Hospital Prachatice, a.s. is in accordance with the hygiene requirements for medical devices. What is important is the effective education of personnel in the prevention of infections and supervision of compliance of mandated procedures.