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The time pupils spend at school provides a very small benefit to pupils’ movement activity. At a time when many school-age children lack physical activity, it is necessary to think about how to integrate more movement into the period that the child spends at school. The paper is based on the assumption that outdoor education can contribute to the development of movement activity of pupils, and the paper aims to determine to what extent. For model pupils, the calorie count and metabolic discharge, including sedentary analysis, were recorded through an ActiGraph accelerometer during 4-hour lessons of different types of education days. The result is that outdoor education can serve as an appropriate complement to learning that contributes to the development of pupils’ knowledge and skills while working in a real environment but also acts as a mean of increasing the possibilities for movement for pupils during their schooling.

The V4 countries went through a transformation of their entire economies, including the agricultural sector, in the 1990s. Each of these countries approached the transformation of agriculture differently, but later the V4 countries’ approach to agricultural development was unified by the EU's common agricultural policy. The aim of the paper was to compare the development of the production (sown area and hectare yield) of selected most commonly cultivated crops in Slovak and Czech regions (NUTS 3) in the period between 2004 and 2017. The development of production in these two countries was also evaluated against the trends of V4 countries. Based on these analyses, common and specific agriculture development trends in V4 countries were revealed. A chronological average was used to evaluate the average values of the monitored indicators in the period from 2004 to 2017 in Slovak and Czech regions. To express the development of the given indicators between 2004 and 2017, the change index was used and visualised cartographically. Regression analysis was used to show the development trends of agricultural production in the V4 countries. In general, the agricultural sectors in the V4 countries show similar characteristics with similar trends, and the average hectare yield has a modest growing trend. In terms of the structure of the cultivated plants, the size of the cultivated areas, the volume of production and the average hectare yields, there have been considerable changes to crop farming in Slovak and Czech regions. The study showed that the changes in the agrarian sector after the year 2004 conditioned by the entry of Czechia and Slovakia into the European Union were reflected in a decrease in crop production and an increase in regional disparities. From the point of view of the production indicator expressing the hectare yield of crops, Czechia achieves better indicator values than does Slovakia.

This study was designed to analyse the way in which outdoor education (OE) is implemented at selected elementary schools providing the primary and lower secondary education. To understand the statu...

The geography curriculum at primary and secondary schools in Czechia is undergoing a revision. This study aims to identify aspects of the current curriculum that may assist in the formulation of re...

Since its accession to the EU, the Czech Republic has gradually strengthened its support for area-based approaches in local development. In the light of the increasing financial support and the growing number of local action groups (LAGs), optimism seems to be appropriate that the elements of local governance have the potential to be implemented in the Czech Republic now more than ever before. Community-Led Local Development (CLLD) in the programming period of 2014–2020, however, throws away the advantage of having the local focus, one of the essential elements of integrated territorial development tools. We back up this claim with an analysis of the implementation process of the CLLD method at the national level, the evaluation of the strategic and implementation parts of the 43 strategies of CLLD LAGs, and in-depth interviews with 23 LAG managers. Our results show that the offer only partially meets the identified local needs of LAGs. The final strategy of CLLD has been created in the background of the pragmatic approach of actors in the territory influenced by the defined range of topics. The potential for the strengthening of local governance is limited, while a hidden top-down effect is applied.

The status of geography as a separate school subject in Czechia is being increasingly questioned as pupils’ interest in it is declining. Pre-service teachers (i.e. teacher trainees at universities)...

The position of geography in Czechia at all levels of education has been declining. In order to improve this situation, it is necessary to innovate university pre-service teachers’ training. It is necessary, however, to first examine Czech pre-service geography teachers’ perspectives of geography as a discipline – and their perspectives of geography teaching. The analytical framework of the study is based on Simon Catling’s typology of geography perspectives. The survey was conducted with 183 pre-service geography teachers at nine geography departments in eight Czech universities. In the questionnaire survey the respondents ranked seven statements belonging to the perspectives of geography as a discipline and to geography teaching. In general, the most commonly held perspectives of geography as a discipline were “Interactionist”, “Earthist”, and “Globalist”. The “Globalist” perspective predominantly concerns perspectives of geography teaching. Research findings are used to formulate recommendations for the remedy of the image of geography.

The paper presents the results of the study on participative mapping of landscape values and conflicts and a subsequent interpretation of the indicated localities from respondents’ point of view. The study focused on younger groups of landscape users—lower-secondary-school students (aged 11–15) and university students (aged 20–25)—in comparison with experts’ points of view. The research presumed that the perception of landscape values and issues are determined by age, level of education and by experience in the field. The study was conducted in the southeastern area of the Czech Republic (49° N, 16° E) via online data collection. Based on the obtained records, we conclude that, in terms of the typology of the valuable and problematic locations, the individual groups of respondents did not differ significantly and the selection of location types was similar across all groups. Lower-secondary-school students rather identified cultural values associated with everyday activities, and the descriptions contained emotional overtones. University students preferred natural values associated with formal values based on general consensus or conflicts associated with society-wide impacts. The experts base served as the benchmark for other groups.

Outdoor education is a teaching strategy that is considered an integral component of geography education. This article deals with the benefits of outdoor education as perceived by teachers, pupils, and parents for learner development in the areas of knowledge, skills, attitudes, and interpersonal relationships. To obtain the data, the semi-structured interviews with 18 elementary school teachers were realized. Then, based on the interview results, one model school was chosen to conduct a questionnaire survey among the pupils and their parents. The research shows that teachers see the benefits of outdoor education in both the cognitive area and the affective aspect of education and know that learners gain certain skills and knowledge during outdoor education. Conversely, parents see the greatest benefit in the area of attitudes and interpersonal relationships. Finally, learners perceive outdoor education as entertainment and time spent outside the classroom rather than a learning process.

The outdoor education is an educational form that can be included in the teaching process at elementary and secondary schools. What remains often neglected (and what is marginalized in Czech literature) is both formal and procedural part of outdoor education. The authors of this paper assume that the inclusion of outdoor education in the teaching process is inconceivable in most Czech schools. The presented study analyses the conception of outdoor education at selected primary schools in Czechia. The first phase of research consists of the content analysis of School Education Programs (SEP, i.e. school curricula). This analysis was made in relation to outdoor education on a sample of 50 schools from Czechia. The aim of this step was to analyse the formal part of the outdoor education at selected schools. It means to identify both partial forms of outdoor education and partial educational themes as well as the educational connection of the content of school learning (traditionally indoor) and outdoor education. Time management of outdoor education, its overall concept and the interdisciplinary character was further investigated. The next phase of our research – the structured interview with teachers at nine model elementary schools – specifies and deepens the above described results achieved in the first phase. Interviews were conducted with 18 teachers (9 of them teaching at the first stage of elementary school and 9 teaching at the second stage of elementary school). Selection of these schools was based on the knowledge that the outdoor education has been implemented in these schools continuously for many years, using different forms of outdoor education (both of this was identified in SEPs). The analysis of SEPs showed that the SEP particularly differs by the extent of the description of individual teaching subjects and their content. The most differences were found in the various forms of outdoor education, in terms of quantity and quality of learning. Subsequent interviews with teachers have confirmed these differences, on the other hand, the results have pointed to several additional information which is not possible to obtain in any other way.

This paper presents the results of the analysis of more than 150 different printed newspaper weather forecasting maps, representing 91 global, national, regional and local daily news period...

The concept responds to insufficient support for developing geoinformation skills in Czech lower and upper secondary schools. It aims to create an interconnected system for developing geoinformation skills in teaching at lower and upper secondary schools, emphasising the implementation of GIS tools and proposing principles for the development of geoinformation skills in teaching. For this purpose, a matrix of learning tasks is created, arranged according to individual geoinformation skills – reading, selection, use, creation and sharing. The concept is intended mainly for pre-service and in-service geography teachers at lower and upper secondary schools, authors of school educational programs or teachers in non-formal education. The concept, including learning tasks and other materials, is available online at https://gitdoskol.ped.muni.cz.

Steroidal compounds have been utilized as carriers and for modification of physico-chemical properties of model biologically active secondary alcohols – juvenoids. Juvenoids are juvenile hormone analogues – environmentally safe insecticides, possessing significant biological activity towards different arthropods groups in focus on insect pest species. Structure modification of juvenoids plays important role to control the rate of liberation and decomposition of juvenoid in digestive system and can also play important role in the mode of action towards selected insect. This study presents an approach to the synthesis of steroidal monomers and dimers carrying one and two molecules of a juvenoid in their structures. The prepared compounds were tested for their inhibition activity on reproduction of the blowfly Neobellieria (Sarcophaga) bullata. These steroid–juvenoid conjugates showed promising possibilities in synthesis of new unique biochemical insecticides. Preliminary biological test results of prepared compounds are presented.

During the last decade or two the interest towards small molecules capable of self-assembly leading to gelation has increased intensively. The investigation of these supramolecular gels aims not only at understanding the fundamental processes underlying gel formation but also at development of new materials with a myriad of applications. Steroids are widely-spread natural products with a large and rigid steroidal nucleus combined with derivatizable functional groups leading to an adjustable polarity profile, which makes them attractive building blocks when designing novel low molecular weight gelators. Due to their unique properties, steroid-based supramolecular gels may find use in applications ranging from materials science and nanoelectronics to their application as reaction media or as sensing and responsive materials. Moreover, biomaterials based on steroidal gels may find use in biomedicine, drug delivery, regenerative medicine, and tissue engineering. This article summarizes the most recent advances in the field of steroidal supramolecular gels in terms of steroid-derived hydro- and organogels, metallogels, two-component gels, and stimuli-responsive gels. Furthermore, the potential applications of the systems are discussed.

The aim of the article is to evaluate the subjective aspects of the quality of life and local conditions for living in the area of the Local action group Podhůří Železných hor. In order to achieve this goal, a questionnaire survey was conducted. Also interviews with selected actors and discussion meetings with the public were used. where participatory methods of public involvement were used. Participatory methods of public participation were useful in the discussion meetings. A combination of quantitative and qualitative methods was used. Standard methods were used for evaluation - basic statistical and thematic analysis. Thanks to the used methods, the local context was included in the evaluation. The highest rated area was nature and natural environment. Conversely, interpersonal relationships were the worst rated. According to the results, most need to improve are non-motorized transport and social services for seniors.

Uniform wages offered by the public administration are not always competitive compared to private sector wages in every district. This is reflected in high levels of turnover, vacancies or an unbalanced age structure of employees and leads to a lower quality of public services provided. One way to address this would be to introduce a system to compensate for regional pay gaps. The aim of our paper is to propose a mechanism for determining the regional compensatory allowance for employees of district offices. We used two approaches to determine it. The first consists in expressing the share of individual salary classes in the national average wage and their subsequent reflection on individual regions and districts. The second is based on calculation of the gaps between individual salary classes and their subsequent projection into individual regions and districts. Together, we offer 4 scenarios (2 theoretical approaches with 2 variants) for determining the regional compensatory allowance. The result is regional pay scales and tables with the amount of the regional compensation surcharge, as well as a quantification of each scenario. From our point of view, the most suitable for implementation is a scenario based on the projection of the share of wages in the average regional wage at the district level.

The atlas The Moravian Karst and its Environs includes an area which is used for outdoor activities by a number of schools not only from the Czech Republic, of all types and grades. The needs of fieldwork in the frame of teacher education at PdF MU were taken into consideration. The mission of the Atlas is to raise the desire to learn something new about processes which shaped and still shape the landscape of the Moravian Karst and its environs. The Atlas itself is composed of two parts. The first part is formed of thematically oriented maps with a scale of 1 : 160,000 and 1 : 400,000. It contains an overall overview of the chosen area and a description of its basic natural and cultural characteristics. The second part comprises detailed maps with a 1 : 20,000 scale which contain a huge amount of additional information. Its main goal is to support its users in their exploration of areas they choose from maps and thus help them to explore points of interest which are depicted by cartographic symbols.

In the 1990s, a new method of endogenous development called ‘LEADER’ associated with elements of local governance began to be implemented in a number of rural areas of the European Union (EU). As the method had proved to be successful, the need to implement it arose in the countries which accessed to the EU in 2004. Post-socialist states had limited experiences with the application of local governance concepts. The aim of the chapter is to assess the process of implementation of the LEADER method in the Czech Republic in the view of two research questions: was a sufficient institutional capacity created to initiate local governance in rural areas of the Czech Republic, and how does the applied form of implementation influence its functioning and development? The authors used an analysis of relevant policy documents, spatial statistics of Local Action Groups (LAGs) and a questionnaire survey among LAG managers. The results show that the possibilities of the initiation of local governance have grown since 2004, as the institutional capacity (LAGs) has been gradually built for almost the entire territory of the Czech Republic. The authors argue that quantitative progress was not accompanied by qualitative progress as the strengthening of national regulation and control and the limited scope for the support of the thematic areas defined by the state agencies have placed limitations on the elements of local governance in the current period.

The presented article focuses on the characteristics, origin and development of the establishment of regions in the Czech Republic. The basis discussions concerning decentralization, self-government and regional self-government establishment in the Czech Republic and the basis characteristics of territorial self-government units will be described. The article also introduces selected political concepts from the course of the 1990s, which focused on the formation of higher territorial units. Legislative documents and issues that are in the competence of individual regional self-governments will also be discussed. An important agenda of individual regional councils is also regional policy, which will be presented and described in more detail. The aim of the article is to present the process of the establishment of regions in the Czech Republic and the competences of regions in the field of regional policy. It is a case study, which was carried out on the basis of relevant literature and data from the Czech Statistical Office. The main finding of the article is the analysis of individual processes that led to the emergence of regions in the Czech Republic on the basis of the ideas of individual political parties on the issue of regional establishment and on the establishment of regional policy.

The article presents selected results of the analysis of a sample of voluntary associations of municipalities, which was carried out in connection with the elaboration of the methodology of well-functioning associations by the Czech Ministry of the Interior. Multipurpose voluntary associations operating in a functional micro-region identical or similar to the ORP territory (territory of municipalities with extended power) were examined. The formal aspects of their functioning, managerial models, methods of communication, value aspects, etc. were examined. This article focuses on the first examined area, ie. the formal aspects of the functioning of associations. It is based on a formal analysis of the founding documents and articles of association, their comparison and assessment. The information was subsequently verified in the form of controlled interviews with representatives of the unions. The survey shows that the variability in the setting of organs and relationships within the bundles is not significant, it concerns only some roles and names (designations) of organs. I.e. all the associations examined showed the same similar features in terms of the division of tasks between the supreme and executive bodies. Partial differences were identified in the relationship between the highest and the executive body (within the scope of the tasks that were delegated), in the way of recruiting new members, and the sanction of the member community in case of non-fulfillment of obligations. The chairman always represents the association externally. He himself, or in cooperation with the secretary or his deputy (occasionally) participates in organizing the operation of the association. Associations seldom create bodies of working, initiating or control nature. Their position does not have to be regulated by the statutes. Subsequently, recommendations for the effective operation of the bundles are formulated. In the event that the chairman cannot devote himself to the activities of the association on a full-time basis, it is necessary for the successful operation of the union to appoint the position of manager or secretary.

This paper addresses the lack of international knowledge and research in interdisciplinary curriculum development and teaching in the subjects of Physical Education and Geography. The authors analy...

Background: Many European countries experience health workforce skill-mix changes due to population ageing, multimorbidity and medical technology. Yet, there is limited cross-country research in hospitals. Methods: Cross-sectional, observational study on staff role changes and contributing factors in nine European countries. Survey of physicians, nurses and managers (n = 1524) in 112 hospitals treating patients with breast cancer or acute myocardial infarction. Group differences were analysed across country clusters (skill-mix reform countries [England, Scotland and the Netherlands] versus no reform countries [Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Norway, Poland and Turkey]) and stratified by physicians, nurses and managers, using Chi-squared, Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal Wallis tests. Results: Nurses in countries with major skill-mix reforms reported more frequently being motivated to undertake a new role (66.5%) and having the opportunity to do so (52.4%), compared to nurses in countries with no reforms (39.2%; 24.8%; p

Přispěvek seznamuje ctenaře s výsledky analýzy ucebnich uloh vyskytujicich se ve vybraných, aktualně použivaných ceských ucebnicich zeměpisu pro zakladni skoly. S důrazem na jejich potencialni využiti pro výuku v terenu. Analyzovano bylo dvacet ucebnic pro 6. až 9. rocnik ZS. V prvni fazi analýzy rozhodla dvojice autorů pomoci metody cross-check, zda je dana uloha využitelna jako namět pro výuku v terenu ci nikoliv. Ulohy oznacene jako vhodne pro terenni výuku byly sepsany a oznaceny. U každe ulohy bylo identifikovano aktivni sloveso, pomoci nějž je uloha zadana. Dale jsme kriticky řadili ulohy podle kognitivni narocnosti do jednotlivých kategorii revidovane Bloomovy taxonomie cilů. Kognitivni narocnost byla zjisťovana porovnanim obsaženeho aktivniho slovesa v analyzovane uloze s aktivnimi slovesy, ktera různi autoři doporucuji pro jednotlive kategorie revidovane Bloomovy taxonomie cilů. Dale bylo sledovano, zda jsou v ucebnicich zeměpisu pro vyssi rocniky (8.–9. roc.) ZS vice zastoupeny narocnějsi ulohy formulovane pomoci aktivnich sloves vyžadujicich zapojeni vyssich kognitivnich operaci než v ucebnicich pro nižsi rocniky (6.–7. roc.)

The shrinking of cities is a process that accompanies cities in post-conjunctural changes, when they are entering a phase of economic decline and the decline in population connected with it. The Ostrava-Karvina area is one of the economically problematic regions in the Czech Republic nowadays but it used to be ranked as one of the economic heartlands in the period of socialism. The region, dependent on bituminous coal mining and heavy industry, gradually began to decline after the year 1989 and one of the consequences is a significant decline in its population. This paper deals with identification of the causes and consequences of shrinking cities explained through the example of the town of Karvina through an analysis of quantitative data, questionnaire surveys, and semi-structured interviews. The questionnaire survey revealed that the main reason causing the departure of young and educated citizens is the lack of work opportunities. High unemployment and thus the presence of many socially disadvantaged people causes the atmosphere in the city to deteriorate, and this is accompanied by social problems, such as ageing of the population or criminality. Lack of safety of citizens and a bad environment are other reasons why young people leave the city. The decreasing number of citizens closes the vicious circle by leading to a lower demand for services, closing of shops and other services and increasing numbers of empty houses and flats. Another essential part of the paper is the question of possible measures by the local authority leading to the elimination of these undesirable phenomena, but also the belief in the necessity of help from the government.

1. Sesquiterpenes, constituents of plant essential oil, are popular bioactive compounds due to the positive effect on human health, but their potential toxicity and possible herb-drug interactions are often omitted. In our in vivo study, we followed up the effect of p.o. administration of two sesquiterpenes β-caryophyllene oxide (CAO) and trans-nerolidol (NER) on various xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes in mice liver and small intestine. 2. To spot the early effect of studied compounds, enzymatic activity and mRNA levels were assessed 6 and 24 h after single dose. 3. CAO and NER markedly increased cytochromes P450 (CYP2B, 3A, 2C) activity and mRNA levels in both tissues. Liver also showed elevated activity of aldo-ketoreductase 1C and carbonyl reductase after treatment. Contrary, sesquiterpenes decreased NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1 activity in small intestine. Among conjugation enzymes, only liver sulfotransferase activity was increased by sesquiterpenes. 4. Our results document that single dose of sesquiterpenes modulate activities and expression of several xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes.

Background One approach to improve effect of chemotherapy is combination of classical cytostatic drugs with natural compounds, e. g. sesquiterpenes. In our previous study, sesquiterpenes β-caryophyllene oxide (CAO) and trans-nerolidol (NER) improved the anti-proliferative effect of doxorubicin (DOX) in intestinal cancer cell lines. Purpose The present study was designed to evaluate the effect of CAO and NER on DOX efficacy, focusing on cell proliferation, migration, apoptosis and DOX accumulation in breast cancer cells MDA-MB-231 and MCF7 in vitro and in mice bearing solid Ehrlich tumors (EST) in vivo. Methods The impact of cytotoxic effect was assessed by the neutral red uptake test. The ability to migrate was tested using real-time measurement in x-CELLigence system. Expressions of molecules were examined using western blot analysis. The accumulation of DOX inside the cells using time lapse microscopy was observed. The mice with inoculated EST cells were treated repeatedly with DOX and DOX + CAO or DOX + NER and the growth of tumors were monitored. DOX concentrations in plasma and tumor were assayed using HPLC. Results In MDA-MB-231, combination of DOX with CAO enhanced anti-proliferative effect and acted strongly synergistic. NER increased accumulation of DOX inside the cells; moreover combination DOX with NER suppressed migration ability in vitro. In vivo, apoptosis was activated especially in group treated with DOX and CAO. However, none of tested sesquiterpenes was able to improve DOX accumulation in tumors and DOX-mediated inhibition of tumor growth. Conclusion In conclusion, sesquiterpenes CAO and NER increased the efficacy of DOX in breast cancer cells in vitro, but did not improve its effect in vivo, in Ehrlich solid tumor bearing mice.

Autorky přispěvku předkladaji souhrn aktualnich doporuceni týkajicich se zavaděni a osetřovani perifernich žilnich katetrů. Vychazeji z aktualnich doporuceni narodnich i mezinarodnich organizaci (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Infusion Nurses Society, Spolecnost pro porty a periferni žilni katetry).

Certifikovana metodika terenni výuky pro zakladni skoly představuje „navod“ jak, kdy, kde a v jakých formach je vhodne zařazovat terenni výuku připravenou a vedenou ucitelem tak, aby obsahově navazovala na ucivo probirane ve skole a prohlubovala jej. Soucasti metodiky jsou podrobne přiklady výukových temat využitelných v prostředi města i venkovske obce, pokyny k zajistěni bezpecnosti terenni výuky, legislativni předpisy spojene s výukou v terenu a přiklady využiti specifických výukových pomůcek.

The publication aims to promote outdoor education as a strong teaching strategy, to describe its links to the school curriculum, and to offer teachers a helping hand in developing the concept of outdoor education. All of this is based on exploring the benefits of outdoor education in teaching and promoting physical activity, which is a natural part of it. The first part of the book analyses how outdoor education is established in the Czech school curriculum, outlining the steps necessary for outdoor education to be implemented, in terms of preparation of both the teachers and pupils. This section also provides recommendations for the development of an outdoor education concept for elementary schools. The second part of the publication is devoted to outdoor education research conducted in cooperation with elementary school teachers, pupils of a model elementary school and their parents, are presented in detail.

Cilem clanku je identifikovat hlavni slabiny a přednosti města Ceska Lipa, ktere mohou ovlivňovat jeho zmensovani se reprezentovane zejmena ubytkem poctu obyvatel. Pro dosaženi cile byla provedena strucna analýza dat týkajici se obyvatelstva a vyhodnoceny vybrane otazky dotaznikove setřeni mezi obyvateli, ktere bylo provedeno při přiležitosti zpracovavani strategickeho planu města. Na veřejnem projednani tehož dokumentu byl obyvateli města vytvořen podklad pro zpracovani pocitove mapy města. Z výsledků vsech uvedených metod vyplýva, že hlavni faktory vedouci ke zmensovani se Ceske Lipy lze hledat v oblasti socialni a ekonomicke. Naopak přednosti města spocivaji ve vzhledu historickeho jadra města, urovni technicke infrastruktury, podminek pro předskolni vzdělavani a přiměstske a městske dopravy.

During last two decades Czech agriculture has gone through significant changes: the transition of agriculture in the 1990s and the entrance of the Czech Republic into the EU and its commitment to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). Both of these changes contributed to the structural and regional differentiation of Czech agriculture and exposed it to competition with the whole of Europe. Furthermore, CAP exposed Czech agriculture to uneven conditions for farmers within the EU. The most significant results of these changes have been a decrease in the agricultural sector output, a reduction in farm animals bred, and shrinkage of arable land. On the other hand, many non-productive and non-agricultural activities in the rural areas are subsidised, which offers farmers new possibilities of development. The aim of this paper is to analyse the structural and spatial change in Czech agriculture between 2000 and 2010 on the basis of Agrocenzus data supplemented by opinions of farmers gained in a series of interviews.