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This article explores the complex identities of Sarah and Hagar within the Abrahamic narratives, focusing on themes of victimhood and perpetration. It challenges feminist biblical interpretations that portray Sarah solely as a victim of patriarchal structures or postcolonial interpretations that see Sarah solely as a perpetrator, arguing instead for a nuanced understanding that recognizes her role as both a victim and an oppressor. The article highlights the unique as well as shared struggles of Sarah and Hagar against patriarchy, suggesting that their relationship is emblematic of broader issues of race, class, and gender dynamics. The analysis incorporates illustrations from the literature, urging a re-evaluation of Sarah's character in the light of contemporary discussions on oppression and complicity. By examining the narratives through the lens of cohabiting women, the article illustrates the complexities of their interactions and the implications for modern feminist discourse. Ultimately, it aims to liberate Sarah from her archetypal role, presenting her as a figure whose experiences resonate with the struggles of diverse individuals today, fostering a deeper understanding of victimhood, and promoting a non-violent response to systemic oppression.

The article examines the case study (CS) method of teaching the studies focusing on the European Union (i.e. EU studies) through the lenses of the current debates on the EU’s future which stress the growing cleavage and diversity inside and outside the EU. It is then difficult to present these topics to university students via traditional means, or via existing CS on international relations or EU affairs which are often of Western origin, and thus not always easily transferred to other environments. Its aim is to explore how the CS may be enriched by bringing local narratives. The article investigates the Czech Republic, a relatively newer member of the Union, where the EU studies has suffered from declining interest from students over the last few years. Particularly by employing questionnaires and semi ‑structured interviews with Czech university teachers, we examine the type of CS, the extent to which they are and may be applied as a learning method and what their benefits are towards students, teachers and EU studies as a discipline. Our findings suggest that CS are used by the majority of respondents, but confusion prevails over the way CS should be employed. Moreover, the broader context of the CS learning method is rather neglected. Hence, there is space for greater systematic preparation and possibly for CS templates and samples that can be shared by instructors.

The article focuses on the role of equal opportunities and gender in the sports environment, examining their impacts on the creation and functioning of sports diplomacy. Subsequently, in the form of a case study it first concentrates on the Czech sports environment and women’s representation in international and national sports federations. In the final part, it examines the basketball environment and analyses its individual structures. Women are not sufficiently represented as coaches, referees or officials. Several main challenges are mentioned: the perception of sport as a predominantly male phenomenon, the overall society setting fixed on traditional perceptions of the role of women and men in the Czech Republic, a small number of suitable female sports models, the time-consuming character of the activities, gender stereotypes at work, the absence of suitable conditions for reconciling family and work life and the low self-confidence of female candidates. The article concludes that the Czech sports environment (including basketball) is markedly masculine, and women face a number of barriers, which in practice are reflected in the Czech Republic’s representation in international sport organisations and the way in which sports diplomacy is used as a foreign policy tool.

The story of Jephthah and his daughter (Judg. 11:29–40) is a peculiar and problematic text. This article explores the question of the accountability for the sacrificial act with which the story culminates, and which provokes sharp disapproval in certain quarters, especially because of its gender bias. Applying the hermeneutical framework of René Girard and his distinction between sacrifice in Greek mythology (divinity in charge) and sacrifice in Judeo-Christian revelation (everyone responsible for his/her actions), I investigate the question: Is Jephthah’s daughter a mute puppet in a drama staged by her tyrannical father, or perhaps fate, or is she rather a woman who is responsible for her own actions and accountable only to herself? The answer is twofold: she is a woman fully responsible for herself; however, the responsibility for her premature and violent death is shared by her father, herself, and the biblical author–redactor. After identifying Jephthah’s daughter as a person responsible for her own actions, I aim to overcome the dialectic of “the text of terror” (post-structuralist interpretation) and the search for “herstory” (neoliberal interpretation). I suggest that in her powerlessness against patriarchal tyranny, Jephthah’s daughter nonetheless exerts power and authority in condemning the existing power structures. Without approving any form of sacrifice, reading the story through a lens of powerful powerlessness can help us discern different forms of power and, ultimately, reject the aggression and violence that has dominated our world to this very day.

Kompozit kaolinit/TiO2 (60 hm% TiO2) byl připraven termální hydrolýzou suspenze surového kaolinu v síranu titanylu a kalcinován při různých teplotách (600, 650 a 700°C) a po různou dobu (1, 2 a 3 h). Získaný vzorek byl charakterizován pomocí XRPD, N2 fyzikální adsorpcí a SEM, a testován na fotokatalytickou redukci CO2. Rozdíl kalcinačních podmínek neovlivnil složení fáze TiO2, pouze se mírně pozměnila specifická povrchová plocha a výrazně byla ovlivněna velikost krystalitu kompozitu kaolinit/TiO2. Vyšší teplota a delší doba kalcinace vedly k vyšší krystalitě prášku. Fotokatalytické výsledky ukázaly, že velikost krystality určuje účinnost fotokatalyzítoru kaolinit/TiO2

Redukce CO2 pomocí fotokatalyzátorů je jedna z nejslibnějších metod, jelikož CO2 může být redukován na užitečné sloučeniny ozařováním UV zářením při pokojové teplotě a tlaku. Tato práce byla zaměřena na posouzení vlivu reakčních prostředí na výtěžky fotokatalytické redukce CO2 v přítomnosti nanočástic ZnS nanesených na montmorillonit (ZnS-MMT). Byla testována čtyři různá reakční prostředí, NaOH, NaOH+Na2SO3 (1:1), NH4OH, NH4OH+Na2SO3 (1:1). Výtěžky v obou fázích, plynné (CH4 a CO) i kapalné (CH3OH), byly vyšší v čistém hydroxidu sodném než v hydroxidu amonném. Přídavek Na2SO3 zvýšil výtěžky methanolu a to díky zamezení oxidace vznikajícího methanolu zpět na oxid uhličitý. Výtěžky plynné fáze se však po přídavku Na2SO3 snížily. Nejlepším z testovaných reakčních prostředí pro fotokatalytickou redukci CO2 byl roztok hydroxidu sodného.

This research was aimed at the preparation of a hybrid film based on a layered silicate saponite (Sap) with the immobilized photosensitizer phloxine B (PhB). Sap was selected because of its high cation exchange capacity, ability to exfoliate into nanolayers, and to modify different surfaces. The X-ray diffraction of the films confirmed the intercalation of both the surfactant and PhB molecules in the Sap film. The photosensitizer retained its photoactivity in the hybrid films, as shown by fluorescence spectra measurements. The water contact angles and the measurement of surface free energy demonstrated the hydrophilic nature of the hybrid films. Antimicrobial effectiveness, assessed by the photodynamic inactivation on hybrid films, was tested against a standard strain and against methicillin-resistant bacteria of Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). One group of samples was irradiated (green LED light; 2.5 h) and compared to nonirradiated ones. S. aureus strains manifested a reduction in growth from 1-log 10 to over 3-log 10 compared to the control samples with Sap only, and defects in S. aureus cells were proven by scanning electron microscopy. The results proved the optimal photo-physical properties and anti-MRSA potential of this newly designed hybrid system that reflects recent progress in the modification of surfaces for various medical applications.