Masaryk University Journals / Časopisy Masarykovy univerzity
Not a member yet
25996 research outputs found
Sort by
The perception of relationships and meanings of phraseological expressions among pre-service primary school teachers
No full textThe concept of active listening as a facilitator in developing speaking skills
No full textInterpersonal communication skills have been in demand by employers throughout all academic and industrial fields. Successful managers in engineering are expected to master the rules of effective communication in more than one language. While teaching a B1 course of academic English focusing on listening and speaking, I have been dealing with rather heterogeneous groups of students. As the course is voluntary, some students have a high command of English, thus dominating class discussions, while others choose the course because they failed one of the compulsory courses, which means they very often stay silent. To amend this situation, I decided to introduce to concept of active listening into this course by means of Theory-Guided Communicative Instruction. During in‑class discussions, students were given direct input on active listening with the prospect of avoiding two simultaneous monologues with no responses when sharing an experiential independent talk, learning to ask questions, particularly about understanding correctly both the information given and the language used, building confidence in less skillful students by learning to rephrase other students’ ideas, and reducing the talking time of more skillful students by learning to express ideas concisely. The effectiveness of this intervention was assessed by comparing student before-the-course and after-the-course questionnaires, teacher’s in‑class observations, and final examination evaluation. Active listening strategies proved to be a way of redeeming the above‑mentioned challenges even though the disruptions of technology are to remain a phenomenon to cope with and the practice of paraphrasing and commenting needs more targeted training
From Arctic exceptionalism to military-driven geopolitics: Cooperation and conflict after Russia's invasion of the Ukraine
Full text linkSince February 2022, evolving political dynamics in the Arctic have increasingly challenged the academic credibility of the concept of Arctic exceptionalism. Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine has significantly reshaped the region’s geopolitical landscape, resulting in a marked decline in cooperation between Russia and the Western Arctic states. This erosion of collaboration has substantially hindered Russia’s ability to advance its economic, military, and diplomatic ambitions in the Arctic, although certain initiatives, particularly energy-related, have continued under the revised conditions. Western sanctions have delayed and obstructed critical Russian infrastructure projects in the region, revealing a pronounced dependence on foreign technology. In the security sphere, NATO’s enlargement through the inclusion of Finland and Sweden has shifted the regional balance of power. This empirical political development is fundamentally at odds with the trajectory that might be anticipated if international relations in the region adhered to the functional logic of Arctic exceptionalism. However, despite rising tensions, the prospect of military actions in the Arctic remains low, it is constrained by logistical limitations, economic interdependence, and the prevailing balance of power
Occurrence and group size of seals in the Western Antarctica: Results from the 2023 VII Turkish Antarctic Research Expedition
Full text linkAntarctica offers a unique opportunity to study climate-related changes and ecological responses due to its remoteness and relatively undisturbed ecosystems. Pinnipeds, which are among the top predators in the Southern Ocean, are important bioindicators of environmental conditions. This study presents data on the distribution, species composition, and group sizes of pinnipeds observed during the VII Turkish Antarctic Research Expedition along the Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) in January–February 2023. The observations were conducted both from the research vessel BIO Hespérides and during land-based surveys at nine sites located in the islands off the Danco and Graham Coasts, at the north side of Marguerite Bay, in South Shetland Islands and Trinity Peninsula. A total of 70 sightings were recorded, including five pinniped species from the Phocidae and Otariidae families: southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina), Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii), leopard seals (Hydrurga leptonyx), crabeater seals (Lobodon carcinophaga), and Antarctic fur seals (Arctocephalus gazella). No Ross seals (Ommatophoca rossii) were sighted. Southern elephant seals sightings (n = 40) were the most frequently recorded, especially in the northern part of the study area, with one group comprising up to 250 individuals. Weddell seals (n = 16) were mostly sighted on the sea ice near Adelaide Island, while Antarctic fur seals (n = 8) were observed both on land and at sea, with one unusually large aggregation (approximately 1,000 individuals). Leopard seals (n = 3) and crabeater seals (n = 2) were observed in small numbers, mostly as solitary individuals or in small groups. These results contribute to the baseline knowledge of pinniped distribution patterns along the WAP and provide insights into regional population structures during the austral summer. The data are important for future ecological monitoring and understanding of species-specific responses to environmental changes in Antarctic ecosystems
Psychrotolerant enterobacters inhabiting the gut of Antarctic fishes of the family Nototheniidae and description of Enterobacter hoffmannii subsp. nototheniae subsp. nov.
Full text linkThe gut microbiota of four Antarctic marine fish species – Notothenia coriiceps, Trematomus bernacchii, Trematomus hansoni, and Trematomus newnesi – were analysed, with a particular focus on the members of the Enterobacter cloacae complex. Nineteen isolated strains were characterised by rep-PCR, automated ribotyping, extended phenotyping, and MALDI-TOF MS analysis. Fingerprinting methods grouped the psychrotolerant isolates into two distinct groups, representing the dominant enteric bacteria in the gut contents of these fish. Following their preliminary identification as members of the Enterobacter cloacae complex, additional phylogenetic analyses were conducted using the 16S rRNA and rpoB genes, as well as fatty acid analysis and whole-genome sequencing of two representatives selected based on their fingerprints. All results indicated that the analysed group represents a new autochthonous Enterobacter taxon inhabiting the gut of fish of the family Nototheniidae. Based on average nucleotide identity (ANI) and in silico DNA–DNA hybridization (dDDH) values, the “Enterobacter hoffmannii”, the effectively published but non-valid name, was the most closely related species to representatives of both groups of isolates from the gut of the above-specified notothenioid fish. The name Enterobacter hoffmannii subsp. nototheniae subsp. nov. is proposed, with the type strain P5473T (= CCM 8629T = LMG 34031T), for isolates of Group 1. At the same time, the name Enterobacter hoffmannii subsp. hoffmannii subsp. nov. is suggested for isolates of Group 2, with the existing type strain DSM 14563T = LMG 30171T
A Wolf without Teeth: Electoral Manifestos of the Populist Radical Right Party SPD in the Czech Local Elections
No full textPopulist radical right parties often position themselves at the edges of the political spectrum, particularly at the national level, where they adopt strong nationalist, anti-immigration, and anti-elitist stances. However, these positions often lose relevance at the local level. Local governments have limited power over migration, local elites are embedded within their communities, and broader political frameworks remain unchangeable. This article examines how the Czech radical right party Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) operates locally in the 2018 and 2022 municipal elections. By manually coding 188 electoral manifestos from 141 municipalities, it shows considerable variation in the party’s local strategies. In some municipalities, manifestos contain no signs of populism or radical stances on immigration and nativism. In others, the SPD constructs “the people” and “the elite” in a populist way and adopts clear anti-immigration and nationalist positions, illustrating the diverse nature of its local-level strategies
Leiser, M.: Dark patterns, deceptive design, and the law: AI’s hidden influence on our digital experience
Full text linkAudiovisual Translation as an Integral Part of a Translation Studies Curriculum
No full textThis paper deals with the recent expansion of the scope of audiovisual translation, its newest challenges and consequences for its instructors. Audiovisual translation (AVT) is characterized by its polysemiotic nature and the market has been influenced by the unprecedented surge of digital content in the last years. Industry-oriented approach in AVT teaching that coordinates both classical translation methods with the usage of AI-generated translates is slowly finding its way to the classrooms. The author aims to present best practice for an AVT course which gives an introduction to subtitling and dubbing, being the basic and still most prominent areas of AVT work, and also incorporates methods relating to post-editing, cloud-based collaboration and voice-to-text technology. Although based on the source language combination of Czech and German, the course content may serve as an inspiration for similar courses offered to Translation Studies students and, presumably as individual tasks, for general language courses as well
