Three Essays on the Interconnectedness of Labor Markets and Household Finance

This dissertation consists of three self-contained essays that investigate the interconnectedness of labor markets and household finance. The first two chapters focus on differences in workers' labor market experience and on how this heterogeneity influences their financial decisions. The first chapter shows that differences in unemployment risk produce long-lasting effects on lifetime earnings, consumption, and wealth, while the second chapter shows that an important part of the observed heterogeneity in households' portfolio choices can be rationalized by the empirically observed differences in labor market risk. In the third chapter the perspective changes, as this final chapter analyses how shocks in financial markets propagate through household balance sheets to produce macroeconomically relevant effects on the labor market. Using the evidence from the Great Recession, I show that households' limited ability to obtain mortgage credit in the aftermath of the financial crisis of 2007 resulted in fewer firms being created, which consequently negatively affected aggregate job creation

Cómo relatar el ritual religioso en el teatro. El Palimpsestos de Gérard Genette aplicado en el Rudens de Plauto y en la Venice Sauvée de Simone Weil

In theatre, actors often perform religious rituals on stage. In this article, we argue that in some cases, like in Plautus and Simone Weil, religious rituals are not just imitated but the specific performative structure of the ritual enhances the affective charge of the theatre play. To illustrate this technique we apply Gérard Genette’s theory of hypertextuality to develop a new concept of hyper-performativity. Consequently, we analyze Plautus’ Rudens and Simone Weil’s Venise sauvée to portray their hyper-performative techniques, in antiquity as well as in late modernity, how to write religious rituals into theatre.En el teatro, los actores a menudo realizan rituales religiosos en el escenario. En este estudio defendemos que en algunos casos, como en Plauto y en Simone Weil, los rituales religiosos no son sólo imitados, sino que la estructura performativa específica del ritual realza la carga afectiva de la obra teatral. Para ilustrar esta técnica, aplicamos la teoría de la hipertextualidad de Gérard Genette en el desarrollo de un nuevo concepto de hiper-performatividad. Por consiguiente, analizamos el Rudens de Plauto y la Venise sauvée de Simone Weil con el fin de mostrar sus técnicas hiper-performativas para escribir rituales religiosos en el teatro, tanto en la Antigüedad como en la Modernidad tardía

THE COMPUTER AS A MODERN FORM OF COMMUNICATION IN THE EDUCATIONAL PROCESS FROM THE TEACHERS` POINT OF VIEW

Effective integration of information and communication technology (ICT) into the teaching process is becoming an indispensable part of an effective educational process. In this study, the research was conducted at reprezentative sample of teachers teaching Design and technology in primary school in Slovenia on the use of the computer and the applicability of individual forms of e-learning in class and reported on the actual use of the computer in their classroom. The basic finding of the study is that teachers do use computers in class and that they are inclined towards using different forms of e-learning. Their position regarding the use of the computer in class is positive, with the exception of the attitude towards the knowledge and experiences acquired during their undergraduate study. Such information indicates that in the future, special attention must be given to the training of teachers for the use of the computer already during undergraduate study

THE PROBLEM OF VALUES IN PSYCHIATRY: A CONTRIBUTION OF PHILOSOPHY TO MEDICAL EDUCATION

Even though medical ethics has recently become a rather prominent area in healthcare, there are still institutions in some European countries where mentally ill patients are treated inhumanely. In order to help abolish such institutions, it is fundamental to further emphasize human ethics and ensure that it is duly taken into account – where necessary – medical education. A deep philosophical analysis of how we can improve medical education through appropriate modern approaches has been done. Prior research has shown that implementing what we call a holistic model grounded on interdisciplinarity into higher education significantly improves and deepens the level of knowledge. Basing on the importance of educational constructivism and the integration of history and philosophy of science in science education, there is a potential to improve medical education. The research aims to present a philosophical and historical reflection on psychiatry and to provide the guidelines to improve medical education. In particular, it is discussed the problem of value-ladenness in psychiatry from two different perspectives. The first, developed by the contemporary philosopher Rachel Cooper, points out how this commitment to values not only generates questions regarding the definition and the characterization of mental disorders, but also influences the epistemology of psychiatry in empirical research and methods. The second regards the more continental-influenced philosophical thought of the Italian psychiatrist Franco Basaglia, who succeeded in changing the educational and therapeutic practices in the relationship between health workers and patient. The concept of "meeting" is fundamental to translate Basaglia's suggestions in new guidelines for contemporary medical education. Keywords: medical education, medical ethics, philosophy of science, science education, value-ladenness in psychiatr

Razvoj in validacija Instrumenta za merjenje učinkovitosti mentorstva na pedagoški praksi

In the context of improving the quality of teacher education, the focus of the present work was to adapt the Mentoring for Effective Primary Science Teaching instrument to become more universal and have the potential to be used beyond the elementary science mentoring context. The adapted instrument was renamed the Mentoring for Effective Teaching Practicum Instrument. The new, validated instrument enables the assessment of trainee teachers’ perceived experiences with their mentors during their two-week annual teaching practicum at elementary and high schools. In the first phase, the original 34-item Mentoring for Effective Primary Science Teaching instrument was expanded to 62 items with the addition of new items and items from the previous works. All items were rephrased to refer to contexts beyond primary science teaching. Based on responses on an expanded instrument received from 105 pre-service teachers, of whom 94 were females in their fourth year of study (approx. age 22–23 years), the instrument was reviewed and shortened to 36 items classified into six dimensions: personal attributes, system requirements, pedagogical knowledge, modelling, feedback, and Information and Communication Technology due to outcomes of Principal Component and Confirmatory Factor analyses. All six dimensions of the revised instrument are unidimensional, with Cronbach alphas above 0.8 and factor loadings of items above 0.6. Such an instrument could be used in follow-up studies and to improve learning outcomes of teaching practice. As such, specific and general recommendations for the mentee, mentors, university lecturers, and other stakeholders could be derived from the findings to encourage reflection and offer suggestions for the future. (DIPF/Orig.

Property Analysis of the Agricultural Machinery Lubricants

Moramo proizvesti dovoljno zdrave i jeftine hrane te očuvati ekologijsku ravnotežu. To je moguće postići korištenjem dosadašnjih spoznaja te suvremene tehnologije i suvremenih strojnih sustava. Strojna oprema u poljodjelstvu, u koju se ulaže 40 - 60% svih sredstava, slabo je iskorištena i održavana. To je posljedica neznanja i prevelike razdrobljenosti poljodjelskih površina. Zabrinjava podatak da u Sloveniji postoji više od 140.000 traktora, a da je prosječna starost tih strojeva 9,6 godina, što znači da je 80% sveukupne strojne opreme tehnologijski zastario. U istraživanju se prate tribologijski uvjeti u pojedinim traktorskim sklopovima. U prvom dijelu rada obradili smo uvjete koje zahtijevaju proizvođači traktora u Europi i posebice u Sloveniji, što je u završnoj fazi istraživanja poslužilo za izradbu analize mazivih sredstava. Tako su iz stvarnih odnosa dobiveni podaci o nazočnosti pojedinih tipova traktora. Posebno su izrađene tražene specifikacije maziva za motore, mjenjače, transmisiju, hidrauliku i mokre kočnice. Izvedene su kemijske i mehaničke raščlambe svih nama dostupnih maziva u poljodjelskoj mehanizaciji. Podaci o novim mazivim uljima obrađeni su i usklađeni sa zahtijevanim specifikacijama proizvođača traktora te na taj način izrađen model koji zacijelo pokriva sve tribologijske zahtjeve naših traktora.We need to produce enough healthy and cheap food as well as to preserve the ecologic equilibrium. This can be achived by using modern machinery and up- to-date knowledge and technology. Agricultural machinery, in which 40-60% of all funds are invested, is poorly maintained and underused. The main causes for this are poor knowledge and extensive farm land fragmentation. The fact that over 140,000 tractors in Slovenia are on average 9.6 years old, i.e. that more than 80% of overall agricultural machinery is obsolete, should be a matter of serious concern. In the paper we follow tribological conditions in particular tractor assemblies. In the first part of the paper we have treated the required conditions of tractor manufacturers in Europe and primarily in Slovenia, what has served us in the final phase of the research for elaboration of the model. In this way we have got data about the presence of particular tractor types. We have separately elaborated the necessary specifications of engine lubricants, transmission, gears, hydraulics and wet breaks. We have carried out chemical and mechanical analyses of all accessible lubricants in agricultural mechanisation. The results of the new oils were coordinated with the required specifications of tractor manufacturers and so we have got such a model, that certainly meet all lubricating requirements of our tractors

Does the transcription factor AP-2β have an impact on the genetic and early environmental influence on ethanol consumption?

Genes involved in alcoholism have consensus sites for the transcription factor activator protein (TFAP) 2β. In the present study, we investigated TFAP-2β protein levels in the ethanol-preferring alko, alcohol (AA) and the ethanol-avoiding alko, non-alcohol (ANA) rat lines. Furthermore, basal and ethanol-induced TFAP-2β levels were examined in Wistar rats exposed to different early postnatal environments that are known to affect later ethanol consumption. Taken together, we found differences in brainstem TFAP-2β protein between the AA and ANA rats

ULOGA I ZNAČENJE ŠKOLSKOG SAVJETOVANJA U SLUČAJU VRŠNJAČKOG NASILJA

The subject of discussion is peer violence and the role of school counselors when dealing with this problem. The first part of the article gives a definition of peer violence as it applies to the role of the school counselor when dealing with peer violence. The second part of the article shows the results of empirical research which took place in March and April of 2010 on a sample of 428 students from Slovene schools. The fundamental objective of this research was to determine the actual state of this problem in practice: determining the role of school counseling in discovering and solving problems concerning peer violence; finding out whether students trust school counselors, whether they turn to them when in trouble, whether they cooperate with school counselors and if school counseling also works preventively.Tema ovoga rada je vršnjačko nasilje te uloga koju školski savjetnici imaju kada se suočavaju sa spomenutim problemom. Uvodni dio rada definira pojam vršnjačkog nasilja te način na koji ono utječe na rad školskog savjetnika kada se suočava s tim problemom. Drugi dio rada prikazuje rezultate empirijskog istraživanja koje je provedeno u ožujku i travnju 2010. na uzorku od 428 učenika is slovenskih škola. Glavna svrha ovog istraživanja bila je ustanoviti stvarno stanje tog problema u praksi: odrediti ulogu školskog savjetovanja u pronalaženju i rješavanju problema vezanih uz vršnjačko nasilje; otkriti vjeruju li učenici školskim savjetnicima, obraćaju li im se kada imaju problem, odnosno surađuju li s njima, te djeluju li školski savjetnici preventivno