New model of school heads preparation, induction and continuing professional development in Poland

During the last few decades there is a growing interest of management issues in the area of education. Educational systems started to require management competencies from school heads and universities all over the world developed different types of courses to train and prepare school heads and school managers from different levels of the system. In the early 1990s, Polish educational system introduced the requirement of at least postgraduate course on educational management as a prerequisite to become a school head. The programmes and content of those postgraduate courses, as well as the whole area of educational management, were and unfortunately still are dominated by managerial perspective of ‘hard’ or ‘technical’ skills and competencies, to say nothing about the fact that they were designed more than twenty years ago and have not changed since then. It is then clear that the challenges of the contemporary world and a growing complexity of organizational problems in educational context raises the question of adequate management or/and leadership of schools that not only balances ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ skills and competencies but also creates proper conditions for educational processes that are specific and cannot be managed or led using expertise that was developed in other areas. The paper tries to give a description of the current state of school heads preparation and professional development in Poland using the data from research on existing cycles of educational management training for future school heads. Showing their limitations the authors present a proposal of new complex model of such preparation, induction and continuing professional development of school leaders based on a broad definition of educational management and/or leadership that focuses on learning and development as the main values important for educational organizations

How parents understand evaluation process : mental models as the main obstacle for engaging parents in school evaluation

One of the most important elements ofthe recent reform of the school inspection system in Polandis to focus on the parents’ voice through the collection of data during evaluation process in schools. Three years of experience with this system has shown that there still is a lot of confusion with the actual understanding of the evaluation process among all the groups actively involved: external evaluators (school inspectors), head-teachers, teachers, and representatives of school partners, parents and students. The authors claim that this is the most important obstacle in the promotion of evaluation as a crucial element in the process of school development. The paper presents an attempt to describe different understandings of school evaluation among parents actively partaking in this process which was undertaken randomly in Polish schools of different types. The paper shows how these understandings can influence participation of parents in an external evaluation process, and following developmental activities that take place in schools. The authors claim that an understanding of different ways of thinking about evaluation process through the analysis of the metaphors used by parents can be a good basis for drawing up recommendations for those working on parents’ participation in transforming school reality

Design, Control and in Situ Visualization of Gas Nitriding Processes

The article presents a complex system of design, in situ visualization and control of the commonly used surface treatment process: the gas nitriding process. In the computer design conception, analytical mathematical models and artificial intelligence methods were used. As a result, possibilities were obtained of the poly-optimization and poly-parametric simulations of the course of the process combined with a visualization of the value changes of the process parameters in the function of time, as well as possibilities to predict the properties of nitrided layers. For in situ visualization of the growth of the nitrided layer, computer procedures were developed which make use of the results of the correlations of direct and differential voltage and time runs of the process result sensor (magnetic sensor), with the proper layer growth stage. Computer procedures make it possible to combine, in the duration of the process, the registered voltage and time runs with the models of the process

Monotonicity of Fitness Landscapes and Mutation Rate Control

A common view in evolutionary biology is that mutation rates are minimised. However, studies in combinatorial optimisation and search have shown a clear advantage of using variable mutation rates as a control parameter to optimise the performance of evolutionary algorithms. Much biological theory in this area is based on Ronald Fisher's work, who used Euclidean geometry to study the relation between mutation size and expected fitness of the offspring in infinite phenotypic spaces. Here we reconsider this theory based on the alternative geometry of discrete and finite spaces of DNA sequences. First, we consider the geometric case of fitness being isomorphic to distance from an optimum, and show how problems of optimal mutation rate control can be solved exactly or approximately depending on additional constraints of the problem. Then we consider the general case of fitness communicating only partial information about the distance. We define weak monotonicity of fitness landscapes and prove that this property holds in all landscapes that are continuous and open at the optimum. This theoretical result motivates our hypothesis that optimal mutation rate functions in such landscapes will increase when fitness decreases in some neighbourhood of an optimum, resembling the control functions derived in the geometric case. We test this hypothesis experimentally by analysing approximately optimal mutation rate control functions in 115 complete landscapes of binding scores between DNA sequences and transcription factors. Our findings support the hypothesis and find that the increase of mutation rate is more rapid in landscapes that are less monotonic (more rugged). We discuss the relevance of these findings to living organisms

Recommendations for diagnostics and therapy of adult patients with malignant primary bone tumors

Bone sarcomas comprise a heterogenous group of rare mesenchymal tumors (less than 0.5% of malignant neoplasms in adults). From clinical point of view they can be divided into two main groups: spindle-cell sarcomas (osteosarcomas, majority of chondrosarcomas and less common subtypes) and small-cell sarcomas (mainly Ewing family of tumors). Correct diagnosis and effective therapy is performed by cooperation of radiologists, oncological and orthopedics surgeons, clinical oncologists, radiotherapists, rehabilitants, pathologists, nuclear medicine specialists and molecular biologists. The most important principle in diagnostics and therapy of primary malignant bone tumors is multidisciplinary work in experienced centers. Improvement of diagnostics, implementation of combined therapy and technological developments caused the increase of limb-sparing surgery indications and better long-term results of their treatment. Onkol. Prak. Klin. 2010; 6, 6: 355–369Mięsaki kości u dorosłych stanowią heterogenną grupę bardzo rzadkich nowotworów pochodzenia mezenchymalnego (poniżej 0,5% nowotworów złośliwych u dorosłych). Pod względem klinicznym mięsaki kości można podzielić na mięsaki wrzecionowatokomórkowe (obejmujące mięsaki kościopochodne, większość chrzęstniakomięsaków i inne rzadsze podtypy) oraz drobnokomórkowe (głównie rodzina mięsaków Ewinga). Prawidłowe rozpoznanie i skuteczne leczenie skojarzone pierwotnych nowotworów kości są sumą współpracy radiologów, chirurgów onkologów i chirurgów ortopedów, onkologów klinicznych, radioterapeutów, rehabilitantów, patologów, specjalistów medycyny nuklearnej i biologów molekularnych. Bezwzględnym warunkiem w diagnostyce i leczeniu pierwotnych nowotworów złośliwych kości jest wielodyscyplinarna współpraca wielospecjalistyczna w doświadczonych ośrodkach. Polepszenie diagnostyki mięsaków kości, wprowadzenie zasad terapii skojarzonej i postęp technologiczny spowodowały rozszerzenie wskazań do stosowania operacji oszczędzających kończynę oraz poprawiły odległe wyniki leczenia. Onkol. Prak. Klin. 2010; 6, 6: 355–36

Zalecenia dotyczące postępowania diagnostyczno-terapeutycznego u chorych na pierwotne nowotwory złośliwe kości

Mięsaki kości u dorosłych stanowią heterogenną grupę bardzo rzadkich nowotworów pochodzenia mezenchymalnego (poniżej 0,5% nowotworów złośliwych u dorosłych). Prawidłowe rozpoznanie i skuteczne leczenie skojarzone pierwotnych nowotworów kości są sumą współpracy radiologów, chirurgów onkologów i chirurgów ortopedów, onkologów klinicznych, radioterapeutów, rehabilitantów, patologów, specjalistów medycyny nuklearnej i biologów molekularnych. Bezwzględnym warunkiem w diagnostyce i leczeniu pierwotnych nowotworów złośliwych kości jest wielodyscyplinarna współpraca wielospecjalistyczna w doświadczonych ośrodkach. Polepszenie diagnostyki mięsaków kości, wprowadzenie zasad terapii skojarzonej i postęp technologiczny spowodowały rozszerzenie wskazań do stosowania operacji oszczędzających kończynę oraz poprawiły odległe wyniki leczenia

'Banderia Prutenorum', or a fellowship of Teutonic flags, overthrown by the pen of Jerzy from Krakow

The paper is dedicated to the volume of poems by Jerzy Harasymowicz, entitled 'Banderia Prutenorum' (1976). The author explores the dependence of this volume on a work of the same title, which was released in mid-15th century through the initiative of Jan Długosz. The medieval manuscript contains illustrations and short descriptions of 56 Teutonic flags captured by Polish troops in the battle of Grunwald (1410). The author of these pictures was Stanisław Durink, while the descriptions were made by Jan Długosz, among other authors. Using the illustrations of Teutonic flags from the medieval model, Harasymowicz added his own poems, showing in bad light particular troops (flags) of the Teutonic Order, as well as their great defeat in the battle against Polish‑Lithuanian forces. The author of the paper analyses the ideological‑persuasive meaning of these poems, as well as their language and depiction.

Złoto, kadzidło i mirra w dawnym kaznodziejstwie polskim

This article analyzes the continuation and old Christian as well as medieval exegesis of gold, frankincense, and myrrh (Matthew 2 : 11) in Polish sermons from the fourteenth through the eighteenth centuries. In particular, I focus on those cases in which the traditional symbolism of the gifts of the Three Magi is a point of reference for conceptist interpretations that take into consideration the political, social, and religious contexts of the time.Artykuł analizuje kontynuacje i reinterpretacje starochrześcijańskiej i średniowiecznej egzegezy złota, kadzidła i mirry (Mt 2, 11) w kazaniach polskich od XIV do XVIII w. Szczególną uwagę poświęcono tym przypadkom, w których tradycyjna symbolika darów Trzech Mędrców stanowi punkt wyjścia dla interpretacji konceptystycznych, uwzględniających aktualne konteksty polityczne, społeczne lub religijne