Sociology’s Rhythms: Temporal Dimensions of Knowledge Production

From the temporal perspective, this article examines shifts in the productionof sociological knowledge. It identifies two kinds of rhythms of sociology: 1) that of sociological standpoints and techniques of investigation and 2) that of contemporary academic life and culture. The article begins by discussing some of the existing research strategies designed to "chase"high-speed society. Some, predominantly methodological, currents are explored and contrasted with the "slow" instruments of sociological analysis composed of different, yet complementary, modes of inquiry. Against this background, the article stresses that it is through the tension between fast and slow modes of inquiry that sociology reproduces itself. The subsequent part explores the subjective temporal experience in contemporary academia. It is argued that increasing administration and auditing of intellectual work significantly coshapes sociological knowledge production not only by requiring academics to work faster due to an increasing volume of tasks, but also by normalizing time-pressure.The article concludes by considering the problem as to whether the increasing pace of contemporary academic life has detrimental consequences for the more organic reproductive rhythms of sociology

Four reasons slow scholarship will not change academia

For several years the slow scholarship movement has gathered an international following in advocating for a more conscientious slower form of academic work. Arguing against this blanket rejection of acceleration in academia, Filip Vostal puts forward that the concept of slow scholarship is to an extent misguided and has thus far proven to be an inadequate vehicle to push for change in an increasingly marketised and quantified academy

Should academics adopt an ethic of slowness or ninja-like productivity? In search of scholarly time

When viewed in the broader context of late modernity, responses to the increasingly frenetic academic workload can be more clearly understood, argues Filip Vostal. Rather than choosing between the regressive ethic of slow scholarship on the one hand, or the time management productivity trainings on the other, academics may benefit from a more level-headed approach that emphasises autonomy over their use of time

Numerical methods of Hausdorff dimension measurement

Budou navrženy metody vhodné pro měření Hausdorffovy dimenze množin zobrazených v konečném rozlišení výstupních zařízení počítače a jejich použitelnost bude otestována na množinách se známou Hausdorffovou dimenzí.Methods of Hausdorff dimension measurement of sets displayed in discrete output devices of computers will be proposed. Their usability will be tested on sets with known Hausdorff dimension.

Release of annexin V-binding membrane microparticles from cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells after treatment with camptothecin

BACKGROUND: Elevated plasma counts of endothelial microparticles (MP) have been demonstrated in various diseases with a vascular injury component. We used flow cytometry to study the MP-release from cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) stimulated by various agonists. MP-release by a topoisomerase I inhibitor camptothecin has been studied in detail. RESULTS: Overnight stimulation of HUVEC with either LPS or TNFα, or 30 min stimulation with thrombin, phorbol-myristate-acetate, tissue plasminogen activator, or angiotensin-II did not cause a significant release of annexin V-binding MP. In contrast, induction of apoptosis with 5 μM camptothecin, documented by 60–70% desquamation of HUVEC culture, annexin V-binding to the cells and DNA-fragmentation, led to a release of annexin V-binding microparticles (~80,000 MP/10(3) cells). This microparticle-release was prevented by Z-Val-Ala-Asp-fluoromethyl-ketone (ZVAD). Lower concentration of camptothecin (500 nM) induced comparable microparticle-release without loss of the culture confluence and without increase in annexin V-binding to the cells or DNA-fragmentation. Analyzed microparticles were free of nucleic acids and 95% of microparticles were 0.3–1 μm in size. Double-labeling flow cytometry assay showed that all annexin V-binding Microparticles expressed CD59 but only approximately 50% of these also expressed CD105. CONCLUSIONS: Camptothecin treated HUVEC released different populations of annexin V-binding membrane microparticles at early stage after proapoptotic stimulation before detection of phosphatidylserine exposure on the cells or DNA fragmentation. The microparticle-release was ZVAD sensitive but was not enhanced at the executive phase of apoptosis. These observations offer a new insight into microparticle-release as a marker of endothelial stimulation and injury

Promoting Freedom Through Problem-Based Learning

Problem-based learning (PBL) is an instructional tool for encouraging active thinking about realistic problems and making sense of them through multiple content-focused lenses. It also has the power to bring faculty together in support of academic and social goals for students. Using a case-study approach, we share the story of a rural school district’s faculty and administrators who decided to implement a school-wide, week-long PBL activity. We focus on the social studies component of the PBL activity, describing the initial decisions teachers made to create this project, the planning teachers completed throughout the semester leading up to it, and students’ experiences across the week of PBL. Finally, we share suggestions about how other teachers and school districts can leverage PBL instruction in support of the New Ohio Learning Standards (ONLS) for social studies

Towards a social theory of acceleration: Time, modernity, critique

The English translation of Hartmut Rosa’s book Beschleunigung: Die Veränderung de Zeitstrukturen in der Moderne (2005a) accounts for a long-awaited investigation of the causes, manifestations and consequences of acceleration: a frequently pronounced attribute of modernity; often, however, approached in a popular and impressionistic—rather than scholarly and social scientific—fashion. Even though many readers might, and probably will, intuitively consider the study to be yet another prophetic ..

Energy efficient building with a dental office

Tato diplomová práce se zaměřuje na návrh budovy zubní kliniky s téměř nulovou spotřebou energie. Diplomová práce je rozdělena do tří částí. První část práce se zaměřuje na architektonicko-stavební část. Objekt je jednopodlažní. Obvodové zdi jsou z keramických bloků s provětrávanou fasádou. Objekt je zastřešen jednoplášťovou vegetační střechou. V objektu se nachází šest zubních ordinací, denní místnost pro personál, dvě kanceláře, čekárna s recepcí, technické místnosti a hygienické místnosti. Ve druhé části se práce zabývá návrhem technických zařízení budovy, a to osvětlením, využitím srážkových vod, vzduchotechnikou, vytápěním, chlazením a fotovoltaikou. Budova je vytápěna a chlazena pomocí tepelného čerpadla, zpětně využívá srážkovou vodu, pracuje s osluněním a stíněním budovy a fotovoltaika pomáhá snížit spotřebu elektřiny. Třetí část se zabývá vzduchotechnickými filtry. V rámci diplomové práce bylo provedeno měření tlakových ztrát a odlučivosti dvou vzorků filtrů vzduchu.The aim of my master’s project is to design a nearly zero-energy dental clinic. The whole thesis is divided into three parts. The first part aims to architectural and structural design of the building. The building is single storey. The exterior load-bearing walls are designed from ceramic blocks with thermal insulation, the roof is designed from cast-in-placed concrete roof slab and an extensive green roof. The foundations of the building are made of concrete strips. The dental clinic consists of six dental offices for dentists, two other offices, a waiting room for patients, a staff facility room, a utility rooms and public toilets. The second part aims to design the technical equipment of the building such as interior lighting with sunlight shading, rainwater usage for watering greenery and toilet flushing, photovoltaic panels, a heating pump for heating and cooling and air-condition system with heat recovery. The third part focuses on air-condition filters. I measure pressure losses and extraction efficiency.