Seeking a return to Poland : the case of the “Gomulka Aliyah” immigrants in Israel (1956-1960)

In my paper entitled "Seeking a return to Poland. The case of “Gomulka Aliyah” immigrants in Israel (1956–1960)" I describe the emigration of Polish citizens of Jewish origin to Israel in the second half of the 1950s. From October 1956, when Wladyslaw Gomulka came into power in Poland, it became possible for Polish Jews to relocate in to Israel. Leaving Poland was not obligatory for Jews in that period, but a rise in anti-Semitism and disappointment with the communist regime in Poland led a number of Polish citizens of Jewish origin to make the decision to emigrate. In the period of 1956 to 1960 approximately 50,000 Jews went to Israel. However, after few months of living in the New Homeland, some of the new immigrants from Poland were seeking to return. Difficult living conditions, an unfamiliar language, and unemployment led Polish Jews to request repatriation. That was in most of the cases impossible, as most of them had given up on Polish citizenship while immigrating to Israel

Investigation of accuracy of the interface tracking method

In this paper accuracy of a simple and effective method for tracking interfaces in two-dimensional area is investigated. The method is based on the level set method (LSM) with "brute force" reinitialization algorithm. A comparison of numerical solution with an analytical solution is presented and discussed

Emigracja ludności żydowskiej z Polski do Izraela w latach 1956–1959. Przyczyny, przebieg wyjazdu, proces adaptacji w nowej ojczyźnie

EMIGRATION OF THE JEWISH POPULATION FROM POLAND TO ISRAEL IN 1956–1959. REASONS, STAGES AND ASSIMILATION IN THE NEW COUNTRY The present article discusses the reasons for the emigration of Jews from Poland in 1956–1959, the stages of the process as well as the emigrants’ assimilation in Israel. For the purpose of presenting a complete description of the subject, I began with depicting the social and political transformations of the Jewish minority in the aftermath of World War II. In the next section I concentrate on the reasons for emigration and its structure. I also devote special attention to the assimilation process of the Polish Jews in Israeli society and its numerous and various difficulties. The article is concerned with the period of 1956–1959. In October 1956 the Central Committee of the Polish Workers’ United Party (PZPR) appointed Władysław Gomułka as the first secretary. He was the one to issue an emigration permit, while the year 1959 marks the end of the Jewish mass departures for Israel

Operation “Leaving Poland” : Katriel Katz and his diplomatic mission to Poland (1956-1958)

The article describes the diplomatic mission to Poland of the Israeli representative Katriel Katz in 1956–1958. Special attention is given to the results of the political activity of this diplomat in Warsaw, in particular to the issue concerning the aliyah of Polish Jews to Israel in this period. A very important part of the article focuses on Yaakov Barmore’s case, who was regarded by Polish authorities as persona non grata and was expelled from Poland in 1958

L’émigration des Juifs de Pologne en Israël dans les années 1956-1959

In post-war Poland there were three mass emigration movements of Polish citizens with Jewish origins to Israel. In my paper I would like to concentrate on the emigration that took place between 1956 and 1959. It is the vast subject that cannot be presented fully in this short paper. Therefore I will focus only on some aspects concerning this issue. First of all, I will describe political and social situation that was present in the ‘50s in Poland. Secondly, I would like to indicate the reasons behind the Jewish mass emigration from Poland as well as its structure. Finally, I will present the problems, which the emigrants had to face while leaving Poland

Isolation of Bacterial Endophytes from Phalaris arundinacea and their Potential in Diclofenac and Sulfamethoxazole Degradation

Diclofenac (DCF), a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) and sulfamethoxazole (SMX), an antimicrobial agent, are in common use and can be often detected in the environment. The constructed wetland systems (CWs) are one of the technologies to remove them from the aquatic environment. The final effect of the treatment processes depends on many factors, including the interaction between plants and the plant-associated microorganisms present in the system. Bacteria living inside the plant as endophytes are exposed to secondary metabolites in the tissues. Therefore, they can possess the potential to degrade aromatic structures, including residues of pharmaceuticals. The endophytic strain MG7 identified as Microbacterium sp., obtained from root tissues of Phalaris arundinacea exposed to DCF and SMX was tested for the ability to remove 2 mg/l of SMX and DCF in monosubstrate cultures and in the presence of phenol as an additional carbon source. The MG7 strain was able to remove approximately 15% of DCF and 9% of SMX after 20 days of monosubstrate culture. However, a decrease in the optical density of the MG7 strain cultures was observed, caused by an insufficient carbon source for bacterial growth and proliferation. The adsorption of pharmaceuticals onto autoclaved cells was negligible, which confirmed that the tested strain was directly involved in the removal of DCF and SMX. In the presence of phenol as the additional carbon source, the MG7 strain was able to remove approximately 35% of DCF and 61% of SMX, while an increase in the optical density of the cultures was noted. The higher removal efficiency can be explained by adaptive mechanisms in microorganisms exposed to phenol (i.e. changes in the composition of membrane lipids) and by a co-metabolic mechanism, where non-growth substrates can be transformed by non-specific enzymes. The presence of both DCF and SMX and the influence of the supply frequency of CWs with the contaminated wastewater on the diversity of whole endophytic bacterial communities were demonstrated. The results of this study suggest the capability of the MG7 strain to degrade DCF and SMX. This finding deserves further investigations to improve wastewater treatment in CWs with the possible use of pharmaceuticals-degrading endophytes

Inhibition of Shiga toxin-converting bacteriophage development by novel antioxidant compounds

Oxidative stress may be the major cause of induction of Shiga toxin-converting (Stx) prophages from chromosomes of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) in human intestine. Thus, we aimed to test a series of novel antioxidant compounds for their activities against prophage induction, thus, preventing pathogenicity of STEC. Forty-six compounds (derivatives of carbazole, indazole, triazole, quinolone, ninhydrine, and indenoindole) were tested. Fifteen of them gave promising results and were further characterized. Eleven compounds had acceptable profiles in cytotoxicity tests with human HEK-293 and HDFa cell lines. Three of them (selected for molecular studies) prevent the prophage induction at the level of expression of specific phage genes. In bacterial cells treated with hydrogen peroxide, expression of genes involved in the oxidative stress response was significantly less efficient in the presence of the tested compounds. Therefore, they apparently reduce the oxidative stress, which prevents induction of Stx prophage in E. coli

Genistein-mediated inhibition of glycosaminoglycan synthesis, which corrects storage in cells of patients suffering from mucopolysaccharidoses, acts by influencing an epidermal growth factor-dependent pathway

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Mucopolysaccharidoses (MPS) are inherited metabolic disorders caused by mutations leading to dysfunction of one of enzymes involved in degradation of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs). Due to their impaired degradation, GAGs accumulate in cells of patients, which results in dysfunction of tissues and organs. Substrate reduction therapy is one of potential treatment of these diseases. It was demonstrated previously that genistein (4', 5, 7-trihydroxyisoflavone) inhibits synthesis and reduces levels of GAGs in cultures of fibroblasts of MPS patients. Recent pilot clinical study indicated that such a therapy may be effective in MPS III (Sanfilippo syndrome).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>To learn on details of the molecular mechanism of genistein-mediated inhibition of GAG synthesis, efficiency of this process was studied by measuring of incorporation of labeled sulfate, storage of GAGs in lysosomes was estimated by using electron microscopic techniques, and efficiency of phosphorylation of epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor was determined by using an ELISA-based assay with fluorogenic substrates.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Effects of genistein on inhibition of GAG synthesis and accumulation in fibroblasts from patients suffering from various MPS types were abolished in the presence of an excess of EGF, and were partially reversed by an increased concentration of genistein. No such effects were observed when an excess of 17β-estradiol was used instead of EGF. Moreover, EGF-mediated stimulation of phsophorylation of the EGF receptor was impaired in the presence of genistein in both wild-type and MPS fibroblasts.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The results presented in this report indicate that the mechanism of genistein-mediated inhibition of GAG synthesis operates through epidermal growth factor (EGF)-dependent pathway.</p

The fungus Clonostachys epichloë alters the influence of the Epichloë endophyte on seed germination and the biomass of Puccinellia distans grass

The fungal grass endophyte Epichloë typhina (Pers.) Tul. &amp; C. Tul. (Ascomycota: Clavicipitaceae) grows intercellulary in aerial plant parts and reproduces asexually by invading host seeds. In this phase, it enhances seed production and germination, which accelerates its vertical spread. This relationship may be distorted by other seed-born fungi, whose spread is not so directly dependent on the success of the grass. Recently, the fungus Clonostachys epichloë Schroers has been observed on Puccinellia distans (Jacq.) Parl seeds originating from grass clumps infested with stromata, sexual structures of Epichloë typhina that are formed in spring on some host culms, preventing flower and seed development (‘choke disease’). C. epichloë shows mycoparasitic activity toward Epichloë stromata by reducing the production of ascospores, which are responsible for horizontal transmission of the fungus. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of seed-borne C. epichloë on seed germination, as well as the size and weight of P. distans seedlings and to examine whether C. epichloë alters the influence of Epichloë in the early developmental stages of P. distans. The results showed that if C. epichloë acts on seeds together with E. typhina endophytes, the seeds were negatively affected due to the elimination of the positive effect of the latter in terms of both seed germination rate and seedling length. At the same time, C. epichloë increased the proportion of E. typhina-untreated germinated seeds. Additionally, only the joint action of the two fungi, E. typhina and C. epichloë, effectively stimulated seedling dry mass; the presence of E. typhina alone was not sufficient to noticeably affect seedling size. Based on the increasing commonality of C. epichloë on Epichloë stromata, as well as its potential to be used in biocontrol of ‘choke disease’, we should take a closer look at this fungus, not only in terms of its mycoparasitic ability, but also in terms of its cumulative impact on the whole Epichloë-grass system