Wartość kompetencji międzykulturowych

The aim of the article is to discuss the importance of intercultural competences in building a pluralistic society, open to cultural diversity. Based on the example and analysis of the new program of English language studies, i.e. Intercultural Communication in Education and the Workplace, which operates at the Faculty of Humanities of Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin, an attempt was made to identify the aspects and ways in which intercultural competences can be acquired and promoted. However, the author does not analyze intercultural education as such, as this has been the subject of research by many other investigators. In the first section, an attempt was be made to define the concept of intercultural competences taking into account cognitive, emotional and behavioral components. The answer to the question why it is important to acquire competences is discussed in the part where the author examines the factors (imperatives) indicating the indispensability of such competences in the contemporary globalized, spatially compressed and cross-linked world. In the final part of the article, the assumptions of the course and the program of intercultural studies are analyzed with a view of presenting a practical proposal of acquiring intercultural competences in Lublin’s international academic environment. Celem artykułu jest refleksja nad znaczeniem kompetencji międzykulturowych w budowaniu społeczeństwa pluralistycznego, otwartego na różnorodność kulturową. Na przykładzie analizy nowego programu studiów anglojęzycznych Intercultural Communication in Education and the Workplace, funkcjonującego na Wydziale Humanistycznym Uniwersytetu Marii Curie-Skłodowskiej w Lublinie, podjęto próbę wskazania, w jakich aspektach i w jaki sposób można nabywać i promować kompetencje międzykulturowe. Przedmiotem analiz nie jest natomiast edukacja międzykulturowa jako taka, gdyż była ona przedmiotem rozważań wielu innych badaczy. Na początku podjęto próbę zdefiniowania samego pojęcia kompetencje międzykulturowe przy uwzględnieniu komponentów poznawczych, emocjonalnych i behawioralnych. Odpowiedź na pytanie, dlaczego ważne jest nabywanie kompetencji, znajduje się w części omawiającej czynniki (imperatywy) wskazujące na ich niezbędność we współczesnym zglobalizowanym, skompresowanym przestrzennie i usieciowionym świecie. W końcowej części artykułu zamieszczono analizę założeń kierunku i programu studiów międzykulturowych, będącą próbą przedstawienia praktycznej propozycji nabycia kompetencji międzykulturowych w lubelskim akademickim środowisku międzynarodowym

Social distancing w kontekście pandemii COVID-19. Analiza wizualnych przedstawień terminu

The concept of “social distancing” gained particular currency during the COVID-19 pandemic, becoming one of the keys and also widely used terms. The article focuses on the category of social distancing as a new determinant of spatial relations and explains its origins and roots in proxemics studies. Attention was also focused on contemporary visual representations of this concept, including those with humorous messages. The analysis of graphic materials referring to social distancing indicates that their aim is to encourage the recipients to maintain a safe distance, but at the same time to “warm up” the meaning of the term, which after all evokes negative associations of separation. About 200 covid masks referring to the category of social distancing and its other visual representations drawn from the Internet were analyzed.Pojęcie social distancing zrobiło swoistą karierę w dobie pandemii COVID-19, stając się jednym z głównych, a zarazem niebywale modnych terminów covidowych. W artykule skoncentrowano się na przywołanej kategorii jako nowym wyznaczniku relacji przestrzennych oraz wyjaśniono jej genezę i zakorzenienie w badaniach proksemicznych. Uwagę skoncentrowano również na współczesnych graficznych przedstawieniach, w tym humorystycznych wizerunkach analizowanego pojęcia. Celem tych wszystkich zabiegów jest zachęcenie odbiorcy do zachowywania bezpiecznego dystansu, ale jednocześnie „ocieplenie” znaczenia terminu, wymuszającego przecież negatywnie konotowane oddalenie społeczne. Analizie poddano około 200 masek covidowych odnoszących się do kategorii dystansu społecznego oraz jej inne przedstawienia graficzne zaczerpnięte z internetu

Upamiętnianie teraźniejszości. Pandemia w zbiorach muzealnych w świetle strategii Rapid Response Collecting

Collecting items pertaining to current events, at the very moment they happen, has been known at least since the time after the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York in 2001. Such a practice is associated with the Rapid Response Collecting method. The challenge for museums on how to keep track of history happening in front of our eyes was the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. Museums, like other cultural institutions in times of lockdown, had to relocate their efforts and switch to virtual activities. The article analyzes the practical initiatives of some museums, namely, two from abroad and two from Poland, to show how these institutions decided to remember the times of the pandemic, thus implementing the strategy of „rapid response” and the principle of participation. At the same time, we would like to prompt reflection on what will remain in our memory following these difficult two years, i.e., what artifacts, situations, and emotions will be associated with the „times of the plague”.Kolekcjonowanie pamiątek dotyczących bieżących wydarzeń, w chwili kiedy się one dzieją, znane jest co najmniej od czasów tuż po atakach na World Trade Center w Nowym Jorku w 2001 r. Praktyka taka wiązana jest ze strategią Rapid Response Collecting. Wyzwaniem dla muzeów, w jaki sposób upamiętnić historię dziejącą się na naszych oczach, były czasy pandemii COVID-19. Muzea, podobnie jak inne instytucje kultury w czasach lockdownu, musiały relokować siły i przestawiać się na działalność wirtualną. W artykule analizie poddano praktyczne inicjatywy wybranych muzeów – w szczególności dwóch zagranicznych i dwóch polskich – by ukazać, w jaki sposób jednostki te zdecydowały się upamiętnić czasy pandemii, realizując w ten sposób strategię „szybkiego reagowania” i zasadę partycypacji. Pragniemy jednocześnie skłonić do refleksji nad tym, co pozostanie w naszej pamięci po tych trudnych dwóch latach; jakie artefakty, sytuacje i emocje będą kojarzyć się z „czasami zarazy”

A new view on dam lines in Polish Arabian horses based on mtDNA analysis

Polish Arabian horses are one of the oldest and the most important Arab populations in the world. The Polish Arabian Stud Book and the Genealogical Charts by Skorkowski are the main sources of information on the ancestors of Polish Arabs. Both publications were viewed as credible sources of information until the 1990s when the data regarding one of the dam lines was questioned. The aim of the current study was to check the accuracy of the pedigree data of Polish dam lines using mtDNA analysis. The analyses of a 458 bp mtDNA D-loop fragment from representatives of 15 Polish Arabian dam lines revealed 14 distinct haplotypes. The results were inconsistent with pedigree data in the case of two lines. A detailed analysis of the historical sources was performed to explain these discrepancies. Our study revealed that representatives of different lines shared the same haplotypes. We also noted a genetic identity between some lines founded by Polish mares of unknown origin and lines established by desert-bred mares

Highly active disease and access to disease-modifying treatments in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis in Poland

Introduction. In Poland, access to second-line disease-modifying treatments (DMTs) for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis is limited by reimbursement criteria that require evidence of more aggressive disease compared to the approved indications.Material and methods. In a retrospective study carried out in DMT clinics across Poland, we asked neurologists to provide patient data on relapses and neuroimaging disease activity. Included were only patients with active disease, defined as one or more relapse and at least one new lesion between starting DMT and the last visit. For patients who had not received DMT, active disease was defined as at least one gadolinium-positive lesion or two or more new T2 lesions and two or more relapses within 12 months. We analysed the proportions of patients eligible for second-line DMTs based on the current reimbursement criteria and based on the broader criteria, which were in line with the approved indications.Results. In total, 48 neurologists provided data for 641 patients (women 64%; mean age 38 years). Of the 641 patients, 610 (95%) received DMTs: 532 first-line and 78 second-line. Of the 532 patients on first-line DMTs, 40 (7.5%) were eligible for second-line treatment based on the current reimbursement criteria, and an additional 126 (23.6%) would be eligible for second-line treatment based on the broader criteria. Of the 31 patients who did not receive any DMTs, one patient was eligible for second-line treatment, and another two patients would be eligible for second-line treatment based on the broader criteria. Moreover, 13 previously treated patients would be eligible for second-line DMTs based on the broader criteria. When extrapolated to the whole of Poland, our study shows that an additional 1,581 patients would be eligible for second-line DMTs if the current reimbursement criteria were to be replaced by broader criteria complying with the approved indications.Conclusions. An urgent change is required in the reimbursement criteria in order to expand access to second-line DMTs for patients with relapsing-remitting MS in Poland

Diagnostic Power of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor and Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor in Breast Cancer Patients Based on ROC Analysis

Breast cancer (BC) is the most common malignancy in women. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) has been described as an important regulator of angiogenesis which plays a vital role in the progression of tumor. Macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) is a cytokine whose functions include regulation of hematopoietic lineages cells growth, proliferation, and differentiation. We investigated the diagnostic significance of these parameters in comparison to CA15-3 in BC patients and in relation to the control group (benign breast tumor and healthy women). Plasma levels of the tested parameters were determined by ELISA and CA15-3 was determined by CMIA. VEGF was shown to be comparable to CA15-3 values of sensitivity in BC group and, what is more important, higher values in early stages of BC. VEGF was also the only parameter which has statistically significant AUC in all stages of cancer. M-CSF has been shown to be comparable to CA15-3 and VEGF, specificity, and AUC values only in stages III and IV of BC. These results indicate the usefulness and high diagnostic power of VEGF in the detection of BC. Also, it occurred to be the best candidate for cancer diagnostics in stages I and II of BC and in the differentiation between BC and benign cases

History and structure of the closed pedigreed population of Icelandic Sheepdogs

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Dog breeds lose genetic diversity because of high selection pressure. Breeding policies aim to minimize kinship and therefore maintain genetic diversity. However, policies like mean kinship and optimal contributions, might be impractical. Cluster analysis of kinship can elucidate the population structure, since this method divides the population in clusters of related individuals. Kinship-based analyses have been carried out on the entire Icelandic Sheepdog population, a sheep-herding breed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Analyses showed that despite increasing population size and deliberately transferring dogs, considerable genetic diversity has been lost. When cluster analysis was based on kinships calculated seven generation backwards, as performed in previous studies, results differ markedly from those based on calculations going back to the founder-population, and thus invalidate recommendations based on previous research. When calculated back to the founder-population, kinship-based clustering reveals the distribution of genetic diversity, similarly to strategies using mean kinship.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Although the base population consisted of 36 Icelandic Sheepdog founders, the current diversity is equivalent to that of only 2.2 equally contributing founders with no loss of founder alleles in descendants. The maximum attainable diversity is 4.7, unlikely achievable in a non-supervised breeding population like the Icelandic Sheepdog. Cluster analysis of kinship coefficients can provide a supporting tool to assess the distribution of available genetic diversity for captive population management.</p