Memory and filiation in La Nuit d’obsidienne et Retour à Satyah by François Emmanuel

François Emmanuel, renown Belgian contemporary writer and practicing psychotherapist, has so far published more than fifteen novels which are all focused on recurring and obsessive questions about memory, heritage and unknown past. The first two of his publications, Retour à Satyah (1989) and La Nuit d’obsidienne (1992) had been written during and little after his stay in Poland at the Jerzy Grotowski’s Teatr Laboratorium in Wrocław. It was also the end-stage phase of the belgitude tendance, the period of intense reflexion about Belgian identity, language, literature and attitude towards the individual and national past. In the same time, an increasing interest in ancestors’ lives in relation in one’s identity issues started in the field of autobiographical writing (récits de filiation, hétérographie, autofiction). Although the writer never openly positioned himself about the belgitude nor has he ever written novels of autobiographical nature, his fictional works reflect the big reflexions of his time’s literature. As well the thematic as the form of Emmanuel’s novels echo contemporary anxieties and illustrate the functioning of memory and transmission.François Emmanuel, renown Belgian contemporary writer and practicing psychotherapist, has so far published more than fifteen novels which are all focused on recurring and obsessive questions about memory, heritage and unknown past. The first two of his publications, Retour à Satyah (1989) and La Nuit d’obsidienne (1992) had been written during and little after his stay in Poland at the Jerzy Grotowski’s Teatr Laboratorium in Wrocław. It was also the end-stage phase of the belgitude tendance, the period of intense reflexion about Belgian identity, language, literature and attitude towards the individual and national past. In the same time, an increasing interest in ancestors’ lives in relation in one’s identity issues started in the field of autobiographical writing (récits de filiation, hétérographie, autofiction). Although the writer never openly positioned himself about the belgitude nor has he ever written novels of autobiographical nature, his fictional works reflect the big reflexions of his time’s literature. As well the thematic as the form of Emmanuel’s novels echo contemporary anxieties and illustrate the functioning of memory and transmission

The Exercise of Power in a Closed Institution - Case of a Swedish Immigration Detention Centre.

The aim of this sociological study is to explore and to understand mechanisms of power being embedded in daily procedures of detention establishment with the focus on the case officers’ work tasks. In the study the emic approach is being used in order to understand from within power at detention. Observations, field notes, interviews and written documents constitute the empirical material being collected. Observations took place during the five month long working experience as an officer at a Swedish immigration detention centre. In connection with observations field notes were taken. In-depth interviews with seven case officers were conducted. Moreover, written documents originating from the Swedish Migration Agency were obtained. In order to analyze the findings, theoretical framework consisting of Foucault’s concept of power and Weber’s ideas on bureaucracy are being applied. As result of the analysis, the following themes are specified. Firstly, visibility is stressed and emphasis is put on the physical environment and daily routines. Next, double role of civil servants is being underlined and specifically their contradictory function as bureaucrats and social workers. Lastly, interaction between the staff and detainees is being highlighted, and the meaning of interaction for maintaining security at detention and striving to achieve higher numbers of co-operation with the Swedish Migration Agency. Results of the study confirm the knowledge generated by the previous research and point at the “subtle manner” of power implementation at detention. The architectural purpose of detention aims at exposing detainees to the objectifying gaze of the officers. Techniques of power, often described as tools by detention officers, are being embedded in daily routines. Control is also being exercised through various administrative implements. The everyday interaction between the staff and detainees is being influenced by the rationality of the government. Developing relations is aiming to achieve the governmental means such as the increased amount of voluntary returns. Here, bureaucracy is being employed in order to enforce the governmental means in an efficient and organized way.The author, Ewa Grabowska, investigates in her sociological study mechanisms of power at a Swedish immigration detention centre. In the research, the perspective of detention officers is being emphasized. The empirical material consists of interviews with detention officers and field notes taken in connection with observations as well as of written documents originating from the Swedish Migration Agency. The author looks at the gathered material through the lens of Foucault’s and Weber’s theories on power. The results show that power at detention is being embedded in various ways. The architecture of detention facility aims at making detainees visible. During daily routines, detainees become constantly observed and controlled by the staff. Detention officers develop various strategies in order to cope with their assignments that encompass both the administrative and social tasks. Interaction between the officers and detainees plays an important role at immigration detention since power is being intertwined with conversations. As result of daily conversations, safety and co-operation with the Swedish Migration Agency are being increased. It is to be stated in the study that power at detention is not easily delineated since it is embedded in various tools used by detention officers in their everyday work. Bureaucracy is to be seen as an efficient way of implementing the governmental goals. Power being exercised at detention is thus to be understood as influenced by the government

Analysis of hybrid woven fabrics with shape memory alloys wires embedded

Until recently, Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs) were predominantly developed for applications in the biomedical and engineering industry, and only a limited number of applications in textiles are known. Fabrics made of natural fibres (e. g. cotton, flax and their mixtures) present many advantages, such as wearing comfort, but they are subject to creasing. The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility of compensating for this disadvantage by using SMAs to create aesthetic low crease flax/cotton fabrics. Body Temperature SMAs (BT SMA) that regain their (straight) form when they are subject to human body temperature were used for this purpose. Clothing and bed sheeting are potential applications of these hybrid structures, which become wrinkle-free when they are exposed to the heat of the body, a hair dryer or that generated by an electrical current. The materials selected to achieve this purpose were the following: (1) textile yarns (e. g. single cotton or flax/cotton yarns, two-fold flax yarns and two types of loop fancy yarns) and (2) BT SMA wires of 300 mu m diameter. A power weaving loom and a hand-weaving shuttle loom were used to embed the SMA wires, and four types of hybrid fabrics were produced. The thickness, wrinkle recovery, dimensional stability as well as the cohesion of the SMA wires in the woven fabric were tested. All the tests were performed before and after a washing cycle for both the hybrid and reference fabrics. An increase in thickness was noticed after washing, and the recovery time after crushing varied according to the type of fabric. The slippage of SMA wires from the fabrics was noticed for all the samples, which was dependent on the type of yarns used, their linear density and the weaving process

Le rôle de l’apprentissage informel du FLE dans la stimulation de la conscience et de l’autoconscience métacognitive des étudiants de philologie française. Exemple des films et séries francophones

The research concerns a specific learning environment, namely the Institute of Romance Studies at the University of Wrocław, and attempts to address two questions: 1. To what extent do students of French philology currently benefit from the affordances offered to them by modern digital tools, in particular the various video-on-demand platforms, for informal learning of French via French-language films and series? 2. How does this activity stimulate their metacognitive awareness and self-awareness in the area of learning French as a foreign language? To this end, students of French philology took part in a survey which demonstrated that films and series are an important leisure activity, even if French-language titles represent only 21% of what they are watching. However, these films and series are subjected to important metacognitive reflection.The research concerns a specific learning environment, namely the Institute of Romance Studies at the University of Wrocław, and attempts to address two questions: 1. To what extent do students of French philology currently benefit from the affordances offered to them by modern digital tools, in particular the various video-on-demand platforms, for informal learning of French via French-language films and series? 2. How does this activity stimulate their metacognitive awareness and self-awareness in the area of learning French as a foreign language? To this end, students of French philology took part in a survey which demonstrated that films and series are an important leisure activity, even if French-language titles represent only 21% of what they are watching. However, these films and series are subjected to important metacognitive reflection.The research concerns a specific learning environment, namely the Institute of Romance Studies at the University of Wrocław, and attempts to address two questions: 1. To what extent do students of French philology currently benefit from the affordances offered to them by modern digital tools, in particular the various video-on-demand platforms, for informal learning of French via French-language films and series? 2. How does this activity stimulate their metacognitive awareness and self-awareness in the area of learning French as a foreign language? To this end, students of French philology took part in a survey which demonstrated that films and series are an important leisure activity, even if French-language titles represent only 21% of what they are watching. However, these films and series are subjected to important metacognitive reflection

The central bank or the government – who really dictates the terms of the policy-mix cooperation in economies with an independent monetary policy?

The objective of this paper is to consider the cooperative game between the central bank and the government in the case of a non-euro country in the European Union or another country in the world that conducts an independent monetary policy and where statutory deficit restrictions were imposed on its budget. The study takes into account two independent players – the government and the central bank – that make autonomous decisions and are responsible for fiscal and monetary policy, respectively. Our mathematical policy mix model is based on the assumption that there exists some level of coordination between these policies. The article aims to analyse how the level of cooperation influences the behaviour of decision-makers in a specific policy mix model. As a result, the government taking into account the central bank’s goals has no impact on the equilibrium of the budget deficit and interest rates. The conclusion about the central bank’s privileged position emerged as a mathematical consequence of the proposed model. This is confirmed by another case where the government does not consider the central bank’s target in its decisions; then, it does not prevent the monetary authorities from influencing the Nash equilibrium level of either decision variabl

The release of soluble forms of TRAIL and DR5 by neutrophils of oral cavity cancer patients.

In the present study we examined the release of the soluble form of TRAIL by neutrophils (PMN) derived from patients with oral cavity cancer. Simultaneously, we estimated the ability of PMNs of these patients to release the soluble form of DR5 receptor, a natural regulatory protein of TRAIL. The obtained results were confronted with the serum levels of sTRAIL and sDR5. The cells were isolated from 21 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of oral cavity at diagnosis and three weeks after surgery treatment. For comparative purposes we performed similar examinations in autologous peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). Cytoplasmic protein fractions of the cells were analyzed for the presence of TRAIL and DR5 by western blotting. Soluble TRAIL and soluble DR5 concentrations in the culture supernatants of cells were confronted with their serum levels using ELISA kit. PMN and PBMC of the whole cancer patient group expressed decreased TRAIL protein and unchanged expression of DR5 receptor in comparison with the control group. Unchanged release of sTRAIL by PMNs of patients in Stage II was accompanying the decrease of the ability of PBMC to secrete this protein. In patients in Stage IV the secretion of sTRAIL by PMNs and PBMC was impaired. In contrast to changes in sTRAIL secretion by PMN and PBMC of oral cavity cancer patients, the secretion of sDR5 by these cells was unchanged. The serum levels of sTRAIL were increased in patients in Stage II before treatment and decreased in the same patients after treatment. The altered ability of PMN of PBMC to secrete sTRAIL may have different implications for the immune response of patients with oral cavity cancer cells at different stages of disease

Wprowadzenie

Czasopismo „Edukacja Międzykulturowa” od roku 2017 ukazuje się jako półrocznik. Daje to lepszą możliwość upowszechniania zagadnień związanych z edukacją wielo- i międzykulturową, promowania polskiego dorobku pedagogiki międzykulturowej oraz upowszechniania jej osiągnięć w wymiarze międzynarodowym..

The sex preference for children in Europe: Children's sex and the probability and timing of births

Background: The preference for having children of a particular sex may be reflected in fertility behavior. For example, parents who want to have a son may be more likely to have another child if their firstborn child is female or if they have two female children. They may also speed up the conception, resulting in a faster progression to the next child. Objective: We examine whether there is a sex preference for children in Europe, which is reflected in an increased/decreased probability of having another child and a shorter/longer time to the next birth given the sex of existing children. We distinguish between progression to the second and the third child and different cohorts. Methods: We model the impact of children's sex on fertility using event history analysis. We apply mixture cure models, which allow us to distinguish between the probability of experiencing the event of interest and its timing. Results: We find evidence of the preference for having a girl, reflected in an increased probability of not having a second child if the first child is female. We also find that women who have two children of the same sex are more likely to give birth to a third child. Contribution: We contribute to research on the sex preference for children by (1) providing a comprehensive analysis of a number of European countries using consistent data and methodology, (2) examining the progression to the second and the third child, (3) distinguishing between different cohorts of women, and (4) applying mixture cure models

The United States–China Trade War: Timeline, Consequences, and Prospects for the US Economy. An Analysis Based on the Textile Industry

In this paper, we investigate the scale of the drop in American imports after it imposed punitive tariffs on Chinese goods. Our analysis spans the whole period of Donald Trump’s presidency (January 2017 – January 2021). In contrast to existing studies, which are mainly devoted to the impact of reduced trade flows on the key macroeconomic indicators, we focus on the specific market of textile products, which was among the most affected by the protectionism measures. The quantitative analysis allows us to conclude that the imposed duties severely hit the textile industry, bringing a noticeable drop in US imports of selected groups of products from China. Furthermore, the review of long‑term consequences indicates that the ongoing trade war has not only adversely affected the macroeconomic fundamentals of the US economy, but it is also likely to have a long‑lasting impact on global supply and production chains

Wprowadzenie

"W 2012 roku ukazał się pierwszy numer rocznika „Edukacja Międzykulturowa”. W bilansie otwarcia Tadeusz Lewowicki – Przewodniczący Rady Naukowej – napisał „W wielokulturowym świecie, który coraz silniej oddziałuje na nasze społeczeństwo i w którym Polacy uczestniczą z coraz większym zaangażowaniem, sprawy edukacji mogą i powinny odgrywać znaczącą i przede wszystkim pozytywną rolę – powinny służyć zbliżeniu ludzi różnych kultur i ich pomyślnemu życiu, współpracy, rozwojowi” (2012, s. 15). Tą ideą kierował się Zespół Redakcyjny, opracowując kolejne numery czasopisma, w których są prezentowane artykuły i rozprawy teoretyczne, komunikaty z badań, jak również opisy praktycznych działań w zakresie edukacji międzykulturowej." [...] (fragm