Travel and “Homing In” in Contemporary Ethnic American Short Stories

In American ethnic literature of the last three decades of the 20th century, recurrent themes of mobility, travel, and “homing in” are emblematic of the search for identity. In this essay, which discusses three short stories, Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use,” Louise Erdrich’s “The World’s Greatest Fishermen,” and Daniel Chacon’s “The Biggest City in the World,” I attempt to demonstrate that as a consequence of technological development, with travel becoming increasingly accessible to ethnic Americans, their search for identity assumes wider range, transcending national and cultural boundaries

Mexican Village: Josefina Niggli’s Border Crossing Narrative

The paper presents Josefina Niggli (1910–83), an American mid-twentieth-century writer who was born and grew up in Mexico, and her novel Mexican Village (1945). A connoisseur of Mexican culture and tradition, and at the same time conscious of the stereotypical perceptions of Mexico in the United States, Niggli saw it as her literary goal to “reveal” the “true” Mexico as she remembered it to her American readers. Somewhat forgotten for several decades, Niggli, preoccupied with issues of marginalization, hybridization, and ambiguity, is now becoming of interest to literary critics as a forerunner of Chicano/a literature. In her novel Mexican Village, set in the times of the Mexican Revolution, she creates a prototypical bicultural and bilingual Chicano protagonist, who becomes witness to the rise of Mexico’s modern national identity

Representations of curanderismo in Chicana/o texts

Ma thèse porte sur les représentations de curanderismo dans Chicana/o textes. Une tradition de guérison, une vision du monde, un système de croyances et de pratiques d'origines diverses, curanderismo répond aux besoins médicaux, religieux, culturels, sociaux et politiques des Chicanas/os à la fois sur le plan individuel et communautaire. Dans mon analyse de textes littéraires (Bless Me, Ultima de Rudolfo Anaya, les poèmes sélectionnés de Pat Mora, The Hungry Woman: A Mexican Medea de Cherríe Moraga) et du cours académique sur curanderismo enseigné à l'Université du Nouveau-Mexique à Albuquerque, que j’approche comme un texte culturel, curanderismo reflète les façons complexes et souvent ambiguës de représenter Chicana/o recherche d'identité, d’affirmation de soi et d’émancipation, résultat d'une longue histoire de domination et de discrimination de Chicana/o aux Etats-Unis. Dans les textes que j’aborde dans ma thèse curanderismo assume le rôle d'une puissante métaphore qui réunit une variété de valeurs, attitudes, concepts et notions dans le but ultimede célébrer le potentiel de soi-même.My dissertation focuses on representations of curanderismo in Chicana/o texts. A healing tradition, a worldview, a system of beliefs and practices of diverse origins, curanderismo addresses medical, religious, cultural, social and political needs of the Mexican American people on both individual and communal level. In my discussion of literary texts (Rudolfo Anaya’s Bless Me, Ultima, Pat Mora’s selected poems, Cherrie Moraga’s play The Hungry Woman: A Mexican Medea) and of the 2014 academic course on curanderismo at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, which I approach as a cultural text, curanderismo reflects complex, often ambiguous ways of representing Chicana/o search for self-identity, self-affirmation and self-empowerment, growing out of a long history of subjugation and discrimination. In the texts under analysis curanderismo assumes the role of a powerful metaphor of the possibility of bringing together a variety of values, attitudes, concepts and notions with the ultimate aim of celebrating the potential of the Chicana/o self

Rehabilitation of Voice and Speech Disorders with the Original Method of Artistic Speech Therapy

The article focuses on the methods of vocal and speech rehabilitation developed by the author and based on her substantial experience and research into a strategy leading to maximum improvement or elimination of the disorders in particular patients and their medical conditions. What defines the scope of application of this approach, which the author named “artistic logopedics,” is the presentation of disorders resulting from the diseases in question. Moreover, the paper explains a method of activating the neuromotor areas of the face through the attachments of the levator labii superioris muscle and eliciting subsequent reactions in the movable articulators, which, together with the immovable articulators, lead to the strengthening of sound through the resonators of the nasopharynx. The author also describes the method of diaphragmatic breathing and the ability to control the airflow by conscious breath‑holding in the inspiratory position followed by suspending the sound in the resonators. This respiratory system is beneficial in both mastering the use of the voice professionally and healthy voice emission.Tematyką artykułu jest sposób rehabilitacji zaburzeń głosu i mowy opracowany przez autorkę na podstawie wieloletnich doświadczeń i analitycznych dociekań w praktyce dążenia do uzyskania maksymalnej poprawy lub usunięcia zaburzenia występującego u określonego pacjenta w danej jednostce chorobowej, którą nazwała metodą logopedii artystycznej. Prezentacja zaburzeń wynikających z omówionych chorób wyznacza obszar oddziaływania tej metody. Omówiony został sposób aktywizacji obszarów neuromotorycznych twarzy przez przyczepy mięśni czworokątnych wargi górnej i wywołanie kolejnych reakcji w ruchomych częściach artykulatorów, które wraz z artykulatorami nieruchomymi prowadzą do wzmocnienia dźwięku przez rezonatory nasady. Wyjaśniony został sposób oddychania torem żebrowo‑przeponowo‑brzusznym i umiejętność operowania strumieniem powietrza przez świadome zatrzymanie pozycji wdechowej, a następnie podparcie dźwięku wysłanego do rezonatorów. Ten system oddechowy prowadzi zarówno do mistrzowskiego posługiwania się głosem, jak i do zdrowej emisji głosu mówionego

Proteus sp. – an opportunistic bacterial pathogen – classification, swarming growth, clinical significance and virulence factors

The genus Proteus belongs to the Enterobacteriaceae family, where it is placed in the tribe Proteeae, together with the genera Morganella and Providencia. Currently, the genus Proteus consists of five species: P. mirabilis, P. vulgaris, P. penneri, P. hauseri and P. myxofaciens, as well as three unnamed Proteus genomospecies. The most defining characteristic of Proteus bacteria is a swarming phenomenon, a multicellular differentiation process of short rods to elongated swarmer cells. It allows population of bacteria to migrate on solid surface. Proteus bacteria inhabit the environment and are also present in the intestines of humans and animals. These microorganisms under favorable conditions cause a number of infections including urinary tract infections (UTIs), wound infections, meningitis in neonates or infants and rheumatoid arthritis. Therefore, Proteus is known as a bacterial opportunistic pathogen. It causes complicated UTIs with a higher frequency, compared to other uropathogens. Proteus infections are accompanied by a formation of urinary stones, containing struvite and carbonate apatite. The virulence of Proteus rods has been related to several factors including fimbriae, flagella, enzymes (urease - hydrolyzing urea to CO2 and NH3, proteases degrading antibodies, tissue matrix proteins and proteins of the complement system), iron acqusition systems and toxins: hemolysins, Proteus toxin agglutinin (Pta), as well as an endotoxin - lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Proteus rods form biofilm, particularly on the surface of urinary catheters, which can lead to serious consequences for patients. In this review we present factors involved in the regulation of swarming phenomenon, discuss the role of particular pathogenic features of Proteus spp., and characterize biofilm formation by these bacteria

The study of palm and rapeseed oil stability during frying

Palm oil is characterized by high oxidation stability, high smoke point, low foam making properties, limited penetration into the product, what makes it ideal for processes requiring thermal treatment such as frying. The aim of the study was to investigate the chemical composition and thermooxidative stability of red palm olein, rapeseed oil and their mixtures during deep-frying of French fries. Analysis of fatty acids composition and basic parameters of fresh oils (acid number, peroxide value, polar compounds content, induction time) were performed. During frying, changes in acid number, polar compounds in oils as well as consumers’ acceptance of the fries fried in these oils were investigated. During the 32-hour of frying, the lowest chemical changes occurred in palm olein, what was confirmed by low acid values (0.99 mg KOH/g) and low polar content (14.4%). At the end of the experiment, the oil mixture had the highest polar fraction value of 25.0%. In the opinion of consumers, fries fried in rapeseed oil were “the best”, while French fries fried on palm oil were considered “artificial”, “chemical” and “disgusting”. The reason for this opinion was the addition of β-carotene to this oil. On the other hand β-carotene from palm olein had a great positive effect on the colour of the fries, but at the same time had a negative effect on the taste