Reading films for establishing intertextual links : the students’ solution for unacknowledged remakes and premakes

PURPOSE: The paper presents a fragment of the author and his seminar students’ recent research on multimodal film texts called film remakes, regularly defined as new versions of the existing films and on their multimodal filmic source texts called premakes. In this article, the reading in the sense explained below concerns these two multimodal film texts, with a view to establishing the intertextual relationship between them.DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: The research reported in the present paper is part of the large-scale, on-going inquiry into the intra- and intermedial adaptation and translation. As such, this research belongs to the broader fields of media linguistics and multimodal translation. To read a film means to understand the story progressing on the screen. The spectators acquire this competence by recognizing the combined semantic entities consisting of both the filmic devices and non-filmic, cognitive means of storytelling. The idea that the reading of films amounts to the understanding of films’ stories is also consistent with the firmly-established conceptual metaphors of ‘understanding is seeing’ and ‘to see is to know’.FINDINGS: Usually the remake status of the film remains acknowledged. The required degree of similarity and a tolerated degree of difference, revealed through comparing two multimodal film texts, provide the basis for such objectives. The reported research has offered a framework for the intermedial comparison and examination of the similarities and differences, and – on this basis – it has prompted a solution to the problem of identification and justification of premakes of unacknowledged remakes.PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: The outlined framework proved useful and effective in the author’s and the students’ numerous analyses of multimodal film texts. The author’s current research on intermediality shows that the same framework can also be used for the evaluation of the quality of film adaptations and film novelizations.ORIGINALITY/VALUE: The participants of the author’s film project aimed to work out their own student-friendly explications of the concepts of ‘film text’ and ‘multimodal film text analysis’. From their attempt the original concept of narrative-compositional structure and several other related concept emerged.peer-reviewe

BOKASUN: a fast and precise numerical program to calculate the Master Integrals of the two-loop sunrise diagrams

We present the program BOKASUN for fast and precise evaluation of the Master Integrals of the two-loop self-mass sunrise diagram for arbitrary values of the internal masses and the external four-momentum. We use a combination of two methods: a Bernoulli accelerated series expansion and a Runge-Kutta numerical solution of a system of linear differential equations

Retrobulbar blood flow and visual organ function disturbance in the course of giant cell arteritis coexisting with optic disc drusen – a case report

The review presented ophthalmologic syndrome connected with visual organ function disorder in giant cell arteritis patient concomitant with optic nerve disc drusen. Diagnostic difficulties were shown in relation to incidence of both similar ophthalmic symptoms as well as interpretation of specialists examinations results (pattern visual evoked potential test, scanning laser polarimetry, and perimetric tests – kinetic and static). Apart from ophthalmic investigations, significant role of radiological examinations was considered, especially color Doppler ultrasonography of retrobulbar circulation – optic artery, central retinal artery, long posterior ciliary arteries. Adequate interpretation of results seems to be crucial to establish scheme and timing of treatment in case of co-occurrence of the abovementioned disorders. In the presented case early implementation of steroid therapy resulted in improvement of blood flow parameters and the regression of ophthalmological complaints. Visual field deficiency in kinetic perimetry, reduced wave amplitude p100 in visual evoked potential test as well as decrease in number of optic nerve fibers in optic nerve disc region in scanning laser polarimetry exam can be diagnostic features in diagnosis of visual impairment in the course of giant cell arteritis and optic nerve disc drusen. Evaluation of blood flow velocity parameters in retrobulbar arteries in color Doppler ultrasonography is the most valuable screening in monitoring ophthalmic dysregulation in presented disorders.W pracy przedstawiono zespół objawów okulistycznych związanych z zaburzeniem funkcji układu wzrokowego u 80-letniej pacjentki z olbrzymiokomórkowym zapaleniem tętnic współistniejącym z druzami tarczy nerwu wzrokowego. Omówiono trudności diagnostyczne związane z występowaniem podobnych objawów okulistycznych, a także właściwą interpretacją wyników badań specjalistycznych (badania perymetryczne – statyczne i kinetyczne, wzrokowe potencjały wywołane wzorcem, skaningowa polarymetria laserowa). Obok badań okulistycznych uwzględniono również istotną rolę badań radiologicznych, ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem ultrasonografii dopplerowskiej kodowanej kolorem w ocenie krążenia pozagałkowego – tętnicy ocznej, tętnicy środkowej siatkówki, tętnic rzęskowych tylnych długich. Właściwa interpretacja wyników otrzymanych badań wydaje się kluczowa dla ustalenia trybu i czasu postępowania leczniczego. U prezentowanej pacjentki wczesne wdrożenie glikokortykosteroidoterapii skutkowało poprawą parametrów przepływu naczyń pozagałkowych oraz ustąpieniem dolegliwości okulistycznych. Zgodnie ze spostrzeżeniami autorów ubytki pola widzenia w perymetrii kinetycznej i statycznej, zredukowana amplituda fali p100 w badaniu wzrokowych potencjałów wywołanych wzorcem, a także zmniejszenie liczby włókien nerwowych w okolicy tarczy nerwu wzrokowego w badaniu skaningowej polarymetrii laserowej mogą być kryteriami diagnostycznymi w rozpoznawaniu zaburzeń widzenia zarówno w przebiegu olbrzymiokomórkowego zapalenia tętnic, jak i druz tarczy nerwu wzrokowego. Ocena parametrów prędkości przepływu krwi w tętnicach pozagałkowych w badaniu ultrasonograficznym kodowanym kolorem wydaje się najbardziej wartościowym badaniem w diagnostyce różnicowej i monitorowaniu zaburzeń okulistycznych w prezentowanych schorzeniach

Oculomotor nerve palsy secondary to internal carotid artery aneurysm – a case report

Autorzy prezentują przypadek 48-letniej kobiety, u której wystąpiły niespecyficzne bóle głowy z następczym opadnięciem powieki, ograniczeniem ruchomości, poszerzeniem źrenicy w prawym oku oraz dwojeniem obrazu. Pacjentka dotychczas nie chorowała. W wywiadzie rodzinnym odnotowano śmierć ojca i siostry w młodym wieku z nieznanej przyczyny. W badaniu neurologicznym i okulistycznym ujawniono porażenie nerwu okoruchowego prawego. Badania tomografii komputerowej oraz angiografii rezonansu magnetycznego potwierdziły obecność tętniaka tętnicy szyjnej wewnętrznej prawej. U pacjentki w trybie pilnym przeprowadzono zabieg endowaskularny – embolizację tętniaka z użyciem coili. Autorzy dokonują przeglądu literatury w zakresie porażenia nerwu okoruchowego oraz tętniaków wewnątrzczaszkowych.The authors present a case of a 48-year-old woman with nonspecific headaches followed by right eye ptosis, motility limitation, enlarged pupil and diplopia. The patient presented no other systemic diseases. In the family history, death of father and sister at an early age was stated for an unknown reason. In the neurological and ophthalmological examination, the right oculomotor nerve palsy was revealed. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance angiography confirmed the presence of the aneurysm of the right internal carotid artery. The patient underwent an endovascular procedure – aneurysm coiling. The authors review literature in the subject of oculomotor nerve palsy and intracranial aneurysms

Serum selenium levels are associated with age-related cataract

Objective The aim of the study is to analyse correlations between age-related cataract (ARC), serum selenium levels and glutathione peroxidase gene 1 and 4 (GPX-1 and GPX-4). Material and methods A total sample of 275 participants were enrolled into the study: group A, 94 subjects elligible for ARC surgery, and group B, 181 volunteers without ocular symptoms, gender-, age-, and smoking- status and volume-matched at 1:2 with subjects in group A. All participants (n=275) were divided according to the Lens Opacities Classification System III (LOCS III) into: 1) study group (subjects with clinically significant cataract; N≥3 or C≥3 or P≥2), 2) control group (controls with clinically non-significant cataract; N<3 and C<3 and P<2). The single nucleotide polymorphisms of GPX-1 and GPX-4 were assessed using Real Time PCR. Serum selenium levels were assayed using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry. Results Low selenium levels significantly predicted any age-related cataract (OR 7.969; p<.01), nuclear cataract (OR 12.823; p<.01) and cortical cataract (OR 3.31; p<.01). There was no significant effect of gender, age, SNP GPX-1 and SNP GPX-4 on the prevalence of age-related nuclear, cortical and posterior sub-capsular cataract. Serum selenium levels of 75–85 µg/L were associated with the lowest prevalence of ARC. Conclusions Due to a confirmed association between serum selenium levels and age-related cataract, low serum selenium levels may constitute a potential risk factor of age-related cataract