The Myth of the Judgement of Paris in the Perspective of the Masonic Philosophical Thought: Vasily Maikov’s Narrative Poem “Суд Паридов”

Mit, pojmowanym jako alegoria lub wyraz emocji człowieka, w zmieniającym się kontekście kulturowym ciągle na nowo aktualizuje zawarte w sobie treści. W analizowanym poemacie symboliczny, motywowany wolnomularskim światopoglądem podtekst opowieści o rywalizacji mieszkanek Olimpu o miano najpiękniejszej, objaśnia istotę masońskiej koncepcji złotego wieku, opartej na wszechpotędze piękna (miłości) harmonii siły (władzy) i mądrości. Parys, przyjmując dar Wenus, ulega ułomnej zmysłowości, niweczy harmonię świata i pogrąża go w chaosie.Myth, understood as allegory or an expression of human emotions, continuously redefines its content in the changing cultural context. In the poem analyzed here, the subtext of the narrative about the contest among the three goddesses of Olympus for the title of ‘the fairest’ is motivated by the Masonic worldview and serves explaining the Masonic concept of the Golden Age, based on the prevailing power of beauty (love), and harmony of force (power) and wisdom. Paris, by accepting the gift from Venus, yields to the imperfect sensuality and thus destroys the harmony of the world and engulfs it in chaos

Influence of different kind of clothing material on selected cardiovascular, respiratory and psychomotor parameters during moderate physical exercise

Objectives: The aim of the experiment was to analyze the influence that the clothing material may have on human physiology and thermal comfort both at rest and physical effort to answer the question which fabric is better, a natural or a synthetic one. Materials and Methods: We measured some psychomotor parameters: critical flicker frequency (CFF), reaction time to auditory/visual stimuli (RT), concentration of attention (CA); cardiovascular parameters: blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR) and respiratory parameters: tidal volume (VT), minute ventilation (VE), oxygen consumption (VO2), carbon dioxide output (VCO2), respiratory exchange ratio (RER) in human volunteers before, during and after physical effort. The subjects performed a 15-min treadmill test on treadmill wearing clothes made of two different materials: 100% coarse wool and 100% acrylic. An interview was conducted directly before the exercise test to assess the subjects' general mood and wellbeing on that day. Besides, before and after the test, the subjects in their own words described the sensation they felt with respect to the physiological comfort of particular clothing. Results: The results showed that wearing clothes made of different fabrics had some influence on the cardiovascular and respiratory parameters during physical effort but it did not have any effect on the psychomotor skills. The perception of physiological comfort by the subjects wearing coarse wool or acrylic depended on their physiological state and differed at rest and after the physical effort. Conclusions: The course of physiological processes depends on the kind of clothing a given person is wearing. It is not possible to clearly define which of the two clothing materials: natural — wool, or synthetic — acrylic is better. Each of them exerts a different effect on the human organism. The usefulness of a given type of clothing material seems to depend on the human physiological state and the related thermoregulatory processes

Hypertension in aortic stenosis: More questions than answers

Although hypertension and aortic stenosis are the most common cardiovascular diseases, the impact of hypertension on the natural history of aortic stenosis, the structure and function of the left ventricle, the assessment of valve defect severity and its progression are not fully understood. Hypertension not only can modify the exploratory findings of aortic stenosis, but may also interfere with the assessment of severity, and even have an impact on patients outcome. In the absence of specific cohort studies, the nature of the association between aortic stenosis and high blood pressure is not clear and the published results are often contradictory. Unknown is the true frequency of both conditions, the rules of diagnosis and the treatment itself

How to manage patients with aortic stenosis?

Aortic stenosis is a form of valvular heart disease that is bound to be seen more and more often by healthcare professionals in the coming years. This is due to the increasing life expectancy and the increasing rate of incidental echocardiographic diagnosis in asymptomatic patients. No effective drug treatment for AS is available. Symptomatic patients with significant AS should be referred for surgery. When deciding the method and timing of management, cardiologists and cardiac surgeons should take into consideration the symptoms present, the patient.’s age (life expectancy) and the echocardiographic evaluation of the severity of stenosis. The riskto- benefit ratio of the various management options should be assessed individually. (Cardiol J 2007; 14: 510-517

Education and digital competencies of elder adults

The next decade was announced by WHO as the Decade of Healthy Aging. This is the answer to the social issue of highly developed countries, which is the aging of the society. In this context, there is the problem of active participation of seniors in social life, and especially the prevention of their social marginalization. Hence, projects that counteract exclusion and support active aging processes largely refer to modern technologies. Searching for answers to these questions and dilemmas, this text adopts an interdisciplinary approach, situating undertaken analyzes in the context of theories of aging, motivation as well as learning and using new technologies. The conclusions of the research undertaken – theoretical and empirical studies – undermine the hypothesis of digital exclusion of seniors perceived as the age group category. In the light of this research, it seems that education is the factor that influences the development of digital divide and digital inequalities within the community.The next decade was announced by WHO as the Decade of Healthy Aging. This is the answer to the social issue of highly developed countries, which is the aging of the society. In this context, there is the problem of active participation of seniors in social life, and especially the prevention of their social marginalization. Hence, projects that counteract exclusion and support active aging processes largely refer to modern technologies. Searching for answers to these questions and dilemmas, this text adopts an interdisciplinary approach, situating undertaken analyzes in the context of theories of aging, motivation as well as learning and using new technologies. The conclusions of the research undertaken – theoretical and empirical studies – undermine the hypothesis of digital exclusion of seniors perceived as the age group category. In the light of this research, it seems that education is the factor that influences the development of digital divide and digital inequalities within the community

FROM EXCLUSION TO PARTICIPATION - QUALITY OF LIFE OF A SMALL CHILD WITH A DISABILITY IN POLAND CASE STUDY

In Poland social assistance benefits are granted for families, however poverty does not touch its members equally. It affects twice more frequently children than their parents or grandparents. The study presents the situation of families with a child with autism (autism spectrum disorder), which in particular often requires special support against social exclusion

Sliding Mode Speed and Position Control of Induction Motor Drive in Cascade Connection

This chapter deals with sliding mode application in control of an induction motor (IM) torque, speed, and position. Classical, direct approaches to control mentioned variables are described. Their drawbacks are presented and analyzed. Direct control structures are then compared with the proposed cascade sliding mode control structures. These structures allow to control all of the IM variables effectively, simultaneously ensuring supervision of all remaining variables. All of the analyzed structures are illustrated with block diagrams, as well as with simulation and experimental test results