Remediation of Sign Texts as the Theme of Cultural Studies

Sign texts hide different versions of cultural reality, in whose creation and interpretation are involved their producers and consumers. The problem is what role in the processes of text interpretation constructing cultural realities plays remediation as a transport of texts from one communication medium into another. The study aims to find out what role in the processes of cultural practices plays remediation of visual sign texts and what changes in the mediated contents causes remediation of visual sign texts? The study aims to reflect the fact that the socio-cultural reality is presented, constructed and stored in the processes of cultural practices, which is an essential component of remediation and interpretation of sensate sign texts and to analyze selected visual texts with the intention to identify changes that causes remediation carried out by different communication media. In context of textual approaches of cultural studies the study uses qualitative methods – semiotic, narrative and discourse analysis of visual sing text. The study analyzes selected visual sign texts that carry different communication media, among other artistic collage, poster, exhibition catalog, illustration in a popular science book, and e-mail. The study showed that the remediation of visual texts is an instrument of semiotic and cultural transfer, is initiated by socio-cultural practices and brings changes in contents of sign texts. It further showed that the remediation is simultaneously the bearer of cultural traditions and initiator of cultural changes since ancient times. Interpretation of selected visual texts concluded that remediation is a basic condition for reproduction of cultural values, norms and myths as elementary forms of cultural integration and that remediation in the context of contemporary cultural studies is not only an important research topic, but also the research problem that has not been sufficiently thoroughly theoretically nor practically processed.Sign texts hide different versions of cultural reality, in whose creation and interpretation are involved their producers and consumers. The problem is what role in the processes of text interpretation constructing cultural realities plays remediation as a transport of texts from one communication medium into another. The study aims to find out what role in the processes of cultural practices plays remediation of visual sign texts and what changes in the mediated contents causes remediation of visual sign texts? The study aims to reflect the fact that the socio-cultural reality is presented, constructed and stored in the processes of cultural practices, which is an essential component of remediation and interpretation of sensate sign texts and to analyze selected visual texts with the intention to identify changes that causes remediation carried out by different communication media. In context of textual approaches of cultural studies the study uses qualitative methods – semiotic, narrative and discourse analysis of visual sing text. The study analyzes selected visual sign texts that carry different communication media, among other artistic collage, poster, exhibition catalog, illustration in a popular science book, and e-mail. The study showed that the remediation of visual texts is an instrument of semiotic and cultural transfer, is initiated by socio-cultural practices and brings changes in contents of sign texts. It further showed that the remediation is simultaneously the bearer of cultural traditions and initiator of cultural changes since ancient times. Interpretation of selected visual texts concluded that remediation is a basic condition for reproduction of cultural values, norms and myths as elementary forms of cultural integration and that remediation in the context of contemporary cultural studies is not only an important research topic, but also the research problem that has not been sufficiently thoroughly theoretically nor practically processed

The Cause of Mechanical Vibration of Palasher Synchronous Motors and its Removal

The paper describes the procedure and the result of the analysis of mechanical vibrations of mining machines at the Palasher mine in the Russian Federation. The cause of these vibrations was the change in the magnitude of the magnetic flux in the air gap. The simulations showed the possibility of eliminating these changes in magnetic flux by injecting suitable voltages into the stator windings. The implementation of this injection is further described by torque variable component feed-direct compensation. Finally, oscillography records are presented before and after injection

Generation Alpha Media Consumption During Covid-19 and Teachers’ Standpoint

With the development of digital technologies that are part of everyday life, new cultural norms and patterns are developing with which children play, learn, communicate, and socialise in the digital age. Technologies are also fundamentally changing teachers’ attitudes to education. This study aims to determine the motivation of teachers of generation Alpha for using technology and mobile applications, what technologies were preferred by generation Alpha after the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, and for what reason. The research sample included one segment of the Alpha generation, pupils of primary schools (N = 53) and their primary school teachers (N = 83). A qualitative research design was used. The data processed by thematic content analysis identified the themes associated with using digital tools by generation Alpha, according to the teachers. The results showed the teachers’ motivation for using digital technology with generation Alpha, such as meeting their physiological, safety, social, cognitive, aesthetic, and self-actualisation needs. Generation Alpha’s media applications saturated four needs: entertainment, information, education, and games. They were covered by 12 applications. The findings show that the digital communication activities of generation Alpha refer to the audience’s intentionality, selectivity, and involvement with the media. The presented research opens other possible research topics, such as how new communication and mobile apps influence the behaviours of Alpha generation, value orientation, and well-being, and how effectively to use mobile apps in education praxis

Hypotheses about geoglyphs at Nasca, Peru: new discoveries

The known hypotheses about the reasons why the geoglyphs in the Nasca and Palpa region of Peru were created are many: roads/paths, rituals/ceremonials, use of hallucinogens, astronomical meaning, influence of extraterrestrials, underground water… and so on. We present a new hypothesis, formulated by J. Sonnek (first published in 2011) in the context of all previous hypotheses.1 Sonnek explains the geoglyphs as tidied work areas for the production of rope and nets, although he goes much further than Stierlin. This eccentric hypothesis now has not only experimental but also archaeological and ethnographical support, which is presented here. Geoglyphs of a special shape were discovered in the pampas; they may represent technical objects – different types of ‘rope twisters’. Following this idea, Sonnek made technical devices (using today’s materials) and tested them in practice; they work perfectly, see his YouTube videos.2 In November 2012, wooden pieces, which may be the remnants of ropemaking, were collected from the pampa near the towns of Nasca and Palpa, in vicinity of these hypothetic ropemaking places. Radiocarbon testing by 14C standardized radio-carbon age according to Stuiver-Polach convention and Accelerator Mass Spectroscopy (AMS) of these wood pieces shows the age to be in a wide range from Early Nasca to the 17th century (and to our epoch with a fake geoglyph, too), thus supporting (but surely not proving) the new hypothesis. Moreover, in the Quechua language, the word huasca, waskha (read: uasca) means a rope or cord or place where these are produced. This word is very similar to ‘nasca’

The Factors Affecting the Presentation of Events and the Media Coverage of Topics in the Mass Media

Cultural commercialization and globalization, which we can witness more and more today, are interrelated with the media coverage processes, i.e. with the mass communication processes, the aim of which is to highlight particular topics. This paper deals with presenting the ways of selecting topics within the media environment. We will focus our attention on one of the media coverage segments. Namely, we will discuss the following issues: “How are topics selected by the mass media?” and “What are the factors affecting this process?” We will deal with news as the simplest journalistic genre as regards its structure. Our views are based on the assumption that media coverage reflects the interrelations among the mass media subjects, media, media products and social reality. The main reason for this is seen in the fact that media coverage is also becoming a very efficient tool for creating media reality. By the audience with low levels of media literacy, this type of reality is perceived as social reality.Komercionalizace a globalizace kultury, ktoré jsme stále více svědky, je spjatá s procesy medializace, tzn. s masově komunikačními procesy, jejichž cílem je akcentovat konkrétní témata. V příspěvku se zaměříme na prezentaci způsobů, které se uplatňují v mediálním prostředí při výběru témat. Zaměříme se na jeden segment medializace, a to na problém, jak masová média vybírají svá témata a které faktory tento proces ovlivňují. Budeme se zde věnovat konstrukčně „nejjednoduššímu“ žurnalistickému žánru, zprávě. Vycházíme z konceptu, že medializace vyjadřuje vztah mezi subjekty masové komunikace, médii, mediálními produkty a sociální realitou. A to hlavně proto, že medializace se současně stává účinným nástrojem konstrukce mediální reality, která je publiky s nízkým stupněm mediální gramotnosti percipovaná jako realita sociální.Cultural commercialization and globalization, which we can witness more and more today, are interrelated with the media coverage processes, i.e. with the mass communication processes, the aim of which is to highlight particular topics. This paper deals with presenting the ways of selecting topics within the media environment. We will focus our attention on one of the media coverage segments. Namely, we will discuss the following issues: “How are topics selected by the mass media?” and “What are the factors affecting this process?” We will deal with news as the simplest journalistic genre as regards its structure. Our views are based on the assumption that media coverage reflects the interrelations among the mass media subjects, media, media products and social reality. The main reason for this is seen in the fact that media coverage is also becoming a very efficient tool for creating media reality. By the audience with low levels of media literacy, this type of reality is perceived as social reality

The metastasis-associated protein S100A4 promotes the inflammatory response of mononuclear cells via the TLR4 signalling pathway in rheumatoid arthritis

Objectives. S100A4 has been implicated in cancer and several inflammatory diseases, including RA. The aim of the present study was to determine whether S100A4 can stimulate proinflammatory cytokine production in mononuclear cells. Methods. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) isolated from patients with RA were stimulated with S100A4, S100A8, S100A9 and S100A12. The production of IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α was measured by ELISA. Receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGEs) and Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) signalling were examined. For signalling pathway blocking studies, inhibitors of myeloid differentiation primary response gene 88 (MyD88), nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) and the mitogen activated protein (MAP) kinases p38, extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) and Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) were used. MAP kinase activation was evaluated by western blotting. Results. Stimulation of PBMCs with S100A4 significantly up-regulated IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α production compared with unstimulated cells (P < 0.001). Importantly, the production of these cytokines was markedly enhanced in response to S100A4 compared with S100A8 and S100A12; however, it was less pronounced compared with S100A9. Furthermore, enhanced production of proinflammatory cytokines in S100A4-stimulated PMBCs was at least partly mediated via TLR4, but not RAGEs, and by activation of the transcription factor NF-κB and the MAP kinases p38 and ERK1/2. Conclusion. This is the first study to demonstrate that S100A4 can induce an inflammatory response mediated by TLR4 and by the activation of NF-κB and the kinases p38 and ERK1/2 in mononuclear cells from patients with RA. Therefore S100A4 may be a potential therapeutic target for immune-mediated disease

Experimental and computational study on mechanical stabilisation of sacral bone injuries

The experimental study focuses on minimally invasive fixation techniques of linear sacral fractures and its results are utilised for development and validation of the related computational model. The model is extended for analysis of unstable pelvic ring injuries with spinopelvic dissociation and their treatment with lumbo-sacral fixation techniques. Influence of a cross-link transverse connector and of an additional iliosacral screw on the fixation stability is assessed