Byzantine tradition in icon painting

The article seeks to reflect upon the manner of perceiving reality (the so-called reversed perspective) associated with the Byzantine tradition of icon painting which was in evidence in the Ruthenian and Russian cultural circle from the 12th to the first half of the 17th century.The article seeks to reflect upon the manner of perceiving reality (the so-called reversed perspective) associated with the Byzantine tradition of icon painting which was in evidence in the Ruthenian and Russian cultural circle from the 12th to the first half of the 17th century

Zmiany w rosyjskim szkolnictwie stopnia podstawowego i średniego w dobie panowania Mikołaja I

The article presents the specificity and significance of changes in Russian primary and secondary education during the reign of Tsar Nicholas I (1825–1855). Attention was drawn to two specific acts in this context: the Act of Gymnasiums,Poviat and Parish Schools of 1828 and the Act on School Districts of 1835 and the accompanying ideological context. Schools were supposed not only to provide students with specific substantive knowledge, but also to instill in them the belief that autocracy and Orthodoxy are the foundation of Russia’s strength and power, and that the tsar is a father to all his subjects.W artykule przybliżono specyfikę i znaczenie zmian w rosyjskim szkolnictwie stopnia podstawowego oraz średniego dokonujących się w okresie rządów cara Mikołaja I (1825–1855). Zwrócono uwagę na dwie charakterystyczne w tym kontekście ustawy: Ustawę gimnazjów, szkół powiatowych i parafialnych z 1828 r. oraz Ustawę dotycząca okręgów szkolnych z 1835 r. i towarzyszący im kontekst ideologiczny. Szkoły miały nie tylko przekazywać uczniom określoną wiedzę merytoryczną, lecz również wpajać im przekonanie, że samowładztwo i prawosławie stanowią fundament siły i potęgi Rosji, a car jest ojcem dla wszystkich swoich poddanych

Filozofia kultury w ujęciu ks. Janusza Stanisława Pasierba

The article presents an outline of priest Janusz Stanisław Pasierb’s philosophy of culture. The basis of this philosophy is a very specific look at a human being. The thinker noticed that the essence of humanity lies in the spiritual sphere which is anchored in God. This fact determines, in his opinion, the meaning of creation and the status of a creator. Culture takes part in a salutary calling of a human being. It influences significantly on a shape of our mind, it changes and purifies it. Communing with works of culture helps to understand God and prepares for a meeting with Him. Culture is a form of a ration of human being to nature. The shape and specific of nature is a consequence of God’s acting, whereas culture is work of a human being. A human creates culture, but culture shapes a human. For this reason culture cannot be treated in an instrumental way. We cannot walk away from culture or give it up

HANDEL I JEGO ROLA CYWILIZACYJNA W UJĘCIU JÓZEFA SUPIŃSKIEGO

Józef Supiński (1804–1893), Polish scientist, economist, philosopher, sociologist within the socio-economic theory created in the second half of the 19th century highlighted issues related to trade, perceived in the context of civilization. The article presents their essence and specificity. Supiński emphasized the civilization role of trade, its beneficial influence on the increase in production and social capital. Trade, being a fully human creation, humanizes social relations, limits various forms of violence, and enables peaceful coexistence. It is also the glue that binds individuals together into the fabric of society.Józef Supiński (1804–1893), polski naukowiec, ekonomista, filozof, socjolog, w obrębie stworzonej w drugiej połowie XIX wieku teorii społeczno-ekonomicznej, uwypuklił kwestie związane z handlem, postrzeganym w kontekście cywilizacyjnym. W artykule przybliżono ich istotę i specyfikę. Supiński podkreślał cywilizacyjną rolę handlu, jego korzystny wpływ na wzrost wielkości produkcji i kapitału społecznego. Handel, będąc w pełni ludzkim tworem, humanizuje relacje społeczne, ogranicza różne formy przemocy, umożliwia pokojowe współistnienie. Jest także spoiwem łączącym jednostki w strukturę społeczeństwa

LUDWIKA KULCZYCKIEGO WIZJA SOCJALISTYCZNEGO PAŃSTWA PRZYSZŁOŚCI

The article takes a closer look at Ludwik Kulczycki’s vision of a socialist state of the future, dating from the turn of the 20th century. The vision authored by this sociologist, publicist, member of the Polish Socialist Party does not abound in detailed analyses and solutions. However, Kulczycki, at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, did not claim that the concept of the of European future, based on the foundation of socialism, would undoubtedly be realised in the socio-political practice. Even if it appeared progressive, this did not mean that it had to „happen” to the inhabitants of the Old Continent. The author, although he did not reject the revolutionary path of struggle for a new order, preferred the bloodless and peaceful way of transition to a socialist system of organisation of the state and society. The state of the future should define the norms of collective life, maintain the social order and moderate production. In the lives of future civilised societies of Europe the state was to be an indispensable institution, as well as a giver of stable legal and constitutional norms.W artykule przybliżono Ludwika Kulczyckiego wizję socjalistycznego państwa przyszłości, pochodzącą z przełomu XIX i XX stulecia. Wizja autorstwa socjologa, publicysty, członka Polskiej Partii Socjalistycznej nie obfituje w szczegółowe analizy i rozwiązania. Uczony na przełomie XIX i XX wieku nie twierdził, że koncepcja przyszłości Europy, oparta na fundamencie socjalizmu, bez wątpienia zostanie zrealizowana w praktyce społeczno-politycznej. Nawet jeśli – w jego ocenie – jawiła się ona jako postępowa, to wcale nie znaczy, iż musi się „przydarzyć” mieszkańcom starego kontynentu. Kulczycki, mimo iż nie odrzucił rewolucyjnej drogi walki o nowy ład, preferował bezkrwawy i pokojowy sposób przejścia do socjalistycznego systemu organizacji państwa i społeczeństwa. Państwo przyszłości powinno określać normy życia zbiorowego, utrzymywać ład społeczny i porządek w produkcji. W życiu przyszłych, cywilizowanych społeczeństw Europy miało być instytucją niezbędną, podobnie jak określone normy prawno-konstytucyjne

(Sub)millimetre-selected galaxies and the cosmic star-formation history

Understanding the time evolution of the star formation in the Universe is one of the main aims of observational astronomy. Since a significant portion of the UV starlight is being absorbed by dust and re-emitted in the IR, we need to understand both of those regimes to properly describe the cosmic star formation history. In UV, the depth and the resolution of the data permits calculations of the star formation rate densities out to very high redshifts (z ∼ 8 − 9). In IR however, the large beam sizes and the relatively shallow data limits these calculations to z ∼ 2. In this thesis, I explore the SMA and PdBI high-resolution follow-up of 30 bright sources originally selected by AzTEC and LABOCA instruments at 1.1 mm and 870 μm respectively in conjunction with the SCUBA-2 Cosmology Legacy Survey (S2CLS) deep COSMOS and wide UDS maps, where 106 and 283 sources were detected, with the signal-to-noise ratio of > 5 and > 3.5 at 850 μm respectively. I find that the (sub)mm-selected galaxies reside and the mean redshifts of ¯z ≃ 2.5±0.05 with the exception of the brightest sources which seem to lie at higher redshifts (¯z ≃ 3.5 ± 0.2), most likely due to the apparent correlation of the (sub)mm flux with redshift, where brighter sources tend to lie at higher redshifts. Stellar masses, M⋆, and star formation rates, SFRs, were found (M⋆ & 1010M⊙ and SFR & 100M⊙ yr−1) and used to calculate the specific SFRs. I determine that the (sub)mm-selected sources mostly lie on the high-mass end of the star formation ‘main-sequence’ which makes them a high-mass extension of normal star forming galaxies. I also find that the specific SFR slightly evolves at redshifts 2−4, suggesting that the efficiency of the star formation seems to be increasing at these redshifts. Using the S2CLS data, the bolometric IR luminosity functions (IR LFs) were found for a range of redshifts z = 1.2 − 4.2 and the contribution of the SMGs to the total star formation rate density (SFRD) was calculated. The IR LFs were found to evolve out to redshift ∼ 2.5. The star formation activity in the Universe was found to peak at z ≃ 2 followed by a slight decline. Assuming the IR to total SFRD correction found in the literature the SFRD found in this work closely follows the best-fitting function of Madau & Dickinson (2014)

Droughts in the area of Poland in recent centuries in the light of multi-proxy data

The history of drought occurrence in Poland criteria used were those proposed by McKee et al. (1993) and in the last millennium is poorly known. To improve this modified for the climate conditions of Poland by Lab˛edzki knowledge we have conducted a comprehensive analysis us (2007). ing both proxy data (documentary and dendrochronological) More than 100 droughts were found in documen and instrumental measurements of precipitation. The paper tary sources in the period 1451–1800, including 17 presents the main features of droughts in Poland in recent megadroughts. A greater than average number of droughts centuries, including their frequency of occurrence, cover were observed in the second halves of the 17th century and age, duration, and intensity. The reconstructions of droughts the 18th century in particular. Dendrochronological data con based on all the mentioned sources of data covered the pe firmed this general tendency in the mentioned period. riod 996–2015. Examples of megadroughts were also cho Analysis of SPI (including its lowest values, i.e. droughts) sen using documentary evidence, and some of them were de showed that the long-term frequency of droughts in Poland scribed. has been stable in the last two or three centuries. Extreme Various documentary sources have been used to identify and severe droughts were most frequent in the coastal part droughts in the area of Poland in the period 1451–1800 and of Poland and in Silesia. Most droughts had a duration of 2 to estimate their intensity, spatial coverage, and duration. months (about 60 %–70 %) or 3–4 months (10 %–20 %). Fre Twenty-two local chronologies of trees (pine, oak, and fir quencies of droughts with a duration of 5-or-more months from Poland were taken into account for detecting nega were lower than 10 %. The frequency of droughts of all cat tive pointer years (exceptionally narrow rings). The delimita egories in Poland in the instrumental period 1722–2015 was tion of droughts based on instrumental data (eight long-term greatest in winter, while in the documentary evidence (1451– precipitation series) was conducted using two independent 1800) droughts in this season are rarely mentioned. approaches (Standard Precipitation Index, SPI, calculated for The occurrence of negative pointer years (a good proxy for 1-, 3-, and 24-month timescales, and a new method proposed droughts) was compared with droughts delimited based on by authors). For delimitation of droughts (dry months), the documentary and instrumental data. A good correspondence was found between the timing of occurrence of droughts identified using all three kinds of data (sources)

cGMP-Elevating Compounds and Ischemic Conditioning Provide Cardioprotection Against Ischemia and Reperfusion Injury via Cardiomyocyte-Specific BK Channels.

BACKGROUND: The nitric oxide-sensitive guanylyl cyclase/cGMP-dependent protein kinase type I signaling pathway can afford protection against the ischemia/reperfusion injury that occurs during myocardial infarction. Reportedly, voltage and Ca2+-activated K+ channels of the BK type are stimulated by cGMP/cGMP-dependent protein kinase type I, and recent ex vivo studies implicated that increased BK activity favors the survival of the myocardium at ischemia/reperfusion. It remains unclear, however, whether the molecular events downstream of cGMP involve BK channels present in cardiomyocytes or in other cardiac cell types. METHODS: Gene-targeted mice with a cardiomyocyte- or smooth muscle cell-specific deletion of the BK (CMBK or SMBK knockouts) were subjected to the open-chest model of myocardial infarction. Infarct sizes of the conditional mutants were compared with litter-matched controls, global BK knockout, and wild-type mice. Cardiac damage was assessed after mechanical conditioning or pharmacological stimulation of the cGMP pathway and by using direct modulators of BK. Long-term outcome was studied with respect to heart functions and cardiac fibrosis in a chronic myocardial infarction model. RESULTS: Global BK knockouts and CMBK knockouts, in contrast with SMBK knockouts, exhibited significantly larger infarct sizes compared with their respective controls. Ablation of CMBK resulted in higher serum levels of cardiac troponin I and elevated amounts of reactive oxygen species, lower phosphorylated extracellular receptor kinase and phosphorylated AKT levels and an increase in myocardial apoptosis. Moreover, CMBK was required to allow beneficial effects of both nitric oxide-sensitive guanylyl cyclase activation and inhibition of the cGMP-degrading phosphodiesterase-5, ischemic preconditioning, and postconditioning regimens. To this end, after 4 weeks of reperfusion, fibrotic tissue increased and myocardial strain echocardiography was significantly compromised in CMBK-deficient mice. CONCLUSIONS: Lack of CMBK channels renders the heart more susceptible to ischemia/reperfusion injury, whereas the pathological events elicited by ischemia/reperfusion do not involve BK in vascular smooth muscle cells. BK seems to permit the protective effects triggered by cinaciguat, riociguat, and different phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors and beneficial actions of ischemic preconditioning and ischemic postconditioning by a mechanism stemming primarily from cardiomyocytes. This study establishes mitochondrial CMBK channels as a promising target for limiting acute cardiac damage and adverse long-term events that occur after myocardial infarction