Tożsamość cywilizacyjna Federacji Rosyjskiej – rozważania teoretyczne (The civilizational identity of Russian Federation – theoretical reflection)

Стаття підготовлена на основі дослідження, яке було проведене під час підготовки докторської дисертації «Стратегічне партнерство Європейського Союзу» і складає спробу теоретичного розгляду основ цивілізаційної та культурної ідентичності Російської Федерації як одного із чинників зовнішньої політики цієї держави. Цим пояснюється вибір трьох протилежних концепцій, які з’явилися уже в дев’яностих роках минулого століття. Метою автора було представлення опцій і напрямів здійснення зовнішньої політики бездетального аналізу практичних дій з боку Росії. (This article is based on research carried out in the preparation of the doctoral dissertation «Strategic partnership between European Union and Russian Federation» and is an attempt at the theoretical basis of civilization and cultural identity as one of the Russian Federation determinants of foreign policy. Thus, the choice three contrasting concepts. The aim to the author was to present options and directions of Russian foreign policy without a detailed analysis of the practical activities carried out by Russia.

Ni(II) binding to the Human Tool Like Receptor (HTLR4)

Nickel allergy is the most frequent cause of contact hypersensitivity (burning, redness, itching, swelling and even blisters) in industrialized countries, with 30% of population being affected. Contact allergy is commonly induced by nickel ions present in nickel-containing jewelry such as rings and earrings, as well as in nickel-containing cellular telephones. Ni(II) seems to trigger an inflammatory response by activating human Toll-like-Receptor 4 (hTLR4) [1-4]. Species-specific activation, as in this case, requires distinct sequence motifs that are present in humans but not in mouse, a species not sensitive to nickel-induced allergies. A sequence containing three histidine residues, H431, and the non-conserved H456 and H458, localized in the C-terminus, could be identified as the specific region of human TLR4 responsible for nickel responses. It has been proposed that the imidazole side chain of the histidine residues H456 and H458 may provide a potential binding site for this metal because they are located at an optimal distance to interact with Ni(II) ions, whereas H431 is located further apart. The aim of our research was to verify the possibility of metal binding to the sequence containing the three histidines supposedly involved in nickel response. The chosen segment was the 32aa peptide FQH431SNLKQMSEFSVFLSLRNLIYLDISH456TH458TR, which was studied in order to understand both its binding properties and the thermodynamic stability of its metal complexes. Formation equilibria of Ni(II) complexes have been investigated in aqueous solution and in a wide pH range. Protonation and complex-formation constants have been potentiometrically determined; complex-formation models and species stoichiometry have been checked by means of UV-Vis absorption and CD spectroscopy and investigation through multidimensional and eteronuclear NMR spectroscopy. The predominant species for a 1:1 peptide/Ni(II) molar ratio was obtained at physiological pH and showed an effective binding of the metal to the target sequence

Prospective Survey of AntibioticUtilization in Pediatric Hospitalized Patients to IdentifyTargets for Improvement of Prescription

Abstract. : Background: : The rise in the use of antibiotics has resulted in increasing health care costs and the emergence of resistant bacteria. Little is known about the general misuse of antibiotics in hospitalized children. We evaluated the utilization of antibiotics in a pediatric teaching hospital aiming to identify targets for improvement of prescription. Patients and Methods: : Clinical, radiological, laboratory and treatment data of patients hospitalized in a pediatric medical and a pediatric surgery ward were prospectively collected during a 6-week period. A subsequent review of the collected data by a pediatric infectious diseases specialist, taking into consideration existing in-house treatment guidelines, was carried out. Results: : A total of 125 (36%) of 349 patients was prescribed 246 antibiotics. The median length of hospital stay for children prescribed antibiotics was 5 days (range, 2-30 days) and for those not prescribed 3 days (1-32 days; p < 0.001). Of 154 patients in the medical ward, 64 (42%) received antibiotics, compared to 61 (31%) of 195 patients in the surgical ward (p < 0.05). Empirical prescriptions were more frequent than prophylactic ones, which were more frequent than therapeutic prescriptions (136 [55%] vs 94 [38%] vs 16 [7%]; p < 0.001). Overall, 85% of the prescriptions were considered justified. The rates of inappropriate prescriptions were similar in the medical and surgical ward, and higher for therapeutic (19%) or prophylactic treatment (18%) than for empirical treatment (12%). Higher inappropriate prescription rates were noted for macrolides than for co-trimoxazole and β-lactams (50% vs 18% and 15%, respectively; p < 0.05). Conclusion: : Efforts need to be undertaken towards continuous education of medical staff on judicious antibiotic use, as well as ensuring compliance with existing guidelines. Improvement in the availability of rapid diagnostic methods to discern viral from bacterial infections may help reduce the numbers of empiric therapies in favor of pathogen-targeted therapeutic treatment

SPOSOBY POMIARU BOGACTWA NARODoW W OBLICZU ZMIENIAJACEGO SIe OTOCZENIA EKONOMICZNO-SPOLECZNEGO SWIATA

Jedna z glownych debat obecnych w ekonomii dotyczy pomiaru swiatowego bogactwa. Ekonomia staje sie wielodyscyplinarna nauka, ktora korzysta z osiagniec psychologii, neurologii, etyki czy nauk spolecznych. W rezultacie wskaznik PKB powinien byc wieloplaszczyznowym miernikiem. W ponizszym artykule autorzy podkreslaja znaczenie innych niz tylko ekonomiczne zmiennych tworzacych indywidualne bogactwo na swiecie, uwzgledniajac m.in. czynniki psychologiczne, poziom zdrowia, IQ, bezpieczenstwo jednostki czy aspekty spolecznej odpowiedzialnosci.pomiar bogactwa, finanse behawioralne, zrownowazony rozwoj, PKB

Rai1 frees mice from the repression of active wake behaviors by light.

Besides its role in vision, light impacts physiology and behavior through circadian and direct (aka 'masking') mechanisms. In Smith-Magenis syndrome (SMS), the dysregulation of both sleep-wake behavior and melatonin production strongly suggests impaired non-visual light perception. We discovered that mice haploinsufficient for the SMS causal gene, Retinoic acid induced-1 (Rai1), were hypersensitive to light such that light eliminated alert and active-wake behaviors, while leaving time-spent-awake unaffected. Moreover, variables pertaining to circadian rhythm entrainment were activated more strongly by light. At the input level, the activation of rod/cone and suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) by light was paradoxically greatly reduced, while the downstream activation of the ventral-subparaventricular zone (vSPVZ) was increased. The vSPVZ integrates retinal and SCN input and, when activated, suppresses locomotor activity, consistent with the behavioral hypersensitivity to light we observed. Our results implicate Rai1 as a novel and central player in processing non-visual light information, from input to behavioral output

Socialist Dandies International: East Europe, 1946-1959

This article maps the looks and lifestyle choices of small groups of young, like-minded people who emerged in the postwar Soviet Union and East Europe in the background of huge political, social, and cultural changes. With their androgynous bodies wrapped in drape jackets and narrow trousers, and their love of jazz and swing, these young men stood in a sharp contrast to the official ideology that promoted socialism as a new, pure, and highly rationalized project, its ideal robust and strong man, and its mass culture that insisted on educational and restrained forms of entertainment. Through the categories of dress, body, and big city, the article investigates the clashes, and the eventual truce, between the socialist streamlined and rationalized master narrative and the young dandies' fragmented and disordered narrative. The article argues that the socialist dandies were not politically minded, and that their challenge to the officially proclaimed values was informed by their adolescent recklessness and a general postwar desolation. They were declared state enemies because the socialist regimes did not allow for alternative types of modernity. Consequently, the authorities condemned the young dandies' looks and interests as cosmopolitan, because they originated in the West, and as artificial, since they belonged to the culture that had preceded a new socialist world

Incorporating Indigenous Knowledge Systems in Environmental Education: Creating Culturally Responsive Curriculum to Foster a More Inclusive and Holistic Approach to Science Learning

This project explores how elementary science curriculum can be adapted to become more culturally responsive (CR), with a particular focus on integrating Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) into 4th-grade instruction. Grounded in the belief that many Indigenous cultures have long held deep ecological knowledge and sustainable practices, the curriculum seeks to challenge the dominant, Eurocentric framework of traditional science education. Research highlights that culturally responsive teaching not only affirms students’ identities but also improves engagement, academic achievement, and long-term retention of scientific concepts. However, few curricular models at the elementary level meaningfully incorporate Indigenous perspectives in ways that are respectful, authentic, and educationally effective. The resulting curriculum includes a series of place-based, inquiry-driven lessons designed to align with Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and Colorado State Standards while honoring Indigenous worldviews. Lessons encourage students to explore their local environment, build personal relationships with the land, and learn through storytelling, observation, and seasonal cycles; methods rooted in IKS. Special attention was given to creating materials that are accessible for educators of all backgrounds, with reflection prompts and adaptations that support respectful engagement with cultural content. This project aims to promote a more inclusive, relational approach to science education; one that validates Indigenous ways of knowing, nurtures students’ connection to the natural world, and encourages critical thinking about sustainability, identity, and the history of science itself

Glaciochemical Investigations in Three Southern Hemisphere Mountain Sites

The research presented in this dissertation focuses on glaciochemical records of trace elements, major ions, and stable water isotopes from three mountain regions: the Antarctic Peninsula, the Central Chilean Andes, and South Georgia Island. The first section reports a significant increase in U concentration over 27 years on Detroit Plateau, Antarctic Peninsula. U concentrations in the ice core increase by as much as 102 between the 1980s and 2000s, accompanied by increased variability in recent years. The U concentration increase coincides with expanded open pit mining in the Southern Hemisphere, most notably Australia. Since other land-source dust elements do not show similar large concentration increases, and since the increased U concentrations are enriched above average levels in the Earth\u27s crust, the source of U is attributed to human activities rather than atmospheric circulation changes. The second section of this dissertation presents a 100-year, continuous, sub-annually dated ice core record from Tupungatito glacier, Central Chilean Andes. This section documents change over time of atmospheric pollution in Central Chile and a significant change in atmospheric pollutant concentrations coincident with anthropogenic activities in this region. Moreover, Cd, As, Pb, Cu, and Ag concentrations exhibit enriched values far in excess of natural levels over the last century, with the increases beginning around the 1930’s. Lastly, the third section of thesis dissertation focuses on a short glaciochemical record from a snow/firn core collected on South Georgia Island. This reconnaissance study provides information about snow chemistry and preservation of environmental records at an elevation of 850 m a.s.l. The results presented in this section help to determine the feasibility of future deep ice coring on South Georgia Island

Smoke without Fire: Employing Mediation to Create Workplace Accommodations for Medical Cannabis Use by Disabled Armed Forces Veterans

Over the course of a nearly twelve-year career in the Air Force, which included multiple tours of duty in Afghanistan and Iraq, Stephen Otero experienced unspeakable trauma. He has the scars-both visible and invisible-to prove it. Despite being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder ( PTSD ) in 2008, Otero once again placed country before self and reaffirmed his commitment to serving the United States by agreeing to complete another tour of duty. During this final deployment, Otero sustained extensive abdominal injuries as a result of a suicide bombing attack