The Role of Interaction in Language Evolution. Evidence from Two Iterated Learning Experiments with Human Participants

Abstract. Experiments conducted with the use of the iterated learning methodology have recently become a rich source of information on the hypothetic ways in which the human language might have evolved. Basing on the groundbreaking studies of the Language Evolution and Computation Centre in Edinburgh, it is possible to utilise the methodology in question in increasingly more advanced experiments, both with and without human participants, using various designs and referring to different theories. The present paper discusses the role of interaction in iteratedlearning experiments, comparing the results obtained in two studies: the first oneconducted with only one participant at a time (without communication) and the second one with three participants interacting with each other. As results suggest, the intuition that communication constitutes one of key factors in language evolution might be misleading

Idea pokoju negatywnego i pozytywnego

Summarizing considerations about peace, the author finds out that the idea is commonly known as the opposite of war. Peace means lack of war more than an international partnership (although it is included into the idea of positive peace) because a war can also contain a partnership between aggressors or between peace defenders. Therefore, the lack of war is crucial to define the international peace, because only the war excludes it evidently. Peace can also take place in case of sanctioning an unjust political-territorial deal or in state of numerous international tensions when there is no war.In the author's opinion another meaning of peace refers to the state of relationships between countries. However, regarding the fact that it is at the same time a value (a special value for both individual nations and the whole internationalglobal society), peace is differently interpreted in different philosophical and ideological conceptions. It has a dynamic character and depends on international conditions, priorities of international interests and civilization progress. These conditions are variable. However, peace always means lack of war or other direct violence. (This is a negative aspect of peace.) Peace, evaluated as fair and favourable to unrestricted development, is defined as positive (a positive aspect of peace). So, this is a creative development of the negative peace. Practically, it is, however, more an idea of peace than an objective state found in the human history so far. Therefore peace is also characterized by relativity and subjectivity of perception (regardless of the objective state)

Wolność, sprawiedliwość, równość a etyka komunikacji

So far no thinker has seemed to define the idea called "freedom of communication” being a syndrome of contemporary times and the future society of computer science in which information tends to be the most important “matter”. No one has defined either what freedom of communication is to become or what it consists in. What are its conditions and restrictions, not mentioning its essence? The paper tries to outline the contemporary comprehension of freedom including justice and equal rights, as well as their ethic relations to communication. Freedom, justice and equal rights are currently very distinct and intensive on the Internet which is becoming more and more popular. The Internet is a comparatively new means of social communication and extremely different from others known so far. Its technological possibilities give everyone a chance of sending information to people all over the world making it generally available. However, these new possibilities bring into existence moral dilemmas not occuring before. Lots of them have already appeared with great sharpness. We should expect further problems to emerge the more so as the access to the Internet is being widespread and technological restrictions concerning the capacity of the network system seem to be gradually removed. As it results from the undertaken considerations, the problems of freedom, justice and equal rights on the Internet are very significant and current. The relations and mutual dependences occurring among the three ideas and appearing during analyses seem to be very interesting. Freedom and equal rights are supposed to be dependent on justice which, in turn, is subject to law and truth. Hence, the conclusion is that ethical reflection is of minor significance while searching for solving ethical dilemmas regarding the Internet. These problems must be regulated according to the law. It is also worth noticing that there exists an urgent need of further studies on the problem of communication ethic, particularly in the new future society of computer science

Metody empiryczne w badaniu ewolucji kulturowej języka

The evolution of language has recently become one of the main fields of interdisciplinary science. However, it is also possible to study it exclusively from a linguistic perspective, not only theoretically, but also in an empirical way. The present article aims at presenting the most promising research programs dedicated to the empirical study of the cultural evolution of language, which currently constitutes an essential complement to studies from other scientific perspectives. La comprensione della lingua umana condiziona la nostra piena comprensione dell’umanità. Possiamo ammirare la complessità e la struttura dei linguaggi, ma la questione che riguarda il modo in cui sono emersi rimane aperta ed è ampiamente discussa da secoli dai ricercatori legati ai campi così distanti come paleontologia, neurologia, genetica, psicologia, teologia e linguistica. Nonostante il fatto che le origini del linguaggio siano state studiate anche nell’antichità, finora non c'è una risposta soddisfacente. Di conseguenza, alcuni scienziati si riferiscono all’enigma dell’origine del linguaggio come il „problema più difficile nella scienza”Ewolucja języka stała się ostatnio jedną z podstawowych dziedzin badań interdyscyplinarnych. Można ją jednak również badać z perspektywy językowej, nie tylko w sposób teoretyczny, ale także empiryczny. Niniejszy artykuł ma na celu przedstawienie najbardziej obiecujących programów badawczych poświęconych empirycznemu badaniu ewolucji kulturowej języka, która stanowi obecnie istotne uzupełnienie badań prowadzonych w innych paradygmatach naukowych

Obywatel państwa elektronicznego

It is difficult to foresee whether the Internet will become a germ of a new, information society. Nor can you define how it will function. However, a kind of global computer network is supposed to accompany us in the future, and this seems to be highly probable. The global communication network united with an enormous archive of human knowledge will undoubtedly become a natural background of man’s life. Although in the future it will probably be indispensable, it does not seem to substitute the radio, television, press, libraries, but it will find another new niche in which everyone will be able to function. The process will be accompanied by larger spread of computers. One may think that in the future the Internet will become still less perceptible but more omnipresent.One more change is alleged to take place. Our life will not concentrate around objects, but it is information that will become the most important matter. We shall communicate with people through the network system. But will it make us and our lives less real? It will decidedly not. We shall surely become different. Perhaps we shall keep things which now seem to us of great importance at a distance. Or maybe we shall carry the web individualities also about the real world.Undoubtedly, we will still be people who feel, desire, choose, rule, but perhaps we shall call these activities in a different way. Our environment provides us with ideas and metaphors, and that of the citizen of the future will be created by the Net

Czy nastąpiła już dewaluacja uczciwości?

We all reflect on the problem what has happened to the sense of honesty in our country. In the article, apart from presenting the problem, the author suggests precautions that are to be taken to solve this matter. First, it seems to be necessary to reveal the incomes of politicians and to eliminate profits from different kinds of services and hardly measurable privileges (it is suggested that politicians’ salaries should oscillate in range of mean incomes the citizens obtained under their government). Second, moral standards have to be of a prior character. Third, the struggle for raising morality to higher level cannot be single only, but a long and continuous activity that would have to be subordinated to other current affairs And finally, the struggle for moral values ought to join all people, as the effects that result from failing ethics burden our lives and are a plague of ordinariness.The author concludes that if any significant changes do not take place in social systems and in conscious educational actions, the process of value degradation is expected to follow and the whole system of values will be still attacked

Czy można zbudować pełną teorię wartości?

The considerations of scientists interested in political ethics about theory of values are related to the fields that aim to built an entire theory of axiological phenomena concerning history, sociology, political science and economy. (However, they do not explain all the moral problems.) In the article there are analyzed the definitions of values (with the moral evaluations) as well as the theories and systems of values. Besides, a classification of the contemporary ethical theories has been presented. The most important values are explain. It turns out that they do not must be treated with concrete social, political or economical assumptions. They emphasize, however -in majority- the independence, impartiality, value relativism and rationality of arguments. The most important of the contemporary theories of values are: the formalism, the utilitarism, the ethics of virtue and the ethics of love. After analyzing the sources, it seems that it is impossible yet to create an entire (one, general and universal) theory of values. Thus, the answer to the title question is negative

The occurrence of spinal pain in trade sector workers

Wstęp. Dolegliwości bólowe kręgosłupa są najczęstszym objawem za burzenia struktury i funkcji narządu ruchu. Pracownicy sektora handlowego, są szczególnie narażeni na przeciążenia kręgosłupa. Celem pracy była analiza zależności miedzy występowaniem dolegliwości bólowych kręgosłupa a wiekiem, płcią, wykształceniem i stażem pracy. Materiał i metody. Badanie przeprowadzono wśród 200 pracowników sektora handlowego sklepów branży spożywczej w 2013 roku w Choszcznie. Zastosowano metodę sondażu diagnostycznego, narzędziem był kwestionariusz ankiety zawierający pytania charakteryzujące badaną grupę oraz Wizualną Skalę Analogową. Wyniki. Ból odcinka lędźwiowego oceniono na średnim poziomie, a szyjnego odcinka na słabym poziomie. Osoby deklarujące ból odcinka lędźwiowego (58% ) i odcinka szyjnego (56%), były w wieku 36–55 lat. Ból odcinka lędźwiowego w 78% dotyczył kobiet. Osoby ze stażem pracy 6–15 lat w 44% deklarowały ból. Wnioski: 1. Występowanie dolegliwości bólowych kręgosłupa jest dość częstym zjawiskiem u handlowców wymagającym przestrzegania zasad ergonomii pracy. 2. Wiek i staż pracy przyczyniają się do nasilenia bólu kręgosłupa u handlowców. 3. Dolegliwości bólowe odcinka lędźwiowego częściej występują u kobiet.Background. Spinal pain is the most common manifestation of the disturbed structure and function of the motor organ. Trade sector workers run a high risk of the spine overload. Objectives was to analyze the relationship between spinal pain and such variables as: age, gender, education, and work seniority. Material and methods. This survey-based study was conducted in 2013, using the Visual Analogue Scale and the questionnaire concerning characteristics of the study group. It involved 200 workers of the trade sector stores the food industry in Choszczno. Results. Lumbar pain was assessed as medium, and neck pain as weak. Respondents complaining of lumbar (58%) and neck pains (56%) were aged 36–5 5 years. In 78% of cases, lumbar pain affected women. Some 44% of respondents with six-fifteen-years’ work experience suffered from pain. Conclusions 1. The occurrence of spinal pain is quite common among trade workers, and requires applying ergonomic principles. 2. Age and work seniority increase spinal pain in trade workers. 3. Lumbar pain is more common among women

Wpływ metforminy na przeżywalność komórek raka jajnika linii SKOV-3 oraz ekspresję genów kodujących enzymy związane z O-GlcNAcylacją

Objectives: The aim of the study was to evaluate the cytotoxic effect of metformin on the ovarian cancer cells SKOV-3 and analyze the impact of this compound on the expression of genes coding for O-GlcNAc cycling enzymes, i.e. O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT) and β-N-acetylglucosaminidase (OGA). Materials and methods: Viability and proliferation of control cells and cells treated with metformin were evaluated by MTT test and trypan blue staining. OGT and OGA mRNA expressions analysis was performed using real-time PCR method. Results: A metformin concentration-dependent decrease of SKOV-3 cell viability was observed. The IC50 parameter for metformin cytotoxicity was 14 mM. The SKOV-3 cell doubling time was 45 hours. The cell population treated with 10 mM metformin did not double even after 72 hours. There was no significant difference in mRNA level of OGA between control cells and cells treated with metformin. The OGT mRNA level was significantly higher in cells treated with metformin for 24 hours as compared to the control cells. The increase of OGT mRNA was dependent on time of incubation. Cells treated with metformin for 48 hour showed higher expression of OGT than cells treated for 24 hours. Conclusion: Antiproliferative activity of metformin suggests that this compound may be considered as a candidate for potential chemotherapeutic agent. However, taking into account its impact on the expression of O-GlcNAc transferase, further studies on the molecular mechanism of metformin action are necessary.Cel pracy: Celem pracy była analiza wpływu metforminy na proliferację komórek raka jajnika linii SKOV-3 oraz ekspresję genów, kodujących białka zaangażowane w proces O-GlcNAcylacji – O-GlcNAc transferazy (OGT) i β-N-acetylo-D-glukozaminidazy (OGA). Materiał i metody: Przeżywalność komórek po działaniu metforminy oznaczano metodą spektrofotometryczną z użyciem bromku 3-(4,5-dimetylo-2-tiazolilo)-2,5-difenylo-2H-tetrazoliowego (MTT). Żywotność komórek oceniano stosując metodę barwienia błękitem trypanu. Analizę ekspresji genów OGT i OGA na poziomie mRNA przeprowadzono przy użyciu techniki real-time PCR. Wyniki: Zaobserwowano obniżenie przeżywalności komórek poddanych działaniu metforminy wraz ze wzrostem stosowanych stężeń. Cytotoksyczność metforminy została oszacowana na podstawie parametru IC50 wynoszącego 14mM, w odniesieniu do komórek linii SKOV-3. Czas potrzebny do podwojenia komórek linii SKOV-3 wynosił 45 godzin, natomiast w przypadku prób traktowanych 10 mM metforminą nie uzyskano efektu podwojenia liczby komórek nawet po 72 godzinach. Wniosek: Metformina z uwagi na jej antyproliferacyjne działanie może być rozpatrywana jako potencjalny chemioterapeutyk, niemniej z uwagi na fakt, iż zmienia ona ekspresję jednego z dwóch enzymów odpowiedzialnych za proces O-glikozylacji białek - O-GlcNAc transferazy, należy dogłębnie zbadać ten molekularny mechanizm

Mariensztat – between reconstruction and creative reference to modernity. History and rebuilding one of the smallest Warsaw’s housing settlement

Mariensztat był pierwszym powojennym osiedlem mieszkaniowym w Warszawie. Został zbudowany w tym samym czasie, co budowa Trasy W-Z (w latach 1948-1949, drugi okres budowy osiedla do 1953 roku). Osiedle Mieszkaniowe Mariensztat zostało zaprojektowane przez Zygmunta Stępińskiego i Pracownię W-Z. Centrum założenia stanowi prostokątny rynek otoczony z trzech stron dwupiętrowymi blokami krytymi dachówką, wzorowanymi na skromne domy pochodzące z XVII i XVIII wieku. Podobny wygląd ma także pozostała część osiedla. Nieco odrębny charakter architektoniczny mają domy przy ul. Bednarskiej 9 i przedszkole przy ul. Sowiej 4. Chociaż powstały tu aż 53 kamieniczki (łącznie z zabudową ul. Bednarskiej), to skala osiedla jest nieduża. Na tyłach bloków zaprojektowano duże, ogólnodostępne tereny zielone. Domom mieszkalnym towarzyszyła kompletna infrastruktura społeczna i usługowa. Wybudowano żłobek, przedszkole, szkołę, ośrodek zdrowia, bibliotekę, dom kultury oraz różne sklepy. Malowniczości całemu osiedlu dodawała specjalnie zaprojektowana mała architektura, rzeźba architektoniczna oraz malarskie dekoracje ścienne.Mariensztat was the first post-war housing in Warsaw. It was built at the same time as the Trasa W-Z development (during the period 1948-1949, and the second period to 1953). The Mariensztat Housing Settlement was designed by Zygmunt Stępiński and the “W-Z” Architects Studio. At the center of his small project lies a rectangular market square, surrounded on three sides by two-storey blocks with tiled roofs, patterned on modest 17th and 18th century houses. The rest of the project has a similar character. An apartment block at Bednarska Street 9 and nursery school at Sowia Street 4 have somewhat different architectural character. Although as many as 53 blocks (including those on Bednarska Street) were built, the scale of the settlement is small. Large, publicly-accessible green spaces were provided behind the buildings. The houses were complemented by a social infrastructure and services, including creche, nursery school, school, health center, library and various shops. Small-scale architecture, sculptured details and painted wall decorations made the area more picturesque. Keywords: Mariensztat, Zygmunt Stępiński, Trasa W-Z (the East-West Route), the “W-Z” Architects Studio, the Warsaw Reconstruction Office, Bednarska Stree