What do patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease die from?

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a condition characterised by a duration of several decades [...

Evolution of Early Pleistocene fluvial systems in central Poland prior to the first ice sheet advance – a case study from the Bełchatów lignite mine

Deposits formed between the Neogene/Pleistocene transition and into the Early Pleistocene have been studied, mainly on the basis of drillings and at rare, small outcrops in the lowland part of Polish territory. At the Bełchatów lignite mine (Kleszczów Graben, central Poland), one of the largest opencast pits in Europe, strata of this age have long been exposed in extensive outcrops. The present paper is based on our field studies and laboratory analyses, as well as on research data presented by other authors. For that reason, it can be seen as an overview of current knowledge of lowermost Pleistocene deposits at Bełchatów, where exploitation of the Quaternary overburden has just been completed. The results of cartographic work, sedimentological, mineralogical and palynological analyses as well as assessment of sand grain morphology have been considered. All of these studies have allowed the distinction of three Lower Pleistocene series, i.e., the Łękińsko, Faustynów and Krzaki series. These were laid down in fluvial environments between the end of the Pliocene up to the advance of the first Scandinavian ice sheet on central Poland. The following environmental features have been interpreted: phases of river incision and aggradation, changes of river channel patterns, source sediments for alluvia, rates of aeolian supply to rivers and roles of fluvial systems in morphological and geological development of the area. The two older series studied, i.e., Łękińsko and Faustynów, share common characteristics. They were formed by sinuous rivers in boreal forest and open forest environments. The Neogene substratum was the source of the alluvium. The younger series (Krzaki) formed mainly in a braided river setting, under conditions of progressive climatic cooling. Over time, a gradual increase of aeolian supply to the fluvial system can be noted; initially, silt and sand were laid down, followed by sand only during cold desert conditions. These fluvio-periglacial conditions are identified in the foreground of the advance of the oldest ice sheet into this part of central Poland. The series studied have been compared with other fluvial successions which accumulated in the Kleszczów Graben during subsequent glaciations so as to document general changes in fluvial systems as reactions to climatic evolution. Thus, a palaeoenvironmental scenario has emerged which could be considered to be characteristic of central Poland during the Early Pleistocene

Nie tylko marionetki i manekiny: Kleist i Schulz

Not only marionettes and mannequins: Kleist and Schulz The paper discusses several striking affi nities between some passages in the prose of Heinrich von Kleist and that of Bruno Schulz. The Austrian painter Oskar Kokoschka, designer of a life-size puppet and author of a text on his fetish, published in 1925, appears here as a go-between between Kleist’s marionettes and Schulz’ mannequins. All of the presented similarities by no means qualify as a case for plagiarism, nor even as imitations. Rather, they prove a soul affi nity, Schulz’s intensive reading of Kleist’s prose, and his accommodation of certain motifs and stylistic oddities, which are further developed in his prose, and, linked to other, not only literary, inspirations, yield a new and unique quality

Mechanisms and pathophysiology of obstructive sleep apnea

Istotą obturacyjnego bezdechu podczas snu jest zapadanie się ścian gardła, przerywające przepływ powietrza do i z płuc [...

The long duration of greatness from Tsarina Marina through Marshal Michał Mniszech to Balzac and twentieth-century writers

The first part of the article shows the great ambitions of the Mniszech family (strengthened by the elevation of Maryna Mniszech to the dignity of the Tsarina), visible in the architectural programs and interior furnishings of the subsequent family residences. The second part is devoted to the thread of greatness in the biography and publications of the Grand Marshal of the Crown, Michał Mniszech (18th century). The third part discusses some echoes of the greatness of this Polish magnate family in the work and correspondence of the French writers Balzac and Proust. The ending concerns similar themes in the works and correspondence of Rainer Maria Rilke and Marina Tsvetaeva, who received her first name in honor of the said tsarina from the Polish family.Artykuł w pierwszej części pokazuje wielkie ambicje rodu Mniszchów (umocnione wyniesieniem Maryny Mniszech do godności carycy), widoczne w programach architektonicznych i wyposażeniu wnętrz kolejnych rezydencji rodu. Druga część poświęcona jest wątkowi wielmożności w biografii i publikacjach marszałka wielkiego koronnego Michała Mniszcha (XVIII wiek). W części trzeciej omówiono niektóre echa świetności tego polskiego rodu magnackiego w twórczości i korespondencji pisarzy francuskich, Balzaka i Prousta. Zakończenie dotyczy podobnych motywów w twórczości i korespondencji Rainera Marii Rilkego oraz Maryny Cwietajewej, która otrzymała takie imię na cześć owej pochodzącej z polskiego rodu carycy

Intuicja badacza

Pożegnanie Profesora Romana Lotha