Wybory popkultury. Relacje kultury popularnej z polityką, ideologią i społeczeństwem

Na tom "Wybory popkultury. Relacje kultury popularnej z polityką, ideologią i społeczeństwem" pod redakcją Kamili Kowalczyk i Joanny Płoszaj składa się dziewięć tekstów, napisanych przed badaczy reprezentujących różne dziedziny humanistyki. Poniżej prezentujemy spis treści, a zainteresowanych zapraszamy do pobrania publikacji.Szymon Makuc

„Życie długie i szczęśliwe właśnie dobiegło końca” – renarracje baśni w grze „American McGee’s Grimm”

Artykuł prezentuje wybrane zabiegi transformowania poszczególnych elementów baśni tradycyjnej (bohaterów, fabuł, estetyki, aksjologii) oraz ich celowość na przykładzie gry komputerowej „American McGee’s Grimm”. Autorka przedstawia funkcjonowanie baśni w obrębie kultury popularnej, uwzględniając zjawisko przemysłu baśniowego. Zwraca także uwagę na fakt wykorzystywania baśni jako materiału do renarracji na płaszczyźnie różnych mediów, co wynika z jej zakorzenienia w masowej wyobraźni i finalnego rozpoznania wzorca baśniowego przez odbiorców. Analiza trzech epizodów przekształcających baśnie kanoniczne („Czerwony Kapturek”, „Królewna Śnieżka”, „Kopciuszek”) pozwala także przedstawić wnioski dotyczące mechanizmów funkcjonowania baśni postmodernistycznej.The article presents selected procedures for transforming individual elements of traditional fairy tales (characters, plots, aesthetics, axiology) and their desirability as illustrated by the example of a computer game “American McGee’s Grimm”. The author presents the functioning of a fairy tale within popular culture, taking into account the phenomenon of fairytale industry. It also highlights the fact of using fairy tales as material for narration at the level of different media, which results from its roots in the popular imagination and the final fairy tale pattern recognition by the public. The analysis of the three episodes transforming canonical tales (“Little Red Riding Hood”, “Snow White”, “Cinderella”) leads to some conclusions of the functional mechanisms of postmodern fairy tales.Udostępnienie publikacji Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego finansowane w ramach projektu „Doskonałość naukowa kluczem do doskonałości kształcenia”. Projekt realizowany jest ze środków Europejskiego Funduszu Społecznego w ramach Programu Operacyjnego Wiedza Edukacja Rozwój; nr umowy: POWER.03.05.00-00-Z092/17-00

Evolution of theoretical ecology in last decades: why did individual-based modelling emerge

Mathematical models of classical theoretical ecology are state variable models. They use density of population as a state variable. Because such models posses equilibrium states and they are stable around them, classical theoretical ecology has been dominated by considerations about stability of ecological systems. Three factors observed in ecology in last decades had great influence on the gradual decline of the classical theoretical ecology: first one is development of evolutionary ecology and the stress it laid on individuals, the second one nonequlibrium way of thinking about dynamics of ecological systems and the third one various methodological doubts about application of difference and differential equations in ecology. Individual-based modeling has emerged as the result of this discussions. However, individual-based approach to modeling the dynamics of ecological systems has natural tendency to describe particular systems and to produce their detailed models. Much should be done in the future to solve general problems formulated by classical theoretical ecology using method of individual-based approach

Assessment of the quality of life of patients with rheumatoid arthritis by means of questionnaire research

Wstęp: Reumatoidalne zapalenie stawów (RZS) jest chorobą przewlekłą, prowadzącą do niepełnosprawności, która istotnie wpływa na ważne obszary życia pacjentów. Celem pracy było określenie wpływu czynników społeczno-demograficznych oraz parametrów aktywności choroby na ocenę jakości życia chorych na RZS. Materiał i metody: Badanie przeprowadzono w grupie 94 chorych na RZS. Jakość życia oceniano za pomocą kwestionariusza własnego KALU (nazwa utworzona przez autorów kwestionariusza) i Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ). W celu pomiaru aktywności choroby posłużono się wskaźnikiem DAS 28. Wyniki: Współczynnik korelacji dla wieku i sprawności ruchowej KALU oraz wieku i pracy zarobkowej KALU wynosił odpowiednio r = 0,24, p < 0,01 i r = 0,34, p < 0,05. Czas trwania choroby w pewnym stopniu wpływał tylko na ocenę sprawności ruchowej (r = 0,2, p < 0,05). Aktywność choroby istotnie korelowała z niższą oceną jakości życia w wymiarze sprawności ruchowej mierzoną zarówno za pomocą HAQ (r = 0,49, p < 0,001), jak i KALU (r = 0,41, p < 0,001). W podgrupie chorych, którzy korzystali z urządzeń i/lub pomocy innych osób, aktywność choroby (DAS 28) była znacznie wyższa (t = –2,48, p < 0,01). Wnioski: Wykazano przydatność kwestionariuszy KALU i HAQ w ocenie jakości życia. Stwierdzono istotną korelację oceny jakości życia, utraty samodzielności przez osoby chore na RZS oraz aktywności procesu zapalnego.Introduction: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic disease leading to disability which affects important areas of the patient’s life. The aim of the study was to assess the influence of social-demographic factors and disease activity parameters on the quality of life of patients with RA. Material and methods: The study was performed in a group of 94 patients with RA. The quality of life was assessed by own questionnaire KALU and the HAQ disability index. For the measurement of activity of RA the disease activity score (DAS 28) was used. Results: The correlation coefficient for the age and physical function, and also the age and earning ability determined on KALU were r = 0.24, p < 0.01 and r = 0.34, p < 0.05, respectively. We found that the duration of RA affects only the assessment of physical function (r = 0.2, p < 0.05). The disease activity scores correlated with the lower estimation of the quality of life conditioned by the physical function measured with HAQ (r = 0.49, p < 0.001) and with KALU (r = 0.41, p < 0.001). In the subgroup of patients who use various devices and/or who take help from other people, the activity of RA (DAS 28) was significantly higher (p < 0.01). Conclusions: Using both questionnaires a significant correlation between the quality of life and the loss of independence of patients with RA and disease activity was observed

Pterostilbene induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in MOLT4 human leukemia cells

Pterostilbene, a polyphenolic compound present in grapes and other fruits, has been demonstrated to inhibit growth and induce apoptosis and autophagy in some cancer cell types. We found that pterostilbene at the IC90 concentration of 44 µM inhibited proliferation and induced apoptosis in MOLT4 human leukemia cells. Treatment with pterostilbene resulted in a transient accumulation of cells in the G0/G1-cell cycle phase followed by the S-phase arrest. Pterostilbene-induced apoptotic death of MOLT4 cells was mediated by caspase-3 activation and was accompanied by the disruption of mitochondrial membrane potential, phosphatidylserine externalization and internucleosomal DNA fragmentation. Our results suggest that pterostilbene could serve as a potential additional chemotherapeutic agent for the treatment of leukemia

Plasticity of neuropeptidergic neoplasm cells in the primary and metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma

Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare and highly aggressive cutaneous carcinoma with characteristics of neuroendocrine tumor. We performed immunohistochemical analysis to demonstrate the presence of various neuropeptides within cells of MCC resected from a 75-year old woman. The cells of primary tumor of cheek were compared with the cells of regional right submandibular metastatic tumor which was found eight months later. A double- staining IHC for the pan-neuronal marker, PGP 9.5, and selected neuropeptides in the tissue material obtained from both locations was performed. Single multipolar cells in the main mass of primary tumor stained positively for PGP 9.5 and such neuropeptides as GAL, VIP, PACAP, NPY and CGRP. Moreover, we demonstrated for the first time the presence of neuropeptides in metastatic MCC cells. In the metastatic tumor, cells showing the co-localization of PGP-9.5 and neuropeptides were more numerous, mostly of oval shape, and significantly smaller than in the primary tumor. Thus, the progression of MCC may be associated with the acquisition by its cells of new morphological and biological features

Novel Opioid-Neurotensin-Based Hybrid Peptide with Spinal Long-Lasting Antinociceptive Activity and a Propensity to Delay Tolerance Development

The behavioral responses exerted by spinal administration of the opioid-neurotensin hybrid peptide, PK23, were studied in adult male rats. The antinociceptive effect upon exposure to a thermal stimulus, as well as tolerance development, was assessed in an acute pain model. The PK23 chimera at a dose of 10 nmol/rat produced a potent pain-relieving effect, especially after its intrathecal administration. Compared with intrathecal morphine, this novel compound was found to possess a favourable side effect profile characterized by a reduced scratch reflex, delayed development of analgesic tolerance or an absence of motor impairments when given in the same manner, though some animals died following barrel rotation as a result of its i.c.v. administration (in particular at doses higher than 10 nmol/rat). Nonetheless, these results suggest the potential use of hybrid compounds encompassing both opioid and neurotensin structural fragments in pain management. This highlights the enormous potential of synthetic neurotensin analogues as promising future analgesics

Wycinki z polskiej grimmosfery. Baśnie ze zbioru Kinder- und Hausmärchen Wilhelma i Jakuba Grimmów w piśmiennictwie polskim 1865–1939

&nbsp;CUTTINGS FROM THE POLISH GRIMMOSPHERE. FAIRY TALES FROM THE COLLECTION KINDER- UND HAUSM&Auml;RCHEN BY WILHEL AND JAKUB GRIMM IN POLISH LITERATURE 1865&ndash;1939The article is an overview of the reception of fairy tales from the collection Kinder- und Hausm&auml;rchen by Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm in 1865&ndash;1939 in Poland, taking into account the cultural factors infl uencing the form of the analysed sources. The author refers to and comments on reviews, notes, articles, reports, commentaries, publishing catalogues, encyclopaedic entries as well as introductions to the various Polish-language editions of the fairy tales which explicitly tackled the topic of the collection Kinder- und Hausm&auml;rchen. The article also contains a terminological suggestion in the form of &ldquo;Grimmosphere&rdquo; treated as a structure made up of cultural phenomena and encompassing both Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm&rsquo;s writings, collections, studies and scholarly theories, and their reception.&nbsp;CUTTINGS FROM THE POLISH GRIMMOSPHERE. FAIRY TALES FROM THE COLLECTION KINDER- UND HAUSM&Auml;RCHEN BY WILHEL AND JAKUB GRIMM IN POLISH LITERATURE 1865&ndash;1939The article is an overview of the reception of fairy tales from the collection Kinder- und Hausm&auml;rchen by Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm in 1865&ndash;1939 in Poland, taking into account the cultural factors infl uencing the form of the analysed sources. The author refers to and comments on reviews, notes, articles, reports, commentaries, publishing catalogues, encyclopaedic entries as well as introductions to the various Polish-language editions of the fairy tales which explicitly tackled the topic of the collection Kinder- und Hausm&auml;rchen. The article also contains a terminological suggestion in the form of &ldquo;Grimmosphere&rdquo; treated as a structure made up of cultural phenomena and encompassing both Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm&rsquo;s writings, collections, studies and scholarly theories, and their reception