Topological Modelling of Grammatical and Lexical Aspect in English

It is assumed that aspect in both cases — as a process-profiling category — is analogous to the profiling of things and atemporal relations (in the sense of Langacker 1987, 1990, 2000), given the maximisation of the temporal domain in the characterisation of processes (perfective and imperfective, hence: dynamic and stative), and minimalisation of the temporal domain during the conceptualisation of things (conceptually independent entities) and atemporal relations (conceptually dependent atemporal configurations). The analogy between nouns and verbs in terms of ‘granularity’ has been so far variously addressed by Langacker (1990), Jackendoff (1991) and Talmy (2001), and also constitutes the core assumption in my research on topological modelling

Schneider, Edgar W. Postcolonial English. Cambridge University Press. 2007. Pp. ix+367

The volume provides a well-documented detailed account of the development of what we broadly refer to as Postcolonial English, in its multiple manifestations, in particular in its evolutionary dimensions including the ongoing processes. The structure of the book comprises seven chapters – apart from a list of maps, figures and tables, the series Editor’s Foreword, Preface and Acknowledgements, a list of abbreviations (preceding the main body of the book) and relevant lists of notes (pp. 318–310), references (pp. 331–359) and the index of authors (pp. 360–362) complemented with the subject index (pp. 363–367), all of which testify to the massive credit acknowledged to other researchers in the field, the field that relies grossly on utmost attention to detail. The book as a whole is an elegant expression of Schneider’s exceptional capacity to combine restless effort with a clear vision inherent in the theoretical commitment, which runs throughout the entire book, and a capacity to design the textual architecture in which the reader would not miss the forest for the trees, where the reader is provided with proper tools to see the shafts of light illuminating the textual construction, in spite of the fact that the very ‘light’ is compounded of so many minute and diverse elementary particles

Distribution of Cell Envelope Proteinases Genes among Polish Strains of Lactobacillus helveticus

Most of the lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are able to grow in milk mainly due to the activity of a complex and well-developed proteolytic system. Cell envelope-associated proteinases (CEPs) begin casein hydrolysis and allow for releasing the peptides, enclosed in the structure of native milk proteins that are essential for growth of Lactobacillus helveticus. The biodiversity of genes encoding CEPs among L. helveticus strains can have an effect on some technological parameters such as acid production, bacterial growth rate in milk as well as liberation of biologically active peptides. The study reveals significant differences in the presence of various variants of CEPs encoding genes among ten novel Polish strains and indicates the intraspecific diversity exhibited by L. helveticus. In terms of distribution of CEPs genes, four different genetic profiles were found among the microorganisms analyzed. Furthermore, the strains exhibited also various levels of proteolytic activity. Molecular analysis revealed that prtH3 is the most abundant CEPs-encoding gene among the strains investigated. The results indicate also that ecological niche and environmental conditions might affect proteolytic properties of L. helveticus strains. The greatest variety in terms of quantity of the detected CEP encoding genes was noticed in L. helveticus 141, T105 and T104 strains. In these strains, the combination of three nucleotide gene sequences (prtH/prtH2/prtH3) was identified. Interestingly, T104 and T105 exhibited the highest proteolytic activity and also the fastest dynamic of milk acidification among the tested strains of L. helveticus

Myśl ucieleśniona i myśl imaginacyjna. Wymiary obrazowania w języku i zasady porządkujące

The article proposes a methodological perspective and a conceptual apparatus of the cognitive linguistics as a complex of points of reference in the text research, known also as a cognitive stylistics and a cognitive poetics. The first part of the article presents an order of the central dimensions of depicting in a language. In this way a proposal of an answer for the question in which way we attain a stylistic effect by selection of some exponents of the language and some grammatical constructions is formulated. However the second part of the article presents a vision of some chosen theoretical works which are engaged in some artistic phenomena, in particular in the baroque literature. This presentation is expressed in the categories of the organising rules accepted by the authors of these papers – with noticing the cognitive aspects. The central thesis of the article includes in the statement that a thought is both embodied (that is anchored to the phenomenological potential of the human senses and the motor programs) and imaginary (that is detached from the sensual perceptions thanks to the mental processes at the upper level than the direct perception that is at the level of the autonomous processes). It is assumed that the processes of a categorization as well as a metaphor and a conceptual metonymy and above all an integration of these mechanisms lie at the bottom of the imaginary processes.</p

Health-promoting properties exhibited by Lactobacillus helveticus strains

Many strains belonging to lactobacilli exert a variety of beneficial health effects in humans and some of the bacteria are regarded as probiotic microorganisms. Adherence and capabilities of colonization by Lactobacillus strains of the intestinal tract is a prerequisite for probiotic strains to exhibit desired functional properties. The analysis conducted here aimed at screening strains of Lactobacillus helveticus possessing a health-promoting potential. The molecular analysis performed, revealed the presence of a slpA gene encoding the surface S-layer protein SlpA (contributing to the immunostimulatory activity of L. helveticus M 92 probiotic strain) in all B734, DSM, T80, and T105 strains. The product of gene amplification was also identified in a Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactis BB12 probiotic strain. SDS-PAGE of a surface protein extract demonstrated the presence of a protein with a mass of about 50 kDa in all strains, which refers to the mass of the S-layer proteins. These results are confirmed by observations carried with transmission electron microscopy, where a clearly visible S-layer was registered in all the strains analyzed. The in vitro study results obtained indicate that the strongest adhesion capacity to epithelial cells (HT-29) was demonstrated by L. helveticus B734, while coaggregation with pathogens was highly diverse among the tested strains. The percentage degree of coaggregation was increasing with the incubation time. After 5 h of incubation, the strongest ability to coaggregate with Escherichia coli was expressed by T104. The T80 strain demonstrated a significant ability to co-aggregate with Staphylococcus aureus, while DSM with Bacillus subtilis. For B734, the highest values of co-aggregation coefficient was noted in samples with Salmonella. The capability of autoaggregation, antibiotic susceptibility, resistance to increasing salt concentrations, and strain survival in simulated small intestinal juice were also analyzed

Cholinesterase activity in blood and pesticide presence in sweat as biomarkers of children's environmental exposure to crop protection chemicals

Introduction. On the contrary to the adult population exposed to pesticides, mostly on occupational basis, rural children are mostly exposed to pesticides deposited in the environment. However, even this constant, distributed in time exposure to low concentrations of pesticides may led to permanent health disorders and limit children’s harmonious development. Objective. The main objective of the study was to evaluate the usefulness of aacetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) activity determination as a marker of children’s environmental exposure to pesticides. An additional aim was to evaluate the usefulness of sweat patches as a novel, non-invasive method of detection of pesticides in sweat as a measure of pesticide exposure. Materials and method. A total of 108 children living in areas of intense pesticide use, and as a control group, 92 children living in an agro-tourist area were enrolled in the study. The AChE and BuChE activity was assayed colorimetricaly in diluted whole blood or plasma, respectively. In addition, selected pesticides were measured by GC/MS analysis in samples of the subject’s sweat absorbed onto a sorbent. Results. The study demonstrated significantly lower AChE and BuChE activity, respectively, in the diluted whole blood and plasma of children exposed to pesticides, compared to the control group (p<0.001 and p=0.003, respectively). The measured mean level of AChE activity was 241.63 ± 26.76 and 348.0±46.95 mU/µmolHb in the exposed and the control group, respectively, whereas the mean activity of BuChE was 424.1±81.1 and 458.6 ± 86.5 mmol/L/min. In addition, pesticide metabolites were detected in 19 (17.6%) sweat samples collected from exposed children. Conclusions. Altogether, the study indicated that cholinesterase activity is a sensitive marker of the children’s environmental exposure to pesticides, whereas sweat patches are useful devices for collecting samples to be analysed for the presence of the pesticides

Spontaneously Fermented Fruiting Bodies of Agaricus bisporus as a Valuable Source of New Isolates of Lactic Acid Bacteria with Functional Potential

The aim of the investigation was the identification and initial study of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolated from spontaneously fermented (at 28 &deg;C for 5 days) fruiting bodies of white button mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus). The isolated LAB were preliminarily characterized applying the MALDI-TOF Biotyper. Moreover, further phenotypical, genotypical characteristics as well as some functional and technological properties of the selected microorganisms (including the ability to produce exopolysaccharides, cell hydrophobicity, resistance to low pH, and bile salt) were also analyzed. Among autochthonous LAB (isolated from the tested mushroom raw material), Leuconostoc mesenteroides predominated in spontaneously fermented A. bisporus, while Lactiplantibacillus paraplantarum, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum, and Lactococcus lactis were less abundant. The highest dynamics of acidification of the mushroom material were exhibited by isolates EK55 and EK4 that, after 24 h of incubation, were able to decrease the pH of the raw material up to 5.06 &plusmn; 0.021 and 5.17 &plusmn; 0.015, respectively. Furthermore, the analysis of bacterial cell hydrophobicity indicated that the highest values of this parameter were noted for L. plantarum isolates EK12 (29.59 &plusmn; 0.7%), EK55 (28.75 &plusmn; 0.551%), and EK5 (27.33 &plusmn; 1.516%). It was revealed some of the analyzed LAB (especially isolates L. plantarum EK55 and L. paraplantarum EK4) exhibited functional and technological potential that might be used in the formulation of novel starter cultures

Bacterial Profile and Changes in the Protein–Peptide Fraction in Spontaneously Fermented <i>Lens culinaris</i> Medik.

Pulses have desirable nutritional properties and a wide range of applications in the food industry as meat-free, casein-free, gluten-free, and functional food products. Unfortunately, the legume raw material contains some anti-nutrients and allergenic agents; nonetheless, fermentation processes may reduce some of these undesirable compounds. Therefore, the objective of the preliminary investigation was to determine the profile of bacteria occurring after spontaneous fermentation of Lens culinaris Medik. and detect changes in the protein–peptide pattern, including potential modifications of Len c3, i.e., a non-specific lipid-transfer protein (nsLTP) recognized as an important allergen. This study involved MALDI TOF/TOF, Illumina next-generation sequencing, and FT-IR spectroscopy analyses. Sixteen different species were identified in the plant-based material after 48-h spontaneous fermentation. The most abundant species were Lactococcus taiwanensis and Pediococcus pentosaceus (54.95% and 25.34%, respectively). The performed initial analysis revealed that after spontaneous fermentation had occurred the degradation of proteins (~10 kDa) and peptides (6–8 kDa), as well as the decomposition of proteins in the mass range that might be attributed to allergenic nsLTP. The preliminary findings encourage further research into the functional and technological properties of the isolated bacteria and in-depth analyses of the possibility of the removal of allergenic compounds from red lentils through fermentation carried out by the isolates