Human dimension of urban spaces: International Biennale of Architecture Kraków 2015 and the polish awarded competition entries

“Jan Gehl, an expert in humanisation of cities, is convinced that the enhancing of quality of our life in the cities is a derivative of the image of public spaces […] where people meet “in order to exchange ideas, to trade or simply to rest” (Jan Gehl, Life between buildings)’. These words hail from the Regulations of the International Biennale of Architecture 2015 whose motto was “Human dimension of urban spaces”. Its idea was to inspire the debate, both at the civic and self-governmental level, on Polish public spaces and their accessibility, through the presentation of architectural and urban designs. It was considered vital because of the colossal means from the EU cohesion funds which are being spent in Poland on urban revitalisations. Due to her involvement in the Biennale’s organisation (commissioner, juror, moderator), the authoress raises the issue of the mentioned and awarded Polish designs. All the entries (over 200) were competing in one of the three categories: of the realised designs, hypothetical ones and interventions-manifestos. They provide the perfect comparative material. As it was stated in the Protocol of the Jury, ‘In the competitions A i B , the Jury has mentioned and awarded completed projects in various scales, from small architectural scale through an urbanistic one to landscape, both mobile, temporary and permanent, yet always fulfilling the criterion of shaping urban spaces in human dimension’. The article, analysing the recent solutions and observations proposed by Polish architects, mostly for Polish public spaces, shall discuss whether one may observe positive tendencies towards the return to urbanity and to human, communal character of city’s public spaces

Moral Competence and Aggression Prevention. Updating MCT Pilot Studies Inspired by Georg Lind’s Book How to Teach Morality. Promoting Deliberation and Discussion, Reducing Violence and Deceit (2016)

Aggression in juveniles may increase even in modern societies and manifest itself in countless forms of violence, including harming, persecution, abuse, pressure, hostility, etc. A large number of studies on the evolutionary, psychological and sociological origins of aggression are available. However, we lack cognitive remedies to counter developing tendencies towards aggressive behavior. Georg Lind's book How to teach morality. Promoting deliberation and discussion, reducing violence and deceit (2016) offers such a remedy based on his long–term (1976–2017) experiences with dilemma discussion training. This paper draws on Lind's conception of strengthening socio-moral competence as the most efficient remedy against aggression. It also revisits the ongoing theories of empathy. Finally, it revises the pilot research study that we conducted 2010 among Polish and Swiss juveniles7. That study focused on the following hypotheses: Lind's method of dilemma discussion (KMDD) can train and retrain moral competence in  uveniles that show a slight inclination towards aggressive behavior. Strong moral competence may prevent further maldevelopment, in particular interpersonal and collective violence

High serum level of endostatin in multiple myeloma at diagnosis but not in the plateau phase after treatment.

We investigated the serum concentration of endostatin in 84 patients with multiple myeloma (MM) and in 13 healthy controls. The level of measured anti-angiogenic agent was correlated with the phase and stage of the disease, and most importantly with clinical and laboratory parameters depicting the disease activity (haemoglobin, creatinine, albumins, calcium, M-component, C-reactive protein, beta2-microglobulin, lactate dehydrogenase, stage of bone disease) as well as serum levels of pro-angiogenic cytokines such as vascular endothelial growth factor, hepatocyte growth factor, fibroblast growth factor and transforming growth factor-beta. The median serum level of endostatin in MM patients was 58 ng/ml and was statistically significantly higher than in the control group (median, 40 ng/ml; p=0.015). MM patients in phase I (at diagnosis) had higher levels of endostatin (median, 69 ng/ml) than those in phase II (plateau phase after treatment) (median, 49 pg/ml; p=0.044). We did not find any statistical correlation between the level of endostatin and stage of MM according to the Durie and Salmon system. The serum concentration of endostatin in MM patients with a normal level of albumins was significantly higher than in others with hypoalbuminaemia (median, 62 ng/ml versus 39 ng/ml; p=0.033). Also, patients with a normal value of lactate dehydrogenase had a higher concentration of endostatin than those with values >425 U/l (median, 70 ng/ml versus 39 ng/ml; p=0.019). We did not show any statistical correlation between the concentration of endostatin and level of haemoglobin, creatinine, calcium, C-reactive protein, beta2-microglobulin and stage of bone disease. We failed to find positive or negative correlations between the level of endostatin and vascular endothelial growth factor, hepatocyte growth factor, fibroblast growth factor and transforming growth factor-beta. The concentration of endostatin did not influence the probability of survival in MM patients in our study. In conclusion, our data indicate that endostatin has a higher level in MM patients than in healthy controls. Highest values were stated in active phases of the disease (at presentation and in progression). Different clinical and laboratory parameters generally do not influence the concentration of endostatin (except albumins and lactate dehydrogenase)

Religion and gender in migration to and from Central and Eastern Europe : introductory reflections

Since the beginning of the 1980s, the previously one-dimensional economic approach that was once dominant in migration studies has been critically reviewed and, as a result, migration has become problematised. The incorporation of other dimensions in the analysis of the processes of migration allowed for more complex diagnoses of global inequalities and related socio-cultural phenomena

Digital media in soil education

Teaching soil science as a part of geography subject is crucial, because students learn not only about soil properties, but also about conscious and rational use of the soil resources. Nowadays digital media play increasingly important role in education and can be employed both in geography classes and soil science. The article aims at comparing various multimedia tools used as a support in teaching on soil science and evaluation of trends concerning the use of these methods in education. The use of ICT during lessons should be purposeful, therefore a need arises to develop strategies on effective use of multimedia and methodological guidance in specific teaching situations. Social media and virtual reality games have changed the way young people perceive the real world, and this includes education. Thus, it is of value to attempt employing role-playing and elements of gamification in teaching soil science and geography lessons

Inspiracje Jana Lechonia

Jan Lechoń od młodości inspirował się literaturą romantyczną. Jego matka chciała, by – na wzór Juliusza Słowackiego – był kolejnym romantycznym wieszczem. Jej ambicje spełniły się, bowiem Lechoń debiutował jako trzynastolatek, a w 1921 roku, po wydaniu Karmazynowego poematu, uznany został za literackie objawienie. Do końca życia pozostał wierny klasycznej formie wierszy i romantycznym inspiracjom (zwłaszcza pisarstwu Adama Mickiewicza, które promował), podporządkowując im również prywatne losy. Z biegiem czasu coraz bardziej oddalał się od literatury współczesnej, ignorował twórców nowej generacji, usiłując zachować struktury przedwojennej Warszawy w Nowym Jorku lat 50. XX wieku. Zmarł śmiercią samobójczą w tym samym wieku, co Mickiewicz, u szczytu swej pisarskiej działalności, jednak w emocjonalnym osamotnieniu i poczuciu wewnętrznego bankructwa.From his youth, Jan Lechoń was inspired by romantic literature. His mother wanted him to be another romantic bard like Juliusz Słowacki. The mother’s ambitions were fulfilled, because Lechoń debuted as 13 years old child, and in 1921, after the release of Karmazynowy poemat, he was considered a literary revelation. Until the end of his life he remained faithful to the classic form of poems and to romantic inspirations (especially to the writings of Adam Mickiewicz, which he promoted), also subordinating them his private fates. Lechoń was increasingly distancing himself from contemporary literature, ignoring the creators of the new generation, trying to preserve the structure of pre-war Warsaw in New York in the 1950s. He died a suicide death at the same age as Mickiewicz, at the peak of his writing activity, but in emotional loneliness and a sense of internal bankruptcy