An analysis of higher education systems of teaching Chinese as a foreign language in Poland and China

Nowadays, changing trends in terms of interest in language learning are easy to witness. In Poland, more and more higher education institutions, not only public, but also private, are introducing various types of majors concerning oriental languages, such as Chinese translation programs. The aim of this paper is to compare the Chinese learning process in China at the Shanghai Normal University and in Poland at the University of Silesia in Katowice. The article introduces a comparative outline of both types of learning processes, based on the author’s four-year experience in teaching and studying in both of the countries in question. Furthermore, the paper examines and compares the results of teaching Chinese both at the University of Silesia in Katowice and at the Shanghai Normal University. In the end, the author provides suggestions on how to improve the Chinese learning system in non-Chinesespeaking countries

Psycholinguistic aspects of acquisition of Chinese character by beginner students

Celem niniejszego artykułu jest przedstawienie psycholingwistycznych aspektów przyswajaniaznaków chińskich oraz problemów, jakie napotykają początkujący uczniowie. W pierwszejczęści artykułu, autorka przedstawiła specyfikę pisowni chińskiej, porównując ją z pisowniąjęzyków indoeuropejskich, aby w pełni zrozumieć kolejne części artykułu. Na potrzeby artykułuprzeprowadzone zostało roczne badanie uczniów w trzech kategoriach wiekowych (10−15 lat,16−25 lat, 26 i więcej lat), które zostało przeanalizowane przede wszystkim pod kątem aspektówpsycholingwistycznych. Autorka zwróciła szczególną uwagę na początkową motywacjęuczniów oraz jej zmiany wraz z wzrastającym tempem nauki. Ponadto został przeanalizowanyproces uczenia się znaków chińskich, w którym wyszczególnione zostały trzy etapy nauki naprzestrzeni jednego roku oraz jego skutki wpływające na prędkość oraz ilość zapamiętywanychznaków

Challenges of the Chinese language teaching in the university context

The following article derives from the author’s doctoral dissertation concerning teaching Chinese as a foreign language (ChFL). It aims at investigating and assessing the challenges Chinese teachers encounter in the process of ChFL teaching to the beginner students. First, the theoretical background of ChFL teaching is provided, with emphasis on the specificity of Chinese. Then, the issues and challenges of ChFL teaching are examined, especially in terms of the syllabus and coursebook choice and teaching methods. In the final part of the article, the teaching and learning implications are presented

Small vessel coronary artery disease: How small can we go with myocardial revascularization?

The issue of small coronary artery atherosclerosis represents an intriguing aspect of coronary artery disease, which is related with higher rates of peri- and post-procedural complications and impaired long-term outcome. This problem is further complicated by the unclear definition of small coronary vessel. Recent randomized controlled trials have provided new data on possible novel interventional treatment of small coronary vessels with drug-coated balloons instead of traditional new-generation drug-eluting stent implantation. Also, the conservative management represents a therapeutic option in light of the results of the recent ISCHEMIA trial. The current article provides an overview of the most appropriate definition, interventional management, and prognosis of small coronary artery atherosclerosis

Total Occlusion of the Infarct-Related Artery in Non-ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (NSTEMI)-How Can We Identify These Patients?

Background and Objectives: Regardless of the improvement in key recommendations in non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI), the prevalence of total occlusion (TO) of infarct-related artery (IRA), and the impact of TO of IRA on outcomes in patients with NSTEMI, remain unclear. Aim: The study aimed to assess the incidence and predictors of TO of IRA in patients with NSTEMI, and its clinical significance. Material and Methods: The study was a single-center retrospective cohort analysis of 399 consecutive patients with NSTEMI (293 male, mean age: 71 10.1 years) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention. The study population was categorized into patients with TO and non-TO of IRA on coronary angiography. In-hospital and one-year mortality were analyzed. Results: TO of IRA in the NSTEMI population occurred in 138 (34.6%) patients. Multivariate analysis identified the following independent predictors of TO of IRA: left ventricular ejection fraction (odds ratio (OR) 0.949, p < 0.001); family history of coronary artery disease (CAD) (OR 2.652, p < 0.001); and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) level (OR 0.972, p = 0.002). In-hospital and one-year mortality were significantly higher in the TO group than the non-TO group (2.8% vs. 1.1%, p = 0.007 and 18.1% vs. 6.5%, p < 0.001, respectively). The independent predictors of in-hospital mortality were: left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) at admission (OR 0.768, p = 0.004); and TO of IRA (OR 1.863, p = 0.005). Conclusions: In the population of patients with NSTEMI, TO of IRA represents a considerably frequent phenomenon, and corresponds with impaired outcomes. Therefore, the utmost caution should be paid to prevent delay of coronary angiography in NSTEMI patients with impaired left ventricular systolic function, metabolic isturbances, and a family history of CAD, who are at increased risk of TO of IRA

Pierwsze kroki w nauce znaków chińskich : analiza przyswajania chińskiego systemu pisma przez polskich początkujących studentów

Learning Chinese, compared to other languages, especially Indo-European languages, requires an individual approach. The specificity of the Chinese writing system makes all the notorious means of learning languages useless to a certain extent. In this article, the aspect of Chinese writing system acquisition performed by Polish beginner students of Silesian origin will be examined. At first, the specificity of the Chinese writing system will be introduced, followed by a set of examples on its diversity and its implications for the further analysis. Then, the learning methods used in acquiring the Chinese writing system will be examined. The final part of the article will be devoted to the critical analysis of the students' progress and final remarks on the students' learning strategies and their effectiveness in learning the Chinese writing system

An Analysis of the Higher Eductional Systems of Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language in Poland and China

Nowadays, we witness changing trends in terms of the interest in language learning. In Poland, more and more higher education establishments, not only public, but also private, introduce various types of majors concerning oriental languages, such as Chinese translation programmes.The aim of this paper is to compare the Chinese learning process in China and in Poland. In the first part, a comparative outline of both types of learning processes will be introduced, on the base of author’s few years of experience gained while teaching and studying in both of those countries. Furthermore, the author will investigate the results of teaching Chinese in Poland, a place of very few Chinese native speakers, as compared to teaching Chinese in the mainland of China. In the end, the proposals on what to do to improve the Chinese learning system in non-Chinese speaking countries will be introduced.

Resources and adaptation following involuntary resettlement in the Bytom-Karb community

Studies show that involuntary displacement often creates various threats for the community and individuals. To reduce these risks, Environmental and Social Impact Assessment, Health Impact Assessment, and Social Assessment are recommended. Whereas assessments focus mostly on the community level and studies describe cases of large population displacements, there is a lack of empirical evidence about how individuals cope with involuntary displacement and what factors contribute or hinder their successful adaptation in the target location. This study uses semi-structured interviews with 21 people about their experience of resettlement due to a mine collapse in Bytom, Poland, that led to involuntary displacement of 560 people. Data was analyzed according to the constructivist grounded theory principles. Results show that this case illustrates a mixture of post-disaster and development-induced displacement. Various factors and resources that affected coping strategies were analyzed, including: material and legal status, health and age, communication skills, and relocation experience. Our findings suggest that, when circumstances allow, an individual resources assessment should also be conducted to counteract impoverishment and further marginalization of the disprivileged and vulnerable individuals

The Association of <i>ADAMTS7</i> Gene Polymorphisms with the Risk of Coronary Artery Disease Occurrence and Cardiovascular Survival in the Polish Population: A Case-Control and a Prospective Cohort Study

The aim of this study was to investigate whether the polymorphisms of the ADAMTS7 gene affect the risk of occurrence and mortality due to CAD. The study group included 231 patients diagnosed with CAD and 240 control blood donors. The genotyping of specified polymorphisms, i.e., rs1994016, rs3825807, and rs7173743, was performed using the TaqMan-PCR. We found that the C allele carriers of the rs1994016 and A allele carriers of the rs3825807 polymorphisms increased the risk of CAD, respectively: OR = 1.72, p = 0.036; OR = 1.64, p = 0.04. Moreover, we studied the biological interactions of specified variants, i.e., rs3825807, rs1994016, and rs7173743, and previously approved risk factors of CAD. We demonstrated here that selected polymorphisms of ADAMTS7 increased the risk of CAD altogether with abnormalities of total cholesterol and LDL concentrations in serum. Although survival analyses did not reveal statistical significance, we observed a trend for the AA genotype of the rs3825807 ADAMTS7, which may predispose to death due to CAD in a 5-year follow-up. In conclusion, the ADAMTS7 polymorphisms investigated in this study may increase the risk of occurrence and/or death due to CAD in the Polish population

Polymorphisms of the 11q23.3 Locus Affect the Risk and Mortality of Coronary Artery Disease

Background: The present study aimed to determine whether the polymorphisms of the 11q23.3 locus affect the risk and mortality of coronary artery disease in 5-year and 10-year observations. Methods: The study group consisted of 519 subjects: 276 patients with CAD and 243 blood donors as controls. The genotyping of polymorphisms (rs10750097, rs3741298, and rs1729410) was performed using the TaqMan-PCR method. Survival was defined as the period from the angiographic confirmation of CAD to cardiovascular death, and the endpoint was defined as death from cardiovascular causes. Results: The G allele of the rs1729410 polymorphism increased the risk of CAD (OR = 1.55, p = 0.04) and showed a synergistic correlation with overweight/obesity (additive synergy index (SI) = 11.01, p &lt; 0.001). The carriers of the GG genotype and over-normative LDL levels increased the risk of CAD by over 12-fold higher than expected (multiplicative synergy index (SIM) = 12.34, p &lt; 0.001). In the case of the rs10750097 variant, an effect on mortality was shown in both 5-year and 10-year periods. Conclusion: The results revealed that the rs1729410 polymorphism increases the risk of CAD in synergy with traditional risk factors, and the rs10750097 polymorphism of the 11q23.3 locus affects the risk of death in patients with CAD