bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Whole-Genome Sequence of Quorum-Sensing Vibrio tubiashii Strain T33
Authors: Izzati Mohamad Nur , Yin Wai-Fong , Chan Kok-Gan
Published: January 2015

Vibrio tubiashii
strain T33 was isolated from the coastal waters of Morib, Malaysia, and was shown to possess quorum-sensing activity similar to that of its famous relative
Vibrio fischeri
. Here, the assembly and annotation of its genome are presented.
Insights into the Quorum-Sensing Activity in Aeromonas hydrophila Strain M013 as Revealed by Whole-Genome Sequencing
Authors: Tan Wen-Si , Yin Wai-Fong , Chan Kok-Gan
Published: January 2015

Aeromonas hydrophila
species can be found in warm climates and can survive in different environments. They possess the ability to communicate within their populations, which is known as quorum sensing. In this work, we present the draft genome sequence of A. hydrophila M013, a bacterium isolated from a Malaysian tropical rainforest waterfall.
Draft Genome Sequence of Oenococcus oeni Strain X
2
L (CRL1947), Isolated from Red Wine of Northwest Argentina
Authors: Mendoza Lucía M. , Saavedra Lucila , Raya Raúl R.
Published: January 2015

We report the draft genome sequence of
Oenococcus oeni
strain X
2
L, a potential starter culture of malolactic fermentation, isolated from Malbec wine of Argentina. Genes encoding for enzymes involved in the metabolism of malate, citrate, and nitrogen compounds, as well as aroma compounds, were found in this genome, showing its ability to improve the sensorial characteristics of wines.
Two Metagenomes from Late Pleistocene Northeast Siberian Permafrost
Authors: Krivushin Kirill , Kondrashov Fyodor , Shmakova Lyubov , Tutukina Mariya , Petrovskaya Lada , Rivkina Elizaveta
Published: January 2015

The present study reports metagenomic shotgun sequencing of microbial communities of two ancient permafrost horizons of the Russian Arctic. Results demonstrate a significant difference in microbial community structure of the analyzed samples in general and microorganisms of the methane cycle in particular.
Sputum Volume Predicts Sputum Mycobacterial Load during the First 2 Weeks of Antituberculosis Treatment
Authors: Karinja Miriam N. , Esterhuizen Tonya M. , Friedrich Sven O. , Diacon Andreas H.
Published: January 2015

Disease severity in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis is associated with mycobacterial sputum load. To ascertain whether reduced sputum production during treatment is a useful clinical sign of improvement, we analyzed the mycobacterial loads of 5,552 sputum samples collected from 439 newly diagnosed sputum smear-positive tuberculosis patients who participated in six 14-day studies of antituberculosis treatment. Sputum volumes were categorized as low (<6 ml), medium (6 to 10 ml), or large (>10 ml), and mycobacterial load was measured by the time to positivity in liquid culture and the CFU counts on solid culture. The association of sputum volume with mycobacterial load was estimated with multiple linear regression models adjusted for repeated measures. The predictor variables were sputum volume category, treatment day, specific study , and the interaction of sputum volume category and treatment day. Mycobacterial load was significantly associated only with the day on treatment and sputum volume, which tended to decrease with ongoing treatment. With the volume held constant, each day on treatment decreased the log CFU by 0.082 (
P
< 0.001) and increased the time to positivity (TTP) by 1.04 h (
P
< 0.001). From low to medium and from medium to large sputum volumes, the log CFU/ml increased by 0.265 (
P
< 0.003) and 0.490 (
P
< 0.001), respectively, and the TTP decreased by 1.17 h (
P
< 0.001) and 1.30 h (
P
< 0.001), respectively, for a given day of treatment. The variability of the sputum load measurements increased with the day of treatment and lower sputum volumes. The significant association of sputum volume and mycobacterial load validates decreasing sputum production as a clinical sign of improvement during early antituberculosis treatment.
Isolation and Characterization of Influenza C Viruses in the Philippines and Japan
Authors: Odagiri Takashi , Matsuzaki Yoko , Okamoto Michiko , Suzuki Akira , Saito Mariko , Tamaki Raita , Lupisan Socorro P. , Sombrero Lydia T. , Hongo Seiji , Oshitani Hitoshi
Published: January 2015

From November 2009 to December 2013 in the Philippines, 15 influenza C viruses were isolated, using MDCK cells, from specimens obtained from children with severe pneumonia and influenza-like illness (ILI). This is the first report of influenza C virus isolation in the Philippines. In addition, from January 2008 to December 2013, 7 influenza C viruses were isolated from specimens that were obtained from children with acute respiratory illness (ARI) in Sendai city, Japan. Antigenic analysis with monoclonal antibodies to the hemagglutinin-esterase (HE) glycoprotein showed that 19 strains (12 from the Philippines and 7 from Japan) were similar to the influenza C virus reference strain C/Sao Paulo/378/82 (SP82). Phylogenetic analysis of the HE gene showed that the strains from the Philippines and Japan formed distinct clusters within an SP82-related lineage. The clusters that included the Philippine and Japanese strains were shown to have diverged from a common ancestor around 1993. In addition, phylogenetic analysis of the internal genes showed that all strains isolated in the Philippines and Japan had emerged through reassortment events. The composition of the internal genes of the Philippine strains was different from that of the Japanese strains, although all strains were classified into an SP82-related lineage by HE gene sequence analysis. These observations suggest that the influenza C viruses analyzed here had emerged through different reassortment events; however, the time and place at which the reassortment events occurred were not determined.
Analysis of Geminivirus AL2 and L2 Proteins Reveals a Novel AL2 Silencing Suppressor Activity
Authors: Jackel Jamie N. , Buchmann R. Cody , Singhal Udit , Bisaro David M.
Published: January 2015

Both posttranscriptional and transcriptional gene silencing (PTGS and TGS, respectively) participate in defense against the DNA-containing geminiviruses. As a countermeasure, members of the genus
Begomovirus
(e.g.,
Cabbage leaf curl virus
) encode an AL2 protein that is both a transcriptional activator and a silencing suppressor. The related L2 protein of
Beet curly top virus
(genus
Curtovirus
) lacks transcription activation activity. Previous studies showed that both AL2 and L2 suppress silencing by a mechanism that correlates with adenosine kinase (ADK) inhibition, while AL2 in addition activates transcription of cellular genes that negatively regulate silencing pathways. The goal of this study was to clarify the general means by which these viral proteins inhibit various aspects of silencing. We confirmed that AL2 inhibits systemic silencing spread by a mechanism that requires transcription activation activity. Surprisingly, we also found that reversal of PTGS and TGS by ADK inactivation depended on whether experiments were conducted in vegetative or reproductive
Nicotiana benthamiana
plants (i.e., before or after the vegetative-to-reproductive transition). While AL2 was able to reverse silencing in both vegetative and reproductive plants, L2 and ADK inhibition were effective only in vegetative plants. This suggests that silencing maintenance mechanisms can change during development or in response to stress. Remarkably, we also observed that AL2 lacking its transcription activation domain could reverse TGS in reproductive plants, revealing a third, previously unsuspected AL2 suppression mechanism that depends on neither ADK inactivation nor transcription activation.

IMPORTANCE
RNA silencing in plants is a multivalent antiviral defense, and viruses respond by elaborating multiple and sometimes multifunctional proteins that inhibit various aspects of silencing. The studies described here add an additional layer of complexity to this interplay. By examining geminivirus AL2 and L2 suppressor activities, we show that L2 is unable to suppress silencing in
Nicotiana benthamiana
plants that have undergone the vegetative-to-reproductive transition. As L2 was previously shown to be effective in mature
Arabidopsis
plants, these results illustrate that silencing mechanisms can change during development or in response to stress in ways that may be species specific. The AL2 and L2 proteins are known to share a suppression mechanism that correlates with the ability of both proteins to inhibit ADK, while AL2 in addition can inhibit silencing by transcriptionally activating cellular genes. Here, we also provide evidence for a third AL2 suppression mechanism that depends on neither transcription activation nor ADK inactivation. In addition to revealing the remarkable versatility of AL2, this work highlights the utility of viral suppressors as probes for the analysis of silencing pathways.
Inhibition of H3K27me3-Specific Histone Demethylases JMJD3 and UTX Blocks Reactivation of Herpes Simplex Virus 1 in Trigeminal Ganglion Neurons
Authors: Messer Harald G. P. , Jacobs Derek , Dhummakupt Adit , Bloom David C.
Published: January 2015

Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) genomes are associated with the repressive heterochromatic marks H3K9me2/me3 and H3K27me3 during latency. Previous studies have demonstrated that inhibitors of H3K9me2/me3 histone demethylases reduce the ability of HSV-1 to reactivate from latency. Here we demonstrate that GSK-J4, a specific inhibitor of the H3K27me3 histone demethylases UTX and JMJD3, inhibits HSV-1 reactivation from sensory neurons
in vitro
. These results indicate that removal of the H3K27me3 mark plays a key role in HSV-1 reactivation.
Identifying glucose thresholds for incident diabetes by physiological analysis: a mathematical solution
Authors: Ferrannini Ele , Manca Maria Laura
Published: January 2015

Plasma glucose thresholds for diagnosis of type 2 diabetes are currently based on outcome data (risk of retinopathy), an inherently ill-conditioned approach. A radically different approach is to consider the mechanisms that control plasma glucose, rather than its relation to an outcome. We developed a constraint optimization algorithm to find the minimal glucose levels associated with the maximized combination of insulin sensitivity and β-cell function, the two main mechanisms of glucose homeostasis. We used a training cohort of 1,474 subjects (22% prediabetic, 7.7% diabetic) in whom insulin sensitivity was measured by the clamp technique and β-cell function was determined by mathematical modeling of an oral glucose tolerance test. Optimized fasting glucose levels were ≤87 and ≤89 mg/dl in ≤45-yr-old women and men, respectively, and ≤92 and ≤95 mg/dl in >45-yr-old women and men, respectively; the corresponding optimized 2-h glucose levels were ≤96, ≤98, ≤103, and ≤105 mg/dl. These thresholds were validated in three prospective cohorts of nondiabetic subjects (Relationship Between Insulin Sensitivity and Cardiovascular Disease Study, Botnia Study, and Mexico City Diabetes Study) with baseline and follow-up oral glucose tolerance tests. Of 5,593 participants, 452 progressed to diabetes. Similarly, in the three cohorts, subjects with glucose levels above the estimated thresholds had an odds ratio of 3.74 (95% confidence interval = 2.64–5.48) of progressing, substantially higher than the risk carried by baseline conventionally defined prediabetes [odds ratio = 2.32 (95% confidence interval = 1.91–2.81)]. The concept that optimization of glucose concentrations by direct measures of insulin sensitivity and β-cell function identifies gender- and age-specific thresholds that bear on disease progression is proven in a physiologically sound, quantifiable manner.
Parallel coding schemes of whisker velocity in the rat's somatosensory system
Authors: Lottem Eran , Gugig Erez , Azouz Rony
Published: January 2015

The function of rodents' whisker somatosensory system is to transform tactile cues, in the form of vibrissa vibrations, into neuronal responses. It is well established that rodents can detect numerous tactile stimuli and tell them apart. However, the transformation of tactile stimuli obtained through whisker movements to neuronal responses is not well-understood. Here we examine the role of whisker velocity in tactile information transmission and its coding mechanisms. We show that in anaesthetized rats, whisker velocity is related to the radial distance of the object contacted and its own velocity. Whisker velocity is accurately and reliably coded in first-order neurons in parallel, by both the relative time interval between velocity-independent first spike latency of rapidly adapting neurons and velocity-dependent first spike latency of slowly adapting neurons. At the same time, whisker velocity is also coded, although less robustly, by the firing rates of slowly adapting neurons. Comparing first- and second-order neurons, we find similar decoding efficiencies for whisker velocity using either temporal or rate-based methods. Both coding schemes are sufficiently robust and hardly affected by neuronal noise. Our results suggest that whisker kinematic variables are coded by two parallel coding schemes and are disseminated in a similar way through various brain stem nuclei to multiple brain areas.
Tumor-to-Tumor Metastasis: Lung Carcinoma Metastasizing to Thyroid Neoplasms
Authors: Wey Shiuan-Li , Chang Kuo-Ming
Published: January 2015

Tumor-to-tumor metastasis is extremely rare in the thyroid glands, and only seven cases of lung carcinoma metastasizing to thyroid tumors have been reported in the literature. We report another two cases of lung carcinoma metastasizing to thyroid neoplasms and review of the literature. The first case was a 64-year-old man presenting with neck mass, hoarseness, and easy choking for 2 months. Image studies showed several nodular lesions within bilateral thyroid glands. A histological examination after radical thyroidectomy revealed lung small cell carcinoma metastasizing to a thyroid follicular adenoma. The second case was a 71-year-old woman with a history of lung adenosquamous carcinoma. The PET/CT scan showed left lower lung cancer and a hypermetabolic area in the right thyroid lobe, highly suspicious for malignancy. Radical thyroidectomy and left lung lobectomy were performed, and the thyroid gland revealed lung adenosquamous carcinoma metastasizing to a papillary thyroid carcinoma.
Chemical Diversity in Basil (Ocimum sp.) Germplasm
Authors: da Costa Andréa Santos , Arrigoni-Blank Maria de Fátima , Carvalho Filho José Luiz Sandes de , de Santana Aléa Dayane Dantas , Santos Darlisson de Alexandria , Alves Péricles Barreto , Blank Arie Fitzgerald
Published: January 2015

The present study aimed to chemically characterize 31 accessions and seven cultivars of basil. The percentage composition of the essential oils of the accessions and cultivars was based on the 14 most abundant constituents: 1,8‐cineole, linalool, methyl chavicol, neral, nerol, geraniol, geranial, methyl cinnamate, β‐bourbonene, methyl eugenol, α‐trans‐bergamotene, germacrene‐D, epi‐α‐cadinol, and δ‐cadinene. The genetic materials were classified into eight clusters according to the chemical composition of the essential oils: Cluster 1—mostly linalool and 1,8‐cineole; Cluster 2—mostly linalool, geraniol, and α‐trans‐bergamotene; Cluster 3—mostly linalool, methyl chavicol, methyl cinnamate, and β‐bourbonene; Cluster 4—mostly linalool, methyl chavicol, epi‐α‐cadinol, and α‐trans‐bergamotene; Cluster 5—mainly linalool, methyl eugenol, α‐trans‐bergamotene, and epi‐α‐cadinol; Cluster 6—mainly linalool, geraniol, and epi‐α‐cadinol; Cluster 7—mostly linalool and methyl chavicol; Cluster 8—mainly geranial and neral.
Bifurcation Analysis and Solutions of a Higher-Order Nonlinear Schrödinger Equation
Authors: Li Yi , Shan Wen-rui , Shuai Tianping , Rao Ke
Published: January 2015

The purpose of this paper is to investigate a higher-order nonlinear Schrödinger equation with non-Kerr term by using the bifurcation theory method of dynamical systems and to provide its bounded traveling wave solutions. Applying the theory, we discuss the bifurcation of phase portraits and investigate the relation between the bounded orbit of the traveling wave system and the energy level. Through the research, new traveling wave solutions are given, which include solitary wave solutions, kink wave solutions, and periodic wave solutions.
Changes in Caries Risk and Activity of a 9-Year-Old Patient with Niemann-Pick Disease Type C
Authors: Mesquita-Guimarães Késsia Suênia Fidelis , De Rossi Andiara , Freitas Aldevina Campos , Nelson-Filho Paulo , da Silva Raquel Assed , de Queiroz Alexandra Mussolino
Published: January 2015

Objective.This case report describes the changes in caries risk and activity and dental treatment of a 9-year-old patient who presented with signs and symptoms of Niemann-Pick disease type C (NPC).Treatment.The preventive dental treatment included instructions to caregivers for oral hygiene and diet. A calcium hydroxide pulpotomy and restorative dental treatments were performed in a dental office with desensitization techniques and behavioral management. The patient was attended every 3 months for the control of dental plaque biofilm, for topical fluoride application, and for observing the pulpotomized tooth.Results.The bacterial plaque biofilm was being adequately controlled by the caregiver. After 2 years, the clinical and radiographic examination of the pulpotomized tooth showed the absence of internal root resorption and bone rarefaction, and clinical examination showed tooth sensitivity, dental pain, and gingival swelling.Conclusion.The pulpotomy prevented clinical and radiographic success. Dentists must be aware of and be able to identify systemic and local aspects associated with caries risk of children with NPC disease. Furthermore, dentists must employ stringent preventive measures and provide instructions to caregivers to reduce caries risk.
On the Evaluation of Gate Dielectrics for 4H-SiC Based Power MOSFETs
Authors: Nawaz Muhammad
Published: January 2015

This work deals with the assessment of gate dielectric for 4H-SiC MOSFETs using technology based two-dimensional numerical computer simulations. Results are studied for variety of gate dielectric candidates with varying thicknesses using well-known Fowler-Nordheim tunneling model. Compared to conventional SiO2as a gate dielectric for 4H-SiC MOSFETs, high-kgate dielectric such as HfO2reduces significantly the amount of electric field in the gate dielectric with equal gate dielectric thickness and hence the overall gate current density. High-kgate dielectric further reduces the shift in the threshold voltage with varying dielectric thicknesses, thus leading to better process margin and stable device operating behavior. For fixed dielectric thickness, a total shift in the threshold voltage of about 2.5 V has been observed with increasing dielectric constant from SiO2(k=3.9) to HfO2(k=25). This further results in higher transconductance of the device with the increase of the dielectric constant from SiO2to HfO2. Furthermore, 4H-SiC MOSFETs are found to be more sensitive to the shift in the threshold voltage with conventional SiO2as gate dielectric than high-kdielectric with the presence of interface state charge density that is typically observed at the interface of dielectric and 4H-SiC MOS surface.
Genome-Wide Association Study for Endothelial Growth Factors
Authors: Lieb Wolfgang , Chen Ming-Huei , Larson Martin G. , Safa Radwan , Teumer Alexander , Baumeister Sebastian E. , Lin Honghuang , Smith Holly M. , Koch Manja , Lorbeer Roberto , Völker Uwe , Nauck Matthias , Völzke Henry , Wallaschofski Henri , Sawyer Douglas B. , Vasan Ramachandran S.
Published: January 2015

Background—

Endothelial growth factors including angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2), its soluble receptor Tie-2 (sTie-2), and hepatocyte growth factor play important roles in angiogenesis, vascular remodeling, local tumor growth, and metastatic potential of various cancers. Circulating levels of these biomarkers have a heritable component (between 13% and 56%), but the underlying genetic variation influencing these biomarker levels is largely unknown.

Methods and Results—

We performed a genome-wide association study for circulating Ang-2, sTie-2, and hepatocyte growth factor in 3571 Framingham Heart Study participants and assessed replication of the top hits for Ang-2 and sTie-2 in 3184 participants of the Study of Health in Pomerania. In multivariable-adjusted models, sTie-2 and hepatocyte growth factor concentrations were associated with single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the genes encoding the respective biomarkers (top
P
=2.40×10
−65
[rs2273720] and 3.64×10
−19
[rs5745687], respectively). Likewise, rs2442517 in the
MCPH1
gene (in which the
Ang-2
gene is embedded) was associated with Ang-2 levels (
P
=5.05×10
−8
in Framingham Heart Study and 8.39×10
−5
in Study of Health in Pomerania). Furthermore, single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the
AB0
gene were associated with sTie-2 (top single-nucleotide polymorphism rs8176693 with
P
=1.84×10
−33
in Framingham Heart Study;
P
=2.53×10
−30
in Study of Health in Pomerania) and Ang-2 (rs8176746 with
P
=2.07×10
−8
in Framingham Heart Study;
P
=0.001 in Study of Health in Pomerania) levels on a genome-wide significant level. The top genetic loci were explained between 1.7% (Ang-2) and 11.2% (sTie-2) of the interindividual variation in biomarker levels.

Conclusions—

Genetic variation contributes to the interindividual variation in growth factor levels and explains a modest proportion of circulating hepatocyte growth factor, Ang-2, and Tie-2. This may potentially contribute to the familial susceptibility to cancer, a premise that warrants further studies.
Control of the T Follicular Helper–Germinal Center B-Cell Axis by CD8
+
Regulatory T Cells Limits Atherosclerosis and Tertiary Lymphoid Organ Development
Authors: Clement Marc , Guedj Kevin , Andreata Francesco , Morvan Marion , Bey Laetitia , Khallou-Laschet Jamila , Gaston Anh-Thu , Delbosc Sandrine , Alsac Jean-Marc , Bruneval Patrick , Deschildre Catherine , Le Borgne Marie , Castier Yves , Kim Hye-Jung , Cantor Harvey , Michel Jean-Baptiste , Caligiuri Giuseppina , Nicoletti Antonino
Published: January 2015

Background—

The atheromodulating activity of B cells during the development of atherosclerosis is well documented, but the mechanisms by which these cells are regulated have not been investigated.

Methods and Results—

Here, we analyzed the contribution of Qa-1–restricted CD8
+
regulatory T cells to the control of the T follicular helper–germinal center B-cell axis during atherogenesis. Genetic disruption of CD8
+
regulatory T cell function in atherosclerosis-prone apolipoprotein E knockout mice resulted in overactivation of this axis in secondary lymphoid organs, led to the increased development of tertiary lymphoid organs in the aorta, and enhanced disease development. In contrast, restoring control of the T follicular helper–germinal center B-cell axis by blocking the ICOS-ICOSL pathway reduced the development of atherosclerosis and the formation of tertiary lymphoid organs. Moreover, analyses of human atherosclerotic aneurysmal arteries by flow cytometry, gene expression analysis, and immunofluorescence confirmed the presence of T follicular helper cells within tertiary lymphoid organs.

Conclusions—

This study is the first to demonstrate that the T follicular helper–germinal center B-cell axis is proatherogenic and that CD8
+
regulatory T cells control the germinal center reaction in both secondary and tertiary lymphoid organs. Therefore, disrupting this axis represents an innovative therapeutic approach.
Przemoc filosemicka
Authors: Janicka Elżbieta , Żukowski Tomasz
Published: January 2015

Philo-Semitic abuseThe article analyses Jolanta Dylewska’s documentary film Po-lin (2008). The authors offer new conceptual categories facilitating the description of the manner in which the objectification of Jews takes place in Po-lin – and in the broader context of Polish narrative of Jews and the Holocaust – under the guise of their subjectification; exclusion under the guise of inclusion. The described symbolic practices include:1. Organising a narrative of the Holocaust by means of exteriorisation; universalisation; locating outside the history; considering the Shoah as a natural disaster, and finally as part of the divine plan.2. Constructing the image of “a Jew” by: homogenisation of the group, folklorisation, aesthetisation and separation. Examining the case out of the context allows for omitting the wider sphere of interaction, in which the exclusion as well as symbolic and physical abuse carried out by the majority group came to light.3. Creating a figure of “the good Jew”, which shows gratefulness to the domineering group and full understanding of anti-Semitic discriminatory practices. The function of “the good Jew” is to legitimise the majority story and to discipline or repress anyone who undertakes actions to change the status quo.The above-describe devices produce the effects of eliminating real experiences of real people who suffered the anti-Semitic abuse, blocking afterthoughts while preserving the heartening image of Poland and Poles.
Jak się zostawało komunistką, czyli "Tonia i jej dzieci" Marcela Łozińskiego
Authors: Keff Bożena
Published: January 2015

How I became a communist. About Marcel Łoziński movie "Tonia and her children"Marcel Łoziński's documentary “Tonia and her children” is a long-form interview with children of Tonia Lechtman – a communist, Jewess, and victim of Stalin's persecutions, born in 1916. Daughter and son of Lechtnam tell about their mother's life from their own perspective. They try to understand her, but they also express their regret, that she spent too much time being envolved in politics, while exposing them to solitude and suffering. Bożena Keff makes a review of Łoziński's movie as a political statement about the stereotype of “Żydokomuna”, and as a psychological portrait of two adult people – their mutual relationship, their expectations for parents, their convictions about gender and family roles. Jak się zostawało komunistką, czyli "Tonia i jej dzieci" Marcela ŁozińskiegoFilm dokumentalny “Tonia i jej dzieci” Marcela Łozińskiego to wywiad-rzeka z dziećmi Toni Lechtman – urodzonej w 1916 roku komunistki, Żydówki, po wojnie ofiary stalinowskich prześladowań. Córka i syn Lechtman opowiadają o życiu matki z własnej perspektywy. Próbują ją zrozumieć, ale także wyrażają wobec niej żal, że zbyt dużo czasu poświęcała politycznemu zaangażowaniu narażając ich na samotność i cierpienie. Bożena Keff recenzuje film Łozińskiego jako polityczną wypowiedź o stereotypie “żydokomuny” oraz jako psychologiczny portret dwójki dojrzałych ludzi – ich wzajemnych relacji, ich oczekiwań wobec rodziców, ich przekonań na temat ról genderowych i rodzinnych.
"Któż tam będzie wisiał?" – Bunt chłopski w miejskiej wyobraźni
Authors: Starnawski Marcin
Published: January 2015

“Who’s going to dangle there?” – Peasant revolt in urban imagination. On the Gore album by R.U.T.A. and on its receptionThe author presents a review of a recent album “Gore: Songs of Rebellion and Misery from 16th to 20th Century” by a Polish punk rock / hardcore group R.U.T.A. The album, which combines traditional peasant lyrics with modern arrangements and folk instruments, has received acclaim from both fans and critics, while the band declared their commitment to struggles of contemporary progressive social movements. The author analyses the lyrics situating his reflection in sociological-historical framework to discuss realities of peasants’ lives and revolts during the second serfdom in early modern Poland. The author interprets the musical form of the songs as “punk-rock assimilation” of folklore themes. The final section contains critical reflection on the album’s marketing strategy and reception with the key dissected categories being “rebellion” and “authenticity.”
Wojna polsko-polska na terenie Izraela
Authors: Zawadzka Anna
Published: January 2015

The Polish – Polish war on the territory of IsraelThe text deconstructs a documentary film Betar by Robert Kaczmarek and Piotr Gontarczyk. The author carries out the analysis adopting two approaches. Firstly, she confronts the factographic side of the film against other sources reporting the events presented in the film. The author also proves that although it has pretensions to being a historiographic work, Betar is, in fact, constructed on the founding myths of the Israeli Zionism. Secondly, she analyses the film as the authors’ viewpoint on Polish fascism and Polish anti-Semitism concealed under the guise of objectifying narrative of a documentary. Seen from such a perspective, Betar perfectly fits into the Polish historical politics. Discussing the issue of Jews in Poland in the pre-war and war times, the film disregards the context of dominance and abuse, that is the majority-minority context; and what is more, it neutralises the Polish anti-Semitism presenting it as equal to the right-wing Zionism as well as an answer to Jewish nationalism.
Fantazmat "Sprawiedliwych" i film "W ciemności" Agnieszki Holland
Authors: Żukowski Tomasz
Published: January 2015

Phantasm of the Righteous and Agnieszka Holland’s film "In Darkness"The text analyses Agnieszka Holland’s film In Darkness against the background of the Polish discourse on the Righteous. The devices of this discourse are reconstructed on the basis of two documentary films: The Righteous by Ryszard Gontarz and Janusz Kidawa (1968) and The Story of the Kowalski by Arkadiusz Gołębiowski and Maciej Pawlicki (2009). The basic devices distinguished in the narrative of the Righteous are the following: 1. a symmetry between the Jewish and Polish suffering 2. lack of Jews’ gratefulness and solidarity (“we demonstrated solidarity as far as the sacrifice of life but they…”); 3. treating the Righteous as pars pro toto of the community (they become the proof of the “national character” of Poles; the motif of “the Righteous-anti-Semite”); 4. a conviction about Polish helplessness; 5. marginalisation of the Polish aggression against Jews (a viewpoint that apparently “the scum is everywhere” and the simultaneously expressed accusations that the victims were involved in the Holocaust themselves).Holland is not aware of the discursive mechanisms accumulating around the undertaken subject or the correlated stakes of the common imagination. Therefore, many fragments of In Darkness easily succumb to being captured by the prevailing, and in fact anti-Semitic, clichés of understanding the history. In effect, the phenomenon of unwanted comeback of phantasms occurs in reference to a narrative developed as an antidote for such.
Przyspieszona nauka konkurencji. Przewodnik dla zbłąkanych w gąszczu reformy
Authors: Szenajch Piotr
Published: January 2015

Crash course on competition. A guide for the lost in the tangle of reformThe key resolutions of the reform of the Polish system of science and higher education entered into force in the academic year 2011/2012. This essay contains an in-depth reading of the key governmental documents and legal acts that introduced the reform. Additionally, it comprises a description of the intensive critical discussion on the reform that, unfortunately, started only when the legislative process was nearly finished. Drawing from this debate and developing its interpretations, the essay analyses key institutional solutions of the reform; its fundamental assumptions; its rhetoric and, generally, its discursive background. Such solutions as: moving towards a more competition-based system of public funding for institutions and individuals; intensification of supervision based on quantitatively measured achievement, or enforcing a multi-level integration of public universities with the local business sector do not address the most urgent problems of the underfinanced and insecure students, PhD candidates and academics. In their naively individualistic approach, the reformers ignore the reflection on the social reproduction or the collective and structural aspects of scientific fields. Their monolithic vision of science leads them to imposing requirements developed for natural and technical disciplines upon social sciences and humanities. Finally, what they present as objective expert knowledge grounding the reform can be interpreted as based on deeply conservative economical and ethical assumptions as well as detached from a comprehensive empirical diagnosis.
Tematy, których nie da się uśpić. Z Jerzym Jedlickim rozmawia Anna Zawadzka
Authors: Zawadzka Anna , Jedlicki Jerzy
Published: January 2015

On subjects that cannot be put to sleep. Anna Zawadzka in an interview with Jerzy JedlickiThe conversation with Jerzy Jedlicki is a part of series of interviews starting with the question about the subjects, that the interlocutors during his or her academical career were advised (by different persons and for different reasons) not to pursue. Jedlicki mentions about three such issues: Poles and Jews during II World War period, Israel and Palestine, atheism and faith. He points out that nobody discouraged him from pursuing these subjects – it was himself, who refrained from being vocal on these matters. He clarifies why he used to censor himself, analyses how all the subjects work today in Polish public sphere and explains why he broke the silence several times. Tematy, których nie da się uśpić. Z Jerzym Jedlickim rozmawia Anna ZawadzkaRozmowa z Jerzym Jedlickim przynależy do cyklu wywiadów, które rozpoczynają się pytaniem o tematy, które w toku kariery naukowej były rozmówcy z różnych przyczyn i przez różne osoby odradzane. Jedlicki wymienia trzy takie kwestie: Polacy i Żydzi w okresie okupacji, Izrael i Palestyna oraz ateizm i wiara. Zaznacza, że nikt mu nie odradzał ich podejmowania, a jedynie on sam powstrzymywał się przed zabieraniem publicznie głosu w tych sprawach. Wyjaśnia dlaczego się autocenzurował, analizuje, w jaki sposób wszystkie te trzy tematy funkcjonują dziś w polskiej sferze publicznej oraz tłumaczy, dlaczego kilkakrotnie przerwał jednak milczenie.
Globalne tezy, lokalne przemilczenia
Authors: Krzywiec Grzegorz
Published: January 2015

Global theses with local omissionsTimothy Snyder’s book is an ambitious monograph which attempts at placing Shoah in a more appropriate context of the murderous fight between the Nazi Germany and the Soviet Russia from the perspective of civilian victims. However, the book offers no new evidence or new arguments. On the one hand, most of the interpretations come from established scholars. On the other hand, Bloodlands presents a sort of synthesis of the latest discussions of the Holocaust historians and Eastern European experience of the Soviet rule. Nonetheless, as Snyder himself has stated, the novelty of the book lies rather in a parallel insight into systems and events. Such “parallelism” must, and surely will, trigger a wealth of reflections.The review article focuses on one particular aspect of the book. One of the most suggestive assumptions of Snyder’s method is that the book overcomes national narratives by examining the cruelest period in the 20th century from the above-mentioned universal point of view. However, for Snyder, a leading scholar of Eastern European, and first and foremost, Polish history, these “national” motifs play a significant, and often even crucial role in his book.Yet, as it is claimed in the review, the author frequently cannot free himself from them. On the contrary, his narrative delivers systematic permeations of Polish martyrological stereotypes and biases, which in the end results in a reproduction of many handbook schemes and even metaphorical figures from the so-called Polish “historical politics”. This also leads to many false and misleading juxtapositions with the most striking one being the comparison between the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising and Warsaw Uprising.Interestingly enough, evading many national particularities, Snyder relapses in deeply rooted national, and to be specific, Polish tales. He proves to be more “national” than many other “national” scholars critical in their research of this period.
Czytając Snydera. Refleksje białoruskiego historyka
Authors: Smalanczuk Aleksander
Published: January 2015

Reading Snyder. Reflections of a Belarusian historianTimothy Snyder has carried out a detailed comparison of mass extermination practices of two different though similar regimes. His comparison indicates basic resemblances as well as a large number of discrepancies. At the same time, the conclusions drawn by the author of Bloodlands challenge numerous commonly accepted theses from the field of political history. However, it is easy for a historian from Belarus to notice some inaccuracies regarding the “Belarusian theme.” Timothy Snyder is not familiar with the most important works of Belarusian historiography, which refer to the question of the monograph directly (the works by Jerzy Turonek, Eugeniusz Mironowicz, Igor Kuzniecow and others). Whereas Snyder’s approach to the “Polish theme” lacks some criticism. Nevertheless, Snyder’s book offers quite a comprehensive analysis of the history of mass extermination. Bloodlands demonstrates that the main victim of these murders was Human: death annihilates all national and cultural differences, whereas the most important is the human aspect of the tragedy suffered by the millions, which should not be regarded as statistics.
Grupy etniczne, sprawcy i ofiary
Authors: Hänschen Steffen
Published: January 2015

Ethnic groups, offenders and victimsThe propagandist portrayals of the past, present in the discourse for years, still influence discussions on the memory of the acts of violence committed by the Soviet and the Nazi regimes in Eastern Europe. Problems arise from the fact that the dividing line between the victims and the perpetrators is not always clear. What is more, the fortunes of individual participants have received only marginal attention. Snyder, in his book Bloodlands, accomplished a formidable task and adequately depicted the suffering of the people in the region, however, the comparison between the USSR and Nazi Germany still remains quite superficial. The repressive policies of both regimes were targeted mainly at ethnic minorities. The perpetrators' motivations and their ideological background supported the interests of the regimes. The political configuration in Bloodlands, however, was too complex to be fit into a dualistic, ethnically orientated, concept.
„Skrwawione ziemie” Timothy Snydera. Krytyczne uwagi na temat konstrukcji krajobrazu historycznego
Authors: Zarusky Jürgen
Published: January 2015

Timothy Snyder’s "Bloodlands". Critical comments on the construction of historical landscapeJürgen Zarusky's text is an extensive deconstruction of Timothy Snyder's narration presented in Bloodlands. The narration is based on the assumption, that both regimes – Nazi and Soviet – and their extermination practicies were similar. In Bloodlands Stalin's crimes are presented as a form of ethnic extermination. Thus Snyder suggested ideological kinship between both dictators without analysing specific ideologies. Although the author specifies the differences between these two ideologies he does not ask about their significance to the enemy image and extermination practicies. Snyder's narration concentrates excessively on Poland – as the core of “bloodlands”. In the closing chapter of the book Poles are depicted as the actual martyrs of “bloodlands” in Poland, as well as on the territory of the Soviet Union. Yet up to this day there are ethinc gorups – like Sinti and Romany -  who have to fight for the recognition of their tragic experiences as the victims of crimes commited by German authorities. The author also does not mention about the victims of the agressive wars against the Soviet Union. Thus the point of Bloodlands is not to present all the victims of totalitarianism and the war, all the victims from “bloodlands”, but to present only the victims selected by the author. „Skrwawione ziemie” Timothy Snydera. Krytyczne uwagi na temat konstrukcji krajobrazu historycznegoTekst Jürgen Zarusky'ego to obszerna dekonstrukcja narracji Timothy Snydera zaprezentowanej w książce Skrwawione ziemie. Zasadza się ona na założeniu, że oba reżimy - niemiecki i radziecki - oraz ich praktyki eksterminacyjne były bardzo do siebie zbliżone. W książce przedstawiono stalinowskie zbrodnie masowe jako formę etnicznej eksterminacji. W ten sposób Snyder zasugerował ideologiczne pokrewieństwo między obu dyktatorami, nie podejmując się analizy konkretnych ideologii. Chociaż wymienia różnice między nimi, jednak nie pyta o ich znaczenie dla obrazu wroga i praktyk eksterminacyjnych. Narracja Snydera nazbyt koncentruje się na Polsce jako jądrze „skrwawionych ziem”. Polaków przedstawia w końcowym rozdziale jako właściwych męczenników „skrwawionej ziemi”, tak w samej Polsce, jak na terenie Związku Radzieckiego. Tymczasem niektóre grupy muszą do dziś walczyć o uznanie swojego tragicznego losu prześladowanych, jak choćby Sinti i Romowie, którzy masowo byli mordowani przez nazistowskie władze. W Skrwawionych ziemiach nie pojawia się słowo na ich temat. W książce nie znajdują także odbicia ofiary wojen zaczepnych, szczególnie skierowanych przeciwko Związkowi Radzieckiemu. W pracy Snydera nie chodzi zatem o wszystkie ofiary totalitaryzmu i wojny, w tym także nie wszystkie z terenów „skrwawionych ziem”, lecz o ich wybór dokonany przez autora.
„Ósmy dzień tygodnia”
Authors: Zawadzka Anna
Published: January 2015

“The Eighth Day of the Week”The Eighth Day of the Week is a short story by Marek Hłasko revolving around the topic of losing virginity. Literary scholars consider Hłasko as a representative of machismo; a masculine and male-centred narrator. This text analyses and deconstructs the short story defending it as a comprehensive record of misogynist culture written from the perspective of the main female protagonist and not the expression of misogyny of the author himself. The tools of discourse analysis and feminist philosophy applied to Hłasko’s text produce surprising results. Agnieszka – the main female protagonist of the short story – turns out to be a figure of non-conformity universalised by Hłasko, while the virginity and its loss become a part of female fate used by Hłasko as a motif to show the power of society over an individual. Meanwhile Agnieszka struggles for autonomy from domineering cultural patterns and gains it with the help of not so much barricades and spectacular gestures typical for male protagonists as wit, intelligence and trickery.
Muranów czyli karczowanie. O książce „Festung Warschau” Elżbiety Janickiej
Authors: Grudzińska-Gross Irena
Published: January 2015

Muranów, or about land clearing The article is a review of “Festung Warschau” by Elżbieta Janicka which maps the clash between the recently built monuments celebrating Jewish or Polish places of martyrdom from the times of Second World War. Janicka walks through the streets of the former Jewish neighbourhoods of Warsaw; she photographs and discusses the new plaques, crosses, monuments, and other forms of public marking of history on the buildings, squares and streets. She convincingly shows that the new historical commemorative signs of Polish martyrdom are often placed in the sites that were marked by Jewish resistance or suffering, and that the marks of Polish suffering are rarely linked materially to the site. The new monuments obstruct and hide the past presence of Warsaw Jews and, by submerging their past, create a new vision of ethnically cleansed history of Warsaw, especially in its relation to Second World War. The review applauds the book and rejects some of the criticism against it.
Tak zwani partyzanci. Z Krystyną Badurką rozmawia Monika Stec
Authors: Stec Monika , Badurka Krystyna
Published: January 2015

So-called partisans. Monika Stec in an interview with Krystyna Badurka Referring to the story of her father’s death in 1945, Krystyna Badurka-Rytel discusses the times before and after World War II. Before WWII, her father, Felix Badurka, was a soldier of the Home Army, while after the war he served as the chairman of the National Council and built "the new system". For decades, the Badurka family has been trying to find out who is responsible for his murder.The story of tracking perpetrators is presented against a broader background: the attitude of the population and the Church towards the underground army during and after WWII; the socio-political changes (specifically in rural areas) after World War II, as well as the modern times, in particular the attitude to the past. Krystyna Badurka-Rytel objects to the current Polish political history, because, as she believes, it glorifies the war crimes committed by the so-called “conspiracy” by honouring the participants with books and monuments.
Rola kobiet ukraińskich w wydarzeniach rewolucyjnych na przełomie 2013-2014 roku
Authors: Voytyuk Oksana
Published: January 2015

The role of Ukrainian women in revolutionary events at the turn of 2014The article explains the notion of European revolution, Revolution of Dignity, Revolution of the Fire, Euromaidan. There is also an analysis of women participation in the events that took place at the turn of 2014, as well as examples of various kinds of initiatives which appeared during the revolutionary events in Ukraine. Rola kobiet ukraińskich w wydarzeniach rewolucyjnych na przełomie 2013-2014 rokuArtykuł wyjaśnia takie pojęcia jak: Rewolucja Europejska, Rewolucja Godności, Rewolucja Ognia, Euromaidan. Analizie poddano również udział kobiet w wydarzeniach, które miały miejsce na przełomie lat 2013-2014, a także przykłady różnego rodzaju inicjatyw, które pojawiły się w czasie rewolucyjnych wydarzeń na Ukrainie.
Tabor Pamięci Romów jako przykład promowania wiedzy o Romach przez Muzeum Etnograficzne w Tarnowie
Authors: Kaźmierska Wioleta
Published: January 2015

Roma Caravan Memorial as an example of pro motion of knowledge about Roma by the Ethnographic Muse um in TarnówThe first Roma Caravan Memorial set off from outside the Ethnographic Museum in Tarnów in 1996. It was organised by Adam Bartosz, an expert on Roma culture, history and language, and Adam Andrasz, the president of the Association of Roma in Tarnów. The Caravan is to commemorate Roma Holocaust. Members of the Roma community can thus learn about the history of extermination from local priests and authors of historical publications. Participants of the Caravan visit the following places of martyrdom: Żabno where possibly 49 of German and 12 of Hungarian Romas were shot by the Nazis in summer 1943), the grave in Borzęcin Dolny where anonymous 28 Romas, killed in the nearby forests, were buried, and Szczurowa where Germans murdered almost an entire Roma settlement of 93 people; the victims were buried in the local cemetery; it is probably the biggest grave of Roma people on the present territory of Poland. The Caravan Memorial is a project that integrates the Roma and the local community, also friendly villagers, journalists and sometimes passers-by join it. Tabor Pamięci Romów jako przykład promowania wiedzy o Romach przez Muzeum Etnograficzne w TarnowiePierwszy „Cygański Tabor Pamięci Romów”, który później nazwany został „Międzynarodowym Taborem Pamięci Romów”, wyruszył sprzed dziedzińca tarnowskiego Muzeum Etnograficznego w lipcu 1996 roku. Jedną z głównych idei, która przyświecała organizatorom „Taboru” było upamiętnienie zagłady Romów, którym podobnie jak Żydom naziści odmówili prawa do życia i skazali na całkowitą eksterminację. Tabor jest swego rodzaju „pielgrzymką” upamiętniającą kaźń Romów, jak i oddaniem pomordowanym hołdu w miejscu ich wiecznego spoczynku. „Tabor Pamięci Romów” stanowi istotny element dziedzictwa kulturowego Romów zamieszkujących ziemie polskie. Sięganie do tego dziedzictwa, nawiązywanie do niego i ukazywanie w jak najszerszym zakresie niewątpliwie przyczyniać się będzie do głębszego poznania kultury romskiej.
Życie w kręgu spraw narodu i państwa. Recenzja książki Witolda Kamienieckiego „Wspomnienia”, Poznań 2012
Authors: Serwański Jacek Tomasz
Published: January 2015

Life in the circle of issues of nation and state. Review of the book by Witold Kamieniecki, “Memoirs”, Poznan 2012