This study investigates whether the salience of counterexamples in discourse affects the acceptance of true generic statements. Building on previous theoretical and experimental work on generics, we examine whether generics are sensitive to contextual cues that highlight exceptions. Polish participants completed a truth-value judgment task featuring majority and minority characteristic generics presented in two types of encyclopaedic contexts: neutral and exception-driven. The results show that plural generics were highly stable across contexts, while singular generics exhibited a small but statistically significant (...) decrease in acceptance in exception-driven conditions. Predicate type also influenced judgments: minority generics were rated as less acceptable than majority ones. These findings support the view that generics display high tolerance of exceptions, with limited context effects attributable to heuristic misjudgment or anaphoric reinterpretation rather than semantic variability. The results further suggest that singular generics may invite more restrictive interpretations due to their morphosyntactic form. (shrink)

The generic overgeneralization effect is an attested tendency to accept false universal generalizations such as “all eagles fly” or “all snakes lay eggs” as true. In this paper, we discuss the generic overgeneralization effect demonstrated by Polish adult speakers. We asked 313 native speakers of Polish to evaluate universal quantified generalizations such as “all eagles fly” or “all snakes lay eggs” as true or false. The control group of 107 respondents provided data on the acceptance rates of the corresponding generic (...) generalizations such as “eagles fly” or “snakes lay eggs”. By determining the impact of test fillers on the participants’ acceptance rates, the study aimed to identify the scope of the generic overgeneralization effect. We manipulated four conditions: the universal negative, positive, neutral, and generic control conditions. The results showed significant differences between the first two conditions, but neither the negative nor the positive condition differed from the neutral one. The overall acceptance rates of universal statements were 63% for the negative condition, 49% for the positive condition, 55% for the neutral condition, and 90% for the control group. Overall, the participants accepted universal quantified statements at high rates even when they were prompted to reject them. The results may be interpreted as another piece of evidence in support of the generic overgeneralization effect. (shrink)

The Poles do have their share in Poland’s communist past — but where would Poland be today if the entire intelligentsia, all the university professors, architects and artists who were just starting out with their adult lives, had said “no” in 1945? Wałęsa would be unable to read or write and Poland would be ruled by Lukashenko.

Several DNA-damage detection and repair mechanisms have evolved to repair double-strand breaks induced by mutagens. Later in evolutionary history, DNA single- and double-strand cuts made possible immune diversity by V(D)J recombination and recombination at meiosis. Such cuts are induced endogenously and are highly regulated and controlled. In meiosis, DNA cuts are essential for the initiation of homologous recombination, and for the formation of joint molecule and crossovers. Many proteins that function during somatic DNA-damage detection and repair are also active during (...) homologous recombination. However, their meiotic functions may be altered from their somatic roles through localization, posttranslational modifications and/or interactions with meiosis-specific proteins. Presumably, somatic repair functions and meiotic recombination diverged during evolution, resulting in adaptations specific to sexual reproduction. BioEssays 27:795–808, 2005. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. (shrink)

Tekst podejmuje kwestię złożonej natury seksualności i tożsamości w kontekście psychoanalizy. Wiersz Czesława Miłosza „Esse” stanowi tu punkt wyjścia rozważań o napięciu między pragnieniem a niemożnością pełnego posiadania obiektu pragnienia, co prowadzi do odkrycia siebie i własnej niekompletności. Pierwsza część artykułu omawia te zagadnienia w odniesieniu do teorii popędowej Freuda oraz zjawisk współczesnej kultury, nazwanej przez Jacka Dukaja „kulturą bezpośredniego transferu przeżyć”. Na drugą część artykułu składają się winiety kliniczne, ukazujące pracę terapeutyczną z młodymi pacjentami. Osoby te cierpią z powodu (...) trudności w opracowaniu własnej seksualności w powiązaniu z relacją z obiektem, co prowadzi do znaczących kłopotów z budowaniem własnej tożsamości. Zarówno doświadczenie kliniczne, jak i próby teoretycznej konceptualizacji tych zjawisk wskazują, że seksualność stanowi poważne wyzwanie dla rozumienia relacji z drugim człowiekiem i eksploracji własnych tajemnic. Proces ten wymaga akceptacji braku i niepewności, która ma podstawowe znaczenie dla zrozumienia siebie i budowania autentycznych relacji. (shrink)

In this study the author has focused on the impact of activeness and independence on the quality of life of seniors. Activeness is taken to mean the participation in regular everyday tasks. Functional independence is independence in everyday life. Quality of life in old age describes the level of satisfaction with life and indicators of successful ageing. The survey was conducted in October 2013 among four groups of seniors. Two variables determined the distribution of respondents: the level of activeness and (...) the functional independence of the seniors. The study involved 99 seniors from Sopot and Gdansk. Functional independence has a much greater impact on the quality of life of seniors than activeness in as much as independence is influenced by our state of health over which we may always have full control, whereas activeness to a large extent depends on ourselves. (shrink)

This is a transcript of a documentary by Andrzej Wajda,. Jan Nowak-Jeziorański recalls his reflections on the Warsaw Uprising 1944 and its long term psychological and historical effects.

Context is a notion that is commonly invoked in many linguistic studies, either with very general reference or, more specifically, in the light of one of a number of research approaches which assign distinct definitions to context, ranging from factors that can be recovered from a text, through social parameters serving as an index for the appropriation of discursive performance, to factors that bring texts into being and give them meaning. This exploratory and descriptive research problematises the notion of context (...) specifically on the grounds of English/Polish translation of corporate documentation processed in company registration proceedings, touching upon factors that are presumed to be discursively relevant in this communicative situation. The study is conducted from the perspective of the sociocultural approach and it adopts the parallel corpus methodology. The author discusses the concept of context on the ground of legal communication and secondarily presents a corpus-based description of the context categories that are idiosyncratic and potentially discursively relevant for the said communicative situation in the cross-linguistic perspective. The contextual variation is tested for its capacity to affect translation performance. The results reveal specific tendencies as regards the distribution patterns in the values corresponding to the investigated context categories. They point to some divergencies in translation output caused by the source text variantivity and they pave the way and directions for further research. Already at this stage the findings may have significant pedagogical value and they constitute a solid starting point for sociolinguistic research on discourse variantivity. (shrink)

In an increasingly globalised and technologically dynamic landscape, ethics councils and committees play a crucial role in navigating the complex ethical challenges posed by emerging technologies. This study examined the capacity and emerging approach of ethics councils and committees in the European Union (EU) to address those challenges by analysing their composition, functioning, financing, independence, and strategies for leveraging policy-relevance and uptake of their work (e.g., in the form of recommendations, advice, or opinions). We conducted a cross-sectional study targeting the (...) EU National Ethics Councils (NECs) that have participated in the National Ethics Councils Forum (NEC Forum) meetings over the last 10 years. The survey aimed to encompass eight thematic categories for NECs, with further questions targeted at council members, staff, and representatives. Responses were received from the National Ethics Councils (NECs) of 23 (85%) of the 27 EU countries. For some countries, more than one NEC responded to the survey. Findings revealed high heterogeneity in mandates and organizational procedures across EU NECs. Their independence is largely safeguarded by some legal act, and most of them operate without a formal obligation to consult governmental bodies before issuing opinions, and their positions generally cannot be revised by external entities. While most NECs are tasked with advising the government, parliaments, and public institutions, only a few NECs hold formal roles in legislative processes. Furthermore, some EU countries do not have an ethics body with an advisory mandate but rely on institutional structures for research ethics and research governance. Additionally, the study highlights persistent financial constraints and operational challenges of EU NECs, resulting in significant challenges to build critical levels of outreach and impact. This study sheds light on the institutional roles of ethics advisory bodies and related structures in the EU, their capacity to address the ethical dilemmas associated with technological advancements, and their role and contributions to relevant policy debates and decision-making. It further provides the background for promoting coordination, collaboration, and mutual learning among NECs in the EU, while also emphasizing the need for support of EU NECs to enhance their operational capacity and expertise, particularly in addressing ethical dilemmas associated with technological advancements as well as with new and emerging technologies. (shrink)

The paper explores the hypothesis that multinomials can act as authorship-based style distinguishing markers in legal communication. Specifically, the analysis focuses on identifying the quantitative distribution patterns of structural categories of multinomials as typical for two authorship categories and on their communicative function. The two authorship categories that are contrasted here are legal professionals/experts and lay people. The analysis is conducted in the corpus-based methodology with a custom-designed corpus of English, authentic texts found in the legal trade, in the domain (...) of company registration proceedings. The findings confirm that multinomials that are conventionally considered to be a feature of professional legal communication are also cognitively salient in lay communication. Further, the texts drafted by the two categories of authors are profiled by structurally distinct multinomials. Functionally, it has been demonstrated that the structurally distinct types of multinomials that are found quantitatively salient in the two authorship categories are used predominantly for specific stylistic and/or pragmatic functions. Stylistically, multinomials contribute to conventional and ritual patterns which are used to meet the formality standards that have evolved in specific legal professions where authority is of particular importance. Pragmatic factors which account for quantitative salience of specific, structurally profiled categories of multinomials involve mainly reduplication of multinomials that embody norm-related concepts, which is required on the ground of intertextuality and ensures the materialisation of legal effect. (shrink)

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present some of the findings (which were reported on more extensively in earlier work) regarding the visibility of gender issues in the literature on selected information and communication technologies (ICTs) with a view to make predictions about potential ethical issues that the application of these ICTs may bring about in the future. This paper is part of the larger research project called ETICA (Ethical Issues of Emerging Information and Communication Technologies), a collaborative (...) project funded by the 7th Framework Programme of the European Union. -/- Design/methodology/approach On the basis of the analysis of around 100 published sources, which dealt with various aspects of selected ICTs, conclusions have been drawn regarding gender issues and concerns that the applications of these ICTs may cause. The authors' analysis is theoretically informed by critical discourse analysis (CDA) which assumes that texts, both written and spoken, as well as other forms of symbolic representations, are indicative of social practices. Of particular methodological relevance was the survey of methods of text and discourse analysis presented in Titscher et al. and especially the application of keyword search as a way to measure the prominence of each investigated method. This approach to literature surveying proved very useful in selecting analytic material: only those published sources on the selected four ICTs have been included in the survey, for which the analysis of keywords, abstracts and indexes of terms indicated authors' interest in gender issues. -/- Findings First, ICTs such as affective computing, ambient intelligence, and artificial intelligence, have been found to have the potential of positively affecting gender power relations and thus positively affecting gender balance in the areas of labour market related to ICT across EU countries and worldwide. Second, more research on the relationship between gender and ICT design, application and representation is needed, so as to enhance a better understanding of ethical issues resulting from unequal participation of women and men in all aspects of ICT production and implementation, which in itself is an ethical dilemma with which both the ICT business and legislators have to grapple. The paper offers insight into the relationship between the level of attention devoted to particular ICTs by ICT researchers, as evidenced in the reviewed literature, and the likelihood of the application of a particular ICT in the future, which is looked at and assessed from a gender perspective. -/- Originality/value The paper offers insight into the relationship between the level of attention devoted to particular ICTs by ICT researchers, as evidenced in the reviewed literature, and the likelihood of the application of a particular ICT in the future, which is looked at and assessed from a gender perspective. -/- . (shrink)

The paper aims at describing the findings and conclusions formulated in the analysis of the authorship factor in legal discourse. It is hypothesised that verbal structures show systemically varied distribution across legal discourse and the relevant distinctions run through the authorship categories. When it comes to the aim of the research it draws on the tradition of sociolinguistic methodology targeting issues related to language variation which follows the basic assumptions of functional grammar. From the point of view of the material (...) covered by the analysis it contributes to the research on legal discourse and specifically on its specialised domain referred to as corporate, company or business discourse. It provides additional empirical data pointing to the non-homogeneity of the legal style and formal distinctions originating from rich contextual background. The study is conducted on the material of a custom-designed corpus of English legal texts, classified as secondary genres. Methodologically, the study makes use of the tenets of supervised search of digitalised corpora and automatic data extraction based on discrete units, subsequent identification of recurring longer contiguous and/or non-contiguous sequences, if any, built around the axis of specific verbal structures and finally qualitative comparative analysis (characterisation) of the material. The discussion presents sample data and focuses on the most salient categories, both quantitatively and qualitatively. The inductive approach confirms the formal divergencies in the communicative situation covered by the analysis. The findings encapsulate patterns and tendencies in the quantitative distribution of verbal structures depending on the authorship category. It may be concluded that authorship is a factor delineating distinctions as regards (i) the repertoire of grammatical instruments exploited (verbal structures), which contributes to the specific stylistic profile of given authors. This shows that the thesis posed is verified positively and the study shows further, more detailed distinctions running through groups of subcategories distinguished within the authorship categories specified upon the start of the research. (shrink)

Masterpieces by Sarah Daniels has been described as a voice in the debate on pornography, expressing the anti-pornography position as opposed to the liberal feminist stance in this debate. Despite its ideological clarity reported by many reviewers and critics, the play has been commented upon as deficient or inadequate because of evoking conflicting interpretations and ambiguity. The paper argues that these deficiencies stem from the play’s concern with the distribution of agency and passivity along gender lines as well as the (...) influence of generic and essentialist notions of genders on the perception of social and individual power relations particularly in the domain of eroticism and sexuality. One of the key issues of the play is the question to what extent and in what ways human perception is conditioned by the place of the subject in relation to the agency/passivity dichotomy and his or her viewing/reading position in relation to erotic and pornographic material. (shrink)

The paper presents findings gathered in an exploratory, descriptive, corpus-based analysis of a parallel corpus composed of English corporate documents and their translations into Polish with regard to the frequency-related, binary strategy distribution pattern. In general, the author posits a distinctiveness of interlingual communication in the domain of law, as delineated by the institutional and disciplinary framework. The material extracted from the corpus and studied for its generic features points to the hermetic character of corporate written communication in English. The (...) thesis to be verified is whether there are any tendencies in the distribution of the translation strategies in the corpus texts. The research question was operationalised via coding the corpus extracts according to the binary strategy division scheme. Further, the data have been discussed in reference to the sociocultural background of the communicative situation covered under the analysis in order to account for the translators’ motivation. (shrink)

The main objective of my article is to investigate the ways in which contemporary Anglophone drama and theatre actively employ diegetic and narrative forms, setting them in conflict with the mimetic action. The mode of telling seems to be at odds with the conviction not only about the mimetic nature of performance and theatre but also about the growing visuality of contemporary theatre. Many contemporary performances and dramatic texts expose the tensions between the reduction of visual representations and the expansion (...) of the narrative space. This space offers various possibilities of exploring the distance between the performers and spectators, tensions between narrative time and place and the present time of performance, the real and the imagined/inauthentic/fake, traumatic memory and imagination. The active foregrounding of the diegetic elements of performance will be exemplified with reference to several contemporary plays and performances: my focus will be on the uses of epic forms in what can be called post-epic theatre, illustrated by Kieran Hurley’s Rantin (2013); the foregrounding of the diegetic and the undecidability of the fictional and the real, instantiated by Forced Entertainment’s performances (Showtime, 1996) and Martin McDonagh’s The Pillowman (2003); and the narrative density and traumatic aporia of Pornography (2007) by Simon Stephens. (shrink)

This article is devoted to presenting the intermedia journalistic project called Out of Eden Walk and launched by American reporter Paul Salopek. Based on values such as journalistic reliability and the in-depth view of the reality, the project can be situated within the framework of the popular strands of slow journalism and slow travel. Salopek’s intention was to present Out of Eden Walk as an alternative to the rapidity of mass media communication and popular travel writing. The purpose of this (...) paper is to demonstrate the way in which Salopek uses media convergence mechanisms for creating an intermediary journalistic message, which is then distributed via various communication platforms based on both new media and traditional media. (shrink)

We investigated the definition, prevalence, perceived prevalence and severity of, as well as justifications for and expected responses to, academic dishonesty at the graduate level in a sample of 246 graduate students, 49 faculty, and 20 administrators. Between 2.5% and 55.1% of students self-reported engaging in academically dishonest behaviors, depending on the nature of the behavior. Students and faculty rated 40 examples of academically dishonest behaviors similarly in terms of severity, but faculty tended to underestimate the prevalence of academic dishonesty. (...) Students and faculty also reported how they would idealistically and realistically expect themselves to respond to cheating situations. Students rated 21 behaviors in terms of their likeliness to increase or decrease academically dishonest behavior. Suggestions are given for developing a climate or culture of academic integrity to address academic dishonesty. (shrink)

This study employs Labor Process Theory (LPT) to examine how human resource (HR) practices contribute to the reproduction of inequality within the global value chains (GVCs) of Bangladesh’s garment industry. Drawing on 76 interviews across buyers, factory owners, HR personnel, workers, NGOs, unions, and government officials, this study explores how HR systems are co-opted into managerial control through audit routines, documentation rituals, and compliance practices. Findings reveal that HR functions, rather than serving as neutral mediators, often co-occur with structures of (...) distant governance and symbolic compliance that suppress worker agency. The analysis extends LPT by demonstrating how transnational mechanisms of control travel through HR-mediated documentation and audit regimes, transforming ethical oversight into an instrument of discipline. This paper concludes with a contextualized framework for reconfiguring HR as an equity-oriented actor in GVC governance and offers practical recommendations to strengthen ethical accountability across production networks. (shrink)

In teacher education, students have to link theoretical knowledge from educational studies or other academic fields with classroom experiences in formal settings such as triadic mentoring conversations. Students make this link through verbal activities, which are the heart of our analysis. Students produce complex discourses in which they position themselves, refer to multiple types of knowledge, describe and analyse their practicum. Considering that discourse analysis enlightens professional development processes, we study what prospective teachers (PTs) learn in a specific moment of (...) formal mentoring conversations that is a presentation of problematic issues. We compare the evolution of these presentations for two PTs. Through an utterer centred approach, we focus on three key elements: positioning adopted by PTs regarding the content of their sayings and their discussion partners; the way they integrate the theoretical concepts in their discourse; and the way they put in words working experiences and specific internship events. These elements enlighten the process of self-building and building of professional knowledge. Our results point out that in these « in between » settings, preservice teachers produce two kinds of discourse: academic and professional. (shrink)

B a c k g ro u n d: Arterial hypertension (HTN) ranks among the most widespread chronic illnesses that affect adults in industrialized societies. The main goal of this study was to describe the control (inhibition) processes among HTN patients, and to evaluate the dynamics of brain activity while the patients were engaged in tasks measuring the cognitive aspect of self-control. P a r t i c i p a n t s a n d p ro c e (...) d u re: A set of neuropsychological tests (California Verbal Learning Test, Color Trails Test, The Trail Making Test, Controlled Oral Word Association Test), and a fMRI Stroop test (rapid event design) were administered to 40 persons (20 HTN patients and 20 controls). Groups were matched in terms of age, sex, education, smoking history, and waist-to-hip ratio. R e s u l t s: As revealed by fMRI, the HTN patients demonstrate left-hemisphere asymmetry in inhibitory processes. Also around 90% of patients had problems when completing tasks which rely on verbal and graphomotor aspects of self-control. C o n c l u s i o n s: The results suggest that both cerebral hemispheres must interact correctly in order to provide successful executive control. The deficiencies in control and executive functioning, which were observed among the patients, prove that HTN negatively affects brain processes that control one’s cognitive activity. (shrink)

Fermented dairy products such as yogurt contain many bioactive compounds. In addition, probiotic yogurts are an invaluable source of probiotic bacteria and are a group of probiotic products best accepted by children. There is plenty of research indicating an interdependence between yogurt consumption, body mass index, and adipose tissue percentage, which suggests that yogurt consumption may contribute to reducing the risk of becoming overweight or obese. In turn, the occurrence of overweight and obesity may be accompanied by a reduced sensitivity (...) to sweetness, which modifies food preference selection and acceptance, including with yogurt. This study aimed to assess the preferences and consumption of yogurt in terms of sensitivity to recognize sweetness and obesity in a group of 7–9-year-old children. Body mass index and adipose tissue percentage obesity indicators were determined, and the frequency of fermented milk product consumption was assessed about the results of the sweetness recognition test as well as yogurt preferences. There was no significant relationship between body weight and the frequency of fermented milk product consumption. Correlations were found between the values of body mass index and the ability to recognize sweetness, which was significantly better recognized by underweight children or at normal body weight, moreover, those children with a higher ability to recognize sweetness significantly more frequently preferred plain unsweetened yogurt. (shrink)

Το παρόν άρθρο εξετάζει τις ενδείξεις που επιτρέπουν να χρονολογηθεί η πρώτη εγκατάσταση των Σεραπείων A και B στη ∆ήλο, µε βάση τα ευρήµατα των πρόσφατων ανασκαφικών ερευνών. Η µελέτη της κεραµεικής οδηγεί στην αναθεώρηση απόψεων που φαίνονταν εδραιωµένες: η χρονολόγηση της κατασκευής του Σεραπείου B ειδικότερα, πρέπει να τοποθετηθεί περίπου έναν αιώνα αργότερα, ενώ του Σεράπειου A φαίνεται πως αντιστοιχεί µε αυτή που γίνεται γενικά αποδεκτή µε βάση τη χρονολόγηση των επιγραφικών δεδοµένων. Τίθεται συνεπώς το πρόβληµα της ασυµφωνίας µεταξύ (...) των δύο τύπων δεδοµένων, επιγραφικών και κεραµεικών, όσον αφορά τη χρονολόγηση του Σεραπείου B. (shrink)

Introduction: As an occupational group, medical providers working with victims of trauma are prone to negative consequences of their work, particularly secondary traumatic stress symptoms. Various factors affect susceptibility to STS, including work-related and organizational determinants, as well as individual differences. The aim of the study was to establish the mediating role of cognitive trauma processing in the relationship between job satisfaction and STS symptoms among medical providers.Procedure and Participants: Results were obtained from 419 healthcare providers working with victims of (...) trauma. Three questionnaires, namely the Secondary Traumatic Stress Inventory, Work Satisfaction Scale, and Cognitive Trauma Processing Scale, were used in the study, as well as a survey developed for this research. Correlational and mediation analyses were applied to assess relations between variables.Results: The results showed significant links between STS symptoms and both job satisfaction and cognitive processing of trauma. Three cognitive coping strategies play the intermediary role in the relationship between job satisfaction and symptoms of secondary traumatic stress. However, this role varies depending on preferred strategies.Conclusion: Nurses and paramedics are significantly exposed to the occurrence of STS. Thus, it is important to engage health care providers in activities aimed at preventing and reducing symptoms of STS. (shrink)

_The Cinema of Andrzej Wajda: The Art of Irony and Defiance_ Edited by John Orr and Elzbieta Ostrowska Foreword by Andrzej Wajda London: Wallflower Press, 2003 ISBN 1-903364-89-2 227 pages.