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The aim of this article is to investigate the works of Charles de Lint in order to evaluate their position within the genre of urban fantasy. The theoretical framework is adopted from Stefan Ekman’s article “Urban Fantasy: A Literature of the Unseen” (2016) which investigates the genre’s development and formulates a list of its most distinctive features. While this article uses Ekman’s study to examine de Lint’s fictional cities, it also indicates how de Lint’s works challenge Ekman’s analysis. Moreover, the article demonstrates how de Lint’s concern with problems of urban communities transforms his works into narratives of social inclusion, which are particularly significant in the age of the Anthropocene.

The understanding of urban social-ecological systems requires integrated and interdisciplinary methods. This paper explores differences in the accessibility of urban green spaces (UGS) based on urban morphology. In contrast to other comparative analyses that followed simplified quantification of UGS provision and/or omitted the impact of morphological properties of urban space, this study proposes three improvements. First, it uses the share of UGS in the service area of 300 m walking distance around each residential building in a city as a measure of UGS provision. Second, it includes the potential physical accessibility of UGS as warranted by key actors, such as owners or managers, who decide whether UGS are open or not to potential users. Third, it links UGS accessibility and heterogeneous urban structures. We developed a mixed-methods analysis that combines multiple data sources regarding UGS, the spatial distribution of residential buildings, and street networks. We conducted our analysis in five case-study cities (Barcelona, Halle, Lodz, Oslo, and Stockholm). Our findings suggest that the urban structures where the human–environment interaction transformed the space (such as in the core city areas) are characterized by limited UGS in the service area. Urban structures that are less transformed by human activity (especially suburbia) have the highest share of selected UGS in the service area. In addition, even if the share of UGS in the service area is high, many of them might have limited physical accessibility. In the broader sense, this highlights that social-ecological processes are linked to urban form and cannot be separated in an analysis. Therefore, social-ecological systems could be better understood through the lens of urban morphology. GIS; land use; landscape metrics; social-ecological systems; spatial analysis; urban green space management

Transurethral cystoscopy (CS) is a common urological procedure, performed mostly for diagnostic but also for therapeutic purposes. Although CS is generally well tolerated, some patients describe the pain related to the procedure as high or even "unbearable". As a result, many patients fear and avoid both primary and/or follow-up cystoscopies. This may lead to uncontrolled progression of neoplastic disease. Therefore, it is crucial to maximally increase the comfort of the patient and to implement safe and effective analgesia before the procedure. Providing the patients with appropriate care during CS can encourage them to comply with diagnostic schedules and improve their prognosis. The aim of this review is to analyze the available literature on various methods of pain reduction during transurethral CS. The PubMed electronic database limited to English articles published until January 2021 was used in the process. Meta-analyses, systematic reviews, randomized controlled trials, clinical trials, prospective randomized studies, multicenter comparisons, reviews and retrospective comparisons were used. As a result, 65 articles were included in this review.

The aim of this paper is to examine Charles de Lint’s novel Widdershins(2006), whose main theme is an interspecies war for the American land. The paper demonstrates how, by exploring the themes of Indigenous suffering, belief in species interconnectedness, reverence for the natural world, and approach to trauma, the novel participates in the deconstruction of colonial structures present in the concept of the Anthropocene. The paper also engages de Lint’s novel in a dialogue with the studies on the Anthropocene to prove that, by providing its readers with alternative modes of thinking, fantasy fiction can contribute to the cognitive change required to save our planet from human-wrought destruction.

Book review: Francisco Lozada Jr, John: An Introduction and Study Guide: History, Community, and Ideology (T&T Clark’s Study Guides to the New Testament; London Clark – Bloomsbury 2020). Pp. 128. $ 68.00. ISBN 978-0-5676-9284-9 (hardback).

There are many artificial sources of radiofrequency electromagnetic field (RF-EMF) in the environment, with a value between 100 MHz and 6 GHz. The most frequently used signal is with a frequency of around 900 MHz. The direction of these changes positively impacts the quality of life, enabling easy communication from almost anywhere in the world. All living organisms in the world feel the effects of the electromagnetic field on them. The observations regarding the influence of a RF-EMF on honey bees, describing the general impact of RF-EMF on the colony and/or behavior of individual bees, such as reduction in the number of individuals in colonies, extended homing flight duration, decrease in breeding efficiency, changes in flight direction (movement of bees toward the areas affected by RF-EMF), increase in the intensity and frequency of sounds characteristic for those announcing the impending danger. In this work, we describe the changes in the levels of some of the stress-related markers in honey bees exposed to varying intensities and duration of RF-EMF. One-day-old honeybee worker bees were used for the study. The bees were randomly assigned to 9 experimental groups which were exposed to the following 900 MHz EMF intensities: 12 V/m, 28 V/m, and 61 V/m for 15 min, 1 h and 3 h. The control group was not exposed to the RF-EMF. Each experimental group consisted of 10 cages in which were 100 bees. Then, hemolymph was collected from the bees, in which the activity was assessed AST, ALT, ALP, GGTP, and level of nonenzymatic antioxidants albumin, creatinine, uric acid, and urea. Bees were also collected for the analysis of rps5, ppo, hsp10, hsp70, hsp90, and vitellogenin gene expression. Our study shows that exposure to a 900 MHz electromagnetic field induces a response in the honey bees that can be detected in the level of enzyme activity and the expression of stress-related genes. The response is similar to the one previously described as a result of exposition to UVB irradiation and most likely cannot be attributed to increased temperature.

Non-muscle-invasive bladder cancers (NMIBC) constitute 3-quarters of all primary diagnosed bladder tumors. For risk-adapted management of patients with NMIBC, different risk group systems and predictive models have been developed. This study aimed to externally validate EORTC2016, CUETO and novel EAU2021 risk scoring models in a multi-institutional retrospective cohort of patients with high-grade NMIBC who were treated with an adequate BCG immunotherapy.The Kaplan-Meier estimates for recurrence-free survival and progression-free survival were performed, predictive abilities were assessed using the concordance index (C-index) and area under the curve (AUC).A total of 1690 patients were included and the median follow-up was 51 months. For the overall cohort, the estimates recurrence-free survival and progression-free survival rates at 5-years were 57.1% and 82.3%, respectively. The CUETO scoring model had poor discrimination for disease recurrence (C-index/AUC for G2 and G3 grade tumors: 0.570/0.493 and 0.559/0.492) and both CUETO (C-index/AUC for G2 and G3 grade tumors: 0.634/0.521 and 0.622/0.525) EAU2021 (c-index/AUC: 0.644/0.522) had poor discrimination for disease progression.Both the CUETO and EAU2021 scoring systems were able to successfully stratify risks in our population, but presented poor discriminative value in predicting clinical events. Due to the lack of data, model validation was not possible for EORTC2016. The CUETO and EAU2021 systems overestimated the risk, especially in highest-risk patients. The risk of progression according to EORTC2016 was slightly lower when compared with our population analysis.

The article reconstructs the Frenchman base stereotype and methods of its profiling. The analyzes were based on the cognitive definition method proposed by Jerzy Bartmiński. The background of the material is system data (taken from dictionaries of general and dialectal Polish language) and texts (taken from folkloristic and ethnographic sources of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries). The main goal of this text is the extraction of specified Frenchman image functioning in a variety of genres and texts. The author states that from the perspective of the bearer of Polish folk culture, one can speak about his image: a Frenchman – foreigner, a Frenchman – enemy, a Frenchman – ally and a Frenchman – candidate for a husband. What is particularly important, the description of the Frenchman allowed also to reconstruct the auto-stereotype of Poles, their value system and points of view, which are modified, when confronted with the other.

This paper studies the application of Limosilactobacillus fermentum S8 from organic whey in meat processing and investigation the effect of bacteria on the concentration of nitrosyl pigments, colour formation, physicochemical characteristics and microbiological quality of uncured cooked meat products. 3 canned meat batters' were produced: control with salt and sodium nitrite (100 mg/ kg), treatment with salt, treatment with salt and L. fermentum S8 (10

There have been few clinical or scientific reports of autosomal dominant tubulointerstitial kidney disease due to REN mutations (ADTKD-REN), limiting characterization. To further study this, we formed an international cohort characterizing 111 individuals from 30 families with both clinical and laboratory findings. Sixty-nine individuals had a REN mutation in the signal peptide region (signal group), 27 in the prosegment (prosegment group), and 15 in the mature renin peptide (mature group). Signal group patients were most severely affected, presenting at a mean age of 19.7 years, with the prosegment group presenting at 22.4 years, and the mature group at 37 years. Anemia was present in childhood in 91% in the signal group, 69% prosegment, and none of the mature group. REN signal peptide mutations reduced hydrophobicity of the signal peptide, which is necessary for recognition and translocation across the endoplasmic reticulum, leading to aberrant delivery of preprorenin into the cytoplasm. REN mutations in the prosegment led to deposition of prorenin and renin in the endoplasmic reticulum-Golgi intermediate compartment and decreased prorenin secretion. Mutations in mature renin led to deposition of the mutant prorenin in the endoplasmic reticulum, similar to patients with ADTKD-UMOD, with a rate of progression to end stage kidney disease (63.6 years) that was significantly slower vs. the signal (53.1 years) and prosegment groups (50.8 years) (significant hazard ratio 0.367). Thus, clinical and laboratory studies revealed subtypes of ADTKD-REN that are pathophysiologically, diagnostically, and clinically distinct.

Background: Bladder cancer is one of the most common malignancies. Its diagnosis is based on transurethral cystoscopy. Virtual reality (VR) is a three-dimensional world generated through the projection of images, the emission of sounds and other stimuli. VR has been proven to be a very effective “distractor” and, thus, a useful tool in managing pain. The aim of this study was to determine whether the use of VR sets is technically feasible during the cystoscopy and whether the use of VR devices would reduce the degree of ailments associated with the procedure, Methods: The study prospectively included both men and women who qualified for rigid cystoscopy due to both primary and follow-up diagnostics. The study group underwent rigid cystoscopy with the VR set and the control group underwent the procedure without the VR set. Patients enrolled in both groups were subjected to blood pressure, heart rate and saturation measurements before, during and after the procedure. Additionally, the patients were asked to describe the severity of fear, pain sensations and nausea associated with the procedure. Non-verbal pain manifestations were assessed using the adult adjusted Faces, Legs, Activity, Cry and Consolability (FLACC) scale, Results: The study population included 103 patients (74M/29F, mean age 64.4 years). Pain intensity differed significantly between the groups, reaching lower values in the VR group. In all analyzed subgroups the use of the VR set was associated with higher levels of nausea. The mean FLACC score reached higher values for patients without the VR set. Blood pressure as well as heart rate increased during the procedure and decreased afterwards. The increase in systolic blood pressure and pulse rate was statistically higher in the control group, Conclusions: This study confirmed that cystoscopy is associated with considerable preprocedural fear and severe pain. Blood pressure and heart rate rise significantly during the cystoscopy. VR sets can lower pain perception during cystoscopy, but they may cause moderate nausea.

Research background: The study examines the degree of the utilization of the idea of co-creating value by companies, taking into account the forms of remuneration of consumers. Purpose: The paper presents the issue of co-creating value with consumers from the perspective of the motivation and rewarding of clients. The article discusses factors determining the collaboration between the business and the virtual community as well as issues related to the remuneration of consumers. Research Methodology: The study covered managers who received questionnaires, developed after previous verification in a pilot study. The survey was conducted from August to October 2016. The questionnaire was prepared in a Polish and English version. The questionnaire in the Polish version was completed by 157 participants, while the questionnaire in the English version was completed by 42 managers. In total, 199 questionnaires were registered, including 134 with complete answers, which were subjected to further statistical analysis. The calculations were carried out using the SPSS v. 21/24 package and Statistica v. 7.1. Results: Enterprises with a high rate of positive answers to questions about the benefits of value creation believe that consumers should work together without remuneration. However, one should remember about the limited value of the interpretation due to the relatively small sample size. Novelty: This paper focuses on the results of analyses taking into account the relationship between the attitudes of entrepreneurs towards rewarding consumers for their contribution to value creation and the attitudes of entrepreneurs towards the issue of cooperation.

Spatial order refers to the perceived harmony, integrity, and completeness of the architectural heritage. Nevertheless, to the best of our knowledge, this concept has not been used yet to assess the heritage. This paper aims to demonstrate a multidimensional assessment of the architectural heritage value, in its urban environment, with the use of spatial order concept. We used field survey and statistical analysis to evaluate an example architectural heritage—Warsaw Ochota railway station in Poland—in four dimensions of spatial order such as architectural, esthetic, social, and functional. We found that the value of the heritage varies according to the spatial order dimensions and depends on the urban environment. Our findings could be useful for urban development policy, especially spatial planning. In particular, we postulate the need to focus on place-based approach to formulating policies for the protection and conservation of architectural heritage.

Understanding opportunities as well as constraints for people to benefit from and take care of urban nature is an importantstep toward more sustainable cities. In order to explore, engage, and enable strategies to improve urban quality of life, we combine asocial-ecological-technological systems framework with a flexible methodological approach to urban studies. The framework focuseson context dependencies in the flow and distribution of ecosystem service benefits within cities. The shared conceptual system frameworksupports a clear positioning of individual cases and integration of multiple methods, while still allowing for flexibility for aligning withlocal circumstances and ensuring context-relevant knowledge. To illustrate this framework, we draw on insights from a set of exploratorycase studies used to develop and test how the framework could guide research design and synthesis across multiple heterogeneous cases.Relying on transdisciplinary multi- and mixed methods research designs, our approach seeks to both enable within-case analyses andsupport and gradually build a cumulative understanding across cases and city contexts. Finally, we conclude by discussing key questionsabout green and blue infrastructure and its contributions to urban quality of life that the approach can help address, as well as remainingknowledge gaps both in our understanding of urban systems and of the methodological approaches we use to fill these gaps QC 20211129

The aim of this article is to analyze the portrayal of Native Americans in Orson Scott Card’s The Tales of Alvin Maker (1987-2003). The series is an alternative history of America in the early 19th century, which allows Card to condemn the country’s colonial history, particularly the institution of slavery and the plight of Native Americans. Nevertheless, in spite of his obvious sympathy for Native Americans, Card does not manage to avoid all of the traps awaiting a non-Native author writing about Indigenous people. The following article examines the series’ portrayal of Native Americans, demonstrating how the author both empowers his Indigenous characters and undermines their empowerment. The framework for the proposed analysis is provided by Gerald Vizenor’s theories regarding the simulation of Native presence in dominant culture, the persistence of stereotypical indians, the concept of survivance, and the possible retrieval of Indigenous sovereignty. O objetivo deste artigo é analisar a representação de nativo- americanos em The Tales of Alvin Maker de Orson Scott Card (1987-2003). A série é uma história alternativa dos Estadus Unidos no início do século 19, o que permite que Card condene a história colonial do país, particularmente a instituição da escravidão e a situação dos nativo-americanos. No entanto, apesar de sua óbvia simpatia pelos nativo-americanos, Card não consegue evitar todas as armadilhas que aguardam um autor não nativo escrevendo sobre os povos indígenas. O artigo a seguir examina a representação dos nativo-americanos na série de Card, demonstrando como o autor tanto fortalece seus personagens indígenas quanto minimiza seu empoderamento . A estrutura para a análise proposta é fornecida pelas teorias de Gerald Vizenor sobre a simulação da presença indígena na cultura dominante, a persistência do estereótipo do índio, o conceito de sobrevivência e a possível recuperação da soberania indígena.