The Quality of Life in Patients with Epilepsy in the Context of Sleep Problems and Sexual Satisfaction

Epilepsy influences the quality of patient functioning in almost all aspects of life. This study aimed to assess the quality of difficulties with sleep initiation and those concerning sexual function, and to assess whether sleep disorders are associated with selected aspects of sexual function and quality of life. The study involved completing a quality-of-life questionnaire for persons with epilepsy: a QOLIE-31 questionnaire, and the present authors’ questionnaire, including 20 questions. A total of 170 questionnaires were completed by 89 men and 81 women. Sleep problems of various frequency were reported by 98 participants (57.6%). Only 41% of patients were definitely satisfied with their sex life. The respondents who declared dissatisfaction with their sex life more often reported difficulties with sleep initiation (χ2 = 10.20; p ≤ 0.001). Moreover, those who claimed that epilepsy might contribute to sex life problems more commonly declared dissatisfaction with their sex life (χ2 = 20.01; p ≤ 0.001) and more frequently, reported difficulties with sleep initiation (χ2 = 6.30; p ≤ 0.012). The issues should constitute the constant element of medical history taking, as improvement in these areas of functioning may promote better quality of life in patients with epilepsy.

Noémia de Sousa, ou ser “África da cabeça aos pés” em tempos de colonização

In the present essay, I examine the work and career of the Mozambican poet Noémia Carolina Abranches de Sousa Soares (1926-2002). It is well known that Sousa began her career publishing under the initials “NS” to confuse her identity with that of her brother (whose name was Nuno) and so obfuscate her gender; however, women are a constant element in her work. Beyond this, I argue that Sousa adopted a pioneering approach to gender, one deeply connected to the anti-colonial struggle, the fight for the rights of her people, and the African American imaginary. Indelibly linked to social, racial, and gendered subalternity, Mozambican women constitute in Sousa’s oeuvre the personification of the struggle against the societal paradigms of the time.

From Receiving Meaning To Constructing Meaning: An Analytical Historical of the Reader's Role in the Literary Work

The study of the connection between the reader and the meaning of the literary text developed throughout the ages, and critics went in different directions in their analysis of the nature of that connection as well as the reader’s role on the literary text. In this context, the proposed study traces this relationship’s development to analyze the following: (1) the role played by the German Constance School in transforming the reader’s role from being a consumer reader to become a participant in the construction of meaning, and to highlight the procedures used by the founders of this school to facilitate understanding the reader’s new role. (2) the study sheds light on the way in which the critic Murād Mabrūk in his theory about “the literary communication” conveyed the concepts of the Constance School about the reader’s role in producing meaning to open up a new horizon for studying the meaning of the literary text. The study concludes, through its use of the historical analytic method, that: (1) the historical development of the mechanism of interpretation of meaning is based on the idea of the shift in interaction with meaning from the negative interaction in which the meaning is a constant element discovered by the reader to the positive interaction in which the meaning is a variable element resulting from the interaction between the text, Author, and reader.

Adaptacja i porozumienie. Komunikacja dwujęzyczna w Europie Środkowej

Depending on the selected theoretical concept, Central Europe is a melting pot of several or over a dozen linguistic cultures which constantly interacted in the process of historical development. In this multi-national landscape, the presence of Slavs (Czechs, Poles, Slovaks as well as Lusatians, Kashubians or Lemkos) has been a constant element. The speakers have used two languages in a single act of communication which is a phenomenon of its own. This understanding is a tempting area of linguistic research. This text is dedicated to bilingual communication of Slavs with special emphasis placed on the processes of adaptation based on obtaining information from texts in written language (the seven sieves technique).

Japońskie filmy o Ajnach w perspektywie amerykańskiego westernu

Recently the topic of transnationalism in the arts has become a popular strand of academic research. Nevertheless, this phenomenon is not an entirely new concept. In cinema it has been a constant element since its inception. One of the most important inspirations for world cinema has been the traditional cinematography of the USA, especially from the period of the great film studios, with the western being one of the most popular and imitated genres. Although it seems to be inextricably connected with the American myth of the frontier, the Wild West, the theme of expansion, and the conflict of ‘civilization’ and ‘wildness/savagery’ has reverberated outside the USA. In Japan westerns resonated on both the consumer-commercial and artistic levels. Japanese filmmakers utilized elements of the genre while weaving in some native contexts. The history of colonization of the northern island of Hokkaidō and its native inhabitants – the Ainu people – have been a point of reference for Japan-based western films. In this article, the authors analyze the western-specific genre elements in Japanese films about the Ainu people, while concentrating on the portrayal of individuals, groups and human relations on the frontier.

Analyzing Some Structural Properties of Topological B-Algebras

In this study, we investigate the topology on B-algebras: an algebraic system of propositional logic. We define here the notion of topological B-algebras (briefly, TB-algebras) and some properties are investigated. A characterization of TB-algebras based on neighborhoods is provided. We also provide a filterbase that generates a unique B-topology, making a TB-algebra in which the filterbase is a neighborhood base of the constant element, provided that the given B-algebra is commutative. Finally, we investigate subalgebras of TB-algebras and introduce the notion of quotient TB-algebras of the given B-algebra.

Education for Citizenship and Social Studies in Japan

History has shown the influence that the West had on the legislative bases of Japanese education. In the Meiji Era (1868-1912), based on the French model, Japan's first formal educational system was established. There are discrepancies among researchers to locate the beginning of civic studies; however, after the Allied occupation, with the promulgation of the Basic Act on Education of 1947, social studies was introduced into the curriculum. Revisions of the social studies guidance from 1947 to the present have maintained as a constant element the development of civic qualities, as well as references to competences and awareness for civil life from society, history, and geography. Regarding the teaching of history and memories, after an original sources review, it can be established three stages of internationalization of the controversy from internal disputes in the 50s – 60s to the authorization of revisionist textbooks from 2001 to the present. However, despite this, several researches conclude that, nowadays, asepsis predominates in history textbooks of majority use.

6 October - The memorial day of the Martyrs of Arad in historical perspective: commemoration practices, local and folklore traditions

The Hungarian revolution of 1848–1849 which broke out as a fight for civil reforms, new constitutional arrangements and national independence ended with the execution of the revolutionary generals on 6 October 1849 in Arad. Ever since, this day is marked annually all over the country as a day of national mourning, and in 2001 it was legally instituted in the calendar as a day of commemoration. The article explores the shaping of the cult of “the Martyrs of Arad” as well as the history and the format of commemorative events from the middle of the nineteenth century to the present day. Folklore (textual and ritual) traditions connected with the Martyrs of Arad, spread both in towns and the countryside and still define the meaning and content of the commemorative practices. A song about the Martyrs of Arad deserves special attention as it has remained a constant element of memorial events, which otherwise vary across the country