Self-esteem and the underdog : why stability of self-esteem matters in social situations

Differences related to self-esteem and their possible influences on perceptions of underdogs were investigated. Global self-esteem and stability of self-esteem were evaluated using The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. Participants\u27 self-esteem was threatened by using the false feedback technique. Finally, perceptions of a competition between an underdog and a top dog were evaluated. The results demonstrated that although participants with stable and unstable self-esteem favor the underdog, participants with unstable self-esteem favor the underdog even more than the participants with stable self-esteem. The findings reinforce the robustness of the underdog effect and highlight a consequence of having unstable self-esteem

The EI Leadership Model: From Theory and Research to Real World Application

Whether a leader or the led, we all can point to examples of ineffective leadership – poor decision making, a lack of vision, inattention to morale, ineffective communication, systemic tendencies toward obstruction, and so forth. Similarly, most of us can identify characteristics that we do and do not esteem in the leaders we have known. The consequences of not attending to what actually is happening at these deep, complex, and interacting levels can mean the difference between success and failure from a leadership and organizational standpoint. The overarching purpose of applying the present leadership model to a real world organizational setting was to ascertain whether and how such abstruse processes could be illuminated in order to point the way toward practical and substantive change. The Equilintegration (EI) Leadership Model was applied and evaluated in a workshop to 49 leaders in a large organization via three interrelated sessions, each of which included both a presentation and small-group discussion: (a) the nature of “beliefs and values” including their role in organizational dynamics and leadership processes; (b) individual and group report data from the Beliefs, Events, and Values Inventory (BEVI), which illustrated similarities and differences among organizational leadership as well as strengths and areas to address; and (c) presentation of the EI Leadership Model, discussion of the aggregate “grades” leaders assigned to their organization, and implications for leadership and organizational development over the short- and long-term. We conclude that such processes and outcomes are not only possible, but necessary if we are to cultivate leaders and foster leadership that is able to meet the challenges and opportunities of our day. Overarching observations related to these findings are articulated

Las fronteras de la violencia cultural: del estigma tolerable al estigma intolerable

El presente documento tiene por objetivo, con base en un estudio de caso en escuelas de educación básica, mostrar cómo se cristaliza la violencia cultural hacia niños invidentes. Dicha cristalización pasa por dos referentes de interacción y relación social al interior del espacio escolar. El primero está constituido por parámetros de normalidad y anormalidad a partir de la localización de estigmas. El segundo se encuentra, a contrapelo de la tendencia anterior, tratando de diluir los efectos de los estigmas al señalarlos como una práctica de tipificación social intolerable o inaceptable

Miejsce Turystyki w Strategii Rozwoju Gospodarczego Kraju

Gospodarka turystyczna stanowi w wielu krajach główną podporę rozwoju gospodarczego, w innych jest ważnym źródłem dochodów państwa. Dlatego Polska, dostrzegając szansę, jaką niesie rozwój turystyki, stara się w różny sposób programować jej funkcjonowanie, stwarzać przyjazne warunki rozwoju, a przez jej wpisywanie do programów o charakterze strategii narodowych, zapewnić możliwość intensywnego rozwoju tej branży w Polsce. Analiza miejsca i roli turystyki w strategii rozwoju gospodarczego może być dokonana w dwojaki sposób

Ultrasonograficzna ocena objętości nadnerczy płodu. Rola nadnerczy w patogenezie porodu przedwczesnego

Preterm labor remains to be one of the most important challenges of contemporary perinatology and constitutes the main reason of perinatal mortality and prematurity of neonates. Studies on preterm labor have confirmed the mutual interactions of several different hormonal systems while the activation of hypothalamic- pituitary- adrenal axis seems to have the greatest influence. It has been also suggested that size and mass of fetal adrenal glands may be associated with the risk of preterm labor. Several authors have shown that the evaluation of fetal adrenal gland volume may be a useful marker of fetal growth during pregnancy. Technological advancements enabled the development of three-dimensional ultrasound evaluation (3D) of the fetal adrenal glands, facilitating a more precise evaluation of their volume. Also, it seems to have higher sensitivity and specificity than two-dimensional ultrasonography (2D). Studies have confirmed a direct relationship between fetal adrenal gland size and the onset of preterm labor within at least 1 week since the ultrasound exam. They have also suggested that in a physiological pregnancy the relation between fetal zone and the whole organ remains constant throughout the pregnancy. Disruption of these proportions and fetal zone enlargement are considered to be a marker of labor cascade and preterm labor, with significantly higher sensitivity and specificity than ultrasound evaluation of the cervical length and assessment of the fetal fibronectin concentration.Poród przedwczesny jest obecnie jednym z najważniejszych wyzwań współczesnego położnictwa stanowiącym główną przyczynę umieralności okołoporodowej i związanego z nim wcześniactwa noworodków. Dotychczasowe badania nad porodem przedwczesnym potwierdziły wzajemne oddziaływanie wielu różnych układów hormonalnych, z czego jedną z najważniejszych ról odgrywa aktywacja osi podwzgórze- przysadka- nadnercze. Wysnuto również hipotezę, że wielkość oraz masa nadnerczy u płodu mogą mieć związek z ryzykiem porodu przedwczesnego. Wyniki badań sugerują, że pomiar objętości nadnerczy może być użytecznym markerem wzrastania płodu w czasie ciąży. Postęp współczesnej techniki umożliwił rozwój trójwymiarowej (3D) oceny ultrasonograficznej nadnerczy płodu, która posłużyła do dokładnej oceny ich objętości i wykazuje się większą czułością i swoistością w porównaniu z metodą 2D. Badania potwierdzają bezpośredni związek między wielkością nadnerczy a wystąpieniem porodu przedwczesnego w ciągu co najmniej 1 tygodnia od oceny ultrasonograficznej. Badania te sugerują również, że w ciąży fizjologicznej stosunek obszaru płodowego nadnerczy w stosunku do całego narządu pozostaje taki sam przez cały okres ciąży. Zaburzenie tych proporcji i powiększenie części centralnej (FZE, fetal zone enlargement) okazuje się być markerem rozpoczynającej się kaskady porodowej i samego porodu przedwczesnego o swoistości i czułości istotnie statystycznie większej niż oceniana ultrasonograficznie długość szyjki macicy oraz stężenie fibronektyny płodowej

Silver and graphenic carbon nanostructures differentially influence the morphology and viabilityof cardiac progenitor cells

The characteristic features of nanomaterials provide rich opportunities for a broad range of applications due to their different physicochemical properties. Nanocolloidal silver and graphenic carbon materials differ in most physicochemical characteristics, except for their nanodimensions. Since there is a growing demand for stem cell therapies for coronary disorders, examining cardiac progenitor cells (CPC) in terms of their response to nanostructure treatment seems to be a reasonable approach. Morphological studies and viability assessments were performed with CPC in vitro, treated with small concentrations of silver nanoparticles (AgNP), hierarchical nanoporous graphenic carbon (HNC) and their mixtures. A viability test confirmed the morphological assessment of CPC treated with AgNP and HNC; moreover, the action of both nanomaterials was time-dependent and dose-dependent. For AgNP, between the two of the applied concentrations lies a border between their potential beneficial effect and toxicity. For HNC, at a lower concentration, strong stimulation of cell viability was noted, whereas a higher dosage activated their differentiation. It is necessary to perform further research examining the mechanisms of the action of AgNP and especially of unexplored HNC, and their mixtures, on CPC and other cells

Comparison of terahertz technologies for detection and identification of explosives

We present results on the comparison of different THz technologies for the detection and identification of a variety of explosives from our laboratory tests that were carried out in the framework of NATO SET-193 THz technology for stand-off detection of explosives: from laboratory spectroscopy to detection in the field under the same controlled conditions. Several laser-pumped pulsed broadband THz time-domain spectroscopy (TDS) systems as well as one electronic frequency-modulated continuous wave (FMCW) device recorded THz spectra in transmission and/or reflection. © 2014 SPIE