Postawy młodzieży wobec czynności operacyjno-rozpoznawczych

Uczestnikom badań – młodzieży ostatnich klas licealnych oraz studentom – przedstawiono po pięć (fi kcyjnych, ale realistycznych) historii, będących zwięzłymi opisami sytuacji, związanych z czynnościami operacyjno-rozpoznawczymi, realizowanymi przez służby policyjne i specjalne. Zadaniem badanych anonimowo osób było złożenie deklaracji co do gotowości uczestnictwa w tych czynnościach, w charakterze tajnych współpracowników, a także dokonanie moralnej oceny podejmowanych przez służby działań. Gotowość do uczestnictwa malała wraz ze wzrostem ryzyka operacji i była niezależna od wagi rozpracowywanych przestępstw, natomiast ocena moralna uzależniona była od podmiotu, wobec którego lojalność mogła zostać naruszona w wyniku czynności.Participants of this study consisted of a group of young persons in their last years of secondary school, as well as students studying at higher education institutions. The youth group was presented with fi ve (fi ctional, but realistic) case studies, which were summarized descriptions of operational-reconnaissance activities, carried out by special and police services. The task assigned to each anonymously participating student was to submit a declaration as to the readiness to participate in the activity described, playing the role of a secret partner as well as having the ability to conduct a moral evaluation of the activities undertaken by special and police services. Overall, the readiness to participate in such activity decreased as operational risk increased, and this was independent of the signifi cance or importance of offences which were worked out or solved by the services. On the other hand, moral evaluation depended on the subject towards which loyalties could have been violated as a result of activities carried out.Участникам исследований – ученикам старших классов лицеев и студентам – было представлено пять (фиктивных, но реалистических) историй, описы- вающих ситуации, связанные с оперативно-разведывательной деятельностью полиции и других спецслужб. Задачей, отвечающей на вопросы анонимной ан- кеты, молодёжи было дать ответ: готовы ли они участвовать в такого типа деятельности в качестве секретных сотрудников, а также представить мораль- ную оценку действий спецслужб. Готовность участвовать в такой деятельнос- ти уменьшалась пропорционально с возрастанием рискованности операции независимо, от тяжести совершенных преступлений, в свою очередь мораль- ная оценка зависела от субъекта и ущемления его прав в результате действий спецслужб

High mannose N-glycans on red blood cells as phagocytic ligands, mediating both sickle cell anaemia and resistance to malaria

Acknowledgements We are grateful for the assistance provided by both the Microscopy and Histology Core Facility, and the Iain Fraser Cytometry Centre, at the University of Aberdeen. We thank Ann Wheeler and Matt Pearson from Edinburgh Super-Resolution Imaging Consortium for technical support with 3D SIM microscopy. We also thank Janet A. Willment and Bernard Kerscher, supervised by G.D.B., for providing the Fc fusion proteins, Jeanette A. Wagener, supervised by Neil A.R.G. Gow, for providing high purity chitin, Jan Westland for obtaining blood samples and Paul Crocker for useful discussions. Principal funding for this project was provided by Wellcome Trust grant 094847 (R.N.B, L.P.E, M.A.V). In addition, support was provided by Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council grants BBF0083091 (A.D. and S.M.H.) and BBK0161641 (A.D. and S.M.H.), Wellcome Trust grant 082098 (A.D.), Wellcome Trust grants 97377, 102705 (G.D.B) and funding for the MRC Centre for Medical Mycology at the University of Aberdeen MR/N006364/1 (G.D.B).Non peer reviewe

Red blood cell mannoses as phagocytic ligands mediating both sickle cell anaemia and malaria resistance

Acknowledgements We are grateful for the assistance provided by both the Microscopy and Histology Core Facility, and the Iain Fraser Cytometry Centre, at the University of Aberdeen. We thank Ann Wheeler and Matt Pearson from Edinburgh Super-Resolution Imaging Consortium for technical support with 3D SIM microscopy. We also thank Janet A. Willment and Bernard Kerscher, supervised by G.D.B., for providing the Fc fusion proteins, Jeanette A. Wagener, supervised by Neil A.R.G. Gow, for providing high purity chitin, Jan Westland for obtaining blood samples and Paul Crocker for useful discussions. Principal funding for this project was provided by Wellcome Trust grant 094847 (R.N.B., L.P.E., M.A.V.). In addition, support was provided by Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council grants BBF0083091 (A.D. and S.M.H.) and BBK0161641 (A.D. and S.M.H.), Wellcome Trust grant 082098 (A.D.), Wellcome Trust grants 97377, 102705 (G.D.B.), and funding for the MRC Centre for Medical Mycology at the University of Aberdeen MR/N006364/1 (G.D.B.).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Foto-obrazy architektury: Fotografia jako medium referujące i projektujące architekturę

Praca recenzowana / peer-reviewed paperNiniejszy zbiór prac teoretycznych, fotoesejów i kronika studenckich konkursów fotograficznych organizowanych od 2008 roku na Wydziale Architektury i Sztuk Pięknych Krakowskiej Akademii im. Andrzeja Frycza Modrzewskiego, ma być zapisem refleksji związanych ze specyficzną, jak dotąd mało zbadaną a wszechobecną częścią teorii architektury, jaką jest fotografia. Jej szczególna odmiana ściśle związana ze sztuką budowania jest określana mianem fotografii architektonicznej, jednakże niniejsza monografia nie została tą definicją ograniczona.This book contains a selection of theoretical works and photo essays as well as a chronicle of photo competitions organised in the Faculty of Architecture and Fine Arts at Andrzej Frycz Modrzewski Krakow University since 2008, which is meant as the record of thoughts related to the specific, omnipresent though little examined so far, realm of the theory of architecture, i.e. photography. Its specific variant closely related to the building practice is called architectural photography. This monograph, however, is not restricted by means of the said definition and attempts at a slightly broader description of the phenomenon, reaching beyond its boundaries.Monografia powstała w ramach projektu badawczego nr WAiSP/DS/4/201

The role of C19ORF84H in MIWI2-mediated silencing of retrotransposons in the male germline

Activity of transposable elements is regulated by DNA methylation. In mice, PIWI proteins MILI (MIWI-like) and MIWI2 (mouse piwi 2, also known as PIWIL4) are central to this process in the developing male germline. In that complex and multifaceted process, MILI is a cytoplasmic protein and acts on posttranscriptional level, whereas MIWI2 shows nuclear localisation and acts as a direct effector of DNA methylation via recruitment of one of de novo DNA methyltransferases and their activator (DNMT3L). How DNMT3 is recruited to the target TE loci however remains elusive. In the recent past, O’Carroll laboratory has unravelled the interactome of MIWI2 using immunoprecipitation followed by mass spectrometry (IP-MS), leading to discovery of SPOCD1 protein (Zoch et al., 2020). SPOCD1 was found to associate with DNMT3s and DNMTL, as well as chromatin remodelling complexes. Another novel potential component of MIWI2 pathway identified in that IP-MS dataset was C19ORF84H, a newly-annotated protein of unknown function. Subsequently, C19ORF84H was also detected in the SPOCD1 interactome. C19ORF84H was demonstrated to be a nuclear and testis-specific factor. Moreover, its expression was shown to be restricted to the period of de novo methylation in foetal gonocytes, all of that marking it as a feasible factor in MIWI2 pathway. Using CRISPR/Cas9 system, C19orf84hnull allele was generated. Males of C19orf84h-/- genotype were shown to be infertile, with pronounced atrophy of gonads and meiotic arrest. The global loss of the protein appeared to have no implications on fertility of female mice, nor did it affect embryo survival. RNA-seq data from total P20 juvenile testes linked loss of C19ORF84H with impaired control of retrotransposons, specifically of elements belonging to evolutionary young LINE-1 families, L1MdG, L1MdTf and L1MdA, and the active copies of IAP elements. Similar pattern was previously reported for Miwi2-/- and Spocd1-/- mouse lines (Carmell et al., 2007; Zoch et al., 2020). Methyl-seq data generated utilising juvenile P14 spermatogonia revealed that the observed phenotype was indeed a direct result of impaired DNA methylation of those elements. C19ORF84H is a newly annotated-protein that does not belong to any known family of proteins. Moreover, the protein is mostly disordered with the exception being the internally located stretch (amino acids 24-81 in mice) which shows a degree of organisation. IP-MS experiments carried out in the course of this study have provided an interesting insight into the function of C19ORf84H in MIWI2 pathway, depicting its interactome as more closely related to the one of SPOCD1 than MIWI2 protein. Presence of disordered regions in C19ORF84, akin to those found in p53, STAT proteins and other critical regulators of enzymatic pathways made us speculate that alike those factors also C19ORF84H may serve a function as docking site for protein interaction, in this case via recruitment of DNMT3 and methylation of target loci. Lastly, utilising HEK293T cell line and IP-WB experiments, it was demonstrated that C19ORF84H interacts with SPOCD1 via a 10 amino acid patch that shows a degree of conservation between mammalian and reptile C19ORF84H. In summary, my project demonstrates that C19ORF84H is crucial for spermatogenesis and participates in MIWI2-mediated silencing of retrotransposon loci. Loss of C19ORF84H impairs DNA methylation of evolutionary young LINE1 and IAP elements, but shows little effect on global methylation, similarly to what was previously observed for the loss of MIWI2 and SPOCD1 proteins. The exact mechanism by which C19ORF84H contributes to MIWI2 function is unknown, but the high degree of disorder displayed by the protein is believed to be indispensable for its function within the MIWI2 pathway. Location of SPOCD1 interacting site within C-terminal disordered region of C19ORF84H supports this claim. Overall, my project has successfully provided the first characterisation of C19ORF84H protein, focusing primarily on the potential role of the protein in MIWI2 interactome

Stimuli-Responsive Aliphatic Polycarbonate Nanocarriers for Tumor-Targeted Drug Delivery

Nanoparticles based on amphiphilic copolymers with tunable physicochemical properties can be used to encapsulate delicate pharmaceutics while at the same time improving their solubility, stability, pharmacokinetic properties, reducing immune surveillance, or achieving tumor-targeting ability. Those nanocarriers based on biodegradable aliphatic polycarbonates are a particularly promising platform for drug delivery due to flexibility in the design and synthesis of appropriate monomers and copolymers. Current studies in this field focus on the design and the synthesis of new effective carriers of hydrophobic drugs and their release in a controlled manner by exogenous or endogenous factors in tumor-specific regions. Reactive groups present in aliphatic carbonate copolymers, undergo a reaction under the action of a stimulus: e.g., acidic hydrolysis, oxidation, reduction, etc. leading to changes in the morphology of nanoparticles. This allows the release of the drug in a highly controlled manner and induces a desired therapeutic outcome without damaging healthy tissues. The presented review summarizes the current advances in chemistry and methods for designing stimuli-responsive nanocarriers based on aliphatic polycarbonates for controlled drug delivery

Pervaporative investigation of ethyl alcohol dehydration

Pervaporative separation properties of crosslinked chitosan and alginate membrane on ethanol-water mixture at room temperature was studied. The influence of crosslinking agents on the separation properties were discussed. Selected crosslinking agents were affected differently on used polymer matrices. The better separation properties were obtained for membranes crosslinked by phosphoric (V) acid. The highest pervaporation separation index (309.6 kg/m2·h) and separation factor (52.6) were obtained for phosphoric (V) acid crosslinked alginate membranes, however, the greatest total flux (12.4 kg/m2·h) obtained for phosphoric acid crosslinked chitosan membrane

Co-Delivery of 8-Hydroxyquinoline Glycoconjugates and Doxorubicin by Supramolecular Hydrogel Based on α-Cyclodextrin and pH-Responsive Micelles for Enhanced Tumor Treatment

The sustained release of multiple anti-cancer drugs using a single delivery carrier to achieve a synergistic antitumor effect remains challenging in biomaterials and pharmaceutics science. In this study, a supramolecular hydrogel based on the host–guest complexes between pH-responsive micelle derived poly(ethylene glycol) chains and α-cyclodextrin was designed for codelivery of two kinds of anti-cancer agents, hydrophilic 8-hydroxyquinoline glycoconjugate and hydrophobic doxorubicin. The host–guest interactions were characterized using X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry techniques. The resultant supramolecular hydrogel showed thixotropic properties, which are advantageous to drug delivery systems. In vitro release studies revealed that the supramolecular hydrogel exhibited faster drug release profiles in acidic conditions. The MTT assay demonstrated a synergistic cancer cell proliferation inhibition of DOX/8HQ-Glu mixture. In vitro cytotoxicity studies indicated excellent biocompatibility of the supramolecular hydrogel matrix, whereas the DOX/8HQ-Glu-loaded supramolecular hydrogel showed a sustained inhibition efficacy against cancer cells. The codelivery of hydrophobic anti-cancer drugs and hydrophilic anti-cancer drug glycoconjugates via a pH-responsive supramolecular hydrogel opens up new possibilities for the development of an effective cancer treatment based on the tumor-specific Warburg effect

The attitudes of youth towards operational-reconnaisance activity

Participants of this study consisted of a group of young persons in their last years of secondary school, as well as students studying at higher education institutions. The youth group was presented with five (fictional, but realistic) case studies, which were summarized descriptions of operational-reconnaissance activities, carried out by special and police services. The task assigned to each anonymously participating student was to submit a declaration as to the readiness to participate in the activity described, playing the role of a secret partner as well as having the ability to conduct a moral evaluation of the activities undertaken by special and police services. Overall, the readiness to participate in such activity decreased as operational risk increased, and this was independent of the significance or importance of offences which were worked out or solved by the services. On the other hand, moral evaluation depended on the subject towards which loyalties could have been violated as a result of activities carried out.Uczestnikom badań – młodzieży ostatnich klas licealnych oraz studentom – przedstawiono po pięć (fikcyjnych, ale realistycznych) historii, będących zwięzłymi opisami sytuacji, związanych z czynnościami operacyjno-rozpoznawczymi, realizowanymi przez służby policyjne i specjalne. Zadaniem badanych anonimowo osób było złożenie deklaracji co do gotowości uczestnictwa w tych czynnościach, w charakterze tajnych współpracowników, a także dokonanie moralnej oceny podejmowanych przez służby działań. Gotowość do uczestnictwa malała wraz ze wzrostem ryzyka operacji i była niezależna od wagi rozpracowywanych przestępstw, natomiast ocena moralna uzależniona była od podmiotu, wobec którego lojalność mogła zostać naruszona w wyniku czynności