Graphene Oxide Carboxymethylcellulose Nanocomposite for Dressing Materials

Sore, infected wounds are a major clinical issue, and there is thus an urgent need for novel biomaterials as multifunctional constituents for dressings. A set of biocomposites was prepared by solvent casting using different concentrations of carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) and exfoliated graphene oxide (Exf-GO) as a filler. Exf-GO was first obtained by the strong oxidation and exfoliation of graphite. The structural, morphological and mechanical properties of the composites (CMCx/Exf-GO) were evaluated, and the obtained composites were homogenous, transparent and brownish in color. The results confirmed that Exf-GO may be homogeneously dispersed in CMC. It was found that the composite has an inhibitory activity against the Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus, but not against Gram-negative Pseudomonas aeruginosa. At the same time, it does not exhibit any cytotoxic effect on normal fibroblasts

Deverbal nouns in Old English – analytic account

The focus of the paper is the recapitulation of the results originating from the research based on Old English deverbal nouns derived by means of overtly expressed suffixes. In the process of research thirteen suffixes were classifi ed and analysed: -d and its variants -ed, -oþ/-aþ, -þ, and -t, -el and its variants -l, -ol, and -ele, -els/-else, -en, -end, -ere, -estre, -et(t), -icge, -ing (F)/-ung, -ing (M, N), -ling, -nes(s). The research included a presentation of each suffi x, a description of the derivational process along with additional processes as well as an analysis of nominal derivatives. The origin, spelling variants and other characteristic features were analysed for all thirteen suffixes. The study of the research corpus comprised examination of the derivational base, including its type and class as well as its transitivity and the derived lexeme, its membership within grammatical gender and declension as well as its structure and semantic features. The main purpose of the present article is to expound the final findings and comments on the subject concerning deverbal nouns in Old English

Brain activity during Stroop test performance among unipolar and bipolar depressive patients – neuroimaging results review

The article is a review of neuroimaging studies performed during the Stroop paradigm based tasks among individuals suffering from unipolar and bipolar depression. The aim of the article is to highlight the validity od Stroop paradigm in neuropsychological and neuropsychiatric diagnosis of depressin, used as a tool for assessing cognitive functioning, but also claryfying the etiopathology of depressive disorders. The first of the article is a review of previous reports, describing resting brain activity abnormalities in affective disorders called neurocorrelates of depression. Then the most common cognitive dysfunctions represented by unipolar and bipolar patents will be discussed brefly and the impact of these dysfuctionts on Stroop test performance. In the last two parts of the article you can find a review of neuroimaging studies during Stroop task performance among healthy individuals and also the comparisons of brain activity during the Stroop interference effect in the group of healthy and depressive subjects. Different brain activity during stroop task among patients suffering from depression comaring with healthy individuals and some differences in brain pattern during the same cognitive task among unipolar and bipolar individuals may indicate the validity of Stroop test in neuropsychological and neuropsychiatric diagnosis

Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Regarding <i>Staphylococcus pettenkoferi</i>

Staphylococcus pettenkoferi is a coagulase-negative staphylococcus, first described in 2002. Using medical databases, i.e., Scopus, Web of Science, Pubmed, and Embase, we identified and analysed research, reports, and opinions dealing with S. pettenkoferi. Published data allow us to conclude that S. pettenkoferi is a human commensal, opportunistic bacterium and may be isolated from the environment and animals. The involvement of S. pettenkoferi in bloodstream infection and osteomyelitis has been described, but its clinical relevance is not fully understood, so far. This work summarizes knowledge about S. pettenkoferi and reveals the difficulties and rules for interpreting the results of microbiological tests, when S. pettenkoferi has been identified in the blood sample. Clinical and laboratory criteria, recommended by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the third international consensus definitions of sepsis and septic shock (Sepsis-3), are important to determine whether the presence of bacteria in the sample is a consequence of an infection, contamination from the environment, or translocation of the bacteria outside the place of its natural existence. The precise identification of bacteria from the blood sample and recognizing the true bacteraemia are critical to implement the appropriate procedures and make decisions concerning the patient’s medical care

Motivation for safe work in dental gabinets

Lekarze stomatolodzy są wystawieni na szereg zagrożeń zawodowych, które powodują, że ich praca niesie za sobą znaczące ryzyko utraty zdrowia. Są oni narażeni przede wszystkim na czynniki biologiczne, chemiczne oraz psychofizyczne. Nierzadko gabinetem stomatologicznym zarządza właściciel, który również jest lekarzem stomatologiem. Jak wynika z badań, w gabinetach stomatologicznych temat bezpieczeństwa pracy i ochrony zdrowia jest dość często bagatelizowany. Wiele z nich nie posiada w swej dokumentacji oceny ryzyka zawodowego, czy nawet szkoleń wstępnych pracowników w nich zatrudnianych. Rodzi się zatem pytanie, jaki poziom bezpieczeństwa pracy istnieje w gabinetach stomatologicznych, które po 1989 roku zostały w Polsce w pełni sprywatyzowane? Można założyć, że w każdej organizacji, w każdym przedsiębiorstwie – nawet najmniejszym – bezpieczeństwo pracy istnieje, chociażby przez wzgląd na wymogi prawne, przepisy, normy. Aby pracownicy wykonywali swoją pracę bezpiecznie, zarówno przez wzgląd na zdrowie własne jak i pacjentów, potrzeba motywatora do osiągnięcia jakiegoś minimum w tym zakresie. Literatura przedmiotu wskazuje wiele przykładów metod i narzędzi motywujących pracowników do bezpiecznej i bezwypadkowej pracy. W niniejszym artykule przedstawiono wyniki badań ankietowych, przeprowadzonych w częstochowskich gabinetach stomatologicznych, dotyczących bezpieczeństwa i ochrony zdrowia w pracy lekarza stomatologa oraz metod i narzędzi motywujących do bezpiecznej i bezwypadkowej pracy, stosowanych przez właścicieli gabinetów.Dentists are exposed to a number of occupational hazards that cause their work to be associated with significant health risks. They are primarily exposed to biological, chemical and psychophysical factors. Often, the dental office is managed by the owner, who is also a dentist. According to research, the topic of occupational safety and health care is often downplayed in dental offices. Many of them do not have a risk assessment in their documentation or even initial training of employees. Therefore, the question arises, what level of occupational safety exists in dental offices, which in 100% after 1989 have been privatized in Poland? It can be assumed that in every organization, in every company – even the smallest one – there is work safety, even due to legal requirements, regulations and standards. In order for employees to be able to do their work in a safe manner, motivating factors are needed to achieve the minimum in this respect. In the literature on the subject there are many examples of methods and tools that motivate employees to work safely and without accidents. The article presents the results of a questionnaire survey carried out in the dental offices in Częstochowa in the scope of health and safety of the dentist as well as methods and tools that motivate to safety and accident- free work, used by cabinet owners

Fish blood as a chemical signal for Antarctic marine invertebrates

Chemical cues released from dead or injured organisms constitute important signals informing nearby animals about a feeding possibility. The ability to detect the signal, evaluate its meaning and locate its source can help organisms to exploit food resources efficiently, which is especially important to animals living in environments with limited food supply. Experiments were carried out to study the behavioral responses of several Antarctic benthic invertebrates to fish (Notothenia corriceps) blood. Necrophagous species such as sea stars Odontaster validus and Lysasterias sp., amphipod Waldeckia obesa and nemertean Parborlasia corrugatus responded to fish blood with changes in their behavior. The behavior common to all these species was locomotion directed towards the stimulus source. Behavioral components consistent with food consumption were observed in O. validus and P. corrugatus. The reaction of herbivorous limpets Nacella concinna to fish blood depended on the animal size. Large (>10 mm) limpets showed no behavioral response, whereas small ones (<10 mm) reacted to the stimulus by moving a short distance away. These results indicate that blood released from the tissues of injured or dead animals may be an important chemical signal for organisms belonging to different taxa

Using Cognitive Interviews in Designing an Interview Questionnaire Based on the Example of a Study into Adult Learning

Artykuł przedstawia analizę wywiadów kognitywnych, które stanowiły pierwszy etap pilotażu kwestionariusza wywiadu w ramach badania „Uczenie się dorosłych Polaków”. Dostępne wyniki badań międzynarodowych wskazują na relatywnie niski poziom uczestnictwa osób dorosłych w edukacji w Polsce, a zarazem różnice w wartości wskaźników w poszczególnych badaniach. Na podstawie przeglądu literatury wnioskować można, że rozbieżności te wynikają z różnic w operacjonalizacji, sposobie agregacji kategorii, jak również innych czynników. Założono, że wykorzystanie wywiadów kognitywnych, w tym technik thinking aloud i verbal probing, umożliwi dotarcie do sposobów interpretacji pojęć i rozumienia pytań przez respondentów, a także pozwoli badaczom na identyfikację zagadnień o wysokim poziomie drażliwości. Na podstawie wyników obserwacji prowadzonej w trakcie wywiadów oraz analizy zgromadzonego materiału empirycznego omówiono rozbieżne od pierwotnie założonych przez badaczy sposoby konceptualizacji terminów przez badanych, a także kwestie wywołujące dyskomfort respondentów. Zaprezentowano zaproponowane modyfikacje kwestionariusza wywiadu, których celem jest redukcja ryzyka uzyskania wyników nietrafnych, obarczonych wysokim ryzykiem błędu pomiaru oraz troska o dobrostan respondentów związany z sytuacją badania. Przedstawiono również wnioski dotyczące zastosowania techniki wywiadów kognitywnych jako elementu pilotażu badań sondażowych oraz konkluzje o charakterze metodologicznym dotyczące techniki wywiadów kognitywnych.The article presents an analysis of the cognitive interviews that constituted the first stage of the pilot of the interview questionnaire as part of the “Adult Learning in Poland” study. The available results of international studies indicate a relatively low level of adult participation in education in Poland, whilst also pointing to differences in the values of indicators between the studies. From the literature review it can be concluded that these discrepancies result from differences in operationalization, ways of category aggregation, and other factors. It was assumed that the use of cognitive interviews, including the ‘thinking aloud’ and ‘verbal probing’ techniques, would make it possible for the respondents to find ways to interpret concepts and understand questions, as well as enabling the the researchers to identify issues with a high level of sensitivity. A discussion of the analysis of the collected empirical material; the methods of conceptualizing the terms used by the respondents; and the issues causing them discomfort – were all discussed based on the results of the observation conducted during the interviews. The proposed modifications of the interview questionnaire are presented. These changes were implemented in order to reduce the risk of obtaining incorrect results with a high risk of measurement error, and to ensure the well-being of the respondents during the interviews. The conclusions concerning the use of the cognitive interviewing technique as an element of the pilot survey – as well as the methodological conclusions regarding the cognitive interviewing technique – were also presented

Low genetic differentiation between two morphotypes of the gastropod <i>Nacella concinna</i> from Admiralty Bay, Antarctica

During laboratory and field experiments on Nacella concinna on the west coast of Admiralty Bay, King George Island (Antarctica) clear morphological and behavioural differences between two limpet forms (N. concinna polaris and N. concinna concinna) were found. They suggested presence of genetic divergence. AFLP (amplified fragment length polymorphism) profiling of N. concinna individuals representing the two forms revealed nearly 32% of polymorphic bands; only 2% of them differed between the forms. Our results suggest that the observed phenotypic variation seems to be a result of adaptation to environ− mental conditions and not of any genetic divergence

The study of glycerol-based fermentation and broth downstream by nanofiltration

In this work, the glycerol fermentation was carried out using Citrobacter freundii bacteria. The influence of glycerol and metabolites concentrations, and the pH changes on the efficiency of 1,3-propanediol production, during batch and fed-batch processes, was presented. The nanofiltration was used for the separation of obtained post-fermentation solutions. The resulted 1,3-PD solutions were significantly desalted, which may facilitate further downstream processes during 1,3-PD production