Sexual behaviours in evolutionary perspective

W niniejszym artykule są rozważane w ramach paradygmatu ewolucyjnego wybrane kobiece mechanizmy seksualno-rozrodcze: orgazm oraz owulacja. Omówiono także szczególny typ relacji między mężczyzną i kobietą — zgwałcenie. To ostatnie zagadnienie wybrano do analizy dlatego, że skupia się w nim wiele ważnych, choć także kontrowersyjnych poglądów ewolucjonistów.Selected feminine sexual-reproductive mechanisms such as: orgasm and ovulation, within the evolutionary paradigm shall be considered in the article. A special type of relationship between men and women — rape, will be discussed here as well. The reason why the last matter has been selected for analysis, is that it covers many important as well as controversial views of evolutionists

Współczesne formy promocji czytelnictwa wśród dzieci i młodzieży w internecie jako inspiracja dla nauczyciela polonisty

This article deals with the issue of the promotion of reading on the Internet. The examples of nationwide, school and class campaigns and actions, blogs, vlogs and Facebook pages – organized by reading enthusiasts, teachers, librarians and parents – are presented here, showing, on the one hand, that the Internet contributes greatly to the promotion of reading among children and youth; on the other – to inspire teachers to use this medium in the process of Polish language education.Artykuł dotyczy zagadnienia promocji czytelnictwa w Internecie. Przedstawione w nim przykłady kampanii i akcji ogólnopolskich, szkolnych oraz klasowych, blogów, vlogów i stron na Facebooku, organizowanych przez entuzjastów czytania, nauczycieli, bibliotekarzy czy rodziców, mają za zadanie z jednej strony wykazać, że Internet w ogromnym stopniu przyczynia się do popularyzowania czytelnictwa wśród dzieci i młodzieży, z drugiej zaś zainspirować nauczycieli do wykorzystywania tego medium w procesie edukacji polonistycznej

Jak pomóc dziecku w nauce czytania? Propozycje rozwiązań dydaktycznych

Learning to read is one of the greatest challenges faced by a child. When it comes to age, it is impossible to tell when the time is right. The child should learn to read when he/she wants to and when he/she is ready for it. Parents play a large role in learning to read. Thanks to their support, learning to read can turn out to be an interesting adventure. This article is based on the experience of a mother who watches her child learn to read and helps him improve this important skill. The solutions used for this purpose are described – methods, systems, exercises, and educational games, such as: reading using the syllable method, reading with the use of TAC system (Think – Arrange – Check), reading the so-called wise fairy tales educating to values and having a therapeutic and ludic character, model reading aloud and reading comprehension. Their use depends on the needs and abilities of the child, at what stage of learning to read they are at: whether they are just starting it and learning to recognize letters, or are they able to read individual words or even whole sentences. Thanks to these methodological suggestions, the child has a chance to read efficiently, willingly and often, treating reading as a natural and everyday activity, giving pleasure and activating the imagination.Nauka czytania to jedno z największych wyzwań, z jakimi musi zmierzyć się małe dziecko. W odniesieniu jedynie do wieku nie da się stwierdzić, kiedy nadchodzi ku temu odpowiedni moment. Dziecko powinno uczyć się czytać wtedy, kiedy chce i kiedy jest na to gotowe. Dużą rolę w opanowaniu umiejętności czytania odgrywają rodzice. Dzięki ich wsparciu nauka czytania może okazać się dla dziecka ciekawą przygodą. Artykuł został oparty na doświadczeniach matki, która obserwuje swoje dziecko uczące się czytać i pomaga mu w doskonaleniu tej ważnej umiejętności. Opisano wykorzystywane w tym celu rozwiązania – takie metody, systemy, ćwiczenia i zabawy edukacyjne jak: czytanie metodą sylabową, czytanie z użyciem systemu PUS-ów (Pomyśl – Ułóż – Sprawdź), czytanie tzw. mądrych bajek, wychowujących do wartości i mających charakter terapeutyczno-ludyczny, czytanie wzorowe na głos oraz czytanie ze zrozumieniem. Ich stosowanie zależy od potrzeb i możliwości dziecka oraz od tego, na jakim etapie nauki czytania się znajduje: czy dopiero ją rozpoczyna i uczy się rozpoznawania liter czy też potrafi już czytać pojedyncze wyrazy, a nawet całe zdania. Dzięki zastosowaniu tych propozycji metodycznych dziecko ma szansę czytać sprawnie, chętnie i często, traktując czytanie jako czynność naturalną i codzienną, sprawiającą przyjemność i uruchamiającą wyobraźnię

Study of the influence of hyperglycemia on the abundance of amino acids, fatty acids, and selected lipids in extracellular vesicles using TOF-SIMS

Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) with the Bi$_{3}^{+}$ liquid metal ion gun was used to investigate the content of lipids and amino acids (AAs) in extracellular vesicles (EVs). We induced metabolic changes in human pancreatic β-cells by stimulation with high glucose concentrations (35 mM) and tested the hypothesis of hyperglycemia (HG) has a detrimental effect on lipids and AAs in released EV subpopulations: ectosomes and exosomes. As a result of HG treatment, selected fatty acids (FAs) such as arachidonic, myristic and palmitic acids, changed their abundance in ectosomes and exosomes. Also, intensities of the characteristic peaks for cholesterol (m/z 95.09; 147.07; 161.11; 369.45) along with the molecular ion m/z 386.37 [C$_{27}$H$_{46}$O$^{+}$] under HG conditions, both for ectosomes and exosomes, have changed significantly. Comparative analysis of HG EVs and normoglycemic (NG) ones showed statistically significant differences in the signal intensities of four AAs: valine (m/z 72.08 and 83.05), isoleucine (m/z 86.10), phenylalanine (m/z 120.08 and 132.05) and tyrosine (m/z 107.05 and 136.09). We confirmed that ToF-SIMS is a useful technique to study selected AAs and lipid profiles in various EV subpopulations. Our study is the first demonstration of changes in FAs and AAs in exosomes and ectosomes derived from β-cells under the influence of HG

Vertical distribution of cyanobacteria biomass and cyanotoxin production in the polymictic Siemianówka Dam Reservoir (eastern Poland)

Abstract. The summer-autumn dominance of the toxic cyanobacterium Planktothrix agardhii was described in the lowland polymictic Siemianówka Dam Reservoir (SDR) in 2010 and 2011. The study was conducted at a station located in the deepest part of the reservoir. The species composition of phytoplankton was very similar at the four depths analyzed. Microcystins were continually present in the cyanobacterial biomass. Demethylated microcystin-RR (dmMC-RR) and microcystin-RR (MC-RR) were identified as the major microcystin variants in most samples, while demethylated microcystin-LR (dmMC-LR) and microcystin-LR (MC-LR) were each recorded only once. The concentration of microcystin-RR correlated strongly with the biomass of P. agardhii. The effect of environmental factors on cyanobacterial biomass the production of microcystins by cyanobacteria was minor, but increased water temperatures and pH favored the production of microcystins. Phytoplankton biomass was also influenced by how water outflow from the reservoir was regulated; the biomas increased with depth when the upper flaps were opened, but it was very similar throughout the water column when they were closed. According to the Polish phytoplankton-based index (IFPL), the ecological potential of the reservoir was determined to be poor

In Situ Regeneration of Copper-Coated Gas Diffusion Electrodes for Electroreduction of CO2 to Ethylene

This research was funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No 768789 as well as by the Polish National Centre of Science under grant no 2017/26/D/ST8/00508. The Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia, as a center of excellence, has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Framework Programme H2020-WIDESPREAD-01-2016-2017-TeamingPhase2 under grant agreement no. 739508, project CAMART2.A key challenge for carbon dioxide reduction on Cu-based catalysts is its low faradic efficiency (FE) and selectivity towards higher-value products, e.g., ethylene. The main factor limiting the possibilities of long-term applications of Cu-based gas diffusion electrodes (GDE) is a relatively fast drop in the catalytic activity of copper layers. One of the solutions to the catalyst stability problem may be an in situ reconstruction of the catalyst during the process. It was observed that the addition of a small amount of copper lactate to the electrolyte results in increased Faradaic efficiency for ethylene formation. Moreover, the addition of copper lactate increases the lifetime of the catalytic layer ca. two times and stabilizes the Faradaic efficiency of the electroreduction of CO2 to ethylene at ca. 30%. It can be concluded that in situ deposition of copper through reduction of copper lactate complexes present in the electrolyte provides new, stable, and selective active sites, promoting the reduction of CO2 to ethylene. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. Published under the CC BY 4.0 license.--//-- This is the published version of the article Bisztyga-Szklarz, M.; Mech, K.; Marzec, M.; Kalendarev, R.; Szaciłowski, K. In Situ Regeneration of Copper-Coated Gas Diffusion Electrodes for Electroreduction of CO2 to Ethylene. Materials 2021, 14, 3171. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14123171.Polish National Centre of Science 2017/26/D/ST8/00508; H2020 768789; H2020 739508 CAMART2

The evolution of cooperative breeding in primates

Cooperative breeding (CB) can be defined as a reproductive system in which individuals other than the mother (allomothers) deliver routine care. Among primates, the strongest reliance on allomaternal care is found in callitrichids and humans. The cooperative breeding system requires the support of special motivational and cognitive processes, including increased social tolerance or attentional bias toward monitoring motivations and behaviors of others. Allomaternal care can explain the spectacular increase in brain size in the hominin lineage (the expensive brain hypothesis). This phenomenon can also account for both the emergence of menopause long before women’s death and the longevity gender gap. Moreover, the theory in question can account for impressive cognitive abilities of our species. Some issues in the field of developmental psychology have been discussed from the perspective of the CB theory

Ewolucja wspólnego wychowu u naczelnych

Cooperative breeding (CB) can be defined as a reproductive system in which individuals other than the mother (allomothers) deliver routine care. Among primates, the strongest reliance on allomaternal care is found in callitrichids and humans. The cooperative breeding system requires the support of special motivational and cognitive processes, including increased social tolerance or attentional bias toward monitoring motivations and behaviors of others. Allomaternal care can explain the spectacular increase in brain size in the hominin lineage (the expensive brain hypothesis). This phenomenon can also account for both the emergence of menopause long before women’s death and the longevity gender gap. Moreover, the theory in question can account for impressive cognitive abilities of our species. Some issues in the field of developmental psychology have been discussed from the perspective of the CB theory