Niesłyszący adolescenci wobec zjawiska samotności – wiodące determinanty ryzykownych zachowań w sieci

The adolescence period is a special time in a young person’s life because of many important problems and choices in personal and professional areas, like taking up first job or creating a lasting relationship. The way of dealing with that kind of problems is largely determined by a properly shaped personality and adequate self-esteem, which are formed during early childhood. This time is fundamental for the development and future life of a young person. The style of the relationship the child forms with parents may significantly affect the occurrence of certain deficits or difficulties in the future. These deficiencies will significantly affect the quality of life of a young person and attempts to compensate for them may end in various ways. Emotional loneliness and a sense of alienation can lead to attempts to satisfy needs by escaping into virtual reality, with the risk of becoming addicted to the internet. The research covered two groups of adolescents – hearing and hearing impaired. The results clearly indicated the feeling of alienation, isolation and loneliness among the deaf group of respondents.Okres adolescencji jest szczególnym czasem w życiu młodego człowieka. Staje on wówczas przed wieloma ważnymi wyborami na płaszczyźnie zawodowej i osobistej – podejmuje pierwszą pracę zawodową oraz zaczyna tworzyć trwałe relacje. Sposób radzenia sobie z problematycznymi wyborami życiowymi jest w dużej mierze zdeterminowany prawidłowo ukształtowaną osobowością i adekwatną samooceną, które tworzą się w okresie wczesnego dzieciństwa. Czas ten okazuje się być fundamentalny dla rozwoju i przyszłego życia młodego człowieka. Styl więzi, jaką dziecko tworzy bowiem ze swoim opiekunem, może znacząco wpływać na występowanie w przyszłości pewnych deficytów czy trudności. Braki te będą znacząco wpływać na jakość życia młodego człowieka, zaś próby ich kompensowania mogą się zakończyć na różne sposoby. Samotność emocjonalna i poczucie wyobcowania niejednokrotnie prowadzą do ucieczki w wirtualną rzeczywistość, co niesie za sobą ryzyko zachowań związanych z szeroko rozumianym uzależnieniem, w tym również od internetu. Badaniami objęte zostały dwie grupy adolescentów – słyszących i z uszkodzonym słuchem. Ich wyniki wskazały jednoznacznie na fakt poczucia wyobcowania, izolacji i samotności wśród niesłyszącej grupy respondentów

Poczucie samotności i obniżony poziom samooceny w kontekście ryzyka uzależnienia od internetu wśród słyszących i niesłyszących adolescentów

The article presents the results of a study conducted on two groups of adolescents aged 15–18, based on an assessment of risky behaviors presented during internet use. The purpose of the research was to assess the correlation between feelings of loneliness among both hearing and hearing-impaired adolescents and risky Internet use, which increases the risk of Internet addiction. Three tools were used to gather the data: the Questionnaire of Intrapersonal, Interpersonal and Attitudes Toward the World by Bartłomiej Golek and Ewa Wysocka (2011), the Polish adaptation of the Rate of Loneliness by Jenny de Jong Gierveld and Theo van Tilburg (Grygiel et al. 2011), and the Polish adaptation of the Questionnaire of Problematic Internet Use by Kimberly Young (Poprawa 2012). The results clearly indicate a correlation between higher levels of loneliness, lower levels of self-esteem, and the tendency to engage in risky online behavior among hearing-impaired adolescents.Artykuł przedstawia wyniki badań przeprowadzonych w dwóch grupach adolescentów w wieku 15–18 lat, zmierzających do oceny ryzykownych zachowań prezentowanych w trakcie korzystania z internetu. Celem przeprowadzonych badań była ocena korelacji pomiędzy poczuciem osamotnienia wśród słyszących adolescentów i adolescentów z wadą słuchu a ryzykownym korzystaniem z internetu, które zwiększa ryzyko uzależnienia od tego medium. Do zgromadzenia danych posłużyły trzy narzędzia: Kwestionariusz Nastawień Intrapersonalnych, Interpersonalnych i Nastawień wobec Świata, autorstwa Bartłomieja Gołka i Ewy Wysockiej (2011), Skala Poczucia Samotności, autorstwa Jenny de Jong Gierveld i Theo van Tilburga (2006, polska adaptacja: Grygiel i in. 2012) oraz Kwestionariusz Problematycznego Używania Internetu (PUI), autorstwa Kimberly Young (1996, polska adaptacja: Poprawa 2012). Uzyskane wyniki jednoznacznie wskazały na fakt istnienia korelacji pomiędzy podwyższonym poziomem poczucia samotności, niższym poziomem samooceny a tendencją do ryzykownych zachowań w sieci wśród adolescentów z wadą słuchu

Anion–Anion Interactions in Aerogen-Bonded Complexes. Influence of Solvent Environment

Ab initio calculations are applied to the question as to whether a AeX5− anion (Ae = Kr, Xe) can engage in a stable complex with another anion: F−, Cl−, or CN−. The latter approaches the central Ae atom from above the molecular plane, along its C5 axis. While the electrostatic repulsion between the two anions prevents their association in the gas phase, immersion of the system in a polar medium allows dimerization to proceed. The aerogen bond is a weak one, with binding energies less than 2 kcal/mol, even in highly polar aqueous solvent. The complexes are metastable in the less polar solvents THF and DMF, with dissociation opposed by a small energy barrier

Evaluating the HYPE model for estimating groundwater recharge in a groundwater dominated catchment in Poland

Hydrological models can be useful tools simulating climate and land use changes and their impact on nutrients outflows from a catchment area. One of them is the HYPE (HYdrological Predictions for the Environment) water quality model applicable to different spatial scales. Groundwater recharge via infiltrating precipitation is a significant water budget component. The rate of groundwater recharge in the HYPE model is estimated from the water balance in soils. The Kocinka river catchment is one of the test areas in the BONUS-Soils2Sea project where HYPE model modelling was carried out. A hydrograph, among others, is one of the modelling results and, based on it, the recharge rate of groundwater was determined. This value was compared with groundwater recharge rates estimated by the infiltration method used for the Groundwater Vulnerability Map of Poland

PKC-θ is a negative regulator of TRAIL-induced and FADD-mediated apoptotic spectrin aggregation

Introduction. During studies on chemotherapy-induced apoptosis in lymphoid cells, we noted that aggregation of spectrin occurred early in apoptosis, i.e. before activation of initiator caspase(s) and prior to exposure of phosphatidylserine (PS). We also found that protein kinase C theta (PKC-θ) co-localized with spectrin in these aggregates. Our previously published studies indicated that in formation of early apoptotic spectrin aggregates, either PKC-θ or other apoptosis-related proteins are involved. Taking into consideration above data, we decided to test the effect of PKC-θ and Fas-associated death domain protein (FADD) on spectrin aggregation in these cells during tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL)-induced apoptosis. Material and methods. For PKC-θ gene (PRKCQ) or FADD gene expression silencing in Jurkat T cells we used lentiviral particles containing shRNA and scrambled shRNA, respectively. Spectrin aggregates were detected by Western blotting after Triton-X 100 extraction in pellet and soluble fractions or by confocal imaging. Results. TRAIL-induced apoptosis results in spectrin aggregation and leads to translocation and aggregation of PKC-θ. We found that phorbol-myristate acetate, a PKC activator and translocation inducer, has only a small effect on spectrin aggregation. To further confirm this, we have also shown that knock down of PRKCQ in Jurkat T cells accelerates the formation of TRAIL-induced spectrin aggregates. Transient overexpression of the β-spectrin C-terminal fragment, containing multiple S/T phosphorylation sites, potential substrate sites for PKC-θ, accelerated the formation of spectrin aggregates. Silencing of downstream TRAIL receptor effector gene, FADD, delayed aggregation of spectrin, but did not reduce PKC-θ localization to the plasma membrane. Conclusions. In summary, our results show for the first time involvement of spectrin aggregation in TRAIL receptor-FADD apoptotic pathway and indicate that TRAIL-induced spectrin aggregate formation is mediated by FADD and negatively regulated by PKC-θ

Pulmonary metastases of the A549-derived lung adenocarcinoma tumors growing in nude mice : a multiple case study

Lung adenocarcinoma is a leading human malignancy with fatal prognosis. Ninety percent of the deaths, however, are caused by metastases. The model of subcutaneous tumor xenograft in nude mice was adopted to study the growth of control and photodynamically treated tumors derived from the human A549 lung adenocarcinoma cell line. As a side-result of the primary studies, observations on the metastasis of these tumors to the murine lungs were collected, and reported in the present paper. The metastasizing primary tumors were drained by a prominent number of lymphatic vessels. The metastatic tissue revealed the morphology of well-differentiated or trans-differentiated adenocarcinoma. Further histological and histochemical analyses demonstrated the presence of golden-brown granules in the metastatic tissue, similar to these found in the tumor tissue. In contrast to the primary tumors, the electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy revealed no nitric oxide - hemoglobin complexes (a source of intense paramagnetic signals), in the metastases. No metastases were found in other murine organs; however, white infarctions were identified in a single liver. Taken together, the A549-derived tumors growing subcutaneously in nude mice can metastasize and grow on site in the pulmonary tissue. Thus, they can represent an alternative for the model of induced metastatic nodule formation, following intravenous administration of the cancerous cells

Executive Functions and Psychopathology Dimensions in Deficit and Non-Deficit Schizophrenia

This study: (a) compared executive functions between deficit (DS) and non-deficit schizophrenia (NDS) patients and healthy controls (HC), controlling premorbid IQ and level of education; (b) compared executive functions in DS and NDS patients, controlling premorbid IQ and psychopathological symptoms; and (c) estimated relationships between clinical factors, psychopathological symptoms, and executive functions using structural equation modelling. Participants were 29 DS patients, 44 NDS patients, and 39 HC. Executive functions were measured with the Mazes Subtest, Spatial Span Subtest, Letter Number Span Test, Color Trail Test, and Berg Card Sorting Test. Psychopathological symptoms were evaluated with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, Brief Negative Symptom Scale, and Self-evaluation of Negative Symptoms. Compared to HC, both clinical groups performed poorer on cognitive flexibility, DS patients on verbal working memory, and NDS patients on planning. DS and NDS patients did not differ in executive functions, except planning, after controlling premorbid IQ and negative psychopathological symptoms. In DS patients, exacerbation had an effect on verbal working memory and cognitive planning; in NDS patients, positive symptoms had an effect on cognitive flexibility. Both DS and NDS patients presented deficits, affecting the former to a greater extent. Nonetheless, clinical variables appeared to significantly affect these deficits

Experimental Removal of Sexual Selection Reveals Adaptations to Polyandry in Both Sexes

Polyandrous mating is extremely common, yet for many species the evolutionary significance is not fully resolved. In order to understand the evolution of mating systems, it is crucial that we investigate the adaptive consequences across many facets of reproduction. We performed experimental evolution with the naturally polygamous flour beetle Tribolium castaneum subjected to either polyandry or enforced monogamy, creating contrasting selection regimes associated with the presence or absence of sexual selection. After 36 generations, we investigated male and female adaptations by mating beetles with an unselected tester strain to exclude potential effects of male-female coevolution. Reproductive success of focal monogamous and polyandrous beetles from each sex was assessed in separate single male and multiple male experiments emulating the different selection backgrounds. Males and females from the polyandrous regime had more offspring in the experiments with multiple males present than monogamous counterparts. However, in single male experiments, neither females nor males differed between selection regimes. Subsequent mating trials with multiple males suggested that adaptations to polyandry in both sexes provide benefits when choice and competition were allowed to take place. Polyandrous females delayed the first copulation when given a choice of males and polyandrous males were quicker to achieve copulation when facing competition. In conclusion, we show that the expected benefits of evolutionary adaptation to polyandry in T. castaneum depended on the availability of multiple mates. This context-dependent effect, which concerned both sexes, highlights the importance of realistic competition and choice experiments