Studies of the complexation behavior of tetramorpholinylo-PNP-lariat ether with Ag(I), Ca(II), Cd(II), Cu(II) and Pb(II) using Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry

In this publication the cationic metal complexes of tetramorpholinylo-PNP-lariat ether have been studied using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). The tandem mass spectra (MS/MS) of these complexes have also been tested to evaluate the stability of the different types of the complexes formed. As occurred, all selected metal cations form the complexes with 1 : 1 stoichiometry with the investigated ligand. Only silver ions create a ‘‘sandwich’’ type complex. Furthermore, the divalent cations form complexes with the nitrate anion adduct. In the case of Ca(II), Cd(II) and Pb(II) we also observed another type of the species with an additional water molecule attached to the parent complex

Leadership and Knowledge Management: Mapping Intersections with Keywords Analysis

Purpose: The aim of the paper is to identify and map the research output on intersections between leadership and knowledge management.Design/methodology/approach: Keywords analysis of bibliomet-ric data indexed in Scopus is the main research method applied to conduct the study. The method of systematic literature review is used to outline the theoretical background of the study.Findings: The publications included in the research samples concerned the topics related to leadership and knowledge man-agement. As for the title sample, the most numerous keywords clusters focused on ‘knowledge and knowledge management’ and ‘leadership and leadership styles’, while in the topic sample the most numerous categories were ‘knowledge and knowledge management’ and ‘human resources and HRM’. Other topics within the area of interest of publications combining the study of leadership and knowledge management include: general and strategic management, organisational learning and innovation, IT and technology. When it comes to studies relating to particular sectoral contexts, education and health care should be mentioned.Research and practical limitations/implications: In order to mitigate the limitations associated with the study process and increase its objectivity, the following actions are recommended for further research: mapping the research field with other methods (triangulation), replicating the study with the use of IT tools for data analysis and the use of other databases.Originality/value: The value of the paper is its contribution to the research field through mapping intersections between leader-ship and knowledge management, which has not been completed before.Paper type: research paper

Masculinity from the perspective of men with intellectual disability

Current scientific publications present different paradigms of masculinity, but research in this area is a relatively new perspective. However, the specific nature of the everyday experience of people with intellectual disability is still neglected and unrecognised. The aim of this article is to show the concept of masculinity from the perspective of men with intellectual disability. The research is placed in the stream of qualitative research using a case study as a method. The subject of the research covers the statements of men with intellectual disability concerning masculinity. The analysis of the research material obtained from 12 interviews allowed for the identification of four types of masculinity.Current scientific publications present different paradigms of masculinity, but research in this area is a relatively new perspective. However, the specific nature of the everyday experience of people with intellectual disability is still neglected and unrecognised. The aim of this article is to show the concept of masculinity from the perspective of men with intellectual disability. The research is placed in the stream of qualitative research using a case study as a method. The subject of the research covers the statements of men with intellectual disability concerning masculinity. The analysis of the research material obtained from 12 interviews allowed for the identification of four types of masculinity

Between \u27Silly Novels\u27 and Vegetation Myths: George Eliot\u27s Subversive Use of the Two Suitors Convention in \u3ci\u3eMiddlemarch\u3c/i\u3e

Take a woman\u27s head, stuff it with a smattering of philosophy and literature chopped small, and with false notions of society baked hard, let it hang over a desk a few hours every day, and serve up hot in feeble English, when not required . (Eliot 1992:305) \u27Silly Novels by Lady Novelists\u27, George Eliot\u27s vitriolic overview of popular novels of the 1850s, which is the source of the mock-recipe above, was published in 1856, shortly before Eliot started writing her first work of fiction, \u27The Sad Fortunes of the Reverend Amos Barton\u27 . More than ten years then passed before she began work on Middlemarch, her fifth novel, so it would certainly be far-fetched to assume that there is a direct connection between the opinions she voiced in \u27Silly Novels\u27 and the composition of Middlemarch. However, in my essay I am going to argue that the plot of George Eliot\u27s masterpiece can in fact be seen as a reaction against stereotypical novelistic plot devices which she had ridiculed in her Westminster Review essay

Heparin release from thermosensitive hydrogels

Thermosensitive hydrogels (TSH) were synthesized and investigated as heparin releasing polymers for the prevention of surface induced thrombosis. TSH were synthesized with N-isopropyl acrylamide (NiPAAm) copolymerized with butyl methacrylate (BMA) (hydrophobic) or acrylic acid (AAc) (hydrophilic) comonomers. The incorporation of hydrophobic and hydrophilic comonomers strongly influences the swelling/shrinking behavior of TSH. Upon deswelling, gels containing the hydrophobic comonomer formed a skin-type layer, which acted as a rate controlling membrane, while the hydrophilic comonomer greatly increased gel swelling, relative to NiPAAm. Equilibrium swelling in isotonic PBS and deswelling kinetics of the synthesized gels were examined at various temperatures. The loading of heparin into the different gels was studied as a function of temperature, solution concentration, and gel composition. The release kinetics of heparin was found to be influenced by gel composition and loading temperature; the release correlated with the gel deswelling kinetics. In the case of Ni-PAAm/BMA gel, the release profile of heparin was affected by temperature dependent properties of the skin-type diffusional barrier formed on the gel surface

Superconductivity near the Mott-Ioffe-Regel limit in the high-entropy alloy superconductor (ScZrNb)1−x_{1-x}(RhPd)x_x with a CsCl-type lattice

Theoretical analysis of the electronic structure of the high-entropy-type superconductor (ScZrNb)$_{1-x}$(RhPd)$_x$, $x \in (0.35, 0.45)$ is presented. The studied material is a partially ordered CsCl-type structure, with two sublattices, randomly occupied by Sc, Zr, Nb (first sublattice) and Nb, Rh, and Pd (second sublattice). Calculations were done using the Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker method with the coherent potential approximation (KKR-CPA) and take into account the substitutional disorder. Our total energy calculations confirm the preference for the partially ordered structure over the fully random {\it bcc}-type one. Electronic densities of states $N(E)$, dispersion relations, and McMillan-Hopfield parameters $\eta$ (electronic contribution to electron-phonon coupling) are studied as a function of composition. The computed increasing trends in $N(E_F)$ and $\eta$ with $x$ are opposite to what we expected based on the experimental results, where the decrease in the critical temperature with increasing $x$ was found. Very strong electron scattering due to disorder is observed, as the electronic dispersion relations are strongly smeared. As a result, the computed electronic lifetimes $\tau$ are very short, leading to a small mean-free path of electrons of the order of interatomic distance, which puts (ScZrNb)$_{1-x}$(RhPd)$_x$ near the Mott-Ioffe-Regel limit. The trend in $\tau(x)$ is similar to the trend observed experimentally in $T_c(x)$, suggesting that disorder may be the factor that influences $T_c$ in this series of alloys.Comment: 13 pages, 12 figures, accepted in Physical Review

Dobór wskaźników zrównoważonego rozwoju lokalnej społeczności na przykładzie gminy Milanówek

Działania na rzecz zrównoważonego rozwoju na poziomie lokalnych społeczności są kluczowym elementem Agendy 21 i zarazem niezwykle trudnym wyzwaniem. Do skutecznego zarządzania tym procesem, potrzebne są wskaźniki zrównoważonego rozwoju, które pozwolą na bieżąco oceniać zmiany zachodzące w lokalnym systemie społecznym, gospodarczym i środowiskowym. W niniejszym artykule przedstawiono wyniki oceny zrównoważonego rozwoju gminy Milanówek (woj. mazowieckie) jako przykład wykorzystania na polskim gruncie mieszanego, redukcjonistyczno-partycypacyjnego podejścia do doboru wskaźników zrównoważonego rozwoju społeczności lokalnych. Wyniki pokazują, że można podczas toczącej się obecnie szerokiej dyskusji teoretycznej nad zrównoważonym rozwojem wypracować i zastosować zestaw wskaźników pomagający kształtować strategię rozwoju gminy w celu jak najpełniejszego zrealizowania jej założeń.Actions for sustainable development at the local community level are the key elements of Agenda 21 but they also prove to be a difficult challenge. The governance of this process needs sustainability indicators to assess changes in local socio-economic and environmental systems to date. This article presents results of research on the local sustainable development assessment in Milanówek Municipality in Poland. This is an attempt to use a mixed, reductionist-participatory approach to selecting sustainability indicators for one local community in Poland. The paper shows how to develop and use, at the time of broad theoretical debate on implementation of sustainable development strategies, a set of indicators helping us to shape the development strategy of a municipality to fully satisfy its requirements

Influence of Temperature, Hypercapnia, and Development on the Relative Expression of Different Hemocyanin Isoforms in the Common Cuttlefish Sepia officinalis

The cuttlefish Sepia officinalis expresses several hemocyanin isoforms with potentially different pH optima, indicating their reliance on efficient pH regulation in the blood. Ongoing ocean warming and acidification could influence the oxygen-binding properties of respiratory pigments in ectothermic marine invertebrates. This study examined whether S. officinalis differentially expresses individual hemocyanin isoforms to maintain optimal oxygen transport during development and acclimation to elevated seawater pCO2 and temperature. Using quantitative PCR, we measured relative mRNA expression levels of three different hemocyanin isoforms in several ontogenetic stages (embryos, hatchlings, juveniles, and adults), under different temperatures and elevated seawater pCO2. Our results indicate moderately altered hemocyanin expression in all embryonic stages acclimated to higher pCO2, while hemocyanin expression in hatchlings and juveniles remained unaffected. During the course of development, total hemocyanin expression increased independently of pCO2 or thermal acclimation status. Expression of isoform 3 is reported for the first time in a cephalopod in this study and was found to be generally low but highest in the embryonic stages (0.2% of total expression). Despite variable hemocyanin expression, hemolymph total protein concentrations remained constant in the experimental groups. Our data provide first evidence that ontogeny has a stronger influence on hemocyanin isoform expression than the environmental conditions chosen, and they suggest that hemocyanin protein abundance in response to thermal acclimation is regulated by post-transcriptional/translational rather than by transcriptional modifications