Social Workers\u27 Satisfactions: Methodological Notes and Substantive Findings

The use of instruments derived from industrial research to investigate the work satisfactions of social workers can lead to distortion of results. Responses from ninety-one social workers in nine agencies indicates sources of satisfactions and dissatisfactions not present in industrial settings, and -- in contradistinction to the dual-factor or bipolarity theory -- both satisfactions and dissatisfactions arising from the same source in some cases. The most important factors affecting workers\u27 satisfactions were the ability to achieve results, their relationships with clients, their relationship with members of multidisciplinary staffs, and presence or absence of sufficient time and resources. The higher order needs -- recognition, responsibility, and advancement -- found in industrial research do not appear in these responses. There are implications for social work education in these findings

An Elastic Energy Management Algorithm in a Hierarchical Control System with Distributed Control Devices

In modern Electric Power Systems, emphasis is placed on the increasing share of electricity from renewable energy sources (PV, wind, hydro, etc.), at the expense of energy generated with the use of fossil fuels. This will lead to changes in energy supply. When there is excessive generation from RESs, there will be too much energy in the system, otherwise, there will be a shortage of energy. Therefore, smart devices should be introduced into the system, the operation of which can be initiated by the conditions of the power grid. This will allow the load profiles of the power grid to be changed and the electricity supply to be used more rationally. The article proposes an elastic energy management algorithm (EEM) in a hierarchical control system with distributed control devices for controlling domestic smart appliances (SA). In the simulation part, scenarios of the algorithm’s operation were carried out for 1000 households with the use of the distribution of activities of individual SAs. In experimental studies, simplified results for three SA types and 100 devices for each type were presented. The obtained results confirm that, thanks to the use of SAs and the appropriate algorithm for their control, it is possible to change the load profile of the power grid. The efficacious operation of SAs will be possible thanks to the change of habits of electricity users, which is briefly described in the article

Wyniki przesiewowych badań prenatalnych w materiale 2285 ciąż z rejonu Pomorza Zachodniego diagnozowanych w latach 2005-2006

Summary In the following paper we have presented the results of non-invasive and invasive prenatal diagnostic tests performed on 2285 pregnant women from the Western-Pomeranian Region between 2005 and 2006. Material and methods: Retrospective analysis of screening tests on 2285 pregnant women. Medical history, including age, weight, familial data pedigrees up to third degree relatives, accompanying diseases, gestational complications in the family, type, dosage and period of any drugs intake, was obtained. Sonographic screening and evaluation of maternal serum PAPP-A and betaHCG levels. Results: Screening tests identified 4.5% high-risk pregnancies in this group. 69% of the patients consented to invasive diagnosis. As a result, genetic anomalies were detected in 43.7% of cases. Significant differences in betaHCG levels correlated with oral gestagens intake and place of residence (coastal areas). Conclusion: Broad use of certified non-invasive methods of prenatal screening allow substansial reduction of invasive procedures with high levels of positive prediction. Medical drugs intake as well as place of inhabitation may influence on free betaHCG levels.Streszczenie Cel pracy: Celem pracy było przeanalizowanie wyników nieinwazyjnych i inwazyjnych badań prenatalnych przeprowadzonych w regionie zachodniopomorskim w latach 2005-2006. Materiał i metody: Analiza retrospektywna 2285 ciąż. Wywiad z uwzględnieniem 3 pokoleniowego rodowodu, badania ultrasonograficzne I trymestru wraz z testem podwójnym. Amniopunkcje ze standardową oceną kariotypu. Wyniki: Drogą badań przesiewowych wyłoniono 4,5% ciąż podwyższonego ryzyka, z których 69% poddało się amniopunkcji. Pozwoliło to na potwierdzenie w wysokim odsetku (43,7%) nieprawidłowości genetycznych. W badanej grupie ciężarnych zaobserwowano istotne zmiany w parametrach biochemicznych betaHCG zależne od przyjmowanych leków (gestageny) oraz od miejsca zamieszkania (okolice nadmorskie). Wnioski: Powszechne zastosowanie certyfikowanych nieiwazyjnych badań prenatalnych pozwala na ograniczenie liczby przeprowadzanych amniopunkcji przy utrzymaniu wysokiego wskaźnika predykcji. Doustne przyjmowanie niektórych leków oraz miejsce zamieszkania pacjentki może wpływać na poziomy wolnej podjednostki betaHCG

KETAMINE AS A NOVEL DRUG FOR DEPRESSION TREATMENT

Background: Depression is one of the most common mental disorders. Currently used antidepressants, acting on the monoaminergic system, are insufficient for depression treatment. In recent years, potential application of NMDA receptor modulators in the treatment of drug-resistant depression has gained attention. Administration of ketamine, being a non-competitive NMDA receptor antagonist, contributes to a faster remission of symptoms. Subjects and methods: The aim of this paper is to review current studies on the use of ketamine in the treatment of drug-resistant depression, compare results of various administration methods - intravenous, intranasal or oral, as well as compare its effectiveness with that of other antidepressants. Results: Numerous studies show the drug is effective and well tolerated, particularly in patients with increased suicidal thoughts. However, there are concerns on increasing tolerance to the drug and the possibility of implementing a long-term treatment. Conclusion: Oral and intranasal forms of the drug are particularly promising due to their non-invasiveness and ability to selfadminister. In March 2019, S-ketamine nasal spray was registered by the FDA for the treatment of drug-resistant depression

Novel Functionalities of Smart Home Devices for the Elastic Energy Management Algorithm

Energy management in power systems is influenced by such factors as economic and ecological aspects. Increasing the use of electricity produced at a given time from renewable energy sources (RES) by employing the elastic energy management algorithm will allow for an increase in “green energy“ in the energy sector. At the same time, it can reduce the production of electricity from fossil fuels, which is a positive economic aspect. In addition, it will reduce the volume of energy from RES that have to be stored using expensive energy storage or sent to other parts of the grid. The model parameters proposed in the elastic energy management algorithm are discussed. In particular, attention is paid to the time shift, which allows for the acceleration or the delay in the start-up of smart appliances. The actions taken by the algorithm are aimed at maintaining a compromise between the user’s comfort and the requirements of distribution network operators. Establishing the value of the time shift parameter is based on GMDH neural networks and the regression method. In the simulation studies, the extension of selected activities related to the tasks performed in households and its impact on the user’s comfort as well as the response to the increased generation of energy from renewable energy sources have been verified by the simulation research presented in this article. The widespread use of the new functionalities of smart appliance devices together with the elastic energy management algorithm is planned for the future. Such a combination of hardware and software will enable more effective energy management in smart grids, which will be part of national power systems

Festiwal podróżniczy Dni Turystyki

Celem artykułu jest zaprezentowanie historii studenckiego festiwalu podróżniczego Dni Turystyki organizowanego przez studentów Wydziału Nauk Geograficznych i Geologicznych UAM. Przedstawione zostały motywy powstania festiwalu, struktura jego programu oraz funkcje. Opisano takie aspekty festiwalu, jak miejsca, terminy oraz struktura organizacyjna, a także omówiono wpływ organizacji festiwalu na przebieg kariery zawodowej absolwentów.The aim of this article is to present the history of the student traveler’s festival Dni Turystyki organized by the students of the Faculty of Geographical and Geological Science Adam Mickiewicz University. The motives uprising festival were presented, as well as the structure of the program and its functions. Moreover, the place and terms of festival and organizing structure were shown. Also the impact of the festival on the career paths of graduates were described

Procesy uwagi a lęk społeczny w sytuacji wystąpienia publicznego

The article attempts to analyze the relationship between attention processes and social anxiety in a situation of public speaking. Theoretical analyzes were based on classical assumptions and current research from the cognitive and cognitive-behavioral paradigm. The study was to initially verify the assumptions resulting from the cognitive model of public speaking. A survey was carried out on a group of 187 students of the Jagiellonian University. Respondents answered six questions concerning subjective sense of anxiety and subjective sense of focusing attention during public speaking. According to our hypotheses, people with high anxiety focus more on themselves, and those with low anxiety focus more on the content of the speech. It seems that both low-anxiety and severely anxious people might focus strongly on the audience, although there are different psychological mechanisms of this direction of attention bias. The results of the research partially confirm the expected directions of the relationship between the subjectively perceived bias in attention and the estimated level of fear of public speaking and are consistent with the theoretical predictions. The results concerning the relationship between the power of anxiety and directing attention to the audience do not provide sufficient grounds for either rejecting or accepting the hypotheses. The results indicate the need to take into account the attention bias in the treatment of anxiety disorders and may constitute an important basis for practical therapeutic work in the cognitive-behavioral paradigm. Moreover, the results indicate the need to take into account the phenomenon of attention bias in counteracting anxiety disorders.W artykule podjęto próbę analizy związku pomiędzy procesami uwagi a lękiem społecznym w sytuacji wystąpienia publicznego. Analizy teoretyczne zostały oparte na klasycznych założeniach oraz aktualnych badaniach z paradygmatu poznawczego i poznawczo-behawioralnego. Badanie miało wstępnie zweryfikować założenia wynikające z modelu poznawczego wystąpień publicznych. W grupie 187 studentów Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego przeprowadzono badania ankietowe. Respondenci odpowiedzieli na sześć pytań dotyczących subiektywnej oceny lęku i subiektywnej oceny ukierunkowania uwagi w trakcie wystąpień publicznych. Zgodnie z postawionymi hipotezami osoby o wysokim lęku silniej skupiają uwagę na sobie, a osoby o niskim lęku silniej skupiają uwagę na treści wystąpienia. Wydaje się, że zarówno osoby nisko lękowe, jak i osoby odczuwające silny lęk mogą silnie skupiać się na publiczności, chociaż występują różne mechanizmy psychologiczne tego kierunku tendencyjności uwagi. Wyniki badań częściowo potwierdzają oczekiwane kierunki związku pomiędzy subiektywnie odczuwaną tendencyjnością uwagi a szacowanym poziomem lęku przed wystąpieniami publicznymi i są zgodne z przewidywaniami teoretycznymi. Wyniki dotyczące związków siły lęku z kierowaniem uwagi na publiczność nie dają wystarczających podstaw ani do odrzucenia, ani do przyjęcia hipotez. Uzyskane wyniki mogą stanowić ważną podstawę dla praktycznej pracy terapeutycznej w paradygmacie poznawczo-behawioralnym. Ponadto wskazują na konieczność uwzględniania zjawiska tendencyjności uwagi w przeciwdziałaniu zaburzeniom lękowym