Repozytorium Uniwersytetu Śląskiego RE-BUŚ
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Reproduction strategies of the silver birch (Betula pendula Roth) at post-industrial sites
Get PDFThe study aimed to evaluate the parameters of reproductive traits, specimens’ fertility and
reproductive efficiency observed in Betula pendula populations growing at different types of
sites (zinc-lead heaps, coal mine heaps and unpolluted site). The leaf biomass and the biometric
characteristics of inflorescences and fructifications were identified. Moreover, the biometric
parameters of B. pendula seedlings were evaluated for examined sites. Seed-originated trees
mostly of age 40 were randomly selected and from each tree, a branches from 1.70 m height and
orientation N–S, W–E to the cardinal points of the stem were chosen. In the laboratory, selected
soil parameters, the viability of pollen and the seeding value of seeds were analysed. According to
the multidimensional statistical analysis the populations of B. pendula growing on post-industrial
wastelands represent different morphotypes with lower values of almost all the reproductive traits,
compared to the unpolluted birch population. Such traits as the male:female catkin number ratio and
the non-embryo seed number were positively correlated with the heavy metal content at the zinc-lead
heaps; at the same time these traits were negatively correlated with soil fertility. The fully developed
seed number and the mature female catkin number were strongly correlated with the available
potassium and phosphorus soil content but also with the leaf number on the generative shoots. The
specimens of birch growing in these three habitats did not develop a universal reproductive strategy.
Some differences in fecundity, the condition of seeds and the patterns of seed germination were
found. The resulting seedling survival is determined by the plasticity of biometric traits, sheltered
places for germination, etc. Seedlings that originated from heaps (local gene resources) are more
suitable for use in the reclamation of large amounts of waste
The grammaticalization of the epistemic adverb "perhaps" in Late Middle and Early Modern English
Get PDFOld and Early Middle English did not yet have modal sentential adverbs of low probability. Old Norse did not have such words, either. From the 13th century onwards first epistemic prepositional phrases of Anglo-Norman origin functioning as modal adverbials consisting of the preposition per/par and nouns such as adventure, case, chance were borrowed into Middle English. In the late 15th century an analogous hybrid form per-hap(s), the combination of the Old French preposition per/par ‘by, through’ and the Old Norse noun hap(p) ‘chance’, both singular and plural, was coined according to the same pattern and was gradually grammaticalized as a univerbated modal sentence adverb in Early Modern English. The Norse root happ- was the source of some other new (Late) Middle English words which had no cognate equivalents in the source language: the adjective happy with its derivatives happily, happiness, etc. and the verb happen.
Together with another new Late Middle English formation may-be, a calque of French peut-être, perhaps superseded the competing forms mayhap, (modal) happily, percase, peradventure, perchance, prepositional phrases with the noun hap and, finally, per-hap itself in Early Modern English after two centuries of lexical layering or multiple synonymy. The history of perhaps is a clear example of grammaticalization, whereby a prepositional phrase became a modal adverb now also used as a discourse marker. We find here all the typical features of the process: phonetic attrition, decategorization, univerbation, and obligatorification
The discursive representation of places significant for an individual : an analysis of Polish academic year inauguration speeches and American commencement addresses
Get PDFThe aim of the study is to conduct an analysis of the discursive representation of
places in Polish academic year inauguration speeches and American commencement
addresses. The representations of places have been divided into two categories,
depending on the function of the place involved: (1) place as an element of the
context of situation; and (2) place contributing to the formation of the individual
identity. The analysis of selected academic year inauguration speeches delivered in
Polish universities and commencement speeches delivered in American universities
has been conducted within the Discourse-Historical Approach, one of the main
approaches to Critical Discourse Analysis
Risk and Benefit for Targeted Therapy Agents in Pediatric Phase II Trials in Oncology: A Systematic Review with a Meta-Analysis
Get PDFBackground For research with human participants to be ethical, risk must be in a favorable balance with potential benefits.
Little is known about the risk/benefit ratio for pediatric cancer phase II trials testing targeted therapies.
Objective Our aim was to conduct a systematic review of preliminary efficacy and safety profiles of phase II targeted therapy
clinical trials in pediatric oncology.
Methods Our protocol was prospectively registered in PROSPERO (CRD42020146491). We searched EMBASE and Pub-
Med for phase II pediatric cancer trials testing targeted agents. We included solid and hematological malignancy studies
published between 1 January, 2015 and 27 February, 2020. We measured risk using drug-related grade 3 or higher adverse
events, and benefit by response rates. When possible, data were meta-analyzed. All statistical tests were two-sided.
Results We identified 34 clinical trials (1202 patients) that met our eligibility criteria. The pooled overall response rate was
24.4% (95% confidence interval [CI] 14.5–34.2) and was lower in solid tumors, 6.4% (95% CI 3.2–9.6), compared with hematological
malignancies, 55.1% (95% CI 35.9–74.3); p < 0.001. The overall fatal drug-related (grade 5) adverse event rate was
1.6% (95% CI 0.6–2.5), and the average drug-related grade 3/4 adverse event rate per person was 0.66 (95% CI 0.55–0.78).
Conclusions We provide an estimate for the risks and benefits of participation in pediatric phase II cancer trials. These data
may be used as an empirical basis for informed communication about benefits and burdens in pediatric oncology research
Inhibition of carotenoid biosynthesis by CRISPR/Cas9triggers cell wall remodelling in carrot
Get PDFRecent data indicate that modifications to carotenoid biosynthesis pathway in plants alter
the expression of genes affecting chemical composition of the cell wall. Phytoene synthase (PSY) is a
rate limiting factor of carotenoid biosynthesis and it may exhibit species-specific and organ-specific
roles determined by the presence of psy paralogous genes, the importance of which often remains
unrevealed. Thus, the aim of this work was to elaborate the roles of two psy paralogs in a model
system and to reveal biochemical changes in the cell wall of psy knockout mutants. For this purpose,
Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) and CRISPR associated (Cas9)
proteins (CRISPR/Cas9) vectors were introduced to carotenoid-rich carrot (Daucus carota) callus
cells in order to induce mutations in the psy1 and psy2 genes. Gene sequencing, expression analysis,
and carotenoid content analysis revealed that the psy2 gene is critical for carotenoid biosynthesis
in this model and its knockout blocks carotenogenesis. The psy2 knockout also decreased the
expression of the psy1 paralog. Immunohistochemical staining of the psy2 mutant cells showed
altered composition of arabinogalactan proteins, pectins, and extensins in the mutant cell walls.
In particular, low-methylesterified pectins were abundantly present in the cell walls of carotenoidrich
callus in contrast to the carotenoid-free psy2 mutant. Transmission electron microscopy revealed
altered plastid transition to amyloplasts instead of chromoplasts. The results demonstrate for the
first time that the inhibited biosynthesis of carotenoids triggers the cell wall remodelling
New benzo[h]quinolin-10-ol derivatives as co-sensitizers for DSSCs
Get PDFNew benzo[h]quinolin-10-ol derivatives with one or two 2-cyanoacrylic acid units were
synthesized with a good yield in a one-step condensation reaction. Chemical structure and purity
were confirmed using NMR spectroscopy and elemental analysis, respectively. The investigation of
their thermal, electrochemical and optical properties was carried out based on differential scanning
calorimetry, cyclic voltammetry, electronic absorption and photoluminescence measurements. The
analysis of the optical, electrochemical and properties was supported by density functional theory
studies. The synthesized molecules were applied in dye-sensitized solar cells as sensitizers and cosensitizers
with commercial N719. The thickness and surface morphology of prepared photoanodes
was studied using optical, scanning electron and atomic force microscopes. Due to the utilization of
benzo[h]quinolin-10-ol derivatives as co-sensitizers, the better photovoltaic performance of fabricated
devices compared to a reference cell based on a neat N719 was demonstrated. Additionally, the effect
of co-adsorbent chemical structure (cholic acid, deoxycholic acid and chenodeoxycholic acid) on
DSSC efficiency was explained based on the density functional theory
Dinosaur senescence: a hadrosauroid with age-related diseases brings a new perspective of “old” dinosaurs
Get PDFSenile vertebrates are extremely rare in the fossil record, making their recognition difficult. Here
we present the largest known representative of the Late Cretaceous hadrosauriform Gobihadros
mongoliensis showing features of cessation of growth indicating attainment of the terminal size.
Moreover, this is the first non-avian dinosaur with an age-related pathology recognized as primary
calcium pyrophosphate deposition disease indicating its advanced age. Because senile dinosaurs
are so rare and thus “senescence” in dinosaurs is unclear, we also propose a new unified definition of
a senile dinosaur: an individual which achieved the terminal size as revealed by the presence of the
external fundamental system and closed transcortical channels, has completely secondary remodeled
weight-bearing bones and possesses non-traumatic, non-contagious bone pathologies correlated with
advanced age
Arctic freshwater environment altered by the accumulation of commonly determined and potentially new POPs
Get PDFChemical composition of Arctic freshwater ecosystems depends on several factors. They
include characteristics of the surrounding landscape, its lithology, geomorphology, vegetation, and
hydrological features, as well as accumulation of anthropogenic pollution. In the Arctic, the problem
of environmental contamination is widespread. That is why research on lakes and river catchments in
terms of their chemical composition has enjoyed increasing interest among scientists worldwide. The
freshwater reservoirs of the Arctic are fragile and particularly vulnerable to the uptake of pollutants
that become trapped in the water and sediments for an extended period. This review summarises
selected studies of freshwater bodies in the Arctic to highlight the problem of the accumulation of
pollutants in these reservoirs. Moreover, it emphasises the possible negative impact of chemical
pollutants on both animal and human health
Osobennosti perevoda russkih substandartnyh frazeologizmov na pol'skij âzyk : (na materiale proizvodenij Aleksandry Marininoj)
No full textThe article focuses on selected aspects of the translation into Polish of Russian phraseological units that are beyond the
linguistic norm. The research material has been excerpted from two Alexandra Marinina’s detective novels Requiem and
Unwilling Killer and their translations by Alexandra Stronka. The research findings indicate that Stronka most often translates
sub-standard phraseological units by means of idioms based on a different image, or lexemes, but these units not
frequently differ from the original units in terms of expressive and stylistic colouring
O filmach, które chciały widzieć inaczej : w kręgu Bauhausu
Get PDFAutor podejmuje próbę określenia zjawiska techniki filmowej
w „punkcie zero kina” w odniesieniu do filmów powstałych
w kręgu „nowego widzenia” Bauhausu na przełomie lat
20. i 30. XX w. (Amateurfilm Dessau Ivany Tomljenović
z 1930 r. oraz filmów Lászla Moholya-Nagya, zwłaszcza Architects’
Congress. Film Diary z 1933 r.). Zjawisko to polega
na ignorowaniu standardów technicznych medium bądź (i)
ich kwestionowaniu do tego stopnia, że mamy do czynienia
z manifestacyjnym obnażaniem idei rozwoju jako negatywnego
wzorca odniesienia, niekiedy wręcz z jej całkowitym
odrzuceniem. Omawiane filmy przeciwstawiają wizualności
– jako sposobowi zarządzania autorytetem władzy – prawo
do patrzenia (oparte na „kontrwizualności”), co wyraża się
zwłaszcza w inscenizowaniu widzenia jako tego, co i jak jest
widziane. Chodzi o stan medium, w którym praktyki postrzegania
nie zostają zawłaszczone przez konstrukcje wizualne,
bo maszyna społeczna nie uzgodniła jeszcze
funkcjonowania maszyny fotograficzno-filmowej, w rezultacie
powstaje wrażenie inscenizacyjnego i reżyserskiego
ubóstwa