Repozytorium Uniwersytetu Śląskiego RE-BUŚ
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Synergistic effects of melatonin and gamma-aminobutyric acid on protection of photosynthesis system in response to multiple abiotic stressors
Get PDFGABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) and melatonin are endogenous compounds that enhance plant responses to abiotic stresses. The response of Vicia faba to different stressors (salinity (NaCl), poly ethylene glycol (PEG), and sulfur dioxide (SO2)) was studied after priming with sole application of GABA and melatonin or their co-application (GABA + melatonin). Both melatonin and GABA and their co-application increased leaf area, number of flowers, shoot dry and fresh weight, and total biomass. Plants treated with GABA, melatonin, and GABA + melatonin developed larger stomata with wider aperture compared to the stomata of control plants. The functionality of the photosynthetic system was improved in primed plants. To investigate the photosynthetic functionality in details, the leaf samples of primed plants were exposed to different stressors, including SO2, PEG, and NaCl. The maximum quantum yield of photosystem II (PS II) was higher in the leaf samples of
primed plants, while the non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) of primed plants was decreased when leaf samples were exposed to the stressors. Correlation analysis showed the association of initial PIabs with post-stress FV/FM and NPQ. Stressors attenuated the association of initial PIabs with both FV/FM and NPQ, while priming plants with GABA, melatonin, or GABA + melatonin minimized the effect of stressors by attenuating these correlations. In conclusion, priming plants with both GABA and melatonin improved growth and photosynthetic performance of Vicia faba and mitigated the effects of abiotic stressors on the photosynthetic performance
W skali szarości - krótka historia srebrzystego ołowiu łączącego kolorowe szkła witrażowe
Get PDFKatarzyna Pyka discusses lead as a substance which for centuries has made possible
stained glass glazing both in sacral and secular buildings. This article focuses on the uses of lead
and compares the work of stained glass artists in the past and today. Contrary the associations
of this craft with vivid multicolored compositions, Pyka has decided to keep her discussion in
grayscale; her purpose has been to emphasize the importance of this silvery metal, which has
enriched the history of art from the Middle Ages by making possible the beauty of stained
glass compositions
Between ‘the me that leaves and the me that returns' : Gertrude Bell’s Persian Gateways and Walls
Get PDFPersian Pictures, Gertrude Bell’s first published collection, differs substantially from her later works; critics have accused it
of sentimentality, lack of substance – a mere ‘folly’ incommensurable with Bell’s later writings. In the present article, I intend
to advocate for Bell, though, proposing to see the supposed faults of Persian Pictures as the work’s greatest strengths
which in fact reveal the author’s other, more lyrical and less ‘business-like’, side. With special emphasis placed on the
concept of gateways and walls I will attempt to shed light on how, by traversing and/or transgressing borders of various
types and putting herself to a series of identity-forming tests, Persian Pictures – to the contemporary reader – offer insight
into the broader apparatus of British (and Western) colonialism.
By linking each of the selected essays with one of John Frederick Lewis’s orientalist paintings, I hope to further strengthen
my argument that aspects of Persian Pictures, originally seen as the work’s weaknesses, have the potential to actually
enrich discussions of Western mis/representations of the Orient, without compromising its author, and should thus be
approached as instances of powerful and vivid responses to the ‘shock of the new,’ as experienced by Gertrude Bell – and,
in fact, many other travellers, male and female alike, who ventured into these realms
Simultaneous growth releases and reductions among Populus alba as an indicator for floods in dry mountains (Morocco)
Get PDFWe studied the growth reaction of silver poplar trees (Populus alba) to a large flood in November 2014 in the
semi-arid High Atlas Mountains, Morocco. The flood resulted in half of the studied trees developing wider tree
rings in 2015 and the other half developing narrower rings in 2015, next year after the flood. For 57.1% of trees
which released growth in 2015, this was the most significant increase of ring width during their whole lives (in
whole tree-ring chronologies), and for 23.8% of trees which reduced growth in 2015, this was the most significant
decrease of ring width. Tree-ring reductions in next year after the 2014 flood resulted from environmental
stress related to burying stems with alluvia deposited during the flood. Fresh sediments cut off air access from the
root system, and for some of the sampled trees, this stress was strong enough to control their radial growth.
Growth releases that follow the 2014 flood are a record of trees benefitting from a sudden supply of water, a rare
opportunity in dry study area, where water is usually scarce. The study demonstrates that floods in high
mountains of arid zone can cause dual, opposite growth reaction of affected trees. Such dual record is characteristic
for environmental impulses, which exert stress on trees, but, at the same time, improve other conditions
of tree growth. Environmental events that cause simultaneous positive and negative reactions among a population
of trees, like studied flood, can easily be overlooked in chronologies based on average widths of tree rings
each year. For trees affected during studied flood arithmetical mean of ring widths in 2015 is average and does
not stand out from arithmetical means for other years. However, when analysed in detail, the year 2015 is
significantly different from other years, as is demonstrated by high values of dispersion indicators (standard
deviation and coefficient of variation) calculated for all sampled trees. This study demonstrates that following
the standard procedure (developing tree-ring chronology from average ring widths) is not a reliable solution for
reconstructions of environmental impulses which cause dual, opposite reaction among sampled trees. Even
strong events of this type will not be emphasised in standard chronologies, which can lead to underestimating
frequency and magnitude of processes and, in the case of floods, to underestimating hazard and risk
Identification and quantification of fatty acids in hunting web of adult Steatoda grossa (Theridiidae) female spiders
Get PDFThis is the first study on composition of fatty acids in hunting web of Steatoda grossa (Theridiidae)
spiders and one of only four similar studies ever made. Its main contribution is a discovery that fatty
acids not only cover an outside of the web fibers, but they are even more abundantly represented in the
fibers’ inner structure. Although little attention has been so far attributed to the contents of fatty acids in
spider silks, one has to remember that their biocompatibility combined with an extraordinary tensile
strength make them a worth investigating template for material bioengineering studies
Subpopulations of addictive behaviors in different sample types and their relationships with gender, personality, and well-being: Latent profile vs. latent class analysis
Get PDFBackground: Relatively strong theoretical assumptions and previous studies concerning cooccurring addictive behaviors suggest a subpopulation representing general proclivity to behavioral addictions (BAs), and there are gender-specific subpopulations. This study aimed to compare latent profile analysis (LPA) and latent class analysis (LCA) as the methods of investigating different clusters of BAs in the general student population and among students positively screened for at least one BA. Participants and procedure: Analyses of six BAs (study, shopping, gaming, Facebook, pornography, and food) and their potential antecedents (personality) and consequences (well-being) were conducted on a full sample of Polish undergraduate students (N = 1182) and a subsample (n = 327) of students including individuals fulfilling cutoff for at least one BA. Results: LPA on the subsample mostly replicated the previous four profiles found in the full sample. However, LCA on a full sample did not replicate previous findings using LPA and showed only two classes: those with relatively high probabilities on all BAs and low probabilities. LCA on the subsample conflated profiles identified with LPA and classes found with LCA in the full sample. Conclusions: LCA on dichotomized scores (screened positively vs. negatively) were less effective in identifying clear patterns of interrelationships between BAs based on relatively strong theoretical assumptions and found in previous research. BAs can be investigated on the whole spectrum of behavior, and person-centered analyses might be more useful when they are based on continuous scores. This paper provides more detailed analyses of the four basic clusters of BAs, prevalence, and co-occurrence of particular BAs within and between them, their gender and personality risk factors, relationships to well-being, and their interrelationships as emerging from the results of this and previous studies
Architecture of the pancreatic islets and endocrine cell arrangement in the embryonic pancreas of the grass snake (Natrix natrix L.). Immunocytochemical studies and 3D reconstructions
Get PDFDuring the early developmental stages of grass snakes, within the differentiating pancreas,
cords of endocrine cells are formed. They differentiate into agglomerates of large islets flanked
throughout subsequent developmental stages by small groups of endocrine cells forming islets. The
islets are located within the cephalic part of the dorsal pancreas. At the end of the embryonic period,
the pancreatic islet agglomerates branch off, and as a result of their remodeling, surround the splenic
“bulb”. The stage of pancreatic endocrine ring formation is the first step in formation of intrasplenic
islets characteristics for the adult specimens of the grass snake. The arrangement of endocrine cells
within islets changes during pancreas differentiation. Initially, the core of islets formed from B and
D cells is surrounded by a cluster of A cells. Subsequently, A, B, and D endocrine cells are mixed
throughout the islets. Before grass snake hatching, A and B endocrine cells are intermingled within
the islets, but D cells are arranged centrally. Moreover, the pancreatic polypeptide (PP) cells are not
found within the embryonic pancreas of the grass snake. Variation in the proportions of different cell
types, depending on the part of the pancreas, may affect the islet function—a higher proportion of
glucagon cells is beneficial for insulin secretion
Tenderness Alone - review
No full textThe text discusses an interview conducted by Wiktor Krajewski with Alina Dąbrowska, one of the last living witnesses of history, a prisoner of five concentration camps, forced to participate in two Death Marches. While discussing her most difficult experiences during the Second World War, Dąbrowska attempts to assess the human relations. By divulging and explaining what influenced her life choices, how she perceives the infernal life of concentration camp and how she sees herself, she reveals her ethical investment in narrating her own life story. Recenzja książki: Wiem, jak wygląda piekło / Alina Dąbrowska w rozmowie z Wiktorem Krajewskim ; [tłumaczenia listów Barbara Jurewicz]. - Warszawa : Prószyński i S-ka - Prószyński Media, 2019
Depression, anxiety and self-esteem in adolescent girls with polycystic ovary syndrome
Get PDFObjectives: Objective of the study was to evaluate the depression, anxiety and perceived stress level in adolescent girls with diagnosed polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), as well as to assess their body and self-esteem and its impact on emotional status.
Material and methods: In 27 adolescent girls with confirmed diagnosis of PCOS (study group) as well as 27 healthy, regularly menstruating, age and BMI matched girls (control group) Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Perceived Stress Scale-10 (PSS-10), Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) and Body-Esteem Scale (BES) containing three subscales (sexual attractiveness, weight concern, physical condition) were performed.
Results: There were no significant differences between PCOS group and control group in depression and PSS-10 scores, but the anxiety score was significantly higher in control than in PCOS group (9.6 ± 3.0 vs 7.3 ± 3.9, p = 0.02). Moreover, in BES subscales’ scores there were no significant differences between the groups, whereas RSES score was significantly higher in PCOS group (25.0 ± 7.1 vs 28.3 ± 4.6, p = 0.04). In PCOS group anxiety score was related to PSS-10 score (r = 0.56, p = 0.005). Moreover, we found that obesity was negatively related to anxiety (rƴ = –0.4, p = 0.04), depression (rƴ = –0.48, p = 0.02), PSS-10 (rƴ = –0.59, p = 0.004) and physical condition scores (rƴ = –0.44, p = 0.04). In girls with PCOS the more severe depression the worse weight control (rƴ = –0.56, p = 0.04).
Conclusions: We conclude that in adolescent girls PCOS is not related to anxiety and depressive symptoms as well as poor self-esteem