The excavation of tomb M1 in Quangou cemetery, Wulan County, Qinghai

Tomb M1 at Quangou cemetery in Wulan, Qinghai, is the only Tubo-period tomb with mural paintings discovered thus far on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau. The tomb includes a tomb entry ramp leading to a rectangular multi-chambered structure built from bricks and timber. The walls of the antechamber and burial chamber are all painted with various images heavily influenced by typical Tang painting techniques, displaying Tang-period stylistic influence, although painted subjects present characteristic scenes of nomadic life on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau. The color-painted lacquered coffins in the tomb are the first of their kind found in the region, indicating that the tomb occupant must have been of high social status. There is a secret compartment behind the tomb’s burial chamber, where a wooden chest was found containing a luxuriously decorated gilt silver crown and a turquoise-inlaid gold cup. The findings suggest that the tomb occupant was probably closely related to the local royal family under Tubo’s sovereignty.

Towards building a Cathodoluminescence (CL) database for pigments: characterization of white pigments

Paintings and painted surfaces are considered to be extremely complex due to their multitude of materials and thus form the basis for particularly intricate Cultural Heritage studies. The combination of Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) with Cathodoluminescence (CL) can serve as a powerful tool for the identification of individual pigments. SEM/CL has the potential of identifying both organic and inorganic pigments and can focus on a micrometer or even nanometer scale. The combination with Energy Dispersive Spectrometry (EDS) allows for robust, cross-checked, elemental and mineralogical characterization of pigments. In order to apply SEM/CL in a routine-based way for the identification of pigments, it is necessary to have a robust, open-access database of characteristic CL spectra of pigments. A large project has been undertaken to create such a database, focusing primarily at the pigments, both organic and inorganic, which were most commonly used from antiquity until today. In the present paper, the CL characterization of common white pigments is presented. White pigments were selected, due to their significance and frequency of use, since they were also present on the ground layers or mixed with other pigments in most of the painting layers. More specifically, the CL spectra of samples in pure form of calcite, kaolinite, lead white, zinc oxide, barium sulfate, lithopone and titanium white are presented. In all cases, the CL spectra present characteristic bands, which allow for a secure identification of the pigments. In order to facilitate comparison with other databases, EDS and RAMAN spectra are also presented. Additionally, the effect of weathering on the CL spectra was evaluated, by comparison to naturally and artificially aged samples and to pigments identified on areas of two paintings, of the 19th and 20th c., respectively. Finally, the effect of binding media was also studied, using combination of pigments with four common media: egg yolk, linseed, walnut and poppy oil. Overall, both weathering and binding media appear to cause minor differences in the occurring spectra, without preventing the identification of pigments.

Revealing the chirality origin and homochirality crystallization of Ag14 nanocluster at the molecular level

Although chirality is an ever-present characteristic in biology and some artificial molecules, controlling the chirality and demystifying the chirality origin of complex assemblies remain challenging. Herein, we report two homochiral Ag14 nanoclusters with inherent chirality originated from identical rotation of six square faces on a Ag8 cube driven by intra-cluster π···π stacking interaction between pntp− (Hpntp = p-nitrothiophenol) ligands. The spontaneous resolution of the racemic (SD/rac-Ag14a) to homochiral nanoclusters (SD/L-Ag14 and SD/R-Ag14) can be realized by re-crystallizing SD/rac-Ag14a in acetonitrile, which promotes the homochiral crystallization in solid state by forming C–H···O/N hydrogen bonds with nitro oxygen atoms in pntp− or aromatic hydrogen atoms in dpph (dpph = 1,6-bis(diphenylphosphino)hexane) on Ag14 nanocluster. This work not only provides strategic guidance for the syntheses of chiral silver nanoclusters in an all-achiral environment, but also deciphers the origin of chirality at molecular level by identifying the special effects of intra- and inter-cluster supramolecular interactions.

Anesthetic considerations of Joubert syndrome in patients with mitochondrial disease - A case report -

BackgroundJoubert syndrome and mitochondrial disease are rare congenital diseases in which a wide range of symptoms affects multiple organs. Patients with these diseases present characteristic symptoms related to the musculoskeletal, respiratory, and neurological systems, which make it difficult for anesthesiologists to manage the patient’s airway and choose appropriate anesthetic drugs. Case A 13-year-old male patient with Joubert syndrome and mitochondrial disease underwent elective surgery to insert a continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis catheter. Anesthesia was induced and maintained with propofol, remifentanil, and rocuronium. An I-gel was inserted to secure the airway; however, the fitting did not work properly, so the patient was intubated. The operation was completed without any major problems, and the intubated patient was transferred to the intensive care unit. ConclusionsAnesthesiologists should determine the method of anesthesia and prepare for unintended complications based on a full understanding of these congenital diseases.

Sharp power – introduction to the issue

The aim of the article is an attempt to define the sharp power strategy, present characteristic ways of its employment and propose methods of minimizing its negative consequences for the security of the Republic of Poland. The analysis of the issues related to the types of state power (soft power, hard power, smart power) is followed by a coherent definition of sharp power formulated by the authors of the publication. The consecutive section of the article describes examples of methods of implementing the aforementioned strategy of influencing participants of international relations. Finally, the authors presented proposals for institutional and legal solutions, which are to counteract potential sharp power moves aimed at undermining the security and international position of the Republic of Poland.

Sharp power – wprowadzenie do problematyki

Sharp power – introduction to the issue The aim of the article is an attempt to define the sharp power strategy, present characteristic ways of its employment and propose methods of minimizing its negative consequences for the security of the Republic of Poland. The analysis of the issues related to the types of state power (soft power, hard power, smart power) is followed by a coherent definition of sharp power formulated by the authors of the publication. The consecutive section of the article describes examples of methods of implementing the aforementioned strategy of influencing participants of international relations. Finally, the authors presented proposals for institutional and legal solutions, which are to counteract potential sharp power moves aimed at undermining the security and international position of the Republic of Poland. Celem artykułu jest próba zdefiniowania strategii sharp power, przedstawienie charakterystycznych sposobów jej zastosowania oraz zaproponowanie metod minimalizowania jej negatywnych skutków dla bezpieczeństwa Rzeczpospolitej Polskiej. Po przeanalizowaniu problematyki związanej z rodzajami potęgi państwa (soft power, hard power, smart power) autorzy publikacji sformułowali koherentną definicję sharp power. W dalszej części artykułu opisano przykładowe metody realizacji wspomnianej strategii oddziaływania na uczestników stosunków międzynarodowych. Na koniec autorzy przedstawili propozycje rozwiązań instytucjonalno-prawnych, których zadaniem jest przeciwdziałanie potencjalnym posunięciom z zakresu sharp power ukierunkowanym na zachwianie bezpieczeństwem i pozycją międzynarodową RP.

PRESCHOOL AS THE SPACE OF INFORMAL PEER EDUCATION

Preschool is the first institution in the Polish system of education that exhibits educational character. Apart from activities teachers engage them in, following the curriculum, children learn from one another through peer interaction. The aim of the following article is to present characteristic features of the preschool environment as the context for informal peer learning of children. From the group of factors that condition learning we discuss: material surrounding of the preschool, daily schedule, parental expectations as well as selected official documents and internal (unofficial) regulations for such institutions, among other things. Critical analysis of the aforementioned elements shows the pre-school surrounding, both in social and physical sense, as the untapped potential in the learning process of kindergarten pupils.

Generation of Millennials on the labor market. Win or lose generation?

This article presents the casus of Millenials generation in labour market. The topic of this article is situated in aspects of generation and it is connected with such sociological subdiscipline as: sociology of education, youth and sociology of work. In this article, it was presented the current generation in society such as: Traditionalist generation, Baby Boomers, X generation, Y generation, XD generation in terms of characteristics of its in labour market. The main aim of this work was to present characteristic of Millenials generation in comparision to other current generations in social life and job market, such as: social change, edycation, job, loyality to employer and attitude to new technology. The main interest was advantages and disadventages of Millenials, opportunities and dangers in job market. In sum up, Author try to answer to question in title of article: Is it a generation of winners or losers?

Observations on the ontogeny of butterfish Stromateus stellatus larvae (Pisces: Stromateidae) off central Chile

Although larvae of the starry butterfish Stromateus stellatus (Family Stromateidae) are often observed in coastal waters of the southeastern Pacific Ocean, there is no formal description of the species’ early development. Using ichthyoplankton samples collected off central Chile, the larval development, including observations on osteology of late postflexion stage larvae, and temporal differences in larval densities in nearshore waters are described. Preflexion larvae have a short, rounded snout and a distinctive pigment pattern. Notable transformations throughout the development from early preflexion to postflexion are the increase in preanal length from less than 40 to more than 50% of body length (BL) and in body depth from 5 to 33% BL. Initially, larvae develop 3 melanophores on the dorsal contour of the body, small melanophores at the jaw angle, and a row along the ventral margin of the tail. Large melanophores dorsal and ventral to the gut, intestine, and above the swim bladder are also present in early preflexion. After notochord flexion, larvae develop light pigmentation on the sides of the tail, and heavy pigmentation on the head and trunk. The larvae share the general shape of the family, with a body that increases notably in depth and preanal length during development; they present characteristic pigmentation that differentiates them from larvae of related species. The larvae were recorded in low density (less than 6 ind. 100 m-3) in the nearshore during mid-spring (October) and early summer (late December until mid-January) off central Chile. The occurrence of the larvae in the plankton recorded in central Chile is consistent with information from literature of larval distribution and reproductive activity in adults.

Characteristics and evolution of the ecosystem of software tools supporting research in molecular biology

Daily work in molecular biology presently depends on a large number of computational tools. An in-depth, large-scale study of that ‘ecosystem’ of Web tools, its characteristics, interconnectivity, patterns of usage/citation, temporal evolution and rate of decay is crucial for understanding the forces that shape it and for informing initiatives aimed at its funding, long-term maintenance and improvement. In particular, the long-term maintenance of these tools is compromised because of their specific development model. Hundreds of published studies become irreproducible de facto, as the software tools used to conduct them become unavailable. In this study, we present a large-scale survey of >5400 publications describing Web servers within the two main bibliographic resources for disseminating new software developments in molecular biology. For all these servers, we studied their citation patterns, the subjects they address, their citation networks and the temporal evolution of these factors. We also analysed how these factors affect the availability of these servers (whether they are alive). Our results show that this ecosystem of tools is highly interconnected and adapts to the ‘trendy’ subjects in every moment. The servers present characteristic temporal patterns of citation/usage, and there is a worrying rate of server ‘death’, which is influenced by factors such as the server popularity and the institutions that hosts it. These results can inform initiatives aimed at the long-term maintenance of these resources.