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Regarding the dispute about the evaluation of the Polish and Lithuanian resistance. The article presents a number of introductory insights into the subject of forming mutually negative portrayals of the two nations in the period of II World War. Having considered threats resulting from unresolved international conflicts, I point out the reasons for the Polish-Lithuanian exemplified by mutual relations of representatives of the resistance movement of both nations, who were involved in resistance activities during World War II on the territory of the contemporary Vilnius region. At the same time I attempt to specify and systematize the facts from the history of Lithuanian armed formations operating in Lithuania during the period of interest. Particular emphasis is placed on the role of Lithuanian partisans in collective memory of the both Lithuanians and the local Polish minority. I treat this text as a contribution and an encouragement to discuss and intensify research in this area. Issues raised here that would seem long gone, still play a huge role in the politics of Poland and Lithuania and have an impact on the future of our region, especially in the context of international security.

Huntington disease (HD) is an inherited neurodegenerative disorder caused by mutations in the huntingtin gene. Involvement of mitochondrial dysfunctions in, and especially influence of the level of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) on, development of this disease is unclear. Here, samples of blood from 84 HD patients and 79 controls, and dermal fibroblasts from 10 HD patients and 9 controls were analysed for mtDNA levels. Although the type of mitochondrial haplogroup had no influence on the mtDNA level, and there was no correlation between mtDNA level in leukocytes in HD patients and various parameters of HD severity, some considerable differences between HD patients and controls were identified. The average mtDNA/nDNA relative copy number was significantly higher in leukocytes, but lower in fibroblasts, of symptomatic HD patients relative to the control group. Moreover, HD women displayed higher mtDNA levels in leukocytes than HD men. Because this is the largest population analysed to date, these results might contribute to explanation of discrepancies between previously published studies concerning levels of mtDNA in cells of HD patients. We suggest that the size of the investigated population and type of cells from which DNA is isolated could significantly affect results of mtDNA copy number estimation in HD. Hence, these parameters should be taken into consideration in studies on mtDNA in HD, and perhaps also in other diseases where mitochondrial dysfunction occurs. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s11011-017-0026-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Introduction Migraine is a common neurological disorder characterized by a particular phenotype, complex pathophysiology and a heterogeneous genetic background. Among several heritable forms, familial hemiplegic migraine is the best described one. In the majority of cases it is caused by mutations in one of three different genes. Case report Clinical symptoms of a 47 year old proband (and independently described in his 20 year old son) as well as differential diagnosis are discussed in the presented report. The most characteristic were recurrent attacks of blurred vision, paresthesias and hemiparesis often accompanied by speech disturbances and followed by severe headache with vomiting. Advanced morphological and genetic procedures were required to exclude MELAS, CADASIL and Call-Fleming syndrome. Finally, the definite diagnosis was possible after the application of the whole exome sequencing technique. It confirmed, for the first time in the Polish population, a heterozygous T666M mutation (c.1997C>T; p.Thr666Met) in the CACNA1A gene in the proband, the proband's son and in several other family members. Conclusion The presented report provides clinical and genetic insight into familial hemiplegic migraine 1 resulting from a mutation in the CACNA1A gene.

Due to the development of information technologies and Artificial Intelligence (henceforth AI) solutions, hospitals can match patients’ to doctors more efficiently and effectively. In this research, I investigate trust in advice generated by AI over advice from other people, when a patient selects a doctor for a medical appointment. Data related to trust, likelihood to follow the received recommendation, likelihood to select a doctor, and demographics were collected via an online questionnaire to investigate whether people accept or refuse advice to choose a doctor based on AI advice (vs. other patients’ advice or no advice). The experiment revealed that patients are more likely to select a doctor following advice from AI, as compared to when they receive advice from other people or no advice at all. Moreover, patients trusted more AI advice than advice from other people. These results have important practical implication: they suggest that hospitals should inform patients about benefits and dispel doubts of using AI in matching-system through educational programs and leaflets. Finally, they also suggest developing AI recommender-systems that can share AI consultations with a selected physician.

Animals rely on multiple sensory modalities to perform even the simplest ecological tasks (Burkhardt 1989; Siemers and Schnitzler 2000; Holland et al. 2005; Knaden and Graham 2016). One of the main goals of behavioral and sensory ecology lies in understanding the ability of different species to employ and modulate their sensory modes in the context of different environmental cues, and how the resulting behavioral decisions ultimately affect their ecology and evolution. Frugivores use various cues, including components of fruit color (Burkhardt 1989; Hiramatsu et al. 2008; Melin et al. 2008; Osorio and Vorobyev 2008; Valenta et al. 2013), shape (Von Helversen and Von Helversen 1999; Kalko and Condon 1998), and scent (Sanchez et al. 2006; Valenta et al. 2013) to find and select ripe fruit, and exhibit corresponding sensory specializations in their visual, auditory, and/or olfactory systems to target those cues (Catania 1999; Muller et al. 2007; Vanderelst et al. 2010). Little is known, however, about what scenarios facilitate or constrain sensory use and modulation during fruit location, selection, and acquisition in vertebrate frugivores. Insight into these processes would provide mechanistic understanding of the behaviors underlying their foraging ecology. Frugivorous and omnivorous Neotropical leaf-nosed bats (Phyllostomidae) use three major senses, echolocation, olfaction, and vision, for navigation and foraging (e.g., Reiger and Jakob 1988; Gutierrez et al. 2018; Thiele and Winter 2005; Kalko and Condon 1998), which makes these organisms an exceptional system for investigating the relative role of different sensory modes during ecologically important tasks. Although there has been some work on phyllostomid vision, including comparisons of their short- and long-wave opsins (Muller et al. 2007, 2009; Kries et al. 2018; Sadier et al. 2018; Gutierrez et al. 2018), the importance of vision in ripe fruit location and selection has not been experimentally tested in phyllostomids. By contrast, experimental evidence strongly suggests that omnivorous phyllostomids rely primarily on echolocation to locate fruits (Kalko and Condon 1998), and specialized frugivores employ either olfaction or a combination of olfaction and echolocation to locate ripe fruit (Kalko and Schnitzler 1993; Korine and Kalko 2005; Hodgkison et al. 2007, 2013). The relative importance of different sensory modes for fruit detection may depend on which plant cues can be readily perceived within a specific environmental context. To date, little is known about whether and how frugivorous phyllostomids integrate their primary sensory modes (echolocation and olfaction) conditional on which plant cues are present. While plant scents can travel over short or long distances (Riffell et al. 2014), they are rarely directional and may be difficult to detect in saturated scent environments such as rainforests. Conversely, echolocation allows for highly precise prey detection (Schnitzler and Kalko 2001; Brinklov et al. 2009; Jakobsen et al. 2013), but phyllostomids emit short, high frequency, and low intensity calls (Thies et al. 1998; Korine and Kalko 2005). The echoes from these calls provide information about size, shape, texture, range, and position of an object in space relative to the bat (Simmons et al. 1975, 1983; Simmons and Stein 1980; Neuweiler 1989; Schmidt et al. 2000; Schnitzler and Kalko 2001), but these types of information are only effective at very short distances because low intensity, high frequency calls attenuate rapidly in warm, humid environments (e.g., 45–90 kHz attenuate at 1.4–4 dB/m at 25°C and 80% humidity; Jakobsen et al. 2013). Additionally, surrounding foliage can produce acoustic masking effects that may complicate fruit detection (Arlettaz et al. 2001; Korine and Kalko 2005). Therefore, flexibility in olfaction versus echolocation use could be highly beneficial for frugivorous bats given the limitations of each sensory mode within complex forest environments. Here, we study the primary plant cues from vegetation and fruits and how they relate to the roles of echolocation and olfaction for fruit detection and localization in the chestnut short-tailed fruit bat, Carollia castanea, a highly abundant frugivore and ecologically important seed disperser that inhabits forests in Central and South America (Bonaccorso 1979; Fleming 1991; Fig. 1). This research builds upon the seminal work of Thies et al. (1998), which demonstrated the importance of olfaction for fruit detection in Carollia; here we investigate the relative contributions of vegetative and fruit scent cues that drive C. castanea’s foraging decisions, and how varying foraging scenarios (i.e., changing of plant scent cues) may affect the relative reliance of these bats on olfaction versus echolocation for fruit detection. Evaluating the effect of vegetative scents on frugivore foraging behavior is particularly important because background scents from neighboring plants can impact the ability of animals to discriminate fruit or flower odors (Riffell et al. 2014) or, if vegetative scents are from the same plant, they can amplify the scent of the food source and make it more potent (e.g., Raguso and Willis 2005; Rusch et al. 2016; Stutz et al. 2016; McArthur et al. 2019). Open in a separate window Fig. 1 Study organisms, Carollia castanea (left) and Piper sancti-felicis (right). Photo credit: S.E. Santana.

Autorka prezentuje historyczne ujęcie kwestii odrodzenia narodowego Polaków na obszarze współczesnej Wileńszczyzny na przełomie lat 80. i 90. XX wieku, ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem działań na rzecz utworzenia polskojęzycznej, autonomicznej jednostki w obrębie Litwy. Wątek polityki narodowościowej w krajach byłego bloku Związku Socjalistycznych Republik Radzieckich nieustannie powraca w międzynarodowej przestrzeni publicznej. Z powodów politycznych opisane wydarzenia do dziś budzą kontrowersje oraz rzutują na relacje bilateralne Polski i Litwy, dlatego warto poznać ich genezę.

This paper discusses legal and financial aspects of Brexit with a main focus on conditions needed for efficient generation of the revenues of the European Union. The paper is not definitive as Brexit negotiations are not complete yet; it aims to provide an update of legal changes that shape the ability of the European Union to maintain the revenue side of the Multiannual financial framework 2014–2020. The primary purpose of this contribution is to confirm or disprove the hypothesis that in effect of Brexit the European Union will lose the revenues and that new reforms concerning new revenues are necessary. To achieve the abovementioned goal, it will be necessary to describe the issue of the revenues of the European Union and then estimate the amount that will lack in the EU’s budget after Brexit.

Diseases related to DNA polymerase gamma dysfunction comprise of heterogeneous clinical presentations with variable severity and age of onset. Molecular screening for the common POLG variants: p.Ala467Thr, p.Trp748Ser, p.Gly848Ser, and p.Tre251Ile has been conducted in a large population cohort (n = 3123) and in a clinically heterogeneous group of 1289 patients. Recessive pathogenic variants, including six novel ones were revealed in 22/26 patients. Infantile Alpers-Huttenlocher syndrome and adulthood ataxia spectrum were the most common found in our group. Distinct molecular profile identified in the Polish patients with significant predominance of p.Trp748Ser variant (50% of mutant alleles) reflected strikingly low population frequency of the three remaining variants and slightly higher p.Trp748Ser allele frequency in the general Polish population as compared to the non-Finish European population.

Aging is inevitable and it is one of the major contributors to cognitive decline. However, the mechanisms underlying age-related cognitive decline are still the object of extensive research. At the biological level, it is unknown how the aging brain is subjected to progressive oxidative stress and neuroinflammation which determine, among others, mitochondrial dysfunction. The link between mitochondrial dysfunction and cognitive impairment is becoming ever more clear by the presence of significant neurological disturbances in human mitochondrial diseases. Possibly, the most important lifestyle factor determining mitochondrial functioning is nutrition. Therefore, with the present work, we review the latest findings disclosing a link between nutrition, mitochondrial functioning and cognition, and pave new ways to counteract cognitive decline in late adulthood through diet.

Cereal proteins are of clinical interest because of their cytotoxic and immunogenic features being associated to allergic processes and intestinal disorders. In addition to gliadins, there has been suggested an important role for non-gluten modulating factors (nGMF) on the onset of intestinal inflammatory processes. In this study, the amino acid sequences generated after a simulated human gastrointestinal (sGI) digestion of a commercial extract of gliadins (GEF) and the nGMF-enriched fraction (nGEF) obtained from them were characterized (nanoESI-qQTOF). These fractions were fed (20 days) to Wistar rats, sensitized with interferon (IFN)-γ (1000 IU/rat) and further treated with indomethacin (2 mg/kg). The production of inflammatory mediators (ELISAs) and the expression (rt-qPCR) of innate biomarkers was monitored in duodenal tissue sections. There were also evaluated changes in defined leukocyte (flow cytometry) populations quantified in peripheral blood samples. Expected nGMF components, CM3 and 0.19, as well as toxic gliadin-derived peptides were generated after sGI digestion. Rats fed with the nGEF showed higher concentrations of IFNγ, as well as expression levels of TLR-4 and the peroxisome proliferator activated receptor-α in duodenal samples than those animals fed with GEF. Rats fed with GEF showed higher expression levels of the endocannabinoid receptor-1 and an increased CD4(+)CD3(+)Foxp3(+) cell population. The data points out significant different cytotoxic and immunogenic potential of the nGEF when administered independently of the GEF to which are commonly associated. However, proinflammatory responses to nGMF are masked when present associated to gliadins.

There is no effective therapy for milk allergy. The role of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and probiotics in protection against allergy-related outcomes is still under investigation. The aim of the study was to evaluate the immunomodulative and therapeutic potential of yogurt drinks in cow&rsquo, s milk allergy (CMA) management. We compared immunoreactivity of &alpha, casein (&alpha, CN), &beta, casein (&beta, CN), &kappa, casein (&kappa, CN), &alpha, lactalbumin (&alpha, LA), and &beta, lactoglobulin (&beta, LG) in 27 yogurt drinks fermented with different basic yogurt cultures, or yogurt cultures enriched with Lactobacillus plantarum and/or Bifidobacterium lactis strains, by competitive ELISA assay. Drinks with the lowest antigenic potential were used as allergoids for CMA therapy. BALB/c mice were sensitized via intraperitoneal injection of &alpha, CN + &beta, LG mixture with aluminum adjuvant, and gavaged with increasing doses of selected low-immunogenic drinks (YM&mdash, basic, or YM-LB&mdash, enriched with L. plantarum and B. lactis) to induce tolerance. Milk- or phosphate-buffered saline (PBS)-dosed mice served as controls. Compared to milk, the immunoreactivity of proteins in drinks increased or decreased, depending on the bacterial sets applied for fermentation. Only a few sets acted synergistically in reducing immunoreactivity. The selected low-immunogenic drinks stimulated allergic mice for profiling Th2 to Th1 response and acquire tolerance, and the effect was greater with YM-LB drink, which during long-lasting interventional feeding strongly increased the secretion of regulatory cytokines, i.e., IL-10 and TGF-&beta, and IgA and decreased IL-4, IgE, and anti-(&alpha, LG) IgG1. The studies revealed variations in the potency of yogurt bacteria to change allergenicity of milk proteins and the need for their strict selection to obtain a safe product for allergy sufferers. The YM-LB drink with reduced antigenic potential may be a source of allergoids used in the immunotherapy of IgE mediated CMA, but further clinical or volunteer studies are required.

POLG2 associated disorders belong to the group of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) diseases and present with a heterogeneous clinical spectrum, various age of onset, and disease severity. We report a 39-year old female presenting with childhood-onset and progressive neuroophthalmic manifestation with optic atrophy, mixed polyneuropathy, spinal and cerebellar ataxia and generalized chorea associated with mtDNA depletion. Whole-exome sequencing identified an ultra-rare homozygous missense mutation located at Chr17: 062474101-C > A (p.Asp433Tyr) in nuclear POLG2 gene encoding PolγB, an accessory subunits of mitochondrial polymerase γ responsible for mtDNA replication. The healthy parents and 2 sisters of the patient were heterozygous for the variant. To our best knowledge, this is the first case of homozygous variant in the POLG2 gene resulting in mitochondrial depletion syndrome in an adult patient and its clinical manifestations extend the clinical spectrum of POLG2 associated diseases.

The role of specialization in diversification can be explored along two geological axes in the butterfly family Lycaenidae. In addition to variation in host-plant specialization normally exhibited by butterflies, the caterpillars of most Lycaenidae have symbioses with ants ranging from no interactions through to obligate and specific associations, increasing niche dimensionality in ant-associated taxa. Based on mitochondrial sequences from 8282 specimens from 967 species and 249 genera, we show that the degree of ecological specialization of lycaenid species is positively correlated with genetic divergence, haplotype diversity and an increase in isolation by distance. Nucleotide substitution rate is higher in carnivorous than phytophagous lycaenids. The effects documented here for both micro- and macroevolutionary processes could result from increased spatial segregation as a consequence of reduced connectivity in specialists, niche-based divergence or a combination of both. They could also provide an explanation for the extraordinary diversity of the Lycaenidae and, more generally, for diversity in groups of organisms with similar multi-dimensional ecological specialization.

At present, digital documentation recorded in the form of raster or vector files is the obligatory way of inventorying historical objects. Today, photogrammetry is becoming more and more popular and is becoming the standard of documentation in many projects involving the recording of all possible spatial data on landscape, architecture, or even single objects. Low-cost sensors allow for the creation of reliable and accurate three-dimensional models of investigated objects. This paper presents the results of a comparison between the outcomes obtained when using three sources of image: low-cost Xiaomi cameras, a full-frame camera (Canon 5D Mark II) and middle-frame camera (Hasselblad-Hd4). In order to check how the results obtained from the two sensors differ the following parameters were analysed: the accuracy of the orientation of the ground level photos on the control and check points, the distribution of appointed distortion in the self-calibration process, the flatness of the walls, the discrepancies between point clouds from the low-cost cameras and references data. The results presented below are a result of co-operation of researchers from three institutions: the Systems Research Institute PAS, The Department of Geodesy and Cartography at the Warsaw University of Technology and the National Museum in Warsaw.

Additional results from generalized linear mixed models and full Acknowledgements of all collectors.

Ecological data for species used in the analysis.

The paper presents the ongoing project conducted by an interdisciplinary team at the Bielinski Palace in Otwock Wielki, near Warsaw (Poland). The main aim of the project is to document the architecture and architectural elements with the use of digital methods such as photogrammetry and 3D scanning, as well as investigating the construction phases of the palace, through the analysis of the digital data collected.

Phylogenetic tree of the study species used for statistical correction of phylogenetic signal in all analyses and for analysis of substitution rate. This tree was created from species’ consensus barcode sequences using the programs “RAxML” through the “raxmlGUI v1.5b1” interface and “FigTree” (http://tree.bio.ed.ac.uk/software/figtree/). Node support is given as % bootstrap replications.

The sustainable development, understood as one in which the needs of the present generation should be met without compromising the ability to meet the needs of future generations, is one of the most important challenges of the modern world. Subsidies, especially those concerning regional aid, research and development or environment aid are one of the most important instruments of the sustainable development policy.

Background During the last few years, the correlation between mitochondrial disorders and autoimmune diseases has been reported. Autoimmune polyneuropathies were concomitant with symptoms related to the polymerase γ (POLG) mutations. POLG is involved in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) replication and maintenance. Material and methods We present a case of a16-year-old girl with W748S mutation of POLG region with a 1,5-year history of slowly progressive walking difficulties. Results In the neurological examination the girl had ataxic gait with sensory disturbances in lower extremities with areflexia. Nerve conduction studies (NCS) demonstrated axonal–demyelinating sensorimotor polyneuropathy of the lower limbs. Additionally, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the lumbar spine revealed gadolinium enhancement of the spinal roots and an examination of cerebrospinal fluid showed dissemination. The immunomodulatory treatment with intravenous methylprednisolone and intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) was started. Conclusions The IVIg and IVMP treatment led to marked improvement of her abnormal gait and improved resolution of abnormalities of touch, temperature sensation and improved proprioception. The W748S mutations were commonly reported and associated with variable phenotypes, most often Alpers syndrome, but also polyneuropathy. However, electrodiagnostic features and partial response to immunomodulatory therapy suggest the autoimmune etiology of the patients’ subacute symptoms. We hypothesize that oxidative stress caused by impaired mitochondria function may trigger an autoimmune response.

Ionic liquids (ILs), such as benzylimidazolium, alkylpyrrolidinium, alkylpyridinium and alkylpiperidinium salts, were applied to improve the degree of dispersion of vulcanization activator nanoparticles (zinc oxide) and silica filler in butadiene-styrene elastomer (SBR). In order to reduce the amount of zinc oxide in rubber products, nanosized zinc oxide was used instead of traditional microsized ZnO activator. It was found that the addition of ILs to rubber compounds allowed the formation of homogenous dispersion of nanoparticles in SBR, resulting in a shortened vulcanization time and decreased vulcanization temperature as well as increased crosslink density, thermal stability and resistance to UV ageing compared to traditional vulcanizates. Moreover, the amount of zinc oxide in rubber compounds was reduced by 60 % in comparison with reference samples containing micrometer-sized ZnO.

Of the four most diverse insect orders, Lepidoptera contains remarkably few predatory and parasitic species. Although species with these habits have evolved multiple times in moths and butterflies, they have rarely been associated with diversification. The wholly aphytophagous subfamily Miletinae (Lycaenidae) is an exception, consisting of nearly 190 species distributed primarily throughout the Old World tropics and subtropics. Most miletines eat Hemiptera, although some consume ant brood or are fed by ant trophallaxis. A well-resolved phylogeny inferred using 4915 bp from seven markers sampled from representatives of all genera and nearly one-third the described species was used to examine the biogeography and evolution of biotic associations in this group. Biogeographic analyses indicate that Miletinae likely diverged from an African ancestor near the start of the Eocene, and four lineages dispersed between Africa and Asia. Phylogenetic constraint in prey selection is apparent at two levels: related miletine species are more likely to feed on related Hemiptera, and related miletines are more likely to associate with related ants, either directly by eating the ants, or indirectly by eating hemipteran prey that are attended by those ants. These results suggest that adaptations for host ant location by ovipositing female miletines may have been retained from phytophagous ancestors that associated with ants mutualistically.

The antioxidant activity of the crude extract (60% ethanol) from the leaves of Desmodium adscendens (Sw.) DC. (Fabaceae) was observed in DPPH, xanthine/xanthine oxidase, lipid peroxydation and neutrophils burst tests. Further activity-guided fractionation on C18 column (water, 20% methanol, 50% methanol and 100% methanol) resulted in the separation of the fraction (50% methanol) with the highest antioxidant capacity. HPLC-DAD analysis of biologically active fraction revealed the presence of two pairs of flavonoid isomers as the dominant constituents. Those compounds were isolated and purified by multi-step liquid column chromatography (Sephadex LH20). Their structures were elucidated by various spectroscopic techniques, including NMR, UV and MS. Based on 1D and 2D NMR spectra as well as ion fragmentation, flavonoids were identified as: isovitexin 2''-O-xyloside (1), vitexin 2''-O-xyloside (2), vitexin (3) and isovitexin (4). The hybrid HSQC-DEPT technique provided very fast determination of the glycosylation positions in aglycone and the type of glycosidic bond in the flavonoid isomers. This study provides novel information concerning identity of the major compounds present in the leaves of D. adscendens cultivated in Ghana, which broadens the knowledge about anti-inflammatory, antiallergic and antioxidant properties of their extracts.

Objectives: The Generalized Problematic Internet Use Scale-2 (GPIUS-2) is a short self-report questionnaire assessing Internet addiction based on a cognitive behavioral model. Our main goal was to evaluate the psychometric properties of its French version among a sample of students and to appraise the relevance of the generalized problematic Internet use model.\ud \ud Methods: A sample of 563 university students aged between 18 and 35 years (M = 20.8; SD = 2.7) completed several online self-report questionnaires including the GPIUS-2, the Internet Addiction Test (IAT) and the Center for Epidemiologic Study-Depression scale (CES-D).\ud \ud Results: Confirmatory Factorial Analyses revealed a poor but acceptable overall fit for the original five-factor model and the original four-factor model. Path analyses, testing Structural Equation Modeling provided showed a poor fit to the data, suggesting insufficient construct validity. Convergent and concurrent validities analyzed through correlational analyses revealed significant relationships between the GPIUS-2, its factors, the IAT, time spent online and the CES-D.\ud \ud Conclusions: This research highlights the insufficient psychometric properties of the GPIUS-2 in a French sample, similar to previous results. However, this French version appears to be a useful multidimensional tool for assessing problematic Internet use among students, and reveals promise for future research and clinical applications of the measure, given its solid theoretical basis and despite the results of this psychometric study.