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New, structurally enhanced triferrocenylsumanenes were synthesized comprehensively characterized spectroscopically, and their supramolecular interactions with caesium cations were investigated spectroscopically and electrochemically.

Capture single-stranded DNA with an attached alkanethiol linking moiety (capture HS-ssDNA) and 6-mercaptohexan-1-ol were chemisorbed on nanostructured GaN covered with sputtered layers of plasmonic metals (like silver and gold). The structure of the formed layer was determined by surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) measurements. Hybridization with the target ssDNA, complementary to the chains of immobilized capture HS-ssDNA, induced changes in the conformation of the chains of chemisorbed ω-substituted alkanetiols (6-mercaptohexan-1-ol and the alkanethiol linking moiety of HS-ssDNA). Such changes are significantly larger in the case of experiments on silver than on gold and gold/silver SERS substrates. This means that silver substrates are significantly more promising for the SERS observation of such hybridization-induced rearrangements than the gold substrates previously used. Although the sputtered metal films have a nanograin structure, the nanostructuring of the GaN substrates plays an important role in the SERS-activity of this nanomaterial.

The main aim of the study was to identify the image of gender equality in Polish primary school textbooks. A thematic analysis of textbook content with elements of constant comparison method was carried out based on the six domains of the Gender Equality Index: work, money, knowledge, time power, and health. A total of 56 textbooks (32 Polish language textbooks and workbooks and 24 mathematics textbooks and workbooks) for primary school grades seven and eight were analysed. The content of the analysed textbooks seems to reflect the findings of the Gender Equality Index (GEI) regarding the Polish social reality and points to large gender polarisation and gender inequalities, in favour of men. The results are discussed based on theories of cultural understanding of gender and gender roles, as well as similar findings from other educational content studies.

This study provides an empirical test of the relationship between creative potential, mating, and reproductive success in a sample using natural methods of fertility control: the Meru tribe living ...

For decades, creativity scholars have been interested in exploring the relationship between creativity and learning. Much of the empirical work in this area has focused on examining correla...

This article analyses the representation of femininity in school textbooks in search of elements that discourage girls from taking up scientific educational paths. Quantitative content analysis and elements of the constant comparison method were used to examine the content of 75 Polish textbooks. Significant differences were identified in the number of male and female characters, their ages, financial resources, occupations, family roles and mental characteristics. Interestingly, the authors of the analysed textbooks are mostly women, which seems to indicate a manifestation of self-discrimination. These results indicate the existence of mechanisms discouraging females from a scientific career and are discussed in light of Hofstede’s masculinity-femininity theory.

In this study, we developed novel, simple gravimetric and voltammetric sensors for the ultrasensitive detection of active matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 in plasma. The developed sensors are cost-effective, require a very less amount of reagents, and are time-saving. They detect MMP-2 based on antigen-antibody recognition and its ability to cleave glycine-leucine peptide bond. The three-dimensional bioplatform of the sensors consisted of a cationic polyethyleneimine (PEI) polymer that facilitated robust immobilization of the dipeptide labeled with anthraquinone (AQ), or antibody molecules in appropriate density, which was crucial for biosensing. Detection was performed using quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation and voltammetry. The results showed that the developed sensors were characterized by high stability, wide analytical range (2.0 pg mL

Studies over the last decade have shown that matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) play a key role in the growth and metastasis of cancer. This zinc-dependent family of endopeptidases is crucial for the degradation of extracellular matrix (ECM), as well as serves as important ECM transducers which have been recognized as early biomarkers for both cancer diagnosis and treatment. In this study, we designed a new type of voltammetric biosensor, composed of a glycine-methionine dipeptide conjugated covalently to ferrocene (Gly-Met-Fc), for fast and ultrasensitive detection of the active form of MMP-9 in plasma samples. The detection was based on specific enzymatic cleavage of the Gly-Met peptide bond, which was monitored by voltammetry and gravimetry measurements. The ferrocene units act as voltammetric visualizers for the detection process. The cysteamine layer directly anchored to the gold surface ensured that the packing density of Gly-Met-Fc in the receptor layer was appropriate for the sensitive detection of MMP-9 in its active form. The developed biosensor was characterized by the widest analytical range (2.0·10−6 - 5.0 μg⋅mL−1) and low detection limit (0.04 pg⋅mL−1). Another valuable feature of the proposed biosensor is that it can be applied directly to the plasma samples without any additional preparation step and thus speeds up the analysis.

This article explores how creative visual imagination and creative thinking can help children to construct mental models of space. A mixed-method study, integrating quantitative and qualitative app...

The aim of the study was to analyze creativity profiles and understanding of creativity in Poland and Japan. The study included 597 participants (233 Polish and 364 Japanese). Qualitative and quantitative analyses were carried out (mixed method). We identified the existence of five different creativity profiles and ten categories for defining creativity, with significant differences in frequency between the two countries. The obtained results are discussed from the perspective of intercultural differences and the individualism / collectivism theory (Hofstede, 1983).

How might researchers better understand the variations in creative learning in and across classrooms? This article addresses this question. We introduce a multi-method approach that we used to explore the more dynamic features of creative learning in ten elementary classrooms. The ten classrooms were first classified into one of three groups (positive, negative, and null), based on the relationship between students’ (N = 204) measured creativity and academic achievement (average positive r = 0.52; average negative r = −0.23; and average null r = 0.02). Next, we analyzed observed teacher and student behaviors in each classroom. We found different patterns of behavior based on classroom classifications. Teachers in classrooms with a positive association between creativity and academic achievement tended to demonstrate more caring behaviors toward students and to provide more emotional support to students. We also found that teacher behaviors associated with encouraging creativity in the classroom were associated with students’ positive engagement, self-expression, and ideation (regardless of classroom type). Finally, we used a micro-level interactional analysis to visually illustrate patterns of interactions between teachers and students in three different classroom classifications. We found more extended and exploratory interactions in the positive association classroom, whereas the negative association classroom was characterized by more directive and rapidly closing patterns of interaction and the null association classroom tended to have patterns of interaction that left students’ ideas suspended and lacked exploration, development or refinement of ideas. We close by discussing how the use of blended methodologies, like the one demonstrated in this article, can be further refined and developed in subsequent research to explore and understand the more dynamic features of creative thought and action in classroom settings.

Although gender differences do not usually exist when it comes to creative potential, males do exhibit a higher variability of creative ability: the effect that may result in more males than females having both very low and very high creative potential. Two studies examined the greater male variability in creativity hypothesis (GMVC): a cross-sequential investigation conducted on a sample of children (4–7 years old; N = 351) over the span of two years and a cross-sectional study conducted on a sample diverse in age (6–46 years old; N = 3594). In both studies, the Test of Creative Thinking-Drawing Production (TCT-DP; Urban & Jellen, 1996) was used, but unlike previous research, data were analyzed using the latent variables approach: latent growth curve modeling (Study 1) and exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses (Study 2). Greater male variability of creative ability was found across studies and age groups, but while this pattern was characteristic for some aspects of creative ability (originality and unconventionality), higher female variability was observed in the case of the other aspects (adaptiveness).

Recent studies in creativity literature have demonstrated higher variability of creative ability between males and females, despite the lack of systematic sex differences in average scores on creativity tests. However, little is known about the causes of this variability and its generalizability beyond industrialized societies. This study presents the first evidence of the greater male variability in a sample of nonindustrialized, traditional Meru people residing in Kenya, Africa. The effect size of this difference was even greater than that reported in the majority of studies conducted on industrialized populations. Implications of these findings are discussed.

The aim of this study is the analysis of creativity changes across life, particularly the widely discussed crisis periods in the development of creative abilities. A large and diversified sample of Poles (N = 4898 aged from 4 to 21 years), at each educational stage of the Polish education system, from pre-schoolers, through primary school students, middle-school students, secondary-school students and finally university students completed the Test for Creative Thinking – Drawing Production. The observed changes showed a nonlinear pattern in the development of creativity with diverse declines and increases in creative abilities. These trends are different for each of the assessment criteria of the TCT-DP and at least three different trajectories were identified. The adolescent slump was confirmed for three of the 14 assessment criteria as well as the total TCT-DP score. What was not noted however was: a slump caused by entry into formal schooling, (age 6 vs 7), 4th grade slump, (age 9 vs 10) and 6th grade slump (age 11 vs 12). We discuss possible reasons for and consequences of the findings.

This article extends the previous studies on the relationship between intelligence and creativity by providing a new methodology and an empirical test of the hypothesis that intelligence is a necessary condition for creativity. Unlike the classic threshold hypothesis, which assumes the existence of a curvilinear relationship between intelligence and creativity, the Necessary Condition Analysis (Dul, 2016) focuses on and quantifies the overall shape of the relationship between intelligence and creativity. In eight studies (total N = 12,255), using different measures of intelligence and creativity, we observed a consistent pattern that supports the necessary-but-not-sufficient relationship between these two constructs. We conclude that although evidence concerning the threshold hypothesis on the creativity–intelligence relationship is mixed, the “necessary condition hypothesis” is clearly corroborated by the results of appropriate tests.

This article examines the relationship between creative abilities and school achievement as measured by using both standardized achievement tests and GPA in Polish primary, middle and high school students. A total of 1106 students were examined (242 lower primary school, 155 upper primary school, 448 middle school and 261 high school students). Multilevel regression models demonstrated the positive, yet weak relationship between school achievement and creativity. There was also evidence that this relationship differed depending upon educational stage and which school achievement measure was used, with a stronger relationship existing with achievement tests than for GPA. Intelligence and motivation served as other moderators.

Does an increase in creative thinking or imagination make people more sensitive toward others? To answer this question, this paper re-analyses data collected by Dziedziewicz et al. (2014) , who developed a creativity training oriented toward the development of intercultural competencies and creative abilities of school children. While the original study has shown that the intervention was effective in increasing both creative abilities and intercultural competencies, little is known about the exact mechanism of this influence. In this re-analysis, based on the raw data from the original study, we tested two empirical models. The first hypothesized that the increase in creativity mediated the effect of the training on intercultural sensitivity, and the second examined the mediating effect of the growth of intercultural sensitivity on creative abilities. While both models demonstrated mediation effects, the increase in creative abilities – specifically originality of thinking and creative imagination – fully mediated the effect of the group (control versus experimental) on the increase in intercultural sensitivity. We discuss theoretical and practical implications of these findings.

Socialization in a specific social group can influence the perception of various aspects of human life, such as creativity – the engine of intellectual and economic development. This chapter addresses various issues related to understanding creativity in different societies based on an empirical study with Polish and Japanese prospective teachers – members of two different societies that are also culturally different. The study was designed to understand how creativity is perceived in two different cultures, Polish and Japanese. It was conducted with 724 participants, 478 students of education studies from Japan and 246 from Poland. Participants were asked to complete two questionnaires identifying their creative mindsets and attitudes towards creativity, particularly its role in education. The results are discussed with regard to cross-cultural research and differences in socialization.

Kreatywnośc osob z niepelnosprawnością intelektualną - proba syntezy teoretycznej i empirycznej

An intervention study examined the effectiveness of the Creativity Compass program, which aimed to develop intercultural competences and creativity in children. One hundred and twenty-two children aged 8–12 years old took part in the intervention. The results indicated that the program was highly effective in stimulating creative abilities and moderately effective in developing intercultural skills. These results provide evidence that effective stimulation and development of both creative abilities and intercultural skills is possible and may provide a way of preparing children for life in a globalized and multicultural world.

Temperature responsive or bactericidal coatings with poly(n-butyl methacrylate) (PBMA) as bulk material and surface segregated poly(n-butyl acrylate)-block-poly-(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PBA-b-PNIPAAm) or poly(n-butyl acrylate)-block-quaternized poly(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate) (PBA-b-PDMAEMAq) as additive were prepared via sequential solvent evaporation of polymer solutions in a solvent mixture. The degree of enrichment at the air surface of the coating and the functionality were examined for different molecular weight additives with different block ratios obtained via Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization (ATRP). The design of the block copolymers with an anchor block (PBA) which is compatible with the bulk polymer (PBMA) and water-compatible functional blocks (PNIPAAm and PDMAEMAq) along with the selection of suited solvent mixtures based on pre-estimation of the selective solubility and sequential evaporation via the Hansen solubility parameters and vapor pressures, respectively, were found to work very well. A small fraction of water in the solvent mixture had been crucial to obtain surface segregation of the functional block, e.g., a PNIPAAm surface with temperature-switchable wettability. Reversible temperature dependent wettability and long term stability of the functionalization, based on contact angle data, were obtained for an optimized PBA-b-PNIPAAm additive. Surface charge density, estimated from dye binding and zeta potential measurements, and killing efficiency against Staphylococcus aureus were investigated for PBA-b-PDMAEMAq as additive. Both block copolymer additives were found to dominate the surface properties and the functionality of the PBMA coating.

It is the second decade of the twenty-first century, and since the end of World War II, the world has not seen a single day of peace. We are writing this chapter bearing in mind fresh media reports on a tragic massacre that took place in Nairobi, we observe the unrest in Egypt with concern, and every day we are being fed with new images of violence flowing straight from a lack of tolerance. The level of cruelty that people inflict on each other is striking, especially when we think about the extent of creative acts that humans are able to perform. On the one hand, people constantly develop their own culture, civilization and themselves, however on the other hand, they can ruthlessly destroy everything.