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Objectives: This study aims to measure, at two time points, the relationship between self-perceived global stress and the personality traits of the mothers of children who have central auditory processing disorder (APD) and compare it with the results from mothers of typically developing (TD) children. The comparisons were made before the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as late in the pandemic. Methods: The level of stress was assessed using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), while the Short Big Five Markers (IPIP-BFM-20) were used to assess Big Five personality traits. The study used two independent samples: one evaluated before the COVID-19 pandemic and the other late in the pandemic. Each sample consisted of 108 mothers of children with APD and 79 mothers whose children did not have APD (TD children) as controls. Results: The average global stress levels were similar in mothers of children with APD and in mothers of TD children, both before and in the late stage of the COVID-19 pandemic. During the late stage, both sets of mothers scored similarly on all personality dimensions, but significantly, mothers of TD children exhibited lower emotional stability compared to during the pre-pandemic period. In both groups, emotional stability predicted global stress level at both time points; however, during the pandemic, conscientiousness also became a predictor of global stress level but only in the group of mothers of TD children. Conclusions: Mothers of APD children might be more resistant to additional stressors. It would be prudent to watch mothers of APD and TD children for signs of needing psychological intervention.

This study looked at the possible effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on individuals who came to our clinic seeking relief from tinnitus. The performance of the subjects during the COVID-19 pandemic was compared with similar individuals who came to our clinic before the pandemic began. The study involved 50 adults with chronic tinnitus, made up of a study group (24 subjects tested during the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020–2021) and a control group before the pandemic began (26 subjects tested from 2013 to 2017). None of the 24 reported having contracted COVID-19. Data collection involved the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) questionnaire, audiological tests, and quantitative electroencephalography (qEEG). In terms of THI scores, there were no statistically significant differences between the two groups. However, with regard to qEEG, some changes were observed, with significant decreases in alpha and beta band activity in the study group compared to the control group, particularly over the auditory cortex. We conclude that COVID-19 did not have a discernible impact on the general well-being of individuals with tinnitus. However, it did appear to alter brain activity, specifically in the alpha and beta bands over the auditory cortex, and these reults warrant further investigation.

Sztuczna inteligencja wchodzi do codziennego życia i staje się nieodzownym narzędziem rozwoju w wielu obszarach życia prywatnego, zawodowego i gospodarczego. W tym sensie jednym z sektorów, w których AI może wywrzeć istotny wpływ, jest sektor ochrony środowiska. AI to dziedzina informatyki zajmująca się tworzeniem programów i systemów, które wykazują pewien stopień inteligencji, takich jak rozpoznawanie obrazów, rozumienie języka naturalnego, planowanie, podejmowanie decyzji czy uczenie się na podstawie doświadczenia. Sztuczna inteligencja wykorzystuje m.in. technologie typu sieci neuronowe, uczenie maszynowe, przetwarzanie języka naturalnego, robotykę czy grafikę komputerową. Konieczne jest ustanowienie ram prawnych regulujących wykorzystanie sztucznej inteligencji w różnych dziedzinach, takich jak medycyna, przemysł, transport, bezpieczeństwo, administracja publiczna czy rynek finansowy. Celem prawa sztucznej inteligencji jest zapewnienie bezpieczeństwa, etyki i zgodności z obowiązującymi przepisami w zastosowaniach sztucznej inteligencji, a także ochrona prywatności i praw konsumentów. W szczególności chodzi o te aspekty, które mają wpływ na przejrzystość cyfrową i neutralne algorytmy. Sztuczną inteligencję można wykorzystać także w ochronie środowiska. Konieczna jest również analiza regulacji prawnych w tym zakresie, które będą miały na celu wsparcie procesu ograniczenia negatywnego wpływu działalności człowieka na ekosystemy. AI może być wykorzystywana do przewidywania skutków zmian klimatycznych, monitorowania i ochrony różnych ekosystemów, optymalizacji zużycia energii czy redukcji emisji szkodliwych substancji. W ramach prawa sztucznej inteligencji w ochronie środowiska, oprócz zapewnienia zgodności z obowiązującymi przepisami, mogą być wprowadzone specjalne regulacje dotyczące wykorzystania AI, takie jak obowiązek stosowania AI w procesie oceny wpływu na środowisko przed rozpoczęciem nowych projektów przemysłowych lub wymóg monitorowania emisji gazów cieplarnianych przez duże przedsiębiorstwa przy użyciu zaawansowanych systemów AI.

The development of new information and communication technologies affects economic development. E-services, along with the accompanying social changes, are being implemented in almost every area of human life, and the development of information and communication technologies makes it possible to employ a number of new instruments in its various spheres (e-banking, e-commerce, e-education, etc.). Currently, the information space in the context of the provision and use of e-services includes consumers and entrepreneurs although it assigns them different rights and obligations in this area. It seems necessary to assess the impact of the implementation by entrepreneurs of obligations related to the provision of e-services and their impact on the economy and on consumer safety in online trade. Legal changes concerning the obligations imposed on entrepreneurs in that field appear periodically in response to new threats related to dynamic technological development.The publication is devoted to an analysis of the provision of on-line services and an assessment of the law, in particular with regard to fulfilling information obligations with respect to consumers in cyberspace.

ObjectivesThe study aimed at determining the EEG correlates of concentration on either low or high-distressed tinnitus.MethodsSixty-seven patients (36 women, mean age = 50.34 ± 12.94 years) with chronic tinnitus were assigned to either a high (HD) or low (LD) tinnitus-related distress group based on THI results. All participants took part in the EEG study comprising two 3-4 min blocks of focusing on either tinnitus (Tinnitus Focus Condition, TFC) or the sensations from one's own body (Body Focus Condition, BFC). The absolute power and current density of 8 frequency bands in 7 clusters were compared between conditions and groups.ResultsThe most pronounced differences were found in the HD patients in the TFC, relative to the BFC, i.e. reduced power of frontally distributed low alpha (8-10 Hz) and posterior high alpha (10-12 Hz) as well as lower current density of 8-10 Hz rhythm over the right frontal/anterior cingulate cortex and higher middle beta (15-18 Hz) density in the precuneus. The HD, relative to LD patients, in both conditions, exhibited increased low beta (12-15 Hz) power over the left middle area and greater higher beta (15-25 Hz) power in the left posterior region.ConclusionsThe present study contrasted bioelectrical activity, acquired when concentrating on tinnitus with EEG data collected whilst patients focused on their body. Decreased alpha power and current density in the frontal/cingulate cortex when listening to bothersome tinnitus might reflect greater cortical arousal whereas increased beta power and density in the precuneus/posterior cingulate activity in this condition could be indicative for elevated tension or augmented cognitive/emotional processing of tinnitus sound. Enhanced beta rhythm in patients with high versus low tinnitus distress, observed independently of the study condition, may be due to greater self-focused attention or more active processing of sensations derived from the own body.

The article John Crowley’s “Engine Summer”: A Postmodern Vision of the Processual Construction of Identity analyses the eponymous novel as pivoted around the narrative’s role in constructing both individual and collective identity. Drawing from Mieke Bal’s narrative theory, as well as a number of establi­shed (such as paratextuality) and emerging theoretical concepts (Piotr Kubiński’s emersion), Gancarczyk emphasises the multifacetedness of novelistic references, including the stereotypisation of the Other and top-down control of social relationships. Furthermore, Engine Summer is interpreted he­re as drawing the reader’s attention to the medium itself and to the embodied text which co-creates narrative identity, allowing for its inscription and transmission—an idea literally realised in a postapocalyptic world of the novel. Finally, Gancarczyk shows how Campbell’s concept of monomyth reverberates in Crowley’s narrative, proving pivotal for the overall interpretation, indicating the active role of the medium and narrative subjectivity in constructing the meaning.

Rynek usług zdrowotnych w ostatnich latach rozwija się dynamicznie, dlatego też istnieje potrzeba zwrócenia uwagi na pojawiające się zagrożenia. Konsument, który umiejętnie będzie identyfikował charakter usług zdrowotnych może skutecznie dochodzić swoich praw, tym bardziej, że liczba podmiotów wykonujących działalność leczniczą wciąż rośnie. Problematyka bezpieczeństwa prawnego konsumentów-pacjentów jest obszerna i złożona. Artykuł ma na celu przybliżenie zagadnień związanych z prawami pacjenta jako konsumenta i możliwością dochodzenia przez niego roszczeń w świetle przyjętej ustawy o prawach konsumenta.

In this study, we showed an abnormal resting-state quantitative electroencephalogram (QEEG) pattern in children with central auditory processing disorder (CAPD). Twenty-seven children (16 male, 11 female; mean age = 10.7 years) with CAPD and no symptoms of other developmental disorders, as well as 23 age- and sex-matched, typically developing children (TDC, 11 male, 13 female; mean age = 11.8 years) underwent examination of central auditory processes (CAPs) and QEEG evaluation consisting of two randomly presented blocks of “Eyes Open” (EO) or “Eyes Closed” (EC) recordings. Significant correlations between individual frequency band powers and CAP tests performance were found. The QEEG studies revealed that in CAPD relative to TDC there was no effect of decreased delta absolute power (1.5–4 Hz) in EO compared to the EC condition. Furthermore, children with CAPD showed increased theta power (4–8 Hz) in the frontal area, a tendency toward elevated theta power in EO block, and reduced low-frequency beta power (12–15 Hz) in the bilateral occipital and the left temporo-occipital regions for both EO and EC conditions. Decreased middle-frequency beta power (15–18 Hz) in children with CAPD was observed only in the EC block. The findings of the present study suggest that QEEG could be an adequate tool to discriminate children with CAPD from normally developing children. Correlation analysis shows relationship between the individual EEG resting frequency bands and the CAPs. Increased power of slow waves and decreased power of fast rhythms could indicate abnormal functioning (hypoarousal of the cortex and/or an immaturity) of brain areas not specialized in auditory information processing.

Riparian zones in two rivers in southern Poland were studied in terms of species composition and soil parameters in patches dominated by three knotweed taxa (Fallopia japonica, F. sachalinensis and the hybrid F. ×bohemica). The main purpose was to detect any differences in species diversity, environmental conditions and in the impact of the three Fallopia spp. on resident species. Fieldwork was conducted in spring and summer in 30 invaded plots (in total 90 subplots). It was demonstrated that vegetation dominated by particular knotweed taxa differed in response to soil pH and ammonium, nitrate, and magnesium content. Fallopia spp. (living plants and necromass) had a stronger negative impact on the cover and species diversity of the resident species in summer in comparison with spring. Vegetation patches differed significantly in species composition in relation to the knotweed taxa present. These differences may be the consequence of the differentiated biotopic requirements of Fallopia taxa and the coexisting plants, or to the different impact of the knotweed taxa on the resident species.

The knotweed taxa Fallopia japonica, F. sachalinensis and their interspecific hybrid F. × bohemica are some of the most aggressive invaders in Europe and North America and they are serious threats to native biodiversity. At the same time, they constitute a unique model system for the creation of hybrids and studies of the initiation of evolutionary processes. In the presented study, we focused on (i) examining genetic diversity in selected populations of three Fallopia taxa in the invaded (Poland) and native ranges (Japan), (ii) establishing genome size and ploidy levels and (iii) identifying ribosomal DNA (rDNA)-bearing chromosomes in all of the taxa from the invaded range. We found that the genetic diversity within particular taxa was generally low regardless of their geographical origin. A higher level of clonality was observed for the Polish populations compared to the Japanese populations. Our study suggests that the co-occurrence of F. sachalinensis together with the other two taxa in the same stand may be the source of the higher genetic variation within the F. × bohemica hybrid. Some shift towards the contribution of F. japonica alleles was also observed for selected F. × bohemica individuals, which indicates the possibility of producing more advanced generations of F. × bohemica hybrids. All of the F. sachalinensis individuals were hexaploid (2n = 6x = 66; 2C = 6.01 pg), while those of F. japonica were mostly octoploid (2n = 8x = 88; 2C = 8.87 pg) and all of the F. × bohemica plants except one were hexaploid (2n = 6x = 66; 2C = 6.46 pg). Within the chromosome complement of F. japonica, F. sachalinensis and F. × bohemica, the physical mapping of the rDNA loci provided markers for 16, 13 and 10 chromosomes, respectively. In F. × bohemica, a loss of some of rDNA loci was observed, which indicates the occurrence of genome changes in the hybrid.