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Introduction Social networking sites such as Instagram have provided young people with unprecedented opportunities for social comparison, and such behaviour can have implications for identity development. Although initial evidence suggests that there may be developmental differences in terms of how such behaviour informs identity development during adolescence and emerging adulthood, all previous research has been conducted in highly individualistic cultural contexts (i.e., the UK and the US). Method To shed further light on these possible developmental differences and to determine whether results replicate amongst young people from more collectivist cultural contexts, cross‐sectional survey data were collected from 1,085 (M age = 18.87, SD = 2.57; Female = 77.8%) adolescents and emerging adults in Romania and Serbia between December 2019 and March 2020. The relationships between social comparisons of ability and opinion on Instagram and three key identity processes (i.e., commitment, in‐depth exploration, and reconsideration of commitment) were then examined. Result Hierarchical multiple regression analyses identified significant age differences in terms of how social comparisons of ability and opinion on Instagram associated with identity commitment and in‐depth exploration. Furthermore, possible cultural differences were identified in terms of how social comparisons of opinion on Instagram associated with the identity processes. Conclusion Overall, results suggest that whilst social comparisons on Instagram can elicit self‐focus and prompt further exploration, developmental and cultural factors may influence how such behaviour informs identity development during adolescence and emerging adulthood.

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Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a globally distributed environmental bacterium, which is also a significant opportunistic pathogen of humans, animals and plants. It is considered that wide distribution of this bacterium is connected with its most significant constitutive property to form biofilms, and that this multicellular mode of growth, predominant in nature, serves as a protective mechanism against unfavourable environmental conditions. The work presented here examines the phenotypic diversity of Pseudomonas aeruginosa environmental isolates with respect to biofilm production capacity under different environmental conditions (temperature, pH, NaCl), production of virulence factors, and motility. The purpose of this work is to present the production of two quorum sensing-regulated virulence factors (rhamnolipids and pyocyanin), explore different motility tests (swimming, swarming and twitching) and discover potential relationship between assessed phenotypic features. Obtained results delineate environmental conditions coinciding with biofilm production and suggest a high correlation between rhamnolipid production levels and biofilm formation. Rhamnolipids affect motility competence, yet only the flagellum-mediated swimming motility has significant impact on the biofilm formation potential. Although it is challenging to demarcate a definitive, clear correlation between parameters tested, rhamnolipid content appears to serve as a link between the tested phenotypic factors.