Metropolitan bicycle-sharing system in the Polish context of various needs of cities, towns, and villages

Bicycle-sharing systems (BSSs) have started to play an important role in the transport systems of cities worldwide as a sustainable alternative to the dominant motorised mobility culture. BSSs have also expanded over time to include regions and metropolitan areas as well as small towns and rural areas. The purpose of this paper is to identify and compare the goals of connecting individual communes in a metropolitan area to a metropolitan bicycle system. The authors applied a case study of the MEVO metropolitan bicycle system consisting of electrically assisted bicycles, introduced in 2019 in 14 communes of the Gdańsk-Gdynia-Sopot Metropolitan Area (GGSMA) in Poland. The study used GGSMA-designated metropolitan zoning to group the goals pursued by the participants when joining the project. This paper is the first to identify the goals that inclined small towns and rural areas to accede to the BSS. The results show that the largest cities in the metropolis that make up its core count on bike sharing to solve the problems of congested city centres, while small towns and rural areas see the BSS as an opportunity to improve the quality of life of the inhabitants, as the first mode of public transport, as an opportunity to be closer and more identified with the metropolitan core, and as a chance to develop tourism and recreation.Bicycle-sharing systems (BSSs) have started to play an important role in the transport systems of cities worldwide as a sustainable alternative to the dominant motorised mobility culture. BSSs have also expanded over time to include regions and metropolitan areas as well as small towns and rural areas. The purpose of this paper is to identify and compare the goals of connecting individual communes in a metropolitan area to a metropolitan bicycle system. The authors applied a case study of the MEVO metropolitan bicycle system consisting of electrically assisted bicycles, introduced in 2019 in 14 communes of the Gdańsk[1]Gdynia-Sopot Metropolitan Area (GGSMA) in Poland. The study used GGSMA[1]designated metropolitan zoning to group the goals pursued by the participants when joining the project. This paper is the first to identify the goals that inclined small towns and rural areas to accede to the BSS. The results show that the largest cities in the metropolis that make up its core count on bike sharing to solve the problems of congested city centres, while small towns and rural areas see the BSS as an opportunity to improve the quality of life of the inhabitants, as the first mode of public transport, as an opportunity to be closer and more identified with the metropolitan core, and as a chance to develop tourism and recreation

Studenci a rzeczywistość społeczno-polityczna kraju

W artykule przedstawiono wyniki badań przeprowadzonych wśród studentów trzech uczelni wyższych Trójmiasta (Akademii Morskiej, Pomorskiej Wyższej Szkoły Humanistycznej, Ateneum Szkoły Wyższej) na temat stosunku do bezpieczeństwa, postaw społeczno-politycznych oraz zagrożeń zachodzących w ich otoczeniu. Ukazano zróżnicowanie ich zaangażowania na rzecz kapitału społecznego. Sformułowano tezę, że utrzymywanie możliwie wysokich jakości zasobów ludzkich, gotowych do działań w sytuacjach kryzysowych i radzenia sobie z zagrożeniami, implikuje zwiększone zaangażowanie w proces edukacji i popularyzacji bezpieczeństwa w szkołach, uczelniach wyższych, mediach, administracji samorządowej i rządowej oraz służbach rutynowych.The article presents the results of as survey conducted among students of three universities in the Tri-City (Gdynia Maritime University, Gdańsk Higher School of Humanities, Ateneum - University in Gdańsk) concerning their attitude to security, social and political attitudes, and threats present in their environment. The different levels of students' contribution to social capital are shown and a theory is formed that the maintenance of high quality potential of human resources, ready to action in crisis situations with high coping strategies implies increased involvement in the educational process and in promotion of security in schools, universities, the media, local and central governments, and special services.В статье представлены результаты исследований, проведённых среди студентов трёх высших учебных заведений Гданьска, Сопота и Гдыни (Морская академии, Поморская высшая гуманитарная школа, Атенеум высшей школы), на тему отношения к безопасности, общественно-политических взглядов и опасностей, имеющих место в их окружении. Указано дифференциацию подхода студентов к общественному капиталу. Сформулировано тезис, что владение высококачественными человеческими ресурсами, готовыми к действиям в кризисных и опасных ситуациях, имеет непосредственное влияние на активное участие в образовательном процессе и действиях направленных на повышение безопасности, школ, высших учебных заведений, средств массовой информации, самоуправленческой и правительственной администрации и других служб

Body mass distributions along successional gradients in epigeic carabid beetle fauna (Coleoptera: Carabidae)

Background and purpose: Body mass distributions may be related to the stage of succession of a habitat and provide with information for assessing successional processes. Therefore, body mass distributions of carabid assemblages were studied in three research areas, which were post-industrial areas near the city of Bełchatów (Central Poland) planted with different tree and shrub species, moist and wet forest stands in the Puszcza Knyszyńska forest (Northeastern Poland), and beech stands in the Ruhr valley (Western Germany) in order to analyze the changes in body mass distributions within single assemblages along successional gradients.   Materials and Methods: For each carabid assemblage, the mean individual biomass (MIB) as well as MIB standard deviation (SD) and coefficient of variation (CV) were calculated. SD and CV were plotted against the age of study sites and MIB values, respectively. Analyses of Covariance (ANCOVA) were carried out with SD and CV as dependent variables and the age of study sites and MIB as covariates.   Results: SD was low at young stages of succession, but increased rapidly and plateaued at advanced stages in beech but not in wet forest stands. Accordingly, CV was low at very young stages of succession, showing a rapid increase and subsequent decrease in the beech stands, whereas in the wet stands it stayed on a constant level. ANCOVA revealed significant differences in SD and CV between the research areas and significant changes with age or MIB, but, with the exception of CV as dependent variable and MIB as covariate, interactions were also significant.   Conclusions: The results of the study suggest that data on body mass distributions within single carabid assemblages may be useful in the assessment and comparison of successional stages and processes between different habitat types.</p

WPŁYW SPOŻYCIA WYBRANYCH SKŁADNIKÓW POKARMOWYCH NA WYSTĘPOWANIE I PRZEBIEG DEPRESJI

Depression is a disease characterized by both mental and somatic disorders. The 21st century turned out to be the time when depression became a real health threat not only to individuals but also to entire societies. There are many theories pointing to the causes of depression, but these immediate causes are still not definitively clear. Equivalent importance of neuroanatomical and psycho-social factors is indicated. Among the theories considered so far, there are biological, hormonal, neurotransmitter-related, describing the malfunctions of the limbic system and hypothalamus, psychological theories. The studies conducted so far show that psychosocial factors play an extremely important role in the etiology of depression. Symptoms of depression are very complex and multifaceted, and may vary in severity. As a result of studies on the risk factors for depression, a relationship between the deficiency of individual nutrients and the manifestation of depressive disorders has been shown. The aim of the study is to present the influence of particular nutrients on the occurrence and course of depression. A properly balanced diet, both quantitatively and qualitatively, has a positive effect on reducing the risk of depression, as well as improving the condition of people who already suffer from it. Among the nutrients of particular importance are vitamin D, magnesium, folic acid, tryptophan, zinc, omega-3 fatty acids, cobalamin, and some probiotic microorganisms.Depresja jest chorobą, którą charakteryzują zarówno zaburzenia psychiczne, jak i somatyczne. XXI wiek okazał się być czasem, w którym depresja stała się realnym zagrożeniem dla zdrowia nie tylko poszczególnych jednostek, ale także całych społeczeństw. Istnieje wiele teorii wskazujących na przyczyny występowania depresji, jednak te bezpośrednie podłoża nadal nie są ostatecznie uznane jako całkowicie klarowne. Wskazuje się na równoznaczną istotność czynników neuroanatomicznych oraz psychologiczno-społecznych. Wśród rozpatrywanych dotychczasowo teorii można wyróżnić biologiczną, hormonalną, związaną z neuroprzekaźnikami, opisującą wadliwe funkcjonowania układu limbicznego i podwzgórza, teorie psychologiczne. Z przeprowadzonych dotychczas badań wynika, iż niezwykle istotną rolę w etiologii depresji odgrywają czynniki psychospołeczne. Objawy depresji są bardzo złożone i wielopłaszczyznowe, mogące posiadać różny stopień nasilenia. W wyniku badań dotyczących czynników ryzyka występowania depresji wykazano zależność pomiędzy niedoborem poszczególnych składników pokarmowych a ujawnianiem się zaburzeń depresyjnych. Celem pracy jest przedstawienie wpływu poszczególnych składników pokarmowych na występowanie i przebieg depresji. Właściwie zbilansowana dieta, zarówno pod kątem ilościowym, jak i jakościowym, wywiera pozytywny wpływ na zmniejszenie ryzyka wystąpienia depresji, a także poprawienie stanu osób, które już na nią cierpią. Wśród składników odżywczych, które mają tu szczególne znaczenie, znajdują się witamina D, magnez, kwas foliowy, tryptofan, cynk, kwasy tłuszczowe omega-3, kobalamina, niektóre drobnoustroje probiotyczne

Measuring Protein Binding to F-actin by Co-sedimentation

Filamentous actin (F-actin) organization within cells is regulated by a large number of actin-binding proteins that control actin nucleation, growth, cross-linking and/or disassembly. This protocol describes a technique – the actin co-sedimentation, or pelleting, assay – to determine whether a protein or protein domain binds F-actin and to measure the affinity of the interaction (i.e., the dissociation equilibrium constant). In this technique, a protein of interest is first incubated with F-actin in solution. Then, differential centrifugation is used to sediment the actin filaments, and the pelleted material is analyzed by SDS-PAGE. If the protein of interest binds F-actin, it will co-sediment with the actin filaments. The products of the binding reaction (i.e., F-actin and the protein of interest) can be quantified to determine the affinity of the interaction. The actin pelleting assay is a straightforward technique for determining if a protein of interest binds F-actin and for assessing how changes to that protein, such as ligand binding, affect its interaction with F-actin

Characterization of Tuba, a novel Ena/VASP ligand, and function of Ena/VASP proteins in mouse development

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Biology, February 2005.Includes bibliographical references.Regulated actin assembly drives cells movement, adhesion and shape change. The EnaNASP family of proteins controls actin filament elongation and are important regulators of axon guidance and cell motility. In vertebrates, the family consists of Mena (Mammalian Enabled), VASP (Vasodilator Stimulated Phosphoprotein), and EVL (Ena-VASP-Like). This thesis work focused on understanding the vertebrate EnaNASP protein family by discovering pathways that regulate EnaNASP function and by defining the role of EnaNASP proteins in vertebrate development. Characterization of the EVL locus revealed a new EVL isoform. A protein interaction screen for new EnaNASP ligands produced Tuba, a novel scaffold protein that associates with EnaNASP proteins in vivo. Tuba is a unique guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) for Cdc42 that binds dynamin and a number of actin regulatory proteins in addition to Ena/VASP proteins. A knockout of EVL was made to determine the requirement for EVL in mouse development. Genetic analysis of EnaNASP function in the mouse revealed a requirement for Ena/VASP proteins in neuronal layering, spinal and cranial nerve formation, and cardiovascular development.by Adam Vincent Kwiatkowski.Ph.D

Determining Curie temperature of (Ga,Mn)As samples based on electrical transport measurements: low Curie temperature case

In this paper we show that the widely accepted method of the determination of Curie temperature (TC) in (Ga,Mn)As samples, based on the position of the peak in the temperature derivative of the resistivity,completely fails in the case of non-metallic and low-TC unannealed samples. In this case we propose an alternative method, also based on electric transport measurements, which exploits temperature dependence of the second derivative of the resistivity upon magnetic field.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure