Application of molecular techniques for the assessment of microorganism diversity on cultural heritage objects

As a result of their unpredictable ability to adapt to varying environmental conditions, microorganisms inhabit different types of biological niches on Earth. Owing to the key role of microorganisms in many biogeochemical processes, trends in modern microbiology emphasize the need to know and understand the structure and function of complex microbial communities. This is particularly important if the strategy relates to microbial communities that cause biodeterioration of materials that constitute our cultural heritage. Until recently, the detection and identification of microorganisms inhabiting objects of cultural value was based only on cultivation-dependent methods. In spite of many advantages, these methods provide limited information because they identify only viable organisms capable of growth under standard laboratory conditions. However, in order to carry out proper conservation and renovation, it is necessary to know the complete composition of microbial communities and their activity. This paper presents and characterizes modern techniques such as genetic fingerprinting and clone library construction for the assessment of microbial diversity based on molecular biology. Molecular methods represent a favourable alternative to culture dependent methods and make it possible to assess the biodiversity of microorganisms inhabiting technical materials and cultural heritage objects

Spatial diversity of absorption of EU Assistance funds and the level of socio-economic development in Poland

The article presents the level and spatial structure of the absorption of EU funds within Cohesion Policy and Common Agricultural Policy during the 2007–2013 EU financial framework in Poland. The data analysed include all of the payments from European programmes, divided into two groups: the support dedicated for the development of agriculture and rural areas, and the cohesion policy. It has been demonstrated that the level and structure of delivery of these funds is spatially diversified. The index of the absorption of EU funds per capita is negatively correlated with the level of socio-economic development, which results from the allocation of payments dedicated for development of agriculture and rural areas. The distribution of cohesion funds is not correlated with the level of socio-economic development in poviats.The article presents the level and spatial structure of the absorption of EU funds within Cohesion Policy and Common Agricultural Policy during the 2007–2013 EU financial framework in Poland. The data analysed include all of the payments from European programmes, divided into two groups: the support dedicated for the development of agriculture and rural areas, and the cohesion policy. It has been demonstrated that the level and structure of delivery of these funds is spatially diversified. The index of the absorption of EU funds per capita is negatively correlated with the level of socio-economic development, which results from the allocation of payments dedicated for development of agriculture and rural areas. The distribution of cohesion funds is not correlated with the level of socio-economic development in poviats

Simplified direct water footprint model to support urban water management

Water resources conservation corresponding to urban growth is an increasing challenge for European policy makers. Water footprint (WF) is one of the methods to address this challenge. The objective of this study was to develop a simplified model to assess the WF of direct domestic and non-domestic water use within an urban area and to demonstrate its effectiveness in supporting new urban water management strategies and solutions. The new model was tested on three Central European urban areas with different characteristics i.e., Wroclaw (Poland), Innsbruck (Austria), and Vicenza (Italy). Obtained WFs varied from 291 dm3/(day∙capita) in Wroclaw, 551 dm3/(day∙capita) in Vicezna to 714 dm3/(day∙capita) in Innsbruck. In addition, WF obtained with the proposed model for the city of Vicenza was compared with a more complex approach. The results proved the model to be robust in providing reasonable results using a small amount of data

Preferencje turystów z Chin dotyczące wyboru atrakcji odwiedzanych w Europie

The aim of the study is to learn the preferences of Chinese tourists in Europe in terms of the choice of tourist attractions which they visit. The article uses an original research procedure: for selected tourist attractions in European countries the numbers of reviews posted on TripAdvisor webpage in general and in Chinese are measured. This allows to determine which attractions in the countries in analysis are most visited by Chinese tourists, and which countries and what kinds of attractions are most popular among Chinese visitors. The results show that Chinese tourists are primarily focused on the most popular urban tourist destinations in Europe, and online reviews can be a valuable source of information on travel preferences of groups of tourists

Wewnętrzne peryferie w świetle wybranych typologii obszarów wiejskich

Poland’s rural areas are very diverse, creating great opportunities but also challenges for their development. It is necessary to constantly monitor their development problems and internal potentials to select territorial support instruments properly. Various classifications of rural areas can help to fulfill this task. The study’s primary purpose is to identify the possibility of using various typologies of rural areas to explain development processes and, in turn, shape development policies in the inner periphery area. The study is organized as follows: After the introductory part, we reviewed theoretical approaches to the rural areas and inner peripheries. Then, our novel approach to delimiting the inner peripheries in Poland is presented. Afterward, the distribution of inner peripheries is compared with the results of selected existing classifications of rural areas with particular emphasis on areas where there is an accumulation of negative social and economic phenomena. The results of the comparative analysis revealed a relatively high degree of spatial compliance, above 50% in each of the comparisons. This result confirmed that the inner peripheries have features in common with the problem rural areas identified in the analyzed divisions. They are characterized by low transport accessibility to local and regional development centers, a shrinking labor market, low efficiency of the territorial socio-economic system, and low quality of life. These are also areas where agriculture is still the main or one of the primary sources of income. These areas are losing their social and territorial capital, and the most remarkable development challenge is to stop or slow down all negative changes. However, the key factors to achieve that are the proper identification of needs and proper programming of assistance through precise actions targeted at specific areas according to the territorial approach.Celem opracowania jest określenie możliwości wykorzystania zróżnicowanych typologii obszarów wiejskich do wyjaśnienia procesów rozwojowych, a w dalszej kolejności do kształtowania polityki rozwojowej na obszarach wewnętrznych peryferii. W artykule zaprezentowano rozmieszczenie przestrzenne wewnętrznych peryferii w Polsce oraz przeprowadzono analizę porównawczą uzyskanego rozkładu z wynikami wybranych podziałów obszarów wiejskich. Interpretacja otrzymanych wyników pozwala wnioskować, że zasadne jest odejście od kategoryzowania tych obszarów według ich poziomu wiejskości lub miejskości na rzecz pomiaru lokalnego kapitału terytorialnego w myśl koncepcji rozwoju wielofunkcyjnego. Koncepcja wielofunkcyjnego rozwoju obszarów wiejskich ma natomiast duże znaczenie w wyjaśnianiu procesów rozwojowych i programowaniu interwencji rozwojowej na obszarze wewnętrznych peryferii

Metabolomic and high-throughput sequencing analysis—modern approach for the assessment of biodeterioration of materials from historic buildings

Preservation of cultural heritage is of paramount importance worldwide. Microbial colonization of construction materials, such as wood, brick, mortar and stone in historic buildings can lead to severe deterioration. The aim of the present study was to give modern insight into the phylogenetic diversity and activated metabolic pathways of microbial communities colonized historic objects located in the former Auschwitz II-Birkenau concentration and extermination camp in Oświęcim, Poland. For this purpose we combined molecular, microscopic and chemical methods. Selected specimens were examined using Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), metabolomic analysis and high-throughput Illumina sequencing. FESEM imaging revealed the presence of complex microbial communities comprising diatoms, fungi and bacteria, mainly cyanobacteria and actinobacteria, on sample surfaces. Microbial diversity of brick specimens appeared higher than that of the wood and was dominated by algae and cyanobacteria, while wood was mainly colonized by fungi. DNA sequences documented the presence of 15 bacterial phyla representing 99 genera including Halomonas, Halorhodospira, Salinisphaera, Salinibacterium, Rubrobacter, Streptomyces, Arthrobacter and 9 fungal classes represented by 113 genera including Cladosporium, Acremonium, Alternaria, Engyodontium, Penicillium, Rhizopus and Aureobasidium. Most of the identified sequences were characteristic of organisms implicated in deterioration of wood and brick. Metabolomic data indicated the activation of numerous metabolic pathways, including those regulating the production of primary and secondary metabolites, for example, metabolites associated with the production of antibiotics, organic acids and deterioration of organic compounds. The study demonstrated that a combination of electron microscopy imaging with metabolomic and genomic techniques allows to link the phylogenetic information and metabolic profiles of microbial communities and to shed new light on biodeterioration processes

HER2 overexpression and amplification is present in a subset of ovarian mucinous carcinomas and can be targeted with trastuzumab therapy

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The response rate of ovarian mucinous carcinomas to paclitaxel/carboplatin is low, prompting interest in targeted molecular therapies. We investigated HER2 expression and amplification, and the potential for trastuzumab therapy in this histologic subtype of ovarian cancer.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>HER2 status was tested in 33 mucinous carcinomas and 16 mucinous borderline ovarian tumors (BOT)). Five cases with documented recurrence and with tissue from the recurrence available for testing were analyzed to determine whether HER2 amplification status changed over time. Three prospectively identified recurrent mucinous ovarian carcinomas were assessed for HER2 amplification and patients received trastuzumab therapy with conventional chemotherapy.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Amplification of HER2 was observed in 6/33 (18.2%) mucinous carcinomas and 3/16 (18.8%) BOT. HER2 amplification in primary mucinous carcinomas was not associated with an increased likelihood of recurrence. The prospectively identified recurrent mucinous carcinomas showed overexpression and amplification of HER2; one patient's tumor responded dramatically to trastuzumab in combination with conventional chemotherapy, while another patient experienced an isolated central nervous system recurrence after trastuzumab therapy.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>HER2 amplification is relatively common in ovarian mucinous carcinomas (6/33, 18.2%), although not of prognostic significance. Trastuzumab therapy is a treatment option for patients with mucinous carcinoma when the tumor has HER2 amplification and overexpression.</p

Second home tourism in Finland - Perceptions of citizens and municipalities on the state and development of second home tourism

Second homes are an important part of Finnish leisure, mobility and rural policy. There are 499,000 second homes in Finland according to the official statistics, but this number is probably underestimated and over half of the Finns actually use the leisure opportunities offered by second homes. This report characterises the phenomenon of second homes in Finland from two perspectives: of their users and of local policy makers. It presents the results of two surveys conducted in years 2012 and 2014 among representative sample of Finnish population, and officials from municipal offices responsible for development and planning issues. The population survey investigated who has access to second homes in Finland, the ways of acquisition of these properties, their location and technical standard, time patterns of use, economic and social relations of second home users with host areas, and their perception of quality of permanent and second home environments and their transformations. This survey enabled to explore practices and opinions not only of the owners of second homes, but also those who use second homes owned by their family or friends. It also did not limit to one second home, as a significant proportion of Finnish population has access to more than one such property. The second survey was sent out to representatives of Finnish municipal governments and aimed to explore their perception of the impacts of second homes on local environment and communities, the role of second homes in local development planning, and policies employed by municipal authorities to manage second homes development. The results show that the municipal authorities in Finland usually perceive second homes as a positive contributor to the local economies, particularly in peripheral locations, but do not treat them as a primary development strategy

Vapaa-ajan asuminen Suomessa - Asukas- ja kuntakyselyn tuloksia vapaa-ajan asumisen nykytilasta ja kehittämistarpeista

Vapaa-ajan asunnot ovat merkittävä osa suomalaisten vapaa-aikaa ja suomalaista maaseutua. Meillä on tilastojen mukaan noin 499 000 vapaa-ajan asuntoa mutta niiden määrä on todennäköisesti vieläkin suurempi. Lisäksi yli puolella suomalaisista on käytettävissään vapaa-ajan asunto. Tässä raportissa tarkastellaan suomalaista vapaa-ajan asumista niiden käyttäjien ja kuntien viranhaltijoiden näkökulmasta. Raportti esittelee kahden, vuonna 2012 toteutetun väestöotantaan perustuvan ja vuonna 2014 kuntien kehittämisestä ja maankäytön suunnittelusta vastaaville viranhaltijoille suunnatun, kyselyn tuloksia. Väestökyselyssä selvitettiin vapaa-ajan asuntojen käyttäjien asunnon hankintaa, sijaintia, varustetasoa, käyttöaikoja, paikallisyhteisöön liittyviä taloudellisia ja sosiaalisia suhteita ja elinympäristöjen laadussa havaittuja muutoksia. Kyselyn tulokset mahdollistavat vapaa-ajan asumisen tarkastelun paitsi niiden omistajien myös muiden käyttäjien osalta. Lisäksi kyselyssä on huomioitu se, että merkittävällä osalla suomalaisia on käytössään useampi kuin yksi vapaa-ajan asuntoa. Toisessa kyselyssä kartoitettiin kuntien edustajien näkemyksiä vapaa-ajan asumisen vaikutuksista alueen ympäristöön ja yhteisöön, merkityksestä paikallisessa kehittämisessä ja huomioimisesta osana kuntien maankäytön suunnittelua. Tulokset osoittavat, että vaikka vapaa-ajan asumisen katsotaan erityisesti syrjäalueilla tuovan taloudellisia hyötyjä alueelle, sitä ei pidetä kuntien ensisijaisena kehittämistavoitteena