Nanoreactors for local production and release of antibiotic

Implant infections are emerging as a grave medical problem.The number of medical and surgical procedures involving medical implant devices will continue to grow, for example due to aging of the population. Device-associated infections are a consequence of bacterial adhesion and subsequent biofilm formation at the implantation site. Due to the importance of this problem, intense research is being focused on finding new, efficient treatments. Conventional antibiotic therapies remain ineffective and very often lead to removal of the contaminated device. Various alternative strategies have been proposed, however, these suffer from many drawbacks. Tackling infections associated with medical implants remain a challenge. In this thesis, enzymatically active, covalently immobilized nanoreactors based on poly(2-methyloxazoline)-block-poly(dimethylsiloxane)-block-poly(2-methyloxazoline) (PMOXA-b-PDMS-b-PMOXA) amphiphilic block copolymer were designed and prepared. These nanoreactors catalyzed the conversion of prodrug molecules, which exhibit no antibacterial activity, to a drug active as an antibiotic. The enzymatic conversion was shown to occur only inside the nanoreactors. When these are immobilized they represent a novel, nanosized system whereby a drug will not be released to the entire body, but will be synthesized in situ. This strategy offers multiple advantages: long term production of antibacterial compounds due to the protection of the enzyme from proteolytic degradation, control of drug production at a specific rate for a specific period of time, and localized drug delivery. First, cationic ring opening polymerization was employed to synthesize the polymer. The self-assembly of this polymer was studied, as was the enzymatic activity of the resulting nanoreactor. The covalent attachment of the nanoreactors to a surface was realized by two different strategies: (i) attachment via an amino bond, involving Schiff base formation and its further reduction (ii) attachment via photo-cleavage by a phenyl azido linker. Both approaches resulted in successful, stable immobilization. The attached nanoreactors were characterized by surface-sensitive techniques such as scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. Experiments with bacteria were conducted to demonstrate the antimicrobial potential of surface immobilized enzymatically active nanoreactors. In summary, this thesis develops the concept of polymeric nanoreactors that synthesize drugs in situ to inhibit bacterial growth. Additionally, the immobilization methodologies elaborated within the scope of this work could be further adapted for potential applications in biotechnology and biosensing

Polska dyplomacja kulturalna na Bliskim Wschodzie po 2003 r.

The article shows a new dimension of Polish relations with the Middle Eastern countries as well as new ways of providing a cultural diplomacy. Subsequent parts are: Middle East in Polish foreign policy, the concept of cultural diplomacy, cultural diplomacy in Polish foreign policy, Polish cultural diplomacy in the Middle East. Article shows the different activities of cultural diplomacy starting from its traditional tools to the latest ideas. It shows the change in the perception of cultural diplomacy, as well as their main actors and channels to reach the audience. In addition, underlined is a breakthrough in relations between the Poland and region of the Middle East – a change in the perception and the ability to build a strategy of a foreign policy based on the transferring the experience of system transformation. Thesis about new dimension of polish cultural diplomacy in the Middle East shows following results: now Poland has something to off er to the Middle East that is the experience in transformation of political system; also with the accession to the European Union, it’s structures, programs, politics Poland gained more channels to promote it’s culture; cultural diplomacy reaches more wide groups of society, more actors are taking part in cultural diplomacy which causes that not only governmental institutions are responsible for intercultural dialog

Działania polskiej dyplomacji kulturalnej na Bliskim Wschodzie

W artykule zaprezentowano niektóre działania i projekty polskiej dyplomacji kulturalnej na Bliskim Wschodzie. Obecnie stawia się na kontakt między ludźmi, społecznościami, pokazywanie, jak my żyjemy, mówienie o naszych doświadczeniach.Udostępnienie publikacji Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego finansowane w ramach projektu „Doskonałość naukowa kluczem do doskonałości kształcenia”. Projekt realizowany jest ze środków Europejskiego Funduszu Społecznego w ramach Programu Operacyjnego Wiedza Edukacja Rozwój; nr umowy: POWER.03.05.00-00-Z092/17-00

Long-term effect of temperature on honey yield and honeybee phenology

There is growing concern about declines in pollinator species, and more recently reservations have been expressed about mismatch in plant-pollinator synchrony as a consequence of phenological change caused by rising temperatures. Long-term changes in honeybee Apis mellifera phenology may have major consequences for agriculture, especially the pollinator market, as well as for honey production. To date, these aspects have received only modest attention. In the current study, we examine honeybee and beekeeping activity in southern Poland for the period 1965–2010, supplemented by hive yields from a beekeeper in southern UK in the same period. We show that despite negative reports on honeybee condition, and documented climate change, the studied apiary managed to show a marked increase in honey production over the 46 year study period, as did that from the UK. The proportion of the annual yield originating from the first harvest decreased during the study period and was associated with rising temperatures in summer. Honeybee spring phenology showed strong negative relationships with temperature but no overall change through time because temperatures of key early spring months had not increased significantly. In contrast, increasing yields and an increased number of harvests (and hence a later final harvest and longer season) were detected and were related to rising temperatures in late spring and in summer

Nest-site competition between bumblebees (Bombidae), social wasps (Vespidae) and cavity-nesting birds in Britain and the Western Palearctic

Capsule: There is no evidence of widespread significant nest-site competition in Britain or the Western Palearctic between cavity-nesting birds and bumblebees or social wasps. Aims: To investigate competition between cavity-nesting birds and bumblebees and wasps, particularly the range-expanding Tree Bumblebee, Saxon Wasp and European Hornet in Britain, and review evidence throughout the Western Palearctic. Methods: We compared field data from English and Polish studies of tits and woodpeckers breeding in nest-boxes and/or tree holes to assess nest-site competition with bumblebees and wasps. We reviewed the literature quantifying nest-site competition between birds and these insects in the Western Palearctic. Results: Bumblebees and wasps are capable of usurping small passerines from nests. In England, these insects commandeered a mean annual 4.1% of tit nests initiated in nest-boxes; occurrence of hornets showed a long-term increase, but not other wasps or bumblebees. Across the Western Palearctic, insect occupation of nest-boxes was generally low, and was lower in England than in Poland. No insects were discovered in tree cavities, including those created by woodpeckers (Picidae). Conclusion: Nest-site competition between cavity-nesting birds and bumblebees and wasps appears to be a ‘nest-box phenomenon’, which may occasionally interfere with nest-box studies, but appears negligible in natural nest-sites

„Crimes of the so-called economic exploitation of prostitution (art. 203 and 204 of the Polish Penal Code) in the jurisdiction of district courts in Poznań and Zielona Góra – selected dogmatic, criminological and political-criminal issues”

Wydział Prawa i AdministracjiRozprawa ma w założeniu stanowić próbę oceny aktualnej regulacji polskiej ustawy karnej odnośnie prostytucji i zjawisk z nią związanych, w szczególności art. 203 i art. 204 k.k. Autorka podjęła próbę wypracowania możliwie uniwersalnej definicji samej prostytucji, m.in. w oparciu o przeprowadzone w drodze internetowej ankiety badania odczuć społeczeństwa odnośnie tego zjawiska. Nadto dokonała wykładni dogmatycznej oraz historycznej i porównawczej analizowanych przepisów pod kątem prawidłowości ich ujęcia i co za tym idzie funkcjonowania w praktyce wymiaru sprawiedliwości. Uzupełnieniem badań nad problematyką podjętą w niniejszej rozprawie była próba wypracowania swoistego modelu sprawcy, a także „ofiary” przestępstw okołoprostytucyjnych (w rozumieniu osób prostytuujących się albo nakłanianych lub zmuszanych do prostytucji) na podstawie akt prawomocnie zakończonych spraw sądów z terenu okręgu poznańskiego i zielonogórskiego z lat 2009-2015 dotyczących przestępstw okołoprostytucyjnych z art. 203 i 204 k.k.Dissertation is meant to be an attempt to assessing current regulations on prostitution and prostitution-related phenomena in Polish law, especially articles 203 and 204 of Polish Penal Code. The author tried to accomplish as universal definition of prostitution as possible basing on the results of a survey concerning members’ of the society views on prostitution. Moreover, the author provided dogmatic, historical and comparative interpretation of analysed provisions to verify their correctness and to check how are they used in judiciary practice. In addition to this research the author tried to distinguish the characteristics of a typical perpetrator and a typical victim (unterstood as prostitutes or people induced or forced to engage in prostitution) of the crimes regulated in articles 203 and 204 of Polish Penal Code basing on cases files from courts subordinated to jurisdiction of district courts in Poznań and Zielona Góra, which were validly completed in the period from 2009 to 2015