Determinants of the tourism activity of school pupils (aged 15-19) from Słupsk and Częstochowa

The purpose of this article is to describe the different types of tourism undertaken by school pupils (aged 15-19) through the example of their tourism trips. Two cities were used: Słupsk and Częstochowa. Analyses of the differing forms of tourism have been made in the context of geographical, socio-economic and demographic determinants for both cities

Wykorzystanie funduszy europejskich na rozwój zagospodarowania turystycznego gmin nadmorskich Pobrzeża Bałtyku

W artykule podjęto zagadnienie wykorzystania środków finansowych z funduszy europejskich na rozwój zagospodarowania turystycznego gmin nadmorskich Pobrzeża Bałtyku w Polsce. Dokonano szczegółowej analizy absorpcji funduszy unijnych ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem tych priorytetów, które związane są z poprawą atrakcyjności turystycznej gmin nadmorskich oraz z rozwojem ich zagospodarowania turystycznego. Analizy dokonano na podstawie danych Ministerstwa Rozwoju Regionalnego dotyczących rozdziału środków finansowych z funduszy europejskich objętych finansowaniem w latach 2007–2013

The heavy metal content of soil and shoots of Vaccinium myrtillus L. in the Słowiński National Park

The research was carried out in the Słowiński National Park, in an area with 15 research stations in pine coniferous forests situtated at locations (1) inaccessible to tourists, (2) most frequently visted by tourists, as well as (3) in the vicintiy of parking lots. The analysed samples comprised surface generic levels (Ol, Ofh, A), above-ground material (shoots; leaves and stalks) and below-ground mateial (roots) of bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus). The performed analyses showed statistically significant Spearman's correlation coefficients for Zn content in the 'soil – stalk' (r= -0,44, pFe>Zn>Cu.Przemysław Szmi

The role of innate immune system receptors in smoking related disease

Cigarette smoke induces inflammation, in part, by activation of Toll like receptor (TLR) 2 and TLR4. TLRs are present on most cells and recognize pathogen associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) and non-pathogenic molecules, known as danger associated molecular patterns (DAMPs). Activation of TLRs results in the propagation of a signalling pathway leading to the de novo synthesis of pro-inflammatory mediators that include CXCL8 and IL-1β. TLRs initiate inflammation and are involved in tissue repair processes in a number of diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and cancer. Therefore, it is the aim of this thesis to explore the contribution of TLRs in inflammation and cellular proliferation, as these processes are integral to the pathology in inflammatory lung disease and cancer. Activation of IL-1β is a two-step process. The first step synthesises pro-IL-1β and can be activated by TLR ligands. The second induces inflammasome complex assembly and results in the cleavage of pro-IL-1β to mature IL-1β by caspase-1. IL-1β is implicated in the inflammation caused by bacteria during exacerbations in lung disease. Interestingly, we found a difference in the activation and release of IL-1β from monocytes activated with the TLR2 ligand, Pam3CSK4 and the TLR4 ligand, LPS. The difference was seen at the level of inflammasome assembly, where, unlike TLR4, TLR2-induced IL-1β release was reliant on the hemichannel protein, pannexin-1. We have previously found that cigarette smoke causes sensitisation of the blood of smokers to bacterial and viral PAMPs. Cigarette smoke is the major contributing factor in COPD and it is known that bacterial and viral induced exacerbations play a major role in the deterioration of lung function in these patients. COPD patients are also more prone to lung infections than their healthy age-matched equivalents. We therefore hypothesised that blood from COPD patients is more sensitive to challenge with bacterial and viral PAMPs than blood from age-matched controls. COPD patient’s blood had an increased sensitivity to challenge with TLR2/1 and TLR3 ligands with respect to IL-1β release. Regarding CXCL8 release in this system, a greater response to stimulation with TLR2/1, TLR3, TLR4 agonists and IL-1β was observed in blood from COPD patients. There was a negative correlation between CXCL8 levels and COPD GOLD staging in response to TLR4 agonism. TLR2 has been implicated in the proliferation of cancer cells. There is an emerging interest in the link between chronic inflammation and cancer. It is well documented that COPD patients have an increased risk of developing lung cancer, which has poor prognosis. Our aim was to investigate whether TLRs are a novel drug target for inhibiting the proliferation of lung cancer cells. TLR2, 3, 4 and 7 agonists had no effect on lung cancer cell proliferation; however, activation of TLR8 induced apoptosis in these cells. In conclusion, my thesis shows that TLRs are important receptors involved in the initiation of inflammation and inhibition of cellular proliferation. We show, for the first time, that TLR4-induced CXCL8 release in COPD patients may be a good biomarker of disease severity, and that TLR8 offers a good prospect as an adjuvant in the treatment of lung cancer

The Use of European Funds for Tourism Development in Coastal Communes on the Baltic Coast

The article discusses the use of financial resources from European funds for tourism development in coastal communes on the Baltic Coast in Poland. A detailed analysis of the use of EU funds has been carried out, with particular emphasis on those priorities which are related to the improvement of the tourism attractiveness of coastal communes and to their tourism development. The analyses have been made on the basis of data from the Ministry of Regional Development concerning the allocation of European funds in 2007-13

European founds and its using for tourist and recreation infrastructure development in region. The case of Słupsk Poviat

The aim of this article was an analysis of the using of the  european founds for tourist infrastructure development in tourist region. As case of study poviat Słupsk was used.  Analysis of the using of european founds in Słupsk poviat was used  from 2003 to 2006 year and from 2006 to 2013 year. As a source of the material  data of the Ministry of the Regional Development was used. The data show the most of the founds in the poviat was used in Słupsk, only small part of them was used form tourist development  Analysis show european founds are very important factor of economic development in Słupsk poviat

Influence of selected parameters on radiant intensity measurement results – light meter and CCD camera comparison

This work concerns measurements of the radiant intensity emitted by LEDs. The influence of selected factors and parameters on the final measurement result are discussed. The research was conducted using two type of detectors: light meter and CCD camera, to compare the degree of influence of these parameters depending on the measurement instrument used

Coastal zone as a space of foreign arrival tourism in 2000-2017

This study addresses the development of foreign incoming tourism in the coastal tourist zone of the Baltic coast. Quantitative and spatial analysis of foreign incoming tourism in coastal communes of the Baltic coast in the period 2005-2017 was carried out. The GUS Local Data Bank data on the number of foreign tourists using the accommodation base of the number of overnight stays for foreign tourists in all 38 coastal communes in the Baltic Sea Coast were used as source material for the implementation of the research problem. The material was analyzed statistically and cartographically in the form of cartograms.The analysis of the spatial distribution of foreign tourists and overnight stays in individual coastal municipalities indicates their strong concentration in the spa communes (Kołobrzeg, Świnoujście, Międzyzdroje, Sopot), in Gdańsk and in communes with well-developed accommodation infrastructure and accompanying services (Rewal, Darłowo, Dziwnów). The least visited are rural communes, located on the outskirts of the region, with poorly developed tourist infrastructure, with a dominant function of socio-economic development, different from the tourist one

Recreational function of Middle Pomeranian forests

The subject of the study was the description of the recreational function of the State Forests in the Central Pomerania area.  An analysis of the recreational potential of the State Forests in 11 poviats of Central Pomerani a was conducted, with an indication of the main forms of tourism and recreation. The development of the area  of Central Pomerania State Forests from the point of view of forms of tourism and recreation that could  be implemented in their area was also analyzed. As the source material was used to query the resources of the website www.czaswlas.pl. and individual field observations. Analysis of the obtained results indicates  the important role of tourism and recreation infrastructure in the management of the Central Pomeranian State Forest’s  area. At the same time, there are large spatial disparities in the distribution of particular elements  of tourist and recreational infrastructure. The areas of the State Forests of the poviats are the best ones: bytowski, drawski, słupski and szczecinecki, the least urban poviats of Slupsk and Koszalin, białogardzki, and sławieńsk