The influence of chokeberry juice and inulin as osmotic-enriching agents in pre-treatment on polyphenols content and sensory quality of dried strawberries

The objective of this study was to explain the effect of osmotic dehydration pre-treatment (chokeberry juice or inulin) and drying method (microwave-convective drying or freeze-drying) on polyphenols content, antioxidant activity and sensory properties of dried strawberries. The addition of a chokeberry juice concentrate to the osmotic solution significantly influenced the increase of polyphenols content in the fruit. Their content was significantly higher in the samples treated via osmotic dehydration in solutions containing the chokeberry juice concentrate, followed by freeze-drying and also by microwave-convective method. The ability to bind DPPH• radicals ranged from 40% in the dried strawberries without osmotic dehydration to 82% in fruit osmo-dehydrated in a mixture of inulin and the chokeberry juice concentrate and dried by freeze-drying. Study results indicate that the concentrated chokeberry juice and inulin can be used as beneficial osmotic substances. The dried strawberries can represent an alternative to snacks or may be attractive component of other products. One of the very attractive proposals for today’s increasingly demanding consumers can therefore be dried fruit snacks enriched with natural bioactive ingredients

Homofobia. Studium przypadku na przykładzie Polski

Ze wstępu: "Homoseksualizm to pojęcie, które dla wielu ludzi niesie negatywnie skojarzenia. Przyczyną negatywnego stosunku oraz emocji, które wokół niego się pojawiają jest często brak elementarnej wiedzy na temat tego zjawiska oraz utarte i powtarzane stereotypy. Zjawisko to towarzyszyło ludziom od wieków, jednak niewiele osób zdaje sobie z tego sprawę, traktując homoseksualizm jako wytwór nowoczesności lub przejaw znudzenia i chęci szokowania innych ludzi. Związki homoseksualne pomiędzy mężczyznami szeroko opisywano już w starożytnej Grecji, były one stałym, a nawet niezbędnym elementem codziennego życia. ,,W wielu wypadkach starszy mężczyzna wybierał dorastającego chłopca na swojego faworyta i edukował go. "(...

An Early Support of Development – Between the Theory and Practice

The early support of development determined as institutionalized diagnostic and rehabilitation activity does not have too long tradition in Poland. It should be emphasized that those children have to be surrounded by possibly early, specialist care, and the objective of the undertaken intervention is to prevent the irreversibility of irregularities occurring in the development or to mitigate the results of irregularities that already occurred. The Author shows how it looks in practice.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

Evaluation of modal shift in freight transport : case study of Poland

PURPOSE: This paper aimed to assess the degree of implementation of the modal shift concept in international transport flows to/from Poland.DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: The first stage of the research study included the literature review indicating the Polish and EU projects aimed at promoting the transport modes being an alternative for road transport. Next, data regarding Poland’s international trade were prepared and confronted with the assumed targets.FINDINGS: In international freight transport to/from Poland, i.e., transportation of both imported and exported cargoes, an increase in the significance of road transport is noticeable. It is possible to discern periods when the share of road transport dropped (imports in 2005- 2010 and exports in 2010-2015), nevertheless, despite measures taken at the national and supranational level, a desired modal shift from road transport to rail transport or inland shipping or short sea shipping was not achieved. It can also be noticed that rail transport was more often used in imports than in exports.PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: The obtained findings, which specified the degree of implementation of the modal shift concept on the example of Poland, may be an indication for the entities that set priorities in economic policies regarding the level of effectiveness of measures included in the prepared documents/programs.ORIGINALITY/VALUE: The literature still lacks comprehensive research studies that verify the implementation of the modal shift concept at the level of individual countries. This paper demonstrates the effectiveness of implemented strategies and programs in the example of Poland. Moreover, it proposes changes to be considered by decision-makers who shape the goals and tools of economic policies and differences regarding management decisions.The project is financed within the framework of the Minister of Science and Higher Education program under the name “Regional Excellence Initiative” in the years 2019-2022; project number 001/RID/2018/19; the amount of financing: PLN 10,684,000.00.peer-reviewe

Modal choice preferences in inland container transport in Poland

Purpose: As part of this paper, three research goals were set. The first one concerns the identification of factors influencing the modal choice to carry intermodal transport units by inland transport. The second goal is related to determining what conditions would have to exist for a given operator to agree to shift the cargo from road to rail transport as part of the modal shift concept. The third goal is to specify the influence of COVID-19 on the modal choice. Design/Methodology/Approach: Earlier studies have confirmed the difficulty in determining modal choice preferences due to their complexity. The complexity of the problem makes the use of quantitative methods ineffective. On the basis of the qualitative research conducted with the use of the in-depth semi structured interview, the authors identified the factors influencing the modal choice, at the same time defining the conditions that would have to be met in order to encourage cargo operators to make greater use of rail transport. Findings: The conducted research study indicated differences in the factors determining the choice of transport modes, mainly depending on the size of the surveyed company. The above-mentioned factors in relation to the entire study group included the time and cost of transport, as well as the availability and quality of transport infrastructure. The surveyed enterprises agreed that the factors that would have to occur to increase the use of rail transport included: increasing the number of reloading points at railway connections and increasing the timeliness of transport. Practical Implications: The results of the research can be used by decision-makers in formulating the directions of development of the transport system, and the entities responsible for the implementation of specific transport infrastructure investments, covering both linear and nodal elements. Originality/Value: The added value of this article is predicated on original research related to the determination of the premises for the selection of the transport mode in freight container transport in Poland. Requirements that could be a stimulus for implementing the modal shift idea in Polish companies. The authors confronted the research results achieved with the current scientific knowledge in this area, in addition, they also raised the topic of the Covid-19 pandemic and its impact on modal choice.peer-reviewe

Acrylamide in food products – eating habits and consumer awareness among Medical School students

Introduction Acrylamide is formed in several foods during high-temperature processing. In view of reports written about the neurotoxic, genotoxic and carcinogenic effects of acrylamide, it was considered that the presence of this substance in food products might pose a risk for human health. Currently, according to EU Commission recommendations, the content of acrylamide in food should be monitored. Objective The aim of this work was to analyze the food preferences of youth and students from medical schools in Radom, central-eastern Poland, as the most frequent precipitantsas in the field of food products that may be a significant source of acrylamide in the diet. Furthermore, an attempt was made to determine the level of knowledge of the population in the field of acrylamide. Material and Methods The research was conducted by questionnaire. The study was based on the answers of 227 respondents. The survey was carried out by direct contact with an interviewer from February – June 2012. Results Analysis of the study population shows that women consume more coffee than men. In addition, adults over 25 years old consumed the largest quantity of coffee; it can therefore be assumed that it is a significant source of acrylamide in their bodies. However, even young people under 17 declared that they consume coffee every day (20%). Conclusions Due to the adverse effects of this compound it is important to reduce the level of acrylamide in food products. A few people in the population (7%) had heard of acrylamide previously, but none of them had any knowledge of its occurrence and formation. It is necessary to take strong action to change attitudes towards acrylamide and attempt to introduce ways to reduce this compound in the diet, for example, by appropriate selection of products in the daily diet and appropriate means of thermal preparation of products at home

THE JOINT EFFECT OF BORROWER TARGETED MACROPRUDENTIAL INSTRUMENTS AND CAPITAL REGULATIONS ON PROCYCLICALITY OF LOAN-LOSS PROVISIONS

We analyze the effects of macroprudential policy and micro-prudential capital regulations on the procyclicality of loan-loss provisions, using individual bank information from over 65 countries. In this study we test whether the interaction between borrower targeted macroprudential policy instruments and restrictive micro-prudential capital regulations tends to adjust the countercyclical effect of borrower targeted instruments and capital regulations. To this end we apply the two-step GMM estimator with robust standards errors. Our analysis implies that merging restrictive borrower targeted instruments and capital regulations tends to weaken the countercyclical effect of borrower targeted macroprudential policy instruments and restrictive capital adequacy regulations. This effect depends on size, and is stronger in large banks

The phenomenon of financial exclusion in rural areas : case studies of the Gołdapski County

PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to show the phenomenon of financial exclusion in rural areas as a problem limiting socio-economic development.DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: The opinions of the residents of Gołdapski County regarding the tools and services of modern banking were examined, assessing the relationship between them and the demographic characteristics of the respondents.FINDINGS: Financial exclusion was found to particularly affect older people i.e., over 60 years of age. This is especially true for people who were born in the years when e-banking and other modern banking services associated with IT development were not available. An additional factor is also the level of education of the respondents.PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: The development of rural areas depends both on their stock of human capital, including the age and level of education of the population, but also on the banking infrastructure that facilitates, among other things, job creation and thus limits the migration of young people from these areas. In the case of Gołdapski county which is attractive for tourists and well equipped with this kind of infrastructure, the factors influencing the phenomenon of financial exclusion were the lack of knowledge and fear of the complexity of services, as well as the age of the respondents, often causing self-exclusion in this area.ORIGINALITY/VALUE: The research results included in the article fill the cognitive gap concerning the phenomenon of financial exclusion in rural areas, even those which are attractive in terms of tourism. They emphasize the importance of age as a factor causing the formation of exclusion, including financial self-exclusion, especially among people who were born in the years before the dynamic development of banking using IT techniques.peer-reviewe

What drives heterogeneity of procyclicality of loan loss provisions in the EU?

Using the two step system GMM Blundell and Bond estimator this paper documents a large cross-bank and cross-country variation in the relationship between loan loss provisions (LLP) and the business cycle and explores bank management specific, bank-activity specific and country specific (institutional and regulatory) features that explain this diversity in the European Union. Our results indicate that LLP in large, publicly traded and commercial banks, as well as in banks reporting consolidated statements, are more procyclical. Better investor protection and more restrictive bank capital regulations reduce the procyclicality of LLP. We do not find support for the view that better quality of market monitoring mitigates the sensitivity of LLP to business cycle. Our findings clearly indicate the empirical importance of income smoothing, capital management and credit risk management for decreased procyclicality of LLP

What drives heterogeneity of loan loss provisions’ procyclicality in the EU?

This paper documents a large cross-bank and cross-country variation in the relationship between loan loss provisions and the business cycle and explores bank management specific, bank-activity specific and country specific (institutional and regulatory) features that explain this diversity in the European Union. Our results indicate that LLP in large, publicly traded and commercial banks, as well as in banks reporting in consolidated statements’ format, are more procyclical. Better investor protection and more restrictive bank regulations reduce the procyclicality of LLP. Additional evidence shows that moral hazard resulting from deposit insurance renders LLP more procyclical. We do not find support for the view that better quality of market monitoring mitigates the risk-taking behavior of banks. Our findings clearly indicate the empirical importance of earnings management for LLP procyclicality. Sensitivity of LLP to the business cycle seems to be limited in the case of banks which engage in more income smoothing and which apply prudent credit risk management