Sądy konstytucyjne w Polsce i Europie Środkowo-Wschodniej

After the Second World War, the countries of Central and Eastern Europe were under the influence of the systemic solutions imposed by the USSR. Their constitutional systems were non-democratic systems based on one ideology and the monopoly of one party. The imposed political and socio-economic system concerned all spheres of the individual's life, changed the social structure and economic system. It was only his fall that opened the way to building a new regime, this time a democratic one. In individual countries, these changes took place differently – from reform efforts to almost revolutions. At the same time, transformation processes began, ending with the adoption of the constitution. The new constitutions contained, among others regulations regarding basic human and civil rights and freedoms, whose protection also requires institutional and procedural security. A special role in securing these rights is the judicial system in a given state, and it is not only about common and administrative courts, but also the constitutional judiciary. The article presents the formation of constitutional judiciary in selected countries of Central and Eastern Europe, the scope of their competences and the way they function.Po II wojnie światowej państwa Europy Środkowej i Wschodniej pozostawały pod wpływem narzucanych przez ZSRR rozwiązań ustrojowych. Ich systemy konstytucyjne były systemami niedemokratycznymi, opartymi na jednej ideologii oraz na monopolu jednej partii. Narzucony system polityczno-społeczno-gospodarczy dotyczył wszystkich sfer życia jednostki, zmieniał strukturę społeczną oraz system ekonomiczny. Dopiero jego upadek otworzył drogę do budowania nowego ustroju, tym razem demokratycznego. W poszczególnych krajach zmiany te zachodziły różnie – od działań reformatorskich po niemalże rewolucje. Jednocześnie zaczęły się procesy transformacyjne, kończące się uchwalaniem konstytucji. Nowe konstytucje zawierały m.in. unormowania dotyczące podstawowych praw i wolności człowieka i obywatela, których ochrona wymaga również zabezpieczenia instytucjonalnego i proceduralnego. Szczególną rolę w zabezpieczeniu tych praw stanowi system sądownictwa w danym państwie i nie chodzi tu tylko o sądownictwo powszechne i administracyjne, ale także sądownictwo konstytucyjne. W artykule przedstawiono kształtowanie się sądownictwa konstytucyjnego w wybranych państwach Europy Środkowej i Wschodniej, zakres ich kompetencji oraz sposób funkcjonowania

Wpływ bioaugmentacji osadu czynnego wyselekcjonowanymi szczepami bakterii oraz ich konsorcjum na efektywność procesu oczyszczania zafenolowanych odcieków ze stawu Kalina

Praca zawiera artykuły w języku angielskim.The main purpose of this study was to assess the effluent treatment efficiency after bioaugmentation of the activated sludge spiked with the landfill leachate from the bottom sediments of the Kalina pond in Świętochłowice with P. putida OR45a and P. putida KB3 strains, as well as their consortium. Moreover, the impact of introduced bacteria on the activated sludge condition, enzymatic activity, content of live biomass and the functional potential of the autochthonous microbial communities present in this environment was evaluated. Analysis of the operational parameters and indicators of the activated sludge condition and functional potential of indigenous microorganisms showed a strong correlation between the application of bioaugmentation strategy in the bioreactors loaded with the leachate from the Kalina pond and high microbiological activity and efficiency of the wastewater treatment process. Inoculation of the activated sludge with P. putida KB3 strain proved to be the most effective solution among the bioaugmentation strategies that have been used. Due to the high bioaugmentation potential, introduction of/1- putida KB3 strain into activated sludge can be an effective solution to the problems of many wastewater treatment plants loaded with phenolic landfill leachate

Analysis of the Bioaugmentation Potential of Pseudomonas putida OR45a and Pseudomonas putida KB3 in the Sequencing Batch Reactors Fed with the Phenolic Landfill Leachate

The treatment of landfill leachate could be challenging for the biological wastewater treatment systems due to its high toxicity and the presence of poorly biodegradable contaminants. In this study, the bioaugmentation technology was successfully applied in sequencing batch reactors (SBRs) fed with the phenolic landfill leachate by inoculation of the activated sludge (AS) with two phenol-degrading Pseudomonas putida OR45a and Pseudomonas putida KB3 strains. According to the results, the SBRs bioaugmented with Pseudomonas strains withstood the increasing concentrations of the leachate. This resulted in the higher removal efficiency of the chemical oxygen demand (COD) of 79–86%, ammonia nitrogen of 87–88% and phenolic compounds of 85–96% as compared to 45%, 64%, and 50% for the noninoculated SBR. Simultaneously, the bioaugmentation of the AS allowed to maintain the high enzymatic activity of dehydrogenases, nonspecific esterases, and catalase in this ecosystem, which contributed to the higher functional capacity of indigenous microorganisms than in the noninoculated AS. Herein, the stress level experienced by the microorganisms in the SBRs fed with the leachate computed based on the cellular ATP measurements showed that the abundance of exogenous Pseudomonas strains in the bioreactors contributed to the reduction in effluent toxicity, which was reflected by a decrease in the stress biomass index to 32–45% as compared to the nonbioaugmented AS (76%)

Selecting Bacteria Candidates for the Bioaugmentation of Activated Sludge to Improve the Aerobic Treatment of Landfill Leachate

In this study, a multifaceted approach for selecting the suitable candidates for bioaugmentation of activated sludge (AS) that supports leachate treatment was used. To determine the exploitation of 10 bacterial strains isolated from the various matrices for inoculating the AS contaminated with the Kalina pond leachate (KPL), their degradative potential was analyzed along with their aptitude to synthesize compounds improving remediation of pollutants in wastewater and ability to incorporate into the AS flocs. Based on their capability to degrade aromatic compounds (primarily catechol, phenol, and cresols) at a concentration of 1 mg/mL and survive in 12.5% of the KPL, Pseudomonas putida OR45a and P. putida KB3 can be considered to be the best candidates for bioaugmentation of the AS among all of the bacteria tested. Genomic analyses of these two strains revealed the presence of the genes encoding enzymes related to the metabolism of aromatic compounds. Additionally, both microorganisms exhibited a high hydrophobic propensity (above 50%) and an ability to produce biosurfactants as well as high resistance to ammonium (above 600 g/mL) and heavy metals (especially chromium). These properties enable the exploitation of both bacterial strains in the bioremediation of the AS contaminated with the KPL

Programi i baze podataka o peptidima i proteolitičkim enzimima na internetu – kratak osvrt na 2007. i 2008. godinu

Bioinformatics methods have become one of the most important tools in peptide science. The number of available peptide databases is growing rapidly. The number of online programs able to process peptide sequences to extract information concerning their structure, physicochemical and biological properties is also increasing. Many of such programs were designed to manipulate protein sequences, but they have no built-in restrictions disabling their application to process oligopeptides containing less than 20 amino acid residues. Publications addressing these programs cannot be found in literature databases using the keyword \u27peptide\u27 or \u27peptides\u27, in connection with the term \u27bioinformatics\u27 or related terms, thus a reference source summarizing data from such publications seems necessary. This paper provides a brief review of bioactive peptide databases and sequence alignment programs enabling the search for peptide motifs, determination of physicochemical properties of amino acid residues, prediction of peptide structure, the occurrence of posttranslational glycosylation and immunogenicity, as well as the support of peptide design process. The review also includes databases and programs providing information about proteolytic enzymes. The databases and programs discussed in this paper were developed or updated between September 2007 and December 2008.Bioinformatičke metode postale su jedan od najvažnijih alata u području istraživanja peptida. Sve je veći broj dostupnih baza podataka o peptidima, a i „online” programa koji obradom aminokiselinskih sljedova daju informacije o strukturi peptida te njihovim fizikalno-kemijskim i biološkim svojstvima. Mnogi od tih programa dizajnirani su za obradu aminokiselinskih sljedova proteina, ali nemaju ugrađenu restrikciju njihove primjene na oligopeptide koji sadrže manje od 20 aminokiselinskih ostataka. Radovi o takvim programima ne mogu se pronaći u bazama publikacija uporabom ključnih riječi „peptid” ili „peptidi”, u kombinaciji s pojmom „bioinformatika” ili sličnim terminima. Stoga je važno sažeti rezultate objavljenih radova u jednom izvoru. U ovom je radu dan kratak pregled baza podataka o bioaktivnim peptidima i programima za analizu aminokiselinskoga slijeda koji omogućuju: pronalazak peptidnih motiva; određivanje fizikalno-kemijskih svojstava aminokiselinskih ostataka; predviđanje strukture peptida, pojave posttranslacijske glikozilacije i imunogenosti; te programsku podršku za dizajn peptida. Također su prikazani programi i baze podataka o proteolitičkim enzimima. Svi navedeni programi i baze razvijeni su i ažurirani od rujna 2007. do prosinca 2008

Diastasis recti abdominis — a review of treatment methods

Diastasis recti abdominis is a condition in which both rectus abdominis muscles disintegrate to the sides, this being ac­companied by the extension of the linea alba tissue and bulging of the abdominal wall. DRA may result in the herniation of the abdominal viscera, but it is not a hernia per se. DRA is common in the female population during pregnancy and in the postpartum period. There is a scant knowledge on the prevalence, risk factors, prevention or management of the abovemen­tioned condition. The aim of this paper is to present the methods of DRA treatment based on the results of recent studies

Effects of Low Concentration of Selected Analgesics and Successive Bioaugmentation of the Activated Sludge on Its Activity and Metabolic Diversity

In this study, we evaluated the impact of the successive bioaugmentation of the activated sludge (AS) with the defined bacterial consortium on the activity and functional capacity of the AS microorganisms. In parallel, the removal of low concentrations of the selected non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (ibuprofen, naproxen, diclofenac) and analgesic paracetamol was studied. We found that the addition of the bacterial consortium consisting of three pharmaceuticals-degrading strains Bacillus thuringiensis B1 (2015b), Stenotrophomonas maltophilia KB2, and Pseudomonas moorei KB4 into the AS did not cause any significant changes in the biomass abundance and metabolic activity of the AS microorganisms. Although, the successive bioaugmentation of the AS caused a slight increase in the metabolic diversity, the intensity of carbohydrates usage, and metabolic richness. Microorganisms in the bioaugmented and non-bioaugmented AS were able to degrade the mixture of the analyzed drugs with similar e ciency, however, diclofenac was removed more e ectively in the bioaugmented AS. Several metabolites were identified and e ciently utilized, with the exception of 4-OH diclofenac. Two new diclofenac-degrading strains assigned as Serratia proteamaculans AS4 and Rahnella bruchi AS7 were isolated from the diclofenac-treated AS

OCT angiography as a novel diagnostic possibility in age-related macular degeneration

INTRODUCTION. The aim of the study is to compare classical vein imaging methods used to diagnose Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD), like fluorescein angiography (FA), with non-invasive modern methods of ultrafast optical blood flow detection (Optical Coherence Tomography-angiography, Angio-OCT). METHODS. Images obtained during examination using AF and Angio-OCT methods of four randomly selected patients treated for AMD in the Department of Ophthalmology Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland were used for evaluation. RESULTS. Images obtained during routine check-up of patients treated for AMD were compared. CONCLUSIONS. Angio-OCT is a non-invasive, non-contact, fast, and safe examination of patients treated for AMD. Angio-OCT is a modern method that provides important information about the progression of the disease, and it is used to evaluate retinal and choroidal vessels in patients with AMD

Fatigue fracture of the sacrum related to pregnancy

Pregnancy is the period when, due to hormonal and structural changes connected with fetal growth, temporary musculoskeletal dysfunctions occur. Pregnancy-related fatigue fractures may be a rare cause of persistent or increasing pain in the sacrum region