OPPORTUNITIES OF TRANSFORMATIVE STUDENT LEARNING – THE CASE OF THE ERASMUS+ PROGRAMME

This article indicates that university-based mobility programmes enable communication between students and academics from different countries, creating potentially favourable circumstances to distance themselves from the hitherto-accepted habits and, as a result, can lead to transformative learning. The theoretical basis is J. Mezirow’s theory of transformative learning. The results of research conducted among the students participating in the Erasmus+ programme are analyzed. A survey questionnaire was used to assess the changes in selected mental habits observed by the above-mentioned students. According to the collected data, more than half of the respondents reported strengthening as many as 13 out of the 16 listed mental habits. 

Students of Asian Origin in the School of Polish Language and Culture for Foreign Students at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań (2012/2013–2016/2017)

The paper regards students from Korea, Japan and China who have participated in the Polish language courses offered by the School of Polish Language and Culture for Foreign Students at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań. The author of the article focuses on the issue concerning the number of students of Asian origin in particular courses and shows how this situation has changed over the last five years (2012–2017).The paper regards students from Korea, Japan and China who have participated in the Polish language courses offered by the School of Polish Language and Culture for Foreign Students at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań. The author of the article focuses on the issue concerning the number of students of Asian origin in particular courses and shows how this situation has changed over the last five years (2012–2017)

Subcutaneous fat necrosis of the newborn : a case report and review of literature

Subcutaneous fat necrosis of the newborn is a rare, benign, self-limited hypodermatitis that affects full-term or postmature newborn with history of perinatal stress such as hypoxia, hypothermia or local pressure trauma. The main lesions appear as subucateneous nodules in adipose tissue. We present a case of a three-week old newborn born in spontaneous delivery in the 40Hbd in poor general condition (inborn pneumonia and perinatal hypoxia) which was admitted to the hospital due to subcutaneous tissue induration and skin discoloration above the lesion. The skin ultrasound examination showed foci of homogeneously hyperechogenic subcutaneous tissue thickened up to 6 mm. Further examinations did not reveal any abnormalities besides the slightly increased calcium concentration (1,69 mmol/l with normal range of 1,2 mmo/l). In order to diagnose the condition a tissue sample was collected. The histological examination revealed panniculitis with infiltration with mononuclear cells, e.g. macrophages as well as multinucleated giant cells with radial arrangement of needles-shaped clefts in cytoplasm. After treatment with corticosteroids resolution of all the lesions was noted

Built environment bikeability as a predictor of cycling frequency : Lessons from Barcelona

Unidad de excelencia María de Maeztu CEX2019-000940-MBackground: Many cities are putting cycling at the centre of their sustainable transportation policies after the COVID pandemic. Cycling is seen as a desirable mode of transport in dense and compact areas and needs to be promoted accordingly. However, to date, only a handful of different bikeability indexes exist attempting to map biking conditions and the built environment's potential to promote biking as a modal choice on a city scale. Methods: In this article, we use objective GIS data to map bikeability potential in the city of Barcelona. To do so we extracted the main bikeability components from an adhoc cycling survey and then create an index using ten spatial indicators. This bikeability index is mapped at a 100 × 100 m scale in the city of Barcelona. We then use actual travel behavior data extracted from a local representative travel survey to test the reliability of the index in predicting daily bike use. Results: Results confirm the validity of the bikeability index as a predictor of the frequency of cycling. People living in areas with higher levels of built environment features associated with bikeability such as dedicated infrastructure, low accident rates and small slopes are more likely to use the bike more often. Conclusions: Results validate our approach providing new methods to be used in further biking studies and a useful tool for policy and decision making. The use of our new bikeaiblity index is especially indicated for highly-dense, compact, Mediterranean-style cities

Comparison of static and dynamic exposures to air pollution, noise, and greenness among seniors living in compact-city environments

GPS technology and tracking study designs have gained popularity as a tool to go beyond the limitations of static exposure assessments based on the subject's residence. These dynamic exposure assessment methods offer high potential upside in terms of accuracy but also disadvantages in terms of cost, sample sizes, and types of data generated. Because of that, with our study we aim to understand in which cases researchers need to use GPS-based methods to guarantee the necessary accuracy in exposure assessment. With a sample of 113 seniors living in Barcelona (Spain) we compare their estimated daily exposures to air pollution (PM2.5, PM10, NO2), noise (dB), and greenness (NDVI) using static and dynamic exposure assessment techniques. Results indicate that significant differences between static and dynamic exposure assessments are only present in selected exposures, and would thus suggest that static assessments using the place of residence would provide accurate-enough values across a number of exposures in the case of seniors. Our models for Barcelona's seniors suggest that dynamic exposure would only be required in the case of exposure to smaller particulate matter (PM2.5) and exposure to noise levels. The study signals to the need to consider both the mobility patterns and the built environment context when deciding between static or dynamic measures of exposure assessment

Physical activity benefits of attending a senior center depend largely on age and gender: a study using GPS and accelerometry data

Background Senior centers offer important opportunities for physical activity and social interaction. Seniors who visit a senior center regularly can gain physical activity from transportation and from specific activities offered within the senior center. However, there is very little knowledge regarding the specific physical activity gains obtained from regular visits to senior centers, and no effort has been made to use device-based measures of physical activity to test the potential physical activity benefits of attending a senior center. Methods To fill this gap, the present study examined the physical activity patterns of 227 seniors living in the Barcelona Metropolitan Area in Spain. Using GPS and Accelerometer 7-day tracking data, and GIS measures we assessed the light physical activity and moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA) benefits of attending the senior center on a weekly and daily basis. Results Seniors who attended a senior center at least once a week did not accumulate significantly more daily physical activity (211.6 min; 95% CI 196.6; 226.6) than seniors without any visit 215.9 min; 95% CI 202.7; 229). However, on a day-to-day basis, it was found that visiting a senior center had positive effects in physical activity and was associated with less sedentary time among younger participants in general (− 18.2 daily min 95% CI − 33.2;-3.3 p = 0.016) and among older female participants in particular (− 19.7 daily min 95% CI -21.06;-18.5 p = 0.011). Conclusions The benefits of attending senior centers in terms of physical activity should not be viewed as universal, but rather as contingent to the demographics of the user, and the type of activity that the visit is replacing

Dysbiosis and depressive disorders. Survey review

A significant increase in the incidence of depression, change of lifestyle and nutrition, forces researchers to seek understanding of the various mechanisms of the formation of such a disorder. Numerous studies draw attention to dysbiosis - a disorder of the composition and function of the intestinal microflora. In current studies, strong correlations can be observed between microbiota disorders and the occurrence of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases