Humans In Poland Research Articles

Environmental awareness and higher education: Differences in knowledge and the approach to ecology between students of technical sciences and the humanities in Poland

ABSTRACTThe article presents differences in attitudes and the environmental awareness of students of technical sciences and the humanities. The authors defend the thesis that humanistic knowledge is more conducive to environmental sensitivity in Poland. The article raises the questions of what types of knowledge are generated at universities and what the possible relationships between academic knowledge and ecology are. The theses presented by the authors are based on the results of a survey, which was carried out among students of technical sciences and the humanities using an audit questionnaire.

‘Supper with Berber’ – Hosts and Guests in the View of Ethnic Tourism. Anthropological Analysis of the Travel Agencies’ Offers

Purpose. Interpretative insight on contemporary tourist marketing in the context of ethnic tourism on the case study of the Berbers. Method. Analyzing offers of both Polish and foreign travel agencies the author focus on the role and place of host and guest in tourist universe. Findings. An analysis of internet tourist offers for „potential clients”, showed some tendencies in the ways of describing and presenting local worlds, projecting of the hosts-guests relationships. These tendencies are called: ethnicity as rhetoric, ethnicity as the element of landscape, ethnicity as an addition, ethnicity as an encounter. Research and cnclusions limitations. The research findings are a kind of anthropological insight on the basis of the case study and do not form any theory or holistic description of the tourist universum. Conclusions are formulated in the light of postmodern paradigm. Practical implications. The anthropological reflection on ethnic tourism in the context of the Berber can lead to critical view on dominating social institutions, not only describing the contemporariness but also influencing its character. Research originality. Ethnic tourism in the context of the Berbers was not examined in the humanities in Poland. Type of paper. A case study.

Occurrence of West Nile virus antibodies in wild birds, horses, and humans in Poland.

Serum samples of 474 wild birds, 378 horses, and 42 humans with meningitis and lymphocytic meningitis were collected between 2010 and 2014 from different areas of Poland. West Nile virus (WNV) antibodies were detected using competition enzyme linked immunosorbent assays: ELISA-1 ID Screen West Nile Competition, IDvet, ELISA-2 ID Screen West Nile IgM Capture, and ELISA-3 Ingezim West Nile Compac. The antibodies were found in 63 (13.29%) out of 474 wild bird serum samples and in one (0.26%) out of 378 horse serum samples. Fourteen (33.33%) out of 42 sera from patients were positive against WNV antigen and one serum was doubtful. Positive samples obtained in birds were next retested with virus microneutralisation test to confirm positive results and cross-reactions with other antigens of the Japanese encephalitis complex. We suspect that positive serological results in humans, birds, and horses indicate that WNV can be somehow closely related with the ecosystem in Poland.

Risk of human toxocarosis in Poland due to Toxocara infection of dogs and cats.

The purpose of this paper was to present the current data on the risk of toxocarosis in humans in Poland and to give an overview of the clinical and diagnostic aspects of the disease. The number of reported clinical cases of Toxocara infection in children in Poland in medical literature has increased recently. The results of field surveys aimed to evaluate the soil contamination with geohelminth eggs conducted during the last few years showed that Toxocara is the most common zoonotic agent in urban public sites and in rural settlements. The questionnaire revealed rural inhabitants' low awareness of zoonotic parasite threats to humans. In particular parents should be advised as to what proper preventive measures to undertake to eliminate the toxocarosis risk factors for children in rural environment. Prevention of initial environment contamination with Toxocara canis and T. cati eggs, which includes proper treatment regimes to eliminate patent infections in dogs and cats and preventing pets from defecating in public areas and private households is vital. To provide the public with suitably presented information as well as pet owners with uniform recommendations, a close collaboration between veterinary and public health professionals is crucial.

Tissue level, distribution, and total body selenium content in healthy and diseased humans in Poland.

The authors obtained tissue samples taken at autopsy from 46 healthy individuals killed in accidents and from 75 corpses of victims of various diseases to analyze selenium levels. The per-weight-unit basis of selenium levels (all expressed as ng/gm wet tissue) in tissues decreased in the following order: kidney (469) > liver > spleen > pancreas > heart > brain > lung > bone > skeletal muscle (51). The highest proportion of body selenium was found in skeletal muscles (27.5%); much less selenium was found in bones (16%) and blood (10%). In the tissues of cancer corpses, the selenium levels were much lower than levels in controls. The lowest selenium levels were found in the livers of alcoholics. Tissue selenium levels found in the study were significantly lower than levels reported in Japan, United States, Canada, and other countries. The low selenium levels in the tissues of Polish residents result from inadequate selenium levels in the soil. The authors used selenium levels in tissues to calculate the amount of selenium in humans in Poland (i.e., approximately 5.2 mg). This level was similar to levels found in New Zealand (i.e., 3.0-6.1 mg), but it was lower than the mean level found in Germany (i.e., 6.6 mg) and in the United States (i.e., 13.0-20.3 mg).

Epidemiological studies onTrichinellosisamong swine, wild boars and humans in Poland

The introduction of the digestion method (the magnetic stirrer type) resulted directly in the reduction of Trichinella sp. infection among people in Poland. Pork and its products are still the main cause of human trichinellosis in Poland. However, epidemics caused by eating wild boar meat suggested that this way of the transmission of Trichinella sp. larvae to humans might be of considerable importance.

Typing of Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Mbandaka isolates

Recently, Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Mbandaka ( S. Mbandaka) has gained some importance in the epidemiology of salmonellosis in Poland. Since biotyping, resistance typing, and plasmid profiling were insufficient for strain differentiation, genome macrorestriction by means of pulse-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) was applied and proved to be the method of choice in S. Mbandaka epidemiological studies. XbaI and BcuI macrorestriction produced 15 and 14 pulse-field profiles (PFP), respectively, but in the case of each enzyme one profile was prevalent. When macrorestriction profiles were combined, a total 24 patterns were found. Based on the similarity of the profiles, four clonal lineages were identified. One clonal lineage contained the majority of poultry, feed and human isolates. Poultry was concluded to be an important source of S. Mbandaka for humans in Poland. Complementary use of various typing techniques improved efficacy of epidemiological studies giving possibility to subdivide S. Mbandaka into 35 types and the index of discrimination reached 0.947.

Akademia Lubrańskiego – chluba Poznania. W 500. rocznicę fundacji

1519 was a special year for the city of Poznań, owing to the foundation of a new school, the Lubrański Academy. It was the first school of humanities in Poland to follow the best models of Renaissance education and employed illustrious teachers like Krzysztof Hegendorfer and Benedykt Herbest. In the 16th century, the Academy was considered a rival of Krakow University; ultimately in the early 17th century, the Academy was affiliated with the University. As a result of the affiliation, the Poznań school enjoyed stability, a group of experienced teachers and a curriculum recognized by the society. The curriculum stood out in Poland by its inclusion of practical preparation for performing various political functions, especially in the field of law, and, as in other educational institutions, by preparing young people for cultural life in the country. Its relations with Krakow University also had drawbacks: during the Enlightenment reforms of the education system, the Lubrański Academy adopted a conservative and reactionary position. Despite this, the authorities managed to introduce several modern solutions, especially in the realm of teaching modern foreign languages.