Long-term effect of temperature on honey yield and honeybee phenology

There is growing concern about declines in pollinator species, and more recently reservations have been expressed about mismatch in plant-pollinator synchrony as a consequence of phenological change caused by rising temperatures. Long-term changes in honeybee Apis mellifera phenology may have major consequences for agriculture, especially the pollinator market, as well as for honey production. To date, these aspects have received only modest attention. In the current study, we examine honeybee and beekeeping activity in southern Poland for the period 1965–2010, supplemented by hive yields from a beekeeper in southern UK in the same period. We show that despite negative reports on honeybee condition, and documented climate change, the studied apiary managed to show a marked increase in honey production over the 46 year study period, as did that from the UK. The proportion of the annual yield originating from the first harvest decreased during the study period and was associated with rising temperatures in summer. Honeybee spring phenology showed strong negative relationships with temperature but no overall change through time because temperatures of key early spring months had not increased significantly. In contrast, increasing yields and an increased number of harvests (and hence a later final harvest and longer season) were detected and were related to rising temperatures in late spring and in summer

Nanoreactors for local production and release of antibiotic

Implant infections are emerging as a grave medical problem.The number of medical and surgical procedures involving medical implant devices will continue to grow, for example due to aging of the population. Device-associated infections are a consequence of bacterial adhesion and subsequent biofilm formation at the implantation site. Due to the importance of this problem, intense research is being focused on finding new, efficient treatments. Conventional antibiotic therapies remain ineffective and very often lead to removal of the contaminated device. Various alternative strategies have been proposed, however, these suffer from many drawbacks. Tackling infections associated with medical implants remain a challenge. In this thesis, enzymatically active, covalently immobilized nanoreactors based on poly(2-methyloxazoline)-block-poly(dimethylsiloxane)-block-poly(2-methyloxazoline) (PMOXA-b-PDMS-b-PMOXA) amphiphilic block copolymer were designed and prepared. These nanoreactors catalyzed the conversion of prodrug molecules, which exhibit no antibacterial activity, to a drug active as an antibiotic. The enzymatic conversion was shown to occur only inside the nanoreactors. When these are immobilized they represent a novel, nanosized system whereby a drug will not be released to the entire body, but will be synthesized in situ. This strategy offers multiple advantages: long term production of antibacterial compounds due to the protection of the enzyme from proteolytic degradation, control of drug production at a specific rate for a specific period of time, and localized drug delivery. First, cationic ring opening polymerization was employed to synthesize the polymer. The self-assembly of this polymer was studied, as was the enzymatic activity of the resulting nanoreactor. The covalent attachment of the nanoreactors to a surface was realized by two different strategies: (i) attachment via an amino bond, involving Schiff base formation and its further reduction (ii) attachment via photo-cleavage by a phenyl azido linker. Both approaches resulted in successful, stable immobilization. The attached nanoreactors were characterized by surface-sensitive techniques such as scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. Experiments with bacteria were conducted to demonstrate the antimicrobial potential of surface immobilized enzymatically active nanoreactors. In summary, this thesis develops the concept of polymeric nanoreactors that synthesize drugs in situ to inhibit bacterial growth. Additionally, the immobilization methodologies elaborated within the scope of this work could be further adapted for potential applications in biotechnology and biosensing

Русскоязычная художественная литература в переводах на польский язык (2007–2017 гг.)

This paper focuses on the current condition of the Russian adult literature market in Poland. Works translated into Polish and published in 2007–2017 are taken into consideration. The author uses bibliographical data excerpted from the Bibliographic Guide published by Biblioteka Narodowa publishing house. In the discussed period 422 translations of Russian adult literature, mainly contemporary, dominated by crime novels and fantasy literature appeared on the Polish publishing market. The author draws attention to the problem of large disproportion between the number of translations of contemporary and classical Russian literature into Polish. The article is accompanied by a bibliographic list of translations of Russian literature into Polish for the years 2007–2017.Artykuł przedstawia charakterystykę aktualnej kondycji rynku przekładów rosyjskojęzycznej literatury pięknej dla dorosłych wydanych w Polsce w latach 2007–2017, dokonaną na podstawie danych bibliograficznych wyekscerpowanych z wydawanego przez Bibliotekę Narodową Przewodnika Bibliograficznego. W omawianym okresie na polskim rynku wydawniczym pojawiły się 422 przekłady rosyjskojęzycznej literatury pięknej dla dorosłych, głównie współczesnej, zdominowanej przez powieści kryminalne oraz literaturę fantastyczną. Analiza zebranego materiału wykazała dysproporcję między liczbą przekładów współczesnej i klasycznej literatury rosyjskojęzycznej na język polski. Do artykułu dołączono wykaz bibliograficzny przekładów na język polski rosyjskojęzycznej literatury pięknej dla dorosłych za lata 2007–2017.Artykuł przedstawia charakterystykę aktualnej kondycji rynku przekładów rosyjskojęzycznej literatury pięknej dla dorosłych wydanych w Polsce w latach 2007–2017, dokonaną na podstawie danych bibliograficznych wyekscerpowanych z wydawanego przez Bibliotekę Narodową Przewodnika Bibliograficznego. W omawianym okresie na polskim rynku wydawniczym pojawiły się 422 przekłady rosyjskojęzycznej literatury pięknej dla dorosłych, głównie współczesnej, zdominowanej przez powieści kryminalne oraz literaturę fantastyczną. Analiza zebranego materiału wykazała dysproporcję między liczbą przekładów współczesnej i klasycznej literatury rosyjskojęzycznej na język polski. Do artykułu dołączono wykaz bibliograficzny przekładów na język polski rosyjskojęzycznej literatury pięknej dla dorosłych za lata 2007–2017

Działania polskiej dyplomacji kulturalnej na Bliskim Wschodzie

W artykule zaprezentowano niektóre działania i projekty polskiej dyplomacji kulturalnej na Bliskim Wschodzie. Obecnie stawia się na kontakt między ludźmi, społecznościami, pokazywanie, jak my żyjemy, mówienie o naszych doświadczeniach.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

Nest-site competition between bumblebees (Bombidae), social wasps (Vespidae) and cavity-nesting birds in Britain and the Western Palearctic

Capsule: There is no evidence of widespread significant nest-site competition in Britain or the Western Palearctic between cavity-nesting birds and bumblebees or social wasps. Aims: To investigate competition between cavity-nesting birds and bumblebees and wasps, particularly the range-expanding Tree Bumblebee, Saxon Wasp and European Hornet in Britain, and review evidence throughout the Western Palearctic. Methods: We compared field data from English and Polish studies of tits and woodpeckers breeding in nest-boxes and/or tree holes to assess nest-site competition with bumblebees and wasps. We reviewed the literature quantifying nest-site competition between birds and these insects in the Western Palearctic. Results: Bumblebees and wasps are capable of usurping small passerines from nests. In England, these insects commandeered a mean annual 4.1% of tit nests initiated in nest-boxes; occurrence of hornets showed a long-term increase, but not other wasps or bumblebees. Across the Western Palearctic, insect occupation of nest-boxes was generally low, and was lower in England than in Poland. No insects were discovered in tree cavities, including those created by woodpeckers (Picidae). Conclusion: Nest-site competition between cavity-nesting birds and bumblebees and wasps appears to be a ‘nest-box phenomenon’, which may occasionally interfere with nest-box studies, but appears negligible in natural nest-sites

A Socratic Contribution to Culture of Lawfulness for Teaching Criminology

The original idea for this article comes from Emil Pływaczewski and Izabella Kraśnicka, two academic researchers from the Faculty of Law of the University of Białystok (Białystok, Poland). They referred to the Socratic method in their 2016 article on legal education in transition (see: E. Pływaczewski, I. Kraśnicka, Legal Education in Transition: Is the Bologna Process Responding to Europe’s Place in the World?, (in:) H. Kury, S. Redo & E. Shea. (eds.), Women and Children as Victims and Offenders: Background, Prevention, Reintegration, Springer International Publishing, Switzerland 2016, p. 342), which prompted the first author of the present text to propose that the Faculty conduct a Socratic Seminar on Criminology. The proposal was accepted, hence the text below.This article presents and discusses the thesis that the Socratic method for teaching Criminology advances students’ capacity for self-reflection and enables progressive transformative criminal justice outcomes. In contemporary pedagogics the Socratic method is one of many interactive ways of acquiring legal knowledge. The method’s outstanding feature involves global and systemic understanding of human attitudes and values, including the most current and comprehensive 2030 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Agenda “Transforming our world”, in essence a new global ethical code underway with a spearheading concept of a global Culture of Lawfulness. Against the background of the pros and cons of this method this article presents the objectives, essentials, and results of the Socratic method for teaching Criminology at the Faculty of Law of the University of Białystok (Białystok, Poland, 2016-2018). It assesses, discusses and draws conclusions from these results in the context central to criminology Sustainable Development Goal 16 of the Agenda: “Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build eff ective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels”.Sławomir Redo: [email protected] W. Pływaczewski: [email protected] Langowska: [email protected]ław Alkowski: [email protected]ławomir Redo, PhD, dr. hab., Senior Adviser, Academic Council on the United Nations System (Vienna, Austria); f. UN Senior Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Expert and staff of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (ret.) He had been involved in numerous projects implementing UN standards and norms in crime prevention and criminal justice. In other capacities he assisted in the implementation of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, and online international crime prevention and criminal justice education. He published four books, co-edited four others, including “Refugees and Migrants in Law and Policy – Challenges and Opportunities for Global Civic Education” (Springer 2018), and published about 80 articles – mostly on the UN law and practice of crime prevention and criminal justice. Course lecturer on “The United Nations and Crime Prevention Course” for graduate students (Austria, China, Poland). Promoter of criminological education and training to help meet the goals of the 2030 UN Sustainable Development AgendaEmil W. Plywaczewski, Prof. Dr. hab. (Law/Criminology); Dr. h.c., Dean of the Faculty of Law, University of Bialystok (Białystok, Poland); Director, Institute of Criminal Law & Criminology. His literary output comprises over 480 publications, published in Poland and abroad (83), a dozen of them are monographs. His research interests include organised crime, money laundering, corruption, criminal policy and public security issues. In 1997 he won the Distinguished International Scholar Award of the International Division of the American Society of Criminology. On numerous occasions he was a guest lecturer or a visiting professor at 66 universities in Australia, Brazil, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, the USA, and in many European universities. In the years 1994–2012, he represented Poland in the International Examination Board of the Central European Police Academy. Since 2005 he has been the Chief Coordinator of the Polish Platform for Homeland Security (PPHS). Since 2017, Director of the International Centre of Criminological Research and Expertise, Białystok, Poland. Since 2018 he is a member of the Stockholm Prize in Crimonology International Jury.Agnieszka Langowska is a PhD candidate in Legal Science at the University of Białystok, Poland. She is working on her doctoral thesis on crimes against the rights of people in paid work. In addition to being a law graduate, Agnieszka also has a degree in European Studies - she obtained a Bachelor’s degree at the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń and a Masters degree at the University of Białystok. Since 2014, Agnieszka has been employed in the District Court in Białystok as a judge assistant.Przemysław Alkowski is a research and teaching assistant at the Department of Intellectual Property Law. In 2014, he began doctoral studies at the Faculty of Law of the University of Bialystok, where he is pursuing his doctoral thesis on the criminal and criminological aspects of doping crimes. His academic interests focus on legal issues related to practicing sports.Sławomir Redo - Academic Council on the United Nations SystemEmil W. Pływaczewski - University of BiałystokAgnieszka Langowska - University of BiałystokPrzemysław Alkowski - University of BiałystokHolland K. M., Socrates – The First Criminal Justice Educator, “Criminal Justice Review” 1980, vol. 5, no. 1.Kreeft P., Socratic Logic, Saint Augustine’s Press, South Bend, IN 2014.Kupisiewicz C., Podstawy dydaktyki [The Basis of Didactics], Warszawa 2005.Lam F., The Socratic Method as an Approach to Learning and its Benefi ts, M.A. thesis, Carnegie Mellon University, USA, 2011.Legutko R., Sokrates. Filozofia męża sprawiedliwego [Philosophy of a Just Man], Pilotowy, Poznań 2013.Leszczyńska-Jasion D., Urbański M.,Wiśniewski A., Socratic trees, “Studia Logica” 2013, no. 101.Miller H. L., Creative Learning and Teaching, Scribner Inc. New York 1927.Ngwenyama O., Logical foundations of social science research, (in:) K-M.Osei-Bryson, O. Ngwenyama (eds.), Advances in Research Methods for Information Systems Research: Data Mining, Data Envelopment Analysis, Value Focused Thinking, Springer Berlin-Dodrecht-Heidelberg- New York 2014.Pływaczewski E. W. (ed.), Bezpieczeństwo obywateli – prawa człowieka – zrównoważony rozwój. Polskie kierunki interdyscyplinarnych badań kryminologicznych nad bezpieczeństwem obywateli oraz w zakresie przeciwdziałania wykluczeniu społecznemu, [Security of Citizens- Human Rights Sustainable Development. Polish Directions of Interdisciplinary Criminological Research on the Security of Citizens and on Countering Social Exclusion], Białystok 2017.Pływaczewski E. W., Kraśnicka I., Legal Education in Transition: Is the Bologna Process Responding to Europe’s Place in the World?, (in:) Kury H., Redo S., Shea E. (eds.), Women and Children as Victims and Offenders: Background, Prevention, Reintegration, Springer International Publishing, Switzerland 2016Poh M-Z., Swenson N. C. Picard R. W., A Wearable Sensor for unobtrusive, long-term assessment of electrodermal activity, “IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering” 2010, vol. 57, no. 5.Redo S., The transformative power of the United Nations post-2015 Sustainable development goals and crime prevention education for a new culture of lawfulness, (in:) Winterdyk J., Crime Prevention. International Perspectives, Issues, and Trends, CRC Press. Taylor & Francis Group, Boca Raton-London-New York 2017.Ryan E., Xin S., Yuan Y., You R., Li H., When Socrates meets Confucius: Teaching, creative and critical thinking across cultures trough multilevel Socratic method, “Nebraska Law Review” 2013, no 2.Schaefer Morabito M., Bennett R. R., Socrates in the modern classroom: How are large classes in Criminal Justice being taught, “Criminal Justice Education” 2006, vol. 17, no. 1.Zarzecki L., Wybrane problemy dydaktyki ogólnej [Selcted Problems of General Didactics], Jelenia Góra 20082339711

Late prehistoric and early historic chronology of Myanmar: a four-millennia sequence from Halin

Myanmar is located within an important geographic corridor of prehistoric demographic and technological exchange, yet relatively few archaeological sites have been securely dated. Here, the authors present a new radiocarbon chronology for Halin, a UNESCO-listed complex in the north-central Sagaing Division of Myanmar, which contributes to the generation of nuanced regional chronologies and to improving the temporal resolution of Southeast Asia more generally. Discussion of 94 radiocarbon determinates, together with site stratigraphy and pottery traditions, provides a chronological sequence from the early third millennium BC to the early second millennium AD. Corroboration of the beginning of this sequence would place Halin as the oldest currently dated Neolithic site in Mainland Southeast Asia and would provide support for the two-layer model of Neolithic migration