Leisure time and its quality use is becoming increasingly important in society. We can spend it primarily on physical activity, which offer many options, as it provides an entertainment and has a complex effect on our physical and mental health. Walking as a basis for hiking is the most accessible form of physical activity. Hiking is known as a low-level adventure activity, making it popular, and therefore, it presents an important tourism product around the world. The aim of hiking is the improvement of spiritual wealth, physical capabilities, mental resilience, and the general health of a person. An essential activity of hiking is the exploration of natural beauties and monuments. The tourist chooses a certain attractive place based on the route by which he can arrive there. The aim of this study is to provide a better understanding of the motivations of mountain hikers and to discuss the issue in wider contexts. This study examines the individual components comprising the decision-making process when choosing a hiking trail, such as slope of a terrain, relief, hiking trail surface, difficulty level of hiking trail, natural monuments, environmental attractiveness, and hiker’s internal motivation. The study contributes to contemporary literature on soft adventure hiking. Definitively, the findings provide important data in the creation of attractive and sustainable tourism products tailored to and planning for sustainable development of the territory in terms of tourism.

Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a major cause of urinary tract infections and bloodstream infections and an important agent in the resistance to antibiotics. The present study sought to determine associations between virulence, phylogenetic background and antimicrobial resistance of E. coli strains isolated from patients with extraintestinal infections. A total of three hundred ten E. coli strains were isolated from blood, skin and soft tissue and urine. PCR methods were used to detect four main phylogenetic groups (A, B1, B2 and D) and 11 virulence genes (3 toxins, 3 adhesins, 1 siderophore, 4 capsule synthesis proteins and protectins). Standard broth microdilution test was used to determine sensitivity to 12 antimicrobial drugs. The most common and the most virulent phylogenetic group B2 was found in 193 (62.3%) isolates. The lowest virulence was observed among the group A. Analysis of virulence factors revealed the kpsMTII gene in 212 (68.4%), aer in 194 (62.6%) and tra in 184 (59.4%) of isolates, respectively. Multi-drug resistant (MDR) phenotype was noticed in 165 (53.2%) isolates. Lower representation of the MDR phenotype was detected in E. coli containing all groups of virulence genes and in the avirulent E. coli. Our study documented that E. coli associated with 3 different extraintestinal infections contain various virulence factors. Genes afa, pap, aer, neuC show significant differences among the 3 groups of the strains tested and might be the prerequisite virulence factors in bloodstream infections. Isolates containing all groups of virulence genes predominantly originate in the blood and belong to the B2 phylogenetic group. Overall, we identified significantly higher incidence of all the groups of virulence genes examined among the B2 group. Prevalence of the MDR phenotype and high levels of resistance to ampicillin, ciprofloxacin and trimetoprim/sulfamethoxazole reflect the trend observed worldwide in recent years.

The impact of tourism on quality of life standards in regions is significant in terms of people, planet, and profit. This paper examines the subnational NUTS 2 level regions, (in line with Eurostat) by applying several interlinked and connected indicators. Adopting the three Ps (people, planet, profit) of the Sustainability Services Marketing Mix, this article discusses the fusion of 54 regions of Central and Eastern Europe (Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Slovenia, Romania, and Bulgaria) into clusters according to the selected accommodation tourism indicators used by the European Statistical Agency (Eurostat) to evaluate tourism. Since many variables of the Prague region significantly exceed the values of the remaining regions, this region has been considered as an individual cluster, excluded from the cluster analysis. The cluster analysis resulted in the definition of six clusters consisting of regions with similar indicators’ statistics characteristics. The presented approach changes the traditional approach to clusters in tourism and provokes thinking about new criteria of clustering and solutions in the field of tourism, especially when considering future cooperation, competitiveness, and sustainable development.

Background and Study Aim. COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic has affected several areas of human and public life. The implementation of the restrictions affects free movement, leading to limited physical activity (PA) level. The main aim of the study was to determine the level of PA of university students in Slovakia during COVID–19 pandemics. Material and Methods. The sample consisted of 3128 university students. Data was obtained from students from three universities with different specializations. A questionnaire about lifestyle with questions about physical activity was used. The questionnaire was distributed using online communication systems of universities. The online questionnaire was answered by 3128 students. Results. Analyzed data were obtained from 3128 students. The results indicate that 38% of all students exercise 3-4 times per week, while 41% exercise 1-2 times per week, and 21% do not exercise at all, or exercise 1-2 times per month. Found weak positive correlation (r=0,337) was between the exercise frequency and perception of well-being, and a very weak positive correlation (r=0,187) between the exercise frequency and stress intensity. A moderate positive correlation was found between the perception of health and life energy (r=0,579). A moderate positive correlation was observed between the perception of health and physical strength (r=0,579). Conclusions. COVID-19 restrictions have been associated with the reduction of physical activity of the students. To avoid the negative effects of a sedentary lifestyle, it is necessary to promote activity among university students.

In the article, the authors characterize the current European market with natural gas, describing differences in prices for households and prices for companies from the point of view of individual components, where they focus more on taxes, levies and fees. The article further deals with the possible impact of the price of natural gas on the country's economy, more specifically, the correlation with inflation, unemployment and interest rates. The main aim of the authors is to establish an appropriate econometric model, which describes the impact of the price of natural gas together with the unemployment rate and interest rates on the inflation of the country. The price of natural gas, of this strategic raw material, is one of the factors that can influence the processes for low-carbon technologies or more precisely, the process of EU decarbonisation and with it the associated amount of CO2 emissions.

In the domain of sports sciences, questionnaire-based measurement represents a fundamental methodological approach for gathering relevant data. Such data may be either quantitative or qualitative in nature. In the case of qualitative variables, questionnaires are frequently employed to assess psychological, social, and behavioral characteristics of athletes. However, the outcomes of these measurements are often subject to respondents' subjective perception as well as temporal fluctuations in behavior, which may compromise the objectivity of the results. When developing a new questionnaire intended to capture qualitative constructs, it is essential to evaluate its psychometric properties, with particular emphasis on its measurement quality. One of the key indicators of quality is reliability, defined as the degree of stability and internal consistency of the instrument over time. This study presents one of the most used approaches for assessing internal consistency—Cronbach’s alpha coefficient—as a tool for estimating the reliability of questionnaire-based instruments in sport psychology research.