The article is based on a thorough reading of one of the latest anthropological contributions to the study of demographic behavior and a demographic change. Reviewing the essays contained in the book is a springboard for exploration of the nature of a presumed "epistemological crisis" within demography and the possible refreshment of the discipline that might have come from anthropological theories and methodologies. By doing so, the examples of anthropological reformulations of the fundamental demographic concepts, presumptions and methods are presented, and the benefits and pitfalls of the liaison between anthropology and demography are discussed.

This paper brings up the issue of population aging and its influence on designing and construction of buildings in Poland. It also touches the problem of adaptation of existing facilities to the needs of the elderly and the disabled. Moreover, current trends in Polish demographics and possible outlook for the next 45 years has been presented. The author presents the current legal state concerning rules and regulations on the aspects of adjusting the buildings and their parts to the needs of the disabled. Additionally, the dimensions and the areas of movement for the disabled as well as the primary functional and requirements for bathrooms have been described. In the next paragraph, a concept of Ambient Assisted Living with examples of sanitary equipment for use in residential buildings has been propose.

The activity of territorial self-government shaped institutionally during the development process is characterized by a significant scope of care for the financial situation, which determines the efficiency of its functioning. The general availability of public services is a condition for the assessment of the activities of municipalities (powiats, voivodeships). Institutional economy as a real one, takes into account an integrated point of view. The aim of the study is to present the territorial differentiation of the eff ectiveness of communes’ activities in the context of institutional economics and to present the possibility of using a synthetic measure in this process. The synthetic measure of development fluctuated within the limits of 0.30 – Wąchock (Starachowice poviat, urban-rural commune) to 0.41 – Ostrowiec Św. (Ostrowiecki poviat, urban commune) in 2009, 0.32 – Łączna (Skarżysko poviat, rural commune) to 0.40 – Starachowice (Starachowice poviat, municipal commune) in 2015. The results of the analysis confirm the existence of small differences in the assessment of development communes of the Kamienna Basin. This approach allows the assessment of municipalities using one size and allows you to organize the analyzed objects in terms of the considered phenomenon.

Biological parameters of the larval parasitoid Cephalonomia tarsalis (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera : Bethylidae) and its host the saw-toothed beetle Oryzapehilus surinamensis (L.) (Coleoptera : Silvanidae) were studied in the laboratory. The duration of the immature period, survival during development, as well as adult longevity and the number of progeny of both insects were recorded. Our data were used for the estimation of several demographic parameters and life table construction of both the host and the parasitoid. The wasp managed to complete its development (egg – adult) in 19.8 days at 25oC, whereas the adult female lived for 24.3 days. The host O. surinamensis demonstrated a longer developmental period (30.5 days) and adult female longevity (103.0 days). Female wasps laid an average of 66.4 eggs throughout their lifetime whereas their beetle hosts laid five times more eggs (313.9). Life table parameters of C. tarsalis were estimated for the first time. The intrinsic rate of natural increase (rm) was 0.124 which was almost double that of its host (0.056). Our results are discussed on the basis of evaluating and improving the performance of C. tarsalis as a biocontrol agent against O. surinamensis in storage facilities.

The article presents the author’s perspective on the achievements of Polish historiography in the field of economic, social and historical demography of the pre-industrial period. It also suggests new directions of research that would relate to trends, methods and theories prevalent in world historiography.