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Purpose: The paper presents the design and model of energy harvester prototype consisting of vibration generator and magnetic spring. The developed magnetic spring prototype, which is integrated in the vibration generator, detects several resonance frequencies significant for energy harvester optimization and ensures more applications in engineering technology. Methods: The magnetic spring with two identical fixed magnets and the movable permanent magnet that levitates between the two fixed magnets in a vertical direction and moves linearly, can harvest multi-directional environment vibration resembled by vibration generator. The magnetic spring acts as the clamping system for the levitated magnet. Mechanical energy gained through vibrations resembled by vibration generator is converted by the magnetic spring into electrical energy. Results: Numerical calculations and experimental tests including measurements of I–V, total harmonic distortion (THD) of displacements and magnetic induction conducted in Laboratory have been useful to determine the characteristics and performance of the magnetic spring integrated in electromagnetic vibration generator. Conclusion: The I–V impedance measurements have exhibited a significantly stronger dependence on frequencies resonances and the measurements of magnetic induction intensity show the demagnetization and magnetization processes of the levitated permanent magnets.

Firebreaks are one of the protective measures used to safeguard forests in case of fire. Their purpose is to limit the possibility of fire spreading. This article describes how these protective measures are implemented along public roads in selected European countries. Based on the information gathered, it was found that there is a wide variety of approaches to firebreaks’ construction, mostly due to different climatic and geomorphological conditions that influence the overall risk of forest fires. The forms of firebreaks used in Europe along public roads are either a mineralised belt (without vegetation) or a cleared belt of materials that are particularly susceptible to ignition and fire spread. Methods combining both are also used.

On 1 April 1963, the Department of Forest Fire Protection was established at the Forest Research Institute, which resulted from the need to develop scientific and organisational bases for building a forest fire protection system that would effectively minimise the growing fire hazard of Polish forests. The Department began its activities by developing a programme that took into account both the immediate but urgent needs of the forestry and the anticipated directions of research. Over the course of 60 years, more than 350 research reports were produced. Among the achievements that have influenced the currently functioning forest fire protection system in Poland there are: the method of forest fire risk assessment, forest fire risk prediction, the creation of fire risk monitoring based on a network of forest meteorological measuring points, the development of forest fuel models, the extensive use of aircraft to detect and extinguish forest fires, the conduct of the first studies on the possibility of using television cameras to detect forest fires, the operation of the National Forest Fire Information System, the purpose of which is to collect data on forest fires and natural non-forest areas, the development of an application for forest fire models and the conduct of the first workshop on controlled heath burn in the country. Among the many projects completed, there were also those dealing with the evaluation and suitability of equipment and chemicals for extinguishing forest fires.

In the spring of 2020, a large-scale fire destroyed 5,526 hectares of wetlands in Biebrza National Park. It was decided to modernize the park’s fire protection system. It proved necessary to develop rules for fire protection in large natural areas where non-forest communities predominate. A team of experts from the Forest Research Institute, the Fire Department, and the Biebrza National Park developed methods for fire protection in the park based on open, publicly available remote sensing data sources. The following methods were developed or modified and adapted to the conditions of the park: determination of fire danger, prediction of fire danger, modeling of fire development, determination of the network of fire access roads, determination of water supply points, including water withdrawal points for helicopters, detection of fires, functioning of the alarm and communication system, firebreaks, places of concentration of forces and resources, equipment for fire fighting, and taking preventive measures. The developed principles of fire protection in the Biebrza National Park, based on open remote sensing data and the technology of GIS, will enable the creation and operation of a system that will reduce the probability of fires in the future.

•Higher levels of EOTAXIN, IP-10, MCP-1, MIP-1B, and RANTES in RRMS patients' CSF.•EOTAXIN and IP-10 levels increase with time from symptom onset to diagnosis.•RANTES correlates positively with T2 lesions in cervical spine MRI.•EOTAXIN shows a negative correlation with Gd+ lesions in cervical spine MRI.•Chemokines may serve as biomarkers for disease activity and progression in RRMS.

The article demonstrates if automatic optimization can be better than manual adjustment. The subject of optimization was the temperature-phased anaerobic digestion (TPAD) model. A selection of 3 parameters per each reactor in the process chain was appointed—reaction rate for propionate conversion, acetate conversion, and hydrolysis. Overall, both methods provided very convergent results. However, the total summary error (TSE) for the automatic algorithm was always moderately lower than for manual—the difference varied between 16.16 and 57.05 percentage points. Although the manual method has significant advantages—adjustment was more homogenous and gave more uniform fitting. Finally, cross-validation was performed to unify the values between the experimental series. The result was a total number of 4 values for each optimized constant—for two temperature points in each of two methods. Due to inconclusive information about the accuracy, averaged values were calculated to use in further researches. The recommendation from this article is to connect the best aspect of both methods to achieve the most accurate results.

Recent evidence has shown that Western parents are five times more vulnerable to developing parental burnout than parents in other parts of the world. It has also been found that this augmented susceptibility is explained by the group tendency of individualism cultural value that prevails in Western societies. Still, whether this relation observed at the group mean level across countries can be generalized to the association of personal value with parental burnout across individuals has not yet been explored. In order to address this question, the current study collected a sample of 643 Polish parents and assessed their report of value priorities and parental burnout. The results demonstrated that individual-level values indeed predict susceptibility to parental burnout. Specifically, parents are more susceptible to parental burnout when prioritizing values that emphasize power and achievement, whereas prioritizing benevolence protects parents from parental burnout. Associations between parents’ gender, personal values, and parental burnout were also examined. Consistent with previous studies, fathers reported fewer parental burnout symptoms compared to mothers. However, gender differences in parental burnout were not mediated by personal values, nor did parents’ gender moderate the effect of personal values on burnout. In sum, together with previous results obtained at the society level, our finding points out the role of values in predicting parental burnout. A possible future direction of research was discussed: examining the affective mechanism (e.g. parental regulation of emotions) underlying the relationship between personal values and parental burnout.

In connection with the COVID-19 pandemic, all countries of the world are taking actions to minimize the spread of the virus. These actions interfere with civil rights and liberties. They particularly affect convicts who serve prison sentences, as such sentences deprive them many of their rights or significantly restrict them. Recognizing the situation of prisoners at this difficult time, in March 2020, the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment (CPT) issued the Statement of principles relating to the treatment of persons deprived of their liberty in the context of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19)1, while the Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment prepared Advice to States parties and national preventive mechanisms to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. The purpose of this paper is to determine whether our country, while taking certain actions, takes into account the recommendations contained in both aforementioned documents.

Stress aspects still remain as an existing problem, which requires further interdisciplinary studies. Considering the strong impact of chronic exposure to psychosocial stress-ors at a workplace in relational and incentives contexts of undertaking professional duties, those aspects gain in importance in teacher’s work. A person stays in a continuous contact with a student, parent or another teacher, and their motivation seems to be a key aspect for the entire education process. The presented article is an attempt to capture stress indicators in a teacher’s work, as well as ways of dealing with them in a school reality. The article begins by highlighting the most important stress definitions, followed by a brief methodology of self-research. Then the author describes stressors present in teacher’s work, which were identified in empirical studies, and ways of dealing with stress used by tested teachers. The article ends with conclusions and recommendations for further representative studies.

Stress aspects still remain as an existing problem, which requires further interdisciplinary studies. Considering the strong impact of chronic exposure to psychosocial stress-ors at a workplace in relational and incentives contexts of undertaking professional duties, those aspects gain in importance in teachers’ work. A person stays in a continuous contact with a student, parent or another teacher, and their motivation seems to be a key aspect for the entire education process. The presented article is an attempt to capture stress indicators in a teachers’ work, as well as ways of dealing with them in a school reality. The article begins by highlighting the most important stress definitions, followed by a brief methodology of self-research. Then the author describes stressors present in teacher’s work, which were identified in empirical studies, and ways of dealing with stress used by tested teachers. The article ends with conclusions and recommendations for further representative studies.

Combinations of metabolic blockers (including fenofibrate) with chemotherapeutic drugs interfere with the drug‐resistance of prostate cancer cells. However, their effect on cancer stem cells‐dependent microevolution of prostate cancer malignancy remains unaddressed. Here, we hypothesize that the combined docetaxel/fenofibrate treatment prompts the selective expansion of cancer stem cells that affects the microevolution of their progenies. Accordingly, we adapted a combined in vitro/in vivo approach to identify biological and therapeutic consequences of this process. Minute subpopulations of docetaxel‐resistant CD133highand/or CD44highcancer stem cell‐like (SCL) cells were found in prostate cancer DU145 and PC3 cell populations. When pretreated with docetaxel, they readily differentiated into docetaxel‐resistant CD44negative“bulk” cells, thus accounting for the microevolution of drug‐resistant cell lineages. Combined docetaxel/fenofibrate treatment induced the generation of poly(morpho)nuclear giant cells and drug‐resistant CD44highSCL cells. However, the CD44negativeoffspring of docetaxel‐ and docetaxel/fenofibrate‐treated SCLs remained relatively sensitive to the combined treatment, while retaining enhanced resistance to docetaxel. Long‐term propagation of drug‐resistant SCL‐derived lineages in the absence of docetaxel/fenofibrate resulted in their reverse microevolution toward the drug‐sensitivity and invasive phenotype. Consequently, prostate tumors were able to recover from the combined docetaxel/fenofibrate stress after the initial arrest of their expansion in vivo. In conclusion, we have confirmed the potential of fenofibrate for the metronomic treatment of drug‐resistant prostate tumors. However, docetaxel/fenofibrate‐induced selective expansion of hyper‐resistant CD44highSCL prostate cells and their “bulk” progenies prompts the microevolution of prostate tumor drug‐resistance. This process can limit the implementation of metabolic chemotherapy in prostate cancer treatment. CD44+stem cell‐related microevolution of prostate cancer drug‐resistance under the combined chemotherapeutic/metabolic stress. Combined (DCX)/fenofibrate (FF) treatment induces the formation of polymorphonuclear cells (upper insert) and DCX/FF‐resistant CD44+/CD133+SCL cells (lower insert) that give rise to DCX‐ (but not DCX/FF‐) “super‐resistant” cell populations (right).

LaFeO3perovskites, obtained through co-precipitation of carbonates with (NH4)2CO3, co-precipitation of hydroxides with NaOH, citrate method, and through solid-state reaction using metal nitrates as precursors, were deposited on a heat-resistant foil support. Their physicochemical properties were determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis (DSC/TGA), and specific surface area measurements. DSC/TGA showed that phase transitions took place in the LaFeO3perovskite up to 800–840 °C. Pure LaFeO3perovskite phase was obtained only when the citrate method was used. The following decreasing order of methane and hexane oxidation activity at 700 °C was determined for the catalysts with the LaFeO3perovskite obtained by different methods: citric acid > ammonium carbonate ∼ metal nitrates > sodium hydroxide. LaFeO3catalysts obtained at 700 °C in the presence of citric acid or ammonium carbonate can be used as three-way automotive exhaust catalysts or as catalysts in environmental protection.

Efficiency and selectivity of hydrogenating depolymerization of the coal extract benzene-insoluble part over the heterogeneous Co–Mo/Al2O3catalyst were assessed using a mathematical model. The analytical equations of the mathematical model were generated based on material balance incorporating the physico-chemical phenomena (reaction and diffusion) both in the autoclave and the catalyst grain. The equations offer the possibility for predicting changes of the reactants in the autoclave during the process and for determining the distribution of reactant concentrations in the grain as a function of its radius. The analytical equations of the model serve as the basis of the algorithm for assessing the influence of restrictive diffusion on the effectiveness and selectivity of the catalyst, and also for defining the optimal radii of the catalyst's pores to enable free transport of reactants in the grain interior.

Na3Ln(PO4)2orthophosphates (Ln = La, Gd) doped with Er3+and co-doped with Cr3+ions were synthesized by Pechini method and characterized by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and magnetic susceptibility measurements. Low temperature EPR spectra were detected and analyzed in terms of temperature dependence and the structure of the obtained materials. They show that erbium and chromium ions substitute Ln3+and also Na+ions or Na+channels forming complex EPR spectra. Both kinds of ions reveal ferromagnetic type of interaction which shows some anomaly at the temperature between 10 K and 15 K. Magnetic susceptibility reveals a weak antiferromagnetic kind of interaction dominating in the whole temperature range, from 3.5 to 300 K.

Objective Exclusive breastfeeding is safe and beneficial for healthy infants; it is the optimal feeding method during the first 6 months of life. Infants should be complementary fed in conjunction with breastfeeding until 12 months of age or longer. The aim of the present study was to analyse the duration of breastfeeding through 12 months of age.Methods Participants were 1679 women from 42 randomly selected hospitals in Poland. The data were obtained from surveys, including a paper and pencil interview that was conducted after mothers delivered in the hospital and before discharge. Computer aided telephone interviews were administered at 2, 4, 6 and 12 months.Results There was a high rate of initiating breastfeeding after birth (97%), a rapid abandonment of exclusive breastfeeding (43.5% at 2 months, 28.9% at 4 months and 4% at 6 months) and an onset of formula feeding during the first days of life, which is contrary to current recommendations.Conclusions It is necessary re-educate mothers, medical staff who care for mothers and children during the perinatal period, and other specialists.

The electroless deposition technique was used to obtain Ni-P coatings with various phosphorus content. Machine vision method was applied as a tool for the analysis and interpretation of the data provided by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) corrosion studies. The degree of corrosion of the coating surface could be determined by this method. The combination of both methods allows a more complete evaluation of the protective properties of the obtained coatings.

A noticeable improvement in the structural properties of Mn–Zn ferrite obtained by the solution combustion method was observed when the gel was additionally dried before self-combustion. The catalytic activity of thus prepared nanosized Mn–Zn ferrite has been also studied. The powders after combustion process were analyzed by X-ray diffraction and it was found that they possess pure spinel phase. The ferrite particles were agglomerated wherein powders obtained from the modified solution combustion method (gel additionally dried) characterized sponge-like structure and developed specific surface area. This ferrite material exhibits a significantly higher total acidity and it is reduced in the lower temperature. As a ferrite catalyst, prepared by the modified solution combustion method, possesses both acid and base centers, which allows to proceed the bimolecular ketonization reaction. The yield and selectivity of ketone increase with temperature with a maximum at 440 °C. Taking into account the obtained yield and selectivity results in the butan-1-ol conversion the Mn0.6Zn0.4Fe2O4ferrite prepared in low temperature can be used as potential dehydrogenation catalyst.

Minimal mutual coherence of discrete noiselets and Haar wavelets makes this pair of bases an essential choice for the measurement and compression matrices in compressed-sensing-based single-pixel detectors. In this paper, we propose an efficient way of using complex-valued and nonbinary noiselet functions for object sampling in single-pixel cameras with binary spatial light modulators and incoherent illumination. The proposed method allows us to determine m complex noiselet coefficients from m+1 binary sampling measurements. Further, we introduce a modification to the complex fast noiselet transform, which enables computationally efficient real-time generation of the binary noiselet-based patterns using efficient integer calculations on bundled patterns. The proposed method is verified experimentally with a single-pixel camera system using a binary spatial light modulator.

Our study was designed to examine an individuals’ affective traits (i.e., dispositional affectivity and emotional intelligence) and job stressors (i.e., interpersonal conflicts, quantitative workload and organizational constraints) on emotional exhaustion. One hundred and fifty-three employees participated in our study. All of them worked in teams and their job required face-to-face contacts with clients. Our main hypothesis was that emotional intelligence acts as a moderator in the relationship between job stressors and emotional exhaustion. The results indicate that employees who report more interpersonal conflicts at work, greater quantitative workloads and greater organizational constraints also report more symptoms of emotional exhaustion. Moreover, the results show that all three stressors were significant as predictors of emotional exhaustion beyond the employee’s dispositional affectivity. The moderating effect of emotional intelligence was observed in the relationship between interpersonal conflicts at work and emotional exhaustion. The relationship between interpersonal conflicts and emotional exhaustion was observed only among employees who were low in emotional intelligence. In contrast, interpersonal conflicts and emotional exhaustion were unrelated among employees who were high in emotional intelligence. The results are discussed from the Job Demands–Resources model perspective.

Cholelithiasis is a relatively rare disease in children. It causes difficulty in identification because of non-specific symptoms or asymptomatic course. In the case of asymptomatic cholelithiasis, the treatment with an Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) is the most commonly used pharmacological therapy, and symptomatic cholelithiasis is an indication for laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Regardless of the constantly increasing time man is spending in a sitting position, there is still a lack of objective chair quality assessment criteria. The aim of this paper is to find the answer to whether respiratory chest movement measurements can be a chair quality indicator. The study included 34 participants (mean 34.7 years ± 5.2). Their chest movements were assessed using respiratory inductive plethysmography while sitting on two subsequent chairs. Significant differences in chest movements depending on chair type were observed concerning the breathing duct (upper and lower) and breathing movement amplitude. The amplitude of the upper respiratory track in the first chair was higher (239.4 mV) compared with the second seat (207.3 mV) (p= .018). The analyzed parameters of respiratory chest movement may become a helpful indicator for design and selection of chairs which enable people to both work and relax in the most ergonomic conditions.

After over 16 years long service on the inner walls of a steel absorber and outlet channel in wet FGD system, the rubber lining was subjected to examinations. A series of impedance spectra for the pre-vulcanized soft rubber lining based on chlorobutyl rubber (CIIR) were recorded. Rubber lining samples taken from the absorber bottom, which had been in contact with the washer sump solution, exhibited properties similar to those of new rubber lining samples not exposed to the corrosive environment. Rubber lining samples taken from the absorber upper part and from the outlet channel showed significant damage, and so deterioration in their protective properties, in comparison with the new lining. Also the results of tensile strength and hardness tests carried out on rubber samples taken from various parts of the absorber and the outlet channel are presented.

Ti-containing coatings as chromate replacement were prepared on electrogalvanized steel. Zinc coatings were deposited from a weak acid chloride bath. Cr-free conversion coatings were deposited from bath composed of: TiCl3, H2SiF6, H2O2 and oxalic acid. XPS was used to evaluate chemical composition of the coatings as a function of deposition time. Deposited coating were of conversion type. Regardless of the achieved conversion coating thickness, Zn from the substrate was always present. In the coatings were identified: Zn2SiO4 / Zn4Si2O7(OH)2, ZnTiO3, ZnO, Zn (OH)2, Zn0, SiOx and Ti-O-Si in varying proportions. The chemical composition of the outer surface of the coating depended on deposition time, e.g. in a time interval 0-300 s 30 fold increase of the Si:Ti ratio and 20 fold of the Si:Zn ratio were observed. Estimated thickness of conversion coating was 3, 14, 35, and 100 nm for the time deposition of 1, 40, 80 and 300 s respectively. It is the proposed model for distinguishing Zn (0) phase from Zn (2+) quantitatively, based on the Zn L3M45M45 spectrum. The composition of the ZnTiSi conversion coating determined its mechanical properties and corrosion resistance. Standard tests carried out showed that the coatings obtained at the time of 20-40 s had the best corrosion performance and mechanical resistance

Sol-gel SiO2 and hybrid films were deposited on 316L stainless steel by the dip process. Epoxy bisglycidyl hydroquinone (EBH) was used as an organic component in hybrid films. Both coatings were uniform and homogeneous and displayed good adhesion to the substrates. The thickness of hybrid coatings was greater than that of SiO2 coatings. Thermal condition preparation has significant influence on spectroscopic properties of samples. These features are due to changes of morphology of epoxy-silica hybrid compared to unmodified silica-gels and are related to decomposition at higher temperature. The corrosion behaviour of 316L stainless steel samples coated with SiO2 and hybrid films was studied in Ringer’s solution by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. SiO2 and silica-based hybrid coatings produced by the sol-gel method offers a good protection against corrosion of stainless steel in Ringer’s solution. In contrast to the SiO2-coated samples and the hybrid coating heated to 200°C, the behaviour of the hybrid coating heated to 300°C changed from resistive to a barrier-like one during exposure to the solution. This change was found to be a transient effect only. During 1-month exposure to Ringer’s solution the coating lost its barrier properties.

The black locust (Robinia pseudoacaciaL.) has been present in Poland for more than 200 years now, its range coming to encompass the entire country, albeit with a particular concentration of occurrence in the west. Overall, it is present in 3.4% of the stands making up Poland’s “State Forests National Forest Holding” (Państwowe Gospodarstwo Leśne Lasy Państwowe), and is the dominant species in 0.1% of stands. Thanks to its producing durable wood of favourable energetic properties, this species is used in medium-rotation (≤ 40-year) plantations as well as in biomass energy plantations (where there is a 5–7-year rotation). In terms of its nectar production, the black locust is second only to lime as the Polish tree best serving the production of honey. While the species shows marked expansiveness in Poland, it has not thus far been placed on the list of aliens capable of threatening native species or natural habitats. Breeding of the species has been engaged in – if to only a limited extent – in Poland for some 20 years now, and 2 selected seed stands have been registered, as well as 34 plus trees and 2 seed orchards.