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The implementation of public projects by organizations requires professionalization of their evaluation methods. The research objective is to identify the key criteria for project evaluation that go beyond the “project triangle.” The following problem was formulated: whether ex post evaluation of the project taking into account parameters of the “design triangle” is not an oversimplification in the context of uniqueness of design solutions that significantly affect civilization and technological development of societies in terms of global. The study was conducted in two stages. In the first stage, 109 completed projects were evaluated using the quantitative method. The quantitative method was used to evaluate the projects. In the second stage, on the basis of the project-evaluation results, the key criteria for ex post evaluation of project implementation were analyzed using the Hellwig’s correlation method. It was shown that for the proper ex post evaluation of project implementation, it is necessary to supplement criteria with strategic and societal effects.

Mariusz Panczyk,1 Lucyna Kwiećkowska,1 Beata Dobrowolska,2 Ewa Borowiak,3 Danuta Dyk,4 Elżbieta Grochans,5 Dorota Kozieł,6 Maria Kózka,7 Halina Kulik,8 Jolanta Lewko,9 Wilfred McSherry,10 Joanna Gotlib,1 Mariusz Jaworski1 1Department of Education and Research of Health Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland; 2Department of Holistic Care and Management in Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland; 3Department of Conservative Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland; 4Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poznan, Poland; 5Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Pomeranian Medical University, Szczecin, Poland; 6Collegium Medicum, Jan Kochanowski University, Kielce, Poland; 7Department of Clinical Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Jagiellonian University Collegium Medicum in Krakow, Krakow, Poland; 8Department of Nursing Propedeutics, School of Health Sciences, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, Katowice, Poland; 9Department of Primary Health Care, Medical University of Bialystok, Bialystok, Poland; 10Department of Nursing, School of Health, Science and Wellbeing, Staffordshire University, Stoke-on-Trent, UKCorrespondence: Mariusz Panczyk, Department of Education and Research of Health Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical University of Warsaw, Litewska 14/16 St, Warsaw, 00-581, Poland, Tel +48 22 57 20 490, Fax +48 22 57 20 491, Email mariusz.panczyk@wum.edu.plIntroduction: The use of a validated scale, Spirituality and Spiritual Care Rating Scale (SSCRS) to measure nurses’ perceptions of spirituality and spiritual care.Aim: The purpose of this study was to analyse selected psychometric properties of the Polish version of the SSCRS, among them the applicability of the dimensions of spiritual care in nursing, ie, spirituality, spiritual care, religiosity and personalized care, to Polish conditions.Methods: Poland-wide multicentre study with a cross-sectional validation design. The study was conducted between March and June 2019. Seven Polish Nursing Faculties accepted the invitation to participate in the study. A representative sample of 853 nurses enrolled in MSc (postgraduate) programs in nursing participated. After translation and cultural adaption of the SSCRS, the instrument underwent a full psychometric evaluation of its construct validity using (exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis), internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha and correlation analysis), reliability (test−retest analysis), known-group validity (Student’s t-test) analysis.Results: The exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated that the Polish version of the SSCRS was a three-factor model with “Activity-centred spiritual care” (9 items), “Emotional support-centred spiritual care” (5 items) and “Religiosity” (3 items) domains. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for the whole scale was 0.902, and the alpha values for the individual domains were 0.898, 0.873 and 0.563, respectively. The three domains mentioned above seemed to provide a comprehensive understanding of spiritual care perceived subjectively by Polish MSc in nursing students.Conclusion: This study demonstrated a substantial degree of similarity in the selected psychometric characteristics of the Polish version of SSCRS and the original scale.Keywords: spirituality, holistic nursing, nursing care, postgraduate nursing education

Evaluating contemporary business changes against the backdrop of the concept of turbulent business environment presented by Ansoff in the ’70s allows us to identify a new way of interpreting Ansoff’s description of turbulence as the key characteristic of the business environment. The new business landscape, described by VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity, BANI (brittle, anxious, nonlinear, incomprehensible) or RUPT (rapid, unpredictable, paradoxical, tangled) acronyms, is complex, illegible and intensified by COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine. It results in shortening the life-cycle of the organisation as well as the importance needing to be attributed to an organisation’s predisposition towards remaining resilient in the face of turbulence. The paper is based on primary research and aims to identify the role of marketing in contemporary business environment and future development in the context of the idea of resilient organisations. The identified business challenges are addressed using the described marketing functions - ‘customer advocacy’, ‘business owner’ and ‘professional manager’.

The growing trend of evidence-based management (EBM) in recent years is rooted in praxeology, but also in the concept of evidence-based practice (EBP). This concept is based on the belief that all decisions and actions should be based on the most current and best available knowledge, including knowledge and information derived from research. This is particularly true for marketing decisions. The primary medium of information in marketing is marketing metrics. Their extensive use enables making effective decisions. The purpose of the article is to identify the scope of usage of marketing metrics on the Polish market as part of an EBM approach. The paper is based on the survey conducted on a sample of 89 marketing managers in November 2022 among participants and graduates of The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) programmes. The findings indicate a fairly wide range of indicators used and their balanced nature, with a slight predominance of strategic and financial indicators and an increase in the importance of online metrics at the same time.

The article presents the results of research on the influence of whole body vibrations (WBVs) on a person moving in a wheelchair. The tests were carried out using an electrohydraulic shaker for a kinematic harmonic excitation with a constant amplitude and frequencies, respectively, 2, 5, 10, 15, and 20 Hz. The accelerations caused by vibrations were measured with three-axis accelerometers at three measuring points: on the seat, chest, and head of the examined person. The research included frequency and statistical analyses of vibrations. The analyses were focused on the course of the transition functions over frequency. The range of the disabled person’s exposure to the negative factor which is WBVs was assessed.

While the relationships between birth order and later outcomes in life, including health and wealth, have been the subject of investigation for several decades, little or no data exist regarding the relationship between birth order and life expectancy in the Polish population. The aim of this study was to explore the link between birth order and lifespan in Polish historical populations. We obtained 8523 records from a historical dataset that was established for parishioners from the borough of Bejsce, including 4463 males and 4060 females. These data pertain to the populations that lived over a long period in a group of localities for which parish registers were well preserved. The Mann-Whitney U test, the Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA and ANCOVA were run. The results strongly suggest that birth order affects male longevity. However, no such association was found for females. On balance, the hypothesis that first-born boys live longer because they are born to relatively younger parents has received some empirical support and deserves further study. We hypothesise that the effects of birth order on human health and lifespan might be overshadowed by other factors, including educational attainment, socioeconomic status and lifestyle.

Maintaining sufficient physical fitness to prevent any limitations in performing activities of daily living and to be functionally independent is of great importance for both longevity and quality of life in older adults. Aim of the study was to evaluate functional physical fitness of women aged 85 years and older, residents of nursing homes, in the Polish population and to assess the risk of frailty syndrome. The study involved 17 women aged 85 years or older, residents of nursing homes in the Lower Silesian voivodeship. The Senior Fitness Test was used to assess functional fitness. The results of functional fitness tests were related to the standards for the elderly population in Poland and to the reference standards for maintaining independence. In addition, hand grip strength level was measured using a hand dynamometer, height and weight were measured, and BMI was calculated. 15-item version of the Geriatric Depression Scale was used to assess the level of depression. We used 3 of the 5 proposed criteria from the Cardiovascular Health Study Frailty Index to assess the presence of frailty syndrome: gait speed, level of hand grip strength, and the presence of depression. The results of the Senior Fitness Test demonstrate the low level of functional fitness of female nursing home residents. A large percentage of the women surveyed are below the standard values developed for Polish seniors. The weakest results were in the timed up and go test, with more than 94% of the women tested falling outside the standard ranges. The mean results of all samples do not meet the developed reference standards for maintaining independence. No non-frail person was found among the study participants and the vast majority were at risk for frailty syndrome. Most of the studied women do not meet functional fitness standards developed for the Polish population, as well as reference standards for maintaining independence. Nursing home residents over the age of 85 are at risk for frailty syndrome.

Bakterie z rodzaju Azotobacter są przedmiotem wielu badań prowadzonych zarówno w Polsce jak i za granicą. Zainteresowanie tą grupą bakterii w dużej mierze związane jest z ich właściwościami, które mogą być wykorzystywane w rolnictwie. Najnowsze badania opierają się na zaawansowanych metodach molekularnych i bazują na poznanej sekwencji genomów dwóch gatunków: Azotobacter vinelandii i Azotobacter chroococcum. W 2009 roku Setubal i in. opublikowali pełną sekwencję genomu Azotobacter vinelandii DJ, z kolei pełną sekwencję genomu Azotobacter chroococcum 8003 opublikowali Robson i in. w pracy z 2015 roku. Obie bakterie mają pojedynczy, kolisty chromosom o wielkości odpowiednio 5,365,318 pz. i 5,192,291 pz. Poznanie i porównanie sekwencji genomów Azotobacter vinelandii DJ i Azotobacter chroococcum 8003 pozwoliło odpowiedzieć na wiele pytań dotyczących ewolucji, różnorodności i miejsca tych bakterii w środowisku. Zsekwencjonowanie większej liczby genomów innych szczepów A. chroococcum i A. vinelandii przyniosłoby wiele korzyści i pozwoliłoby uporządkować dotychczasową wiedzę na ich temat.

Podmínky INCOTERMS jsou mezinárodně uznávané dodací doložky. Jejich výhodou je srozumitelnost a jednotná interpretace smluvními stranami, a také jednoduché začlenění do smlouvy. Nespornou výhodou je i pravidelná aktualizace. Jednotlivé aktualizace odrážejí trendy v mezinárodně obchodní praxi a podle potřeby tedy upřesňují či ruší stávající doložky nebo zavádí nové. Cílem článku je na historickém vývoji doložek INCOTERMS zhodnotit jejich vývoj a vliv na mezinárodní obchodněprávní vztahy a prostřednictvím tohoto nastínit možný budoucí vývoj. Autoři se zamýšlejí i nad tím, zda vzhledem k rychlému technologickému pokroku je současný desetiletý cyklus revize doložek INCOTERMS vhodný nebo zda se jedná o příliš dlouhou dobu. Z nových trendů autoři poukazují na nové typy dopravy, především bezpilotní drony, dále pokračující trend transparentního a bezpečného logistického řetězce.

The aim of this article is identification of the subjective reception of external stimuli during wheelchair driving by analyses of vibration signals obtained from measurements. The identification concerns the impact of vibrations generated during crossing various types of pavements on the discomfort feelings of the selected human body parts (mainly the spine). The identification used the measurements of the whole body vibrations received by the user of the wheelchair. The research focuses mainly on the analysis in the frequency ranges corresponding to the vibration resonance of the spine. It is because respondents of the conducted surveys selected the spine as one of the most sensitive parts of the body.

Dorota Zarębska-Michaluk,1 Jerzy Jaroszewicz,2 Magdalena Rogalska,3 Diana Martonik,3 Paweł Pabjan,1 Aleksandra Berkan-Kawińska,4 Beata Bolewska,5 Barbara Oczko-Grzesik,2 Dorota Kozielewicz,6 Magdalena Tudrujek-Zdunek,7 Justyna Kowalska,8 Anna Moniuszko-Malinowska,9 Krzysztof Kłos,10 Marta Rorat,11,12 Piotr Leszczyński,13,14 Anna Piekarska,4 Joanna Polańska,15 Robert Flisiak3 1Department of Infectious Diseases, Jan Kochanowski University, Kielce, 25-369, Poland; 2Department of Infectious Diseases and Hepatology, Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, 40-055, Poland; 3Department of Infectious Diseases and Hepatology, Medical University of Białystok, Białystok, 15-089, Poland; 4Department of Infectious Diseases and Hepatology, Medical University of Łódź, Łódź, 90-549, Poland; 5Department of Infectious Diseases, University of Medical Sciences, Poznań, 61-701, Poland; 6Department of Infectious Diseases and Hepatology, Faculty of Medicine, Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Toruń, 87-100, Poland; 7Department of Infectious Diseases and Hepatology, Medical University of Lublin, Lublin, 20-059, Poland; 8Department of Adults’ Infectious Diseases, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, 02-091, Poland; 9Department of Infectious Diseases and Neuroinfections, Medical University of Białystok, Białystok, 15-089, Poland; 10Department of Infectious Diseases and Allergology, Military Institute of Medicine, Warsaw, 04-141, Poland; 11Department of Forensic Medicine, Wrocław Medical University, Wrocław, 50-367, Poland; 12First Infectious Diseases Ward, Gromkowski Regional Specialist Hospital in Wrocław, Wrocław, 51-149, Poland; 13Department of Rheumatology, Rehabilitation and Internal Medicine, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poznań, 61-701, Poland; 14Department of Rheumatology and Osteoporosis, Szpital im. J. Strusia w Poznaniu, Poznań, 61-285, Poland; 15Silesian University of Technology, Gliwice, 44-100, PolandCorrespondence: Dorota Zarębska-MichalukDepartment of Infectious Diseases, Jan Kochanowski University in Kielce, Ul. Radiowa 7, Kielce, 25-317, PolandTel +48 662441465Fax +48 41 3682262Email dorota1010@tlen.plPurpose: The pathogenesis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is complicated, and in addition to antiviral therapy and combating coagulopathy, treatment should also include inhibition of the proinflammatory cytokines overproduction. The purpose of this study is to compare the effectiveness of tocilizumab (TCZ) and dexamethasone (DEX) administered alone or in combination in patients with severe COVID-19.Patients and Methods: Patients were selected from the SARSTer database, containing 3330 individuals with COVID-19 treated between 1 March 2020 and 10 March 2021. The current study included adult patients with baseline oxygen saturation (SpO2) ≤ 90%, requiring regular or non-invasive high-flow oxygen supplementation.Results: Among included 460 patients, 59 were treated with TCZ, 125 with TCZ and DEX, 169 with DEX, and 107 did not receive TCZ nor DEX. The groups were balanced regarding demographics, coexisting diseases, baseline SpO2, and comedications with remdesivir or low-molecular-weight heparin. The death rate of 6.8% was significantly lower in patients receiving TCZ alone than each arm (19.6%– 23.1%), particularly in patients with interleukin-6 concentration exceeding 100pg/mL (5% vs 22.9%– 51.7%, respectively). Analysis of clinical improvement demonstrated doubled, significantly higher rate after 21 and 28 days in patients treated with TCZ alone (60% and 75%, respectively) compared to DEX (27.6% and 37.9%, respectively). The need for mechanical ventilation was similar in all arms.Conclusion: In patients with severe course of COVID-19, particularly those developing cytokine storm, administration of TCZ provides a significantly better effect than DEX regarding survival, clinical improvement, and hospital discharge rate. The combination of TCZ and DEX does not improve therapy effectiveness in patients with severe COVID-19 compared to the administration of TCZ alone.Keywords: SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19, tocilizumab, dexamethasone, cytokine storm

This paper discusses the mummified body of Michael Willmann (1630–1706) – one of the most outstanding painters of the Baroque period in Central Europe. Willmann’s mummy was preserved in the crypt of the former Cistercian monastery church in Lubiąż, Silesia (Poland). The article presents the history of the mummy and possibilities for opening the crypt and displaying it to the public, following the example of similar expositions in Europe which have found respectful and sensitive solutions for presenting the bodies of the deceased (e.g. Capuchin Crypt in Palermo and Capuchin Church in Brno). Willmann’s mummy is not only the body of an artist, but also a part of the cultural heritage of the Lubiąż Cistercians, making it worthy museification. This issue is particularly important in the context of the plans for establishing the Michael Willmann Museum in the former Cistercian monastery church in Lubiąż.

Research background: Recent years have brought a real explosion of new tools and methods of conducting market activities based on new technologies. Solutions based on new technologies carry great development potential for an organization. There is a belief that new technologies – in particular, programmatic buying (analyzed in this article) – also impact an organization’s ability to compete. Programmatic buying (PB) is a tool but also a new model of sales and purchase of advertising, under which the current package approach (traditional) has been replaced by a fully automated individualized approach.

The period of adolescence includes biological, psychological and social maturation. All these processes complement and affect each other. The ultimate goal is the transition from childhood to adulthood which enables individuals to become socialized beings, who are psychologically mature and able to pass on their genetic inheritance. In the process of reaching full maturity, adolescents are exposed to both positive and negative stimuli the socio-cultural environment. In the process of socialization, the influence of peers, and the maturing into social roles is important. At the same time, adolescents mature biologically. A holistic understanding of the sequence of changes that occur during adolescence foregrounds the significance of biology in informing emotions and cognition. Research conducted on adolescents from Wrocław, Poland, showed the impact that physical development plays on social development within a school peer group. Adolescents with a slower pace of maturity, lower BMI, and lower body height achieved the lowest social status in the group’s hierarchy. These adolescents also became victims of peer rejection. The role of scapegoat assigned to them highlighted and completed the symptomatic rejection process, which highlighted negative social group behaviours. In contrast, their peers from the same classes, with higher biological parameters, became leaders in the school’s social groups. Furthermore, sociometric ‘stars’, leaders and gray eminences, compared to scapegoats, achieved maturity faster, and had greater body height and higher BMI among all age groups.

Silage quality deteriorates with Clostridium spp. contamination, and if consumed, such silage jeopardises herd health and productivity. Minimising its occurrence reduces economic and animal welfare risks. The study investigated the influence of environmental and technological determinants on the Clostridium genus’ occurrence in silage.

Anthropometric, functional and physical activity characteristics of contemporary adult descendants of Upper Silesian immigrants to Texas in the mid-19th century and current residents in Upper Silesia were compared. The sample included 45 residents in Central Texas, 25 women and 20 men, and 36 residents in rural Upper Silesia, 24 women and 12 men, 54-76 years of age. Variables included selected demographic characteristics, anthropometry, estimated body composition, several physiological indicators, strength and functional fitness, and physical activity. Sex-specific MANCOVA and Chi square were used for comparisons. Descendants of Silesian immigrants to Texas were taller, on average, while differences in other anthropometric variables were variable. All residents in Silesia and the majority of descendants of Silesian migrants to Texas were overweight or obese. Differences in hemodynamic and respiratory functions and responses to a 6-minute walk were inconsistent, while none of the fitness variables differed significantly between the samples. Although residents in Upper Silesia were significantly more physically active descendants of Silesians in Texas, >80% of the men and women in both samples scored below the criterion-reference standard for the maintenance of physical independence in the 6-minute walk.

Contemporary production companies operate in a dynamically changing environment and try to strengthen their competitive position. Therefore they take action acting at implementing new ones as well as improving and maintaining existing production processes, using for this purpose knowledge and available tools and methods. For dominant activities undertaken in the scope of improving and maintaining production the pro-quality activities can be included. Quality mainly depends on the efficiency of production processes, therefore manufacturing companies should focus their activities on maintaining and improving them. The methods of technical risk analysis and assessment are effective methods of maintaining production processes, whose application makes it possible to indicate any deviations from accepted standards. Analysis and assessment of the technical risk of the production process makes it possible not only to indicate non-conformities identified in the process, but mainly taking corrective actions. The aim of the article is to formulate of the method used to identify and assessment of the technical risk of the cutting process on the organizational side. The method has qualitative-quantitative type, and is the effective tools for technical risk assessment necessary to maintain the production process. It is assumed that the quality of the cutting process is ensured by the technical condition of the machine.

The article deals with the interaction of a reinforced concrete slab with subsoil. The paper contains a non-linear analysis based on an experiment of reinforced concrete slabs with dimensions 2000 x 2000 mm and thickness 150 mm. A steel mesh with a diameter of 8/100 mm was used as reinforcement. The calculations and analysis are complemented by a comparison with EC2 design approaches. The research area combines the design of concrete structure and geotechnical tasks. The real behavior of the concrete structure with subsoil is considered for the analysis for advanced design. The selected computational approach of nonlinear analysis allows to capture the change of stiffness after the creation of cracks and modelling the shear punch failure of the slab - the collapse of the structure. The paper focuses on comparing the experiment with the numerical model in select loaded states for various input parameters of subsoil. Based on the experiment and numerical analysis the failure mechanism was determined. It was the punching of the slab. The calculations and the experiment verified that the critically controlled perimeter is at a distance of 1d. The effect of the modulus of elasticity on the slab punch mechanism was verified. In case of low modulus of subsoil, the load-bearing capacity of the slab is significantly reduced. The punching mechanism is influenced not only by the mechanical properties of the concrete but also by the properties of the subsoil. The performed parametric study also verified the influence of the size the nominal cover reinforcement depending on the modulus of elasticity of the subsoil. The deformation variant finite element method and a 3D computational model were used for numerical modelling. Nonlinear analysis was based on the Newton-Rapson method.

Regularity, length of the cycle and duration of menstrual flow are a reflection of women health. The purpose of the research was to assess the relationships between socioeconomic status, cycle length, duration of menses, regularity and dysmenorrhea. A survey was conducted among 896 healthy women from Łódź and Warsaw (Poland), aged 15.71–26.98. Women who were menarche at least 3 years ago were asked to complete the survey. Women were asked about cycle length (number of days), duration of menstrual flow, regularity of the cycle, dysmenorrhea, birth place, parental education level, attendance at physical education classes, participation in additional sports activities, self-assessment of stress levels at home and at school/university, and smoking. For data analysis, t-test, analysis of variance, and chi-square were used, and p

The Trivers-Willard Hypothesis (TWH), frequently investigated by evolutionary psychologists, states that human beings may have evolved to produce a greater number of sons when having a high status, and a greater number of daughters when having a low status. To test this hypothesis, we examined the sex of children of Polish high status: kings, dukes, magnates families; and of low status: peasants, burghers and gentry. Our findings do not provide evidence for the Trivers-Willard Hypothesis (TWH), as there were no differences between offspring’s sex ratio among any of the investigated social classes (with the exception of magnates families). We draw our conclusions with caution, as historical data carry many limitations.

The purpose of this study was to find out the differences in body physique and its proportions between children from Creole, Maya and Mestizo ethnic groups living in Merida, Mexico. The study was conducted between 1996–1999 and comprised of 4636 children and youth aged 6–18 years from three ethnic groups: Maya, Mestizo, and Creole. There were 1362 boys and 1314 girls from Creole group and 803 boys and 857 girls from the pooled Maya/Mestizo group. Anthropometric measurements included body height, arm and leg length, shoulder and hip width. The following indexes were calculated: leg length-to-body height, upper-to-lower limb, shoulder-to-body height, hip-to-body height, and hip-to-shoulder. Two-way analysis of variance (two-way ANOVA) was used to test the main effect and the interaction effects of age and ethnicity on height, leg length and body proportions, separately for boys and girls. All statistical analyses were performed using Statistica software version 13.1. All p-values lower than 0.05 were considered significant. Results of this study revealed that average values of body height, leg length and upper-to-lower limb and shoulder width proportions were statistically significantly different between ethnic groups. Creole children were taller and longer-legged than their Maya/Mestizo peers, and the greatest difference was noted after puberty. Maya/Mestizo children had relatively longer arm as compared to Creoles. Results of two-way ANOVA revealed that age and ethnicity were combined (interaction effect) factors for variation in body height both in boys and girls, and upper-to-lower limb proportion in boys, shoulder-to-body height proportion in girls. Ethnicity was the main effect factor for leg length both in boys and girls, and for the body proportions: upper-to-lower limb in girls and shoulder-to-body height in boys. Age was the main effect factor for upper-to-lower limb proportion in girls, shoulder-to-body height in boys, hip-to-body height in boys and girls, and hip-to-shoulder, both in boys and girls. In conclusion it may be stated that variation in body physique and body proportions during the postnatal growth in different ethnic groups is under the influence of complex interaction between genetic and environmental factors to which the individual is exposed.

The associations between serum vaspin levels and metabolic or coronary artery disease (CAD) and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is under the scope of current researchers. Therefore, this adipokine can be considered as a biomarker of metabolic syndrome (MetS). The aim of the study was to analyze the associations between the vaspin rs2236242 polymorphism and physical activity in relation to MetS and its components. The analysis involved the genetic material and clinical data of 108 individuals with MetS and 110 controls. Vaspin rs2236242 polymorphism was detected using the tetra-primer amplification-refractory mutation system polymerase chain reaction (T-ARMS PCR) method. The TA genotype of vaspin rs2236242 was associated with a greater risk of MetS and its components compared with the TT genotype. The analysis of interactions between genotype and walking time revealed that a walking time longer than 60 min./day significantly decreased the risk of MetS in the TA carriers (p = 0.007). The obtained results suggest that any unfavorable effect of the TA genotype of the vaspin rs2236242 polymorphism can be essentially reduced, or even reversed, in a case of individuals walking longer than 60 min. a day. The analysis of the interaction between vaspin rs2236242 polymorphism and walking showed that a walking time of longer than 1 hour a day significantly reduced the risk of MetS, elevated blood pressure and triglycerides concentration.

The 2nd to 4th digit ratio (2D:4D) is a sexually dimorphic trait determined by the relative balance of prenatal testosterone (T) and oestrogen during the intrauterine development of foetus. Males on average have relatively lower 2D:4D than women in population. Lower 2D:4D is very often linked with greater physical ability, strength, superior sporting performance and many personality traits and behaviours which are seen more among the males. Recently, lower 2D:4D were associated with military and police services among the Polish women. The objectives of this study were to examine whether 2D:4D differed between the students of a study course for future military service and a civil study course and whether sex difference in this ratio is present in both these groups. The cross sectional study included 50 boys and 42 girls enrolled in the uniformed course and other 56 boys and 50 girls of a general course in an upper-secondary School. The lengths of the second (2D) and fourth fingers (4D) of each hand were measured to have the 2D:4D ratio. Height and weight were also recorded. Overall, as well as among the civil course students, males showed significantly lower mean 2D:4D compared to the females. But there was no significant sex difference in digit ratio among the uniformed course students. Besides, the females under uniformed course showed lower 2D:4D than the females in civil course, whereas, the male uniformed students had similar or almost same 2D:4D values with the male civil course students. Increased prenatal testosterone exposure might have a role in determining the choice towards a challenging future occupation and such effect is perhaps more pronounced in women than in males.

Dorota Koziel,1 Martyna Gluszek-Osuch,1 Edyta Suliga,1 Marek Zak,1 Stanislaw Gluszek1,2 1Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, The Jan Kochanowski University, Kielce, Poland; 2Clinic General Oncological and Endocrinological Surgery, Regional Hospital, Kielce, Poland Background: As may readily be inferred from clinical observations, there is an increasing prevalence of severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) in the elderly, even though the precise nature of the relationship between a patient’s age and severity of the disease has not been unequivocally determined to date. This study aimed therefore to investigate the incidence, clinical course, and mortality rate among the elderly patients suffering from acute pancreatitis (AP), as compared to younger ones. Methods: A prospective study, lasting a single calendar year, covered patients with AP successively admitted to hospitals. The final assessment comprised 963 patients. The patients were subsequently divided into three groups corresponding to the three grades of disease severity, based on the Revised Atlanta Classification for Acute Pancreatitis. The actual cause of the disease, its clinical course, results of radiological ultrasonography, computed tomography, and laboratory tests, as well as the duration of hospital stay were assessed in due consideration of patients’ age (groups aged 65–79 years and ≥80 years vs 0.05). Moderate AP occurred significantly more often in the younger patients compared to those aged ≥80 years (16% vs 8.55%; P0.05). Conclusion: An appreciably higher susceptibility of older patients aged ≥80 years to AP, with cholelithiasis being the main cause that results in high mortality rate, is presently acknowledged a serious diagnostic and therapeutic management challenge to a national healthcare system. Keywords: acute pancreatitis, elderly patients, predictive factors

It is believed that the second to fourth finger length ratio is an indirect indicator of fetal testosterone levels. It is pointed out that there is a relationship between the 2nd to 4th finger length ratio and the body structure in women and men. Studies on the relationship between body composition and 2D:4D finger length among military students have not been carried out so far. The work aims to determine the dependence of body composition and the quotient of the 2nd and 4th fingers length of military students. The research material has been gathered as a result of examinations of women and men studying military subjects. The study involved 55 women and 65 men. The tests included anthropometric measurements (body height, body weight, length of the second and the fourth fingers) and body composition measurements. As a result of the tests, no dimorphic differentiations in the digit length ratio (2D:4D) was indicated. The BMI, muscle mass, lean body mass and water in the body demonstrated higher values in men than in women. However, the fat content in men was low. It was found that the relationship exists between muscle mass, lean mass and total water content in the body and the 2D:4D finger length ratio in the left hand in women. A higher level of fetal testosterone, characterized by lower values of the 2nd to 4th finger length ratio, may be associated with a higher content of muscle mass, lean body mass and water in the body of adult women leading a similar lifestyle.

The aim of this study was examination of honey samples collected from apiaries situated in all Polish provinces for occurrence of Clostridium spp., especially C. perfringens.

In this paper findings regarding the design and synthesis of High-Entropy Alloys based on mixing enthalpy, mixing entropy, δ parameter, Ω parameter and valence electron concentration are presented. Four alloys were synthesised with different predicted crystalline structures. Results of the microstructure and crystal structure studies are presented. It was shown that predicted structures as well as complex intermetallic phases exist in the material. The validity of valence electron concentration as well as additional parameters such as mixing enthalpy, mixing entropy and others necessary to obtain only the solid solution in High-Entropy Alloys were examined.

The paper aims at presenting the influence of an open-loop time delay on the stability and tracking performance of a second-order open-loop system and continuoustime fractional-order PI controller. The tuning method of this controller is based on Hermite- Biehler and Pontryagin theorems, and the tracking performance is evaluated on the basis of two integral performance indices, namely IAE and ISE. The paper extends the results and methodology presented in previous work of the authors to analysis of the influence of time delay on the closed-loop system taking its destabilizing properties into account, as well as concerning possible application of the presented results and used models.

Marital distance (MD), the geographical distance between birthplaces of spouses, is considered an agent favouring occurrence of heterosis and can be used as a measure of its level. Heterosis itself is a phenomenon of hybrid vigour and seems to be an important factor regulating human growth and development. The main aim of the study is to examine potential effects of MD on birth weight and length of offspring, controlling for socioeconomic status (SES), mother’s age and birth order. Birth weight (2562 boys and 2572 girls) and length (2526 boys, 2542 girls) of children born in Ostrowiec Swietokrzyski (Poland) in 1980, 1983, 1985 and 1988 were recorded during cross-sectional surveys carried out between 1994-1999. Data regarding the socio-demographic variables of families were provided by the parents. Analysis of covariance showed that MD significantly affected both birth weight and length, allowing for sex, birth order, mother’s age and SES of family. For both sexes, a greater marital distance was associated with a higher birth weight and a longer birth length. Our results support the hypothesis that a greater geographical distance between the birth places of parents may contribute to the heterosis effects in offspring. Better birth outcomes may be one of the manifestations of these effects.

Internet of Things (IoT) will play an important role in modern communication systems. Thousands of devices will talk to each other at the same time. Clearly, smart and efficient hardware will play a vital role in the development of IoT. In this context, the importance of antennas increases due to them being essential parts of communication networks. For IoT applications, a small size with good matching and over a wide frequency range is preferred to ensure reduced size of communication devices. In this paper, we propose a structure and discuss design optimization of a wideband antenna for IoT applications. The antenna consists of a stepped-impedance feed line, a rectangular radiator and a ground plane. The objective is to minimize the antenna footprint by simultaneously adjusting all geometry parameters and to maintain the electrical characteristic of antenna at an acceptable level. The obtained design exhibits dimensions of only 3.7 mm × 11.8 mm and a footprint of 44 mm2, an omnidirectional radiation pattern, and an excellent pattern stability. The proposed antenna can be easily handled within compact communication devices. The simulation results are validated through measurements of the fabricated antenna prototype.

Effects of La3+ admixture in barium lanthanum titanate (BLT) ceramics system with colossal permittivity on performance of prospective piezoelectric cold plasma application were studied. Usage of cold atmospheric pressure plasma appears promising in terms of industrial and healthcare applications. Performed investigation provide consistent evaluation of doping lanthanum amount on piezoelectric coefficients values with simultaneous capability of charge accumulation for effective plasma generation. Modification of ferroelectric materials with heterovalent ions, however with the lower radii than the original atoms, significantly affects their domain mobility and consequently electromechanical properties. To determine the piezoelectric coefficients, the resonance-antiresonance method was implemented, and values of piezoelectric and dielectric parameters were recorded. Finally the results indicated that addition of 0.4 mol.% of La3+ ions to the ceramic structure maximally increased the values of piezoelectric coefficient to d33 = 20 pC/N and to huge dielectric constant to ε33T = 29277.

This work examines the reduced-cost design optimization of dual- and multi-band antennas. The primary challenge is independent yet simultaneous control of the antenna responses at two or more frequency bands. In order to handle this task, a feature-based optimization approach is adopted where the design objectives are formulated on the basis of the coordinates of so-called characteristic points (or response features) of the antenna response. Due to only slightly nonlinear dependence of the feature points on antenna geometry parameters, optimization can be attained at a low computational cost. Our approach is demonstrated using two antenna structures with the optimum designs obtained in just a few dozen of EM simulations of the respective structure.

The main objective of the study was to determine the relationship between physique, maturation and some environmental factors. The study was conducted in Warsaw, between 2012 and 2013 in randomly selected schools. The material included 171 girls, aged 12-20 years. Body height and weight, upper and lower extremity length, subcutaneous fat folds on arm, subscapular and abdominal, circumferences of arm, chest, waist and hip were measured. Body proportion indices were calculated. The questionnaire form provided information on parental education and profession, and the number of children in family. Girls were asked about age at menarche, number of daily meals, level of physical activity, participation is sport, and level of stress at home and at school. The principal component analysis was applied and 4 factors were extracted from the set of living condition characteristics (F1 - Parental education & father’s occupation, F2 - Mother’s occupation and the number of children, F3 - Stress, F4 - Physical activity and number of daily meals). Regression analysis allowed to evaluate the association of body build characteristics and age at menarche with the four factors. Factor 1 and 4 were the only ones which showed a statistically significant association with body build. The results showed that girls who were taller, with smaller arm and waist circumferences and less adiposity came from families with higher parental education and better father’s profession. Taller stature, longer legs and less adiposity characterized girls who were more physically active and consumed more than three meals a day.

In the modern world, many aspects of social and professional life are transferred to the Internet. This also concerns the everyday functioning of teachers, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study conducted sought to determine what professional problems involve teachers who seek solutions in the virtual space. The aim of the study was to explore, describe and elucidate the matter examined. In order to explicate the current state of affairs, the following research problem was formulated: what professional issues are discussed by Russian and Polish teachers on online forums? The method for finding the answer to this question was an analysis of the content published on online teacher forums. As revealed by the analysis, the participants of online discussions raise various topics, related to the economic aspect and the prestige of the teacher profession, and everyday functioning at school as an educational and formational environment. The scope of subjects discussed proves to be fairly broad. The research showed the principal interests of Russian and Polish teachers with regard to the topics raised, and confirmed that online forums are an appropriate place to hold discussions, especially in the times of limited direct contact. Participating in online discussions allows teachers to search for answers to questions related to their profession, express their opinions on professional matters, and obtain legal advice or advice on the management of the education process.

The Polish education system does not offer a separate school subject dedicated to media competence. Media education is adopted within the curricula of various subjects and extracurricular activities. For many years, the system has been criticised by media education experts and perceived as requiring change. Skills related to the use of modern technologies can also be acquired outside of school with the support of other institutions, such as higher education facilities. One example may be Jan Kochanowski University in Kielce which has addressed the needs of school children for several years by conducting classes within the framework of Jan Kochanowski Children’s University. The present paper analysed the opportunities created by this type of educational programme and evaluated its effectiveness in terms of complementing school education. The data gathered from the survey, addressed to both participants (school age children) and their parents, was subjected to qualitative and quantitative analysis. The survey’s results reveal that the classes dedicated to the use of modern technologies within the framework of Children’s University play a significant role in improving the students’ media competence. Both the children and their parents point out to gaining new knowledge and skills related to the use of communication and information technologies. Furthermore, the classes encourage students to develop a critical attitude toward problems arising from the use of digital media.

Market knowledge, market orientation, learning competencies, and a business performance were the key issues of the research project conducted in the 2006 study. The main findings identified significant relationships between the independent variables (market knowledge, market orientation, learning competencies) and the dependent variables (business success). A partial correlation analysis indicated that a business success primarily relies on organisational learning competencies. Organisational learning competencies, to a large extent (almost 60%), may be explained by the level of corporate market knowledge and market orientation. The aim of the paper is to evaluate to what extent the relationships between the variables are still valid. The research was based on primary and secondary data sources. The major field of the research was carried out in the form of quantitative studies. The results of the 2014 study are consistent with the previous (2006) results.

The present paper widely describes the details of technology of (Ba0.6Pb0.4)TiO3 ceramics modified with PbO-B2O3-Al2O3-WO3 special glass, as well as the influence of admixture on the microstructure and crystal structure of basic material. The microstructure investigations reveal the significant increase of grain size and a decrease of pores participation in volume of modified samples, whereas the X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) measurements show a decrease of the volume of unit cell. The obtained results are discussed due to processes occurring during the sintering process at high temperature.

Re-design of a given antenna structure for various substrates is a practically important issue yet non trivial, particularly for wideband and ultra-wideband antennas. In this work, a technique for expedited redesign of ultra-wideband antennas for various substrates is presented. The proposed approach is based on inverse surrogate modeling with the scaling model constructed for several reference designs that are optimized for selected values of the substrate permittivity. The surrogate is set up at the level of coarse-discretization EM simulation model of the antenna and, subsequently, corrected to provide prediction at the high-fidelity EM model level. The dimensions of the antenna scaled to any substrate permittivity within the region of validity of the surrogate are obtained instantly, without any additional EM simulation necessary. The proposed approach is demonstrated using an ultra-wideband monopole with the permittivity scaling range from 2.2 to 4.5. Numerical validation is supported by physical measurements of the fabricated prototypes of the re-designed antennas.

Many studies worldwide have shown that social factors are significantly associated with growth in childhood. However, very few researchers studied influence of social factors on body length proportions. The aim of the present study was the assessment how urbanization level, sibship size and parental education may affect body length proportions in schoolchildren. 325 boys and 335 girls aged 7-18 years were measured in schools in Wrocław, two small towns and villages around these towns. Height, sitting height, leg length , and lower leg length were measured in all children, then relative lengths (in relation to height) were calculated: leg, femur, lower leg, estimated leg and lower leg length to leg length ratio. Height was standardized on age using LMS parameters for CDC 2002 year cohort. Other indices were standardized on age by using residuals variance derived from linear regressions. Four-way analysis of variance was used for height and each index, where independent variables were four social factors. Except for father’s education in boys, no other social factor was significant associated with height. Urbanization level significantly differed almost all indices, whereas father’s education level was significantly associated with relative leg length in girls and estimated leg length in both sexes. Our study has shown that the segments of lower limb seems to be more sensitive than height to the effect of social factors. In Lower Silesia, the level of urbanization is still related to differences in environmental conditions, enough to significantly affect growth of children, especially within the segments of lower limbs.

In this paper, a novel structure of a compact UWB slot antenna and its design optimization procedure has been presented. In order to achieve a sufficient number of degrees of freedom necessary to obtain a considerable size reduction rate, the slot is parameterized using spline curves. All antenna dimensions are simultaneously adjusted using numerical optimization procedures. The fundamental bottleneck here is a high cost of the electromagnetic (EM) simulation model of the structure that includes (for reliability) an SMA connector. Another problem is a large number of geometry parameters (nineteen). For the sake of computational efficiency, the optimization process is therefore performed using variable-fidelity EM simulations and surrogate-assisted algorithms. The optimization process is oriented towards explicit reduction of the antenna size and leads to a compact footprint of 199 mm2 as well as acceptable matching within the entire UWB band. The simulation results are validated using physical measurements of the fabricated antenna prototype.

Electrocaloric (EC) structures for a new generation of cooling or heating elements utilize the temperature dependence of spontaneous polarization in some ferroelectric materials to convert waste heat into electricity and vice versa. A (Pb0.93La0.07) (Zr0.65Ti0.35)O3 material, have the largest recorded pyroelectric coefficient. An effective predicted form for such applications is fiber, due to small heat capacitance and quick response time, even for nano second laser excitation. Consequently, the presented work provides a description of the optimization of structural, ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties of obtained fibers, finally concluding on necessity of sintering temperature reduction in 100°C in contrast to bulk form to effectively prevent its destruction.

The influence of wrong information about transition and measurement models on estimation quality has been presented in the paper. Two methods of a particle filter, with and without the Population Monte Carlo modification, and also the extended and unscented Kalman filters methods have been compared. A small 5-bus power system has been used in simulations, which have been performed based on one data set, and this data set has been chosen from among 100 different - to draw the most general conclusions. Based on the obtained results it has been found that for the particle filter methods the implementation of the slightly higher standard deviation than the true value, usually increases the estimation quality. For the Kalman filters methods it has been concluded that optimal values of variances are equal to the true values.

The aim of this work is to evaluate the intensity of possible secular trends among the five subsequent cohorts of Wrocław (Poland) children aged 0, 6, 12 and 24 months. This document describes secular changes in the body length, weight and the Rohrer’s index.

The subject of the paper is lead free bismuth layer structure oxides (1-x)Bi3TiNbO9-xBaBi2Nb2O9 (x=0; 1; 2; 3 mol). The influence of Bi3TiNbO9/BaBi2Nb2O9 ratio on dielectric and structural properties was studied in a wide range of temperatures. Change in the ratio causes a decrease in the maximum value of dielectric permittivity and shifts the temperature of ε’max to low values, leading to linear decreasing of average grain size and linear increasing of ceramics density. These results indicate an augment of the packing degree and the participation of pores are significantly decreased with the increase of BaBi2Nb2O9 compound intake. Moreover, for 0.7Bi3TiNbO9-0.3BaBi2Nb2O9 ceramics the dielectric phase transition is broadened and the properties characteristic for the ferroelectric relaxor appear.

A simulation-based optimization approach to design of phase excitation tapers for linear phased antenna arrays is presented. The design optimization process is accelerated by means of Surrogate-Based Optimization (SBO); it uses a coarse-mesh surrogate of the array element for adjusting the array’s active reflection coefficient responses and a fast surrogate of the antenna array radiation pattern. The primary optimization objective is to minimize side-lobes in the principal plane of the radiation pattern while scanning the main beam. The optimization outcome is a set of element phase excitation tapers versus the scan angle. The design objectives are evaluated at the high fidelity level of description using simulations of the discrete electromagnetic model of the entire array so that the effects of element coupling and other possible interaction within the array structure are accounted for. At the same time, the optimization process is fast due to SBO. Performance and numerical cost of the approach are demonstrated by optimizing a 16-element linear array of microstrip antennas. Experimental verification has been carried out for a manufactured prototype of the optimized array. It demonstrates good agreement between the radiation patterns obtained from simulations and from physical measurements (the latter constructed through superposition of the measured element patterns).

The effect of oxygen content in zirconium on the structure and mechanical properties of the Cu46Zr42Al7Y5 alloy, in the form of melt-spun ribbons and suction-cast rods, was investigated. Two types of Zr, rod and crystal bar of different nominal purities and oxygen contents, were used to synthesize the alloy by arc melting. Rapidly solidified ribbons were produced by melt spinning and their amorphous structures were confirmed by X-ray diffractometry (XRD) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Bulk samples in the form of rods were cast using a special water-cooled suction casting unit attached to the arc melting system. XRD and DSC studies proved the amorphous structure of the bulk alloy synthesized from low-oxygen Zr and partial crystallization of the same alloy for high-oxygen Zr. In both bulk samples, uniformly distributed crystalline particles were identified as yttrium oxides. Higher mean compressive strength of amorphous alloy was observed. The hardness of amorphous phase was close to 500 HV1 in both bulk alloys, while the hardness of crystalline dendritic areas, observed in the alloy synthesized from high oxygen Zr, was lower by about 50 HV1.

Mechanical alloying and powder metallurgy procedures were used to manufacture very fine-grained bulk material made from chips of the 2024 aluminum alloy. Studies of solution treatment and precipitation hardening of as-received material were based on differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) tests and TEM/STEM/EDX structural observations. Structural observations complemented by literature data lead to the conclusion that in the case of highly refined structure of commercial 2024 alloys prepared by severe plastic deformation, typical multi-step G-P-B →θ” →θ’ →θ precipitation mechanism accompanied with G-P-B →S” →S’ →S precipitation sequences result in skipping the formation of metastable phases and direct growth of the stable phases. Exothermic effects on DSC characteristics, which are reported for precipitation sequences in commercial materials, were found to be reduced with increased milling time. Moreover, prolonged milling of 2024 chips was found to shift the exothermic peak to lower temperature with respect to the material produced by means of common metallurgy methods. This effect was concluded to result from preferred heterogeneous nucleation of particles at subboundaries and grain boundaries, enhanced by the boundary diffusion in highly refined structures.