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An active-target time-projection chamber (TPC) optimised for studying nuclear reactions of astro-physical interest was developed by the University of Warsaw for studying photo-disintegration reactions using intense, monochromatic γ-ray beams. Different reactions can be studied by tuning composition and density of the gaseous target for particular energy of the gamma beam. The Warsaw TPC detector, with its active volume of about 33x20x20 cm3 centred around the beam axis and micro-pattern structures (GEMs) employed to amplify the primary ionisation induced by charged particles produced in reactions in the gaseous target, is characterised by a readout based on signal strips, arranged into 3-coordinate redundant system. The 3D kinematics of charged particles in the event are reconstructed from a total of about 103 channels read out by digitising front-end electronics based on the General Electronics for TPCs (GET). In this paper the principles of detector operation and basic track reconstruction methods are discussed and illustrated by means of preliminary results from pilot measurements conducted in 2021-22.

An experiment was conducted at the High Intensity γ-ray Source (HIγS) facility at the Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory (TUNL) in Durham, NC, USA to measure the cross-section of the key astrophysical thermonuclear reaction 12C(α,γ)16O by means of its inverse photo-disintegration process. A high-intensity monochromatic γ-ray beam interacted with the CO2 gas in the active volume of the Warsaw active target TPC detector. The reaction products were detected and their momenta reconstructed, so to also determine angular correlations. Data were collected at 15 beam energies ranging from 8.51 to 13.9 MeV. Preliminary results are presented.

Between 1945 and 1946, Poland witnessed three large anti‐Jewish pogroms. The infamous Kielce pogrom of July 4, 1946, which claimed the lives of over 40 Holocaust survivors was preceded by outbursts of collective violence in Rzeszów and in Kraków. All three pogroms were perpetrated by police officers, soldiers of the Polish army, and civilians forming a pogrom mob, and all were preceded and inflamed by rumors about Jews kidnapping and harming Christian children. Studies of widespread antisemitism and the common belief in blood libel do not seem to offer an adequate explanation of how the people of Rzeszów, Kraków, and Kielce could have believed the rumors that Jews were abducting and murdering children. They explain even less what made possible the social mobilization leading toward mass violence against Holocaust survivors in Poland in the immediate aftermath of WWII. We address this issue by using the concept of moral panic as proposed by Erich Goode and Nachman Ben‐Yehuda and examining possible reasons why Polish society after the WWII seems to have been particularly attuned to the fate of children. We argue that in the early postwar years there was a moral panic in Poland associated with the vulnerability of children. It was propelled by wartime experience but also by omnipresent violence and hideous crimes committed against children in the wake of WWII. Although there was no fact‐based connection between these crimes and the Jews, many Polish Christians eagerly put the blame on "the Other," that is, the Jews, and sought facts that could serve as confirmation of an old prejudice—the blood libel. Polish Christians who accepted the blood libel as truth could have found confirmation of their belief when Jewish relatives or Jewish organizations undertook to "recover"—through legal procedures, by payment, by subterfuge or by force—children who had been hidden in Christian families during the Holocaust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction The Acute Cystitis Symptom Score (ACSS) is a self-reporting questionnaire to evaluate the symptoms and quality of life in women with uncomplicated acute cystitis (AC). The aim of the current study was the additional cognitive and clinical validation of the Polish version. Material and methods Professional forward and backward translations from original Russian to Polish were performed by Mapi SAS. For cognitive assessment, women with different ages and educational levels were asked to comment on each item of the Polish ACSS to establish the final study version. The clinical validation was performed as a prospective, non-interventional cohort study. Women with AC (Patients) and those without (Controls) filled in the Polish ACSS during their visits to a physician's office and at a follow-up visit. Statistical analysis included ordinary descriptive values, calculation of reliability, validity, discriminative ability, responsiveness (sensitivity, specificity), and comparative analysis. Results The cognitive assessment was performed in 60 women with a median (range) age of 44.5 (21-88) years and different educational levels: grade school (n = 8), high school (n = 25), college (n = 22), and postgraduate education (n = 5). Forty-three patients were recruited for the clinical validation study along with 34 controls. Statistical analyses resulted in excellent values of internal consistency, discriminative ability, and validity for diagnosis of AC. At a summary score of 6 and higher in the 'Typical' domain, positive and negative predictive values were 97% and 79%, and sensitivity and specificity were 79% and 97%, respectively. Conclusions The Polish version of the ACSS has demonstrated benefits for diagnosis and patient-reported outcome assessment. It is objective, fast, and cost-effective, and it may help to easily confirm the accurate diagnosis of AC. The Polish ASCSS can now be recommended for use in clinical and epidemiological studies, in clinical practice, or for self-diagnosis and patient-reported outcome in women with symptoms of AC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]