Research In Poland Research Articles

Enhancing benefits for peer researchers: towards a flexible and needs-based approach to participatory research

ABSTRACT The involvement of peer researchers has recently gained popularity in social research, and the incentives for using participatory methodologies are well recognised. However, as we argue, the sole presence of peer researchers does not equate to their immediate empowerment, and more attention should be given to the roles they play in the research and the ways in which they can tangibly benefit from such collaborations. We explore the seemingly mundane aspects of work such as recruitment, training, conducting research, dissemination and the afterlife of the project, to suggest that meaningful engagement of peer researchers demands a tailored approach that is receptive to their particular needs and motivations, and is supportive of their individual growth. Our critical reflection stems from a two-year-long collaboration with peer researchers in Poland undertaken as part of a Horizon 2020 project, which explored the lives of young migrants and refugees in Europe.

Economic Aspects of Operating Condo Hotels: Qualitative Research in Poland

The aim of the article is to identify the key economic aspects of the operation of condo hotels. The paper considers the Polish condo hotel market. The research hypothesis is as follows: condo hotels are a noteworthy and at the same time risky form of investing spare funds. Three main research methods used in the work are the following: criticism of literature, analysis of existing data and direct interview technique with managers of selected condo hotels in Poland. The results of the study indicate that, in the long term, this type of investment involves a growing and difficult to fully assess uncertainty. This is due to the fact that the hotel market is particularly sensitive to unfavourable changes in the economic environment, economic downturn or unexpected fortuitous or pandemic events. The passage of years and the gradual decapitalization of facilities are also among the factors that increase this uncertainty. The motivation to write the article resulted from the author’s long-term personal scientific interests related to the hotel industry and the revealed cognitive gap in the latest research on the economic aspects of housing, as well as, especially during the war in Ukraine.

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57 Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy is one of the most commonly used methods for studying meteorites. The beginning of Mössbauer research in Poland is associated with the Baszkówka meteorite, which fell on 25 August 1994 near Warsaw. The article presents some of the results of 30 years of Mössbauer studies of meteorites by the Polish team. One of the most important achievements of our group is the development of a classification method of ordinary chondrites, which constitute 87% of meteorites found on the earth’s surface. This method, which we call the 4M method (meteorites, Mössbauer spectroscopy, multidimensional discriminant analysis, Mahalanobis distance), is a quantitative method that uses certain systematicity in the Mössbauer spectra of ordinary chondrites. The basic element of the 4M method is the database, which currently consists of the results of Mössbauer measurements of 87 meteorite samples. The article also discusses the new mineral phases identified in the Morasko meteorite. Examples of the use of Mössbauer spectroscopy to distinguish meteorite-like samples from real meteorites are given. Our research plans related to the study of the formation mechanism of ordinary chondrites and the use of Mössbauer spectroscopy in future space missions are also discussed. The latter issues will be undertaken in cooperation with the Mössbauer laboratory at Palacký University in Olomouc (Czech Republic).

Sustainability in Public Relations Campaigns: Diagnosis of the Phenomenon Using the Example of PR Industry Research in Poland

This article is based on a study of the public relations environment in Poland and contains many references to the problems that Polish PR professionals have to deal with while performing their daily professional duties. The purpose of the article is to identify the factors that determine the frequency with which sustainable development elements are used in PR campaigns. The unit of analysis consists of the responses of 315 PR professionals who represent various organizations and provide services both to their clients and themselves, contributing to the PR structures of private and public companies. The main research technique was an online CAWI survey conducted in 2022. The main hypothesis of the article assumes that the professional experience of Polish PR professionals determines the frequency of using sustainable development elements in PR campaigns. In light of the above considerations, this article can make a valuable contribution to the discussion on the evolution of the PR specialist’s role in the context of sustainable development.

Viral respiratory infections and air pollution: A review focused on research in Poland

The COVID-19 pandemic has reinforced an interest in the relationship between air pollution and respiratory viral infections, indicating that their burden can be increased under poor air quality. This paper reviews the pathways through which air pollutants can enhance susceptibility to such infections and aggravate their clinical course and outcome. It also summarizes the research exploring the links between various viral infections and exposure to solid and gaseous pollution in Poland, a region characterized by poor air quality, especially during a heating season. The majority of studies focused on concentrations of particulate matter (PM; 86.7%); the other pollutants, i.e., BaP, benzene, CO, NOx, O3, and SO2, were studied less often and sometimes only in the context of a particular infection type. Most research concerned COVID-19, showing that elevated levels of PM and NO2 correlated with higher morbidity and mortality, while increased PM2.5 and benzo[a]pyrene levels were related to worse clinical course and outcome in hospitalized, regardless of age and dominant SARS-CoV-2 variant. PM10 and PM2.5 levels were also associated with the incidence of influenza-like illness and, along with NO2 concentrations, with a higher rate of children's hospitalizations due to lower respiratory tract RSV infections. Higher levels of air pollutants also increased hospitalization due to bronchitis (PM, NOx, and O3) and emergency department admission due to viral croup (PM10, PM2.5, NOx, CO, and benzene). Although the conducted studies imply only correlations and have other limitations, as discussed in the present paper, it appears that improving air quality through reducing combustion processes in energy production in Poland should be perceived as a part of multilayered protection measures against respiratory viral infections, decreasing the healthcare costs of COVID-19, lower tract RSV infections, influenza, and other respiratory viral diseases prevalent between autumn and early spring, in addition to other health and climate benefits.

Review and discussion of modern concepts and its relation to the research in Poland

This paper describes the foundations of the periglacial concept beginning from the introduction of this term by Łoziński in 1909 and 1912. Its etymology along with the meaning and definitions that change over time are analysed in the present paper. Originally derived from geology, periglacial now functions as a geomorphological term. It has been compared with other terms used in the characterisation of cold geographical environments; the role of freezing and ice has been especially emphasised for periglaciology, and the most important types of ice have been highlighted. The present paper aims to show that with the increasing specialisation of research and the evolution of the meaning of the term periglacial, it is still seen as playing an important integrating role. The relation of the periglacial environment and ice to the glacial environment is also presented, showing the places of mutual overlapping of both environments. Old and newly introduced terms related to this concept such as periglacial facies, periglacial landscape, paraglacial, and cryo-conditioning are critically assessed. Finally, a short description of the permafrost in Poland, occurring in two remote and specific places, is presented: the active mountain permafrost covering the alpine belt of the Tatra Mountains about 1900 m a.s.l. and the relict permafrost in the Suwałki area, located in the northern lowland of Poland at a depth of 357 m and below.

Risk Factors Affecting Container and Bulk Shipping Safety: Survey Research in Poland

Risk Factors Affecting Container and Bulk Shipping Safety: Survey Research in Poland

Autorska koncepcja zabawy malarskiej Arno Sterna jako wynik drogi życiowej i doświadczeń zawodowych

Introduction: Arno Stern is known for developing his own concept of painting fun. The contribution he made to understanding a child's drawing was influenced by his way of life. Research Aim: The aim of this article is to present Arno Stern's life achievements and to point to significant events and significant people that influenced his work and experiment in the field of fine arts. Evidence-based Facts: In Poland, there is a lack of scientific studies on painting fun. In a few studies, we find only mentions of his artistic experiment. Summary: It is advisable to undertake research in Poland on the way of working involving the experimental method of Arno Stern and adapting painting fun to support the development of a child.

Analiza sieci społecznych jako metoda badawcza w polskich studiach nad komunikowaniem politycznym

Nowe możliwości tworzenia i wymiany komunikatów pomiędzy aktorami politycznymi, mediami i publicznością/wyborcami są m.in. efektem dynamicznie rozwijającej się sfery technologicznej. Pojawienie się mediów online (w tym mediów społecznościowych) zmieniło politykę. Równolegle zmianom podlega także komunikowanie polityczne. Stanowi to z jednej strony inspirację, z drugiej zaś wyzwanie dla naukowej eksploracji tego obszaru badawczego. Interdyscyplinarność nauki o mediach, w którą wpisuje się badanie komunikowania politycznego, sprawia, że badacze poszukują nowych narzędzi badawczych, szczególnie w zakresie zbierania, analizowania i wizualizacji danych. Prowadzi to do inkorporacji na grunt badań medioznawczych nowych metod. Celem artykuły jest prezentacja analizy sieci społecznych (SNA) jako metody popularnej w badaniach amerykańskich i europejskich, choć jeszcze rzadko obecnej w polskich analizach komunikowania politycznego. W artykule przedstawiono charakterystykę metody, jej główne wskaźniki oraz dotychczasowy stan badań z jej wykorzystaniem w Polsce. Social Network Analysis as a Research Method in Political Communication Studies: New opportunities for creating and exchanging messages between political actors, the media and the audience/voters are to some extent the effect of the dynamically developing technological sphere. The advent of online media (including social media) has changed politics. At the same time, political communication is also changing. On the one hand, this is an inspiration and, on the other hand, a challenge for the scientific exploration of this research area. The interdisciplinarity of media science, which includes the study of political communication, prompts researchers to look for new research tools, especially in the field of data collection, analysis and visualisation. This leads to the incorporation of previously non-specific methods into the field of media studies. The aim of the article is to present social network analysis (SNA) as a method popular in American and European research, although still rarely present in Polish analyses of political communication. The article presents the characteristics of the method, its main indicators and the current state of research in Poland.

What is a heat(wave)? An interdisciplinary perspective

Excessive summer heat is becoming people’s daily reality creating an urgency to understand heatwaves and their consequences better. This article suggests an interdisciplinary analytical framework of heat(waves) as multiple objects. It brings together data and perspectives from social anthropology, sociology, climate science, epidemiology, and meteorology to map the gaps in knowledge about heat(waves) and their impacts on one of the most vulnerable groups: older adults. Based on research in Poland and Spain, we look at heat(waves) as simultaneously individual experiences, biophysical changes, and socio-political phenomena. Climatologists and meteorologists define heat(waves) as prolonged episodes of abnormally high temperatures. Epidemiologists perceive heat(waves) through raising morbidity and mortality rates. For policymakers, they are an emergency defined by duration and temperature thresholds. Older adults living in Warsaw and Madrid recognize a heat(wave) when they feel it in their bodies, when they cannot sleep, or when they need to change their daily routines. Such differently situated scientific definitions and embodied knowledge stem not only from varied epistemological perspectives but demonstrate that heat(waves) are ontologically different. By looking at convergences and divergences between these perspectives, we see that the length of heat(waves) varies and that older adults often experience longer periods of excessive heat than climate measurements or policy alerts indicate; that the impact of nighttime temperatures is more important than daily temperatures; and that there is a discrepancy between heat(waves) as anomalies and as increasingly common events. The article addresses an important gap between biophysical definitions of heatwaves and the experiences of the most vulnerable groups.

On the Relation between Translations and the Reception of the Children’s and Household Tales (Kinder- und Hausmärchen) by Brothers Grimm in Poland

The fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm are the most often translated work of German literature. All over the world these tales are read in translations that are not identical to the original. In Poland, these important texts are also read in various versions translated into Polish, which raises a question of how the form and content of different translations and adaptations may influence the reception of these German tales. Referring to important studies by folklorists Helena Kapełuś and Dorota Simonides, the author of the article indicates which research topics should be continued and deepened in the field of the Grimm research in Poland.

Duchowni w historii botaniki w Polsce

Clerical persons conducted a variety of botanical research in Poland and Polish lands. The purpose of this article is to describe their achievements in this field of science. No comprehensive study of the clergy’s contribution to the development of this branch of science has been made so far. The study is based on the biographies of botanists and amateur botanists from The Biographical Dictionary of Polish Botanists which is being prepared for publication. The Dictionary comprises 1,773 biographies, including 69 clerical persons. Among these 69 people, the largest group form Catholic priests (21), followed by Jesuits (12, including 1 ex-Jesuit), Protestant clergy (6), and Piarists (6, including 2 ex-Piarists). The fewest were archbishops and subdeacons (1 person each). Among the botanists active in Poland and Polish lands, no clergy of non-Christian denominations were identified. The share of clergy in the total number of botanists was not substantial. They were in the majority only during the period when medical botany flourished (from the mid-14th century to the last quarter of the 16th century). Among the many branches of botany, floristics was most often practiced by the clergy, with as many as 36 people publishing works in this field, followed by ecology (14 people), popularization of botany (7 people), and phycology (5 people). Other branches of botany were less frequently practiced: medical botany and systematics – by 4, ethnobotany, phytogeography, physiology, mycology, nature conservation, and paleobotany – by 3, history of botany and pteridology – by 2, and anatomy, bryology, cytology, dendrology, lichenology, morphology, botanical engraving – by 1 person. With the increase in the number of botanists and the rapid development of experimental-laboratory branches of botany, the importance of clergy in the development of plant science in Poland has started to decline.

Assessment of coping with illness among patients with hepatitis C – on example of research in Poland

Introduction: In Poland approximately 2% of the population are infected with HCV. The majority (70-80%) of persons infected with HCV develop chronic hepatitis C which, when untreated, may lead to cirrhosis and/or hepatocellular carcinoma. The skills of coping with stress and acceptance of chronic illness may motivate patients for participation in treatment and leading a health-promoting life style. Objective: The aim of the study was assessment of coping with illness in patients with chronic hepatitis C. Materials and Method: The study included 220 adults with chronic hepatitis C, and was conducted by the method of a diagnostic survey using the Polish questionnaire: Brief Method of Assessment of Coping with Illness (Krótka Metoda Oceny Radzenia Sobie z Chorobą - KMORSZCH), the Acceptance of Illness Scale (AIS), and an author-constructed questionnaire. Results: The examined group of patients with hepatitis C most strongly presented style oriented on emotions and passivity (mean score 1.20), and style focused on problem solving (mean score 1.05), followed by respondents who presented avoidance-oriented style (mean score 0.98), whereas the style focused on seeking the best solution to the problem was most rarely chosen (mean score 0.77). It was found that the more frequently the respondents presented style oriented on experiencing emotions and passivity, to the significantly lower degree they accepted their illness. Patients with higher education significantly more often presented style focused on seeking the best solution to the problem (p<0.045),while those with the lowest level of education significantly more frequently were oriented on experiencing emotions and passivity (p<0.001). Rural inhabitants significantly more often presented style oriented on experiencing emotions and passivity (p<0.002). The remaining independent variables: gender, age, marital status, number of years of illness, and occupational activity had an insignificant effect on the selection of the style of coping with hepatitis C. Conclusions: The results of the study confirm the need for psychotherapeutic actions with respect to patients with hepatitis C in order to help them cope with the chronic disease, because they most often chose style oriented on emotions and passivity. Psychological assistance should be provided especially for the group of patients who have difficulty with acceptance of the illness.

Chinese Studies in Poland: History and Current Perspectives

AbstractThe earliest pieces of knowledge and research on China in Poland reflected development of Sinological studies in Western Europe. Being located on the sidelines of trade routes through which Eastern ideas and goods reached Western Europe, Poles used to get their information about China mostly from intermediaries: medieval travelers, merchants, and envoys, and since the sixteenth century, letters, writings, and books by Jesuit missionaries. The Poles contributed the very first comprehensive description of Chinese flora, and were important in spreading mathematical knowledge among Chinese scientists. A Pole established Monumenta Serica, still published today, and another Pole applied formal logic to the research of Chinese classical texts for the very first time. Despite all that, regular Sinological research in Poland did not take off until the twentieth century, and even then it was interrupted by political upheaval in Poland and by researchers’ fight either for freedom or with ideology.

‘Should I Buy Her a Doll’? Motherhood and Turner Syndrome in Poland

ABSTRACT Turner syndrome (TS) is a genetic condition that affects only girls and women, leading to health issues including infertility. Patients usually require recombinant growth hormone, and sex hormone therapy. Based on our anthropological research in Poland, we posit questions regarding the management of societal expectations by female parents regarding the femininity of their daughters, especially within the context of infertility. We query: Is it possible to understand TS and its consequences as not only being an obstacle to future plans, but also having emancipatory potential? To answer this question, we refer to the concept of hope and analyze the interpretative work of mothers of girls with TS.

An integrated risk-informed safety classification for unique research reactors

Safety classification of systems, structures, and components (SSC) is an essential activity for nuclear reactor design and operation. The current regulatory trend is to require risk-informed safety classification that considers first, the severity, but also the frequency of SSC failures. While safety classification for nuclear power plants is covered in many regulatory and scientific publications, research reactors received less attention. Research reactors are typically of lower power but, at the same time, are less standardized i.e., have more variability in the design, operational modes, and operating conditions. This makes them more challenging when considering safety classification. This work presents the Integrated Risk-Informed Safety Classification (IRISC) procedure which is a novel extension of the IAEA recommended process with dedicated probabilistic treatment of research reactor designs. The article provides the details of probabilistic analysis performed within safety classification process to a degree that is often missing in most literature on the topic. The article presents insight from the implementation of the procedure in the safety classification for the MARIA Research Reactor operated by the National Center for Nuclear Research in Poland.

On the Use of Quantitative Methods in Accounting Research in Poland

This paper presents a review of published accounting research based on quantitative methods originating in Poland between 2010 and 2021. Twenty-one international and national journals were examined, all having “accounting” in their title, as well as the leading Polish journal on accounting research – Zeszyty Teoretyczne Rachunkowości (ZTR, Theoretical Journal of Accounting). The principal finding is that Polish authors – especially those using quantitative methods – rarely publish in top accounting journals outside of Poland. They most frequently publish quantitative papers in ZTR, although those papers account for just 5% of the total number of papers published there. The corresponding percentage of quantitative papers is much higher in leading international accounting journals. This paper is presented as a voice in the debate within Polish academia on the development of the accounting discipline.

Miłosz Pinned Down?

Miłosz Pinned Down?

Validation of the Polish versions of the Lower Limb Task Questionnaire, Lower Limb Functional Index, and Lower Limb Functional Index-10

BackgroundPhysicians who treat patients with lower limb diseases should pay attention not only to the patients’ clinical condition but also to their individual needs and expectations. For this purpose, many different questionnaires can be employed. This study aimed to validate the Lower Limb Task Questionnaire (LLTQ), Lower Limb Functional Index (LLFI), and Lower Limb Functional Index-10 (LLFI-10) for their use in Polish conditions and to perform a mutual comparison and analysis of differences in subjective assessments by patients who undergo hip or knee arthroplasty. MethodsThe LLTQ, LLFI, and LLFI-10 were translated into Polish. A total of 103 patients who qualified for hip or knee arthroplasty at a University Hospital in from 2019 to 2021 were included in this study. The patients were asked to complete the Polish versions of the LLTQ, LLFI, LLFI-10, Lower Extremity Functional Scale (LEFS), and Short Form-36 four times – twice before and twice after their surgeries. ResultsThe Polish versions of the LLTQ, LLFI, and LLFI-10 had good psychometric properties. One year after surgery, the Cohen's standard response mean revealed high improvement of limb functionality and thus quality of life among all patients. We observed better treatment outcomes among patients who had hip osteoarthritis. ConclusionsThe questionnaires were validated and can be used both in everyday health practice and in further research in Poland.

Urban regeneration and sustainable development – an attempt to assess a sustainable character of revitalisation processes in Poland

A study conducted for the purposes of the article aimed at assessing the degree of sustainable development achieved in the urban regeneration processes carried out in Poland. It covered a study of urban regeneration programmes adopted in the cities with poviat rights, where these processes are regularly monitored. Based on the analysis and interpretation of these documents, on the grounds of a methodology created for the purpose, the conducted processes were assessed in the context of the sustainable development principles. The aim of the article is to answer following questions: (1) to what extent the implemented projects fit into this paradigm, (2) to what extent they contribute to its achievement, and, more generally, (3) how to examine the issue of sustainable development in regeneration processes – as the current study is the first such research in Poland. The study which proves that, for the moment, the revitalisation activities are not too advanced, nor too harmonious, should lead to further, more in-depth research on the subject.