Poland Voivodeship Research Articles

Analysis of Fish-Consumption Benefits and Safety Knowledge in a Population-Based Sample of Polish Adolescents

Inadequate fish consumption is common and may result from multiple reasons, especially in adolescents who are a population at particular risk of the negative consequences of not consuming the recommended amounts of fish. The aim of the study was to analyze the knowledge about fish-consumption benefits and safety in a population-based sample of Polish adolescents. The stratified random sampling was conducted within two stages: sampling of counties from all voivodeships in Poland (being the basic administrative units of Poland) and inviting secondary schools from the drawn counties to obtain a sample representative of all regions of Poland. The Computer-Assisted Web Interview (CAWI) method was applied to gather the data within the study, and a questionnaire concerning knowledge about fish-consumption benefits and safety with 20 true–false statements was applied. Among 1289 participants, the statement with the highest share of correct answers concerned fish being a source of protein (78.9%) and fish-derived fats being health promoting (77.0%). The statement receiving the least correct answers concerned the type of fatty acids found in fish (7.6%) and the risk of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in fish (20.5%). Participants who were female, older than 18, underweight, living in an urban environment, from a region far away from the sea and from comprehensive schools provided a higher share of correct answers than other subgroups (p < 0.05). Knowledge concerning fish-consumption benefits and safety among Polish adolescents is in many cases inadequate; thus, nutritional education is needed, especially among younger adolescents, those attending vocational schools, males and those living in a rural environment.

Polish tourist facilities' engagement in the communication of the low-emission activities and sustainable development

AbstractIn 2021, Booking.com, one of the largest web portals for tourist facilities online reservations, started the Sustainable Travel Program. The main purpose behind it was to promote environmental consciousness among tourists as well as engage the tourist facilities owners to implement sustainable practices in their companies, and, as a consequence of such practices, reward them with a Sustainable Travel Badge. The objective of this research is to examine the engagement of Polish tourist facilities in low-emission and sustainable development activities. To meet the defined purpose, the research was conducted on the data about the facilities in Poland, included in the Booking.com Sustainable Travel Program. The study examines what types of facilities possess the sustainable badge more than others; in which voivodeships (provinces) of Poland there are more objects with the badge, and which Sustainable Travel Practices (out of 30) are realized more frequently. Such information may be useful when choosing a tourist destination, especially for tourists sensitive to environmental issues. The sustainable development practices introduced by Booking.com are mostly possible to be realized by large hotel enterprises. However, it is sometimes difficult to verify whether a certain practice is indeed implemented by a facility, or what exactly its implementation looks like in reality. The number of tourist objects engaged in the Booking.com Sustainable Travel Program has a low correlation with the level of wealth of the voivodeship where an object is located. It is justified by the fact that the wealthiest voivodeships in Poland are not necessarily the most attractive for tourists. The collected data can be a recommendation for both owners of tourist facilities and tourists regarding Polish regions and holiday destinations that meet the criteria of being sustainable, in accordance with the Booking.com guidelines.

Analysis of Linkage on Interaction of Main Aspects (Genotype by Environment Interaction, Stability and Genetic Parameters) of 1000 Kernels in Maize (Zea mays L.)

The assessment of 1000-kernel weight holds significant importance in determining maize grain yield, and elucidating its underlying genetic mechanisms is imperative for enhancing its overall performance. The material for the study consisted of 26 doubled-haploid (DH) maize lines obtained from crossing two cultivars with flint kernels. Lines were planted in the northern part of the Lower Silesia voivodship in Poland over ten years (2013–2022). The 1000-kernel weight was assessed. The purposes of the research were as follows: (1) to assess genotype by environment interaction (GEI by the additive main effects and multiplicative interaction (AMMI) model; (2) the selection of stable DH lines and environment-specific lines; and (3) the estimation of parameters related to additive and additive–additive gene interaction (epistasis). The results indicate the significant effects of genotype and environment, as well as the GEI, on the 1000-kernel weight. Estimates of additive gene action effects were statistically significant in every year of the study, except 2022. Estimates of epistasis (total additive-by-additive interaction) effects for 1000-kernel weight were statistically significant in 2013, 2015, and 2017 (positive effects), as well as in 2018 and 2020 (negative effects). The lines KN07 and KN10 are recommended for further inclusion in the breeding program due to their stability and highest average of 1000-kernel weight.

Emocje doświadczane przez osoby uczące się języka obcego w klasie postcovidowej

The process of returning to face-to-face education was not easy and more often than not accompanied by mixed feelings, from joy to fear and uncertainty (Witkowski et.al. 2021). The aim of this paper was to examine students’ emotions associated with FL learning in a postCOVID classroom. The sample in question constituted 103 secondary school students from the Silesian Voivodship in Poland, who had spent almost three semesters at home on distance learning, and, at the time of completing the questionnaire in September 2022, were entering the first school year of study without any COVID-19 restrictions. The emotions studied were related to the classroom environment, namely, the lesson organization, teaching materials, the person of the teacher and peers, to name a few. The findings show that a large majority are in favour of face-to-face learning and appreciate a direct language contact that is available in a real classroom setting. The data collected allowed for formulating suggestions on how to improve the postCOVID classroom learning to meet students’ expectations and deal with habits transferred from remote education.

Teachers' Perceptions of Their Own Competences in View of the Demands of the Professionalisation of the Teaching Profession

Professionalism in the teaching profession plays a significant role in the execution of complex tasks and is based on relevant competences of varying scope and nature. The study conducted in a group of 2151 teachers from the Lubelskie Voivodeship in Poland focused on teachers’ perceptions of their professional competences in terms of their importance, difficulty and decollected. The OIP-II consists of six scales: psychomotor, sensual, imaginational, intellectual OEs, plus emotional sensitivity and emotional empathy. The participants were 116 parents-matic and transgressive. The study used a 40-item questionnaire, describing different areas of teachers’ knowledge, skills and activity, which operationalized broader groups of professional competences. Statistical analyses examined socio-demographic variables: gender, work experience, professional advancement grade, position held, and type and location of the educational establishment.The analysis of the results showed that teachers differentiate their perceptions of competences according to their nature, ranking pragmatic competences as the most important, followed by interpretive and transgressive competences, respectively. They consider the skills andactivities associated with transgressive and pragmatic competences to be more difficult than those associated with interpretive competences. While assessing the mastery of competences, a similar level is observed for interpretive and pragmatic competences and a lower level fortransgressive competences. On the basis of these results, it can be concluded that the teachers primarily pay attention to knowledge and practical skills related to the performance of professional tasks, with less appreciation of aspects related to interpretive and transgressive competences. This approach seems insufficient from the perspective of the ongoing professionalisation of the teaching profession and the challenges of 21st-century education.

Neural Modelling in the Study of the Relationship between Herd Structure, Amount of Manure and Slurry Produced, and Location of Herds in Poland

In the presented study, data regarding the size and structure of cattle herds in voivodeships in Poland in 2019 were analysed and modelled using artificial neural networks (ANNs). The neural modelling approach was employed to identify the relationship between herd structure, biogas production from manure and slurry, and the geographical location of herds by voivodeship. The voivodeships were categorised into four groups based on their location within Poland: central, southern, eastern, and western. In each of the analysed groups, a three-layer MLP (multilayer perceptron) with a single hidden layer was found to be the optimal network structure. A sensitivity analysis of the generated models for herd structure and location within the eastern group of voivodeships revealed significant contributions from dairy cows, heifers (both 6–12 and 12–18 months old), calves, and bulls aged 12–24 months. For the western voivodeships, the analysis indicated that only dairy cows and herd location made significant contributions. The optimal models exhibited similar values of RMS errors for the training, testing, and validation datasets. The model characterising biogas production from manure in southern voivodeships demonstrated the smallest RMS error, while the model for biogas from manure in the eastern region, as well as the model for slurry in central parts of Poland, yielded the highest RMS errors. The generated ANN models exhibited a high level of accuracy, with a fitting quality of approximately 99% for correctly predicting values. Comparable results were obtained for both manure and slurry in terms of biogas production across all location groups.

Profitability Determinants of Transport Service and Warehouse Enterprises

The main purpose of the research is to identify differences in the factors determining changes in the return on capital (ROE) of transport and warehouse enterprises in individual voivodeships in Poland. The research used the ROE decomposition method which was justified by mathematical aspects. It paid attention on the decomposition of relative differences shaping the changes in this specific indicator. The substantive basis is the modified 5-factor Du Pont model. This method allowed for analysing relative changes in three decision areas. These areas encompass operational, financial, and tax management. The findings confirmed that the differences in individual voivodeships compared to the entire section H in Poland result mainly from financial management. However, the examined differentiation was not dependent on tax management. The presented research results can represent the basis for the strategy of corporate management in section H in positioning against competitive enterprises in Poland. The research also allows for a macroeconomic analysis of the phenomena occurring in the transport as well as warehousing sector, especially in terms of changes in their profitability.

Knowledge about ultraviolet radiation (UVR) and attitudes and behaviour regarding gel manicure according to the age of women

Introduction and purpose. Nowadays, artificial gel nails, which require Ultraviolet Radiation (UVR) for polymerization, steadily gain popularity. Gel manicure dried with UV lamps has become a regular part of many women's beauty routines. However, its safety remains controversial. The aim of the study was to assess the women’s knowledge of UVR and their attitudes towards UV nail exposure and its impact on human health.
 Material and methods. The study was carried out from January to March 2020 with the use of PAPI and CAWI method. The study population consisted of 188 women living in the Silesian Voivodeship in Poland. The mean age was 31.7 ±12.4. The majority of women were familiar with UV nail polish drying devices (74%). Most of the respondents were regularly using UV lamps (51.1%).
 Results. 62% of women aged 18-25 regularly got UV manicure, whereas only 29% of women older than 40 years (p<0.001). Most of the respondents got UV manicure at beauty salon. However, 37% of women got it also at home. Self-manicure was mostly popular among women at age 18-25 (p<0.001). Only 18.7% put sunscreen on hands and 10.8 % wore fingerless gloves. Simultaneous antibiotic therapy or artificial sunbathing was not a contraindication for 15% and 8% of women, respectively. The knowledge of respondents about UV radiation was poor. The rate of correct responses was 54.7%. 
 Conclusions. While existing research suggests a low risk of carcinogenesis resulting from UV nail lamp use, ways to minimize any risk should be kept in mind. Dermatologists should educate patients, especially those with photosensitivity disorders, tanning bed history or with family history of skin cancer and raise their awareness about the potential health risk of UV manicure. Photoprotection and fingerless gloves should be accessible in beauty salons and recommended to use during UV manicure. Safety regulations concerning UV lamps are needed because they are very often self-operated by many women at home.

Less important space? Spatial planning in small towns in Poland

The aim of this paper is to present the condition of spatial planning in small towns in the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Voivodeship in Poland (urban municipalities up to 20,000 inhabitants) taking into account the analytical background in the form of a set of small towns (urban municipalities) in Poland. The authors posed the following research questions: (Q1) How up-to-date is the strategic planning document Study of conditions and directions of spatial development (SCDSDs) in small towns? (Q2) What is the coverage of small towns with local spatial development plans (LSDPs) and is it sufficient, and to what degree are decisions on development conditions (DCs) used in spatial planning in small towns? (Q3) What is the opinion of the inhabitants of a small town (Lipno) about spatial planning and public participation in the planning process conducted in the city in which they live? To achieve the aim of the study, the authors conducted a three-stage study consisting of a qualitative and a quantitative part. In the qualitative part, an assessment was conducted of the topicality of the Studies of Conditions and Directions of Spatial Development (SCDSDs) of small towns in the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Voivodeship. In the quantitative part, we analysed and evaluated statistical data from the Local Data Bank of Statistics Poland concerning local spatial development plans (LSDPs) and decisions on development conditions (DCs) in small towns in the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Voivodeship. At this stage, a questionnaire was also carried out using the Paper and Pencil Interview + Computer Assisted Web Interview (PAPI+CAWI) method, addressed to the community of the town of Lipno. The research shows that the problems in small towns are: low topicality of SCDSDs, and in the vast majority of the small towns analysed – very low LSDP coverage. These municipalities also issue the largest number of DCs, which exacerbates the spatial chaos. The questionnaire survey shows that residents are interested in issues related to the shaping of urban space, but indicate a lack of adequate knowledge on spatial planning, which lowers their participation in the process. They also recognise the great importance of spatial planning in socio-economic development, which translates into quality of life.

Regional Discrepancies in the Level of Knowledge-Based Economy in Poland

AbstractSubject and purpose of workThis paper analyzes the level of knowledge-based economy (KBE) in terms of sustainable development across the provinces (voivodships) of Poland in 2020. The underlying assumption of this study is that knowledge and skills are one of the fundamental preconditions for successfully implementing the concept of sustainable development.Materials and methodsIn order to calculate the rankings of Polish voivodships a synthetic indicator developed on the basis of the zeroed unitarization method was used.ResultsThere are vast disproportions in the levels of KBE across the voivodeships of Poland. The most advanced KBE was identified in the Mazowieckie Voivodship, and the least developed KBE was found in the Lubuskie voivodship.ConclusionsThe capacity to develop a knowledge-based economy is inextricably interrelated with the quality of the social capital, which is directly attributable to the levels of education. In order to offset the interregional disproportions spending on research and development needs to be increased and the investments in human capital (e.g. through career planning, training, improving the professional qualifications of employees, discretionary bonuses) and new technologies should be expanded.

Challenges for psychiatric health care for adults in Lower Silesia.

The authors, in their study, refer to the changes taking place in Polish psychiatry under the National Mental Health Program (NMHP). They present their thoughts on the restructuring of psychiatric health care for adults in Lower Silesia. They refer to the European experiences described in the book Better Mental Health Care by G. Thornicroft and M. Tansella, and in the practical and scientific dimension - to the substantive premises, derived from demographic analyzes, epidemiological indicators obtained in the EZOP study, from Maps of Health Needs and other official statistics. Lower Silesia is the fifth voivodeship in Poland in terms of population, with four psychiatric hospitals in need of restructuring, a lower than the national rate of beds per 100,000 population and a relatively high rate of the so-called common mental disorders should be included in a targeted pilot project under the NMHP. In conclusion, the authors strongly support the fastest possible implementation of the community model of psychiatric services in Lower Silesia, indicating the methodology that should accompany the transformation process, the risks that may occur, but most of all, making people aware of the benefits that society should achieve in a human and economic sense.

Identification and delimitation of problem areas on the example of the West Pomeranian voivodeship (Poland, EU)

In Poland, even though there is already richer literature on the subject of the regional economy, there is still a need for knowledge on various dimensions and aspects of the development of problem areas. The reason for this is to search for ways to boost the country's development, to find new opportunities to activate both growth centres, as well as, and perhaps above all, to activate underdeveloped, backward areas burdened with hidden unemployment in agriculture and to activate those areas which lack features that favour the development of the modern, knowledge-based economy of the 21st century. The key problem addressed in this article is „what criteria should be taken into account when delimiting the problem areas in order for public intervention to be effective and to contribute to the desired changes?” This article presents the method of delimiting problem areas on the example of the “Five Capitals” model. The case study is the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in Poland (EU).

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Number of Cancer Patients and Radiotherapy Procedures in the Warmia and Masuria Voivodeship.

(1) Background: It was suspected that the COVID-19 pandemic would negatively affect health care, including cancer treatment. The aim of the study was to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the number of radiotherapy procedures and patients treated with radical and palliative radiotherapy in Poland. (2) Methods: The study was carried out in Warmia and Masuria voivodeship. The number of procedures and treated patients one year before and in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic were compared. (3) Results: In the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of radiotherapy procedures and cancer patients treated with radiotherapy in Warmia and Masuria voivodeship in Poland was stable compared to the period before the pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has not affected the ratio of palliative to radical procedures. The percentage of ambulatory and hostel procedures significantly increased with the reduction of inpatient care in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. (4) Conclusion: No significant decrease in patients treated with radiotherapy during the first year of the pandemic in Warmia and Masuria voivodeship in Poland could indicate the rapid adaptation of radiotherapy centers to the pandemic situation. Future studies should be carried out to monitor the situation because the adverse effects of the pandemic may be delayed.

Quality of medical services in the opinion of older adults with the example of medical facilities of the Silesian voivodeship in Poland

Quality of medical services in the opinion of older adults with the example of medical facilities of the Silesian voivodeship in Poland

Aktywność eksportowa i importowa województw w Polsce w kontekście zakresu koncentracji przestrzennej mierzonej wskaźnikiem dywersyfikacji

Purpose – The aim of the article is to diagnose the export and import activity of Polish voivodships through the prism of spatial concentration, and to investigate whether the import diversification index is the same as the export diversification index, and whether the diversification index loses its methodological value in determining both export and import activity of Polish voivodships due to the difficulties in assigning trade flows to a specific voivodeship. Reseach method – The article contains an analysis based on a review of the literature and calculations regarding the spatial concentration of exports and imports of Polish voivodships using the diversification index. The article uses the method of descriptive and explanatory research. Results – Presentation of the share of voivodeships in Poland’s export and import and the scope of spatial concentration measured by the diversification index in 1994–2019. Originality / value / implications / recommendations – The scope of spatial concentration of exports and imports expressed by the diversification index, in the analyzed period 1994–2019, did not change significantly, and the number of voivodships responsible for at least 75% of Polish exports was slightly higher than in the case of imports. At the same time, the importance of the ‘non‑classified voivodship’ category increasing each year – almost 1/4 of Polish exports and almost 1/5 of imports are not assigned to any voivodship, which implies a decrease in the significance of the methodological value of the diversification index.

Financial risk in the activity of voivodships in Poland: Synthetic measure as an element of risk assessment in the activities of local government units in the years 2010-2020

Financial risk in the activity of voivodships in Poland: Synthetic measure as an element of risk assessment in the activities of local government units in the years 2010-2020

The Use of Artificial Intelligence for Assessing the Pro-Environmental Practices of Companies

In the present study, the authors analyze, supported by the use of artificial intelligence, the environmental solutions implemented in selected manufacturing companies using the example of the Great Poland Voivodship. The companies analyzed were selected from different industry sectors and were of different sizes, divided into two groups: small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and large enterprises (LEs). The authors observed the environmental activities of these two groups of companies, paying particular attention to the differences that were evident. The study is based on a questionnaire survey. All survey questions referred to the life cycle of a product, ranging from design, production, and use to recycling processes. We discuss the environmental solutions proposed by enterprises of different sizes and at different stages of the product’s life cycle. The goal of this study is three-fold: (1) To investigate the differences in the introduction of environmental issues in SMEs and LEs in the Greater Poland Voivodship, Poland; (2) to examine whether companies in this Voivodship are equally aware of the impact of their business activities and their products on the environment; and (3) to discover novel, more rapid, and simpler methods to analyze the environmental sustainability of companies, including efficient models based on artificial intelligence. An analysis based on ANNs (artificial neural networks) was performed. The novelty of the proposed approach lies in the use of a combination of research data and methods using artificial intelligent tools to develop and scalable conclusions. This approach is unique and has no equivalent in the literature. An analysis was conducted via two perspectives: (1) The level of environmental solutions implemented at successive stages of the product’s life cycle and (2) the size of the company. The results show significant differences between the environmental practices of small, medium, and large Polish enterprises, and reveal the emerging trends in enterprise operations, which will be subject to an AI-based analysis.

Neural Modelling in the Exploration of the Biomethane Potential from Cattle Manure: A Case Study on Herds Structure from Wielkopolskie, Podlaskie, and Mazowieckie Voivodeships in Poland.

In the presented study, data on the size and structure of cattle herds in Wielkopolskie, Podlaskie, and Mazowieckie voivodeships in 2019 were analyzed and subjected to modelling with the use of artificial intelligence, namely artificial neural networks (ANNs). The potential amount of biogas (m3) from cattle manure and slurry for the analyzed provinces was as follows: for the Mazowieckie Voivodeship, 800,654,186 m3; for the Podlaskie voivodeship, 662,655,274 m3; and for the Wielkopolskie voivodeship, 657,571,373 m3. Neural modelling was applied to find the relationship between the structure of the herds and the amount of generated slurry and manure (biomethane potential), as well as to indicate the most important animal types participating in biogas production. In each of the analyzed cases, the three-layer MLP perceptron with a single hidden layer proved to be the most optimal network structure. Sensitivity analysis of the generated models concerning herd structure showed a significant contribution of dairy cows to the methanogenic potential for both slurry and manure. The amount of slurry produced in the Mazowieckie and Wielkopolskie voivodeships was influenced in turn by heifers (both 6-12 and 12-18 months old) and bulls 12-24 months old, and in the Podlaskie voivodeship by calves and heifers 6-12 months old. As for manure, in addition to cows, bulls 12-24 months old and heifers 12-18 represented the main factor for Mazowieckie and Wielkopolskie voivodeships, and heifers (both 6-12 and 12-18 months old) for Podlaskie voivodeship.

Analysis of urinalysis laboratory report forms in medicallaboratories

<br><b>Introduction:</b> Urinalysis is one of the most frequently performed laboratory tests. An importantfeature of urinalysis standardization is unifying laboratory report forms to enable the analysisof the results obtained in different laboratories and/or at different times.</br><br><b>Aim:</b> The aim of the study was to analyze the urinalysis laboratory report forms in medicallaboratories and to compare them with the Polish Society of Laboratory Diagnostics (PTDL)urinalysis guidelines published in 2019 (Bil-Lula et al. Diagn Lab 2019; 55: 145198).</br><br><b>Material and methods:</b> In total, 52 urinalysis laboratory reports were analyzed. The majority(85%) included dipstick and urine particle analyses. The reports were obtained from 26laboratories from 8 voivodeships in Poland. The highest percentages of laboratories werefrom Pomeranian Voivodeship (35%) and from large cities with more than 100.000 inhabitants(58%).</br><br><b>Results:</b> The reports showed high variability in the names of the parameters, the referenceranges used, and the manner of expressing the patients results. For dipstick erythrocytes,eight different expressions were used including erythrocytes, blood, red blood cells, blood(free hemoglobin). For specific gravity, eleven different reference ranges were used, and formost parameters, a significant percentage of the laboratory report forms (up to 70% for colorand clarity) had no reference ranges. There was also no consistency in the presentation of thepatients results in relation to the reference ranges. In some reports, colloquial expressions,such as sugar, transparency, nonstandard abbreviations, such as Ery/Hb, poj, andtypographical errors were present.</br><br><b>Conclusions:</b> Urinalysis reports in laboratories are not standardized, thus, it is advisable toimplement corrective actions aimed at standardizing the presentation of data. The PTDLguidelines published in 2019 can help in this regard.</br>

FACTORS DETERMINATING THE PERCEPTION OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS

The research aimed to identify the factors most strongly determine consumers’ perception of agricultural products. The study was conducted using an online questionnaire made available on the most popular social networking site in Poland (Facebook) in groups of residents of the 16 voivodships of Poland. The survey verified the importance of the respondents’ beliefs about the modernity of agriculture, organic farming, and farmers’ presence in social media perception of agricultural products. Research has shown that in the perception of the quality of agricultural products, their ecological character, nutritional value, and availability of information on the course of the production process are of particular importance. The respondents’ interests in the system of production processes focused mainly on the welfare of farm animals and the impact of agricultural activity on the natural environment. Socially responsible, ecological agriculture, which is present in social media, was combined with modernity. The research also revealed the potential of social media as a direct sales channel for agricultural products. Respondents also found social media an effective marketing tool for agricultural products.