Search Results (24)

Scandinavian erratic boulders in central Poland represent a significant element of the region’s geodiversity, fulfilling important natural, scientific, and cultural functions. As objects of high perceptual value, they integrate into the landscape and provide a wide range of geosystem services. The main objectives of research conducted in two areas of the Małopolska Upland are to determine the concentration of these boulders and identify the geosystem benefits they offer, with particular emphasis on lichen species inhabiting their surfaces. Research has confirmed the currently limited use of geosystem services provided by the 25 erratic boulders studied. However, this may change with growing ecological awareness among local communities, enabling a deeper appreciation of inanimate nature. Erratic boulders have the potential to attract geotourists and thus support economic development (by improving the residents’ quality of life), but this potential requires broader promotion. Although the Central Register of Geosites of Poland is an appropriate platform for their registration, none of the analysed boulders have yet been included. The research findings are also partly directed at local government units to help them recognise the value of erratic boulders for sustainable development, in line with existing legal frameworks and development strategies. The detailed characterisation of 25 boulders may inspire broader initiatives and foster knowledge transfer to support regional development through geotourism. The ability to identify the ecosystem benefits provided by erratic boulders is essential for maintaining ecological balance and sustaining natural processes. However, there is growing evidence of the systematic disappearance of erratic boulders from the landscape, which disrupts geosystem balance and leads to further environmental degradation, negatively affecting human well-being. In light of the lack of effective nature protection measures in the study area, it is proposed that some of these boulders be designated as geological protected features. Such a conservation approach could help maintain ecological balance in the designated area. Full article

In this work, complex energy and greenhouse gas emissions analysis on a regional scale was presented. In the framework of analysis, the 3E (Energy–Economy–Environment) class optimisation model was developed. The objective function includes the costs of energy in the medium and long term. The model covers the following sectors: energy, industry, agriculture, households, tertiary, transport, and forestry. Data such as (i) potential of individual technologies, (ii) potential of renewable energy sources, (iii) technology and fuel costs, (iv) the legal environment, and (v) sectoral goals indicated in strategic documents at various levels (regional, national, European) were implemented into the model. The aim of the study was to indicate the optimal paths to achieve climate neutrality for a selected coal region of Europe (Małopolska Voivodeship, Poland). For this purpose, four scenarios were developed, with different goals and activities. The base year for the research is 2020, and the scenarios were developed until 2050. The research we carried out allowed us to obtain results on greenhouse gas emissions, fuel consumption, decommissioning old technologies and installing new ones, and costs system development by 2050. Full article

Introduction: Work is an essential aspect of human life. However, high expectations from employers and clients, combined with time pressure and chronic stress, can contribute to burnout among employees in service professions. Aim of the Study: This study aimed to compare the prevalence of burnout syndrome between two occupational groups—corporate office workers and active nurses—and to assess the influence of socio-demographic factors on the level of burnout in both groups. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted among 330 participants, including 126 nurses (38%) and 204 corporate employees (62%). Data were collected using a standard questionnaire and the Maslach Burnout Inventory. The study period spanned from November 2018 to October 2019, and questionnaires were distributed via email. Results: The findings revealed that both corporate employees and nurses experience occupational burnout. Both groups predominantly exhibited moderate to high levels of emotional exhaustion (nurses: 66.67%, q2 = 20.5; corporate employees: 73.53%, q2 = 31.5) and low to moderate levels of personal accomplishment (nurses: 78.57%, q2 = 32.0; corporate employees: 87.75%, q2 = 27.0). Corporate employees showed significantly higher depersonalization scores (q2 = 13.50) compared to nurses (q2 = 5.0). The prevalence of burnout in both groups was influenced by socio-demographic factors, including having children, their place of residence, education, earnings, and job-related factors such as vacation availability, the frequency of work shifts, work systems, overtime, and overall job satisfaction. Conclusions: Service-oriented professions that involve caregiving and direct interpersonal interactions face comparable risks of occupational burnout. Despite differences in the nature and conditions of work, as well as tasks performed, both corporate employees and active nurses are vulnerable to burnout. High salaries were not confirmed as a protective factor against occupational burnout. Additionally, environmental factors, particularly those related to working conditions, played a significant role in the development of burnout syndrome, alongside individual factors. Full article

It seems that the need to change the existing lifestyle of contemporary societies has never been more urgent. According to experts, the optimal model of sustainable development assumes that change can occur if the global society obtains and develops competencies defined as key to sustainable development. These competencies include anticipatory thinking, which allows us to envisage the results of our decisions and actions from multiple perspectives. Anticipatory thinking is extremely important at many levels in the context of sustainable management, including human resource management, economic management, environmental management, and natural resource management. This paper attempts to answer the question about the level of anticipatory thinking declared by Polish students living in rural and urban areas. This study was conducted among 877 students aged 13–20 years from the Małopolska region (southern Poland). A correlational research design was adopted, in which the method used was a survey, and the technique was a self-assessment test. We investigated which selected sociodemographic characteristics of the teenage respondents were related to a high, moderate, or low level of anticipatory thinking. Girls showed a lower level of anticipatory thinking, whereas age and education level were not significantly correlated with the level of this competence. Full article

This study focuses on the assessment of drought severity, employing a comparative analysis between the normalized multi-band drought index (NMDI; calculated using Sentinel-2 imagery) and the combined drought indicator (CDI). The research aims to pinpoint the most accurate and reliable remote sensing techniques, which reflect ground-based measurements, thereby enhancing the precision of drought monitoring systems. By investigating the specific area of Małopolska, the study not only contributes to the global knowledge base on drought assessment methodologies but also addresses the regional needs for improved drought management practices. Through an exhaustive analysis correlating satellite-derived indices with in situ meteorological data, this research elucidates the potential of integrating NMDI and CDI for a comprehensive understanding of drought dynamics in Małopolska. In particular, the indices depict different dynamics of drought levels, as well as the location of regions more prone to its occurrence. The findings are poised to advance drought monitoring capabilities, offering significant insights for agricultural sustainability and water resource management in the region. Full article

The research was motivated by the growing interest of scientists and practitioners in land consumption. It was assumed that the multifaceted and space–time analysis of the dynamics of land use change reveals agricultural and forest land conversion into artificial areas, and thus highlight the regions of high human pressure. To fulfill the research objective, the proprietary coefficient of admissible (maximal) land take (aLT) was used. This study, based on open, publicly available spatial and statistical data, presents agricultural and forest land losses in four periods (2005, 2010, 2015, 2020) in Polish provinces. The analysis reveals both the value and the trend of land take and indicates Mazowieckie and Małopolska as the provinces of the highest land take pace since 2005. In contrast, provinces such as Zachodnio-Pomorskie and Opolskie, located in the northwest and southwest of Poland, are characterized by small and decreasing losses of agricultural and forest land, prompting them to be classified as lower outliers. The paper concludes, in part, that admissible (maximal) land take (aLT) is a useful tool for monitoring land conversion and planning spatial development of any region in the world. Full article

The aim of this study was to see how purchases of new agricultural machinery affected fuel consumption on farms. This study, conducted in the Małopolska region in Poland, covered two reporting periods (before and after the purchase of machinery). The analysis included factors relevant to the indicators analyzed, including changes in fuel consumption, changes in the area of agrotechnical treatments, changes in working time, and changes in installed power. To study how fuel consumption evolves under different conditions, the following variables were used as grouping variables: area of farms, power of the largest tractor, index of technological modernization (ITM), groups of crops, groups of agrotechnical treatments, and groups of machinery. Statistical analysis showed significant differences between the analyzed groups. The research showed that the purchases of new agricultural machinery increased fuel consumption on farms. In the population studied, the volume increased by 8% compared to the initial period. The increase in consumption after modernization was mainly due to the purchase of more powerful tractors, while the increase in productivity and the changes in technology due to more modern ones did not compensate for the increase in power demand. Full article

The research problem adopted in this study concerns the limited cooperation of fruit farms with the institutional environment. The aim of the study was to identify the scope and to evaluate the cooperation of fruit farms with the institutional environment and to identify barriers to developing this cooperation. This is an important issue because the increasingly complex and dynamic economic environment makes the results of fruit farms largely dependent on the influence of various organizations and institutions of the agricultural sector. The review of the literature shows that this issue is not recognized. The study’s novelty is developing an original indicator of relations with the institutional environment. It considers the number and frequency of contacts between fruit growers and organizations, as well as the forms of cooperation. The basic research area covered the region of Małopolska and Pogórze, characterized by high agrarian fragmentation and the development of orchard production. The research covered 45 farms and was conducted based on a survey questionnaire. Descriptive and statistical methods were used in the data analysis, such as the chi-square test and the Kruskal–Wallis test, supplemented with post hoc analysis (Dunn test with Bonferroni correction) and the Pearson correlation coefficient. Research shows that the relationship between fruit growers and agricultural organizations is limited. The size of the indicator depends on the level of education of fruit growers and the area of the orchards. Fruit growers most often use advice and seek information about European Union programs. The development of cooperation between fruit farms and institutional environmental organizations reduces the mismatch between the offers of these organizations and the needs of fruit growers. Full article

Background: The aim of this study was to analyse the relationship between the type and amount of fluid intake and the incidence of erosive tooth wear in a group of healthy children and children with disabilities. Methods: This study was conducted among children aged 6–17 years, patients of the Dental Clinic in Kraków. The research included 86 children: 44 healthy children and 42 children with disabilities. The prevalence of erosive tooth wear using the Basic Erosive Wear Examination (BEWE) index was assessed by the dentist, who also determined the prevalence of dry mouth using a mirror test. A qualitative-quantitative questionnaire on the frequency of consumption of specific liquids and foods related to the occurrence of erosive tooth wear, completed by the children’s parents, was used to assess dietary habits. Results: The occurrence of erosive tooth wear was determined for 26% of the total number of children studied, and these were mostly lesions of minor severity. The mean value of the sum of the BEWE index was significantly higher (p = 0.0003) in the group of children with disabilities. In contrast, the risk of erosive tooth wear was non-significantly higher in children with disabilities (31.0%) than in healthy children (20.5%). Dry mouth was significantly more frequently identified among children with disabilities (57.1%). Erosive tooth wear was also significantly more common (p = 0.02) in children whose parents declared the presence of eating disorders. Children with disabilities consumed flavoured water or water with added syrup/juice and fruit teas with significantly higher frequency, while there were no differences in quantitative fluid intake between groups. The frequency and quantity of drinking flavoured waters or water with added syrup/juice, sweetened carbonated, and non-carbonated drinks were associated with the occurrence of erosive tooth wear for all children studied. Conclusions: The group of studied children presents inappropriate drinking behaviours regarding the frequency and amount of beverages consumed, which, especially in a group of children with disabilities, may contribute to the formation of erosive cavities. Full article

Elderflower extracts are known to be a source of valuable substances that show a wide spectrum of biological activity, including antibacterial and antiviral properties, which demonstrate a degree of effectiveness against SARS CoV-2. In this work, the influence of fresh inflorescence stabilisation methods (freezing, air drying, and lyophilisation) and extraction parameters on the composition and antioxidant properties of the extracts were studied. Wild elderflower plants growing in the Małopolska Region of Poland were studied. Antioxidant activities were evaluated by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl free radical-scavenging ability and ferric-reducing antioxidant power assays. The total phenolic content was determined using the Folin-Ciocalteu method and the phytochemical profile of the extracts was analysed using HPLC. The obtained results showed that the best method for the stabilisation of elderflower was lyophilisation, and the determined optimal maceration parameters were 60% methanol as a solvent and a process time of 1–2 days. Full article

This study aimed at assessing the activity concentration and the annual effective dose of polonium-210 (²¹⁰Po) in fruit wines derived from four locations in Poland (Warmian–Masurian, Podlaskie, Lubelskie and Małopolskie voivodeships). The fruit wines differed significantly (p < 0.05) in ²¹⁰Po activity depending on the production site, with the Małopolskie site having the highest activity (61.4–221.4 mBq/L) and the Podlaskie having the lowest (3.5–97.1 mBq/L). The site differentiation was due to environmental conditions—soil parameters (uranium concentration), precipitations and terrain characteristics, e.g., the proximity of the lakes. The increased activity concentration of ²¹⁰Po in samples from Małopolska compared with the other sites probably derived from the environment polluted with aqueous wastes and particulate air pollution. The annual effective dose due to the ingestion of fruit wines ranged from 0.112 to 1.214 µSv/year. These levels of exposure are safe according to the WHO criterion (0.1 mSv per year for ingestion) and to the IAEA reference level for public exposure including food (1 mSv per year). Summing up, the data obtained provide information on the activity concentration of ²¹⁰Po in fruit wines and increase databases on the natural radioactivity of foodstuffs. Future work is needed to examine ²¹⁰Po activity in samples from all vineyard regions in Poland. Full article

The main aim of the research was to identify the factors influencing the production of fruit in a region with a fragmented agrarian structure. The novelty of the article is taking into account changes over time. The importance of the research topics stems from the fact that Poland is a significant producer of many species of fruit. Part of this production is carried out on small farms. A panel model with fixed effects (FE) was used to identify the factors. The data for the model came from 18 farms from the Małopolska and Pogórze Region in Poland, which continuously, from 2005–2016, kept accounting under Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN). The combination of cross-sectional data from 18 farms and a 12-year time series increased the dataset to 216 observations that formed the panel; consequently, the same research period for all farms allowed for the construction of a balanced panel. The research shows that the amount of fruit production in the researched orchard farms was influenced by the value of current assets, the cost of salaries and the age of fruit growers with which experience in running orchards was related. Full article

Knowledge about predictors associated with quality of life (QoL) in adolescents is important for public health. The aim of the study was to indicate determinants of the different dimensions of QoL in the fields of demographic, socio-economic factors, general health and lifestyle in a sample of Polish adolescents. The cross-sectional study was carried out in a southern region of Poland among 804 schoolchildren from junior high schools and upper secondary schools. The quality of life was measured using the Polish version of the KIDSCREEN-52 questionnaire. The author’s questionnaire concerning determinants of the adolescents’ quality of life was also used. In the analysis of the quality of life, standardized results on the European population (T-score) and categorization on the low, average and high quality of life were taken into account. Defining the possible determinants of the adolescents’ quality of life was made by the multivariate logistic regression models. The highest prevalence of low QoL was observed in the school environment (53.4%) and the psychological well-being (51.6%) dimensions of the KIDSCREEN-52. The factors that increased the risk of the low assessment of the quality of life were, inter alia, female sex for physical well-being, psychological well-being, self-perception, autonomy, parent relation and home life, and financial resources, higher school year for physical well-being, psychological well-being, moods and emotions (2nd grade of upper secondary school only), self-perception, social support and peers, and school environment, and dissatisfaction in appearance for physical well-being, psychological well-being, moods and emotions, self-perception, school environment, social acceptance and bullying. Full article

The vast majority of studies on heat-related mortality are focused on large cities. The aim of this study is to fill this research gap and to estimate the impact of high temperatures on the risk of death in smaller towns and villages. The results show that increased mortality is not only a problem in large cities. The risk of death, although usually slightly lower than in highly populated areas, may be higher for the age-related risk group. At temperatures above 35 °C, it may exceed 1.3 in smaller towns and even 1.6 in villages. The increase in mortality during five selected heat waves of high intensity and long duration was also studied for two regions of Poland: Małopolska and Wielkopolska. Towns with a population of less than 10,000 in Małopolska region, during the 2006 heatwave, experienced an increase in the number of deaths by as much as 18%. At the same time in the largest city of Małopolska-Kraków, the death toll rose by 4%. This paper also presents some differences between regions in terms of the impact of heat waves: in the lowland region of Wielkopolska, the mortality rate is generally higher than in the upland region of Małopolska. Full article

This study aimed to assess biomass production costs from perennial energy crops, such as Miscanthus giganteus, Sida hermaphrodita, and coppiced willow, in selected agricultural holdings. This assessment was based on applied technologies for harvesting the biomass of the energy crops mentioned above. The scope of the study included research on ten farms located in Małopolska and establishing the possibility of biomass production from selected energy crops in these entities. Biomass production costs have been estimated using the computer application “Bioalkylation”. The result of the research was the answer to the question: what can be the cost range of biomass production from perennial energy crops for the crops Miscanthus giganteus, Sida hermaphrodita, and coppiced willow as the most popular plants? The study shows that production costs depend primarily on the harvesting technology used and the machinery used in the farm. The harvest with rotary mowers, small presses, and windrows was applied regarding Miscanthus giganteus and Sida hermaphrodita. The costs of biomass production were, on average, 424.7 EUR ha⁻¹ for Miscanthus giganteus and 278.9 EUR ha⁻¹ for Sida hermaphrodita. Concerning tonne, this was 37.6 EUR t⁻¹ for Miscanthus giganteus and 30.0 EUR t⁻¹ for Sida hermaphrodita, respectively. In the case of harvesting energy willow, in the form of whole shoots, inefficient and labour-intensive technologies using chainsaws and combustion cutters were applied. The biomass production costs were thus the highest among the assessed plants and amounted, on average, to 612.1 EUR ha⁻¹, which in terms of tonne corresponded to a value of 30.6 EUR. The obtained results and the analysis presented in the paper may help in planning the cultivation of perennial energy crops in order to obtain biomass used for heating purposes on a farm. Full article