Search Results (41)

This study examines the roles of air mass advection and solar radiation in shaping daily air temperature anomalies in Warsaw, Poland, from 2008 to 2023. It integrates solar radiation data, HYSPLIT back-trajectories, air temperature measurements, and machine learning methods, which are key atmospheric factors contributing to temperature anomalies in different seasons. Radiation dominates during warm seasons, while advection-related geographic factors are more influential during winter. Increased solar radiation is observed across all seasons during high-positive temperature anomalies (exceeding two standard deviations). In contrast, cold anomalies in summer are accompanied by strong negative solar radiation anomalies (−136.3 W/m²), while winter cold events may still coincide with positive radiation anomalies (25.7 W/m²). Very slow circulation over Central Europe, which occurs twice as often in summer as in winter, leads to positive temperature (1.3 °C) and negative radiation (−2.1 W/m²) anomalies in summer and to negative temperature (−1.9 °C) anomalies and slightly positive radiation (0.3 W/m²) anomalies in winter. The seasonal variability in the spatial origin of air masses reflects shifts in synoptic-scale circulation patterns. These findings highlight the importance of considering the combined influence of radiative and advective processes in driving temperature extremes and their seasonal dynamics in mid-latitude climates. Full article

The Universal Neonatal Hearing Screening (UNHS) program is crucial for the early detection and treatment of hearing impairment in newborns. Poland has successfully implemented a nationwide UNHS program, adhering to international standards. Research indicates that hearing loss affects approximately 2–4 per 1000 infants, with sensorineural hearing loss being the most prevalent. Major risk factors include genetic alterations, craniofacial anomalies, prematurity, hyperbilirubinemia, and congenital infections such as cytomegalovirus. Despite the program’s success, challenges related to limited parental awareness and disparities in access highlight the need for continuous improvement in screening and follow-up procedures. Additionally, gene therapy is emerging as a promising treatment for hearing loss. While still experimental, gene therapy could become a key complementary treatment option in the future, offering new hope for those with hearing impairments. Full article

The aim of this study is to quantitatively analyze the long-term climate variability in Poland during the period 1901–2010, using Shannon entropy as a measure of uncertainty and complexity within the atmospheric system. The analysis is based on the premise that variations in temperature and precipitation reflect the dynamic nature of the climate, understood as a nonlinear system sensitive to fluctuations. This study focuses on monthly distributions of temperature and precipitation, modeled using the bivariate Clayton copula function. A normal marginal distribution was adopted for temperature and a gamma distribution for precipitation, both validated using the Anderson–Darling test. To improve estimation accuracy, a bootstrap resampling technique and numerical integration were applied to calculate Shannon entropy at each of the 396 grid points, with a spatial resolution of 0.25° × 0.25°. The results indicate a significant increase in Shannon entropy during the summer months, particularly in July (+0.203 bits) and January (+0.221 bits), compared to the baseline period (1901–1971), suggesting a growing unpredictability of the climate. The most pronounced trend changes were identified in the years 1985–1996 (as indicated by the Pettitt test), while seasonal trends were confirmed using the Mann–Kendall test. A spatial analysis of entropy at the levels of administrative regions and catchments revealed notable regional disparities—entropy peaked in January in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship (4.919 bits) and reached its minimum in April in Greater Poland (3.753 bits). Additionally, this study examined the relationship between Shannon entropy and global climatic indicators, including the Land–Ocean Temperature Index (NASA GISTEMP) and the ENSO index (NINO3.4). Statistically significant positive correlations were observed between entropy and global temperature anomalies during both winter ($\rho$ = 0.826) and summer ($\rho$ = 0.650), indicating potential linkages between local climate variability and global warming trends. To explore the direction of this relationship, a Granger causality test was conducted, which did not reveal statistically significant causality between NINO3.4 and Shannon entropy ($p$ > 0.05 for all lags tested), suggesting that the observed relationships are likely co-varying rather than causal in the Granger sense. Further phase–space analysis (with a delay of $\tau$ = 3 months) allowed for the identification of attractors characteristic of chaotic systems. The entropy trajectories revealed transitions from equilibrium states (average entropy: 4.124–4.138 bits) to highly unstable states (up to 4.768 bits), confirming an increase in the complexity of the climate system. Shannon entropy thus proves to be a valuable tool for monitoring local climatic instability and may contribute to improved risk modeling of droughts and floods in the context of climate change in Poland. Full article

Lithuania is a Baltic European country which shares borders with Poland, Belarus, Latvia, and Russia and has a geothermal anomaly in the southwestern region. It consists of two main geothermal complexed, i.e., Devonian and Cambrian with a temperature of up to 40 °C (at a depth of 1000 m) and 96 °C (at a depth of 2000 m), respectively. The Devonian complex is composed of an unconsolidated sandstone formation with porosity and permeability in the range of 4–31% and 200 mD–6000 mD, respectively, and these make it a favorable candidate for a low enthalpy geothermal complex because of the high water production rates. This study evaluates the geothermal potential in the Devonian complex of the selected sites for commercial development. The study utilizes the mechanistic modelling approach including uncertainty management to forecast the water production rates and estimate the power generation capacity. Lastly, the study reveals that it is feasible to produce 6 MW to 60 MW of power from the existing vertical wells for a period of 25 years. Furthermore, reactive transport modelling also proves that there is dissolution and precipitation of the minerals near and away from the wellbore, respectively, which impairs the reservoir quality and further concludes that there is an effect of time on re-injection which should be considered to enhance the reservoir quality for future operations. In addition to that, no effect of the re-injection temperature of the produced water is observed. Full article

Background: The available data on the relationship between diet/folic acid and congenital heart disease (CHD) are not consistent. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the intake and supplementation of folic acid and other selected factors in mothers and the risk of congenital heart defects in fetuses. Methods: A case–control study was conducted. The study group included pregnant women with fetuses from singleton pregnancies with prenatally diagnosed heart defects in the fetus (n = 79) and pregnant women whose course of pregnancy was normal with no heart defects or other developmental anomalies diagnosed in the fetus (n = 121). The patients were diagnosed at a reference center in Poland. The women completed a lifestyle questionnaire and FFQ and precisely described their use of dietary supplements. A univariate logistic regression model was used to evaluate the association between folic acid and selected risk factors and CHD. The association was significant and included such risk factors such as nutritional status, medications taken, smoking, and alcohol consumption. Additionally, the time of starting folic acid supplementation turned out to be statistically significant. The reference period of supplementation was the period before pregnancy. Results: Lack of supplementation increases the risk of heart defects in children by more than four times compared to supplementation before pregnancy (OR = 4.19; p = 0.0117), whereas supplementation beyond the eighth week of gestation increases the risk almost threefold (OR = 2.90; p = 0.0474). The presence of congenital defects in the family is also an important factor. Conclusions: A history of congenital heart defects or other defects, lack of periconceptional folic acid supplementation, and lack of dietary supplementation before pregnancy were associated with congenital heart defects in the fetus. Place of residence, parents’ education, lifestyle habits such as smoking and alcohol consumption, nutritional status before pregnancy, and mother’s diseases did not show a significant relationship with congenital heart defects in the children. There is an urgent need to develop preventive strategies and conduct extensive public education. Full article

This article analyses and evaluates the model used by the Jastrzebie Coal Company in Poland to forecast the values of continuous deformations of land surfaces caused by underground mining. Particular attention is paid to the values of terrain inclinations, which cause significant deflections of buildings located in mining areas affected by exploitation. The inclination forecasts were made using Bialek’s model, with the values of its parameters determined in situ and after completion of the exploitation of a longwall. The obtained results were compared with the values of the terrain inclinations calculated from the results of geodetic measurements carried out at observation points located near the buildings and discontinuous linear deformations (i.e., the ground steps). The conducted research shows that the correlations between the absolute values of the practical inclinations and the values of the theoretical inclinations were rather weak, as the values of their correlation coefficients did not exceed 0.24. The tested model underestimated 45.5% of the values of the inclinations observed in situ by an average of −53.5%. The model values of the inclinations for the remaining observed inclinations (54.5%) were overestimated by an average of 461.9%. The largest anomalies were obtained in the case of inclination values from points located near the ground steps. The effectiveness of predicting inclination values with a commonly used model is strongly reduced when discontinuous linear deformations appear. Nonetheless, it reflects well the mining area categories. Full article

The thermal water deposit in Lądek-Zdrój (SW Poland) occurs in fractured reservoir rocks, and its hydrogeological regime is controlled by the features of the local geology and lithology of the hosting crystalline complexes, mainly impermeable high-grade metamorphosed mica schists and gneisses. The fractured thermal water aquifer is confined by a thrust fault-type aquitard that creates artesian pressure and, therefore, the water intakes and natural springs in Lądek Zdrój provide spontaneous outflow. Classical geothermometers yield an estimation of reservoir temperatures that ranges from 50 to 70 °C, with a maximum of 88 °C. The heat flux (HF) value of the Lądek-Zdrój region is 64 mW/m². The new borehole, LZT-1, is in the border zone of a local thermal anomaly with a geothermal degree of 25–27 m/°C. The estimated temperature at the bottom of the LZT-1 borehole, under thermal equilibrium conditions, ranges between 70 °C and 80 °C. A stream of heated waters from the deep system flows from the recharge areas, shaping the local geothermal anomaly and thus influencing the thermal conditions in the Lądek-Zdrój area. The activation of this water circulation system occurred in the Pleistocene. Full article

Rockbursts represent one of the most serious and severe natural hazards emerging in underground copper mines within the Legnica–Glogow Copper District (LGCD) in Poland. The contributing factor determining the scale of this event is mining-induced seismicity of the rock strata. Extensive expertise of the copper mining practitioners clearly indicates that high-energy tremors are the consequence of tectonic disturbances or can be attributed to stress/strain behaviour within the burst-prone roof strata. Apparently, seismic activity is a triggering factor; hence, attempts are made by mine operators to mitigate and control that risk. Underlying the effective rockburst control strategy is a reliable seismicity forecast, taking into account the causes of the registered phenomena. The paper summarises the geomechanics analyses aimed to verify the actual seismic and rockburst hazard levels in one of the panels within the copper mine Rudna (LGCD). Two traverses were designated at the face range and comparative analyses were conducted to establish correlations between the locations of epicentres of registered tremors and anomaly zones obtained via analytical modelling of changes in stress/strain behaviours within the rock strata. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the likelihood of activating carbonate/anhydrite layers within the main roof over the excavation being mined, with an aim to verify the potential causes and conditions which might have triggered the registered high-energy events. Special attention is given to two seismic events giving rise to rockbursts in mine workings. Results seem to confirm the adequacy and effectiveness of solutions provided by mechanics of deformable bodies in the context of forecasting the scale and risk of dynamic phenomena and selecting the appropriate mitigation and control measures in copper mines employing the room-and-pillar mining system. Full article

The aim of this paper is to assess the correlation of groundwater level changes (or groundwater level anomalies (GWLA)) obtained from direct measurements in wells with groundwater storage anomalies (GWSA) calculated using Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) products and Global Land Data Assimilation Systems (GLDAS) models across different climate zones, from temperate Poland to Arctic Sweden. We recognize that such validation studies are needed to increase the understanding of the spatio-temporal limits of remote sensing model applicability, not least in data-scarce sub-Arctic and Arctic environments where processes are complex due to the impacts of snow and (perma) frost. Results for temperate climates in Poland and southern Sweden show that, whereas one of the models (JPL_NOAH_GWSA) failed due to water balance term overestimation, the other model (CSR_CLM_GWSA) produced excellent results of monthly groundwater dynamics when compared with the observations in 387 groundwater wells in the region during 2003–2022 (cross-correlation coefficient of 0.8). However, for the sub-Arctic and Arctic northern Sweden, the model suitable for other regions failed to reproduce typical northern groundwater regimes (of the region’s 85 wells), where winter levels decrease due to the blocking effect of ground frost on groundwater recharge. This suggests, more generally, that conventional methods for deriving GWSA and its seasonality ceases to be reliable in the presence of considerably infiltration-blocking ground frost and permafrost (whereas snow storage modules perform well), which hence need further attention in future research. Regarding long-term groundwater level trends, remote sensing results for southern Sweden show increasing levels, in contrast with observed unchanged to decreasing (~10 mm/a) levels, which may not necessarily be due to errors in the remote sensing model but may rather emphasize impacts of anthropogenic pressures, which are higher near the observation wells that are often located in eskers used for water supply. For sub-Arctic and Arctic Sweden, the (relatively uncertain) trend of the remote sensing results nevertheless agrees reasonably well with the groundwater well observations that show increasing groundwater levels of up to ~14 mm/a, which, e.g., is consistent with reported trends of large Siberian river basins. Full article

Coalbed methane (CBM) is the only unconventional gas in Poland with estimated recoverable resources. The prospects for developing deep CBM have been explored in recent years by drilling deep exploration wells within the depocenter of the Upper Silesian Coal Basin. The purpose of this study is to analyze the occurrence and potential for CBM extraction in this area of the basin, which can be considered prospective due to the confirmed presence of significant amounts of gas and thick coal seams at depths > 1500 m. The study examined the vertical and horizontal variability of the gas content in the studied area, the coal rank in the seams, thermal conditions, and coal reservoir parameters. The gas content in the seams, reaching more than 18 m³/t coal^daf at a depth of 2840 m, and indicative estimated gas resources of 9 billion m³ were found. The high gas content is accompanied by positive thermal and coal rank anomalies. The permeability and methane saturation of the coal seams are low, and therefore, potential methane production may prove problematic. However, the development of CBM extraction technologies involving directional drilling with artificial fracturing may encourage gas production testing in the study area. Full article

Particulate matter (PM) suspended in the air significantly impacts human health. Those of anthropogenic origin are particularly hazardous. Poland is one of the countries where the air quality during the heating season is the worst in Europe. Air quality in small towns and villages far from state monitoring stations is often much worse than in larger cities where they are located. Their residents inhale the air containing smoke produced mainly by coal-fired stoves. In the frame of this project, an air quality monitoring network was built. It comprises low-cost PMS7003 PM sensors and ESP8266 microcontrollers with integrated Wi-Fi communication modules. This article presents research results on the influence of the PM sensor location on their indications. It has been shown that the indications from sensors several dozen meters away from each other can differ by up to tenfold, depending on weather conditions and the source of smoke. Therefore, measurements performed by a network of sensors, even of worse quality, are much more representative than those conducted in one spot. The results also indicated the method of detecting a sudden increase in air pollutants. In the case of smokiness, the difference between the mean and median indications of the PM sensor increases even up to 400 µg/m³ over a 5 min time window. Information from this comparison suggests a sudden deterioration in air quality and can allow for quick intervention to protect people’s health. This method can be used in protection systems where fast detection of anomalies is necessary. Full article

Introduction: Congenital muscular torticollis (CMT) is an asymmetrical head position resulting from structural changes in the sternocleidomastoid (SCM) muscle that occurs early during a child’s development or due to perinatal trauma. Children with CMT exhibit a marked imbalance in tension between the SCMs. In a typical clinical picture, an ultrasound scan is performed to reveal characteristic lesions, such as tissue fibrosis or post-traumatic changes. An early diagnosis of CMT in newborns and the implementation of treatment offer the chance of a complete resolution. Torticollis treatment aims to restore the SCM’s normal function. Surgical treatment is performed when conservative methods fail to improve the patient’s condition. The indications that surgery is needed include a marked shortening of the SCM, persistent fibrosis in the muscle, constant head and facial asymmetry, and rotation or lateral flexion in the cervical spine restricted by >15°. Of all the newborn and infant anomalies, congenital torticollis is the third most common after hip dysplasia and equinovarus deformities. Some authors demonstrate that torticollis coexists with hip dysplasia. Aim: The aim of this study was to collect data on infants referred to paediatric rehabilitation and to identify the risk factors associated with CMT in this group of patients, as well as to assess demographic and clinical characteristics concerning risk factors. Materials and methods: The target population for this retrospective study consisted of 111 infants aged 0 to 5 months born in Poland and diagnosed with and undergoing treatment due to CMT. The following were determined: the relationship between the side of the CMT location and the type of delivery (caesarean section vs. vaginal), the relationship between the body weight at birth and the side of the CMT location, the relationship between the extent of SCM thickening and the type of delivery, and the incidence of CMT depending on the order of delivery. Results and conclusions: The data revealed that CMT is less common in female infants (n = 51, 46%) compared to male (n = 61, 54%) infants, in whom a greater birth weight was reported (p < 005). Seventy-six percent (76%) of the paediatric patients with CMT were the offspring of primipara mothers. More often, children born via vaginal delivery had left-sided torticollis with a more significant broadening of the SCM, as shown on ultrasound scans, than right-sided torticollis. Theories of torticollis development pathophysiology should be deepened and systematised, and further research is needed. Full article

This article analyzes how and why a near-total abortion ban was recently secured by a populist ruling party with support from Catholic Church leaders and lay groups following earlier passage of one of the most restrictive abortion laws in Europe. The paper further examines the public health threats posed by these measures, which have long been under-researched. These policy shifts are situated within the deeply embedded context of Poland’s abortion conflict and a setting that has long been challenging for reproductive health. The 1993 ban led to the resurgence of clandestine abortions, a near-total privatization of abortion services, and more women seeking abortion services overseas. In late 2020, the exemption for severe fetal anomalies that made up 97% of all legal abortion cases in prior years was eliminated. Neither ban has significantly reduced the number of women obtaining abortions, nor have they increased birth rates as anticipated by proponents who championed traditional family values that they equated with Catholicism and Polish national identity. The new blanket ban on abortion constitutes a health risk and a punitive measure achieved via a judgement of the Constitutional Tribunal stacked with loyalists by the ruling party. It did not reflect popular will, although societal attitudes on abortion are markedly less permissive than in much of Europe. Although the populist and religious right have realized their long-held goal of further restricting, if not eliminating, women’s access to abortion services, compelling criticisms have been raised about how this move compromises women’s health and autonomy. Ironically, the realization of this goal, which many Poles view as unduly extreme, may also undermine long-term support for both the political right and the Church. The wisdom of their move was widely questioned, sparked the largest protests since the end of Communist rule, and drew international criticism. It proved a polarizing action that alienated many young adults and may have accentuated a secularizing shift. Women and their partners are finding new ways to navigate many public health threats by increasingly traveling beyond Poland for safe abortion care and resorting to newly available medication abortion methods. Full article

Social media platforms are valuable data sources in the study of public reactions to events such as natural disasters and epidemics. This research assesses for selected countries around the globe the time lag between daily reports of COVID-19 cases and GDELT (Global Database of Events, Language, and Tone) and Twitter (X) COVID-19 mentions between February 2020 and April 2021 using time series analysis. Results show that GDELT articles and tweets preceded COVID-19 infections in Australia, Brazil, France, Greece, India, Italy, the U.S., Canada, Germany, and the U.K., while for Poland and the Philippines, tweets preceded and GDELT articles lagged behind COVID-19 disease incidences, respectively. This shows that the application of social media and news data for surveillance and management of pandemics needs to be assessed on a case-by-case basis for different countries. It also points towards the applicability of time series data analysis for only a limited number of countries due to strict data requirements (e.g., stationarity). A deviation from generally observed lag patterns in a country, i.e., periods with low COVID-19 infections but unusually high numbers of COVID-19-related GDELT articles or tweets, signals an anomaly. We use the seasonal hybrid extreme Studentized deviate test to detect such anomalies. This is followed by text analysis of news headlines from NewsBank and Google on the date of these anomalies to determine the probable event causing an anomaly, which includes elections, holidays, and protests. Full article

Taurodontism is a morphological anomaly of multirooted molars characterized by apical displacement of the pulp chamber, shortened roots, and the absence of constriction at the dentoenamel junction. It can negatively impact the outcome of dental treatment plans. This study aimed to compare the prevalence of taurodontism among contemporary and historical populations from Radom, Poland. Five hundred eighty-two panoramic radiographs of contemporary patients and 600 radiographs of historical individuals were analyzed using the Shifman and Chanannel index. Group differences were determined with Pearson’s chi-square tests according to sex, site, tooth group, and historical period. The study also evaluated the degree of severity of taurodontism in relation to dental groups, gender, and the periods from which contemporary patients as well as historical individuals originated. In the contemporary population, taurodontism was observed in 34% of individuals. In the historical data, the highest prevalence of taurodontism (31%) was observed among individuals from the 18th and 19th centuries, while earlier periods exhibited considerably lower prevalence rates. Across contemporary and historical populations, the maxillary molars were the most commonly affected teeth. Hypotaurodontism was the most prevalent form of taurodontism. The prevalence of taurodontism has gradually increased from the 11th century to the current day. The results of the research are of great importance for the clinician in terms of planning comprehensive dental treatment. Full article