Search Results (279)

Biogas production from agricultural residues is a promising solution for renewable energy production, improved waste management, and beneficial impact on climate change mitigation. The aim of this study is to assess the actual use and theoretical potential of agricultural biogas produced from animal manure in Poland at the local level. The potential and actual use of agricultural biogas are presented regionally (16 voivodeships) and locally (314 districts). The theoretical potential of agricultural biogas was estimated based on data from the Agricultural Census conducted by the Central Statistical Office in Poland in 2020. Actual biogas production is based on data from the Register of Agricultural Biogas Producers maintained by the National Support Center for Agriculture. The study shows that Poland is only tapping into the existing potential for agricultural biogas production to a limited extent. Furthermore, both actual agricultural biogas production and the identified theoretical potential vary spatially (greater potential in the northern part of the country, significantly lower in the southern part). This situation is attributed to existing barriers that hinder the utilization of existing potential. Therefore, it is crucial to seek new solutions to reduce existing barriers of an organizational, legal, technical, economic, environmental, spatial, and social nature. Full article

Słowiński National Park is one of the 23 national parks in Poland and one of the two situated on the Baltic Coast in the country. It was established in 1967 to protect the most valuable ecosystems: coastal lakes, marshes, peat bogs, meadows, forests, and, above all, the dune belt of the Łebska Spit with its unique moving dunes. We aimed to 1. determine the species diversity and structure of thrips assemblages in the most important biotopes of the Park; 2. determine the geographical distribution and food preferences of thrips species; and 3. determine which environmental factors influence the diversity of insect assemblages and which thrips species distinguish these assemblages. The method used in the quantitative research was based on the use of a scoop method; it was supplemented by qualitative research (shaking branches of trees and searching for insects on their host plants). The studies were carried out in 1991 and 1999–2001 in fourteen plant associations. A total of 90 thrips species (nearly 40% of the Polish fauna) were recorded, including 71 in quantitative and 74 in qualitative samples. The study also revealed a significant correlation between the thrips assemblage composition and the following environmental factors: soil moisture, light intensity, general nutrient availability, and soil salinity. In addition, the thrips species with the most significant impact on assemblage composition were identified. The relatively high number of species found, including Taeniothrips zurstrassenii Zawirska, a species new to science, and others rarely recorded in Poland, highlights the value of the SNP habitat diversity in maintaining high Thysanoptera diversity. Full article

This article presents the results of the Innovation Support Program (ISP), designed to enhance the market readiness of 12 bio-based innovators from six European rural regions: Northern Sweden, Mazovia (Poland), Upper Austria, Pays de la Loire (France), Strumica (Macedonia), and Andalusia (Spain). Over three years, the ISP applied a modular and flexible methodology, beginning with a cross-regional needs analysis to identify knowledge gaps, followed by a call for Expressions of Interest to select promising bio-based solutions, and concluding with tailored support delivered through regional Task Forces. These provided mentoring and capacity-building activities focusing on business modeling, market analysis, and funding opportunities. The program identified market access as a major barrier to scaling up and noted that many solutions followed Social and Solidarity Economy principles, prioritizing social and environmental impact over profit. Through targeted assistance and knowledge exchange, the ISP strengthened local innovation capacity and contributed measurable progress in companies’ Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Positioned within the framework of the EU Bioeconomy Strategy, the ISP demonstrates how combining regional insights with a structured support framework can effectively accelerate the scaling of bio-based solutions, highlighting the need for iterative, long-term support to sustain regional bioeconomy growth. Full article

Background/Objectives: Iodine plays a central role in thyroid hormone synthesis and neurodevelopment. Its deficiency and excessive intake have been identified as risk factors for thyroid diseases and their consequences. The objective of the study was to analyze dietary iodine intake (dIi) and the factors that determine its intake among post-primary school students from northern Poland, specifically those from coastal areas and lake districts. Methods: The study was conducted on a sub-national sample of 3102 adolescents (1751 females and 1351 males) aged 14–20 years, recruited from schools located in the Northern (N) and North-Western (N-W) macroregions of Poland. Dietary iodine intake was assessed using the Iodine Dietary Intake Evaluation-Food Frequency Questionnaire. Based on the data obtained, the adequacy of the intake of this micronutrient was assessed. Statistical analysis was performed using the Shapiro-Wilk, U Mann-Whitney, and Kruskal-Wallis tests and Spearman’s correlation analysis. Results: The median dIi was 66.83 µg daily, including 53 µg from natural sources. This value was below the recommended dietary allowance of 150 µg and below the estimated average requirement of 95 µg of iodine in 85% and 68% of the study participants, respectively. Milk and dairy products provided the highest iodine intake (26.4%). Iodine-enriched salt (16.2%) also significantly impacted iodine intake. However, 60% of respondents did not use iodized salt. The median iodine levels from natural sources were found to be low (dairy products: 15.02 µg, fish and fish products: 2.38 µg, and eggs: 2.10 µg). Dietary iodine intake was significantly lower in adolescents from the N than N-W macroregion of Poland (median: 65.63 vs. µg daily, 74.2 p < 0.001). However, dIi did not depend on sex (p = 0.10), age (p = 0.80), school location (p = 0.80), body mass index classification (p = 0.76), or iodine supplementation (p = 0.90). Conclusions: The study results indicate that insufficient iodine intake among adolescents in northern Poland can be attributed to a limited intake of iodine from natural food sources. A pressing need exists to closely monitor iodine intake and status among Polish adolescents and to implement nutritional education, focusing on the role of iodine, potential risks associated with iodine deficiency, and dietary sources of iodine. Full article

Introduction: The scope and accessibility of prenatal testing have significantly expanded in recent years, reaching a broader population of pregnant women. Advances in non-invasive diagnostic methods support informed decision-making and help reduce the need for invasive procedures. Objective: The objective was to evaluate pregnant women’s knowledge regarding prenatal testing and assess the quality of information provided by healthcare professionals, including the frequency of screening and invasive procedures. Materials and Methods: A total of 310 obstetric patients from maternity wards in two hospitals in northern Poland completed a survey addressing prenatal tests, sources of information, and the quality of guidance received from medical staff. Results: Nearly 75% of respondents demonstrated adequate knowledge of the purpose, indications, and scope of prenatal testing. Physicians were identified as the primary source of information. Approximately 50% correctly indicated the recommended number of ultrasound examinations during pregnancy. No correlation was observed between knowledge of prenatal testing and a history of delivering a child with health complications. The combined first-trimester test was performed in 48.6% of cases, NIPT in 11.6%, and invasive testing in 1.8% of the study group. Conclusions: Public awareness of prenatal testing in Poland remains insufficient. With the introduction of partially reimbursed tests in 2024, we recommend strengthening educational efforts through social campaigns and targeted training for healthcare professionals. Full article

This article analyses the phenomenon of nonreligiosity in Northern Poland in the context of secularisation, individualisation, and pluralisation in religion. Based on quantitative research conducted in 2024 among adult residents of Western and Gdańsk Pomerania (N = 1500), this study shows that nonreligiosity is not merely a lack of faith but a multidimensional social construct encompassing both religious indifference and active irreligiosity. Factor analysis confirmed a two-dimensional structure—religious indifference and irreligiosity—differing in their degree of reactivity towards religion. In Western Pomerania, both forms are statistically stronger and conceptually broader, taking the shape of secular individualism and demands for a more secular public sphere, whereas in Gdańsk Pomerania, attitudes are more polarised, ranging from institutionalised faith to open contestation of the Church. Drawing on the approaches of Campbell, Zuckerman, Bullivant, Klug, and Lee, this study interprets nonreligiosity as a dynamic field of attitudes, from distance to opposition towards religion. The findings indicate that secularisation in Poland does not lead to the disappearance of religion but to its restructuring and privatisation. Nonreligiosity thus emerges as an alternative source of meaning, morality, and identity in a post-Catholic society, while regional differences reveal a hybrid model of secularisation that combines passivity and distance with active contestation, confirming the continuum between religiosity and nonreligiosity in contemporary worldviews. Full article

The transition to renewable energy is crucial in order to attain sustainable development, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and secure long-term energy security. This study examines spatial–temporal trends in electricity generation (both renewable and non-renewable) across EU-28 countries using monthly Eurostat data (2008–2025) at the NUTS0 level. Two harmonized Space–Time Cubes (STCs) were constructed for renewable and non-renewable electricity covering the fully comparable 2017–2024 interval, while 2008–2016 data were used for descriptive validation, and 2025 data were used for one-step-ahead forecasting. In this paper, the authors present a novel multi-method approach to energy transition dynamics in Europe, integrating forecasting (ESF), hot-spot detection (EHSA), and clustering (TSC) with the help of a new spatial–temporal modeling framework. The methodology is a step forward in the development of methodological literature, since it regards predictive and exploratory GIS analytics as comparative energy transition evaluation. The paper uses Exponential Smoothing Forecast (ESF) and Emerging Hot Spot Analysis (EHSA) in a GIS-based analysis to uncover the dynamics in the region and the possible production pattern. The ESF also reported strong predictive performance in the form of the mean Root Mean Square Errors (RMSE) of renewable and non-renewable electricity generation of 422.5 GWh and 438.8 GWh, respectively. Of the EU-28 countries, seasonality was statistically significant in 78.6 per cent of locations that relied on hydropower, and 35.7 per cent of locations exhibited structural outliers associated with energy-transition asymmetries. EHSA identified short-lived localized spikes in renewable electricity production in a few Western and Northern European countries: Portugal, Spain, France, Denmark, and Sweden, termed as sporadic renewable hot spots. There were no cases of persistent or increase-based hot spots in any country; therefore, renewable growth is temporally and spatially inhomogeneous in the EU-28. In the case of non-renewable sources, a hot spot was evident in France, with an intermittent hot spot in Spain and sporadic increases over time, but otherwise, there was no statistically significant activity of hot or cold spots in the rest of Europe, indicating structural stagnation in the generation of fossil-based electricity. Time Series Clustering (TSC) determined 10 temporal clusters in the generation of renewable and non-renewable electricity. All renewable clusters were statistically significantly increasing (p < 0.001), with the most substantial increase in Cluster 4 (statistic = 9.95), observed in Poland, Finland, Portugal, and the Netherlands, indicating a transregional phase acceleration of renewable electricity production in northern, western, and eastern Europe. Conversely, all non-renewable clusters showed declining trends (p < 0.001), with Cluster 5 (statistic = −8.58) showing a concerted reduction in the use of fossil-based electricity, in line with EU decarbonization policies. The results contribute to an improved understanding of the spatial dynamics of the European energy transition and its potential to support energy security, reduce fossil fuel dependency, and foster balanced regional development. These insights are crucial to harmonize policy measures with the objectives of the European Green Deal and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (especially Goals 7, 11, and 13). Full article

We studied Lycaena helle (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) population genetics in lowlands and mountains of East-Central Europe using the microsatellite markers previously applied in population studies mainly in mountains of Western Europe. As in the West, the East-Central populations are genetically diverse (mean expected/observed heterozygosity 0.67/0.49), affected by drift processes (mean inbreeding coefficient 0.277) and widely differentiated (mean F_ST 0.209). The Polish lowland populations, all of them bivoltine in contrast to mountain populations, are less differentiated than Romanian populations, which are bivoltine in low and univoltine in high altitudes. The lowland Romanian population Vad is extremely genetically impoverished. A transferred CZ population from Western Europe is impoverished relative to its donor population, but the genetic parameters remain within a range of other studied so far. Dendrogram of allelic frequencies suggests that the populations form two branches, one rooted in southeastern Poland and branching towards Carpathians in Romania, one encompassing populations in central and northern Poland. We conclude that the lowland Romanian populations, plus populations in unglaciated southeastern Poland, represent sites where the species survived the glacial cycles in situ, comprising rear edge of subsequent upslope expansion, while northern Poland was colonised from more easterly regions. Full article

For many historic engineering structures, including early 20th-century truss bridges, no comprehensive technical documentation has survived, making them highly vulnerable to irreversible loss. This study addresses this challenge by developing and testing a non-invasive, UAV-based photogrammetric methodology for the comprehensive documentation of the Niestępowo railway viaduct in Northern Poland. A dense geodetic control network was established using GNSS and total station measurements, providing a metrically verified reference framework for 3D reconstruction. Two photogrammetric software platforms—Bentley ContextCapture and Agisoft Metashape—were employed and comparatively evaluated in terms of processing workflow, accuracy, and model fidelity. To ensure methodological robustness, both tools were used for cross-validation of the generated 3D models and for the comparative assessment of their dimensional consistency against archival documentation. The results confirm that both platforms can produce highly accurate, photorealistic 3D models suitable for engineering inventory and heritage preservation, with Agisoft Metashape yielding slightly higher geometric precision, while Bentley ContextCapture ensured superior automation for large datasets. The generated 3D models reproduced details such as rivets, cracks, and corrosion marks with millimeter-level accuracy. The presented workflow demonstrates the potential of UAV photogrammetry as a reliable and scalable method for safeguarding cultural and technical heritage. By enabling the creation of metrically precise digital archives of historic bridges, the methodology supports future conservation, monitoring, and restoration efforts—preserving not only physical form but also the historical and engineering legacy of these structures. Full article

Assessing the water quality of lakes with complex morphometry requires the assumption that hydrochemical differences may exist between distinct parts of the lake. Understanding the mechanisms behind these differences may be useful in planning protection and restoration efforts. The subject of the two-year study was Lake Studzieniczno-Kłączno-Ryńskie (215.5 ha, 17.1 m) (Pomeranian Lake District, northern Poland), with a maximum length of 5.6 km and an elongation index of 7.9. The studies revealed significant variation in the hydrochemical parameters of individual parts of the lake. The worst environmental conditions were found in the northern part of the lake (water transparency at approximately 1 m, chlorophyll a concentration up to 35 µg/L, BOD₅ of 35 mg O₂/L, TP concentrations up to 1.82 mg P/L, and TN concentrations up to 7.50 mg N/L in the bottom layer of the water due to deoxygenation and internal loading). This was due to the lake’s orientation in the direction of winds, the blowing of various materials towards the northern end of the lake, and the inflow of a stream draining the marshland areas. To restore recreational use in the northern part of the SKRL, a simple and inexpensive solution (costing approximately EUR 300,000) was proposed: installing a curtain to reduce suspended solids emissions into this part of the reservoir and installing a pipeline to introduce inflow water to the bottom of this bay, which should slow down eutrophication. Full article

The Upper Cambrian–Lower Silurian sediments of the Baltic Basin represent organic-rich clastic and carbonate rocks that are a key exploration target for hydrocarbons in northern Pomerania, Poland. The source rocks contain an average total organic carbon (TOC) content of 4.1 wt% (range: 0.7–9.6 wt%). The organic matter is primarily in the early to mid-oil window; however, both more mature and overmature organic matter also occur (average Tmax: 445 °C; range: 427–488 °C; average Ro: 1.3%; range: 1.0%–1.8%). These organic-rich rocks were mostly deposited under dysoxic rather than anoxic conditions. Fossils of oxygen-dependent benthic fauna are widely distributed, even in the darkest (black shale) lithologies. Nevertheless, short intervals lacking benthic fossils indicate episodes of anoxic bottom-water conditions. The Furongian–Lower Llandovery source rocks exhibit a low sedimentation rate, ranging from 1 to 19 m/Ma. Geochemically, the organic matter is dominated by type II kerogen. Petrographically, the kerogen consists mainly of graptolites and algae. Due to the predominance of planktonic-origin fauna and thermal maturity, the kerogen is relatively hydrogen depleted (average Hydrogen Index, HI: 169 mg HC/g TOC; range: 1–340 mg HC/g TOC). The present day petroleum potential of these source rocks varies from fair to good and very good. Bitumen analysis revealed a dominance of kerogen components, with only minor admixtures of light and heavy oils. Full article

Background and Objectives: Intracranial aneurysms are localized, pathological dilatations of the walls of cerebral arteries. While small, unruptured aneurysms may not require intervention, treatment decisions involve complex clinical dilemmas, balancing the risks of treatment with the possibility of neurological deficits. This study aimed to functionally evaluate patients after treatment (embolization or craniotomy) of unruptured intracranial aneurysms. Material and Methods: A total of 75 patients from one of the hospitals in Northern Poland were included in the study. The study was retrospective, with data analysis covering the period from December 2023 to October 2024. Data were collected using a diagnostic survey based on electronic medical records, including sociodemographic and clinical data. Assessments using the Barthel index, Rankin scale, NRS scale, and Waterlow scale were performed on days 1 and 3 postoperatively. Statistical analysis included descriptive statistics (n, %, mean, median, SD, IQR), tests of independence (χ2) and comparisons (Wilcoxon, Mann–Whitney, Kruskal–Wallis, Dunn). Results: A significant part of the patients were women (78.67%). Most were aged 66–75. Embolisation was the primary treatment method (85.33%), resulting in statistically significantly better functional results than clipping on the 1st and 3rd postoperative days. A statistically significant relationship was found between higher Waterlow scale scores and an increased risk of complications on the first and third days after the procedure. Conclusions: The study indicates that embolisation was associated with better early functional outcomes than clipping. Given the non-randomized treatment allocation, this association may reflect both the procedure type and underlying patient or aneurysm characteristics. The Waterlow score successfully predicted the risk of postoperative complications. The results highlight the importance of early and comprehensive postoperative evaluation to optimize patient care. The results reflect early postoperative recovery (days 1 and 3) and should not be directly extrapolated to long-term functional outcomes. Full article

Developing soy cultivars for northern long-day regions requires understanding how alleles of protein accumulation genes function in non-optimal environments like Western Siberia, where their effects may diverge from those established in other regions. We hypothesized that allelic variation in the genes GmSWEET39, Glyma.03G219900, Glyma.14G119000, Glyma.17G074400, and POWR1 would have measurable and predictable effects on seed composition and plant architecture in soybean, even under the stressful long-day conditions of Western Siberia (Omsk Oblast). Over a three-year period (2021–2023), a diverse collection of 58 soybean accessions was phenotyped for yield-related traits and genotyped using established KASP and PCR markers and a novel KASP marker for GmSWEET39. Our results demonstrate that the GmSWEET39 CC+ allele is significantly associated with an increase in seed protein content by up to 1.9 pp, a decrease in seed oil content up to 1.4 pp, and a reduction in plant height by up to 20%, while the Glyma.17G074400 SNP(T) allele was associated with an increase in oil content up to 1.4 pp. Strong negative correlations were found between protein content and plant height, whereas plant height was positively correlated with flowering time. Broad-sense heritability was high (H² > 0.82) for all traits except fiber content. The genotypic structure of the collection revealed a predominance of oil-favoring alleles, with rare protein-enhancing alleles identified in accessions from Sweden, Poland, China, and Japan. These accessions have been proposed as valuable donors for breeding. This study validates the utility of marker-assisted selection for the development of high-protein and high-oil soybean varieties tailored to the challenging photoperiod and climatic conditions of northern regions. Full article

The use of LiDAR in estimating tree growth is a current and practical research topic that is important from both an ecological and forest management perspective. The aim of this study was to assess the possibility of applying publicly available LiDAR data to assess the growth of forest stands. This study focused on forests in northern Poland, where pine trees dominate, but deciduous trees such as alders and birches are also partially present. The research used generally available point clouds from airborne LiDAR data from the years 2013 and 2022 with an average density of 4 pts/m² and an accuracy of 0.15–0.25 m. Inventory data were obtained for the same dates. A methodology was developed to determine height increments from these data, and 216 corresponding tree stands were compared. The Pearson correlation coefficient was 0.6, showing a moderate correlation between height increments determined from LiDAR and inventory data. Performing LiDAR measurements during the growing season could minimize errors in determining stand heights and increase the correction between airborne laser scanning data and inventory data. Our experiment confirms that it is possible to improve forest inventory and forest management using airborne LiDAR data. Full article

Recent years have seen a considerable increase in clean, green electricity output from wind energy (WE). It is crucial to obtain the optimum parameters of the two-parameter Weibull distribution (TPWD) for wind speed (WS) to calculate the potential WE. This paper proposes to use the superEGO (SEGO) along with maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) to obtain optimum parameters of the TWPD for WS data. The results showed that SEGO provided better results compared other optimization algorithms used in this context. Moreover, the potential WE for Gdańsk, a city located by the Baltic Sea in northern Poland, was calculated using parameters obtained by using SEGO. It was observed that SEGO performs the best among other optimization algorithms to find optimum parameters for the two-parameter Weibull distribution along with MLE for wind speed. Full article