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Floods are the main natural disaster in Poland, and the risk of both fluvial and pluvial floods is serious in the country. Pluvial floods are on the rise in the changing climate, particularly in increasingly sealed urbanized areas. In this paper, we examine the changes in flood risk in Poland, discussing the mechanisms, observations, projections and variability. Next, we discuss flood risk management in the country, including specific issues related to urban and rural areas and the synergies between flood and drought risk reduction measures. We identify and assess the weaknesses of the existing flood risk management plans in Poland for the first planning period 2016–2021 and for the second planning period 2022–2027. We find the level of implementation of plans in the former period to be very low. Many planned measures do not have much to do with flood risk reduction but are often linked to other objectives, such as inland navigation. The plans contain numerous small measures, which come across as inapt and economically ineffective solutions. We specify policy-relevant recommendations for necessary and urgent actions, which, if undertaken, could considerably reduce flood risk. We also sketch the way ahead for flood risk management in Poland within the timeframe of the implementation of plans for 2022–2027 and the next regular update of plans for 2028–2033. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the results of the analysis of the declarations of the authorities of small and medium-sized cities in Poland regarding the need to implement adaptation measures to the effects of climate change, and an assessment of the adequacy of the planned activities in this area. As part of the study, Environmental Protection Programmes in 80 cities with a population of up to 100,000 inhabitants were analysed. In the beginning, the most important challenges that the effects of climate change pose for cities are discussed. Then the results of the research are described and discussed. The paper ends with a short summary. The obtained results are not unambiguous. On the one hand, it has been shown that the issues of environmental protection and adaptation to climate change are not among the most important priorities of the authorities of small and medium-sized cities, and the way of presenting the issue of adaptation in the analysed documents, concerning the threats caused by the effects of climate change, is not sufficient and adequate to the level of danger. On the other hand, the results show that the importance of this problem has been increasing in recent years and that the authorities of small and medium-sized towns more and more often declare the need and readiness to support adaptation measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Poland, manor complexes are a reminder of the country’s history, identity and culture. Their activation is necessary to save them from being forgotten. The aim of the conceptual design presented in this paper is to determine the adaptability of the area at the former manor granary in the village of Pisary, located in the municipality of Zabierzów in the Małopolskie Voivodeship. The planned activities are meant to transform the area for agritourism purposes and make it available to both visitors and residents of the municipality. The changes in the selected area over the centuries were traced with analytical methods involving field research. Based on the opportunities offered by the surrounding landscape parks, potential uses of the area were also identified. In addition, efforts were made to symbolically merge the manor estate, the structure of which had been upset by the land parcelling. As a result of the analyses, three main zones were delineated, namely the recreation, educational and service zones. The project includes an adaptation of historic buildings for agritourism purposes together with accompanying services. In the conceptual design, the picturesque courtyard was developed into a multifunctional centre at a historic site with accompanying infrastructure. The terrain and natural conditions were utilised to create tourist attractions, providing active recreation. The centuries-old park, for example, has been made more suitable for walking and admiring the local fauna and flora. These interventions have enhanced the high landscape values of the site, ensuring that it meets the needs of contemporary visitors. This project shows how an attractive and welcoming facility can be created with little interference and in respect of the history of the site. This project is an example of how to use natural, geological, landscape and historical values to design an interesting point on the tourist map of the municipality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the concept and deployment of the agro-hydro-meteorological monitoring system (abbrev. AgHMM) created for the purposes of operational planning of regulated drainage and irrigation on the scale of a drainage/irrigation system (INOMEL project). Monitoring system involved regular daily (weekly readings) measurements of agrometeorological and hydrological parameters in water courses at melioration object during vegetation seasons. The measurement results enable an assessment of the meteorological conditions, moisture changes in the 0-60 cm soil profile, fluctuations of groundwater levels at quarters and testing points, also water levels in ditches and at dam structures, and water flow in water courses. These data were supplemended by 7-day meteorological forecast parameter predictions, served as input data for a model of operational planning of drainage and subirrigation at the six melioration systems in Poland. In addition, it was carried out irregular remote sensing observations of plant condition, water consumption by plants and soil moisture levels using imagery taken by unmanned aerial vehicles and Sentinel’s satellites. All the collected data was used for support operational activities aimed at maintaining optimal soil moisture for plant growth and should to provide farmers with high and stable yields. An example of the practical operations using the AgHMM system in 2019 is shown on the basis of the subirrigation object at permanent grasslands located in central Poland called “Czarny Rów B1”. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents analysis of European counter-crisis response programs: investment initiatives in response to the coronavirus; REACT-EU package of measures; a long-term recovery program (budget for 2021-2027) and Next Generation EU; and a banking package of measures titled “Supporting businesses and households amid COVID-19”. The sources of financial instruments for the recovery and adaptation of EU member states to the transcrisis state are described, and the most effective mechanisms for supporting entrepreneurship in the COVID-19 crisis are shown. The example of Slovakia and Poland is used to demonstrate the European experience in organizing the credit process, providing guarantees, intensifying social entrepreneurship in the face of the ongoing epidemic shock. The European investment trends and the participation of financial intermediaries in the post-crisis recovery are determined and used as a basis to characterize nationalization of the European long-term investment process. The special role of the state and the formation of state funds in the process of ensuring the effective adaptation of the Ukrainian financial and institutional environment to new challenges is substantiated; the importance of developing long-term programs for adapting the Ukrainian economy and society to the challenges of sanitary, humanitarian, climatic and political and economic nature, as well as forming appropriate institutions is shown. It is concluded that, given the peculiarities of the operational behavior of Ukrainian banking institutions, which are now focused on operations with government securities and commission activities, the adaptation investment process should be provided by public financial institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heat stress is one of the environmental factors influencing the health of individuals and the wider population. There is a large body of research to document significant increases in mortality and morbidity during heat waves all over the world. This paper presents key results of research dealing with heat-related mortality (HRM) in various cities in Poland which cover about 25% of the country’s population. Daily mortality and weather data reports for the years 1991-2000 were used. The intensity of heat stress was assessed by the universal thermal climate index (UTCI). The research considers also the projections of future bioclimate to the end of twenty-first century. Brain storming discussions were applied to find necessary adaptation strategies of healthcare system (HCS) in Poland, to minimise negative effects of heat stress. In general, in days with strong and very strong heat stress, ones must expect increase in mortality (in relation to no thermal stress days) of 12 and 47%, respectively. Because of projected rise in global temperature and heat stress frequency, we must expect significant increase in HRM to the end of twenty-first century of even 165% in comparison to present days. The results of research show necessity of urgent implementation of adaptation strategies to heat in HCS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contemporary spatial planning struggles with many difficulties resulting from, inter alia, ongoing climate change. Ongoing environmental transformations pose many challenges for spatial policy across the entire globe. The aim of this paper is to analyse the effects of climate change on urban spaces in Poland and to answer the question of whether planning practice promotes adaptation to climate change and, if so, to what extent. This paper uses a descriptive and comparative research methodology to interpret planning provisions used in selected local spatial development plans in terms of the arrangements that aim to prevent the negative consequences of climate change. The subject of the analysis is the content of general and detailed plans defined in the texts of the examined resolutions of applicable local plans in the Lower Silesia and Greater Poland voivodeships. This study assessed the validity of applying specific planning provisions. This interpretation was determined on the basis of a review of the current provisions in the Polish law, literature on the subject, as well as the author's own professional experience in the field of spatial planning. The quantitative and qualitative research results are summarized in a table and also examined and described in detail. Examples of planning records that were used in the analysis of local plans are cited and compared. Finally, the adaptation challenges posed to spatial planning in Poland at the local level (communal) based on the obtained quantitative data on the issues were studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The complex and rapid environmental changes brought about by urbanization pose significant challenges to organisms. The multifaceted effects of urbanization often make it difficult to define and pinpoint the very nature of adaptive urban phenotypes. In such situations, scanning genomes for regions differentiated between urban and non‐urban populations may be an attractive approach. Here, we investigated the genomic signatures of adaptation to urbanization in the damselfly Ischnura elegans sampled from 31 rural and urban localities in three geographic regions: southern and northern Poland, and southern Sweden. Genome‐wide variation was assessed using more than 370,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) genotyped by ddRADseq. Associations between SNPs and the level of urbanization were tested using two genetic environment association methods: Latent Factors Mixed Models and BayPass. While we found numerous candidate SNPs and a highly significant overlap between candidates identified by the two methods within the geographic regions, there was a distinctive lack of repeatability between the geographic regions both at the level of individual SNPs and of genomic regions. However, we found "synapse organization" at the top of the functional categories enriched among the genes located in the proximity of the candidate urbanization SNPs. Interestingly, the overall significance of "synapse organization" was built up by the accretion of different genes associated with candidate SNPs in different geographic regions. This finding is consistent with the highly polygenic nature of adaptation, where the response may be achieved through a subtle adjustment of allele frequencies in different genes that contribute to adaptive phenotypes. Taken together, our results point to a polygenic adaptive response in the nervous system, specifically implicating genes involved in synapse organization, which mirrors the findings from several genomic and behavioral studies of adaptation to urbanization in other taxa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article comprises an analysis and comparison of two film adaptations of the play Ubu roi by Alfred Jarry, made in Central Europe following the fall of communism in 1989 -- one was shot in the Czech Republic (Král Ubu, F. A. Brabec, 1996), the other one in Poland (Ubu Król, Piotr Szulkin, 2003). The article explores the motivation behind these adaptations and how it is reflected in their structure and semantics. The significant reception Jarry's work had enjoyed in both cultures in previous decades appears to have been one such stimulus. Furthermore, the source had a potential for being an appropriate foundation for a metaphorical expression of current political and social problems as well as for post-modernist re-writing and variations. Finally, Jarry's play was attractive on account of its provocative nature and drastic humour, which had a potential of drawing audiences. The adaptations differ in the degree to which they stress each of these factors. F. A. Brabec transformed Jarry's play into a universal parable of warning, with a diversity of allusions referring to the state of Czech society at the time of shooting. The director pays equal attention to elaborate visual stylization of the film, while making occasional use of effects related to corporeality and sexuality, which can often be seen to be superficial and pandering. Piotr Szulkin's adaptation is a radically pessimistic reflection on the development and current situation in Poland and the entire world. The film has the form of an eccentric vision mixing elements of grotesque, dystopia, carnival as well as vaudeville. At the same time, it is designed as a complex structure based on repetition and variation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. The process of apophytism or spreading native species to human-made habitats is one of the main elements in the creation of plant cover in anthropogenic areas. Lately, an increase of anthropogenic localities with valuable flora has been observed. Apophytes are also members of the family Orchidaceae, especially from the genus Epipactis. The aim of the study was to (i) determine and compare the phenotypic variation of E. helleborine (L.) Crantz plants in anthropogenic and natural habitats, (ii) compare the genome size of plants growing in natural and anthropogenic habitats. The results reported in this study may indicate that a habitat influences morphological characteristics of plant species. Methods. Field studies were conducted on four native stands and four stands in anthropogenic areas of E. helleborine in Poland in years 2011–2013. Biometrical analyses were performed on shoots and flowers. The flowers were characterised by 25 biometric features and measured using a Nikon SMZ 800 binocular, microscopic Moticam-1SP cameras and the MIPlus07 programme (Conbest Co.). The nuclear DNA content was determined in fresh and young leaves of E. helleborine, collected from four natural and four anthropogenic populations. Results. We observed that in anthropogenic populations: (i) shoots were higher than shoots from natural populations, (ii) flowers differed significantly in terms of ten biometric features between habitats, (iii) the genome size of some population differed significantly between plants growing in natural and anthropogenic habitats. Discussion. According to some researchers, the presence of phenotypic variability and the occurrence of ecotypes are adaptation strategies of plants to environmental changes. In our opinion, in the case of the studied anthropogenic habitats (roadside) in which the E. helleborine populations grew, we can talk about ecofen due to the often repeated set of characteristic features, i.e., high shoots, long inflorescence and long, broad leaves. We agree, however, that it is difficult to isolate a taxonomic unit for ecofen due to the lack of experimental research [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The need for validated measures enabling clinicians to classify tinnitus patients according to the severity of tinnitus and screen the progress of therapies in our country led us to translate into Polish and to validate two tinnitus questionnaires, namely the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) and the Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI). Design: The original English versions of the questionnaires were translated into Polish and translated back to English by three independent translators. These versions were then finalized by the authors into a Polish THI (THI-Pl) and a Polish TFI (TFI-Pl). Participants from three laryngological centers in Poland anonymously answered the THIPl (N = 98) and the TFI-Pl (N = 108) in addition to the Polish versions of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale as a measure of self-perceived level of depression, and the Satisfaction With Life Scale to assess self-perceived quality of life. Both were used to determine discriminant validity. Two Visual Analog Scales were used to measure tinnitus annoyance and tinnitus loudness in order to determine convergent validity. Results: Similar to the original version of the THI, the THI-Pl showed a high internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.93). The exploratory factor analysis revealed that the questionnaire has a three-factorial structure that does not correspond to the original division for functional, catastrophic, and emotional subscales. Convergent and discriminant validities were confirmed. The TFI-Pl showed high internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.96) with the reliability ranging from 0.82 to 0.95 for its different subscales. Factor analysis confirmed an eight-factorial structure with factors assigning all items to appropriate subscales reported in the original version of the questionnaire. Discriminant and convergent validities were also confirmed for the TFI-Pl. Conclusion: We translated and validated the Polish versions of the THI and the TFI to make them suitable for clinical use in Poland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nutrient availability varies across climatic gradients, yet intraspecific adaptation across such gradients in plant traits related to internal cycling and nutrient resorption remains poorly understood. We examined nutrient resorption among six Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) populations of wide-ranging origin grown under common-garden conditions in Poland. These results were compared with mass-based needle N and P for 195 Scots pine stands throughout the species' European range. At the common site, green needle N (r2=0.81, P=0.01) and P (r2=0.58, P=0.08) concentration increased with increasing latitude of population origin. Resorption efficiency (the proportion of the leaf nutrient pool resorbed during senescence) of N and P of Scots pine populations increased with the latitude of seed origin (r2≥0.67, P≤0.05). The greater resorption efficiency of more northerly populations led to lower concentrations of N and P in senescent leaves (higher resorption proficiency) than populations originating from low latitudes. The direction of change in these traits indicates potential adaptation of populations from northern, colder habitats to more efficient internal nutrient cycling. For native Scots pine stands, results showed greater nutrient conservation in situ in cold-adapted northern populations, via extended needle longevity (from 2 to 3 years at 50°N to 7 years at 70°N), and greater resorption efficiency and proficiency, with their greater resorption efficiency and proficiency having genotypic roots demonstrated in the common-garden experiment. However, for native Scots pine stands, green needle N decreased with increasing latitude (r2=0.83, P=0.0002), and P was stable other than decreasing above 62°N. Hence, the genotypic tendency towards maintenance of higher nutrient concentrations in green foliage and effective nutrient resorption, demonstrated by northern populations in the common garden, did not entirely compensate for presumed nutrient availability limitations along the in situ latitudinal temperature gradient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Along with the socio-economic changes in Poland after 1989 and the beginning of the industrial restructuring process, many industrial architecture objects lost their original purpose. At present, sustainable processes of reusing the building stock left over from the industrial period are proceeding. One of the possibilities includes adaptation to culture-related goals, where such activities have an established tradition in the world. The aim of the article is to analyze the adaptive reuse of post-industrial facilities in Poland for the functions of art exhibitions, such as museums, galleries, and art centers. The study was based on descriptive qualitative and quantitative research, in the following stages: identification and analysis of adapted objects; developing a typology of adaptive reuse strategies; questionnaire research aimed at institutions located in adapted facilities. The analyses show that the leading group of adapted facilities constitute former power plants, which ensure favorable exhibition conditions. The main result is the recognition of five types of adaptive reuse strategies implemented in Poland, resulting from a diversified approach to the historic substance, such as: the method of extension of an object; placing an exhibition; the character of the exhibition space, along with the type of intervention in the interior of a historic building. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The subject of this study is contemporary odeons in Poland, where 11 covered amphitheaters (odeons) have been built since 2005. The odeons were selected from a wider collection of 57 functioning amphitheaters. The study collected data on location, form, function, and construction. The data sources included the literature, archival research, design documentation, and competition entries. Descriptive and graphical comparative analyses of the phenomena, based on the statistics for completed structures and on design experiments in the case of unbuilt structures, were the two main research methods used in this study. The emergence and development directions of the typology of open cultural spaces from amphitheaters to odeons are presented in a global and regional context. Their interrelationships, affecting form and function, were also analyzed. The influence of high-end materials that were used to create these complex, large-scale spatial structures, and their impact on the environment, has been presented. The contemporary roofs covering the entertainment and stage complex were analyzed in relation to environmental factors, determining the location of the odeons. The functional aspects of these buildings and their cultural significance on a local, regional and global scale were discussed. The odeon in Biała Podlaska, built in 2019, was chosen as a case study to show, in detail, the complexity of the formation of contemporary odeons. In the discussion on the direction of the further evolution of open spaces for culture, an example of an unrealized competition design proposal of mobile roofing forms for the eighteenth-century amphitheater in the Royal Baths Park in Warsaw, Poland, was presented. The conclusions emphasize the environmental, spatial, functional, social and economic values of the establishment and functioning of contemporary odeons as open spaces of culture that are compliant with the principles of sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We used 5 years of data from multi-environmental trials conducted in Poland to assess average winter wheat yield based on selected environmental factors to recommend cultivars depending on their performance in environments of different productivity. Average expected yields in particular environments were calculated using a model based on analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), which describes the relationship between winter wheat yield and environmental factors of soil suitability and pH, drought length and Selyaninov's Hydrothermal Coefficient (HTC) in 10-day periods. The cultivar performance was evaluated using linear regression. The cultivar yield estimated by the mixed model was considered the dependent variable, whereas the environmental mean yields, estimated by ANCOVA, were considered independent variables. The cultivars were ranked according to the estimated yield in environments of determined average wheat productivity. Higher yielding cultivars were divided into two groups: widely and narrowly adapted cultivars, which were then recommended. The novelty of this study stems from the consideration of the environmental productivity in the recommendation process, the indication of widely adapted cultivars to be grown in a broad range of productivity sites and the selection of cultivars with narrow adaptation, which may outperform cultivars of wide adaptation in homogeneous fields. This study confirmed the importance of soil suitability and HTC for winter wheat yield. Direct application of our results is possible in Poland and in other countries with similar conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Survival in variable conditions of wind exposure depends on the strategy of trees in adapting to environmental constraints. There are many studies investigating the effect of wind on the adaptation of trees, but little attention is paid to the properties of the wood, particularly within-stem variability. In the present work, an analysis was made of within-stem variability of the density and mechanical properties of Scots pine wood from parts of stands with different wind exposure (stand edge, forest interior). The research was carried out in north-western Poland, in seven selected pine stands (without other species in the canopy) aged from 82 to 87 years. In each stand, three trial plots were marked, each at a different distance from the edge of the stand. The first plot was immediately adjacent to the edge (0–20 m), the second was at a distance of 30–50 m, and the third was at a distance of 60–80 m. Generally, wind exposure, defined by the distance from the windward edge, did not significantly affect the tree morphology and wood properties. A statistically significant difference was found only for the modulus of elasticity (MOE), between stand edge and forest interior. Trees growing at a distance from the stand edge compensate for their greater stem slenderness with higher elasticity. A certain growth response to wind loads is also represented by the within-stem variability of wood. We found that within-stem variability of wood at the stand edge is higher than in the forest interior. At various points along the stem, the wood density and strength were generally higher on the eastern radius (on the leeward side of the stem). Different wind resistance requirements at the stand edge and in the interior lead to combinations of tree architecture and wood properties that enable the best resistance to wind loads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recognition of changes in the course of agricultural thermal periods is vital when it comes to determining appropriate measures for adapting agriculture to climate change. The present study examined changes in air temperature between 1951 and 2014 in the area of south-western Poland. A statistically significant, positive linear trend was confirmed for the annual average temperature, seasonal averages, and monthly averages in the periods spanning February–May and July–August. From the beginning of the 21st century, the period of winter dormancy of plants started increasingly later; farming and plant vegetation periods started increasingly earlier, and the period of active plant growth was prolonged. Among the considered agricultural periods, the growing season was the most prolonged. The duration of the farming period was also significantly longer, but the winter dormancy period was shortened. The negative linear trend of days when the temperature stood at <0 °C was statistically confirmed for temperature in the entire region and most of the stations. In terms of predicting the consequences of the changes that were observed today over the next decades, this is not an easy task. However, the nature of these changes suggests that further cultivation of winter crops may require far-reaching adaptation measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]