Porcine enteric coronavirus infections in wild boar in Poland – a pilot study

Introduction Porcine epidemic diarrhoea virus (PEDV) of the Coronaviridae family causes significant economic losses in the pig industry worldwide. Wild boars contribute to the transmission of different viral, bacterial and parasitic infections to livestock animals and humans. However, their role in the maintenance and transmission of PEDV has not been established. Material and Methods In this study, blood and faecal samples from 157 wild boars were collected from 14 provinces of Poland during the 2017–2018 hunting season. RNA was extracted from the faecal homogenate supernatant and subjected to quantitative RT-PCR (RT-qPCR), while clotted blood samples were used for detection of antibodies against PEDV by ELISA. Results Five blood samples (3.2%) were seropositive in ELISA, while none of the faecal samples were found positive using RT-qPCR assays. Conclusion The results of this analysis indicate the need for additional studies incorporating a larger number of samples and preferably comparing different serological methods, to confirm whether wild boars in Poland act as PEDV reservoirs.

A Spatio-Temporal Analysis of the Health Situation in Poland Based on Functional Discriminant Coordinates

The aim of this study was to investigate if the provinces of Poland are homogeneous in terms of the observed spatio-temporal data characterizing the health situation of their inhabitants. The health situation is understood as a set of selected factors influencing inhabitants’ health and the healthcare system in their area of residence. So far, studies concerning the health situation of selected territorial units have been based on data relating to a specific year rather than longer periods. The task of assessing province homogeneity was carried out in two stages. In stage one, the original spatio-temporal data space (space of multivariate time series) was transformed into a functional discriminant coordinates space. The resulting functional discriminant coordinates are synthetic measures of the health situation of inhabitants of particular provinces. These measures contain complete information regarding 8 diagnostic variables examined over a period of 6 years. In the second stage, the Ward method, commonly used in cluster analysis, was applied in order to identify groups of homogeneous provinces in the space of functional discriminant coordinates. Sixteen provinces were divided into four clusters. The homogeneity of the clusters was confirmed by the multivariate functional coefficient of variation.

Polish Educational Care Centers in the USSR During the Second World War

Among those Poles deported to the USSR from the eastern provinces of Poland annexed by the USSR in 1939 were many families and children. The Sikorski–Mayski agreement, signed on 30 July 1941, opened the way for Poland and the USSR to resume diplomatic relations. The Embassy of the Republic of Poland set up agencies, so-called Delegations, whose mission was, among others, to implement decisions made by the Polish- Soviet commission. The commission provided welfare services for Poles, which included opening shelters, kindergartens, schools, and orphanages. Initially, from autumn of 1941 to summer 1942, the Soviet authorities supported the establishment of such educational care centers, although after July 1942, when the Polish delegations were dissolved, some of these were shut down, and Polish children were moved to Soviet schools and orphanages. This paper describes the situation of Polish orphanages in the USSR, especially in the Siberian region of the USSR and Kazakhstan. These educational care centers received aid from the Embassy of the Republic of Poland, located in Kuybyshev (Samara). However, they were also supported in the USSR by the Soviet authorities and Union of Polish Patriots (1943–1946), who helped Polish orphans. One such children’s home is the orphanage in Mala Minusa in Krasnoyarsk Krai. Thanks to its authorities, the Polish inmates of the orphanage, who broke away from their motherland during wartime to return there only after the end of the war, have not been forgotten.

Country-Wide qPCR Based Assessment of Plasmodiophora brassicae Spread in Agricultural Soils and Recommendations for the Cultivation of Brassicaceae Crops in Poland

Clubroot is a damaging disease of oilseed rape and vegetable brassicas worldwide, caused by the soil-borne protist Plasmodiophora brassicae Wor. Due to the long life of resting spores, the assessment of the pathogen abundance in agricultural fields can serve as a guideline for disease control at the country-wide level or the regional scale. Between 2013 and 2019, we collected 431 soil samples from fields cultivated with Brassicaceae crops throughout 16 provinces of Poland. The samples were subjected to qPCR based analysis of P. brassicae DNA concentration. From these data, the spore loads and gene copies g−1 soil were calculated and used to produce an assessment of the current clubroot risk potential at a country-wide and regional scale. The country-wide map, showing the spread of the pathogen in agricultural soils, was made using ArcGis software package implementing the interpolation with the Inverse Distance Weight method. The calculation of gene copies specific to P. brassicae helped to formulate the recommendations for farmers in respect to the cultivation guidelines. It showed a high risk of yield losses in defined regions of north, south-west and central Poland and an urgent need to undertake intensive preventative measures.

Highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N8 in Poland in 2019–2020

IntroductionRepeated incursions of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) H5 subtype of Gs/GD lineage pose a serious threat to poultry worldwide. We provide a detailed analysis of the spatio-temporal spread and genetic characteristics of HPAIV Gs/GD H5N8 from the 2019/20 epidemic in Poland.Material and methodsSamples from poultry and free-living birds were tested by real-time RT-PCR. Whole genome sequences from 24 (out of 35) outbreaks were generated and genetic relatedness was established. The clinical status of birds and possible pathways of spread were analysed based on the information provided by veterinary inspections combined with the results of phylogenetic studies.ResultsBetween 31 December 2019 and 31 March 2020, 35 outbreaks in commercial and backyard poultry holdings and 1 case in a wild bird were confirmed in nine provinces of Poland. Most of the outbreaks were detected in meat turkeys and ducks. All characterised viruses were closely related and belonged to a previously unrecognised genotype of HPAIV H5N8 clade 2.3.4.4b. Wild birds and human activity were identified as the major modes of HPAIV spread.ConclusionThe unprecedentedly late introduction of the HPAI virus urges for re-evaluation of current risk assessments. Continuous vigilance, strengthening biosecurity and intensifying surveillance in wild birds are needed to better manage the risk of HPAI occurrence in the future.

Assessment of Water Needs of Grapevines in Western Poland from the Perspective of Climate Change

Climate changes lead to a rise in air temperature, which significantly increases the water needs of plants. Maintaining crop productivity will increasingly require the use of plant irrigation. The aim of this study was to assess the water needs of grapevines cultivated in the western provinces of Poland. The calculations were made on the basis of temperature and precipitation measurements collected at three meteorological stations in the period 1981–2010. Water needs were calculated as crop evapotranspiration, which was estimated by crop coefficients and reference evapotranspiration, determined using the Blaney–Criddle formula. The rainfall deficit was assessed by Ostromęcki’s method. The tendency to increase the water needs was observed in each subsequent decade of the thirty-year period, both in the whole growing season (May–October), as well as in June–August and July. The highest values of the linear correlation coefficient for the trend of time variability in water needs occurred from June to August. An analysis of water needs and rainfall deficits indicates the need for the additional irrigation of vineyards in western Poland, especially in very dry years and in June–August. Current research results are helpful in designing vineyard irrigation systems and allow an economical and efficient planning of grapevine irrigation.

The Measurement of Social Cohesion at Province Level in Poland Using Metric and Interval-Valued Data

The notion of social cohesion is increasingly used in the political, economic and academic debate. Due to its multidimensional, the assessment of social cohesion is not easy, especially if it is conducted at a lower than national level of aggregation. The aim of the study is to assess social cohesion in provinces of Poland in 2018 using the hybrid approach involving multidimensional scaling and linear ordering based on an aggregate measure. This type of study is usually conducted using classic metric data. However, the traditional approach does not account for the variation between lower level units (i.e., districts). The authors propose a methodology which makes this possible. Additionally the results of assessment of the multidimensional phenomenon can be presented in a two-dimensional space. Classic metric data and symbolic interval-valued data (three data types: min-max, 1st decile and 9th decile, 2nd decile and 8th decile) are jointly represented in a single diagram. The consistency of the research method ensures comparability of results of linear ordering. Two criteria were used in the comparative analysis of four rankings of social cohesion. The results of the study clearly showed that the current level of social cohesion at the provinces level is geographically and historically dependent.

Secular trend and social gradients in the menarcheal age of girls from eastern Poland between 1986 and 2016

The age at menarche is changing together with the development of society. The intensities of secular trends vary in different countries, regions or even towns and villages. Therefore, the objective of the paper was to assess the changes of the menarcheal age of girls in groups defined by different levels of parental education and the number of children in a family as well as the general index of socioeconomic status. The paper utilises the results of research conducted in the years 1985–1986, 2005–2006 and 2015–2016, covering 11 671 girls aged 10–16 from eastern provinces of Poland. Information about the date of birth, the date of the first period, place of residence, fathers’ and mothers’ education and the number of children in a family was collected. Research material was divided into groups stratified by mother’s education, father’s education, number of children in a family, size of place of residence and the general index of socioeconomic status (SES) was calculated. The results were processed statistically using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the Newman-Keuls method.In all the assessed groups of girls the acceleration of maturation has been observed. Greater socio-economic differences of the menarcheal age of the respondents were observed in the years 1986–2006, whereas in the years 2006–2016 the differences were smaller. During the assessed period of 30 years, the most intensive acceleration in menarche was observed in the lowest social strata, i.e. in the daughters of parents with primary or vocational education, in those from the largest families and in those who were included in the group with the lowest SES point values. The lowest acceleration in the described indicator of development was found in girls from families with one or two children, whose parents had higher education degrees and the highest SES values.The assessed schoolgirls still demonstrate the existence of social gradients in the menarcheal age but the gradients are smaller than 30 years ago.

Regional Development in Poland in Taxonomic Terms

Regional development is a complex economic category and a commonly used term today, yet it is vaguely defined and, therefore, interpreted implicitly and understood intuitively. From a statistical point of view, this concept, on account of its imprecision and ambiguity, is a kind of multidimensional characteristic which may be measured, though not conclusively. Due to the lack of a universal set of diagnostic variables adopted in taxonomic analyses, the quantitative approach to the examined research area, which is in most cases presented descriptively, poses the main problem. The objectives of the article are to rank the provinces of Poland in terms of regional development in the years 2006–2018 and to assess the similarity of results over time. The research study is based on linear ordering methods within the scope of multidimensional statistical analysis. The results of the conducted analyses allowed us to rank the provinces of Poland in terms of regional development in the years 2006–2018 and to assess the similarity of the results over time. The results of the analysis indicate a clear stabilization of high ranked positions during the examined period, last places are generally taken by the same regions. This situation may indicate an increase or at least strengthening of the disproportions between the most and least developed regions in Poland. Theoretical considerations presented in the article as well as the empirical results of our own research may provoke more detailed discussion on the subject.

PROBLEMS OF RESEARCH OF URBAN DEFENSE COMPLEXES OF CITIES OF THE EASTERN PODOLIA IN THE 16th-18th CENTURIES

In this article the authors touch on the methods of fortifications of the cities of Eastern Podillya - the least studied region of Ukraine. Components of long-term urban fortifications are considered as a single system of so-called urban defense complexes. Mandatory components of this system are a defensive castle and fortifications of the middletowns, which are recorded on the maps of military cartographers of the 17th-18th centuries. With this in mind, the authors clarify in the article the strategic importance of Eastern Podillya for the state and consider the development of urban defense complexes on its territory in retrospect. The analyzed sources allow us to speak about two periods of fortification development in Eastern Podillya. The first concerns the subordination of the territory to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania during the reign of Vytautas I, who expanded to the Black Sea coast and fortified the Southern Bug basin with a chain of fortifications and customs. After the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople and Crimea, trade ties with the south were lost, and its territory became dangerous for Podillya due to raids by nomads. Lithuania lost Vytautas' southern conquests and became completely dependent on Poland as a result of the introduction of a personal union. Subsequently, an administrative and political system identical to other provinces of Poland was introduced on the territory of Eastern Podillya and the Bratslav Voivodeship was formed. After the Union of Lublin, the territory of Bratslav became a source of huge lands for private ownership of magnates, who built their own systems for fortification of their estates, so the state was directly removed from strategic planning of defense of Eastern Podillya, royal power was concentrated only in the main capitals of Vinnytsia and Bratslav. On the basis of field surveys of partially preserved urban defense complexes, the article identifies the main types depending on the compositional and planning features. The location of fortifications on the terrain was also analyzed with the help of Google Earth software capabilities. Comparison of the data of relief cross-sections with the verified data of the foundation of fortified settlements revealed a stable correlation. Thus, the fortifications of the cities that were founded in the first period (Grand Duchy) were located on the heights of capes, ridges, hills, while the fortifications of the later ones were located in the valley. Given the low level of research of Ukrainian cities for the analysis of their defense systems, the authors recommend in further studies to investigate in detail the groups of cities that formed the estate complexes of specific magnate families in Podolia - Kalinov, Zbarazh, Zamoysk, and others for a unified defense system. and highlighting the characteristics of the spatial planning composition.