Purchase Documentation as a Source of Information about Insurance Bought by Public Hospitals in Poland

Theoretical background: By deciding to purchase insurance the entity which does so expresses its demand for money should it suffer adverse consequences of a fortuitous event – that is to say, an event which the entity concerned has identified and whose occurrence it estimated as probable. There are very limited possibilities to learn about the specifics of insurance public hospitals buy. There are also no sources of data that could shed closer light on this, whether coming from the market or gleaned through surveys. As public finance entities, public hospitals are required to follow applicable public procurement laws in purchasing insurance, although that obligation may be waived under certain circumstances. Whatever the procedure hospitals choose to use in their purchases, certain purchase documentation will be generated over its course, which can be a valuable source of detailed information about the coverage bought. Purpose of the article: The main objective of this study is to determine the ways in which public hospitals can buy insurance, what kind of documents are generated in the process, and what scope of information they contain. Research methods: In order to reach the stated objective, a body of literature and legal regulations was analysed, and an empirical study was conducted. The underlying premise in the study was that purchasing procedures followed by public hospitals provide insight into their purchasing decisions, and thereby into the reported demand for insurance. Main findings: The study opened up a way for an assessment of the possibilities and limitations involved in gaining insight into insurance purchasing decisions based on the purchase documentation

E-book – śmierć książki czy jej nowe życie? Historia, technologia, poezja, rynek

The purpose of the article is to present the subject of electronic literature’s place in modern world, specifics of this form of publishing and opportunities it carries. The history of e-books formation from 1971 to present day is outlined – changes that have taken place both in the preparation of files, as well as in designing of reading devices, was presented. Currently used in the publishing of e-books technologies was discussed: formats of electronic files, e-Ink technology and types of e-book readers available on the market. Main features of e-books and differences between traditional and electronic books was presented. The structure of the e-books market in Poland and users reading preferences was analysed – on the basis of available reports. The article raises issues related to the problem of illegal copying of e-publications – scale of the phenomena, possible ways of counteracting and solutions. This article also illustrates the steps of preparing an e-book, specifics of typographic lay-out, typesetting and text makeup of this type of publications. Separate spot was dedicated to the condition of poetry on the e-literature market

Comparison of Metals Content in Peatlands with Different Anthropo pressure in Welski Landscape Park (Poland)

Analiza metali ciężkich na torfowiskach

Numerical description of jet and duct ventilation in underground garage after LPG dispersion

Contamination of toxic and odorous gases emitted from stacks in buildings located in an urban environment are potential health hazards to citizens. A simulation using the computational fluid dynamic technique may provide detailed data on the flammable region and spatial dispersion of released gases. Concentrations or emissions associated with garage sources and garage-to-house migration rates are needed to estimate potential exposures and risk levels. Therefore, the aim of the study was to use an original mathematical model to predict the most accurate locations for LPG sensors in an underground garage for vehicles powered with LPG. First, the three-dimensional geometry of an underground garage under a multi-family building was reconstructed. Next, two types of ventilation, jet and duct, were considered, and different sources of LPG leakage were assumed. Then, the Ansys Fluent software was applied as a solver, and the same initial value of released LPG (5 kg) was assumed. As a simplification, and to avoid the simulation of choked outflow, the emission from a large area was adopted. The results showed stagnation areas for duct ventilation in which gas remained for both the jet and duct ventilation. Moreover, it was observed that the analyzed gas would gather in the depressions of the ground in the underground garage, for example in drain grates, which may create a hazardous zone for the users of the facility. Additionally, it was observed that for jet ventilation, turbulence appearance sometimes generated differentiated gas in an undesirable direction. The simulation also showed that for blowing ventilation around the garage, and for higher LPG leakage, a higher cloud of gas that increased probability of ignition and LPG explosion was formed. Meanwhile, for jet ventilation, a very low concentration of LPG in the garage was noticed. After 35 s, LPG concentration was lower than the upper explosive limit. Therefore, during the LPG leakage in an underground garage, jet ventilation was more efficient in decreasing LPG gas to the non-explosive values

Analysis of the effectiveness of decontamination fluids on the level of biological contamination of firefighter suits

The scope of tasks of chemical and ecological rescue procedures includes prevention of terrorist attacks with biological weapons. After each action, firefighters are obliged to clean and disinfect their outfits to prevent the potential spreading of harmful microorganisms. This study aimed to analyze the effectiveness of decontamination fluids used to disinfect firefighter’s suits. Two types of clothes were analyzed: special combat clothing (NOMEX), and the heavy gas-tight chemical type 1a suit. Swabbed places were cut out and sterilized mechanically using detergent and alcohol. Each time, smears were made on sterile glass, fixed in pure ethanol and stained using the Gram method. After this, the staining samples were air dried and photographed under a light microscope at magnification 1000×. Each smear was made in triplicate and the relative number of stained microorganisms was analyzed using ImageJ software. The results showed that detergent significantly decreased the number of pathogens in the chest area on the NOMEX suit and the type 1a-gas-tight clothing and was more effective than alcohol, especially in case of the NOMEX suit. In conclusion, the detergent was more efficient in decontaminating the NOMEX outfit than the heavy gas-tight clothing, whose surface was better cleaned by the alcohol

Simvastatin attenuates abdominal aortic aneurysm formation favoured by lack of Nrf2 transcriptional activity

Surgical intervention is currently the only option for an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), preventing its rupture and sudden death of a patient. Therefore, it is crucial to determine the pathogenic mechanisms of this disease for the development of effective pharmacological therapies. Oxidative stress is said to be one of the pivotal factors in the pathogenesis of AAAs. Thus, we aimed to evaluate the significance of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) transcriptional activity in the development of AAA and to verify if simvastatin, administered as pre- and cotreatment, may counteract this structural malformation. Experiments were performed on mice with inhibited transcriptional activity of Nrf2 (tKO) and wild-type (WT) counterparts. We used a model of angiotensin II- (AngII-) induced AAA, combined with a fat-enriched diet. Mice were administered with AngII or saline for up to 28 days via osmotic minipumps. Simvastatin administration was started 7 days before the osmotic pump placement and then continued until the end of the experiment. We found that Nrf2 inactivation increased the risk of development and rupture of AAA. Importantly, these effects were reversed by simvastatin in tKO mice, but not in WT. The abrupt blood pressure rise induced by AngII was mitigated in simvastatin-treated animals regardless of the genotype. Simvastatin-affected parameters that differed between the healthy structure of the aorta and aneurysmal tissue included immune cell infiltration of the aortic wall, VCAM1 mRNA and protein level, extracellular matrix degradation, TGF-β1 mRNA level, and ERK phosphorylation, but neither oxidative stress nor the level of Angiotensin II Type 1 Receptor (AT1R). Taken together, the inhibition of Nrf2 transcriptional activity facilitates AAA formation in mice, which can be prevented by simvastatin. It suggests that statin treatment of patients with hypercholesterolemia might have not only a beneficial effect in terms of controlling atherosclerosis but also potential AAA prevention