Why Consultations? The public participation in water management and local spatial planning in two Polish cases

Despite many novelties in participation: participatory budgeting, citizens jury, deliberatice poll etc. the engagement of different stakeholders’ groups in the decision making processes concerning detailed planning issues (local spatial management plans, water management plans, the preservation management plans of the Natura 2000 sites) is usually based on the organization of open discussion meetings. The study looks at the social consultations regarding acceptance of local spatial management plans managed by Poznań City Hall and consultations concerning the preparation of water management plans managed by Regional Water Management Board in Poznań. The comparative analysis served to exhibit similarities and differences between the processes in terms of legal conditions, the organization of meetings, the length and the scale of the process and the actors engaged

Ecosystem services in environmental discourse – Application of ecosystem services concept in Poland

Wydział SocjologiiGłówną motywacją leżącą u podstaw tej pracy jest przekonanie, że badanie punktów stycznych środowiska społecznego i przyrodniczego jest obecnie ważnym obszarem badań naukowych. Na przestrzeni lat opracowano kompleksowe koncepcje mające na celu zminimalizowanie ryzyka związanego z postępowaniem eksploatacji środowiska przyrodniczego np. koncepcja zrównoważonego rozwoju. Stosunkowo nową propozycją w tym zakresie jest koncepcja usług ekosystemów (ES) - różnych korzyści, jakie ludzie swobodnie czerpią ze środowiska przyrodniczego, np. las dostarcza grzybów. Jednakże niewiele wiadomo na temat zakresu, w jakim koncepcja ES jest wykorzystywana w procesie decyzyjnym. Bazując na tej motywacji, głównym celem pracy doktorskiej jest krytyczne podjęcie istotnego, ale dotychczas niezbadanego problemu badawczego: Jak koncepcja ES jest obecna w dyskursie środowiskowym w Polsce? Przeprowadzona w ramach tej pracy analiza ogólnopolskiego procesu konsultacji społecznych z udziałem różnych grup interesariuszy, wykazała, że w przypadku Polski, kraju, w którym w ciągu ostatnich 30 lat zaszło wiele reform systemu ochrony środowiska, koncepcja ES jest przydatnym narzędziem do zarządzania konfliktami oraz wdrażania polityki i zarządzania obszarami chronionymi. Pomimo tego, że koncepcja ES ma pewne słabe strony (np. niejasność), umożliwia ona różnym grupom interesariuszy (np. leśnikom, organizacjom pozarządowym, sektorowi prywatnemu) wspólne podejmowanie kwestii przyszłości obszarów chronionych, np. Natura 2000.The main motivation behind this work is the conviction that the study of social and environmental areas intersection is nowadays an important activity. Over the years, comprehensive concepts have been conceived aiming at minimizing the risks associated with exploitative development e. g. sustainability. A relatively new proposal of such a concept is the concept of ecosystem services (ES) - the various benefits that humans freely gain from the natural environment e. g. a forest provides mushrooms. However, little is known about the extent to which the concept of ES is utilized in decision making. Following the motivation, the general aim of this dissertation is to critically examine a significant but yet unexplored research problem: How does the concept of ES be present in the environmental discourse in Poland? The analysis of the Polish nation-wide consultation process with broad stakeholder involvement showed that, for Poland’s case, a country reforming and consolidating its environment protection system, the ES concept is a handy tool by offering a reference for conflict management and for policy implementation and management of protected areas. Although ES concept has some weaknesses (e.g. vagueness), it enables stakeholders from opposing stakeholders groups (e.g., foresters, NGOs, the private sector) to deliberate about the future of protected areas e. g. Natura 2000

Synthesis and characterization of mesoporous silica: laboratory exercises for students

Synthesis and characterization of SBA-15 were proposed as a laboratory course: linked series of exercises for graduate students. The standard preparation method was modified to fit a typical schedule of students’ classes, that is, 3-hours units every second week. The properties of materials obtained by different students’ groups were compared with the properties of materials obtained by means of a standard method

The influence of pregnant women's physical activity on selected perinatal parameters

AIM OF THE PAPER: Evaluation of influence of physical activity on selected perinatal parameters. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included 300 women in physiological pregnancy. The group was divided to physical active and non-physical active women by KAPAS survey which they fill out retrospectively. Both groups were identical in counts. Selected perinatal parameters were monitored such as: increase of body mass, in which week the pregnancy ended, necessity of using induction labor or supply with synthetic oxytocin and crotch injuries. The respondents of both groups fill up the KAPAS questionnaire second time up to 7 days after labor to assess physical activity during pregnancy. RESULTS: Both groups were homogenic in terms of somatic features. Increase of body mass was statistically significant lover in group of physically active women compare to non-active women. Birth mass of infant was significantly higher in the group of physically non-active women. It was proved that there is significant differences in physical activity during pregnancy between both groups. There were dependency between age and delivery term in physically active women. There were strong relationship between week when the pregnancy ended and necessity of using induction labor in both groups. There were no relationship between supplying with synthetic oxytocin during labor, crotch injuries and physical activity. CONCLUSION: Physical activity during pregnancy decreased the percentage of labor with inductive delivery and prevents weight gain during pregnancy. Women that were active before pregnancy sustained there physical activity during pregnancy. Women that weren’t active before pregnancy also weren’t active during pregnancy. Physical activity have no relationship with crotch injury or necessity of using synthetic oxytocin during labor

e-Participation: application of a web survey as a participatory tool

Rozwój technologii informatycznych w ciągu ostatnich 25 lat zmienił kontekst i praktykę partycypacji. Pojawiło się pojęcie „e-partycypacja”, które oznacza interakcję między sferą społeczeństwa obywatelskiego a formalną sferą polityki i administracji za pośrednictwem technologii informatycznych. W artykule przedstawiono funkcje e-partycypacji, stosowane narzędzia, a także krytykę tego sposobu angażowania obywateli. Następnie naszkicowano sytuację e-partycypacji w Polsce oraz szczegółowy przypadek sondażu internetowego w Poznaniu, który wykorzystywany jest jako narzędzie konsultacyjne. Na koniec przedstawiono wnioski oparte na analizie stosowania sondażu internetowego jako narzędzia e-partycypacji. Sondaże przeprowadzone w Poznaniu mogą zostać zaliczone do sondaży nieprobabilistycznych, a konkretnie – do sondaży opierających się na dobrowolnym uczestnictwie każdego, kto się zgłosi. Sondaże internetowe spełniały głównie funkcję aktywizacyjną. Pomagają one zatem w emancypacji wykluczonych grup społecznych („dają głos” mieszkańcom) oraz zapewniają lepszą legitymizację decyzji. W mniejszym stopniu przyczyniają się do poprawy jakości podejmowanych decyzji i poprawy działania administracji. Realizowanie tych dwóch ostatnich funkcji wymagałoby większej dbałości o probabilistyczny charakter prób.The development of information and communication technologies over the last 25 years has changed the context and practice of participation. There emerged the concept of e-participation, meaning the interaction between the sphere of civil society and the formal sphere of politics and administration, through information technology. The paper presents the functions of e-participation, the tools used and the criticism raised at this method of engaging citizens. Further, e-participation practice in Poland is introduced with a detailed case of web surveys in Poznań which are used as a consultation tool. Finally, the conclusions are offered, based on an analysis of the useof web surveys as a tool of e-participation. The surveys carried out in Poznań can be classified as based on non-probabilistic sampling. They rely on the voluntary participation of respondents who come forward. Internet surveys meet the mostly activation. Thus, they empowered marginalized social groups (‘give voice’ to inhabitants) gave greater legitimacy to decisions. To a lesser extent, this tool contributed to improving the quality of decision making and to an improvement in the workings of the administration. The implementation of the latter two functions would require greater attention to the probabilistic characteristic of the sampling

Development of the descending colon during the human foetal period

The growth, changes in shape, topography and relation to the peritoneum of the descending colon were assessed on the basis of material taken from 178 foetuses of both sexes, aged from 72 to 236 days of pregnancy. The statistical analysis method demonstrated that the descending colon growth process occurs about a month earlier in female foetuses as compared to male ones. From the statistical point of view, the longitudinal growth of the descending colon significantly slows down in the 7th and 8th months of pregnancy, while the width of this part of the large intestine increases sharply towards the end of the foetal development period. The statistically important process of the descending colon rising over the surface of the left kidney and adrenal gland was noticed in male foetuses. This occurs approximately one month earlier in female foetuses as compared to males. The ascent of this part of the colon is accompanied by a change in its shape from straight, to curved and, finally, to wavy in the oldest age group of male foetuses. The changes in relation to the peritoneum are manifest in a gradual change in the position of this section of the intestine from the intraperitoneal, where more than 40% of the cases examined had a fully movable mesentery, to the extraperitoneal, with 14% of foetuses having a mesentery in the 8th month of pregnancy