Funkcjonalność leśnych dojazdów pożarowych i punktów czerpania wody w ocenie pracowników Państwowej Straży Pożarnej

Goal: The main goal of this article was the evaluation of the applicable legal regulations in the field of fire access roads and fire department connections in forests. It was carried out by employees of municipal and district State Fire Service (PSP) departments. An additional goal was to explore the relationship between the characteristics of forest areas and the responses given by respondents to the questions in the questionnaire. Introduction: It has been 20 years since the introduction of the obligation to establish fire access roads in forest areas. Fire access roads are an extremely important element of the fire protection infrastructure in forest complexes, providing the basis for planning and organising rescue and firefighting operations. Fire access roads also function as the backbone of the transport network necessary to carry out all management tasks in any forest complex. Requirements for the specifications of fire access roads are provided in general laws and, in the case of State Forests, in industry regulations. Now that twenty years that have passed since the first set of requirements for forest fire protection systems was formulated for all forests regardless of their ownership form, it seems reasonable to try to reassess their relevance. Methods: The authors analysed the data collected during a survey of employees of municipal and district State Fire Service departments from all across Poland. The survey questionnaire consisted of 10 main questions – mostly multiple-choice, with the option of adding comments. The information obtained from the surveys served as the basis for creating a database in which the responses from individual departments were grouped by province on the basis of five criteria: terrain, location on the east-west axis, forest cover, average number of fires between 2013 and 2017, and the share of private forests. The significance of the correlation between these variables was tested using the chi-square test of independence, and the correlations were checked using the Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient. Results: In the opinion of the respondents, the applicable laws in the area of forest fire protection were in most cases sufficient for the purposes of preventive operations, active protection, and rescue operations. Survey results indicate that the expected changes in regulations are related primarily to the bearing capacity of fire access road surfaces and methods of arranging fire department connections. In addition, respondents emphasised the problem of the distance between fire access roads. Respondents did not show so much agreement on the other investigated issues. But the majority of them confirmed that the applicable regulations were reasonable and needed to be strictly enforced. Conclusions: The applicable requirements contained in the provisions of commonly applicable law and industry guidelines regarding fire access roads and fire department connections in forest areas, in the opinion of employees of municipal and district State Fire Service departments, were generally appropriate to support fast, efficient and safe firefighting operations in forest areas. The most serious doubts among respondents as to the relevance of the existing solutions pertained to the bearing capacity of fire access road surfaces and the arrangement of fire department connections. Opinions about forest fire protection elements in Poland, as formed by PSP employees, are, to a limited extent, affected by such features of their work environment as geographical location, terrain, forest cover, and ownership structure of forests.Cel: Zasadniczym celem artykułu była ewaluacja obecnie obowiązujących regulacji prawnych w zakresie dojazdów pożarowych i punktów czerpania wody w lasach przeprowadzona przez pracowników miejskich i powiatowych komend Państwowej Straży Pożarnej. Celem dodatkowym było zweryfikowanie zależności pomiędzy cechami obszarów leśnych a formułowanymi przez respondentów odpowiedziami na postawione w kwestionariuszu ankiety pytania. Wprowadzenie: Od wprowadzenia obowiązku wyznaczania dojazdów pożarowych na terenach leśnych mija 20 lat. Dojazdy pożarowe stanowią niezmiernie ważny element infrastruktury przeciwpożarowej kompleksów leśnych, dając podstawę planowania i organizowania akcji ratowniczo-gaśniczych w lasach. Dojazdy pożarowe pełnią również funkcję szkieletu sieci komunikacyjnej niezbędnego do realizacji wszystkich zadań gospodarczych w danym kompleksie leśnym. Wymagania odnośnie parametrów dojazdów pożarowych znajdują się w aktach prawa powszechnego jak również, w przypadku Państwowego Gospodarstwa Leśnego Lasy Państwowe, w regulacjach branżowych. Dwadzieścia lat, jakie upłynęło od sformułowania pierwszego zbioru wymagań stawianych elementom zabezpieczenia przeciwpożarowego lasów niezależnie od formy ich własności,wydaje się być dobrą okazją do podjęcia próby oceny ich aktualności. Metody: Analizie poddano dane zebrane podczas ankietowania pracowników miejskich i powiatowych komend Państwowej Straży Pożarnej z terenu całego kraju. Kwestionariusz ankiety składał się z 10 głównych pytań – w większości o charakterze zamkniętym z możliwością dodawania własnych komentarzy. Informacje pozyskane z ankiet posłużyły za podstawę utworzenia bazy danych, w której odpowiedzi z poszczególnych komend pogrupowano wg województw z uwzględnieniem pięciu kryteriów: ukształtowania terenu, położenia w osi wschód-zachód, lesistości, średniej liczby pożarów w pentadzie lat 2013–2017 oraz udziału lasów prywatnych. Istotność korelacji pomiędzy zmiennymi badano za pomocą testu niezależności chi-kwadrat, a współzależności sprawdzono z użyciem współczynnika korelacji rang Spearmana. Wyniki: W ocenie respondentów obecnie obowiązujące przepisy z obszaru zasad zabezpieczenia przeciwpożarowego lasów w większości są wystarczające do prowadzenia działań profilaktycznych, pełnienia czynnej ochrony oraz przeprowadzania akcji ratunkowych. Wyniki badań wskazują, że oczekiwania zmian w regulacjach dotyczą przede wszystkim nośności nawierzchni dojazdów pożarowych i metod organizowania punktów czerpania wody. Ponadto uwypuklono problem odległości między dojazdami pożarowymi. W pozostałych, będących przedmiotem badań kwestiach, ankietowani nie są już tak zgodni, przy czym większość potwierdza słuszność obowiązujących przepisów i konieczność bezwzględnego egzekwowania ich przestrzegania. Wnioski: Obecnie obowiązujące wymagania zawarte w przepisach prawa powszechnego i wytycznych branżowych, dotyczące dojazdów pożarowych i punktów czerpania wody na terenach leśnych, w ocenie pracowników miejskich i powiatowych komend Państwowej Straży Pożarnej w dużej mierze są właściwe dla szybkiego, sprawnego i bezpiecznego prowadzenia akcji gaśniczych na terenach leśnych. Największe wątpliwości wśród respondentów, co do słuszności obowiązujących rozwiązań, wzbudza nośność nawierzchni dojazdów pożarowych oraz organizacja punktów czerpania wody. Na formułowane przez pracowników PSP oceny elementów zabezpieczenia przeciwpożarowego lasów w Polsce w ograniczonym zakresie wpływ mają takie cechy środowiska ich pracy jak położenie geograficzne, ukształtowanie terenu, lesistość i struktura własnościowa lasów

A Pilot Study of Influence of Endurance Training on the Prooxidative and Antioxidant Status of Women after Breast Cancer

The objective of this study was to assess the effect of 8-week long endurance training on the prooxidative–antioxidative status of plasma in women treated for breast cancer. The participants of the study were 12 women after radical mastectomy aged 45 to 56 years (M = 50.6 ± 2.9 years), who had undergone full cancer treatment, on average more than 5 years after the treatment (M = 5.9 ± 0.9 years). Body mass components were measured twice using the method of bioelectric impedance analysis. In order to optimize training loads and to assess the level of exercise tolerance of the participants, the group was subject to an ergospirometric exercise test twice, before (1st) and after (2nd) the completion of the training cycle. The blood was also taken twice for biochemical analyses. Statistically significant differences were noted in the maximum exercise load, the level of which increased in the second test (p < 0.05). No change was observed in the level of antioxidative potential, i.e., the content of some variables, ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP), urea, total phenolics, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), and in the blood indices of the body’s nutritional status during the project (total protein, albumin. Endurance training caused an increase in exercise tolerance and did not cause an aggravation of oxidative stress in women undergoing breast cancer treatment

Physicochemical and Morphological Study of the <i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i> Cell-Based Microcapsules with Novel Cold-Pressed Oil Blends

Vegetable oils rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids are a valuable component of the human diet. Properly composed oil blends are characterized by a 5:1 ratio of ω6/ω3 fatty acids, which is favorable from a nutritional point of view. Unfortunately, their composition makes them difficult to use in food production, as they are susceptible to oxidation and are often characterized by a strong smell. Encapsulation in yeast cells is a possible solution to these problems. This paper is a report on the use of native and autolyzed yeast in the encapsulation of oils. The fatty acid profile, encapsulation efficiency, morphology of the capsules obtained, and thermal behavior were assessed. Fourier transform infrared analysis and low-field nuclear magnetic resonance relaxation time measurements were also performed. The process of yeast autolysis changed the structure of the yeast cell membranes and improved the loading capacity. Lower encapsulation yield was recorded for capsules made from native yeast; the autolysis process significantly increased the value of this parameter. It was observed that NY-based YBMCs are characterized by a high degree of aggregation, which may adversely affect their stability. The average size of the AY capsules for each of the three oil blends was two times smaller than the NY-based capsules. The encapsulation of oils in yeast cells, especially those subjected to the autolysis process, ensured better oxidative stability, as determined by DSC, compared to fresh blends of vegetable oils. From LF NMR analysis of the relaxation times, it was shown that the encapsulation process affects both spin-lattice T1 and spin-spin T2* relaxation times. The T1 time values of the YBMCs decreased relative to the yeast empty cells, and the T2* time was significantly extended. On the basis of the obtained results, it has been proven that highly unsaturated oils can be used as an ingredient in the preparation of functional food via protection through yeast cell encapsulation

Physicochemical and Morphological Study of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae Cell-Based Microcapsules with Novel Cold-Pressed Oil Blends

Vegetable oils rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids are a valuable component of the human diet. Properly composed oil blends are characterized by a 5:1 ratio of &omega;6/&omega;3 fatty acids, which is favorable from a nutritional point of view. Unfortunately, their composition makes them difficult to use in food production, as they are susceptible to oxidation and are often characterized by a strong smell. Encapsulation in yeast cells is a possible solution to these problems. This paper is a report on the use of native and autolyzed yeast in the encapsulation of oils. The fatty acid profile, encapsulation efficiency, morphology of the capsules obtained, and thermal behavior were assessed. Fourier transform infrared analysis and low-field nuclear magnetic resonance relaxation time measurements were also performed. The process of yeast autolysis changed the structure of the yeast cell membranes and improved the loading capacity. Lower encapsulation yield was recorded for capsules made from native yeast; the autolysis process significantly increased the value of this parameter. It was observed that NY-based YBMCs are characterized by a high degree of aggregation, which may adversely affect their stability. The average size of the AY capsules for each of the three oil blends was two times smaller than the NY-based capsules. The encapsulation of oils in yeast cells, especially those subjected to the autolysis process, ensured better oxidative stability, as determined by DSC, compared to fresh blends of vegetable oils. From LF NMR analysis of the relaxation times, it was shown that the encapsulation process affects both spin-lattice T1 and spin-spin T2* relaxation times. The T1 time values of the YBMCs decreased relative to the yeast empty cells, and the T2* time was significantly extended. On the basis of the obtained results, it has been proven that highly unsaturated oils can be used as an ingredient in the preparation of functional food via protection through yeast cell encapsulation