Potential Effects of Industrial Air Pollution and Wood-Product Supply and Demand, and Structure of the Wood-Products Industry, in Poland

This study aimed to determine potential changes in the production structure of the wood-processing industry up to 2020, resulting from unfavorable impact of industrial pollutants upon forests in Poland. The paper consists of four chapters. In the first section, forecasts of consumer demand for forest products, based on patterns of actual demand, are presented. The structure of industrial demand for wood assortments, and the degree to which it is met, are the topics of the second chapter. In the third chapter, we present forecasts of the possibilities of wood-raw-material consumption by industry with regard to the unfavorable impact of industrial pollution. The last chapter contains forecasts of production regarding foreseen changes in the structure of the wood-processing industry, taking into account qualitative changes in wood raw-material and expected changes in techniques and technology. Our results show that, up to 2020, negative effects of industrial pollutants on forests will have a significant influence on the degree of meeting consumer demands for wood products

Wood Quality in Pine Stands Damaged by Industrial Pollutants in Poland

Information on the impact of industrial air pollutants on forest stands aid consequences on wood quality are a little mixed up and misleading. Some experiments made on pines 130-230 years old did not reveal serious changes of wood quality. In this work, we present results of investigations on wood from 60-year-old pine trees which were under the influence of air pollutants for about 40 years. Such pine stands, of an age near the mean for the present forests in Poland, were the basis for some evaluations of financial losses in Poland due to the effects of air pollution on forests. Detailed data on the properties of the pine wood, which were the basis of the above-mentioned calculations, are also presented. The factors influencing economic losses are given based on the findings presented

My Baby's Movements: An assessment of the effectiveness of the My Baby's Movements phone program in reducing late-gestation stillbirth rates

Background: Delayed reporting of decreased fetal movements (DFM) could repre- sent a missed opportunity to prevent stillbirth. Mobile phone applications (apps) have the potential to improve maternal awareness and reporting of DFM and con- tribute to stillbirth prevention. Aims: To evaluate the effectiveness of the My Baby's Movements (MBM) app on late-gestation stillbirth rates. Materials and Methods: The MBM trial evaluated a multifaceted fetal movements awareness package across 26 maternity services in Australia and New Zealand be- tween 2016 and 2019. In this secondary analysis, generalised linear mixed models were used to compare rates of late-gestation stillbirth, obstetric interventions, and neonatal outcomes between app users and non-app users including calendar time, cluster, primiparity and other potential confounders as fixed effects, and hospital as a random effect. Results: Of 140 052 women included, app users comprised 9.8% (n = 13 780). The stillbirth rate was not significantly lower among app users (1.67/1000 vs 2.29/1000) (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 0.79; 95% CI 0.51–1.23). App users were less likely to have a preterm birth (aOR 0.81; 0.75–0.88) or a composite adverse neonatal out- come (aOR 0.87; 0.81–0.93); however, they had higher rates of induction of labour (IOL) (aOR 1.27; 1.22–1.32) and early term birth (aOR 1.08; 1.04–1.12). Conclusions: The MBM app had low uptake and its use was not associated with stillbirth rates but was associated with some neonatal benefit, and higher rates of IOL and early term birth. Use and acceptability of tools designed to promote fetal movement awareness is an important knowledge gap. The implications of increased IOL and early term births warrant consideration in future studies.Sarah Skalecki, Harriet Lawford, Glenn Gardener, Michael Coory, Billie Bradford, Kara Warrilow, Aleena M. Wojcieszek, Tionie Newth, Megan Weller, Joanne M. Said, Fran M. Boyle, Christine East, Adrienne Gordon, Philippa Middleton, David Ellwood and Vicki Flenad