Establishment and Development of the Agricultural Cluster „Polish Nature"

orchardists. This was a rare initiative in Poland, completely bottom-up, not inspired by state or local government administrations, although after its establishment the cluster enjoyed and enjoys the support of the municipal authorities. The discussion on the necessary further development of agriculture towards the consolidation of local resources began among orchardists, local government officials, entrepreneurs and scientists in the second half of 2014. The venue for the discussion was the village of Lipie in the Municipality of Błędów. The initiator and organizer of the first meetings was the author of the article, who led to the formation of a team of people interested in the issues of the necessary reform in agriculture. The immediate inspiration for the Initiator Group was the deteriorating conditions of orchard farms and the concept of introducing an organizational culture based on a high capital of social trust. The text discusses the subsequent phases of the cluster’s activities and the troubles it encountered in the later phase of its operations. Despite these troubles, the cluster exists and produces healthy fruits under the 'Amela' brand. The article concludes with a SWOT analysis of the municipality of Błędów

LOADS OF LOWER LIMB JOINTS DURING BICYCLE RIDE

Abstract: This work features a geometric and static analysis of the lower limb during bicycle ride. Basic dimensions are indicated, which are necessary for the description of movement geometry. The simplified flat model was adopted for the analysis. Using the transformation of Denavit-Hartenberg frames, vectors were developed for the position of the rotation axis of the joints in immovable frame. The inverse kinematics problem was solved. The course of displacement changes in the ankle joint was adopted as an angle function for crankset position, based on experimental research results, published in professional literature. The course was approximated with fifth grade polynomial. Joint displacements and loads were established. A sample calculation is presented, illustrating the subject computational algorithm

The Challenges of Ukraine's European Choice in the Context of the Kremlin's Neo-Imperialist Policies During Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Presidency

This article attempts to analyse the situation in Ukraine in the face of ongoing Russian aggression and increasing pressure from the Kremlin towards Eastern European states. The armed conflict taking place in Ukraine means that the geostrategic situation of Eastern Europe has changed. In this context, the Eastern Partnership, which was meant to be one of the key instruments shaping international relations with the states neighbouring the EU in the East, is quite often seen as an ineffective or even obsolete tool. There can be no doubt that the greatest problem for the Eastern Partnership is that the project is seen in geopolitical categories - thinking of the countries of the Eastern Partnership in the context of the necessity for them to choose between the European Union and Russia (listening to statements by the EU’s political decision-makers, it can often seem that those states have no other option). The key research question is whether we will be dealing with an assertive EU policy in tandem with current US policy, or whether there will be another reset in relations between the West and the Russian Federation

General technical remarks on ^{1}HMRS translational research in 7T

Purpose: The aim of the work was to share the practical experience of preclinical and clinical proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1HMRS) studies conducted using a 7-Tesla magnetic field strength scanner, taking into account the specificity of both settings in the context of translational research. Material and methods: 1HMRS volunteer studies conducted using a Discovery 950 GE 7T scanner, were carried out with PRESS sequence, and a VOI measuring 2.0 × 2.0 × 2.0 cm3 placed in the white matter at the parietal occipital lobe. Rodent spectra obtained using a 7T Bruker were measured with PRESS, with a VOI 2.0 × 2.0 × 5.5 mm3 placed over the hippocampus. Results: 1HMRS data from humans and rats show that the brain spectra obtained in the same field are characterised by a similar neurochemical structure and spectral resolution. Spectra obtained from rats demonstrate the following metabolites: NAA, Glu, Gln, Ins, Cho, Cr, PCr, Tau, GABA, Lac, NAAG, and Asp. In turn, spectra from humans allowed estimation of the following metabolites: Ala, NAA, Glu, Gln, Ins, Cho, Cr, PCr, Tau, GABA, Lac, NAAG, and Asp. Signals from Gln, Glu with chemical shift around 2.4 ppm, from Cr, PCr, and GABA at 3 ppm, and signals from Cho and Tau at approximately 3.2 ppm, can be properly separated and estimated both in humans and in rats. Conclusions: These results are promising in terms of broadening the knowledge of many neurological diseases by inducing them on animal models and then transferring this knowledge to clinical practice. In spite of this, important distinctions in the technical aspects and methodological differences of high-field 1HMRS in both preclinical and clinical conditions should be taken into account

Expert opinion on the creating and operating of the regional Pulmonary Embolism Response Teams (PERT). Polish PERT Initiative

Pulmonary Embolism Response Team (PERT) is a multidisciplinary team established to stratify riskand choose optimal treatment in patients with acute pulmonary embolism (PE). Established for thefirst time at Massachusetts General Hospital in 2013, PERT is based on a concept combining a RapidResponse Team and a Heart Team. The growing role of PERTs in making individual therapeutic decisionsis identified, especially in hemodynamically unstable patients with contraindications to thrombolysis orwith co-morbidities, as well as in patients with intermediate-high risk in whom a therapeutic decisionmay be difficult. The purpose of this document is to define the standards of PERT under Polish conditions,based on the experience of teams already operating in Poland, which formed an agreement calledthe Polish PERT Initiative. The goals of Polish PERT Initiative are: improving the treatment of patientswith PE at local, regional and national levels, gathering, assessing and sharing data on the effectivenessof PE treatment (including various types of catheter-directed therapy), education on optimal treatmentof PE, creating expert documents and supporting scientific research, as well as cooperation with othercommunities and scientific societies

Initial results of investigator initiated international database on catheter directed therapy of acute pulmonary embolism

Background: Catheter directed therapies (CDT) are widely used in the treatment of acute pulmonary embolism (PE). A multicenter registry was organized to evaluate their application in real life and to determine efficacy and safety of these procedures. Local experience of participating centers in percutaneous techniques for PE treatment was assessed. Methods: An internet-based registry was designed to collect clinical, echocardiographic and laboratory data of consecutive PE patients treated with CDT in participating centers between 2017 and 2022. Results: Under analysis were 145 consecutive patients with acute PE, aged 61 ± 15 years, treated with CDT in 7 centers: 50 (34.5%) patients with high-risk PE (HRPE), and 95 (65.5%) patients with intermediate-high risk PE (IHRPE). 100 (69%) patients were treated with dedicated devices, in 45 (31%) subjects a pigtail catheter was used. Total PE or CDT related in-hospital mortality in HRPE reached 14% (7 patients), while in IHRPE 3.2% (3 patients) (p = 0.032). 50% of PE or CDT related deaths occurred in patients treated with a pigtail catheter. All-cause mortality in 145 patients was 9.7%, and it was higher in HRPE than in IHRPE (18% vs. 5.3%, p = 0.019). The use of pigtail catheters compared to dedicated systems was associated with higher mortality (20% vs. 5%, p = 0.01). Conclusions: Catheter directed therapies is a real option of treating PE. It was used as primary therapy also in patients without contraindication for thrombolysis suggesting that clinical practice does not always follow current PE guidelines. Patients treated with dedicated CDT systems had a higher survival rate than subjects treated with pigtail catheters