Objective: to quantitatively assess disturbances of sweet, sour and salty and bitter tastes in a group of young, asymptomatic or oligosymptomatic COVID-19 patients; establish a reliable, sensitive and specific test that can diagnose COVID-19 on the basis of taste disorders and publish the results according to STARD 2015 statement (Standards for Reporting Diagnostic Accuracy). Design: case-control study Setting: isolated rooms in the Central Clinical Hospital of the Ministry of the Interior and Administration in Warsaw (which had been transformed into an infectious hospital) and a dormitory in one of Warsaw universities. Participants: 52 SARS-CoV-2 positive (51 men, mean age 21.7 years) and 36 negative students (34 men, mean age 20.8 years). Main outcome measures: a gustatory function assessment (sweet, salty, sour and bitter taste), with flavour concentrations established previously in healthy subjects was conducted for all subjects. Each participant received one tasteless reference and nine flavour tablets with sucrose concentrations of 40, 80 and 106.4 mg/ml; NaCl at 13.5, 17 and 27 mg/ml; ascorbic acid at 6.25 and 12.5 mg/ml and grapefruit extract at 40 mg/ml. Results: the only taste that was impaired significantly more frequently in COVID-19 patients was the sweet taste at the lowest flavour concentration (40 mg/ml, p = 0.002). Different screening and diagnostic models were constructed using the examined variables. The highest accuracy screening test consisted of the positive result of a three-question questionnaire (self-reported loss of taste, self-reported loss of smell, or fever within the last month (positive if at least one present) and/or ageusia of sweet taste at a sucrose concentration of 40 mg/ml. The sensitivity of the model was 94% with a specificity of 55%. The highest accuracy diagnostic test consisted of ageusia of sweet taste at a sucrose concentration of 106.4 mg/ml or/and ageusia of salty taste at an NaCl concentration of 13.5 or 17 mg/ml. The specificity of the test was found to be 100%, and the sensitivity was 34%. Conclusion: as the most effective way of controlling the present pandemic involves testing the wider population for symptomatic, oligosymptomatic and asymptomatic carriers of SARSCoV-2 and isolating or hospitalising infected subjects, in the present study, an inexpensive, simple, fast and sensitive (94%) screening test that can be used for such a purpose is proposed. In addition, a specific (100%) diagnostic test that could be used to refer patients to quarantine in the case of limited availability of genetic or serological tests is proposed.

Many countries lack clear legal requirements on the distance between buildings and petrol station facilities. The regulations in force directly determine the petrol station facilities’ required distance to buildings, and such distances are considered relevant for newly designed and reconstructed buildings. Public buildings must be located no closer than 60 m to the above-ground liquefied gas tanks and liquid gas dispensers. Still, based on engineering calculations and the applied technical measures, it is possible to determine a safe distance for buildings that are constructed, extended and reconstructed, to which superstructures are added or whose utilisation method changes. The paper presents the results of calculations devoted to determining a safe distance between public buildings and LPG filling station facilities, using selected analytical models. The analyses were carried out for the LPG gas system commonly used in petrol stations, consisting of two gas storage tanks of 4.85 m³ capacity each, and a dispenser. It is legitimate to eliminate the obligation to observe the 60 m distance between LPG filling stations and public buildings and the mandatory distance of 60 m between liquefied gas dispensers and public buildings is not justified in light of the implemented requirements to use various protections at self-service liquefied gas filling stands.

Background and Objectives: The early information on both the speed and high morbidity rate and, above all, mortality triggered the symptoms of COVID-19-related panic and anxiety. Dentists were listed in the top five professions with the highest risk of transmission of the virus. The aim of the present study was to investigate the correlation between the fear level of COVID-19 and sociodemographic variables in Polish dentists. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted via an online survey questionnaire with seven statements in the COVID-19 Fear Scale (FCV-19S). The online questionnaire was completed by 356 dentists. The SPSS and PQStat were used to analyze, validate, and assess correlations and logistic regression. Results: In the studied population of dentists, the perceived level of anxiety associated with COVID-19 should be considered relatively low. When the respondents had children, lived with the elderly, or looked after them, the observed level of anxiety was higher, and physical symptoms, such as sweating palms and increased heart rate, occurred. Conclusions: Studies concerning the anxiety level related to COVID-19 carried out among Polish dentists ascertained that the tested level of anxiety among dentists was relatively low. The COVID-19 Fear Scale (FCV-19S) adjusted to the Polish language requirements is a reliable tool that can be used effectively for analyzing the impact of any pandemic on the Polish-speaking population.

The education of society regarding safety is in fact the cheapest, smartest and most effective form of preventing danger. It constitutes a fundamental way of building the population’s safety. It also has a great influence upon the attitudes, values, knowledge and skills required for proper behaviour in case of danger.The article describes the education process consisting in the transfer of knowledge and teaching skills in order to take specific actions, as well as forms and tools to raise the level of social awareness, especially in terms of perceiving actions, and a list of references showing the flow of social research, its purpose, and the tools used. Most of the elements, however, are shown in the list of possibilities to use tools on a very large scale, in the form of social campaigns. An example is given of a practical approach to all departments and goals for raising the level of social opinion in Transcarpathia and of hazadrs occurring in that area and ways to counteract them.

The aim of the article is to analyze the key differences and similarities between the concepts of resilience and resistance in security studies and to assess their practical implications for crisis management. Resilience, defined as a system’s ability to adapt and reorganize in the face of threats, is contrasted with resistance, which focuses on stability and protection against disruptions. The article presents the theoretical foundations of both concepts. The analysis highlights the need to integrate both approaches to build more resilient and adaptive communities. Additionally, the importance of developing holistic assessment tools, such as the Holistic Community Resilience Assessment System (HCRAS), is emphasized to enable comprehensive risk management. The study’s findings underscore the potential synergy between resilience and resistance in the context of long-term security enhancement.

Objectives: Safety management is a specific process, which should take into account building societal resistance based on flexibility and elasticity of its components. The goal of the paper is to present resilience indices/measures with coexistence of stability and change as well a specific...