Nursing graduates are required to have both excellent theoretical and practical skills that should be used during stressful emergency interventions. Since the received knowledge should be practiced to gain skills and trained to achieve competences, simulation exercises can be beneficial to even reduce the stress that each individual may face during emergency management of patients. A total of 146 first-year nursing students participated in the study, including 124 women and 22 men aged between 19 and 50 years, with a mean age of 32 years. The objective method estimated psychophysiological parameters (serum cortisol). Objective and subjective methods were used. The subjective method assessed stress experienced by students based on the standardized Stress Appraisal Questionnaire Version B for dispositional assessment. The study was conducted in the Monoprofile Medical Simulation Centre at the University of Economics and Innovation in Lublin, Poland and was approved by the University Research Ethics Committee. Both participants under and over 25 years of age showed increased levels of stress after low and high-fidelity simulations, with statistically significantly higher stress levels found for the low fidelity method. Low-fidelity simulation methods generated a greater increase in cortisol levels, indicating a higher stress level than the high-fidelity methods. The analysis of the scores obtained in the Stress Appraisal Questionnaire (KOS-B) showed that higher cortisol levels after the low-fidelity simulation reduced the subjective perception of a threat, while higher cortisol levels before the high-fidelity simulation promoted higher intellectual activity among the students. Levels of stress in the education of nursing students using low and high-fidelity methods can limit the sense of threat and activate professional task performance. The use of low and high-fidelity simulation does not generate destructive stress levels.

Risky behaviors are influenced by a variety of internal and external factors, including self-esteem, which reflects an individual’s global evaluation of their worth. This study aimed to assess the relationship between self-esteem and risky behaviors among adults in Poland, examining how sociodemographic factors, including occupation and family background, contribute to these behaviors. This cross-sectional study was conducted from October to December 2023, involving 320 residents of Poland aged 16 to 68 years. Participants were selected through convenience sampling in public locations and surveyed using Rosenberg self-esteem scale and Zuckerman sensation seeking scale. Statistical analyses included the Mann–Whitney U test, Kruskal–Wallis test, Pearson correlation, and logistic regression to explore the relationships between self-esteem, risky behaviors, and sociodemographic variables, including interaction effects. Most participants demonstrated average self-esteem (41.56%) and low levels of risky behavior (55.94%). A weak positive correlation was observed between age and self-esteem (R = 0.162, P = .004), while risky behavior showed a negative correlation with age (r = ‐0.279, P < .001). Participants in nonmedical professions exhibited significantly higher risky behavior scores compared to those in medical professions (P = .013). Family history of alcohol addiction was associated with lower self-esteem (P = .044). Logistic regression analysis confirmed that higher self-esteem significantly reduced the likelihood of risky behaviors (odds ratio [OR] = 0.75, P = .012), while older age (OR = 0.92, P < .001) and working in a medical profession served as additional protective factors. In contrast, respondents in nonmedical professions showed a significantly higher tendency toward risk engagement (OR = 1.45, P = .009). A significant borderline interaction was observed between self-esteem and gender (P = .061). Higher self-esteem was associated with a reduced likelihood of engaging in risky behaviors, with age, occupation, and family history also influencing outcomes. These findings highlight the importance of promoting self-esteem, particularly among younger adults and those in high-risk occupations, as part of public health strategies. Future research should include mental health variables and explore targeted interventions to address both psychological and occupational contributors to risky behaviors.

The aim of the article is the analysis of the ground temperature distribution to a depth of 2 m, and long term ground temperature changes in which horizontal heat exchanger is arranged. Moreover, the temperature changes of glycol, which is supplied to the heat pump connected to the ground exchanger, were analyzed. The horizontal heat exchanger is made of PE 32 mm pipes arranged at a depth of 1.5 m in the form of 4 meandering loops, each about 100 m long, arranged on an area of approximately 780 m². The ground heat exchanger supplies a 10kW heat pump, which provides heat for central heating and hot tap water for a single-family building. The facility is located in transitional climate of Lublin province, Poland. The temperature profile was measured with 2 m long probes, each with 5 temperature sensors enabling to perform measurements at ground depths of 0, 50, 100, 150 and 200 cm. The temperature and mass flows of the glycol flowing through the ground exchanger were measured at the heat pump metering equipment. The research covered the heating season from November to March. The results showed a slow and systematic reduction in the temperature of the glycol supplied to the heating installations during the season on average from 10 °C to 4 °C, as well as the temperature of the ground at each analyzed depth. At a depth of 50, 100, 150 and 200 cm, the temperature reduction was 9.7-3.0 °C, 11.0-3.5 °C, 11.9-4.0 °C and 12.3-4.5 °C, respectively. There was no risk of ground freezing in the vicinity of the heat exchanger. The influence of the outside temperature to the ground temperature fluctuations is insignificant at a depth of 150 cm. Ground temperature changes on heat exchanger depth are proportional to the time of low outdoor temperatures during the season and the total energy derived from ground by the heat exchanger.

In this article, an analysis of the numerical results obtained during the design of ground heat exchangers (GHE) installation for a heat pump system, as well as the results of flow measurements in the installed system are presented. The GHE system consists of 24 vertical 100-meter U-tube probes made of PE-Xa material with a diameter of 40×3.7 mm. The system is connected in Tichelmann configuration. The correctly performed installation allows obtaining real operating parameters in accordance with the design assumptions. The Tichelmann connections of ground exchanger enable uniform glycol flows without the need for hydraulic balancing of the installation. The non-uniformity of the flow between the GHE loops is on average 18.8% in relation to the mean flow velocity of the glycol. The lack of throttling for control purposes translates into significantly lower hydraulic resistance of the ground heat exchanger installation, which in turn may translate into lower operating costs in the case of circulation pumps. Irrespective of the size of the stream pumped through the distribution lines, the flow of glycol through individual loops was also uniform.