Zeszyt: 2017, vol. 14 / IV / 2
Knowledge of properties of materials deposited in beds of small reservoirs is important, as it can be used for a range of analytic works, concerning river rehabilitation and river management and other similar undertakings. Usually the one property - the d50 value can be obtained using in-situ measurements using sieves but in most cases of preliminary, large scale research may not be feasible. In this paper the Osuch empirical formula for determination of standard sediment grain sizes of d50 is presented. Besides the original formula an improved method of assessing of the slope value for that formula is proposed, which may greatly improve the usefulness of the original, unmodified method. The calculation results are then compared with the in-situ measurements done on many samples taken from the Trzebuńka dam reservoir. The dam was recently partially removed and partially rebuilt, so there was an unique and easy access to wide strata of different layers of sediments, accumulated across many years of dam operation in the exposed bed of partially emptied reservoir. Additionally, the Ratomski formula for riverbed slope determination near dams was used as a reference. The mentioned methods taken together can be used for preliminary analysis before significant ...
The survey carried out among university students has proved that they choose the forest as a place to spend their leisure time mostly in the spring (13.2%) and in the summer (21.2%). Students declare that they relaxed in the forest even a few times a week. Apart from recreation (walking - 61.6%, picking mushrooms - 37%), they engage in health improving activities, including sport (29.4%). Young people (especially town dwellers - 40.2%) decide go to the forest to get away from everyday routine (33.9%) in search of peace and quiet surroundings (40.5%). They do not have any specific preferences for the type of forest (50.1%), they feel good in mixed forests (31.9%), however. Since the forms of activity most frequently indicated by students are hiking and biking, they notice poor infrastructure of forest areas (lack of marked hiking routes - 14.3% and bicycle lanes - 12.5%). Respondents are familiar with the condition of forests in the proximity of the place of their residence (81.6%), considering it as basically good (75.9%). However, their knowledge of the natural environment protection forms and fire protection rules is definitely insufficient. ...
The research described in this article was conducted in the Tatra National Park in Poland, which is considered as one of the most-visited national parks in Europe. The exceptional popularity of this place is responsible for intensification of morphogenetic processes, resulting in the development of numerous forms of erosion. This article presents the outcomes of the research whose purpose was to verify the usability of unmanned aerial vehicles to check the condition of hiking trails and forests in alpine areas. An octocopter equipped with a non-metric camera was used for measurements. The paper sketches the methodology of data acquisition in harsh conditions and demanding locations of hiking trails on steep Tatra slopes. The paper also describes stages that lead to elaboration of basic photogrammetric products relying on SfM (Structure from Motion) technique. Finally, it shows the applicability of the prepared products to the evaluation of erosion along hiking trails, and to the study of plant succession or tree stand condition in the area located next to hiking trails. ...
It has been estimated that over 80% of forest areas in Poland is threatened with fire. Due to the number of fires and burned area, Poland is counted to the group of European countries where fires break out the most frequently. On average, each year and mostly because of human activity, almost 8.5 thousand fires break out resulting in over 7 thousand ha of burned forest area. Many scientists forecast that the climate warming, decline in precipitation amount and prolonging rainless periods will enhance fire risk in forests, which will translate itself not only into an increase in the number of fires, but also will favour their intensive spreading. The aim of presented paper is estimating the operational efficiency of the fire protection system in Polish forests and the effectiveness of fire extinguishing actions in forests, but also recognition of the effect of the forest area management type on fire statistics. Following data series were investigated: of the number of fires, the burned forest area and average fire area for the years 1990-2016 for the forests under the management of the State Forests National Forest Holding (State Forests NFH) and other managements. Determined trends were analysed by means of Mann-Kendall ...
The aim of this study was to compare colonization of pine chips without supplements and pine chips supplemented with forest litter, peat and lignite by mites (Acari), and particularly oribatid mites (Oribatida) in a two-year cycle. The study was conducted in the years 2013-2014, on microplots established in a belt of trees in a nursery in Białe Błota within Bydgoszcz Forest District. The experiment was established on four microplots (1 x 1 m). It included the following variants: C - pine chips alone, Lf - pine chips inoculated with fresh forest litter, Lf+Pe - pine chips enriched with deacidified high peat (20%) (pH 5.5-6.5) and inoculated with the litter, Lf+Li - pine chips enriched with granulated lignite (20%) inoculated with the litter.In the first year of the study, mite abundance in the chips inoculated with forest litter was significantly higher than that on microplot C. In the second year of the experiment, the abundance of these microarthropods decreased probably due to unfavorable weather conditions. The most common group of mites were usually oribatid mites that accounted for 19.7 to 80.4% of all mites. An analysis of seasonal dynamics of Oribatida abundance over the entire study cycle revealed a clear increase ...
In this article, selected physical and chemical properties of water originating from melted snow collected in the area of the city of Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski (Poland) in January 2017 were determined. The analysed samples of snow were collected at 18 measurement sites located along the axis of cardinal directions of the world and with a central point in the urban area of Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski in January 2017. Chemical composition was determined using the Dionex ICS 3000 Ion Chromatograph at the Environmental Research Laboratory of the Chair of Environmental Protection and Modelling at the Jan Kochanowski University in Kielce. The obtained results indicated a substantial contribution of pollutants produced by a local steelworks in the chemical composition of melted snow. ...
As fuel for fuel cells can be used various substances, but generally fuel cells are powered by hydrogen. However, problems with the storage of hydrogen are the reason for the search of new fuels for fuel cells. Moreover, annually are produced huge amount of waste oils. These oils must be directed to purification and processing. It would be important to use waste engine oil as fuel for fuel cell to direct electricity production without intermediate stage e.g. combustion. The paper presents the possibility of using waste engine oil as fuel for fuel cell. The oil does not have the feature of electrical conductivity, for this reason a detergent was used for dissolving oil in an electrolyte. So, the work shows possible electrooxidation of waste engine oil (Turdus 15W40 from agriculture machinery) emulsion on a platinum electrode in an aqueous solution of H2SO4. Researches were done by the method of polarizing curves of electrooxidation of waste engine oil emulsion in glass vessel, on a smooth platinum electrode with potentiostat. In any case, the process of electrooxidation of waste engine oil emulsion occurred. A current density of about 6-20 mA/cm2 was obtained for all concentrations of waste engine oil. The highest results ...
Following the torrential rain and floods that occurred between 1997 and 2010, there has been an emergence of new and previously activated processes related to soil and rock landslides in the Polish Carpathians. In light of the damage incurred by landslides, there is a problem with the thorough diagnosis of the nature of phenomena and thus the development of methods to prevent landslides in the future. This article discusses the problem of surveying landslide areas. It highlights the possibility of using photogrammetric methods for digital imaging, as well as determines the dimensions when estimating the mass of buildings within the area of a landslide, with particular emphasis on the use of an unmanned aerial system (UAS). The described method for obtaining processing images involves a non-metric camera mounted on a UAS. The designed projections centre on individual images and elements of angular orientation and the camera interior. This enables the creation and texturing of a triangulated irregular network (TIN) model. The final result in this work is a digital surface model (DSM) and an orthophotomap. It was found that characteristic land types have been occurring in the landslide substrate with key parameters determining their properties. This enabled the determination of ...
Today, the more and more intensive use of natural resources and consequent environmental degradation have made the issue of sustainable development a central place in many discussions going on in scientific circles. In this light, ecological awareness, as well as pro-ecological attitudes and behaviors of people seem to be only too significant. The aim of this article is to present the results of research conducted among the inhabitants of the Municipality of Zawadzkie, Opole Voivodeship. The study examined the relation between the level of environmental awareness and manifestations of environmental attitudes and behaviors. The obtained results were also subjected to a comparative analysis of two groups of respondents: inhabitants of towns and villages. The study did not show any significant differences between residents of towns and villages in terms of their ecological awareness and environmental attitudes and behaviors. It can therefore be concluded that changes in the sphere of awareness and specific environmental actions that are being taken in the surveyed community are not related to the place of residence. Residents of towns and villages have a similar access to knowledge and cultural changes concern both groups. It is worth pointing out that awareness as such and knowledge of the ...
One of the main problems of urbanization is the continuous growth of sealed surfaces. Impermeable surfaces i.e. roofs, roads or pavements have dominated land cover, increasing surface runoff and limiting groundwater runoff, often contributing to increased flood risk. The practice of many countries has shown that green roofs are one of the solutions to the problem of rainwaters on the urban areas. The aim of the study was to assess the retention ability of three green roofs of extensive type with different substrate composition (two mineral-organic mixtures, one mineral mixture). The research was carried out at the Water Centre of the Warsaw University of Life Sciences in Warsaw (Ursynów district) in the period from June to November in 2016. The obtained results were compared with observation of the reference model - bituminous roof. Model studies have shown that green roofs retained water in the range from 9.5 mm to 67.1 mm. The average runoff coefficients for green roof types in the period from June to November in 2016 were from 0.31 to 0.33. The obtained results showed slight differences in outflows with different substrates. During high rainfall, the differences in the runoff between the green roofs and the reference roof ...
Midfield ponds are characterised by a rich biodiversity. A significant role in the function of these specific water ecosystems is played by resident zooplankton, which is a valuable component of numerous trophic networks. The aim of the present work was to study the taxonomic composition, concentration and biomass of zooplankton in two midfield ponds situated in the area of one commune, but geomorphologically different from each other. Experiments were conducted in the summer seasons (June-August) in the years 2011-2013 in two ponds. The presence of 55 zooplankton taxa, commonly present in such water reservoirs in Poland, was observed. Most species were determined. The largest group comprised rotifers (Rotifera) - 35 taxa. The crustacean zooplankton was less diverse: 11 taxa of copepods (Copepoda) and 9 taxa of water fleas (Cladocera) were found. The reservoir in Stare Czarnowo exhibited a greater number of taxa, where as many as 40 taxa were observed. However, 35 taxa belonging to various zooplankton groups were found in the pond in Żelisławiec. The relatively low Jaccard index confirmed small qualitative similarity between the studied ponds. Both reservoirs contained representatives of species defined as characteristic for oligosaprobic and mesosaprobic waters, which may indicate small contamination of the two ...
Titanium compounds in view of their physicochemical properties constitute interesting materials applied in chemical synthesis. They are used for preparation of antifungal agents as well as for production of self-cleaning coatings. Moreover, mentioned inorganic compounds are characterized by a capability of neutralizing of unpleasant odor. Those all characteristics make these substances useful in many fields. In the framework of presented research series of polymer materials modified with titanium and titanium oxide have been obtained by means of photopolymerization. In the further step, studies on such synthesized materials have been conducted with particular emphasis on determining a mechanical properties and wettability. Hardness of prepared polymers have been tested by means of Shore durometer. Based on the research it can be concluded that addition of titanium compounds to the polymer matrix resulted in the improvement of mechanical properties as well as in an increase of hydrophobicity. It is worth mentioning that it is possible to manipulate properties of the obtained compositions by the introduction of an appropriate amount of additive into their matrices. ...
Chitosan based hydrogels due to their specific properties and structure belong to the group of materials widely used in medicine. They are used as drug carriers with controlled release of active substances and in the preparation of innovative wound dressings. The main aim of the conducted research was the choice of the most favorable parameters for carrying the cross-linking reaction by means of UV radiation and microwaves. Subsequently, an adequate composition of the mixture containing chitosan and gelatin for further modification of such prepared the polymer matrix with Aloe vera extract was selected. Subsequently, an impact of introduction of Aloe vera extract into hydrogel on its physicochemical properties and structure was determined. The scope of the research included the measurement of swelling abilities of hydrogels in distilled water and selected simulated body fluids as well as incubation studies aimed at determination of tendency of prepared materials to degradation in previously mentioned fluids and their compatibility in relation to such environments. In order to characterize the chemical structure of the polymers and impact of incubation on this structure spectroscopic analysis was performed. Microscopic analysis was used to define the surface morphology of the hydrogels. Moreover, materials containing Aloe vera extract ...
The aim of the paper was to determine the possibility of the use of Shewhart control charts to monitor changes in the forms of nitrogen, showing the quality of wastewater discharged from the wastewater treatment plant in Krosno in the years 2010-2015. The performed statistical analysis showed the highest number of cases of elevated nitrate nitrogen and/or ammonium nitrogen when the temperature of treated wastewater was below 8-9°C. This low temperature resulted in adverse effect on the activity of bacteria that were involved in biological removal of nitrogen. It was found that in the winter months, the second stage of nitrifying bacteria responsible for oxidation of nitrite to nitrate, exhibited higher activity than the denitrifying bacteria. Graphical presentation of total nitrogen content using control charts for the mean of the process revealed the exceedance of the upper specification line (USL = 10 mgNtot·dm-3) in the months from December to April. It was observed that the total nitrogen removal process in the months from June to November was stable with a very high 90% reduction in biogenic activity. The obtained results confirm the efficacy of control charts as a tool which can easily be applied in the statistical process control of ...
The study was conducted within the Bydgoszcz limits and in the vicinity of city Bydgoszcz at seven different habitats of Hierochloë repens presence: city district Fordon - (1), (2), (3) and (4); city district Kapuściska - (5), and Białe Błota near Bydgoszcz - (6) and (7). Samples for acarological analyses were collected from the plots covered with Hierochloë repens in spring (27 May) and autumn (28 October) 2014.The density of oribatid mites on the sites with Hierochloë repens was highly variable. High density of these microarthropods was characteristic of plots (2) with Convolvulo-Brometum inermis, (5) with Arrhenatheretum elatioris and (7) covered with grassy herbaceous plants growing on fertile soils. Particularly low density of oribatid mites was observed for plot (3) with Koelerio-Corynephoretea and Festuco-Brometea communities and the lowest content of carbon and nitrogen in the soil. Depending on the site and sample collection time, four to 22 species of oribatid mites were identified. Statistical analysis (Mann-Whitney U test) of mean number of species per sample s identified two groups of plots for both sample collection terms characterized by either low (1.00-3.10) or high values (3.30-7.40) of this parameter. The first group included plots (1), (3) and (6), and the second ...
Recently, trehalose becomes more and more popular compound. Increasing interest in this disaccharide results from the role as it starts to play in water economy of plants. In conditions of water shortage mentioned organic substance prevents their dehydration. Therefore, application of such interesting additive can contribute to the preparation of materials that can be applied in such areas as agriculture or cultivation of plants. It is also worth mentioning that properties of trehalose make this substance interesting from the medical point of view. Presented additive can have an impact on maintaining organs for transplantation in good condition. In presented research series of polymer superabsorbents modified with described disaccharide have been prepared. Obtained by means of photopolymerization materials differed in an amount of the additive. In the further step, physicochemical properties of superabsorbents have been determined. Following studies have been carried out: swelling studies and incubation studies in simulated body fluids aimed at determination of behavior of prepared materials in solutions similar to those one occurring in human body. Additionally, chemical structure of the hydrogels have been defined using spectroscopic technique. Based on the research it can be concluded that proposed materials are characterized by low sorption capacity and did not ...
