Influence of local (air temperature) and wide-scale (North Atlantic Oscillation) climate indices on the first arrival dates of the Common Wood Pigeon (Columba palumbus) at breeding site in SE Poland.

In this study, a relationship between climate indices (local - air temperatures, and wide-scale - North Atlantic Oscillation) and first arrival dates (FAD) of a short-distant migratory bird, the Common Wood Pigeon (Columba palumbus) at a breeding site in SE Poland (Lublin) was investigated. Temporal patterns of FAD on a multi-year scale (20 years within 39 years between 1982 and 2020) were also studied. Additionally, correlations between mean air temperature at Lublin and sites along the spring migration route with various distances from the breeding site and various time lags were searched for.

Sustainable Management of Photovoltaic Waste Through Recycling and Material Use in the Construction Industry.

The rapid expansion of photovoltaic (PV) technology as a source of renewable energy has resulted in a significant increase in PV panel waste, creating environmental and economic challenges. A promising strategy to address these challenges is the reuse of glass waste from decommissioned PV panels as a component of cementitious materials. This review explores the potential of integrating glass waste from PV panels into cementitious materials, focusing on its impact on their mechanical, thermal, and durability properties.

Efficient Management of Asbestos Waste Through Utilization as Mineral Additives in Portland Cement Production.

This article presents research on the effectiveness of utilizing asbestos waste, particularly chrysotile asbestos, in the production of Portland cement. The study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of transforming asbestos cement (Eternit) through thermal treatment and its enrichment with mineral additives, enabling its integration into the clinker synthesis process. Differences in the physicochemical properties of types of cement produced from conventional raw materials and those manufactured using asbestos waste were analyzed.

Synthesis and Investigation of the Hydration Degree of CA Phase Modified with Boron and Fluorine Compounds.

This study investigated the effect of fluoride and boron compound additives on the synthesis and hydration process of calcium aluminate (CA). The analysis showed that the temperature of the full synthesis of CA without mineralizing additives was 1500 °C. However, the addition of fluorine and boron compounds at 1% and 3% significantly reduced the synthesis temperature to a range of 1100-1300 °C.

Concentration of metals and metalloids in livers of birds of various foraging guilds collected during the autumn migration period in Poland.

During migration, birds explore various habitats at stopover sites that differ in food resources and contamination levels. In this study, hepatic concentrations of 21 elements (metals and metalloids) in 11 species of birds, representing various foraging habitats (such as aquatic, aquatic/terrestrial, and terrestrial) and migration modes (migratory and sedentary) representing various foraging guilds (omnivores, piscivores, and molluscivores), were analyzed. The samples (N = 84) were collected during the autumn migration period in Poland.

Effect of Variable Synthesis Conditions on the Formation of Ye'elimite-Aluminate-Calcium (YAC) Cement and Its Hydration in the Presence of Portland Cement (OPC) and Several Accessory Additives.

In the presented study, ye'elimite-aluminate-calcium (YAC) cement was synthesized. Complete synthesis of crystalline phases was achieved at a temperature of 1300 °C, which is 150 °C lower than the temperature standardly used in the processes of obtaining calcium aluminate cements (CAC). The greatest amount of ye'elimite phase (Klein complex), roughly 87% by mass, was acquired utilizing a sulphur ion transporter derived from artificial dihydrate gypsum obtained in the flue gas desulphurization process (variation I).

Changes in the Phase Composition of Calcium Aluminoferrites Based on the Synthesis Condition and AlO/FeO Molar Ratio.

The presented work concerns the study of the changes in the phase composition of calcium aluminoferrites which depend on the synthesis conditions and the selection of the AlO/FeO molar ratio (A/F). The A/F molar ratio extends beyond the limiting composition of CAF (6CaO·2AlO·FeO) towards phases richer in AlO. An increase in the A/F ratio above unity favours the formation of other crystalline phases such as CA and CA, in addition to calcium aluminoferrite.

The Effect of Biological Corrosion on the Hydration Processes of Synthetic Tricalcium Aluminate (CA).

This paper presents a study related to the biological degradation of a tricalcium aluminate (CA) phase treated with reactive media from the agricultural industry. During one month of setting and hardening, synthetic CA was subjected to corrosion in corn silage, pig slurry and chicken manure. The hardening process of the CA phase in water was used as a reference sample.

Chemical composition of Lavatera thuringiaca L. biomass ash after pre-sowing stimulation of seeds with He-Ne laser light.

The article presents the effect of pre-sowing Lavatera thuringiaca L. seeds stimulation with He-Ne laser light on the chemical composition (P, S, K, Ca, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu and Zn content) of ash obtained after combustion of shoots of different ages. Results varied, but it was confirmed that pre-sowing exposure of seeds to this physical factor for 10-min has the most pronounced effect on K, Cu and Mn content increase (6%, 20%, 31% increase respectively) in the ash after the first year of vegetation as well as on Cu, K and Zn content increase (9%, 19%, 22% increase respectively) after the second year of vegetation.

Neural Modelling in the Exploration of the Biomethane Potential from Cattle Manure: A Case Study on Herds Structure from Wielkopolskie, Podlaskie, and Mazowieckie Voivodeships in Poland.

In the presented study, data on the size and structure of cattle herds in Wielkopolskie, Podlaskie, and Mazowieckie voivodeships in 2019 were analyzed and subjected to modelling with the use of artificial intelligence, namely artificial neural networks (ANNs). The potential amount of biogas (m) from cattle manure and slurry for the analyzed provinces was as follows: for the Mazowieckie Voivodeship, 800,654,186 m; for the Podlaskie voivodeship, 662,655,274 m; and for the Wielkopolskie voivodeship, 657,571,373 m. Neural modelling was applied to find the relationship between the structure of the herds and the amount of generated slurry and manure (biomethane potential), as well as to indicate the most important animal types participating in biogas production.

Dimension Reduction of Digital Image Descriptors in Neural Identification of Damaged Malting Barley Grains.

The paper covers the problem of determination of defects and contamination in malting barley grains. The analysis of the problem indicated that although several attempts have been made, there are still no effective methods of identification of the quality of barley grains, such as the use of information technology, including intelligent sensors (currently, quality assessment of grain is performed manually). The aim of the study was the construction of a reduced set of the most important graphic descriptors from machine-collected digital images, important in the process of neural evaluation of the quality of BOJOS variety malting barley.

Effect of copper stress on Phaseolus coccineus in the presence of exogenous methyl jasmonate and/or Serratia plymuthica from the Spitsbergen soil.

Copper stress in the presence of exogenous methyl jasmonate and Serratia plymuthica in a complete trifactorial design with copper (0, 50 µM), methyl jasmonate (0, 1, 10 µM) and Serratia plymuthica (without and with inoculation) was studied on the physiological parameters of Phaseolus coccineus. Copper application reduced biomass and allantoin content, but increased chlorophyll and carotenoids contents as well as catalase and peroxidases activities. Jasmonate did not modify biomass and organic acids levels under copper treatment, but additional inoculation elevated biomass and content of tartrate, malate and succinate.

Identification of Factors Affecting Environmental Contamination Represented by Post-Hatching Eggshells of a Common Colonial Waterbird with Usage of Artificial Neural Networks.

Artificial Neural Networks are used to find the influence of habitat types on the quality of the environment expressed by the concentrations of toxic and harmful elements in avian tissue. The main habitat types were described according to the Corine Land Cover CLC2012 model. Eggs of free-living species of a colonial waterbird, the grey heron were used as a biological data storing media for biomonitoring.

Studies on Cement Pastes Exposed to Water and Solutions of Biological Waste.

The paper presents studies on the early stages of biological corrosion of ordinary Portland cements (OPC) subjected to the reactive media from the agricultural industry. For ten months, cement pastes of CEM I type with various chemical compositions were exposed to pig slurry, and water was used as a reference. The phase composition and structure of hydrating cement pastes were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermal analysis (DTA/TG/DTG/EGA), and infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR).

Neural Reduction of Image Data in Order to Determine the Quality of Malting Barley.

Image analysis using neural modeling is one of the most dynamically developing methods employing artificial intelligence. The feature that caused such widespread use of this technique is mostly the ability of automatic generalization of scientific knowledge as well as the possibility of parallel analysis of the empirical data. A properly conducted learning process of artificial neural network (ANN) allows the classification of new, unknown data, which helps to increase the efficiency of the generated models in practice.

The Effect of Liquid Slurry-Enhanced Corrosion on the Phase Composition of Selected Portland Cement Pastes.

This paper presents the scientific problem of the biological corrosion of Portland cements and its effects on the phase composition of cement pastes after the corrosion process in the environment of reactive media from the agricultural industry. Seven Portland cements produced from different cement plants exposed to pig slurry and water as a reference medium for a period of six weeks were tested. After the exposure process in both of the above-mentioned reaction environments, the hydrating cement pastes were characterized in terms of their phase composition using the XRD method and were also subjected to morphological observations and a chemical composition analysis with the application of SEM and EDS methods.

Effect of FeO nanoparticles on germination of seeds and concentration of elements in Helianthus annuus L. under constant magnetic field.

The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of the FeO nanoparticles (Fe-NPs) on the germination of sunflower seeds, early growth of seedlings and the concentration of selected elements in seedlings. The influence of constant magnetic fields in systems with and without Fe-NPs was investigated. Experiments were done on seeds subjected to germination under constant magnetic field (0 (control), 5, 25 and 120 mT) for 7 days in the presence of solution containing 0, 50 or 500 ppm Fe-NPs.

Effect of Electromagnetic Stimulation of Amaranth Seeds of Different Initial Moisture on the Germination Parameters and Photosynthetic Pigments Content.

The influence of stimulation with He-Ne laser light, alternating magnetic field and the combination of these factors on germination parameters of amaranth seeds and on the chlorophyll and carotenoid content in seedlings was investigated. During the stimulation the amaranth seeds had a different initial moisture content. From the germination characteristics of the seeds as the function of humidity, three maxima and one minimum value of the germination parameters (the relative germination capacity N, the relative maximum germination rate S and the maximum germination index W) were obtained.

Effects of atmospheric pressure plasma jet operating with DBD on Lavatera thuringiaca L. seeds' germination.

The paper presents the results of an experiment on the effect of pre-sowing stimulation of seeds with atmospheric pressure plasma jet operating with dielectric barrier discharge (DBD plasma jet) on the process of germination of Thuringian Mallow (Lavatera thuringiaca L.). Five groups of seeds characterized by a different exposure times (1, 2, 5, 10 and 15 minutes) as well as untreated seeds-control were used.

Trace element concentrations in livers of Common Buzzards Buteo buteo from eastern Poland.

In this study, our aim was to determine the common sources of origin of 18 elements in the livers of Common Buzzards collected during the breeding season in an extensive agricultural landscape in south-east Poland with respect to age (adults and immatures) and sex (males and females). In all 34 specimens collected, the element concentrations followed the pattern of S > Na > Fe > Mg > Zn > Si > Cu > Mn > Ba > Se > B > Pb > Hg > Cd > Cr > Ni > Sr > V. Among the heavy metals examined, only the concentration of Pb was relatively high.

Concentrations of lead and other elements in the liver of the white-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla), a European flagship species, wintering in Eastern Poland.

As a top predator, the white-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) may serve as a good indicator species, providing information about the bioavailability of contaminants and their transfer within the food chain. In this study, we aimed to determine the common sources of origin of 17 metals and other elements in the liver of white-tailed eagles, and to compare the variations in their hepatic concentrations by age (adults vs immatures) and sex (males vs females) in groups of white-tailed eagles wintering in Eastern Poland. The element concentrations followed the pattern of S > K > Na > Fe > Mg > Ca > Zn > Cu > Mn > Se > Pb > Hg > Cd > Cr > Sr > V > Sc.

Exceptional molecular organization of canthaxanthin in lipid membranes.

Canthaxanthin (β,β-carotene 4,4' dione) used widely as a drug or as a food and cosmetic colorant may have some undesirable effects on human health, caused mainly by the formation of crystals in the macula lutea membranes of the retina of an eye. Experiments show the exceptional molecular organization of canthaxanthin and a strong effect of this pigment on the physical properties of lipid membranes. The most striking difference between canthaxanthin and other macular pigments is that the effects of canthaxanthin at a molecular level are observed at much lower concentration of this pigment with respect to lipid (as low as 0.

Interactions between canthaxanthin and lipid membranes--possible mechanisms of canthaxanthin toxicity.

Canthaxanthin (beta, beta-carotene 4, 4' dione) is used widely as a drug or as a food and cosmetic colorant, but it may have some undesirable effects on human health, mainly caused by the formation of crystals in the macula lutea membranes of the retina. This condition is called canthaxanthin retinopathy. It has been shown that this type of dysfunction of the eye is strongly connected with damage to the blood vessels around the place of crystal deposition.