Anaerobic Biodegradation of Polymer Composites Filled with Natural Fibers

Polymer composites with natural fibers prepared by melt blending were investigated. Synthetic and natural macromolecules were used, including poly(lactic acid), polyhydroxybutyrate-co-polyhydroxyvalerate and low density polyethylene. These polymers were filled with flax fibers. Mechanical properties of the composites, biogas production and mass loss under anaerobic digestion have been presented. It has been shown that the mechanical properties sustain after 28 days of biodegradation. Such materials can be found in applications as packaging, as well as in medicine as polymeric scaffolds, and drug delivery systems etc.     

Cadmium,lead and mercury concentrations in pathologically altered human kidneys

Heavy metals, including cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb) and mercury (Hg) act as nephrotoxic agents, particularly in the renal cortex. The aim of the study was to determine the concentrations of Cd, Pb and Hg in kidneys removed from patients due to lesions of various etiologies and from patients after the rejection of transplanted kidneys. Additionally, we determined the influence of selected biological and environmental factors on the concentrations of toxic metals. The study material consisted of kidneys with tumor lesions (n = 27), without tumors (n = 7) and its extracted grafts (n = 10) obtained from patients belongs to the north-western areas of Poland. The determined metal concentrations in the renal cortex and medulla may be arranged in the following descending order: Cd > Pb > Hg. The highest concentrations of Cd and Hg were found in the cortex, while the maximum content Pb was observed in the medulla. Significant correlations were found in the concentrations of the same metals between cortex and medulla and between Pb and Hg in the renal medulla. Pb content was higher in the renal medulla of men than in the cortex of the elderly (above 60 years of age). The highest concentrations of Pb and Hg were found in the cortex and medulla, of the kidneys had not neoplastic changes, and lower content of these metals were found in the extracted kidney grafts. In summary, renal grafts accumulate less heavy metals than cancerous kidneys, what could have been caused by immunosuppressors taken by the graft recipients. Moreover, sex, age and smoking are key factors responsible for xenobiotics concentrations.     

Vegetation development and nutrients supply of trees in habitats with high sulfur concentration in reclaimed former sulfur mines Jeziórko (Southern Poland)

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The paper presents an assessment of vegetation (composition and cover-abundance), nutrient supply, and especially sulfur accumulation in the trees...     

Qualitative structure residue relationship analysis in the determination of the maximum residue limit of veterinary drugs

Aim of the present study was an attempt to find a correlation between physicochemical structure of veterinary drugs and the maximum residue limit (MRL) for muscle tissue of food producing animals. Direct correlation and analysis in quintile groups for 52 physicochemical parameters were performed. An internal validation using leave-one-out cross-validation was performed. In the quintile groups, there were 11 arithmetic expressions created for the limited group of individual parameters (13 from 52 analyzed), which showed a significant linear or quadratic correlation between the number of quintile group and the mean value of MRL within the quintile. The results obtained suggest that there is no direct correlation between individual physicochemical parameters and MRL value in muscle tissue; however, such correlation can be determined for arithmetic expressions created on the basis of several physicochemical parameters, using quintile group analysis.     

The Modeling of the Acoustic Condition of Urban Environment Using Noise Annoyance Assessment

Environmental Modeling & Assessment - In the following article, a method of modeling urban environment exposed to road noise pollution for the purpose of noise nuisance assessment has been...     

Stressful work characteristics,health indicators and work behavior: the case of machine operators

This article shows the results of research on psychosocial risks for a group of machine and plant operators (n?=?1014) from the construction, chemical, energy, mining, metal and food industries in Poland. The Psychosocial Risk Scale designed in Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine (NIOM) by Moscicka-Teske and Potocka was used to indicate the occurrence of general and specific occupational stressors and the level of their stressfulness. The results revealed that the studied machine and plant operators experience job context stress – related to working environment features concerning work organization – more frequently than job content stressors – related to the type of tasks they perform. Moreover, a correlation analysis between work features and the health and occupational functioning of the respondents revealed significant but weak relationships between the variables (from ?0.08 to ?0.23). Comparative analysis revealed the differences between the studied sectors. Such a comparison makes it possible to set goals for each sector and to attempt to improve the distinctive areas.     

Scots pine needles macronutrient (N, P, K, CA, MG, and S) supply at different reclaimed mine soil substrates—as an indicator of the stability of developed forest ecosystems

A main objective of restoration and afforestation at post-mining sites is establishing a long-term sustainable ecosystem which depends on adaptations of tree species and which in turn depends on the soil nutrient flux. The nutrient concentration (nitrogen (N), P, K, Ca, Mg, and sulfur (S)) of Scots pine needles was investigated in reclaimed mine soils (RMS) located at the following post-mining sites: a sand mine pit, spoil heap from a lignite mine, spoil heap from a S mine, and a carbonaceous spoil heap from an underground coal mine. The control plots were arranged on natural forest sites adjacent to the post-mining sites. A higher level of foliar nutrients was noted in the carbonaceous RMS, while lower levels were found in RMS on the spoil heap following lignite mining. The characteristics of the substrate were found to exert greater effect than mineral fertilization (performed at the onset of reclamation) on the tree stand characteristics, needle length and foliar nutrient concentration. While the soils and trees were most deficient in N, negative symptoms have not been noted to this date in tree stands at reclaimed mine sites. Trophic ratings were recommended based on statistical correlations and groupings between N and P contents in needles and needles length (mean length of 300 needles) while nutrient ratings were recommended from statistical differences and groupings of the RMS substrates.     

Effects of visitor pressure on understory vegetation in Warsaw forested parks (Poland)

Visitor’s access to understorey vegetation in park forest stands results in the impoverishment of plant species composition and a reduction in habitat quality. The phenomenon of biotic homogenisation is typical in urban landscapes, but it can proceed differently depending on the scale, a detail that has not been observed in previous studies. This research was carried out in seven Warsaw parks (both public and restricted access). Thirty-four forested areas were randomly selected, some subjected to strong visitors’ pressure and some within restricted access areas, free of such impacts. The latter category included woodlands growing in old forest and secondary habitats. Public access to the study areas contributed to the disappearance of some forest species and their replacement by cosmopolitan non-forest species, leading to loss of floristic biodiversity in areas of high ecological importance at the city scale. Some human-induced factors, including soil compaction and changes in soil pH, moisture and capillary volume, were found to cause habitat changes that favoured native non-forest plants. Despite changes in species composition, the taxonomic similarity of understorey vegetation in both categories—public access and restricted access—was comparable. In a distance gradient of measurements taken around selected individual trees, there was found to be significant variation (in light, soil pH and compaction) affecting the quality and quantity of understorey vegetation (including rare species). In conclusion, the protection of rare forest species could be achieved by limiting access to forested areas, particularly in old forest fragments, and we highly recommend its consideration in the proposal of future park restoration plans.