VARIABILITY OF VALUES OF PHYSICOCHEMICAL WATER QUALITY INDICES ALONG THE LENGTH OF THE IWONICZANKA STREAM

The paper aims at presentation of the effect of changes in the catchment area management on the value of water quality physicochemical indices along the length of the Iwoniczanka stream, which flows through Iwonicz-Zdrój, one of the oldest health resorts in Poland. Analyses of 14 water quality indices were conducted from November 2013 to May 2014 in five measurement points: two situated in the upper course of the stream – in forest areas, two located in the area of Iwonicz-Zdrój town, and one below the rural built-up area. On the basis of the conducted data analysis it was found that the mean values of pH, electrolytic conductivity, sulphates, calcium, total iron and manganese were increasing with the course of flowing water, as evidenced by the water enrichment in substances which had their sources in built-up areas. On average, the highest values of biogenic indices and chlorides but the lowest values of oxygen indices were registered immediately below the location of drain collector from the closed sewage treatment plant, which resulted in pollution of the analysed stream bed with the substances previously drained from the treatment plant. Water flowing through the forest areas had the maximum ecological potential in the built-up areas and due to phosphate concentrations it was classified to class II and then, due to self-purification, returned to the physicochemical parameters appropriate for class I water. The conducted hydro-chemical tests confirmed a significant negative effect of built-up areas on the quality of the flowing waters

Pheochromocytoma in 8-year observation at a single endocrinological center in Wroclaw

Wstęp: Guz chromochłonny występuje rzadko, powoduje zwykle nadciśnienie tętnicze i różnorodne, zmienne objawy kliniczne, co często utrudnia wczesne rozpoznanie i leczenie. Celem niniejszej pracy było przedstawienie danych klinicznych, efektywności diagnostyki i leczenia chorych z pheochromocytoma w ośrodku wrocławskim w okresie 8 lat. Materiał i metody: Wśród 37 chorych z pheochromocytoma leczonych w latach 2000-2007 w Klinice Endokrynologii, Diabetologii i Leczenia Izotopami Akademii Medycznej we Wrocławiu były 23 kobiety (23-75 lat) oraz 14 mężczyzn (17-74 lat). Zbadano częstość występowania poszczególnych objawów klinicznych, przydatność zastosowanych metod diagnostycznych i efekty leczenia. Wyniki: Czas trwania choroby do momentu rozpoznania wynosił od 2 miesięcy do 16 lat. Najczęstsze objawy to: nadciśnienie tętnicze napadowe lub stałe, tachykardia, bóle głowy, wzmożona potliwość, niepokój. Najczulszą laboratoryjną metodą diagnostyczną był pomiar stężenia metoksypochodnych katecholamin w moczu dobowym. Tomografia komputerowa u wszystkich chorych wykazała obecność guza nadnercza, częściej prawego; w 1 przypadku guz był umiejscowiony w ścianie pęcherza moczowego. Po operacji nadciśnienie tętnicze ustąpiło u 59% pacjentów, obniżyło się u 26,8%, a u 13,9% nie obserwowano poprawy. U 2 chorych guz był złośliwy, 1 kobieta zmarła po zabiegu. U 8 stwierdzono zespół MEN 2A. Wnioski: Rozpoznania pheochromocytoma zwykle dokonuje się po długim czasie trwania choroby. Najbardziej typowym objawem jest nadciśnienie tętnicze napadowe, które występuje jedynie u około 40%, inne objawy są niespecyficzne. Najbardziej przydatne diagnostycznie jest stwierdzenie podwyższonego wydalania metoksykatecholamin w moczu dobowym. Z badań obrazowych najbardziej efektywna jest tomografia komputerowa. Chorzy z pheochromocytoma powinni być rutynowo diagnozowani w kierunku współistnienia innych endokrynopatii, a szczególnie raka rdzeniastego i pierwotnej nadczynności przytarczyc - składowych zespołu MEN 2A.Introduction: Pheochromocytoma is rare tumor with a highly variable clinical presentation. This report provides clinical picture, efficiency of diagnostics and treatment of pheochromocytoma in 8-years in the endocrinological center in Wroclaw. Material and methods: The records of 37 patients with pheochromocytoma were identified, who were treated in 2000-2007 in the Department of Endocrinology, Diabetology and Isotope Treatment in Wroclaw. There were 23 women (age 23-75 year) and 14 men (age 17-74). We studied frequency of clinical signs, usefulness of diagnostic methods and efficacy of treatment. Results: The duration of the clinical history ranged from 2 months to 16 years. The most frequent symptoms were: hypertension paroxysmal and constant, palpitations, headache, sweating and anxiety. The most sensitive diagnostic method was increased concentration of urinary metanephrine in 24-hour urine. Computed tomography was the most widely used method for tumor localization. Adrenal pheochromocytoma was detecting by CT in all patients, predominated in right adrenal, in 1 case in urinary bladder. Surgery caused remission of hypertension in 59%, improvement in 26.8%, and no changes in 13.9% of patients. Malignancy was reported in 2 cases, 1 woman died after surgery. MEN 2A occur in 21.6%. Conclusions: The diagnosis of pheochromocytma is usually made after long duration of the disease. The study confirms that clinical presentation of pheochromocytoma is variable and nonspecific, this finding makes the diagnosis very difficult. The most typical symptom is paroxysmal hypertension, which is present only in 40%, other symptoms are nonspecific. The measurement of 24-hour urinary metanephrines was the best indicator. CT was almost always successful in localizing the tumor. Patients with pheochromocytoma should be consider for other endocrine diseases especially medullary carcinoma, primary hyperparathyroidism and other component of MEN 2A

VARIABILITY OF VALUES OF PHYSICOCHEMICAL WATER QUALITY INDICES ALONG THE LENGTH OF THE IWONICZANKA STREAM

The paper aims at presentation of the effect of changes in the catchment area management on the value of water quality physicochemical indices along the length of the Iwoniczanka stream, which flows through Iwonicz-Zdrój, one of the oldest health resorts in Poland. Analyses of 14 water quality indices were conducted from November 2013 to May 2014 in five measurement points: two situated in the upper course of the stream – in forest areas, two located in the area of Iwonicz-Zdrój town, and one below the rural built-up area. On the basis of the conducted data analysis it was found that the mean values of pH, electrolytic conductivity, sulphates, calcium, total iron and manganese were increasing with the course of flowing water, as evidenced by the water enrichment in substances which had their sources in built-up areas. On average, the highest values of biogenic indices and chlorides but the lowest values of oxygen indices were registered immediately below the location of drain collector from the closed sewage treatment plant, which resulted in pollution of the analysed stream bed with the substances previously drained from the treatment plant. Water flowing through the forest areas had the maximum ecological potential in the built-up areas and due to phosphate concentrations it was classified to class II and then, due to self-purification, returned to the physicochemical parameters appropriate for class I water. The conducted hydro-chemical tests confirmed a significant negative effect of built-up areas on the quality of the flowing waters

Analysis of the Course and Frequency of High Water Stages in Selected Catchments of the Upper Vistula Basin in the South of Poland

The paper presents an analysis of the course and frequency of high water stages in selected catchments of the upper Vistula basin in the south of Poland. The following rivers were investigated: the Dunajec–Nowy Targ-Kowaniec cross-section, the Rudawa–Balice cross-section, the Kamienica–Nowy Sącz cross-section, the Wisłok–Tryńcza cross-section and the San–Przemyśl cross-section. Daily flows from the years 1983–2014 were used to determine maximum annual flows and maximum flows per summer and winter half-year. Selected floods were analyzed with reference to the following metrics: POTX (mean size of the flow determined based on high water stages exceeding the assumed threshold value), POT3F (number of high water stages exceeding the threshold value for each hydrological year), WPOT3F (number of high water stages exceeding the threshold value for the winter half-year and), LOPT3F (number of high water stages exceeding the threshold value for the summer half-year). The determined metrics were analyzed for trend (Mann-Kendall test), homogeneity (Kruskal-Wallis test), and heteroscedasticity (Levene test). Additionally, periodograms were used to determine periodicity of time series for maximum annual flows. The resulting computations indicated upward trends in the analyzed flood metrics but they were not significant in any case. Therefore, in the years 1983–2014 no factors were observed that would significantly affect the size and frequency of high water runoff from the investigated catchments

EFFECT OF THE GOCZAŁKOWICE RESERVOIR ON THE CHANGES OF WATER QUALITY IN THE VISTULA RIVER

The paper aims at the assessment of the Goczałkowice Reservoir effect on the changes of surface water quality. For this purpose, tests of 20 physicochemical water quality indices were conducted using reference methods. Water samples were collected every month from April to November 2011 in five measurement-control points: the first was located on the Vistula river inflow to the reservoir, the other three were placed evenly along the reservoir bowl, whereas the fifth was situated on water outflow from the reservoir. The values of each tested indicator were characterized by using descriptive statistics. Moreover, the empirical data were subjected to detailed statistical procedures by means of cluster analysis and t-Student parametric test. The analysis the data obtained from the conducted investigations demonstrated that because of the complexity of the processes, the retention reservoir differently influences the water quality. As a result of the Vistula river water flow through the Goczałkowice Reservoir, concentrations of nitrites and nitrate nitrogen decreased significantly, as has been proved statistically on the significance level α = 0.05. The reservoir also positively affected a decline in the concentrations of phosphates, total phosphorus, total iron and a majority of salinity indices, but worsened oxygen conditions, however, it was not statistically proved

Use of Pedotransfer Functions in the Rosetta Model to Determine Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity (Ks) of Arable Soils: A Case Study

A key parameter for the design of soil drainage and irrigation facilities and for the modelling of surface runoff and erosion phenomena in land-formed areas is the saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks). There are many methods for determining its value. In situ and laboratory measurements are commonly regarded as the most accurate and direct methods; however, they are costly and time-consuming. Alternatives can be found in the increasingly popular models of pedotransfer functions (PTFs), which can be used for rapid determination of soil hydrophysical parameters. This study presents an analysis of the Ks values obtained from in situ measurements conducted using a double-ring infiltrometer (DRI). The measurements were conducted using a laboratory permeability meter (LPM) and were estimated using five PTFs in the Rosetta program, based on easily accessible input data, i.e., the soil type, content of various grain sizes in %, density, and water content at 2.5 and 4.2 pF, respectively. The degrees of matching between the results from the PTF models and the values obtained from the in situ and laboratory measurements were investigated based on the root-mean-square deviation (RMSD), Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE), and determination coefficient (R2). The statistical relationships between the tested variables tested were confirmed using Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient (rho). Data analysis showed that in situ measurements of Ks were only significantly correlated with the laboratory tests conducted on intact samples; the values obtained in situ were much higher. The high sensitivity of Ks to biotic and abiotic factors, especially in the upper soil horizons, did not allow for a satisfactory match between the values from the in situ measurements and those obtained from the PTFs. In contrast, the laboratory measurements, showed a significant correlation with the Ks values, as estimated by the models PTF-2 to PTF-5; the best match was found for PTF-2

Assessment of the Impact of Forestry and Settlement-Forest Use of the Catchments on the Parameters of Surface Water Quality: Case Studies for Chechło Reservoir Catchment, Southern Poland

The aim of the study was to determine the impact of natural and anthropogenic factors on the values of 22 quality indicators of surface waters flowing out of two small catchments differing in physiographic parameters and land use, in particular forest cover and urbanization of the area. The research was carried out in the years 2012−2014 at four measurement-control points located on the Chechło river and the Młoszówka stream (Poland), which are the main tributaries of the retention reservoir. Basic descriptive statistics, statistical tests, as well as cluster analysis and factor analysis were used to interpret the research results. The water that outflowed from the forestry-settlement catchment of the Młoszówka stream contained higher concentrations of total phosphorus, phosphates, nitrite, and nitrate nitrogen and salinity indicators than outflow from the Chechło river. Water from the Młoszówka stream was characterized by more favourable oxygen conditions. Higher oxygen concentration in the catchment influenced a large slope of the watercourse and thus higher water velocity, which is promoted by the mixed process. In the case of the forest catchment of the Chechło river, the water quality was generally better than in the Młoszówka stream, mainly in cases of total suspended solids TSS, total phosphorus TP, phosphates PO43−, total nitrogen TN, nitrite N−NO2−, nitrate N−NO3−, and salinity parameters. Despite it being a short section of the river taken into the study, favourable self-purification processes like mixed, nitrification, and denitrification were observed in its water. The research shows that forest areas have a positive effect on the balance of most substances dissolved in water, and natural factors in many cases shape the quality and utility values of surface waters on an equal footing with anthropogenic factors. In the case of a large number of examined parameters and complex processes occurring in water, the interpretation of the results makes it much easier by applying multivariate statistical methods

Hydrochemizm żródeł w Ojcowskim Parku Narodowym

W pracy przedstawiono analizę wyników badań hydrochemicznych, którymi objęto źródła występujące na terenie Ojcowskiego Parku Narodowego. W terenie zinwentaryzowano 19 źródeł, w tym 10 w Dolinie Sąspowskiej i 9 w Dolinie Prądnika. Wszystkie źródła w Dolinie Sąspowskiej posiadają naturalne misy, natomiast w Dolinie Prądnika misy 7 źródeł zostały częściowo lub całkowicie zabudowane przez człowieka. Podczas prac terenowych zmierzono wydajność źródeł oraz temperaturę wody, pH, przewodność elektrolityczną i potencjał redoks, a w laboratorium oznaczono stężenia kilkunastu jonów, w tym makro- i mikroelementów oraz związków biogennych. Na podstawie badań stwierdzono, że w OPN dominują źródła o wydajność od 1 do 10 dm3 · s–1. Ze źródeł wypływa woda prosta dwujonowa wodorowęglanowo-wapniowa, o odczynie słabo zasadowym. Na podstawie klasyfikacji badanych elementów fizykochemicznych zaliczono je do klasy II, czyli wód o dobrej jakości. W wodzie wszystkich źródeł stwierdzono podwyższone stężenie wodorowęglanów, wapnia oraz azotanów, co jest prawdopodobnie wynikiem naturalnych procesów zachodzących w wodach podziemnych i nie wskazuje na wpływ działalności człowieka, albo jest to wpływ bardzo słaby

Wpływ głęboszowania na zmiany właściwości fizyko-wodnych gleby płowej

Badania wpływu głęboszowania na właściwości fizyko-wodne zbitych gleb uprawnych wykonano na gruntach ornych w miejscowości Wojnowice, położonej na terenie powiatu raciborskiego w województwie śląskim. Podczas prac terenowych wykonano i opisano po jednej odkrywce glebowej na polu głęboszowanym i niegłęboszowanym. Z każdego poziomu genetycznego obu profili glebowych pobrano próby gleby o strukturze nienaruszonej i naruszonej. Przy obu odkrywkach w warstwie ornej i podornej pomierzono przepuszczalność gleby. W laboratorium oznaczono skład granulometryczny, wilgotność, zawartość próchnicy i charakterystyczne gęstości gleby oraz wyliczono porowatość ogólną. Analiza wyników badań wykazała, że głębokie spulchnianie gleb płowych powoduje zmniejszenie ich gęstości objętościowej oraz zwiększenie infiltracji i porowatości ogólnej. Stwierdzono również poprawę stosunków powietrzno-wodnych w profilu głęboszowanym – zwiększyła się tam zawartość powietrza glebowego, a zmniejszyło uwilgotnienie. Badania wykazały, że nawet po 20 miesiącach od wykonania zabiegów agromelioracyjnych ich wpływ na wykorzystanie potencjalnych zdolności retencyjnych gleby jest zauważalny, co w konsekwencji może prowadzić do łagodzenia skutków zjawisk ekstremalnych –susz i powodzi

Multiannual Assessment of the Risk of Surface Water Erosion and Metal Accumulation Indices in the Flysch Stream Using the MARS Model in the Polish Outer Western Carpathians

The anthropogenic problems in richly sculpted areas (mountain and submontane) are mainly related to agricultural activity, which shapes the quality of surface waters. This paper presents an analysis of the results of the hydrochemical tests carried out in the years 2007–2018 at check-control spots. The heavy metal pollution index (HPI < 100) indicated a low risk for aquatic organisms. The statistical calculations obtained by means of multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS) designated that the hazard quotient (HQ) index can be combined with the electrical conductivity (EC) and total dissolved substances (TDS) parameters used in the assessment of water erosion. The HQ index showed that the concentration of individual heavy metals is lower than their value in the 0.5 percentile of the value. In subsequent studies, it should be assessed whether the size of arable land has an impact on the increased concentration of heavy metals in the surface water. We recommend small retention reservoirs as a potential management measure to improve the quality of the surface water at a regional scale. This study has great potential to mitigate the degradation processes related to the insufficient storage capacity, and to promote natural water retention