pion-rho-omega vertex in nuclear matter

Medium modifications of the pion-omega-rho vertex are analyzed in context of the omega -> pi gamma* and rho -> pi gamma* decays in nuclear matter. A relativistic hadronic model with mesons, nucleons, and Delta(1232)isobars is applied. A substantial increase of the widths for the decays omega -> pi gamma* and rho -> pi gamma* is found for photon virtualities in the range 0.3-0.6 GeV. This enhancement has a direct importance for the description of dilepton yields obtained in relativistic heavy-ion collisions.Comment: 6 pages, to appear in Proc. 2nd International Symposium on Quantum Theory and Symmetries, Cracow, 18-21 July 200

The role of resiliency in the process of adaptation to life after heart transplantation

Summary Aim. The aim of the research was to find out if resiliency is a potentially significant factor in the process of adaptation after heart transplantation. Material and methods. The research included 53 people after heart transplantation, hospitalized in the John Paul II Hospital in Kraków. Measures included a self-made interview questionnaire; the Acceptance of Illness Scale, the Polish Resiliency Assessment Scale SPP-25. The necessary statistics were conducted by means of SPSS program. Results. Examined group of heart transplant patients appeared to be well adapted to living with a transplanted heart and was characterized by an average level of resiliency. The results supported the hypotheses regarding the relationship between resiliency and adaptation after heart transplantation. Personal skill to cope, to tolerate negative emotions and failures as well as the ability to view life as a challenge seem to play a special role in the process of adapting to life with a new heart. Conclusions. Resiliency is a factor significantly related to adaptation after heart transplantation, and it has implications for clinical practice, especially for the rehabilitation of patients after transplantation. It seems to be important to shape and develop these elements of resiliency which are mostly related to positive adaptation after heart transplantation. resiliency / adaptation / heart transplantatio

The short-chain fatty acids as potential protective agents against Callosobruchus maculatus infestation

The cowpea weevil, Callosobruchus maculatus, is one of the most common pests of stored legumes. Its occurrence adversely affects the quality of stored beans, making them unfit for consumption, resulting in substantial financial losses. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential insecticidal properties of the volatile fatty acids (VFAs) (C1 – C5) and their influence on the insect’s physiology and behavior. All VFAs in concentrations equal to 4 μl and 8 μl showed fumigant toxicity significantly higher from the control. The strongest effect was observed in the case of propionic and valeric acid in volume of 4 μl and 8 μl, where mortality was close to 100%. Except for butyric acid, all acids showed a significant repellent effect. Additionally, all VFAs significantly decreased the number of infested beans and influenced the locomotor activity. Of all tested acids only the formic acid did not affect the oxygen consumption of the insects. As the studied VFAs have noteworthy properties against C. maculatus, they could be considered as promising agents in new strategies for stored products pest management

Municipal planning and investment process: problematic issues

W artykule zaprezentowano obecny stan w zakresie planowania przestrzennego, relacje między gminnym planowaniem przestrzennym a procesem inwestycyjnym, jak również opisano propozycje zmian w prawie. Obecnie gminy przygotowują dwa podstawowe dokumenty: studium uwarunkowań i kierunków zagospodarowania przestrzennego gminy oraz miejscowy plan zagospodarowania przestrzennego. W praktyce to głównie studium jest dokumentem określającym politykę przestrzenną gminy. Taki system planowania lokalnego ma negatywny wpływ na proces inwestycyjny.The purpose of this paper is to show the relationship between municipal planning and investment, as well as to attempt to identify the barriers to the processes. Municipalities prepare two spatial planning documents: a study of conditions and directions of spatial development and a land use development plan. In practice, it is the former document that determines spatial policy. This system has a negative influence on the investment process. The Polish planning law needs to be changed and new legislative proposals that would provide better instruments of spatial planning are highly desirable.Sławomira Hajduk - [email protected] Baran - [email protected] inż. Sławomira Hajduk, dr Agnieszka Baran – Wydział Zarządzania, Politechnika Białostock

Physiological responses of Betula pendula Roth growing in polluted areas

Plant functioning is affected by drought, extreme temperatures, heavy metal pollution and other unfavorable environmental conditions. High intensity of stress factors can be lethal to sensitive organisms or significantly decrease their condition. Intensification of stress factors is observed especially in urban and industrial areas. During the vegetative season plants purify the air and soil, decrease air temperature, increase humidity and have others psychosociological advantages. It is especially important to monitor growth of plants in areas with high anthropopression. In presented study condition of silver birch (Betula pendula Roth) growing in different stressful environments was investigated. During the research soil parameters such as pH, EC and heavy metals content were observed. Chlorophyll a fluorescence, photosynthetic pigment content, phenolic compounds concentration, ability to scavenging DPPH free radical, activity of anti-oxidative enzymes (superoxide dismutase-SOD, peroxidase-POD, catalase-CAT) were examined in the leaves to study plant response to stress factors. Investigated trees showed two types of antioxidative defense systems: with high activity of low molecular weight antioxidants (phenolics) or with high enzymatic antioxidant activity. The most stressed trees showed highest concentration of low molecular weight antioxidants (phenolics)

MHC influences infection with parasites and winter survival in the root vole Microtus oeconomus

Selective pressure from parasites is thought to maintain the polymorphism of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes. Although a number of studies have shown a relationship between the MHC and parasitic infections, the fitness consequences of such associations are less well documented. In the present paper, we characterised the variation in exon 2 of MHC class II DRB gene in the root vole and examined the effects of that gene on parasite prevalence and winter survival. We identified 18 unique exon 2 sequences, which translated into 10 unique amino acid sequences. Phylogenetic analysis revealed the presence of three distinct clusters, and allele distributions among these individuals suggested that the clusters correspond to three different loci. Although the rate of synonymous substitutions (dS) exceeded the rate of nonsynonymous substitutions (dN) across sequences, implying purifying selection, dN was significantly elevated at antigen-binding sites, suggesting that these sites could be under positive selection. Screening for parasites revealed a moderate prevalence of infection with gastrointestinal parasites (24 % infected), but a high infection rate for blood parasites (56 % infected). Infection with the blood parasite Babesia ssp. decreased survival almost twofold (25.7 vs. 13.9 %). Animals possessing the amino acid sequence AA*08 survived better than others (44.9 vs. 22 %), and they were infected with Babesia ssp. less often (13.9 vs 25.7 %). In contrast, individuals carrying allele AA*05 were infected more often (31.7 vs. 15.3 %). Heterozygosity at one of the putative loci was associated with a lower probability of infection with Babesia ssp., but at the other locus, the association was reversed. The unexpected latter result could be at least partly explained by the increased frequency of the susceptible allele AA*05 among heterozygotes. Overall, we demonstrate that infection with Babesia ssp. is a strong predictor of winter survival and that MHC genes are important predictors of infection status as well as survival in the root vole

Content changes of assimilative pigments in leaves after fertilizer Mg-Titanit application

DOI: 10.15414/afz.2014.17.02.58–64Received 9. May 2014 ǀ Accepted 10. June 2014 ǀ Available online 23. June 2014The impact of the liquid fertilizer Mg-Titanit (MGT) containing titanium on the dynamics of the content changes of the total chlorophyll in the leaves of winter wheat and winter rape was studied in the field small-area trial carried out at the Haplic Chernozem. The trial involved 5 variants. 0 – control, MGT unfertilized variant; 2xTi 0,2 – spraying twice by MGT in the dose 0.2 l.ha-1; 3xTi 0,2 – spraying thrice by MGT in the dose 0.2 l.ha-1; 2xTi 0,4 – spraying twice by MGT in the dose 0.4 l.ha-1, 3xTi 0,4 –spraying thrice by MGT in the dose 0.4 l.ha-1. The fertilizer was used at two or three growth stages: wheat was fertilized at the stages BBCH 29, BBCH 32, BBCH 55 – 60; rape at the stages BBCH 50 – 52, BBCH 59, BBCH 66 – 67. The results proved that in the cultivation of winter wheat the content of the total chlorophyll was increased annually with two applied doses of Mg-Titanit if the spraying was carried out at the growth stage BBCH 32 (the second spraying). The winter rape reacted positively to Mg-Titanit spraying applied at the growth stage BBCH 50 – 52 (first spraying) by the chlorophyll formation in both years of the trial. The third spraying tended to decrease the content of total chlorophyll with both crops and both applied doses of Mg-Titanit in the most cases. In the overwhelming majority of cases the content of the total chlorophyll was higher in the plants treated with the dose of 0.2 l.ha-1 than those treated by the dose 0.4 l.ha-1. The positive impact of Mg-Titanit on the content of the total chlorophyll was carried out by the increase of the amount of both assimilative pigments (chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b).Keywords: chlorophyll, fertilizer, titanium, winter wheat, winter rap

The opportunities and threats resulting from robotic process automation in public service development

Objectives: This study aims to identify the opportunities and threats of automation and robotisation process automation in the development of public services. Research Design & Methods: In this study, the method of deduction was used as well as auxiliary methods and techniques such as logical analysis, analysis and study of literature, and classification and scientific description. The reasoning process was based on knowledge of management sciences and the existing findings with regard to digital transformation, in particular the robotic process automation of the public sector and services. Findings: The study revealed opportunities and threats related to the automation and robotisation of public services concerning three entities/groups: citizens, administration employees, and public organisations. Implications: The issues presented in the article might constitute the basis for practitioners, mainly public authorities and all other persons responsible for creating and implementing automated and robotic public services. Applications can be of particular interest to local government officials and management staff of various public institutions. Therefore, the robotisation and automation of services will gain in importance in the coming years, and many entities will be involved in their introduction and operation. This paper can also be useful for the economic and non-governmental sectors, whose recipients will be more aware of the opportunities and threats of service automation and robotisation. Contribution / Value Added: As a result of the analysis, the synthesis of the theoretical findings on the processes of automation and the robotisation of public services as well as certain consequences of these processes for further development of these public services were identified. They were then classified as opportunities or threats to the further automation and robotisation of public services, which may serve as a basis for the establishment of subsequent empirical studies