Potentially toxic elements in soils and plants on a reclaimed coal-waste dump in southern Poland : preliminary study

The phase composition and concentrations of six potentially toxic elements (Zn, Pb, Mn, Cu, Ni, and Cd) in topsoil and plants were studied. The samples were taken from the waste dump in Katowice in the Upper Silesian Coal Basin. Mineral matter was identified by XRD and SEM. Mineral composition of studied topsoils depends on material composition used to forming the surface layer on the dump. There aluminosilicates (chlorite, muscovite, clays minerals), quartz, Fe and Ca sulphates and Fe oxides dominate. On plants shoots there were identified dolomites, Fe oxides, Ca sulphates, Na and K chlorides and rarely Au-Cu alloys beside quartz and aluminosilicates. By using AAS and ICP-OES contents of heavy metals in soils and plants were determined. Scanning electron microscope allowed to define the chemical composition in soils and plants and XRD to identify mineral contents. In this work measurement of pH and total organic carbon content were carried out. Results indicate that topsoil is highly enriched in heavy metals, especially in zinc, and it is positive correlated with contents of metals in plants growing on such contaminated area. In soils Zn content was in the range from 120 to 3550 mg kg-1, Pb from 31 to 905 mg kg-1, Ni from 3 to 78 mg kg-1 and Cd from1 to 11 mg kg-1. For plants it was respectively Zn to 284 mg kg-1, Pb to 59 mg kg-1, Ni to 4 mg kg-1 and Cd to 1 mg kg-1. The results indicate that application of coal wastes as reclamation material is not advised due to environmental issues

Cultivating regional traditions in preschool and early school education

The article attempts to determine the degree of cultivating regional traditions in education implemented by kindergarten teachers and primary school teachers (grades 1—3) with reference to some of the conditions associated with education and work experience of the respondents. The scaling method has been applied in the study. The Scale Sheet devised for the purpose of personal research contained 16 questions and addressed 81 preschool and early school education teachers. The respondents answered the questions by means of applying adjectives from a five-degree adjectival scale, where the value of one indicated the lowest degree, whereas the value of five — the highest one. The research findings have revealed that the interviewed teachers cultivate regional traditions in their own professional work to high and moderate degrees. Certain differences in the results have been observed, due to the variables such as education and work experience

The Forgotten Slavism : a sociological study on the depreciation of the memory concerning the Slavic heritage in history textbooks and curricula for secondary schools

The presented study explores the ways in which two events from the history of Poland – the baptism of Mieszko I and the so-called ‘pagan reaction’ – are shown in history textbooks and curricula. Both of these events are treated here as remembrance sites, creating the historical canon, which constitutes one of the pillars of Poles’ memory of the past. Th e method of public discourse analysis was applied. Th e analysis of textbooks and curricula showed that while the christening of Poland is presented as an exceptional remembrance site in its history (one of the major events constituting the historical canon), the so-called pagan reaction is a hardly noticeable event. Th e attitude to the Slavic past, which is characteristic for the analyzed texts, can be placed within the discourse of depreciation, to which the argumentation, linguistic means, and the symbolism have been subordinated.Uniwersytet ŚląskiBanaszczyk T., Studia o przedstawieniach zbiorowych czasu i przestrzeni w durkheimowskiej szkole socjologicznej, Wrocław–Warszawa–Kraków–Gdańsk–Łódź 1989. Czyżewski M., Wprowadzenie [in:] Rytualny chaos. Studium dyskursu publicznego, M. Czyżewski, S. Kowalski, A. Piotrowski (eds.), Kraków 1997. Davies B., Th e Discursive Production of the Male/Female Dualism in School Settings iIn:] Sociology of Education. Major Th emes. Institutions and Processes, S.J. Ball (ed.), Vol. III, London–New York 2000. Durkheim É., Éducation et sociologie, Chicoutimi 2002, http://classiques.uqac.ca/classiques/ Durkheim_emile/education_socio/education_socio.doc [access: 04.05.2012]. Giroux H.A., Simon R.I., Schooling, Popular Culture, and a Pedagogy of Possibility [in:] Sociology of Education. Major Th emes. Institutions and Processes, S.J. Ball (ed.), Vol. III, London–New York 2000. Halbwachs M., Społeczne ramy pamięci, Warszawa 2008. Hervieu-Léger D., La religion en mouvement. Le pélerin et le converti, Paris 1999. Hervieu-Léger D., Religia jako pamięć, Kraków 1999. Honneth A., La société du mépris. Vers une nouvelle Th éorie critique, Paris 2006. 220 Andrzej Kasperek, Agata Cabała Janion M., Niesamowita słowiańszczyzna. Fantazmaty literatury, Kraków 2006. Minois G., Les grands pédagogues de Socrate aux cyberprofs, Paris 2006. Nora P. (ed.), Les Lieux de mémoire, Vol. I, Paris 1984. Rudaś-Grodzka M., Słowiańszczyzna. Pamięć i zapomnienie w wykładach Adama Mickiewicza i powieściach Józefa Ignacego Kraszewskiego, „Konteksty” 2003, No. 1 – 2. Smith G., A Short History of Secularism, London–New York 2008. Szpociński A., Przemiany obrazu przeszłości Polski. Analiza słuchowisk historycznych dla szkół podstawowych 1951 – 1984, Warszawa 1989. Wessels A., Europe: Was It Ever Really Christian? Th e Interaction Between Gospel and Culture, London 1994

Proces budowy strategii portfela projektów

The article aims to characterise the process of construction of project portfolio strategy understood as a set of ventures bringing jointly the highest benefit within the adopted risk tolerance boundaries. At the beginning, the idea of project portfolio is defined with regard to recognized standards in the area of project management. Then three stages of the proposed methodology are identified. The first stage identifies the implemented and potential projects, finds out their impact on strategic goals, and also assesses the benefit, risk and use of resources. At the second stage, all possible portfolios meeting the given criteria are generated, and at the third stage the direction of changes in the portfolio structure is determined in view of the formerly identified optimal portfolios.Celem artykułu jest charakterystyka procesu budowy strategii portfela projektów, przez którą rozumie się zbiór przedsięwzięć łącznie przynoszących najwyższe korzyści w przyjętych granicach tolerancji ryzyka. Na początku zdefiniowano pojęcie portfela projektów w nawiązaniu do uznanych standardów w zakresie zarządzania projektami. Następnie opisano trzy wyróżnione etapy proponowanej metodyki. Etap pierwszy polega na identyfikacji realizowanych i potencjalnych projektów, ustaleniu ich wpływu na cele strategiczne, a także na ich ocenie pod kątem korzyści, ryzyka oraz zużycia zasobów. W etapie drugim generowane są wszystkie możliwe portfele, spełniające podane kryteria, natomiast w etapie trzecim określa się kierunek zmian w strukturze portfela w świetle uprzednio zidentyfikowanych portfeli optymalnych

Forms of heavy metals (Zn, Pb, Cd) occuring in rhizospheres from the areas of former and contemporary Zn-Pb ore mining

The research areas were selected in the regions heavily polluted by wastes from the former washing plant, flotation waste dump and by non-sulphide Zn-Pb ores from open pit mining in the Olkusz region. The submicroscopic phases occurring in the surface of plant roots and in the rhizospheres were investigated by XRD and SEM/EDS methods. Morphology of submicroscopic metalliferous phases and their manner of occurrence were the subject of study. The analysis of EDS spectra enabled to identify phases and mineral aggregates including Zn, Pb, Fe, Mn, Cd in their structure. The soils from the washing plant and areas of open pit exploitation are contaminated by diverse complexes of minerals. The occurrence of unstable Fe, Pb, Ca sulphates indicate that these wastes are still intensively geochemically active

Zdania warunkowe w kształceniu uczniów klas wczesnoszkolnych : analiza funkcjonalna

The book Conditional sentences in educating early school learners — a functional analysis consists of the introduction, theoretical part, methodological part, generalizations of research results expressed in the form of some regularities in the analyses of conditional sentences, the bibliography and annexes. Part I Theoretical foundations of studies into the function of conditional sentences in educating early school learners consists of three chapters. In Chapter 1, some definitions are provided, conditional sentences are situated in the teaching process as well as in the process of early school education and teleology of early school didactics, the psychological and social determinants are also indicated of using conditional sentences in initial classes of primary school. This is followed by an introduction into the semiotics of the conditional sentence in Chapter 2. Three sections of semiotics have been described by the author in the conditional structure of the sentence: syntactics, semantics and pragmatics. Chapter 3 constitutes an introduction to the notion of modality of the conditional sentence. As a result of in-depth theoretical analyses, conditional sentences have been situated in epistemic, deontic and alethic modalities. The definitional, typological and conceptual findings are directly reflected in some references to the methodological arrangements concerning the empirical research into conditional sentences. Part II Authorial studies into the function of conditional sentences in educating early school learners starts with the chapter The methodology of authorial studies, in which the components of the methodology of empirical research in pedagogy are characterized. What seems significant for the findings of empirical research into conditional sentences is Chapter 5, in which the theoretical and methodological assumptions of the categorization of conditional sentences are presented and their functional models are described. There were 10 742 conditional sentences altogether, including 6 006 in observation reports from classes conducted in early school groups, 4 736 in course books, 4 874 in teacher’ utterances, 1 132 in learners’ utterances. Chapter 6, large and fundamental for fulfilling the research aim, comprises the discussion of functions of conditional sentences in educating early school learners. Four functional models of conditional sentences have been created: the cognitive (Model I), the educational-praxic (Model II), the task-based (Model III) and the polifunctional one (Model IV). In the recapitulating analyses, particular attention should be paid to six rules worked out by the author and depicted in the diagram form. The regularities specify the dependencies within the following relations: syntactics — semantics (meaning) — function; semantics (meaning) — syntactics — function. The bibliography comprises 371 items from different scientific disciplines, including general didactics, logic, philosophy of language, semiotics, methodology of sciences. The annexes contain a guide to preparing observation reports from lessons in classes I—III, some examples of conditional sentences (quoted after course books and observation reports) representing the categories of conditional sentences distinguished by the author as well as some tables (Table 49—93) comprising the research data which is referred to in the main text

Metale ciężkie w środowisku glebowym olkuskiego rejonu eksploatacji rud Zn-Pb

The Upper Silesian-Cracovian ore deposits are MVT (Mississippi Valley type) deposits and the ores are characterized by simple mineral compositions. In the Zn-Pb-Fe sulphidic ores, the following heavy metals are present: Zn, Pb, Fe, Mn, Cd, Tl, Ag associated with metalloid elements such as As and Sb. In the Olkusz area, though near-surface exploitation of the Pb-Ag ores was conducted ever since the 12th century, the exploitation of Zn-Pb ores began only in the 19th century. The ores were, at that time, enriched by the washing of oxidized Zn-Pb bearing deposits. In the second half of the 20th century, rapid development of Zn-Pb mining occurred with yearly outputs of ore exceeding two million tons of Zn-Pb sulphide. In parallel, oxidized ores were processed by roasting in rolldown furnances that were used until the 1980s. Since the 1970s, new techniques of hydrometallurgical ore enrichment have been developed which have enabled the recovery of high purity, electrolytic zinc. In areas of Zn-Pb ore exploitation, enrichment and metallurgical processing, heavy metals are concentrated in the superficial zone of the ground soil; these contaminate ground- and surface waters and penetrate into trophic chains. Investigations on minerals in the soil environment are of great importance in revealing the chemical transformation processes involved in the bio-concentration of particular metals in plants as well as in micro- and mezzo-fauna organisms. The source of heavy metal ions such as Zn2+, Pb2+, Fe3+, Mn2+, Cd2+ and Tl+ are metal-bearing mineral grains deriving from secondary, post-flotation waste deposits and from post-mining and post-metallurgical wastes. Further sources of these metals are high- and low-level emissions of air-borne dust from metallurgical plants and other industrial activities in the area. A significant influence on the increased concentrations of metals in the near-surface rock layer and in the in-situ created soil is the geological setting of the area and of the shallow occurrence of ore-bearing dolomites in particular (Figs 1, 2, 3). The subject of this research was the near-surface layer of the soil (depth: 0—0.05 m) in the area. This was industrially transformed by historical mining activity as well as by ore enrichment and metallurgical processing of Zn-Pb ores. The research area extends for a distance of 7 km to the north and north-east from post-flotation waste dumps (Fig. 10), which were sited several kilometers to the west of the town of Olkusz. In this research, the author of the thesis used a range of analytical techniques, including: X-ray diffraction (XRD), ASA — atomic absorption spectroscopy (for chemical composition detection) and scanning microscopy, which enabled the investigation of submicroscopic features of the mineral grains (BSE images) and their elemental composition (EDS analysis). Representative submicroscopic forms of minerals containing Zn, Pb, Fe, Mn, Cd, AS, Sb, Cu, Cu, Sn and other elements are presented on 11 illustrations comprising 101 BSE images (Photos 2—13). Elemental compositions of the mineral grains are presented on several tens of EDS spectra. Of particular interest in the research were the roots of plants which had settled on highly polluted ground. The investigation focused on the forms, elemental compositions and the manner of occurrence of both primary- and secondary minerals present in the epidermal layer of the roots of such plants as Dianthus carthusianorum, Festuca ovina, Viola tricolour, Cardaminopsis arenosa, Armeria maritime and others. Submicroscopic analysis of plant-root epiderm and of fine-grained soil indicates that metal-bearing minerals are abundant in the compositions of both. In the investigated rhizospheres, the research identified mineral grains with forms and chemical compositions different from those of the minerals occurring in both primary- and oxidized Zn-Pb ores. Roots of plants and shreds of fungi are covered by a secondary glaze, and coatings and superficial concentrations of metal-bearing minerals, all formed as a result of the biochemical activity of biotic soil components which were rich in solutions and metals. The formation of such surface forms on the roots may reflect the defensive reaction of the plants to high concentrations of heavy metals. The research focused on the origin and on the forms of Ca sulphate found on the plant roots and on other organic constituents in the soil, e.g., on needles of Pinus silvestris. The results of the research point to the major importance of submicroscopic analysis in the recognition of acid waste drainage (AWD) processes occurring in soils rich in Zn-Pb and Fe sulphides. Metal-bearing minerals are represented in the area by Zn- and Pb carbonates, Fe-Zn-Pb sulphides, Fe oxides and by unstable sulphates of Fe, Zn and Pb. Commonly, the minerals are of submicroscopic size < 20 μm) and in the form of irregular grains and aggregates with morphologies that indicate that the minerals had been subject to weathering processes during the stage of their hypergenesis. The parageneses of ore minerals recognized in the soils of the Olkusz region are identical to those found in the primary Zn-Pb ores. The simple, metal bearing sulphides present, such as sphalerite, galena, marcasite and pyrite, are typical of Zn-Pb ores of MVT type. In the near-surface layer of the soil, the chemical transformations of the sulphides are similar to those seen in the primary Zn-Pb ores. Among Zn-Pb-Fe minerals recognised in the soils, smithsonite, cerussite, and Fe oxides and hydroxides, are the most common. In the areas of both historicand contemporary post-industrial waste heaps, the processes of sulphide oxidation are very distinctly marked by the secondary crystallization of Ca and Fe sulphates on the roots of plants. A significant volume of metals occurs in polymineral aggregates characterized by complex structures and chemical compositions. In those areas close to the metallurgical plant, characteristic spherical aggregates were recognized (Photos 9—10) which, apart from Si and Al, also contain Fe, Zn, Pb, Mn, Cd and As. The presence of these elements is evidence for the major involvement of metallurgical-process emissions in the pollution of the soil. The superficial layer of soil which covers land reclaimed during the last several years does not contain spherical mineral phases. During his research, the author established that since the end of the last century, metal- bearing post-metallurgical aggregates had been no longer emitted into the atmosphere. The near-surface layer of the soil (depth; 0—0.05 m) formed on the post-mining waste deposits, in the vicinity of post-flotation tailing dumps and in places where the processing of Zn-Pb ores had taken place in the past, is very commonly characterized by exceptionally high metal contents. In areas neighboring post-flotation tailings, i.e., at distances of 0—1.2 km, analysis of numerous soil samples revealed very high concentrations of Zn (5 000—10 000 mg kg–1), Pb (1 000—5 000 mg kg–1), Fe (10 000—40 000 mg kg–1), Cd (10—100 mg kg–1) and Tl (5—50 mg kg–1). Total contents of metals in the superficial soil layer as well as the size of mineral grains containing Zn, Pb, Cd, Fe and Mn, show significant correlations with distance from the sources of the polluting emissions (Fig. 21). The distribution of metals, i.e., Zn, Pb, Fe, Mn, Cd, and Tl, in soil samples divided into specific grain size groups is also presented. The techniques of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) enable quick and easy recognition of particular groups of metal-bearing minerals occurring in the soil. Particularly good results were obtained for the mineral grains present on the epiderm of plant roots as well as on other organic material such as shreds of fungi or algae. SEM analysis, conducted in the low-vacuum working mode (0.3 Torr), makes it possible to distinguish components which are rich in Zn, Pb, Cd, Fe and Mn. The identification of Tl-bearing material is not possible with the use of EDS spectral analysis. The soils containing the significant concentrations of the metal-bearing minerals constitute a sort of reservoir for heavy metals. These metals are a potential threat to the natural environment. Commonly, however, the heavy metals are bound in stable- and difficult-to-dissolve mineral phases. Thus, the possibility for migration of the metal ions into underground waters, soil-originated solutions and trophic chains of organisms is limited and continues very slowly

Edukacja muzealna w praktyce szkolnej – wyzwania dydaktyczne

W prezentowanym artykule przedmiotem refleksji dydaktycznej jest edukacja muzealna. Zastosowana metoda badań to autobiografia tematyczna. W badaniach uczestniczyło 27 nauczycieli wyłonionych na podstawie wyboru rekomendacyjnego. Analizie poddane zostały te fragmenty wypowiedzi autobiograficznych nauczycieli, które wiążą się bezpośrednio z ich pracą zawodową, z realizacją edukacji muzealnej w systemie kształcenia szkolnego. W prezentacji wyników badań własnych opisane zostały dwa pola tematyczne. Pierwsze to uwagi nauczycieli na temat powiązań edukacji muzealnej z realizacją podstawy programowej kształcenia ogólnego oraz drugie pole tematyczne związane z uczniem jako głównym odbiorcą i bezpośrednim uczestnikiem edukacji muzealnej

Using the Analytic Hierarchy Process in Evaluating Decision Alternatives

In this paper the method of the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) is described. At the beginning the general assumptions of the method are characterized and discussed. These are related to assumptions held within General Systems Theory. Then the problems of pairwise comparisons of elements, with its use of a specific scale, as well as the resulting reciprocal matrix are presented. There are many ways of estimating the eigenvectors of this matrix. These eigenvectors reflect weights of preferences. Despite the fact that we are able to evaluate the consistency of judgements the problem of acceptable weights still remains. Therefore, by way of an illustration, the method for the sensitivity analysis of preferences is also discussed in the paper. (original abstract

Przydatność wybranych koncepcji zarządzania zmianą w świecie VUCA

The main idea of the article is to present the issue of change management in the conditions of variability, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity (VUCA) of the organizational environment. Starting from the presentation of the main research trends considering change management, the authors assess the usefulness of selected change management concepts in the VUCA world. The analyzed models were grouped and then assessed on a four-point scale. The summary of the article indicates the factors determining the efficiency of change management in conditions of high dynamics and complexity of the environment.W artykule omówiono zagadnienie zarządzania zmianą w warunkach zmienności, niepewności, złożoności i wieloznaczności (VUCA) otoczenia organizacji. Wychodząc od przedstawienia głównych nurtów badań w zarządzaniu zmianą, autorzy dokonują oceny przydatności modeli zarządzania zmianą w świecie VUCA. Analizowane modele zostały pogrupowane, a następnie ocenione w czterostopniowej skali. W podsumowaniu artykułu wskazano czynniki determinujące sprawność zarządzania zmianą w warunkach wysokiej dynamiki i złożoności otoczenia