Cadmium in pork and poultry liver in southern Poland

Samples of pork and poultry livers (ten samples of each type, purchased in southern Poland) were analyzed in order to determine the cadmium concentration. Wet digestion of the samples was carried out and the concentration of cadmium was measured by means of graphitefurnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GF-AAS). The mean values for pork and poultry livers were 79.3 µg/kg and 165.3 µg/kg, respectively. In one sample of poultry liver the Cd concentration was 1043 µg/kg, which is much more than the legal limit for the European Union (500 µg/kg). Statistical analysis showed that there was no significant difference in Cd concentration between the two groups of the samples, unless the highest result (1043 µg/kg) was considered an outlier

Agrotoursimo with equestrian center in Drzonków, as a discours on land tradition

Niniejszy artykuł podejmuje zagadnienie architektury, jako nośnika wiedzy o ciągłości kulturowej miejsca na przykładzie projektu: „Zespołu agroturystycznego z ośrodkiem jeździeckim w Drzonkowie”. Opracowanie zostało poświęcone zaprojektowaniu zespołu agroturystycznego z ośrodkiem jeździeckim dla 14 koni w miejscu dawnego ośrodka jeździeckiego w miejscowości stanowiącej od niedawna fragment Zielonej Góry. Koncepcja zakłada uzupełnienie funkcjonalne przestrzeni poprzez stworzenie ośrodka rekreacyjnego z nauką jazdy konnej, współpracującego z Wojewódzkim Ośrodkiem Sportu i Rekreacji im. Zbigniewa Majewskiego w Drzonkowie (WOSiR).The article deals with the issue of architecture as a form of knowledge transition of cultural continuity of a certain area basing on the example of a project: "Agrotourismo with equestrian center in Drzonków.” The study was devoted to the design of agro-touristic hub with an equestrian center for 14 horses, at the site of a former equestrian complex, in a place which has recently become a part of Zielona Góra. The concept posits complementing functional gaps in the area, by creating a recreation resort offering riding lessons, cooperating with the Regional Center for Sport and Recreation named by Zbigniew Majewski in Drzonkow (WOSiR)

Determination of copper, manganese and chromium in wine

The aim of the study was to determine the content of copper, manganese and chromium in white and red wines available on Polish market. The results have been compared with similar studies of other researchers as well as with the recommendations regarding dietary intake of analysed elements. Statistical analysis showed that there was a statistically important difference in manganese and copper content between the two groups of wines

Evaluation of a Partially-automated Magnetic Bead-based Method for DNA Extraction for Wheat and Barley MAS

A partially automated method of DNA isolation (a Freedom Evo workstation coupled with a paramagnetic bead-based DNA isolation kit from Machery-Nagel) was evaluated in terms of DNA quantity, purity, and quality in comparison with a conventional manual method (the membrane-based Qiagen Plant DNeasy kit). In addition, the efficiency in terms of time and cost was evaluated. The partially automated method enabled the isolation from each sample of DNA of good A260/A280 ratio and sufficient quantity to serve as a template for dozens of PCR amplifications suitable for conventional marker-assisted selection applications. However, lower PCR efficiencies, presumably due to lower DNAquality, were obtained with DNA extracted by the partially automated method as compared with the Qiagen method. The partially automated method presented here was shown to be superior to the conventional Qiagen method in that the costs and time required were reduced by ca. 50%. The Freedom Evo workstation coupled with Machery-Nagel DNA isolation kit appeared advantageous for high-throughput applications required for plant molecular breeding

A sequential procedure for determining 238Pu, 239+240Pu, 241Am, 90Sr, U and Th activities in soils and peats from Spitsbergen

This paper presents results of application of a sequential radiochemical procedure for multi-elemental analyses for samples collected in the Arctic environment. The levels of activity of 238Pu, 239+240Pu, 241Am, 90Sr and the content of natural radioisotopes (238U, 234U and 232Th, 230Th) were investigated in soils and peats in the proglacial zone of the Werenskiold glacier and on the strandflat in the vicinity of the glacier. Results on activity concentration shows general low level of radioactive contamination. Procedure was checked using reference materials. Reasonable recoveries were obtained for almost all analyzed radionuclides except for uranium. Further work is needed to improve this stage

Different migration strategies used by two inland wader species during autumn migration, case of Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola and Common Snipe Gallinago gallinago

Waders generally follow two alternative strategies. The "B-strategy" or "energy minimization" strategy is to initiate migration late in the season, start moulting at the breeding grounds and migrate slowly in small steps, whereas the "S-strategy" or "time minimization" is to migrate immediately after the end of the breeding period and moult on the wintering grounds after a migration with only a few stopover sites. We studied Wood Sandpipers Tringa glareola and Common Snipes Gallinago gallinago at the Polish Jeziorsko reservoir. Adult and juvenile Wood Sandpipers migrate during different periods, and showed no signs of moult. In contrast, both age groups of Common Snipe migrate during the same period, and up to 30% of ringed adult Common Snipes had started their post-breeding moult at the reservoir. Wood Sandpipers stayed 4-5 days at the reservoir, where they fattened at a rate of 1.15 g/day (which was positively correlated with their length of stay, r = 0.21), and left with 21% of fat (% of LBM), allowing them to cover distances exceeding 2,500 km (which enables them to reach the coast of the Mediterranean Sea). In contrast, Common Snipes stayed 11 days, fattening 0.3 g/day, and left the reservoir independently of their fat reserve. Common Snipes stored a significantly smaller fat reserve than Wood Sandpipers, and their reserve was predicted to allow maximally 1,500 km of constant flight. Our findings support the hypothesis that, under common feeding conditions at Jeziorsko reservoir, Common Snipes behave according to the energy minimization strategy whereas Wood Sandpipers use a time minimization strategy

High-flux PGAA for milligram-weight samples

With the high-intensity cold neutron flux available at the Prompt Gamma Activation Analysis (PGAA) instrument of the research reactor FRM II at the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum (MLZ), samples with a weight of 1 mg or even less can be investigated for their elemental compositions using the (n,γ) capture reaction. In such cases, the typical sample packing material for PGAA experiments made of 25 μm thick PTFE foil (ca. 80 mg) can be orders of magnitude more massive than the sample weight itself. Proper choice of the packing material and measuring conditions are then of the highest importance [1]