Endocrine Disrupting Compounds – Problems and Challenges

In this chapter, information about some of the estrogenic compounds and their environmental fate and biological influence can be found. Special attention is paid to the review of the analytical approaches used at the stages of detection and determination of Endocrine Disrupting Compounds (EDCs) in the environmental samples. Also, a brief characterization of both cellular and non-cellular bioassays is presented

Programowanie rewitalizacji w miastach województwa wielkopolskiego w latach 1999–2015

The article aims at identifying and summarizing the experiences in regards to the urban renewal in the Wielkopolska voivodship in the 1999–2015 period. In order to reach the purpose of the study all the local strategic documents related to urban regeneration have been analyzed. In addition, a survey was conducted among all the cities of the Wielkopolska voivodship in order to get more insights about the design and implementation of the urban renewal programmes. Uncovering the experiences resulting from the existing urban regeneration activities and projects seems to be of a special importance in the light of newly launched Renewal Act and the increasing financial means devoted to urban regeneration. The study shows that the efforts to implement the urban renewal programmes in the cities of the Wielkopolska voivodship were mainly driven by an opportunity to apply for the EU financial aid, while the economic, social and spatial problems were less of a motivation. The local activities and efforts in the realm of urban regeneration were predominantly spurred by the local authorities, but the programmes were most frequently elaborated by the private consulting companies. The study reveals that the effects of the urban renewal projects are not sufficiently monitored. The most frequently positive consequences of urban regeneration are: improvements of technical infrastructure, improvement of transport accessibility, renewal of the historical monuments, improvement of the natural environment as well as decreasing the social exclusion and unemployment.Celem artykułu jest identyfikacja oraz synteza doświadczeń miast województwa wielkopolskiego w zakresie programowania rewitalizacji w latach 1999–2015. W ramach realizacji tego celu przeanalizowane zostały lokalne programy rewitalizacji oraz inne dokumenty strategiczne badanych miast. Przeprowadzono także badanie ankietowe wśród władz miast i gmin województwa wielkopolskiego, którego celem było poznanie opinii na temat procesu programowania odnowy obszarów zdegradowanych. Identyfikacja oraz synteza doświadczeń w tym zakresie wydaje się szczególnie istotna z punktu widzenia uchwalenia ustawy o rewitalizacji oraz coraz większych środków finansowych przeznaczanych na rewitalizację. W świetle przeprowadzonego badania można stwierdzić, że głównym powodem rozpoczęcia działań rewitalizacyjnych w województwie wielkopolskim była możliwość wydatkowania środków z Unii Europejskiej, rzadziej natomiast chęć rozwiązania konkretnych problemów społecznych, ekonomicznych lub przestrzennych. Choć inicjatorem działań w zakresie odnowy najczęściej były samorządy lokalne, to w wielu przypadkach opracowanie programu rewitalizacji zlecano firmie zewnętrznej. Monitoring realizacji postanowień programów rewitalizacji prowadzony jest w niewielu miastach. Wśród najczęściej wskazywanych efektów rewitalizacji wymienić należy poprawę infrastruktury technicznej, poprawę dostępności komunikacyjnej, polepszenie stanu obiektów zabytkowych, poprawę stanu środowiska przyrodniczego oraz zmniejszenie poziomu wykluczenia społecznego i spadek bezrobocia

Structural feature based computational approach of toxicity prediction of ionic liquids: Cationic and anionic effects on ionic liquids toxicity

yesThe density functional theory (DFT) based a unique model has been developed to predict the toxicity of ionic liquids using structural-feature based quantum chemical reactivity descriptors. Electrophilic indices (ω), the energy of highest occupied (EHOMO) and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital, (ELUMO) and energy gap (∆ E) were selected as the best toxicity descriptors of ILs via Pearson correlation and multiple linear regression analyses. The principle components analysis (PCA) demonstrated the distribution and inter-relation of descriptors of the model. A multiple linear regression (MLR) analysis on selected descriptors derived the model equation for toxicity prediction of ionic liquids. The model predicted toxicity values and mechanism are very consistent with observed toxicity. Cationic and side chains length effect are pronounced to the toxicity of ILs. The model will provide an economic screening method to predict the toxicity of a wide range of ionic liquids and their toxicity mechanism

Formulation of choline chloride/ascorbic acid natural deep eutectic solvent: Characterization, solubilization capacity and antioxidant property

In the present study, natural deep eutectic solvent composed of choline chloride and ascorbic acid (CHCL/AA NADES) was formulated for enhancing the solubility and antioxidant properties of antioxidant extracts from fruit wastes of Mangifera pajang. The solubilities of Mangifera pajang's antioxidant extracts in water and CHCL/AA NADES at different water contents (0–50 wt%) were investigated. It was observed that the antioxidant extracts were most soluble in the CHCL/AA NADES with 10 wt% of water, and the concentration of antioxidant was found to be approximately 15% and 4% as compared to water and pure CHCL/AA NADES, respectively. The positive effect of water on NADES can be related to the reduced viscosity of NADES, where the viscosity decreased up to 74% upon addition of water. Aside from that, all the tested CHCL/AA NADES enhanced the antioxidant capacity of antioxidant extracts by 1.3–14.64% compared to the antioxidant extracts in water. This finding highlights the role of CHCL/AA NADES as an antioxidant capacity enhancer. Noteworthy, the antioxidant extracts solubilized in the CHCL/AA NADES system formed a nano-scale cluster structure, as depicted by the TEM image, suggesting that the CHCL/AA NADES could potentially use in nanoformulation that provides protection to the antioxidant extracts

The Impact of Environmental Protection on the Competitiveness of Businesses

The paper discusses empirical evidence on the relationship between environmental protection and economic performance. Traditionally, economists and managers perceived environmental regulations and pollution abatement as a cost burden on firms and a factor detrimental to their competitiveness and that of the entire economy, Kudłak says. A new approach to this issue appeared at the beginning of the 1990s when Michael Porter suggested that properly designed environmental standards could stimulate innovation, which would decrease a firm’s environmental impact while strengthening its competitiveness through improved productivity. Since Porter published his theory, there have been a growing number of theoretical and empirical papers examining his ideas. Kudłak says his research findings do not justify the view of some politicians, economists and managers that environmental protection poses a threat to the competitiveness of enterprises and economies. On the other hand, there is no hard evidence supporting Porter’s hypothesis, Kudłak concedes. Presumably, environmental protection measures can be a competitiveness-boosting factor, the author concludes, but only under specific conditions

Enhanced Toxicity of Bisphenols Together with UV Filters in Water: Identification of Synergy and Antagonism in Three-Component Mixtures

Contaminants of emerging concern (CEC) localize in the biome in variable combinations of complex mixtures that are often environmentally persistent, bioaccumulate and biomagnify, prompting a need for extensive monitoring. Many cosmetics include UV filters that are listed as CECs, such as benzophenone derivatives (oxybenzone, OXYB), cinnamates (2-ethylhexyl 4-methoxycinnamate, EMC) and camphor derivatives (4-methylbenzylidene-camphor, 4MBC). Furthermore, in numerous water sources, these UV filters have been detected together with Bisphenols (BPs), which are commonly used in plastics and can be physiologically detrimental. We utilized bioluminescent bacteria (Microtox assay) to monitor these CEC mixtures at environmentally relevant doses, and performed the first systematic study involving three sunscreen components (OXYB, 4MBC and EMC) and three BPs (BPA, BPS or BPF). Moreover, a breast cell line and cell viability assay were employed to determine the possible effect of these mixtures on human cells. Toxicity modeling, with concentration addition (CA) and independent action (IA) approaches, was performed, followed by data interpretation using Model Deviation Ratio (MDR) evaluation. The results show that UV filter sunscreen constituents and BPs interact at environmentally relevant concentrations. Of notable interest, mixtures containing any pair of three BPs (e.g., BPA + BPS, BPA + BPF and BPS + BPF), together with one sunscreen component (OXYB, 4MBC or EMC), showed strong synergy or overadditive effects. On the other hand, mixtures containing two UV filters (any pair of OXYB, 4MBC and EMC) and one BP (BPA, BPS or BPF) had a strong propensity towards concentration dependent underestimation. The three-component mixtures of UV filters (4MBC, EMC and OXYB) acted in an antagonistic manner toward each other, which was confirmed using a human cell line model. This study is one of the most comprehensive involving sunscreen constituents and BPs in complex mixtures, and provides new insights into potentially important interactions between these compounds

Urban regeneration actions in the cities of the Wielkopolska Voivodeship in the 1999–2015 period and their consequences

Celem artykułu jest identyfikacja i analiza działań rewitalizacyjnych podjętych w miastach województwa wielkopolskiego w latach 1999–2015 oraz ich bezpośrednich i pośrednich efektów. W ramach realizacji tego celu przeanalizowane zostały lokalne programy rewitalizacji oraz dokumenty strategiczne badanych miast, przeprowadzono badanie ankietowe wśród działaczy samorządów lokalnych oraz wywiady pogłębione z innymi aktorami procesu rewitalizacji. W świetle tego badania można stwierdzić, że działania rewitalizacyjne podejmowane w miastach województwa wielkopolskiego nie są zintegrowane, tzn. nie mają charakteru kompleksowego i komplementarnego (nie uzupełniają się nawzajem tematycznie na danym obszarze). Projekty infrastrukturalne dominują nad społecznymi i gospodarczymi. Społeczne i gospodarcze efekty działań rewitalizacyjnych są niemal nieznane. Znacznie lepiej widoczne są efekty techniczno-budowlane. Przeprowadzone badanie pozwoliło również zidentyfikować pewne nieoczekiwane, zarówno pozytywne, jak i negatywne, efekty rewitalizacji, takie jak wzrost zaangażowania lokalnych stowarzyszeń, właścicieli nieruchomości i przedsiębiorców w działania rewitalizacyjne oraz problem działań spekulacyjnych na terenach rewitalizowanych.The article attempts to identify and analyze the actions undertaken in the cities of the Wielkopolska Voivodeship in the area of urban renewal in the 1999–2005 period as well as the direct and indirect effects of these actions. In order to reach this objective, we analyze the local renewal programmes as well as other strategic documents launched in the investigated cities. In addition, we employ the survey technique and conduct numerous in-depth interviews with the local actors of the renewal process in order to get better insights into the economic, societal and spatial context of the renewal process. As a result, we show that the actions undertaken by the cities of the Wielkopolska Voivodeship in the realm of urban renewal are hardly integrated (they are not comprehensive and do not complement each other in a given area) and dominated by infrastructural investments. In contrast, the economic and social projects remain rare and their consequences ambiguous. We also identify some unexpected, positive as well as negative, consequences of the renewal process, such as increasing engagement of local property owners, entrepreneurs and associations in the renewal actions as well as the problem of profiteering on the renewed areas