Geochemical study of precipitates in the architectural surfaces from Bern, Switzerland

This geochemical study aims to resolve genesis of precipitation spots on the walls on the Nydeggbrücke in Bern, Switzerland. The bridge is composed of Jurassic limestone and dolomites and coated on both sides with Miocene flysch sandstone. As a result of infiltration of aqueous solutions derived directly from the road embankment into the sandstone, sulfate encrustation on the walls of sandstone has been formed.The study of these precipitates using optical and electron microscopy clearly shows dominant sulfate phases are gypsum (calcium sulfate), mirabilite (sodium hydrated sulfate) and polyhalite (potassium, calcium and magnesium sulfate). Impurities of Ni, Cu, Zn and Pb was encountered by ICP-MS analysis. Identified polymetallic mineralization is associated with the infrastructure of the bridge and the accumulation of pollution from vehicular traffic. This is also confirmed by sulfur and oxygen stable isotope analyses of sulfates

The use of remote sensing methods for assessing forest stand condition in Northern Poland

The influence of chemical and physical stresses on health condition of three forest complexes was analysed. The first study area consisted of managed forest situated in the vicinity of ANWIL Nitric Company in Włocławek subjected to strong NOx stress. The second complex is a reserve Las Piwnicki situated near the city of Torun. For the last 20 years old pines and oaks in the reserve have been observed to die as a result of natural processes and chemical stress emitted by town. The third site consists of pine plantations in Zabory Landscape Park. A large part of the study area is covered by the secondary forest restored at the end of 19th century on land temporarily used for farming. Coloured and panchromatic aerial photographs were used to assess the range of NOx emission effect and the extend of injuries suffered by tree crown in the surroundings of nitrogen works as well as to assess the dying rate of the pines and oaks in the reserve Las Piwnicki. The assessment of the condition of forests in Zabory Landscape Park was based on the NDVI obtained from the analysis of Landsat TM satellite data. The zone of very intensive influence of gas emission on forests growing near the nitrogen works was described on the basis of aerial photographs. It was found that changes in the structure of the upper layer of trees have considerably increased around 1985 in the reserve Las Piwnicki. The pine forests growing in places continuously afforested for the last several centuries have a higher NDVI value than secondary forests restored on former agricultural soils in Zabory Landscape Park. Those secondary forests have been refereed to syntaxons Cladonio-Pinetum and Calluno-Pinetum. Fire risk in those forests is much higher than in the remaining forest types occurring in the park.Analizowano wpływ stresów chemicznych na zdrowotność trzech kompleksów leśnych. Pierwszy obszar badań, którym był las gospodarczy wokół zakładów azotowych ANWIL we Włocławku, podlegał silnemu oddziaływaniu NOx. Drugim kompleksem był rezerwat Las Piwnicki zlokalizowany w pobliżu Torunia. Przez ostatnie dwadzieścia lat obserwuje się tu zamieranie starych sosen i dębów, jako następstwo skażeń chemicznych emitowanych przez miasto do atmosfery. Trzeci kompleks leśny obejmował plantacje sosny zwyczajnej w Zaborskim Parku Krajobrazowym. W tym obiekcie przyrodniczym znaczna część terenu pokryta jest lasami wtórnymi odtworzonymi w końcu XIX wieku na glebach czasowo użytkowanych rolniczo. Do oceny efektu emisji tlenków azotu w postaci uszkodzeń koron drzew wokół zakładów azotowych wykorzystano kolorowe i panchromatyczne zdjęcia lotnicze. Z podobnych źródeł pochodziły informacje do oceny tempa usychania sosen i dębów w rezerwacie Las Piwnicki. Ocenę kondycji lasów w Zaborskim Parku Krajobrazowym oparto o analizę znormalizowanego różnicowego wskaźnika roślinnego (NDVI) pozyskanego ze zobrazowania wykonanego przez satelitę Landsat skanerem TM. Na podstawie zdjęć lotniczych okolic Włocławka wyznaczono strefy oddziaływania emisji gazowych na lasy rosnące w pobliżu zakładów azotowych. Na podstawie serii zdjęć lotniczych Lasu Piwnickiego wykonanych w różnych latach stwierdzono, że zmiany w strukturze górnej warstwy drzew rezerwatu nasiliły się około 1985 roku. W wyniku analizy zdjęcia satelitarnego stwierdzono, że wskaźnik NDVI borów sosnowych rosnących na obszarach zawsze zalesionych w ciągu ostatnich kilku stuleci jest wyższy niż lasów wtórnych, odtworzonych na glebach użytkowanych rolniczo. Lasy te zaliczane są do syntaksonów Cladonio-Pinetum i Calluno-Pinetum. Występuje w nich znacznie wyższe zagrożenie pożarowe niż w pozostałych typach zbiorowisk leśnych wyróżnionych na terenie parku

Should we continue population-based cervical cancer screening programme in Poland? A statement in favour

Organised cervical cancer screening programme in Poland introduced in 2006/2007 has never been optimal, largely due to low participation rate. However, recent analysis of trends in the burden of cervical cancer mortality revealed an acceleration of the downward trends in women of the screening age 25–59 around the time of the introduction of the programme. Possible factors responsible for this phenomenon include dissemination of Pap testing (mainly in opportunistic screening) and attempts to assure higher quality of screening procedures, which accompanied the roll-out of the screening programme. Despite the obvious flaws and limitations of the programme, its discontinuation might result in adverse epidemiological, clinical and financial outcomes related to limiting the screening to the opportunistic mode only. Therefore the programme requires continuation and improvements. Unfavourable trends in the burden of the disease in older women require rising the upper age limit for screening to facilitate access to screening. Several strategies to raise participation need to be tested. The inevitable advent of more sensitive but less specific, molecular HPV screening requires pilot studies, evaluation of their outcomes and adjustments before full-scale introduction at the national level. According to European Guidelines, this may be executed only within an organised screening programme

Should we continue population-based cervical cancer screening programme in Poland? A statement in favour

Organised cervical cancer screening programme in Poland introduced in 2006/2007 has never been optimal, largely due to low participation rate. However, recent analysis of trends in the burden of cervical cancer mortality revealed an acceleration of the downward trends in women of the screening age 25–59 around the time of the introduction of the programme. Possible factors responsible for this phenomenon include dissemination of Pap testing (mainly in opportunistic screening) and attempts to assure higher quality of screening procedures, which accompanied the roll-out of the screening programme. Despite the obvious flaws and limitations of the programme, its discontinu­ation might result in adverse epidemiological, clinical and financial outcomes related to limiting the screening to the opportunistic mode only. Therefore the programme requires continuation and improvements. Unfavourable trends in the burden of the disease in older women require rising the upper age limit for screening to facilitate access to screening. Several strategies to raise participation need to be tested. The inevitable advent of more sensitive but less specific, molecular HPV screening requires pilot studies, evaluation of their outcomes and adjustments before full-scale introduction at the national level. According to European Guidelines, this may be executed only within an organised screening programme

Influence of land cover and structure of tree stands on pollen deposition in Zaborski Landscape Park

The paper presents a comparison of modern pollen deposition in Tauber traps after one-year exposure at two research sites - Laska and Widno, located in the northern part of the Zaborski Landscape Park in the Pomerania Province (Northern Poland). The studied sites were circular in shape with a radius of 2 km and an area of 1256 ha each. They were characterised by similar contribution of forest and non-forest areas, as well as similar species composition and area covered by tree species. Both sites differed, however, in the location of traps in relation to forest areas and distribution of deciduous trees amid pine monocultures. At the former site, a Tauber trap was placed in the open field, i.e. in xerothermic meadow, in the western part of the Laska village. At the latter site, a trap was placed on the borderline between meadows of the Widno village and the surrounding forests. At the site of Laska, scattered deciduous trees occurred mostly in the form of small clusters amid extensive pine monocultures surrounding the village. Whereas at the site of Widno, deciduous tree species covered larger areas in the form of more fertile oak-hornbeam forests, beech forests and birch woods amid pine forests. The size of area covered by tree species and the amount of pollen deposition by these trees were positively correlated at both sites. In addition, the average annual pollen deposition was calculated for each site for seven most abundant tree species during the period of 1999-2010. By comparing the arithmetic means, it was found that the pollen deposition at the site of Widno is higher for most of the studied arboreal species compared with the site of Laska, but these differences are statistically significant only in the case of birch and hornbeam

Variability of the structure and directions in the development of heaths and psammophilous grasslands within the artillery range near the city of Toruń

Phytosociological analysis of non-forest communities was carried out on one of the oldest and the biggest military training grounds in Europe, located near the city of Toruń, in central Poland. Heaths and psammophilous grasslands developed here as a result of deforestation of inland dunes in the valley of the Vistula River, as well as a result of destruction of soils and vegetation brought on by manoeuvres and artillery firings. They form a landscape mosaic with young self-seeding pines, mature pine forests and birch forests. Using the Braun-Blanquet method, 84 relevés were made in the areas dominated by dwarf shrubs and 32 relevés within psammophilous grasslands. Applying the classic phytosociological method, the following plant associations were distinguished in the first set of relevés: Pohlio-Callunetum and Arctostaphylo-Callunetum, as well as the community with Cytisus scoparius. Within the psammophilous grasslands, two associations were distinguished: Spergulo vernalis-Corynephoretum and Calamagrostietum epigeji. In this paper, the heterogeneity within associations and communities was presented together with descriptions of individual syntaxa, as well as dynamic and developmental relationships between the aforementioned were identified

Comparison of heath communities from the class Nardo-Callunetea from the Toruń Basin and other regions of Poland

This paper presents the variability within two heath associations, i.e. Pohlio-Callunetum and Arctostaphylo-Callunetum in the territory of Poland. The variability of the former syntaxon was determined based on 9 sets of published relevés, made in different regions of Poland. In the case of the latter syntaxon, there were 13 sets of relevés. The sets were being compared in respect of species composition assuming the degrees of species constancy as characteristics of the compared sets. The comparisons have been done with the classic phytosociological method according to Braun-Blanquet, as well as with numerical taxonomy methods using the software MVSP. In both cases, the subsets of relevés from the artillery range near the city of Toruń were clearly separated from the others. In the obtained dendrograms, relevés from the neighbourhood of Toruń, classified within the analysed subassociations formed separate clusters and their distance to other groups of relevés from the same association but from different regions of Poland was significant. Both in the case of the association Pohlio Callunetum and the association Arctostaphylo-Callunetum, sets of relevés from the Skwierzyna (coniferous) Forest in western Poland and from the Tuchola Forest in northern Poland were the most similar to relevés from the neighbourhood of Toruń

Does IGF-1 play a role in the biology of ovarian cancer?

Objectives: The aim of the study was to investigate serum concentrations of the insulin-like growth factor-1 in women with ovarian cancer and healthy controls, and to compare free IGF-1 levels with selected clinical and pathological param­eters. Correlation analysis was used to measure the following: IGF-1 concentration and Ca125; IGF-1 level and the height of the OC patients. Material and methods: The study included 70 patients with OC and 50 healthy controls. Serum concentrations of free IGF-1 were measured in all subjects. Routine diagnostic tests (CBC and USG and Ca125) were performed. Results: Significantly higher serum concentrations of free IGF-1 were found in the study group as compared to controls. No statistically significant relationships between IGF-1 serum concentrations and tumor differentiation, histological type, and disease stage were detected. No statistically significant correlations between IGF-1 and Ca125 level or between IGF-1 and growth of OC patients were found. Conclusions: Serum IGF-1 participates in the etiopathogenesis of ovarian cancer in menstruating women, while local synthesis of this factor and other components of the autocrine loop of the IGF-1 system play a greater role in their post­menopausal peers

Biomass of Scots pine-silver birch tree stand 25 years after afforestation of former agricultural land

: In 2O15, the structure of a forest stand growing on former agricultural land in subunit 277n of the Przymuszewo Forest Division (Regional Directorate of State Forests RDSF in Toruń) was described. The study area was afforested in 199O - mostly with Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.), silver birch (Betula pendula Roth) and several seedlings of the European beech – after many years of agricultural cultivation of grain and potato crops. Characteristics of the forest stand comprised the following parameters: species composition and species diversity, density of individual components, the average tree diameter at breast height (DBH), and the height and aboveground biomass of trees divided into individual species. The species structure, dendrometric characteristics and spatial dis- tribution of trees studied in 2015 were compared with the situation assessed in 2000. Based on DBH and height values, as well as the use of dendrometric tables and basic wood density for tree species, the above- ground biomass and total biomass of trees with a minimum diameter of 7 cm were calculated. The aboveground and total biomass for trees with DBH less than 7 cm was calculated on the basis of density and weight of trees according to the classification into species and height classes. The aboveground and total biomass of the whole tree stand, including spontaneous non-native and invasive Padus serotina Ehrh., was compared with the standing biomass of agricultural areas in the Tuchola Forest region as well as with other Scots pine-silver birch plantations on former agricultural lands described in ecological literature. The paper presents also the differences in assessments of aboveground pine biomass at the study site obtained when using conver- sion factors established during direct measurements carried out in forests of the Przymuszewo Forest Division and conversion factors applied during inventories conducted in Poland according to the IPCC recommendations for international reporting submitted to the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, FAO and UNFCC