The chosen socio-economic problems of protecting valuable agricultural land in Natura 2000 areas in Poland

Purpose: Intensive development of agriculture has led to the loss of many valuable ecosystems and thus to a significant impoverishment of biodiversity in rural areas. In the context of the analysed research problem, i.e. the functioning of agriculture in N2000 areas, Poland is a special country where there are semi-natural unique habitats disappearing in the European landscape. The aim of the study was to assess the effectiveness of conservation measures financed under the EU CAP on agricultural land located on N2000 areas. Design/Methodology/Approach: The analytical material consisted of the results of surveys using a standardized questionnaire which carried out among 292 farmers (152 organic farmers and 140 conventional farmers) from the the area of N2000 "Biebrza Valley" PLH200008. The assumptions were verified based on the Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA analysis and gamma rank correlation. The analytical material also consisted of EUROSTAT data on the area of the N2000 network and the area of agricultural land covered by this form of protection in EU countries. These data were subject to horizontal and vertical (years 2009-2017) comparative analysis. Findings: Polish experience regarding the implementation of conservation measures on naturally valuable agricultural land (N2000) allows to state that environmental policy should be based on the idea of socially sustainable agriculture, including ecological sustainability (proper delimitation of areas predestined for protection, their environmental valorisation, development of conservation measures and their implementation, a bonus system for the sustainability of agri-environmental commitments), economic sustainability (the system of agricultural subsidies and/or other solutions to meet the basic living needs of farmers and their families), social sustainability (effective inclusion of local communities in information, education and decision-making processes at the stages of development, deployment and implementation of protection programs). Practical Implications: The recommendations resulting from the conducted research and analyses may be adopted by the institutions responsible for the creation of an environmental protection policy which can improve the effectiveness of active forms of protection in valuable natural habitats that are used for agriculture. Originality/Value: The article indicates the recommendations based on building a lasting relationship between farmers and the protection of the environment.peer-reviewe

Matura Evaluation Experiment Based on Human Evaluation of Machine Translation

Abstract—A Web-based system for human evaluation of machine translation is presented in this paper. The system is based on comprehension tests similar to the ones used in Polish matura (secondary school-leaving) examinations. The results of preliminary experiments for Polish-English and English-Polish machine translation evaluation are presented and discussed. I

Autograaf

Mickiewicz, Adam, 1798-1855, poola poeetVäikesel paberiribal fragment kirja viimasest reast ja allkir

The chosen socio-economic problems of protecting valuable agricultural land in natura 2000 areas in Poland

Purpose: The aim of the study is to assess the effectiveness of conservation measures financed under the EU CAP on agricultural land located on N2000 areas. Design/Methodology/Approach: The analytical material consisted of the results of surveys using a standardized interview questionnaire which were carried out among 292 farmers (152 organic farmers and 140 conventional farmers) from the the area of N2000 "Biebrza Valley" PLH200008. The assumptions were verified based on the Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA analysis and Gamma rank correlation. The analytical material also consisted of EUROSTAT data on the area of the N2000 network and the area of agricultural land covered by this form of protection in EU countries. These data were subject to horizontal and vertical (years 2009-2017) comparative analysis. Findings: Environmental policy should be based on the idea of socially sustainable agriculture, including ecological sustainability, economic sustainability, and social sustainability in terms of effective inclusion of local communities in information, education and decision-making processes at the stages of development, deployment and implementation of protection programs. Practical Implications: The recommendations resulting from the conducted research and analyses may be adopted by the institutions responsible for the creation of environmental protection policies to improve the effectiveness of active forms of protection in valuable natural habitats that are used for agriculture. Originality/Value: The article indicates the recommendations based on building a lasting relationship between farmers and the protection of the environment.peer-reviewe

Controlling morphology of multi-component block copolymer based materials

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering, 2009.Includes bibliographical references.The ability of block copolymers to self-assemble into ordered microstructures has attracted much interest both from a pure scientific perspective and for their potential in numerous industrial applications. The microphase separation of block copolymers has been successfully exploited in a wide range of applications, such as templating and lithography, enhancement of mechanical properties, and nano reactor schemes. This thesis focuses on the characterization of the morphology in composite systems where one or more of the components is a block copolymer. In the first part of this thesis, binary blends of very high molecular weight diblock copolymers with a low molecular weight triblock copolymer are investigated. The high molecular weight diblock copolymers are very strongly segregating, with interaction parameter values, XN, in the range 470 - 1410. The phase diagram revealed a large miscibility gap for the blends, with macrophase separation into two distinct types of microphase separated domains and implied virtually no solubility of the much higher molecular weight diblocks in the triblock. For certain blend compositions, morphological transitions from the lamellar to cylindrical and bicontinuous structures were also observed, even though the overall composition in the blend would be expected to favor the lamellar microstructure. This was found to result from the compositional asymmetry of the triblock copolymer influencing the curvature of the inter-material dividing surface (IMDS). Finally, a strong segregation theory model was used to interpret the observed results. In the second part of this thesis the microstructure formation in nanocomposites based on a liquid crystalline side chain block copolymer (LCBCP) and gold nanoparticles was investigated. The location of the nanoparticles was found to not only depend on the surface chemistry of the gold nanoparticles, but also on the self-organization within the liquid crystalline domain of the LCBCP. The nanoparticles were excluded from the liquid crystalline domains due to the high free energy penalty of disrupting the smectic layering. The final location of the nanoparticles within the composite was determined by the nature of the stabilizing surface coating. The work presented in this thesis revealed a number of interesting tools which are useful for obtaining a wide range of morphologies in multi-component block copolymer systems.by Rafal Adam Mickiewicz.Ph.D

Economic sustainability of dairy farms in the EU

Purpose: The objective of this research is to evaluate changes in the economic sustainability of dairy farms in the European Union (EU) countries during 2007-2016 when dairy quotas were being removed in the EU. We wanted to answer the question what is the economic sustainability of dairy farms in the EU, and how has the economic sustainability in the EU countries changed after the accession of new member states in 2004 and 2017. Design/Approach/Methodology: An economic sustainability assessment of farms was conducted using the Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN) census data with several economic efficiency indicators. We analyzed variables using the Hellwig method. Findings: Results indicate that milk production increased in almost all the countries of the EU, as did their economies. The largest annual increase in standard output (SO) was in Denmark, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Sweden and United Kingdom. In turn, the smallest annual increase in SO was in Lithuania, Bulgaria, Latvia and Poland. Dairy farms in the Czech Republic and Denmark had the highest economic sustainability, while dairy farms in Bulgaria, Croatia, Poland, Romania and Slovenia had the lowest economic sustainability. Practical Implications: While not providing a comprehensive assessment, the indicators used do provide important information about economic impacts related to the scale and distribution of production, difference in labor cost, sources of income and maintenance of farms. Originality/Value: Modern dairy farms must have production efficiency and environmental compliance to achieve sustainability. Much of the current literature focuses on the efficiency and environmental aspects of sustainability and there is a lack of data that assesses economic sustainability.peer-reviewe

ドッカイ ストラテジー ノ シヨウ ト ドッカイリョク トノ カンケイ ニ カンスル チョウサ ケンキュウ : ガイコクゴ トシテ ノ ニホンゴ テキスト ドッカイ ノ バアイ

近年、外国語の読解教育では読解ストラテジーが指導されるようになってきている。日本語学習者を対象としたストラテジー使用の実際や有効性について調査、実験を行なった研究はまだ見当たらないが、指導方法の確立のためには、学習者の読解過程を把握することが重要であろう。本研究では、1)読解力の高い読み手ほどトップ－ダウン・ストラテジーを使用する程度が高い、2)読解力の高い読み手ほどボトム－アップ・ストラテジーを使用する程度が低い、3)読解力の高い読み手ほどテスト－テイキング・ストラテジーを使用する程度が高い、という三つの仮説をたて、日本語学習者の読解ストラテジーの使用と理解との関係について調査を行なった。中級後半から上級レベルの被験者73名はまず、日本語能力試験2級程度の、約1,000字のテキストを読んで多肢選択問題20問に答える読解テストを受け、次いで26のストラテジーをどの程度使用したか、4段階(いつも、時々、あまり、全然)で回答するアンケートに答えた。トップ－ダウン・ストラテジー、ボトム－アップ・ストラテジー、テスト－テイキング・ストラテジーの三つのサブカテゴリーに分類したストラテジー使用の程度と、読解力との相関を求めたところ、仮説2)に関して有意な相関があった。今後は、発話思考法なども用いてより詳細にストラテジー使用の実際を調べ、同時にストラテジー指導の効果 も検証してゆく必要があるだろう。The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between strategy use and reading comprehension ability of Japanese as a foreign language. With this objective, three hypotheses were established as follows: 1) Readers with high reading comprehension ability use more top-down strategies than readers with low reading comprehension ability. 2) Readers with high reading comprehension ability use less bottom-up strategies than readers with low reading comprehension ability. 3) Readers with high reading comprehension ability use more test-taking strategies than readers with low reading comprehension ability. The subjects were 73 high-intermediate or advanced level of Japanese learners. A reading comprehension test consisted of about 1,000 characters with 20 multiple-choice questions: and a questionnaire on reading strategy use were administered. The questionnaire consisted of 26 reading strategies which were categorized into top-down strategies, bottom-up strategies, and test-taking strategies. It asked subjects to judge on a scale of four their degree of usage of strategies during the reading comprehension test. The results showed that there was a statistically significant relationship between bottom-up strategy use and reading comprehension. Therefore, only hypothesis 2 was supported. The results seem to indicate that the bottom-up processing of readers with high reading comprehension ability may be automatic and be used unconsciously. However, the correlation coefficient means only "low" significant relationship exists, so further research is necessary with larger subject groups in the future. It will be necessary to investigate the applicability of think-aloud protocol to Japanese language learners that has been a major method in second language reading research, and to examine reading strategy use in more detail. Also, more research that clarifies the efficacy of reading strategy training will be needed for development of a systematic reading pedagogy

Systematic whole-genome sequencing reveals an unexpected diversity among actinomycetoma pathogens and provides insights into their antibacterial susceptibilities

Mycetoma is a neglected tropical chronic granulomatous inflammatory disease of the skin and subcutaneous tissues. More than 70 species with a broad taxonomic diversity have been implicated as agents of mycetoma. Understanding the full range of causative organisms and their antibiotic sensitivity profiles are essential for the appropriate treatment of infections. The present study focuses on the analysis of full genome sequences and antibiotic inhibitory concentration profiles of actinomycetoma strains from patients seen at the Mycetoma Research Centre in Sudan with a view to developing rapid diagnostic tests. Seventeen pathogenic isolates obtained by surgical biopsies were sequenced using MinION and Illumina methods, and their antibiotic inhibitory concentration profiles determined. The results highlight an unexpected diversity of actinomycetoma causing pathogens, including three Streptomyces isolates assigned to species not previously associated with human actinomycetoma and one new Streptomyces species. Thus, current approaches for clinical and histopathological classification of mycetoma may need to be updated. The standard treatment for actinomycetoma is a combination of sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim and amoxicillin/clavulanic acid. Most tested isolates had a high IC (inhibitory concentration) to sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim or to amoxicillin alone. However, the addition of the β-lactamase inhibitor clavulanic acid to amoxicillin increased susceptibility, particularly for Streptomyces somaliensis and Streptomyces sudanensis. Actinomadura madurae isolates appear to have a particularly high IC under laboratory conditions, suggesting that alternative agents, such as amikacin, could be considered for more effective treatment. The results obtained will inform future diagnostic methods for the identification of actinomycetoma and treatment