Influence of rigid emerged vegetation in a channel bend on bed topography and flow velocity field : laboratory experiments

Trees have been used extensively by river managers for improving the river environment and ecology. The link between flow hydraulics, bed topography, habitat availability, and organic matters is influenced by vegetation. In this study, the effect of trees on the mean flow, bed topography, and bed shear stress were tested under different flow conditions. It was found that each configuration of trees produced particular flow characteristics and bed topography patterns. The SR (single row of trees) model appeared to deflect the maximum velocity downstream of the bend apex toward the inner bank, while leading the velocity to be more uniformly distributed throughout the bend. The entrainment of sediment particles occurred toward the area with higher values of turbulent kinetic energy (TKE). The results showed that both SR and DR (double rows of trees) models are effective in relieving bed erosion in sharp ingoing bends. The volume of the scoured bed was reduced up to 70.4% for tests with trees. This study shows the effectiveness of the SR model in reducing the maximum erosion depth

LC-MS analysis and antifungal activity of Turnera subulata Sm.

Fungi of the Candida genus are responsible for invasive candidiasis, which affects people all over the world and has high mortality rates. This is due to their virulence factors, which give them great resistance and pathogenicity. In addition, the emergence of multidrug-resistant strains makes it difficult to treat these infections. In this way, natural products have emerged as an alternative to standard drugs, where plants known for their medicinal properties such as Turnera subulata become attractive to research. The present work aimed to analyze the ethanol extract of Turnera subulata leaves against standard strains of Candida albicans, Candida krusei and Candida tropicalis using broth microdilution techniques. The identification of the compounds in T. subulata leaves by LC-MS revealed the presence of a wide variety of substances such as carboxylic acids and terpenes, with flavonoids and fatty acids being more evident. The antifungal assays showed that the extract was not able to inhibit the growth of the tested strains at concentrations with a clinical relevance. However, at higher concentrations, it was able to inhibit the fungal dimorphism of C. albicans and C. tropicalis. It is possible that the T. subulata extract has potential as an inhibitor of fungal virulence factors without affecting the cell viability. Further research should be carried out in order to assess its inhibitory potential for other fungal virulence factors

The risks of acute exposure to black carbon in Southern Europe: Results from the med-particles project

Objectives: While several studies have reported associations of daily exposures to PM2.5 (particles less than 2.5 μm) with mortality, few studies have examined the impact of its constituents such as black carbon (BC), which is also a significant contributor to global climate change. Methods: We assessed the association between daily concentrations of BC and total, cardiovascular and respiratory mortality in two southern Mediterranean cities. Daily averages of BC were collected for 2 years in Barcelona, Spain and Athens, Greece. We used case-crossover analysis and examined single and cumulative lags up to 3 days. Results: We observed associations between BC and all mortality measures. For a 3-day moving average, cardiovascular mortality increased by 4.5% (95% CI 0.7 to 8.5) and 2.0% (95% CI 0 to 4.0) for an interquartile change in BC in Athens and Barcelona, respectively. Considerably higher effects for respiratory mortality and for those above age 65 were observed. In addition, BC exhibited much greater toxicity per microgram than generic PM2.5. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that BC, derived in western industrialised nations primarily from diesel engines and biomass burning, poses a significant burden to public health, particularly in European cities with high-traffic density.Peer reviewe

Struktura znoszonych kropel w modelowych badaniach opryskiwaczy polowych

Spraying machines were examined during field work. These examinations were concerned with the analysis of a change of a mean drop diameter with distance in the function of used sprayers and the hight of spray over the crop.Przeprowadzono badania polowe opryskiwacza analizując zmianę średniej średnicy kropel z odległością w funkcji stosowanych rozpylaczy i wysokości oprysku nad uprawą

The structure of physical activity in seniors from Lower Silesia

Background. Physical activity is considered to be one of the most important determinants of human health. Many authors emphasize the benefits of physical activity for elderly people – its positive influence on the functioning of many organs and systems, development of greater mobility, slowdown of the involution processes, and counteracting the effects of civilization diseases. Objective. The aim of this study was to analyze the structure of physical activity in older adults from the Lower Silesian region. Material and method. The data was collected as part of the PolSenior national program. The subjects were selected randomly in three stages. The analysis was performed on the data from questionnaires filled out by 192 men and 164 women over the age of 65 years living in the Lower Silesian region. The answers were analyzed in categories such as: age (3 groups: 65-74 years, 75-84 years and over 85 years), gender, place of residence (communities up to 20 000 and over 20 000 inhabitants) and social-occupational status (blue-collar and white-collar workers). The survey results were shown in percentage form and concerned the different types of physical activity performed, the most frequent reasons for undertaking physical activity, sports and recreational physical activity during the respondents youth, between 30 and 60 years of age and at present, as well as the constraints and reasons that prevent an active lifestyle. Results. With age the percentage of people who spend their free time actively decreases. In each age group of elderly people men declared a greater need for physical activity than women. The subjects also differed with the urban factor and socialoccupational status. Moreover, the results showed that the larger community, the better the condition created for recreation of older adults and the people whose previous profession was not connected with physical work tried to be physically active in various forms more often than ex-manual laborers. It is probable that education significantly influences an active attitude towards one’s health and proper lifestyle. Conclusions. Physical activity of seniors as a one of the basic elements of lifestyle is clearly connected with the environment in which older people live.Wprowadzenie. Aktywność ruchowa jest postrzegana jako jeden z bardzo istotnych czynników zdrowia człowieka. Wielu autorów podkreśla korzyści płynące z aktywności ruchowej osób starszych – pozytywny wpływ na pracę wielu narządów i układów, rozwinięcie większej mobilności, spowolnienie procesów inwolucyjnych i przeciwdziałanie chorobom cywilizacyjnym. Cel. Celem niniejszej pracy jest analiza struktury aktywności ruchowej osób starszych z Dolnego Śląska. Materiał i metoda. Badania zostały wykonane w ramach ogólnopolskiego programu PolSenior. Dobór badanych miał charakter losowy, trzystopniowy. W pracy wykorzystano dane ankietowe 192 mężczyzn i 164 kobiet po 65 roku życia, mieszkańców Dolnego Śląska. Wyniki analizowano w kategoriach wieku (3 grupy: 65-74, 75-84, powyżej 85 lat), płci, wielkości osiedla (do 20 tys. i powyżej 20 tys. mieszkańców) i statusu społeczno-zawodowego badanych (pracownicy fizyczni i niepracujący fizycznie). Wyniki przedstawione zostały w postaci wartości odsetkowych i dotyczyły form podejmowanej aktywności ruchowej, najczęstszych przyczyn podejmowania aktywności ruchowej, aktywności sportowo-rekreacyjnej w młodości, między 30 a 60 rokiem życia i obecnie, oraz powodów i ograniczeń uniemożliwiających aktywny styl życia. Wyniki. Wraz z wiekiem zmniejsza się odsetek osób spędzających czas wolny w sposób aktywny. W każdej wydzielonej grupie wieku osób starszych mężczyźni niż kobiety częściej wykazywali potrzebę ruchu. Różnicują także badanych pozostałe czynniki: urbanizacyjny oraz status społeczno-zawodowy. Wyniki badań wskazują, że większe osiedle stwarza korzystniejsze warunki rekreacji dla seniorów oraz że osoby, których praca zawodowa nie wiązała się z wysiłkiem fizycznym, częściej niż pracownicy fizyczni uprawiali ćwiczenia fizyczne w różnej formie. Być może zadziałał tutaj czynnik wykształcenia związany wyraźniej z aktywnym podejściem do własnego zdrowia i właściwego stylu życia. Wnioski. Aktywność fizyczna seniorów będąca jednym z podstawowych elementów stylu życia jest wyraźnie związana ze środowiskiem bytowym badanych