Study on the Properties of Waste Apatite Phosphogypsum as a Raw Material of Prospective Applications

Waste and Biomass Valorization, Vol. 0, iss. 0 (2018) (online first)This paper presents the results of the study on chemical and the physical properties of waste phosphogypsum (PG) of apatite origin from the former chemical plant Wizow, Poland which are important for further processing and economic use. The research was carried out to verify whether the waste might be useful as a raw material for rare earth elements (REE) recovery and the manufacture of building materials. The following methods were chosen: X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy with an energy-dispersive X-ray detector, atomic absorption spectrometry, inductively coupled plasma spectrometry, differential thermal analysis, thermogravimetry, and gamma spectrometry with natural radioactive contamination analyzer. It has been proven that the chemical physical properties of phosphogypsum provide an opportunity to utilize this waste material as a source of REE and raw material for building purposes. PG contains an overall amount of REE in the interval of 0.343–0.637% by mass and does not show radioactivity level which would exclude it from construction purposes. The presented results serve as the basis for currently available technological directions in the management of apatite PG for useful trade products, which creates a chance for the elimination of its storage necessity by further processing

The idea of situational leadership in political parties

The results from the Polish parliamentary elections in 2015 showed a significant change in the behaviour of the electorate. Two completely new political groups have entered the Sejm. For the very first time in the history of the Third Polish Republic, a new balance of power emerged, which excluded the left-wing parties from political discourse without assigning them a parliamentary mandate [Dudek 2016: 687]. In the face of this turn of events, it is difficult to maintain the thesis concerning the "freezing" of the circulation of political elites in the current political system. The Modern political party was established on 31 May 2015 [Kim jesteśmy?] while the Kukiz'15 political movement formed only three months before the parliamentary elections [O stowarzyszeniu – władze krajowe i okręgowe]. These two political organisations were able to overcome the electoral threshold and achieve unexpected success in such a short period of time and without an extensive party structure or significant financial base. The mobilisation of the electorate took place outside the parliamentary structures. In view of this, is the phenomenon of 'over-parlamentisation' [Żukiewicz 2011: 343] involved in the creation of political leaders still valid? Is it to be believed, that in the face of ever more frequent grassroots social initiatives, the real political struggle still only takes place within the parties and political leaders who are not traditional participants of political party games but who appear as activists associated with other areas of public life?On the other hand, the changes that take place in the electorate do not directly translate into the reorganisation of party structures. The tendency to block political advancement by the already established political elite still persists. Traditional political parties are afraid of this new situation, which can significantly harm their interests. Impeding these changes may seem to be an obvious reaction, inscribed in the rules of political struggle [Żukiewicz 2011: 345]. However, the constant increase in tension between the demands and expectations of the electorate and the offer of these parties may indicate that the current balance of power will not last for long. Upcoming transformations cannot be avoided however attempts should be made to control them. For this reason, leaders of traditional political parties should decide on utilising such a mechanism for selecting leaders as it would not exclude them from the political space while at the same time be a guarantor of power.Being part of the 21st century, we have all witnessed and participated in the intensification of globalisation processes as well as the generational change and the popularisation of ideas related to the information society. The significant increase in the importance of the phenomenon of mediatisation of politics causes a reversal of the hierarchy of attributes and predispositions which are desired by society [Schulz 2004: 87-101]. The image of political leaders on social media begins to outweigh their actual leadership skills. There is a danger that the new mechanism responsible for creating party structures will indeed facilitate the circulation of the elite, but unfortunately at the expense of the quality of potential leaders. That is why it is so important that the transformation process of the political power system proceeds as designed, and not in a chaotic manner, succumbing to bottom-up trends.In addition, external factors of an international nature make it difficult to conduct research on the latest political phenomena. The changes currently occurring in society require new research perspectives and approaches. Traditional theories concerning the political system and the understanding of party structure may turn out to be insufficient

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Patofizjologia zaburzeń połykania u chorych w podeszłym wieku po operacjach częściowego usunięcia krtani z powodu raka o lokalizacji nadgłośniowej

The incidence of cancer is reported to increase with advancing age. Partial laryngectomy reduced the indications for selected advanced endolaryngeal carcinoma and resulted in higher local control and long-term laryngeal preservation rates. Aspiration is the major problem in deglutition associated with conservation laryngeal surgery. Closure of the glottic sphincter, depression of the epiglottis over the laryngeal inlet, elevation of the thyrohyoid complex under cover of the base of the tongue and appropriate relaxation of the cricopharyngeal muscle to permit unobstructed passage of food into the esophagus are important mechanisms that prevent food from entering the trachea. Oropharyngeal dysphagia in the elderly is the specific result of pathologic condition or illness that may occur more commonly in elderly persons. An increased extent of hyoid displacement in older patients with dysphagia may represent a necessary compensation designed to minimize the effect of the short duration of hyoid elevation on the upper esophageal sphincter opening. Intensive postoperative management appeared to play a key role in the successful functional outcome after partial laryngectomy in the elderly patient.Wydłużanie czasu życia, wzrost częstości choroby nowotworowej, zwłaszcza wśród osób w podeszłym wieku, a także dążenie do maksymalnie długiego utrzymania aktywności życiowej sprawiają, że zarówno chorzy, jak i lekarze dążą do stosowania metod postępowania zapewniających skuteczność onkologiczną, a jednocześnie dających szansę zachowania przez chorego funkcji społeczno-socjalnych. Niestety wszystkie techniki chirurgiczne polegające na częściowym usunięciu krtani z powodu raka wywodzącego się z okolicy nadgłośniowej, co daje choremu szansę zachowania w większym lub mniejszym stopniu zniekształconego, ale własnego głosu, wywołują jednak problem, jakim są zaburzenia połykania. Takie postępowanie powoduje, iż problemy wynikające z zaburzenia przebiegu aktu połykania w następstwie wykonania operacji częściowego usunięcia krtani stają się udziałem osób w wieku, który z racji starzenia się organizmu sam predysponuje tych chorych do tego typu uciążliwości. Dlatego też pojawia się pytanie, czy w imię poprawy jakości życia można narażać chorych na niebezpieczeństwa powikłań wynikających z aspiracji treści pokarmowej do dróg oddechowych w następstwie dysfagii pooperacyjnej. Wyniki licznych badań wskazują, że częstość zarówno potwierdzonych aspiracji treści pokarmowej do dróg oddechowych, jak i następstw tego powikłania, takich jak zachłystowe zapalenie płuc czy też śmierć, u osób w starszym wieku nie różni się od częstości tych powikłań wśród chorych należących do młodszych grup wiekowych. Jednocześnie aspiracja u chorych w podeszłym wieku, po operacjach usunięcia piętra nadgłośniowego, ma najczęściej charakter przejściowy i jest przez nich dobrze tolerowana. Dlatego też wydaje się, że jedynymi czynnikami, które powinno się uwzględniać podczas kwalifikacji do tego typu operacji, są wskazania onkologiczne i czynnościowe, a nie wiek metrykalny, który często znacznie odbiega od wieku biologicznego