Spatial Variability of Actual Soil Moisture, pH and Bulk Soil Electrical Conductivity within the Area of the Former Oleszek Mill Pond Basin

Celem badań było określenie zróżnicowania przestrzennego wilgotności aktualnej (Wa), pH i przewodności elektrycznej (ECa) w powierzchniowych poziomach glebowych w niecce byłego stawu młyńskiego Oleszek. Młyny wodne to jedne z pierwszych budowli hydrotechnicznych w Polsce. Pojawiły się już na przełomie XI i XII wieku, natomiast upowszechniły się w XIII wieku. Budowa i funkcjonowanie młynów wodnych znacznie wpłynęła na przekształcenie środowiska przyrodniczego w ich otoczeniu, przede wszystkim na zmiany rzeźby terenu i warunków wodnych. Badania obejmowały pomiary Wa, pH i ECa w powierzchniowej warstwie gleby (0–30 cm). Pomiary wykonano za pomocą metody TDR aparatem Field Operated Meter – Easy Test FOM/mts w 49 punktach zlokalizowanych w obrębie niecki byłego stawu młyńskiego Oleszek. Zróżnicowanie wyników  Wa, pH i ECa wskazuje na znaczną zmienność przestrzenną powierzchniowej warstwy osadów zakumulowanych w niecce byłego stawu młyńskiego. Powierzchniowa warstwa osadów budujących analizowaną nieckę nie wykazuje jednak różnic w odniesieniu do podziału niecki na część proksymalną, środkową i dystalną. Zaobserwowane różnice mają postać punktowo występujących wartości ekstremalnych związanych z mikrorzeźbą powstałą po zakończeniu funkcjonowania stawu (wały brzegowe), lub wywołane są z lokalnymi czynnikami silnie modyfikującymi powierzchnię równiny biogenicznej w obrębie niecki takimi jak wysięki wód w strefie krawędziowej niecki

Land use changes and landscape pattern dynamics of a peatland area under diversified human impact: the Grójec Valley (Central Poland)

The paper aims to assess the land use changes and the dynamics of the landscape pattern of the Grójec Valley in the scope of diverse anthropogenic impacts. The study site is located in the border of the Koło Basin and Kujawy Lakeland, Central Poland. This area was originally covered with wetlands. Since the beginning of the 20th century it has been influenced by intensive agricultural use, peat extraction and open-pit mining. The research is based on cartographic materials from 1941, 1981 and 2012. The most relevant finding was that in the first study period (1941–1981) the most common changes in land use (transformation of wetlands into grasslands with shrubs) took place. These were caused mainly by a change in hydrological conditions due to drainage for agricultural use (meadows and pastures) and peat extraction. The study confirmed that these land use changes significantly influenced the landscape structure in each of the analysed parameters (patch density and size, edge, shape and diversity metrics)

Meteoric 10Be, 137Cs and 239+240Pu as tracers of long- and medium-term soil erosion—A review

Isotopes of meteoric 10Be, 137Cs, 239+240Pu have been proposed as a soil redistribution tracer and applied worldwide as an alternative method to classical field-related techniques (e.g., sediment traps). Meteoric 10Be provides information about long-term soil redistribution rates (millennia), while 137Cs and 239+240Pu give medium-term rates (decades). A significant progress in developing new models and approaches for the calculation of erosion rates has been made; thus, we provide a global review (n = 59) of research articles to present these three isotopes (meteoric 10Be, 239+240Pu and 137Cs) as soil erosion markers in different environments and under different land-use types. Understanding the dynamics and behaviours of isotopes in the soil environment is crucial to determine their usefulness as soil erosion tracers; thus, we discuss the chemical–physical behaviour of meteoric 10Be, 137Cs and 239+240Pu in soils. The application of these isotopes sometimes has strong limitations, and we give suggestions on how to overcome them or how to adapt them to a given situation. This review also shows where these isotopic methods can potentially be applied in the future. A lack in knowledge about soil redistribution rates exists particularly in loess-dominated areas where the tillage system has changed or in areas with strong wind erosion

Taste disorders in the elderly

Sykuła Magdalena, Stelmach Aleksandra, Szacoń Monika, Kuśmierz Katarzyna, Sutuła Małgorzata, Rząca Marcin, Kachaniuk Hanna. Taste disorders in the elderly. Journal of Education, Health and Sport. 2017;7(12):501-516. eISSN 2391-8306. DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1123528 http://ojs.ukw.edu.pl/index.php/johs/article/view/5136 https://pbn.nauka.gov.pl/sedno-webapp/works/842243 The journal has had 7 points in Ministry of Science and Higher Education parametric evaluation. Part B item 1223 (26.01.2017). 1223 Journal of Education, Health and Sport eISSN 2391-8306 7 © The Authors 2017; This article is published with open access at Licensee Open Journal Systems of Kazimierz Wielki University in Bydgoszcz, Poland Open Access. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial License which permits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited. This is an open access article licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits unrestricted, non commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited. This is an open access article licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits unrestricted, non commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited. The authors declare that there is no conflict of interests regarding the publication of this paper. Received: 10.11.2017. Revised: 15.11.2017. Accepted: 21.12.2017. Taste disorders in the elderly Magdalena Sykuła, Aleksandra Stelmach, Monika Szacoń, Katarzyna Kuśmierz, Małgorzata Sutuła, Marcin Rząca, Hanna Kachaniuk Introduction: Disorders of the sense of taste mainly affect the elderly. There are many factors that contribute to their development, including various types of chronic diseases, polypharmacy, and the use of stimulants. Taste impairments lead to improper nutritional behaviour in the elderly, which may cause deterioration of their health and reduce their quality of life. Goal: The aim of the study was to estimate taste deficits in the elderly. Method: The participants were 24 persons aged 70–86. Sample size was limited by the number of available professional taste test kits (for identification of the four basic gustatory qualities: sweet, salty, sour, and bitter). The respondents were assisted by a researcher to fill in a survey about their health status, eating habits, and subjective assessment of their taste function. Results: Most of the elderly persons assessed their taste function as being good, and the rating increased with the age of the participants. However, the organoleptic test showed that taste identification became less accurate with age. The participants had the greatest trouble recognizing the salty (58%) and sour (79%) tastes and had much less difficulty identifying the sweet (96%) and bitter (92%) tastes. The subjects' perception of taste became less and less intense with age. Conclusions: The seniors were the least likely to accurately recognize the salty taste. With age, the accuracy of identification of sweet, sour, bitter and salty gustatory qualities became lower. The positive subjective assessment of the taste function in the elderly did not go hand in hand with their actual taste perception, which declined with age. The use of stimulants such as alcohol and tobacco, pharmacological treatment of chronic diseases, and use dental prostheses reduced the perceived intensity of taste. The taste disorders observed among the elderly can lead to dietary mistakes and thus negatively affect their health. Key words: dysgeusia, seniors, eating habits, health risk

Illustrated Handbook of WRB Soil Classification

Soil classification is a difficult issue and requires many years of study under the guidance of experienced teachers. In the course of long-term studies and field research, soil scientists acquire the skills of recognizing and correctly naming many important features resulting from litho-, anthropo- or pedogenic processes. The problem with learning the secrets of this art is the lack of opportunity to see many examples of different soil features hidden beneath the earth's surface. Visiting many regions of the world for didactic or scientific purposes, we felt the need to share our photographic collections with other people involved in the study and interpretation of the soil environment. It is with great pleasure that we present to the reader a set of several hundred photographs showing the features, properties, soil horizons, as well as examples of interpretation of soil profiles – in accordance with the rules and nomenclature adopted in the international soil naming and classification system – the World Reference Base for Soil Resources (2022).ERASMUS

Meteoric ¹⁰Be, ¹³⁷Cs and ^239+240Pu as Tracers of Long- and Medium-Term Soil Erosion—A Review

Isotopes of meteoric 10Be, 137Cs, 239+240Pu have been proposed as a soil redistribution tracer and applied worldwide as an alternative method to classical field-related techniques (e.g., sediment traps). Meteoric 10Be provides information about long-term soil redistribution rates (millennia), while 137Cs and 239+240Pu give medium-term rates (decades). A significant progress in developing new models and approaches for the calculation of erosion rates has been made; thus, we provide a global review (n = 59) of research articles to present these three isotopes (meteoric 10Be, 239+240Pu and 137Cs) as soil erosion markers in different environments and under different land-use types. Understanding the dynamics and behaviours of isotopes in the soil environment is crucial to determine their usefulness as soil erosion tracers; thus, we discuss the chemical–physical behaviour of meteoric 10Be, 137Cs and 239+240Pu in soils. The application of these isotopes sometimes has strong limitations, and we give suggestions on how to overcome them or how to adapt them to a given situation. This review also shows where these isotopic methods can potentially be applied in the future. A lack in knowledge about soil redistribution rates exists particularly in loess-dominated areas where the tillage system has changed or in areas with strong wind erosion

Differentiation of soils and land use changes in the vicinity of the disappeared Gardeja lake (Northern Poland)

The aims of the study were to characterize shoreline soil development and evolution and to determine land use changes (19th to 20th centuries) in the direct catchment of the completely vanished Gardeja lake. The study was based on pedological research and analysis of cartographic materials. The main factor determining the current development of shoreline zone soil cover at the former Gardeja lake was human activity (lake dewatering, further drainage and human-induced erosion). Studied soil profiles were developed from mineral, non-lacustrine materials (upper parts of the slopes) and lacustrine sediments covered with colluvium. The analyzed soil catenas are representative for the undulated young glacial landscape of Northern Poland. The biggest changes of the land use were observed for the class of grasslands that is combined with shrubs (increase of cover area)

Tracing erosion rates in loess landscape of the Trzebnica Hills (Poland) over time using fallout and cosmogenic nuclides

Purpose Loess landscapes are highly susceptible to soil erosion, which affects soil stability and productivity. Erosion is non-linear in time and space and determines whether soils form or degrade. While the spatial variability of erosion is often assessed by either modelling or on-site measurements, temporal trends over decades to millennia are very often lacking. In this study, we determined long- and short-term erosion rates to trace the dynamics of loess deposits in south-western Poland. Materials and methods We quantified long-term (millennial) erosion rates using cosmogenic (in situ 10Be) and short-term (decadal) rates with fallout radionuclides (239+240Pu). Erosion processes were studied in two slope-soil transects (12 soil pits) with variable erosion features. As a reference site, an undisturbed soil profile under natural forest was sampled. Results and discussion The long-term erosion rates ranged between 0.44 and 0.85 t ha−1 year−1, whereas the short-term erosion rates varied from 1.2 to 10.9 t ha−1 year−1 and seem to be reliable. The short-term erosion rates are up to 10 times higher than the long-term rates. The soil erosion rates are quite consistent with the terrain relief, with erosion increasing in the steeper slope sections and decreasing in the lower parts of the slope, while still maintaining high values. Conclusions Soil erosion rates have increased during the last few decades owing to agriculture intensification and probably climate change. The measured values lie far above tolerable erosion rates, and the soils were found to be strongly imbalanced and exhibit a drastic shallowing of the productive soils horizons.ISSN:1439-0108ISSN:1614-748

Illustrated Handbook of WRB Soil Classification, 299 s.

Soil classification is a difficult issue and requires many years of study under the guidance of experienced teachers. In the course of long-term studies and field research, soil scientists acquire the skills of recognizing and correctly naming many important features resulting from litho-, anthropo- or pedogenic processes. The problem with learning the secrets of this art is the lack of opportunity to see many examples of different soil features hidden beneath the earth's surface. Visiting many regions of the world for didactic or scientific purposes, we felt the need to share our photographic collections with other people involved in the study and interpretation of the soil environment. It is with great pleasure that we present to the reader a set of several hundred photographs showing the features, properties, soil horizons, as well as examples of interpretation of soil profiles – in accordance with the rules and nomenclature adopted in the international soil naming and classification system – the World Reference Base for Soil Resources (2022). The book has been divided into several chapters. The photos have been arranged in such a way as to reflect the process of creating a description of the soil profile – from environmental features, through morphological soil features, diagnostic horizons, properties and materials, to specific examples of soil profile classification. In the section with soil profiles, we managed to collect 100 examples from all Reference Soil Groups found in all climatic zones of our planet. In the names of the soils, we have mainly emphasised those features (qualifiers) that are morphologically identifiable in the photos, consciously omitting those that can only be read from the results of laboratory analyses. We hope that the handbook, developed as one of outcomes of an Erasmus+ project Share Your Soils (SYStem), will be useful in didactic and scientific work and will help to understand what the individual soil characteristics look like, in general and in the context of the nomenclature used in the World Reference Base for Soil Resources

Human-environment interactions in the Mesolithic – the case of site Paliwodzizna 29, a lakeside site in central Poland

Human-environmental relations before agriculture can be revealed at archaeological sites through multi-method palaeoenvironmental studies, particularly at sites which have both dryland and wetland areas. Paliwodzizna 29 is such as site, being a series of pits and hearths at the edge of Lake Grodno in Central Poland. A combination of faunal analysis, lithostratigraphy, pollen, diaspores, charcoal and sedaDNA from the site revealed seasonal collecting-type occupation based on the catching of pike (a superfood) in the spring in the early Mesolithic, but a different foraging-type pattern of occupation probably in the summer in the late Mesolithic. Subtle human impacts on the local environment are also seen, including probably burning of some woodland and reed-beds as well as localized soil erosion. This analysis reveals the potential of both such sites, and the combined methodology, for the testing of theoretical models of human mobility and activities in the Mesolithic