Distribution of amphibians and reptiles in central Poland: 1980-2000

Based on 3047 records from 97 recorders distribution maps were drawn for the amphibians and reptiles of central Poland (lirom 51°00’N to 52°15’N and from 18°20’E to 20°20’E). The study area was divided into 180 atlas fields based on the geographic grid. All data were gathered in 1980-2000, most of them (67%) however, in 1995-2000. 13 taxa of amphibians were found in 143 atlas fields and 6 species of reptiles were found in 121 atlas fields. The amphibians were (given with the number of atlas fields with the species found): 119 - Common frog Rana temporaria Linnaeus, 1758; 114 - Common toad Bufo bufo (Linnaeus, 1758); 97 - Moor frog Rana arvalis Nilsson, 1842; 94 - Fire-bellied toad Bomhina bombina (Linnaeus, 1761); 93 - Pool frog Rana lessonae Camerano, 1882; 87 - Tree frog Hyla arhorea (Linnaeus, 1758); 85 - Green toad Bufo viriiüs Laurenti, 1768; 72 - Smooth newt Triturus vulgaris (Linnaeus, 1758); 70 - Spadefoot Pelobales fuscus (Laurenti, 1768); 69 - Edible frog Rana kl. esculenia Linnaeus, 1758; 39 - Great crested newt Triturus cristatus (Laurenti, 1768); 30 - Marsh frog Rana ridibunda Pallas, 1771 and 28 - the Natterjack Bufo calamita Laurenti, 1768. The reptile species (given with the number o f atlas fields) were: 94 - Sand lizard Lacerta agilis Linnaeus, 1758; 72 - Slow-worm Anguis fragilis Linnaeus, 1758; 67 - Common lizard Lacerta vivipara Jacquin, 1787; 60 - Grass snake Natrix natrix (Linnaeus, 1758), 57 - Adder Vipera berus (Linnaeus, 1758) and 4 - the Smooth snake Coronella austriaca Laurenti, 1768. Six adult specimens of the European pond terrapin Emys orbicularis (Linnaeus) were also found, but breeding of this species in the area studied was not confirmed.Zadanie pt. „Digitalizacja i udostępnienie w Cyfrowym Repozytorium Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego kolekcji czasopism naukowych wydawanych przez Uniwersytet Łódzki” nr 885/P-DUN/2014 dofinansowane zostało ze środków MNiSW w ramach działalności upowszechniającej naukę

Ground fortifications in the development of the park behind the marine school in Darłowo

The article presents problems related with designing public space, i.e. recreational areas and park green space in the context of existing fortifications with a case study of the town of Darłowo. It shows examples of the development of historical areas of ground fortifications as part of the project ‘A Plan of Development of the Park Behind the Marine School in Darłowo’. The article also discusses selected issues related with the composition, spatial functionality, landscape and execution of the plan, included in the park design documentation. It presents the results of design work, which was used to prepare complex technical documentation. This study includes the arrangements thatcan be used to make a town park with scenic values which will be similar a natural scenery.W artykule przedstawiono zagadnienia związane z projektowaniem przestrzeni publicznych tj. trenów rekreacji i zieleni parkowej w kontekście istniejących fortyfikacji na przykładzie miasta Darłowa. Zaprezentowano przykładowe propozycje zagospodarowania obszarów historycznych fortyfikacji ziemnych w ramach opracowania realizacyjnego pt. Projekt zagospodarowania Parku za Szkołą Morską w Darłowie. Omówiono również wybrane zagadnienia kompozycyjne, funkcjonalno-przestrzenne, krajobrazowe i realizacyjne zawarte w dokumentacji projektowej parku. Przedstawiono wyniki prac projektowych, na postawie których przygotowano kompleksową dokumentacje techniczną. W opracowaniu zawarto ustalenia, na podstawie których istnieje możliwość zrealizowania parku miejskiego o zbliżonych, do naturalnych walorach krajobrazowych

Patterns of year-to-year variation in haemoglobin and glucose concentrations in the blood of nestling Pied Flycatchers Ficedula hypoleuca

Physiological tools can be used to identify the sources and consequences of stressors on animals. Understanding the influences of variation in habitat quality and anthropogenic disturbance on organism condition and health may improve future management and conservation. We present results concerning variation in haemoglobin and glucose concentrations in the blood of about 14-day-old nestling Pied FlycatchersFicedula hypoleuca in central Poland over a 4-year period, 2011–2014, in a deciduous forest. The most important findings of the study are: (1) the concentration of haemoglobin and glucose of the nestlings from the same brood tended to be consistently similar, with much variation occurring among broods; (2) repeatability of haemoglobin concentration was higher than repeatability of glucose concentration; (3) mean levels of haemoglobin and glucose varied among years; (4) haemoglobin and glucose concentrations were negatively correlated; and (5) there was a positive relationship between haemoglobin levels and breeding success.All procedures were approved by the Local Ethical Committee and the State Office for Environment Protection. We thank A. Jaksa, D. Man´kowska, M. Janiszewska and J. Białek for their help and consent in conducting research in the areas under their administration. The study was founded by a grant from the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education No. N N304 045136 and University of Ło´dz´ (No. 506/829). We are obliged to P. Procter for linguistic consultation. We thank both reviewers for their valuable and constructive comments

Rapid continuous microwave-assisted synthesis of silver nanoparticles to achieve very high productivity and full yield : from mechanistic study to optimal fabrication strategy

Systematic studies of silver nanoparticle synthesis in a continuous-flow single-mode microwave reactor using polyol process were performed, revealing that the synthesis is exceptionally effective to give very small metal particles at full reaction yield and very high productivity. Inlet concentration of silver nitrate or silver acetate, applied as metal precursors, varied between 10 and 50 mM, and flow rates ranged from 0.635 to 2.5 dm3/h, to give 3–24 s reaction time. Owing to its much higher reactivity, silver acetate was shown to be far superior substrate for the synthesis of small (10–20 nm) spherical silver nanoparticles within a few seconds. Its restricted solubility in ethylene glycol, applied as the solvent and reducing agent, appeared to be vital for effective separation of the stage of particle growth from its nucleation to enable rapid synthesis of small particles in a highly loaded system. This was not possible to obtain using silver nitrate. All the observations could perfectly be explained by a classical LaMer–Dinegar model of NPs’ formation, but taking into account also nonisothermal character of the continuous-flow process and acetate dissolution in the reaction system. The performed studies indicate an optimal strategy for the high-yield fabrication of metal particles using polyol method

Overview of current guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of sinusitis with practical commentary

Zapalenie zatok obocznych nosa jest jednym z najczęściej rozpoznawanych schorzeń w populacji polskiej. Diagnostyka i leczenie tej jednostki chorobowej stanowi przedmiot licznych kontrowersji między specjalistami. Dotyczy to przede wszystkim lekarzy medycyny rodzinnej oraz laryngologów i alergologów. Obecnie w literaturze światowej są dostępne liczne opracowania przedstawiające schematy postępowania w przypadku zapalenia zatok obocznych nosa. Autorzy prezentują kilka z nich, dokonując porównania i odnosząc proponowane przez różnych autorów algorytmy do warunków polskich. W pracy poruszono następujące zagadnienia: mianownictwo i kryteria rozpoznania, badania obrazowe i ich interpretacja, terapia farmakologiczna w zapaleniu zatok obocznych nosa. Dodatkowo każdy z podrozdziałów opatrzono komentarzem z praktycznymi wskazówkami, które autorzy podają na podstawie własnego doświadczenia.Rhinosinusitis (RS) is one of the most common diseases in Polish society. Diagnosis and management of RS is a matter of discussion among many specialists. It especially concerns GP doctors and ENT doctors, as well as allergologists. There are several guidelines available worldwide that indicate the schemes of management in case of patients with rhinosinusitis. The authors present some of them, making comparison and re ferring the suggested algorithms to Polish conditions. The article describes the following issues: nomenclature and diagnostic criteria, imaging examination and its interpreta tion, pharmacotherapy of RS. Additionally, comments with practical hints based on authors’ own clinical experience are suggested at the end of each subdivision of the study

FRICTIONAL PROPERTIES OF SELECTED SEEDS

K e y w o r d s: physical attributes, coefficient of external friction, relation. A b s t r a c t The thickness, width, length and weight of five seed species (buckwheat, vetch, pea, lupine and faba bean) and their external friction angle were determined on two types of surfaces -steel and rubber. The experiment was performed with the use of a an inclined plane with an adjustable angle of inclination that measures the angle of external friction and the time taken by seeds to travel a given distance, which supports the determination of the coefficient of kinetic friction. The measured parameters were used to calculate arithmetic and geometric mean diameter, aspect ratio and sphericity index. The dimensions, weight and the calculated indicators of the examined seeds did not significantly affect their coefficients of static and kinetic friction or their coefficients of rolling resistance and rolling friction. The studied parameters were largely influenced by the type of friction surface, and significantly lower average values were reported for steel than rubber. In the studied seed species, the static friction coefficient was determined in the range of 0.187 to 0.582, kinetic friction coefficient -0.134 to 0.479, rolling resistance coefficient -0.148 to 0.529 and rolling friction coefficient -0.29 to 1.80 mm. Symbols: D a -arithmetic mean diameter, mm, D g -geometric mean diameter, mm, m -seed weight, mg f 1 , f 2 -coefficient of rolling friction of seeds on steel and rubber, respectively, mm, r -radius of a rolling seed, mm, R -aspect ratio, %, S -travel distance of the particle, m, t -time required by the particle to travel distance, s, T, W, L -seeds thickness, width and length, mm, x, SD -average value and standard deviation of trait, x min , x max -minimum and maximum value of trait, α -angle of external friction of seeds, o , α s1 , α s2 -angle of static friction of seeds on steel and rubber, respectively, o , α t1 , α t2 -angle of rolling friction of seeds on steel and rubber, respectively, o , μ -coefficient of external friction of seeds, Correspondence: Zdzisław Kaliniewicz, Katedra Maszyn Roboczych i Metodologii Badań, Uniwersytet Warmińsko-Mazurski, ul. Oczapowskiego 11/B112, 10-719 Olsztyn, phone: +48 89 523 39 34, e-mail: [email protected] μ k1 , μ k2 -coefficient of kinetic friction of seeds on steel and rubber, respectively, μ s1 , μ s2 -coefficient of static friction of seeds on steel and rubber, respectively, μ t1 , μ t2 -coefficient of rolling resistance of seeds on steel and rubber, respectively. Φ -sphericity index, %