Post-harvest longevity of ornamental grasses conditioned in gibberellic acid and 8-hydroxyquinoline sulphate

Florists’ greens are becoming increasingly important in contemporary floristry. Numerous studies conducted on cut flowers have led to the development of technologies for their post-harvest handling; however, in the case of florists’ greens they are still insufficient. Moreover, the extensive range of florists’ greens lacks leaves and the leafy culms of grasses. The aim of this study was to determine the post-harvest longevity of the leaves and leafy culms of ornamental grasses conditioned in water solutions of gibberellic acid and 8-hydroxyquinoline sulphate. The post-harvest longevity of leaves was examined in cultivars of the following species: Glyceria maxima Hartm. ‘Variegata’, Miscanthus sinensis Thunb. ‘Zebrinus’ and Spartina pectinata Link. ‘Aureomarginata’. The post-harvest longevity of leafy culms was investigated in Alopecurus pratensis L. ‘Aureovariegatus’, Chasmanthium latifolium Michx., Miscanthus sinensis Thunb. ‘Silberspinne’, Pennisetum alopecuroides L. and Phalaris arundinacea L. ‘Picta’. Conditioning in gibberellic acid had a positive effect on the post-harvest longevity and fresh weight loss and the index of leaf greenness of leaves in the case of Miscanthus sinensis ‘Zebrinus’, while conditioning in 8-hydroxyquinoline sulphate improved fresh weight loss and the index of leaf greenness of the leafy culms of Miscanthus sinensis ‘Zebrinus’, Pennisetum alopecuroides and the leaves of Glyceria maxima ‘Variegata’

The anthropogenic pollutants in urban ponds based on the example of Słupsk

In areas of urban infrastructure, ponds play an important role. They are places of rest and recreation, and they facilitate contact between city dwellers and the aquatic environment. They are also a place for living waterflow and ichthyofauna. Urban ponds are susceptible to anthropogenic influences, and their self-cleaning capacity is limited due to their small size. The city of Słupsk is located in northern Poland. Coal combustion in domestic boilers and transport cause dust emissions to be released into the atmosphere. The concentration of particulate matter and heavy metals in PM10 in Słupsk is much higher than in neighbouring village Gać. This affects metals deposition from the atmosphere. Two urban ponds in Słupsk were the object of the research. Sampling station No. 1 was located in the southern part of the Raj Pond situated deep into the forest area, a considerable distance from urban buildings. Sampling station No. 2 was located at the Juniorów Pond located near the city centre. Water samples were taken from a depth of 10 cm. To investigate the deposition from the atmosphere, atmospheric precipitation was collected in a collector located in the city of Słupsk. The concentrations of Li, Al, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Se, As, V, Sr, Cd and Pb were analyzed in the obtained water samples. Measurements were made using an ICP-MS mass spectrometer. From the obtained results, it was observed that the concentrations of Li, Al, Cr, Mn, Fe, Se, Sr and Cd were higher at station No. 2 located near the city centre

The anthropogenic pollutants in urban ponds based on the example of Słupsk

In areas of urban infrastructure, ponds play an important role. They are places of rest and recreation, and they facilitate contact between city dwellers and the aquatic environment. They are also a place for living waterflow and ichthyofauna. Urban ponds are susceptible to anthropogenic influences, and their self-cleaning capacity is limited due to their small size. The city of Słupsk is located in northern Poland. Coal combustion in domestic boilers and transport cause dust emissions to be released into the atmosphere. The concentration of particulate matter and heavy metals in PM10 in Słupsk is much higher than in neighbouring village Gać. This affects metals deposition from the atmosphere. Two urban ponds in Słupsk were the object of the research. Sampling station No. 1 was located in the southern part of the Raj Pond situated deep into the forest area, a considerable distance from urban buildings. Sampling station No. 2 was located at the Juniorów Pond located near the city centre. Water samples were taken from a depth of 10 cm. To investigate the deposition from the atmosphere, atmospheric precipitation was collected in a collector located in the city of Słupsk. The concentrations of Li, Al, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Se, As, V, Sr, Cd and Pb were analyzed in the obtained water samples. Measurements were made using an ICP-MS mass spectrometer. From the obtained results, it was observed that the concentrations of Li, Al, Cr, Mn, Fe, Se, Sr and Cd were higher at station No. 2 located near the city centre

Electrospun Membrane Surface Modification by Sonocoating with HA and ZnO:Ag Nanoparticles—Characterization and Evaluation of Osteoblasts and Bacterial Cell Behavior In Vitro

Guided tissue regeneration and guided bone regeneration membranes are some of the most common products used for bone regeneration in periodontal dentistry. The main disadvantage of commercially available membranes is their lack of bone cell stimulation and easy bacterial colonization. The aim of this work was to design and fabricate a new membrane construct composed of electrospun poly (D,L-lactic acid)/poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) fibers sonocoated with layers of nanoparticles with specific properties, i.e., hydroxyapatite and bimetallic nanocomposite of zinc oxide–silver. Thus, within this study, four different variants of biomaterials were evaluated, namely: poly (D,L-lactic acid)/poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) biomaterial, poly(D,L-lactic acid)/poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid)/nano hydroxyapatite biomaterial, poly (D,L-lactic acid)/poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid)/nano zinc oxide–silver biomaterial, and poly (D,L-lactic acid)/poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid)/nano hydroxyapatite/nano zinc oxide–silver biomaterial. First, it was demonstrated that the wettability of biomaterials—a prerequisite property important for ensuring desired biological response—was highly increased after the sonocoating process. Moreover, it was indicated that biomaterials composed of poly (D,L-lactic acid)/poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) with or without a nano hydroxyapatite layer allowed proper osteoblast growth and proliferation, but did not have antibacterial properties. Addition of a nano zinc oxide–silver layer to the biomaterial inhibited growth of bacterial cells around the membrane, but at the same time induced very high cytotoxicity towards osteoblasts. Most importantly, enrichment of this biomaterial with a supplementary underlayer of nano hydroxyapatite allowed for the preservation of antibacterial properties and also a decrease in the cytotoxicity towards bone cells, associated with the presence of a nano zinc oxide–silver layer. Thus, the final structure of the composite poly (D,L-lactic acid)/poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid)/nano hydroxyapatite/nano zinc oxide–silver seems to be a promising construct for tissue engineering products, especially guided tissue regeneration/guided bone regeneration membranes. Nevertheless, additional research is needed in order to improve the developed construct, which will simultaneously protect the biomaterial from bacterial colonization and enhance the bone regeneration properties