Radiation detection and protection procedures

With the financial support of Internal Security Fund Police Programme European Commission Directorate General Home Affairs. This project has been founded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the authors, and European Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein

Radiation and defense against nuclear weapons

With the financial support of Internal Security Fund Police Programme European Commission Directorate General Home Affairs. This project has been founded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the authors, and European Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein

Impact of Faba Bean-Seed Rhizobial Inoculation on Microbial Activity in the Rhizosphere Soil during Growing Season

Inoculation of legume seeds with Rhizobium affects soil microbial community and processes, especially in the rhizosphere. This study aimed at assessing the effect of Rhizobium inoculation on microbial activity in the faba bean rhizosphere during the growing season in a field experiment on a Haplic Luvisol derived from loess. Faba bean (Vicia faba L.) seeds were non-inoculated (NI) or inoculated (I) with Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. viciae and sown. The rhizosphere soil was analyzed for the enzymatic activities of dehydrogenases, urease, protease and acid phosphomonoesterase, and functional diversity (catabolic potential) using the Average Well Color Development, Shannon-Weaver, and Richness indices following the community level physiological profiling from Biolog EcoPlate™. The analyses were done on three occasions corresponding to the growth stages of: 5–6 leaf, flowering, and pod formation. The enzymatic activities were higher in I than NI (p < 0.05) throughout the growing season. However, none of the functional diversity indices differed significantly under both treatments, regardless of the growth stage. This work showed that the functional diversity of the microbial communities was a less sensitive tool than enzyme activities in assessment of rhizobial inoculation effects on rhizosphere microbial activity

Symbiotic Activity of Pea (Pisum sativum) after Application of Nod Factors under Field Conditions

Growth and symbiotic activity of legumes are mediated by Nod factors (LCO, lipo-chitooligosaccharides). To assess the effects of application of Nod factors on symbiotic activity and yield of pea, a two-year field experiment was conducted on a Haplic Luvisol developed from loess. Nod factors were isolated from Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. viciae strain GR09. Pea seeds were treated with the Nod factors (10−11 M) or water (control) before planting. Symbiotic activity was evaluated by measurements of nitrogenase activity (acetylene reduction assay), nodule number and mass, and top growth by shoot mass, leaf area, and seed and protein yield. Nod factors generally improved pea yield and nitrogenase activity in the relatively dry growing season 2012, but not in the wet growing season in 2013 due to different weather conditions

Strategy for an Effective Eco-Optimized Design of Heteroleptic Cu(I) Coordination Polymers Exhibiting Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence

The new series of copper(I) coordination polymers [Cu(N–N)(μ-PTA)]n[PF6]n {N–N = dmbpy (1), bpy (2), ncup (3), and phen (4)} were generated by straightforward reaction in solution or through a mechanochemical route, of [Cu(MeCN)4][PF6] with 1,3,5-triaza-7-phosphaadamantane (PTA) and the corresponding polypyridines, namely, 5,5′-dimethyl-2,2′-bipyridine (dmbpy), 2,2′-bipyridine (bpy), 2,9-dimethyl-1,10-phenanthroline (ncup), and 1,10-phenanthroline (phen). The compounds were obtained as air-stable solids and fully characterized by IR, NMR spectroscopy, and elemental analyses. The molecular structures were confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis (for 1, 2, and 4), revealing infinite one-dimensional (1D) linear chains driven by μ-PTA N,P-linkers. All tested Cu(I) polymeric compounds show emission at room temperature, which was attributed to thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF). Evidence of the involvement of the excited singlet state in the emission process is presented. Comparing the photophysical properties of 1 and 2 as well as 3 and 4, of which 1 and 3 have a stiffened structure, by introducing a methyl group to one of the ligands, we demonstrate how TADF properties depend on molecular rigidity. It is shown that stiffening of the structure reduces the flattening distortion around the Cu(I) center in the 3MLCT state. As a result, the ΔE(S1–T1) energy gap becomes smaller and the fluorescence quantum yield increases without significantly extending the emission lifetime. In particular, the ΔE(S1–T1) values for complexes 1 and 3 are among the shortest reported in the scientific literature, 253 and 337 cm–1, and the TADF lifetimes are τ(300 K) = 5.7 and 4.2 μs, respectively. The fluorescence quantum yields for these complexes are measured to be ΦPL(300 K) = 70 and 80%

Industrial Verification and Research Development of Lime–Gypsum Fertilizer Granulation Method

This work concerns non-pressure granulation of mineral materials used for the production of agricultural fertilizers for soil deacidification. In order to expand the product range of Nordkalk Poland sp. z o. o. located in Poland, the granulation conditions of the gypsum–lime mix were examined with the use of various granulation methods. The processed mixture was Jurassic lime flour mined in the Sławno mine (Poland) and waste gypsum (sulfogypsum) obtained from the largest coal-fired power plant in the EU, Bełchatów Power Plant (Poland). This paper presents the results of the optimization of the gypsum–lime fertilizer granulation process. The results of the study of granulation of gypsum–lime mixture realized in one-stage technology in a disc granulator were compared with the effects of two-stage agglomeration. During the research, a mixture (in a 1:1 ratio) of waste sulfogypsum and lime flour was used. Such a weight ratio provides maximum use of the sulfogypsum waste while maintaining good mechanical properties of the granulate. The granulated bed was moistened with a lignosulfonate solution. The process was carried out periodically. After the experiment, the grain composition of the granulate obtained was determined and tests were performed to determine the strength of the product. The test results were compared with analogous ones obtained during granulation with the use of molasses (waste from sugar production). The results obtained were verified during a trial carried out on an industrial scale