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Kinds of Poland Selected AbstractsEMPLOYMENT OF OLDER WORKERS IN POLAND: ISSUES AND POLICY IMPLICATIONS1ECONOMIC AFFAIRS, Issue 4 2008Piotr ZientaraArticle first published online: 22 DEC 200 The aim of this paper is to discuss barriers to the employment of older workers in Poland, where, due to various structural weaknesses and institutional arrangements, this problem has taken on a particularly acute seriousness. After analysing the causes of inactivity amongst older workers, the paper concludes by making policy recommendations. [source] NEW FRAMES OF ARCHAEOMETRICAL DESCRIPTION OF SPINDLE WHORLS: A CASE STUDY OF THE LATE ENEOLITHIC SPINDLE WHORLS FROM THE 1C SITE IN GRÓDEK, DISTRICT OF HRUBIESZÓW, POLANDARCHAEOMETRY, Issue 5 2010T. CHMIELEWSKI The essential role of yarn spinning in textile production is indisputable. In this context, spindle whorls, the basic spinning accessories that can be found in the archaeological record, are commonly discussed. Even though the importance of the technical specification of spindle whorls has been already recognized by some authors, their functional characteristics are usually limited to the basic parameters affecting their usage range (i.e., weight, diameter and height). And since the mass moment of inertia of spindle whorls is considered to be a salient index when discussing their technical variability, the descriptions are deficient. With this short study, we intend to implement further research with more complete and flexible frames for the description of spindle whorls, based on a simple and fast-paced method of the angular mass measurement as well as relevant typology based on clear morphometrical criteria. On the basis of the examination of a small sample of Eneolithic artefacts (the South-Eastern Group of the Funnel Beaker Culture, c. 3650 to 2800 bc), a case study of the functioning of spindle whorls is also conducted. [source] Inter-organizational use of EMSs in supply chain management: some experiences from Poland and SwedenCORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT, Issue 5 2008Dagmara Nawrocka Abstract The paper investigates the possibility of using environmental management systems (EMSs) as a tool for the environmental management of supply chains. Based on interviews with environmental managers of selected companies, the paper highlights the importance of taking a long-term perspective in terms of both the cooperation with suppliers and developing the supply chain perspective for EMSs. The role of cultural influence from foreign partner companies in building the proactive environmental focus and stimulating the spread of EMSs is underlined here. In addition, the paper looks at the development, use and control of supply chain environmental requirements and their possible integration into the buyer's and supplier's EMSs. Finally, important shortcomings of EMSs, such as the lack of enforcement forbearance and the credibility of ISO 14001 certification, are discussed. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source] Review of recommendations for the management of dental trauma presented in first-aid textbooks and manualsDENTAL TRAUMATOLOGY, Issue 3 2010Katarzyna Emerich Proper information in first-aid textbooks and manuals should be the best way to present necessary procedures on how to act at the site of injury. The objective of this review is to report the quality of the knowledge presented in first-aid books and manuals. Methods:, We carried out a review of first-aid international textbooks and manuals available in Medical University Libraries in Poland. The inclusion criteria were all manuals on first-aid that were written for medical staff and lay persons, and were published between 1969 and 2007. All texts were screened for dental trauma treatment recommendations. Results:, Our literature review has shown that among 45 first-aid textbooks and manuals only 19 mention procedures for use in case of dental trauma. Of those texts, only 13 detail the storage media for an avulsed tooth until replantation. Conclusions:, Current, evidence-based, recommendations concerning first-aid procedures after dental trauma should be incorporated in forthcoming editions of first-aid textbooks and manuals. The guidance on procedures contained in reviewed texts is misleading. [source] Overstorey tree species regulate colonization by native and exotic plants: a source of positive relationships between understorey diversity and invasibilityDIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTIONS, Issue 4 2008Kathleen S. Knight ABSTRACT The North American woody species, Prunus serotina Ehrh., is an aggressive invader of forest understories in Europe. To better understand the plant invasion process, we assessed understorey plants and Prunus serotina seedlings that have colonized a 35-year-old replicated common-garden experiment of 14 tree species in south-western Poland. The density and size of established (> 1 year old) P. serotina seedlings varied among overstorey species and were related to variation in light availability and attributes of the understorey layer. In a multiple regression analysis, the density of established P. serotina seedlings was positively correlated with light availability and understorey species richness and negatively correlated with understorey species cover. These results suggest that woody invader success is adversely affected by overstorey shading and understorey competition for resources. Simultaneously, however, invader success may generally be positively associated with understorey species richness because both native and invasive plant colonization respond similarly to environmental conditions, including those influenced by overstorey tree species. Identification of characteristics of forests that increase their susceptibility to invasion may allow managers to target efforts to detect invasives and to restore forests to states that may be less invasible. [source] Direction of movements in Hungarian Barn Owls (Tyto alba): gene flow and barriersDIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTIONS, Issue 4 2003Róbert Mátics Abstract. An analysis of dispersal directions of the barn owl showed that all individuals immigrating to Hungary came from W-NW-N. It was shown that immigrating owls breed in Hungary. There is no prevailing direction in emigration from Hungary. The time of fledging does not influence the direction of movement and there is no difference between sexes concerning dispersal direction. The percentages of emigrating owls is greater than that of immigrating ones. These percentages did not differ in relation to most of the analysed countries (Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Poland and countries of the former Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia) but it differed in relation to Austria. The degree and direction of introgression into and from the transition zone and the recent distribution of the phenotypes are discussed based on the comparative analysis of published European data. These suggest that the subspecies Tyto alba alba and Tyto alba guttata disappear by introgression, to form a phenotypically very variable species. [source] Meltwater discharge through the subglacial bed and its land-forming consequences from numerical experiments in the Polish lowland during the last glaciationEARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS, Issue 4 2009Jan A. Piotrowski Abstract Numerical experiments suggest that the last glaciation severely affected the upper lithosphere groundwater system in NW Poland: primarily its flow pattern, velocities and fluxes. We have simulated subglacial groundwater flow in two and three spatial dimensions using finite difference codes for steady-state and transient conditions. The results show how profoundly the ice sheet modifies groundwater pressure heads beneath and some distance beyond the ice margin. All model runs show water discharge at the ice forefield driven by ice-sheet-thickness-modulated, down-ice-decreasing hydraulic heads. In relation to non-glacial times, the transient 3D model shows significant changes in the groundwater flow directions in a regionally extensive aquifer ca. 90 m below the ice,bed interface and up to 40 km in front of the glacier. Comparison with empirical data suggests that, depending on the model run, only between 5 and 24% of the meltwater formed at the ice sole drained through the bed as groundwater. This is consistent with field observations documenting abundant occurrence of tunnel valleys, indicating that the remaining portion of basal meltwater was evacuated through a channelized subglacial drainage system. Groundwater flow simulation suggests that in areas of very low hydraulic conductivity and adverse subglacial slopes water ponding at the ice sole was likely. In these areas the relief shows distinct palaeo-ice lobes, indicating fast ice flow, possibly triggered by the undrained water at the ice,bed interface. Owing to the abundance of low-permeability strata in the bed, the simulated groundwater flow depth is less than ca. 200 m. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Contribution to understanding the historical evolution of meandering rivers using dendrochronological methods: example of the Ma,a Panew River in southern PolandEARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS, Issue 10 2006Ireneusz Malik Abstract The Ma,a Panew is a meandering river that flows 20 km through a closed forest. During times of high discharge the riverbed and floodplain are transformed under the influence of riparian trees. The changes provide the opportunity to measure the intensity of erosion and sediment accumulation based on tree ages, the dating of coarse woody debris (CWD) in the riverbed, and the dating of eccentric growth of tilting trees and exposed roots. The bed and floodplain in reaches of the Ma,a Panew River with low banks were greatly altered as a result of long periods of flooding between 1960 and 1975. Banks were undercut during these floods and black alders tilted. Those parts of alder crowns or stems which tilt and sink generate small sand shadows. When erosion is intensive alder clumps are undercut from concave banks and become mid-channel islands, while on the other side of the channel meandering bar levels are created. The reaches with higher banks were altered by large floods, especially in 1985 and 1997. The concave banks are undercut and sediment with CWD is deposited within the riverbed, forming sand shadows behind the CWD. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Wood storage in a wide mountain river: case study of the Czarny Dunajec, Polish CarpathiansEARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS, Issue 12 2005omiej Wy Abstract Storage of large woody debris in the wide, mountain, Czarny Dunajec River, southern Poland, was investigated following two floods of June and July 2001 with a seven-year frequency. Within a reach, to which wood was delivered only by bank erosion and transport from upstream, wood quantities were estimated for eighty-nine, 100 m long, channel segments grouped into nine sections of similar morphology. Results from regression analysis indicated the quantity of stored wood to be directly related to the length of eroded, wooded banks and river width, and inversely related to unit stream power at the flood peak. The largest quantities of wood (up to 33 t ha,1) were stored in wide, multi-thread river sections. Here, the relatively low transporting ability of the river facilitated deposition of transported wood while a considerable length of eroded channel and island banks resulted in a large number of trees delivered from the local riparian forest. In these sections, a few morphological and ecological situations led to the accumulation of especially large quantities of wood within a small river area. Very low amounts of wood were stored in narrow, single-thread sections of regulated or bedrock channel. High stream power facilitated transport of wood through these sections while the high strength of the banks and low channel sinuosity prevented bank retreat and delivery of trees to the channel. Considerable differences in the character of deposited wood existed between wide, multi-thread channel sections located at different distances below a narrow, 7 km long, channellized reach of the river. Wood deposited close to the downstream end of the channellized reach was highly disintegrated and structured into jams, whereas further downstream well preserved shrubs and trees prevailed. This apparently reflects differences in the distance of wood transport and shows that in a mountain river wider than the height of trees growing on its banks, wood can be transported long distances along relatively narrow, single-thread reaches but is preferentially deposited in wide, multi-thread reaches. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The influence of plant cover and land use on slope,channel decoupling in a foothill catchment: a case study from the Carpathian Foothills, southern PolandEARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS, Issue 5 2002Jolanta, chowicz Abstract This paper examines the influence of plant cover and land use on slope,channel decoupling in the Stara Rzeka Stream catchment (22·4 km2) and its subcatchment Dworski Potok Stream (0·3 km2). The Stara Rzeka catchment is situated in the marginal part of the Carpathian Foothills and is characterized by a relief of low and medium hills. The catchment is used for agriculture but unlike other foothill catchments, it has a relatively extensive unfragmented area of forests (41·3 per cent). Grasslands and pastures (13·8 per cent) are mainly along the broad and flat valley floor. In the cultivated area (38·5 per cent) of the northern low hill part of the catchment, the fields are long, narrow and separated by boundary strips. They stretch from the hilltops to the valley bottom and are traditionally ploughed along the slopes. The research into slope wash was carried out at six sites downslope (August 1989 to October 1990) and on experimental plots (1989,1991). Transport of suspended matter was determined in the channels of the Stara Rzeka and Dworski Potok Streams (1987,1991). The results show that transport and export of the material on the slopes depend on the morphology of the slope and on the agricultural use of the area. The mosaic of fields which are used differently makes the soil wash process very intensive only if the slopes are ploughed and unprotected by a dense cover of vegetation. The material displaced is mostly accumulated at the foot of the slopes or at the bottom of the valley. Footslope areas and flat valley bottoms covered with grass function as a barrier separating the slope and the river bed. These features generally negate the transfer of slope-originated material to the bed of the stream. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Climatic adaptation in an isolated and genetically impoverished amphibian populationECOGRAPHY, Issue 4 2010Germán Orizaola The capacity of populations to respond adaptively to environmental change is essential for their persistence. Isolated populations often harbour reduced genetic variation, which is predicted to decrease adaptive potential, and can be detrimental under the current scenarios of global change. In this study, we examined climatic adaptation in larval life history traits in the pool frog Rana lessonae along a latitudinal gradient across the northern distribution area of the species, paying special attention to the isolated and genetically impoverished fringe populations in central Sweden. Larvae from eight populations within three geographic areas (Poland, Latvia and Sweden) were reared under three temperatures (19, 22 and 26°C) in a common garden laboratory experiment. We found clear evidence for latitudinal adaptation in R. lessonae populations, larvae from higher latitudes growing and developing faster than low-latitude ones. Larvae from the Swedish populations were able to compensate for the effects of cooler temperatures and a shorter growth season with genetically higher growth and development rates (i.e. countergradient variation) in the two higher temperature treatments, but there was no difference among the populations at the lowest temperature treatment, which is likely to be close to the temperature limiting growth in R. lessonae. Our results demonstrate that isolated and genetically impoverished populations can be locally adapted, and identify the Swedish fringe populations as a significant conservation unit adapted to the northern environmental conditions. [source] Local host ant specificity of Phengaris (Maculinea) teleius butterfly, an obligatory social parasite of Myrmica antsECOLOGICAL ENTOMOLOGY, Issue 5 2010MAGDALENA WITEK 1. Phengaris butterflies are obligatory social parasites of Myrmica ants. Early research suggested that there is a different Myrmica host species for each of the five European Phengaris social parasites, but more recent studies have shown that this was an oversimplification. 2. The pattern of host ant specificity within a Phengaris teleius metapopulation from southern Poland is reported. A combination of studying the frequency distribution of Phengaris occurrence and morphometrics on adult butterflies were used to test whether use of different host species is reflected in larval development. 3. Phengaris teleius larvae were found to survive in colonies of four Myrmica species: M. scabrinodis, M. rubra, M. ruginodis, and M. rugulosa. Myrmica scabrinodis was the most abundant species under the host plant but the percentage of infested nests was similar to other host ant species at two sites and lower in comparison to nests of M. rubra and M. ruginodis at the other two sites. Morphometric measurements of adult butterflies reared by wild colonies of M. scabrinodis and M. ruginodis showed that wing size and number of wing spots were slightly greater for adults eclosing from nests of M. ruginodis. 4. Our results suggest that P. teleius in the populations studied is less specialised than previously suggested. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that P. teleius is expected to be the least specific of the European Phengaris species, as it has the largest and best defended fourth-instar caterpillars and, as a predatory species, it spends less time in the central larval chambers of the host colonies. The fact that individuals reared by M. ruginodis had wider hind wings may suggest that P. teleius had better access to resources in M. ruginodis than in M. scabrinodis colonies. [source] University of Michigan Addiction Research Center (UMARC): development, evolution, and directionADDICTION, Issue 6 2010Robert A. Zucker ABSTRACT A historical summary is provided of the evolution of the University of Michigan Addiction Research Center (UMARC) since its origins in 1988. Begun as an National Institutes of Health (NIH) research center within a Department of Psychiatry and focused solely upon alcohol and aging, early work emphasized treatment efficacy, differential outcome studies and characterization of the neurophysiological and behavioral manifestations of chronic alcoholism. Over the last 15 years, UMARC has extended its research focus along a number of dimensions: its developmental reach has been extended etiologically by studies of risk early in the life span, and by way of work on earlier screening and the development of early, brief treatment interventions. The addiction focus has expanded to include other drugs of abuse. Levels of analysis have also broadened, with work on the molecular genetics and brain neurophysiology underlying addictive processes, on one hand, and examination of the role of the social environment in long-term course of disorder on the other hand. Activities have been facilitated by several research training programs and by collaborative relationships with other universities around the United States and in Poland. Since 2002, a program for research infrastructure development and collaboration has been ongoing, initially with Poland and more recently with Ukraine, Latvia and Slovakia. A blueprint for the future includes expanded characterization of the neurobiology and genetics of addictive processes, the developmental environment, as well as programmatic work to address the public health implications of our ability to identify risk for disorder very early in life. [source] EMPLOYMENT OF OLDER WORKERS IN POLAND: ISSUES AND POLICY IMPLICATIONS1ECONOMIC AFFAIRS, Issue 4 2008Piotr ZientaraArticle first published online: 22 DEC 200 The aim of this paper is to discuss barriers to the employment of older workers in Poland, where, due to various structural weaknesses and institutional arrangements, this problem has taken on a particularly acute seriousness. After analysing the causes of inactivity amongst older workers, the paper concludes by making policy recommendations. [source] The dimensionality of alcohol use disorders and alcohol consumption in a cross-national perspectiveADDICTION, Issue 2 2010Guilherme Borges ABSTRACT Aims To replicate the finding that there is a single dimension trait in alcohol use disorders and to test whether the usual 5+ drinks for men and 4+ drinks for women and other measures of alcohol consumption help to improve alcohol use disorder criteria in a series of diverse patients from emergency departments (EDs) in four countries. Design Cross-sectional surveys of patients aged 18 years and older that reflected consecutive arrival at the ED. The Composite International Diagnostic Interview Core was used to obtain a diagnosis of DSM-IV alcohol dependence and alcohol abuse; quantity and frequency of drinking and drunkenness as well as usual number of drinks consumed during the last year. Setting Participants were 5195 injured and non-injured patients attending seven EDs in four countries: Argentina, Mexico, Poland and the United States (between 1995,2001). Findings Using exploratory factor analyses alcohol use disorders can be described as a single, unidimensional continuum without any clear-cut distinction between the criteria for dependence and abuse in all sites. Results from item response theory analyses showed that the current DSM-IV criteria tap people in the middle,upper end of the alcohol use disorder continuum. Alcohol consumption (amount and frequency of use) can be used in all EDs with the current DSM-IV diagnostic criteria to help tap the middle,lower part of this continuum. Even though some specific diagnostic criteria and some alcohol consumption variables showed differential item function across sites, test response curves were invariant for ED sites and their inclusion would not impact the final (total) performance of the diagnostic system. Conclusions DSM-IV abuse and dependence form a unidimensional continuum in ED patients regardless of country of survey. Alcohol consumption variables, if added, would help to tap patients with more moderate severity. The DSM diagnostic system for alcohol use disorders showed invariance and performed extremely well in these samples. [source] Speciation and Environmental Fate of Chromium in Rivers Contaminated with Tannery EffluentsENGINEERING IN LIFE SCIENCES (ELECTRONIC), Issue 2 2007J. Dominik Abstract Redox and size speciation of chromium in rivers contaminated with tannery wastewater was carried out to provide insight into its transport and removal mechanisms. Total chromium was determined with Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry and Cr,(VI) with Catalytic Adsorption Stripping Voltammetry. For the size speciation, particles were retained with a cartridge filter (cut-off 1.2,,m) and the total filterable fraction was further fractionated with Tangential Flow Filtration to determine the concentrations of chromium associated with the High Molecular Weight Colloidal (HMWC), Low Molecular Weight Colloidal (LMWC) and Truly Dissolved (TD) fractions. Two fluvial systems of similar sizes, but located in contrasting climatic zones, were selected for comparison: the Sebou-Fez system in Morocco and Dunajec River-Czorsztyn Reservoir system in Poland. Particulate Cr dominated in the Sebou-Fez system (about 90,%); while in the Dunajec-Czorsztyn system, it represented only 17,53,% of the total chromium in raw water. Still, the partition coefficients [Kd] were of the same magnitude. Chromium,(III) was the only form detected in Sebou-Fez, whereas in Dunajec-Czorsztyn Cr,(VI) was also present with its proportion increasing downstream from the input of tannery wastewater due to the preferential removal of Cr,(III). In the filtered water in Morocco a large fraction of Cr occurred in the HMWC fraction (50,70,%) at the two most contaminated sites, while the LMWC and TD forms prevailed at the non-contaminated sites in the Sebou River. At a very high concentration, in the water in the proximity of tanneries (well above the theoretical saturation level) Cr precipitated as polynuclear Cr-hydroxide. In Dunajec-Czorsztyn, the partition of Cr,(III) was approximately equal between the HMWC, LMWC and TD fractions, in contrast to Cr,(VI) which occurred almost exclusively in the TD fraction. In both systems, Cr,(III) was rapidly removed from the water to the sediments. The confluence of the Sebou with the Fez and the Czorsztyn reservoir trapped efficiently Cr,(III) preventing its spreading over long distances. Cr,(VI) showed conservative behavior and bypassed the Czorsztyn Reservoir. This study provides a first set of data on the partitioning of Cr,(III) and Cr,(VI) between the particulate, the colloidal and truly dissolved fractions in fluvial systems contaminated with tannery effluents. It also suggests that, in these systems, truly dissolved Cr,(III) can be adequately modeled from the total filterable concentrations. [source] Noble metal-based catalysts for total oxidation of chlorinated hydrocarbonsENVIRONMENTAL PROGRESS & SUSTAINABLE ENERGY, Issue 3 2001José M. Toledo Catalytic total oxidation of selected chlorinated hydrocarbons utilizing several noble metal (Pt, Pd, Ru)-based catalysts was studied. Chlorinated hydrocarbons used were trichloroethylene, dichloromethane, and chlorobenzene, alone or mixed with other hydrocarbons, such as toluene. Catalysts tested were both commercially available, manufactured by Degussa AG, Süd-Chemie AG, Kataleuna GmbH, Chimet, Johnson Matthey, Prototech Co., etc., and new ones developed by Universities of Leiden in The Netherlands, Budapest in Hungary, and Wroclaw in Poland. Both forms of catalyst, sphere (particulate) and monolith, were used. Selection of the best catalyst(s) was made based on its activity, selectivity, and life. Apparent energies of activation for the reactions on these catalysts, using an empirical firstorder reaction rate, are also given. [source] Hepatotoxic cyanobacterial blooms in the lakes of northern PolandENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY, Issue 5 2005Joanna Mankiewicz Abstract The lakes of northern Poland are among the recreational sites most valued by Polish and German holiday makers. Given the socioeconomic importance of these lakes, water quality should be maintained at high levels for such intensive recreational purposes. In 2002 studies of species composition, biomass, and toxin production by phytoplankton and the attendant physicochemical variables were performed in order to assess the risk of cyanobacterial blooms in selected northern lakes: Lakes Jeziorak, Jagodne, Szymoneckie, Szymon, Taltowisko, Siecino, and Trzesiecko. The research showed that total phosphorus (0.1 mg P/L) and total nitrogen (1.5 mg N/L) in the studied lakes almost exceeded the permissible limits for eutrophication of water bodies. Most phytoplankton samples were taken in late summer, when cyanobacteria were expected to reach their highest biomass. At the time of sampling most of the lakes were dominated by oscillatorialean and nostocalean species. Average chlorophyll-a concentration was higher than 10 ,g/L in almost all the lakes studied, which corresponded with an average microcystin concentration in the range of 4,5 ,g/L. The main microcystins in the analyzed samples were dmMC-RR, MC-RR, MC-YR, and MC-LR. The results demonstrated a potential for intensive cyanobacterial blooms to appear during the summer in northern Polish lakes. The levels of cyanobacteria found in the lakes investigated indicated that toxicity had reached the first-alert level according to World Health Organization recommendations. If microcystin-producing cyanobacteria dominate, with a microcystin concentration of 2,4 ,g/L, symptoms of toxicity can appear in the swimmers most sensitive to exposure. Analysis of cyanobacterial assemblages in northern Polish lakes also indicated a significant presence of Aphanizomenon species including a Scandinavian species, A. skujae (Skuja) Kom.-Legn. & Cronb. Future investigations of Polish lakes also should assess neurotoxins and study the biology of their producers. This study was the first attempt to evaluate the potential danger of toxic cyanobacterial blooms in the lakes of northern Poland. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 20: 499,506, 2005. [source] The influence of microcystin-LR and hepatotoxic cyanobacterial extract on the water plant Spirodela oligorrhizaENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY, Issue 5 2002Zdzis, awa Romanowska-Duda Abstract The eutrophication of the Sulejów Reservoir dam in Poland is related to toxicity from cyanobacterial blooms. The main species responsible for hepatotoxic bloom formation is Microcystis aeruginosa. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of toxic cyanobacterial extract on the growth and morphology of the water plant Spirodela oligorrhiza, compared with commercial-grade microcystin-LR (MC-LR). It was found that after 96 h of incubation the highest concentration of cyanobacterial extract, containing 0.344 mg MC-LR/L, reduced the number of fronds by about 50% in comparison with the control. The extract effected a reduction in the frond mass and a decrease in chlorophyll (a + b) concentration. A reduction in the number of fronds was also observed after the first 24 h of incubation in the presence of 0.2 and 0.1 ,g/L of commercial-grade MC-LR. Changes in activity of constitutive acid phosphatase and RNase after 7 days of incubation with commercial-grade MC-LR were observed. The results confirm the toxicity of cyanobacterial hepatotoxins to Spirodela oligorrhiza, which can be used as a sensitive bioindicator. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 17: 434,440, 2002; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/tox.10076 [source] Apoptotic effect of cyanobacterial extract on rat hepatocytes and human lymphocytesENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY, Issue 3 2001Joanna Mankiewicz Abstract Toxic cyanobacterial blooms are an increasing problem in Poland. The production of cyanobacterial toxins and their presence in drinking and recreational waters represent a growing danger to human and animal health. This is connected with the increase of cyanobacterial biomass caused by excessive eutrophication of the water ecosystem. There is evidence that cyanobacterial hepatotoxins can act as a potent promoter of primary liver cancer. The apoptotic effect of microcystins in Polish cyanobacterial bloom samples on rat hepatocytes and human lymphocytes was observed using light and fluorescence microscopy, flow cytometry, and electrophoretic analysis. The incubation time needed to observe the first morphological apoptotic changes in hepatocytes was approximately 30 min; however, the characteristic biochemical changes in DNA were not observed even after 120 min. In lymphocyte cultures the morphological changes characteristic for apoptosis were observed after 24 h of incubation and a 48-h incubation was found to be optimal for analysis of internucleosomal DNA fragmentation, which is one of the main biochemical hallmarks of programmed cell death. These cells are an easily isolated and inexpensive material for medical diagnostics. Therefore the apoptotic changes, together with the clastogenic effect seen in lymphocyte cultures, are proposed as a future analytical method for these toxins. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Environ Toxicol 16: 225,233, 2001 [source] Assessment of the resistance of potato cultivars to Synchytrium endobioticum (Schilb.) Per. in PolandEPPO BULLETIN, Issue 2 2008J. Przetakiewicz In Poland the Plant Breeding and Acclimatization Institute is responsible for officially assessing the resistance to Synchytrium endobioticum of domestic potato breeding lines and cultivars from other countries. Cultivation of potato cultivars in Poland requires confirmation of resistance to potato wart disease. The official assessment uses the modified Glynne-Lemmerzahl method (laboratory tests) and pot tests. The full cycle of assessment of resistance to wart disease requires 52 seed potatoes per variety/breeding line. Forty two tubers are used in laboratory tests. To complete the laboratory tests the next 10 tubers are grown in pot tests (in soil with winter sporangia) during the vegetation season. The final results for domestic breeding lines of potato are available after 3 years of investigation. For cultivars from other countries the authorization of resistance to S. endobioticum takes approximately one year. The Polish breeders (breeding lines) or the breeder's representative (cultivars from other countries) receive the certificate only for lines/cultivars with laboratory and field resistance to S. endobioticum. [source] Plum pox virus (PPV) in PolandEPPO BULLETIN, Issue 2 2006T. Malinowski No abstract is available for this article. [source] A web-based decision support system for integrated management of weeds in cereals and sugarbeet,EPPO BULLETIN, Issue 3 2003P. Rydahl A Danish decision support system (DSS) named Crop Protection Online (CPO) for integrated management of weeds in cereals and beet has been developed during the past 20 years. CPO is based on a model that runs in three main steps: model step 1 quantifies the level of weed control needed on a field level, model step 2 selects candidate herbicides and calculates dose rates to meet the need, and model step 3 calculates tank mixtures of herbicides with two to four mixing components, if advantageous. CPO has been developed in cereals and beet, and various prototype versions have been validated in 1679 field tests. CPO secured yield potentials, and the level of residual weeds was not increased when compared with reference treatments. The potential of CPO to reduce herbicide use has been observed in all model crops, but the potential was greatest in cereals. In spring cereal field trials highly infested with weeds, the present version of CPO suggested 35% of one full herbicide dose on average and in winter cereals CPO suggested 44% on average of one full dose. The results from validation trials demonstrate that CPO is capable of suggesting robust treatment options with a low input of herbicides. The system architecture of CPO has been exported to Poland and the Baltic countries, and the system is expected to be suitable for export to other countries too. [source] Between East and West: Geographic Metaphors of Identity in PolandETHOS, Issue 1 2004Marysia H. Galbraith As Poland enters the European Union, questions of national identity relative to wider group loyalties become particularly salient. This study considers how individual life stories contribute to the discourse on what constitutes the Polish nation, and contemplates the implications of respondents' views for the achievement of European integration. I focus on Polish youths' use of metaphors of "betweenness," in which Poland fills the conceptual space between East and West, and "nested identities," based on simultaneous attachments to region, nation, and Europe, and consider how they might provide alternatives to models of identity which assume conflict with outside groups. In postcommunist Poland, more protectionist or conflict-based stances are sometimes taken, not so much because of political threats as in the past, but more in response to economic inequalities within Poland, and between Poland and the West. [source] A Competitive European Agriculture Designed for the Citizens , Romania's Perspective Une agriculture européenne compétitive au service des citoyens : La perspective de la Roumanie Eine an die Bedürfnisse der Bürger angepasste, wettbewerbsfähige Europäische Landwirtschaft , die Perspektive RumäniensEUROCHOICES, Issue 3 2008Dacian Ciolo Summary A Competitive European Agriculture Designed for the Citizens , Romania's Perspective In the coming months and years the European Union has to make fundamental choices for the future of agriculture, food, landscape and quality of life within its whole territory. These choices have now to be made for 27 Member States, which together give a new configuration to the Community. Poland and Romania together now represent nearly half of the total active population involved in EU agriculture. European agriculture has to be multifunctional, competitive not only for the market but also for citizens, as an economic activity that uses and manages renewable resources of public interest. Higher competitiveness inevitably leads to restructuring and modernisation of the agro-food sector in the New Member States. This must be achieved gradually to avoid a negative social impact, through a rural development policy supporting job creation outside agriculture. Romanian agriculture employs about 30 per cent of the country's active population and half of the country's population live in rural areas. Romania, therefore, aims to preserve a substantial CAP budget to promote investment in agriculture and quality of life in rural areas. It is in the interest of the whole EU to ensure not just proper use of the productive potential of Romanian agriculture but also economic development of the Romanian countryside. Au cours des prochains mois et des prochaines années, l'Union européenne doit faire des choix fondamentaux quant à l'avenir de l'agriculture, de l'alimentation et de la qualité de vie sur l'ensemble de son territoire. Ces choix relèvent actuellement de 27 état membres qui, ensemble, donnent à la communauté une nouvelle configuration. Actuellement, la Pologne et la Roumanie représentent à elles deux pratiquement la moitié de la population agricole de l'Union européenne. L'agriculture européenne doit être multifonctionnelle et compétitive, pas seulement pour les marchés mais aussi pour les citoyens, en tant qu'activitééconomique qui utilise et gère des ressources renouvelables d'intérêt public. La hausse de la compétitivité entraînera inévitablement une restructuration et une modernisation du secteur agro-alimentaire dans les nouveaux états membres. Ce processus doit être progressif pour éviter des conséquences sociales négatives, et il doit s'accompagner d'une politique de développement rural pour promouvoir la création d'emplois hors du secteur agricole. L'agriculture roumaine emploie environ 30 pour cent de la population active nationale et la moitié de la population du pays vit dans des zones rurales. La Roumanie compte donc utiliser une grande partie du budget de la PAC pour la promotion des investissements dans le secteur agricole et l'amélioration de la qualité de vie dans les zones rurales. Il est dans l'intérêt de l'ensemble de l'Union européenne de s'assurer non seulement que le potentiel productif agricole de la Roumanie est correctement utilisé mais également que la campagne roumaine se développe économiquement. In den kommenden Monaten und Jahren wird die Europäische Union grundlegende Entscheidungen im Hinblick auf Landwirtschaft, Lebensmittel, Landschaftsbild und Lebensqualität zu treffen haben, die sich auf ihr gesamtes Gebiet auswirken werden. Diese Entscheidungen betreffen nun alle 27 Mitgliedsstaaten, die der Gemeinschaft ein neues Gesicht verleihen. Mittlerweile stellen Polen und Rumänien zusammen etwa die Hälfte der aktiv in der Landwirtschaft der EU beschäftigten Bevölkerung. Die europäische Landwirtschaft muss multifunktional und nicht nur mit Blick auf den Markt wettbewerbsfähig sein, sondern auch mit Blick auf ihre Bürger, als ein Wirtschaftszweig, der erneuerbare Ressourcen verwendet und verwaltet, für die ein öffentliches Interesse besteht. Eine höhere Wettbewerbsfähigkeit führt unweigerlich zur Umstrukturierung und Modernisierung des Agro-Food-Sektors in den neuen Mitgliedsstaaten. Zur Vermeidung negativer Auswirkungen auf die Gesellschaft muss dies schrittweise durch eine Politik zur Entwicklung des ländlichen Raums erfolgen, die Arbeitsplätze außerhalb der Landwirtschaft fördert. In Rumänien sind 30 Prozent der Erwerbstätigen in der Landwirtschaft tätig, und die Hälfte der Bevölkerung lebt im ländlichen Raum. Daher ist Rumänien daran gelegen, weiterhin einen hinreichend großen Haushalt für die GAP zu erhalten, um Investitionen in die Landwirtschaft und die Lebensqualität im ländlichen Raum zu fördern. Es ist im Interesse aller EU-Länder, nicht nur die Ausschöpfung des produktiven Potenzials der rumänischen Landwirtschaft, sondern ebenfalls die wirtschaftliche Entwicklung des ländlichen Raums in Rumänien sicherzustellen. [source] From Scientific Apprentice to Multi-skilled Knowledge Worker: changes in Ph.D education in the Nordic-Baltic AreaEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF EDUCATION, Issue 3 2007ANDREAS ÖNNERFORS There is no doubt that what is generally referred to as ,Ph.D education' has undergone dramatic changes in Europe in recent years. Whereas the Bologna Process, launched in 1999, originally had in mind to make it easier for undergraduate students to gain international experience and enhance their employability by facilitating mobility and transparency of higher education in Europe, the idea of a ,third cycle' of doctoral studies came relatively late in the discussion (2003). For some academic cultures, the idea of educating doctoral students was and still is perceived as a threat against academic freedom, originality and credibility. Other academic cultures have already long adopted Ph.D training schemes as an integrated part of training future scientists and knowledge workers. This article presents the result of a recent survey on Ph.D training in the Nordic-Baltic Area (Andreas Önnerfors: ,Ph.D-training/PGT in the Nordic-Baltic Area', Exploring the North: papers in Scandinavian Culture and Society 2006:1, Lund 2006) initiated by the Nordic research organisation NordForsk, which discusses new concepts of doctoral education and training in the five Nordic and the three Baltic countries as well as in Russia, Poland and three northern states of the Federal Republic of Germany. Whereas there is great correspondence in the performance of doctoral training and education in the Nordic countries and changes have been introduced permanently for about 30 years, Poland, Germany and Russia are battling with their academic traditions and the challenge of adapting their academic cultures to joint European standards. This concerns especially the phenomenon of two postgraduate degrees (the Ph.D and a further degree) and the view upon training elements in doctoral studies. After their independence, the three Baltic countries rapidly adapted their systems of higher education to the Nordic model. [source] Dynamics of support for European integration in post-communist PolandEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF POLITICAL RESEARCH, Issue 4 2003KAZIMIERZ M. SLOMCZYNSKI This study examines the dynamics of citizen support for European integration in Poland. Using data from 1995 and 1998 surveys and from a three-wave panel study, we find that, as in Western Europe, both utilitarian calculations of self-interest and political considerations are equally important determinants of support for membership in the European Union. Moreover, between 1995 and 1998 there was considerable polarization of opinion along economic, partisan and ideological lines. We also consider the impact of pro-democratic and pro-capitalist values on support for integration. Our results show that, all things being equal, such values are significant predictors of European Union support. In addition, they have a strong impact on individual-level stability and change in attitudes toward Poland joining the European Union. [source] Towards an operationalization of the fundamental dimensions of agency and communion: Trait content ratings in five countries considering valence and frequency of word occurrenceEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 7 2008Andrea E. Abele Despite many convergences in theorizing and research on the two fundamental dimensions of social judgment the operationalizations differ considerably across studies and possible confounds (valence, frequency of word occurrence) are not always controlled. The present study was meant as a first step towards a more standardized operationalization by providing trait words which are clearly distinct in content (agency and communion) but comparable in valence and frequency of word occurrence in written language across different countries. We created a pool of 304 trait adjectives and reduced this pool in several pretests to a list of 69 trait words. These were clearly different in content and covered a large range of valence. In the main study N,=,548 participants from five countries (Belgium, Germany, Italy, Poland and USA) rated the 69 trait words on agency, communion and valence. The results were quite consistent across countries. The trait adjectives' agency ratings and communion ratings were negatively correlated; valence was correlated with communal content, but not with agentic content; word frequency was barely related to the content ratings. Cluster analyses suggest four clusters of trait words. Based on these findings we propose sets of agentic and communal trait words which do not differ in valence and word frequency. These item-sets can serve as a first step towards a standardized operationalization of the two fundamental content dimensions across languages. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Amino acids in Quaternary soil horizons from southwest PolandEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SOIL SCIENCE, Issue 2 2003A. Szponar Summary Aminostratigraphy has proved to be a useful approach for dating fossils from the Quaternary. In these studies the amino acids in Quaternary soil formations were determined in an attempt to establish their stratigraphical relationships and relative ages. The sampling sites are in the southwest of Poland, in the Trzebnickie Hills. Three samples of fossil soils and two of recent soils were analysed. The absolute age of the soil samples was estimated by radiocarbon dating. We found that the total amount of amino acids decreased with the increasing age of soil. The smallest amounts of amino acids were found in the oldest fossil soil of Denekamp (Vistulian) age dated 29 600 ± 760 years bp. A sample of recent loess soil contained the most total amino acids, whereas the fossil soil of Lower Atlantic age, dated 3540 ± 230 years bp, was intermediate in respect of the total amount of amino acids, oxidation state and degree of biochemical transformation. Neutral amino acids formed a majority of all the amino acids studied. The method we describe could be useful in relative chronostratigraphical identification of fossil soils. [source] Evolution of morphogenesis in 360-million-year-old conodont chordates calibrated in daysEVOLUTION AND DEVELOPMENT, Issue 6 2008Jerzy Dzik SUMMARY Highly rhythmic increments of crown tissue are identifiable in conodont oral apparatus elements from the Late Devonian of the Holy Cross Mountains, Poland; individual laminae being of thickness comparable with daily increments of vertebrate tooth enamel and fish otoliths. Abundant occurrence of such specimens enables bed-by-bed (stratophenetic) studies of the process of evolution at the population level and quantitative presentation of the evolution of ontogeny in the sampled geological section covering several million years. The morphologic transformation is expressed as expansion of a juvenile asymmetry to later stages of the ontogeny and in decrease of the mature element width, which was due to a change of the mineral tissue secretion rate. It was not just a simple extension of a juvenile character into the later stage of the ontogeny (heterochrony) but rather a true developmental novelty. The evolution was gradual and very slow. The proposed quantitative approach to growth increments in the mineral skeleton of ancient chordates introduces real-time units to evolutionary developmental studies connected with direct paleontological evidence on the course of evolution. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||