An attempt at assessing the correlation between the content of fluoride in the Antarctic krill from various fishery and its.biological condition was carried out Fluoride was determined with the Dolan method, which was modified by the present authors. No statistically significant correlation was found between the degree of sexual maturity and fluoride content. There was no decisive statistical relation between the body weight and body length of individuals and the content of fluoride in the Antarctic krill.

Using gas chromatography methods the content of DDT residues was determined in the tissues of 4 species of Antarctic birds: Oceanites oceanicus, Catharacta skua, Sterna vittata and Larus dominicanus, and in the eggs of Macronectes giganleus and Larus dominicanus. Samples were collected on King George Island, in February and October 1978. The highest level of DDT and its metabolites concentration was observed in the tissues of Oceanites oceanicus and the lowest in the tissues of Sterna vittata and in the eggs of M. giganteus and L. dominicanus. The differences in DDT content between different species and within one species are associated with their food composition and winter migrations to the regions with higher degree of DDT pollution.

Eggs and samples of the fat (blubber), muscles, and liver from three species of penguins: Pygoscelis adeliae, P. antarctica and P. papua were collected on King George Island in 1978. DDT residues were determined in the samples with the gas chromatography method. In the tissues pp'DDE and traces of pp'DDT were found, in the eggs merely pp'DDE. The highest DDT content (wet weight) was recorded in the fat of penguins, the lowest in the eggs. The differences between species in the mean values of the content of DDT residues in the tissues and eggs are not statistically significant. An increase in the level of pp'DDE concentration in the tissues and eggs of penguins was observed, as compared with earlier studies of other authors, as well as a tendency toward dippearance of the active form, i.e. pp'DDT, in the samples.

The new investigation method of the kinetics of the gas emission from moulding sands used for moulds and cores is presented in this

paper. The gas evolution rate is presented not only as a function of heating time but also as a function of instantaneous temperatures. In

relation to the time and heating temperature the oxygen and hydrogen contents in evolving gases was also measured. This method was

developed in the Laboratory of Foundry Moulds Technology, Faculty of Foundry Engineering, AGH. Gas amounts which are emitted from

the moulding sand at the given temperature recalculated to the time unit (kinetics) are obtained in investigations. Results of investigations

of moulding sand with furan resin are presented - as an example - in the paper.

In this research reactive powder concrete (RPC) was prepared using sand from North Sinai. The mechanical properties of locally cast RPC were investigated and evaluated by studying the effects of using different cement and silica fume contents and new steel fi bers’ aspect ratios as reinforce-ment for RPC. Specimens’ preparation, curing regimes and testing procedures to evaluate the com-pressive strength, the modulus of elasticity, the indirect tensile strength and the fl exural strength were discussed. A compressive strength of 154.5 MPa, indirect tensile strength of 11.98 MPa, mod-ulus of elasticity of 45.1 GPa and fl exural strength of 30.26 MPa have been achieved for reinforced RPC contains 800 kg/m³ cement content and silica fume content 30% of cement weight. The test results showed some improvements by increasing cement and silica fume contentsas well as adding steel fi bers on the compressive strength, modulus of elasticity and indirect tensile strength.

A large amount of research has shown that there are two types of trait content in social cognition – agency (including competence) and communion (including morality). Because communal traits are more instrumental in locating a person on the approach-avoidance dimension than agentic ones, the former are considered to be relatively more important in person (and group) perception processes. We developed a proposal that this difference in importance extends to spontaneous trait inferences based on the behavior of the perceived person. The hypothesis that trait inferences are stronger in the communal than agentic domain was tested in four experiments (N = 265) using three different methods of studying spontaneous trait inferences (i.e., the cued recall of distractors procedure, the false recognition paradigm, and the lexical decision task). Despite the variation in methods, the studies yielded the same result – spontaneous trait inferences appeared stronger in the communal than agentic domain, but the effect was restricted to the traits of positive rather than negative valence. For the agentic domain the strength of trait inferences remained relatively low, independent of trait valence. Possible reasons for the difference between positive and negative communal traits are discussed.

In recent years, more and more attention has been paid to the quality of produced coal size categories for energy purposes. This is important from the perspective of promoting clean coal technologies which aim at changing the perception of coal as a fuel friendly for the environment. This is specifically because hard coal resources in Poland allow the national energy security to be guaranteed on the basis of energy production based on hard coal. Fine coals upgraded at coal processing facilities in the separation process in fine coal jigs are mainly used in energy production from coal. In the article, an analysis of hard coal upgrading in a jig regarding the optimum recovery of a useful fraction in the concentrate (combustible and volatile matter) and non-useful fraction in tailings (ash and sulfur) was conducted. Based on the industrial testing of a fine coal jig, the granulometric and densimetric analysis of the taken samples of concentrate, middlings and tailings of coal was conducted in laboratory conditions. Yields of products were calculated in separated size-fractions of separation products, and ash content and total sulfur content were determined in them. Based on the results of granulometric, densimetric and chemical analyses of the obtained size-fractions, the balance of separation products and appropriate calculations, Fuerstenau upgrading curves which allowed the process to be evaluated and a comparison of the results of hard coal upgrading regarding the optimum recovery of the organic phase in the concentrate and mineral components in tailings to be drawn. The obtained results were evaluated on the basis of different criteria for changing the device’s hydrodynamic operational conditions. The ash content and total sulfur content were analyzed as non-useful substances.

Laboratory works on combustion of some organic compounds as air pollutants in presence of platinum, palladium and manganese catalysts at various oxygen concentrations were carried out. Several mixtures of nitrogen and oxygen contained vapours of hexane, isooctane, methanol, acetone ethyl acetate and toluene were examined. The experimental results show that conversion efficiency of 95% might be reached, despite of oxygen concentration decreasing to 5%.

Irrigation of cultivated plants can be a source of toxic lithium to plants. The data on the effect of lithium uptake on plants are scant, that is why a research was undertaken with the aim to determine maize ability to bioaccumulate lithium. The research was carried out under hydroponic conditions. The experimental design comprised 10 concentrations in solution differing with lithium concentrations in the aqueous solution (ranging from 0.0 to 256.0 mg Li ∙ dm-3 of the nutrient solution). The parameters based on which lithium bioretention by maize was determined were: the yield, lithium concentration in various plant parts, uptake and utilization of this element, tolerance index (TI) and translocation factor (TF), metal concentrations in the above-ground parts index (CI) and bioaccumulation factor (BAF). Depression in yielding of maize occurred only at the highest concentrations of lithium. Lithium concentration was the highest in the roots, lower in the stems and leaves, and the lowest in the inflorescences. The values of tolerance index and EC50 indicated that roots were the most resistant organs to lithium toxicity. The values of translocation factor were indicative of intensive export of lithium from the roots mostly to the stems. The higher uptake of lithium by the above-ground parts than by the roots, which primarily results from the higher yield of these parts of the plants, supports the idea of using maize for lithium phytoremediation.

Time of concentration, Tc, is defined as time elapsed from the beginning of rainfall infiltrated into soil layer until it reaches a constant infiltration rate (fc) which is indicated an equilibrium subsurface flow rate. In hydrological view, time of concentration plays a significant role in elaboration of transformation of rainfall into runoff in a watershed. The aims of this research are to define influence of soil density and soil water content in determining time of concentration using infiltration concept based on water balance theory, and to find out the effect of land slope this time. Watershed laboratory experiment using rainfall simulator was employed to examine time of concentration associated with infiltration process under different slope, soil density and soil water content based on water balance concept. The steady rainfall intensity was simulated using sprinklers which produced 2 dm3∙min–1. Rainfall, runoff and infiltration analysis were carried out at laboratory experiment on soil media with varied of soil density (d) and soil water content (w), where variation of land slopes (s) were designed in three land slopes 2, 3 and 4%. The results show that relationship between soil density and land slope to time of concentra-tion showed a quadratic positive relationship where the higher the soil density address to the longer time of concentration. Moreover, time of concentration had an inverse relationship with soil water content and land slope that means time of con-centration decreased when the soil water content increased.

The paper deals with the problem of multiple remelting influence on AlSi6Cu4 alloy modified by antimony on chosen mechanical characteristics, microstructure and gas content. This foundry alloy is used mostly in automotive industry. Foundry Aluminum-Silicon alloys are also used in number of industrial weight sensitive applications because of their low weight and very good castability and good mechanical properties. Modifiers are usually added to molten aluminum-silicon alloys to refine the eutectic phase particle shape and improve the mechanical properties of the final cast products and Al-Si alloys cast properties.

Charles Travis argues that perception has no representational content and consists only in the relation of direct presentation (acquaintance) of mind‑independent particulars. He bases his argument on an interpretation of Gottlob Frege’s writings. I argue against Travis that, according to Frege, not only perceptual beliefs but also perception as a presentation of particulars has representational content. The paper identifies three problems for the claim that perceptual acquaintance involves representation.

A device with a frequency-modulated output signal has been developed to increase the sensitivity and accuracy of measuring moisture content in crude oil and petroleum products in the range of 0~20%. The main element of the device is a self-oscillator transducer based on a transistor structure with negative differential resistance. A capacitive sensor in the form of a capacitive cylindrical structure with cylindrical electrodes was used to determine moisture content in crude oil and petroleum products. Electric permittivity of a two-component mixture of oil and water was estimated and the capacitance of the humidity-sensitive capacitive cylindrical structure with cylindrical electrodes was calculated. An electrical diagram of the device for measuring and controlling the humidity of crude oil and petroleum products has been developed. The relative error of converting the humidity of oil and petroleum products into capacitance which was caused by the change in oil temperature, was determined to be 0.225%. Values of relative errors of the device for measuring the humidity of oil and petroleum products are as follows: 1.355 · 10 ^-5% is caused by instability of the oscillator frequency, 0.01% is caused by fluctuations in the supply voltage of the self-oscillator transducer, 0.05% is caused by a change in ambient temperature by 1°C. For the developed device, which used errors of the first and second type, the reliability of humidity control of oil and petroleum products has been determined to be 0.9591.

The study analysed the relationship between the granulometric composition of grassland soils as determined by laser diffraction and their content of mineral forms of nitrogen and organic carbon. The content of mineral forms of nitrogen (NO _3-N and NH _4-N) in soil samples – after their extraction with 1% solution K ₂SO ₄, was determined by flow colourimetry. Soil organic carbon content was determined using the Tyurin method. The study examined soil samples collected from 169 control and measurement sites located in different regions of Poland in terms of conditions for agricultural production. Statistical analyses of the research results showed that the grain size of grassland soils had a significant effect on their ammonium nitrogen content but not on their nitrate nitrogen and organic carbon content. In this respect, it was found that there was a positive correlation between the share of the sand fraction and the content of ammonium nitrogen in soils and an opposite relation between the share of coarse silt, fine silt and clay and the content of the aforementioned component. Results of the analyses differ considerably from the results of studies by other authors on the influence of soil grain size distribution on the content of mineral nitrogen and organic carbon in soils based on classical methods of measurements of soil particle size distribution. There is a need to develop solutions to convert and compare results obtained by laser diffraction and standard methods.

The article presents results of monitoring carried out in barns with milking robots. The use of milking robots makes it possible, with proper stocking, to milk cows without human intervention. The analysis included all barns with Lely robots located in the Podlaskie Voivodeship in 2018–2021. In 2018–2019, there were seven such barns, and in 2020–2021 nine. In all barns, high milk yields were obtained of more than 1000 kg compared to the average milk yield obtained from stock of cows under monitoring in the Podlaskie Voivodeship. In 2021, four barns milked more than 9.5 thous. kg, three barns more than 10 thous. kg and two barns almost 12 thous. kg of milk. Fat and protein contents were typical for the breed. Three barns were monitored more closely in 2021, with varying numbers of robot milking stations in barns, i.e. A one, B two and C three milking stations. In 2021, over 700,000 kg was milked per stall in stall A, over 750,000 kg in B and over 850,000 kg of milk in C. The average milk per cow per milking was high, with over 11 kg in barn A, 12 kg in B and 13 kg in C.

Postharvest processing of grain is an important step in the overall grain production process. It makes possible not only quantitative and qualitative preservation of the harvest, but also ensures maximum profit from its sale at the most favorable market conditions. Convective heat treatment (drying, cooling) guarantees commercial harvest conservation, prevents its loss, and in some cases improves the quality of the finished product. The necessity of intensification and automation of technological processes of postharvest grain processing requires the development of methods of mathematical modeling of energy-intensive processes of convective heat treatment. The determination and substantiation of optimum modes and parameters of equipment operation to ensure the preservation of grain quality is possible only when applying mathematical modeling techniques. In this work, a mathematical model of particulate material drying is presented through a system of differential equations in partial derivatives of which the variable in time and space relationship between heat and mass transfer processes in the material and a drying agent is reflected. The aim of the research was to determine the dynamics of the interrelated fields of unsteady temperature and moisture content of the material and the drying agent on the basis of mathematical models of heat and mass transfer in the layer of particulate material in convective heat approach or heat retraction. The implementation of the mathematical model proposed in the standard mathematical set allows analyzing efficiency of machines and equipment for the convective heat treatment of particulate agricultural materials in a dense layer, according the determinant technological parameters and operating modes.

Trinexapac-ethyl is one of the newest growth regulators used in agriculture and horticulture. As a most growth retardants it acts by inhibiting gibberellin (GA) biosynthesis. A field study was conducted to determine the effects of trinexapac-ethyl on growth of winter wheat. Trinexapac ethyl was used alone (75 g a.i./ha and 125 g a.i./ha) and in the mixture with chlorocholine chloride (50 g a.i./ha + 675 g a.i./ha) at the 2nd node stage. Trinexapac-ethyl and its mixture with CCC activity was weather dependent. Their influence on the crop was strictly related to the temperature and rainfall during an individual year of trials. Plant growth regulators much more influenced winter wheat plants in abundant rainfall and higher temperature conditions. Lodging was not observed during the experiment.

This study presents the spatial variability and dynamics of soil organic carbon (SOC), soil organic matter (SOM) and soil pH contents at the Wonji Shoa Sugar Estate (WSSE), Ethiopia. Soil samples were collected immediately after the sug-arcane was harvested and then analysed for SOC, SOM and pH content using standard procedures. The analysis resultsshowed that the pH value varied between 6.7–8.4 (neutral to moderately alkaline) and 7.3–8.5 (neutral to strongly alkaline) for the top and bottom soil profiles, respectively. The SOM content is in the range of 1.1–6.7% and 0.74–3.3% for the upper and lower soil layers, respectively. Nearly 45% of the samples demonstrated a SOM content below the desirable threshold (<2.1%) in the bottom layer and, hence, inadequate. Moreover, most of the topsoil layer (95%) has an SOM content exceed-ing the desirable limit and hence is categorized within the normal range. Interestingly, the SOC content showed a spatial variability in both the surface and sub-surface soil layers. A lower SOC and SOM content was found for the sub-soil in the south and southwestern part of the plantation. A further decline in the SOC and SOM content may face the estate if the cur-rent waterlogging condition continues in the future for a long period. Overall, the study result emphasizes the need to min-imize the pre-harvest burning of sugarcane and action is needed to change the irrigation method to green harvesting to fa-cilitate the SOC retention in the soil and minimize the greenhouse emission effect on the environment, hence improving soil quality in the long-term.

This article presents changes in the operating parameters of a combined gas-steam cycle with a CO2 capture installation and flue gas recirculation. Parametric equations are solved in a purpose-built mathematical model of the system using the Ebsilon Professional code. Recirculated flue gases from the heat recovery boiler outlet, after being cooled and dried, are fed together with primary air into the mixer and then into the gas turbine compressor. This leads to an increase in carbon dioxide concentration in the flue gases fed into the CO2 capture installation from 7.12 to 15.7%. As a consequence, there is a reduction in the demand for heat in the form of steam extracted from the turbine for the amine solution regeneration in the CO2 capture reactor. In addition, the flue gas recirculation involves a rise in the flue gas temperature (by 18 K) at the heat recovery boiler inlet and makes it possible to produce more steam. These changes contribute to an increase in net electricity generation efficiency by 1%. The proposed model and the obtained results of numerical simulations are useful in the analysis of combined gas-steam cycles integrated with carbon dioxide separation from flue gases.

The ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) is widely used for solar modules encapsulation. During lamination process EVA melts and chemical bonds between polymer chains are created. Its number is tightly related to cross-linking degree and it is consider as a major quality reference for module encapsulation. The lamination can be described as a process with two stages: melting and curing where the typical temperature for curing is in the range from 145 to 175°C. In the present study, for the first time, comparison of three commercial available EVA foils with low curing temperature EVA (EVA LOW). For this reason, the temperature of following lamination processes was set from a range from 115 to 175°C. The behavior of cured EVA films under investigation EVA was determined with two approaches: with extraction and with optical methods. The results indicate the applicability of these methods for the EVA cross-linking characterization. Finally, the extraordinary behavior of EVA LOW foil was noticed.

Isothermal hot compression experiments were carried out using the Gleeble-1500D thermal mechanical simulator. The flow stress of the Cu-1%Zr and Cu-1%Zr-0.15%Y alloys was studied at hot deformation temperature of 550°C, 650°C, 750°C, 850°C, 900°C and the strain rate of 0.001 s–1, 0.01 s–1, 0.1 s–1, 1 s–1, 10 s–1. Hot deformation activation energy and constitutive equations for two kinds of alloys with and without yttrium addition were obtained by correlating the flow stress, strain rate and deformation temperature. The reasons for the change of hot deformation activation energy of the two alloys were analyzed. Dynamic recrystallization microstructure evolution for the two kinds of alloys during hot compression deformation was analyzed by optical and transmission electron microscopy. Cu-1%Zr and Cu-1%Zr-0.15%Y alloys exhibit similar behavior of hot compression deformation. Typical dynamic recovery occurs during the 550-750°C deformation temperature, while dynamic recrystallization (DRX) occurs during the 850-900°C deformation temperature. High Zr content and the addition of Y significantly improved Cu-1%Zr alloy hot deformation activation energy. Compared with hot deformation activation energy of pure copper, hot deformation activation energy of the Cu-1%Zr and Cu-1%Zr-0.15%Y alloys is increased by 54% and 81%, respectively. Compared with hot deformation activation energy of the Cu-1%Zr alloy, it increased by 18% with the addition of Y. The addition of yttrium refines grain, advances the dynamic recrystallization critical strain point and improves dynamic recrystallization.

The results presented in this paper are a continuation of the previously published studies. The results of hest treatment of ductile iron with

content 3,66%Si and 3,80% Si were produced. The experimental castings were subjected to austempering process for time 30, 60 and 90

minutes at temperature 300o

C. The mechanical properties of heat treated specimens were studied using tensile testing and hardness

measurement, while microstructures were evaluated with conventional metallographic observations. It was again stated that austempering

of high silicone ferritic matrix ductile iron allowed producing ADI-type cast iron with mechanical properties comparable with standard

ADI.