EJPAU, 2014, Volume 17, Issue 3

The paper presents additive approach as an alternative to known methodology (factorial scoring)  of soil water erosion risk assessment. The study is performed for agricultural land of  a test site located in Lower Silesia, Poland. Proposed algorithm is based on Principal Component Analysis (PCA) of three environmental factors: soil susceptibility to water erosion, slope and vegetation cover. The interpretation of PCA components leads to conclusion that two of them (component 2 and component 3) are suitable to describe the erosion risk and their  simultaneous analysis – which Authors called additive approach – is sufficient to assess the soil water erosion hazard. For this purpose models with different assumptions were created: PCA Model I, in which component 3 values are negative, is assumed to indicate areas less endangered with potential soil water erosion risk, whereas PCA Model II with the component 3 values being greater or equal to 0 demonstrates more endangered areas. In both cases the diversification of actual soil water erosion hazard is a result of component 2 values. The results of the study lead to the conclusion that the proper interpretation of principal components and their spatial distribution provides detailed and comprehensive information on actual soil water erosion risk, especially on the areas facing the same degree of potential erosion.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of this simple, solvent-free, one-step distillation-extraction method for the isolation of volatile metabolites from cultures of microscopic fungi applying a Deryng apparatus. For this study we tested liquid and solid-state cultures of filamentous fungi of Trichoderma viride, T. harzianum and Aspergillus niger and yeast fungi of Rhodotorula glutinis and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The volatile compound, 6-pentyl-alpha-pyrone, was isolated via steam distillation, applying the Deryng apparatus as the only volatile metabolite from liquid and solid cultures of tested fungal cultures in the range from 2,1 to 109,6 μg in 1 mL or 1 g fungal cultures.

The aim of the work was to conduct studies of morphological features of arteries extending from the ascending aorta in broiler chicken. Analysis and comparison of the variability was made to contribute to the knowledge of the cause of cardiovascular problems in birds. The study was conducted on 45 broiler chicken. Material was obtained as dead individuals as a result of chance. Arteries were filled with latex by a medical syringe through the left ventricle of the heart. The reconstituted material was fixed for 4 months in 5% formalin solution. Arteries were prepared and photographed. There were two arteries extending from brachiocephalic trunk in the basic pattern: the subclavian artery and the common carotid artery. Arteries separate from the brachiocephalic trunk at the same height. In broiler chicken a tendency was noticed to produce a common departure within the brachiocephalic trunk (right and left). Independent departure of the brachiocephalic trunk from the ascending aorta was similar to the anatomical norm in domestic fowl.

In this paper the stiffness at small strains of selected cohesive soils from Warsaw area was evaluated on the basis of two varied laboratory techniques, namely, resonant column (RC) test and bender element (BE)  test. Both methods have different advantages and limitations  and  they are both increasingly popular. They are powerful and common laboratory tool for determining the shear wave velocity (V_S) and hence the small-strain shear stiffness (G_max) in soil. In this respect, special emphasis was placed on a brief presentation of these two techniques, together with some attempt to compare them. The values of G_max obtained by the RC and BE tests were compared to study the effect of test methods. The main intention of the authors was to provide some contribution to the routine laboratory practice using resonant column and bender elements, with some insight in the interpretation of the received results. 

In this study effect of long-term apple-tree cultivation and cultural practices as fertilization and irrigation performed in the orchard after replantation on the level of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), total organic carbon (TOC), hot water extractable organic carbon (C_HWE), total nitrogen (N-total), ammonium (N-NH₄⁺) and nitrate (N-NO₃^–) ions in the soil was investigated. In the experiment, three irrigation and three fertilization levels were used. The amounts of IAA, TOC, C_HWE, N-total, N-NH₄⁺ and N-NO₃^– in soil almost always depended on the sampling period. Between fertilized and irrigated combinations originating from apple-tree orchard after replantation and Nowina there have not been confirmed differences in the contents of indole-3-acetic acid, hot water extractable organic carbon, N-total and ammonium ions. Plant cultivation for many years on the same site has not had a negative effect on the concentrations of these parameters in the orchard. Furthermore, the concentration of total organic carbon and yield of apple-tree cultivated after replantation was significantly lower, in comparison with locality after previous agricultural use (Nowina). The differences have been demonstrated in the amount of total organic carbon, hot water extractable organic carbon, N-total and pH among fertilized combinations of soil in the apple-tree orchard after replantation. Moreover, different levels of fertilizer had no significant effect on the content of indole-3-acetic acid, ammonium and nitrate ions in the soil and yield of fruits. The applied irrigation levels (-0.03 MPa, -0.01 MPa) exert an significant impact on the decrease of indole-3-acetic acid, hot water extractable organic carbon, ammonium and nitrate ions in the soil and yield of fruits in replanted orchard.

The aim of the study was to verify the activity of brewer’s yeasts (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) given to cows in various forms – live S.c. yeasts cells and dried S.c. yeasts – before calving (21 days) and after calving (80 days) on the chemical composition of milk, somatic cell count in milk, and on some physiological-biochemical parameters of the cows’ blood and their health status. The experiment was conducted in a cattle farm at Malerzowice Małe on 75 cows of Polish Holstein-Friesian breed (red and white variety) maintained in the tether system; the cows calved in summer season. The experiment included 2 experimental groups, and the control one, 25 cows in each. All groups of cows were fed with feeding dose balanced according to INRA standards. Dry animals were given complete TMR dose with straw addition, and milking cows – basic dose, partially mixed (PMR), standardized on the yield of 16 kg milk per day. The animals had constant access to water and salt licks. Mean milk yield from the cow on farm was ca. 7000 kg. The cowshed stayed under constant veterinary supervision, it was free from infectious diseases – contagious and invasive ones. The following additives were introduced to the basic doses: brewer’s yeasts preparation (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) Leiber BT in amount of 200 g/head/day (gr. I) and an addition of 1 g/head/day of live yeasts (gr. II). Fat content in milk increased significantly in the group of cows receiving dried yeasts addition, and their health status was improved. Also some blood biochemical indices in these cows (protein and globulins level) were higher. An addition of dried yeasts (dead cells) used prepartum caused a significant increase in the level of GGTP, lactic acid, and a significant decrease in urea content compared to the control group. Significant increase in the level of AST, proteins, globulins and glucose and a decrease in urea content was noted at the 80th day of lactation in the group receiving dried yeasts addition. Significant increase in GTP and glucose and significant decrease in the content of lactic acid and cholesterol were noted in a period of 80 days of lactation in cows from group II (live yeasts addition). Other values in cows fed with live cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeasts were like in the control group. Both before and after calving, the level of haptoglobin in cows blood was similar. No symptoms of inflammatory states related to yeasts application were noted.

The investigations were carried out on 24 rabbits divided into 3 groups: C (control), fed a basal diet; H5, fed a diet with a 5% humic-fatty acid preparation; H10, fed a diet with a 10% humic-fatty acid preparation. A lower total protein content and γ-globulin fraction were observed in the H5 and H10 groups. A higher albumin-globulin ratio was obtained in the serum of the experimental H5 and H10 animals, which may suggest an immunological activation. The obtained results indicate that using the humic-fatty acid additive in the rabbit feed can positively influence on health status of these species.

In this study, the land cover types of the Yuntolovsky reserve were analyzed on the basis of the classification results acquired using  pixel-based image analysis approaches. Aerial images were used to carry out the image classification and ground truth data was collected from the available maps (Soil map, Topographic maps), field observation and from personal knowledge. In pixel-based image analysis supervised classification was performed using the minimum distance, Mahalonobis distance, box-classifier through ILWIS 3.31, maximum likelihood classifier. On the other hand, pixel-based image analysis unsupervised classification was evaluated through ILWIS 3.31 software. During the implementation, several different sets of parameters were tested for image segmentation and the standard nearest neighbour was used as the classifier. The results of the classified images have shown  that the Maximum Likelihood approach gave more accurate results, including the overall accuracy, higher producer’s and user’s accuracy for most of the land cover classes in the studied region than those achieved by pixel-based classification algorithms, such as: minimum distance, Mahalanobis distance, box-classifier and cluster analyses.

The study presents the results of experimental research in the scope of modifying the operating conditions of friction pairs with the use of a metal conditioner. As a part of the study, experimental research at AMSLER test rig was carried out in order to examine the loss of mass in samples lubricated with clean and contaminated gear oil. Apart from the determination of the mass loss, measurements of roughness as well as microscopic examinations of the surfaces of mating samples were performed. A significant improvement in the tribological properties of friction pairs was demonstrated, which was associated with the use of the examined metal conditioner.

The objective of the paper is to define the physical-mathematical conditions supporting the proper determination of the critical and minimally effective diameter of insulation, because of its important role in refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pumps systems. A simple case of heat exchange under steady state conditions for cylindrical pipes with single – layer insulation was analyzed, where thermal conductivity of the pipe material (k₁) and insulation (k₂) as well as heat transfer coefficients at the pipe interior surface and the insulation exterior surface are the constant values. There has been presented a simple method to determine the optimal insulation diameters that guarantee an increase or decrease of losses due to overall heat transfer per unit length of the pipe.

This study was carried out to compare contents of resorcinolic lipids both in grains and roots of four winter wheat cultivars, harvested in different parts of Poland. Moreover, under in vitro conditions, the effects of various temperatures on accumulation of these phenolic compounds in roots of tested cereal cultivars were estimated.

Most tested cultivars (Mikula Turnia and Natula) contained similar amounts of alkylresorcinols in their grains, up to 463.6 mg kg^-1. The only exception was Satyna, in which kernels the level of resorcinolic lipids was markedly lower than in cultivars from south-eastern Poland (Mikula and Turnia).

In turn, alkylresorcinol occurrence in roots of 10-day-old seedlings of cultivars tested was noticeably different between cultivars and was markedly dependent on temperature conditions. It was found that the lowest tested temperature (18°C) mainly decreased the alkylresorcinol accumulation in wheat roots. Moreover, it is the first report about the presence of these compounds in root system of cereals.

The effect of using live zooplankton in the hatchery for the survival and growth of hatchery-reared vimba bream in the wild was examined. A hypothesis that the fish fed on live zooplankton (LFG) during rearing would reach greater survival and faster growth rates in the wild than fodder-fed fish (PFG) was assumed. In the hatchery, from the first week of rearing the LFG achieved higher values of the length than the PFG. After the capture of the fish from the stream, the mean survival rate of the LGF (9.6%) was higher than those from the PFG (3.2%). The results of this study show that the live food given for hatchery-reared vimba bream affect their higher survival rate in the wild.

In this article the authors analyzed the impact of relief and land use on air temperature, which incidentally is one of the basic characteristics of local climate. Climatological research was performed in a sample area in the southern part of the Krakowsko-Częstochowska Plateau. The location was chosen because of its diversified relief and land use. Air temperature measurements were carried out in the years 2006–2007, in a series of observations which lasted for several weeks. These measurements were taken at different meteorological sites including hilltop, valleys and slopes (western, southern and northern exposures) as well as on various types of land cover (cultivated land, forest and meadow). Climate diversity on a local scale is best seen during radiation type weather. Therefore, daily courses of air temperature were analyzed for selected high pressure and synoptic situations.

The results of this study indicate that most favorable thermal areas in the studied region are the slope sites (southern and western) and the high land site. Meanwhile the valley has slightly less favorable conditions for agricultural development due to the frequent occurrence of temperature inversions. The most statistically significant (α = 0.05) impact  of relief and land use on the dynamic changes of air temperature occurs in the warmer half of the year (especially during summer and late spring). During autumn and winter months this impact is much lower and is conditioned by the inflow of solar radiation. The most stable weather conditions were observed in the forest area throughout the whole time the research was conducted. The results of this research indicate that the most favorable thermal areas for cultivation plants in the upland region under observation are the slope sites (southern and western) and the hilltop area. Meanwhile the valley has slightly less favorable conditions especially for vegetable crops and orchards due to the frequent occurrence of temperature inversions. It should be noted that temperature inversions are closely associated with ground frosts, which are very hazardous for plants especially in the early vegetation phase.

The objective of the study was to determine the effect of the addition of cellulose to the straw litter on the temperature of the bedding in the turkey house by means of thermographic photography. The study was conducted in a turkey house which is structurally divided into two separate sectors: SB (straw bedding – control) with a 10-cm layer of rye straw bedding and CB (cellulose bedding) with a 5-cm layer of rye straw bedding strewn with a 5-cm layer of cellulose from coniferous wood. 1200 day-old BIG 6 turkey hens were placed in both sectors. The production cycle parameters in both sectors were the same. The study consisted of 8 measurement sessions. During each measurement session 12 photographs were taken with a thermovision camera V-20 II. In order to stabilize the temperature of the bedding and prevent the birds from accessing the research area, 3 fibre-board rings were lowered on the litter in the respective sectors. Also complementary observation was conducted regarding the rate of surface encrustation of the bedding types. Basing on the collected data it has been determined that CB was characterized by higher temperature values throughout the production cycle than SB, except for week 8. Higher temperatures in CB as compared to SB indicate that the cellulose bedding was characterized by better thermal properties. The exothermic processes taking place in CB generated energy, which was an additional factor in the drying of the litter, which had a positive effect on its quality (f.ex. by reducing the rate of surface encrustation). The histogram analysis indicates that the CB surface was characterized by a more uniform distribution of temperature than SB.