The image analysis consists in extracting from the information which is available to the observer of the part that is important from the perspective of the investigated process. This process usually accompanies a considerable reduction in the amount of information from the image. In the field of two-phase flows, computer image analysis can be used to determine flow and geometric parameters of flow patterns. This article presents the possibilities of using this method to determine the void fraction, vapor quality, bubble velocity and the geometric dimensions of flow patterns. The use of computer image analysis methods is illustrated by the example of HFE 7100 refrigerant methoxynonafluorobutane condensation in a glass tubular minichannel. The high speed video camera was used for the study, and the films and individual frames received during the study were analyzed.

Air quality in Warsaw is mainly affected by two classes of internal polluting sources: transportation and municipal sector emissions, apart from external pollution inflow. Warsaw authorities prepared strategies of mitigating emissions coming from both these sectors. In this study we analyze effects of the implementation of these strategies by modeling air pollution in Warsaw using several mitigation scenarios. The applied model, operating on a homogeneous discretization grid, forecasts the annual average concentrations of individual pollutants and the related population health risk. The results reveal that the measures planned by the authorities will cause almost 50% reduction of the residents’ exposure to NOx pollution and almost 23% reduction of the exposure to CO pollution due to the transport emissions, while the residents’ exposure reductions due to the municipal sector are 10% for PM10, 15% for PM2.5, and 26% for BaP. The relatively smaller reductions due to municipal sector are connected with high transboundary inflow of pollutants (38% for PM10, 45% for PM2.5, 36% for BaP, and 45% for CO). The implementation of the discussed strategies will reduce the annual mean concentrations of NOx and PM2.5 below the limits of the Ambient Air Quality Directive. Despite the lower exposure reduction, the abatement of municipal sector emissions results in a very significant reduction in health risks, in particular, in the attributable mortality and the DALY index. This is due to the dominant share of municipal pollution (PM2.5 in particular) in the related health effects.

The paper presents the results of anaerobic digestion and co-digestion under mesophilic conditions in the OxiTop system and in lab-scale fermentors. The goal of the study was to determine the effect of reaction-based oil waste on biogas production in co-fermentation with sewage sludge (mixture of thickened primary and excess sludge). The average water content in sewage sludge was 97 %, with 70 % of total volatile solids concentration (TVS) in total solids. Weight content of oil waste in the mixture of sewage sludge ranged from 15 to 45 % (w/w) and the increase in TVS to 83.7 % was observed. The primary investigations of gas productivity by manometrie method (OxiTop) showed that biogas production increased with increasing content of oil waste in the mixture with sewage sludge. The rate constant of the first-order kinetics for biogas production was determined. To determine the yield parameters of cofermentation, the experiment was performed in four continuously stirred anaerobic reactors with a working volume of IO drrr'. Organic loading rate (OLR) changed from 0.9 to 3.1 kg TVS/m3•d. High correlation between biogas flow rate and OLR was observed. Volumetric biogas production rate and the average methane content in the biogas increased from 0.79 to 1.98 m3/m3-d and from 52.3 to 62.3 %, respectively, as OLR increased. The results obtained in lab-scale fermentors are promising and open the possibilities of the implementation of co-fermentation of sewage sludge and oil waste.

Lithic fragments including quartz grains occur infrequently in the shallow-marine limestone sequence of the Fatra Formation deposited in the tensional intra-shelf depression of the Central Western Carpathians during the Rhaetian. Nevertheless, their study can bring data answering questions of sources, palaeogeodynamic arrangement, and processes at the end of the Triassic. In this study, we examined optically the cathodoluminescence (CL) colours of single quartz grains from the Kardolína section (Tatra Mts, Slovakia). These colours reveal a dominance of grains derived from regionally metamorphosed and plutonic rocks. Grains of hydrothermal and pegmatite origin are less frequent. Some of the quartz grains show recycled cement rims suggesting at least a second cycle origin. This sedimentary basin was situated near to the passive margin formed by the Variscan consolidated terrains of the Vindelician Highlands. Our study of the CL colours of quartz grains contributes to the elucidation of the nature of the rocks of the vanished Vindelician mountain belt.

The successful application of a multi-clusteringbased neighborhood approach to recommender systems has led to increased recommendation accuracy and the elimination of divergence related to differences in clustering methods traditionally used. The Multi-Clustering Collaborative Filtering algorithm was developed to achieve this, as described in the author’s previous papers. However, utilizing multiple clusters poses challenges regarding memory consumption and scalability. Not all partitionings are equally advantageous, making selecting clusters for the recommender system’s input crucial without compromising recommendation accuracy. This article presents a solution for selecting clustering schemes based on internal indices evaluation. This method can be employed for preparing input data in collaborative filtering recommender systems. The study’s results confirm the positive impact of scheme selection on the overall recommendation performance, as it typically improves after the selection process. Furthermore, a smaller number of clustering schemes used as input for the recommender system enhances scalability and reduces memory consumption. The findings are compared with baseline recommenders’ outcomes to validate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

Work is being carried out on possibilities of limiting the content of mercury in hard coal products by gravity concentration of run-of-mine coal in the Branch of the Institute of Mechanized Construction and Rock Mining in Katowice and on the Faculty of Energy and Fuels of the AGH University of Science and Technology in Krakow. Under domestic industrial conditions, gravity concentration is carried out with heavy medium liquids and in jigs. Preliminary - pilot studies have shown the possibility of mercury removal also by using the dry deshaling method involving vibratory air separators. Mercury is mainly found in the pyrite and the rubble formed by the mineral carbon, but also in the organic carbon. Some of it is located in layers of coal roof fields, which in the course of their exploitation go to coal. The mercury removal efficiency during the gravity concentration process will depend on the decomposition of the listed components in the density fractions. The paper presents the results of investigations of total mercury and total sulphur content in the separated coal fractions from four mines. These contents were determined in fractions: –1.5 g/cm3 (conventionally clean coal – concentrate), 1.5–1.8 g/cm3 (conventionally middlings) and +1.8 g/cm3 (conventionally rock – waste). The results are summarized in Tables 3–5 and in Charts 1–4. Conversely, graphs 5-8 show the relationship between mercury content and total sulphur content in the tested coal samples. The study, which can be called a preliminary analysis of the susceptibility of the coals to gravity concentration, showed that the dry deshaling method on the vibratory air separators would allow significant amounts of mercury accumulated in the middlings and waste fractions to be removed.

The potential of five plants namely Atriplex halimus L., A. canescens (Pursh) Nutt., Suaeda fruticosa (Forssk. ex J.F. Gmel.), Marrubium vulgare L. and Dittrichia viscosa (L.) Greuter from two selected wetlands in northwest Algeria subjected to house and industrial effluents were examined to assess their arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal (AMF) diversity and colonization, as well as to determine their tolerance and ability in accumulating metallic trace elements (MTEs). The purpose was to investigate whether, or not, these fungi are related to metallic uptake. Arbuscular mycorrhizal association was observed in all plant species, since the dual association between AMF and dark septate endophytes (DSE) was found in roots of 80% plants species. Hence, the decreasing trend of metal accumulation in most plant organs was Zn>Cu>Pb, and the most effi cient species were M. vulgare> S. fruticosa> A. canescens> D. viscosa> A. halimus. The bioaccumulator factors exceeded the critical value (1.0) and the transport factors indicated that all these species were phytoremediators. Pearson correlation showed that Cd bioaccumulation and translocation were inhibited by AMF infection; meanwhile Zn, Pb and Cd accumulation were affected by AMF spore density and species richness, DSE frequency, pH, AMF and plant host. Native halophytes showed a multi-metallic resistance capacity in polluted wetlands. M. vulgare was the most efficient in metal accumulation and the best host for mycorrhizal fungi. AMF played a major role in metal accumulation and translocation.

W dyskusjach wielu dyscyplin naukowych kategoria sprawstwa (agency) stała się jedną z centralnych. W teoretycznych rozważaniach na ten temat przodują, obok dziedzin ekonomiczno-politycznych, filozofia i socjologia. Antropologia kulturowo-społeczna zasadniczo nie podejmuje badań nad sprawstwem. Wyjątek stanowi koncepcja Alfreda Gella, którego analizy mają charakter antropologiczno-społeczny oraz fenomenologiczny. Ten specyficzny miks dyscyplin zaowocował w badaniach Brytyjczyka teorią sztuki bazującą na oryginalnej formule kategorii sprawstwa. Prezentacja oraz ocena jej funkcjonalności są głównym przedmiotem artykułu.

Inguinal hernia repairs are one of the most common procedures performed in general surgical departments. Approximately 20 million hernia repairs are performed annually all over the world. According to the EHS guidelines, the recommended treatment methods of the inguinal hernia are tension–free techniques: the Lichtenstein open hernia repair and the laparoscopic transabdominal preperitoneal (TAPP) and totally extraperitoneal (TEP) methods. The TEP hernia repair, first performed by Duluq in 1992, is one of the three current leading techniques in the inguinal hernia repair. The most important advantage of this technique is minimal invasive access without the need to open the peritoneum, which carries a lower risk of abdominal organs injury. Additionally, the TEP method facilitates shorter recovery time, less postoperative pain and an earlier discharge form hospital. The aim of the article is to present the TEP method by comparing it with the other inguinal hernia repair techniques, on the basis of the available literature.