The main aim of the study was to assess the feasibility of using biopolymers of different viscosities (high, medium and low viscosity) as immobilization carriers for laccase in synthetic dye removal. The following dye solutions were decolorized: indigo carmine (IC, anionic dye), methylene blue (MB, cationic dye), and their mixture in a molar mass ratio MB/IC=0.69, using biopolymers of different viscosities as laccase immobilization carriers. Toxicity tests were also carried out to assess the toxicity of the post-decolorization samples. Decolorization tests showed that the main decolorization mechanism depends on the dye class. The removal of IC (max. total removal efficiency 72.15%) was mainly by biocatalysis. The mechanism of the MB decolorization process was mainly by sorption on alginate beads, and the efficiency of enzymatic removal was low. However, the highest efficiency of MB decolorization (45.80%) was obtained for beads prepared using the high viscosity alginate when decolorization occurred by both sorption and biocatalysis. The results of mixture decolorization tests differ from the results obtained for single dyes.The results showed differences in the efficiency of the dye sorption process depending on the alginate used for immobilization. Moreover, the varying mechanisms of dye removal from the dye mixture were confirmed by toxicity tests. The occurrence of both biocatalysis and sorption promotes reduced toxicity

Background: pharmacists remain on the frontline of public health around the globe and their performance directly impacts patients’ safety. So far, to our knowledge, no European study has been dedicated to their heath-related quality of life (HQoL). Therefore, the primarily aim of our study was to evaluate HQoL of Polish pharmacists utilizing the SF-36 health survey with regard to anthropometric and lifestyle-related variables.
Methods: A total sample screened consisted of 1412 respondents, yet 765 pharmacists (mean age 40, 86.3% females) finally participated in the study. HQoL was assessed with the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36).
Results: The lowest median scores were noted for general health (GH, 50.0) and vitality (V, 60.0) domains. No gender differences regarding physical and mental summary scores were found. Significant difference of HQoL was found among the assessed age groups in several domains, especially physical functioning (PF) and GH (p <0.001) scores, and especially in the group of 51–60-year-old-respondents. Correlations were found between PF (r = –0.29, p <0.001), GH (r = –0.25, p <0.001) and age as well PF (r = –0.27, p <0.001), GH (r = –0.21, p <0.001) and BMI. Self-assessed dietary habits were correlated with PF (r = 0.22, p <0.001), mental health (r = 0.25, p <0.001), GH (r = 0.27, p <0.001) and V (r = 0.30, p <0.001) scores.
Conclusions: The analysis indicates that pharmacists tend to have similar mental and physical burden according to SF-36, with age, BMI and dietary habits as predominant factors influencing their HQoL. The study presents unique values for future comparative analyses related, for instance, to the influence of the ongoing pandemic on HQoL of health-care providers.

The second decade of the 21st century is a period of intense development of various types of energy storage other than pumped-storage hydroelectricity. Battery and thermal storage systems are particularly rapidly developing ones. The observed phenomenon is a result of a key megatrend, i.e. the development of intermittent renewable energy sources (IRES) (wind power, photovoltaics). The development of RES, mainly in the form of distributed generation, combined with the dynamic development of electric mobility, results in the need to stabilize the grid frequency and voltage and calls for new solutions in order to ensure the security of energy supplies. High maturity, appropriate technical parameters, and increasingly better economic parameters of lithium battery technology (including lithium-ion batteries) result in a rapid increase of the installed capacity of this type of energy storage. The abovementioned phenomena helped to raise the question about the prospects for the development of electricity storage in the world and in Poland in the 2030 horizon. The estimated worldwide battery energy storage capacity in 2030 is ca. 51.1 GW, while in the case of Poland it is approximately 410.6 MW.

The discussion traces the motif of the “first inventor” in archaic and classical Greek poetry.

This paper presents application of optical microscope for evaluation of microtexture changes of coarse aggregate during simulated polishing in laboratory. Observations of the apparent changes on surfaces of seven different aggregates are presented. Simulation polishing of aggregate was performed in accordance with PN-EN 1097-8:2009. lmages of the aggregate surface were taken with the optical microscope in the reflection mode in particular stages of polishing. Digital images were analyzed. Standard deviation was determined on the basis of the histogram of intensities from digital images of the surfaces of aggregate grains which was assurned as the measure of changes in microtexture during simulated polishing (namely the σh parameter). Statistical analysis has shown that the changes of the σh parameter between the particular stages of polishing confirm certain trends related to the petrographic characteristic of the rocks. Aggregates which included minerals of similar hardness (granodiorite, dolomile, basalt) were more prone to polishing than gabbro and postglacial. Regeneration of the microtexture, the recovery to its original asperity, occurred in the case of quartz sandstone and steelmaking slag.

The article presents an analysis and evaluation of the accident rate in selected European Union countries. On the basis of available statistical data, the analysis of accidents in various sectors of the European Union economy was carried out. Afterwards, a ranking of countries regarding accidents in the construction industry was developed. For the selected representative countries, analysis of changes in the indicators which characterize the accident rate during the period between 2008 and 2012 was carried out. Conclusions resulting from the conducted research were formulated.

Recycling construction and demolition waste not only reduces project costs; and saves natural resources, but also solves the environmental threat caused by construction waste disposal. In this paper, C25 waste road concrete is used as an experimental material, the uniaxial compression strength and tensile splitting strength of C25 RAC whose coarse aggregate replacement rate is 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% are tested under the condition that the water-to-cement ratio is 0.47, 0.55 and 0.61. The results show: (1) the uniaxial compression strength and tensile splitting strength decrease with the increase of RAC; (2) for concrete with the same water-to-cement ratio, when the coarse aggregate replacement rate changes from 0% to 50%, the uniaxial compression strength and tensile splitting strength of RAC changes slightly. When the coarse aggregate replacement rate changes from 50% to 100%, the uniaxial compression strength and tensile splitting strength of RAC decreases rapidly

The coreless winters ( i.e. not having a cold core) were distinguished in four stations within the European sector of the Arctic. Anomalies of the frequency of the Niedźwiedź’s (2011) circulation types were calculated separately for the mid−winter warm months and for cold months preceding and following the warm−spells. Furthermore, composite and anomaly maps of the sea level pressure as s well as anomaly maps of the air temperature at 850 gpm (geopotential meters) were constructed separately for the mid−winter warm events and for the cold months before and after warming. Different pressure patterns were recognized among the days of mid−winter warm spells, using the clustering method. The occurrence of coreless winters in the study area seems to be highly controlled by the position, extension and intensity of large scale atmospheric systems, mainly the Icelandic Low. When the Low spreads to the east and its centre locates over the Barents Sea the inflow of air masses from the northern quadrant is observed over the North Atlantic. This brings cold air of Arctic origin to the islands and causes an essential drop in the air temperature. Such situation takes place during the cold months preceding and following the warm mid−winter events. During the warm spells the Icelandic Low gets deeper−than−usual and it is pushed to the northeast, which contributes to the air inflow from the southern quadrant.