Clethodim herbicide (Cle) and three Trichoderma strains (Tri) were applied either alone or in combination (Cle + Tri) for controlling weeds, root knot nematodes (Meloidogyne arenaria) and Rhizoctonia root rot disease (Rhizoctonia solani) as well as for evaluating their effects on total microbial count in the rhizosphere and the number of Rhizobium nodules on roots in two faba bean cultivars cultivated in naturally heavily infested fields. The evaluated characters were very similar for the two tested cultivars (Nubariya 1 and Sakha 3). Treatment with Cle alone highly reduced the fresh and dry matter of tested weeds (Amaranthus viridis, Cynodon dactylon and Cenchrus ciliaris), followed by Cle + Tri and Tri alone. Cle + Tri highly reduced nematode parameters viz. numbers of J2 in soil or roots, females, eggs, galls and egg-masses when compared with each treatment alone. Tri alone caused a great decrease in Rhizoctonia root rot infection, followed by Cle + Tri and Cle alone. Total microbial count and Rhizobium nodules were affected only with Cle treatment. Plant growth parameters (shoot length, shoot fresh and dry weight and numbers of branches and leaves) and yield parameters (fresh pod and dry weight, seed number per pod, seed weight and ash pod weight of plant) were greatly improved for Cle + Tri treatments when compared with either Tri or Cle alone.

The problem of flood vulnerability has been reviewed in several studies, however, the reviews focused exclusively either on the social or on the physical component of the problem. The components of flood vulnerability are interdependent and each of them makes an equally important contribution to the flood vulnerability index. This study identifies and evaluates the integrated flood vulnerability index ( FVI) of an area by considering its multiple components (social, economic, and environmental). The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method was applied to evaluate the weight of each component. The evaluation was based on the judgements of experts working at local government policy- making agencies. The input data for the AHP were acquired through a questionnaire survey. Eleven indicators that delivered significant results were then selected. The FVI results show high flood vulnerability at the local scale. The FVI provides the basis for the identification of villages with high vulnerability indices. The results provide essential information about pluvial flood vulnerability at the local scale, about the area with the highest vulnerability index, and the most vulnerable villages. The results also show that the components that have a significant impact on the flood vulnerability index include environmental components (43.4%), social components (28.5%), and physical components (28.1%).

Reaction kinetics of acetic anhydride hydrolysis reaction is being studied at a fixed reaction temperature and ambient pressure using an isoperibolic reaction calorimeter. Temperature versus time data along with heat and mass balance is used to determine the kinetics parameters i.e. activation energy and Arrhenius coefficient. It has been studied with the varying volumetric ratio of acetic anhydride and water; and kinetics parameters were compared and plotted for each ratio. Such a study has not been done previously to determine the kinetics dependency on varying the acetic anhydride water ratio. As the acetic anhydride hydrolysis reaction is exothermic in nature, the present study will help to decide the safe and suitable operating conditions such as concentration and temperature for conducting this reaction at plant scale. The kinetic data presented can be used further for the mathematical modeling and simulation of such exothermic hydrolysis reactions.

The study concerns the functioning of disabled learners at the level of higher education. The period of university studies is usually associated with the change of the life routine practised so far. The changes comprise various fields and bring about the adjustment to new roles. This stage is a chance for becoming independent, for specifying one’s position in the group, for shaping one’s own “young adult world view”18. The article is aimed at presenting the typology of disabled students based on an analysis of the behaviour which they show as members of the academic community. The sources of these behaviour patterns can be sought in various interpersonal and intrapersonal factors resulting from the individual’s character. The presented authorial typology has been presented also in reference to the Personality Traits Theory formulated by Costa and McCrea. This has allowed for broadening this typology with some particular subtypes.

The aim of this work was to measure subjective speech intelligibility in an enclosure with a long reverberation time and comparison of these results with objective parameters. Impulse Responses (IRs) were first determined with a dummy head in different measurement points of the enclosure. The following objective parameters were calculated with Dirac 4.1 software: Reverberation Time (RT), Early Decay Time (EDT), weighted Clarity (C50) and Speech Transmission Index (STI). For the chosen measurement points, a convolution of the IRs with the Polish Sentence Test (PST) and logatome tests was made. PST was presented at a background of a babble noise and speech reception threshold - SRT (i.e. SNR yielding 50% speech intelligibility) for those points were evaluated. A relationship of the sentence and logatome recognition vs. STI was determined. It was found that the final SRT data are well correlated with speech transmission index (STI), and can be expressed by a psychometric function. The difference between SRT determined in condition without reverberation and in reverberation conditions appeared to be a good measure of the effect of reverberation on speech intelligibility in a room. In addition, speech intelligibility, with and without use of the sound amplification system installed in the enclosure, was compared.

High temperature and high electric field applications in tantalum and niobium capacitors are limited by the mechanism of ion migration and field crystallization in a tantalum or niobium pentoxide insulating layer. The study of leakage current (DCL) variation in time as a result of increasing temperature and electric field might provide information about the physical mechanism of degradation. The experiments were performed on tantalum and niobium oxide capacitors at temperatures of about 125°C and applied voltages ranging up to rated voltages of 35 V and 16 V for tantalum and niobium oxide capacitors, respectively. Homogeneous distribution of oxygen vacancies acting as positive ions within the pentoxide layer was assumed before the experiments. DCL vs. time characteristics at a fixed temperature have several phases. At the beginning of ageing the DCL increases exponentially with time. In this period ions in the insulating layer are being moved in the electric field by drift only. Due to that the concentration of ions near the cathode increases producing a positively charged region near the cathode. The electric field near the cathode increases and the potential barrier between the cathode and insulating layer decreases which results in increasing DCL. However, redistribution of positive ions in the insulator layer leads to creation of a ion concentration gradient which results in a gradual increase of the ion diffusion current in the direction opposite to the ion drift current component. The equilibrium between the two for a given temperature and electric field results in saturation of the leakage current value. DCL vs. time characteristics are described by the exponential stretched law. We found that during the initial part of ageing an exponent n = 1 applies. That corresponds to the ion drift motion only. After long-time application of the electric field at a high temperature the DCL vs. time characteristics are described by the exponential stretched law with an exponent n = 0.5. Here, the equilibrium between the ion drift and diffusion is achieved. The process of leakage current degradation is therefore partially reversible. When the external electric field is lowered, or the samples are shortened, the leakage current for a given voltage decreases with time and the DCL vs. time characteristics are described by the exponential stretched law with an exponent n = 0.5, thus the ion redistribution by diffusion becomes dominant.