The aim of the research conducted in a 2-year pot experiment in an unheated plastic tunnel was to determine suitability of Miscanthus × giganteus for phytoextraction of nickel from soil as well as to assess tolerance of this species on increasing concentrations of this metal in soil. Pots were filled with mineral soil (sand) and a mixture of soil with high-moor peat and three levels of nickel were introduced, i.e. 75 mg dm-3, 150 mg dm-3 and 600 mg dm-3 and the control combinations used substrates without the addition of nickel. Nickel was introduced only in the first year of the experiment in the form of nickel sulfate (NiSO4 · 6H2O). Miscanthus × giganteus accumulated a considerable amount of nickel in biomass. Miscanthus × giganteus growing in contaminated mineral soil turned out to be a species tolerant to high nickel concentrations

This paper investigates the behaviour of axially-loaded tubular columns filled with M20 grade concrete and partially replaced concrete. The parameters varying in the study are slenderness ratio (13.27, 16.58 & 19.9), and normal M20 grade concrete, partially replaced quarry dust and concrete debris. The effects of the various concrete mixes and composite action between the steel tube and the concrete core are studied and a graph visualizing the differences between the load carrying capacity and the axial deflection is plotted. Some of the performance indices like the Ductility Index (DI), Concrete Contribution Ratio (CCR), Confinement Index (θ) and Strength Index (SI) are also evaluated and compared amongst the CFST columns. From the results it has been noted that an increase in the L/D ratio decrease the behaviour of the composite columns irrespective of the in filled materials. The composite action was achieved in the CFST columns filled with partially replaced quarry dust and concrete debris when compared with hollow steel columns. The load carrying capacity of the CFST column increases by 32 % compared with the hollow tubular columns.

Statistical conformity criteria for the compressive strength of concrete are a matter of debate. The criteria can have prejudicial effects on construction quality and reliability. Hence, the usefulness of statistical criteria for the small sample size n = 3 is questioned. These defects can cause a reduction in the quality of produced concrete and, consequently, too much risk for the recipient (investor). For this reason, the influence of conformity control on the value of the reliability index of concrete and reinforced concrete has been determined. The authors limited their consideration to the recommended standards PN-EN 206-1, PN-EN 1992 and ISO 2394 method of reliability index, which belongs to the analytical methods FORM (First Order Reliability Method). It assumes that the random variables are defined by two parameters of the normal distribution or an equivalent normal: the mean and the standard deviation. The impact of conformity control for n = 3 for concrete structures, designed according to the Eurocode 1992, for which the compressive strength of concrete is the capacity dominant parameter (sensitivity factor of dominating resistance parameter according to the FORM is 0.8), has been determined by evaluation of the reliability index.

The study deals with stability and dynamic problems in bar structures using a probabilistic approach. Structural design parameters are defined as deterministic values and also as random variables, which are not correlated. The criterion of structural failure is expressed by the condition of non-exceeding the admissible load multiplier and condition of non-exceeding the admissible vertical displacement. The Hasofer-Lind index was used as a reliability measure. The primary research tool is the FORM method. In order to verify the correctness of the calculations Monte Carlo and Importance Sampling methods were used. The sensitivity of the reliability index to the random variables was defined. The limit state function is not an explicit function of random variables. This dependence was determined using a numerical procedure, e.g. the finite element methods. The paper aims to present the communication between the STAND reliability analysis program and the KRATA and MES3D external FE programs.

Measurements of spectral reflectance from potato plants were carried out in the years 2000 and 2001 using the field radiometer CE 313 of Cimel Electronique Company. Field experiments permitted to perceive differences in the reflectance of electromagnetic radiation from potato plant cultivars Bekas and Mila as well as differences between the plants treated with fungicides providing the protection against Phytophthora infestans and the untreated plants. A differentiation of the values of vegetative indices between potato cultivars resulted from the unequal development rate of the cultivars and from their different susceptibility to Phytophthora infestans. The assessment of potato plants infection by the studied pathogen using spectral measurements agreed with the results of field inspection.

The paper presents a proposal for the assessment of the reliability of steel truss (both statically determinate and indeterminate) in the persistent and accidental design situation. In the analysis, a probabilistic approach was used. The global Hasofer-Lind reliability index was employed, computed in successive time steps for the whole structure, not for individual elements. The statically determinate truss was modelled as a serial system from the reliability standpoint. For the statically indeterminate truss, kinematically admissible failure mechanisms were determined by means of the examination of the singularity of the stiffness matrix of the structure, converting the truss into a geometrically variable system. For the problem thus formulated, a serial-parallel reliability model was constructed. Monitoring the reliability index in the successive minutes of the fire makes it possible to estimate the probability of the structure failure, and to decide whether the required safety level is maintained.

The results of a research into the scale and consequences of the degradation of aquatic ecosystems in Ukrainian Polesie have been detected in article, and the areas of increased anthropogenic pressure have been identified which greatly affect the condition and number of aquatic macrophytes. The biodiversity of sites with different anthropogenic load was evaluated using the biodiversity criteria. In the research, the structural and functional features of macrophytic species diversity within Teteriv River ecological corridor as a typical river landscape of Ukrainian Polesie were determined and described, the floristic composition was determined. Within the ecological zones, the number of species and their projective coverage in areas with different anthropogenic pressures within Teteriv River ecological corridor were determined. The basic criteria for the implementation of deferred biomonitoring based on the analysis of the dynamics of the spe-cies composition of the phytocoenoses of Teteriv River ecological corridor on the indicators of ecological stability and plasticity using the species-specific criteria, are: Margalef species richness index, Sørensen–Dice index, Shannon diversity index, Simpson’s index, and Pielou’s evenness index. Based on the results, correlation dependencies have been constructed, which will allow to obtain data on the stability of the development of aquatic ecosystems according to the data of species surveys. Interconnections between biodiversity indicators and indicators of surface water quality within the Ukrainian Polesie were found; they are the fundamental component of a long-term monitoring of the stability in the development of aquatic phytocenoses.

Drought is known as a normal part of climate and including in a slow-onset natural hazard which may have several im-pacts on hydrology, agriculture, and socioeconomic. Drought monitoring, including its severity, spatial and duration is re-quired and becomes an essential input for establishing drought risk management and mitigation plan. Many drought indices have been introduced and applied in regions with different climate characteristics in the last decades. This paper aims to compare standardized precipitation index (SPI) and rainfall anomaly index (RAI) along with standardized streamflow index (SSI) in Pekalen River Basin, East Java, Indonesia. The statistical association analyses, included the Pearson correlation (r), Kendal tau (τ), and Spearman rho (rs) were performed to examine the degree of consistency between monthly and annual drought index of SPI and RAI. Additionally, the comparative analysis was performed by overlapping both monthly and an-nual drought index from the SPI and RAI with the SSI at hydrological years. The study revealed that the characteristic of the annual drought index between the SPI and RAI exhibits pattern similarity which indicated by the high correlation coeffi-cient between them. Further, the comparative analysis on each hydrological year showed that the SPI and RAI were very well correlated and exhibited a similar pattern with the SSI. Overall, the SPI shows better performance than the RAI for es-timating drought characteristic either monthly or annual basis. Hence, the SPI is considered as a reliable and effective tool for analyzing drought characteristic in the study area.

For the private and public sector in any particular country it is crucial to know, which industries may exhibit comparative advantages, that for some reasons are not realized. This can efficiently help all current and potential actors to improve their economic strategy both at the micro- and macroeconomic level. In this paper we propose an approach of forecasting comparative advantages dynamics in foreign trade. The instrument is based on relative price differences and is efficient for countries in the process of economic liberalization. An empirical analysis based on the example of Central and East European countries confirms a good performance in the sense of predictive power of this instrument. On the example of Russia, experiencing a period of economic liberalization and with the prospect to join the WTO agreements, we demonstrate which sectors are most likely to contain comparative advantages in the near future.

The use of phytoplankton as an indicator of water pollution is a promising tool for assessment of water quality. The purpose of this study was to determine whether diversity indices, including the species richness and diversity of phyto-plankton, could be used for reliable assessment of water quality in the Wadaslintang Reservoir in Indonesia. Surveys were conducted monthly at eight sites, from July 2019 to October 2019. Phytoplankton was collected during the day at 10:00 until approximately 15:00 in the euphotic zone. The parameters investigated were species richness and the abundance of phytoplankton, as well as water quality parameters listed in Government Regulation Number 82 of 2001. The level of pol-lution was represented biologically by the Shannon–Wiener diversity index and physicochemically by the STORET (stor-age and retrieval of water quality data) index. Moreover, the two indices were compared to determine whether a particular diversity index was more effective for assessment of this reservoir. The results showed that during the dry season, 22 taxa of phytoplankton were present, belonging to Cyanophyta, Chlorophyta, Chrysophyta, and Euglenophyta. During the wet season, 29 taxa were found, belonging to Cyanophyta, Chlorophyta, and Chrysophyta. Based on the Shannon-Wiener index and STORET index, water quality was better during the wet season than during the dry season. The results of water quality assessment using both indices were consistent, but the diversity index was a more sensitive indicator of pollution levels. Therefore, the Shannon–Wiener index is a useful tool for assessment of water quality in the Wadaslintang Reservoir.

Drought is an extreme event that causes great economic and environmental damage. The main objective of this study is to evaluate sensitivity, characterization and propagation of drought in the Upper Blue Nile. Drought indices: standardized precipitation index (SPI) and the recently developed standardized reconnaissance drought index (RDIst) are applied for five weather stations from 1980 to 2015 to evaluate RDIst applicability in the Upper Blue Nile. From our analysis both SPI and RDIst applied for 3-, 6-, 12 month of time scales follow the same trend, but in some time steps the RDIst varies with small-er amplitude than SPI. The severity and longer duration of drought compared with others periods of meteorological drought is found in the years 1984, 2002, 2009, 2015 including five weather stations and entire Upper Blue Nile. For drought rela-tionships the correlation analysis is made across the time scales to evaluate the relationship between meteorological drought (SPI), soil moisture drought (SMI), and hydrological drought (SRI). We found that the correlation between three indices (SPI, SMI and SRI) at different time scales the 24-month time scale is dominant and are given by 0.82, 0.63 and 0.56.

The influence of ambient solar UV-A or UV-B radiation on growth responses was investigated in three varieties of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) after exclusion of solar UV-A/B radiation: JK-35, IH-63 and Khandwa-2. Cotton plants were grown from seeds in UV-exclusion chambers lined with selective UV filters to exclude either UV-B (280-315 nm) or UV-A/B (280-400 nm) from the solar spectrum under field conditions. Excluding UV-B and UV-A/B significantly increased plant height, leaf area and dry weight accumulation in all three varieties of cotton. The varieties differed considerably in their sensitivity to ambient UV-A/B. Khandwa-2 was most sensitive and JK-35 least sensitive to ambient solar UV. We monitored the activity of the antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD), ascorbic acid peroxidase (APX), glutathione reductase (GR) and guaiacol peroxidase (GPX), as well as the level of the antioxidant ascorbic acid (ASA), in primary leaves of the most UV-sensitive variety (Khandwa-2). The level of UV-B-absorbing substances was significantly decreased by exclusion of solar UV-B and UV-A/B. Exclusion of solar UV decreased the activity of all the antioxidant enzymes monitored and the level of ascorbic acid versus control plants (+UV-A/B) grown under filters transparent to solar UV. Reduction of the antioxidant defense after UV exclusion indicates that ambient solar UV exerts significant stress and induces some reactive oxygen species to accumulate, which in turn retards the growth and development of cotton plants. Ambient solar UV stresses cotton plants, shifting their metabolism towards defense against solar UV. Exclusion of solar UV eliminates the need for that defense and leads to enhancement of primary metabolism.

We are observing an increase in development activity of the cities with poviat rights nowadays. It is visible especially in the area of obtaining European funds, financial policy, infrastructure or entrepreneurship. Those matters, especially experience of cities with poviat rights as the main beneficiaries became an interesting research area now. The aim of the article is to assess the competitiveness and development level of the cities with poviat rights in voivodships of Eastern Poland. For the purposes of this article, a synthetic measure has been used. Taking into account the availability and comparability of data as well as statistical criteria, the variables describing: financial situation, economy and infrastructure in the system of cities with poviat rights in voivodships of Eastern Poland were adopted. Data from the Local Data Bank of the Central Statistical Office for 2008, 2012 and 2016 were the main source of the article.

Geographical Information Systems have become essential tools for land analysis and the subsequent decision making in many fields of human activity. In the field of mining, GIS applications have appeared in ore deposit modelling, environmental pollution, or planning of mining spaces. In this research, the powerful multicriteria tools of GIS platforms have been applied for the determination of an index that has been called “Exploitability Index”. This index allows analyzing a series of outcrops of industrial aggregates, to help in the selection of the most adequate one to be enhanced from a mining approach. The multicriteria analysis has been applied for its determination, and as a result of this research, a model is proposed. The main criteria that condition the decision have been established in this model, along with their subsequent hierarchization and their weighting. The proposed model is applied to a specific case: the analysis of a series of outcrops of industrial aggregates (ophites) in Cantabria, Spain. After defining the Exploitability Index for those ophitic outcrops, it has been observed that the only deposit that has been classified as very suitable for its exploitation is the only one that has been really exploited, supporting the proposed methodology.