Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences

About: Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences is a education organization based out in Wrocław, Poland. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & GNSS applications. The organization has 3108 authors who have published 6672 publications receiving 57774 citations.

Ambient geochemical baselines for trace elements in Chernozems—approximation of geochemical soil transformation in an agricultural area

Abstract: The legal regulatory/action levels of trace elements in soils are established at high concentrations, at which the crucial functions of soil are at risk or are eliminated. However, concentrations below these action levels, but above presumed natural levels, may also limit particular ecosystem services, including organic food production. Thus, defining the (ambient) background concentrations is an essential part of environmental or health risk assessment, e.g., on Chernozems, which are considered to be the most productive soils and ones that should be protected against all forms of contamination. Based on 28 profiles of chernozemic soils developed from loess in an agricultural region of SW Poland presumed to be free of industrial contamination, ambient geochemical baselines have been derived for Fe and six trace metals for four standardized soil layers, including the topsoil (plow layer) and parent material layers. The median values for the plow layer (1.89% for Fe, and 537, 49, 17, 14, and 26 mg kg−1 for Mn, Zn, Pb, Cu, and Ni, respectively) are lower than the values reported for other Chernozems in SE Poland/Europe/the world, and thus may serve as a general geochemical baseline for chernozemic soils developed from loess. The concentration of Cd, although lower than in other Chernozems around the world, is higher than in Ukrainian Chernozems and thus may serve as a local (or Central European) baseline only. The median concentrations of Fe, Cu, Mn, and Zn are very close to their concentrations in the Chernozem buried under the Neolithic kurgan. However, Pb and Cd concentrations are two times higher than in the buried soil, indicating the scale of general contamination of the topsoil horizons of arable soils. Concentrations of the elements under study, excluding Fe, in both the buried and surface soils are significantly higher in the topsoil layer compared to parent material (loess), and this justifies the separate baseline values for topsoil horizons, instead of background values derived universally for parent rock types. This is essential, in particular in soils texturally differentiated within profiles, where the subsoil material has a different origin and cannot be considered the parent material for topsoil horizons. Underlying or locally outcropped bedrock (e.g., serpentinite rocks) may naturally enhance the total concentration of trace elements in the entire soil profile by the addition of metal-rich regolith particles during the formation of surface covers, e.g., by eolian processes under periglacial conditions (Late Pleistocene). Such soils are naturally enriched with metals (with nickel in the case of serpentinite bedrock), cannot be considered contaminated, and thus require a separate legal treatment, including separate (or individually suited) background baselines for health risk assessments.

A reconnaissance-scale GIS-based multicriteria decision analysis to support sustainable biochar use: Poland as a case study

Abstract: Although increasing numbers of research papers regarding biochar are being published worldwide, in some countries growing interest in biochar has only recently been observed; this is true of Poland We analysed information on biochar research in Poland alongside lessons learned elsewhere in order to identify the significant opportunities and risks associated with biochar use This data fed into a GIS-based multicriteria analysis to identify areas where biochar application could deliver greatest benefit We found that 218% of agricultural land in Poland has at least moderate indication for biochar use (soil organic matter below 2% and pH below 55), while 15% was categorized as a priority as it also exhibited contamination Potential barriers identified included biomass availability and associated risks of indirect land-use change due to possible national and transnational biomass production displacement Biochar use could have positive global consequences as a climate change mitigation strategy, particularly relevant in a country with limited alternatives Scaling up a mitigation technology that is viable on account of its co-benefits might be cost-effective, which could, in turn, adjust national perspectives and stronger involvement in developing mitigation policies at the regional level Biochar has much promise in temperate conditions and further research should therefore be assigned to explore biochar’s environmental and socio-economic impacts

Offal Chemical Composition from Veal, Beef, and Lamb Maintained in Organic Production Systems.

Abstract: The aim of the study is to compare the content of nutrients, including selected macro- and micro-elements, in musculus semitendinosus and offal (liver, heart, kidneys, tongue, brain) derived from animals (calves, beef cattle, and lambs) that are fed and maintained in organic production conditions. The experimental material consisted of 60 animals: 20 calves, 20 beef cattle, and 20 lambs. This research was carried out using Limousin cattle and Ile de France sheep. From the obtained results, it is concluded that the physicochemical and nutrient composition varied significantly among the organs and species studied. Almost all byproducts are a rich source of trace elements, whose levels/amounts are usually much higher in byproducts such as offal than in muscular tissues. Also, for economic reasons (profitability), byproducts (offal) can be commercially sold for human and animal nutrition. Byproducts are processed and incorporated into many food products and provide competitive nutritional value for use by tissues and muscles (vitamins and elements).

Interaction between Mimic Lipid Membranes and Acylated and Nonacylated Cyanidin and Its Bioactivity.

Abstract: We investigated the effects of acylated cyanidin-3-O-β-(6″-O-E-p-coumaroyl-sambubioside)-5-O-β-glucoside (C3-cs-5G) and nonacylated cyanidin, cyanidin-3,5-di-O-β-glucoside (C3,5G) and cyanidin-3-O-β-glucoside (C3G), on cell-mimic membranes (MM) that reflected the membrane lipid composition of tumor cells. The relationship between structural derivatives of cyanidin (Cy-d), membrane interactivity, their antioxidant activity, and interaction with albumin were characterized. Studies showed that Cy-d caused an increase in packing order mainly in the hydrophilic region of the membranes. Cy-d have shown high antioxidant activity against liposome oxidation induced by AAPH and ability to bind to albumin through a static quenching mechanism. The results showed that glycosylation number and the presence of aromatic acid attached to sugars affected the membrane properties, according to the sequence C3-cs-5G > C3,5G > C3G. It can be stated that Cy-d in the process of interaction with MM caused a rigidifying effect, which is fundamental for understanding their anticancer and antioxidant activity and is one of the possible pharmaceutical mechanisms.