Though current conservation policy in Poland refl ects world trends and approaches to action, compliance with all of its assumptions would entail the Polish authorities remodelling both the system and the methods by which natural resources are managed. On the one hand this requires a change of approach to the management of natural resources from the traditional, purely nature-related one, to a more modern inter-disciplinary one that takes in social and economic conditioning. On the other hand, a system need to be put in place to allow these ideas to be introduced in practice. The work described here deals with the participation of different stakeholder groups in nature management, with this regarded as a method of increasing the latter’s effi ciency. The many examples (of good practice) presented by the author well illustrate the wisdom of the approach, which often seems to achieve success where it is attempted.

We talk about the importance of psychoeducation for heart patients with Anna Mierzyńska and Karolina Jurczak of the Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński Institute of Cardiology in Anin.

The Bulletin of the Polish Academy of Sciences: Technical Sciences (Bull.Pol. Ac.: Tech.) is published bimonthly by the Division IV Engineering Sciences of the Polish Academy of Sciences, since the beginning of the existence of the PAS in 1952. The journal is peer‐reviewed and is published both in printed and electronic form. It is established for the publication of original high quality papers from multidisciplinary Engineering sciences with the following topics preferred: Artificial and Computational Intelligence, Biomedical Engineering and Biotechnology, Civil Engineering, Control, Informatics and Robotics, Electronics, Telecommunication and Optoelectronics, Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering, Thermodynamics, Material Science and Nanotechnology, Power Systems and Power Electronics.

Journal Metrics: JCR Impact Factor 2018: 1.361, 5 Year Impact Factor: 1.323, SCImago Journal Rank (SJR) 2017: 0.319, Source Normalized Impact per Paper (SNIP) 2017: 1.005, CiteScore 2017: 1.27, The Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education 2017: 25 points.

Abbreviations/Acronym: Journal citation: Bull. Pol. Ac.: Tech., ISO: Bull. Pol. Acad. Sci.-Tech. Sci., JCR Abbrev: B POL ACAD SCI-TECH Acronym in the Editorial System: BPASTS.

Biodiversity conservation cannot operate in Central Eastern European countries without a well-established monitoring system, that is dependent on the citizen scientists input. Here we analyse, based on a Polish case: (1) The contribution of NGOs to the national nature monitoring scheme and their collaboration with governmental and scientific institutions and (2) the motivation of citizen scientists to volunteer for NGOs’ monitoring activities. The study comprises a focus group interview, 30 in-depth interviews with coordinators, citizen scientists, experts and a 23 days long participant observation of a model NGO. We have assessed the monitoring input of NGOs as being a contributory factor influencing the biodiversity conservation effectiveness. The cooperation between governmental, scientific institutions and NGOs exists, but is dependent on national funding. Although NGOs highlight the lack of coherence in monitoring methodology, they are willing to join the biodiversity monitoring, especially at the European Ecological Network – Natura 2000 sites. On the other hand the trust concerning cooperation with citizen scientists is limited. However, despite this, they still turned out to be trustworthy partners. The most effective way to maintain cooperation with citizen scientists is to create a bond in a group and to provide them with the opportunity to develop their passion for nature. Our findings have shed light on the growing importance of citizen scientists in biodiversity governance, providing recommendations for development of the effective monitoring schemes based on the volunteer work of citizen scientists.

The study was performed on 45 bitches in different cycle phases that were divided into the following groups: anoestrus (I, n=15), heat (pro-oestrus (n=7) or estrous (n=8) (II, n=15) and metestrus (III, n=15). Moreover, all experimental dogs were grouped according to their age: younger than 5 years (Y, n=35) and older than 5 years (O, n=10). The endometrial status was evaluated using cytological, bacteriological and biopsy samples obtained after ovariohyster- ectomy.

The main uterine pathology diagnosed by biopsy was endometritis, since 40%–66% of bitches, independent of the experimental group, developed this condition. No significant differences were found among the cycle phase groups (p>0.05). By contrast, significant differences were found in the age groups; the prevalence of this pathology was higher in older bitches (p=0.0019). The general prevalence of cystic endometrial hyperplasia (CEH) and a normal endometrium (NE) was lower (6.7–26.7% vs 26.7–53.3%) in all groups, and no statistically significant differences were found between certain groups (p>0.05). The percentage of polymorphonuclear neutrophilic leukocytes (PMNs) in endometrial cytology was generally low (< 2%) and did not differ signifi- cantly among the experimental groups (p=0.142). In general, a low degree of correlation was found between the diagnostic results by endometrial cytology and biopsy (Kappa Coeffi- cient=0.046). Positive bacteriological findings were found in approximately 50% of the bitches, independent of the cycle phase and health status of the endometrium. No correlation was found between the bacteriological and histopathological findings (p=0.883).

In conclusion, uterine cytology is not a reliable diagnostic method to detect the subclinical inflammatory and degenerative uterine pathologies in cyclic bitches.

Prognozuje się, że zasoby wody słodkiej dostępne dla ludzkości zmniejszą się o 30 proc. w ciągu najbliższych 20 lat. Jak odwrócić degradację zasobów wody i zrównoważyć zapotrzebowanie ludzi na wodę z potencjałem hydrosfery?

Forecasts suggest that the freshwater resources available to our civilization will shrink by 30% in the coming two decades. How can we reverse the degradation of water resources and create a balance between the society’s demand for water and the capacity of the hydrosphere?

The analyses aim to determine aerodynamic force coefficients in the case of airflow around two smooth or rough cylinders positioned at different angles to the direction of wind velocity. Such systems, for instance, may be part of a tubular water slide. The results were compared with the values of the interference coefficient of the cylinders arranged in a row included in Eurocode EN 1991 part 4. The aerodynamic forces of the cylinder systems were determined on the basis of experimental tests conducted in a wind tunnel. To verify the above results, CFD (computational fluid dynamics) simulations were prepared. An important observation is that for the angle of yaw β = 0◦, the negative component of the lift force (lateral) fy is shown, while for the other cases, the situation is opposite and the lateral force points outside the gap (upward). The second is that the results of aerodynamic drag for rough cylinders arranged in a row and calculated according to EN 1991 part 4 may be underestimated. The flow around the pair of smooth cylinders is quite different from that of the rough ones, because during the experiment the first falls into the critical flow regime, while the second has supercritical characteristics.

The aim of this paper was to test currently available on the market products for sealing anodic oxide coatings as well as to test the use of other alternative substances improving the sealing process. The ability to seal in 10 different solutions and the quality of the seal has been tested. The influence of the applied preparations on corrosion resistance and resistance to strongly alkaline environment was also investigated.

Based on the results obtained, satisfactory results were archived for the sample sealed in a IMN-OML (Institute of Non-Ferrous Metals in Gliwice, Light Metals Division) solution sealant and in solution of nickel acetate in a medium-temperature process. Sealing by means of nickel acetate solutions is economically justified, and its use allows the process temperature to be lowered. When it comes to resistance to alkalis, samples sealed in IMN-OML sealant are the best. Commercial solutions have also achieved positive results in all tests.

The aim of the paper was to analyse the possibility to use waste material which is created during the production of mineral-asphalt mixes as a side effect of the process of drying and dedusting diabase aggregate in high temperature. Experimental studies included the analysis of the influence of the addition of diabase dust on the improvement of the properties of cement concrete destined for the construction of local roads. The mineral additive in the form of diabase dust, which constitutes natural waste, was inserted into the concrete mix as a mineral additive substituting a part of the aggregate with the constant amount of cement and water, and additionally as the substitute for cement. The performed studies resulted in the conclusion that adding diabase dust significantly increased the tightness and density of concrete, which impacts the increase of compressive strength by 7, 21 and 28% in reference to model concrete. The insertion of the waste diabase dust into the concrete mix significantly improved the freeze-thaw resistance of concrete after 150 cycles of testing and reduced the water absorption by 6, 15 and 21%. Using diabase dust as a substitute in the following amount: 50, 100 and 150 kg/m3 did not cause significant changes in the scope of density and water absorption, whereas the reduction of the compressive strength was from 8, 23 and 33% in reference to the model concrete. The application of dust as the substitute for cement resulted in the reduction of the costs of concrete by 6, 12 and 18% and resulted in the possibility to fully apply waste material, which confirms the justness of undertaking implementation research. Concrete with the use of waste rock dusts may be qualified as concrete that is environmentally friendly and compliant with the sustainable development of modern construction materials.

In determining the effects of actions when designing road structures, the influence of the loads caused by the buffeting of the passing vehicles (high-cycle forces) is neglected. Taking into account the fatigue load, they can have a very large impact on the assessment of the load capacity. The subject of analysis is the pressure and velocity distributions around a truck. At the current stage of the work, it can be concluded that the gusts of passing trucks affect the dynamics of the gantry structure and the elements suspended on it, such as platforms or boards. There is a strong suction force. It is possible to simplify the model in such a way that the board and the wind move with the speed of the vehicle while the truck remains stationary. Due to the lack of reliable guidelines for strength calculations of such structures, advanced Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) tools were used. This paper also presents a shaking table built by the authors for dynamic loading of structural models. It describes the construction of the shaking table and the kind of movement made by the table deck. It also shows a scheme of the table deck suspension on linear bearings, as well as a scheme of the table motion system.