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Abstract In 2021, the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service (IERS) established a working group tasked with conducting the Second Earth Orientation Parameters Prediction Comparison Campaign (2nd EOP PCC) to assess the current accuracy of EOP forecasts. From September 2021 to December 2022, EOP predictions submitted by participants from various institutes worldwide were systematically collected and evaluated. This article summarizes the campaign's outcomes, concentrating on the forecasts of the dX, dY, and dψ, dε components of celestial pole offsets (CPO). After detailing the campaign participants and the methodologies employed, we conduct an in-depth analysis of the collected forecasts. We examine the discrepancies between observed and predicted CPO values and analyze their statistical characteristics such as mean, standard deviation, and range. To evaluate CPO forecasts, we computed the mean absolute error (MAE) using the IERS EOP 14 C04 solution as the reference dataset. We then compared the results obtained with forecasts provided by the IERS. The main goal of this study was to show the influence of different methods used on predictions accuracy. Depending on the evaluated prediction approach, the MAE values computed for day 10 of forecast were between 0.03 and 0.16 mas for dX, between 0.03 and 0.12 mas for dY, between 0.07 and 0.91 mas for dψ, and between 0.04 and 0.41 mas for dε. For day 30 of prediction, the corresponding MAE values ranged between 0.03 and 0.12 for dX, and between 0.03 and 0.14 mas for dY. This research shows that machine learning algorithms are the most promising approach in CPO forecasting and provide the highest prediction accuracy (0.06 mas for dX and 0.08 mas for dY for day 10 of prediction). Graphical abstract

Abstract Growing interest in Earth Orientation Parameters (EOP) resulted in various approaches to the EOP prediction algorithms, as well as in the exploitation of distinct input data, including the observed EOP values from various operational data centers and modeled effective angular momentum functions. Considering these developments and recently emerged new methodologies, the Second Earth Orientation Parameters Prediction Comparison Campaign (2nd EOP PCC) was pursued in 2021–2022. The campaign was led by Centrum Badań Kosmicznych Polskiej Akademii Nauk in cooperation with Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum and under the auspices of the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service. This paper provides the analysis and evaluation of the polar motion predictions submitted during the 2nd EOP PCC with the prediction horizons between 10 and 30 days. Our analysis shows that predictions are highly reliable with only a few occasional discrepancies identified in the submitted files. We demonstrate the accuracy of EOP predictions by (a) calculating the mean absolute error relative to polar motion observations from September 2021 through December 2022 and (b) assessing the stability of the predictions in time. The analysis shows unequal results for the x and y components of polar motion (PMx and PMy, respectively). Predictions of PMy are usually more accurate and have a smaller spread across all submitted files when compared to PMx. We present an analysis of similarity between the participants to indicate what methods and input data give comparable output. We also prepared the ranking of prediction methods for polar motion summarizing the achievements of the campaign.

Mass changes in the hydrosphere represent an important contributor to polar motion (PM) variations, especially at seasonal time scales (i.e., annual and semiannual). Although well studied, hydrological angular momentum (HAM) remains a major source of uncertainty in estimating PM excitation. In this work, we use a large number of climate models from the sixth phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6) to determine HAM series both from individual models and their combination, formed with a multi-model mean, a weighted mean, and a three-cornered hat (TCH) method. The CMIP6-based HAM series are analysed in several spectral bands and evaluated with a reference hydrological signal in geodetically observed PM excitation (GAO). HAM determined from CMIP6 were also compared to HAM calculated from Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) measurements. We find that while climate models do not allow for reliable estimation of non-seasonal changes in HAM, they can help interpret seasonal variability. For annual prograde and semiannual retrograde oscillations, several combined CMIP6-based series exhibit higher amplitude and phase consistency with GAO than the corresponding series computed from GRACE data. Whether one uses a simple average of the models, a weighted average, or a combination of models from the TCH method has little impact on the resulting HAM series and their level of agreement with GAO. Our study advances the understanding of hydrological signal in Earth’s rotation at seasonal time scales.

Abstract Advanced geodetic and astronomical tasks, such as precise positioning and navigation require forecasted Earth Orientation Parameters (EOP). The Second Earth Orientation Parameters Prediction Comparison Campaign (2nd EOP PCC) aims to compare various EOP forecast methods implemented by different institutes from all over the world. Here we focus on universal time (UT1-UTC) and Length-of-Day (LOD) predictions received in the period between September 1st, 2021 and May 29th, 2022. The forecasts are preliminarily evaluated against the EOP 14 C04 solution delivered by the International Earth Rotation and Reference System Service (IERS) by using the mean absolute error (MAE) as the prediction quality measure. Exemplarily, we compare forecasts from IERS delivered by U.S. Naval Observatory (USNO) and a selected campaign participant to assess the impact of both input data and computation methodology on predictions. We show that improper treatment of long-periodic ocean tides has severely degraded LOD forecasting until this issue has been brought to the attention of the participant during a meeting of the 2nd EOP PCC. We consider this as a good example for the benefit of the campaign to the overall scientific community by providing specific feedback to individual processing centres on deficits in their products, which lead to quick and effective adaptations. The lessons learned from this analysis could be applied to other EOP forecasting methods based on Effective Angular Momentum (EAM) predictions. Graphical Abstract

Abstract Polar motion (PM) is an essential parameter needed to transform coordinates between celestial and terrestrial reference frames, thus playing a crucial role in precise positioning and navigation. The role of hydrological signals in PM excitation is not yet fully understood, which is largely because of the lack of agreement between estimates of hydrological angular momentum (HAM) computed from different data sources. In this study, we used data obtained from the latest, sixth phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6) to assess the impact of the continental hydrosphere on PM excitation. To do so, we exploited soil moisture and snow water variables obtained from historical simulations of CMIP6 to estimate climate-based HAM. The HAM series were computed, then we analysed their variability in terms of trends, seasonal and non-seasonal oscillations. An important part of this study is the validation of HAM estimates based on comparison with the hydrological signal in geodetically observed PM excitation (geodetic residuals, GAO). In addition, HAM series based on climate models were compared with those determined from global gravimetric data provided by the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) mission, and from the Land Surface Discharge Model (LSDM). This study also aimed to identify the most appropriate CMIP6 models for interpretation of PM variations. Overall, the correspondence between GAO and HAM received from CMIP6 was lower than the previously obtained consistency with GRACE results, and the level of agreement was dependent on the oscillation considered and the model used. However, it may be possible to identify several CMIP6 models from among the almost 100 available that provides a HAM series more compatible with GAO than HAM from GRACE or LSDM, especially in annual oscillations. The GISS-E2-1-G_historical_r10i1p1f1 model was found to provide the highest consistency with GAO for annual prograde amplitudes, GFDL-CM4_historical_r1i1p1f1 for annual retrograde amplitudes, BCC-ESM1_historical_r3i1p1f1 for the annual prograde phase, and MIROC-ES2L_historical_r2i1p1f2 for the annual retrograde phase. Because of their length, the CMIP6 data allow for analysis of the past and future changes in HAM from 1850 to 2100, which is of particular importance in the exploration of the impact of climate change on PM excitation. Graphical Abstract

Inter-satellite links (ISLs) can improve the performance of the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) in terms of precise orbit determination, communication, and data-exchange capabilities. This research aimed to evaluate a simulation-based processing strategy involving the exploitation of ISLs in orbit determination of Galileo satellites, which are not equipped with operational ISLs. The performance of the estimation process is first tested based on relative weighting coefficients obtained with methods of variance component estimation (VCE) varying in the complexity of the calculations. Inclusion of biases in the ISL measurements allows evaluation of the processing strategy and assessment of the impact of three different sets of ground stations: 44 and 16 stations distributed globally and 16 located in Europe. The results indicate that using different VCE approaches might lower orbit errors by up to 20% with a negligible impact on clock estimation. Depending on the applied ISL connectivity scheme, ISL range bias can be estimated with RMS between 10% to 30% of initial bias values. The accuracy of bias estimation may be associated with weighting approach and the number of ground stations. The results of this study show how introducing VCE with various simulation parameters into the processing chain might increase the accuracy of the orbit estimation.

Coastal sea level is observed at tide gauge stations, which usually also serve as height reference stations for national networks. One of the main issues with using tide gauge data for sea level research is that only a few stations are connected to permanent GNSS stations needed to correct for vertical land motion. As a new observation technique, absolute positioning by SAR using off the shelf active radar transponders can be installed instead. SAR data for the year 2020 are collected at 12 stations in the Baltic Sea area, which are co-located to tide gauges or permanent GNSS stations. From the SAR data, 3D coordinates are estimated and jointly analyzed with GNSS data, tide gauge records and regional geoid height estimates. The obtained results are promising but also exhibit some problems related to the electronic transponders and their performance. At co-located GNSS stations, the estimated ellipsoidal heights agree in a range between about 2 and 50 cm for both observation systems. From the results, it can be identified that, most likely, variable systematic electronic instrument delays are the main reason, and that each transponder instrument needs to be calibrated individually. Nevertheless, the project provides a valuable data set, which offers the possibility of enhancing methods and procedures in order to develop a geodetic SAR positioning technique towards operability.

Analizy paleobotaniczne wskazują, że wśród naczyń klepkowych notowanych w grobach na terenie ziem polskich przeważają okazy wykonane z drewna cisowego (14 egzemplarzy). Częste wyposażanie pochówków w pojemniki cisowe znajduje potwierdzenie dla wielu obszarów europejskich i nie ogranicza się tylko do wczesnego średniowiecza. Obserwacja ta skłania do postawienia pytania o powody, dla których preferowano ten rodzaj surowca. Przyczyn upatrywać należy w korzystnych parametrach technologiczno-użytkowych drewna cisowego, co przejawiało się w jego trwałości i odporności w zmiennych warunkach wilgotnościowych. Po odpowiedniej obróbce zapewniało ono wytrzymałość i szczelność naczynia. Nie bez znaczenia była także efektowna barwa, podnosząca walory wizualne pojemnika. Istnieją jednak przesłanki świadczące o tym, że nadrzędne znaczenie mogły mieć treści wierzeniowo-magiczne i symboliczne wiążące się z cisem, drzewem budzącym skojarzenia ze śmiercią, żałobą i sferą pozadoczesną, a jednocześnie ze stałością i nieśmiertelnością. Mamy tego świadectwa w wielu kulturach. Wiązało się to z biologicznymi właściwościami i siedliskowymi preferencjami cisu. Niemal wszystkie części tego długowiecznego i trwałego drzewa wykazują bowiem silne działanie toksyczne. Wobec powyższego zastanawia, czy naczynia wytwarzane z tego tworzywa pełnić mogły funkcje naczyń użytkowych. Liczne pozostałości wczesnośredniowiecznych naczyń i innych przedmiotów codziennego użytku pochodzących z terenów ziem polskich, wykonanych z drewna cisowego, wykluczają raczej możliwość ich znacznej szkodliwości dla zdrowia człowieka. Potwierdzają to wyniki specjalistycznych analiz, aczkolwiek wskazywana jest konieczność dalszych badań uzupełniających. Konotacje cisu ze sferą zaświatową szczególnie dobrze określają przydatność naczyń cisowych w obrzędowości pogrzebowej, nie tylko – jak w przypadku innych naczyń wkładanych do grobów – w samym kulcie zmarłych, ale też w charakterze wyznacznika statusu pochowanej osoby. Dzięki poręcznym rozmiarom i funkcjonalności, a zwłaszcza specjalnemu i cennemu drewnu, pojemniki te nadawały się do spożywania posiłków bądź trunków na stołach przedstawicieli warstw uprzywilejowanych.

The article is dedicated to dialectal nicknames motivated by culinary art. Strictly speaking, they are collective nicknames given to inhabitants of neighbouring villages. Such names are not very well documented in linguistic articles, so they are still waiting for a more comprehensive description. In this article, the motivational characteristics of those onyms, as well as their division and formal description, are presented. The largest group of neighbours’ dialectal nicknames based on culinary art includes anthroponyms originating from the names of dishes characteristic of the nicknamed villages (most of them refer to simple regional dishes or to food which is somehow untypical of a village). The second largest group includes nicknames motivated by activities related to culinary art. Other motivational classes have just an indirect, formal connection with food: these names are based on lexemes related to cuisine, but their motivation is not culinary. They include nicknames motivated by crops characteristic of the nicknamed villages and locative nicknames. A few anthroponyms are individual in nature. All the names were generally created through morphological derivation (derivates with the suffix -arz are dominant). They were rarely created through neo-semantization. The lexemes that were collected and analysed confirm the dynamic nature of nicknaming processes in villages. They constitute a characteristic feature of their language and, at the same time, make an anthroponymic category that is, in a way, universal.

In this study, information was collected on stave-built wooden vessels (buckets) from early medieval cemeteries in Polish lands, for which the distinguishing feature is metal fittings in the form of strips and / or crescent- shaped applications. In the light of the current state of knowledge, we have information on 33 containers of such design from nineteen cemeteries. The most numerous collection of them was discovered in Lutomiersk, from where eight graves with such vessels are known. Three containers were recorded in the cemetery in Pień, and in Kałdus, Lubień, Komorowo and Poznań-Śródka – two in each. The remaining sites provided single finds. These vessels were subjected to a typological, formal and chronological analysis, taking into account the context of discovery and provenance, and on this basis an attempt was made to interpret their meaning in funeral rites. In Polish lands, the deceased were buried with the type of vessel in question at the end of the 10th century, and this custom disappeared at the beginning of the 12th century.

Since pentlandites are among the most promising catalysts for hydrogen evolution reactions (HER), in this study, we investigated the influence of different cobalt, iron, and nickel substitutions in the cationic sublattice and the form of the material (powder, ingot, sintered pellet) on catalytic performance. This complements previous results regarding a multi-component approach in these chalcogenides. It was shown that in the case of sulfur-rich pentlandites with a non-equimolar ratio of Co, Fe, and Ni, the impact of intrinsic material properties is smaller than the surface-related effects. Among powder forms, catalysts based on a combination of Fe and Co perform the best. However, in volumetric forms, extremely high contents of individual metals are favorable, albeit they are associated with active precipitations of foreign phases. The presence of these phases positively affects the recorded currents but slows down the reaction kinetics. These findings shed light on the nuanced interplay between material composition, form, and HER properties, offering insights for tailored catalyst design.

Cu2−xS and Cu2−xSe (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.2) alloys stand out as highly promising materials for thermoelectric applications, owing to the phonon–liquid electron–crystal (PLEC) convention. In this study, we undertake a comprehensive investigation to reassess the synthesis conditions, with a focus on achieving pure-phased systems through a direct reaction between elements at elevated temperatures. Simultaneously, we present experimental evidence showcasing the feasibility of doping these systems with Ag, Ni, and Zn. The study demonstrates that obtaining single-phased systems requires multi-step processes, and the dissolution of chosen impurities appears doubtful, as evidenced by numerous foreign phase segregations. Additionally, it is revealed that the partial dissolution of individual impurities deteriorates the operational parameters of these chalcogenides. For the optimal Cu1.97S composition, it reduces the thermoelectric figure-of-merit ZT from 1.5 to approximately 1.0, 0.65, and 0.85 for Ag-, Ni-, and Zn-doped systems, respectively, while marginally improving their stability. For metal-like Cu1.8Se, the ZT parameter remains at a low level, ranging between 0.09 and 0.15, showing slight destabilization during subsequent operating cycles. The article concludes with an in-depth analysis of the basic thermoelectric performance exhibited by these doped systems, contributing valuable insights into the potential enhancements and applications of Cu2−xS and Cu2−xSe alloys in the field of thermoelectric materials.

Abstract The bushy root-2 (brt-2) tomato mutant has twisting roots, and slower plant development. Here we used whole genome resequencing and genetic mapping to show that brt-2 is caused by a serine to cysteine (S75C) substitution in the DNA binding domain (DBD) of a heat shock factor class B (HsfB) encoded by SolycHsfB4a. This gene is orthologous to the Arabidopsis SCHIZORIZA gene, also known as AtHsfB4. The brt-2 phenotype is very similar to Arabidopsis lines in which the function of AtHsfB4 is altered: a proliferation of lateral root cap and root meristematic tissues, and a tendency for lateral root cap cells to easily separate. The brt-2 S75C mutation is unusual because all other reported amino acid substitutions in the highly conserved DBD of eukaryotic heat shock factors are dominant negative mutations, but brt-2 is recessive. We further show through reciprocal grafting that brt-2 exerts its effects predominantly through the root genotype even through BRT-2 is expressed at similar levels in both root and shoot meristems. Since AtHsfB4 is induced by root knot nematodes (RKN), and loss-of-function mutants of this gene are resistant to RKNs, BRT-2 could be a target gene for RKN resistance, an important trait in tomato rootstock breeding. Gene & accession numbers SolycHsfB4a - Solyc04g078770.

Artykuł stanowi próbę interpretacji treści ikonograficznych i znaczeniowych zakodowanych w tarczowatych zawieszkach z konnymi wizerunkami przypisywanymi św. Jerzemu-smokobójcy (Ruś – k. XI – poł. XIII w.; Polska – poł. XII – pierwsza poł. XIII w.; Łotwa – k. XII–XIV w.). Zgodnie z kanonami ikonografii chrześcijańskiej miały one ukazywać zarówno moc Bożą, jak i potęgę świętego. Jednocześnie ich treść sięga głębszych pokładów znaczeniowych, związanych z archetypicznym odwzorowaniem kosmicznego pojedynku pomiędzy pierwotnymi siłami identyfikowanymi z chaosem i destrukcją a dążącymi do zaprowadzenia ładu społeczno-cywilizacyjnego. Przedmioty te mogły być świadectwem zachodzących procesów chrystianizacyjnych, ale też jednocześnie pełnić funkcję amuletu. Kontekst grobowy wskazuje, że w tej podwójnej roli zawieszki były wykorzystywane przez kobiety. Ich adresatami i odbiorcami hipotetycznie mogli być też wojownicy.

In this study, graphene flakes were obtained using an electrolytic method and characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman and FTIR spectroscopy, scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM/TEM). Graphene-based composites with varying concentrations of 0.5%, 1% and 3% by weight were prepared with acrylic paint, enamel and varnish matrices. The mechanical properties were evaluated using micro-hardness testing, while wettability and antimicrobial activity against three pathogens (Staphylococcus aureus 33591, Pseudomonas aeruginosa 15442, Candida albicans 10231) were also examined. The results indicate that the addition of graphene flakes significantly enhances both the mechanical and antimicrobial properties of the coatings.

NOMINAL FORMATIONS WITH PÓŁ- IN THE HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE (BASED ON LEXICAL MATERIAL) This article is dedicated to derivatives with the pół- unit that appears in general Polish. Such derivatives have already been the subject of researchers of Polish. In this text the author focused on two aspects: the morphological status of those derivatives and their historical development from the eldest times (the Old Polish period) until now. Contrary to appearances, not all derivatives with pół- are compounds. The analysis of their lexical and word-formation meanings leads one to the conclusion that many of them are simple derivatives in which the meaning of the pół- unit is far from the basic meaning, which is why it should be treated as a unit with the function of a prefix formant. Those formant meanings of pół- are of modification (more often) or mutation (more rarely) nature. The historical development of those derivatives is presented on the basis of lexical material. The derivatives have been functioning since the Old Polish times, but they have been changing both in terms of quality and quantity. SStp includes only 37 formations with pół-, but more and more of them appeared in later centuries. The highest increase in their number is noted in SW (almost a half of a thousand derivatives), after which their number has decreased (in SWJP there are 121 of them). Until now this has been a living and productive word-formation type. Three most important kinds of those formations have been distinguished in the historical perspective: 1) compounds with pół- meaning ‘a half’, which are relatively numerous and stable throughout the whole developmental period; 2) small categories (e.g. ‘one of two’, ‘the middle’, ‘a kind’), which are created by a small number of derivatives, but constitute their stem in that they are static in terms of quantity; 3) large and, at the same time, static categories, which are changing over time, i.e. they either significantly grow in number (‘not really’) or significantly decrease the number (‘a half with reference to measurements’ and exocentric compounds).

How Polish Cactus Growers “Talk” About Their Plants The hobby cultivation of cacti in Poland dates back to the 19th century, but it flourished most in the 1930s and 1960s. The language of cactus growers has developed in two official and colloquial varieties, in both of which official botanical terminology predominates. In the colloquial variety, jargon synonyms often appear. They are created by morphological derivation (decomposition and suffixation); less often, they are usually created by semantic derivation. Imagery and collocations are carriers of the linguistic image of cacti, which appear to cactus growers as being immature and requiring care, like children (there is a similar image of plants in Polish dialects). Women are mainly responsible for the evolution of this emotional sociolect variant. Jak polscy kaktusiarze „mówią” o swoich roślinach Hobbystyczna uprawa kaktusów w Polsce sięga XIX wieku, największy rozkwit przeżywała w latach 30. i 60. ubiegłego stulecia. Język kaktusiarzy wykształcił się w dwu odmianach, oficjalnej i potocznej, obu mocno nasyconych oficjalną terminologią botaniczną, przy czym w wariancie potocznym (internetowym) często pojawiają się synonimy żargonowe, spotocyzowane. Tworzy się je na drodze derywacji morfologicznej (dekompozycja i sufiksacja), rzadziej semantycznej. Metaforyka oraz kolokacje są nośnikiem językowego obrazu kaktusów, które jawią się ich hodowcom jako istoty niedorosłe, wymagające opieki, niemal jak dzieci (podobny obraz roślin w gwarach polskich). Wykształcenie tego emocjonalnego wariantu socjolektu jest zasługą głównie kobiet.

Fe-based metallic glasses (MG) have become the subject of extensive research in recent years due to their favorable mechanical and magnetic properties. In particular, the production of this type of materials in Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF), also known as Selective Laser Melting (SLM) technology, is a kind of breakthrough, as it has become possible to produce elements of any shape. An important factor influencing the properties of the manufactured parts is their microstructure. For metallic glass Fe79Zr6Si14Cu1 with low glass-forming ability, produced in SLM technology, tests were carried out in the field of structural X-ray diffraction, Scanning Electron Microscopy, and Transmission Electron Microscopy. In addition, porosity analysis was compared with process parameters such as laser power and scanning speed. The paper shows that the fusion line comprises a solid solution α-Fe(Si) and low fraction of intermetallic Fe23Zr6 and FeZr2 phases. Furthermore, in the melt pool area, a nanometric α-Fe(Si) phase and an amorphous matrix was observed. The presented research results of the Fe79Zr6Si14Cu1 alloy produced for the first time in SLM technology will undoubtendly contribute to further optimization of parameters for elements produced in Additive Manufacturing technology using Fe-based MG.

This article presents an analysis of two brass lockets, rectangular in shape, discovered in a richly equipped grave no. 62 in an early-medieval grave field in Radom (the 4th quarter of the 11-12th centuries). As a result of the analysis, their cognitive value can be estimated in a comprehensive way against the background of other finds of the type excavated in graves. On the other hand, it has allowed to enrich the knowledge of burying the dead with objects of magical and religious nature. The lockets discovered in Radom were made locally, most probably as imitations of more sophisticated pendants. Most probably, they were used as containers for magical or healing amulets, possibly contact relics (brandeum, eulogiae) or perfumes. They were probably buried after mid-11th century, during the religious transformation taking place in the early Piast state, bearing material testimony to the intertwining pagan rites and the ceremonies of the new faith.

The article presents the results of ultrasonic testing of Ti6Al4V material produced by the conventional method and the laser bed fusion method. Modern manufacturing techniques, such as additive manufacturing, allow the production of parts with complex shapes. It is important to control the condition of such components throughout their lifetime. The purpose of this article was to determine the basic acoustic properties of Ti6Al4V material produced by two different methods—bar drawing and the additive manufacturing method. On this basis, an inspection scheme was developed for adhesive joints, the components of which are made by additive manufacturing technology. The decibel drops in the amplitudes of pulses reflected from the boundary of the adhesive-Ti6Al4V-AM and adhesive-Ti6Al4V joints were determined. The decibel drops for the connection of materials made with additive technology are higher than for the material made in a conventional way. The difference in decibel drop in the amplitudes of the additive manufactured material versus the drawn rod, depending on the ultrasonic head, can be up to 60%. The results of the study provide an important practical guideline for testing adhesive joints of parts made with additive manufacturing technology.

The article is an attempt to determine to what extent the folkloric and ethnographic data concerning the cultural significance and functions performed by re-used stone products hailing from prehistoric times (mainly various types of axes, hammers, adzes, and hammers axes, usually from the Neolithic, less often from other periods), are reflected in medieval and modern historical materials. Finds from almost all over Europe were taken into account. In the Middle Ages and later, thunderstones gained a great deal of importance, because there were few items that, after their original function had disappeared, remained in such wide use, far beyond traditionally understood recycling, which is usually limited to the re-use of raw materials and remedial actions. As objects of great sacred importance, they found a permanent place in the rituals and imaginations of ancient communities.

Selected Dialectal Pronouns from South-Eastern Poland (Outline) The author of this article discusses the structure, origin and functions of dialectal pronouns which occur in the local dialect of Posada Jaśliska near Krosno. Posada Jaśliska is a village of three cultures: Polish, Lemko and Slovakian. The author describes mutual influences of these three languages on shaping the collection of pronouns, with particular emphasis on the pronouns that are typical of this area or known only in this place: definite ones, such as haw ‘here’ and het ‘very far, somewhere, from somewhere, away’, and indefinite pronouns, such as dakto ‘whoever’, dagdzie ‘wherever’.

The Question of Motivation in Nest-Oriented Description of Dialectal Word Formation (Using the Example of the Orava Dialect) The paper discusses word formation’s most important notion, i.e. the motivation, in respect to nestoriented descriptions. The first part presents the difficulties which arise in the traditional, as well as in the nest-oriented description of word formation of general Polish (mutual motivation, multiple motivations, indirect and direct motivation, base and accompanying motivation, equivalent motivation). In the second part, these problems of motivation, resulting from the specificity of dialectal material, are being discussed. This part also formulates methodological suggestions about the creation of certain nests which are more difficult to analyse. The final part tackles the question of mutual dependence between the model of word formation, and the speaker’s word formation intuition (awareness, competence).

Abstract Background Smoking rates are higher in New Zealand (NZ) adults with mental illnesses and alcohol and other drug (AOD) addictions, compared to the overall population. Quit attempts using “gold standard” smoking cessation treatments often fail in people with these conditions, so more flexible treatment regimens that adapt to a person’s responsiveness to treatment are worth investigating. The STATUS trial aims to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of combining varenicline with nicotine e-cigarettes for smoking cessation among varenicline non-responders in treatment for mental health illnesses and/or AOD addictions. Methods This is a pragmatic two-arm, open-label, randomised trial. Participants will be daily smokers using mental health and/or addiction services in Auckland, aged ≥18 years, motivated to quit smoking, and eligible to access varenicline through the NZ special authority process. After 2 weeks of using varenicline plus behavioural support, participants who have not reduced their daily smoking by ≥50% will be randomised (1:1) to either 10 weeks of continued varenicline use or 10 weeks of varenicline plus an 18 mg/mL nicotine e-cigarette. All participants will receive weekly withdrawal-orientated behavioural support calls for 6 weeks post-randomisation. The primary outcome is self-reported biochemically-verified (exhaled carbon monoxide) continuous abstinence at 24 weeks post-randomisation. Secondary outcomes, measured at six, 12 and 24 weeks post-randomisation include: self-reported continuous abstinence, 7-day point prevalence abstinence, smoking reduction, time to relapse, cross-over, use of other smoking cessation support, serious adverse events, treatment adherence, compliance, acceptability, dual use, continuation of treatment use, mental illness symptoms and AOD use, health-related quality of life, and cost-analysis. A sample size of 338 will confer 80% power (p = 0.05) to detect a 15% absolute difference between the varenicline alone and varenicline plus e-cigarette groups. Discussion People with mental illness and/or AOD addictions are just as motivated as others to quit smoking, but are less likely to succeed. Adapting smoking cessation medication after a lack of responsiveness in the first 2 weeks of initial treatment in this priority population by adding a nicotine e-cigarette may be one way to increase long-term quit rates. Trial Registration Australian NZ Clinical Trial Registry: ACTRN12616001355460 (29 September 2016).

A year after the first cases, the COVID-19 pandemic continued to put immense pressure on healthcare systems worldwide. With supply chains broken, the only opportunity for hospitals was to turn to unconventional solutions to overcome medical equipment shortages in the shortest possible time. This paper describes the methodology that allows the preparation of medical equipment to be additionally manufactured in keeping with medical requirements. The proposed method focuses on cytotoxicity tests against HaCaT, L929, A549 cell lines, and the assessment of potential antimicrobial properties of materials. The application of the proposed method is shown by the example of an adapter that connects a full mask with widely available DAR filters. The prototyping and fabrication of adapters were conducted with the fused deposition modelling (FDM) and selective laser sintering (SLS) technologies. The adapters increased the number of masks available to medical personnel, and by the same token, ensured the continuity of their work.

Introduction Prolonged shortages of protein in the diet significantly alter the composition and content of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in tissues and body fluids. One of nutritional factors which may reduce negative effects of protein malnutrition might be vitamin B2 due to its influence on lipids metabolism. Objective The aim of the study was to investigate the influence of low protein (LP) diet enriched with vitamin B2 on the content and composition of PUFA in the blood serum of rats treated with dosed physical exercise. Material and Methods The experiment was carried out for 3 months on 72 growing male Wistar rats divided into 5 groups. Animals were fed ad libitum on a diet with an energy value of 350 kcal/100 g, in which 4.5% of the energy was provided by protein. In the control diet, 20% of the energy was provided by protein. Two groups were fed the diet enriched with vitamin B2. The two groups of tested animals were trained for 5 days a week. Results LP diet caused a decrease in α-linolenic acid (ALA) after 30 days, and a decrease in docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) after 60 days of experiment, compared with rats fed the control diet. After 60 and 90 days of the experiment, a significant decrease was noted in arachidonic acid (AA) in serum of trained rats, compared with sedentary rats fed the LP diet. Physical activity increased LA (mainly on day 30), EPA (on day 90) and reduced AA content (on day 90) in serum of rats fed the LP diet. B2 supplementation in the trained LP group did not change the EPA and AA dependence; however, there was a decrease in LA content in comparison to the non-supplemented trained group. Conclusions Results of this study suggest that all investigated factors (protein deficiency, physical exercise and supplementation of vitamin B2) have significant impact on PUFA composition of serum in rats.

The jet impingement phenomenon plays an important role among the heat transfer intensification methods. Very often its application and analyses refer to simple flat surfaces, while there is a lack of information in the literature for cases addressing curved surfaces. In the present work, the single jet impingement on the non-flat (concave and convex) surface is studied for a wide range of geometries, which originate from the mini-jet heat-exchanger design. The numerical simulations were performed by an advanced ζ-f turbulence model implemented in the open-source OpenFOAM (ESI-OpenCFD Ltd, Bracknell, United Kingdom) code. Noticeable differences in the phenomena occurring on the convex and concave surfaces were identified in the stagnation zone. Besides, the existence and location of the secondary peak in the Nusselt number distribution differed between the cases. These distributions were influenced by the shape of geometry, which determined flow characteristics and resulting heat transfer performance. The origins of these differences were looked at in the turbulence characteristics close to the impinged surface of the stagnations zone and its vicinity, where turbulence kinetic energy and enstrophy were analysed. It was stated that the differences are already noticeable for the single jet impingement case, but they might sum up when multiple jets are considered. Therefore, here presented results would be important for the analysis of the overall unit of mentioned mini-jets heat-exchanger.

One of the methods of heat transfer enhancement is utilization of the turbulent impinging jets, which were recently applied, for example, in the heat exchangers. Their positive impact on the heat transfer performance was proven, but many questions related to the origin of this impact are still unanswered. In general, the wall-jet interaction and the near-wall turbulence are supposed to be its main reason, but their accurate numerical analysis is still very challenging. The authors’ aim was to construct the numerical model which can represent the real phenomena with good or very good accuracy. Starting with an analysis of single jet and obtaining the agreement with experimental data, it will be possible to extend the model towards the whole minijets heat exchanger. The OpenFOAM software, Bracknell, UK was used for that purpose, with our own implementation of the ζ-f turbulence model. The most difficult area to model is the stagnation region, where the thermal effects are the most intensive and, at the same time, strongly affected by the conditions in the pipe/nozzle/orifice of various size (conventional, mini, micro), from which the jet is injected. In the following article, summary of authors’ findings, regarding significance of the velocity profile and turbulence intensity at the jet place of discharge are presented. In addition, qualitative analysis of the heat transfer enhancement is included, in relation to the inlet conditions. In the stagnation point, Nusselt number differences reached the 10%, while, in general, its discrepancy in relation to inlet conditions was up to 23%.

Agriculture can provide biomass for bioproducts, biofuels and as energy feedstock with a low environmental impact, derived from carbohydrate, protein and oil annual crops, as well from lignocellulosic crops. This paper presents the thermophysical and chemical features of camelina and crambe straw depending on nitrogen fertilisation rate with a view to their further use in a circular bioeconomy. A two-factorial field experiment was set up in 2016, with camelina and crambe as the first factor and the N fertilizer rate (0, 60 and 120 kg·ha−1·N) as the second factor. Ash content in crambe straw (6.97% d.m.) was significantly higher than in camelina straw (4.79% d.m.). The higher heating value was higher for the camelina (18.50 MJ·kg−1·d.m.) than for the crambe straw (17.94 MJ·kg−1·d.m.). Sulphur content was also significantly higher in camelina than in crambe straw. An increase in nitrogen content with increasing fertilisation rate was visible in the straw of both species (from 1.19 to 1.33% d.m., for no fertilisation and for a rate of 120 kg·ha−1·N, respectively). Crambe straw contained more than five times more chlorine than camelina straw. In conclusion, despite certain adverse properties, camelina and crambe straw can be an alternative to other types of biomass, both for direct combustion, gasification and in the production of second-generation biofuels.

Pragmatics in word-formative classification of nouns The article presents a classification of Polish nominal word formations with a particular regard to derivatives with a categorial pragmatic (expressive) element. It discusses some of the existing proposals of classification, and suggests the author’s own. The highest floor of the classification contains: I. nominations (mutations) and II. renominations; the latter being divided into 1. transpositions, 2a. type modifications (feminitives, diminutives, names of young beings, etc.), and 2b. pragmatic modifications: emotional-evaluative, and stylistic derivatives. Also distinguished are III. mixed derivatives: 1. nominational-modificative, and 2. compound renominations. The general classification of derivatives counts transpositions and modifications as a single word-formative type that stands in opposition to mutations. Moreover, the paper makes more precise the understanding of the poetic function of word-formative affixes and word-formation in general. This function can be viewed as a variety of the pragmatic function, and more literally, as the function that tightly binds the derivative with the poetic language and with the “reality” it creates.

An early medieval plank bucket was discovered in grave no. 18 in a grave field in Glinn, Sieradz county. Possibly, the bucket was manufactured by local artisans as a result of borrowing foreign patterns and techniques. In the grave, its role most probably was to emphasise the social status of the deceased as it was probably his personal property.

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Artykuł omawia działalność naukową i zasługi w zakresie pracy bibliotecznej twórcy Pracowni Zbiorów Masońskich Biblioteki Uniwersyteckiej – mgra Andrzeja Karpowicza. Portret Andrzeja Karpowicza przedstawiony został na szerokim tle piśmiennictwa i źródeł do dziejów wolnomularstwa oraz sylwetek autorów zajmujących się wskazaną problematyką.