Selected aspects of integrated environmental management

Effect of Xylene Oral Exposure on the Mouse Uterus – A Preliminary Study

Xylene is one of the environmental pollutants with a negative impact mainly on several organ systems. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of xylene on the uterus of mice. The study was performed on 12 adult female mice. Control mice (n = 6) were fed shredded pellets at a dose of 4 g per day. Xylene mice (n = 6) were fed the same diet at the same dose and orally administered xylene at 10 μl per day for 14 days. The mice were synchronized using the Whit-ten effect and introduced to males before the end of the procedure. Mice of both groups with no copulation plug were euthanized by cervical dislocation. The uteri were collected for routine histological and immunohistochemical analysis. The endometrial epithelium demonstrated vacuolar degeneration, mitotic cell activity, and the presence of leukocytes typical of metoestrus. Reductions of the endometrium, stroma, and myometrium were observed in the xylene mice. The xylene application did not have a significant effect on the superficial epithelium, or the size and number of uterine tubular glands. The immunohistochemical analysis of a proliferation marker PCNA revealed that the xylene increased its expression in the stroma, endometrial and myometrial cells, but did not significantly affect the superficial epithelial cells. The expression of an anti-apoptotic marker Bcl-xl in the xylene mice was stronger in the superficial epithelial, stromal, and endometrial cells. The Bcl-xl expression in the myometrial cells was similar to the controls. The results showed that the application of xylene stimulated the proliferation and exerted an anti-apoptotic effect on the uterine cells. However, the increased proliferation can lead to the malignant transformation of cells, resulting in their uncontrollable division.

Building Envelope and the Outdoor Microclimate Variable of Vernacular Houses: Analysis on the Environmental Elements in Tropical Coastal and Mountain Areas of Indonesia

Temperature and humidity are essential factors in analyzing a building’s thermal performance. This research presents the differences in field measurements of vernacular houses in coastal and mountain areas in Indonesia. Field measurements were taken for five consecutive days in four vernacular houses. The variables were measured at the beginning and at the peak of the rainy season. Analysis included a combination of graphic and descriptive methods. The research results show that the location difference between coast and mountain results in a relatively high difference in temperature (43.6%). The outdoor temperature in the mountain area is lower than that of the coastal area. The outdoor humidity of the mountain area is 0.69% higher than that of the coastal area. In the tropical coastal area, the outdoor temperature of the exposed-brick house is 0.94% lower than that of the coastal wooden house. The outdoor air humidity of the brick house is 0.89% higher than that of the coastal wooden house. In the tropical mountain area, the outdoor temperature of the exposed-stone house is 2.47% lower than that of the wooden house. The outdoor air humidity of the stone house is 0.4% lower than that of the wooden house. The outdoor conditions affect the indoor conditions of the respective houses. These microclimatic differences are influenced by micro-environmental factors, such as the density of surrounding buildings, amount of vegetation, and shading. The research shows that height difference is the most dominant factor influencing outdoor microclimate. Regional microclimate becomes the basis for determining the most suitable envelope materials in different areas. The innovative contribution of the work is, among other benefits, the identification of factors that influence the wellbeing of the buildings’ users in the researched geographical area and the analysis of the interaction of the external and internal environment of buildings. From the above facts, it follows that the results of this work can contribute to the development of prediction models to determine the type of cover, material, shape, and load-bearing elements needed to create comfortable and energy-efficient buildings.

Integrating Urban Agriculture and Stormwater Management in a Circular Economy to Enhance Ecosystem Services: Connecting the Dots

Due to the rapid urbanization in the context of the conventional linear economy, the vulnerability of the urban ecosystem to climate change has increased. As a result, connecting urban ecosystem services of different urban land uses is imperative for urban sustainability and resilience. In conventional land use planning, urban agriculture (UA) and urban stormwater management are treated as separate economic sectors with different-disconnected-ecosystem services. Furthermore, few studies have synthesized knowledge regarding the potential impacts of integration of UA and stormwater green infrastructures (GIs) on the quantity and quality of urban ecosystem services of both economic sectors. This study provides a detailed analysis of the imperative question—how should a city integrate the developments of both urban agriculture and stormwater green infrastructure to overcome barriers while enhancing the ecosystem services? To answer this question, we conducted an extensive literature review. The results show that integrating UA with GIs can enhance urban food production while protecting urban water quality. This paper provides an initial context and mechanisms for future researchers and city planners regarding the manner in which the synergies between UA and stormwater GIs can create greater value for the wellbeing of urban ecosystems and resilience in the circular economy.

Prediction of Municipal Waste Generation in Poland Using Neural Network Modeling

Planning is a crucial component of short- and long-term municipal waste management. Establishing the relationships between the factors that determine the amount of waste generated by municipalities and forecasting the waste management needs plays a fundamental role in the development of effective planning strategies and implementation of sustainable development. Artificial Neural Network employed for verifying the forecasts pertaining to the amount of rainfall in Poland were presented in the studies. The proposed models included selected explanatory indices in order to reflect the impact of social, demographic and economic factors on the amount of generated waste. Mean squared error (MSE) and regression value (R) are used as indices of efficiency of the developed models. The ANN models exhibited high accuracy of forecasts at high R values (R = 0.914, R = 0.989) and low MSE values. Derived from the socioeconomic data for 2003–2019, the model predicts that the future waste generation in 2024 will increase by 2%. The results indicate that the employed ANN models are effective in predicting the amount of waste and can be considered a cost-effective approach to planning integrated waste management systems.

Analysis of Land-Use Change between 2012–2018 in Europe in Terms of Sustainable Development

This article presents methodology of land use change assessment in the context of sustainable development and the results of its application based on the transformations that occurred in individual areas of Europe in the years 2012–2018. This method is based on data from the CORINE (CO-oRdination of INformation on Environment) Land Cover program) and local government units presenting the degree of urbanization (DEGURBA). The transformations taking place in space were evaluated and reduced to economic, social, and environmental dimensions. We then analyzed the results in terms of space (covering almost all of Europe) and in terms of division (large cities, small towns, suburbs, and rural areas). Results indicate that development of the economic dimension most often takes place at the expense of natural resources. It was also determined that the higher the population density, the greater the sustainable development differentiation level in the analyzed dimensions, of which the social dimension was characterized by the lowest differentiation and the economic dimension was highest. The development of rural areas was found to be less sustainable than large urban centers. Interpretation of the results also leads to the conclusion that areas of Europe are very diverse in terms of sustainable development. However, the method itself, despite the imperfections observed by the authors, may be used in further or similar studies.

Canine perineal tumours and selected tumour markers

The most frequent canine perineal tumour is the perianal (gland) adenoma (also known as the circumanal adenoma or the hepatoid adenoma). Tumour markers are substances that are produced by the body in response to cancer, or may be produced by cancer itself. Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and tissue polypeptide specific antigen (TPSA) are tumour antigens that are markers of carcinogenesis, with significantly elevated serum concentrations in the case of some types of tumours. In our study it has been proven that dogs with a perineal tumour (n = 35) had a mean value of CEA 0.69 ng·ml-1 compared to control dogs (n = 150) with 0.67 ng·ml-1 (P > 0.05). In TPSA dogs with perineal tumour, the mean value of TPSA was 15.86 IU·l-1 vs 13.92 IU·l-1 in the control dogs (P < 0.05). The results of the present study show that there is significant differences in TPSA between control dogs and group of dogs with a perineal tumour. Analysis of oncomarkers is a valuable tool for practitioners within small animal oncology, having an advantage over tissue biomarkers as the measurement procedure is non-invasive and shows dynamic changes of physiological and pathological states before clinical signs appear. Therefore, it may be used for an early detection of cancer.

Perception of User Criteria in the Context of Sustainability of Modern Methods of Construction Based on Wood

Recent developments in the construction industry have brought more efficient and sustainable technologies, technological procedures, and materials. An example of this are modern methods of construction, which offer larger production volumes with a higher quality and shorter procurement time. The goal of those methods is to improve construction sustainability through quality improvement, customer satisfaction, shortened construction time, and reduced environmental impact. The main goal of this research is to demonstrate, by means of theoretical assumptions, surveys, and analyses, the sustainability of modern methods of construction based on wood. The work focuses on identifying the user criteria for construction sustainability. Selected user criteria of construction sustainability are applied in a socio-economic survey whose purpose is to determine how users perceive the efficiency of selected construction systems. We evaluate certain user parameters in the context of sustainability by relying on the users of buildings (family houses) which have already been built and compare the results with declared design parameters.