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The paper analyses the impact of biochar on the volumetric density of the soil, with simultaneous fertilization with an agricultural biogas plant digestate. For the purpose of the research, 10 experimental fields were prepared for the study, in accordance with good agricultural practice. To verify the results, a single-factor variance analysis was performed, which demonstrated a significant differentiation between the dosing of the biochar and the values of the volumetric density of the soil. Using the digestate simultaneously with the biochar addition further increased the disparity in the soil’s volumetric density between the respective biochar doses.

The article presents the possibilities of using time-domain reflectometry (TDR) to determine the temperature and moisture content of mineral soil. The TDR method is based on measuring the time of an electromagnetic impulse’s flow between the source and the obstacle. The reflected signal contains information about the dielectric properties of the tested material, allowing to determine the qualitative and quantitative properties of the material. The tests in question were carried out using a mobile reflectometric device as an electronic temperature and humidity meter. On the basis of the obtained results, the usefulness of reflectometric methods in the study of the temperature and moisture content of mineral soil was determined.

The paper presents work results on optimization of stabilization phase in the biomass composting process. In these studies, it was examined the influence of two doses of ozone (10 and 20 mgO3·dm-3) in the air used for aeration of stabilization. The results showed the ability to reduce compost maturation time by more than 50%. Application of these ozone doses resulted in a reduction of organic matter content in the stabilizer by 30 to 60%, while reduction of moisture in the material by 20%.

The article presents the results of research that focused on the selected physical properties of sulphur waste stabilized in concrete. The influence of replacing part of the cement on the physical properties of concrete was studied in the article. The concrete mixtures was modified by pure waste sulphur in amounts of 10, 20 and 30wt% of the cement. The results show that using sulphur admixture can reduce concrete absorptivity and make concrete more watertight.

Analyzing the global waste management sector, we can see that some waste, due to its specificity, is a major challenge when it comes to its management. This group includes rubber waste and sewage sludge. Both items pose a major threat to the environment and human health. The remedy for this problem may be the solidification process, in which the presented wastes are used as substrates in the production of concrete. The aim of this work was to determine the effect of waste addition to cement in the form of an active additive (sewage sludge) and a passive additive (rubber granulate). An unusual approach to sewage sludge was used, which was introduced as a substitute for water, and not, as in most works, sewage sludge ash. In the case of the second waste, commonly used tire granules were replaced with rubber particles resulting from the fragmentation of conveyor belts. A wide range of the share of additives in the cement mortar was analyzed. The results for the rubber granulate were consistent with numerous publications. For the addition in the form of hydrated sewage sludge, the deterioration of the mechanical properties of concrete was demonstrated. It was found that the flexural strength of the concrete in which water was replaced with hydrated sewage sludge was lower than that of the sample without the addition of sludge. The compressive strength of concrete with the addition of rubber granules was higher than the control sample and did not significantly depend on the amount of granulate used.

Soils enriched with biochar are recommended as a cultivation grounds, especially in case they contain significant amount of sand. However, the interactions between biochar and plants, as well as the influence of the biochar on water retention, cultivation and air properties of soils, are still not obvious. The present study aimed to determine the impact of various biochar doses on soils used for soya cultivation, in comparison to soils maintained as black fallow soil, on their water retention and productivity, for the period of two years. Sunflower husk biochar (BC1) and biochar of leafy trees (BC2), in doses of 0, 40, 60, 80 t·ha -1 , were used for field experiments. The water retention was investigated with porous boards in pressure chambers by a drying method. No differences in the hydrological properties of the soils that were differently managed (black fallow soil, crop) were observed following biochar application. Addition of BC1, in the amounts of 40, 60, and 80 t·ha -1 , caused an increase in the plant available water capacity (AWC) by 15.3%, 18.7%, and 13.3%, respectively, whereas the field capacity (FC) increased by 7.4%, 9.4%, and 8.6% for soils without biochar. Application of BC2 analogously resulted in higher AWC, by 8.97, 17.2%, and 33.1%, respectively, and higher FC by 3.75, 7.5%, and 18.3%, respectively. Increasing the doses of BC1 and BC2, both on black fallow soils and soils enriched with soya, caused a rise in total porosity (TP) and drainage porosity (DP), and a decrease in soil bulk density (SBD). Biochar with a higher total area and higher porosity (BC1) applied to soils with soya cultivation resulted in lower reductions in AW and FC than BC2 in the second year of investigation.

Background: One of the most common causes of heart failure is dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). In DCM, the mortality risk is high and reaches approximately 20% in 5 years. A patient's prognosis should be established for appropriate HF management. However, so far, no validated tools have been available for the DCM population., Methods: The study population consisted of 735 DCM patients: 406 from the derivation cohort (previously described) and 329 from the validation cohort (from 2009 to 2020, with outcome data after a mean of 42 months). For each DCM patient, the individual mortality risk was calculated based on the Krakow DCM Risk Score., Results: During follow-up, 49 (15%) patients of the validation cohort died. They had shown significantly higher calculated 1-to-5-year mortality risks. The Krakow DCM Risk Score yielded good discrimination in terms of overall mortality risk, with an AUC of 0.704-0.765. Based on a 2-year mortality risk, patients were divided into non-high (≤6%) and high (>6%) mortality risk groups. The observed mortality rates were 8.3% ( n = 44) vs. 42.6% ( n = 75), respectively (HR 3.37; 95%CI 1.88-6.05; p < 0.0001)., Conclusions: The Krakow DCM Risk Score was found to have good predictive accuracy. The 2-year mortality risk > 6% has good discrimination for the identification of high-risk patients and can be applied in everyday practice.

The relationship between circulating fibrosis-related molecules and magnetic resonance-assessed cardiac fibrosis in dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is poorly understood. To compare circulating biomarkers between DCM patients with high and low fibrosis burdens, we performed a prospective, single-center, observational study. The study population was composed of 100 DCM patients (87 male, mean age 45.2 ± 11.8 years, mean ejection fraction 29.7% ± 10.1%). Replacement fibrosis was quantified by means of late gadolinium enhancement (LGE), whereas interstitial fibrosis was assessed via extracellular volume (ECV). Plasma concentrations of cardiotrophin-1, growth differentiation factor-15, platelet-derived growth factor, procollagen I C-terminal propeptide, procollagen III N-terminal propeptide, and C-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen were measured. There were 44% patients with LGE and the median ECV was 27.7%. None of analyzed fibrosis serum biomarkers were associated with the LGE or ECV, whereas NT-proBNP was independently associated with both LGE and ECV, and troponin T was associated with ECV. None of the circulating fibrosis markers differentiated between DCM patients with and without replacement fibrosis, or patients stratified according to median ECV. However, cardiac-specific markers, such as NT-proBNP and hs-TnT, were associated with fibrosis. Levels of circulating markers of fibrosis seem to have no utility in the diagnosis and monitoring of cardiac fibrosis in DCM.

Biostabilization is a commonly applied method in mechanical-biological treatment (MBT) plants to process municipal solid waste. In many ways, e.g. by applying additives to waste, MBT plant operators strive to enhance the effectiveness of biostabilization, which leads to reducing the time and energy outlays necessary for the process, as well as to minimizing the amount of final stabilized waste directed to landfills. This paper deals with the impact of digestate waste from agricultural biogas plants used as additive to the biostabilization process of undersized fraction from municipal solid waste (UFMSW) on the intensive phase of the process and properties of stabilized waste. The aim of this study was to assess whether, and if so to what extent, the application of digestate waste affects the process. Five different input compositions were tested (without digestate and with the addition of digestate at: 2.5; 5; 7.5 and 10 wt%). Waste treatment time was 2 weeks. Changes in moisture content, organic matter (OM), respiration activity (AT4), bulk density, air-filled porosity, heavy metal content, pH, carbon to nitrogen ratio, as well as composition of process gases emitted were evaluated. Additionally, microorganisms (including pathogens) inhabiting the processed waste in the aspect of waste sanitation were analyzed. It was found that the addition of digestate at 2.5, 5 and 7.5 wt% extended the duration of the thermophilic phase and decreased the CO 2 content in process gases. The addition of digestate at 2.5 wt% and 5 wt%, decreased also OM by approx. 25% of the initial value and AT4 by approx. 30%. It was also proved that the addition of digestate favors the limited sanitation of UFMSW. As a result of the research, it was found that the addition of digestate at 2.5 wt% and 5 wt% is sufficient to accelerate the aerobic biological degradation of UFMSW., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

In pulmonary hypertension (PH), T wave inversions (TWI) are typically observed in precordial leads V1-V3 but can also extend further to the left-sided leads. To date, the cause and prognostic significance of this extension have not yet been assessed. Therefore, we aimed to assess the relationship between heart morphology and precordial TWI range, and the role of TWI in monitoring treatment efficacy and predicting survival. We retrospectively analyzed patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) treated in a reference pulmonary hypertension center. Patients were enrolled if they had a cardiac magnetic resonance (cMR) and 12-lead surface ECG performed at the time of assessment. They were followed from October 2008 until March 2021. We enrolled 77 patients with PAH and 56 patients with inoperable CTEPH. They were followed for a mean of 51 ± 33.5 months, and during this time 47 patients died (35.3%). Precordial TWI in V1-V6 were present in 42 (31.6%) patients, while no precordial TWI were observed only in 9 (6.8%) patients. The precordial TWI range correlated with markers of PH severity, including right ventricle to left ventricle volume RVEDVLVEDV (R = 0.76, p < 0.0001). The presence of TWI in consecutive leads from V1 to at least V5 predicted severe RV dilatation (RVEDVLVEDV ≥ 2.3) with a sensitivity of 88.9% and specificity of 84.1% (AUC of 0.90, 95% CI = 0.83-0.94, p < 0.0001). Presence of TWI from V1 to at least V5 was also a predictor of mortality in Kaplan-Meier estimation ( p = 0.02). Presence of TWI from V1 to at least V5 had a specificity of 64.3%, sensitivity of 58.1%, negative predictive value of 75%, and positive predictive value of 45.5% as a mortality predictor. In patients showing a reduction in TWI range of at least one lead after treatment compared with patients without this reduction, we observed a significant improvement in RV-EDV and RV-EDVLV-EDV. We concluded that the extension of TWI to left-sided precordial leads reflects significant pathological alterations in heart geometry represented by an increase in RV/LV volume and predicts poor survival in patients with PAH and CTEPH. Additionally, we found that analysis of precordial TWI range can be used to monitor the effectiveness of hemodynamic response to treatment of pulmonary hypertension.

Aims: The aims of this paper were to investigate the analytical performance of the nine prognostic scales commonly used in heart failure (HF), in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), and to develop a unique prognostic model tailored to DCM patients., Methods and Results: The hospital and outpatient records of 406 DCM patients were retrospectively analysed. The information on patient status was gathered after 48.2 ± 32.0 months. Tests were carried out to ascertain the prognostic accuracy in DCM using some of the most frequently applied HF prognostic scales (Barcelona Bio-Heart Failure, Candesartan in Heart Failure-Assessment of Reduction in Mortality and Morbidity, Studio della Streptochinasi nell'Infarto Miocardico-Heart Failure, Eplerenone in Mild Patients Hospitalization and Survival Study in Heart Failure, Meta-Analysis Global Group in Chronic Heart Failure, MUerte Subita en Insuficiencia Cardiaca, Organized Program to Initiate Lifesaving Treatment in Hospitalized Patients With Heart Failure, Seattle Heart Failure Model) and one dedicated to DCM, that of Miura et al. At follow-up, 70 DCM patients (17.2%) died. Most analysed scores substantially overestimated the mortality risk, especially in survivors. The prognostic accuracy of the scales were suboptimal, varying between 60% and 80%, with the best performance from Barcelona Bio-Heart Failure and Seattle Heart Failure Model for 1-5 year mortality [areas under the receiver operating curve 0.792-0.890 (95% confidence interval 0.725-0.918) and 0.764-0.808 (95% confidence interval 0.682-0.934), respectively].Based on our accumulated data, a self-developed DCM prognostic model was constructed. The model consists of age, gender, body mass index, symptoms duration, New York Heart Association class, diabetes mellitus, prior stroke, abnormal liver function, dyslipidaemia, left bundle branch block, left ventricle end-diastolic diameter, ejection fraction, N terminal pro brain natriuretic peptide, haemoglobin, estimated glomerular filtration rate, and pharmacological and resynchronisation therapy. This newly created prognostic model outperformed the analysed HF scales., Conclusions: An analysis of various HF prognostic models found them to be suboptimal for DCM patients. A self-developed DCM prognostic model showed improved performance over the nine other models studied. However, further validation of the prognostic model in different DCM populations is required., (© 2020 The Authors. ESC Heart Failure published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology.)

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) in patients with heart failure (HF) contributes to a poorer prognosis. However, in those with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), the true prevalence and role of PH is unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the profile of DCM patients at various levels of PH risk, determined via echocardiography, and its impact on outcomes. The 502 DCM in- and out-patient records were retrospectively analyzed. Information on patient status was gathered after 45.9 ± 31.3 months. Patients were divided into 3 PH-risk groups based on results from echocardiography measurements: low (L, n = 239, 47.6%), intermediate (I, n = 153, 30.5%), and high (H, n = 110, 21.9%). Symptom duration, atrial fibrillation, ventricular tachyarrhythmia, ejection fraction, right atrial area, and moderate or severe mitral regurgitation were found to be independently associated with PH risk. During the follow-up period, 83 (16.5%) DCM patients died: 29 (12.1%) in L, 31 (20.3%) in I, and 23 (20.9%) in H. L-patients had a significantly lower risk of all-cause death (L to H: HR 0.55 (95%CI 0.32-0.98), p = 0.01), while no differences in prognosis were found between I and H. In conclusion, over one in five DCM patients had a high PH risk, and low PH risk was associated with better prognoses.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). However, the epidemiology as well as clinical and prognostic significance of AF in DCM are poorly defined., Aims: We aimed to assess the impact and prognostic value of AF in DCM as well as to investigate the concept of AF‑induced DCM., Methods: Hospital records of 285 patients with DCM from 2012 to 2018 with follow-up were analyzed., Results: Atrial fibrillation was present in 89 patients (31%). They were older, more frequently male, hadhigher body mass index, New York Heart Association class, heart rate (HR), creatinine levels, and larger atria (all P < 0.05) than patients without AF. During follow‑up (mean [SD], 35 [24] months), death occurred in 20 of the 82 available patients with AF and 22 of the 188 patients without AF (24% and 12%, respectively; P = 0.007). Atrial fibrillation was independently associated with a worse outcome (hazard ratio, 2.4; 95% CI, 1.3-4.3) and was found to be the major cause of DCM in 21 patients (24%). The diagnostic accuracy of the most optimal predictive model for AF‑induced DCM was 0.935 (95% CI, 0.903-0.967). Despite numerical differences, survival was similar in DCM patients with and without AF (P = 0.15)., Conclusions: Almost one‑third of patients with DCM had AF. Most of the parameters analyzed differed between patients with and without AF, and AF was found to be an independent prognostic factor of DCM. One‑fourth of patients with DCM and AF met the diagnostic criteria for AF‑induced DCM.