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The research aims to identify changes in the biometric measurements and demographic structure of game ducks living on Lake Engure. Game management in Latvia as well as the entire Northern Europe is an important segment of the economy, which has rich and ancient traditions. Although a small segment of society perceives game management as the killing of animals, which is not the case, it should be understood that it represents an economic activity resulting in limiting the animal population, which can increase rapid...

The drainage challenges of a large settlement encompass both urban areas and adjacent agricultural and industrial zones. Surface runoff from increasingly impermeable subcatchments flows into the underground gravitational closed conduits drainage network of the settlement during rapid storm events, a phenomenon effectively modeled using hydrodynamic simulation tools such as SWMM. Meanwhile, excess precipitation water that fails to infiltrate the soil accumulates predominantly on agricultural lands outside the settl...

This research investigates the increasing use of alternative fuels in internal combustion engines, a phenomenon that has experienced significant growth in recent decades due to the heightened interest in reducing atmospheric pollution. Although the pollution level associated with alternative fuels is generally lower compared to fossil fuels, it is essential to emphasize that the pollutant impact of alcohol-based fuels depends on various factors, such as engine technology, mixture composition, fuel quality, and usa...

Today about 10% of Latvia's territory is occupied by peatlands (645,100 ha), but the extraction of peat happens in only 4% (25,739 ha) of the total. In regulatory documents peat bogs are mentioned as having a very high probability of flammability (in the context of climate change and other natural elements: drought, heat, lightning and deliberate or unintentional human activity). This indicates the need to improve fire safety by conducting research and improving regulatory frameworks. The aim of the study was to a...

The optimal solution of intensification and ecologisation of agricultural production is achieved in adaptive-landscape farming systems. To solve the problems of adaptive landscape agriculture, classical methods of soil-landscape mapping and new methods of remote diagnostics of intra-field heterogeneity were combined to identify features that will further improve the efficiency of producing maps of groups and types of land and increase their accuracy. Identification of the spectral characteristics of groups and typ...

On the background of regional climate changes, an increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme droughts has been observed in many regions of Europe in recent years, and this trend is expected to continue in the future. While common in southern Europe, including Bulgaria, drought can adversely affect human life and economic activities. Extreme droughts lead to water scarcity, restricting the availability of irrigation water for agricultural purposes. In the regions where irrigation is vital for sustaining cro...

This thesis studies the impact of the addition of two types of enzymes: Rohapect PTE-100 and Pectinase to 6 varieties of apple, grown in the Valea Dambovi?ei area in order to improve the quality of apple juice. The 6 apple varieties used are: Sirus, Florina, Red Topaz, Golden, Starkrimson and Rozela. Thanks to the new varieties planted, and the use of modern technology, the production of apples has increased, and the apples are used fresh or processed in the form of natural juice as such or mixed with other fruits...

The paper outlines the process of data collection and processing undertaken to develop a digital twin of the central region of Bratislava city, focused on evaluating its capacity for generating solar and wind energy on an urban scale. Data sources included airborne laser scanning, provided as 3D point clouds, older existing polygonal 3D models, and other available map documents, which were processed to generate a comprehensive polygonal model with semantic information across different layers as buildings, vegetati...

The dynamics of human society is directly related to the dependence on automation, and we can no longer produce almost anything without industrial automation. Automation is often associated with the industrial field, but automation has penetrated many areas of everyday life. Domains such as environmental protection, global trade, car, naval or rail traffic (increasingly intense), agriculture, construction and last but not least the medical field are some examples in which automation is present and in which they ha...

Brown Coal Research Institute j. v. c. (VUHU) from July 2023, together with scientific teams from several European countries, participates as part of the EU research program in the solution of the REECOL project, which deals with the reclamation of areas affected by mining in European coal basins. This paper includes the results achieved in the preparation of the first sub-research report of the project, which deals with degraded soils. On the basis of archival data and own research, the concept of "soil degradati...

There is a worldwide ecological problem of anthropogenic eutrophication. The problem is especially serious one for the ecosystems of lakes, water-storage basins, and closed seas, such as the Baltic Sea. The eastern part of the sea is the Neva Bay. The water area is totally located within the administrative border of St. Petersburg and is influenced by the megacity. There is monitoring of the total nitrogen and phosphorus inflow into the Neva Bay with water of the Neva River and its spill streams. Nevertheless, the...

Heat pumps are important due to their efficiency and a target of climate neutrality. They also reduce the emissions of carbon dioxide. This article deals with the smart mini hybrid heat pump, which is planned to use for heat gain in summer, energy accumulation in the ground storage, and further consumption in winter. This heat pump can get heat from the surroundings or solar collectors. Heat pump water-water has been used in this article. Its input and output parameters were measured, a coefficient of performance ...

Hydrological droughts are formed by different processes, but how strong and heterogeneous they are, leading to different manifestation and characteristics of the droughts. Droughts have no distinct starting date, but different methods gives a course of action that may help to identify dry signals and possible drought conditions for early warning. We choose hydrological drought indices that are applicable for Bulgarian conditions. Using statistical methods, minimum flow, deficits and spatial characteristics can be ...

With the development of food production technologies, the consumers attention has turned to products with specific nutritional and health-promoting properties. For this necessity, today's manufacturers have turned their attention to fortified foods, and a raw material that is found in great diversity and that can be used to enrich food is represented by mushrooms. The purpose of this study consists in determining how the addition of different concentrations of crued polysaccharides extracted from mushrooms and add...

In 2023, 18.3 GW of new wind energy conversion capacity was installed in Europe; most of them (79%) represent onshore capacities. Most of this energy production is achieved with horizontal axis wind turbines. For this type of turbine, the location of the transmission coupled with an electric generator or a hydraulic group, in the turbine platform, leads to a significant increase in the mass of the platform, and implicitly in the mass of the pillar that supports the turbine. In addition, turbine maintenance becomes...

The soils from the central part of Sredna Gora Mountain in Bulgaria were studied aiming to establish the occurrence of contemporal soil forming processes occured in the forest ecosystem. Soils were analyzed to determine the carbon content, the soil organic matter composition and the total soil acidity. The precise soil classification based on the detail morphological diagnostic was carried out. The ecological conditions in forest ecosystem determine the mode of humic substances in the studies soils. Soils are char...

The recent advances in current status and major mechanisms of water quality worsening, assessment of evaluation criteria and the influencing factors were reviewed. The changes in the atmosphere, the periodicity of the occurrence of extreme hydrological situations has been increasing in recent years. In the natural conditions of Slovakia, periods without rain are lengthening and the incidence of precipitation of extreme intensity and abundance is increasing. Hydrological extremes are generally manifested in the for...

The increasing focus on sustainability necessitates the examination of environmental impacts across all sectors, including pyrotechnics. Pollutant emissions have been extensively studied, but information on sustainability in the pyrotechnics sector is scarce. Thus, a Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) to study two widely used pyrotechnic devices: bangers and shells was carried out, in order to analyze the environmental footprint and detect points where action can be taken. Using SimaPro software and the Product Environment...

Construction using 3D printer technology seems to be not just a passing trend and a growing number construction companies are approaching this new construction methodology. Although construction processes with printers are becoming standardized, it is also true that many other aspects must be considered in the design phase. Better this construction methodology becomes known, more architects and engineers will have to learn how to design these constructions, in the methods of statics, systems, etc. A very important...

In climate change, drought, and water scarcity, the natural functioning of river systems largely depends on the proper distribution of water resources. Accurate determination of hydrological characteristics is essential for the sustainable management of water resources and provides information on the status and potential of water systems. Water management must be implemented in such a way as to meet the needs of man and the economy. At the same time, measures are taken to protect the quantitative characteristics o...

Micromorphological features of salt-affected soils in the Cis-Baikal and Trans-Baikal regions (south of East Siberia, Russia) are considered. When studying morphogenesis of these soils, pedofeatures of soluble salts and gypsum serve as indicators of modern and former stages of soil formation. Comparative-geographical, micromorphological, and chemical methods have been applied to study soil salinization. Chemical analyses attest to the presence of gypsum and soluble salts in solonchaks of both regions. However, the...

During summer-autumn 2023 hydrophysical, hydrochemical, and hydrobiological measurements had been done on six small upland Armenian lakes. For the first time colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) and methane (CH4) - emission were observed. Studied lakes are on 1479-3312 m a.s., has maximal depth up to 12 m with groundwater springs input. Anoxic conditions were noticed on the lake bottom in August but changed to oxygen in October. Conductivity range was 0-231 ?S cm-1, TDS - 3-102 mg l-1, pH - 6.4-9.4 for surfaces...

This review provides an overview of the diversity of macromycetes (fungi with visible fruiting bodies) in Mtirala national park beech forests, highlighting their ecological roles and significance within these ecosystems. Mtirala National Park is a protected area in Adjara region, Western Georgia. It is part of the Colchic Rainforests and Wetlands, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Mtirala National Park Colchic broad-leaved and mixed forests include sweet chestnut and Oriental beech woods. Mount Mtirala is one of the m...

The core insulators of vacuum insulation panels are mostly made from inorganic raw materials with a high SiO2 content, either in the form of nanoparticles or microfibers, while the proportion of organics is usually up to 3 %. The contribution is devoted to the study of reaction to fire in hybrid insulation materials made from a combination of nano SiO2-based particulate raw materials and organic-based fibrous raw materials, where the total proportion of organics is significantly greater than 3 %. Considering that ...

Old buildings, in particular, those coming from the first half of 20th century often suffer with increased dampness in masonry coming from different sources. Some of them, however, have aesthetically rendered valued facades which are worth saving. For the design of new alternative mortars for renovation interventions, it is essential to obtain properties of original renders. Mechanical properties of mortars are in general assessed on standardized test samples; however, this approach cannot be always well applicabl...

The high risk of natural disasters to which Ilha de Mocambique (IM) and its Buffer Zone (BZ) are naturally exposed and the demographic explosion it has suffered increased the loss of ecological wealth, biodiversity and the mischaracterization of the cultural identity it holds. Thus, there are required urgent measures for its values safeguard, preservation and valorization. The primary objective of this proposal is to improve the sustainability of IM and BZ enhancing its development trough landscape and urban plann...

In isolated areas without access to the grid where it is necessary to operate certain equipment, such as the operation of a valve in a mining area or some gates on a irrigation canals, an installation with fotovoltaic supply can be used. Considering the intermittent operation regime of the driven equipment, a solar-powered drive installation can be designed, and by storing the energy in a battery, operation can be ensured during the night as well. Thus, the PV power system must be sized (PV peak power, battery and...

The purpose of this research is to conduct a research on soil pollution in the village of Koshtove (Mitrovica/Kosovo), from the sanitary landfill, in this landfill all waste from the cities of Mitrovica, Vushtria and Skenderaj are collected. The growth of population and industry also increases the amount of waste, this study aims to study the level of soil pollution from the sanitary landfill of Koshtova, the village in the western part of the city of Mitrovica. This area has been clean, by the river Iber, the con...

One of the main monitored parameters related to road traffic safety is the visibility of road facilities and how they are perceived by drivers. Areas where visibility is suddenly limited, or where road sections become unclear due to inadequate design and technological arrangements, pose significant safety risks. Monitoring the optical properties of the applied coating surface, particularly its retroreflection and colour, is crucial for traffic safety. The paper describes research leading to the design of a system ...

The increasing flow of traffic passing through cities on a daily basis, especially those cities that have a difficult situation with bypass, raises concerns about the air quality in sections of the transport corridors, as well as in the city as a whole. Heavy metal pollution is a serious environmental concern, especially in urban and suburban areas where vehicle emissions contribute to air and soil pollution. The aim of the study is to assess the extent of heavy metal contamination in snow samples collected at dif...

This paper outlines the methodology of a technical due diligence preparation for the reconsolidation process of an abandoned building. The structure highlighted in this paper is an existing but incomplete building that has been abandoned for more than over a decade. For this study a technical due diligence was performed to assess the current condition of the asset presented on the next chapters of this paper. A technical due diligence represent the research and analysis discovery process which helps to collect ess...

The result of the survey carried out on the territory of the Sofia-city municipality is presented, in relation to the application of the Program for the protection, sustainable use and restoration of soils as a limited and non-renewable natural resource. The obtained data on the Chomic Luvisols nearby the area of Kremikovtsi debate the basic physical and chemical soil characteristics. The priority task on the soil protection in the region aimed at the sustainable development, restoration and improvement of the soi...

This paper presents the experimental evaluation of the effectiveness of a newly developed two-coat system (TCS) for the protection and repair of concrete. The optimized system consists of a penetrating layer of modified low-viscosity resin of BPA (bisphenol A) type and a top coat based on aliphatic polyisocyanate resin of HDI (hexametyl diisocyanate) type. TCS was applied to reference concrete specimens, which were subjected to various tests to evaluate their basic physical properties, mechanical strength, hygric ...

Green tea-based food supplements are very attractive to a large group of consumers and make an important contribution to maintaining good health. In order to preserve the nutritional value of supplements of this type, pesticide and plant growth hormones-free green tea is used as raw material. Choosing the best sweeteners in this case is an important part of scientific research, especially for consumers with certain digestive conditions. The aim of this paper is to successfully identify the best way to sweeten gree...

This study aimed to investigate carbon storage dynamics in pure pine, oak, and mixed forests within a one-hectare area. Tree samples were collected to measure their weight, size, and density. Each type of forest was estimated how much carbon is hold per hectare. The findings revealed significant differences in carbon storage capacities among them. Pure oak forests emerged as the top carbon reservoirs, with 57% of their trees' mass comprising carbon. Pure pine forests followed closely with 51% carbon storage. Inter...

The article describes the design process for a low-cost aerial delivery system (LCADS) that is a one-time use, disposable, airdrop system consisting of cargo parachute and container. The parachute systems is developed for military resupply missions and for humanitarian relief efforts in areas where ground supply and/or recovery of airdrop equipment is difficult or not feasible. LCADS consists primarily of three types of cargo parachutes capable of supporting and delivering in a wide range of weights, from 70kg up ...

Hydraulic conductivity (KS) is a critical parameter used in soil and land research, essential for accurate hydrological modelling. This study endeavours to compare assessments of KS across designated sites near the Czech Republic - Poland border using a range of measurement techniques, with the aim of establishing their reliability and variability for modelling applications. The investigation spans the determination of permeability from grain size curves, KS estimation via field infiltration tests employing the do...

A classical approach to the assessment of the available water resources for different users, including environmental, in Europe is the Catchment Abstraction Management Strategy (CAMS). An assessment has to be made of the extent, to which natural runoff regime could be changed without affecting the sustainable functioning of the environment. The aim of the Restoring Sustainable Abstraction (RSA) is to identify over-abstraction in rivers and wetland sites and make the abstraction sustainable again. In this regard, t...

The lignocellulosic biomass is produced worldwide in large quantities, which may contribute to environmental changes, global warming, wildfires, ocean and sea level rise. Recent research demonstrated efficacy of the thermal reconversion of black liquor, which represents a waste resulted from wood Kraft pulping, into gaseous (syngas), liquid (bio-oil) and solid (bio-char) final products through the pyrolysis process. This review describes the physical chemical and energy features of black liquor required for its va...

Technological advance has assured humanity-s desire to increase its quality of life, anyway humanity is currently confronted with several global challenges, their complexity bases on their interconnectedness, and on fast changes in technological field. Present space activities are directed to explore the potential of diverse celestial bodies to have hosted life. In this context the Moon Village Association, MVA has as its main objective creating a global informal forum for governments, industry, academia for debat...

Reproducing the hydrological process of river runoff is a fundamental part of water resources planning and management. Finding a mathematical model to reproduce the runoff time series aims not only to extract maximum information from the limited available data, but also to extrapolate into the future by representatively generating the historical runoff process. Almost all management decisions are based on forecasts. Our present is characterized by the increasingly frequent occurrence of hydrometeorological process...

Water pollution from untreated wastewater discharge is a major public health concern in the ancient city of Bukhara, Uzbekistan. The city lacks adequate wastewater treatment facilities, leading to the release of contaminated water into the environment. This has resulted in the deterioration of water quality in local water bodies, posing serious risks to human health. One of the primary sources of pollution is the discharge of domestic and industrial wastewater into the Shavkat aria canal, which flows through the c...

The Danube has been a traditional trade route in Europe since ancient times. Transport on the Danube has many economic and environmental advantages. By using the river as a transport route, logistics costs can be reduced, and delivery times optimized. Another feature of the Danube is its connection to the North Sea and maritime transport via the Rhine-Main-Danube Canal. In addition, waterborne transport produces less carbon dioxide than road or rail transport, helping to reduce environmental impact and promote sus...

Waste management is a current and future challenge due to the increasing volume of waste. The amount of waste generated directly correlates with production and consumption patterns. The current level of natural resource utilization exceeds the Earth's capacity for replenishment. Therefore, humanity must take action to mitigate the consequences of rampant natural resource consumption. One way to achieve this goal is to increase the level of waste recycling. However, the amount of waste actually recycled is signific...

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of several extraction methods on the content of bioactive compounds of polyphenolic structure and antioxidant properties of petals from marigold flowers (Calendula officinalis). Ethanolic extracts prepared using maceration, turbo-extraction and bead-beating techniques were investigated for total phenolics, flavonoids and tannins, and antioxidant activities as measured by FRAP and DPPH assays, as well. The results showed that the highest phenolic content (1316.367...

Gypsum composites are promising building materials, but they have disadvantages such as low strength and water resistance. To improve these properties, a self-reinforcement method can be used, where the gypsum matrix is reinforced with crystals other than gypsum. One type of such crystals is ettringite. To obtain a self-reinforced gypsum composite, it is necessary to maintain a high pH environment and sufficient ions to form ettringite. In this work high-calcium fly ash, which is a waste product of coal combustion...

Biochar can be used as an alternative and efficient adsorbent for organic and inorganic pollutants. Therefore, based on previous study in which, a biochar loaded with mixed metal oxides of iron, tin or titanium catalysts results as a by-product of levulinic esters synthesis from biomass carbohydrates, this paper aim was to test this residue as biochar for the retention of phosphate from water samples. The obtained adsorbents based on Fe2O3-SnO2 and Fe2O3-La2O3-TiO2 were characterized by FT-IR and TGA analyses. The...

This manuscript presents the comprehensive chemical and physical analysis of two types of biomass ashes derived from power and heat generation in order to highlight their positive parameters and properties and to propose the way for their safe reuse in the production of building materials. The analysis of biomass ashes included the assessment of chemical composition, dry matter content, loss on ignition, particle size distribution, Blaine fineness, dry powder density, specific density, pozzolanic activity, SEM mor...

The masonry moisture sanation process does not end, when the building job is over. This article contains results from long-term measurements of moisture levels in underground areas of several old buildings. These results can help in diagnostics and design of repairs in other buildings.

In this paper, the magnesium alloy NZ30K alloyed with 0.1 wt. % Ag and clad with a 900 nm thick silver layer. It has been found that in the Ringer-Locke solution, the cylindrical sample underwent contact corrosion over the entire surface and crevice corrosion at the transition from the cylindrical to the flat part, which caused the coating delamination from the alloy under the mechanical action of hydrogen "bubbles" formed at the cathodic areas and corrosion products in the crevice, which have a higher specific vo...