Flowering and airborne pollen - a novel statistical approach

The time pattern of flowering significantly affects the pollen season, its beginning, length and the concentration of pollen grains in air. The forecasting models used in aerobiological studies were chiefly based on the elements of weather conditions; however, recently the phenology of pollen shedding has been taken into consideration in these models more and more frequently. The aim of the presented investigations was to determine to what extent the flowering and the occurrence of allergenic pollen grains in air coincided in time. The investigation was carried out in Rzeszów (SE Poland) in the years 2003-2004. The flowering of 19 allergenic plant species was observed and seven phenophases were distinguished. Aerobiological monitoring was based on the volumetric method. In the case of most herbaceous plants, the flowering period overlapped the pollen season, high concentrations of pollen being recorded throughout several phenophases. In general, the pollen of trees occurred during very short periods, frequently during one phenophase, while the investigated phenomena were missing each other. The most intensive growth of inflorescences of alder, hazel and birch was observed at the beginning of full fl owering or towards the end of full flowering

Structure of rise in monthly temperature in Europe as estimated by machine learning

The rise in air temperature is a leading research topic. This is not only from the cognitive point of view, but also for practical reasons because it involves many effects that are dangerous to humans and their activities. Although this is not a new issue, it requires continuous monitoring as well as the application of multiple methods, including the latest, apparently most objective methods offered by, inter alia, artificial intelligence. In the present paper, the authors have undertaken to investigate the structure of the rise in mean monthly air temperatures in Europe using unsupervised machine learning methods. The last 70 years can be divided into two periods, one of which is relatively stable and the second of which shows an evident rise in temperature. The correct determination of the year in which that change occurred is crucial. Mean monthly temperatures in Europe and its direct surroundings were used for this purpose. The data originated from 210 meteorological stations and covered the period 1951-2020. The analysis was performed using the hierarchical clustering and k-means clustering methods. The research was conducted in two phases. The first phase involved the analysis of area-average values, followed by the analysis of each station separately. Clear results were obtained, which confirms the usefulness of machine learning as a tool for monitoring temperature change. The quantitative change in the behavior of monthly temperature recorded from 1950 all over Europe is positioned at 1999, when the linear rise started

Too young for tinder? The palaeoecological context and possible function of subfossil fungi (basidiomes) found in the settlement from the Early Iron Age in Podłęże, S Poland

Two well-preserved fungal remains (basidiomes of polypores Fomes fomentarius and Fomitopsis pinicola) were found in a fossil peatbog in Podłę ̇ze, near Krak ́ow (S Poland), in the context of culture layers dated to the Early Iron Age (mid-1st millennium BCE). Their context, age, and the cause of their occurrence in peat, which is exceptional, are discussed. Due to the location on the outskirts of an inhabited prehistoric settlement and because of the traces of detachment of the upper part in the Fomes fomentarius basidiocarp, we argue for their deposition in the peat layer via a human action. The host trees, however, could have grown in situ, since a drainage episode enabled the peatbog to be overgrown by sparse riparian forest at the onset of the Subatlantic. The possible use of the F. fomentarius fragment as tinder is discussed against the limited evidence of such use from later European prehistory

Long-term variability of occurrence of precipitation forms in winter in Kraków, Poland

The paper discusses long-term change in snowfall, rainfall and mixed precipitation viewed in conjunction with air temperature and North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) in winter (December-February). In the study of contemporary climate change and its effect on the hydrological cycle it is useful to focus on winter precipitation forms. A 146-year secular observation series from Kraków, spanning the period 1863-2008, was used to extract data on the number of days with precipitation and on precipitation amount broken down by form. Statistically significant trends were found in total and mixed precipitation, but not in snowfall and rainfall. The climate warming effect has contributed to a material decrease in the snowfall to total winter precipitation ratio during the second half of the 20th c. The highest impact of air temperature was found in the wintertime variation in number of days with snowfall while the NAO had a significant influence on the frequency and amount of both rainfall and snowfall

Selected economic factors impacting tourist travel in Poland between 2000 and 2012 and a forecast for 2013–2017

The paper presents an analysis of tourist travel in Poland during the 2000–2012 time period and predictions for years 2013–2017. Since 2000 the amount of travelling Polish citizens has declined. Various factors may have impacted this state of matters e.g. the economic crisis or increasing the VAT rate. The biggest decline in tourist travel was observed between 2007 and 2009 and in 2011. On the other hand, the factor which increased the number of visits between 2007 and 2009 may have been the Euro 2012 championship, organized by both Poland and Ukraine. The paper presents a “eurosensitivity” factor, which describes the increase in people visiting selected voivodeships during 2012, primarily due to the Euro 2012 championship. According to the calculations, the voivodeship which benefited from the highest increase was Małopolska. The article also presents an estimation of travel for years 2013–2017

Systematic Bias of Radiocarbon Method

Systematic bias of dates can became statistically significant regarding the growing global number of dates connected with the calibration curve plateau. For example, samples of true age in the span 800-700 BC are dated to be roughly 100 younger, on average. The curve of expected bias for a given age is presented. To avoid such a bias, the Bayesian paradigm probably must be modified in some way.The Radiocarbon archives are made available by Radiocarbon and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact [email protected] for further information.Migrated from OJS platform February 202

A 14C Electronic Measurement System with a Microcomputer

From the 12th International Radiocarbon Conference held in Trondheim, June 24-28, 1985.Even though the reliability of equipment has improved, the quality of measurement should still be checked. This task may be performed by a microcomputer with the physicist's intervention only when an error in measurement is detected.This material was digitized as part of a cooperative project between Radiocarbon and the University of Arizona Libraries.The Radiocarbon archives are made available by Radiocarbon and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact [email protected] for further information.Migrated from OJS platform February 202