Multifunctionality of Agriculture: Comments, Case Studies and Areas for Further Research

Agricultural and Food Policy,

The symptomatology of aneurysmal bone cyst : the value of diagnostic imaging

Background: An aneurysmal bone cyst (ABC) is a benign lesion occurring mainly in children. Generally it is found in the metaphyses of long bones and in flat bones. Osteolysis, bone expansion, thinning of the cortex, osseous septa and fluid levels belong to the typical imaging findings in ABC cases. The purpose of the study was to determine the value of imaging methods: plain x-ray films, US, CT and MRI for the diagnosis of aneurysmal bone cyst and to work out the diagnostic algorithm for an ABC suspected on plain radiograms. Material/Methods: The material consists of 72 patients (44 boys, 28 girls) aged 2-23 years (mean age 12 yrs) with bone lesions diagnosed as aneurysmal bone cysts on pathologic examination. In all patients, plain radiographs were performed, in 26 - sonography (US), in 41 - computed tomography (CT), in 8 - magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). All the examinations were analyzed according to own system of evaluation of typical presentation in the particular methods. The histopathological diagnosis was established after biopsy or surgery. Results: The aneurysmal bone cysts were most frequently located in the long bones of the lower limbs (43%), in the long bones of the upper limbs (26.4%) and in flat bones (25%). The localization was mainly in the bone methaphyses (56.6%). On pathological examination, primary ABC was diagnosed in 65.3% of cases, secondary ABC in 23.6%, ABC and concomitant osteitis in 7%, ABC and giant cell tumor in 2.7%, ABC and chondrosarcoma in 1.4%. The application of four methods resulted in 72.2% consistency between diagnostic imaging and pathological examination. In case of only one method used the consistency was 75% for MRI, 63% for CT, 55.4% for plain films and 50% for US. In 100% of misdiagnosed cases there were no septa within osteolytic lesions on plain films, whereas in 43.8% features of malignancy were found. In 53% of misdiagnosed cases no fluid levels were observed on CT and in 69% on US. Conclusions: 1. The diagnosis of aneurismal bone cyst based on plain radiography is possible in cases with typical radiological signs. 2. Application of other methods significantly increases the percentage of correct diagnoses. 3. Lack of fluid levels does not exclude the diagnosis of ABC. 4. Imaging features of malignancy do not exclude the diagnosis of ABC

Analyzing Temperature and Precipitation Influences on Yield Distributions of Canola and Spring Wheat in Saskatchewan

The IPCC indicates that global mean temperature increases of 2°C or more above preindustrial levels negatively affect such crops as wheat. Canadian climate model projections show warmer temperatures and variable rainfall will likely affect Saskatchewan's canola and spring wheat production. Drier weather will have the greatest impact. The major climate change challenges will be summer water availability, greater drought frequencies, and crop adaptation. This study investigates the impact of precipitation and temperature changes on canola and spring wheat yield distributions using Environment Canada weather data and Statistics Canada crop yield and planted area for 20 crop districts over the 1987-2010 period. The moment-based methods (full- and partial-moment-based approaches) are employed to characterize and estimate asymmetric relationships between climate variables and the higher-order moments of crop yields. A stochastic production function and the focus on crop yield's elasticity imply choosing the natural logarithm function as the mean function transformation prior to higher-moment function estimation. Results show that average crop yields are positively associated with the growing season degree-days and pregrowing season precipitation, while they are negatively affected by extremely high temperatures in the growing season. The climate measures have asymmetric effects on the higher moments of crop yield distribution along with stronger effects of changing temperatures than precipitation on yield distribution. Higher temperatures tend t o decrease wheat yields, confirming earlier Saskatchewan studies. This study finds pregrowing season precipitation and precipitation in the early plant growth stages particularly relevant in providing opportunities to develop new crop varieties and agronomic practices to mitigate climate changes

The Use of CSR Measurement Matrix in the Aspect of Sustainable Development

The idea of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) represents the voluntary effort that companies invest in social life. Companies incorporate the concept of CSR strategy in their businesses, knowing its importance to the benefit of the public at large and to sustainable development. Any activity of any major company is exposed to public opinion, which plays a key role in shaping the image of the company. Companies compete to win social trust and acceptance of their activity. The aim of the article was to present the value and significance of CSR activities undertaken by companies, using the example of two businesses, i.e. Polski Koncern Naftowy (PKN) Orlen and Kompania Piwowarska in reference to sustainable development. The article compares the CSR measurement matrix that allows assessing whether a given company is socially responsible, to what extent CSR activities affect the company's stakeholders and to what extent they are consistent with sustainable development (assigning particular CSR development tools by Stakeholders applying the weights from 1 to 3). ISO 26000 standards define the principles of social and environmental responsibility as a guide for organizations and in the analysed companies are a tool that exerts one of the greatest impacts on stakeholders. For both companies, the most important stakeholders are Shareholders and Managers, and they are the ones who, to the largest extent, conduct a socially responsible dialogue for which all CSR development tools are important. Both companies conduct key activities, PKN Orlen used 91% and Kompania Piwowarska 73% of all CSR development tools considered in this study

Practical Approaches and Guidance to Small Business Organization Cyber Risk and Threat Assessments

Cyber-attacks and breaches can occur in any organization type, and the areas of small businesses are not exempt from this nefarious activity. This research note and rapid review provide various cybersecurity tools, guidelines, and frameworks that a small business can consider when embarking on the action to assess its cybersecurity hygiene and defensive stance. The content was pulled together in response to the need for an easy-to-digest approach that a small business utilizes to gain valuable confidence to undertake a self-assessment or third-party review of an organization’s cybersecurity plans. Regarding cybersecurity concerns, doing nothing is not an option, and taking an initial step to review computing, information technology, and data systems practices will only be beneficial in attempting to sustain a business and organization

Związanie polskich sądów wyrokami interpretacyjnymi w kontekście krajowym i europejskim

The study is of a scientific and research nature, devoted to the most characteristic type of operative interpretation related to judicial interpretation. The subject of the research, carried out using the method of dogmatic analysis of law, is the verification of two problems: the binding of the court of first instance to the legal assessments made by the appellate court and the extent to which Polish courts are bound by the judgments of the Court of Justice of the European Union on the interpretation and application of EU regulations. The authors draw attention to the necessity of analyzing the interpretation of regulations, made in the justifications of court decisions. This is very interesting in the context of judicial independence and the great freedom of judges to interpret laws and phenomena. However, it also raises a number of doubts about the extent of the relationship with such freely interpreted content. The scope of the research and the results obtained are international in nature and can be of significant cognitive value to the science and practice of law application.Opracowanie ma charakter naukowo-badawczy i poświęcone jest najbardziej charakterystycznemu rodzajowi wykładni operatywnej związanej z wykładnią sądową. Tematem badań, przeprowadzonych przy użyciu metody dogmatycznej analizy prawa, jest weryfikacja dwóch problemów: związania sądu pierwszej instancji ocenami prawnymi dokonanymi przez sąd odwoławczy oraz zakresu związania polskich sądów wyrokami Trybunału Sprawiedliwości Unii Europejskiej na temat wykładni i stosowania przepisów unijnych. Autorki zwracają uwagę na konieczność analizowania wykładni przepisów dokonanej w uzasadnieniach orzeczeń sądowych. Jest to bardzo ciekawe w kontekście niezawisłości sędziowskiej i dużej swobody sędziów do interpretowania przepisów i zjawisk. Budzi to szereg wątpliwości co do zakresu związania z takimi swobodnie zinterpretowanymi treściami. Zasięg badań i otrzymane wyniki mają charakter międzynarodowy oraz mogą stanowić istotną wartość poznawczą dla nauki i praktyki stosowania prawa

Phenolic Compounds as Cultivar- and Variety-distinguishing Factors in Some Plant Products

The aim of the study was to determine whether phenolic compounds in some varieties of buckwheat, winter and spring barley and peas can be used as factors which distinguish selected cultivars and varieties of plant material. It was observed that the content of total phenolics might be useful as a cultivar-distinguishing factor for all the plant materials analyzed, but it was a distinguishing factor for only some varieties. Individual cultivars and varieties were best distinguished by the content of syringic acid. The levels of syringic and vanillic acids were in reverse proportion to the total amount of phenolics soluble in methanol and a positive correlation between syringic and ferulic acid was observed. Moreover, the protein content of plant material was analyzed and a significant (p ≤ 0.05) correlation between this component and ferulic and vanillic acids was noted

The Effect of Domestic Preparation of Some Potato Products on Acrylamide Content

The influence that food heating has on the concentration of acrylamide in home-cooked potato dishes prepared by high-temperature, such as pan-frying, deep-frying, roasting and microwave heating was analyzed. The experiment was performed with commercially available deep-frozen par-fried French fries and deep-frozen par-fried potato products other than French fries (cubes, wedges, noisettes, pancakes). Acrylamide was found in all deep-frozen par-fried French fries and other deep-frozen par-fried potato products before domestic preparation. The mean level of acrylamide content in all frozen potato products before preparation was found to be 322 μg/kg. Potato products were then prepared at 180 °C for 3 min and at 220 °C for 10 min. After domestic preparation (roasting, pan-frying, deep-frying and microwave heating) it was found that the level of acrylamide in all products increased. Acrylamide content in the analyzed samples significantly increased as the temperature and time of processing increased. The statistical analysis showed significant differences (P < 0.05) for acrylamide content as a function of food preparation. The level of acrylamide increased with the increased heating temperature and heating time. Additionally, the preparation method of roasting was significantly lower in acrylamide content (P < 0.05) than the preparation method of microwaving although both preparation methods used the same conditions (time and temperature). These results suggest that microwaving might be more favourable to the formation of acrylamide than conventional heating methods, such as roasting

Can Family Farms Depend on Price Information? Testing Butter and Curd Price Integration in Poland

This study examines the integration of regional dairy markets in Poland, which is a major European dairy producing country. The analysis of prices is important, as many dairy farmers are members of dairy processing cooperatives, and their incomes are affected by the prices of two popular products: butter and curd. Moreover, the period of study included significant fluctuations in the world market and the termination of the milk quota system in the European Union (EU). The price records used in this study are from the two main milk-producing regions in the country: Northern and Central. The data were tested for stationarity and Granger causality before estimating a Vector Error Correction (VEC) model. Estimation results show that the removal of the milk quota lowered prices of butter and curd in the two regions. The relationships of the prices in both regions for butter markets were nearly perfect during the period January 2010–November 2017, but curd prices were found unintegrated. Impulse response analysis showed that the effect of shocks was mostly absorbed in a two-week period and prices returned to full equilibrium in about four to five weeks. This fast price adjustment indicates that both markets operate properly and no market participant can obtain gains above those offered at equilibrium

The expansion and changing cropping pattern of rapeseed production and biodiesel manufacturing in Poland

Poland depends on imports for its transportation fuel supply and EC renewable energy policy encourages rapeseed conversion into biodiesel. This paper discusses changes in winter rapeseed production following changes in sugar policy, decreased dependence on potato use as feed and food, and the EU 2007–2009 support program for production of oil seeds as biofuel feedstock. We examine whether farm cost efficiency scores differ across Poland's 16 regions between those growing rapeseed and all other farms using Farm Accounting Data Network (FADN) data. Farms growing rapeseed are more cost efficient in all regions, and while regions with long experience in growing rapeseed still dominate the production, rapeseed production is expanding into new areas. Subsidies offered under the EU support program likely initiated expansion and the expansion continues after the program expired. Less efficient farms can be encouraged to enter rapeseed production through farm outreach services and competitive prices in relation to other crops since the available land permits further expansion of this biodiesel feedstock production