REPOSITORY
THE NICOLAUS COPERNICUS UNIVERSITY
IN TORUŃ
is an institutional repository of Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń. The task of the Repository is to promote scientific achievements and research conducted at NCU and to support teaching.
Recent Submissions
Kujawsko-Pomorska Biblioteka Cyfrowa i zasoby cyfrowe
(2016) Bednarek-Michalska, Bożena
Calcium carbonate casein-based composite microspheres with mycogenic copper nanoparticles as plant growth promoters and anti-phytopathogenic agents
(IOP Publishing, 2026-09-09) Nadrowska, Julia; Trzcińska-Wencel, Joanna; Golińska, Patrycja; Wiśniewski, Marek; Shende, Sudhir; Gade, Aniket
Nanotechnology offers a promising approach by enabling slower, controlled release of fertilizer, improving nutrient uptake, and reducing the overall quantity of fertilizer needed, compared to conventional chemical fertilizers, which are often inefficient, require intensive application, and often lead to nutrient leaching into the soil. Copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) were synthesized using Fusarium graminearum autolysate, then complexed with casein micelles (CuMC), and subsequently CuMC were encapsulated within calcium carbonate composite microspheres (CuMS). Maize was treated with Hoagland solution containing a copper source substituted with CuNPs, CuMC, or CuMS. After 30 d, the plantlets were harvested, their length and fresh and dry weight were measured, and copper content and leaf chlorophyll content were assessed. CuNPs were spherical, small, negatively charged, showing a cubic phase structure, with biomolecules on their surface, and exhibited promising antimicrobial activity. CuMC were spherical with an average diameter of 133.65 nm, while CuMS were mesoporous with a mean size of 1.09 μm. The treatment of maize with CuMC increased the fresh weight of stems and roots by 15%–20%, while CuMS increased the fresh weight of leaves, stems, and roots, as well as the dry weight of leaves by 14%–32%. Application of CuNPs, CuMC, and CuMS resulted in higher chlorophyll content (9%–24%), whereas CuNPs treatment increased copper concentration (15%–42%). CuMC and calcium carbonate CuMS serve as effective carrier materials that encapsulate CuNPs and slow their degradation rate. CuNPs-based composites enhance maize growth and increase chlorophyll content, demonstrating great potential as environmentally friendly nanofertilizers for agricultural applications.
Disputes Between Cities Over Transnational Inter-City Agreements
(Instytyt Studiów Politycznych PAN, 2026-06-26) Szpak, Agnieszka
This article examines disputes arising from the implementation or interpretation of transnational inter-city agreements, such as sister city or partnership accords. Although these agreements lack binding legal force under international law, they often employ legalistic language and include provisions for resolving disputes through consultation and negotiation. Through legal analysis and case studies, the article highlights that conflicts – frequently tied to historical memory, human rights, or foreign policy – are resolved politically rather than legally, often via unilateral action by local governments. While framed as tools for cultural cooperation, these agreements may become symbols of political alignment. The study addresses a gap in the literature by determining how cities resolve disputes arising from the interpretation or implementation of transnational inter-city (sister/twin) agreements and whether such conflicts exhibit characteristics of legal or purely political resolution. The manuscript is aimed at filling a research gap, by highlighting the underdeveloped area of disputes in sister cities agreements between the municipalities.
Kilka uwag o kotach w (nie tylko) klasycznej literaturze japońskiej na kanwie książki Anny Zalewskiej "O czarnym kocie cesarza i inne opowieści. Koty w dawnej literaturze japońskiej"
(Uniwersytet Gdański, 2023) Bednarczyk, Adam
This article discusses Anna Zalewska’s book O czarnym kocie cesarza i inne opowieści. Koty w dawnej literaturze japońskiej [On the Emperor’s Black Cat and Other Tales: Cats in Old Japanese Literature] published in 2022 by the Manggha Museum of Japanese Art and Technology in Kraków.
The book is probably the first publication outside of Japan that so extensively presents Japanese felinographic topics from the perspective of literary and cultural studies. This study is an anthologized monograph, which treats cats in Japan in a cross-sectional manner (historically, genologically, semantically) up to the beginning of the Meiji period. The article emphasizes that through the stories about cats included in the book, one can also learn much about the people and the times in which they lived. Many of the literary works selected show representations of the cat that we already know, but also those that we have not yet known. This certainly enriches the way we look at these animals that live so closely with humans. The critical overview of the sources undoubtedly confirms the author’s claim set out in the preface that cats appear to be relatively common in old Japanese literature.