Światowe Dni Młodzieży w archidiecezji łódzkiej

W dniach 26–31.07.2016 r. w Krakowie odbyły się Światowe Dni Młodzieży (ŚDM). W tygodniu poprzedzającym to wydarzenie na terenie wszystkich diecezji w Polsce miały miejsce tzw. Dni w Diecezjach. W związku z tym również do archidiecezji łódzkiej przyjechały rzesze młodych katolików z całego świata. Niniejszy rozdział poświęcony jest charakterystyce tego wyjątkowego międzynarodowego festiwalu religijnego oraz próbie oceny jego wpływu na turystykę w regionie łódzkim

Properties of Recurrent Equations for the Full-Availability Group with BPP Traffic

The paper proposes a formal derivation of recurrent equations describing the occupancy distribution in the full-availability group with multirate Binomial-Poisson-Pascal (BPP) traffic. The paper presents an effective algorithm for determining the occupancy distribution on the basis of derived recurrent equations and for the determination of the blocking probability as well as the loss probability of calls of particular classes of traffic offered to the system. A proof of the convergence of the iterative process of estimating the average number of busy traffic sources of particular classes is also given in the paper

World Youth Day 2016 in the Archdiocese of Lodz: An Example of the Eventization of Faith

The organization of numerous religious mass events of international, or even global, reach is a phenomenon of the early 21st century. It is sometimes termed “eventization of faith”. This article presents a multifaceted analysis of the initial stage of the World Youth Day in 2016, which took place in the Archdiocese of Łódź (Poland). While multiple scholarly publications have been written about World Youth Day (WYD) itself, its first part of preparatory nature, the so-called “Days in Dioceses”, has not been studied yet. The authors of this paper used a wide array of research methods, such as participant observation, questionnaire (offcial statistics concerning 10,000 pilgrims), pilot survey (258 respondents), and analysis of media reports (over 100 films and 30 articles). The analysis of the organizational method of such a major religious event leads to a conclusion that it is a complex logistic undertaking, which requires professional preparation and implementation by a team of specialists in different fields as well as an army of deeply involved volunteers and public services employees. Over 10.2 thousand young pilgrims (mostly at the age of 15–29) participated in the youth meeting in the Archdiocese of Łódź; apart from spiritual motives (strengthening faith, meeting Pope Francis, following in the footsteps of St. John Paul II) they exhibited strong social (willingness to be in the community of believers, making new friends), recreational and tourist (visiting Poland) needs as well. In view of the hermetic and low-budget character of World Youth Day, its impact on the economy of the region was deemed negligible. Above all, the event played a promotional and image-building part, which perhaps in the years to come will result in an increase in visits of foreign tourists to Łódź

Clinical Characteristics, Treatment, and Short-Term Outcome in Patients with Heart Failure and Cancer.

(1) Our study aimed to look at the clinical characteristics, treatment and short-term outcomes of patients hospitalized due to heart failure with coexisting cancer. (2) Methods: Seventy one cancer (Ca) patients and a randomly selected 70 patients without Ca, hospitalized due to heart failure exacerbation in the same time period constituted the study group (Ca patient group) and controls (non-Ca group), respectively. Data on clinical characteristics were collected retrospectively for both groups. (3) Results: Cancer patients presented with a less advanced NYHA class, had more frequent HFpEF, a higher peak troponin T level, and smaller left atrium size, as compared with controls. The in-hospital deaths of Ca patients were associated with: a higher New York Heart Association (NYHA) class, lower HgB level, worse renal function, higher K and AST levels, presence of diabetes mellitus, and HFpEF. By multivariate logistic regression analysis, impaired renal function was the only independent predictor of in-hospital death in Ca patients (OR-1.15; CI 1.05; 1.27); p = 0.017). The following covariates entered the regression: NYHA class, HgB, GFR, K+, AST, diabetes mellitus t.2, and HFpEF. (4) Conclusions: The clinical picture and the course of heart failure in patients with and without cancer are different

The contribution of amber to heritage tourism development

This article explores the relationship between amber and heritage tourism, utilizing Poland as an illustrative context. Amber, a form of fossilized resin, holds significant importance across a multitude of fields, such as science, culture, and economy, having been used as a material by artists, craftsmen, and jewelers for centuries. Today, amber draws visitors to locations where it is found and to institutions that display amber collections, such as museums and galleries. Furthermore, it is an essential component of various events, including exhibitions, fairs, and amber fishing competitions. Amber also forms the foundation of many tourist routes, such as the renowned Amber Route. Owing to its deep ties with cultural heritage, amber is considered a central attraction within amber-based heritage tourism. This paper examines the current contribution of amber to the development of heritage tourism. The authors conducted a literature analysis, online source queries, evaluations of institutions (e.g., museums), and personal observations to address the topic. The article is divided into eight sections, each highlighting different aspects of the investigated subject, ultimately suggesting an adaptation of Timothy and Boyd’s (2003) model to illustrate the development of amber-based heritage tourism

A bio-inspired microstructure induced by slow injection moulding of cylindrical block copolymers.

It is well known that block copolymers with cylindrical morphology show alignment with shear, resulting in anisotropic mechanical properties. Here we show that well-ordered bi-directional orientation can be achieved in such materials by slow injection moulding. This results in a microstructure, and anisotropic mechanical properties, similar to many natural tissues, making this method attractive for engineering prosthetic fibrous tissues. An application of particular interest to us is prosthetic polymeric heart valve leaflets, mimicking the shape, microstructure and hence performance of the native valve. Anisotropic layers have been observed for cylinder-forming block copolymers centrally injected into thin circular discs. The skin layers exhibit orientation parallel to the flow direction, whilst the core layer shows perpendicularly oriented domains; the balance of skin to core layers can be controlled by processing parameters such as temperature and injection rate. Heart valve leaflets with a similar layered structure have been prepared by injection moulding. Numerical modelling demonstrates that such complex orientation can be explained and predicted by the balance of shear and extensional flow.This is the author-accepted manuscript. It will be under embargo for 12 months after publication. The final version of this article is published by RSC in Soft Matter and can be found here: http://pubs.rsc.org/en/Content/ArticleLanding/2014/SM/C4SM00884G#!divAbstract

KnotProt: a database of proteins with knots and slipknots

The protein topology database KnotProt, http://knotprot.cent.uw.edu.pl/, collects information about protein structures with open polypeptide chains forming knots or slipknots. The knotting complexity of the cataloged proteins is presented in the form of a matrix diagram that shows users the knot type of the entire polypeptide chain and of each of its subchains. The pattern visible in the matrix gives the knotting fingerprint of a given protein and permits users to determine, for example, the minimal length of the knotted regions (knot's core size) or the depth of a knot, i.e. how many amino acids can be removed from either end of the cataloged protein structure before converting it from a knot to a different type of knot. In addition, the database presents extensive information about the biological functions, families and fold types of proteins with non-trivial knotting. As an additional feature, the KnotProt database enables users to submit protein or polymer chains and generate their knotting fingerprint

Fluid dynamic characterization of a polymeric heart valve prototype (Poli-Valve) tested under continuous and pulsatile flow conditions.

PURPOSE: Only mechanical and biological heart valve prostheses are currently commercially available. The former show longer durability but require anticoagulant therapy; the latter display better fluid dynamic behavior but do not have adequate durability. New Polymeric Heart Valves (PHVs) could potentially combine the hemodynamic properties of biological valves with the durability of mechanical valves. This work presents a hydrodynamic evaluation of 2 groups of newly developed supra-annular, trileaflet prosthetic heart valves made from styrenic block copolymers (SBC): Poli-Valves. METHODS: 2 types of Poli-Valves made of SBC and differing in polystyrene fraction content were tested under continuous and pulsatile flow conditions as prescribed by ISO 5840 Standard. A pulse duplicator designed ad hoc allowed the valve prototypes to be tested at different flow rates and frequencies. Pressure and flow were recorded; pressure drops, effective orifice area (EOA), and regurgitant volume were computed to assess the behavior of the valve. RESULTS: Both types of Poli-Valves met the minimum requirements in terms of regurgitation and EOA as specified by the ISO 5840 Standard. Results were compared with 5 mechanical heart valves (MHVs) and 5 tissue heart valves (THVs), currently available on the market. CONCLUSIONS: Based on these results, PHVs based on styrenic block copolymers, as are Poli-Valves, can be considered a promising alternative for heart valve replacement in the near future.This work was funded by the British Heart Foundation, New Horizons grant NH/11/4/29059.This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from Wichtig Publishing via http://dx.doi.org/10.5301/ijao.500045

Single Hysteresis Model for Limited-availability Group with BPP Traffic, Journal of Telecommunications and Information Technology, 2013, nr 3

This paper presents a single hysteresis model for limited-availability group that are offered Erlang, Engset and Pascal traffic streams. The occupancy distribution in the system is approximated by a weighted sum of occupancy distributions in multi-threshold systems. Distribution weights are obtained on the basis of a specially constructed Markovian switching process. The results of the calculations of radio interfaces in which the single hysteresis mechanism has been implemented are compared with the results of the simulation experiments. The study demonstrates high accuracy of the proposed model