Reconstruction of strains with a non-smooth distribution and temperature using optical fiber Bragg grating

This paper presents a simulation study of the simultaneous reconstruction of the non-smooth strain distribution of an optical fiber Bragg grating and its temperature, which is based on the reflection spectrum of the reflected beam of the grating. The transition matrix method was used to model the reflection spectrum of the grating, and the nonlinear Nelder-Mead optimization method was used to simultaneously reconstruct the strain distribution along the grating and its temperature. The results of simulations of simultaneous reconstruction of the strain profile and temperature indicate good accord with the strain profiles and temperature set. The reconstruction errors of the strain profiles are less than 1.2 percent and the temperature change errors are less than 0.2 percent, with a noise level of 5 percent

Poznańska Mapa Barier – dobre praktyki w badaniu dostępności przestrzeni

Idea dostosowywania przestrzeni publicznych do potrzeb wszystkich użytkowników jest coraz bardziej popularna w polskich miastach. Aby poprawnie kształtować te przestrzenie, należy skupić szczególną uwagę na diagnozie występujących w nich problemów. Jest to szczególnie ważne, jeśli wziąć pod uwagę postępujący proces starzenia się społeczeństwa oraz fakt, że koło 12% naszego społeczeństwa to osoby z niepełnosprawnościami.Inwentaryzacja to jeden ze sposobów pozwalających na identyfikację barier występujących w przestrzeniach publicznych. Przykładem działań wykorzystujących tę metodę jest prowadzony od 2014 r. przez Akademickie Koło Naukowe Gospodarki Przestrzennej przy współpracy ze Stowarzyszeniem Inwestycje dla Poznania projekt naukowo-badawczy Poznańska Mapa Barier. Jego głównym założeniem jest określenie poziomu dostępności poznańskich przestrzeni publicznych i jednoczesne wskazanie obszarów dysfunkcyjnych. Prowadzone badania uwzględniają szczególne potrzeby grup o ograniczonej mobilności, np. osób z niepełnosprawnościami czy osób starszych. Efekty prac nad projektem przyczyniły się do zwrócenia uwagi na problem dostępności przestrzennej wśród ich użytkowników.Celem pracy jest przedstawienie Poznańskiej Mapy Barier jako dobrej praktyki w planowaniu przestrzennym miast mającej na celu poprawę dostępności oraz jakości przestrzeni publicznych

Oxidative Activity of Copper(II) Complexes with Aminoglycoside Antibiotics as Implication to the Toxicity of These Drugs

The majority of aminoglycosidic antibiotics anchor Cu(ll) ions by {NH2, O} chelates of the A and C rings of its molecule as distinct from amikacin, which belongs to the class of substituted ones. The results indicate that all these antibiotics effectively bind copper(ll) at physiological pH. Cyclic voltammetry investigations and kinetic studies of H2o2 disproportionation and hydroxyl radicals detection made it possible to support the mechanism of oxidative reactivity of cupric complexes of aminoglycosides, which involves Cu(1) and Cu(lll) redox states and metal-bound, rather than free radical species. The mechanism of this process appears to be complicated, and may have deleterious side-effects by leaking radical intermediates. The presence of these reactive oxygen species may be responsible for modulating the biological activity of these drugs

W stronę interpretacji. Dwie odmienne propozycje dydaktyczne dla nauczycieli młodzieży szkolnej i akademickiej

Jednym z najważniejszych zadań, jakie stoją przed nauczycielem języka polskiego na każdym poziomie nauczania, a także przed nauczycielem przedmiotów literaturoznawczych w szkole wyższej, jest przygotowanie ucznia lub studenta do samodzielnego, kompetentnego i wiarygodnego interpretowania tekstów literackich. Tymczasem współczesna szkoła ma wciąż na sumieniu rozmaite grzechy uniemożliwiające realizację tego celu. Jest wśród nich między innymi wciąż pokutujące, choć tyle razy wyśmiewane założenie, że uczeń powinien odgadnąć, „co autor miał na myśli”. Nowszym grzechem jest ukierunkowanie lekcji języka polskiego na nauczanie przede wszystkim wypełniania testów zamiast czytania tekstów. Zdajemy sobie sprawę, że wynika to ze szczególnego, „testowego” zorientowania procesu edukacji, ale nie można usprawiedliwiać wymuszonych w ten sposób działań do tego stopnia, by przestać uczyć rozumienia tekstu

Dynamic planning of mobile service teams’ mission subject to orders uncertainty constraints

This paper considers the dynamic vehicle routing problem where a fleet of vehicles deals with periodic deliveries of goods or services to spatially dispersed customers over a given time horizon. Individual customers may only be served by predefined (dedicated) suppliers. Each vehicle follows a pre-planned separate route linking points defined by the customer location and service periods when ordered deliveries are carried out. Customer order specifications and their services time windows as well as vehicle travel times are dynamically recognized over time. The objective is to maximize a number of newly introduced or modified requests, being submitted dynamically throughout the assumed time horizon, but not compromising already considered orders. Therefore, the main question is whether a newly reported delivery request or currently modified/corrected one can be accepted or not. The considered problem arises, for example, in systems in which garbage collection or DHL parcel deliveries as well as preventive maintenance requests are scheduled and implemented according to a cyclically repeating sequence. It is formulated as a constraint satisfaction problem implementing the ordered fuzzy number formalism enabling to handle the fuzzy nature of variables through an algebraic approach. Computational results show that the proposed solution outperforms commonly used computer simulation methods

Acceptance of home support and integrated care among advanced COPD patients who live outside large medical centres

Background. Poor self-management constitutes a risk factor for COPD deterioration. Patients from rural areas located at a considerable distance from large medical centres frequently need home-support in advanced stages of the disease. Integrated care has been proposed as a comprehensive model for appropriate treatment, coordination and holistic support. The aim of the study was to assess whether home visits provided by trained assistants are needed and accepted by advanced COPD patients living in rural areas a to evaluate whether an individual short educational program can actually improve such patients’ knowledge of COPD and inhaler use. Methods. Thirty patients with severe or very severe but stable COPD participated in one-month home-assistance interventions twice a week. Results. The total value > 70 of SGRQ (St George's Respiratory Questionnaire) was recorded in 18 (60%) patients. At the beginning of the study, the patients’ knowledge of COPD and inhalation techniques was highly unsatisfactory. Significant improvement in all items (p=0.00) was obtained after the intervention. The risk for poor self-management was high. All patients had at least one ‘factor’ that indicated the need for home-support. A total of 240 visits (100%) were completed. Patients expressed high acceptance for home-based support delivered by medical assistants twice a week for one month. No patients opposed this kind of care and most of them expressed interest in receiving it in the future. Conclusions. The results suggest a compelling need for home care and demonstrate full acceptance of this kind of support on the part of advanced COPD patients

From lean to sustainable manufacturing : an overview

PURPOSE: The purpose of the research is to present the comparison and connection between three manufacturing paradigms, Lean, Green, and Sustainable Manufacturing.DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: The methodology of the research is based on the literature review of three paradigms, including, definitions, methods and tools, as well as main challenges.FINDINGS: Transition towards Sustainable Manufacturing has been taking place in an evolutionary way and may be traced in the context of changes in production paradigms. The production paradigms presented in paper do not cover all examples of paradigms classification contained in the literature, since, they only indicate the way to learn the theories and challenges that the scientific community and economic practitioners must face.PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: Lean and green methods and tools support the realization of sustainable manufacturing processes challenges.ORIGINALITY/VALUE: The paper presents synergy between every production paradigms. Every new paradigm generally considers the objectives and approaches of the previous one, so integrating the lean and green approach is a natural consequence. The combination of these two concepts enables achieving a synergetic effect even if a trade-off and balance of divergent goals. The shift from conventional manufacturing practices to more sustainable practices has led to better compliance with regulations and standards in order to enhance the corporate and brand image while pursuing economic benefits and environmental and societal responsibility.peer-reviewe

Economization methods used by low-cost airlines : an overview

PURPOSE: The crisis caused by the pandemic has forced airlines (both full-service carriers (FCC) and low cost carriers (LCC)) to review their business models and look for opportunities to make up for losses. The goal of this paper is to review the cost optimization methods used by LCC airlines and to identify the activities of LCC that were taken to reduce costs.DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: The analysis of the areas of economization of activities undertaken by the LCC carried out in the article is the result of a literature review of business models used by LCC carriers.FINDINGS: The conducted literature analysis allowed for the identification of seven main areas in which measures are taken to reduce the costs of the LCC line.PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: Economization methods implemented by LCC lines at the strategic level reduce the carrier's costs and can be adapted to the market in which it operates.ORIGINALITY/VALUE: Although the business models used by LCC lines are not a new topic, the review of economization methods from a strategic perspective presented in the article has not been discussed in the literature.peer-reviewe

Country-Wide qPCR Based Assessment of Plasmodiophora brassicae Spread in Agricultural Soils and Recommendations for the Cultivation of Brassicaceae Crops in Poland

Clubroot is a damaging disease of oilseed rape and vegetable brassicas worldwide, caused by the soil-borne protist Plasmodiophora brassicae Wor. Due to the long life of resting spores, the assessment of the pathogen abundance in agricultural fields can serve as a guideline for disease control at the country-wide level or the regional scale. Between 2013 and 2019, we collected 431 soil samples from fields cultivated with Brassicaceae crops throughout 16 provinces of Poland. The samples were subjected to qPCR based analysis of P. brassicae DNA concentration. From these data, the spore loads and gene copies g−1 soil were calculated and used to produce an assessment of the current clubroot risk potential at a country-wide and regional scale. The country-wide map, showing the spread of the pathogen in agricultural soils, was made using ArcGis software package implementing the interpolation with the Inverse Distance Weight method. The calculation of gene copies specific to P. brassicae helped to formulate the recommendations for farmers in respect to the cultivation guidelines. It showed a high risk of yield losses in defined regions of north, south-west and central Poland and an urgent need to undertake intensive preventative measures