Observo ergo sum Tadeusz Banachiewicz 1882 -1954

Life and work of Tadeusz Banachiewicz, astronomer, inventor of chronocinematograph and director of Cracow Observatory. Catalog of temporary exhibition, Krakow, 2004

Canonical gauge-invariant variables for scalar perturbations in synchronous coordinates

Under an appropriate change of the perturbation variable Lifshitz-Khalatnikov propagation equations for the scalar perturbation reduce to d'Alembert equation. The change of variables is based on the Darboux transform.Comment: LaTeX, 9 page

PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS AND SOCIAL FACTORS IN PATIENTS WITH ASTHMA AND CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE LUNG DISEASE

Chronic respiratory diseases which embrace asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are common in the population. In a large number of cases they are diagnosed very late. Statistics of deaths, especially in the case of COPD, are underestimated because morbidity and mortality can be affected by other comorbid conditions, for example cardiovascular disease. Asthma and COPD impair not only physical functioning of patients but also affect their psychological state. Mood disorders and cognitive function impairment are more often observed in this group than in the general population. It has been proven that the coexistence of psychological dysfunction significantly worsens the functioning of patients (affects, among others, their work, family and social lives) and has an impact on the course of the treatment of the somatic illness. First of all, patients with cognitive deficits have greater problems in applying treatment recommendations. Accordingly, it seems to be important to pay more attention to the problem of mental disorders in patients with obstructive lung diseases. There is a clear need for a multidisciplinary approach that will enable prevention, early detection and effective treatment of the psychological disorders in that group of patients

The processes of reionization simulated with the LICORICE and 21cmFAST codes

Publikacja w materiałach konferencyjnych z XXXV Zjazdu Polskiego Towarzystwa Astronomicznego, Gdańsk, 2011One of the possible sources of an anisotropy in the power spectrum of 21cm brightness fluctuations from the epoch of reionization (EoR) is the delay in light traveltime along the line-of-sight (LOS). We examine the anisotropy between the parallel and transverse directions with respect to the LOS. The inhomogeneous distribution of ionized clouds at the redshift of z > 6 should provide an enhanced level of inhomogeneity in the Thomson optical depth. Evolution of the optical depth, the correlation function of ionization field and the differential brightness temperature of the 21 cm signal at the EoR are evaluated with the LICORICE and 21cmFAST codes

ANALYSIS OF PSYCHOEMOTIONAL STATE AND INTELLECTUAL ABILITIES IN PATIENTS WITH ASTHMA AND CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE - PRELIMINARY RESULTS

Background: In the literature we can find examples of comorbidity of the diseases of the respiratory tract and mental disorders. Among them a particularly significant position is occupied by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma, which may be accompanied by anxiety, depressive and cognitive symptoms. The present research project was aimed to establish a connection between psycho-intellectual functioning and suffering from the aforementioned diseases. Subjects and methods: The patients were divided into 3 groups. In the asthma group there were 11 people, mean age 54, who met the GINA criteria for asthma. The group of patients with COPD was formed by 12 people, mean age 67. The control group included 13 people, mean age 48. Patients from all the groups underwent spirometry, sputum induction and the following tests: Mini- Mental State Examination (MSSE), Trail Making Test (TMT A and B), Beck Depression Inventory – BDI (Beck et al. 1961) and State- Trait Anxiety Inventory for Adults - STAI 1 and 2. Results: In the TMT tests results were the following: We can presume some deficiency when the time required by a patient to complete the task is longer than 78 seconds for Part A and 273 seconds for Part B. In our research the best mean time was obtained in control group (Part A - 30.04 s, Part B – 67.37 s), then in the asthma group (Part A - 35.54 s, Part B – 98.81 s) and in the COPD group (Part A - 42.80 s, Part B – 107.79 s). In our research study the lowest score for the Beck Depression Inventory was obtained in the control group (mean 6.15), then in asthma (mean 9.63) and in COPD (mean 13.61). Results for State-Train Anxiety Inventory were distributed as follows: mean score in the asthma group was 36.48 in Part 1 and 43.27 in Part 2, in the COPD group 36.41 in Part 1 and 42.66 in Part 2 and in the control group 32.61 in Part 1 and 36.75 in Part 2. Conclusions: In our research the level of anxiety and depression measured by self-assessment questionnaires was higher in the study groups than in the control group. Also cognitive functions were worse than in the healthy controls, especially among COPD patients

Light-cone anisotropy in 21 cm fluctuations simulated with the Licorice code

Poster presented at the workshop "The Epoch of Reionization: Theory - Simulations - Observations". Strasbourg, France 23-27 April 2012. http://sci.esa.int/jump.cfm?oid=50204One of the possible sources of an anisotropy in the power spectrum of 21 cm brightness fluctuations from the epoch of reionization is the delay in light traveltime along the line-of-sight. We examine the anisotropy between the parallel and transverse directions with respect to the line-of-sight with the LICORICE code. Based on Barkana & Loeb (2006) approach we study the time-delay effect in the realistic numerical simulations of the epoch of reionization

PSYCHOGENIC SPEECH DISORDER – A CASE REPORT

Background: Conversion (dissociative) disorder is a psychiatric disorder in which somatic symptoms or deficits are present in the absence of a definable organic cause. The etiology of this disorder is not yet fully understood. The most characteristic presentations are: pseudosensory syndromes, pseudoseizures, psychogenic movement disorders and pseudoparalysis. Psychogenic speech disorder is a rare form of conversion (dissociative) disorder. The aim of present case study is to complete the knowledge on this subject. Subject and methods: The article presents a case of a fifty year old woman who developed psychogenic disorder of speech after being degraded to a lower position at work. After excluding organic background of observed symptoms, the diagnosis of conversion (dissociative) disorder was stated and adequate therapy was implemented, within the capabilities of the Ward. Results: Partial remission of presented symptoms was achieved as a result of psychopharmacotherapy and psychotherapy. Conclusions: Before stating the diagnosis of conversion (dissociative) disorder, possible somatic causes of the observed symptoms should be excluded. Special attention should be drawn to the importance of studying the psychological and family context of this case and the patient’s difficulty to understand and accept that produced symptoms might be triggered by a psychogenic factor

DEVELOPMENT OF VOCATIONAL TRAINING SYSTEMS FOR PATIENTS WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY IN POLAND

Background: The problem of employment of people with intellectual disabilities is present in many countries. The literature on this topic draws attention to the fact that the improvement of the situation in this area is conditioned by changes in government policies, practices of employers and adequate preparation to undertake professional duties by persons with intellectual disabilities. Objective: The objective of this review was to explore the changes in vocational rehabilitation forms in Poland. Results: As one of the ways to solve this problem since 1991 in Poland the so called Workshops of Vocational Therapy have been created. According to the regulations the Workshops were designed for adults with intellectual disabilities, aged over 16 years with a total incapacity of gaining an employment, for which occupational therapy was a form of social rehabilitation. The further step in this process was the establishment of Vocational Activation Centers, with which high hopes were associated. They were expected to be an intermediate link in the creation of career paths from rehabilitation forms ultimately to open labor market. In practice it turned out that the creation of these Centers in Poland has been too slow. Conclusions: This raised the necessity to change the attitude from the concept of matching the participant to work and to the new environment, which frequently ends as a trauma, to the concept of matching jobs to people. New initiatives and new rehabilitation programs are developed based on this attitude

Aphasia Taxonomy – the Classification Criteria and the Types of Disorders

The article summarizes the important criteria for aphasia divisions, which present different methods of approaching the disease. Discussed: classical forms of aphasia, non-classical forms of aphasia, aphasia division by the positions of selected authors. Each adopted criterion has been enriched with descriptions of the most important properties of a given type of aphasia, encountered in speech therapy. A contemporary approach to the diagnosis and therapy of the above disorder is also presented.W artykule zestawiono istotne kryteria podziałów afazji, które prezentują różne metody podejścia do schorzenia. Omówiono klasyczne postacie afazji, nieklasyczne postacie afazji oraz podział afazji ze względu na stanowiska wybranych autorów. Każde przyjęte kryterium zostało wzbogacone o opisy najważniejszych właściwości danego typu afazji, spotykanych w praktyce logopedycznej. Przedstawiono także współczesne podejście do diagnozy i terapii tego zaburzenia