A comparison of the efficiency of techniques for digital encoding of contour maps

There are two digitizing techniques which are operable without human interpretation of contour-mapped data and which thus may be performed semi-automatically; line following and raster scanning. After a comparison of these techniques the author concentrates on raster scanning, as this technique facilitates creation of matrix data, the data structure most widely used in spatial analysis performed by digital computers. The author proposes the quantization method of computing matrix data and shows that quantized data may be used not only for overall computations but also to determine geometrical properties of surfaces - giving the possibility of error estimation-shown by the contour map. In particular such an approach enables pre-determination of a scanning parameter track spacing before digitizing to satisfy the required accuracy of analysis. The different aspects of utilising data obtained by raster scanning are discussed; storage, display in contour map form - the algorithm to produce the type of map where the contour lines pass exactly through the sample points taken during scanning is included

Bezrobocie a zatrudnienie w małych i średnich przedsiębiorstwach w Polsce w latach 1998–2007

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) form the basis of all modern economies, is mainly for companies in the sector, individual states owe their growth and development. Effect of small and medium-sized enterprises on the economy is particularly evident in the areas of employment. Especially at a time when many European countries are struggling with high unemployment, the main advantage of the SME sector is that they constitute the largest source of new jobs. Given the above article was adopted for the purpose of examination of employment trends in small and medium-sized enterprises in Poland in 1998–2007 and to determine the statistical relationship between unemployment and the dynamics of employment in small and medium-sized enterprises

The Role of Sirtuin 1 in the Regulation of Autophagy and Respiratory Syncytial Virus-induced Immune Responses

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the leading cause of lower respiratory tract disease in children, and a significant source of morbidity and mortality among those susceptible, including infants, the elderly, and those with chronic lung diseases. Severe RSV infection during infancy is highly correlated with asthmatic symptoms later in life, suggesting a chronic alteration of the pulmonary immune environment even after viral clearance. Within the airways, dendritic cells (DCs) drive innate and adaptive immune responses to pathogens through the production of proinflammatory cytokines and the activation of T cell responses. Autophagy, a pathway that sequesters intracellular material within double-walled vesicles for degradation by lysosomes, enhances Toll-like receptor-dependent activation, cytokine production, and antigen presenting cell function within RSV-infected DCs. Of interest, key proteins that orchestrate autophagosome formation are targeted by SIRT1, a NAD+-dependent histone and protein deacetylase. SIRT1 impacts many areas of biology and pathophysiology, including immune function. However, the role of SIRT1 in DC biology and its subsequent impact on adaptive immunity has not been elucidated. We have demonstrated that SIRT1 regulates DC activation and autophagy-mediated processes during RSV infection, and that the absence of SIRT1 activity alters the antiviral immune response through the regulation of innate cytokine production. Upon infection, SIRT1 inhibitor (EX-527)-treated DCs, Sirt1 siRNA-treated DCs, or DCs from conditional knockout (Sirt1f/f-CD11c-Cre+) mice failed to upregulate autophagy and cytokine production, but retained the capacity to present antigen to T cells. Additionally, RSV infection of Sirt1f/f-CD11c-Cre+ mice resulted in altered lung and lymph node cytokine responses, leading to exacerbated pathology. Overall, these studies highlight the essential role of SIRT1-mediated DC cytokine production in fine-tuning the antiviral adaptive immune response, and establish SIRT1 as a promising therapeutic target for the prevention of severe RSV-induced lung disease.PHDMolecular & Cellular Path PhDUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/137127/1/aniaowcz_1.pd

Polityka fiskalna gminy Bydgoszcz w zakresie podatku od nieruchomości

The correct functioning local community are determined by high fi nancial infl uences to budget. The one of basic community incomes is the property tax, which the final construction can be shaped through community organs. In the article was introduced politics of the Bydgoszcz community in range of property tax since 2005–2009. The results of researches were presented of relating property tax to the all incomes, to the own incomes and to the taxes and local payments. The politics of the Bydgoszcz community in range of property tax rates and defraying of expenses by the property tax was introduced too

Współistnienie łuszczycy z wypryskiem dłoni i stóp - problem diagnostyczny

Przewlekłe zmiany zapalne zlokalizowane w obrębie dłoni i stóp są poważnym problemem diagnostycznym dla każdego dermatologa. W pierwszej kolejności trzeba brać pod uwagę występowanie zmian wypryskowych, łuszczycy zwykłej oraz łuszczycy krostkowej. Stwierdzenie typowych grudek łuszczycowych w innej lokalizacji bądź dodatnie wyniki testów płatkowych nie wykluczają współistnienia obu procesów chorobowych. Przeanalizowano przypadki 36 chorych hospitalizowanych na Oddziale Dermatologicznym Miejskiego Szpitala Zespolonego w Olsztynie w latach 2005-2008. U połowy chorym (18 osób) wyniki testów płatkowych były dodatnie, najczęściej na nikiel i chrom. U 19 pacjentów wykonano badanie histopatologiczne: u 11 osób stwierdzono wyprysk, u 4 łuszczycę, a u 4 cechy łuszczycy i wyprysku. Dodatnie testy płatkowe występowały u około 50% osób ze stwierdzoną łuszczycą oraz u 75% z nakładaniem się łuszczycy i wyprysku. Powyższe wyniki mogą tłumaczyć, dlaczego chorzy z rozpoznaniem łuszczycy często źle tolerują leczenie miejscowe albo dlaczego działanie alergenu i wywołany tym samym proces zapalny może być objawem Koebnera, który pobudza stale proces łuszczycowy, mimo stosowanego leczenia. Z kolei zmieniony łuszczycowo naskórek staje się bardziej przenikalny dla alergenów, co może skutkować rozwojem alergii kontaktowej

Atomic force microscopy reveals the dynamic morphology of fenestrations in live liver sinusoidal endothelial cells

Here, we report an atomic force microscopy (AFM)-based imaging method for resolving the fine nanostructures (e.g., fenestrations) in the membranes of live primary murine liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs). From data on topographical and nanomechanical properties of the selected cell areas collected within 1 min, we traced the dynamic rearrangement of the cell actin cytoskeleton connected with the formation or closing of cell fenestrations, both in non-stimulated LSECs as well as in response to cytochalasin B and antimycin A. In conclusion, AFM-based imaging permitted the near real-time measurements of dynamic changes in fenestrations in live LSECs

Neutrofilowe zapalenie grzbietów rąk

Neutrofilowe zapalenie grzbietów rąk (NDH) jest rzadką, zlokalizowaną odmianą zespołu Sweeta. W obu jednostkach chorobowych występują: gorączka, neutrofilia, leukocytoza, podwyższenie odczynu Bienackiego i poziomu białka C-reaktywnego oraz zmiany rumieniowo-naciekowe. W NDH dodatkowo mogą występować pęcherze krwotoczne i martwica, podobne jak w piodermii zgorzelinowej. Podobnie jak w zespole Sweeta NDH często wiąże się między innymi z nowotworami złośliwymi, chorobami zapalnymi jelit, nietolerancją leków, chorobami autoimmunologicznymi (reumatycznymi). W artykuleomówiono przypadek pacjenta z neutrofilowym zapaleniem grzbietów rąk związanym z chorobą rozrostową, zlokalizowanąw prawym płucu. Pacjent wykazał dobrą odpowiedź na leczenie ogólne kortykosteroidami i leczenie miejscowe

Fc receptor-like 5 and anti-CD20 treatment response in granulomatosis with polyangiitis and microscopic polyangiitis

BACKGROUND. Baseline expression of FCRL5, a marker of naive and memory B cells, was shown to predict response to rituximab (RTX) in rheumatoid arthritis. This study investigated baseline expression of FCRL5 as a potential biomarker of clinical response to RTX in granulomatosis with polyangiitis (CPA) and microscopic polyangiitis (MPA). METHODS. A previously validated quantitative PCR-based (qPCR-based) platform was used to assess FCRL5 expression in patients with GPA/MPA (RAVE trial, NCT00104299). RESULTS. Baseline FCRL5 expression was significantly higher in patients achieving complete remission (CR) at 6,12, and 18 months, independent of other clinical and serological variables, among those randomized to RTX but not cyclophosphamide-azathioprine (CYC/AZA). Patients with baseline FCRL5 expression >= 0.01 expression units (termed FCRL5(hi)) exhibited significantly higher CR rates at 6,12, and 18 months as compared with FCRL5(lo) subjects (84% versus 57% [P = 0.016], 68% versus 40% [P = 0.02], and 68% versus 29% [P = 0.0009], respectively). CONCLUSION. Our data taken together suggest that FCRL5 is a biomarker of B cell lineage associated with increased achievement and maintenance of complete remission among patients treated with RTX and warrant further investigation in a prospective manner

Right drug, right patient, right time: aspiration or future promise for biologics in rheumatoid arthritis?

Individualising biologic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) to maximise outcomes and deliver safe and cost-effective care is a key goal in the management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Investigation to identify predictive tools of bDMARD response is a highly active and prolific area of research. In addition to clinical phenotyping, cellular and molecular characterisation of synovial tissue and blood in patients with RA, using different technologies, can facilitate predictive testing. This narrative review will summarise the literature for the available bDMARD classes and focus on where progress has been made. We will also look ahead and consider the increasing use of ‘omics’ technologies, the potential they hold as well as the challenges, and what is needed in the future to fully realise our ambition of personalised bDMARD treatment