Antioxidant activity and phenolic profile of selected organic and conventional honeys from Poland

Honey is a natural food product hypothesized to have significant health-beneficial value. The results of recent studies indicate that the biological activity of honey can also be ascribed to phenolic compounds and their antioxidant activity. The aims of this study were: To determine the phenolic profiles of several varieties of Polish honey and their correlation with various factors influencing the quality of honey, plus to verify the impact of production method (organic/conventional) and the pollen content on these profiles. In total, 11 organic and 11 conventional honey samples from Poland were investigated. The botanical origin of the samples was identified through melissopalynological analysis, whereas individual phenolic compounds were determined by the LC/MS analysis. The Folin-Ciocalteau assay was used for the determination of the total phenolic content (TPC). Moreover, the CIE L*a*b* color values were measured and matched with the above-mentioned parameters. The results of the study contribute to the discussion on the health benefits of organic farming. It was found that chrysin may act as a potential indicator compound. The study confirms the existence of the link between TPC and color, and it shows that there is a correlation between pinocembrin and galangin, two compounds that are reported to ameliorate insulin resistance

Artificial Life Simulator

Oblast umělého života je velmi rozsáhlá. Tato práce je zaměřena na simulace s reaktivními agenty. Je popsán návrh simulátoru umělého života a jazyka pro definování chování agenta. Jsou popsány návrhy a výsledky provedených simulací.Area of artificial life is very extensive. Simulations with reactive agents are the target of this work. Simulator of artificial life and language for definition agent's behavior are described in this work. Porposals a results of simulation made are described in this work.

Searching for effects caused by thunderstorms in midlatitude sporadic E layers

Possible thunderstorm - sporadic E (Es) layer coupling effects are investigated during two measurement periods, one in 2013 and one in 2014. The analysis was based on ionospheric observations obtained from a Digisonde at Pruhonice, the Czech Republic, an ionosonde at Nagycenk, Hungary, and a 3.59 MHz five-point continuous HF Doppler system located in the western part of the Czech Republic. The latter is capable of detecting ionospheric wave-like variations caused by neutral atmospheric waves generated by thunderstorms. The present study searches for possible impacts on Es layers caused by the presence of two active thunderstorms: one passing across the Czech Republic on June 20, 2013 (19:00 - 01:00 LT), and one through Hungary on July 30, 2014 (11:00 - 01:00 LT). During these two time periods, presence and parameters of Es layer were inferred from ionograms, recorded every minute at Pruhonice and every two minutes at Nagycenk, whereas concurrent lightning activity was monitored by the LINET detection network. In addition, transient luminous events (TLEs) were also observed during both nights from Sopron, Hungary and from Nydek, the Czech Republic. A noticeable fact was the reduction and disappearance of the ongoing Es layer activity during part of the time in both of the traversing thunderstorms. The analysis indicated that the critical frequency foEs dropped below ionosonde detection levels in both cases, possibly because of thunderstorm activity effects. This option, however, needs more case studies in order to be further substantiated

Number of Counting Cells and Cytospins Selection Influences on Bronchoalveolar Lavage Cell Profiles

Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid cells count provides information about presence or absence of interstitial lung diseases. BAL fluid samples were taken from 50 patients hospitalized in University Hospital for Lung Diseases »Jordanovac« in Zagreb, Croatia. The samples of BAL fluid were prepared by cytocentrifuge. From each sample two cytospin were selected (C1 and C2) and after determing adequacy, counted up to 200 and 400 cells. After air drying, samples were stained according to May Grünwald Giemsa (MGG). Cells were counted by light microscope at magnification of 400x. Obtained results were analyzed in Statistics version 6 and Med Calc. Results for bronchial epithelial cells, alveolar macrophages, lymphocytes and neutrophilic granulocytes showed insignificant statistical differences between groups (p>0.05). Eosinophils percentages showed borderline insignificant statistical difference between groups of these cells (p=0.052.). As it was exemplificated, the percentages of differentiated cells do not significant differ according to differentiation on 200 and 400 cells and cytospin selection

A conference management system with verified document confidentiality

We present a case study in verified security for realistic systems: the implementation of a conference management system, whose functional kernel is faithfully represented in the Isabelle theorem prover, where we specify and verify confidentiality properties. The various theoretical and practical challenges posed by this development led to a novel security model and verification method generally applicable to systems describable as input–output automata

Multilingual or monolingual? : the minority languages in Bulgaria after 1878

In the first years after gaining the independence in 1878, the Bulgarian lands were divided into two parts: the Principality of Bulgaria (a Turkish vassal and a Russian protectorate) and Eastern Rumelia (an autonomous province of the Ottoman Empire). In the Principality, there was only one official language - Bulgarian, whereas in Eastern Rumelia: Bulgarian, Turkish, and Greek. After the unification in 1885, the whole territory used only Bulgarian in administration. However, the practice was more complicated due to the multi-ethnic character of these lands: in 1887, about 73.75% (2 326 250) inhabitants pointed out Bulgarian as their native language, 19.25% (607 331) - Turkish, 1.85% (58 326) - Greek, 0.75% (23 541) - "Jewish" (Ladino), 1.59% (50 291) - Roma etc. The users of different languages than Bulgarian had an important impact on the public sphere of the country. The paper presents the place of minorities languages in the Bulgarian reality by the examples of the parliaments (the National Assembly in the Principality of Bulgaria and the Provincial Assembly in Eastern Rumelia), local administration, elections, courts, and schools

Would-be settlement from Upper Silesia in northern Bulgaria in 1882

The aim of the article is to present the fate of the would-be settlement of Poles from the Koźle county to the district of Svishtov in northern Bulgaria in 1882, based on the Ministry of Finance's materials found in in the Central State Archives in Sofia. As a result of the information provided by the missionary Grzegorz Piegza operating in the area of Svishtov, about 150 families from Upper Silesia expressed their willingness to move to the Balkans and live among the Catholic communities functioning there. It seemed that they could take advantage of the settlement action organized by the Bulgarian authorities from 1880, which assumed the distribution of land to the newcomers. However, these petitions met with a refusal by the authorities in Sofia, who wanted to bring only Bulgarians living outside the Balkans. Petitions sent from Upper Silesia to the Bulgarian authorities in 1882 are a source of information not only on the causes of migrations from this part of Prussia, but also provide knowledge about the identity of Silesians at the end of the 19th century. The analysis also served as a starting point for reflection on Bulgarian migration policy of this period

Remarks on the theories on the origin of Muslims in Bulgarian Lands : nineteenth-century and present perspectives

Niniejszy artykuł ma na celu przedstawienie wybranych dziewiętnastowiecznych teorii o pochodzeniu muzułmanów żyjących na ziemiach bułgarskich oraz skonfrontowanie ich z obecnym stanem wiedzy o tym zagadnieniu. Opisano koncepcje dotyczące dwóch grup etnicznych: muzułmanów bułgarskojęzycznych (tzw. Pomaków) oraz Turków.The paper is aimed to present selected nineteenth-century theories about the origin of Muslims living in Bulgarian lands and to confront them with the present state of knowledge. The paper also presents concepts regarding two ethnic groups: the Bulgarian-speaking Muslims (the so-called Pomaks) and Turks