FingerReader: A Wearable Device to Support Text Reading on the Go

Visually impaired people report numerous difficulties with accessing printed text using existing technology, including problems with alignment, focus, accuracy, mobility and efficiency. We present a finger worn device that assists the visually impaired with effectively and efficiently reading paper-printed text. We introduce a novel, local-sequential manner for scanning text which enables reading single lines, blocks of text or skimming the text for important sections while providing real-time auditory and tactile feedback. The design is motivated by preliminary studies with visually impaired people, and it is small-scale and mobile, which enables a more manageable operation with little setup

Recharge and discharge of groundwater of MGB No. 401 (Łódź Basin) in the light of modelling research

Existing publications and hydrogeology studies about Łódź Basin say there is a thesis that Lower Cretaceous aquifer (including MGB No. 401 (Łódź Basin)) is recharged only at narrow part of under Cenozoic outcrop without Upper Cretaceous water recharge . The study questions above thesis and presents the new one , based on own groundwater modelling research. According the new thesis Lower Cretaceous aquifer is also recharged from Upper Cretaceous aquifer by vertical filtering during period intensive groundwater take off and from adjacent aquifers lateral recharge

Inheritance of tomato leaf resistance to Phytophthora infestans - new information based on laboratory tests on seedlings

Inheritance of tomato resistance to P. infestans was studied in progenies of crosses of resistant accessions: West Virginia 700, Ottawa 30, PI224675 and the variety New Yorker and also of the variety West Virginia’63 and resistant breeding lines crossed with susceptible forms. Populations of F1, F2, parents and resistant standards were evaluated for resistance to late blight using the test on seedlings grown in liquid medium. Resistance of the accessions West Virginia 700, Ottawa 30 and PI224675 was found to be identical and determined by the same genes: Ph-1 and Ph-2. It has not been recognized if these accessions carry other genes, neither if the variety West Virginia’63 and lines of equal resistance possess other genes beside Ph-2.

Air pollution – awareness among the most susceptible groups of patients

Purpose: Air pollution is one of the most important and often underestimated causes of death worldwide. The study evaluates awareness of its effects on health, access to information and seeking protection from pollution among the most susceptible population. Materials and methods: A 22-item survey was constructed (Cronbach’s α=0.81), including two parts, 1 -‘Awareness’ and 2 - ‘Personal protection and access to information’ and four independent questions. It was distributed among 107 hospital patients at high risk of adverse health effects from air pollution. Results: Scores in part 1 of the survey were relatively high. Lower results were achieved in the second part. Significant differences in responses to the surveys were found depending on gender, age and education. Patients’ main sources of information are (in order): television, the Internet and radio. Access to information was mostly rated as insufficient. Few patients use anti-pollution facemasks or indoor air filters (5.8% and 2.9%, respectively). Conclusions: Despite patients’ decent awareness, access to information is poor among the most susceptible population and needs to be improved urgently. More reliable sources of information need to be provided. nul

Expression of arthropod distal limb-patterning genes in the onychophoran Euperipatoides kanangrensis

A current hypothesis states that the ancestral limb of arthropods is composed of only two segments. The proximal segment represents the main part of the modern leg, and the distal segment represents the tarsus and claw of the modern leg. If the distal part of the limb is an ancestral feature, one would expect conserved regulatory gene networks acting in distal limb development in all arthropods and possibly even their sister group, the onychophorans. We investigated the expression patterns of six genes known to function during insect distal limb development in the onychophoran Euperipatoides kanangrensis, i.e., clawless (cll), aristaless (al), spineless (ss), zinc finger homeodomain 2 (zfh2), rotund (rn), and Lim1. We find that all investigated genes are expressed in at least some of the onychophoran limbs. The expression patterns of most of these genes, however, display crucial differences to the known insect patterns. The results of this study question the hypothesis of conserved distal limb evolution in arthropods and highlight the need for further studies on arthropod limb development