Wykluczenie cyfrowe i co dalej? Nowe technologie jako katalizator podziałów społecznych i bodziec dla cywilizacyjnego rozwoju

Rozwój nowych technologii informacyjnych i komunikacyjnych (Information and Communication Technologies – ICT) prowadzi do znaczących przemian w różnych sferach życia społecznego. W tekście przedstawiono wybrane aspekty wpływu ICT na strukturę społeczną i ład społeczny zarówno na poziomie pojedynczych społeczeństw, jak i w kontekście globalnym. Najbardziej bezpośrednią konsekwencją rozwoju nowych technologii jest zjawisko wykluczenia cyfrowego związane z nierównym dostępem do ICT. Choć w ostatnich latach ulega ono wyraźnemu osłabieniu, to ciągle kształtuje nowy model ładu, w którym całe grupy społeczne, a w skali globalnej regiony świata, tracą dystans cywilizacyjny do liderów rewolucji informacyjnej. Dla opisu nowego układu sił w „cyfrowo podzielonym” świecie używa się często określeń informacyjny apartheid lub wirtualna kolonizacja. Obie koncepcje podkreślają, że rozwój ICT spowodował pogłębienie polaryzacji ekonomicznej społecznej i cywilizacyjnej pomiędzy krajami i regionami rozwiniętymi i rozwijającymi się. Paradoksalnie, nowe technologie mogą też być jednak bodźcem ułatwiającym grupom wykluczonym i pozostającym na marginesie życia społecznego gwałtowny i skuteczny awans. W tym kontekście dobrym przykładem jest realizacja w Bangladeszu programu udostępniania telefonii komórkowej na obszarach wiejskich. Projekt ten, adresowany przede wszystkim do ludzi ubogich, przyniósł nie tylko wzrost dochodów, ale także poprawę warunków życia i gospodarczej konkurencyjności lokalnych społeczności. ICT mogą więc także prowadzić do ograniczenia podziałów i różnic społecznych

In vitro assays in severe cutaneous adverse drug reactions : are they still research tools or diagnostic tests already?

Severe cutaneous adverse drug reactions (SCARs) represent life-threatening medical conditions and an appropriate causative diagnosis of these conditions is of the highest importance. Existing in vivo diagnostic methods are risky or are just contraindicated in these patients. Therefore, in vitro tests take on greater significance. In this survey, the studies on in vitro assays in SCARs were identified with a defined searching strategy and strict eligibility criteria. Different methods in the particular clinical manifestations and the groups of drugs were compared in respect to the diagnostic parameters obtained. The lymphocyte transformation test and IFNg-ELISpot (Interferon γ-Enzyme-linked immunospot assay) appeared to have the best evidence currently available. Further diagnostic assays, which are based mostly on distinct mechanisms of SCARs, may outdo previous assays but they still need confirmation in a larger group of patients and in more research centers. Data from pediatric populations and acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis (AGEP) patients are scarce. Some technical issues, limitations, and modifications of routine laboratory methods are also discussed

Residential proximity to major roadways is associated with increased prevalence of allergic respiratory symptoms in children

[b]introduction and objective[/b]. Numerous epidemiologic studies have reported increased risk of allergic rhinitis and asthma in relation to ‘western life-style’, which represents diversity of factors. We hypothesized that residential proximity to major roadways, reflecting an exposure to traffic-related air pollution, is associated with prevalence of allergic respiratory symptoms in children. [b]materials and methods[/b]. A total of 8290 individuals of two age groups: 16 year olds and 7 year olds from Krakow, Poland were included. We used the Polish version of the International Study of Asthma and Allergy in Childhood supplemented with a question concerning the distance between a responder’s house and a high traffic density road: below 200 m, from 200–500 m, or more than 500 m. [b]results[/b]. Children and adolescents with a residential proximity closer to a major roadway had more frequent asthma-related symptoms in the last 12 months and at any time in the past. Consistent with the increased frequency of asthmatic symptoms, responders residing within 200 meters complained more often of sneezing, runny or blocked nose accompanied by itchy-watery eyes and hay fever in comparison to responders who resided 200–500 meters from a major roadway. The lowest rate of nasal symptoms was observed in residents living in the distance to major roads (> 500 meters). The rate of positive answers decreased in a distant-dependent manner. [b]conclusions[/b]. Our findings suggest an important spatial relationship between the distance from a major roadway and the evaluated respiratory symptoms. The results emphasize the need for more comprehensive air quality policies within urban areas with increased motor vehicle density

Life-threatening laryngeal attacks in hereditary angioedema patients

Background: Hereditary angioedema due to C1-inhibitor deficiency (HAE-C1INH) is a rare genetic disease that runs in the family. As a result of the disease, acute swellings of the subcutaneous tissue and mucous membranes of the digestive and respiratory systems, including the larynx, occur. Any attack of the disease involving the throat and larynx is particularly dangerous and requires knowledge of clinical determinants of the disease and its proper management. Materials and methods: The study included adult consecutive HAE-C1INH patients having follow-up visits in our centre. The group was examined with a structured clinical questionnaire, concerning the last 6 months and focusing particularly on laryngeal swelling attacks. Results: 55 subjects (F/M – 35/20, age range – 18–76) were included in the study. Laryngeal attacks occurred in 19 individuals (34.5%): 1–3, 4–6, and ≥7 attacks in 9, 8 and 2 patients, respectively, two of whom required intubation. In comparison to other patients, subjects with laryngeal attacks were characterised by significantly more frequent: (1) facial attacks, (2) severe disease activity, (3) the occurrence of female patients, (4) mental stress as a trigger of attacks. All patients with laryngeal attacks had a rescue medication at home and 15/19 (78%) patients could use it at home. Most of them used plasma-derived C1-inhibitor 17/19 (89.5%) and icatibant, 8/19 (42.1%). Discussion: HAE-C1INH patients with laryngeal attacks require particular attention. Proper training regarding the identification of these patients, adequate management, access to emergency services and emergency drugs are essential to ensure the safety of subjects with this localization of HAE-C1INH attacks

Machine Learning Approach to 5G Layer 1 Code Review

The programming is used in most of the industries and domains of life. Programming projects are becoming bigger and bigger, with millions of developers working on them across the world. Such projects are sometimes the core of precise, delicate and expensive operations, like space missions. They often require autonomous work for many years, therefore they have to be thoroughly tested before the exploitation. Hence, each change which is done in such project needs to be verified by automatic system and other programmers. It is not a trivial task, because a typo, a bug, a security violation, etc. easily appear in the billions of lines of code. Such mistakes need to be found and fixed, otherwise the consequences can be devastating. For that purpose, many automatic bug finding approaches are being researched. The deep neural networks are the most promising solutions. They allow for checking the issues which were caught only by other programmers and not by already existing automatic systems. This work focuses on machine learning approach to code review and software quality assurance. It describes the recreation of neural network deepreview model and experiments with its modifications. It also proposes a different approach to a feature extraction phase. The thesis consists of descriptions of created architectures, shows results of the experiments and compares them with original article. The implemented models are tested on the database gathered from specific branch of Nokia Corporation responsible for implementation of 5G layer 1. It is described how such data are processed and analysed. It also provides a short history of the evolution of such automatic systems for code review

Cultural issues in Swiss referenda between 2000 and 2021

Switzerland is one of few countries where popular referenda are an integral part of political life. These can be held on a variety of issues. Out of 186 proposals voted in the country between 2000 and 2021, this article analyses 17 related to culture in its broadest sense. The chosen examples include both specific issues as well as those fundamental to society, such as the right to abortion or the legal status of same-sex marriage. Typically, votes on cultural issues do not draw much public interest. The turnout rarely exceeds 50%, leaving decisions which affect the whole society to a minority of those eligible to vote. It should be stressed that, in some cases, referenda on cultural issues are a clear example of positivist belief that law is man-made