'Obwarzanek Krakowski' as a traditional food

The aim of this work was to evaluate the quality and to compare the traditional (‘obwarzanek krakowski’) with the non-traditional (‘obwarzanek’) bakery products. Four samples were analysed for chemical composition and texture and colour of crumb. The analysed products differed in the features of general appearance and chemical composition. The traditional products became much more hard during storage time than the non-traditional ones

Haptic user experience evaluation for virtual reality

Hapticians (engineers, researchers or designers) are developing 'haptic displays' to replicate the complexity of sensations and interactivity accommodated by the hand. Haptic displays hold potential in allowing users to interact with each other and manipulate things in virtual reality (VR), providing them with a limitless safe environment. However, technological advances alone are insufficient to develop a high-quality haptic user experience (UX). Research indicates that current evaluation instruments, guidelines and education on haptic engineering and perception do not address haptic interaction and experience design needs. This research investigates the problem, endeavouring to consolidate findings into helpful haptic UX evaluation instruments, design principles, and guidelines to support haptic design practice.</p

Physicochemical properties of starch-maltodextrin and starch-maltodextrin-glucose systems

Starch is a widely used food additive. The addition of other ingredients changes the physical properties of resulting systems. The aim of this study was to investigate the rheological characteristics and susceptibility to retrogradation of starch-maltodextrin and starch-maltodextrin-glucose systems. Flow curves of 5% starch - maltodextrin and starch-maltodextrin-glucose pastes were tested by using rotational rheometer. The susceptibility to retrogradation of 2% pastes starch-maltodextrin and starch-maltodextrin-glucose systems by means of turbidimetric method was evaluated. It was found that all samples (systems) were a non-Newtonian, pseudoplastic fluids, with tend to the yield stress. Moreover addition of low and high DE maltodextrins and glucose to the starch caused a decrease in the values of shear stress throughout whole shear rate range. Starch pastes with greater concentration of the maltodextrins had less tendency to retrogradation. Also addition of glucose to starch-maltodextrin systems reduce the susceptibility to retrogradation

Sonic hedgehog pathway dysregulation in skin basal-cell carcinoma of a Polish population

Sonic hedgehog (Shh) pathway impairment plays a key role in the pathogenesis of basal-cell carcinomas (BCC), the most frequent skin tumor among Caucasians. Shh, Smo, and Gli2 family proteins are necessary for adequate and controlled cell proliferation. The aim of this study was to evaluate Shh, Smo, and Smo expression in BCC skin biopsies taken from sun-exposed areas. 41 BCC skin biopsies and 22 healthy skin specimens (the control group) taken from the same areas served as material for the study. All specimens were immunohistochemically stained with monoclonal antibodies directed against the chosen proteins. Shh and Smo expression (cytoplasmic pattern) were recorded semiquantitatively using a four-grade score (0–3). Gli2 expression (nuclear pattern) was determined using an image analysis system (semiautomatic function). The immunoexpression of the Shh and Smo proteins significantly increased in the BCC group, as compared with the normal controls (for Shh, the mean intensity was 1.67 in BCC vs. 1.17 in the control group, p &lt; 0.001; for Smo, the mean intensity was 1.46 in BCC vs. 0.99 in the control group, p &lt; 0.001). The staining for Gli2 in the BCC group was completely negative, but indicated the presence of Gli2 in the control patients (1.15 Gli2+ cells/100 cells). Sonic hedgehog pathway dysregulation may play an important role in skin cancerogenesis leading to BCC development

Therapeutic hypothermia in asphyxiated newborns: selective head cooling vs. whole body cooling — comparison of short term outcomes

Objectives: Therapeutic hypothermia TH became broadly used in the management of the asphyxiated newborns. Although two cooling methods are used, so far the superiority of none of them has been established. The purpose of the study is to compare two cooling methods: selective head cooling (SHC) and whole body cooling (WBC) Material and methods: We conducted a prospective observational study in newborns with HIE. The patients received one of methods: SHC or WBC. The eligibility criteria were similar to previous studies. Stability of cardio-respiratory parameters and short term outcomes were analyzed. Results: 78 neonates with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy due to perinatal asphyxia were involved in this study. The SHC group consisted of 51 newborns, the WBC group consisted of 27 patients. Both study groups had similar baseline characteristics and condition at birth. There were no significant differences in hospital course, neurological status and adverse effects associated with cooling procedure between groups. Analyzing the rate of thrombocytopenia and the number of transfusions of blood components no statistically significant differences were found between the groups. Conclusions: Results of our study indicate that two compared methods of TH despite varied target core temperature ranges do not differ significantly according to clinical course and risk of adverse events. Further observations are conducted and we look forward to the results of the long neurodevelopmental care

Deep Chandra X-ray Imaging of a Nearby Radio Galaxy 4C+29.30: X-ray/Radio Connection

We report results from our deep Chandra X-ray observations of a nearby radio galaxy, 4C+29.30 (z=0.0647). The Chandra image resolves structures on sub-arcsec to arcsec scales, revealing complex X-ray morphology and detecting the main radio features: the nucleus, a jet, hotspots, and lobes. The nucleus is absorbed (N(H)=3.95 (+0.27/-0.33)x10^23 atoms/cm^2) with an unabsorbed luminosity of L(2-10 keV) ~ (5.08 +/-0.52) 10^43 erg/s characteristic of Type 2 AGN. Regions of soft (<2 keV) X-ray emission that trace the hot interstellar medium (ISM) are correlated with radio structures along the main radio axis indicating a strong relation between the two. The X-ray emission beyond the radio source correlates with the morphology of optical line-emitting regions. We measured the ISM temperature in several regions across the galaxy to be kT ~ 0.5 with slightly higher temperatures (of a few keV) in the center and in the vicinity of the radio hotspots. Assuming these regions were heated by weak shocks driven by the expanding radio source, we estimated the corresponding Mach number of 1.6 in the southern regions. The thermal pressure of the X-ray emitting gas in the outermost regions suggest the hot ISM is slightly under-pressured with respect to the cold optical-line emitting gas and radio-emitting plasma, which both seem to be in a rough pressure equilibrium. We conclude that 4C+29.30 displays a complex view of interactions between the jet-driven radio outflow and host galaxy environment, signaling feedback processes closely associated with the central active nucleus.Comment: ApJ in pres

Samotność idei? : społeczeństwo obywatelskie we współczesnym świecie

Publikacja recenzowana / Peer-reviewed publicationCelem niniejszej pracy jest próba przedstawienia kształtu obecnych relacji i stosunków między społeczeństwem obywatelskim a wspomnianymi ideami czy procesami społecznymi.Książka, którą oddajemy do rąk Czytelników jest zbiorem prac studialnych o zróżnicowanym poziomie analizy. Dla części autorów jest to próba pierwszej, samodzielnej pracy naukowo-badawczej, dla innych - kolejna okazja do podzielenia się przemyśleniami, ugruntowanymi wieloletnim doświadczeniem badawczym i studiami.Wszystkich połączyło i skłoniło do współpracy zainteresowanie tym samym - losem społeczeństwa obywatelskiego w zderzeniu z problemami współczesności