The High-Acceptance Dielectron Spectrometer HADES

HADES is a versatile magnetic spectrometer aimed at studying dielectron production in pion, proton and heavy-ion induced collisions. Its main features include a ring imaging gas Cherenkov detector for electron-hadron discrimination, a tracking system consisting of a set of 6 superconducting coils producing a toroidal field and drift chambers and a multiplicity and electron trigger array for additional electron-hadron discrimination and event characterization. A two-stage trigger system enhances events containing electrons. The physics program is focused on the investigation of hadron properties in nuclei and in the hot and dense hadronic matter. The detector system is characterized by an 85% azimuthal coverage over a polar angle interval from 18 to 85 degree, a single electron efficiency of 50% and a vector meson mass resolution of 2.5%. Identification of pions, kaons and protons is achieved combining time-of-flight and energy loss measurements over a large momentum range. This paper describes the main features and the performance of the detector system

Imaging assessment of children presenting with suspected or known juvenile idiopathic arthritis : ESSR-ESPR points to consider

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is the most common paediatric rheumatic disease. It represents a group of heterogenous inflammatory disorders with unknown origin and is a diagnosis of exclusion in which imaging plays an important role. JIA is defined as arthritis of one or more joints that begins before the age of 16 years, persists for more than 6 weeks and is of unknown aetiology and pathophysiology. The clinical goal is early suppression of inflammation to prevent irreversible joint damage which has shifted the emphasis from detecting established joint damage to proactively detecting inflammatory change. This drives the need for imaging techniques that are more sensitive than conventional radiography in the evaluation of inflammatory processes as well as early osteochondral change. Physical examination has limited reliability, even if performed by an experienced clinician, emphasising the importance of imaging to aid in clinical decision-making. On behalf of the European Society of Musculoskeletal Radiology (ESSR) arthritis subcommittee and the European Society of Paediatric Radiology (ESPR) musculoskeletal imaging taskforce, based on literature review and/or expert opinion, we discuss paediatric-specific imaging characteristics of the most commonly involved, in literature best documented and clinically important joints in JIA, namely the temporomandibular joints (TMJs), spine, sacroiliac (SI) joints, wrists, hips and knees, followed by a clinically applicable point to consider for each joint. We will also touch upon controversies in the current literature that remain to be resolved with ongoing research

Identyfikacja mieszanin związków chemicznych na podstawie ich widm w podczerwieni z wykorzystaniem sztucznej inteligencji

Infrared (IR) spectrometric identification of individual chemical compounds from their mixtures is still a challenging process. Therefore, we developed a method in which we use the IR “Fingerprint” spectra of a particular chemical substance followed by artificial intelligence (AI) – based analysis to correctly characterise components of relatively simple chemical mixtures. We describe here the assembly of tools developed especially for this purpose as well as the artificial neural network design together with the requirements that must be met for its proper functioning. To test our approach, we used a mixture of amphetamine and creatinine which are difficult to identify in mixtures by standard “Fingerprint” rules. The advantages of the artificial neural network approach include the generalisation and adaptation of knowledge by fitting parameter values to change the object characteristics. All this renders the effective identification of a mixture of two substances possible.W artykule przedstawiono możliwości zastosowania w identyfikacji związków chemicznych metody tzw. odcisku palca oraz sztucznej inteligencji na podstawie widm w podczerwieni. Opisano budowę opracowanego specjalnie do tego celu narzędzia i sztuczną sieć neuronową oraz wymogi, jakie muszą być spełnione do jej poprawnego funkcjonowania. Obecnie stosowane programy użytkowe do identyfikacji związków chemicznych na podstawie ich widm w podczerwieni natrafiają na trudności z poprawną identyfikacją w przypadku mieszanin substancji. W przeprowadzonych badaniach testowych wykorzystano mieszaninę kreatyniny oraz amfetaminy - substancje z którymi obecnie wykorzystywane oprogramowania działające wg zasady Finger-print mają duże trudności. Dlatego też zastosowano sztuczną sieć neuronową, której zalety, takie jak uogólnianie zdobytej wiedzy oraz adaptacja, czyli dopasowania wartości parametrów do zmian charakterystyk obiektu, pozwalają na skuteczną identyfikację w mieszaninie dwóch substancji

Wydajność karp matecznych i jakość sadzonek zielnych kilku odmian dalii ogrodowej

Dahlia, together with chrysanthemums and tulips, is one of the most beautiful and the most willingly cultivated perennials in green areas and home gardens. Therefore, the producers seek for more effective methods of its propagation. In the years 2011–2014 in the Felin Experimental Farm of the University of Life Sciences in Lublin the research was undertaken to estimate the crowns efficiency of four Polish border dahlia cultivars. The tubers were taken out from storage in early spring, then planted in trays filled with peat and placed on the tables in a glasshouse. The soft stem cuttings snipped off from the sprouts arising from tubers were used for experiments which aim was to evaluate the quality of four types of rooted soft cuttings. It was stated that the number of sprouts appearing in spring on a mother plant depended on a cultivar and a season. Tubers of ‘Krynica’ and ‘Halinka’ cul-tivars formed the most sprouts. The most effective were crowns from which apical cuttings were snipped off (90–115) pieces from the 10th of February till the 20th of April. The number of soft stems that were used to obtain cuttings ‘with heel’, ‘without heel’ and 2-node’ ones ranged on average from 50 to 80 per season. The best quality rooted cuttings, in terms of a fresh weight, number of leaves and a fresh weight and number of roots, were the heel cuttings.Dalia, obok chryzantem czy tulipanów, jest jedną z najpiękniejszych i najchętniej uprawianych bylin. Ponieważ roślina ta coraz częściej wykorzystywana jest do nasadzeń w terenach zieleni miejskiej, producenci poszukują bardziej wydajnych sposobów jej rozmnażania. W latach 2011–2014 w Gospodarstwie Doświadczalnym Felin Uniwersytetu Przyrodniczego w Lublinie przeprowadzono badania, w których oceniono wydajność karp czterech polskich odmian dalii rabatowych. Karpy wczesną wiosną wystawiano z przechowalni, sadzono do skrzynek i ustawiano na stołach w szklarni. Z pędów wyrastających na karpach pozyskiwano zielne sadzonki pędowe do dalszych do-świadczeń, celem których była ocena jakości czterech typów ukorzenionych sadzonek zielnych. Wykazano, że liczba pojawiających się wiosną pędów zielnych na roślinie matecznej zależała od odmiany i sezonu prowadzonych badań. Najwięcej pędów tworzyły karpy odmian ‘Krynica’ i ‘Halinka’. Najbardziej wydajne były karpy, z których cięto od 10 lutego do 20 kwietnia sadzonki wierzchołkowe (90–115 sadzonek). Liczba pędów zielnych, z których pozyskiwano sadzonki z piętką, bez piętki i dwuwęzłowe wynosiła w sezonie średnio od 50 do 80. Najlepszą jakością ukorzenionych sadzonek (świeża masa sadzonki, liczba liści na sadzonce, świeża masa i liczba korzeni) charakteryzowały się te z tzw. piętką

Advances in musculoskeletal imaging in juvenile idiopathic arthritis

Over the past decade, imaging of inflammatory arthritis in juvenile arthropathies has significantly advanced due to technological improvements in the imaging modalities and elaboration of imaging recommendations and protocols through systematic international collaboration. This review presents the latest developments in ultrasound (US) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the peripheral and axial joints in juvenile idiopathic arthritis. In the field of US, the ultra-wideband and ultra-high-frequency transducers provide outstanding spatial resolution. The more sensitive Doppler options further improve the assessment and quantification of the vascularization of inflamed tissues, and shear wave elastography enables the diagnosis of tissue stiffness. Concerning MRI, substantial progress has been achieved due to technological improvements in combination with the development of semiquantitative scoring systems for the assessment of inflammation and the introduction of new definitions addressing the pediatric population. New solutions, such as superb microflow imaging, shear wave elastography, volume-interpolated breath-hold examination, and MRI-based synthetic computed tomography open new diagnostic possibilities and, at the same time, pose new challenges in terms of clinical applications and the interpretation of findings