Thermographic assessment of skin prick tests in comparison with the routine evaluation methods

Introduction: The skin prick test is still the first and basic procedure in the diagnosis of allergic diseases. The possibility of using a sensitive thermographic method supported by the mathematical model for the assessment of skin test results will be highlighted in the studies. Aim: To compare the proposed approach with routine planimetric and thermographic methods. Material and methods: A mathematical model of allergic reaction was developed. Simplifying assumptions of the IgE-mediated skin reaction is the essence of the model. Investigations were performed in a group of 40 patients. Results: Using the spatio-temporal evolution of temperature distributions, the ratios of the histamine released from mast cells to the control histamine were determined. The obtained values very well correlate with the standard evaluation of skin prick tests (correlation coefficient = 0.98). Conclusions: The proposed method of skin test evaluation presents several advantages. The continuous acquisition of data provides the monitoring of time course of the allergic response. The transport of mediator and its concentration were distinctly discriminated, which may be diagnostically useful, especially for abnormal cases. The high sensitivity of the method enables studying patients regardless of age and skin sensitivity

Inflammatory aortic abdominal aneurysm - immunophenotypic characterization of inflammatory infiltrate

No abstract available

Magnetic anisotropy of epitaxial (Ga,Mn)As on (113)A GaAs

The temperature dependence of magnetic anisotropy in (113)A (Ga,Mn)As layers grown by molecular beam epitaxy is studied by means of superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometry as well as by ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) and magnetooptical effects. Experimental results are described considering cubic and two kinds of uniaxial magnetic anisotropy. The magnitude of cubic and uniaxial anisotropy constants is found to be proportional to the fourth and second power of saturation magnetization, respectively. Similarly to the case of (001) samples, the spin reorientation transition from uniaxial anisotropy with the easy along the [-1, 1, 0] direction at high temperatures to the biaxial anisotropy at low temperatures is observed around 25 K. The determined values of the anisotropy constants have been confirmed by FMR studies. As evidenced by investigations of the polar magnetooptical Kerr effect, the particular combination of magnetic anisotropies allows the out-of-plane component of magnetization to be reversed by an in-plane magnetic field. Theoretical calculations within the p-d Zener model explain the magnitude of the out-of-plane uniaxial anisotropy constant caused by epitaxial strain, but do not explain satisfactorily the cubic anisotropy constant. At the same time the findings point to the presence of an additional uniaxial anisotropy of unknown origin. Similarly to the case of (001) films, this additional anisotropy can be explained by assuming the existence of a shear strain. However, in contrast to the (001) samples, this additional strain has an out-of-the-(001)-plane character.Comment: 13 pages, 9 figure

Web Services Efficiency in Disadvantaged Environment, Journal of Telecommunications and Information Technology, 2011, nr 1

The article presents results of web services (WSs) efficiency tests carried out in the testbed emulating disadvantaged network environment. The authors discuss the advantage of different WS adaptation techniques that allow to minimize the XML message size (i.e. compression, filtering and binary coding) and the size of JPEG image attachment (i.e., resolution reduction, decreasing colour depth, JPEG compression). The presented results show the efficiency of selected methods that adapt the web services realization to the possibilities of the network. The article is summarized by conclusions and recommendations in terms of sending XML SOAP messages in disadvantaged networks

A Critical Review on the Use of Shallow Geothermal Energy Systems for Heating and Cooling Purposes

The reduction of CO2 emissions has become a global concern. In this regard, the EU intends to cut CO2 emissions by 55% by 2030 compared to those of 1990. The utilization of shallow geothermal energy (SGE) in EU countries is considered the most effective measure for decarbonizing heating and cooling. SGE systems utilize heat energy collected from the earth’s crust to provide secure, clean, and ubiquitous energy. This paper provides a literature review on the use of SGE for heating and cooling purposes. The latest advances in materials, new innovative structures, and techno-economic optimization approaches have been discussed in detail. Shallow geothermal energy’s potential is first introduced, and the innovative borehole structures to improve performance and reduce installation cost is outlined. This is followed by an extensive survey of different types of conventional and thermally enhanced collectors and grouts. Attention is mainly given to the techno-economic analysis and optimization approaches. In published case studies, the least economic break-even point against fossil fuel-based heating systems occurs within 2.5 to 17 years, depending on the local geological conditions, installation efficiency, energy prices, and subsidy. Ground source heat pumps’ cost-effectiveness could be improved through market maturity, increased efficiency, cheap electricity, and good subsidy programs.publishedVersio

Samorząd terytorialny w oczach socjologów – dyskusja

The last elections in Poland have substantially changed the political discourse. The new government has started to implement numerous reforms. Many of them aroused great controversy, including the one introducing changes in the local government system. This discussion can be considered as an invitation to broader considerations on the future of local government in Poland. It contains statements of six sociologists who are professionally interested in local government issues. They were inspired by three questions (asked by the editors of the text) about: (i) the possible outcome of the reform of the territorial self-government (ii) the functioning of the territorial self-government (iii) the evaluation of the discussion on the announced changes. The answers to these questions were based on the research knowledge and research experiences of the respondents and are therefore more science-based that general opinions typical for a public discussion which often manifest the worldview (or political attitudes) of the debating parties.Ostatnie wybory w Polsce mocno zmieniły sytuację polityczną. Nowe władze przystąpiły do realizacji licznych reform. Wiele z nich wzbudziło duże kontrowersje. Dotyczy to także zapowiedzi związanych ze zmianami w systemie samorządu terytorialnego. Artykuł można potraktować jako zaproszenie do dyskusji na temat przyszłości samorządności terytorialnej w Polsce. Zawiera wypowiedzi sześciu socjologów zajmujących się problematyką samorządową. Były one inspirowane trzema pytaniami, które dotyczyły: (1) bilansu polskiej reformy samorządowej, (2) problemów funkcjonowania samorządów, (3) oceny przebiegu dyskusji poświęconej zapowiedzianym zmianom. Wypowiedzi (odpowiedzi na pytania) opierają się na kompetencjach badaczy i ich doświadczeniu badawczym, są zatem w większym stopniu odwzorowaniem wiedzy naukowej i doświadczeń badawczych niż opinii, czy światopoglądu, które właściwe są dyskursowi publicznemu

The latest advances in wireless communication in aviation, wind turbines and bridges

Present-day technologies used in SHM (Structural Health Monitoring) systems in many implementations are based on wireless sensor networks (WSN). In the context of the continuous development of these systems, the costs of the elements that form the monitoring system are decreasing. In this situation, the challenge is to select the optimal number of sensors and the network architecture, depending on the wireless system’s other parameters and requirements. It is a challenging task for WSN to provide scalability to cover a large area, fault tolerance, transmission reliability, and energy efficiency when no events are detected. In this article, fundamental issues concerning wireless communication in structural health monitoring systems (SHM) in the context of non-destructive testing sensors (NDT) were presented. Wireless technology developments in several crucial areas were also presented, and these include engineering facilities such as aviation and wind turbine systems as well as bridges and associated engineering facilities