Changes in lake area as a consequence of plant overgrowth in the South Baltic Lakelands (Northern Poland)

The authors carried out the analysis of changes in the plant overgrowth of the lakes based on cartographic materials. Among 6 793 lakes with the area exceeding 1 ha located in the lakelands of Northern Poland, 893 lakes were selected for the analysis. The lakes were selected on the grounds of the existing bathymetric plans and information on their overgrowth and depth relations. Over the last 50 years lake area declined by 1.9% (from 140 975.0 ha do 138 273.7 ha) and so did the lake area covered with emergent plants, i.e. by 0.27% (from 11 219.0 ha down to 10 637.2 ha). Emergent plants cover on average 7.69% of the lake area. In the case of the lakes of smaller areas (below 80 ha) or medium areas (80÷200 ha) the extent of plant overgrowth was 14.3 and 9.6% respectively. The article presents two indicators which determine plant overgrowth of the lakes. These are the coefficient of overgrowing the lakes (%) and the coefficient of overgrowing the shoreline (ha km -1). These coefficients make it possible to study the extent of lake overgrowing in the South Baltic Lakeland, regardless the direction of these changes

ROZMYTA OCENA SPÓJNOŚCI WIZUALNEJ W OBRAZACH TERMOWIZYJNYCH POWIERZCHNI WALCOWEJ

This article presents an idea of visual connectedness measure between components in thermography images of rotating steel roller, cylindrically shaped. Both definition and method of measure calculus is given along with a short discussion.Artykuł przedstawia metodę oceny spójności wizualnej komponentów temperaturowych w obrazach termowizyjnych obracającego się walca. Zaproponowano definicję oraz metodę wyznaczania wartości oceny spójności

Modeling of Tau-Mediated Synaptic and Neuronal Degeneration in Alzheimer's Disease

Patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease (AD) are typified and diagnosed postmortem by the combined accumulations of extracellular amyloid plaques and of intracellular tauopathy, consisting of neuropil treads and neurofibrillary tangles in the somata. Both hallmarks are inseparable and remain diagnostic as described by Alois Alzheimer more than a century ago. Nevertheless, these pathological features are largely abandoned as being the actual pathogenic or neurotoxic factors. The previous, almost exclusive experimental attention on amyloid has shifted over the last 10 years in two directions. Firstly, from the “concrete” deposits of amyloid plaques to less well-defined soluble or pseudosoluble oligomers of the amyloid peptides, ranging from dimers to dodecamers and even larger aggregates. A second shift in research focus is from amyloid to tauopathy, and to their mutual relation. The role of Tau in the pathogenesis and disease progression is appreciated as leading to synaptic and neuronal loss, causing cognitive deficits and dementia. Both trends are incorporated in a modified amyloid cascade hypothesis, briefly discussed in this paper that is mainly concerned with the second aspect, that is, protein Tau and its associated fundamental questions

MODELOWANIE 3D TERMICZNYCH NAPRĘŻEŃ W PŁASKIM STAŁOTLENKOWYM OGNIWIE PALIWOWYM O NOWATORSKIEJ KONSTRUKCJI

The presented modelling investigation was carried out to analyze thermal stresses and expansion in an anode supported planar Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (pSOFC). The temperature distribution was based on previously developed thermo-electrochemical model predicting fuel cell operation. The design of a single pSOFC consisted of three ceramic layers of membrane electrode assembly: anode, electrolyte, cathode and two cross-flow bipolar plates with 26 ribs. The gases flowed diagonally from one cell corner to the opposite one. The fuel and air flows were cross-wise opposed on each bipolar plate side. The study allowed to indicate the most vulnerable to thermal damage area of the fuel cell in the operating conditions. The results will be useful in further design modification and performance optimization of the SOFC.Przeprowadzone symulacje numeryczne miały na celu analizę termicznych naprężeń i ocenę stopnia wydłużenia płaskiego stałotlenkowego ogniwa paliwowego typu pSOFC (ang. planar Solid Oxide Fuel Cell). Rozkład temperatury w ogniwie wyznaczono w oparciu o wcześniej opracowany model termiczno-elektrochemiczny [11]. Nowatorskie rozwiązanie ogniwa typu pSOFC objęło ceramiczną konstrukcję, w skład której weszły porowate elektrody – anoda i katoda, elektrolit oraz dwie płytki bipolarne z 26-cioma żebrami. Przepływ paliwa i powietrza odbywał się krzyżowo i przeciwprądowo, po przekątnej ogniwa. Wyniki symulacji pozwoliły na określenie obszarów ogniwa narażonych na uszkodzenie w wyniku wysokich wartości naprężeń termicznych. Uzyskane rezultaty FEM umożliwią dalszą modyfikację konstrukcji płaskiego ogniwa  w celu optymalizacji wydajności pSOFC

Investigation of contact phenomena in turning using tools made of low-alloy high-speed steels

U ovom se radu daju rezultati ispitivanja raspodjele temperaturnog polja i trošenja alata tijekom tokarenja čelika C60. Provedena su ispitivanja otpornosti na abrazivno trošenje tokarskih noževa izrađenih od niskolegiranog brzoreznog čelika. Uzorci čelika su toplinski obrađeni i zatim podvrgnuti ionskom nitriranju, oblaganju TiN ili kompleksnoj obradi. Analiziran je utjecaj brzine rezanja na vrijednost osnovnih parametara karakterističnih za pojave u graničnoj površini alat-obradak, t.j. rezni omjer, faktor trenja i dužina zone dodira. Porast vrijednosti kuta nagiba dovodi do porasta vrijednosti faktora trenja. Nadalje, vrijednost faktora trenja se smanjuje kako raste debljina reznog sloja. Ispitivanja trajnosti rezne oštrice potvrđuju da je u definiranju radnih uvjeta alata, najvažnija otpornost na gubitak tvrdoće kod porasta temperature na temperaturama višim i nižim od temperature popuštanja.In this paper, the results of investigations of the temperature field distribution and tool wearing during C60 steel turning are presented. Abrasive wear resistance tests were carried out for cutters made of low-alloy high-speed steel. Steel samples were heat treated, and then were subjected to ion nitriding, TiN coating, or to complex treatment. The influence of cutting speed on the value of basic parameters characterising the phenomena in the tool-workpiece interface i.e., cutting ratio, friction coefficient, and length of contact zone, is analysed. An increase of the rake angle value causes an increase in the value of the friction coefficient. Furthermore, the value of the friction coefficient decreases as the thickness of the cut layer increases. Investigations of the durability of cutting edges confirm that to define the working conditions of the tool, resistance against hardness loss with increasing temperature at temperatures higher and lower than the tempering temperature is the most significant

SUBMARINE EVIDENCE OF THE LATE WEICHSELIAN MAXIMUM EXTENT AND THE LITTLE ICE AGE (LIA) GLACIER LIMITS IN THE ST. JONSFJORDEN REGION (SVALBARD)

The paper presents the results of bathymetric mapping of selected tidewater glaciers in the St. Jonsfjorden (Svalbard) between 2004 and 2007. We also used the bathymetric data collected by the Norwegian Hydrographic Service (NHS) as well as the shaded relief images based on them. The most clearly visible traces in submarine marginal zones of the glaciers come from the Little Ice Age (LIA), i.e. the cooling period which in the area of St. Jonsfjorden might have ended no later than about 1900. At the beginning of the 20th century, i.e. during a warm period, the glaciers of St. Jonsfjorden reached their maximums. The youngest traces in the seafloor of the fjord and the bays date from this period, similar to the case of the land marginal zones. In front of the cliff of the Dahl Glacier there is a clearly visible zone of submarine moraines. It finishes exactly along the line of the LIA maximum. The sea-floor relief of the fjord and bays shows traces which we interpret as having been formed during the Late Weichselian (13–10 ka B.P.). At that time, the Dahl Glacier advanced onto the northern part of Hermansenøya; its main stream passed to the north of the island. Simultaneously, the Konow-Osborne Glacier terminated 2 to 4 km from the fjord mouth, leaving about 15 km2 of the fjord ice-free.

GSK3 and Alzheimer’s Disease: Facts and Fiction…

The physiological functions and pathological roles of the Glycogen synthase kinase-type 3 (GSK3) kinases in peripheral and central systems are diverse and complex, and therefore hard to unravel in molecular detail in vivo. Our assignment to review and discuss available data to clarify the actual position of these kinases in the pathology of Alzheimer’s dementia (AD) was both ambitious and easy. On the one hand, numerous studies are available in isolated, recombinant, or cell-based systems, which have resulted in very diverse data-sets that are hardly informative for the brain in vivo. At the other extreme, reliable, and relevant models for the role of GSK3 in CNS are rare, if not lacking. Moreover, (too) many in vivo studies used Li+ as “specific” inhibitor of GSK3, which is factually not valid because lithium ions are neither specific nor potent inhibitors of GSK3 in vivo. More specific pharmacological inhibitors of GSK3 have met with considerable problems, and are reviewed by others in this issue or elsewhere. We concentrate here on AD-related aspects of GSK3 in brain in vivo, mainly studied in transgenic mice and highlight some of the more important issues, among many remaining: activation of GSK3 by amyloid, phosphorylation of protein tau, effects on or interference with synaptic activity, differentiation between both GSK3 isoforms. These relate directly to brain function, and brain dysfunction in AD, and are to be resolved if we want to understand the molecular pathology of this dreadful disease

INTELIGENTNY SYSTEM DIAGNOSTYKI I STEROWANIA PRZEPŁYWAMI DWUFAZOWYMI NA PODSTAWIE POMIARÓW 3D ECT

In this paper the new intelligent system for two-phase flows diagnosis and control is presented. The authors developed a fuzzy inference system for two phase flows recognition based on the raw 3D ECT data statistical analysis and fuzzy classification which identify the flow structure in real-time mode. The non-invasive three-dimensional monitoring is possible to conduct even in non-transparent and non-accessible parts of the pipeline. Presented system is also equipped with the two phase gas-liquid flows installation control module based on fuzzy inference which includes the feedback information from the recognition module.  The intelligent control module working in a feed-back loop keep the sets of required flow regime. Presented in this paper fuzzy algorithms allow to recognize the two phase processes similar to the human expert and to control the process in the same, very intuitively way. Using of the artificial intelligence in the industrial applications allows to avoid any random errors as well as breakdowns and human mistakes suffer from lack of objectivity. An additional feature of the system is a universal multi-touched monitoring-control panel which is an alternative for commercial solution and gives the opportunity to build user own virtual model of the flow rig to efficiently monitor and control the process.W artykule zaprezentowany został inteligentny system diagnostyki i sterowania przepływami dwufazowymi gaz-ciecz. Autorzy opracowali rozmyty system wnioskowania oparty o statystyczną analizę i klasyfikację rozmytą surowych danych pomiarowych 3D ECT realizujący w czasie rzeczywistym identyfikację struktury przepływu oraz wyznaczanie objętościowego udziału faz. Nieinwazyjny trójwymiarowy monitoring przepływu możliwy jest w nieprzezroczystych i trudno dostępnych fragmentach rurociągów w czasie rzeczywistym. Prezentowany system wyposażony jest również w moduł sterowania instalacją w oparciu o wnioskowanie rozmyte, któremu na wejście podawane są informacje zwrotne od modułu rozpoznawania. Inteligentny regulator rozmyty pracujący w pętli sprzężenia zwrotnego utrzymuje żądane nastawy parametrów przepływu w oparciu o zadany reżim przepływu. Przedstawione w niniejszym opracowaniu algorytmy rozmyte umożliwiają identyfikację procesów dwu-fazowych w sposób analogiczny do tego, jak to robią specjaliści oraz jednocześnie pozwalają kontrolować proces w ten sam bardzo intuicyjny sposób. Zastosowanie sztucznej inteligencji w aplikacjach przemysłowych pozwala uniknąć przypadkowych ludzkich błędów podatnych na brak obiektywizmu, a także zapobiegać awarii. Cechą dodatkową systemu jest uniwersalny dotykowy panel monitorująco-sterujący stanowiący alternatywę dla drogich komercyjnych rozwiązań umożliwiający budowanie wirtualnego modelu instalacji, aby w szybki i skuteczny sposób móc ją monitorować i nią sterować