Threats to the safety of navigation resulting from the tsunami

The tsunami traveling times were examined in connection to the earthquake that took place on 26 December 2004 in the Indian Ocean, changing the sea level as far as the Atlantic. For 17 ports located on the coasts of the two oceans theoretical times of wave arrival at the ports were calculated and compared with the real data recorded bymareographs. It has been found that the theoretical and real times differed, which can be explained by the effect of shallow water. Furthermore, as regards to the earthquake itself, instead of a single point epicenter as it was reported, it should have been considered as a zone of continental plates subduction extending 1200 km. The tsunami speed averaged for 17 ports amounted to 682 km/h, which necessitates an alteration of the coefficient in the formula (2) from the existing 5.0 to 4.38

Long-term, seasonal and short-term fluctuations in the water level of the Southern Baltic Sea

Aim of this work are analyses of oscillations sea levels in the Southern Baltic on a scale of short-term changes, seasonal and long-term (age). The study was based on observational data in different periods time for tide gauges station of the Polish coast. On the example of some storm situations presents the part of the baric wave and the wind in the formation of extreme sea levels. The primary cause of the annual variability of sea levels was the characteristics of the annual and semi-annual oscillations (the annual and semi-annual solar tide). In the work also determined the rate of long-term sea-level rise for the Polish coast

Controlled release of doxorubicin from the drug delivery formulation composed of single-walled carbon nanotubes and Congo red : a molecular dynamics study and dynamic light scattering analysis

The controlled delivery and release of drug molecules at specific targets increases the therapeutic efficacy of treatment. This paper presents a triple complex which is a new potential drug delivery system. Triple complex contains single-walled carbon nanotubes, Congo red, and doxorubicin. Nanotubes are built of a folded graphene layer providing a large surface for binding Congo red via “face-to-face” stacking which markedly increases the binding capacity of the carrier. Congo red is a compound that self-associates to form supramolecular ribbon-like structures, which are able to bind some drugs by intercalation. The nanotube–Congo red complex can bind the model drug doxorubicin. Thus, a new triple carrier system was obtained. The aim of this paper is to present studies on the controlled release of a model anticancer drug from a triple carrier system through pH changes. The specific aim of the study was to model the structure of the obtained experimental systems and to compare the changes in the average energy of interaction between its components induced by pH changes. The studies also aimed to compare the intensity of pH-dependent changes in hydrodynamic diameters of individual components of the triple carrier system. The effect of pH changes on the stability of the analyzed systems was examined using the molecular modeling method and dynamic light scattering. The decrease in pH influenced the structure and stability of the analyzed triple systems and ensured efficient drug release. The changes in hydrodynamic diameters of the obtained fractions were examined with the use of dynamic light scattering and were confirmed by computer simulation methods. The formulation presented in this paper shows potential for a therapeutic application owing to its high drug binding capacity and pH-dependent release. This ensures prolonged local action of the drug. The results reveal that the studied complex fulfills the basic requirements for its potential use as drug carrier, thus reducing side effects and enhancing pharmacological efficacy of drugs

Exploring new horizons : unleashing tourism potential through innovative product development inspired by surfing : an introductory exploration

PURPOSE: The aim of this article is to present the physical, geographical and spatial conditions of surfing in the world, and in particular to indicate the possibilities of creating new tourist products for active tourists.DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: The modern market of tourist services needs new tourist products and new activities that allow us to create a new offer for tourists. The research hypothesis was defined as follows: The tourism industry and its infrastructure needs necessary to ensure efficient tourist service mean that the creation of new tourist products contributes to the development of a given space, and one of the development tools may be surfing.FINDINGS: Without a properly developed infrastructure for tourism, it is impossible to talk about its attractiveness and full operational and development functionality of the market. Tourism development based on specific tourist activities is a basic element of spatial development.PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: Surfing brings many benefits and opportunities, among which there is certainly the joy of contact with the element that is the ocean, or perhaps an element that cannot be mastered, but can be understood and, in harmony with its nature, managed for the benefit of many.ORIGINALITY/VALUE: The article has a practical application. The results can be used by people planning the development of traditional spatial tourism product.peer-reviewe

The threat of allergenic airborne trees pollen to pollinosis sufferers in a rural area (Western Pomerania, Poland)

The aim of the study was to investigate the concentration of Alnus L., Corylus L. and Betula L. pollen in the village of Gudowo (Western Pomerania, Poland) in the years 2012–2014 in order to estimate the threat of allergenic tree pollen in this rural region. Measurements were performed using the volumetric method (VPPS Lanzoni 2000 pollen sampler). The duration of the pollen season was determined by the 98% method, taking days on which, respectively, 1% and 99% of the annual total pollen grains appeared as the beginning and end of the season. Pollen grains from hazel occurred in the air as the first ones, before pollen grains from alder and birch. The earliest beginning of the hazel pollen season was recorded in 2012, whereas alder and birch pollen seasons started the earliest in 2014. Daily maximum pollen concentrations of the investigated taxa were recorded in 2014. Birch pollen allergens posed the largest threat to pollinosis sufferers. In the years 2012–2014, pollen concentrations equal or higher than threshold values, at which people with pollinosis show allergic symptoms, were recorded most frequently for birch, hazel, and alder (25, 19, and 14 days, respectively). The highest hourly alder pollen concentration was recorded at 16:00 and in the case of hazel at 15:00. The diurnal distribution of birch pollen concentrations does not show any distinct peaks

Ocena wartości predykcyjnej stężenia TNF-alfa w surowicy krwi matki w prognozowaniu wrodzonego zakażenia noworodka oraz zakażenia matki

Introduction: The consequences of uncomplicated PPROM are serious, and the presence of overt intraamniotic infection (IAI) is associated with a significant increase in both, the maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality rate. TNF-alpha is a cytokine involved in systemic inflammation and plays an important role in modulating the acute phase reaction. Aim: the aim of this study was to evaluate the predictive value of tnf-alpha levels in maternal serum within 6 hours after pprom and in the period of up to 12 hours after delivery, in the prediction of neonatal and maternal infection. Material and methods: The investigation was conducted on a group of 56 women diagnosed with PPROM between 30+0 and 36+6 weeks gestational age. In the period of up to 6hrs from pprom first sample of 10ml of maternal venous blood for laboratory testing was taken and the level of tnf-alpha was measured. A second sample of venous blood was taken within 12hrs from delivery to reassess the tnf-alpha levels. All the participants were divided retrospectively into four groups depending on the occurrence of adverse neonatal and maternal outcome. Measuring the concentration of tnf-alpha in maternal serum was performed using the elisa method (enzymelinked immunosorbent assay). Results: A statistically significant difference in the second assay (up to 12 hours after delivery) between the patients with and without signs of maternal infection was observed concerning the tnf-alpha serum level. The concentration of this cytokine in maternal serum after delivery was 1.79 and 1.36 pg/ml (pWstęp: Konsekwencje niepowikłanego PPROM są poważne, a dodatkowo obecność jawnej klinicznie IAI związana jest ze znaczącym wzrostem zachorowalności i śmiertelności matki i noworodka. TNF-alfa jest cytokiną biorącą udział w reakcji zapalanej oraz odgrywa istotną rolę w modulacji reakcji ostrej fazy. Cel: Celem pracy była ocena wartości predykcyjnej oznaczenia stężenia TNF-alfa w surowicy krwi matki w czasie 6 godzin od PPROM oraz 12 godzin od porodu w prognozowaniu zakażenia matki i noworodka. Materiał i metodyka: Badanie przeprowadzono w grupie 56 kobiet z PPROM pomiędzy 30+0 a 36+6 tygodniem ciąży. W okresie do 6 godzin od PPROM wykonano podstawowe badania laboratoryjne oraz zmierzono stężenie TNF-alfa w surowicy krwi matki. Ponowne oznaczanie analizowanych parametrów laboratoryjnych oraz stężenia TNF-alfa przeprowadzono w czasie do 12 godzin od porodu. Wszystkie włączone do badania pacjentki podzielono retrospektywnie na cztery grupy, w zależności od wystąpienia niekorzystnego wyniku położniczego matki i noworodka. Pomiar stężenia TNF-alfa w surowicy krwi matki wykonano przy użyciu metody ELISA. Wyniki: W grupie pacjentek z cechami zakażenia, stężenie TNF-alfa w surowicy krwi w okresie do 12 godzin od porodu było statystycznie wyższe w porównaniu do grupy kobiet bez cech zakażenia (1,79 vs. 1,36 pg/ml –

Patterns of vascular graft infection in 18F-FDG PET/CT

BACKGROUND: 18F-FDG PET/CT has become an important tool in diagnosis of prosthetic vascular graft infections (PVGI). The aim of the study was to identify the patterns of vascular graft infection in 18F-FDG PET/CT. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study was performed in 24 patients with vascular graft infection, in 17 patients implanted in an open surgery mode and in 7 patients by endovascular aortic repair (EVAR). Vascular prostheses were evaluated by two visual scales and semi-quantitative analysis with maximum standardized uptake values (SUV max). RESULTS: In the 3-point scale: 23 patients were in grade 1 and one patient was in grade 2. In the 5-point scale: 19 patients were in grade 5 with the highest activity in the focal area, 4 patients were in grade 4 and one patient in grade 3. The visual evaluation of 18F-FDG PET/CT study revealed that peri-graft high metabolic activity was associated with occurrence of morphological abnormalities (n = 21) like gas bubbles and peri-graft fluid retention or without abnormal CT findings (n = 3). The presence of the gas bubbles was linked to higher uptake of 18F-FDG (p < 0.01, SUVmax 11.81 ± 4.35 vs 7.36 ± 2.80, 15 vs 9 pts). In EVAR procedure, the highest metabolic activity was greater than in classical prosthesis (SUVmax 21.5 vs 13). CONCLUSIONS: 18F-FDG PET/CT is a very useful tool for assessment of vascular graft infections. CT findings like gas bubbles, or peri-graft fluid retention were associated with significantly higher glucose metabolism; however, in some cases without anatomic alterations, increased metabolic activity was the only sign of infection

Towards an event annotated corpus of Polish

Towards an event annotated corpus of PolishThe paper presents a typology of events built on the basis of TimeML specification adapted to Polish language. Some changes were introduced to the definition of the event categories and a motivation for event categorization was formulated. The event annotation task is presented on two levels – ontology level (language independent) and text mentions (language dependant). The various types of event mentions in Polish text are discussed. A procedure for annotation of event mentions in Polish texts is presented and evaluated. In the evaluation a randomly selected set of documents from the Corpus of Wrocław University of Technology (called KPWr) was annotated by two linguists and the annotator agreement was calculated. The evaluation was done in two iterations. After the first evaluation we revised and improved the annotation procedure. The second evaluation showed a significant improvement of the agreement between annotators. The current work was focused on annotation and categorisation of event mentions in text. The future work will be focused on description of event with a set of attributes, arguments and relations

Temporal Expressions in Polish Corpus KPWr

Temporal Expressions in Polish Corpus KPWrThis article presents the result of the recent research in the interpretation of Polish expressions that refer to time. These expressions are the source of information when something happens, how often something occurs or how long something lasts. Temporal information, which can be extracted from text automatically, plays significant role in many information extraction systems, such as question answering, discourse analysis, event recognition and many more. We prepared PLIMEX — a broad description of Polish temporal expressions with annotation guidelines, based on the state-of-the-art solutions for English, mainly TimeML specification. We also adapted the solution to capture the local semantics of temporal expressions, called LTIMEX. Temporal description also supports further event identification and extends event description model, focusing at anchoring events in time, ordering events and reasoning about the persistence of events. We prepared the specification, which is designed to address these issues and we annotated all documents in Polish Corpus of Wroclaw University of Technology (KPWr) using our annotation guidelines

Vertical transmission of HPV in pregnancy. A prospective clinical study of HPV-positive pregnant women

Introduction: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection. Data reporting vertical transmission of HPV from the mother to the fetus are inconsistent and scant. Vertical transmission may occur by hematogenic route (transplacental), or by ascending contamination, or through the birth canal, which may result in the dreaded and rare laryngeal papillomatosis. Infected sperm at fertilization is a potential route of infection, too. Objective: The objective of the study was to evaluate the rate of vertical transmission of HPV in HPV-positive pregnant women to their newborn infants, as well as the risk factors of HPV vertical transmission. Material and methods: The clinical material was provided by 136 pregnant women, aged 18-45 years. Out of this group, 30 (22.05%) women with abnormal Pap test and positive DNA HPV test were prospectively observed. Neonatal status, i.e. DNA HPV from the nasopharyngeal smear, was recorded in all infants during the perinatal period. The conventional Pap test was performed with the cervix brush in all women. The Bethesda 2011 classification system was applied. Results: An average C Reactive Protein (CRP) concentration in the studied pregnant women was 11.6083 (Std Dev – 12.93). The most frequent cytological findings in the cervical smears from the examined women were ASCUS, n=13 (43.3%), then – LSIL, n=10 (33.3%), HSIL- n=5 (16.7%) and AGC- n=2 (6.7%). In the neonates, the presence of LR HPV DNA was detected in 9 cases (30.0%) and HR HPV DNA in 7 cases (23.3%). Fourteen neonates (46.7%) tested HPV DNA negative in the perinatal period. Conclusions: HPV infection (incidental or chronic) is observed in approximately 22% of pregnant women from the Małopolska province. Neonatal HPV infection in HPV-positive women was observed in 53.3% of the subjects. CRP concentration > 10 mg/dl in the serum of pregnant women statistically significantly (p 0.001) reduces the risk of vertical transmission of HPV from the mother to the fetus