Grindability of Coal – the new approach

The method of evaluation of grindability of hard coal and its blend is shown. The standard Hardgrove test is used as a base to work out this method. The essence of this method consists in the simulation of the milling process in a close circuit (mill-classifier) and the determination of energy consumption and quantity of product under the constant feed flow. The research equipment designed specially for this project is described

Reclamation and revitalization of post-mining sites - ups and downs

During the post-mining activities, all the forms of environment degradation are observed. This article refers to the projects of reclamation and revitalization of post-mining sites. The method of studying reclamation project documents was used to evaluate remedial actions. This allows for a comparative analysis of the obtained effects (the analyzed case) with the planned procedures. It has been shown what the main effects of degradation are caused by surface and underground mining, as well as what procedures are in force for the repair processes (recultivation and revitalization).Web of Science28365463

Silver recovery from zinc metallurgical sludge – analysis of solutions

During the hydrometallurgical process of zinc production, conducted in the ZGH “Bolesław” S.A. in Bukowno [Mine and Metallurgical Plant], about 40,000 tons of sludge is generated. After dehydration in the Larox filter presses, sludge contains ca. 16-18% of Zn, 20-25% of Fe, and 200-300 ppm of Ag. Next, sludge is transported to the Olkusz concentrator for flotation to obtain concentrate enriched with Ag (1,000-1,500 ppm). The concentrate is then sent to the HC “Miasteczko Śląskie” [zinc smelter], while the flotation tailings are subjected to recycling in waelz kiln in Bukowno to regain mainly Zn and Pb, in the form of oxides (also sent later to the HC “Miasteczko Śląskie”)

Paraneoplastic syndromes in ganglioneuroblastoma: contrasting symptoms of constipation and diarrhoea

A paraneoplastic syndrome is occasionally the first clinical symptom seen with tumours. We report on two children who initially presented with paraneoplastic syndromes due to ganglioneuroblastomas: the first with severe watery diarrhoea caused by a ganglioneuroma producing vasoactive intestinal peptide, the second with non-treatable constipation, caused by ganglioneuroma-produced anti-neuronal nuclear antibodies. Conclusion : Either severe diarrhoea or chronic constipation may represent rare paraneoplastic syndromes in ganglioneuroblastomas.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/47533/1/431_2003_Article_1212.pd

Segmentation of glioblastomas in early post-operative multi-modal MRI with deep neural networks

Extent of resection after surgery is one of the main prognostic factors for patients diagnosed with glioblastoma. To achieve this, accurate segmentation and classification of residual tumor from post-operative MR images is essential. The current standard method for estimating it is subject to high inter- and intra-rater variability, and an automated method for segmentation of residual tumor in early post-operative MRI could lead to a more accurate estimation of extent of resection. In this study, two state-of-the-art neural network architectures for pre-operative segmentation were trained for the task. The models were extensively validated on a multicenter dataset with nearly 1000 patients, from 12 hospitals in Europe and the United States. The best performance achieved was a 61\% Dice score, and the best classification performance was about 80\% balanced accuracy, with a demonstrated ability to generalize across hospitals. In addition, the segmentation performance of the best models was on par with human expert raters. The predicted segmentations can be used to accurately classify the patients into those with residual tumor, and those with gross total resection.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figures, 4 table

Segmentation of glioblastomas in early post-operative multi-modal MRI with deep neural networks

Extent of resection after surgery is one of the main prognostic factors for patients diagnosed with glioblastoma. To achieve this, accurate segmentation and classification of residual tumor from post-operative MR images is essential. The current standard method for estimating it is subject to high inter- and intra-rater variability, and an automated method for segmentation of residual tumor in early post-operative MRI could lead to a more accurate estimation of extent of resection. In this study, two state-of-the-art neural network architectures for pre-operative segmentation were trained for the task. The models were extensively validated on a multicenter dataset with nearly 1000 patients, from 12 hospitals in Europe and the United States. The best performance achieved was a 61% Dice score, and the best classification performance was about 80% balanced accuracy, with a demonstrated ability to generalize across hospitals. In addition, the segmentation performance of the best models was on par with human expert raters. The predicted segmentations can be used to accurately classify the patients into those with residual tumor, and those with gross total resection

Associations between depressive symptoms and disease progression in older patients with chronic kidney disease: results of the EQUAL study

Background Depressive symptoms are associated with adverse clinical outcomes in patients with end-stage kidney disease; however, few small studies have examined this association in patients with earlier phases of chronic kidney disease (CKD). We studied associations between baseline depressive symptoms and clinical outcomes in older patients with advanced CKD and examined whether these associations differed depending on sex. Methods CKD patients (>= 65 years; estimated glomerular filtration rate <= 20 mL/min/1.73 m(2)) were included from a European multicentre prospective cohort between 2012 and 2019. Depressive symptoms were measured by the five-item Mental Health Inventory (cut-off <= 70; 0-100 scale). Cox proportional hazard analysis was used to study associations between depressive symptoms and time to dialysis initiation, all-cause mortality and these outcomes combined. A joint model was used to study the association between depressive symptoms and kidney function over time. Analyses were adjusted for potential baseline confounders. Results Overall kidney function decline in 1326 patients was -0.12 mL/min/1.73 m(2)/month. A total of 515 patients showed depressive symptoms. No significant association was found between depressive symptoms and kidney function over time (P = 0.08). Unlike women, men with depressive symptoms had an increased mortality rate compared with those without symptoms [adjusted hazard ratio 1.41 (95% confidence interval 1.03-1.93)]. Depressive symptoms were not significantly associated with a higher hazard of dialysis initiation, or with the combined outcome (i.e. dialysis initiation and all-cause mortality). Conclusions There was no significant association between depressive symptoms at baseline and decline in kidney function over time in older patients with advanced CKD. Depressive symptoms at baseline were associated with a higher mortality rate in men

Mitochondrial physiology

As the knowledge base and importance of mitochondrial physiology to evolution, health and disease expands, the necessity for harmonizing the terminology concerning mitochondrial respiratory states and rates has become increasingly apparent. The chemiosmotic theory establishes the mechanism of energy transformation and coupling in oxidative phosphorylation. The unifying concept of the protonmotive force provides the framework for developing a consistent theoretical foundation of mitochondrial physiology and bioenergetics. We follow the latest SI guidelines and those of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) on terminology in physical chemistry, extended by considerations of open systems and thermodynamics of irreversible processes. The concept-driven constructive terminology incorporates the meaning of each quantity and aligns concepts and symbols with the nomenclature of classical bioenergetics. We endeavour to provide a balanced view of mitochondrial respiratory control and a critical discussion on reporting data of mitochondrial respiration in terms of metabolic flows and fluxes. Uniform standards for evaluation of respiratory states and rates will ultimately contribute to reproducibility between laboratories and thus support the development of data repositories of mitochondrial respiratory function in species, tissues, and cells. Clarity of concept and consistency of nomenclature facilitate effective transdisciplinary communication, education, and ultimately further discovery

Mitochondrial physiology

As the knowledge base and importance of mitochondrial physiology to evolution, health and disease expands, the necessity for harmonizing the terminology concerning mitochondrial respiratory states and rates has become increasingly apparent. The chemiosmotic theory establishes the mechanism of energy transformation and coupling in oxidative phosphorylation. The unifying concept of the protonmotive force provides the framework for developing a consistent theoretical foundation of mitochondrial physiology and bioenergetics. We follow the latest SI guidelines and those of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) on terminology in physical chemistry, extended by considerations of open systems and thermodynamics of irreversible processes. The concept-driven constructive terminology incorporates the meaning of each quantity and aligns concepts and symbols with the nomenclature of classical bioenergetics. We endeavour to provide a balanced view of mitochondrial respiratory control and a critical discussion on reporting data of mitochondrial respiration in terms of metabolic flows and fluxes. Uniform standards for evaluation of respiratory states and rates will ultimately contribute to reproducibility between laboratories and thus support the development of data repositories of mitochondrial respiratory function in species, tissues, and cells. Clarity of concept and consistency of nomenclature facilitate effective transdisciplinary communication, education, and ultimately further discovery