Tuchola County Broadband Network (TCBN)

Abstract In the paper the designing project (plan) of Tuchola City broadband IP optical network has been presented. The extended version of network plan constitute technical part of network Feasibility Study, that it is expected to be implemented in Tuchola and be financed from European Regional Development Funds. The network plan presented in the paper contains both topological structure of fiber optic network as well as the active equipment for the network. In the project described in the paper it has been suggested to use Modular Cable System - MCS for passive infrastructure and Metro Ethernet technology for active equipment. The presented solution provides low cost of construction (CAPEX), ease of implementation of the network and low operating cost (OPEX). Moreover the parameters of installed Metro Ethernet switches in the network guarantee the scalability of the network for at least 10 years.</jats:p

Three years of an intensive programme: experiences, observations and learning points

This paper summarizes valuable experiences and learning points from three years of the Erasmus funded Intensive Programme on “Implementing Europe’s Future Broadband Infrastructure”. The programme consisted of a course held each year 2012-2014 during two weeks of July, where 30-35 students and 10-12 teachers from the 4 participating universities would meet in the location of one of the partner institutions. During the three years, the programme was each year adjusted according to the observations and evaluations from the previous year. The course was organized as a week of course modules, followed by a week of project work. The topics of the first week were defined to support the project work in the following week. The projects were based on real-life problems proposed by companies, and had to be solved in student groups with a mix of nationalities and educational backgrounds. Among the key learning points, we can highlight the importance of clearly communicating learning goals as well as motivations for the students to work problem-based and across traditional disciplines. Also, having short time to get a group from four different universities work together it is important to actively encourage (or enforce) the students to mix and work together throughout the course activities. Finally, we found that the model of combining course modules and projects worked well, especially if active learning approaches were used in the course modules.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Activated plasma coagulation β-Factor XII-induced vasoconstriction in rats

By inducing BK (bradykinin)-stimulated adrenomedullary catecholamine release, bolus injection of the β-fragment of activated plasma coagulation Factor XII (β-FXIIa) transiently elevates BP (blood pressure) and HR (heart rate) of anaesthetized, vagotomized, ganglion-blocked, captopril-treated bioassay rats. We hypothesized that intravenous infusion of β-FXIIa into intact untreated rats would elicit a qualitatively similar vasoconstrictor response. BN (Brown Norway) rats received for 60 min either: (i) saline (control; n=10); (ii) β-FXIIa (85 ng/min per kg of body weight; n=9); or (iii) β-FXIIa after 2ADX (bilateral adrenalectomy; n=9). LV (left ventricular) volume and aortic BP were recorded before (30 min baseline), during (60 min) and after (30 min recovery) the infusion. TPR (total peripheral resistance) was derived from MAP (mean arterial pressure), SV (stroke volume) and HR. Saline had no haemodynamic effects. β-FXIIa infusion increased its plasma concentration 3-fold in both groups. In adrenally intact rats, β-FXIIa infusion increased MAP by 6% (5±2 mmHg) and TPR by 45% (0.50±0.12 mmHg/ml per min), despite falls in SV (−38±8 μl) and HR [−18±5 b.p.m. (beats/min)] (all P<0.05). In 2ADX rats, β-FXIIa had no HR effect, but decreased SV (−89±9 μl) and MAP (−4±1 mmHg), and increased TPR by 66% (0.59±0.15 mmHg/ml per min) (all P<0.05). After infusion, adrenally intact rats exhibited persistent vasoconstriction (MAP, 10±1 mmHg; TPR, 0.55±0.07 mmHg/ml per min; both P<0.05), whereas in 2ADX rats, MAP remained 5±1 mmHg below baseline (P<0.05) and TPR returned to baseline. End-study arterial adrenaline (epinephrine) concentrations in the three groups were 1.9±0.6, 9.8±4.1 and 0.6±0.2 nmol/l respectively. Thus, in neurally intact lightly anaesthetized untreated rats, β-FXIIa infusion induces both adrenal catecholamine-mediated and adrenally independent increases in peripheral resistance