Concretes with Photocatalytic Activity

This chapter is a short review about the modified concretes with photocatalytic activity. In the beginning, the photocatalysis process is explained; the authors are focused on the mechanism of organic contamination and nitrogen oxide decomposition. Next the three main methods for concretes modification are presented: the first group is when the concrete is covered by thin layer of TiO2 materials, e.g., paints or TiO2 suspensions. The second group is the concretes with thick layer of photoactive concrete on the top. The third group constitutes concretes modified in mass with TiO2. The two main methods for photocatalytic activity of the modified concrete determination were shown: an air purification by a nitrogen oxide decomposition and the self-cleaning properties by dyes decomposition. Also in this chapter the mechanical properties of the modified concrete are presented. In the end, the examples of the buildings made of photocatalytic concretes are shown

Photocatalytic Activity and Mechanical Properties of Cements Modified with TiO2/N

In this paper, studies of the mechanical properties and photocatalytic activity of new photoactive cement mortars are presented. The new building materials were obtained by the addition of 1, 3, and 5 wt % (based on the cement content) of nitrogen-modified titanium dioxide (TiO2/N) to the cement matrix. Photocatalytic active cement mortars were characterized by measuring the flexural and the compressive strength, the hydration heat, the zeta potential of the fresh state, and the initial and final setting time. Their photocatalytic activity was tested during NOx decomposition. The studies showed that TiO2/N gives the photoactivity of cement mortars during air purification with an additional positive effect on the mechanical properties of the hardened mortars. The addition of TiO2/N into the cement shortened the initial and final setting time, which was distinctly observed using 5 wt % of the photocatalyst in the cement matrix

Response of development and body mass to daily temperature fluctuations : a study on Tribolium castaneum

Differences in thermal regimes are of paramount importance in insect development. However, experiments that examine trait development under constant temperature conditions may yield less evolutionarily relevant results than those that take naturally occurring temperature fluctuations into account. We investigated the effect of different temperature regimes (constant 30 °C, constant 35 °C, fluctuating with a daily mean of 30 °C, or fluctuating with a daily mean of 35 °C) on sex-specific development time and body mass in Tribolium castaneum. Using a half-sib breeding design, we also examined whether there is any evidence for genotype-by-environment interactions (GEI) for the studied traits. In response to fluctuating temperature regimes, beetles demonstrated reaction norm patterns in which thermal fluctuations influenced traits negatively above the species’ thermal optimum but had little to no effect close to the thermal optimum. Estimated heritabilities of development time were in general low and non-significant. In case of body mass of pupae and adults, despite significant genetic variance, we did not find any GEI due to crossing of reaction norms, both between temperatures and between variability treatments. We have observed a weak tendency towards higher heritabilities of adult and pupa body mass in optimal fluctuating thermal conditions. Thus, we have not found any biasing effect of stable thermal conditions as compared to fluctuating temperatures on the breeding values of heritable body-size traits. Contrary to this we have observed a strong population-wide effect of thermal fluctuations, indicated by the significant temperature-fluctuations interaction in both adult and pupa mass. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s11692-016-9375-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

New Opportunities and Challenges for Health Professionals in the era of Artificial Intelligence – Review

Introduction and purpose: Modern medical knowledge has grown to a vastness incomprehensible for a single health professional to learn and accommodate. The usage of modern information technologies comes to help, one of them being artificial intelligence, a branch of computer science aimed at developing solutions to perform tasks similar to the human brain, but more efficient and complex, without actual human intervention.  The goal of this review is to provide reader with the knowledge how artificial intelligence is applied in various branches of medicine. Brief description of the state of knowledge: In the fields of infectious diseases, including COVID-19 diagnostics, radiology, dermatology and surgery, works lean toward the statement, which suspect application of AI is beneficial for medical practitioners. Programs help to develop statistical models for virus spreading and the creation of antiviral solutions. The radiological application involves the analysis of images to aid radiologists in diagnosing certain features, similarly to dermatology, where eg. AI can identify malignancy of skin nevi. In the department of surgery, predictive algorithms can help in choosing operation methods and improve outcomes. Conclusions: Usage of AI assistance in the medical field has proven to be successful, but it is yet to be commonly encountered in everyday work. Programs need to be further developed and made more approachable to users without expertise in the IT field. AI may also prove useful in the process of education of health professionals

Helminths associated with terrestrial slugs in some parts of Europe

A survey of helminths associated with terrestrial slugs focusing on the invasive Arion vulgaris and the native A. ater was conducted on populations from France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway and Poland. In total, 648 terrestrial slugs were collected from 18 sample sites, and identified by means of morphological examination, dissection of genitalia and molecular analysis using mitochondrial DNA. In addition to A. vulgaris and A. ater, also A. vulgaris/A. rufus hybrids and A. ater/A. rufus hybrids were collected. Helminth species were identified based on morphological features and sequencing of the 18S and ITS rDNA regions. The parasites included four nematode species: Alloionema appendiculatum, Angiostoma sp., Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita, Entomelas sp., two trematode species: Brachylaima mesostoma, Eurytrema sp., and one cestode (tapeworm) species: Skrjabinia sp. Alloionema appendiculatum was the most common helminth in the investigated slug populations. Furthermore, we found higher prevalence of trematodes in the invasive A. vulgaris compared with the native A. ater, while differences in the prevalence for nematodes were not as clear.publishedVersio

Terapia dziecka z samoistnym opóźnionym rozwojem mowy : studium przypadku

The following paper discusses the problem of idiopathic speech delays among children. The authors present the story of a four‑year‑old Wojtek who suffers from an idiopathic speech delay. The story allows us to reflect upon both the causes and symptoms of this particular speech disorder, as well as the methods of working with these children who need constant support, understanding and engagement from their parents, pedagogues and speech therapists. The presented case study has been enriched with the information gathered through the data analysis of a parental survey, an expert examination and child observation records which were made available to the authors by Wojtek’s SLP and carers. The paper also contains some suggestions for parents who want to stimulate their children’s optimal development

Viral infections after hematopoetic stem cell transplantation in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia: the Polish experience

Introduction: Allogeneic hematopoetic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) is one of the therapeutic options in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Most previous analyses have concerned the reactivation of viruses in the entire population of children after allo-HSCT, regardless of the disease entity being an indication for transplantation. In our report, we aimed to evaluate the occurrence, etiology, risk factors and clinical outcome of viral infections in pediatric patients with ALL. Material and methods: 83 post-HSCT ALL patients from 2020 through 2021 were analyzed for infections with polioma BK virus (BKV), cytomegalovirus (CMV), Epstein-Bárr virus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, adenovirus, respiratory syncytial virus, norovirus, rotavirus, influenza, human herpes virus-6, parainfluenza and rhinovirus. Results: Viral infections were detected after 41% of the transplantations. The viruses most commonly detected were BKV (26.2%) and CMV (23.8%). The analyzed potential risk factors for viral infections were total body irradiation (TBI), graft-versus-host disease, complete remission status, and donor type. Overall survival in the investigated group was 0.815. Conclusions: Complications occurred more frequently in patients without TBI and we did not confirm the impact of other factors. Viral infections in children with ALL after allo-HSCT remain a significant problem. Our results highlight the importance of frequent monitoring and anti-viral prophylaxis

Zależność odpowiedzi immunologicznej ślimaków z gatunku Arion vulgaris od składu pokarmu i temperatury

Odpowiedź immunologiczna zwierząt może być wywoływana przez różne czynniki, wśród których duże znaczenie odgrywa temperatura oraz proporcja białek i cukrów zawartych w pokarmie. Przedstawiona praca dotyczy zbadania wpływu obu czynników na aktywność fenoloksydazy - enzymu zaangażowanego w melanizację. Aktywność fenoloksydazy jest często wykorzystywana jako wskaźnik fizjologiczny działania osobnika w danych warunkach. Niedojrzałe ślimaki z gatunku Arion vulgaris były trzymane w optymalnych warunkach termicznych (15°C) lub w jednym z dwóch suboptymalnych reżimów temperaturowych (10°C lub 20°C). Zwierzętom podawano jedną z pięciu różnych diet różniących się między sobą proporcją białek i cukrów: 10%:50%, 20%:40%, 30%:30%, 40%:20%, 50%:10%, z dodatkiem celulozy ( 31,9%), oleju z oliwek (8%) i witamin (0,1%). Po miesiącu mierzono aktywność fenoloksydazy w próbkach hemolimfy.Na aktywność enzymu wpłynęła tylko temperatura: wzrosła w obu suboptymalnych reżimach temperaturowych,. Zwiększona aktywność enzymu w 10°C i 20°C wskazuje, że suboptymalne temperatury otoczenia mogą wpływać na odpowiedź immunologiczną u zwierząt.The immunological response of an animal can be modulated by many environmental factors; among these, temperature and the nutritional value of food are of paramount importance. In this study I aimed to measure the influence of both factors on the activity of phenoloxidase (PO), an enzyme involved in melanization. PO activity is also often used as an indicator of the physiological performance of an individual under given conditions.Juveniles of Arion vulgaris were raised in optimal (15°C) or one of two suboptimal temperature regimes (10°C or 20°C). Animals were provided one of five different diets with the following protein:carbohydrate ratios: 10%:50%, 20%:40%, 30%:30%, 40%:20%, 50%:10%, supplemented with cellulose (31.9%), olive oil (8%) and vitamins (0.1%). After one month I measured activity of PO in samples of haemolymph. PO activity was affected only by temperature: it was enhanced in both suboptimal temperature regimes. The increased PO in 10°C and 20°C activity indicates that suboptimal ambient temperatures may affects immunological response of an animal. At the same time, the lack of change in PO activity across different nutritional treatments do not necessarily indicate a lack of immune response. Future studies of other components of A. vulgaris’ immune response that are complementary to PO activity, such as lysozyme activity and haemocyte numbers, will help to address this question more fully

Plant species of the family Apiaceae as an object of biotechnological studies.

W ramach pracy przedstawiono charakterystykę badań z zakresu biotechnologii roślin z okresu 2000-2015 wybranych dziesięciu gatunków roślin z rodziny Apiaceae.Charakterystyką objęto cztery gatunki farmakopealne:•Angelica archangelica L.- Arcydzięgiel litwor•Carum carvi L.- Kminek zwyczajny•Centella asiatica L.- Wąkrota azjatycka•Pimpinella anisum L.- Biedrzeniec anyżoraz wybrane gatunki niefarmakopealne o ważnej pozycji w lecznictwie:•Ammi majus L.- Aminek większy•Ammi visnaga L.– Aminek egipski•Anethum graveolens L.- Koper ogrodowy•Apium graveolens L.– Seler zwyczajny•Cuminum cyminum L.– Kmin rzymski•Pastinaca sativa L.– Pasternak zwyczajny.Wymienione gatunki roślin są najczęściej obiektem badań dotyczących endogennej akumulacji związków bioaktywnych. W kulturach in vitro badano m.in. akumulację prostych kumaryn, furanokumaryn linearnych (kultury Ammi majus, Anethum graveolens, Pastinaca sativa), furanochromonów (kultury Ammi visnaga), saponin triterpenowych (Centella asiatica), kwasów fenolowych (m.in. Anethum graveolens, Centella asiatica) oraz olejków eterycznych ( m.in. Angelica archangelica, Pimpinella anisum). Część badań dotyczy akumulacji wybranych grup związków w kulturach korzeni transformowanych- HR (m.in. Ammi majus, Ammi visnaga, Anethum graveolens). Tylko pojedyncze prace dotyczą protokołów mikrorozmnażania (m.in. Anethum graveolens, Carum carvi, Centella asiatica). Przegląd udowadnia, że gatunki roślin z rodziny Apiaceae są częstym obiektem badań biotechnologicznych ze względu na ich ważną pozycję w lecznictwie.This thesis presents survey of biotechnological studies focused on ten chosen plant species of the family Apiaceae, published in the period 2000 – 2015.The analysis comprised four pharmacopoeial species:•Angelica archangelica L. •Carum carvi L.•Centella asiatica L. •Pimpinella anisum L. and six non-pharmacopoeial species with important medicinal applications:•Ammi majus L. •Ammi visnaga L.•Anethum graveolens L.•Apium graveolens L.•Cuminum cyminum L.•Pastinaca sativa L.The above-listed plant species are most often investigated to evaluate endogenous accumulation of bioactive compounds. Their in vitro cultures were used to study the accumulation of simple coumarins, linear furanocoumarins (e.g. Ammi majus, Anethum graveolens, Pastinaca sativa cultures), furanochromones (Ammi visnaga cultures), triterpene saponins (Centella asiatica), phenolic acids (e.g. Anethum graveolens, Centella asiatica) and volatile oils (e.g. Angelica archangelica, Pimpinella anisum)A part of those studies focused on the accumulation of study compounds in transgenic root cultures ,,hairy root cultures’’ (e.g. Ammi majus, Ammi visnaga, Anethum graveolens).Some papers described micropropagation protocols (e.g. Anethum graveolens, Carum carvi, Centella asiatica). This review proves that plant species of the family Apiaceae are a frequent object of biotechnological studies due to their significance in medicine