Memories of Mirosława Gazińska

MEMORIES OF MIROSŁAWA GAZIŃSK

Simulations of Contrail Optical Properties and Radiative Forcing for Various Crystal Shapes

The aim of this study is to investigate the sensitivity of radiative-forcing computations to various contrail crystal shape models. Contrail optical properties in the shortwave and longwave ranges are derived using a ray-tracing geometric method and the discrete dipole approximation method, respectively. Both methods present good correspondence of the single-scattering albedo and the asymmetry parameter in a transition range (3–8 µm). There are substantial differences in single-scattering properties among 10 crystal models investigated here (e.g., hexagonal columns and plates with different aspect ratios, and spherical particles). The single-scattering albedo and the asymmetry parameter both vary by up to 0.1 among various crystal shapes. The computed single-scattering properties are incorporated in the moderate-resolution atmospheric radiance and transmittance model(MODTRAN) radiative transfer code to simulate solar and infrared fluxes at the top of the atmosphere. Particle shapes have a strong impact on the contrail radiative forcing in both the shortwave and longwave ranges. The differences in the net radiative forcing among optical models reach 50% with respect to the mean model value. The hexagonal-column and hexagonal-plate particles show the smallest net radiative forcing, and the largest forcing is obtained for the spheres. The balance between the shortwave forcing and longwave forcing is highly sensitive with respect to the assumed crystal shape and may even change the sign of the net forcing. The optical depth at which the mean diurnal radiative forcing changes sign from positive to negative varies from 4.5 to 10 for a surface albedo of 0.2 and from 2 to 6.5 for a surface albedo of 0.05. Contrails are probably never that optically thick (except for some aged contrail cirrus), however, and so will not have a cooling effect on climate

Determination and control of some pollutants in indoor environments

Unsatisfactory indoor air quality (IAQ) may result from polluting emissions that are spread from building materials such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and/or microbial components or from various kinds of human activity such as smoking. Different methods are available to limit the exposure to unwanted pollutants and improve human wellbeing and health. One goal of this thesis was to determine two microbial markers (3-hydroxy fatty acids of bacterial lipopolysaccharide and ergosterol of fungal biomass) in waterpipe smoke. A second goal was to study the influence of relative humidity (RH) on room air concentrations of VOCs. A third goal was to study the performance of a new device called the surface emissions trap (cTrap) in controlling indoor pollutants. Smoking waterpipe was found to generate a bioaerosol rich in microbial components, policyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and small size particles. Rapidly increasing RH was found to influence air concentrations of VOCs emitted from building materials as studied both in a climate chamber and in a room with dampness-related floor emissions. The cTrap cloth was found to be efficient in reducing emissions of VOCs, stopping mycotoxins, and improving the perceived IAQ in a damp school building. The device was proved to be efficient in reducing and trapping moisture-driven floor emissions. Preliminary results also showed that the cloth may be used in reducing smoking generated VOCs and particles which may migrate between rooms within a building

and A.Bourmistrova

This paper present a methodology to achieve three dimensional shape optimization of damping liners attached to vibrating panels. It is the initial stage of the development of a flexible CAE design tool to optimize such liners in automotive panels. Noise, vibration and harshness are critical aspects in modern vehicle refinement and passenger perception of quality. Vibration from engine, powertrain and road sources are transmitted through the vehicle structure and excite body panels that add to the tactile vibrations felt by passengers and the noise level. To reduce this, damping materials are commonly attached to panels as uniform layers to absorb and dissipate vibration energy. A redistribution of damping material based on the dynamic response characteristics of the panels constitutes a more efficien

A Psychometric Evaluation of the BEST in CLASS Adherence and Competence Scale

It is critical to utilize treatment integrity instruments to support the evaluation of evidence-based programs in early classroom contexts. However, in the early childhood field, guidelines for collecting treatment integrity data are underdeveloped. Consequently, most treatment integrity instruments employed in the field solely assess adherence, vary in design features and have little psychometric evidence supporting their use. As such, this represents a gap in the field that might slow efforts to implement evidence-based programs. The current study examines the score reliability and validity of an observational treatment integrity instrument (The BEST in CLASS Adherence and Competence Scale [BiCACS]; Sutherland et al., 2014). The BiCACS is designed to assess adherence and competence of the practices found in the BEST in CLASS program, a teacher-delivered evidence-based program for children at-risk for emotional and behavioral disorders. Data were drawn from observations of 179 teachers who were randomized to BEST in CLASS (n = 89) or business-as-usual (n = 90) and 416 children (n = 211 in the BEST in CLASS condition; n = 205 in the business-as-usual condition) at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders. Based on double-coded observations (25% of sample) the mean single-measure intraclass correlation (ICC[2,1]) was .74 (SD = 0.06) for the Adherence items and .46 (SD = 0.14) for the Competence items. The ICC(2,1) for the Adherence and Competence subscales were .81 and .43, respectively. Findings also suggested initial evidence of convergent and discriminant validity at the BiCACS item and subscale levels. The magnitude of correlations among the BiCACS items suggests that the adherence and Competence items overlap the most with items within the same subscale, but also measure distinct BEST in CLASS practices. At the subscale level, the correlation among the Adherence and Competence items are more related to each other than their correlations with scores on measures of child responsiveness, child engagement, closeness, and conflict of student-teacher relationships. Validity evidence at the subscale level suggests that the BiCACS can distinguish between intervention groups and detect change over time. The reliability and validity findings support the use of the BiCACS as a program evaluation instrument. Although, future research is still needed to replicate these findings and test the construct validity of the BiCACS with other instruments that assess adherence and competence. Still, results provide valuable information about the psychometric properties of a treatment integrity instrument used in early classroom contexts and inform the growing knowledge of this area in the field

Properties of modulus of monotonicity and Opial property in direct sums

We give an example of a Banach lattice with a non-convex modulus of monotonicity, which disproves a claim made in the literature. Results on preservation of the non-strict Opial property and Opial property under passing to general direct sums of Banach spaces are established

Comparison of hypertension control in patients with diabetes and hypertension and patients with hypertension without diabetes depending on the stage of chronic kidney disease

   Diabetes and hypertension are plagues of the begin­ning of the 21st century. Both of these conditions lead to significant deterioration in quality of life and reduc­tion of patient’s life expectancy. The aim of the work was to answer the questions: what is the all day, daily and night systolic and diastolic blood pressure in pa­tients with hypertension and in patients with diabetes and hypertension, depending on the stage of chronic kidney disease, and whether there are significant dif­ferences in the control of day and night systolic and diastolic blood pressure between the patients with diabetes mellitus and hypertension. 300 patients have been admitted to the Department of Internal Diseases, Diabetology and Nephrology due to hypertension decompensation. In the first place all subjects were divided into two groups: the ones with diabetes and hypertension and patients with hypertension but with­out diabetes. Afterwards the patients were divided in 5 subgroups depending on the stage of chronic kidney disease. It was shown that patients with diabetes and hypertension are significantly less likely to have their blood pressure controlled properly (24 hours a day, during the day and at night) in relation to patients with hypertension without diabetes and that, with increased renal failure, diabetes and hypertension and hypertensive patients without diabetes do not have good blood pressure control, especially for diabetics and hypertension. (Clin Diabetol 2017; 6, 3: 81–89)  Diabetes and hypertension are plagues of the begin­ning of the 21st century. Both of these conditions lead to significant deterioration in quality of life and reduc­tion of patient’s life expectancy. The aim of the work was to answer the questions: what is the all day, daily and night systolic and diastolic blood pressure in pa­tients with hypertension and in patients with diabetes and hypertension, depending on the stage of chronic kidney disease, and whether there are significant dif­ferences in the control of day and night systolic and diastolic blood pressure between the patients with diabetes mellitus and hypertension. 300 patients have been admitted to the Department of Internal Diseases, Diabetology and Nephrology due to hypertension decompensation. In the first place all subjects were divided into two groups: the ones with diabetes and hypertension and patients with hypertension but with­out diabetes. Afterwards the patients were divided in 5 subgroups depending on the stage of chronic kidney disease. It was shown that patients with diabetes and hypertension are significantly less likely to have their blood pressure controlled properly (24 hours a day, during the day and at night) in relation to patients with hypertension without diabetes and that, with increased renal failure, diabetes and hypertension and hypertensive patients without diabetes do not have good blood pressure control, especially for diabetics and hypertension. (Clin Diabetol 2017; 6, 3: 81–89

Gender as Determinant of Employment Opportunities and Risks of Resigning from Services of Labour Office

Celem artykułu jest porównanie szans podjęcia pracy przez kobiety w stosunku do mężczyzn w zależności od wykształcenia i wieku. Ze względu na dużą liczbę osób rezygnujących z pośrednictwa urzędu w poszukiwaniu pracy, analizie poddano również ilorazy ryzyka tej rezygnacji przez kobiety w odniesieniu do mężczyzn w poszczególnych grupach wykształcenia i wieku. Przeprowadzone badanie miało na celu zweryfikowanie hipotezy, że bezrobotne kobiety były bardziej zdeterminowane do podjęcia pracy i częściej niż mężczyźni korzystały z ofert proponowanych przez urząd pracy. Do analizy wykorzystano dane ponad 20 tys. osób bezrobotnych, wyrejestrowanych w 2010 roku z Powiatowego Urzędu Pracy w Szczecinie.The purpose of this paper is to compare women’s odds of employment to those of men’s, depending on their education and age. Since a large number of people have rejected the services of Labour Offices, we also compare the odds ratios of the risk of this decision among women and men, according to education and age. The aim of the study was to verify the hypothesis that unemployed women were more determined to find a job and that they took into consideration their Labour Office offers more often than men. In the analysis we used the data on over 20,000 unemployed people who had deregistered from the Local Labour Office in Szczecin in 2010.Beata Bieszk-Stolorz – [email protected] Markowicz – [email protected] Beata Bieszk-Stolorz – Wydział Nauk Ekonomicznych i Zarządzania, Uniwersytet Szczecińskidr Iwona Markowicz – Wydział Nauk Ekonomicznych i Zarządzania, Uniwersytet Szczeciński6(66)203