Gesture controlled human–computer interface for the disabled

Background: The possibility of using a computer by a disabled person is one of the difficult problems of the human–computer interaction (HCI), while the professional activity (employment) is one of the most important factors affecting the quality of life, especially for disabled people. The aim of the project has been to propose a new HCI system that would allow for resuming employment for people who have lost the possibility of a standard computer operation. Material and Methods: The basic requirement was to replace all functions of a standard mouse without the need of performing precise hand movements and using fingers. The Microsoft’s Kinect motion controller had been selected as a device which would recognize hand movements. Several tests were made in order to create optimal working environment with the new device. The new communication system consisted of the Kinect device and the proper software had been built. Results: The proposed system was tested by means of the standard subjective evaluations and objective metrics according to the standard ISO 9241-411:2012. The overall rating of the new HCI system shows the acceptance of the solution. The objective tests show that although the new system is a bit slower, it may effectively replace the computer mouse. Conclusions: The new HCI system fulfilled its task for a specific disabled person. This resulted in the ability to return to work. Additionally, the project confirmed the possibility of effective but nonstandard use of the Kinect device. Med Pr 2017;68(1):11–2

Physical parameters of fruits of selected cornelian cherry cultivars (cornus mas l.) and UV-VIS spectra of their ethanolic extracts

Dereń jadalny (Cornus mas L.) to roślina rosnąca na terenie Europy Środkowo-Wschodniej, znana z zastosowań w kuchni tradycyjnej i właściwości prozdrowotnych. Celem pracy była charakterystyka i analiza statystyczna zależności pomiędzy parametrami morfologicznymi owoców derenia jadalnego odmian rosnących w Polsce. Stwierdzono, że badane odmiany owoców derenia były zróżnicowane pod względem barwy skórki owoców oraz wymiarów. Nie znaleziono jednak statystycznie istotnych zależności pod względem gęstości nasypowej owoców a ich wymiarami, jak również statystycznych zależności pomiędzy absorbancją etanolowych ekstraktów a ich gęstością nasypową.Cornelian Cherry is a plant growing in Central-East Europe, known for its use in traditional cuisine and health-promoting properties. The aim of the study was to characterize and statistically analyze the relationship between the morphological parameters of cornelian cherry fruit (Cornus mas L.) in cultivars growing in Poland. It was found that the tested cornelian cherry cultivars varied in terms of the color of the fruit skin as well as the dimensions. However, no statistically significant relationships were found in terms of the bulk density of fruits and their dimensions, as well as no statistical relationships between the absorbance of dogwood extracts and their bulk density

Properties of bird cherry (Prunus) obtained from the forest ecosystem

Czeremcha (Prunus) jest rośliną ozdobną w parkach i ogrodach. W Europie w XX wieku czeremcha została introdukowana na tereny leśne z uwagi na ochronę przed wiatrem i ogniem, zwłaszcza lasów iglastych, a także w celu próby odwrócenia niekorzystnego stosunku węgla do azotu dzięki opadowi liści, które mają wpływ na procesy glebowe. Obecnie czeremcha stanowi problem, ponieważ jest rośliną wysoce ekspansywną i zaburza równowagę leśną. Czeremcha ma jadalne owoce z gorzkawym posmakiem. Suszone owoce wykorzystywane są jako składnik nalewek i przyprawa do potraw mięsnych i ciast, a w medycynie ludowej uznawana była także za roślinę leczniczą. Surowcem zielarskim jest również jej kora pozyskiwana z młodych gałązek razem z pąkami liściowymi. W literaturze przedmiotu nie ma jednak obszerniejszych in-formacji na temat wykorzystania czeremchy. Preparaty z owoców, liści czy kory tej rośliny nie znalazły szerokiego zastosowania jako składniki żywności, gdyż nie do końca znane jest ich działanie. Z uwagi na zasięg występowania czeremchy na terenie polskich lasów, parków, łąk i ogrodów oraz jej znikome wykorzystanie w przemyśle spożywczym czy farmaceutycznym, zasadne jest ukierunkowanie zagospodarowania owoców, liści i kory czeremchy wskazując na ich działania funkcjonalne.Bird cherry (Prunus padus L.) and American bird cherry (Prunus serotina) are used as ornamental plants in parks and gardens. In Europe in the twentieth century, bird cherry was introduced to the forest areas due to protection against wind and fire, especially in coniferous forests, as well as to try to reverse the unfavorable carbon-nitrogen ratio due to leaf fall affecting soil processes. Currently, bird cherry is a problem because it is a highly expansive plant and disturbs the forest balance. Bird cherry has edible fruit with a bitter aftertaste. Currently, dried fruit is used as an ingredient in tinctures and dumplings and in folk medicine it was also considered a medicinal plant. The herb raw material is also bird cherry bark obtained from young twigs, together with leaf buds. However, this is limited information on the use of bird cherry. At pre-sent, preparations made of both fruit and leaves or bark of this plant have not found wide application as food ingredients. The effects of the ingredients they contain are not fully known. There is also no unambiguous information about benefi-cial compounds. Due to the extent of bird cherry occurrence in Polish forests, parks, meadows and gardens, and its insignificant use in industry, it is reasonable to indicate and direct the development of not only fruit, but also leaves and black cherry bark indicating their functional activities

Effect of the Addition of Extractives on The Reduction Of Vocs Emissions from Lacquers in the liquid state

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of the addition of extractive substances on the VOC emission of lacquer products in the liquid state. Three water-soluble acrylic resin products were investigated using the stationary phase microextraction technique in combination with gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (SPME-GC/MS). The extraction of volatile compounds was analysed at three temperatures: 22 ℃, 35 ℃ and 45 ℃. 20 μg of an extract obtained from the leaves, branches and bark of black cherry (Prunus serotina Erhr.) were added to commercial products. Flavonoids accounted for almost 75% of the total phenols in the used extract. The spectrum of volatile compounds emitted by the liquid coating products selected for the studies was examined before and after adding the extract to them. It was found that the addition of black cherry extract caused a significant reduction in the emissions of volatile compounds emitted by the researched products. The compounds, whose amounts did not decrease under the influence of the addition of the extract, were esters of propenoic acid. The applied extract was a source of emissions from an additional compound: benzaldehyde. The total VOC emissions of the investigated liquid coating products was reduced by 8-55% and depended on the extraction temperature. The paper also proposes the mechanism of chemical reactions between phenolics and VOC, which may cause the reduction in VOC emissions from lacquer products. The IBM RXN tool was utilised to find possible reactions

Cultivation of szparaga (Asparagus officinalis L.) as raw material with functional properties. Part 2. Nutritional characteristics

Szparag (Asparagus officinalis L.) jest warzywem, które dzięki obecności wielu składników mineralnych, witamin oraz związków biologicznie czynnych ma znaczenie zdrowotne dla organizmu człowieka. Jest to warzywo niskokaloryczne o właściwościach zasadotwórczych. Celem pracy było omówienie głównych grup związków determinujących właściwości prozdrowotne szparagów. Przedstawiono w jaki sposób spożycie warzyw może wpłynąć na zdrowie człowieka i scharakteryzowano jego wartość odżywczą. Szparagi w diecie mogą być źródłem wielu składników funkcjonalnych nie wpływając jednocześnie na kaloryczność posiłków.Asparagus (Asparagus officinalis L.) is a vegetable that thanks to the presence of many minerals, vitamins and biologically active compounds can have health significance for the human body. It is a low-calorie vegetable with alkaline proper-ties. The aim of the work was to discuss the main groups of compounds determining the pro-health properties of aspara-gus. It shows how vegetable consumption can affect health and characterize its nutritional value. Asparagus in the diet can be a donor of many functional ingredients without affecting the calorific value of meals

Cultivation of szparaga (Asparagus officinalis L.) as raw material with functional properties. Part 1. Commodity specification

Szparag (Asparagus officinalis L.) jest warzywem uprawianym na szeroką skalę w klimacie umiarkowanym zarówno w Europie, jak i w Azji. Polska jednak nie należy do krajów o dużej produkcji szparagów, a plony z lokalnych upraw są głównie eksportowane do Niemiec. Szparagi mogą być uznawane za surowiec funkcjonalny o szerokim zastosowaniu prozdrowotnym, a także o dobrych walorach kulinarnych. Celem pracy było scharakteryzowanie szparagów jako rośliny uprawnej wraz ze wskazaniem warunków wzrostu, a także opisanie możliwości zastosowania szparagów w żywieniu.Asparagus (Asparagus officinalis L.) is a vegetable rich in nutrients, characterized by a high content of vitamins, minerals and antioxidant compounds. Asparagus can be considered as a functional raw material with a wide pro-health application, as well as good culinary qualities. Despite this, the cultivation of asparagus in Poland is relatively small. The purpose of the work was to characterize asparagus as a crop plant with an indication of growth conditions. Main groups of compounds responsible for pro-health activity are discussed and describes the possibilities of using asparagus in nutrition

Japanese quince (Chaenomeles japonica L.) as a raw material about health properties - current state of knowledge

Pigwowiec japoński (Chaenomeles japonica L.) jest kolczastym, karłowatym krzewem powszechnie występującym w Polsce. Uprawiany jest ze względu na kwaśne i aromatyczne owoce, które zawierają związki bioaktywne, takie jak katechina, epikatechina, proantocyjanidyna, triterpeny, witamina C oraz pektyny. Owoce powszechnie wykorzystywane są w medycynie chińskiej oraz tradycyjnej. Skład owoców pigwowca determinuje korzystne właściwości, przez co mogą być cennym składnikiem do zastosowania w przemyśle farmaceutycznym, kosmetycznym i spożywczym.Japanese quince (Chaenomeles japonica L.) is a prickly, dwarf shrub found in Poland. They are cultivate for their acidic and aromatic fruit, which contain bioactive compounds such as catechin, epicatechin, proanthocyanidin, triterpenes, vit-amin C and pectin. For this reason, the fruit is widely used in Chinese and traditional medicine. The composition of quince fruit determines its beneficial properties, which makes it a valuable ingredient for use in both the pharmaceutical, cosmetics and food industries

Can cornelian cherry mask bitter taste of probiotic chocolate? Human TAS2R receptors and a sensory study with comprehensive characterisation of new functional product.

Cornelian cherry (Cornus mas L.) fruits are a valuable source of bioactive compounds that are responsible for the perception of bitter taste of chocolate products. The aim of the study was to validate the inhibitory effect of Cornus mas on the TAS2R3 and TAS2R13 bitter taste receptors and to assess the effect of masking the bitter taste of dark chocolate with the help of the sensory panel. Dark chocolate was prepared with an addition of 5% of freeze-dried cornelian cherry fruits and 108 CFU/g of Bacillus coagulans probiotic strains. Effect on the TAS2R receptors was evaluated in specially transfected HEK293T cells, and the inhibition ratio was measured using the calcium release test. Moreover, the total polyphenol content, antioxidant activity and simulated intestinal in vitro digestion were determined for the samples. The tested chocolate products were rich in chlorogenic, caffeic and sinapic acids. The addition of cornelian cherry positively affected the antioxidant activity. The phytochemicals of Cornus mas decreased the TAS2R13 activity by 132% after a 2-minute interaction and, % at the same time, inhibited the TAS2R3 activity by 11.5. Meanwhile, chocolate with the addition of fruit was less bitter according to the sensory panel

The Genoprotective Role of Naringin

Since ancient times, fruits and edible plants have played a special role in the human diet for enhancing health and maintaining youthfulness. The aim of our work was to determine the interactions between naringin, a natural ingredient of grapefruits, and DNA using an electrochemical biosensor. Electrochemical methods allow analyzing the damages occurring in the structure of nucleic acids and their interactions with xenobiotics. Our study showed that the changes in the location of electrochemical signals and their intensity resulted from the structural alterations in DNA. The signal of adenine was affected at lower concentrations of naringin, but the signal of guanine was unaffected in the same condition. The dynamics of changes occurring in the peak height and surface of adenine related to naringin concentration was also significantly lower. The complete binding of all adenine bases present in the tested double-stranded DNA solution was observed at naringin concentrations ranging from 8.5 to 10.0 µM. At larger concentrations, this active compound exerted an oxidizing effect on DNA. However, the critical concentrations of naringin were found to be more than twice as high as the dose absorbable in an average human (4 µM). The results of our work might be helpful in the construction of electrochemical sensors for testing the content of polyphenols and would allow determining their genoprotective functionality