Conjunctive optimal operation of water and power networks.

Water distribution systems (WDSs) are designed to convey water from sources to consumers. Their operation is a main concern for engineers, researchers, and practitioners and is subject to demand, pressure, and quality constraints. Pumping stations require power to pump water and keep system pressure at a desired level.

Indication Variability of the Particulate Matter Sensors Dependent on Their Location.

Particulate matter (PM) suspended in the air significantly impacts human health. Those of anthropogenic origin are particularly hazardous. Poland is one of the countries where the air quality during the heating season is the worst in Europe.

Effects of excessive alcohol drinking on nicotine biotransformation in rats.

Alcohol and nicotine (tobacco smoke) are often used together, and taking both addictive substances is associated with an increased risk of certain diseases. It is extremely important to understand the pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic mechanisms of the interaction between nicotine and ethanol, which are still not fully understood. The study aimed to evaluate the influence of chronic alcohol consumption on nicotine biotransformation in ethanol-preferring and non-preferring male and female rats.

Karyotype Abnormalities in the X Chromosome Predict Response to the Growth Hormone Therapy in Turner Syndrome.

Short stature is characteristic for Turner syndrome (TS) patients, and particular karyotype abnormalities of the X chromosome may be associated with different responsiveness to recombinant human GH (rhGH) therapy. The aim of the study was to analyze the effect of different types of TS karyotype abnormalities on the response to rhGH therapy. A total of 57 prepubertal patients with TS treated with rhGH with a 3 year follow-up were enrolled in the study and categorized according to their karyotype as X monosomy ( = 35), isochromosome ( = 11), marker chromosome ( = 5), or X-mosaicism ( = 6).

A fully validated HPLC-UV method for determination of sulthiame in human serum/plasma samples.

Sulthiame is an old antiepileptic medicine with controversial history, whose effectiveness and safety in use have been stated in some current studies. However, there is still a need for further clinical examinations for confirmation of its usefulness and tolerability in monotherapy and add-on therapy for epilepsy of various etiologies. A fully validated RP HPLC-UV method for determination of sulthiame in serum/plasma samples using desethylatrazine as the internal standard was developed.

Capillary zone electrophoresis of bacterial extracellular vesicles: A proof of concept.

The extracellular vesicles (EVs) released by plant pathogens of the Pectobacterium genus were investigated. The isolates were obtained using differential centrifugation followed by filtration and were characterized in terms of total protein content and particle size distribution. The transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis revealed the presence of two morphologically differentiated subpopulations of vesicles in the obtained isolates.

The proteome analysis of rat platelet with nano-liquid chromatography-matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry technique.

Recently, the proteomic analysis has become an ideal tool to study the structure and function of platelets. We proposed a nano-liquid chromatography (nano-LC) technique coupled off-line with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF/TOF-MS) for rat platelet proteome analysis. In this study, we attempted to analyze the rat platelet proteome in two different subcellular fractions: cytosol and membrane.

Exploring Cooperative Transboundary River Management Strategies for the Eastern Nile Basin.

A water resource modeling process is demonstrated to support multistakeholder negotiations over transboundary management of the Nile River. This process addresses the challenge of identifying management options of new hydraulic infrastructure that potentially affects downstream coriparian nations and how the management of existing infrastructure can be adapted. The method includes an exploration of potential management decisions using a multiobjective evolutionary algorithm, intertwined with an iterative process of formulating cooperative strategies to overcome technical and political barriers faced in a transboundary negotiation.

Embedding co-production and addressing uncertainty in watershed modeling decision-support tools: successes and challenges.

Decision-support tools (DSTs) are often produced from collaborations between technical experts and stakeholders to address environmental problems and inform decision making. Studies in the past two decades have provided key insights on the use of DSTs and the importance of bidirectional information flows among technical experts and stakeholders - a process that is variously referred to as co-production, participatory modeling, structured decision making, or simply stakeholder participation. Many of these studies have elicited foundational insights for the broad field of water resources management; however, questions remain on approaches for balancing co-production with uncertainty specifically for watershed modeling decision support tools.

A Multialgorithm Approach to Land Surface Modeling of Suspended Sediment in the Colorado Front Range.

A new paradigm of simulating suspended sediment load (SSL) with a Land Surface Model (LSM) is presented here. Five erosion and SSL algorithms were applied within a common LSM framework to quantify uncertainties and evaluate predictability in two steep, forested catchments (>1,000 km). The algorithms were chosen from among widely used sediment models, including empirically based: monovariate rating curve (MRC) and the Modified Universal Soil Loss Equation (MUSLE); stochastically based: the Load Estimator (LOADEST); conceptually based: the Hydrologic Simulation Program-Fortran (HSPF); and physically based: the Distributed Hydrology Soil Vegetation Model (DHSVM).

Changes in protein abundance and activity induced by drought during generative development of winter barley (Hordeum vulgare L.).

Unlabelled: The present study investigated drought-induced changes in proteome profiles of ten DH lines of winter barley, relatively varied in water deficit tolerance level. Additionally, the parameters describing the functioning of the photosynthetic apparatus and the activity of the antioxidative system were analysed. Water deficit (3-week growth in soil with water content reduced to ca.

Urinary Extracellular Vesicles: Potential Biomarkers of Renal Function in Diabetic Patients.

The aim of this study was to check the relationship between the density of urinary EVs, their size distribution, and the progress of early renal damage in type 2 diabetic patients (DMt2). Patients were enrolled to this study, and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) below 7% was a threshold for properly controlled diabetic patients (CD) and poorly controlled diabetic patients (UD). Patients were further divided into two groups: diabetic patients without renal failure (NRF) and with renal failure (RF) according to the Glomerular Filtration Rate.

Application of nano-LC-MALDI-TOF/TOF-MS for proteomic analysis of microvesicles.

Activated platelets and platelet derived microvesicles (PMVs) emerged recently to be promising biomarkers. There is no universal procedure to carry out the proteomic analysis on microvesicles. In this study we proposed a nano-liquid chromatography (nano-LC) technique coupled off-line with a spectrometric measurement MALDI-TOF-MS/MS as a throughput and time-saving procedure.

Mean platelet volume as a possible biomarker of tumor progression in rectal cancer.

Background: Rectal cancer is a major cause of death and an early diagnosis is crucial in decreasing mortality. Previous studies found a relation between chronic inflammation and increased risk of rectal cancer. It was shown that mean platelet volume (MPV) level might be a marker of subclinical inflammatory process in gastrointestinal tract.

Optimal design of active spreading systems to remediate sorbing groundwater contaminants in situ.

The effectiveness of in situ remediation to treat contaminated aquifers is limited by the degree of contact between the injected treatment chemical and the groundwater contaminant. In this study, candidate designs that actively spread the treatment chemical into the contaminant are generated using a multi-objective evolutionary algorithm. Design parameters pertaining to the amount of treatment chemical and the duration and rate of its injection are optimized according to objectives established for the remediation - maximizing contaminant degradation while minimizing energy and material requirements.

[Differentiation of spa types and staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) in clinical methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolated in medical sites of Gdańsk region].

Introduction: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteria are one of the key etiological factors of hospital-acquired and community-acquired infections. MRSA strains have an ability of causing a broad spectrum infections: from a relatively mild skin infections to severe life-threatening systemic infections. They are characterized by multi-drug resistance, virulence of a number of factors, may clonally spread within the hospitals and between hospitals.

Clonal distribution of bone sialoprotein-binding protein gene among Staphylococcus aureus isolates associated with bloodstream infections.

Staphylococcus aureus is a leading cause of bloodstream infections (BSI) and diseases that may be caused by hematogenous spread. The staphylococcal adhesin, for which the association with the infections emerging as a complication of septicemia has been well documented, is a bone sialoprotein-binding protein (Bbp). The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence of a bbp gene in S.

[Spa types and antibiotic resistance of Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream isolates obtained form patients of the University Clinical Center in Gdańsk].

Introduction: Staphylococcus aureus is a leading cause of bloodstream infections. For epidemiological investigations of this bacteria spa genotyping is used as the method which has a high discriminatory power and gives results that can be easily compared between laboratories. In contrast to methicillin-resistant S.

Marsanidine and 7-Me-marsanidine, the new hypotensive imidazolines augment sodium and urine excretion in rats.

Background: We have recently described the synthesis and circulatory properties of two novel centrally acting imidazoline agents: marsanidine (1-[(imidazolidin-2-yl)imino]indazole) and 7-Me-marsanidine (1-[(imidazolidin-2-yl)imino]-7-methylindazole). Marsanidine has proven to be a highly selective α2-adrenoceptor ligand with the α2/I1 selectivity ratio of 3879, while 7-Me-marsanidine has been shown to be a mixed a2-adrenoceptor/imidazoline I1 receptor agonist with the a2/I1 selectivity ratio of 7.2.

Dynamic ventilatory response to CO(2) in congestive heart failure patients with and without central sleep apnea.

Nonobstructive (i.e., central) sleep apnea is a major cause of sleep-disordered breathing in patients with stable congestive heart failure (CHF).

Vesico-ileal fistula caused by a foreign body.

An enterovesical fistula due to an intestinal foreign body is presented and the therapeutic aspects of the lesion are discussed.

Further delineation of the classical Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome phenotype at different patient ages: clinical and biochemical studies.

We present here extensive clinical and biochemical data on thirteen SLOS (type I) patients with proven defect in cholesterol biosynthesis for further delineation of the classical SLOS phenotype at different patient ages.

[Effect of perinatal risk factors on treatment outcome in newborns with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy].

In 99 newborns with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (22 with mild, 53 with moderate and 24 with severe stage) correlation between birth weight, low Apgar score, high-risk pregnancy and delivery and stage of encephalopathy and results of the treatment was made. Low Apgar score (< 3) had significantly influence on the development of severe encephalopathy. Most important perinatal risk factor was abnormal delivery.

Combined treatment with antibiotic, heparin and streptokinase--a new approach to the therapy of bacterial osteomyelitis.

Combined treatment by continuous intravenous infusion of a selected antibiotic and heparin and/or streptokinase was elaborated as a method of causal, systemic treatment of bacterial osteomyelitis. The aim of the combined treatment was to overcome infection and disturbances in the coagulation and fibrinolysis system which lead to impairment of the bone blood supply and its subsequent necrosis as the main factor in the aetiopathology of osteomyelitis. Between 1969 and 1991, combined treatment was introduced in 63 patients with acute onset disease or with chronic osteomyelitis.