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Label-free and multiphoton micro-endoscopy can transform clinical histopathology by providing an in situ tool for diagnostic imaging and surgical treatment in diseases such as cancer. Key to a multiphoton imaging-based micro-endoscopic device is the optical fiber, for distortion-free and efficient delivery of ultra-short laser pulses to the sample and effective signal collection. In this work, we study a new hollow-core (air-filled) double-clad anti-resonant fiber (DC-ARF) as a high-performance candidate for multiphoton micro-endoscopy. We compare the fiber characteristics of the DC-ARF with a single-clad anti-resonant fiber (SC-ARF) and a solid core fiber (SCF). In this work, while the DC-ARF and the SC-ARF enable low-loss (−1), close to dispersion-free excitation pulse delivery (2000% of pulse width increase at 900 nm per 1 m fiber). An ideal optical fiber endoscope needs to be several meters long and should enable both excitation and collection through the fiber. Therefore, we performed multiphoton imaging on endoscopy-compatible 1 m and 3 m lengths of fiber in the back-scattered geometry, wherein the signals were collected either directly (non-descanned detection) or through the fiber (descanned detection). Second harmonic images were collected from barium titanate crystals as well as from biological samples (mouse tail tendon). In non-descanned detection conditions, the ARFs outperformed the SCF by up to 10 times in terms of signal-to-noise ratio of images. Significantly, only the DC-ARF, due to its high numerical aperture (NA) of 0.45 and wide-collection bandwidth (>1 µm), could provide images in the de-scanned detection configuration desirable for endoscopy. Thus, our systematic characterization and comparison of different optical fibers under different image collection configurations, confirms and establishes the utility of DC-ARFs for high-performing label-free multiphoton imaging-based micro-endoscopy.

Celem artykułu jest ocena funkcjonalności aplikacji przedstawiającej dostępność usług i infrastruktury wokół dwóch największych łódzkich stadionów zgodnie z ideą miasta 15-minutowego. Aplikacja została wykonana za pomocą oprogramowania ArcGIS Online. Do jej stworzenia wykorzystano dane z zasobu Bazy Danych Obiektów Topograficznych (BDOT10k). Kluczowym cszałożeniem przy tworzeniu aplikacji była propozycja udostępnienia turystom i kibicom dwóch łódzkich klubów piłkarskich (ŁKS-u i Widzewa) lokalizacji szerokiej oferty usług w odległości 15 minut od stadionów. Użyteczność aplikacji została oceniona za pomocą metody punktowej i metody ekspertów według wyodrębnionych kryteriów, przydzielonych do pięciu kategorii funkcjonalności, wyznaczonych na postawie cech z obszaru wymagań funkcjonalnych. Aplikacja została oceniona jako ciekawa, przydatna i dobrze działająca. Do największych jej zalet zalicza się: widok mapy, nawigację oraz wyszukiwanie obiektów. Słabszym elementem aplikacji jest wyświetlanie informacji o obiektach, co w przyszłości może być poprawione. Aplikacja jako innowacyjny produkt turystyczny stanowi interesujące rozwiązanie dla turystów, kibiców, a także mieszkańców Łodzi.

Hollow core fibers have low light attenuation because the light travels through air rather than glass, but other sources of loss have limited the performance so far. Here the authors design and demonstrate a Nested Antiresonant Nodeless hollow core fiber that has losses competitive with standard solid-core fiber at several important wavelengths.

Inflammation is the first physiological defence mechanism against external and internal stimuli. The prolonged or inappropriate response of the immune system may lead to the persistent inflammatory response that can potentially become a basis for chronic diseases e.g., asthma, type II diabetes or cancer. An important role in the alleviation of inflammatory processes, as an adjunct to traditional pharmacological therapy, is attributed to phytotherapy, especially to raw materials with a long tradition of use, e.g., ash leaves. Despite their long-term use in phytotherapy, the specific mechanisms of action have not been confirmed in a sufficient number of biological or clinical studies. The aim of the study is a detailed phytochemical analysis of infusion and its fractions, isolation of pure compounds from the leaves of Fraxinus excelsior and evaluation of their effect on the secretion of anti-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6) and IL-10 receptor expression in an in vitro model of monocyte/macrophage cells isolated from peripheral blood. Methods: Phytochemical analysis was carried out by the UHPLC-DAD-ESI-MS/MS method. Monocytes/macrophages were isolated from human peripheral blood using density gradient centrifugation on Pancoll. After 24 h incubation with tested fractions/subfractions and pure compounds, cells or their supernatants were studied, respectively, on IL-10 receptor expression by flow cytometry and IL-6, TNF-α, IL-1β secretion by the ELISA test. Results were presented with respect to Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) control and positive control with dexamethasone. Results: The infusion, 20% and 50% methanolic fractions and their subfractions, as well as their dominating compounds, e.g., ligstroside, formoside and oleoacteoside isolated from the leaves, show the ability to increase the IL-10 receptor expression on the surface of monocyte/macrophage cells, stimulated by LPS, and to decrease the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines, e.g., TNF-α, IL-6.

Lignans are a group of natural polyphenols present in medicinal plants and in plants which are a part of the human diet for which more and more pharmacological activities, such as antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, hypoglycemic, and cytoprotective, are being reported. However, it is their cytotoxic activities that are best understood and which have shed light on this group. Two anticancer drugs, etoposide, and teniposide, were derived from a potent cytotoxic agent—podophyllotoxin from the roots of Podophyllum peltatum. The evidence from clinical and observational studies suggests that human microbiota metabolites (enterolactone, enterodiol) of dietary lignans (secoisolariciresinol, pinoresinol, lariciresinol, matairesinol, syringaresinol, medioresinol, and sesamin) are associated with a reduced risk of some hormone-dependent cancers. The biological in vitro, pharmacological in vivo investigations, and clinical studies demand significant amounts of pure compounds, as well as the use of well-defined and standardized extracts. That is why proper extract preparation, optimization of lignan extraction, and identification are crucial steps in the development of lignan use in medicine. This review focuses on lignan extraction, purification, fractionation, separation, and isolation methods, as well as on chromatographic, spectrometric, and spectroscopic techniques for their qualitative and quantitative analysis.

The paper examines a situation in which an employee is entitled to terminate the contract of employment without prior notice. The case under examination occurs when the employer commits a serious violation of workers’ rights by failing to provide safe and hygienic working conditions. The paper also presents topic related controversies that have arisen in the doctrine and judicature and tries to establish at which point one may speak of a breach of fundamental labour rights and on the basis of which regulations the employer may be held liable. The authors also try to determine whether certain situations could constitute a basis for termination of the employment contract by the employee, at the same time giving rise to the right to claim damages from the employer. Other issues touched upon in the paper include the absence of a catalogue of infringements in the Polish Labour Code and the way of assessing the weight of various infringements.

Positioning accuracy in 5G networks (achieved via techniques based on observed time difference of arrival (OTDoA)) is limited by the synchronization error between the cellular base stations. Here, we demonstrate that these base stations can be synchronized entirely passively through the use of emerging forms of hollow core fiber (HCF) as the data transmission medium in the 5G front-haul network. This is possible due to the excellent thermal stability of HCF which allows the synchronization error among cellular base stations to be reduced significantly as compared to systems based on standard single mode fibers. Reducing this synchronization error is necessary to meet the strict timing requirements envisaged for 5G networks. We analyze the polarization mode dispersion, chromatic dispersion, and thermal stability of the HCF and give suggestions on how to use the HCF to balance overall radio over fiber (RoF) link performance in 5G front-haul networks. In a proof of concept experiment we show that HCF links enable the positioning error (calculated with the OTDoA method) to be reduced down to the centimeter level even when subject to tens of degrees Celsius temperature variations. This represents a 20-fold improvement over standard single mode fiber systems which would require active compensation schemes to achieve similar levels of time synchronization accuracy.

Głównym celem artykułu była identyfikacja zmian demograficznych w gminach miejskich i wiejskich powiatu opoczyńskiego w latach 1995–2018. Przeanalizowane zostały przemiany liczby ludności z uwzględnieniem przyrostu naturalnego i salda migracji za pomocą typologii Webba, zmiany w strukturze wieku i płci ludności, co ukazało zjawisko starzenia się społeczeństwa. W wyniku przeprowadzonych analiz stwierdzono, że powiat opoczyński ulega głównie negatywnym procesom demograficznym. Sytuacja demograficzna inaczej wygląda na wsiach i w miastach oraz w poszczególnych gminach powiatu opoczyńskiego. Skonstatowano też, że uwidoczniły się problemy depopulacji miast i obszarów peryferyjnych, ale także nastąpił rozwój strefy podmiejskiej Opoczna.

The paper undertakes an analysis of an employer`s financial liability for damages caused by an employee to a third party. The author presents controversies which appeared in this field of law in the doctrine and judicature. An attempt was made to determine the basis and regulations that trigger the liability of the employer. The paper presents how the regime of liability changes depending on whether the employer and the victim were or were not in any relationship of obligation before the damage occurred. However, the main purpose of the paper is to focus on a situation in which the victim, called the third party, is also an employee of the employer. The contemporary literature emphasizes the fact that the employer is increasingly burdened with the risk of paying compensation due to employment relationship with the victim. In practice, it is pointed out that the risk determines the extent of the employer’s compensation liability for damages. The aim of the paper is to analyze the practical significance of this risk in the scope of the employer's liability.

The paper describes practical problems relating to normalization of discrimination in labour law. It is about the role of compensation for discrimination, regardless of whether one takes into account either a compensatory or repressive role. The legal procedures with respect to employer's liability for discrimination are unclear, that is why there is a number of practical problems. The author has attempted to answer the question why, depending on the amount of compensation required, a damage have to or does not have to occur. The paper also refers to the issue of sharing the burden of proof in case of discrimination.

Objective: The objectives of this study were to compare the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of a North American population of adolescents and young adults with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) to (1) healthy controls (HC), (2) adolescents with ME/CFS in other countries, and (3) other forms of pediatric chronic illness, and (4) to examine the influence of the core illness symptoms in the Institute of Medicine (IOM) case definition on impaired HRQOL.Study design: Cross-sectional study comparing individuals with ME/CFS referred to a tertiary care Chronic Fatigue clinic and HC. Eligible participants were age 10–30 years and met the Fukuda criteria for CFS. HC were eligible if they were age 10–30 years, with self-reported good, very good, or excellent general health. Pediatric HRQOL was measured using the PedsQL (Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory) and other validated instruments.Results: We enrolled 55 consecutive ME/CFS patients (46 F) aged 10–23 years. From a pool of 69 potential HC we selected 55 with similar age and gender distribution for comparison. The total and subscale scores on the PedsQL and on all other measures of HRQOL indicated significantly worse function among those with ME/CFS (all P < 0.001). The self-reported frequency of post-exertional malaise (PEM) was significantly associated with the severity of impaired HRQOL (P < 0.001). Cognitive impairment had a weaker association with the PedsQL score (P = 0.02). Orthostatic intolerance was present in 96% of the ME/CFS population. Of the 55 who satisfied the Fukuda criteria, 47 (85%) also satisfied the IOM criteria for the diagnosis. Those meeting the IOM criteria had worse PedsQL total scores than those meeting just the Fukuda criteria (P < 0.001).Conclusions: HRQOL was substantially lower in an ambulatory population of adolescents and young adults with ME/CFS than for healthy controls in North America, consistent with reports from other continents. HRQOL was also lower in ME/CFS than has been described in children with asthma, diabetes mellitus, epilepsy, eosinophilic gastroenteritis, and cystic fibrosis. The findings of this study lend further support to the inclusion of PEM, cognitive impairment, and orthostatic intolerance as core symptoms of pediatric ME/CFS.

The subject of the numerical investigation is an ellipsoidal head with a central (axis-symmetrical) nozzle. The nozzle is loaded by axial load force. The ellipsoidal head is under axial-symmetrical compression load. The numerical FEM model is elaborated. The calculation will provide the critical loads and equilibrium paths for the sample head.. The investigation will measure the influence of the diameter of the nozzle on the critical state of the ellipsoidal head.

The paper examines a situation in which an employee is entitled to terminate the contract of employment without prior notice. The case under examination occurs when the employer commits a serious violation of workers’ rights by failing to provide safe and hygienic working conditions. The paper also presents topic related controversies that have arisen in the doctrine and judicature and tries to establish at which point one may speak of a breach of fundamental labour rights and on the basis of which regulations the employer may be held liable. The authors also try to determine whether certain situations could constitute a basis for termination of the employment contract by the employee, at the same time giving rise to the right to claim damages from the employer. Other issues touched upon in the paper include the absence of a catalogue of infringements in the Polish Labour Code and the way of assessing the weight of various infringements.

The paper describes practical problems relating to normalization of discrimination in labour law. It is about the role of compensation for discrimination, regardless of whether one takes into account either a compensatory or repressive role. The legal procedures with respect to employer's liability for discrimination are unclear, that is why there is a number of practical problems. The author has attempted to answer the question why, depending on the amount of compensation required, a damage have to or does not have to occur. The paper also refers to the issue of sharing the burden of proof in case of discrimination.

The paper undertakes an analysis of an employer`s financial liability for damages caused by an employee to a third party. The author presents controversies which appeared in this field of law in the doctrine and judicature. An attempt was made to determine the basis and regulations that trigger the liability of the employer. The paper presents how the regime of liability changes depending on whether the employer and the victim were or were not in any relationship of obligation before the damage occurred. However, the main purpose of the paper is to focus on a situation in which the victim, called the third party, is also an employee of the employer. The contemporary literature emphasizes the fact that the employer is increasingly burdened with the risk of paying compensation due to employment relationship with the victim. In practice, it is pointed out that the risk determines the extent of the employer’s compensation liability for damages. The aim of the paper is to analyze the practical significance of this risk in the scope of the employer's liability.

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a complex, multisystem disorder that can be disabling. CFS symptoms can be provoked by increased physical or cognitive activity, and by orthostatic stress. In preliminary work, we noted that CFS symptoms also could be provoked by application of longitudinal neural and soft tissue strain to the limbs and spine of affected individuals. In this study we measured the responses to a straight leg raise neuromuscular strain maneuver in individuals with CFS and healthy controls. We randomly assigned 60 individuals with CFS and 20 healthy controls to either a 15 minute period of passive supine straight leg raise (true neuromuscular strain) or a sham straight leg raise. The primary outcome measure was the symptom intensity difference between the scores during and 24 hours after the study maneuver compared to baseline. Fatigue, body pain, lightheadedness, concentration difficulties, and headache scores were measured individually on a 0-10 scale, and summed to create a composite symptom score. Compared to individuals with CFS in the sham strain group, those with CFS in the true strain group reported significantly increased body pain (P = 0.04) and concentration difficulties (P = 0.02) as well as increased composite symptom scores (all P = 0.03) during the maneuver. After 24 hours, the symptom intensity differences were significantly greater for the CFS true strain group for the individual symptom of lightheadedness (P = 0.001) and for the composite symptom score (P = 0.005). During and 24 hours after the exposure to the true strain maneuver, those with CFS had significantly higher individual and composite symptom intensity changes compared to the healthy controls. We conclude that a longitudinal strain applied to the nerves and soft tissues of the lower limb is capable of increasing symptom intensity in individuals with CFS for up to 24 hours. These findings support our preliminary observations that increased mechanical sensitivity may be a contributor to the provocation of symptoms in this disorder.