Filters
total: 1075
filtered: 831
Search results for: HUMAN HEALTH
-
Superheroes or Super Spreaders? The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Social Attitudes towards Nurses: A Qualitative Study from Poland
PublicationThe social perception of the nursing profession in Poland is profoundly affected by social stereotypes that may discourage young people from entering the profession and lead to prejudice towards nurses. During the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses gained visibility, which caused the social image of nurses to likewise grow. In this study, we explore nurses’ experiences with respect to how the COVID-19 pandemic influenced the social image...
-
Do You Know What You Drink? Comparative Research on the Contents of Radioisotopes and Heavy Metals in Different Types of Tea from Various Parts of the World
PublicationThe aim of this study was to assess the potential health risks of radioactive elements and heavy metals ingested through the consumption of various types of tea imported to the Polish market (black, green, red, oolong and white). The concentrations [Bq/kg] of radionuclides (40K, 137Cs, 226Ra, 210Pb and 228Th) in tea leaves before and after brewing were measured using γ-ray spectrometry with high-purity germanium (HPGe). The concentrations...
-
IMPACT OF THE FINANCING STRUCTURE ON EFFICIENCY OF HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS IN THE FORMER EASTERN BLOC COUNTRIES
PublicationOut-of-pocket expenditures are a significant barrier in accessing health services. This paper aims to analyse the structure of financing system in the context of the performance indicators of healthcare systems. The study was conducted for the 28 countries of the former Eastern bloc in the years 2000 and 2013, based on data from the World Health Organization. In the DEA-CCR input-oriented model, inputs are the percentage share...
-
The Use of Sensory Analysis Techniques to Assess the Quality of Indoor Air
PublicationThe quality of indoor air is one of the significant elements that influences people's well-being and health inside buildings. Emissions of pollutants, which may cause odor nuisance, are the main reason for people's complaints regarding the quality of indoor air. As a result, it is necessary to perform tests aimed at identifying the sources of odors inside buildings. The article contains basic information on the characteristics...
-
Special Issue: “Non-Destructive Testing of Structures”
PublicationThe Special Issue “Non-Destructive Testing of Structures” has been proposed to present recent developments in the field of diagnostics of structural materials and components in civil and mechanical engineering. The papers highlighted in this editorial concern various aspects of non-invasive diagnostics, including such topics as condition assessments of civil and mechanical structures and connections of structural elements, the...
-
Integrating heterogeneous systems with high-dependability requirements by means of web services
PublicationWeb services are commonly used on boundaries of heterogeneous components in Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) as they provide a universal communication channel not bound to any particular programming language or run-time platform. This paper describes how web services can be used to integrate heterogeneous systems which serve purposes requiring high dependability, reliability and availability. Examples of such systems include...
-
Roads unsafety - social costs
PublicationThe condition of road safety has a significant impact on the quality of citizens' life. Yearly, one in a hundred families in Poland suffers because of road accidents. It is affected by them not only in material terms but first and foremost in moral terms. Road accidents are one of the main causes of degradation in the quality of life. In Poland we hardly know anything about the fate of the road traffic victims, their life problems...
-
Active and Dynamic Graphical Code for Object Identification in Healthcare
PublicationA new approach for item marking using two dimensional discrete graphics markers. Proposed solution allow o change the code rapidly, upon request and in the case of thermal markers make the code invisible for unauthorized observers. Connecting the proposed codes with wearable multmedial platform such as eGlasses can create new possibilities in human-environment interaction.
-
Expectation-Maximization Model for Substitution of Missing Values Characterizing Greenness of Organic Solvents
PublicationOrganic solvents are ubiquitous in chemical laboratories and the Green Chemistry trend forces their detailed assessments in terms of greenness. Unfortunately, some of them are not fully characterized, especially in terms of toxicological endpoints that are time consuming and expensive to be determined. Missing values in the datasets are serious obstacles, as they prevent the full greenness characterization of chemicals. A featured...
-
Can popular films instil carcinophobia? Images of cancer in popular Polish cinema
PublicationIntroduction: Although cancer is currently considered a serious socio-medical challenge and health education in Poland has been positioned as a public health priority, the impact of popular culture on people’s ideas about cancer has been neglected. This study therefore aims to analyse the way popular Polish films portray cancer and the experience of cancer.Material and Methods: Seven popular Polish films featuring cancer...
-
Protect our right to light
Publication“The struggle for light” is how the Swiss architect Le Corbusier described the history of architecture in 1935. Today, with the skies crowded out by buildings in modern cities, those words should ring in the ears of policymakers and planners. Skyscraper construction is booming. China is the leader, last year completing 88 of the 143 buildings around the world that are taller than 200 metres (see ‘Vertical growth’). As the nation’s...
-
Modern Material Solutions Applied in Pediatric Facilities
PublicationNew tendencies in forming of the health services functional buildings’ systems shaped along with the emergence of caring for patient’s mental condition in medical sciences. The interior design harmonized with the medical function became an incredibly important feature. This opened up new opportunities for the architecture of health care facilities. A positive architecture’s impact on the user’s well-being is remarkably important...
-
The Latest Advances in Wireless Communication in Aviation, Wind Turbines and Bridges
PublicationPresent-day technologies used in SHM (Structural Health Monitoring) systems in many implementations are based on wireless sensor networks (WSN). In the context of the continuous development of these systems, the costs of the elements that form the monitoring system are decreasing. In this situation, the challenge is to select the optimal number of sensors and the network architecture, depending on the wireless system’s other parameters...
-
Impact assessment culture in the European Union. Time for something new?
PublicationCurrent approaches and cultures for the economic evaluations of environmental and health policies may suffer from excessive reliance on a standard neoclassic economic toolbox that neglects alternative perspectives. This may prematurely limit the spectrum of available policy options. Here we show how the inclusion of neglected currents of thought such as non-Ricardian economics, bioeconomics and a set of qualitative-quantitative...
-
Enhanced Remote Control Providing Medical Functionalities
PublicationThis paper presents the enhanced remote control and its role in pervasive healthcare in the home. The device was equipped with health-related measurement modules and a message-processing unit. Preliminary results are presented for monitoring of a pulse, hand tremors, grip forces, and for self evaluation procedures. The interaction of the device with the smart environment is presented and discussed.
-
Role of the Synergistic Interactions of Environmental Pollutants in the Development of Cancer
PublicationThere is a growing awareness that the large number of environmental pollutants we are exposed to on a daily basis are causing major health problems. Compared to traditional studies that focus on individual pollutants, there are relatively few studies on how pollutants mixtures interact. Several studies have reported a relationship between environmental pollutants and the development of cancer, even when pollutant levels are below...
-
A place of school in the idea of the sustainable development
PublicationWell designed school space enables social contacts, increases activity of pupils and improves the condition of their health. However, the best design would not bring the expected benefits if it is not integrated with the surroundings in terms of transportation, security and local needs. In the sustainable development, the social goals are in harmony with ecological aims according to the rule of "3 r" (reduce, reuse, recycle).
-
Assessment of Citizens’ Actions against Light Pollution with Guidelines for Future Initiatives
PublicationDue to the wide reach of media reports about scientific research and technological tools such as the world wide web (WWW), the Internet, and web browsers, citizens today have access to factual information about the negative impact of artificial light at night (ALAN) on their dark skies, and their health and well-being. This means they can now make educated decisions and take the necessary steps to help protect themselves and their...
-
Assessing Acute Toxicity of Selected Packages Internal Layers Extracts using Microtox®
PublicationIn the scientific literature related to the widely understood issue of packaging materials designed to have contact with food (food contact materials), there is much information on raw materials used for their production, as well as their physiochemical properties, types and parameters. Unfortunately, not much attention is given to the issues concerning migration of toxic substances from packaging and its actual influence on the...
-
The Caucasian flora: a still-to-be-discovered rich source of antioxidants
PublicationCellular redox homeostasis is a state of balance between the formation of Usually Reactive Oxygen and / or Nitrogen Species (ROS/RNS), endogenous antioxidant defence systems, and exogenous dietary antioxidants. The disturbance of redox homeostasis, by the overproduction of endogenous ROS/RNS, may increase the risk of development of so-called civilisation diseases. The solution seems to be either the increased production of endogenous...
-
Extraction and Analysis of Bisphenols and Their Derivatives in Infant and Toddler Ready-to-feed Meals by Ultrasound-assisted Membrane Extraction Followed by LC MS/MS
PublicationThis research developed an ultrasound-assisted membrane extraction coupled with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method for the determination of nineteen bisphenols and their derivatives in infant and toddler ready-to-feed meals. The calibration curves for all analytes were linear in the tested range, and the limit of detection and limit of quantitation were in the range 0.27 to 0.79 ng/g and 0.80 to 2.4 ng/g, respectively....
-
Three Principles for Healthy Living with Light and Lighting
PublicationThe lockdown measures applied to cities and towns during the worldwide Covid-19 pandemic have had a widespread impact on people’s lives. Some have found themselves confined to their homes, with limited social contact and a reduced quality of life. Others have found that the lockdown improved their wellbeing, as more time was spent outside, instead of commuting and working in an office building, plus the benefits of spending increased...
-
Urine headspace analysis in medical diagnostics
PublicationThe analysis of the volatile organic compounds in the bodily fluids such as urine may provide useful information on the patients’ general health. The potential application of urine headspace analysis could facilitate the diagnostics of various diseases such as metabolic disorders, urinary tract diseases and gastrointestinal conditions. Described in this paper are the currently available techniques of urine sample analysis as well...
-
Iranian future healthcare professionals’ knowledge and opinions about rare diseases: cross‑sectional study
PublicationBackground: Rare diseases are a new global health priority, requiring evidence-based estimates of the global prevalenceof diseases to inform public policymakers and provide a serious challenge to the healthcare system that must not be ignored. The purpose of this study is to investigate Iranian future healthcare professionals’ knowledge and opinions about rare diseases.Results: A total of 6838 students responded...
-
Sport as a Tool for the Development of Healthy and Sustainable Cities: A Strategic Documentation Review
PublicationThe rapidly changing cities and their environment are causing new challenges for which actions and solutions must be sought. Most of all, a major challenges facing cities are adverse environmental changes and issues related to public health and citizens well-being. Sport is present in the lives of most of us and is an essential component of urban infrastructure, while in relation to this, to what extent is it being used to support...
-
The influence of roasting and additional processing on the content of bioactive components in special purpose coffees
PublicationCoffee being the beverage consumed worldwide is also a very competitive commodity. Consequently, producers seek ways of attracting consumers by proposing e.g. novel ingredient combinations usually without evaluating their health quality. In this study, variations in health-promoting determinants for five special purpose coffee brews were characterized. The major bioactive components - chlorogenic acids (CAs) - detected by HPLC-DAD-MS...
-
Exposure scenario and risk assessment of infants and newborns to bisphenols and their derivatives from diapers
PublicationNewborns and infants are more sensitive to harmful compounds such as bisphenols and their derivatives because of their not fully developed detoxification mechanism. Exposure to these substances can lead to developmental problems and health consequences in adulthood. Since disposable baby diapers are used from the first days of life and remain in contact with the baby skin, it seems important to monitor the levels of endocrine disrupting chemicals...
-
Diagnostics and monitoring of the longest span extradosed bridge in Europe
PublicationThe article presents complex diagnostic procedures applied for the purpose of behavior analysis of the extradosed bridge with the longest span in Europe that was built in 2018 in Poland. The system of health monitoring was used to: register internal forces in temporary supports, monitor concrete bonding, perform in situ diagnostics and operation tests. The bridge is a continuous four-span structure with spans theoretical lengths...
-
Phytochemical composition and biological activities of differently pigmented cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata) and cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis) varieties
PublicationBACKGROUND:Brassica plants contain awide spectrumofbioactive components that are responsible for their health-promoting potential such as vitamins, polyphenols and glucosinolates. This study attempted to relate the composition of bioactive phytochemicals and chosen biological activities (antioxidant, cytotoxic, anti-genotoxic, and influence on enzymatic activities) for extracts from differently pigmented cabbage (white and red)...
-
The occurrence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the chosen area of Svalbard
PublicationIn the recent years, scientists have been paying more attention to the impact of compounds of anthropogenic origin on the environment. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are both groups of stable organic compounds, difficult to biodegrade, and potentially toxic. Because of their affinity to lipids, they can accumulate in fat tissue and exert influence on animal health. This paper present...
-
Safeguarding democracy during pandemics. Social distancing, postal, or internet voting—the good, the bad, or the ugly?
PublicationDuring a pandemic, many countries and organizations must decide whether to postpone upcoming elections or to hold them (Krimmer et al., 2020a). If the decision is made to hold the election, three main scenarios come to mind: continue using the existing system but include measures to ensure the health of participants; or look for alternatives among remote voting channels which could ensure social distancing is guaranteed either...
-
A comprehensive survey on low-cost ECG acquisition systems: Advances on design specifications, challenges and future direction
PublicationAvailability of low-cost, reliable, and portable Electrocardiography (ECG) devices is still very important in the medical world today. Despite the tremendous technological advancement, Cardiovascular Diseases (CVDs) remain a serious health burden claiming millions of lives on an annual basis globally. This is more prevalent in Low and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) where there are huge financial instability and lack of critical...
-
Face with Mask Detection in Thermal Images Using Deep Neural Networks
PublicationAs the interest in facial detection grows, especially during a pandemic, solutions are sought that will be effective and bring more benefits. This is the case with the use of thermal imaging, which is resistant to environmental factors and makes it possible, for example, to determine the temperature based on the detected face, which brings new perspectives and opportunities to use such an approach for health control purposes. The...
-
A comprehensive lipidomic analysis of oilseeds using LC-Q-TOF-MS and dispersive micro-solid phase (D-μ-SPE) extraction techniques
PublicationGrowing public health awareness increased the demand for natural products with positive health benefits. Vegetable oils containing omega-3 fatty acids (FA) such as alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) has been proposed as a possible source of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). In this work, a comprehensive lipidome analysis and comparison of seven oilseeds, including flaxseed, chia, hemp, black cumin, white sesame,...
-
Instrumental techniques used in the analysis of exhaled air
PublicationExhaled air composition changes depending on the health status of the patient, making it possible to use breath analysis for diagnosis and monitoring purposes. Despite the fact that it is not yet used in every day medical practice, it potential application could facilitate the diagnostics of various diseases such as metabolic disorders, respiratory tract and gastrointestinal diseases. Described in this paper are different application...
-
DETECTION OF BREATHING AND HEART RATE USING AN ECG SIGNAL MEASURED WHILE BATHING IN THE BATHTUB
PublicationNowadays a new area of interest is gaining importance - it is home biomedical examination. Intelligent home can be supported by set of devices for habitants observation. It can be particularly useful for elders or person with some health risks but living alone. One of critical locations within the house is bathroom. One of utilities in the bathroom is a bathtub which is sometimes preferred over shower. There are reports of problems...
-
The role of heterotrophic plate count bacteria in bottled water quality assessment
PublicationThe ever-growing popularity of bottled water is the result of many factors. One of the most relevant is the widespread belief that bottled water is safer for drinking than tap water. In fact many literature sources describe the rapid growth of the amounts of microorganisms in bottled water samples following the bottling process. The main purpose of this article is to collect the information on the factors which may affect this...
-
Photolytic and Photocatalytic Recreational Water Treatment
PublicationDisinfection is one of the most important steps during recreational water treatment. Nevertheless, disinfection by-products are formed by conventional disinfectants, which pose several health threats. The concentration of disinfection by-products can be decreased by photolytic and photocatalytic treatment. Medium-pressure mercury lamp, UV-LEDs and solar irradiation were investigated and evaluated considering emitted wavelength,...
-
Experimental study on plate modal parameters
PublicationTest doświadczalny jest częścią systemu diagnostycznego. Autorzy badają wpływ dodatkowej masy na parametry modalne wolno popartej stalowej płytyi. Artykół przedstawia technikę wyznaczania parametrów modalnych dla systemów monitorowania konstrukcji.The experimental test introduced in the paper is the part of the diagnostic system. The authors investigate the influence of the additional mass on modal parameters of simply supported...
-
Comparison of Redox Properties of Flavonoid Aglycones and Corresponding Glycosides and Their Mixtures in the Cellular Model
PublicationFlavonoids are polyphenolic compounds commonly found in plants. As dietary components, they have been shown to exhibit numerous pro-health properties that are believed to be associated with their antioxidant effects. In this study, the antioxidant activity of four flavonoid compounds was determined by cellular antioxidant activity assay using HT29 cells as a model of the alimentary tract. The strongest impact on cellular redox...
-
The Concept of Geodetic Analyses of the Measurement Results Obtained by Hydrostatic Leveling
PublicationThe article discusses the issue of hydrostatic leveling. Its application is presented in structural health monitoring systems in order to determine vertical displacements of controlled points. Moreover, the article includes a complete computation scheme that utilizes the estimation from observation differences, allowing the elimination of the influence of individual sensors’ systematic errors. The authors suggest two concepts of...
-
Feature extraction in detection and recognition of graphical objects
PublicationDetection and recognition of graphic objects in images are of great and growing importance in many areas, such as medical and industrial diagnostics, control systems in automation and robotics, or various types of security systems, including biometric security systems related to the recognition of the face or iris of the eye. In addition, there are all systems that facilitate the personal life of the blind people, visually impaired...
-
Microplastics in water resources: Global pollution circle, possible technological solutions, legislations, and future horizon
PublicationBeneath the surface of our ecosystems, microplastics (MPs) silently loom as a significant threat. These minuscule pollutants, invisible to the naked eye, wreak havoc on living organisms and disrupt the delicate balance of our environment. As we delve into a trove of data and reports, a troubling narrative unfolds: MPs pose a grave risk to both health and food chains with their diverse compositions and chemical characteristics....
-
Thermal Images Analysis Methods using Deep Learning Techniques for the Needs of Remote Medical Diagnostics
PublicationRemote medical diagnostic solutions have recently gained more importance due to global demographic shifts and play a key role in evaluation of health status during epidemic. Contactless estimation of vital signs with image processing techniques is especially important since it allows for obtaining health status without the use of additional sensors. Thermography enables us to reveal additional details, imperceptible in images acquired...
-
Advancing the evidence base for public policies impacting on dietary behaviour, physical activity and sedentary behaviour in Europe: The Policy Evaluation Network promoting a multidisciplinary approach
PublicationNon-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading cause of global mortality. As the social and economic costs of NCDs have escalated, action is needed to tackle important causes of many NCD’s: low physical activity levels and unhealthy dietary behaviours. As these behaviours are driven by upstream factors, successful policy interventions are required that encourage healthy dietary behaviours, improve physical activity levels and...
-
Detection of person presence and its activity in the bathtub
PublicationA practical application of a bioimpedance technique for a detection of a bathing person is presented in the paper. It addresses the possibility of supervising people in the bathtub without voiding of their intimacy. The measurement system installed in a fiber-glass or a plastic bathtub is able to detect a presence of the bathing person, to estimate its activity and thus to detect potentially dangerous events. In the paper a principle...
-
SHM System of the Roof Structure of Sports Arena “Olivia”
PublicationThe paper presents a structural health monitoring system of the Sports Arena “Olivia” in Gdansk, Poland. The system was installed because of doubts about the roof stability due to observed buckling of the steel truss members. The SHM system was based on nonlinear FEM models used for detection of type of near failure modes of the roof. The application of detailed FEM model in current state updated on data from in situ loading testes...
-
SELECTED ASPECTS OF THE EVALUATION OF THE QUALITY OF GRAPE WINE
PublicationDevelopment of the domestic grape wine market has been presented. The number of grape wine producing entities, acreage, and volume of production over last five years are presented. The composition of red grape wine has been discussed involving health promoting aspects. Two methods of wine quality determination: analytical and sensory meth ods have been described. Physicochemical parameters influencing wine quali ty (acidity, sweetness)...
-
Aquaponics Based Artificial Biosphere Included in Architecture: From Mitigation of Negative Impacts to Positive Added Values of Urban Spatial Structures on Local, Regional and Global Scale
PublicationTechnologies may appear faster than spatial planning can afford it. Alt hough applying new technologies solve particular problems, it may also create new ones. Many negative consequences of implementing new technologies are visible a fter years or decades – they accumulate until the need of solving them. According to The Hannover Principles (McDonough & Braungart 2013) one should, by example not think about...
-
Molecular mechanism of proton-coupled ligand translocation by the bacterial efflux pump EmrE
PublicationThe current surge in bacterial multi-drug resistance (MDR) is one of the largest challenges to public health, threatening to render ineffective many therapies we rely on for treatment of serious infections. Understanding different factors that contribute to MDR is hence crucial from the global “one health” perspective. In this contribution, we focus on the prototypical broad-selectivity proton-coupled antiporter EmrE, one of the...