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A comparative structural study of two related donor–acceptor pyridine-based BF2 complexes, namely, 3-(dimethylamino)-1,1-difluoro-1H-pyrido[1,2-c][1,3,5,2]oxadiazaborinin-9-ium-1-uide, C8H10BF2N3O (1), and 3-{(1E,3E)-4-[4-(dimethylamino)phenyl]buta-1,3-dien-1-yl}-1,1-difluoro-1H-pyrido[1,2-c][1,3,5,2]oxadiazaborinin-9-ium-1-uide, C18H18BF2N3O (2), containing a dimethylamino group and either the shortest (in 1) or the longest (in 2) charge-transfer path known until now in this family of compounds, is presented. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis supported by computational investigations shed more light on these systems, indicating, among other aspects, the predominance of C—H...F contacts in 1, the formation of antiparallel dimers held together by π–π interactions in both compounds, and the involvement of fused BF2-bearing rings in the charge-transfer process.

Background Congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) infection of the central nervous system (CNS) can cause ventriculomegaly, gliosis, calcifications and cortical defects. Detection of CMV DNA in cerebrospinal fluid by PCR (CSF-CMV-PCR) is a marker of CNS involvement. Objective To evaluate a diagnostic value of the positive CSF-CMV-PCR in cCMV. Methods Analysis of clinical, laboratory, neuroimaging and single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) data according to the results of CSF-CMV-PCR were performed in infants with cCMV. Results A total of 168 infants were included; 145 (86.3%) had negative and 23 (13.7%) had positive CSF-CMV-PCR results. Associations between the positive CSF-CMV-PCR results and prematurity (odds ratio [OR] = 3.24; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.30-8.07), microcephaly (OR = 5.67; 95% CI: 2.08-15.41), seizures (OR = 4.15; 95% CI: 1.10-15.67), sensorineural hearing loss (OR = 6.6; 95% CI: 2.49-17.46), splenomegaly (OR = 8.13; 95% CI: 3.12-21.16), hepatitis (OR = 10.51; 95% CI: 3.31-33.35), petechiae (OR = 10.21; 95% CI: 3.78-27.57) and heterozygous T/C genotype at TLR4rs4986791 (OR = 7.88; 95% CI: 1.55-40.12) were observed. When using a multivariate logistic regression analysis, only the presence of severe sensorineural hearing loss (OR = 7.18; 95% CI: 1.75-29.34, P = 0.006), cystic lesions on MRI (OR 5.29; 95% CI: 1.31-21.36, P = 0.02), and calcifications on MRI (OR = 7.19; 95% CI: 1.67-30.97, P = 0.008) remained as the significant independent predictors of the positive CSF-CMV-PCR results. Conclusions The detection of CMV DNA in CSF is associated with a higher rate of CNS damage including abnormal MRI neuroimaging and severe hearing loss. Therefore, detection of CMV DNA in CSF may be considered as a marker of severe CNS injury in cCMV infection. However, the very low prevalence of the positive CSF-CMV-PCR results, even in infants with proven CNS involvement, may imply its limited role in clinical practice.

Social distancing and movement restrictions associated with COVID-19 have highlighted the role played by easily accessible greenery at one’s own residence, which is of key importance to people’s physical and psychological wellbeing. The main focus of this study is to provide insights into residential green areas in Wrocław, Poland in terms of knowledge, investment, trends and associated issues, as examined from the perspective of the potential to boost urban resilience. Sixty-six representative multi-family construction projects typical of Central European cities were analyzed. The study is divided into three stages: I—pre-construction (selection of locations), II—construction of a housing estate (clearance of vegetation, number of trees planted, use of pro-ecological solutions), and III—post-construction (monitoring of the condition of green areas by means of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and data from Sentinel-2 satellites). The results highlighted the insufficient use of pro-ecological solutions (green roofs, fountains or ponds) and shortage of woody plants in residential green areas. Their implementation should be included in any strategies for Wrocław’s transformation toward a sustainable post-pandemic city. Furthermore, the main findings of the study also revealed an imbalance between the amount of vegetation cleared vs. vegetation planted during construction and unequal access to high-quality greenery for local residents. Although some positive trends in spatial planning were observed compared to previous studies, two construction projects were implemented in floodplains. NDVI analyses indicate the poor condition of residential green areas; moreover, the change in NDVI for the period 2015–2020 attests to the poor standards of vegetation maintenance. The results of this study suggest that the potential of residential green areas for boosting urban resilience has not been fully utilized in Wrocław. It is highly recommended to implement monitoring of the condition of green areas by means of NDVI and to introduce detailed provisions on the shaping of green estate areas in the Local Development Plans to enhance Wrocław’s resilience. The main findings being presented expand the directions of methods of monitoring residential areas’ conditions in terms of applied landscape research and boosting urban resilience.

Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) is a tree species that reacts to meteorological conditions, industrial pollution and groundwater level. The aims of this study were to evaluate reductions and increases in Scots pine tree-ring widths (VTRW) as compared to reference sequences for sites in two types of forest habitat found in the vicinity of the chemical plant complex in Puławy, located in central-eastern Poland, and to determine the relationship between VTRW, climate and anthropogenic factors. A considerable reduction in tree-ring widths compared with reference sites was found for sites affected by chemical plant emissions from the end of the 1960s, i.e. right after the start of the Puławy industrial plants, to the beginning of the 1990s (implementation of new technologies). This period of reduction in tree-ring width lasted longer and was greater in magnitude in the pure Scots pine stands studied within a coniferous mixed forest habitat. Furthermore, the reduction in Scots pine tree-ring width was largely dependent on below-average air temperature in the period from December of the year preceding ring formation until January of the current year and above-average total precipitation from June until August above-average SO2, NH3 and NOx emissions and above-average surface and underground water withdrawals from company intakes. The influence of weather on VTRW was weakened by anthropogenic factors, which affected the quality of the local natural environment. Therefore, Scots pine tree-ring width may be used to evaluate the state of the natural environment and threats it is facing in areas with high levels of industrial pollution including, for example, SO2, NH3 and NOx. Keywords: temperature and precipitation conditions, air pollution, tree-ring width, forest research area, dendroecological studies, Central Europe, Pinus sylvestris L.

This paper is a literature review with additional virtual analyses of the authors’ own experimental research results. Knowledge from various areas was synergistically combined, appropriately for concurrent engineering, presenting several possible methodological approaches used in research, optimizing the selection of engineering materials and the conditions of their application with particular application in endodontics. Particular attention was paid to the theoretical aspects of filling material strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats SWOT analysis. Attention was paid to the original concepts of Sustainable Dentistry Development in conjunction with Dentistry 4.0, which includes endodontics as an important element. The dentists’ actions, among others, in conservative dentistry, along with endodontics, requires close cooperation with engineers and the enginering sciences. Methods of root canal preparation were described, together with selected tools, including those made of nitinol. Principles concerning the process of cleaning and shaping the pulp complex are presented. The importance of obturation methods, including the Thermo-Hydraulic-Condensation THC technique, and the selection of filling materials with the necessary sealants for the success of endodontic treatment are discussed. The experimental studies were carried out in vitro on human teeth removed for medical reasons, except for caries, for which two groups of 16 teeth were separated. After the root canal was prepared, it was filled with studs and pellets of a filling material based on polyester materials, which has gained the common trade name of resilon or, less frequently, RealSeal (SybronEndo) with an epiphany sealant. The teeth for the first group were obturated by cold lateral condensation. In the second case the obturation was performed using the Thermo-Hydraulic-Condensation technique using System B and Obtura III. The experimental leakage testing was done using a scanning electron microscope SEM and a light stereoscopic microscope LSM, as typical research tools used in materialography. The research results, in a confrontation with the data taken from the literature studies, do not indicate the domination of resilon in endodontics.

Two new Ag(I) complexes with 1,3-bis(imidazol-1-ylmethyl)benzene (L1) and 1,3-bis(imidazol-1-ylmethyl)-5-methylbenzene (L2), namely {[AgL1]CF3SO3}n (1) and {[AgL2]CF3SO3}n (2), were synthesised and characterised by SCXRD to uncover the effect that introducing a methyl group to the benzene core of the ligand has on the molecular/crystal structure of the metal complex. The studies revealed a high level of isostructurality of the formed Ag(I) complexes, consisting of 1D cationic chains with the charge neutralised by the counterions applied. These results triggered structural investigations of the parent ligands, which, as revealed by SCXRD, crystallise as dihydrates in different space groups of a monoclinic system. Further analyses revealed that the motifs in their molecular packing in general stay the same. However, some morphotropic/positional adjustments are taking place in L2 to accommodate the presence of the methyl substituent.

Background Antiviral treatment is recommended for symptomatic newborns with congenital cytomegalovirus infection (cCMV). Objectives To compare 2 treatment methods in neonates with cCMV - ganciclovir-based therapy (intravenous ganciclovir (GCV) or sequential GCV + valganciclovir (VGCV) therapy) with oral VGCV-based therapy - in Polish neonates. Material and methods A total of 98 symptomatic infants with cCMV (positive HCMV DNA in urine ≤21st day of life) hospitalized in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) between 2012 and 2017 were enrolled. Clinical characteristics, the viral load in blood and urine, hematological and biochemical tests, neuroimaging results, and the length of hospitalization were compared between the study groups at baseline and at the 2nd hospitalization. Results In 2012, GCV was used in 57% of the cases, sequential therapy in 33% and VGCV in 10%. In 2017, VGCV monotherapy was used in 83% of the infants treated. Valganciclovir treatment allowed the length of hospitalization to be shortened over 2.5 times during the six-year observation period. Infants treated intravenously had lower birth weights and head circumferences, and more frequently presented splenomegaly, petechiae, thrombocytopenia, and hepatitis. The baseline viral load in the blood and urine were similar in both groups, but at follow-up visits 4-6 weeks later, a viral load about 70 times lower was observed in the blood of the VGCV-based group (1029 viral copies/mL compared to 72,188 viral copies/mL in the GCV-based group; p = 0.04). The prevalence of neutropenia was similar in both groups at the follow-up visits. Conclusions Valganciclovir became the first line of antiviral therapy in cCMV in the study population. Compared to GCV-based therapy, VGCV monotherapy allowed shorter hospital stays and reduced the viral load in blood due to continuing treatment at home. Valganciclovir monotherapy did not provoke more side effects such as neutropenia. Intravenous GCV is still suitable for patients with severe disseminated disease, born prematurely, with low birth weights, or not tolerating enteral feeding. In those infants, the sequential therapy seems to be optimal.

From time immemorial to the present day, health has been considered to be of the highest value [...]

Synthetic procedures towards homodithiacalix[n]arenes are developed, starting from simple and readily available bifunctional aryl building blocks, by a dynamic covalent chemistry approach. Reaction of 1,3-bis(mercaptomethyl)-5-tert-butyl-2-methoxybenzene under basic conditions leads to a mixture of trimeric, tetrameric and pentameric dimethylenedithia-bridged cyclooligomers, whereas reaction of 5-tert-butyl-2-methoxy-1,3-bis(thiocyanatomethyl) benzene under reducing conditions (and subsequent oxidation) affords the homodithiacalix[4]arene macrocycle in a very selective fashion through efficient disulphide exchange chemistry.

This paper concerns the assessment of the current state of dentistry in the world and the prospects of its sustainable development. A traditional Chinese censer was adopted as the pattern, with a strong and stable support on three legs. The dominant diseases of the oral cavity are caries and periodontal diseases, with the inevitable consequence of toothlessness. From the caries 3.5–5 billion people suffer. Moreover, each of these diseases has a wide influence on the development of systemic complications. The territorial range of these diseases and their significant differentiation in severity in different countries and their impact on disability-adjusted life years index are presented (DALY). Edentulousness has a significant impact on the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL). The etiology of these diseases is presented, as well as the preventive and therapeutic strategies undertaken as a result of modifying the Deming circle through the fives’ rules idea. The state of development of Dentistry 4.0 is an element of the current stage of the industrial revolution Industry 4.0 and the great achievements of modern dental engineering. Dental treatment examples from the authors’ own clinical practice are given. The systemic safety of a huge number of dentists in the world is discussed, in place of the passive strategy of using more and more advanced personal protective equipment (PPE), introducing our own strategy for the active prevention of the spread of pathogenic microorganisms, including SARS-CoV-2. The ethical aspects of dentists’ activity towards their own patients and the ethical obligations of the dentist community towards society are discussed in detail. This paper is a polemic arguing against the view presented by a group of eminent specialists in the middle of last year in The Lancet. It is impossible to disagree with these views when it comes to waiting for egalitarianism in dental care, increasing the scope of prevention and eliminating discrimination in this area on the basis of scarcity and poverty. The views on the discrimination of dentistry in relation to other branches of medicine are far more debatable. Therefore, relevant world statistics for other branches of medicine are presented. The authors of this paper do not agree with the thesis that interventional dental treatment can be replaced with properly implemented prophylaxis. The final remarks, therefore, present a discussion of the prospects for the development of dentistry based on three pillars, analogous to the traditional Chinese censer obtaining a stable balance thanks to its three legs. The Dentistry Sustainable Development (DSD) > 2020 model, consisting of Global Dental Prevention (GDP), Advanced Interventionist Dentistry 4.0 (AID 4.0), and Dentistry Safety System (DSS), is presented.

The general goals of advanced digitized production in the Industry 4.0 stage of the industrial revolution were presented along with the extended holistic model of Industry 4.0, introduced by the authors, indicating the importance of material design and the selection of appropriate manufacturing technology. The effect of the global lockdown caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus transmission pandemic was a drastic decrease in production, resulting in a significant decrease in the gross domestic product GDP in all countries, and gigantic problems in health care, including dentistry. Dentists belong to the highest risk group because the doctor works in the patient&rsquo, s respiratory tract. This paper presents a breakthrough authors solution, implemented by the active SPEC strategy, and aims to eliminate clinical aerosol at the source by negative pressure aspirating bioaerosol at the patient&rsquo, s mouth line. The comparative benchmarking analysis and its results show that only the proprietary solution with a set of devices eliminates the threat at the source, while the remaining known methods do not meet the expectations. The details of this solution are described. Photopolymer materials and additive Digital Light Printing (DLP) technology were used.

The article discusses the history of humans in the Vistula Valley east of Kraków from the late Pre-Roman to Roman period (3rd c. BC – 4th c. AD). This area, convenient for settlement, located on a well-preserved section of a loess river terrace, is among the most interesting and richest in Poland at that time. The diversity of habitats on the border of the loess terrace and floodplain ecosystems enabled diverse economic activities, both agricultural and non-agricultural, which was stimulated by easy access to raw materials. This zone is known in archaeological literature mainly from well-developed non-agricultural production (potterymaking, bronzesmithing), dated to the Roman period. It should be emphasized, however, that agriculture was the basis of the economy of the population living here. Distinguished archaeological sites include settlements in Igołomia and Zofipole, both in Kraków district. Trade contacts played an important role in the development of these communities, both in the Pre-Roman and Roman periods.

Purpose: The paper is a comprehensive review of the literature on manufacturing technologies thick-layer coatings on various substrates and manufacturing gradient materials using powders of metals, their alloys and ceramics. Design/methodology/approach: Extensive literature studies on manufacturing technologies thick-layer coatings on various substrates and manufacturing gradient materials using powders of metals, their alloys and ceramics have been carried out. The paper is illustrated with examples of various structure images obtained as part of research of engineering materials made by authors with powders. By using knowledge engineering methods, development perspectives of individual technologies were indicated. Findings: The manufacturing technologies thick-layer coatings on various substrates and manufacturing gradient materials using powders of metals, their alloys and ceramics as the advanced digital production (ADP) technologies are proves the highest possible potential and relatively good attractiveness, as well as their fully exploited attractiveness or substantial development opportunities in this respect. Originality/value: According to augmented holistic Industry 4.0 model, many materials processing technologies and among them manufacturing technologies thick-layer coatings on various substrates and manufacturing gradient materials using powders of metals, their alloys and ceramics are becoming very important among product manufacturing technologies. They are an essential part of powder engineering.

Purpose: The paper is a literature review indicating the importance of powder engineering in the modern stage of Industry 4.0 development. 47 technologies for the manufacturing and use the powders of metal and their alloys and ceramic in the manufacturing of products are indicated. All those technologies were compared in terms of their potential and attractiveness, pointing to their development trends. The focus was solely on powder production methods. Other technologies will be discussed in other papers in the powder engineering cycle. Design/methodology/approach: The authors' considerations are based on an extensive literature study and the results of the authors' previous studies and empirical work. In order to compare the analyzed technologies, the methodology of knowledge engineering are used, including the own method of contextual matrices for comparative analysis of a large set of technologies by presenting them on a dendrological matrix. Findings: The most interesting intellectual achievements contained in the paper include presentations of the authors' original concepts regarding the augmentation of the Industry 4.0 model. Material processing technologies occupy an important place in it, among them powder engineering technologies, both conventional and additive. The most attractive and promising development technologies in powder engineering are identified. Originality/value: The originality of the paper is associated with the novelty of the approach to analysing powder engineering, an indication of its importance for the development of the Industry 4.0 idea, where progress does not depend only on the development of IT technologies. It is also not true that from among technologies only additive technologies play a key role. Using avant-garde analyses in the field of knowledge engineering, the most avant-garde technologies of powder engineering are pointed out.

Purpose: Among the technologies that play a crucial role in the current stage of development of Industry 4.0 conventional powder engineering technologies are of great importance. Based on a comprehensive literature review, conventional technologies using the powders of metals, their alloys and ceramics are described. Development perspectives of the most widespread among them were indicated. Design/methodology/approach: Extensive literature studies on conventional powder engineering technologies have been carried out. By using knowledge engineering methods, development perspectives of individual technologies were indicated. Findings: In addition to the presentation of conventional sintering technological methods, sintering mechanisms in solid-state and liquid phase sintering which accounts for 90% of the commercial value of sintered products are presented. Originality/value: According to augmented holistic Industry 4.0 model, many materials processing technologies and among them conventional powder engineering technologies play a key role in current industry development. For this reason, these technologies have been characterized in detail on the basis of available literature sources.