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The impact of maternal diet on mineral concentration in human milk (HM) remains unclear. The main aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between maternal dietary intake and calcium and phosphorus concentrations in HM. Furthermore, we aimed to evaluate the intake of both minerals by exclusively breastfed infants.HM samples were obtained from 30 mothers at 6-8 weeks postpartum. Each mother was asked to express pre- and postfeeding milk four times during a 24-h period (6.00-12.00, 12.00-18.00, 18.00-24.00, 24.00-6.00). Maternal dietary assessment was based on a food frequency questionnaire and 3-day dietary records. Analysed minerals were determined using an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (NexION 300D ICP mass spectrometer, Perkin Elmer SCIEX).The mean concentrations of calcium and phosphorus in HM samples were 278.7 ± 61.0 and 137.1 ± 21.9 mg/L, respectively, maintaining 2:1 ratio by weight. The concentration of both minerals was correlated with each other (r = 0.632, p = 0.001). The infants' mean calcium intake was 149.53 ± 36.41 mg/L, and their mean phosphorus intake was 74.62 ± 19.41 mg/L. The risk of insufficient intake of calcium was reported in 60% of infants (n = 18). Spearman's/Pearson's correlation coefficients did not reveal any correlations between HM calcium concentration and maternal diet, contrary to HM phosphorus concentration, which was positively correlated with energy (r = 0.369, p = 0.045), total protein (r = 0.464, p = 0.01), calcium (r = 385, p = 0.036), phosphorus (r = 501, p = 0.005), niacin (p 0.001) and pyridoxine (r = 382, 0.037) intake. However, in multivariable analysis we observed that maternal dietary intake of both minerals had a positive influence on their concentration in HM.Maternal calcium and phosphorus intake influenced the concentration of both minerals in HM; however, the relationship was rather weak. In addition, we observed that calcium intake by most of the exclusively breastfed infants was insufficient to meet the recommended daily intake.

The main scientific purpose of this article is to identify and analyse legal issues that arise between human rights and investment arbitration. At first glance, these two branches of public international law remain completely unrelated and do not have any significant features in common. However, it appears that despite this distinction, there is an interaction between investment arbitration and human rights, which implies a number of significant legal problems. These problems can possibly include the violation of human rights of citizens of the state hosting an investment by a foreign investor. On the other hand, a state can be unable to fulfil its legal obligations regarding human rights due to the necessity to protect foreign investment as agreed in investment treaties or, to the contrary, it may violate its contractual obligations towards an investor and afterwards defend itself throughout arbitration proceedings by stating that this violation has been necessary in order to protect human rights. It turns out that all parties to the dispute, both investors and host States – occasionally turn to human rights in order to reinforce their respective positions. The interaction between human rights and investment arbitration is of a very complex nature and although it is more and more often emphasized that it may occur, the situations in which this occurrence is likely to happen are not entirely clear yet. The author, after presenting some general remarks on the interaction between human rights and investment arbitration, discusses the most common scenarios in which human rights issues may appear in the course of investment arbitration proceedings. Finally, she concludes that there do exist some fields of interaction between human rights and investment arbitration as well as situations in which the conflict between them may appear. Identifying these conflicts would help to understand the complex relationship between the two legal regimes in question. It will also lay the foundation for further research on how to ensure the ultimate scope of human rights protection throughout the different stages of investment arbitration proceedings.

The topic of this academic work below is to present the role of time in the functioning of society. In the text examples of the influence of time on human life are carefully analyzed. The purpose of this workis to confirm the thesis that time is important in the everyday life of society over the years. The main issue of the following reading is not only to show time as a complex phenomenon that takes place in the world but it also has to intend to prove its irreversible influence on human life and the entire society. The most important conclusion at the end of this academic work is to expose, that time has a huge influence on human existence. However, due to the occurring rush these days, often people are not able to notice the effect of time.

In recent years, new psychoactive substances (NPS) have become a popular alternative to traditional drugs. In the European Union Early Warning System of European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) the number of NPS increases each year. These substances known as legal highs or designer drugs are popular in particular among young people, mostly due to their price and availability. They are usually made in China and then sold in online stores. The variability of these substances and the lack of knowledge of their chemical structure and their metabolic changes pose a great challenge for toxicological analysis. Deaths caused by these drugs are underestimated due to their occurrence as a mixture of multiple drugs, further causing analytical problems. Difficulties in detecting NPS are also noticeable at diagnosis of intoxication, which carries the risk of misinterpretation and improper treatment. Rapid and inexpensive immunoassays used for drug detection have not yet been used in the identification of NPS. This is due to the dynamic changes on the drug market, which make it difficult to create appropriately sensitive and selective screening tests to identify an unknown substance. The production of specific antibodies takes a long time, often exceeding the duration of the presence of the substance in the illicit market. Scientists believe that mass spectrometry-based methods should be used to search for NPS in biological samples because they are sensitive and allow the determination of a specific compound with proper reliability. The use of high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) in the context of screening may be a future strategy and alternative to classic drug tests. Nevertheless, the cost and time-consuming nature of this method currently exclude its use in routine diagnostics. An additional difficulty in carrying out identification is the presence of NPS in body fluids at low concentrations and frequently a short half-life time. In this article, we pay attention to the current analytical problems related to the detection of NPS.

Główne wyniki opracowania RETwix zostały przedstawione w artykule. RETwix jest uniwersalnym sprzętem i oprogramowaniem do badań laboratoryjnych, które można wykorzystać do badania zarówno komponentów elektronicznych, jak i dowolnych procesów elektrycznych, termicznych, chemicznych lub biochemicznych. W tym celu zostały wykorzystane czujniki, aktuatory i przetworniki sygnału Analog Front-End. RETwix zawiera dwa urządzenia CV-LAB (Capacitance & Voltage LABoratory) oraz UA-LAB (Universal Analog LABoratory). Zostały opisane osobliwości budowy oraz przykłady zastosowania RETwix.

Since the late 1920s, the legislator has been trying to indicate the place of animals in the legal system. Due to their psychophysical features, they can be classified neither as things nor as persons. Determination of the place of animals in the legal system was extremely important due to the need to grant them legal protection in order to combat inhumane treatment. Today, the term “animal” is regulated in the Animal Protection Act, which clearly states that an animal is not a thing. However, in matters not regulated in the said act, laws applicable to things apply. Such subjectivity of animals is opposed by the understanding of game under the Hunting Law. What is more, this is not the only significant difference in the understanding of these related terms based on analysis of the two legal instruments. Humaneness viewed through the prism of the two pieces of legislation seems to be contradictory – the above-mentioned acts present different understanding thereof as well as different implementation by law. The cited acts were analysed in terms of literal, purposive, logical, and functional interpretation. Research into the issues in question was carried out with the use of dogmatic-legal, theoretical-legal, historical-legal, and sociological methods. This publication indicates the problem of ambiguity of the term “animal” based on the Hunting Law. Its aim is an in-depth analysis of the legal aspects of humane protection of animals, as well as an a contrario presentation of hunting practices. The research work carried out has suggested both inconsistencies as to identical terms in the above-mentioned acts, and a clear problem with regard to respecting and implementing the norms that stem from the provisions of the Hunting Law. Such results lead to a justified concern about the topicality of the legal solutions presented in the said act, while approval of this position should result in a conclusion that there is a need to amend the Hunting Law.

The aim of this study was to evaluate iron and zinc concentrations in the mature human milk (HM) and to investigate the relationship between these concentrations and maternal factors. HM samples were collected between 4&ndash, 6 weeks postpartum from 32 healthy, exclusively breastfeeding mothers. The assessment of dietary intake during breastfeeding was based on a food frequency questionnaire and three-day dietary records. Nutritional status of participants was assessed with body mass index and body composition analysis, measured with bioelectrical impedance. HM intake was assessed with infants&rsquo, weighting, whereas iron and zinc contents in HM were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer. The median intake of HM was 492.5 mL (466&ndash, 528.5) and the concentrations of HM iron and zinc were 0.33 mg/L (0.26&ndash, 0.46) and 2.12 mg/L (1.97&ndash, 2.45), respectively. Maternal total zinc and iron intake (diet + supplementation) was positively correlated with their concentrations in HM. Consumption frequency of meat, vegetables and legumes was revealed to be a significant factor influencing zinc concentration in HM. Regarding iron, it was the consumption frequency of meat, fish and seafood, vegetables and legumes, nuts and seeds. The intake of iron from HM was low, and after assuming a mean fractional iron absorption, it was only 0.038 mg/d. Our results show that maternal diet influences iron and zinc content in HM, suggesting that adequate intake of food rich in investigated minerals may be a positive factor for their concentrations in HM.

A non-routine, comprehensive protocol for characterization of emerging new psychoactive substances (NPS) including chemical structures, impurities, as well as crystal structures, has been developed to facilitate the work of law enforcement agencies. A set of NPS has been synthesized, identified, and characterized by various analytical methods in order to be used as certified reference standards (CRMs). Seven selected compounds (5-IT, NM-2201, MT-45, AB-CHMINACA, UR-144, 5F-PB-22, and 4-CMC) were synthesized on the laboratory scale, then the process was upscaled to semi-technical. All products were analyzed by electrospray Q/TOF-MS/MS for molecular structure identification. The presence of by-products, as well as metal impurities, arising from the performed syntheses, were characterized by reversed phase liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) with DAD and Q/TOF-MS detection and inductively-coupled plasma with quadrupole mass spectrometer (ICP-QMS), respectively. Additionally, the crystal structures of UR-144, NM-2201, 5F-PB-22, and 4-CMC have been determined by single-crystal and powder X-ray diffraction.

A fit for purpose analytical protocol was designed towards searching for low molecular weight seleno-compounds in sprouts. Complementary analytical techniques were used to collect information enabling the characterization of selenium speciation. Conceiving the overall characterization of the behavior of selenium, inductively plasma optical mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was used to determine the total selenium content in entire sprouts as well as in selected extracts or chromatographic fractions. Then, high-performance liquid chromatography combined with ICP-MS (HPLC-ICP-MS) was used to evaluate the presence of inorganic and organic seleno-compounds, with the advantages of being very sensitive towards selenium, but limited by available selenium standard compounds. Finally, ultra-high performance liquid chromatography electrospray ionization triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (UHPLC-ESI-QqQ-MS/MS) and UHPLC-ESI-Orbitrap-MS/MS were used for the confirmation of the identity of selected compounds and identification of several unknown compounds of selenium in vegetable sprouts (sunflower, onion, radish), respectively. Cultivation of plants was designed to supplement sprouts with selenium by using solutions of selenium (IV) at the concentration of 10, 20, 40, and 60 mg/L. The applied methodology allowed to justify that vegetable sprouts metabolize inorganic selenium to a number of organic derivatives, such as seleno-methylselenocysteine (SeMetSeCys), selenomethionine (SeMet), 5&prime, seleno-adenosine, 2,3-DHP-selenolanthionine, Se-S conjugate of cysteine-selenoglutathione, 2,3-DHP-selenocysteine-cysteine, 2,3-DHP-selenocysteine-cysteinealanine, glutathione-2,3-DHP-selenocysteine, gamma-Glu-MetSeCys or glutamyl-glycinyl-N-2,3-DHP-selenocysteine.

This paper presents an overview of the main possible applications of wire medium in different field of radio engineering. Wire media possesses the unique electromagnetic properties. There is a number for approaches for manufacturing the wire media of different shapes from microwave frequency up to optical one. The wire media that consists of parallel metallic rods finds application for narrow and broadband power radiation in photovoltaic devices, imaging, endoscopy and many others. The wire metastructures such as hyperlens and brush are applicable to the antennas of wide frequency range.

In the paper we represent experimental results of the research of human vision sensitivity to pulsed radiation of discrete light emitting diodes (LEDs) of different colors when their dissipated electrical power was the same. We used color components of RGB LED matrix and determined the values of the dissipated power at which resultant LED radiation was perceived as white light. These power values were used to investigate sensitivity of human eye to radiation of each color of RGB matrix. Spectral characteristic of RGB LED under investigation was checked for presence of additional spectral components. The results we obtained give the possibility to develop information systems with concealment of the data transfer process using white light which color components are informative.

The article is devoted to the development and justification of parallel numerical simulation methods. Results can be obtained to calculate the number of points. To increase the order of approximation of the developed methods, the set of points of the reference block (s) is introduced into difference schemes. Generation of difference schemes for any reference and calculated points is considered. For some block sizes, generated differential calculation schemes are obtained, oriented to the number of available processes in a parallel implementation. The absolute stability of the constructed multi-step multipoint methods according to the initial conditions and the right side is proved.

One of the main issues in imaging diagnostics is the precise determination of the area of interest (ROI). The processing of medical images makes it necessary to distinguish the tested object from the rest of the less important details of the image. In order to properly select the segmentation method, it is necessary to take into account the structure of the tissue and the type of image. The article presents selected segmentation methods implemented in Matlab and results obtained using clinical software. The resulting 2D images were used to create three-dimensional structures of vertebrae.

The effect of reflection probe displacement on human skin spectra in the different points of hand in the range of 400–1000 nm was investigated. It was found that absorption in the human skin decreases with pressure increasing due to the optical and physiological properties of the skin. During conducting spectrophotometric research of human skin the influence of pressure should be taken into account.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the biological and chemical response of Allium cepa L. exposed to inorganic selenium compounds. Besides the investigation of the total content of selenium as well as its chemical speciation, the Allium test was used to evaluate the growth of onion roots and mitotic activity in the roots’ meristem. The total content of selenium was determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP MS). High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), coupled to ICP MS, was used for the selenium chemical speciation. Results indicated that A. cepa plants are able to biotransform inorganic selenium compounds into their organic derivatives, e.g., Se-methylselenocysteine from the Se(IV) inorganic precursor. Although the differences in the biotransformation of selenium are due mainly to the oxidation state of selenium, the experiment has also shown a fine effect of counter ions (H+, Na+, NH4+) on the response of plants and on the specific metabolism of selenium. Figure ᅟ

With increasing number of complex medical patients with renal transplant who get pregnant, clinicians need to be aware of abdominal compartment syndrome which may masquerade as acute renal allograft injury in pregnancy.A 34-year-old nulliparous Caucasian female with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) due to type 1 diabetes mellitus who received a simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplant (SPK) in 2006 and then after rejection of renal allograft another, kidney-only allograft from a donation after circulatory death became pregnant in May 2013 with dichorionic, diamniotic twins without reproductive technology, and during pregnancy, she developed two episodes of acute injury to the renal allograft.End-stage renal disease secondary to type I diabetes, acute renal allograft injury, tacrolimus toxicity, abdominal pain.She received intravenous hydration, medications contributing to renal failure were held, and pain and nauseas were controlled appropriately. Abdominal compartment syndrome was managed by maintaining intravascular pressure and optimizing regional and systemic vascular perfusion by appropriate fluid balance, evacuating intraluminal contents by decompressing gastrointestinal system, and improving abdominal wall compliance by using appropriate analgesics, sedation, and patient positioning.With advancing pregnancy, the patient developed progressive abdominal pain, nausea, leg edema, and rising creatinine that were not responsive to ongoing therapies and required delivery via Cesarean section at 31 weeks of gestational age.In the era of increasing number of pregnant renal transplant patients with multiple medical issues, we need organized approach to diagnosis of acute renal allograft injury in pregnancy and we need to consider abdominal compartment syndrome as one of the causes.Le nombre croissant de grossesses chez les greffées d’un rein aux prises avec des problèmes de santé complexes oblige les cliniciens à connaître le syndrome du compartiment abdominal; un trouble qui, pendant la grossesse, peut contribuer à une insuffisance rénale aiguë du greffon.Une femme nullipare de 34 ans d’origine caucasienne et atteinte d’insuffisance rénale terminale (IRT) consécutive à un diabète de type 1. La patiente avait subi une première greffe simultanée rein-pancréas en 2006 puis, pour cause de rejet, une deuxième transplantation d’un rein seulement, lequel provenait d’un donneur décédé d’un problème circulatoire. La patiente est tombée enceinte de jumeaux diachroniques et diamniotiques en mai 2013 sans procréation assistée. La grossesse a été ponctuée de deux épisodes d’insuffisance rénale aiguë du greffon.IRT consécutive à un diabète de type 1, insuffisance rénale aiguë du greffon, toxicité du tacrolimus, douleurs abdominales.La patiente a été réhydratée par intraveineuse, les douleurs abdominales et les nausées ont été soulagées, et les médicaments contribuant à l’insuffisance rénale ont été temporairement cessés. Le syndrome du compartiment abdominal a été traité en maintenant la pression intravasculaire et en optimisant la perfusion vasculaire locale et systémique par un équilibre hydrique approprié, en évacuant le contenu intraluminal par décompression du système gastro-intestinal, et en améliorant la compliance de la paroi abdominale par l’administration d’analgésiques, par la sédation et par le positionnement de la patiente.Avec la progression de la grossesse, les symptômes de douleurs abdominales, nausées, œdème aux membres inférieurs et augmentation de la créatinine ayant cessé de répondre aux traitements, la patiente a dû accoucher par césarienne à 31 semaines.Le nombre croissant de femmes enceintes greffées d’un rein et atteintes de problèmes de santé complexes plaide pour une approche concertée dans le diagnostic de l’insuffisance aiguë du greffon pendant la grossesse. Le syndrome du compartiment abdominal doit être envisagé comme l’une des causes de l’insuffisance rénale aiguë en grossesse.

Selenium is an element of very great importance for the proper functioning of the human body, mainly due to its antioxidant properties. Selenium exhibits a preventive effect in the case of cardiovascular disease, the immune system, male infertility and inhibits the toxic action of other agents. Selenium is important for Hashimoto's disease. Intake of selenium in the diet slows the aging process. The biological and toxicological effects of selenium strongly depend on its chemical form. Some organisms for example: plant, yeast, are capable of metabolizing low bioavailable selenium compounds (inorganic selenium) into its high bioavailable forms (organic selenium).The aim of this study was to investigate the bio-transformation of selenium by Lactobacillus bacteria towards the characterisation of selenium metabolites.The speciation of selenium was evaluated by high performance liquid chromatography with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry detector. The extraction of selenium species from lyophilized bacteria was executed with water, the mixture of lipase and protease, as well as lisozyme and sodium dodecyl sulphate.All investigated bacteria strains cultivated in the presence of Na2SeO3 effectively uptake selenium. Surprisingly, none of the applied extraction media exhibited a strong power to release the majority of the uptaken selenium compounds. Thus a maximum of 10% of the selenium was extracted from bacteria exposed to the enzymes. However, it was found that Lactobacillus bacteria are able to metabolize inorganic ions of selenium (IV) into Se-methionine, Se-methyloselenocysteine and other unidentified forms.The study confirmed the ability of probiotic bacteria to biotransform inorganic selenium into its organic derivatives. Therefore, Se-enriched bacteria can be considered as an addition to the functional food.selenium speciation, extraction procedure, Lactobacillus casei bacteria, Lactic acid bacteria (LAB), HPLC ICP-MS, functional food.

Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) allows for non-muscular communication with external world, which may be the only way of communication for patients in a locked-in state. This paper presents a complete software framework for BCI, a novel hardware solution for stimuli rendering in BCIs based on Steady State Visual Evoked Potentials (SSVEP), and a univariate algorithm for detection of SSVEP in the EEG time series. OpenBCI is a complete software framework for brain-computer interfaces. Owing to an open license and modular architecture, it allows for flexible implementations of different communication channels in the serial or parallel hybrid mode, minimization of costs and improvements of stability and efficiency. Complete software is freely available from http://openbci.pl. BCI Appliance is a hardware solution that allows for dynamic control of menus with stable generation of stimuli for the SSVEP paradigm. The novelty consists of a design, whereby the LCD screen is illuminated from behind using an array of LEDs. Design pioneers also proposed a new line of thought about the user-centered design of BCI systems: a simple box with one on/off button, minimum embedded software, wireless connections to domotic and EEG acquisition devices, and user-controlled mode switching in a hybrid BCI.