The aim of the study was to evaluate visual and brainstem auditory evoked potentials (VEP, BAEP) in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with regards to fatigue and disease-related variables. The study comprised 86 MS patients and 40 controls. Fatigue was assessed using the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS/FSS-5) and the Modified Fatigue Impact Scale (MFIS). Latencies and amplitudes of the P100 component of VEP and the I–V components of BAEP were analyzed. The results of EP were compared between non-fatigued, moderately and severely fatigued MS patients and controls. P100 latency was increased and amplitude decreased in moderately and severely fatigued MS subjects. The latency of the V component of BAEP and interlatencies I-III-V were increased in severely fatigued patients. The amplitude of the V component was lowered in fatigued patients. VEP and BAEP abnormalities were usually one-sided. Interocular P100 latency difference tended to correlate with FSS/FSS-5. The parameters of VEP and BAEP correlated with functional system scores but not with MS duration, overall degree of disability or its progression over time. Significant, usually asymmetrical VEP and BAEP abnormalities were found in fatigued MS patients, with no relationships to disease-related variables. EP may be considered an electrophysiological marker of fatigue in MS patients.
Information about the variations and correlations between the physical properties of seeds is essential for designing and modeling seed processing operations. The aim of this study was to determine the variations in the basic physical properties of seeds of selected spruce species and to identify the correlations between these attributes for the needs of the seed sorting processes. Terminal velocity, thickness, width, length, mass, and the angle of external friction were determined in the seeds of 11 spruce species. The measured parameters were used to calculate three aspect ratios (geometric mean diameter, sphericity index, and specific mass) of each seed. The average values of the basic physical properties of the analyzed seeds were determined in the following range: terminal velocity—5.25 to 8.34 m s−1, thickness—1.10 to 2.32 mm, width—1.43 to 3.19 mm, length—2.76 to 5.52 mm, the angle of external friction—23.1 to 30.0°, and mass—2.29 to 18.57 mg. The seeds of Jezo spruce and Meyer’s spruce were most similar to the seeds of other spruce species, whereas oriental spruce seeds differed most considerably from the remaining seeds. Our findings indicate that spruce seeds should be sorted primarily with the use of mesh sieves with longitudinal openings to obtain fractions with similar seed mass and to promote even germination.
Primary Sjogren's syndrome (pSS) is a chronic autoimmune disease. The aim of the study was to establish whether in patients with pSS without central nervous system (CNS) involvement, the function of the central portion of the sensory pathway can be challenged. In 33 patients with pSS without clinical features of CNS damage and normal head computed tomography scan, somatosensory evoked potentials (SEP) were studied. The results were compared to other clinical parameters of the disease, particularly to immunological status. The control group consisted of 20 healthy volunteers. Mean latency of all components of SEP was considerably prolonged in patients compared to the control group. Mean interpeak latency N20-N13 (duration of central conduction TT) did not differ significantly between the groups. However, in the study group, mean amplitude of N20P22 and N13P16 was significantly higher compared to healthy individuals. In patients with pSS, significant differences in SEP parameters depending on the duration of the disease and presence of SSA and SSB antibodies were noted. The authors confirmed CNS involvement often observed in patients with pSS. They also showed dysfunction of the central sensory neuron as a difference in the amplitude of cortical response, which indicates subclinical damage to the CNS.
StreszczenieZagłębie Ruhry przez dziesięciolecia było najbardziej zanieczyszczonym obszarem Niemiec. Pod koniec lat 80. XX wieku, kiedy zakończono produkcję w zakładach przemysłowych i zamknięto kopalnie rozpoczął się proces rewitalizacji w ramach IBA Emscher Park, który trwał do 1999r. Obecnie po prawie 20 latach po zakończeniu IBA można obserwować wieloletnie efekty działania całego procesu transformacji. Połączenie dziedzictwa kulturowego dawnych terenów przemysłowych naturalnym krajobrazem i nadanie im zupełnie nowych funkcji sprawia, że na obszarze zagłębia można zwiedzać wyjątkowe w swoim charakterze założenia, które stanowią główne atrakcje turystyczne całego regionu. AbstractThe Ruhr was one of the most polluted areas in all of Germany for decades. Towards the end of the 1980's, when production ceased in industrial plants and mines were being closed down, a process of revitalisation began as a part of the IBA Emscher Park project, which lasted until 1999. At present, almost 20 years after the completion of the IBA, we can observe the longterm effects of the entire transformation process. The combination of the former industrial areas' cultural heritage with the natural landscape and assigning completely new functions to them has led to a situation in which we can visit complexes of outstanding character and that constitute the man tourist attractions of the entire region.Słowa kluczowe: tereny poprzemysłowe, rewitalizacja, poprzemysłowy krajobraz miejski, środowisko na terenach rewitalizowanych
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