Optimum algorithm for digital assays treats chemical compartments as bits of probabilistic information and arranges these bits in a fractional positional system. Maximization of information gain reduces-by orders of magnitude-the number of partitions required to achieve the requested dynamic range and precision of the assay. The method simplifies the execution of digital analytical methods providing for more accessible use of absolute quantization in research and in diagnostics.The standard 'analogue' method to quantify concentration ‫ܥ‬ is to measure an amplitude ‫ܣ‬ of a physical quantity (e.g. absorbance of light) and to calculate an estimate of ‫ܥ‬ as a calibrated function ‫ܧ‬ሺ‫ܥ‬ሻ ൌ ݂ሺ‫ܣ‬ሻ. In a fundamentally new concept, digital assays split the sample into a large number of partitions and estimate ‫ܥ‬ from the fraction of end-point signals. The concept dates back to 1915 when McCrady [1] introduced the limiting-dilution assay and the most probable number method for quantization of bacteria. In spite of its common use over decades this method has never been optimized for the information gain as a function of the design of the assay.In 1992 Sykes et al. described the method of quantisation of initial targets present in the sample using limited dilution polymerase chain reaction (PCR) [2][3][4][5] assays. Sykes' design comprised 6 sets of 10 compartments. The consecutive sets were diluted three fold so the numbers of added DNA copies created a geometric sequence. Then, in 1999 Vogelstein and Kinzler proposed digital PCR assay using identical partitions of the sample and binary stochastic signals ‫ݏ‬ሺ‫ܥ‬ሻ adopting either a positive ‫ݏ(‬ ൌ 1ሻ or negative ሺ‫ݏ‬ ൌ 0ሻ value if the partition contains at least one target molecule (݉ 1) or none (݉ ൌ 0). Digital assays provide absolute, highly sensitive and precise [5][6][7][8][9] estimates of ‫ܥ‬ and eliminate the need for calibration. As the method requires strong amplification of the presence of the analyte, its key applications are in quantitative PCR [6][7][8][9] and ELISA [10,11] .Digital methods have also important limitations. Their precision and dynamic range cannot be tuned independently. As a result the assays typically require massively large numbers of partitions: thousands to millions, elevating their cost and narrowing the range of applications. The problem stems from the coding scheme: as all compartments are identical, the maximum number ‫ܯ‬ of molecules that can be encoded is proportional to the number ܰ of partitions (Fig. 1a). One solution is by combining classical digital schemes with different dynamic ranges [13,14] . The solution relies on a simultaneously performed assays on multiple sets of identical compartments [15][16][17][18][19] containing dilutions of the sample to increase the dynamic range. These approaches, although highly effective, have not been optimized for the information gain (the breath of the dynamic range and the tightness of the precision of the estimate of ‫)ܥ‬ against the design of the assay (the number, volume and dilution...

Introduction. The peri-menopausal period is the time of many biological, psychological and social changes. The quality of life of women in this period may be conditioned by many factors, and analysis of these factors may indicate the optimum directions of prophylactic and educational actions. Objective. Analysis of selected predictive factors of the quality of life of women in the peri-menopausal period. Materials and method. The study covered 268 peri-menopausal women. The qualification criteria were: age 45-55, lack of mental disorders and diseases requiring hospitalization during the period of study. The study was conducted using standardized instruments: Women's Health Questionnaire-WHQ, Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and an author-constructed questionnaire. Results. The presented study of the quality of life showed that the women examined felt physically unattractive, lacking the full joy of life, and frequently experienced somatic complaints. Nevertheless, the respondents enjoyed life, had no constant feeling of anxiety and concern. Multi-factor analysis showed that the quality of life in the group of women in the study was affected by the following factors: level of depression, self-reported state of health, occurrence of menopausal symptoms, education level, and marital status. Conclusions. The quality of life of the peri-menopausal women examined was the highest with respect to depressive mood (DEP) and anxiety/depressed mood (ANX), while it was the lowest with respect to the sense of attractiveness (ATT), and somatic symptoms (SOM). In addition, in the group of women in peri-menopausal period the quality of life was conditioned: level of depression, self-reported state of health, occurrence of menopausal symptoms, education level, and marital status.

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Women Pregnancy Psychology Physical violence a b s t r a c t Introduction: The problem of violence is an important issue for public health. The literaturereports that the incidence of violence during the pregnancy is about 1%-25%. Forms of violence that are most often used against pregnant women include physical, psychological and sexual violence. Aim: To determine characteristics of women experiencing violence during pregnancy.Material and methods: One hundred and fourteen women, residents of the province of Lublin, were examined for characteristics of pregnant women experiencing violence. The method used in the study was diagnostic sounding. The technique used was a questionnaire developed by the authors. Participation in the study was voluntary and anonymous. The results were statistically analyzed. Results and discussion: The analysis showed that 59.7% of the women studied experienced violence during pregnancy. The most common form of violence against the pregnant women was psychological violence (72.5%) and the rarest one was economic violence (26.7%). These percentage differences reached statistical significance (p¼.02). Moreover, the statistically significant correlation was found between experiencing violence and age (p¼.008), level of education (p¼.0001), marital status (p¼ .03) and the occupational activity of examined women (p¼.0001). Conclusions: Psychological and physical violence are the most common forms of violence used against the pregnant women. Unmarried, young women with a low level of education are the group of women who most often experience violence and due to this fact they should be taken into specialist care.

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W S T Ę P :Występowanie lęku i depresji u kobiet z ciążą o przebiegu fizjologicznym ma związek ze zmianami w trzech obszarach: biologicznym, psychicznym i społecznym. Komplikacje w przebiegu ciąży oraz konieczność hospitalizacji dodatkowo potęgują nasilenie negatywnych emocji u ciężarnych, dlatego ważne jest, aby podczas hospitalizacji, identyfikować pacjentki z objawami lęku, stresu lub depresji oraz wskazać czynniki, które mogą wpływać na wystąpienie negatywnych emocji. M A T E R I A Ł I M E T O D Y :Badania analizy nasilenia negatywnych emocji przeprowadzono wśród 305 ciężarnych hospitalizowanych. Narzędziem badawczym był samodzielnie opracowany kwestionariusz ankiety do oceny charakterystyki badanych ciężarnych oraz Skala Depresji, Lęku i Stresu (DASS -Depression Anxiety Stress Scale). Uzyskane wyniki badań poddano analizie statystycznej. W Y N I K I : Średnia wartość poziomu stresu w badanej grupie według skali DASS wynosiła 12,15 ± 8,15 pkt, depresji 6,63 ± 6,62 pkt, a lęku 8,54 ± 6,26 pkt. Nie stwierdzono istotnie statystycznej zależności między nasileniem stresu i depresji a sytuacją położniczą badanych ciężarnych. W N I O S K I : W badanej grupie kobiet nie stwierdzono zaburzeń depresyjnych, natomiast stwierdzono, że ciężarne hospitalizowane cechuje łagodne nasilenie lęku. Sytuacja położnicza nie warunkuje nasilenia negatywnych emocji wśród pacjentek z ciążą wysokiego ryzyka. Istotny wpływ na nasilenie lęku ma jedynie fakt planowania ciąży lub nie. Kobiety, które nie planują ciąży, mają istotnie wyższy poziom lęku aniżeli ciężarne, dla których obecna ciąża jest planowana. Personel medyczny powinien identyfikować ciężarne w trakcie hospitalizacji, u których występuje podwyższony poziom lęku w celu wdrożenia działań psychoprofilaktycznych. Okazanie pacjentkom troski i udzielenie wsparcia, zwłaszcza emocjonalnego, może prowadzić do zminimalizowania negatywnych emocji i zwiększenia skuteczności leczenia.

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