Systems of road traffic parameters measurement play a key role in the process of road traffic control, its supervision as well as in gathering and processing information for statistical purposes. Expectations of users of such systems mainly concern automation and provision of measurement continuity, possibility of selection of the measured road traffic parameters and high accuracy along with reliability of obtained results. In order to meet the requirements set for such systems, at the Department of Instrumentation and Measurement of the AGH University of Science and Technology in Cracow a new prototype system of road traffic parameters measurement -Traffic-1 -has been constructed. The innovativeness of the solution is manifested in the structure of the system that can be modified by the user adequately to current measurement needs and in the used algorithms of signals processing. The work contains a brief description of the constructed system with particular focus on the used innovations that are the result of many years of research work of the designers.
Among specific amyloid ligands, Congo red and its analogues are often considered potential therapeutic compounds. However, the results of the studies so far have not been univocal because the properties of this dye, derived mostly from its supramolecular nature, are still poorly understood. The supramolecular structure of Congo red, formed by π–π stacking of dye molecules, is susceptible to the influence of the electric field, which may significantly facilitate electron delocalization. Consequently, the electric field may generate altered physico-chemical properties of the dye. Enhanced electron delocalization, induced by the electric field, alters the total charge of Congo red, making the dye more acidic (negatively charged). This is a consequence of withdrawing electrons from polar substituents of aromatic rings—sulfonic and amino groups—thus increasing their tendency to dissociate protons. The electric field-induced charge alteration observed in electrophoresis depends on dye concentration. This concentration-dependent charge alteration effect disappears when the supramolecular structure disintegrates in DMSO. Dipoles formed from supramolecular fibrillar species in the electric field become ordered in the solution, introducing the modified arrangement to liquid crystalline phase. Experimental results and theoretical studies provide evidence confirming predictions that the supramolecular character of Congo red is the main reason for its specific properties and reactivity.
Micellar structures formed by self-assembling Congo red molecules bind to proteins penetrating into functionrelated
unstable packing areas. Here, we have used Congo red - a supramolecular protein ligand to investigate how the
intramolecular structural changes that take place in antibodies following antigen binding lead to complement activation.
According to our findings, Congo red binding significantly enhances the formation of antigen-antibody complexes. As a
result, even low-affinity transiently binding antibodies can participate in immune complexes in the presence of Congo
red, although immune complexes formed by these antibodies fail to trigger the complement cascade. This indicates that
binding of antibodies to the antigen may not, by itself, fulfill the necessary conditions to generate the signal which
triggers effector activity. These findings, together with the results of molecular dynamics simulation studies, enable us to
conclude that, apart from the necessary assembling of antibodies, intramolecular structural changes generated by
strains which associate high- affinity bivalent antibody fitting to antigen determinants are also required to cross the
complement activation threshold.
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