The author presents the search for the identity of individuals and families displaced after World War II from Vilnius to Gdańsk in the context of the urban community integration. Gdańsk being a city where the population after the war was almost fully replaced, becomes in this sense a kind of laboratory of social integration processes. The text serves as an introduction to the topic and is based on the results of the pilot qualitative research conducted within the The Common Room Gdańsk” (2013–2015) project coordinated by prof. M. Mendel. The analyses are a contribution to the reflection on identity determinants of integration processes within the urban community, also in relation to contemporary times. When discussing the issues of identity, the author points to the importance of the turning point which was the end of World War II, and the experience of expatriation in the spatial and socio-cultural context.
The authors developed the definition of construction defect and fault and construction defect management based on Polish and foreign publications. In order to assist identification of faults and their analysis in the process of home collection, the authors applied the Case Based Reasoning (CBR) method. In the paper, the authors used Case Based Reasoning (CBR) to support acceptance of apartments. The CBR method allows to determine the magnitude of global similarity for the problem under consideration between the new and old case from the Case Base, using weighted sums of local similarities using criteria weights as coefficients. As a result of CBR-based solutions, an Employer’s representative receives information about the type of construction defects that can be expected, their location and significance, occurrence frequency, and estimated repair cost.
Background: Uterine leiomyoma is the most widespread benign tumor affecting women of childbearing age. There are still gaps in the understanding of its pathogenesis. Telocytes are unique cells found in more than 50 different locations inside the human body. The functional relationship between cells could clarify the pathogenesis of leiomyomata. Examination of membrane receptors on telocytes could explain their role in fibrosis, oxidative stress, and myometrial contractility.
Aim: This research was conducted to assess the density of telocytes in terms of their putative role in leiomyoma formation by focusing on their correlation with the expression of estrogen and progesterone receptors.
Methods: For gross evaluation of uterine tissue samples from leiomyoma, routine histology of adjacent and unaffected myometrium was performed. Immunohistochemical analysis of c-kit, tryptase, CD34, PDGFRα (telocyte-specific), and ER and PRs (estrogen and progesterone receptors) was performed to examine uterine telocytes and the expression of sex steroid receptors.
Results: The decline in telocyte density in leiomyoma foci was correlated with high progesterone expression and low estrogen receptor expression. The unchanged myometrium showed the opposite correlation and balance between both steroid hormone receptors. The difference in sex steroid receptor expression is correlated with the density of uterine telocytes, which emphasizes their conductor function.
Conclusions: A reduction in telocyte density and the changes in examined marker expression demon-strate the involvement of telocytes in local homeostasis. The expression of membrane receptors explicitly indicates their functional potential in the human myometrium, focusing attention on contractility and local homeostasis.
Cost estimation in the pre-design phase both for the contractor as well as the investor is an important aspect from the point of view of budget planning for a construction project. Constantly growing commercial market, especially the one of public utility constructions, makes the contractor, at the stage of development the design concept, initially estimate the cost of the facade, e.g. office buildings, commercial buildings, etc., which are most often implemented in the form of aluminum-glass facades or ventilated elevations. The valuation of facade systems is of an individual calculation nature, which makes the process complicated, time-consuming, and requiring a high cost estimation work. The authors suggest using a model for estimating the cost of facade systems with the use of statistical methods based on multiple and stepwise regression. The data base used to form statistical models is the result of quantitative-qualitative research of the design and cost documentation of completed public facilities. Basing on the obtained information, the factors that shape the costs of construction façade systems were identified; which then constitute the input variables to the suggested cost estimation models.