Books on the topic 'Hand function measures'

The textbook extensively covers the most pressing issues of antimonopoly and tariff regulation.
 The basics of antimonopoly and tariff regulation are outlined, the main activities of the Federal Antimonopoly Service as a state regulator, its functions, powers and responsibilities in the implementation of state antimonopoly control and tariff policy, as well as issues of sectoral tariff regulation and control over economic concentration are considered.
 Separate chapters are devoted to: types of unfair advertising and measures of responsibility for its placement; control of procurement activities. Various approaches to assessing the prospects for the development of corporations in a competitive environment are presented, for example, PPP, which, on the one hand, acts as a development tool, and on the other — as an object of antimonopoly regulation. The essence of the antimonopoly compliance method, which is used to prevent regulatory risks, is disclosed.
 Meets the requirements of the federal state educational standards of higher education of the latest generation.
 For students studying in the areas of training "Management" and "Jurisprudence" (bachelor's and master's levels), studying issues of competition, antimonopoly control and tariff policy from the point of view of management in these areas.

Rehabilitation is a multidisciplinary, patient-centred, evidence-based process to promote healing, restore function, and promote independence. The physical and psychological and social consequences of the hand condition or injury have to be considered. Mobilization can be active or passive, supplemented by accessory movements and proprioceptive rehabilitation. Splinting may be static, serial static, static progressive, dynamic. Many materials are available. Oedema may be acute or chronic; it is treated with elevation, active movement, retrograde massage, compression, kinesiotaping, cold therapy, and contrast bathing. Scars may be mature or immature; keloid or hypertrophic. Management is generally empiric: massage, silicone, pressure therapy, steroid injections, and surgery all have roles. Hypersensitivity (allodynia, causalgia, dysaesthesia, hyperpathia, etc.) is treated with desensitization, graded textures, percussion, and mirror visual feedback. Stiffness is managed especially by prevention; movement, splinting, and surgery have a role. Pain is treated with medication, oedema control, acupuncture, TENS, education, psychological measures. Complex Regional Pain Syndrome has sensory, vasomotor, sudomotor, and trophic elements. Treatment includes medication, hand therapy, and occasionally surgery.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) can be used to probe the excitability of central nervous system pathways before, during, and after a movement. In addition, it can be used to interfere with movement and give information about the role of different cortical areas in different aspects of a task. This article reviews the work that has been carried out using TMS measures to probe the excitability of central circuits before and after different types of contraction in healthy subjects. In some cases the results confirm previous work on animals, which means that the same measures can be used to investigate the pathophysiology in human neurological disease. However, many results reveal new information that had not previously been described in experiments on animals. Therefore, it is not wrong to say that TMS measures can be used to describe in humans what has already been described in animals; they can become drivers of new concepts as well.

This Human Anatomy and Physiology Lab Manual is an essential tool for students studying the structure and function of the human body through hands-on, experiential learning. It complements theoretical knowledge gained from textbooks by allowing students to apply concepts in a laboratory setting, reinforcing their understanding of human anatomy and physiology. The core of the lab manual is a series of exercises or activities that are designed to correlate with specific body systems. These exercises usually include: Microscopic Analysis: Students often use microscopes to examine histological slides (slices of tissue) to observe the cellular structure of various organs, tissues, and body systems. For example, examining muscle tissue, nerve cells, or blood vessels at the microscopic level. Physiological Experiments: This might involve hands-on activities that demonstrate how the human body works. For example, experiments to measure pulse rate, blood pressure, or lung volume, or to observe how changes in environmental conditions (like temperature) affect bodily functions. Clinical Applications- This lab manual include clinical case studies or examples that demonstrate how the lab concepts are applicable to medical practice. For example, students might study how a condition like heart disease can alter the normal structure and function of the cardiovascular system. This connects the lab exercises to real-world health issues, helping students see the relevance of their studies.

Skeletal muscle weakness affecting the respiratory and peripheral muscles is common in critically ill patients and can lead to difficulties in weaning, prolonged ICU admission, and significant morbidity in survivors. A number of techniques can be used to assess muscle strength. In the peripheral muscles, volitional techniques employing scoring systems or portable hand dynamometers are relatively simple and quick to use, requiring little or no specialist equipment. Such techniques can, however, only be applied to conscious and cooperative patients, preventing assessment of muscle weakness in many ICU patients. The volitional requirement also limits the ability to distinguish poor motivation and impaired cognition from true loss of muscle function. Non-volitional techniques involving motor nerve stimulation provide measures of muscle force production in non-cooperative patients but require specialist equipment. Normative data for comparative purposes are limited. Also, it is not clear which peripheral muscle best reflects generalized muscle weakness. Measurements of maximal inspiratory and expiratory pressures are widely used to assess respiratory muscle strength in ICU patients and are applicable to patients who can make some respiratory effort. As with all tests requiring patient cooperation, reliability is limited. Phrenic nerve stimulation allows direct, non-volitional assessment of diaphragm and phrenic nerve function, and normative values for comparative purposes are available. Magnetic phrenic nerve stimulation is well tolerated, can be performed in the presence of vascular catheters, and is used to document respiratory muscle weakness and track progression in critically ill patients.

The right atrium (RA) is located on the upper right-hand side of the heart and has relatively thin walls. From an anatomical point of view, the RA comprises three basic parts, the appendage, the vestibule of the tricuspid valve, and the venous component (superior and inferior vena cava, and the coronary sinus) receiving the deoxygenated blood. The RA is a dynamic structure dedicated to receive blood and to assist right ventricular (RV) filling. The three components of atrial function are the reservoir function during ventricular systole, the conduit function which consists in passive blood transfer from veins to the RV in diastole, and the booster pump function in relation to atrial contraction in late diastole to complete ventricular filling. Right atrial function depends on cardiac rhythm (sinus or atrial fibrillation), pericardial integrity, RV load and function, and tricuspid function. Right atrial dimension assessment is limited in two-dimensional (2D) echocardiography. Right atrial planimetry in the apical four-chamber view is commonly used with an upper normal value of 18-20 cm2. Minor and major diameters can also be measured. Three-dimensional (3D) echocardiography could overcome the limitation of conventional echocardiography in assessing RA size. Right atrial function has been poorly explored by echocardiography both in physiological and pathological contexts. Although tricuspid inflow and tissue Doppler imaging of tricuspid annulus can be used in the exploration of RA function, 2D speckle tracking and 3D echocardiography appear promising tools to dissect RA function and to overcome the limitations of standard echocardiography.

Theological work, whatever else it may be, is always a reflection on social transformations. Not only pastors but also theologians work with the sources of the Christian traditions in one hand and a newspaper in the other. But how are we to understand the relationship between social transformations and the continuously “compromised” development of Christian ideals, as these are measured by doctrinal formulations? And how might a more deeply sociological perspective on this relationship inform theological work? Matthew Ryan Robinson and Evan F. Kuehn approach this question, not by reconstructing a history of ideas, but rather by telling a story about the development of churches and theological institutions. They take the turbulent and dynamic ecclesiological situation of nineteenth-century Germany as a representative case, focusing on the sociological methodological orientation of Friedrich Schleiermacher and Ernst Troeltsch in the context of the rise of theological liberalism, the history of religions, and the German churches’ confrontation with social and political challenges. Robinson and Kuehn then connect this orientation with the sociology of religion of Hans Joas and Niklas Luhmann, arguing for a functional focus in theological research on what doctrines do rather than what the reality behind or in any particular doctrine is.

This chapter focuses on the concerns of Consumers Union (CU) about the mutually beneficial relationship between advertisers and Washington, including CU cofounder Colston Warne’s attempts to gain publicity and public traction for his crusade. It also examines the renewed interest in grading and standardization of consumer goods due to war conditions, and how the measure was as welcomed in activist circles as it was opposed in the advertising community. The core idea for the standardization of consumer goods had been rekindled as part of the government’s TNEC investigation and continued to linger as an issue throughout the war. Likewise, the changed economic situation brought on by the war again called the economic function of advertising into question and gave its critics new credence.

Chapter 5 traces the lines from Clausewitz’s early intellectual engagement with small war to his magnum opus, On War. It shows how Clausewitz’s lifelong concern with the integration of reason and emotions/passion runs like a red thread through to his mature theory of war. In contrast to this continuity regarding the integration of reason and emotions/passion, Clausewitz’s thought on the role of people’s war evolved while he was writing On War. Whereas, in the reform years, people’s war had constituted an exceptional measure as a response to the exceptional situation of Napoleonic imperialism, in On War, people’s war became firmly integrated into Clausewitz’s theory of major war as the option of last resort to stave off conquest. As such, people’s war could even function as the custodian of the European balance of power. In this respect, Clausewitz proved to be an earlier (implicit) theorist of deterrence.

Severe and enduring mental illness refers mainly to the long term experience of schizophrenia and psychosis but also to other chronic functional disorders. The prevalence of psychoses in older people is hard to measure but estimates are around 0.5% of the population. Historically many people with long term illness resided in psychiatric hospitals but now most are in the community, receiving variable amounts of support from mental health, primary care, and social services. The physical health of this population is often poor and they receive less treatment and support than other older people with comparable physical health needs. Problems with psychiatric comorbidity (e.g. depression and substance misuse), cognitive impairment and social exclusion are also common. Treatment includes the judicious use of medication, non pharmacological approaches, and social support – especially appropriate accommodation. Positive outcomes can be achieved by a recovery approach that attends to all aspects of the person’s health.

One of the goals to be achieved by 2030 of the Global Health Sector Strategy on Viral Hepatitis 2016-2021 is to reduce mortality from hepatitis viruses B (HBV) and C (HCV). To measure and monitor it, countries need to implement a systematic process to generate national estimates of mortality from viral hepatitis, which many lack. This document is aimed at the institutions and/or ministries in charge of monitoring progress in each country. The main objective of this protocol is to present simple methods to estimate the proportion of patients with cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma who have HBV and HCV infection, and then calculate the national mortality due to these sequelae attributable to viral hepatitis, preferably within a surveillance system. In addition, a general framework is provided on how the surveillance system should function, how to collect the data, and ethical considerations. The surveillance system will be based on sentinel centers where information will be collected from patients with cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. These data will be used to estimate the fraction of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma attributable to HBV and HCV. On the other hand, data will be collected on the number of deaths nationwide from cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. With this information, mortality from cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma attributable to HBV and HCV will be estimated.

In the new edition of the Oxford Textbook of Neurorehabilitation all chapters have been updated to reflect advances in knowledge in the field of neurorehabilitation. It will be supplemented by additional chapters that reflect novel developments in the field of neurorehabilitation. During recent years there has been a strong evolution in the field of vocational rehabilitation with the aim of helping people after an injury of the nervous system to overcome the barriers and return to employment. A new chapter on self-management strategies deals with building confidence in individuals to manage the medical and emotional aspects of their condition. Furthermore, today the scientific basis for music supported therapy is a much broader to introduce it in this edition. New guidelines and consensus statements became established concerning preclinical research, biomarkers, and outcome measures, in both animal models and human beings. There are new data on attempts (e.g. using stem cells or Nogo antibodies) to restore function after spinal cord injury and stroke. Not all of these therapies and clinical trials have had positive outcomes. One particular area of rapid expansion reflects the use of technology in neurorehabilitation and several chapters remain devoted to this topic in various forms. Still a better understanding of the interactions of technology led therapies and conventional approaches in patients with neurodisability is required. There is still work to be done in defining key components of all neurorehabilitation interventions in order to understand how they might best be delivered for maximum benefit.

Two hundred years after the massacre of peaceful protestors who had gathered in St Peter's Field, Manchester, to hear 'Orator' Henry Hunt speak for Parliamentary Reform, this volume brings together scholars of the Romantic Era to assess the implications of such state violence in England, Scotland, Ireland and North America. Chapters explore how attitudes toward violence and the claims of 'the people' to participate in government were reflected and revised in the works of figures such as P. B. Shelley, John Keats, Walter Scott, Sydney Owenson, John Cahuac and J.M.W. Turner. Their analyses provide fresh insights into cultural engagement as a means of resisting oppression and as a sign of the resilience of humanity in facing threats and force. On the whole, the book advances the hypothesis that 'Peterloo', as the event was termed to evoke the British military victory at Waterloo, was most of all a conflict over the perceived and aspirational identities of the participants and observers and that the conflict manifested the identity of 'the people' as claimants on government. Recognizing popular claim-making was crucial for the passage of Reform. Though Peterloo resulted in an immediate backlash of repression, it contributed in the longer term to the change in attitude enabling Reform. The book concludes that state violence ultimately proved ineffective against popular participation, though it also uncovers the ways in which repressive measures function as a subtle and hidden kind of violence that discourages civic activism and continues to call forth cultural resistance.

Abstract This book examines all the activities carried out by the Roman Inquisition (including both the Roman and the local tribunals) in the year 1626. Its main argument is that the early seventeenth-century Roman Inquisition was not solely the expression of the most militant and repressive aspects of post-Reformation Catholicism. Rather, to understand the historical role the Holy Office played we need to see its development in terms of the tension between rigidity on the one hand and flexibility and complexity on the other. The mandate of the Holy Office was to defend and impose Catholic doctrine by identifying and punishing deviations: There could be absolutely no room for flexibility when it came to upholding Catholic theological rules. The world that Roman Inquisitors oversaw, by contrast, was characterized by a high degree of complexity. Roman Inquisitors did not ignore such complexity; rather, they acknowledged it, occasionally came to terms with it, and indeed absorbed it in some measure. But to what extent could the Holy Office relax its rigidity before it became unable to fulfill the functions for which it was created in the first place? At what point did an increased complexity hinder, rather than aid, the goal of monitoring and controlling the Catholic world? Having the opportunity to see all the activities of the Holy Office in one entire year makes the centrality of these questions easier to appreciate than if we just focused on a specific and necessarily limited subset of issues. Conversely, the granular analysis of those activities provided in this book gives a concrete sense of the ways in which the tension between flexibility and rigidity manifested.

This book addresses the condition of the university today. There has been a fundamental betrayal of the institution by the political class, perverting it from its proper social and cultural functions. The betrayal has narrowed the scope of the university, through the commercial financialisation of knowledge as such. In short, the sector has been politicized, and now works explicitly to advance and serve a market-fundamentalist ideology. When all human values are measured by money, then wealth is mistaken for ‘the good’. Social, cultural and political corruption follow. The University’s leadership has become complicit in a yet more fundamental betrayal of society, as an ever-widening wedge is driven between the lives of ordinary citizens and the self-interest of the privileged and wealthy. It is no wonder that ‘experts’ are in the dock today. In 1927, the philosopher Julien Benda accused intellectuals of treason. His argument was that their thinking had been politicized, polluted by a nationalism that could only culminate in war. In 1939, Nazism explicitly corrupted the University and the intellectuals, demanding ideological allegiance instead of thought. We continue to live through the aftermath of this, only worse: by endorsing an entire ideology of ‘competition’, intellectuals have established a neo-Hobbesian war of all against all as the new cornerstone of societies. This now threatens human ecological survival. In light of this, the intellectual and the University have a duty to extend democracy and social justice. This book calls upon the intellectual to assist in the survival of the species.

The aim of the paper was to determine the influence of root systems of chosen tree species found in the Polish Flysch Carpathians on the increase of soil shear strength (root cohesion) in terms of slope stability. The paper's goal was achieved through comprehensive tests on root systems of eight relatively common in the Polish Flysch Carpathians tree species. The tests that were carried out included field work, laboratory work and analytical calculations. As part of the field work, the root area ratio (A IA) of the roots was determined using the method of profiling the walls of the trench at a distance of about 1.0 m from the tree trunk. The width of the. trenches was about 1.0 m, and their depth depended on the ground conditions and ranged from 0.6 to 1.0 m below the ground level. After preparing the walls of the trench, the profile was divided into vertical layers with a height of 0.1 m, within which root diameters were measured. Roots with diameters from 1 to 10 mm were taken into consideration in root area ratio calculations in accordance with the generally accepted methodology for this type of tests. These measurements were made in Biegnik (silver fir), Ropica Polska (silver birch, black locust) and Szymbark (silver birch, European beech, European hornbeam, silver fir, sycamore maple, Scots pine, European spruce) located near Gorlice (The Low Beskids) in areas with unplanned forest management. In case of each tested tree species the samples of roots were taken, transported to the laboratory and then saturated with water for at least one day. Before testing the samples were obtained from the water and stretched in a. tensile testing machine in order to determine their tensile strength and flexibility. In general, over 2200 root samples were tested. The results of tests on root area ratio of root systems and their tensile strength were used to determine the value of increase in shear strength of the soils, called root cohesion. To this purpose a classic Wu-Waldron calculation model was used as well as two types of bundle models, the so called static model (Fiber Bundle Model — FIRM, FBM2, FBM3) and the deformation model (Root Bundle Model— RBM1, RBM2, mRBM1) that differ in terms of the assumptions concerning the way the tensile force is distributed to the roots as well as the range of parameters taken into account during calculations. The stability analysis of 8 landslides in forest areas of Cicikowicleie and Wignickie Foothills was a form of verification of relevance of the obtained calculation results. The results of tests on root area ratio in the profile showed that, as expected, the number of roots in the soil profile and their ApIA values are very variable. It was shown that the values of the root area ratio of the tested tree species with a diameter 1-10 ram are a maximum of 0.8% close to the surface of the ground and they decrease along with the depth reaching the values at least one order of magnitude lower than close to the surface at the depth 0.5-1.0 m below the ground level. Average values of the root area ratio within the soil profile were from 0.05 to 0.13% adequately for Scots pine and European beech. The measured values of the root area ratio are relatively low in relation to the values of this parameter given in literature, which is probably connected with great cohesiveness of the soils and the fact that there were a lot of rock fragments in the soil, where the tests were carried out. Calculation results of the Gale-Grigal function indicate that a distribution of roots in the soil profile is similar for the tested species, apart from the silver fir from Bie§nik and European hornbeam. Considering the number of roots, their distribution in the soil profile and the root area ratio it appears that — considering slope stability — the root systems of European beech and black locust are the most optimal, which coincides with tests results given in literature. The results of tensile strength tests showed that the roots of the tested tree species have different tensile strength. The roots of European beech and European hornbeam had high tensile strength, whereas the roots of conifers and silver birch in deciduous trees — low. The analysis of test results also showed that the roots of the studied tree species are characterized by high variability of mechanical properties. The values Of shear strength increase are mainly related to the number and size (diameter) of the roots in the soil profile as well as their tensile strength and pullout resistance, although they can also result from the used calculation method (calculation model). The tests showed that the distribution of roots in the soil and their tensile strength are characterized by large variability, which allows the conclusion that using typical geotechnical calculations, which take into consideration the role of root systems is exposed to a high risk of overestimating their influence on the soil reinforcement. hence, while determining or assuming the increase in shear strength of soil reinforced with roots (root cohesion) for design calculations, a conservative (careful) approach that includes the most unfavourable values of this parameter should be used. Tests showed that the values of shear strength increase of the soil reinforced with roots calculated using Wu-Waldron model in extreme cases are three times higher than the values calculated using bundle models. In general, the most conservative calculation results of the shear strength increase were obtained using deformation bundle models: RBM2 (RBMw) or mRBM1. RBM2 model considers the variability of strength characteristics of soils described by Weibull survival function and in most cases gives the lowest values of the shear strength increase, which usually constitute 50% of the values of shear strength increase determined using classic Wu-Waldron model. Whereas the second model (mRBM1.) considers averaged values of roots strength parameters as well as the possibility that two main mechanism of destruction of a root bundle - rupture and pulling out - can occur at the same. time. The values of shear strength increase calculated using this model were the lowest in case of beech and hornbeam roots, which had high tensile strength. It indicates that in the surface part of the profile (down to 0.2 m below the ground level), primarily in case of deciduous trees, the main mechanism of failure of the root bundle will be pulling out. However, this model requires the knowledge of a much greater number of geometrical parameters of roots and geotechnical parameters of soil, and additionally it is very sensitive to input data. Therefore, it seems practical to use the RBM2 model to assess the influence of roots on the soil shear strength increase, and in order to obtain safe results of calculations in the surface part of the profile, the Weibull shape coefficient equal to 1.0 can be assumed. On the other hand, the Wu-Waldron model can be used for the initial assessment of the shear strength increase of soil reinforced with roots in the situation, where the deformation properties of the root system and its interaction with the soil are not considered, although the values of the shear strength increase calculated using this model should be corrected and reduced by half. Test results indicate that in terms of slope stability the root systems of beech and hornbeam have the most favourable properties - their maximum effect of soil reinforcement in the profile to the depth of 0.5 m does not usually exceed 30 kPa, and to the depth of 1 m - 20 kPa. The root systems of conifers have the least impact on the slope reinforcement, usually increasing the soil shear strength by less than 5 kPa. These values coincide to a large extent with the range of shear strength increase obtained from the direct shear test as well as results of stability analysis given in literature and carried out as part of this work. The analysis of the literature indicates that the methods of measuring tree's root systems as well as their interpretation are very different, which often limits the possibilities of comparing test results. This indicates the need to systematize this type of tests and for this purpose a root distribution model (RDM) can be used, which can be integrated with any deformation bundle model (RBM). A combination of these two calculation models allows the range of soil reinforcement around trees to be determined and this information might be used in practice, while planning bioengineering procedures in areas exposed to surface mass movements. The functionality of this solution can be increased by considering the dynamics of plant develop¬ment in the calculations. This, however, requires conducting this type of research in order to obtain more data.

Hard coal mining is characterised by features that pose numerous challenges to its current operations and cause strategic and operational problems in planning its development. The most important of these include the high capital intensity of mining investment projects and the dynamically changing environment in which the sector operates, while the long-term role of the sector is dependent on factors originating at both national and international level. At the same time, the conditions for coal mining are deteriorating, the resources more readily available in active mines are being exhausted, mining depths are increasing, temperature levels in pits are rising, transport routes for staff and materials are getting longer, effective working time is decreasing, natural hazards are increasing, and seams with an increasing content of waste rock are being mined. The mining industry is currently in a very difficult situation, both in technical (mining) and economic terms. It cannot be ignored, however, that the difficult financial situation of Polish mining companies is largely exacerbated by their high operating costs. The cost of obtaining coal and its price are two key elements that determine the level of efficiency of Polish mines. This situation could be improved by streamlining the planning processes. This would involve striving for production planning that is as predictable as possible and, on the other hand, economically efficient. In this respect, it is helpful to plan the production from operating longwalls with full awareness of the complexity of geological and mining conditions and the resulting economic consequences. The constraints on increasing the efficiency of the mining process are due to the technical potential of the mining process, organisational factors and, above all, geological and mining conditions. The main objective of the monograph is to identify relations between geological and mining parameters and the level of longwall mining costs, and their daily output. In view of the above, it was assumed that it was possible to present the relationship between the costs of longwall mining and the daily coal output from a longwall as a function of onerous geological and mining factors. The monograph presents two models of onerous geological and mining conditions, including natural hazards, deposit (seam) parameters, mining (technical) parameters and environmental factors. The models were used to calculate two onerousness indicators, Wue and WUt, which synthetically define the level of impact of onerous geological and mining conditions on the mining process in relation to: —— operating costs at longwall faces – indicator WUe, —— daily longwall mining output – indicator WUt. In the next research step, the analysis of direct relationships of selected geological and mining factors with longwall costs and the mining output level was conducted. For this purpose, two statistical models were built for the following dependent variables: unit operating cost (Model 1) and daily longwall mining output (Model 2). The models served two additional sub-objectives: interpretation of the influence of independent variables on dependent variables and point forecasting. The models were also used for forecasting purposes. Statistical models were built on the basis of historical production results of selected seven Polish mines. On the basis of variability of geological and mining conditions at 120 longwalls, the influence of individual parameters on longwall mining between 2010 and 2019 was determined. The identified relationships made it possible to formulate numerical forecast of unit production cost and daily longwall mining output in relation to the level of expected onerousness. The projection period was assumed to be 2020–2030. On this basis, an opinion was formulated on the forecast of the expected unit production costs and the output of the 259 longwalls planned to be mined at these mines. A procedure scheme was developed using the following methods: 1) Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) – mathematical multi-criteria decision-making method, 2) comparative multivariate analysis, 3) regression analysis, 4) Monte Carlo simulation. The utilitarian purpose of the monograph is to provide the research community with the concept of building models that can be used to solve real decision-making problems during longwall planning in hard coal mines. The layout of the monograph, consisting of an introduction, eight main sections and a conclusion, follows the objectives set out above. Section One presents the methodology used to assess the impact of onerous geological and mining conditions on the mining process. Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) is reviewed and basic definitions used in the following part of the paper are introduced. The section includes a description of AHP which was used in the presented analysis. Individual factors resulting from natural hazards, from the geological structure of the deposit (seam), from limitations caused by technical requirements, from the impact of mining on the environment, which affect the mining process, are described exhaustively in Section Two. Sections Three and Four present the construction of two hierarchical models of geological and mining conditions onerousness: the first in the context of extraction costs and the second in relation to daily longwall mining. The procedure for valuing the importance of their components by a group of experts (pairwise comparison of criteria and sub-criteria on the basis of Saaty’s 9-point comparison scale) is presented. The AHP method is very sensitive to even small changes in the value of the comparison matrix. In order to determine the stability of the valuation of both onerousness models, a sensitivity analysis was carried out, which is described in detail in Section Five. Section Six is devoted to the issue of constructing aggregate indices, WUe and WUt, which synthetically measure the impact of onerous geological and mining conditions on the mining process in individual longwalls and allow for a linear ordering of longwalls according to increasing levels of onerousness. Section Seven opens the research part of the work, which analyses the results of the developed models and indicators in individual mines. A detailed analysis is presented of the assessment of the impact of onerous mining conditions on mining costs in selected seams of the analysed mines, and in the case of the impact of onerous mining on daily longwall mining output, the variability of this process in individual fields (lots) of the mines is characterised. Section Eight presents the regression equations for the dependence of the costs and level of extraction on the aggregated onerousness indicators, WUe and WUt. The regression models f(KJC_N) and f(W) developed in this way are used to forecast the unit mining costs and daily output of the designed longwalls in the context of diversified geological and mining conditions. The use of regression models is of great practical importance. It makes it possible to approximate unit costs and daily output for newly designed longwall workings. The use of this knowledge may significantly improve the quality of planning processes and the effectiveness of the mining process.

Bones are multifunctional passive organs of movement that supports soft tissue and directly attached muscles. They also protect internal organs and are a reserve of calcium, phosphorus and magnesium. Each bone is covered with periosteum, and the adjacent bone surfaces are covered by articular cartilage. Histologically, the bone is an organ composed of many different tissues. The main component is bone tissue (cortical and spongy) composed of a set of bone cells and intercellular substance (mineral and organic), it also contains fat, hematopoietic (bone marrow) and cartilaginous tissue. Bones are a tissue that even in adult life retains the ability to change shape and structure depending on changes in their mechanical and hormonal environment, as well as self-renewal and repair capabilities. This process is called bone turnover. The basic processes of bone turnover are: • bone modeling (incessantly changes in bone shape during individual growth) following resorption and tissue formation at various locations (e.g. bone marrow formation) to increase mass and skeletal morphology. This process occurs in the bones of growing individuals and stops after reaching puberty • bone remodeling (processes involve in maintaining bone tissue by resorbing and replacing old bone tissue with new tissue in the same place, e.g. repairing micro fractures). It is a process involving the removal and internal remodeling of existing bone and is responsible for maintaining tissue mass and architecture of mature bones. Bone turnover is regulated by two types of transformation: • osteoclastogenesis, i.e. formation of cells responsible for bone resorption • osteoblastogenesis, i.e. formation of cells responsible for bone formation (bone matrix synthesis and mineralization) Bone maturity can be defined as the completion of basic structural development and mineralization leading to maximum mass and optimal mechanical strength. The highest rate of increase in pig bone mass is observed in the first twelve weeks after birth. This period of growth is considered crucial for optimizing the growth of the skeleton of pigs, because the degree of bone mineralization in later life stages (adulthood) depends largely on the amount of bone minerals accumulated in the early stages of their growth. The development of the technique allows to determine the condition of the skeletal system (or individual bones) in living animals by methods used in human medicine, or after their slaughter. For in vivo determination of bone properties, Abstract 10 double energy X-ray absorptiometry or computed tomography scanning techniques are used. Both methods allow the quantification of mineral content and bone mineral density. The most important property from a practical point of view is the bone’s bending strength, which is directly determined by the maximum bending force. The most important factors affecting bone strength are: • age (growth period), • gender and the associated hormonal balance, • genotype and modification of genes responsible for bone growth • chemical composition of the body (protein and fat content, and the proportion between these components), • physical activity and related bone load, • nutritional factors: – protein intake influencing synthesis of organic matrix of bone, – content of minerals in the feed (CA, P, Zn, Ca/P, Mg, Mn, Na, Cl, K, Cu ratio) influencing synthesis of the inorganic matrix of bone, – mineral/protein ratio in the diet (Ca/protein, P/protein, Zn/protein) – feed energy concentration, – energy source (content of saturated fatty acids - SFA, content of polyun saturated fatty acids - PUFA, in particular ALA, EPA, DPA, DHA), – feed additives, in particular: enzymes (e.g. phytase releasing of minerals bounded in phytin complexes), probiotics and prebiotics (e.g. inulin improving the function of the digestive tract by increasing absorption of nutrients), – vitamin content that regulate metabolism and biochemical changes occurring in bone tissue (e.g. vitamin D3, B6, C and K). This study was based on the results of research experiments from available literature, and studies on growing pigs carried out at the Kielanowski Institute of Animal Physiology and Nutrition, Polish Academy of Sciences. The tests were performed in total on 300 pigs of Duroc, Pietrain, Puławska breeds, line 990 and hybrids (Great White × Duroc, Great White × Landrace), PIC pigs, slaughtered at different body weight during the growth period from 15 to 130 kg. Bones for biomechanical tests were collected after slaughter from each pig. Their length, mass and volume were determined. Based on these measurements, the specific weight (density, g/cm3) was calculated. Then each bone was cut in the middle of the shaft and the outer and inner diameters were measured both horizontally and vertically. Based on these measurements, the following indicators were calculated: • cortical thickness, • cortical surface, • cortical index. Abstract 11 Bone strength was tested by a three-point bending test. The obtained data enabled the determination of: • bending force (the magnitude of the maximum force at which disintegration and disruption of bone structure occurs), • strength (the amount of maximum force needed to break/crack of bone), • stiffness (quotient of the force acting on the bone and the amount of displacement occurring under the influence of this force). Investigation of changes in physical and biomechanical features of bones during growth was performed on pigs of the synthetic 990 line growing from 15 to 130 kg body weight. The animals were slaughtered successively at a body weight of 15, 30, 40, 50, 70, 90, 110 and 130 kg. After slaughter, the following bones were separated from the right half-carcass: humerus, 3rd and 4th metatarsal bone, femur, tibia and fibula as well as 3rd and 4th metatarsal bone. The features of bones were determined using methods described in the methodology. Describing bone growth with the Gompertz equation, it was found that the earliest slowdown of bone growth curve was observed for metacarpal and metatarsal bones. This means that these bones matured the most quickly. The established data also indicate that the rib is the slowest maturing bone. The femur, humerus, tibia and fibula were between the values of these features for the metatarsal, metacarpal and rib bones. The rate of increase in bone mass and length differed significantly between the examined bones, but in all cases it was lower (coefficient b <1) than the growth rate of the whole body of the animal. The fastest growth rate was estimated for the rib mass (coefficient b = 0.93). Among the long bones, the humerus (coefficient b = 0.81) was characterized by the fastest rate of weight gain, however femur the smallest (coefficient b = 0.71). The lowest rate of bone mass increase was observed in the foot bones, with the metacarpal bones having a slightly higher value of coefficient b than the metatarsal bones (0.67 vs 0.62). The third bone had a lower growth rate than the fourth bone, regardless of whether they were metatarsal or metacarpal. The value of the bending force increased as the animals grew. Regardless of the growth point tested, the highest values were observed for the humerus, tibia and femur, smaller for the metatarsal and metacarpal bone, and the lowest for the fibula and rib. The rate of change in the value of this indicator increased at a similar rate as the body weight changes of the animals in the case of the fibula and the fourth metacarpal bone (b value = 0.98), and more slowly in the case of the metatarsal bone, the third metacarpal bone, and the tibia bone (values of the b ratio 0.81–0.85), and the slowest femur, humerus and rib (value of b = 0.60–0.66). Bone stiffness increased as animals grew. Regardless of the growth point tested, the highest values were observed for the humerus, tibia and femur, smaller for the metatarsal and metacarpal bone, and the lowest for the fibula and rib. Abstract 12 The rate of change in the value of this indicator changed at a faster rate than the increase in weight of pigs in the case of metacarpal and metatarsal bones (coefficient b = 1.01–1.22), slightly slower in the case of fibula (coefficient b = 0.92), definitely slower in the case of the tibia (b = 0.73), ribs (b = 0.66), femur (b = 0.59) and humerus (b = 0.50). Bone strength increased as animals grew. Regardless of the growth point tested, bone strength was as follows femur > tibia > humerus > 4 metacarpal> 3 metacarpal> 3 metatarsal > 4 metatarsal > rib> fibula. The rate of increase in strength of all examined bones was greater than the rate of weight gain of pigs (value of the coefficient b = 2.04–3.26). As the animals grew, the bone density increased. However, the growth rate of this indicator for the majority of bones was slower than the rate of weight gain (the value of the coefficient b ranged from 0.37 – humerus to 0.84 – fibula). The exception was the rib, whose density increased at a similar pace increasing the body weight of animals (value of the coefficient b = 0.97). The study on the influence of the breed and the feeding intensity on bone characteristics (physical and biomechanical) was performed on pigs of the breeds Duroc, Pietrain, and synthetic 990 during a growth period of 15 to 70 kg body weight. Animals were fed ad libitum or dosed system. After slaughter at a body weight of 70 kg, three bones were taken from the right half-carcass: femur, three metatarsal, and three metacarpal and subjected to the determinations described in the methodology. The weight of bones of animals fed aa libitum was significantly lower than in pigs fed restrictively All bones of Duroc breed were significantly heavier and longer than Pietrain and 990 pig bones. The average values of bending force for the examined bones took the following order: III metatarsal bone (63.5 kg) <III metacarpal bone (77.9 kg) <femur (271.5 kg). The feeding system and breed of pigs had no significant effect on the value of this indicator. The average values of the bones strength took the following order: III metatarsal bone (92.6 kg) <III metacarpal (107.2 kg) <femur (353.1 kg). Feeding intensity and breed of animals had no significant effect on the value of this feature of the bones tested. The average bone density took the following order: femur (1.23 g/cm3) <III metatarsal bone (1.26 g/cm3) <III metacarpal bone (1.34 g / cm3). The density of bones of animals fed aa libitum was higher (P<0.01) than in animals fed with a dosing system. The density of examined bones within the breeds took the following order: Pietrain race> line 990> Duroc race. The differences between the “extreme” breeds were: 7.2% (III metatarsal bone), 8.3% (III metacarpal bone), 8.4% (femur). Abstract 13 The average bone stiffness took the following order: III metatarsal bone (35.1 kg/mm) <III metacarpus (41.5 kg/mm) <femur (60.5 kg/mm). This indicator did not differ between the groups of pigs fed at different intensity, except for the metacarpal bone, which was more stiffer in pigs fed aa libitum (P<0.05). The femur of animals fed ad libitum showed a tendency (P<0.09) to be more stiffer and a force of 4.5 kg required for its displacement by 1 mm. Breed differences in stiffness were found for the femur (P <0.05) and III metacarpal bone (P <0.05). For femur, the highest value of this indicator was found in Pietrain pigs (64.5 kg/mm), lower in pigs of 990 line (61.6 kg/mm) and the lowest in Duroc pigs (55.3 kg/mm). In turn, the 3rd metacarpal bone of Duroc and Pietrain pigs had similar stiffness (39.0 and 40.0 kg/mm respectively) and was smaller than that of line 990 pigs (45.4 kg/mm). The thickness of the cortical bone layer took the following order: III metatarsal bone (2.25 mm) <III metacarpal bone (2.41 mm) <femur (5.12 mm). The feeding system did not affect this indicator. Breed differences (P <0.05) for this trait were found only for the femur bone: Duroc (5.42 mm)> line 990 (5.13 mm)> Pietrain (4.81 mm). The cross sectional area of the examined bones was arranged in the following order: III metatarsal bone (84 mm2) <III metacarpal bone (90 mm2) <femur (286 mm2). The feeding system had no effect on the value of this bone trait, with the exception of the femur, which in animals fed the dosing system was 4.7% higher (P<0.05) than in pigs fed ad libitum. Breed differences (P<0.01) in the coross sectional area were found only in femur and III metatarsal bone. The value of this indicator was the highest in Duroc pigs, lower in 990 animals and the lowest in Pietrain pigs. The cortical index of individual bones was in the following order: III metatarsal bone (31.86) <III metacarpal bone (33.86) <femur (44.75). However, its value did not significantly depend on the intensity of feeding or the breed of pigs.