Synthesis and Properties of High Tilted Antiferroelectric Esters with Partially Fluorinated Alkoxyalkoxy Terminal Chains

Novel chiral esters with partially fluorinated alkoxyalkoxy terminal chains are described. Their phase transition temperatures, enthalpies, and electrooptical properties are reported. A helical pitch in pure compounds and their mixtures based on selective reflection of light is also characterized

Reputation as an Institution: An Attempt to Conceptualize and Measure Issues

The article deals with the problem of identifying institutions and measuring them. As an example, reputation was taken into consideration. The analysis leads to the conclusion that reputation could be treated as an institution and could be measured in the context of its impact on economic outcomes. This measurement can be carried out at three levels of detail: micro, meso and macro, of which the third is the least recognized in new institutional economics.The “Annales. Ethics in Economic Life” is affiliated and co-financed by the Faculty of Economics and Sociology of the University of Lodz

REPUTATION AND REGULATIONS AS MARKET AND NON-MARKET MECHANISMS TO REDUCE BIFURCATED RISK

This paper presents a new concept of bifurcated risk and market and non-market mechanisms reducing the risk. Bifurcated risk occurs in different situations, and it is characterized by a disruption of the relationship between decision-making and the resulting consequences. The bifurcated risk is followed by a number of very negative consequences in the form of disturbances of institutional order and a decrease in the level of generalized trust which leads to an increase in transaction costs. Therefore, it is important to reduce this risk, by means of using various market and non-market mechanisms. This article presents two such mechanisms — reputation and regulations. Reputation reduces the bifurcated risk, because on one hand, it creates stimuli which discourage decision-makers from taking this risk, on the other hand helps to reduce information asymmetry, allowing entities susceptible to the effects of risks to avoid entering into relationships with entities which are the source of this risk. Regulations in turn play a greater role not in preventing the emergence of the bifurcated risk, but in mitigating the negative consequences associated with the risk. Reputation and regulations are complementary and as mechanisms to reduce the bifurcated risk can occur together

Non-standard Quantum Group in Toda and WZNW Theories

The basic Poisson brackets in the chira.l sectors of the WZNW theory and its Toda reduction are described in terms of a monodromy dependent r-matrix. In the case of the sl(n) Lie algebras, and only then, this monodromy dependence can be ‘gauged away’. The resulting non-trivial solution of the classical Yang-Baxter equation is the classical limit of the quantum R-matrix of the SL(n) Toda theory found recently by Creminer and Gervais. The deformations of SL(n) and U(sl(n)) defined by this R-matrix are studied in the simplest non-trivial case of n = 3. The multiplicative structure of this deformation of U(sl(3)) can be transformed into that of the standard U_q(sl(3)), but the coproduct is different. Possible generalizations for arbitrary n and applications in conformal field theory and in non-commutative differential geometry are briefly indicated. The Cremmer-Gervais R-matrix is ‘Yang-Baxterized’. The resulting spectral parameter dependent R-matrix may give rise to a new series of integrable models

Correction to: Analysing app reviews for software engineering: a systematic literature review (Empirical Software Engineering, (2022), 27, 2, (43), 10.1007/s10664-021-10065-7)

The original version of this article, unfortunately, contained mistakes. The surname of the first author, Jacek Dąbrowski, was misspelled throughout the online version of the article as “Dębrowski.” The surname, however, is correct in the PDF version. The original article has been corrected

Atherothrombosis as a Leading Cause of Acute Coronary Syndromes and Stroke: The Main Killers in Developed Countries

Worldwide, cardiovascular incidents are estimated to cause 17.5 million deaths, 80% of which are ischemic strokes or acute coronary syndromes. Cardiovascular disease results in a significant financial burden for healthcare system—namely, in 2009, it was 9% of the gross health service expenditure in the European Union. Therefore, the development of the knowledge about atherosclerosis—initially thought to be solely degenerative disorder but now considered a multifactorial inflammatory state—is essential. Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is usually a manifestation of severe reduction in coronary blood flow caused by atherosclerotic plaque and thrombus. The pathology of the atherosclerotic plaque is complex. Essentially, it is disease of the arterial intima that, through subsequent stages, results to luminal narrowing. Over the years, various theories regarding the genesis growth and vulnerability of atherosclerotic lesions have been promoted, usually focusing on endothelial injury, smooth muscle cell proliferation, lipid accumulation, and, more recently, inflammatory reactions

The activity and immunoexpression of cathepsin D in rat male reproductive organs

Cathepsin D is a cysteine endopeptidase that belongs to the lysosomal enzyme family. The aim of the study was to evaluate the enzyme immunoexpression and activity in selected male genital organs in mature Wistar rats. The activity of cathepsin D was measured spectrophotometrically in homogenates of the testis, epididymis, seminal vesicle and prostate. Immunohistochemical staining was also performed in the ductus deferens. Enzyme activity was found in the following sequence: testis>epididymis>dorsal prostatic lobe>seminal vesicle>lateral prostatic lobe>ventral prostatic lobe. Although there were differences in enzyme activity between various organs of the male reproductive system, cathepsin D immunoreactivity was seen exclusively in the Sertoli and Leydig cells in the testis

Static response of Fermi liquids with tensor interactions

We use Landau's theory of a normal Fermi liquid to derive expressions for the static response of a system with a general tensor interaction that conserves the total spin and the total angular momentum of the quasiparticle-quasihole pair. The magnetic susceptibility is calculated in detail, with the inclusion of the center of mass tensor and cross vector terms in addition to the exchange tensor one. We also introduce a new parametrization of the tensor Landau parameters which significantly reduces the importance of high angular harmonic contributions. For nuclear matter and neutron matter we find that the two most important effects of the tensor interaction are to give a contribution from multipair states and to renormalize the magnetic moments. Response to a weak probe may be calculated using similar methods, replacing the magnetic moments with the matrix elements of the weak charges

Morphology of sesamoid bones in keyboard musicians

Background: The sesamoid bones are small, usually oval bone structures often found in joints and under the tendons. Although their precise function is not fully understood, it is agreed upon that they protect the joints and make movements faster and less energy consuming. Sesamoid bones are found in hands, especially around first, second and fifth metacarpophalangeal joint and the interphalangeal joint of the thumb. Materials and methods: This study compares a group of 32 young musicians to 30 non-musicians of similar age and posture. The hands of the subjects were examined by ultrasound imaging for the presence of sesamoid bones. The results were noted and observed sesamoids were measured. Results: The results seem to prove that although there are no difference in the amount or the location of the sesamoid bones between the musicians and the non-musicians, there is statistically significant tendency for the musicians to have bigger sum of the sesamoid’s volume per hand (Fisher’s test p-value = 0.034 < 0.05). Conclusions: There was also observed an unusually shaped “Bactrian” sesamoid bone at the interphalangeal joint of the thumb in 8 cases in the musicians’ group and 1 case in the control group. All participants with the aforementioned structure were female