FIVE-FACTOR MODEL PERSONALITY PROFILES: THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ALCOHOL AND OPIATE ADDICTION AMONG FEMALES

Background: The prevalence of female alcohol and substance abusers has markedly increased. The main objective of this research was to explore personality profiles among females who had alcohol and opiate dependence. Aim: The aim of the study is to analyse if there is differences in personality profiles of females addicted to alcohol and opiates. We hypothesized that there might be significant differences in personality profiles among subgroups of women who present with alcohol and opiate use disorders. Subjects and methods: Of 157 consecutive women with diagnosis of alcohol/opiate addiction, 62 fulfilled following inclusion criteria: age 19-45 years, abstinence from alcohol and opiates for at least 10 days prior to enrollment. Alcohol-dependent group consisted of 30 females, while opiate-dependent group consisted of 32 females. The control group involved 30 age-matched randomly chosen healthy women. The data were collected using the Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI-R). The multiple stepwise discriminant analysis was used to determine relations between personality traits and the probability of belonging to one of the study groups. Results: Significant differences in the NEO-PI-R scores were observed between groups for all main personality traits except for Openness to Experience. Compared with controls, substance-dependent women scored significantly higher on Neuroticism and lower on Conscientiousness. Opiate-dependent females scored the highest on Neuroticism and on Extraversion and lowest on Agreeableness and on Conscientiousness. Alcohol-dependent females scored higher on Conscientiousness and lower on Neuroticism compared to opiate-dependent women. Conclusions: The results of our study confirmed significant characteristics in personality profiles among females with alcohol and opiate dependence, as well as the difference between these two groups of substance abusers and their healthy controls. The distinct personality characteristics among different groups of substance addicted women should be taken into account when creating the most effective program of prevention and therapeutic approaches in this specific cohort

Prirodna radioaktivnost uglja i letećeg pepela u termoelektrani 'Nikola Tesla B'

Serbian thermal power plants (TPPs) produce Siliceous fly ash from lignite in the quantity of approximately 6 million tons per year. The Potential. Market for the use of fly ash is operational, but for the time being, only Used by cement producers. Fly ash radioactivity could be one of the major points of concern When larger use of fly ash is planned, particularly in the Serbian construction industry. Radioactivity measurements have been conducted regularly from 1980. This paper presents the results of a ten-year fly ash radioactivity measurements at the Nikola Tesla B TPP located in Obrenovac. In addition, the paper compares the natural radionuclides coal content data combusted by the Nikola Tesla B TPP boilers coming from the Kolubara Basin and ash created during coal combustion. Fly ash created in the Nikola Tesla TPPs boilers is characterised by the increased concentration of the natural radionuclides content compared to coal. This is the so-called technologically enhanced natural radioactivity (Technologically Enhanced Occurring Radioactive Material - TENORM) of industrial waste, whereas the average specific activities: Th-232 in coal amount to 25.2 Bq/kg, and in fly ash and coal 84.2 Bq/kg and U-238 38.3 Bq/kg, respectively. Following the obtained natural radionuclides content results it may be concluded that the Nikola Tesla B TPP ash may be disposed into the environment. Ash may be used also in the construction industry (civil engineering). In building construction applications, ash share as the additive to other building materials depends from its physical and chemical characteristics, as well as from the radionuclides activity: Ra-226, Th-232 and K-40. Unlike the thermal power plants regularly (once a year) testing the specific natural radionuclides activity in the combusted coal and boiler fly ash, the Electric Power Industry of Serbia has not performed large-scale investigations of the natural radionuclides content in coal within the Kolubara Mining Basin. Natural radionuclides content in fly ash is compared to the combusted coal some 3-4 times higher and may present a limitation for applying ash in the construction industry. In view of the above, and considering the construction industry interests in using the Nikola Tesla B TPP ash, regular investigations of the natural radionuclides content in ash created in the thermal power plants should be carried out, together with the Kolubara Mining Basin coal combusted by the Nikola Tesla B TPP and other PE EPS thermal power plants. The current Kolubara Mining Basin coal characteristics investigation programme should be supplemented by the natural radionuclides content of the uranium (U-238 and Ra-226) and thorium series (Th-232) and potassium 40(K-40).U termoelektranama (TE) Javnog preduzeća 'Elektroprivreda Srbije' (JP EPS) koje u kotlovima sagorevaju lignit, kao nus produkat nastaje godišnje oko 6 miliona tona letećeg pepela. Potencijalno tržište za upotrebu letećeg pepela postoji, ali ga za sada koriste isključivo cementare. Radioaktivnost letećeg pepela može da predstavlja jedan od važnih razloga protiv njegove šire upotrebe u građevinskoj industriji Srbije. Merenje radioaktivnosti u termoelektranama redovno se sprovodi od 1990. godine. U radu su prikazani rezultati dvadesetogodišnjih merenja radioaktivnosti letećeg pepela u termoelektrani Nikola Tesla B (TENT B) u Obrenovcu. Uporedno su prikazani podaci o sadržaju prirodnih radionuklida u uglju koji se sagoreva u kotlovima TENT B poreklom iz kolubarskog basena i pepelu koji nastaje prilikom sagorevanja uglja. Na osnovu dobijenih rezultata o sadržaju prirodnih radionuklida zaključuje se da se pepeo iz termoelektrane Nikola Tesla B može odlagati u životnu sredinu. Pepeo se može koristiti i u građevinarstvu, u niskogradnji. Kod primene u visokoj gradnji udeo pepela kao dodataka drugim građevinskim materijalima zavisi kako od njegovih fizičkih i hemijskih karakteristika, tako i od specifične aktivnosti 226Ra, 232Th i 40K

PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS OF A FLEXIBLE POLYIMIDE BASED DEVICE FOR DISPLACEMENT SENSING

The goal of this paper is to investigate the performance of a wireless passive displacement sensor. Displacement sensor based on the heterogeneous integration process combines traditional fabrication technologies PCB (Printed Circuit Board) and LTCC (Low Temperature Co-fired Technology) with a flexible polyimide foil. The proposed sensor uses the coil as an essential part, multiple spacers and a polyimide foil as a flexible membrane with a piece of ferrite attached to it. With the displacement of the polyimide foil, the ferrite gets closer to the coil causing an increase in its inductance and a decrease of the resonant frequency of the system (coil, ferrite and antenna). Simulation results showed that sensors with equal outer dimensions but different internal structures exhibit different performances. Two prototypes of the sensor with different ferrite dimensions are designed, fabricated and characterized. Finally, their performances are compared

Enrichment of Organic Carbon in Sediment Transport by Interrill and Rill Erosion Processes

Erosion and loss of organic carbon (OC) result in degradation of the soil surface. Rill and interrill erosion processes on a silt loam soil were examined in laboratory rainfall and flume experiments. These experiments showed that rill and interrill erosion processes have contrasting impacts on enrichment of OC in transported sediment. Rill erosion was found to be nonselective, while for interrill erosion the enrichment ratio of OC, EROC, varied between 0.9 and 2.6 and was inversely related to the unit sediment discharge. At unit sediment discharge values >0.0017 kg s(-1) m(-1), the EROC remained equal to 1. The enrichment process was not influenced by raindrop impact. Enrichment of OC by "aggregate stripping" was found to be unimportant in our study. This was attributed to the low aggregate stability of the soil and the equal distribution of OC within the different soil aggregate classes

Production of Multiple Brain-Like Ganglioside Species Is Dispensable for Fas-Induced Apoptosis of Lymphoid Cells

Activation of an acid sphingomyelinase (aSMase) leading to a biosynthesis of GD3 disialoganglioside has been associated with Fas-induced apoptosis of lymphoid cells. The present study was undertaken to clarify the role of this enzyme in the generation of gangliosides during apoptosis triggered by Fas ligation. The issue was addressed by using aSMase-deficient and aSMase-corrected cell lines derived from Niemann-Pick disease (NPD) patients. Fas cross-linking elicited a rapid production of large amounts of complex a- and b-series species of gangliosides with a pattern and a chromatographic behavior as single bands reminiscent of brain gangliosides. The gangliosides were synthesized within the first ten minutes and completely disappeared within thirty minutes after stimulation. Noteworthy is the observation that GD3 was not the only ganglioside produced. The production of gangliosides and the onset of apoptotic hallmarks occurred similarly in both aSMase-deficient and aSMase-corrected NPD lymphoid cells, indicating that aSMase activation is not accountable for ganglioside generation. Hampering ganglioside production by inhibiting the key enzyme glucosylceramide synthase did not abrogate the apoptotic process. In addition, GM3 synthase-deficient lymphoid cells underwent Fas-induced apoptosis, suggesting that gangliosides are unlikely to play an indispensable role in transducing Fas-induced apoptosis of lymphoid cells

Design and Modelling of 3D Printed Capacitive Displacement Sensor

The aim of the work is the realization and modelling of a simple capacitive displacement sensor with the use of 3D printing technology and polylactic acid (PLA) material. The sensor consists of three 3D printed PLA parts: Two electrodes with cavities and a spacer. The silver paste is not printed but micromolded by filling it into the cavities of printed PLA electrodes via a syringe. The capacitance of the fabricated sensor versus applied displacement is measured and compared with calculated capacitance of simple sensor model. A simple model of a sensor capacitor is not capable of describing the behavior of this type of sensor. Therefore, more complex model of sensor capacitor is given better fit to measured results. Additionally, the hysteresis of the fabricated sensor is tested

Investigation of Dielectric Properties of Printed Material for Capacitor Application

This paper investigates the dielectric characteristics of the material used to make capacitor in fused filament fabrication technology. The characteristics of the capacitor made of PLA (Polylactic Acid) as dielectric are examined. Using a 3D printer, dielectric samples are created in the form of a disk 8.6 mm in diameter. Preliminary samples revealed that the surfaces of the printed samples are rough, after which the mechanical treatment of the samples is applied. The thicknesses of the samples belbre and after polishing are 1 mm and 0.7 mm, respectively. Epoxy electrodes are applied to the dielectric disks on both surfaces to produce the parallel plate capacitors. The capacitance of the fabricated capacitors is measured in the low frequency range, from 0.1 Hz to 200 kHz. The dissipation characteristics of the capacitor are examined, and a measured average value of tangent loss is 0.007. The printed dielectric samples without the electrodes are used to investigate their ability to withstand voltages up to 6 kV. The measurement results confirmed that the used PLA material is suitable for the fabrication of he capacitor with good characteristics