Proton Affinities of Organocatalysts Derived from Pyridine N-oxide

Proton affinities of several efficient organocatalysts METHOX, QUINOX, ANETOX, KOTOX, FUREOX, and FUROOX bearing a pyridine N-oxide or 2,2′-bipyridyl N,N′-dioxide moiety were de-termined by using extended kinetic method and density functional theory calculations. Proton affinities are in the range of 1030–1060 kJ mol–1. Using isodesmic reactions, the effect of combining two pyridine N-oxide units in the neutral and the protonated molecule was studied: The combination of an unfavorable interaction in the former case and a favorable interaction in the latter accounts for the superbasic proper¬ties of 2,2′-bipyridyl N,N′-dioxides. Last but not least, the theoretically predicted pKa in ethanol are 0.1, –2.7, 0.9, 1.8, 1.9, and 2.3 for the METHOX, QUINOX, ANETOX, FUROOX, FUREOX, and KOTOX, respectively

Challenge of conducting a placebo-controlled randomized efficacy study for influenza vaccine in a season with low attack rate and a mismatched vaccine B strain: a concrete example

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Our aim was to determine the efficacy of a trivalent inactivated split virus influenza vaccine (TIV) against culture-confirmed influenza A and/or B in adults 18 to 64 years of age during the 2005/2006 season in the Czech Republic.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>6203 subjects were randomized to receive TIV (N = 4137) or placebo (N = 2066). The sample size was based on an assumed attack rate of 4% which provided 90% power to reject the hypothesis that vaccine efficacy (VE) was ≥ 45%. Cases of influenza like illness (defined as fever (oral temperature ≥37.8°C) plus cough and/or sore throat) were identified both by active (biweekly phone contact) and passive (self reporting) surveillance and nasal and throat swabs were collected from subjects for viral culture.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>TIV was well tolerated and induced a good immune response. The 2005/2006 influenza season was exceptionally mild in the study area, as it was throughout Europe, and only 46 culture-confirmed cases were found in the study cohort (10 influenza A and 36 influenza B). Furthermore among the B isolates, 35 were identified as B/Hong Kong 330/2001-like (B/Victoria/2/87 lineage) which is antigenically unrelated to the vaccine B strain (B/Yamagata/16/88 lineage). The attack rate in the vaccine group (0.7%) was not statistically significantly different from the attack rate in the placebo group (0.9%).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Due to the atypical nature of the influenza season during this study we were unable to assess TIV efficacy. This experience illustrates the challenge of conducting a prospective influenza vaccine efficacy trial during a single season when influenza attack rates and drift in circulating strains or B virus lineage match can be difficult to estimate in advance.</p> <p>Trial Registration</p> <p>Clinical trial registery: NCT00197223.</p

The Analysis and the Evaluation of Realized Investment into the Photovoltaic Powerplant of Selected Company

katedra: KPE; přílohy: CD-ROM; rozsah: 103 s. (146 953)This work focuses on analysis and evaluation of the effectiveness of already implemented investments in photovoltaics powerplant. The aim of this thesis is to prepare an investment plan compared with actual output of the powerplant. Perform analysis and evaluation, from which emerges a conclusion on the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of the investment project. It also will review and verify the calculations, whether it would be effective to implement an investment in today's regulated environment, legislative conditions of the Czech Republic. The theoretical part of the thesis is divided into two chapters, the first is devoted to the description of photovoltaic technologies and their use in the legislative environment of the Czech Republic. The following chapter is focused on familiarization with the procedures for evaluating the effectiveness and describe the static and dynamic method for evaluating the effectiveness of investments. The practical part of the thesis presents a company that implemented an investment plan, the analysis and calculation methods selected according to their rating, and comparing notes. The conclusion is done their own assessment of the effectiveness of the investment the most appropriate method and interpret the outcome of that analysis and decisions about the degree of investment efficiency.Tato práce se zaměřuje na analýzu a zhodnocení efektivity již zrealizované investice do fotovoltaické elektrárny. Cílem této diplomové práce je zpracovat porovnání investičního záměru s aktuálními výstupy z elektrárny. Provést jejich analýzu a zhodnocení, ze kterého vzejde závěr o efektivnosti či neefektivnosti investičního záměru. Zároveň posoudíme a podložíme výpočty, zda-li by bylo efektivní realizovat investici v současném regulovaném prostředí legislativních podmínek. Teoretická část diplomové práce je rozdělena do dvou kapitol, z nichž první je věnována popsání fotovoltaických technologií a způsobu jejich využití v legislativních podmínkách České republiky. Následující kapitola je zaměřena na seznámení se s postupy při hodnocení efektivnosti a popsání statických a dynamických metoda hodnocení efektivity investic. V praktické části diplomové práce je představena společnost, která realizovala investiční záměr, je provedena analýza a výpočty dle vybraných metod s jejich ohodnocením, porovnáním a komentáři. V závěru práce je provedeno vlastní zhodnocení efektivnosti investice nejvhodnější metodou, interpretován závěr této analýzy a rozhodnutí o míře efektivnosti investice