Agitation Effects and Kinetic Constants of Exoglucomannan Production by Antarctic Yeast Strain in a Stirred Tank Bioreactor

Exoglucomannan production by Antarctic yeast Sporobolomyces salmonicolor AL1 is studied at semi-tech scale in a 5 L stirred tank bioreactor and the bioreaction kinetics is quantified. The organism’s unconventional response to agitation is analyzed in terms of the agitation-induced mechanical stress. The yeast maximum production activity was observed at agitation rate 400 rpm and conserved or decreased at further increase in mixing intensity. Referring to the relationship of cell growth and aeration intensity, the various production activity, oxygen availability and cell growth are considered as a starting point to elucidate the possible reasons for the anomaly. At suspicion of shear detrimental effect on the yeast cells, the hydrodynamic stress acting on cell particles is determined and the microorganism morphology at low and high mixing intensity is examined. Biological stability is registered and the agitation effect is attributed to depressed metabolic activity at the evolving dissolved oxygen tension rather than to direct effect of hydrodynamics. A kinetic model is proposed. The specific growth rate (µ, h–1) and growth-associated (g EPS g–1 cells), and non-growth associated (g EPS g–1 cells h–1) production constants are determined and compared with reported estimates for similar reference EPS fermentations. The model and its parameters are determined in well-mixed cultures and could be upgraded further to account for mixing non-ideality and mass transfer in larger vessels

Preferences of Hungarian consumers for quality, access and price attributes of health care services — result of a discrete choice experiment

In 2010, a household survey was carried out in Hungary among 1037 respondents to study consumer preferences and willingness to pay for health care services. In this paper, we use the data from the discrete choice experiments included in the survey, to elicit the preferences of health care consumers about the choice of health care providers. Regression analysis is used to estimate the effect of the improvement of service attributes (quality, access, and price) on patients’ choice, as well as the differences among the socio-demographic groups. We also estimate the marginal willingness to pay for the improvement in attribute levels by calculating marginal rates of substitution. The results show that respondents from a village or the capital, with low education and bad health status are more driven by the changes in the price attribute when choosing between health care providers. Respondents value the good skills and reputation of the physician and the attitude of the personnel most, followed by modern equipment and maintenance of the office/hospital. Access attributes (travelling and waiting time) are less important. The method of discrete choice experiment is useful to reveal patients’ preferences, and might support the development of an evidence-based and sustainable health policy on patient payments

Silicate weathering in anoxic marine sediments

Two sediment cores retrieved at the northern slope of Sakhalin Island, Sea of Okhotsk, were analyzed for biogenic opal, organic carbon, carbonate, sulfur, major element concentrations, mineral contents, and dissolved substances including nutrients, sulfate, methane, major cations, humic substances, and total alkalinity. Down-core trends in mineral abundance suggest that plagioclase feldspars and other reactive silicate phases (olivine, pyroxene, volcanic ash) are transformed into smectite in the methanogenic sediment sections. The element ratios Na/Al, Mg/Al, and Ca/Al in the solid phase decrease with sediment depth indicating a loss of mobile cations with depth and producing a significant down-core increase in the chemical index of alteration. Pore waters separated from the sediment cores are highly enriched in dissolved magnesium, total alkalinity, humic substances, and boron. The high contents of dissolved organic carbon in the deeper methanogenic sediment sections (50–150 mg dm−3) may promote the dissolution of silicate phases through complexation of Al3+ and other structure-building cations. A non-steady state transport-reaction model was developed and applied to evaluate the down-core trends observed in the solid and dissolved phases. Dissolved Mg and total alkalinity were used to track the in-situ rates of marine silicate weathering since thermodynamic equilibrium calculations showed that these tracers are not affected by ion exchange processes with sediment surfaces. The modeling showed that silicate weathering is limited to the deeper methanogenic sediment section whereas reverse weathering was the dominant process in the overlying surface sediments. Depth-integrated rates of marine silicate weathering in methanogenic sediments derived from the model (81.4–99.2 mmol CO2 m−2 year−1) are lower than the marine weathering rates calculated from the solid phase data (198–245 mmol CO2 m−2 year−1) suggesting a decrease in marine weathering over time. The production of CO2 through reverse weathering in surface sediments (4.22–15.0 mmol CO2 m−2 year−1) is about one order of magnitude smaller than the weathering-induced CO2 consumption in the underlying sediments. The evaluation of pore water data from other continental margin sites shows that silicate weathering is a common process in methanogenic sediments. The global rate of CO2 consumption through marine silicate weathering estimated here as 5–20 Tmol CO2 year−1 is as high as the global rate of continental silicate weathering

Personalized targeted therapy of moderate and severe atopic asthma in Russia

Introduction. Taking into account the prevalence of asthma and especially severe atopic asthma which requires carefully selected and expensive therapy, the appearance of the domestic biosimilar omalizumab among biological therapy drugs makes the choice of treatment for this category more affordable. The article presents the results of an observational open prospective clinical trial of the omalizumab biosimilar in severe athopic asthma patients.The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the domestic production biosimilar in the real clinical practice.Materials and methods. The study involved 10 adult patients aged 19 to 55 years with a diagnosis of moderate to severe uncontrolled persistent asthma treated with mediun to high dose ICS and second&more controller (ACQ-5 ≥ 1,5, FEV1 < 80% of the predicted normal value). For 26 weeks all patients received the omalizumab. The evaluation of the efficacy was provided taking into account asthma symptoms improvement the results of ACQ-5, FEV1, PEF, asthma exacerbations and the use of health resources. Results. According to the results of data analysis due to omalizumab all patients demonstrated reducing daily asthma symptoms, nocturnal awakening and night time symptom, shortness of  breath and SABA using. An  asthma control improvement was observed after 1 month treatment (Δ ACQ-5 1.6 [1.2; 2.4], p = 0.0002 compared to the baseline data) with a continued tendency to further increase during 6 months of the study. A statistically significant increase in FEV1 was noted (initially, FEV1 56.7% [51.25; 61.8] of the predicted; after 1 month, FEV1 67.5% [63.45; 70.6] of the predicted, p = 0.00003; after 6 months, FEV1 80.6% [80.55; 84.05] of the predicted, p >< 0.001). Omalizumab biosimilar used allowed to reduce the background asthma therapy. No asthma exacerbation was registered due to 26 weeks omalizumab treatment. Conclusions. Based on the results of the study, it was shown that the administration of the omalizumab biosimilar to patients with severe atopic asthma improves control over the symptoms, lung function and reduces the amount of asthma exacerbations, and has a good safety>< 80% of the predicted normal value). For 26 weeks all patients received the omalizumab. The evaluation of the efficacy was provided taking into account asthma symptoms improvement the results of ACQ-5, FEV1, PEF, asthma exacerbations and the use of health resources.Results. According to the results of data analysis due to omalizumab all patients demonstrated reducing daily asthma symptoms, nocturnal awakening and night time symptom, shortness of  breath and SABA using. An  asthma control improvement was observed after 1 month treatment (Δ ACQ-5 1.6 [1.2; 2.4], p = 0.0002 compared to the baseline data) with a continued tendency to further increase during 6 months of the study. A statistically significant increase in FEV1 was noted (initially, FEV1 56.7% [51.25; 61.8] of the predicted; after 1 month, FEV1 67.5% [63.45; 70.6] of the predicted, p = 0.00003; after 6 months, FEV1 80.6% [80.55; 84.05] of the predicted, p < 0.001). Omalizumab biosimilar used allowed to reduce the background asthma therapy. No asthma exacerbation was registered due to 26 weeks omalizumab treatment.Conclusions. Based on the results of the study, it was shown that the administration of the omalizumab biosimilar to patients with severe atopic asthma improves control over the symptoms, lung function and reduces the amount of asthma exacerbations, and has a good safety

The Practice of Distance Learning Elements Using in Training of Computer Science Teachers

Стаття присвячена питанням удосконалення сучасних підходів організації навчального процесу в закладах вищої освіти України. Орієнтуючись на досвід вітчизняних та зарубіжних учених, проаналізовано шляхи впровадження дистанційної освіти під час підготовки майбутніх учителів інформатики. Для детального вивчення піднятої проблеми розглянуто основні поняття дистанційної освіти (дистанційне навчання, дистанційний курс), охарактеризовано її зміст та особливості використання у порівнянні з традиційними формами навчання. Виокремлено негативні чинники, які гальмують впровадження дистанційних курсів в освітній процес.На прикладі системи віртуального навчання «Сервіс дистанційної освіти кафедри ІКТ та МВІ РДГУ», розробленої на факультеті математики та інформатики Рівненського державного гуманітарного університету, розглянуто напрями використання навчального середовища Moodle у підготовці вчителів інформатики. Орієнтуючись на власний досвід, автори описали основні технічні, методичні аспекти, що важливі для працівників освіти, які планують у своїй професійній діяльності використовувати платформи такого типу. Особливу увагу приділено питанням реєстрації слухачів на дистанційний курс, порадам щодо проектування, створення та логічного розміщення його контенту, використовуючи передбачені навчальні ресурси та діяльності в системі дистанційного навчання Moodle. Охарактеризовано мету, завдання, теоретичний та практичний зміст дисципліни «Технології та методика створення дистанційних освітніх курсів», введеної в навчальні плани спеціальності «Середня освіта. Інформатика» для виховання кваліфікованих педагогічних кадрів, які зможуть розробляти та впроваджувати у закладах освіти дистанційні освітні курси. Запропоновано використовувати хмарний сервіс MoodleCloud під час проведення лабораторних занять з дисциплін профільного спрямування. Виокремлено переваги використання дистанційних курсів в навчальному процесі закладів вищої освіти.This article is devoted to the issues of modern approaches improvement in the organization of educational process in Ukrainian higher educational institutions. With the focus on Ukrainian and foreign researchers experience this paper deals specifically with the analysis of ways how to implement distance education during the training of future computer science teachers. To research this issue in detail basic notions of distance education (distance learning, distance-learning course) are investigated, its content and features of using in comparison with traditional forms of education are characterized. Authors outline negative factors that slow down distance-learning courses implementation in educational process. During the training of computer science teachers the uses of virtual teaching environment Moodle are identified with the help of virtual learning system «Distance Education Service of Department of ICT and MCST in RSUH» developed at the faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science of Rivne State University of Humanities. Focusing on personal experience authors describe basic technical and methodological aspects that are important for educators who plan to use platforms of such type in their professional activities. Particular attention is paid to students registered on distance-learning course, pieces of advice for designing, developing and logical order of its content using specified educational resources and activities in distance learning system Moodle. This paper outlines the aim, objectives, theoretical and practical content of the discipline of «Technologies and methodology of distance educational courses developing», presented in the curriculum with specialty of «Secondary education. Computer Science» for education of qualified pedagogues who will be able to develop and implement distance educational courses in educational institutions. Authors provide using of the cloud service MoodleCloud during the conducting of laboratory classes in principal subjects. This study singles out the advantages of distance learning courses using in the educational process of higher educational institutions