Freezing-out of heavy isotopes of Kr

The separation of isotopes of natural Krypton at the gas-liquid and liquid-solid phase interfaces was studied under nonequilibrium conditions using a cryogenic cell and mass spectrometry. The formation of condensate upon cooling Kr from the ambient temperature begins at an equilibrium temperature, which corresponds to the partial pressure of the dominant isotope 84Kr, and is accompanied by depletion of the gas phase 84Kr with a separation coefficient of ~0.92; but the isotopic composition returns to the original under conditions close to equilibrium. The formation of a solid phase near the freezing point is accompanied by depletion of the gas phase by heavy isotopes. The separation coefficients 86Kr and 84Kr are ~2 and ~12, respectively, when ~3.2% of the atoms pass into the solid phase. The solid phase with its fraction below 8.8%, 5.8% and 5.7% does not contain 80Kr, 82Kr and 83Kr with separation coefficients above ~90, ~110 and ~70, respectively, to compensate for the enrichment of the gas and liquid phases. Pressure-selective condensation can be used to separate components with close boiling points when distillation and temperature-selective condensation methods are ineffective, and freezing-out of heavy isotopes can be used to enrich elements with practically important isotopes.Comment: 11 pages; 3 Figures; 3 Tables; 26 Reference

Multimedia advertising of cultural and mass activities as a means of development of cognitive interest of teenagers to music

This article presents the results of a study on the use of multimedia advertising of a mass cultural event as a means of developing adolescents' cognitive interest in musicВ настоящей статье представлены результаты исследования по применению мультимедийной рекламы культурно-массового мероприятия как средства развития познавательного интереса подростков к музык

Liquid Drugs and High Dead Space Syringes May Keep HIV and HCV Prevalence High – A Comparison of Hungary and Lithuania

Despitevery similar political, drug policy and HIV prevention backgrounds, HIV and HCV prevalence is considerably different in Hungary (low HIV and moderate HCV prevalence) and Lithuania (high HCV and moderate HIV prevalence). Wecompared the drug use profile of Hungarian (n = 215) and Lithuanian (n = 300) injecting drug users (IDUs). Overall, compared with IDUs in Hungary, IDUs in Lithuania often injected opiates purchased in liquid form (‘shirka’), used and shared 2-piece syringes (vs. 1-piece syringes) disproportionately more often, were less likely to acquire their syringes from legal sources and had significantly more experience with injected and less experience with non-injected drugs. It may not be liquid drugs per se that contribute to a higher prevalence of HCV and/or HIV, but it is probably factors associated with the injecting of liquid drugs, such as the wide-spread use and sharing of potentially contaminated 2-piece syringes acquired often from non-legal sources, and syringe-mediated drug sharing with 2-piece syringes. Scaling up substitution therapy, especially heroin replacement, combined with reducing the supply of liquid drugs may decrease the prevalence of high-risk injecting behaviours related to the injecting of liquid drugs and drug injecting-related infections among IDUs in Lithuania

A Peer-Educator Network HIV Prevention Intervention Among Injection Drug Users: Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial in St. Petersburg, Russia

We evaluated the efficacy of a peer-educator network intervention as a strategy to reduce HIV acquisition among injection drug users (IDUs) and their drug and/or sexual networks. A randomized controlled trial was conducted in St. Petersburg, Russia among IDU index participants and their risk network participants. Network units were randomized to the control or experimental intervention. Only the experimental index participants received training sessions to communicate risk reduction techniques to their network members. Analysis includes 76 index and 84 network participants who were HIV uninfected. The main outcome measure was HIV sero-conversion. The incidence rates in the control and experimental groups were 19.57 (95 % CI 10.74–35.65) and 7.76 (95 % CI 3.51–17.19) cases per 100 p/y, respectively. The IRR was 0.41 (95 % CI 0.15–1.08) without a statistically significant difference between the two groups (log rank test statistic X2 = 2.73, permutation p value = 0.16). Retention rate was 67 % with a third of the loss due to incarceration or death. The results show a promising trend that this strategy would be successful in reducing the acquisition of HIV among IDUs

Correlates of Unsafe Equipment Sharing among Injecting Drug Users in St. Petersburg, Russia

To assess among injecting drug users (IDUs) in St Petersburg, Russia, the urban environmental, social norms, and individual correlates of unsafe injecting

Unprotected Sex in Heterosexual Partnerships of Injecting Drug Users in St. Petersburg, Russia

We examined the association of individual demographic and behavioral attributes, partnership (dyad) and social network characteristics with unprotected sex in the heterosexual dyads of IDUs in St Petersburg, Russia. Of the individual-level characteristics female gender and younger age; and of the dyad-level characteristics sharing injecting equipment, social exposure to the sex partner (“hanging out with” or seeing each other daily), and both partners self-reporting being HIV infected were associated with unprotected sex. Although self-reported HIV discordant couples were less likely to engage in unprotected sex, it was reported in over half of self-reported HIV discordant relationships. This study highlights the intertwining of sexual risk and injecting risk, and the importance of sero-sorting based on perceived HIV status among IDU sexual partnerships in St Petersburg, Russia. A combination of social network and dyad interventions may be appropriate for this population of IDUs, especially for IDUs who are both injecting and sex partners, supported by free and confidential rapid HIV testing and counseling services to provide a comprehensive response to the wide-spread HIV epidemic among IDUs in St Petersburg

Injecting Equipment Sharing in Russian Drug Injecting Dyads

In this study, we investigated how individual attributes, dyad characteristics and social network characteristics may influence engaging in receptive syringe sharing, distributive syringe sharing and sharing cookers in injecting partnerships of IDUs in St Petersburg, Russia. We found that all three levels were associated with injecting equipment sharing, and that dyad characteristics were modified by characteristics of the social network. Self-reported HIV discordance and male gender concordance played a role in the risk of equipment sharing. Dyad interventions may not be sufficient to reduce injecting risk in IDU partnerships, but a combination of dyad and network interventions that target both IDU partnerships and the entire IDU population may be more appropriate to address injecting risk among IDUs

НОВЫЕ ПРЕПАРАТЫ ДЛЯ ЗАЩИТЫ ЖИВОТНЫХ ОТ КРОВОСОСУЩИХ ДВУКРЫЛЫХ НАСЕКОМЫХ

Development of livestock as well as increase of milk and meat production depends considerably on prompt and qualified veterinary measures. One of the reserves of lifestock profitability rise is prevention of infectious diseases including entomosis, and animals' protection from bloodsucking dipterous insects: deer flies, mosquitos, gadflies and biting midges also known as gnats. In Belorussia dairy cows lost up to 15–20 % of milk and in single seasons up to 30–40 % due to bloodsucking dipterous insects attack. The task of present research is the study of insecticide efficacy of drugs: Delcid, Almet, Fenmet, Breeze 25 % applied as aerosols using ultra low-volume spraying when cattle in pastures are massively attacked by gnats. The repellent efficacy of drugs Breeze-Prof, Polevik, Phytolym, Tobol and Alezan spray against gad-flies are studied. While using of ultra low-volume hitch spraying of young cattle herds: 0,05 % solution of Delcid, Almet, Fenmet, Breeze 25 % at the rate of 10 ml per cattle it is found that the protective action coefficient according to average data related to gadflies family Tabanidae within first 30 minutes makes: for Delcid – 92,49 %, Almet – 100, Fenmet – 100, Breeze 25 % – 95,3 %, and within 24 hours: Delcid – 81,7 %, Almet – 71,4, Fenmet – 56,2, Breeze 25 % – 81,8 %.Изучено действие некоторых репеллентов и ин-сектицидов, рекомендуемых против гнуса. Разрабо-таны режимы их применения, проведены широкие производственные испытания и рекомендованы для практического применения наиболее эффективные и безопасные препараты на основе синтетических пире-троидов. Проведенными исследованиями изучена репеллентная эффективность против слепней семейст-ва Tabanidae новых препаратов, которые показали удовлетворительную эффективность

A prospective cohort study of neighborhood stress and ischemic heart disease in Japan: a multilevel analysis using the JACC study data

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>A body of research has shown that neighborhood environment may have an effect on a variety of health outcomes, including cardiovascular disease. One explanation for the mechanism of the effect of neighborhood on cardiovascular disease is psychosocial pathways. Direct evidence for an effect of neighborhood on cardiovascular disease with adjustment for perceived stress at the individual level has not been obtained, however. The Japan Collaborative Cohort Study for the Evaluation of Cancer Risk provides a unique dataset which has aggregated area-based cohorts from 45 areas throughout Japan. The purpose of the present study was to examine the contextual effect of area-level stress on ischemic heart disease using data from a large prospective cohort in Japan.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A baseline survey of 110,792 residents of 45 areas aged 40-79 years was conducted between 1988 and 1990. Analysis was restricted to subjects from the 33 of 45 areas providing information about self-rated stress (32183 men and 45896 women). Multilevel Poisson regression models were employed in a two-level structure of individuals nested within the 33 areas. Area-level stress was calculated by sex as the number of persons who rated their stress level as high divided by the total number of subjects in that area. Mortality rate ratios (MRRs) per 1 percentage point increase in area-level stress were estimated with adjustment for compositional individual factors.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>During 15 years of follow-up (1,116,895 person-years), 936 deaths due to ischemic heart disease were recorded. Area-level stress varied from 6% to 22%. In the multivariable models, MRRs of area-level stress were 1.06 (95% confidence interval: 1.00-1.12, p = 0.043) in men and 1.07 (95% confidence interval: 1.00-1.14, p = 0.057) in women.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Area-level stress affects the likelihood of death due to ischemic heart disease of individuals in men. The present findings may suggest that stress should be considered not only within the individual but also within the neighborhood context.</p

Surviving crack: a qualitative study of the strategies and tactics developed by Brazilian users to deal with the risks associated with the drug

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Due to marginalization, trafficking violence, conflicts with the police and organic and social psychological problems associated with the drug, crack is one of the most devastating drugs currently in use. However, there is evidence that some users manage to stay alive and active while using crack cocaine for many years, despite the numerous adversities and risks involved with this behavior. In this context, the aim of the present study was to identify the strategies and tactics developed by crack users to deal with the risks associated with the culture of use by examining the survival strategies employed by long-term users.</p> <p>Method</p> <p>A qualitative research method was used involving semi-structured, in-depth interviews. Twenty-eight crack users fulfilling a pre-defined enrollment criterion were interviewed. This criterion was defined as the long-term use of crack (i.e., at least four years). The sample was selected using information provided by key informants and distributed across eight different supply chains. The interviews were literally transcribed and analyzed via content analysis techniques using NVivo-8 software.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>There was diversity in the sample with regard to economic and education levels. The average duration of crack use was 11.5 years. Respondents believed that the greatest risks of crack dependence were related to the drug's psychological effects (e.g., cravings and transient paranoid symptoms) and those arising from its illegality (e.g., clashes with the police and trafficking). Protection strategies focused on the control of the psychological effects, primarily through the consumption of alcohol and marijuana. To address the illegality of the drug, strategies were developed to deal with dealers and the police; these strategies were considered crucial for survival.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The strategies developed by the respondents focused on trying to protect themselves. They proved generally effective, though they involved risks of triggering additional problems (e.g., other dependencies) in the long term.</p