Change in the content of trace elements in the blood of patients with multiple sclerosis depending on the type of course of the disease

The aim was to study the content of trace element in the blood of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) depending on the type of flow to optimize the diagnostic and prognostic algorithms of the disease.Method of research: the contents of trace element (calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, copper) in the blood serum of 110 patients with MS were determined, which, depending on the type of flow, were divided into three groups. The first group included 12 patients with primary-progredient type of MS course, the second group – 21 patients with secondary-progredient, in the third group – 77 patients with remitting (52 patients in the acute stage and25 in the remission). The control group consisted of 32 healthy people of the corresponding gender and age.Results: It was noted that in general, with MS, and with various types of its course, there is an increase in the blood levels of copper, phosphorus, magnesium and iron reduction. With progredient types of MS, there is a moderate negative correlation between the copper content in the blood and the degree of disability. The increase in the concentration of magnesium in progredient types of MS flow directly depends on the degree of disability and the duration of the disease. An increase in the content of copper, phosphorus and magnesium in the blood, as well as a decrease in the level of iron with a remitting type of MS flow, is observed only in the acute stage, which indicates the pathogenetic and diagnostic significance of these changes and allows using them as additional markers of MS flow activit

Modelling Business Processes on a Blockchain Eco-System (BPMN)

Plokiahela tehnoloogiat on järjest enam vaadeldud kui paljutõotavat tehnoloogiat äriprotsesside muutmiseks. Selle potentsiaal on äratanud paljude ettevõtete tähelepanu uurimaks, kuidas plokiahel saab ettevõtetele kasuks olla. Sellist kasu saab siiski saavutada ainult äriprotsesse uuendades, mitte lihtsalt olemasolevat tehnoloogiat asendades. Protsessimudelid mängivad olulist rolli äriprotsesside uuendamisel, kuna nad analüüsivad neid protsesse ja vajadusel kujundavad ümber. Selles lõputöös uuritakse, kuidas plokiahelale orienteeritud protsesse saab modelleerida BPMN tegevuskeskse modelleerimise paradigma abil. Selle saavutamiseks viiakse läbi uurimistöö mittetulundusühingute auditeerimisprotsesside ümberkujundamise kohta. Äriprotsesse modelleeritakse praeguses vormis ja kujundatakse BPMN abil ümber. Lõputöös uuritakse BPMN sobivust, võttes arvesse harjumuspäraselt esinevaid plokiahela spetsiifilisi mustreid. Lõputöö näitab, et plokiahelale orienteeritud protsesse saab BPMN-iga piisavalt modelleerida. Siiski, BPMN-il puuduvad teatud elemendid, mis võiksid täpsemini kajastada korduma kippuvaid mustreid.Blockchain technology is more and more positioned as a promising technology for changing business processes. This potential has attracted companies to investigate how blockchain can be enable significant benefit gains for companies. However, such gains can only be realized by innovating business processes and not by merely replacing existing technology. Process models play an important role when engaged in innovating business processes because of process analysis and process redesign. This thesis investigates how blockchain-oriented processes can be modelled with the activity-centric modeling paradigm of BPMN. To achieve this, a case study on redesigning the auditing process of a non-profit organization is conducted. The business process is modelled as-is and redesigned by using BPMN. The thesis examines the suitability of BPMN by considering commonly occurring blockchain specific patterns. The thesis shows that blockchain-oriented processes can sufficiently be modeled with BPMN. However, BPMN lack certain elements that could represent commonly occurring patterns more accurately

Change of activity of enzymes in blood of patients with multiple sclerosis depending on the type of disease

A study was made of the dynamics of changes in the activity of membrane-bound enzymes in the blood of 110 patients with multiple sclerosis, depending on the type of disease course. It was established that in patients with multiple sclerosis there is persistent disfermentemia, severity and directivity, which depends on the type of the course of multiple sclerosis. The most pronounced enzymatic imbalance is observed in the primary-progressive type of multiple sclerosis, which is a marker of deeper disturbance of metabolic, oxidation-reduction and energy processes in cells due to the steady progression of the disease. The revealed correlation dependences of the content of the studied enzymes in the remitting type of MS flow to the stage of exacerbation indicate the pathogenetic and diagnostic significance of these indices, which makes it possible to use them as additional markers ofМS flow activity.Decrease in the level of сreatine phosphokinase in all types of disease course, reflects the degree of decrease in metabolic and energy processes in muscle and neural tissue cells, possibly due to the development of motor disorders

Making a Difference: Accounting for the Impact of Management Decisions in Environmental Management

Management decisions are typically meant to be making a lasting impact, or at least bringing us one step closer to a long-term goal. Yet there are situations where it is hard to link decisions made and results achieved. The problem gets more complex when comparing different backgrounds, as management quality is often assessed either in specific organizational context (Ghoshal and Bartlett, 1994; Coggburn and Schneider, 2003) or in a finite number of case-studies. These methods have been successfully used for a long time in corporate environment (Gong et al., 2018) and for public sector decisions (Eller et al., 2018), but their application is not as easy when facing problems that are affected by multiple economy-wide factors, and/or by variables that are not directly observable. We study the long term impact on management decisions in environmental management by using market information on different instruments used to manage and control environmental pollution and risk. The core reason for choosing this approach is that market data is able to account for economic reasons and capture changes that go beyond the scope of an individual corporation or a public agency.JEL Codes - G13; G17; G1

QUANTITATIVE DETERMINATION OF 2,4-D IN PESTICIDES MONOSAN HERBI AND DMA-6

A rapid and reliable method for determination of active ingredient 2,4-D ((2,4-dichlorophenoxy)acetic acid) in the pesticide formulations Monosan herbi and DMA-6 is presented. The procedure utilizes high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) followed by UV diode array detection and two analytical columns with different stationary phases and dimensions. The better results for identification and quantitation of the active ingredient in two pesticides are achieved using LiChrospher 60 RP-select B (250 x 4 mm, 5 μm) column, UV detection at 220 nm, temperature at 250C, mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile and water (60/40; V/V) and flow rate of 1 mL/min. The ethod is validated by testing linearity, precision, recovery, LOD and LOQ. The values for multiple correlation coefficient (R2 > 0.999), relative standard deviation (RSD) of retention time and peak area (RSD ≤ 1.18 %), recoveries ranged from 98.16 % - 101.38 %, with RSD of 0.10 % - 1.96 %, revealed that the developed method has a good linearity, precision and accuracy. The proposed method is applicable for fast and accurate determination of active ingredient 2,4-D in the pesticides Monosan herbi and DMA-6

Effect of plant growth regulators on growth patterns and enzymatic antioxidant activities in Hypericum calycinum shoot cultures

Open Access JournalHypericum calycinum L. (section Ascyreia) is a species of the Hypericum genus, relative to the medicinal plant H. perforatum (St. Jonn’s worth). Unlike the widely studied H. perforatum, it is characterized by the lack of hypericins production. However, research has revealed its commensurable antidepressant activity, as compared with the latter species, and shown the presence of polyphenolics with marked radical scavenging activity. In order to develop an in vitro system with the potential of a novel source of bioactive constituent’s characteristic for the Hypericum genus, we initiated in vitro cultures of H. calycinum. In the present work we studiy the effect of exogenous BA and IBA treatments on the developmental patterns, enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant defence of hypericin non-producing Hypericum calycinum shoot cultures. It was shown that supplementation of PGR led to stimulation of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase and superoxide dismuthase, as well as non-enzymatic antioxidant glutathione. However, they inhibited glutathione reductase, as well as lowered the levels of fl avonoids, ascorbate and dehydroascorbate in comparison with plant growth regulators-free control. Further on, it was established that elevation of IBA concentration slightly stimulated axillary shoot formation and shoot length, but inhibited polyphenolic levels in vitro. These results are in agreement with our previous results of interrelations between biomass formation and polyphenolics production in other Hypericum species in vitro. An in vitro culture system optimization is in progress in order to increase biomass  production and retain biosynthetic capacity of the species.

Comparative study of Pterygium surgery

Aim: To compare and evaluate the success rates of various surgical techniques of pterygium excision, including pterygium excision with complete suture of conjunctivae (PESC), pterygium excision with conjunctival auto-graft transplantation with graft from the inferior temporal bulbar conjunctiva (ITBC) and pterygium excision with conjunctival auto-graft transplantation with graft from the superior temporal bulbar conjunctiva (STBC). Material and methods: 120 cases with primary unilateral nasal pterygium were evaluated. Outcomes were evaluated in terms of complication and recurrence after pterygium excision. The patients were divided into 3 groups: 1.Group of 40 patients with primary pterygium (pterygium length over the cornea 1.0 mm and more) treated by the technique of pterygium excision with complete suture of conjunctiva (PESC). 2.Group of 40 patients with primary pterygium (pterygium length over the cornea 1.0 mm and more) treated by the technique of pterygium excision with the conjunctival auto-graft transplantation with graft from the inferior temporal bulbar conjunctivae(ITBC). 3.Group of 40 patients with primary pterygium (pterygium length over the cornea 1.0 mm and more) treated by the technique of pterygium excision with conjunctival auto-graft transplantation with graft from the superior temporal bulbar conjunctivae(STBC). Results: Mean follow-up time after the surgery was 15 months (6 to 24 months).12 out of 40 (30%) recurred after the pterygium excision with complete suture of conjunctivae (PESC). Three out of forty (7.5%) pterygium recurred after the modified surgical techniques of pterygium excision with conjunctival auto-graft transplanttation wit

HPLC METHOD FOR DETERMINATION OF ACTIVE INGREDIENTS IN PESTICIDE FORMULATION SWITCH 62,5 WG

Analytical quality control for pesticides achieved using appropriate methods is essential in providing their safe and adequate use in agriculture. This study presents a precise, fast, and a simple analytical method for determining active ingredients cyprodinil and fludioxonil in a fungicide formulation Switch 62,5 WG using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The development of the HPLC method was performed on a ZORBAX Eclipse Plus C18 (50 x 4.6 mm, 1.8 µm) analytical column using isocratic elution with a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile and water in volume ratio 70:30, a flow rate of 1 mL/min, a constant column temperature at 25 ºC and UV detection at 220 and 270 nm. The run time of analysis under these chromatographic conditions was about 1.5 min. The method was validated by testing specificity, linearity, precision, recovery, LOD, LOQ, and accuracy according to the CIPAC (Collaborative International Pesticides Analytical Council) and SANCO (Directorate General Health and Consumer Protection) guidelines, and all the tested parameters were found within acceptance criteria. The values for multiple correlation coefficient (R2 ≥ 0.99), relative standard deviation (RSD < 1 %), recoveries ranged from 98.95 - 102.26 %, revealed that the developed method has a good linearity, precision and accuracy. The proposed method is suitable for routine analysis of active ingredients cyprodinil and fludioxonil in the formulation Switch 62,5 WG

MARKET RESEARCH - HOW INTERESTED ARE CONSUMERS IN MEAT PRODUCTS WITH FEWER E-NUMBERS IN THEIR DECLARATION

Abstract Market today offers a wide range of meat products. Additives are widely used in the meat industry. Their usage is aimed to make meat products safer to eat, to extend their shelf life, improve their sensory characteristics, etc. The main objective of the paper is to be done market research and how interested are consumers in meat products with fewer Е-numbers in their declaration by carrying out a survey. In order to describe the analysed sample statistical analysis is applied and the results are shown in an analytical and graphical form. According to the results obtained from this research it can be concluded that out of 210 respondents, 126 (60.00%) are informed about the meaning of the term "additive", 159 (75.71%) respondents know that the additives are labelled with E-numbers, whereas 122 (58.10%) respondents know the purposes why food additives are used in the food industry. However, competent institutions need to work on educating and informing consumers. Most respondents avoid meat products due to the presence of: flavour enhancers, emulsifiers, preservatives, food colours and stabilizers. 159 (75.71%) of the respondents believe that the market should offer meat products with a reduced presence of E-numbers in the declaration. Today, modern consumers are becoming more health conscious and they are changing their eating habits. Therefore, they are increasingly focused on natural meat products, where E-numbers are less represented in the declaration