Роль социологических опросов в изучении водопотребления населения

Доказано, що соціологічні опитування є важливим інструментам формування програм соціальної та екологічної скерованості. Вони дозволяють отримати не лише суб'єктивну, але і об'єктивну оцінку стану довкілля, інформацію про ефективність муніципальних та державних програм, можуть бути використані для проведення маркетингових досліджень.It is shown that sociological questionnaire are the important tool at formation of the programs of a social and ecological orientation, allow to receive not only subjective, but also objective estimation of a condition of an environment, allow to receive the information not only about efficiency of the municipal and state programs, but also to be used for realization of marketing researches

Some colouring problems for Paley graphs

The Paley graph Pq, where q≡1(mod4) is a prime power, is the graph with vertices the elements of the finite field Fq and an edge between x and y if and only if x-y is a non-zero square in Fq. This paper gives new results on some colouring problems for Paley graphs and related discussion. © 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Reversible ligand-centered reduction in low- coordinate iron formazanate complexes

Coordination of redox‐active ligands to metals is a compelling strategy for making reduced complexes more accessible. In this work, we explore the use of redox‐active formazanate ligands in low‐coordinate iron chemistry. Reduction of an iron(II) precursor occurs at milder potentials than analogous non‐redox‐active β‐diketiminate complexes, and the reduced three‐coordinate formazanate‐iron compound is characterized in detail. Structural, spectroscopic, and computational analysis show that the formazanate ligand undergoes reversible ligand‐centered reduction to form a formazanate radical dianion in the reduced species. The less negative reduction potential of the reduced low‐coordinate iron formazanate complex leads to distinctive reactivity with formation of a new N−I bond that is not seen with the β‐diketiminate analogue. Thus, the storage of an electron on the supporting ligand changes the redox potential and enhances certain reactivity

PLGA, PLGA-TMC and TMC-TPP Nanoparticles Differentially Modulate the Outcome of Nasal Vaccination by Inducing Tolerance or Enhancing Humoral Immunity

Development of vaccines in autoimmune diseases has received wide attention over the last decade. However, many vaccines showed limited clinical efficacy. To enhance vaccine efficacy in infectious diseases, biocompatible and biodegradable polymeric nanoparticles have gained interest as antigen delivery systems. We investigated in mice whether antigen-encapsulated PLGA (poly-lactic-co-glycolic acid), PLGA-TMC (N-trimethyl chitosan) or TMC-TPP (tri-polyphosphate) nanoparticles can also be used to modulate the immunological outcome after nasal vaccination. These three nanoparticles enhanced the antigen presentation by dendritic cells, as shown by increased in vitro and in vivo CD4+ T-cell proliferation. However, only nasal PLGA nanoparticles were found to induce an immunoregulatory response as shown by enhanced Foxp3 expression in the nasopharynx associated lymphoid tissue and cervical lymph nodes. Nasal administration of OVA-containing PLGA particle resulted in functional suppression of an OVA-specific Th-1 mediated delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction, while TMC-TPP nanoparticles induced humoral immunity, which coincided with the enhanced generation of OVA-specific B-cells in the cervical lymph nodes. Intranasal treatment with Hsp70-mB29a peptide-loaded PLGA nanoparticles suppressed proteoglycan-induced arthritis, leading to a significant reduction of disease. We have uncovered a role for PLGA nanoparticles to enhance CD4+ T-cell mediated immunomodulation after nasal application. The exploitation of this differential regulation of nanoparticles to modulate nasal immune responses can lead to innovative vaccine development for prophylactic or therapeutic vaccination in infectious or autoimmune diseases

The anti-inflammatory mechanisms of Hsp70

Immune responses to heat shock proteins (Hsp) develop in virtually all inflammatory diseases; however, the significance of such responses is only now becoming clear. In experimental disease models, Hsp administration can prevent or arrest inflammatory damage, and in initial clinical trials in patients with chronic inflammatory diseases, Hsp peptides have been shown to promote the production of anti-inflammatory cytokines, indicating immunoregulatory potential of Hsp. Therefore, the presence of immune responses to Hsp in inflammatory diseases can be seen as an attempt of the immune system to correct the inflammatory condition. Hsp70 can modulate inflammatory responses in models of arthritis, colitis and graft rejection, and the mechanisms underlying this effect are now being elucidated. Incubation with microbial Hsp70 was seen to induce tolerogenic dendritic cells (DCs) and to promote a suppressive phenotype in myeloid-derived suppressor cells and monocytes. These DC could induce regulatory T cells (Tregs), independently of the antigens they presented. Some Hsp70 family members are associated with autophagy, leading to a preferential uploading of Hsp70 peptides in MHC class II molecules of stressed cells. Henceforth, conserved Hsp70 peptides may be presented in these situations and constitute targets of Tregs, contributing to downregulation of inflammation. Finally, an interfering effect in multiple intracellular inflammatory signaling pathways is also known for Hsp70. Altogether it seems attractive to use Hsp70, or its derivative peptides, for modulation of inflammation. This is a physiological immunotherapy approach, without the immediate necessity of defining disease-specific auto-antigens. In this article, we present the evidence on anti-inflammatory effects of Hsp70 and discuss the need for experiments that will be crucial for the further exploration of the immunosuppressive potential of this protein

Towards Underwater Macroplastic Monitoring Using Echo Sounding

Plastics originating from land are mainly transported to the oceans by rivers. The total plastic transport from land to seas remains uncertain because of difficulties in measuring and the lack of standard observation techniques. A large focus in observations is on plastics floating on the water surface. However, an increasing number of observations suggest that large quantities of plastics are transported in suspension, below the water surface. Available underwater plastic monitoring methods use nets or fish traps that need to be deployed below the surface and are labor-intensive. In this research, we explore the use of echo sounding as an innovative low-cost method to quantify and identify suspended macroplastics. Experiments under controlled and natural conditions using a low-cost off-the-shelf echo sounding device show that plastic items can be detected and identified up to 7 m below the river surface. Eight different debris items (metal can, cup, bottles, food wrappers, food container) were characterized based on their reflection signature. Reflectance from plastic items diverged significantly from organic material and non-plastic anthropogenic debris. During a multi-day trial field expedition in the Guadalete river, Spain, we found that between 0.8 and 6.3 m depth considerable quantities of plastics are transported. As most plastic monitoring and removal strategies focus on the upper layer below the surface (up to approximately 1.5 m depth), a substantial share of the total plastic transport may be neglected. With this paper we 1) demonstrate that echo sounding is a promising tool for underwater plastic monitoring, and 2) emphasize the importance of an improved understanding of the existing plastic loads below the surface.SB was received funding from the Lamminga Fund and the department of Water Resources Management (TU Delft). The work of TE is supported by the Veni research program The River Plastic Monitoring Project with project number 18211, which is (partly) funded by the Dutch Research Council (NWO)

Sex differences in placenta-derived markers and later autistic traits in children

Autism is more prevalent in males and males on average score higher on measures of autistic traits. Placental function is affected significantly by the sex of the fetus. It is unclear if sex differences in placental function are associated with sex differences in the occurrence of autistic traits postnatally. To assess this, concentrations of angiogenesis-related markers, placental growth factor (PlGF) and soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase (sFlt-1) were assessed in maternal plasma of expectant women in the late 1st (mean= 13.5 [SD = 2.0] weeks gestation) and 2nd trimesters (mean=20.6 [SD = 1.2] weeks gestation), as part of the Generation R Study, Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Subsequent assessment of autistic traits in the offspring at age 6 was performed with the 18-item version of the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS). Associations of placental protein concentrations with autistic traits were tested in sex-stratified and cohort-wide regression models. Cases with pregnancy complications or a later autism diagnosis (n = 64) were also assessed for differences in placenta-derived markers. sFlt-1 levels were significantly lower in males in both trimesters but showed no association with autistic traits. PlGF was significantly lower in male pregnancies in the 1st trimester, and significantly higher in the 2nd trimester, compared to female pregnancies. Higher PlGF levels in the 2nd trimester and the rate of PlGF increase were both associated with the occurrence of higher autistic traits (PlGF-2nd: n = 3469,b = 0.24 [SE = 0.11], p = 0.03) in both unadjusted and adjusted linear regression models that controlled for age, sex, placental weight and maternal characteristics. Mediation analyses showed that higher autistic traits in males compared to females were partly explained by higher PlGF or a faster rate of PlGF increase in the second trimester (PlGF-2nd: n = 3469, ACME: b = 0.005, [SE = 0.002], p = 0.004). In conclusion, higher PlGF levels in the 2nd trimester and a higher rate of PlGF increase are associated with both being male, and with a higher number of autistic traits in the general population.</p