Technology of receiving fresh water from forcedly saturated air through the use of solar energy

At present, as a result of climate change and man-caused impact on the environment, fresh drinking quality water deficit is observed in many regions of the world. The sufficiency of fresh water provides high quality of living, the stabilization of the internal and foreign political situation, especially in developing countries. A lot of fresh drinking quality water production technologies are known today. Most of them consume a significant amount of energy and pose a considerable danger to the environment. As a source of energy, as a rule, hydrocarbon raw material is used, which is an exhaustible resource. The authors developed a technology for obtaining fresh water of drinking quality from atmospheric air using the solar energy. The article provides a substantiation of the way of fresh water production from air and also describes the energy balance in its implementation

Effect of omeprazole on patient-reported outcome measures in uninvestigated heartburn: a multi-country, multi-center observational study

Background: Heartburn occurs predominantly in the upper gastrointestinal tract and is associated with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and gastritis. Omeprazole is the most prescribed proton pump inhibitor class of medication to treat heartburn related clinical conditions. To compare the efficacy of omeprazole 40 mg (as a total daily dose) and 20 mg using patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) in patients with heartburn due to various aetiologies like non-erosive reflux disease, GERD, gastritis, dyspepsia, functional heartburn, gastro-duodenal ulcer.Methods: Naïve patients presenting heartburn symptoms were treated with omeprazole. PROMs were assessed based on short-form-leeds dyspepsia questionnaires (SF-LDQ), work productivity activity impairment (WPAI), relief obtained using medication and, treatment satisfactory questionnaires (TSQ).Results: A total of 18,724 patients with heartburn (GERD and gastritis; n=10,509) were treated with omeprazole (Dr. Reddy’s omeprazole [DO]/generic omeprazole [GO]/branded omeprazole [BO]) 40 mg (as a total daily dose) and 20 mg. Statistical comparative analysis showed significant improvement with omeprazole 40 mg (as a total daily dose) compared to omeprazole 20 mg in SF-LDQ, relief obtained using medication among patients with heartburn. DO 20 mg showed a greater improvement under the ‘a lot’ and ‘complete’ relief category.Conclusions: Omeprazole 40 mg (as a total daily dose) presented better efficacy as compared to omeprazole 20 mg in patient reported outcomes. This study highlights omeprazole 40 mg as the preferred intervention for improving PROMs and quality of life in the treatment of heartburn related clinical conditions

Phenological shifts of abiotic events, producers and consumers across a continent

Ongoing climate change can shift organism phenology in ways that vary depending on species, habitats and climate factors studied. To probe for large-scale patterns in associated phenological change, we use 70,709 observations from six decades of systematic monitoring across the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Among 110 phenological events related to plants, birds, insects, amphibians and fungi, we find a mosaic of change, defying simple predictions of earlier springs, later autumns and stronger changes at higher latitudes and elevations. Site mean temperature emerged as a strong predictor of local phenology, but the magnitude and direction of change varied with trophic level and the relative timing of an event. Beyond temperature-associated variation, we uncover high variation among both sites and years, with some sites being characterized by disproportionately long seasons and others by short ones. Our findings emphasize concerns regarding ecosystem integrity and highlight the difficulty of predicting climate change outcomes. The authors use systematic monitoring across the former USSR to investigate phenological changes across taxa. The long-term mean temperature of a site emerged as a strong predictor of phenological change, with further imprints of trophic level, event timing, site, year and biotic interactions.Peer reviewe

Chronicles of nature calendar, a long-term and large-scale multitaxon database on phenology

We present an extensive, large-scale, long-term and multitaxon database on phenological and climatic variation, involving 506,186 observation dates acquired in 471 localities in Russian Federation, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Belarus and Kyrgyzstan. The data cover the period 1890-2018, with 96% of the data being from 1960 onwards. The database is rich in plants, birds and climatic events, but also includes insects, amphibians, reptiles and fungi. The database includes multiple events per species, such as the onset days of leaf unfolding and leaf fall for plants, and the days for first spring and last autumn occurrences for birds. The data were acquired using standardized methods by permanent staff of national parks and nature reserves (87% of the data) and members of a phenological observation network (13% of the data). The database is valuable for exploring how species respond in their phenology to climate change. Large-scale analyses of spatial variation in phenological response can help to better predict the consequences of species and community responses to climate change.Peer reviewe

EXAMINATION OF QUALITY OF LIFE OF PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC PANCREATITIS

This articles is connected with issues of life quality of patients with chronic pancreatitis. The specific questionnaire aimed at examination of life quality of patients with this disease in the treatment dynamics was worked out. The assessment of easiness of perception and understanding of questions of the specially developed life-quality questionnaire and comprehensiveness (time needed to fill it in) was explored

АДАПТАЦІЯ ТЕХНІЧНОГО ОБСЛУГОВУВАННЯ СИСТЕМИ ЖИВЛЕННЯ ПОВІТРЯМ ДВИГУНА ОСНОВНИХ ТАНКІВ В УМОВАХ РЕСУРСНИХ ОБМЕЖЕНЬ

As a result of the maintenance of armored artillery armament and equipment in the area of the antiterrorist operation, it was established that the maintenance tasks were solved being limited in forces and means. Personnel conducted the minimum amount of operations, technical maintenance 1 and 2  were not performed in full, level of personnel training is low. In addition, it is noted that the existing maintenance system requires significant improvement. Thus, the imperfect existing maintenance system, failure to meet a certain amount of maintenance work and poor knowledge of operation regulations for the armored armament material negatively affected, and in some cases, were the main cause of engine failure. Confirmation to this is the data taken from general analysis of the technical state of samples of armored vehicles and equipment during the practical task accomplishment  in the area of antiterrorist operation. Therefore, the reasons for the failure of T-64BV (T-64BM) tanks in 34% of cases were malfunction of the air supply system. In order to prevent the causes of tank engine failure, increase their reliability, it is necessary to outline the prospects of the development of air cleaner stands and the direction of increasing the efficiency of technical maintenance of the air supply system of tank engines. For advanced air cleaner stands, it is advisable to use a modular structure, based on existing stands for use both in stationary and field conditions, using modern industrial materials. The modular structure of a perspective rinse air cleaner should have the following unified components, namely: an electric power supply, a heater, a pump and a bath with a lid. The main directions of increasing the efficiency of operation of engine power supply maintenance by air tanks include the concentration of the research organizations of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the military-technical direction for conducting systematic research with the aim of improving technical maintenance of the air supply system of tank engines using modern air cleaner stands, scientific-technical support for the purpose of scientific substantiation of ways to improve the system of maintenance of engine air supply system.Проведено аналіз наявного парку танків для визначення проблем та загальних технологій обслуговування повітроочисників двигунів. На основі використання статистичного методу, методу основного масиву та дослідження технологій обслуговування повітроочисників мийними засобами технічного призначення, запропоновані основні напрямки їх використання при сервісному обслуговуванні повітроочисників. Створено підґрунтя та надані рекомендації щодо проектування та застосування новітніх технологій для оптимізації сервісного обслуговування двигунів танкі

Researches of the Dynamics of Cutting Through of the Material by a Water-Ice Jet

Hypersonic ice abrasive water jet cutting is a subject of great attention in the production industry. The paper presents some mathematical equations for determining energy parameters of ice water jet cutting. The mathematical model presented in the article can be used for developing a technology for cutting, strengthening, cleaning, or destructing various materials

On positive experience in application of ferroalloys under microarc thermochemical treatment

The aim of the research is to study the possibility of the accelerated formation of a highly-rigid carbide coating on the surface of steel products. The use of the microarc thermochemical treatment technology is proposed. A steel article is placed into the black coal powder and is heated by transmission of the electric current. The formation of the microarc discharges in the powder environment leads to the carbon saturation of a surface, and the simultaneous diffusion in metal allows forming a highly rigid carbide layer. The possibility of ferroalloys usage as a source of the carbide forming metal under the formation of a highly rigid coating with the help of the microarc chemical heat treatment is established. The electrical conductivity of ferroalloys is higher than chemical combinations, and it allows obtaining acceleration of diffusion saturation due to the intensive formation of the fissile atoms of metals under the influence of microarcs. The application of ferroalloys is more favorable in terms of power, as restitution of metal oxides to an atomic state requires additional energy cost. When using ferrochrome, ferromolybdenum and ferrotungsten, a surface carbide layer up to 160 microns thick and with microhardness to 18 hPa is formed

Dynamics of quasi-stationary systems: Finance as an example

We propose a combination of cluster analysis and stochastic process analysis to characterize high-dimensional complex dynamical systems by few dominating variables. As an example, stock market data are analyzed for which the dynamical stability as well as transitions between different stable states are found. This combined method allows especially to set up new criteria for merging clusters to uncover dynamically distinct states. The low-dimensional approach allows to recover the high-dimensional fixed points of the system by means of an optimization procedure