The Effect of Lactobacillus genus on Weight Loss and Obesity Phenotype in Murine Species and Humans

The review attempts to determine the effects of Lactobacillus genus supplementation on weight and weight related factors. A literature review produced nine studies that met selection criteria. Of the nine articles included in the review, eight of them demonstrated weight loss among the study population after supplementation with Lactobacillus species. To initiate routine supplementation of Lactobacillus species in dietetic practice additional research is need to better understand mechanisms of action, optimal dosage, impact of varied macronutrient composition, and timeframe required for supplementation

PRE-START ANXIETY SELF-REGULATION METHODS OF TOP ALPINE SKIERS

Alpine skiing is the kind of sport where there is little time for proving athletes’ abilities – the number of attempts is so low that each of the smallest mistakes reflects highly on the result of the participant. The aim of this study is to extend the knowledge of psychological preparation in Alpine skiing at a high performance level. This Article presents results of the research, which focused on the relationship between Alpine skier’s competition effectiveness and their competition anxiety levels, along with selected methods of emotional condition self-regulation before the start. The research is based on studying the world’s top athletes, who participated in an international alpine skiing race at least 6 times per season. The research is based on theoretical materials and empirical investigation, where 86 of the world’s top 200 ranked alpine skiers participated in a test and filling out of a questionnaire about their preparation for competition. The obtained results testify that most high-ranking athletes have created their own individual system of psychological skills, which contains both somatic and cognitive means of controlling emotional states. Usually only a few anxiety reduction methods are picked by athletes, depending on their self-evaluated emotional state before a given competition. A link between competition anxiety levels and an Alpine skier’s competition effectiveness is generally confirmed. Research results show that top Alpine skiers’ competition effectiveness will be better if anxiety levels are low or moderate, and the results will improve if the self-regulation of pre-start emotional states is based on practised adapted breathing, self-inspiration, visualisation and ideomotor methods.

The kinetic MC modelling of reversible pattern formation in initial stages of thin metallic film growth on crystalline substrates

The results of kinetic MC simulations of the reversible pattern formation during the adsorption of mobile metal atoms on crystalline substrates are discussed. Pattern formation, simulated for submonolayer metal coverage, is characterized in terms of the joint correlation functions for a spatial distribution of adsorbed atoms. A wide range of situations, from the almost irreversible to strongly reversible regimes, is simulated. We demonstrate that the patterns obtained are defined by a key dimensionless parameter: the ratio of the mutual attraction energy between atoms to the substrate temperature. Our ab initio calculations for the nearest Ag-Ag adsorbate atom interaction on an MgO substrate give an attraction energy as large as 1.6 eV, close to that in a free molecule. This is in contrast to the small Ag adhesion and migration energies (0.23 and 0.05 eV, respectively) on a defect-free MgO substrate. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved

Forestry supply chains

Forestry supply chains are a significant part of the Swedish economy. These supply chains are highly susceptible to storms damage. In late 2013 Sweden was hit by multiple storms. This leads to the possibility to research how supply chains react to the shocks that storms cause. The aim of this thesis is to research the costs that storms increase, the actions that are taken within the forestry supply chain, as well as possible benefactors from storms. This thesis bases on previous work on supply chain mapping and cost theories. Three supply chains in Sweden are analyzed – Södra, SCA and Norrskog. By mapping the supply chain and analyzing what costs increase it is possible to get a general view of how supply chains react to shocks. The findings of this thesis are that storms create a tradeoff between loss of quality and loss of efficiency for forestry companies who work with forest owners. In all three cases working with reduced efficiency was preferred over losing the quality of logs. The main cause for the loss of efficiency is increased harvesting expenses from working with storm-felled logs, increased storage costs, and slightly increased costs from hiring external forestry workers and transporters. The main actors in dealing with effects of storms are the forestry companies. The actions that they take to reduce quality loss can be grouped in to three categories – information gathering, capacity building and negotiation. Information is continuously gathered on the storm-felled amount and species. Capacity is built up via hiring additional external forestry workers, transporters and machinery for mills. Negotiations happen with forest owners to put off contracts, with other mills in different regions on selling logs, and with the government on relaxing capacity restricting legislation. Lastly it is concluded that no parties profit from storms. Some parties gain in terms of work stability, the industry gains certainty of being supplied with raw materials and lastly the economy gains from increased business activity.Skogsbrukets leverantörskedjor utgör signifikanta delar av den totala ekonomin. Dessa leverantörskedjor påverkas kraftigt av förödelse, till största delen stormar. I slutet av år 2013 drabbades Sveriges skogsbruk av flertalet stormar, vilket har möjliggjort forskning på hur leverantörskedjan har reagerat på chockar likt stormar. Syftet med den här uppsatsen är att undersöka de kostnader som stormar orsakar, de åtgärder som skogsbrukets leverantörskedjor tvingats ta på grund av stormar, liksom eventuella positiva faktorer som uppstått efter stormarnas framfart. Den här uppsatsen är baserad på tidigare forskning som har kartlagt leverantörskedjor och kostnadsteori i skogsbruket. I den här uppsatsen är tre leverantörsled analyserade från skogsbolagen Södra, SCA och Norrskog. Genom att kartlägga skogsbolagens leverantörskedjor analyserades vilken punkt av kostnadsökning som är möjlig för att ge en generell överblick om hur leverantörsledet reagerar på chocker. Iakttagelser i den här studien visar på att stormar skapar en kompromiss mellan kvalitetsförluster och förluster av effektivitet för skogsbolagen som arbetar åt privata skogsägare. Studien visar att i alla tre undersökningsfall var förlorad effektivitet att föredra över försämrad kvalité på fällt virke. Den huvudsakliga orsaken till effektivitetsförluster var ökade skogsmaskinskostnader vid arbete med stormfällda träd, förvaringskostnader för virke och till viss del ökade kostnader för inhyrning av extern skogsbrukspersonal och transporter. Det är skogsbolagen som huvudsakligen får ta konsekvenserna av stormarna. De främsta beslut som fattas för att reducera kvalitetsförluster kan förklaras i tre kategorier – informationsinsamling, kapacitetsbygge och förhandling. Informationsinsamling sker regelbundet av stormfällda träd av varierande arter. Kapacitetsökningen utgöras genom att hyra in extra arbetare, transporter och maskiner till sågverken. Skogsbolagen initierar förhandlingar med markägarna för att omförhandla avtal, även avtal med sågverk i olika regioner omförhandlas för virkesförsäljning. Till sist sker även förhandlingar med staten om att lösa upp strikta kapacitetslagar. Sammanfattningsvis drar ingen aktör fördelar av stormar. Några aktörer tjänar i termer av arbetstillfällen, branschen tjänar på säkrad tillgång av virke och till viss del skapas välfärdsvinster på grund av ökad affärsverksamhet

The extent of extemporaneous preparation and regulatory framework of extemporaneous compounding in Latvia

Publisher Copyright: © 2019 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.Background and objectives: Extemporaneous preparations are pharmaceutical preparations individually prepared for a specific patient or patient group, but also high-risk products accompanied by doubts regarding their safety and quality. Legislation regulating the compounding of extemporaneous preparations is not harmonized among European countries. This problem is partially resolved by Resolution CM/Res(2016)1 on quality and safety assurance requirements for medicinal products prepared in pharmacies for the special needs of patients. In order to understand the relevance of extemporaneous compounding in Latvia and the fulfillment of the abovementioned resolution’s requirements, it is essential to get information about the volume and breakdown of sales of extemporaneous medicinal products in community pharmacies. The purpose of this survey is to identify the sales volume of extemporaneous preparations in community pharmacies in Latvia in 2017 by analyzing unpublished data of the State Agency of Medicines (SAM), as well as comparing Latvian laws with the requirements of the resolution. Materials and Methods: A separate Microsoft Excel spreadsheet was prepared for each statistical region in order to summarize the unpublished information of SAM on the turnover of extemporaneous preparations in 2017 in all Latvian statistical regions. In order to compare the regulatory framework in Latvia with the resolution, the Latvian Pharmaceutical Law and the Cabinet of Ministers Regulations regulating prescription, compounding and control of extemporaneous preparations in community pharmacies were analyzed. Results: Only 280 of 384 pharmacies submitted a report of sales of extemporaneous preparations for 2017 to the SAM. These pharmacies represented all Latvian statistical regions. Extemporaneous preparations were mostly sold in Riga (78.93%). The Latvian regulation does not include all paragraphs of the resolution. Most of the paragraphs of the resolution are described in Latvian regulatory enactments only partially. Conclusions: The total number of compounding pharmacies evidence that the service is needed. Latvian example highlights a necessity for European Union countries to compare their national legislation with the requirements of the resolution’s last version and, if necessary, implement relevant amendments.publishersversionPeer reviewe

Ab initio simulation of (Ba,Sr)TiO3 and (Ba,Ca)TiO3 perovskite solid solutions

This research was supported by the ERA-NET HarvEnPiez project. Many thanks to R. Dovesi, M.M. Kržmanc and D. Gryaznov for fruitful discussions.The results of ab initio (first-principles) computations of structural, elastic and piezoelectric properties of Ba(1−x)SrxTiO3 (BSTO) and Ba(1−x)CaxTiO3 (BCTO) perovskite solid solutions are presented, discussed and compared. Calculations are performed with the CRYSTAL14 computer code within the linear combination of atomic orbitals (LCAO) approximation, using advanced hybrid functionals of the density-functional-theory (DFT). Supercell model allows us to simulate solid solutions with different chemical compositions (x = 0, 0.125 and 0.25) within ferroelectric tetragonal phases (x < 0.3) of both solid solutions. It is shown that configurational disorder has to be taken into account in simulations of BCTO solid solutions, while for BSTO this effect is rather small. Both BSTO and BCTO show significantly enhanced piezoelectric properties, in a comparison with pure BaTiO3. However, these solid solutions demonstrate opposite behaviour of a tetragonal ratio c/a and elastic constants as the functions of chemical composition. It is predicted that due to decrease of the elastic constants in BCTO, it has much higher converse piezoelectric constants than BSTO.ERA-NET HarvEnPiez project; Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia as the Center of Excellence has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Framework Programme H2020-WIDESPREAD-01-2016-2017-TeamingPhase2 under grant agreement No. 739508, project CAMART

Kinetic Monte Carlo modeling of Y2O3 nano-cluster formation in radiation resistant matrices

This work has been carried out within the framework of the EUROfusion Consortium and has received funding from the Euratom research and training programme 2014-2018 under grant agreement No 633053. The views and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of the European Commission.As known, Y2O3 nano-clusters considerably increase radiation resistance of reactor construction materials. To model the nano-cluster formation kinetics, we propose the simplest possible mathematical model and perform kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) simulations. We extended the KMC simulated results to the experimentally relevant times using autoregressive integrated moving average forecasting. Within the model, we have studied prototypical attractive interaction energies and particle concentrations, and compared the simulations with experiments. We have observed the standard Lifshitz-Slyozov-Wagner (LSW) theory, predicting the average cluster radius growth with time, , with in the long-time limit, for weak (0.1 eV) mutual particle attraction. However, the respective cluster growth rates in these KMC simulations are overestimated compared to the experiments. The best agreement with experiment is obtained for a medium (0.3 eV) and strong (0.5 eV) attractions, when nano-cluster formation occurs during intermediate asymptotic time scale, where power order p ranges from 5 to 7.6 depending on interaction, without reaching actually the LSW long-time limit. Such a stronger interaction leads also to a more compact {110}–faceted nano-clusters.EUROfusion Consortium; Euratom research and training programme 2014-2018 under grant agreement No 633053; Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia as the Center of Excellence has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Framework Programme H2020-WIDESPREAD-01-2016-2017-TeamingPhase2 under grant agreement No. 739508, project CAMART

Atomic and electronic structure of both perfect and nanostructured Ni(111) surfaces: First-principles calculations

article i nfo In this study, we perform first principles simulations on both atomically smooth and nanostructured Ni(111) slabs. The latter contains periodically distributed nickel nanoclusters atop a thin metal film gradually growing from adatoms and serving as a promising catalyst. Applying the generalized gradient approximation within the formalism of the density functional theory we compare the atomic and electronic structures of Ni bulk, as well as both perfect and nanostructured (111) surfaces obtained using two different ab initio approaches: (i) the linear combination of atomic orbitals and (ii) the projector augmented plane waves. The most essential inter-atomic forces between the Ni adatoms upon the substrate have been found to be formed via: (i) attractive pair-wise interactions, (ii) repulsive triple-wise interactions within a triangle and (iii) attractive triple-wise interactions within a line between the nearest adatoms. The attractive interactions surmount the repulsive forces, hence resulting in the formation of stable clusters from Ni adatoms. The magnetic moment and the effective charge (within both Mulliken and Bader approaches) of the outer atoms in Ni nanoparticles increase as compared to those for the smooth Ni(111) surface. The calculated electronic charge redistribution in the Ni nanoclusters features them as possible adsorption centers with increasing catalytic activity, e.g., for further synthesis of carbon nanotubes

Interface-induced enhancement of piezoelectricity in the (SrTiO 3 ) m /(BaTiO 3 ) M−m superlattice for energy harvesting applications

This research is funded by the Latvian Council of Science, project No. lzp-2018/1-0147. The computer resources were provided by Stuttgart Supercomputing Center (project DEFTD 12939) and Latvian Super Cluster (LASC). Many thanks to R. Dovesi, A. Erba, and M. Rérat for numerous stimulating discussions.We present the results of a detailed first principles study of the piezoelectric properties of the (SrTiO3)m/(BaTiO3)M−m heterostructure using the 3D STOm/BTOM−m superlattice model. The atomic basis set, hybrid functionals and slabs with different numbers of STO and BTO layers were used. The interplay between ferroelectric (FEz) and antiferrodistortive (AFDz) displacements is carefully analyzed. Based on the experimental data and group theoretical analysis, we deduce two possible space groups of tetragonal symmetry which allow us to reproduce the experimentally known pure STO and BTO bulk phases in the limiting cases, and to model the corresponding intermediate superlattices. The characteristic feature of the space group P4mm (#99) model is atomic displacements in the [001] direction, which allows us to simulate the FEz displacements, whereas the P4 (#75) model besides FEz displacements permits oxygen octahedra antiphase rotations around the [001] direction and thus AFDz displacements. Our calculations demonstrate that for m/M ≤ 0.75 layer ratios both models show similar geometries and piezoelectric constants. Moreover, both models predict an approximately 6-fold increase of the piezoelectric constant e33 compared to the BaTiO3 bulk value, albeit at slightly different layer ratios. The obtained results clearly demonstrate that piezoelectricity arises due to the coordinated collective FEz displacements of atoms in both STO and BTO slabs and interfaces and reaches its maximum when the superlattice approaches the point where the tetragonal phase becomes unstable and transforms to a pseudo-cubic phase. We demonstrate that even a single or double layer of BTO is sufficient to trigger FEz displacements in the STO slab, in P4mm and P4 models, respectively.Latvian Council of Science, project No. lzp-2018/1-0147; Stuttgart Supercomputing Center project DEFTD 12939; Latvian Super Cluster LASC; Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia as the Center of Excellence has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Framework Programme H2020-WIDESPREAD-01-2016-2017-TeamingPhase2 under grant agreement No. 739508, project CAMART