His Beatitude Lubomyr Husar and Plast: Some Pages of Biography

У статті вконтексті історії розвитку молодіжно-спортивної організації українського «Пласту» висвітлено деякі сторінки біографії Блаженнішого Любомира в період його еміграції в Австріюта США, зокрема активну участь у діяльності пластового загону «Червона Калина»; розкрито діяльність очільників УГКЦ у розбудові й організації діяльності «Пласту» в незалежній Україні. Проаналізовано погляди Блаженнішого Любомира на роль скаутської молодіжно-спортивної організації у формуванні особистості молодих українців в еміграції, збереженні ними національної самоідентифікації. In the article by I. Kolada, B. Batsvin «His Beatitude Lubomyr Husar and Plast: some pages of biography» in the context of the development history of sport-youth organization of Ukrainian Plast the life of His Beatitude Lubomyr during his emigration in Austria and the United States is discovered, in particular active participation in the activities of formation team «Chervona Kalyna»; active actions of the leaders of the UGCC in the development and organization of Plast’s activities in independent Ukraine are revealed. The authors analyze the views of His Beatitude Lubomyr on the role of scout youth-sports organization in formation of the young Ukrainians` personalities in emigration, preserving their national self-identity

Evaluation of cytotoxicity and pH changes generated by various dental pulp capping materials — an in vitro study

Introduction. Various materials are used in direct dental pulp capping method. Their biocompatibility and alkalizing abilities are of primary importance affecting therapeutic effects. The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the cytotoxicity of various pulp-capping materials on human gingival fibroblasts and investigate the pH changes induced by these materials. Material and methods. Human gingival fibroblasts were cultured with nine direct pulp materials using culture plate inserts. The cytotoxic effects were recorded by using an MTT-based colorimetric assay after 3 and 24 h. In the second part of the experiment, the materials were inserted in dialysis tubes and transferred into plastic vials containing deionized water. The changes of the medium pH were measured after 3 and 24 h. Results. We showed differences in cell viability of gingival fibroblasts after varied time of exposition for the tested materials. Cell viability after 24 h increased for Dycal, Biopulp, and Calcipro, and decreased for Calcipulpe, Angelus, Angelus White, and ProRoot Regular. Cell viability for ProRoot and Life did not change. Non-setting calcium hydroxide preparations followed by the MTA group and setting calcium hydroxide materials produced the highest pH. All the tested materials significantly increased pH (p < 0.0001) at 24 h. Conclusions. Currently used pulp capping materials varied in their cytotoxicity relative to human gingival fibroblasts and their alkalizing capacities. Since most likely pH does not affect the viability of cultured cells, further investigations are required to determine physicochemical properties of these materials and the biological activity of the dental pulp

Cytotoxicity and Oxidative Stress Induction by Root Canal Sealers in Human Periodontal Ligament Fibroblasts: An in vitro Study

Introduction: The aim of the study was to investigate the in vitro cytotoxicity, the profile of cell death, and the level of oxidative stress in human periodontal ligament fibroblasts (HPdLFs) after exposure to selected root canal sealers. Methods and Materials: Freshly mixed or set Endomethasone N (EN), RealSeal (RSEAL), Roeko Seal Automix (RSA), and Sealapex (SP) were incubated with HPdLFs. Fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-annexin V (AnV) and propidium iodide (PI) staining followed by flow cytometry was used to identify the effects of the materials on cell viability and the profile of cell death. 2,7-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (DCFH-DA) with fluorescence-activated cell sorting was used to determine reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation in HPdLFs. Statistical analyses were performed using one-way ANOVA followed by post hoc tests, and significance was determined at P<0.05. Results: All materials reduced the viability of the cultured cells compared with the controls (P<0.05). Fresh SP and EN, and set RSA generated an increase of necrotic cells (P<0.05), whilst fresh RSEAL and RSA induced an elevation of apoptotic cells (P<0.001). Set RSEAL caused a rise in both apoptotic and necrotic cells compared with the controls (P<0.05). Fresh EN, RSEAL, and SP resulted in increased intracellular ROS generation compared with the negative control (P<0.001), whilst fresh RSA and all set materials were ineffective. Conclusions: This in vitro study showed us the materials tested were characterized by differentiated cytotoxic effects on HPdLFs. The fresh and set forms of sealers were capable of eliciting toxic action, inducing apoptosis and/or necrosis in HPdLFs. The toxic effects of fresh EN, RSEAL, and SP might have been due to the induction of oxidative stress in human periodontal fibroblasts. The cytotoxicity of RSA seemed to be related to the involvement of other mechanisms

Term Mediation in Modern Scientific Research on Translation

The article is devoted to the definitional analysis of the term mediation in the scientific communication of translation researchers and the rational grounds for introducing a new word into the terminological system of the translation science branch of scientific knowledge. Research methods: information search of modern foreign and domestic scientific studies on the keywords mediation and mediatsiya, definitional and contextual analysis of the specified pair of terms in scientific research on translation in Russian, English and French. The authors raise the issue of a certain confusion in the use of the term to refer to various kinds of intermediary activity. It turns out that in the field of translation, mediation is most often understood as a process of acting as an intermediary and is a type of social interaction between different interlocutors with the help of an interpreter. As a result of the study, it is found that the introduction of the term mediation into scientific communication is determined by the need to designate a special kind of cultural mediation, in which the translator plays a more active role, bringing him closer to the mediator as a intermediary in controversial and conflict situations. The relevance of the use of the term here is connected with the problems of intercultural and sociocultural mediation in migration processes

Prostaglandin E2 affects differently the release of inflammatory mediators from resident macrophages by LPS and muramyl tripeptides.

LPS and MTP-PE (liposome-encapsulated N-acetyl-muramyl-L-alanyl-D-isoglutaminyl-L-alanine-2-:[1',2'dipalmitoyl -sni-glycero-3-(hydroxy-phosphoryl-oxyl)] etylamide) induce in liver macrophages a synthesis and release of TNF-alpha, nitric oxide and prostanoids. Both agents induce an expression of mRNA's encoding TNF-alpha, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase (COX)-2, and of corresponding proteins. LPS and MTP-PE induce a rapid activation of the extracellular regulated kinase (ERK) isoenzymes-1 and -2. Inhibition of map kinase isoenzymes leads to a decreased release of TNF-alpha, nitric oxide and prostaglandin (PG) E2 after both agents. The transcription factors NF-kappaB and AP-1 are strongly activated by LPS within 30 minutes. MTP-PE induces a weak activation of both transcription factors only after 5 hours. Inhibition of NF-kappaB inhibits the LPS- but not the MTP-PE-induced release of TNF-alpha, nitric oxide and PGE2. PGE2 release after LPS is higher than after MTP-PE. Exogenously added PGE2 inhibits the activation of map kinase and TNF-alpha release by LPS, but not by MTP-PE. Release of nitric oxide after LPS and MTP-PE is enhanced after prior addition of PGE2. PGD2 is without any effect. MTP-PE, but not LPS, induces a cytotoxicity of Kupffer cells against P815 tumor target cells. The MTP-PE-induced cytotoxicity is reduced by TNF-alpha neutralizing antibodies, indicating the involvement of TNF-alpha. Thus our results suggest that the different potencies of LPS and MTP-PE as immunomodulators probably result from different actions on Kupffer cells, resulting in differences in the amounts and kinetics of released TNF-alpha and PGE2, and that PGE2 plays an important regulatory role in the action of LPS, but not in the actions of MTP-PE

Биннинг в нейросетевых скоринговых моделях

Стаття присвячена розробці методологічного підходу до категоризації вхідних показників економіко-математичних моделей оцінювання кредитоспроможності позичальників комерційних банків. Основою математичного інструментарію обрано нейронну мережу типу багатошаровий персептрон. Об’єктом дослідження є процес категоризації пояснюючих змінних скорингових моделей. Предметом дослідження є сукупність методів категоризації та способів оцінки їх впливу на точність моделі оцінювання ймовірності невиконання умов договору позичальником. У результаті проведених експериментальних досліджень у рамках запропонованого методологічного підходу було обґрунтовано здійснювати оптимізацію розбиття на категорії вхідних змінних моделі за рахунок максимізації значення коефіцієнта Джині як показника адекватності скорингових моделей. Було отримано висновок, що зниження показника інформаційної значущості не завжди виступає індикатором погіршення якості класифікатора. У статті також був розширений список рекомендацій щодо проведення біннінгу, який може бути використаний для побудови більш точних моделей оцінювання кредитоспроможності позичальників комерційних банків.The article is devoted to developing methodological approach of categorizing the input variables of economic and mathematical models of evaluating of creditworthiness of commercial banks’ borrowers. The basis of mathematical tools was chosen as the neural network of type of multilayer perception. The object of study is the process of categorizing the explanatory variables of scorinmodels. The subject of study is a set of methods of categorizing and approaches to evaluate their impact on the efficiency of the model of estimation of probability of borrower’s default under the contract. As a result of experimental studies within the confines of the proposed methodological approach it was decided to optimize the input of the variables partitioning into categories by maximizing the Gini coefficient as a measure of the adequacy of scoring models. A conclusion that a drop in the information value does not always act as an indicator of the deterioration of the classifier was obtained. In this article it has been expanded a list of recommendations for binning that may be used to build more accurate models of evaluating the creditworthiness of borrowers of commercial banks.Статья посвящена разработке методологического подхода категоризации входных переменных экономико-математических моделей оценки кредитоспособности заемщиков коммерческих банков. Основой математического инструментария выбрана нейронная сеть типа многослойный персептрон. Объектом исследования является процесс категоризации влияющих факторов скоринговых моделей. Предметом исследования является совокупность методов категоризации и способов оценки их влияния на точность модели расчета вероятности невыполнения условий договора заемщиком. В результате проведенных экспериментальных исследований в рамках предложенного методологического подхода было обосновано проведение оптимизации разбиения на категории входных переменных модели за счет максимизации значения коэффициента Джини как показателя адекватности скоринговых моделей. Было получено заключение, что снижение показателя информационной значимости не всегда выступает индикатором ухудшения точности классификатора. В статье также был расширен список рекомендаций по проведению биннинга, который может быть использован для построения более эффективных моделей оценки кредитоспособности заемщиков коммерческих банков

Measurements of uncertainty in macrophyte metrics used to assess European lake water quality

Uncertainty is an important factor in ecological assessment, and has important implications for the ecological classification and management of lakes. However, our knowledge of the effects of uncertainty in the assessment of different ecological indicators is limited. Here, we used data from a standardized campaign of aquatic plant surveys, in 28 lakes from 10 European countries, to assess variation in macrophyte metrics across a set of nested spatial scales: countries, lakes, sampling stations, replicate transects, and replicate samples at two depth-zones. Metrics investigated in each transect included taxa richness, maximum depth of colonisation and two indicators of trophic status: Ellenberg’s N and a metric based on phosphorus trophic status. Metrics were found to have a slightly stronger relationship to pressures when they were calculated on abundance data compared to presence/absence data. Eutrophication metrics based on helophytes were found not to be useful in assessing the effects of nutrient pressure. These metrics were also found to vary with the depth of sampling, with shallower taxa representing higher trophic status. This study demonstrates the complex spatial variability in macrophyte communities, the effect of this variability on the metrics, and the implications to water managers, especially in relation to survey design

Macrophyte assessment in European lakes: Diverse approaches but convergent views of 'good' ecological status

The European Water Framework Directive has been adopted by Member States to assess and manage the ecological integrity of surface waters. Specific challenges include harmonizing diverse assessment systems across Europe, linking ecological assessment to restoration measures and reaching a common view on ‘good’ ecological status. In this study, nine national macrophyte-based approaches for assessing ecological status were compared and harmonized, using a large dataset of 539 European lakes. A macrophyte common metric, representing the average standardized view of each lake by all countries, was used to compare national methods. This was also shown to reflect the total phosphorus (r2 = 0.32), total nitrogen (r2 = 0.22) as well as chlorophyll-a (r2 = 0.35–0.38) gradients, providing a link between ecological data, stressors and management decisions. Despite differing assessment approaches and initial differences in classification, a consensus was reached on how type-specific macrophyte assemblages change across the ecological status gradient and where ecological status boundaries should lie. A marked decline in submerged vegetation, especially Charophyta (characterizing ‘good’ status), and an increase in abundance of free-floating plants (characterizing ‘less than good’ status) were the most significant changes along the ecological status gradient. Macrophyte communities of ‘good’ status lakes were diverse with many charophytes and several Potamogeton species. A large number of taxa occurred across the entire gradient, but only a minority dominated at ‘less than good’ status, including filamentous algae, lemnids, nymphaeids, and several elodeids (e.g., Zannichellia palustris and Elodea nuttallii). Our findings establish a ‘guiding image’ of the macrophyte community at ‘good’ ecological status in hard-water lakes of the Central-Baltic region of Europe