APPLICATION OF “MOODLE” E-LEARNING SYSTEM IN TEACHING LANGUAGE FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES

The article presents the development experience of online computer-assisted learning package based on modular object-oriented dynamic learning environment (MOODLE) that is designed to teach a foreign language for specific purposes in non-linguistic university. The developed package allows enhancing the teaching process by creating optimal conditions to realize the principles of teaching differentiation and individualization and also by stimulating the students’ motivation to learn the language through various methods and kinds of teaching tasks

Social welfare society versus social irresponsibility society: pro et contra

Today achieving prosperity in various spheres of human activity is just as important as it was before. But we can say that there is a sufficient number of factors that cast doubt on the preservation of the achieved level of wellbeing, its maintenance and development. The main aim of the research is to assess the prospects of becoming of the society social wellbeing and to develop proposals to address the main problems encountered along the way. Methods. The authors have used the method of explication to clarify a number of key concepts and processes that take place at formation of social wellbeing society and the method of comparative analysis to demonstrate different processes of social evolution. Results. Globalization and modernization (information support) are the most significant challenges to the social welfare society. These processes undermine such important institutions as the state and society as the welfare fundamentals, and lead to the loss of uniqueness and self-sufficiency. They results in losing the familiar features of a man, society and the state. In particular, the state has been already unable to agree on a social compromise (collective solidarity) with employers and on the issue of full employment of people who do not possess the latest professional competencies (information) with trade unions. The authors conclude that today the society of social welfare, initially developed on the basis of establishment and development of human rights is possible only in the case of social evolution emphasis which is also based on responsibilities of a person to himself and to the society. This condition is essential to form the social welfare society in the modern world

Ceramic materials based on lanthanum zirconate for the bone augmentation purposes: cytocompatibility in a cell culture model

Creation of new ceramic materials for the bone augmentation purposes that combine the absence of cytotoxicity, high strength and osseointegration characteristics is an urgent modern task. In this work, the cytocompatibility of ceramic materials based on lanthanum zirconate (La2Zr2O7) was determined to assess the prospects for their use as implants and components of human joint endoprostheses. The effect of ceramic materials based on undoped and alkali-earth (Ca, Sr) doped La2Zr2O7 on the viability and proliferative activity of human cells was evaluated. The release of elements into the culture medium was also evaluated

Social welfare society versus social irresponsibility society: pro et contra

Today achieving prosperity in various spheres of human activity is just as important as it was before. But we can say that there is a sufficient number of factors that cast doubt on the preservation of the achieved level of wellbeing, its maintenance and development. The main aim of the research is to assess the prospects of becoming of the society social wellbeing and to develop proposals to address the main problems encountered along the way. Methods. The authors have used the method of explication to clarify a number of key concepts and processes that take place at formation of social wellbeing society and the method of comparative analysis to demonstrate different processes of social evolution. Results. Globalization and modernization (information support) are the most significant challenges to the social welfare society. These processes undermine such important institutions as the state and society as the welfare fundamentals, and lead to the loss of uniqueness and self-sufficiency. They results in losing the familiar features of a man, society and the state. In particular, the state has been already unable to agree on a social compromise (collective solidarity) with employers and on the issue of full employment of people who do not possess the latest professional competencies (information) with trade unions. The authors conclude that today the society of social welfare, initially developed on the basis of establishment and development of human rights is possible only in the case of social evolution emphasis which is also based on responsibilities of a person to himself and to the society. This condition is essential to form the social welfare society in the modern world

Transverse Profile Forming for High Energy Electron Beams Using 3D-Printed Plastic Samples

The work presents application of previously proposed approach for transverse profile forming of high energy electron beams with plastic samples made using 3D printing technology. The collimator made of PLA (polylactide) plastic is designed and produced in a frame of this work. The results of transverse profile forming for 6 MeV electron beam of clinical linear accelerator Elekta Synergy using designed collimator is presented. Obtained results comparison with data from XiO dosimetry planning system shows good agreement of calculated and experimentally formed by plastic collimator electron beam dose fields

Transverse Profile Forming for High Energy Electron Beams Using 3D-Printed Plastic Samples

The work presents application of previously proposed approach for transverse profile forming of high energy electron beams with plastic samples made using 3D printing technology. The collimator made of PLA (polylactide) plastic is designed and produced in a frame of this work. The results of transverse profile forming for 6 MeV electron beam of clinical linear accelerator Elekta Synergy using designed collimator is presented. Obtained results comparison with data from XiO dosimetry planning system shows good agreement of calculated and experimentally formed by plastic collimator electron beam dose fields

Changing nutrient stoichiometry affects phytoplankton production, DOP accumulation and dinitrogen fixation – a mesocosm experiment in the eastern tropical North Atlantic

Ocean deoxygenation due to climate change may alter redox-sensitive nutrient cycles in the marine environment. The productive eastern tropical North Atlantic (ETNA) upwelling region may be particularly affected when the relatively moderate oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) deoxygenates further and microbially driven nitrogen (N) loss processes are promoted. Consequently, water masses with a low nitrogen to phosphorus (N : P) ratio could reach the euphotic layer, possibly influencing primary production in those waters. Previous mesocosm studies in the oligotrophic Atlantic Ocean identified nitrate availability as a control of primary production, while a possible co-limitation of nitrate and phosphate could not be ruled out. To better understand the impact of changing N : P ratios on primary production and N2 fixation in the ETNA surface ocean, we conducted land-based mesocosm experiments with natural plankton communities and applied a broad range of N : P ratios (2.67–48). Silicic acid was supplied at 15 µmol L−1 in all mesocosms. We monitored nutrient drawdown, biomass accumulation and nitrogen fixation in response to variable nutrient stoichiometry. Our results confirmed nitrate to be the key factor determining primary production. We found that excess phosphate was channeled through particulate organic matter (POP) into the dissolved organic matter (DOP) pool. In mesocosms with low inorganic phosphate availability, DOP was utilized while N2 fixation increased, suggesting a link between those two processes. Interestingly this observation was most pronounced in mesocosms where nitrate was still available, indicating that bioavailable N does not necessarily suppress N2 fixation. We observed a shift from a mixed cyanobacteria–proteobacteria dominated active diazotrophic community towards a diatom-diazotrophic association of the Richelia-Rhizosolenia symbiosis. We hypothesize that a potential change in nutrient stoichiometry in the ETNA might lead to a general shift within the diazotrophic community, potentially influencing primary productivity and carbon export

Diaphragm and abdominal organ motion during radiotherapy:a comprehensive multicenter study in 189 children

Background: For accurate thoracic and abdominal radiotherapy, inter- and intrafractional geometrical uncertainties need to be considered to enable accurate margin sizes. We aim to quantify interfractional diaphragm and abdominal organ position variations, and intrafractional diaphragm motion in a large multicenter cohort of pediatric cancer patients (&lt; 18 years). We investigated the correlation of interfractional position variations and intrafractional motion with age, and with general anesthesia (GA). Methods: In 189 children (mean age 8.1; range 0.4–17.9 years) from six institutes, interfractional position variation of both hemidiaphragms, spleen, liver, left and right kidneys was quantified using a two-step registration. CBCTs were registered to the reference CT relative to the bony anatomy, followed by organ registration. We calculated the group mean, systematic and random errors (standard deviations Σ and σ, respectively) in cranial-caudal (CC), left-right and anterior-posterior directions. Intrafractional right hemidiaphragm motion was quantified using CBCTs on which the breathing amplitude, defined as the difference between end-inspiration and end-expiration peaks, was assessed (N = 79). We investigated correlations with age (Spearman’s ρ), and differences in motion between patients treated with and without GA (N = 75; all &lt; 5.5 years). Results: Interfractional group means were largest in CC direction and varied widely between patients, with largest variations in the right hemidiaphragm (range -13.0–17.5 mm). Interfractional group mean of the left kidney showed a borderline significant correlation with age (p = 0.047; ρ = 0.17). Intrafractional right hemidiaphragm motion in patients ≥ 5.5 years (mean 10.3 mm) was significantly larger compared to patients &lt; 5.5 years treated without GA (mean 8.3 mm) (p = 0.02), with smaller Σ and σ values. We found a significant correlation between breathing amplitude and age (p &lt; 0.001; ρ = 0.43). Interfractional right hemidiaphragm position variations were significantly smaller in patients &lt; 5.5 years treated with GA than without GA (p = 0.004), but intrafractional motion showed no significant difference. Conclusion: In this large multicenter cohort of children undergoing thoracic and abdominal radiotherapy, we found that interfractional position variation does not depend on age, but the use of GA in patients &lt; 5.5 years showed smaller systematic and random errors. Furthermore, our results showed that breathing amplitude increases with age. Moreover, variations between patients advocate the need for a patient-specific margin approach.</p

Transverse profile forming for high energy electron beams using 3D-printed plastic samples

The work presents application of previously proposed approach for transverse profile forming of high energy electron beams with plastic samples made using 3D printing technology. The collimator made of PLA (polylactide) plastic is designed and produced in a frame of this work. The results of transverse profile forming for 6 MeV electron beam of clinical linear accelerator Elekta Synergy using designed collimator is presented. Obtained results comparison with data from XiO dosimetry planning system shows good agreement of calculated and experimentally formed by plastic collimator electron beam dose fields