Increasing the production efficiency of chrysotile cement products

Improving the efficiency of chrysotile-cement products is achieved by changing the raw materials with additives, changing their structure and properties, generating new kinds of chrysotile-cement productsnoBelgorod State Universit

Elasticity Maps of Living Neurons Measured by Combined Fluorescence and Atomic Force Microscopy

Detailed knowledge of mechanical parameters such as cell elasticity, stiffness of the growth substrate, or traction stresses generated during axonal extensions is essential for understanding the mechanisms that control neuronal growth. Here we combine Atomic Force Microscopy based force spectroscopy with Fluorescence Microscopy to produce systematic, high-resolution elasticity maps for three different types of live neuronal cells: cortical (embryonic rat), embryonic chick dorsal root ganglion, and P-19 (mouse embryonic carcinoma stem cells) neurons. We measure how the stiffness of neurons changes both during neurite outgrowth and upon disruption of microtubules of the cell. We find reversible local stiffening of the cell during growth, and show that the increase in local elastic modulus is primarily due to the formation of microtubules. We also report that cortical and P-19 neurons have similar elasticity maps, with elastic moduli in the range 0.1-2 kPa, with typical average values of 0.4 kPa (P-19) and 0.2 kPa (cortical). In contrast, DRG neurons are stiffer than P-19 and cortical cells, yielding elastic moduli in the range 0.1-8 kPa, with typical average values of 0.9 kPa. Finally, we report no measurable influence of substrate protein coating on cell body elasticity for the three types of neurons

Effects of substituents in reactions of sulfenyl chlorides with derivatives of phosphonallenic acids

In the reaction of sulfenyl chlorides with derivatives of allenylphosphonic acid, the structure of the products formed is determined by the effect of substituents at the P atom and the terminal C atom of the cumulene, and also by the nature of the organyl group attached to the S atom in sulfenyl chloride. © 1984 Plenum Publishing Corporation

СТАН ЕРЕКТИЛЬНОЇ ФУНКЦІЇ У ЧОЛОВІКІВ ІЗ ПЕРВИННИМ ГІПОТИРЕОЗОМ

Erectile dysfunction (ED) as inability to attain and/or support penile erection sufficient for realization of satisfactory sexual intercourse in men after 40-years-old age is one of the most frequent general chronic disorders.The aim of the study – to estimate an erectile function on a scale «The International index of erectile function (IIEF) – 15» for men with a primary hypothyroidism, that were on stationary and ambulatory treatment in Ternopil University Hospital.Materials and Methods. Analysis of the state of erectile function in men with hypothyroidism conducted the «The International index of erectile function – 15» (IIEF). 60 men with primary hypothyroidism in age from 21 to 75 years were under observation.Results. ED was significantly more often meets in patients with hypothyroidism (43 of 60 men, 72.0 %), what in men from a control group. The significant decrease decline of all integrative indexes of IIEF-15 was set in men with hypothyroidism by comparison to the indexes of patients in control group. The results of questionnaire of the inspected patients specify on hypothyroidism as on a direct factor that negatively influences on a sexual function in men.Conclusions. An analysis of results of IIEF-15 questionnaire in men with hypothyroidism, ED and educed the expressed decline of all indexes of erectile function and androgen deficiency at inspected both groups by comparison to control. Calcula­tion of integrative indexes of the state of sexual function in inspected men with hypothyroidism, significant decrease showed an androgen deficiency and obesity or normal body weight for them all parameters comparatively with a control group.Одним из наиболее частых общих хронических расстройств у мужчин после 40-летнего возраста является эректильная дисфункция (ЭД) – неспособность достичь и/или поддерживать эрекцию полового члена, достаточную для осуществления удовлетворительного полового акта.Цель исследования – оценить эректильную функцию по шкале «Международный индекс эректильной функции – 15» у мужчин с первичным гипотиреозом, которые находились на стационарном и амбулаторном лечении в Тернопольской университетской больнице.Материал и методы. Анализ состояния эректильной функции у мужчин с гипотиреозом проводили с использованием опросника «Международный индекс эректильной функции – 15" (МИЭФ-15). Обследовано 60 мужчин с первичным гипотиреозом в возрасте от 21 до 75 лет.Результаты. ЭД достоверно чаще встречается у пациентов с гипотиреозом (43 из 60 мужчин, 72,0 %), чем у мужчин из контрольной группы. Установлено достоверное снижение всех интегративных показателей МИЭФ-15 у мужчин с гипотиреозом, в сравнении с показателями лиц контрольной группы. Результаты анкетирования обследованных больных указывают на гипотиреоз как на прямой фактор, отрицательно влияющий на половую функцию у мужчин.Выводы. Анализ результатов анкетирования МИЭФ-15 мужчин с гипотиреозом, ЭД и андрогенным дефицитом выявил выраженное снижение всех показателей эректильной функции у обследованных обеих групп, в сравнении с контрольной. Вычисление интегративных показателей состояния половой функции у обследованных с гипотиреозом, андрогенным дефицитом и ожирением или нормальной массой тела показало достоверное снижение у них всех параметров, сравнительно с контрольной группой.Одним із найчастіших загальних хронічних розладів у чоловіків після 40-річного віку є еректильна дисфункція (ЕД) – нездатність досягти та/або підтримувати ерекцію статевого члена, достатню для здійснення задовільного статевого акту.Мета дослідження – оцінити еректильну функцію за шкалою «Міжнародний індекс еректильної функції – 15» у чоловіків з первинним гіпотиреозом, які перебували на стаціонарному та амбулаторному лікуванні в Терно- пільській університетській лікарні.Матеріал і методи. Аналіз стану еректильної функції у чоловіків із гіпотиреозом проводили з використанням опитувальника «Міжнародний індекс еректильної функції – 15» (МІЕФ-15). Обстежено 60 чоловіків із первинним гіпотиреозом віком від 21 до 75 років.Результати. ЕД вірогідно частіше трапляється в пацієнтів із гіпотиреозом (43 із 60 чоловіків, 72,0 %), ніж у чоловіків із контрольної групи. Встановлено вірогідне зниження всіх інтегративних показників МІЕФ-15 у чоловіків із гіпотиреозом, порівняно з показниками осіб контрольної групи. Результати анкетування обстежених хворих вказують на гіпотиреоз як на прямий чинник, який негативно впливає на статеву функцію у чоловіків.Висновки. Аналіз результатів анкетування МІЕФ-15 чоловіків із гіпотиреозом, ЕД та андрогенним дефіцитом виявив виражене зниження всіх показників еректильної функції в обстежених обох груп, порівняно з контрольною. Обчислення інтегративних показників стану статевої функції в обстежених із гіпотиреозом, андрогенним дефіцитом та ожирінням або нормальною масою тіла показало вірогідне зниження у них усіх параметрів, порівняно з контрольною групою

Visual Analytics for Epidemiologists: Understanding the Interactions Between Age, Time, and Disease with Multi-Panel Graphs

Visual analytics, a technique aiding data analysis and decision making, is a novel tool that allows for a better understanding of the context of complex systems. Public health professionals can greatly benefit from this technique since context is integral in disease monitoring and biosurveillance. We propose a graphical tool that can reveal the distribution of an outcome by time and age simultaneously.We introduce and demonstrate multi-panel (MP) graphs applied in four different settings: U.S. national influenza-associated and salmonellosis-associated hospitalizations among the older adult population (≥65 years old), 1991-2004; confirmed salmonellosis cases reported to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health for the general population, 2004-2005; and asthma-associated hospital visits for children aged 0-18 at Milwaukee Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, 1997-2006. We illustrate trends and anomalies that otherwise would be obscured by traditional visualization techniques such as case pyramids and time-series plots.MP graphs can weave together two vital dynamics--temporality and demographics--that play important roles in the distribution and spread of diseases, making these graphs a powerful tool for public health and disease biosurveillance efforts

Indicators of Diabetes Mellitus type 2 patients compensation by the level of glycated hemoglobin in Ternopol region, Ukraine, 2011

Introduction: WHO notes that diabetes mellitus (DM) leads to increased mortality of patients by 2-3 times and reduces their life duration by 10-30 %. Epidemiological studies in Ukraine indicate a permanent increase in the number of patients with both DM types. The most objective and long-term indicator of diabetes compensation is glycated hemoglobin (HbAlc). Purpose: Our study was to estimate the stage of compensation for patients with DM types 1 and 2 in Ternopil region on the basis of HbAlc levels. Materials and methods: We examined 285 patients with type 2 diabetes, among them 150 people received insulin therapy. The duration of diabetes was from 2 to 17 years. Patients’ age was from 42 to 75 years. Due to the fact that the study involved 49.2% of patients older than 50 years, stages of compensation of diabetes were the following: HbAlc less than 7.0% - good control, 7,0-8,0% - satisfactory control, above 8.0% - poor control. Results: The amount of patients with HbAlc level under 7% was 8.65%, with HbAlc from 7.0 to 8.0% - 17.11%, with HbAlc above 8.0% - 74.24%, respectively. The average HbAlc level among clients with type 2 diabetes and insulin treatment was (9.62±0.07)% and among those, who used anti-diabetic drugs - (9.34±0.08)%, respectively. The average HbAlc concentration in patients with type 2 DM in Ternopil region, Ukraine in 2011 was (9.48±0.06)%. Conclusions: The average level of glycated hemoglobin in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in Ternopil region, Ukraine in 2011 was (9.48±0.06)%, and did not depend on the method of its treatment (insulin or anti-diabetic drugs). The majority of clients with diabetes mellitus type 2 (74.24%) presented poor control of the disease

Longitudinal borehole functionality in 15 rural Ghanaian towns from three groundwater quality clusters

OBJECTIVE: In sub-Saharan Africa, 45% of the rural population uses boreholes (BHs). Despite recent gains in improved water access and coverage, parallel use of unimproved sources persists. Periodic infrastructure disrepair contributes to non-exclusive use of BHs. Our study describes functionality of BHs in 2014, 2015, and 2016 in 15 rural towns in the Eastern Region of Ghana sourced from three groundwater quality clusters (high iron, high salinity, and control). We also assess factors affecting cross-sectional and longitudinal functionality using logistic regression. RESULTS: BH functionality rates ranged between 81 and 87% and were similar across groundwater quality clusters. Of 51 BHs assessed in all three years, 34 (67%) were consistently functional and only 3 (6%) were consistently broken. There was a shift toward proactive payment for water over the course of the study in the control and high-salinity clusters. Payment mechanism, population served, presence of nearby alternative water sources, and groundwater quality cluster were not significant predictors of cross-sectional or longitudinal BH functionality. However, even in the high iron cluster, where water quality is poor and no structured payment mechanism for water exists, BHs are maintained, showing that they are important community resources

Recent Diarrhea is Associated with Elevated Salivary IgG Responses to Cryptosporidium in Residents of an Eastern Massachusetts Community

BACKGROUND: Serological data suggest that Cryptosporidium infections are common but underreported. The invasiveness of blood sampling limits the application of serology in epidemiological surveillance. We pilot-tested a non-invasive salivary anti-Cryptosporidium antibody assay in a community survey involving children and adults. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Families with children were recruited in a Massachusetts community in July; symptoms data were collected at 3 monthly follow-up mail surveys. One saliva sample per person (n = 349) was collected via mail, with the last survey in October. Samples were analyzed for IgG and IgA responses to a recombinant C. hominis gp15 sporozoite protein using a time-resolved fluorometric immunoassay. Log-transformed assay results were regressed on age using penalized B-splines to account for the strong age-dependence of antibody reactions. Positive responses were defined as fluorescence values above the upper 99% prediction limit. RESULTS: Forty-seven (13.5%) individuals had diarrhea without concurrent respiratory symptoms during the 3-month-long follow-up; eight of them had these symptoms during the month prior to saliva sampling. Two individuals had positive IgG responses: an adult who had diarrhea during the prior month and a child who had episodes of diarrhea during each survey month (Fisher\u27s exact test for an association between diarrhea and IgG response: p = 0.0005 for symptoms during the prior month and p = 0.02 for symptoms during the entire follow-up period). The child also had a positive IgA response, along with two asymptomatic individuals (an association between diarrhea and IgA was not significant). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the salivary IgG specific to Cryptosporidium antigens warrants further evaluation as a potential indicator of recent infections

One-dimensional steady-state structures at relativistic interaction of laser radiation with overdense plasma for finite electron temperature

One-dimensional steady-state plasma-field structures in overdense plasma are studied assuming that the electron temperature is uniform over plasma bulk and the ions are stationary. It is shown that there may exist solutions for electron distributions with cavitation regions in plasma under the action of ponderomotive forceComment: 6 pages, 4 figure

Partial Structural transformation of NiMn in Exchange biased Fe20Ni80/Ni30Mn70/Fe20Ni80 thin films

Features of crystal structure and exchange bias of annealed Fe20Ni80/Ni30Mn70/Fe20Ni80 thin films are investigated. Temperature dependences of hysteresis loops reveal that for a sample with a thicker FeNi bottom layer a blocking temperature exceeds a Néel temperature of A1 -NiMn by 20K, while for a sample with a thinner FeNi bottom layer a blocking tem-perature is larger than the Néel temperature by 140K. An explanation of the influence of the bottom FeNi layer on the phase transformation in NiMn is proposed.This work was financially supported by the Russian Science Foundation (RSF), project No. 18-72-10044