Efficiency of Polish metallurgical industry based on data envelopment analysis

The main purpose of this paper is to compare the technical efficiency of 12 sectors manufacturing basic metals and metal products in Poland. This article presents the use of Data Envelopment Analysis models, to determine overall technical efficiency, pure technical efficiency and scale efficiency of metallurgical branches in Poland. The average technical efficiency of metallurgical industry in Poland was quite high. The analysis gives a possibility to create a ranking of sectors. Three branches were found to be fully efficient: manufacture of basic iron and steel and of ferroalloys, manufacture of basic precious and other non - ferrous metals and manufacture of tubes, pipes, hollow profiles and related fittings, of steel. The results point out the reasons of the inefficiency and provide improving directions for the inefficient sectors.Web of Science55224824

Antibacterial activity, cytocompatibility, and thermomechanical stability of Ti40Zr10Cu36Pd14 bulk metallic glass

This paper envisions Ti40Zr10Cu36Pd14 bulk metallic glass as an oral implant material and evaluates its antibacterial performance in the inhabitation of oral biofilm formation in comparison with the gold standard Ti-6Al-4V implant material. Metallic glasses are superior in terms of biocorrosion and have a reduced stress shielding effect compared with their crystalline counterparts. Dynamic mechanical and thermal expansion analyses on Ti40Zr10Cu36Pd14 show that these materials can be thermomechanically shaped into implants. Static water contact angle measurement on samples' surface shows an increased surface wettability on the Ti-6Al-4V surface after 48 h incubation in the water while the contact angle remains constant for Ti40Zr10Cu36Pd14 . Further, high-resolution transmission and scanning transmission electron microscopy analysis have revealed that Ti40Zr10Cu36Pd14 interior is fully amorphous, while a 15 nm surface oxide is formed on its surface and assigned as copper oxide. Unlike titanium oxide formed on Ti-6Al-4V, copper oxide is hydrophobic, and its formation reduces surface wettability. Further surface analysis by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirmed the presence of copper oxide on the surface. Metallic glasses cytocompatibility was first demonstrated towards human gingival fibroblasts, and then the antibacterial properties were verified towards the oral pathogen Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans responsible for oral biofilm formation. After 24 h of direct infection, metallic glasses reported a >70% reduction of bacteria viability and the number of viable colonies was reduced by similar to 8 times, as shown by the colony-forming unit count. Field emission scanning electron microscopy and fluorescent images confirmed the lower surface colonization of metallic glasses in comparison with controls. Finally, oral biofilm obtained from healthy volunteers was cultivated onto specimens' surface, and proteomics was applied to study the surface property impact on species composition within the oral plaque

Proceso judicial enfatizado a la efectiva protección especial de la mujer en estado de Embarazo en centros carcelarios y penitenciarios de Bogotá.

De acuerdo con la investigación previa realizada por la Procuraduría Delegada en lo Preventivo para Derechos Humanos y Asuntos Étnicos, Grupo de Asuntos penitenciarios y carcelarios las mujeres en estado de embarazo que se encuentran en el cumplimiento de la pena dentro de centros penitenciarios y carcelarios no cuentan con unas condiciones óptimas y un mínimo vital adecuado vulnerando su derecho a la protección especial. Dentro de la normatividad colombiana la pena privativa de la libertad se aplica como pena principal en conductas trascendentes que se adecuan típicamente a la ley penal establecida previamente y que según un juez competente el sujeto activo debe cumplir dicha pena intramural, en un centro penitenciario que el Estado ha previsto con anterioridad. En efecto la pena en Colombia cumple la función de resocializar al individuo infractor, para que en el momento de cumplida la condena sea útil en la comunidad, sin embargo en el tiempo que se encuentre excluido cumpliendo su pena, no dejan de tener el carácter de persona; lo que supone que aunque se limitan algunos derechos como el de la libre locomoción, el recluso tiene no pierde a su dignidad humana, ni los derechos que ello deriva y que le corresponden por el simple hecho de ser persona, los cual el Estado debe proteger en toda condición. Así mismo para cumplir el fin resocializador de la pena es menester del Estado humanizar la condena, no solo en lo relacionado con el convicto sino, implementar mecanismos que minimicen el impacto de la pena en la familia del preso. Durante el desarrollo de la investigación se constató la ausencia de condiciones durante la ejecución de la sanción penal en donde se refleja la problemática de la población femenina y puntualmente lo relacionado con las madres gestantes como la falta de apoyo médico y psicológico que tienen cuando se encuentran privadas de la libertad, no solo en lo relacionado con el desarrollo normal del embarazo, sino, además la situación que deben afrontar en los primeros meses de vida del menor que ha nacido en prisión. Es así como la atención médica especializada que tienen las mujeres gestantes dentro de un centro carcelario es insuficiente para suplir las necesidades que por cuestiones sanitarias en un centro penitenciario se presentan. Una mujer en estado de embarazo y próxima a su parto tiene condiciones especiales y pasa a ser vulnerable dentro del lugar donde cumple la pena, y es en ese mismo lugar donde actualmente las mujeres embarazadas viven y muchas veces tienen a sus hijos, allí donde las condiciones no son óptimas para cumplir el tiempo gestación. Si bien es cierto el hacinamiento carcelario y penitenciario que afronta la República Colombiana no es un asunto ajeno a los reclusorios femeninos, cada día crece la demanda de lugares donde recluir a las sindicadas, procesadas y condenas que por orden judicial deben estar privadas de la libertad. Así las cosas y teniendo en cuenta las consideraciones de protección especial que debe tener una mujer en estado de gestación otorgada constitucionalmente, dichos no son aptos para brindar mayor atención a mujeres en avanzado estado de embarazo. Se debe sin embargo tener en cuenta que muchas de las mujeres privadas de la libertad quedan embarazadas en cumplimiento de su condena, lo que dificulta por congestión del aparato judicial que puedan acceder ágilmente a las condiciones propias que requiere el embarazo. Por lo tanto, las condiciones mínimas vitales de la madre gestante son muy reducidas, algunos centros penitenciarios incluso no cuentan con personal médico capacitado, las (24) horas del día para atender a las reclusas embarazadas, es en este punto donde la dignidad humana de la madre privada de la libertad con respecto de sus garantías mínimas para tener un desarrollo natal eficaz está siendo vulnerada. Finalmente vale la pena resaltar que la condena impuesta a mujeres que tienen hijos es un evento tráumante para el núcleo familiar y la poca relevancia que se le da a la familia en el ordenamiento penal, más cuando se versa sobre los derechos del que está por nacer, quien muchas veces cumple una condena impuesta a su madre, pues en Colombia legalmente no se ha establecido la oportunidad a las madres gestantes de culminar su embarazo con prisión domiciliaria; aunque la ley prevé los delitos en los cuales se puede excarcelar, no existe consideración especial con la madre gestante y el naciturus. De acuerdo con lo anterior se puede formular la siguiente pregunta, ¿Cómo garantizar el efectivo cumplimiento de la protección especial que otorga la constitución a las mujeres en estado de embarazo que se encuentran en centros carcelarios y penitenciarios? Con el fin de demostrar la problemática expuesta en esta investigación, se utilizó como herramienta de la recolección de la información la encuesta, con desarrollo en la cárcel el buen pastor a efectos de visitar, observar el pabellón 4 donde se encuentran las mujeres gestantes, para corroborar que las condiciones óptimas y un mínimo vital de las mujeres en estado de embarazo que están cumpliendo su pena dentro del centro penitenciario y carcelario no son adecuados, vulnerando la protección y atención especial que constitucionalmente se otorga. . Para llevar a cabo dicha observación se tendrán en cuenta tres categorías fundamentales en la unidad de análisis “protección especial”: condición de la mujer, estructura del pabellón y servicios de salud para realizar un análisis estadístico de cada uno de ellos y llegar a una conclusión y así proponer un procedimiento judicial enfatizado desarrollado por el método normativo-analítico.Facultad de Derecho - Centro De Investigaciones Sociojurídica

Drama to go! Hints and hands-on activities for the classroom

We are a group of English philology trainee teachers enrolled in a Master of Education programme at the Freie Universität Berlin, who participated in a seminar on drama in the foreign language classroom taught by Prof. Dr. Michaela Sambanis (chair of English didactics) in the winter term 2012/2013. In the course of the semester, we came across many inspiring ideas in already existing publications on drama in the classroom such as Tselikas 1999, Elena 2011. However, as future English teachers we were eager to find hands-on material for the classroom allowing flexibility in use, bringing more creativity to our teaching, and providing us with the essential theoretical as well as practical information to keep us informed and well-oriented. Inspired by different articles, manuals etc., we finally decided to create our own material for the foreign language classroom including classic examples as well as new drama impulses. We opted for a mode of presentation that we feel would be useful and easily accessible. As compact printables, the drama activities are ready to be slipped into the teacher’s pocket, thus becoming drama to go (cf. section 3). After this introductory paragraph, section 2 will provide some preliminary remarks on the use of ..

TOI-1728b: The Habitable-zone Planet Finder confirms a warm super Neptune orbiting an M dwarf host

We confirm the planetary nature of TOI-1728b using a combination of ground-based photometry, near-infrared Doppler velocimetry and spectroscopy with the Habitable-zone Planet Finder.TOI-1728 is an old, inactive M0 star with \teff{} $= 3980^{+31}_{-32}$ K, which hosts a transiting super Neptune at an orbital period of $\sim$ 3.49 days. Joint fitting of the radial velocities and TESS and ground-based transits yields a planetary radius of $5.05_{-0.17}^{+0.16}$ R$_{\oplus}$, mass $26.78_{-5.13}^{+5.43}$ M$_{\oplus}$ and eccentricity $0.057_{-0.039}^{+0.054}$. We estimate the stellar properties, and perform a search for He 10830 \AA absorption during the transit of this planet and claim a null detection with an upper limit of 1.1$\%$ with 90\% confidence. A deeper level of He 10830 \AA ~ absorption has been detected in the planet atmosphere of GJ 3470b, a comparable gaseous planet. TOI-1728b is the largest super Neptune -- the intermediate subclass of planets between Neptune and the more massive gas-giant planets -- discovered around an M dwarf. With its relatively large mass and radius, TOI-1728 represents a valuable datapoint in the M-dwarf exoplanet mass-radius diagram, bridging the gap between the lighter Neptune-sized planets and the heavier Jovian planets known to orbit M-dwarfs. With a low bulk density of $1.14_{-0.24}^{+0.26}$ g/cm$^3$, and orbiting a bright host star (J $\sim 9.6$, V $\sim 12.4$), TOI-1728b is also a promising candidate for transmission spectroscopy both from the ground and from space, which can be used to constrain planet formation and evolutionary models.Comment: 21 pages, 12 figures, 4 tables: Accepted for publicatio

TOI-1728b: The Habitable-zone Planet Finder Confirms a Warm Super-Neptune Orbiting an M-dwarf Host

We confirm the planetary nature of TOI-1728b using a combination of ground-based photometry, near-infrared Doppler velocimetry and spectroscopy with the Habitable-zone Planet Finder. TOI-1728 is an old, inactive M0 star with T_(eff) = 3980⁺³¹₋₃₂ K, which hosts a transiting super-Neptune at an orbital period of ~3.49 days. Joint fitting of the radial velocities and TESS and ground-based transits yields a planetary radius of 5.05^(+0.16)_(-0.17) R_⊕, mass 26.78^(+5.43)_(-5.13) M_⊕, and eccentricity 0.057^(+0.054)_(-0.039). We estimate the stellar properties, and perform a search for He 10830 Å absorption during the transit of this planet and claim a null detection with an upper limit of 1.1% with 90% confidence. A deeper level of He 10830 Å absorption has been detected in the planet atmosphere of GJ 3470b, a comparable gaseous planet. TOI-1728b is the largest super-Neptune—the intermediate subclass of planets between Neptune and the more massive gas-giant planets—discovered around an M dwarf. With its relatively large mass and radius, TOI-1728 represents a valuable data point in the M-dwarf exoplanet mass–radius diagram, bridging the gap between the lighter Neptune-sized planets and the heavier Jovian planets known to orbit M dwarfs. With a low bulk density of 1.14^(+0.26)_(-0.24) g cm⁻³, and orbiting a bright host star (J ~ 9.6, V ~ 12.4), TOI-1728b is also a promising candidate for transmission spectroscopy both from the ground and from space, which can be used to constrain planet formation and evolutionary models

Targeting DNA2 Overcomes Metabolic Reprogramming in 1q21 Multiple Myeloma

View full abstracthttps://openworks.mdanderson.org/leading-edge/1018/thumbnail.jp

Controls of bathymetric relief on hydrothermal fluid flow at mid-ocean ridges

We present quantitative modeling results for the effects of surface relief on hydrothermal convection at ocean-spreading centers investigating how vent site locations and subsurface flow patterns are affected by bathymetry induced sub-seafloor pressure variations. The model is based on a 2-D FEM solver for fluid flow in porous media and is used to simulate hydrothermal convection systematically in 375 synthetic studies. The results of these studies show that bathymetric relief has a profound effect on hydrothermal flow: bathymetric highs induce subsurface pressure variations that can deviate upwelling zones and favor venting at structural highs. The deviation angle from vertical upwelling can be expressed by a single linear dependence relating deviation angle to bathymetric slope and depth of the heat source. These findings are confirmed in two case studies for the East Pacific Rise at 9°30′N and Lucky Strike hydrothermal fields. In both cases, it is possible to predict the observed vent field locations only if bathymetry is taken into account. Our results thereby show that bathymetric relief should be considered in simulations of submarine hydrothermal systems and plays a key role especially in focusing venting of across axis hydrothermal flow onto the ridge axis of fast spreading ridges

Risk Factors, Molecular Epidemiology and Outcomes of Ertapenem-Resistant, Carbapenem-Susceptible Enterobacteriaceae: A Case-Case-Control Study

Background: Increasing prevalence of ertapenem-resistant, carbapenem-susceptible Enterobacteriaceae (ERE) in Singapore presents a major therapeutic problem. Our objective was to determine risk factors associated with the acquisition of ERE in hospitalized patients; to assess associated patient outcomes; and to describe the molecular characteristics of ERE. Methods: A retrospective case-case-control study was conducted in 2009 at a tertiary care hospital. Hospitalized patients with ERE and those with ertapenem-sensitive Enterobacteriaceae (ESE) were compared with a common control group consisting of patients with no prior gram-negative infections. Risk factors analyzed included demographics; co-morbidities; instrumentation and antibiotic exposures. Two parallel multivariate logistic regression models were performed to identify independent variables associated with ERE and ESE acquisition respectively. Clinical outcomes were compared between ERE and ESE patients. Results: Twenty-nine ERE cases, 29 ESE cases and 87 controls were analyzed. Multivariate logistic regression showed that previous hospitalization (Odds ratio [OR], 10.40; 95 % confidence interval [CI], 2.19–49.20) and duration of fluoroquinolones exposure (OR, 1.18 per day increase; 95 % CI, 1.05–1.34) were unique independent predictors for acquiring ERE. Duration of 4 th-generation cephalosporin exposure was found to predict for ESE acquisition (OR, 1.63 per day increase; 95 % CI, 1.05– 2.54). In-hospital mortality rates and clinical response rates were significantly different between ERE and ESE groups