Parameters Alpha Research Articles

Evaluation of Post-Processing on Additive Manufactured Bioresorbable Polymers for Medical Devices.

Additive manufacturing (AM) has seen massive growth in the medical device sector and an increase in the clearance of devices. Many challenges still exist in the design, development, and clinical use of AM-fabricated devices, notably the processing, annealing, and sterilization of resorbable polymers. In addition, the use of these materials continues to grow in medical devices and scaffold technologies for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine (TERM). Specifically, this study focused on the scaffold mechanical properties post-processing and throughout a simulated resorption (in vitro) study. Herein, we evaluated three (3) materials that span a range of mechanical properties and degradation rates relating to a range of tissue healing rates and mechanical properties affording the opportunity of biomimetic potentials, Caproprene 100M, Lactoflex 7415, and Lactoprene 100M. These bioresorbable polymers were additively manufactured into scaffold forms of Type V tensile bars to investigate post-processing parameters. A range of heat treatments were then performed after the AM process to induce a range of semicrystalline morphologies, and subsequently, two different sterilization techniques were performed, one based on super critical carbon dioxide and another using electron beam radiation. It was statistically shown that the heat treatment parameters and the sterilization method had statistically significant effects on the scaffold properties of each material. While material differences were responsible for the majority of the mechanical property breadth, techniques utilizing analysis of variance allowed the observation of significant effects and interactions associated with heat treatment, sterilization, and material parameters (alpha = 0.05). The characterization of the sample groups provided insight into the process-structure-property-performance relationships of the resorbable scaffold samples. It was established that the post-processing impacted the scaffold structures, and therefore, sterilization and heat treatment selections should be included within initial design considerations alongside material selection as critical for device development, especially when AM bioresorbable scaffolds for TERM.

Sobre matrizes pentadiagonais não estritamente diagonais dominantes

Based on Crout's method, we will present, in this work, new non singularity criteria and sufficient conditions for existence of the LU factorization, for non strictly diagonally dominant pentadiagonal matrices. Crout's method is a recursive process of n stages that obtains the factorization A = LU of a pentadiagonal matrix of order n. In this recursive process of obtaining both the lower triangular matrix L and the upper triangular matrix U, the parameters alpha_i, 1 <= i <= n, must be non-zero to ensure that det(A) neq 0 and A = LU. Crout's recursive method is replaced by the analysis of sufficient conditions that can be verified simultaneously with low computational cost.

Predicting agricultural and meteorological droughts using Holt Winter Conventional 2D-Long Short-Term Memory (HW-Conv2DLSTM).

Drought is an extended shortage of rainfall resulting in water scarcity and affecting a region's social and economic conditions through environmental deterioration. Its adverse environmental effects can be minimised by timely prediction. Drought detection uses only ground observation stations, but satellite-based supervision scans huge land mass stretches and offers highly effective monitoring. This paper puts forward a novel drought monitoring system using satellite imagery by considering the effects of droughts that devastated agriculture in Thanjavur district, Tamil Nadu, between 2000 and 2022. The proposed method uses Holt Winter Conventional 2D-Long Short-Term Memory (HW-Conv2DLSTM) to forecast meteorological and agricultural droughts. It employs Climate Hazards Group InfraRed Precipitation with Station (CHIRPS) data precipitation index datasets, MODIS 11A1 temperature index, and MODIS 13Q1 vegetation index. It extracts the time series data from satellite images using trend and seasonal patterns and smoothens them using Holt Winter alpha, beta, and gamma parameters. Finally, an effective drought prediction procedure is developed using Conv2D-LSTM to calculate the spatiotemporal correlation amongst drought indices. The HW-Conv2DLSTM offers a better R2 value of 0.97. It holds promise as an effective computer-assisted strategy to predict droughts and maintain agricultural productivity, which is vital to feed the ever-increasing human population.

Indirect Effects of Cattle Trampling on the Structure of Fruit-Feeding Butterfly Assemblages Inhabiting Restinga Forests in Southern Brazil

The impacts of anthropogenic activities are increasing at alarming rates, leading to biodiversity loss and the displacement of native habitats. One of the main contributors to human disturbances is livestock farming, which degrades native habitats through cattle grazing and trampling. To understand these impacts, we investigated the effects of cattle trampling on the structure and diversity of fruit-feeding butterflies in Restinga forests of southern Brazil. We addressed questions regarding the effects of cattle raising on butterfly diversity and composition, identified indicator species, and examined the influence of environmental variables on butterfly richness, dominance, abundance, and species composition. Our dataset comprises the long-term monitoring of fruit-feeding butterflies in Restinga forests from 2014 to 2019, across sites with low, medium, and high levels of disturbance due to cattle trampling. We found that medium and high levels of disturbance increased butterfly richness and abundance, whereas low-level disturbance was associated with lower abundance. Additionally, the species composition of butterflies in medium to highly disturbed sites differed from that in preserved Restinga forests, indicating that any perturbation can markedly alter alpha and beta diversity parameters. These changes simplify the native forest structure, open the canopy, disrupt the understory, and favor butterfly species commonly associated with disturbed forests.

The Implementation of Holt-Winters Method to Forecast the Loan Interest Rate of Indonesia

This study aimed to anticipate the rupiah loan interest rates at commercial banks in Indonesia by employing the Holt-winters method. This study employs data on rupiah loan interest rates from commercial banks in Indonesia. The data comprises a time series element, with monthly intervals spanning from January 2013 to November 2015, which was obtained from the official website of BPS Indonesia. The study demonstrates that the Holt-winters technique yields the most accurate forecasts, as indicated by a Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) of 0.19720630. The parameters alpha, beta, and gamma, set at 0.6, 0.6, and 0.6 respectively, constitute the optimal configuration for this method. These results indicate that the Holt-winters method is an effective tool for capturing seasonality, trends, and patterns in credit interest rate data, making it a reliable choice for future loan interest rate forecasting. The findings of this study are expected to significantly contribute to strategic decision-making in the banking sector, particularly in risk management and loan interest rate strategy determination.

Leveraging Topic Modelling to Analyze Biomedical Research Trends from the PubMed Database Using LDA Method

Biomedical research has become an essential entity in human life. However, finding trends related to research topics in the health sector contained in the repository is a challenging matter. In this study, we implemented topic modelling to analyze biomedical research trends using the LDA method. Topic modelling was carried out using data from 7000 articles from PubMed, which were processed with text processing such as lowercase, punctuation removal, tokenization, stop-word removal, and lemmatization. For topic modelling, the LDA with corpus conditions varied to 75% and 100% for validation. Alpha and beta parameters are also set with variations between 0.01, 0.31, 0.61, 0.91, symmetry, and asymmetry when the number of the corpus is changed. When the number of the corpus is 75%, the optimal number of topics is 7, with a coherence value of 0.52. Whereas when the number of the corpus is 100%, the optimal number of topics is 10 with a coherence value of 0.51. In addition, based on the results of article topic modelling, several topics are trending, including disease diagnosis, patient care, and genetic or cell research. Based on the classification of biomedical topics into seven categories, the optimal accuracy, precision, and recall values using the Random Forest algorithm were obtained, namely 85.57%, 87.36%, and 87.58%. The results of this study suggest that topic modelling using the LDA can be used to identify trends in biomedical research with high accuracy. This information can help stakeholders make informed decisions about the direction of future research.

Application of green synthesized Ag and Cu nanoparticles for the control of bruchids and their impact on seed quality and yield in greengram

Storage pests, particularly bruchids, are major biotic constraints causing significant storage losses in pulses. Conventional control methods relying on insecticides and fumigants often lead to food contamination due to toxic pesticide residues and a rapid decline in seed germination. In this investigation, through green nano-technological application, a promising and sustainable alternative for pest management is developed. Silver and copper nanoparticles were synthesized through ocimum leaf extract. The characterization of silver and copper nanoparticles was carried out by UV-spectroscopy, particle size analyzer, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Fourier-transform infrared. Both the nanoparticles were spherical and crystalline in nature. Greengram seeds were primed with standardized silver and copper nanoparticles at different concentrations (1000, 1500, and 2000 ppm) and compared with castor-treated, deltamethrin-treated, and untreated control seeds for seed quality, growth, and yield. After one month of storage, all the pulse beetles released in different treatments exhibited 100 % mortality, whereas in control, the insects multiplied. At the end of nine months, the control seeds had shown 72 % damage and 39.67 % germination. In contrast, silver nanoparticles at 1000 ppm showed no seed damage and achieved 81.67 % germination, which was on par with copper nanoparticles at 1000 ppm with 79.33 % germination. Seed priming of silver and copper nanoparticles at 1000 ppm also demonstrated superior performance in all the seed quality and biochemical parameters (alpha amylase and catalase) throughout the storage period. Whereas, in the greenhouse experiment, enhanced growth (35.96 cm, 46.48 cm, and 53.00 cm at 30, 60 DAS, and at harvest, respectively) and yield per plant (3.75 g) were significantly higher in plants that were given foliar application with silver nanoparticles at 1000 ppm. Furthermore, foliar application of these nanoparticles at all concentrations (1000, 1500, and 2000 ppm) did not exhibit any adverse effects on soil microbial organisms, as assessed by dehydrogenase enzyme activity. Hence, this research highlights the potential use of silver and copper nanoparticles at 1000 ppm as effective tools for storage pest management and contributing to improved agricultural productivity and sustainability.

The Significance of TNF-α, CRP, and Hematological Parameters in the Prediction of Plasmodium Falciparum Parasitemia

Malaria remains a significant public health concern in Sudan, with Plasmodium falciparum (P. falciparum) infection having widespread indirect consequences. Effective identification of infection severity is crucial for preventing complications. This study aimed to assess the predictive value of Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha (TNF-α), C-reactive protein (CRP), and hematological parameters in P. falciparum parasitemia. The three-month cross-sectional study involved 54 P. falciparum-positive patients at Bashaire Teaching Hospital Khartoum, Sudan, along with an equal number of P. falciparum-negative individuals. Participants underwent Antigen Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT), TNFα, CRP, and Complete Blood Count (CBC) assessments. The infected group comprised 68.5% male patients, with a mean age of 22.3 years. Significant variations were observed between the infected and uninfected groups in TNFα, CRP, Total White Blood Cells (TWBCs), and neutrophil levels, with infected individuals showing higher values. Conversely, infected individuals had lower hemoglobin, Red Blood Cells (RBCs), Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV), Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin (MCH), Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin Concentration (MCHC), platelets, and lymphocytes. The study revealed a noteworthy association between MCV and parasitemia, while TNFα, CRP, Hb, RBCs, MCH, and MCHC showed no significant correlation. Hematological parameters should be considered in malaria patients.

1-Deoxynojirimycin containing Morus alba leaf-based food modulates the gut microbiome and expression of genes related to obesity

BackgroundObesity is a serious disease with an alarmingly high incidence that can lead to other complications in both humans and dogs. Similar to humans, obesity can cause metabolic diseases such as diabetes in dogs. Natural products may be the preferred intervention for metabolic diseases such as obesity. The compound 1-deoxynojirimycin, present in Morus leaves and other sources has antiobesity effects. The possible antiobesity effect of 1-deoxynojirimycin containing Morus alba leaf-based food was studied in healthy companion dogs (n = 46) visiting the veterinary clinic without a history of diseases. Body weight, body condition score (BCS), blood-related parameters, and other vital parameters of the dogs were studied. Whole-transcriptome of blood and gut microbiome analysis was also carried out to investigate the possible mechanisms of action and role of changes in the gut microbiome due to treatment.ResultsAfter 90 days of treatment, a significant antiobesity effect of the treatment food was observed through the reduction of weight, BCS, and blood-related parameters. A whole-transcriptome study revealed differentially expressed target genes important in obesity and diabetes-related pathways such as MLXIPL, CREB3L1, EGR1, ACTA2, SERPINE1, NOTCH3, and CXCL8. Gut microbiome analysis also revealed a significant difference in alpha and beta-diversity parameters in the treatment group. Similarly, the microbiota known for their health-promoting effects such as Lactobacillus ruminis, and Weissella hellenica were abundant (increased) in the treatment group. The predicted functional pathways related to obesity were also differentially abundant between groups.Conclusions1-Deoxynojirimycin-containing treatment food have been shown to significantly improve obesity. The identified genes, pathways, and gut microbiome-related results may be pursued in further studies to develop 1-deoxynojirimycin-based products as candidates against obesity.

COMPARATIVE STUDY OF FREEZING AND CHILLING EFFECTS ON SURVIVAL AND OXIDATIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF FUNAAB ALPHA (NORMAL FEATHER) CHICKEN SPERM

The impact of freezing and chilling on the semen of FUNAAB Alpha (Normal feather) chickens was examined in this study. Pooled semen collected from ten FUNAAB Alpha (Normal feather) chicken were diluted with Tris –based extender. Diluted semen was divided into two fraction, the first fraction was subjected to chilling at 4oC and the second fraction was subjected to freezing at 1oC for 24hrs. Thereafter semen were evaluated for viability, functional integrity and oxidative stress (Malondialdehyde concentrations MDA and seminal leukocytes). The result showed a consistent variation in the viability and functional integrity. However, Sperm motility and livability preserved at 4oC was significantly higher (p<0.05) than those preserved at 1oC. Abnormal sperm (head, mid piece and tail) recorded for those preserved at 4oC was significantly lower (p<0.05) than those preserved at 1oC. The findings indicate that sperm viability, functional integrities and oxidative stress parameters of FUNAAB alpha (Normal feather) were better preserved by chilling compared to freezing method.

Differences in diversity and community composition of the shell microbiome of apparently healthy lobsters Homarus americanus across Atlantic Canada.

Host-microbe dynamics are of increasing interest in marine research due to their role in host health and productivity. Changes in the shell microbiome of American lobsters have been associated with epizootic shell disease, a syndrome that is spreading northwards across the eastern U.S. and Canadian Atlantic coast. This study analyzed differences in alpha and beta diversity, as well as differentially abundant taxa, in the shell-associated bacterial community of apparently healthy lobsters from four lobster fishing areas (LFAs) in Atlantic Canada. Over 180 lobsters from New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island (PEI) were sampled during seven sampling events over four sampling months. The bacterial community was identified using novel PacBio long-read sequencing, while alpha and beta diversity parameters were analyzed using linear regression models and weighted UniFrac distances. The bacterial richness, diversity and evenness differed by sampling location, sampling month, and molt stage, but not by lobster sex or size, nor sampling depth. Similarly, based on LFA, sampling month, year and lobster molt stage, the shell microbiome differed in microbial community composition with up to 34 out of 162 taxa differing significantly in abundance between sampling groups. This large-scale microbial survey suggests that the shell microbial diversity of apparently healthy lobsters is influenced by spatial and temporal factors such as geographic location, as well as the length of time the carapace is exposed to the surrounding seawater.

Semi-empirical method for evaluating the robustness of QRWS algorithm for different coin sizes and functional dependence between coin phases

In this work we study the quantum random walk search algorithm when the walk coin is constructed by generalized Householder reflection and a phase multiplier. We focus on the algorithm’s robustness against errors in the phases – how the probability to find solution decreases with increasing the errors in those phases. The robustness depends on the functional dependence between the reflection phase φ and the phase multiplier ζ. Here we use interpolations by non-linear logistic regression functions to study a particular functional dependence between angles ζ = -2φ + 3π + α sin(2φ) for different coin sizes and parameters alpha. The obtained results in this work are discussed, together with their limitations.

Evaluation of radiological health risk caused by the use of fly ash in cement and concrete production and its storage

ABSTRACT As a result of firing pulverized coal in thermal power plants, enormous amounts of fly ash (FA) are produced as industrial waste. The release into the atmosphere and storage of this industrial waste remains one of the major environmental problems that threaten human health by contributing to air, water, and soil pollution. The recovery and reuse of FA in the construction industry is the only economic solution to the existing problem. In this study, the potential radiological risk caused by the usage of FA in concrete and cement production as a main component and its storage in landfill sites was evaluated for people and works by estimating radiological parameters (activity concentration and alpha index, annual effective doses, and the corresponding excess lifetime cancer risks) based on activity concentrations of terrestrial radionuclides in FA. Also, the radiological risk to the workers working in the FA landfill site was evaluated using the Residual Radioactivity Onsite 7.2 code. The average activity concentrations of terrestrial radionuclides in FA samples from the Tunçbilek lignite coal-fired thermal power plant at Kütahya province of Turkey were measured as 417, 156 and 454 Bq kg−1 for 226Ra, 232Th and 40K, respectively. When using up to 35% by mass of FA in cement and concrete, the average values of the radiological parameters revealed that they were within the recommended safety limits. However, code estimations showed that a regular worker in FA storage would be exposed to a total effective dose rate greater than 3 mSv y−1.

Evaluation of health risk associated with consumption of food crops from electronic waste dumpsite using albino Wistar rat’s model: Bayelsa state Nigeria case study

The alterations in some important health biomarkers associated with consumption of food crops harvested near E-waste dumpsite in Bayelsa State, Nigeria, was evaluated. Samples of soil, plant, water and sea foods were collected around E-waste dumpsites and control sites for laboratory screening. A standard animal feed was formulated (control group), and the feed formulated from plants harvested from e-waste dumpsites was used to feed the experimental animals (Test group) for a period of three months. The formulated feeds were screened for toxic metals using atomic absorption spectrometry. The study comprises of twenty-eight animals (fourteen each of male and female) of albino wistar strain, weighing 50-100g were divided into two groups of fourteen animals each. Health biomarkers such as C-reactive protein, TNF alpha, creatinine, alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine phosphatase (ALP), platelet count, and oxidative stress parameters were evaluated in both groups. Toxic metals content of samples collected from the E-waste dumpsite revealed significantly (p<0.05) higher levels of Cd, Co, Ni and Pb, which exceeded WHO permissible limits, compared with the control (p<0.05) site. Significant (p<0.05) differences between the test and control group for serum C-reactive protein, TNF alpha, creatinine concentrations, ALT, AST, ALP activities, platelet count, and oxidative stress parameters of the test group were all significantly (p<0.05) higher than the control group, suggesting the presence of oxidative stress trigger(s) among animals in the test group and these results were further affirmed by the histology results as presented. Conclusively, this study highlighted a strong correlation between consumption of food crops cultivated near E-wastes dumpsites and potential associated health risks. Hence, demands public awareness and a call on governments and concerned regulatory bodies to ensure and enforce ethical E-waste management and disposal practices to minimize E-waste exposure and toxicity.

İnşaat Maliyet Endeksi Tahmininde Holt-Winters Üstel Düzeltme Parametrelerinin PSO ve İleri Walk-Forward Cross-Validation ile Optimizasyonu

This research aims to enhance the accuracy of Construction Cost Index (CCI) forecasting using Holt-Winters exponential smoothing (ES) by optimizing its parameters, focusing on minimizing the Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) for precise CCI forecasts. To reach this aim, The Holt-Winters model parameters are optimized through Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) and Walk-Forward Cross-Validation (WFCV). PSO, a metaheuristic optimization algorithm, is being applied to search for optimal values of the smoothing parameters (alpha, beta, and gamma) that determine the weightage of past observations, trends, and seasonality, respectively. WFCV is assessed the model's performance and ensures robustness. Reduced MAPEs of 22 for CCI forecasts and 2 for training data are the findings of the optimized Holt-Winters model. The obtained alpha, beta, and gamma values are 0.99, 0.77, and 0, respectively, highlighting the importance of while neglecting seasonality. Convergence graphs demonstrate the superiority of the optimization approach over conventional parameter values or random selections. By employing PSO and WFCV, the study efficiently fine-tunes the Holt-Winters model for precise CCI forecasting. Optimized parameter values enable data driven decision-making in construction project cost estimation and budget management. This research contributes a reliable and robust optimization methodology for CCI forecasting, supporting advancements in the field.

Histogram analysis of mono-exponential, bi-exponential and stretched-exponential diffusion-weighted MR imaging in predicting consistency of meningiomas

BackgroundThe consistency of meningiomas is critical to determine surgical planning and has a significant impact on surgical outcomes. Our aim was to compare mono-exponential, bi-exponential and stretched exponential MR diffusion-weighted imaging in predicting the consistency of meningiomas before surgery.MethodsForty-seven consecutive patients with pathologically confirmed meningiomas were prospectively enrolled in this study. Two senior neurosurgeons independently evaluated tumour consistency and classified them into soft and hard groups. A volume of interest was placed on the preoperative MR diffusion images to outline the whole tumour area. Histogram parameters (mean, median, 10th percentile, 90th percentile, kurtosis, skewness) were extracted from 6 different diffusion maps including ADC (DWI), D*, D, f (IVIM), alpha and DDC (SEM). Comparisons between two groups were made using Student’s t-Test or Mann-Whitney U test. Parameters with significant differences between the two groups were included for Receiver operating characteristic analysis. The DeLong test was used to compare AUCs.ResultsDDC, D* and ADC 10th percentile were significantly lower in hard tumours than in soft tumours (P ≤ 0.05). The alpha 90th percentile was significantly higher in hard tumours than in soft tumours (P < 0.02). For all histogram parameters, the alpha 90th percentile yielded the highest AUC of 0.88, with an accuracy of 85.10%. The D* 10th percentile had a relatively higher AUC value, followed by the DDC and ADC 10th percentile. The alpha 90th percentile had a significantly greater AUC value than the ADC 10th percentile (P ≤ 0.05). The D* 10th percentile had a significantly greater AUC value than the ADC 10th percentile and DDC 10th percentile (P ≤ 0.03).ConclusionHistogram parameters of Alpha and D* may serve as better imaging biomarkers to aid in predicting the consistency of meningioma.

Development of post-anesthesia care unit delirium is associated with differences in aperiodic and periodic alpha parameters of the EEG during emergence from general anesthesia - results from a prospective observational cohort study.

Intraoperative alpha-band power in frontal electrodes may provide helpful information about the balance of hypnosis and analgesia and has been associated with reduced occurrence of delirium in the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU). Recent studies suggest that narrow-band power computations from neural power spectra can benefit from separating periodic and aperiodic components of the EEG. This study investigates if such techniques are more useful in separating patients with and without delirium in the PACU at the group level as opposed to conventional power spectra. Intraoperative EEG recordings of 32 patients who developed perioperative neurocognitive disorders (PACU-D) and 137 patients who did not (noPACU-D) were considered in this post-hoc secondary analysis. We calculated power spectra using conventional methods and applied the "fitting oscillations & one over f" (FOOOF) algorithm to separate aperiodic and periodic components to see if the EEG signature is different between groups. At the group level, noPACU-D and PACU-D patients presented with significantly higher alpha-band power and a broadband increase in power, allowing a "fair" separation based on conventional power spectra. Within the first third of emergence, the difference in median absolute alpha-band power amounted to 8.53dB (AUC:0.74[0.65;0.82]), reaching its highest value. In relative terms, the best separation was achieved in the second third of emergence with a difference in medians of 7.71% (AUC:0.70[0.61;0.79]). AUC values were generally lower towards the end of emergence with increasing arousal. Increased alpha-band power during emergence in noPACU-D patients can be traced back to an increase in oscillatory alpha activity and an overall increase in aperiodic broadband power. Although differences between PACU-D and noPACU-D patients can be detected relying on traditional methods, the separation of the signal allows a more detailed analysis. Together this may enable clinicians to detect patients at risk for PACU-D early in the emergence phase.

Implementation of Holt-Winter Exponential Smoothing Method to Forecast The Spread of Covid-19

This research examines the Holt winters exponential smoothing method to solve forecasting problems using case studies of the spread of Covid-19. The data source uses the transmission of Covid-19 in Indonesia. MAPE is used to measure errors in data forecasting. The results are structured to serve as a recommendation for other researchers in choosing a method for predicting the spread of the disease. Based on the results, forecasting with the Holt-Winters model in positive cases produces a MAPE value of 9.21% using the Multiplicative model and the best parameter values of alpha, beta and gamma (0.4, 0.05, 0.25). Whereas in the case of human recovery, the MAPE value was 11.86% using the Multiplicative model and the best values for the parameters alpha, beta and gamma (0.4, 0.03, 0.1). And in the case of death it produces a MAPE of 17.97% using the Multiplicative model and the parameter values alpha, beta and gamma (0.4, 0.01, 0.1). So, it can be concluded that the Holt-Winters method on human positive case data shows a good outcome performance while recovered and deceased cases produce a well-being analysis performance.

Composition of bacterial microbiome in sputum of patients with localized forms of pulmonary tuberculosis

Recent studies have shown that the respiratory bacterial microbiome has an impact on the development of pulmonary tuberculosis. Changes in the composition of the microbiome have been associated with the pathogenesis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection, response to therapy, and clinical outcomes of the disease. To date, the composition of the respiratory microbiome has not been studied in patients with localized forms of pulmonary tuberculosis. Methods. In the present study, the taxonomic composition of the sputum microbiome of 14 patients with localized forms of pulmonary tuberculosis (tuberculomas) and 14 healthy donors in the comparison group was analyzed by sequencing (NGS) of the V3 – V4 region of the bacterial gene encoding 16S rRNA. Results. The sputum microbiomes of the patients and the control group did not have significant differences in the species richness index (Shannon). However, the patients showed a decrease in the uniformity index, another parameter of alpha diversity. Bacterial community structures (beta diversity) did not differ significantly between patients with localized forms of tuberculosis and healthy subjects. In patients with limited forms of tuberculosis, contrary to the decrease in the content of representatives of the phyla Fusobacteria, TM7, Tenericutes, Spirochaetes, and SR1, and of the genera Dialister, Mycoplasma, and Filifactor in the sputum, no clear dominance of any bacterial taxon was observed. Conclusion. Certain alpha and beta diversity parameters that characterize the sputum microbiome of patients with localized forms of pulmonary tuberculosis need to be confirmed in independent large-scale studies to further understand the role of the sputum microbiota in the development of localized forms of pulmonary tuberculosis. Determination of Prevotella titers in the sputum of these patients holds promise for the diagnosis of localized forms of pulmonary tuberculosis and the search for their genomic markers.

Estimation of the Utility Function of Money and Housing Based on the Cumulative Prospect Theory

Abstract This article addresses the issue of the utility of money and the utility of housing with a value equivalent to that amount of money. The literature provides many reports on the shape of the utility function for money, but much less research has been devoted to the utility function for housing. The aim of this study was to estimate the utility function of money and housing according to the cumulative prospect theory (CPT) developed by Tversky and Kahneman (1992). Parameters alpha (α), beta (β), and lambda (λ) were estimated to compare the utility value of money and housing. The most important conclusions of the study are as follows: parameters alpha and beta were greater than 0 and less than 1 for both housing and money. Function v(x) was concave in the gain domain and convex in the loss domain, which is consistent with the CPT. The differences in the lambda parameter denoting loss aversion were not significant, and the value of the utility function was somewhat higher for money than for housing. This study was undertaken to estimate the CPT parameters for housing, which, according to the authors’ best knowledge, has not been investigated to date.