Indispensable Criterion Research Articles

A terpenoids database with the chemical content as a novel agronomic trait.

Natural products play a pivotal role in drug discovery, and the richness of natural products, albeit significantly influenced by various environmental factors, is predominantly determined by intrinsic genetics of a series of enzymatic reactions and produced as secondary metabolites of organisms. Heretofore, few natural product-related databases take the chemical content into consideration as a prominent property. To gain unique insights into the quantitative diversity of natural products, we have developed the first TerPenoids database embedded with Content information (TPCN) with features such as compound browsing, structural search, scaffold analysis, similarity analysis and data download. This database can be accessed through a web-based computational toolkit available at http://www.tpcn.pro/. By conducting meticulous manual searches and analyzing over 10 000 reference papers, the TPCN database has successfully integrated 6383 terpenoids obtained from 1254 distinct plant species. The database encompasses exhaustive details including isolation parts, comprehensive molecule structures, chemical abstracts service registry number (CAS number) and 7508 content descriptions. The TPCN database accentuates both the qualitative and quantitative dimensions as invaluable phenotypic characteristics of natural products that have undergone genetic evolution. By acting as an indispensable criterion, the TPCN database facilitates the discovery of drug alternatives with high content and the selection of high-yield medicinal plant species or phylogenetic alternatives, thereby fostering sustainable, cost-effective and environmentally friendly drug discovery in pharmaceutical farming. Database URL: http://www.tpcn.pro/.

A Single-Center Study on Clinico-Radiological Evaluation of Inguino-Scrotal or Labial Swellings Presenting to a Tertiary Care Set-Up in Central India.

Introduction The inguino-scrotal/labial region, anatomically defined as the juncture where the thigh meets the lower abdomen, encompassing the ipsilateral scrotal area in men and the inguino-labial area in women, exhibits a broad spectrum of masses. Traditionally, these swellings were clinically diagnosed with high accuracy, primarily due to the prevalence of simple hernias and hydroceles. However, contemporary observations reveal a surge in complex inguino-scrotal/labial swellings, particularly in referral hospitals, necessitating additional radiological and imaging modalities for precise diagnosis. Our interest in this subject was sparked by the escalating numbers of intricate inguino-scrotal/labial masses encountered in our medical setting, posing challenges for clinical diagnosis in both pediatric and adult populations. Materials and methods A prospective, observational study was conducted over two years (August 2021 to March 2023) involving 210 patients presenting with inguino-scrotal/labial swellings at our institute. Clinical data were meticulously collected using a designed pro forma, following informed consent procedures. Results Among the 210 patients with inguino-scrotal/labial swellings, males predominated (194) compared to females (16). The paediatric age group comprised 84 patients, while 126 were adults. Radiological investigations played a crucial role in diagnosing 40 patients and provided significant additional information in 12 cases. Radiological investigations contributed to the diagnosis in 52 patients (24.76%). The study revealed a spectrum of new entities in the inguino-scrotal/labial region, including malignancies, lymph nodal masses in the groin, and vascular, inflammatory, and congenital lesions, which might have been overlooked if solely relying on clinical parameters for diagnosis. Conclusion Inguino-scrotal/labial swelling patients, especially those facing diagnostic dilemmas or harbouring complex lesions, should undergo radiological assessment as an indispensable criterion, particularly when such facilities are readily accessible.

Heavy and Chronic Cannabis Use Impact on Human Emotions: BOLD-fMRI Study

IntroductionLong term cannabis use has been expanding drastically over the last two decades and has become a major health issue worldwide. Recent studies demonstrate that brain complications in adults with cannabis use are associated with cognitive and emotional impairments, but little is known about the relationship between structural alterations and behavioral manifestations. Therefore, studying the relationship between alterations of emotional system, in parallel with structural degenerative phenomena is very critical.ObjectivesHence, the aim of this study is to demonstrate such alterations by making use of appropriate paradigms during BOLD-fMRI scans. Positive, negative and neutral emotions were examined, in relations with DTI and functional connectivity.Methods11 cannabis addicted patients volunteered for the study. Volunteers were fully healthy. However, any additional comorbidity was a strict criterion of exclusion, and a healthy general state was an indispensable criterion of inclusion. Additionally, it was excluded any patient that have any additional substance use such as tobacco, alcohol, cocaine, etc. And strict use of cannabis was a must.All patients underwent blood and urine assessments to ensure the selection criteria.All patients underwent BOLD-fMRI and anatomical MRI using both motor and emotional paradigm.The motor task consisted of rest alternating with finger tapping. The emotional task included 3 conditions. Positive, neutral and negative were each alternating with silent mental counting. The fMRI data was processed using SPM12 package. A sample of 12 age-matched controls was also included.ResultsThe present results are based on analysis of behavioral and BOLD-fMRI data of 11patients and similar age-matched controls. Analysis of behavioral data showed an alteration of emotional abilities in cannabis addicted patients compared to controls. Analysis of fMRI data revealed significant changes of activation within a large cortical network including prefrontal cortex and parietal cortex, and that emotional responses and BOLD signal were inversely correlated.ConclusionsThese findings demonstrate that the brain of cannabis addicted patients undergoes and emotional alterations that parallel silent structural degenerative phenomena. Although the causal mechanisms are still to be investigated, the fact that functional impairments can be detected in emotional, cognitive and motor domains calls for the development of preventive measures using neurobehavioral tools for this population of patient, and even in at risk users.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

Non-destructive verification of materials in waste packages using QUANTOM®

The nuclear and non-nuclear industry has produced a considerable amount of low and intermediate-level radioactive wastes during the last decades. The material characterization of waste packages recently became more and more important in order to dispose of these waste packages in a final underground repository. Material characterization remains an indispensable criterion to prevent pollution of the groundwater with toxic materials and is usually required by the national licensing and supervisory authorities. Information on the nature of waste materials can be obtained based on existing documentation or, if the documentation is insufficient, on further destructive or non-destructive analysis. Non-destructive methods are to be preferred to minimize radiation exposures of operating personnel as well as costs. Existing non-destructive techniques (Gamma scanning, X-ray, active/passive neutron counting, muon tomography) do not allow the identification of non-radioactive hazardous substances. An innovative non-destructive measurement system called QUANTOM® (QUantitative ANalysis of TOxic and non-toxic Materials) has been developed. It is based on the prompt and delayed gamma neutron activation analysis (P&DGNAA). This technology is able to identify and quantify the elemental composition (Cd, Cu, B, Pb, Hg, Fe, Al, …) in radioactive packages such as 200-l radioactive drums. This information helps waste producers verify the content of their radioactive wastes, especially regarding the presence of hazardous substances. Different reference materials have been analysed by means of the same technology (P&DGNAA) at the research reactor of BUDAPEST. A comparison of those results for five reference materials is presented. The results show a very good agreement between QUANTOM® and standardized reference analyses.

KNOWLEDGE, SINCERITY AND EXCELLENCE

KNOWLEDGE, SINCERITY AND EXCELLENCE

The Chemical Engineering Design of a Commercial Citrus Evaporator for the Production of 6,539.86 kg/hr Orange Juice Concentrate in Lagos, Nigeria, West Africa

Chemical engineers are high in importunity by industries in a wide range of sectors for the following impetus: Based on nominally defined problem statements, such as a client need or a set of experimental ramifications, chemical engineers can devise and gain a profound understanding of fundamental physical science relevant to the enigma, and harness this apprehension to excogitate a comprehensive action plan and a set of detailed specifications that, if implemented, will lead to forecasted financial dividends. In this treatise, as chemical engineers, apply our scientific and mathematical knowledge, specifically chemistry, applied mathematics, and engineering concepts, to translate experimental or conceptual ideas into value-added products in a lucrative, safe (environmentally friendly), and industry-leading manner. Citrus sinensis is the scientific name for orange, a savory and aromatic fruit from the Rutaceae family. The annual global citrus production increased dramatically over the last few decades, from around 30 million metric tonnes in the late 1960s to an estimated total of more than 105 million metric tonnes from 2000 to 2004, with oranges accounting for more than half of total global citrus production. Evaporation is a principle habituated in the processing industry to concentrate aqueous liquid streams by vaporizing the quantity of water content in a solution. The curtailment of energy consumption for evaporation reckoned on multitudinous components, such as evaporation capacity, number of effects, operation efficiency, and annual operation hours. We emphasized burgeoning efficient strategies to curtail the energy consumption of evaporators and alluded that monitoring the rate of energy dissipation guarantee the sustainability of an industrial enterprise. We betokened the heat transfer area was the indispensable criterion in the design of an evaporator and delineated correlations for estimating the size of the tube bundle. Ideally, a well-designed evaporator should be able to transfer heat adeptly at a high flow rate, have the minimum valuation of installation, operation, and maintenance, be able to bifurcate vapors from liquid concentrates, meet the conditions required by the product under treatment, produce a product of a quality required, and, if possible, be energy efficient. The peculiar grade of evaporator adopted was the 5-effect, 8-stage Thermally Accelerated Short Time Evaporator. We embraced the genre of evaporators after investigating their benefits relative to other evaporators used in food processing. In addition, it is fundamental to institute governance to identify benchmarks for optimal distribution based on results obtained by all segments of the production chains and orange juice exporters. This input will benefit the collective national interest and is pivotal for the orange juice industry.

Priority of a Value-oriented Approach in the Development and Implementation of Information Technologies

The purpose of the article is to reveal the essence of the value-oriented approach and substantiate the necessity of its application during the development and implementation of information technologies. The research methodology is based on the application of a systematic approach as a gen­eral scientific principle of understanding complex organized objects, as well as a dialectical method necessary for the implementation of cultural studies research. The scientific novelty of the research is that the article has further developed approaches to the development of technology on humanistic principles, due to the dehumanization of modern society under the influence of new technologies. Conclusions. The importance of carrying out relevant scientific and technological research, making efforts to raise awareness at the turning points of technology development and initi­ating discussions on the context of their application, including consideration of social values at different stages of technological development. It was revealed that among the priorities of technology application should be: focus on social values, empowerment, promoting the formation of the future by people and for people, etc. This requires responsible management of technologies, control over their use, substantiation of the optimal implementation of values in their development. The social values and needs of mankind should become an indispensable criterion of perception of the newest technologies.

Overexpression of IgG2 in patients resembling IgG4-related disease with normal IgG4.

IgG4-Related Disease (IgG4-RD) results from tissue infiltration by IgG4-expressing plasma cells and lymphocytes, leading to fibrosis and organomegaly. Clinical presentation is remarkably variable according to organ involvement, and high IgG4 serum concentration, initially considered a diagnostic hallmark of IgG4-RD, tends to be forgone as an indispensable criterion for its diagnosis; it can indeed be absent in some patients, highlighting the diversity of presentation of this dysimmune condition. Nevertheless, elevation of IgG4 serum concentration in suggestive settings remains an argument in favour of IgG4-RD, and while other IgG subclasses can be elevated, this biological feature lacks any diagnostic value. We retrospectively studied 9 patients (5 females, 4 males, 31-81years old) for whom a diagnosis of IgG4-RD had been considered, based on clinical, imaging or histological criteria, but appeared to display abnormally high serum IgG2 while IgG4 levels were normal. Increased serum IgG1 in one case and increased IgG3 in another one were also noticed. Immunohistochemical analyses of intracellular immunoglobulins could be performed on tissue lymph node biopsies from 2 patients, which demonstrated strong infiltration with IgG2-expressing plasma cells. Thus, overexpression of IgG2 subclass may highlight cases of dysimmune disorders resembling IgG4-RD, although the disease trigger might be different, notably infectious. We suggest measuring all serum IgG subclass levels in patients with features consistent with IgG4-RD.

Highly Dispersive Metal Atoms Anchored on Carbon Matrix Obtained by Direct Rapid Pyrolysis of Metal Complexes

Highly Dispersive Metal Atoms Anchored on Carbon Matrix Obtained by Direct Rapid Pyrolysis of Metal Complexes

MANAGING SHIPPING EFFICIENCY IN THE SYSTEM OF ANTI-CRISIS DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES

Topicality. The topicality lies in the actual �importance increase� of the development of the fleet and ports, which in turn requires certain efforts both on the part of ports and fleets, and at the macroeconomic level. In turn, this kind of development is an indispensable criterion that creates positive consequences regarding the commercial status and efficiency of any of the shipping companies. Aim and tasks. The purpose of the article is to develop and determine methods of achieving a stable level of functioning by activities. Merchant shipping forms two statuses of functional activity, one of which boils down to solving standard tasks of entrepreneurial efficiency, and the other one forms ensuring the stability of international economic relations together with the formation of an effect of emergence. Research results. The essence of the development of categories of management and direct management of a particular industry affects the formation of the value of capital assets of sea transport enterprises and the degree of their efficiency. The variability of the parameters of the maritime trade market predetermines the difficulty of achieving a normalized financial condition of shipping companies and commercial ports on the terms of shipping. As for anti-crisis companies, transportation management takes into account the prevention of internal and external regional problems and ensuring that there are no shortcomings, which must be accordingly minimized. All of these operations are closely related to general economic rates and transportation from the point of origin to destination. The positive side of the effect of emergence is one of the main criteria for increasing the activity of ports or a shipping company. This effect, however, is based on many different factors, including the development strategy of the next company, which, in turn, generates certain costs that the consumer must cover in order to remain the company efficient and profitable at the same time. Conclusion. The variability of the marginal market parameters predetermines the difficulty of achieving a normalized financial condition of shipping companies and commercial ports under the appropriate conditions of shipment. In turn, depending on the complexity of achieving a certain financial position of the shipping company, its final efficiency depends both on international relations connected to transportation and on the requirements of transportation, influencing the formation of the stability of international economic activity.

Localized Farmer’s Information Dissemination System in Nigeria Using Mobile Networks

Agricultural science performs a substantial function in monetary and societal growth in nearly all developing nations. Data on satisfactory excellence is an indispensable criterion for the development of all fields of farming. By means of the speedy growth of Information Technologies (ITs), data and information can be efficiently produced, warehoused, scrutinized, distributed, and utilized to reinforce agriculturalists and agricultural societies to enhance agricultural output and sustainability. Information facilities for agriculturalists at the nationwide and provincial levels are an auspicious novel field of investigation and presentation in the evolving field of e-agriculture. This paper aims to address the challenges associated with the dissemination of localized agricultural information to farmers within a localized region in Nigeria using mobile networks and explicitly examined the application of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in disseminating agricultural information to farmers in Nigeria. Based on the findings of this study, it is recommended that the government should establish information centers with up-to-date information technology infrastructures and mini-community libraries in all rustic regions in Nigeria where modern agricultural information can be easily obtained by the farmers.

Hypoxia-induced alternative splicing in human diseases: the pledge, the turn, and the prestige.

Maintenance of oxygen homeostasis is an indispensable criterion for the existence of multicellular life-forms. Disruption of this homeostasis due to inadequate oxygenation of the respiring tissues leads to pathological hypoxia, which acts as a significant stressor in several pathophysiological conditions including cancer, cardiovascular defects, bacterial infections, and neurological disorders. Consequently, the hypoxic tissues develop necessary adaptations both at the tissue and cellular level. The cellular adaptations involve a dramatic alteration in gene expression, post-transcriptional and post-translational modification of gene products, bioenergetics, and metabolism. Among the key responses to oxygen-deprivation is the skewing of cellular alternative splicing program. Herein, we discuss the current concepts of oxygen tension-dependent alternative splicing relevant to various pathophysiological conditions. Following a brief description of cellular response to hypoxia and the pre-mRNA splicing mechanism, we outline the impressive number of hypoxia-elicited alternative splicing events associated with maladies like cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and neurological disorders. Furthermore, we discuss how manipulation of hypoxia-induced alternative splicing may pose promising strategies for novel translational diagnosis and therapeutic interventions.

The greatest deception: fiction, falsity and manifestation in Spinoza’s Metaphysical Thoughts

ABSTRACT“The first meaning of true and false”, writes Spinoza in a neglected passage of the Metaphysical Thoughts, “seems to have had its origin in stories”. Ideas are true when they “show” us things as they are; they are false when they do not, when they are fictional. In this essay, I argue that what appears at first sight to be a simple assertion of a correspondence theory of truth in fact opens onto broad historical transformations in the nature of meaning that reshaped the very atmosphere of truth: the emergence of a new kind of fictionality, transformations in the sense of logical interpretation, and ultimately transformations in the structures and sources of the natural light, that “clarity” which constitutes for Spinoza, as for Descartes, an indispensable criterion for certainty.

Experimental analysis of multiple criteria for extractive multi-document text summarization

Automatic text summarization methods are increasingly needed in different fields of knowledge. In the scientific literature, generic extractive multi-document text summarization can be formulated as an optimization problem which involves several criteria. Only two criteria have been considered simultaneously, i.e., content coverage and redundancy reduction, whereas the other ones, relevance and coherence have been considered separately. Therefore, there is a lack of studies comparing the performance of different criteria. For this reason, a comparative study of the different criteria suitable for generic extractive multi-document text summarization is performed here. All possible combinations of two, three, and four criteria have been considered within a multi-objective optimization context. Experiments have been carried out based on datasets from Document Understanding Conferences (DUC), and the combinations of objective functions have been compared and evaluated with Recall-Oriented Understudy for Gisting Evaluation (ROUGE) metrics. Redundancy reduction has been demonstrated as an indispensable criterion, being the coherence the least significant and efficient criterion. The combination that includes content coverage, redundancy reduction, and relevance obtains the most balanced results in terms of average ROUGE and execution time.

Cracking the Eurocentric Code: A Battle on the Banks of the ‘New Blood Rivers’

Belief in divine privilege or God’s creation of a volk is fundamental a motif in the propulsion of the superiority of one race against another in the world, ipso facto , the continuous management of systems of knowledge, authority, economics, and a ‘world civilization’ now quintessentially fundamentalist and racially fascist are effects of this deeply hidden and coded belief. Apartheid simply, is a zenith of this supersessionist (replacement of Israel from the Bible with European white) world enunciated since the justification of the commodification and dispensability of black lives. To elucidate this thesis, this article first offers a presentation of Cone’s theological grammar. Second, we punctuate the value of self-criticality as an indispensable criterion by demonstrating that Cone was engaged critically in Black Theology of Liberation’s (BTL) internal discourses not only to clarify the relationship between Sunday and Saturday religiosities, but to distinguish and distance BTL from idolatrous imaginations of knowledge and history. Black faith oozes from the volcanic, rapturous explosion that dismantles the divide between Sunday and Saturday religions. Third, we make the point about the ghettoization of Cone’s theology at its gestation and by this we seek to demonstrate this continuous relegation of the school to residential alienation and nihilism in the battle of ideas. For this reason, the article argues, cracking the “Western code,” to break the coalition of black experience with the white power structure, is the space where BTL might have to dwell in the battle of ‘New Blood Rivers.’

Model-based analysis of latent factors

Abstract. The detection of community or population structure through analysis of explicit cause–effect modeling of given observations has received considerable attention. The complexity of the task is mirrored by the large number of existing approaches and methods, the applicability of which heavily depends on the design of efficient algorithms of data analysis. It is occasionally even difficult to disentangle concepts and algorithms. To add more clarity to this situation, the present paper focuses on elaborating the system analytic framework that probably encompasses most of the common concepts and approaches by classifying them as model-based analyses of latent factors. Problems concerning the efficiency of algorithms are not of primary concern here. In essence, the framework suggests an input–output model system in which the inputs are provided as latent model parameters and the output is specified by the observations. There are two types of model involved, one of which organizes the inputs by assigning combinations of potentially interacting factor levels to each observed object, while the other specifies the mechanisms by which these combinations are processed to yield the observations. It is demonstrated briefly how some of the most popular methods (Structure, BAPS, Geneland) fit into the framework and how they differ conceptually from each other. Attention is drawn to the need to formulate and assess qualification criteria by which the validity of the model can be judged. One probably indispensable criterion concerns the cause–effect character of the model-based approach and suggests that measures of association between assignments of factor levels and observations be considered together with maximization of their likelihoods (or posterior probabilities). In particular the likelihood criterion is difficult to realize with commonly used estimates based on Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithms. Generally applicable MCMC-based alternatives that allow for approximate employment of the primary qualification criterion and the implied model validation including further descriptors of model characteristics are suggested.

RF09 BEST OF BOTH WORLDS: DIRECT-VISION BALLON-EXPANDABLE TRANSCATETHER PROSTHESIS WITH EXCISION OF ANTERIOR MITRAL LEAFLET TO TREAT SEVERE STENOSIS IN BIG MITRAL ANNULAR CALCIFICATION PATIENTS

Background and aim: The mitral annular calcification (MAC) is one of the most demanding and exciting challenges for the cardiac surgeon. Numerous surgical techniques to approach MAC have been described, and many include decalcification and annular reconstruction. The aim of this study is to describe an alternative method of treatment of the MAC, performing surgical implant of a prosthesis designed for the percutaneous implant in aortic position under direct vision and to define the applicability criteria. Methods: Preoperative evaluation is a key point to define the possible treatment options of the MAC. The CT-scan is the fundamental tool that allows quantification of calcium and its possible extension in the underlying myocardium. An indispensable criterion is that the calcification interests the annulus in an almost completely circumferential manner, in such a way as to allow a safe deployment prosthesis. Results: We report a surgical approach to manage MAC and avoid calcium debridement by using a prosthesis designed for TAVI procedures. The anulus is measured with an Egar dilator and part of the anterior mitral leaflet is removed which creates room for a bigger implant. An Edwards SAPIEN 3 Transcatheter Heart Valve is implanted in the mitral annulus under direct vision and then the crimped valve is deployed with a manual inflation device. Inflation of the ventricle with saline allows to identify any valvular leaks and correct them by placement of one or more stitches. Conclusions: This technique seems a safe and effective solution for treating the MAC in selected cases.

Right Intention: A Reply to Janzen, Purves, and Jenkins

ABSTRACTRecently, Greg Janzen as well as Duncan Purves and Ryan Jenkins have launched sustained attacks on the criterion of right intention. Their objections are also directed against my account of right intention, which interprets right intention in terms of a knowledge requirement: the agent must know that the mind-independent requirements for waging a justified war are satisfied. Janzen basically argues that this account relies on certain incorrect premises. My reply is that he misunderstands the account and its premises. Purves and Jenkins, in contrast, argue that the right intention criterion understood as a mere knowledge requirement is superfluous, since the function it serves can be performed by prospects of success and/or proportionality. I argue that prospects of success and proportionality cannot fulfill the function of proper action guidance without a separate criterion of right intention. Right intention, therefore, is an indispensable criterion of just war theory.

External Environment as a Factor of Ensuring the Competitiveness of Organizations in the Regional Market of Medical Services

The relevance of this study is due to the problem of providing and increasing the competitiveness of enterprises operating in the regional market of medical services, which is possible only with a constant study of the characteristics of the market and factors of the external environment and is an indispensable criterion for survival in a competitive environment. The purpose of this article is to study the practical application of instrumental approaches to assessing the external environment of organizations in the market of medical services to the population of Magnitogorsk. The leading methods to study this problem are the methods of strategic analysis of the external environment, special methods of sociological expert study, tabular and graphical methods of visualizing the results of the study. The study covered medical centers operating in the territory of Magnitogorsk, Chelyabinsk region. The article substantiates that the use of strategic analysis methods to assess external environmental factors allows the organization to timely extract information about the business environment at the regional level and to develop programs for the development of the organization in the short and long term. Adapted, considering the specifics of medical organizations, methods form a unified system that facilitates a comprehensive assessment of the external environment and ensuring competitiveness. The study proved that the applied methods of strategic analysis can be used to conduct comparative competitive analysis and develop strategic development plans aimed at increasing the competitiveness of regional medical centers. The materials of the article can be useful for the leaders of medical organizations to ensure sustainable development and increase the efficiency of economic activity in a changing external environment.

A esfera da ação como espaço de aparecimento dos homens em Hannah Arendt

Este artigo tem como objetivo mostrar como a ação – e o discurso, como estando intimamente ligado à aquela –, conceito fundamental na filosofia de Hannah Arendt, se apresenta como um critério indispensável para o movimento empreendido pelos homens de saída de um lugar privado, para um espaço público, e, por conseguinte, do aparecimento no mundo humano, revelando, assim, não só os seus corpos biológicos, mas os aspectos plurais de seres únicos. Pretende-se, portanto, expor a ascensão humana de um contexto particular para o público, frente ao desvelamento do “quem”, tendo em vista as características advindas da pluralidade. Para isso, teremos em perspectiva primeira o capítulo V de “A Condição Humana”, onde Hannah Arendt apresentou de maneira mais detida os conceitos que aqui nos ocuparemos.