Use Of Modification Research Articles

Examining Force Level Output of Skin-Drive Bone Conduction Hearing Devices in Adults With Simulated Conductive Hearing Loss.

Bone conduction hearing devices (BCDs) that deliver sound across the skin (i.e., transcutaneous) are suitable for some individuals who have conductive or mixed hearing losses. Prescriptive targets for percutaneous devices are available, for example, from the Desired Sensation Level-Bone Conduction Hearing Device (DSL-BCD) algorithm. These targets, however, may require modification for use with transcutaneous BCDs. The current study investigated three key variables that may inform target modification: (a) comparison of thresholds measured using an audiometric bone conduction (BC) transducer versus transcutaneous BCDs that offer in situ threshold measurement, (b) transcutaneous BCD default force level outputs versus recommended DSL percutaneous BC targets, and (c) the preferred listening levels (PLLs) of adults wearing transcutaneous BCDs in a laboratory setting. Bilateral conductive hearing loss was simulated in 20 normal-hearing adults via earplugs. Thresholds were measured using a B-71 BC transducer and two commercially available BCDs coupled to a soft headband. DSL percutaneous BC targets were generated, and PLLs were obtained for a 60-dB SPL speech stimulus. Force level outputs were measured using a skull simulator on the Audioscan Verifit2 at the hearing aids' default settings and at the participants' PLL for each device. On average, audiometric BC thresholds were significantly better than those measured in situ with each BCD. PLLs were similar to prescribed targets for one device with the smoother response shape and agreed in the high frequencies for both devices. In situ thresholds are significantly higher than audiometric BC thresholds, suggesting that device-based in situ measurement more accurately accounts for the signal transmission from transcutaneous BCDs. PLLs differed from the percutaneous targets and varied between devices, which may indicate that either target modifications or manipulations of device frequency response shaping are needed to approximate PLL with transcutaneous BCD devices.

Amide Modification of Glycolipid Biosurfactants as Promising Biocompatible Antibacterial Agents.

Discovering new antibacterial agents is crucial to addressing the increasing risk of bacterial infections induced by antimicrobial resistance in food and agricultural industries. Here, biocompatible acidic-type sophorolipids (ASLs) and glucolipids (GLs) prepared via chemical modification of natural sophorolipids from fermentation were functionalized via amide modification for use as potential antibacterial agents. It was found that the arginine methyl ester derivative of GLs (GLs-d-Arg-OMe) showed excellent antibacterial activity, killing more than 99.99% of Escherichia coli at 200 mg/L. The sterilization dosage of the GLs against Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus cereus, and Staphylococcus aureus was 16-64 mg/L, in contrast to 32-64 mg/L for the fungus Candida albicans. In particular, GLs-d-Arg-OMe showed the best biocompatibility with a therapeutic index of up to 18. It was shown that amide modification of glycolipids can effectively improve antibacterial activity while maintaining biocompatibility, which can be exploited for the development of novel antibiotics in food and agricultural fields.

Спектральные методы полиномиальной интерполяции и аппроксимации

Classical problem of interpolation and approximation of functions with polynomials is considered here as a special case of spectral representation of functions. We developed this approach earlier for Legendre and Chebyshev orthogonal polynomials. Here we use Newton's fundamental polynomials as basis functions. We demonstrate that the spectral approach has computational advantages over the divided differences method. In a number of problems, Newton and Hermite interpolations are indistinguishable in our approach and computed by the same formulas. Also, computational algorithms that we constructed earlier with the use of orthogonal polynomials are adapted without modifications for use of Newton and Hermite polynomials.

PROSPECTS FOR MODIFYING THE STRUCTURE OF CHITIN AND CHITOSAN OF HIGHER FUNGI TO EXPAND THE POTENTIAL OF THEIR APPLIED USE

The review is devoted to summarizing scientific data in the field of the chemical structure and properties of chitin and chitosan obtained from fungal biomass, and to analyzing directions for their modification for use in medicine and the food industry as substances with antibacterial, antiviral, wound-healing and anticoagulant activity. The features of chitin biosynthesis by fungi of the Basidiomycota, Ascomycota, Deuteromycota departments and chitosan biosynthesis by fungi of the Zygomycota department are covered. It has been shown that higher fungi contain chitin in their cell walls in the form of a chitin-glucan complex, while lower fungi (zygomycetes) contain chitin in the form of chitosan-glucan. Effective components of substrates that influence the production of polysaccharides by fungi have been identified - carbohydrates in the form of glucose, sucrose and maltose, organic forms of nitrogen in the form of yeast extract and corn flour, mineral components in the form of dihydrogen phosphate and dipotassium monohydrogen phosphate. Particular attention is paid to methods for isolating chitin and modifying it to chitosan with a detailed description of the physicochemical and biological properties of polymers. The review also presents the main reactions and methods for obtaining carboxymethyl and sulfo derivatives of chitin and chitosan. The biological properties and application of these groups of substances are described. In the carboxymethylation of chitin and chitosan, the choice of appropriate reaction conditions and reagents makes it possible to obtain carboxymethyl chitin, N-, O-, N,O-carboxymethylchitosan, or N,N-dicarboxymethylchitosan. The properties and applications of carboxymethyl derivatives of chitin and chitosan strongly depend on their structure, degree of substitution, and arrangement of amino or hydroxyl groups. The main reagents in the preparation of carboxymethyl derivatives are sodium monochloroacetate, monochloroacetic and glyoxalic acids. Carboxymethyl derivatives of chitin and chitosan are used as drug delivery systems, antimicrobial agents, in tissue engineering, as components of cosmetics and food products. Modification of chitosan with sulfate groups makes it possible to obtain chitosan 2-N-, 6-O-, 2-N-6-O- and 3-O-sulphates. The main sulfonating agents are oleum, pyridine and chlorosulfonic acid. Sulfonic derivatives of chitin and chitosan can be used as a basis for obtaining hemocompatible materials (with antithrombotic and antibacterial activities).

History of blood pressure measurement in newborns and infants.

The development of methods for measuring blood pressure (BP) in newborns and small children has a rich history. Methods for BP measuring in adults had to be adapted to this age group. For measuring BP in direct invasive way, a suitable approach had to be found to access the arterial circulation through the umbilical and later radialis artery. Currently, results obtained from direct invasive BP measurement are considered the "gold standard". The development of non-invasive methods for BP measuring in newborns and children began with the use of von Basch's sphygmomanometer (1880). In 1899, Gustav Gärtner constructed the device, which was the basis for the flush method. After the discovery of the palpation and auscultation methods, these methods were also used for BP measurement in newborns and children, however, the BP values obtained in these ways were typically underestimated using excessively wide cuffs. From the auscultation method, methods utilizing ultrasound and infrasound to detect arterial wall movement and blood flow were later developed. The oscillometric method for BP measurement was introduced by E. J. Marey so early as in 1876. In 1912, P. Balard used the oscillometric technique to measure blood pressure in a large group of newborns. Through different types of oscillometers using various methods for detecting vascular oscillations (such as xylol method, impedance and volume plethysmography, etc.), the development has continued to assessment of vascular oscillations by modern sensor technology and software. For continuous non-invasive blood pressure measurement, the volume-clamp method, first described by Jan Peňáz in 1968, was developed. After modification for use in newborns, application of the cuff to the wrist instead of the finger, it is primarily used in clinical physiological studies to evaluate beat-to-beat BP and heart rate pressure variability, such as in the determination of the baroreflex sensitivity.

Development of a VR Head-mounted Display Strap Modification for Use by Individuals with a Cochlear Implant

Virtual reality (VR) continues to revolutionize how people work, play, and socialize. Even with new VR systems released regularly, VR hardware can still be inaccessible to many, especially people with disabilities. While researching VR accessibility barriers for older adults, we discovered that the Meta Quest 2 VR head-mounted display (HMD) does not allow for a person with a cochlear implant to wear both simultaneously. This inaccessibility is due to the cochlear implant being surgically implanted along the path of the HMD strap. To increase VR accessibility for individuals with a cochlear implant, we designed, developed, and tested a 3D-printed HMD strap modification that supports wearing both a VR HMD and a cochlear implant. This work illustrates that small, simple modifications can significantly increase the accessibility of VR system hardware for people with disabilities.

The levelized cost of energy and modifications for use in electricity generation planning

The Levelized Costs of Energy/Electricity (LCOE) is widely used to compare different power generation technologies by considering the various fixed and variable costs as a single cost metric. The levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) measures the average net present cost of generating electric power over the power plants entire life. As a metric, the levelized cost of energy does not capture all costs that affect the cost of electricity like the system costs. For accuracy of cost analysis, the LCOE is modified to account for other costs e.g., system levelized cost which considers externalities. The value-adjusted levelized cost of electricity (VALCOE) is a metric developed by the International Energy Agency (IEA) that captures the cost and value to the electricity system since the same amount of power may be less or more valuable during peak demand. The levelized cost of storage (LCOS) is another metric applied in comparing alternative energy storage systems for specific energy scenarios i.e. long-term, short-term, and medium-term storage. Another related metric is the Levelized avoided cost of energy (LACE) which n captures information about how the grid operates without the new power plant or storage facility entering service making it more complex than LCOE or LCOS, but more insightful. The value-adjusted levelized cost of electricity (VALCOE) captures both cost and value to the electricity system. Another metric, the Levelized Full System Costs of Electricity (LFSCOE), metric is used to analyze the costs incurred to supply the entire energy market with one power source plus storage presented as one value just like the levelized cost of energy (LCOE). Therefore, the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) metric is universally accepted as a tool for preliminary cost evaluations of generation technologies, but for accurate and reliable assessment, various modifications of the levelized cost of energy/electricity must be applied.

Measurement of Work and Power in a Coffee-Mug Stirling Engine as a First-Year Physics Laboratory

This paper describes an experimental setup using a coffee mug, a low delta-temperature model Stirling engine, and a gas pressure sensor. The experiment is targeted toward first-year calculus-based physics labs and was designed to be implemented at low cost (approximately $120 for engine and pressure sensor) and minimal modification to off-the-shelf components for an instructor. The gas pressure sensor we used plugs directly into a USB port, and no data acquisition hub was required. Software to operate the sensor is available from the manufacturer at no additional cost. A sample student procedure handout is provided in Appendix B. Modifications for use in high school physics, algebra-based college physics, and upper-division thermodynamics courses are presented in Appendix A. Two simple modifications to the Stirling engine are required: (1) drilling a hole in the top plate of the Stirling engine and gluing a Luer lock fitting over the hole; and (2) 3D printing a spool that is then hot glued to the driveshaft of the Stirling engine. A more advanced experiment can be performed by 3D printing two gears and using a rotary motion sensor to track the phase of the system. A video demonstration of these modifications is provided. Student calculations of work done by the engine show good correlation with predicted theoretical calculations. Students also rated the experimental procedure highly for both interest and understanding.

The relationship between buy-in and implementation: Measuring teacher buy-in to a high school reform effort

‘Buy-in,’ or the extent to which individuals believe in and actively support interventions, is an important but understudied component of program evaluation. This paper articulates a conceptual framework and describes survey scales for measuring buy-in. The paper applies the framework and survey to a program evaluation of an effort implementing the early college model in 16 high schools. The paper empirically connects teacher buy-in to perceptions of program implementation. In our main regression analysis, we found a significant relationship between teacher buy-in and model implementation. Through a dominance analysis, we also found that items related to collective buy-in were stronger predictors of implementation than items measuring individual buy-in. Our results suggest that it is important to measure both individual and collective buy-in because both are predictive of implementation. The survey items and framework presented could be of use to evaluators through modification for use in implementation studies of other program evaluations.

Knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding renal diets among predialysis chronic kidney disease in Lucknow, India

Background: There is a paucity of data with respect to the knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) of patients with predialysis chronic kidney disease (CKD) regarding dietary restrictions and advice. The primary objective of the study was to assess KAP and its determinants in adult predialysis CKD patients visiting outpatient nephrology services. Methods: An existing KAP questionnaire used earlier in CKD dialysis population was utilized with modification for use in the region of interest. The total score was 55, knowledge score had three domains with 10 food items, and attitude and practice scores had seven and six questions, respectively. Adult patients with CKD not on dialysis were selected for the study, provided they were regularly visiting outpatient nephrology and dietetics services. Other sociodemographic, anthropometric, medication use, and laboratory variables were also noted, after the administration of the structured questionnaire by the same investigator in the local language. Results: A total of 111 patients were recruited to the study, with median age of 47 years, 60% of males, 70% from rural areas, up to 50% illiterate, >80% unemployed, and >60% belonging to lower socioeconomic status. Despite these, the majority (>70%) had adequate knowledge, though median attitude and practice score percentages were lower at 64% and 66%, respectively. Higher practice scores correlated significantly with higher serum albumin, higher socioeconomic status, and reduced phosphate binder use. Conclusion: The present study population, which was under regular nephrology and dietetics outpatient follow-up, showed adequate knowledge regarding renal diet, but required improvement in attitudes and practices, for which novel approaches need to be applied with team effort.

Technologies for biogas to electricity conversion

Biogas is a renewable energy resource that can play a leading role in the sustainable energy transition through green electricity generation. Biogas can be converted to electricity and renewable fuels through different technologies and prime movers. Prime movers that can be used for biogas power generation include gas and steam turbines, diesel engines, Otto cycle engines, Stirling engines as well as direct conversion in fuel cells. Since biogas has high octane rating, it can be used directly or with minimal modifications in spark ignition or petrol engines, but needs several modifications for use in dedicated diesel biogas engines or dual fuel engines and bi engines. The dual fuel mode which uses biomethane or biogas and diesel requires little or no engine modifications unlike the conversion to a dedicated gas engine. The performance of biogas prime movers is greatly enhanced if enriched biogas or biomethane is used in place of raw biogas. Other than use in various engines, biogas can be cleaned and used in fuel cells and manufacture of renewable hydrogen. As renewable natural gas, biogas in the form of biomethane can be injected to the natural gas grids for domestic and industrial application as natural gas substitute in applications which include power generation.

Why and how can HTA support evidence-informed health policymaking?

Abstract Issue Health care systems actors are in need to take decisions every day. The basis for a good decision is to consider all the factors, the value of the action, the values that support a “go” or “not go” decision and the intended and unintended consequences that those decisions could entail. Furthermore, understanding decisions implies knowing which the context and the circumstances that surround decisions are. Description of the issue HTA should cover all those aforementioned aspects and make it along the life cycle of health technologies. Thus, it should be the pivotal element that health systems should look at when making decisions. Nevertheless, this is not the case in all the countries/regions or health systems. Empirical research (facts) and normative inquiry (values) are not consistently considered and holistic approaches to the determination of value are lacking. Results Policymakers, health care systems and HTA bodies are differentially approaching to value determination, and, in most cases, this is not explicitly shared with the stakeholders concerned. The consideration of the implication of life cycle concept is not well addressed and decisions are mainly focused on introduction and implementation, meanwhile decisions on deletion or modification of use are lacking, although relevant for health systems sustainability. Mostly systems failed by individual determination of technologies’ value without considering that they are used on systems in combination to other technologies, by different professionals, applied to different patients and within different contexts. Lessons There is a need for a holistic approach of value determination. Likewise, the life cycle concept offers a unique opportunity to promote proactive actions in improving added value generation for technologies under development. Similarly, the assessment of value once solutions are introduced is substantially a way to improve systems’ outcomes and their efficiency.

2.39 Developing a Biopsychosocial Schematic to Aid in Evaluation of Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder

2.39 Developing a Biopsychosocial Schematic to Aid in Evaluation of Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder

Evaluation of four gamma-based methods for calculating confidence intervals for age-adjusted mortality rates when data are sparse

BackgroundEqual-tailed confidence intervals that maintain nominal coverage (0.95 or greater probability that a 95% confidence interval covers the true value) are useful in interval-based statistical reliability standards, because they remain conservative. For age-adjusted death rates, while the Fay–Feuer gamma method remains the gold standard, modifications have been proposed to streamline implementation and/or obtain more efficient intervals (shorter intervals that retain nominal coverage).MethodsThis paper evaluates three such modifications for use in interval-based statistical reliability standards, the Anderson–Rosenberg, Tiwari, and Fay–Kim intervals, when data are sparse and sample size-based standards alone are overly coarse. Initial simulations were anchored around small populations (P = 2400 or 1200), the median crude all-cause US mortality rate in 2010–2019 (833.8 per 100,000), and the corresponding age-specific probabilities of death. To allow for greater variation in the age-adjustment weights and age-specific probabilities, a second set of simulations draws those at random, while holding the mean number of deaths at 20 or 10. Finally, county-level mortality data by race/ethnicity from four causes are selected to capture even greater variation: all causes, external causes, congenital malformations, and Alzheimer disease.ResultsThe three modifications had comparable performance when the number of deaths was large relative to the denominator and the age distribution was as in the standard population. However, for sparse county-level data by race/ethnicity for rarer causes of death, and for which the age distribution differed sharply from the standard population, coverage probability in all but the Fay–Feuer method sometimes fell below 0.95. More efficient intervals than the Fay–Feuer interval were identified under specific circumstances. When the coefficient of variation of the age-adjustment weights was below 0.5, the Anderson–Rosenberg and Tiwari intervals appeared to be more efficient, whereas when it was above 0.5, the Fay–Kim interval appeared to be more efficient.ConclusionsAs national and international agencies reassess prevailing data presentation standards to release age-adjusted estimates for smaller areas or population subgroups than previously presented, the Fay–Feuer interval can be used to develop interval-based statistical reliability standards with appropriate thresholds that are generally applicable. For data that meet certain statistical conditions, more efficient intervals could be considered.

Evaluation of the Implementation and Effectiveness of a Mobile Health Intervention to Improve Outcomes for People With HIV in the Washington, DC Cohort: Study Protocol for a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial

BackgroundGaps remain in achieving retention in care and durable HIV viral load suppression for people with HIV in Washington, DC (hereafter DC). Although people with HIV seeking care in DC have access to a range of supportive services, innovative strategies are needed to enhance patient engagement in this setting. Mobile health (mHealth) interventions have shown promise in reaching previously underengaged groups and improving HIV-related outcomes in various settings.ObjectiveThis study will evaluate the implementation and effectiveness of a clinic-deployed, multifeature mHealth intervention called PositiveLinks (PL) among people with HIV enrolled in the DC Cohort, a longitudinal cohort of people with HIV receiving care in DC. A cluster randomized controlled trial will be conducted using a hybrid effectiveness-implementation design and will compare HIV-related outcomes between clinics randomized to PL versus usual care.MethodsThe study aims are threefold: (1) We will perform a formative evaluation of PL in the context of DC Cohort clinics to test the feasibility, acceptability, and usability of PL and tailor the platform for use in this context. (2) We will conduct a cluster randomized controlled trial with 12 DC Cohort clinics randomized to PL or usual care (n=6 [50%] per arm) and measure the effectiveness of PL by the primary outcomes of patient visit constancy, retention in care, and HIV viral load suppression. We aim to enroll a total of 482 participants from DC Cohort clinic sites, specifically including people with HIV who show evidence of inconsistent retention in care or lack of viral suppression. (3) We will use the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) and the Reach Effectiveness Adoption Implementation Maintenance (RE-AIM) framework to measure implementation success and identify site, patient, provider, and system factors associated with successful implementation. Evaluation activities will occur pre-, mid-, and postimplementation.ResultsFormative data collection was completed between April 2021 and January 2022. Preliminary mHealth platform modifications have been performed, and the first round of user testing has been completed. A preimplementation evaluation was performed to identify relevant implementation outcomes and design a suite of instruments to guide data collection for evaluation of PL implementation throughout the trial period. Instruments include those already developed to support DC Cohort Study activities and PL implementation in other cohorts, which required modification for use in the study, as well as novel instruments designed to complete data collection, as guided by the CFIR and RE-AIM frameworks.ConclusionsFormative and preimplementation evaluations will be completed in spring 2022 when the trial is planned to launch. Specifically, comprehensive formative data analysis will be completed following data collection, coding, preliminary review, and synthesis. Corresponding platform modifications are ready for beta testing within the DC Cohort. Finalization of the platform for use in the trial will follow beta testing.Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT04998019; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04998019International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)PRR1-10.2196/37748

Bioengineering Outlook on Cultivated Meat Production.

Cultured meat (also referred to as cultivated meat or cell-based meat)—CM—is fabricated through the process of cellular agriculture (CA), which entails application of bioengineering, i.e., tissue engineering (TE) principles to the production of food. The main TE principles include usage of cells, grown in a controlled environment provided by bioreactors and cultivation media supplemented with growth factors and other needed nutrients and signaling molecules, and seeded onto the immobilization elements—microcarriers and scaffolds that provide the adhesion surfaces necessary for anchor-dependent cells and offer 3D organization for multiple cell types. Theoretically, many solutions from regenerative medicine and biomedical engineering can be applied in CM-TE, i.e., CA. However, in practice, there are a number of specificities regarding fabrication of a CM product that needs to fulfill not only the majority of functional criteria of muscle and fat TE, but also has to possess the sensory and nutritional qualities of a traditional food component, i.e., the meat it aims to replace. This is the reason that bioengineering aimed at CM production needs to be regarded as a specific scientific discipline of a multidisciplinary nature, integrating principles from biomedical engineering as well as from food manufacturing, design and development, i.e., food engineering. An important requirement is also the need to use as little as possible of animal-derived components in the whole CM bioprocess. In this review, we aim to present the current knowledge on different bioengineering aspects, pertinent to different current scientific disciplines but all relevant for CM engineering, relevant for muscle TE, including different cell sources, bioreactor types, media requirements, bioprocess monitoring and kinetics and their modifications for use in CA, all in view of their potential for efficient CM bioprocess scale-up. We believe such a review will offer a good overview of different bioengineering strategies for CM production and will be useful to a range of interested stakeholders, from students just entering the CA field to experienced researchers looking for the latest innovations in the field.

Evaluating the proportion of isolated cases among a spectrum of birth defects in a population-based registry.

Because the etiology and outcomes of birth defects may differ by the presence vs. absence of co-occurring anomalies, epidemiologic studies often attempt to classify cases into isolated versus non-isolated groupings. This report describes a computer algorithm for such classification and presents results using data from the Texas Birth Defects Registry (TBDR). Each of the 1,041 birth defects coded by the TBDR was classified as chromosomal, syndromic, minor, or "needs review" by a group of three clinical geneticists. A SAS program applied those classifications to each birth defect in a case (child/fetus), and then hierarchically combined them to obtain one summary classification for each case, adding isolated and multiple defect categories. The program was applied to 136,121 cases delivered in 2012-2017. Of total cases, 49% were classified by the platform as isolated (having only one major birth defect). This varied widely by birth defect; of those examined, the highest proportion classified as isolated was found in pyloric stenosis (87.6%), whereas several cardiovascular malformations had low proportions, including tricuspid valve atresia/stenosis (2.3%). This is one of the first and largest attempts to identify the proportion of isolated cases across a broad spectrum of birth defects, which can inform future epidemiologic and genomic studies of these phenotypes. Our approach is designed for easy modification for use with any birth defects coding system and category definitions, allowing scalability for different studies or birth defects registries, which often do not have resources for individual clinical review of all case records.

A post pandemic roadmap toward remote assessment for neuromuscular disorders: limitations and opportunities

Recent advances in technology and expanding therapeutic opportunities in neuromuscular disorders has resulted in greater interest in and development of remote assessments. Over the past year, the rapid and abrupt COVID-19 shutdowns and stay-at-home orders imposed challenges to routine clinical management and clinical trials. As in-person services were severely limited, clinicians turned to remote assessments through telehealth to allow for continued care. Typically, disease-specific clinical outcome assessments (COAs) for neuromuscular disorders (NMD) are developed over many years through rigorous and iterative processes to fully understand their psychometric properties. While efforts were underway towards developing remote assessments for NMD before the pandemic, few if any were fully developed or validated. These included assessments of strength, respiratory function and patient-reported outcomes, as well as wearable technology and other devices to quantify physical activity and function. Without many choices, clinicians modified COAs for a virtual environment recognizing it was not yet known how they compared to standard in-person administration. Despite being able to quickly adapt to the demands of the COVID-19 pandemic, these experiences with remote assessments uncovered limitations and opportunities. It became clear that existing COAs required modifications for use in a virtual environment limiting the interpretation of the information gathered. Still, the opportunity for real-world evaluation and reduced patient burden were clear benefits to remote assessment and may provide a more robust understanding and characterization of disease impact in NMD. Hence, we propose a roadmap navigating an informed post-pandemic path toward development and implementation of safe and successful use of remote assessments for patients with NMD.

Формування механізму адаптивного стратегічного планування для підприємств транспорту

The distorted idea of entrepreneurs about the essence and significance of the application of strategic planning leads to the lack of development of effective mechanisms for its implementation. This issue is especially acute for transport enterprises that depend on production-technological and marketing changes occurring not only in transport, but also in other sectors of the national economy. The presence of a significant arsenal of strategic planning tools developed by Western scientists requires their adjustment, adaptation and modification for use by Ukrainian enterprises. The article draws attention to the fact that the issue of the mechanism of strategic planning at the enterprise, being a socioeconomic unit, becomes topical in the present day reality. It is mainly covered at the level of hromadas, regions or the State as a whole, but is rarely considered in the plane of enterprises. The analyzed approaches of domestic scientists to the formation of the mechanism of strategic planning at enterprises indicate a limited use of the existing strategic planning tools, which focuses on the use of one method and the absence of the necessary components of the mechanism with a certain interoperability and interconnection among them. Such an approach is non-rational and ineffective given the difficult and changing conditions of operation of enterprises. With attention to the above, an adaptive strategic planning mechanism for transport enterprises has been formed, which is designed to coordinate the stages of strategic planning and determine the instruments to take into account the maximum number of factors, as well as form directions on the way to ensuring competitive activities, increase financial stability, overcome insolvency and stagnant processes in the activities of the enterprise taking into account environmental changes. The main components of the proposed mechanism are the strategic planning process itself, based on the principles, components and objectives of strategic planning and taking into account the prerequisites for the occurrence of threatening situations; comprehensive monitoring of the company’s activities, covering system analysis, determination of strategic priorities and influence of factors of the external and internal environment; defining the horizon of strategic planning, which provides for the development of medium, long-term and two-term plans; calculation of forecast indicators according to the indicator system and their adjustment in case of changes in the influence factors; evaluation of the efficiency of the strategic plan. The presence of these components is the key to successful strategic planning and implementation of strategic programs.

Effect of Steam Explosion Condition on the Improvement of Physicochemical Properties of Pine Chips for Feed Additives

Dietary fiber is considered a feed ingredient with high nutritional value in the broiler feed industry. Pine chips contain a large amount of dietary fiber and require some modification for use as broiler feed. In this study, pine chips were subjected to steam explosion under different severity factor (Ro) conditions to improve the chemical and physical properties of dietary fiber. The highest water-holding capacity, oil-holding capacity, and swelling capacity were found for Ro 4.0, followed by Ro 4.5 and 3.5. The optimal condition for the steam explosion was determined to be Ro 4.0 (reaction temperature of 210°C, and reaction time of 6.0 min). Under these conditions, the water-holding capacity, oil-holding capacity, and swelling capacity of steam-exploded pine chips were 8.3 g/g, 6.5 g/g, and 5.0 mL/g, respectively. This study may contribute to the application of lignocellulose and related products in the broiler feed industry.