Multicomponent Nature Research Articles

CHEMICAL COMPOSITION AND PHARMACOLOGICAL ACTIVITY OF AQUEOUS EXTRACT OF SIBERIAN FIR (ABIES SIBIRICA L.)

The review summarizes literature data and presents the data obtained by the authors on the chemical composition, antioxidant and pharmacological activity of an aqueous extract of Siberian fir (Abies sibirica L.). Fir is widely used in folk medicine as a tonic, anti-cold, bactericidal, antiscorbutic agent. One of the most promising in terms of study and use as a herbal medicine is an aqueous extract of Siberian fir, obtained by water-steam distillation of fir paws. On the basis of this extract, a number of drugs have been created that have a wide spectrum of pharmacological action. The review presents data on the study of the chemical composition of an aqueous extract of Siberian fir, which demonstrate the complexity and multicomponent nature of its composition. The main biologically active substances of the water extract of fir are maltol, anthocyanins, terpene, tanning and other compounds. The authors found that the concentration of an aqueous extract of Siberian fir leads to an increase in its composition of tannins and an increase in the antioxidant activity of the extract. Analysis of the literature data and the results obtained by the authors on the study of pharmacological activity shows that the aqueous extract of Siberian fir has an adaptogenic, antihypoxic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antiradiation, antioxidant, immunomodulatory effect. The information presented in the review demonstrates that the aqueous extract of Siberian fir, due to the availability of raw materials, positive experience in the treatment and prevention of a wide range of diseases, is promising for its further study and creation on its basis of new effective medicinal, parapharmaceutical agents and other types of products.

Формирование и отображение видеоинформации в бортовых мультиспектральных системах улучшенного видения

The article considers the results of long-term research and real flight tests for developing a multichannel system for enhanced vision in difficult for aircraft crew visibility conditions. The multicomponent nature of the aggregate video signal generated by a multispectral video system is shown, justifying its representation in color and the need to develop a color indicator of the aircraft windshield to obtain a better quality of situational awareness for pilot compared to the capabilities of traditionally used monochrome indicators. A method for integrating monochrome images of multichannel enhanced vision system spectral channels into a color multicomponent image is proposed. For more natural perception of the resulting color images by the human eye, the spectrum of the spectral characteristics of the video channels is rearranged in the direction of decreasing wavelength. For the most common RGB color image format, the red component R of the display system records the image of the long-wave thermal range, the green component G records the image of the mid-wave infrared range, the blue component B records the image of the short-wave visible television range. The resulting pseudo-color image allows unambiguous restoring the original images. This proves the absence of information loss during image integration. Since there are no colored windscreen displays yet, a method for reproducing a pseudo-color image on a mono-chrome display is proposed. To convert a pseudo-color image to monochrome one, methods are used in which color contrasts are preserved in the form of tonal contrasts. The advantages of the proposed technology are demonstrated on real examples

Exploring the TEMPO-Oxidized Nanofibrillar Cellulose and Short Ionic-Complementary Peptide Composite Hydrogel as Biofunctional Cellular Scaffolds.

Multicomponent self-assembly is an emerging approach in peptide nanotechnology to develop nanomaterials with superior physical and biological properties. Inspired by the multicomponent nature of the native extracellular matrix (ECM) and the well-established advantages of co-assembly in the field of nanotechnology, we have attempted to explore the noncovalent interactions among the sugar and peptide-based biomolecular building blocks as an approach to design and develop advanced tissue scaffolds. We utilized TEMPO-oxidized nanofibrillar cellulose (TO-NFC) and a short ionic complementary peptide, Nap-FEFK, to fabricate highly tunable supramolecular hydrogels. The differential doping of the peptide into the TO-NFC hydrogel was observed to tune the surface hydrophobicity, microporosity, and mechanical stiffness of the scaffold. Interestingly, a differential cellular response was observed toward composite scaffolds with a variable ratio of TO-NFC versus Nap-FEFK. Composite scaffolds having a 10:1 (w/w) ratio of TO-NFC and the Nap-FEFK peptide showed enhanced cellular survival and proliferation under two-dimensional cell culture conditions. More interestingly, the cellular proliferation on the 10:1 matrix was found to be similar to that of Matrigel in three-dimensional culture conditions, which clearly indicated the potential of these hydrogels in advanced tissue engineering applications. Additionally, these composite hydrogels did not elicit any significant inflammatory response in Raw cells and supported their survival and proliferation, which further emphasized their ability to form versatile scaffolds for tissue regeneration. This multicomponent assembly approach to construct biomolecular composite hydrogels to access superior physical and biological properties within the scaffold is expected to improve the scope for designing novel ECM-mimicking biomaterials for regenerative medicine.

Fuzzy identification of bioactive components for different efficacies of rhubarb by the back propagation neural network association analysis of UPLC-Q-TOF/MSE and integrated effects

BackgroundRhei Radix et Rhizoma (rhubarb), as one of the typical representatives of multi-effect traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs), has been utilized in the treatment of various diseases due to its multicomponent nature. However, there are few systematic investigations for the corresponding effect of individual components in rhubarb. Hence, we aimed to develop a novel strategy to fuzzily identify bioactive components for different efficacies of rhubarb by the back propagation (BP) neural network association analysis of ultra-performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry for every data (UPLC-Q-TOF/MSE) and integrated effects.MethodsThrough applying the fuzzy chemical identification, most components of rhubarb were classified into different chemical groups. Meanwhile the integration effect values of different efficacies can be determined by animal experiment evaluation and multi-attribute comprehensive indexes. Then the BP neural network was employed for association analysis of components and different efficacies by correlating the component contents determined from UPLC-Q-TOF/MSE profiling and the integration effect values. Finally, the effect contribution of one type of components may be totaled to demonstrate the universal and individual characters for different efficacies of rhubarb.ResultsIt suggested that combined anthraquinones, flavanols and their polymers may be the universal character to the multi-functional properties of rhubarb. Other components contributed to the individuality of rhubarb efficacies, including stilbene glycosides, anthranones and their dimers, free anthraquinones, chromones, gallic acid and gallotannins, butyrylbenzenes and their glycosides.ConclusionsOur findings demonstrated that the bioactive components for different efficacies of rhubarb were not exactly the same and can be systematically differentiated by the network-oriented strategy. These efforts will advance our knowledge and understanding of the bioactive components in rhubarb and provide scientific evidence to support the expansion of its use in clinical applications and the further development of some products based on this medicinal herb.

Liquid-liquid phase separation as an organizing principle of intracellular space: overview of the evolution of the cell compartmentalization concept.

At the turn of the twenty-first century, fundamental changes took place in the understanding of the structure and function of proteins and then in the appreciation of the intracellular space organization. A rather mechanistic model of the organization of living matter, where the function of proteins is determined by their rigid globular structure, and the intracellular processes occur in rigidly determined compartments, was replaced by an idea that highly dynamic and multifunctional "soft matter" lies at the heart of all living things. According this "new view", the most important role in the spatio-temporal organization of the intracellular space is played by liquid-liquid phase transitions of biopolymers. These self-organizing cellular compartments are open dynamic systems existing at the edge of chaos. They are characterized by the exceptional structural and compositional dynamics, and their multicomponent nature and polyfunctionality provide means for the finely tuned regulation of various intracellular processes. Changes in the external conditions can cause a disruption of the biogenesis of these cellular bodies leading to the irreversible aggregation of their constituent proteins, followed by the transition to a gel-like state and the emergence of amyloid fibrils. This work represents a historical overview of changes in our understanding of the intracellular space compartmentalization. It also reflects methodological breakthroughs that led to a change in paradigms in this area of science and discusses modern ideas about the organization of the intracellular space. It is emphasized here that the membrane-less organelles have to combine a certain resistance to the changes in their environment and, at the same time, show high sensitivity to the external signals, which ensures the normal functioning of the cell.

Social grounds for criminal responsibility for violation of the established rules of drug turnover

The spread of drug addiction is a danger to both public order and public health. Persons under the influence of drugs can be a danger to themselves and to others, so the effect of some drugs on the body leads to dependence and even death. The state is called upon to protect its population from the spread of this phenomenon. One of the ways to achieve this goal is the criminal legal protection of legal relations defined by the state as possible and desirable. If a person commits acts that distort such legal relations, then the state, protecting a lawful model of behavior, imperatively gives a criminal legal assessment of the actions of this person.
 The object of the research is the social relations accompanying the illegal circulation of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, regulated by the legislation of Ukraine. These social relations arise as a result of the following actions: inducement to the consumption of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances; illegal cultivation of plants containing such substances; organization or maintenance of dens or systematic provision of premises for their (narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances) consumption; illegal issuance or forgery of prescriptions or other documents giving the right to receive them.
 The issue of criminalization and decriminalization is a specific link in the system of criminal law policy functions. It constitutes a complex mechanism that includes a series of successive decisions and subsequent actions, which in the end lead to the emergence of grounds for applying to persons guilty of certain actions, criminal liability or the abolition of the latter [2, p. 131]. Criminalization or decriminalization of actions is determined by social conditioning.
 Considering the multicomponent nature of the problem and its social prevalence (since it is a mass behavior of certain small social groups and even transforms the social structure), it can be concluded that effective counteraction to such a negative social phenomenon as drug addiction and drug crime is possible only with an integrated approach.

Comprehensive analysis of pyrolysis oil obtained from waste tire in a water vapor environment

Determination of the composition of pyrolysis products of organic compounds is a very difficult task due to their multicomponent nature [1–3]. Pyrolysis oils formed from rubber products and organic polymer wastes contain various classes of organic compounds with a huge spread in molecular weight and polarity: hydrocarbons, amides, phenols, amines, organosulfur compounds, etc. [1]. At the same time, the results of qualitative and quantitative chromatographic analysis of pyrolysis oils are often ambiguous: there are problems of overlapping peaks and misinterpretation of the data obtained due to the complexity of the matrix and the multicomponent composition [2–5]. Pyrolysis products can be used as valuable hydrocarbons or additives to hydrocarbon fuels. Therefore, the analysis of the chemical composition of pyrolysis oils is important both for assessing the degree of their toxicity and for finding an effective method for their purification.

In-Situ Alloying of CoCrFeNiX High Entropy Alloys by Selective Laser Melting

High Entropy Alloys are a class of alloys which have been shown to largely exhibit stable microstructures, as well as frequently good mechanical properties, particularly when manufactured by additive manufacturing. Due to the large number of potential compositions that their multi-component nature introduces, high throughput alloy development methods are desirable to speed up the investigation of novel alloys. Here, we explore once such method, in-situ alloying during Additive Manufacture, where a powder of a certain pre-alloyed composition is mixed with the required composition of powder of an additional element, such that alloying takes place when powders are melted during the process. To test the effectiveness and capability of the approach, selective laser melting has been used to manufacture pre-alloyed CoCrFeNi, and also CoCrFeNiCu and CoCrFeNiTi alloys by combining pre-alloyed CoCrFeNi powder with elemental powders of Cu and Ti. Processing parameter variations are used to find the highest relative density for each alloy, and samples were then characterised for microstructure and phase composition. The CoCrFeNi alloy shows a single phase face centred cubic (FCC) microstructure, as found with other processing methods. The CoCrFeNiCu alloy has a two phase FCC microstructure with clear partitioning of the Cu, while the CoCrFeNiTi alloy has an FCC matrix phase with NiTi intermetallics and a hexagonal close packed (HCP) phase, as well as unmelted Ti particles. The microstructures therefore differ from those observed in the same alloys manufactured by other methods, mainly due to the presence of areas with higher concentrations than usually encountered of Cu and Ti respectively. Successful in-situ alloying in this process seems to be improved by the added elemental powder having a lower melting point than the base alloy, as well as a low inherent tendency to segregate. While not producing directly comparable microstructures however, the approach does seem to offer advantages for the rapid screening of alloys for AM processability, identifying, for example, extensive solid-state cracking in the CoCrFeNiTi alloy.

Effect of Anions and Related Organic Compounds on the Kinetics of Thiocyanate Oxidation in a Solar-induced Oxidative System

The effect of anions (hydrocarbonates, chlorides, sulfates) and organic compounds (xanthates) on the kinetics of thiocyanate oxidation in a photoinduced iron-persulfate system was studied using natural sunlight as a radiation source. It was found that the introduction of anions into the solution inhibits the degradation of thiocyanates. Hydrocarbonates have the maximum effect, so at a HCO–3 concentration of 1 mM, the processing time required for the complete destruction of thiocyanates increased from 6 to 15.7 minutes. At high concentrations of bicarbonates (≥5 mM), the oxidation efficiency of thiocyanates does not exceed 52 %. The adding of butyl xanthate into the solution has no significant effect on the photochemical oxidation of thiocyanates. In real water matrices (tap water and circulating water of the tailing dump of a gold mining plant), oxidative processes are significantly slowed down. In tap water, this effect is mainly due to the influence of hydrocarbonates, and in waste water, it is due to the multicomponent nature of the water matrix. The efficiency of wastewater treatment from thiocyanates was 100 %, for COD – 82 %, for dissolved organic carbon – 65 %. No cyanides were found after the treatment

Ballet "Sketches" by A. Schnittke: on the problem of interpretation of Gogol's characters

The research is devoted to the study of the musical interpretation of the heroes of the "Petersburg Stories" and the poem "Dead Souls" by N. Gogol in the ballet "Sketches" by A. Schnittke. The musical characteristics of Gogol's characters in the ballet are considered from the standpoint of ladoharmonic, rhythmic, timbre, texture features. The stylistic context of each number of the ballet cycle is analyzed in the aspect of the technique of polystylistics. Playing with stylistic models in the field of genre, form, and musical language contributed to the expansion of space-time relations and the enrichment of the figurative sphere of ballet. Due to the multi-component nature of the latter, the compositional and dramatic aspects of the ballet cycle are highlighted, based on the principles of extended expositionality, bright contrast, and distinctive characteristics. The study of the musical characteristics of the characters is carried out for the first time and is carried out from the standpoint of the individual characteristics of the Schnittke style. The author's handwriting of the composer is guessed not only in the use of polystylistic means, but also in the methods of displaying Good and Evil, "base" and "sublime". The unattractiveness of the personal qualities of Gogol's characters was clothed in an attractive mask of smash hits. The cartoon waltz, hyperbolized tango, gallop, mazurka became the symbol of the smash hit. The use of a genre stereotype to denounce evil is also observed in the Second Violin Sonata, Concerto grosso No. 1, the cantata "The Story of Dr. Johann Faust", the ballet "Peer Gynt", etc. Conclusions are drawn about the uniqueness of the musical material of each Gogol hero in the context of Schnittke's individual author's approach.

Diffusion of volatile organics and water in the epicuticular waxes of petunia petal epidermal cells.

Plant cuticles are a mixture of crystalline and amorphous waxes that restrict the exchange of molecules between the plant and the atmosphere. The multicomponent nature of cuticular waxes complicates the study of the relationship between the physical and transport properties. Here, a model cuticle based on the epicuticular waxes of Petunia hybrida flower petals was formulated to test the effect of wax composition on diffusion of water and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The model cuticle was composed of an n-tetracosane (C24 H50 ), 1-docosanol (C22 H45 OH), and 3-methylbutyl dodecanoate (C17 H34 O2 ), reflecting the relative chain length, functional groups, molecular arrangements, and crystallinity of the natural waxes. Molecular dynamics simulations were performed to obtain diffusion coefficients for compounds moving through waxes of varying composition. Simulated VOC diffusivities of the model system were found to highly correlate with in vitro measurements in isolated petunia cuticles. VOC diffusivity increased up to 30-fold in completely amorphous waxes, indicating a significant effect of crystallinity on cuticular permeability. The crystallinity of the waxes was highly dependent on the elongation of the lattice length and decrease in gap width between crystalline unit cells. Diffusion of water and higher molecular weight VOCs were significantly affected by alterations in crystalline spacing and lengths, whereas the low molecular weight VOCs were less affected. Comparison of measured diffusion coefficients from atomistic simulations and emissions from petunia flowers indicates that the role of the plant cuticle in the VOC emission network is attributed to the differential control on mass transfer of individual VOCs by controlling the composition, amount, and dynamics of scent emission.

Genesis of criminal protection of the rights of minors in Ukraine

The article examines the genesis of criminal protection of the rights of minors in Ukraine. It is pointed out that for a long time most issues were decided by the church. Given that children were not yet considered full members of society, a person who committed a criminal offense against them was subject to ecclesiastical punishment, not criminal. That is, in the days of Kievan Rus, the legislator already recognized minors as full-fledged subjects of social relations, and also allowed them to be considered victims of socially dangerous acts, but full protection of rights and freedoms was not provided. Attention is drawn to the fact that the first years of the twentieth century can be called stagnant for juvenile justice. The attention of the legislator regularly changed depending on the direction of state policy development. Revolutions, wars, the search for new ways to build the country by leaders with a partially totalitarian nature of government led to the establishment of a single value - property, the interests of the state in the representation of its ruling elite. That is why the attitude towards juvenile victims has changed regularly. It is concluded that the XXI century has defined man, his rights and freedoms as the highest value, which should be protected, first of all, from those acts that have increased social danger. Criminal law, evolving over the centuries, due to its multicomponent nature has become the basis for the development of criminology, which distinguished itself from victimology. This thesis suggests that criminal law and, consequently, criminal law, gives impetus to the development of auxiliary sciences necessary for the successful implementation of its tasks: prevention (both deterrence of offenders and deterrence of victims of victim behavior) and punishment in order to re-educate the offender and protect the state and society in the person of the victim from subsequent possible socially dangerous encroachments). Thus, to date, criminal law is not only "about and for" the criminal offender, but also for the victim.

Laminin 411 mediates endothelial specification via multiple signaling axes that converge on β-catenin.

SummaryThe extracellular matrix (ECM) provides essential cues to promote endothelial specification during tissue development in vivo; correspondingly, ECM is considered essential for endothelial differentiation outside of the body. However, systematic studies to assess the precise contribution of individual ECM proteins to endothelial differentiation have not been conducted. Further, the multi-component nature of differentiation protocols makes it challenging to study the underlying mechanisms by which the ECM contributes to cell fate. In this study, we determined that Laminin 411 alone increases endothelial differentiation of induced pluripotent stem cells over collagen I or Matrigel. The effect of ECM was shown to be independent of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) binding capacity. We also show that ECM-guided endothelial differentiation is dependent on activation of focal adhesion kinase (FAK), integrin-linked kinase (ILK), Notch, and β-catenin pathways. Our results indicate that ECM contributes to endothelial differentiation through multiple avenues, which converge at the expression of active β-catenin.

Investigating Crystalline Protein Suspension Formulations of Pembrolizumab from MAS NMR Spectroscopy.

Developing biological formulations to maintain the chemical and structural integrity of therapeutic antibodies remains a significant challenge. Monoclonal antibody (mAb) crystalline suspension formulation is a promising alternative for high concentration subcutaneous drug delivery. It demonstrates many merits compared to the solution formulation to reach a high concentration at the reduced viscosity and enhanced stability. One main challenge in drug development is the lack of high-resolution characterization of the crystallinity and stability of mAb microcrystals in the native formulations. Conventional analytical techniques often cannot evaluate structural details of mAb microcrystals in the native suspension due to the presence of visible particles, relatively small crystal size, high protein concentration, and multicomponent nature of a liquid formulation. This study demonstrates the first high-resolution characterization of mAb microcrystalline suspension using magic angle spinning (MAS) NMR spectroscopy. Crystalline suspension formulation of pembrolizumab (Keytruda, Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ 07033, U.S.) is utilized as a model system. Remarkably narrow 13C spectral linewidth of approximately 29 Hz suggests a high order of crystallinity and conformational homogeneity of pembrolizumab crystals. The impact of thermal stress and dehydration on the structure, dynamics, and stability of these mAb crystals in the formulation environment is evaluated. Moreover, isotopic labeling and heteronuclear 13C and 15N spectroscopies have been utilized to identify the binding of caffeine in the pembrolizumab crystal lattice, providing molecular insights into the cocrystallization of the protein and ligand. Our study provides valuable structural details for facilitating the design of crystalline suspension formulation of Keytruda and demonstrates the high potential of MAS NMR as an advanced tool for biophysical characterization of biological therapeutics.

Morningness-Eveningness Preference, Time Perspective, and Passage of Time Judgments.

Recent studies have shown that making accurate passage of time judgments (POTJs) for long-time intervals is an important cognitive ability. Different temporal domains, such as circadian typology (biological time) and time perspective (psychological time), could have an effect on subjective POTJs, but few studies have investigated the reciprocal influences among these temporal domains. The present study is the first systematic attempt to fill this gap. A sample of 222 participants (53.20% females; 19-60 years) filled in the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory for the measurement of time perspective, the reduced version of the Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (rMEQ) for chronotypes, and an ad-hoc questionnaire assessing sleep habits during weekdays and the weekend (for social jetlag). The POTJ was measured using a modified version of a pictorial timeline presented at five different moments. Also, participants judged how different temporal expressions were related to the past, present, and future along a 7-point Likert scale. After confirming the association between eveningness and present-hedonism orientation and morningness and future-orientation, we found that evening-types produced higher scores for future expressions. The subjective POTJ expressed in minutes was predicted by Deviation from Balanced Time (DBTP), present-fatalism orientation, and social jetlag. Finally, the rMEQ score, past-positive orientation, and DBTP predicted the difference between subjective and objective POT. The results are discussed offering an explanation in terms of the interconnections between circadian typology, individual time perspective, and the sense of the POT, suggesting the multicomponent nature of the concept of time.

Facilitators and Barriers of Reflective Learning in Postgraduate Medical Education: A Narrative Review.

BackgroundReflection in postgraduate medical education has been found to aid in the development of professional skills, improve clinical expertise, and problem solving with the aim of advancing lifelong learning skills and self-awareness, leading to good medical practice among postgraduate residents. Despite the evidenced benefits, reflection remains underused as a tool for teaching and learning, and few trainee physicians regularly engage in the process. Factors that affect the uptake of reflective learning in residency training have not yet been adequately explored.ObjectiveThe purpose of this review is to demonstrate the factors that influence the adoption of reflective learning for postgraduate students and their centrality to good clinical practice.MethodsA review of the literature was performed using defined databases and the following search terms: ‘reflection’, ‘reflective learning’, ‘postgraduate medical education’, ‘barriers’ and ‘facilitators’. The search was limited to peer-reviewed published material in English between 2011 and 2020 and included research papers, reviews, and expert opinion pieces.ResultsEleven relevant articles were included, which identified three main categories as facilitators and barriers to the adoption of reflective learning in postgraduate medical education. These included structure, assessment and relational factors. The structure of reflective practice is important, but it should not be too rigid. Assessments are paramount, but they should be multidimensional to accommodate the multicomponent nature of reflections. Relational factors such as motivation, coaching, and role modeling facilitate sustainable reflective practice.ConclusionsThis review suggests that the same factors that facilitate reflection can be a barrier if not used within the right epistemic. Educators should consider these factors to increase the acceptance and integration of reflective learning in curriculums by both teachers and learners.

Justice on the Frontier: Mixed Court of Chinese Eastern Railway

The paper discusses the mixed courts of the Chinese Eastern Railway (CER). The researchers studied mostly the early stages of mixed courts of the CER, did not use mass data, and did not compare this model of mixed justice with the courts of borderlands of the Russian Empire and the imperial post-reform justice. The paper provides a statistical analysis of court cases in 1908 and 1913 using the reporting sheets. This made it possible to trace changes in activities of a mixed court at a later stage of its functioning. The article reveals changes in the types of civil and criminal cases, the composition of trial participants, the types of court decisions. The study revealed that the number and proportion of inter-Chinese court cases increased significantly. The paper concludes about the multi-component nature of the legal basis of mixed courts. Changes in the staff of the judicial collegiums are analyzed. A comparison of the CER mixed courts with the judicial institutions of the Russian Empire borderlands, with the post-reform imperial justice and the mixed courts of the international settlements of Shanghai is carried out. It is concluded that the mixed courts creatively combined the institutional elements of different judicial system. The analysis of statistical data and descriptions allows to draw preliminary conclusions about the attitude of the population towards mixed courts and the role of this type of justice in establishing law and order on the CER. The study concludes that the mixed justice, bringing together the heterogeneous in origin and characteristics of judicial and legal practices and views, contributed to the formation of a common regional cultural and legal field on the Manchurian frontier.

ЕФЕКТИВНІСТЬ ОПЕРАЦІЙНОЇ ДІЯЛЬНОСТІ ПІДПРИЄМСТВА ТА ЇЇ ОЦІНЮВАННЯ

The efficiency of the main activity of the enterprise is not only a prerequisite for its further development, but also the main issue of survival of the enterprise in a competitive environment. The article considers the essence of the concepts of efficiency, operational activity and efficiency of operational activity. It is noted that the definition of "opera-tional efficiency", which provides a competitive advantage through better use of available resources or opportunities, is becoming increasingly common in the domestic economy. The classification of types of economic efficiency of op-erational activity is given, which testifies to the complexity and multicomponent nature of this concept, as well as the advantages of their application depending on the objectives of the study. Among the main features of the classification are the level of the object of management, the types of results obtained, the degree of coverage of resources and types of their expenditure, the functional sphere of manifestation, types of business processes and stakeholders. It is noted that there is no single system of indicators for assessing the effectiveness of operational activities, and existing systems of indicators correspond to resource, cost, resource-cost and targeted approaches to their formation. The considered evaluation systems contain different number of evaluation directions and indicators that characterize them. This affects the speed of results and the quality of evaluation. According to the results of the study of the most common systems of indicators for assessing the effectiveness of the main activity formed a system of indicators that meets two conditions: not overloaded with the number of indicators and covers the main aspects of the enterprise. This system includes sev-eral blocks, and the number of indicators in each of them does not exceed five. Due to this, such a system of indicators should be used in rapid analysis. Groups (subgroups) of indicators include: indicators of resource efficiency in terms of their individual types and an integrated indicator of resource efficiency; indicators that characterize the level of achieve-ment of goals in terms of production and sales, costs and market share; summary of operational efficiency indicators.

Insulin resistance in the ХХІ century: multimodal approach to assessing causes and effective correction

In a broad sense, insulin resistance (IR) is the impairment of the biological response of target tissues to insulin stimulation. IR plays a leading role in the development of metabolic syndrome, the global prevalence of which continues to grow, despite the significant efforts of medical systems. The multicomponent nature of metabolic syndrome implies its complex and heterogeneous pathogenesis, knowledge about which is annually updated with new details as a result of scientific research.This review systematizes the results of recent studies on risk factors and pathogenetic links in the development of IR, prospects and existing experience of using these data in clinical practice with an emphasis on assessing the level of melatonin and vitamin D. The issue of timely and reliable laboratory confirmation of IR is relevant not only for endocrinologists, but also for specialists in almost all areas. In clinical use apart from indirect methods of IR-assessment like HOMA-IR, there is an informative test intact proinsulin.Recently, the increasing attention of researchers is attracted by such factors of the development of IR as vitamin D deficiency and disturbances in chrono- and biorhythms. Today, their role in the pathogenesis of IR can be considered proven, which makes it possible to consider vitamin D and melatonin as therapeutic agents in an integrated approach to the prevention and correction of IR. Statistical analysis of the research results of the “DILA” Medical Laboratory and clinical data provided by the Department of Endocrinology of the O.O. Bogomolets National Medical University also showed an association of vitamin D and melatonin levels with IR.Thus, a review of scientific sources over the last 5 years clearly demonstrates the growing urgency of the problem of IR and metabolic syndrome, the need to reconsider their management from assessing traditional etiopathogenetic factors (alimentary) to taking into account the maximum spectrum of genetic aspects and exogenous impacts. An important place among the latter belongs to an objective assessment of the vitamin D and melatonin levels for adequate pharmacological correction.

Rationale of the dielectrometric method of definition of lubricant oils' tribological characteristics' changes

The article demonstrates the contradiction of generally accepted methods of research of lubricants tribological properties on the example of spent oil studies and critically considers the possibility of using the obtained results as criteria for assessing the serviceability of lubricating oils after a certain service life. In particular, regulatory parameters such as viscosity, flash point, acid value and insoluble sludge content were considered. Viscosity, in particular, was assessed by the Heppler’s and the Ostwald’s methods. As a result, it was found that the first of these methods shows lower values. Similar ambiguity is demonstrated by normative methods for determining the flash point in open and closed crucibles, determining the acid number by potentiometric or calorimetric titration of an oil sample dissolved in various solvents and determining the sludge content by extraction with n-pentane, n-heptane and extraction benzene. As it turned out, the results obtained by different methods are impossible to compare. The analysis of the obtained data also confirms the opinion that the indicators determined in the laboratory have no practical application, because they do not correlate with the real operating conditions of the oil. Such laboratory studies can only be used to compare two or more samples of lubricants. As an objective criterion that would reflect the interaction of the components of lubricating oils and friction units during operation and could serve as an indicator of the degree of aging of the oil, the author proposed to use the dielectric constant in an alternating electric field. These first research results show that changes in dielectric constant as a function of service life can be considered an indicator of the degree of aging of the oil, and the results allow us to estimate the concentration of sludge and mechanical contaminants in oils. However, given the multicomponent nature of modern oils and the influence of other factors on the dielectric penetration of the material, the results obtained should be considered only preliminary and those that require further refinement and processing.