Terms Of Individual Components Research Articles

Analysis of the Resistance Change of Chemosensitive Layers to the Presence of Ammonia Vapors under Variable Conditions of Air Temperature and Humidity

The developed chemosensitive layers consisted of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), reduced graphene oxide (rGO), and a conductive polymer (polyaniline-PANI) in a polymeric matrix (a polystyrene solution in methylene chloride). The layers were challenged with a test gas to determine the optimum variant in terms of sensitivity to the selected analyte and the repeatability of results. In terms of individual components, the greatest percentage change in resistance (32%) and the best repeatability were found for chemosensitive layers containing a PANI salt in the polymeric matrix. Even greater changes in resistance were exhibited by sensors containing more than one active component in the matrix: 45% for PANI + MWCNTs and 75% for PANI + rGO. The presented method of thin-layer deposition was shown to be suitable for the production of sensitive and functional sensors of ammonia vapors. The developed sensors were characterized by high repeatability and sensitivity to a harmful substance that constitutes an inhalation hazard to workers. The sensors were also analyzed for their durability and recovery as well as the ability to function under varying temperature and humidity conditions.

Experimental Evolution Reveals Unifying Systems-Level Adaptations but Diversity in Driving Genotypes.

Genotype-fitness maps of evolution have been well characterized for biological components, such as RNA and proteins, but remain less clear for systems-level properties, such as those of metabolic and transcriptional regulatory networks. Here, we take multi-omics measurements of 6 different E. coli strains throughout adaptive laboratory evolution (ALE) to maximal growth fitness. The results show the following: (i) convergence in most overall phenotypic measures across all strains, with the notable exception of divergence in NADPH production mechanisms; (ii) conserved transcriptomic adaptations, describing increased expression of growth promoting genes but decreased expression of stress response and structural components; (iii) four groups of regulatory trade-offs underlying the adjustment of transcriptome composition; and (iv) correlates that link causal mutations to systems-level adaptations, including mutation-pathway flux correlates and mutation-transcriptome composition correlates. We thus show that fitness landscapes for ALE can be described with two layers of causation: one based on system-level properties (continuous variables) and the other based on mutations (discrete variables). IMPORTANCE Understanding the mechanisms of microbial adaptation will help combat the evolution of drug-resistant microbes and enable predictive genome design. Although experimental evolution allows us to identify the causal mutations underlying microbial adaptation, it remains unclear how causal mutations enable increased fitness and is often explained in terms of individual components (i.e., enzyme rate) as opposed to biological systems (i.e., pathways). Here, we find that causal mutations in E. coli are linked to systems-level changes in NADPH balance and expression of stress response genes. These systems-level adaptation patterns are conserved across diverse E. coli strains and thus identify cofactor balance and proteome reallocation as dominant constraints governing microbial adaptation.

A combined healthy lifestyle score in relation to glioma: a case-control study

BackgroundThe evidence on the association between adherence to a healthy lifestyle and risk of glioma are scarce. This is particularly relevant to Middle Eastern countries where lifestyle factors including dietary intakes, physical activity and environmental contributors are different from other parts of the world. The aim of this case-control study was, therefore, investigating the association between adherence to a healthy lifestyle and odds of glioma among adults.MethodsTotally, 128 newly diagnosed glioma cases and 256 age- and sex-matched controls were recruited in this hospital-based case-control study. Dietary intakes were examined by the use of a 126-item validated FFQ. International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) was used for measuring physical activity of participants. To construct a healthy lifestyle score (HLS), data from dietary intakes, physical activity and BMI were used. Subjects in the low risk categories of the mentioned components received the score of 1, otherwise they received the score of 0. The final HLS was computed through summing up the scores of components.ResultsAfter adjustment for age and sex, we found that individuals with the highest HLS score were 55% less likely to have glioma compared with those with the lowest score (OR: 0.45; 95% CI: 0.22, 0.92). Additional controlling for other potential confounders made the association stronger (OR: 0.28; 95%CI: 0.12, 0.66). In terms of individual components of healthy lifestyle score, subjects with a healthy diet had 54% lower odds of glioma than those with a non-healthy diet (OR: 0.46; 95%CI: 0.26, 0.80). No significant associations were seen between physical activity level or BMI status and glioma.ConclusionWe found evidence indicating that adherence to a healthy lifestyle, in particular a healthy diet, was associated with a lower odds of glioma. Prospective cohort studies are needed to confirm these findings.

EDUCATIONAL COMPONENT OF HUMAN POTENTIAL: FINANCIAL-STATISTICAL AND LABOR PERSPECTIVES

L. Halkiv L. Halaz M. Bihus 1Lviv Politechnic National University 2Lviv Polytechnic National University 3Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, Department of International economic and Investment Activity Purpose. The purpose of this article is to improve theoretical, methodological, and applied foundations of the study of the educational component of human potential. Design/methodology/approach. Scientific works of domestic and foreign scientists studying issues related to human potential, labor market, and education financing, as well as official statistical data that characterize these issues, formed the information, theoretical, and methodological basis of the study. To achieve this purpose, the article uses a set of scientific methods that have ensured conceptual integrity of the study, in particular: the method of theoretical generalization and the abstract method were used to systematize scientific results and formulate conclusions; the method of structural analysis was used to study education costs in terms of individual components; concentration and differentiation analysis was used to study distribution of costs of financial agents; dynamic modeling was used to build trends in the number of educational institutions, the number of students, and the total cost of education; the tabular method was used for a compact representation of quantitative indicators; the graphical method was used to visualize the results of the study, etc. Findings. The functioning of the country's education system has a decisive influence on the quality of human potential. Graduates who complete a higher education program are more likely to work in knowledgeintensive jobs and earn higher salaries. Workers with higher education are usually more likely to be formally employed and less likely to lose their jobs. Effectiveness of the education system depends on its financing. The results of the analysis of data on expenditures on education in Ukraine indicate the following patterns: most funds are allocated for educational services provided by higher education institutions, for the first stage of secondary education and primary education; private firms and corporations most often allocate their funds for post-secondary education; the share of state institutions among financial agents carrying out activities in the field of education reaches about 90 %; the maximum costs of the public sector are observed at the ISCED 0-3 educational levels; the network of institutions and the contingent of students receiving vocational, technical, and higher education are decreasing; there is a declining trend in the level of education expenditures in the Consolidated Budget expenditures. The rise in the price of educational services against the background of an unbalanced labor market leads to a loss of knowledge; additional retraining expenses; increase in social benefits. Practical implications. The materials presented in the article can be useful to representatives of institutions and scientists whose activities are related to the financing of education and the labor market. Originality/value. In the article, the author. The level of education of an employee is considered as one of the components of their potential. This component allows an employee to compete successfully in the labor market. In Ukraine, financial resources of the population cover more than 30 % of doctoral studies and their equivalents, as well as about 25 % of expenditures cover higher education. Given the spread of poverty and the weakening of state support for higher education, Ukrainians will face the problem of the provision of financial support for universities.

Investigation of Air Pollutants Related to the Vehicular Exhaust Emissions in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal

The Kathmandu Valley, which is surrounded by high hills and mountains, has been plagued by air pollution, especially in winter. We measured the levels of volatile organic compounds, nitrogen dioxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, ammonia, ozone, PM2.5, and carbon monoxide in the Kathmandu Valley during the winter to investigate the impact of vehicular emissions and the contribution of gaseous air pollutants to secondary pollutants. The most common gaseous pollutants were discovered to be gasoline components, which were emitted more frequently by engine combustion than gasoline evaporation. Considering the ethylene to acetylene ratio, it was discovered that most vehicles lacked a well-maintained catalyst. Compared to previous studies, it was considered that an increase in the number of gasoline vehicles offset the effect of the measures and exceeded it, increasing the level of air pollutants. Aromatics and alkenes accounted for 66–79% and 43–59% of total ozone formation potential in Koteshwor and Sanepa, respectively. In terms of individual components, it was determined that ethylene, propylene, toluene, and m-xylene all significantly contributed to photochemical ozone production. As those components correlated well with isopentane, which is abundant in gasoline vehicle exhaust, it was determined that gasoline vehicles are the primary source of those components. It was indicated that strategies for regulating gasoline vehicle exhaust emissions are critical for controlling the photochemical smog in the Kathmandu Valley.

SUSTAINABILITY OF THE COMPETITIVE POSITION OF AGRICULTURAL ENTERPRISE: EVALUATION AND FORECASTING OF POSSIBLE SCENARIOS

The article is devoted to the study of the problem of assessing and forecasting the stability of competitive positions of agricultural enterprises. The analysis of theoretical approaches to the definition of the studied categories is carried out. Based on the essence of the competitive position, a methodical approach to assessing the competitive position of an agricultural enterprise is substantiated: a method of comparing the rate of change of the main economic indicators of an agricultural enterprise and the industry as a whole is proposed. The article calculates the forecast values of the integrated stability index of the competitive position and its components using the method of exponential smoothing using the Brown-Mayer model, which allowed to assess the dynamics and trends of agricultural enterprise. A model is proposed, which can not only assess the level of competitive position of the enterprise, but also identify areas of change in the level of competitive position of the enterprise as a whole and in terms of individual components, develop conceptual frameworks for effective management decisions.

THE RULE OF LAW AND INFLATION IN THE MIDDLE-INCOME COUNTRIES

The article analyzes the relationship between compliance with the rule of law and inflation. Annual data for the period of 2013—2019 of the Rule of Law Index from the non-governmental organization World Justice Project (WJP) for 40 countries of Central and Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union, Asia and Latin America were used. By means of cross-section estimates and panel data using a random effects model (RE), the dependence of inflation on individual WJP sub-indices was empirically estimated, taking into account a wide analytical spectrum of different aspects of the rule of law. Recently, the issue of the rule of law is increasingly used in economic research. First of all, it concerns the dependence of transaction funds and trust on legal factors, which has a direct impact on the funds of production and inflation, as emphasized by the representatives of the new institutional school (New Institutional Economics). Instead, Neoclassical economics economists mainly analyze the influence of the rule of law mechanisms on the formation of trust in such institutions as the independent central bank or the state administrative apparatus. There is no lack of empirical evidence that the anti-inflationary influence of the central bank significantly depends on the concomitant conditions of compliance with the rule of law. Keynesian economics experts state that the importance of legal and regulatory norms increases significantly with a low interest rate (Zero Lower Bound — ZLB), which has been the case recently in most industrialized countries. Since the academic interpretation of the rule of law is quite broad, it is of practical interest to study the relevant macroeconomic effects in terms of such individual components as the system of counterbalances and checks for government, the fight against corruption, maintenance of law and order, efficiency of regulatory mechanisms, etc. The study showed that there is no reason to deny the anti-inflationary impact of the rule of law in general and in terms of individual components, but the obtained empirical estimates may be vulnerable to data aggregation and differ in terms of individual groups of countries. If we use the general index of the rule of law of the WJP, the anti-inflationary effect can be traced both for the general sample of 40 countries, and separately for both subgroups of countries: 1) Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and the former Soviet Union, 2) Asia and Latin America. The use of WJP sub-indices shows an anti-inflationary effect for the general sample of countries and subgroups of CEE countries and the former Soviet Union (with a few exceptions), but the corresponding effect is completely lost for the countries of Asia and Latin America (it can mean that only complex simultaneous introduction of all components of the rule of law is anti-inflationary). This feature draws attention to the possibility of erroneous use of panel data estimates for large groups of countries that may not meet certain regional characteristics and incline to erroneous recommendations for economic policy. Among other results, weak signs of accelerating inflation have been observed over time in the CEE countries and the former Soviet Union, but not in Asia and Latin America. Also in these countries, inflation does not depend on GDP dynamics. In contrast, in the CEE and former Soviet Union countries, on average, each percentage point of GDP growth (lag per year) is marked by a 0.3-percentage-point decrease in inflation.

Business students’ hardiness and its role in quality of university life, quality of life, and learning performance

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of the hardiness of university business students. Overall hardiness, and its individual components of commitment, control and challenge, were all explored in relation to students’ quality of university life, quality of life and learning performance. Design/methodology/approach A sample of 722 Vietnamese business students was surveyed to collect the data. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to determine whether hardiness and/or its components enhanced students’ quality of university life, quality of life and learning performance. Necessary condition analysis (NCA) was then employed to explore the levels of hardiness and its components necessary for each of the key areas. Findings SEM results revealed that overall hardiness had a positive effect on all three key areas. In terms of individual components, commitment, control and challenge were found to have positive impacts on learning performance; however, control did not affect quality of university life, and challenge had no effect on quality of life. NCA results show that these components of hardiness had varying degrees necessary for students to experience success in these areas. Practical implications Findings suggest that university administers should consider the role which student hardiness, and its individual components, can play in relation to student success at university. Specifically, universities should practice hardiness training and assessment programs to equip their students with hardy attitudes and skills. Originality/value This study is one of the first to examine of the levels of the components of hardiness (i.e. commitment, control and challenge) necessary for students to achieve success in the quality of university life, quality of life and learning performance.

Effects of Fuel Enrichment on the Physics Characteristics of Plutonium-Fueled Light Water High Converter Reactors

Investigations have been carried out for three additional cores of the phase 1 experimental program on light water high converter reactor test lattices in the PROTEUS facility. An 8% (average) fissile plutonium tight-pitch lattice with a fuel/moderator volumetric ratio of 2.0 was considered. As for the earlier reported 6% (average) fissile plutonium test lattice, H/sub 2/O, Dowtherm, and air were the moderator state investigated. Significant enrichment-dependent trends have been identified in the comparisons of calculated and experimental results for the wet (moderated cases, particularly for the important reaction rate ratio of /sup 238/U capture of /sup 239/Pu fission. These are then reflected in the comparison of moderator voidage characteristics, expressed in terms of individual components of the kinfinity void coefficient.