Versatile Character Research Articles

Biocasting of an elastin-like recombinamer and collagen bi-layered model of the tunica adventitia and external elastic lamina of the vascular wall.

The development of techniques for fabricating vascular wall models will foster the development of preventive and therapeutic therapies for treating cardiovascular diseases. However, the physical and biological complexity of vascular tissue represents a major challenge, especially for the design and the production of off-the-shelf biomimetic vascular replicas. Herein, we report the development of a biocasting technique that can be used to replicate the tunica adventitia and the external elastic lamina of the vascular wall. Type I collagen embedded with neonatal human dermal fibroblast (HDFn) and an elastic click cross-linkable, cell-adhesive and protease-sensitive elastin-like recombinamer (ELR) hydrogel were investigated as readily accessible and tunable layers to the envisaged model. Mechanical characterization confirmed that the viscous and elastic attributes predominated in the collagen and ELR layers, respectively. In vitro maturation confirmed that the collagen and ELR provided a favorable environment for the HDFn viability, while histology revealed the wavy and homogenous morphology of the ELR and collagen layer respectively, the cell polarization towards the cell-attachment sites encoded on the ELR, and the enhanced expression of glycosaminoglycan-rich extracellular matrix and differentiation of the embedded HDFn into myofibroblasts. As a complementary assay, 30% by weight of the collagen layer was substituted with the ELR. This model proved the possibility to tune the composition and confirm the versatile character of the technology developed, while revealing no significant differences with respect to the original construct. On-demand modification of the model dimensions, number and composition of the layers, as well as the type and density of the seeded cells, can be further envisioned, thus suggesting that this bi-layered model may be a promising platform for the fabrication of biomimetic vascular wall models.

Abbreviation noun phrases at the intersection of abbreviation and syntactic motivations

The paper focuses on acronym-based noun phrases, i.e. noun phrases consisting of an abbreviation and a non-abbreviated lexeme. The author works with the theory of lexical motivation which presumes the existence of several types of motivation, including abbreviation and syntactic motivation. While abbreviations are formed by means of abbreviation motivation, syntactic constructions such as noun phrases are formed by means of syntactic motivation. Both types of motivation are dominant in the forming of abbreviation noun phrases. The author distinguishes and explains the differences between tautological (PIN number), semi-tautological (SIM card) and explicative noun phrases (GPRS platforms) as well as abbreviation multi-word units (USB port). The paper points out manifold functionality of each type of abbreviation noun phrase/multiword unit and presents abbreviations as productive means of forming new constructions and lexemes. Their versatile character makes abbreviations universal forms for coining new expressions of terminological character and thus contributing to multiple terminological databases of languages.

Sobre traducción decimonónica en España: semblanza bio-bibliográfica de Francisco Alejandro Fernel

El presente artículo se centra en la figura de Francisco Alejandro Fernel, un polifacético personaje que formó parte del grupo de traductores que brilló en Andalucía en la primera mitad del siglo XIX. El objetivo principal de nuestro trabajo es, en primer lugar, realizar una semblanza biográfica de Fernel que nos ayude a conocer datos que permitan entender sus intereses en el ámbito de la traducción y el contexto en el que la llevó a cabo. En segundo lugar, nos centraremos en el análisis de las traducciones de las que tenemos noticia para justificar la importancia de su figura en el panorama de la traducción decimonónica en España.

Recent trends of micro and nanostructured conducting polymers in health and environmental applications

Conducting polymers are, without question, outstanding materials. Their unique combination between metal-like, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties and the processability of polymeric materials consolidated their use in the electrochemical sciences over the past decades. However, the versatile character of these polymers combined with the advent of nanoscience has expanded their horizon of applications, now entering the fields of biomedicine and life science, as well as the environmental sciences. This review brings the latest advances on the use of conducting polymers micro and nanostructures in biomedical applications, such as controlled drug release, artificial muscles, and tissue engineering, where their stimuli responsiveness has shown new and exciting possibilities. Moreover, this review shows that the use of conducting polymers in effective extraction and pre-concentration of trace amount pollutants from complex matrices resulted in extraction capacities often superior to the materials currently commercialized. More than extracting contaminants, conducting polymers have shown further promissing results in the degradation of organic contaminants through photoelectrocatalysis. New features in the synthesis of these polymers are also addressed.

Sınıraşan/Organize Suçlar Bağlamında Avrupa Birliği

Bu çalışmanın temelde amacı, Avrupa Birliği sınırları içerisinde hem ekonomik hem de politik birçok olumsuz sonuç doğuran organize suç olgusunu inceleyerek, bu yasa dışı aktivitelere dair Birliğe yol haritası çizen Ağır ve Organize Suçlar Değerlendirmeleri içerisindeki değişimleri analiz etmektir. Çalışma yöntem olarak öncelikle literatür taraması ile organize suç olgusunun kavramsal çerçevesini çizmiş, daha sonra ise Europol tarafından hazırlanan 2014-2017 ve 2018-2021 yıllarına ait değerlendirmeleri karşılaştırarak organize suçların Birlik içerisindeki değişimini değerlendirmiştir. Bu karşılaştırmalardan elde edilen en çarpıcı sonuçlardan biri 2014-2017 yıllarına ait politikaların belirlenmesine yönelik değerlendirmelerde çevre suçları, terörün finansmanı ve kara para aklama suçları odaklanılması gereken suçlar arasında geri planda kalmıştır. Fakat Brüksel’de ve Paris’te gerçekleştirilen terör eylemlerinin ardından Europol özellikle terörün finansmanı konusunu ön plana almıştır. Bu çalışma, çok yönlü karakteriyle hem organize suç olgusunu değerlendirmiş hem de daha önce karşılaştırmalı olarak incelenmeyen iki ardışık dönemi organize suçlar bağlamında analiz etmiştir.Anahtar Kelimeler: Organize Suçlar, Europol, SOCTA, Avrupa BirliğiJEL Sınıflandırması: F50, K33

Information criterion of quality of image formation and analysis in the noncontact monitoring of objects

The results of the investigation of the information criterion of quality in terms of image formation and processing in the noncontact monitoring of object systems are presented taking into account the statistical properties of the signals representing the images. An example of the application of the information criterion to interferometric systems is examined, and the information criterion and traditional criteria—signal-to-noise ratio and interference fringe phase error—are compared. The information criterion of quality has a versatile character when applied to various problems of the noncontact monitoring of objects.

The McKenna reaction - avoiding side reactions in phosphonate deprotection.

The McKenna reaction is a well-known and popular method for the efficient and mild synthesis of organophosphorus acids. Bromotrimethylsilane (BTMS) is the main reagent in this reaction, which transforms dialkyl phosphonate esters into bis(trimethylsilyl)esters, which are then easily converted into the target acids. However, the versatile character of the McKenna reaction is not always used to its full extent, due to formation of side products. Herein, demonstrated by using model examples we have not only analyzed the typical side processes accompanying the McKenna reaction, but also uncovered new ones. Further, we discovered that some commonly recommended precautions did not always circumvent the side reactions. The proposed results and recommendations may facilitate the synthesis of phosphonic acids.

Understanding the paradoxical mechanical response of in-phase A-tracts at different force regimes.

A-tracts are A:T rich DNA sequences that exhibit unique structural and mechanical properties associated with several functions in vivo. The crystallographic structure of A-tracts has been well characterized. However, the mechanical properties of these sequences is controversial and their response to force remains unexplored. Here, we rationalize the mechanical properties of in-phase A-tracts present in the Caenorhabditis elegans genome over a wide range of external forces, using single-molecule experiments and theoretical polymer models. Atomic Force Microscopy imaging shows that A-tracts induce long-range (∼200 nm) bending, which originates from an intrinsically bent structure rather than from larger bending flexibility. These data are well described with a theoretical model based on the worm-like chain model that includes intrinsic bending. Magnetic tweezers experiments show that the mechanical response of A-tracts and arbitrary DNA sequences have a similar dependence with monovalent salt supporting that the observed A-tract bend is intrinsic to the sequence. Optical tweezers experiments reveal a high stretch modulus of the A-tract sequences in the enthalpic regime. Our work rationalizes the complex multiscale flexibility of A-tracts, providing a physical basis for the versatile character of these sequences inside the cell.

« Lâcher prise » et fluidité de la conscience. Mise au point d’un questionnaire d’évaluation, d’inspiration phénoménologique

This work starts from the phenomenological observation of the complex and versatile character of conscious experience, at every moment. This flexibility (or versatility) of conscious experience has led psychologists and philosophers to think of it as a flow and not as a state. In this work, a 17-item Conscientious Fluid Assessment Questionnaire (EQFC) was created using experiential phenomenological interviews. It was then evaluated: a) in a population of healthy subjects; b) in doctoral students following an internship of explicit conscious experience (introspective method) and; c) in some patients at the end of hypnotherapy. The internal validation (symmetry, flattening, Cronbach's alpha coefficient) is very satisfactory. It was possible to highlight 4 dimensions in this test: self and environmental availability, “letting go” itself, relative passivity to the world, and acceptance of change. Moreover, it has been compared to the Five Facets Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) with which it is partially correlated. The results show that the flexibility of consciousness is not equal in all subjects and that hypnotherapy and introspective methods increase the fluidity of consciousness, as measured by the EQFC test.

A cognitive linguistic approach to the analysis of fantasy text characters

This article aims to suggest a procedure of analyzing fantasy text characters focusing on their evaluative component. The said procedure is based on the methodology of cognitive linguistics, namely the basic frames theory. Basic frames are schematic mental structures that form the backbone of our informational system. The frames consist of propositional schemas containing static and dynamic characteristics of a character under scrutiny. The empirical data of the research are represented by descriptions of characters in a series prototypical for fantasy genre – legendarium by J. R.R. Tolkien which includes the novels The Silmarillion, The Hobbit, and The Lord of the Rings. In his books, the writer created not only an alternative universe with its geography and mythology but also versatile characters who belong to different “races” – Elves, Men, Hobbits, Dwarves, Ents, and Orcs. The race affiliation of a protagonist exposes his/her peculiar traits of character, worldview, and way of life making it easier for the writer to describe them. So analyzing the evaluation of characters one should take into consideration both common features shared by all representatives of a race portraying it as a homogeneous entity – eidos (a holistic non-segmented image) and unique individual features of the protagonist – logos (an image where its constituents are singled out). Consequently, the evaluation of a character may be mathematically represented as a summary coefficient equal to the ratio of logical and eidetic coefficients. The former is calculated as the ratio of positive and negative propositions describing the personal qualities of a protagonist, the latter is the ratio of positive and negative propositions describing the race to which the character belongs. The article contains a detailed analysis of the six races of Tolkien’s legendarium and two representatives of each race which enabled to outline their generalized portraits and determine summary evaluations which makes it clear that some characters are “better” and some are “worse” than average representatives of their race.

Percepções de especialistas em Cirurgia e Traumatologia Buco-Maxilo-Faciais sobre as motivações da escolha e a atuação profissional

O artigo analisa as motivações e veredas do processo de escolha pela Cirurgia e Traumatologia Buco-Maxilo-Faciais e da atuação profissional de especialistas na área, atuantes em um município catarinense. Estudo qualitativo, exploratório-descritivo, cujos dados foram coletados por entrevistas semiestruturadas com 05 cirurgiões-dentistas, analisados por meio da análise temática ajustada. Quando indagados sobre a motivação que os conduziu à escolha pela especialidade, os participantes revelaram: o caráter versátil da área, de natureza integrativa e não apenas reparadora; a cultura experimentada e produzida desde a tenra idade, identificação e preferência. As veredas percorridas no processo de escolha e na atuação profissional foram influenciadas pelo bom relacionamento com professores, concomitante a um bom embasamento teórico em cirurgia; participação em monitoria; atividade extracurricular (estágio); e, satisfação pessoal. No mix público-privado, depoimentos sinalizaram a ampliação da área, a tendência à saturação do mercado privado, o trânsito entre mercados, a formação de qualidade e o mérito de aproveitar o que é ofertado, além de apontamentos sobre a dificuldade em ingressar no setor público, ainda que a demanda seja realidade. O Centro de Especialidades Odontológicas do Sistema Único de Saúde foi apresentado como lócus de oferta promissora de trabalho e como estratégia para início de carreira. Novos estudos qualitativos de abordagem bioética são necessários e oportunos.

Exploring the Riddle of Curious George: A Thematic Study

Children’s literature has created versatile and popular characters since its inception. These characters produced a nostalgic and overwhelming presence through their actions, behaviors and unique identities on readers’ minds. This paper probes into a complex notion of the identity of a popular character in children’s literature, Curious George. Various authors and critics have tried to focus on different aspects of George’s personality. The scope of this paper is to explore the versatile and multifaceted features of George’s character, and to make an association between the character and its creators, H. A. Rey and Margaret Rey. The eventful life of the childless authors, who lived in a war-inflicted world, moving from one place to another, and seeking a final refuge in United States, is carefully analyzed and investigated in detail. The hilarious role played by George as a savior, to redeem them physically and psychologically, is adequately traced. Through the various Curious George series, the character of George is deeply examined and his relation to the ‘Man with the Yellow Hat’ has been interpreted from an oriental and postcolonial perspective. The enigma or riddle behind the true nature of George continually makes him one of the most beloved characters in the field of children’s literature. Observed and analyzed in the light of war-affected world, during which he was created, George provides the potential to survive in any conflict –riven situation internally or externally. His multiple personalities of an animal, child, prisoner, Orient and African provides various facets that keeps his identity in a flux.

Polymer Science and Engineering Using Deep Eutectic Solvents.

The green and versatile character of deep eutectic solvents (DES) has turned them into significant tools in the development of green and sustainable technologies. For this purpose, their use in polymeric applications has been growing and expanding to new areas of development. The present review aims to summarize the progress in the field of DES applied to polymer science and engineering. It comprises fundamentals studies involving DES and polymers, recent applications of DES in polymer synthesis, extraction and modification, and the early developments on the formulation of DES–polymer products. The combination of DES and polymers is highly promising in the development of new and ‘greener’ materials. Still, there is plenty of room for future research in this field.

Nanoporous activated carbon cloth as a versatile material for hydrogen adsorption, selective gas separation and electrochemical energy storage

The efficient storage of energy combined with a minimum carbon footprint is still considered one of the major challenges towards the transition to a progressive, sustainable and environmental friendly society on a global scale. The energy storage in pure chemical form using gas carriers with high heating values, including H2 and CH4, as well as via electrochemical means using state-of-the-art devices, such as batteries or supercapacitors, are two of the most attractive alternatives for the combustion of finite, carbon-rich and environmentally harmful fossil fuels, such as diesel and gasoline. A few-step, reproducible and scalable method is presented in this study for the preparation of an ultra-microporous (average pore size around 0.6nm) activated carbon cloth (ACC) with large specific area (> 1200m2/g) and pore volume (~ 0.5cm3/g) upon combining chemical impregnation, carbonization and CO2 activation of a low-cost cellulose-based polymeric fabric. The ACC material shows a versatile character towards three different applications, including H2 storage via cryo-adsorption, separation of energy-dense CO2/CH4 mixtures via selective adsorption and electrochemical energy storage using supercapacitor technology. Fully reversible H2 uptake capacities in excess of 3.1wt% at 77K and ~ 72bar along with a significant heat of adsorption value of up to 8.4kJ/mol for low surface coverage have been found. Upon incorporation of low-pressure sorption data in the ideal adsorbed solution theory model, the ACC is predicted to selectively adsorb about 4.5 times more CO2 than CH4 in ambient conditions and thus represents an appealing adsorbent for the purification of such gaseous mixtures. Finally, an electric double-layer capacitor device was assembled and tested for its electrochemical performance, constructed of binder-free and flexible ACC electrodes and aqueous CsCl electrolyte. The full-cell exhibits a gravimetric capacitance of ~ 121F/g for a specific current of 0.02A/g, which relative to the ACC's specific area, is superior to commercially available activated carbons. A capacitance retention of more than 97% was observed after 10,000 charging/discharging cycles, thus indicating the ACC's suitability for demanding and high-performance energy storage on a commercial scale. The enhanced performance in all tested applications seems to be attributed to the mean ultra-micropore size of the ACC material instead of the available specific area and/or pore volume.

Bio-inspired synthesis of PEGylated polypyrrole@polydopamine nanocomposites as theranostic agents for T1-weighted MR imaging guided photothermal therapy.

Polypyrrole nanoparticle (PPy) based theranostic agents for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) guided photothermal therapy (PTT) have received increasing attention in recent years. However, the limitations of cost and biocompability still offer us opportunities to improve these agents. Considering the versatile character of polydopamine (PDA), PEGylated PPy@Fe3+-chelated PDA nanocomposites (PPDEs) were designed and prepared in an easy way. PPDE with a uniform core-shell structure could be obtained by adjusting the ratio of dopamine and PPys. In this nanocomplex, the shells confer the nanoparticles with good biocompability and MRI signal enhancing ability. Moreover, the PPy cores play a role in photothermal ablation of tumors. Compared with pure PDA nanoparticles, the PPDEs have higher NIR absorbance and better photothermal capability benefitting from the high photothermal conversion of the cores. Additionally, the obtained PPDEs provide significant MRI signal enhancement for both in vitro and in vivo imaging with high longitudinal relaxivity (r1 = 5.055 mM-1 s-1). After intravenous injection, the PPDEs exhibited valid tumor accumulation, as revealed by MRI and verified by biodistribution analysis. Under NIR irradiation, the PPDEs showed highly effective photothermal ablation of 4T1 cells. Notably, excellent biocompability of the PPDEs was confirmed by a relevant MTT assay and histologic analysis. This work achieved an example of exploiting the inherent advantages of PPy and PDA within a single unit and exploring its potential for T1 MRI-guided PTT.

«El huésped mucho gusto da, pero cuando se va»: comportamiento interpersonal y espacial en relación con el binomio huésped-secreto en dos comedias calderonianas

The figure of the squire/gallant sheds light to his versatile character in the argument in the comedies of Siglo de Oro. The secret halo that accompanies this character intensifies when he does his initial appearance as a guest and so he turns into a kind of instrument of secrecy. The goal of this article is to recognize the clues permeated by the secret and to see how it impacts on the behavior and the presence of the guest in relation to the spaces of his representation. The comedies to be taken into account are the following: Bien vengas, mal, si vienes solo and Mejor esta que estaba.

Kształt sceny politycznej w Polsce w okresie transformacji ustrojowej

The term political scene, which covers phenomena of versatile character, is very extensive and it is often used interchangeably with the expression political space. The political scene, or space, of modern countries is most often defined through references to the broadly understood party system. The experience of the transformation period demonstrates that an important role in the shaping of the political scene is played by the so-called pendulum effect. The evolution of the Polish party system and the shape of the political scene as its consequence, is still largely unpredictable.

The first-order Euler-Lagrange equations and some of their uses

In many nonlinear field theories, relevant solutions may be found by reducing the order of the original Euler-Lagrange equations, e.g., to first order equations (Bogomolnyi equations, self-duality equations, etc.). Here we generalise, further develop and apply one particular method for the order reduction of nonlinear field equations which, despite its systematic and versatile character, is not widely known.

Location Selection for Versatile Characters of Image Based CAPTCHA

Location Selection for Versatile Characters of Image Based CAPTCHA

Evaluation of the versatile character of a nanoemulsion formulation

The formulate-ability of six model active pharmaceutical ingredients (API), with different physico-chemical profiles, in a nanoemulsion designed to be intraveinously administrable was explored. Nanoemulsions were spontaneously generated at room temperature by pouring a phosphate buffer in an anhydrous mixture containing pharmaceutically acceptable triglycerides and non-ionic surfactants. After determination of the apparent solubility of each API in excipients and characterization of mixtures by DSC, API-loaded nanoemulsions were formulated and characterized in terms of granulometric properties, surface potential, drug recovery efficiency, pH, osmolarity, in vitro drug release, and stability.Except ciprofloxacin, a BCS class IV drug, all studied APIs were soluble in at least one excipient used, i.e. Labrasol®. At 2wt% API, all drug-loaded nanoemulsions present properties compatible with i.v. administration. The formulation should permit to increase apparent solubility of poorly water-soluble APIs, and also to prolong delivery of hydrophobic as well of more hydrophilic compounds. Herein, the relative affinity of the API for nanodroplets and the release medium would directly influence drug release profiles. Nanoemulsions were stable for 7 days. They could also been extemporaneously reconstituted before use. Such a versatile nanoemulsion would provide a valuable option as formulation strategy for improvement of drug properties.