Computer Modeling of Carotid Endarterectomy With the Different Shape Patches and Prediction of the Atherosclerotic

Objective: The article describes a method for constructing geometric models of the carotid bifurcation and computer simulation of endarterectomy surgery with the patches of various configurations. The purpose of this work is to identify the areas of the greatest risk of restenosis in the constructed models and to conduct a comparative analysis of risk factors when using the patches of different widths and shapes. Methods: The method is demonstrated on a reconstructed model of a healthy vessel. Its building is based on a preoperative computed tomography study of a particular patient's affected vessel. The flow in the vessel is simulated by computational fluid dynamics using data from the patient's ultrasound Doppler velocimetry. Risk factors are assessed through the hemodynamic indices on the vessel wall associated with Wall Shear Stress. Results: The distribution of risk zones in the healthy vessel, presumably leading to its observed lesion (plaque), is analyzed. Comparative evaluation of 10 various patches implantation results is carried out and the optimal variant is determined. The proposed method can be used to predict the hemodynamic results of surgery using patches of various sizes and shapes.

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF COMPOSITE TIMBER-CONCRETE CEILING SYSTEMS

This paper compares two concepts of composite timber concrete ceilings and their uncoupled alternatives based on a parametric study by comparing the final deflections of individual variants and at the same time considering according to the ultimate limit state. It includes a comparison of coupled and uncoupled variants while maintaining the same boundary conditions as the load, the thickness of the ceiling structure and the load width. By considering other factors, we can achieve more optimal variant, thanks to more accurate consideration of the required boundary conditions such as the complexity of installation or fire resistance. The purpose of this paper is to simplify the optimal selection of the ceiling structure based on the suitability of the supporting structure.

Modified NEBNext® VarSkip Short SARS-CoV-2 Library Prep Kit for Illumina Platforms - adapted for wastewater samples v1

PURPOSE: This method was developed at the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition for GenomeTrakr’s pandemic response project, monitoring SARS-CoV-2 variants in wastewater. Protocols developed for this project cover wastewater collection, concentration, RNA extraction, RT-qPCR, library prep, genome sequencing, quality control checks, and data submission to NCBI. This modified protocol details methods for cDNA synthesis and library preparation for sequencing of wastewater samples containing SARS-CoV-2. The protocol is based primarily on the NEBNext® ARTIC SARS-CoV-2 Library Prep Kit (Illumina®), NEB #E7650S/L 24/96 reactions, with a few modifications. Primarily, VarSkip Short primers are used in place of the ARTIC V3 primers. These primers are available in the NEBNext®ARTIC SARS-CoV-2 FS Library Prep Kit (Illumina®); however, for optimal variant detection from wastewater, sequenced fragments should be as large as possible, so we discourage fragmentation prior to end prep. There are a couple of decision points in this protocol. Examining cDNA amplicon samples on an Agilent TapeStation system or similar fragment analyzer is extremely helpful in making these decisions.

FLAT SIEVE SEPARATORS WITH ANNULAR PNEUMATIC SEPARATION DUCT

The search for the optimal variant of the structural ar-rangement of flat-screen separators by centrifugal-air sepa-rators with annular pneumatic separation ducts is a promis-ing direction in the development of new equipment. This will significantly improve the technological performance of grain cleaning plants. It may be considered a promising direction for such research. Therefore, it is necessary to look for new options for the layout of grain cleaning ma-chines to increase their technological efficiency. Several variants of technological schemes for the operation of ex-isting flat-sieve separators with a centrifugal-air separator with an annular pneumatic separation ducts are proposed. The technological process of the modernized grain clean-ing plant based on the A1-BIS-100 plantis described. The main parameters of the gravity transporting device are de-termined; they fully ensure the operability of the modern-ized plant.

Energy Savings Analysis in Logistics of a Wind Farm Repowering Process: A Case Study

The process of wind farm operation requires proper logistics services, consisting of the supply of all resources necessary in this process. A critical moment in the operation of wind farms is the implementation of the repowering process, in the form of replacement of the basic elements of wind farms: blades, hub rotors, nacelles or even towers. The replacement of these basic elements of the wind farm relates to the necessity to provide logistics services for heavy and oversized deliveries. Therefore, this article presents a unique analysis of logistics processes related to wind farms. Therefore, the aim of the article is to identify the most energy-saving variant of logistics service of the wind farm repowering process. However, the criterion of selecting the optimal variant is based on the original methodology of energy consumed during logistics services, as opposed to the traditionally used cost-effectiveness criterion. The SolidWorks software with other methods and tools were used for this purpose. As a result of the conducted research, it was found that the differences in individual variants of logistics service implementation may range from 4.7% to even 19.4% in terms of energy savings. Due to the increasingly common need to implement the process of repowering wind farms, the presented original methodology for the analysis and selection of the delivery variant with lowest energy consumption fills the literature gap and formulates a model of business practice, thus constituting both theoretical and practical value.

Eurocentrism within the Framework of International Legal Research: a Review and Critique of the Main Methodological Positions

The article examines various aspects of the Eurocentric nature of international legal research. The author concludes that the Eurocentric framework of international law inevitably leads to increased regional and global tensions, as neo-colonial discourse is the main projection of Eurocentrism. According to the author, the criteria of objectivity are incompatible with the methodology of extreme Eurocentrism. The optimal variant of a counter-revocentric strategy is only possible within the framework of the pluralism of constitutive international legal processes.

Towards antagonistic cosmopolitanism. A theoretical attempt to work though the controversy about the shape of global democracy

The article presents the analysis of the relation between two concepts, namely cosmopolitan democracy and agonistic multipolar order, whose author is Chantal Mouffe, in the context of the dispute about the preferred shape of global democracy. Both approaches are presented in the literature as opposing. The main thesis of the present article is the possibility of connecting them, but according to dialectical principles. The point is not about a smooth consensus but about the fact that the contradictions between those views can be treated as a condition of their interweaving. To this aim, I use two theoretical concepts: of antagonistic cosmopolitanism by Tamara Caraus and of antagonistic global constitutionalism by Christof Royer. On this basis I claim that Mouffe’s rejection of cosmopolitanism is not thoroughly coherent with her own assumptions. I acknowledge her argumentation that cosmopolitan democracy might lead to pluralism without antagonism but at the same time I suggest that Mouffe’s postulate of the multipolar order can lead to pluralist antagonism without agonism. It is only the establishment of cosmopolitan institutions and rules that will allow for really agonistic and radically pluralized global politics, thanks to which it will be possible to solve the contemporary world problems effectively. For these reasons agonistic cosmopolitanism can be regarded as the most optimal variant of global democracy.

Development of methods for purification of individual biological active substances obtained from extracts of Hedysarum neglectum

Hedysarum neglectum is a forage plant. Xanthone glycoside - mangiferin is extracted from this plant and used for medicine "Alpizarin". In addition to substances of xanthone nature (mangiferin and isomangiferin) Hedysarum neglectum contains sugars, vitamins and provitamins, tannins; in the underground part it contains oligomeric catechins, isoflavonoids, butylphenols, alkaloids, tannins, flavonoids, saponins, coumarins, carbohydrates, vitamin C. For selecting optimal schemes of fractionization of substances, it is necessary to resort to multi-stage schemes of group-wide (preliminary) isolation and preparative accumulation. In particular cases, it is necessary to take into account the presence of concomitant substances, as well as the effectiveness and selectivity of the sorption-chromatographic technologies used. According to the results of the studies, the use of silica gel and sefadex LH-20 for the isolation of a complex of flavonoids and gallic acid is the most effective method for the selection of the optimal variant of the preparative isolation of the total amount of BAS in mcg/ml. The results of the research allowed us to identify the target biologically active substances with a degree of extraction of at least 80%: - fractions of xanthones, flavonoids, gallic acid.

Effect of irrigation rate on Sudan grass yield, grown as a second crop

The aim of the present study was to establish the effect of irrigation rate on the yield of Sudan grass variety Engje-1, grown as a second crop for silage on meadow-cinnamon soil for the region of Southern Bulgaria. For this purpose, an experiment with Sudan grass variety Endje-1 on the experimental field of the Agricultural Institute – Stara Zagora, after its predecessor barley, was conducted. The Sudan grass was harvested in the brooming stage. Five variants were explored: Variant 1 – without irrigation (control); Variant 2 – with optimal irrigation, 75-80% of field capacity (FC); Variant 3 – irrigation as Var.2 but with removal of the first watering; Variant 4 – irrigation as Var.2 but with removal of the second watering; Variant 5 – irrigation as Var.2, but with removal of the third watering. It was found that the efficiency of 1m3 of irrigation water was the highest at the optimum variant (Var.2), where 5.36 kg of dry mass (DM) were produced by 1 m3 of water. With the removal of the second irrigation (Var.4), the yield on the dry mass decreased by 6.4% compared to the optimal variant (Var.2), and with the removal of the first irrigation (Var.3) the losses on the dry mass reached, 12.3%, respectively. The highest values of this indicator were obtained by varying the second irigation (Vаr.4) – 7.53 kgDM/m3 water. The coefficient of efficiency of the irrigation rate, representing the ratio between the increase of the yield (in comparison with the version without irrigation – Vаr.1), and the size of the realized irrigation norm had the highest value in the version without second irrigation (Vаr.4) and the lowest values for the version without first irrigation (Vаr.3).

Anchorages bonded system in experimental research and their comparison with FEM models

Purpose: The topic of this article is the use of anchors bonded in the outer walls of threelayer large slab panel buildings in Poland. Design/methodology/approach: Comprehensive laboratory tests of anchoring systems bonded in various configurations were carried out. On this basis, the theoretical load capacity of the new bonded anchorages can be estimated. Findings: These considerations are the aftermath of the current problem of the former large slab panel buildings in Poland, and more specifically the risk of detachment of the external textured layer in the walls of three-layer large slab panel buildings. Research limitations/implications: The presented variants of experimental research and their comparison with the MES analysis indicate the directions of conduct in strengthening three-layer walls. It should be remembered that the use of additional reinforcement anchorages is practically a necessity, as the next stage of renewing large slab panel buildings is their thermo-modernization. Practical implications: This process results in an increase of the load on the external textured layer, and hence also on hangers. Originality/value: Experimental research is aimed at determining the optimal variant of application of bonded anchors.