Tannins as Hemostasis Modulators

The hemostasis system is often affected by complications associated with cardiovascular diseases, which results in thromboembolic events. Compounds of plant origin and plant extracts are considered as a promising source of substances that could modulate the functioning of the hemostasis system and thus reduce the risk of thromboembolism. Among them, tannins, which are plant-origin compounds with potential effects in hemostasis, deserve a special mention. This paper describes the hemostasis-modifying ability of three groups of tannins, namely ellagitannins, gallotannins, and procyanidins. The review highlights the desirable as well as undesirable influence of tannins on specific components of hemostasis, namely platelets, coagulation system, fibrinolysis system, and endothelium, and the multidirectional effect of these compounds on the thrombotic process. Studies performed under normal and pathological conditions such as diabetes or hypercoagulation are described, and the pathophysiology-dependent action of tannins is also highlighted. Most of the studies presented in the paper were performed in vitro, and due to the low bioavailability of tannins more studies should be conducted in the future to understand their actual activity in vivo.

Executable books make campaign data tangible

<p>Large field campaigns dedicated to study the earth system are run by large groups of people from many research institutions that are scattered around the globe. That way, it is possible to create a great wealth of original datasets, thoroughly quantifying the state of a specific region in space and time on our planet. All collected data is potentially very useful for model validation, process studies, teaching and more. But while researchers way beyond those participating at the field campaign might be interested in the data, even those participating are often faced by difficulties to discover, access and use the data.</p> <p>To tackle these challenges in the context of the EUREC4A field campaign, we started the „How to EUREC4A“ executable book project. It is an openly accessible online book, written collaboratively by participants from the field campaign and the broader community around. The book contains explanations about the available instruments, data and typical usage patterns. The book is also an executable book, which means that each of the chapters contain explanatory text, code and figures that can be modified by readers, either on their own computer or without any prior setup using an online service called „binder“. Thus, the book also forms a collection of data quicklooks and is an interactive plotting software at the same time.</p> <p>On first sight, the book might seem to be just yet another shiny user interface, similar to other data catalogs. But due to the way it is made, it really becomes the hub of a larger ecosystem. In order to make the book executable by everyone, data must be openly accessible and understandable to everyone, thus the book fosters the creation and maintenance of a comprehensive data catalog and the publication of datasets in an analysis friendly way. Every time the book is executed, we can test if the data is still accessible and still compatible. Furthermore, making beautiful and understandable usage examples for your dataset makes your data visible to a broader community, feels rewarding and motivates others to do the same. As the book lives due to motivated contributors, this creates a positive feedback loop to enlarge the collection of accessible and understandable data.</p>

Effect of nanotegnogenic high-alumina raw materials on the physical and mechanical parameters and phase composition of acid-resistant materials

The use of nanotechnogenic high-alumina (Al2O3 > 70 %) raw materials of petrochemical production ― the spent IM2201 catalyst in the production of acid-resistant materials based on unenriched kaolin clay makes it possible to obtain products with high physical, mechanical and chemical parameters in the range of firing temperatures of 1250‒1300 o C. Nanotechnogenic raw materials contribute to an increase in surface energy, which is the source of the sintering process. Studies have shown that in compositions based on unenriched kaolin clay and chamotte from it, which do not contain nanotechnogenic high-alumina raw materials, mainly mullite is formed, which mainly forms the operational properties of ceramic products. X-ray diffractometric analysis showed that the introduction of nanotechnogenic high-alumina raw materials into the compositions of ceramic masses contributes to the formation of corundum. IR spectroscopic analysis confirmed the data of X-ray studies. Corundum is characterized by high chemical resistance to acidic and alkaline reagents and gives acid-resistant materials high physical and mechanical properties. Ill. 4. Ref. 33. Tab. 5.

Some current objectives and the main role of judicial psychology in modern society

Legal psychology is an interdisciplinary field related to general psychology, social psychology and the science of law and is concerned with the issues of the human aspects of jurisprudence. The psychological nature of legal issues indicates the needs for and the importance of review theoretical and practical-applied objectives. The purpose of this article is to examine the classical objectives of legal psychology, to identify new objectives and to elucidate the main role of forensic psychology in modern society. The results obtained by the method of comprehensive analysis and narrative description indicate the importance of emphasizing the role of interdisciplinary investigations in forensic psychology adjusted to reality, identifying new paradigms and specific methodologies for studying behavior in the judicial process. Studies in forensic psychology that refer to the problems caused by the decisions of the judge or defendant and the identified solutions have extended to the psychology of consent, which indicates the need for epistemological and methodological updating of the object of study in legal psychology.

Slopes: soil erosion

Significant developments in soil erosion research for the period 1950-2000 are reviewed. The main emphasis is on work in Western Europe and North America. We highlight work on process studies in splash, rill and gully erosion. Important developments also occurred in monitoring, measuring, and modelling erosion as well as recording and understanding rates of erosion. We concentrate on cultivated and bare soils and have included badlands and peatland erosion in our review.

Topo-bathymetric and oceanographic datasets for coastal flooding risk assessment: French Flooding Prevention Action Program of Saint-Malo

The French Flooding Prevention Action Program of Saint-Malo requires assessment of coastal flooding risks. The first prerequisite is a knowledge of the topography and bathymetry of the bay of Saint-Malo. In addition to existing topo-bathymetric data, the acquisition of new multibeam bathymetric data is performed. The combination of these datasets allows the generation of two high resolution topo-bathymetric digital terrain models. Then, to understand the hydrodynamic conditions which cause coastal flooding, a dense and extensive oceanographic field experiment is conducted. Oceanographic data were acquired using a network of 22 moorings with 37 sensors, during winter 2018–2019. The network included 2 directional buoys, 2 pressure tide gauges, 18 wave pressure gauges, 4 single-point current meters, 7 current profilers and 4 acoustic wave-current profilers from mid-depth (25 m) up to the upper beach and the dike system. The oceanographic dataset provides an overview of hydrodynamics in Saint-Malo bay and wave processes leading to coastal flooding. The combination of high-resolution topo-bathymetric and oceanographic datasets provides a unique capability for model validation and process studies. The topo-bathymetric and oceanographic datasets are available freely at doi : https://doi.org/10.17183/MNT_COTIER_GNB_PAPI_SM_20m_WGS84, https://doi.org/10.17183/MNT_COTIER_PORT_SM_PAPI_SM_5m_WGS84, and https://doi.org/10.17183/CAMPAGNE_OCEANO_STMALO.

The return of the labour process: race, skill and technology in South African labour studies

From its beginnings, the sociology of work in South Africa has been preoccupied with three enduring themes: skill/deskilling, racism in the workplace, and Fordism/racial Fordism. With the advent of democracy in the 1990s there was a shift away from studying the labour process. We argue in this article that there has been a return to taking seriously the ways new forms of work in this postcolonial context pose new questions to the global study of work. A central preoccupation in the study of work has been the racialised reinscription of post-apartheid workplace orders, now in the context of new dynamics of externalisation and casualisation of employment. Another important theme is the shift away from studies of the formal sector workplace and toward the broader implications of the precarianisation and informalisation of labour. This focus coincided with the growth of new social movements by mostly unemployed (black) township residents around state services provision. This includes studies on working-class politics more broadly, with attention focusing on questions of organising and mobilising. More recently this interest in precarious labour has grown into studies of the gig economy, returning to earlier themes of technology and skill, as well as new forms of waged labour and wagelessness. We argue for the ongoing salience of labour process studies for understanding the specific issues of the securing and obscuring of value, and through the articulations of ‘racial capitalism’ offered by the long tradition of labour studies in South Africa.

Wound healing of the corneal epithelium: a review

The corneal epithelium (CE) forms the outermost layer of the cornea. Despite its thickness of only 50 μm, the CE plays a key role as an initial barrier against any insults to the eye and contributes to the light refraction onto the retina required for clear vision. In the event of an injury, the cornea is equipped with many strategies contributing to competent wound healing, including angiogenic and immune privileges, and mechanotransduction. Various factors, including growth factors, keratin, cytokines, integrins, crystallins, basement membrane, and gap junction proteins are involved in CE wound healing and serve as markers in the healing process. Studies of CE wound healing are advancing rapidly in tandem with the rise of corneal bioengineering, which employs limbal epithelial stem cells as the primary source of cells utilizing various types of biomaterials as substrates.

The role of noncoding RNAs in pituitary adenoma

Pituitary adenomas (PAs) are common cranial tumors that affect the quality of life in patients. Early detection of PA is beneficial for avoiding clinical complications of this disease and increasing the quality of life. Noncoding RNAs, including long noncoding RNA, miRNA and circRNA, regulate protein expression, mostly by inhibiting the translation process. Studies have shown that dysregulation of noncoding RNAs is associated with PA. Hence understanding the expression pattern of noncoding RNAs can be considered a promising method for developing biomarkers. This article reviews data on the expression pattern of dysregulated noncoding RNAs involved in PA. Possible molecular mechanisms by which the dysregulated noncoding RNA could possibly induce PA are also described.

Analysis of the Possibility of Management of Curly-Leaf Pondweed for Energetic Purposes

The possibilities of using curly-leaf pondweed for energy purposes were analyzed. This plant contributes to overgrowth of water reservoirs, causing their eutrophication. The plants examined were from two different water reservoirs: Lake Winiary (Gniezno) and Lake Rusalka (Poznan). On the basis of the investigations, it was determined that it is possible to use curly-leaf pondweed for energy purposes, both in the combustion method and in the biomethane fermentation process. Studies were performed to assess the suitability of the plants for combustion as a solid biofuel and studies on the use of pondweed as a fermenter feedstock. The calorimetric study showed the possibility of obtaining more energy for the curly-leaf pondweed coming from Lake Rusalka. The heat of combustion of these plants was 13.95 MJ·kg−1 (Winiary pondweed) and 9.10 MJ·kg−1 (Rusalka pondweed). On the other hand, the calorific value of these plants was 12.60 MJ·kg−1 (Winiary pondweed) and 7.80 MJ·kg−1 (Rusalka pondweed). In the case of biogas yield studies, significantly higher biogas production was observed for Lake Rusalka pondweed than for Lake Winiary pondweed. The total biogas yield for these plants was 8.05 m3·Mg−1 for Rusalka pondweed and 3.19 m3·Mg−1 for Winiary pondweed. Differences in the chemical composition of pondweed originating from different lakes were also found, which translated into differences in the amount of energy that could be obtained from plants from both stands.