Hygroscopy as an Indicator of Specific Surface Area in Polymer Materials.

Specific surface area (SSA) is an integral characteristic of the interfacial surface in poly-disperse systems, widely used for the assessment of technological properties in polymer materials and composites. Hygroscopic water content () is an obligate indicator of dispersed materials prior to any analysis of their chemical composition. This study links both indicators for the purpose of the express assessment of SSA using widely available data, on the example of natural (starch, cellulose) and synthetic (acrylic hydrogels) polymer materials.

The urgency of building soils for Middle Eastern and North African countries: Economic, environmental, and health solutions.

Soil degradation is a short or long ongoing process that limits ecosystem services. Intensive land use, water scarcity, land disturbance, and global climate change have reduced the quality of soils worldwide. This degradation directly threatens most of the land in the Middle East and North Africa, while the remaining areas are at high risk of further desertification.

Identification of soil-dwelling predators of tick nymphs (Acari: Ixodidae) by stable isotope labeling.

Ticks (Family Ixodidae) spend most of their life cycle as immature stages in the soil and litter, and as any other soil invertebrates, are likely to be controlled top-down by soil-dwelling predators. To date, the ability of soil invertebrate predators to control ixodid tick population remains little known, partly due to methodological difficulties. In the current study, we developed and successfully tested a novel method of labeling live Ixodes ricinus (L.

Lithium-Modified Sorbent: Effects on Hemostatic Responses In Vitro.

The effects of a lithium-modified sorbent based on aluminum oxide and polydimethylsiloxane (AlO@PDMS/Li) and a lithium-free sorbent (AlO@PDMS) on some indicators characterizing blood clotting under hemosorption conditions were compared in vitro. Sorbent AlO@PDMS/Li had significantly lower reactogenic effect on the blood passed through the column than the sorbent without lithium. This was seen from the degree of platelet reduction (66×10 vs 19×10/liter) as well as a less pronounced hypercoagulation shift in chronometric indicators.

[Specialty of cognitive impairments in geriatric patients in urological practice.].

Purpose of the study - to assess the level of cognitive disorders in gerontological patients of the urological profile, depending on the use of sedation in the intraoperative period. A prospective cohort study was performed on 60 gerontological patients diagnosed with BPH II-III stages. Two groups were formed: conscious patients and patients using sedation.