The influence of radon measurement errors on the uncertainties of epidemiological case-control studies

To analyse the influence of the parameters of case and control groups and uncertainties of radon concentration assessments on the dose-effect dependence, a special computer program was designed. The influence of measurement errors on the uncertainties of radon case-control analysis is demonstrated on examples of hypothetical case and control groups with sizes from 250-500 to 7000-14,000 members. The modelling was conducted using a Monte Carlo technique for different values of measurement uncertainties. The random errors of radon assessment affect both the numerical value of the slope coefficient β of the linear dependence of relative risk of lung cancer incidence on indoor radon concentration and the accuracy of this value. The extrapolation of the dependence of the slope coefficient β on the total (initial plus additional) random error of radon concentration assessment is suggested for the assessment of an unbiased value of the slope coefficient β.     

Lipidation of Temporin-1CEb Derivatives as a Tool for Activity Improvement,Pros and Cons of the Approach

The alarming raise of multi-drug resistance among human microbial pathogens makes the development of novel therapeutics a priority task. In contrast to conventional antibiotics, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), besides evoking a broad spectrum of activity against microorganisms, could offer additional benefits, such as the ability to neutralize toxins, modulate inflammatory response, eradicate bacterial and fungal biofilms or prevent their development. The latter properties are of special interest, as most antibiotics available on the market have limited ability to diffuse through rigid structures of biofilms. Lipidation of AMPs is considered as an effective approach for enhancement of their antimicrobial potential and in vivo stability; however, it could also have undesired impact on selectivity, solubility or the aggregation state of the modified peptides. In the present work, we describe the results of structural modifications of compounds designed based on cationic antimicrobial peptides DK5 and CAR-PEG-DK5, derivatized at their N-terminal part with fatty acids with different lengths of carbon chain. The proposed modifications substantially improved antimicrobial properties of the final compounds and their effectiveness in inhibition of biofilm development as well as eradication of pre-formed 24 h old biofilms of Candida albicans and Staphylococcus aureus. The most active compounds (C5-DK5, C12-DK5 and C12-CAR-PEG-DK5) were also potent against multi-drug resistant Staphylococcus aureus USA300 strain and clinical isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Both experimental and in silico methods revealed strong correlation between the length of fatty acid attached to the peptides and their final membranolytic properties, tendency to self-assemble and cytotoxicity.     

IT-Sicherheitsprüfungen durch die Interne Revision

Mit steigender Durchdringung der Kreditinstitute mit der IT und immer st?rker werdender Abh?ngigkeit des Bankgesch?fts von dem Netz steigen auch die mit der Verletzbarkeit und Ausfall der IT-Systeme verbundenen Risiken. Für die IT-Revision bedeutet dies ein wachsendes Engagement im Rahmen von Sicherheitsprüfungen und- Beratungen, um diesen Risiken in angemessener Weise zu begegnen. Durch Einsatz geeigneter Prüfungsmethodik und hoher fachlichen Qualifikationen der Revisoren k?nnen die Sicherheitsprüfungen zu einer wichtigen Erfolgsdeterminante eines Instituts werden.     

Direct and indirect effects of perceived price on perceived value of mobile phones

Nowadays many leading companies understand that creating outstanding customer value is necessary to achieving sustainable market success. The main problem discussed in this article is the examination of factors affecting perceived value, emphasizing the relationship between perceived price and perceived value. Based on literature and their own findings, the authors designed a model of relationships between researched factors. This model was tested using structural equation modeling. The results reflected that statistically significant relationships exists and that perceived price has direct as well as indirect efects on perceived product value.     

GISAXS study of temperature evolution in nanostructured CeVO4 films

Cerium vanadate films on glass substrate were obtained by sol–gel process. The morphology of these nanostructured and porous films was studied by grazing-incidence small-angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS) at synchrotron ELETTRA, Trieste, Italy. The aim of the GISAXS study was to investigate the changes in grain sizes due to the temperature evolution with three different time intervals (5, 15 and 30 min) of annealing at 673 K. We found that the effects of the different times of annealing are different for surface and bulk properties of this V/Ce oxide.     

Extraction of copper from acid sulphate solutions by 2-hydroxy-5-n-nonyl and 2-hydroxy-4′-n-nonylbenzophenone oximes

The study of copper extraction shows that the position of the chain (5 or 4′) does not influence the statics of copper extraction from ammonia solutions by alkyl derivatives of 2-hydroxybenzophenone oxime. Acid solutions of 2-hydroxy-4′-n-nonylbenzo-phenone oxime can extract more copper than 2-hydroxy-5-n-nonylbenzophenone oxime, but less than 2-hydroxy-5-n-alkylbenzaldehyde oxime.