The use of information technology among young adults--experience, attitudes and health beliefs

The aim of this study was to explore attitudes, coherence and health beliefs among young adults, related to their use and experience of information technology (IT). A qualitative approach was used and the data were collected through individual thematised interviews with 25 young IT users, aged 18–24. The interviews were analysed in line with the grounded theory method with a constructivist approach. The main findings were the young adults’ experience of the two sides of being social, efficient and independent here and now. They described almost unlimited opportunities in connection with IT, but they also had misgivings, and perceived risks regarding IT use. Feelings of freedom and being efficient were countered by feelings of restrictions on living space and of intangibility. Knowledge concerning these attitudes, coherence and health beliefs can be considered when designing epidemiological and ergonomic studies aimed at risk identification.     

Voltammetric investigation of the two step reduction process of hydrogen peroxide in alkaline hydroxide solutions on HMDE

The voltammetric behaviour of hydrogen peroxide has been studied at the hmde in alkaline medium. It has been confirmed that the first of the two reduction peaks of hydrogen peroxide is catalytic in nature; traces of ferric iron act under these conditions as a catalyst. In thoroughly purified potassium hydroxide solutions the height of this peak decreases and it can be also completely eliminated, even in the presence of Fe(III), if some agents capable of forming complexes with Fe(III) are added to a solution. The rate constant of the catalytic reaction proceeding between the hydroxo complex of Fe(II) and hydrogen peroxide in 1 M potassium hydroxide solution was estimated to be 5.6 × 10⁹ mol^?1 1.s^?1.     

Two flow network simplification algorithms

Flow network simplification can reduce the size of the flow network and hence the amount of computation performed by flow algorithms. We present the first linear time algorithm for the undirected network case. We also give an O(|E|∗(|V|+|E|)) time algorithm for the directed case, an improvement over the previous best O(|V|+²|E|log|V|) time solution. Both of our algorithms are quite simple.     

The Efficacy of Black Chokeberry Fruits against Cardiovascular Diseases

Epidemiological studies have emphasized the association between a diet rich in fruits and vegetables and a lower frequency of occurrence of inflammatory-related disorders. Black chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa L.) is a valuable source of biologically active compounds that have been widely investigated for their role in health promotion and cardiovascular disease prevention. Many in vitro and in vivo studies have demonstrated that consumption of these fruits is associated with significant improvements in hypertension, LDL oxidation, lipid peroxidation, total plasma antioxidant capacity and dyslipidemia. The mechanisms for these beneficial effects include upregulation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase, decreased oxidative stress, and inhibition of inflammatory gene expression. Collected findings support the recommendation of such berries as an essential fruit group in a heart-healthy diet. The aim of this review was to summarize the reports on the impact of black chokeberry fruits and extracts against several cardiovascular diseases, e.g., hyperlipidemia, hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, as well as to provide an analysis of the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effect of these fruits in the abovementioned disorders.     

Phytochemical Molecules from the Decarboxylation of Gomphrenins in Violet Gomphrena globosa L.—Floral Infusions from Functional Food

Herein, the generation of decarboxylated derivatives of gomphrenin pigments exhibiting potential health-promoting properties and the kinetics of their extraction during tea brewing from the purple flowers of Gomphrena globosa L. in aqueous and aqueous citric acid solutions were investigated. Time-dependent concentration monitoring of natural gomphrenins and their tentative identification was carried out by LC-DAD-ESI-MS/MS. The high content of acylated gomphrenins and their principal decarboxylation products, 2-, 15-, 17-decarboxy-gomphrenins, along with minor levels of their bidecarboxylated derivatives, were reported in the infusions. The identification was supported by the determination of molecular formulas of the extracted pigments by liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry (LCMS-IT-TOF). The influence of plant matrix on gomphrenins’ stability and generation of their derivatives, including the extraction kinetics, was determined by studying the concentration profiles in the primary and diluted infusions. Isolated and purified acylated gomphrenins from the same plant material were used for the preliminary determination of their decarboxylated derivatives. The acylated gomphrenins were found to be more stable than nonacylated ones. Citric acid addition had a degradative influence on natural gomphrenins mainly during the longer tea brewing process (above 15 min); however, the presence of plant matrix significantly increased the stability for betacyanins’ identification.     

Nano-Nutrition of Chicken Embryos. The Effect of in Ovo Administration of Diamond Nanoparticles and l-Glutamine on Molecular Responses in Chicken Embryo Pectoral Muscles

It has been demonstrated that the content of certain amino acids in eggs is not sufficient to fully support embryonic development. One possibility to supply the embryo with extra nutrients and energy is in ovo administration of nutrients. Nanoparticles of diamond are highly biocompatible non-toxic carbonic structures, and we hypothesized that bio-complexes of diamond nanoparticles with l-glutamine may affect molecular responses in breast muscle. The objective of the investigation was to evaluate the effect of diamond nanoparticle (ND) and l-glutamine (Gln) on expression of growth and differentiation factors of chicken embryo pectoral muscles. ND, Gln, and Gln/ND solutions (50 mg/L) were injected into fertilized broiler chicken eggs at the beginning of embryogenesis. Muscle tissue was dissected at day 20 of incubation and analysed for gene expression of FGF2, VEGF-A, and MyoD1. ND and especially Gln/ND up-regulated expression of genes related to muscle cell proliferation (FGF2) and differentiation (MyoD1). Furthermore, the ratio between FGF2 and MyoD1 was highest in the Gln/ND group. At the end of embryogenesis, Gln/ND enhanced both proliferation and differentiation of pectoral muscle cells and differentiation dominated over proliferation. These preliminary results suggest that the bio-complex of glutamine and diamond nanoparticles may accelerate growth and maturation of muscle cells.     

Comparative analysis of viscosity of complex liquids and cytoplasm of mammalian cells at the nanoscale

We present a scaling formula for size-dependent viscosity coefficients for proteins, polymers, and fluorescent dyes diffusing in complex liquids. The formula was used to analyze the mobilities of probes of different sizes in HeLa and Swiss 3T3 mammalian cells. This analysis unveils in the cytoplasm two length scales: (i) the correlation length ξ (approximately 5 nm in HeLa and 7 nm in Swiss 3T3 cells) and (ii) the limiting length scale that marks the crossover between nano- and macroscale viscosity (approximately 86 nm in HeLa and 30 nm in Swiss 3T3 cells). During motion, probes smaller than ξ experienced matrix viscosity: η(matrix) ≈ 2.0 mPa·s for HeLa and 0.88 mPa·s for Swiss 3T3 cells. Probes much larger than the limiting length scale experienced macroscopic viscosity, η(macro) ≈ 4.4 × 10(-2) and 2.4 × 10(-2) Pa·s for HeLa and Swiss 3T3 cells, respectively. Our results are persistent for the lengths scales from 0.14 nm to a few hundred nanometers.     

Resonant localization, enhancement, and polarization of optical fields in nano-scale interface regions for photo-catalytic applications

We report results of theoretical simulations of optical field enhancement in a system consisting of spherical and hemispherical noble metal nanoparticles on a smooth titania surface, which is a model system relevant to applications in photo-catalysis and solar energy harvesting. Simulations conducted using Finite-Difference Time-Domain (FDTD) technique reveal presence of resonant optical extinction bands at visible wavelengths, whose optical scattering is weak, but the associated localization and intensity enhancement of optical near-field are significant. For hemispheres, the field is strongly localized at the metal-substrate interface, where intensity enhancement of up to 10(4) times is reached. Moreover, the field is predominantly polarized along the normal to the substrate. These findings indicate potential of the hemisphere-substrate system for applications relying on optically promoted charge transport through the metal-substrate interface, such as photochemical reactions and light-to-current conversion. The results of theoretical analysis are compared with reported experimental data on photo-catalytic reactions.