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The pandemic has exposed the Russian economy's weaknesses, particularly its insurance industry. In the study, the following qualitative data were utilized: an analysis of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the insurance market in various countries, an assessment of the economic impact of the pandemic on the insurance sector, an examination of trends in the global insurance market, and an evaluation of the effectiveness of insurance companies across different nations. Quantitative data were employed, including the volume of insurance premiums in various countries, the number of insurance contracts, the amount of insurance compensation, the number of COVID-19 cases per 100,000 population, the Consumer Price Index (CPI), the Producer Price Index (PPI), and the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The pandemic impact system was reproduced and built on the example of such countries as Russia, the USA, Canada, Australia, Japan, and many others. It has been proven that the development trend of this industry under the pandemic influence is an economic downturn with a decline in profits but an increase in requirements. In some nations, such as the United States and Canada, there was a slowdown in the life and disability insurance market, whereas in other countries, such as China and South Korea, a rapid market expansion was observed. In Russia, the insurance market maintained a positive trajectory in 2021, despite the pandemic's impact. The volume of insurance premiums in Russia increased to 1.5 billion rubles in 2021. Europe and Central Asia experienced diverse effects of the pandemic on insurance markets. In Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary, there was a decline in life insurance premiums, while Slovenia observed a positive growth trend. The study outlined the key issues that need to be addressed to reduce the repeated negative impact of pandemics to restore the global insurance market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Hyperthermia (HT) induces various cellular biological processes, such as repair impairment and direct HT cell killing. In this context, in-silico biophysical models that translate deviations in the treatment conditions into clinical outcome variations may be used to study the extent of such processes and their influence on combined hyperthermia plus radiotherapy (HT + RT) treatments under varying conditions.Methods An extended linear-quadratic model calibrated for SiHa and HeLa cell lines (cervical cancer) was used to theoretically study the impact of varying HT treatment conditions on radiosensitization and direct HT cell killing effect. Simulated patients were generated to compute the Tumor Control Probability (TCP) under different HT conditions (number of HT sessions, temperature and time interval), which were randomly selected within margins based on reported patient data.Results Under the studied conditions, model-based simulations suggested a treatment improvement with a total CEM43 thermal dose of approximately 10 min. Additionally, for a given thermal dose, TCP increased with the number of HT sessions. Furthermore, in the simulations, we showed that the TCP dependence on the temperature/time interval is more correlated with the mean value than with the minimum/maximum value and that comparing the treatment outcome with the mean temperature can be an excellent strategy for studying the time interval effect.Conclusion The use of thermoradiobiological models allows us to theoretically study the impact of varying thermal conditions on HT + RT treatment outcomes. This approach can be used to optimize HT treatments, design clinical trials, and interpret patient data.

Introduction: Hyperthermia (HT) induces various cellular biological processes, such as repair impairment and direct HT cell killing. In this context, in-silico biophysical models that translate deviations in the treatment conditions into clinical outcome variations may be used to study the extent of such processes and their influence on combined hyperthermia plus radiotherapy (HT + RT) treatments under varying conditions. Methods: An extended linear-quadratic model calibrated for SiHa and HeLa cell lines (cervical cancer) was used to theoretically study the impact of varying HT treatment conditions on radiosensitization and direct HT cell killing effect. Simulated patients were generated to compute the Tumor Control Probability (TCP) under different HT conditions (number of HT sessions, temperature and time interval), which were randomly selected within margins based on reported patient data. Results: Under the studied conditions, model-based simulations suggested a treatment improvement with a total CEM43 thermal dose of approximately 10 min. Additionally, for a given thermal dose, TCP increased with the number of HT sessions. Furthermore, in the simulations, we showed that the TCP dependence on the temperature/time interval is more correlated with the mean value than with the minimum/maximum value and that comparing the treatment outcome with the mean temperature can be an excellent strategy for studying the time interval effect. Conclusion: The use of thermoradiobiological models allows us to theoretically study the impact of varying thermal conditions on HT + RT treatment outcomes. This approach can be used to optimize HT treatments, design clinical trials, and interpret patient data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sesame oil is an important source of nutrients. Thus, there is a need to develop new technologies, which preserve the integrity of these substances in processed oil. The aim of the study was to outline the optimal hydrothermal treatment of sesame seeds, which would enable preserving its therapeutic properties. White sesame seeds were used as raw materials. They were treated with infrared radiation (900 watts per 1 m2), followed by hydrothermal treatment. Infrared treatment decreased the seed moisture content of 10-16% by 1.5-2.0 times. A range of important compounds was preserved after treatment, such as fatty acids (ranging from 5 to 45%, depending on the type of compound). The following fatty acids were found in the oil composition: linoleic (40-43%), palmitic (7%), stearic (5%), and oleic (43-45%). In addition, vitamin E was found (130 mg per 100 g). The oil can be stored for long periods as it contains trace amounts of water and dissolved oxygen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Standard treatments for patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) include palliative chemotherapy and radiotherapy, but with limited survival rates. With the development of improved immunotherapy and targeted therapy, NSCLC prognoses have significantly improved. In recent years, the concept of oligometastatic disease has been developed, with randomized trial data showing survival benefits from local ablation therapy (LAT) in patients with oligometastatic NSCLC (OM-NSCLC). LAT includes surgery, stereotactic ablation body radiation therapy, or thermal ablation, and is becoming an important treatment component for OM-NSCLC. However, controversy remains on specific management strategies for the condition. In this review, we gathered current randomized trial data to analyze prognostic factors affecting patient survival, and explored ideal treatment conditions for patients with OM-NSCLC with respect to long-term survival.

We study the influence of the conditions of impulsive mechanical treatment in the course of formation of nanocrystalline structures on their saturation with carbon from special working media. It is shown that the hardening tool made of titanium alloy improves the conditions of saturation. Moreover, as the longitudinal feed of the tool is accelerated and the velocity of motion of the treated surface decreases, the concentration of carbon in the surface layer of steel becomes higher. This leads to the increase in microhardness and wear resistance of the surface nanostructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zeolite, as a common adsorption material, should be safely treated after adsorbing different nuclear wastes. In this study, different types of simulated zeolite wastes were successfully immobilized based on the exploring result of suitable experiment conditions. Firstly, sintering temperature was selected based on TG‐DSC and phase results, which represented mainly as glassy phase. Then, the holding time was chosen through density and Vickers hardness results. For the sintering of zeolite, the suitable temperature is 1500℃ and the holding time is 1 h. Through the fitting process, FT‐IR results demonstrate that the main microstructures compose of sheet silicates. Three types of simulated zeolite wastes can successfully transform into matrix and all the waste contents were uniformly immobilized. Finally, SEM‐EDS results prove that the matrix is glass‐ceramic which can well immobilize the considered nuclear wastes. This work proposes the idea of treatment of zeolite adsorbed material as a potential nuclear waste glass‐ceramic matrix and the suitable conditions were also investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Pt loading and oxidative treatment conditions determine Pt state in Pt/CeO 2 catalysts. • Calcination at 300 and 500 °C provides Pt incorporation into ceria lattice. • Reduction of ceria-incorporated Pt species yields ultrasmall Pt particles. • Ultrasmall (1.72 nm) Pt nanoparticles ensure Pt/CeO 2 activity in CO oxidation. The features of the formation of Pt species on the CeO 2 surface from adsorbed [PtCl 6-y O y ] complexes in Pt/CeO 2 catalysts depending on the Pt content (0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 wt.%) and treatment conditions (direct Pt precursor reduction, oxidative and reductive treatments) are studied by XRD, CO pulse chemisorption, H 2 -TPR, UV–vis DRS, and Raman spectroscopy. The temperature of oxidative decomposition of the Pt precursor is shown to be the key factor that defines the state and size of the Pt species formed. High pretreatment temperature (500 °C) provides Pt incorporation into ceria lattice and yields smaller Pt particles after reduction providing strong Pt–CeO 2 interaction, while the reduction of the samples dried at 120 °C results in the pronounced agglomeration of the formed Pt species to yield Pt particles weakly bonded with the ceria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The accuracy attainable in electrochemical machining of depressions (depth 18 µm) with tolerance 4.5 µm in the electrode channel is investigated. The primary dimensional errors are determined. The permissible absolute and relative error in the machining parameters is established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Determination of boron neutron capture therapy in-phantom parameters by response matrix (RM) method.Materials and Methods: In this study, various in-phantom figures-of-merit including therapeutic gain, advantage depth dose rate, advantage depth, therapeutic depth, treatment time, skin dose rate, and skull dose rate have been analyzed using the RM method. This method is based on the division of neutron/gamma spectrum and calculation of various dose components of each energy group. Summation of these dose responses is equal to the total dose of the whole spectrum. Based on this method, in-phantom parameters could be calculated by a computer program in a very short time.Results: There is a good agreement between direct calculation and RM method. The maximum allowable contaminations of the thermal and fast neutrons in a neutron beam have been calculated by RM method. It was found that these values are 17.4% and 2.6%, for thermal and fast neutron, respectively.Conclusion: The results confirm that the RM method is a fast method to evaluate in-phantom parameters without repeating simulations due to change in neutron spectrum and treatment conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In diffusional surface alloying, gray-iron components of vehicles and machines are heated in contact with oxides of the alloying elements (chromium, titanium, vanadium, and molybdenum). The influence of the sample temperature and holding time in diffusional surface alloying on the thickness of the hardened layer is investigated, on the basis of experiment planning. The models obtained may be used to ensure specified thickness of the hardened layer in diffusional surface alloying, with maximum productivity in both production and repair processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we discuss the magnetic properties of Gd-doped GaN. This diluted magnetic semiconductor shows hysteretic magnetization behavior at room temperature, which is attributed to ferromagnetism with a Curie temperature well above 300 K. However, the experimental results regarding the magnetic properties are not completely consistent and the microscopic origin for the reported magnetic properties is still unclear. We discuss the role of the growth method of the GaN comparing molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) and metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) including GaN doped during the growth process with Gd as well as Gd-implanted material. It seems that in general it is easier to obtain hysteretic magnetization behavior for MBE-grown material probably due to the higher oxygen and lower hydrogen content. An exception is Gd-implanted GaN MBE-grown on Si(111) where we observe no ferromagnetism. We will present experiments where by oxygen implantation and annealing the impurity concentration was manipulated. The role of native defects is addressed and new experiments where additional defects have been introduced by nitrogen implantation in MBE-grown GaN:Gd are discussed. We present our results on anomalous Hall effect observed in a Gd-implanted GaN/AlGaN heterostructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Standard treatments for patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) include palliative chemotherapy and radiotherapy, but with limited survival rates. With the development of improved immunotherapy and targeted therapy, NSCLC prognoses have significantly improved. In recent years, the concept of oligometastatic disease has been developed, with randomized trial data showing survival benefits from local ablation therapy (LAT) in patients with oligometastatic NSCLC (OM-NSCLC). LAT includes surgery, stereotactic ablation body radiation therapy, or thermal ablation, and is becoming an important treatment component for OM-NSCLC. However, controversy remains on specific management strategies for the condition. In this review, we gathered current randomized trial data to analyze prognostic factors affecting patient survival, and explored ideal treatment conditions for patients with OM-NSCLC with respect to long-term survival., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Zhang, Sun, Cai, Li and Zhou.)

Abstract: Polyethylene (PE) is characterized by low surface energy as a consequence of its non-polar nature. This characteristic is responsible for poor adhesion properties on polyethylene substrates. It is well known that some industrial applications such as coating, painting and formation of adhesion joints require high surface energy to promote good anchorages, so that, the use of polyethylene in these applications needs a previous surface treatment. In this work atmospheric plasma has been used to promote surface activation on polyethylene substrates for improved adhesion properties. The work has been focused on analyzing the influence of some variables (treatment rate and nozzle-sample distance) on mechanical performance of PE–PE adhesion joints subjected to shear and T-peel tests. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: To study the anisotropic electric transport properties of Copper-(II)-Phthalocyanine (CuPc) thin films we measured the conductivity of a CuPc organic field-effect transistor using a near-field scanning microwave microscope by measuring the microwave reflection coefficient S 11. The orientation of grains depended on the heat-treatment condition and the temperature of the substrate during film deposition. The field-effect mobility of the CuPc thin film annealed at 300 °C was increased about 5 times compared to the film formed at room temperature and 17 times larger than that prepared by deposition at 300 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(1) How does the quality of life of patients with ADHD treated in an ambulatory care setting compare to that of other patient groups in child and adolescent psychiatry? (2) Can differences in the quality of life be demonstrated between patients with simple disorders of activity and attention and those with hyperkinetic conduct disorders? (3) How does the quality of life in these patient groups change over one year of treatment? The Inventory for the Assessment of Life Quality in Children and Adolescents ( Inventar zur Untersuchung der Lebensqualität von Kindern und Jugendlichen, ILK) was applied to a sample of 726 patients derived from nine different outpatient practices for child and adolescent psychiatry. Among them were 196 patients with a simple disorder of activity and attention and 64 with a hyperkinetic conduct disorder. A comparison between these two groups was the main aim of the study. The mean age of the patients in the sample (all diagnoses) was 8.7 ± 3 years. The two groups of hyperkinetic patients made up 35% of the overall sample, and both of them showed a marked male predominance. The hyperkinetic patients tended to have lower quality-of-life scores than patients in the other diagnostic groups. Longitudinal observation revealed improvements in the quality of life across all patient groups, but the patients with hyperkinetic disorders (both groups) improved the least. The parents of the hyperkinetic patients, too, reported suffering greater stress because of their children's condition than the parents of children with other types of disorders. The ILK instrument has test-metrical qualities that render it usable and capable of holding its own among other, comparable instruments. It can be used to assess the quality of life of children with various diagnoses. Children with ADHD tend to have the least favorable quality-of-life scores, yet they do show some degree of improvement in their quality of life after a year of treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analytical formulas are derived for the internal surface characteristics of a large cylindrical workpiece after treatment by an abrasive-air jet as a function of the machining conditions. A formula for the productivity is also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper reports on the cross-linking of dried (<5% moisture) paracetamol alginate granules with calcium chloride solutions. The effect of calcium concentration, temperature of the treatment solution, stirring speed and time used during cross-linking of granules on water uptake by the granules during cross-linking and physical properties of the cross-linked and dried granules were studied. A full factorial study of these factors each at two levels was used (CaCl2·2H2O: 20, 100mg/ml; temperature: 25, 45° C; stirrer speed: 25, 240rpm; time: 1.5 and 5.5min) to treat dried stock granules (size: 0.8–1.0mm) containing the model drug paracetamol and sodium alginate powder (1:1) which were prepared using conventional aqueous granulation under low shear. In addition to SEM and photomicrography, the physical properties studied were water uptake during cross-linking, yield, aggregation behaviour, moisture content, drug content, early stage drug release [over 10s (R10) and the next 50s (R50)] and calcium and sodium content of the unwashed cross-linked granules. Dry granules were successfully cross-linked. The treatment factors significantly affected most of the response variables. The variables most affected were water uptake (78–254%), drug entrapment (58–86%), early release (R10: 1.2–6.4% and R50: 3.0–12.2%), granule aggregation (0–70%), calcium (6.02–12.4%) and sodium content (1.2–6.44%). SEM photographs suggest that low calcium treated granules were less porous in nature compared to high calcium treated granules. Low shear drug alginate granules can be cross-linked in dried state. The properties of the cross-linked granules can be modified by altering the treatment process. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Membrane separation is one potential technique to further unite industrial production and wastewater treatment. This is due to the low and constant level of solids in permeate thus facilitating specific water reuse. Membranes can be applied in primary, secondary and tertiary treatment. In this study microfiltration with ceramic membranes (0.1–1.7 μm pore size) was tried out for the activated sludge of a chemi-thermomechanical pulp (CTMP) mill. In the two different types of laboratory-scale pilots, flat-plate and cylindrical membranes were utilized. Transmembrane pressure, crossflow velocity, temperature and backflushing were variables in experiments of 3 to 23 h duration. Results were compared to the final effluent quality of the activated sludge clarifier of the mill. With optimum transmembrane pressure and crossflow velocity, a flux of more than 140 1/(m2h) could be achieved for 23 h with plate membrane (0.1 μm). Elevated temperature and backflushing (1 s/120 s) improved the performance. Concentrations of permeate suspended solids and turbidity were dramatically lower than those of activated sludge clarifier effluent. Improvement in CODCr and in long-term experiments, also in BOD7, was considerable. Total phosphorus was the only parameter showing opposite behaviour. A plate membrane with a larger pore size without backflushing as well as cake filtration with cylindrical membranes resulted in dramatically reduced flux but better permeate quality. Ultrasound and nitric acid were found as effective cleaning methods in the cases studied. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Disinfection, which aims to eliminate pathogenic microorganisms, is an essential step of water treatment. Hydrodynamic cavitation (HC) has emerged as a promising technology for large-scale disinfection without introducing new chemicals. HC, which can effectively induce sonochemistry by mechanical means, creates extraordinary conditions of pressures of ~1000 bar, local hotspots with ~5000 K, and high oxidation (hydroxyl radicals) in room environment. These conditions can produce highly destructive effects on microorganisms in water. In addition, the enhancements of chemical reactions and mass transfers by HC produce the synergism between HC and disinfectants or other physical treatment methods. HC is generated by hydrodynamic cavitation reactors (HCRs), therefore, their performance basically determines the effectiveness, economical efficiency, and applicability of HC disinfection. Therefore, developing high-performance HCRs and revealing the corresponding disinfection mechanisms are the most crucial issues today. In this review, we summarize the fundamental principles of HC and HCRs and recent development in HC disinfection. The energy release from cavitation phenomenon and corresponding mechanisms are elaborated. The performance (effectiveness, treatment ratio, and cost) of various HCRs, effects of treatment conditions on performance, and applicability of HC disinfection are evaluated and discussed. Finally, recommendations are provided for the future progress based on the analysis of previous studies. Unlabelled Image • The state-of-the-art understanding of HC disinfection is reviewed. • Effectiveness and cost of various HCRs are quantitatively assessed. • The effects of treatment conditions for various HCRs are discussed. • Disinfection by ARHCRs is found to be economically realistic even at the pilot scale. • Developing new ARHCRs and applying the hybrid method are the developing trends. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]