Meanwhile, the improved boundary effect model (BEM) was employed to study the tensile strength (ft) and fracture toughness of concrete using the mesofracture numerical model. ML-SI3 A discrete value of β = 1.0-1.4 was a sufficient approximation to determine the ft and KIC values of concrete.Background and objectives There is a paucity of research on the shape of internal jugular vein (IJV) and their association with an individual's morphology and various chronic diseases. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the anatomy of the IJV across various patients and to relate the differences in anatomy to basic patient characteristics. Materials and Methods This retrospective study included a total of 313 patients who underwent contrast-enhanced neck computed tomography between January 2017 and December 2018. The circumferences of the right and left IJVs were measured at three locations (hyoid bone, cricoid cartilage, and first thoracic vertebra) and parameters affecting the size of the IJV were analyzed. Results The right IJV was significantly larger than the left IJV at each position (p less then 0.001), and the area of the lumen was the largest at the cricoid cartilage level (p less then 0.001). After dividing the right IJV data into two groups (above and below the median area), multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that age (odds ratio (OR) 1.040; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.022-1.058, p less then 0.001) and body mass index (BMI, OR 1.080; 95% CI 1.011-1.154, p = 0.0.23) affected size. Conclusions The right IJV is larger than the left and has a rhomboid morphology. Age and BMI are significant factors affecting the IJV size.Micro- and nanosize lignin shows improved properties compared to standard lignin available today and has been gaining interest in recent years. Lignin is the largest renewable resource with an aromatic skeleton on earth but it is used for relatively low-value applications. Lignin in micro- to nanoscale; however, could facilitate rather valuable applications. Current production methods consume high amounts of solvents for purification and precipitation. The process investigated in this work uses the direct precipitation of lignin nanoparticles from organosolv pretreatment extract in a static mixer and can reduce solvent consumption drastically. The pH value, ratio of antisolvent to organosolv extract and flowrate in the mixer were investigated as precipitation parameters in terms of the resulting particle properties. Particles with dimensions ranging from 97.3 to 219.3 nm could be produced, and at certain precipitation parameters, carbohydrate impurities reach values as low as in purified lignin particles. Yields were found independent of the precipitation parameters with 48.2 ± 4.99%. Results presented in this work can be used to optimize precipitation parameters with emphasis on particle size, carbohydrate impurities or the solvent consumption.Panax ginseng is processed to diversify efficacy. Four processed ginsengs containing white ginseng (WG), tae-geuk ginseng (TG), red ginseng (RG), and black ginseng (BG) were analyzed using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy for screening overall primary metabolites. There were significant differences in the sugar content among these four processed ginseng products. WG had a high sucrose content, TG had a high maltose content, and BG had high fructose and glucose content. In the multivariate analyses of NMR spectra, the PCA score plot showed significant discrimination between the four processed ginsengs. For effective clustering, orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analyses (OPLS-DA) with a 11 comparison were conducted and all OPLS models were validated using the permutation test, the root mean square error of estimation (RMSEE), and the root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP). All OPLS-DA score plots showed clear separations of processed ginseng products, and sugars such as sucrose and fructose mainly contributed to these separations.Background and Objectives Cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention guidelines define targets for lifestyle and risk factors for patients at high risk of developing CVD. We assessed the control of these factors, as well as CVD risk perception in patients enrolled into the primary care arm of the European Action on Secondary and Primary Prevention by Intervention to Reduce Events (EUROASPIRE V) survey in Lithuania. Materials and Methods Data were collected as the part of the EUROASPIRE V survey, a multicenter, prospective, cross-sectional observational study. Adults without a documented CVD who had been prescribed antihypertensive medicines and/or lipid-lowering medicines and/or treatment for diabetes (diet and/oral antidiabetic medicines and/or insulin) were eligible for the survey. Data were collected through the review of medical records, patients' interview, physical examination and laboratory tests. Results A total of 201 patients were enrolled. Very few patients reached targets for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (4.5%), waist circumference (17.4%) and body mass index (15.4%). Only 31% of very high CVD risk patients and 52% of high-risk patients used statins. Blood pressure target was achieved by 115 (57.2%) patients. Only 21.7% of patients at very high actual CVD risk and 27% patients at high risk correctly estimated their risk. Of patients at moderate actual CVD risk, 37.5% patients accurately self-assessed the risk. About 60%-80% of patients reported efforts to reduce the intake of sugar, salt or alcohol; more than 70% of patients were current nonsmokers. Only a third of patients reported weight reduction efforts (33.3%) or regular physical activity (27.4%). Conclusions The control of cardiovascular risk factors in a selected group of primary prevention patients was unsatisfactory, especially in terms of LDL-C level and body weight parameters. Many patients did not accurately perceive their own risk of developing CVD.We investigated the transcriptomic response and epigenetic changes in the lungs of mice exposed to inhalation of copper(II) oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) (8 × 105 NPs/m3) for periods of 3 days, 2 weeks, 6 weeks, and 3 months. A whole genome transcriptome and miRNA analysis was performed using next generation sequencing. Global DNA methylation was assessed by ELISA. The inhalation resulted in the deregulation of mRNA transcripts we detected 170, 590, 534, and 1551 differentially expressed transcripts after 3 days, 2 weeks, 6 weeks, and 3 months of inhalation, respectively. Biological processes and pathways affected by inhalation, differed between 3 days exposure (collagen formation) and longer treatments (immune response). Periods of two weeks exposure further induced apoptotic processes, 6 weeks of inhalation affected the cell cycle, and 3 months of treatment impacted the processes related to cell adhesion. The expression of miRNA was not affected by 3 days of inhalation. Prolonged exposure periods modified miRNA levels, although the numbers were relatively low (17, 18, and 38 miRNAs, for periods of 2 weeks, 6 weeks, and 3 months, respectively).