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Urban air quality is an important part of human well-being, and its detailed and precise modeling is important for efficient urban planning. In this study the potential sources of errors in large eddy simulation (LES) runs of the PALM model in stable conditions for a high-traffic residential area in Prague, Czech Republic, with a focus on street canyon ventilation, are investigated. The evaluation of the PALM model simulations against observations obtained during a dedicated campaign revealed unrealistically high concentrations of modeled air pollutants for a short period during a winter inversion episode. To identify potential reasons, the sensitivities of the model to changes in meteorological boundary conditions and adjustments of model parameters were tested. The model adaptations included adding the anthropogenic heat from cars, setting a bottom limit of the subgrid-scale turbulent kinetic energy (TKE), adjusting the profiles of parameters of the synthetic turbulence generator in PALM, and limiting the model time step. The study confirmed the crucial role of the correct meteorological boundary conditions for realistic air quality modeling during stable conditions. Besides this, the studied adjustments of the model parameters proved to have a significant impact in these stable conditions, resulting in a decrease in concentration overestimation in the range 30 %–66 % while exhibiting a negligible influence on model results during the rest of the episode. This suggested that the inclusion or improvement of these processes in PALM is desirable despite their negligible impact in most other conditions. Moreover, the time step limitation test revealed numerical inaccuracies caused by discretization errors which occurred during such extremely stable conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parsley is a biennial aromatic plant from the Apiaceae family, which is characterized by an unbranched root, pinnately divided leaves, umbels and schizocarp. It contains essential oil in all parts, with phenylpropane and terpene compounds as main components. It is rich in flavonoids and other polyphenolic compounds, containing furanocoumarins, carotenoids, polyacetylenes, and its leaves are a source of vitamins and minerals. The chemical composition of parsley depends on a number of factors, so it differs not only in different parts and varieties of the plant but also in different samples of the same parts of one variety. The most important parsley compounds are myristicin, apiol, 1-allyl-2,3,4,5-tetramethoxybenzene, b-phellandrene, 1,3,8-p-menthatriene, b-pinene, terpinolene, apiin, oxypeucedanin and falcarinol. Parsley has a long tradition of use in the treatment of urinary tract disorders, and modern in vitro and in vivo studies reveal numerous effects of various parsley preparations such as diuretic, antiurolithiasis, hypouricemic, hypolipidemic, hypoglycemic, hypotensive, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antiplatelet effect. Today, apart from its medical application, parsley is one of the most commonly used culinary herbs.

Regular abelian semigroups are isomorphic to a direct product of an abelian group and a rectangular band (Warne, 1994). Seeking for a similar result for nilpotency, solvability, and supernilpotency of regular semigroups, we obtain that an analogous statement is true only in orthodox semigroups. We provide an example that shows that the same does not have to be true in regular semigroups that are not orthodox. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herbal medicinal products are very important for cough therapy and commonly used in both self-medication and doctor's recommendation. Herbal drugs used in cough therapy can be divided into expectorant and demulcent herbal drugs (drugs containing heteropolysaccharides, most commonly mucilages). Clinical studies have confirmed the efficacy of ivy leaf extracts and fixed combinations of thyme herb and primrose roots extracts as expectorants in productive cough, while for the most other herbal drugs and their preparations used in cough therapy only traditional use is documented. Each herbal drug used in cough therapy has its specific application restrictions (contraindications, special warnings, precautions, interactions, and adverse effects).

Copyright of Urbanismus a Uzemni Rozvoj is the property of Institute for Spatial Development and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

We present the process of and difficulties in acquiring the proper boundary conditions (BCs) for the state-of-the-art large-eddy simulation (LES)-based PALM model system. We use the mesoscale Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model as a source of inputs for the PALM preprocessor and investigate the influence of the mesoscale model on the performance of the PALM model. A total of 16 different WRF configurations were used as a proxy for a multi-model ensemble. We developed a technique for selecting suitable sets of BCs, performed PALM model simulations driven by these BCs, and investigated the consequences of selecting a sub-optimal WRF configuration. The procedure was tested for four episodes in different seasons of the year 2019, during which WRF and PALM outputs were evaluated against the atmospheric radiosounding observations. We show that the PALM model outputs are heavily dependent on the imposed BCs and have different responses at different times of the day and in different seasons. We demonstrate that the main driver of errors is the mesoscale model and that the PALM model is capable of attenuating but not fully correcting them. The PALM model attenuates the impact of errors in BCs in wind speed, while for the air temperature, PALM shows variable behavior with respect to driving conditions. This study stresses the importance of high-quality driving BCs and the complexity of the process of their construction and selection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aim. A predictor of a poor prognosis, renal dysfunction often manifests in patients with heart failure, and is associated with an increased mortality in these patients. The aim of the parent study was to determine risk factors associated with worsening renal function (WRF) in patients hospitalized for acutely decompensated heart failure. Methods. The study included 330 patients with acutely decompensated heart failure. Patients who developed WRF (n = 215, mean age 72.4 ± 9.8 years) were in the clinical group, and patients without WRF (n = 115, mean age 59.8 ± 11.7 years) were in the control group. Patients in the clinical group were observed according to: the age, gender, lipids, electrolytes, smoking, hypertension, and type of heart failure, with reduced or preserved left ventricle ejection fraction (HFrEF or HFpEF). We used logistic regression to calculate non-adjusted odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals for occurrence of WRF. Results. WRF was determined in 65.2% of patients with heart failure. Non-adjusted OR showed that there was a significant risk for development of WRF with age (OR = 4.3; p < 0.01), total cholesterol > 5.2 mmol/L (OR = 1.6; p < 0.05), hyponatremia < 135 mmol/L, (OR = 2.8; p < 0.01), smoking (OR = 3.9; p < 0.01), hypertension (OR = 2.0; p < 0.05), and with the presence of HFrEF (OR = 1.3; p < 0.01). Presence of HFpEF, hypokalemia, < 3.5 mmol/L, plasma triglycerides, > 1.7 mmol/L, and gender, did not have any significance for the development of renal damage. Conclusion. Patients’ age, total cholesterol, hyponatremia, smoking, hypertension, and HFrEF were significant risk factors for worsening renal function in heart failure patients. Comparing predictive values, age could be the best prognostic tool for early identification of patients at risk for WRF.

The objectives of this Paper have been to examine which data on agriculture can be found in the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia Database, and what are the possibilities for the use of the Database in the research and analysis of agriculture. The Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia Database physically represents normalized database formed in DBMS SQL Server. The methodological approach to the Paper subject is primarily related to modelling and the way of using Database. The options of accession, filtering and downloading of data from the Database are explained. The technical characteristics of the Database were described, indicators of agriculture listed and the possibilities of using Database were analysed. We examined whether these possibilities could be improved. It was concluded that improvements were possible, first, by enriching Database with data that are now only available in printed publications of the Office, and then, through methodological and technical improvements by redesigning the Database modelled on cloud founded databases. Also, the application of the achievements of the new multidisciplinary scientific field - Visual Analytics would improve visualization, interactive data analysis and data management.

Background: Episodic fever syndromes are commonly seen in pediatric practice. Episodic fever of unknown origin (FUO) lasts for a few days or weeks and is followed by a fever-free period with a sense of well-being. In this condition, activated neutrophils and monocytes intensively generate reactive oxidative species that may further damage various molecules. The aim of the study was to evaluate oxidative stress biomarkers, lipid peroxidation in erythrocytes and plasma, and advanced oxidation protein products (AOPP) in children with episodic FUO. Methods: The study enrolled 25 children with episodic FUO in afebrile phase and 25 healthy children as controls. Lipid peroxidation was evaluated by measuring malondialdehyde (MDA) production with the thiobarbituric-acid-reactive substances (TBARS) assay in erythrocytes and plasma. Oxidative modification of proteins was measured spectrophotometrically by the determination of AOPP in plasma. Results: Mean duration of episodic fevers was 3.96±2.8 years. Erythrocyte MDA levels were higher in children with FUO than in controls (86.26±10.75 vs. 78.0±3.21 nmol/g hemoglobin), although not significantly (p=0.202). The MDA plasma concentrations were similar (2.42±0.35 vs. 2.41±0.39 μmol/L) between the groups (p= 0.732). Unexpectedly, levels of AOPP were significantly lower in children with FUO than in healthy controls (18.8±5.04 vs. 25.1±3.35 μmol/L, p=0.047). Conclusions: Episodic fevers of unknown origin with an average duration of 3.96±2.8 years do not cause significant oxidative modifications of lipids and proteins in children.

Background/Aim. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is an important sociomedical problem worldwide because the chronification of the disease is frequent and the occurance of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma can be expected. The aim of this study was to determine the way of infection, pathohistological changes of the liver, virus genotype presence and sustained virological response after pegylated interferon and ribavirin therapy in prison inmates. Methods. The study included 52 patients with chronic HCV infection classified in two groups managed during 2008-2010. The first group consisted of prisoners (n = 22) and the second one of “non-prisoners” (n = 30). The patients from both groups underwent diagnostic preparation (biochemical analyses, liver biopsy, hepatitis virus detection and genotypisation using polymerase chain reaction issue). The treatment lasted for 24 weeks for virus genotypes 2 and 3, and 48 weeks for genotypes 1 and 4. Results. All the patients were males, approximately the same age (35 ± 4.1 and 31 ± 7.6 years). Virus genotype 1 was significantly more frequent in the prisoners (p < 0.05), that demanded longer treatment (48 weeks). At the same time, statistically significant higher number of patients, “non-prisoners”, achieved a sustained virological response (p < 0.01). Conclusion. Intravenous drug abuse and tattoos, separately or together, are the most frequent way of infection in prisoners. Dominant presence of virus genotype 1 resulted in lower number of patients with sustained virological response, probably regardless prison environment and regime.

The development of integrated urban services requires the implementation of informative tools that provide a balance between quality, time and costs for air quality assessment. Within this framework, three modeling techniques with different levels of complexity were compared during a winter inversion episode against PM 10 concentrations measured in a built-up area in Prague (Czech Republic) characterized by heavy traffic. Although the Gaussian model ATEM satisfied the common statistical-performance criteria, the predictions poorly represented the spatial variability of concentrations in the study domain. The Lagrangian model GRAL provided a better simulation of the effects of terrain and vortice formation inside street canyons, but tended to overpredict the influence of these phenomena. Finally, the most sophisticated of the three models, the Large-Eddy Simulation model PALM, demonstrated the best performance based on an exhaustive analysis of the model outputs in the temporal and spatial dimensions. After model comparison, a sensitivity test of the selected models to the driving meteorology and emissions inputs was carried out. While advanced models can simulate complex urban environments, their suitability for use in urban planning is subject to further considerations, such as computational cost, user expertise, and the usefulness of the output. Thanks to increasing computation power and intensive work on the entire modeling chain, sophisticated models could become routine tools for use in regulatory applications, contributing to future integrated urban service provision. • Selection of dispersion models should include a spatio-temporal assessment. • Meteorological input and resuspension emissions are important sources of uncertainty. • LES models provide a thorough set of data valuable for integrated urban services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]