Abstract
The investigation of the effect of petrography and diagenetic features on the geomechanical properties of the sandstone and their relationship to rock failure are of vital importance for different construction projects. The present study involves analyzing multi-vertical lithofacies profiles around the region of Wadi Halfa, North Sudan. The sandstone is dominantly composed of monocrystalline quartz grains (60%) accompanied by some polycrystalline quartz, feldspars, lithic fragments, micas, and heavy minerals. Iron oxides are the main type of cementing materials (14%), with some (2%) of carbonates and clay minerals. The average porosity of all studied samples is 12%. The compressive strength ranges widely, influenced by weathering, grain size, cementing materials, and bedding planes. The uniaxial compressive strength is more influenced by wetting when the load is parallel to bedding planes. Sandstone anisotropy is suggested by a U-shaped curve, with lower values at 45° and higher values at 90° and 0°. The geomechanical behavior of rocks masses in Wadi Halfa was evaluated through a combination of field and laboratory analyses which revealed a variable Rock Mass Rating (RMR) ranging from 58 to 92 and a Geological Strength Index (GSI) ranging from 33 to 61.
Abstract
We studied the species richness of flower-visiting Hymenoptera assemblages in two varieties of Brassica campestris var. toria: in variety TS-36 during the normal season grown in the riparian ecosystem and in variety TS-67 during the late season grown in the rice-ecosystem of Assam, India using five sampling methods. We aimed to investigate to what extent (i) the Hymenoptera assemblages in the two ecosystems differed from each other, (ii) the population densities of three dominant Apis spp. differed from each other, and (iii) the effectiveness of the sampling methods used differed from each other. In total, we recorded 64 Hymenoptera species belonging to 42 genera of 9 families in the two toria varieties. We detected the presence of all species in TS-36 grown as normal season crop in the riparian ecosystem, and the presence of 48 species in TS-67 grown in the rice ecosystem as a late season crop. Vespidae had the highest species richness, followed by Apidae, Megachilidae, and Halictidae. These visitors may contribute to the ecological resilience of the toria ecosystem through their service as pollinators as well as because they are natural enemies of the crop-pests. Transect walk methods sampled a higher number of species than observation plot method and colour traps. Apis cerana was the most abundant species, with a relative abundance of 38.5% and 37.9% in normal and late season crops, respectively. The mean abundance of all three Apis species was 11.1% higher in the later variety.
Abstract
Background and aims
Unemployment rates are elevated among individuals with disordered gambling, yet the directionality of the relationship remains unclear. The present study investigated paid and unpaid unemployment as risk factors for future gambling disorder (GD).
Methods
The study employed a case-control design, including all adult Norwegians receiving a GD diagnosis within specialist health services from January 2008 to December 2018 (n = 5,131). These individuals were compared with age- and sex-matched controls from the general population (n = 30,164), as well as controls with somatic and psychiatric diagnoses (n = 30,476).
Results
Logistic regressions showed that those in the highest quartile of unpaid unemployment days had more than double the odds (odds ratio [OR] 2.23 (95% CI [1.96, 2.52]) of developing GD compared to those with no unpaid unemployment days. Similarly, higher levels of paid unemployment were also found to increase the odds for GD, with those in the highest quartile having an OR of 1.86 (95% CI [1.50, 2.28]) compared to those with no paid unemployment days. Moreover, an interaction analysis indicated that the association between paid unemployment days and GD was significantly stronger among men compared to women.
Conclusions
The present study suggests that both paid and unpaid unemployment constitute risk factors for GD. Programs aiming at obtaining and sustaining work have been found to improve health and future studies should examine if the risk for GD can be similarly mitigated.
Abstract
Background and Aims
Many jurisdictions are experiencing opioid epidemics. Opioid use disorder (OUD) often co-occurs with other psychiatric disorders including behavioral addictions like gambling disorder. However, little is known regarding the frequency and correlates of problematic pornography use (PPU) among people seeking treatment for OUD. Here we aimed to investigate PPU and its correlates in people seeking OUD treatment.
Method
From October 2018 to March 2020, 1,272 individuals seeking OUD treatment were screened for PPU by completing the Brief Pornography Screen (BPS), a 5-item instrument validated for assessing PPU. Self-reported data were used.
Results
Among the sample there were 707 (60%) males and 565 (40%) females. The mean age of participants was 37.9 ± 10.5 years (range 18–73), there were 707 (60%) males and 565 (40%) females, 14.4% (n = 183) exhibited low positive BPS scores (1 ≤ score ≤4), and 4.5% of the sample (n = 57) screened positive for PPU (BPS score ≥4). Individuals screening positive for PPU versus negative were mostly male (77%), scored higher on measures of impulsivity in the domains of positive urgency, negative urgency, and sensation-seeking and demonstrated more psychopathology on measures of substance use, psychotic symptoms, emotional lability, depression/functioning and self-harm.
Discussion and Conclusion
A minority of individuals seeking treatment for OUD screened positive for PPU. Among individuals with OUD, those screening positive (versus negative) for PPU were more impulsive and experienced more psychiatric symptoms, suggesting the need for additional investigation and screening for and addressing PPU in people with OUD.
Abstract
Disinformation and propaganda directed at foreign countries is an important tool in Russia's geopolitical power ambitions, including its war against Ukraine. The European Union and individual nation states, both inside and outside the Union, have developed complex responses to this multifaceted phenomenon. This article focuses on just one of them: the EU embargo on the RT television channel. It will review media analyses of RT, some of the legal action taken against it, and analyse the background and rationale behind the EU's blocking regulation. It points out that, while international media law literature has examined the issue from the perspective of freedom of expression, the European Union has treated the channel as a political weapon. The article argues that democracies need to take decisive action to defend their structures, and that this may require unconventional measures in times of disruption to the international order.
Főszerkesztői előszó
Editor-in-Chief's greetings
Myelomás beteg 11 éves remissziót ért el másodvonalban adott lenalidomiddal – esetismertetés
Myeloma patient achieved 11 years of remission with second line lenalidomide
A myeloma multiplex egy rosszindulatú vérképzőszervi daganatos betegség, melynek kórlefolyását remissziók és relapszusok jellemzik. Egy betegünk kórtörténetét mutatjuk be, aki 5 évig kapott – klinikai vizsgálatban – másodvonalban lenalidomide + dexamethason kezelést és összesen 11 évig remisszióban volt. A beteg egy – szövettanilag nem verifikált – tüdődaganatban hunyt el, melynek kialakulásában inkább az erős dohányzás, kevésbé a tartós lenalidomide-kezelés játszhatott szerepet.
Abstract
In 2022, for the first time in some while, the public around the world was confronted with an armed conflict between states, which directly involved a nuclear facility, specifically a nuclear power plant in operation. Unfortunately, the situation following Russia's armed attack on Ukraine on 24 February 2022 and the acts of war around the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant once again draw attention to the need to protect nuclear facilities during armed conflicts. Therefore, this paper reviews the relevant rules of public international law and scrutinizes the norms that have been established through international legislation and soft law mechanisms to protect and guarantee the nuclear safety and security of nuclear installations.
Abstract
Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) has long served as an effective remedy for disputes between foreign investors and host states. In the context of the Russian–Ukrainian conflict, ISDS has gained particular prominence as a potential tool for advancing the legal claims of private persons even in wartime or otherwise hostile situations. In particular, we had a slew of ISDS cases between Ukrainian investors and Russia, especially in relation to Crimea. This has also raised a number of questions regarding territory and annexation within the context of international law, which the arbitration tribunals had to address. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the utility of ISDS for enforcing private claims in wartime, and to assess the judgments of the arbitration tribunals, with the addition of Russian ISDS cases against Ukraine as well, to serve as a contrast.
