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In this work, the SrFe12–xZnxO19 (Zn-SrM, x = 0, 0.1, 0.4, and 1.0) samples were fabricated using a combination of ball milling and heat treatment methods, which was simple and low-cost. Interestingly, the Zn-SrM samples exhibited great microwave absorption performances with an absorption rate of more than 99.99% and very thin thicknesses. The x = 0.1 sample could reach an excellent RL value of −40.08 dB at f = 17.88 GHz for a thickness of 1.45 mm. The x = 0.4 sample achieved a great RL value of −42.51 dB at 17.86 GHz and an EAB value of 1.29 GHz for t = 1.50 mm. With a thickness of 5.1 mm, the x = 1.0 sample could achieve a great RL value of −51.20 dB and an EAB value of 1.58 GHz. This microwave absorption performance, low cost, and simplicity of fabrication could confirm that Zn-SrM samples could be used as high-efficiency MAMs. The great microwave dissipating characteristics could be attributed to the high values of imaginary parts of complex permeability and complex permittivity leading to the high loss tangent, high degree of impedance matching, high values of attenuation constant and conductivity, suitable values of eddy current factor, and large numbers of semicircles in their Cole-Cole plots.

Disease outbreaks are partly the direct result of the expansion of poultry flocks. To understand farmers’ behaviours, their awareness of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), the study was con ducted. A total of 150 farms in three districts of Tra Vinh Province were included. Purposive sampling was used to choose respondents who have at least 20 poultry heads and a three-year operation. Descrip tive and multiple regression analyses were used to analyze data. The findings indicated that most farm ers (65.3%) were males with an average age of 50 years. Farmers received < $100/month from poultry production. The farm scale of poultry business was less than 100 heads per farmer, and birds were reared traditionally, using by-products, floor feeding, and no automatic watering systems. Selling broil ers dominated, whereas egg sales were uncommon and were generally reserved for domestic use. In addition, farmers were aware of HPAI prevention (>90% were, poor knowledge that was not validat ed). Additionally, farmers' awareness significantly increased by the enhancement in education, training, income, and full-time employment at poultry farms. It can be concluded that the small-scale poultry farming employs traditional practices with a keen awareness of infectious diseases. However, to raise farmers' awareness, strategies should concentrate on profession, education, training, and income.

Вказується, у сучасному цифровому світі, де кількість збережених та оброблюваних даних зростає в шалених темпах, питання захисту пер­сональних даних стають дедалі важливішими. З поширенням хмарних технологій, які надають компаніям та окремим користувачам можливість зберігати та обробляти інформацію на віддале­них серверах, виникає новий спектр загроз для конфіденційності та безпеки даних. У статті розглядаються питання захисту пер­сональних даних при використанні хмарних тех­нологій, зокрема, необхідність інтеграції право­вихі технологічних аспектів для забезпечення комплексного захисту. Аналізується вплив між­народних регуляторних актів, таких як GDPR (Загальний регламент захисту даних) і CCPA (Закон про захист конфіденційності споживачів Каліфорнії), на процеси захисту даних у хмарах. Особлива увага приділяється проблемам, що ви­никають через відмінності у правових режимах різних країн, які ускладнюють управління дани­ми на міжнародному рівні. Стаття детально досліджує сучасні техніч­ні рішення, такі як шифрування даних і багатофакторна аутентифікація, що є ключовими елементами захисту конфіденційної інформації. Виявлено, що ці технології забезпечують висо­кий рівень захисту, але також мають свої враз­ливості. На основі цього, пропонується інвести­ція в новітні технології, зокрема квантове шиф­рування та штучний інтелект, для підвищення ефективності захисту даних. Окремо розглянуто практичні кейси витоків даних, що підкреслю­ютьважливість належного налаштування сис­тем безпеки і регулярного моніторингу. Аналіз результатів емпіричних досліджень показує необхідність адаптації бізнес-процесів до змін у регуляторному середовищі та впровадження нових технологій для змен­шенняризиків. На основі отриманих даних сформульовані рекомендації для організацій, які включають перегляд політик захисту даних, інвестиції в сучасні технології та навчан­няспівробітників. Висновки статті акцентують на необхідності комплексного підходу до забезпечення захисту персональних даних у хмарних середовищах. Це передбачає врахування як сучасних техно­логій, так і актуальних правових вимог для за­безпечення належного захисту даних та мінімі­зації можливих ризиків.

The evolution of char resulting from the co-pyrolysis of recycled plastic and discard fine coal, along with the impact of varying plastic additions on the characteristics of the formed char and its subsequent gasification reactivity, remains unexplored. In this study, extrudates were produced using discarded South African Highveld coal fines, combined with either recycled low-density polyethylene (LDPE) or polypropylene (PP), respectively, and charred under a nitrogen atmosphere at three different temperatures (520, 720, and 920 °C). Co-gasification of plastic and coal provides an opportunity to reduce two waste streams simultaneously. The characteristics of the chars produced from the coal fines were compared to those produced from the extrudates formulated at varying plastic content (10, 25 and 50 %wt), using petrographic carbon form analysis, surface area and porosity analysis, as well as XRD carbon crystallite analysis. Thermal fragmentation was observed to degrade the integrity of the extrudates when the plastic content exceeded 10 %, therefore, the chars produced at 920 °C were pulverized (75–150 μm) before undergoing CO2 gasification at 800, 825 and 850 °C in the chemical-controlled regime. Carbon crystalline analyses showed that the chars were more ordered with an increase in plastic content. However, even with the more ordered structure, the gasification reactivity increased similarly with an increase in plastic content for both the extrudate derived chars containing LDPE and PP. Petrographic carbon form analysis showed an increase in crack and pore formation with an increase in plastic addition during all stages of the chars’ evolution as the pyrolysis temperature increased. The VRM time factor showed a positive linear correlation with an increase in BET surface area, especially for the LDPE derived chars (R2 > 0.7720). Therefore, the observed reactivity increase with an increase in plastic content can be correlated to an increase in surface area. Results allude to the possibility of increasing gasification rates in Industrial gasifiers while reducing both coal and plastic waste. Further work should be conducted to minimise the thermal fragmentation propensity of the plastic-containing fine coal bound extrudates to make the extrudates suitable for fixed bed gasification.

CT1812 is a novel, brain penetrant small molecule modulator of the sigma-2 receptor (S2R) that is currently in clinical development for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Preclinical and early clinical data show that, through S2R, CT1812 selectively prevents and displaces binding of amyloid beta (Aβ) oligomers from neuronal synapses and improves cognitive function in animal models of AD. SHINE is an ongoing phase 2 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial (COG0201) in participants with mild to moderate AD, designed to assess the safety and efficacy of 6 months of CT1812 treatment. To elucidate the mechanism of action in AD patients and pharmacodynamic biomarkers of CT1812, the present study reports exploratory cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarker data from 18 participants in an interim analysis of the first set of patients in SHINE (part A). Untargeted mass spectrometry-based discovery proteomics detects >2000 proteins in patient CSF and has documented utility in accelerating the identification of novel AD biomarkers reflective of diverse pathophysiologies beyond amyloid and tau, and enabling identification of pharmacodynamic biomarkers in longitudinal interventional trials. We leveraged this technique to analyze CSF samples taken at baseline and after 6 months of CT1812 treatment. Proteome-wide protein levels were detected using tandem mass tag-mass spectrometry (TMT-MS), change from baseline was calculated for each participant, and differential abundance analysis by treatment group was performed. This analysis revealed a set of proteins significantly impacted by CT1812, including pathway engagement biomarkers (i.e., biomarkers tied to S2R biology) and disease modification biomarkers (i.e., biomarkers with altered levels in AD vs. healthy control CSF but normalized by CT1812, and biomarkers correlated with favorable trends in ADAS-Cog11 scores). Brain network mapping, Gene Ontology, and pathway analyses revealed an impact of CT1812 on synapses, lipoprotein and amyloid beta biology, and neuroinflammation. Collectively, the findings highlight the utility of this method in pharmacodynamic biomarker identification and providing mechanistic insights for CT1812, which may facilitate the clinical development of CT1812 and enable appropriate pre-specification of biomarkers in upcoming clinical trials of CT1812.

Дослідження інструментів діяльності публіч­ної адміністрації в сучасних євроінтеграційних умовах держави України, стосується важливих питань захисту персональних даних. Україна, як країна-кандидат до членства в ЄС, зобов’язана привести своє законодавство та практику у від­повідність до європейських стандартів. У статті досліджуються інструменти діяльності публічної адміністрації України щодо забезпе­чення захисту персональних даних в контексті євроінтеграції. Автор стверджує, що публічна адміністрація відіграє ключову роль у цій сфері, адже саме вона володіє персональними даними своїх громадян. В роботі проаналізовані різні підходи до визначення публічної адміністрації та її інстру­ментів діяльності. Автор робить висновок, що до основних інструментів публічної адміністрації України у сфері захисту персональних даних в контексті євроінтеграції належать: гармонізація законодавства, а саме приведення національ­ного законодавства про захист персональних даних у відповідність до європейських стан­дартів, зокрема, з Регламентом (ЄС) 2016/679 «Про захист фізичних осіб у зв’язку з оброб­кою персональних даних і про вільний рух та­ких даних та про скасування Директиви 95/46/ ЄС (Загальний регламент про захист даних)»; інституційне забезпечення, шляхом створення та функціонування органів державної влади, відповідальних за захист персональних даних, таких як Уповноважений Верховної Ради Украї­ни з прав людини; кадрове забезпечення через підготовку кваліфікованих кадрів для роботи в сфері захисту персональних даних; інформа­ційно-технологічне забезпечення шляхом впро­вадження сучасних інформаційних технологій для захисту персональних даних; міжнародне співробітництво, а саме співпраця з іншими дер­жавами та міжнародними організаціями в сфері захисту персональних даних. Автор наголошує, що публічна адміністрація в Україні при виконанні своїх повноважень у сфері захисту персональних даних зобов’язана неухильно дотримуватися всіх норм чинного за­конодавства, як національного, так і міжнарод­ного.

This study demonstrates the promising potential of WO3-doped calcium lithium silicate borate glasses as a multifunctional material with adjustable characteristics for a range of current technological purposes. The melt quenching technique was used for the manufacture of calcium lithium silicate borate glass samples doped with WO3 with a chemical composition of (50-x)B2O3+10SiO2+15CaO+25Li2O + xWO3, where x = 0, 1, 2, 3, and 5 mol%. Raman spectroscopy and UV optical absorption methods were used to investigate the spectroscopic characteristics of glass samples. The dielectric characteristics of the produced glass samples were investigated by broadband dielectric spectroscopy (BDS) measurements. The extremely short-range ordering structural matrices revealed by X-ray diffraction have validated the amorphous nature. The Raman spectra of the calcium lithium silicate borate glass exhibit considerable differences from those of glasses containing WO3. The prepared glass samples exhibited an obvious relationship between the replacement of WO3 and their density and molar volume. As a result of a modification in the structure, the values of packing density (Vp) and oxygen packing density (OPD) decrease as the molar concentration of WO3 increases. The inclusion of WO3 increased the optical absorbance of the synthesized glasses, as demonstrated by UV–Vis optical absorption spectra. According to the dielectric characteristics, the dielectric loss and dielectric constant decrease with frequency, while the AC electrical conductivity exhibits a progressive increase.

The article presents a review of psychophysiological and psychoendocrine approaches in foreign studies of stress response in police officers. The main vectors of psychophysiological response to stress in representatives of dangerous professions are identified. It has been determined that, in combination with the autonomic nervous and immune systems, the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis is involved in the formation of an individual response to chronic stress. The main emphasis of foreign works devoted to the study of the psychoendocrine component of the stress response in police officers is to study the influence of the dehydroepiandrosterone and cortisol. Modern technologies for recording stress indicators was also being studied. Further study of psychophysiological and psychoendocrine approaches in studies of stress response in police officers from the point of view of their integration seems promising.

CdSe1-xSx (x= 0.3, 0.4 and 0.6) thin films were deposited on quartz and silicon substrates by the method of high-frequency magnetron sputtering. The chemical composition analysis and crystal structure refinement was examined with using X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction data. CdSe1-xSx thin films crystallizes in hexagonal structure (structure type – ZnO, space group P63mc (No. 186)). The lattice parameters (a, c and V), crystallite size (D), strain (ε), dislocation density (δ) and the texture coefficient TC(hkl) was estimated from X-ray diffraction analysis. Units-cell parameters decrease with increasing S content in CdSe1-xSx thin film.

A singularly perturbed time delay parabolic problem with two small pa-rameters is considered. The paper develops a finite difference scheme that is exponentially fitted on a uniform mesh in the spatial direction and uses the implicit-Euler method to discretize the time derivative in the temporal direction in order to obtain a better numerical approximation to the solu-tions of this class of problems. We establish the parameter-uniform error estimate and discuss the stability of the suggested approach. In order to demonstrate the improvement in terms of accuracy, numerical results are also shown to validate the theoretical conclusions and are contrasted with the current hybrid scheme.

The characteristics of 79 cadets of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (mean age — 20.3±2.3 years) were studied: 26.6% male and 73.4% female. Signs of stress, coping, level of anxiety and depression were studied. Stressful stimuli were presented by showing images of dangerous situations and incidents, as well as loud, negatively socially colored sounds. The levels of cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) in saliva before and after presentation of stressful stimuli were determined. It was revealed that male cadets are characterized by high levels of cortisol and DHEA before stress, with a decrease after presentation. The group of female cadets was characterized by normal hormone indices. Profiles of reaction to stress were formed. Two pro-files were identified in the group of male cadets. The first one corresponded to destructive ways of coping with stress, depression and anxiety expression, normal dynamics of hormone indices after stress; the second one — low level of anxiety and depression, high level of coping planning-solving problems, decrease of cortisol and DHEA level after stress. For female cadets, 3 profiles were distinguished. The first was characterized by the absence of signs of stress, positive reassessment of stress, normal dynamics of hormones; the second — low level of stress, non-expressiveness of coping escape and increase of hormones after stress; the third — expression of signs of stress, coping self-control, and decrease of hormones after stress.

Despite low electricity access rates and weakened electricity sector governance under the pressure of population growth, modes of access to electricity in Lubumbashi vary spatially and in their typologies. However, to date, there is no detailed information on mapping households’ modes of access to the National Electricity Company (SNEL) electricity network. This study aims to assess and map both formal and informal methods of household access to electricity in Lubumbashi. A socio-technical survey was conducted among 1211 households in the 7 communes or districts of the city. The results showed that the electricity access rate in the different districts of Lubumbashi varies between 41.6 and 78.3%, with an urban average of 63.8 %. The lowest rate is observed in the Annex district, while the highest is kept in the Kamalondo commune. At both the rural and urban levels, the most dominant method of access to electricity is a connection to the grid (formal and legal methods), with the highest rate in the Kamalondo, Kenya and Lubumbashi districts. Clandestine electrical connections are most common in the communities of Kamalondo and Kenya. The Annexe and Lubumbashi districts have the lowest rates of illegal electric connections. This study showed that the spatial distribution of cases of electricity theft and non-payment of bills in Lubumbashi is influenced by complex factors, such as the interaction between urban growth, household income level and the governance mode. The fight against fraudulent connections should be based on the present study to propose localized and adequate solutions in the different districts.

The classical inequalities of Bochkarev play a very important role in harmonic analysis. The meaning of these inequalities lies in the connection between the metric characteristics of functions and the summability of their Fourier coefficients. One of the most important directions of harmonic analysis is the theory of Fourier series. His interest in this direction is explained by his applications in various departments of modern mathematics and applied sciences, as well as the availability of many unsolved problems. One of these problems is the study of the interrelationships of the integral properties of functions and the properties of the sum of its coefficients. The solution of these problems was dedicated to the efforts of many mathematicians. And further research in this area are important and interesting problems and can give new, unexpected effects. In the article we receive a two-dimensional analog of the Bochkarev type theorem for the Fourier transform.

Introduction: Enteral nutrition is the mainstay of nutritional support in surgical patients. Ileus is the temporary inhibition of peristalsis. Primary post-operative ileus (PPI) occurs postoperatively; thence patients are traditionally kept on nil per oris (NPO) until PPI resolves, due to safety concerns. This study aims to determine the necessity or otherwise of this practice in paediatric surgical patients. Materials and methods: A prospective, randomized control trial, in patients younger than 15 years. The early feeding group (EFG) commenced enteral feeding on the first post-operative day while controls commenced feeding after resolution of PPI. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 20.0, P ≤ 0.05 was regarded as significant. The primary outcome was tolerability of enteral feeds while secondary outcomes were complication rates, time to full enteral diet, and duration of hospital stay. Results: There were 56 patients, 28 in each study group. Tolerability of oral feeds at initial commencement was similar in both groups (24 (85.7%) EFG versus 27 (96.4%) controls P = 0.16). Full enteral feeding was achieved faster in EFG than in controls (71.1 ± 28.7 hours versus 92.5 ± 31.4 hours, p=0.011). Post-operative hospital stay was shorter in EFG than controls (7.46 ± 3.8 days versus11.1 ± 5.2 days, p=0.009). Conclusions: Early enteral feeding was well tolerated, brought about a faster return to a full enteral diet, and shorter post-operative hospital stay, it also did not cause a higher complication rate. Therefore, delaying feeding until the resolution of PPI after laparotomy appears unnecessary.

February 24, 2024 to Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Professor M.I. Ramazanov turned 75 years old. M.I. Ramazanov is a highly qualified specialist in the field of loaded partial differential equations, integral equations, and their applications to applied problems.

The paper investigates a non-local boundary value problem for the Benjamin-Bona-Mahony equation. This equation is a nonlinear pseudoparabolic equation of the third order with a mixed derivative. To find a solution to this problem, an algorithm for finding an approximate solution is proposed. Sufficient conditions for the feasibility and convergence of the proposed algorithm are established, as well as the existence of an isolated solution of a non-local boundary value problem for a nonlinear equation. Estimates are obtained between the exact and approximate solution of this problem.

Within the factors affecting insect tolerance to extreme environmental conditions, insect nutrition, particularly of immature stages, has received insufficient attention. In the present study, we address this gap by investigating the effects of larval nutrition on heat and cold tolerance of adult Bactrocera zonata – an invasive, polyphagous fruit fly pest. We manipulated the nutritional content in the larval diet by varying the amount of added yeast (2–10% by weight), while maintaining a constant sucrose content. Adults derived from the different larval diets were tested for their tolerance to extreme heat and cold stress. Restricting the amount of yeast reduced the efficacy of the larval diet (i.e. number of pupae produced per g of diet) as well as pupal and adult fresh weight, both being significantly lower for yeast-poor diets. Additionally, yeast restriction during the larval stage (2% yeast diet) significantly reduced the amount of protein but not lipid reserves of newly emerged males and females. Adults maintained after emergence on granulated sugar and water for 10 days were significantly more tolerant to extreme heat (i.e. knock-down time at 42 oC) when reared as larvae on yeast-rich diets (8% and 10% yeast) compared to counterparts developing on a diet containing 2% yeast. Nevertheless, the composition of the larval diet did not significantly affect adult survival following acute cold stress (exposure to −3°C for 2 hrs.). These results are corroborated by previous findings on Drosophilid flies. Possible mechanisms leading to nutrition-based heat-tolerance in flies are discussed.

AbstractTo improve patient safety in obstetrics, patients should perform safe communication. However, there is a lack of attempts in targeting expectant mothers. Behaviour change theories can potentially be applied to safe communication behaviour to understand and target contributing factors. The objective of this study was to apply the Health Action Process Approach (HAPA) to obstetric patients’ safe communication behaviour to understand underlying mechanisms of social-cognitive HAPA variables. N = 424 expectant mothers from two university hospitals participated in a cross-sectional survey which was the baseline of a larger randomized controlled trial. The proposed HAPA model with iterative theory-driven extensions were fitted to the data via path modelling. Fit indices were compared. Post-hoc analyses asserted sufficient statistical power. An adapted HAPA model fitted the data best. The adaptation concerned two sequential mediation pathways: The association of intention and safe communication behaviour was mediated by coping self-efficacy and via social support and action planning. Congruent with theory, intention and action planning, mediated by social support and coping self-efficacy, emerged as core factors contributing to safe communication behaviour. The HAPA model can be applied to safe communication behaviour in obstetric patients. Hence, future interventions to enhance expectant mothers’ safe communication should be based on behaviour change theories like the hereby tested HAPA model.

On August 18, 2023, an outstanding mathematician, a prominent government, political and public figure, a major organizer of science and education in Kazakhstan, the president of the National Engineering Academy of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the president of the Mathematical Society of the Turkic World, laureate of the State Prize of the Republic of Kazakhstan in fields of science, technology and education, Honored Worker of Kazakhstan, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor, Academician of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan Bakytzhan Tursynovich Zhumagulov turned 70 years old.

Relevance. From an agrotechnical point of view, beans are a valuable crop capable of greening agriculture. Legumes have the ability to enter into symbiotic relationships with nodule nitrogen-fixing bacteria and assimilate atmospheric nitrogen. The creation of highly efficient plant-microbial systems in agrocenoses by breeding new varieties of legumes with a high symbiotic potential is a promising direction that makes it possible to control the efficiency of plant biomass accumulation and the quality of agricultural products. There is a need to evaluate varieties for adaptability and nodule-forming ability to implement breeding programs to create highly productive and high-quality varieties that can realize the genetic potential of productivity in the sharply continental climate.Materials and methods. On the basis of the Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education Novosibirsk State Agrarian University in 2018-2020, an assessment was made of green bean varieties of different ecological and geographical origin with a bush type of growth. Experimental fields are located in the village of Michurinsky (left bank of Novosibirsk) and the educational and production farm "Garden of Michurintsev" (right bank of Novosibirsk). The study of samples in terms of adaptability parameters, as well as the ability to form nodules, was performed in accordance with generally accepted methods. We took into account the characteristics that affect the productivity of the crop - the number and weight of beans per plant, the weight of one bean, and the yield. The aim of the work is to evaluate the varieties of vegetable beans for adaptability and nodule-forming ability in the conditions of the forest-steppe of the Siberian region.Results. When forming the symbiotic apparatus, the growth conditions were taken into account. It has been established that high rates of biomass are observed on the territory of the village of Michurinsky. Varieties Morena and Maguyra are characterized by intensive growth in the experimental field of the village of Michurinsky, varieties Zoluyshka and Solnyshko – the educational and production farm "Garden of Michurintsev". The total number of nodules per plant varied from 29 (Kormilitsa) to 66. (Zoluyshka), active nodules – from 9 (Kormilitsa) to 49 (Zoluyshka). It is noted that the varieties Solnyshko and Zoluyshka have high rates of general adaptive ability and breeding value of the genotype. A strong relationship has been established between the characteristics of leaf mass and the number of active nodules, the number of active nodules and the leaf surface area; average - between the number of active nodules and plant biomass.

In a rectangular domain, we consider a boundary value problem periodic in one variable for a system of partial differential equations of hyperbolic type. Introducing a new unknown function, this problem is reduced to an equivalent boundary value problem for an ordinary differential equation with an integral condition. Based on the parametrization method, new approaches to finding an approximate solution to an equivalent problem are proposed and its convergence is proved. This made it possible to establish conditions for the existence of a unique solution of a semiperiodic boundary value problem for a system of second-order hyperbolic equations.

Leptin and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) are two extensively studied biomarkers associated with metabolic syndrome (MetS) and osteoarthritis (OA). Previous studies have mostly focused on either MetS or OA alone, with no available data on Vietnamese patients. This study aimed to investigate the levels of leptin and IL-1β in this patient population and explore their association with clinical parameters of MetS and OA. The study included 164 patients with primary knee OA, who were classified into two categories based on the presence of MetS, and 78 healthy controls. The plasma leptin and IL-1β levels were quantified by ELISA and correlated with clinical parameters. Leptin levels were higher in patients with OA (11.50±10.04 ng/mL) than in healthy controls (0.54±0.37 ng/mL) and increased in patients with MetS compared to those without MetS. IL-1β levels were also significantly higher in OA patients (14.63±15.87 pg/mL) than in controls (7.79±5.11 pg/mL), but were not significantly different between the MetS and non-MetS groups. Leptin levels were positively correlated with body mass index, waist-to-hip ratio, visual analogue scale scores, HbA1c and insulin levels, and HOMA-IR index, whereas IL-1β levels were only correlated with insulin levels and HOMA-IR index. ROC curve analysis revealed that leptin and IL-1β levels could distinguish individuals with and without OA (AUC=0.96; 0.88, respectively), and individuals with and without MetS (AUC=0.82; 0.71, respectively). Our findings suggested that both leptin and IL-1β levels were associated with both MetS and OA and may play a critical role in the pathogenesis of MetS-related OA.

The aim of this study was to investigate the interaction of the N-terminal domain of the valyl-tRNA synthetase with α, β, and γ subunits of the eEF1B translation elongation factor complex. Methods: for this purpose, all 4 proteins were synthesized in bacterial cells and purified to homogeneity by a combination of chromatographic methods. The interaction of the eEF1B complex subunits with the N-terminal domain of the valyl-tRNA synthetase was verified by gel filtration and in vitro pull-down assays. Protein fractions collected at these stages were analyzed by SDS-PAGE. Results: according to the gel filtration results, eEF1Bα and eEF1Bγ subunits do not form a stable complex with the valine-tRNA synthetase domain. The potential for complexation of the eEF1Bβ subunit was evaluated by pull-down assay, which showed that this protein does interact with the valyl-tRNA synthetase. Conclusions: we concluded that the eEF1Bα and eEF1Bγ subunits do not interact with the valyl-tRNA synthetase compared to the eEF1Bβ protein. The N-terminal domain of the valyl-tRNA synthetase is necessary and sufficient for this interaction.

Intro: Dengue shock (DS) and septic shock (SS) are the two most common infectious causes of shock in Vietnam. Little is known about the cost of an episode of either of these critical illnesses, from the perspective of the patient/their household. We aimed to describe the direct medical, non-medical and productivity costs associated with DS and SS. Methods: Adults with SS and DS were recruited to a prospective observational study at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases, in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam from 2019-2021. We collected hospital bills, insurance status and percentage copay from hospital records, and conducted a detailed economic questionnaire with patients at hospital discharge, 1,3 and 6 months later. The proportion of patients incurring Catastrophic Health Expenditure (CHE) and Catastrophic Costs were calculated. Findings: The analysis included 127 patients with DS, and 35 patients with SS. 18.9% and 71.43% patients with DS and SS respectively incurred CHE (threshold at >10% annual household income). Having healthcare insurance offered slight protection against incurring CHE for patients with DS, but paradoxically the proportion of patients with CHE was higher in insured versus uninsured patients with SS. When non-medical costs and productivity costs were considered, the cost of illness (versus the hospital bill alone) increased by a factor of 6.37 and 6.73 for DS and SS respectively. Conclusion: The true cost of DS and SS is several times higher than the hospital bill; productivity costs must be counted for patients with critical illness in LMIC. It is vital that financial protection is put in place for patients surviving critical illness in LMIC, and for families of non-survivors. As critical care capabilities expand in Vietnam, insurance reimbursement schedules must adapt to cover the high-cost interventions that patients with DS and SS require.

Intro: Hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) continues to challenge Asia with pandemic potential. In Vietnam, there have been two major outbreaks occurring during 2011–2012 (>200,000 hospitalizations and >200 deaths) and more recently in 2018 (>130,000 hospitalizations and 17 deaths). Given the high burden and the complex epidemic dynamics of HFMD, synthesizing its clinical and epidemiological data remains essential to develop appropriate interventions and apply public health measures. Methods: From 2015-2021, clinical samples were collected from patients enrolled in a HFMD study conducted at three referral hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Enterovirus diagnosis and serotypes determination was carried out using a combination of PCR and sequencing approaches. All EV-A71 positive cases were then subtyped by Sanger sequencing and/or whole-genome sequenced using next-generation based approach Findings: A total of 19 enterovirus serotypes were detected in 1660 HFMD patients enrolled in the study during 2015–2021. EV-A71 (26.2%, n=435) remains the leading cause of HFMD in Vietnam, followed by coxsackievirus A6 (CV-A6, 17.8%, n=296), CV-A16 (11%, n=184) and CV-A10 (7.1%, n=118). There are two main EV-A71 subgenogroups, C4 and B5, and their prevalence interchanges over the years. EV-A71 C4 displayed low activity during 2015 – early 2018 and then emerged in late 2018, early 2019 and late 2020. Compared with B5, C4 was more likely to be associated with severe HFMD. During the study period, the proportion of CV-A6 and CV-A16 increased in 2017 followed by a drop in 2018, and then went up again between 2019 and 2021 Conclusion: Our data have provided significant insights into important aspects of HFMD over seven years (2015–2021) in Vietnam, and emphasize active surveillance for pathogen circulation remains essential to inform the local public health authorities in the development of appropriate intervention strategies to reduce the burden of this disease. Multivalent vaccines are urgently needed to control HFMD

RGS14 is a complex multifunctional scaffolding protein that is highly enriched within pyramidal cells (PCs) of hippocampal area CA2. In these neurons, RGS14 suppresses glutamate-induced calcium influx and related G protein and ERK signaling in dendritic spines to restrain postsynaptic signaling and plasticity. Previous findings show that, unlike PCs of hippocampal areas CA1 and CA3, CA2 PCs are resistant to a number of neurological insults, including degeneration caused by temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). While RGS14 is protective against peripheral injury, similar roles for RGS14 during pathological injury in hippocampus remain unexplored. Recent studies showed that area CA2 modulates hippocampal excitability, generates epileptiform activity and promotes hippocampal pathology in animal models and patients with TLE. Because RGS14 suppresses CA2 excitability and signaling, we hypothesized that RGS14 would moderate seizure behavior and early hippocampal pathology following seizure activity, possibly affording protection to CA2 PCs. Using kainic acid (KA) to induce status epilepticus (KA-SE) in mice, we show that the loss of RGS14 (RGS14 KO) accelerated onset of limbic motor seizures and mortality compared to wild type (WT) mice, and that KA-SE upregulated RGS14 protein expression in CA2 and CA1 PCs of WT. Our proteomics data show that the loss of RGS14 impacted the expression of a number of proteins at baseline and after KA-SE, many of which associated unexpectedly with mitochondrial function and oxidative stress. RGS14 was shown to localize to the mitochondria in CA2 PCs of mice and reduce mitochondrial respiration in vitro. As a readout of oxidative stress, we found that RGS14 KO dramatically increased 3- nitrotyrosine levels in CA2 PCs, which was greatly exacerbated following KA-SE and correlated with a lack of superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2) induction. Assessing for hallmarks of seizure pathology in RGS14 KO, we unexpectedly found no differences in neuronal injury in CA2 PCs. However, we observed a striking and surprising lack of microgliosis in CA1 and CA2 of RGS14 KO compared to WT. Together, our data demonstrate a newly appreciated role for RGS14 in limiting intense seizure activity and pathology in hippocampus. Our findings are consistent with a model where RGS14 limits seizure onset and mortality and, after seizure, is upregulated to support mitochondrial function, prevent oxidative stress in CA2 PCs, and promote microglial activation in hippocampus.

Neuromyelitis optica or Devic`s disease is an inflammatory disimmune-neurodegenerative disease characterized by a progressive course, predominantly affecting the optic nerves and spinal cord, with relatively intact brain structures. The differential diagnosis of neuromyelitis optica and multiple sclerosis is based on the identification of a typical clinical and tomographic picture and the presence of a high level of antibodies to aquaporin 4 in the blood serum. We presented a familial clinical case of Devic`s disease in a representative of the indigenous population of Central Asia and the associated difficulties in differential diagnosis. M., 49 years old, was admitted to the Department of Neurology No. 1 of the National Hospital under the Ministry of Health of the Kyrgyz Republic with complaints on decreased vision and a feeling of a “veil” in front of the left eye, blindness on the right, weakness in all limbs, numbness in them, fatigue when walking, dizziness and instability when walking, a feeling of "passing an electric current".Thus, the onset of the disease in a 49-year-old patient was provoked by a hormonal imbalance - after a medical abortion due to a miscarriage, as well as after a viral infection (herpetic), symptoms of brainstem irritation were clinically presented, in particular .

Background and aims: The umbilicus is known to receive metastatic malignancy from diverse visceral organs. Accurate and correct diagnosis of umbilical lesions is imperative since metastatic malignancy signifies a serious underlying situation with dire prognosis. Identification of demographic features that can contribute to diagnostic resolution of umbilical lesions is desirable. We analyzed umbilical biopsies received over a 20-year period to determine any gender distinctive attributes of umbilical nodules. Materials and method: All umbilical biopsies received in our department from 1st January 2000 to 31st December 2019 were identified and analyzed. Data acquired included patient's gender, age, date of biopsy, type of biopsy and histopathological diagnoses and these were analyzed using computer software. Results: There were 67 umbilical biopsies from 22 males and 45 females giving a male: female ratio of 1:2. The difference between the mean age (SD) of male patients [47.8 years (19.4 years)] and that of the females [42.8 years (13.9 years)] was not statistically significant (p = 0.28). Twenty-five of the 67 umbilical lesions were benign while 42 were malignant. About 90.9% of biopsies in males were malignant and 9.1% benign while 48.9% of biopsies in females were malignant and 51.1% benign. The odds of malignant umbilical biopsy in males compared to females is 10.5 [OR = 10.5; 95% CI = 2.2–50.1)]. Conclusion: Umbilical biopsies were relatively infrequent in our practice and were more common in females than males. Umbilical lesions presented by males are mostly malignant. Overall, 78% of all umbilical lesions in females were of gynecological derivation. Resumen: Antecedentes y objetivo: Se sabe que en el ombligo se presentan metástasis de neoplasias de diversos órganos viscerales. Es imperativo el diagnóstico preciso y correcto de las lesiones umbilicales, ya que la caracterización metastásica implica una situación subyacente grave con un pronóstico nefasto. Es deseable la identificación de las características demográficas que pueden contribuir a la resolución diagnóstica de las lesiones umbilicales. Analizamos las biopsias umbilicales recibidas durante un período de 20 años para determinar los atributos distintivos de género de los nódulos umbilicales. Material y método: Se identificaron y analizaron todas las biopsias umbilicales recibidas en nuestro departamento desde el 1 de enero de 2000 hasta el 31 de diciembre de 2019. Los datos adquiridos incluyeron el sexo del paciente, la edad, la fecha de la biopsia, el tipo de biopsia y los diagnósticos histopatológicos y se analizaron mediante un software informático. Resultados: Hubo 67 biopsias umbilicales de 22 hombres y 45 mujeres dando una relación hombre: mujer de 1:2. La diferencia entre la edad media (DE) de los hombres [47,8 años (19,4 años)] y la de las mujeres [42,8 años (13,9 años)] no fue estadísticamente significativa (P = 0,28). Veinticinco de las 67 lesiones umbilicales fueron benignas mientras que 42 fueron malignas. El 90,9% de las biopsias en hombres fueron malignas y el 9,1% benignas, mientras que el 48,9% de las biopsias en mujeres fueron malignas y el 51,1% benignas. El riesgo de que una biopsia umbilical fuera maligna en hombres en comparación con mujeres fue de 10,5 [RP = 10,5; IC del 95% = 2,2 a 50,1)]. Conclusión: Las biopsias umbilicales fueron relativamente poco frecuentes en nuestra práctica y fueron más comunes en mujeres que en hombres. Las lesiones umbilicales que presentan los varones son en su mayoría malignas. En general, el 78% de todas las lesiones umbilicales en mujeres fueron de derivación ginecológica.

The mechanisms of heavy metal removal (Fe, Al and Mn) from acidic mineral effluents (pH

Carbendazim is a pesticide commonly used in Ethiopian flower farms and has harmful effects on aquatic, invertebrate, and mammalian life. Previous studies have explored ways to remedy carbendazim toxicity; however, the use of constructed wetland (CW) systems for carbendazim removal from farm water runoff has not been explored in depth. The primary aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of a CW system for carbendazim removal from wastewater runoff. A two-stage pilot CW was built and tested for its efficacy of carbendazim removal under saturated conditions and varying hydraulic loading rates. The influent was pumped into the first vertical-flow mesocosm. The drained water was then pumped into the second mesocosm. The collected effluent was tested for carbendazim removal. Carbendazim removal efficiencies up to 91.80% (with a hydraulic loading rate of 100 Ld−1 and influent carbendazim concentration of 10 μg L−1) were observed. Statistical analysis indicated that the removal of carbendazim was not correlated with the initial carbendazim concentration but was negatively correlated with the hydraulic loading rate used. Two pesticide removal mechanisms were briefly probed to determine their participation in carbendazim removal. Substrate sorption accounted for 18% of total carbendazim removal; furthermore, plant uptake also played an active role. HIGHLIGHTS Novel two-stage pilot-scale constructed wetland was built to reflect industry standard configuration of constructed wetlands.; Tests under saturated conditions showed up to 91.80% carbendazim removal from the influent water.; Carbendazim removal efficiency was found to be positively correlated with a higher hydraulic retention time but to be independent of the influent carbendazim concentration.;

Стаття розкриває сучасний стан ринку мінеральних вод. Актуальність дослідження ринку мінеральних вод зумовлене тим, що ринок характеризується дешевизною, доступністю, не потребує високої дохідності споживачів, а це в свою чергу викликає зацікавленість різних державних органів, верств населення, організацій до вивчення даного питання. Метою написання статті є висвітлення результатів SPACE-аналізу, який покладено в основу вибору стратегії розвитку підприємства на ринку мінеральних вод. В процесі написання наукової статті застосовано різні загальнонаукові та спеціальні методи дослідження. Зокрема індуктивний, дедуктивний методи використано для проведення SPACE- аналізу “МЗМВ” “Оскар”. За допомогою економічного аналізу та порівняння здійснено аналізування ринку мінеральної води Львівської області. Графічний метод використано для наочного зображення пелюсткової діаграми SPACE-аналізу ПрАТ «МЗМВ «Оскар». Для теоретичних узагальнень і формування висновків використано абстрактно-логічний метод. У статті обґрунтовано місце ПрАТ “МЗМВ” «Оскар» на ринку мінеральних вод та запропоновано стратегію його розвитку. Здійснено SPACE- аналіз, який дає змогу класифікувати й аналізувати внутрішнє та зовнішнє середовище підприємства. Побудовано пелюсткову діаграму SPACE-аналізу ПрАТ «МЗМВ «Оскар». Обґрунтовано, що конкурентне становище досліджуваного підприємства характеризується використанням наступальної стратегії, яка застосовується, за умови наявних виробничих переваг та загального розвитку підприємства, проте нестабільної ситуації в межах галузі. Доведено, що основні дії підприємства за таких умов спрямовані на пошук фінансових ресурсів і розширення системи збуту. Наукова новизна статті полягає у здійсненні SPACE-аналізу як основа вибору стратегії розвитку підприємства на ринку мінеральних вод та побудові пелюсткової діаграми SPACE-аналізу ПрАТ «МЗМВ «Оскар». Досліджено чинники: стабільності ситуації (ES), промислового потенціалу (ІS), конкурентних переваг (СА), фінансового потенціалу (FS), які покладено в основу SPACE-аналізу. Отримана інформація сприятиме більш ґрунтовному розумінню позицій підприємства на ринку мінеральних вод в сучасних умовах.

Pb1-xCdxI2 crystals (x = 0.1; 0.9) have been obtained by crystallization from a vapour phase in a closed system at over-stoichiometric iodine vapour pressure. An alloy of CdI2 and PbI2 was used as a source of evaporation. As a result of X-ray diffraction studies, it has been found that the obtained crystals belong to 4H-polytype, the space symmetry group is P63mc. The lattice parameters and the unit cell volume of crystals have been determined: for Pb0.9Cd0.1I2 a = 4,529 Å, c = 13,96 Å, V = 247,9 Å3; for Pb0.1Cd0.9I2 a = 4.258 Å, c = 13.70 Å, V = 215.0 Å3. The morphology of Pb1-xCdxI2 solid solutions crystals has been studied by scanning electron microscopy. Grown light orange Pb0.9Cd0.1I2 crystals have the shape of plates and ribbons, the surface of which is sculpted by growth figures. The transparent mixed Pb0.1Cd0.9I2 crystals have been grown from the vapour phase only in the form of plates. The spectral dependences of the optical absorption of Pb1-xCdxI2 crystals at room temperature have been studied. The optical widths of the band gaps of the grown crystals have been determined from the absorption spectra using the Tauc relation.

Turbulent transport in magnetically confined fusion plasma has conventionally been analyzed at the ion gyroradius scale based on the microturbulence theory. However, ion-scale turbulence analysis sometimes fails to predict the turbulent transport flux observed experimentally. Microturbulence at the electron gyroradius scale and cross-scale interactions between disparate-scale turbulences are possible mechanisms to resolve this issue. This overview discusses the recent progress in multiscale turbulence studies and presents future perspectives from recent experimental, theoretical, and numerical investigations. The following aspects are highlighted: (1) the importance of electron-scale effects in experiments, (2) the physical mechanisms of cross-scale interactions, (3) modeling electron-scale effects in quasilinear transport models, and (4) the impacts of cross-scale interactions on burning plasmas. Understanding multiscale turbulence is necessary to improve performance prediction and explore optimal operations for future burning plasmas.

This work presents the PORTALS framework (Rodriguez-Fernandez et al 2022 Nucl. Fusion 62 076036), which leverages surrogate modeling and optimization techniques to enable the prediction of core plasma profiles and performance with nonlinear gyrokinetic simulations at significantly reduced cost, with no loss of accuracy. The efficiency of PORTALS is benchmarked against standard methods, and its full potential is demonstrated on a unique, simultaneous 5-channel (electron temperature, ion temperature, electron density, impurity density and angular rotation) prediction of steady-state profiles in a DIII-D ITER Similar Shape plasma with GPU-accelerated, nonlinear CGYRO (Candy et al 2016 J. Comput. Phys. 324 73–93). This paper also provides general guidelines for accurate performance predictions in burning plasmas and the impact of transport modeling in fusion pilot plants studies.

Burning plasma performance, transport, and the effect of hydrogen isotope (H, D, D-T fuel mix) on confinement has been predicted for ITER baseline scenario (IBS) conditions using nonlinear gyrokinetic profile predictions. Accelerated by surrogate modeling (Rodriguez-Fernandez et al 2022 Nucl. Fusion 62 076036), high fidelity, nonlinear gyrokinetic simulations performed with the CGYRO code (Candy et al 2016 J. Comput. Phys. 324 73), were used to predict profiles of T _i , T _e , and n _e while including the effects of alpha heating, auxiliary power (NBI + ECH), collisional energy exchange, and radiation losses inside of $r/a$ = 0.9. Predicted profiles and resulting energy confinement are found to produce fusion power and gain that are approximately consistent with mission goals ( $P_\textrm{fusion} = 500$ MW at Q = 10) for the baseline scenario and exhibit energy confinement that is within 1 σ of the H-mode energy confinement scaling. The power of the surrogate modeling technique is demonstrated through the prediction of alternative ITER scenarios with reduced computational cost. These scenarios include conditions with maximized fusion gain and an investigation of potential resonant magnetic perturbation (RMP) effects on performance with a minimal number of gyrokinetic profile iterations required (3–6). These predictions highlight the stiff ITG nature of the core turbulence predicted in the ITER baseline and demonstrate that $Q \gt $ 17 conditions may be accessible by reducing auxiliary input power while operating in IBS conditions. Prediction of full kinetic profiles allowed for the projection of hydrogen isotope effects around ITER baseline conditions. The gyrokinetic fuel ion species was varied from H, D, and 50/50 D-T and kinetic profiles were predicted. Results indicate that a weak or negligible isotope effect will be observed to arise from core turbulence in IBS conditions. The resulting energy confinement, turbulence, and density peaking, and the implications for ITER operations will be discussed.

This article analyzes the indicators of economic and innovative activity of all enterprises, includ-ing enterprises of the textile industry of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and also the volume of services for financing enterprises and their impact on the activities of enterprises was studied. The study purpose is to assess the volume of domestic enterprises’ innovative activity in the textile industry of the Republic of Kazakhstan and identify the financing sources for innovative projects, their effective directions.The scientific and practical significance of the work lies in the study of the current volume of financ-ing of innovative services of domestic light industry enterprises and the costs of general innovation, in determining the process of increasing the profitability of enterprises by improving product quality and using innovative opportunities.The innovative measures’ correspondence with the volume of production costs, production quality, costs, market demand, adhering to certain requirements, is considered.The methodological basis of the study was the following general scientific and special methods: the method of system-structural analysis, scientific abstraction, induction, economic-statistical, logical and comparative analysis.The research is conducted by authors on the significance of innovation in all light industry enter-prises in global and national, regional economic development, the financial deficit of enterprises and the volume of financial dependence on external sources, and also analyze the amount of funds allocated for innovation in foreign companies (USA and EU), the necessary recommendations.The ability and volumes of financing the innovation activity of domestic enterprises were assessed, the effectiveness of increasing the innovative activity of enterprises was assessed, the main factors and directions that increase the innovative activity of enterprises were identified. A comparative analysis of performance indicators of enterprises providing innovative services has been made.

Intro: Dysregulated inflammation plays a key role in the development of severe SARS-CoV-2 infection. One of the key cellular signaling pathway involved in the inflammatory response is JAK/STAT signaling. Among the hospitalized Covid patients with hypoxia to reduce the progression to ARDS, immunomodulators have a definite role. Baricitinib is an oral selective Janus kinase 1/2 inhibitor with anti-inflammatory properties. This study evaluates the efficacy and all-cause mortality among moderate to severe Covid patients who received Baricitinib. Methods: A retrospective case-control study was carried out among moderate to severe Covid patients who had received Baricitinib. COVID severity matched group from the same time period was selected as the control. We evaluated the efficacy (based on WHO-ordinal scale) and difference in all-cause mortality among case and control groups. Baseline characteristics and outcome variables were retrospectively captured from the hospital health information system. Findings: During our study period, 2547 active Covid patients have admitted, out of which 105 patients received Baricitinib. Based on the retrospective analysis 75 patients were selected as the case group and 75 covidpositive patients of similar age and sex were identified by a simple random selection technique to serve as a control group. The age group of the baricitinib group 60.82 (± 13) and the Control group 62.34 (±13). Among the participants, 62.66% were severe (58% Baricitinib group & 66% control), 36% were with moderate severity (40% Baricitinib group & 33.33% control). The all-cause mortality of cohort was 43% (n=64), 36% (n=27) of cases as compared to 49.3% (n=37) of control group, (P Value= 0.06). Improvement in WOS score by at least 1-point cases 47% and 37.3 % in controls, (P Value= 0.09). Conclusion: Baricitinib when combined with standard of care, among hospitalized patients with moderate to severe Covid infection, showed a trend towards clinical improvement and decreased all-cause mortality.

Intro: Enterovirus-A71 (EV-A71), a major cause of hand, foot, and mouth diseases (HFMD), has caused several outbreaks in Vietnam after its first identification in 2003. In 2011, a large-scale EV-A71 outbreak occurred in Southern Vietnam. To characterize epidemiological patterns of EV-A71 in Southern Vietnam, we conducted a hospital-based enterovirus surveillance in Children's Hospital No. 1 (CH1) Ho Chi Minh City over a 9-year period from 2012- 2020. Methods: Clinical samples (throat swabs and serum) were collected from CH1 inpatients with suspected enteroviruses infection for virus isolation in CH1. VP1- CODEHOP, a molecular assay, was performed for detection and genotyping of enteroviruses in National Health Research Institutes. Full genomes of selected EV-A71 viruses were also sequenced for phylogenetic analysis using Neighbor- joining method in MEGA 11 software. Findings: From 2012 to 2020, a total of 3184 HFMD inpatients were tested and 1693 of them (53%) were positive for enterovirus using VP1-CODEHOP, including 368 (11.56%) EV-A71 cases. Based on virus isolation conducted in 2012-2019, EV-A71 detection rate was 6.79% (177/2607). During the study period, EV-A71 was the top serotype detected in 2013, and 2016∼2018. Overall, the other prevalent serotypes were CV-A2, CV-A6, CV-A10 and CV-A16. Partial VP1 genes of 368 EV-A71 isolates were sequenced, 86.4% were genotype B5 and 13.6% C4. The predominant genotype was C4 in 2012 and shifted to B5 afterward. Based on full genome sequencing of five EV-A71 strains (3 B5 and 2 C4), the genotype C4 viruses were phylogenetically related to the C4 viruses isolated in China, genotype B5 were phylogenetically related to the B5 virus circulated in Malaysia, Singapore, and Taiwan. Conclusion: EV-A71 outbreaks occurred every 2-3 years in Southern Vietnam and the predominant genotype circulating in Southern Vietnam was genotype B5. Development of EV-A71 vaccine is the priority and other prevalent serotypes should be included for developing multivalent vaccines in the future.

We examine the extent to which residential relocation within and between tenure types is associated with changes in mental health. We focus on four types of housing transition – rent-to-own, own-to-rent, own-to-own, and rent-to-rent – using Australian and UK panel data sets from 2001 to 2017. In both countries, transitions into homeownership and moves away from the mortgaged edges toward the unburdened mainstream of outright ownership are positively associated with mental health. On the other hand, shifts by mortgagors towards more precarious positions on the edges of ownership precipitate dips in mental health when there is exposure to high levels of payment and investment risks. Clearly, residential moves can both alleviate and introduce different kinds of risks that affect affordability. Moreover, tenure transitions have impacts on mental health beyond the impacts of payment and investment risks. However, we observe some cross-national differences in findings. In Australia, loss of homeownership has a negative impact on mental health that outweighs the mental health impacts of attaining ownership. In the UK, these findings are reversed. Acute housing affordability problems following moves in Australia, but not in the UK, are a significant driver of mental health outcomes. These differences have institutional explanations.

Objective. Development and initial testing of a methodology for identifying beliefs about trust in an organization.Background. Today, the issue of increasing the efficiency of the organization and its competitiveness is becoming more and more urgent. One of the key factors influencing internal organizational processes is trust in the organization. In this regard, it is important to develop new tools that will help to identify ideas about trust in the organization and to study the nature of this phenomenon more deeply.Study design. The research was carried out using a socio-psychological survey.Participants. The study involved 200 respondents, of whom 78 are men and 122 women aged 18 to 50 years, with experience in various government and commercial organizations.Measurements. For data processing and analysis, Cronbach’s alpha coefficient, Mann-Whitney test and correlation analysis were used. The SPSS 15.0 software was used to process the data.Results. As a result of testing the methodology for psychometric indicators on the scale of “performance”, “decency” and “concern for others”, points were identified that did not work on their scale. It was decided to remove these items from the methodology. After removing items, the correlation of which with the scale was less than +0.1, the reliability indicator of the Performance scale became 0.682, the Decency scale — 0.638, and the Caring for others scale — 0.783, which indicates a sufficient level of reliability-consistency for personal questionnaires. The substantive validity of the questionnaire is achieved by drawing up question formulations in accordance with the theoretically identified characteristics of the three imperatives of trust in the organization in the concept of Robert Shaw. The validity of the gender questionnaire was confirmed by the presence of differences in the perception of the “caring for others” component of trust between men and women.Conclusions. The scales of the methodology developed by us have a high level of reliability and consistency. Statistical data indicate the advisability of reformulating some of the statements for further improving the tool, eliminating the secondary meanings of the paragraph. There was some evidence of the validity of the methodology by gender, indicating the ability of the instrument to differentiate objectively existing differences.

In this paper, by means of a change of variables, a nonlinear semi-periodic boundary value problem for the Goursat equation is reduced to a linear gravity problem for hyperbolic equations. Reintroducing a new function, the obtained problem is reduced to a family of boundary value problems for ordinary differential equations and functional relations. When solving a family of boundary value problems for ordinary differential equations, the parameterization method is used. The application of this approach made it possible to establish the coefficients of the unique solvability of the semi-periodic problem for the Goursat equation and to propose constructive algorithms for finding an approximate solution.

abstract: The Asinara donkey is a rare small albino variety of feral donkey listed as ''critical'' by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and by the Domestic Animal Diversity Information System (DAD-IS) in 2022. The objectives of the present study were to evaluate the reproductive characteristics of healthy male Asinara donkeys through andrological evaluation and testicular echo-color-Doppler examination to assess correlations between testicular blood supply and sperm production and to compare it with horse reproductive characteristics. Eight healthy donkeys and stallions were subjected to semen collection and evaluation, ultrasound and Doppler evaluation of the testicles and serum testosterone determination. The testosterone concentrations in donkeys were 1.42 ± 0.69 ng/ml while in horses were 1.90 ± 0.63 ng/ml within the normal values reported in these species. Horses had greater mean and total testicular volume, semen gel-free volume, and total sperm number than donkeys (P

There is limited work reported in the literature on the use of waste material as a coal binder, and no study has reported the use of industrial petroleum waste as a binder for fine discard bituminous coal. In this study, the binding properties of five industrial wastes were evaluated to determine their efficacy in the agglomeration of Highveld inertinite-rich coal fines; four waste products from the petrochemical industry and one waste recycled low-density polyethylene (LDPE) were used as binders. Therefore, the addition of waste binders was investigated to use the briquettes as carriers to reduce waste. The compressive strength, CS (MPa), impact resistance index, IRI (−), friability index, FR (%), abrasion resistance, AR (%), and water resistance index, WRI (%) of the briquettes were determined to evaluate the mechanical strength of the briquettes. The binderless briquettes had a maximum CS of 3.4 MPa, higher than the minimum CS of bituminous coal (2.1 MPa). The optimal concentration for each binder, based on mechanical strength (CS, IRI, FR), was determined as 15% Binder A (4.1 MPa; 68; 80%), 20% Binder B (2.3 MPa, 87, 71%), 20% Binder C (8.2 MPa, 1000, 100%), 5% Binder D (2.4 MPa, 21, 46%) and 5% Binder E (5.3 MPa, 97, 52%). Briquettes bound with 20% Binder B and 5–10% Binder E were water-resistant. The briquettes were matched with suitable industrial processes based on the obtained mechanical strength and physiochemical properties. The binderless and the Binder B and D bound briquettes may be suitable for PCC boilers because their strength is high enough to enable transportation and low enough not to inhibit pulverising. Binders B, C and E bound briquettes may be more suited for use in a fixed-bed-‍gasifier. None of the binders was recommended for use in blast furnaces due to the high ash yield, low volatile matter content and lack of swelling properties.

Previous studies have evidenced how the local prediction of physical stimulus features may affect the neural processing of incoming stimuli. Less known are the effects of cognitive priors on predictive processes, and how the brain computes local versus cognitive predictions and their errors. Here, we determined the differential brain mechanisms underlying prediction errors related to high-level, cognitive priors for melody (rhythm, contour) versus low-level, local acoustic priors (tuning, timbre). We measured with magnetoencephalography the mismatch negativity (MMN) prediction error signal in 104 adults having varying levels of musical expertise. We discovered that the brain regions involved in early predictive processes for local priors were primary and secondary auditory cortex and insula, whereas cognitive brain regions such as cingulate and orbitofrontal cortices were recruited for early melodic errors in cognitive priors. The involvement of higher-level brain regions for computing early cognitive errors was enhanced in musicians, especially in cingulate cortex, inferior frontal gyrus, and supplementary motor area. Overall, the findings expand knowledge on whole-brain mechanisms of predictive processing and the related MMN generators, previously mainly confined to the auditory cortex, to a frontal network that strictly depends on the type of priors that are to be computed by the brain.

Within poultry production systems, models have provided vital decision support, opportunity analysis, and performance optimization capabilities to nutritionists and producers for decades. In recent years, due to the advancement of digital and sensor technologies, ‘Big Data’ streams have emerged, optimally positioned to be analyzed by machine-learning (ML) modeling approaches, with strengths in forecasting and prediction. This review explores the evolution of empirical and mechanistic models in poultry production systems, and how these models may interact with new digital tools and technologies. This review will also examine the emergence of ML and Big Data in the poultry production sector, and the emergence of precision feeding and automation of poultry production systems. There are several promising directions for the field, including: (1) application of Big Data analytics (e.g., sensor-based technologies, precision feeding systems) and ML methodologies (e.g., unsupervised and supervised learning algorithms) to feed more precisely to production targets given a ‘known’ individual animal, and (2) combination and hybridization of data-driven and mechanistic modeling approaches to bridge decision support with improved forecasting capabilities.

The egg production model (EPM) described here is a mechanistic and stochastic model that simulates the amino acid and energy requirements of laying hens. It takes into account their potential rate of laying, and egg weight over time, and the composition of the feed provided. The model predicts feed intake based on the assumption that hens will consume enough feed to reach their genetic potential. The environment is assumed to be non-limiting, although feed intake may be constrained by bulk capacity when bulky feeds are offered. The simulation model integrates a least-cost feed formulator, which enables the prediction of a feeding program that maximizes economic returns. A series of simulations were conducted to demonstrate the model behavior, external evaluation, and the economic optimization routine. The model behavior showed that as the energy content in the feed decreased, the simulated feed intake increased to compensate. Consequently, feeds with lower energy concentrations led to an overconsumption of nutrients, resulting in increased egg component weights (yolk and albumen). However, when the balanced protein was reduced while maintaining a constant energy-to-protein ratio, there was no change in egg components, consistent with published literature. The external evaluation indicated that feed intake, egg production, and egg weight were estimated with low error, and there was a similar trend observed between the estimated and observed data. This demonstrates the reliability of the model. Additionally, the paper provides a demonstration of how to use and interpret the results from the egg production model, including the economic optimization routine. The study found that a feed containing 7.8 g/kg of digestible lysine maximized economic returns. This optimization tool can be valuable in making nutritional decisions to optimize economic returns in an egg production system.

The aim of this study was to study the use of a beads-based biofertilizer in crop production. The study focuses on the production of a beads-based biofertilizer containing spores and vegetative cells of Bacillus megaterium (B. megaterium) VACC 118. It also evaluated the quality of the biofertilizer and its effects on the growth and yield of cabbage. The results show that the density of B. megaterium in the beadsbased biofertilizer reached 4.34×1010 CFU/g and did not change after 6 months of storage. The degree of swelling of the beads was 1.57 times after 24 hours of immersion in an alkaline solution. The number of released cells of B. megaterium reached 4.2×108 CFU/ml after 1 week of soaking in the alkaline solution. The application of the beads-based biofertilizer with NPK fertilizer increased the rate of folded plant, the fresh weight of head and the yield of cabbages grown in alluvial soil. When the beads-based biofertilizer was used along with a 20% reduction of the recommended NPK dosage, the yield of cabbage still increased by 12.36% compared to the control. This indicates that the beads-based biofertilizer can partially replace for chemical fertilizers.

Early establishment of integration between the implant and the surrounding bone tissue is crucial for the long-term stability of orthopedic and dental implants. To this end, surface modification of titanium-based implants have been performed to achieve augmented bioactivity and local therapy. We hereby propose the fabrication of dual micro-nano anisotropic titania nanopores (TNPs) on micro-machined titanium via electrochemical anodization towards enhanced osteoblast performance. An in-depth analysis of the surface topographical and chemical characteristics of the nanopores was followed by a culture of primary human osteoblasts to investigate proliferation, attachment, cytoskeleton alignment, and expression of different osteogenic gene markers. Next, the influence of dual micro-nanotopography on the formation of biofilm was evaluated using an oral salivary biofilm model. The study found that the topography and surface chemistry changes influenced protein adsorption and modulated osteoblast proliferation and differentiation. Additionally, RT-qPCR studies showed that the nanoporous structure significantly enhanced the expression of the osteogenesis markers RUNX2, OCN, OPN, and ALP. Finally, it was observed that the anodized nano-engineered Ti did not influence the formation of oral biofilm.