bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prevention of Alzheimer's Disease: Moving Backward through the Lifespan
Authors: Solomon Alina  , Kivipelto Miia  , Soininen Hilkka
Published: February 2025

This is a brief summary of experiences from Finland related to Alzheimer's disease (AD) prevention research. The first signals that AD may have vascular modifiable risk factors came from studies on cardiovascular conditions and diabetes. Cardiovascular prevention projects such as North Karelia Project and WHO-MONICA in the 1970–1980 s were focused on younger populations, which led to the idea of looking for risk factors as far back as middle age. Cardiovascular Risk Factors, Aging and Incidence of Dementia (CAIDE) is one of the few studies in the world focusing on late-life cognition with a large and representative population-based cohort, baseline examination at midlife, and follow-up time up to three decades. Since 1998, it has identified several modifiable risk factors for cognitive impairment/dementia, and produced the first risk score for estimating dementia risk based on midlife profiles. The CAIDE Dementia Risk Score has been used to select participants in the Finnish Geriatric Intervention Study to prevent cognitive impairment and disability (FINGER). FINGER is an ongoing multicenter RCT involving 1,200 participants aged 60–77 years, and testing the effects of a two-year multi-domain intervention targeting several risk factors simultaneously. It started in September 2009 and will be completed at the end of 2013. The FINGER study is at the forefront of international collaborative efforts to solve the clinical and public health problems of early identification of individuals at increased risk of late-life cognitive impairment, and of developing intervention strategies to prevent or delay the onset of cognitive impairment and dementia.
Amyloid-β and Cognition in Aging and Alzheimer's Disease: Molecular and Neurophysiological Mechanisms
Authors: Hampel Harald
Published: February 2025

Amyloid-β (Aβ) deposition in the brain is one of the key pathological features of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Neither traditional clinical-pathological studies nor modern in vivo biomarker investigations of brain amyloid load, however, could reveal a convincing relationship between brain Aβ load and cognitive deficits and decline in patients with AD. Evidence suggests that pathophysiological Aβ dysregulation and accumulation are very early events that precede the onset of cognitive impairment reaching a plateau at the clinical stage of the beginning dementia syndrome. Therefore, research efforts have focused on the role of Aβ in asymptomatic older adults: the results of combined amyloid-PET and neuropsychological studies show a modest but significant correlation between brain fibrillar amyloid load and various subtle cognitive deficits, most notably in challenging episodic associative memory tasks. In order to elucidate the pathophysiological link between cognition and Aβ, a number of combined functional neuroimaging studies have been performed, resulting in early and complex functional alterations in cognitively relevant neural networks such as the default mode network and the largely overlapping episodic memory networks. Multimodal studies using amyloid-tracing imaging methods and neurodegeneration biomarkers strongly suggest that neural network discoordination is specifically related to Aβ-mediated functional and potentially reversible disruption of synaptic plasticity rather than a direct consequence to neurodegenerative pathological processes. These pathophysiological processes and mechanisms may dynamically and non-linearly evolve through fully reversible adaptive compensatory stages and through reactive decompensatory stages into fully irreversible neurodegenerative stages of AD.
Strategy, Policy, Legislation, Prevention and Enforcement:Components of a Comprehensive Approach in the Fight against Cybercrime and Terrorist Use of the Internet
Authors: Gercke Marco
Published: February 2025

The dependence of information societies on the availability of Internet service as well as successful attacks against critical information infrastructures has led to an increasing discussion about strategies to respond to terrorist use of the Internet and cybercrime. Very frequently a comprehensive approach is identified as an adequate response. The following article provides an overview about the necessary components of such approach and puts them into context.
Winning Back Religion: Countering the Misuse of Scripture in Terrorism
Authors: Düzgün Şaban Ali
Published: February 2025

Unlike Eastern religions, Western ones (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) have a normative nature. Reciting the scripture does not just give its member just spiritual sense but also creates norms for daily life. They emphasize action to perform the will of God. Many ‘dos and don'ts’ of the scriptures are clear enough to see this normative character. These holy texts cannot speak; however, their interpreters must do so on their behalf. And they interpret them within an interpretive context that is geohistorically, geoculturally and geopolitically rather different from one another. This is the reason why there are conflicts, not just among those who believe and don't, but among the members of the same holy text, as well. Through out-of-context quotations some so-called devout members can easily distort the very meaning of the text, thus transforming it into a source of uproar and chaos rather than peace and serenity. Considering this historical experience, this paper draws a difference between the scripture and historical phenomena it has created in order to criticize the essentialist approach that identifies the scripture with its members.
Crisis Management and Terrorism
Authors: Sütalan Zeynep
Published: February 2025

Today it seems that we are living in an age of crises rather than war. Changes in the security paradigm with the end of Cold War, as well as globalization, have diminished the likelihood of conventional wars. With the growing unpredictability and complexity of security challenges, ‘crisis’ has become an umbrella concept that is used for any significant event, be it national or international – be it economic, political, military, social or natural, with potentially severe consequences that require prompt action, including terrorist incidents. This highlights the importance of crisis management. Although countering complex threats like terrorism necessitates efforts broader than crisis management, reducing the impact of terrorist attacks and if possible preventing them before happening can be considered to be a part of the comprehensive efforts. In this context, the article is designed to elaborate on the concepts of crisis, terrorism, crisis management and NATO's approach to crisis management.
NATO'S Defense Against Terrorism Policy
Authors: Sütalan Zeynep
Published: February 2025

It was not until the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks to the twin towers in New York and Pentagon in Washington that NATO was concerned about terrorism as a threat to the security of the Alliance. No matter how agile the response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks was, NATO has confronted a lot of gaps to work on defense against terrorism (DAT). Since then, starting with the 2002 Prague Summit, NATO has taken important steps to transform itself to adapt to the new security environment as well as establishing a DAT policy. Although important gains have been made towards setting a vision, implementing such vision has a considerable way to go, let alone achieve success. Within this framework, the article seeks to explain the evolution of NATO's stance towards terrorism in the post-Cold War era, the milestones in the development of NATO's DAT policy, its military concept for DAT and its operations and joint efforts related to DAT.
Dutch approach to Geotechnical design by Eurocode 7, based on probabilistic analyses
Authors: Vrouwenvelder Ton  , van Seters Adriaan  , Hannink Geerhard
Published: February 2025

In the Netherlands, due to the large infrastructure and waterway projects from the 1980's onwards, much experience was developed using probabilistic design. Due to the vast extent of e.g. the Eastern Scheldt Storm Surge Barrier, these structures could not have been designed economically using conventional engineering. The probabilistic approach is reflected in the building and geotechnical standards which were introduced in the early 1990's. These standards were based on a target probability of failure or reliability index β. Probabilistic analyses (Monte Carlo) were undertaken to determine the partial load and material factors. These analyses were also performed for geotechnical structures, leading to a large set of material factors for soil properties. The old method of Ultimate Limit State analysis consisting of overall resistance factors was then replaced by partial factors. Consequently, when Eurocode 7 was established around 2000, Design Approach 3 adopting partial load and material factors was preferred in the Netherlands as its philosophy is similar to the 1991 Dutch building codes.
Limit state design of the foundations of concrete gravity dams - A case study
Authors: Caldeira Laura  , Farinha Maria Luísa B.  , Maranha das Neves Emanuel  , Lemos José V.
Published: February 2025

The use of the limit state design (LSD) is not common practice among dam engineers. However, it has been applied in the design of structures since the middle of the last century, and its application in the geotechnical area has increased over the last two decades, mainly as a result of both the European pre-norm and European codes concerning geotechnical design. While it is accepted that, due to the hazard involved in dam operation, extreme caution must be exercised in the process of dam conception and safety assessment, there are no significant reasons why dam safety and serviceability cannot be analyzed using the LSD approach. This case study presents an example of the application of the LSD of the foundation of a large concrete gravity dam, in static conditions.
Reliability Based Design of Drilled Shafts: LRFD and Performance Based Design
Authors: Roberts Lance A.  , Misra Anil
Published: February 2025

The Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD) methods are being widely adapted for deep foundations design. The benefits of the LRFD method are two-fold: (1) that uncertainties related to the design of a deep foundation are rationally incorporated into the engineering process, and (2) that the foundation design is harmonized with the superstructure design. The key issue in the wide application of the LRFD method for foundation design is the specification of resistance factors that are appropriate for various geotechnical conditions and design criteria. In recent years, a number of agencies have been calibrating resistance factors using regional/local load test data and design methods. These calibrations have to be used carefully since the design methods are not always in consonance with the load test data interpretation methods. In addition and more significantly, little effort has been made to address the dichotomy of design at the strength and service limit states. This paper first describes the current LRFD practice and resistance factor calibration approach. A performance based design (PB-LRFD) methodology that permits concurrent calibration and design of deep foundations at both the strength and service limit states is then presented. In the PB-LRFD approach, project specific resistance factors are obtained based upon the available site assessment and load-test data. Depending upon the scope of the subsurface investigation and field load testing/verification program, the proposed methodology may be considered in three-levels. The applicability of the PB-LRFD methodology is illustrated through foundation designs that satisfy strength and service limit state criteria.
Introduction
Authors: Mintz Joseph  , Aagaard Morten
Published: February 2025

We map out the objectives of the HANDS project, with its key focus on developing a suite of mobile apps (the HANDS toolkit) that could help young people with autism spectrum disorders to develop social and daily life skills. They outline the design of the HANDS system, including its innovative use of persuasive technology design, and its Client/Server architecture. An overview of each of the subsequent chapters is also included.
Efficiency, Applicability, User Experience: Lessons from Testing by a Complex Mixed Mode Methodology
Authors: Gyori Miklos  , Mintz Joseph  , Stefanik Krisztina  , Kanizsai-Nagy Ildikó  , Várnagy-Tóth Zsombor
Published: February 2025

The key aim of this chapter is to introduce the complex, multi-mode research methodology the HANDS system has been tested by in terms of its efficiency and applicability, to point to the considerations that motivated this methodology, to summarize the major conclusions it served with, and to make some conclusive recommendations for similar future developments as well as for their field testing. Thus, the first part of the chapter is a brief outline of the contexts of, and methodological dilemmas related to, the non-trivial task of testing a mobile cognitive support system designed specifically for individuals with autism spectrum disorders. Then an overview of the scheme of the mixed mode methodology applied in the HANDS project is presented. As this scheme is based on cooperation between methodologically autonomous research streams, this section introduces briefly the designs and methods used by the three strands. The third part of the chapter is a brief overview of a few key research findings from two of the above research streams (Cognitive Psychology and Applicability in the Learning Environment) – both of those results that arose specific research streams and of those that came from integrated interpretations. Part four then presents two brief case studies where quantitative and qualitative data are drawn together to illustrate both the complexity of factors influencing usage efficiency and user experience, but also the productivity of multi-mode methods. Our results altogether suggest that – adequate institutional and technological background and pedagogical embedding provided – the HANDS system can be an efficient element in the toolset for supporting young people on the autism spectrum, as its use is able, in selected cases, to enhance their social, self management and daily life skills. Our complex research design has proven to be highly productive in revealing positive effects as well as their contextual preconditions and some key limitations. Based on these results, the closing part of the chapter focuses on future perspectives, in two ways: what are the vistas for further development of similar support systems and in what ways the overall successful methodological approach could be further improved.
Impact of Afghanistan on Energy Security in the Caspian Sea Basin: The Role of Azerbaijan
Authors: Shiriyev Zaur
Published: February 2025

This paper seeks to analyze energy politics and the security situation in the Caspian Sea basin from the perspective of Azerbaijan. The aim is to discuss the primary motives behind Azerbaijan's foreign and energy policy strategies in the changing geopolitical context. This paper focuses on Azerbaijan as one of the pivotal countries in the Eurasia region, as well as its interests in the Caspian Sea basin before and after 2001. The paper will explore the roles of Azerbaijan in the fields of security and energy as well as Azerbaijan's emergence as a key economic player in the region. The paper explores the strategic interests that shape Azerbaijan's policy toward the region by discussing the tensions among its priorities, which mainly due to the two major changes in Azerbaijan's security environment in the Caspian Sea basin in the post-Soviet era. The first major change was the 9/11 events while the second one was the Russia - Georgia War in 2008. The paper argues that Azerbaijan's active participation in the fight against terrorism in Afghanistan could motivate the US to adopt a more active strategy towards the Caucasus, where it has been pursuing a low-profile foreign policy since 2008. In this context, Azerbaijan's relations with the US are likely to develop further, not only because Azerbaijan is a reliable ally in Afghanistan, but also because it is a strategic partner for the security of the Caspian Sea energy supplies.
The Great Powers in Central Asia: Policies of the US and Russia
Authors: Chotaev Zakir
Published: February 2025

This paper seeks to examine the foreign policies of the United States and Russia towards Central Asia. The paper also aims at exploring the competition between the two countries and its consequences for the Central Asian states. The main argument of the paper is that despite the fact that the active involvement of the United States and Russia in the Central Asian security produces positive effects for the Central Asian countries, the worsening of their bilateral relations increases their regional competition and undermines political stability in Central Asia. In the aftermath of 9/11, the United States projected its influence to the Central Asia, and maintained its dominance until 2006. Russia challenged the US influence in the region and reasserted itself significantly between 2006 and 2009. This is followed by a period of balancing policies of both the United States and Russia between 2009 and the present.
Turkey's Evolving Role in the Security of Afghanistan and Central Asia since 9/11: Sources and Limitations of Ankara's Soft Power
Authors: Tanrisever Oktay F.
Published: February 2025

This chapter seeks to examine Turkey's contributions to the security of Afghanistan and Central Asia since the beginning of the fight against international terrorism in the aftermath of 11 September 2001. The paper identifies that Ankara's security policy towards Afghanistan and the Central Asian states has been characterized by the use of soft power rather than hard power since 9/11. Previously, Turkey's security policy towards Afghanistan and Central Asia had been guided by its ambitious and unrealistic desire of becoming a hegemonic power of the region, replacing Moscow. The main argument of the paper is as follows: although Ankara seems to be garnering a significant level of political support for its soft power policies towards Afghanistan and Central Asia from its global and regional partners, Turkey's soft power has significant limitations due to Ankara's lack of a comprehensive strategy towards the region, its shortcomings in coordinating its policies with its NATO allies as well as the gap between its expectations and capabilities. The paper also notes that Turkey's engagement in the security of Afghanistan and Central Asia is a long term commitment that is very likely to continue even after the successful realization of NATO's ISAF mission in Afghanistan in 2014.
Regional Initiatives to Promote Stability and Development in Afghanistan
Authors: Akiner Shirin
Published: February 2025

The traumatic events of recent years have resulted in Afghanistan becoming largely isolated from its neighbours. This process is now being reversed. One channel of interaction is Afghanistan's membership of regional organisations such as the Economic Cooperation Organisation, South-Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, and Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia. These bodies play a valuable role in re-integrating Afghanistan into the wider region, giving it visibility in regional debates and creating opportunities for collaboration in regional projects. A positive role is also being played by Afghanistan's neighbours and near neighbours. Some of these relationships are conducted on a bilateral basis, while others take place within multilateral structures. There is a high level of regional involvement in internationally-led initiatives. These include the fight against drug trafficking and other forms of organised crime, led by UNODC and affiliated institutions. Noteworthy, too, are the large-scale projects that are being implemented under the aegis of the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) programme, in particular CASA-1000 and the TAPI gas pipeline.
NATO Support to the Afghan Stabilization Process: An Evolving Mission for a Long-Term Commitment
Authors: Riggio Daniele
Published: February 2025

Since the tragic events of 9/11, more than a decade of engagement by the International Community - and NATO/ISAF with it - in Afghanistan has been instrumental in creating the conditions that have enabled Afghanistan to embark upon a new path towards enduring stability. To date, progress has been made in the domains of security, governance, human rights, and social and economic development. This is the result of several factors. Amongst these is the decision, undertaken in the second part of 2009, to reboot the Afghan campaign by bridging a gap that for some years had existed between an ambitious end-state (a self-sustainable Afghanistan) and the resources put on the ground to achieve it. Rebooting the campaign has not meant just executing a surge of civilian and military resources. It has also meant embarking on a fully-fledged counter-insurgency model of international assistance. The counter-insurgency approach has started to bear fruit. The insurgents are on the back-foot, the Afghan National Security Forces continue to grow, the process of transition to full Afghan security responsibility is on track to be completed by the agreed deadline of end-2014, and the International Community as a whole has recently confirmed, through the Tokyo Conference, its long-term commitment towards Afghanistan, up to the end of 2014 and beyond that. However, we cannot and we must not be complacent. A stable Afghanistan requires a continued effort to strengthen Afghan ownership, through a comprehensive approach. NATO is determined to play its part within this framework. At the 2010 Summit in Lisbon, the Atlantic Alliance vowed to remain committed through the completion of the transition process and beyond that. The recently held Summit in Chicago, in May 2012, has just reinforced this message.
Central Asian Neighbours and the 3R Process in Afghanistan
Authors: Kasim Kamer
Published: February 2025

Afghanistan has been the theatre of the great power rivalries throughout its modern history due to its strategic location. Afghanistan's chronic instability has also affected the political stability of its neighbours. Therefore, Afghanistan's neighbours have always monitored the external attempts at achieving political stability in Afghanistan due to their regional implications. In this context, the Operation Enduring Freedom, which successfully ousted the Taliban from power in Kabul, was supported by a counter-insurgency strategy of coopting the Taliban's relative moderate elements. This counter-insurgency strategy, which is also known as 3R process, namely; reconciliation, reintegration and reconstruction, has been supported by the NATO countries. Nevertheless, Central Asian neighbours of Afghanistan have been largely confused by the adoption of this counter-insurgency strategy. This paper explores the sources and the implications of the Central Asian responses to the 3R process in Afghanistan.
The Problem of Terrorism in Central Asia and Countering Terrorist Activities in Kyrgyzstan
Authors: Borkoev Bakyt
Published: February 2025

This article discusses the sources and characteristics of terrorism in Central Asia, particularly in Kyrgyzstan as well as the scope and effectiveness of counter-terrorism measures in the region. The article analyzes the threats to regional security, nature of radicalism, reasons of population's involvement in radical politics and the impact of Afghanistan on the problem of terrorism in the region. The article also focuses on the phenomenon of terrorism in Kyrgyzstan by identifying its main causes, such as weak political institutions, the crisis of ideology in the post-Soviet era and Kyrgyzstan's legal system. It also discusses the history of terrorism, and active terrorist movements within the borders of the Kyrgyz Republic. In addition, the article explores the legal and regulatory frameworks of Kyrgyz Republic in which the Kyrgyz authorities take their measures to combat terrorism. In this respect, the article also identifies role of regional security institutions in countering terrorism. These regional security organizations include the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
NATO and the Energy Security of the Caspian and the Black Sea Regions
Authors: Korsunsky Sergiy
Published: February 2025

Ensuring energy security has been among paramount priorities of the major European countries since the 1980s. Different diversification projects have been discussed in this regard which were designed to carry Russian or the Caspian natural gas through onshore or underwater pipelines from the East to the West. The emergence of Russia as a heavyweight monopoly-oriented player in the European energy market has brought a new dimension to the traditional East-West energy dialogue. Nowadays, Russia's energy policy is a serious concern for economic and political stability in many European countries, including EU and NATO members. So far, the EU has been struggling to develop and pursue a truly common energy policy, raising questions about whether NATO should take over this role or not. This paper argues that under these circumstances, it is vital that energy issues be scrutinized through a security lens, and that EU and NATO should coordinate their efforts in this area. Moreover, it also concludes that leaving Ukraine and/or Turkey outside the European energy policy would definitely weaken both EU and NATO.
Specific far infrared spectroscopic properties of phospholipids
Authors: Hielscher Ruth  , Hellwig Petra
Published: February 2025

In this work we describe the specific spectral signature of different phospholipids and sphingolipids in the far infrared. Three specific spectral domains have been found: the head group contributions (600 and 480 cm−1); the modes of the torsion motion of the hydrocarbon chains and of the skeleton vibration (460 to 180 cm−1); and the hydrogen bonding continuum (below 300 cm−1). Marker bands for individual phospholipids are distinguished.
Spectroscopic studies of methimazole reactivity toward the aquapentacyanoferrate(II) ion in aqueous solutions
Authors: Cvijanović D.  , Damjanović V.  , Picek I.  , Foretić B.
Published: February 2025

Methimazole (2-mercapto-1-methylimidazole, MMI) and its pentacyanoferrate(II) complex have been characterized by means of UV/Vis, Raman and NMR spectroscopy. The reaction of MMI with aquapentacyanoferrate(II), [Fe(CN)5(H2O)]3−, in buffered aqueous solutions yielded the [Fe(CN)5(MMI)]3−complex. It was found that only thione tautomer of MMI coordinates to the iron(II). The exceptionally stabile and inert complex was produced.
Can biofluids metabolic profiling help to improve healthcare during pregnancy?
Authors: Graça Gonçalo  , Diaz Sílvia O.  , Pinto Joana  , Barros António S.  , Duarte Iola F.  , Goodfellow Brian J.  , Galhano Eulália  , Pita Cristina  , do Céu Almeida Maria  , Carreira Isabel M.  , Gil Ana M.
Published: February 2025

This paper describes a metabonomics study of 2nd trimester biofluids (amniotic fluid, maternal urine and blood plasma), in an attempt to correlate biofluid metabolic changes with suspected/diagnosed fetal malformations (FM) and chromosomal disorders, as well as with later occurring gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), preterm delivery (PTD) and premature rupture of membranes (PROM). The global biochemical picture given by the threesome of biofluids should enable the definition of potential disease signatures and unveil potential metabolite markers for clinical use in predictive prenatal diagnostics.
DCDR spectroscopy as efficient tool for liposome studies: Aspect of preparation procedure parameters
Authors: Kočišová E.  , Vodáková A.  , Procházka M.
Published: February 2025

Drop-coating deposition Raman (DCDR) spectroscopy was employed to study liposome suspensions. The method is based on a specific drying process on the hydrophobic surface that efficiently accumulates the macromolecular sample in a ring of the edge of the dried drop. We studied liposome suspensions purchased from two sources (Avanti Polar Lipids, Inc. and Sigma-Aldrich, Co.) and prepared under different conditions. Structure of the dried drop substantially depends on the lipid concentration, lipid composition of the sample and used solvent. Optimal lipid concentration is about 0.3 mg/ml in all cases, asolectin and DSPC suspensions form compact dried drops when dissolved in water and phosphate buffer, respectively. Drying process of the sample drop does not influence the initial phase state (gel or liquid-crystalline) of the studied liposomes excepting DSPC from Sigma-Aldrich, Co.
Spectroscopic study of the interaction of DNA with the linker histone H1 from starfish sperm reveals mechanisms of the formation of super condensed sperm chromatin
Authors: Chikhirzhina E.  , Starkova T.  , Kostyleva E.  , Polyanichko A.
Published: February 2025

The interaction of the linker histone H1Z from the sperm chromatin of starfish Asterias amurensis with DNA was studied by spectroscopic and thermodynamic approaches. It has been shown that at the physiological conditions the interaction of the H1Z with DNA results in more compact structures compared to complexes of DNA with somatic histone H1. The typical profile of the DNA melting curves reveals two peaks attributed to the bound and unbound DNA. It has been shown that H1Z from starfish sperm stabilizes DNA to a greater extent compared to the somatic H1. It is possible that the presence of the additional α-helical segments within the C-terminal part of the H1Z typical for the linker histones from echinoderm sperm facilitates the protein–protein interactions which in turn stimulate co-operative binding of the histones to DNA, resulting in the formation of the super compact sperm chromatin.
Study of cellular uptake of modified oligonucleotides by using time-resolved microspectrofluorimetry and florescence imaging
Authors: Praus P.  , Kočišová E.  , Mojzeš P.  , Štěpánek J.  , Sureau F.
Published: February 2025

Fluorescence micro-imaging and homodyne phase-resolved confocal microspectrofluorimetry were used to monitor the transport of antisense oligonucleotide into cancer MCF7 cells and the subsequent intracellular distribution. Phosphorothioate analog of 15-mer oligoadenylate (dA15) labeled by ATTO 425 was complexed with 5,10,15,20-tetrakis (1-methyl-4-pyridyl) porphyrin (H2TMPyP4) as an uptake-mediating agent. Fluorescence lifetime data within a broad spectral range have revealed properties of both components inside the cell. H2TMPyP4 lifetime inside the cell is not influenced in this malignant cell line, while the lifetime of modified oligonucleotide was found to be slightly shortened.
Amyloid-like structures formed by azobenzene-peptides: Light-triggered disassembly
Authors: Deeg Andreas A.  , Schrader Tobias E.  , Strzalka Halina  , Pfizer Jose  , Moroder Luis  , Zinth Wolfgang
Published: February 2025

The light driven disassembly process of amyloid-like structures formed by azobenzene model peptides is studied by time resolved mid-IR spectroscopy from nanoseconds to minutes. The investigated peptide consists of two amino acid strands connected by the azobenzene switch. The peptides aggregate to amyloid-like structures when the azobenzene chromophore is in the trans conformation. Illumination, resulting in a trans to cis isomerization of the azobenzene, leads to disaggregation of the aggregated structures. After optical excitation and isomerization of the azobenzene one finds absorption changes which recover to a large extent on the time scale of few nanoseconds. These early absorption transients are assigned to the relaxation of vibrational excess energy (heat) or to structural rearrangements of isomerized azobenzene and the aggregated surroundings. It is only on the timescale of minutes that spectral signatures appear which are characteristic for the disassembly of the aggregated structure.
EPR and FTIR spectroscopies study of human blood after irradiation
Authors: Polakovs M.  , Mironova-Ulmane N.  , Pavlenko A.  , Reinholds E.  , Gavare M.  , Grube M.
Published: February 2025

In the present work we report results of investigations of human blood before and after radioisotope Tc99mdiagnosis by Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopies. It is shown, that EPR can detect the concentration of methaemoglobin and transferrin ions of more accurately than any other technique. FTIR spectra indicated radiation caused conformational and concentration changes of proteins. Hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) was created as time-saving tool for discrimination of initial and irradiated in vivo human blood samples.
THz and IR spectroscopy of molecular systems that simulate function-related structural changes of proteins
Authors: Brandt N.N.  , Chikishev A.Yu.  , Mankova A.A.  , Nazarov M.M.  , Sakodynskaya I.K.  , Shkurinov A.P.
Published: February 2025

The activity of enzymes in organic solvents substantially increases in the presence of crown ethers. Tris(hydroxy- methyl)aminomethane (tris) is chosen as a model compound to simulate the interaction of surface amino groups of protein with crown ether. The methods of FTIR and time-domain THz spectroscopy are used to study the interaction of tris with 18-crown-6. The THz spectra of the complexes are measured for the first time.
Politics of Insecurity: Cross-border Conflict Dynamics and Security Challenges in Georgia
Authors: Kakachia Kornely K.
Published: February 2025

National borders exemplify a number of paradoxes: the boundary both separates and unites neighboring states. The border delimits and defines the state and its territory, and disputes in borderlands can eventually affect international relations and regional stability. In regions like the South Caucasus, where states are weak, there is a possibility for the conflicts of one country to flow over into neighboring countries, and for states to become entangled with conflicts there. This article explores how the form of such cross-border conflict dynamics relates to the character of the two states in question. This is done through the comparative analysis of Georgia's cross-border contacts with Russia, including the present situation in the separatist entities of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The case of the Russia-Georgia divide is important for challenging traditional explanations of foreign policy and for learning possible ways to de-escalate dangerous cross-border conflicts.
The EU's Role in Promoting Cross-Border Co-operation: Perspectives from the Finnish-Russian Border Region
Authors: Scott James Wesley
Published: February 2025

With its European Neighbourhood Policy Instrument (ENPI CBC), the EU emphasises a strong policy commitment to promote cross-border co-operation as a vehicle for regional development and the advancement of cohesion goals. This policy operates from the assumption, furthermore, that the strategic development of urban networks across borders will be a central element in positively exploiting increasing interaction between the EU and its neighbours. However, to what extent do existing policy instruments actually facilitate such networking? Upon closer scrutiny, it becomes clear that territoriality principles regarding the use of EU funds could create a distinct policy gap between “internal” development and “external” networking. While cross-border co-operation (CBC) and the Europe-wide support of cross-border, interregional and transnational cooperation are now firmly embedded within the EU's Cohesion Policy, CBC links to projects involving neighbouring states are as yet relatively weak. This case study of Finnish-Russian co-operation indicates that simultaneous processes of inclusion and exclusion operate in terms of the interaction of governance mechanisms of Cohesion Policy and ENPI CBC. We argue that a too strict separation of EU internal and external policy activities would be counterproductive to pro-active strategies aimed at avoiding wider divisions between the EU and its neighbouring regions. For this reason, the issue of policy innovation, of combining internal consolidation of the EU with external engagement and co-operation, should be explored and will be taken up by this paper.
EU Common Foreign Policies and CBC in a Wider Europe
Authors: Liikanen Ilkka
Published: February 2025

This article examines conceptual change in the definition of EU policies of CBC in the context of the shaping of common foreign policies of the Union. The analysis focuses on changes in the definitions of CBC from the first INTERREG programs to present-day European Neighborhood Policies. The aim is to understand the conceptual shifts against the background of changing political agendas ranging from economic and social cohesion to pre-integration, deepening integration and the constitution of the political Union. The paper aims to contributing to the discussion on the formation of EU policies of common foreign affairs by asking what kind of discursive legacies and maybe even institutional path dependencies earlier programs of CBC have left to present-day policies of external relations. The ultimate question is: what kind of effects have CBC policy frames and instruments had on the role of the EU as a foreign political actor, and on the normative or soft power approach the EU is said to represent?
Early Identification of Risk for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder after Military Deployment
Authors: Roy Michael J.
Published: February 2025

PTSD is common after combat, but onset is frequently delayed until months after return. This “honeymoon effect” affords opportunities to prevent PTSD if high-risk individuals can be identified. We report our iterative effort to educate military family members to recognize symptoms and facilitate intervention, along with preliminary results from direct longitudinal assessment of returning service members for development of PTSD. We conducted focus groups with military families and incorporated their feedback into an educational website which we piloted before evaluating PTSD-related knowledge with a 25-item questionnaire in 497 military family members before and after their use of the website. We also documented interventions reported by 217 of the family members, who, subsequently, returned to the site. In a separate ongoing study, we are assessing 100 service members within 2 months of return from combat with novel brain imaging, psychophysiology, genetic and neuroendocrine measures, followed by serial evaluations to identify the baseline measures that best predict subsequent PTSD. Our educational website improved PTSD-related knowledge from a mean 13.9 correct responses beforehand to 18.7 after (p < .001; effect size 1.2). Nearly 60% of family members returning to the site had intervened with a service member; 74% of them reported discussion with the service member about their symptoms was helpful, as did 91% who persuaded them to see a healthcare provider. Preliminary analysis of the direct assessment of service members indicates that psychophysiologic measures are significantly different between those with subthreshold symptoms of PTSD versus those with very few PTSD symptoms. A web-based intervention can improve PTSD-related knowledge and foster behavioral changes in military family members. Risk stratification of service members via assessment upon their return from deployment also has the potential to facilitate targeted interventions. While others have developed PTSD-related educational websites, we believe we are the first to document their efficacy, both with regard to knowledge and behavioral enhancement. Our direct assessment of service members is unique in its comprehensiveness, and holds great promise for risk stratification.
Implementing an Integrated Coast Guard Network in West and Central Africa to Combat the Rise of Armed Robbery in Territorial Waters
Authors: Sumser-Lupson Karen
Published: February 2025

Africa has raised international awareness for the general deterioration of maritime security and emphasised the trans-boundary nature of maritime threat, especially with regards to the legal challenges of asserting and exercising jurisdiction. The first section of this paper will show that, in the case of West and Central Africa there is a correlation between the unprecedented and rapid rise of maritime threat and the growth in resource exploitation, military expenditure and the geographical and historical context. The discussion will overview the typology and underline the severity of maritime attack in the area by way of the resultant new risk index allocation by the Lloyds Joint War Committee's Listed Areas. The second part of the paper will examine the 2003, IMO and MOWCA Integrated Coastguard Network concept and will detail the need for such an approach, the current situation and the solutions necessary to speed its progress. The article will also consider the importance of stronger and more robust structures for bringing into play multi-national and inter-agency partnerships that can be drawn on to support African Nations in suppressing asymmetric threats, and will conclude with a discussion relating to the identification and assessment of technological capability gaps and long-term requirements in West and Central Africa for increased situational awareness in territorial waters.
Using Data-Driven Simulation for Analysis of Maritime Piracy
Authors: Vaněk Ondřej  , Jakob Michal  , Pěchouˇek Michal
Published: February 2025

Agent-based modelling has gained popularity as a useful technique for obtaining insights into the behaviour of complex adaptive systems in various fields including economics, sociology and ecology. With its complex interactions between routes, schedules and engagement strategies, transit through piracy-affected waters is a problem very well suited for the application of this powerful modelling approach. Within the AgentC project, we have been developing a data-driven, agent-based model of global maritime traffic explicitly accounting for the effects of maritime piracy. The model employs finite state machines to represent the behaviour of merchant, pirate and naval vessels. It accurately replicates global shipping patterns and approximates real-world distribution of pirate attacks. By conducting and analysing results from thousands of simulation runs, the developed model and related tools allow gaining qualitative and quantitative insights into complex relationships governing piracy risks and costs. Further on, we utilize the simulation to conduct what-if analysis of possible piracy counter-measures and evaluate their effectiveness. Because of their strong application potential, the model and the tools are currently considered by the U.N. International Maritime Organization for potential use in assessing future operational counter-piracy measures, including new transit corridors and extended group transit schemes.
New Trends for Enhancing Maritime Situational Awareness
Authors: Visentini Ingrid  , Snidaro Lauro
Published: February 2025

Maritime security depends on the ability and capability to build “a comprehensive awareness of maritime activity, which encompasses territorial and international waters, and to act accordingly” [1]. This level of awareness can be reached in several steps, evolving from single-sensor into multi-sensor multi-cue systems, exploiting heterogeneous information extracted by different (hard and soft) sources, and integrating contextual information with the purpose of generating a faithful and timely comprehensive maritime picture. Heterogeneity and context play a crucial role at different levels of fusion, allowing the combination of complementary and multifaceted information, which should be shared among national or international actors. In this paper, we discuss why these global trends must be adopted and expanded to build analytical models which can effectively face asymmetric threats.
Location-Allocation Planning of Heterogeneous Networks for Maritime Surveillance Applications
Authors: Abdelkhalek Ons  , Krichen Saoussen  , Guitouni Adel
Published: February 2025

In this paper, we address a network management problem, and propose scenarios to generate compromise solutions. The problem of location-allocation planning of heterogeneous networks can be defined by a set of agents, a set of communication devices, and a set of existing networks infrastructure. The goal is to find the optimal number, position, communication types and connections of agents in a special area of coverage. The problem is modelled as a multi-objective and multi-constraint problem with three conflicting objective functions: maximizing communication coverage, minimizing node placement with communication device cost, and maximizing the total capacity (bandwidth) of the network. To solve the problem, we apply a Multi-objective Genetic Algorithm (MOGA). The model is empirically validated in the simulation environment “Inform Lab,” and is implemented in a maritime surveillance application with real data instances.
Towards Efficient Information Exchange in Heterogeneous Networks
Authors: Masri Hela  , Guitouni Adel  , Krichen Saoussen
Published: February 2025

The information sharing problem is one of the most important issues that can have a significant impact on overall network performance. Different routing protocols are designed in the literature. These protocols might differ depending on the application and network architecture. Generally, an ideal routing algorithm should find an optimum path for packet transmission to satisfy the Quality of Service (QoS) (i.e., delay, reliability, cost, congestion, etc.). However, routing is not generally coupled with the application semantics of the network. In this paper, we propose to study the routing problem from a new perspective, by assuming that a domain-specific network might have a purpose behind information sharing. Therefore, we propose to consider a decision network where a subset of nodes corresponds to different decision makers (DM). Each DM assigns a value to the received information. Solving the routing problem consists in defining optimal routing plans that optimize the overall information value in the network as well as other QoS, while respecting the available resources of the network. This paper highlights the main motivations of considering such a problem, and overviews the related literature, followed by some potential solution approaches.
Designing Information Fusion Processes to Exploit Human, Contextual, and Sensor Surveillance Data for Decision Support
Authors: Llinas James
Published: February 2025

Surveillance in Counter-Terrorism and Counter-Insurgency type environments requires exploitation of all possible types of available information. U.S. experience in Iraq and Afghanistan has shown the advantages of incorporating surveillance from both trained and inexperienced human observers, and the importance of accounting for certain types of Contextual Information to include cultural factors and non-physical data such as data regarding a political situation (such data now labelled as “soft” or unstructured), along with integration of the data from traditional electronic sensors (labelled as “hard”). Because much of these soft data cannot be well-qualified or calibrated, the evidential basis for decision-making is one of only partially-known uncertainty, creating a requirement to consider new decision-making paradigms for decision-making under extreme uncertainty and unknown/partially-known uncertainty, and for learning strategies based on optimized query-response techniques. This paper will address the design issues and approaches for prototyping new Information Fusion processes that are able to combine all of the data types mentioned above, linked to a decision-support framework employing these new decision-making paradigms.