bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Examining the Role of Visual Attention in Determining Presence: A Novel Application of Feature Integration Theory to Immersive Virtual Reality
Authors: Dilanchian Andrew T. , Boot Walter R.
Published: October 2023

Immersive virtual reality (IVR) has the potential to be an effective and easily disseminable method for deploying a variety of interventions to promote health, wellbeing, and physical and everyday functioning. The psychological construct of presence, often described as the “sense of being there,” is considered a core aspect of the technology, and consequently a major facilitator of successful IVR experiences and interventions. While prior research has explored how individual difference factors and technology characteristics impact presence, relatively less is known about the effect of the cognitive demands of the virtual experience itself. Based on previous empirical studies and theories, attention may play an important role in establishing IVR presence. To directly test this idea, we manipulated attention to the virtual environment, with manipulations inspired by classic conceptualizations of visual attention and search derived from feature integration theory. Participants engaged in IVR foraging tasks in which they navigated the environment to “catch” different animals. These tasks varied in the degree to which attention was necessary to detect and locate the target animal. Despite initial pilot data and concurrent behavioral evidence that the two scenarios varied substantially and significantly in attentional demands, no effect of presence was observed. Results suggest that different levels of visual attention to elements of the virtual environment may not be an important determinant of IVR presence.
Influence of natural aging on wood combustion heat release
Authors: Zhao Jingyu , Jiang Xinrong , Song Jiajia , Lu Shiping , Xiao Yueyan , Shu Chi-Min
Published: October 2023

Wood was a primary building tool for ancient buildings and structures, but for those that survive to this day, naturally aged wood may pose a significant fire hazard. There are potential risks to health, safety and significant cultural loss if fire risks in such buildings are not mitigated. This study obtains several samples of aged wood commonly used in ancient structures (Elm, Pine, Aspen), and compares the kinetic and thermal characteristics to fresh wood examples to determine potential methods of enhancing safety. Differential scanning calorimetry was used to probe the heat release characteristics of the fresh and aged samples, and the characteristics of the thermal reaction stages were characterized using the temperature range and heat release laws for each reaction stage. The heat release characteristics during combustion were investigated for different heating rates, and the influence of aging on temperature change and heat release rate characteristics during different exothermic stages were assessed. Finally, using heat flow data, the apparent activation energy (AAE) of the samples (and their distributions) during different exothermic stages were calculated and analyzed via the Friedman differential iso-conversion method. Results showed that the exothermic energy of the aged samples was higher than those of the fresh samples, indicating that aging does impact the thermal reaction process. The aged samples in this study had a greater heat diffusion capacity, transmitted more heat, were more susceptible to burning (by spreading that heat), and generally posed a greater fire hazard. During the rapid exothermic phase, the AAE of aged wood increased as the reaction progressed, and exhibited lower AAE with a greater sensitivity to fire than fresh samples. This study provides a rudimentary theoretical basis for the prevention of fires in timber-framed ancient buildings.
Direct evidence of CO2 drawdown through enhanced weathering in soils
Authors: Linke Tobias , Oelkers Eric H. , Möckel Susanne C. , Gislason Sigurdur R.
Published: October 2023

The ability of engineered enhanced rock weathering to impact atmospheric CO2 has been challenging to demonstrate due to the many processes occurring in soils and the short time span of current projects. Here we report the carbon balance in an Icelandic Histic/Gleyic Andosol that has received large quantities of basaltic dust over 3,300 years, providing opportunity to quantify the rates and long-term consequences of enhanced rock weathering. The added basaltic dust has dissolved continuously since its deposition. The alkalinity of the soil waters is more than 10-times higher than in equivalent basalt-dust-free soils. After accounting for oxidation and degassing when the soil waters are exposed to the atmosphere, the annual CO2 drawdown due to alkalinity generation is 0.17 tC ha-1 yr-1. This study validates the ability of fine grained mafic mineral addition to soils to attenuate increasing atmospheric CO2 by alkalinity export. Induced changes in soil organic carbon storage, however, likely dominate the net CO2 drawdown of enhanced weathering efforts.
Occupational Therapy Practice for Post-Acute COVID-19 Inpatients Requiring Rehabilitation
Authors: Scott Hayley , Neale Sharon , Harrington Elizabeth , Hodgson Hayley , Hitch Danielle
Published: October 2023

Introduction: COVID-19 caused significant occupational disruption to people’s life roles, with some people requiring an inpatient rehabilitation admission. Occupational therapists assessed and treated these patients using previous knowledge of similar conditions due to limited available guidelines to inform practice. The aim of this study was to investigate current practice with Post-Acute COVID-19 (PAC) patients within an inpatient rehabilitation setting in Australia, to better understand the role and impact of occupational therapy.
Methods: A mixed methods study was conducted including electronic medical record audits (October 2021– October 2022), and descriptive patient interviews at a large metropolitan sub-acute service. Descriptive statistics and thematic analysis were used to summarise and interpret data.
Results: A total of 24 patient electronic medical records were audited and 14 patient interviews were completed. Three overarching themes were identified within the 685 occasions of occupational therapy service audited - occupational engagement, education provision and discharge planning. Patients identified the value of occupational therapy by reflecting on their lived experiences of engaging with occupational therapists and associated changes in occupational performance between COVID-19 diagnoses and discharge home.
Conclusion: Occupational therapy possess a unique skillset which directly addresses the occupational needs and priorities of PAC patients. This study adds to the growing body of evidence supporting the contribution of occupational therapy to the management of COVID-19, however further research is needed to develop evidence-based practice resources and advocate for system changes that improve quality of life for COVID-19 patients.
Dynamic learning of individual-level suicidal ideation trajectories to enhance mental health care
Authors: Varidel Mathew , Hickie Ian , Prodan Ante , Skinner Adam , Marchant Roman , Cripps Sally , Oliveira Rafael , Chong Min , Scott Elizabeth , Scott Jan , Iorfino Frank
Published: October 2023

There has recently been an increase in ongoing patient-report routine outcome monitoring for individuals within clinical care, which has corresponded to increased longitudinal information about an individual. However, many models that are aimed at clinical practice often have difficulty fully incorporating this information. This is in part due to the difficulty in dealing with the irregularly time-spaced observations that are common in clinical data. Consequently, we built individual-level continuous-time trajectory models of suicidal ideation for a clinical population (N=585) with data provided by a digital platform. We demonstrate how such models predict an individual’s level and variability of future suicide ideation, with implications as to how often that individual may need to be observed. These individual-level predictions provide a more personalised understanding than other predictive methods and have implications for enhanced measurement-based care.
Genetic Variability, Heritability and Genetic Advance for Yield and Yield Related Traits of Bread Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Genotypes
Authors: Zewdu Demeke , Mekonnen Fikru , Geleta Negash , Abebe Kibret
Published: October 2023

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a self-pollinating annual plant extensively grown as staple food source in the world. Information on the extent of genetic variability, heritability and genetic advance among different traits of bread wheat genotypes is essential to designing breeding strategies. The research was conducted at Kulumsa in 2021/22 with the objective to assess the extent of genetic variability, heritability and genetic advance among different traits of bread wheat genotypes. A total of 64 bread wheat genotypes were evaluated for 16 traits in 8*8 simple lattice design. ANOVA revealed a highly significant (P<0.01) difference among the tested bread wheat genotypes for all studied traits. High PCV and GCV were observed from grain yield, yield per head, head weight, biomass yieldand moderate thousand kernel weight, peduncle length, number of effective tillers per plant and number of kernel per spike. High broad sense heritability coupled with high genetic advance as percent of mean were obtained from grain yield, biomass yield, yield per head, peduncle length and thousand kernel weight whereas, head weight, harvest index and number of kernel per spike had moderately high heritability and high genetic advance as percent of mean. Therefore, the attention should be given for those traits for wheat breeding program, because the phenotypic expression of these characters governed by additive gene action. Hence, direct selection for these traits will be improved grain yield.
Micro-circulating hyperdynamic blood flow as a key pathogenic factor in early sepsis
Authors: Feng Xinghuai , Liu Wei , Sun Yunbo , Zeng Y. , Yu Bu-Wei
Published: October 2023

Objective: The pathogenesis of sepsis is still unknown. Sepsis 3.0 points out that "how to define sepsis and septic shock itself is still a challenge". This study confirmed the inevitability and universality of Hyperdynamic microcirculation in sepsis, and put forward the detoxification mechanism of Hyperdynamic blood flow and the "Feng- Bernoulli warm shock" mechanism, that is, the pathogenic mechanism of sepsis.
Methods: Sepsis models of pigs, rabbits and sheep were established by intravenous injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and cecal ligation and perforation (CLP), and the changes of sublingual microcirculation velocity in the same branch before and after modeling were detected. SD rat model of mild sepsis was established to verify that the acceleration of blood flow is the manifestation of immune detoxification mechanism.
Results: The blood flow in the same branch was accelerated after the animal sepsis model was established, which was more than doubled on average. The microcirculation blood flow accelerated before the change of cardiac output CO. Rats entered a toxic state after the rapid blood flow occurred, but they could heal themselves.
Conclusion: The acceleration of microcirculation blood flow in sepsis is inevitable and universal, which is the cause of high output and low resistance of sepsis, and has the functions of accelerating detoxification and immunity. However, due to Bernoulli effect, it will cause oxygen exchange disorder, which is named "Feng- Bernoulli warm shock", which is the primary pathogenic mechanism of early sepsis.
Seeing the Sky Within a Calyx: 'Knowledge Is Power' Magazine as a Communicative Platform for the Popularization of Soviet Science
Authors: Корзун В.П. , Носова М.С.
Published: October 2023

Речь идет о журнале «Знание-сила» как коммуникативной площадке по популяризации советской науки в период с 1945 по середину 1980-х гг. Популяризаторская политика журнала рассмотрена в контексте поиска новых моделей развития науки и динамики общественно-политического климата в стране. Фронтальный просмотр журнала, в результате которого выявлено более тысячи публикаций, позволяет сделать вывод о том, что презентация технических сфер знания и успехов в области точных и естественных наук считается редколлегией журнала приоритетным для выстраивания популяризаторской политики, что вполне коррелирует с господствовавшей индустриализационной парадигмой, но это не было зеркальным отражением общих процессов, связанных исключительно с научно-техническим прогрессом.

We are talking about the magazine "Knowledge-Power" as a communicative platform for the popularization of Soviet science in the period from 1945 to the mid-1980s. The popularization policy of the journal is considered in the context of the search for new models for the development of science and the dynamics of the socio-political climate in the country. A frontal review of the journal, which revealed more than a thousand publications, allows us to conclude that the presentation of technical fields of knowledge and successes in the field of exact and natural sciences is considered by the editorial board of the journal to be a priority for building popularization policy, which is quite correlated with the prevailing industrialization paradigm, but it was not a mirror reflection of the general processes related to scientific-technical progress.
Methodology for assessing the maturity level of network security centers
Authors:   Institute of Intelligent Cybernetic Systems, National Research Nuclear University Moscow Engineering Physics Institute (MEPhI), Veligodskiy Sergey S. , Miloslavskaya Natalia G. ,   Institute of Intelligent Cybernetic Systems, National Research Nuclear University MEPhI
Published: October 2023

The developed methodology for assessing the maturity level of Network Security Centers (NSCs) for information and telecommunication networks is presented. It is based on the application of the unified NSC maturity model and includes the following steps: assessment initiation and preparatory activities; determining the possibility of an assessment and drawing up a work plan; assessment itself and formulating assessment findings;preparation of the assessment report and assessment completion. This methodology is intended for specialists of a NSC owner organization, who conduct a self-assessment of its NSC maturity level, as well as specialists of specialized organizations recognized as competent to conduct a professional independent assessment of the maturity level of the NSC of a particular organization.
Entropy-driven phase behavior of associative polymer networks
Authors: Rovigatti Lorenzo , Sciortino Francesco
Published: October 2023

Polymer chains decorated with a fraction of monomers capable of forming reversible bonds form transient polymer networks that are important in soft and biological systems. If chains are flexible and the attractive monomers are all of the same species, the network formation occurs continuously as density increases. By contrast, it has been recently shown [Phys. Rev. Lett. 129, 047801 (2022)] that, if the attractive monomers are of two different and alternating types, the entropic gain of swapping intra-molecular bonds for inter-molecular connections induces a first order phase transition in the fully-bonded (i.e. low-temperature or, equivalently, large monomer-monomer attraction strength) limit and the network forms abruptly on increasing density. Here we use simulations to show that this phenomenon is robust with respect to thermal fluctuations, disorder and change in the polymer architecture, demonstrating its generality and likely relevance for the wide class of materials that can be modelled as associative (transient) polymer networks.
Concentration of quantum equilibration and an estimate of the recurrence time
Authors: Riddell Jonathon , Pagliaroli Nathan J. , Alhambra Álvaro M.
Published: October 2023

We show that the dynamics of generic quantum systems concentrate around their equilibrium value when measuring at arbitrary times. This means that the probability of finding such values away from that equilibrium is exponentially suppressed, with a decay rate given by the effective dimension. Our result allows us to place a lower bound on the recurrence time of quantum systems, since recurrences corresponds to the rare events of finding a state away from equilibrium. In many-body systems, this bound is doubly exponential in system size. We also show corresponding results for free fermions, which display a weaker concentration and earlier recurrences.
What drives the level of social reporting disclosure at Islamic commercial banks?
Authors: Riza Salman Kautsar
Published: October 2023

This study analyzes the factors driving the level of Islamic social reporting. Based on the literature review, it was revealed that the lack of consensus from the drivers of Islamic reporting disclosure in Islamic banks, especially in Indonesia, is different from disclosure in conventional banks where there is a lot of consensus. Empirical analysis uses panel data collection from 12 Islamic commercial banks in Indonesia from 2010 to 2022. To estimate the relationship between variables, EViews 12 is used. The control variables used in this study are profitability and size of Islamic banks. The results of the study show that sharia governance has not been empirically proven to be able to encourage the extent of Islamic social reporting in Islamic banks. The results of the study did not find empirical evidence that the performance of maqashid sharia related to educating individuals and establishing justice is not a driver that has an impact on the reach of Islamic social reporting. However, the performance of maqashid sharia in the form of promoting welfare through the amount of zakat funds channeled by Islamic banks has been proven empirically to influence the extent of Islamic social reporting. ROE and ROA have no significant effect on Islamic social reporting, while the size of Islamic banks has a positive and significant effect on the extent of Islamic social reporting of Islamic banks in Indonesia.
A meta-analysis of women professional evolution in sports leadership
Authors: Lotfy Chaymaa , Bennis Bennani Yasmina , Cornet Annie
Published: October 2023

The underrepresentation of women in sports leadership positions raises significant concerns regarding equality and diversity. This study aims to explore the relationship between sports leadership and gender. The objective is to understand and highlight the individual, organizational, and societal factors hindering women’s progress in sports leadership roles. This paper identified 32 publications out of 157 selected references through the systematic literature review (SLR) method. The results of this meta-analysis reveal that despite their active involvement in sports, women remain inadequately represented in leadership roles. In fact, women face several challenges, including sexism, underestimation of their skills, and associating them with family constraints. Consequently, it becomes imperative to take concrete measures to promote gender equality and an equal professional development environment for both genders. Several areas for future studies could deepen the understanding of sports leadership and gender, including cross-linguistic comparisons, intersectional perspectives, longitudinal analyses, a study of male dynamics, technological impact, the evaluation of organizational policies and practices, as well as cultural comparisons.
Predictors of audience engagement among Nigerian journalists
Authors:   Department of Mass Communication, Faculty of Arts, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State, Nigeria, Eze Ogemdi Uchenna , Ugwu Kenechukwu Josemaria ,   Department of Mass Communication, Faculty of Arts, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State, Nigeria, Ugwu Alphonsus Chukwuma ,   Department of Mass Communication, Faculty of Arts, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State, Nigeria
Published: October 2023

This paper examined the factors that predicted audience engagement in Nigeria. We surveyed 308 Nigerian journalists. Using the questionnaire as our research instrument, data gathered were analysed using frequency and percentage as well as linear and multiple regression analyses. The study was grounded in Bourdieu’s field theory. The results indicated a moderate relationship between the attitude of Nigerian journalists and audience engagement while a high correlation between Nigerian journalists’ role conception and audience engagement on social media was observed. The three hypotheses (the degree to which journalists’ attitude; role conception; and perceived audience rationality, and perceived audience interaction quality predicted audience engagement was significant) raised in the study were supported by our findings. Implications of this study were discussed in light of the objective of audience engagement.
Investigating ‘Moral Legitimacy’ and ‘Belonging’ within Subaltern Counterpublics vis-à-vis the Raj: A Study of Select Short Stories by Janice Pariat
Authors:   Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Dharwad, India, Sam Lemon , Tewari Ridhima ,   Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Dharwad, India
Published: October 2023

When there is a stringent demand for a viable reconstruction of the traditional socio-political structure, especially amid the paucity of “reliable” historical records from the pre-colonial era, the native population’s recurrent anxieties of losing indigenous cultural heritage, and instances of its xenophobic politics, become visible in an unprecedented form. In this context, the discursive void between the dominant state-power and “excluded” subjects usually engenders counter-cultural values of endowed “subaltern counterpublics”. Though these alternative public spheres are formed to uphold neglected discourses, often, a few ‘dissident’ voices reside within them to challenge the unanimity of such groups, towards more progressive ends. These apparent “nonconforming” discourses within the subaltern groups strive to foreground humanitarian principles by giving voice to alternative ideologies, and sometimes, for these propositions, are accused of lacking moral legitimacy towards the subaltern counterpublics themselves. Accentuating this vital site within the marginal yet homogenized discourse, the present paper attempts to foreground the question of moral legitimacy and its critical linkages with participatory parity of the subaltern counterpublics in the context of the British colonial era in Meghalaya. It further seeks to unpack how subaltern politics itself is manipulated by anti-egalitarian ethos within the subaltern counterpublics, in response to the colonial rule. In order to understand the inclusive approach of the “nonconformist” subaltern within the subaltern colonial subjects, who sometimes appear to challenge and rethink the very basic tenets of subaltern counterpolitics, and their negotiations of the varied legacies of the Raj, this study endeavours to analyze select short stories by Janice Pariat, the 2013 Sahitya Akademi Award-winning writer from Meghalaya.
Baby Boom amidst Covid-19 Pandemic: of Unwilling Fathers, Painful Motherhood and Poverty in Ozuitem Rural Community, Southeast Nigeria
Authors:   University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria., Ukaogo Victor Okoro , Ukaogo Ogechi Cecilia
Published: October 2023

This study interrogates the socio-economic outcomes of the COVID-19 lockdown especially the unexamined theme of the baby boom and unrestrained sexual behavior of teenagers in Ozuitem rural community, Abia State southeast Nigeria. It contends that although the lockdown restricted movements by keeping nearly everybody at home, it inadvertently provided opportunities for the predictably idle teenagers to grow their sexual appetite and experiment with their bodies. This yielded unwilling fathers and painful motherhood. With thirty-five (35) teenage mothers and a colony of male partners as of December 29, 2020, what appeared as a sex bazaar in a sleepy rural community clearly put UNICEF’s prediction of a massive baby boom for Africa between now and 2050 in sharper perspective. Using an admixture of oral interviews, participant-observer method and secondary sources, the study yielded curious and bizarre outcomes particularly the demography of the unwilling fathers, inappropriate rural perceptions and unpalatable insight into the future of the community and the wider society. To achieve this, newspapers, interviews, archival materials and other extant secondary sources have been used for data collection, analysis and the interpretation of results. The paper employs the qualitative method of analysis.
DEVELOPING MODEL OF RISK-BASED SANITARY-EPIDEMIOLOGICAL CONTROL (SURVEILLANCE) OVER FOOD PRODUCTS IN CONSUMER MARKET
Authors:   The Federal Scientific Center for Medical and Preventive Health Risk Management Technologies, 82 Monastyrskaya St., Perm, 614045, Russian Federation, Zaitseva N.V. , May I.V. ,   The Federal Scientific Center for Medical and Preventive Health Risk Management Technologies, 82 Monastyrskaya St., Perm, 614045, Russian Federation, Nikiforova N.V. ,   The Federal Scientific Center for Medical and Preventive Health Risk Management Technologies, 82 Monastyrskaya St., Perm, 614045, Russian Federation, Kiryanov D.А. ,   The Federal Scientific Center for Medical and Preventive Health Risk Management Technologies, 82 Monastyrskaya St., Perm, 614045, Russian Federation
Published: October 2023

The relevance of this study arises from products being fixed as an independent object for state sanitary-epidemiological control in law. The contemporary stage of the public regulation involves the following: administrative pressure on economic entities ought to be easer but the best possible protection of citizens’ life and health should be provided. In this study, our aim was to test approaches to developing the risk-based model for control of food products on the consumer market in the country. The study relied on using the fundamental methodical approaches to the risk-based control model used by the Sanitary Service of Russia. A potential health risk was determined as a combination of likely violations of legal requirements to a certain product, severity of health outcomes due to such violations, and coefficients that described a scale of undesirable consequences. Food products were assigned into one of the following categories as per health risks: objects of extremely high risk, high risk, considerable risk, moderate risk, medium risk, or low risk. We suggest a fundamental scheme describing how to organize risk-based control of food products as an independent control object. It includes several basic elements, namely, creating a register of consumer food products; identifying priority groups of food products as per risk criteria at the federal level; identifying regional priorities. We provide substantiation for advisability of profound risk assessment performed for food products in each group considering specific frequency of sanitary violations, scales in which a certain food product in consumed in different regions, and priority consumer demands. Our suggestion is to integrate risk profiles of products and risk-based laboratory support for control into the general model. We’d like to highlight the relevance of creating a unified database to keep the results of all the control and surveillance activities including data obtained by laboratory tests of products bound to manufacturers, distributors, and sellers. It is also quite relevant to include algorithms and mathematical methods of science-intensive analysis of the data sets into software modules of the Rospotrebnadzor’s Unified Information System.
ELECTRONIC DIGITAL DEVICES AND A RISK OF FUNCTIONAL DISORDERS OF THE VISUAL ANALYZER IN STUDENTS OF DIFFERENT AGE
Authors:   Perm State Medical University named after Academician E.A. Wagner, 26 Petropavlovskaya St., Perm, 614000,  Russian Federation, Riazanova E.A. , Lir D.N. ,   Perm State Medical University named after Academician E.A. Wagner, 26 Petropavlovskaya St., Perm, 614000,  Russian Federation,   Federal Scientific Center for Medical and Preventive Health Risk Management Technologies,  82 Monastyrskaya St., Perm, 614045, Russian Federation, Zagidullina D.Sh. ,   Perm State Medical University named after Academician E.A. Wagner, 26 Petropavlovskaya St., Perm, 614000,  Russian Federation
Published: October 2023

The aim of our study was to perform hygienic assessment of use of electronic digital devices and its relationship with likely disorders of the visual analyzer in students of different age. Our research object is represented by students of different age (5th grade (n = 55), 11th grade (n = 67) and the 6th year of HEI (n = 102)). This study focused on examining a relationship between disorders of the visual analyzer and use of electronic digital devices (EDDs) by students of different ages (5th and 1th grades in school, 6th year in HEI). We conducted social research by using a group indirect survey that relied on a specifically designed questionnaire consisting of 13 questions. Answers were collected by using Google Forms online platform. Students were established to use a smartphone (99.6 % of the respondents) and / or laptop (83 %) in their everyday ac-tivities. We analyzed duration of an activity involving use of various devices and established that 95 % of the respondents did not adhere to the existing hygienic standards when using EDDs and spent more than 4 hours a day on using them. The regression analysis revealed an association between myopia development and simultaneous use of various EDDs (R2 = 0.68; р < 0.0001). A contribution made to developing eyesight disorders by working with a laptop equaled 62 % whereas contributions made by watching TV and use of smart-watch equaled 19 % and 10 % respectively. Our assessment of a relative risk established that use of a laptop (PC) for more than 4 hours a day increased likelihood of myopia by 8.6 times (RR = 8.6; 95 % CI = 1.4–54.9, р < 0.05). Development of other functional disorders in school students was primarily associated with watching TV (85–89 %). Therefore, our study findings provide more precise data on the established relationship between improper EDDs use and disorders of the visual analyzer in students of different age. They provide solid grounds for implementation of relevant prevention activities.
EXTRACT OF EUROPEAN SPRUCE STROBILES AS A PROMISING TOOL TO MINIMIZE THE RISKS OF INFLAMMATION
Authors:   Perm State University, 15 Bukireva St., Perm, 614068, Russian Federation, Gulyaev D.K. , Apushkin D.Yu. ,   Perm State University, 15 Bukireva St., Perm, 614068, Russian Federation, Andreev A.I. ,   Perm State University, 15 Bukireva St., Perm, 614068, Russian Federation, Suldin A.S. ,   Perm State University, 15 Bukireva St., Perm, 614068, Russian Federation, Mashchenko P.S. ,   Perm State University, 15 Bukireva St., Perm, 614068, Russian Federation, Utushkina T.A. ,   Perm State University, 15 Bukireva St., Perm, 614068, Russian Federation, Yakushina K.E. ,   Perm State University, 15 Bukireva St., Perm, 614068, Russian Federation
Published: October 2023

The article is devoted to examining anti-inflammatory activity of dry aqueous extract of European spruce (Picea abies) strobiles using different routes of administration. Strobiles of European spruce for extracts were harvested on the territory of the Perm region of the Russian Federation in a mixed forest with a predominance of European spruce and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris). Dry aqueous extract was obtained according to the original patented method. Procyanidins content in spruce strobiles and dry extracts was determined by using acid cleavage of procyanidins to anthocyanidins according to the Porter method. Anti-inflammatory activity was established by using carrageenan-induced paw edema in rats. White laboratory outbred Wistar rats were used in the experiment. According to the results of the study, the procyanidin content was found to equal approximately 13 % in the samples of spruce strobiles. Intraperitoneal administration of dry extract of strobile spruce at a dose of 100 mg/kg was established to induce a pronounced anti-inflammatory activity. Intraperitoneal administration of smaller doses of strobile extract resulted in a pronounced anti-inflammatory activity at a dose of 50 mg/kg. A dose of 10 mg/kg successfully suppressed inflammation (50 % edema suppression) 1 and 3 hours after carrageenan administration (p < 0.05) according to hydrometric data, but this was not confirmed by photometric data. Oral administration of the extract showed no anti-inflammatory activity. With the rectal route of administration, no pronounced anti-inflammatory activity was found in the studied extract. The extract of spruce strobiles obtained by the original method contains 56 % procyanidins and exhibits pronounced anti-inflammatory activity when administered intraperitoneally. The use of the extract in oral and rectal routes of administration requires more in-depth study.
MICROPLASTICS POLLUTION IN WATER IS A THREAT FOR HUMAN HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT (LITERATURE REVIEW)
Authors:   Federal Scientific Center of Hygiene named after F.F. Erisman, 2 Semashko St., Mytischi, Moscow region, 141000, Russian Federation, Sinitsyna O.O. , Yeremin G.B. ,   North-West Scientific Centre for Hygiene and Public Health, 4A 2nd Sovetskaya St., St. Petersburg,  191036, Russian Federation, Turbinskii V.V. ,   Federal Scientific Center of Hygiene named after F.F. Erisman, 2 Semashko St., Mytischi, Moscow region, 141000, Russian Federation, Pushkareva M.V. ,   Federal Scientific Center of Hygiene named after F.F. Erisman, 2 Semashko St., Mytischi, Moscow region, 141000, Russian Federation, Shiryaeva M.A. ,   Federal Scientific Center of Hygiene named after F.F. Erisman, 2 Semashko St., Mytischi, Moscow region, 141000, Russian Federation, Markova O.L. ,   North-West Scientific Centre for Hygiene and Public Health, 4A 2nd Sovetskaya St., St. Petersburg,  191036, Russian Federation, Borisova D.S. ,   North-West Scientific Centre for Hygiene and Public Health, 4A 2nd Sovetskaya St., St. Petersburg,  191036, Russian Federation
Published: October 2023

Microplastics pollution of water bodies and drinking water is a relevant problem caused by wide use of plastics in multiple industries, agriculture, manufacturing of household chemicals and medicines. Microplastics pose a threat for human health both due to physical effects and chemicals in their structure as well as microorganisms that can occur on their surface. Some foreign studies describe how microplastics are formed and how they can occur both in marine and fresh water. There are also studies confirming microplastics to be present in seas and rivers in the Russian Federation. Studies that address microplastics in tissues of water organisms are scarce. According to some foreign authors, micro-plastics can be absorbed by mollusks, starfish, actiniae, crabs, etc. Russian researchers provide evidence of considerable quan-tities of microplastics found in the digestive spruce fish caught in the Tom River. Several foreign studies have established effects produced by microplastics on reproduction, eating behavior as well as declining survivability in crustaceans and fish. Fish products are a well-known significant source of microplastics in human diets. Microplastics bioaccumulation in aquatic biota is considered a potential health threat for organisms at higher trophic levels, including humans at the top of the food chain. Unified water sampling techniques are absent; studies that address effects of microplastics on the human body are scarce; there is no available methodology for hygienic standardization of microplastics in water. All this makes it necessary to have some research aimed at identifying sources and causes of microplastics pollution in water bodies including sources of drinking water supply, to assess public health risks, and to provide safe conditions for water use.
Synthesis and Anti-bacterial Activity of New Substituted 2-trifluoromethyl-4-quinolinylhydrazone Analogs against Mycobacterium tuberculosis Strains
Authors: da Silva Emerson Teixeira , de Andrade Gabriel Fernandes , Lourenço Maria Cristina Silva , De Souza Marcus Vinicius Nora
Published: October 2023

Background:

Tuberculosis (TB) is a serious disease that still affects humanity,
despite being old, caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). The emergence
of drug-resistant strains has alarmed governments and international organizations,
such as the World Health Organization (WHO). The need for research on new drugs that
are effective in a shorter treatment time and active against resistant strains still persists.

Objective:

The objective of this study is to synthesize and evaluate forty-four substituted
2-trifluoromethyl-4-quinolinylhydrazone analogs, as probable inhibitors of Mycobacterium
tuberculosis growth.

Methods:

The anti-mycobacterial activities of all tested compounds against Mycobacterium
tuberculosis strains, as well as the cytotoxicity test, were evaluated using the in vitro
microplate procedure with broth microdilution assay.

Results:

Thirteen compounds exhibited some activity against sensitive strain ATCC
27294, six of which were the most active: 4a, 4c, 6a, 6b, 6c, and 6g; with MIC around 7 -
8 μM, close to that presented by ethambutol (15.9 μM), a drug used in the treatment of tuberculosis.
These same compounds also were active against a resistant strain of Mtb
(T113), with MIC around 7 – 8 μM. Three of these compounds 4a, 6a, and 6c were not
cytotoxic against Vero cells at concentrations near the MIC.

Conclusion:

This study indicates the importance of the hydrazone function to obtain
promising anti-TB compounds and open new perspectives for drug development.
Cellulose Acetate-Based Wound Dressings Loaded with Bioactive Agents:
Potential Scaffolds for Wound Dressing and Skin Regeneration
Authors: Ndlovu Sindi P. , Alven Sibusiso , Hlalisa Kula , Aderibigbe Blessing A.
Published: October 2023

Wound healing and skin regeneration are major challenges in chronic wounds. Among the
types of wound dressing products currently available in the market, each wound dressing material is
designed for a specific wound type. Some of these products suffer from various shortcomings, such
as poor antibacterial efficacy and mechanical performance, inability to provide a moist environment,
poor permeability to oxygen and capability to induce cell migration and proliferation during the
wound healing process. Hydrogels and nanofibers are widely reported wound dressings that have
demonstrated promising capability to overcome these shortcomings. Cellulose acetate is a semisynthetic
polymer that has attracted great attention in the fabrication of hydrogels and nanofibers.
Loading bioactive agents such as antibiotics, essential oils, metallic nanoparticles, plant extracts, and
honey into cellulose acetate-based nanofibers and hydrogels enhanced their biological effects, including
antibacterial, antioxidant, and wound healing. This review reports cellulose acetate-based
hydrogels and nanofibers loaded with bioactive agents for wound dressing and skin regeneration.
The Therapeutic Effects of Bromelain against Colorectal Cancer: A
Systematic Review
Authors: Forootan Mojgan , Amiri Mehdi Mohammadian , Darvishi Mohammad , Sherwin Catherine M.T. , Ghanadi Koruosh
Published: October 2023

Background:

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most prevalent cancers worldwide.

Objective:

Considering the side effects of chemotherapy treatments, we reviewed the anti-cancer effects
and mechanisms of bromelain on colon cancer cells in this study.

Methods:

The PRISMA guidelines were followed in the design of this systematic review. Various
databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Scopus, were thoroughly
searched. Finally, 14 articles were retrieved after considering the study's inclusion and exclusion criteria.
The desired data were extracted, entered into an Excel file, and the study results were reviewed.

Results:

According to the included studies, bromelain can significantly reduce the survival and death
of cloned cancer cells through different mechanisms. These mechanisms include impeding tumor
growth and metastasis by reducing mucins production/secretion and increasing/reducing reactive oxygen
species (ROS) production. Moreover, bromelain induces apoptosis via reduced expression of
Bcl-2, extracellular signal-related kinase (ERK), Akt, activation caspase system (caspase-3, 7, 8, and
9), and extranuclear p53. Ferroptosis was another mechanism of causing cell death. In addition, bromelain
activates the autophagy pathway, lysosome formation, and deregulation of other autophagyrelated
proteins.

Conclusion:

Bromelain effectively inhibits colon cancer cells' growth, proliferation, and metastasis
and reduces their survival by different mechanisms. Therefore, after examining clinical studies, it can
be used as an effective drug for treating CRC.
Streptomyces Paradigm in Anticancer Therapy: A State-of-the Art Review
Authors: Sethi Yashendra , Vora Vidhi , Anyagwa Onyekachi Emmanuel , Turabi Nafisa , Abdelwahab Maya , Kaiwan Oroshay , Chopra Hitesh , Attia Mohamed Shah , Yahya Galal , Emran Talha Bin , Padda Inderbir
Published: October 2023

Cancer is one of the biggest threats to human health with a global incidence of 23.6 million,
mortality of 10 million, and an estimated 250 million lost in disability-adjusted life years
(DALYs) each year. Moreover, the incidence, mortality, and DALYs have increased over the past
decade by 26.3%, 20.9%, and 16.0%, respectively. Despite significant evolutions in medical therapy
and advances in the DNA microarray, proteomics technology, and targeted therapies, anticancer drug
resistance continues to be a growing concern and invites regular discovery of potent agents. One such
agent is the microbe-producing bioactive compounds like Streptomyces, which are proving increasingly
resourceful in anticancer therapy of the future. Streptomyces, especially the species living in
extreme conditions, produce bioactive compounds with cytolytic and anti-oxidative activity which
can be utilized for producing anticancer and chemo-preventive agents. The efficacy of the derived
compounds has been proven on cell lines and some of these have already established clinical results.
These compounds can potentially be utilized in the treatment of a variety of cancers including but not
limited to colon, lung, breast, GI tract, cervix, and skin cancer. The Streptomyces, thus possess the
armory to fuel the anticancer agents of the future and help address the problem of rising resistance to
currently available anti-cancer drugs. We conducted a state-of-art review using electronic databases
of PubMed, Scopus, and Google scholar with an objective to appraise the currently available literature
on Streptomyces as a source of anti-cancer agents and to compile the clinically significant literature
to update the clinicians.
Essential Fatty Acids along the Women’s Life Cycle and Promotion of a
Well-balanced Metabolism
Authors: Marchiori Georgina N. , Eynard Aldo R. , Soria Elio A.
Published: October 2023

Linoleic acid (ω-6 LA) and α-linolenic acid (ω-3 ALA) are essential fatty acids (EFA)
for human beings. They must be consumed through diet and then extensively metabolized, a process that plays a fundamental role in health and eventually in disease prevention. Given the numerous changes depending on age and sex, EFA metabolic adaptations require further investigations
along the women’s life cycle, from onset to decline of the reproductive age. Thus, this review explains women’s life cycle stages and their involvement in diet intake, digestion and absorption,
the role of microbiota, metabolism, bioavailability, and EFA fate and major metabolites. This
knowledge is crucial to promoting lipid homeostasis according to female physiology through well-directed health strategies. Concerning this, the promotion of breastfeeding, nutrition, and physical activity is cardinal to counteract ALA deficiency, LA/ALA imbalance, and the release of unhealthy derivatives. These perturbations arise after menopause that compromise both lipogenic
and lipolytic pathways. The close interplay of diet, age, female organism, and microbiota also
plays a central role in regulating lipid metabolism. Consequently, future studies are encouraged to
propose efficient interventions for each stage of women's cycle. In this sense, plant-derived foods
and products are promising to be included in women’s nutrition to improve EFA metabolism.
Comparison of the Effects of Sanyinjiao Point (SP6) Acupressure with
Combined SP6 and LI4 Acupressure on Labor Pain Intensity in
Primiparous Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Ghiasi Ashraf , Sharaflari Fatemeh , Bagheri Leila
Published: October 2023

Background:

Childbirth is an important event and special experience in women's lives.
Labor pain is the most severe pain that women undergo in their lives. Pain management during labor is crucial for the well-being of the mother and fetus.

Objective:

This study aimed to compare the effect of combined LI4 and SP6 acupressure with SP6
acupressure on reducing labor pain.

Methods:

A total of 108 primiparous women who participated in the study were randomized into
three groups, combining LI4 and SP6 acupressure, SP6 acupressure, and a control group. Pain intensity was evaluated before, immediately, 1 and 2 hours after the intervention and the second
stage of labor by visual analogue scale (VAS).

Results:

Although the pain intensity immediately after the intervention was lower in the combined
SP6 and LI4 acupressure group than in the other groups, the differences were not significant between the three groups (p = 0.147). The pain intensity 1 hour after the intervention and in the second stage of labor had a statistically significant difference between the three groups (p =0.006, p
=0.001). The pain intensity 2 hours after the intervention was lower in the combined SP6 and LI4
acupressure group than the other groups, but it was not statistically significantly different (p=
0.05). The pain intensity 1 hour after the intervention was not statistically different between the
SP6 group and the control group (p= 0.095). The pain intensity 2 hours after the intervention was
lower in the combined SP6 and LI4 acupressure group compared to the control group, but it was
not significant (p=0.06). The pain intensity in the second stage of labor was lower in the combined
SP6 and LI4 acupressure group and SP6 acupressure group compared to the control group (p
=0.001, p = 0.017), but there was no significant difference between the SP6 acupressure group
and combined SP6 and LI4 acupressure group (p=1.000).

Conclusion:

The obtained results revealed that combination intervention is a safe, effective, noninvasive and economical method in alleviating labor pain intensity. Healthcare providers are expected to master the acupressure technique as an alternative, complementary therapy, which can
be used as an alternative or additional therapy.