bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Impact of Business Analytics on Financial Performance and Economic Contribution of Small and Mid-sized Enterprises
Authors: Jide Adedamola Afolabi  , George Sarkodie Opoku  , Gordon E.Dzotrah ASA, MAAA
Published: December 2024

This research investigates the influence of Business Analytics (BA) on the financial performance and economic contribution of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). It explores how indicators of financial performance and economic implications like job creation and local investments are affected by the amount of BA applications. In this quantitative study, data was gathered from 200 respondents. Respondents were managers and executives of different SMEs.
According to the results, there is a positive relationship between BA application and SME performance. This is in line with the Resource-Based View (RBV) and Diffusion of Innovations Theory. Particularly, the regression analysis demonstrates that the degree of BA application illustrates nearly 43.4% of the variance in financial performance and economic contribution. According to this, SMEs that apply BA adequately improve economically and usually have better financial performance.
According to the results, BA is indispensable for SMEs. It implies that expanding analytical competence can augment revenue, propel profitability, and offer large economic rewards. The research delivers important insights for managers and policymakers of SMEs as it brings attention to the requirement of support in the integration of BA employing training, capital investment, and infrastructure upgrades. Subsequent investigations should work with a large sample size, investigate other contributing factors, and evaluate the effectiveness of specific BA tools and techniques.
This research concludes that BA helps SMEs improve their performance, establishing a solid framework for utilizing data-driven insights to secure a competitive advantage and foster economic development.
Sustainable Supply Chain Management Practices on Procurement Performance: A Review of Literature
Authors: Susan Wanjiru Mwangi  , Dr. Samson Kitheka
Published: December 2024

The chosen topic combines social, economic and environmental practices into its system to reduce the impact of ecological activities and encourage outcomes which are socially friendly. The study looked at the effects of sustainable supply chain management practices on procurement performance and factored in the following specific objectives: waste reduction, quality, lead time and customer service. This study was harbored on resource-based theory. The study focused on using a literature review through sampling journals, presented data, and analyzed them appropriately. The study found that waste reduction, quality, lead time and customer service have a profound influence on the chosen study. It is, therefore, confirmed that waste reduction, quality, lead time and customer service are necessary for a workable procurement performance in an organization. The study, therefore, recommended further studies using different design methods to compare the measurement.
Impact of Advertisement Informativeness and eWOM on Brand Advocacy: Self-Brand Connection as a Mediator
Authors: Shuaib Ahmed Balroo  , Dr. Mahmoud Abdelhamid Saleh
Published: December 2024

Advancements in social media technologies have empowered consumers with instant information about anything they wish for. The implications of such power are quite profound on brands, as any word circulating on social media about them can make or break within no time. Brand advocacy can be a ray of hope for brands in helping to set some direction favorable to their image. To understand how brand advocacy works and how consumers convert into brand advocates, it is very important first to understand how relationships between brands and consumers are formed. Nothing better than the concept of self-brand connection explains how a sustainable relationship is formed between brands and consumers.  However, how self-brand connection itself is formed and how it leads to brand advocacy is poorly understood in the literature. Informative advertising and electronic word of mouth are among the ways through which self-brand connection is formed. Scant attention has been given in the literature on the relationship of electronic word of mouth with self-brand connection, even if electronic word of mouth today is seen as shaping consumer decisions. More importantly, the negligible attention of scholars has gone on to establish the mediational role of self-brand connection in relationships between advertisement informativeness and, electronic word of mouth and brand advocacy. This study thus provides a two-fold contribution to the literature by not only examining the relationship of electronic word of mouth with self-brand connection alongside advertisement informativeness. But also uncovers mediation of self-brand connection in relationships of advertisement informativeness and electronic word of mouth with brand advocacy. The population for this study was car owners of all auto brands plying in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. A snowball sampling method was employed, through which 338 responses from car owners were collected from two regions of Saudi Arabia. Structural equation modeling was used to test all hypotheses of the study simultaneously. Results of the study reported that both advertisement informativeness and electronic word of mouth exhibited a statistically significant positive relationship with the self-brand connection. Self-brand connection was also reported to exhibit a significant positive relationship with brand advocacy in this study. Self-brand connection is fully mediated in both relationships of advertisement informativeness and electronic word of mouth with brand advocacy. The key to converting consumers into brand advocates and sustainable enjoyment of growing market share lies in the understanding of the self-brand connection. However, to achieve a self-brand connection, both advertisement informativeness and favorable electronic word of mouth are indispensable. Future research directions and some limitations are also outlined in this study.
Demographic Analysis of People in Flood Prone Areas in Sri Lanka
Authors: N. M. A. Jayasinghe
Published: December 2024

Floods, as a natural disaster that affects most of the Sri Lankans, undoubtedly have the biggest impact on the lives of Sri Lankans. Although floods affect all facets of life, including economic, social, cultural, and environmental factors, this study attempts to examine the demographic context of floods affecting people in flood-affected areas in Sri Lanka. Data were collected through questionnaires conducted with 440 households from three grama niladari divisions of Rathnapura divisional secretariate. The researcher chose this area as it was ideal for testing the hypothesis. 87% of households were affected by floods. The study further discovered that several other factors, including the employment status of the mother and father, income, and education level of parents. The results emphasize that most of the sample respondents were relatively low-income earners, and a high percentage of respondents within the sample have received at least some form of proper education, and in most cases, it is beyond the level of primary education. They also identified that the link between the educational level of the respondents in the sample and their income levels is substantially strong. This study recommended that the government take steps to secure these areas by implementing flood prevention methods. Those living in flood-prone areas must be moved to lands in other areas.
Integrating Eco-feminism and Women’s Participation in Environmental Conservation Efforts in Northern Nigeria
Authors: Dr. Mabel Oriakpono
Published: December 2024

This study explores the integration of eco-feminism and women's participation in environmental conservation efforts in Northern Nigeria, addressing the relationship between traditional gender roles and environmental practices. The research investigates the challenges women face in accessing natural resources, emphasizing the role of eco-feminism in the conservation of indigenous knowledge systems. It highlights the significant roles of women in sustaining ecological knowledge through environmental stewardship while examining the impact of cultural and religious beliefs on their participation. The methodology employed in this study involved conducting focus group discussions with 34 women in Birnin Kebbi. This qualitative approach was chosen to facilitate a deeper understanding of the participants' experiences and perspectives. The focus groups allowed the women to discuss openly and share their insights on the intersection of eco-feminism, gender roles, and environmental practices. Through these discussions, rich, contextual data was gathered, highlighting the challenges and opportunities faced by women in environmental conservation. The study found that gender plays a significant role in environmental decision-making, and women significantly contribute to grassroots movements for environmental justice. It identifies barriers to women's environmental conservation initiatives and how eco-feminism shapes ecological policies. The preservation of traditional ecological knowledge held by women and its potential loss is explored, along with gender dynamics influencing access to this traditional knowledge. The research also considers how eco-feminist movements in northern Nigeria shape educational opportunities for traditional ecological knowledge transfer. The study proposes strategies for integrating eco-feminist principles into mainstream development agendas to address environmental resource management in Northern Nigeria.
Instrumentalising Terror for Political Hegemony: Analysis of Chinua Achebe’s There Was a Country
Authors: Jacob Oganga  , Selline Oketch  , Ouno V. Onyango
Published: December 2024

Failure to restore legitimate authority in the postcolonial state is one of Africa's most distressing political shortfalls. The continent's political legitimacy crisis has culminated in collapsed or failed states. Several scholars have weighed in on this discussion, specifically the need for the restoration of legitimate authority to address the disintegration of credible claims to the exercise of power. In the recent past, the political situation has been grave during periods of transition because crises of legitimacy are often crises of change. In many instances, terror is used to tame dissenting voices and facilitate political dominance. Literary writers from the region have represented this sad state of affairs, and Chinua Achebe is one of them. The study is situated in this context. It aims to investigate the representation of terror as an instrument of political hegemony in Achebe's There Was a Country. This study benefits from Marxist literary theory, particularly the ideas of Tyson (2006) and Prychitko (2002). This study concludes that Achebe employs a new story-telling strategy to demonstrate that alienation and separation deprive individuals and groups of their potential to plan and control their collective fate in a hegemonic political structure. To irrigate commoditisation, obsession with a market-based society, and massage capitalistic egos, a climate of fear is created. The results of this study will serve as key reference points for literary scholars with a bias on the instrumentation of terror for political dominance.
Harnessing the Power of Political Satire in Dismantling Notions of Happiness in Contemporary African Societies Represented in Wole Soyinka’s Chronicles
Authors: Billy Bedder Wasike  , Selline Oketch  , Ouno V. Onyango
Published: December 2024

Literary artists criticise and condemn social evil in society in various ways. Writers of contemporary African literature have used satire to condemn and criticise social, economic and political misdeeds. Wole Soyinka is one of these contemporary African literary artists. On this basis, this study seeks to interrogate the use of satire in contemporary African societies. This research article aims to demonstrate how satire is used to dismantle notions of happiness in contemporary African societies, as represented in Wole Soyinka's Chronicles from the Land of the Happiest People on Earth. The article will rely on two literary theories: post-colonialism as advanced by Balce (2016), Bhabha (1994) and Bertens (2001). Three postcolonial tenets will be utilised in this study: postcolonial satire as a humourous narrative which produces new histories or new ways of interpreting and understanding the colonial past and/or the neocolonial present, the postcolonial satire as an aesthetic response to colonial amnesia by examining the wounds of its past histories or its past hangovers and the idea of cultural ambivalence. This study concludes that the success of satire in dismantling notions of happiness in Chronicles from the Land of the Happiest People on Earth lies in its capability to show the inconsistencies and pretences intrinsic in the search for happiness within a crooked and unjust society. By uncovering the truths prowling beneath the surface, Soyinka dares readers to oppose painful realities and to attempt a more reasonable, sobre and unprejudiced civilisation. Soyinka gives a detailed account of each evil he satirises in the book as a true reflection of what happens in the real world today.
Digital Folklore Narratives: ‘The Seen Story’ and ‘The Told Story’ in Selected Songs of John De Mathew
Authors: Kangangi Wanja Eunice
Published: December 2024

Digital advancement has expanded the research landscape in folklore studies. The digital space has become a resourceful arena for the dissemination of contemporary folklore, such as the popular song. This evolution relates to folklore studies in terms of accessibility to research content because it enhances scholarship in African popular culture. Folklore materials are now more readily available on digital platforms for modern folklore scholars. This has reduced the traditional research challenges of accessibility, such as distance and inaccessibility, transport costs, hostility, and climatic issues, among other capital and social hardships related to fieldwork in orature, as pointed out by Nandwa and Bukenya (1983). The artistic complexities of orature composition, performance, delivery and reception have experienced a compositional shift from the traditional performance arena into a modern hybrid mode where composition and performance are filmed into audio-visual discourses. The filmed content produces a 'told story' and a 'seen story' delivered on the screen through the audio-visual platform. This platform generates narration in the popular song two-fold: the performed story (in this case, the dramatized song) and the narrative constructed through lyrics and melody. This compositional transaction opens the reception ground to not only the audiences present during the performance but also the viewing and listening audience congregated by the audio-visual platform. This paper presents the two versions of the 'told story' and the 'seen story' in selected songs of John De Mathew, a legendary Gĩkũyũ Benga artist. The songs were selected purposefully, and the analysis employed a qualitative research design. The data is collected from digital platforms for transcription into scripts. The selected songs have been listened to and viewed on the screen to identify the two versions of each song narrative emerging as 'the told story' and 'the seen story'. Translation of the lyrics from Gĩkũyũ into English has been done for the purpose of accessibility by non-Gĩkũyũ speakers. A description of the narratives has been made using the theoretical provisions of narratology. This has been guided by three theoretical principles of narratology: story, narration and narrative. These principles are fundamental elements in the construction of a story. The main achievement of this article is to enhance the trajectory that the encroachment of folklore dissemination within digital platforms provides new research paradigms for contemporary scholarship.
Factors That Contribute to Everyday Violence among Women Pursuing Livelihoods in Mathare Slums, Kenya
Authors: Carolyne Njihia  , Dr. Daniel M. Nzengya  , Silvia K. Vundi
Published: December 2024

Life in most slums is riddled with insecurity, which plays a big role in determining the nature of livelihood engagements women in the area engage in. The insecurity leads to many incidences of violence, the majority of which go unreported and are normalized as part and parcel of the slum life. Residents in these slums must earn their livelihood. The majority opt to adopt relevant survival tactics to deal with the violence in their endeavor to earn their livelihoods. The assaults, evident through a myriad of 'everyday violence' incidences, get normalized. The study sought to establish the factors that contribute to everyday violence among women pursuing livelihoods in Mathare slums. The study was guided by the social exclusion theory, which explains how, because of everyday violence, women experience exclusion from participating in socio-economic activities within the communities. Purposive sampling was used to identify three villages out of the thirteen in the Mathare Slums for study. Data was collected from 381 women through questionnaires and focus group discussions. This was supplemented with key informant interviews with target key informants: police officers, administrative chiefs, non-governmental organization (NGO) workers, and microfinance organization staff. The collected data was both qualitative and quantitative. Qualitative data gathered narratives and experiences of participants, while quantitative data depicted how widespread insecurity was felt by women who pursue livelihoods in these slum spaces. Findings from the study indicate that women pursuing livelihoods in Mathare slums have normalized violence as they engage in their daily activities. Given that they have very little time to engage in livelihood opportunities after spending the bulk of it in domestic work and childcare, the women accommodate several incidences of violence in order to earn their living. The study recommends that the national government, with the support of NGOs, should develop community programmes to help women in childcare have adequate time for meaningful earning of livelihood outside the home. This would reduce their need to normalize violence in pursuit of livelihoods.
Contesting Notions of Cultural Purity: Analysis of Yvonne Owuor’s Dust and The Dragonfly Sea
Authors: Lwoba Millicent Ayesa  , Catherine Muhoma  , Pamela Odhacha
Published: December 2024

There is usually a pronounced tendency to venerate one's ethnic or communal culture and to abominate any perceived intrusions of other people's cultures. Trumpeting the pristineness of communal roots, traditionalists spread the belief in the mythic purity of their past and the intolerance of anyone or anything foreign that threatens its further existence. They feel duty-bound to protect the traditional culture from foreign influences. They do not appreciate mixed ethnic and cultural heritage; they think of themselves as pure in their ethnic and cultural origins. They are not open to borrowing foreign ideas and institutions that are considered the basis of contemporary cultures. Yet, there is always a masked recognition of mixed heritage. Cultural debates cannot be divorced from foreign influences. This study explores the contestation of the notions of cultural purity in Owuor's Dust and The Dragonfly Sea. Through the construction of narratives of experience, the lived and told stories re-imagined in the two literary works emphasize the diversity of cultural identities that are negotiated within personal, historical, and situational contexts. The study acknowledges that literature is a mirror of society, and contemporary literary works not only provide a lens through which the question of cultural construction can be understood. This study examines Yvonne Owuor's two novels to explore her representation of these post-colonial debates on cultural purity. The objective of this study is to demonstrate how notions of cultural purity are contested in Dust and Dragonfly Sea. The study employs the post-colonial literary theory. The main characters' experiences in Owuor's Dust and The Dragonfly Sea demonstrate that cultural purity is a mirage. The phrase 'cultural purity' is in itself oxymoronic. No culture can be divorced completely from other cultures. A culture contains many influences from other cultures. Even that which is considered a traditional or single culture has adopted a trait or practice from another in the past. Resistance to change, as exhibited in some traditional cultures emanating from the fear of extinction, are misgivings that hardly last for long. These so-called traditional cultures do not lose all their characteristics; rather, they borrow things from other cultures and evolve to accommodate new realities. The results of this study will be particularly significant because it will serve as a key reference point for post-colonial scholars with biases towards cultural fluidity.
Employee Empowerment Practices and Performance of Star-Rated Hotels in Kenya: Moderating Effect of Working Conditions
Authors: Michael E. Wekesa Matofari  , Dr. Evelyn A. Datche  , Dr. Peter S. Sasaka
Published: December 2024

Employees are significant resources in any organization; thus, they can make or break an organization. Therefore, successful organizations are cognizant of ways to engage and empower employees. The main objective of this study was to explore the influence of employee empowerment practices and the performance of star-rated hotels in Kenya. The specific objectives were: Involvement and participation, Training and development, and Information sharing. The moderating variable was working conditions, while the dependent variable was the performance of star-rated hotels in Kenya. The theories used to support the study variables were: Structural empowerment theory and Herzberg's two-factor theory. The study used a descriptive research design; the target population was 180 star-rated hotels, and a sample of 116 star-rated hotels was selected from each hotel region using stratified random sampling. A structured questionnaire was used to collect primary data. Collected data was analyzed using a statistical package for social science version 23. Descriptive and Inferential statistics, correlation and linear regression were used to measure the relationship between dependent and independent variables. Multiple regression analysis was used to determine the moderating effect of working conditions on the independent variable employee empowerment and dependent variable performance of star-rated hotels. The study results show that employee empowerment had a significant and positive relation with the performance of star-rated hotels in Kenya. The correlation results indicated (r= 0.374) between working conditions and employee empowerment. The descriptive statistics results indicated, with a mean average of 3.72 and a standard deviation of 0.952, that employee empowerment practices had a significant and positive relationship with the performance of star-rated hotels in Kenya. Similarly, the inferential statistics indicated that with the introduction of working conditions as the moderating variable between employee empowerment and the performance of star-rated hotels in Kenya, employee empowerment still had a significant influence on the performance of star-rated hotels in as the β1 was 0.451 (p-value =.026) before the introduction of moderating variable. While β2 was 0.248 (p-value = 0.008) after the introduction of the moderating variable working conditions.
Total Debt Servicing and Tax Revenue in Sub-Saharan Africa
Authors: Owolabi Kehinde Mutiyat  , Adegbie, Festus Folajimi  , Ogundajo, Grace Oyeyemi  , Olayinka Ifayemi Moses
Published: December 2024

Debt financing serves as a deterrent in meeting developmental projects, thereby limiting the effect of revenue generation through taxing. Associated with the rising external debt has been a crushing debt service burden. The paper sets out to determine the effect of tax revenue on the total debt service of sub-Saharan African countries and to assess how inflation, exchange rate, and corruption control the effect of tax revenue on the total debt service of sub-Saharan African countries. An ex-post facto research design was adopted to test and analyze a dynamic panel estimated with the system General Method of Movements (GMM) data set for this study. Dynamic panel data was adopted because it uses lagged regressors, a combination of time series and cross-sectional dimensions of the data set to eliminate weakness; it is most applicable to this study. The study found that total debt service is positively and significantly affected by CIED, VAT and TXP, but the impact of TXP was insignificant. The outcome was found to be positive and insignificant, with controlled variables in model 2 being positively moderated by INF and CRP, while EXR negatively moderated the effect of tax revenue and total debt service of SSA countries. It was, therefore, recommended that debt service financing should be based on the productiveness of borrowed funds, monitored through debt repayment policies inserted into improving tax revenue and through improved debt service restructurings.
Antifungal activity of turmeric rhizome extract against Ganoderma boninense
Authors: Karlina Lidya , Suwandi Suwandi , Muslim A. , Damiri Nurhayati , Rohim Abdul Madjid , Negara Zaidan P.
Published: December 2024

Basal stem rot (BSR) caused by Ganoderma boninense threatens the oil palm industry, particularly in Southeast Asia. This study evaluated methanol extracts of turmeric rhizome (TRE) from four ecotypes (Bangka, Bandung, Palembang, and Surabaya) for antifungal activity against G. boninense. TRE showed strong inhibition, with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 0.31% and IC50 values between 0.93% and 1.92%, exhibiting dose-dependent effects. Treated fungal hyphae displayed morphological abnormalities with enhanced chitin and protein deposition. Elevated electrical conductivity in fungal culture media indicated membrane damage and leakage of intracellular contents. These findings highlight the potential of TRE as a sustainable alternative to chemical fungicides for BSR management.
In vitro antidiabetic evaluation of Bombax buonopozense methanol leaf extract
Authors: Abdullahi Samira A. , Maiwada Salisu Abubakar , Ibrahim Aminu
Published: December 2024

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a major worldwide health burden that requires research into cost-effective treatment alternatives. It has been claimed that herbal medicines, have improved glucose metabolism in diabetics. It has been showed that several plant extracts are useful in preserving glucose homeostasis. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate the phytochemical and antidiabetic activities of Bombax buonopozense methanol leaf extracts. Standard methods were used for the identification of alkaloids, tannins, flavonoids, saponins, phenolics, cardiacglycosides and steroids. The enzyme inhibitory activities of the extracts of B. buonopozense was evaluated on α-amylase and α-glucosidase. The crude leaf extract of B. buonopozense exhibited a more effective inhibition on α-glucosidase with IC50 (Half maximal inhibitory concentration) values 888.20±35.06 μg/mL when compared to control (ascorbic acid) with values 1076±2.77 μg/mL. Fractions of ethyl acetate showed lower inhibitory property of alpha glucosidase with IC50 value 18.44±2.63 μg/mL compared to the control (ascorbic acid with IC50 value 16325±1318 μg/mL). This study showed the scientific basis for the traditional therapeutic usage of B. buonopozense by proven its antidiabetic activity in vitro. This is the first time that B. buonopozense’s antidiabetic efficacy and possible mechanisms have been documented.
Problems of modeling pressurized stairwells in high-rise buildings
Authors:   Academy of State Fire Service of EMERCOM of Russia, Kalmykov Sergey Petrovich , Paraskevich Evgeny Evgenievich ,   Federal Protective Service of Russia, Plyusnina Galina Fedorovna ,   Academy of State Fire Service of EMERCOM of Russia
Published: December 2024

Introduction. Within the framework of this article, the main problems associated with modeling the operation of the supply smoke-free ventilation of pressurized stairwells in high-rise buildings are formulated. Taking into account the identified problems, the first numerical experiments were carried out to study the operation of the supply smoke ventilation system in the volume of the pressurized stairwell with a distributed supply of outdoor air. Purpose and objectives. Analysis of the main problems related to the modeling and design of the operation of the plenum smoke ventilation of pressurized stairwells in high-rise buildings. Conducting numerical experiments to study the distribution of pressure in the volume of pressurized stairwells. Methods. Using the Fire Dynamics Simulator software used to simulate the fire process, numerical experiments were carried out to study the pressure distribution in the volume of pressurized stairwells with a distributed external air supply device. Results and discussion. Based on the analysis of the main problems related to the modeling and design of the operation of the plenum smoke ventilation of pressurized stairwells in high-rise buildings, the mathematical models of such systems were tested and adapted taking into account the accepted assumptions. Evaluation of the results of the calculations showed satisfactory convergence of the results of numerical experiments with the results obtained on the basis of the current calculation methods. Conclusions. Data were obtained on the distribution of pressure in the volume of the stairwell when arranging a distributed external air supply. The optimal number and location of the air distribution devices of the plenum smoke ventilation is determined. To assess the possibility of using supply smoke ventilation systems when arranging a distributed external air supply, as well as to develop a design method for determining the performance of ventilation equipment with this method of ensuring smoke-free stairwells in high-rise buildings, taking into account the provisions of existing methods, further studies will be carried out, including using computer modeling methods.
Keywords: pressurized stairwell; air overpressure; supply smoke ventilation; smoke protection; high-rise buildings.
Selection of modern high-temperature textile materials to ensure fire extinguishing
Authors:   Academy of State Fire Service of EMERCOM of Russia, Aleshkov Mikhail Vladimirovich , Kasyanova Elena Nikolaevna ,   Academy of State Fire Service of EMERCOM of Russia, Fedyaev Vladislav Dmitrievich ,   Academy of State Fire Service of EMERCOM of Russia, Shchetnev Kirill Petrovich ,   Academy of State Fire Service of EMERCOM of Russia, Serkov Boris Borisovich ,   Academy of State Fire Service of EMERCOM of Russia, Kolbasin Andrei Aleksandrovich ,   Academy of State Fire Service of EMERCOM of Russia
Published: December 2024

Introduction. Currently, a large number of modern and promising textile materials are being used, which are being introduced into our industry at high speed. There are fabrics that are made from carbon fibers, obtained by high-temperature exposure in an inert environment to organic fibers. These materials are resistant to most chemically aggressive reagents and are unsurpassed in strength. Carbon fabrics are widely used in many areas of industry. In a number of end-use applications, the unidirectional fabric structure does not always meet the design requirements. It is here that fabrics in which the fibers are located at different angles find their application. According to the type of textile processing, woven, stitched and knitted are distinguished. However, the most common are woven equally strong fabrics. In fire protection, the use of high-temperature textile material for extinguishing fires, for example, a passenger car, a dumpster and the protection of objects for various purposes, etc., has not been applied to date. The purpose of the study - is to investigate the possibility of using heat-resistant - high-temperature textile material for fire protection of objects for various purposes and protection of personnel. Research methods. To obtain the results, general scientific and special methods of scientific cognition were used - analysis, generalization, economic analysis, which were based on general principles and system analysis. Research results. They will allow using the results obtained on the use of heat-resistant - high-temperature textile material for fire protection of objects of various purposes," which will allow developing a compensating measure for various objects of protection related to the restriction and spread of fire. Conclusion. Using the results of the conducted tests in laboratory conditions, it will allow you to choose the best material from carbon, basalt, aramid, silica fabrics for flammability, ignition and physico-mechanical properties of samples and, accordingly, select a sample according to the price-quality criterion.
Keywords: modern materials; carbon fabric; basalt fabric; aramid fabric; silica fabric; heat resistant; high temperature textile materials.
Simplified conceptual design of the system wireless identification and access
control on critical infrastructures
Authors:   National Research Nuclear
            University (Moscow Engineering Physics Institute), Gavrishev Aleksey Andreevich , Reznichenko Sergey Anatolyevich ,   National Research Nuclear
            University (Moscow Engineering Physics Institute)
Published: December 2024

Introduction. In order to ensure the sustainable functioning of critical
infrastructures (CI), in conditions of the growth of various types of threats, security
systems (SB) for various purposes, for example, technical SB, should be created on them.
As such systems, first of all, there are security alarm systems, access control and some
others. These systems are usually integral parts of the overall physical protection of
CI, so they play an important role in ensuring the security of CI. One of the most
important SB on the CI is the identification and access control system. In recent years,
specialists in these systems have paid closer attention to the issues of ensuring the
security of checkpoints for vehicles. It is known that they can be one of the most
vulnerable places in the system of physical protection of the CI. Based on this, the
task of improving identification and access control systems, including the vehicle, is
currently an urgent scientific and practical task, and therefore require further study.
Aims and Purposes. The purpose of this study is to develop a simplified conceptual
design of the wireless identification and access control system of the vehicle on the
CI. Methods. To achieve this goal, the methods of system analysis, elements of the
theory of radio engineering, as well as methods of analysis, description,
generalization, results of research works on the subject of research were used. Results
and discussion. The existing systems of wireless identification and access control on CI
are considered on the example of wireless identification and access control systems of
the vehicle. Some ways of improving the safety and reliability of the operation of these
systems are outlined. The analysis of ways to improve the systems of wireless
identification and access control on CI is carried out on the example of wireless
identification and access control systems of the vehicle. A simplified conceptual design
of the wireless identification and access control system of the vehicle on CI has been
developed. The main primary provisions of the system under development related to the
circuit engineering stage of conceptual design are formulated. Conclusions. As a result
of the conducted research, a simplified conceptual design of the wireless identification
and access control system of the vehicle on CI has been developed. According to the
authors, the developed simplified conceptual project, with appropriate adaptation, can
be applied in practice for the purposes of ensuring the physical protection of CI.
Keywords: critical infrastructure; identification systems; access control; wireless data
transmission systems; conceptual project.
A training model for adapting the organizational system of a fire and rescue
garrison to new types of resources
Authors:   Administrative Department of
            EMERCOM of Russian, Frolenkov Sergey Viktorovich , Kokurin Dmitry Alekseevich ,   Academy of State Fire
            Service of EMERCOM of Russia, Terebnev Vladimir Vasilievich ,   Academy of State Fire
            Service of EMERCOM of Russia, Tarakanov Denis Viacheslavovich ,   Academy of State Fire
            Service of EMERCOM of Russia
Published: December 2024

Introduction. The current situation with the definition of organizational systems
as a subclass of socio-economic ones leads to a special mode of functioning of the
latter in the trends of global digitalization of creative (human) processes. The
introduction of new things into human activity requires attention to the procedures for
adapting organizational systems, which occurs through the self-learning of human teams.
The article develops a set of scientific results using a differential learning model to
assess the adaptation of organizational systems to new types of resources using the
example of fire departments. Goal and tasks. The purpose of the study is to obtain a set
of scientific results used to predict periods of adaptation of organizational systems to
new types of resources at the stage of training teams for their effective use using the
example of the introduction of new types of fire equipment into fire and rescue units.
Methods. The main scientific results discussed in this work were prepared using methods
of systems analysis, operations research theory, and management theory of organizational
systems. Results and discussion. Considering teams of fire and rescue departments as an
organizational system, this article is the first to develop: 1 – a model for assessing
the relative speed of learning based on an analysis of the dynamics of training levels
when using new firefighting equipment; 2 – a scale has been proposed for categorizing
the relative speed of learning in the process of mastering new firefighting equipment; 3
– nomograms have been developed for calculating periods of adaptation of fire and rescue
units to new types of firefighting equipment. Conclusions. The set of scientific results
developed in the article, according to the authors, will be useful both in adapting fire
and rescue units to new types of resources, and in other similar organizational systems.
The main conclusion, which the authors place special emphasis on, is that the undeniable
benefit of the “new” in complex systems sublimates the effect of its rational
implementation. Directions for further research have been identified in solving
particular problems of introducing new types of fire and rescue equipment. Keywords:
adaptation of organizational systems; training model; decision-making procedures.
Models for predicting emergencies due to external impacts at oil refining
facilities
Authors:   All-Russian Scientific Research
            Institute for Civil Defense and Emergencies of the EMERCOM of Russia (Federal Science
            and High Technology Center), Morozova Oksana Aleksandrovna , Artyukhin Valeriy Victorovich ,   All-Russian Scientific
            Research Institute for Civil Defense and Emergencies of the EMERCOM of Russia (Federal
            Science and High Technology Center), Butuzov Stanislav Yurievich ,   Academy of State Fire
            Service of EMERCOM of Russia
Published: December 2024

Introduction. The occurrence of an emergencies at the facility is, as a rule, a
consequence of the development of an accident. In 2022-2024, attacks by unmanned aerial
vehicles became a new external cause of accidents and emergencies. The current situation
requires the formation of new approaches and the development of new models for
predicting the number of accidents with the possible transition of the latter to
emergencies at the enterprises of the oil refining complex. Goals and objectives. The
purpose of the study was to propose approaches and methods for modeling/forecasting the
number of emergencies at the facilities of the oil refining complex due to external
influences. Methods. As part of the study, statistical information was collected,
processed and generalized from open sources, the maximum likelihood method was used to
model the number of accidents (as part of building a model based on the Poisson
distribution) and a naive Bayesian classifier. Results and discussion. The paper shows
that the problem of predicting the number of emergencies at oil refining facilities due
to external influences can be solved both in terms of questions implying a yes or no
answer (whether an emergency will occur or not) (for example, using a naive Bayesian
classifier, linear discriminant analysis, logistic regression, classification trees or
neural networks networks), and to estimate the number of emergencies that may occur in a
particular territory (that is, based on the analysis of the final sample, make a
reasonable conclusion about the distribution of the general population, selecting the
distribution by maximum likelihood, reverse mapping, etc.). Conclusion. To date, there
has been no centralized set of measures to counter attacks and protect against unmanned
aerial vehicles at enterprises. There are safety standards, but they relate to the
operation of production facilities. It was worth thinking about solving the problem of
protecting the facilities of the oil refining complex from external influences, on
methods of modeling and forecasting related events a few years ago, but only recently
this process has received well-deserved attention. Keywords: oil refinery; unmanned
aerial vehicle; Bayesian classifier; Poisson distribution.
Cytological parameters of buccal epithelial cells regarding physical activity and compliance with the drinking regime of specific youth groups
Authors:   Altai State Medical University, Barnaul, Potseluev N.Yu. , Nagornyak A.S. ,   Altai State Medical University, Barnaul, Zhukova O.V. ,   Altai State Medical University, Barnaul, Shults K.V. ,   Altai State Medical University, Barnaul, Kazyzaeva A.S. ,   Altai State Medical University, Barnaul, Agabekyan A.V. ,   Altai State Medical University, Barnaul, Pashkov A.P. ,   Altai State Medical University, Barnaul
Published: December 2024

The study of the buccal epithelium also plays an important role in modern approaches to preventive medicine, in assessing the risk of various pathologies, including pathological conditions associated with the drinking regimen. The purpose of the study was to determine the cytogenetic features of buccal epithelium cells in athletes of strength sports (sambo) and team sports (volleyball) in the period between competitions with a normal training regimen, to compare with a control group of young people who do not go in for sports, and to study water consumption regimes. in the studied groups and assess the relationship with cytological and morphometric parameters. 3 homogeneous groups were formed for a comparative assessment of the cytogenetic parameters of the buccal epithelium. In total, 27 athletes of power sports (judo), 25 athletes of team sports (volleyball) and 45 representatives of the control group took part in the study. Evaluation of cytogenetic parameters revealed statistically significant patterns: Cells containing micronuclei were found 3.85 times more often in the power group and 4.3 times more often in the game group than in the control group. The frequency of cells with protrusions generally corresponded to the trend towards the absence of statistically significant differences between strength and game sports and the presence of significant differences compared to the control group.
Keywords: buccal epithelium, water consumption regimen, athletes, power sports, team sports, cytogenetic changes.
Evaluation of the informative value of transthoracic trepan lung biopsy under the control of multislice computed tomography of intrathoracic formations in the diagnosis of lung formations
Authors:   PhD, associate professor of the Department of Surgery and Dentistry of the NEFU Medical Institute, surgeon of the Department of Radio-Surgical Methods of Diagnosis and Treatment (RSMDT) at YROD, Okoneshnikova A.K. , Nikiforov P.V. ,   deputy chief physician for Outpatient Issues of the State Budgetary Institution of the Sakha Republic’s YROD, Fedorov A.G. ,   head of YROD’s RSMDT, doctor for X-Ray Endovascular Diagnostics and Treatment, surgeon, Nikolaeva T.I. ,   PhD, associate professor of the Department of Oncology at the NEFU’s Medical Institute, chief physician at YROD, Tikhonova M.I. ,   head of the Center for Radiation Diagnostics at YROD
Published: December 2024

As of today, minimally invasive interventional diagnostic and therapeutic methods play a crucial role in modern medicine. Percutaneous transthoracic biopsy (TTB) is a minimally invasive and highly effective procedure that allows for histological verification of intrathoracic neoplasms. The aim of the study was to evaluate the information content of the method of percutaneous transthoracic trephine lung biopsy under the control of multislice computed tomography in the diagnosis of intrathoracic lesions in patients with suspected malignant neoplasm of the lung. The study included 155 patients who underwent TTB of intrathoracic formations under MSCT guidance between 2021 and 2022 at the Oncology and Radiology Hospital of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). Of these, 94 (60.65%) were male and 61 (39.35%) were female. The average patient age was 65.4 years (range 44-89). As a result of the study, malignancy was detected in 118 patients (76.13%), with primary lung malignancies identified in 102 (65.81%) patients, secondary lung malignancies in 16 (10.32%), and benign lung neoplasms in 27 (17.42%). Non-informative material (scarce material) was obtained in 10 (6.45%) cases. Perioperative complications were identified and included pneumothorax requiring Bülau pleural cavity drainage in 25 patients (16.67%), which occurred in patients with concurrent upper respiratory tract pathology such as bullous emphysema, interstitial changes, giant bullae, and hemoptysis developed in 16 patients (10.67%). Thus, it was determined that the application of percutaneous TTB of the lung under multislice computed tomography guidance in lung cancer has significant diagnostic value.
Keywords: percutaneous transthoracic trephine biopsy, lung trephine biopsy, computed tomography, biopsy under MSCT guidance, lung biopsy, non-small cell lung cancer.
The attitude of young people of reproductive age to ethically controversial issues of the prenatal diagnosis of hereditary diseases
Authors:   Yakut Science Center of Complex Medical Problems, Ru, Kononova S.K. , Nikolaev V.M. ,   Yakut Science Center of Complex Medical Problems, Ru, Vinokurova D.M. ,   M.K. Ammosov North-Eastern Federal University, Ru, Sidorova O.G. ,   Yakut Science Center of Complex Medical Problems, Ru, Romanova A.N. ,   Yakut Science Center of Complex Medical Problems, Ru
Published: December 2024

The article discusses the results of a survey conducted among young people in the City of Yakutsk regarding ethically difficult issues of prenatal DNA-testing for hereditary diseases. Most respondents (74%) consider prenatal diagnosis a necessary procedure. Analysis of attitude of young people to morally ambiguous issues of prenatal diagnosis shows that the decision to terminate pregnancy after prenatal diagnosis is affected by the severity of damage to fetus. Compared to similar survey results in other countries, young reproductive age people in Yakutsk show lower values on the issue of pregnancy termination when confronted with Down’s syndrome (49%) and an ethically ambiguous issue of pregnancy termination in case of a deaf child (19%). There is no connection between the opinions of respondents on prenatal diagnosis being a necessary or an unnecessary procedure, and their own desires to terminate pregnancy in case of a disorder.
Keywords: prenatal diagnosis, bioethics, survey, young people, hereditary diseases.