Application Package Research Articles

EEG biomarkers in Alzheimer’s and prodromal Alzheimer’s: a comprehensive analysis of spectral and connectivity features

BackgroundBiomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI, or prodromal AD) are highly significant for early diagnosis, clinical trials and treatment outcome evaluations. Electroencephalography (EEG), being noninvasive and easily accessible, has recently been the center of focus. However, a comprehensive understanding of EEG in dementia is still needed. A primary objective of this study is to investigate which of the many EEG characteristics could effectively differentiate between individuals with AD or prodromal AD and healthy individuals.MethodsWe collected resting state EEG data from individuals with AD, prodromal AD, and normal cognition. Two distinct preprocessing pipelines were employed to study the reliability of the extracted measures across different datasets. We extracted 41 different EEG features. We have also developed a stand-alone software application package, Feature Analyzer, as a comprehensive toolbox for EEG analysis. This tool allows users to extract 41 EEG features spanning various domains, including complexity measures, wavelet features, spectral power ratios, and entropy measures. We performed statistical tests to investigate the differences in AD or prodromal AD from age-matched cognitively normal individuals based on the extracted EEG features, power spectral density (PSD), and EEG functional connectivity.ResultsSpectral power ratio measures such as theta/alpha and theta/beta power ratios showed significant differences between cognitively normal and AD individuals. Theta power was higher in AD, suggesting a slowing of oscillations in AD; however, the functional connectivity of the theta band was decreased in AD individuals. In contrast, we observed increased gamma/alpha power ratio, gamma power, and gamma functional connectivity in prodromal AD. Entropy and complexity measures after correcting for multiple electrode comparisons did not show differences in AD or prodromal AD groups. We thus catalogued AD and prodromal AD-specific EEG features.ConclusionsOur findings reveal that the changes in power and connectivity in certain frequency bands of EEG differ in prodromal AD and AD. The spectral power, power ratios, and the functional connectivity of theta and gamma could be biomarkers for diagnosis of AD and prodromal AD, measure the treatment outcome, and possibly a target for brain stimulation.

INDICATORS OF OCULOMOTOR ACTIVITY AND CEREBRAL HEMODYNAMICS IN STUDENTS WITH DIFFERENT TYPES OF AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM REACTIVITY IN COGNITIVE TASK PERFORMANCE

Background. The current stage of human development is characterized by high dynamics of knowledge accumulation, acceleration of social and technical development. The need to study psychophysiological characteristics of cognitive activity with time limitation increases under these conditions. Time limit can make activity more efficient or less effective. Purpose. To study indicators of oculomotor activity and cerebral hemodynamics of students with different types of autonomic nervous system reactivity during cognitive activity. Materials and methods. The study involved 110 students of the Northern (Arctic) Federal University named after M.V. Lomonosov took part in the study (average age of students 19.0±0.5 years). To identify specific features of ensuring cognitive activity in different time conditions, the type of reactivity of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) was determined in the subjects using the VNS-Spectrum computer complex (Neurosoft). Students performed cognitive tasks without and with time limits. At the same time, eye movements were recorded using the stationary binocular eye tracking system iView X™ RED, 500 Hz, and cerebral hemodynamic parameters were recorded using the Reo-Spectrum 2 hardware and software complex (Neurosoft). The efficiency of cognitive activity of the participants was also assessed. Statistical analysis was performed using the application package IBM SPSS Statistics 22.0. Results. Students with different types of reactivity of the autonomic nervous system had different effectiveness of cognitive activity without time limitation and with time limitation. Students with a sympathotonic type of autonomic reactivity had a higher result in processing visual information under time pressure. These students had more stable statistical relationships between the parameters of oculomotor activity and cerebral hemodynamics. Representatives with a vagotonic type of reactivity of the autonomic nervous system had the lowest rates of success in cognitive activity. These students showed less stable structure of statistical relationships between oculomotor activity and cerebral hemodynamics Conclusion. General and specific changes in cerebral hemodynamics and oculomotor activity, features of the effectiveness of cognitive activity under time constraints in young people with different types of autonomic nervous system reactivity were identified.

Application of computational methods in problems of aeroballistics. determination of conjugate throwing angles and construction of ballistic trajectories

The problem of aeroballistics of non-reactive artillery projectiles is studied by means of a simplified mathematical model. The following problems are considered as separate subproblems: initial value problem, determination of the horizontal range of a projectile (4th order Runge-Kutta method with modification of polynomial interpolation); optimization problem (Powell's method), determination of the angles of maximum range — the throwing angles at which the maximum horizontal range is achieved; the boundary value problem (shooting method with Newton-Raphson method/ secant method/ polynomial interpolation), determination of throwing angles at a given distance and the problem of finding conjugate trajectories — the low and high angled trajectories, which achieve the same horizontal range of the projectile at different throwing angles; the inverse geodesy problem (Vincenty's formulae), determination of the geodesic distance between two geographical points on the WGS-84 non-spherical Earth model. The following characteristics are graphically illustrated as a function of throwing angles: horizontal and vertical ranges, maximum vertical and horizontal velocity components, magnitudes of terminal velocities, impact angle, and flight time of projectiles. The existence of conjugate trajectories is established and the strategy of sequential firing of projectiles with the aim of simultaneously hitting the target along different trajectories is determined. The programming of the numerical methods, the algorithm for solving the problem, and the visualization elements were implemented using the MATLAB application package, and the developed methodology and software have demonstrated their effectiveness and the possibility of their practical application.

Effectiveness of a fixed combination of empagliflozin with metformin in reduction of cardiovascular risk in patients with uncontrolled arterial hypertension and decompensated type 2 diabetes mellitus

Objective is to study the effectiveness of a fixed combination of empagliflozin and metformin in reducing cardiovascular risk in patients with uncontrolled arterial hypertension (AH) and decompensated type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). Materials and methods. 36 patients with uncontrolled AH and decompensated type 2 diabetes mellitus aged 45 to 60 were examined. Before inclusion in the study, all patients received standard antihypertensive (angiotensin‑converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or angiotensin‑II receptor blocker (ARB) in combination with a calcium channel blocker and a thiazide‑like diuretic), glucose‑lowering (metformin) and hypolipidemic (atorvastatin) therapy. However, target levels of blood pressure (BP), glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) and lipids were not achieved. After the initial examination, all patients were prescribed a fixed combination of empagliflozin and metformin at a dose of 12.5 mg/1000 mg 1—2 times a day, and antihypertensive and hypolipidemic therapy was continued. Re‑examination was carried out after 20 weeks. In the work, a statistical analysis of the obtained data was carried out using standard methods using Microsoft Excel 7.0 and SPSS 19.0 application packages. Results. The transfer of the examined patients from previous ineffective hypoglycemic therapy to a fixed combination of empagliflozin with metformin against the background of standard antihypertensive and hypolipidemic therapy made it possible to achieve the target levels of HbA1c in 69% of patients and target BP levels in 64%. The frequency of reaching target BP levels in the subgroup of patients who received ARB was significantly higher than in the subgroup of patients who received ACE inhibitors. The specified therapy contributed to a significant reduction in body weight, reaching the target levels of low‑density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL‑C) and non‑high‑density lipoprotein cholesterol (Non‑HDL‑C) in more than a third of patients, and reducing the severity of albuminuria in some patients. The tested therapy, in general, led to reduction in cardiovascular risk and did not cause side effects that could lead to discontinuation of treatment. Conclusions. The fixed combination of empagliflozin with metformin against the background of standard antihypertensive and hypolipidemic therapy in patients with uncontrolled hypertension and decompensated type 2 diabetes mellitus contributed to the achievement in the vast majority of patients of the target levels of HbA1c in the blood and BP levels, reduced body weight, positive changes in lipid metabolism and kidney function, and demonstrated the possibility of a significant reduction in cardiovascular risk. A more pronounced decrease in BP was detected in the case of a fixed combination of empagliflozin and metformin with ARB compared to ACE inhibitors in this category of patients.

The role of immune factors in the development of preterm birth

Preterm birth (PB) carries a high risk of developing neuropsychological development disorders, cognitive and somatic problems in the child. The maternal immune system plays a critical role in maintaining a physiological pregnancy. However, specific mechanisms and disorders of pregnancy development have been little studied. There is a lack of research on the role of immune competent cell (ICC) activation in preterm labor leading to uterine contractility. Understanding the importance of immune system factors in the formation of preterm birth may allow the development of strategies to prolong pregnancy and, thus, lead to improved perinatal outcomes. The purpose of the work is to study the role of immune factors in the development of preterm birth. Seventy pregnant women in the third trimester with recurrent miscarriage (RPL) and 25 healthy pregnant women (control group) were examined. Observed pregnant women with RPL were divided into two groups: Group I – patients who gave birth prematurely (n = 30); and Group II – patients who gave birth at term (n = 40). The population and subpopulation composition of peripheral blood lymphocytes was studied by cytofluorimetry using monoclonal antibodies to: CD3, CD4, CD8, CD16, CD19 (JSC "Sorbent", Russia) (FITC), CD11b (Beckman Coulter, USA); CD14, CD25, CD69, CD71, CD28, CD107a, HLA-DR (Beckman Coulter, USA) (PE). To create a database and conduct statistical research, the capabilities of an Excel spreadsheet and application packages (Megastat and Statistica 6.0) were used. When determining statistical significance between the study groups, the Mann-Whitney test was used for independent groups and the Wilcoxon test for dependent groups. Modulation of the number and functional activity of ICC in patients with RPL had a significant correlation with pregnancy outcome. Inadequate activation of the immune system is a factor that can lead to miscarriage. Termination of pregnancy before term is associated with subpopulation shifts, increased activation potencies of immunocompetent cells compared to full-term birth, which is an important feature of the inflammatory response. The identified immune changes will allow the development of early prevention methods and new approaches to the treatment of this pregnancy complication.

Использование компьютерной программы «ПРОЕКТ ВПУ» для проведения технологического расчета и анализа технологий обессоливания воды на ТЭС и АЭС

There are many viable options of desalination schemes that allow us to obtain purified water of the required quality. To conduct process design of a water treatment plant, thermal power plants and nuclear power plants use special software provided by manufacturers of ion exchangers and membrane elements. However, these software programs consider individual water treatment technologies and are attached to filter and membrane materials of a specific manufacturer. They do not provide the ability to calculate complete water desalination schemes, as well as determine the performance indicators of the water treatment plant. It is relevant to develop a software program that allows us to conduct process design of complete water treatment schemes, which include various water treatment technologies, and to determine technological, environmental, and technical-economic indicators. Multivariate calculations with different initial data will allow us to identify the advantages and disadvantages of scheme solutions and determine areas of their rational use. The method of mathematical modeling of chemical and technological processes of water treatment at thermal power plants and nuclear power plants has been used. An application software program “PROJECT WTP” has been developed. It is designed for process design of various water treatment schemes, which are visually assembled from individual elements, and allows one to determine the technological, environmental, and performance indicators of the operation of water treatment plant. Computation data on the auxiliary need coefficient has been obtained for the main water desalination schemes and under condition of different mineralization of the source water. The developed software program can be used for process design of various water treatment schemes and assessment of the degree of improvement of water desalination technology.

Marine Ecological Damage Assessment Model for Offshore Oil Extraction

<p>With the progress of society and the development of the economy, people’s awareness of environmental protection is also becoming stronger. Therefore, the damage caused by marine oil spills caused by offshore oil extraction to marine ecology is also receiving more and more attention from people. Marine ecological damage assessment involves various disciplines such as environmental chemistry, biology, toxicology, and hydrodynamics, and requires a large amount of data support, making it a challenge in the field of marine claims. To quantitatively evaluate marine oil spill accidents, the Spill Impact Model Application Package model is used as the system framework to build a marine ecological damage assessment model. The MIKE21 model is used for physical fate simulation, while the biological effects model is used for resource damage assessment of the ecological environment and aquatic organisms. The model is validated using the oil spill accident in Dongshan Bay as an example. The validation results show that the total loss of aquatic organisms under conditions 1 and 2 is 67.30 tons and 56.03 tons, respectively. Under condition 1, the ecological environment of coral and mangroves is affected by an area of 8.805km2 and 5.859km2, respectively, resulting in a loss of 19.5168 million yuan in ecological resources. Under condition 2, the ecological environment of coral and mangroves is affected by an area of 7.646 km2 and 13.515 km2, respectively, resulting in a loss of 26.322 million yuan in ecological resources. In summary, it can be seen that the research on marine ecological damage assessment models for offshore oil extraction provides certain reference value for the field of marine ecological damage assessment in China.</p>

Features of the course of the new coronavirus infection COVID-19 in patients with chronic kidney disease

BACKGROUND: CKD is one of the main comorbidities in those who die from COVID-19. Renal injury is the most common nonpulmonary infection of SARS-CoV-2 and has a wide range of manifestations, ranging from mild proteinuria and hematuria to progressive acute kidney injury (AKI) requiring renal replacement therapy (RRT).THE AIM: to study the features of the course of the new coronavirus infection COVID-19 in patients with chronic kidney disease.PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study included 79 patients with confirmed new coronavirus infection COVID-19 who hospitalized. The first group consisted of people with a history of CKD (44 people), the second group included people without a history of CKD (35 people). The diagnosis of CKD established based on the calculation of glomerular filtration rate using the CKD-EPI formula. The comorbidity index calculated using two scales: Charlson and CIRS-G. Statistical data analysis carried out using the Statistica 12.0 application package (StatSoft Inc., USA).RESULTS: Patients with COVID-19 and CKD had a higher comorbidity index: according to the Charlson index in one group of patients the indicator was 7 [5.0-9.0], and in group 2 it was 5 [4.0-6.0] (p<0.001). According to the CIRS-G index, in one group the indicator was 9 [7-11.5], in two group it was 4 [2-6] (p <0.001). Patients in one group had a greater degree of damage to the lung tissue according to MSCT of the OGK; in laboratory tests, the levels of CRP, ferritin, LDH, and d-dimer were higher; leukocytosis with a neutrophil shift in the leukocyte count observed.CONCLUSION: Patients with a history of chronic kidney disease (CKD) had more severe COVID-19 and higher mortality.

Fish 3D Locomotion app: a user-friendly computer application package for automatic data calculation and endpoint extraction for novel tank behavior in fish.

This paper introduces the Fish 3D Locomotion app (F3LA), a Python-based, Graphical User Interface (GUI)-equipped tool designed to automate behavioral endpoint extraction in zebrafish locomotion assays. Building on our previous work, which utilized a specialized aquatic tank with a mirror and a single camera for fish movement tracking in three dimensions, F3LA significantly enhances data processing efficiency. Its accuracy was tested by reanalyzing and comprehensively comparing the calculated data with the previously published data from prior publications. From the comparison results, 90% of endpoints showed a similar statistical difference result. These minor differences were due to the different starting points for the dataset and updated calculation formulas that are implemented in F3LA. In addition, shoaling area or shoaling volume calculations are also included in F3LA as a new feature that can serve as sensitive indicators of social cohesion, group dynamics, or stress responses, offering insights into neuropsychological conditions or the effects of pharmacological interventions. Furthermore, F3LA offers a marked improvement over manual operations, being at least five times faster, while maintaining consistent accuracy as it reduces human-induced errors, ensuring a higher degree of reliability in the results. Finally, the potency of F3LA was tested to evaluate the toxicities of 14 rare earth elements (REEs) to the adult zebrafish behaviors. Based on the results, our findings suggested that each tested REE altered fish behaviors in different patterns and magnitudes to each other. However, among the tested light rare earth elements (LREEs), neodymium was demonstrated to cause more relatively severe behavior alterations than other LREEs, indicated by the statistically higher value of entropy (0.2695 ± 0.04977 (mean with a standard deviation)) than the control group (0.2352 ± 0.05896). Meanwhile, in terms of heavy rare earth elements (HREEs), erbium seemed to lead to more distinct behavior toxicities than other HREEs, which was shown by the statistically lower level of fractal dimension (2.022 ± 0.3412) than the untreated group (2.255 ± 0.1661). Taken together, F3LA's development marks a significant advance in high-throughput toxicological and pharmacological assessments in zebrafish, leveraging three-dimensional locomotion data for a more comprehensive analysis of fish behavior performance, providing a significant contribution to research in various fields.

Experience in using ceramics (Si3N4) as a material for rolling bearings of high-speed machines

To analyse the influence of the material of the rolling elements (steel and ceramics) of a high-speed ball bearing on the stresses in the contact zone of the rolling elements and rings and on friction losses in the contact zone.The study considers the outer ring of an angular contact ball bearing, which is loaded with additional centrifugal force. A nonstationary nonlinear volumetric interaction problem between the ball and the raceway was solved to determine the contact angle using the “DYNA” application package. The values of contact stresses for ceramic and steel rolling elements of a hybrid ball bearing are determined, as well as the value of deformations of balls and raceways based on Hertz's theory. The specific friction power deals with the differential slipping of the rolling elements relative to the raceway was estimated.Analysis of the behaviour of the bearings at different rotation speeds showed that at rotational speeds of more than 7000 rad/s, bearings with ceramic rolling elements of the considered standard size have advantages in contact strength. In addition, it was found out that at high rotational speeds, the friction power of the ceramic rolling elements is almost two times less than the friction power of the steel rolling elements.The research results relate to rolling ball bearings operating at a speed parameter dn of up to 4∙106 mm∙rpm and the analysis of friction losses is limited to losses from differential slip, which suggests further research of other components of losses.The study can justify the choice of bearing type (steel or ceramic rolling elements) depending on the operating speed and the lubrication and cooling system, which depends on the level of heat generation in the bearing.The work obtained original results of contact stresses and friction loss components for a certain type of bearing in a wide range of rotation speeds.

INDUKSI TEKNOLOGI PENJUALAN ONLINE PADA PELANGI RASA KARANGLO POLANHARJO KLATEN

This activity aims to introduce online sales technology as a sales strategy for Pelangi Rasa Small and Medium Enterprises, Karanglo Polanharjo Village, Klaten. The application package that will be applied to partners is an online sales application. The team will conduct training on marketing strategies through online sales for the sustainability of Pelangi Rasa Small and Medium Enterprises. This activity targets expanding marketing locations through online product sales. Technology induction activities are carried out in five stages, namely (1) Material preparation, (2) Training, (3) Equipment preparation, system configuration and system implementation, (4) Mentoring, and (5) Monitoring. At the material preparation stage, the team will compile a module, namely the use of online sales applications. The module creation will be equipped with presentation material that will be used in training sessions. The training stage uses discussion and demonstration methods so that partners can easily understand the material presented. This stage will concentrate on the introduction of online sales technology as a sales marketing strategy. In the equipment preparation, system configuration, and program implementation stages, the team and partners will work together to prepare equipment in the form of hardware and software. Partners, accompanied by the service team, will carry out the system configuration. Partners, with assistance from the service team, will carry out the program implementation process, which consists of implementing online sales applications. The service team will carry out the monitoring stage periodically and continuously. In the initial stage, monitoring will be carried out once a week to see the partners' progress in implementing the program. Furthermore, monitoring will be carried out once a month to see the impact of program implementation on partners regarding online sales at Pelangi Rasa Small and Medium Enterprises.

READINESS OF PEDIATRICIANS TO FORM A VALUE ATTITUDE OF PATIENTS TO THEIR HEALTH

Background. At present, the Russian state, medical and educational communities are concerned about the health of the younger generation. In this regard, at the stage of training pediatricians in residency, there is a very acute issue related to the search for approaches, means and methods of training that contribute to the formation of the readiness of such specialists to carry out psychological and pedagogical activities and solve pedagogical problems, in the process of professional medical activity, one of which is the education of the value attitude of children to their own health. From 2022 to 2023 academic year, an experimental study was conducted at the Faculty of Retraining and Continuing Professional Education at the St. Petersburg State Pediatric Medical University, aimed at to studying evaluate the pediatrician's level of psychological and pedagogical knowledge formation and pedagogical skills which are related to their readiness to the psychological and pedagogical type of activity and the solution of pedagogical problems in medical practice. Purpose. To identify changes in the state of psychological and pedagogical knowledge and the motivational orientation of pediatricians to the formation of the value attitude of patients to health during the experimental work, conditioned by the contextual approach to the study of the discipline "Pedagogy". Materials and methods. The study involved 300 first-year pediatricians with an average age of 25.48±2.03 years, including 233 women and 67 men. All respondents were divided into two groups (150 people each) – the main group and the control group – according to the criterion of participation in the experimental work, which involved the use of a contextual approach in the process of studying the discipline of the Pedagogy curriculum. Residents agreed to conduct research procedures. In advance, the authors of the article received permission from the Local Ethics Committee of the St. Petersburg State Pediatric Medical University to organize an experimental study. The methodology of the study consisted of adapted questionnaires and questionnaires. The followingstatistical methods were used: Wilcoxon T-test (for related samples); the analysis of correlations between the studied parameters was carried out using the C. Spearman criterion. The calculation of the results was carried out using the application package of the program "IBM SPSS Statistics 27". Results. Experimental research work has revealed changes in the level of formation of psychological and pedagogical knowledge and pedagogical skills that ensure the readiness of pediatricians to carry out psychological and pedagogical activities in the process of medical practice and to solve the pedagogical problem aimed at educating the value attitude of patients to their own health. Conclusions. The results of the experimental study indicate the need to use a contextual approach in the process of training pediatricians for psychological and pedagogical activities, and as a didactic means of teaching - medical and pedagogical situations recreated or modeled by specialists.

THE HISTORY OF USING INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND SPORTS

This article examines the historical development and implementation of information technologies in physical education and sports. Through comprehensive analysis of scientific literature and online sources, the study explores early innovations in computer programs and software applications designed for biomechanical analysis, monitoring of physical condition, training modeling, and individualized program creation in sports and fitness. Key contributions from researchers at the National University of Physical Education and Sports of Ukraine are highlighted, including significant developments in posture analysis, foot diagnostics, and video-based motion capture systems. The paper thoroughly reviews specialized software for professional bodybuilding, aqua aerobics, family health management, and student physical education, demonstrating the breadth of applications across various domains. A detailed classification system for information technologies in physical culture and sports is presented, categorizing applications by areas such as sports training, physical education, and rehabilitation. The research demonstrates the widespread adoption of information technologies across diverse aspects of physical education and sports, enabling sophisticated biomechanical assessments, comprehensive physical state monitoring, advanced training simulations, and personalized program development. The authors conclude that information technologies have become integral tools in enhancing physical education and sports practices, with significant potential for further implementation in higher education curricula. The study also emphasizes the need for continued research and development in this rapidly evolving field, particularly in areas such as virtual reality applications and mobile technologies for promoting physical activity and health.

Мікрорівнева адаптація окремих органів і тканин стерляді (Acipenser ruthenus Linnaeus, 1758) в умовах теплового стресу

Purpose. To evaluate the variability of the histological parameters of individual organs and tissues of sterlet, to establish the level of effect of heat stress on the physiological status of fish and the degree of their adaptation. To determine the perspective of using histological monitoring data in fish farming practice. Methodology. The primary materials were obtained in aquarium conditions of the Aquatic Bioresources Laboratory of the Kherson State Agrarian and Economic University. The laboratory processing of histological samples was performed according to generally accepted methods and manuals. Histological studies were carried out using the author’s equipment and original methods, specially intended for the diagnostics of fish tissues. The obtained results were processed by methods of variational statistics using a package of appropriate MS Excel applications, with emphasis on the standard error. Findings. Microanatomical studies of sterlet showed that under conditions of heat stress, the most significant changes occur in adipose tissue, somatic and cardiac muscle tissue, thyroid gland and renal tissue, which can conditionally be considered as bioindicative zones. Under the potential influence of the thermal factor, the response of sterlet is expressed in a decrease in the lipid content in the accompanying muscles of adipose tissue. The effect is visualized in the fragmentation and subsequent shredding of lipid vacuoles, which leads to variability in adipocyte shape from stellate to spindle-shaped. The obtained results indicate a decrease in the excretion of thyroid hormones into the bloodstream by the thyroid gland and is expressed in a gradual increase in the diameter of the thyroid follicles (by 16.0 µm and 26.5 µm) and a corresponding decrease in the height of the follicular cells (by 1.1 µm and 2.0 µm), which is statistically significant. Intensive development of “additional” follicles inside existing ones indicates the prevention of thyroid intoxication of the body, which indicates the development of an adaptive reaction of the body. Comparative studies of the ventricular myocardium of fish allowed establishing certain morphological differences in the form of moderate interstitial edema of the tissue and intracellular edema of cardiomyocytes. In the final phase of the experiment, karyopyknosis was locally observed in the ventricular cardiomyocytes of 50% of stressed fish. Somatic muscle tissue is generally resistant to stress, but the rate of its development at elevated temperatures slows down. Characteristic signs of the histological picture of muscle stress are approximately the same ratio of stromal and parenchymal components, the central orientation of the nuclei within a single muscle fiber and insufficient filling of the fibers with the fibrillar component. Antidiuretic hormone is forcedly released in fish under conditions of heat stress, which leads to a decrease in the volume of the primary filtrate. Evidence is a narrow gap in the urinary space between the visceral and parietal layers of the renal corpuscle. Originality. New data are presented and existing data on the histological structure of individual organs and tissues of sterlet under stress loads are significantly expanded. For the first time, a detailed histological analysis of the structure of muscle, adipose tissue, as well as the kidney and thyroid gland of sterlet under heat stress conditions was carried out. The comparative analysis, current and updated information on compensatory changes in tissues demonstrate their adaptive potential, which was developed during the evolution of the species. Practical Value. The information obtained is of value in morphophysiological studies as well as in fish farming practice in connection with the modern problem of a decrease in the life status of fish under stress. The use of the obtained data allows a qualitative assessment of the physiological state and can be used in the process of developing corrective measures in order to consolidate hereditary resistance, which is ultimately aimed at preventing diseases of valuable aquaculture objects. Keywords: sterlet, heat stress, adaptation, muscle tissue, thyroid gland, myocardium, adipose tissue, renal tissue.

Comparative Characteristics of Eating Behavior, Habits, and Patterns of Normal and Overweight Children, Including Obese Children

Introduction: One of the reasons for the high prevalence of overweight and obesity among adults, and especially children and adolescents, is eating habits and eating behavior, which are formed by the rules of nutrition established in the family. Purpose of the Study: Conduct a comparative assessment of the nature of nutrition and eating habits of overweight schoolchildren, including obesity, and those with normal body weight to justify the development of measures aimed at preventing the formation of overweight and alimentary-related diseases. Materials and Methods: The materials for the study were the data of a survey of 2029 schoolchildren aged 7-17. The survey program included questions reflecting knowledge of the principles of healthy eating and adherence to its principles in family and school meals, the structure and mode of eating were studied. Statistical analysis was carried out using STATISTICA 10 and Microsoft Excel application packages. Parametric methods of analysis were used. Differences were considered statistically significant at p<0.05. Results: A high frequency of adherence to the consumption of high-calorie foods was established, which is typical both for respondents with overweight and obesity, and with normal body weight. In the group of children with overweight and obesity, a higher frequency of food intake was revealed both on weekends and on school days 75.4% versus 65.6% and in the group with normal body weight, respectively, 73.4% versus 60.8% (p≤0.05), which is largely due to the greater proportion of children in this group who eat according to the main diet at school (73.2% versus 59.3%, p≤0.05), as well as attending the canteen in addition to the main nutrition (78.6% vs. 14.3%, (p≤0.05), more often buying main meat and fish dishes (6.7% vs. 4.8%), cereals (1.8% vs. 7%), sausages or wieners (4.0% vs. 1.1%), less often - fruits (2.7% vs. 3.4%), which increases the energy value of the diet compared to children with normal body weight. Conclusion: The study made it possible to identify violations of eating behavior and eating habits in schoolchildren with different BMI indicators, which pose additional risks of overweight and obesity in schoolchildren. Habits in the group of children with overweight, which are the source of the formation of risk factors for diseases associated with overweight and obesity, as well as the peculiarities of eating habits in the group of children with normal body weight. The data obtained require the need to develop preventive measures aimed at creating positive motivation in children to reduce the consumption of critically important nutrients, develop healthy eating habits, and consume food that is balanced with regard to actual energy consumption and physiological need for food and biologically valuable substances.

Benchmarking Android Malware Analysis Tools

Today, malware is arguably one of the biggest challenges organisations face from a cybersecurity standpoint, regardless of the types of devices used in the organisation. One of the most malware-attacked mobile operating systems today is Android. In response to this threat, this paper presents research on the functionalities and performance of different malicious Android application package analysis tools, including one that uses machine learning techniques. In addition, it investigates how these tools streamline the detection, classification, and analysis of malicious Android Application Packages (APKs) for Android operating system devices. As a result of the research included in this article, it can be highlighted that the AndroPytool, a tool that uses machine learning (ML) techniques, obtained the best results with an accuracy of 0.986, so it can be affirmed that the tools that use artificial intelligence techniques used in this study are more efficient in terms of detection capacity. On the other hand, of the online tools analysed, Virustotal and Pithus obtained the best results. Based on the above, new approaches can be suggested in the specification, design, and development of new tools that help to analyse, from a cybersecurity point of view, the code of applications developed for this environment.

Влияние авторского контента студентов в социальных сетях на процессы продвижения бренда образовательной организации

Background: The high level of competition in the educational services market in the Russian Federation is due to the large number of offers from public and private educational organizations of higher education. In accordance with current legislation, an applicant has the right to apply to several universities in the country at once and, as a rule, upon admission, gives preference to those whose brand is most famous. All this dictates the need to actively promote the brand of an educational organization using the capabili-ties of the mass media. At the same time, the budgets of regional educational organizations are often limited in the ability to conduct full-fledged advertising campaigns and do not provide funding for marketing activities to promote the university brand.Aim: to determine the impact of students’ original content on social networks on the processes of promoting the brand of an edu-cational organization. Materials and methods: An analysis of modern open access literary sources on the problem of forming the image and promoting the brand of an educational organization, as well as a content analysis of publications in social networks and the media, was carried out. The empirical basis of the study consisted of materials from a sociological study carried out using Googleforms, N = 520, average age (22.2 ± 2.37). The author's questionnaire underwent sociological and ethical examination; the norms of confidentiality and autonomy were observed in relation to the respondents. Mathematical data processing was carried out using variation statistics methods using the Excel for Windows Statistica 21.0 application package. Results: In just one month, students published 25 gaming videos on their personal pages for Russian Student Day. Each of them received from 2 to 20 thousand impressions during the competition. Students accompanied their publications with the hashtags speci-fied in the competition conditions, which made it possible to systematize the posted material, and when searching for information about the university on a social network, quickly find the necessary content. Conclusion: It has been shown that systematization in the collection, planning, and dissemination of information contributes to the rapid promotion of a positive image in the external and internal environment due to the displacement of negative information reasons from the agenda, provides the ability to manage information flows, and minimizes information risks.

Центр патологии сетчатки в рамках новой модели организационной структуры по профилю «Офтальмология» при диабетической ретинопатии.

Relevance. The most serious consequences of the global epidemic of diabetes are its systemic vascular complications, one of which is diabetic retinopathy as the most common cause of visual function loss among diabetic patients and the leading cause of blindness and visual impairment among the working population. However, with a well-organized screening system and early detection of this complication, more than 80% of cases of blindness and visual impairment can be prevented or treated. One of such approaches is the establishment of a specialized ophthalmological Center, which will elevate medical care for patients with diabetes complications to a qualitatively new level. Purpose of the study is to evaluate the functional role of the created retinal pathology centre within the framework of the new information and technological model of medical care in the profile «ophthalmology» for diabetic retinopathy in the Tomsk region. Materials and methods. The data of the federal statistical observation form No. 12 were used as materials. Statistical analysis methods: analytical; descriptive statistical method. The critical level of significance was set at p <0.05 (95%). Data processing was carried out using electronic spreadsheets «MSOffice Excel 2010» and the application package «Statistica» for Windows 10.0. Results. In the Tomsk region, a project is being implemented to introduce a unified organizational model of telemedicine service for monitoring diabetic retinopathy based on artificial intelligence technology, including a regional expert Center for retinal pathology as the main organizational and methodological unit, operating in close collaboration with healthcare institutions in the Tomsk region. Тhe Center’s task is early detection of diabetic retinopathy with further organizational and methodological support for identified cases. The activities of the Center are regulated by regional legal documentation aimed at regulating its work and adapting a new patient routing scheme for patients with diabetic retinopathy. The expected results of the project will reduce the predicted visual disability due to diabetic retinopathy in the Tomsk region to 80%, which will have a positive impact on the main performance indicators of the ophthalmological service in the region. Findings. The model allows for the integration of the Center for Retinal Pathology, prevention rooms of medical organizations, including remote municipal entities of the Tomsk region, equipped with ophthalmological fundus cameras for digital retinal photography, the ability to exchange data between networked medical organizations and the Center for Retinal Pathology. All these organizational changes will have a positive impact on reducing the overall prevalence of diabetic retinopathy in the region.

Understanding how a non-National Institute for Health and Care Excellence technology appraisal drug is added to the hospital drug formulary

Abstract Introduction In England, only medications listed in a hospital formulary can be used to treat patients in a National Health Service (NHS) hospital. Medications approved by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) via technology appraisal (TA)1 are included in hospital formularies.[1] Non-NICE TA medications need to be reviewed by the hospital’s drug and therapeutics committee (DTC) for inclusion in the hospital formulary. Research shows that different DTCs make contrary decisions concerning the same non-NICE TA drug request for inclusion in the hospital formulary, contributing to postcode prescribing and inequality in medication access.[2] To understand how and why different DTCs make different decisions, it is vital to understand how a non-NICE TA drug is added to a hospital formulary. Aim To identify the process and variations when adding a non-NICE TA drug to a hospital formulary. Methods As part of a larger study, the DTC of a tertiary centre where this research was based developed and sent a questionnaire exploring DTC processes to Chief Pharmacists (via Microsoft Forms) of ten large tertiary centres in England. After completing the questionnaire, a semi-structured interview was conducted with each Chief Pharmacist to clarify ambiguity in the questionnaire responses. Only data regarding how a non-NICE TA is added to the hospital formulary was used in this study. A hierarchical task analysis (HTA) was developed; data were analysed using inductive thematic analysis to identify subgoals, tasks and subtasks required to add a non-NICE TA drug to the hospital formulary. The HTA was developed iteratively. Results A total of ten Chief Pharmacists (100% of those approached) completed both the questionnaire and interview. Adding a non-NICE TA drug starts with the applicant requesting and completing an application package, followed by obtaining approval to submit the application package for review. Once approval is granted, the application package goes through three review levels: initial, preliminary, and final review. The non-NICE TA drug is added to the formulary once the application package is clinically and financially approved. This process involves over 100 tasks and subtasks. The process described varied from one centre to another with the following main variations: 1. application package components, 2. how the application package is submitted for approval, 3. the depth of review the application package receives, and 4. how the final review is conducted. Conclusion Adding a non-NICE TA drug to a hospital formulary is complex and varied across each centre, indicating a lack of national standardisation in the process. The variations identified could contribute to health inequalities as all patients may not have equal access to the same medications. Therefore, further research is required to study the impact of these variations on patient access to medication via the NHS. Currently, there are no studies in the literature that described the process of adding a non-NICE TA drug to the hospital formulary across the tertiary centres in England. The study only included tertiary centres in England and there should be caution when considering the transferability of the findings to other types of hospitals.

The effects of Juniperi fructus essential oil and vacuum packing on the shelf life of rainbow trout fillets during storage at 2±1°C.

We hypothesized that the combined effect of vacuum packaging and Juniperi fructus essential oil addition would increase shelf life. Six different treatments were tested. The effects of the different concentrations of J. fructus essential oil (0%, 0.3% and 0.6%) and packing method (non-vacuum and vacuum) on the fish (Oncorhynchus mykiss) fillets of stored 4±1 °C were investigated in terms of its microbiological (mesophilic aerobic bacteria and yeast-mold), chemical (pH, total volatile alkaline nitrogen (TVB-N), thiobarbituric acid (TBA value)) and sensory quality. The results showed that J. fructus essential oil had a positive significant effect on quality parameters (p<0.05). In conclusion, based primarily on sensory, TVB-N and mesophilic bacteria data the shelf-life of fresh rainbow trout was 4 days (non-vacuum packaged), 13 days (vacuum packaged), 19 and 28 days treated with J. fructus oil (0.3 and 0.6%, v/w) under vacuum packaged, respectively. J. fructus essential oil application and vacuum packaging; extended the shelf life of fish fillets by an average of 15 days. The combined use of J. fructus essential oil and packaging techniques could form the basis for new studies.