Measured Research Articles

Effect of beeswax and coconut oil as natural coating agents on morphological, degradation behaviour, and water barrier properties of mycelium-based composite in modified controlled environment

Non-degradable coatings made of petroleum-based plastics hinder the degradation performance of products. This highlights the urgent need to develop biodegradable, bio-based coatings derived from renewable resources to create a more sustainable and greener world with a smaller environmental footprint. This study endeavours to examine the effects of beeswax and coconut oil additions on the morphological, degradation, and water-barrier properties of mycelium-based composite (MBC). Coconut oil is supplemented with varying amounts of beeswax, comprising 0, 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100 wt%. Dip coating is applied to prepare coated-MBC at 65 °C for 2 min. The coated-MBC is characterized by water absorption test, water loss measurement, density measurement, yeast and mould test, shrinkage measurement, weight loss measu rement, soil burial test, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and macroscopic appearance. Findings revealed that a higher composition of beeswax (80 BW) leads to lower water absorption ability (26.25 %) and no fungal growth for 36 days, in contrast to uncoated-MBC (0 BW), which are used as a reference sample.

Endemic and Rare Plants of Chhattisgarh

The paper deals with an account of endemic and rare plants of Chhattisgarh a newly constituted state of Indian union. Four species viz., Staurogyne perpusilla Henry & Balakr., Maytenus bailadillana (Narayan & Mooney) Raju & Babu, Eriocaulon rajendrababui Ansari & Balakr. and E. raipurense Khanna, Mudgal & Kumar are endemic to the state. Further, 481 taxa are rare in the state. Various conservation measures have been proposed in the paper.

Stopping epistaxis: a step-by-step approach

Spontaneous epistaxis is often encountered in the practice of ENT-specialists. Suc cessful treatment of this group of patients requires adherence to a certain sequence of mea sures, that is a step-by-step approach to stopping nosebleeds. The first step is tampon-free methods, among which electrocoagulation of a bleeding vessel takes a crucial place.

Financial sovereignty as one of Russia’s strategic objectives at the present stage

Ensuring the financial sovereignty of the country is one of the key tasks to achieve national goals by 2030. The financial system of the Russian Federation (hereinafter referred to as Russia, RF) should do everything necessary to guarantee the financing of those needs that had been previously funded by Western countries. To do this, the inflow of long-term savings and investments in fast-growing high-tech projects is to be provided. President of RF during the meeting with members of the Government of Russia on January 11, 2023 noted the main directions of the Government’s work for 2023. One of the directions is strengthening the financial sovereignty of the RF which is a condition to increase investments in the country’s economy. M. V. Mishustin, Prime Minister of Russia, speaking with the Government’s report in the State Duma of Russia, mentioned that to achieve the financial sovereignty of the state is one of the important tasks for the current year. Attracting long-term financial resources to the economy, investment attractiveness and providing financial support for fast-growing technology companies are the main conditions to solve this problem. Thus, the Government of RF have developed five main directions for the task implementation in order to fulfill the instructions of President of RF. The purpose of this article is to consider the main measures aimed at achieving financial sovereignty in the current conditions. The activities of the Government of RF and the Bank of Russia on the implementation of the discussed mea sures are analysed as the results of the study. The main conclusion of the article is the justification of financial sovereignty role in increasing the prestige of the Russian economy.

The Role of Mesons in Light-by-Light Scattering at Low Transverse Momentum

Abstract. Light-by-Light scattering involves the interaction of two strong elec tromagnetic fields, resulting in the emission of two photons. In the next years, the ALICE 3 experiment is going to measure photons in the transverse mo mentum range pt = 1 - 50 MeV and 100 - 5000 MeV, which have not been investigated so far. Moving to a lower range of pt imposes a consideration of low-energy meson resonances which decay into two-photon channel. Further more, experimental possibilities to investigate the VDM-Regge mechanism are discussed. The role of the vertical background in light-by-light scattering mea surements is also shown.

On the reduction of geodetic and gravimetric measurements on technogenic and geodynamic polygons

On the reduction of geodetic and gravimetric measurements on technogenic and geodynamic polygons

Алгоритмы дискретной фильтрации на основе модифицированной взвешенной ортогонализации Грама –Шмидта для дискретных стохастических систем с мультипликативными и аддитивными шумами

Discrete-time stochastic systems with multiplicative and additive noises describe a wide class of mathematical models of complex systems, for example, industrial-technological, energy, economic, telecommunication, aerospace systems, etc. An important class of algorithms for processing measure ment information in complex systems are Kalman-type discrete-time filtering algorithms. Purpose. Construction of new discrete-time filtering algorithms for discrete-time linear systems with multiplicative and additive noises based on numerically stable modified weighted Gram – Schmidt orthogonalization (MWGS). Methodology. The methods of computational linear algebra were used, namely, the direct procedu re of MWGS-orthogonalization, the theory of Kalman filtering, methods of scientific programming in MATLAB. Findings. New LD-algorithms for discrete-time filtering in covariance and informational form for discrete-time stochastic systems with multiplicative and additive noises are constructed. The algorithms have an extended array form allowing updates for all necessary filter values. The method employs numerically stable modified weighted Gram – Schmidt orthogonalization. Algebraic equiva lence of LD-filters to Kalman-type covariance and informational algorithms for linear discrete time stochastic systems with multiplicative and additive noises is proved. The conducted numerical experiments have shown the effectiveness of the proposed algorithms using the example of solving the problem of parametric estimation of a model of almost rectilinear motion, as well as their savings in computation time compared to previously constructed UD filters. Value. New discrete-time filtering LD-algorithms can be used as a reliable computational alterna tive to the Kalman-type “standard algorithms” since they have the property being numerically stable to machine round-off errors due to the use of the MWGS orthogonalization computational procedure at each iteration of the algorithm. The results can be used to solve problems of measurement information processing in discrete-time systems with multiplicative and additive noise.

Clinical efficiency of the cleaved high-molecular-weight kininogen detection in the diagnosis of hereditary angioedema

Hereditary angioedema (HAE) is an orphan genetically determined disorder with recurrent episodes of swelling in various localization. HAE is divided into two groups: HAE with C1-inhibitor deficiency and without C1-inhibitor deficiency. The main diagnostic tests are: meas urements of levels and function of C1-inhibitor, and levels of C4. These tests are not useful in all cases, for example, in HAE without C1-inhibitor deficiency. The detection of cleaved high-molecular-weight kininogen (cHK), which, even in remission, is expected to be elevated both in patients with HAE due to C1-inhibitor deficiency and in HAE with normal C1-inhibitor is a promising biomarker. The aim of this study was to determine the clinical efficiency of the cHK detection in the diagnosis of HAE. According to the results of the measurements of cHK, the patients were divided into two groups. Group №1 (100% of cHK): 27 patients, of which 19 in the study regions had variants associated with HAE, 8 didn’t have. Group №2 (not 100% of cHK): 13 patients, of which one patient had a variant associated with HAE, 12 didn’t have. The obtained data demonstrate acceptable results of using the measurement of cleaved high- molecular-weight kininogen in laboratory practice in the diagnosis of HAE.

Modeling the response of a field probe for nondestructive measurements of the magnetic susceptibility of soils

AbstractNondestructive volume magnetic susceptibility measurements (MS) from the surface do not provide information about the depth distribution of a magnetic material or about the amount of magnetic material. We have developed a model that can be used to predict the volume magnetic susceptibility from the surface for a given (known or hypothesized) stratification of the magnetic layers in the soil profile. The measurements were performed with the MS2D Bartington sensor. The antenna signal from the MS2D probe decreases rapidly with depth. We show that the relative decrease in MS depends not only on the concentration of the magnetic tracer, but also on the distribution of the magnetic tracer in the soil profile. The decrease in sensitivity was fitted with a double exponential function. The function was implemented in a newly developed MagHut model. The MagHut model is a tool that can be used for forward modeling of the volume magnetic susceptibility when the tracer distribution in the soil profile is known. The model was successfully calibrated and validated with the measured data and with data from the literature. The Nash–Sutcliffe coefficients for goodness of fit were above 0.99 in all cases. MagHut can help interpret MS mapping results or it can be used to optimize amount and placement of the magnetic tracer for soil erosion experiments. However, the MagHut tool is only limited to the top 10 cm of the soil profile and cannot replace, but only complement, the standard procedure of occasional soil profile sampling and laboratory mass MS measurements.

Application of a Phase Resolved Partial Discharge Pattern Analysis for Acoustic Emission Method in High Voltage Insulation Systems Diagnostics

An alternative method for analysis of acoustic emission (AE) signals generated by partial discharges (PD), based on a correlation between voltage phase run and AE pulses, so called phase resolved PD pattern (PRPD), is presented in the paper. PRPD pattern is a well-known analysis tool commonly used in such PD diagnostic methods as conventional electrical and UHF ones. Moreover, it yields various signal analysis abilities and allows a direct correlation indication between measurement results achieved using different methods. An original PRPD measurement methodology applied for AE method as well as some exemplary measurement results and further data analysis capabilities are presented in the paper. Also a comparative analysis of PRPD patterns achieved using various measurement methods and different PD source configurations have been investigated. All presented experiments were done under laboratory conditions using PD model sources immersed in the insulation oil. The main purpose of the presented research is to indicate an all-embracing analytical tool that yields an ability to direct comparison (qualitative as well as quantitative) of the AE measurement results with other commonly applied PD measurement methods. The presented results give a solid fundamental for further research work concerning a direct correlation method for AE and other described in the paper diagnostic techniques, mainly in order to continue PD phenomena analysis and assessment in real life high voltage apparatus insulation systems under normal onsite operation conditions.

Tire and Engine Sources Contribution to Vehicle Interior Noise and Vibration Exposure Levels

The main objective of the research presented in this paper is to enhance driver-passengers comfort of a vehicle that in turn leads to better vehicle safety and stability. The focus was put on studying the interior vibration and noise contributions originated from tire-road and engine-transmission subsystems, due to their significant impact on the dynamic performance of the vehicle. The noise and vibration measurements were recorded at the driver’s head position and on the driver legs room. Furthermore, the influence of different tire types and road surface textures on the vehicle interior noise and vibration were considered. The results indicate that the widely used conventional engine mounts and tires in commercial vehicles cannot fulfill the conflicting requirements for the best isolation concerning both road surface and engine-transmission induced excitations. The values of driver’s head position sound pressure level and floor vibration acceleration broadband averages originate for engine-transmission are lower than that for tire-road interaction. Furthermore, the values of RMS, crest factor, kurtosis and IRI for the vehicle waveform were estimated for vehicle speeds, tire types and road surface textures. Moreover, the percentage contribution for both interior noise and vibration originated from tire-road interaction is higher than the one from vehicle engine-transmission system in all the vehicle speed range, tire type and road surface texture considered.

Parental generativity. The concept and measurement

Parental generativity. The concept and measurement

GAIT MEASUREMENT METHODS: SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND COMPARATIVE STUDIES

Gait analysis is one of the highly focused research areas inviting attention of academicians and practitioners. Being a prominent analytical tool to detect the abnormalities and onset of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), abundant literature is published in this area. Though a large number of gait analysis methods (GMSs) for motion analysis are available in the literature, very few studies are available to showcase the comparative analysis and applicability of various techniques. This study seeks to provide useful recapitulation of various gait measurement methods and interrogates the relative prevalence of various GMS based on the applications by various researchers. The paper summarizes the findings of a systematic review on gait measurement methods carried out using the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) methodology. Fifty-three research papers published during 1998–2021 were included for critical review. The categories of gait measure ment systems were further compared based on certain criteria such as portability, cost, and accuracy, and ranked using analytic hierarchy process (AHP). The review helped to encapsulate various aspects of gait analysis, especially, the types of tasks, types of gait parameters (GPs), and the gait measurement systems adopted. The study provides suitable mappings between these factors and offers comparison between the gait measurement systems using a specially devised capability index. It further provides useful guidelines for selecting the gait systems based on the criteria.

Development and Implementation of Document Management System for Ilocos Sur Polytechnic State College, Tagudin Campus

With the exponential growth of paper documents daily, organizations face significant challenges in storing, maintaining, and managing these piles of paper data. Even with the increasing trend toward digitalization, many businesses and institutions still rely heavily on paper documents. However, accumulating physical copies can quickly become overwhelming, resulting in limited storage space, difficulty finding specific information, and increased operational costs. As the ISPSC prepares to become a university with additional campuses and a larger population of students and staff, managing paper-based documents remains a challenge for the institution. This study developed and implemented a web-based Document Management System (DMS) at ISPSC, Tagudin Campus, as a tool designed to capture, store, organize, retrieve, and manage documents and files in a centralized digital environment. The study analyzed the respondents' user-satisfaction using a standardized 20- statement of the Website Analysis and Measure Ment Inventory (WAMMI) questionnaire. An online survey was conducted on the respondents (n=40) who had experience in using the DMS. The respondents were generally very satisfied with how the document management system was used to arrange, store, track, and manage paper files inside the campus.

Assessing inflammasome activity in mouse models of Down syndrome and organotypic brain slice cultures

AbstractBackgroundDown syndrome (DS) is caused by trisomy of chromosome 21 (Hsa21) and is a leading genetic cause of Alzheimer’s disease. Neuroinflammation occurs in the DS brain, with altered microglial morphology and transcriptional profiles, and upregulated proinflammatory cytokines, including IL‐1β. IL‐1β is produced by inflammasome activity. We hypothesize that IL‐1β levels are raised in the DS brain via upregulation of inflammasome activity or heightened sensitivity to inflammasome stimuli, which persists when people with DS develop AD.MethodLevels of 10 cytokines, including IL‐1β, TNFα and IL‐6 were measured (MSD) in the 3‐month hippocampus of a panel of segmental duplication mouse models of DS; Dp1Tyb, Dp2Tyb, Dp3Tyb, Dp9Tyb, Dp10Yey and Dp17Yey. These models have a duplication on one chromosome of a number of orthologues for Hsa21 genes. Organotypic brain slice cultures (OBSCs) were prepared from Dp1Tyb mice and stimulated with LPS ± nigericin, to determine if they have an altered response to inflammasome stimuli, as measured by ELISA for cytokines and IHC for IBA1 and ASC.ResultRaised IL‐1β abundance was identified in the hippocampus of the Dp1Tyb mouse, which has an additional copy of 148 mouse orthologues for Hsa21 genes. No difference in IL‐1β or other cytokines measured were identified in the Dp3Tyb, Dp9Tyb, Dp2Tyb, Dp10Yey or Dp17Yey hippocampus, which have 37, 76, 33, 31 and 19 genes in three copies respectively. LPS + nigericin treatment does not affect the secretion of IL‐1β from Dp1Tyb OHSCs compared to WT controls, nor the number of ASC specks formed.ConclusionRaised IL‐1β in the Dp1Tyb brain is a multigenic phenotype, with three‐copies of more than one gene/region of Hsa21 required to drive the phenotype. This is not due to increased sensitivity to inflammasome stimuli in Dp1Tyb OBSCs. Next, we will determine what products are raised in the Dp1Tyb brain that have the potential to increase IL‐1β production, and Dp1Tyb OBSCs will be treated with these products, E.g. Aβ. Here, we are further understanding the mechanisms of neuroinflammation in DS, which is critical in determining how AD‐DS differs from AD, and if people with DS can be included in AD research and clinical trials.

БЕСКОНТАКТНЫЙ ФЕРРОЗОНДОВЫЙ ДАТЧИК ПОЛОЖЕНИЯ ДЛЯ КОНТРОЛЯ СОСТОЯНИЯ КЛАПАНА

The aim of the study is to develop a non-contact fluxgate position sensor to control the open /closed state of the valve. There are many examples of the use in modern technology of elements or devicesthat interact with a magnetic field. One of the most urgent tasks is to use the influence of the magneticfield as a means of control or as a component of the control environment. The use of magnetoopticalsensors for monitoring the functioning of technical objects is due to their non-contact measure ment method, the ability to measure not only magnetic, but also various other physical quantities, therelative simplicity, reliability and low cost of the design of the sensitive element, flexibility in use, operationin low-temperature and high-temperature environments. One of the sensors of this type is a fluxgatemagnetic field converter. Valves of various pneumohydraulic systems are an example of the object ofintroduction of a fluxgate sensor. The essence of the task is to create a non-contact limit switch of thevalve spool, signaling the closed or open state of the valve and transmitting this information to the controlsystem. It is proposed to divide this task into stages and their sequential implementation. First, asearch and analysis of existing solutions, literature on the topic of research of magnetic transducers iscarried out. Next, a model design of the sensor is developed, according to which a geometric 3D modeland a 2D model of the sensing element are created, and the proposed material of the constituent elementsof the sensor is selected. With the help of numerical methods of computer simulation and mathematicalmodels, the operation of the sensor is simulated and its output characteristics are determinedunder various operating modes. According to the design characteristics, the optimal design and configurationof the sensor's sensing element is selected and calculated. As a result of the simulation, assemblyand working drawings of the sensor are developed. The proposed method for solving the problem ischaracterized by the complexity of studying nonlinear magnetic systems and their modeling. The resultsof this study can be recommended for the development of magneto-optical sensors of this or anothertype and for the study of materials with nonlinear magnetic properties.

Comparison of Two Clinical Chemistry Analyzers by Total Analytical Error and Measurement Uncertainty

Although analytical errors contain a small portion of laboratory errors, they are important in terms of intervention ability and practicality of follow-up by laboratory professionals. Also, from this point of view, the test results' quality, reliability, and accuracy are crucial to laboratories. Therefore, to determine analytical performance parameters for quality management in the analytical phase, clinical laboratories utilize total analytical error (TAE), bias, coefficient of variation (CV), and uncertainty of measurement (MU). Fifteen biochemistry parameters were compared with Beckman Coulter AU 5800 for 2017 - 2018 and Roche Cobas 8000 for 2019 - 2020 in terms of TAE and MU. The results were evaluated between devices and compared with the EuBIVAS, CLIA, RCPA, PRDEQA%, pUQEAS%, pU%, and TEa-TR datasets. There were no significant differences between the devices for the mentioned periods. Device performances resulted in similar outcomes. During our four-year study, nearly all of our tests failed for EuBIVAS, RCPA, and pU%. On the contrary, almost all of our parameters gave valid results according to the CLIA, PRDEQA%, pUQEAS%, and TEa-TR ranges. It is crucial to distinguish between "mistake" and "uncertainty." The discrepancy between the measured value and the 'actual value' is called error. Uncertainty is a measure of how confident you are in the measurement outcome. We endeavor to remedy any known inaccuracies wherever feasible by applying adjustments from calibration certifications. On the other hand, any inaccuracy whose value is unknown is a cause of doubt.

THORACOLOMBAR BURST FRACTURES: SHORT FIXATION, WITHOUT ARTHRODESIS AND WITHOUT REMOVAL OF THE IMPLANT.

To present the functional outcomes, through the first case series in our country, of patients with thoracolumbar burst fractures (A3,A4), submitted to short posterior fixation, without arthrodesis and without removal of the implants, until the end of the minimum follow-up of one year. Fifty five patients consecutively treated between January/2010 and January/2019 were evaluated through medical records and imaging exams. Radiographic analysis was performed by mea suring local and segmental kyphosis using the Cobb method. Functional assessment was analyzed using the non-specific SF-36 questionnaire and the 1983 Denis pain and work-specific questionnaire, applied after 12 months of follow-up. With a loss of five patients (9%), 22 (44%) patients reported having minimal and occasional pain and 8 (16%) patients reported having no pain. Three (6%) patients responded that they were completely incapacitated. Patients had a mean score of 73.16 points in the SF-36 domains. There was a significant reduction in kyphosis in 12 months (9.1±5.2 [min-max 0-22]) compared to the preoperative period (14.9±7.8 [min-max 0-32]) ( p≤0.01). One patient required implant removal due to the symptomatic prominence of the implant. This case series suggests that the technique leads to satisfactory functional results, without implant failure or significant kyphosis after a minimum follow-up of 12 months of treatment. Evidence Level IV; Case series.

Waardes, Verwagtings en Bevredigings van Suid-Afrikaanse T elevisienuuskykers

THIS Investigation examines the audience experience with television news in South Africa and presents a process model of uses and gratifications based upon an expectancy-value approach. The prime objective was accomplished when three reliable scales for the measure ment of values attached to television news Items; expectations about finding such news-items; and gratification of these ex pectations were developed. A significant correlation between all three scales was in dicated, although the correlation between values and expectations was much stronger than the correlation between values and gratifications. While the correlation between expectations and gratifications was still significant, it was also much lower than the correlation between values and expecta tions. This finding provides evidence against the criticism that since a gratification is ex pected and sought, it must necessarily be obtained. Instead, it is found that television news programmes in South Africa, while ef fective, are imperfect providers of news related gratifications sought. To cast addi tional light on the relative lower correlation between expectations and gratifications, the degree of dependence on television news as primary source was taken into ac count.

Using Formative Evaluation Research in the Development of Electronic Media Programmes

TELEVISION producers have specific demands when asked about the types of insight they would like to gain from media research. In this paper an overview of the literature on "pilot programme testing" is given, and the technique of formative evaluation research on educational television is discussed. The latter technique was adapted for programme research on entertainment program ming in South Africa to address the specific needs of television and radio producers. Using three different methodologies, including measur ing audience reaction second by second, and "focus group" discussions, valuable insight In audience response have been gained. The results of this research suggest immediate practical implementation thereof, bringing the media researcher and media practitioner closer together. Dr D.P. van Vuuren is Head: Broadcasting Research at the SABC and Dr J.J. de Beer is Head: Media Effects Research of the Institute for Communication Research of the HSRC. The article was presented at the ninth Conference of the South African Marketing Research Association, Vanderbijlpark, November 1987.