Scientific Research Priorities Research Articles

Valentin I. Burenin. The entire life was dedicated to science

The name of Prof. Valentin I. Burenin, Doctor of Agricultural Sciences, is widely known both in Russia and abroad. He worked at VIR all his life, giving himself up to science. Valentin Burenin made a significant contribution to the development of Vavilov’s ideas concerning mobilization and utilization of plant resources. His scientific research priorities were the collecting and studying of beet genetic resources, and their utilization in breeding practice.

Statistical Scientists in the Academy of Sciences: To Mark the 300th Anniversary of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS)

The paper covers the 300 years of the history of the Russian Academy of Sciences, which embodies the intellectual potential of Russia. The authors focus on the figures of academic scientists who have left their mark on the history of Russian statistics. It is stressed that the choice of personalities – members and corresponding members of the Academy of Sciences – was relative due to the complex structure of the Academy itself when а branch or a department of the Academy nominates a scientist to the rank of an academician or a corresponding member, as well as an ambiguity of a scientist’s contribution if the area of subsequent activity of the elected member of the RAS strained from the profile of the nominating division of the Academy. When discussing personal achievements, the authors adhered only to chronology, consistently moving from one historical phase to another, from one system of government to another. It is difficult to review the three centuries of the Academy of Sciences in any detail; this explains the lapidary style and the lack of description of the features of Russian history in each period and their impact on scientific research priorities. The article may be of interest to researchers, teachers and post-graduate students of economic universities, as well as employees of state statistics institutions in Russia.

Scientific Research Priorities in Light of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 from the Researchers' Point of View at Umm Al-Qura University

This research aims to know the priorities of scientific research in light of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 from the point of view of researchers at Umm Al-Qura University. The research has followed the descriptive approach to achieve the research objectives. The sample consisted of female researchers at the College of Education, Umm Al-Qura University (Master’s and PhD programs, at the Departments of Curriculum and Teaching Methods, Psychology, Educational Administration, and Islamic Fundamentals), and the tool consists of a four-axis questionnaire whose validity and reliability were confirmed. SPSS software has been used to process the data through a number of statistical methods. The research has found out several results, the most important of which are that the "Digital Citizenship" axis came as a top research priority among others with an arithmetic mean (4.43), while "Intellectual Security" got the second top priority with an arithmetic mean (4.35), and the "Community Partnership" axis got the third top priority with an arithmetic mean of (4.19), while the "sustainable development" axis occupied the fourth and last priority, with an arithmetic mean of (4.11), from the point of view of the respondents. The research has presented several recommendations, including: Encouraging research projects related to the research priorities included in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030. Supporting it financially, developing and linking academic programs for postgraduate studies to the needs of society and what serves its contemporary issues.

Development of a real-time PCR protocol for the detection of chicken DNA in meat products

Food falsification is a pressing issue in today’s food industry, with fraudulent substitution of costly ingredients with cheaper alternatives occurring globally. Consequently, developing straightforward and efficient diagnostic systems to detect such fraud is a top priority in scientific research. The aim of the work was to develop a test system and protocol for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to detect in food products of animal origin the substitution of expensive meat raw materials for by-products of poultry processing. For this, real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used, which allows determining the qualitative and quantitative substitution in raw and technologically prepared products. Other methods for detecting falsification – enzyme immunoassay (ELISA/ELISA) or express methods in the form of a lateral flow immunoassay are less informative. The extraction of nucleic acids for real-time polymerase chain reaction depends on the source matrix, with higher concentrations obtained from germ cells and parenchymal organs. Extraction from muscle and plant tissues is more challenging, but thorough grinding of these samples improves nucleic acid concentration by 1.5 times using DNA extraction kits. The selection of primers and fluorescent probes through GenBank and PCR Primer Design/DNASTAR software enables efficient amplification and identification of target chicken DNA fragments in various matrices.

Scientific research priorities in the humanities and social sciences and Islamic studies from theory to practice between reality and future foresight

Scientific research in the field of humanities and social sciences and Islamic studies is considered one of the most important research fields that should be supported and encouraged, due to its pioneering and distinguished role in the progress and development of societies, and the achievement of human development and hence sustainable development. Therefore, activating the research process of these sciences has become a scientific, social and civilizational necessity, giving priority to them, and not keeping their topics and research concerns in place, but rather activating them through studies from theory to practice and between reality and future foresight. The success of these sciences and studies and the field of their application requires defining their cultural and developmental importance and placing them in the required cognitive, cultural and civilizational context and the field of sustainable development and touching an evolving reality. The study followed the descriptive approach by examining the previous studies that supported the study Keywords: scientific research priorities - humanities and social sciences and Islamic studies, foreseeing the future - scientific outputs.

Local ecological knowledge and perception of the causes, impacts and effects of Sargassum massive influxes: a binational approach

ABSTRACT Coastal communities of the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico have been affected by atypical influxes of pelagic macroalgae (Sargassum genus) since 2011, entailing ecological, economic and social impacts in need of characterization. We compiled and documented local ecological knowledge (LEK) and perceptions across diverse stakeholder groups from coastal communities in Mexico (Quintana Roo) (n=50 participants) and the United States (Florida) (n=36 participants) through on-site and online interviews and workshops undertaken from January to March of 2022, to understand how the knowledge of this phenomenon varies among communities and to characterize ecological and well-being impacts. Participants in Quintana Roo associated these influxes with both global phenomena (e.g., climate change) and local scale processes (e.g., currents/wind patterns) while Florida participants associated these events more with the latter. The communities in both regions perceived that the economy and the environment were the most impacted well-being categories. While influxes effects were mostly negative (80%) according to Quintana Roo participants (e.g., affected fisheries), Florida participants considered many positive effects of Sargassum (40%) on several well-being and ecological components (e.g., nursery habitat for marine species). In general, the perception of Sargassum as a problem was less pronounced in Florida, and these differences in perception are related to the magnitude of these influxes’ effect on the daily life of these communities. Overall, macroalgae management is still mainly focused on beach cleanup. Documenting LEK is important to delineate scientific research priorities and to provide decision makers with resources to develop efficient public policies and coastal management decisions.

Science Priorities for Offshore Wind and Fisheries Research in the Northeast U.S. Continental Shelf Ecosystem: Perspectives from Scientists at the National Marine Fisheries Service

AbstractOffshore wind development (OWD) is set to expand rapidly in the United States as a component of the nation's effort to combat climate change. Offshore wind development in the United States is slated to begin in the Greater Atlantic region, where it is expected to interact with ocean ecology, human dimensions, fisheries data collections, and fisheries management. Understanding these interactions is key to ensuring the coexistence of offshore wind energy with sustainable fisheries and a healthy marine ecosystem. These anticipated interactions compelled the authors, all fisheries scientists or managers at National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries who are actively engaged in offshore wind science to identify scientific research priorities for OWD in the Northeast U.S. Continental Shelf ecosystem, specifically in support of NOAA Fisheries' role as the nation's leading steward of marine life. We extracted and analyzed OWD research needs from existing scientific documents and used this information as the basis to develop a list of priorities that align with five major OWD science themes that are of high interest to NOAA Fisheries. These NOAA Fisheries themes include supporting the regulatory process; mitigating the impacts to NOAA Fisheries' surveys; advancing science to understand interactions with NOAA Fisheries trust resources, the marine ecosystem, and fishing industries/communities; advancing the science of mitigation for NOAA Fisheries trust resources and fishing industries/communities; and advancing data management methods. The areas identified as research priorities will support the coexistence of offshore wind and sustainable fisheries and inform the development of NOAA Fisheries' science plan for offshore wind in the Northeast U.S. Continental Shelf ecosystem as well as cross‐sectoral science planning efforts at the regional, national, and international levels.

Sustainability assessment of Territorial Short Food Supply Chains versus Large‐Scale Food Distribution: The case of Colombia and Spain

Assessing, designing and implementing more sustainable agri-food systems has become a high priority in scientific research and political agendas worldwide. The ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict is highlighting the fragility of globalised food distribution systems, and there is a need to focus on alternatives. This manuscript assesses the sustainability of two largely opposing marketing alternatives, namely Territorial Short Food Supply Chains (TSFSCs) and Large-Scale Food Distribution (LSFD). Specifically, the cases of Bogota (Colombia) and Cordoba (Spain) are analysed, where the development of TSFSCs has very significant in recent years but which are of a very different nature. For this purpose, a multi-criteria model based on the Analytic Network Process (ANP) methodology has been developed, considering multiple economic, social and environmental criteria. The model has been evaluated by four interest groups. The results show that the social sub-criterion – distribution of added value – is highly prioritised, and that the TSFSCs are the most sustainable alternatives globally in both cities. In Bogota, direct sales (farmers market) are prioritised, whilst in Cordoba, chain with a local retail (specialised shops). The contribution of TSFSCs to ecosystem services, equity, territorial cohesion and the revitalisation of the economy is highlighted. By interest groups, civil society, academia and public administration prioritise TSFSCs. However, the market players in Cordoba prioritise LSFD with national product. The results indicate that TSFSCs have the potential to contribute to the consolidation of sustainable and resilient food systems.

The Biosynthesis of Nanoparticles by Fungi and the Role of Nanoparticles in Resisting of Pathogenic Fungi to Plants

This study aimed to demonstrate the activity of nanomaterials, the mechanisms of their biosynthesis, methods of measurement, and the factors that roles their biosynthesis by fungi. Moreover, focusing on their impact on host resistance against fungal pathogens. Nanometerials have been considered as one of scientific research priorities due to their new features (melting temperature, binding energy, electronic structure and catalytic activity, magnetic properties, dissolving temperature, and hardness). The performance and efficiency of nanomaterials compared to their normal state has been proven in many fields such as health care, agriculture, transportation, energy, information and communication technology. Many mechanical, chemical and physical methods were implemented to produce nanoparticles, which are considered as unsafe, expensive and environmentally dangerous. Therefore, researchers interested in biosynthesis of nanoparticles using fungi, bacteria or plants systems to make the process environmentally and economically safe. Furthermore, microorganisms such as yeasts, fungi and bacteria efficiency of converting inorganic ions into metallic nanomaterials was well studied. In agriculture, studies have confirmed impact of nanoparticles in improving plant productivity and pathogens resistance in different approaches like direct spraying on plants, soil, and stored fruits in a curative and preventive modes.

Whole of population-based cohort study of recovery time from COVID-19 in New South Wales Australia

BackgroundCOVID-19 results in persisting symptoms but there is little systematically collected data estimating recovery time following infection. MethodsWe followed 94% of all COVID-19 cases diagnosed in the Australian state of New South Wales between January and May 2020 using 3-4 weekly telephone interviews and linkage to hospitalisation and death data to determine if they had recovered from COVID-19 based on symptom resolution. Proportional hazards models with competing risks were used to estimate time to recovery adjusted for age and gender. FindingsIn analyses 2904 cases were followed for recovery (median follow-up time 16 days, range 1-122, IQR 11-24).There were 2572 (88.6%) who reported resolution of symptoms (262/2572 were also hospitalised), 224 (7.8%) had not recovered at last contact (28/224 were also hospitalised), 51 (1.8%) died of COVID-19, and 57 (2.0%) were hospitalised without a documented recovery date. Of those followed, 20% recovered by 10 days, 60% at 20, 80% at 30, 91% at 60, 93% at 90 and 96% at 120 days. Compared to those aged 30-49 years, those 0-29 years were more likely to recover (aHR 1.22, 95%CI 1.10-1.34) while those aged 50-69 and 70+ years were less likely to recover (aHR respectively 0.74, 95%CI 0.67-0.81 and 0.63, 95%CI 0.56-0.71). Men were faster to recover than women (aHR 1.20, 95%CI 1.11-1.29) and those with pre-existing co-morbidities took longer to recover than those without (aHR 0.90, 95%CI 0.83-0.98). InterpretationIn a setting where most cases of COVID-19 were ascertained and followed, 80% of those with COVID-19 recover within a month, but about 5% will continue to experience symptoms 3 months later. FundingNSW Health Emergency Response Priority Research Projects

Equal Risks: Workplace Discrimination, Toxic Exposure, and the Environmental Politics of Reproduction, 1976–91

Abstract This article describes a period when environmental organizations actively worked to achieve equal rights for women in the 1970s and 1980s. Using archival records from the Environmental Defense Fund and from women’s occupational health activists, I argue that a significant, if under-recognized, catalyst for environmentalists’ engagement with feminist politics was the emergence of workplace exclusion policies. Pushed to hire women by newly enforced sex discrimination statutes in the 1970s, industrial employers categorically excluded women from jobs with hazardous toxic substances. Environmentalists joined a coalition of labor and women’s rights advocates that together challenged exclusion policies in the courts and regulatory agencies. The coalition devised a litigation strategy that they hoped would raise environmental standards and end sex discrimination, issues that they saw as intrinsically related. They forwarded an equal protection approach to environmental hazards as part of a broader campaign to expand how regulators assessed toxic risks. They sought gender-neutral protection, and they challenged the gender biases in scientific research priorities and regulatory standards. Their litigation culminated in the US Supreme Court’s decision in United Automobile Workers v. Johnson Controls (1991), which prohibited sex-based exclusion policies. In the realms of women’s employment law and abortion rights, the case was a success. It was not, however, a milestone for environmental protection. It failed to achieve key coalition objectives since it did not raise environmental standards or require companies to remediate toxic workplaces. Ultimately, the ruling preserved equal risks in toxic jobs rather than asserting equal rights to environmental protection.

Ending rheumatic heart disease in Australia: the evidence for a new approach.

■The RHD Endgame Strategy: the blueprint to eliminate rheumatic heart disease in Australia by 2031 (the Endgame Strategy) is the blueprint to eliminate rheumatic heart disease (RHD) in Australia by 2031. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people live with one of the highest per capita burdens of RHD in the world. ■The Endgame Strategy synthesises information compiled across the 5-year lifespan of the End Rheumatic Heart Disease Centre of Research Excellence (END RHD CRE). Data and results from priority research projects across several disciplines of research complemented literature reviews, systematic reviews and narrative reviews. Further, the experiences of those working in acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and RHD control and those living with RHD to provide the technical evidence for eliminating RHD in Australia were included. ■The lived experience of RHD is a critical factor in health outcomes. All future strategies to address ARF and RHD must prioritise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people's knowledge, perspectives and experiences and develop co-designed approaches to RHD elimination. The environmental, economic, social and political context of RHD in Australia is inexorably linked to ending the disease. ■Statistical modelling undertaken in 2019 looked at the economic and health impacts of implementing an indicative strategy to eliminate RHD by 2031. Beginning in 2019, the strategy would include: reducing household crowding, improving hygiene infrastructure, strengthening primary health care and improving secondary prophylaxis. It was estimated that the strategy would prevent 663 deaths and save the health care system $188 million. ■The Endgame Strategy provides the evidence for a new approach to RHD elimination. It proposes an implementation framework of five priority action areas. These focus on strategies to prevent new cases of ARF and RHD early in the causal pathway from Streptococcus pyogenes exposure to ARF, and strategies that address the critical systems and structural changes needed to support a comprehensive RHD elimination strategy.

Human plague: An old scourge that needs new answers.

Yersinia pestis, the bacterial causative agent of plague, remains an important threat to human health. Plague is a rodent-borne disease that has historically shown an outstanding ability to colonize and persist across different species, habitats, and environments while provoking sporadic cases, outbreaks, and deadly global epidemics among humans. Between September and November 2017, an outbreak of urban pneumonic plague was declared in Madagascar, which refocused the attention of the scientific community on this ancient human scourge. Given recent trends and plague’s resilience to control in the wild, its high fatality rate in humans without early treatment, and its capacity to disrupt social and healthcare systems, human plague should be considered as a neglected threat. A workshop was held in Paris in July 2018 to review current knowledge about plague and to identify the scientific research priorities to eradicate plague as a human threat. It was concluded that an urgent commitment is needed to develop and fund a strong research agenda aiming to fill the current knowledge gaps structured around 4 main axes: (i) an improved understanding of the ecological interactions among the reservoir, vector, pathogen, and environment; (ii) human and societal responses; (iii) improved diagnostic tools and case management; and (iv) vaccine development. These axes should be cross-cutting, translational, and focused on delivering context-specific strategies. Results of this research should feed a global control and prevention strategy within a “One Health” approach.

Assessing the value of removing earthquake-hazard-related epistemic uncertainties, exemplified using average annual loss in California

To aid in setting scientific research priorities, we assess the potential value of removing each of the epistemic uncertainties currently represented in the US Geological Survey California seismic-hazard model, using average annual loss (AAL) as the risk metric of interest. Given all the uncertainties, represented with logic-tree branches, we find a mean AAL of $3.94 billion. The modal value is 17.5% lower than the mean, and there is a 78% chance that the true AAL value is more than 10% away from the mean, and a 5% chance that it is a factor 2.1 greater or lower than the mean. We quantify the extent to which resolving each uncertainty improves the AAL estimate. The most influential branch is one that adds additional epistemic uncertainty to ground motion models, but others are found to be influential as well, such as the rate of M ≥ 5 events throughout the region. We discuss the broader implications of our findings, and note that the time dependence caused by spatiotemporal clustering can be much more influential on AAL than the epistemic uncertainties explored here.

The US Food and Drug Administration Centers for Regulatory Science and Innovation: Current Activities and Future Promise to Accelerate Innovations.

The US Food and Drug Administration Centers for Regulatory Science and Innovation: Current Activities and Future Promise to Accelerate Innovations.

Optimization of Working Conditions for Perovskite-Based Gas Sensor Devices by Multiregression Analysis

Environmental degradation and resource depletion drive scientific research priorities to develop technologies for sustainable productive systems. Among them, chemical sensing technology plays a key role for regulating energetic, ecological, and productive efficiency by monitoring and controlling the industrial processes. Semiconducting metal oxide sensors are particularly attractive technology because of their simplicity in function, small size, and projected low cost. The aim of this work is to synthesize Ti-substituted lanthanum ferrite perovskite, LaFe0.8Ti0.2O3, in order to develop a resistive sensor device for monitoring carbon monoxide. Since sensor performances are affected by experimental factors, such as temperature, target gas concentration, and gas flow rate, the aim of the authors was to define the optimum working condition by performing multiple regression analyses. The investigated ranges of operating conditions were temperature from 300 to 480°C, carbon monoxide concentration from 100 to 200 ppm, and inlet-gas flow rate from 40 to 100 cm3/min. The results confirm that the applied systematic analysis is a powerful method for studying the direct and indirect effects of every experimental factor on sensor performance and for computing mathematical models with predictive ability, that are useful tools for defining the optimum chemiresistors’ operating conditions. In addition, mathematical models are able to be used as multiple-factor surface calibration for restive gas sensor devices.

Key research questions of global importance for cetacean conservation

Limited resources and increasing environmental concerns have prompted calls to identify the critical questions that most need to be answered to advance conservation, thereby providing an agenda for scientific research priorities. Cetaceans are often keystone indicator spe- cies but also high profile, charismatic flagship taxa that capture public and media attention as well as political interest. A dedicated workshop was held at the conference of the Society for Marine Mammalogy (December 2013, New Zealand) to identify where lack of data was hindering cetacean conservation and which questions need to be addressed most urgently. This paper sum- marizes 15 themes and component questions prioritized during the workshop. We hope this list will encourage cetacean conservation-orientated research and help agencies and policy makers to prioritize funding and future activities. This will ultimately remove some of the current obstacles to science-based cetacean conservation.

Methodologies for Identifying Food System Research Priorities: Dispatch from Alaska

Alaska faces unique challenges to sustainable food systems and food security, including extreme climate conditions and geographical remoteness, and yet the state is similar to the Lower 48 states with respect to many indicators that can be used to characterize the health of our food systems. Due to common concerns over such indicators as obesity rates, food insecurity rates, and recruitment of new farmers, food system stakeholders in Alaska are promoting a resurgence of food systems research and advocacy that is exemplified in the work of the Alaska Food Policy Council (AFPC). Identifying and prioritizing the specific food systems research needs of a state as large and diverse as Alaska is a challenge, but one that is being met with methodical, straightforward approaches. This commentary outlines two examples of recent formal, yet relatively simple, methods for identifying food system research and action priorities, and concludes by sharing some of the latest identified Alaska food system priority research projects, ideas, and needs.

A Multiclass Likelihood Ratio Approach for Genetic Risk Prediction Allowing for Phenotypic Heterogeneity

The translation of human genome discoveries into health practice is one of the major challenges in the coming decades. The use of emerging genetic knowledge for early disease prediction, prevention, and pharmacogenetics will advance genome medicine and lead to more effective prevention/treatment strategies. For this reason, studies to assess the combined role of genetic and environmental discoveries in early disease prediction represent high priority research projects, as manifested in the multiple risk prediction studies now underway. However, the risk prediction models formed to date lack sufficient accuracy for clinical use. Converging evidence suggests that diseases with the same or similar clinical manifestations could have different pathophysiological and etiological processes. When heterogeneous subphenotypes are treated as a single entity, the effect size of predictors can be reduced substantially, leading to a low-accuracy risk prediction model. The use of more refined subphenotypes facilitates the identification of new predictors and leads to improved risk prediction models. To account for the phenotypic heterogeneity, we have developed a multiclass likelihood-ratio approach, which simultaneously determines the optimum number of subphenotype groups and builds a risk prediction model for each group. Simulation results demonstrated that the new approach had more accurate and robust performance than existing approaches under various underlying disease models. The empirical study of type II diabetes (T2D) by using data from the Genes and Environment Initiatives suggested heterogeneous etiology underlying obese and nonobese T2D patients. Considering phenotypic heterogeneity in the analysis leads to improved risk prediction models for both obese and nonobese T2D subjects.

Theory and Applications of High-Power Nanosecond Pulses to Processing of Mineral Complexes

This paper reviews current research in high pulsed power technologies for processing of precious metals containing refractory ores and natural mineral aggregates. This is a branch of experimental engineering physics that critically depends on national priority research projects for its dynamic development. The aim of the manuscript is to show progress in the study of nanosecond processes involved in the disintegration and breaking-up of mineral complexes with fine disseminated precious metals. The manuscript presents results of theoretical and experimental studies of the mechanisms of the nonthermal action of high-power electromagnetic pulses with nanosecond leading edge, pulse duration, and high electric field strength on natural mineral media. Experimental data are presented to confirm the formation of breakdown channels and selective disintegration of mineral complexes as a result of pulse irradiation. This makes for efficient access of lixiviant solutions to precious metal particles and enhances precious metal recovery into lixivia during leaching. The paper shows the advantages of high-energy pulse treatment that provides a stable gain in valuable components recovery (5–80% gain for gold and 20–50% for silver) and at the same time helps to reduce energy consumption and cost of products in the processing of resistant gold-containing ores and beneficiation products from Russian deposits. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was used for determining the relationship between electromagnetic pulses energy and the surface chemical composition for pyrite and arsenopyrite. It has been concluded that impulsive treatment influences oxidation and hydrophobicity of the minerals and, therefore, it allows for the control of the hydrophobic–hydrophilic mineral surface balance.