Protection Regulation Research Articles

The collectrin-like part of the SARS-CoV-1 and -2 receptor ACE2 is shed by the metalloproteinases ADAM10 and ADAM17.

The transmembrane protease angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is a protective regulator within the renin angiotensin system and additionally represents the cellular receptor for SARS‐CoV. The release of soluble ACE2 (sACE2) from the cell surface is hence believed to be a crucial part of its (patho)physiological functions, as both, ACE2 protease activity and SARS‐CoV binding ability, are transferred from the cell membrane to body fluids. Yet, the molecular sources of sACE2 are still not completely investigated. In this study, we show different sources and prerequisites for the release of sACE2 from the cell membrane. By using inhibitors as well as CRISPR/Cas9‐derived cells, we demonstrated that, in addition to the metalloprotease ADAM17, also ADAM10 is an important novel shedding protease of ACE2. Moreover, we observed that ACE2 can also be released in extracellular vesicles. The degree of either ADAM10‐ or ADAM17‐mediated ACE2 shedding is dependent on stimulatory conditions and on the expression level of the pro‐inflammatory ADAM17 regulator iRhom2. Finally, by using structural analysis and in vitro verification, we determined for the first time that the susceptibility to ADAM10‐ and ADAM17‐mediated shedding is mediated by the collectrin‐like part of ACE2. Overall, our findings give novel insights into sACE2 release by several independent molecular mechanisms.

Data Protection and Privacy of the Internet of Healthcare Things (IoHTs)

The Internet of Things (IoT) is an emerging field consisting of Internet-based globally connected network architecture. A subset of IoT is the Internet of Healthcare Things (IoHT) that consists of smart healthcare devices having significant importance in monitoring, processing, storing, and transmitting sensitive information. It is experiencing novel challenges regarding data privacy protection. This article discusses different components of IoHT and categorizes various healthcare devices based on their functionality and deployment. This article highlights the possible points and reasons for data leakage, such as conflicts in laws, the use of sub-standard devices, lack of awareness, and the non-availability of dedicated local law enforcement agencies. This article draws attention to the escalating demand for a suitable regulatory framework and analyzes compliance problems of IoHT devices concerning healthcare data privacy and protection regulations. Furthermore, the article provides some recommendations to improve the security and privacy of IoHT implementation.

The Rise of International Health Law

INTRODUCTION. Over the past decades under the influence of demographic processes, economic shocks, morbidity increase and other systemic problems a whole spectrum of threats to health has gradually formed at the international level, characterized by severe socio-economic consequences for each country regardless of the welfare level. Today, the challenges of ensuring universal coverage of services, access to safe, quality medicines, control of health care costs, effective response to health emergencies, antibiotic resistance are not limited by the WHO regulations, but are included in the agenda of the UN, ILO, FAO and other intergovernmental organizations. The need to form a unified approach to regulate activities of numerous participants in international healthcare regulation has served as an incentive for the gradual development of international legal regulation of the field of health protection, becoming the subject of study by leading legal scholars, as well as international organizations. The presented article provides a comprehensive analysis of the main historical stages in the development of international cooperation in the field of health protection, which served as the basis for the formation of international health law in the field of health protection as a new branch of international law. Special attention in the article is paid to the assessment of the role of globalization processes in changing the nature of threats to human and public health and their impact on the formation of global health governance concept. Based on the systemic problems that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic, the author formulated the main directions for improving the international legal regulation of the health sector.MATERIALS AND METHODS. During article preparation the following document were studied: acts of a universal and regional nature, resolutions of international organizations, legal positions of UN specialized agencies, as well as professional scientific associations. The theoretical basis of the research are the scientific works of national and foreign scientists in the field of international law and international relations in the field of health protection. The article was prepared using the general scientific method of cognition, including the formal logical and situational method and private law methods, such as comparative, historical and formal legal methods.RESEARCH RESULTS. Within the framework of the study, a conclusion was formulated about the formation of "international health law" as a new branch of international law, uniting international legal norms and principles governing the relations of subjects of international law, as well as other participants in international relations in the field of human health. In the work, the author presents the main sources of "international health law" and formulates the subject of regulation of this branch of law.DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS. Describing the features of international cooperation in the field of health protection, expressed in an increase in the number of involved international organizations and other participants which are not subjects of international law, the author substantiates the formation of the concept of global health management and analyzes the main scientific publications in this area. Having studied the nature of health threats that have formed over the past decade under the influence of globalization processes, as well as the systematic problems of international cooperation demonstrated by the coronavirus pandemic, the authors emphasize the need to implement the repeatedly proposed initiative to develop a universal act that forms the basis of international legal regulation of health protection.

Tax Aggressiveness, Fair Value Accounting, Debt Maturity: Does Integrated Reporting Matter?

This study investigates the association between tax aggressiveness, fair value accounting and debt maturity and whether Integrated Reporting (IR) moderates those relationships. This study's methodology is a quantitative approach with multiple linear regression models and panel data. The sample employed in this study is manufacturing companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX). The type of data used is secondary data sourced from financial statements and annual reports from 2016 to 2020. The sample selection using a purposive sampling method with the number of samples amounted to 595 firm-year observations. This study suggests that tax aggressiveness and fair value accounting have an inverse association with debt maturity. However, IR failed to weaken the negative impact of extensive fair value accounting on debt maturity. The Financial Services Authority (OJK) can consider this study to improve supervision and regulation for better creditor protection through the company's optimal debt maturity policy.

Izazov održivosti i kvalitet vazduha u kabinama teških vozila

Air quality in transportation vehicle cabins is becoming a major concern due to increasing exposure of drivers to harmful gases and aerosol, especially if having in mind that that safety and pollution are positively correlated and adverse events. In order to reduce exposure to air pollution, there is ongoing development of air filters in modern heavy-duty vehicles and increase in protective regulations throughout the world. The aim of this study is to gain insight into extent of pollutants in heavy-duty vehicle cabins, in which drivers spend a large amount of their working (and spare) time, and the necessity for use of air filtration systems. Both experimental results and modelling approach applied in this manuscript reveal the importance of filtration of cabin air, and indicate good correlation between experimental and mathematical results from field measurements conducted in a highly polluted city. Namely, this paper reveals excellent results with the HECA filter which have potential to significantly reduce pollution in the cabin.

Symposium

Symposium

Some problems of legal regulation of consumer protection

Some problems of legal regulation of consumer protection

The EU Regulatory Data Protection in the Agrochemical Industry. Towards a Data Sharing Model in Favour of Sustainable Market Play and a Sustainable Environment

The EU Regulatory Data Protection in the Agrochemical Industry. Towards a Data Sharing Model in Favour of Sustainable Market Play and a Sustainable Environment

Economic mechanism of the nature management: institutional soil and instrumental methodological providing

It is deduced that the economic mechanism of nature management operates the insufficient set of methods, instruments and levers that give an opportunity to promote the complexity of the economic mastering of nature resource potential and strengthen the effectiveness of influence of the sphere of nature management on the rates of socio-economic presentation. Reasonably, that for the forming of modern economic mechanisms of nature management there is the necessity of the creation of institutional soil that will envisage installation in regulatory nature protection architectonics of new institutes-rules able to provide more effective bringing in of natural raw material and ecosystem services in market turnover. It is set that the instrumental methodological providing of economic mechanism of nature management must embrace the wide spectrum of methods, instruments and levers that will give an opportunity to provide budgetary-tax and financial credit influence on the maximum amount of the operations related to the exception of material substance of natural raw material and the usage of raw immaterial usefulness of nature complexes. Researches showed that in a modern economic mechanism nature management must present a wide spectrum of financially economic and administrative-economic methods. Financially economic methods embrace: evaluation, account, programming, planning, prognostication, taxation, budgetary financing, investing, insurance, crediting. To the list of administrative economic methods belong: licensing, examination, certification, regulation, standardization, monitoring, cadaster, limiting, and setting of norms. It is set that the modern economic mechanism of nature management must embrace budgetary, tax, custom, credit, hypothec-mortgage, fund, investment, insurance instruments, and also instruments that are based on realization of agreements of publicly-private partnership. Reasonably, that in the structure of economic mechanism of nature management two types of levers are distinguished: financially economic stimuli (tax deduction, favorable credits, reliefs from duty, price discounts/raise, cross subsidizing, dating) and financially economic approvals (fines, compensations, indemnifications, financial limitations, and budgetary limits).

ضوابط حماية الحق في حرية التنقل وسلامة الجسد أثناء إجراء القبض: دراسة مقارنة بين النظام السعودي والقانون الإماراتي

International and local efforts in Gulf countries in general and in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia in particular have focused on providing a supportive legal environment for the protection of rights and freedoms, in particular the right to freedom of movement and the right to physical integrity. This research aims to clarify the availability of the regulatory protection of the right to freedom of movement and the right to physical integrity in international law. It also discusses and analyzes the regulatory protection of the right to freedom of movement and the right to physical integrity in the Saudi legal system and UAE law, and what violation of these two rights arrest procedures, as a criminal investigation procedure, may cause. The research focused on discussing the legal, personal, and temporal controls to protect the right to freedom of movement, and the regulation on good treatment and physical integrity within a time frame of arrest to protect the right to physical integrity during arrest. The research found a great deal of protection, with the need for more training of the competent authority to avoid any transgression against either of the two rights. It recommended that some regulations and legal texts should be amended to ensure protection in an optimal way.

Management of occupational exposure for pregnant employee in diagnostic radiology

Occupational exposure to ionizing radiation can occur in a range of industries, medical institutions, educational and research establishments. Most radiation protection programs, regulations and guidance apply specific restrictions to the occupational exposure of pregnant workers. Both worker and the employer carry responsibility towards safety. The pregnant worker and her conceptus are best protected in a facility that uses best practices for radiation safety. This article reviews was aimed to notify radiology managers and technologists in their management with pregnant workers. The paper describes conceptus doses for worker that are associated with radiology practice, reviews the risks and effects of in utero irradiation, and summarizes the current international and professional organizations policies, guidelines and practical aspects regarding the diagnostic radiologic examinations. Conclusion: careful planning, and minimization of radiation dose by engaging proper radiation safety measures as needed, can allow medical staff to perform duties and normal activities without incurring significant risks to the fetus.

Публічне управління природокористуванням: актуальні проблеми та напрями їх розв’язання

Abstract. Introduction. Modern continuous development of production and intensive consumption of natural resources is accompanied by a destructive impact on the ecosystem. Today even renewable natural resources are losing their reproductive function, since the scale of their use by enterprises and consumption by the population does not coincide with the rate of their restoration by nature. All this leads to the devastation of natural landscapes, pollution of atmospheric air, surface and ground waters, a decrease in the quality of fresh water, a reduction in the biomass of flora and fauna, and a deterioration in the state of the environment. Purpose. The purpose of the article is to analyze the system of public administration of environmental management and environmental protection in Ukraine, identify the main problems and shortcomings of this system and develop proposals for its improvement. Results. The legislative and legal framework, which determines the legal, economic and social foundations for the regulation of natural resource use and environmental protection, has been analyzed. Indicators of ecological footprint and ecological efficiency of Ukraine have been studied, which testify to the imperfection of the system of public administration of environmental management. It has been substantiated that the priorities of state policy in the context of sustainable development should be the optimization of the use of natural resources, a decrease in the energy intensity of production, the use of new technologies for the processing and disposal of household waste, and the minimization of the negative impact of enterprises on the environment. Conclusions. Ukraine’s state policy in the field of nature management needs to be improved and especially carefully organized, as the state of the country’s economy, ecological situation, health and well-being of the population depend on it. The article proposes the main directions of improving the system of public administration of environmental management and environmental protection.

THE ECONOMICS OF A LONG TERM COATING

An important challenge during ship construction is the protection against corrosion of the ballast tanks. These tanks have many compartments, contain multiple structural elements and play a critical role in the seaworthiness. The majority of the ballast tanks are prepared and coated according to IMO Performance Standard for Protective Coating regulations (PSPC), using a light colored epoxy coating that, when maintenance is being performed by the crew, must remain in a “good” condition for 15 years. This method is set next to a protection system applied by a given owner who keeps its ships in an excellent condition for their complete lifetime using a long term coating. More attention is paid to the preparation and application of the coating and consequently it protects the ballast tanks for more than 25 years. These coating strategies are compared in an economic analysis, supplemented with a sensitivity analysis to evaluate the outcomes due to variable parameters. The results indicate that a long term coating only pays off for owners willing to keep the ballast tanks of their vessels in a good condition for the complete lifetime. The decisive factor is that a long term coating entails no recoating in dry dock. The latter results less toxic components in the atmosphere.

A STUDY INTO THE COATING THICKNESS OF SHIP BALLAST TANKS

Ballast tanks are expected to be coated according to the IMO Performance Standard for Protective Coating regulations (PSPC15), in addition to the paint application requirements of the paint producer. In general, a coating system should consist of minimum two spray coats of light-colored epoxy coating on flat surfaces with a Nominal total Dry Film Thickness (NDFT) of 320 μm and 90% of all thickness measurements greater than, or equal to the NDFT and none of the remaining measurements below 0.9 x NDFT (the “90/10 rule”). Allegedly, the value of 320 μm in this PSPC15 rule may be misconstrued as a benchmark for coating application on flat surfaces, eventually leading to a non-PSPC15 compliance due to the resulting variation in coating thickness violating this 90/10 rule. This study indicates that over the years, the arithmetic mean in-situ DFT appears to be 498±18 μm and that too high and low thicknesses, below 288 μm and above 800 μm, were noted in the field. Analysis of a survey of ballast tank coating performance of ships indicates that too low thicknesses appear to be negatively impacting the average theoretical ballast tank performance. However, when an application mean DFT benchmark of 525 μm is used, the coating will almost surely comply to the 90/10 rule and the risk of falling below the 288 μm threshold is small, less than 2% in most cases. Consequently, using 320 μm as a mean DFT benchmark could result in a non-PSPC15 compliance with the in-situ ascertained coating thickness variation as this does not exclude coating thicknesses below 288 μm, which may then result in a significantly less than average theoretical coating performance. If the coating application is performed very evenly, the benchmark may be reduced to 429 μm with a probability of falling below 288 μm reduced to 0.1%. It should therefore be emphasized that the PSPC15 requirement is a coating system framework description, and that the requirement should be broadened to include a mean DFT as a coating applicator benchmark together with a clearly specified minimum and maximum DFT, in order to avoid any misinterpretations.

Funding Democracy: Public Media and Democratic Health in 33 Countries

This study examines whether and how public media systems contribute to the health of democracies in 33 countries in Europe, Africa, Asia, North America, the Middle East, Latin America, and South America. We gather national economic data and public media funding levels, audience shares, and regulatory data, primarily for 2018 and 2019 but in some cases earlier, due to lack of available data. We then assess correlations with strength of democracy indices and extend Hallin and Mancini's typology of North American and European media systems through hierarchical cluster analysis of these 33 countries. We find five models of public media systems around the world, ranging from “state-administered” systems with low levels of independence (Botswana and Tunisia) to systems aligning with Hallin and Mancini's “Democratic Corporatist” model, with strong and secure (multiyear) funding, large audience shares, and strong regulatory protection for their independence. In between, we identify three mixed models: a “Liberal-Pluralist” model, a “Direct Funding” model, and a “Commercial–Public” model. Correlations and cluster analyses show that high levels of secure funding for public media systems and strong structural protections for the political and economic independence of those systems are consistently and positively correlated with healthy democracies.

Permitting dual class shares in the UK premium listing regime – a path to enhance rather than compromise investor protection

AbstractUnequal voting rights arrangements under dual class share structures are increasingly favoured by entrepreneurs and founders of technology companies, in order to retain a degree of control over the company that is disproportionate to their equity shareholdings. The rise of such share structures around the world has put competitive pressure on the UK Government and the country's financial regulator to relax the one share, one vote principle in the premium listing regime of the London Stock Exchange, to ensure the UK equities market remains world-leading and fit for the future development of the economy. There is, however, a long tradition of institutional investors’ distaste for dual class share structures. In fact, the near extinction of dual class listings in the UK capital markets can be largely attributed to the opposition of large British institutions. Therefore, this paper will critically discuss the conflict between the demands to attract listings from high-tech and innovative companies and concerns of a race to the bottom in the UK context. It rebuts criticisms based on investor protection and argues that if dual class companies were permitted to list in the Premium Segment, the higher level of regulatory protection provided in the premium listing regime would help enhance minority shareholder protection and shareholder engagement. The additional safeguarding measures, as we have seen from other global financial centres, would also help to restrain the potential abuse of controllers’ weighted voting power. Together with the market mechanism, permitting dual class listings in the Premium Segment should be welcomed.

Movement Ecology of the Imperiled Wood Turtle (Glyptemys insculpta) in a Lower Hudson River Watershed

Knowledge of the spatial ecology of many turtle species is lacking or limited by small sample sizes of study animals, short study periods, or incomplete representation of the species' geographic range, all of which can present barriers to science-based management and conservation. The wood turtle (Glyptemys insculpta) is a declining North American freshwater turtle that is now listed as threatened or endangered in several US states and Canadian provinces. Local-scale knowledge of wood turtle movement patterns and home range sizes is needed for more effective management and regulatory protection, yet the spatial ecology of this species remains undescribed in large portions of its range. We radiotracked 31 wood turtles for 1–5 yrs each in a stream system along the border of New York and Connecticut to describe their movement behavior and inform management efforts in this previously unstudied region. Annual and multiyear 95% minimum convex polygon home range sizes averaged 2.8 (± 3.79 SD) ha and 5.2 (± 7.36 SD) ha, respectively. Males had significantly larger annual and multiyear home ranges than did females, often by severalfold. Overlap of home ranges from one year to the next ranged from 10.5% to 99.7% and averaged 62.6% (± 22.86% SD). Home range centroids shifted 3.8–328.1 m (x̄ = 70.3 ± 80.31 m SD) from year to year and averaged 41.2 m (± 40.56 m SD) from the stream and 138.4 m (± 70.66 m SD) from the nearest road across all individuals. Most turtles' home ranges spanned one or both of the major roads in our study area, illuminating the threat of vehicle collision mortality to the viability of this population. Hibernaculum fidelity was low, with only 15% of turtles hibernating in the same location as in the previous year. Our results suggest that management efforts for wood turtles in western Connecticut and the adjacent region of New York should consider that males (the wider-ranging sex) use an average of 5.3 ha to meet their resource requirements over the course of one annual cycle, buffers of at least 116 m surrounding streams should be protected, habitats that are distant from roads should be prioritized for conservation, and measures that facilitate safe passage beneath roads should be implemented whenever roads are present near occupied wood turtle habitat.

Autonomous regulation of antioxidant protection and protein exchange in chickens

The tone of the autonomic nervous system, protein metabolism and the activity of the antioxidant system in Cobb-500 cross chickens aged 35 and 60 days were researched. The experiment involved 24 chickens, 8 in each group. In birds, the tone of the autonomic nervous system was determined by the method of variation pulsometry by recording the influence of the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems on the heart rate in chickens. The effect was determined by counting one hundred consecutive cardio intervals and the time interval between each cardiocycle. Venous blood samples were taken from each individual at the age of 35 and 60 days to determine protein metabolism (total protein, albumin, globulins), enzymatic and non-enzymatic links of the antioxidant system and lipid peroxidation depending on the tone of the autonomic nervous system. It was found that the antioxidant level in chickens with a predominance of the sympathetic division prevailed in all other groups regardless of the age of the bird. At 35 days of age, plasma concentrations of diene conjugates were significantly higher in normatonics and vagotonics (P ˂ 0.05). There was a higher level of activity of ketodienes and Schiff bases in chickens with a predominance of the sympathetic division of autonomic nervous regulation compared with normotonics and vagotonics (P ˂ 0.01). The content of total protein, albumin and globulins prevailed in normotonic hens and was the lowest in vagotonic hens at the age of 35 days. The two-month-old bird with a dominant parasympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system and normotonic hens had the highest levels of total protein, globulins, and conversely, sympathicotonic hens outnumbered the latter in albumin levels. Histidine content was highest in chickens with a balanced type of autonomic nervous system compared to sympathicotonics and vagotonics (P ˂ 0.05). The concentration of sulfur-containing amino acid methionine was highest in vagotonic chickens (P < 0.05) compared with sympathicotonics. Threonine was highest in sympathicotonics compared with other groups of animals and significantly outweighed vagotonics (P < 0.05). The level of lipid peroxidation products in 60-day-old sympathicotonic chickens was consistently higher in contrast to normotonics and vagotonics. At the same time there was the smallest increase in the activity of diene conjugates and ketodienes (P < 0.05) in chickens with a dominant sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system, which indicates a slowdown in the accumulation of the final products of lipid peroxidation. It was found that the predominance of sympathetic tone is characterized by low activity of enzymes of the antioxidant system and tocopherol (P < 0.001, P < 0.01) at 35 and 60 days of age. Indicators of the activity of the antioxidant system had the highest level in vagotonic chickens of the studied age period (P < 0.05, P < 0.01, P < 0.001). The relationship between catalase and tocopherol levels in vagotonic chickens at 35 days of age, which increases at 60 days of age r = 0.53 (P < 0.01) was found.

Scraping and grazing herbivorous/detritivorous fish display opposite feeding behaviours under different protection regulations

ABSTRACT Herbivorous and detritivorous fish display complex feeding behaviour, and research into how feeding behaviour changes with environmental and social variables is lacking. Such knowledge is imperative to infer how herbivory/detritivory will differ, in light of shifting resources and communities and specifically whether reefs can recover from disturbance. Fish abundance, feeding rate, body size, diet and schooling feeding of three major functional groups (scrapers, grazers and browsers) were examined across reef types under different fishing regulations. Scrapers and grazers (parrotfishes and surgeonfishes) were more abundant and displayed the highest feeding rates on reef flats. Scrapers mainly resided inside the restricted zone, while more grazers were found in the general use zone, where macroalgal abundance was highest. Browsers (rabbitfishes) were seldom observed and patchily gathered on the reef flat and reef slope in both zones. Thus, fishing protection did not appear to benefit grazers and browsers, whereas more scrapers gathered on shallow reef flats in the protection zone. Scraper and grazer feeding rates increased from an individual to a pair and increased with body size, these factors led to variations in feeding behaviours across reef types and protection regulations. Protection appears to benefit scrapers and variations in feeding rates were largely related to school size. Lastly, grazer density was associated more with macroalgal coverage than protection status. The opposite feeding behaviours of scrapers and grazers indicates not only protection status, but fishing restrictions and size limit regulations are needed to maintain coral reef fisheries and functional diversity on coral reefs in Taiwan.

Assessing the extent of land-use change around important bat-inhabited caves

BackgroundModification and destruction of natural habitats are bringing previously unencountered animal populations into contact with humans, with bats considered important zoonotic transmission vectors. Caves and cave-dwelling bats are under-represented in conservation plans. In South Africa, at least two cavernicolous species are of interest as potential zoonotic hosts: the Natal long-fingered bat Miniopterus natalensis and the Egyptian fruit bat Rousettus aegyptiacus. Little information is available about the anthropogenic pressures these species face around important roost sites. Both bats are numerous and widespread throughout the country; land-use changes and urban expansions are a rising concern for both conservation and increased bat-human contact.ResultsOur study addressed this shortfall by determining the extent of land-cover change around 47 roosts between 2014 and 2018 using existing land cover datasets. We determined the land-cover composition around important roost sites (including maternity, hibernacula and co-roosts), distances to urban settlements and assessed the current protection levels of roost localities. We detected an overall 4% decrease in natural woody vegetation (trees) within 5 km buffer zones of all roost sites, with a 10% decrease detected at co-roost sites alone. Agricultural land cover increased the most near roost sites, followed by plantations and urban land-cover. Overall, roosts were located 4.15 ± 0.91 km from urban settlements in 2018, the distances decreasing as urban areas expand. According to the South African National Biodiversity Institute Ecosystem Threat Status assessment, 72% of roosts fall outside of well-protected ecosystems.ConclusionsThe current lack of regulatory protection of cavernicolous bats and their roosts, increasing anthropogenic expansions and proximity to human settlements raises concerns about increased human-bat contact. Furthermore, uncontrolled roost visitation and vandalism are increasing, contributing to bat health risks and population declines, though the extent of roosts affected is yet to be quantified. In an era where pandemics are predicted to become more frequent and severe due to land-use change, our research is an urgent call for the formal protection of bat-inhabited caves to safeguard both bats and humans.