Science Council Research Articles

Establishing a Regional Rare Blood Donor Registry in Uttarakhand, India

Background and Objectives: Uttarakhand, a state in northern India, is home to various local communities, including the Garhwali, Kumaoni, and Jaunsari. In addition, individuals from neighboring countries such as Nepal and Tibet reside in Uttarakhand for many years, resulting in a diverse population. However, currently, there is no regional registry for rare blood donors in this state. The aim of this study was to develop a rare donor registry in Uttarakhand which could in future become a part of the national rare blood donor registry. Methods: During the routine donation process, samples were taken from randomly selected O-typed blood donors who are residents of Uttarakhand. Seventeen monoclonal antisera included Rh (anti-D, anti-C, anti-c, anti-E, and anti-e), Duffy (anti-Fya and anti-Fyb), Kell (anti-K and anti-k), Kidd (anti-Jka and anti-Jkb), Lewis (anti-Lea and anti-Leb), M, N, S, and s (Ortho Diagnostics Pvt Ltd, Mumbai, India). Furthermore, four polyclonal antisera from our serum repository, Diego (anti-Dia), Indian (anti-Ina), Rh (anti-Cw), and anti-Gp-Mur were used for phenotyping. The study was financially aided by the Uttarakhand State Council of Science and Technology (UCOST), Dehradun, Uttarakhand, Government of India. Results: Over a period of 16 months (November 2021–February 2023), out of a total of 17,004 blood donations, O blood type donors accounted for 29.9% (5085/17,004) of the donors screened. Among these, 7.3% (374/5085) of the donors were from the interior and plain areas of Uttarakhand. Our study revealed a high prevalence of k and e antigens, with 96.7% and 92.5%, respectively. The least prevalent antigen was Rh (Cw), observed in only 0.5% of cases. We also identified rare blood antigens such as Diego, Indian, and Gp-Mur and compared our findings with other studies. Furthermore, we identified a donor with an H-deficient phenotype, specifically the Bombay blood group (Oho). Conclusion: We have successfully established a regional registry for rare blood donors in Uttarakhand, which will be valuable for managing complex transfusion scenarios in the future. Further, given Uttarakhand's proximity to China and Nepal, the presence of individuals from these countries aptly connects the fields of anthropology and transfusion medicine.

PARIST study protocol: a phase I/II randomised, controlled clinical trial to assess the feasibility, safety and effectiveness of paracetamol in resolving acute kidney injury in children with severe malaria

BackgroundAcute kidney injury (AKI) has in the past been considered a rare complication of malaria in children living in high-transmission settings. More recently, however, a growing number of paediatric case...

IUPAC President Meets with the Japanese Chemistry Community

Abstract On a visit to Japan, Javier García-Martínez, President of IUPAC, met with representatives of the Chemical Society of Japan and the Science Council of Japan at the Chemical Society of Japan headquarters in Tokyo on February 15th, 2023. His visit provided a great opportunity for the chemical community to learn more about IUPAC´s ongoing work and to discuss potential areas of collaboration. The Chemical Society of Japan is one of the oldest and largest scientific societies in Japan, with a membership of over 30 000 researchers, engineers, and students who are actively engaged in various areas of chemistry.

Санкт-Петербургское отделение Научного совета РАН по методологии искусственного интеллекта и когнитивных исследований в 2022 году

The paper considers the history of creation, composition and activities of the St. Petersburg branch of the Scientific Council on the Methodology of Artificial Intelligence and Cognitive Research under the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences. A pronounced orientation to practice of the department members is shown, which is associated with the predominance of engineering and natural science scientists in its membership. The Council stimulates work related to the interdisciplinary synthesis and convergence of the humanities and natural sciences in solving the problem of artificial intelligence.

Strategy for Action to Save Men and Support Responsible Fatherhood

The current demographic agenda ofthe Russian Federation includes the promotion of traditional family values, where a special role is assigned to the formation and development of the institution of a prosperous (large) family with chldren, and support for responsible fatherhood. As part of these tasks, in March 2023, the members of the Scientific Council "Demographic and Migration Problems of Russia" under the Department of Social Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences, on their own initiative, developed the "Strategy for Action to Save Men and Support Responsible Fatherhood".

Genotypic and spatial analysis of transmission dynamics of tuberculosis in Shanghai, China: a 10-year prospective population-based surveillance study

With improved tuberculosis (TB) control programs, the incidence of TB in China declined dramatically over the past few decades, but recently the rate of decrease has slowed, especially in large cities such as Shanghai. To help formulate strategies to further reduce TB incidence, we performed a 10-year study in Songjiang, a district of Shanghai, to delineate the characteristics, transmission patterns, and dynamic changes of the local TB burden. We conducted a population-based study of culture-positive pulmonary TB patients diagnosed in Songjiang during 2011-2020. Genomic clusters were defined with a threshold distance of 12-single-nucleotide-polymorphisms based on whole-genome sequencing, and risk factors for clustering were identified by logistic regression. Transmission inference was performed using phybreak. The distances between the residences of patients were compared to the genomic distances of their isolates. Spatial patient hotspots were defined with kernel density estimation. Of 2212 enrolled patients, 74.7% (1652/2212) were internal migrants. The clustering rate (25.2%, 558/2212) and spatial concentrations of clustered and unclustered patients were unchanged over the study period. Migrants had significantly higher TB rates but less clustering than residents. Clustering was highest in male migrants, younger patients and both residents and migrants employed in physical labor. Only 22.1% of transmission events occurred between residents and migrants, with residents more likely to transmit to migrants. The clustering risk decreased rapidly with increasing distances between patient residences, but more than half of clustered patient pairs lived ≥5km apart. Epidemiologic links were identified for only 15.6% of clustered patients, mostly in close contacts. Although some of the TB in Songjiang's migrant population is caused by strains brought by infected migrants, local, recent transmission is an important driver of the TB burden. These results suggest that further reductions in TB incidence require novel strategies to detect TB early and interrupt urban transmission. Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Major Project (ZD2021CY001), National Natural Science Foundation of China (82272376), National Research Council of Science and Technology Major Project of China (2017ZX10201302-006).

Age-related differences in fixation gaze length while reading the news with negative text elements

The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic has led to the development of stress disorders and increased societal anxiety. The mass media is one of the most decisive factors leading to anxiety and stress in society during a pandemic. However, the mechanisms of mass media's stressogenic effects remain unclear. This study aimed to evaluate age-specific characteristics of gaze behavior related to the perception of anxiety-provoking information. This study was funded by a grant from the National Research Foundation of Ukraine in 2020-2021 (grant № 2020.01/0050). One hundred eighty-nine volunteers took part in the study (164 participants aged between 17 and 22 years old (students, control group), 25 people aged between 59 and 71 (experimental group)). We surveyed participants to determine their level of stress, depression, and anxiety and analyzed eye-tracking data during text perception by using the web eye-tracking technology EyePass. Results showed significant age-related differences in gaze behavior while reading texts with negative elements. Aged adults had shorter median fixation duration. There was no difference between groups in the number of fixations. We can assume that except age factor, other variables might have contributed to our result, namely the occupation of participants, professors at the Scientific and Educational Institute of Journalism, with developed professional skills (reading pattern, method of information perception) but from another side higher vulnerability to adverse COVID-19 outcomes compared to younger adults. Acknowledgements The authors of this article express their sincere gratitude to the National Research Foundation of Ukraine, thanks to whose financial and organizational support (grant “Stressogenic Elements of the Latent Impact of Real Media Reports on the COVID-19 Pandemic on Social Groups” № 2020.01/0050), it became possible to conduct this study and publish the experimental results. Words of gratitude to the management and Scientific Council of the Foundation, curators of the project. Vast gratitude to the experts for their high evaluation of our project, thanks to whom our application won the competition. We want to express particular thanks to the management and our colleagues fromTaras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, whose care and assistance contributed to the effective work within the project. Words of gratitude to colleagues and students who agreed to participate and actually contributed to the timely collection and processing of the experimental data. Disclosure statement No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors. Data availability statement The data that support the findings of this study are openly available in Mendeley Data https://doi.org/10.17632/rpytj9dkmx.3 * Corresponding author: Yurii Havrylets, 0000-0002-4899-5815 havrylets@knu.ua

STATE POLICY IN THE FIELD OF COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT IN THE 1950S: ACHIEVEMENTS AND BLOCKING FACTORS

The purpose of the publication, based on currently declassified documents, is to investigate the actual problem of the evolution of state policy in the field of computer technology development in the USSR in the 1950s. The conclusion is formulated that the «cold war», the unfolding scientific and technological revolution stimulated the implementation of their own projects in the field of information technology and hardware platforms in the USSR. A significant factor that determined the creation of various domestic computers in the early 1950s was the support at the state level of developments independent of Western analogues. The continuous growth in demand for calculating machines and the release in 1956 of a number of government decisions on the creation of new types of such machines forced the leadership of various departments to take urgent measures to accelerate the development of the mathematical engineering industry. In the period from 1955 to 1957, samples of high-performance computing and mathematical machines were created. A number of them were sent to mass production. Computer centers were created on the basis of new computer technology. However, in general, the development of computer technology in the country lagged behind the United States. The documents allow us to identify a number of factors that determined the braking of this process: the industrial management reform being carried out at that time, the departmental approach, the lack of understanding by the country's leadership of the special significance of this area of industrial and scientific and technical policy, the absence of a single center coordinating this work. The Scientific Council on Computer Technology and Control Systems of the State Committee of the USSR Academy of Sciences for Science and Technology and the Presidium of the USSR Academy of Sciences was established only in 1966.

Transdisciplinarity 101: Short-Term Training in Knowledge CoProduction to Face Global Environmental Change

The Belmont Forum and the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) organized an online training workshop on transdisciplinary (TD) approaches at the Sustainability, Research, and Innovation Congress (SRI) in 2022. The IAI is an intergovernmental organization that brings together 19 countries from the Americas to support adaptation to the world’s changing environment. The Belmont Forum is a consortium of major funders and international science councils to promote knowledge about sustainability science. The workshop aimed to create a safe environment for participants to share their impressions of and experiences about transdisciplinary research, using the Americas (IAI mandate) as a launching point for TD approaches globally. The workshop consisted of two online sessions: Transdisciplinary Approach 101 and Transdisciplinary Case Studies. The objectives of the current workshop report are: 1) to identify the key takeaways regarding common challenges and opportunities for transdisciplinary practice among workshop participants’ experiences, upon which to base recommendations for best practices, e.g., managing power imbalances, conflicting priorities and timeframes, enhancing communication and consolidating contextual awareness. 2) to offer insights to build better strategies for “train the trainers'' processes around transdisciplinarity, especially in congresses and short-term events, including using an experience-based approach, offering specific tools and increasing the participation of non-academic partners. This report encourages the implementation of other training processes by experienced transdisciplinary researchers, practitioners, and funders, in order to build capacities for collaborative approaches in diverse scientific communities.

Working from home or back to the office? - The impact of the recent turbulence on office work

THE AIMS OF THE PAPER Previous studies have shown that office spaces are priority areas for research. The shocks of recent years, such as the pandemic, have radically changed the lives of office workers in particular, so researchers consider research related to office spaces increasingly relevant. This research aims to present a systematic literature review (SLR) on the relationship between turbulent times working from home (WFH) during the pandemic and outline the possibility of WFH during the pandemic and that the workers will continue to work in the home office. METHODOLOGY The study uses the method of systematic literature review to achieve the research goal. The process provides an opportunity to transparently collect empirical studies on the given research question. The research took place between 2021-2022, with 54 relevant literature items being included for processing. MOST IMPORTANT RESULTS Our results showed that working from home was and remained an industry-specific option. The competition for talent has intensified in recent years. Employers can get the most out of them, reconstruct their operations and determine what can be monitored remotely. Our results also show that the time, energy and cost of commuting to work are the second most influential motivational factors. In this way, the costs of the employers can also be reduced since they can optimize their office space in connection with the new work organization, thereby reducing their rent and overhead costs. RECOMMENDATIONS The literature review outlined that by adapting and rethinking the experiences during the pandemic, many organizations can organize their work processes more efficiently in the future in accordance with health regulations. Thanks to the shift towards a knowledge-based economy and the spread of Industry 4.0, remote work can be one of the decisive tools for curbing climate change. Acknowledgement: The research project is conducted within the Biomedical Engineering Project of the Thematic Excellence Programme framework. An application for ethical approval for the research methods used in the research "Parameterised comfort in physical spaces" was submitted to the Scientific and Research Ethics Committee of the Health Sciences Council, which granted ethical approval.

Association between maternal benzodiazepine or Z-hypnotic use in early pregnancy and the risk of stillbirth, preterm birth, and small for gestational age: a nationwide, population-based cohort study in Taiwan

Benzodiazepines and Z-hypnotics are commonly prescribed for anxiety and insomnia during pregnancy, but the evidence regarding potential adverse neonatal outcomes is insufficient because of poor control for confounding factors in previous studies. We therefore aimed to evaluate the association between the use of benzodiazepines or Z-hypnotics during early pregnancy and adverse neonatal outcomes (stillbirth, preterm birth, and small for gestational age). We did a nationwide, population-based cohort study in Taiwan using three data sources: Taiwan's National Birth Certificate Application database, the National Health Insurance database, and the Maternal and Child Health Database. The study cohort included all singleton pregnancies of females aged 15-50 years who gave birth between Jan 1, 2004, and Dec 31, 2018. Pregnancies without valid information were excluded. Benzodiazepine and Z-hypnotic use was defined as at least one benzodiazepine or Z-hypnotic prescription during early pregnancy (the first 20 weeks of pregnancy). The primary outcomes were stillbirth (fetal death at or after 20 weeks' gestation), preterm birth (<37 weeks' gestation), and small for gestational age (birthweight below the 10th percentile for gestational age by sex). Logistic regression models with propensity score fine stratification weighting were used to control for potential confounders and examine the association between benzodiazepines or Z-hypnotics use during early pregnancy and the risk of adverse neonatal outcomes. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs were reported. We used confounding by indication control analyses, a sibling control study, and a paternal negative control design to account for unmeasured confounders. The risk associated with exposure during late pregnancy was also assessed. Between Oct 7, 2021, and June 10, 2022, we analysed the study data. The cohort included 2 882 292 singleton pregnancies; of which, 75 655 (2·6%) of the mothers were dispensed one or more benzodiazepines or Z-hypnotics during early pregnancy. Women exposed during pregnancy were older (mean age at delivery was 31·0 years [SD 5·3] for exposed women vs 30·6 years [4·9] for unexposed women), had a higher prevalence of psychiatric disorders, and were more likely to have unhealthy lifestyle behaviours than unexposed women. Information about ethnicity was not available. Early pregnancy exposure was associated with adverse neonatal outcomes compared with non-exposure. The propensity score-weighted OR was 1·19 (95% CI 1·10-1·28) for stillbirth, 1·19 (1·16-1·23) for preterm birth, and 1·16 (1·13-1·19) for small for gestational age. After controlling for confounding by indication, there was no significant association between drug exposure and stillbirth risk; however, this attenuation was not observed for preterm birth and small for gestational age. In models with sibling controls that accounted for familial confounding and genetic factors, early exposure to benzodiazepines or Z-hypnotics was not associated with an increased risk of stillbirth and preterm birth, but it remained significantly associated with small for gestational age. The paternal negative control analyses with point estimates close to the null indicated no strong evidence of unmeasured confounding shared by the mother and the father. Substantially increased risks of stillbirth and preterm birth were observed for late pregnancy exposure. Benzodiazepine or Z-hypnotic use in early pregnancy is not associated with a substantial increase in the risk of stillbirth and preterm birth after accounting for unmeasured confounding factors. Clinicians should be aware of the increased risk of small for gestational age and caution should be taken when prescribing these medications during late pregnancy. National Science and Technology Council, Taiwan. For the Taiwanese translation of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section.

1550-P: A Gain-of-Function Maturity-Onset Diabetes of the Young (MODY)–Associated TALK1 Mutation Impairs Glucose Metabolism in Mice

A Leu substitution with Pro at position 114 (L114P) of TALK1 K+ channels has recently been identified in a MODY (maturity-onset-diabetes-of-the-young) family. Previous in vitro studies have shown this gain-of-function TALK1-L114P mutant may attenuate Ca2+ homeostasis and inhibit insulin secretion; nevertheless, how this mutant induces diabetes in vivo remains elusive. In this study, we have generated a transgenic mouse line that carries a TALK1-L114P mutation. About three-quarters of TALK1L/P and TALK1P/- mice died within ten days after birth due to hyperglycemia. Interestingly, those survival mice till adulthood exhibited diverse levels of glucose intolerance with islet morphology that is commonly observed in patients with type 2 diabetes. Electrophysiological recording further indicated that only a portion of the beta cells is glucose responsive, and high glucose challenge often yielded in low-frequency action potential bursting. According to our results, we hypothesized that despite the augment of membrane K+ conductance by the TALK1-L114P channel, high glucose might still be enough to depolarize beta cells and generate action potential bursting. This dampened beta cell excitation may result in a weakened Ca2+ influx and insufficient insulin secretion to cause glucose intolerance. In conclusion, this study has revealed a vital role of the TALK1 channel in regulating glucose homeostasis and a plausible diabetogenic mechanism of TALK1-L114P mutation. Disclosure W.Tsai: None. S.Yang: None. Funding National Science and Technology Council, Taiwan (111-2320-B-001-008-MY3)

346-OR: IL-10–Treated Adipose Stromal Vascular Fractions Reverse Insulin Resistance in a Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Mouse Model

Low IL-10 production capacity is associated with type 2 diabetes. Targeting IL-10 in diabetes patients has resulted in inconsistent results. To test if IL-10-treated adipose stromal vascular fraction could be used to reverse diabetes-induced gluconeogenesis and insulin resistance, we purified stromal vascular fractions (SVFs) from adipose tissue from diabetic (Lepdb/db ) and nondiabetic (Lep+/+) mice, treated them with IL-10, and injected them into adipose tissue of diabetic mice. Injection of IL-10 into adipose tissue of diabetic mice decreased mRNA expression of IL-6 and IL-1β of adipose SVFs but did not change G6PC and PCK1 expression in liver. Injection of IL-10-treated SVFs into adipose tissue of diabetic mice significantly decreased CCL2 and IL-1β expression and increased IL-10 and Foxp3 expression of SVFs of Lepdb/db mice. Moreover, injection of IL-10-treated SVFs significantly increased IL-10 levels of adipose tissue and decreased G6PC and PCK1 and insulin resistance of liver in diabetic mice. Altogether, our data suggest that IL-10-treated adipose SVFs could be used to reverse diabetes-induced gluconeogenesis gene expression and insulin resistance in diabetes. These data suggest that modified-adipose stromal vascular fractions could be used as a promising cell therapy tool in alleviating insulin resistance in diabetes mellitus. Disclosure L. Chen: None. Funding National Science and Technology Council, Taiwan (110-2314-B-A49A-540-MY3)

A somatostatin analogue and immunosuppressive therapy in the treatment of complex forms of chyloperitoneum and chylothorax in newborns and infants

Chyloperitoneum and chylothorax are rare conditions with high mortality rates whose optimal treatment strategy remains unclear. The aim of the study was to evaluate the results of chyloperitoneum and chylothorax treatment with a synthetic somatostatin analogue (octreotide) and immunosuppressive therapy with sirolimus. The study was approved by the Independent Ethics Committee and the Scientific Council of the National Medical Research Center for Children’s Health of Ministry of Healthсare of Russia. The patients' parents gave their consent to the use of their children's data, including photographs, for research purposes and in publications. We conducted a retrospective study of nine children diagnosed with congenital chyloperitoneum and chylothorax who had been treated from 2018 to 2022. All the children received either abdominal or pleural drainage, parenteral nutrition, and conservative therapy with drugs. The first line of therapy was octreotide for 14–20 days that was then switched to sirolimus if there had been no effect. The effectiveness of conservative therapy with octreotide at a dose of 5–10 µg/kg/hour was observed in 5 cases. If there had been no effect by day 14, the patients were started on sirolimus at a dose of 0.05–0.2 mg/day which proved to be effective in all the patients (n = 4). Our study showed that sirolimus is effective in complex cases of chyloperitoneum and chylothorax in newborns and infants. Because of the rarity of these disorders, our conclusions were based on the analysis of a small cohort. To confirm our results and develop uniform diagnostic and treatment guidelines, further, more targeted multicenter research is needed. Until such guidelines are adopted, decisions on the treatment of chyloperitoneum and chylothorax should be made on an individual basis and approved by the medical committee of a treatment center.

Crafting Attention in Immersive and Interactive Practices

This creation is part of the ongoing project “Positioning the Audience in Cinematic Virtual Reality”, supported by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey. The project engages with the attentional and corporeal resonance between spectators and visual experiences in participatory and immersive practices. In the continuing first phase of the project, we are designing and producing a VR creation that will then enable us to conduct audience research to focus on the attention practices of the viewers in the second phase. Hence, as a critical research-creation project it has two complementary and symmetrical foci that employ both theory and practice, and that are intertwined with one another. In tandem with making an interactive and photorealistic (cinematic) VR film where spectator crafts the very narrative unfolding by voluntary and involuntary attentional participation in a given scene, we are also developing a conceptual framework on how immersive and interactive technologies are conditioned by the freedom given to the spectator. As interdisciplinary project it brings together researchers from film studies, new media studies and psychology to develop a holistic understanding on the attention of spectator in moving image technologies. In making, instead of using game-based interactivity technologies enabled by the controllers, the VR film uses gaze detection techniques and the attentional economy of the spectator as active defining element of the narrative unfolding. Combining both the bottom-up and the top-down attentional procedures it allows spectators to craft a circular experience and aims to problematize the craft of the spectator. In theory it aims to develop an historical and critical understanding of visual practices where spectator is the active producer of the optical experience in certain media ecology including technologies from proto-cinematic devices to the post-cinematic media constellation comprising video games, Virtual Reality etc. Therefore we aim to problematize and rend sensible the craft and the autonomy of the viewer by combining conventional academic research practices with artistic experimentation. The creation undertaken in the first phase of the research is aimed to result in multiple alternative designs, which will form the basis of our presentation at IFM2023.

Emergency and Sovereignty of Russia

The article presents an overview of the panel discussion held on December 9, 2022 in a mixed format at the Faculty of Economics of Lomonosov Moscow State University on the international scientific conference «Sovereign Russia in Revolting Reality: Economics, Technologics, Culture». The conference was organized by the research laboratory of philosophy of economy together with the scientific council «Center of Social Sciences of Moscow State University». The author presents the participants reports considering from various positions the state and prospects of the Russian society, economy, the Russian civilization as a whole, in the emergency.

Stabilizing the Operation Modes of a Modern Multi-Machine Power System after Large Disturbances

Operational experience has shown that the tuning of stabilization channels of automatic excitation controllers (AEC) adopted in the UES of Russia improves steady-state stability in the power system both for long power lines and through weak connections, as well as in the event of small fluctuations in parameters. However, situations may occur in a multi-machine power system during transients after large disturbances and loss of synchronism between generators with large power fluctuations when the adopted (standard) tuning does not provide rapid suppression of these fluctuations. In an emergency situation, a prolonged transient with large power fluctuations can cause a local damage to evolve into a system accident. The article describes a method for stabilizing the operation modes in a multi-machine power system, according to which it is proposed to produce stabilizing AEC signals based on the difference of deviations between the shaft rotation frequency of each unit and the voltage frequency on the power plant busbars. Such signals will contribute to fast synchronization of generators with respect to one another and prevent power overflows between them during oscillations. In addition, with the stabilizing signals formed in this way, there will be no need for repeatedly retuning the AEC in the course of power system development and as changes are made in the electrical network structure; moreover, a widespread introduction of the proposed approach will significantly reduce the risk of torsional vibration of the turbine unit shaft. The results of the discussion of the proposed stabilization method by the UES Scientific and Technical Council are presented.

Mediating effect of decision-making between the scientific council and the efficiency of public higher education institutions: case of the University of Sfax

Mediating effect of decision-making between the scientific council and the efficiency of public higher education institutions: case of the University of Sfax

INFLUENCE OF ETHNICITY ON MARITAL SATISFACTION AMONG COUPLES IN INTERCULTURAL MARRIAGES, KIAMBU COUNTY, KENYA

Intercultural marriages are on the rise. Similarly, heterosexual, monogamous, intercultural couples may face exclusive constraints originating from divergent ethnicity. The purpose of this study was to find out the influence of ethnicity on marital satisfaction among couples in intercultural marriages in Kiambu County, Kenya. The study was hitched on Bowen Family System Theory and Cognitive Behavioral Theory (CBT). The research design adopted in this research was convergent mixed methods research design. Target population for the study was 11,028 individuals in intercultural marriages. The Snowball sampling was applied to select 99 participants. Pertinent items were adapted from Multiple Heritage Couple Questionnaire (MHCQ). Quantitative data in this study was analysed through descriptive statistics to attain means and standard deviation. Inferential statistics used linear and multiple regression analysis. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 25.0 assisted to analyse data fast and efficiently. Qualitative data was simultaneously analysed thematically. Authority to embark on the study was sought from Institutional Review Board, National Council for Science and Technology and Kiambu County Government, Kenya. Results showed that ethnicity has a positive, significant influence on marital satisfaction (β = 0.402, p = 0.040) among couples in intercultural marriages. This implies that an increase in satisfaction with ethnicity positively increases marital satisfaction by 0.402. This study recommended that policy makers cultivate strategies that escalates visibility and awareness of mental health services. The study further recommended more research by mental health scholars on the influence of ethnicity on marital satisfaction among intercultural couples to enhance understanding that is essential for couples’ marital management which augments satisfaction.

Peruvian Workshop on Solar Energy 2022 (JOPES 2022)

Preface On this occasion, the Peruvian Workshop on Solar Energy 2022 (JOPES 2022) was held for the 5th consecutive year despite the difficulties caused by the aftermath of the pandemic and the economic and political crisis in Peru. For this reason, the organizers feel satisfied to be able to contribute year after year with the dissemination of research related to renewable energies and environmental management and, mainly, grateful to all the exhibitors, speakers, attendees, as well as the authorities of the National University of Engineering (UNI), which have made it possible to carry out this event successfully. Special thanks to the Peruvian Association of Solar Energy and the Environment (APES), the Renewable Energy Center of the National University of Engineering (CER-UNI), and the Peruvian government’s National Council of Science, Technology and Technological Innovation (CONCYTEC) for financial support.The JOPES was held from May 11 to 13, 2022, in the virtual classrooms provided by the UNI. The keynote presentations were given by nine specialists from Peru, Brazil, Cuba, Mexico, Spain, England, and Uruguay. Finally, on the last day, there was a visit (in person) to the facilities of the CER-UNI.In this edition of JOPES, papers were presented on different theoretical and experimental topics related to solar energy, such as thermal comfort in homes, photovoltaic energy and hybrid systems, solar resource prediction models, use of satellite technologies, light comfort and LED lighting, desalination, use of IoT, etc. The presentation of works related to wind and geothermal energy is also worth noting.The organizers are committed to the continuity of the JOPES. The conference facilitates showing our advances in solar energy research and creating cooperation ties between universities, companies, and national and international research groups. We are confident that it will continue attracting the attention of national authorities to continue betting on the use of renewable energies and take advantage of our country’s significant renewable energy potential.List of Organizing Committee is available in this pdf.