Intellectual Property Rights in the Seed Industry: Barriers to Sustainable Agriculture

The dynamics of the dominant industrial agriculture system restrict the seed industry’s innovative landscape, leading to significant negative consequences including an exacerbation of environmental risks which threaten global food security. This thesis explores how exclusionary intellectual property rights (IPRs) in the context of the seed industry constrict innovation, evolutionary pathways, and opportunities for the implementation of sustainable agriculture methods. To overcome these barriers, the application of an open source framework to seed innovation, specifically through the platform of the Open Source Seed Initiative, is evaluated as a tool for enhancing innovative capacities in seed development while broadening the accessibility and growth of the plant genetic resource base. Using an open source framework alongside agroecological practices can enable the seed industry to shift toward a more decentralized structure, increasing opportunities for divergent plant evolutionary pathways in support of securing the future of food production

36 Months Survivability And Its Predictors In Patients With Chronic Heart Failure And Decreased Fraction Of Left Ventricular Ejection Depending On Sex

Aim of the work: to compare survivability parameters during 36 months and their predictors among men and women with chronic heart failure and decreased fraction of left ventricular ejection.Materials and methods: the research included 356 patients with CHF (NYHA ІІ –ІV) with decreased LVEF<40 %, 18–75 years old. Using Kaplan-Meier method, there was analyzed the survivability in men and women during 36 months, then there were analyzed independent factors that influenced survivability terms depending on sex using the multiple logistic regression.Results. Our analysis of the survivability of patients with CHF with decreased LVEF demonstrated that the cumulative survival after 3 years of observation was 49 and 51 % for men and women, respectively. The curves of 36 months survivability didn\u27t reliably differ. At the analysis of factors, associated with the bad prognosis, there were observed differences between groups of men and women with CHF. Thus, in men the predictors of 36 month survival were: the thickness of the right ventricle wall, size of the right atrium, end-diastolic volume and end-systolic volume of LV, indices of EDV and ESV of LV, urinary acid level, value of LVEF. In women the predictors of survivability during 3 years were the following parameters: BMI, DM type 2 in an anamnesis, end-diastolic size of LV, end-systolic size of LV, blood glucose level, LVEF.Conclusion. The survivability of men and women with CHF with decreased LVEF during 36 months didn\u27t reliably differ and was 49 and 51 % respectively. But predictors of the lethal outcome in men and women essentially differed during 36 months, and their number is essentially higher in men

Periodicity of professional pedagogical education within bachelor’s and master’s programmes in natural sciences

The article provides grounding and a methodological macro-development basis for a system periodic model of professional pedagogical education within bachelor's and master’s programmes in natural sciences. In the abovementioned context, periodicity is regarded as a universally applicable procedural basis for multilevel continuous professional pedagogical education in the sphere of natural sciences. A key category of system periodic model of professional pedagogical education within bachelor's and master’s programmes in natural sciences is a didactic cycle characterised by purposefulness, internal system integrity, dynamism, iterativity, controllability and hierarchy of levels based on phase logic. Didactic cycle is represented as a dual procedure of development of subject-subject relations oriented to correlation changes of self-balancing systems depending on quantitative augmentation in a form of grasping of content of professional pedagogical education within bachelor's and master’s programmes in natural sciences to qualitative personal transformations. Realisation of the hierarchy position is realised as macro-didactic, mesodidactic and micro-didactic cycles within the structure of a system model. Their attributive signs are goals, peculiarities of learning activity within the process of subject-subject dialogic interaction, types of solved tasks and performance. We have defined and characterised specificity of phases of didactic cycle: initiatives and perspectives, designing, implementation, assessment of results.peer-reviewe

ON THE BEST APPROXIMATION OF THE INFINITESIMAL GENERATOR OF A CONTRACTION SEMIGROUP IN A HILBERT SPACE

Let $A$ be the infinitesimal generator  of a strongly continuous contraction semigroup in a  Hilbert space $H$.   We give an upper estimate for the best approximation of the operator $A$ by bounded linear operators with a prescribed norm  in the space $H$ on the class $Q_2 = \{x\in \mathcal{D}(A^2) : \|A^2 x\| \leq 1\}$,  where $\mathcal D(A^2)$ denotes the domain of $A^2$

COVID-19-related cardiac lesion: The questions of pathogenesis and diagnostics

Coronavirus infection is still a topic of interest in the medical community today. Among the heterogeneous clinical manifestations of this disease, lesions of cardiac structures often occur. They are mainly inflammatory in nature and can be acute or delayed. Aside from myocarditis, coronavirus infection can induce cardiac injuries, including acute coronary syndrome, thromboembolic events, heart failure, and heart rhythm disturbances. It is well known that the prognosis for patients with cardiac lesions significantly worsens; timely diagnosis and treatment initiation play an important role in preventing severe complications. This review presents the most recent literature data on the pathogenesis of cardiac lesions in COVID-19 patients and discusses the rational diagnosis of this pathology using modern techniques, such as laboratory, functional imaging (cardiac magnetic resonance is the most important of these), and invasive ones. It is now established that diagnosing myocarditis caused by coronavirus infection differs fundamentally from diagnosing other types of myocarditis. Furthermore, the main aspects of inflammatory heart lesions associated with COVID-19 vaccination are discussed, as this complication occurs more frequently than is commonly believed. It is often used as a rationale for refusing vaccination; however, this decision may severely affect the individual and the population

Hybrid Mucin‐Vaterite Microspheres for Delivery of Proteolytic Enzyme Chymotrypsin

Abstract While the enteral delivery of proteolytic enzymes is widely established for combating many diseases as an alternative to antibiotic treatment, their local delivery only emerges as administration route enabling sustained release in a controlled manner on site. The latest requires the development of drug delivery systems suitable for encapsulation and preservation of enzymatic proteolytic activity. This study proposes hybrid microspheres made of mucin and biodegradable porous crystals of calcium carbonate (CC) as the carriers for chymotrypsin (CTR) delivery. CTR is impregnated into CC and hybrid CC/mucin (CCM) microspheres by means of sorption without any chemical modification. The loading of the CC with mucin enhances CTR retention on hybrid microspheres (adsorption capacity of ≈8.7 mg g−1 vs 4.7 mg g−1), recharging crystal surface due to the presence of mucin and diminishing the average pore diameter of the crystals from 25 to 8 nm. Mucin also retards recrystallization of vaterite into nonporous calcite improving stability of CCM microspheres upon storage. Proteolytic activity of CTR is preserved in both CC and CCM microspheres, being pH dependent. Temperature‐induced inactivation of CTR significantly diminishes by CTR encapsulation into CC and CCM microspheres. Altogether, these findings indicate promises of hybrid mucin‐vaterite microspheres for mucosal application of proteases

Potential Biomarkers of the Earliest Clinical Stages of Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a widespread neurodegenerative disorder. Despite the intensive studies of this pathology, in general, the picture of the etiopathogenesis has still not been clarified fully. To understand better the mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of PD, we analyzed the expression of 10 genes in the peripheral blood of treated and untreated patients with PD. 35 untreated patients with PD and 12 treated patients with Parkinson’s disease (Hoehn and Yahr scores 1-2) were studied. An analysis of the mRNA levels of ATP13A2, PARK2, PARK7, PINK1, LRRK2, SNCA, ALDH1A1, PDHB, PPARGC1A, and ZNF746 genes in the peripheral blood of patients was carried out using reverse transcription followed by real-time PCR. A statistically significant and specific increase by more than 1.5-fold in the expression of the ATP13A2, PARK7, and ZNF746 genes was observed in patients with PD. Based on these results, it can be suggested that the upregulation of the mRNA levels of ATP13A2, PARK7, and ZNF746 in untreated patients in the earliest clinical stages can also be observed in the preclinical stages of PD, and that these genes can be considered as potential biomarkers of the preclinical stage of PD

Immobilization of Antioxidant Enzyme Catalase on Porous Hybrid Microparticles of Vaterite with Mucin

Catalase is one of the crucial antioxidant enzymes with diverse applications in textile, food industries, wastewater treatment, cosmetics, and pharmaceutics, which, however, is highly sensitive to environmental challenges. Resisting the loss of activity and prolongation of formulation storage can be achieved via the catalase entrapment into insoluble carriers. Affordable and degradable vaterite is proposed as amicable material for catalase immobilization. To improve the carrier properties of the vaterite, it was co‐precipitated with mucin from the pig's stomach producing ca 5 μm hybrid mucin/vaterite microparticles. Catalase is impregnated into the crystals by means of adsorption without chemical modifications. The presence of mucin matrix partially hinders catalase penetration into the crystals and reduces the adsorption capacity (for 0.1 mg mL−1 catalase, ca 2.3 vs ca 1.5 mg g−1 for pristine and hybrid microparticles, respectively) but significantly promotes the protection of antioxidant activity upon storage and under the action of temperature, organic solvent (acetonitrile), and proteolytic enzyme (trypsin). Hybrid microcrystals are pH‐sensitive and better retain the enzyme at pH 3–5 due to catalase‐mucin complexation. Immobilized catalase can be used for 5–6 consecutive cycles until it loses catalytic activity. Altogether, these findings indicate promises of hybrid mucin/vaterite microparticles for immobilization of antioxidant enzymes

Kinetics of Аdsorption of nickel(II) Ions by Zeolite with Immobilized Thiosemicarbazide

Исследовано влияние температуры на кинетику адсорбции ионов никеля(II) цеолитом с иммобилизованным тиосемикарбазидом. В рамках диффузионных моделей Бойда и Морриса-Вебера использован количественный подход для первичного разграничения внешне и внутри диффузионного лимитирования адсорбции. Показано, что диффузия ионов через пленку раствора и диффузия в зерне цеолита вносят свой вклад в общую скорость процесса, и адсорбция протекает в смешанно-диффузионном режиме. Вклад химической стадии в кинетику гетерогенного процесса адсорбции был охарактеризован в рамках кинетических моделей Лагергрена, Хо и Маккея и Еловича. Наиболее применимой для описания исследуемых процессов является модель псевдо-второго порядка. Модель предполагает, что скорость процесса адсорбции ионов никеля(II) лимитирует химическая реакция, которая в случае рассматриваемых цеолитов сопровождается образованием хелатных комплексов (состава 1:1) за счет донорно-акцепторного взаимодействия ионов металла с атомами азота и серы тиосемикарбазидного фрагмента. Такой тип взаимодействия характерен как для материалов функционализированных тиосемикарбазидом, так и в целом для органических адсорбентов, содержащих N- и S‑активные группировкиThe effect of temperature on the adsorption kinetics of nickel(II) ions by zeolite with immobilized thiosemicarbazide has been studied. Within the framework of the diffusion models of Boyd and Morris-Weber, a quantitative approach was used for the primary distinction between external and internal diffusion limitation of adsorption. It is shown that the diffusion of ions through the solution membrane and diffusion in the zeolite grain contribute to the overall rate of the process, and adsorption proceeds in a mixed diffusion mode. The contribution of the chemical stage to the kinetics of the heterogeneous adsorption process was characterized in terms of the kinetic models of Lagergren, Ho, and McKay and Elovich. The most applicable for describing explored the processes is the pseudo-second order model. The model assumes that the rate of adsorption of nickel(II) ions is limited by a chemical reaction, which, in the case of the zeolites under consideration, is accompanied by the formation of chelate complexes (composition 1:1) due to the donor-acceptor interaction of metal ions with nitrogen and sulfur atoms of the thiosemicarbazide fragment. This type of interaction is typical both for materials functionalized with thiosemicarbazide and, in general, for organic adsorbents containing N- and S‑active group

Developing Transdisciplinary Approaches to Sustainability Challenges: The Need to Model Socio-Environmental Systems in the Longue Durée

Human beings are an active component of every terrestrial ecosystem on Earth. Although our local impact on the evolution of these ecosystems has been undeniable and extensively documented, it remains unclear precisely how our activities are altering them, in part because ecosystems are dynamic systems structured by complex, non-linear feedback processes and cascading effects. We argue that it is only by studying human–environment interactions over timescales that greatly exceed the lifespan of any individual human (i.e., the deep past or longue durée), we can hope to fully understand such processes and their implications. In this article, we identify some of the key challenges faced in integrating long-term datasets with those of other areas of sustainability science, and suggest some useful ways forward. Specifically, we (a) highlight the potential of the historical sciences for sustainability science, (b) stress the need to integrate theoretical frameworks wherein humans are seen as inherently entangled with the environment, and (c) propose formal computational modelling as the ideal platform to overcome the challenges of transdisciplinary work across large, and multiple, geographical and temporal scales. Our goal is to provide a manifesto for an integrated scientific approach to the study of socio-ecological systems over the long term