Investigation of cosmic ray propagation in interplanetary space

It was established experimentally that propagation of solar cosmic rays (scr) in interplanetary space up to 1 AU in most cases was of diffusion character

Effects of solar magnetic field on cosmic rays

Aspects of the problem of galactic cosmic ray propagation, including inversion of the solar total magnetic field and an analysis of data related to the heliomagnetic cycle are discussed. It is noted that the global structure of the solar magnetic field results in an additional flux of galactic cosmic rays generated by curvature and gradient drifts. An analysis of heliomagnetic cycle data shows that the latitudinal gradient results in a N-S asymmetry, with the amplitude of the effect growing with depth in the atmosphere. The inversion of the solar total magnetic field, drift effects, and other space distributions are found to contribute to a 22-year cycle of solar activity

Ensuring the Legality of Decisions on the Refusal to Initiate Criminal Caseby the Means of Prosecutorial Response

The author considers issues of the use by the prosecutor of powers to abolish procedural decisions of the investigation bodies about the refusal to initiate criminal cases. Based on the analysis of scientific provisions and law enforcement practice, a conclusion is drawn that the procedural activity of the prosecutor is insufficient to curb the facts of illegal refusals to initiate criminal cases. It is proposed to give the prosecutor authority to make independent decisions on the initiation of criminal cases after the prosecutor's repeal of the decision to refuse to open a criminal case. In addition, it is proposed to return to the prosecutor the right to give written instructions to the investigator on the progress of additional verification of the report on the crime, and also to determine its term independently in case the cancellation of the decision to refuse to initiate criminal proceedings in connection with incompleteness

Complex phytochemical preparation (Herba centaurii, Radix levistici and Folia rosmarini) protects kidney during glomerulonephritis

© 2017, Pharmainfo Publications. All rights reserved. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a global problem all over the world. Special attention is paid to the action of natural compounds. This research was aimed to investigate the effect of complex phytochemical preparation (Herba centaurii, Radix levistici and Folia rosmarini) on dynamics of morphological changes in kidney tissue in animals with glomerulonephritis. We found a positive dynamics in the structure of the nephron, which allows us to conclude that its nephroprotective effect is expressed

Hippocampal subfields predict positive symptoms in schizophrenia: First evidence from brain morphometry

Alterations of hippocampal anatomy have been reported consistently in schizophrenia. Within the present study, we used FreeSurfer to determine hippocampal subfield volumes in 21 schizophrenic patients. A negative correlation between PANSS-positive symptom score and bilateral hippocampal subfield CA2/3 as well as CA1 volume was found on high-resolution magnetic resonance images. Our observation opens the gate for advanced investigation of the commonly reported hippocampal abnormalities in schizophrenia in terms of specific subfields

Complex online harms and the smart home:A scoping review

Background:Technological advances in the smart home have created new opportunities for supporting digital citizens’ well-being and facilitating their empowerment but have enabled new types of complex online harms to develop. Recent statistics have indicated that ‘smart’ technology ownership increases yearly, driven by lower costs and increased accessibility. Research on smart homes has also grown, focusing on technology perspectives at the expense of a user-centric approach sensitive to the smart home’s harms, risks, and vulnerabilities.Objective:This scoping review addresses the information gap by underscoring the scope of literature that exists regarding complex online harms, vulnerabilities, and risks associated with smart home technologies and citizens’ agency. The goal is to understand the state of knowledge, gaps in the literature, and areas for future study. The importance and originality of this paper lie in its interdisciplinary review and approach. It is hoped that this research will contribute to a deeper understanding of complex online harms in the smart home.Design:Three online databases were utilised to identify papers published between 2017 and 2022, from which we selected 235 publications written in English that addressed harms, risks, vulnerabilities, and agency in the smart home context. This allowed us to map contemporary literature to reveal significant gaps in our understanding of the complex online harms affecting smart home users and identify opportunities for further research.Results:This review identified emerging themes of ‘risks’, ‘vulnerabilities’, and ‘harms’ in that order of frequency within the literature on smart homes. The usage of terms is skewed towards computing science and information security, which comprised the majority of the literature at 54.6%. Human–computer interaction papers contributed 24.4%, while social sciences accounted for 16.2%.Conclusion:Risks, harms and vulnerabilities within smart home ecosystems and IoTs are ongoing issues with complexities that necessitate research. Privacy, security, and well-being are key themes that embody the scope of complex harms affecting smart home devices in the broad literature. This review establishes disciplinary research gaps, especially in user-centred perspectives, due to a heavy technology focus in the existing literature. Therefore, further research is needed to address emergent risks, harms and vulnerabilities of smart home devices and understand how user agency and autonomy can complement the design, interface, and socio-technical aspects of smart home systems

Cyberattack Detection in Vehicles using Characteristic Functions, Artificial Neural Networks, and Visual Analysis

The connectivity of autonomous vehicles induces new attack surfaces and thus the demand for sophisticated cybersecurity management. Thus, it is important to ensure that in-vehicle network monitoring includes the ability to accurately detect intrusive behavior and analyze cyberattacks from vehicle data and vehicle logs in a privacy-friendly manner. For this purpose, we describe and evaluate a method that utilizes characteristic functions and compare it with an approach based on artificial neural networks. Visual analysis of the respective event streams complements the evaluation. Although the characteristic functions method is an order of magnitude faster, the accuracy of the results obtained is at least comparable to those obtained with the artificial neural network. Thus, this method is an interesting option for implementation in in-vehicle embedded systems. An important aspect for the usage of the analysis methods within a cybersecurity framework is the explainability of the detection results

Opisthorchis felineus infection, risks, and morbidity in rural Western Siberia, Russian Federation

The liver fluke, Opisthorchis felineus, is widely distributed throughout Europe and large parts of the Russian Federation. In Western Siberia, information about opisthorchiasis is lacking although infection may lead to severe liver and bile duct diseases. We aimed to assess the current prevalence of O. felineus infection along with associated risk factors and morbidity in rural Western Siberia.; We conducted a community-based, cross-sectional study in the rural Shegarskiy district, Tomsk Oblast, Russian Federation. All household members (≥ 7 years) present on the survey day were enrolled (n = 600). Two stool samples per person were examined for helminth eggs, using PARASEP (DiaSys Ltd, UK). The number of eggs per gram (EPG) of feces was recorded. Each study participant was interviewed to determine risk factors, using a pre-tested questionnaire. An abdominal ultrasonography examination of liver and bile ducts was performed with a mobile, high resolution ultrasound device. In total, 488 persons completed assessments (two stool samples, completed questionnaires); of those, 436 individuals had an ultrasonography (US) examination.; We observed a prevalence of O. felineus infection of 60.2%. Significant risk factors for infection were the consumption of river fish (odds ratio from adjusted analysis [aOR] 2.4, 95% CI 1.52-3.95, p<0.001), particularly stock fish (OR from multivariable analysis [mOR] 3.2, 95% CI 2.63-3.80, p<0.001), smoked fish (mOR 1.5, 95% CI 1.24-1.72, p<0.001), frozen fish (mOR 1.6, 95% CI 1.29-2.02, p<0.001), and raw fish (mOR 1.4, 95% CI 1.05-1.84, p = 0.02); and fishing activities (mOR 1.2, 95% CI 1.03-1.43, p = 0.019). Women had a higher risk of infection than men. Infection was associated positively with age and negatively with socio-economic status. The respondents' general awareness of opisthorchiasis was quite high (93.2%), but their knowledge about infection transmission and prevention was insufficient. Children aged 7-18 years old had a lower level of awareness compared to adults. The abdominal ultrasonography results demonstrated a strong association between O. felineus infection and gallbladder stones (mOR 2.8, 95% CI 1.33-6.04, p = 0.007) and periductal fibrosis of intrahepatic bile ducts (mOR 1.9, 95% CI 1.08-3.46, p = 0.026).; O. felineus infection is highly prevalent in rural regions of Western Siberia, and associated with severe hepatobiliary pathology. Identified risk factors will be used to develop a comprehensive targeted O. felineus infection control program

РАСПРОСТРАНЕННОСТЬ ПИЩЕВОЙ АЛЛЕРГИИ У ДЕТЕЙ В МИРОВОМ ОЧАГЕ ОПИСТОРХОЗА: ПЛАНИРОВАНИЕ И МЕТОДОЛОГИЯ ЭПИДЕМИОЛОГИЧЕСКОГО ИССЛЕДОВАНИЯ EUROPREVALL

According to numerous surveys food allergy affects up to 2–6% of population in different countries and varies due to numerous factors including the prevalence of helminths infestation. The food allergy prevalence data in Russia are based on official medical statistics. The study was performed as part of «The Prevalence, Cost and Basis of Food Allergy Across Europe» (EU funded project № FP6-2006-TTC-TU-5 Proposal 045879 EuroPrevall). The aim is to create the concept of food allergy in children in opisthorchiasis endemic area based on epidemiological study of the prevalence, risk factors and clinical features. The main objective of the study will be the working out of the food safety regulations. This article describes the study design and its methodology. Согласно данным ряда исследователей, распространенность пищевой аллергии в мире составляет 2–6%, варьируя в зависимости от многочисленных факторов, включая пораженность населения гельминтными инвазиями. Сведения о распространенности пищевой аллергии в России основаны на данных официальной статистики. Настоящая работа выполнена в рамках «Исследования распространенности, социально-экономического значения и основ пищевой аллергии в Европе» («The Prevalence, Cost and Basis of Food Allergy Across Europe»; грант VI рамочной программы Евросоюза № FP6-2006-TTC-TU-5 Proposal 045879 EuroPrevall). Цель исследования состоит в формулировке новой концепции пищевой аллергии у детей в мировом очаге описторхоза на основании эпидемиологического исследования распространенности, факторов риска, клинических особенностей болезни, а также в создании научной базы для разработки регламентов безопасности продуктов питания. Статья посвящена вопросам планирования и методологии исследования.

Исследование антимикробных эффектов фитотерапии при лечении пиелонефрита у детей

Background. Improvement of treatment methods and relapse prevention of pyelonephritis in children is relevant to pediatrics. The study of the antibacterial possibilities of herbal medicines (HM) provoke great interest for researches . The aim of the survey was to investigate the antimicrobial properties of combined phytotherapy in vitro. Methods. Two microbiological researches were performed in vitro. One of them was conducted using the microtechnique for serial dilution-antibiotic sensitivity testing of 62 cultures (genera Escherichia, Klebsiella, Proteus and Pseudomonas, Staphylococcus, Streptococcus) isolated in significantly diagnostic concentration from the urine of children in the acute phase of pyelonephritis. The antibacterial effect of RLP was detected using the microtechnique for serial dilution. To exclude the antibacterial effect of the alcohol present in the phytopreparations, a number of analogous dilutions were placed in 19.5% solution of ethyl alcohol. At the same time, the sterility of the reaction components was monitored. The second research studied the concentration changes of the microbial suspension of Escherichia coli isolated from the urine of children before the treatment onset with incubation of different concentrations of phytopreparations and at a different exposure periods. Results. Studies on the antimicrobial activity of HM in vitro demonstrated the antimicrobial effect of HM on 58% of the examined cultures. The highest drug sensitivity was revealed in the genera Klebsiella (80%), Staphylococcus (77%), and E. coli (51.5%). Studies on the concentration changes of microbial suspension of E. coli detected 100% activity of undiluted HM at a 24-hour exposure period (sample D). A significant decrease in the pathogen growth was also obtained with HM with the dilution ratio 1:1 at a 24-hour exposure period. Conclusion. The microbiological analyses demonstrated and confirmed the antibacterial characteristics of HM. Обоснование. Совершенствование методов лечения и профилактики рецидивов пиелонефрита у детей является актуальной задачей педиатрии. Особый интерес вызывает изучение антибактериальных возможностей растительных лекарственных препаратов (РЛП). Цель исследования — изучение антимикробных свойств комбинированной фитотерапии in vitro. Методы. In vitro было выполнено два микробиологических исследования. Одно из них проведено микрометодом тестирования серийных разведений 62 урокультур, относящихся к родам Escherichia, Klebsiella, Proteus и Pseudomonas, Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, изолированных из мочи детей в острой фазе пиелонефрита в диагностически значимой концентрации. Антибактериальное действие РЛП определяли микрометодом серийных разведений. Для исключения антибактериального действия присутствующего в фитопрепарате спирта ставили ряд аналогичных разведений с 19,5% раствором этилового спирта. Одновременно проводили контроль стерильности компонентов реакции. Во втором исследовании было изучено изменение концентрации микробной суспензии Escherichia coli, выделенной также до начала лечения из мочи детей, при инкубации вместе с различными концентрациями фитопрепарата и разной длительности экспозиции. Результаты. Исследования антимикробной активности РЛП in vitro показали антимикробный эффект РЛП в отношении 58% исследуемых урокультур. Наибольшая чувствительность к препарату выявлена у родов Klebsiella (80%), Staphylococcus (77%) и E. coli (51,5%). Исследования изменений концентрации микробной суспензии E. coli показали 100% активность неразведенного РЛП при 24-часовой экспозиции (проба D). Достоверное снижение роста возбудителя получено и при 24-часовой экспозиции с РЛП в его разведении 1:1. Заключение. Микробиологические исследования продемонстрировали и подтвердили антибактериальные свойства РЛП.