GEOGRAPHICAL ANALYSIS OF FOREST FLORA OF THE CENTRAL CISCAUCASIA

Abstract. Aim. Forest flora of the Central Ciscaucasia in General is a relict, geographically situated in the steppe zone. Composing flora elements have different types of habitats, concentrated in the natural physical-geographical unit where isolated from the main habitats. Comparative analysis of the geographic, ecological and systematic components of forest flora will provide data about the correlation of these parameters identify the leading group. Location. The Central CiscaucasiaMethods. We made the geographical and systematic ranges of forest flora of the Central Ciscaucasia and their comparative analysis is conducted.Results. Geographical analysis of forest flora of the Central Ciscaucasia revealed 16 geographical elements, grouped in 6 categories, among which is the predominant group of boreal geographical elements. It is established that the leading geographical elements are Euro-Caucasian, Caucasian and Sub-Caucasian, numbering 189 species, and are half of the flora. Comparison with ecological spectrum showed that the sequence geographical elements completely different, here leading positions are occupied Northern species as ecologically more conservative, and the Caucasian demonstrate ecological plasticity. In a systematic relation matched warheads geographical and systematic spectra. The scope of the results. The results may be used in comparative Floristics, in its theoretical part in adjusting themodels of the Genesis of the flora.Conclusions. Thus, half of the geographical elements of the forest flora of the Central Ciscaucasia are linked in their distribution of Caucasian floristic province (Euro-Caucasian, Caucasian and Sub-Caucasian). These same geographical elements to predominate in the head part of the spectrum families. Most geographical elements have low ecological plasticity species, their components, do not go beyond the forest plant association, but geographical elements head part of the geographical range are the most ecologically plasticity

An Exploratory Assessment of Applying Risk Management Practices to Engineered Nanomaterials

The widespread industrial application of nanotechnology has increased the number of workers exposed to engineered nanomaterials (ENMs), but it is not clear to what extent prevention guidance is practiced. Our aim was to explore the extent that companies manufacturing and/or using ENMs apply risk assessment and management measures. Thirty-four companies were surveyed with an international 35-item questionnaire investigating company and workforce features, types of ENM handled, and risk evaluation and preventive measures adopted. Among participating companies, 62% had a maximum of 10 employees. Metal-based nanomaterials were most frequently identified (73%). Environmental monitoring was performed by 41% of the companies, while engineering exposure controls were approximately reported by 50%. Information and training programs were indicated by 85% of the sample, only 9% performed specific health surveillance for ENM workers. Personal protective equipment primarily included gloves (100%) and eye/face protection (94%). This small-scale assessment can contribute to the limited amount of published literature on the topic. Future investigations should include a greater number of companies to better represent ENM workplaces and a direct access to industrial settings to collect information on site. Finally, deeper attention should be paid to define standardized frameworks for ENM risk assessment that may guide nano-specific preventive actions

Helium Porosity Formation in Vanadium Alloys of V-Ti-Cr, V-W-Zr and V-W-Ta Systems in Comparison with Binary Alloys

Vanadium alloys are considered candidates for use as structural materials of fusion reactors. A large amount of helium will be accumulated in such materials. The presence of helium in the materials may result in gas swelling. This paper presents the results on helium porosity formation researches in V–Ti–Cr, V–W–Zr and V–W–Ta alloys obtained by means of TEM. Samples were irradiated by 40 keV Не+ ions up to dose of 5 ⋅ 1020m−2 at 923 K. Alloy V–4%Ti–4%Cr has a smallest helium swelling among the ternary alloys and its swelling is significantly lower than swelling of dual V–Ti and V–Cr alloys. The swelling of the ternary V–2%W–1%Zr alloy is more than 3 times less than the swelling of vanadium, several times less than that of V–W alloys and slightly lower than the swelling of V– Zr alloys. Swelling increases by a factor of 1.5 with increasing of Zr content to 2% in the ternary V–2%W–1%Zr alloy. Similarly, gas swelling of ternary V–2%W–1%Ta alloy is significantly lower than that for binary V–W and V–Ta alloys. Assumptions are made about the possible mechanisms of the effect of alloying elements in vanadium on helium porosity formation. Keywords: vanadium alloys, swelling, helium, radiation resistance

Psychometric properties of burnout measures: a systematic review.

Occupational Burnout (OB) is currently measured through several Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) and some of them have become widely used in occupational health research and practice. We, therefore, aimed to review and grade the psychometric validity of the five OB PROMs considered as valid for OB measure in mental health professionals (the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), the Pines' Burnout Measure (BM), the Psychologist Burnout Inventory (PBI), the OLdenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI) and the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI)). We conducted systematic literature searches in MEDLINE, PsycINFO and EMBASE databases. We reviewed studies published between January 1980 and September 2018 following a methodological framework, in which each step of PROM validation, the reference method, analytical technics and result interpretation criteria were assessed. Using the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement Instruments we evaluated the risk of bias in studies assessing content and criterion validity, structural validity, internal consistency, reliability, measurement error, hypotheses testing and responsiveness of each PROM. Finally, we assessed the level of evidence for the validity of each PROM using the GRADE approach. We identified 6541 studies, 19 of which were included for review. Fifteen studies dealt with MBI whereas BM, PBI, OLBI and CBI were each examined in only one study. OLBI had the most complete validation, followed by CBI, MBI, BM and PBI, respectively. When examining the result interpretation correctness, the strongest disagreement was observed for MBI (27% of results), BM (25%) and CBI (17%). There was no disagreement regarding PBI and OLBI. For OLBI and CBI, the quality of evidence for sufficient content validity, the crucial psychometric property, was moderate; for MBI, BM and PBI, it was very low. To be validly and reliably used in medical research and practice, PROM should exhibit robust psychometric properties. Among the five PROMs reviewed, CBI and, to a lesser extent, OLBI meet this prerequisite. The cross-cultural validity of these PROMs was beyond the scope of our work and should be addressed in the future. Moreover, the development of a diagnostic standard for OB would be helpful to assess the sensitivity and specificity of the PROMs and further reexamine their validity.The study protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD 42019124621)

Broad Line Emission in Low-Metallicity Blue Compact Dwarf Galaxies: Evidence for Stellar Wind, Supernova and Possible AGN Activity

We present spectra of a large sample of low-metallicity blue compact dwarf galaxies which exhibit broad components in their strong emission lines, mainly in Hbeta, [O III]4959, 5007 and Halpha. Twenty-three spectra have been obtained with the MMT, 14 of which show broad emission. The remaining 21 spectra with broad emission have been selected from the Data Release 5 of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. The most plausible origin of broad line emission is the evolution of massive stars and their interaction with the circumstellar and interstellar medium. The broad emission with the lowest H$\alpha$ luminosities (10^36 - 10^39 erg/s) is likely produced in circumstellar envelopes around hot Ofp/WN9 and/or LBV stars. The broad emission with the highest Halpha luminosities (10^40 - 10^42 erg/s) probably arises from type IIp or type IIn supernovae (SNe). It can also come from active galactic nuclei (AGN) containing intermediate-mass black holes, although we find no strong evidence for hard non-thermal radiation in our sample galaxies. The oxygen abundance in the host galaxies with SN candidates is low and varies in the range 12 + log O/H = 7.36 - 8.31. However, type IIn SN / AGN candidates are found only in galaxies with 12 + log O/H < 7.99. Spectroscopic monitoring of these type IIn SN / AGN candidates over a time scale of several years is necessary to distinguish between the two possibilities.Comment: 50 pages, 6 figures. Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa

First look with JWST spectroscopy: z∼8z \sim 8 galaxies resemble local analogues

Deep images and near-IR spectra of galaxies in the field of the lensing cluster SMACS J0723.3-7327 were recently taken in the Early Release Observations program of JWST. Among these, two NIRSpec spectra of galaxies at $z=7.7$ and one at $z=8.5$ were obtained, revealing for the first time rest-frame optical emission line spectra of galaxies in the epoch of reionization, including the detection of the important[OIII]4363 auroral line (see JWST PR 2022-035). We present an analysis of the emission line properties of these galaxies, finding that these galaxies have a high excitation (as indicated by high ratios of [OIII]/[OII], [NeIII]/[OII]), strong [OIII]4363/H$\gamma$, high equivalent widths, and other properties which are typical of low-metallicity star-forming galaxies. Using the direct method we determine oxygen abundances of $12+\log(O/H)=7.9$ in two $z=7.7$ galaxies, and a lower metallicity of $12+\log(O/H)\approx 7.4-7.5$ in the $z=8.5$ galaxy using different strong line methods. More accurate metallicity determinations will require better data. With stellar masses estimated from SED fits, we find that the three galaxies lie close to or below the $z \sim 2$ mass-metallicity relation. Overall, these first galaxy spectra at $z \sim 8$ show a strong resemblance of the emission lines properties of galaxies in the epoch of reionization with those of relatively rare local analogues previously studied from the SDSS. Clearly, the first JWST observations demonstrate already the incredible power of spectroscopy to reveal properties of galaxies in the early Universe.Comment: 6 pages, 6 Figures. Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics Letter

Air Pollution and Primary DNA Damage among Zagreb (Croatia) Residents: A Cross-Sectional Study.

More than eight million premature deaths annually can be attributed to air pollution, with 99% of the world's population residing in areas below recommended air quality standards. Hence, the present study aimed to examine the association between primary DNA damage and air pollution data among 123 participants enrolled between 2011 and 2015 in Zagreb, Croatia. While most measured air pollutants adhered to regulatory limits, benzo[a]pyrene concentrations bound to PM &lt;sub&gt;10&lt;/sub&gt; exceeded them. Factorial analysis narrowed down air pollution data to four exposure factors (particulate matter, two metal factors, and other pollutants). Despite the absence of significant positive associations between modeled air pollution exposure factors and comet assay descriptors (tail length, tail intensity, tail moment, and highly damaged nuclei), the critical health implications of air pollution warrant further investigations, particularly with biomarkers of exposure and different biomarkers of effect in populations facing air pollution exposure

HLA-B5/51 GENOTYPE: AN ASSOCIATION WITH THE CLINICAL MANIFESTATIONS OF BEHCET’S DISEASE

Objective: to estimate the contribution of HLA-B5/51 genotype to the clinical manifestations and risk of Behcet’s disease (BD) in two ethnic groups.Subjects and methods. 146 BD patients fulfilling the International Criteria for BD (ICBD) were divided into two ethnic groups: 1) 86 patients from Dagestan (representatives of 8 ethnic nationalities in this region) with mean age 30.7±9.6 years; disease duration – 8.8±10.1 years; 2) 60 ethnic Russian patients, nonresidents of Dagestan with mean age 32.9±11.1 years; disease duration – 11.2±10.1 years. All patients were examined at the V.A. Nasonova Research Institute of Rheumatology in 1990 to 2014. HLA class I antigens were typed by a microlymphocytotoxic technique using a Gisans anti-leukocyte sera kit (Saint Petersburg).Results. HLA-B5/51 was detected in 87 (59.6%) patients, much more often in men than in women (70 and 38%, respectively; p&lt;0.01). Genital ulcers and erythema nodosum were significantly more common in HLA-B5/51-positive Dagestani (87.3 and 57%) than in HLA-B5/51-negative ones (56.5 and 26%; p=0.0019 and р=0.01; respectively). There were no significant differences in these signs in the Russian group of patients with BD depending on the presence of this allele. In HLA-B5/51-positive male Dagestani patients with BD, the risk of erythema nodosum was twice as high as that in HLA-B5/51-negative patients (p=0.054). In HLA-B5/51 female Dagestani carriers, the risk of genital ulcers and generalized uveitis proved to be 3.5 (p=0.057) and 2.7 times higher than that in HLA-B5/51 noncarriers. Frequency of HLA-B5/51 was 73.2% among the Dagestanis and 40% among the Russians. Furthermore, this investigation revealed HLA-B5/51 carriage mainly in the male BD patients. Therefore, in addition to ethnicity, gender should be borne in mind when analyzing the clinical associations with HLA-B5/51