IMPACT OF DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES ON PEOPLE HEALTH AND MEANS TO AVOID INFORMATION FATIGUE

Internet become as basic component of daily routine. Although the Internet has many positive aspects, most people spend too much time on their smart devices spending less time playing outdoors. A decrease in physical activity not only sets up information fatigue, which leads to increase in diseases of the nervous and heart systems. Many of scientific articles deal only with the features of information fatigue and its consequences for human health, however research articles that analyze tools that can protect against information fatigue have not been found. Only commercial companies advertise their software, which help monitor what users are doing on their computer. Novelty of the article is that it explores how information technology affects young people lives and analyses software that can help control working time with these smart devices also. 

TRANSITION TO ONLINE EDUCATION: RESEARCH OF VIDEO TEACHING CHALLENGES DURING COVID 19 PANDEMIC

Since 2020 middle of March many universities transposed the study process to online environment. Kaunas University of Technology within two weeks completely transferred the study process to the online space also. The following tools Zoom, Big Blue Button, Adobe Connect, MS Teams, Loom, Web Meetings have been offered for working remotely.To reveal the learners' experience and evaluate the above-mentioned video conferencing technologies in the education process, the authors of this article conducted a case study involving 354 second-year students of the Faculty of Informatics. The case study was accomplished in June 2020, after the end of quarantine in our country.The aim of the work was to reveal the learners' experience and summarize the results using different types of video conferencing systems.The case study showed that the rapid transition to online form of education has been quite successful and that lessons learned can be used in the future in circumstances like COVID 19.

Short course of systemic corticosteroids in wheezy children: still an open question

Introduction: We performed a real-life clinical study to identify the main indications for the prescription of short-course treatment with systemic glucocorticosteroids (GCS) for steroid naive children with acute virus-induced wheezing as well as to analyze the influence of such treatment on patients’ serum cortisol level, other blood tests results and the length of stay in the hospital.Material and methods: The data of 44 patients who had acute wheezing, had no bacterial infection and were otherwise healthy were analyzed: 26 children received treatment with GCS and 18 children did not. Full blood count, biochemistry tests (Na, K, glucose) and blood cortisol levels of all patients were analyzed during treatment.Results: The main indications for the short-term administration of systemic GCS were increased work of breathing, recurrent wheezing, clinical signs of atopy and a family history of asthma. Systemic GCS increased a sodium concentration (p = 0.014), decreased a cortisol level (p = 0.038), leukocyte (p = 0.043), neutrophil (p = 0.045), and eosinophil (p < 0.001) count in blood serum. The major reduction in the eosinophil count was observed in allergic children (p = 0.023). Older age was a risk factor for cortisol suppression (p = 0.018). The average length of stay in the hospital was longer in the intervention group (p = 0.039).Conclusion: Even short-course treatment with systemic GCS decreases the serum cortisol level and has a significant effect on other blood tests results. Systemic GCS used for acute virus-induced wheezing treatment did not prove to reduce the average length of stay in the hospital. Objective criteria for initiation of such treatment are still lacking, which might consequently lead to the overuse of corticosteroids

FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE ICT INFRASTRUCTURE IN HIGHER EDUCATION: A CASE STUDY

This article analyses essential factors that can affect the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure in higher education. There is a general lack of research on providing the general criteria for infrastructure that could be used as guidelines for education institutions. Higher schools usually develop their own infrastructure based on experts’ advice or delegate this task to the private IT companies. The article aims to investigate how users’ demands influence higher education ICT infrastructure. Therefore, the university-wide students’ demands that affect not only their academic performance but also particular activities are epitomized in the paper. As a case study, the ICT infrastructure of Kaunas University of Technology (KUT) was investigated in order to determine how university e-services fulfil the students’ demands. The research showed that some KUT e-services comply with specific students’ demands, while the others are universal and widely applicable. On closer inspection, it was inferred that not all demands are supported by e-services in the university as only the general information about a particular service is provided

Online accounting software for the business

Small to medium size enterprises are young and constantly changing their sphere of activities depending on fluctuations of the market. Accounting information systems (AIS) play a key role in providing the financial information for decision making within the enterprises. Advances in accounting information technology over the last several years have moved towards the online accounting. The online accounting system is web based and resides on a web server and anybody in the enterprise can access that accounting system with a simple browser. In the research we investigated the newest trends in AIS models for small to medium enterprises. Scientific works analysis of accounting software showed that their models were analyzed by foreign and Lithuanian scientists. However it is a lack of scientific papers on the newest trends in Lithuania. So that as methodology of this research was scientific works and comments of a number of reviewers. Many of them were sourced from the internet. Our survey of the newest trends in AIS models indicates advantages and dangers of AIS application within the business processes. Investigation of accounting software for Lithuanian small and medium enterprises was a part of the research. We have summarized only main accounting systems opportunities

CLOUD COMPUTING BASED INFRASTRUCTURE IN EDUCATION: INVESTING INTO THE PRIVATE INFRASTRUCTURE OR USING OUTSOURCING SERVICES

The main challenge for higher education in the nearest future is the global competitiveness, as the present global market requires the higher schools to present their courses in the international level. Thus, traditional universities must adapt educational infrastructures in response with the global requirement. Outsourcing of cloud computing based services increased over the years. The solutions allow not only create more effective teaching methods and new communication chances for the whole education society, but also to reduce costs of installing and maintaining programs.Aim of the article is to prepare a cost/benefit case analysis between investing into the private information and communication technology infrastructure and using outsourcing services. This paper focuses attention on cloud computing based information and communication technology infrastructures of two higher education institutions.Research methods include analysis of scientific literature, review of legal institutional documentation and reports and interviews with institutional representatives about education practices

REPAIRtoire—a database of DNA repair pathways

REPAIRtoire is the first comprehensive database resource for systems biology of DNA damage and repair. The database collects and organizes the following types of information: (i) DNA damage linked to environmental mutagenic and cytotoxic agents, (ii) pathways comprising individual processes and enzymatic reactions involved in the removal of damage, (iii) proteins participating in DNA repair and (iv) diseases correlated with mutations in genes encoding DNA repair proteins. REPAIRtoire provides also links to publications and external databases. REPAIRtoire contains information about eight main DNA damage checkpoint, repair and tolerance pathways: DNA damage signaling, direct reversal repair, base excision repair, nucleotide excision repair, mismatch repair, homologous recombination repair, nonhomologous end-joining and translesion synthesis. The pathway/protein dataset is currently limited to three model organisms: Escherichia coli, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Homo sapiens. The DNA repair and tolerance pathways are represented as graphs and in tabular form with descriptions of each repair step and corresponding proteins, and individual entries are cross-referenced to supporting literature and primary databases. REPAIRtoire can be queried by the name of pathway, protein, enzymatic complex, damage and disease. In addition, a tool for drawing custom DNA–protein complexes is available online. REPAIRtoire is freely available and can be accessed at http://repairtoire.genesilico.pl/

Advising overweight persons about diet and physical activity in primary health care: Lithuanian health behaviour monitoring study

BACKGROUND: Obesity is a globally spreading health problem. Behavioural interventions aimed at modifying dietary habits and physical activity patterns are essential in prevention and management of obesity. General practitioners (GP) have a unique opportunity to counsel overweight patients on weight control. The purpose of the study was to assess the level of giving advice on diet and physical activity by GPs using the data of Lithuanian health behaviour monitoring among adult population. METHODS: Data from cross-sectional postal surveys of 2000, 2002 and 2004 were analysed. Nationally representative random samples were drawn from the population register. Each sample consisted of 3000 persons aged 20–64 years. The response rates were 74.4% in 2000, 63.4% in 2002 and 61.7% in 2004. Self-reported body weight and height were used to calculate body mass index (BMI). Information on advising in primary health care was obtained asking whether GP advised overweight patients to change dietary habits and to increase physical activity. The odds of receiving advice on diet and physical activity were calculated using multiple logistic regression analyses according to a range of sociodemographic variables, perceived health, number of visits to GPs and body-weight status. RESULTS: Almost a half of respondents were overweight or obese. Only one fourth of respondents reported that they were advised to change diet. The proportion of persons who received advice on physical activity was even lower. The odds of receiving advice increased with age. A strong association was found between perceived health and receiving advice. The likelihood of receiving advice was related to BMI. GPs were more likely to give advice when BMI was high. More than a half of obese respondents (63.3%) reported that they had tried to lose weight. The association between receiving advice and self-reported attempt to lose weight was found. CONCLUSION: The low rate of dietary and physical activity advice reported by overweight patients implies that more lifestyle counselling should be provided in primary health care. There is an obvious need for improved training and education of GPs in counselling of overweight patients focusing on methods of giving dietary and physical activity advice

Identification of NAD(P)H Quinone Oxidoreductase Activity in Azoreductases from P. aeruginosa: Azoreductases and NAD(P)H Quinone Oxidoreductases Belong to the Same FMN-Dependent Superfamily of Enzymes

Water soluble quinones are a group of cytotoxic anti-bacterial compounds that are secreted by many species of plants, invertebrates, fungi and bacteria. Studies in a number of species have shown the importance of quinones in response to pathogenic bacteria of the genus Pseudomonas. Two electron reduction is an important mechanism of quinone detoxification as it generates the less toxic quinol. In most organisms this reaction is carried out by a group of flavoenzymes known as NAD(P)H quinone oxidoreductases. Azoreductases have previously been separate from this group, however using azoreductases from Pseudomonas aeruginosa we show that they can rapidly reduce quinones. Azoreductases from the same organism are also shown to have distinct substrate specificity profiles allowing them to reduce a wide range of quinones. The azoreductase family is also shown to be more extensive than originally thought, due to the large sequence divergence amongst its members. As both NAD(P)H quinone oxidoreductases and azoreductases have related reaction mechanisms it is proposed that they form an enzyme superfamily. The ubiquitous and diverse nature of azoreductases alongside their broad substrate specificity, indicates they play a wide role in cellular survival under adverse conditions