Hasil untuk "Special types of environment"

A. Agarwal, Bushra Shaida, Mayuri Rastogi et al.

Food is an important material for survival. The increasing world population, urbanization, and globalization are responsible for more food. This has increased challenges in food storage and safety. Therefore, it is necessary to preserve food by suitable packaging materials. The packaging materials are useful for giving longer life to the food and improving quality during transportation, storage and distribution. Innovations and developments in food packaging, have become very important in the food industry. Variety of packaging materials such as plastics, paper, metal, and glass are used in food packaging. Most widely used packaging materials are non-biodegradable plastics but these are harmful to environment and human health. Therefore, the food industry is in search of environment friendly replacement of non-biodegradable plastics by biodegradable plastics. However, no systematic literature is available on the subject, so there is a need to summarise the available information in a systematic way. Polymer packaging materials with special reference to biodegradable plastics have been discussed in detail. Different type of biodegradable plastics with their functionality and applications in food packaging have been summarised. Literature available has shown that biodegradable plastics are much better for food packaging as compared to other packaging materials. Increasing fundamental research in the use of biodegradable polymers in food packaging and effort to protect the environment, requires deep understanding and there are lot of challenges for commercialization, which are to be tackled. All these aspects have been discussed in this review article.

Shahriyar Emamdoust Haredasht, Musa Rezvani Chaman Zamin, Morteza Hazrati

Abstract The present study aims to model human capital strategies in Sepah Bank of Iran with an emphasis on organizational structure change. This research is an applicable research in terms of its purpose, and quantitative in terms of its method. The statistical population of the research includes 325 senior managers, middle managers, and professors of management at the Azad University of Gilan Province, selected by means of available random sampling. The data collection tool is a questionnaire derived from the qualitative method. Data analysis is through SPSS, Lisrel, and PLS software. The results showed that in the training and development subsystem, attention should be paid to educational needs, educational effectiveness, and career advancement path; in the reward and compensation subsystem, attention should be paid to the strategy and policy of pay and welfare plans, innovative methods of reward and compensation, and rewards in line with organizational goals; and in the employee relations subsystem, attention should be paid to the employee relations strategy, employee interaction and participation, and the desired design of structural change. The quantitative results showed that the most important component in the training and development subsystem is competence with a standard coefficient of 0.82; in the reward and compensation subsystem, innovative reward and compensation strategies with a standard coefficient of 0.94; and in the employee relations subsystem, employee relations strategy with a standard coefficient of 0.84. Introduction The human capital of any organization is made up of the employees who work in it, and the success of the organization also depends on them (Armstrong & Taylor, 2023). Human capital represents the value of the accumulated knowledge and skills of employees, which are important for the success and survival of the company and indicate the company's ability to acquire new information, skills and technology (Ognjanović, et al, 2023). Human capital is an important factor in the competitive advantage of the company to win the competition; therefore proper human capital management is needed for the organization to improve its performance (Rachmawati, et al, 2021). A good human capital strategy affects business development (Syah, et al, 2021). Human capital strategy is a comprehensive plan on how the company will achieve its vision and mission through human resources (Rachmawati et al, 2020). Change in any organization is inevitable for growth, continuity and profit in today's competitive world environment; but adapting to change is difficult (Saqlain, et al, 2021). Among the important reasons why a change in strategy is necessary or even necessitates a change in organizational structure, are that structure usually describes how policies are structured, and structure usually describes how resources are shared, and the progress of an organization depends on obeying all elements that consciously exist in synergy to achieve the expected goals. Therefore, a deep understanding of organizational theory and strategy is needed so that the organization can develop more optimally, and strategy design is a process of a set of activities aimed at creating the vision and mission of the organization (2021, Munawar). Given that if the problems are not resolved, this challenge will become the biggest threat to achieving the organization's highest goals, all these reasons prompted the researcher to understand the need to design a model of human capital strategies with an emphasis on changing the organizational structure, and to be able to provide an answer to the main research question on the topic: what will the design of modeling of human capital strategies in Sepah Bank of Iran with an emphasis on changing the organizational structure be like? Theoretical Framework Human Capital Strategy: Human capital strategy is a comprehensive plan on how a company will achieve its vision and mission through human resources (Rachmawati et al, 2020). Training and Development Strategy: Training is the systematic and formal change of behavior through planned training, learning, development, and experience. Training not only enhances employees’ abilities, but also enhances their thinking and creativity capacity, enabling them to make more beneficial choices in a timely and constructive manner. Furthermore, it allows workers to interact effectively with customers and respond to their concerns quickly. By substituting efficient and effective work-related behaviors for conventional hiring practices, this training enhances self-efficacy and leads to better performance at work. Training is an intentional intervention aimed at improving variables affecting individual task performance. Human capital development may be described as actions aimed at increasing knowledge, strengthening skills, creating values, and promoting behaviors needed to maximize the potential of an organization's employees. Human capital development of an organization or school entails creating opportunities for learning, training, and development in order to enhance individual, team, and corporate performance (Barinua & Akpan, 2022). Reward Strategy: Reward strategy determines how reward management innovations and developments should support the business strategy, how they should be integrated, the priority that should be given to the initiatives, and the pace at which they should be implemented. Reward strategy is ultimately a way of thinking that you can apply to any reward issue that arises in your organization to see how you can create value from it (Michael Rose, 2022). Employee Relations Strategy: Employee Relations includes all those areas of human resource management practice that involve relationships with employees, whether directly or through collective bargaining agreements; the areas where trade unions are recognized (AYLOTT, 2022). Mwangi et al, (2024) examined the impact of reward policy on strategy implementation in Kenya Electricity and Lighting Company. The research findings showed that reward policy and strategy implementation have a positive and significant coefficient. And all components of organizational policy (reward policy, factionalism, gatekeeping policy and territorialism) had a statistically significant effect on strategy implementation in the Kenyan Electricity and Lighting Company. Salimian & Ashrafi (2023) analyzed the relationship between the types of rewards paid by managers and labor productivity. The results showed that at the equilibrium point, the managers' strategy will be to distribute continuous and equal rewards to employees with higher productivity, and employees will choose the strategy of making more effort to increase productivity (and therefore receiving rewards). Finally, it is suggested that in order to create more motivation and effort from employees and consequently increase their productivity, the distribution of rewards among employees with higher productivity should be continuous and equal. Research Methodology This research is an applicable research in terms of its purpose, and quantitative in terms of its method. The statistical population of the research includes 325 senior managers, middle managers, and professors of management at the Azad University of Gilan Province, selected by means of available random sampling. The data collection tool is a questionnaire derived from the qualitative method. Research findings Data analysis and analysis is through SPSS, Lisrel and PLS software. The results showed that in the training and development subsystem, attention should be paid to educational needs, educational effectiveness and career advancement path, in the reward and compensation subsystem, to the strategy and policy of payment and welfare plans, innovative methods of reward and compensation and rewards in line with organizational goals, and in the employee relations subsystem, to the employee relations strategy, employee interaction and participation, and the desired design of structural change. The quantitative results showed that the most important component in the training and development subsystem is competence with a standard coefficient of 0.82, in the reward and compensation subsystem, innovative reward and compensation strategies with a standard coefficient of 0.94, and in the employee relations subsystem, employee relations strategy with a standard coefficient of 0.84. Conclusion The present study aimed to model human capital strategies in Sepah Bank of Iran with an emphasis on organizational structure change. The results of this study are consistent with the results of Mwangi et al, 2024) Salimian & Ashrafi 2023) Zafar et al, 2023 Moradian et al, (2022), Singh et al, (2021), Al- Sufyani et al, (2021), Almutairi & Alsawalhah (2020), Shafaq Jahromi & Iranian (2019), Siddiqui & Sahar (2019), Yusefi et al, (2017). Singh et al, (2021) showed that training and communicating change as human resource methods have important effects on implementing change. Employee resistance to change fully mediated the relationship between training and effective change implementation and partially mediated the relationship between communication and effective change implementation. Communication had a greater impact than training on employee resistance to change. This finding confirms the importance of communication but also suggests that training can enhance effective change communication and may affect performance if it is not directed towards controlling resistance. According to the results of the study, the following suggestion is made: In the training and development subsystem, pay special attention to employee competence because organizations need competent employees to overcome challenges and environmental changes. Employees who are competent perform assigned tasks easily because they basically have good skills to perform assigned tasks effectively, efficiently and competitively.

M. Bilal, Hafiz M.N. Iqbal, D. Barceló

Inevitable use of pesticides due to modern agricultural practices and the associated worldwide environmental pollution has called the special attention of the researchers to overcome the persistence, recalcitrance, and multi-faceted toxicity of pesticides-based emerging contaminants. Some restricted use pesticides (RUPs) are highly toxic and carcinogenic chemicals that can be easily accumulated into non-target organisms, including humans, aquatic invertebrates, algae, and microbes. With regard to physicochemical strategies, enzymes-mediated bioremediation is a compelling and meaningful strategy for biodegradation and biotransformation of pesticides into harmless chemical species. Oxidoreductases hydrolases and transferases are among the most representative classes of enzymes pursued and engineered for this purpose. Ligninolytic enzymes, particularly laccases, are of exceptional interest due to high efficiency, specificity, eco-sustainability, and wide-ranging substrates. However, the use of native enzymes is often hindered in industrial processes for the effective removal of refractory compounds by their high cost and susceptibility. Many of these drawbacks can be addressed by enzyme immobilization on some suitable support materials. Increase in stability, reusability, reduction of product inhibition, enhanced activity, specificity, and easier product separation are amid the desirable characteristics of immobilization to construct biocatalysts for continuous systems. This review summarizes recent and up-to-date literature on the use of enzymes, explicitly, free as well as immobilized laccases in the degradation of different pesticides. In the first part, source and occurrence of pesticides in the environment, their types, and associated detrimental effects on the ecosystem/human health are comprehensively described. Afterward, we highlighted the use of different enzymes with a particular emphasis on laccase for the degradation and detoxification of an array of pesticides. Finally, the review is closed with concluding remarks, and possible future direction is proposed in this very important research arena. In conclusion, it is envisioned that effective deployment of laccase-assisted biocatalytic systems for the degradation or removal of diverse pesticides and related contaminants will help to better understand the persistence and removal fate of these hazardous pollutants. Moreover, the current research thrust presented in this review will additionally evoke researcher to engineer robust and sustainable processes to remediate pesticides-contaminated environmental matrices effectively.

Nasir Ali, Muhammad Ali, Hassan Hashim

S. Darawsheh, Intisar Khalil Khalil Asha, Radwan AbuSaif et al.

The term "professional quality of life," sometimes abbreviated as "ProQOL," refers to an individual's evaluation of the positive aspects of his or her working life. This frame may be categorized in two different ways. Compassion Fatigue (CF) is undesirable, yet Compassion Satisfaction (CS) motivates people to feel good about their job and, as a consequence, assist other people. Compassionate fulfillment is one of the most admirable qualities (CS). This study's goal is to get a thorough understanding of ProQOL in the teaching profession for kids with special needs because the great majority of prior research on ProQOL was conducted on health professionals.  This quantitative study did not use any type of experimental approach, yet it included the participation of 171 students with special needs educators. The obtained data indicate that teachers of students with special needs have a generally favorable perception regarding the environment in which they work. To provide one illustration: To mention one specific example, this does not always indicate that there are low incidences of STS or burnout. The majority of students with special needs teachers (77%) were operating at a level of burnout that was classified as Medium-High, and the majority of those instructors (72%) also had an STS level that was classified as Medium-High. The study recommended using the appropriate programs that raise the teachers’ professional levels to match the requirements of teaching students with special needs.

Junwei Xu, Rong Xi, Xianglan Xu et al.

Abstract A2B2O7 pyrochlore is a kind of important functional materials for different purposes, which has been investigated extensively by crystallographers and material scientists. However, the catalytic chemistry of this type of special compounds has rarely been documented, though a few researchers have tried to synthesize some pyrochlore compounds with different chemical compositions for a variety of green energy production and air pollution control reactions in the history. With the expectation to help catalysis scientists to get better acquaintance with, and gain deeper understanding on this type of compounds as heterogeneous catalysts, the major publications over the past several decades have been screened and reviewed in this paper, based also on our own experience of studying on this type of catalytic materials. The crystalline phase transformations of the compounds with the change of the A and B site cations, the phase change's influences on the surface and bulk properties, and their subsequent impact on the catalytic performance for different reactions have been summarized. Furthermore, the future work which needs to be performed to perceive in depth this kind of important materials as catalysts has been proposed and suggested. We trust that this short review contains valuable information, which will provide great help for people to get better cognition for A2B2O7 pyrochlore compounds, and assist them to develop better catalysts for various reactions.

Shuo Zhang, Kexin Guo, Lin Sun et al.

The design of the first p–i–n junction synaptic transistor (JST) based on n‐type TiO2 film covered with poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and with a p‐type P3HT/PEO nanowire (NW) on top. Except for basic synaptic functions that can be realized by a single neurotransmitter, the electronic device emulates the multiplexed neurotransmission of different neurotransmissions, i.e., glutamate and acetylcholine, for fast switching between short‐ and long‐term plasticity (STP and LTP). This is realized by the special p–i–n junction with hole transport in the p‐type P3HT NW to form STP, and electron transport in the n‐type TiO2 layer and trapped under the PMMA inversion layer to form LTP. Altering the external input induces changes of the polarity of the charge carriers in the conductive channel, promoting fast switching between STP and LTP modes. When stimulated using two parallel inputs, the response of PMMA/TiO2 emulates the synergistic effect of taste and aroma on the control of food‐intake in the brain. Because of the bipolarity, the p–i–n JST has excellent reconfigurability, which importantly is attributed to simulate the plasticity of synapses and to mimic how distinct types of gustatory receptor neurons respond to different concentrations of salt. The electronic device lays the technical foundation for the realization of the future complex artificial neural networks.

Marek Bujňák, R. Pirník, K. Rástočný et al.

The review discusses the possibilities of different driving mechanisms and sensors of spherical robots, and a special kind of mobile robots is introduced and discussed. The sensors discussed can expand robots’ sensing capabilities which are typically very limited. Most spherical robots have holonomic characteristics and protect the inner environment using a shell. Today, there are a diversity of driving mechanisms. Therefore, this article provides a review of all of them and identifies their basic properties. Accordingly, many spherical robots have only inner sensors for moving, balancing, driving, etc. However, a few of them are also equipped with sensors that can measure environmental properties. Therefore, in this paper, we propose the possibility of using such sensors as cameras, LiDARs, thermocouples, and gas sensors, which can be used for special purposes underground, for example, in mines, underground tunnels, or road tunnels. After combining all components are combined, it is possible to design a special type of spherical robot designed for underground exploration, such as accidents in mines or road tunnels.

I. Fuoco, L. Marini, R. De Rosa et al.

Crystalline aquifers are layered systems in which the hydrogeological path of waters extends from highly weathered, shallow and porous rocks to poorly weathered, deep and fissured rocks. This varying hydrogeological setting influences the water chemistry in different ways. The paper aims to reconstruct the water-rock interaction process in these various environments starting from a solid reactant represented by an average granite rock and several waters from the shallow aquifer. Afterwards, the water-rock interaction processes occurring in the deep environment are reconstructed, varying the geochemical conditions (primary reactants, secondary mineral phases allowed to precipitate, fO2 and fCO2), with a special focus on fluoride (F-). The evolution from the F-poor, Ca-HCO3 facies to the F-rich, Na-HCO3 water type of high pH was simulated using reaction path modelling. The obtained results show that the theoretical evolution trends well reproduce both shallow and deep water samples providing detailed information on the behavior of fluoride and other relevant constituents (i.e., Na, K, Ca, Mg, SiO2). The performed model represents a flexible and powerful tool for environmental research, applicable in other areas hosting F-rich groundwater.

Yang Shi, Shuwen Wang, Fan Yang et al.

Atmospheric ducts are special super-refractive atmospheric structures that can cause over-the-horizon propagation of electromagnetic waves. Different types of atmospheric ducts have different influences on electromagnetic wave propagation. Owing to the complex marine atmospheric environment, different types of atmospheric ducts often occur together. When evaluating the performance of an electromagnetic system near the sea surface, the combined influence of various atmospheric ducts should be considered comprehensively. In this paper, the statistical distribution of atmospheric ducts over the northern South China Sea is analyzed using sounding data and reanalysis data. This paper uses the parabolic equation model to analyze the propagation characteristics of microwaves near the sea surface in the presence of both surface and evaporation ducts. It is found that compared with cases where only one type of atmospheric duct is considered, a hybrid atmospheric duct structure can capture more microwave energy at a lower receiving height. At an antenna height of 5 m, the path loss begins to fluctuate beyond a propagation distance of 50 km, with the maximum fluctuation reaching about 15 dB. Microwave propagation characteristics at different microwave frequencies and antenna heights are also simulated and analyzed.

Mare Kõiva

The article traces changes in human cognitive and social development using the example of the only domesticated insect, the bee. From the 13th to the 20th century, forest bee-keeping spread, using live trees as beehives, and later also log hives on the ground. The ways of keeping bees changed fundamentally in the 19th century with the introduction of new types of hives, and they also consolidated beliefs in relation to bees. Bees had numerous special names, euphemisms were used when talking about them and in incantations, in which bees were called men/workers or other kinship terms were used, and they were also called domestic animals of the guardian fairies. The article presents beliefs about bees as soul animals and various mythical stories that were associated with the journey of the soul, as well as the popular belief about the connection between the death of the owner and the bees. While earlier on honey denoted an abundant and ideal life in the minds of people, the bee represented a hardworking, loyal person, and bees were the epitome of the motherland in texts expressing national identity. In the foreground is the search for balance between human and other beings, human and the environment, which is expressed, e.g., by the declaration of the rights of bees and the development trends of urban representation.

Dzhurynsky Petro, Kharasandziants Oleksandr

One of the main tasks of the modern policy of Ukraine is to preserve health of the population, to form needs, motives and values for a health-preserving lifestyle, a conscious attitude to the problems of health and life safety, especially under conditions of martial law. The health-preserving activities of Physical Culture and Sports specialists in preschool education institutions, general secondary education institutions, and higher education institutions should aim to create a health-preserving educational environment for the participants of the educational process, which requires the modernization of the training process intended for future specialists (junior specialists, bachelors, masters) in Physical Culture and Sports in institutions of higher education as well as directing it to the development of a personality capable of creatively, rationally and professionally performing the role of a coordinator, an organizer and a manager of Physical Education, Sports alongside the formation of participants’ healthy lifestyle within the educational process in an educational institution. At the current stage of the development of Physical Culture and Sports, contradictions can be seen between the demand of the European community and our society for the level of readiness of specialists in Physical Culture and Sports; between the focus on the professional activity of Physical Culture and Sports specialists and specialized types of training, as well as the technological content of the training process aimed at future specialists. Research methods: logical methods, systematic analysis of scientific (philosophical, pedagogical, special) literature on health-preserving activities of Physical Culture and Sports specialists. It was determined that the conceptual apparatus eliminates different understanding and interpretation of professional terms during communication between the participants of the educational process. The theoretical provisions contained in the scientific research deepen the conceptual understanding of the methodology of improving the training in the field of Physical Culture and Sports and health education, create conditions for scientific assurance of the professional training aimed at future specialists in Physical Culture and Sports. The main key concepts of health-preserving activities of Physical Culture and Sports specialists have been revealed and clarified. New formulations of the concepts “health-preserving activities of Physical Culture and Sports specialists” are provided, such as: Physical Culture teacher; physical culture of the individual; the concept "health" for children and adolescents; health care; health care professional activity; health-preserving educational environment of a higher education institution; the concept of physical culture, physical culture as a process has been clarified; Physical Education; pedagogical activity; health; health promotion; biological basis of health; the value of health; axiological (value-oriented) approach; health care activities in a higher educational institution; health-preserving educational space. The research results can be used in the practice of professional training aimed at future specialists of Physical Culture involving health-preserving activities with students of educational institutions, the system of postgraduate training and in the process of developing programs, educational and methodological aids on the problems related to Physical Culture and Sports in the direction of a healthy lifestyle and health preservation.

R. Wan, M. Ni

A. Baklanov, C. Grimmond, D. Carlson et al.

Abstract Accelerating growth of urban populations, especially in developing countries, has become a driving force of human development. Crowded cities are centres of creativity and economic progress, but polluted air, flooding and other climate impacts, means they also face major weather, climate and environment-related challenges. Increasingly dense, complex and interdependent urban systems leave cities vulnerable: a single extreme event can lead to a widespread breakdown of a city's infrastructure often through domino effects. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) recognizes that rapid urbanization necessitates new types of services which make the best use of science and technology and considers the challenge of delivering these as one of the main priorities for the meteorological community. Such Integrated Urban Weather, Environment and Climate Services should assist cities in facing hazards such as storm surges, flooding, heat waves, and air pollution episodes, especially in changing climates. The aim is to build urban services that meet the special needs of cities through a combination of dense observation networks, high-resolution forecasts, multi-hazard early warning systems, and climate services for reducing emissions, that will enable the building of resilient, thriving sustainable cities that promote the Sustainable Development Goals. A number of recent international studies have been initiated to explore these issues. The paper provides a brief overview of recent WMO and collaborators research programs and activities in urban hydrometeorology, climate and air pollution; describes the novel concept of urban integrated weather, climate and environment related services; and highlights research needs for their realisation.

 . W. K. Balwan, Sachdeep Kour

Quick Response Code Abstract: A wetland is an ecological community that is inundated either year around or seasonally. Wetlands are found from the tundra to the tropics and on every continent except Antarctica. There are many kinds of wetlands and many ways to categorize them. Two general categories of wetlands are recognized namely coastal or tidal wetlands and inland or non-tidal wetlands. Wetlands are among the most productive ecosystems in the world, comparable to rain forests and coral reefs. An immense biodiversity of species of microbes, plants, insects, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals can be part of a wetland ecosystem. Wetlands perform significant economic benefits to human society, including some ecosystem services that no other ecosystem can provide, including certain types of water quality improvement, flood protection, shoreline erosion control, and opportunities for recreation and aesthetic appreciation and natural products for our use at no cost. Protecting wetlands in turn can protect our safety and welfare. A primary intent of this article is to provide the reader with special interest in wetland delineation, wetland benefits, wetland mitigation and wetland biology. Wetlands are no more thought to be useless, disease ridden areas rather they are now considered to be an ecological boon for the environment!

Kaihuai Li, Kaihuai Li, Jinxing Liao et al.

Bacteria can withstand various types of environmental osmostress. A sudden rise in osmostress affects bacterial cell growth that is countered by activating special genes. The change of osmostress is generally a slow process under the natural environment. However, the collective response of bacteria to low osmostress remains unknown. This study revealed that the deletion of phoP (ΔphoP) from X. citri significantly compromised the growth and virulence as compared to the wild-type strain. Interestingly, low osmostress reversed physiological deficiencies of X. citri phoP mutant related to bacterial growth and virulence. The results also provided biochemical and genetic evidence that the physiological deficiency of phoP mutant can be reversed by low osmostress induced β-glucosidase (BglS) expression. Based on the data, this study proposes a novel regulatory mechanism of a novel β-glucosidase activation in X. citri through low osmostress to reverse the fitness deficiency.

Sergey Dolomatov, Elizaveta Ageeva, Walery Zukow

The book is intended for students studying medical and biological specialties.     CHAPTER I. EPIGENETICS INTRODUCTION The science of epigenetics looks at the mechanisms of molecular modifications of histones and DNA that can regulate gene activity without affecting the nucleotide sequences in the DNA molecule. Recognized epigenetic regulators are DNA methylation, post-translational modifications of histones, and non-coding RNAs (nkRNAs). One of the most important differences between eukaryotic cells and prokaryotes is the presence of a complex nucleo-protein chromatin complex in eukaryotes. It is in this form that the DNA molecule is stored in our cells. On the one hand, the complex structural organization of chromatin provides a compact arrangement of DNA in the cell nucleus. On the other hand, chromatin is directly involved in the process of regulating gene expression. At the same time, the nucleosome depicted in Fig. 1 (a structural and functional unit of chromatin) is considered as a key component in the processes of regulating gene expression.   The nucleus of the nucleosome is 8 histone proteins (octamers). The nucleus of the nucleosome consists of two copies of each of the histone proteins H2A, H2B, H3 and H4. The DNA chain, which includes 147 nucleotides, folds 1.65 times around the octamer of histones. The nucleosomes are arranged as a linear array along the DNA molecule in the form of "beads on a string". The linker section of DNA connecting adjacent nucleosomes (transcriptionally inactive) is sealed with H1-histone protein. The length of the linker section is 30 nm. Moreover, the site of the beginning of transcription is usually located inside the nucleosome. Consequently, the nucleosome serves as a gene repressor, preventing the initiation of transcription. That is, chromatin provides a total repression of genes. In contrast, transcription becomes possible as a result of chromatin remodeling factors that enable the "dismantling" of nucleosomes or otherwise alter their structure and organization. Thus, the repression (inactivation) of genes begins with wrapping the DNA molecule around the histones in the nucleosome, and the liberation of genes from repression (activation) involves freeing DNA from binding to histone proteins and unfolding DNA by chromatin remodeling factors (Lorch Y., Kornberg R. D., 2017). Thanks to this mechanism, selective expression of only those genes that are needed at a given time by the cell or tissue is possible. It should be emphasized that nucleosome repression extends not only to transcription, but also to most other biological processes associated with the DNA molecule, such as replication, mitotic division, repair of double-strand breaks, and maintenance of telomeres. Thus, epigenetic mechanisms control various physiological and pathological processes by regulating the expression of the corresponding genes by changing the availability of epigenetic control systems to chromatin. The scope of application of epigenetic research methods is rapidly expanding. Currently, we are witnessing the active introduction of epigenetic approaches in the field of practical medicine aimed at diagnosing and treating dangerous human diseases.                 CHAPTER II. TRANSCRIPTION FACTORS INTRODUCTION For the first time, the existence of transcription factors was revealed on the basis of a discovery that made it possible to establish in vitro purified RNA polymerase-II can initiate transcription on the DNA template in the presence of a cell extract (Weil P.  A. et al., 1979). Further research aimed at the fractionation and identification of the general transcription factors (GTF) required to initiate transcription in vitro has identified similar factors in rats, Drosophila, and yeast and substantiated the assumption that GTFs are indeed "common" factors necessary for the expression of genes transcribed by RNA polymerase II.  is highly conserved in a number of eukaryotic organisms (Matsui T.  et al., 1980). We only mention RNA polymerase II because only this type of enzyme has the ability to synthesize mRNA. Whereas RNA polymerase I is responsible for the synthesis of pro-rRNA, and RNA polymerase III is responsible for the synthesis of tRNA and other non-coding cell RNAs.  Meanwhile, the regulation of transcription in eukaryotes is quite complex, since it depends on chromatin remodeling complexes (Burns L. G., Peterson C. L., 1997) and covalent modification of histone proteins (Natsume-Kitatani Y., Mamitsuka H., 2016). In transcription initiation, the immediate target of GTF is a well-defined promo zone of a structural gene.  In the structure of the promotra of eukaryotes, the main elements and regulatory elements can be distinguished. The main elements of the promotra (bark promoter, see Fig. 2.1) can be attributed to the site for assembling the transcription initiation complex (PIC), including the TATA sequence located above from the transcription start site (TSS ), and an initiating sequence (Inr) covering the start site. Promoters may include a TATA unit, an initiator sequence (Inr), or both (Hampsey M., 1998).  A third major element, the downstream promoter element (DPE), was originally described in Drosophila and is located about 30 p.p. below TSS. The DPE promoter element appears to function in conjunction with the Inr element as a binding site for the transcription factor TFIID on non-TATA promoters.   According to current research, the cellular (main) promoters of multicellular organisms that control the initiation of transcription by RNA polymerase II may contain short sequences of nucleotides called cow promoter elements (motifs) (e.g., the TATA block, the initiator (Inr), and the lower element of the cow promoter (DPE)) that recruit RNA polymerase II through a common transcription initiation mechanism (Dreos R.  et al., 2021). The authors report that the classes of Promoters of Inr+DPE are not only present in the genome of Drosophila and humans and are structurally similar to each other, but may also be common to different species of multicellular organisms.   The most studied element of the cow promoter is the TATA box, but the TATA box is found only in about 10-20% of multicellular cortical promoters. Therefore, along with the TATA sequence, it is necessary to name other possible key DNA sequences known as cortical promoter elements, which include: BRE, MTE, TST and DPE sequences. The two BRE (TFIIB recognition element) motifs are located either above (BREu) or below (BREd) elements of the TATA box. It should be emphasized that TBP, TATA box, and BRE demonstrate high levels of conservatism in the range from archaebacteria to humans (Kadonaga J. T., 2012). In doing so, BREu as well as BREd have both positive and negative effects on transcription activity. The downstream core promoter element (DPE) was detected in the analysis of non-TATA gene promoters in Drosophila. The MTE element (motif ten element), which is located directly in front of the DPE, was identified as an overrepresented sequence of a cow promoter called "motif 10" and then discovered,  that it is a functional element of a cow promoter. The MTE and DPE motifs exhibit high conservatism in the range from Drosophila to humans, and both motifs appear to be directly recognized by the subunits of the main transcription factor TFIID, TAF proteins that resemble histone proteins in structure. In turn, the TCT sequence regulates the transcription of ribosomal protein genes in Drosophila and humans. Although there are no universal cortical promoter elements that are present in all promoters, the concept of a cow promoter of nuclear RNA polymerase II can be defined as a minimum stretch of DNA that is sufficient to accurately initiate transcription by RNA polymerase II (Kadonaga J. T., 2012;  Haberle V., Stark A., 2018). It should be noted that the results of modern research will constantly supplement the list of all new components of the cow promoter, for example, DNA-replicatedrelated element (DRE), Ohler 1,6 and 7 motifs (Danino Y. M. et al., 2015;  Haberle V., Stark A., 2018). According to the authors, the bark promoter may be transformed in the course of evolution. Due to this, gene expression levels can be modulated by the composition of cow promoter elements. Such modulation is directly achieved through the emergence of combinations of new elements of the cow promoter, as a result of which an additional level of transcription regulation is realized. To summarize the above facts, transcription is usually initiated at a specific position, the Transcription Initiation Site (TSS), at the 5' end of the gene. The TSS site is embedded in a bark promoter, which is a short sequence spanning 50 base pairs above and 50 below TSS. The cortical promoter serves as a binding platform for the components required to initiate transcription, including RNA polymerase II and related common transcription factors (GTFs). Regulatory elements. The cortical promoter is sufficient to initiate transcription, but such transcription has low basal activity, which can be further activated, generally by more distally arranged regulatory elements called enhancers (discussed below). Enhancers bind regulatory proteins known as transcription factors, recruit transcription cofactors, and can further enhance transcription.           CHAPTER III. CELL SIGNALING PATHWAYS INTRODUCTION In a multicellular organism, the work of each cell is regulated by a large number of signals. These signals can be formed both in the organism itself, reflecting the specific needs of a living organism (metabolic state, stages of development, differentiation, reproduction), and in the form of a reaction to the effects of the external environment. The implementation of each of these signals encompasses all the biological and biochemical processes that lead from the cell's perception of the signal to the cell's response. A signal to a cell is something that is recognized by a specific receptor, which in turn can initiate a response to that signal.   A receptor is a structure that recognizes a signal, interprets the specificity of a signal, and translates it into the cell in the form of intracellular signaling molecules, a cascade of protein phosphorylation, and other pathways. Thus, signaling to the cell begins as soon as the signaling molecule (ligand) binds to its receptor – a protein with a complementary structure on the transmembrane protein or inside the cell. Growth factors, hormones, cytokines, neurotransmitters, components of the extracellular matrix, etc. The chemical nature of the ligands is diverse, including small molecules such as lipids (prostaglandins, steroid hormones), proteins (for example, peptide hormones, cytokines and chemokines, growth factors)., complex polymers of sugars (for example, β-glucan and zymosan) and their combinations (for example, proteoglycans), nucleic acids, etc. Binding of the ligand  induces conformational changes in the receptor and is then translated into the cell by activating cascades of secondary messengers (kinases, phosphatases, GTPases, ions and small molecules such as cAMP, cGMP, diacylglycerol, etc.). Thus, the message is transmitted from the membrane to the nucleus, where the processes of gene expression, subsequent translation and targeting of the protein to the cell membrane and other organelles are triggered. There are two main types of receptors – membrane (transmembrane) cell receptors and intracellular receptors. Membrane receptors are located on the plasma membrane and have a separate extracellular domain binding ligand, a transmembrane domain that is hydrophobic in nature, and a cytoplasmic domain. Cell surface receptors can be divided into G-protein-bound receptors, tyrosine kinase-bound receptors, and ionotropic receptors. When the ligand binds, plasma receptors undergo conformational changes in their extracellular domain and activate enzymatic mechanisms associated with the cytoplasmic domain, usually kinases, phosphatases and adapter proteins. These proteins can be covalently bound to the receptor and are capable of producing secondary messengers for subsequent signal transmission. Intracellular receptors can be nuclear receptors (estrogen receptor, glucocorticoid receptor, progesterone receptor, retinoic acid receptor, thyroid hormone receptor, etc.), cytoplasmic receptors or receptors located on the membranes of organelles (mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus). Thus, information (ligand) received on the cell surface (e.g., through a membrane receptor) is transformed by specific enzyme systems associated with the plasma membrane receptor and transmitted in the form of secondary messengers to intracellular targets. All of these components form the path of signal transmission to the cell. However, a certain set of effector proteins, enzymes and substrates that implement cellular signals form this signaling pathway (signaling cascade).   Recently, however, there has been growing evidence that not only the signaling proteins themselves play an extremely important role in the regulation of cellular signaling, but also the so-called scaffold proteins ("platform proteins", adaptor proteins), which coordinate the assembly of multicomponent protein complexes. Scaffold proteins can bind several elements of one signaling pathway into a single complex, thereby modulating the efficiency of transmission of the corresponding signal. Binding and  by bringing two or more signaling proteins closer together, these platform proteins direct the flow of information in the cell, activating, coordinating and regulating signaling events in regulatory networks (Skovorodnikova P.A. et al., 2017).   According to the literature, several types of scaffold proteins have been described, which cover a wide range of functions. This group of proteins is usually divided into three main categories (Fig. 1): simple proteins that bind two functionally dependent proteins (adaptors), larger multi-domain proteins designed to bind a large number of proteins and regulate their activity by complex mechanisms (scaffold⁄anchoring proteins) and proteins specialized for initiating signaling cascades by localizing certain proteins-components of signaling pathways on the cell membrane (docking proteins) ( Buday L., Tompa P, 2010) The presence of such protein platforms increases the efficiency and selectivity of the signaling pathway, and also allows the formation of regulatory feedback. e ultimate target of cell signaling pathways are transcription factors that regulate gene expression and ultimately allow the resulting signal to be converted into a change in cellular activity (Brivanlou A. H., Darnell J. E., 2002). Most signaling pathways initiate a cascade of several intracellular signaling molecules that eventually form activation proteins or transcription repressors designed to bind to a specific DNA sequence. Eukaryotic transcription factors, like other proteins, are transcribed in the nucleus, but then their translation takes place in the cytoplasm. Signal transmission to the cell is a multifactorial system, which is based on nodular complexes of special proteins of signaling cascades. However, none of the signaling pathways in the cells work in isolation. The interaction of signaling mechanisms is inevitable in complex complexes, when the system perceives a combination of stimuli (hormones, cytokines, growth factors and pathogenic ligands), but at the same time preserves the accuracy of signal transmission (Saini N., Sarin A., 2021). It is well known that a relatively small number of signaling pathways control the development of all cell types in mammals (Brivanlou A. H.,  Darnell J. E., 2002). Combinations and time of action of the main signaling pathways determine decisions about the fate of the cell, including events such as cell differentiation in the process of ontogenesis (Li R., Elowitz M.V., 2019;  de Roo J. J. D., Staal F. J. T., 2020)  and cell malignancy (Dreesen O., Brivanlou A.N., 2007;  Skovorodnikova P.A. et al., 2017). Consider some of the cell signaling pathways that are most important medically important.       CHAPTER IV.  MOLECULAR BIOLOGY OF THE TUMOR: MECHANISMS OF INITIATION, PROMOTION AND PROGRESSION   INTRODUCTION Tumor diseases occupy a leading place, both in terms of morbidity and mortality. However, despite the advances in the study of molecular genetic patterns, many unresolved questions remain. On the one hand, the spectrum of molecular markers makes it possible to diagnose, predict the course, degree of malignancy, rate of tumor progression and predict a possible response to the therapy. On the other hand, those processes that occur at the molecular level are not characterized by stability, they are dynamic and are associated with a change in the genetic profile - the appearance of many clones of tumor cells with a different set of properties. The heterogeneity of tumor diseases simultaneously complicates the strategy of managing such patients, creating the prerequisites for further study of the molecular genetic characteristics of tumor cells.

Majid Keyvani bostanabad , Marzieh Bolandi , Abdorreza Mohammadi Nafchi et al.

Cheese is one of the dairy products that have an important role in a family’s food basket. Different types of cheese are produced in the world. In Iran, Lighvan cheese is very popular among people due to its special flavor, but the produced whey from this type of cheese is discarded. Due to its high biological oxygen demand (BOD), whey has a detrimental effect on the environment, and providing solutions to reduce these effects can pave the way for the cheese industry, especially Lighvan cheese. One of the proposed solutions is to produce wheyless cheese. Some studies have been done in this field, if the method of producing cheese without whey does not reduce the unique features of Lighvan cheese it could be a very suitable option for producing this type of popular cheese. So, in this study, we attempt to provide a comprehensive overview of various aspects of Lighvan cheese, environmental disadvantages of whey, and methods of reduction of its destructive effects including the production of wheyless cheese.

P. Nogara, C. Oliveira, G. Schmitz et al.

Methylmercury is a neurotoxicant that is found in fish and rice. MeHg's toxicity is mediated by blockage of -SH and -SeH groups of proteins. However, the identification of MeHg's targets is elusive. Here we focus on the chemistry of MeHg in the abiotic and biotic environment. The toxicological chemistry of MeHg is complex in metazoans, but at the atomic level it can be explained by exchange reactions of MeHg bound to -S(e)H with another free -S(e)H group (R1S(e)-HgMe + R2-S(e)H ↔ R1S(e)H + R2-S(e)-HgMe). This reaction was first studied by professor Rabenstein and here it is referred as the "Rabenstein's Reaction". The absorption, distribution, and excretion of MeHg in the environment and in the body of animals will be dictated by Rabenstein's reactions. The affinity of MeHg by thiol and selenol groups and the exchange of MeHg by Rabenstein's Reaction (which is a diffusion controlled reaction) dictates MeHg's neurotoxicity. However, it is important to emphasize that the MeHg exchange reaction velocity with different types of thiol- and selenol-containing proteins will also depend on protein-specific structural and thermodynamical factors. New experimental approaches and detailed studies about the Rabenstein's reaction between MeHg with low molecular mass thiol (LMM-SH) molecules (cysteine, GSH, acetyl-CoA, lipoate, homocysteine) with abundant high molecular mass thiol (HMM-SH) molecules (albumin, hemoglobin) and HMM-SeH (GPxs, Selenoprotein P, TrxR1-3) are needed. The study of MeHg migration from -S(e)-Hg- bonds to free -S(e)H groups (Rabenstein's Reaction) in pure chemical systems and neural cells (with special emphasis to the LMM-SH and HMM-S(e)H molecules cited above) will be critical to developing realistic constants to be used in silico models that will predict the distribution of MeHg in humans.

R. Singh, Pankaj Sharma

The vibration analysis of an axially functionally graded material non-prismatic Timoshenko beam under axial thermal variation in humid environment is carried out using the harmonic differential quadrature method. In this modeling, the length and width of the beam remains constant whereas thickness of the beam is linearly varied along the axis of the beam. The material properties are temperature dependent and are assumed to be varied continuously along the axial direction according to power law distribution. Three types of temperature variations are considered in this study, that is, uniform temperature rise, linear temperature rise, and non-linear temperature rise. The temperature of the beam remains constant under uniform temperature rise condition and it is varied linearly and nonlinearly along the length of beam for rest of the conditions. The beam is subjected to uniform moisture concentration to impose humidity. Hamiltonian’s approach is used to derive the governing equations of motion. The resultant governing equations are then solved using the harmonic differential quadrature method to obtain the natural frequencies of the axially functionally graded material non-prismatic beam. The results obtained using the harmonic differential quadrature method are compared with results obtained for special cases. The effects of thermal variation, humidity, non-homogeneity parameter, and end conditions on natural frequencies of the non-prismatic beam are reported.