Search Results (143)

In this paper, we discuss the atomic models developed for the non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) analysis of the spectra of two odd-Z chemical elements, the little-studied potassium and copper, whose nuclei are often thought to form in Cosmos through different astrophysical processes. The K I and Cu I atomic models have been developed and updated over the past decade and applied to determine non-LTE abundances of these elements in the hot and cool dwarfs, giants, and supergiants of different metallicities, from solar to extremely low metallicity. The abundances of potassium and copper in old metal-poor halo stars are of considerable interest because these objects bear the imprints of nucleosynthesis in Type II supernovae and hypernovae in the early Galaxy. The vast majority of the studies of the spectra of these atoms have been based on the assumption of LTE. In some cases, this approach has led to incorrect results, which have sometimes affected our understanding of evolutionary processes in stars and stellar systems. The main objective of this article is to highlight the importance of using the non-LTE stellar abundance data to improve or modify existing theoretical models of cosmic chemical evolution. In particular, significantly different results for the copper abundance in old Galactic stars were obtained compared to LTE data. This finding could inspire specialists working in the field of chemodynamic models to search for realistic pathways for the formation of this element in massive stars. Despite this, since the first non-LTE results on the copper abundance in the oldest Galactic stars, LTE data remained in use for several years. This situation seriously hinders progress in research into some certain aspects of cosmic nucleosynthesis. Full article

Background and Objectives: The objective of this study is to assess the efficacy of a novel software risk score, PulsIn, in predicting cardiovascular diseases within an independent study conducted on subjects from the western region of Romania. Accurate prediction of cardiovascular events in hypertensive patients remains challenging when relying solely on traditional risk scores. This study proposes PulsIn, a composite risk score that integrates classical, echocardiographic, inflammatory, renal, and metabolic markers, combined with machine learning, to refine cardiovascular risk stratification. Materials and Methods: In a prospective cohort of 300 hypertensive adults without prior major cardiovascular events, we collected demographic and clinical data, standard risk factors, laboratory biomarkers (including homocysteine, paraoxonase-1 activity, microalbuminuria, and lipid profile), and advanced echocardiographic parameters (3D left ventricular ejection fraction, diastolic function, global longitudinal strain, and left atrial strain). PulsIn was constructed as an extended composite score and used as input to machine learning models (random forest, XGBoost, and other tree-based algorithms) to predict incident major cardiovascular events. Model performance was assessed by receiver operating characteristic curves, discrimination, calibration, and feature importance and compared with established risk scores (SCORE2, Framingham, QRISK, and others). Results: PulsIn-based models showed improved predictive performance compared with traditional scores, with XGBoost and random forest achieving area under the curve values up to approximately 0.85–0.88, versus 0.60–0.78 for conventional scores. Echocardiographic indices of subclinical cardiac damage, microalbuminuria, homocysteine, and paraoxonase-1 activity emerged as key predictors, particularly enhancing reclassification in patients at intermediate risk by traditional tools. Conclusions: The PulsIn composite risk score, integrating multimodal clinical, echocardiographic, and biomarker data within a machine learning framework, offers more accurate cardiovascular risk prediction than conventional algorithms in hypertensive patients. External validation in larger, independent, and more diverse populations is required before routine clinical implementation. Full article

The study aimed to identify mineral determinants of potential therapeutic effects of Olea europaea L. leaves from introduced cultivars of the Southern Coast of Crimea and to assess their suitability for functional aqueous tisanes. Using ICP-OES, eighteen macro- and micro-elements were identified in dried leaves, with K and Ca predominant (>10.0 g/kg), followed by P, S, and Mg (>1.0 g/kg). Maximum values occurred in ‘Nikitskaya’ (K 15.6 g/kg; S 2.05 g/kg; and P 1.97 g/kg) and ‘Tlemcen’ (Ca 18.6 g/kg and Mg 1.46 g/kg). Extractability into infusion (2 g/100 mL, 60 min) reached 325 mg/L for K, 26 mg/L for Ca, 48 mg/L for S, 18 mg/L for P, and 9 mg/L for Mg. Potentially toxic elements were below detection limits, indicating the safety of both the raw material and beverage. Principal component, correlation, and Ward clustering analyses highlighted ‘Nikitskaya’, ‘Lomashenskaya’, and ‘Coregiolo’ as having the highest cumulative mineral value among the tested six cultivars. Overall, the findings support the feasibility of olive-leaf tisanes as accessible sources of K, Ca, S, P, and Mg, with potential contributions to antioxidant defense, blood-pressure regulation, and lipid and carbohydrate metabolism. Full article

The article provides an analysis of the geographic origins of Karaites in four areas where Karaite congregations were commonly found after the Middle Ages, namely, Arabic Middle East (territories of modern Iraq, Syria, Israel, and Egypt), Constantinople/Istanbul and its area, the Crimean Peninsula, and Eastern European territories belonging today to Lithuania and Ukraine. It combines available historical, onomastic, and linguistic data revealing the migrations of Karaites to and inside these regions. For the first two regions, no ambiguity exists about the roots of local Karaites. Their ancestors were Jews who adopted the Karaite version of Judaism. For the Crimean communities, various factors favor the hypothesis about the territories of the Byzantine Empire (which later became Ottoman), and more specifically, Constantinople and its area are the only major source for their development. The Karaite communities in such historical Eastern European provinces as Lithuania (properly speaking), Volhynia, and Red Ruthenia were created after migrations from Crimea to these territories. The article also discusses medieval, cultural, and potentially genetic links between Karaites and Rabbanite Jews in the areas in question. It also addresses one phonological feature, the sibilant confusion, shared by the Galician–Volhynian dialect of the Karaim language and the Lithuanian dialect of Yiddish. Full article

The Ukrainian–Crimean artist Maria Kulikovska’s artistic practice has addressed war in Ukraine since the Annexation of Crimea and outbreak of war in the Donbas regions of Ukraine in 2014. In 2019 she created the video-performance Let Me Say: It Will Not Be Forgotten that responds to the ways artworks and women’s bodies are targeted by derisive retaliation and physical attacks during periods of political instability. Informed by explorations of feminism in post-Soviet countries, theories of prosthetic memory, and destruction art of the 1960s, I argue that Kulikovska does not let the destruction of her artwork silence her, but, rather, she uses destruction as a strategy to take control of oppressive forces. In their place, I argue that Let Me Say: It’s Not Forgotten demonstrates subjective and complex ways of building resilient feminist presents and futures that overcome oppressive violence and testify to continual perseverance. Full article

Background: Several targeted drugs have been recently approved for the treatment of PIK3CA-mutated hormone receptor-positive (HR+)/HER2-negative (HER2−) breast cancer (BC). This study aimed at a comprehensive evaluation of the spectrum of PIK3CA alterations in Russian BC patients. Methods: The tumor material from 1872 patients with ER+/HER2− BC was tested by a combination of PCR-based methods. Results: Mutations were detected in 693/1872 (37%) cases, including 46 BC with two PIK3CA lesions. The three most common substitutions (E542K, E545K, and H1047R) were identified in 542/693 (78%) PIK3CA-mutated cases, while as many as 5.5–12% of identified mutations were not potentially detectable by common commercial kits. The study included patients of Slavic and non-Slavic ethnicities residing in regions with different climate conditions, however, these factors did not influence the distribution of PIK3CA mutations. The presence of PIK3CA variants was associated with older patient age at diagnosis (p = 0.0002), smaller tumor size (p = 0.005), lower grade (p = 0.005), Ki67 <20% (p = 0.0001) and progesterone receptor-positive status (p = 0.002) at the initial disease diagnosis, and fewer distant metastases at the time of the detection of BC spread (p = 0.0001). In a subgroup of 413 BC patients who received adjuvant tamoxifen or aromatase inhibitors, PIK3CA mutations were not associated with resistance to either type of treatment. Conclusions: The results of this study highlight the need to extend the PIK3CA testing beyond the hotspot regions of this gene. Although PIK3CA alterations contribute to the pathogenesis of HR+/HER2− BC and represent a target for several novel drugs, they are not intrinsically associated with unfavorable clinical characteristics of this subtype of cancer disease. Full article

Russia’s conflict with Ukraine, which escalated into full-scale military confrontation in February 2022, originated in 2014 with the annexation of Crimea and the backing of pro-Russian separatists in Donetsk and Luhansk. However, this war extends beyond bilateral hostilities, reflecting a broader geopolitical confrontation with the West that aligns with Vladimir Putin’s strategic vision, as signalled in his 2007 Munich Security Conference speech. Russian security doctrines have consistently framed the West as an existential threat, a perception reinforced by state-controlled media. This study examines the role of Russian state media in shaping public perceptions of the West between 2014 and 2022. It explores how Russian media, particularly RIA Novosti, constructed adversarial narratives about Latvia, Poland, and Serbia within the framework of Russian security policy. Through qualitative content analysis, the research investigates the alignment of media narratives with official strategic objectives, the portrayal of Western nations as threats, and the intended audience of these narratives. The findings underscore the integral role of state-controlled media in Russia’s security strategy, highlighting an increasing consolidation of media control to sustain domestic legitimacy and justify external aggression. As Russia faces growing challenges, media restrictions are expected to intensify, reinforcing state-driven narratives and information isolation. Full article

The smooth snake (Coronella austriaca) has a wide but fragmented distribution across the Western Palearctic, with limited records in Kazakhstan. This study aims to provide an updated distribution map and to explore the phylogenetic affinities of C. austriaca in Kazakhstan. The species had not been documented for over 60 years until its recent rediscovery in the region. Field surveys conducted between 2019 and 2024 in the West Kazakhstan and Aktobe regions have yielded novel records, including the southernmost observation in the Mugodzhar mountain range. Mitochondrial DNA analysis confirmed that the Kazakh populations belong to the Eastern lineage, sharing haplotypes with specimens from the northwestern Caucasus and Crimea. Habitat assessment revealed that the species’ distribution is restricted to open habitats of petrophytic and calciphyte steppe communities on chalks and rocky steppes. Of particular interest is that 70% of the observed individuals exhibited patternless coloration, suggesting the potential for regional morphological variation. These findings offer the first evidence for the phylogenetic affiliation of the smooth snake in Kazakhstan and reflect its rarity in the country, highlighting the need for local conservation efforts, including habitat protection and population monitoring. Full article

The comparison of equally important prerequisites for viticulture development (climatope and edaphotope) in two historical regions has shown that both in the historical era and the present day, the less favorable conditions of a temperate climate (riskier in terms of frost danger) and poorer biogeochemical properties of soils and rocks in the steppe region compared to the conditions of the Sub-Mediterranean region have had a decisive influence on the volume and quality of wine products. This is supported by historical data on the local consumption of produced wine and imports of higher-quality wine from Sub-Mediterranean vineyards (Tauric Chersonesos). Both regions of Western Crimea are characterized by the active bioaccumulation of iron, copper, and manganese in the humus horizon of soils, which creates a specific regional geochemical background with the potential to approach the ecological threshold of danger during long-term viticulture. The specific features of modern agricultural technology in viticulture lead to high concentrations of elements such as Cu, V, Cr, and Ni, which can exceed the MPC levels 20–25 years after the vineyard is planted, earlier than other elements. This makes it possible to identify this list of heavy metals as a priority in agroecological monitoring systems for vineyard lands and set the task of adjusting current agricultural technologies for sustainable viticultural practices in specific soil and climatic conditions. The authors see prospects for further studies both on improving methods for assessing components of a wine terroir, especially biogeochemical indicators of soils for a specific geographic region, as well as improving technology for obtaining conjugate assessments of viticulture products and wine materials connected with a given edaphotope. Full article

In this study, we sampled malaria mosquito larvae in natural and artificial breeding places to study the geographical distribution, ecological preferences, and chromosomal variability of different species of the genus Anopheles in the territory of the Crimean Peninsula and the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus. Species were diagnosed using a combination of morphological, cytogenetic, and molecular markers. The ecological conditions of the larval habitats, such as dissolved oxygen content in the water, acidity, salinity, and temperature, were measured. Seven species of malaria mosquitoes were identified in the pool of 2229 individual mosquitoes collected at 56 breeding sites, including An. atroparvus, An. claviger, An. daciae (formerly identified as An. messeae s. l.), An. hyrcanus, An. maculipennis s. s., An. plumbeus, and An. melanoon. The previously recorded species of An. algeriensis, An. messeae s. s., An. sacharovi, and An. superpictus were not found in this study. Anopheles maculipennis was dominant in typical anophylogenic water bodies. Anopheles plumbeus, which used to breed mainly in tree holes in coastal forests, has spread to urban settlements along the Black Sea coast and breeds in artificial containers. Chromosomal polymorphism was studied and found in An. atroparvus and An. daciae populations. Differences in the chromosomal composition of An. daciae populations in Crimea and on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus were revealed. The Crimean population had a low level of polymorphism in autosomal inversions. The data obtained in this study can be used to inform a better control of potential malaria vectors in the Black Sea coastal region. Full article

Peach is one of the most common stone fruit crops, but it is also the most thermophilic. One of the main problems in peach cultivation is frost up to −8 °C in spring during pollen development, budding, and flowering. The adaptation of the plant to low temperatures could be related to the activation of the antioxidant system under cold stress. The aim of this work was to test the hypothesis of distinct adaptation mechanisms to cold stress in Prunus persica L. cultivars with various cold tolerances. The difference between this study and the previous ones is that previously, only contrasting varieties (resistant and sensitive) were studied. For the first time, we studied the effect of cold stress on cold-resistant varieties but with different degrees of resistance, such as “Loadel” and “Springold” (medium resistant) and “Podarok Like” and “Temisovskij” (highly resistant). The experiment was designed to simulate the effects of short-term cold snaps, which are a common occurrence during February and March in the south of Crimea. A series of tests were conducted on annual shoots that were frozen at −12 °C. The activity and gene expression of two major antioxidant enzymes, catalase and peroxidase, were studied by spectrophotometry and RT-qPCR, respectively. The experiment showed that these enzymes responded differently to cold stress in varieties with different cold tolerances. Catalase responded similarly in all four varieties. After frost, there was an increase in activity (7-fold in “Temisovskij” and 3-fold in “Podarok Like”) and a decrease in expression. In contrast to catalase, peroxidase showed an opposite response to cold stress in medium-tolerant and highly tolerant cultivars. Peroxidase activity after exposure to low temperatures increased in highly tolerant cultivars (1.5-fold in “Temisovskij”), while it decreased in medium-tolerant cultivars (1.5–2 fold in “Springold” and “Loadel”, respectively). The change in peroxidase expression was the opposite. It decreased in highly resistant varieties and increased in medium-resistant varieties. Thus, our results revealed the opposite response of one of the major antioxidant enzymes (peroxidase) in moderately resistant and highly resistant cultivars. The data obtained show that varieties with a high degree of resistance could have other adaptation mechanisms involved, which may be useful for selecting resistant varieties. Full article

(1) Background. Although Arum spp. are toxic in their raw state, they are sometimes used as food within their native ranges. (2) Methods. We review the available literature in order to provide an overview of its use and detoxification procedures worldwide. (3) Results. The food use of lords-and-ladies was already mentioned by Theophrastus, Dioscorides, Matthioli, Durante, Gerard, and Sirennius. In the references concerning 19th–21st-century use, seven species were identified: A. cyrenaicum, A. discoridis, A. italicum, A. maculatum, A. orientale, A. palaestinum, and A. rupicola. Past or current culinary use of the plant has been recorded in Morocco, Libya, the United Kingdom, the Scilly Islands, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Romania, Ukraine (including Crimea), Czechia, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Albania, Georgia, Türkiye, Syria, Palestine, Lebanon, Israel, Iraq, and Iran. (4) In Europe, rhizomes were used, mainly as a famine food. In SW Asia, the aerial parts remain an important element of local cuisine. Several detoxification procedures are used before consumption, such as prolonged boiling, often involving straining the boiled water and lowering the pH with lemon juice, sumac, citric acid, sorrel leaves, or pomegranate juice. (5) Conclusions. Further studies are needed to assess the safety of Arum use and record traditional local recipes in SW Asia. Full article

Allium species have great potential in the production of functional food via selenium biofortification. This review is devoted to the specificity of Allium plant biofortification with Se, including the genetic peculiarities, effect of the chemical form of the microelement, methods of supply, sulfur and AMF effects, and hormonal regulation. The biosynthesis of methylated Se amino acids and the beneficial effect of Se treatment on secondary metabolite accumulation and plant yield are discussed. Special attention is paid to the production of functional foods based on Allium plants enriched in different ways: bread with leek leaf powder, Allium microgreens and seedlings, and ‘Black garlic’ biofortified with Se. Further focus is provided to the high variability of Allium crop yield and quality under Se supply governed by genetic factors and environmental stresses, and to the need for plant growth technology optimization to obtain the predicted nutritional characteristics of the derived functional product with high anti-carcinogenic activity. Full article

Marennine is the specific bluish pigment produced by the marine diatom Haslea ostrearia Gaillon (Simonsen), responsible for the greening of oysters in France’s Atlantic coast. For decades, H. ostrearia was considered the only blue diatom and described as such. However, new blue Haslea species have been described recently, among which Haslea karadagensis Davidovich, Gastineau, and Mouget (Black Sea, Crimea, Ukraine); Haslea provincialis Gastineau, Hansen, and Mouget (Mediterranean Sea, southern France); Haslea silbo Gastineau, Hansen, and Mouget (West Atlantic Ocean, USA); and one not characterized yet, Haslea sp. nov., isolated in Tenerife (Spain). These species produce marennine-like pigments, for which little information is available yet. The present work aims at studying spectral characteristics of these pigments by UV–visible spectrometry, Raman spectrometry, infrared spectrometry, nuclear magnetic resonance, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and cyclic voltammetry, and comparing them to those of marennine produced by H. ostrearia strains originating from the north Atlantic Ocean (western France and Macaronesia), and north Pacific Ocean (southwestern USA). Results show that marennine produced by H. ostrearia strains and marennine-like pigments produced by H. provincialis, H. silbo, and Haslea sp. nov. are quite similar regarding their polysaccharide skeleton, and absorption in the UV–visible, infrared, and Raman regions. The most different marennine-like pigment is produced by H. karadagensis, but all Haslea blue pigments studied so far belong to the same family of organic molecules. Full article

The aim of this study was to analyse the trends in HIV infection, including diagnostic ones, in the Republic of Crimea in the period of 2014–2023. The source of data for this study was various statistical forms and reports. The findings revealed a significant downward trend in HIV incidence and a significant upward trend in HIV prevalence. The mortality rate was stable. The coverage of HIV testing and antiretroviral therapy increased over time. The number of patients with a suppressed viral load in the Republic fluctuated in different years of observation and reached 81% in 2023. In the second part of this study, we analysed the demographic and clinical laboratory characteristics of newly diagnosed patients with HIV. A predominance of men was noted. The proportion of injection drug users (IDUs) decreased, and the proportion of new HIV infection cases through heterosexual contacts increased. An increase in the median age of patients was also noted. Analysis of CD4 cell counts revealed significant differences between subgroups by gender, age, and route of infection. The longest time to disease detection was typical for IDUs. A comprehensive assessment of HIV infection trends in Crimea allows us to evaluate the effectiveness of measures and decisions taken on the issue of HIV infection. Full article