The CRO Laudato Si’ Project: Goals, Activities, and Social Outcomes

On the eve of 2020, and the fifth anniversary of the publication of the Encyclical Letter - Laudato Si’. On the care for the common home at the Catholic University of Croatia, the scientific-professional project CRO Laudato Si’ was launched. The project team was composed of scientists from different disciplines, and the project partners were the National Fraternity of the Franciscan Secular Order and the Franciscan Youth. As part of the project, scientific and practical activities were carried out. One of the main scientific activities was empirical scientific research, which was conducted, using a survey method over several months in 2020. The paper will present the results of the research, related to the role of the project in the knowledge of the encyclical Laudato Si’ and the awakening of interest in the encyclical, according to the socio-demographic characteristics of the respondents. The results show that men have heard of the encyclical Laudato Si’ to a somewhat greater extent than women. The largest number of respondents, who heard about the encyclical for the first time through the project, are those who belong to the youngest age group, followed by those with high school education. Arousing interest in Encyclical Letter topics is more encouraged among women, those over 65 years old, respondents with completed primary school, and those who are self-employed or retired.

Effects of the Essential Oils of Sweet Orange, Lavender and Amyris on EEG Activity

Purpose: This study evaluated the effects of the mixed essential oils containing sweet orange, lavender, and amyris (MEO) on human electroencephalogram (EEG) activity.Methods: EEG activity was recorded by examining the sequence of brain waves of 20 adults, aged from 20 to 30, before and during inhaling the mixed essential oils.Results: MEO showed activity centered on the frontal lobe, which is responsible for higher-order functions against external stimuli, and this result indicated that the oils acted as an intellectual effect. Additional experiments showed that the brain was relaxed and stabilized through a decrease in the absolute slow alpha (ASA) and the relative slow alpha (RSA), a decrease in the absolute beta (AB) and the absolute high beta (AHB), and an increase in the spectral edge frequency 50% of alpha (ASEF), respectively. Also, the oils induced the awakening states of the brain with a decrease in the absolute alpha (AA) and the absolute theta (AT), and increase of the spectral edge frequency 50% (SEF50). Furthermore, it was possible to confirm the state of brain immersion through the increase in the absolute fast alpha (AFA), relative fast alpha (RFA), relative mid beta (RMB), ratio of mid beta to theta (RMT), ratio of SMR to theta (RSMT), relative gamma (RG) and the spectral edge frequency 90% (SEF90).Conclusion: Taken together, these results suggest that the inhaling of MEO affect the brain to be a good condition and improves its concentration ability.

Seeking a Place for Islam in Post-Soviet Russia

One of the main characteristics of the post-Soviet transformation was the religious resurgence. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the post-Soviet Islamic revival in the 1990s. The awakening of Islam and seeking the place for Muslims in the society significantly influenced the formation of today’s Russian Federation. The authors examine the factors that influenced the role of Islam in newly created post-Soviet Russia and the federal government’s response to its dynamics. The paper is divided into two parts. The first part deals with the Islamic revival after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The second chapter is focused on the Kremlin’s reaction to new radical movements that emerged during the Islamic awakening and the separatist sentiments in Russia’s Muslim regions. Using the qualitative research method, the authors drew a conclusion that Islamic radicalisation in post-Soviet Russia was caused by several external and internal factors. The political developments in the Russian Federation between the second half of the 1990s and the early 21st century were characterised by restrictions on religious freedom and consolidation of federalism.

Tuberculosis in the Elderly

The tuberculosis (TB) epidemic is most prevalent in the elderly, and there is a progressive increase in the notification rate with age. Most cases of TB in the elderly are linked to the reactivation of lesions that have remained dormant. The awakening of these lesions is attributable to changes in the immune system related to senescence. The mortality rate from tuberculosis remains higher in elderly patients. Symptoms of active TB are nonspecific and less pronounced in the elderly. Diagnostic difficulties in the elderly are common in many diseases but it is important to use all possible techniques to make a microbiological diagnosis. Recognising frailty to prevent loss of independence is a major challenge in dealing with the therapeutic aspects of elderly patients. Several studies report contrasting data about poorer tolerance of TB drugs in this population. Adherence to antituberculosis treatment is a fundamental issue for the outcome of treatment. Decreased completeness of treatment was shown in older people as well as a higher risk of treatment failure.

Reconfigurations in brain networks upon awakening from slow wave sleep: Interventions and implications in neural communication

Sleep inertia is the brief period of impaired alertness and performance experienced immediately after waking. While the neurobehavioral symptoms of sleep inertia are well-described, less is known about the neural mechanisms underlying this phenomenon. A better understanding of the neural processes during sleep inertia may offer insight into the cognitive impairments observed and the awakening process generally. We observed brain activity following abrupt awakening from slow wave sleep during the biological night. Using electroencephalography (EEG) and a network science approach, we evaluated power, clustering coefficient, and path length across frequency bands under both a control condition and a blue-enriched light intervention condition in a within-subject design. We found that under control conditions, the awakening brain is typified by an immediate reduction in global theta, alpha, and beta power. Simultaneously, we observed a decrease in the clustering coefficient and an increase in path length within the delta band. Exposure to blue-enriched light immediately after awakening ameliorated these changes, but only for clustering. Our results suggest that long-range network communication within the brain is crucial to the waking process and that the brain may prioritize these long-range connections during this transitional state. Our study highlights a novel neurophysiological signature of the awakening brain and provides a potential mechanistic explanation for the effect of light in improving performance after waking.

Analysis of Overhead Costs Management in Companies

The development of overhead costs management is becoming more and more important as the percentage of overhead costs is rising. The last 15 years have demonstrated the awakening of advanced methods and tools aimed at understanding the utilization of overheads better. The paper investigates the current state of overhead costs management using a sample of 20 companies in Austria, Hungary, and Slovakia. A qualitative approach was applied in a multi-case study, which unveiled the significance of overhead cost management with the increasing trend of importance. The effort reflects current innovations using digitalization of processes. The findings show that (1) the majority of the companies indicated that digitalization heavily impacts overhead costs; (2) all expressed their dissatisfaction with the tools currently used; and (3) the majority cited that usability and speed are the predominant factors. The analysis and the subsequent synthesis delivered three theses: (1) perception that digital competence enables overhead costs management; (2) belief that competencies are insufficient; and (3) there are prerequisites for success in overhead costs management. The paper examines the situation in seven industries represented in the sectors of manufacturing and transportation/storage for the time period from 2008 to 2017. The paper concludes with several recommendations for academia, businesses, and future research. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.