A. A. Berzin and His Memoir

Alfred A. Berzin began to study whales in 1955 at the Pacific Research and Fisheries Center (TINRO) in Vladivostok where he is still working at the present time. In the years before the rapid development of Soviet whaling only two fleets (Aleut and Second Kuril) were hunting whales

Variability of wing venation of the dragonfly.

Es wurde die Veränderlichkeit der Zellenanzahl in 35 Flügelabschnitten bei drei Libellenarten (Sympetrum danae Sulzer, Leucorrhinia albifrons Burmeister und Lestes sponsa Hansemann) aus der Umgebung Moskaus untersucht. Innerhalb der Population ist die Zahl der Zellen des rechten und linken Flügels praktisch gleich. In der Regel existiert ein deutlicher Geschlechtsdimophismus in der Zahl der Zellen sowohl im Vorder- als auch im Hinterflügel aller untersuchten Arten (das erfordert bei weiteren Populationsuntersuchungen an Libellen die Verwendung gleichgeschlechtlicher Individuenserien). Der Vergleich der Variabilität der ausgewählten Merkmale innerhalb einer Art zeigt die Möglichkeit, diese Merkmale zur genauen Charakterisierung nicht nur der geschlechtlichen, sondern auf der Populationsunterschiede zu verwenden. Der Libellenflügel als Organ erweist sich als günstiges Objekt zur Untersuchung von sowohl mikroevolutiven Prozessen, die innerhalb der Art ablaufen, wie auch zum Erhalt taxonomischer Charakteristika beliebiger Ebene (von Populations- bis zu Art-, Gattungs-, Familiencharakteristika).The variability of the cell number in 35 areas of the wings was studied at three species of dragonflies(Sympetrum danae Sulzer, Leucorrhinia albifrons Burmeister and Lestes sponsa Hansemann) from the vicinity of Moscow. Within the population the cell number of the right wing and the left wing is practically the same. As a rule there is a distinct sexual dimorphism in the cell number of both the fore wings and the hind wings of all the species under consideration (thus future studies of populations of dragonflies should use series of individuals of the same sex). A comparison of the variability of the chosen characteristics within a species indicates the possibility of using these characteristics to accurately define not only the sexual differences but also the differences between the populations. The dragonfly wing proves to be a suitable object for the study of microevolutionary processes in a species as well as for obtaining taxonomical data on any level (Characteristics of population, species, genus or family)

Microwave photon detection by an Al Josephson junction

An aluminium Josephson junction (JJ), with a critical current suppressed by a factor of three compared with the maximal value calculated from the gap, is experimentally investigated for application as a threshold detector for microwave photons. We present the preliminary results of measurements of the lifetime of the superconducting state and the probability of switching by a 9 GHz external signal. We found an anomalously large lifetime, not described by the Kramers\u27 theory for the escape time over a barrier under the influence of fluctuations. We explain it by the phase diffusion regime, which is evident from the temperature dependence of the switching current histograms. Therefore, phase diffusion allows for a significant improvement of the noise immunity of a device, radically decreasing the dark count rate, but it will also decrease the single-photon sensitivity of the considered threshold detector. Quantization of the switching probability tilt as a function of the signal attenuation for various bias currents through the JJ is observed, which resembles the differentiation between N and N + 1 photon absorption

Towards a microwave single-photon counter for searching axions

The major task of detecting axions or axion-like particles has two challenges. On the one hand, the ultimate sensitivity is required, down to the energy of a single microwave photon of the yoctojoule range. On the other hand, since the detected events are supposed to be rare, the dark count rate of the detector must be extremely low. We show that this trade-off can be approached due to the peculiar switching dynamics of an underdamped Josephson junction in the phase diffusion regime. The detection of a few photons\u27 energy at 10 GHz with dark count time above 10 s and the efficiency close to unity was demonstrated. Further enhancements require a detailed investigation of the junction switching dynamics

The Application of Machine Learning for Creating a Typology of Universities' Financial Models

This study presents an application of machine learning for creating a typology of Russian universities’ financial models. Large-scale national initiatives aimed at enhancing human potential and academic excellence, such as Project 5-100, university-industry consortia, world class research center programs as well as the Priority-2030 program, require relevant financial and management accounting tools enabling appropriate analyses of universities’ contribution to national scientific policy implementation. However, when conventional financial analysis and audit techniques are adopted from the corporate sector, they may prove to be irrelevant for assessing the societal impacts of universities. Existing impact study methods, such as those applied in the Russell Group universities’ impact assessment, are expensive and time consuming, so promising machine learning techniques and existing open data from government information systems were used in this study to assess universities’ financial models

Dynamic heating and ventilation of transformer substation buildings with adjustable resistance to heat transfer in windows

The article considers issues related to providing dynamic heating and ventilation of transformer substation buildings featuring designed digital voltage transformers demanding particular ambient temperatures. We have shown the efficiency of using heat reflecting screens in windows with lower transmission heat losses from the transformer substation buildings concerned

Electron-spin-resonance in the doped spin-Peierls compound Cu(1-x)Ni(x)GeO3

ESR-study of the Ni-doped spin-Peierls compound CuGeO3 has been performed in the frequency range 9-75 GHz. At low temperatures the g-factor is smaller than the value expected for Cu- and Ni-ions. This anomaly is explained by the formation of magnetic clusters around the Ni-ions within a nonmagnetic spin-Peierls matrix. The transition into the AFM-state detected earlier by neutron scattering for doped samples was studied by means of ESR. For x=0.032 a gap in the magnetic resonance spectrum is found below the Neel temperature and the spectrum is well described by the theory of antiferromagnetic resonance based on the molecular field approximation. For x=0.017 the spectrum below the Neel point remained gapless. The gapless spectrum of the antiferromagnetic state in weekly doped samples is attributed to the small value of the Neel order parameter and to the magnetically disordered spin-Peierls background.Comment: 16 pages, LATEX, 12 figures, submitted to Journal of Physics : Condensed Matte

Magnetic Resonance of the Intrinsic Defects of the Spin-Peierls Magnet CuGeO3

ESR of the pure monocrystals of CuGeO3 is studied in the frequency range 9-75 GHz and in the temperature interval 1.2-25 K. The splitting of the ESR line into several spectral components is observed below 5 K, in the temperature range where the magnetic susceptibility is suppressed by the spin-Peierls dimerization. The analysis of the magnetic resonance signals allows one to separate the signals of the S=1/2- and S=1 defects of the spin-Peierls phase. The value of g-factor of these signals is close to that of the Cu-ion. The additional line of the magnetic resonance is characterized by an anomalous value of the g-factor and by the threshold-like increase of the microwave susceptibility when the microwave power is increasing. The ESR signals are supposingly attributed to two types of the planar magnetic defects, arising at the boundaries of the domains of the spin-Peierls state with the different values of the phase of the dimerization.Comment: LATEX-text, 12 PS-figures, typos corrected, LATEX-style change

Infiornativity lacrimal fluid interleukins in diagnostics and development of angle-closure glaucoma in elderly subjects

An increased percentage of the elderly subjects in pattern of contemporary society, along with other causes and risk factors, is accompanied by rise in the incidence of glaucoma. By 2020, according to international studies it is expected that prevalence of glaucoma patients in the world would increase up to 80 million subjects. Among the elderly, glaucoma is a common pathology, which development is associated with local disturbances in interleukin profile. However, the features of the latter in patients with primary closed-angle glaucoma in the elderly were poorly examined. Studies of local interleukin status were conducted mainly in patients with suspected or initial manifestations of primary open-angle glaucoma. The features of lacrimal fluid interleukin shift in a target group of elderly patients suffering from stage II primary closed-angle glaucoma virtually gained no attention. In addition, a limited range of local interleukins in patients with such pathology in previous studies was examined. In addition, informativity of lacrimal fluid interleukins in elderly glaucoma patients was not assessed too based on objective methods. The aim of the current study was to outline features and informativity of local interleukin profile indicators in 58 elderly patients with primary closed-angle glaucoma stage II, aged 60—74 years (main group) and 27 age-matched elderly subjects lacking such pathology. The level of interleukins in the lacrimal fluid was determined with the enzyme immunoassay “Multiscan” analyzer (Finland) by using sandwich ELISA (R&D Diagnostic Inc., USA). Informativity of measuring various interleukins was calculated according to the generally accepted formula. It was found that local interleukin profile in elderly patients with primary closed-angle glaucoma was mainly featured with increased amount of IL-2, IL-17, IL-8, but decreased IL-10. Hence, such local interleukins displayed peak informativity. The data obtained should be used in the diagnostics and treatment of such pathology, as well as of applied importance to unveil novel mechanisms behind development, diagnostics and corroboration for selective immuno-tropic therapy of primary closed-angle glaucoma