Baikal-GVD

We present the status of the Gigaton Volume Detector in Lake Baikal (Baikal-GVD) designed for the detection of high energy neutrinos of astrophysical origin. The telescope consists of functionally independent clusters, sub-arrays of optical modules (OMs), which are connected to shore by individual electro-optical cables. During 2015 the GVD demonstration cluster, comprising 192 OMs, has been successfully operated in Lake Baikal. In 2016 this array was upgraded to baseline configuration of GVD cluster with 288 OMs arranged on eight vertical strings. Thus the instrumented water volume has been increased up to about 5.9 Mtons. The array was commissioned in early April 2016 and takes data since then. We describe the configuration and design of the 2016 array. Preliminary results obtained with data recorded in 2015 are also discussed

Electron radiation belt dynamics during magnetic storms and in quiet time

The paper discusses the outer electron belt dynamics, adiabatic and nonadiabatic mechanisms of increases and losses of energetic electrons. Under undisturbed conditions, the outer electron belt gradually empties: in the inner magnetosphere due to electron losses in the atmosphere and in the quasi-trapping region due to losses at the magnetopause because drift shells of electrons are not closed there. The latter process does not occur in normal years due to the masking replenishment by freshly accelerated particles, but in years of extremely low activity it leads to a significant decrease in the electron population of the belt. During the magnetic storm main phase, the first reason for the decrease in the electron flux intensity is the adiabatic cooling associated with conservation of adiabatic invariants and complemented by injection of electrons into the atmosphere and their losses at the magnetopause. Electron flux increases involve EB electron injection by the induction electric field of substorm activation and by the large-scale solar wind electric field, with pitch energy diffusion along with adiabatic heating in the recovery phase. The rate of electron flux recovery after a storm is determined by the ratio of nonadiabatic increases and losses; hence the electron flux represents a continuous series from low to very high values. The combination of these processes determines the individual character of radiation belt development during each magnetic storm and the behavior of the belt in the quiet time

Thermal insulation materials on the basis of microsilica

The main areas of silica application have been examined in the paper. It has been found that microsilica can be used in manufacture of wollastonite-containing ceramic matrixes and composite materials with expanding shale and nepheline-process waste as filler

Использование игровых платформ управления классом при онлайн-обучении для повышения качества образовательных результатов

Problem and purpose. Problems of social and environmental nature, requirements for providing high-quality support for online education have revealed new conditions for implementation, difficulties and prospects for learning at a distance. The authors suggest using game technologies for managing information interaction in the classroom to support motivation, activate cognition, involve students in collaborative work, and control attendance. Method of research. Theoretical and methodological analysis and generalization of fundamental scientific works on the research problem, processing of the results of control measures and the content of the ClassDojo service (forms, thank-you letters, stickers, posters) are used. The authors took into account the provisions of the system-activity, personality-oriented and communicative approaches. The pedagogical experiment involved 48 students (75% of girls and 25% of boys) from the "Lyceum of Natural Sciences", Kirov. The G-signs criterion was used as a statistical processing method. Results. The features of online learning based on game technologies for managing information interaction through the ClassDojo service are formulated: the content of the educational material is focused on the peculiarities of perception of the modern schoolchild, the inclusion of mobile services activates cognitive interest, supports research and communication practice, intensifies the process of mutual assistance in the group. The empirical value of Gemp=3 less than Gcr=8 (for p=0.01) confirms that the shift towards improving the quality of educational results after using the ClassDojo game service is not accidental. Conclusion. The inclusion of game technologies to support class management in online-learning will help improve the quality of educational results while providing a set of conditions: activation of knowledge, connecting students to information interaction in new ways, expanding the classroom beyond the school walls, changing the roles of participants in the didactic process, the use of mobile applications. © 2020 LLC Ecological Help. All rights reserved

The sociodemographic portrait of a patient living with HIV and visiting AIDS centers in Russia

Aim. To study the sociodemographic data of people living with HIV who visit AIDS centers. Subjects and methods. A multicenter open-label study was conducted, which included the retrospective model "A patient's portrait". Outpatient records and questionnaires were analyzed in 7,000 patients older than 18 years of age who had visited AIDS centers in 27 regions of Russia from 1 April to 31 July 2014 and signed their informed consent form to participate in the study. Results. There were women accounting for 49% of the study participants, including one transgender. Their mean age was 35.6 years; the median age was 34 (18-79) years. 77.4% of the women were infected sexually; 57.4% of the men were infected parenterally; the men who had sex with men accounted for 2.5% of the whole group (4.7% among the men). Only 9.8% of the respondents reported that they had used intravenous drugs in the past 6 months. 87.8% of the respondents had secondary and higher education; 68.6% of the patients (73% were male and 64% were female) were employed; 59.3% of the respondents were married or cohabited; 66.2% of the patients reported that they had had sexual contacts with one partner, 14.2% had not had sexual intercourses. 38.3% of the women and 48.8% of the men had a permanent HIV-negative sexual partner. 46% of the study participants had dependent minor children. 30% of the women had given birth to at least one child after the diagnosis of HIV infection. Conclusion. People living with HIV in Russia and visiting AIDS centers do not differ in main social and demographic indicators from the Russian Federation citizens of the same age who do not have HIV. They represent an economically and socially active population and participate in demographic processes so one of the public health priorities is to maintain and improve their quality of life

The sociodemographic portrait of a patient living with HIV and visiting AIDS centers in Russia

Aim. To study the sociodemographic data of people living with HIV who visit AIDS centers. Subjects and methods. A multicenter open-label study was conducted, which included the retrospective model "A patient's portrait". Outpatient records and questionnaires were analyzed in 7,000 patients older than 18 years of age who had visited AIDS centers in 27 regions of Russia from 1 April to 31 July 2014 and signed their informed consent form to participate in the study. Results. There were women accounting for 49% of the study participants, including one transgender. Their mean age was 35.6 years; the median age was 34 (18-79) years. 77.4% of the women were infected sexually; 57.4% of the men were infected parenterally; the men who had sex with men accounted for 2.5% of the whole group (4.7% among the men). Only 9.8% of the respondents reported that they had used intravenous drugs in the past 6 months. 87.8% of the respondents had secondary and higher education; 68.6% of the patients (73% were male and 64% were female) were employed; 59.3% of the respondents were married or cohabited; 66.2% of the patients reported that they had had sexual contacts with one partner, 14.2% had not had sexual intercourses. 38.3% of the women and 48.8% of the men had a permanent HIV-negative sexual partner. 46% of the study participants had dependent minor children. 30% of the women had given birth to at least one child after the diagnosis of HIV infection. Conclusion. People living with HIV in Russia and visiting AIDS centers do not differ in main social and demographic indicators from the Russian Federation citizens of the same age who do not have HIV. They represent an economically and socially active population and participate in demographic processes so one of the public health priorities is to maintain and improve their quality of life