Psychological portrait of digital generation

The article discusses the individual psychological characteristics and psyche of children and adolescents of the digital generationВ статье рассматриваются индивидуально-психологические особенности и особенности психики детей и подростков цифрового поколени

Optimisations of the cost and structure of created investment resources of an entity based on financial leverage elements

The article demonstrates the author's method for cost and structure optimisation of created investment resources of an entity based on financial leverage tools for effective financing of real investments in case of development of an investment strategy for an entity development, namely: - Criteria of investments financing from line items of conservative, compromise, and aggressive approaches are determined using in the scheme of financing owner's capital, and also short-term and long-term loan fund capital; - Step-by-step creation of the financial performances considering industry specifics, scale of functioning of economic agents' activities is offered. Effective activities of the entities in long terms, ensuring high rates of their development and competitiveness increase in the conditions of market economy, are substantially determined by the level of their investment activity and the range of investing activities. One of the main tasks of forming the investment resources is the optimisation of their structure taking into account the profitability level and the investment risk. The optimisation of a capital structure by criterion of financial profitability level maximisation (profitability of the owner's capital) is reached by means of financial leverage mechanism. Profitability level maximisation for the capital considering the set level of financial risk is performed through the financial leverage, showing the use of borrowed funds by the entity. Carrying out complex calculations within the investment analysis with use of mechanisms of financial leverage allows determining the optimum structure of the created investment resources providing maximisation of the profitability level. © 2015, Mediterranean Center of Social and Educational Research. All rights reserved

New and rare lichens and allied fungi from the Pskov Region, Russia

Forty-one species of lichens and two lichenicolous fungi are reported from the Pskov Region. Of them, thirty-nine species are new for the region, including Lempholemma dispansum – a rare species with scattered distribution, previously recorded only once in the European Russia in the 19th century. The most important findings are confined to ancient limestone outcrops and old manor parks: these habitats are also promising for further investigations, taking in account high level of anthropogenic transformation of the Pskov Region

Plant thionins: structure, biological functions and potential use in biotechnology

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are important components of defense system in both plants and animals. They represent an ancient mechanism of innate immunity providing rapid first line of defense against pathogens. Plant AMPs are classified into several families: thionins, defensins, nonspecific lipid-transfer proteins, hevein- and knottin-type peptides, hairpinins and macrocyclic peptides (cyclotides). The review focuses on the thionin family. Thionins comprise a plant-specific AMP family that consists of short (~5 kDA) cysteine-rich peptides containing 6 or 8 cysteine residues with antimicrobial and toxic properties. Based on similarity in amino acid sequences and the arrangement of disulphide bonds, five structural classes of thionins are discriminated. The three-dimensional structures of a number of thionins were determined. The amphipathic thionin molecule resembles the Greek letter Г, in which the long arm is formed by two antiparallel α-helices, while the short one, by two parallel β-strands. The residues responsible for the antimicrobial activity of thionins were identified. Thionins are synthesized as precursor proteins consisting of a signal peptide, the mature peptide region and the C-terminal prodomain. Thionins protect plants from pathogenic bacteria and fungi acting directly on the membranes of microorganisms at micromolar concentrations, although their precise mode of action remains unclear. In addition to plant pathogens, thionins inhibit growth of a number of human pathogens and opportunistic microorganisms, such as Candida spp., Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Fusarium solani, Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Thionins are toxic to different types of cells including mammalian cancer cell lines. Transgenic plants expressing thionin genes display enhanced resistance to pathogens. A wide range of biological activities makes thionins promising candidates for practical application in agriculture and medicine

Short-range order and electronic properties of epitaxial graphene

One of the most rapidly developing areas of modern materials science is the study of graphene and materials on its basis. The experimental investigations have revealed different types of defects on the surface of graphene that form the ordered structures of atomic configurations. In the present work, the value of short-range order parameter for different configurations of foreign atoms in a graphene layer was calculated. The effect of various factors on the density of electronic states and electrical resistance in graphene was also investigated. The type of the ordering of foreign atoms in graphene rather than the concentration of impurities, was shown to be responsible for the change in the conductivity of graphene

Melt pond fraction and spectral sea ice albedo retrieval from MERIS data – Part 1: Validation against in situ, aerial, and ship cruise data

The presence of melt ponds on the Arctic sea ice strongly affects the energy balance of the Arctic Ocean in summer. It affects albedo as well as transmittance through the sea ice, which has consequences for the heat balance and mass balance of sea ice. An algorithm to retrieve melt pond fraction and sea ice albedo from Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) data is validated against aerial, shipborne and in situ campaign data. The results show the best correlation for landfast and multiyear ice of high ice concentrations. For broadband albedo, R2 is equal to 0.85, with the RMS (root mean square) being equal to 0.068; for the melt pond fraction, R2 is equal to 0.36, with the RMS being equal to 0.065. The correlation for lower ice concentrations, subpixel ice floes, blue ice and wet ice is lower due to ice drift and challenging for the retrieval surface conditions. Combining all aerial observations gives a mean albedo RMS of 0.089 and a mean melt pond fraction RMS of 0.22. The in situ melt pond fraction correlation is R2 = 0.52 with an RMS = 0.14. Ship cruise data might be affected by documentation of varying accuracy within the Antarctic Sea Ice Processes and Climate (ASPeCt) protocol, which may contribute to the discrepancy between the satellite value and the observed value: mean R2 = 0.044, mean RMS = 0.16. An additional dynamic spatial cloud filter for MERIS over snow and ice has been developed to assist with the validation on swath data

Synthesis and Luminescent Properties of Bismuth Titanates Bi1.6HoxTi2O7 – δ and Bi1.6Mg0.1HoxTi2O7 – δ

Abstract: Pyrochlores Bi1.6HoxTi2O7 – δ and Bi1.6Mg0.1Ho xTi2O7 – δ, where x = 0, 0.01, 0.05, and 0.1, and Bi1.5HoxTi2O7 – δ, where x = 0.25 and 0.5, have been synthesized and their structural, optical, and luminescence properties have been studied. As a result of analyzing the data obtained experimentally and the available theoretical data, it is shown that the intrinsic luminescence of the samples is due to the O2p ↔ Bi6p and Bi6s ↔ Bi6p electron transitions and the impurity luminescence is due to the f–f transitions in Ho3+ and the O2p → Ho3+ charge transfer. © 2019, Pleiades Publishing, Ltd.Russian Foundation for Basic Research, RFBR: 19-03-00642The reported study was funded by RFBR according to the research project 19-03-00642

Measurements and modeling of optical-equivalent snow grain sizes under arctic low-sun conditions

The size and shape of snow grains directly impacts the reflection by a snowpack. In this article, different approaches to retrieve the optical-equivalent snow grain size (r$_{opt}$) or, alternatively, the specific surface area (SSA) using satellite, airborne, and ground-based observations are compared and used to evaluate ICON-ART (ICOsahedral Nonhydrostatic—Aerosols and Reactive Trace gases) simulations. The retrieval methods are based on optical measurements and rely on the r$_{opt}$-dependent absorption of solar radiation in snow. The measurement data were taken during a three-week campaign that was conducted in the North of Greenland in March/April 2018, such that the retrieval methods and radiation measurements are affected by enhanced uncertainties under these low-Sun conditions. An adjusted airborne retrieval method is applied which uses the albedo at 1700 nm wavelength and combines an atmospheric and snow radiative transfer model to account for the direct-to-global fraction of the solar radiation incident on the snow. From this approach, we achieved a significantly improved uncertainty (<25%) and a reduced effect of atmospheric masking compared to the previous method. Ground-based in situ measurements indicated an increase of r$_{opt}$ of 15 µm within a five-day period after a snowfall event which is small compared to previous observations under similar temperature regimes. ICON-ART captured the observed change of r$_{opt}$ during snowfall events, but systematically overestimated the subsequent snow grain growth by about 100%. Adjusting the growth rate factor to 0.012 µm$^{2}$ s$^{-1}$ minimized the difference between model and observations. Satellite-based and airborne retrieval methods showed higher r$_{opt}$ over sea ice (<300 µm) than over land surfaces (<100 µm) which was reduced by data filtering of surface roughness features. Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) retrievals revealed a large spread within a series of subsequent individual overpasses, indicating their limitations in observing the snow grain size evolution in early spring conditions with low Sun

Classification of Municipalities in the Republic of Buryatia by the Level of Tick-Borne Viral Encephalitis Incidence

Tick-borne viral encephalitis (TBVE) is one of the most significant natural-focal infections in the Russian Federation.The aim of the study was to analyze the current epidemiological situation on TBVE in the Buryat Republic in 2010–2020 with a subsequent differentiation of municipalities by epidemiological risk groups in order to elaborate proposals for optimization of preventive measures.Materials and methods. A retrospective analysis of the epidemiological situation on TBVE in the Buryat Republic was carried out using forms of federal statistical surveillance No. 2 “Information on infectious and parasitic diseases” over 2010–2020 and the data from the Reference Center of the Irkutsk Research Anti-Plague Institute of Siberia and Far East of the Rospotrebnadzor on the epidemiological situation and preventive measures in the municipalities of the constituent entity. Statistical processing was performed applying conventional methods of variation statistics. Based on calculated 95 % parametric confidence interval for the data on variability of the long-term average TBVE incidence in the municipalities of the Republic of Buryatia over a 10-year period, the entities were differentiated by epidemiological risk groups. QGis 2.18.28 and a set of open geodata OpenStreetMap were used for mapping.Results and discussion. All municipalities have been classified into five groups by the level of epidemiological risk: with zero TBVE incidence – 2 districts, with a low level – 4, medium – 8, high – 5, very high – 2. In addition, the administrative center has been placed into a separate group. Each individual group of municipalities is characterized by the number of TBVE cases, the level of morbidity, the frequency of seeking medical aid because of tick bites, the scope of specific and non-specific prevention measures. Recommendations for optimizing the tactics of TBVE prevention in certain municipal districts have been provided

CLINICAL CASE OF EFFECTIVE HOLISTIC TREATMENT OF BILATERIAL FIBROUS CAVERNOUS PULMONARY TUBERCULOSIS

The article describes the clinical case of successful treatment of a 42 year old female patient suffering from bilateral fibrous cavernous pulmonary tuberculosis with fully destroyed left lung, persistent bacillary excretion and extensive drug resistance. The treatment was complicated by poor tolerance of the used anti-tuberculosis drugs.Multiple surgeries were applied combined with resection and collapse interventions; anti-tuberculosis drugs and their doses were prescribed individually to this patients and supplemented by adjuvant therapy.The course of the disease stabilized, sputum converted and cavities were healed