Composition and Transformation of the Regional Elite in the Ural Oblast during the Period of the New Economic Policy and Industrialization (1923–1934)

The reform of the administrative division of the USSR in 1923-1930 was an attempt to find the optimal balance of power between the Center and the regions. The consolidation of regions, primarily in the format of oblasts, led to the strengthening of regional political elites and the growth of their influence on the state of affairs within the country. As part of the reform, the Ural oblast was created in 1923 and existed until 1934. The article reveals the specifics of the Ural elite, which, on the one hand, was determined by the general patterns of social changes during the revolutionary upheavals of 1917-1920, on the other hand - by the peculiarities of the region (first of all, the need for effective management of mining and metallurgical enterprises and military plants). Based on the archival materials, the author traces the evolution of social characteristics and political behavior of managers who in 1923-1934 were part of the Ural Regional Committee (Uralobkom) of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks), also known as the VKP(b). It is noted that the social structure of the Ural elite persisted throughout the period under study, but the party leadership constantly changed the top officials of the Uralobkom, trying to prevent the proliferation of patron-client relations in the region. The characteristic features of Moscow appointees are highlighted: emphasized distancing from their local environment; positioning loyalty to the Central Committee; readiness for repression against socalled "class-alien elements", etc. The conflicts between Moscow appointees and the local nomenclature are analyzed, as well as the reasons for the Resolution of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee (January 17, 1934) on the division of the Ural oblast into three regions - Sverdlovsk, Chelyabinsk, and Ob-Irtysh oblasts

A Jurassic (Bathonian-Callovian) Daghanirhynchia brachiopod fauna from Jordan

A Jurassic (Bathonian-Callovian) brachiopod fauna from Jordan consists of seven rhynchonellid species all belonging to the genus Daghanirhynchia of which two are new: Daghanirhynchia rawyaensis and D. jordanica. Emended diagnoses are given for Daghanirhynchia daghaniensis and D. macfadyeni. Additional taxa described include Daghanirhynchia angulocostata, D. susanae and D. triangulata. Threedimensional reconstructions illustrate the internal morphology of the articulated shells for the first time in this genus. The material studied herein was collected from Wadi Zarqa in northwestern Jordan, almost due north of the Dead Sea, and to the east of the Rift Valley. Most species seem to be geographically restricted within the Jurassic Ethiopian Province, however specimens from Somalia and Ethiopia are larger in size than in other parts of the Province and shell size increases in stratigraphically younger specimens. The occurrence of Daghanirhynchia in India is the only appearance of the genus outside the Ethiopian Province

Microscopic Structure of the Calcium Isotopes

This research was sponsored by the National Science Foundation Grant NSF PHY-931478

Dark‑adaptation in the eyes of a lake and a sea population of opossum shrimp (Mysis relicta): retinoid isomer dynamics, rhodopsin regeneration, and recovery of light sensitivity

We have studied dark-adaptation at three levels in the eyes of the crustaceanMysis relictaover 2-3 weeks after exposing initially dark-adapted animals to strong white light: regeneration of 11-cisretinal through the retinoid cycle (by HPLC), restoration of native rhodopsin in photoreceptor membranes (by MSP), and recovery of eye photosensitivity (by ERG). We compare two model populations ("Sea", S-p, and "Lake", L-p) inhabiting, respectively, a low light and an extremely dark environment. 11-cisretinal reached 60-70% of the pre-exposure levels after 2 weeks in darkness in both populations. The only significant L-p/S(p)difference in the retinoid cycle was that L(p)had much higher levels of retinol, both basal and light-released. In S-p, rhodopsin restoration and eye photoresponse recovery parallelled 11-cisretinal regeneration. In L-p, however, even after 3 weeks only ca. 25% of the rhabdoms studied had incorporated new rhodopsin, and eye photosensitivity showed only incipient recovery from severe depression. The absorbance spectra of the majority of the L(p)rhabdoms stayed constant around 490-500 nm, consistent with metarhodopsin II dominance. We conclude that sensitivity recovery of S(p)eyes was rate-limited by the regeneration of 11-cisretinal, whilst that of L(p)eyes was limited by inertia in photoreceptor membrane turnover.Peer reviewe

Quantum central limit theorem for continuous-time quantum walks on odd graphs in quantum probability theory

The method of the quantum probability theory only requires simple structural data of graph and allows us to avoid a heavy combinational argument often necessary to obtain full description of spectrum of the adjacency matrix. In the present paper, by using the idea of calculation of the probability amplitudes for continuous-time quantum walk in terms of the quantum probability theory, we investigate quantum central limit theorem for continuous-time quantum walks on odd graphs.Comment: 19 page, 1 figure

Fluticasone furoate/vilanterol (100/25; 200/25 μg) improves lung function in COPD: a randomised trial.

SummaryBackgroundOnce-daily combination treatment is an attractive maintenance therapy for COPD. However, the dose of inhaled corticosteroid to use in a once-daily combination is unknown. We compared two strengths of fluticasone furoate (FF) plus vilanterol (VI), the same strengths of the individual components, and placebo.MethodsMulticentre, randomised, 24-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study in stable, moderate-to-severe COPD subjects (N = 1224). Subjects were randomised to FF/VI (200/25 μg; 100/25 μg), FF (200 μg; 100 μg), VI 25 μg, or placebo, once daily in the morning. Co-primary efficacy endpoints; 0–4 h weighted mean (wm) FEV1 on day 168, and change from baseline in trough (23–24 h post-dose) FEV1 on day 169. The primary safety objective was adverse events (AEs).ResultsThere was a statistically significant (p < 0.001) increase in wm FEV1 (209 ml) and trough FEV1 (131 ml) for FF/VI 200/25 μg vs. placebo; similar changes were seen for FF/VI 100/25 μg vs. placebo. Whereas the difference between FF/VI 200/25 μg and VI 25 μg in change from baseline trough FEV1 (32 ml) was not statistically significant (p = 0.224), the difference between FF/VI 200/25 μg and FF 200 μg for wm FEV1 (168 ml) was significantly different (p < 0.001). VI 25 μg significantly improved wm and trough FEV1 vs. placebo (209 ml and 131 ml, respectively). No increase was seen in on-treatment AEs or serious AEs (SAEs), with active therapy vs. placebo.ConclusionsFF/VI provides rapid and significant sustained improvement in FEV1 in subjects with moderate-to-severe COPD, which was not influenced by the dose of FF. These data suggest that FF/VI may offer clinical efficacy in COPD and warrants additional study.GSK study number: HZC112207.ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01054885

Search for Solar Axions Produced in the p+d→3He+Ap + d \rightarrow\rm{^3He}+ A Reaction

A search for the axioelectric absorption of 5.5-MeV solar axions produced in the $p+d\rightarrow \rm{^3He}+\gamma(5.5 \rm{MeV})$ reaction was performed with two BGO detectors placed inside a low-background setup. A model independent limit on axion-photon and axion-nucleon couplings was obtained: $|g_{Ae}\times g_{AN}| \leq 3.2\times 10^{-9} (m_A=0)$. Constraints on the axion-electron coupling constant were obtained for axions with masses in the $(0.1-1.0)$ MeV range: $g_{Ae}\leq (1.8-9.0)\times 10^{-7}$. The solar positron flux from $A\rightarrow e^-+e^+$ decay was determined for axions with masses $m_A > 2m_e$. Using the existing experimental data on the interplanetary positron flux, a new constraint on the axion-electron coupling constant for axions with masses in the $(1.2-5.4)$ MeV range was obtained: $g_{Ae} \leq (1-5)\times 10^{-17}$.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figure

Proton Scattering from 206-Pb: Neutron Densities in the Nuclear Interior

This research was sponsored by the National Science Foundation Grant NSF PHY-931478

Interaction of quasilocal harmonic modes and boson peak in glasses

The direct proportionality relation between the boson peak maximum in glasses, $\omega_b$, and the Ioffe-Regel crossover frequency for phonons, $\omega_d$, is established. For several investigated materials $\omega_b = (1.5\pm 0.1)\omega_d$. At the frequency $\omega_d$ the mean free path of the phonons $l$ becomes equal to their wavelength because of strong resonant scattering on quasilocal harmonic oscillators. Above this frequency phonons cease to exist. We prove that the established correlation between $\omega_b$ and $\omega_d$ holds in the general case and is a direct consequence of bilinear coupling of quasilocal oscillators with the strain field.Comment: RevTex, 4 pages, 1 figur