Norwegian Experience as a Promising Measure for the Russian Energy System Development

At the moment, Arctic is in the interest of many countries, and not only near the Arctic. A high degree of the region promising in the context of undiscovered oil and gas resources is the explanation for it. Russia possessing the most significant share of these reserves has a fairly low rate of investigation of the Arctic shelf. Arctic hydrocarbon resources occupy the important strategic place in the development of the fuel-energy complex of Russia, ensuring its energy security. Hence, the goal of this research is to identify effective model of the offshore fields development in the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation. The Norwegian model of formation of consortia for the development of the offshore fields is analyzed and it is examined in the context of the Russian Arctic. The effectiveness of the introduction of this model in Russia is proved. Keywords: consortium, energy system, Arctic shelf, Arctic zone of the Russian Federation. JEL Classifications: Q43, Q48, R1

Resource-based view as a perspective management model in Russian reality

Time after time, different economies, such as the world economy or a national economy, are exposed to diverse fluctuations of various origins. The reasons for this can be multifold. Thus, in the context of an economic crisis, staying ahead of competition is vital for any company’s survival. In addition, each year, the global competition becomes tougher. The fundamental question of modern management of an enterprise is how to achieve competitive advantage and hold it. Consequently, the effective management of an enterprise, based on a rational use of resources, comes to the fore. The goal of this research is to analyze one of the models of modern resource management – resource-based view and to relate this model of management to the current state of the Russian economy. Theoretical and practical aspects of the model are presented. Development of the resource-based view at the Russian retail chain – X5 Retail Group is separately allocated. It is the unique practical example of using above mentioned concept in Russia. The possibility of implementing the resource-based view is considered in the context of the current economic situation in the country. Summarizing, resource-based view can become a truly breakthrough strategy in the context of the Russian economic situatio

The influence of social support on risk of acute cardiovascular diseases in female population aged 25–64 in Russia

Objective. To study the prevalence of social support (SS) and its influence on the relative risk (RR) of myocardial infarction (MI) and stroke in the female population aged 25–64 in Russia. Materials and methods. Under the third screening of the WHO “MONICA-psychosocial” programme, a random representative sample of women aged 25–64 (n=870) were surveyed in Novosibirsk. SS was measured according to the methods of the Berkman–Sym test [indices of close contacts (ICC) and index of social network (SNI)]. From 1995 to 2010, women were followed for 16 years to observe the incidence of MI and stroke. Results. The prevalence of low levels of ICC and SNI in women aged 25–64 was 57.1 and 77.7%, respectively. Low levels of ICC and SNI were associated with poor self-rated health and awareness about their health, adverse behavioural habits, high job strain and family stress. Rates of MI and stroke development were higher in married women with low ICC and SNI who were being in class “hard manual work”. Over a 16-year study period, the RR of MI in women with low ICC compared to those with high ICC was 4.9 times higher, and the risk of stroke was 4.1 times higher. Low level of SNI increased MI risk in 2.9 times, risk of stroke in 2.7 times. Conclusions. Majority of women aged 25–64 years in Russia have low social support which is associated with poor self-rated health, low awareness about the health that increases the risk of MI and stroke in 2.7–4.9 times in groups of “married” and “hard physical work”

Biological Determinants of Hostility

Our aim was to study the association of hostility with the DRD4, DAT, MAOA genes in an open male population of 25–64 years old. A representative sample of men aged 25–64 years (n = 657 men, average age 44.3 ± 0.4 years) was examined in 1994–1995 and 45–64 years old (n = 781 men, average age - 56.48 ± 0.2 years) in 2003–2005 using the methods proposed by the WHO international program “MONICA-psychosocial” and “HAPIEE”. All respondents completed the hostility questionnaire on their own. Genotyping of the DRD4, DAT and MAOA gene polymorphisms was carried out. It was established that the level of hostility in the male population was 76.9% in the group of 25–64 years old and 60.3% in the group of 45–64 years old. Genotypes 4/6, 4/7 of the DRD4 gene are reliably associated with a high level of hostility; the genotype 4/4 of the DRD4 gene is associated with an average and lower level of hostility. There was no association of individual genotypes and VNTR alleles of DAT gene polymorphism with different levels of hostility. It was found that among individuals with low-active alleles of the MAOA-L gene (alleles 2 and 3), a high level of hostility was more common - 50.9%. The results of constructing a logistic regression model showed that the presence of low-active alleles (2; 3) of the MAOA gene increases the likelihood of hostility OR = 2.103 (95% CI 1.137–3.889, p = 0.018). Based on the received data we can assume that the long alleles of the DRD4 gene and the low-level allele of the MAOA-L gene are associated with hostility

Spontaneous regression of a metastatic carcinoma transmitted by a kidney graft

Transmission of a malignancy from a donor’s organ to the recipient of the graft is a rare event, though it is a severe complication that can result in a poor outcome. Usually, immunosuppressive therapy is discontinued and the allograft is removed. However, treatment of patients with the disseminated cancers implies that after the graft removal and cessation of the immunosuppression, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, or immunotherapy with alpha-interferon (INF-α) or interleukin-2 (IL-2) are required. The case report presents a clinical case of a transmitted kidney graft with multiple metastases (MTS) in a 31-year-old woman with the spontaneous regression of the metastatic cancer after transplantectomy and cancellation of the immunosuppressive therapy. Obviously, the determining factor is the recognition of the tumor by the effectors of the antitumor immunity due to the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) mismatch between the donor and the recipient. Therefore, cancellation of the immunosuppressive therapy in cases of transferal of a malignancy with a transplanted organ allows the effectors of the immune system to distinguish the tumor as a foreign tissue and effectively eliminate this neoplasm

Biological Determinants of Sleep Disorders

The purpose of the study is to research the effect of polymorphism of genes such as CLOCK, ARNTL, PER2, NPAS2, DRD4, DAT, TNF-α, and NPSR1 on sleep disorders in an open population of 25–64-year-old men. We conducted screening studies of representative samples of men aged 25–64 years. The general examination was carried out according to the standard methods included in the WHO MONICA-Psychosocial Program (MOPSY). Carriers of the C/T genotype of the CLOCK gene more often than others reported having “satisfactory” or “poor” sleep. Carriers of the C/T genotype of the ARNTL gene were more likely to experience anxiety dreams, and they woke up exhausted. Carriers of the A/A genotype of the PER2 gene were more likely to wake up two or more times per night, a total of four to seven times per week. In the population, C/T and T/T genotypes of the NPAS2 gene were significantly more common in individuals with 7-hour sleep. Genotype 4/6 of the DRD4 gene and genotype 9/9 of the DAT gene were significantly associated with sleep disturbances. Carriers of the heterozygous A/G genotype of the TNF-α-308 gene, compared with carriers of all other genotypes, more often rated sleep as “satisfactory” (30%) than “good.

Association of Personal Anxiety with Dopamine Receptor D4 (DRD4), DAT Genes Polymorphism

Modern studies in the world have attached high priority to the role of genetics in human psychosocial stress. People who have strong biochemical responses to stress are more inclined to develop acute and posttraumatic stress disorders. Why do such unusually strong biological reactions occur in certain people? Psychogenetics focuses on many aspects: personality traits that can affect human behavior directly. Their individual variability has been found to be a genetic trait. At present we already know a number of genes, certain allelic variants and genotypes associated with some neuropsychological characters. Among these are genes encoding intracellular and plasma protein neurotransmitter transporters and their receptors; to date, there are only several dozen genes. Of particular interest are dopaminergic system genes. However, information about the polymorphism of known genes associated with personality traits is quite limited and contradictory for open population. Under these circumstances, the chapter is devoted to the association of polymorphisms of candidate genes of the dopaminergic system with anxiety in the open population

Sex Differences in Long-Term Trends of Psychosocial Factors and Gender Effect on Risk of Cardiovascular Diseases: Arterial Hypertension, Myocardial Infarction and Stroke

Introduction: The study aimed to determine gender differences in the prevalence and dynamics of affective states over a long period, i.e., 23 years, and to establish their effect on the risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD), i.e., arterial hypertension (AH), myocardial infarction (MI), and stroke among the population aged 25–64 in Russia / Siberia. Methods: Between 1994 and 2017, we conducted 4 screening surveys of representative samples (totalling 4,815 people) under the international programs MONICA and HAPIEE in Russia / Siberia. To determine the sex differences in cardiovascular risk from 1994 to 2010, we observed cohorts formed from the screened individuals without CVD and diabetes mellitus (DM). Results: High levels of affective states in the period from 1994 to 2003, especially in women, were replaced by a downward trend in 2013. At the same time, there was a reduction in the gender gap in terms of frequency of depression lower 1%, and men in the younger age groups reported higher levels of personal anxiety (49.3% vs 46.1% in adults aged 35-44y) and vital exhaustion (16.9% vs 15.6%) than women in 2017. We found that men with unfavourable levels of affective states have a 3–5 fold higher risk of hypertension and stroke, while women have a higher risk of myocardial infarction (p for all < 0.05). Hostility in men is associated with a negative risk of myocardial infarction and stroke (HR=0.3 and HR=0.29, respectively; p for all < 0.05). However, this was levelled out by unfavourable social characteristics. Conclusions: The downward trends in prevalence of psychosocial factors were unstable and associated with reduced gender gap for affective states. It had a significant impact on the gender magnitude of cardiovascular risk

Mapping of the nuclear matrix-bound chromatin hubs by a new M3C experimental procedure

We have developed an experimental procedure to analyze the spatial proximity of nuclear matrix-bound DNA fragments. This protocol, referred to as Matrix 3C (M3C), includes a high salt extraction of nuclei, the removal of distal parts of unfolded DNA loops using restriction enzyme treatment, ligation of the nuclear matrix-bound DNA fragments and a subsequent analysis of ligation frequencies. Using the M3C procedure, we have demonstrated that CpG islands of at least three housekeeping genes that surround the chicken α-globin gene domain are assembled into a complex (presumably, a transcription factory) that is stabilized by the nuclear matrix in both erythroid and non-erythroid cells. In erythroid cells, the regulatory elements of the α-globin genes are attracted to this complex to form a new assembly: an active chromatin hub that is linked to the pre-existing transcription factory. The erythroid-specific part of the assembly is removed by high salt extraction. Based on these observations, we propose that mixed transcription factories that mediate the transcription of both housekeeping and tissue-specific genes are composed of a permanent compartment containing integrated into the nuclear matrix promoters of housekeeping genes and a ‘guest’ compartment where promoters and regulatory elements of tissue-specific genes can be temporarily recruited

Arctic shelf development as a driver of the progress of the Russian energy system

Today many countries are concerned about the Arctic, including ones which are rather distant from it. High prospectively of the region in the context of undiscovered oil and gas resources is the explanation of this interest. Russia possessing the most significant part of these reserves has a fairly low rate of exploration of the Arctic shelf. Arctic hydrocarbon resources play the important strategic role in the development of the fuel-energy complex of Russia, ensuring its energy security. Therefore, the aim of this study is to identify effective model of development of the offshore fields in the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation. The model of the creation of consortia for the development of the offshore fields is analyzed and it is considered in the context of the Russian Arctic. The conclusion about the efficiency of the application of this model is done