Utilization of the wastes of vital activity

The recycling of wastes from the biological complex for use in life-support systems is discussed. Topics include laboratory equipment, heat treatment of waste materials, mineralization of waste products, methods for production of ammonium hydroxide and nitric acid, the extraction of sodium chloride from mineralized products, and the recovery of nutrient substances for plants from urine

Set-up for post-irradiation determination of temperature during nuclear reactor exposure with 3C-SiC

Research reactors currently rely on thermocouples for accurate temperature measurements in instrumented rigs. However, a lot of irradiations are carried out in lower cost instrumented capsules without instrumentation where thermocouples are not an option. In the latter case calculations or melt wires are used to determine the irradiation temperature. These methods do not suffice for state-of-the-art irradiations where temperature needs to be accurately known. Cubic Silicon Carbide (3C-SiC) is a potential material to use as post-irradiation (PI) temperature monitor which theoretically allows the determination of the irradiation temperature. Recent developments at Idaho National Laboratory and Oak Ridge National Laboratory show the possibility to use 3C-SiC as a routine PI temperature monitor in un-instrumented capsules by observing changes in electrical resistivity after isochronal annealing. This is a challenging task as it requires accurate electrical measurements on a high-resistivity semiconductor, performed on activated samples and at high temperatures (up to 1000°C

The contemporary height of aeolian accumulative complex Sarykum (republic of Dagestan) and the causes of its change

The aeolian accumulative complex Sarykum is the Russia's largest and one of the highest in Eurasia sandy massif, which formed away from large deserts. It is located in the Terek-Sulak lowland at the foothill of northeastern mega-slope of the Greater Caucasus. Since the end of the 19th century until the present time the highest dune of the complex has reduced in the height more than by 16 m (since the middle of the 20th century - by 5.7 m) - from 262 to 245.8 m. According to the authors, the reduction was caused mainly by natural (first of all by climate) change in the region. So, the average annual number of moderate, strong and very strong winds had here reduced by 41% (from 1966-1986 to 1987-2015), especially at the summer (in the driest period with strongest deflation) and the winter seasons, and the average annual precipitation had increased by 25% between the same periods. The latter fact contributed to wide expansion of grass and shrub vegetation on the slopes of Sarykum and increased a deflation resistance of its sands. In addition, the strong earthquake (May 14, 1970) with the epicenter that located nearby the Sarykum could be the reason of the dune height reduction. Against the background of the natural changes, the potential role of human activities is manifested through the sand quarrying in the early 20th century and the creation of protected (reserve) status within of the Great (West) Sarykum since late 1980s

Choice of Anesthesia for Orthopedic Surgery in Elderly and Senile Patients (Review)

Management of elderly and senile patients is a major challenge due to significant comorbidity, especially in surgery under general anesthesia.The aim of the review was to identify the optimal method of anesthesia for knee arthroplasty in elderly patients based on the available clinical and experimental studies.We searched PubMed, Medline, and Elibrary.ru databases for relevant sources. Out of more than 300 publications initially analyzed, 113 literature sources (dating from 1951 to 2021) were included in the review, of which 80 were published within the last five years (2016–2021). The inclusion criteria were high informative value and relevance, except for sources cited as historical references. Both randomized multicenter studies and individual case reports were included in the review. Exclusion criteria were low informative value, outdated and repetitive data.We reviewed the physiology of elderly and senile patients, various variants of anesthesia, the use of neuroaxial anesthesia and peripheral regional blocks, xenon-based general anesthesia, assessed the advantages and drawbacks of each method, and discussed the monitoring of the depth of anesthesia and the issues of inraoperative awareness during knee arthroplasty in elderly and senile patients.Conclusion. The choice of anesthesia for knee arthroplasty in elderly and senile patients should be based on the risks of decompensation of cardiovascular comorbidities and cognitive impairment. No known anesthetic method is ideal in terms of safety. The use of xenon as the main anesthetic seems promising due to its cardio- and neuroprotective properties. However, its use is limited due to relatively high cost. Therefore, the search for optimal (lower than recommended) inhalation concentrations may lead to expanding use of xenon in elderly and senile patients. At the same time, the use of lower concentrations of the drug is associated with the intraoperative awakening and the need for its combination with narcotic analgesics or amnestic agents, which may not be optimal. In addition, the protective effect of xenon retrograde amnesia against the stress of unintended intraoperative awakening has not been studied, and routine methods of monitoring the depth of hypnosis when using xenon often yield skewed measurement results inconsistent with the clinical manifestations of anesthesia.Therefore, there is a need for further studies concerning the retrograde amnesic effect of xenon and search for optimal methods of assessing the depth of hypnosis when using this gas to safely reduce its inhalation concentration

On Quality of a Weld Bead Using Power Wire 35v9h3sf

The effect of introducing carbon-fluorine containing additives and nickel to flux-cored wire 35V9H3SF on its structure, micro hardness of martensite, hardness and wear rate of a welded layer has been investigated. It has been proven that carbon-fluorine additions to a powder mixture increase the hardness of the deposited layer and its wearing strength. Nickel adding increases the hardness of both martensite and the deposited layer, and reduces abrasion wear. Introducing carbon-fluorine containing additives to the powder mixture can reduce the pore formation and lower the level of impurity with nonmetallic inclusions; and nickel adding can lead to austenite having a finer grain size

Contemporary long-term trends in water discharge, suspended sediment load, and erosion intensity in river basins of the North Caucasus region, SW Russia

For the first time, contemporary trends in water discharge, suspended sediment load, and the intensity of overall erosion in the river basins of the North Caucasus region, as one of Russia’s most agriculturally developed geographic areas, were identified. The study was carried out using monitoring data of the Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring of the country for 21 rivers by comparing two periods: 1963-1980 and 2008-201

Этиотропная терапия COVID-19: критический анализ и перспективы

The COVID-19 outbreak started in December 2019 in China has spread over all countries of the world within few month acquiring a pandemic nature, the incident population counting millions. The pathogenic mechanisms of the new coronaviral infection caused by never-before-seen virus SARS-CoV2 are yet to be studied. Various drugs are used for COVID-19 treatment and guidelines are continuously revised as new experience is acquired. In the current pandemic situation, it is important to provide specialists with latest information concerning efficacy and safety drugs for COVID-19 patients and promising research in this field.The purpose of the review is to critically analyze published data on outcomes of COVID-19 treatment with various drugs including potentially promising drugs.The search has been carried out through such databases as PubMed, Scopus, Cyberleninka, https://www.globalclinicaltrialsdata.com, https://clinicaltrials.gov, Cochrane Library; mostly, randomized clinical trials-2020 and papers dedicated to candidate drugs have been considered. The paper is structured based on the drug’s action mechanism and contains parts dedicated to antiviral, immunomodulatory, and antibacterial therapies. Looking for a new promising target in COVID-19 treatment, the authors focus their attention on matrix metalloproteinases (MMP), which abundance results in the destruction of extracellular matrix, epithelial and endothelial basal membranes and leads to secondary lung tissue injury. The paper provides a theoretic justification of MMP inhibitor use by an example of doxycycline and offers an efficacy study protocol for the new approach to COVID-19 therapy.Conclusion: as of now, there are no drugs which efficacy for COVID 19 has been proven. Drugs possessing multiple mechanisms of action are employed beside their specified indications, often in combinations; in this situation, additive side effects with adverse consequences for the patient can hardly be avoided. Administration of drugs with unproven efficacy may be justified only in clinical trials followed by subsequent analysis and publication of findings demonstrating that in case of success, recommendations for a majority of COVID-19 patients could be confidently issued.Эпидемия COVID-19, начавшаяся в декабре 2019 года в Китае, за несколько месяцев распространилась на все страны мира, приняв характер пандемии, число заболевших исчисляется миллионами. Механизмы патогенеза новой коронавирусной инфекции, вызванной неизвестным ранее вирусом SARS-CoV2, остаются недостаточно изученными. Для лечения COVID-19 применяют препараты разных групп, по мере появления опыта рекомендации регулярно пересматриваются. В условиях текущей пандемии важно предоставить специалистам актуальную информацию об эффективности и безопасности лечебных препаратов, применяемых для лечения пациентов с COVID-19, и о перспективных исследованиях в этой области. Цель обзора — критический анализ опубликованных результатов лечения COVID-19 с использованием различных групп препаратов для выбора наиболее перспективных лекарственных средств.Поиск источников провели по базам данных PubMed, Scopus, Cyberleninka, Clinical Trials, Cochrane Library и др., рассматривали преимущественно рандомизированные клинические исследования 2020 года, а также работы по изучению препаратов-претендентов. Материал статьи структурирован по механизму действия препаратов, содержит разделы противовирусной, иммуномодулирующей, антибактериальной терапии. В поиске новой перспективной мишени в лечении COVID-19 концентрировали внимание на матриксных металлопротеиназах (ММР), избыток которых ведет к разрушению внеклеточного матрикса, базальных мембран эпителия и эндотелия, способствует вторичному повреждению легочной ткани. В работе теоретически обосновали применение ингибиторов MMP на примере доксициклина, предложили протокол исследования для оценки эффективности нового подхода к лечению COVID-19.Заключение. Лекарственных средств с доказанной эффективностью в отношении COVID 19 в настоящее время нет. Препараты с разными механизмами действия применяются не по показаниям, часто в комбинациях, в этих условиях трудно избежать суммирования побочных эффектов с неблагоприятными последствиями для пациента. Применение препаратов с недоказанной эффективностью оправдано лишь в рамках клинических исследований с последующим анализом и публикацией результатов, чтобы в случае успеха с уверенностью рекомендовать их большинству пациентов с COVID-19. Ключевые слова: COVID-19; противомалярийные средства; ингибиторы вирусных протеаз; противопаразитарные препараты; ингибиторы интерлейкинов; ингибиторы янус-киназ; интерфероны; плазма реконвалесцентов; кортикостероиды; прокальцитонин; антибиотики; новая мишень; матриксные металлопротеиназы, доксициклин

The influence of Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber l.) activity on the transformation and functioning of riparian phytocoenoses in the Southern Boreal Zone (European Russia)

The reintroduction of Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber L.) results in significant changes in ecosystems. The purpose of this study is to assess the impact of the environment-forming activity of C. fiber on the riparian phytocoenoses of the Raifa forest sector of the Volga-Kama State Nature Biosphere Reserve (Middle Volga region, European Russia) after the reintroduction

Human-Altered Soils at an Archeological Site of the Bronze Age: The Tyater-Araslanovo-Ii Settlement, Southern Cis-Ural Region, Russia

This paper presents the results of studying the soils at the archeological site of the Tyater-Araslanovo-II settlement located in the Republic of Bashkortostan, eastern European Russia. The settlement functioned in the 15th–12th centuries BCE (the Late Bronze Age). We compared the soil properties at four sites in the study area: archeological (1), buried (2), affected by long pyrogenic exposure (3), and background site (4). In soil samples, the total carbon content, the fractional composition of humus and organic matter characteristics, alkaline hydrolyzable nitrogen, total phosphorus, mobile phosphorus, potassium, absorbed calcium and magnesium, pH, particle size distribution, basal soil respiration, and optical density were estimated. The study results showed the anthropogenic impact on the archeological site’s soils. The newly formed AU horizon at the archeological site (1), affected by the cattle summer camp, was richer in soil nutrients and agrochemical properties, namely, the content of exchangeable and gross forms of phosphorus, alkaline hydrolyzable nitrogen, and exchange cations of the soil absorbing complex compared to the reference soil (4). For the pyrogenic layer (AU[hh]pyr ) from the ancient furnace (fireplace) (3), the mobile and total forms of phosphorus were several times higher than those in the reference soil (4) but inferior regarding other agrochemical parameters. Thus, the activities of ancient people (especially cattle breeding) greatly influenced the properties of the soil. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.Funding: This study was performed within the framework of state assignment of the Ministry of Science and Education of the Russian Federation no. 075-00326-19-00 in theme no. AAA-A18-118022190102-3. This work was also supported by a grant from the Russian Science Foundation, project no. 17-16-01030, “Soil biota dynamics in chronoseries of post-technogenic landscapes: analyses of soil-ecological effectiveness of ecosystems restoration”, and by the Kazan Federal University Strategic Academic Leadership Program