The assessment of corruption impact on the inflow of foreign direct investment

The aim of this paper is to investigate the impact of corruption on the inflow of foreign direct investment (FDI). The data, taken from official sources, Transparency International and the Heritage Foundation, have been treated in a special program "Deductor Studio Academic" by the method of Machine Learning (cluster analysis using Kohonen Self-Organizing Maps). There was composed a Kohonen map, in which the countries were divided into 4 clusters: countries with low levels of corruption and high level of FDI inflow, countries with low level of corruption and FDI above average, countries with average level of corruption and the average level of FDI, and countries with high level of corruption and low level of FDI. The research has shown that corruption influences the investment attractiveness of the host country. This means that in countries where the level of corruption is low and economic environment is attractive, the level of foreign direct investment is high, and in those countries where the level of corruption is high and and economic attractiveness is low-the level of investment is low. However, the study identified countries which have high level of corruption and high FDI inflow-China, India, Brazil and Russia (BRIC countries). These countries are the exception from the rule due to the wide domestic market, cheap labour, the wealth of natural resources-all these factors increase the investment attractiveness of these countries. It was found that corruption in BRIC countries has similarity being a controlled and predictable phenomenon. This allows calculating the cost of corruption for accounting it in business projects. © 2017 Author(s)

Effect of nitrogenous bases on the thermal stability of jet fuels

Fuels from naphthenic petroleums were evaluated, and it was found that they had more N bases than those paraffinic ones (0.00024 and 0.000009% N, respectively). The removal of the N bases improved significantly the thermal stability and reduced the residue formation during oxidation of the fuel. The improvement depended on both content and composition of the bases. Thus, fuels with similar content of N bases (0.00058% N) and thermal stability had oxidation residues of 17.5 and 5.6 and sol. gum of 13 and 1.5 mg/100 ml, before and after removing the N bases, respectively

Retos y perspectivas del desarrollo potencial de las exportaciones pesqueras en el Lejano Oriente

De acuerdo con los objetivos del proyecto federal "Exportación de productos agroindustriales", el Distrito Federal del Lejano Oriente (FEFD) debería aumentar la exportación de recursos biológicos acuáticos (ABR), incluido el pescado, a USD 1338 millones para 2024. El pescado y los productos pesqueros son entre las tres principales exportaciones agrícolas de Rusia (junto con los cereales y las semillas oleaginosas). El Lejano Oriente es la principal región de la Federación de Rusia para la captura de peces y otros ABR. El artículo trata de los indicadores de producción y exportación de ABR de la industria pesquera del FEFD, que incluye también el Territorio de Kamchatka, el Territorio de Primorsky y la región de Sakhalin. Los autores consideran problemas que dificultan su eficaz desarrollo y analizan orientaciones y medidas para solucionar los problemas existentes. Los principales factores negativos están asociados a las deficiencias de infraestructura, como el deterioro físico y moral de la flota pesquera, la falta de modernas instalaciones de procesamiento, que no permiten producir productos pesqueros con alto valor agregado en la cantidad adecuada. Para desarrollar el sector industrial en cuestión y resolver los problemas que limitan el crecimiento de la capacidad de producción y exportación en las entidades de la FEFD, el gobierno ruso ha desarrollado programas especiales para promover la actividad inversora, la construcción de la flota pesquera y las instalaciones de infraestructura necesarias, y la modernización de las instalaciones existente

Genetic diversity of wild stone fruit species: specific aspects of <i>ex situ</i> conservation

Background. One of the most important tasks faced by the scientists of Krymsk Experiment Breeding Station of VIR is the long-term preservation of the stone fruit gene pools (over 1,000 genotypes of 44 species) collected during plant explorations. It is much more difficult to preserve representatives of the wild flora than cultivars, due to their ecological specialization to specific environments and the need to create conditions for their successful development. This aspect concerns, first of all, such species as Louiseania pedunculata (Pall.) Pachom., L. ulmifolia (Franch.) Pachom., Prunus cocomilia Ten., P. brigantiaca Vill., Armeniaca sibirica (L.) Lam., Padus ssiori (F. Schmidt) C.K. Schneid., and some others.Methods. The studies were carried out in the collection plantations of the field genebank at Krymsk Experiment Breeding Station of VIR according to VIR’s guidelines. Accessions of wild stone fruit species were the objects of the studies.Results. Many years of field research into ex situ conservation of introduced wild species proved the efficiency of stone fruit cultivation in tub culture and a modified technique of dense planting with crown formation according to the “border-hedge” pattern. It takes into account biological characteristics of genotypes shaped in natural areas, the use of own-root or grafted plants on clonal rootstocks of various growth rates depending on their life form (tree or shrub), resistance to biotic and abiotic stressors, soil and terrain requirements, and the tasks posed before researchers. The recommended planting schemes (2.5–4.0 × 0.5–1.0 m) significantly reduce the area occupied by the same number of plants in conventional cultivation patterns and cut down power and labor inputs into technological practices

EXPERIENCE IN PRESERVING THE GENETIC DIVERSITY OF STONE FRUITS USING THE BORDER HEDGING TECHNOLOGY

Conservation of the world’s plant genetic resources is one of the most significant and relevant problems of mankind. At Krymsk Experimental Breeding Station of VIR, where the largest stone fruit plant genetic diversity in Russia is assembled (more than 5 thousand genotypes: cultivars and species, wild forms, distant hybrids and polyploids), a collection maintenance technology of ‘border hedging’ has been developed and successfully used. This method makes it quite economical (in terms of space reduction, simplification of the system of care for the storage garden, and decreasing the use of chemical protection agents) to maintain a large number of live accessions ex situ. The border hedging technology is based on a propagule nursery system that enables plants to grow longer than in conventional gardens, constantly keeping them in a state of active growth. The basic elements of this technology are dense arrangement of plants (intervals for high-growing plants: 4.0–5.0 m between rows, and 1.0–1.5 m in a row; for low-growing ones: 2.5 m between rows, and 0.5–1.0 m in a row) and annual pruning of shoots at a height of 1.0–1.2 m. Years of experience in using a denser planting pattern for collection garden maintenance helped to identify a number of most significant factors in this system, which make up the scientific basis of the technology for optimally efficient preservation of genotypes and their genetic compliance (representativeness). Among them are biological features of the in situ plant growth habit, including vigor, selection of rootstock or decision on own-root cultivation, layout of the plot, and maintenance system. If it is necessary to study the accessions in the garden where they are preserved in order to make their initial evaluation (approbation, morphological description, study of crop structure, biochemical or biotechnological assessment, analysis of resistance to biotic and abiotic stressors), the plants should not be pruned for 1–2 years. Upon completion of these works, the trees are coppiced again

МОДЕЛИРОВАНИЕ И ИССЛЕДОВАНИЕ ГИДРОАГРЕГАТОВ МАЛЫХ ГЭС С ЧАСТОТНО-УПРАВЛЯЕМЫМИ СИНХРОННЫМИ ГЕНЕРАТОРАМИ С ПОСТОЯННЫМИ МАГНИТАМИ

Currently, the hydroelectric generating sets of small HPPs with Pelton turbines employ as their generating units conventional synchronous generators with electromagnetic excitation. To deal with the torque pulsatile behaviour, they generally install a supplementary flywheel on the system shaft that levels the pulsations. The Pelton turbine power output is adjusted by the needle changing water flow in the nozzle, whose advancement modifies the nozzle area and eventually – the flow. They limit the needle full stroke time to 20–40 sec. since quick shutting the nozzle for swift water flow reduction may result in pressure surges. For quick power adjustment so-called deflectors are employed, whose task is retraction of water jets from the Pelton turbine buckets. Thus, the mechanical method of power output regulation requires agreement between the needle stroke inside the turbine nozzles and the deflector. The paper offers employing frequency-controlled synchronous machines with permanent magnets qua generating units for the hydroelectric generating sets of small HPPs with Pelton turbines. The developed computer model reveals that this provides a higher level of adjustability towards rapid-changing loads in the grid. Furthermore, this will replace the power output mechanical control involving the valuable deflector drive and the turbine nozzle needles with electrical revolution rate and power output regulation by a frequency converter located in the generator stator circuit. Via frequency start, the controllable synchronous machine ensures stable operation of the hydroelectric generating set with negligibly small amount of water (energy carrier). Finally, in complete absence of water, the frequency-relay start facilitates shifting the generator operation to the synchronous capacitor mode, which the system operating parameter fluctograms obtained through computer modeling prove. В настоящее время в гидроагрегатах малых ГЭС, содержащих ковшовые гидротурбины, в качестве генераторов используются «классические» синхронные генераторы с электромагнитным возбуждением. Из-за пульсирующего характера изменения вращающегося момента на валу системы, как правило, размещается дополнительный маховик, позволяющий сгладить эти пульсации. Мощность, развиваемая ковшовой турбиной, регулируется за счет изменения расхода воды в сопле при помощи иглы, выдвижение которой изменяет проходное сечение сопла, а в итоге и расход. Быстрое закрытие сопла для резкого уменьшения расхода воды может привести к гидравлическим ударам. Поэтому время полного хода иглы ограничивают 20–40 с. Для быстрого регулирования мощности применяют так называемые дефлекторы, назначение которых – отвод струи от лопастей ковшовой турбины. Поэтому для регулирования мощности механическим путем требуется согласование управления ходом иглы в соплах турбины и дефлектора. Предлагается в гидроагрегатах малых ГЭС, содержащих ковшовые турбины (турбины Пелтона), в качестве генераторов использовать частотно-управляемые синхронные машины с постоянными магнитами. На разработанной компьютерной модели выявлено, что при этом обеспечивается высокий уровень приспособляемости к быстроизменяющимся нагрузкам в сети. Кроме того, механическое регулирование выходной мощности с участием дорогостоящего привода дефлекторов и игл сопел турбины заменяется электрическим регулированием частоты вращения и выходной мощности посредством частотного преобразователя, расположенного в статорной цепи генератора. Управляемая синхронная машина позволяет с помощью частотного пуска обеспечить устойчивую работу гидроагрегата при весьма незначительных расходах воды (энергоносителя). Наконец, при полном отсутствии воды частотный пуск способствует переводу работы генератора в режим синхронного компенсатора. Это подтверждено на флуктограммах изменения режимных параметров системы, полученных при компьютерном моделировании.

ОГРАНИЧЕНИЕ ФЕРРОРЕЗОНАНСНЫХ И КУМУЛЯТИВНЫХ ПЕРЕНАПРЯЖЕНИЙ СЛАБОНЕЛИНЕЙНЫМИ РЕЗИСТОРАМИ В РАСПРЕДЕЛИТЕЛЬНЫХ УСТРОЙСТВАХ С ТРАНСФОРМАТОРОМ НАПРЯЖЕНИЯ

Investigations results pertaining to ferro-resonance and cumulative over-voltages in switch gears by means of computer modeling are given in the paper. In order to solve the problem concerning limitation of ferro-resonance and cumulative over-voltages it has been proposed to use a nonlinear resistance which is brought from the side of  low-voltage winding of the voltage transformer. The paper shows efficiency of the protection from both over-voltages in the integrated gear.Приводятся результаты исследования феррорезонансных и кумулятивных перенапряжений в распределительных устройствах с помощью компьютерного моделирования. Для выполнения задачи ограничения феррорезонансных и кумулятивных перенапряжений было предложено использование нелинейного сопротивления, вводимого со стороны низшего напряжения трансформатора напряжения. Показана эффективность при организации защиты от обоих перенапряжений в едином устройстве

Amplification ratio control system for copy number variation genotyping

We describe a generic design for ratiometric analysis suitable for determination of copy number variation (CNV) class of a gene. Following two initial sequence-specific PCR priming cycles, both ends of both amplicons (one test and one reference) in a duplex reaction, are all primed by the same universal primer (UP). Following each amplification denaturation step, the UP target and its reverse complement (UP′) in each strand form a hairpin. The bases immediately beyond the 3′-end of the UP and 5′ of UP′ are chosen such as not to base pair in the hairpin (otherwise priming is ablated). This hairpin creates a single constant environment for priming events and chaperones free 3′-ends of amplicon strands. The resultant ‘amplification ratio control system’ (ARCS) permits ratiometric representation of amplicons relative to the original template into PCR plateau phase. These advantages circumvent the need for real-time PCR for quantitation. Choice of different %(G+C) content for the target and reference amplicons allows liquid phase thermal melt discrimination and quantitation of amplicons. The design is generic, simple to set up and economical. Comparisons with real-time PCR and other techniques are made and CNV assays demonstrated for haptoglobin duplicon and ‘chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 3-like 1’ gene

Основные принципы ведения неврологических пациентов в период пандемии COVID-19

In a COVID-19 pandemic, a neurologist needs to be able to assess the risks of virus infection in patients with individual neurological diseases. The review presents categories of risk groups from the Association of British Neurologists for neuromuscular diseases, multiple sclerosis and other autoimmune diseases of the central nervous system, stroke, epilepsy and Parkinson’s disease. The risk of infection and the management of patients with neuromuscular diseases are analyzed in detail. The use of multiple sclerosis disease modifying drugs, the treatment of stroke patients are discussed. The data from the international guidelines for the management of patients with epilepsy and Parkinson’s disease are presented.В условиях пандемии COVID-19 неврологу необходимо уметь оценить риски заражения вирусом пациентов с отдельными неврологическими болезнями. В обзоре представлены категории групп риска от Ассоциации британских неврологов для нервно-мышечных заболеваний, рассеянного склероза и других аутоиммунных болезней центральной нервной системы, инсульта, эпилепсии и болезни Паркинсона. Рассмотрены риски заражения и особенности ведения пациентов с нервно-мышечными болезнями. Обсуждено применение препаратов, изменяющих течение рассеянного склероза, особенности терапии пациентов с инсультом при COVID-19. Представлены данные из рекомендаций международных организаций по ведению пациентов с эпилепсией и болезнью Паркинсона

The geoecotones of the Tersko-Kumskaya lowland topoecological profiles at different levels of landscape organization

Moving of marine edge to Tersko-Kumskaya lowland the structure of soil-vegetatiuon complexes is kept. The importance of plant indication decreases, the soil profile of geoecotone is formed