Human Rights Organizations: Concept and Problems of the Classification

The article is devoted to consideration of the question of the possible separation of human rights organizations, analyzing the peculiarities of their work conditions. The definition the term «human rights organization» is considered. The distinctive features of human rights organizations, allowing them to be in a separate group of public associations, are marked. The normative legal framework within which human rights organizations have the right to carry out its activities is demonstrated. Also the historical aspect is presented in the article. There are given examples of the first human rights organizations in the world and in Russia. And, importantly, factors which led the emergence of human rights movement in the Soviet Union are focused. Noting that the work of human rights organizations is associated with many issues, it is emphasized that one of the most controversial, discussed among scholars, is the classification of human rights organizations. Actually, it is illustrated by examples from the scientific literature. And, by the way, based on the analysis in the article is noted that further study of the human rights organizations, their activities and the issue of classification will allow to identify prospects of their development in the future

Destabilization signs in behavioral and somatovegetative parameters of rats selected for catatonia

The article presents data on destabilization signs in response to selection for catatonia at an organismal level. Experiments were conducted with the unique GC (genetic catatonia) rat strain selected for long passive-defensive freezing. The goal of this study was to detect destabilization signs in the behavioral and somatovegetative parameters of GC rats emerging in response to selection. The destabilization manifested itself as changes in rat attitudes towards humans, as became apparent from the glove test. Altered hormone levels in GC rats were detected: corticosterone concentrations were reduced in feces and increased during handling. The metabolic system showed a decrease in energy stored accompanying the fast (glucose level) and slow (triglyceride level) responses. However, the strains did not differ in the concentration of insulin, which affects glucose transport through the cell membrane. Nor did we find differences between Wistar and GC rats in cholesterol level. This lipid is important for both energy and constructive metabolism. A side effect of selection for catatonia was the worse pelage status in GC rats. The overall physical condition of catatonic rats involved reduced body weight in both neonates and adults. All these changes point to the modification of behavioral and somatovegetative patterns and intensification of the passive-defensive component of selection in GC rats

Expression of catecholaminergic genes in the midbrain and prepulse inhibition in rats with a genetic catatonia

The GC rat strain (from the words "genetic" and "catatonia") was created by selection for predisposition to passive-defensive reaction of catatonic freezing in response to stressing stimuli. Rats of the GC strain have previously demonstrated a number of biochemical and behavioral properties similar to those of patients with schizophrenia and depression. Prepulse inhibition (PPI) is widely explored as an important indicator, a decrease of which may be indicative of psychopathology, including schizophrenia. It has been established that the brain noradrenergic system influences the manifestation of PPI, in particular through the activation of central alpha-adrenoreceptors. Also known is the association between PPI and expression of catechol-O-methyltransferase. This study focuses on the reaction of prepulse inhibition in rats of the inbred GC strain, being considered as a hypothetical model of schizophrenia, as well as on the relation of prepulse inhibition to mRNA expression of tyrosine hydroxylase, catechol-O-methyltransferase, alpha1A- and alpha2Aadrenergic receptors in the midbrain of GC rats. For the first time, a decrease of PPI in GC rats compared with WAG rats was shown, both with a prepulse power of 75 dB and at 85 dB, which may indicate a violation of filtration of sensorimotor information into the central nervous system in GC rats. Real-time PCR showed a decrease in mRNA level of Adra1A in intact rats with genetic catatonia when compared to control WAG rats. There was observed no correlation between the expression of mRNA of the Adra1A, Adra2A, Th, and Comt genes in the midbrain and the PPI reaction in GC rats. The reduction of prepulse inhibition in GC rats indicates functional similarity of this genetic model of schizophrenic psychopathology with a prototype. © AUTHORS, 2017.Russian Foundation for Basic Research, RFBR: 16­04­013250324­2016­0002This study was supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, project 16­04­01325, and State Budgeted Project 0324­2016­0002

Changes in the crystal lattice parameters of montmorillonite during its modification by cobalt and aluminum cations

The effect the modification (pillarization) of montmorillonite clays from different locations has on the crystallographic lattice parameters of montmorillonite is determined. It is revealed through ultrahigh resolution transmission electron microscopy and analyzing microdiffraction patterns that pillarization raises the distance between montmorillonite structural units to 2.2 nm, while the intracrystal distance between the atoms grows by 0.4 n

Evolution of climate, glaciation and subglacial environments of Antarctica from the deep ice core and Lake Vostok water sample studies (Key results of implementation of the Russian Science Foundation project, 2014–2016)

Work on the project focused on the following five areas: 1)  field works in Antarctica at Vostok and Concordia stations; 2)  experimental and theoretical studies in the field of ice core and paleoclimate research; 3) experimental and theoretical works related to the exploration of subglacial Lake Vostok; 4) development of technology and drilling equipment for deep ice coring and exploration of subglacial lakes; 5) upgrading the analytical instrumentation in the Climate and Environmental Research Laboratory (CERL) of the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute. The main achievements in the field of ice core and paleoclimate research include 1) further elaboration of a new method of ice core dating, which is based on the link between air content of ice and local insolation, 2) investigation of the possible applications of the 17O-excess measurements in ice core to the paleoclimate research, 3)  a better understanding of the mechanisms of the formation of relief-related variations in the isotopic content of an ice core drilled in the area of Antarctic megadunes, and 4) obtaining the first reliable data set on the variations of the 17O-excess in the Vostok core corresponding to marine isotope stage 11. As part of our studies of subglacial Lake Vostok, we have obtained a large body of new experimental data from the new ice core recovered from the 5G-3 borehole to the surface of the subglacial lake. Stacked profiles of isotopic composition, gas content and the size and orientation of the ice crystals in the lake ice have been composed from the data of three replicate cores from boreholes 5G-1, 5G-2 and 5G-3. The study reveals that the concentration of gases in the lake water beneath Vostok is unexpectedly low. A clear signature of the melt water in the surface layer of the lake, which is subject to refreezing on the icy ceiling of Lake Vostok, has been discerned in the three different properties of the accreted ice (the ice texture, the isotopic and gas content of the ice). These sets of data indicate in concert that poor mixing of the melt (and hydrothermal) water with the resident lake water and pronounced spatial and/or temporal variability of local hydrological conditions are likely to be the characteristics of the southern end of the lake. A considerable part of the funding allocated by the RSF to this project was used for upgrading the analytical instrumentation for ice core studies in the CERL of AARI. Using this grant, we purchased and started working with the Picarro L-2140i, a new-generation laser mass analyzer, and set the upgraded mass spectrometer Delta V Plus into operation. The new equipment was used to carry out research planned as part of the project, including the setting up and carrying out of new measurements of 17О in ice cores

Фенольные соединения в скважине 5Г на станции Восток после вскрытия подледникового озера

The main results after the first unlocking into the subglacial Lake Vostok were as follows: the Lake had been opened and not polluted; the water pressure within the lake was not balanced by a column of the drilling liquid that resulted in unplanned rise of water in the borehole up to 340 m. The main problem during the drilling in the lake ice was to prevent a pollution of water by the drilling fluid, which filled the borehole, and thus, to avoid a compression of the fluid which could be the main source of chemical and biological pollution of not only the Lake itself, but also the Lake water samples and ice cores. The article presents results of analysis of causes for the occurrence of phenolic compounds in the central channel in the core of secondary ice, being formed by the lake water that rose into the well after the first penetration (the range of depths was 3426–3450 m). It was found that the process, running within the borehole during the drilling, can be described as the fractionation of phenolic compounds, being contained in the filling liquid, to the water phase with its subsequent freezing. We have developed methods for the determination of concentrations of phenolic compounds in the original aviation kerosene and Freon HCFC-141b: 6. mg·l−1 and 0.032 mg·l−1, respectively. To analyze the composition of phenolic compounds in the extract of real filling liquid, located at the bottom of the borehole, the method of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used. The corresponding peaks were quite well resolved and identified as phenol and its derivatives. The main components of the extract were phenol (20%), 2.5-dimethyl phenol (23,8%), 2,4,6-trimethylphenol, and other congeners of phenol. In our case, the Lake Vostok was not polluted during both, the first and second penetrations, however, the problem of human impact on these pristine and unique subglacial reservoirs remains extremely relevant. This impact includes not only direct water pollution of the lake by the drilling fluid, but also possible changes in organic components of the liquid when contacting with the lake water under natural conditions of a deep well. Our data have demonstrated that using of such complex organic liquids, like aviation kerosene formerly used in many drilling projects, is undesirable when exploring deep Antarctic subglacial lakes. Thus, we come to the conclusion that the drilling fluid, currently used at the Vostok station (in the Vostok borehole), has to be replaced by another more inert fluid that would allow further research and exploration of the Lake Vostok.Рассмотрены причины появления фенольных соединений в центральном канале керна вторичного льда, образованного озёрной водой, поступившей в скважину при вскрытии озера Восток. Выяснено, что это – процесс фракционирования фенольных соединений, изначально присутствующих в заливочной жидкости, в водную фазу с её последующим замерзанием. Определён состав фенолов в заливочной жидкости на дне скважины. Сделан вывод, что используемую ныне заливочную жидкость следует заменить на другую, более инертную жидкость, которая не будет реагировать с подледниковой водой и позволит корректно проводить дальнейшие исследования озера Восток

Multiferroic Coupling of Ferromagnetic and Ferroelectric Particles through Elastic Polymers

Multiferroics are materials that electrically polarize when subjected to a magnetic field and magnetize under the action of an electric field. In composites, the multiferroic effect is achieved by mixing of ferromagnetic (FM) and ferroelectric (FE) particles. The FM particles are prone to magnetostriction (field-induced deformation), whereas the FE particles display piezoelectricity (electrically polarize under mechanical stress). In solid composites, where the FM and FE grains are in tight contact, the combination of these effects directly leads to multiferroic behavior. In the present work, we considered the FM/FE composites with soft polymer bases, where the particles of alternative kinds are remote from one another. In these systems, the multiferroic coupling is different and more complicated in comparison with the solid ones as it is essentially mediated by an electromagnetically neutral matrix. When either of the fields, magnetic or electric, acts on the ‘akin’ particles (FM or FE) it causes their displacement and by that perturbs the particle elastic environments. The induced mechanical stresses spread over the matrix and inevitably affect the particles of an alternative kind. Therefore, magnetization causes an electric response (due to the piezoeffect in FE) whereas electric polarization might entail a magnetic response (due to the magnetostriction effect in FM). A numerical model accounting for the multiferroic behavior of a polymer composite of the above-described type is proposed and confirmed experimentally on a polymer-based dispersion of iron and lead zirconate micron-size particles. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.Funding: The reported study was funded by the Russian Scientific Foundation according to research project No. 21-72-30032 (experimental investigation and analysis); authors Makarova L.A. and Isaev D.A. acknowledge the President of the Russian Federation Grant Number MK-716.2020.2 (simulation results). Authors Isaenko M.B. and Perov N.S. acknowledge partial support from Lomonosov Moscow State University Program of Development

Релаксационные и физико-механические характеристики полиэтиленов с различной молекулярной массой

Objectives. Determination of the influence of molecular weight on the modulus of elasticity, yield, strength, and retardation processes in polyethylene.Methods. We used vane samples (thickness: 4 mm; length: 100 mm; width.: 10 mm) made by injection molding at p = 60 MPa, T = 210 °C, τ = 15 s from the following polyethylenes: HDPE 27773 (Stavrolen, Lukoil, Russia); BorSafe HE3490-IM (Borealis, Austria; black); CRP 100 Hostalen (Basell Polyolefins, Netherlands; black); Stavrolen PE4PP-25B (Stavrolen, Lukoil, Russia; black). The samples were in accordance with the defined standards for the AL 7000 LA-5 tensile testing machine. The study of relaxation characteristics was carried out in two modes: relaxation and retardation.Results. We obtained stress-strain diagrams at various temperatures under isothermal conditions (T = const) and determined the influence of polyethylene molecular weights on the modulus of elasticity, yield, and strength of polyethylenes. We have shown that under isothermal conditions, when the stress equals the yield strength, the removal of the external action results in a two-stage response. The first stage is the stress relaxation. The second stage characterizes the elastic features of the studied materials under the external action ε = const.Conclusions. We have established that temperature increase affects the physicomechanical characteristics of polyethylenes differently, depending on their molecular weights. The experiments have shown that when the stress exceeds the yield strength, at constant deformation, there is a complex response of the polyethylenes to external action. This response is characterized by two stress stages throughout the course of time. The first stage is characterized by asymptotic decrease in stress down to a constant value; the second stage is characterized by constant stress throughout the course of time. We have determined relaxation times for the relaxation stage (stage I) and calculated activation energy. We have also established that the activation energy depends on molecular weights of the polyethylenes. It has been shown that an increase in polyethylene molecular weight leads to a decrease in relaxation time and activation energy.Цель. Определение влияния молекулярной массы полиэтиленов на модуль упругости, текучесть, прочность и процессы ретардации.Методы. В качестве образцов были взяты лопатки (толщиной 4 мм, длиной 100 мм, шириной 10 мм), полученные м.етодом литья под давлением p = 60 МПа при T = 210 °C, τ= 15 с, из полиэтилена следующих марок: ПЭВП 277-73 (Ставролен, Лукойл, Россия); BorSafe HE3490-IM (Borealis, Австрия; черный); CRP 100 Hostalen (Basell Polyolefins, Нидерланды; черный); Stavrolen PE4PP-25B (Ставролен, Лукойл, Россия; черный). Использованные образцы соответствовали стандартно-определенным образцам для исследования на разрывной лъашине AL 7000 LA-5. Исследование релаксационных характеристик проводилось в двух режимах: релаксационном и ретардационном.Результаты. В результате проведения экспериментов были получены диаграммы «напря-жение-деформация» при различных температурах в изотермических режимах (Т = const) и определено влияние молекулярной массы на модуль упругости, текучесть и прочность полиэтиленов. Показано, что при напряжениях, равных пределу текучести, в изотермических условиях при снятии внешнего деформирующего воздействия наблюдаются две стадии отклика системы полиэтилена на это воздействие. Первый отклик - процесс релаксации напряжения и второй отклик - область, характеризующая упругие характеристики исследуем.ого материала при внешнем воздействии ε = const.Заключение. Установлено, что повышение температуры неодинаково отражается на физико-механических характеристиках полиэтиленов различной молекулярной массы. Эксперименты показали, что при напряжениях выше предела текучести при постоянстве деформации наблюдается сложная реакция исследуемых полиэтиленов на внешнее воздействие. Эта реакция характеризуется двумя областями зависимости напряжений, возникших при деформации, от времени. Первая область характеризуется асимптотическим снижением напряжения до постоянного значения, а вторая область - постоянством напряжения во времени. Рассчитаны времена релаксации для релаксационной области (участок I), а также рассчитана величина энергии активации. Показано, что увеличение молекулярной массы полиэтиленов ведет к снижению времени релаксации и уменьшению энергии активации

Formation during glycine-nitrate combustion and magnetic properties of YFe1–xNixO3 nanoparticles

The synthesis of FeO3 and YFe1–xNixO3 (x = 0.1; 0.15; 0.2; 0.3; 0.5) nanocrystals was performed under the conditions of a self-propagating wave of glycine-nitrate combustion and their characterization and determination of the effect of Ni2+ doping of yttrium ferrite on the magnetic properties of nanopowders. The technology for the synthesis of yttrium orthoferrite nanoparticles (with and without doping with Ni2+ ions) by the glycine-nitrate combustion method at a ratio of G/N = 1 and 1.5 without adding a gelling agent to the reaction mixture and using ethylene glycol/glycerol is described. For the characterization of nanopowders based on YFeO3, the following were determined: phase composition and crystal structure (X-ray diffraction (XRD) method); size and structure of nanocrystal particles (transmission electron microscopy (TEM)); elemental composition of the samples (local X-ray spectral microanalysis (LXSMA)); magnetic characteristics (field dependences of specific magnetization). Thermal annealing of the synthesized samples at 800°C for 60 min led to the formation of the о-YFeO3 main phase. Undoped samples of yttrium orthoferrite were characterized by a particle diameter in the range of 5-185 nm, depending on the gelling agent used. YFe1-xNixO3 particles had a predominantly round shape with a size of 24 to 31 nm; the non-monotonic dependence of the average particle diameter on the dopant content was revealed: as the amount of dopant added increased, the average crystallite size tended to decrease. Nanopowders of undoped yttrium orthoferrite exhibit antiferromagnetic behaviour of magnetic susceptibility with temperature. The change in the magnetic properties of the nickel-doped YFeO3 nanocrystalline powders was due to the incorporation of Ni2+ into the Fe3+position, which led to the formation of a material with more pronounced soft magnetic properties at a substitution degree of 0.1. Samples with high degrees of substitution (x = 0.15 and 0.3) were also characterized by paramagnetic behaviour at temperatures above 100 K

Results of Epizootiological Monitoring of Natural Foci for Bacterial Vector-Borne Infections in Caucasian Mineral Waters Region of the Stavropol Territory in 2018–2020

The aim of the study was to assess the epizootiological situation on bacterial vector-borne infections in Caucasian Mineral Waters area of the Stavropol Territory over the period of 2018–2020.Materials and methods. 3494 specimens of ticks (473 pools), 257 specimens of small mammals, 9 regurgitates of birds of prey and mammals, 7 excreta samples of small mammals, and 2 water samples were tested. Laboratory research of the field material was carried out using molecular-genetic, serological, biological methods. Statistical analysis of laboratory results was conducted using Microsoft Excel 2010. The data were mapped using QGIS 2.18 software.Results and discussion. The study revealed that the 44.8 % of collected ticks were positive for tick-borne borreliosis, 21.5 % – for tick-borne rickettsiosis, 10.3% – for human granulocytic anaplasmosis, 2.7 % – for Q fever, 0.84 % – for tularemia. There has been an increase in the percentage of positives for tick-borne borreliosis agent samples (more than three times) and a decrease in this indicator for human granulocytic anaplasmosis (1.5 times) as compared with 2010–2012. Investigation of tick infection with the agents of Q fever and tick-borne rickettsioses has not been previously conducted in the region. During the period under review, 19 pools of ticks had mixed infection, which indicates that there are combined foci of bacterial natural-focal infections with vector-borne transmission in the recreation zone of the Stavropol Territory. This necessitates preventive measures and systematical epizootiological surveys in the Caucasian Mineral Waters region