The ART-XC telescope on board the SRG observatory

ART-XC (Astronomical Roentgen Telescope - X-ray Concentrator) is the hard X-ray instrument with grazing incidence imaging optics on board the Spektr-Roentgen-Gamma (SRG) observatory. The SRG observatory is the flagship astrophysical mission of the Russian Federal Space Program, which was successively launched into orbit around the second Lagrangian point (L2) of the Earth-Sun system with a Proton rocket from the Baikonur cosmodrome on 13 July 2019. The ART-XC telescope will provide the first ever true imaging all-sky survey performed with grazing incidence optics in the 4-30 keV energy band and will obtain the deepest and sharpest map of the sky in the energy range of 4-12 keV. Observations performed during the early calibration and performance verification phase as well as during the on-going all-sky survey that started on 12 Dec. 2019 have demonstrated that the in-flight characteristics of the ART-XC telescope are very close to expectations based on the results of ground calibrations. Upon completion of its 4-year all-sky survey, ART-XC is expected to detect ~5000 sources (~3000 active galactic nuclei, including heavily obscured ones, several hundred clusters of galaxies, ~1000 cataclysmic variables and other Galactic sources), and to provide a high-quality map of the Galactic background emission in the 4-12 keV energy band. ART-XC is also well suited for discovering transient X-ray sources. In this paper, we describe the telescope, results of its ground calibrations, major aspects of the mission, the in-flight performance of ART-XC and first scientific results.Comment: 19 pages, 30 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysic

Результаты многоцентрового исследования: эффективность и безопасность препарата инозина глицил-цистеинилглутамат динатрия в терапии острых отравлений этанолом

Abstract The article presents results of a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial on the efficacy and safety of inosine glycylcysteinyl-glutamate disodium (Molixan®) in the treatment of acute severe ethanol poisoning.The aim of the study To evaluate the efficacy and safety of inosine glycyl-cysteinyl-glutamate disodium in a new dosage regimen in the treatment of severe ethanol poisoning.Material and Methods The material of the study is the data of 133 patients with severe ethanol poisoning. Inclusion criteria: age from 18 to 60 years, 1–2 coma stage (Glasgow-Pittsburgh coma scale of 14–27), ethanol in the blood of more than 2.5%. The patients were randomized into 2 groups: the Study Drug group (SD group) — 67 patients who, in addition to the standard therapy, were injected with the study drug - inosine glycyl-cysteinyl-glutamate disodium in a dose of 3.0 mg/kg; and the Placebo group — 66 patients who, in addition to the standard therapy, were injected with 0.9% sodium chloride solution in a dose of 3.0 mg/kg. Comparative intergroup and intragroup analyses were carried out according to the main clinical, laboratory parameters and EEG monitoring data.Results The study showed a positive effect of the study drug — a reduction in the coma period was noted (from 137 (75; 180) minutes to 78 (50; 155) minutes (p<0.001)), higher values of the Glasgow-Pittsburgh scale were recorded after 3 and 6 hours from the start of the therapy (p<0.01), a reduction in the time of formation of EEG awakening patterns in patients with delta coma activity from 192.2 (161.9; 222.5) minutes to 112.5 (97.6; 127.6) minutes (p<0.001), a decrease in heart rate (p<0.02), a decrease in the number of complaints of weakness and dizziness (p<0.005), in patients with high ALT levels, the frequency of development and severity of tremor decreased (p<0.01). The hepatoprotective effect of the drug was revealed, it was manifested by a decrease in ALT (p<0.001), AST (p<0.001) and direct bilirubin (p<0.03); the effect of the drug on metabolic processes — a decrease in lactate (p<0.02), an increase in BE-ECF (p<0.01), glucose (p<0.01) 3 hours after drug administration, an increase in potassium after 24 hours (p<0.03). The analysis of safety data did not reveal statistically significant differences between the treatment groups, no serious adverse events were recorded.Conclusion The study demonstrated the efficacy and safety of inosine glycyl-cysteinyl-glutamate disodium (Molixan®) in the treatment of severe ethanol poisoning in a single dose of 3.0 mg/kg administered intravenouslyРезюме В статье представлены результаты многоцентрового, рандомизированного, двойного слепого, плацебо-контролируемого клинического исследования эффективности и безопасности препарата инозина глицил-цистеинил-глутамат динатрия (Моликсан®) в терапии острых тяжелых отравлений этанолом.Цель исследования Оценка эффективности и безопасности применения препарата инозина глицил-цистеинил-глутамат динатрия в новом режиме дозировании в терапии тяжелых отравлений этанолом.Материал и методы Материал исследования — данные 133 пациентов с тяжелым отравлением этанолом. Критерии включения: возраст от 18 до 60 лет, кома 1–2-й ст. (14–27 баллов по шкале комы Глазго–Питтсбург — ШКГП), содержание этанола в крови более 2,5‰. Пациенты рандомизированы на две группы: группа «Исследуемый препарат» (группа «ИП») — 67 пациентов, которым дополнительно к стандартной терапии вводили исследуемый препарат — инозина глицил-цистеинил-глутамат динатрия в дозе 3,0 мг/кг; группа «Плацебо» — 66 пациентов, которым дополнительно к стандартной терапии вводили 0,9% раствор натрия хлорида в дозе 3,0 мг/кг. Сравнительный межгрупповой и внутригрупповой анализ проводили по основным клиническим, лабораторным показателям и данным электроэнцефалографического (ЭЭГ-) мониторинга.Результаты Исследование показало положительное влияние исследуемого препарата — отмечено статистически значимое сокращение периода комы с 137 (75;180) до 78 (50;155) минут (р<0,001), зафиксированы статистически значимые более высокие значения ШКГП через 3 и 6 часов от начала терапии (р<0,01), сокращение времени формирования ЭЭГ-паттернов пробуждения у пациентов с «дельта-комой» с 192,2 (161,9; 222,5) до 112,5 (97,6; 127,6) минут (p<0,001); снижение частоты сердечных сокращений (р<0,02), снижение количества жалоб на слабость и головокружение (р<0,005), у пациентов с высоким уровнем в крови аланинаминотрансферазы (АлТ) снизилась частота развития и выраженность тремора (р<0,01). Выявлено статистически значимое гепатопротекторное действие препарата, которое проявилось снижением уровня АлТ (р<0,001), аспартатаминотрансферазы (р<0,001) и прямого билирубина (р<0,03); влиянием препарата на метаболические процессы — снижение уровня в крови лактата (р<0,02), повышение BE-ECF (р<0,01), уровня в крови глюкозы (р<0,01) через 3 часа после введения препарата и калия через 24 часа (р<0,03). Анализ данных безопасности не выявил статистически значимых различий между группами лечения, серьезных нежелательных явлений не зафиксировано.Заключение Исследование показало эффективность и безопасность применения препарата инозина глицил-цистеинил-глутамат динатрия (Моликсан®) при тяжелых отравлениях этанолом в дозировке 3,0 мг/кг внутривенно, однократно

Greenhouse gas production and lipid biomarker distribution in Yedoma and Alas thermokarst lake sediments in Eastern Siberia

Permafrost thaw leads to thermokarst lake formation and talik growth tens of meters deep, enabling microbial decomposition of formerly frozen organic matter (OM). We analyzed two 17-m-long thermokarst lake sediment cores taken in Central Yakutia, Russia. One core was from an Alas lake in a Holocene thermokarst basin that underwent multiple lake generations, and the second core from a young Yedoma upland lake (formed ca. 70 years ago) whose sediments have thawed for the first time since deposition. This comparison provides a glance into OM fate in thawing Yedoma deposits. We analyzed total organic carbon (TOC) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) content, n-alkanes concentrations, and bacterial and archaeal membrane markers. Furthermore, we conducted one-year-long incubations (4 °C, dark) and measured anaerobic carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) production. The sediments from both cores contained little TOC (0.7±0.4 wt%), but DOC values were relatively high, with highest values in the frozen Yedoma lake sediments (1620 mg L-1). Cumulative GHG production after one year was highest in the Yedoma lake sediments (226±212 μg CO2-C gdw-1, 28±36 μg CH4-C gdw-1) and 3 and 1.5 times lower in the Alas lake sediments, respectively (75±76 μg CO2-C gdw-1, 19±29 μg CH4-C gdw-1). The highest CO2 production in the frozen Yedoma lake sediments likely results from decomposition of readily bioavailable OM, while highest CH4 production in the non-frozen top sediments of this core suggests that methanogenic communities established upon thaw. The lower GHG production in the non-frozen Alas lake sediments resulted from advanced OM decomposition during Holocene talik development. Furthermore, we found that drivers of CO2 and CH4 production differ following thaw. Our results suggest that GHG production from TOC-poor mineral deposits, which are widespread throughout the Arctic, can be substantial. Therefore, our novel data are relevant for vast ice-rich permafrost deposits vulnerable to thermokarst formation