Classical swine fever: retrospective analysis of epidemic situation in Russian Federation (1996-2015)

Progress trends in classical swine fever (CSF) epidemic situation in the Russian Federation in 1996-2015 are discussed in the paper. Spatial shift of CSF outbreaks from the central regions of the country (2007-2012) to the western and eastern border regions of the Russian Federation (2013-2015) has been confirmed. Based on the analysis, a short-term prognosis for 2016 has been made as well as recommendations on DIVA-based measures for CSF eradication in domestic pigs and wild boars in the RF have been provided

Application of parameters and requirements for the expert systems assessment in nano fiber based pharmaceutical technology

Todays, the most widely used category of intelligent systems are expert systems that are computer systems capable of partially replacing a highly trained professional in his/her area of expertise by means of information previously gained by the experts. That is why expert systems are agreed to be viewed along with information bases, which are models of the actions of experts in a particular area, and logical assumptions are extended to decision-making procedure

Microwave-Assisted synthesis and evaluation of antibacterial activity of novel 6-fluoroaryl-[1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-A]pyrimidines

A series of 6-fluoroaryl substituted [1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-A]pyrimidines have been synthesized by using the microwave-Assisted Suzuki cross-coupling reaction from readily available 6-bromo-[1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-A]pyrimidine. The antimicrobial activity of new compounds has been evaluated in vitro against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv and gram-negative (Neisseria gonorrhoeae ATCC 49226) bacteria. © ARKAT-USA, Inc

Mechanical and Water Absorption Properties of Waterborne Polyurethane/Graphene Oxide Composites

Nanocomposites based on waterborne polyurethane (WPU) and graphene oxide (GO) have been synthesized and characterized. It was found that after the incorporation of GO, WPU films became mechanically more rigid, and the Young’s modulus increased by almost six times. It is shown that the lateral size of GO sheets influences the mechanical properties of WPU/GO composites. In particular, composites with larger lateral size of GO sheets have higher values of Young’s modulus. Additionally, if the mechanical properties are improved with the addition of GO additive, then water absorption decreases for WPU modified with small GO sheets whereas it increases for WPU modified with large GO sheets. Possible reasons for this behavior are discussed

Reduced Graphene Oxide Aerogel inside Melamine Sponge as an Electrocatalyst for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction

A graphene oxide aerogel (GOA) was formed inside a melamine sponge (MS) framework. After reduction with hydrazine at 60 °C, the electrical conductive nitrogen-enriched rGOA-MS composite material with a specific density of 20.1 mg/cm3 was used to fabricate an electrode, which proved to be a promising electrocatalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction. The rGOA-MS composite material was characterized by elemental analysis, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. It was found that nitrogen in the material is presented by different types with the maximum concentration of pyrrole-like nitrogen. By using Raman scattering it was established that the rGOA component of the material is graphene-like carbon with an average size of the sp2-domains of 5.7 nm. This explains a quite high conductivity of the composite obtained