150th anniversary of viruses discoverer Dmitri Iosifovich Ivanovsky

The article is devoted to the 150th anniversary of the birth day of Dmitri Iosifovich Ivanovsky. On the example of tobacco mosaic disease, he first proved the existence of a new type of pathogens – viruses.  Dmitri Ivanovsky is considered as founder of a new, independent science - Virology

ЕМЕРДЖЕНТНІ І РЕ-ЕМЕРДЖЕНТНІ ВІРУСНІ ІНФЕКЦІЇ: ГЛОБАЛЬНА ПРОБЛЕМА XXI СТОЛІТТЯ

SUMMARY. Currently, three main factors of occurrence and spreading of emergent infections are considered:            1. Factors of biological nature – genetic variability of viruses (mutation), which is fundamental property of viral pathogens. As is generally known, it helps agent to avoid pathogen responses of the host immune system, increasing its virulence and induce resistance to antiviral medicines.             2. Zoogeographical factors – increasing quantity of human contacts with birds and animals create optimal conditions for virus evolution, unpredictable passaging in their organism with possibility of intensification their virulence and also genetic recombination both between genes of viruses and between the genes of viruses and host cells.            3. Socio-economic factors are essentially important reason for occurrence and spread of emergent and re-emergent diseases. It is noted that the epidemiological risk in many respects is connected to the level of socio-economic situation in the country. The most dangerous and severe infectious diseases usually occur in countries with a high concentration and low living standards.            The article presents the summary of the most important emergent and re-emergent infection of viral nature, created exceptional epidemiological situation in the world with a high morbidity and mortality. To fight them, you need to create effective monitoring system identifying pathogens that are new or returning again into the human population. The problem of emergent and re-emergent infection is of global importance, and therefore for its prompt and effective solving we also need international cooperation.            Key words: emergent and re-emergent viral pathogens, epidemics and pandemics, system for monitoring and control of especially dangerous infections.У даний час розглядається три основних чинники виникнення і розповсюдження емерджентних інфекцій: 1. Фактори біологічної природи - генетична мінливість вірусів (мутація), яка є фундаментальною властивістю вірусних патогенів, вона допомагає збудникові уникати відповіді імунної системи хазяїна, збільшувати свою вірулентність таі індукувати резистентність до антивірусних препаратів.2. Зоогеографічні фактори – почастішання контактів людини з птахами і тваринами створюють оптимальні умови для еволюції вірусів, непередбачуваного пасирування в їх організмі з можливістю посилення їх вірулентності, а також генетичних рекомбінацій як між генами самих вірусів, так і між генами вірусів і клітин хазяїна. 3. Соціально-економічні чинники є значущою причиною виникнення і розповсюдження емерджентних і ре-емерджентних захворювань. Відмічено, що епідеміологічний ризик захворювань багато в чому пов’язаний з рівнем соціально-економічного становища в країні. Найбільш небезпечні і тяжкі інфекційні захворювання, як правило, частіше виникають в країнах з високою щільністю і низьким рівнем життя населення. Наведені короткі дані про найбільш важливі емерджентні і ре-емерджентні інфекції вірусної природи, що створили надзвичайні епідемічні ситуації в світі з високою захворюваністю і смертністю. Для успішної боротьби з ними необхідне створення ефективної системи моніторингу, спрямованої на виявлення нових збудників, що знову повертаються в людську популяцію. Проблема емерджентних і ре-емерджентних інфекцій має глобальне значення, у зв’язку з чим для її оперативного і результативного вирішення необхідна також міжнародна співпраця. Ключові слова: емерджентні і ре-емерджентні вірусні збудники, епідемії і пандемії, система моніторингу і боротьби з особливо небезпечними інфекціями.

Сетевая форма реализации образовательных программ на СЖД

The article shows methodological approaches, laying fundamentals of a network form of educational programs in the framework of a pilot project with the participation of MIIT, some railways and foreign partners. At the example of a polygon of the Northern Railway, Yaroslavl branch of MIIT, local units of the Northern Training Centre of professional qualificationsthe current system of target training of students is demonstrated, that offers enlarged access to modern educational technologies and learning means used in the production. Implemented project has both practical and scientific value, opens prospects for close cooperation between employers and educational institutions, which goal is to get a competent and skilled professional with the help of high and higher school.В статье показаны методологические подходы, на которые опирается сетевая форма реализации образовательных программ в рамках пилотного проекта с участием МИИТ, отдельных железных дорог и зарубежных партнеров. На примере полигона Северной железной дороги, Ярославского филиала МИИТ, местных подразделений Северного учебного центра профессиональных квалификаций демонстрируется действующая система целевой подготовки студентов, ориентированная на расширение доступа к современным образовательным технологиям и средствам обучения, применяемым на производстве. Реализуемый проект имеет как практическую, так и научную ценность, раскрывает перспективы тесного взаимодействия работодателей и учебных заведений, ставящих целью получить с помощью вуза компетентного и умелого специалиста

Targeted Deletion of Neuropeptide Y (NPY) Modulates Experimental Colitis

Neurogenic inflammation plays a major role in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). We examined the role of neuropeptide Y (NPY) and neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) in modulating colitis.Colitis was induced by administration of dextran sodium sulphate (3% DSS) or streptomycin pre-treated Salmonella typhimurium (S.T.) in wild type (WT) and NPY (NPY(-/-)) knockout mice. Colitis was assessed by clinical score, histological score and myeloperoxidase activity. NPY and nNOS expression was assessed by immunostaining. Oxidative stress was assessed by measuring catalase activity, glutathione and nitrite levels. Colonic motility was assessed by isometric muscle recording in WT and DSS-treated mice.DSS/S.T. induced an increase in enteric neuronal NPY and nNOS expression in WT mice. WT mice were more susceptible to inflammation compared to NPY(-/-) as indicated by higher clinical & histological scores, and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity (p<0.01). DSS-WT mice had increased nitrite, decreased glutathione (GSH) levels and increased catalase activity indicating more oxidative stress. The lower histological scores, MPO and chemokine KC in S.T.-treated nNOS(-/-) and NPY(-/-)/nNOS(-/-) mice supported the finding that loss of NPY-induced nNOS attenuated inflammation. The inflammation resulted in chronic impairment of colonic motility in DSS-WT mice. NPY -treated rat enteric neurons in vitro exhibited increased nitrite and TNF-alpha production.NPY mediated increase in nNOS is a determinant of oxidative stress and subsequent inflammation. Our study highlights the role of neuronal NPY and nNOS as mediators of inflammatory processes in IBD

NEWSdm Collaboration

Direct Dark Matter searches are nowadays one of the most fervid research topics with many experimental efforts devoted to the search for nuclear recoils induced by the scattering of Weakly Interactive Massive Particles (WIMPs). Detectors able to reconstruct the direction of the nucleus recoiling against the scattering WIMP are opening a new frontier to possibly extend Dark Matter searches beyond the neutrino background. Exploiting directionality would also prove the galactic origin of Dark Matter with an unambiguous signal-to-background separation. Indeed, the angular distribution of recoiled nuclei is centered around the direction of the Cygnus constellation, while the background distribution is expected to be isotropic. Current directional experiments are based on gas TPC whose sensitivity is limited by the small achievable detector mass. In this paper we present the discovery potential of a directional experiment based on the use of a solid target made of newly developed nuclear emulsions and of optical read-out systems reaching unprecedented nanometric resolution

More results from the OPERA experiment

The OPERA experiment reached its main goal by proving the appearance of vτ in the CNGS vμ beam. Five vτ candidates were detected with a S/B ratio of ∼ 10, allowing to reject the null hypothesis at 5.1σ. The search has been extended by loosening the selection criteria in order to improve the statistical uncertainty. One of the vτ candidates selected with the new strategy shows a double vertex topology and, after a dedicated multivariate analysis, is compatible with being a vTτ interaction with charm production. Based on the enlarged data sample the estimation of Δm223 in appearance mode is being performed. The search for ve interactions has been extended over the full data set with a more than twofold increase in statistics: data are compatible with the non-oscillation hypothesis in the three-flavour mixing model. The implications of the electron neutrino sample in the framework of the 3+1 sterile mode will lead to exclusion limits on sin2 2θμe. Finally, the analysis of the annual modulation of cosmic muons is introduced

Study of charged hadron multiplicities in charged-current neutrino-lead interactions in the OPERA detector (vol 78, 62, 2018)

Erratum to: Eur. Phys. J. C (2018) 78:6

Measurement of the cosmic ray muon flux seasonal variation with the OPERA detector

The OPERA experiment discovered muon neutrino into tau neutrino oscillations in appearance mode, detecting tau leptons by means of nuclear emulsion films. The apparatus was also endowed with electronic detectors with tracking capability, such as scintillator strips and resistive plate chambers. Because of its location in the underground Gran Sasso laboratory, under 3800 m.w.e., the OPERA detector has also been used as an observatory for TeV muons produced by cosmic rays in the atmosphere. In this paper the measurement of the single muon flux modulation and its correlation with the seasonal cycle of atmospheric temperature is reported

Updated constraints on sterile neutrino mixing in the OPERA experiment using a new νe\nu_e identification method

This paper describes a new $\nu_e$ identification method specifically designed to improve the low-energy ($< 30\,\mathrm{GeV}$) $\nu_e$ identification efficiency attained by enlarging the emulsion film scanning volume with the next generation emulsion readout system. A relative increase of 25-70% in the $\nu_e$ low-energy region is expected, leading to improvements in the OPERA sensitivity to neutrino oscillations in the framework of the 3 + 1 model. The method is applied to a subset of data where the detection efficiency increase is expected to be more relevant, and one additional $\nu_e$ candidate is found. The analysis combined with the $\nu_\tau$ appearance results improves the upper limit on $\sin^2 2\theta_{\mu e}$ to 0.016 at 90% C.L. in the MiniBooNE allowed region $\Delta m^2_{41} \sim 0.3\,\mathrm{eV}^2$.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figure