FORMATION OF STRATEGIES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF ENERGY COMPANIES

In a dynamically changing economic environment and external circumstances energy companies have forced to pay more attention to the searching for management solutions, aimed at their effective functioning. This diffcult task can be solving by forming a strategy for their development. For this purpose, the article presents the results of the studying of the main behavioural strategies of energy companies, the analysis of the business strategies of the dominant energy companies operating in the electricity and power marke

Increased expression of matrix metalloproteinases and matrix degrading activity in vulnerable regions of human atherosclerotic plaques

Dysregulated extracellular matrix (ECM) metabolism may contribute to vascular remodeling during the development and complication of human atherosclerotic lesions. We investigated the expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), a family of enzymes that degrade ECM components in human atherosclerotic plaques (n = 30) and in uninvolved arterial specimens (n = 11). We studied members of all three MMP classes (interstitial collagenase, MMP-1; gelatinases, MMP-2 and MMP-9; and stromelysin, MMP-3) and their endogenous inhibitors (TIMPs 1 and 2) by immunocytochemistry, zymography, and immunoprecipitation. Normal arteries stained uniformly for 72-kD gelatinase and TIMPs. In contrast, plaques' shoulders and regions of foam cell accumulation displayed locally increased expression of 92-kD gelatinase, stromelysin, and interstitial collagenase. However, the mere presence of MMP does not establish their catalytic capacity, as the zymogens lack activity, and TIMPs may block activated MMPs. All plaque extracts contained activated forms of gelatinases determined zymographically and by degradation of 3H-collagen type IV. To test directly whether atheromata actually contain active matrix-degrading enzymes in situ, we devised a method which allows the detection and microscopic localization of MMP enzymatic activity directly in tissue sections. In situ zymography revealed gelatinolytic and caseinolytic activity in frozen sections of atherosclerotic but not of uninvolved arterial tissues. The MMP inhibitors, EDTA and 1,10-phenanthroline, as well as recombinant TIMP-1, reduced these activities which colocalized with regions of increased immunoreactive MMP expression, i.e., the shoulders, core, and microvasculature of the plaques. Focal overexpression of activated MMP may promote destabilization and complication of atherosclerotic plaques and provide novel targets for therapeutic intervention

Economic prospects of innovative technologies of in vitro cultivation of seedlings

Purpose: The article discusses the economic prospects of innovative technologies for planting material of forest trees. The results of the development of an organizational model of business processes of growing forest seedlings are given and the stages of reproduction technology are described, its competitive advantages are revealed. Structure/Methodology/Approach: The use of innovative technologies in reforestation and afforestation in Russia remains insufficiently developed. Promising methods of reforestation is the use of seedlings grown by cloning. Findings: The duration and cost for each stage of the forest seedling technology were determined. The technology of clonal micropropagation includes a combination of techniques, the choice of a donor plant and the preparation of the source material of the species. Practical implications: It has been established that the development and introduction of technological innovations into practice requires financial support, due to the high cost of growing seedlings of woody plants. The developed organizational model of the process of clonal micropropagation can be used in organizing the production of seedlings of woody plants in forest seed breeding centers. Originality/Value: The development of clonal breeding technologies for modern breeding and seed centers is promising, however, there are a few difficulties that impede the successful development of production and reduce the economic efficiency ofreforestation activities.peer-reviewe

The Use of Elements of the Technology of Critical Thinking for the Formation of Professional Competencies Among Students of Technical and Vocational Education

В данной статье раскрываются особенности внедрения элементов технологии критического мышления при преподавании специальных дисциплин в организациях технического и профессионального образования (ТиПО). Раскрывается значимость данного опыта при формировании профессиональной компетентности студентов.The article raises the issue of vocational guidance of college students. The need for the formation of motivation of students through practical exercises, ensuring the development of interest in the chosen specialty, is revealed. An example of organizing and holding an event with the aim of increasing interest in the chosen profession among students majoring in «Hairdressing» is given

Cystatin C deficiency in human atherosclerosis and aortic aneurysms

The pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and abdominal aortic aneurysm involves breakdown of the elastic laminae. Elastolytic cysteine proteases, including cathepsins S and K, are overexpressed at sites of arterial elastin damage, but whether endogenous local inhibitors counterbalance these proteases is unknown. We show here that, whereas cystatin C is normally expressed in vascular wall smooth muscle cells (SMCs), this cysteine protease inhibitor is severely reduced in both atherosclerotic and aneurysmal aortic lesions. Furthermore, increased abdominal aortic diameter among 122 patients screened by ultrasonography correlated inversely with serum cystatin C levels. In vitro, cytokine-stimulated vascular SMCs secrete cathepsins, whose elastolytic activity could be blocked when cystatin C secretion was induced by treatment with TGF-β1. The findings highlight a potentially important role for imbalance between cysteine proteases and cystatin C in arterial wall remodeling and establish that cystatin C deficiency occurs in vascular disease

Анализ причин поздней диагностики туберкулеза легких

A pilot study was designed to analyze causes of late diagnosis of lung tuberculosis and late start of the specific therapy. Thirty-eight inpatients with proven infiltrative lung tuberculosis were randomly involved in the study; they were city and rural dwellers of different age. A special questionnaire was developed to determine reasons of late diagnosis. An analysis of results obtained has shown that 8 patients, or 21 % were diagnosed at a scheduled large frame photofluorography, 30 % of the late diagnosed patients were not aware of their disease, 25 % of the females and 64 % of the maleswere self-treated. Primary care therapeutists were blamed for the late diagnosis in 33 % of the patients while failed to perform necessary investigations; the delay was 2 to 11 months.Было проведено пилотное исследование по анализу причин отсрочки установления диагноза туберкулез легких (ТЛ) и начала специфической терапии. Методом случайной выборки было взято 38 пациентов с подтвержденным диагнозом инфильтративный ТЛ, проходивших курс стационарного лечения, жителей городской и сельской местности, различного возраста. Для установления причин отсрочки была разработана специальная анкета. Анализ порученных результатов показал, что у 8 пациентов (21 %) патология была выявлена при плановой ККФ. 30 % пациентов с отсрочкой диагноза не располагают информацией о туберкулезе, 25 % женщин и 64 % мужчин проводили самолечение. У 33 % обследованных отсрочка диагноза и начала лечения произошла по вине участкового терапевта, из-за невыполнения диагностического минимума обследования на туберкулез, она составила от 2 до 11 месяцев

Моделирование перераспределения снежного покрова – ключевого параметра зимних биотопов копытных Дальнего Востока

The properties of snow cover, one of the most important abiotic factors for survivability of animals (mainly hooves) in winter, are considered. To analyze possible consequences of this influence, it was necessary to develop a special parameterization of snow cover properties differing from those used in solving hydrometeorological problems. In this paper we present the biotopic approach to spatial and temporal modeling of the snow depth and structure at the mesoscale level. For this scale level, the main factor determining the snow cover depth and structure is the distribution of plant associations (the vegetation cover) on mountain slopes of different exposure and steepness. Our cartographic model of the vegetation cover was developed based on the results of decoding the hierarchical multispectral satellite images. Each combination of a vegetation type, exposure, and steepness of a slope has its own snow accumulation coefficient, which allows calculation of the snow depth in a particular biotope. We propose to analyze winter animal habitats using two parameters depending on the depth and structure of the snow cover: a passability and the food availability. Similarly to the map of plant associations exerting effect on snow cover, a map of plant communities of forage biotopes of specific animals has been built, and a certain snow depth was assigned to each type. The forage biotopes were ranked according to degree of availability and passability. The proposed approach was applied to modeling the passability and food availability for wild boar and red deer biotopes in the southern spurs of the Bureinsky range in the Russian Far East. The snow accumulation coefficients used in the model were obtained from field surveys carried out in 2016–2018 at 173 sites located on slopes of different exposure and steepness and within different types of plant communities. It has been established that a significant part of the favorable foraging territories of wild boar and deer overlap, that may cause the interspecific competition and increased load on forage biotopes during severe and snowy winters. The model also makes possible to introduce additional parameters such as the energy consumption per movement, composition and quantity of feeds.Описаны принципы биотопического подхода к пространственно-временнóму моделированию высоты и структуры снежного покрова для анализа характеристик зимних местообитаний животных на мезомасштабном уровне. Анализ зимних местообитаний предложено проводить на основе двух параметров, зависящих от высоты и структуры снежного покрова: проходимости и доступности. На примере ландшафтов южных отрогов Буреинского хребта Дальнего Востока выполнено моделирование высоты снежного покрова для кормовых биотопов кабанов и благородных оленей. На основе коэффициентов снегонакопления, полученныx по результатам полевых исследований, с помощью геоинформационных методов проведена экстраполяция значений высоты снежного покрова, свойственных каждому типу кормового биотопа. Площади кормовых биотопов кабана и благородного оленя ранжированы на доступные, труднодоступные и недоступные. Информация о проходимости и доступности пищевых ресурсов в зимний период позволила проанализировать пространственную структуру кормовых биотопов, оценить их разобщённость и предположить возможные пути зимних миграций животных различных видов

Современные аспекты МСКТ-диагностики острой массивной тромбоэмболии легочной артерии

Introduction: The growing importance of the MSCT method in the case of acute massive pulmonary embolism forms new diagnostic directions  — the determination of objective MSCT markers of right ventricular dysfunction and the search for new, previously ignored, MSCT parameters of angiographic severity of embolic load.The purpose of the study: to evaluate the prognostic role and predictivity of the results of MSCT angiopulmonography in the case of choosing a surgical method for the treatment of pulmonary embolism.Research objectives. Тo analyze the influence of the volume of preserved peripheral arterial pulmonary blood flow on the results of surgical treatment of acute massive PE and the dependence of the average pressure in the pulmonary artery on the MSCT parameters.Materials and methods: this work examines the surgical approach to the treatment and possibilities of preoperative MSCT diagnosis of acute massive pulmonary embolism. The 7-year analysis included the analysis of more than 1,200 MSCT studies for acute massive pulmonary embolism. 147 patients were selected for surgical treatment and successfully operated on, the remaining patients received conservative therapy with dynamic MSCT observation. According to international classifiers, the analysis of classes and categories of intraoperative and postoperative complications of emergency surgical treatment was performed in comparison with the initial MSCT parameters of acute massive PE.Results. The smaller the number of segmental branches of the pulmonary artery is determined at the preoperative stage, the higher the risks of mortality and complications of emergency surgical treatment of acute massive PE (p<0,001). A direct relationship between the average pressure in the pulmonary artery and the MSCT parameter-the diameter of the unpaired vein (p<0,001) was confirmed. An increase in the number of visualized bronchial arteries corresponds to an increase in the average pressure in the pulmonary artery (p<0,05).Discussion. The lightning speed of the course of pulmonary embolism dictates an exceptional approach to the completeness of the diagnosis of the disease, and the change in treatment tactics due to the increasing demand for surgical methods of treatment changes the diagnostic approach to acute pulmonary embolism in general. The success of surgical treatment of PE directly depends on the completeness and speed of preoperative MSCT diagnostics, in particular, on the quality of analysis of intra-pulmonary and intracardiac hemodynamics.Conclusion: For acute massive PE with obstruction at the level of the trunk and / or main branches of the pulmonary artery, with a sharp and often uncontrolled progression of right ventricular failure, risk stratification in «real time» becomes the most relevant, the time factor becomes of paramount importance for determining treatment tactics. The inclusion of previously ignored MSCT parameters in the algorithm of preoperative diagnosis allows us to modify the algorithm of preoperative diagnosis, to form and introduce the concept of the reference MSCT status of a patient with acute massive PE. Введение. Рост значимости метода МСКТ в случае острой массивной эмболии легочной артерии формирует новые диагностические направления — определение объективных МСКТ-маркеров правожелудочковой дисфункции и поиск новых, ранее не учитываемых, МСКТ-параметров ангиографической тяжести эмболической нагрузки.Цель исследования: оценить прогностическую роль и  предиктивность результатов МСКТ-ангиопульмонографии в  случае выбора хирургического метода лечении эмболии легочной артерии. Задачи исследования: проанализировать влияние объема сохраненного периферического артериального легочного кровотока на результаты хирургического лечения острой массивной ТЭЛА и зависимость среднего давления в легочной артерии от МСКТ-параметров.Материалы и  методы. Настоящая работа рассматривает хирургический подход к  лечению и  возможностям дооперационной МСКТ-диагностики острой массивной тромбоэмболии легочной артерии. 7-летний анализ включил анализ более 1200 МСКТисследований по поводу острой массивной тромбоэмболии легочной артерии. На хирургическое лечение отобрано и успешно прооперировано 147 пациентов, остальные пациенты получали консервативную терапию с  динамическим МСКТ-наблюдением. Согласно международным классификаторам выполнен анализ классов и  категорий интраоперационных и  послеоперационных осложнений экстренного хирургического лечения в сопоставлении с исходными МСКТ-параметрами острой массивной ТЭЛА.Результаты. Чем меньше количество сегментарных ветвей легочной артерии определяется на дооперационном этапе, тем выше риски летального исхода и осложнений экстренного хирургического лечения острой массивной ТЭЛА (p<0,001). Подтверждена прямая взаимосвязь среднего давления в легочной артерии и МСКТ-параметра — диаметр непарной вены (p<0,001). Увеличению количества визуализированных бронхиальных артерий соответствует увеличение среднего давление в легочной артерии (p<0,05).Обсуждение. Молниеносность течения эмболии легочной артерии диктует исключительный подход к полноте диагностики заболевания, а изменение лечебной тактики за счет возрастающей востребованности хирургических методов лечения, меняет в целом диагностический подход к острой эмболии легочной артерии. Успех хирургического лечения ТЭЛА напрямую зависит от полноты и быстроты дооперационной МСКТ-диагностики, в частности от качества анализа внутрилегочной и внутрисердечной гемодинамики.Заключение. Для острой массивной ТЭЛА с обструкцией на уровне ствола и/или главных ветвей легочной артерии, с резким и чаще неконтролируемым прогрессированием правожелудочковой недостаточности стратификация рисков в режиме «реального времени» становится наиболее актуальной, временной фактор приобретает первостепенную значимость для определения тактики лечения. Включение в алгоритм дооперационной диагностики ранее не учитываемых МСКТ-параметров позволяет модифицировать алгоритм дооперационной диагностики, сформировать и ввести понятие опорного МСКТ-статуса пациента с острой массивной ТЭЛА

Прогнозирование степени перегрузки правых камер сердца у пациентов с острой массивной тромбоэмболией легочной артерии на основании результатов КТ-диагностики

The study group included 147 patients at the stage of preparation for emergency surgical treatment of acute massive PE in the period from March 2012 to December 2019 inclusive. As CT indicators of overload of the right chambers of the heart, the usual CT indicators that do not require the use of expert – class computed tomographs were taken – they were the superior vena cava, inferior vena cava, unpaired vein; reflux of the contrast drug into the inferior vena cava; reflux of the contrast drug into the hepatic veins. In the course of the study, a comparative analysis of the average pressure in the pulmonary artery with the above CT indicators was performed. The most stable statistical relationship with the indicators of mean pressure in the pulmonary artery was demonstrated by CT parameters – the diameter of the unpaired vein and the reflux of the contrast agent into the hepatic veins. Based on the results of the work, a method for calculating the actual values of the average pressure in the pulmonary artery based on the CT parameter of the diameter of the unpaired vein is proposed.В группу исследования вошло 147 пациентов на этапе подготовки к экстренному хирургическому лечению острой массивной тромбоэмболии легочной артерии (ТЭЛА) в период с марта 2012 г. по декабрь 2019 г. включительно. В качестве КТ-показателей перегрузки правых камер сердца взяты обычные КТ-показатели, не требующие использования компьютерных томографов экспертного класса, ими стали верхняя полая вена, нижняя полая вена, непарная вена; рефлюкс контрастного препарата в нижнюю полую вену; рефлюкс контрастного препарата в печеночные вены. В ходе исследования проведен сравнительный анализ среднего давления в легочной артерии с вышеуказанными КТ-показателями. Наиболее устойчивую статистическую взаимосвязь с показателями среднего давления в легочной артерии продемонстрировали КТ-параметры – диаметр непарной вены и рефлюкс контрастного препарата в печеночные вены. По результатам работы предложена методика расчета фактических значений среднего давления в легочной артерии на основании КТ-параметра “диаметр непарной вены”