NEW SILVER NANOCOMPOSITES BASED ON PHOSPHOROUS-CONTAINING COPOLYMERS

The study was funded by Russian Foundation for Basic Research and Government of the Perm Region according to the research project № 19-43-590019 r_a. Analytical, spectroscopic, and biological studies were performed at the "Research of materials and substances" collective Center of PFRC UB RAS

Nanocellulose-based thermoplastic polyurethane biocomposites with shape memory effect

In 2020, we published a review on the study of semi-crystalline thermoplastic polyurethane elastomers and composites based on the shape memory effect. The shape recovery ability of such polymers is determined by their sensitivity to temperature, moisture, and magnetic or electric fields, which in turn are dependent on the chemical properties and composition of the matrix and the nanofiller. Nanocellulose is a type of nanomaterial with high strength, high specific surface area and high surface energy. Additionally, it is nontoxic, biocompatible, environmentally friendly, and can be extracted from biomass resources. Thanks to these properties, nanocellulose can be used to enhance the mechanical properties of polymer matrices with shape memory effect and as a switching element of shape memory. This review discusses the methods for producing and properties of nanocellulose-based thermo-, moisture-, and pH-sensitive polyurethane composites. The synergistic effect of nanocellulose and carbon nanofillers and possible applications of nanocellulose-based thermoplastic polyurethane biocomposites with shape memory effect are discussed. A brief description of nanocellulose terminology is also given, along with the structure of shape memory thermoplastic polyurethanes. There is significant interest in such materials for three primary reasons: the possibility of creating a new generation of biomaterials, improving the environmental friendliness of existing materials, and exploiting the natural renewability of cellulose sources

On the Issue of the Strategy for the Formation of the Trans-regional Integration Contour of the EAEU

The instability and uncertainty of international relations accentuate the role of new and inclusive platforms of interaction and cooperation. Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) alongside its regional and transregional partners represent an example of such a platform based on new principles and values, an element of international relation configuration.Aim. Assess the prospects for a zone (cluster) within the planned and potential transregional EEU’s expansion beyond the CIS borders.Task. To evaluate the dynamics of the consolidation concerning, first, current free trade EEU agreements (FTAs or the EEU FTAs) with Serbia, Iran, Vietnam  and Singapore,  second,  potential  agreements with listed in the EEU official strategy, third, other developing states with relevant economic and/or demographic potential.Methods. The authors use additional consolidation (share of intra-bloc trade) as a metric. It is calculated as the difference between the share of EEU intra-trade and within the existing or potential EEU FTA partnerships.Results. Based on the assessment of additional consolidation, the research revealed that the existing EEU FTAs with Iran and Vietnam are effective, while trade integration with Serbia, Singapore and China are ineffective. The presence of additional consolidation was revealed for Turkey, Egypt, and Bangladesh.Conclusions. The implementation of the transregional integration track is an important development step for the Eurasian Economic Union. However, trade partnerships have different trade efficiency

Study of Convergence and Divergence of EAEU Integration Processes Based on the Gini Index

Regionalization and participation at the integration associations represent a typical way of national economic development. To be inside an integration process allows member states to address better their socio-economic problems and political coordination. The stability and resilience of integration associations are critical to their success. In this optic the integration associations may be subjects convergence and divergence. These phenomena may be envisaged in the income inequality of the participating countries.Aim. To study the features and prospects of the socio-economic convergence within the EEU member states, the EEU strategic contour and within the main trends of integration processes in Eurasia.Task. The tasks are following. The first one is to study the sustainability of the EEU and within its strategic contours formed by agreements on free trade zones through the convergent and divergent trends assessment. The second task is to conduct a comparative analysis of Eurasian integration to the European Union and ASEAN development.Methods. Assess the level and dynamics of income inequality among the EEU states and samples of states with which the EEU has agreements on free trade zones, which are the CIS, Serbia, Vietnam, Iran and Singapore, as well as states with which such agreements are planned to be concluded in the near future. This list of the EEU’s prospect partners includes Egypt, Israel and India, based on the Gini index, using the European Union and ASEAN as reference parameters. Use calculations to interpret the processes of convergence and divergence of various types of integration processes.Results. The estimates showed, in general, a significant interpretive potential of the interstate Gini index. The study particular results demonstrated that the EEU has a level of convergence comparable to the level of the EU before the accession of a large array of states in 2004. The level of convergence of the CIS, estimated using the Gini index, is comparable to the current level of the European Union. It was also revealed that both in the EU and in the CIS, the reduction in inequality over the selected analysis interval does not have a clear prospect. Calculations also showed the convergence of states within the EEU and its strategic contours to be sensitive to external shocks, while the convergence of ASEAN states is more directed.Conclusions. The approach used by the authors to assess the convergence of integration processes based on the calculation of the interstate Gini index explains with sufficient completeness the reasons for the successful development of the EEU and its sustainability. At the same time, the use of the interstate Gini index for the analysis of convergence and divergence of integration processes made it possible to conclude that the integration models of the states of the Global North and the Global South are diverse

О фотокаталитической активности систем типа диоксид титана/(Fe(II, III)) в водных суспензиях

. The photocatalytic activity of three systems, promising for chemical water purification technologies, was experimentally compared, based on a combination of titanium dioxide/(Fe(II, III)), applying to the model oxidation reaction of methylorange organic dye in an aqueous medium. Herewith the cases of photocatalytic systems were investigated, which are based on: a) titania hydrosol obtained by hydrolysis of titanium isobutylate; b) a similar hydrosol with addition of Fe(III) ions; c) suspension of ilmenite powder based on FeTiO3. As a result of the investigation, the increase of the rate of destruction of methylorange by more than two times was found in the system with the introduction of a small amount of iron ions into initial suspension of the TiO2 hydrosol (at the obtaining a medium with the Fe3+ concentration up to 3.7 × 10–5 M). In the photocatalytic system, based on the suspension of pretreated (with suphation and calcination) ilmenite powder, enough high photocatalytic activity (the degree of methylorange decomposition up to 77 %) was measured but at a higher exposure than for the case of systems based on the TiO2 hydrosol. For the photocatalytic systems of the type being investigated, a possible mechanism of increasing their oxidative activity was briefly considered, which requires an additional physico-chemical analysis.Экспериментальным методом проведено сравнение фотокаталитической активности трех систем, перспективных для технологий химической водоочистки, на основе комбинации диоксид титана/(Fe(II, III)) применительно к модельной реакции окисления органического красителя метилоранжа в водной среде. Изучены фотокаталитические системы на основе: гидрозоля диоксида титана, полученного гидролизом изобутилата титана; аналогичного гидрозоля с добавлением ионов Fe(III); водной суспензии порошка природного титансодержащего минерала ильменита (основной компонент FeTiO3). В результате исследования в системе с введением в исходную суспензию гидрозоля TiO2 небольшого количества ионов железа (с получением среды с концентрацией Fe3+ до 3,7 × 10–5 М) обнаружено увеличение скорости деструкции метилоранжа более чем в два раза. В фотокаталитической системе на основе суспензии предварительно обработанного (сульфатированием и прокаливанием) порошка ильменита зарегистрирована достаточно высокая фотокаталитическая активность (степень разложения метилоранжа до 77 %), но при большей экспозиции, чем в случае систем на основе гидрозоля TiO2. Для фотокаталитических систем изученного типа рассмотрен возможный механизм увеличения их окислительной активности, требующий дополнительного физико-химического исследования

A RESPONSE OF THE "RESERVOIR-WELL" SYSTEM TO DISTANT EARTHQUAKES

The results of joint processing of hydrogeological and seismic data obtained at the Large-Scale Research Facilities "Mid-Latitude Geophysical Observation Complex "Mikhnevo" for a 12-year observation period are presented in the article. Responses of the "reservoir-well" system to the passage of seismic waves from distant earthquakes with magnitudes of 6.3-9.0, recorded at the epicentral distances from 1863 to 16507 km, have been identified in the database. Maximum values of groundwater level variations and ground velocity under seismic impact have been determined. The power-law dependence of the levels amplitudes of confined and weakly confined aquifers on the maximum vertical ground velocity has been established. A spectral analysis of 6-hour intervals (3 hours before and 3 hours after earthquakes) of seismic and hydrogeological data was performed. The frequencies corresponding to the maximum values of ground velocity and groundwater level variations were determined in the normalized spectra. The intervals within which the extremes of the hydrogeological responses are traced at background values of the ground velocity are identified in the low-frequency range. The amplitude-frequency characteristics of the "reservoir-well" systems differ under seismic impacts at epicentral distances up to 4901 km. The responses of the systems to earthquakes at epicentral distances of 11024-14026 km are similar

The Role of Pollution in the Formation of Tropospheric Ozone

При рассмотрении безопасности экосистемы планеты в учебных программах высшей школы достаточно много внимания уделяется роли стратосферного озонового слоя в защите всего живого от ультрафиолетового излучения. Однако вопрос образования тропосферного озона и его взаимодействия с присутствующими в приземном пространстве загрязнителями изучен недостаточно. В статье рассмотрены пути образования, трансформации тропосферного озона и его участия в формировании фотохимического смога.When considering the safety of the planet's ecosystem in the curricula of higher education, a lot of attention is paid to the role of the stratospheric ozone layer in protecting all living things from ultraviolet radiation. However, the issue of tropospheric ozone formation and its interaction with pollutants present in the surface space has not been sufficiently studied. The article considers the ways of formation, transformation of tropospheric ozone and its participation in the formation of photochemical smog

Клиническое значение лептина при системной красной волчанке

Objective: to study the frequency of hyperleptinemia in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), its relationship with clinical and laboratory manifestations of the disease, drug therapy, and other metabolic disorders.Patients and methods. The cross-sectional study included 46 women with a definite diagnosis of SLE (median age 40 [31; 48] years) and disease duration 3.0 [0.9; 9.0] years. Glucocorticoids (GC) were received by 38 (83%) patients, hydroxychloroquine – by 35 (76%), immunosuppressants – by 10 (22%), biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs – by 5 (11%). In all patients, fasting levels of glucose, leptin, apoliproprotein B (ApoB) and immunoreactive insulin were determined, and homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) was calculated. Concentration of leptin ≥11.1 ng/ml, ApoB – >1.6 mg/ml were considered an elevated level. HOMA-IR index ≥2.77 corresponded to the presence of insulin resistance (IR).Results and discussion. Hyperleptinemia was found in 34 (74%) patients with SLE, an increased level of ApoB – in 19 (41%), IR – in 10 (22%). In patients with hyperleptinemia, serositis, positivity for anti-double-stranded DNA (aDNA) and hypocomplementemia were less common, overweight and obesity were more frequent, the SLEDAI-2K index was lower, the aDNA level was lower, and the concentration of the C3 component of complement, insulin, HOMA-IR index, body mass index (BMI) and disease duration were higher (p<0.05 for all cases). BMI <25 kg / m2 had 26 (57%) women, 14 (54%) of whom had hyperleptinemia. In patients with BMI <25 kg / m2, we found a relationship between leptin concentration and disease duration (r=0.4, p=0.04), SLE activity according to SLEDAI-2K (r=-0.6, p=0.003), levels of aDNA (r=-0.6, p<0.001), C3 component of complement (r=0.5, p=0.01), maximum (r=0.7, p<0.001) and supporting (r=0,5, p=0.023) GC doses.In patients with BMI ≥25 kg/m2 (n=20), no such relationship was observed.Conclusion. Hyperleptinemia was found in the majority of women with SLE; elevated levels of ApoB and IR were much less common. Patients with hyperleptinemia are characterized by a longer duration and less activity of the disease, as well as the presence of overweight and obesity and an increase in the HOMA-IR index. In SLE patients with normal body weight, the concentration of leptin increased along with GC dose elevation.Цель исследования – изучение частоты гиперлептинемии у пациентов с системной красной волчанкой (СКВ), ее взаимосвязи с клинико-лабораторными проявлениями заболевания, лекарственной терапией, а также другими метаболическими нарушениями.Пациенты и методы. В поперечное исследование включено 46 женщин с достоверным диагнозом СКВ (медиана возраста 40 [31; 48] лет) и длительностью заболевания 3,0 [0,9; 9,0] года. Глюкокортикоиды (ГК) получали 38 (83%) больных, гидроксихлорохин – 35 (76%), иммуносупрессанты – 10 (22%), генно-инженерные биологические препараты – 5 (11%). У всех больных определены натощак уровни глюкозы, лептина, аполипропротеина В (АпоВ) и иммунореактивного инсулина, рассчитан индекс оценки гомеостатической модели резистентности к инсулину (HOMA-IR). Повышенной считали концентрацию лептина ≥11,1 нг/мл, АпоВ – >1,6 мг/мл.Индекс HOMA-IR ≥2,77 соответствовал наличию инсулинорезистентности (ИР).Результаты и обсуждение. Гиперлептинемия обнаружена у 34 (74%) больных СКВ, повышенный уровень АпоВ – у 19 (41%), ИР – у 10 (22%). При гиперлептинемии реже встречались серозит, позитивность по антителам к двуспиральной ДНК (аДНК) и гипокомплементемия, чаще – избыточная масса тела и ожирение, были ниже индекс SLEDAI-2K, уровень аДНК, выше – концентрация С3-компонента комплемента, инсулина, индекс HOMA-IR, индекс массы тела (ИМТ) и длительность заболевания (р<0,05 для всех случаев). ИМТ<25 кг/м2 имели 26 (57%) женщин, у 14 (54%) из которых обнаружена гиперлептинемия. У пациенток с ИМТ <25 кг/м2 выявлена взаимосвязь концентрации лептина с длительностью заболевания (r=0,4, p=0,04), активностью СКВ по SLEDAI-2K (r=-0,6, p=0,003), уровнем аДНК (r=-0,6, p<0,001), С3-компонента комплемента (r=0,5, p=0,01), максимальной (r=0,7, p<0,001) и поддерживающей (r=0,5, p=0,023) дозами ГК. У больных с ИМТ ≥25 кг/м2 (n=20) подобной взаимосвязи не отмечено.Заключение. Гиперлептинемия выявлена у большинства женщин с СКВ, повышенный уровень АпоВ и ИР встречались гораздо реже.Для пациенток с гиперлептинемией характерны большая длительность и меньшая активность заболевания, а также наличие избыточной массы тела и ожирения, увеличение индекса HOMA-IR. У больных СКВ с нормальной массой тела концентрация лептина нарастала по мере увеличения дозы ГК

Modeling of the Magnetic Susceptibilities of the Ambient- and High-Pressure Phases of (VO)_{2}P_{2}O_{7}

The magnetic susceptibilities chi versus temperature T of powders and single crystals of the ambient-pressure (AP) and high-pressure (HP) phases of (VO)_{2}P_{2}O_{7} are analyzed using an accurate theoretical prediction of chi(T, J1, J2) for the spin-1/2 antiferromagnetic alternating-exchange (J1, J2) Heisenberg chain. The results are consistent with recent models with two distinct types of alternating-exchange chains in the AP phase and a single type in the HP phase. The spin gap for each type of chain is derived from the respective set of two fitted alternating exchange constants and the one-magnon dispersion relation for each of the two types of chains in the AP phase is predicted. The influences of interchain coupling on the derived intrachain exchange constants, spin gaps, and dispersion relations are estimated using a mean-field approximation for the interchain coupling. The accuracies of the spin gaps obtained using fits to the low-T chi(T) data by theoretical low-T approximations are determined. The results of these studies are compared with previously reported estimates of the exchange couplings and spin gaps in the AP and HP phases and with the magnon dispersion relations in the AP phase measured previously using inelastic neutron scattering.Comment: 25 two-column REVTeX pages, 16 embedded figures, 6 tables. Figures 9 and 10 and Sec. IIIC revised due to errors in Eq. (1) of Ref. 24 which gives the theoretical one-magnon dispersion relation for coupled alternating-exchange chains. Minor revisions also made in other section

Active Participation of Adults in Continuing Education: The Role of Regional Economy and Development of Key Industries

Due to labour market instability, there is an increasing interest in tools for adapting human capital to sectoral transformations of regional economy. One of effective tools is short training and retraining programmes foremployees. The study examines the relationship between the economic development of Russian regions and participation of the adult population in continuing education programmes. To this end, the research analysed data on the implementation of three educational initiatives of the Government of the Russian Federation introduced in 2020–2021 to support employment. The sample consists of 350 thousand respondents participating in three federal initiatives: vocational training programmes and additional vocational education for people affected by the coronavirus infection (2020), the «Older Generation» (2020) and «Employment Promotion» (2021) federal projects. It was found that continuing education programmes are more popular in economically strong regions. Additionally, industries seen as drivers of regional development attract more citizens to participate in relevant programmes. A better match between educational programmes and the sectoral structure of regional economy is observed in regions with high labour productivity, indicating a close interaction between employers and educational organisations. Results of demonstration exams on different competencies for older people revealed a direct correlation between industry development in a region and the mastery of skills of students. The study developed and justified a new approach to determining the correspondence between the structure of education and the structure of regional economy through comparing the share of trainees and the share of gross value added for various industries. The findings can be useful to experts working in adult education, university heads, employment service specialists, regional operators of federal projects responsible for the implementation of lifelong learning programmes in Russia.В условиях наблюдаемой нестабильности рынков растает интерес к использованию инструментов быстрой адаптации человеческого капитала к отраслевым трансформациям региональной экономики. Одним из таких весьма эффективных инструментов оказываются короткие программы переподготовки и обучения персонала. Цель настоящего исследования заключалась в рассмотрении влияния экономического развития субъектов Российской Федерации и их якорных (ключевых) отраслей на активность взрослого населения в освоении программ непрерывного образования. Эмпирической базой послужили данные реализации трех образовательных инициатив, запущенных в 2020—2021 гг. для поддержки занятости населения. Выборка составила 350 тыс. чел. из числа участников трех федеральных инициатив: Программы профессионального обучения и дополнительного профессионального образования лиц, пострадавших от последствий распространения коронавирусной инфекции (2020), федеральных проектов «Старшее поколение» (2020) и «Содействие занятости» (2021). Было установлено, что в экономически сильных регионах интерес к обновлению навыков посредством прохождения программ ДПО оказывается более высоким. Это же подтверждается и в отраслевом разрезе: развитые отрасли-драйверы привлекают большее количество граждан для прохождения обучения по соответствующим направлениям подготовки. В регионах с высоким уровнем производительности труда в целом наблюдается более точное соответствие образовательных программ отраслевой структуре региональной экономики, что свидетельствует о тонкой самонастройке взаимодействия работодателей и образовательных организаций. Результаты сдачи демонстрационных экзаменов по различным компетенциям для лиц старшего возраста показали, что чем более развита отрасль в регионе, тем более высокий уровень овладения навыками демонстрируют слушатели. На основе проведенного исследования становится возможно обосновать новый подход для определения уровня соответствия структуры обучения структуре региональной экономики, заключающийся в сопоставлении доли обученных и доли валовой добавленной стоимости в разрезе различных отраслей. Результаты исследования будут полезны специалистам в сфере непрерывного обучения персонала, руководителям вузов, службам занятости и региональным операторам федеральных проектов, инициирующих профессиональное развитие граждан Российской Федерации