An Emerging Model for a Farmer Information and Advisory Service for Russia

The breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991 resulted in the collapse of the centralized “command and control” agricultural information system that told farmers what to plant, when to plant it, and where to deliver the harvest. During the 1990s, a new “Farmer Information and Advisory Service” was launched as part of World Bank and other donor projects. This resulted in the creation of a number of different regional services, some connected with universities, some with agricultural administrations, and some with training institutes. These really constitute “fragments” created to suit regional needs rather than potential models for a future national agricultural communication and extension system. However, important lessons have been learned from these experiments. Using experiences from other countries and Russia’s recent experiences, a model for a new agricultural communication and extension system is proposed that would fit Russia’s unique agricultural structure and extensive geography

The temporal evolution of the kinetic drift-Alfven instability of plasma shear flow

The linear non-modal kinetic theory of the kinetic drift-Alfven instability of plasma shear flows reveals the temporal non-modal growth with growing with time growth rate. The turbulent scattering of the sheared modes on ions accelerates this growth. The instability ceases its growth when the coupling of the drift and Alfven waves violates due to the changing with time frequencies of the drift and Alfven waves in shear flow.Comment: 18 pages. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1208.618

Bioenergetic status and hypoxia in Lewis lung carcinoma assessed by 31P NMR spectroscopy: correlation with tumor progression

Aim: Тo evaluate the hypoxia level and some indices of Lewis lung carcinoma energy metabolism by means of 31Р NMR spectroscopy in perchloric acid (PCA) tissue extracts during growth of primary tumor and metastasis. Мaterials and Methods: C57Bl/6 mice-bearing Lewis lung carcinoma were used in this study. Tumor energy metabolism was studied by 31P NMR spectroscopy and the metabolic NMR ratios were used as parameters for metabolic status and hypoxia level. Results: It was shown that growth of primary tumor is accompanied with increase of Pi/PCr, Pi/bNТP and PME/bNТP ratios that reflect drop of tumor energy status and oxygenation level in tumor tissue. These changes in relevant metabolic ratios correlate with enlargement of primary tumor volume (r = 0.87, p = 0.0045; r = 0.90, p = 0.0012; r = 0.764, p = 0.05, respectively) as well as with the number of lung metastases (rs = 0.761, p = 0.028; rs = 0.86, p = 0.0049; rs = 0.77, p = 0.040, respectively). Conclusion: In present study it was shown that 31Р NMR spectroscopy of PCA tumor tissue extracts may be used as reliable method for the assessment of the level of oxygenation as well as changes in energy metabolism in the experimental tumors. It may be helpful to evaluate the energy status of human tumors by investigation both of biopsy and surgical specimens. Hypoxia and hypoxia-associated metabolic events in primary tumor are linked with malignant progression, in particular metastasis.Цель: определить уровень гипоксии и некоторые показатели энергетического метаболизма карциномы легкого Льюис с помощью 31Р ЯМР-спектроскопии перхлорных (РСА) экстрактов ткани в процессе роста первичной опухоли и ее метастазировании. Мaтериалы и методы: использовали в исследовании мышей C57Bl/6 с перевивной карциномой легкого Льюис. Энергетический метаболизм опухоли изучали с помощью ЯМР спектроскопии, oтношения фосфорсодержащих метаболитов использовали в качестве параметров метаболического статуса и уровня гипоксии. Результаты: установлено, что рост первичной опухоли сопровождается увеличением соотношений Pi/PCr, Pi/βNТP and PME/βNТP в опухоли, что отражает снижение уровня биоэнергетического статуса и уровня оксигенации в опухоли. Эти изменения соотношений важных метаболических показателей коррелируют с увеличением объема первичной опухоли (r = 0,87, p = 0,0045; r = 0,90, p = 0,0012; r = 0,764, p = 0,05 соответственно) и количеством метатазов в легких (rs = 0,761, p = 0,028; rs = 0,86, p = 0,0049; rs = 0,77, p = 0,040 соответственно). Выводы: установлено, что 31Р ЯМР-спектроскопия PCA тканевых экстрактов может быть надежным методом оценки уровня оксигенации и биоэнергетического статуса экспериментальных опухолей. Этот метод может быть полезным при оценке энергетического метаболизма опухолей человека, в частности при исследовании биопсийного и операционного материала. Гипоксия и гипоксия-ассоциированные изменения метаболизма в первичной опухоли связаны со злокачественной прогрессией, в частности с метастазированием

Mechanochemistry and solubilization of drugs

The results on solubilization of poorly water-soluble drugs, indomethacin, piroxicam, and meloxicam, with the help of mechanochemical methods are presented. The mechanocomposites of the drugs with various excipients, including soluble polymers and non-soluble fine porous inorganic oxides, were obtained by co-grinding using vibrational and planetary centrifugal mills. The samples obtained revealed higher release rate and apparent solubility of the drugs with respect to the initial ones. Nevertheless, in some cases, e.g. for composites of piroxicam with alumina and ferric oxide, decreasing the release rate and solubility of the drug was observed suggesting the formation of poorly soluble strong drug - carrier associates

Influence of reagents mixture density on the radiation-thermal synthesis of lithium-zinc ferrites

Influence of Li[2]CO[3]-ZnO-Fe[2]O[3] powder reagents mixture density on the synthesis efficiency of lithium-zinc ferrites in the conditions of thermal heating or pulsed electron beam heating was studied by X-Ray diffraction and magnetization analysis. The results showed that the including a compaction of powder reagents mixture in ferrite synthesis leads to an increase in concentration of the spinel phase and decrease in initial components content in lithium-substituted ferrites synthesized by thermal or radiation-thermal heating

Effect of powder compaction on radiation-thermal synthesis of lithium-titanium ferrites

Effect of powder compaction on the efficiency of thermal and radiation-thermal synthesis of lithium-substituted ferrites was investigated by X-Ray diffraction and specific magnetization analysis. It was shown that the radiation-thermal heating of compacted powder reagents mixture leads to an increase in efficiency of lithium-titanium ferrites synthesis

Effect of waste materials on acoustical properties of semi-dense asphalt mixtures

Among the urban societal burdens rolling noise generation from tire pavement interaction and urban waste stand apart. Many urban waste materials can be used in pavements with comparable mechanical performance. Noise-related pavement characteristics such as porosity, sound absorption and surface texture, were measured for semi-dense low noise pavement mixtures using urban waste materials namely: recycled concrete aggregates, crumb rubber, polyethylene terephthalate and polyethylene. The results show that the use of these materials is a viable sustainable option for low noise pavements, however that may affect the noise reduction properties. With values around 0.2 at 1000 Hz, the sound absorption of all the mixtures is relatively low and the use of mean profile depth (MPD) alone is not enough to characterize the noise reduction properties. Surface texture was altered in different degrees depending on the waste material used. The results presented can aid in policy pertaining to noise abatement and waste reduction