Case Study: The Shtokman Project

This research is conducted on one of the world’s largest deposits - Shtokman gas and condensate field located in the Barents Sea. The development of the field is operated by the Special Purpose Company Shtokman Development AG - the international consortium of Total, Statoil and Gazprom. This research is aimed to analyze the value chain of the Shtokman project and to study the socio-economic capacity of the Murmansk region in order to examine the perspective fields of work for local companies, as well as the socio-economic potential of the region related to the gas industry that can be applied to the realization of the Shtokman project. The research is based on qualitative and quantitative data collection that involves the results of 24 semi structured interviews conducted in the Murmansk region, including the interviews with representatives of the Shtokman Development AG and the industrial committee of the Murmansk region government. The results of this study illustrate the importance of the value chain of the Shtokman project and the economic potential of the Murmansk region due to the gas cluster formation in the framework of the Shtokman project development. Additionally, the study includes the comparison with some similar offshore projects such as Snøhvit and Sakhalin-2. Sammanfattning Forskningen bedrivs på en av världens största fält - Shtokman gas och kondensat fält som ligger i Barents hav. Utvecklingen av fältet drivs av ett separat företag Shtokman Development AG - ett internationellt konsortium bestående av Total, Statoil och Gazprom. Forskningen syftar till att analysera värdekedjan i Shtokman-projektet och i syfte att studera den socio-ekonomiska kapaciteten i Murmansk regionen. Dessutom analyseras utifrån ett företagsekonomiskt perspektiv potentiella arbetsområden för lokala företag samt den socio-ekonomiska potentialen i regionen i samband med att gasindustrin utvecklas vid genomförandet av Shtokman-projektet. Forskningen är baserad på kvalitativ och kvantitativ datainsamling som omfattar resultatet av 24 semistrukturerade intervjuer i Murmansk regionen som inbegriper intervjuer med företrädare för Shtokman Development AG och den industriella kommittén i Murmanskregionens regering. Resultaten av undersökningen visar på betydelsen av värdekedjan för Shtokman-projektet och den ekonomiska potentialen i Murmansk regionen av projektet p.g.a klusterbildning inom ramen för Shtokman projektutveckling. Dessutom innehåller studien en jämförelse med liknande offshore projekt såsom Snövit och Sakhalin-2

Results from the intercalibration of optical low light calibration sources 2011

Following the 38th Annual European Meeting on Atmospheric Studies by Optical Methods in Siuntio in Finland, an intercalibration workshop for optical low light calibration sources was held in Sodankylä, Finland. The main purpose of this workshop was to provide a comparable scale for absolute measurements of aurora and airglow. All sources brought to the intercalibration workshop were compared to the Fritz Peak reference source using the Lindau Calibration Photometer built by Wilhelm Barke and Hans Lauche in 1984. The results were compared to several earlier intercalibration workshops. It was found that most sources were fairly stable over time, with errors in the range of 5–25%. To further validate the results, two sources were also intercalibrated at UNIS, Longyearbyen, Svalbard. Preliminary analysis indicates agreement with the intercalibration in Sodankylä within about 15–25%.publishedVersio

Antimicrobial resistance in foodborne <i>Salmonella enterica</i> isolates in the Republic of Belarus

Introduction. Antimicrobial resistance is a global public health concern. Salmonella spp., which can be transmitted to humans through contaminated food, are among the most important foodborne pathogens worldwide. Materials and methods. The antimicrobial resistance of 358 bacterial isolates collected from food and water in the Republic of Belarus (Belarus) in 20182021 was studied by analyzing phenotypic and genotypic characteristics of antibiotic bacterial resistance. MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry was used to classify and identify bacteria. Phenotypic antimicrobial susceptibility of bacteria was measured by the minimum inhibitory concentration method using a Sensititre automated bacteriological analyzer and the disk diffusion test for 45 antimicrobial agents. Antimicrobial resistance genes in multidrug-resistant Salmonella isolates were identified by whole-genome sequencing. Results. The in vitro testing of phenotypic bacterial susceptibility showed high susceptibility to fluoroquinolones (97.2%), third-generation cephalosporins (93.9%), carbapenems (98.0%), ampicillin (81.8%), aminoglycosides (97.5%), tetracyclines (87.5%), chloramphenicol (93.8%), trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (co-trimoxazole) (95.3%) and colistin (85.2%). It was found that the antibiotic resistance mechanism in S. enterica was associated with the presence of genes blaTEM-1B (82%), blaTEM-1C (7.7%), blaSHV-12 (2.6%), blaDHA-1 (2.6%), blaCMY-2 (7.7%), qnrB2 (9.1%), qnrB4 (9.1%), qnrB5 (9.1%), qnrB19 (72.7%), aac(6)-Ib-cr (9.1%), aac(6)-Iaa (100%), aadA1 (13.2%), aadA2 (8.8%), tetB (74.3%), tetA (25.7%), tetM (2.9%), tetD (28.6%), mcr-9 (1.5%). Conclusion. All the bacterial isolates were phenotypically susceptible to first-line antibiotics used in treatment of salmonellosis: fluoroquinolones and third-generation cephalosporins. The whole-genome sequencing of multidrug-resistant Salmonella isolates (19.0%) detected resistance genes for 9 groups of antibiotics: aminoglycosides (100%), beta-lactams (57.4%), fluoroquinolones (16.2%), tetracyclines (51.5%), macrolides (1.5%), phenicols (30.4%), trimethoprim (13.0%), sulfonamides (47.8%) and colistin (1.4%). Thus, epidemiological surveillance of the Salmonella spread through the food chain is of critical importance for the monitoring of antimicrobial resistance among foodborne Salmonella

Use of semantic technologies for the description and communication of historical archives: the case of architectural records of Dino Tamburini (1924-2011)

Private historical archives are a significant part of the Italian documentary heritage. They are safeguarded by state bodies and included in the national archival point of access, but still rarely digitised and made available as Linked Open Data sets. At a time when we all need to have remote access to the sources, and the Digital Humanities scholarship is growing, missing data from the private archives contributes to a lack of diversity and excludes people and subjects from the research, in the same way as the traditional approach used to do. This thesis reports on the project of semantic description and publication of the personal papers of Italian architect and engineer Dino Tamburini (1924-2011), an important figure in the post-WWII reconstruction of Trieste. We describe the steps taken for the creation of the digital archive: archival arrangement, design of data model, annotation, and the publishing. The thesis challenges the assumption that semantic technologies are inaccessible for small archives. We adopt an agile methodology to develop the ontology, incrementally produce data, and use a document-oriented non-linear environment, TiddlyWiki, to design the web representation of the archive. The resulting prototype follows the strict requirements of archival science, but at the same time, produces a captivating representation of the archive, combining structured data and free-form narratives

Temperature Variations Seen by High Resolution Radiosondes as Signs of Turbulence, Comparison with ESRAD

Upprättat; 2016; 20160616 (andbra)</p

SELECTION OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS FOR ELITE ENGINEERING EDUCATION

This paper analyzes the results of research carried out in 2004-2015 to select students for training in the supplementary program of Elite Engineering Education (EEE) of Tomsk Polytechnic University. The authors have designed an admission test system using psychological and pedagogical criteria that predict students' success in learning natural sciences and mathematics, which are the fundamentals of engineering invention. The article provides an overview of students’ personal and professional competence development within the EEE Program in Tomsk Polytechnic University, as well as procedures and criteria used to measure it, and provides a comparison of the resulting values with those of the students of traditional programs. The article addresses the integrated approach in training bachelor's degree students for creative professional activity on the basis of engineering invention, as exemplified by the Elite Engineering Education Program implemented at National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University

Effect of recombinant Sox9 protein on the expression of cartilage-specific genes in human dermal fibroblasts cell culture

Introduction: Damage to the hyaline layer of large joints resulting from injuries or age-related changes restricts their mobility. The repair of these disorders is an actual issue in medicine. One of the promising therapies is the usage of cell engineering constructs based on a biodegradable scaffold and a modified cell culture. A frequently used method to modify the proliferation of cell culture for tissue engineering of hyaline cartilage, which makes it possible to introduce an experimental technique into clinical practice, is the application of recombinant proteins that affect chondrogenesis and lead to increase synthesis of extracellular matrix proteins. The goal of this work was to elucidate the effect of the key transcription factor in the chondrogenesis process – Sox9 protein – on the expression of genes responsible for chondrogenesis (Tgfβ3, Sox9, Acan, Comp, Col2a1). Materials and methods: Human dermal fibroblasts were used as a cell culture; recombinant Sox9 was added at each change of medium; the modification was carried out for 21 days, and difference in gene expression was determined by real-time PCR and -ΔΔCt method. Results and discussion: To assess the effectiveness of fibroblast modification, we analyzed the changing of expression of genes responsible for chondrogenesis (Tgfß3, Sox9, Col2a1, Acan, Comp). We studied the direct effect of different concentrations of the recombinant Sox9 protein on the proliferation of dermal fibroblasts in the chondrogenic direction. We showed that the addition of the recombinant Sox9 protein in various concentration did not significantly change the expression of both the genes encoding proteins of the extracellular matrix of hyaline cartilage (Acan, Col2a1, Comp) and the genes encoding chondrogenesis inducers (Tgfß3, Sox9). Conclusion: As a result of the experiments, it was shown that the recombinant Sox9 protein has practically no effect on chondrogenic differentiation and does not significantly change the expression of chondrogenesis genes

Effect of recombinant Sox9 protein on the expression of cartilage-specific genes in human dermal fibroblasts cell culture

Introduction: Damage to the hyaline layer of large joints resulting from injuries or age-related changes restricts their mobility. The repair of these disorders is an actual issue in medicine. One of the promising therapies is the usage of cell engineering constructs based on a biodegradable scaffold and a modified cell culture. A frequently used method to modify the proliferation of cell culture for tissue engineering of hyaline cartilage, which makes it possible to introduce an experimental technique into clinical practice, is the application of recombinant proteins that affect chondrogenesis and lead to increase synthesis of extracellular matrix proteins. The goal of this work was to elucidate the effect of the key transcription factor in the chondrogenesis process – Sox9 protein – on the expression of genes responsible for chondrogenesis (Tgfβ3, Sox9, Acan, Comp, Col2a1). Materials and methods: Human dermal fibroblasts were used as a cell culture; recombinant Sox9 was added at each change of medium; the modification was carried out for 21 days, and difference in gene expression was determined by real-time PCR and -ΔΔCt method. Results and discussion: To assess the effectiveness of fibroblast modification, we analyzed the changing of expression of genes responsible for chondrogenesis (Tgfß3, Sox9, Col2a1, Acan, Comp). We studied the direct effect of different concentrations of the recombinant Sox9 protein on the proliferation of dermal fibroblasts in the chondrogenic direction. We showed that the addition of the recombinant Sox9 protein in various concentration did not significantly change the expression of both the genes encoding proteins of the extracellular matrix of hyaline cartilage (Acan, Col2a1, Comp) and the genes encoding chondrogenesis inducers (Tgfß3, Sox9). Conclusion: As a result of the experiments, it was shown that the recombinant Sox9 protein has practically no effect on chondrogenic differentiation and does not significantly change the expression of chondrogenesis genes

Wave influence on polar mesosphere summer echoes above Wasa : experimental and model studies

Comprehensive analysis of the wave activity in the Antarctic summer mesopause is performed using polar mesospheric summer echoes (PMSE) measurements for December 2010–January 2011. The 2-day planetary wave is a statistically significant periodic oscillation in the power spectrum density of PMSE power. The strongest periodic oscillation in the power spectrum belongs to the diurnal solar tide; the semi-diurnal solar tide is found to be a highly significant harmonic oscillation as well. The inertial-gravity waves are extensively studied by means of PMSE power and wind components. The strongest gravity waves are observed at periods of about 1, 1.4, 2.5 and 4 h, with characteristic horizontal wavelengths of 28, 36, 157 and 252 km, respectively. The gravity waves propagate approximately in the west-east direction over Wasa (Antarctica). A detailed comparison between theoretical and experimental volume reflectivity of PMSE, measured at Wasa, is made. It is demonstrated that a new expression for PMSE reflectivity derived by Varney et al. (2011) is able to adequately describe PMSE profiles both in the magnitude and in height variations. The best agreement, within 30%, is achieved when mean values of neutral atmospheric parameters are utilized. The largest contribution to the formation and variability of the PMSE layer is explained by the ice number density and its height gradient, followed by wave-induced perturbations in buoyancy period and the turbulent energy dissipation rateUpprättat; 2012; 20160629 (andbra

Imunnological status in patients whis type 2 diabetes mellitus

Aim. To elucidate peculiarities of autorosette formation (ARF), immunological status and associated factors in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Materials and methods. The study included 148 patients with DM2 and 63 practically healthy subjects. The following parameters were measured:the number of autorosettes in peripheral blood, C-reactive protein level, and humoral immunity (from blood immunoglobulin levels); spontaneousand induced TNB tests were performed. Results. Patients with DM2 suffered disturbances of carbohydrate metabolism and had an elevated number of autorosettes in peripheral blood, dysimmunoglobulinemia,increased level of acute phase protein, impaired functional activity of neutrophils. Conclusion. Intensity of ARF increases with duration of DM2 and a rise in AP. Patients with long-standing severe DM2, AH, micro- and macroalbuminurea,hyperglycemia, and triglyceridemia experience deterioration of immunological status