Changes in the Territorial and Administrative Division of Northwest Russia over the Soviet Period

The principles of internal territorial and administrative division are a staple of Russia's statehood. The paper deals with the analysis of changes made to the territorial and administrative divisions of Northwest Russia over the Soviet period (1917-1991), mainly in upper-level units (gubernia, oblast, krai, and republic), and partly at the medium level, such as ouezd and okrug. The analysis presented here is heavily based on cartographic materials. The paper gives an overview of the large-scale administrative reforms of the Soviet period and determines the periods of stability and instability of administrative boundaries within the current territory of Northwest Russia. According to the analysis of the alterations in territorial and administrative divisions made during the Soviet period, within three decades after the 1927 enlargement reform the network of the upper-level units began to mirror those of pre-revolutionary time. Since 1957, the system of territorial and administrative divisions has been relatively balanced, with no significant changes made to it up to the present day. The results of this research will be used to construct the models of historical periodization and changes in the geography of Northwest Russia. Keywords: territorial and administrative units, Soviet period, Northwest Russia JEL Classifications: N9; P2; R00

EPR study of hydrocarbon generation potential of organic-rich domanik rocks

© Kazan Federal University (KFU). The objects of investigation were samples of domanik formation rocks of Berezovskaya area of Romashkinskoye oil field. Content of Mn 2+ , SO 3 − , SO 2 − ions, vanadyl-ions and free radicals has been estimated with the X-band (9.43 GHz) electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. Composition of rock and extracted from it bitumen has been studied with methods of thermal analysis, X-ray-structural analysis and gas chromatography. Significant differences in mineralogical composition and content of organic matter were revealed in samples taken from adjacent intervals. Pyrolytic experiments have been conducted to simulate kerogen maturation and petroleum generation. The increasing number of free radicals was registered in all samples after pyrolysis in a hydrogen atmosphere at 350°C. A new organic free radical C350 was registered after pyrolysis. It is suggested that domanik source rocks have not fully realized their hydrocarbon generation potential

Financial assessment of ground source heat pump systems against other selected heating and cooling systems for Australian conditions

Ground source heat pump (GSHP) systems can provide cost-effective space heating and cooling for buildings while using less fossil fuel compared to many conventional systems. Despite these benefits, they typically have higher upfront costs and longer payback periods than other heating and cooling systems. These costs are often seen as potential roadblocks for property owners to install GSHP systems over conventional systems. The financial attractiveness of GSHP systems can be increased by adopting a hybrid ground source heat pump (HGSHP) system where GSHP systems provide the baseload thermal energy with the balance provided by conventional systems. This paper assesses the lifetime costs of GSHP and HGSHP systems designed for seven major cities in Australia and compares these costs with the lifetime costs of conventional systems. The results indicate that adopting HGSHP systems in Australian climatic conditions (from tropical to cool temperate) and under current Australian installation and fuel costs can lower the normalised lifetime costs of heating and cooling compared to adopting a GSHP or a conventional system only for the same applications

Effect of platinum nanoparticles on morphological parameters of spring wheat seedlings in a substrate-plant system

When wheat is cultivated in the media contaminated with platinum nanoparticles, the change in the morphological and physiological indexes of wheat seedlings depends on the physico-chemical parameters of the germination substrate. The changes become less pronounced with the decreasing bioaccessability of the nanomaterial in the following order: water suspension – luvisols – phaeozems. Contamination with nanoparticles affects the height parameters and activates the mechanisms protecting the plant from stress. When using wheat seedlings as test organisms for biotesting the environmental safety of NPs, it is advisable to use the following parameters: weight of roots, weight of aerial part, leaf area, and flavonoid content

Functional interdependence of the actin regulators CAP1 and cofilin1 in control of dendritic spine morphology

The vast majority of excitatory synapses are formed on small dendritic protrusions termed dendritic spines. Dendritic spines vary in size and density that are crucial determinants of excitatory synaptic transmission. Aberrations in spine morphogenesis can compromise brain function and have been associated with neuropsychiatric disorders. Actin filaments (F-actin) are the major structural component of dendritic spines, and therefore, actin-binding proteins (ABP) that control F-actin dis-/assembly moved into the focus as critical regulators of brain function. Studies of the past decade identified the ABP cofilin1 as a key regulator of spine morphology, synaptic transmission, and behavior, and they emphasized the necessity for a tight control of cofilin1 to ensure proper brain function. Here, we report spine enrichment of cyclase-associated protein 1 (CAP1), a conserved multidomain protein with largely unknown physiological functions. Super-resolution microscopy and live cell imaging of CAP1-deficient hippocampal neurons revealed impaired synaptic F-actin organization and dynamics associated with alterations in spine morphology. Mechanistically, we found that CAP1 cooperates with cofilin1 in spines and that its helical folded domain is relevant for this interaction. Moreover, our data proved functional interdependence of CAP1 and cofilin1 in control of spine morphology. In summary, we identified CAP1 as a novel regulator of the postsynaptic actin cytoskeleton that is essential for synaptic cofilin1 activity

Eating behavior features and preferred diets in underweight and obese young men

BACKGROUND: Actual nutrition and eating behavior features affect the formation of excess or underweight which in turn are risk factors for the development of chronic non-infectious diseases.AIM: To assess eating behavior features and consumption of basic nutrients in relation to metabolic disorders in underweight and obese young men of military age.MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study enrolled 86 young men aged 18 to 23 years that were referred by military enlistment office due to violations in body weight and examined in the hospital. Participants were divided into 2 groups depending on the value of the body mass index (BMI): group 1 (n=41) — underweight (Uw) young men; group 2 (n=45) — obese (Ob) young men. Anthropometric, hormonal and biochemical parameters of the body were measured; the type of eating disorder (ED) was evaluated using the Dutch DEBQ questionnaire, the presence and severity of anxiety and depressive disorders were assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale; assessment of the actual diet was performed using «Somatonic» computer soft.RESULTS: Absolute intake of all essential nutrients was higher in Ob young men; the relative consumption of protein and cholesterol was higher in Uw young men, whereas relative fats intake was higher in Ob group. EDs were statistically significantly more common in Ob young men. The values of all anthropometric indicators were higher in Ob group, while Uw young men predominantly demonstrated deficiency of the body fat component which did not affect key hormonal and metabolic indicators values. In Ob young men carbohydrate metabolism hormonal regulation disorders along with increased blood pressure were revealed.CONCLUSION: The ratio of proteins and fats intake should be taken into account in dietary regimens composition; Uw young men need to increase the proportion of fat and reduce protein intake, whereas Ob young men on the contrary need to reduce the proportion of fat and increase amount of proteins enhancing energy expenditure due to the specific dynamic food action

Quality of life at machine operators of agriculture

The purpose this research was to investigate the quality of life machine operators of agriculture, depending on the status of the age and length of service in the profession. To assess the quality of life was used widely used international Russian-language health a validated questionnaire SF-36. Studies have been conducted practically healthy quality of life (based on the results of periodic medical examinations) machine operators of agriculture Saratov region (102 people) aged 30 to 59 years of experience in the profession from 3 to 35 years. Average values of an indicator for age groups 2 and 3 made "the general health", respectively, 95,2 and 78,7 % from level characteristic for younger age group. Intergroup distinction was noted between average sizes of this indicator at persons at the age of 30-39 years and 50-59 years, and also 40-49 summer machine operators and workers of advanced age (50-59 years). 1t is established that with increase in calendar age at machine operators of agriculture statistically significant decrease in values of indicators of quality of life to scales the general health, physical functioning, physical and role functioning and viability. With increase in length of service at machine operators decrease in values of indicators of physical functioning and role physical functioning. A statistically significant weak negative correlation between the level of quality of life, age (r = -0,39) and professional experience (r = -0,31). 1n this case, the highest correlation between the age of the examined patients and quality of life was typical of the general health scale (r = -0,37), physical functioning (r = -0,41), and role physical functioning (r = -0,34). Professional experience correlated with the level of physical functioning (r = -0,30) and role^hysical functioning (r = -0,32), has practically no effect on the subjective assessment of general health (r = -0,22). Results of researches allow recommending questionnaire SF-36 use when forming individual and group improving programs for machine operators of agricultural production

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%

MEDICINAL FORM OF TNF-α FOR LOCAL ADMINISTRATION

Composite preparation of tumor necrosis factor alpha and rheopolyglukin and polyethylene glycol (TNF-α+PG+PEG) was obtained. The specific activity of the samples was 4,13 х 107 IU/mg. The cytolytic activity of drugs TNF-α+PG+PEG and rhTNF-α did not change after 4 months when stored at 6 °С. Preparation TNF-α+PG+PEG provided a moderately prolonged elevation of TNF-alpha in blood of laboratory mice in contrast to TNF-α when they applied to the skin. The composite preparation did not have toxic, allergic and locally irritating action in experiments on laboratory animals