System of Consumer Services for Population of Western Section of BAM Construction Areas (1974—1989)

The article is devoted to the history of the organization of consumer services for the population in the areas of construction of the BAM western section in 1974—1989. The features of the material and technical support of the household service, the problems of staffing, the structure and dynamics of services in cities and townships of builders are considered. It is noted that the network of consumer services enterprises was designed in a temporary version for the period of construction of the main railway. It is shown that the lag in the development of the public services system was caused by the sectoral mechanism of construction management, adjustments to design estimates, and a reduction in funding for civil construction. It is emphasized that, unlike other objects of the social sphere, which received the support of the all-Union ministries, the organization of the welfare service was under the territorial jurisdiction. In consumer services for the population of the construction site, such problems as a lack of production space, materials and components, an insignificant degree of mechanization and automation of labor, and a high staff turnover have been identified. Summing it up, the author comes to the conclusion that attempts to reform the industry in the second half of the 1980s could not significantly increase the efficiency of the household service in connection with the completion of the BAM construction and the simultaneous crisis of the Soviet system

Historical Experience in Development of Cultural and Educational Institutions in New Cities of Buryatia in 1950s—1980s

The features of the formation and development of cultural and educational institutions in the new urban settlements of Buryatia in the 1950s—1980s are discussed in the article. On the basis of previously unpublished archival documents, journalistic texts and private sources, the main activities of state and departmental clubs and houses of culture, theater associations, libraries, and museums have been reconstructed. The problems of material and technical support and staffing of cultural institutions are considered; the specifics of the formation of amateur creative teams in the conditions of areas of new economic development are revealed. It is noted that the main trends in the cultural development of Soviet cities were determined by the state, but it was looking for new ways to regulate cultural policy. The authors come to the conclusion that the concentration of young people from different parts of the country in new towns favorably influenced the formation of the cultural environment and contributed to the emergence of various forms and directions of cultural — educational and mass cultural work. It is shown that the cultural life of new cities was provided by amateur art groups. It is noted that the transition of local groups from the amateur to the professional level slowed down due to the material dependence of cultural institutions on the city-forming enterprises, whose departmental interests they were called upon to serve

Chronotropic action of immobilized subtilisins during the perfusion of an isolated rat heart

The pharmacological experiments on isolated organs (ex vivo) are the preferred method for assessing the primary pharmacodynamics of the studied drugs, since this method is completely excluded the systemic influence of neurohumoral regulation. In the last decade, a new group of thrombolytic drugs based on immobilized subtilisins has been formed. At the stage of registrational preclinical and clinical studies, their pleiotropic pharmacological effects have not been studied. Meanwhile, there is a reason to consider that their pharmacological activity in the bloodstream is not limited to thrombolytic action, but may be extended to a systemic effect on the cardiovascular system. The aim of the study was to investigate the chronotropic effects of an isolated heart during its perfusion with solutions of immobilized subtilisins at different concentrations. Material and methods. The isolated rat heart model according to Langendorff was used in the study. The experiment included 50 Wistar rats, which were divided into 5 groups: isolated hearts perfused only with Krebs – Henseleit solution (control) or with immobilized subtilisins in 4 concentrations (170, 340, 510 и 1020 U/l). Results and discussion. The immobilized subtilisins have a negative chronotropic effect. The onset of the effect depends on the drug concentration in the solution: the higher concentration, the earlier effect. From 5 to 10 minutes of perfusion, a negative chronotropic effect is observed using of immobilized subtilisins at any dose. The duration of its increase is manifested up to 10–20 minutes, depending on the drug concentration in solution. After 20 minutes of perfusion, the achieved negative chronotropic effect remains at a plateau level up to 40 minutes. Conclusion. The immobilized subtilisins have an independent pharmacological effect on heart rate

Structure-Function Studies of DNA Binding Domain of Response Regulator KdpE Reveals Equal Affinity Interactions at DNA Half-Sites

Expression of KdpFABC, a K+ pump that restores osmotic balance, is controlled by binding of the response regulator KdpE to a specific DNA sequence (kdpFABCBS) via the winged helix-turn-helix type DNA binding domain (KdpEDBD). Exploration of E. coli KdpEDBD and kdpFABCBS interaction resulted in the identification of two conserved, AT-rich 6 bp direct repeats that form half-sites. Despite binding to these half-sites, KdpEDBD was incapable of promoting gene expression in vivo. Structure-function studies guided by our 2.5 Å X-ray structure of KdpEDBD revealed the importance of residues R193 and R200 in the α-8 DNA recognition helix and T215 in the wing region for DNA binding. Mutation of these residues renders KdpE incapable of inducing expression of the kdpFABC operon. Detailed biophysical analysis of interactions using analytical ultracentrifugation revealed a 2∶1 stoichiometry of protein to DNA with dissociation constants of 200±100 and 350±100 nM at half-sites. Inactivation of one half-site does not influence binding at the other, indicating that KdpEDBD binds independently to the half-sites with approximately equal affinity and no discernable cooperativity. To our knowledge, these data are the first to describe in quantitative terms the binding at half-sites under equilibrium conditions for a member of the ubiquitous OmpR/PhoB family of proteins

Efficient Polysulfides Conversion Kinetics Enabled by Ni@CNF Interlayer for Lithium Sulfur Batteries

Recent advances in the development of lithium-sulfur batteries (Li-S) demonstrated their high effectiveness owing to their tremendous theoretical specific capacity and high theoretical gravimetrical energy. Nevertheless, the potential commercialization of Li-S is significantly held by the insulating nature of sulfur and complicated RedOx reactions during the electrochemical charge-discharge processes. This paper presents nickel nanoparticles embedded carbon nanofibers interlayer (Ni@CNF) between a cathode and a separator as an additional physical barrier against lithium polysulfides shuttle for their efficient conversion during the charge-discharge cycling. Furthermore, the interlayer provides an auxiliary electron pathway with subsequent lowering of the charge transfer resistance. The electrochemical analysis of a Li-S cell with the Ni@CNF interlayer demonstrated high initial discharge capacities of 1441.2 mAh g-1 and 1194.2 mAh g-1 at 0.1 and 1.0 C rates, respectively, with remarkable capacity retention of ~83% after 100 cycles. This study revealed the advantageous impact of Ni@CNF towards solving the major issues of lithium-sulfur batteries, i.e., sluggish kinetics and the shuttle effect