Anatomy of Ursa Majoris

A nearby friable cloud in Ursa Majoris contains 270 galaxies with radial velocities 500 < VLG < 1500 km s^-1 inside the area of RA= [11h; 13h] and DEC= [+40deg; +60deg]. At present, 97 galaxies of them have individual distance estimates. We use these data to clarify the structure and kinematics of the UMa complex. According to Makarov & Karachentsev (2011), most of the UMa galaxies belong to seven bound groups, which have the following median parameters: velocity dispersion of 58 km s^-1, harmonic projected radius of 300 kpc, virial mass of 2.10^12 Msol, and virial- mass-to-K-band-luminosity of 27Msol/Lsol. Almost a half of the UMa cloud population are gas-rich dwarfs (Ir, Im, BCD) with active star formation seen in the GALEX UV-survey. The UMa groups reside within 15-19 Mpc from us, being just at the same distance as Virgo cluster. The total virial mass of the UMa groups is 4.10^13 Msol, yielding the average density of dark matter in the UMa cloud to be Omega_m = 0.08, i.e. a factor three lower than the cosmic average. This is despite the fact that the UMa cloud resides in a region of the Universe that is an apparent overdensity. A possible explanation for this is that most mass in the Universe lies in the empty space between clusters. Herewith, the mean distances and velocities of the UMa groups follow nearly undisturbed Hubble flow without a sign of the 'Z-wave" effect caused by infall toward a massive attractor. This constrains the total amount of dark matter between the UMa groups within the cloud volume.Comment: correction of a typo in the abstract, 18 pages, 2 figures. accepted for MNRAS, nov 26, 201

Clinical Neuroimaging Peculiarities and Functional Consequences of Ischemic Stroke in Patients with MS

The objective of the research was to study the peculiarities of post-stroke period in patients with metabolic syndrome (MS), functional consequences, cognitive impairment, to identify structural brain changes on the basis of MRI results; to perform correlation analysis between the brain volumetric test results and cognitive deficit.Materials and methods. The study involved 116 patients, aged 51 to 81, with ischemic stroke, 79 patients – main group – during the early and late recovery periods after ischemic stroke related to MS. The control group included 37 patients in the early and late recovery periods after acute cerebrovascular accident (ACVA) without MS. To determine the functional consequences of ischemic stroke after 12 weeks and 1 year after it, the examination was conducted and the results were evaluated according to modified Rankine scale (MSHR) and Barthel Index (BI). We determined patients’ mortality rate within 1 year after the ischemic stroke. Their condition of cognitive functions was measured according to MMSE, MOSA and FAB scales. The volume of cortex and white matter of the cerebral hemispheres, temporal and frontal lobes were measureed (cm³) by applying MRI scanner Toshiba Vantage Titan 1,5. Workstation Vitrea was used for images post-processing.Results. Patients with MS had more common significant signs (p&lt;0.05) of neurological status functional disorders, delayed recovery and disability. Within a year, in the main group mortality rate because of recurrent stroke was 5.06%, which was significantly higher than in the control group, where the mortality rate was 2.7%. Within a year, the process of lost functions restoring according to MSHR occurred in both groups, but in the main group, this rate was significantly lower in comparison to the control group. Patients with MS were determined to have a significant impairment of cognitive functions according to cognitive scales. However, a year later cognitive performance did not differ significantly in the main and control groups, although they declined in both groups. Volumetric parameters were determined: the volume of cortex and white matter of the cerebral hemispheres, temporal and frontal lobes (cm³). Results obtained: reduced total volume of the brain, of the temporal and frontal lobes in patients of the main group (p&lt;0.05). Patients of both study groups were determined to have cognitive functions impairment - reduced volume of the cortex in the frontal and temporal lobes according to MMSE scale. The correlation index between cortex indicators of frontal and temporal lobes volume and the results of cognitive functions according to MMSE scale was: r = 0,62 - temporal and r = 0,59 frontal lobes indicators. Modules of correlation coefficients were within the average strength.Conclusions. Patients who have suffered from primary ischemic stroke related to MS restored their lost functions slower and the mortality rate among them was significantly higher (p&lt;0.05) within the first year after stroke than in patients without MS. Patients had cognitive deficits related to cortex atrophy in the frontal and temporal lobes after the primary ischemic stroke. Atrophy in these areas of the cortex was more distinct (p&lt;0.05) than in patients without MS. Positive correlation relationship was determined between cognitive performance and the degree of cortex atrophy in the frontal (r = 0.59) and temporal (r = 0.62) lobes of patients with ischemic stroke related to MS

Structural and Volumetric Characteristics of Cerebral Damage in Patients with Metabolic Syndrome

The objective of the research was to identify volumetric brain indicators (hippocampal volume) in patients with chronic cerebral ischemia secondary to metabolic syndrome (MS) in comparison with patients suffering from chronic cerebral ischemia without MS; to identify hippocampal index as well as medial, lateral and upper perihippocampal indices in patients with MS in comparison with those in patients without MS.Materials and methods. Hippocampal volume of 47 patients (29 patients with MS - the main group and 18 patients without MS – the control group) was evaluated by means of volumetric method. During 49 studies (28 - the main group and 21 - the control group) the size of the hippocampus and perihippocampal cerebrospinal fluid space was measured.Results and discussion. We determined a significant increase (*P&lt;0.05 in comparison with the control group) in the lateral perihippocampal cerebrospinal fluid space (cm) in the main group in comparison with the control group (Me [Q1, Q3]): on the right it was 2.90 [2.75 ; 2.96]  vs. 2.21 [1.82; 2.05] in the control group (р&lt;0.05); on the left it was 2.97 [2.75; 2.96] vs. 2.275 [2.15; 2.76] in the control group (р&gt;0.05). A significant decrease in the index of the right and left hippocampus was determined in patients with MS in comparison to the patients of the control group (Me [Q1,Q3]): on the right it was 0.50 [0.41; 0.54] vs. 0.594 [0.58; 0.61]; on the left it was 0.56 [0.52; 0.60] vs. 0.61 [0.58; 0.63] in the control group (р&lt;0.05). A significant difference in the increase of the medial and upper perihippocampal indices on either side was defined in the main group in comparison with the control one. Lateral perihippocampal index did not significantly differ from the control group (р&gt;0.05). Determination of the hippocampal volume (right and left) showed that it was significantly lower in patients with MS than in patients without MS (Me [Q1,Q3]): on the right it was 3.293058* [2.92616; 3.04016] in the main group, and 3.93 [3.72750; 4.29722] in the control group; on the left it was 2.84 [2.65; 3.02] * in the main group, and 3.55 [3.22, 3.7] in the control group. Components of MS cluster in patients with chronic cerebrovascular pathology are likely to contribute to the development of atrophic processes. The combination of hypertension, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, etc. accelerate the processes of hippocampal atrophy more than each of these separate components determined in patients with chronic cerebral ischemia without MS.Conclusions. Thus, the degree of hippocampal atrophy in patients with chronic cerebrovascular diseases secondary to MS was defined to be significantly higher in comparison with patients without MS. To improve diagnosis of cerebrovascular diseases in patients with MS, it is possible to apply the identification of hippocampal index and perihippocampal indices if it is not possible to determine the volume of brain structures.

MANAGEMENT OF COMPETENCE DEVELOPMENT OF THE HIGHER-EDUCATION TEACHING PERSONNEL

The urgency of the work is determined by the need to develop new approaches to the assessment process and to increase the level of competence of the teaching staff of the institution, which is the most important factor of its competitiveness. The object of the study is the management system of the teaching staff of the higher education institution. The subject of the study are the models and methods of managing the level of competence of the faculty.Research objective is to increase the level of competence of the higher-education  teaching personnel.The methods of system analysis, mathematical programming, graph theory are used in the paper.

SUBSTANTIATION OF THE METHOD OF MEAT SAMPLE PREPARATION FOR INSTRUMENTAL DETERMINATION OF CONSISTENCY

In recent years, there has been a transformation in the choice and lifestyle of Russian citizens. An increasing part of the population makes a more reasonable choice, taking into account all aspects, including the most important for meat products — these are organoleptic characteristics, in particular the consistency of the product. Consumers prefer products with the delicate, soft texture, expect good «biteness» and «cheweness». Therefore, preference is given to tender, juicy meat with a low content of connective tissue. The most commonly used method for testing meat consistency in laboratories around the world is a method that uses strength testing machines with a Warner-Bratzler blade (WB blade). In this work, the Shimadzu AGS-1kN universal testing machine (Japan) was chosen for research. Samples obtained from l. dorsi of pork and beef were selected as meat raw materials. To determine the optimal and reproducible method of sample preparation, some of them were subjected to heat treatment before analysis. In the study of samples without heat treatment, deviations from the average were more than 11%. After meat was cooked, a decrease in the relative standard deviation of the maximum shear stress from the average was achieved: from 11% in raw meat to 5% in a pork sample and 5.3% in a beef sample. The heat treatment of pre-cut samples led to a change in their geometric shape, which created additional difficulties for obtaining correct results, and also negatively affected the increase in the relative deviation to 15.5% for beef.In recent years, there has been a transformation in the choice and lifestyle of Russian citizens. An increasing part of the population makes a more reasonable choice, taking into account all aspects, including the most important for meat products — these are organoleptic characteristics, in particular the consistency of the product. Consumers prefer products with the delicate, soft texture, expect good «biteness» and «cheweness». Therefore, preference is given to tender, juicy meat with a low content of connective tissue. The most commonly used method for testing meat consistency in laboratories around the world is a method that uses strength testing machines with a Warner-Bratzler blade (WB blade). In this work, the Shimadzu AGS-1kN universal testing machine (Japan) was chosen for research. Samples obtained from l. dorsi of pork and beef were selected as meat raw materials. To determine the optimal and reproducible method of sample preparation, some of them were subjected to heat treatment before analysis. In the study of samples without heat treatment, deviations from the average were more than 11%. After meat was cooked, a decrease in the relative standard deviation of the maximum shear stress from the average was achieved: from 11% in raw meat to 5% in a pork sample and 5.3% in a beef sample. The heat treatment of pre-cut samples led to a change in their geometric shape, which created additional difficulties for obtaining correct results, and also negatively affected the increase in the relative deviation to 15.5% for beef