Russian-Estonian economic and investment cooperation during the crisis: dynamics and possibilities

The article deals with the development in Russian-Estonian relations during the crises of 2007 and 2014, taking into consideration the balance between political and economic factors in the decision-making by Estonian government. A number of special aspects, trends and problems in trade and investment ties are detected. The aim of the study is to uncover key motivation behind the actions of both Russia and Estonia, to identify the drivers for economic and political development in the region, and to work out recommendations to adjust them. The questions put forward by the authors of this article could not be more topical at the time, when Russian economic situation is obviously getting worse and capital flight (to the neighboring EU Member States) is likely to increase. The method of the study is comparative analysis of the impact on economic ties made by Russian-Estonian crisis of 2007 and the current international tension around Ukraine. The regional fossil fuel market and the possibilities of Gazprom involvement in its development are also analyzed. It is concluded that political motives are still important for Estonian decisionmaking, though they are balanced out by measures of business support (despite some of these measures being taken by the EU bodies). The role of political factor for the Russian side is increasing. It is acknowledged that there is a growing number of missed economic opportunities in the Russian Northwest

The analisys of translation decisions in expressing the metaphorical meanings in "The heartbreak house" by B. Shaw

The usage of different words as a base metaphor, such as abstract, poetic and terms are the main specificity of the language style of Bernard Shawye

Sociolinguistic survey and documentation of endangered Turkic varieties in post-Soviet Kazakhstan

This lecture presents some results of the project “Interaction of Turkic languages and cultures in post-Soviet Kazakhstan” (2014-2017) aimed at collecting sociolinguistic data on Kazakhstani Turkic minority languages and documenting their endangered varieties. The project, financed by the Volkswagen Foundation, is carried out at the Free Berlin University, the Frankfurt University, the Eurasian University in Astana, and at the Taraz State University by a group of German and Kazakh researchers. We document these varieties and process the obtained data using the software “Field Linguist’s Toolbox” for transcription, translation and morphological analysis, Arbil for the metadata as all the audio and video recordings will be stored on the server of the MPI in Nijmegen (IMDI Corpora – Donated Corpora – TMK). The sociolinguistic data were obtained by means of a questionnaire composed for this purpose and presented to representatives of various Turkic ethnic groups in Kazakhstan. All the obtained data are stored in open-access online databases, see http://tuyrki.weebly.com presenting the already processed 2235 interviews. This databank allows for filtering the data according to 191 parameters (age, education, occupation, migration history, ethnic identity, language use, language attitudes, etc.) that can be combined according to the users’ needs. The obtained information is visualized in the form of diagrams. In particular, our lecture will describe the sociolinguistic situation of the young generations of Meskhetian Turks, born in the already independent Kazakhstan. They are descendents of the Turks deported to Kazakhstan from Georgia during the Second World War and speaking various varieties of Turkish, or other Oghusic Turkic varieties that have not been documented prior to this project. Their self identification is Ahiska Turks with two major subgroups of Yerli Ahiska, linguistically a Turkish variety, and Terekeme Ahiska; the latter speak a dialect of Azeri. Alongside with Ahiska, there are Xemshili Turks that are supposedly Turkicized Armenians, Laz Turks that are representatives of Turkicized Caucasian ethnic groups, and other Turkish speaking groups that refer to themselves as Karadenizli (people of the Black Sea), Osmanli (Ottoman people) etc. The native varieties of all these groups can be regarded as separate Oghusic varieties of Turkic; they all are strongly endangered: younger generations switch to Standard Turkish thanks to Turkish mass media, widely spread in Kazakhstan, and the increased mobility of these groups themselves: many young people study and work in Turkey. Thus, it is a paradox situation: the spreading of Standard Turkish endangers the preservation of Meskhetian native varieties

RNA chaperone activity of L1 ribosomal proteins: phylogenetic conservation and splicing inhibition

RNA chaperone activity is defined as the ability of proteins to either prevent RNA from misfolding or to open up misfolded RNA conformations. One-third of all large ribosomal subunit proteins from E. coli display this activity, with L1 exhibiting one of the highest activities. Here, we demonstrate via the use of in vitro trans- and cis-splicing assays that the RNA chaperone activity of L1 is conserved in all three domains of life. However, thermophilic archaeal L1 proteins do not display RNA chaperone activity under the experimental conditions tested here. Furthermore, L1 does not exhibit RNA chaperone activity when in complexes with its cognate rRNA or mRNA substrates. The evolutionary conservation of the RNA chaperone activity among L1 proteins suggests a functional requirement during ribosome assembly, at least in bacteria, mesophilic archaea and eukarya. Surprisingly, rather than facilitating catalysis, the thermophilic archaeal L1 protein from Methanococcus jannaschii (MjaL1) completely inhibits splicing of the group I thymidylate synthase intron from phage T4. Mutational analysis of MjaL1 excludes the possibility that the inhibitory effect is due to stronger RNA binding. To our knowledge, MjaL1 is the first example of a protein that inhibits group I intron splicing

Carotid Artery Atherosclerosis in Patients with Active Rheumatoid Arthritis: Predictors of Plaque Occurrence and Progression Over 24 Weeks

INTRODUCTION: This study evaluated the prevalence and progression of subclinical carotid artery atherosclerosis in active rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: Carotid arteries of RA patients were scanned using 3D ultrasound at baseline and 24 weeks for total plaque area, vessel wall volume, and intima-media thickness (IMT), as well as arterial stiffness measured using pulse wave velocity. Variables related to inflammation, lipids and cardiovascular (CV) risk were assessed for associations with plaque progression. Of 195 screened patients, 31 met inclusion criteria (66 Swollen joint count (SJC) plus 68 Tender joint count (TJC)≥8 OR SJC plus TJC≥4 with elevated acute phase reactants) and were enrolled (27 female; mean age 59.3±9.8years). Patients using lipid lowering drugs and uncontrolled comorbidities were excluded. RESULTS: Atherosclerotic plaque occurred in 35% and arterial wall hypertrophy (IMT≥0.6mm) in 86% of patients. Most (68%) had an abnormal lipid profile characterized by reduced HDL and/or increased total cholesterol/HDL index, which was adversely affected by disease activity. Stepwise binary logistic regression analysis showed that Framingham risk score (OR=1.155, 95%CI:1.002-1.332, p=0.046) and ESR (OR=1.148, 95%CI:1.015-1.299, p=0.028) predicted plaque burden most strongly. Plaque progression was significantly associated with baseline higher hsCRP, ESR, and heavy smoking, but only hsCRP predicted plaque growth in multivariate regression analysis (p=0.004); and hsCRP was related to higher disease activity (r=0.443, p=0.016), LDL (r=0.544, p=0.007), and smoking (r=0.384, p=0.04). CONCLUSION: RA-related inflammation contributed to augmented CV burden in RA and might mediate its effect on atherosclerosis through hsCRP and modulation of the traditional CV risk factors, such as dyslipidemia

National competitiveness as the object of indicative planning in the context of re-industrialization

Three years after the adoption of legislation regarding strategical planning we are able to see the first statistical results, reflecting actual conditions of regulated objects. The subject of this article is to examine the system of indicators of state economic policy, targeting to stimulate the development of economic potential with the aim to improve national economic competitiveness. The objective is the competitiveness of domestic economy as the subject of regulation. The aim is the analysis of the system of indicators on the basis of comparison of actual and planned data, detecting weakly correlated indicators and to make recommendations to correct the system of indicators. The article analyses the indicators that are being used in normative and legal documents. The authors consider long-term and medium-term targets for economic frontier development, as well as main factors that should be accounted while formulating the system of indicators for the economic potential in long- and medium-term. As the list of indicators of economic development in the strategic documents is vast, the chosen direction considers the production with high added value. The indicators considered reflect the indicative aim of scientific development, national innovation system and technology as the most important foundations for improvement of national economic competitiveness. Multidirectional trend of economic development and administration indicators has been detected. The formation of system of supplementary indicators that reflect the development of production frontier has been proposed.peer-reviewe

Effects of α-amylase, endo-xylanase and exoprotease combination on dough properties and bread quality

Received: January 31st, 2021 ; Accepted: May 2nd, 2021 ; Published: May 6th, 2021 ; Correspondence: [email protected] enzymes composition is an actual alternative to chemicals to improve functional properties of flours and to generate changes in the structure of the dough and bread quality. The objective of this study was to analyze the individual and synergistic effects of enzymes preparation (α-amylase, endo-xylanase and exoprotease), newly produced in Russia, on dough properties and bread quality made from wheat flour with different amylolytic activity. Reofermentometric results revealed decreases in gas-forming capacity of dough by 10.0–13.9% when single α-amylase preparates were used. The α-amylase addition had significant effect on gas retention coefficient in flour possessed low amylolytic activity. The effect of endo-xylanase and exoprotease on hydration and amount of wheat gluten was established. The fractional composition of gluten proteins in the dough made with combination of endo-xylanase and exoprotease was established using Lowry method immediately after kneading and after fermentation. It was found that mainly water-soluble, alcohol-soluble and alkaline-soluble proteins were undergone by transformation. The bread with enzymes had a higher specific volume, porosity and aldehyde content and lower shape stability indicator than the control bread made without enzymes. Bread with enzymes was characterized by tenderer and not crumbly crumb with developed thin-walled uniform porosity compared to the control. The crusts were more brightly colored. The combined usage of α-amylase and endo-xylanase and exoprotease retarded bread staling during 5-day storage period. New enzyme composition may be a potentially strong candidate for future applications in the bread-making industry

Динамика развития партийной системы современной России: тенденции и проблемы

As you know, last year there were almost 70 new political parties and more than a hundred waiting for registration and institutionalization. The article focuses on the dynamics of the party system in modern Russia, identifies key trends and issues. It was at this time gradually evolved a unique situation, which largely contributed to the accumulation of protest consciousness in a certain part of Russian society, the real protest ignited political behavior during the last federal election, the legislature and the head of state.Как известно, за 2013 г. было зарегистрировано почти 70 новых политических партий и еще более ста ждут регистрации и институционализации. В статье делается акцент на динамике партийной системы современной России в 2000-е гг., выявляются основные тенденции и проблемы. Именно в это время постепенно складывалась своеобразная ситуация, которая во многом способствовала накоплению протестного сознания у определенной части российского общества, вылившегося в реальное протестное политическое поведение в период последних федеральных выборов законодательной власти и главы государства

Информационная составляющая гибридных войн

The war of the new generation - hybrid war, the information component which is directed not so much on the direct destruction of the enemy, how to achieve the goals without warfare. Fighting in the information field is no less important than immediate military action.Война нового поколения - гибридная война, информационная составляющая которой направлена не столько на непосредственное уничтожение противника, сколько на достижение целей без ведения боевых действий. Борьба на информационном поле является не менее важной, чем непосредственные боевые действия