The structural factor of regional economic stability in Russia during the coronacrisis period

Relevance. The coronavirus pandemic has lead to one of the most serious crises in the global economy. The significant disparities between Russian regions influenced the levels of morbidity and their strategies of containing the crisis.Research objective. The aim of this paper is to identify the factors of regional development which, during the pandemic and in the post-pandemic period, affected and will affect the economic stability of Russian regions.Materials and Methods. The research is based on the Rosstat data, industry reviews, materials from analytical and consulting firms, Russian and international research literature. The research methodology is based on the structuralist approach and the provisions of the new structural economics put forward by J. Lin. The methods of comparative, statistical, and structural analysis were also used.Results. The most significant factors in regional economic development are the structure of the economy and the quality of public administration at the national and regional levels. The high-tech sector in the structure of a regional economy plays a pivotal role in ensuring its stability in the times of crisis. The study shows the need for a transition to independent national value chains. It is also necessary to develop a long-term national strategy aimed at stimulating the structural transformation of regional economies.Conclusions. The study has demonstrated the importance of the two key factors in shaping the regions’ responses to the pandemic and the speed of their recovery – the structure of regional economy and the role of the government. These factors should be taken into account by the Strategy of the State Regional Industrial Policy

Government Procurement as One of Spheres to Expand Economic Cooperation between Russia and Economies in Asia-Pacific Region

Today the expansion of foreign suppliers` access to public procurement is becoming more pronounced tendency in international trade. This is reflected both in the growing participation in WTO Government Procurement Agreement, and in negotiating government procurement commitments at the regional level. Given the protectionist policy of Russia in the field of public procurement and the objective necessity to intensify participation in various promising integration projects and initiatives, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region, it is important to determine the most favorable format for cooperation with trade partners on public procurement issues

Positively Correlated miRNA-miRNA Regulatory Networks in Mouse Frontal Cortex During Early Stages of Alcohol Dependence

Although the study of gene regulation via the action of specific microRNAs (miRNAs) has experienced a boom in recent years, the analysis of genome-wide interaction networks among miRNAs and respective targeted mRNAs has lagged behind. MicroRNAs simultaneously target many transcripts and fine-tune the expression of genes through cooperative/combinatorial targeting. Therefore, they have a large regulatory potential that could widely impact development and progression of diseases, as well as contribute unpredicted collateral effects due to their natural, pathophysiological, or treatment-induced modulation. We support the viewpoint that whole mirnome-transcriptome interaction analysis is required to better understand the mechanisms and potential consequences of miRNA regulation and/or deregulation in relevant biological models. In this study, we tested the hypotheses that ethanol consumption induces changes in miRNA-mRNA interaction networks in the mouse frontal cortex and that some of the changes observed in the mouse are equivalent to changes in similar brain regions from human alcoholics. Results: miRNA-mRNA interaction networks responding to ethanol insult were identified by differential expression analysis and weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA). Important pathways (coexpressed modular networks detected by WGCNA) and hub genes central to the neuronal response to ethanol are highlighted, as well as key miRNAs that regulate these processes and therefore represent potential therapeutic targets for treating alcohol addiction. Importantly, we discovered a conserved signature of changing miRNAs between ethanol-treated mice and human alcoholics, which provides a valuable tool for future biomarker/diagnostic studies in humans. We report positively correlated miRNA-mRNA expression networks that suggest an adaptive, targeted miRNA response due to binge ethanol drinking. Conclusions: This study provides new evidence for the role of miRNA regulation in brain homeostasis and sheds new light on current understanding of the development of alcohol dependence. To our knowledge this is the first report that activated expression of miRNAs correlates with activated expression of mRNAs rather than with mRNA downregulation in an in vivo model. We speculate that early activation of miRNAs designed to limit the effects of alcohol-induced genes may be an essential adaptive response during disease progression.NIAAA 5R01AA012404, 5P20AA017838, 5U01AA013520, P01AA020683, 5T32AA007471-24/25Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Researc

Round table technology in university educational process

The process of building students' competence must meet modern requirements and include the use of innovative technologies. The development trends of modern society have led to the emergence of a competency-based approach in vocational education. In the process of building professional competence, it is necessary to use technologies that meet the requirements of the Federal state educational standards which contribute to the development of practical focus of training. Among such technologies we single out technologies for holding a round table. The technologies of the round table are not new, but due to combination with various innovative technologies, they become more relevant. The implementation of the round table in the training of vocational education teachers is a discussion process that speculates about a relevant topic requiring a comprehensive analysis. Modern conditions provide arrangements of round tables with their own specifics. The purpose of the article is to identify the effectiveness of holding round tables in students’ preparation in higher educational institutions. The article presents basic principles on which the technology of the round table is based, its ideas and essence, as well as the features of its holding. A study conducted at a pedagogical university during the training of vocational education teachers is presented. It showed the need for implementing round-table technologies in preparing students for future professional activities, as the ones allowing students to build effective discussions, negotiate based on arguments and facts. We have identified the effectiveness of the "round tables" in the training of students in higher educational institutions. The study made it possible to establish the level of students’ preparedness for conducting effective discussions for the implementation of future professional activities in secondary vocational educational institutions. The technology of the round table allows to increase the knowledge level of students. The results can be used in students’ training in various faculties

Kinetics of the Synthesis of Aluminum Boride by the Self-Propagating High-Temperature Synthesis Method

The influence of certain factors on the kinetics of the process of obtaining aluminum borides (burning rate, ingot formation, and phase separation) was investigated. In this study, we report the registration of diboride using the SHS protocol. The synthesis of aluminum diboride from boric anhydride occurred by the aluminothermic method. The initial components were boron trioxide and aluminum in the form of powders. Researchers paid special attention to the degree of grinding of the charge fluxing substances. The influence this had on the rate of development of the degree of charge concentration was studied. To calculate the degree of charge, a composition was chosen according to the speed obtained from a number of experiments where melting was carried out with the following charge densities in g/cm(3): 0.80; 1.08; 1.18; 1.74. The method of melting was ignition from above. The experimental results allowed us to conclude that the nature of the change in the combustion rate of the system, where there was an excess of the reducing agent in the charge, is the same. An increase in the combustion rate, where there was an excess of aluminum of up to 20%, was likely due to the fact that the reaction area of the charge components increased. In addition, an increase in speed can be explained by a decrease in heat losses due to a reduction in the melting time. With an increase in excess aluminum above 20% of the stoichiometry, the observed decrease in the combustion rate can be explained by a decrease in the specific heat of the process due to the melting of the excess aluminum, which played the role of a ballast

Prostaglandin H synthase kinetics in the two-phase aqueous-micellar system

AbstractReaction mixture for PGHS (prostaglandin-H-synthase) is a two-phase system including micellar hydrophobic phase and hydrophilic aqueous phase. Reagents added to the mixture are distributed between phases, thus concentrations of reagents dissolved in phases can differ significantly from their overall contents.Using dynamic light scattering we found that the hydrophobic phase produced by tween-20 consists of micelles, which radius (4–5nm) does not depend on either tween-20 overall content (0.1%–1% v/v) or arachidonic acid (AA) addition (10–1000μM) or PGHS addition (1μM).Tween-20 overall content changing from 0.1% to 2% v/v dramatically affected COX kinetic, but accounting AA distribution between phases allowed us to estimate “true” parameters, independent of the tween-20 overall content and the concentration of another substrate: KMOx equals 9.8μM O2 in the aqueous phase or 0.0074bar in the gaseous phase, KMAA equals 5400μM AA in the phase of tween-20 micelles and 5400/PμM AA in the aqueous phase (P is the distribution ratio for the AA between the aqueous phase and the hydrophobic phase (P≫1000)). This approach allowed to evaluate PS, the distribution ratio for the AA between the hydrophobic phase and the PGHS active center (PS ~310). This coefficient indicates the AA selectivity toward the cyclooxygenase active center

Increasing the efficiency of rare earth metal recovery from technological solutions during processing of apatite raw materials

The issues of complex processing of mineral resources are relevant due to the depletion of available raw materials. So, it is necessary to involve technological waste, generated during the processing of raw materials, to obtain valuable components. In the process flow of apatite concentrate treatment using the sulfuric acid method, a large amount of phosphogypsum is produced with an average content of light rare earth metals (REMs) reaching 0.032-0.45 %. When phosphogypsum is treated with sulfuric acid solutions, a part of REMs is transferred to the sulfate solution, from which it can be extracted by means of ion exchange method. The study focuses on sorption recovery of light REMs (praseodymium, neodymium and samarium) in the form of anionic sulfate complexes of the composition [ln(SO4)2]– on polystyrene anion exchanger AN-31. The experiments were performed under static conditions at a liquid-to-solid ratio of 1:1, pH value of 2, temperature of 298 K and initial REM concentration in the solutions ranging from 0.83 to 226.31 mmol/kg. Thermodynamic description of sorption isotherms was carried out by the method based on linearization of the mass action equation, modified for the ion exchange reaction. As a result of performed calculations, the authors obtained the constants of ion exchange equilibrium for Pr, Nd and Sm, as well as the values of the change in the Gibbs energy for the ion exchange of REM sulfate complexes on the AN-31 anion exchanger and the values of total capacity of the anion exchanger. Calculated separation factors indicated low selectivity of AN-31 anionite exchanger for light REMs; however, the anion exchanger is suitable for effective recovery of a sum of light REMs. Based on the average value of ion exchange equilibrium constant for light REMs, parameters of a sorption unit with a fluidized bed of anion exchanger were estimated

Sorption of rare earth coordination compounds

Rare earth elements (REEs) are valuable and strategically important in many high-technology areas, such as laser technology, pharmacy and metallurgy. The main methods of REE recovery are precipitation, extraction and sorption, in particular ion exchange using various sorbents, which allow to perform selective recovery and removal of associated components, as well as to separate rare earth metals with similar chemical properties. The paper examines recovery of ytterbium in the form of coordination compounds with Trilon B on weakly basic anion exchange resin D-403 from nitrate solutions. In order to estimate thermodynamic sorption parameters of ytterbium anionic complexes, ion exchange process was carried out from model solutions under constant ionic strength specified by NaNO3, optimal liquid to solid ratio, pH level, temperatures 298 and 343 K by variable concentrations method. Description of thermodynamic equilibrium was made using mass action law formulated for ion exchange equation and mathematically converted to linear form. Values of equilibrium constants, Gibbs free energy, enthalpy and entropy of the sorption process have been calculated. Basing on calculated values of Gibbs energy, a sorption series of complex REE ions with Trilon B was obtained over anion exchange resin D-403 from nitrate solutions at temperature 298 K. Sorption characteristics of anion exchange resin have been estimated: total capacity, limiting sorption of complex ions, total dynamic capacity and breakthrough dynamic capacity

Transcriptome Analysis of Alcohol Drinking in Non-Dependent and Dependent Mice Following Repeated Cycles of Forced Swim Stress Exposure

Chronic stress is a known contributing factor to the development of drug and alcohol addiction. Animal models have previously shown that repeated forced swim stress promotes escalated alcohol consumption in dependent animals. To investigate the underlying molecular adaptations associated with stress and chronic alcohol exposure, RNA-sequencing and bioinformatics analyses were conducted on the prefrontal cortex (CTX) of male C57BL/6J mice that were behaviorally tested for either non-dependent alcohol consumption (CTL), chronic intermittent ethanol (CIE) vapor dependent alcohol consumption, repeated bouts of forced swim stress alone (FSS), and chronic intermittent ethanol with forced swim stress (CIE + FSS). Brain tissue from each group was collected at 0-h, 72-h, and 168-h following the final test to determine long-lasting molecular changes associated with maladaptive behavior. Our results demonstrate unique temporal patterns and persistent changes in coordinately regulated gene expression systems with respect to the tested behavioral group. For example, increased expression of genes involved in “transmitter-gated ion channel activity” was only determined for CIE + FSS. Overall, our results provide a summary of transcriptomic adaptations across time within the CTX that are relevant to understanding the neurobiology of chronic alcohol exposure and stress