The Role of Oligarchs in Russian Capitalism

Using a unique dataset, we describe the degree of ownership concentration in Russian economy and its role in shaping economic and political institutions in Russia. In particular, we find that Russian "oligarchs" do control a substantial part of the economy. While the relative weight of their firms in Russian economy is huge, they do not seem to be excessively large by the standards of the global economy where most of them are operating. The oligarchs seem to run their firms more efficiently than other Russian owners controlling for industry, region and size

Queen mandibular pheromone: questions that remain to be resolved

The discovery of ‘queen substance’, and the subsequent identification and synthesis of keycomponents of queen mandibular pheromone, has been of significant importance to beekeepers and to thebeekeeping industry. Fifty years on, there is greater appreciation of the importance and complexity of queenpheromones, but many mysteries remain about the mechanisms through which pheromones operate. Thediscovery of sex pheromone communication in moths occurred within the same time period, but in this case,intense pressure to find better means of pest management resulted in a remarkable focusing of research activityon understanding pheromone detection mechanisms and the central processing of pheromone signals in themoth. We can benefit from this work and here, studies on moths are used to highlight some of the gaps in ourknowledge of pheromone communication in bees. A better understanding of pheromone communication inhoney bees promises improved strategies for the successful management of these extraordinary animals

Expression of insulin pathway genes during the period of caste determination in the honey bee, Apis mellifera

Female honeybees have two castes, queens and workers. Developmental fate is determined by larval diet. Coding sequences made available through the Honey Bee Genome Sequencing Consortium allow for a pathway-based approach to understanding caste determination. We examined the expression of several genes of the insulin signalling pathway, which is central to regulation of growth based on nutrition. We found one insulin-like peptide expressed at very high levels in queen but not worker larvae. Also, the gene for an insulin receptor was expressed at higher levels in queen larvae during the 2nd larval instar. These results demonstrate that the insulin pathway is a compelling candidate for pursing the relationship between diet and downstream signals involved in caste determination and differentiation

On the evaluation of noise immunity of different classes of wideband signals

The current stage of the development of the society is characterized by a continuous increase in remote interaction between subscribers and user requests for various types of multiservice services, with the required quality regardless of their location. This is mainly implemented on the basis of wireless communication systems (SBS) at the current tim

Familial Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma: A Retrospective Analysis

Background. Whether or not the familial form of papillary thyroid carcinoma is more aggressive than the sporadic form of the disease remains controversial. Methods. To explore this question and whether or not increased aggressiveness is more apparent in families with multiple affected members, we performed a chi square by trend analysis on our patients clinical and pathologic data comparing: first degree families with three or more affected members versus first degree families with two affected members versus sporadic cases of papillary thyroid carcinoma. Results. No statistically significant trends were seen for any presenting surgical pathology parameter, age at presentation, length of follow-up or gender distribution. The familial groups exhibited significant trends for higher rates of reoperation (P = 0.05) and/or requiring additional radioactive iodine therapy (P = 0.03), distant metastases (P = 0.003) and deaths (P = 0.01). These aggressive features were most apparent in certain families with three or more affected members. Conclusions. Using the chi square by trend analysis, a significant trend was seen for the familial form of papillary thyroid cancer to possess more aggressive features than the sporadic disease. Prompt recognition of the familial nature of the disease may provide earlier diagnosis and treatment in similarly affected family members

About the possibility of the type broadband channel signal aplication with linear frequency modulation in multichannel systems of satellite communication

They consider the expediency of one class of broadband channel signal application created on the basis of intrapulse phase modulation according to the pseudo-random sequence (PRS) of a linear-frequency-modulated (LFM) radio pulse in multi-channel satellite communication systems with the code division of the frequency-time resources of a communication channel. In the framework of this paper, the uncertainty functions (UF) and the mutual uncertainty functions (MUF) of the proposed class of signals are studied in order to evaluate the effect of the Doppler frequency shift on its noise immunity and the dimension of an ensemble volume concerning weakly correlated forms of this signa

Выявление факторов риска регионарного метастазирования дифференцированного рака щитовидной железы

Diagnostic difficulties of regional metastases, especially lesion of the central neck, is the main problem with choosing the type of surgical intervention for patients with differentiated thyroid cancer diagnosis. The frequency of differentiated thyroid cancer regional metastasis to the neck lymph nodes is about 60 %. This article includes the search and identification of risk factors of differentiated thyroid cancer regional metastases, as well as a review of the literature on this problem. We have analyzed the results of surgical treatment of patients with papillary thyroid cancer of Stage I–III (T1–4aN0–1bM0) who underwent surgical treatment at the St. Petersburg State Healthcare Institution «City Clinical Oncology Center» in 2018–2019. As a result of the study, the data revealed a relationship between regional metastases and intrathyroid vascular invasion of the primary tumor (p < 0.05), while multifocality, extrathyroid extension and the incidence of BRAF mutation have not demonstrated this correlation (p > 0.05). After the surgical treatment we should focus on the presence of vascular invasion and, if it is detected, perform final thyroidectomy and central lymph node dissection with subsequent radioiodine therapy.Трудность диагностики регионарных метастазов, особенно при поражении центрального уровня шеи, представляет основную проблему выбора объема хирургического вмешательства у пациентов с диагнозом дифференцированного рака щитовидной железы (РЩЖ). Частота регионарного метастазирования дифференцированного РЩЖ в лимфатические узлы шеи составляет в среднем 60 %. В статье описан процесс поиска факторов риска регионарного метастазирования дифференцированного рака щитовидной железы, а также дан обзор литературы по данной проблеме. Были проанализированы результаты хирургического лечения пациентов с морфологическим диагнозом папиллярного РЩЖ I–III стадии T1–4aN0–1bM0, которым было проведено хирургическое лечение в СПБ ГБУЗ «Городской клинический онкологический диспансер» Минздрава России в период с 2018 по 2019 гг. Согласно полученным в результате исследования данным выявлена связь регионального метастазирования с интратиреоидной сосудистой инвазией первичной опухоли (p < 0,05), тогда как многофокусность, экcтратиреоидное распространение и наличие BRAF-мутации данной корреляции не продемонстрировали (p > 0,05). После выполненного хирургического лечения у пациентов с дифференцированным РЩЖ при оценке послеоперационного гистологического материала следует акцентировать внимание на наличии интратиреоидной сосудистой инвазии первичной опухоли и при её обнаружении расширять объём лечения и выполнять завершающую тиреоидэктомию с лимфодиссекцией и последующей радиойодтерапией

Primjena tehnologije rekombinantne DNA za pripravke kolinesteraza kao antidota i detektora organofosfata

To develop new avenues for synthesizing novel antidotes for organophosphate poisoning and for detection of the organophosphates, we have turned to recombinant DNA methods to synthesize cholinesterases with unusual properties. For antidotal therapy we describe mutations of the native mouse and human enzymes that allow for enhanced rates of oxime reactivation. Such enzymes, when localized in the circulation, would enable the circulating cholinesterase to become a catalytic rather than simply a stoichiometric scavenger. Hence, “oxime-assisted catalysis” provides a means for scavenging the organophosphates in the circulation thereby minimizing their tissue penetration and toxicity. Accordingly, the oxime antidote or prophylactic agent has a dual action within the circulation and at the tissue level. Second, through a novel chemistry, termed freeze-frame, click chemistry, we have used organophosphate conjugates of acetylcholinesterase as templates for the synthesis of novel nucleophilic reactivating agents. Finally, acetylcholinesterase can be modified through cysteine substitution mutagenesis and attachment of fluorophores at the substitution positions. When linked at certain locations in the molecule, the attached fluorophore is sensitive to organophosphate conjugation with acetylcholinesterase, and thus the very target of insecticide or nerve agent action becomes a detection molecule for organophosphate exposure.Razvijajući novi pristup sintezi antidota pri otrovanju organofosfatima kao i njihovu detekciju, primijenili smo metode rekombinantne DNA za pripremu kolinesteraza s neuobičajenim svojstvima. Za antidotsku terapiju istražili smo mutacije prirodnih enzima miša i čovjeka koje povećavaju brzine reaktivacije oksimom. Takvi enzimi bi po unosu u cirkulaciju postali katalitički, a ne samo stehiometrijski odstranjivači organofosfata. Na taj način “oksimom potpomognuta kataliza” omogućava čišćenje organofosfata iz cirkulacije umanjujući prodiranje organofosfata u tkiva i njihovu toksičnost. Prema tome, oksim kao antidot ima dvojaku ulogu: u cirkulaciji i na razini tkiva. S druge strane, uporabom novog sintetskog pristupa u oblikovanju biološki aktivnih spojeva poznatog kao “klik kemija” diskretnih proteinskih konformacija, organofosforilirani konjugati acetilkolinesteraze služe kao kalup u sintezi novih nukleofilnih reaktivatora. Naposljetku, acetilkolinesteraza se može mutagenezom modificirati uvo|enjem cisteina na koje se mogu vezati fluorofori. Fluorofori uvedeni na određena mjesta u molekuli acetilkolinesteraze mijenjaju svoja fluorescentna svojstva pri konjugaciji organofosfata s enzimom koji na taj način od objekta djelovanja insekticida i živčanih bojnih otrova postaje molekula za detekciju izloženosti organofosfatima

Sex differences in interacting genetic and functional connectivity biomarkers in Alzheimer’s disease

As of 2023, it is estimated that 6.7 million individuals in the United States live with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Prior research indicates that AD disproportionality affects females; females have a greater incidence rate, perform worse on a variety of neuropsychological tasks, and have greater total brain atrophy. Recent research shows that hippocampal functional connectivity differs by sex and may be related to the observed sex differences in AD, and apolipoprotein E (ApoE) ε4 carriers have reduced hippocampal functional connectivity. The purpose of this study was to determine if the ApoE genotype plays a role in the observed sex differences in hippocampal functional connectivity in Alzheimer’s disease. The resting state fMRI and T2 MRI of individuals with AD (n = 30, female = 15) and cognitively normal individuals (n = 30, female = 15) from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) were analyzed using the functional connectivity toolbox (CONN). Our results demonstrated intrahippocampal functional connectivity differed between those without an ε4 allele and those with at least one ε4 allele in each group. Additionally, intrahippocampal functional connectivity differed only by sex when Alzheimer’s participants had at least one ε4 allele. These results improve our current understanding of the role of the interacting relationship between sex, ApoE genotype, and hippocampal function in AD. Understanding these biomarkers may aid in the development of sex-specific interventions for improved AD treatment