Convicts’ Labour in Russian Penitentiary Practice of the 17th – 18th Centuries: from Punishment to Correction Remedy

The results of historical and legal research of the key characteristics of Russia’s penitentiary policy in the sphere of convicted criminals’ labour organization in the 17th – 18th centuries are presented in the article. As an information base were used original texts of Russian legal acts of the researched historical period. Also, were used science works of historians and legal scholars starting from the first half of the 19th century. The study determines the influence of the Church on the processes of law-making, execution of criminal penalties and convicts’ labour organization in the early middle ages, as well as the impact of this stage on the formation of Russian penitentiary system in the studied historical period. The features of the influence of foreign legislation on the Russian penitentiary law-making and reception processes of the Byzantine legislation in the legal system, as well as the legislation of European countries, were determined. The article analyses the initial stage of the formation of a unified penitentiary system associated with the emergence of codified legal sources and a centralized system of public administration. Features of convict’s attraction to labour as well as organizational aspects of penitentiary systems’ functioning were investigated. The socio-economic conditions that determined the directions of development of Russia’s criminal and penitentiary legislation of the studied historical period were analysed

Compressed sensing quantum process tomography for superconducting quantum gates

We apply the method of compressed sensing (CS) quantum process tomography (QPT) to characterize quantum gates based on superconducting Xmon and phase qubits. Using experimental data for a two-qubit controlled-Z gate, we obtain an estimate for the process matrix $\chi$ with reasonably high fidelity compared to full QPT, but using a significantly reduced set of initial states and measurement configurations. We show that the CS method still works when the amount of used data is so small that the standard QPT would have an underdetermined system of equations. We also apply the CS method to the analysis of the three-qubit Toffoli gate with numerically added noise, and similarly show that the method works well for a substantially reduced set of data. For the CS calculations we use two different bases in which the process matrix $\chi$ is approximately sparse, and show that the resulting estimates of the process matrices match each ther with reasonably high fidelity. For both two-qubit and three-qubit gates, we characterize the quantum process by not only its process matrix and fidelity, but also by the corresponding standard deviation, defined via variation of the state fidelity for different initial states.Comment: 16 pages, 11 figure

Assessment of the Innovative Potential of Alternative Energy in the Context of the Transition to the Circular Economy

The purpose of this article is to consider the innovative potential of alternative energy at the level of an economic entity in the context of increasing the global significance of the transition to the circular economy. The authors consider the conceptual provisions of the circular economy and the place of alternative energy in it, as well as justify the possibility of increasing the level of innovation through the implementation of "clean" energy development programs. As an assessment of the innovative potential of alternative energy at the level of an economic entity, the authors propose an integral model that takes into account the specified parameters of innovation. To adapt the idea, the authors chose the enterprise management level, since it is at this level that the greatest innovative activity which can affect the diffusion of "circular" innovations is manifested. The article proposes to analyze the economic entities who implement recycling for the further production of energy resources. For the parametric integral assessment, the weighting coefficients of the key performance indicators were set. The analysis of the number of companies revealed a strong correlation between the integral indicator of innovation potential and the level of circular energy efficiency

Effect of long-term paired associative stimulation on the modulation of cortical sensorimotor oscillations after spinal cord injury

Study design A prospective interventional case series. Objectives To explore changes in the modulation of cortical sensorimotor oscillations after long-term paired associative stimulation (PAS) in participants with spinal cord injury (SCI). Setting BioMag Laboratory, HUS Diagnostic Center, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland. Methods Five patients with chronic incomplete SCI received unilateral spinal PAS to upper limb for 16-22 days. Changes in the modulation of sensorimotor oscillations in response to tactile stimulus and active and imaginary hand movements were assessed with magnetoencephalography recorded before and after the intervention. Results PAS restored the modulation of sensorimotor oscillations in response to active hand movement in four patients, whereas the modulation following tactile stimulation remained unaltered. The observed change was larger in the hemisphere that received PAS and preceded the clinical effect of the intervention. Conclusions Long-term spinal PAS treatment, which enhances the motor functions of SCI patients, also restores the modulation of cortical sensorimotor oscillations.Peer reviewe

The use of electronic coil location control for focal magnetic stimulation at the cervical level

Background Accurate re-positioning of the coil is challenging in magnetic stimulation at the cervical spinal level. The applicability of coil location control for this type of stimulation is unexplored. New method Utilizing a figure-of-eight coil and anatomy-specific models of the magnetic stimulation system, we developed a novel technique that enables probing corticospinal excitability at the cervical spinal level. Magnetic stimulation was performed in 9 healthy subjects at C2-C6 spinal levels using a figure-of-eight coil and a coil tracking system. MEPs were recorded from the abductor digiti minimi muscle. The functioning of the coil tracking system was tested with an estimated electric field maximum (eEFM) above the C1 cervical level (group 1) and below (group 2). Motor-evoked potential (MEP) reproducibility was assessed with intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC). Results The use of coil location control in cervical level focal magnetic stimulation enabled the recording of highly reproducible MEPs. Within one co-registration, the ICC 95% confidence interval (CI) in group 1 was 0.89-0.99 and in group 2 was 0.24-0.85. Comparison with existing methods and conclusions This method can be used for accurate maintenance and retrieval of the focal coil position at the cervical level with low spatial variability during stimulation. Existing methodologies employ determination of the coil location based on external landmarks, which makes the procedure cumbersome. This technique can optimize existing stimulation protocols and facilitate development of navigated spinal stimulation.Peer reviewe

Noncovalent interactions in crowded olefinic radical cations

Peer reviewe

Robust cryogenic matched low-pass coaxial filters for quantum computing applications

Electromagnetic noise is one of the key external factors decreasing superconducting qubits coherence. Matched coaxial filters can prevent microwave and IR photons negative influence on superconducting quantum circuits. Here, we report on design and fabrication route of matched low-pass coaxial filters for noise-sensitive measurements at milliKelvin temperatures. A robust transmission coefficient with designed linear absorption (-1dB/GHz) and ultralow reflection losses less than -20 dB up to 20 GHz is achieved. We present a mathematical model for evaluating and predicting filters transmission parameters depending on their dimensions. It is experimentally approved on two filters prototypes different lengths with compound of Cu powder and Stycast commercial resin demonstrating excellent matching. The presented design and assembly route are universal for various compounds and provide high repeatability of geometrical and microwave characteristics. Finally, we demonstrate three filters with almost equal reflection and transmission characteristics in the range from 0 to 20 GHz, which is quite useful to control multiple channel superconducting quantum circuits.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Process sequence of soil aggregate formation disentangled through multi-isotope labelling

Microaggregates (250 µm) that resisted 60 J mL−1 ultrasonic dispersion. Afterwards, we assessed the C, N, Fe, and Si stable isotope composition in each size fraction. After four weeks we found a rapid build-up of stable macroaggregates comprising almost 50 % of soil mass in the treatment with plants and respective soil rooting, but only 5 % when plants were absent. The formation of these stable macroaggregates proceeded with time. Soil organic carbon (SOC) contents were elevated by 15 % in the large macroaggregates induced by plant growth. However, the recovery of EPS-derived 13C was below 20 % after 4 weeks, indicating rapid turnover in treatments both with and without plants. The remaining EPS-derived C was mainly found in macroaggregates when plants were present and in the occluded small microaggregates (<20 µm) when plants were absent. The excess of bacterial 15N closely followed the pattern of EPS-derived 13C (R2 = 0.72). In contrast to the organic gluing agents, the goethite-57Fe and montmorillonite-29Si were relatively equally distributed across all size fractions. Overall, microaggregates were formed within weeks. Roots enforced this process by stabilizing microaggregates within stable macroaggregates. As time proceeded the labelled organic components decomposed, while the labelled secondary oxides and clay minerals increasingly contributed to aggregate stabilization and turnover at the scale of months and beyond. Consequently, the well-known hierarchical organization of aggregation follows a clear chronological sequence of stabilization and turnover processes

Unveiling comparative genomic trajectories of selection and key candidate genes in egg-type Russian White and meat-type White Cornish chickens

Simple Summary: The search for genomic regions of putative selective signaling is instrumental in obtaining information about selection history in various species and populations. Domestic animals are subject to long-term artificial selection that leaves certain footprints in their genomes one can explore using genome-wide SNP screen. We examined here genomes of two contrasting chicken breeds, the native egg-type Russian White and meat-type White Cornish. Using three statistics, we identified genomic regions under putative selection, both breed-specific and shared between two breeds, that harbor key candidate genes for economically important traits. Our findings will be useful in further understanding selection history and genomic diversity in domestic chickens that would be pivotal in their productive breeding. Abstract: Comparison of genomic footprints in chicken breeds with different selection history is a powerful tool in elucidating genomic regions that have been targeted by recent and more ancient selection. In the present work, we aimed at examining and comparing the trajectories of artificial selection in the genomes of the native egg-type Russian White (RW) and meat-type White Cornish (WC) breeds. Combining three different statistics (top 0.1% SNP by FST value at pairwise breed comparison, hapFLK analysis, and identification of ROH island shared by more than 50% of individuals), we detected 45 genomic regions under putative selection including 11 selective sweep regions, which were detected by at least two different methods. Four of such regions were breed-specific for each of RW breed (on GGA1, GGA5, GGA8, and GGA9) and WC breed (on GGA1, GGA5, GGA8, and GGA28), while three remaining regions on GGA2 (two sweeps) and GGA3 were common for both breeds. Most of identified genomic regions overlapped with known QTLs and/or candidate genes including those for body temperatures, egg productivity, and feed intake in RW chickens and those for growth, meat and carcass traits, and feed efficiency in WC chickens. These findings were concordant with the breed origin and history of their artificial selection. We determined a set of 188 prioritized candidate genes retrieved from the 11 overlapped regions of putative selection and reviewed their functions relative to phenotypic traits of interest in the two breeds. One of the RW-specific sweep regions harbored the known domestication gene, TSHR. Gene ontology and functional annotation analysis provided additional insight into a functional coherence of genes in the sweep regions. We also showed a greater candidate gene richness on microchromosomes relative to macrochromosomes in these genomic areas. Our results on the selection history of RW and WC chickens and their key candidate genes under selection serve as a profound information for further conservation of their genomic diversity and efficient breeding