Astrocyte-induced positive integrated information in neuron-astrocyte ensembles

Integrated information is a quantitative measure from information theory of how tightly all parts of a system are interconnected in terms of information exchange. In this study we show that astrocytes, playing an important role in regulation of information transmission between neurons, may contribute to a generation of positive integrated information in neuronal ensembles. Analytically and numerically we show that the presence of astrocytic regulation of neurotransmission may be essential for this information attribute in neuroastrocytic ensembles. Moreover, the proposed “spiking-bursting” mechanism of generating positive integrated information is shown to be generic and not limited to neuron-astrocyte networks and is given a complete analytic description

Пенсионное страхование в России: современное состояние и возможности трансформации

 The article examines and analyzes the essence of pension relations in modern Russia. The aim of the article is to study and test the hypothesis that an important factor in ensuring the effectiveness of the Russian pension system is a clear definition of the essence of economic relations in it, as well as adequate legal and organizational formalization of these relations. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the analysis of the validity and adequacy of applying (from terminological to organizational and practical levels) the classical insurance principles in the organization of the pension system, as well as the possibilities of increasing the efficiency of this system on the basis of the insurance sector. The research methodology is based on the analysis of the genesis and current state of the Russian pension system. The results of the study indicate that the structure of the Russian pension system requires serious reorganization, in particular, a clear distinction between the insurance (pension insurance) and non-insurance (pension provision) segments. The authors substantiated that pension insurance should be based on the classical principles of life insurance, and insurers who have an appropriate license obtained under the Law “On the organization of insurance business in the Russian Federation” should be involved in the implementation of this insurance. At the same time, non-state pension funds must either be transformed into life insurers, or acquire new functionality within the framework of pension provision (the non-insurance part of the pension system). The practical implementation of the research results and related recommendations will allow, according to the authors, to organically structure the insurance and non-insurance segments of the Russian pension system and increase its efficiency. The authors conclude that the construction of pension insurance on the basis of the classical principles of life insurance will make it possible to fully use the accumulated global and domestic experience of using life insurance as a reliable instrument for financing pensions. At the same time, it is necessary to extend to pension relations the norms of regulation of the insurance market and state insurance supervision, which have proven their effectiveness.  Авторы анализируют сущность пенсионных отношений в современной России. Цель исследования — проверка гипотезы о том, что важным фактором обеспечения эффективности российской пенсионной системы является четкое определение сущности экономических отношений внутри нее, а также их адекватное правовое и организационное оформление. Научная новизна исследования заключается в анализе обоснованности и адекватности использования (от терминологического до организационно-практического уровней) классических страховых принципов в организации пенсионной системы, а также возможностей повышения  эффективности этой системы на основе страхового дела. В основе методологии исследования лежит анализ генезиса и современного состояния российской пенсионной системы. Показано, что структура российской пенсионной системы требует серьезной реорганизации, в частности четкого разграничения страхового (пенсионное страхование) и нестрахового (пенсионное обеспечение) сегментов. Обосновано, что пенсионное страхование должно основываться на классических принципах страхования жизни, а реализацией данного страхования должны заниматься страховщики, имеющие соответствующую лицензию, полученную в рамках Закона  «Об организации страхового дела в РФ». При этом негосударственные пенсионные фонды должны либо быть преобразованы в страховщиков жизни, либо приобрести новый функционал в  рамках пенсионного обеспечения (нестраховой части пенсионной системы). Практическая реализация  результатов исследования и связанных с ними рекомендаций позволит, по мнению авторов, органично структурировать страховой и нестраховой блоки российской пенсионной системы и  повысит ее эффективность. Авторы делают вывод, что построение пенсионного страхования на базе классических принципов страхования жизни позволит в полной мере использовать накопленный мировой и отечественный опыт использования страхования жизни как надежного инструмента финансирования пенсий. При этом на пенсионные отношения необходимо распространить подтвердившие свою эффективность нормы регулирования страхового рынка и государственного страхового надзора.

The effect of voluntary hypoventilation in yoga breathing exercises on gas exchange and EEG activity in healthy trained subjects

Objective: to assess the effect of voluntary hypoventilation during yoga breathing exercises on gas exchange and EEG activity in a group of healthy, trained practitioners.Materials and methods: 25 volunteers (21 men and 4 women, average age 42.96 ± 9.19 years) performed hypoventilation yoga exercises with a decrease in respiratory rate to 1–1.5 times/minute. Registration of respiratory rate, tidal volume and minute volume of breathing, gas analysis of exhaled air (PetCO2, FeO2) and spectral analysis of electroencephalogram (EEG) in gICA model were carried out during breathing with a frequency of 1–1.5 times/minute and during relatively free breathing with mental calculation.Results: Breathing with a frequency of 1–1.5 times/minute causes a decrease in minute volume of breathing, the development of alveolar hypoxia and hypercapnia, which leads to an increase in the power of some local components in the slow delta, theta and alpha EEG bands. In addition, breathing with a frequency of 1–1.5 times/minute is accompanied by a decrease in the alpha- and beta-power of some components, the sources of which are located in the motor areas of the cortex, but is also accompanied by an increase in the power of components with widespread scalp topography in beta and gamma bands.Conclusion: Voluntary hypoventilation during yoga breathing exercises leads to the development of alveolar hypoxia and hypercapnia, accompanied by an increase in the power of local components in the slow EEG bands. At the same time, the alpha and beta powers of components localized in the motor areas of the cortex decrease, which may be a consequence of muscle tension during slow breathing

Influence of the material of weighing bottles on loss-on-drying reproducibility

One of the factors influencing the uncertainty of residual moisture measurements in biological medicinal products is the accumulation of electrostatic charge on the surfaces of weighing bottles and laboratory balances, which results in poor weighing reproducibility. The authors believe that the simplest and most economical solution to this problem is to use weighing bottles made of a conductive material, e.g. metal. The aim of the work was to evaluate the influence of the material of weighing bottles on the reproducibility of loss-on-drying (LOD) methods. Materials and methods: Model samples for the study were prepared from a sucrose-gelatin medium by lyophilisation and subsequent moisture sorption to achieve a certain residual moisture content. The authors assessed the samples’ mass uniformity using Shewhart’s X-charts, and analysed their residual moisture content using a loss-on-drying procedure with glass and metal weighing bottles. Statistical processing of the results was carried out by calculating the main statistical indicators: Student’s t-test and Fisher’s F-test. Results: Four batches of model samples were prepared and standardised in terms of average mass using Shewhart’s charts. The effect of weighing bottle materials was most pronounced at low residual moisture contents (less than 0.5%), with the relative standard deviation (RSD) values for the results obtained with glass and metal weighing bottles reaching 76% and 35%, respectively. For the samples with a higher residual moisture content (2–5%), the minimum RSDs with glass and metal weighing bottles were 15% and 6%, respectively. Conclusions: The study allowed for evaluating the influence of the material of weighing bottles on the results of LOD measurements and demonstrated a higher reproducibility with metal weighing bottles. This confirms the possibility of using metal weighing bottles in quality assessment of biological medicinal products for human use with LOD methods

Lyophilisation of bacterial test strains in a manifold-type apparatus: Effects of freezing and drying parameters, ampoule fill volume, and cotton filter density

Scientific relevance. Lyophilisation is the preferred method at the National Collection of Pathogenic Microorganisms (NCPM) of the Scientific Centre for Expert Evaluation of Medicinal Products of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation. Lyophilisation is used to provide for high standards of test-strain deposition, storage, and transportation and to ensure that test strains maintain their properties. Successful lyophilisation requires conducting experiments to establish the key parameters and critical conditions of the process.Aim. The study aimed to evaluate the effects that the speed and time of freezing, the time of drying, the fill volume of ampoules, and the density of cotton filters have on the quality of NCPM indicator microorganisms lyophilised in a manifold-type apparatus.Materials and methods. Pseudomonas aeruginosa NCTC 12924, Staphylococcus aureus NCTC 10788, and Salmonella Abony NCTC 6017 were freeze-dried using a manifold-type apparatus (M. S. R. 18, Usifroid). The authors used a low-temperature freezer at –70±2 °C for slow freezing and a mixture of dry ice and alcohol for quick freezing. The statistical analysis was performed using Microsoft Excel and Statistica 10.Results. The minimum time needed for freezing the samples in a low-temperature freezer at –70±2 °C was 4 hours. Further storage at this temperature for up to 1 month was shown possible without compromising the quality of the final product. The time needed for freezing the samples in a mixture of dry ice and alcohol was under 1 minute. No differences in quality parameters were observed between the lyophilised samples frozen slowly or quickly, except for the cake appearance. Quick freezing resulted in cakes that were non-uniform, crumbled, and pulled away from the ampoule walls, which is considered undesirable. The primary drying stage for ampoules with a fill volume of 0.2 mL took 6–8 hours. The secondary drying stage of 11, 18, 35, and 59 hours resulted in comparable lyophilisate quality: the authors observed no statistically significant differences in viable cell counts (CFU/mL) at the end of lyophilisation and at the end of stress testing. The residual moisture content after 59-hour secondary drying was less than 2%. The cotton filter density had a critical influence on the lyophilisate quality. Therefore, the authors recommend using cotton filters weighing 50 mg or less.Conclusions. The authors analysed the main stages of the lyophilisation process used for NCPM test strains and considered the effects that the speed and time of freezing, the time of drying, the fill volume of ampoules, and the density of cotton filters have on the quality of the final lyophilised product. The NCPM has implemented the results of this study in its work

Mirabegron: pharmacoeconomic aspects of the use of the drug for the treatment of overactive bladder syndrome

According to the International Continence Society (ICS), symptoms of overactive bladder (OAB) are present in 17 % of the adult population of Europe. The prevalence of overactive bladder in Russia is unknown but is considered comparable to that in European countries. According to Russian guidelines, patients with OAB could be treated with antimuscarinics or beta 3-agonists. The results of a meta-analysis by Wang J et al. (2018) showed comparable efficacy and safety of mirabegron and solifenacin. At the same time, according to Chapple CR et al. (2017) and Yeowell G et al. (2018) the use of mirabegron is associated with greater adherence to therapy and longer average drug use before the need to change therapy compared to antimuscarinics. From an economic point of view, greater adherence to drug therapy is associated with lower costs per patient with OAB per year and mirabegron have demonstrated to be cost-eff ective in comparison to solifenacin. The results of the analysis of the structure and volume of providing various types of medical care to patients with OAB in the Moscow region demonstrate the need to expand approaches to providing drug care to this group of patients. Currently, the majority of costs related to patients with OAB are associated with surgical treatment, which indicates the opportunity to expand the possibilities of drug therapy, including within the framework of preferential drug provision

Work and rest regime of medical workers as a reason for the formation of chronic fatigue syndrome

The article presents the materials of a sociological study conducted by means of a questionnaire among the medical and average staff of the Central city hospital in order to study the work and rest regime and health disorders. Because of the study, a significant excess of the hourly load of medical workers was found and the connection between the occurrence of complaints characteristic of chronic fatigue syndrome and an increase in working hours.В статье представлены материалы социологического исследования, проведённого путем анкетирования среди врачебного и среднего персонала центральной городской больницы,с целью изучения режима труда и отдыха и нарушениями самочувствия. В результате исследования были выявлены значительное превышение часовой нагрузки медицинских работников и связь возникновения жалоб, характерных для синдрома хронической усталости с увеличением продолжительности рабочего времени

Anti-vortex state in cross-like nanomagnets

We report on results of computer micromodelling of anti-vortex states in asymmetrical cross-like ferromagnetic nanostructures and their practical realization. The arrays of cobalt crosses with 1 mkm branches, 100 nm widths of the branches and 40 nm thicknesses were fabricated using e-beam lithography and ion etching. Each branch of the cross was tapered at one end and bulbous at the other. The stable formation of anti-vortex magnetic states in these nanostructures during magnetization reversal was demonstrated experimentally using magnetic force microscopy.Comment: 19 pages, 9 figure

Geographic Information System and Geoportal River basins of the European Russia

© Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd. Geographic Information System (GIS) and Geoportal with open access River basins of the European Russia were implemented. GIS and Geoportal are based on the map of basins of small rivers of the European Russia with information about natural and anthropogenic characteristics, namely geomorphometry of basins relief; climatic parameters, representing averages, variation, seasonal variation, extreme values of temperature and precipitation; land cover types; soil characteristics; type and subtype of landscape; population density. The GIS includes results of spatial analysis and modelling, in particular, assessment of anthropogenic impact on river basins; evaluation of water runoff and sediment runoff; climatic, geomorphological and landscape zoning for the European part of Russia