The Transformation of Social and Cultural Space in the Context of the Development of Transport Corridors

This article discusses the methodology of analysis and forecasting of complex spatial systems, taking into account a lot of economic, social and cultural relationships that determine the specifics of the individual territories’ development. Particular attention is paid to the formation of specific zones on the basis of urban settlements along the path of transport corridors. In this regard, the authors introduce the concept of ”urban renewal centers” and give a definition. For its disclosure, the methodological part provides a list of related concepts, defines their boundaries and relationships, and also reveals the essence of the definitions of ‘transport corridor’ and ‘zone of transport corridor’. The authors proposed the use of vector estimates for the analysis of heterogeneous spatial systems of extended information volumes with the inclusion of sociological data and problem-oriented adaptation of visualization and processing of graphic data. As a result of a new, more detailed statement of the problem, we can go on to assess the prospects for the development of space for the complex and heterogeneous macro-regional and transboundary transport corridor Ural — Northern Kazakhstan. The study has fixed that development of urban renewal centers acts as a driver for the development of social and cultural spheres, as well as general economic conditions. The social and cultural transformation of urban settlements over time begins to determine their economic development potential. Such settlements are becoming centers of gravity in the labor market with many far-reaching development scenarios. Keywords: regional development, urban settlements, urban renewal, transport corridor, visualizatio

History of the emergence of the Russian people and the spheres of the Russian language use in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region

The paper is devoted to the study of the history of Russians in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China (XUAR), where attention is paid to the main spheres of use of the Russian language. The article provides information about the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and also tells about when the Russian people and their language appeared. The waves of the Russian emigration are analyzed. These waves affected deeply the number of Russians. The main areas of application of the Russian language in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China are investigated. All this is of additional interest because the topic remains insufficiently explored. It doesn’t lose its relevance as Russians still live in Xinjiang and continue to speak Russian, which is their important communication tool

Nonlinear magnetoelectric effect in a layered ferromagnetic-piezoelectric heterostructure excited by transverse magnetic field

The nonlinear magnetoelectric effect in a heterostructure containing layers of amorphous ferromagnet FeBSiC and piezoelectric lead zirconate titanate ceramics has been investigated. The heterostructure was subjected to permanent, H 0, and alternating, h, magnetic fields applied in the structure plane. In contrast to previous studies, the excitation field was directed perpendicular to the permanent field (h ? H 0). The generation of even voltage harmonics across the piezoelectric layer was observed for excitation fields in the range of 0-3 Oe. The dependence of the second harmonic amplitude on the permanent field strength was found to differ significantly from a similar dependence upon longitudinal excitation, h//H 0. A theory was developed, which describes the field dependence of voltage harmonic amplitudes for the magnetoelectric effect excited by a transverse magnetic field. </p

Nonlinear magnetoelectric effect in a ferromagnetic-piezoelectric layered structure induced by rotating magnetic field

The magnetoelectric (ME) effect induced by a rotating magnetic field, h, in the presence of a dc magnetic field, H 0, is investigated in a disk-shaped ferromagnetic FeBSiC - piezoelectric lead zirconate titanate bilayer structure. It is found that, due to the nonlinear field-dependence of magnetostriction λ(H) in the ferromagnetic layer, voltage harmonics are generated. These harmonics have a specific dependence of their amplitude and phase on H 0 and h, which is different from the case of excitation with a linearly polarized field. A theory is developed that describes characteristics of the ME effect for the cases of weak h ≪ H 0 and strong h ≫ H 0 excitation fields. The effect can be employed in designing highly sensitive sensors of permanent and alternating magnetic fields. </p

Mechanical tomography of human corneocytes with a nanoneedle

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) can image biological samples and characterize their mechanical properties. However, the low aspect ratio of standard AFM probes typically limits these measurements to surface properties. Here, the intracellular mechanical behavior of human corneocytes is determined using “nanoneedle” AFM probes. The method evaluates the forces experienced by a nanoneedle as it is pushed into and then retracted from the cell. Indentation loops yield the stiffness profile and information on the elastic and nonelastic mechanical properties at a specific depth below the surface of the corneocytes. A clear difference between the softer ∼50-nm-thick external layer and the more rigid internal structure of corneocytes is apparent, which is consistent with the current understanding of the structure of these cells. There are also significant variations in the mechanical properties of corneocytes from different volunteers. The small diameter of the nanoneedle allows this “mechanical tomography” to be performed with high spatial resolution, potentially offering an opportunity to detect biomechanical changes in corneocytes because of, e.g., environmental factors, aging, or dermatological pathologies

Precise laser poration to control drug delivery into and through human nail

Drug treatment of diseases of the human nail remains a difficult challenge; topical therapy, in particular, is limited by very poor transport of active agents across the nail itself. The objective of this research was to examine the potential of controlled, and fibre-optic delivered, femtosecond laser light pulses to provide new pathways and opportunities for drug access to targets within and beneath the nail plate. Optical, confocal fluorescence and scanning electron microscopies demonstrated partial and complete laser poration of human nail samples, with the energy per pore and the exposure duration being the key modulating parameters that determined the extent of ablation achieved. Parallel measurements of the penetration of a model drug across laser-treated nails showed that complete poration resulted in essentially complete circumvention of the diffusion barrier, an array of 100 pores in 0.2 cm2 area of nail permitting a 103-fold increase in initial drug uptake. Partial ablation of the nail created pores that extended to a range of depths; the nail material adjacent to the ablated area was rendered porous in appearance presumably due to local thermal perturbation of the nail structure. These openings offer, as a result, potential sites in which topical drug formulations might be sequestered post-poration and from which slow, sustained delivery of the active agent into and through the nail may be envisaged

Biophysical elucidation of the mechanism of enhanced drug release and topical delivery from polymeric film-forming systems

The effect of incorporating the lipidic medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) into polymeric film-forming systems (FFS) for topical drug delivery has been evaluated. First, the in vitro release of betamethasone-17-valerate (BMV), a representative dermatological drug, was determined from FFS comprising either hydrophobic polyacrylate co-polymers, or hydrophilic hydroxypropyl cellulose, with and without MCT. Release was enhanced from both polymers in the presence of MCT. Atomic force microscopy imaging and nanoindentation of FFS with MCT revealed two-phase structured films with softer inclusions (0.5 to 4 μm in diameter) surrounded by a more rigid structure. Chemical mapping with Raman micro-spectroscopy showed that MCT was primarily confined to the inclusions within the polymer, which predominated in the surrounding film. BMV was distributed throughout the film but was more concentrated outside the inclusions. Furthermore, while BMV dissolved better into the hydrophobic films, it was more soluble in the MCT inclusions in hydrophilic films, suggesting its increased availability for diffusion from these softer regions of the polymer and explaining the release enhancement observed. Second, ex vivo skin penetration studies clearly revealed that uptake of BMV was higher from hydrophobic FFS than that from the more hydrophilic polymer due, at least in part, to the superior anti-nucleation efficiency of the former. Drug was quickly taken up into the SC from which it then diffused continuously over a sustained period into the lower, viable skin layers. In the presence of MCT, the overall uptake of BMV was increased and provides the basis for further optimisation of FFS as simple, convenient and sustained formulations for topical therapy