Состояние сложного технического объекта - газотурбинного двигателя, качество функционирования и уровень работоспособности

The paper deals with a new approach to an estimation of level of working capacity and quality of a difficult technical plant functioning.В статье приведен новый подход к оценке уровня работоспособности и качества функционирования сложного технического объекта - газотурбинного двигателя (ГТД), предотказного состояния

Metamaterials: optical activity without chirality

We report that the classical phenomenon of optical activity, which is traditionally associated with chirality (helicity) of organic molecules, proteins, and inorganic structures, can be observed in artificial planar media which exhibit neither 3D nor 2D chirality. We observe the effect in the microwave and optical parts of the spectrum at oblique incidence to regular arrays of nonchiral subwavelength metamolecules in the form of strong circular dichroism and birefringence indistinguishable from those of chiral three-dimensional media

РАЗРАБОТКА КОМПОЗИТНОГО ИНДИКАТОРА ДЛЯ ИЗМЕРЕНИЯ ВЕЛИЧИНЫ И ДИНАМИКИ ЦИФРОВОГО НЕРАВЕНСТВА В РОССИИ

The authors attempted to establish methodology for constructing composite indicator to estimate the value and dynamic characteristics of the digital inequality. The trend of the modern development of the countries all over world is the course on the formation of the digital economy and the development of socio-economic relations based on digital interactions. In this regard the adoption of the «Strategy for the Development of the Information Society in the Russian Federation for 2017-2030» and the program «Digital Economy of the Russian Federation» proves to be relevant. The more so in the context of quite a noticeable socio-economic differentiation, there is a risk of the «digital divide» effect of the Russian regions, which will create additional difficulties for their development.After a brief historical overview of science and technology development stages (related to the digital economy) of the last decade and the reflection of this process in the scientific and professional literature and state programs of a number of countries, the authors review evolutionary aspects and challenges associated with implementation of programs such as the Nationwide program for informatization of society in Russia. The consolidated index of readiness of Russian regions to the information society, proposed by the Institute for the Development of the Information Society, has a number of shortcomings, which hinders its direct use for assessing digital inequality and comparing the regions of Russia according to the level of informatization in dynamics. The article examines the possibility of implementing the author’s idea of the improved integral indicator that would allow studying not only the development of the information society and Information and communication technologies (ICT) as a whole but also the interregional digital divide. The development of the new index considered the possibility of reflecting the degree of access of the population to ICT in the regions, taking into account technological factors.Авторами предпринята попытка обосновать методологию построения композитного индикатора для измерения величины и динамических характеристик цифрового неравенства в России. Во введении аргументируется положение, в соответствии с которым трендом современного развития ведущих стран мира стал курс на формирование цифровой экономики и развитие социально-экономических отношений на основе цифровых взаимодействий. В этой связи подчеркивается актуальность принятие «Стратегия развития информационного общества в Российской Федерации на 2017-2030 годы» и программы «Цифровая экономика Российской Федерации», так как в условиях достаточно заметной социально-экономической дифференциации существует риск возникновения эффекта «цифрового разрыва» российских регионов, что создаст дополнительные трудности для их развития.После краткого исторического экскурса по этапам научно-технологического развития последних десятилетий, связанного с цифровой экономикой, и отражения этого процесса в научно-профессиональной литературе и государственных программах ряда стран рассматривается вопрос об особенностях эволюции и трудностях реализации в России таких программ, как например, Общегосударственная программа информатизации общества. Предложенный Институтом развития информационного общества сводный Индекс готовности регионов России к информационному обществу обладает рядом недостатков, что препятствует его непосредственному использованию для оценки цифрового неравенства и сопоставления регионов России по уровню информатизации в динамике. В статье рассмотрена возможность реализации авторской идеи о модернизированном сводном индикаторе, который способен не только измерить развитие информационного общества и информационно-коммуникационные технологии (ИКТ) в целом, но и цифровое межрегиональное неравенство, когда учитываются возможности населения регионов к использованию ИКТ с учетом технологических факторов

Ready ... Go: Amplitude of the fMRI Signal Encodes Expectation of Cue Arrival Time

What happens when the brain awaits a signal of uncertain arrival time, as when a sprinter waits for the starting pistol? And what happens just after the starting pistol fires? Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we have discovered a novel correlate of temporal expectations in several brain regions, most prominently in the supplementary motor area (SMA). Contrary to expectations, we found little fMRI activity during the waiting period; however, a large signal appears after the “go” signal, the amplitude of which reflects learned expectations about the distribution of possible waiting times. Specifically, the amplitude of the fMRI signal appears to encode a cumulative conditional probability, also known as the cumulative hazard function. The fMRI signal loses its dependence on waiting time in a “countdown” condition in which the arrival time of the go cue is known in advance, suggesting that the signal encodes temporal probabilities rather than simply elapsed time. The dependence of the signal on temporal expectation is present in “no-go” conditions, demonstrating that the effect is not a consequence of motor output. Finally, the encoding is not dependent on modality, operating in the same manner with auditory or visual signals. This finding extends our understanding of the relationship between temporal expectancy and measurable neural signals

Assessment of the antifungal activity of the violacein-forming strain Janthinobacterium sp. B-3515 against the mould fungus Alternaria brassicicola F-1864

A study of antifungal properties of violacein-forming strain Janthinobacterium sp. B-3515 as well as its secondary metabolite, violacein, against Alternaria brassicicola F-1864 is presented. Regardless of the presence of bacteria, mycelium growth in the first two days proceeded at the same rate. The effect of the bacterial strain was manifested after the third day of incubation. In general, during co-culture, the bacterial strain statistically significantly reduced the average growth of the mycelium of the mould fungus by 10

Double Dissociation of Format-Dependent and Number-Specific Neurons in Human Parietal Cortex

Based on neuroimaging methods, it is a commonly held view that numerical representation in the human parietal lobes is format independent. We used a transcranial magnetic stimulation adaptation paradigm to examine the existence of functionally segregated overlapping populations of neurons for different numerical formats and to reveal how numerical information is encoded and represented. Based on 2 experiments, we found that right parietal lobe stimulation showed a dissociation between digits and verbal numbers, whereas the left parietal lobe showed a double dissociation between the different numerical formats. Further analysis and modeling also excluded pre- or postrepresentational components as the source of the current effects. These results demonstrate that both parietal lobes are equipped with format-dependent neurons that encode quantity

Boundaries of Semantic Distraction: Dominance and Lexicality Act at Retrieval

Three experiments investigated memory for semantic information with the goal of determining boundary conditions for the manifestation of semantic auditory distraction. Irrelevant speech disrupted the free recall of semantic category-exemplars to an equal degree regardless of whether the speech coincided with presentation or test phases of the task (Experiment 1) and occurred regardless of whether it comprised random words or coherent sentences (Experiment 2). The effects of background speech were greater when the irrelevant speech was semantically related to the to-be-remembered material, but only when the irrelevant words were high in output dominance (Experiment 3). The implications of these findings in relation to the processing of task material and the processing of background speech is discussed

Association Between Nutritional Status and the Immune response in HIV + Patients under HAART: Protocol for a Systematic Review.

Over 850 million people worldwide and 200 million adults in Sub-Saharan Africa suffer from malnutrition. Countries most affected by HIV are also stricken by elevated rates of food insecurity and malnutrition. HIV infection and insufficient nutritional intake are part of a vicious cycle that contributes to immunodeficiency and negative health outcomes. However, the effect of the overlap between HIV infection and undernutrition on the immune response following antiretroviral initiation remains unclear. A possible explanation could be the lack of consensus concerning the definition and assessment of nutritional status. Our objectives are to investigate the existence of an association between undernutrition and immune response at antiretroviral treatment initiation and the following year in low- and middle-income countries where malnutrition is most prevalent. Our systematic review will identify studies originating from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) published from 1996 onwards, through searches in MEDLINE (PubMed interface), EMBASE (OVID interface), Cochrane Central (OVID interface) and grey literature. No language restrictions will be applied. We will seek out studies of any design investigating the association between the nutritional status (for example, undernourished versus well nourished) and the immune response, either in terms of CD4 count or immune failure, in seropositive patients initiating antiretroviral therapy or in their first year of treatment. Two reviewers will independently screen articles, extract data and assess scientific quality using standardized forms and published quality assessment tools tailored for each study design. Where feasible, pooled measures of association will be obtained through meta-analyses. Results will be reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) Statement. This protocol has been registered in the PROSPERO database (registration number: CRD42014005961). Undernutrition and weight loss are prevalent amongst highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART)-treated patients in LMICs and contribute to excess early mortality. A possible intermediate pathway could be poor immune reconstitution secondary to deficient nutritional status. In the face of limited access to second line treatments, raising HIV resistance and cut backs to HIV programs, it is crucial to identify the factors associated with suboptimal response and therapeutic failure in order to better customize the care strategies employed in LMICs

The notion of contextual locking: Previously learnt items are not accessible as such when appearing in a less common context

We examined the effect of context on the learning of spatial coding in four experiments. Two partially overlapping sets of stimuli, which had the very same stimulus–response spatial coding, were presented in unique contexts. Results show contextual locking—that is, response times to the very same item in a more common context (80%) were significantly shorter than those in a less common context (20%). Contextual locking was obtained both when the context was more salient (Experiments 1 and 2) and less salient (Experiments 3 and 4). In addition, results were obtained even when contextualization seemed less necessary (Experiments 2 and 4). Binding of information to context is discussed in relation to chunking, transfer effects, and practical applications pertaining to professional training