Innovations and support for quality in agriculture : a case study

The aim of the article is to investigate the economic and legal aspects of integrating innovations in agriculture and supporting the quality of agricultural products in the context of modern Russia. Throughout the process of research, the authors analyzed the directions of agricultural sector development, mechanisms of quality and safety support, as well as customer rights protection. As a result the authors have agreed on, the need to integrate cluster models in the agricultural sector, notably in the bee-keeping, seed production (including financing of this activity), as well as legislative stimulus to shift towards «green» biotechnology in the domestic agriculture. Based on the research conducted, the authors have proposed mechanisms to improve the current Russian legislation in the spheres of innovation development and support for quality and safety of agricultural production.peer-reviewe

Predicting and Understanding Cancer Response to Treatment

Contains fulltext : 196925.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access

Magnetic susceptibility of YbRh2Si2 and YbIr2Si2 on the basis of a localized 4f electron approach

We consider the local properties of the Yb3+ ion in the crystal electric field in the Kondo lattice compounds YbRh2Si2 and YbIr2Si2. On this basis we have calculated the magnetic susceptibility taking into account the Kondo interaction in the simplest molecular field approximation. The resulting Curie-Weiss law and Van Vleck susceptibilities could be excellently fitted to experimental results in a wide temperature interval where thermodynamic and transport properties show non-Fermi-liquid behaviour for these materials.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures, 4 table

Why could Electron Spin Resonance be observed in a heavy fermion Kondo lattice?

We develop a theoretical basis for understanding the spin relaxation processes in Kondo lattice systems with heavy fermions as experimentally observed by electron spin resonance (ESR). The Kondo effect leads to a common energy scale that regulates a logarithmic divergence of different spin kinetic coefficients and supports a collective spin motion of the Kondo ions with conduction electrons. We find that the relaxation rate of a collective spin mode is greatly reduced due to a mutual cancelation of all the divergent contributions even in the case of the strongly anisotropic Kondo interaction. The contribution to the ESR linewidth caused by the local magnetic field distribution is subject to motional narrowing supported by ferromagnetic correlations. The developed theoretical model successfully explains the ESR data of YbRh2Si2 in terms of their dependence on temperature and magnetic field.Comment: 5pages, 1 Figur

Synthesis and vibration spectroscopy of nano-sized manganese oxides

The present study has been supported by the Latvian National Research Program IMIS2. One of us, IS, was supported by MES RF RFMEFI61615X0064.X-ray diffraction, micro-Raman and the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopies as well as magnetometry measurements were performed on nanosized manganese oxides to probe their phase composition and magnetic properties. It was shown that the XRD method is less sensitive to phase composition of manganese oxide samples than spectroscopic methods. While in some samples the XRD method recognised only the manganosite MnO phase, the Raman and FT-IR methods revealed additionally the presence of the hausmannite Mn3O4 phase.Ministry of Education and Science RF RFMEFI61615X0064; Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia as the Center of Excellence has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Framework Programme H2020-WIDESPREAD-01-2016-2017-TeamingPhase2 under grant agreement No. 739508, project CAMART

Aspirin and extended-release dipyridamole versus clopidogrel for recurrent stroke

Background Recurrent stroke is a frequent, disabling event after ischemic stroke. This study compared the efficacy and safety of two antiplatelet regimens — aspirin plus extendedrelease dipyridamole (ASA–ERDP) versus clopidogrel. Methods In this double-blind, 2-by-2 factorial trial, we randomly assigned patients to receive 25 mg of aspirin plus 200 mg of extended-release dipyridamole twice daily or to receive 75 mg of clopidogrel daily. The primary outcome was first recurrence of stroke. The secondary outcome was a composite of stroke, myocardial infarction, or death from vascular causes. Sequential statistical testing of noninferiority (margin of 1.075), followed by superiority testing, was planned. Results A total of 20,332 patients were followed for a mean of 2.5 years. Recurrent stroke occurred in 916 patients (9.0%) receiving ASA–ERDP and in 898 patients (8.8%) receiving clopidogrel (hazard ratio, 1.01; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.92 to 1.11). The secondary outcome occurred in 1333 patients (13.1%) in each group (hazard ratio for ASA–ERDP, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.92 to 1.07). There were more major hemorrhagic events among ASA–ERDP recipients (419 [4.1%]) than among clopidogrel recipients (365 [3.6%]) (hazard ratio, 1.15; 95% CI, 1.00 to 1.32), including intracranial hemorrhage (hazard ratio, 1.42; 95% CI, 1.11 to 1.83). The net risk of recurrent stroke or major hemorrhagic event was similar in the two groups (1194 ASA–ERDP recipients [11.7%], vs. 1156 clopidogrel recipients [11.4%]; hazard ratio, 1.03; 95% CI, 0.95 to 1.11). Conclusions The trial did not meet the predefined criteria for noninferiority but showed similar rates of recurrent stroke with ASA–ERDP and with clopidogrel. There is no evidence that either of the two treatments was superior to the other in the prevention of recurrent stroke. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00153062.

Synthesis and vibration spectroscopy of nano-sized manganese oxides

The present study has been supported by the Latvian National Research Program IMIS2. One of us, IS, was supported by MES RF RFMEFI61615X0064.X-ray diffraction, micro-Raman and the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopies as well as magnetometry measurements were performed on nanosized manganese oxides to probe their phase composition and magnetic properties. It was shown that the XRD method is less sensitive to phase composition of manganese oxide samples than spectroscopic methods. While in some samples the XRD method recognised only the manganosite MnO phase, the Raman and FT-IR methods revealed additionally the presence of the hausmannite Mn3O4 phase.Ministry of Education and Science RF RFMEFI61615X0064; Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia as the Center of Excellence has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Framework Programme H2020-WIDESPREAD-01-2016-2017-TeamingPhase2 under grant agreement No. 739508, project CAMART

Integration of Processes of Radionuclide-Contaminated Territories Decontamination in the Framework of their Ecological-Socio-Economic Rehabilitation

Large-scale disasters at nuclear power plants (NPPs) and their consequences are still the subject of discussion by the world scientific community, which makes mankind recognize the unsolved problem of radiation pollution. Accordingly, the search for new effective biocomposite materials with high sorption capacity to eliminate harmful effects associated with radiation contamination of large territories is an urgent task on a global scale. This paper is devoted to the study of the decontamination processes of the areas contaminated with radionuclides, the search for new mechanisms of fixation of radionuclides and heavy metals in the soil using the matrix material of different origin. In order to intensify the process of radionuclide fixation in the soil-plant system the method consisting of introducing into the soil the organic-mineral biocomposite based on sewage sludge and phosphogypsum after anaerobic fermentation was proposed. It is necessary to further study the processes of sorption and radionuclides solubilization due to complexation with organic agents present in matrix materials of different nature. The mechanisms of radionuclide and heavy metal fixation using matrix material of different origin were analyzed and a general model was formed. The direction of integration of radionuclide-contaminated soil decontamination technologies into the process of ecological, social, and economic development of the territories under rehabilitation after the accidents at the Chernobyl NPP and Fukushima-1 NPP is proposed