TERRIGENOUS-CARBONATE CROSS-SECTION IN THE MIDDLE COURSE OF THE VITIM RIVER: CORRELATION, AGE, AND GEODYNAMICS

The descripton has been provided for the cross-section (12 km) of a thick sediment unit on the left bank of the Vitim River, opposite the Nizhny Orlov and Dannaya rivers. This place is related to the Karalon-Mamakan area of the Baikal-Muya belt of the Baikal folded area. The changes have been made to the names formally assigned to the following stratigraphic subdivisions: Sulban series was renamed Chayangra formation, and Kelyan subseries was renamed Karalon formation. Evidence has been found for the complex folded and faulted structure and litological-facial characteristics of the cross-section. Some evidence has been provided to confirm that the Karalon formation is younger than the Chayangra formation. When this result is comapared to the well-studied subdivisions of the northern areas of the region, it is apparent that the Karalon formation may well correlate with the Dalnetaiga horizon of the Lower Vendian, the Chayangra formation – with the Ballaganakh series of the Late Riphean, and its layers at the bottom are similar in composition to the the Medvezhevsk horizon

Политические настроения российской молодежи: состояние и особенности

The following article highlights the applied aspect of studying of political moods. The author gives definition of under investigation phenomena on the grounds of theoretical analysis of approaches of sociologists to studying of political moods. The applied aspect of given work is connected with analysis of results gathered during initiative all-Russian poll which was conducted on December 15–25 of 2017. The poll was executed among young people in the age of 18–30 years old. The survey was conducted online. According to the author’s definition, political moods include the following categories: political attitudes, political expectations and political behaviour. Given categories provide the basis for formation of indicator groups, on which the author’s survey is conducted. The following indicators express political attitudes: interest to politics, attitudes to democracy, interaction with the authority and their evaluation, evaluation of political atmosphere and attitudes towards opposition. Political expectations are understood as the set of the following indicators: expectations from authority and from presidential elections in March 2018. Politically directed behaviour is understood as intention to participate personally in politics and the forms of participation, readiness to vote and to participate in protest actions. The author offers to review the results of her survey, in which it is emphasized on demography features of political moods of Russian youth. By results of the survey, it was revealed that political moods of Russian youth are contradictory: on the one hand, young people give neutral-negative evaluations of political reality, on the other hand, they are set-up to stability and at the same time, they demonstrate low political activity.Данная статья акцентирует внимание на прикладном аспекте изучения политических настроений. Определение изучаемого феномена автор дает на основании теоретического анализа подходов социологов к изучению политического настроения. Прикладной аспект данной работы связан с анализом результатов, полученных в ходе инициативного всероссийского опроса, который был проведен 15–25 декабря 2017 г. В опросе приняли участие молодые люди в возрасте от 18 до 30 лет. Метод исследования — онлайн-опрос. Согласно авторскому определению, политические настроения раскладываются на следующие категории: оценки политической жизни, политические ожидания и политическое поведение личности. Данные категории служат основой для формирования групп индикаторов, по которым проводится авторский опрос. Оценки политической жизни выражаются следующими индикаторами: интерес к политике, мнения о демократии, взаимодействие с властью, оценки властей, оценки политической обстановки и оценки оппозиционных настроений. Политические ожидания понимаются как совокупность следующих индикаторов: ожиданий от власти и от выборов президента в марте 2018 г. Политически направленное поведение — это намерение лично участвовать в политике и формы участия, готовность голосовать и выходить на митинги. Автор предлагает ознакомиться с результатами собственного опроса, в которых делается акцент на демографических особенностях политических настроений молодежи России. По результатам опроса было выявлено, что политические настроения молодежи России парадоксальны по своей природе: с одной стороны, молодые люди дают нейтрально-негативные оценки политической жизни, с другой стороны, они настроены на стабильность и при этом демонстрируют низкую политическую активность

ТЕРРИГЕННО-КАРБОНАТНЫЙ РАЗРЕЗ СРЕДНЕГО ТЕЧЕНИЯ Р. ВИТИМ: КОРРЕЛЯЦИЯ, ВОЗРАСТНОЕ И ГЕОДИНАМИЧЕСКОЕ ПОЛОЖЕНИЕ

The descripton has been provided for the cross-section (12 km) of a thick sediment unit on the left bank of the Vitim River, opposite the Nizhny Orlov and Dannaya rivers. This place is related to the Karalon-Mamakan area of the Baikal-Muya belt of the Baikal folded area. The changes have been made to the names formally assigned to the following stratigraphic subdivisions: Sulban series was renamed Chayangra formation, and Kelyan subseries was renamed Karalon formation. Evidence has been found for the complex folded and faulted structure and litological-facial characteristics of the cross-section. Some evidence has been provided to confirm that the Karalon formation is younger than the Chayangra formation. When this result is comapared to the well-studied subdivisions of the northern areas of the region, it is apparent that the Karalon formation may well correlate with the Dalnetaiga horizon of the Lower Vendian, the Chayangra formation – with the Ballaganakh series of the Late Riphean, and its layers at the bottom are similar in composition to the the Medvezhevsk horizon.Описан разрез (12 км) мощной толщи осадочных пород левого берега р. Витим, напротив рек Нижний Орлов и Данная. Участок относится к Каралон-Мамаканскому блоку Байкало-Муйского внутреннего пояса Байкальской складчатой области [Rytsk et al., 2011]. Изменены формально выделенные ранее названия стратиграфических подразделений: сюльбанская серия на чаянгрскую толщу, келянская подсерия на каралонскую толщу. Выявлена сложная складчато-разрывная структура и литолого-фациальные характеристики разреза. Подтверждено более молодое положение каралонской толщи по отношению к чаянгрской. При сопоставлении с хорошо изученными подразделениями северных зон региона показано, что каралонская толща, вероятнее всего, соотносится с дальнетайгинским горизонтом нижнего венда, чаянгрская толща сопоставляется с баллаганахской серией верхнего рифея, а ее нижние слои, судя по составу, могут соответствовать медвежевскому горизонту

EARLY STAGE OF THE CENTRAL ASIAN OROGENIC BELT BUILDING: EVIDENCES FROM THE SOUTHERN SIBERIAN CRATON

The origin of the Central-Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB), especially of its northern segment nearby the southern margin of the Siberian craton (SC) is directly related to development and closure of the Paleo-Asian Ocean (PAO). Signatures of early stages of the PAO evolution are recorded in the Late Precambrian sedimentary successions of the Sayan-Baikal-Patom Belt (SBPB) on the southern edge of SC. These successions are spread over 2000 km and can be traced along this edge from north-west (Sayan area) to south-east (Baikal area) and further to north-east (Patom area). Here we present the synthesis of all available and reliable LA-ICP-MS U-Pb geochronological studies of detrital zircons from these sedimentary successions.The origin of the Central-Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB), especially of its northern segment nearby the southern margin of the Siberian craton (SC) is directly related to development and closure of the Paleo-Asian Ocean (PAO). Signatures of early stages of the PAO evolution are recorded in the Late Precambrian sedimentary successions of the Sayan-Baikal-Patom Belt (SBPB) on the southern edge of SC. These successions are spread over 2000 km and can be traced along this edge from north-west (Sayan area) to south-east (Baikal area) and further to north-east (Patom area). Here we present the synthesis of all available and reliable LA-ICP-MS U-Pb geochronological studies of detrital zircons from these sedimentary successions

Paleomagnetism of Cryogenian Kitoi mafic dykes in South Siberia: Implications for Neoproterozoic paleogeography

We present a new paleomagnetic pole of 1.1°N, 22.4°E, A95 = 7.4° from the 760 Ma gabbro-dolerite Kitoi dykes located in the southern part of the Siberian Craton. The pole is supported by contact tests and suggests closer position of Siberia relative to Laurentia at 760 Ma than in Mesoproterozoic. We propose that this closer configuration was achieved by dextral transpressive motion of Siberia relative to Laurentia between 780 and 760 Ma. This motion was probably initiated at the first stage of the Rodinia breakup and is coeval with the 780 Ma Gunbarrel magmatic event of the western Canadian shield

The Diesel Exhaust in Miners Study: II. Exposure Monitoring Surveys and Development of Exposure Groups

Air monitoring surveys were conducted between 1998 and 2001 at seven non-metal mining facilities to assess exposure to respirable elemental carbon (REC), a component of diesel exhaust (DE), for an epidemiologic study of miners exposed to DE. Personal exposure measurements were taken on workers in a cross-section of jobs located underground and on the surface. Air samples taken to measure REC were also analyzed for respirable organic carbon (ROC). Concurrent measurements to assess exposure to nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2), two gaseous components of DE, were also taken. The REC measurements were used to develop quantitative estimates of average exposure levels by facility, department, and job title for the epidemiologic analysis. Each underground job was assigned to one of three sets of exposure groups from specific to general: (i) standardized job titles, (ii) groups of standardized job titles combined based on the percentage of time in the major underground areas, and (iii) larger groups based on similar area carbon monoxide (CO) air concentrations. Surface jobs were categorized based on their use of diesel equipment and proximity to DE. A total of 779 full-shift personal measurements were taken underground. The average REC exposure levels for underground jobs with five or more measurements ranged from 31 to 58 μg m−3 at the facility with the lowest average exposure levels and from 313 to 488 μg m−3 at the facility with the highest average exposure levels. The average REC exposure levels for surface workers ranged from 2 to 6 μg m−3 across the seven facilities. There was much less contrast in the ROC compared with REC exposure levels measured between surface and underground workers within each facility, as well as across the facilities. The average ROC levels underground ranged from 64 to 195 μg m−3, while on the surface, the average ROC levels ranged from 38 to 71 μg m−3 by facility, an ∼2- to 3-fold difference. The average NO and NO2 levels underground ranged from 0.20 to 1.49 parts per million (ppm) and from 0.10 to 0.60 ppm, respectively, and were ∼10 times higher than levels on the surface, which ranged from 0.02 to 0.11 ppm and from 0.01 to 0.06 ppm, respectively. The ROC, NO, and NO2 concentrations underground were correlated with the REC levels (r = 0.62, 0.71, and 0.62, respectively). A total of 80% of the underground jobs were assigned an exposure estimate based on measurements taken for the specific job title or for other jobs with a similar percentage of time spent in the major underground work areas. The average REC exposure levels by facility were from 15 to 64 times higher underground than on the surface. The large contrast in exposure levels measured underground versus on the surface, along with the differences between the mining facilities and between underground jobs within the facilities resulted in a wide distribution in the exposure estimates for evaluation of exposure–response relationships in the epidemiologic analyses

Microfossils of the late proterozoic debengdinskaya formation of the olenekskiy uplift

Microfossils from the Middle Riphean Debengdinskaya formation of the Olenekskiy uplift have been studied. Various stenoorganic forms of acritarchs and cyanobacteries are described. Morphological groups which are preliminary compared with large flora taxons are allocated among acritarchs : brown and green seaweed, mushrooms, seaweed located in symbiotic relations (?) with cyanobionts. The prematurity of radical conclusions about age of the deposit based on majority of Proterozoic microfossils is underline

Characterizing model errors in chemical transport modeling of methane: impact of model resolution in versions v9-02 of GEOS-Chem and v35j of its adjoint model

The GEOS-Chem simulation of atmospheric CH$_{4}$ was evaluated against observations from the Thermal and Near Infrared Sensor for Carbon Observations Fourier Transform Spectrometer (TANSO-FTS) on the Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite (GOSAT), the Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment Fourier Transform Spectrometer (ACE-FTS), and the Total Carbon Column Observing Network (TCCON). We focused on the model simulations at the 4°×5° and 2°×2.5° horizontal resolutions for the period of February–May 2010. Compared to the GOSAT, TCCON, and ACE-FTS data, we found that the 2°×2.5° model produced a better simulation of CH$_{4}$, with smaller biases and a higher correlation to the independent data. We found large resolution-dependent differences such as a latitude-dependent XCH$_{4}$ bias, with higher column abundances of CH$_{4}$ at high latitudes and lower abundances at low latitudes at the 4°×5° resolution than at 2°×2.5°. We also found large differences in CH$_{4}$ column abundances between the two resolutions over major source regions such as China. These differences resulted in up to 30 % differences in inferred regional CH$_{4}$ emission estimates from the two model resolutions. We performed several experiments using 222Rn, 7Be, and CH$_{4}$ to determine the origins of the resolution-dependent errors. The results suggested that the major source of the latitude-dependent errors is excessive mixing in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere, including mixing at the edge of the polar vortex, which is pronounced at the 4°×5° resolution. At the coarser resolution, there is weakened vertical transport in the troposphere at midlatitudes to high latitudes due to the loss of sub-grid tracer eddy mass flux in the storm track regions. The vertical air mass fluxes are calculated in the model from the degraded coarse-resolution wind fields and the model does not conserve the air mass flux between model resolutions; as a result, the low resolution does not fully capture the vertical transport. This produces significant localized discrepancies, such as much greater CH$_{4}$ abundances in the lower troposphere over China at 4°×5° than at 2°×2.5°. Although we found that the CH$_{4}$ simulation is significantly better at 2°×2.5° than at 4°×5°, biases may still be present at 2°×2.5° resolution. Their importance, particularly in regards to inverse modeling of CH$_{4}$ emissions, should be evaluated in future studies using online transport in the native general circulation model as a benchmark simulation

Characterizing model errors in chemical transport modeling of methane: using GOSAT XCH4_{4} data with weak-constraint four-dimensional variational data assimilation

We examined biases in the global GEOS-Chem chemical transport model for the period of February–May 2010 using weak-constraint (WC) four-dimensional variational (4D-Var) data assimilation and dry-air mole fractions of CH$_{4}$ (XCH$_{4}$) from the Greenhouse gases Observing SATellite (GOSAT). The ability of the observations and the WC 4D-Var method to mitigate model errors in CH$_{4}$ concentrations was first investigated in a set of observing system simulation experiments (OSSEs). We then assimilated the GOSAT XCH$_{4}$ retrievals and found that they were capable of providing information on the vertical structure of model errors and of removing a significant portion of biases in the modeled CH$_{4}$ state. In the WC 4D-Var assimilation, corrections were added to the modeled CH$_{4}$ state at each model time step to account for model errors and improve the model fit to the assimilated observations. Compared to the conventional strong-constraint (SC) 4D-Var assimilation, the WC method was able to significantly improve the model fit to independent observations. Examination of the WC state corrections suggested that a significant source of model errors was associated with discrepancies in the model CH$_{4}$ in the stratosphere. The WC state corrections also suggested that the model vertical transport in the troposphere at middle and high latitudes is too weak. The problem was traced back to biases in the uplift of CH$_{4}$ over the source regions in eastern China and North America. In the tropics, the WC assimilation pointed to the possibility of biased CH$_{4}$ outflow from the African continent to the Atlantic in the mid-troposphere. The WC assimilation in this region would greatly benefit from glint observations over the ocean to provide additional constraints on the vertical structure of the model errors in the tropics. We also compared the WC assimilation at 4° × 5° and 2° × 2.5° horizontal resolutions and found that the WC corrections to mitigate the model errors were significantly larger at 4° × 5° than at 2° × 2.5° resolution, indicating the presence of resolution-dependent model errors. Our results illustrate the potential utility of the WC 4D-Var approach for characterizing model errors. However, a major limitation of this approach is the need to better characterize the specified model error covariance in the assimilation scheme

Plasma cytokines in patients with COVID-19 during acute phase of the disease and following complete recovery

COVID-19, an infection caused by the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, is associated with a number of pathophysiological mechanisms, mobilizing a wide spectrum of biomolecules, mainly, cytokines.The purpose of this study was to evaluate levels of multiple cytokines in blood plasma from the patients with COVID-19 during acute phase of the disease, and upon complete recovery. Samples of peripheral blood plasma of 56 patients with COVID-19, 69 convalescents and 10 healthy individuals were examined. Concentrations of 46 molecules, such as IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-2, IL-3, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-7, IL-9, IL-12 (p40), IL-12 (p70), IL-13, IL-15, IL-17A/CTLA8, IL-17-E/IL-25, IL-17F, IL-18, IL-22, IL-27, IFNα2, IFNγ, TNFα, TNFβ/ Lymphotoxin-α (LTA), CCL2/MCP-1, CCL3/MIP-1α, CCL4/MIP-1β, CCL7/MCP-3, CCL11/Eotaxin, CCL22/MDC, CXCL1/GROα, CXCL8/IL-8, CXCL9/MIG, CXCL10/IP-10, CX3CL1/Fractalkine, IL-1ra, IL-10, EGF, FGF-2/FGF-basic, Flt3 Ligand, G-CSF, M-CSF, GM-CSF, PDGF-AA, PDGF-AB/ BB, TGF-α, VEGF-A were measured via xMAP multiplexing technology. Significantly increased levels of 18 cytokines were found in blood plasma from COVID-19 patients during acute phase of the disease (as compared to control group), i.e., IL-6, IL-7, IL-15, IL-27, TNFα, TNFβ/Lymphotoxin-α (LTA), CCL2/MCP-1, CCL7/MCP-3, CXCL1/GROα, CXCL8/IL-8, CXCL10/IP-10, CXCL9/MIG, IL-1rа, IL-10, M-CSF, GM-CSF, VEGF-A. We found a significant decrease of nearly all the mentioned cytokines in recovered patients, in comparison with those who had moderate, severe/extremely severe disease. Moreover, we revealed a significantly decreased level of 8 cytokines in plasma from convalescents, as compared with control group, i.e., IL-1α, IL-2, IL-9, IL-12 p40, IL-18, CCL22/MDC, Flt3 Ligand, TGF-α. Immune response caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection involves multiple cytokines, mostly, with pro-inflammatory effects. We have shown for the first time that the convalescence phase is characterized by significantly lower levels of cytokines which regulate cellular differentiation and hematopoiesis (in particular, lymphocytes, T-cells and NK-cells). Over acute phase of the disease, the levels of these cytokines did not change. We revealed a significant decrease of most plasma cytokines upon recovery as compared to acute phase. On the contrary, acute phase of the disease is accompanied by significant increase of both pro- and antiinflammatory cytokines in blood plasma