System of Programmed Modules for Measuring Photographs with a Gamma-Telescope

Physical experiments using tracking cameras resulted in hundreds of thousands of stereo photographs of events being received. To process such a large volume of information, automatic and semiautomatic measuring systems are required. At the Institute of Space Research of the Academy of Science of the USSR, a system for processing film information from the spark gamma-telescope was developed. The system is based on a BPS-75 projector in line with the minicomputer Elektronika 1001. The report describes this system. The various computer programs available to the operators are discussed

The thermal expansion and thermophysical properties of an aluminum and Al/B 4 C composite

The paper presents results of experimental studies of the thermal expansion and thermophysical properties of an Al/B 4 C composite with a boron carbide content of 20 wt% and technically pure aluminum in the temperature range from 100 to 600°C to evaluate the possible use of this composite as a neutron-protective material in the nuclear industry. © 2017 Author(s).We would like to appreciate the assistance of S. M. Zadvorkin, S. V. Lepikhin and L. S. Goruleva in conducting the investigations. Investigation was supported by Act 211 of the Government of the Russian Federation (agreement No. 02.A03.21.0006)

Induced resistance to the greenbug aphid Schizaphis graminum Rond. in species of the genus Triticum

The greenbug aphid Schizaphis graminum Rond. causes a significant loss of the grain harvest. Therefore, to improve plant resistance to aphids is one of the topical tasks. The problem of creating varieties resistant to phloem-feeding insects is quite urgent, since the mechanisms procuring the resistance of plants to insects are not fully understood. Nevertheless, modern literature describes some mechanisms associated with changes in the redox state of colonized plants. Besides, attention is being increasingly focused on the study of mechanisms that underlie inducible resistance to aphids in wheat and are regulated by hormonal signaling systems. To detect connections among the redox status, indicators of resistance (antibiosis and endurance) of wheat plants to the pest, and induction of the jasmonate (JA) and salicylate (SA) signaling pathways, we studied accessions of three species of wheat plants – Triticum aestivum L., T. monococcum., and T. timopheevii Zhuk.– infested with S. graminum greenbugs by physiological, biochemical, and molecular methods. Analysis of antibiosis and endurance showed that T. timopheevii k-58666 and T. monococcum k-39471 were resistant to S. graminum, the latter accession being the most enduring. High hydrogen peroxide contents and high peroxidase activities were detected in the resistant plants. We investigated the expression of genes encoding PR proteins, including markers and regulators of the salicylate (TaRboh, TaPAL, Tapr1, TaPrx) and jasmonate (TaPI, TaLOX, TaPrx) signaling pathways. At the early stage of infestation in the susceptible T. aestivum variety Salavat Yulaev, the expression of only jasmonate-dependent genes was activated in response to plant damage. In the resistant T. timopheevii accession k-58666, expression of only salicylate-dependent genes was activated, while the aphid reproduction was practically absent. In the resistant T. monococcum accession k-39471, expression was activated in both the salicylate-dependent and jasmonate-dependent gene groups. We assume that the oxidative burst in the resistant forms of wheat was induced via the activation of the SA signaling pathway, which was of crucial importance in the further cascade of chemical reactions leading to the development of resistance

Momentum Space Integral Equations for Three Charged Particles: Diagonal Kernels

It has been a long-standing question whether momentum space integral equations of the Faddeev type are applicable to reactions of three charged particles, in particular above the three-body threshold. For, the presence of long-range Coulomb forces has been thought to give rise to such severe singularities in their kernels that the latter may lack the compactness property known to exist in the case of purely short-range interactions. Employing the rigorously equivalent formulation in terms of an effective-two-body theory we have proved in a preceding paper [Phys. Rev. C {\bf 61}, 064006 (2000)] that, for all energies, the nondiagonal kernels occurring in the integral equations which determine the transition amplitudes for all binary collision processes, possess on and off the energy shell only integrable singularities, provided all three particles have charges of the same sign, i.e., all Coulomb interactions are repulsive. In the present paper we prove that, for particles with charges of equal sign, the diagonal kernels, in contrast, possess one, but only one, nonintegrable singularity. The latter can, however, be isolated explicitly and dealt with in a well-defined manner. Taken together these results imply that modified integral equations can be formulated, with kernels that become compact after a few iterations. This concludes the proof that standard solution methods can be used for the calculation of all binary (i.e., (in-)elastic and rearrangement) amplitudes by means of momentum space integral equations of the effective-two-body type.Comment: 36 pages, 2 figures, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.

Effect of the host-specific toxin SnTOX3 from Stagonospora nodorum on ethylene signaling pathway regulation and redox-state in common wheat

The fungus Stagonospora nodorum Berk. is the causative agent of Septoria nodorum blotch (SNB) of wheat. The most important factors of Stagonospora nodorum virulence include numerous fungal necrotrophic effectors (NEs) encoded by SnTox genes. They interact with the matching products of host susceptibility genes (Snn). SnTox-Snn interactions are mirror images of classical gene-for-gene interactions and lead to the development of disease. We have studied the SnTox3-Snn3 interaction, resulting in the development of infection on leaves and formation of extensive lesions. The mechanism of SnTox3 action is likely to be linked to the regulation of redox metabolism and the influence on ethylene synthesis in the wheat plants, although the molecular mechanisms are not fully unveiled. To characterize the SnTox3-Snn3 interaction, we used S. nodorum isolates differing in the expression of the NEs genes SnTox3 (SnB (Tox3+), Sn4VD (Tox3–)) and two soft spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars, contrasting in resistance to the SNB agent and differing in the allelic composition of the susceptibility locus Snn3-B1: Kazakhstanskaya 10 (susceptible) and Omskaya 35 (resistant). We carried out a comparative assessment of the transcriptional activity patterns of genes responsible for ethylene biosynthesis (TaACS1, TaACО) and signaling pathway (TaEIL1, TaERF1) by real-time PCR and estimated the redox state of wheat plants infected with different isolates of S. nodorum by spectrometry. The induction of ethylene biosynthesis and signaling has been shown to result from gene-for-gene interaction between Snn3-B1 and SnTox3. The results of plant redox status estimation showed that ethylene inhibited accumulation of hydrogen peroxide in SnTox3-sensitive genotypes by regulating the operation of various pro-/antioxidant enzymes at the transcriptional and posttranslational levels. Our results suggest that NE SnTox3 influences ethylene biosynthesis and signaling, thereby regulating redox metabolism in infected wheat plants as necessary for successful host colonization at the initial phases of infection, which ultimately leads to extensive lesions due to fast pathogen reproduction

Analysis of Value Dimensions in Public Satisfaction with Primary Health Care: Prospective Observational Study

Background. Artificial neural network models can be used to analyze and predict structural components within the value dimension of the main processes in an outpatient clinic as indicators of patient satisfaction.Objective — to form and test the methodology for analyzing and predicting structural components within the value dimension of the main processes in an outpatient clinic, as indicators of patient satisfaction with availability and quality of medical care, using artificial intelligence.Methods. The results of questionnaires administered to 525 patients were used to analyze their satisfaction with GP appointments. A network ensemble consisting of radial basis network and multilayer perceptron was chosen as the basis for a neural network model. The model testing involved five outpatient clinics in Kirov. The total number of respondents comprised 217 patients. Statistical processing included data description and analysis. Qualitative attributes were represented by relative values (P, %). The statistical significance of differences in qualitative data was assessed using the Chi-square test. The correlation between the observed and predicted data was assessed by means of nonparametric Spearman correlation analysis. The value of p <0.05 was chosen as the significance level ( p). Statistical data processing was performed using Statistica 13.0.Results. Analysis of the value dimensions of satisfaction showed a predominance of “pre-appointment” stage: work of a registrar (85.29% significance in the receiving medical services), waiting time for an appointment with a doctor (66.76% respondents noted its significance), duration of waiting directly at the office (important for 69.11% of respondents). “Appointment” stage was formed according to the common procedure of a GP appointment (interview, examination, recommendations) and was assessed from the value perspective of the patient. The priority components included sufficiency of appointment duration (significant in 88.27% of cases), satisfaction with examination (significant in 85.14% of cases), as well as completeness and informativeness of consultation (significant in 89.9% of cases). A strong direct correlation between the observed and predicted data (ρxy = 0.9; p < 0.05) was found out. Statistically significant differences between the observed and predicted levels of general patient satisfaction were not revealed in all medical organizations.Conclusion. The suggested neural network models can be used as the basis when creating information management systems that monitor meeting the effectiveness criteria for a new model of a medical organization; as well as an essential support for administrative decisions related to organizing the optimal patient management