Assessment of the Contribution of Russian Forests to Climate Change Mitigation

Recent inclusion of the issue of economy decarbonization in the global agenda has been affecting social and political priorities. To lower greenhouse gas emissions, Russian economy has to reduce anthropogenic emissions and maximise the carbon sequestration potential of national forests. The paper demonstrates that Russian forest ecosystems compensate for more than a quarter (almost 27 %) of anthropogenic emissions. However, due to the absence of a reliable, time-tested forest inventory system in Russia, as opposed to leading countries, it is difficult to ensure the sustainable use of forest resources and full accounting of greenhouse gas absorption by forests. The research analyses systemic measures to improve the absorptive capacity of Russian forests as a key element of the mechanism for compensating industrial greenhouse gas emissions, since the global expert community should recognise the contribution of these forests to the global climate change mitigation. Potential economic benefits of increasing the carbon-absorbing capacity of forests are assessed at the regional level. The example of Irkutsk oblast shows that the calculated effect of the analysed measures can amount to 6–7 dollars/ha at the current price of carbon credits; full implementation of these measures in the region can bring up to 480 million US dollars annually, net of expenses. The research proposes to ensure the necessary quality and completeness of data of the State Forest Registry by integrating remote and ground-based field measurements. It is also suggested to enhance institutional and investment support to state forest conservation initiatives, including in the framework of the National Project “Ecology” and forest-climate projects based on public-private partnerships. These measures should be included in the reform of public policy in the field of forest management

Assessment of the Contribution of Russian Forests to Climate Change Mitigation

Recent inclusion of the issue of economy decarbonization in the global agenda has been affecting social and political priorities. To lower greenhouse gas emissions, Russian economy has to reduce anthropogenic emissions and maximise the carbon sequestration potential of national forests. The paper demonstrates that Russian forest ecosystems compensate for more than a quarter (almost 27 %) of anthropogenic emissions. However, due to the absence of a reliable, time-tested forest inventory system in Russia, as opposed to leading countries, it is difficult to ensure the sustainable use of forest resources and full accounting of greenhouse gas absorption by forests. The research analyses systemic measures to improve the absorptive capacity of Russian forests as a key element of the mechanism for compensating industrial greenhouse gas emissions, since the global expert community should recognise the contribution of these forests to the global climate change mitigation. Potential economic benefits of increasing the carbon-absorbing capacity of forests are assessed at the regional level. The example of Irkutsk oblast shows that the calculated effect of the analysed measures can amount to 6–7 dollars/ha at the current price of carbon credits; full implementation of these measures in the region can bring up to 480 million US dollars annually, net of expenses. The research proposes to ensure the necessary quality and completeness of data of the State Forest Registry by integrating remote and ground-based field measurements. It is also suggested to enhance institutional and investment support to state forest conservation initiatives, including in the framework of the National Project “Ecology” and forest-climate projects based on public-private partnerships. These measures should be included in the reform of public policy in the field of forest management

ПАТОГЕНЕТИЧЕСКОЕ ЛЕЧЕНИЕ ФЕРМЕНТАТИВНОГО ПАРАПАНКРЕАТИТА

Relevance. The most severe component of acute destructive pancreatitis (ADP) is enzymatic parapancreatitis (EPP). Pathogenetic treatment methods are limited.The objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of different treatment methods.Material and methods. Group 1 included 86 patients with ADP, enzymatic peritonitis (EP), EPP; 44 patients with EPP of them were performed LD of the retroperitoneal tissue. Group 2 included 120 patients with EPP without EP, 48 – with PPD (percutaneous drainage of parapancreatic tissue).Results. Mortality rate in patients with hemorrhagic EPP with LD was 16 %, without LD – 37 %, in patients with serous EPP with LD – 15 %, without LD –15 %. Mortality rate in patients with EPP without EP and with PPD was 6.2 %, without PPD – 8.3 %Conclusion. LD and PPD should have been applied on the basis of the variant of EPP.Введение. Наиболее тяжелый компонент острого деструктивного панкреатита (ОДП) – ферментативный пара-панкреатит (ФПП). Методы патогенетического лечения ограничены.Цель – оценка эффективности различных методов лечения.Материал и методы. В группу 1 включены 86 пациентов с ОДП, ферментативным перитонитом (ФП), ФПП, из них 44 с ФПП выполнена лапароскопическая декомпрессия (ЛД) забрюшинной клетчатки. В группу 2 включены 120 пациентов с ФПП без ФП, 48 – с чрескожным дренированием парапанкреатической клетчатки (ЧДП).Результаты. У пациентов с геморрагическим ФПП летальность при ЛД – 16 %, без ЛД – 37 %, при серозном ФПП с ЛД – 15 %, без ЛД – 15 %. У пациентов с ФПП без ФП летальность при ЧПД – 6,2 %, летальность без ЧПД – 8,3 %.Выводы. ЛД и ЧПД должны применяться исходя из варианта ФПП

Phase Separation within a Thin Layer of Polymer Solution as Prompt Technique to Predict Membrane Morphology and Transport Properties

In this work, the precipitation of a thin layer of a polymer solution was proposed to imitate the process of asymmetric membrane formation by a non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS) technique. The phase inversion within the thin (<500 μm) and bulk (~2 cm) layer of polyamic-acid (PAA) in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) by using water as non-solvent was considered. It was shown that polymer films formed within the “limited” layer of polymer solution showed a good agreement with the morphology of corresponded asymmetric flat-sheet membranes even in the case of three-component casting solution (PAA/NMP/EtOH). At the same time, the polymer films formed on the interface of two bulk phases (“infinite” regime) did not fully correspond to the membrane structure. It was shown that up to 50% of NMP solvent in PAA solution can be replaced by ethanol, which can have a renewable origin. By changing the ethanol content in the casting solution, the average size of transport pores can be varied in the range of 12–80 nm, and the liquid permeance from 16.6 up to 207 kg/m2∙h∙bar. To summarize, the precipitation of polymer solution within the thin layer can be considered a prompt technique and a powerful tool for fast screening and optimization of the complex composition of casting solutions using its small quantity. Furthermore, the prediction of membrane morphology can be done without casting the membrane, further post-treatment procedures, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis

PATHOGENETIC TREATMENT OF ENZYMATIC PARAPANCREATITIS

Relevance. The most severe component of acute destructive pancreatitis (ADP) is enzymatic parapancreatitis (EPP). Pathogenetic treatment methods are limited.The objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of different treatment methods.Material and methods. Group 1 included 86 patients with ADP, enzymatic peritonitis (EP), EPP; 44 patients with EPP of them were performed LD of the retroperitoneal tissue. Group 2 included 120 patients with EPP without EP, 48 – with PPD (percutaneous drainage of parapancreatic tissue).Results. Mortality rate in patients with hemorrhagic EPP with LD was 16 %, without LD – 37 %, in patients with serous EPP with LD – 15 %, without LD –15 %. Mortality rate in patients with EPP without EP and with PPD was 6.2 %, without PPD – 8.3 %Conclusion. LD and PPD should have been applied on the basis of the variant of EPP

Investigation of Polyetherimide Melt-Extruded Fibers Modified by Carbon Nanoparticles

The fibers based on thermoplastic partially crystalline polyetherimide R-BAPB modified by vapor grown carbon nanofibers (VGCF) were prepared by melt extrusion, exposed to orientational drawing, and crystallized. All of the samples were examined by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray scattering, and differential scanning calorimetry to study how the carbon nanofiller influences on the internal structure and crystallization behavior of the obtained R-BAPB fibers. The mechanical properties of the composite R-BAPB fibers were also determined. It was found that VGCF nanoparticles introduced into R-BAPB polyimide can act as a nucleating agent that leads, in turn, to significant changes in the composite fibers morphology as well as thermal and mechanical characteristics. VGCF are able to improve an orientation degree of the R-BAPB macromolecules along the fiber direction, accelerate crystallization rate of the polymer, and enhance the fiber stability during crystallization process

Development and Processing of New Composite Materials Based on High-Performance Semicrystalline Polyimide for Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) and Their Biocompatibility

Samples of composite materials based on high-performance semicrystalline polyimide R-BAPB (based on the dianhydride R: 1,3-bis-(3′,4,-dicarboxyphenoxy)benzene and diamine BAPB: 4,4′-bis-(4″-aminophenoxy)diphenyl)) filled with carbon nanofibers and micron-sized discrete carbon fibers were obtained by FFF printing for the first time. The viscosity of melts of the composites based on R-BAPB, thermal, mechanical characteristics of the obtained composite samples, their internal structure, and biocompatibility were studied. Simultaneously with FFF printing, samples were obtained by injection molding. The optimal concentrations of carbon fillers in polyimide R-BAPB for their further use in FFF printing were determined. The effect of the incorporation of carbon fillers on the porosity of the printed samples was investigated. It was shown that the incorporation of carbon nanofibers reduces the porosity of the printed samples, which leads to an increase in deformation at break. Modification of polyimide with discrete carbon fibers increases the strength and Young’s modulus sufficiently but decreases the deformation at break. The cytotoxicity analysis showed that the obtained composite materials are bioinert

Impact of Geomagnetic Fields on the Geochemical Evolution of Oil

Here, we reported on experimental studies related to the exposure of oil to a 50 Hz electromagnetic field (0.81 T strength) and examined the changes in the geochemical characteristics of oil: n-alkane distribution, isotopic composition (δ13C), and concentration of paramagnetic centers. We discovered that electromagnetic fields have impacts on the distribution of n-alkanes and on their individual isotopic composition, with the concentration of paramagnetic centers remaining unchanged. While discussing the results, we looked into the state-of-the-art of research on electromagnetic exposures of the bottom-hole formation zone and into natural electric and geomagnetic fields. We consequently hypothesized that natural geomagnetic fields can influence the geochemical evolution processes of oil. This hypothesis requires further studies to reveal the frequency and strength characteristics of natural geomagnetic fields

Rheological and Mechanical Properties of Thermoplastic Crystallizable Polyimide-Based Nanocomposites Filled with Carbon Nanotubes: Computer Simulations and Experiments

Recently, a strong structural ordering of thermoplastic semi-crystalline polyimides near single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) was found that can enhance their mechanical properties. In this study, a comparative analysis of the results of microsecond-scale all-atom computer simulations and experimental measurements of thermoplastic semi-crystalline polyimide R-BAPB synthesized on the basis of dianhydride R (1,3-bis-(3′,4-dicarboxyphenoxy) benzene) and diamine BAPB (4,4′-bis-(4″-aminophenoxy) biphenyl) near the SWCNTs on the rheological properties of nanocomposites was performed. We observe the viscosity increase in the SWCNT-filled R-BAPB in the melt state both in computer simulations and experiments. For the first time, it is proven by computer simulation that this viscosity change is related to the structural ordering of the R-BAPB in the vicinity of SWCNT but not to the formation of interchain linkage. Additionally, strong anisotropy of the rheological properties of the R-BAPB near the SWCNT surface was detected due to the polyimide chain orientation. The increase in the viscosity of the polymer in the viscous-flow state and an increase in the values of the mechanical characteristics (Young’s modulus and yield peak) of the SWCNT-R-BAPB nanocomposites in the glassy state are stronger in the directions along the ordering of polymer chains close to the carbon nanofiller surface. Thus, the new experimental data obtained on the R-BAPB-based nanocomposites filled with SWCNT, being extensively compared with simulation results, confirm the idea of the influence of macromolecular ordering near the carbon nanotube on the mechanical characteristics of the composite material