Two History Cases of Innovations

In late 1970s and through 1980s the Soviet Government and the Communist Party encouraged engineers and scientists to develop innovations, to implement them in order to optimize and to increase the effectiveness of the national economy. “The economy must be economical” was the slogan of this policy. The R@D programs were well funded by the State. The paper describes two failures, linked up with implementation of cost-saving innovations: explosion of a 10,000 m3 liquid ammonia storage tank, and failure of a raft footing on largely spaced piles

Imaging stray magnetic field of individual ferromagnetic nanotubes

We use a scanning nanometer-scale superconducting quantum interference device to map the stray magnetic field produced by individual ferromagnetic nanotubes (FNTs) as a function of applied magnetic field. The images are taken as each FNT is led through magnetic reversal and are compared with micromagnetic simulations, which correspond to specific magnetization configurations. In magnetic fields applied perpendicular to the FNT long axis, their magnetization appears to reverse through vortex states, i.e.\ configurations with vortex end domains or -- in the case of a sufficiently short FNT -- with a single global vortex. Geometrical imperfections in the samples and the resulting distortion of idealized mangetization configurations influence the measured stray-field patterns.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figure

Разработка алгоритмов обработки информационного сигнала и реализация комбини-рованного датчика удара, наклона и движения на основе 3-осевого MEMS-акселерометра

In modern times of security systems, sensors are, usually, microprocessor-based devices using digital signal processing. Shock sensor, volume sensors (ultrasonic, microwave), tilt, and motion sensors belong to the smart ones. Shock sensors with sensitive elements (SE) of piezoelectric, microphone, and electromagnetic types have a number of essential drawbacks and therefore the most promising, at the moment, is the use of three-axis MEMS accelerometers as the SE. In this case, a combined shock, tilt, and motion sensor can be implemented on a single SE. Publications describing combined shock, tilt, and motion sensors do not formulate requirements for characteristics of accelerometers to be used. It is not clear enough, what a data signal is. And what the range of the measured accelerations acting on the sensor and the frequency spectrum of the signals under shock, tilt, and motion are. In this regard, a number of experiments to investigate data signal obtained from the three-axis accelerometer with different actions on the car have been conducted. Based on the experimental data the author has developed and presented the signal processing algorithms of MEMS-accelerometer ADXL-345. This accelerometer has been used in the combined shock, tilt, and motion sensor implemented for the car alarm ‘Excellent’. The paper considers algorithms of signal filtering, selecting the thresholds at which actuation of sensors occur, temperature stability of characteristics, and the algorithm to eliminate sensor "false positives" across the alarm zone.  Gives recommendation for the technical implementation of algorithms on the PIC-microcontrollers.На современном этапе развития охранных систем датчики представляют собой, как правило, микропроцессорные устройства, использующие цифровую обработку сигнала. К интеллектуальным датчикам относят датчик удара (шок-сенсор), датчики объема (ультразвуковые, микроволновые), наклона и движения. Датчики удара с чувствительными элементами (ЧЭ) пьезоэлектрического, микрофонного и электромагнитного типов обладают рядом существенных недостатков, и поэтому наиболее перспективным в настоящее время считается применение в качестве ЧЭ трехосевых акселерометров, выполненных по MEMS-технологии. В этом случае можно реализовать на одном ЧЭ комбинированный датчик удара, наклона и движения. В публикациях, посвященные комбинированным датчикам удара, наклона и движения, не сформулированы требования к характеристикам применяемых акселерометров. Нет достаточной ясности, что представляет собой информационный сигнал. Каков диапазон измеряемых ускорений, воздействующих на датчик, частотный спектр сигналов при ударе, наклоне и движении. В связи с этим, был проведен ряд экспериментов по исследованию информационного сигнала, получаемого с трехосевого акселерометра при различных воздействиях на автомобиль. Экспериментальные данные легли в основу разработанных автором и приведенных в настоящей статье алгоритмов обработки сигнала MEMS-акселерометра ADXL-345. Данный акселерометр был использован при реализации комбинированного датчика удара, наклона и движения автосигнализации Excellent. Рассмотрены алгоритмы цифровой фильтрации сигнала, выбора пороговых значений, при которых происходит срабатывание датчиков, вопросы обеспечения температурной стабильности характеристик и алгоритм, исключающий «ложные срабатывания» датчика по зоне тревоги. Приведены рекомендации по технической реализации алгоритмов на PIC-микроконтроллерах

Bone marrow edema in terms of joint pathology

New possibilities of modern medical science open up prospects for instrumental and laboratory diagnostics of many pathological conditions, unknown or not previously diagnosed in the practice of an orthopedist. These include bone marrow edema. Not only orthopedic traumatologists, but also rheumatologists, neurosurgeons, general practitioners, rehabilitation therapists, morphologists, and many others today face this concept in a variety of definitions, concepts of etiology, pathogenesis, and clinical recommendations for treatment.The authors performed a systematic review by using four open resources: electronic scientific library (elibrary), PubMed, SciVerse (Science Direct), and Scopus.The complexity of pathology lies in the fact that in each specific case, the development of treatment tactics requires a personal interpretation of the entire variety of data obtained and a case by case approach

RISK PROFILE OF THE RUSSIAN INSURANCE MARKET IN THE ECONOMIC CRISIS

Статья посвящена оценке рисков российского страхового рынка в перспективе 2016–2018 г. Риски роста убыточности страховых операций, непрозрачность формирования активов, покрывающих страховые резервы и собственные средства страховщика, низкая капитализация российских страховых организаций являются критическими для развития российского страхового рынка. Кризисные явления в экономике снижают платёжеспособный спрос на страховые услуги. Меры по повышению эффективности развития страхового рынка, предлагаемые регулятором рынка – Банком России – представляются недостаточными для нивелирования управленческих дисфункций, возникших вследствие углубления противоречий между участниками страховых экономических отношений.The article is devoted to risk assessment of the Russian insurance market in the 2016–2018 term, the risks of loss of growth of insurance operations, the opacity of the form of assets covering insurance reserves and own funds of the insurer, the low capitalization of Russian insurance companies are critical for the development of the Russian insurance market. The crisis in the economy reduced effective demand for insurance services. Measures to improve the efficiency of development of the insurance market, the proposed market regulator – the Bank of Russia – are insufficient for leveling managerial dysfunctions that have arisen as a result of deepening the contradictions between the parties to the insurance of economic relations

Nano-sized SQUID-on-tip for scanning probe microscopy

We present a SQUID of novel design, which is fabricated on the tip of a pulled quartz tube in a simple 3-step evaporation process without need for any additional processing, patterning, or lithography. The resulting devices have SQUID loops with typical diameters in the range 75–300 nm. They operate in magnetic fields up to 0.6 T and have flux sensitivity of 1.8 μΦ0/Hz1/2 and magnetic field sensitivity of 10−7 T/Hz1/2, which corresponds to a spin sensitivity of 65 μB/Hz1/2 for aluminum SQUIDs. The shape of the tip and the small area of the SQUID loop, together with its high sensitivity, make our device an excellent tool for scanning SQUID microscopy: With the SQUID-on-tip glued to a tine of a quartz tuning fork, we have succeeded in obtaining magnetic images of a patterned niobium film and of vortices in a superconducting film in a magnetic field.Physic

Effectiveness of Class IC Antiarrhythmics in Patients with Paroxysmal Form of Atrial Fibrillation in Absence of Structural Heart Disease

Aim. To study the efficacy of class IC arrhythmic drugs (AAD) and catheter ablation (CA) for paroxysmal form of atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients with without structural heart disease.Material and methods. The study included 122 patients (44 men, 78 women, mean age 63 [55;68] years) with symptomatic AF paroxysms. Patients was divided into the lappaconitine hydrobromide group (LH group; n=26), the propafenone group (P group; n=25) – 25 patients, the diethylaminopropionylethoxycarbonylaminophenothiazine hydrochloride (DH group; n=23), the CA groups: radiofrequency ablation (RFA group; n=24) and cryoballoon ablation (CRYO group; n=24) groups each included 24 patients. The primary endpoint was the AF recurrence within 6 and 12 months from the onset of antiarrhythmic drug therapyand in RFA and CRYO groups – within 6 and 12 months after the end of the blinding period. Additionally, in AAD groups a composite endpoint was assessed: the frequency of recurrence of AF within 6 months and the frequency of side effects requiring drug withdrawal.Results. Within the 6 months AF recurrence was observed in 13 (50%) patients of the LH group, 11 (44%) patients of the P group, and 13 (56.5%) patients of the DH group (p=0.687). Side effects requiring drug withdrawal were observed in the LH group in 2 patients (7.7%), in the P group in 3 patients (12%) and in the DH group in 3 patients (13%) (p=0.801). The difference in frequency of reaching the composite endpoint was not significant (p = 0.581) and the incidence was 57.7%, 56%, 69.5%, respectively in groups LH, P and DH. The efficacy of CA was higher than class IC AADs: 77% vs 39% (that including the withdrawals of AADs due to side effects) (p˂0.001). At the same time, there was no significant difference in the effectiveness of RFA and CRYO: AF recurrences within 6 months after the end of the blinding period were registered in the RFA group in 29% of cases, in the CRYO group – in 16.7% of cases (p=0.247). The overall effectiveness of CA after 12 months was 69%, which was significantly higher than the effectiveness of AADs that was 38% (p˂0.001).Conclusion. Starting the AAD therapy with IC class in patients with paroxysmal AF in the absence of structural pathology, despite acceptable safety, one should take into account that, regardless of the initially prescribed drug, less than half of patients can achieve prevention of AF recurrence within 1 year. CA for AF can be considered as a first line therapy or can be recommended if one of IC class AADs is ineffective

Quantitative nanoscale vortex-imaging using a cryogenic quantum magnetometer

Microscopic studies of superconductors and their vortices play a pivotal role in our understanding of the mechanisms underlying superconductivity. Local measurements of penetration depths or magnetic stray-fields enable access to fundamental aspects of superconductors such as nanoscale variations of superfluid densities or the symmetry of their order parameter. However, experimental tools, which offer quantitative, nanoscale magnetometry and operate over the large range of temperature and magnetic fields relevant to address many outstanding questions in superconductivity, are still missing. Here, we demonstrate quantitative, nanoscale magnetic imaging of Pearl vortices in the cuprate superconductor YBCO, using a scanning quantum sensor in form of a single Nitrogen-Vacancy (NV) electronic spin in diamond. The sensor-to-sample distance of ~10nm we achieve allows us to observe striking deviations from the prevalent monopole approximation in our vortex stray-field images, while we find excellent quantitative agreement with Pearl's analytic model. Our experiments yield a non-invasive and unambiguous determination of the system's local London penetration depth, and are readily extended to higher temperatures and magnetic fields. These results demonstrate the potential of quantitative quantum sensors in benchmarking microscopic models of complex electronic systems and open the door for further exploration of strongly correlated electron physics using scanning NV magnetometry.Comment: Main text (5 pages, 4 figures) plus supplementary material (5 pages, 6 figures). Comments welcome. Further information under http://www.quantum-sensing.c