Prava manjina i rano otklanjanje sukoba u Ruskoj Federaciji

The article provides a critical commentary to current use of the concept "minority" in Russia, particularly in academic and political discourse. The direct borrowing of the concept as it exists in international law or western social sciences is prevented by a number of limitations inherent to its meaning, the main limitation being that Russia could not be properly characterised as a democracy. The usage of the term "minority" in the context of the so-called "transitional societies" could be misleading, as the position of a particular group in a power hierarchy as well as its influence on political decision-making process here is not a function of a group\u27s numerical strength, but depends on such resources as the group\u27s wealth, access to education, and position in administrative institutions, security and army, effective monopoly of important sectors of social life and economy, group\u27s solidarity etc. Moreover, the conceptual field of in which the concept is situated is markedly different from its western analogues, where in such political concepts as "a titular nation", "an indigenous ethnos", "a state-founding people" remain virtually unknown and normally does not belong to semantic field of "minority". As the concept "minority" in Russia is firmly tied to ethnic reality interpretations, the current paradigms of ethnicity research are outlined. Finally, a description of contemporary attempts of minority rights monitoring within the framework of an early warning research is sketched.Članak kritički komentira pojam "manjina" što se rabi u ruskoj društvenoj znanosti i politici. Postoje mnoge poteškoće u vezi s izravnim preuzimanjem tog pojma iz jezika međunarodnog prava ili zapadne društvene znanosti. Među najvažnijima možemo navesti to što je pojam "manjina" najprikladniji u demokratskim državnim ustrojstvima. U tzv. "prijelaznim društvima" u kojima položaj skupine u sustavu odnosa vlasti ne ovisi toliko o njezinoj brojnosti, koliko o drugim resursima − bogatstvu, razini obrazovanja i grupne solidarnosti, dostupu do struktura moći i tijelima upravljanja, monopolu nad najvažnijim socijalnim i gospodarskim sferama itd. − uporaba pojma "manjina" manje je umjesna. Osim toga, koncepcijsko polje u koje rasprave u ruskoj znanosti i politici stavljaju "manjinu", oštro se razlikuje od zapadnih analogija. Ovdje se "manjina" suprotstavlja ne toliko "većini", koliko političkoj stvarnosti nepoznatoj na Zapadu kao što su "titularna nacija", "korijenska /indigena/ etnija", "državotvorni narod" i dr. Budući da je pojam "manjina" u Rusiji tijesno povezan s predodžbama o "etniji", znatno mjesto u članku nudi analizu paradigama istraživanja etničke stvarnosti. U zaključku opisani modeli za rano otklanjanje sukoba, sastavni su dio promatranja kako se prava manjina poštuju

Multimodal optical diagnostics of the microhaemodynamics in upper and lower limbs

The introduction of optical non-invasive diagnostic methods into clinical practice can substantially advance in the detection of early microcirculatory disorders in patients with different diseases. This paper is devoted to the development and application of the optical non-invasive diagnostic approach for the detection and evaluation of the severity of microcirculatory and metabolic disorders in rheumatic diseases and diabetes mellitus. The proposed methods include the joint use of laser Doppler flowmetry, absorption spectroscopy and fluorescence spectroscopy in combination with functional tests. This technique showed the high diagnostic importance for the detection of disturbances in peripheral microhaemodynamics. These methods have been successfully tested as additional diagnostic techniques in the field of rheumatology and endocrinology. The sensitivity and specificity of the proposed diagnostic procedures have been evaluated.<br/

Verification of NADH content measurements by portable optical diagnostic system in living brain tissue

The overall aim of this study was verification of the possibility to register the change of NADH fluorescence in live tissue by a portable diagnostical laser system with fibre optical probe output and excitation by compact semiconductor UV light source. The measurements were conducted in fresh brain tissue slices of Wistar rat pups. The fluorescence measurements were conducted simultaneously at intervals of 5 s by the microscopic system with excitation at 360 nm and registering of the emitted fluorescence light at 455 nm and by the tested diagnostical system equipped with the fibre optical probe with excitation at 365 nm and registration of the fluorescence spectrum by the inbuilt spectroscopic subsystem. To modulate the mitochondrial function in the living cells, in the chamber sequentially were added 1 μM FCCP and 1 mM NaCN. The comparisons between the curves registered by the methods allowed us to find well agreement between the microscopic measurements and measurements by the fibre optical probe. The obtained results prove that the tested diagnostic system is capable of sensing the changes in brain metabolic activity associated with the NADH content alterations within the physiological range

Non-invasive biomedical research and diagnostics enabled by innovative compact lasers

For over half a century, laser technology has undergone a technological revolution. These technologies, particularly semiconductor lasers, are employed in a myriad of fields. Optical medical diagnostics, one of the emerging areas of laser application, are on the forefront of application around the world. Optical methods of non- or minimally invasive bio-tissue investigation offer significant advantages over alternative methods, including rapid real-time measurement, non-invasiveness and high resolution (guaranteeing the safety of a patient). These advantages demonstrate the growing success of such techniques. In this review, we will outline the recent status of laser technology applied in the biomedical field, focusing on the various available approaches, particularly utilising compact semiconductor lasers. We will further consider the advancement and integration of several complimentary biophotonic techniques into single multimodal devices, the potential impact of such devices and their future applications. Based on our own studies, we will also cover the simultaneous collection of physiological data with the aid a multifunctional diagnostics system, concentrating on the optimisation of the new technology towards a clinical application. Such data is invaluable for developing algorithms capable of delivering consistent, reliable and meaningful diagnostic information, which can ultimately be employed for the early diagnosis of disease conditions in individuals from around the world

Non-resonant operation of microcavity Brillouin lasers

We present theoretical framework to describe Brillouin lasing in microcavities in the case of a significant mismatch between the Brillouin shift and the cavity intermode spacing. We show that despite an increase of the lasing threshold a significant increase of the Brillouin power in comparison with the resonance case is achievable. A necessary condition for this effect is the optimal value of the pump frequency detuning from the cavity mode frequency. An increase of the Brillouin threshold is accompanied by narrowing of the spectrum range where the Brillouin signal could be generated in non-resonant case. Besides, with the optimal pump frequency detuning the Brillouin signal noise level is reduced. Analytical results are in quantitative agreement with the results of numerical simulations

Computational model of bladder tissue based on its measured optical properties

Urinary bladder diseases are a common problem throughout the world and often difficult to accurately diagnose. Furthermore, they pose a heavy financial burden on health services. Urinary bladder tissue from male pigs was spectrophotometrically measured and the resulting data used to calculate the absorption, transmission, and reflectance parameters, along with the derived coefficients of scattering and absorption. These were employed to create a "generic" computational bladder model based on optical properties, simulating the propagation of photons through the tissue at different wavelengths. Using the Monte-Carlo method and fluorescence spectra of UV and blue excited wavelength, diagnostically important biomarkers were modeled. Additionally, the multifunctional noninvasive diagnostics system "LAKK-M" was used to gather fluorescence data to further provide essential comparisons. The ultimate goal of the study was to successfully simulate the effects of varying excited radiation wavelengths on bladder tissue to determine the effectiveness of photonics diagnostic devices. With increased accuracy, this model could be used to reliably aid in differentiating healthy and pathological tissues within the bladder and potentially other hollow organs

Bifurcation in blood oscillatory rhythms for patients with ischemic stroke:a small scale clinical trial using laser Doppler flowmetry and computational modelling of vasomotion

We describe application of spectral analysis of laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF) signals to investigation of cerebrovascular haemodynamics in patients with post-acute ischemic stroke (AIS) and cerebrovascular insufficiency. LDF was performed from 3 to 7 days after the onset of AIS on forehead in the right and left supraorbital regions in patients. Analysis of LDF signals showed that perfusion in the microvasculature in AIS patients was lower than that in patients with cerebrovascular insufficiency. As a result of wavelet analysis of the LDF signals we obtained activation of the vasomotion in the frequency range of myogenic oscillation of 0.1 Hz and predominantly nutritive regime microcirculation after systemic thrombolytic therapy of the AIS patients. In case of significant stroke size, myogenic activity and nutritive pattern microhaemodynamics were reduced, in some cases non-nutritive pattern and/or venular stasis was revealed. Wavelet analysis of the LDF signals also showed asymmetry in wavelet spectra of the LDF signals obtained in stroke-affected and unaffected hemispheres in the AIS patients. A mechanism underlying the observed asymmetry was analysed by computational modelling of vasomotion developed in (Arciero &amp; Secomb, 2012). We applied this model to describe relaxation oscillation of arteriole diameter which is forced by myogenic oscillation induced by synchronous calcium oscillation in vascular smooth muscle cells. Calculation showed that vasomotion frequency spectrum at the low-frequency range (0.01 Hz) is reciprocally modulated by myogenic oscillation (0.1 Hz) that correlates with experimental observation of inter-hemispheric variation in the LDF spectrum

Novel measure for the calibration of laser Doppler flowmetry devices

The metrological basis for optical non-invasive diagnostic devices is an unresolved issue. A major challenge for laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF) is the need to compare the outputs from individual devices and various manufacturers to identify variations useful in clinical diagnostics. The most common methods for instrument calibration are simulants or phantoms composed of colloids of light-scattering particles which simulate the motion of red blood cells based on Brownian motion. However, such systems have limited accuracy or stability and cannot calibrate for the known rhythmic components of perfusion (0.0095-1.6 Hz). To solve this problem, we propose the design of a novel technique based on the simulation of moving particles using an electromechanical transducer, in which a precision piezoelectric actuator is used (e.g., P-602.8SL with maximum movement less than 1 mm). In this system, Doppler shift is generated in the layered structure of different solid materials with different optical light diffusing properties. This comprises a fixed, light transparent upper plane-parallel plate and an oscillating fluoroplastic (PTFE) disk. Preliminary studies on this experimental setup using the LDF-channel of a "LAKK-M" system demonstrated the detection of the linear portion (0-10 Hz with a maximum signal corresponding to Doppler shift of about 20 kHz) of the LDF-signal from the oscillating frequency of the moving layer. The results suggest the possibility of applying this technique for the calibration of LDF devices

The study of synchronization of rhythms of microvascular blood flow and oxygen saturation during adaptive changes

Multi-functional laser non-invasive diagnostic systems, such as "LAKK-M", allow the study of a number of microcirculatory parameters, including blood microcirculatory index (Im) (by laser Doppler flowmetry, LDF) and oxygen saturation (StO2) of skin tissue (by tissue reflectance oximetry, TRO). Such systems may provide significant information relevant to physiology and clinical medicine. The aim of this research was to use such a system to study the synchronization of microvascular blood flow and oxygen saturation rhythms under normal and adaptive change conditions. Studies were conducted with 8 healthy volunteers - 3 females and 5 males of 21-49 years. Each volunteer was subjected to basic 3 minute tests. The volunteers were observed for between 1-4 months each, totalling 422 basic tests. Measurements were performed on the palmar surface of the right middle finger and the forearm medial surface. Wavelet analysis was used to study rhythmic oscillations in LDF- and TRO-data. Tissue oxygen consumption (from arterial and venal blood oxygen saturation and nutritive flux volume) was calculated for all volunteers during "adaptive changes" as (617±123 AU) and (102±38 AU) with and without arteriovenous anastomoses (AVAs) respectively. This demonstrates increased consumption compared to normal (495±170 AU) and (69±40 AU) with and without AVAs respectively. Data analysis demonstrated the emergence of resonance and synchronization of rhythms of microvascular blood flow and oxygen saturation as an adaptive change in myogenic oscillation (vasomotion) resulting from exercise and potentially from psychoemotional stress. Synchronization of myogenic rhythms during adaptive changes suggest increased oxygen consumption resulting from increased microvascular blood flow velocity