Left ventricle hypertrophy in persons without arterial hypertension: a psychosomatic approach to studying the phenomenon

The aim of the study was to evaluate the role of psychological and somaticfactors in the development of left ventricular hypertrophy in the cohort of persons without arterial hypertension and to give a quantitative evaluation to the effect of these factors on this phenomenon. Materials and methods. The study included 107 practically healthy people of working age from an organized population, including 46 men (mean age of 43.7 ± 11.5 years; M ± s) and 61 women (mean age 43.1 ± 10.1 years; M ± s). All the subjects underwent measurement of blood pressure according to the standard procedure, questionnaire survey using validated psychological questionnaires, the study of structural changes of the myocardium with echocardiography, the tests for metabolic indices in venous blood on an empty stomach (hormonal, immunological, biochemical). Results. Individuals with left ventricular hypertrophy were characterized by a significantly greater level of depression, accumulated stress, social frustration, decreased self-evaluation of health state and vitality. The value of the left ventricle mass index in practically healthy individuals without arterial hypertension is determined by 4 factors: the level of apolipoproteins B, the ratio of waist circumference / hip circumference, the level of the end products of free radical lipid oxidation, and smoking duration. Conclusion. Hypertrophy of the left ventricle in people without arterial hypertension is associated with personality characteristics that determine the nature of a multilevel response (somatic, hormonal, biochemical)

Using the Visual Hierarchy in a Graphic Design to Manage Attention

Визуальная иерархия в графическом дизайне — это основной фактор при выстраивании взаимодействия между дизайном и человеком, который контактирует с графическим продуктом. Дизайнер как сценарист проектирует и продумывает путь для потребителя при помощи средств, которые организуют визуальную иерархию в макете.The visual hierarchy in graphic design is the main factor in building the interaction between design and the person who is in contact with the graphic product. The designer, as a screenwriter, designs and thinks out the way for the consumer with the help of tools that organize the visual hierarchy in the layout

Land surface model parameter optimisation using in situ flux data: comparison of gradient-based versus random search algorithms (a case study using ORCHIDEE v1.9.5.2)

Land surface models (LSMs), which form the land component of earth system models, rely on numerous processes for describing carbon, water and energy budgets, often associated with highly uncertain parameters. Data assimilation (DA) is a useful approach for optimising the most critical parameters in order to improve model accuracy and refine future climate predictions. In this study, we compare two different DA methods for optimising the parameters of seven plant functional types (PFTs) of the ORCHIDEE LSM using daily averaged eddy-covariance observations of net ecosystem exchange and latent heat flux at 78 sites across the globe. We perform a technical investigation of two classes of minimisation methods – local gradient-based (the L-BFGS-B algorithm, limited memory Broyden–Fletcher–Goldfarb–Shanno algorithm with bound constraints) and global random search (the genetic algorithm) – by evaluating their relative performance in terms of the model–data fit and the difference in retrieved parameter values. We examine the performance of each method for two cases: when optimising parameters at each site independently (“single-site” approach) and when simultaneously optimising the model at all sites for a given PFT using a common set of parameters (“multi-site” approach). We find that for the single site case the random search algorithm results in lower values of the cost function (i.e. lower model–data root mean square differences) than the gradient-based method; the difference between the two methods is smaller for the multi-site optimisation due to a smoothing of the cost function shape with a greater number of observations. The spread of the cost function, when performing the same tests with 16 random first-guess parameters, is much larger with the gradient-based method, due to the higher likelihood of being trapped in local minima. When using pseudo-observation tests, the genetic algorithm results in a closer approximation of the true posterior parameter value in the L-BFGS-B algorithm. We demonstrate the advantages and challenges of different DA techniques and provide some advice on using it for the LSM parameter optimisation.</p

Multimedia lecture support system for "Descriptive geometry" and "Engineering graphics" courses

Разработана инновационная система мультимедийного сопровождения лекций, поддерживающая векторный формат компонентов и работу с интерактивным содержимым и предоставляющая оригинальные функциональные возможности для пользователя. На базе данной системы создан учебно-методический комплекс для дисциплин «Начертательная геометрия» и «Инженерная графика» с богатым наполнением иллюстративными и интерактивными материалами.Innovative system for multimedia lecture support was developed. The system allows proper maintenance of vector components and interactive content and provides user with original functional possibilities. On the base of this system a new educational complex for "Descriptive Geometry" and "Engineering Graphics" courses was developed with enriched with various illustrative and interactive materials

Developing a western Siberia reference site for tropospheric water vapour isotopologue observations obtained by different techniques (in situ and remote sensing)

Water stable isotopologues provide integrated tracers of the atmospheric water cycle, affected by changes in air mass origin, non-convective and convective processes and continental recycling. Novel remote sensing and in situ measuring techniques have recently offered opportunities for monitoring atmospheric water vapour isotopic composition. Recently developed infrared laser spectrometers allow for continuous in situ measurements of surface water vapour &delta;D_v and &delta;¹⁸O_v. So far, very few intercomparisons of measurements conducted using different techniques have been achieved at a given location, due to difficulties intrinsic to the comparison of integrated with local measurements. Nudged simulations conducted with high-resolution isotopically enabled general circulation models (GCMs) provide a consistent framework for comparison with the different types of observations. Here, we compare simulations conducted with the ECHAM5-wiso model with two types of water vapour isotopic data obtained during summer 2012 at the forest site of Kourovka, western Siberia: hourly ground-based FTIR total atmospheric columnar &delta;D_v amounts, and in situ hourly Picarro &delta;D_v measurements. There is an excellent correlation between observed and predicted &delta;D_v at surface while the comparison between water column values derived from the model compares well with FTIR estimates

Improving modelled albedo over the Greenland ice sheet through parameter optimisation and MODIS snow albedo retrievals

Greenland ice sheet mass loss continues to accelerate as global temperatures increase. The surface albedo of the ice sheet determines the amount of absorbed solar energy, which is a key factor in driving surface snow and ice melting. Satellite-retrieved snow albedo allows us to compare and optimise modelled albedo over the entirety of the ice sheet. We optimise the parameters of the albedo scheme in the ORCHIDEE (Organizing Carbon and Hydrology in Dynamic Ecosystems) land surface model for 3 random years taken over the 2000–2017 period and validate over the remaining years. In particular, we want to improve the albedo at the edges of the ice sheet, since they correspond to ablation areas and show the greatest variations in runoff and surface mass balance. By giving a larger weight to points at the ice sheet's edge, we improve the model–data fit by reducing the root-mean-square deviation by over 25 % for the whole ice sheet for the summer months. This improvement is consistent for all years, even those not used in the calibration step. We also show the optimisation successfully improves the model–data fit at 87.5 % of in situ sites from the PROMICE (Programme for Monitoring of the Greenland Ice Sheet) network. We conclude by showing which additional model outputs are impacted by changes to the albedo parameters, encouraging future work using multiple data streams when optimising these parameters.</p

Improving Estimates of Gross Primary Productivity by Assimilating Solar-Induced Fluorescence Satellite Retrievals in a Terrestrial Biosphere Model Using a Process-Based SIF Model

Abstract Over the last few years, solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) observations from space have emerged as a promising resource for evaluating the spatio-temporal distribution of gross primary productivity (GPP) simulated by global terrestrial biosphere models. SIF can be used to improve GPP simulations by optimizing critical model parameters through statistical Bayesian data assimilation techniques. A prerequisite is the availability of a functional link between GPP and SIF in terrestrial biosphere models. Here we present the development of a mechanistic SIF observation operator in the ORCHIDEE (Organizing Carbon and Hydrology In Dynamic Ecosystems) terrestrial biosphere model. It simulates the regulation of photosystem II fluorescence quantum yield at the leaf level thanks to a novel parameterization of non-photochemical quenching as a function of temperature, photosynthetically active radiation, and normalized quantum yield of photochemistry. It emulates the radiative transfer of chlorophyll fluorescence to the top of the canopy using a parametric simplification of the SCOPE (Soil Canopy Observation Photosynthesis Energy) model. We assimilate two years of monthly OCO-2 (Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2) SIF product at 0.5° (2015?2016) to optimize ORCHIDEE photosynthesis and phenological parameters over an ensemble of grid points for all plant functional types. The impact on the simulated GPP is considerable with a large decrease of the global scale budget by 28 GtC/year over the period 1990?2009. The optimized GPP budget (134/136 GtC/year over 1990?2009/2001?2009) remarkably agrees with independent GPP estimates, FLUXSAT (137 GtC/year over 2001?2009) in particular and FLUXCOM (121 GtC/year over 1990?2009). Our results also suggest a biome dependency of the SIF-GPP relationship that needs to be improved for some plant functional types.Peer reviewe

Assessment of Nutritive Status in Patients with Symptoms of Heart Failure

Aim of the research. To study the parameters of nutritional status of patients with acute and chronic coronary syndromes and symptoms of heart failure in conjunction with clinical, anthropometric, laboratory parameters, structural and functional characteristics of the heart. Materials and methods. A cross-sectional study of 106 patients with acute and chronic coronary syndromes and symptoms of heart failure. All subjects underwent an integrated assessment of the nutritional status (anthropometric, caliperometric (caliper metric) indicators, CONUT scale (lymphocytes, total cholesterol, albumin), hormonal indicators (N-terminal brain natriuretic propeptide), structural changes in the myocardium using echocardiography, exercise tolerance by 6-minute walk test. Results. Nutritional deficiency, according to CONUT scale, was found in 81.1 % of cases (86 patients). In the group of patients with the presence of malnutrition, there were significantly high level of fibrinogen and N-terminal brain natriuretic propeptide. The interpretation of changes in body composition showed a significant upward trend in the prognostic index of hypotrophy and a decrease in lean body mass as heart failure progresses. The dependence of nutritive insufficiency on the CONUT scale with laboratory parameters (creatinine, fibrinogen, brain natriuretic propeptide), structural and functional characteristics of the heart (diastolic and systolic dimensions of the left ventricle, ejection fraction, left ventricular myocardial mass index), a functional indicator of tolerance to the physical load (6-minute walk test) was determined. Conclusion. An integrated analysis of nutritional status indicators of patients with heart failure revealed an increase of malnutrition signs with an increase of the severity of HF. Pathological effects of nutritional deficiency are associated with impaired left ventricular systolic function, reduced exercise tolerance

Развитие проекта «Образовательный портал "Биотехнические системы и технологии"»

Experience in the use of services, developed in 2011 under the first stage of the project, has demonstrated the effectiveness of the portal “Biotechnical Systems and Technology” (http://biotech.net-ustu.ru/) in education. In 2012, the project was actively developed. The resource is based on tools Google Sites and Google Docs.Опыт использования сервисов, разработанных в 2011 году в рамках первого этапа проекта, продемонстрировал эффективность применения портала «Биотехнические системы и технологии» (http://biotech.net-ustu.ru/) в образовательном процессе. В 2012 году проект активно развивался. Ресурс создан на базе инструментов Google Sites и Google Docs