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Despite the rapid growth in the popularity of cryptocurrency, its legal status is still unsettled. The process of issuance and circulation of the most common cryptocurrency is completely decentralized, and there is no possibility of its regulation, including from the state. Another key feature of using cryptocurrency is the anonymity of users of such cryptocurrency. These facts, as well as the possibility of uncontrolled cross-border money transfer and their subsequent cash withdrawal, are prerequisites for a high risk of the potential involvement of cryptocurrencies in criminal schemes. The article presents a brief overview of the use of cryptocurrency for criminal purposes and the need to introduce criminal law bans on criminal encroachment in the field of cryptocurrency in Russia.

The society is constantly looking for the fastest and most convenient way to make transfers and payments that are necessary for the development of economic relations. Currently a variety of forms of remittances is used. Most of them initially had a paper form, then with the development of technology they acquired an electronic form. The introduction of new financial technologies contributes to the transition to the digital form of their implementation. One of such financial technologies is the blockchain technology, which operates on the basis of protocols (rules) of accounting for operations with "cryptocurrency". The name "cryptocurrency" or "cryptographic currency" comes from the encryption technology "cryptography", so this name can be considered as a technological one. For the development of approaches to legal regulation, the priority, according to the author, is to determine the essence of the definition of “cryptocurrency”, i.e. establishing its scope and content, indicating the distinctive features.

This paper presents a case of primary hyperparathyroidism with a broad spectrum of metabolic disturbances and concomitant sleep apnea syndrome. As shown a timely surgical treatment helps to improve the mineral parameters and alleviate the risk of possible cardiovascular complications in future. The article is the RePrint from the original publication in Obesity and Metabolism (2014) 11(3); pp. 51-55. doi: 10.14341/omet2014351-55

Chronic stress modulates the activity of various neuroendocrine axes; while activation pattern of the hypothalamo-hypophyseo-adrenal axis (HHAA) is studied in details, the response of the hypothalamo-hypophyseo-thyroid axis (HHTA) is less understood, especially in terms of its response to different types of stressors by the follicular and parafollicular compartments of the thyroid gland. Recent papers presented data on the inhibitory effect of chronic stress on the HHTA, while exercise and low temperature were shown to be able to activate its function. Most studies were done on the adult experimental animals using genetic studies without consideration of the structural changes in the peripheral link of the HHTA in the growing body. Reports on the effect of the chronic variable stressors on the thyroid gland in early life are scarce, though during this period neuroendocrine axes are extremely sensitive to different adverse factors, such as stress, infection, inflammation and environmental changes. The objective of this research is to assess the microscopic changes in the thyroid gland of the preweaning and weaning rats exposed to chronic heterotypic stress compared to the homotypic one. Homo- or heterotypic stressors were chronically applied to the preweaning and weaning rat pups. After the end of the last stress session the animals were euthanized, thyroid gland was sampled, embedded in paraffin, sectioned and stained for thyroglobulin, calcitonin, proliferative cells nuclear antigen (PCNA) and caspase 3. The mucosa of the alimentary tract of the experimental animals was examined and the thymus and the adrenal glands were sampled and weighed to evaluate the depth of stress-induced changes in the body. Immunologically stained slides of the thyroid gland were assessed using Image Pro+ software. Our study showed that chronic stress resulted in the structural and immunohistochemical changes of the thyroid gland in the preweaning and weaning experimental animals which indicate an inhibition of its function in the type of stress-related pattern. Both homo- and heterotypic stressors caused microscopic alterations in the thyroid gland, the extent of which depended both on the initial age of the experimental animal and the type of the stressor applied. The number and the size of the thyroglobulin-positive cells significantly decreased, and the volume density of the apoptotic cells significantly increased in the heterotypically stressed rat pups of both age subgroups with higher level of significance in the preweaning age subgroup. The number of calcitoninocytes was significantly increased in the weaning rat pups exposed to the heterotypic stress. The number of PCNA-positive cells significantly decreased only in the heterotypic stress group of both ages with higher level of significance in the preweaning age subgroup. A positive correlation was found between the volume density of the thyroglobulin-positive cells and the severity of the accidental thymic involution. Thus, our research demonstrated that weaning period is very sensitive to chronic stress for the thyroid gland of the experimental animals which by this age becomes mature enough to differentially respond to the various types of stress (homotypic versus heterotypic) both by the thyroid follicular and parafollicular compartments, and that thymus plays an important role in the functional capacity of the thyroid gland during stress in early life. Key words: Thyroid Gland, Chronic Stress, Weaning Period, Immunohistochemistry, Image Analysis

In the modern world, urbanization processes have become global and comprehensive. The federal law on regional policy “Fundamentals of the state policy of regional development in the Russian Federation for the period up to 2025” points out that the development of agglomerations is the most important condition for ensuring the competitiveness of the economy of the Russian regions and for providing economic growth and technological breakthrough. It can be stated that the significant role of the development of megacities as drivers of national economic growth is officially declared at the federal level of management of socio-economic development of territories. Due to the presence of various modifications of the organization of the economic space of the global economy in recent years, it becomes relevant to find new directions of scientific fundamental and applied research, the subject of which should be the socio-economic mechanisms of functioning of megacities and urban agglomerations formed on their basis, as well as the study of their impact on the municipal, regional, national and world economy in the context of globalization. In order to achieve a high degree of effectiveness in applying the experience of the United States, Western and Eastern Europe in our country, it is necessary to interpret the results of international activities in a certain context while maintaining the main target parameters. International processes of urbanization in the Russian practice are undergoing significant changes and are implemented in the form of suburbanization, a slightly different interpretation of the Western experience. Some of the results of the analysis of the activity of agglomeration movement in the Russian and international practice show that our country is lagging behind other countries, which is reflected in the presence of an insufficient number of municipalities that are larger and more populous then agglomerations: conurbations and others. We see the most important task of further research in studying the theory of urbanization and the processes of spatial and socio-economic development occurring in the territory of municipalities adjacent to the boundaries of megacities

The Black Sea basin is a unique and very complex environment in the World Ocean as a result of its evolution, location and history. This is the reason why in the last years there is an increasing scientific interest in deciphering the processes and mechanisms governing this area. Besides the well-known environmental problems of the basin related to pollution, eutrophication, overfishing and loss of biodiversity, erosion (as a result of storminess, sea level rise and human interventions) is affecting many coasts around the Black Sea.

We discuss two mechanical systems with hyperbolic chaotic attractors of Smale - Williams type. Both models are based on Froude pendulums. The first system is composed of two coupled Froude pendulums with alternating periodic braking. The second system is Froude pendulum with time-delayed feedback and periodic braking. We demonstrate by means of numerical simulations that proposed models have chaotic attractors of Smale - Williams type. We specify regions of parameter values at which the dynamics corresponds to Smale - Williams solenoid. We check numerically hyperbolicity of the attractors., Comment: Conference paper presented at International Scientific Conference "Scientific Heritage of Sergey A. Chaplygin: nonholonomic mechanics, vortex structures and hydrodynamics" (June 2-6, 2019, Cheboksary, Russia)

We analyzed the probability of the received signal distribution in a wireless optical communication line in various conditions. Model analysis showed a significant dependence of the error level in the communication channel on the stabilization point (SP) of the power level at the receiver. Measurements under various conditions showed a significant difference in the statistics of the level of the received signal from the known distributions, which does not allow using them to approximate the probabilities of large deviations of the signal level from the average value. An algorithm is proposed for assessing optimality and adjusting the position of the receiver SP based on the “statistical patterns” of distribution. The efficiency and effectiveness of the proposed algorithm, which significantly reduced the level of errors in the communication channel, were confirmed.

Correlation based on shESs in high data quality cell lines. Figure S2. Examples of seed essentiality (seedES) calculations in an artificial dataset. Figure S3. Rank correlation (ρ) for high data quality cell lines based on shES and seedES over all shRNA family sizes. Figure S4. Reproducibility of the seed essentiality scores with increasing shRNA family size of seed sequences. As shown in Fig. 3, we added the gray trace indicating the correlation based on the average of correlations from all positions. Figure S5. Heatmap of average Spearman correlation of seedES scores with increasing family size, between the matched cell lines, by considering different positions along the shRNA molecule as the seed sequence. Figure S6. As shown in Fig. 5, the number of overlapping SL partners of major cancer driver genes observed in both datasets, before and after cleaning, where the cleaning was based on removal of shRNAs with a high tendency for off-target seed effects (defined by SPS and TA properties of seed sequences; Fig. 4). Figure S7. GARP-based geneES for PKN3 and HMX3 before and after cleaning in PIK3CA mutant and wild-type (WT) cell lines, separately for the Achilles 2.4 and COLT-cancer datasets. Figure S8. Density plots of geneES scores for all the genes and gold-standard constitutive core essential (CCE) genes. Gene-specific phenotypes were calculated based on gespeR and GARP scores in both Achilles and COLT-Cancer datasets, respectively. Figure S9. A stepwise procedure for cleaning genome-wide shRNA datasets. Figure S10. Baseline reproducibility between the Achilles 2.4 and BFG genome-wide shRNA screens. Figure S11. Reproducibility of Achilles 2.4 and BFG genome-wide screens at the level of shRNAs, on-target genes, and off-target seeds. Figure S12. Reproducibility of seed essentiality scores with increasing shRNA family size of seed sequences in additional datasets. Figure S13. Reproducibility of Achilles 2.4 and BFG datasets after accounting for seed sequence properties. (DOCX 1588 kb)

If we allow non-smooth or discontinuous functions in definition of an evolution operator for dynamical systems, then situations of quasi-hyperbolic chaotic dynamics often occur like, for example, on attractors in model Lozi map and in Belykh map. The present article deals with the quasihyperbolic attractor of Belykh in a map describing a rotator with dissipation driven by periodic kicks, the intensity of which depends on the instantaneous angular coordinate of the rotator as a sawtooth-like function, and also the transformation of the attractor under smoothing of that function is considered. Reduction of the equations to the standard form of the Belykh map is provided. Results of computations illustrating the dynamics of the system with continuous time on the Belykh attractor are presented. Also, results for the model with the smoothed sawtooth function are considered depending on the parameter characterizing the smoothing scale. On graphs of Lyapunov exponents versus a parameter, the smoothing of the sawtooth implies appearance of periodicity windows, which indicates violation of the quasi-hyperbolic nature of the attractor. Charts of dynamic regimes on the parameter plane of the system are also plotted, where regions of periodic motions ("Arnold's tongues") are present, which decrease in size with the decrease in the characteristic scale of the smoothing, and disappear in the limit case of the sawtooth function with a break. Since the Belykh attractor was originally introduced in the radiophysical context (phase-locked loops), the analysis undertaken here is of interest from the point of view of possible exploiting the chaotic dynamics on this attractor in electronic devices., Comment: 10 pages, 11 figures

Co-simulation strategies using both Abaqus/Explicit and Abaqus/Implicit are investigated for analysing wave barrier in 2D unbounded soil domain. The Co-simulation is based on the coupling GC method, allowing for coupling different finite element codes with different time integrators and time-scales depending on the partitions of the domain. Absorbing Layers using Increasing Damping (ALID), based on Rayleigh damping, are considered at the boundary to model the semi-infinite medium. The proposed absorbing region is called Hybrid (different time integrators) Asynchronous (different time steps) Absorbing Layers using Increasing Damping (HA-ALID). First, HA-ALID turns out to be more accurate than non- reflective conditions available in Abaqus/Explicit. Second, the time steps for the solid barrier and the HA-ALID are not restrained by the CFL condition imposed by the explicit partition for stability reasons. Third, the critical time step in the domain of interest remains unaffected by the choice of damping characteristics in the HA-ALID, contrary to the case of a full explicit computation. Because of its good accuracy and ability to be realized using only FE Abaqus package, without a third-party software component, this strategy provides a wide range of applications in soil-structure interaction problems.

A new four-dimensional model with quasi-periodic dynamics is suggested. The torus attractor originates via the saddle-node bifurcation, which may be regarded as a member of a bifurcation family embracing different types of blue sky catastrophes. Also the torus birth trough the Neimark-Sacker bifurcation occurs in some other region of the parameter space., Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures

A scheme is suggested of the parametric generator of chaotic oscillations with attractor represented by a kind of Smale-Williams solenoid that operates under a periodic sequence of pump pulses at two different frequencies. Simulation of chaotic dynamics using the software product Multisim is provided., Comment: 14 pages, 10 figures

There are many natural and man-made materials with heterogeneous micro- or nanostructure (fine-scale structure) which represent a great interest for industry. Therefore there is a great demand for computational methods capable to model mechanical behavior of such materials. Direct numerical simulation resolving all fine-scale details using very fine mesh often becomes very expensive. One of alternative effective group of methods is the homogenization methods allowing to model behavior of materials with heterogeneous fine-scale structure. The essence of homogenization is to replace heterogeneous material with some equivalent effectively homogeneous material. The homogenization methods are proven to be effective in certain classes of problems while there is need to improve their performance, which includes extension of the range of applicability, simplification, usage with conventional FE software and reducing computational cost. In this dissertation methods extending the range of applicability of homogenization are developed. Firstly, homogenization was extended of the case of full nonlinear electromechanical coupling with large deformations, which allows simulating effectively behavior of electroactive materials such as composites made of electroactive polymers. Secondly, homogenization was extended on wave problems where dispersion is significant and should be accounted for. Finally, the homogenization was extended on the case where the size of microstructure. The distinctive feature of the methods introduced in this dissertation is that they don't require higher order derivatives and can be implemented with conventional FE codes. The performance of methods is tested on various examples using Abaqus.

We consider several electronic circuits, which represent dynamical systems with hyperbolic chaotic attractors of Smale-Williams type, and demonstrate results of their simulation using the software package NI Multisim 10. The developed approach is useful as an intermediate step of constructing real electronic devices manifesting structurally stable hyperbolic chaos applicable e.g. in systems of secure communication, noise radar, for cryptographic systems and random number generators. This is also of methodological interest for training students who specialize in radio-physics and nonlinear dynamics in the design and analysis of systems with complex dynamics using examples close to practical applications., Comment: 15 pages, 16 figures

Correlations between 1-10 Hz quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) and spectral power law index have been reported for black hole (BH) candidate sources and one neutron star source, 4U 1728-34. An examination of QPO frequency and index relationships in Sco X-1 is reported herein. We discovered that Sco X-1, representing Z-source groups, can be adequately modeled by a simple two-component model of Compton up-scattering with a soft photon electron temperature of about 0.4 keV, plus an Iron K-line. The results show a strong correlation between spectral power law index and kHz QPOs. Because Sco X-1 radiates near the Eddington limit, one can infer that the geometrical configuration of the Compton cloud (CC) is quasi-spherical because of high radiation pressure in the CC. Thus, we conclude that the high Thomson optical depth of the Compton cloud, in the range of ~5-6 from the best-fit model parameters, is consistent with the neutron star's surface being obscured by material. Moreover, a spin frequency of Sco X-1 is likely suppressed due to photon scattering off CC electrons. Additionally, we demonstrate how the power spectrum evolves when Sco X-1 transitions from the horizontal branch to the normal branch., Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ (July 1, 2007, v663n1 issue)

A simple and transparent example of a non-autonomous flow system, with hyperbolic strange attractor is suggested. The system is constructed on a basis of two coupled van der Pol oscillators, the characteristic frequencies differ twice, and the parameters controlling generation in both oscillators undergo a slow periodic counter-phase variation in time. In terms of stroboscopic Poincar\'{e} section, the respective four-dimensional mapping has a hyperbolic strange attractor of Smale - Williams type. Qualitative reasoning and quantitative data of numerical computations are presented and discussed, e.g. Lyapunov exponents and their parameter dependencies. A special test for hyperbolicity based on statistical analysis of distributions of angles between stable and unstable subspaces of a chaotic trajectory has been performed. Perspectives of further comparative studies of hyperbolic and non-hyperbolic chaotic dynamics in physical aspect are outlined., Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures

Sequences of sgRNAs used against HMX3 and PKN3. (DOCX 13 kb)

G-Protein Coupled Receptor (GPCR), Class C, Group 5, Member A (GPRC5A) has been implicated in several malignancies. The underlying mechanisms, however, remain poorly understood. Using a panel of human cell lines, we demonstrate that CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knockout and RNAi-mediated depletion of GPRC5A impairs cell adhesion to integrin substrates: collagens I and IV, fibronectin, as well as to extracellular matrix proteins derived from the Engelbreth-Holm-Swarm (EHS) mouse sarcoma (Matrigel). Consistent with the phenotype, knock-out of GPRC5A correlated with a reduced integrin β1 (ITGB1) protein expression, impaired phosphorylation of the focal adhesion kinase (FAK), and lower activity of small GTPases RhoA and Rac1. Furthermore, we provide the first evidence for a direct interaction between GPRC5A and a receptor tyrosine kinase EphA2, an upstream regulator of FAK, although its contribution to the observed adhesion phenotype is unclear. Our findings reveal an unprecedented role for GPRC5A in regulation of the ITGB1-mediated cell adhesion and it's downstream signaling, thus indicating a potential novel role for GPRC5A in human epithelial cancers.

Sequences of sgRNAs used against HMX3 and PKN3. (DOCX 13 kb)

G-Protein Coupled Receptor (GPCR), Class C, Group 5, Member A (GPRC5A) has been implicated in several malignancies. The underlying mechanisms, however, remain poorly understood. Using a panel of human cell lines, we demonstrate that CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knockout and RNAi-mediated depletion of GPRC5A impairs cell adhesion to integrin substrates: collagens I and IV, fibronectin, as well as to extracellular matrix proteins derived from the Engelbreth-Holm-Swarm (EHS) mouse sarcoma (Matrigel). Consistent with the phenotype, knock-out of GPRC5A correlated with a reduced integrin β1 (ITGB1) protein expression, impaired phosphorylation of the focal adhesion kinase (FAK), and lower activity of small GTPases RhoA and Rac1. Furthermore, we provide the first evidence for a direct interaction between GPRC5A and a receptor tyrosine kinase EphA2, an upstream regulator of FAK, although its contribution to the observed adhesion phenotype is unclear. Our findings reveal an unprecedented role for GPRC5A in regulation of the ITGB1-mediated cell adhesion and it's downstream signaling, thus indicating a potential novel role for GPRC5A in human epithelial cancers.