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Introduction. The new coronavirus infection (COVID‑19) has a wide spectrum of complications. Frequency of neurological symptoms varies between 17.3 and 36.4 %. In 8 % of cases, COVID‑19 can be accompanied by bacterial or fungal infection. Since few descriptions of bacterial meningitis in adult patients with COVID‑19 and a single description of surgical treatment of purulent meningitis complicated by empyema of the 4th ventricle in a patient with COVID‑19 were found, and there are no meta‑analyses in this area, descriptions of such cases are of high scientific and practical value.Aim. The describe a case of surgical treatment of purulent ventriculitis in an adult (during treatment of the new coronavirus infection COVID‑19).Materials and methods. A man, 69 years old, with previously established diagnosis of the new coronavirus infection COVID‑19 and a comorbid pathology was admitted to the Moscow City Clinical Hospital No. 40 with newly diagnosed seizure disorder. Computed tomography imaging showed ventriculitis confirmed by MRI with obstructive hypertensive triventricular hydrocephalus.Results. The patient underwent treatment: three‑time endoscopic lavage of the ventricular system, removal of newly formed fibrin membranes with interventricular septostomy, removal of obstruction at the level of the Sylvian aqueduct; the surgery was concluded by external draining of the lateral ventricles, administration of an antibiotic intro the ventricular system and intravenously. Cerebrospinal fluid flow was restored, ventriculitis manifestations completely negated.Conclusion. Development of ventriculitis as one of the first signs of bacterial infection accompanying COVID‑19 is a very rare and life‑threatening complication requiring active surgical intervention. In was shown that endoscopic lavage of the ventricular system for ventriculitis treatment is an effective action against infection and cerebrospinal fluid flow disorders. Use of intraventricular endoscopy for ventriculitis treatment has several advantages compared to needle ventriculostomy. Further studies and analysis of treatment of bacterial ventriculitis using endoscopic surgical techniques in patients with and without the new coronavirus infection are needed.

Abstract Having analyzed the unique statistical material of the 20th century, the author examines the national composition of the USSR institutions of governance: executive, legislative, and judicial authorities, the CPSU apparatus at the level of the highest authorities of the Soviet Union; and republican and local institutions, as well as in the army and law enforcement bodies. According to the author, since the 1930s, there has been a gradual displacement of Russians and their replacement with representatives of the “titular nations” in all the union republics, which turned the USSR federal structure into the “cradle” of new states that appeared on the ruins of the Soviet Union.

Background. Intramedullary nailing of proximal tibial fractures is challenging due to difficulties with fracture reduction and achievement of stable fixation. Preoperative planning based on proximal fragment length, fracture pattern and bone quality evaluation is a prerequisite for a successful operation. However, there is no classification that could adequately access these factors and guide us towards the most effective methods of fracture reduction and fixation with intramedullary nail. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a classification of extra-articular proximal tibial fractures and algorithm for intramedullary nailing in clinical conditions. Materials and Methods. We compared the treatment outcomes before (Group 1) and after (Group 2) the introduction of the new PFL-TN classification algorithm of intramedullary nailing of proxamal tibial fractures. The group 1 included 43 patients from 18 to 71 years old (males 28; females 15; average age 44.52.0 years). The group 2 included 42 patients from 18 to 72 years old (males 30; females 12; average age 46.12.0 years). The data analysis was carried out after a minimum follow-up period of 12 months. The results were analyzed by the following criteria: reduction quality assesed with reduction quality scale, number of complications, quality of life with SF-36 questionnaire and leg function with LEFS scale. Results. The introduction of the proposed algorithm allowed to reduce the number of late complications by more than 5 times, and the number of required additional surgical interventions by more than 4 times compared to with a control group. The introduction of the proposed algorithm made it possible to improve the functional outcomes 1 year after surgery from 83.58 to 93.29% (p = 0.00002) by the LEFS scale, and the patients quality of life from the 77.501.88 to 86.712.03 points (p = 0.00072) and from the 81.251.88 to 86.842.26 points (p = 0.00116) by the physical and role functioning scales SF-36 questionnaire. Conclusion. The proposed algorithm, based on the new classification, allows to optimize the surgical technique of intramedullary nailing of proximal tibial fractures.

In the Soviet Union from 1917 to 1990, the political inequality of the nationalities’ representation in institutions of governance was overcome, non-Russians’ participation in the power structures increased, and Russians’ role in administration correspondingly decreased. The increased non-Russian percentage in governance was mainly due to the introduction of the democratic principle in government formation, according to which ethnicities should participate in proportion to their number. By 1990 in the USSR overall, Russians had a slight majority in all power structures, corresponding roughly to their higher share in the country’s population. In the union republics, however, the situation was different. Only in the RSFSR did all peoples, Russian and non-Russian, participate in government administration in proportion to their numbers, following the democratic norm. Elsewhere, Russians were underrepresented and therefore discriminated against in all organs of power, including the legislative branch. Representatives of non-Russian titular nationalities, who on average filled two-thirds of all administrative positions, predominated in disproportion to their numbers. Given these representatives’ skill majority in legislative bodies, republican constitutions permitted them to adopt any laws and resolutions they desired, including laws on secession from the USSR; and the executive and judicial authorities, together with law enforcement, would undoubtedly support them. Thus, the structural prerequisites for disintegration were established. Thereafter, the fate of the Soviet Union depended on republican elites and the geopolitical environment, because of the Center’s purposeful national policy, aimed toward increasing non-Russian representation among administrative cadres and the accelerated modernization and developmental equalization of the republics.

The Darboux problem and the definition of the Riemann–Hadamard function are presented for the Bianchi equation of the fourth order—a linear fourth-order equation with four independent variables that has a dominant derivative not containing multiple differentiation with respect to any of the independent variables. Sufficient conditions on the coefficients of this equation under which its Riemann–Hadamard function allows explicit construction in terms of hypergeometric functions are obtained.

For a linear inhomogeneous system of first-order partial differential equations with three independent variables, we prove the existence and uniqueness of a solution of the Darboux problem, which is constructed in terms of the Riemann–Hadamard matrix defined in the paper.

Ultrafast electron microscopy (UEM) has made it possible to visualize laser-induced time-dependent processes in materials with a high spatial and temporal resolution. This analytical method is based on sample excitation (pumping) by a pulsed laser beam and its probing by time-synchronized photoelectron bunches in a transmission electron microscope column. Using a digital 2D detector in an experimental setup, one can record a “molecular movie” as a sequence of images representing the behavior of material in the space–time continuum. High temporal resolution is of particular interest in the problems related to detailed analysis of various laser-induced transient processes occurring in thin films, observation of the response of adsorbed molecules to nonequilibrium structural changes of the surface, surface and volume dynamics in semiconductors, generation of coherent acoustic and optical phonons, surface melting of nanoparticles, and nonequilibrium structural dynamics of phase transformations. This review presents the state of the art of the UEM method, where picosecond, femtosecond, and subfemtosecond probe pulses are used to reveal the structural dynamics of condensed matter.

In the late Imperial period, a significant share of population of European Russia has demonstrated improved demographic indicators. The most important sign of demographic modernization is individual birth control. The available data suggest that transition from spontaneous fertility to the controlled one was first noted in St. Petersburg residents around the middle of the XIX century, disseminating among the entire urban population in the second half of the century, and extending to the rural population in the early twentieth century. Commencement of the demographic transition in Russia has been neglected by researchers for two reasons. First, demographic processes were studied country-wide, without any breakdown on urban and rural areas. With this approach, the urban population, accounting for only 10% in 1863 and 15% in 1914, blended with the general population; therefore, it was difficult to understand specifics of its reproduction. Second, age-specific and total fertility rates were not included in the analysis.

One of the criteria for the development of high-energy processes is the large specific surface area of the solid component of composites. Therefore, the maximum preservation of its nanostructured skeleton when separating the porous layer from the monocrystal substrate is relevant. Based on the analysis of the quality of the porous layer under various methods and modes of its formation, two methods were selected that provide simple and effective separation of the porous structure from the monocrystal. For composites based on mounds of porous silicon (pSi) fragments (MPSF), three series of experiments were carried out with fragments of porous layers of different age (formed within the previously established time limits before composites creation) with registration of combustion dynamics, temperatures and combustion spectra, as well as intensity of disturbances in the atmosphere forming during combustion of MPSF-composites. Four combustion modes of MPSF-composites were established: smoldering, frontal, aerosol, and frontal-aerosol. The ignition induction times were determined: from 1 to 50 ^s, pressure pulses in the atmosphere at a distance of 260 mm from the ignition site - up to 1.6 bar (with a mass of composites up to 0.4 g). Combustion velocities ofMPSF-composites and their dependences onthe coefficient of stoichiometry and humidity of sodium perchlorate monohydrate are established.

The aim of the study was the current problem of studying the impact of smoking steam cocktails on human health, as well as the development of methods for the prevention of diseases that were caused by the action of this habit is one of the main directions of the development of health protection, both in Russia and around the world. The study of dental status was carried out by means of a questionnaire, a detailed survey and a clinical examination of patients. The questionnaire was used to determine the level of evaluation of motivation to quit smoking. During the survey of patients, the subjective state of the oral cavity was determined, namely, the presence of dryness of the oral cavity, unpleasant smell, burning sensation, pain in the tongue, impaired taste sensations, and whether there was a metallic taste. Then an external examination was carried out, an examination of the vestibule of the oral cavity, an examination of the dentition itself. The intensity of dental caries was determined. According to the results of the survey, it is clear that the motivation to quit smoking is low. Data from the study in patients who use and do not use smoking mixtures showed that the intensity of caries sharply worsens depending on the length of smoking. The obtained data indicate an increase in inflammatory and destructive changes in the hard tissues of the teeth.

This article analyzes changes in both the nominal and real salaries of Russian officials and officers. The study draws upon data concerning provincial administrations, which employed a significant portion of officials, and the infantry, in which most of the officer corps served, from the introduction of monetary salaries in 1763 (for officials) and in 1711 (for officers) to 1913. A table of the changes in nominal salaries was compiled from legislative and regulatory documents, and, with the use of a consumer price index constructed by the author, time series of the real salaries of officials and officers of various ranks were obtained by decades over 150 years.

In this paper, we state the Darboux problem and give the definition of the Riemann–Hadamard function for a third-order equation with dominant partial derivative (the Bianchi equation). Basing on the possibility of explicitly representing the Riemann function for a certain class of Bianchi equations of the third order, which are equivalent with respect to function, we establish sufficient conditions for coefficients of the Bianchi equation that provide the construction of the Riemann–Hadamard function in terms of hypergeometric functions.

We prove the existence and uniqueness of a solution of the Darboux problem for the fourth-order Bianchi equation. The Riemann–Hadamard function is determined for the Darboux problem. The solution of the problem is constructed in terms of this function.

Non-Russian peoples were represented in Russian power structures long before the revolutions of 1905 and 1917, but less than the democratic norm, which suggests de facto ethnic discrimination in the Empire. In Soviet times, the actual ethno-political inequality of peoples in the USSR was gradually overcome, and participation of non-Russians in power structures grew systematically and even accelerated, and the role of Russians decreased accordingly. The increase in non-Russians’ share in governmental bodies was almost exclusively due to an increase in their ethnic status. By 1979, Russians had a very small majority in all government structures in the USSR as a whole, except for the legislative branch, which roughly corresponded to their higher share in the country’s population (50.8 % in 1989). However, the situation was different in the Union republics. Only in the Russian Federation did all peoples, Russian and non-Russian, participate in governmental bodies in proportion to their numbers and in full compliance with the democratic norm. In Belarus, Moldova, and Uzbekistan, titular ethnic groups were underrepresented, and Russians were overrepresented. In Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, and Estonia, the representation of Russians was below the democratic norm, and in nine republics it was higher, but despite this, they did not have a majority in any union republic. This situation developed as a result of the center’s national policy, which aimed at strengthening the authorities with national personnel, accelerating the modernization of the Union republics and raising the level of development in the lagging republics to the level of the most developed republics.

Over the period of 30 years various scientists representing different fields have been studying disintegration of the USSR with unflagging interest. As of August 1, 2020, more than 300 books, 3000 articles, and 20 dissertations have been written in Russia alone. Generalization and critical analysis of this literature requires a monograph. But this task is so complex that for the time being the case is limited to historiographical articles. The purpose of this article is to identify the most popular points of view expressed by well-known experts on the problem of the disintegration of the Soviet Union. The analysis enables to draw the following conclusions. The existing explanations can be divided into two large groups. The first one includes works whose authors consider disintegration as the product of a combination of random circumstances, external causes, and mistakes of party and Soviet leaders, and therefore focus first on the study of the role of subjective and external factors, and, second, on the short period of time, 1985–1991, immediately preceding the disintegration. The second group includes works whose authors consider disintegration as a natural result of long-developed processes, search for its historical background, study trends in the development of the Soviet Union and the Union republics, and look at the disintegration systemically and comprehensively. In other words, the former consider disintegration to be a random phenomenon generated mainly by the events of 1985–1991, while the latter consider it to be a natural phenomenon with deep historical, economic, political, cultural, and social prerequisites and causes.

The level of ethnopolitical inequality is estimated as the ratio of the share of an ethnic group employed in public authorities to the share of this ethnic group among the entire employed population. This indicator can be called the coefficient of ethnopolitical representativeness. In Imperial Russia, almost all major non-Russian ethnic groups had representatives in power structures, although in most cases this was unrepresentative; the number of nominees from an ethnic group did not correspond to its population size. During the entire Soviet period, 1917–1990, there was a steady and systematic decrease in the inequality of ethnic groups in power structures. In 1989, discrimination in the authorities as a whole practically disappeared. The advantages of Russians in forming the Soviet government were minimized; their percentage in government corresponded to their share in the population. In some areas of government, ethnic inequality was leveled at different rates. In the state apparatus, equality in representation was already achieved in 1959. In the apparatus of party and public organizations, there was also a tendency to overcome discrimination, but in this area, by 1990, the percentage of non-Russians remained slightly lower than their share in the population. Minimization of ethnic inequality was a natural consequence, on the one hand, of the national policy of the country’s leadership, on the other — the desire of ethnic elites for equality in political rights.

The article is dedicated to the memory of L.I. Moskalev – renowned bio-oceanographer, zoologist who spent his entire scientific career at the Laboratory of Ocean Bottom Fauna. L.I. Moskalev participated in more than 30 deep-sea voyages, spent 200 hours diving in manned submersibles “Pisces” and “Mir”, published about 100 scientific papers and a popular book «Masters of the Deep» (2005). Colleagues will remember Lev Moskalev – an extraordinary and deep person and a true patriot of the Laboratory and P.P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology

The physical mechanism of detonation combustion of nanostructured silicon with a solid-phase oxidant at a velocity of the combustion front of 1000–3000 m/s has been proposed. Thermodynamic characteristics of combustion of model solid-phase mixtures “silicon–ammonium perchlorate” with different equivalent ratios of their components have been calculated at different pressures. It has been established that a characteristic feature of detonation combustion of nanostructured silicon with a solid-phase oxidant is the stationary velocity of motion of the detonation front with a significant defect (10–15%) with respect to the Chapman–Jouguet detonation velocity. The detonation (supersonic) and subsonic regimes of combustion of nanostructured silicon with a solid-phase oxidant have been determined.

Introduction. Rotavirus infection (RVI) is the most common cause of severe gastroenteritis in infants and young children worldwide: 600,000 children die annually; it accounts for approximately 3 million hospitalizations and 25 million physician visits each year among children. Preventive vaccination is universally recognized as the most effective measure against this infection.The purpose of the study is assessment of reactogenicity, safety and immunogenicity of the pentavalent live vaccine for RVI prevention in childhood immunization.Materials and methods. The first multicenter prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial of the pentavalent live vaccine for RVI prevention was conducted in Russia among healthy infants aged 2 months at the time of the first vaccination.Results. The vaccine had a satisfactory safety profile and high immunologic activity when administered in a threedose series for childhood immunization. No negative changes in the children’s health condition were detected during the surveillance monitoring.Discussion. The seroconversion rates, the seroconversion factor and the geometric mean antibody titer were consistent with the results obtained during trials of the above vaccine and its equivalents in other countries.

Coherent dynamics of lattice oscillations in a ∼20-nm-thick film obtained by thermal sputtering of bismuth is studied using ultrashort electron bunches synchronised with femtosecond laser pulses irradiating the sample. The Fourier analysis of ultrafast electron diffraction (UED) data shows that the observed modulation of the signal is due to the ensemble of modes corresponding to optical phonons with frequencies of approximately 3, 6 and 9 THz. A conclusion is made that these peaks correspond to the manifestation of the bismuth A 1g mode (three-terahertz peak), as well as its first and second overtones, which is probably due to quantum confinement in a 20-nm Bi nanostructure. The possibility of a detailed study of the quantum-size effect in bismuth with the help of a transmission UED is analysed.

Membrane potential is a fundamental property of biological cells. Changes in membrane potential characterize a vast number of vital biological processes, such as the activity of neurons and cardiomyocytes, tumorogenesis, cell-cycle progression, etc. A common strategy to record membrane potential changes that occur in the process of interest is to utilize organic dyes or genetically-encoded voltage indicators with voltage-dependent fluorescence. Sensors are introduced into target cells, and alterations of fluorescence intensity are recorded with optical methods. Techniques that allow recording relative changes of membrane potential and do not take into account fluorescence alterations due to factors other than membrane voltage are already widely used in modern biological and biomedical studies. Such techniques have been reviewed previously in many works. However, in order to investigate a number of processes, especially long-term processes, the measured signal must be corrected to exclude the contribution from voltage-independent factors or even absolute values of cell membrane potential have to be evaluated. Techniques that enable such measurements are the subject of this review.

The bathymetric ranges of the same deep-sea (2000 m) species in the Sea of Japan and outside it are compared. Among 85 deep-sea species of the Sea of Japan mega- and macrofauna, 25 species are known outside the sea at the depths greater than 2000 m and 45 species are known outside the sea only from the sublittoral and bathyal (2000 m). Remaining 14 species are endemic to the Sea of Japan. The species of the first group, together with eurybathic Sea of Japan endemics (8 species) are classified as pseudoabyssal. The term pseudoabyssal species is used here for eurybathic (sublittoral-abyssal or bathyal-abyssal) species, the distribution of which is restricted to a relatively small area in the abyssal, in present case, to the abyssal within the Sea of Japan. The share of pseudoabyssal species in the abyssal basin of the Sea of Japan (64%) is larger than in any other abyssal region. It is suggested that the large share of pseudoabyssal species is the result of local submergence of the sublittoral-bathyal fauna into the abyssal zone of the Sea of Japan. The abyssal basin of the Sea of Japan is distinguished as a biogeographic province within the abyssal biotic zone.

Azobenzene/tetraethyl ammonium photochromic ligands (ATPLs) are photoactive compounds with a large variety of photopharmacological applications such as nociception control or vision restoration. Absorption band maximum and lifetime of the less stable isomer are important characteristics that determine the applicability of ATPLs. Substituents allow to adjust these characteristics in a range limited by the azobenzene/tetraethyl ammonium scaffold. The aim of the current study is to find the scope and limitations for the design of ATPLs with specific spectral and kinetic properties by introducing para substituents with different electronic effects. To perform this task we synthesized ATPLs with various electron acceptor and electron donor functional groups and studied their spectral and kinetic properties using flash photolysis and conventional spectroscopy techniques as well as quantum chemical modeling. As a result, we obtained diagrams that describe correlations between spectral and kinetic properties of ATPLs (absorption maxima of E and Z isomers of ATPLs, the thermal lifetime of their Z form) and both the electronic effect of substituents described by Hammett constants and structural parameters obtained from quantum chemical calculations. The provided results can be used for the design of ATPLs with properties that are optimal for photopharmacological applications.

The bathymetric distribution of species of Annelida, Crustacea and Echinodermata from the region including the Kara, Laptev and East Siberian seas and the adjacent region of the deep-sea Central Arctic was analysed. We focused on vertical species ranges revealing zones of crowding of upper and lower species range limits. Using published data and in part the material obtained during the expeditions of the P.P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, we evaluated species vertical distribution from 0 m to the maximum depth of the Central Arctic (~4,400 m). The entire depth range was divided into smaller intervals; number of upper and lower limits of species depth ranges was counted and plotted to visualize the range limits crowding. Several zones of crowding of vertical species range limits were found for all analysed macrotaxa. The most significant zones occurred at depths of 450–800 m and 1,800–2,000 m. The first depth zone corresponds to the boundary between the sublittoral and bathyal faunas. The last one marks the boundary between the bathyal and abyssal faunas. Depths of these boundaries differ from those reported from other Ocean regions; possible explanations of these differences are discussed.

The bathymetric ranges of the same deep-sea (>2000 m) species in the Sea of Japan and outside it are compared. Among 85 deep-sea species of the Sea of Japan mega- and macrofauna, 26 species are known outside the sea at depths greater than 2000 m and 45 species only from the sublittoral and bathyal zones (