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Abstract Strong magnetic fields, synchrotron emission, and Compton scattering are omnipresent in compact celestial X-ray sources. Emissions in the X-ray energy band are consequently expected to be linearly polarized. X-ray polarimetry provides a unique diagnostic to study the location and fundamental mechanisms behind emission processes. The polarization of emissions from a bright celestial X-ray source, the Crab, is reported here for the first time in the hard X-ray band (~20–160 keV). The Crab is a complex system consisting of a central pulsar, a diffuse pulsar wind nebula, as well as structures in the inner nebula including a jet and torus. Measurements are made by a purpose-built and calibrated polarimeter, PoGO+. The polarization vector is found to be aligned with the spin axis of the pulsar for a polarization fraction, PF = (20.9 ± 5.0)%. This is higher than that of the optical diffuse nebula, implying a more compact emission site, though not as compact as, e.g., the synchrotron knot. Contrary to measurements at higher energies, no significant temporal evolution of phase-integrated polarisation parameters is observed. The polarization parameters for the pulsar itself are measured for the first time in the X-ray energy band and are consistent with observations at optical wavelengths.

The probability of a large early release is one of the safety indicators that reflects the risk of fatalities during an accident at a nuclear power plant. Despite the fact that this indicator is very important, it is not defined in the federal rules and regulations of the Russian Federation. The article analyzes the worldwide experience related to determining criteria for large early release taking into account the statistical data of the specific country under consideration. Based on the analysis, the definition of a large early accidental release and the criteria for its achievement are formulated taking into account measures to protect the population living within the protective action planning zone (PAPZ), and an approach for their definition is proposed. A conclusion has been made about the sustainable nature of the goals identified using the NRC approach. A critical analysis of the safety indicators established worldwide allowed for the conclusion that it is necessary to improve the methodology for assessing the safety goals taking into account the specifics of NPP design, regional characteristics, phases of accident progression and other factors. The paper outlines the proposed approaches to determining high-level safety goals based on probabilistic targets – quantitative values for probabilistic health objectives (PHO) designated as PHO1 and PHO2 for the Russian Federation. A definition of a “large early release” is formulated and criteria for its achievement are proposed taking into account measures to protect the population living within the PAPZ. Thus, when assessing the degree, to which these goals are achieved in practice, it is proposed to take into account not only the likelihood of a large release during an accident at a nuclear power plant, but also measures aimed at protecting the population, in particular, evacuation. In this case, early deaths occur only when the population is not evacuated before the critical health dose loads from the release are reached.

The article sheds light on memory politics in Mongolia. It focuses on the memorial complex dedicated to G.K. Zhukov, which includes a museum, a monument and a street. The research design is tailored to identify the ways of using history for political purposes. The study draws on three groups of empirical sources, that are the author’s personal observations, the publications in Mongolian and Russian media as well as public statements made by the heads of states. The paper analyses how the political status of the memorial has evolved since the 20th century, by emphasizing different cultural and political meanings attached to the exposition and the facade of the museum. The article also considers commemoration practices associated with the memorial complex. The study concludes that the inclusion of the museum in the sphere of public commemoration at the head-of-state level is linked to the restoration of military and political cooperation between Russia and Mongolia in 2008.

The proposed paper is a study of resource nationalism. Resource nationalism appeared in Mongolia in the post-Socialist period. In this paper, we understand resource nationalism as a wide spectrum of strategies domestic elites employ in order to increase their control of natural resources - definition by Paul Domjan and Matt Stone. After an analysis of legal materials, mass media articles and political rhetoric, the author of this paper concludes that the sources of resource nationalism should be searched in the texts that date back to the Socialist era. Also, the sources of resource nationalism can be found in the ideas about justice of those times. The idea that natural resources belong to the people has been fixed in mass opinion, while contemporary nationalists justify this idea from the standpoint of “blood and soil”. That creates serious problems for Mongolia, a country with resource economy. The matter is that economic growth driven with foreign investments has caused a deep social stratification. In its turn, social stratification gave birth to a social demand for fair profit distribution from natural resource extraction. In the political sphere, this social demand quickly received a reaction - in the form of resource nationalism rhetoric. In the paper, we notice that resource nationalism in Mongolia has not been formed as a vivid legal or political doctrine. Today, it is a set of populist rhetoric of current interest which are used both for lobbying future political decisions in mining and for legitimizing the decisions already made.

The factors influencing the formation of mudflows in areas of the permafrost are considered. The data of studies performed in two regions of Chukotka – “Continental” (the Anyuysky ridge) and “Coastal” (the Iskaten ridge) were used for this research. The air temperature data series obtained in Chukotka in 2000–2020 demonstrate a steady growth of the average annual values. The air temperature rise estimated for the mudflow–dangerous period (June–August) amounted 1.4°C for the “Continental” area, and 1.0°C for the “Coastal”. This warming affects thickness of the seasonal melt layer of permafrost, mainly in the bottoms of valleys and on the slopes of mountains. This factor promotes the involvement of certain volumes of ground into mudflows. As a result of the research, it was found that the dynamics of the change in the thickness of the seasonal melt layer within the studied areas is positive, which is a consequence of warming and leads to additional moistening of grounds. The two periods of the mudflow formation were identified. During the first one (May–June), the mudflow formation is connected with the onset of intensive snowmelt that is favorable mainly for snow-water streams and loose mudflows. In the second period (July–August), mudflows are mostly caused by liquid precipitations, when the maximum thickness of seasonal melt layer is reached. It is the second period when a release of a large cohesive mud stream is the most probable. On the whole, the results obtained allow making a conclusion that in the near future the predominant type of mudflows in Chukotka will remain those of snow genesis. But, at the same time, under conditions of the climate change, occurrence of the snow-water mud streams will increase, especially in the “Coastal” area.

Background. The usage of new psychoactive substances (NPAS) is increasing every year among various social groups around the world. According to various authors, the use of abused drugs during pregnancy remains at a high level — from 2.8 to 7% of pregnant women. The usage of NPAS, as well as other groups of abused drugs, during pregnancy is fraught with intrauterine multi-organ damage, however, any organ and tissue specificity for NPAS has not been described. In intervention trials conducted on laboratory animals, negative pathophysiological mechanisms triggered by synthetic cathinones have been demonstrated in the form of increased proapoptotic activity, the formation of autophagolysosomes and reactive oxygen intermediates in cells of nervous tissue, and the pro-inflammatory orientation of cells of the immune system.Case report describes a predominant lesion of the nervous system (developmental brain malformations, damage to the inspiratory center) and the musculoskeletal system (pronounced miotonical syndrome, congenital pathological fractures of the femurs), leading to multiorgan dysfunction, uncontrolled inflammatory response and, as a result, to the development of severe disablement of such children and an increase in the cohort of palliative pediatric patients. In the article, the authors focus on the pathophysiological mechanisms of NPAS for a deeper and more holistic understanding of the pathological process occurring in the body, in order to form and improve the medical judgment of specialist doctors and cite their own clinical observation as an illustration of the consequences of using NPAS during pregnancy. The authors believe that this review describing the case report is valuable from the point of view of practical applicability both for clinicians of various fields and for researchers.Conclusion. In addition, it is necessary to pay attention to the fact that the use of NPAS is of great social and economic significance, the description of such clinical observations, as well as in vitro studies, is relevant, and the expansion of ideas about the short-term and long-term negative consequences of the use of NPAS should serve as an initiating stage for the development of rehabilitation strategies for these patients

Introduction. The study analyzes Russian places of memory in contemporary Harbin. Goals. The paper seeks to answer the question if a memorial consensus regarding the Russian heritage in China is possible, the term ‘memorial consensus’ as such denote a certain formal or informal agreement — between governments or within the community — whether to accept or reject certain symbols of the past, and how to interpret the historical events. That would guarantee conflict-free attitudes to places of memory and their due use for ritual purposes. Moreover, such an agreement regulates how certain memorials or memorable dates associated with a common history may be used in a way most acceptable to all the parties. And the present-day war on monuments around the world makes the study timely enough. In this regard, the Chinese experiences of forming a model for accepting a common past are of essential interest. Materials and methods. Methodologically, the work clusters with memory studies. The paper relies on the concepts ‘places of memory’ and ‘cultural memory’ to apply them to empirical materials of Heilongjiang and focus on toponyms, monuments, cemetery, museum exhibitions, architectural monuments, including Orthodox Christian churches. The discussion shall comprise not only monuments associated with White Russian émigrés but also later Soviet memorials. The paper investigates topographic data, visual materials, reference books dealing with historical and cultural landscapes, and historical works. Discussion. In terms of academic disciplines, the study involves historical, political science, sociological, and cultural approaches. This makes it possible to combine the analysis of the position of memorial objects with political changes in the region. Results. The work shows that a memorial consensus about the ‘Russian past’ has been formed in Harbin to meet tourist needs within the city’s image. This has been facilitated by the rapid development of domestic tourism in China. An important role in finding a memorial consensus was played by the constant dialogue between leaders of the two countries. The study identifies a total of three periods when relationships between national leaders had positive impacts on the policy towards the past. The first period is the time of the union between I. V. Stalin and Mao Zedong, the second period is the dialogue between B. N. Yeltsin and Jiang Zemin, and the third one is the tandem of V. V. Putin and Xi Jinping.

The research is devoted to the development of the weight-measurement algorithm for load-lifting cranes. The specifics of the problem is a long damping dynamic process with one amplitude-dominant harmonic. Based on the analysis of the literature, the filter (moving average) most applicable to the conditions of this problem has been found.The research goal was to develop an algorithm for weight measurement using a moving average filter.The stages of algorithm operation are described: determining the lifting start, searching for the peak load, determining the oscillation period, smoothing the data, determining the mass of the load with a defined accuracy.Experimental comparison of the algorithms using a moving average filter and a direct averaging showed the independence of the algorithm on the repeatability. At the same time, the application of the developed algorithm made it possible to reduce the weighting time by 4...9 times (1.0. 6.1 sec).The correlation between the measurement time and the accuracy of the buffer length calculation is revealed. This correlation determines the requirement for the analog-to-digital converter of the weighing devices.It is concluded that the algorithm with a moving average filter is highly applicable to the task of measuring the load mass in conditions of static weighing (with switching off mechanisms).

This article studies the dynamics of geopolitical imagination of Inner Asian borders. This concept originated in the 19th century as a synonym for Central Asia. However, the new international order and the cold War in mid-20th century changed its meaning. The article is an attempt to analyze changes of Inner Asian borders in the Oriental discourse over the past 70 years. The article contemplates key definitions of the region that appeared in 20th century in response to changes in the political situation. Information on the main research institutes studying this territory has been systematized. The focus was not only on the very borders of the region yet also on regional ascriptive political attributes. The study has revealed the special role of the cultural and civilizational factor in the formation of the geopolitical imagination and, accordingly, ideas on the region. As a result, optimal consistent criteria were identified. We propose our own logical definition of Inner Asia based on these criteria. This frontier region comprises Mongolia, the Chinese regions: the Inner Mongolia, the Tibetan Autonomous Region, the territory of Dongbei (historical Manchuria), as well as the Russian regions: the Republic of Altai, the Republic of Buryatia, the territory of the Buryat Ust-Ordynsky District within the Irkutsk Region, the Zabaykalsky Krai and the Republic of Tyva. This approach to understanding Inner Asia makes it a large-scale frontier space, where many economic and cultural exchanges between Russia, Mongolia and China take place.

The publication is devoted to aspects of the development and understanding of professional and moral criteria in the organization of the educational process in the system of higher professional education in the Russian Federation. The crisis of the ethical component in the professional training of Russian students is argued, the importance of the development of professional ethics in the development of human potential in the interests of the Russian state and society is shown. A distinction is made between moral and professional criteria for the organization of the educational process. A system of professional and moral criteria in the educational process in the system of higher professional education, aspects of their assessment, as well as recommendations for implementation in practice are presented.

This paper is a study of water-sharing disputes in Inner Asia. The focal point is the issue of fresh water-sharing in the conditions of regional post-Soviet political order. The article is an attempt to verify a hypothesis: is there a correlation between hydro power control system and regional polticial order? We study the relations between Russia, China, and Mongolia that deal with transboundary rivers which fl ow into Lake Baikal. This lake is the world’s biggest fresh-water lake and is under protection by the UNESCO. The proposed paper is centered around the idea that institutional conditions influence the legitimization of rights on hydro reserves. The research is based on the methods of neo-institutionalism which is used to study the regional political order. The empirical basis of the paper is made up of legal acts on the distrubution of transboundary waters, speeches of Russian and Mongolian statesmen, offi cial statistical data, ecological monitoring data, and regional mass-media data. Our basic conclusion: the processes undergoing in Inner Asia could lead to a new political order in the foreseeable future. The ideas, values, and infrastructural macro-projects can change both the balance of power in the region and the level of water consumption. The arising ecological problems therefore become politicized.

BACKGROUND: Prematurity is a risk for the formation of adverse metabolic disorders, the components of which can progress and lead to obesity. However, at the moment, the presence and nature of interrelations of metabolic parameters with the type of nutrition have not been established, there is also no clear idea of the age and structure of the initial manifestations of metabolic shifts, the prevalence of eating disorders in children born prematurely. AIMS: To determine the frequency and structure of the initial manifestations of the metabolic syndrome (abdominal obesity, impaired glucose tolerance, dyslipidemia, hypertension); to establish associations of types of eating behavior with biochemical parameters characterizing the adverse metabolic phenotype in children and adolescents born prematurely. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study involved 123 children: in the main group (group 1) there were children and adolescents aged 10-17 years 11 months who were born prematurely (less than 37 weeks at birth and less than 2500 grams at birth), in the control group (group 2) included full-term children (more than 37 weeks and more than 2500 grams at birth). The study included clinical anthropometry with measurement of body weight, height, waist circumference (WC) and hips (HC), followed by calculation of body mass index (BMI) and ratio of WC/HC, measurement of blood pressure (BP). Eating behavior (EB) was assessed using a modified validated Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (DEBQ). RESULTS: WC equal to or above the 90th percentile were only in children from the main group (4 children (9.7%).There were not observed such parameters in the control group (χ²=4.63, p=0.047). BP higher than the 95th percentile was observed mainly in children born prematurely: 19 children (46.3%) against one (3.3%) of the control group (χ²=21.94, p 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The components of metabolic syndrome are registered more often in children born prematurely. Eating disorders are often found in both groups.

One of the most difficult categories of patients is patients with inflammatory bowel disease. A clinical case of the development of mesalazine-induced eosinophilic pneumonia in a 15-year-old boy with ulcerative colitis is presented. The patient suffered an acute respiratory disease, which caused the aggravation of ulcerative colitis and, accordingly, an increase in the dose of mesalazine. Against this background, the child had active complaints of heaviness in the chest to the left. Eosinophilia was noted in the blood. Analysis of clinical symptoms, X-ray data, microscopic examination of the pleural fluid, the results of spiral computed tomography of the chest allowed a differential diagnosis of the main symptoms and associated identified pulmonary lesions with mesalazine.

Within substorm activations during two superstorms (2000 and 2003) from the observations at mid-latitude geomagnetic observatories, we study short-period irregular geomagnetic pulsations and airglow in the 557.7 nm and 630.0 nm atomic oxygen emission lines, and in the 391.4 nm ionized nitrogen molecular band. Through the genuine magnetogram inversion technique, from the 1-minute data of the ground-based magnetometer global network, we investigate the distribution dynamics for field-aligned currents (FACs) in the ionosphere. The relation is shown between pulsation bursts and airglow disturbances in the post-midnight sector to precipitations of energetic electrons (~keV) and increase in the R2 upward FACs.

Aim. To characterize the physical development (PD) and eating behavior (EB) of children and adolescents born prematurely.Materials and methods. The study involved 123 people born in the period 1997-2008, 58 children born prematurely, age (12 ± 1.3) years, gestation period (33.07 ± 1.9) weeks (main group). The control group consisted of 65 full-term peers, age (12.7 ± 2.2) years, gestational age (39.5 ± 0.8) weeks. Participants were evaluated by PD (height, weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), throat circumference (TC)) under the WHO AnthroPlus program, and EB using the Dutch DEBQ questionnaire.Results. Growth and Z-score growth of boys and girls of the main group is lower than that of their fullterm peers, p = 0.04; 0.004 (p < 0.0001 for Z-score growth). Z-score BMI in boys and girls of the main group is higher than in full-term, p = 0.04; 0.01. WC/TC the girls of the main group is higher than in fullterm peers, p < 0.0001. In premature boys, the restrictive type is 13.3%, emotional and external – 50%, the combination of emotional and external – 33.3%. In the control restrictive – 5,7%, emotional – 28,6%, external – 32,3%, the combination of emotional and external – 10,8%, the combination of all three types – 5,7%. In the group of premature girls restrictive –7.1% against 36.7% in the control, (p = 0.007), emotsiogenic – 10.7% against 36.6% of the control (p = 0.02), external – 10.3% against 60% of the control (p = 0.003). In the control group the combination of external and emotiogenic – 16.7% (in the primary group is 0, p = 0.02). Preterm boys emotiogenic and external and their combination more often than girls (p = 0.001; 0.02; 0.001).Conclusion. Children and adolescents born prematurely are below full-term peers and have a high z-score of BMI. Boys realize violations of external and emotional types, and their combination.

The maps of naturally determined geomorphologic tension, scale 1:8 million, for the territory of the Russian Far East and the central fragment of the mountain system of the Andes (between 5°S – 19°S) were compiled. We are using the term “tension” to define predisposition of the territory for the development of catastrophic processes. Tension wasevaluated in nominal scores accordingly to the regional level of generalization. Assessment was based on the analysis of seismicity, amount of precipitation, the depth of the relief dissection and the spectrum of the dominant geomorphologic processes. The value of geomorphologic tension in the Russian Far East region ranges from 3 to 16 conventional points: in the Western Okhotsk Sea coast area it was estimated at 7–10 points, in the Sakhalin – 10–12, in the Eastern Kamchatka – 13–15 and in separate Kuril Islands – 16 points. Thus, the study results confirmed the formerly stated supposition about the increase of nature-defined geomorphologic tension of the NW Pacific Ocean sector from the west to the east. The zone of maximum potential development of catastrophic processes in the SE sector of the Pacific Rim is situated at the western mega slope of the Peruvian Andes between 9°S and 13°30’S and in the band width of 100 km along the Pacific coast. The geomorphologic tension of this area reaches 15–16 points due to natural causes. The tension on the eastern mega slope of the Andes ranges from 9 to 12 points, except for some areas where it increases to 13–14; on the Altiplano it decreases to 6–10 points. An important feature of the study area is the asymmetric distribution of geomorphologic processes, so the geomorphologic tension, which significantly different at the oceanic and the inland (continental) slopes of the mountain chain. Comparison of data obtained for the two segments (NW and SE) of the Pacific Rim allows reaching a conclusion about the general regularities of the distribution of geomorphologic tension in the territory of marginal mountain belts around the Pacific Ocean with more confidence. The areas of potential catastrophic processes are located near the edge of the continent in either case.

Geological-and-tectonic and physiographical features of the South American Pacific coast caused high intensity of morpholitogenesis including disaster-like way of some geomorphologic processes. Their complex, interaction, and intensity of conductive factors increase the risk of disaster. The Andean terrain morphology and rock lithology, precipitation type, and vegetation status are the main drivers that influence the character and high potential intensity of the geomorphologic processes. The enormous hydrometeorological events, frequent seismic shocks, volcanic eruptions, and human impact cause disasters development. A schematic map of disaster and hazardous processes for the Central sector of Andes was compiled. 16 areas with different spectra of the dominant catastrophic processes were identified. The South American Andes extension allows drawing out principles of geomorphologic disasters of these continental marginal mountains in various natural zones - from temporal to subequatorial latitudes, which are characterized by the individual unique heat-moisture rate, which governs both typical and extreme geomorphologic processes. An important feature of the study area is the asymmetric distribution of geomorphologic processes within coastal and inland slopes of the mountain system, as well as latitudinal zoning of this distribution.

The ability of memory was investigated in 524 children, aged 4 to 7; with remote consequences of perinatal damage of the central nervous system (CNS). A weak memory ability was detected in 42% of children with dysfunctions of the general and fine motility and in 59% of children with impaired speech. Severe gestosis, anemia in pregnancy (stage II) and a delayed intrauterine fetal development were found to have a negative influence on memory shaping process.

The purpose of this work was to study the levels of neurotrophic factor nerve growth of the brain, the levels of vascular endothelial growth factor, the levels of neurospecific enolase and the activity of endothelin-1 in the serum of blood in preterm infants with extremely low birth weight in association with the state of the cerebral circulation, and morphologic changes in the brain. We examined 60 preterm infants, which were divided into two groups depending on weight at birth. In neonates with extremely low birth weight the dysfunction of mechanism of autoregulation in cerebral blood flow was characterized by a decrease in blood flow velocities in the anterior cerebral and in the basilar arteries, in association with low levels of trophic factors in serum to month of life and the developments of degenerative changes in the brain. In neonates with very low birth weight infants in the early neonatal period the vasospasm of cerebral vessels with the activity of neurotrophic factors to month of life gave way to the stabilization of the cerebral hemodynamics.

Cardial troponin I concentration and creatine phosphokinase MB activity in blood serum was investigated in 63 neonates during the neonatal period. It was revealed that clinical symptoms of myocardial lesions manifest themselves as vegetovisceral disorders in premature neonates. The level of cardiac specific markers depends on gestational age, anthropometric characteristics, and condition at birth.

In terms of nuclear raw materials, the issue of involving thorium in the fuel cycle is hardly very relevant. However, in view of the large-scale nuclear power development, the use of thorium seems to be quite natural and reasonable. The substitution of traditional uranium-plutonium fuel for uranium-thorium fuel in fast neutron reactors will significantly reduce the production of minor actinides, which will make it attractive for the transmutation of long-lived radioactive isotopes of americium, curium and neptunium that have already been and are still being accumulated. Due to the absence of uranium-233 in nature, the use of thorium in the nuclear power industry requires a closed fuel cycle. At the initial stage of developing the uranium-thorium cycle, it is proposed to use uranium-235 instead of uranium-233 as nuclear fuel. Studies have been carried out on the transmutation of minor actinides in a fast neutron reactor in which the uranium-thorium cycle is implemented. Several options for the structure of the core of such a reactor have been considered. It has been shown that heterogeneous placement of americium leads to higher rates of its transmutation than homogeneous placement does.

The results of spectral measurements of the daily near-noon surface direct solar ultraviolet radiation in the wavelength range of 295–345 nm obtained in Irkutsk (East Siberia) for the time interval of 1998–2000 are presented. For the period under consideration, the seasonal UV radiation variations are analysed that are associated with the total ozone dynamics, the transition of cyclonic and anticyclonic (Siberian anticyclone) periods, the presence of snow cover, and other factors. The analysis reveals an asymmetric behaviour of the seasonal course in ground-level UV radiation around the time of the summer solstice, with seasonal variation dependence on the wavelength. We have determined the irregular variations of surface UV radiation that is typical for the region, with their properties dependent on the season and on the spectral range analysed. The similarity of the above noted features from year to year was revealed.Key words. Atmospheric composition and structure (Transmission and scattering of radiation; instruments and techniques) – Meteorology and atmospheric dynamics (middle atmosphere dynamics)