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The study on the posibility of the use of the optimal glass compositions for vitrification of an imitator of vat residues of liquid radioactive waste from nuclear power plants with VVER-1000 reactors was carried out. The main process parameters such as vitrification temperature, strength, corrosion resistance, absence of crystalline phases, minimization of glass-forming additives and inclusion the maximum amount of waste were analyzed. It has been established that the melting temperature of lead-borosilicate glass matrices was 1150 °C, which satisfies the requirements for vitrification of low- and medium-level waste. The ultimate compressive strength of the obtained samples of glass matrices was 136.0 MPa. In addition, it has been shown that lead-borosilicate glass matrices are the most resistant to leaching. The cesium leaching rate was 1.5·10-5 g/cm2·day.

On the materials of the state archives of Samara, Kazan, Cheboksary and on published historical sources the article analyzes the preparations for the celebrations dedicated to the 300th anniversary ofthe Romanov dynasty. It is shownthat preparationsforthe holidaytook on a universal character, all segments of the population, independent of class, national, religious affiliation, were involved in the process of this preparation. Programs of celebrations are analyzed, they depended on a specific city, its material capabilities and the composition of the population. The festive program could include additional elements that differ in cities on the Volga. The author concludes that such large-scale festive events covering all segments of the population were an attempt to consolidate Russian society around the monarchy and the figure of Emperor Nicholas II after the revolutionary events of 1905–1907 and in the context of the beginning of a new social rise.

Abstract The effectiveness of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is highly variable. As target recognition of mAbs relies on tight binding affinity, we assessed the affinities of five therapeutic mAbs to the receptor binding domain (RBD) of wild type (A), Delta (B.1.617.2), and Omicron BA.1 SARS-CoV-2 (B.1.1.529.1) spike using microfluidic diffusional sizing (MDS). Four therapeutic mAbs showed strongly reduced affinity to Omicron BA.1 RBD, whereas one (sotrovimab) was less impacted. These affinity reductions correlate with reduced antiviral activities suggesting that affinity could serve as a rapid indicator for activity before time-consuming virus neutralization assays are performed. We also compared the same mAbs to serological fingerprints (affinity and concentration) obtained by MDS of antibodies in sera of 65 convalescent individuals. The affinities of the therapeutic mAbs to wild type and Delta RBD were similar to the serum antibody response, indicating high antiviral activities. For Omicron BA.1 RBD, only sotrovimab retained affinities within the range of the serum antibody response, in agreement with high antiviral activity. These results suggest that serological fingerprints provide a route to evaluating affinity and antiviral activity of mAb drugs and could guide the development of new therapeutics.

The state of liquid radioactive wastes (LRW) management at Ukrainian Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs) is characterized by the lack of a completed technological cycle from processing to obtaining the final product suitable for further long-term storage or disposal. As a result, the storage tanks for bottoms residue (BR) are 65-75% full (Zaporozhye and South-Ukrainian NPPs), and the resource for placing molten salt at Zaporizhzhya NPP (92.7%) is close to exhaustion [1]. Therefore, the development of technologies and materials for NPP LRW solidification is an urgent need and aims to ensure the processing of LRW to a solid state that will meet the acceptance criteria for disposal in centralized storage facilities. One of the effective methods of LRW solidification is their vitrification. The main advantage of vitrification is that during the vitrification process the volume of waste is reduced by several times and this saves expensive storage space [2, 3]. The purpose of this work is to calculate the absorbed dose that borosilicate glass matrices with included bottoms residue will accumulate over 300 years of storage, and to study the effect of simulated X-ray irradiation on their physical and mechanical properties.

An analysis of the probability and conditions for the occurrence of soil liquefaction at the base and in the vicinity of hydraulic structures is presented in the paper. As a rule, hydraulic structures are erected in the valleys of watercourses, the structure of the soil in which contributes to the occurrence of liquefaction processes. These soils are fine-grained, non-cohesive, usually consisting of fine- and medium-grained or silty sands, sandy loams, interspersed with layers of loams. Massifs under pressure hydraulic structures are quite water-saturated. Soil liquefaction occurs as a result of the destruction of structural bonds between particles in water-saturated dispersed soils under the action of stresses of various types. An external dynamic or static load applied to a water-saturated massif composed of weak, finely dispersed soils can lead to a complete or partial loss of soil bearing capacity and its transition to a fluid state. The magnitude of soil resistance to shear is determined by the degree of its water saturation; at a moisture content of about 20 %, the angle of repose of sandy soils is significantly reduced. The restoration of the strength properties of soils is prevented by the pore water pressure, the process of compaction (consolidation) of the soil mass occurs after the water is squeezed out of the pores, the flow time of which depends on the filtration properties of the massif. Liquefaction of soils leads to a disruption in the normal functioning of a hydraulic structure, the creation of emergency situations. The paper provides examples of accidents at hydraulic structures in Russia caused by liquefaction phenomena. It is noted that the main directions of protecting the structures of hydraulic structures from dangerous liquefaction are to prevent the possibility of liquefaction and the reduction of its harmful effects. In this regard, several methods are considered – compaction and strengthening of soils at the base of structures; filtering surcharge device using geotextiles and geogrids; creation of an effective drainage system.

Raman spectroscopy, renowned for its unique ability to provide a molecular fingerprint, is an invaluable tool in industry and academic research. However, various constraints often hinder the measurement process, leading to artifacts and anomalies that can significantly affect spectral measurements. This review begins by thoroughly discussing the origins and impacts of these artifacts and anomalies stemming from instrumental, sampling, and sample-related factors. Following this, we present a comprehensive list and categorization of the existing correction procedures, including computational, experimental, and deep learning (DL) approaches. The review concludes by identifying the limitations of current procedures and discussing recent advancements and breakthroughs. This discussion highlights the potential of these advancements and provides a clear direction for future research to enhance correction procedures in Raman spectral analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dioxide titanium (TiO2) is attracting a great attention as semiconductor photocatalyst because of its high photoreactivity, non-toxicity, corrosion resistance, photostability, cheapness. It can be used in wide range of applications: air and water purification, hydrogen (H2) generation, CO2 reduction, in photovoltaic application and others. The efforts of scientists were applied to use solar light for dioxide titanium photocatalysis and to enhance the photocatalytic efficiency. In this article we review the properties difference of anatase and rutile modifications of TiO2. The anatase has a higher photoefficiency. The higher photoefficiency of anatase is due to longer lifetime of charge carriers (lifetime of e-/h+ in anatase on 3 order higher than in rutile). But anatase has higher band gap energy (3.2 eV or 388 nm) in comparison with rutile (3.0 eV or 414 nm). Thus, anatase becomes photosensitive in ultraviolet (UV) diapason of light, meanwhile rutile - in violet spectrum of visible light. It is desirable to obtain TiO2 semiconductor with properties combining best ones from anatase and rutile: higher photoreactivity and smaller band gap. It can be made by using external factors such as electric or magnetic fields, doping and etc.