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The use of functional information in the form of species traits plays an important role in explaining biodiversity patterns and responses to environmental changes. Although relationships between species composition, their traits, and the environment have been extensively studied on a case-by-case basis, results are variable, and it remains unclear how generalizable these relationships are across ecosystems, taxa and spatial scales. To address this gap, we collated 80 datasets from trait-based studies into a global database for metaCommunity Ecology: Species, Traits, Environment and Space; "CESTES". Each dataset includes four matrices: species community abundances or presences/absences across multiple sites, species trait information, environmental variables and spatial coordinates of the sampling sites. The CESTES database is a live database: it will be maintained and expanded in the future as new datasets become available. By its harmonized structure, and the diversity of ecosystem types, taxonomic groups, and spatial scales it covers, the CESTES database provides an important opportunity for synthetic trait-based research in community ecology.

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The article is devoted to the problem of brand promotion management in accordance with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted by UN for years 2016–2030 for all countries of the world. The authors of the article point out that in the new realities implying an intensive use of digital and Internet technologies in communication processes, there is a problem of the carbon footprint increasing due to the use of the Internet and its supporting systems. The necessity and possibility of leveling digital garbage through effective brand communications management are examined. The study is based on the use of general scientific methods. According to the conclusion of the authors, when creating a brand communication system, organizations should competently approach the development of annual promotion programs, taking into account the sustainable development agenda as much as possible. The novelty of the study lies in the development of the structure and content of a brand promotion program whose use will make it possible for a company to form long-lasting relationships with its customers and other stakeholders, which can be based on creating additional value in the process of jointly solving tasks in order to achieve sustainable development goals. In the structure of the brand promotion program proposed, a special place is given to analytics that allow to define achievable goals and identify target groups ready to cooperate in the pursuit of common goals, creating additional value. The findings of the study can be applied by companies interested in brand capital growth through strengthening the brand’s position in the experience of consumers and the public as well as establishing the idea that the brand is sustainable and socially responsible.

Abstract Production of Atlantic salmon smolts in recirculation aquaculture systems (RAS) is growing, and novel production protocols using continuous light in RAS are being implemented in the industry. In the present study, Atlantic Salmon parr were exposed to either a traditional protocol (short‐day winter signal [12:12 L:D] for 6 weeks) or to continuous light. Both photoperiods were applied in freshwater (FW) and brackish water RAS. Salmon from all treatments were transferred to seawater pens at 200 and 600 g and grown until slaughter size. A control group was smoltified with a 6‐week short‐day winter signal and kept in FW until sea transfer at 100 g. Continuous light gave a higher growth rate in RAS but reduced feed intake and growth and increased feed conversion ratio during the first 8 weeks in seawater. However, at slaughter, fish exposed to continuous light was bigger than fish given a winter signal because of the higher growth rate in RAS. Slaughter weight was lowest in fish transferred to sea at 600 g, despite having the highest day‐degree sum during their life span. The best performing group was the control group transferred at 100 g. All treatments handled transfer to seawater and survival and maturation were not affected by the treatments in RAS. The immune status was examined with a multigene expression assay on BioMark HD platform from parr stage to 5–7 months after seawater transfer. Overall, there was no significant effect of photoperiod or salinity on the expression of the selected immune genes. In sum, the results from this study indicate that using continuous light in RAS may have negative effects on performance shortly after transfer in fish transferred to sea at 200 g, whereas at 600 g, all treatments had reduced growth after transfer irrespective of treatment in RAS.

The SNP-typing method based on the detection of stable genetic markers in the genome, i.e., single nucleotide polymorphisms, is successfully used for genotyping of pathogenic microorganisms and can be applied for SNP-profiling of Yersinia pestis strains and molecular-genetic certification of focal areas. The aim of the study was to determine the SNP profiles of Y. pestis strains of the medieval biovar isolated in the Caspian Sea region plague foci in 1912–2015 and to develop a method for identifying unique SNPs using the Sanger sequencing for molecular-genetic certification of these territories. Materials and methods. A comprehensive study of the phenotypic and genotypic properties of 190 Y. pestis strains from plague foci in the Caspian Sea region was carried out. Phylogenetic reconstruction by the Maximum Likelihood method (GTR model) in the SeaView 5.0.4 software was performed on the basis of 1621 SNPs identified among 50 Y. pestis strains according to WG-SNP analysis in the snippy 4.6 program. Primers for PCR amplification of the SNP loci selected as target were calculated using the Vector NTI program. Sanger sequencing of SNPs loci was conducted on an ABI PRISM 3500XL genetic analyzer (Applied Biosystems, USA). Results and discussion. According to phenotypic characteristics, all studied strains from the Caspian foci belonged to a highly virulent and epidemically significant medieval biovar of the main subspecies of Y. pestis. According to the results of the WG-SNP analysis, 9 SNP genotypes were identified based on the polymorphism of single nucleotides of 24 genes characteristic of the main phylopopulations, which include strains isolated during various periods of epidemic and epizootic activity in the Caspian plague foci. Determining of SNP genotypes of Y. pestis strains of the medieval biovar, obtained over a hundred years in the Caspian foci, creates the prerequisites for defining the canonical SNP profile (canSNP) and for developing an algorithm for molecular epidemiological monitoring of the foci in which this highly virulent biovar circulates.

Despite all efforts of the world community, the COVID-19 pandemic remains one of the main epidemiological challenges of our time. Even with its widespread distribution, the infection may have certain local features due to social, geographic, and climatic factors. Objective: to study collective immunity to SARS-CoV-2 in the population of the Republic of Tajikistan.A cross-sectional, randomized study of herd immunity was carried out according to a program developed by Rospotrebnadzor and the St. Petersburg Pasteur Institute, taking into account WHO recommendations. The ethics committees of the corresponding entities approved the study: Tajik Ministry of Health and Social Protection; and the St. Petersburg Pasteur Institute (Russia). Based on questionnaire results, 4,022 people were selected, representing 0.15% (95% CI: 0.14-0.15) of the total population randomized by age and region. In subsequent laboratory analysis, 3682 people took part. The distribution and quantitative content of antibodies (Abs) to viral nucleocapsid (N Ag) and receptor binding domain (RBD Ag) were determined by ELISA. When questioned, a history of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination was indicated by 69.7% (95% CI: 68.2-71.2) of the volunteer cohort. Vector vaccines were most frequently used (50.6%; 95% CI: 48.7-52.5), with whole-virion inactivated preparations in second place (23.0%: 95% CI: 21.4-26.6) and mRNA vaccines in third place (21.0%; 95% CI:19.4-22.6).The cohort (n = 3682) featured 27.5% men and 72.5% women. The overall seroprevalence was 98.5% (95% CI: 97.7-99.2) in men and 99.4% (95% CI: 99.0-99.6) in women (differences statistically insignificant). Overall seroprevalence in the cohort was 99.2% (95% CI: 98.8-99.4) and ranged from 97.2 to 100% in certain subgroups. Asymptomatic seropositivity in the whole cohort was 98.4% (95% CI: 97.6-99.1). As a result of a mandatory vaccination program introduced in Tajikistan under a COVID-19 Emergency Project, the level of herd immunity among vaccinated individuals reached 99.5% (95% CI: 99.1-99.7), which is similar to the level reached in the cohort as a whole.The epidemic situation that developed in Tajikistan by mid-March 2022 was characterized by an almost absolute level of herd immunity, as evidenced by an absence of detected overt COVID-19 cases since the end of February (2022).

The article studies the essence of artificial intelligence from the standpoint of the jurisprudence. Based on the discursive-communicative methodology, it analyzes the ontological aspects of the development and functioning of artificial intelligence in modern law reality. It is concluded that artificial intelligence has a dichotomous law nature. On the one hand, as a tool for working with information, it has the features of an object of law. On the other hand, it itself produces information and participates in communication, in terms of its qualities approaching the subject of law. This implies a reassessment of the law system as a whole due to the possibility of the formation of norms by artificial intelligence itself. The legal definition of artificial intelligence at the moment is intended to construct the appropriate relationship and requires further clarification. We propose to introduce a new category of subjects of law, which can be called a “cyber-face” and which will refer specifically to artificial intelligence, as opposed to the concept of “digital person” used to designate a human (individual) as a subject of law in virtual reality.

Background: Vagal paraganglioma (VPGL) is a very rare neuroendocrine tumor arising from the paraganglion associated with the vagus nerve. VPGL is mainly characterized by an asymptomatic course and slow growth. However, up to 19% of tumors can metastasize. Due to the rarity of this tumor, information about VPGL is limited to single cases and small sample sets; the data on molecular genetic features is extremely scarce. Methods: For the first time we have analyzed the enrichment of biological pathways associated with mutations in the SDHx genes in VPGLs. Bioinformatics analysis was performed based on the results of high-throughput transcriptome sequencing on an Illumina platform for 33 tumor tissues obtained from patients with vagal paragangliomas. Results: Eight pathways of the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) database with gene overrepresentation (top-40 mode) have been identified. Significant changes were shown for the cancer-associated PI3K-Akt signaling pathway and interconnected pathways of focal adhesion and interaction of receptors with the extracellular matrix enriched by overexpressed genes. Conclusion: Our result indicates the association of SDHx mutations with changes in the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway in vagal paraganglioma. The potential mechanism of deregulation in this pathway could be linked with a state of pseudohypoxia induced by the dysfunction of succinate dehydrogenase due to mutations in the SDHx genes.

Optimization of Josephson oscillators requires a quantitative understanding of their microwave properties. A Josephson junction has a geometry similar to a microstrip patch antenna. However, it is biased by a dc current distributed over the whole area of the junction. The oscillating electric field is generated internally via the ac-Josephson effect. In this work, I present a distributed, active patch antenna model of a Josephson oscillator. It takes into account the internal Josephson electrodynamics and allows for the determination of the effective input resistance, which couples the Josephson current to cavity modes in the transmission line formed by the junction. The model provides full characterization of Josephson oscillators and explains the origin of the low radiative power efficiency. Finally, I discuss the design of an optimized Josephson patch oscillator capable of reaching high efficiency and radiation power for emission into free space.

Abstract We lift the recently proposed theories of higher-spin self-dual Yang-Mills (SDYM) and gravity (SDGR) to the twistor space. We find that the most natural room for their twistor formulation is not in the projective, but in the full twistor space, which is the total space of the spinor bundle over the 4-dimensional manifold. In the case of higher-spin extension of the SDYM we prove an analogue of the Ward theorem, and show that there is a one-to-one correspondence between the solutions of the field equations and holomorphic vector bundles over the twistor space. In the case of the higher-spin extension of SDGR we show show that there is a one-to-one correspondence between solutions of the field equations and Ehresmann connections on the twistor space whose horizontal distributions are Poisson, and whose curvature is decomposable. These data then define an almost complex structure on the twistor space that is integrable.

Metal nanoparticle (NP) complexes lying on a single-layer graphene surface are studied with a developed original hybrid quantum–classical theory using the Finite Element Method (FEM) that is computationally cheap. Our theory is based on the motivated assumption that the carrier charge density in the doped graphene does not vary significantly during the plasmon oscillations. Charge transfer plasmon (CTP) frequencies, eigenvectors, quality factors, energy loss in the NPs and in graphene, and the absorption power are aspects that are theoretically studied and numerically calculated. It is shown the CTP frequencies reside in the terahertz range and can be represented as a product of two factors: the Fermi level of graphene and the geometry of the NP complex. The energy losses in the NPs are predicted to be inversely dependent on the radius R of the nanoparticle, while the loss in graphene is proportional to R and the interparticle distance. The CTP quality factors are predicted to be in the range ∼ 10 − 100. The absorption power under CTP excitation is proportional to the scalar product of the CTP dipole moment and the external electromagnetic field. The developed theory makes it possible to simulate different properties of CTPs 3–4 orders of magnitude faster compared to the original FEM or the finite-difference time domain method, providing possibilities for predicting the plasmonic properties of very large systems for different applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On the basis of the solution of Maxwells equations system for electromagnetic radiation in a turbulent atmosphere the differential effective section of scattering of this radiation on turbulence is found. Dependence of scattering section on wave length and an angle of scattering is investigated. It is shown that interaction of electromagnetic radiation and turbulence of an atmosphere is interaction of the determined electromagnetic wave process with stochastic turbulent wave process. It is marked, that the wave vector of scattering electromagnetic radiation is proportional to a wave vector of turbulence.

Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD) are a group of inflammatory diseases of the central nervous system characterized by episodes of immune-mediated astrocytopathy, inflammatory demyelination and axonal damage, predominantly affecting the optic nerves and spinal cord. Currently, there are several unresolved issues that make it difficult to provide medical care to patients with NMOSD. The objective of this publication is to present the results of the work of the Russian experts panel, held in September 2022. The consensus council of experts adopted the main definitions and terms for NMOSD, proposed a therapeutic algorithm to prevent exacerbations in patients with NMOSD with serum IgG antibodies to aquaporin-4 (AQP4-IgG).The experts formulated profiles of patients with NMOSD to whom eculizumab may be recommended, and proposed a risk management plan during the treatment with this drug. The experts worked out the next steps, which are necessary for the improvement of medical care for these patients: development of unified electronic register of patients with NMOSD in the Russian Federation, development and approval of clinical guidelines.

The article presents a review of literature data in order to study current problems in the diagnosis and surgical treatment of liver echinococcosis. At the present stage of technological progress, it is possible to study the genetic, anatomical and pathophysiological aspects of echinococcosis. The article highlights the advantages and disadvantages of surgical operations performed in patients with echinococcal liver damage. Methods and results of surgical treatment in various clinics are considered. The main surgical directions in the treatment of parasitic liver damage have been determined. These are more radical anatomical and extensive liver resections and minimally invasive, including laparoscopic and robotic techniques. Each of the methods used has its own niche of application and its own limitations. An opinion is expressed about the prospects for the development of minimally invasive methods of surgical treatment. The authors note the actual absence of a unified standardized tactics of surgical treatment at the moment. It is noted that the literature contains only fragmentary data on the possibility of combining minimally invasive and classical methods of surgical treatment. Despite the introduction of new methods of treatment, the percentage of complications and mortality are still high. Thus, the lack of uniform diagnostic standards and principles for determining surgical tactics testifies to the urgency of the problem of treating parasitic liver damage and determines the search for new solutions in order to improve the results of surgical treatment of this pathology.

The article presents the results of a marketing analysis of the global and Russian markets for intelligent urban mobility, including a set of solutions that improve the quality of citizens’ life – environmentally friendly modes of transport, shared services, on-demand mobility and infrastructure for integrating technologies into the urban environment. The authors propose a characteristic of the smart mobility market, consider the main segments and identify key trends in its development. Special attention is paid to the peculiarities of the transport sharing market development. In a comparative way, the features of consumer preferences, the volume of investments in sharing products and forecasts of market development are analyzed.

Irreversible neurological deficit and disability in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NOSD) are formed as a result of exacerbations, which are often life-threatening. Timely diagnosis and treatment of exacerbations is a key task in the management of this category of patients. A unified structured approach to the diagnosis and treatment of NOSD exacerbations has not been developed. The purpose of this article is to analyze the scientific literature data on this issue in order to optimize the diagnostics and treatment of NOSD exacerbations in everyday clinical practice.

The aim of the study was to improve the methods for verifying the vaccine strain Francisella tularensis 15 NIIEG during long-term storage under current conditions.Materials and methods. The paper summarizes the results of studying the phenotypic and genetic properties of lyophilized cultures of the vaccine strain F. tularensis 15 NIIEG (1953, 1966, 1969, 1987, 1990, 2003, 2012 and 2013) stored at SCEMAP for a period of one to 60 years.Results and discussion. Previous studies have revealed that freeze-dried cultures of F. tularensis 15 NIIEG generally had the characteristics of the vaccine strain, with the exception of deviations from the regulatory requirements for residual virulence and specific safety. The stability of preservation of deletions in the pilA and pilE genes (the region of differentiation RD19) and the genes encoding lpp lipoprotein (RD18) in the vaccine strain, which was stored for various periods of time in a lyophilized state, has been confirmed. The vaccine-strain-specific mutation C178404T (by the genome of F. tularensis LVS strain, GenBank NCBI no. CP009694) has been identified, and an approach to determine it has been developed. The data obtained are promising as regards using the above deletions in the RD18/RD19 regions in combination with the C178404T mutation to assess the authenticity of the vaccine strain using molecular genetic methods. Thus, the conducted retrospective analysis of the data on the cultures of tularemia microbe vaccine strain from the 1940s to 2013 and the gathered experimental data, made it possible to supplement the uniform requirements for the manufacture, study, maintenance, storage and movement of F. tularensis 15 NIIEG vaccine strain with new evidence. Based on the results obtained, the authors have drawn a draft methodological recommendations of the federal level “Vaccinal strain Francisella tularensis 15 NIIEG: order of handling”.

Abstract Using the 1.32 $$\hbox {pb}^{-1}$$ pb - 1 statistics collected at the $$J/\psi $$ J / ψ peak with the KEDR detector at the VEPP-4M $$e^{+}e^{-\, }$$ e + e - collider, we measured the branching fractions of $$J/\psi $$ J / ψ meson decays to the final states 2( $$\pi ^{+}\pi ^{-})\pi ^{0}$$ π + π - ) π 0 , $$K^{+}K^{-}\pi ^{+}\pi ^{-}\pi ^{0}$$ K + K - π + π - π 0 , 2( $$\pi ^{+}\pi ^{-})$$ π + π - ) and $$K^{+}K^{-}\pi ^{+}\pi ^{-}$$ K + K - π + π - . The results obtained for the decays $$J/\psi \rightarrow $$ J / ψ → 2( $$\pi ^{+}\pi ^{-})\pi ^{0}$$ π + π - ) π 0 , $$J/\psi \rightarrow K^{+}K^{-}\pi ^{+}\pi ^{-}\pi ^{0}$$ J / ψ → K + K - π + π - π 0 contradict the measurements performed by other groups in the last century, but agree well with recent results of BABAR and BESIII collaborations.

Objective: a comprehensive theoretical and legal study of the nature of judicial practice.Methods: the methodological basis of the article is postclassical rationality, which allows studying judicial practice in the context of its impact on the public relations regulation and establishing the legal nature of this phenomenon. This determined the integration of methods developed in the legal science (formal legal, comparative legal methods, method of legal modeling) and other humanities (hermeneutical, discursive methods).Results: the article considers judicial practice as an individual legal regulation, i.e. the activities of the authorized judicial bodies of the state aimed at consideration and resolution of legal cases, as well as the creation of individual legal foundations for the lawful behavior of subjects of public relations. The authors proceed from the fact that judicial practice is a unity of cognition, activity, and result, as it actively participates in the construction of legal reality. This leads to the conclusion that judicial practice should be understood dichotomically – as the activity of judges, the result of which is the creation of individual and generalizing legal acts aimed at constructing a legal reality (a specific form of legal communication), and as a material source of law (a set of generalizing legal acts (positions of courts) that have a legal impact on the consciousness and behavior of an indefinite circle of subjects of the same name).Scientific novelty: in the article, for the first time in the Russian legal science, a study of judicial practice is transferred from the level of sectoral analysis to the philosophical-legal level. At the same time, the authors emphasize the interdisciplinary, general humanitarian nature of judicial practice. The analysis and interpretation of judicial practice are carried out at the ontological and axiological levels of legal reality. This allowed identifying the specific role of judicial practice in the legal system as a means of communication between individual and general legal regulation.Practical significance: the main provisions and conclusions of the article can be used in scientific and pedagogical activities when considering the essence and content of judicial practice and its role in the creation and functioning of the Russian legal reality, as well as for improving judicial activity at all levels.

The purpose of the paper is to analyze the vulnerability of systems that ensure the processes of vital activity of an object of the fuel and energy complex. The application of the shifted ideal method, as well as the method of reduced hierarchy analysis, made it possible to find the most vulnerable elements of technological systems and to identify the dependence of the operability of these elements on the security of information flows in automated process control systems. The need in forming reasonable requirements for the information security policy of the enterprise and focusing on ensuring a sufficient level of protection against threats to the elements of the enterprise information system is demonstrated. The execution of such threats can lead to consequences that cause a huge damage according to the following criteria: the emergency zone, economic damage, the number of victims, the probability of system failure. The analysis of the significance of threats to information systems as well as the analysis of the stability of both individual components and their aggregates are carried out. The nature of the interconnectedness (relationships) of the components of information systems of the enterprise is shown. As part of the consideration of threats to the components of information systems, the hierarchical dependence of the security of complex assets of the information system on the security of the basic components of the lowest level is revealed. A threat model has been developed based on the list of threats approved by the Federal Service for Technical and Export Control in the database of information security threats for information systems. The application of this approach makes it possible to form provisions for the information security policy of the enterprise and to invite information security specialists to develop the software and hardware protection for the enterprise information system.

The article examines the nature of legal realization in the context of law reality through the prism of philosophical and legal analysis. The purpose is the formation of scientifically based knowledge concerning the place and role of legal realization in law reality. The methodology is based on the complex use of post-classical methodology, which allows studying the law nature of legal realization and its significance for the development and functioning of law reality. The findings may be outlined as follows: Legal realization is considered in the article as a complex philosophical and legal category. Ontologically, legal realization may be defined as determining means of the legal impact of positive law on the consciousness and behavior of a person. Phenomenologically, it may be considered as an independent level of law reality, which is a system of actions of subjects of law aimed at implementing state prescriptions, objectified in the totality of individual legal acts. Axiologically, legal realization is the movement of law values from their mental awareness to embodiment in those possible models of legal interactions that are constructed by subjects and then, albeit partially, are reflected directly in legal relations. Conclusions: legal realization as a complex category includes a mental component (comprehension in legal consciousness of the content of legal norms of different levels and quality, practice of their realization in practice, choice of possible options for legal and (or) non-legal behavior due to rational and irrational factors, value preferences of subjects) and an activity component (legal actions that are consistent with the requirements of the norms positive law).

The aquafeed ingredient inventory is ever changing, from marine to plant based, and recently evolving to incorporate increasing amounts of low trophic, side stream and circular economy based raw materials, each one contributing with variable amounts and qualities of macro- and micronutrients. Meeting the micronutrient requirement of farmed fish for healthy and efficient growth under normal and challenging conditions is of paramount importance. In this study we run a trial based on a 2 × 4 factorial design with three replications for each dietary treatment, where Atlantic salmon smolt were fed one of 8 experimental diets supplemented with either organic or inorganic mineral premixes (copper, iron, manganese, selenium, and zinc) at four dietary inclusion levels. We saw a trend for higher growth rate in the organic mineral groups irrespective of the dietary mineral levels. Mineral digestibility was negatively correlated with increasing mineral supplementation levels for all tested minerals but Se which increased with the increasing supplementation in the inorganic and up to the 2nd inclusion level in the organic mineral groups. Increasing mineral supplementation affected retention efficiency of Zn, Mn, Cu and Fe while mineral source affected only the retention of Se which was higher in the organic mineral groups. Moreover, fish obtained higher EPA and DHA in their body and increased slaughter yield in the organic as compared to the inorganic mineral groups and corroborated that trace mineral inclusion levels play a key role on salmon fillet’s technical quality. More effects from different origin and dietary inclusion levels of trace minerals were seen on fillet yield, fillet technical and nutritional quality, bone strength, skin morphology, organ mineralization and midgut transcriptome.

Aortic stenosis is one of the most common valvular heart defects that occurs in patients with oncology after radiation therapy and requires surgical treatment. However, this group of patients has a higher risk of intra- and postoperative complications, and therefore the most optimal method of surgical treatment of aortic stenosis in such a cohort of patients is transcatheter aortic valve implan­tation (TAVI).Brief description. Forty-six-year old woman entered the Almazov National Medi­cal Research Center with a clinical picture of severe aortic stenosis. At a young age, the patient was diagnosed with lymphogranulomatosis, or Hodgkin’s disease, for which radiation therapy was performed, which was complicated in the long term by valvular pathology. After a thorough examination, a high intraoperative risk for the patient was determined by the cardiac team and endovascular treatment of severe aortic stenosis was performed. The postoperative period was complicated by the development of complete atrioventricular block, which caused the implantation of a permanent dual-chamber pacemaker.Discussion. The presented case is an example of successful surgical treatment of aortic stenosis associated with previous radiation therapy for Hodgkin’s disease in a patient.Conclusion. Endovascular aortic valve implantation is a promising approach to the treatment of patients with post-radiation aortic stenosis, since it is associated with unfavorable anatomical and clinical risk factors for surgical valve replacement. Despite their younger age, these patients represent a category of higher surgical risk. Therefore, additional attention should be paid to the planning of the procedure and the prevention of the main TAVI risks.

Gut dysbiosis and subclinical intestinal damage are common in cirrhosis. The aim of this study was to examine the association of intestinal damage biomarkers (diamine oxidase [DAO], claudin 3, and intestinal fatty acid binding protein [I-FABP; FABP2]) with the state of the gut microbiota in cirrhosis. The blood levels of DAO were inversely correlated with blood levels of claudin 3, lipopolysaccharide (LPS), presepsin, TNF-α, and the severity of cirrhosis according to Child–Pugh scores. The blood level of I-FABP was directly correlated with the blood level of claudin 3 but not with that of DAO. Patients with small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) had lower DAO levels than patients without SIBO. There was no significant difference in claudin 3 levels and I-FABP detection rates between patients with and without SIBO. The DAO level was directly correlated with the abundance of Akkermansiaceae, Akkermansia, Allisonella, Clostridiaceae, Dialister, Lactobacillus, Muribaculaceae, Negativibacillus, Ruminococcus, Thiomicrospiraceae, Verrucomicrobiae, and Verrucomicrobiota; and it was inversely correlated with the abundance of Anaerostipes, Erysipelatoclostridium, and Vibrio. The I-FABP level was directly correlated with Anaerostipes, Bacteroidia, Bacteroidota, Bilophila, Megamonas, and Selenomonadaceae; and it was inversely correlated with the abundance of Brucella, Pseudomonadaceae, Pseudomonas, and Vibrionaceae. The claudin 3 level was directly correlated with Anaerostipes abundance and was inversely correlated with the abundance of Brucella, Coriobacteriia, Eggerthellaceae, and Lactobacillus.

Our aim was to study the association of endothelial dysfunction biomarkers with cirrhosis manifestations, bacterial translocation, and gut microbiota taxa. The fecal microbiome was assessed using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Plasma levels of nitrite, big endothelin-1, asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), presepsin, and claudin were measured as biomarkers of endothelial dysfunction, bacterial translocation, and intestinal barrier dysfunction. An echocardiography with simultaneous determination of blood pressure and heart rate was performed to evaluate hemodynamic parameters. Presepsin, claudin 3, nitrite, and ADMA levels were higher in cirrhosis patients than in controls. Elevated nitrite levels were associated with high levels of presepsin and claudin 3, the development of hemodynamic circulation, hypoalbuminemia, grade 2–3 ascites, overt hepatic encephalopathy, high mean pulmonary artery pressure, increased abundance of Proteobacteria and Erysipelatoclostridium, and decreased abundance of Oscillospiraceae, Subdoligranulum, Rikenellaceae, Acidaminococcaceae, Christensenellaceae, and Anaerovoracaceae. Elevated ADMA levels were associated with higher Child–Pugh scores, lower serum sodium levels, hypoalbuminemia, grade 2–3 ascites, milder esophageal varices, overt hepatic encephalopathy, lower mean pulmonary artery pressure, and low abundance of Erysipelotrichia and Erysipelatoclostridiaceae. High big endothelin-1 levels were associated with high levels of presepsin and sodium, low levels of fibrinogen and cholesterol, hypocoagulation, increased Bilophila and Coprobacillus abundances, and decreased Alloprevotella abundance.

A description is given of the improved design of a pump with a rotating casing and flexible plates, used to create vacuum in milking machines. As a result of theoretical and experimental studies, the influence of its main parameters and operating modes on the volumetric flow was revealed. The most significant factors under consideration include: the rotation speed of the rotor and pump housing, the eccentricity of the rotor installation in the housing, the ratio of the width and diameter of the rotor, the size of the gaps at the ends. An analysis of the dynamics of air pressure in the working cell of the vane pump under consideration allowed us to conclude that the proposed modernization has a small impact directly on its distribution. It has been established that the most rational value for the end gaps is 70...90 microns. Within the given dimensions of the installation, the maximum of its specific productivity was achieved at a rotation speed of the working pair of about 1750 rpm, an eccentricity of about 23 mm and a ratio of width to rotor diameter of about 1.5.

The paper proposes a method of measuring the distance between mining equipment and workers in complex conditions of underground mine workings considering the influence of absorbing properties of rocks and the presence of turns and obstacles. The method consists in using a magnetic beacon, operating in VLF-LF frequency range, on the body of mining equipment and receivers on the miner's body to register proximity and notify a person about it. Registration of convergence is carried out by RSSI methods. The authors propose a design solution of magnetic beacon and receiver, which includes amplification stages for signal registration at 30-35 meters. The paper also presents the measurement error of the information parameter under the influence of the ground surface and the tunnel.

The CaNb _2 O _6 and ZnNb _2 O _6 columbites (Sp.gr. Pbcn ) were studied as oxygen ion conductors both theoretically and experimentally. A theoretical approach included geometrical-topological analysis, bond valence site energy (BVSE) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The BVSE approach showed the possibility of pure oxygen ions diffusion with migration energies less than 0.45 eV in both compounds. However, DFT calculations indicated the possibility of diffusion of both anions and cations. The single-phases columbites were synthesized by the Pechini method for accurately determine charge carriers type and investigated by impedance spectroscopy, by the Tubandt method, which confirmed the absence of cationic conductivity, and measured the electrical conductivity as a function of oxygen partial pressures. The CaNb _2 O _6 sample was characterized by the pure oxygen-ionic conductivity ∼2 × 10 ^−6 S cm ^–1 at 800 °C ( E _a = 0.82 eV), while the ZnNb _2 O _6 had a similar conductivity value due to mixed ionic-electronic contribution ( E _a = 0.83 eV). The electromotive force method also showed the predominance of the ionic type of conductivity in CaNb _2 O _6 , while ZnNb _2 O _6 has a mixed conductivity with ion transport number of about 0.4. Additionally, we synthesized Ti-doped samples M Nb _2− _x Ti _x O _6–0.5 _x ( M = Mg, Ca; x = 0.1, 0.2) to study the doping effect on conducting properties.

This study examined the effectiveness of coating demineralized bone matrix (DBM) with amorphous calcium phosphate (DBM + CaP), as well as a composite of DBM, calcium phosphate, and serum albumin (DBM + CaP + BSA). The intact structure of DBM promotes the transformation of amorphous calcium phosphate (CaP) into dicalcium phosphate dihydrate (DCPD) with a characteristic plate shape and particle size of 5–35 µm. The inclusion of BSA in the coating resulted in a better and more uniform distribution of CaP on the surface of DBM trabeculae. MG63 cells showed that both the obtained forms of CaP and its complex with BSA did not exhibit cytotoxicity up to a concentration of 10 mg/mL in vitro. Ectopic (subcutaneous) implantation in rats revealed pronounced biocompatibility, as well as strong osteoconductive, osteoinductive, and osteogenic effects for both DBM + CaP and DBM + CaP + BSA, but more pronounced effects for DBM + CaP + BSA. In addition, for the DBM + CaP + BSA samples, there was a pronounced full physiological intrafibrillar biomineralization and proangiogenic effect with the formation of bone-morrow-like niches, accompanied by pronounced processes of intramedullary hematopoiesis, indicating a powerful osteogenic effect of this composite.

The article provides an analysis of low-frequency and high-frequency methods for determining the distance between mobile equipment and personnel for the purpose of preventing collisions in difficult mine conditions. The authors assessed the influence of the geology of mine workings, the earth’s surface and transport on the electromagnetic field of the VLF, LF and C range. From the analysis, a combined design solution was derived for determining the distance in surface and underground mining conditions. The proposed methods for registering the proximity of objects compensate for each other’s vulnerabilities and make it possible to implement an integrated approach to preventing collisions of mining equipment with personnel.

The white poplar (Populus alba L.) has good potential for a green economy and phytoremediation. Bioaugmentation using endophytic bacteria can be considered as a safe strategy to increase poplar productivity and its resistance to toxic urban conditions. The aim of our work was to find the most promising strains of bacterial endophytes to enhance the growth of white poplar in unfavorable environmental conditions. To this end, for the first time, we performed whole-genome sequencing of 14 bacterial strains isolated from the tissues of the roots of white poplar in different geographical locations. We then performed a bioinformatics search to identify genes that may be useful for poplar growth and resistance to environmental pollutants and pathogens. Almost all endophytic bacteria obtained from white poplar roots are new strains of known species belonging to the genera Bacillus, Corynebacterium, Kocuria, Micrococcus, Peribacillus, Pseudomonas, and Staphylococcus. The genomes of the strains contain genes involved in the enhanced metabolism of nitrogen, phosphorus, and metals, the synthesis of valuable secondary metabolites, and the detoxification of heavy metals and organic pollutants. All the strains are able to grow on media without nitrogen sources, which indicates their ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen. It is concluded that the strains belonging to the genus Pseudomonas and bacteria of the species Kocuria rosea have the best poplar growth-stimulating and bioaugmentation potential, and the roots of white poplar are a valuable source for isolation of endophytic bacteria for possible application in ecobiotechnology.

Adaptation to environmental variation caused by global climate change is a significant aspect of fisheries management and ecology. A reduction in ocean salinity is visible in near-shore areas, especially in the Baltic Sea, where it is affecting the Atlantic cod population. Cod is one of the most significant teleost species, with high ecological and economical value worldwide. The population of cod in the Baltic Sea has been traditionally divided into two subpopulations (western and eastern) existing in higher- and lower-salinity waters, respectively. In recent decades, both Baltic cod subpopulations have declined massively. One of the reasons for the poor condition of cod in the Baltic Sea is environmental factors, including salinity. Thus, in this study, an oligonucleotide microarray was applied to explore differences between Baltic cod subpopulations in response to salinity fluctuations. For this purpose, an exposure experiment was conducted consisting of salinity elevation and reduction, and gene expression was measured in gill tissue. We found 400 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) involved in the immune response, metabolism, programmed cell death, cytoskeleton, and extracellular matrix that showed a subpopulation-dependent pattern. These findings indicate that osmoregulation in Baltic cod is a complex process, and that western and eastern Baltic cod subpopulations respond differently to salinity changes.