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Purpose: of the article is to present the experience in developing and testing the methodology for extracting a system of narratives on a socially significant phenomenon from authentic social network big data (using the example of narratives about COVID-19 vaccination in the Russian social network VKontakte during the pandemic).Methods: of automated data analysis were used by the tools of the PolyAnalyst analytical platform: topic modeling (PLSA method), text indexing algorithms with the sentence identification stage, clustering, data aggregation, data normalization, calculation of a quantitative index. The calculation of the measure of proximity of keywords using the Python, partial manual markup and data validation were also carried out.Results: 4.5 million messages relevant to the topic of COVID-19 vaccination published in VKontakte from 01.01.2020 to 01.03.2023 were reduced to 237 stable narratives. A popularity index was calculated for each narrative. For example, the following narrative turned out to be the most popular: “Employers put pressure on people to get vaccinated” (it was supported by 76,118 texts). As a result of the study, a dataset was obtained, including 237 narratives.Conclusions and Relevance: the developed toolkit is universal: the methodology can be adapted to any relevant topic, requiring only adjustments to the input parameters of thematic modeling. The obtained dataset is planned to be introduced into scientific circulation as an up-to-date material for studying public opinion on vaccination in Russia. The results contribute to international research on public opinion and communication in crises and can serve as a basis for practical actions aimed at improving the quality of public communications and decision-making at all levels of government.

The article analyzes the socio-demographic characteristics and value-worldview self-positioning of the distributors of conspiracy narratives (“conspiracy theories”) about vaccination against COVID-19 on the Russian social network “VK”. The research material consists of 33,674 profiles of VK users who published at least two messages during the pandemic that explicate the stated narrative. The collection and analysis of the material was carried out using big data analysis technologies. The purpose of the study is to determine whether it is possible to identify typical socio-demographic and ideological traits of anti-vaccer conspiracy theorists, which to a certain extent explain their penchant for conspiracy thinking. The results obtained refute the marginal dominance of conspiracy theorists in a pandemic situation. Versions popular in the scientific literature about the predominance of insufficiently educated people among “conspiracy theorists”, or the elderly as more gullible, or women as more suggestible, or residents of villages and small provincial towns as more conservative, etc. are not confirmed by the large-scale empirical studies of large user data. The results of the study may be useful for developing countermeasures and strategies to address public mistrust of institutions and official trends in public health, in particular vaccination policies. The traditional focus on information and educational measures (explanations about the dangers of the disease and the benefits of the vaccine) seems to be ineffective in the context of the emergence of value systems, cognitive distortions, general socio-political tension and other reasons that are still awaiting serious study.

Distrust of vaccines is one of the key problems of modern healthcare both in Russia and abroad. Mass vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 provoked a large number of social media narratives. Online communities play an important role in the formation and dissemination of narratives. The complex system of numerous online platforms for discussing the topic of vaccination on a social network deserves a special description. The purpose of the study is to construct a typology of all significant communities of the popular Russian social network “VKontakte” that publish content on the topic of vaccination against COVID-19 (01/01/2020 – 03/01/2023) and describe it in terms of lobbied narratives. Big data collection and analysis methods were used, as well as narrative analysis. Of the 131,119 communities that published at least one vaccination message during the study period, 691 were selected based on self-positioning criteria (name, description) and/or the number of SARS‑CoV-2 vaccination messages above the established threshold. 14 thematic categories of communities have been identified, the self-positioning of which allows reconstructing narratives about forced vaccination and the right to choose; health care and debate about the benefits/effectiveness of vaccination; conspiracy theories; beneficiaries and trust in the authorities; pseudoscience, vaccination myths and scientific knowledge; childcare and parental rights; contrasting medical science with religious beliefs. Narratives formed by online communities signify a pronounced polarization of opinions in the digital society regarding SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. The “pro-waxer” and “anti-vaxxer” narratives are reconstructed. Quantitatively “anti-vaxxer” communities significantly predominate over “pro-waxer” ones.

The cost of capital and the discount rate calculated on its basis are the key parameters in the financial modelling and assessment of investment projects’ economic efficiency. Therefore, the method for their evaluation is always a relevant issue for economists and financiers all over the globe. In conditions of unprecedent sanctions pressure this problem has gained special significance for Russian investors, for whom the assets denominated in ‘unfriendly’ currencies have ceased to be risk-free. The study aims to develop an algorithm for evaluating the cost of capital and calculating the discount rate based on ruble-denominated risk-free assets and Russian financial statistics. The methodological basis of the research is the theories of corporate finance and investment project design, as well as the portfolio theory. The statistics of the Russian stock market for 2003–2022 are studied using general scientific (systems analysis and synthesis) and econometric methods, as well as by adopting the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) and weighted average cost of capital (WACC). The paper suggests and tests a step-by-step algorithm for collecting and processing the Russian financial statistics to calculate the cost of capital and risk premiums to it. The findings prove that unsystematic risks should be assessed separately, rather than within the weighted average cost of capital, as well as propose a determined mechanism for this. The developed method allows avoiding the prohibitively high values of the cost of capital that arise during the use of foreign sources of information.

This work is concerned with polyethylene terephthalate (PET) saponification by different potassium compounds in various polyols as well as biodiesel’s main by-product, crude glycerol. It was established that reaction conditions (initial PET/K+ molar ratio, reaction time, etc.) could control the molecular weight of obtained oligomeric products. In ethylene glycol, depolymerization proceeds rapidly, and already at 10–30 min, PET is completely dissolved in the reaction mixture with the formation of liquid oligomers. Then, these oligomers react with potassium compounds, and after 200 min of the process, there are only solid, low-molecular-weight products (dipotassium terephthalate, monomers, and dimers). At the same time, PET saponification in pure glycerol is less effective, and solid polyether flakes could not fully decompose even after 200 min of the process. Crude glycerol takes the middle position between pure polyols. Based on the obtained data, an improved kinetic model was developed, and rate constants were estimated. This model takes into account PET saponification by potassium salts as well as direct PET glycolysis. Ethylene glycol is formed in situ by transesterification between fatty acid ethylene glycol esters and glycerol in the case of pure and crude glycerol.

Lignans constitute a large group of phenolic plant secondary metabolites possessing high bioactivity. Their accurate determination in plant extracts with a complex chemical composition is challenging and requires advanced separation techniques. In the present study, a new approach to the determination of lignans in coniferous knotwood extracts as the promising industrial-scale source of such compounds based on comprehensive two-dimensional liquid chromatography separation and UV spectrophotometric detection is proposed. First and second-dimension column screening showed that the best results can be obtained using a combination of non-polar and polar hydroxy group embedded octadecyl stationary phases with moderate (~40%) “orthogonality”. The optimization of LC × LC separation conditions allowed for the development of a new method for the quantification of the five lignans (secoisolariciresinol, matairesinol, pinoresinol, 7-hydroxymatairesinol, and nortrachelogenin) in knotwood extracts with limits of quantification in the range of 0.27–0.95 mg L−1 and a linear concentration range covering at least two orders of magnitude. Testing the developed method on coniferous (larch, fir, spruce, and pine) knotwood extracts demonstrated the high selectivity of the analysis and the advantages of LC × LC in the separation and accurate quantification of the compounds co-eluting in one-dimensional HPLC.

Regenerative medicine (hereinafter – RM) is a rapidly developing area of biomedicine. The main tools of RM are cell therapy, gene therapy and tissue engineering. Like any innovative direction, RM on the way of development will have to overcome such barriers as lack of funding, underdevelopment of infrastructure, unpreparedness of the market and consumers for products and services with unknown characteristics, etc. The relevance of the article lies in the absence among scientific publications of works on finding successful examples of promoting products and services of the RM, which is extremely important for learning from experience and effective development of this area. The purpose of the article is to study the successful experience of the development strategy of biomedical companies promoting products and services of the RM. The choice of companies for analysis and strategy development is extremely limited. Therefore, to study the positive experience, two subsidiaries of one large holding PJSC “ISCH” were selected. The holding includes NextGen LLC, which promotes the gene therapy drug Neovasculgen, and Vitacel LLC, which provides the SPRS cell therapy service. Since the consolidated statements of the entire holding cannot be used to analyze the enterprises included in it, the calculations were carried out according to the financial statements posted in the Spark-interfax system. Consolidated annual reports of PJSC “HSCI” and accounting reports of an independent audit company were used to study the development strategy, development plans, analysis of the competitive environment, risk assessment and conclusions of the holding’s management on the results achieved. To describe the company’s financial status, standard groups of indicators characterizing financial results, profitability, business activity, financial stability and liquidity were used. The analysis made it possible to identify important elements of the company’s successful development in the field of RM. The scientific novelty of the study lies in a detailed analysis of a successful strategy, highlighting the key success factors specific to the direction of the RM and comparing them with changes in financial statements. The resulting hybrid strategy can be used by start-up companies as a development guide. The author will continue to search for new examples of successful development of companies in this area, and will also monitor newly emerging companies for the purpose of comparison. The article may be useful to students of faculties of innovation management, medical faculties, employees of scientific laboratories involved in the development of RM products, as well as specialists from technology transfer centers.

The article presents the results of the author’s study of single-industry territories within the framework of the fractal approach. The relevance of the researching is since the risk management of mono-profile is one of the most important elements of differentiated management impact on the socio-economic system of the territory to ensure its harmonious development. The aim of the work is to assess the risks of single-industry using elements of a fractal approach to the study of the social and economic space of mono-territories. The methodological basis for the application of the fractal approach is based not on a geometric cut, but on its structural and semantic content. This assumption also considers the significant nonlinearity of development processes and environmental influences in socio-economic systems. In this context, the researching is presented as a generator of scientific novelty. This formed the basis for the fractal grouping of single-industry territories of the Chelyabinsk region. During the research, fractal properties of socio-economic systems were identified, such as hierarchical certainty; self-similarity/presence of an element that repeats itself on a decreasing scale; unevenness/fragmentation; intersection of different fractal models in the socio-economic space; the presence of multiple control centers; openness. This researching confirms that the high risks of socio-economic development of a single-industry settlement are caused not only by the formation of a poorly diversified local labor market, but also by the strong dependence of the municipal utilities on the infrastructure facilities of the main city-forming enterprise, and the municipal budget on tax and non-tax revenues of the city-forming enterprise. To analyze the risk component, the work compared the level of employment in large and medium-sized enterprises with indicators of small business development, which was assessed based on the turnover indicator of small and medium-sized enterprises. The learning of the risks of single-industry allowed dividing the single-industry towns of the Chelyabinsk region into 3 groups, each of which is described from the standpoint of the availability of resources for diversifying the socio-economic system and choosing priority areas for development. In addition, the results of the study of single-industry settlements in the Chelyabinsk region actualize the need to transform the space of the territory through changes in the localization nature and fractal properties of the economic and social environment. The continuation of the researching is implemented in the algorithmization of the process of diversification of single-industry territories, contributing to the growth of its competitive advantages, and, consequently, capacity building.

The basic theorem of isokinetic relationships is formulated as “if there exists a linear correlation “structure∼properties” at two temperatures, the point of their intersection will be a common point for the same correlation at other temperatures, until the Arrhenius law is violated”. The theorem is valid in various regions of thermally activated processes, in which only one parameter changes. A detailed examination of the consequences of this theorem showed that it is easy to formulate a number of empirical regularities known as the “kinetic compensation effect”, the well-known formula of the Meyer–Neldel rule, or the so-called concept of “multi-excitation entropy”. In a series of similar processes, we examined the effect of different variable parameters of the process on the free energy of activation, and we discuss possible applications.

Pentacyclic triterpenoids (PCTs), which possess a number of bioactive properties, are considered one of the most important classes of secondary plant metabolites. Their chromatographic determination in plant biomass is complicated by the need to separate a large number of structurally similar compounds belonging to several classes that differ greatly in polarity (monools, diols, and triterpenic acids). This study proposes a rapid, sensitive, and low-cost method for the simultaneous quantification of ten PCTs (3β-taraxerol, lupeol, β-amyrin, α-amyrin, betulin, erythrodiol, uvaol, betulinic, oleanolic, and ursolic acids) by high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) using porous graphitic carbon (Hypercarb) as a stationary phase capable of hydrophobic retention and specific interactions with analytes. Revealing the effects of the mobile phase composition, pH, ionic strength, and column temperature on retention and selection of chromatographic conditions on this basis allowed for the effective separation of all target analytes within 8 min in gradient elution mode and attaining limits of detection in the range of 4–104 µg L−1. The developed method was fully validated and successfully tested in the determination of PCTs in common haircap (Polytrichum commune) and prairie sphagnum (Sphagnum palustre) mosses, and fireweed (Chamaenerion angustifolium) stems and leaves.

The article is devoted to the scientific understanding of the practical aspects of receiving, customs declaration and use of humanitarian aid in the Russian Federation in the context of a pandemic of the new coronavirus infection COVID-19. The procedure for interaction of a medical organization as a recipient of humanitarian aid with executive authorities and international donors of gratuitous aid has been considered in detail and outlined. The rapid spread of the new coronavirus infection COVID-19 in the world did not provide an opportunity to prepare special measures to regulate legal relations within the framework of humanitarian assistance in the Russian Federation. At the same time, the receiving organization was faced with the task of promptly transferring humanitarian aid to the final recipients in order to prevent the spread of a new coronavirus infection in the Russian Federation. The authors studied the issues of receiving, declaring and transferring humanitarian aid to the final recipients in a pandemic COVID-19, identified collisions of existing legal norms and suggested possible options for improving the system for receiving and distributing humanitarian aid. The necessity of developing and adopting a normative act that comprehensively regulates the procedure for organizing, preparing and receiving humanitarian aid, the procedure for its acceptance with verification of the availability of quantity, compliance, labeling, packaging, technical documentation, as well as its compliance with other requirements, has been proved.The article substantiates expediency of the introduction of amendments to some norms of customs regulation, envisaging the possibility of transferring cargo placed under a special customs procedure to other persons according to the decision of the authorized executive body.The relevance and high practical significance of the article is caused by the need for the timely distribution of large volumes of humanitarian aid in order to effectively prevent and eliminate the consequences of emergencies.

Subject of Research. The paper considers the issues of choosing an insulating material for a deep-sea electromagnetic log sensor. The effect of the insulating material characteristics on the operational factors of the sensor is studied. Method. Matlab program was used to analyze the effect of design parameters on the instrumental error of the sensor. For this purpose a mathematical model of the instrumental error component was built, and its evaluation was carried out. The stress-strain state of the sensor was simulated by the finite element method in the ANSYS Workbench application package. Analysis of insulating material peeling from the case during shrinkage was carried out in the Static Structural module. Fill simulation was performed in the Fluid Flow module. All materials are taken to be isotropic at calculations. Main Results. The effect of the insulating material characteristics on the instrumental error of the electromagnetic log sensor is shown. The design and technological issues of the insulating material choice are described. Recommendations on the choice of design parameters are given to reduce peeling of the material and the occurrence of sensors emptiness formed by filling with composite material. The validity of the recommendations is confirmed by computer simulation and experiments. Practical Relevance. The results obtained can be applied in the modernization, design and construction of new electromagnetic log sensors.

Butyl lactate is a green solvent produced from renewable materials through the reaction of ammonium lactate with n-butanol. It could be a source material for valuable products such as propylene glycol, acrylic acid, its derivatives, and the cyclic monomer of polylactic acid (PLA)—lactate. In this study, we present novel non-catalytic interactions of ammonium lactate and n-butanol carried out in the temperature range of 130–170 °C in a closed system. The study focused on the kinetic modelling of the reaction between ammonium lactate and n-butanol to derive a mathematical model for the reactor unit of butyl lactate synthesis. The aim of this work was to study the kinetics of the interaction between ammonium lactate and n-butanol, as well as to obtain a kinetic model of the process and its parameters. We suggested the chemical transformation routes and determined the kinetic model and parameters that adequately describe the process in a closed system within the studied condition range. The study proposes the first kinetic model that accounts for lactamide formation through two routes. This study showed that the high-temperature non-catalytic interaction of ammonium lactate and n-butanol could be one of the prospective synthesis routes.

Macrolides are widely used in medicine and veterinary medicine, and are the leading antibiotics in terms of consumption. The release of macrolides and their metabolites into the environment through municipal wastewater can have an adverse effect on aquatic ecosystems and human health. In the present study, a method for the non-targeted screening and semi-quantitative determination of macrolide antibiotics and their derivatives in wastewater based on a combination of chromatographic separation and tandem mass spectrometric detection in precursor ion scan (PrecIS) mode has been proposed. Product ions with m/z 158 and 174 related to specific desosamine fragments were used as diagnostic ions for the PrecIS detection of the macrolide structures without (14- and 15-membered macrocycles) and with a (16-membered macrocycle) glycosylated desosamine moiety, respectively. The combination of the optimized solid phase extraction procedure and HPLC-MS/MS analysis in PrecIS mode allowed for the suspect screening of macrolides in municipal wastewater with limits of detection in the range of 4–150 ng L−1. The developed approach made it possible to detect and tentatively identify in municipal wastewater 17 compounds belonging to the macrolide class, including azithromycin, clarithromycin, josamycin and 14 metabolites with a total concentration of 1450 ng L−1.

Pentacyclic triterpenoids (PCTs) are a widely distributed class of plant secondary metabolites. These compounds have high bioactive properties, primarily antitumor and antioxidant activity. In this study, a method was developed for the quantitative analysis of pentacyclic triterpenoids in plants using supercritical fluid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (SFC-MS/MS). Separation of ten major PCTs (friedelin, lupeol, β-amyrin, α-amyrin, betulin, erythrodiol, uvaol, betulinic, oleanolic and ursolic acids) was studied on six silica-based reversed stationary phases. The best results (7 min analysis time in isocratic elution mode) were achieved on an HSS C18 SB stationary phase using carbon dioxide—isopropanol (8%) mobile phase providing decisive contribution of polar interactions to the retention of analytes. It was shown that the use of atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) is preferred over atmospheric pressure photoionization (APPI). The combination of SFC with APCI-MS/MS mass spectrometry made it possible to achieve the limits of quantification in plant extracts in the range of 2.3–20 μg·L−1. The developed method was validated and tested in the analyses of birch outer layer (Betula pendula) bark, and licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) root, as well as lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea), cranberry (Vaccinium oxycoccos), apple (Malus domestica “Golden Delicious” and Malus domestica “Red Delicious”) peels.

Cardiovascular diseases account for the number one cause of deaths in the world. Part of the reason for such grim statistics is our limited understanding of the underlying mechanisms causing these devastating pathologies, which is made difficult by the invasiveness of the procedures associated with their diagnosis (e.g., inserting catheters into the coronal artery to measure blood flow to the heart). Likewise, it is also difficult to design and test assistive devices without implanting them in vivo. However, with the recent advancements made in biomedical scanning technologies and computer simulations, image-based modeling (IBM) has arisen as the next logical step in the evolution of non-invasive patient-specific cardiovascular medicine. Yet, due to its novelty, it is still relatively unknown outside of the niche field. Therefore, the goal of this manuscript is to review the current state-of-the-art and the limitations of the methods used in this area of research, as well as their applications to personalized cardiovascular investigations and treatments. Specifically, the modeling of three different physics – electrophysiology, biomechanics and hemodynamics – used in the cardiovascular IBM is discussed in the context of the physiology that each one of them describes and the mechanisms of the underlying cardiac diseases that they can provide insight into. Only the “bare-bones” of the modeling approaches are discussed in order to make this introductory material more accessible to an outside observer. Additionally, the imaging methods, the aspects of the unique cardiac anatomy derived from them, and their relation to the modeling algorithms are reviewed. Finally, conclusions are drawn about the future evolution of these methods and their potential toward revolutionizing the non-invasive diagnosis, virtual design of treatments/assistive devices, and increasing our understanding of these lethal cardiovascular diseases.

The article considers standard legal features of shaping clusters in regional economy of the Russian Federation. The author puts forward principles of forming regional assigned cluster to tackle tasks of import substitution by using foresight technologies. The sequence of stages necessary to design the concept of regional assigned cluster was shown. The forms of providing information and consultative support to entities of innovation activity in the field of import substitution on the part of municipal, regional and federal authorities were identified. The proposed algorithm for building innovation-oriented regional cluster system on import substitution is an element of organizational mechanism aimed at shaping joint types of economic activity on the basis of regional organizational, managerial and marketing innovation. An example of a ‘nuclear’ map for potential clusters with description of lines and types of activity for all kinds of organizations was given in the article.

In modern economic conditions there was a problem of limitation of resources at all levels of development of economy. Formation of post-industrial way of the Russian economy and gradual transition to information way considerably raise a role of a resource complex of all macroeconomic system. In article author's definition of the region as sotsio-ekologo-economic system is given. Two main classes of stability of regional systems are allocated: static and dynamic. All types of the resources necessary for ensuring sustainable development are considered. The particular emphasis is placed on non-material resources - intellectual, temporary, mental, reputation, information, spatial which at the different levels of development of national economy have the specific forms.

Subject of Research.The problems of insufficient strength of the EM log sensor are studied. The EM log sensor design for deep-sea vehicles is analyzed; a mathematical model of EM log sensor is built. The design and technological solutions that improve the performance of this type of log are shown. Method. The study was performed using the finite element method in the ANSYS software. The calculations were performed in the static structural module, in which the load was created in the way that simulated the external hydrostatic pressure. To check the reproducibility the analysis of model was carried out by built-in assessment of the quality elements. All materials are taken to be isotropic. Main Results. The ways of increasing the strength of outboard tools for measuring the ship speed are presented. Calculating results of the stress-strain state of devices under the influence of seawater at various depths were obtained by the method of finite element analysis. The technological features of the sensor production are shown. The recommendations for changing the log construction to increase its strength, supported by computer modeling, are given. Practical Relevance. The discussed ways of increasing the strength of the device enable to expand implementation area. The results can be applied in the modernization of the design and construction of new EM log sensor operating at high pressures.

ARTICLE RETRACTEDIn the article was analyzed conditions for implementation of integrated regional innovation programs and projects at the meso level. Depending on general condition of the regional social and economic system to select the most appropriate functions to support innovative sustainability, including institutional, prognostic, regulative, design, protectionist and anti-crisis. Have been propose steps for process of adaptation of the federal strategy of innovative development in Russia until 2020, at the regional level.

ARTICLE RETRACTEDThis article describes the main characteristics of innovation clusters, analyzed the develop-ment plans of the cluster areas of growth on the basis of innovation in the various subjects of the federation, it proposed the principle of clustering of the «nuclear» type, dened by problems in the functioning of specialized distributed clusters on the basis of the organi-zational and marketing innovations, proposed scheme for sustainable innovation develop-ment of specialized distributed cluster.

Tissue engineering has the potential for repairing large bone defects, which impose a heavy financial burden on the public health. However, difficulties with O2 delivery to the cells residing in the interior of tissue engineering scaffolds make it challenging to grow artificial tissues of clinically-relevant sizes. This study uses image-based simulation in order to provide insight into how to better optimize the scaffold manufacturing parameters, and the culturing conditions, in order to resolve the O2 bottleneck. To do this, high resolution 3D X-ray images of two common scaffold types (salt leached foam and non-woven fiber mesh) are fed into Lattice Boltzmann Method fluid dynamics and reactive Lagrangian Scalar Tracking mass transfer solvers. The obtained findings indicate that the scaffolds should have maximal surface area-to-solid volume ratios for higher chances of the molecular collisions with the cells. Furthermore, the cell culture media should be flown through the scaffold pores as fast as practically possible (without detaching or killing the cells). Finally, we have provided a parametric sweep that maps how the molecular transport within the scaffolds is affected by variations in rates of O2 consumption by the cells. Ultimately, the results of this study are expected to benefit the computer-assisted design of tissue engineering scaffolds and culturing experiments.

Flow perfusion bioreactors have been extensively investigated as a promising culture method for bone tissue engineering, due to improved nutrient delivery and shear force-mediated osteoblastic differentiation. However, a major drawback impeding the transition to clinically-relevant tissue regeneration is the inability to non-destructively monitor constructs during culture. To alleviate this shortcoming, we investigated the distribution of fluid shear forces in scaffolds cultured in flow perfusion bioreactors using computational fluid dynamic techniques, analyzed the effects of scaffold architecture on the shear forces and monitored tissue mineralization throughout the culture period using microcomputed tomography. For this study, we dynamically seeded one million adult rat mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) on 85% porous poly(l-lactic acid) (PLLA) polymeric spunbonded scaffolds. After taking intermittent samples over 16 days, the constructs were imaged and reconstructed using microcomputed tomography. Fluid dynamic simulations were performed using a custom in-house lattice Boltzmann program. By taking samples at different time points during culture, we are able to monitor the mineralization and resulting changes in flow-induced shear distributions in the porous scaffolds as the constructs mature into bone tissue engineered constructs, which has not been investigated previously in the literature. From the work conducted in this study, we proved that the average shear stress per construct consistently increases as a function of culture time, resulting in an increase at Day 16 of 113%.

The flux of energetic light ions at low altitude is both an important input and output for self-consistent calculations of albedo particles resulting from the interaction of trapped and cosmic ray particles, with the upper atmosphere. In addition, data on the flux of light ions are needed to evaluate radiation damages on space-borne instruments and on space mission crews. In spite of that, sources of data on the flux of energetic ions at LEO are roughly limited to the AP-8 model, CREME/CREME96 codes and the SAMPEX, NOAA/TIROS satellites. The existing and operational European SAC-C/ICARE and PROBA-1/SREM instruments could also be potential sources for proton data at LEO. Although AP-8 and SAMPEX/PSB97 may be publicly accessed through the SPENVIS, they exhibit an order of magnitude difference in low altitude proton fluxes and they do not contain helium fluxes. Therefore, improved light ion radiation models are still needed. In this paper we present a procedure to identify and measure the energy of ions that are not stopped in the NINA-2 instrument. Moreover, problems related to particles that cross the instrument in the opposite direction are addressed and shown to be a possible cause of particle misidentification. Measuring fluxes of low abundance elements like energetic helium ions requires a good characterisation of all possible sources of backgrounds in the detector. Hints to determine the several contributions to the background are presented herein and may be applied to extract an order of magnitude of energetic ions fluxes from existing data sets, while waiting for dedicated high performance instruments.

The NINA detector on board the Resurs-01 No. 4 satellite (835 km, 98° inclination) is equipped with particle trackers based on silicon strip detectors. From the energy deposited in each of its silicon layers the mass, the momentum direction and energy of incident particles have been determined. The resolutions in mass and energy allow identification of H and He isotopes over the 10-50 MeV/n energy range. The angular resolution is about 2.5°. We present the direct measurements of proton and helium isotopes pitch angle distributions derived from Resurs-01 No.4/NINA observations and their variations as functions of (B, L) coordinates and energy. The measurements of trapped helium isotopes spectrum are also presented.

In this paper we report on the energy spectrum of protons of albedo origin measured by the instruments NINA and NINA-2 at different geomagnetic locations, and the behaviour of the proton flux as a function of altitude out of the South Atlantic Anomaly. The instrument NINA was used on board the satellite Resurs-01-N4 between 1998 and 1999, at an altitude of about 830 km. The NINA-2 apparatus, on board the satellite MITA, was put into orbit in July 2000, at an altitude of about 450 km. A detailed understanding of the fluxes of charged particles in near Earth orbit is important to reach an accurate theoretical description of the Earth’s magnetic field, but also as input for the calculation of the back-ground for scientific instruments aboard satellites, like the future AGILE and GLAST g astronomy telescopes.Key words. Magnetospheric physics (energetic particles, trapped; instruments and techniques)