Nizhniy Novgorod Research Articles

Assessment of the possibility of operating low-pressure hydroelectric facilities in order to improve the conditions of navigation in their lower reaches

The paper provides an assessment of the projected low-pressure hydroelectric facility operation on the Volga River from the point of view of navigation conditions in its lower reach. The operating mode of the low-pressure hydroelectric facility completely depends on the hourly discharges of the Nizhny Novgorod HPP, located upstream. Significant unevenness in time of the supplied discharges from the Nizhny Novgorod HPP, which, repeating itself when discharging flows into the lower reach of the Nizhniy Novgorod low-pressure hydroelectric facility, can lead to negative consequences for shipping in terms of failure to provide transport passes and necessary depths. It is proposed to reduce the unevenness of discharges by introducing diurnal flow regulation into the low-pressure hydroelectric facility operation, aimed at changing the hydrological regime of the river section to improve the conditions and organize uninterrupted and safe navigation in the lower reach. Achievement of the regulation goal associated with minimization of interval deviations of the supplied flow rates from Nizhny Novgorod HPP from the daily average values and the fulfillment of the restrictions on the hydrological regime of the low-pressure hydroelectric facility ponds, is achieved by two control options (three-stage and two-stage). The study used the methods of mathematical statistics and probability theory, optimization of management decisions. The methodology of the mathematical model limitations’ nonfulfillment elimination for solving the problem and optimization of the low-pressure hydroelectric facility daily hydrograph is presented. Using a specific example, the problem of diurnal regulation of discharges is solved and the obtained effect is described.

Endothelin-1 as a risk factor causing cardiovascular pathology in young and middle-aged people employed under hazardous working conditions

Our research goal was to reveal peculiarities related to changes in endothelin-1 contents in blood serum in young and middle-aged people exposed to occupational noise and industrial welding and silicon-containing aerosols with fibrogenic effects. Another goal was to establish a correlation between endothelin-1 contents and blood pressure, body mass, and dyslipidemia. We examined workers employed at a metallurgic plant in Nizhniy Novgorod region. Endothelin-1 concentration in blood serum was determined with «Endothelin (1-21)», a reagent kit for ELISA produced by «Biomedica Medizinprodukte GmbH & Co KG» (Austria). We detected certain group differences in endothelin-1 contents in blood serum and frequency of its elevated concentrations between workers who had to work under different working conditions. We established a direct correlation between endothelin-1 and blood pressure, total cholesterol, and body mass index. Elevated endothelin-1 contents in people suffering from arterial hypertension can indicate a higher risk of complications this disease might have. People who have elevated endothelin-1 contents but normal blood pressure, total cholesterol within physiological standard and normal body mass index can be recommended to have regular medical check-ups focusing on functional state of their cardiovascular system; endothelin-1 in this case should be considered a risk factor that might cause cardiovascular pathology occurrence. An individual approach is required when assessing elevated endothelin-1 contents and probable use of this parameter as a risk factor that might cause cardiovascular pathology in young and middle-aged people employed under hazardous working conditions.

Эндотелин-1 как фактор риска развития сердечно-сосудистой патологии у лиц молодого и среднего возраста, работающих во вредных условиях труда

Our research goal was to reveal peculiarities related to changes in endothelin-1 contents in blood serum in young and middle-aged people exposed to occupational noise and industrial welding and silicon-containing aerosols with fibrogenic effects. Another goal was to establish a correlation between endothelin-1 contents and blood pressure, body mass, and dyslipidemia. We examined workers employed at a metallurgic plant in Nizhniy Novgorod region. Endothelin-1 concentration in blood serum was determined with «Endothelin (1-21)», a reagent kit for ELISA produced by «Biomedica Medizinprodukte GmbH & Co KG» (Austria). We detected certain group differences in endothelin-1 contents in blood serum and frequency of its elevated concentrations between workers who had to work under different working conditions. We established a direct correlation between endothelin-1 and blood pressure, total cholesterol, and body mass index. Elevated endothelin-1 contents in people suffering from arterial hypertension can indicate a higher risk of complications this disease might have. People who have elevated endothelin-1 contents but normal blood pressure, total cholesterol within physiological standard and normal body mass index can be recommended to have regular medical check-ups focusing on functional state of their cardiovascular system; endothelin-1 in this case should be considered a risk factor that might cause cardiovascular pathology occurrence. An individual approach is required when assessing elevated endothelin-1 contents and probable use of this parameter as a risk factor that might cause cardiovascular pathology in young and middle-aged people employed under hazardous working conditions.

The leading financial centers of the Russian Empire at the end of the nineteenth century according to interregional bank transfers statistics: network and geoinformation aspects

The article examines the financial system of the Russian Empire in the form of money flows between the largest centers, implying that these flows were opposite to the flows of goods and services. The resource allocation pattern is thus revealed in aspects of the markets’ geography and hierarchy, which clarifies the capacity of the financial system to support economic growth. The source for this study is the statistics of the commercial transfers of the State Bank of the Russian Empire for 1898 (excluding treasury transfers), processed through network and geoinformation analysis. The study results show that the highest level of the payment network in the financial system topology of the Russian Empire was located around St. Petersburg and Moscow, which indicates a strong centralization of national money flows. To a great degree, Moscow was a nationwide wholesale center for the sale of goods and services, while St. Petersburg developed into the principal center for resource allocation throughout the country, implying various forms of investment in the economy. In such a centralized system, there was no great need for second-level interregional ties. For regional payment networks (the third level, around Odessa, Warsaw, Kiev, Riga, Baku, Nizhniy Novgorod, Kharkov, and Rostov-on-Don), closer and more intensive financial ties are revealed in the west, in the Odessa-Kiev-Warsaw “triangle”, which indicates a greater saturation of the western and southwestern regions with financial resources.

Preface

International Conference “Actual Issues of Mechanical Engineering–2020” was successfully held at Admiral Makarov State University of Maritime and Inland Shipping (Saint-Petersburg, Russia) on 27-29 October, 2020. Because of the travel restrictions and to avoid public gathering, it was decided to hold the conference online. This gave participants from across Russia an opportunity to present their reports despite the lockdown. The geography of AIME–2020 includes the researchers from Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Ufa, Irkutsk, Nizhniy Novgorod, Rostov, Bryansk and other Russian cities.AIME–2020 became a scientific forum to discuss various issues of mechanical engineering, such as: automotive and locomotive engineering, farming machinery, water transport, special purpose civil and military vehicles. Researchers and practitioners presented their papers on construction equipment, reaction engines, power and heat generators, machinery manufacturing automation, and machinery lifecycle management. After careful reviewing, 80 papers were accepted for publication.Due to the complicated epidemiological situation and the travel restrictions applied by the Russian Government, the conference was held remotely. The work of the sections was organized in a video conference mode, where the most relevant reports selected by the organizing committee of the conference were presented using the Cisco Webex platform (https://www.webex.com/downloads.html). The traditional 15-minute time limit on speeches was preserved. The attendance for virtual participation without the report and without the opportunity to participate in discussion with the voice was free of charge. However, all participants could take their part in the discussion via moderators.List of Editorial Board, Programme Committee and Organizing committee are available in the pdf.

Genetic classification of lakes of above floodplain terraces of the valley of Oka river in the Nizhniy Novgorod region (Russia), based on its morphometric characteristics

The article provides a brief overview of the history of researching of the lakes of the Nizhny Novgorod region. The research area is located in the west of the Nizhny Novgorod region, and characterized by extremely poor knowledge of the main characteristics, origin and development of lakes. The exploration of morphometric and hydrological characteristics of lakes is solved by instrumental measurements in the field. Consideration of the genesis and evolution of lakes is a more complex issue, and its solution without taking into account the landscape structure of the territory and the specifics of the geological structure, geomorphological, botanical and other characteristics of the host landscape cannot be accepted as a complete logical work. In this article, along with the morphometric and hydrological features of the researched lakes, the modern physico-geographical characteristics of the researched territory are presented, based on the results of the analysis of thematic maps, remote sensing data, statistical and literary data and field researches. Bathygraphic schemes of seven largest and most typical lakes, located on the terraces above the floodplain of the Oka River Valley within the Nizhny Novgorod Region, created, based on the results of field research, are presented. The main morphometric and hydrological characteristics of the researched lakes were calculated and analyzed using GIS. On the basis of morphometric characteristics and taking into account the features of the geological structure, topography, hydrographic network of the territory and vegetation features of the superaqual complex, judgments are made about the genesis of the considered lakes.

Composition, Structure, Spatial Organization and Current Condition of the Urban Forest in a Large City (on the Example of the Beyond the River Part of Nizhniy Novgorod, Russia)

The article presents the results of research on the current condition – the breed composition, quality characteristics and spatial organization of the urban vegetation in a city with a population of more than a million people on the example of the Beyond the river part of the city of Nizhny Novgorod. The research is based on field work, carried out by the authors in the period 2016-18, processed using GIS technologies, and supplemented by the results of analysis of remote sensing data, interpolation, statistical analysis, correlation of the composition and structure of tree stands and functional zones of the Beyond the river part of the city. In addition to the analysis of qualitative and quantitative characteristics of trees in the territory of the Beyond the river part of Nizhny Novgorod, the article presents the results of a comparative evaluation of the provision of urban forest areas of the Beyond the river part of Nizhny Novgorod (according to the results of interpolation). The main problems of the current condition and spatial organization of urban forest in the Beyond the river part of Nizhny Novgorod are identified.

Geoecological justification of a project of sustainable shipping on a Volga channel section in the Nizhny Novgorod region

Background. The Volga river channel with rapids limiting the navigation parameters of large-tonnage vessels between the cities of Gorodets and Nizhniy Novgorod is considered in the structure of the Unified deep-water system of waterways of the European part of the Russian Federation.Aim. To justify the need to develop design solutions providing sustainable navigation in the limiting river section under study during the entire navigation period.Materials and methods. An analysis of engineering-geological and geoecological conditions of the region, including a limiting channel section of the Volga.Results. The engineering-geological and geoecological conditions of the region were characterized. A brief description of individual project proposals, including two priority construction projects, a low-pressure hydroelectric unit and a ship canal, was provided with a comparative assessment of natural and man-made factors arising during their implementation.Conclusion. The implementation of the project for the construction of the Volgo-Don 2 canal should be an important stage in the development of the Unified deep-water system of waterways in the European part of the Russian Federation. It will replenish the Don River from the Volga in order to improve navigation conditions, land irrigation, water supply to settlements, and power generation.

The First Record of Chestnut Leaf Miner Moth Cameraria ohridella Deschka et Dimić 1986 on territory of Nizhniy Novgorod (Russia)

The article presents the first record of Cameraria ohridella Deschka et Dimić 1986 – invasive phytophage of horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum L.) on the territory of Nizhniy Novgorod was noted in 2021 year. The specificity of damage and the number of mines on the leaves indicate the developing species in two generation in urban places with horse chestnut. The penetration of a chestnut miner into a large city of the Upper Volga in 2021 closes the question of its "complete" seizure of Volga cities from Volgograd to Moscow for the period from 2005 to 2021.

Восприятие бизнесменами Нижегородского региона уровня своей антикоррупционной безопасности

Objective: to identify and disclose the characteristics of corruption crime and its impact on the business community of theNizhny Novgorod region based on the data of an empirical sociological study.Methods: the study is based on the questionnaire survey “Perception of anti-corruption security by businesspeople of the Nizhniy Novgorod region” (N = 408), conducted using scales developed by the authors. The system of indirect questions (projection method) allows revealing the attitude of entrepreneurs (small and middle business) to corruption situations and causes that generate them.Results: the perception of corruption by representatives of small and middle businesses working in the Nizhny Novgorod region was analyzed. The overall level of tolerance for everyday manifestations of corruption in this group of respondents was determined, and correlations of gender, age, education, size of the enterprise and field of activity of respondents with their attitude to corruption were revealed. The authors formulated a number of recommendations for law enforcers engaged in implementing preventive measures against corruption crime (providing socially significant state and municipal services through multifunctional centers (MFC), excluding or minimizing direct contact between an entrepreneur and an official who makes a decision on a particular issue, developing civil society institutions to protect the rights of entrepreneurs, etc.). Scientific novelty: the results obtained are of both theoretical and practical significance and can be used to improve the work of police regional divisions engaged in the field of anti-corruption. In addition, the scales developed by the authors (with a minimal variable part) have already been used in surveys of Nizhny Novgorod residents and police officers, allowing a comparative analysis of attitudes to corruption among different groups of the population.Practical significance: based on the study, methodological recommendations were developed to improve the work of territorial bodies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in order to optimize the prevention of corruption crime in various groups and segments of the population.

A Landscape Study of Sediment Formation and Transport in the Urban Environment

Background: Sediment deposition in the urban environment affects aesthetic, economic, and other aspects of city life, and through re-suspension of dust, may pose serious risks to human health. Proper environmental management requires further understanding of natural and anthropogenic factors influencing the sedimentation processes in urbanized catchments. To fill the gaps in the knowledge about the relationship between the urban landscape and sedimentation, field landscape surveys were conducted in the residential areas of the Russian cities of Ekaterinburg, Nizhniy Novgorod, Rostov-on-Don, Tyumen, Chelyabinsk, and Murmansk. Methods: In each city, six elementary urban residential landscapes were chosen in blocks of multi-story apartment buildings typical for Russian cities. The method of landscape survey involved delineating functional segments within the elementary landscapes and describing each segment according to the developed procedure during a field survey. Results: The complexity of sedimentation processes in the urban environment was demonstrated. The following main groups of factors have significant impacts on sediment formation and transport in residential areas in Russian cities: low adaptation of infrastructure to a high density of automobiles, poor municipal services, and bad urban environmental management in the course of construction and earthworks. Conclusion: A high sediment formation potential was found for a considerable portion of residential areas.

Outcomes in Patients with Hematologic Disease and COVID-19 in Russia: Interim Analysis of CHRONOS19 Registry

Background: Patients (pts) with hematologic disease are at increased risk of severe SARS-CoV-2 infection. Recent observations reported poor outcomes of COVID-19 in pts with various cancer types and higher mortality rates compared with the general population. However, currently available data on COVID-19 in pts with hematologic disease are limited.Methods: CHRONOS19 registry is an observational prospective cohort study with the primary objective to evaluate the treatment outcomes in adult pts (age 18 or older) with hematologic disease and COVID-19. Secondary objectives are to describe severity and complications of COVID-19 and course of hematologic disease in SARS-CoV-2 infected pts, and to explore importance of various factors for disease severity and mortality. Pts with laboratory-confirmed or suspected (based on clinical symptoms and/or CT) COVID-19 were eligible for enrollment. Data were collected on a web platform and managed in a de-identified manner. Physicians from 8 hematology clinical centers and hospitals from all over Russia (Moscow, Ulan-Ude, Saransk, Vladimir, Nizhniy Novgorod, Kazan) participate in this study. Pts are followed for 30 days (ds) after COVID-19 diagnosis and up to 6 months (mos) for hematologic disease outcomes and overall survival assessment. The results of the first follow-up are presented in this interim analysis.Results: As of July 30, 2020, 184 pts were enrolled (females/males [n(%)]: 80(44%)/104 (56%); median [range] age: 55 [18-83] years. Disease type (malignant/non-malignant [n(%)]): 164(89%)/20(11%), including AML 36(20%), ALL 16(9%), MDS 5(2%), APL 5(2%), MM 38(21%), HL 4(2%), NHL 38(21%), MPN 9(5%), CLL 13(7%), others 20(11%). Concomitant diseases were in 95(52%) pts: cardiovascular 56(59%), pulmonary 6(6%), hepatic 6(6%) or renal 5(5%), diabetes 17(18%), obesity 4(4%), other 16(17%). 176 patients were evaluable for the primary outcome assessment with a median follow-up of 41(1-125) ds. Thirty-day all-cause mortality was 23% (41 pts died). Death due to COVID-19 complications occurred in 34 (83%) pts, 7(17%) pts died due to progression of hematologic disease. Fifty (28%) pts experienced COVID-19 complications, the most common were pneumonia in 125 (71%) pts, respiratory failure in 82(47%) pts, ARDS in 11(6%) pts, cytokine release syndrome in 15(9%) pts, multiple organ failure in 10(6%) pts, sepsis in 6(3%) pts, and pulmonary bleeding in 1(0,6%). Specific anti-COVID-19 treatment was given to 117 pts(67%) pts: most common first-line treatment was hydroxichloroquine+azithromycin in 84(72%) pts, azithromycin monotherapy in 27(23%) pts, other drugs in 6(5%) pts; second-line treatment comprised lopinavir+ritonavir in 38 pts, tocilizumab in 29 pts, umifenovir in 5 pts, baricitinib in 5 pts, canakinumab in 1pt, sarilumab in 1 pt. The rate of ICU admissions was 27%(47 pts), among them only 11(23%) pts survived, 36(20%) pts required mechanical ventilation, only 2(5.5%) pts survived. Eighty-eight(50%) pts received anticoagulants. With regard to the blood disease, treatment delays occurred in 101(57%) pts with a median 4 weeks, 6(3%) pts required change of treatment. At the first follow-up (30 ds) the rate of relapse / progression of hematologic disease was 16 of 151 evaluable pts (10.6%). Thirty-day overall survival was 75%. At the data cutoff, median overall survival was not reached. Antibody detection was performed in 70 pts: 53(76%) pts had IgG SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. Among factors possibly associated with poor survival were: stage of COVID-19 1(n=41) - 91,8%/ 2(n=75) - 90%/ 3(n=36) - 56,5%/ 4(n=22) - 13,6% (p<0,0001), concomitant diseases (n=93/81): 59,5% vs. 87% (p=0,0001), transfusion dependence (n=65/104): 58,1% vs. 81,8% (p=0,0007), prior steroid therapy (n=73/90): 64,6% vs. 82% (p=0,019), older age (<60 (n=108)/≥60 (n=68) years): 80% vs. 60% (p=0,048). Sex, disease type, myelotoxic agranulocytosis, and prior hematopoietic stem cell transplantation were not associated with worse outcomes. Data on the longer follow-up (90 and 180 ds) will be presented.Conclusions: Patients with hematologic disease and SARS-CoV-2 infection have high 30-day all-cause mortality predominantly due to COVID-19 complications. Stage of COVID-19, concomitant diseases, transfusion dependence, prior steroid therapy, and older age were associated with poor outcomes.DisclosuresShuvaev:Novartis: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; BMS: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Pfizer: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau.OffLabel Disclosure:hydroxichloroquine, azithromycin, lopinavir+ritonavir, tocilizumab, umifenovir, baricitinib, canakinumab, sarilumab for COVID-19 treatment

Contribution of Citizen Science to Biodiversity Data Mobilization in Russia

Currently Russia doesn't have a national biodiversity information system, and is still not a GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility) member. Nevertheless, GBIF is the largest source of biodiversity data for Russia. As of August 2020, &amp;gt;5M species occurrences were available through the GBIF portal, of which 54% were published by Russian organisations. There are 107 institutions from Russia that have become GBIF publishers and 357 datasets have been published. The important trend of data mobilization in Russia is driven by the considerable contribution of citizen science. The most popular platform is iNaturalist. This year, the related GBIF dataset (Ueda 2020) became the largest one for Russia (793,049 species occurrences as of 2020-08-11). The first observation for Russia was posted in 2011, but iNaturalist started becoming popular in 2017. That year, 88 observers added &amp;gt;4500 observations that represented 1390 new species for Russia, 7- and 2-fold more respectively, than for the previous 6 years. Now we have nearly 12,000 observers, about 15,000 observed species and &amp;gt;1M research-grade observations. The ratio of observations for Tracheophyta, Chordata, and Arthropoda in Russia is different compared to the global scale. There are almost an equal amount of observations in the global iNaturalist GBIF dataset for these groups. At the same time in Russia, vascular plants make up 2/3rds of the observations. That is due to the "Flora of Russia" project, which attracted many professional botanists both as observers and experts. Thanks to their activity, Russia has a high proportion of research-grade observations in iNaturalist, 78% versus 60% globally. Another consequence of wide participation by professional researchers is the high rate of species accumulation. For some taxonomic groups conspicuous species were already revealed. There are about 850 bird species in Russia of which 398 species were observed in 2018, and only 83 new species in 2019. Currently, the number of new species recorded over time is decreasing despite the increase in observers and overall user activity. Russian iNaturalist observers have shared a lot of archive photos (taken during past years). In 2018, it was nearly 1/4 of the total number of observations and about 3/4 of new species for the year, with similar trends observed during 2019. Usually archive photos are posted from December until April, but the 2020 pandemic lockdown spurred a new wave of archive photo mobilisation in April and May. There are many iNaturalist projects for protected areas in Russia: 27 for strict nature reserves and national parks, and about 300 for others. About 100,000 observations (7.5% of all Russian observations) from the umbrella project "Protected areas of Russia" represent &amp;gt;34% of the species diversity observed in Russia. For some regions, e.g., Novosibirsk, Nizhniy Novgorod and Vladimir Oblasts, almost all protected areas are covered by iNaturalist projects, and are often their only source of available biodiversity data. There are also other popular citizen science platforms developed by Russian researchers. The first one is the Russian birdwatching network RU-BIRDS.RU. The related GBIF dataset (Ukolov et al. 2019) is the third largest dataset for Russia (&amp;gt;370,000 species occurrences). Another Russian citizen science system is wildlifemonitoring.ru, which includes thematic resources for different taxonomic groups of vertebrates. This is the crowd-sourced web-GIS maintained by the Siberian Environmental Center NGO in Novosibirsk. It is noteworthy that iNaturalist activities in Russia are developed more as a social network than as a way to attract volunteers to participate in scientific research. Of 746 citations in the iNaturalist dataset, only 18 articles include co-authors from Russia. iNaturalist data are used for the management of regional red lists (in the Republic of Bashkortostan, Novosibirsk Oblast and others), and as an additional information source for regional inventories. RU-BIRDS data were used in the European Russia Breeding Bird Atlas and the new edition of the European Breeding Bird Atlas. In Russia, citizen science activities significantly contribute to filling gaps in the global biodiversity map. However, Russian iNaturalist observations available through GBIF originate from the USA. It is not ideal, because the iNaturalist GBIF dataset is growing rapidly, and in the future it will represent more than all other datasets for Russia combined. In our opinion, iNaturalist data should be repatriated during the process of publishing through GBIF, as it is implemented for the eBird dataset (Levatich and Ligocki 2020).

Modern approaches to the organization of care for patients with heart failure

Chronic heart failure (CHF) is a wide-spread disease (from 7 to 10% in the Russian Federation) and tends to grow. Frequent, repeated hospitalizations of CHF patients are due to insufficient compliance of patients with the treatment and the absence of continuity in management of patients between the hospital and out-patient clinic. Developing a structure of specialized care could provide improvement of treatment quality, a decrease in the number of hospitalizations, and better prognosis. International experience shows that creation of specialized clinics for heart failure improves quality of medical care in CHF and decreases the frequency of re-hospitalizations and mortality. In the Russian Federation, such clinics were created in Nizhniy Novgorod, Ufa, Saint Petersburg, and several other cities. The article presents an expert consensus on the structure, functions, and equipment of departments and offices for patients with heart failure.

Efficacy and safety of new oral anticoagulants as part of triple antithrombotic therapy in patients with atrial fibrillation and acute coronary syndrome. Data from an observational study

Aim To study efficacy and safety of a triple antithrombotic therapy with direct oral anticoagulants (DOAC) versus warfarin in patients with atrial fibrillation after acute coronary syndrome, for 12 months following discharge from the hospital.Materials and methods This single-site cohort, prospective, observational study performed at the Regional Vascular Center 2 of the N.A. Semashko Nizhniy Novgorod Regional Clinical Hospital included 402 patients. It was possible to maintain contacts with 206 patients for 12 months. These patients were divided into two groups, the DOAC treatment (n=105) and the warfarin treatment (n=101) as a part of triple antithrombotic therapy upon discharge. Clinical observation was performed at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after the discharge by structured telephone interview. Predetermined efficacy endpoints included cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, stent thrombosis, and ischemic stroke. Safety endpoints included bleeding defined as small, medium (clinically significant), and major in accordance with the TIMI classification.Results At 12 months of follow-up, 80 patients (76.19%) continued taking DOAC and 39 patients (38.61%, p&lt;0.001) continued taking warfarin; in this process, only 25 patients (24.75%) monitored their INR on a regular basis. With a regular INR monitoring and TTR &gt;70%, death rate did not differ in the warfarin and the DOAC treatment groups. However, there was a difference in reaching the composite efficacy endpoint (p=0.048): ischemic events occurred statistically significantly more frequently in the warfarin treatment group than in the DOAC treatment group.Conclusions In 12 months after discharge from the hospital, compliance with the DOAC treatment as a part of the antithrombotic therapy was significantly higher than compliance with the warfarin treatment. The triple antithrombotic therapy with DOAC was safer than the warfarin treatment by the number of hemorrhagic complications and more effective in prevention of ischemic events, primarily due to no need for monitoring of lab test values.

Advocacy in authoritarian contexts: the case of disability NGOs in Russia

PurposeThe growing trend towards closing the political space for civil society in authoritarian regimes has primarily targeted NGOs focused on rights-based advocacy. Drawing on a study of disability NGOs in Russia, this paper seeks to contribute to a better understanding of the advocacy options that nonprofit organizations have even in repressive political contexts. The authors first review the extant literature to identify common actors, types and tactics and then trace what types of advocacy Russian NGOs are engaged in and what tactics they are able to utilize.Design/methodology/approachThe empirical part of this paper is based on 20 interviews conducted among active participants in disability NGOs in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Perm and Nizhniy Novgorod. Despite not being a representative sample of organizations, the selection of cities and organizations was intended to reflect spatial and structural factors of the field.FindingsThe authors find that NGOs are able to pursue a broad range of advocacy activities despite a generally restrictive legal environment for civil society.Research limitations/implicationsResearch on advocacy in authoritarian countries is often focused on NGOs that are primarily engaged in these activities. This has overshadowed the considerable leeway that nonprofit service providers have to engage in advocacy.Practical implicationsService-providing NGOs should not forsake advocacy activities, even in authoritarian contexts, but can find access points in the political system and should seek to utilize their voice on behalf of their clients.Social implicationsDespite general restrictions, NGOs can still find ways to successfully secure social rights, justice and solidarity, provided they accept the supremacy of the state in social policy and appeal to the state's responsibility for the welfare of its citizens without directly questioning the overall status quo too heavily.Originality/valueWe develop a broad framework for various advocacy forms and activities and apply it to nonprofit service providers.

Word-Formative Specificity of the Objectification of the Concept “Udacha” (“Luck”) in Modern Russian Language

The article presents an attempt at cognitive linguistic analysis of the Russian cultural concept udacha (“luck”). Its primary goal is to describe derivational properties of the concept’s explication in the language through conceptual analysis of derived lexemes that belong to the family of words based on the verb udat’sya (“to succeed”). This will enable us to more precisely specify the concept’s meaning which was identified at the previous stage of the research. The material for the research was taken from basic Russian explanatory and word-formative dictionaries, and its methodological foundations include theoretical principles of language conceptualization of the world, general tenets of the anthropocentric approach to linguistic description, and ideas of reconstruction of culturally significant information through the data of a language. In her work, the author used the method of conceptual analysis developed by research teams and schools of thought in Volgograd, Voronezh, Nizhniy Novgorod, and Tambov, and the method of linguo-culturological interpretation of word-formative phenomena. The findings include verification and a more precise description of ten cognitive characteristics of the concept udacha (“luck”) revealed at the previous stage of the analysis, such as: “a favorable combination of circumstances,” “a desirable result, the right outcome of a case, success,” “a fortunate turn of events,” “happiness”, “one who can do anything, who succeeds in everything”, “creative accomplishment,” “a great achievement in some activities, success,ˮ “realization of a favorable opportunity,ˮ “something good,ˮ and “imparting or inheriting favorable, positive properties or attributes.ˮ Four new normative-evaluative and modal-evaluative cognitive characteristics have also been detected: “compliance with the necessary requirements, conditions,ˮ “something true, right,ˮ “appreciation of actions, deeds, events as accompanied by success, as leading to the desired result,ˮ and “hope for a favorable occasion without any effort, prior thinking or planningˮ. As a result, at the current stage of the research, the aggregate meaning extension of the concept udacha (“luck”) contains the total of fourteen cognitive characteristics. The author has come to the conclusion that the significant volume and complicated semantic organization of the family of words under analysis can be seen as objective language evidence of substantial cultural development of the concept udacha (“luck”) in the Russian language picture of the world.

Urban geochemical changes and pollution with potentially harmful elements in seven Russian cities

This paper presents results of an analysis of potentially harmful elements (PHEs, Pb, Zn and Cu) and conservative element (CE, Fe) concentrations in urban surface deposited sediment (USDS). The study was conducted in seven large Russian cities located in different geographic and climatic zones, and in territories with different geology and anthropogenic pressures: Chelyabinsk, Magnitogorsk, Nizhniy Novgorod, Nizhniy Tagil, Rostov-on-Don, Tyumen, and Ufa. The initial geochemical baseline relationships between PHEs and CE concentrations in the USDS were reconstructed for each city applying an approach based on linear weighted fitting of PHE as a function of CE with lower weights assigned to more polluted samples. The reconstructed average initial baseline Pb, Cu, and Zn concentrations varied between 17–52, 25–196, and 91–413 mg kg−1, respectively. Several new criteria for assessing the degree of geochemical transformation and pollution of the urban environment, such as the percentage of polluted samples, average pollutant concentration in polluted samples, and weighting degree index δ, were suggested and compared with common criteria, such as the PHE concentration and the geo-accumulation index. The environmental rank of a city significantly differed depending on whether the criterion for ranking was total PHE pollution or changes in comparison with the initial geochemical baseline.

Medical and Sociological Study of the Opinion of the Population as Justification for the Implementation of the Principles of Lean Production in the Work of Medical Organizations of the Nizhniy Novgorod Region

The article is devoted to the need of implementation of lean healthcare technologies in the activities of medical organizations. The article gives a brief overview of the concept of lean technologies, stages of their implementation, prospects. The article presents the experience of the participation of the territorial fund of compulsory medical insurance of the Nizhniy Novgorod region and insurance medical organizations in assessing the effectiveness of measures to implement the principles of lean production in the work of medical organizations that provide primary health care to the population of the region. The authors analyzed the survey of the population about their interest in improving the organization of medical care and the social effectiveness of the implementation of lean healthcare technologies in the work of a large number of hospitals and clinics of the region. The pivotal conclusion from the experience of implementing lean technologies in healthcare is the need to search for and widespread use of innovative communication technologies.

A Technique to Reconstruct Nizhniy Novgorod Land Survey Plan and Borders in 1784 Based on Special Geodetic Software

A present-day task of historical GIS is to geotag ancient maps within еру modern coordinate system. These maps are sure to have many inaccuracies. In this regard, there is a need to develop algorithms accounting for these inaccuracies and allowing one to position sources with the smallest deformations and drawbacks. This task is also relevant for Russian plans of the General Survey. Their peculiarity is that they have accurate geodetic characteristics of plots. The research subject is a set of Nizhny Novgorod plans of the late 18th сentury which were the basis for a technique used to reconstruct the city borders and land survey plans. The research methodology is based on the historicism principal, systematicity and objectivity. The authors emphasize the role of statistical methods and apply specifically historical (historical and typological as well as historical and genetic) methods, the geodetic method to process and equalize transit traverse, modeling and cartometry. The research novelty is determined by the algorithm of city borders and historical land survey plans reconstruction, technological solutions for studying the object by means of geodetic programs, new data on land management and cartographic materials based on land management results in the specific region of Russia. The main conclusions are the positioned borders of Nizhny Novgorod in the conditional coordinate system. It was found that transit traverses of plots studied had significant angle linear errors. For settlement plots they are 3&amp;deg;29' and 1/31 and for pasture plots they are 2&amp;deg;49' and 1/80. For Blagoveshchenskiy Monastery they are 0&amp;deg;37&amp;rsquo;and 1/139. A raster land survey plan of Nizhny Novgorod has been made. It can be further used for geotagging and creating historical GIS.