Scientific Research Institute Research Articles

НСТИТУЦІОНАЛЬНІ ЗАСАДИ АНТИМОНОПОЛЬНОГО РЕГУЛЮВАННЯ ТА ЗАБЕЗПЕЧЕННЯ ПІДПРИЄМНИЦЬКОЇ КОНКУРЕНТОСПРОМОЖНОСТІ НА МІЖНАРОДНИХ ТА НАЦІОНАЛЬНИХ ТОВАРНИХ РИНКАХ

The formation and development of state antimonopoly policy and antimonopoly regulation takes place taking into account the peculiarities of the institutional environment in which this regulation takes place. The institutional environment of antimonopoly policy and antimonopoly regulation represented by mandatory and voluntary components. All institutional formations of antimonopoly policy and antimonopoly regulation play certain roles that differ in function. The article describes the institutional features of the state antimonopoly policy formation and development on national consumer markets. Among the peculiarities of the functioning and development of the state antimonopoly policy, mandatory and voluntary components highlighted. A mandatory component of the antimonopoly regulation institutional environment are state and international institutions subject to general, pre-documented regulatory acts, regulations, agreements, etc., it is a formal regulatory level. Institutions that have a clearly documented structure, rights, obligations, norms and rules of conduct. Antimonopoly regulation for these institutes is one of the mandatory elements of their functioning. The second component of the antimonopoly environment functions on a voluntary basis. These institutes can function based on legally registered agreements, on voluntary regulatory regulation, and without entering into documented agreements, on non-normative informal regulation. The voluntary component includes market participants, enterprises, organizations, associations, public unions, scientific research centers and institutes that are interested in antimonopoly regulation, purpose of promoting their interests and purpose of improving the general economic situation. Both components of antimonopoly regulation include institutions that are responsible for the role of institutional design. Within the framework of institutional design, each participant in antimonopoly regulation plays a certain role, while the same institutional formation can play several roles at the same time. The functions played by institutional formations vary from maximally aimed at promoting the formation and development of state antimonopoly policy and antimonopoly regulation to a lack of interest in changes and even active opposition to the introduction of new institutions, adaptation or improvement of already existing ones

Characterization of the Northwestern Population of <i>Puccinia striiformis</i> f. sp. <i>tritici</i> on the Basis of Virulence and Representation of Invasive <i>PstS1</i> and <i>PstS2</i> Races

The expansion of the area of significance of yellow rust was observed in the last years. Until recently, in the conditions of the North-West, the disease occurred sporadically. However, in recent years, its strong development has been observed on wheat samples studied on the collection fields of scientific research institutes and State variety plots, as well as on some commercial fields in the Leningrad region. The aim of this work is to study the virulence and racial composition of the yellow rust pathogen in the Northwest and to conduct a molecular analysis of population samples for the presence of invasive races PstS1 and PstS2. Leaves of common wheat samples with of Puccinia striiformis urediniopustules were collected on commercial fields, State variety plots and experimental fields of the Research Institutes in 2020–2022. Near isogenic Avocet lines (Av NIL) with genes Yr1, Yr5, Yr6, Yr7, Yr8, Yr9, Yr10, Yr15, Yr17, Yr18, Yr24, Yr26, YrSp, Yr27 and differential varieties from international [Chinese 166 (Yr1), Lee (Yr7, Yr+), Heines Kolben (Yr6, Yr+), Vilmorin 23 (Yr3), Moro (Yr10, YrMor), Strubes Dickkopf (YrSD, Yr25, Yr+), Suwon 92/Omar) (YrSu, Yr+)] and European [Hybrid 46 (Yr4, Yr+), Reichersberg 42 (Yr7, Yr+), Heines Peko (Yr2, Yr6, Yr25, Yr+), Nord Desprez (Yr3, YrND, Yr+), Compair (Yr8, Yr19), Carstens V (Yr32, Yr25, Yr+), Spaldings Prolific (YrSP, Yr+), Heines VII (Yr2, Yr25, Yr+)] sets used for characteristic of pathogen virulence. Set of SCAR markers (SCP19M24a1, SCP19M24a2, SCP19M26a1, SCP19M26a2) used for identification of invasive races. A total 92 isolates were studied. High effectiveness at the seedling stage had genes Yr5, Yr10, Yr15, Yr24, Yr26. Isolates virulent to differential varieties Moro (Yr10, YrMor) and Nord Desprez (Yr3, YrND, Yr+) was not determined. Virulence to wheat genotypes with Yr17 gene was rare. Twenty-four virulence phenotypes identified using 29 virulence testers. The number of virulence alleles varied from 7 to 21. At the same time, differences between the phenotypes of P. striiformis on the studied common wheat varieties were insignificant. Most of them have united in a common group. Two groups of isolates slightly differentiated from them. The first included isolates from varieties characterized by a smaller number of virulence alleles, the second – with the maximum number of virulence alleles. Molecular analysis of the northwestern po-pulation revealed isolates belonging to the invasive PstS2 group in 2020 and 2022. Their virulence did not differ significantly from other northwestern phenotypes. The high evolutionary potential predetermines the need for annual monitoring of pathogen populations based on virulence and representation of invasive races.

FEATURES OF WORKING CAPACITY PERFORMANCE OF JUNIOR SCHOOLCHILDREN IN STUDYING THE “CHESS” SUBJECT

The article demonstrates the experimental research results' analysis which was organized and carried out in 2022 by the psychologists of the “Chess” Scientific Research Institute. The research is aimed at revealing the level of performance of the working capacity components for chess-studying schoolchildren. It is noteworthy that the sample of the research includes children with Special Educational Needs (SEN), who were one group of participants. The experimental research was carried out by applying the "Landolt rings" methodology included in the "Egoscope" psychological analysis and testing complex. The analysis of the results demonstrated the following:
 
 Students with Special Educational Needs, who showed low academic progress, as a result of the experiment demonstrated a high index of endurance, as well as students with high and medium academic progress.
 The indicators of the reliability of the average work precision and working capacity, as well as the average efficiency level, are also the same among students with high, medium and low academic progress.
 The results of information processing are medium for students with low and medium progress and high for students with high progress.

Influence of weather conditions on yield and protein content in winter wheat grain

The results of three-year studies (2020–2022) conducted in the forest-steppe zone of the Samara region in the agrocenosis of winter wheat are presented. The purpose of the work was to study the influence of natural and climatic conditions of the research area on the formation of yield indicators, protein content in winter wheat grain. The material was 10 varieties from the Vavilov All-Russian Institute of Plant Genetic Resources (VIR) collection and 5 varieties of selection of the Povolzhsky Scientific Research Institute of Selection and Seed Growing named after P.N. Konstantinov. Yield, grain protein content and protein yield per hectare were determined. Varieties characterized by high yield and high amount of protein in grain, showing maximum protein yield in different weather conditions of the years were identified. Over the years of research, the year 2022 was the most favorable for the formation of high yields (between 6 and 8.5 t/ha were harvested in the indicated year), where a large amount of precipitation was observed in May – the first ten-day period of June. The protein content in grain was the highest in 2021 (14–19%), when high temperatures were observed during the grain filling period in the absence of precipitation. For each variety, the correlation dependence of the sum of active temperatures and the amount of precipitation during the spring-summer vegetation period with the studied indicators was established. There was a negative correlation between the sum of active temperatures and yield (from –0.553 to –0.981) and a positive correlation with the protein content indicator (from 0.605 to 0.984) depending on the variety. The amount of precipitation was in a positive correlation with the yield index, the dependence on the protein content in the grain was ambiguous and depended on the variety. The studied indicators were influenced not only by natural and climatic conditions, but also by the genotypic features of the studied varieties, which explains the diverse correlation dependence.

Global research trends of infantile hemangioma: A bibliometric and visualization analysis from 2000 to 2022

BackgroundInfantile hemangioma (IH) has received global attention, resulting in a significant volume of literature. However, there is a lack of bibliometric analyses specifically focusing on IH publications. This study aims to fill this gap by conducting a comprehensive analysis of IH publications, investigating their characteristics, contribution distribution, and developmental trends. By enhancing our understanding of IH and identifying potential research topics and collaborators, this study will contribute to the advancement of the field. MethodsA total of 4333 articles and reviews on IH were collected from the Web of Science (WoS) database, spanning the years 2000–2022. The study encompassed a comprehensive analysis of IH publications, evaluating their quantity and quality. Additionally, we profiled publishing groups based on country, institution, author publication records, and collaboration networks. Lastly, we identified and summarized the prominent research topics. ResultsAnnual publications on IH have increased over the past 20 years. The United States has the highest number of publications and the highest total number of citations. Pediatric Dermatology was the most influential journal in the IH field. The citation analysis indicated that the articles published by Léauté-Labrèze in 2008 had the highest number of citations. The articles published by North PE in 2000 and Boye E in 2001 laid a certain research foundation for this field. Concerning institutions, most of the cooperative relationships were established in the same country/region. The United States has the largest number of scientific research institutions and IH researchers, leading most of the cross-country collaboration. The University of California, San Francisco, Medical College of Wisconsin, Harvard University, and Shanghai Jiaotong University were the research centers that published the most IH-related research. Frieden IJ, Mulliken JB, and Drolet BA were the top three most influential authors. Frieden IJ, Garzon MC, and Mulliken JB were the top three authors with the most cited frequency. In addition, keywords and keyword co-occurrence networks prompted that the pathological mechanism of IH, clinical analysis, and other vascular anomalies are research hotspots. Analysis of trending topics suggests that research on IH has evolved from treatment-focused studies towards investigations of other vascular diseases and a series of clinical case studies. Currently, clinical case studies receive the most attention in the field. ConclusionsThis comprehensive bibliometric study provides a thorough analysis of post-2000 publications in the field of IH, offering insights into current research trends for the first time. The findings suggest that future investigations will continue to prioritize understanding IH mechanisms, treatment approaches, and treatment evaluation. Furthermore, the exploration of other vascular diseases and the inclusion of clinical case studies are expected to contribute to advancements in IH clinical practice. By identifying potential collaborators, partner institutions, and new research avenues, this study offers valuable guidance for future in-depth research on IH.

The effect of bio-organic fertilizers the productivity of potatoes and vegetable root crops in the conditions of the south-east of Kazakhstan

Organic vegetables and potatoes are not produced in Kazakhstan. In this regard, the development of organic agricultural technologies is very important. Mineral fertilizers cannot be used in organic production. There are difficulties in preserving and increasing soil fertility, providing vegetables with all the necessary elements of nutrition. Therefore, the role of organic fertilizers and biological stimulators increases in soil and plant formation. Organic fertilizers are an important factor in preserving and increasing soil fertility, increasing yields, and improving quality, including the ecological purity of products, potatoes, and vegetables. The influence of local organic fertilizers, a new bio-organic fertilizer Baraebong Organic Fertilizer (Republic of Korea), and biological products on the nutritional regime of the soil and the productivity of potatoes and root crops (carrots and beets) was studied on the dark chestnut soil of the foothill zone of the south-east of Kazakhstan. Scientific research was carried out at the experimental station of the Regional branch "Kainar" LLP "Kazakh Scientific Research Institute of Fruit and Vegetable Growing". The research uses “The Methodology of Agrochemical Research”, “The Methodology of Experimental Work in Vegetable Growing and Melon Growing”, ‘The Methodology of Field Experience in Vegetable Growing”, and the methodological recommendations "Transition from Traditional to Bioorganic Farming in the Republic of Belarus". The positive effect of different types of bioorganic fertilizers on the nutritional regime of the soil was established such as the content of mobile forms of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium increased in it. The yield of potatoes from the introduction of bio-organic fertilizers into the soil increased by 17.4-87.5 %, carrots by 12.8-38.3 %, and beets by 14.0-46.2 %. Bio-organic fertilizers did not adversely affect the quality of potatoes in terms of nitrate content. The level of nitrates in tubers was at the level of 65-215 mg/kg with a MPC of 250 mg/kg. Carrots grown with the use of various bio-organic fertilizers contained 47-136 mg/kg of nitrates at MPC 400 mg/kg, and beet contained 132-429 mg/kg of nitrates at MPC 1400 mg/kg.

Колекції Миколи Дюкова та Віктора Дребенцова у Національному науково-природничому музеї (Київ)

The history of collections that became part of the academic zoological collection prior to the Second World War and which is now being housed in the National Museum of Natural History (NMNH), NAS of Ukraine was studied. The specimens in this collection had probably been kept in zoological centres of Kharkiv before. The collected specimens and their label data are considered as an important source for an entire series of reconstructions, such as the history of species, the history of research, the biographies of researchers, and the history of collections and museums. Along with bibliographic search and mentions of finds of species and their collectors, such data are promising for the reconstruction of important pages in the history of scientific research and scientific institutions. All such approaches were used to investigate the history of research related to the names of Mykola Diukov and Viktor Drebentsov (Drebentsiv) — two researchers who were not included in the list of the hundred most famous mammalogists of Ukraine (review of 2022), but turned out to be iconic persons. Their scientific careers turned out to be closely related to the Kharkiv plant protection centres, and both researchers carried out active research and collection work in the Kharkiv region and in a number of southern regions of Ukraine in the 1920s and early 1930s. The destinies of both of researchers took sharp turns during the period of Stalinist repressions in Ukraine (Union for the Freedom of Ukraine trial, Holodomor, political purges, etc.), and both left not only Kharkiv, but also Ukraine: Diukov ended up in Dagestan working in the plant protection system, whereas Drebentsov in Murmansk at the polar institute, and later in the regional museum of local history. In the new places, the researchers continued their zoological practices, collecting and organizing collections of vertebrate animals (mainly mammals and birds) and achieved a high level of recognition: Diukov became one of the key zoologists and nature popularisers in Dagestan, and so did Drebentsov in Murman. Their destinies turned out differently: M. Diukov was eventually repressed (spent five years in concentration camps) and went missing, whereas V. Drebentsov became a recipient of various state awards. The names of both researchers should be included in the registers of zoologists who formed the foundations of modern knowledge and collections. The authors associate the preservation and transfer of their collections with the activities of O. Myhulin, who in 1938 published the monograph “Mammals of the Ukrainian SSR”, which is largely based on the analysis of mammal collections.

Possibility of using natural cheeses for pizza production

The paper presents the results of studying sensory, physico-chemical, structural-mechanical (rheological) and biochemical indicators as well as functional properties of natural cheeses of various type groups for a possibility of using as a main raw material to produce pizza. Cheeses were produced in the research-and-development shop of the All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Butter- and Cheesemaking (VNIIMS) and purchased in the retail chain. Sensory indicators (taste and odor, consistency, appearance) and functional properties (shreddability, meltability, blistering, free oil release, browning, stretchability) of cheeses from various groups were assessed by 100-point scale for assessing cheeses for pizza developed in VNIIMS. Shreddability was determined before baking by grinding a cheese sample chilled to a temperature of 4 ± 2 °C using a kitchen food grinder. Cheeses were baked at a temperature of 200 ± 5 °C for 12 min. Meltability was determined by changes in the cheese diameter after high-temperature treatment and stretchability by the “fork test”. It has been found that physico-chemical, structural-mechanical and biochemical indicators of cheeses used as a raw material affected sensory characteristics and functional properties of the final product after baking. The correlation between the fat content, protein mass fraction and active acidity of cheeses and functional properties such as meltability, free oil release, stretchability and shreddability was confirmed with statistical significance. The highest correlation was noted between shreddability, mass fraction of total protein and consistency (correlation coefficients were 0.74 and 0.76, respectively). However, none of the studied cheese types corresponded to the full extent to the targeted functional properties. To produce pizza, it is preferable to use cheeses with cheddaring and thermal-mechanical processing of cheese mass as well as unripened semihard cheeses with low temperature of the second heating that are molded from a layer, and semihard cheeses with high temperature of the second heating.

Analysis of Difference in Areal Density Aluminum Equivalent Method in Ionizing Total Dose Shielding Analysis of Semiconductor Devices

The space radiation environment has a radiation effect on electronic devices, especially the total ionizing dose effect, which seriously affects the service life of spacecraft on-orbit electronic devices and electronic equipment. Therefore, it is particularly important to enhance the radiation resistance of electronic devices. At present, many scientific research institutions still use the areal density equivalent aluminum method to calculate the shielding dose. This paper sets five common metal materials in aerospace through the GEANT4 Monte-Carlo simulation tool MULASSIS, individually calculating the absorption dose caused by single-energy electrons and protons in the silicon detector after shielding of five different materials, which have the same areal density of 0.8097 g/cm2. By comparing the above data, it was found that depending on the particle energy, the areal density aluminum equivalent method would overestimate or underestimate the absorbed dose in the shielded silicon detector, especially for the ionization total dose shielding effect of low-energy electrons. The areal density aluminum equivalent method will greatly overestimate the shielding dose, so this difference needs to be taken into account when evaluating the ionizing dose of the electronics on a spacecraft to make the assessment more accurate.

Influence of autumn plant condition on cold hardiness of winter cereal crops at different sowing dates

Research on the influence of autumn plant condition as a factor affecting the cold hardiness of winter wheat, rye, and triticale was conducted at the Siberian Scientific Research Institute of Plant Growing and Breeding, a branch of the Institute of Cytology and Genetics, SB RAS, from 2018 to 2021. Morphological indicators of pre-winter plant condition in cereal crops (plant height, number of tillering shoots, and green mass) are primarily associated with the sowing date (contributing to 54.68–85.86%) and genotypic characteristics of winter crops (contributing to 3.63–22.81%). The best morphological indicators were observed with the first sowing date, which decreased by the third sowing date. Over the research period, more vigorous growth, the formation of tillering shoots, and the development of green mass were observed in winter rye compared to triticale and wheat, regardless of the sowing date. In addition to morphological changes in plants, biochemical changes were also observed (sugar content in the tillering node). The accumulation of sugars was influenced by the meteorological conditions of the year (contributing to 30.36%) and determined by the biological characteristics of the crop (contributing to 18.69%). High sugar content in the node of tillering of rye was found in 2020 - 34.3–43.4%, in wheat - 22.8–32.5%, and in triticale - 28.4–37.3%, which can be explained by excellent vegetative conditions promoting the accumulation of more sugars in the node of tillering of plants. At different sowing dates, high sugar content was observed in winter rye: in the first - 36.5%, the second - 26.8%, and the third - 31.3%. Triticale exceeded winter rye in sugar content in the second - 29.5% and third sowing date - 33.0%. Winter rye exhibited high morphological and biochemical indicators in autumn, contributing to its high cold hardiness (80–100%) at different sowing dates. A positive correlation was established with plant height and tillering coefficient (r =0.90*–0.91*), indicating increased cold hardiness with these traits. Wheat and triticale significantly lagged behind rye due to their lower resistance to extreme negative temperatures compared to rye. It was found that an increase in linear growth promotes increased cold hardiness, the formation of tillering shoots, and the amount of sugars in the node of tillering (r =0.34…0.93*) in wheat and the maximum height and number of tillering shoots (r =0.84*…0.94*) in triticale in the autumn period.

Empowering the Future of Engineering Education Discipline with Chinese Characteristics: Motivation, Formation, and Promotion

Engineering education discipline encompasses a complex interplay of various factors, such as the rapid expansion of engineering disciplines, the enhancement of exceptional engineer training, and the advancement of educational excellence. This paper presents an overview of relevant research and practices in the construction of the engineering education discipline, including scientific investigations, disciplinary frameworks, research institutions, research teams, and research methodologies. Additionally, it highlights the key elements for the development and future promotion of the engineering education discipline. These elements are guided by a focused discipline development approach, driven by strengthened curriculum and teaching initiatives, empowered by the cultivation of outstanding research talents, facilitated by the establishment of a diverse teaching staff, and supported by high-level scientific research. Finally, this paper offers future prospects and reflections on the construction of engineering education discipline with distinctive Chinese characteristics.

Construction and measurement of the prototype side-coupled standing-wave tube for electron Linac

Due to Iran's growing need for accelerators in various applications, NSTRI (Nuclear Science and Technology Research Institute) has defined a 6 MeV e-Linac (electron linear accelerator) project for medical and inspection applications. This electron accelerator has a side-coupled standing wave tube that operates in π/2 mode at the frequency of 2998.5 MHz. This paper presents a summary of the construction and cold test stage of the prototype tube for this accelerator. The prototype tube was constructed from aluminum and clamped with bolts.In the cold test stage, low-power RF measurements werecarried out using a side-coupled cavity tuning method and a bead-pull measurement technique. Using a network analyzer, magnetic and electric probes, and a mechanical structure constructed for this tube made the RF tuning possible. After tuning, the resonant frequency, unloaded quality factor, and effective shunt impedance of the aluminum tube were achieved at 2998.57 MHz, 7970, and 83.25 MΩ/m respectively.

Constructive and Software of a Gonio-Radiometer for UV Radiation Sources

The Keitz method is well-proved itself. And factually it became the basis for the accepted practice in measuring of radiant flux of the germicidal low-pressure lamps. But it was developed for linear lamps exclusively. The measuring of radiant flux of the compact and U-shaped germicidal lamps was not considered neither in the IUVA methodology and nor in the international standard ISO 15727. The results accuracy of the simplified methods depends on the type of approximation of the spatial distribution of the radiant intensity that should be based on the goniometric data. They are accumulated for the linear lamps and they are absent for the compact and U-shaped germicidal lamps. There are device and functions of the automated goniometer-radiometer complex, developed by specialists of the Scientific Research Institute of Light Sources named after A.N. Lodygin, described in the article. This complex is intended for research of the light power angle (space) distribution of the germicidal lamps having various shapes. The research aim is to clarify the existing simplified methods or to develop new ones. The complex operation is controlled by GNU/Linux system. The developed software program has the command-line interface that allows us to get the remote access (via SSH-server) and to make the personnel work safe by absence of the direct UV-radiation exposing. The article also provides examples of goniometer-radiometer measurement sessions and the obtained results for germicidal lamps DB15 (linear) and DKB11 (compact), which were used as test samples.

Gender Inequality in Higher Education and Research

Significant economic and social differences in the living and working conditions of men and women, structural changes in society actualize the need to research the prerequisites and consequences of the existence of gender inequality in the country. The purpose of the paper is to investigate the causes and nature of gender inequality in the long term. The object of the research is the sphere of education and science of certain countries of Europe and America, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and North Africa. The main hypothesis of the study is the assumption of a relationship between gender inequality in the field of education and indicators of the country’s social development (Human Development Index and level of education). Methodological tools of the conducted research are methods of trend and structural analysis. The information base of the research is data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the World Economic Forum, and the United Nations, the research period is 1950-2021. The results of the analysis of the Gender Equality Index during 1950-2000 in terms of its four dimensions (health, socio-economic resources, gender disparity in households and gender disparity in politics) proved the presence of a significant gender gap in some countries of the world: the countries of Eastern and Western Europe are more developed compared to other regions of the world (South and Southeast Asia, the Middle East and North Africa). According to the results of empirical calculations, the dependence between the level of human development and gender inequality has been proven: the higher the level of human development of the country, the lower the inequality in education. The study of gender inequality in the field of scientific research was carried out based on the analysis of publications in 50 international journals, book collections of Bengal Economic Association, Indian Economic Association and other professors of reputed institutions in India and abroad. Based on the results of the analysis, it was concluded that the publishing activity of women is lower than that of men: only 22.07% of publications in national and international journals, 23.65% of volumes of book collections and 27.90% of book chapters were published by women. The reasons for the low activity of women in the field of scientific research include: low opportunities for visiting the sites of scientific research institutions, field surveys or laboratory work; limited opportunities for training and advanced training at seminars and classes; lack of time to carry out research activities; discrimination based on personal interests and gender bias; much less interest in regular research due to social, psychological and physical reasons; excessive family load, etc.

Перкутанная нефролитотрипсия у детей с использованием инструментария миниатюрного размера.

Introduction. Currently, percutaneous nephrolithotripsy is the main treatment for large and coral-like kidney stones in children. The purpose of the study was to increase the effectiveness of percutaneous nephrolithotripsy (PCNL) in children using miniature-sized instruments. Materials and methods. For the period from 2008 to 2019, 320 children aged 1 to 17 years underwent nephrolithotripsy in the pediatric department of the N. Lopatkin Scientific Research Institute of Urology. Depending on the size of the instruments used, patients were divided into 3 groups. The first group included children who underwent surgery using the Mini-PCNL technique (n-211), the second group included patients operated on using the Ultra-Mini-PCNL method (n-16) and the third group included children whose percutaneous intervention was performed using a standard-sized nephroscope (n-93). The intervention was carried out according to the standard method; all patients underwent cystoscopy, catheterization of the ureter, access formation, lithotripsy, lithoextraction and installation of nephrostomy drainage. Results. In the first group of children studied, complete elimination of clinically significant stones (residual stones smaller than 4 mm) after the initial intervention was achieved in 169 (80.1%) pediatric patients. In the second group, there was 13 (81.2%) children. And in the third group, getting rid of stones was achieved in 73 (78.5%) patients. The average time required to perform surgery in all three study groups was comparable and amounted to 45 (40-125) minutes in the first group, 40 (25-85) minutes in the second, and 50 (40-180) minutes in the third group. The final efficacy of percutaneous nephrolithotripsy in children using instruments of various sizes in the first group was 89.6%, in the second – 93.7% and 88.1% in the third study group. The hospital stay after surgical treatment was: 4 (3-12) days for the first group, 3.5 (3-7) and 4.5 (3-17) days for the second and third groups, respectively. The need for additional interventions after PCNL in pediatric patients was in 69 (32.7%) children in the first group, 4 (25%) in the second and 41 (44.1%) in the third group. Conclusion. The use of mini-PCNL, ultra-mini-PCNL can reduce the duration of surgical intervention by 10% and 20%, the hospital stay after PCNL by 11.2% and 22.3%, the need for additional interventions by 11.4% and 19.1%. Can reduce the total number of complications by 10% and 12.2%, respectively, compared with the use of standard-size instruments. The use of Mini-PCNL in children is indicated in the younger and middle age groups, Ultra-Mini-PCNL is indicated for single stones up to 2 cm or as an additional access in the multi-accesses formation.

Levels of TREC and KREC molecules significance determining in peripheral blood for predicting the outcome of COVID-19 disease in the acute period

The disease caused by the highly contagious SARS-CoV-2 virus – “novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19)” – had killed more than 6.5 million people at the end of December 2022. The severity of the manifestation of the infectious process varies from asymptomatic forms to rapid progression to life-threatening conditions requiring emergency measures. One of the factors, the severity of which affects the outcome of the disease, is lymphopenia, the cause of which may be a violation of lymphopoiesis. The identification of laboratory markers of a high risk of mortality in patients with COVID-19 plays an important role in improving patient care algorithms and increasing their survival. Levels of TREC and KREC molecules in peripheral blood, respectively, can serve as molecular markers of the severity of T and B lymphopenias. The aim of our work was a comparative analysis of the levels of TREC and KREC molecules in the peripheral blood of surviving and deceased patients with COVID-19. The material was whole blood samples obtained from 1745 people, including: 1028 patients diagnosed with novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) (ICD-10 code – U07.1), of which 937 patients recovered and 91 died; 717 apparently healthy individuals (control group). The levels of TREC and KREC molecules were assessed by quantitative multiplex Real-time PCR using the TREC/KREC-AMP PS reagent kit (Federal Scientific Research Institute Pasteur, St. Petersburg). Statistically significant differences in the levels of KREC and TREC molecules between the control group and patients, both surviving and deceased, were established. A significant decrease in median concentrations of KREC molecules was shown in patients with a lethal outcome compared with survivors (p = 0.0019, 95% CI). Among the deceased patients, in 63.7% of cases, the levels of TREC or KREC molecules were reduced relative to the corresponding age norms. Of these, in 20.9% of cases, both analytes were reduced in patients. When assessing the diagnostic significance of the levels of the analytes under study for predicting the outcome of the disease, the area under the AUC curve for KREC was 0.63±0.029, which indicates the average strength of the prognostic model of the patient's death depending on the level of KREC in the blood. The constructed model is statistically significant (p = 0.002). Monitoring laboratory parameters of patients with COVID-19, including those who died, allows you to determine the prognostic factors that are most significant for assessing the outcome of the disease. Based on the assessment of the KREC level, a predictive model with high specificity reflects the risk of death in patients with COVID-19. Thus, the quantitative determination of the level of KREC molecules in the peripheral blood can be attributed to the methods of preventive personalized diagnostics aimed at improving the survival of patients.

Recommendations for the Improvement of China's Counter-sanctions Legal System under the Guidance of the Anti-foreign Sanctions Act

In recent years, the United States has regarded China as its most important strategic competitor in the future, and has illegally interfered in China's internal affairs in the political, economic and trade, scientific and technological fields, in blatant violation of the basic principles of international law, and has frequently abused undue unilateral sanctions against party and government organs, multinational enterprises, scientific research institutes and other institutions within China's borders, to the serious detriment of China's national interests, as well as the interests of the relevant organizations and individuals. For this reason, the National People's Congress has enacted and promulgated the Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law, which adopts "defensive" and lawful countermeasures at the legislative level against unilateral sanctions against foreign countries for their violent interference in China's internal affairs, fully utilizes international law as a means to safeguard China's national security and interests, and protects the lawful rights and interests of enterprises and individuals going to the sea, and also links up with other laws and regulations on anti-sanctions that have already been issued in the field of anti-sanctions. Starting from the legal normative documents in the field of counter-sanctions, such as departmental regulations, and combining them with the actual economic development of China, we will find effective legal countermeasures and suggestions for solving the worsening unilateral sanction dilemma faced by China, and establishing a counter-sanctions implementation mechanism with clearly defined powers and responsibilities, a sound system, and precise law enforcement.

Vacuum large-aperture blackbody model in the temperature range 223.15–423.15 K for radiometric calibration of optoelectronic equipment for Earth observation

The structure of the systems for the radiometric calibration of the remote sensing optoelectronic equipment in the infrared spectral range is presented. The analysis of existing facilities for the radiometric calibration of the remote sensing optoelectronic equipment in conditions of vacuum and low-background radiation was carried out. These facilities are based on using of the blackbody models as radiation sources, including reference sources based on the phase transition of pure metals, for example gallium or indium. The wide-aperture blackbody model LABB-380 with an aperture diameter of 380 mm in the temperature range from 223.15 K up to 423.15 K has been developed for a high-vacuum low-background stand, which is currently being developed at the Sciences Research Institute of Optoelectronic Instrumentation for the radiometric calibration of the remote sensing optoelectronic equipment. The results of calculating the normal effective emissivity of the surface of the LABB-380 in the temperature range from 223.15 K to 423.15 K in the spectral range from 3 to 20 μm are presented. The metrological characteristics of LABB-380 obtained during the transmission of a temperature unit from the zero discharge State Standard using a comparator based on the precision pyrometer HETRONIXS are investigated and presented. The instability of the LABB-380 radiation was 0.005 K according to the calibration results in the temperature range from 300.15 K to 390.15 K, and the extended temperature uncertainty was 0.66 K at the temperature of 300.15 K and 0.88 K at a temperature of 390.15 K.

Institutional Repositories of Russian Organisations: a Comparative Analysis

In order to study the current state of domestic institutional repositories (IR), the official websites of 106 Russian universities — participants of the programme “Priority-2030” and 454 scientific research institutes (SRI) of three categories approved by the Federal Agency of Scientific Organisations according to the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation from April 8, 2009 No. 312 “On the assessment and monitoring of the effectivness of scientific organisations performing research, development and technological works of civilian designation” were monitored. A comparative analysis of IR was carried out. In the course of the study the following data were analyzed: availability of the IR on the site, navigation on the site for the convenience of using the IR, content, functionality, visibility, accessibility of materials, etc. Despite the fact that the problems of creating and developing repositories are actively studied both in Russia and abroad, the results of the study showed that the practice of maintaining IRs in Russian universities and scientific organisations is unevenly developed. In scientific institutions repositories are created much less frequently than in educational organisations. However, a half of higher education institutionsʼ IRs are closed to remote users. Access is granted only to teachers and students of educational institutions. In some repositories it is not always possible to successfully use scientific information, as not all repository objects contain the full text of the document, references to external sources are not always correct. The resource base of repositories of higher education institutions is richer than that of research institutes, because in addition to the works of their staff, it includes educational collections and student works. Mostly IRs provide text documents, very rarely other data (audio, video materials, data sets).Repositories of educational and scientific institutions are limited by chronological frameworks, including mainly documents of 1990—2022. Materials from earlier years of publication are presented in small quantities or include only metadata. The IRs of higher education institutions much more often provide wide search possibilities: choice of simple or advanced search options, use of logical operators, faceted navigation. Except for isolated cases, the IRs of research institutes have one search window with the possibility to search by keywords.Providing open access to information in repositories increases the visibility and accessibility of scientific research results, citability of publications, and promotes scientific communication.

The effect of patient-led goal setting approach combined with pain neuroscience education or manual therapy in patients with chronic low back pain: protocol for a parallel-group randomized controlled trial

BackgroundLow back pain (LBP) is a multifactorial disorder associated with a high range of physical and psychological burden on the society. Patient-led goal-setting approach has shown potential effects for improving chronic LBP. However, there are few studies investigating its benefits when combined with a supplementary intervention. This paper, therefore, presents a protocol for a randomized control trial (RCT) to study the effect of a patient-led goal-setting approach combined with pain neuroscience education (PNE) or manual therapy (MT) among patients with chronic LBP.MethodsA total of 105 patients suffering from chronic LBP will be recruited via flyers displayed in hospitals and universities, and those meeting the study’s criteria will randomly be allocated into a patient-led goal-setting approach with the PNE group, and/or with the MT program group, and/or a control group. The primary outcomes will be the pain intensity and disability. Secondary outcomes include quality of life, depression, anxiety and stress, fear avoidance beliefs, kinesophobia, pain self-efficacy, catastrophic pain, neurophysiology of pain, and central sensitivity. All the outcomes will be recorded at 2 months after receiving the treatment as post-test sessions and after 4 and 12 months as follow-up sessions. The Ethics Committee in Research at Sport Sciences Research Institute of Iran approved the protocol of this trial (IR.SSRC.REC.1400.084). Written, informed consent to participate will be obtained from all participants. All methods will be conducted in accordance with the ethical standards of the Declaration of Helsinki and in accordance with relevant guidelines and regulations. We will disseminate the findings through peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations and send them to the participants.DiscussionThis trial will demonstrate which supplementary intervention can better improve the impact of a patient-led goal-setting approach to treat LBP. If successful, the results will potentially have implications for athletic trainers, physiotherapists, and health care practitioners.Trial registrationIRCT Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials IRCT20210927052616N1. Registered on November 03, 2021.