CREATION OF TERRITORIES OF PRIORITY DEVELOPMENT IN DONETSK AND LUHANSK REGIONS AS A WAY TO SOLVING SOCIO-ECONOMIC PROBLEMS

The article indicates that the political and economic instability that resulted from the armed conflict and hostilities in eastern Ukraine led to the fact that Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, which were previously leaders among the regions of Ukraine in terms of socio-economic development, have become outsiders. The analysis of the socio-economic situation in the territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions is carried out, on the basis of which the range of existing problems of these regions is highlighted, namely: loss of most of the industrial potential; drop in industrial production; reduction in gross product, exports; lack of jobs; backwardness, depression of the regions; reducing their investment attractiveness. It is noted that under such conditions, the priority task of the Government of Ukraine becomes search for effective legal and economic mechanisms for post-crisis recovery and development of these regions. It is argued that such a mechanism can be the provision of the status of priority development territories to Donetsk and Lugansk regions and introduction of a special regime for investment activities. This proposal will significantly contribute to the attraction of investments, the general recovery of the region’s economy and further development. The experience of these studies can also be applied in the restoration of territories where hostilities took place and the development of which requires additional stimulation in development.

A Multidisciplinary Journey towards Bone Tissue Engineering

Millions of patients suffer yearly from bone fractures and disorders such as osteoporosis or cancer, which constitute the most common causes of severe long-term pain and physical disabilities. The intrinsic capacity of bone to repair the damaged bone allows normal healing of most small bone injuries. However, larger bone defects or more complex diseases require additional stimulation to fully heal. In this context, the traditional routes to address bone disorders present several associated drawbacks concerning their efficacy and cost-effectiveness. Thus, alternative therapies become necessary to overcome these limitations. In recent decades, bone tissue engineering has emerged as a promising interdisciplinary strategy to mimic environments specifically designed to facilitate bone tissue regeneration. Approaches developed to date aim at three essential factors: osteoconductive scaffolds, osteoinduction through growth factors, and cells with osteogenic capability. This review addresses the biological basis of bone and its remodeling process, providing an overview of the bone tissue engineering strategies developed to date and describing the mechanisms that underlie cell–biomaterial interactions.

Managing the Impact of in Situ Fines Migration in Production Optimization – A Case History from a Niger Delta Field

In the oil and gas business, a key strategy of well management is the deployment of the right tools and knowledge to enable continuous and optimized production. One of such tools is Matrix acidizing - A stimulation activity designed to remove wellbore damage and improve well inflow. The ability to sustain optimal production from most wells after acidization is often hampered with further fines migration problems and this requires specialized treatment to mitigate. WELL-001 quit production and was re-entered for a workover in 2018, to recomplete shallower on the same reservoir sand and restore production, however, post workover and subsequent clean up, the well failed to sustain flow. Two additional stimulation operations were also unsuccessful despite gas lift assistance. An Integrated review was held which identified key damage mechanisms impeding flow; deep fines migration which are not well handled by conventional stimulation recipes, emulsion and impairment from Loss Circulation Material (CaCO3 + XCD Polymer). A Novel solution was identified which included an Ultra-Thin Tackifying Agent (UTTA) as part of the stimulation cocktail with the primary purpose of stabilizing the fines at source and preventing further migration with the flowing fluids. The treatment was deployed successfully and the well lifted immediately, achieving a rate of 800 bopd vs a planned potential of 650 bopd. The impact of this success is not only evident in production but also in resource volume estimation and booking.

B7-H7 Is Inducible on T Cells to Regulate Their Immune Response and Serves as a Marker for Exhaustion

The discovery of immune checkpoints highlights the complexity of T cell signalling during an immune response. Upon activation, T cells express several molecules to regulate their function and to prevent overactivation. B7 homolog 7 (B7-H7) is expressed in tumours and associated with a worse prognosis. However, conflicting data regarding its function suggest that it can be both stimulatory and inhibitory. In this study we report that B7-H7 is also expressed on T cells upon cross-linking of CD3 and CD28 and that additional stimulation via CD137 further enhances the expression of B7-H7. B7-H7 is preferentially expressed on exhausted Th1 and Tc1 cells with an impaired secretion of TNF-α and IFN-γ. Blockade of B7-H7 with its natural receptor, recombinant CD28H, enhances T cell proliferation and activation. Thus, B7-H7 represents another target for immunotherapy and a biomarker to select for active effector T cells with relevance for adoptive cell transfer therapy.

PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PEDAGOGICAL SUPPORT OF THE FORMATION OF SAFE BEHAVIOR SKILLS IN CHILDREN (ON THE EXAMPLE OF THE ONLINE COURSE FOR WORK WITH CHILDREN “ I KNOW HOW TO PROTECT MYSELF”)

In the article the author ‘s concept of safe behavior skills formation in children is substantiated. The psychological content of five rules of safe behavior based on the functioning of the child’s mental mechanisms is described. The components, content and features of using the online course “I know how to protect myself” aimed at developing safe behavior skills are highlighted and substantiated. It is noted that the format of online interaction requires teachers specific training for classes, in particular to design an educational online space, conditions for cooperation with children and the choice of online tools. It is outlined that online interaction is based on additional stimulation of activity of all involved in the process of mastering theoretical knowledge and practical skills of safe behavior.

UV induced resistive switching in hybrid polymer metal oxide memristors

There is an increasing interest for alternative ways to program memristive devices to arbitrary resistive levels. Among them, light-controlled programming approach, where optical input is used to improve or to promote the resistive switching, has drawn particular attention. Here, we present a straight-forward method to induce resistive switching to a memristive device, introducing a new version of a metal-oxide memristive architecture coupled with a UV-sensitive hybrid top electrode obtained through direct surface treatment with PEDOT:PSS of an established resistive random access memory platform. UV-illumination ultimately results to resistive switching, without involving any additional stimulation, and a relation between the switching magnitude and the applied wavelength is depicted. Overall, the system and method presented showcase a promising proof-of-concept for granting an exclusively light-triggered resistive switching to memristive devices irrespectively of the structure and materials comprising their main core, and, in perspective can be considered for functional integrations optical-induced sensing.

Application of an additional electrode for improving the emission properties of the lossless cathode-neutralizer for EPSPS

The article considers the advantages of application of an additional electrode — anode-collector in the design of a lossless cathode-neutralizer (LCN) for electrically powered spacecraft propulsion systems (EPSPS) (hall-effect thrusters and ion thrusters). The relevance of the work is due to the increased interest in the possibility of using lossless thermionic cathodes as cathodes-neutralizers (CN) of EPSPS. Based on the results of laboratory tests of the lossless cathode-neutralizer model conclusions are drawn about the effectiveness of the anode-collector in the design of the lossless cathode-neutralizer. The presence of the collector-anode allows for additional “stimulation” of the emitter by voltage intensifying the emitter activation process and increasing the emission current from the emitter surface by 2-2.3 times. The saved energy for emitter heating due to using an anode-collector is estimated. The basic concepts and recommendations for the development of the design of lossless cathode-neutralizer design are presented.

The Hippocampus

All mammals have a well-developed hippocampus compared to that of fish, reptiles, and birds, although the latter still have homologous structures. The cells of the hippocampus have differentiated roles: place cells become active and rearrange themselves in new environments, which create new and stable maps of those environments. Grid cells are able to approximate distances, forming an additional neuronal basis for spatial navigation. The hippocampus and olfactory bulbs have intimately related functions. The story of patient H.M. revealed that declarative memories are consolidated by the hippocampus, but procedural memories can be established without hippocampal involvement. Declarative memories remain vulnerable to disruption and forgetting up to about 3 years after memorization. Memories consolidated during sleep are less prone to interference and more stable than memories followed by additional stimulation or learning.

Fiscal Measures to Boost the Economic Development of Russian Territories

Two possible directions of fiscal measures aimed at improving Russian territories’ economic development are discussed in the paper: one at the level of largest agglomerations and another one at the regional level. It is widely accepted that agglomerations are “engines” of economic growth. The Strategy of Spatial Development of the Russian Federation until 2025 pays special attention to the development of agglomerations. However, the latter process has not only natural limitations, but also institutional ones arising from low fiscal independence of municipalities which form agglomerations. To overcome the institutional limitations, the paper proposes a set of fiscal measures, including a redistribution of tax revenues and expenditure obligations between the center of a given agglomeration and the region that contains it. The current fiscal mechanisms of stimulating economic development of Russian regions are analyzed. A mechanism of additional stimulation for regions to develop their own revenue base is proposed; it includes the transfer of receipts of VAT levied with a reduced rate of 10 % to regions in exchange for centralization of some part of corporate income tax in the federal budget. Different scenarios of this exchange are analyzed. It is shown that centralization of the corporate income tax amount corresponding to the 1 % rate in the federal budget in exchange for the transfer of VAT levied with a rate of 10 % to regions with a compensation mechanism within the transferred amounts is neutral to the federal budget and to budgets of the regions which receive equalization grants.

Clinical significance of neutrophils functional activity in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

There is a revival of interest to the role of innate immunity in SLE and neutrophils as its main cellular components. Lupus neutrophils are characterized by impaired phagocytic capabilities, enhanced apoptosis and NETosis, an alternative mechanism ofneutrophil cell death, abnormal clearance ofapoptotic bodies and NETosis products. Therefore, investigation ofpathogenetic processes involving neutrophils is of immense importance, it may help in searching for potential therapeutic targets, understanding the mechanisms of drugs action already used in clinical practice and optimizing the therapeutic regimens by developing predictive factors. Free radical production is one of the crucial neutrophil functions. Thus, the study of neutrophil radical-producing function as a component of their functional status seems expedient. To attain this objective, a new method of luminol-enhanced chemiluminescence with a preliminary two-step stimulation by phorbol-12-myristate-13 acetate and formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine was developed. Neutrophil radical-producing activity was evaluated in 46 SLE patients compared to 87 healthy controls. Increased spontaneous production of reactive oxygen species and more pronounced response to the PMA and fMLP effects were found. It was shown by higher specific peak and specific integral neutrophil activity, comparing to the control group. Interleukin-lfi for SLE patients’ neutrophils appeared to be both a pronounced stimulus and a priming agent, it was only a weak priming agent in healthy controls. These results are consistent with research data showing increased functional activity of neutrophils in SLE associated with increased production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, as well as increased production of neutrophil extracellular traps in the absence of additional stimulation, which may be a consequence of cytokine-primed condition.