The article presents the results of dynamic-stochastic modeling of long-term variations of Caspian Sea level during the Early khvalyn (Buinak stage) and the Late khvalyn (Makhachkala stage) transgressions. A linearized model of Caspian level variations with a negative feedback due to the dependence of sea water area on water level is shown to be applicable to the paleo-Caspian. The calculations were based on the results of simulation and analytical modeling. The regimes of long-term level variations in the paleo-Caspian Sea for the considered transgressions are shown to differ. For example, the variance of the Caspian Sea level for the Early and Late khvalyn transgressions is equal to 4.2 and 2.5 m2, respectively, and the average duration of the level rise above its equilibrium value during a single event is 50 and 40 years, respectively. Estimates of the duration of sea level rises can be used to assess the possibility of formation of various coastal–shelf geomorphological forms during long-term level rises. The obtained characteristics of the processes of long-term sea level variations, including the variance, autocorrelation, probability distribution density, the mean duration of level rises above (or level drops below) specified level marks during one such event, the dependence of the parameter of inertia of level variations significantly expand our knowledge about the character of Caspian Sea level variations in the paleotime.

A problem is formulated to investigate the influence of various factors of a single grain cutting process on the formed microrelief of the grain trace on the workpiece surface, such as the grain shape and cutting depth. Based on finite element modeling in the ANSYS finite element analysis software system in the Workbench environment of the interaction of abrasive grain with the workpiece, studies were carried out and the values of the geometric parameters of the microrelief of grain trace on the workpiece surface were obtained: depth, width, and mark area in the cross section, as well as the width, height, and area of the left and right piles in cross section. In addition to the geometric characteristics, the coefficient of material pushed into heaps was determined. The research methodology used made it possible to obtain the geometric characteristics of the microrelief of the trace from the abrasive grain and to determine their dependence on the cutting process factors: the abrasive grain shape and the depth of its penetration into the workpiece.

The problem of studying a scratch from a single abrasive grain is formulated, which involves finite element modeling of the interaction of the abrasive grain with the workpiece and an experimental study of obtaining and processing the grain traces on the real surface of the samples. A comprehensive investigation technique is proposed, including modeling the process of a single microcutting with an abrasive grain in the software system for analysis by the ANSYS Workbench finite element modeling method and an experimental study of the surface after microcutting with a grain. The applied research technique showed that, in general, the microreliefs of the traces created by a single abrasive grain, obtained during modeling and in the experiment, have a similar nature. At the same time, the numerical values of the geometric parameters have a scatter explained by a number of factors.

The paper briefly reviews the literature on the microrelief obtained during single abrasive grain cutting. The review presents various methods of experimental research, including the building of topography by removing points from an experimentally obtained mark, finite element modeling of marks from a single abrasive grain, a comparison of a modeled mark with an experimentally obtained mark, and the workpiece surface relief in the contact zone after machining with grinding wheels of various grain sizes. We proposed a proprietary methodology for conducting a micro-cutting experiment, which includes an experiment on obtaining marks on a specially equipped surface-grinding machine and microscopic examination of marks for the presence of barbs and pile using a microscope with special software allowing for topographies to be built using images from the workpiece surface. We considered a selection of marks on the experimental sample necessary to form the research results. During the experiment, we found a dependence reflecting the nature of formations (barbs and piles) at various mark depths and lengths. A brief conclusion is made on the possible causes of the appearance of these formations; future research work is planned in this area.

The paper deals with petroleum road bitumen interacting with the components of a complex modifier. They are high-pressure polyethylene, thermoelastoplast, polymer packaging waste and surfactants. The analysis of changes are presented in the physical and mechanical properties of binders for road pavements obtained by Fourier-IR spectroscopy, optical methods and standard equipment for measuring the qualitative indicators of road binders based on petroleum bitumen.

The paper deals with the research and practical use of petroleum bitumens and bitumen-based modified binders in road construction in Russia compared to the advanced global research. It is shown that unmodified petroleum bitumens are used in the construction and repair of regional and local roads in Russia. Moreover, in Russia, oxidized bitumens are widely used, the quality of which is significantly inferior to the residual bitumens accepted for use in developed countries. The materials used for bitumen modification in Russia and abroad are considered, the most widely used thermoelastoplasts, thermoplastics, and natural and synthetic rubbers including. The issues of using sulfur and its derivatives as cross-linking agents are discussed. Reactive substances, as well as the functionalization of the modifiers themselves, i.e., the directed use of functional groups that provide missing bonds in the interaction are covered. The studies on nanoscale effect in the interaction of bitumen components with natural or synthesized nanomaterials are presented. Currently, an increasing number of researchers, both in Russia and abroad, are trying to find ways to improve the quality characteristics of modified bitumens using waste, while solving both environmental and economic problems. Although there has been marked progress in such developments, they are still difficult to compete with specially designed and manufactured modifiers. This progress is evident in the use of so-called hybrid or mixed modifiers, the components of which are selected for improving specific properties. There is considerable interest in the use of crumb rubber from worn-out tires as a potentially suitable component for making bitumen elastic and reducing the brittleness temperature. In Russia, there are noteworthy developments in this area that have been industrially tested. An interesting method is the high-temperature shear grinding of rubber crumbs on ultra-high-pressure devices, at which the specific surface area of the particles is disproportionately large, compared to the known methods. This provides an accelerated interaction of particles with bitumen forming mesh structures at the dry method of introducing crumb directly into bitumen-concrete mixture. The paper describes the main types of equipment for bitumen modification. Currently, the road industry in Russia is undergoing a conceptual transition to the new generation of standards.

The article considers an estimate of the effect of positive feedback in the mechanism of level oscillations in the Caspian Sea on the long-term level regime. The study was based on a modified dynamic-stochastic model of level variations, taking into account the spatial heterogeneity of evaporation from sea water area. The evaporation from Caspian shallows is considered as the sum of a deterministic and a stochastic component. The probability density of Caspian level was obtained for supposed paleotime conditions as a solution of the steady-state Fokker–Planck–Kolmogorov equation. In addition, Caspian level variations were simulated by Monte-Carlo method, the results of which confirmed the analytical calculations. Under some realistic assumptions accepted in the modeling, long-term variations of the Caspian level can have a nonstationary character under steady-state climate. The main result of the study is the conclusion that the nonlinear dependence of evaporation on the Caspian level is to be taken into account not only in paleoclimatic reconstructions, but also in the estimates of the future sea level regime.

The statistical homogeneity of the total inflow into Lake Baikal have been analyzed. The periods of 1901–1933 and 1933–2014 have been found not only to show statistically significant difference between the coefficients of autocorrelation of the total inflow, but also changes in its stochastic structure. For the first period, the autocorrelation function of the total inflow into Lake Baikal corresponds to AR(1)-process, that for the second period corresponds to a single-component AR(2)-process or the most adequate two-component AR-process with components in the form of AR(2)-processes. The use of AR(1)-process to describe the total inflow into Lake Baikal in 1933–2014 has been shown to lead to underestimation of the dispersion and autocorrelation coefficient of water level variations in Lake Baikal. The stochastic structure of the long-term variations of the total water inflow into the lake that has formed after 1934 has to be taken into account to obtain more accurate estimates of these characteristics. With the stochastic properties of water inflow into the lake taken into account properly, extremely high water levels in Lake Baikal show higher exceedance probability than those derived from the model based on AR(1)-process used to describe the inflow. For example, the level of 1% exceedance probability that corresponds to AR(1)-model of inflow will become a level with 2% exceedance probability if the inflow is correctly modeled as an AR-process with two components in the form of AR(2)-processes.

The relevant task in the field of road construction and maintenance is gradual transition to the production of asphalt-concrete mixtures on polymer-bitumen binders. Most asphalt-concrete plants of small and medium capacity consider this transition as challenging due to a relatively high cost of the specialized equipment for polymer-bitumen binders production. Most proposed techniques involve the utilization of colloid mills. The practice of such mills operation shows that production lines experience long downtime periods due to the necessity of preventive maintenance and repair. A promising direction in polymer-bitumen binders manufacture is to use polymer waste materials for the bitumen modification. This provides the reduction of the modified binder costs and the solution of environmental problems. The paper deals with the problem of asphalt-concrete plants modernization to obtain polymer-bitumen binders in its own production using agitated mixers common in the chemical industry. Optimization problem is formulated for design and operating parameters of such equipment to provide required quality indicators for the resulting polymer-bitumen binders. Algorithmic and software assistance is developed to solve the set problem. The proposed technical solutions were tested when solving the modernization problems regarding the process diagram of the asphalt-concrete plant to release products on polymer-bitumen binder of its own production.

This article is the first to give morphometric and bathymetric relationships for Bol’shoe Yashaltinskoe Lake, derived by processing expedition data. A bathymetric map of the lake is constructed. A method is proposed for modeling lake water balance and water salinity based on geographic analogy and an algorithm for constructing a stochastic vector autoregression process. Realizations of the simulated series of lake water balance components and water salinity variations over 1000 years with a monthly step are constructed.

This article presents the results of works on creation of bathymetric models hyperhaline Bol’shoe Yashaltinskoe Lake. The basis of the model of the Bol’shoe Yashaltinskoe Lake was the data of expedition research on the lake, conducted in the spring of 2014, as well as the results of the creation of a digital model of the terrain, including the lake. Digital terrain model created by digitizing topographic maps using the software package Golden Software (Didger 5, Surfer 12). As a result of the joint processing of forwarding data and digital maps for the first time obtained bathymetric model of the Bol’shoe Yashaltinskoe Lake, its morphometric and bathymetric dependence, built bathymetric map. A method is proposed for modeling lake water balance and water salinity based on geographic analogy and an algorithm for constructing a stochastic vector autoregression process. On the basis of new data on morphometry and bathymetry of the lake, realizations of the simulated series of lake water balance components and water salinity variations over 1000 years with a monthly step are constructed. Analysis of productivity halophilic crustacean Artemia salina, depending on water temperature and salinity Bol’shoe Yashaltinskoe Lakes аre made. It is shown that the productivity of crustacean A. salina depends on the salinity of the lake waters. Three options for managing the lake’s water balance regime are considered. It is shown that for maintenance of optimum salinity which will provide comfortable existence of a lake zooand phytoplankton and the maximum productivity of A. salina it is a regime of water supply to the Bol’shoe Yashaltinskoe Lake, in which water is additionally supplied to the lake in February-March and June-September.

The objects of this study are petroleum road bitumen and polymeric bituminous binder for road surfaces obtained by polymer materials. The subject of the study is monitoring the polymer-bitumen binder quality changes as a result of varying the bitumen modification process. The purpose of the work is to identify the patterns of the modification process and build a mathematical model that provides the ability to calculate and select technological equipment. It is shown that the polymer-bitumen binder production with specified quality parameters can be ensured in apparatuses with agitators in turbulent mode without the colloidal mills use. Bitumen mix and modifying additives limiting indicators which can be used as restrictions in the form of mathematical model inequalities are defined. A mathematical model for the polymer-bitumen binder preparation has been developed and its adequacy has been confirmed.

The subject of the study is the characteristics (penetration, softening temperature, ductility and elasticity) of a road binder based on petroleum bitumen. The work purpose is to monitor the changes in the characteristics of petroleum bitumen when it interacting with polymers: thermoplastic elastomer, low-density polyethylene, including the adhesive additive presence. To carry out the research a special laboratory facility was designed and manufactured with two blade mixers providing intensive turbulent mixing and the possibility to effect on the transition process of combining the components in a polymer-bitumen binder. To construct a mathematical model of the polymer-bitumen binder characteristics dependence from the composition, methods of statistical experiments planning were used. The possibility of the expensive thermoplastic elastomers replacement with polyethylene is established while maintaining acceptable polymer-bitumen binder quality parameters. The obtained results are proposed for use in road construction. They allow to reduce the roads construction cost with solving the problem of recycling long-term waste packaging from polyethylene.

The results of modeling of the long-term fluctuations in Lake Baikal levels and Angara River runoff are presented. The dynamic-stochastical model was developed and used to obtain analytical relationships between the statistic characteristics of the Baikal levels fluctuations and the parameters of forcing processes, including water inflow into the lake and the effective evaporation from its surface. The parameter λ determining the inertia of the Baikal levels fluctuations, decreased by about three times after Irkutsk Reservoir filling, resulting in an increase in the variance of the lake levels fluctuations. The dependence of variances of the Baikal levels fluctuations and Angara runoff on parameter λ was studied. It is shown that the decreasing in the variance of the Baikal levels fluctuations corresponds to increasing in the variance of Angara river runoff and vice versa. The results of numerical modeling of Baikal levels fluctuations show that water withdrawal from inflow into the lake has an adverse effect on Angara runoff regime.

In experiments on rabbits we evaluated the intensity of cardiomyocyte autophagia by the level beclin-1 protein and morphology of the left ventricular myocardium on days 1, 3, and 5 after the onset of focal ischemia caused by ligation of the descending branch of the left coronary artery. The morphological alterations in the left ventricular myocardium were accompanied by intensification of cardiomyocyte autophagia, which attained maximum on postligation day 1.

For the development of methods of additional differential diagnostics of gliomas of various grades of malignancy and gliomas and local inflammatory processes in the CNS we studied the intensity of aggregation of peripheral blood cells under the influence of channel blockers ketamine and verapamil. In in vitro experiments, verapamil and ketamine in various dilutions (from 10 to 100,000 times) were added to blood samples and the effects of these dilutions on the intensity of blood aggregation in patients with gliomas of different degree of malignancy, traumatic brain injuries, and other types of neurosurgical pathologies were studied. A correlation was revealed between the decrease in surface charge of blood cells and the type of neurosurgical pathology. The use of functional properties of potential-dependent inotropic NMDA receptors and calcium channels allowed indirect estimation of their activity via parameters of blood cell aggregation induced by channel blockers ketamine and verapamil.

Changes in the frequencies of genotypes and mutant alleles of ACE, AGTR1, AGT, and ITGB3 genes were analyzed in patients with arterial hypertension coupled with metabolic syndrome (N=15) and compared with population data and corresponding parameters in patients with isolated hypertension (N=15). Increased frequency of genotype ID of ACE gene (hypertension predictor) was confirmed for both groups. In case of isolated hypertension, M235M genotype (gene AGT) was more frequent, in case of hypertension combined with metabolic syndrome, the frequency of genotypes A1166C and C1166C of the gene AGTR1 was higher in comparison with population data. Comparison of mutant allele frequencies in the two groups showed that at the 90% significance level allele T of the AGT gene was more frequent in hypertension coupled with metabolic syndrome (OR=1.26) and genotype A1166A of the AGTR1 gene was more frequent in the group with isolated hypertension.