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Sea stars are a group of marine invertebrates suitable for studying the hormonal regulation of reproduction and spawning. In spite of substantial progress in understanding how various substances such as 1-methyladenine act in their gonads, there are still many gaps concerning the fine details of their action. One such gap is how the gonadal wall contraction is induced. Recent literature data suggest that, upon 1-methyladenine stimulation, some cells within the gonadal lumen produce non-neuronal acetylcholine that, upon contact with the gonadal wall, induces contraction of myoepithelial cells. Our ultrastructural study of the gonads in the sea star Patiria pectinifera has shown, for the first time, that there are sites where the basal laminae bordering the hemal sinus directly contact one another and appear at this contact site as a single entity. These contact sites are often associated with hemidesmosome-like junctions that anchor male accessory cells or female follicle cells on one side of the site and myoepithelial cells on the opposite. We suggest that contraction-inducing substance is secreted from an accessory or follicle cell, passes through a basal lamina contact site, and on the opposite side of the contact site acts on a myoepithelial cell to induce its contraction.

The methods of convective heating of thin-walled monolithic structures constructed in winter conditions in tunnel formwork are considered. The classification of convection heating methods, based on the principle of heat flow to the heated structure, is made: traditional chamber heating, chamber heating with air ducts, convection heating with pre-form curtains, developed at the Department of Construction and the theory of structures of the South Ural State University. The efficiency of capital investments for the methods under consideration is determined on the basis of the determination of the area under the investment curve. The unit costs in rubles per cubic meter of heated concrete for the considered methods are calculated. The results on capital investments and specific costs for heat treatment of concrete by convective methods are compared. The authors draw the conclusions about the effectiveness of using the method of convection heating with pre-form curtains for heat treatment of monolithic thin-walled structures, constructed in tunnel formwork due to a more efficient use of energy from heat generators, which allows shortening the duration of concrete keeping.

The results of studying the influence of the chemical composition and processing technology on the structural-phase state and fire resistance of experimental samples of construction rolled products (construction longs) of low-alloyed low-carbon steels microalloyed with carbonitride-forming elements are presented. The mechanical properties were studied and the fire resistance of experimental specimens subjected to controlled rolling and heat treatment (quenching + tempering) was assessed. The microstructure was studied using optical and electron microscopy methods, and the types of dispersed carbonitride particles were identified. The influence of the structural state of the samples on the characteristics of fire resistance was carried out.

Studying of hadron production in forward direction at the LHC energy has a great interest both for understanding of the fundamental QCD processes and also in applied areas such as the description of ultra-high energy cosmic particle interactions. The energies of secondary hadrons in such studies almost reach the maximum energy available at the LHC of ~6 TeV, which corresponds to a Lorentz γ-factor up to 104 and above. The only effective technique able to identify particles in this range is based on the transition radiation detectors (TRD). Prototypes of such kind of detector were built and tested at the CERN SPS accelerator. Some experimental results obtained in these tests are briefly presented here and compared with Monte Carlo (MC) simulations. MC model demonstrates a good agreement with the experiment. On this basis a concept of a full-scale TRD optimized for the hadron identification in the TeV energy region is proposed. Different particle identification techniques were considered and examined. The expected detector performance to reconstruct secondary hadrons produced in forward direction at the LHC is presented.

Many modern and future accelerator and cosmic ray experiments require identification of particles with Lorentz γ-factor up to 104 and above. The only technique which reaches this range of Lorentz factors is based on the transition radiation detectors (TRD). This paper describes the development of a TRD based on straw proportional tubes. A prototype of such kind of detector was built and tested at the CERN SPS accelerator. Monte Carlo simulation model of the detector which matches well the experimental data was developed. This program was used for the simulation of a full-scale TRD for hadron identification at TeV energy scale.

The effect of ultraviolet (UV) illumination on the electrical and spectral characteristics of Schottky-barrier photodiodes based on ZnS single crystals is studied. It is found that irradiation deteriorates their photosensitivity and changes the current–voltage and capacitance–voltage characteristics and the surface profile of the blocking electrode. It is shown that the main reason for a decrease in the photosensitivity of the diodes is the photoinduced drift of mobile donors in the electric field of the barrier. This drift depends on the crystallographic orientation of the surface being irradiated. Another photoinduced process observed in the diodes is photolysis of the ZnS crystal. This process mainly determines the change in the electrical characteristics of the diodes and in the surface profile of the electrode at an insignificant change in the photosensitivity.

We plan to develop an advanced Transition Radiation Detector (TRD) for hadron identification in the TeV momentum range, based on the simultaneous measurement of the energies and of the emission angles of the Transition Radiation (TR) X-rays with respect to the radiating particles. To study the feasibility of this project, we have carried out a beam test campaign at the CERN SPS facility with 20 GeV/c electrons and muons up to 300 GeV/c. To detect the TR X-rays and the radiating particles, we used a 300 μm thick double-sided silicon strip detector, with a strip readout pitch of 50 μm. A 2 m long helium pipe was placed between the radiators and the detector, in order to ensure adequate separation between the TR X-rays and the radiating particle on the detector plane and to limit the X-ray absorption before the detector. We measured the double-differential (in energy and angle) spectra of the TR emitted by several radiators. The results are in good agreement with the predictions obtained from the TR theory.

In recent years, developments of gaseous detectors based on a combination of electron multiplication gap in the gas and pixel readout chips as a part of the anode plane (GasPixel detectors) reached a level where they can offer unique opportunities for particle detection. Transition radiation (TR) detectors based on this technology can be one of the possible applications. In this work, measurements of energy spectra and angular distributions of transition radiation photons produced by particles with different gamma factors made with a GridPix detector prototype are presented. The observed results are compared with theoretical predictions.

This paper is devoted to the development of the State Machine Generator system meant for automatic code generation based on the principles of automata-based programming. This system models program logic in terms of the finite-state automaton transition graph and generates program code on its basis. Basic functions of the developed software system and the mechanism of their implementation are described. This paper also proposes a new pattern for designing automaton programs. As an example, State Machine Generator is used to develop a bug tracker system for software testing.

The problem of minimizing the probability for critical combinations of events that lead to a loss in welding quality via robotic process automation is examined. The problem is formulated, models and algorithms for its solution are developed. The problem is solved by minimizing the criterion characterizing the losses caused by defective products. Solving the problem may enhance the quality and accuracy of operations performed and reduce the losses caused by defective product