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Nivolumab was registered in Russia in December 2016 as a monotherapy for advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and it remains a second‑line treatment choice for patients with disease progression after the use of tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Even though immunotherapy has already proven to be an effective approach for the treatment of RCC, predictive biomarkers for the rational selection of patients remain unidentified.Seventy‑five patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) who received nivolumab in the 2nd and subsequent lines of therapy from 2015 to 2020 under the expanded access program were enrolled in this study. The objective response rate was 21,3 %. Median progression‑free survival (PFS) was 5,5 months. Median overall survival (OS) was not reached.To analyze molecular biomarkers correlated with the response to immunotherapeutic treatment, we performed whole‑transcriptome RNA sequencing of 16 samples (FFPE) in 15 patients with the assessment of the expression level for individual genes (PDCD1, CD274, CD8A, CD8B, CD4) and gene signatures (Angio, Teff, Myeloid Inflammation).Disease control rates were not different for the subgroups of patients with high and low expression of any of the signatures examined, and further principal component analysis did not reveal clustering of patients with and without objective response.Further studies on a larger sample of patients will help confirm or deny the predictive role of biomarkers selected for analysis in a heterogeneous population of RCC patients.

This article provides a methodological study of the effectiveness and potential application of sociocultural analysis in the research of socio-political systems the functioning and the development.The author turns to the theoretical foundations of the sociocultural approach, examines its specificity and integrative nature, and also analyzes the problem of compatibility of the sociocultural approach with the structural functionalism methodology. It is shown that such “methodological union” does not form a contradiction in the study of socio-political systems. On the contrary, this integration allows to include in the focus of research the dynamic features of both institutional and noninstitutional aspects of social life, which helps to fully reveal the possible influences from the subjective grounds on the nature of the evolutionary development of socio-political systems. The use of the sociocultural approach is also being justified by author by the fact that here the subjective determinants of the functioning of socio-political systems are not limited to the framework of political culture, since the specificity of a particular system is also influenced by the civilizational characteristics of the state, the genetic foundations of national cultures, and religion.Also, the basic methodological principles of sociocultural analysis, which are most relevant for the study of various socio-political systems, are being stated and considered. Among them, special attention is paid to the principle of socio-cultural balance, indicating the permissible possibilities of evolution of each socio-political system and the need for a balance between cultural traditions and structural changes to ensure its sustainable development.

Chitosan hydrolysate was obtained using nitric acid; the prevailing fraction had a molecular weight of 30 kDa and a deacetylation degree of 95%. The effect of chitosan hydrolysate when added to potato dextrose agar (PDA) in different concentrations (0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 4, 6 and 8 mg/mL) was studied on the growth of the fungi Alternaria solani Sorauer, Fusarium solani (Mart.) Sacc. and Rhizoctonia solani J.G. Kühn. A. solani was the most sensitive to the addition of chitosan hydrolysate to PDA in radial growth experiments. On days 3 and 7 of incubation, the antifungal activity of the phytopathogen growth was 69%-92% and 69%-88%, respectively, in the concentration range of 0.5-2 mg/ml.

The influence of exogenous factors on the selectivity of biotransformation of cholesterol 3β-methyl ether by Mycobacterium sp. was studied. The main product of the microbiological transformation was Δ5-dehydroepiandrosterone 3β-methyl ether. The presence of methyl-β-cyclodextrin in the bacterial growth medium led to a change in the ratio of the reaction products and an increase in the yield of Δ4-androstene-3,17-dione. Aliphatic saturated and unsaturated carboxylic acids were also formed in the course of biotransformation.

In the context of land ownership reform, the formation of different ownership, individual approaches to the use of natural resources and the property complex has become a priority. At the same time, in all cases, the function of determining ownership is of particular importance and it plays an important role in the formation of effective land and property relations in the urban economy and in other areas of activity. This article discusses the political and legal justification for the introduction of restrictions on the right of land ownership, including the establishment of easements, public easements, zones with special conditions for the seizure of territories, the seizure of lands for state and municipal needs.

In the conditions of modern urban economy, much attention is paid to the formation of dynamic potentials in order to ensure its sustainable development. Natural and economic activity in urban nature management, taking into account the environmental component, is extremely important in the formation of a model of all its components and acquires the postulate of efficiency.

Photochemical, chemical, and plasma chemical procedures for preparing digermane were studied experimentally. The plasma chemical procedure in corona discharge is the most promising. The kinetic curves of the digermane synthesis in corona discharge were obtained experimentally, and the activation energy was calculated. The removal of digermane from the reaction zone using a flow-through reactor with partial condensation of digermane in the first step and germane in the second step allows the digermane yield to be increased to 96%.

Series of cholesterol and β-sitosterol ethers and esters were obtained and could be used for subsequent enzymatic cleavage of the steroid C-17 side chain to dehydroepiandrosterone using mycobacteria cultures.

This article is devoted to the history of the Department of Political Science and Sociology of Political Processes of the Faculty of Sociology at Lomonosov Moscow State University. The stages of the organization and formation of the Department, the processes of teaching formation and methodological activities, which have occurred over the thirty-year history of the Faculty of Sociology, are considered, and the priority areas of the professors research works are outlined.

The formation of information systems within the framework of ecological and economic support of urban-ized territories creates favorable conditions for justifying the harmonious state of the natural environment in urban conditions. Therefore, the development of information bases of ecological and economic orientation allows us to provide favorable conditions for the effective development of urban areas. In addition, the introduction of digital technologies will significantly improve the quality of architectural and planning solutions while achieving high environmental and economic efficiency of urbanization.

3p-Methyl ether of dehydroepiandrosterone was obtained by microbiological transformation of 3s-methyl ether of cholesterol with Mycobacterium sp. Androstane-3,17-dione, androst-4-ene-3,17-dione, and androsta-1,4-diene-3,17-dione were minor transformation products.

The article is devoted to the study of civilized lobbyism formation in contemporary Russia in the context of the political culture peculiarities. The author explains the use of the concept of “civilized lobbyism” from the standpoint of the presence of various interpretations of lobbying in political science, which prevents a clear separation of legitimate and illegitimate forms of interests’ representation, while the object of research is primarily the legal technologies of influence on power. Political culture is regarded as one of the subjective factors determining the functioning of the mechanisms of interests’ representation in the political system, as well as the specifics of lobbying activities in each particular state. The influence of political culture on the process of lobbying in Russia is analyzed not only at the level of political orientations and behavior of individuals and groups, but also at the level of institutional structures. To study the impact of the political culture on the formation of social practices of lobbying, the author refers to the institutional concept of D. North, in which the mechanism of functioning of social and political institutions is revealed through the correlation of formal and informal rules, norms, attitudes and behaviours. In the context of the development of the democratic representation of interests in contemporary Russia particular attention is given to the problem of preserving and dominating historically established authoritarian orientations in the relations of society and power, as well as the traditions of paternalism and clientellism. However, the author believes that it is not correct to reduce the influence from the political culture mostly to the national traditions. It is concluded that the fundamental condition for the development of civilized lobbying in present day Russia is the is the parallel formation of legal foundations and the corresponding matrix of political culture, both at the level of subjects of lobbying relations and at the level of interests’ representation institutions.

A method of phytosterol conversion into 9α-hydroxy-androstenedione under high loads of steroid substrate has been developed with the use of mixed cultures of the actinobacteria M. neoaurum and R. erythropolis. The introduction of a 9α-hydroxylating culture after the first 70 h of conversion made it possible to increase process selectivity and to exclude the use of methylcyclodextrin, which is expensive and difficult to regenerate.

In the present work, a positive effect was obtained by using low molecular weight chitosan compounds in combination with synthetic fungicides. Antifungal activity against Botrytis cinerea, determined by the radial growth method, was more than 75%, with a 25 × 10− 10 g/L concentration of fludioxonil or difenoconazole in compounds. Metabolic activity of B. cinerea fungus was about 15% when using a chitosan compound containing fludioxonil at a concentration of 25 × 10− 7 g/L. The combined action of chitosan with difenoconazole at a fungicide concentration of 25 × 10− 4 g/L is 2–3 times more effective than the action of each component separately. Results of studies for artificially inoculated B. cinerea tomato fruit when treated with low molecular chitosan and chitosan conjugate with gallic acid reduced the frequency of rotting fruit by 50 and 83%, respectively. Chitosan-gallic acid conjugate were obtained from chitosans with Mw of 28 kDa (Ch28GA) was proved to be effective as a preventive treatment for 3 days and can potentially be used as a biofungicide against B. cinerea on tomatoes in the post-harvest period.

The article discusses the need for digitalization of agricultural production, which will significantly increase labor productivity, as well as competitiveness in agricultural production in Russia. The efficiency of agricultural production management using information systems based on geoinformation technologies allows reducing or completely eliminating downtime in the event of a shortage of personnel or equipment, reducing the cost of agrotechnical operations per unit of cultivated area and improving yield indicators. The digitalization of agricultural production in the Russian Federation should ensure an increase in crop and livestock production by 2025 up to 1.5 times, improve the quality of products, reduce the labor intensity of agricultural production by 1.5 times, reduce costs and prices - reduce energy and materials consumption, import dependence of agricultural machinery, their hardware and software, the advancement of automation, robotization, intelligent machine technology.

An efficient synthesis of 21-acetoxypregna-1,4,9(11),16-tetraene-3,20-dione, a key intermediate in the synthesis of highly active fluorinated corticosteroids from phytosterols, was developed. The method consisted of an original sequence of chemical and microbiological reactions and could be used to synthesize betamethasone, sinaflan, triamcinolone, and other fluorinated corticoids.

The article is devoted to the issue of genetic foundations of political culture in the context of the socio-political system changes. The author elaborates the concept of “political genotype” as a sustainable structural element of political culture that determines its content and the possibility of permissible variation. In this paper the main forms of existence of political genotype and its functions are also investigated; and “genetic” mechanism of political culture succession is explored.

The hydroxylase activities of new strains such as Curvularia lunata, C. geniculata, C. eragrostidis, C. prasadii, Ulocladium botrytis, Alternaria tenuis, and Fusarium oxysporum toward three steroid substrates, namely, androstenedione (AD), cortexolone (S), and dehydroepiandrosterone acetate (DAA), were characterized. The 9α-hydroxylase activity of C. lunata 1011 cells against S to form 9α-hydroxy-S was shown for the first time. It was found that C. geniculata 837 and F. oxysporum 11dn1 strains can hydroxylate substrates to form pharmacologically promising 7α-hydroxysteroids. C. geniculata 837 cells selectively hydroxylate AD, resulting in 7α-hydroxytestosterone, whereas F. oxysporum 11dn1 leads to the transformation of DAA to 7α-hydroxydehydroepiandrosterone.

The article is devoted to the issue of political culture in the mechanism of political systems. The author analyzes the main conceptual approaches to the interpretation of political culture, reveals its content and levels, considers the main types of political culture in the context of their impact on the stability of the political system.

The studies were carried out on the territory of Central Siberia in the period 1980-2019. The research purpose is to assess the current state of geese in the region as an important biological resource. Data about geese number are fragmentary, and for some species and groups are absent. This problem is extremely weakly represented in English literature. Material includes previously published data and personal research of the authors. The observations were carried out at 91 points; additional of geese census in places of their stops - at 132 wetlands. The total duration of census on the flyways and in places where geese stopped in the daytime was more than 15 thous. hours, at night - 1422 hours. The total length of routes was more than 60 thous. km, of which land - 35.6 thous. km, with aviation use - 25.5 thous. km. 1035 collectible unites were collected and processed. The number of photo / videos files of geese were 13.1 thous. copies. As a result, the number of the northern geese populations was estimated at 1.72 million of individuals. “Southern” geese, including migratory geese, are small-numbered and make up no more than 1.5% of the total geese number in Central Siberia. In a certain sense, species and subspecies of geese, geographically related to the Altai-Sayan region, today represent the same relics of the Ice Age as reindeer, argali, and other animal species that live in the Sayans.

Simultaneous co-located microbarometer and vertical-pendulum seismometer measurements at St. Petersburg (59.9° N, 29.8° E) with total duration of 4 months are used to study atmospheric oscillations at steady frequencies at periods shorter than 8 h. The temporal behavior of the phase shift between oscillations detected simultaneously by both instruments is analyzed for oscillations of periods up to as short as ~0.5 h. Some of oscillations last up to several days. For the 42–90 min and 2.5–5 h period ranges, the temporal behavior of the power spectra are considered and correlated with the atmospheric angular momentum of zonal wind, tropical cyclones and large earthquakes. Signatures of sequences of subharmonics of the solar tide are revealed with periods up to day/30. There are indications of effects of the 5-day planetary waves and tropical cyclones on wave activity in the ~1–5 h period range. A weak increase of wave activity is observed when large earthquakes occur.

The steroid-transforming activity of free and immobilized cells of Pimelobacter simplex VKPM Ac-1632 entrapped in an operationally stable macroporous poly(vinyl alcohol) cryogel was studied. It was shown that the macroporous matrix of the carrier did not create any diffusional limitations for steroid access to the cells or the removal of the transformation product from them. The optimal conditions for the hydrocortisone 1,2-dehydrogenation into prednisolone by free and immobilized cells were elucidated. The immobilized biocatalyst was obtained in a granulated form and used in 32 successive cycles of steroid transformation. The average cycle duration was 45 min, and the prednisolone yield of during the first 20 cycles was 98%. It was established that the immobilized cells of the actinobacteria P. simplex retained high steroid-transforming activity over all of the transformation cycles. The physicochemical and diffusion characteristics of the polyvinyl alcohol gels and its granules were determined, and their high stability during repeated cycles of steroid transformation was shown. The results indicated that P. simplex immobilized cells represent an effective catalyst suitable for multiple use. Biomass consumption decreased upon its use, and product isolation, as well as culture storage, was much easier.

The article investigates the regional inequality in contemporary Russia through its impact on the specifics and tendencies of political culture of Russian society. The author defines the concept of “regional inequality”, analyzes the character of socio­economic differentiation of Russian regions and considers particularities of the development of their political culture.

The goal of the study was to investigate the distribution of tagged wild reindeers on the territory of Evenkiya and to provide recommendations on preserving and rational use of the population. The study was performed in 2015–2016 by the Department of Hunting Resources Research and Nature Reserve Management of the Siberian Federal University. The relocations of 10 wild reindeers equipped with Argos satellite tags were monitored, land and aerial surveys of the reindeers were also performed. Besides, taxation and cartographic documents of the State Hunting Register, as well as information received from hunters and hunting providers were used during the research. The areas of divisions were delimited mostly with the help of GIS-technologies. The borders of habitats, their size and the character of animal moving were found through signals received from satellite radio tags. To assess the behavior of the animals, the speed of their movements was analyzed both by the azimuth straight line between two daily points and by a tortuous trajectory. The maximum duration of signal from collars with new battery blocks in 2015-2016 was 438 and 444 days. The total distance covered by reindeers by the beginning of the third decade of July was 1641.1 km from locations of tagging, according to the satellite positioning data. The average speed was 13.5 km per day. A radical decrease in the number of tagged reindeers occurs with the beginning of spring migration. Two large waves of reindeer migration with an interval of 20–26 days have been observed in recent years. The positioning of tagged animals provides objective information on the migration of the herds, their fawning and wintering grounds. The possibilities of using a database for complex quality assessment of the population size and location of reindeer resources of Yessey group, as well as features of their habitats, are discussed in the article, with the biotic, abiotic and anthropogenic factors being taken into consideration.

Observations of geese abundance and migration in Central Siberia are especially relevant for international scientists due to the lack of objective data on this topic in English literature. The goal of this paper is to summarize the results of a long-term study (1980-2016) on migration of geese in Central Siberia, to distinguish and describe their migration routes in the environment of Continental Asia. The authors used a methodological complex comprising universally accepted techniques of ornithological studies, such as visual and instrumental observations at staging sites and along geese migration routes, registration of birds on the ground (travelling on foot, by boat or by car) and in the air (using aircraft). To clarify the subspecies, the authors carried out collection of birds or their body parts (heads, wings, legs, n = 1032 units). Capture and banding of nesting geese was done in the Altai-Sayan Ecoregion. The places and dates of maximum geese concentration, as well as the time of their departure, are quite permanent; that made it possible to carry out their definite registration using aircraft (25.5 thousand km). The works at each of the most significant sites were performed annually, at the same time of the year. They also analyzed data available in scientific literature and reports on returns of rings from the Ringing Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, as well as information about geese received from hunters and specialists of environmental services. The paper shows main migration routes and their territorial connections. The Great Lakes Depression in Mongolia is a kind of “migration dead end” for a great number of waterfowl migrating in spring.

Bis-imines of 2,2′-diaminodiphenylditelluride and 2-tosylamino (9a) and 2-hydroxybenzaldehyde (9b) were prepared and studied by X-ray diffraction, heteronuclear (1H, 13C, 15N, and 125Te) magnetic resonance, and quantum chemical calculations (Pbe1pbe/DGDZVP). According to the X-ray diffraction data, compound 9b in the crystal phase has nonsymmetrical structure: one of the tellurium atoms forms hypervalent bonding with the adjacent oxygen atom, while the second one is not involved in such interaction. The NMR study showed the symmetric molecular structure of imines 9a,b in DMSO-d6 with the tellurium atoms interacting hypervalently with the C=N nitrogen atoms.

We briefly overview the periodic atmospheric motions in the period range from 1 h to a few dozen days. It is shown that many oscillations recorded by vertical seismometers, gravimeters, strainmeters, and tilt-meters reflect these motions, namely, the harmonics of the thermal atmospheric tide, free waves in the atmosphere, and Madden-Julian oscillation in the atmosphere-ocean system. The state of the art in studying the effects of these motions on seismic activity is described. On the basis of yearlong measurements by a three-channel Streckeisen STS2 seismometer at Collm (51.3° N, 13.0° E), susceptibility of the horizontal movements of the seismometer’s pendulum to the periodic atmospheric motions with periods exceeding 2 days is explored for the first time. The wavelet and Fourier spectra of the signals recorded by both horizontal channels and the vertical channel of the seismometer demonstrate common features which coincide with the spectral traits of the simultaneous variations in the surface air pressure. These features are associated with the atmospheric planetary-scale Rossby waves and Madden-Julian oscillation.

9α-Hydroxyandrost-4-en-3,17-dione was prepared from a mixture of phytosterols using microbiological methods to degrade soybean sterols to androstenedione followed by its 9α-hydroxylation. Phytosterols could be extracted from deodorizer distillate sludge produced during production of soybean oil with low sterol content (5.2 %) with a level of extraction of greater than 96 % and a total sterol content of at least 90 %. The 9α-hydroxyandrost-4-en-3,17-dione yield from the phytosterol mixture was 38 %.

The steroid-transforming activity of free and immobilized cells of Pimelobacter simplex VKPM As-1632 entrapped in an operationally stable macroporous polyvinyl alcohol cryogel was studied. It was shown that the macroporous matrix of the carrier did not create any diffusional limitations for steroid access to the cells or the removal of the transformation products from them. The optimal conditions for the hydrocortisone 1,2-dehydration into prednisolone by free and immobilized cells were elucidated. The immobilized biocatalyst was obtained in a granulated form and used in 32 successive cycles of steroid transformation. The average cycle duration was 45 min, and the prednisolone yield of during the first 20 cycles was 98%. It was established that the immobilized cells of the actinobacteria P. simplex retained high steroid-transforming activity over all of the transformation cycles. The physicochemical and diffusion characteristics of the polyvinyl alcohol gels and its granules were determined, and their high stability during repeated cycles of steroid transformation was shown. The results indicated that P. simplex immobilized cells represent an effective catalyst suitable for multiple use. Biomass consumption decreased upon its use, and product isolation, as well as culture storage, was much easier.

The development of economic processes in the contemporary peace requires symmetrical efforts forguaranteeing the stability of markets as a whole and financial markets in particular. The development of financialmarkets is located under the effect of the development of economic systems and vice versa. In this connectionquestions of the adequate evolution of financial supervision become very urgent. In the article problems andquestions of the activity of mega-regulator in Russia in the context of the world experience of active financialpolicy and regulation of financial markets are illuminated. Are examined prospects, problems and marks ofpossible versions. The conceptual vision of nature of the development of the mega-regulation of financialmarkets as immanent institute in the social-economic system, is stated.

The GPS/MET satellite measurements during years 1995–1997 at altitudes 2–35 km are used to obtain global distributions of meso-scale variances of the refraction index (“dry temperature”) at different stratospheric altitudes. Individual dry temperature profiles are smoothed using second order polynomial approximations in 7 km thick layers centered at 2, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 and 35 km. Refraction index deviations from smoothed values and their variances are obtained for each profile and are averaged for each month of the year during the GPS/MET experiment. Global distributions of dry temperature variances have inhomogeneous structure. Locations and latitude distributions of the variance maxima and minima depend on altitudes and months of year. The reasons for the small- and meso-scale refraction index perturbations in the tropo–stratosphere could be meso-scale irregularities, turbulence and internal gravity waves. Magnitudes of the refraction index variances are larger in the regions of tropo–stratrospheric jet streams and of equatorial deep convection.

Atmospheric temperature oscillations at similar frequencies have been detected in the spectra of variations in the rotational temperatures of the OH and O2 nighttime emissions, simultaneously observed at two spaced stations in the range of periods ∼1–3 h. These oscillations are probably caused by global waves: short-period solar tides and/or free oscillations of the atmosphere.

9alpha-Hydroxy derivatives were prepared from 11 steroids ofandrostane and pregnane series using Rhodococcus erythropolis VKPM Ac-1740 culture with 0.5-20 g/l substrate concentration in the reaction mixture. 9alpha-Monohydroxylation proceeded regardless of the substituent structure at C17. However, the structure of the steroid molecule influenced the time of complete conversion of the substrate and the yield of the transformation product. 9alpha-Hydroxy-androstenedione was obtained in 35 h in a yield of 85% when the maximum concentration of androstenedione (AD) was 10 g/l. 9alpha-Hydroxy-AD was also formed by the actinobacterium cells entrapped in poly(vinyl alcohol) cryogel beads. Nine successive transformation cycles were carried out using immobilized cells at 4.0 g/l concentration of AD in the medium. The yield of 9alpha-hydroxy-AD formed during six cycles (from two to eight with the duration of each cycle for 22-24 h) was 98%.