Russia defence & technology updates

[Bahamut]

In the North of Russia Bananas Are Growing, in Siberia, Vietnamese Pigs Are Being Raised
The results of the Russian agricultural census have been very surprising

Alexandra Kozlova
(Komsomolskaya Pravda)
2 hours ago | 310 1
Donate!


Originally appeared atKomsomolskaya Pravda. Translated by Elina Nigamatyanova
Behind the cold statistics are amazing stories. Rosstat census takers were so inspired by the first results of the Russian agricultural census that they are planning to publish a collection of interesting things they found. Most of all, the inspectors were impressed by several non-traditional farming techniques .

In Leningrad Oblast, there are banana plantations. In the far North , quince and wild cherry are growing, in Bashkiria – lemons, while the largest areas growing watermelons and melons are in the Orenburg Oblast. (Previously, the home of melons were Astrakhan and the Volgograd regions.) Other interesting discoveries include seventy hectares of horseradish, and the production of Californian worms and bumblebees for greenhouse pollination.

There are also some surprises in the field of animal husbandry. For example, Yakutia has a few ovchubuki – crosses between a sheep with a northern ram. A large population of Vietnamese mini-pigs that have became so popular is bred in three regions: - Vladimir, Voronezh in Central Russia and Tyumen in Siberia. Apparently, they don’t fear the Siberian cold.

 

[Bahamut]

Hawkeye: Russia’s New 5th Gen Radar ‘Can See a Soldier’s Helmet’ During Combat © Sputnik/ Sergey Pyatakov

RUSSIA 12:25 25.09.2016Get short URL 0130780 Fifth-generation radar technology developed in Russia provides an absolutely unique resolution, which enables it to “see a soldier’s helmet” during combat, a representative of the United Instrument Corporation told RIA Novosti. “The UIC has devised fifth-generation phased array antenna which can see 10 cm small objects with photographic quality,” the unnamed representative said, adding that “the station can see objects as small as a soldier’s helmet and send target data to friendly forces on the ground. He said that the new radar station had been developed to keep an eye on enemy installations and that its high resolution enabled it to accurately determine not only the type of a particular weapon or a fighting vehicle but also its make. © SPUTNIK/ SKRYINIKOV Russian Plane With AWACS-Styled Radar to Make Maiden Flight in 2018 The station picks up moving targets, shows them on a grid chart in pixels or meters and color-codes oncoming and outgoing objects. According to the UIC’s representative, this new technology of lateral visibility with a phased array antenna can be used on all existing types of aircraft

Read more: https://sputniknews.com/russia/20160925/1045678564/russia-radar-development.html

 

[AbhinavTheBrahmin]

Russia Can No Longer Be Trusted

 

[Bahamut]

Russia: Let's Improve Baltic Air Safety! NATO: No Thanks, We'll Pass
Russians suggests everyone flies with transponders always on -- NATO says no

Danielle Ryan
(RT)
3 hours ago | 411 3
Donate!
115
7


Originally appeared at RT
NATO has rejected air-safety proposals made by Russia which would have ensured all military planes flying in the Baltic region would operate with their transponders switched on. This makes no sense.

According to the Wall Street Journal, NATO officials said the proposals “would do little to improve” air safety — a strange response, given that NATO has repeatedly scolded Russia for allegedly flying its military jets over the Baltic with transponders switched off.

Headlines about ‘dangerous’ and ‘unsafe’ Russian military flights have been ten-a-penny over the last couple of years. Such stories have become so ubiquitous — and the media so obsessed with blowing them out of proportion — that at one point a woman in Cornwall became convinced that she saw Russian bombers overhead one day when she was out for a driving lesson.



One would imagine then, given NATO’s repeated criticisms and concerns over safety in the Baltic region, that they would have welcomed any kind of common-sense proposals with open arms — and yet, when Russia responded with plans to help alleviate NATO’s supposed concerns, suddenly, miraculously, transponders aren’t a key issue anymore. According to the WSJ report, some Western officials said they viewed the proposals as “a distraction” — without specifying what, in particular, Moscow might be trying to distract them from.

Officials said that all planes flying missions for NATO currently fly with transponders switched on, but conceded that individual members occasionally fly without using transponders. Thus far, however, NATO hasn’t condemned its own members for flying missions without transponders. The faux outrage is reserved for Russia.

But hold on, it gets worse. Along with the proposals on transponder use, Russia had also offered to host a meeting of air safety experts to discuss further cooperation and additional measures that could be taken. NATO rejected this proposal, too. Why? Because convening such a meeting would “violate” NATO’S decision to “suspend practical cooperation” with Russia.

So, let’s get this straight: NATO is worried about air safety in the Baltic, but when Russia proposes solutions, NATO tells them to take a hike — because engaging with Moscow would violate their principled stand against “practical cooperation”. On what planet does this make any logical sense?

Apparently, NATO is worried that switching transponders on still would not prevent Russian planes from engaging in dangerous manoeuvres and flyovers near Western planes and ships. If those issues are of genuine concern to NATO, that’s fine, but why not at least take a first step towards improving cooperation in the region? In a time of increased hostilities and mistrust, something surely would be better than nothing.

Which leads us to the obvious conclusion: It simply does not suit NATO to cooperate with Russia in this way. In particular, agreeing to an always-on policy for transponders would be highly inconvenient for the alliance’s most powerful member. The US won’t agree to switch on its transponders for every mission over the Baltic, because then they’d have to stop provoking the situation by flying intelligence-gathering spy planes near the Russian border.

Notably, NATO’s outright rejection of Russia’s proposals has been mostly ignored by major media. The vast majority of generally NATO-friendly outlets which reported on the proposals when they were made, have been silent. This fits with their penchant for reporting only that which makes Russia look uncompromising and stubborn and ignoring anything that might shed some negative light on NATO. The WSJ remains the only major publication that has reported the news.

Now that we’re on the topic, it’s also worth noting how the media treats just about any story which involves Russian jets and NATO. There’s a pretty standard template: The headline will usually have the word ‘dangerous’ or ‘unsafe’ in it. The piece itself will include a quote or two from a NATO official. And there will nearly always be a line about how this is not the first time Russia has been accused of the specified unsafe practices.

Nowhere will the author think to put the incident in context by sharing information regarding the frequency of NATO jets approaching Russian airspace. Rarely will the author include relevant details about American spy planes flying missions close to the Russian border. And certainly, the author will not highlight that unlike the US, Russia actually possesses a significant chunk of Baltic coastline — making it not so out of the ordinary for Russian planes to show up there. The above also goes for any similar story involving Russian or NATO jets in the Black Sea.

It’s such upside-down and inside-out reporting that one could easily imagine an American plane flying all the way to Moscow before CNN finally reporting that Russian jets had ‘aggressively’ intercepted the innocent American spy plane on a standard training mission.

Anyway, next time NATO complains about Russia’s ‘dangerous’ activity in the air, we should take it with a pinch of salt.

 

[Bahamut]

The new face of Russian reconnaissance: Sergei Naryshkin
September 26, 2016 YEKATERINA SINELSCHIKOVA, RBTH
Vladimir Putin has appointed a new head of the Foreign Intelligence Service. The country's top spy is now former speaker of parliament and long-time friend of the president, Sergei Naryshkin. Observers discuss the appointment and ask whether Naryshkin will try to elevate the reconnaissance network to a new level.
Facebook52

Twitter

LinkedIn1
Pinterest

WhatsApp
RUSSIAN POLITICIANS, STATE DUMA, RBTH DAILY

Sergei Naryshkin speaks to the media at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation, in Bucharest, Romania, November 27, 2015. Source: Reuters

Russian President Vladimir Putin has once again made a staff reshuffle, dismissing his old St. Petersburg ally Sergei Naryshkin from the post of State Duma Speaker on Sept. 22 and appointing him director of the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR).

Little is known about this structure and many observers even say that its directorship does not require much involvement in intelligence activity. Mikhail Fradkov, who headed the service for almost nine years, is a vivid example: Before coming to the service, he had no relation to intelligence whatsoever.

Naryshkin's case, however, is slightly different: He is the fourth person in Russian politics who has returned to where he started. According to unofficial information, the former Duma speaker served in the KGB's First Chief Directorate in the 1970s. The directorate was responsible for foreign intelligence and later branched off into a separate service, the SVR.

Naryshkin's transference to intelligence may be an attempt by Putin to strengthen the SVR or just an honorable sinecure with an admirable salary. Judging by fiscal declarations, last year the SVR director's salary was the most impressive among special service heads (20,317 rubles, or $319,000).

Is the SVR changing objectives?
According to the presidential decree, Fradkov resigned "due to his retirement” and will now head the executive board of Russian Railways. But there are also other observations. Slon Magazine writes that in the last months the Kremlin has been receiving complaints about the head of the SVR. They concerned the service's work and "possibly the service's extremely optimistic reports on negotiations between the EU and the U.S. on free trade."




Russia to resurrect Soviet-era Ministry of State Security


According to the Russian business daily Kommersant, many within the SVR saw the necessity of renewing the top managing personnel and of carrying out internal reforms. There have been frequent scandals involving Russian spies and memories of 2010, when the service experienced the greatest debacle in its history, are still fresh. In that year the FBI extradited 10 “deep cover” agents and 80 more agents could have been exposed, as well as the entire intelligence gathering system.

Unlike the unseasoned Fradkov, Naryshkin, who is not indifferent to intelligence matters, is a more suitable figure, says president of the independent Institute of National Strategy Mikhail Remizov.

"He is capable of strengthening the position he will occupy, since he is part of the highest league of Russian politics and the president's closest circle. He also has a good track record in this field," explained Remizov.

In Remizov's opinion, it should also be considered that in the existing relations with the West, the SVR is changing its priorities. It is becoming critically important to work in the manner of Britain’s Intelligence Service, combining comprehensive threat analysis and quality processing of the data obtained. "It is absolutely certain that now the SVR must be the key structure, one that forms a cognitive map of the world and thus, Russia's political strategy."

A trusted administrator
Although Naryshkin is considered "our man" in the SVR, for his career this appointment may actually be a demotion, according to Alexei Zudin, a member of the expert council at the Institute of Social-Economic and Political Studies.

In essence, the SVR head's real position in the table of ranks is not that high. Until the very last moment Naryshkin himself called his transference to intelligence "speculation," participated in the State Duma elections (held on Sept. 18) and said that he "doesn't intend to step down."




‘Putin's people’: The mysterious agency that guards the president’s life


The Gazeta.ru publication notes that the appointment implies that Naryshkin's work in the Duma was appreciated, even though, while being a good administrator, he was not a brilliant politician. In the view of Lieutenant General Nikolai Leonov from the FSB's foreign intelligence directorate, moving Naryshkin to the SVR is a "purely political appointment."

"This is natural and understandable. Because the head of state must have as the director of the SVR a person he fully trusts. Moreover, Naryshkin has lots of experience in governmental and political work and his candidature will not raise any objections," said Leonov.

Alexei Zudin thinks that it is still unclear whether Naryshkin will remain a purely political appointee or he will get involved in the SVR as a reformer. Fradkov was a political appointee. But Naryshkin's fate is ambiguous: If rumors of the creation of the Ministry of State Security (a structure that will absorb all the other security agencies, including the SVR) under the aegis of the FSB become reality, Naryshkin will most likely lose out: "The ministry will already have its own director," said Zudin.

But Remizov is convinced that directing the intelligence service is not a sinecure. In the next few days Naryshkin's replacement at the State Duma will be announced. The number one candidate is the current deputy head of the presidential administration, the Kremlin's “éminence grise,” Vyacheslav Volodin.



Sergei Naryshkin: profile
A native of St. Petersburg, Naryshkin graduated from the St. Petersburg International Management Institute as an economist. In the beginning of the 1990s he worked with Putin at the mayor's office and then in the government of the Leningrad Region. In 2004 Naryshkin moved to Moscow and immediately his career took off: First he became deputy director of the economic department of the Russian presidential administration and shortly afterward chief of staff of Fradkov's government. He was also deputy prime minister and in 2008 headed President Dmitry Medvedev's administration.

In 2011 he was appointed to the position of State Duma Speaker when the United Russia Party lost its constitutional majority in the lower house elections. At the 2016 Duma elections he was re-elected to his position and United Russia regained its majority

 

[Bahamut]

‘Putin's people’: The mysterious agency that guards the president’s life
June 1, 2016 YEKATERINA SINELSCHIKOVA, RBTH
The head of Russia's Federal Protection Service (FSO), responsible for protecting the life of the president, has been replaced. RBTH looks into what this change means and what this most mysterious of all Russian special services does today.
Facebook3999

Twitter

LinkedIn58
Pinterest2

WhatsApp
VLADIMIR PUTIN

Russia's prime minister Vladimir Putin (3rd R) arrives for a wreath-laying ceremony at the Monument to Soviet Soldiers-Liberators in Vienna Source: Maxim Shemetov / TASS

The Federal Protection Service (FSO) is a powerful, multi-purpose and extremely secretive agency. There is hardly a more closed Russian security force – only assumptions can be made about its activities. There is no public data about its operations, there are no publicly available reports.

For 16 years, it was headed by General Yevgeny Murov, a longtime ally of President Vladimir Putin, who, like the Russian leader, emerged from the Leningrad power structures of the late Soviet period. But on May 26, Putin accepted Murov's resignation and appointed his deputy, Muscovite Dmitry Kochnev, to the post.

Murov's resignation is believed to be down to his age. He turned 70 last November, reaching the age limit for civil servants, and Russian media had long been predicting his imminent resignation. One of the country's most influential people, General Murov took up the position of FSO head 11 days after Putin became president and, so they say, has kept a tight hold on his position ever since.

Very little is known about the new appointee. Kochnev is a man without a biography; there is not a word to be found about him on the Kremlin's and the FSO's websites. It is only known that he led the Presidential Security Service (part of the FSO) from the end of 2015, and that his wife, according to the income statement, earned 58.1 million rubles (about $830,000) in 2015 – more than any other employee in the department.

'Body number one'
The roots of the FSO go back to one of the directorates of the KGB – the Soviet-era state agency with very extensive powers. This directorate was responsible for the safety of top officials, just as the FSO is now. There are many legends about their mission to protect "body number one." For 15 years, rumors have circulated that FSO officers use a presidential body double for Putin’s riskiest performances – like submersible dives to the bottom of Lake Baikal or flying a fighter jet.

Vladimir Putin in the city of Tambov, 2012. Source:Alexandra Mudrats/TASS

Sometimes, the FSO officers are dressed in black suits with a microphone in the ear; sometimes, they wear civilian clothes and get lost in the crowd. Only the most trusted work there. Even so, they have been known to fall into temptation and post a work selfie on social networks – reporters have repeatedly stumbled on such photos, as well as on personal information about FSO guards.

The FSO officers protect not only the president but also judges, witnesses, officials, and official sites such as the Kremlin and the State Duma. However, this is only one of their many tasks (and opportunities). Under General Murov, the FSO desperately fought for more powers and the status of Russia's main security service against its main rival – the FSB (Federal Security Service). And it seems to have won.

Control over billions
In the mid-2000s, the FSO, along with other special services, was involved in a tough confrontation within the power structures from the Russian president's inner circle. The infighting was not only for the proximity to "object number one," but also for the control of cash flows, assets and resources.




QUIZ: Can you tell Vladimir Putin from his 'House of Cards' doppelganger?


In 2007, the conflict was brought out in the open when not only the country's leading media, but also the heads of the departments themselves, started talking about a "feud” between the secret agencies.

The FSO had clashes with both with the FSB (which did not end in favor of the latter), and the Presidential Property Management Department. The battle revolved around the property of the state – the Property Management Department was in charge of sanatoriums, construction and transport organizations, and the federal government's food plants, as well as foreign property of the state and dozens of development projects.

Vladimir Putin holds a portrait of his father Vladimir Spiridonovich Putin who fought in World War II during the Immortal Regiment march in Moscow, May 9, 2016. Source: Alexei Druzhinin/Russian Presidential Press and Information Office/TASS

Ultimately it was "Putin's guards" who prevailed in this “battle of the security forces.” According to the Unified State Register, the Russian news service RBK writes, no single presidential residence is managed today by the Property Management Department, but is under the supervision of either the Russian Federation itself or the FSO.

The FSO's countless assets also include the company Ateks, which is affiliated with the agency. The subsidiary was established on the orders of Murov in 2003 and is involved in the construction of federal facilities, as well as in charge of the state budget, distributing state contracts and placing tenders for millions and billions (for example, for the restoration of the walls andtowers of the Kremlin, Lenin's Mausoleum, or the Tchaikovsky Conservatory).

Sociology for the president
But billions are not all. The FSO as a special service is almost omnipotent – indeed, its people have the right to carry out operational and investigative activities, conduct wiretapping and open correspondence, detain citizens, search homes and confiscate cars.

While protecting state agency buildings and other sensitive sites, the FSO officers, of course, are also responsible for routes to the facilities. They have control of every 12th street in Moscow, and traditionally keep dossiers on those who happened to live there.




Destined to score: Putin's hockey nights>>>


Along the way, the FSO is engaged in sociological research projects. Closed ones, of course. This data is collected for the country's leadership, and it is believed that it is their reports that the president, the Security Council and the government rely on to make decisions.

The agency prepares rankings of party and opposition leaders and monitors the socio-economic situation in the regions. If one of the governors resigns due to a loss of confidence in their abilities, the chances are that the FSO have provided some assistance in the matter.

One of the recent extensions of the FSO’s powers is the creation and development of the internet's Russian segment for public servants. These people will also be in charge for encrypted communication channels.

 

[Bahamut]

CENTRAL REGIONS | FINANCE, BUSINESS | TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION
New domestic BIM developer to challenge U.S.’ Autodesk in Russia

27 Sep '16
1C, a Russian developer of business and household software, and Ascon, a developer of engineering software, are investing in their joint venture called Renga Software. The JV is busy creating new software for 3D design of buildings, portal Firrma.ru reported, citing Ascon.

The deal’s value has yet to be announced.

The partners are reported to be participating in the JV in equal shares. Ascon is contributing its intellectual property, specifically its rights for the Renga-branded software products, and a team of developers. 1C is expected to cover investment costs and provide resources for joint development, marketing and distribution.

Renga Software is working on building information modeling (BIM) software solutions for real estate development projects. It is reported to already have 15 commercial clients from among construction companies. In the Russian market, Renga Software is primarily competing with Autodesk, a U.S. software developer that cannot export its products to Russia because of the current sanctions.

 

[Bahamut]

Russian developers offer new methods to thwart cancer

26 Sep '16
Two Russian tech developers, in Moscow and in Siberia’s Novosibirsk, have independently come up with their own proprietary new solutions to diagnose and treat cancer, Hi-news.ru reported.

Shvabe, a Moscow-based R&D holding company, has developed a system for barely invasive destruction of tumors. It is a device that can use radio frequency to obliterate tumors and metastases. During the procedure, needle electrodes are inserted into a tumor with high frequency current between them. As a result, the tumorous tissue gets heated to as much as 100 degrees Celsius. That causes the tumor to disintegrate, while electric current “sears” the blood vessels, thus stopping bleeding. The new instrument is reportedly precise enough to enable the destruction of cancerous cells with as little damage of surrounding healthy tissues as possible.

According to Shvabe deputy CEO Dmitry Zhidkov, “we’re currently prepared to launch serial production of this model of the system.”

At the Novosibirsk State University (NSU) in Siberia, researchers have developed an express test solution to pinpoint cancer at early stages. It is based on analysis of inelastic (frequency-changing) light scattering spectra in a patient’s blood plasma. As cancerous cells start developing in a person, his blood plasma reveals an increased content of proteins and carotenes, which leads to a difference in inelastic light scattering spectra change in cancer patients and in healthy people. It takes a physician just a few minutes to complete a test, the developers claim, and no more blood is required for the procedure than it is to draw blood from one’s vein for standard tests.

 

[Bahamut]

“Unique” analgesic with no side effects developed in Siberia

23 Sep '16
Siberians are said to have developed a drug to kill basically all types of pain, the Tomsk State University (TSU) announced. The new pain reliever is believed to have no side effects typical for an array of steroidal and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs that exist in the market.

Two research teams were behind the project, including TSU and the Biysk-based Institute for Problems of Chemical and Energy Technologies headquartered in the neighboring Siberian region of Altay.

It’s a substance called glyoxal that the scientists used to come up with the new drug candidate. TSU chemists earlier developed glyoxal synthesis technology for large-scale industrial purposes. The substance is the basis for a family of high energy compounds; but at an interim phase of synthesizing such compounds part of the substance is reportedly extracted from the process and reprocessed to produce a potential medicine with what the developers refer to as “unique pharmacological characteristics.”

Thus far glyoxal has been used predominantly for defense purposes.

The drug candidate has been successfully tested at a preclinical trial stage at the Tomsk-based Goldberg Research Institute of Pharmacology and Regenerative Medicine, TSU emphasized. The research results show that the analgesic effectively deals with pain syndromes of various nature, and its painkilling effect lasts much longer than with other modern pain relievers. Most notably, the solution is said to show no dangerous toxic impact on the human body; it’s also non-addictive.

The new drug has been called “Tiovyurtsin.” When it may hit the market has yet to be further announced.

 

[Bahamut]

Siberians use multilayer graphene in next gen flash memory

28 Sep '16
Experiments conducted by scientists at the Novosibirsk-based Rzhanov Institute of Semiconductor Physics show that new multilayer graphene based flash memory can offer much higher IPS (instructions per second) and data storage time values than in analogs based on other materials, portal Science in Siberia reported.

According to Yuri Novikov, PhD, a senior research fellow at the Institute, the new flash memory is built on a technology of injecting and storing an electrical charge in a data-retaining medium, which is multilayer graphene. Other components of the memory include tunnel and barrier layers; the former is made of silicon oxide while the latter is made of a dielectric material with a high value of permittivity.

Flash memory efficiency (which is revealed in a time period a charge is stored, and also in its IPS value) varies with a work function value of the data-retaining medium. The work function here shows energy that is used to remove an electron from the substance. The multilayer graphene the Siberian researchers have used reportedly demonstrates a high work function value for electrons (about 5eV (electronvolts)), a very important characteristic. Because of that, on the points of contact between multilayer graphene and silicon oxide the potential barrier value is increased to around 4eV. The entire Siberian research has been built around this effect. For comparison, on the points of contact between silicon and silicon oxide the potential barrier value is just 3.1eV. That is why in flash memory based on storing the charge in traditional Si clusters thicker tunnel and barrier layers are used, which inevitably reduces its IPS (capacity).

“As our multilayer graphene based flash memory uses a thin tunnel layer, the IPS value doubles and even triples. In addition, we can use lower reprogramming voltages, with a considerably high work function enabling a longer time of injected charge storage,” Mr. Novikov said.

 

[Bahamut]

New air purification approach comes from MSU

30 Sep '16
Researchers at the Moscow Lomonosov State University (MSU) have developed an innovative air cleaning technology. To combat carbon oxide and many toxic substances in the atmosphere they’ve harnessed the untapped properties of nanomaterials and the sunlight.

According to Prof. Elizaveta Konstantinova, the project leader and head of MSU’s radiospectroscopy lab, the new technology may find wide air cleaning applications in public health and education facilities, at homes, and in industry. Filters the scientists have made using the technology are said to accumulate no toxic substances. Impacted by titanium dioxide nanoparticles and the sunlight in the process of photocatalysis, the toxins are reported to be fully decomposed down to innocuous elements like water and carbon dioxide.

As the researchers said, one of the goals they were pursuing in developing the new cleaning technique was to retire the traditional UV lamp used for disinfection/decontamination. UV radiation is harmful to the human body, and to make these lamps inert gas and mercury vapor are used, which is expensive and also detrimental to the environment.

The new tech has got a Russian patent. Ms. Konstantinova reckons that industrial filters using this innovative combination of titanium dioxide nanoparticles and the sunlight could be effective on 80% of the surface of the Earth, from the equator to Central Russia latitudes.

“It would be ideal to add a solar panel to our reagent chamber to enable solar energy storage and stable operation in any illumination level. In rooms where there’s little sunlight, electric lamps could be used. All this would make the new air decontamination method much less expensive and therefore much more affordable than it appears today,” Prof. Konstantinova said.

 

[gadeshi]

Tokunaga films Sukhoi Superjet-100 in flight:

 

[gadeshi]

High altitude plane M-55 Geophysica has finished EU atmospheric research:
http://www.uacrussia.ru/ru/press-ce...avershil-etap-issledovaniy-stratosfery-evropy

 

[Bahamut]

Novel 5-metal alloy, both strong & ductile, pioneered by Russian & Ukrainian scientists
Published time: 4 Oct, 2016 14:55Edited time: 5 Oct, 2016 01:01
Get short URL

© Reuters
Revolutionary liquid metals bring shape-shifting Terminator tech closer to reality (VIDEO)
One particular HEA consisting of cobalt, chrome, iron, nickel, and manganese is remarkable for maintaining plasticity even in extreme cold, when regular alloys tend to become brittle. A team of researchers from Russia and Ukraine, which studied the CoCrFeNiMn HEA and found a way to make it even stronger, published their research in the Journal of Alloys and Compounds.

Ironically, the trick they used has been known for centuries. They doped the alloy with carbon – a process used by metallurgists to turn iron into steel – before cold-rolling the sample to make it stronger.

However, their work is but one small step in studying the novel class of materials, which researchers hope will eventually find applications in high-demanding areas like the production of rocket engines, nuclear reactors, and cryogenic equipment.

“It would be premature to talk about practical applications of HEAs now. We do not fully understand their properties; their economic feasibility is yet to be tested as well and technologies necessary to fabricate parts from those alloys are yet to come,” said Nikita Stepanov of the Belgorod State University, one of the authors of the study.

“But the progress is very fast in this area with new results published practically every day. So this makes one see the future with optimism,” he added.

 

[gadeshi]

Russian MOD to start new Arctic air base on Land of Alexandra island and plans to build more than 40 objects there:
https://ria.ru/defense_safety/20161004/1478510357.html
https://ria.ru/economy/20161004/1478495893.html
https://ria.ru/defense_safety/20161003/1478417413.html

 

[Bahamut]

New Russian solution: “step closer to developing a real quantum computer”

5 Oct '16
Russian scientists have come up with a method that appears to make the development of a multipurpose quantum computer much easier. They suggest that multilevel quantum systems be used in the process, in which each level can operate just like a number of ordinary quantum elements we call qubits.

The development team has brought together researchers from MIPT, aka Phystech—a leading Russian technology university based in Moscow—and the government-supported Russian Quantum Center. The scientists are reported to have dropped attempts to preserve stability in a large qubit system—a state critical for quantum computing—and elected to seek methodology of reducing the very size of the system required for computing. Instead of using qubits they looked into ways of using qudits, which are quantum units of information allowing a multiple number of possible d-states (levels) where “d” is a variable.

The physicists have shown that using a single five-level qudits already enables full-scale quantum computing. For example, the complex Deutsch-Jozsa algorithm can be applied using the approach.

“We achieved some significant advantages, as in a number of their physical manifestations multilevel qudits are much easier to control than a system comprising a certain number of qubits; so we’re a step closer now to developing a real quantum computer. Multilevel units bring advantages in other quantum technologies as well, for example, in quantum cryptography,” said Alexander Fedorov from the Russian Quantum Center.

 

[Bahamut]

Russian browser to brace your immune system

4 Oct '16
Researchers at the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry in Moscow have developed a multifunctional browser, designated VDJviz, to process big data derived from modern DNA sequence analysis. The project is expected to step up the development of immunogenomics. The results of the research have been described in detail in English in BMC Genomics.

According to Ivan Zvyagin, one of the project developers and authors of the scientific article, the new software product owes its name, VDJviz, to the names of the groups of genome fragments that form mature receptor genes for the B- and T-cells of the human immune system, as well as antibodies. The names are: V—variable, D—diversity, and J—joining.

“The complex gene maturation process called V(D)J recombination lays the foundation for the development of adaptive immunity, the protective system in the body which is theoretically capable of withstanding anypathogen that comes, and preventing tumor formation,” the scientist said.

Modern molecular biology techniques enable researchers to determine the coding sequences of those hyper-variable receptors and immunoglobulins. Using advanced bioinformatics tools in processing such data helps scientists restore adaptive immunity cells. The VDJviz is one of such tools, and an effective one, the developers claim, as any biologist with or without special programming skills can master the software.

Mr. Zvyagin hopes the

 

[Bahamut]

Novosibirsk scientists can now decisively deal with cancerous stem cells

3 Oct '16
Specialists at the Novosibirsk-based Institute of Cytology and Genetics in Siberia have discovered what they call a universal marker for cancerous stem cells, and have developed a method of destroying such cells, which has reportedly led to successful treatment of two different malignant tumors in lab mice.

According to Evgeniya Dolgova, PhD, adding DNA fragments to cancerous stem cells results in the cells capturing the fragments. This is the very principle the new Novosibirsk marker has been built on. The scientists added a special fluorochrome dye to a DNA probe, and cells that captured it began to gleam red in a certain spectrum. The researchers believe the discovery might lead to a real breakthrough in studying the few cells that trigger serious cancers.

The research team also decided to see if the DNA technique, coupled with others, could stop tumor growth. They found that DNA fragments that got into a cancerous stem cell after a special chemotherapeutic drug, cyclophosphan, impacted it thwarted the cell’s reparation process, and the cell died soon.

That led to successfully treating 50% of lab mice used in the experiment, and later the mice gave birth to healthy progeny. Applying the new therapeutic approach to a solid form of cancer (when a tumor intertwines with muscles and keeps growing as solid neoplasm) was reported to be also successful.

Plans are to test the new cancerous stem cell destruction therapy on other sorts of malignant tumors. The researchers are working on an improved diagnostic and monitoring method for ovary and stomach cancer therapy, using the new marker. Assessing the number of cancerous stem cells prior to and after treatment is expected to help physicians determine whether the disease has been dealt with for good, or relapses are possible.

 

[Bahamut]

Locked and Loaded: Russia Develops Unique Reloading Vehicle for MSTA Howitzers © Sputnik/ Alexander Vilf MILITARY & INTELLIGENCE 18:11 05.10.2016Get short URL 059540 Russian self-propelled guns (SPG) will soon have the possibility to replenish ammunition with the help of unique support reloading vehicle, newly designed for the Russian military. © WIKIPEDIA/ VITALY V. KUZMIN Bombs Away: Russia to Build Unique Mine-Clearing Robot Based on Armata Currently known under the technical name Izdelie 2-F66-1, the vehicle was developed by the Burevestnik Central R&D Institute. It is based on the KamAZ-6560 eight-wheel chassis. The new vehicle is equipped with a special manipulator which enables instant resupplying of an SPG without involvement of its crew. "As for now, the vehicle has undergone government tests. Deliveries to the armed forces will begin next year," a Burevestnik representative told the Russian newspaper Izvestia. The newest vehicle will be delivered along with MSTA-SV self-propelled howitzers, which were contracted by the Defense Ministry in September. On the outside, the new reloading vehicle looks like an ordinary truck with a container mounted in the cargo box. Inside the box, there is a revolver-type reloading system which contains 92 artillery shells. Controlled by the operator, the system rotates and delivers a projectile to a special manipulator resembling a human’s arm. The manipulator grabs the projectile and puts it in the loading mechanism of an SPG. Until now, having run out of ammo, SPG units had to leave artillery positions for a safe place where they could replenish ammo. Traditional reloading is time-consuming because it is done manually by the crew. The new reloading vehicle will accelerate the procedure several-fold. If previously reloading usually took up to several hours, the 2F66-1 can reload 50 shells in just several minutes. © PHOTO: YOUTUBE/ ТOPARMY Bombastic! Russia Unveils Kamikaze Robotic Tank "Each artillery division will receive one 2F66-1 reloading vehicle. Its capabilities will increase the firing rate of artillery units by 2-3 times and seriously reduce the reloading time," a Defense Ministry source told Izvestia. Currently, analogues of the 2F66-1 are used with the newest Swedish howitzer Archer. It is based on the Volvo A30D chassis and can carry over 40 shells. Analogous reloading vehicles are also in service with the French military, working with the Caesar self-propelled gun. The introduction of the 2F66-1 is a serious step to accelerate and facilitate the work of artillery units, military expert Viktor Murakhovsky said. "In addition to an automated fire management system, a support reloading vehicle is an important step to increase the efficiency of the Russian artillery," he said. "The MSTA can perform eight shots a minute and, as a result, it runs out of ammo in just a few minutes. The use of automated reloading vehicle allows for rapid reloading and increased firerate."

Read more: https://sputniknews.com/military/20161005/1046030938/russia-reloading-machine.html

 

[Bahamut]

Russia Develops ‘Humanoid’ Robot Tank Complete With Head, Arms and Fingers © Sputnik/ Sergey Pivovarov

RUSSIA 16:36 05.10.2016(updated 16:37 05.10.2016) Get short URL 11466151 A unique lightly-armored tracked all-terrain vehicle featuring a metallic humanoid torso with arms and manipulators that mimic the anatomical structure of human limbs has been developed in Russia, Izvestia reported. © PHOTO: YOUTUBE/ RUSSIAN DEFENCE MINISTRY Bombs Away: New Russian Robot Offers Remote Demining (VIDEO) Dubbed “The Specialist,” this one-of-a-kind robot is the brainchild of the Defense Ministry’s Central Scientific-Research Test Center of Robotics. It can easily defuse unexploded ordnance and mines, perform on-site repairs and even carry the wounded from the battlefield. “It has successfully passed a series of field tests at an ordnance range in southern Russia, and is already being used there in life-threatening situations,” a Defense Ministry representative told the newspaper. The robot’s manipulators replicate human palms and even fingers with phalanges which are still inferior to human motor skills. The “head” consists of two cameras through which the operator can see the battlefield 1,000 meters ahead. It can also rotate 360 degrees in both horizontal and vertical planes. © NASA. PIXABAY Russia Builds a Supercomputer to Control an Army of Robots Almost 2 meters tall, 5 meters long and weighing 1.8 tons the Specialist can move over 20 kilometers across rugged terrain with the help of its rubber tracks and 26 hp gasoline engine. The "Specialist"'s platform also serves as the basis for a unique robot designed to find and move the wounded from the battlefield. It can also measure a soldier’s temperature, pulse and blood pressure and send the data to the operator who decides whether the trooper is fit to fight on or needs to be evacuated. “Demining robots have been used by foreign armies for quite some time now, suffice it to mention the British Dragon Runner of the American PackBot, but none of them deserves to called a sapper,” independent military expert Oleg Zheltonozhko told Izvestia. He added that these are pretty small units that close in on a mine or other explosive device to assess the danger with the help of an onboard camera. “Because the manipulators to be found on most of the existing demining robots are fairly primitive, all they can do is get hold of the bomb and move it as far away from people as possible,” Zheltonozhko said.

Read more: https://sputniknews.com/russia/20161005/1046025528/russia-robot-humanoid.html