Plasma Influence on Tungsten Powder

AbstractModifications of tungsten powder comprised of micro particles with dimensions: 1 ± 0.2 μm and 5 ± 1.5 μm (“small” and «large” particles) under the influence of heating, electric field and hydrogen- and argon ion irradiation are investigated in this work. The processes in irradiated powder are described and discussed. Among them there are powder outgassing, particle emission from the powder surface in the electric field, pasting of small particles all over the large ones, integration of the adhered small particles and formation of the uniform layer around the groups of large particles, cone growth on uniform layers, formation of volumetric chains of sticking together tungsten particles and their transformations. Driving forces and processes providing different types of powder modifications and the role of each of them in the specific phenomena are discussed

Nanocellulose-based thermoplastic polyurethane biocomposites with shape memory effect

In 2020, we published a review on the study of semi-crystalline thermoplastic polyurethane elastomers and composites based on the shape memory effect. The shape recovery ability of such polymers is determined by their sensitivity to temperature, moisture, and magnetic or electric fields, which in turn are dependent on the chemical properties and composition of the matrix and the nanofiller. Nanocellulose is a type of nanomaterial with high strength, high specific surface area and high surface energy. Additionally, it is nontoxic, biocompatible, environmentally friendly, and can be extracted from biomass resources. Thanks to these properties, nanocellulose can be used to enhance the mechanical properties of polymer matrices with shape memory effect and as a switching element of shape memory. This review discusses the methods for producing and properties of nanocellulose-based thermo-, moisture-, and pH-sensitive polyurethane composites. The synergistic effect of nanocellulose and carbon nanofillers and possible applications of nanocellulose-based thermoplastic polyurethane biocomposites with shape memory effect are discussed. A brief description of nanocellulose terminology is also given, along with the structure of shape memory thermoplastic polyurethanes. There is significant interest in such materials for three primary reasons: the possibility of creating a new generation of biomaterials, improving the environmental friendliness of existing materials, and exploiting the natural renewability of cellulose sources

Light-stimulated adaptive artificial synapse based on nanocrystalline metal-oxide film

Artificial synapses utilizing spike signals are essential elements of new generation brain-inspired computers. In this paper, we realize light-stimulated adaptive artificial synapse based on nanocrystalline zinc oxide film. The artificial synapse photoconductivity shows spike-type signal response, long and short-term memory (LTM and STM), STM-to-LTM transition and paired-pulse facilitation. It is also retaining the memory of previous exposures and demonstrates spike-frequency adaptation properties. A way to implement neurons with synaptic depression, tonic excitation, and delayed accelerating types of response under the influence of repetitive light signals is discussed. The developed artificial synapse is able to become a key element of neuromorphic chips and neuromorphic sensorics systems

Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from neovascular age-related macular degeneration patients produce higher levels of chemokines CCL2 (MCP-1) and CXCL8 (IL-8)

Flow cytometry analysis of PBMCs. PBMCs were first divided into CD11b+CD3−, CD11b−CD3+ and CD11b−CD3− cells (A) and the average percentage of all samples (n = 55) was analysed before and after stimulation with PMA/ionomycin (B). Figure S2. Percentage of total IL-4 and IL-10 producing PBMCs and percentage of CD11b−CD3+ IL-17A and IFNγ producing PBMCs (almost all of IL-17A and IFNγ producing PBMCs were CD11b−CD3+) from controls and nAMD patients under non-stimulated culture conditions and after stimulation with PMA/ionomycin. Controls n = 27, nAMD = 28; mean + SEM are shown. (PDF 413 kb

Лучевые методы в диагностике и стадировании рака желудка

Purpose. To assess the possibilities of methods of radiation diagnosis in the recognition and staging of gastric cancer.Material and methods. The results of inspection of 307 patients with cancer of a stomach at which endoscopic, radiological and computer tomography researches on purpose, both primary diagnosis of gastric cancer, and establishment of a staging of process have been executed have been analyzed from 2014 to 2017.Results. At a radiological research proximal cancer of a stomach is revealed at 63 (20,5%) patients, a body – at 202 (65.8%) and distally – at 42 (13.7%) patients. In all cases we managed to diagnose precisely stomach cancer, its localization and distribution on stomach walls. MSCT allowed to determine the spread of the tumor beyond the organ. Results of comprehensive examination of patients with cancer of a stomach have allowed to stage the process. The first stage has been established at 40 (13.0%) patients, second – at the 117 (38.2%), third – at the 102 (33.2%), fourth – at 48 (15.6%). Of the 307 patients with gastric cancer, various types of interventions were subsequently performed in 254 (83%), chemotherapy, as an independent type of treatment was performed in 49 (16%), refused any treatment of 4 (1%) patients.Conclusion. Complex radiation diagnosis is highly informative for the detection and staging of stomach cancer.Цель исследования: оценить возможности лучевой диагностики в распознавании и стадировании рака желудка.Материал и методы. Проанализированы результаты обследования 307 больных раком желудка, у которых были выполнены эндоскопические, рентгенологические и компьютерно-томографические исследования с целью как первичной диагностики рака желудка, так и установления стадии процесса, пролеченных за период с 2014 по 2017 г.Результаты. При рентгенологическом исследовании проксимальный рак желудка выявлен у 63 (20,5%) больных, тела – у 202 (65,8%) и дистальный – у 42 (13,7%) больных. Во всех случаях нам удалось точно диагностировать рак желудка, установить его локализацию и распространение по стенкам желудка. МСКТ позволила определить распространение опухоли за пределы органа. В результате комплексного лучевого обследования больных раком желудка удалось установить стадию процесса. I стадия была выявлена у 40 (13,0%) больных, II – у 117 (38,2%), III – у 102 (33,2%), IV – у 48 (15,6%). Из 307 больных раком желудка в последующем были выполнены различные виды хирургических вмешательств у 254 (83%), химиотерапия, как самостоятельный вид лечения выполнялась у 49 (16%), отказались от какого-либо лечения, 4 (1%) больных.Заключение. Комплексная лучевая диагностика высокоинформативна для выявления и стадирования рака желудка

A large genome-wide association study of age-related macular degeneration highlights contributions of rare and common variants.

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Nature Publishing Group via http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ng.3448Advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness in the elderly, with limited therapeutic options. Here we report on a study of >12 million variants, including 163,714 directly genotyped, mostly rare, protein-altering variants. Analyzing 16,144 patients and 17,832 controls, we identify 52 independently associated common and rare variants (P < 5 × 10(-8)) distributed across 34 loci. Although wet and dry AMD subtypes exhibit predominantly shared genetics, we identify the first genetic association signal specific to wet AMD, near MMP9 (difference P value = 4.1 × 10(-10)). Very rare coding variants (frequency <0.1%) in CFH, CFI and TIMP3 suggest causal roles for these genes, as does a splice variant in SLC16A8. Our results support the hypothesis that rare coding variants can pinpoint causal genes within known genetic loci and illustrate that applying the approach systematically to detect new loci requires extremely large sample sizes.We thank all participants of all the studies included for enabling this research by their participation in these studies. Computer resources for this project have been provided by the high-performance computing centers of the University of Michigan and the University of Regensburg. Group-specific acknowledgments can be found in the Supplementary Note. The Center for Inherited Diseases Research (CIDR) Program contract number is HHSN268201200008I. This and the main consortium work were predominantly funded by 1X01HG006934-01 to G.R.A. and R01 EY022310 to J.L.H

New insights into the genetic etiology of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.

Characterization of the genetic landscape of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related dementias (ADD) provides a unique opportunity for a better understanding of the associated pathophysiological processes. We performed a two-stage genome-wide association study totaling 111,326 clinically diagnosed/'proxy' AD cases and 677,663 controls. We found 75 risk loci, of which 42 were new at the time of analysis. Pathway enrichment analyses confirmed the involvement of amyloid/tau pathways and highlighted microglia implication. Gene prioritization in the new loci identified 31 genes that were suggestive of new genetically associated processes, including the tumor necrosis factor alpha pathway through the linear ubiquitin chain assembly complex. We also built a new genetic risk score associated with the risk of future AD/dementia or progression from mild cognitive impairment to AD/dementia. The improvement in prediction led to a 1.6- to 1.9-fold increase in AD risk from the lowest to the highest decile, in addition to effects of age and the APOE ε4 allele