Fullerene van der waals Oligomers as electron traps

Density functional theory calculations indicate that van der Waals fullerene dimers and larger oligomers can form interstitial electron traps in which the electrons are even more strongly bound than in isolated fullerene radical anions. The fullerenes behave like super atoms , and the interstitial electron traps represent one-electron intermolecular σ-bonds. Spectroelectrochemical measurements on a bis-fullerene-substituted peptide provide experimental support. The proposed deep electron traps are relevant for all organic electronics applications in which non-covalently linked fullerenes in van der Waals contact with one another serve as n-type semiconductors

Innovative Production Technology of Drinks from Grape Cryopowders

A technology, based on the production of wine beverages from grape cryopowders in the mountain-valley zone of the Republic of Dagestan, is proposed. The data on the vacuum microwave drying of grape raw materials and subsequent grinding in a cryomill are presented. The modes of grape raw material preparation and its subsequent dehydration and cryo-grinding, which provide the possibility of successful use in the dried state in the production technology of wine drinks, are proposed. The principal feature is the use of whole grapes as a raw material, with rinds and seeds. The physical and chemical indicators, the content of phenolic substances and the organoleptic indicators of wine beverages made according to the traditional technology and the beverage made from grape cryopowders were studied. A comparative assessment of beverages was made. It is established that vacuum microwave drying conduces to better preservation of the properties of raw materials and finished products. The organoleptic assessment showed that the wine drinks developed according to the proposed technology had a more intense color and a more pronounced flavor of sweetness and sourness than traditional wine beverages. The advantage of this technology is the ability to transport grape cryopowders in unregulated temperature conditions to any point close to the consumer and carry out the production of wine beverages there

INFLUENCE OF ANTIBODIES AGAINST CTLA-4 AND PD-1 UPON QUANTITIES OF THEIR TARGET RECEPTORS

Inhibitory receptors CTLA-4 and PD-1 (immune checkpoints) play a key role in regulation of immune reactions. They suppress excessive immune response against pathogenic microbes and prevent autoimmune reactions. The immune checkpoints are targets of the modern effective therapy based on human and humanized monoclonal antibodies (ipilimumab and nivolumab, tremelimumab, pembrolizumab, etc). However, despite its high efficiency compared to standard chemotherapy, the therapy based on blocking immune check points is facing several problems, i.e., high therapy cost and severe negative autoimmune-related side effects. Unfortunately, this therapy helps to minority of the patients. Hence, further studies are required to improve its efficiency and safety, as well as to search for selection criteria of the patients who would benefit from the therapy. An appealing approach to reduce negative side effects from immune checkpoint inhibition is application of the blocking antibodies, aiming for ex vivo generation of patients’ activated immune cells for cancer therapy, thus avoiding systemic drug administration. Our aim was to elucidate influence of immune checkpoint blocking antibodies on the expression of CTLA-4 and PD-1 in such an in vitro model. First of all, we have determined quantities of lymphocyte receptors in peripheral blood of healthy volunteers, or cancer patients with disseminated melanoma. Moreover, we defined effect from the addition of antibodies against immune checkpoints on proportions of cells expressing CTLA-4 and PD-1 in the population of phytohemagglutininactivated lymphocytes. Our study demonstrated that, in presence of antibodies to either of the two checkpoints during in vitro cell activation, the blockade of specific target receptor is accompanied by reduced number of cells positive for another checkpoint. Hence, the antibodies directed against PD-1 or CTLA-4 seem to suppress both negative signal cascades at once, if tested under such experimental conditions. Noteworthy, the response to blocking antibodies for different immune checkpoints varied for different donors. Our data may be used for development of effective combinations of lymphocyte activators and immune check-point inhibitors, for in vitro generation of activated lymphocytes applied for adoptive cancer therapy, as well as for prediction of possible responses to antibodies against CTLA-4 or PD-1, aiming to select the best personalized cancer immunotherapy

Mie-resonances, infrared emission and band gap of InN

Mie resonances due to scattering/absorption of light in InN containing clusters of metallic In may have been erroneously interpreted as the infrared band gap absorption in tens of papers. Here we show by direct thermally detected optical absorption measurements that the true band gap of InN is markedly wider than currently accepted 0.7 eV. Micro-cathodoluminescence studies complemented by imaging of metallic In have shown that bright infrared emission at 0.7-0.8 eV arises from In aggregates, and is likely associated with surface states at the metal/InN interfaces.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, submitted to PR

Resonant light delay in GaN with ballistic and diffusive propagation

We report on a strong delay in light propagation through bulk GaN, detected by time-of-flight spectroscopy. The delay increases resonantly as the photon energy approaches the energy of a neutral-donor bound exciton (BX), resulting in a velocity of light as low as 2100 km/s. In the close vicinity of the BX resonance, the transmitted light contains both ballistic and diffusive components. This phenomenon is quantitatively explained in terms of optical dispersion in a medium where resonant light scattering by the BX resonance takes place in addition to the polariton propagation.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Обзор методик оценки достоверности научных доказательств и убедительности рекомендаций, применяемых при разработке клинических рекомендаций в Российской Федерации

Aim – analyze the existing systems for assessing the levels of evidence (LE-scales) and grades of recommendation (GR-scales) in the development of clinical guidelines in the Russian Federation. Materials and Methods. We analyzed the LE- and GR-scales that had been used in developing clinical guidelines up to 01.09.2017; the materials were stored in the Federal Electronic Medical Library. The study included several stages: analysis of the clinical guidelines for the presence and type of LE- and GR-scales; comparison of the LE- and GR-scales between various clinical guidelines including the internationally accepted ones; assessment of using the international scales or their combinations in the development of clinical guidelines in Russia. Results. More than 150 various LE- and GR-scales used for clinical recommendations were identified; most of them represented modifications of the international assessment systems. The original SIGN technique was found to be most commonly used. Conclusion. Based on the results of the study, we concluded that at present, there is no unified approach to the assessment of the levels of evidence and grades of recommendation in clinical guidelines developed by professional medical associations in the Russian Federation.Цель – анализ существующих в РФ систем оценки уровней достоверности доказательств (УДД) и уровней убедительности результатов (УУР) при разработке клинических рекомендаций (КР). Материалы и методы. Проведен анализ шкал УДД и УУР, примененных при разработке КР, размещенных в Федеральной электронной медицинской библиотеке на 01.09.2017 г. Исследование включало следующие этапы: анализ КР на предмет наличия шкал(ы) оценки УДД и/или УУР и определения их типа; сопоставительный анализ шкал оценки УДД и/или УУР, представленных в КР, со шкалами оценки УДД и УУР, наиболее часто применяющимися при разработке зарубежных КР; определение частоты использования зарубежных шкал оценки УДД и/или УУР или их комбинаций при разработке КР в РФ. Результаты. Выявлено более 150 вариантов различных шкал УДД и УУР в КР, большая часть из них является модификациями зарубежным систем оценки. Наиболее часто используемой методикой стала оригинальная методика SIGN. Заключение. По результатам анализа сделан вывод, что в настоящее время отсутствует единый подход к оценке достоверности научных доказательств и убедительности рекомендаций при разработке КР профессиональными некоммерческими медицинскими организациями

Twisted Nanotubes of Transition Metal Dichalcogenides with Split Optical Modes for Tunable Radiated Light Resonators

Synthesized micro- and nanotubes composed of transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) such as MoS$_2$ are promising for many applications in nanophotonics, because they combine the abilities to emit strong exciton luminescence and to act as whispering gallery microcavities even at room temperature. In addition to tubes in the form of hollow cylinders, there is an insufficiently-studied class of twisted tubes, the flattened cross section of which rotates along the tube axis. As shown by theoretical analysis, in such nanotubes the interaction of electromagnetic waves excited at opposite sides of the cross section can cause splitting of the whispering gallery modes. By studying micro-photoluminescence spectra measured along individual MoS$_2$ tubes, it has been established that the splitting value, which controls the energies of the split modes, depends exponentially on the aspect ratio of the cross section, which varies in "breathing" tubes, while the relative intensity of the modes in a pair is determined by the angle of rotation of the cross section. These results open up the possibility of creating multifunctional tubular TMDC nanodevices that provide resonant amplification of self-emitting light at adjustable frequencies