Through-membrane electron-beam lithography for ultrathin membrane applications

We present a technique to fabricate ultrathin (down to 20 nm) uniform electron transparent windows at dedicated locations in a SiN membrane for in situ transmission electron microscopy experiments. An electron-beam (e-beam) resist is spray-coated on the backside of the membrane in a KOH- etched cavity in silicon which is patterned using through-membrane electron-beam lithography. This is a controlled way to make transparent windows in membranes, whilst the topside of the membrane remains undamaged and retains its flatness. Our approach was optimized for MEMS-based heating chips but can be applied to any chip design. We show two different applications of this technique for (1) fabrication of a nanogap electrode by means of electromigration in thin free-standing metal films and (2) making low-noise graphene nanopore devices

Technical and economic efficiency of the unconventional propulsion units use for civilian aircraft of various purposes

In order to develop a methodological apparatus for assessing various stages of the life cycle of hybrid/electric propulsion units, the existing approaches to estimating the costs of developing, manufacturing and operating aircraft engines of the traditional propulsion units scheme for determining the cost framework and their further harmonization with the technical and economic boundary conditions of new elements in the hybrid/electric SU scheme are considered. The relevance of solving the problems of assessing the technical and economic efficiency and forecasting the cost of hybrid propulsion units is determined. To solve the tasks, a methodological approach to determining boundary conditions and criteria is proposed. Within the framework of this methodological approach, a preliminary assessment of the cost of the main stages of the life cycle of aircraft engines for various variants of traditional propulsion units was made. Based on the estimates obtained, criteria for the economic efficiency of using a hybrid propulsion unit of various capacities for civil aircraft were formed. A computational and parametric analysis of the cost estimation of variants of aircraft engines included in the propulsion unit of the traditional scheme is presented. The role of accounting and management accounting data in economic and mathematical models is determined, which makes it possible to qualitatively reflect the economic efficiency of the life cycle of aviation products

Некоторые аспекты комплексной реабилитации пациентов с приобретенными дефектами и деформациями орофарингеальной зоны

The aim of this study was to assess the features of disturbed food intake and find ways to optimize rehabilitation and resocialization processes for patients with acquired defects and deformities of the oropharyngeal zone.Materials and methods. The study included 86 patients of a surgical hospital with defects and deformities of the oropharyngeal zone: 59 men and 27 women. The degree of dysphagia was assessed using clinical scales: volumeviscosity swallow test (V-VST) and swallowing disability scale (SDS). Rehabilitation measures to normalize swallowing were performed in the experimental group (I), which consisted of 42 patients. The control group (II) consisted of 40 patients and was not included in the restorative effect. The groups were balanced according to the severity of the disorder, sex and age. Comparative analysis of the severity of impaired swallowing before and after rehabilitation and evaluation of its effectiveness were conducted.Results. Data from the study of the dysphagia degree on the SDS scale for the whole sample (n = 82) suggest that the degree of disorder manifestation depends on the location and extent of anatomical defect. Moreover, comparative analysis suggests that the presence of a combined defect exacerbates the severity of dysphagia. Step-by-step speech therapy in the control group aimed at overcoming swallowing disorders included adaptive, compensatory and restorative strategies used in various combinations depending on the location of the defect and the severity of dysphagia. The comparison of the repeated assessment data on dysphagia severity in two groups of patients (I and II) showed that the rehabilitation measures had a positive impact.Conclusion. Thus, we can state that speech therapy, which is a non-drug and non-invasive rehabilitation method, allows patients to successfully normalize eating process, helps in preventing cachexia-anorexia and dehydration, which is important for a successful postoperative period, as well as for improving the life quality of patients.Цель: оценка особенностей нарушений процесса приема пищи и поиск путей оптимизации процесса реабилитации пациентов с приобретенными дефектами и деформациями орофарингеальной зоны.Материалы и методы. В исследование были включены 86 пациентов хирургического стационара с дефектами и деформациями орофарингеальной зоны: 59 мужчин и 27 женщин. Степень дисфагии оценивалась с помощью клинических шкал: Volume Viscosity Swallow Test (V-VST), Swallowing Disability Scale (SDS). Реабилитационные мероприятия по нормализации глотания проводились в экспериментальной группе (I), которую составили 42 пациента. Группа контроля (II), не включенная в восстановительное воздействие, состояла из 40 пациентов. Группы были уравновешены по тяжести дефекта, полу и возрасту. Проведен сравнительный анализ выраженности нарушений акта глотания до и после восстановительного воздействия и оценка его эффективности.Результаты. Данные исследования степени дисфагии по шкале SDS по выборке в целом (n = 82) позволяют говорить о наличии зависимости степени проявления нарушения от места и объема анатомического дефекта. Причем сопоставительный анализ позволяет  утверждать, что именно наличие комбинированного дефекта усугубляет тяжесть  дисфагии. Поэтапно проводимое в контрольной группе логопедическое воздействие, нацеленное на преодоление расстройств глотания, включало в себя адаптивные, компенсаторные и восстановительные стратегии, применяемые в различных комбинациях в зависимости от локализации дефекта и тяжести дисфагии. Результаты сопоставления данных повторной оценки тяжести дисфагии у двух групп пациентов (I и II) показали, что проведенные реабилитационные мероприятия оказали положительное влияние.Заключение. Таким образом, можно утверждать, что логопедическое воздействие, которое относится к немедикаментозным, неинвазивным методам реабилитации, позволяет успешно нормализовать процесс приема пищи, способствует профилактике кахексии-анорексии и дегидратации, что важно для успешного течения послеоперационного периода, а также улучшения качества жизни пациентов.

Child’s heart development and contractility from prenatal to postnatal period

This literature review analyzes current data on the main stages of child’s heart contractility development from prenatal to postnatal period. The presented information will expand the conventional ideas on the age-related cardiovascular physiology in children, supplementing with relevant knowledge about the patterns of left ventricular mechanics, and the mechanisms affecting child’s heart morphology. In addition, we consider the evolutionary feasibility of the simultaneous existence of various left ventricular mechanics models, which ensure the effective cardiac function in the postnatal period. This is very important for the work of neonatologists, pediatricians, pediatric cardiologists and therapists

Оптимизация обезболивания в послеоперационном периоде у больных нетоксическим зобом

Objective: to comparatively evaluate the analgesic activity and hemostatic effects of two nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) that are most commonly used for postoperative analgesia — ketorolac and ketoprofen in patients operated on for diffuse nodular nontoxic goiter. Subjects and methods. At surgical treatment stages, the authors examined the degree of the pain syndrome by the visual analog scale and hemostatic parameters in 90 patients divided into three groups according to the postoperative analgesia mode (ketorol, ketonal, and promedol). Results. Postoperative analgesia in nontoxic goiter patients with ketorol and ketonal has been ascertained to be highly competitive with that with promedol and to give no rise to clinically significant complications inherent in NSAID. Ketorol provides a rapider, prolonged and effective postoperative analgesia than does ketonal. Ketorol affects the hemostatic system to a lesser extent than does ketonal. Conclusion. Ketorol analgesia may be considered to be the method of choice of postoperative analgesia in patients with nontoxic goiter. Key words: ketorol, ketonal, hemostasis, analgesia.Цель исследования . Сравнительная оценка анальгетической активности и степени влияния на систему гемостаза двух наиболее часто используемых для послеоперационного обезболивания НПВП — кеторолака и кетопрофена у больных, оперированных по поводу диффузно-узлового нетоксического зоба. Материал и методы. На этапах хирургического лечения у 90 больных, разделенных на три группы в зависимости от метода послеоперационного обезболивания (кеторол, кетонал, промедол), исследовали выраженность болевого синдрома по ВАШ и показатели системы гемостаза. Результаты. Установлено, что послеоперационное обезболивание больных с нетоксическим зобом кето-ролом и кетоналом по своему качеству не уступает промедолу и не сопровождается возникновением клинически значимых осложнений, присущих НПВП. Кеторол обеспечивает более быстрое, продолжительное и эффективное послеоперационное обезболивание, чем кетонал. Кеторол в меньшей степени чем кетонал влияет на систему гемостаза. Заключение. Анальгезию кеторолом можно считать методом выбора послеоперационного обезболивания у больных нетоксическим зобом. Ключевые слова: кеторол, кетонал, гемостаз, обезболивание

Crystallization of Ti33Cu67 metallic glass under high-current density electrical pulses

We have studied the phase and structure evolution of the Ti33Cu67 amorphous alloy subjected to electrical pulses of high current density. By varying the pulse parameters, different stages of crystallization could be observed in the samples. Partial polymorphic nanocrystallization resulting in the formation of 5- to 8-nm crystallites of the TiCu2 intermetallic in the residual amorphous matrix occurred when the maximum current density reached 9.7·108 A m-2 and the pulse duration was 140 μs, though the calculated temperature increase due to Joule heating was not enough to reach the crystallization temperature of the alloy. Samples subjected to higher current densities and higher values of the evolved Joule heat per unit mass fully crystallized and contained the Ti2Cu3 and TiCu3 phases. A common feature of the crystallized ribbons was their non-uniform microstructure with regions that experienced local melting and rapid solidification