Structure, optical, electrical and thermoelectric properties of solution-processed Li-doped NiO films grown by SILAR

The article presents a new facial synthesis of Li-doped NiO films (NiO:Li) via an easy and cost-effective method Successive Ionic Layer Adsorption and Reaction (SILAR) with the processing of the obtained NiO films in a lithium-containing aqueous solution for their transformation after annealing into NiO:Li layers. Comparative analysis of crystal structure, optical, electrical and thermoelectric properties of the obtained NiO and NiO:Li 420-1050 nm thick films have reveiled a cubic rock-salt NiO structure, at that, NiO:Li samples are nanocrystalline single phased Li-NiO solid solutions. The fabricated NiO and NiO:Li films are p-type semiconductors with activation energy Ea = 0.1 eV and Ea = 0.25‒0.31 eV, respectively. The obtained in-plane Seebeck coefficients Z are in the range 0.20–0.33 mV/К. Notwithstanding the fact that the maximum values of the thermoelectric power factors P=2.2 μW/K2·m, are rather small, they were achieved if the hot end of the NiO:Li film was heated only to 115 °C. Thus, the produced in this work new low cost thermoelectric thin film material is suitable for a production of electrical energy for low-power devices due to absorption of low-potential heat

Diagnosis and treatment of deep vein thrombosis in neonates and nurselings

The authors share herein their experience in diagnosis and treatment of deep vein thrombosis in neonates and nurselings. We examined a total of 132 infants undergoing treatment in an intensive care unit. Of these, 15 infants were diagnosed with various-localization thromboses. Ultrasonographic study was the main method of diagnosis. Management consisted in anticoagulant therapy. Timely administration of anticoagulant therapy made it possible to achieve complete recanalization of venous lumens in 80% of cases. Only 20% of infants were found to have vein occlusion preserved, thus requiring further follow up and treatment. Neither complications nor relapsing thromboses were observed. A conclusion was drawn that characteristic of neonates and infants under 12 months of life is a specific profile of etiopathogenesis of deep vein thrombosis. In the majority of cases thrombosis appears to be catheter-related, and only in sporadic cases it forms spontaneously. Treatment of thromboses is typically associated with high successfulness of medicamentous therapy

Prevention of rebleeding in patients with portal hypertension and esophageal variceal bleeding

Department of Endoscopic and Cardiovascular Surgery, National Pirogov Memorial Medical University, Vinnytsya, Ukraine, Al XIII-lea Congres al Asociației Chirurgilor „Nicolae Anestiadi” și al III-lea Congres al Societății de Endoscopie, Chirurgie miniminvazivă și Ultrasonografie ”V.M.Guțu” din Republica MoldovaBackground: Despite the development of medicine esophageal variceal bleeding remain an urgent problem. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the use of embolization of the splenic artery in order to prevent portal bleeding. Methods and materials: The study included 96 patients, who had cirrhosis classes B and C (Child-Pugh) and esophageal variceal bleeding. Patients were divided into 2 groups: main group (n=71, 73.95%) – endoscopic ligating of bleeding and embolization of the splenic artery; comparison group (n=25, 26.05%) – only drug therapy. Results: In comparison group we stopped bleeding in 54 (76.1%) patients. 17 (23.9%) patients died. The duration of treatment was 10.1±2.4 days. In main group we stopped bleeding in 23 (92.0%) patients. 2 (8.0%) patients died. The duration of treatment was 6.5±2.7 days. A statistical analysis of mortality and duration of treatment revealed a significant difference (p<0.01) between the groups in both indicators. After splenic artery embolizationin all cases managed to achieve a reduction in blood flow of 60–80%. After 6 months among 54 patients in the comparison group, bleeding relapse occurred in 12 (22.2%) cases; in the main group – 2 (8.7%). Conclusion: Splenic artery embolization in patients after endoscopic hemostasis of variceal bleeding allows to reduce the pressure in the portal system, which in turn leads to a decrease in the frequency of bleeding recurrences

Solution-processed flexible broadband ZnO photodetector modified by Ag nanoparticles

In this work, we present flexible broadband photodetectors (PDs) fabricated by a deposition of nanostructured zinc oxide (ZnO) films on polyimide (PI) substrates by using cheap and scalable aqueous method Successive Ionic Layer Adsorption and Reaction (SILAR). In order to increase the long-wavelength absorption of the nanostructured ZnO layer, we created its intrinsic defects, including oxygen vacancies by post-treatment at 300 °C in vacuum and thus the light-sensitive material ZnO/PI was obtained. Then we applied silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) from a silver sol onto a nanostructured ZnO film, which were visualized using SEM in the form of spheres up to 100 nm in size that increased the photocurrent and figures of merit of thus obtained light-sensitive material ZnO_Ag/PI due to localized surface plasmon resonance and double Schottky barriers at the Ag-ZnO interface. To fabricate photodetectors based on a photoconductive effect, these ZnO/PI and ZnO_Ag/PI materials were equipped with ohmic aluminum contacts. The spectral responsivity (Rλ up to 275 A/W to UV light) of solution-processed flexible broadband photodetector based on ZnO_Ag/PI material at different wavelengths of light and light power densities is better than Rλ of the ZnO/PI photodetector, and at least an order of magnitude higher than Rλ of photodetectors based on nanostructured zinc oxide described in recent articles. The external quantum efficiency (EQE) of both PDs in this study in UV–Vis-NIR spectra is very high in the range from 1∙102 to 9∙104 % and is better or of the same order of magnitude as the EQE data of modern flexible broadband high-sensitivity PDs based on nanostructured heterostructures containing ZnO. The specific detectivity in UV–Vis-NIR spectra is large for ZnO/PI (from 3.5∙1010 to 1∙1012 Jones) and especially for ZnO_Ag/PI (from 1.6∙1011 to 8.6∙1013 Jones), which indicates the ability of the PDs based on light-sensitive materials ZnO/PI and ZnO_Ag/PI to recognize a very weak light signal

Assessment of the external debt impact on a country’s economic development indicators: Evidence from Ukraine

External public debt is not only a means of raising funds to finance public needs, but also an effective tool for stabilizing a country`s economic development, the assessment and analysis of which allows making effective management decisions at the state level and developing effective measures to improve the economic and debt situation. The paper aims to assess the impact of external public debt on Ukraine’s economic development indicators (GDP, foreign direct investment, foreign exchange reserves). In order to achieve the stated goal distributed lag models are used, which allow modeling a country’s economic development (according to key indicators) within certain forecast scenarios. The study covers the period from 2009 to 2021. An analysis of the dynamics of external public debt in Ukraine led to the conclusion about the unstable debt situation in Ukraine and a significant increase in external debt in recent years. Econometric models with a distributed lag of three years are built and the results of the influence of external public debt in different time periods are analyzed. The average lag in the built models is about one and a half years (for GDP) and two and a half years (for foreign direct investment). This value indicates that the average change (increase/decrease) in external public debt will change economic development over time. A positive conclusion is made on the possibility of not only assessing the time lag between the indicators, but also on the prospects for forecasting both the public debt and key indicators of Ukraine`s economic development

Концептуальные основы региональной образовательной политики

У монографії висвітлено концептуальні засади регіональної освітньої політики, об’єктивовані в теоретичному описі основних підходів, принципів, умов реалізації концепції навчання впродовж життя як чинника регіональної розвитку. Проаналізовано основні передумови розроблення концепції освіти впродовж життя у світі та соціально-економічні результати її упровадження. Викладено особливості та специфіку освіти впродовж життя, освіти дорослих як її складової в умовах регіонального розвитку (національний і зарубіжний досвід). Охарактеризовано психологічні особливості розвитку особистості в дорослому віці, а також професійного становлення особистості на різних етапах дорослості. Висвітлено роль неформальної освіти дорослих як чинника розвитку регіонів, що навчаються, а також механізми розроблення та реалізації концепції міста, регіону, що навчається. Інтерпретовано результати соціологічного дослідження культурно-освітніх потреб жителів Запорізької обл. та рівня їх задоволеності.The monograph describes the conceptual foundations of regional educational policy, objectified in the theoretical description of the main approaches, principles, conditions to implement the lifelong learning concept as a factor of regional development. The basic prerequisites for the development of lifelong learning concept in the world and the socio-economic results of its implementation are analyzed. The peculiarities and specifics of lifelong learning, education of adults as a part of it in the conditions of regional development (national and foreign experience) are described. The psychological peculiarities of personality development in adulthood as well as professional development of personality at different stages of adolescence are characterized. The role of non-formal adults education as a factor of learning regions development as well as mechanisms of the city development and implementation of the concept is highlighted. The results of sociological research of cultural and educationalneeds of Zaporizhzhya region's residents and their level of satisfaction are interpreted.В монографии освещены концептуальные основы региональной образовательной политики, объективированные в теоретическом описании основных подходов, принципов, условий реализации концепции непрерывного обучения как фактора регионального развития. Проанализированы основные предпосылки для разработки концепции обучения на протяжении всей жизни в мире и социально-экономических результатов ее реализации. Описаны особенности и специфика обучения на протяжении всей жизни, образования взрослых как его составляющей в условиях регионального развития (национальный и зарубежный опыт). Охарактеризованы психологические особенности развития личности во взрослом возрасте, а также профессиональное развитие личности на разных этапах подросткового возраста. Освещена роль неформального образования взрослых как фактора развития обучающихся регионов, а также механизмы разработки и реализации концепции обучающихся городов

Transient Growth Arrest in Escherichia coli Induced by Chromosome Condensation

Conceived and designed the experiments: ABK VVR. Performed the experiments: ALE KSJ. Analyzed the data: ALE KSJ DPS ABK VVR. Wrote the paper: ABK VVR.MukB is a bacterial SMC (structural maintenance of chromosome) protein that regulates the global folding of the Escherichia coli chromosome by bringing distant DNA segments together. We report that moderate overproduction of MukB may lead, depending on strain and growth conditions, to transient growth arrest. In DH5α cells, overproduction of MukB or MukBEF using pBAD expression system triggered growth arrest 2.5 h after induction. The exit from growth arrest was accompanied by the loss of the overproducing plasmid and a decline in the abundance of MukBEF. The arrested cells showed a compound gene expression profile which can be characterized by the following features: (i) a broad and deep downregulation of ribosomal proteins (up to 80-fold); (ii) downregulation of groups of genes encoding enzymes involved in nucleotide metabolism, respiration, and central metabolism; (iii) upregulation of some of the genes responsive to general stress; and (iv) degradation of the patterns of spatial correlations in the transcriptional activity of the chromosome. The transcriptional state of the MukB induced arrest is most similar to stationary cells and cells recovered from stationary phase into a nutrient deprived medium, to amino acid starved cells and to the cells shifting from glucose to acetate. The mukB++ state is dissimilar from all examined transcriptional states generated by protein overexpression with the possible exception of RpoE and RpoH overexpression. Thus, the transcription profile of MukB-arrested cells can be described as a combination of responses typical for other growth-arrested cells and those for overproducers of DNA binding proteins with a particularly deep down-regulation of ribosomal genes.Yeshttp://www.plosone.org/static/editorial#pee

The fractal globule as a model of chromatin architecture in the cell

The fractal globule is a compact polymer state that emerges during polymer condensation as a result of topological constraints which prevent one region of the chain from passing across another one. This long-lived intermediate state was introduced in 1988 (Grosberg et al. 1988) and has not been observed in experiments or simulations until recently (Lieberman-Aiden et al. 2009). Recent characterization of human chromatin using a novel chromosome conformational capture technique brought the fractal globule into the spotlight as a structural model of human chromosome on the scale of up to 10 Mb (Lieberman-Aiden et al. 2009). Here, we present the concept of the fractal globule, comparing it to other states of a polymer and focusing on its properties relevant for the biophysics of chromatin. We then discuss properties of the fractal globule that make it an attractive model for chromatin organization inside a cell. Next, we connect the fractal globule to recent studies that emphasize topological constraints as a primary factor driving formation of chromosomal territories. We discuss how theoretical predictions, made on the basis of the fractal globule model, can be tested experimentally. Finally, we discuss whether fractal globule architecture can be relevant for chromatin packing in other organisms such as yeast and bacteria

Phased antenna array with excitation adaptive to construction distortions

The dependencies of errors of phasing of antenna arrays (PAA) with spatial excitation from parameters of distortion of a hull structure surveyed are reviewed. The opportunity of build-up of algorithms of adaptation to such distortions is outlined, utilizing results of built-in system of UHF of the check of PAA, the expected results from their application rated

Application of meso-CF3-Fluorophore BODIPY with Phenyl and Pyrazolyl Substituents for Lifetime Visualization of Lysosomes

A bright far-red emitting unsymmetrical meso-CF3-BODIPY fluorescent dye with phenyl and pyrazolyl substituents was synthesized by condensation of trifluoropyrrolylethanol with pyrazolyl-pyrrole, with subsequent oxidation and complexation of the formed dipyrromethane. This BODIPY dye exhibits optical absorption at &lambda;ab &asymp; 610&ndash;620 nm and emission at &lambda;em &asymp; 640&ndash;650 nm. The BODIPY was studied on Ehrlich carcinoma cells as a lysosome-specific fluorescent dye that allows intravital staining of cell structures with subsequent real-time monitoring of changes occurring in the cells. It was also shown that the rate of uptake by cells, the rate of intracellular transport into lysosomes, and the rate of saturation of cells with the dye depend on its concentration in the culture medium. A concentration of 5 &mu;M was chosen as the most suitable BODIPY concentration for fluorescent staining of living cell lysosomes, while a concentration of 100 &mu;M was found to be toxic to Ehrlich carcinoma cells