FEASIBILITY OF TYPE OF DEEP-WATER TECHNOLOGIES FOR THE EXTRACTION OF MARINE FERRO-MANGANESE NODULES

The conditions for the occurrence of near bottom minerals presented in the form of sulphides (the Logachev deposit) and ferro-manganese nodules (The conditions for the occurrence of benthic minerals presented in the form of sulphides (the Logachev deposit) and ferro-manganese nodules (FMN) are considered. An analysis of the structures and parameters of various means of collecting and transporting sulphides and iron ore from the bottom to the surface is given, and the possibility of effectively using vessel lifting on a cable-rope is indicated. Structural schemes for collecting FMN and sulphides in the form of containers on a cable, equipped with manipulators with gripping devices of a disc, drum or clamshell type, are proposed. In them, the capture of rock pieces or FMN is carried out by creating a vacuum in the collectors of the executive bodies and attracting to them pieces of rock or FMN by a pressure drop of water inside and outside the reservoir. It was given the approximate parameters of the mining system. So, for a cable-rope made of kevlar with a diameter of 50 mm, the capacity can be 200-400 thousand tons per year for one installation with different specific mass concentration of FMN per 1 m2) are considered

Quantum analogue of the spin-flop transition for a spin pair

Quantum (step-like) magnetization curves are studies for a spin pair with antiferromagnetic coupling in the presence of a magnetic field parallel to the easy axis of the magnetic anisotropy. The consideration is done both analytically and numerically for a wide range of the anisotropy constants and spins up to $S \gtrsim 100$. Depending on the origin of the anisotropy (exchange or single-ion), the magnetization curve can demonstrate the jumps more than unity and the concentration of the unit jumps in a narrow range of the field. We also point the region of the problem parameters, where the behavior is quasiclassical for $S = 5$, and where system is substantially quantum in the limit $S \to \infty$.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure

Alternative approach to electromagnetic field quantization in nonlinear and inhomogeneous media

A simple approach is proposed for the quantization of the electromagnetic field in nonlinear and inhomogeneous media. Given the dielectric function and nonlinear susceptibilities, the Hamiltonian of the electromagnetic field is determined completely by this quantization method. From Heisenberg's equations we derive Maxwell's equations for the field operators. When the nonlinearity goes to zero, this quantization method returns to the generalized canonical quantization procedure for linear inhomogeneous media [Phys. Rev. A, 43, 467, 1991]. The explicit Hamiltonians for the second-order and third-order nonlinear quasi-steady-state processes are obtained based on this quantization procedure.Comment: Corrections in references and introductio

Advancing PoC Devices for Early Disease Detection using Graphene-based Sensors

Early detection of diseases is key to better disease management and higher survival rates. It aims at discovering conditions that have already produced biochemical changes in body fluids, but have not yet reached a stage of apparent physical symptoms or medical emergency. Therefore, early disease detection relies majorly on biochemical testing of biological fluids such as serum, in the body. The laboratories for these tests require biochemical-based instrumentations that are bulky and not commonly available especially in developing countries. Moreover, the tests are expensive and require trained personnel to conduct and interpret results. On the other hand, Lab-on-a-Chip (LOC) biosensors have a potential to miniaturize the entire biochemical/laboratory methods of diagnostics into versatile, inexpensive and portable devices with great potential for low-cost Point-of-Care (POC) applications. They are capable of providing accurate and precise information on the measured health indices for sub-clinical level of diseases. Nanotechnology-inspired biosensors have further advantages of low limit of detection (required for early diagnosis), real-time analysis and lesser sample volume requirement. Of all other nanomaterials, graphene is said to be the most promising, suitable for biosensing due to its biocompatibility and consistent signal amplification even under the conditions of harsh ionic solutions found in the human body. This paper reviews the potentials, fundamental concepts and related works in using Graphene-based Field Effect Transistors (GFETs) as biosensors for early disease diagnosis. This paper also highlights a low-cost patterning mechanism for preparing SiO2/Si substrate for metal deposition (of the source and drain electrodes of FETs)

Chirality tunneling in mesoscopic antiferromagnetic domain walls

We consider a domain wall in the mesoscopic quasi-one-dimensional sample (wire or stripe) of weakly anisotropic two-sublattice antiferromagnet, and estimate the probability of tunneling between two domain wall states with different chirality. Topological effects forbid tunneling for the systems with half-integer spin S of magnetic atoms which consist of odd number of chains N. External magnetic field yields an additional contribution to the Berry phase, resulting in the appearance of two different tunnel splittings in any experimental setup involving a mixture of odd and even N, and in oscillating field dependence of the tunneling rate with the period proportional to 1/N.Comment: 4 pages + 2 figures, references correcte

Discovery of Mer kinase inhibitors by virtual screening using Structural Protein–Ligand Interaction Fingerprints

Mer is a receptor tyrosine kinase implicated in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the most common malignancy in children. The currently available data provide a rationale for development of Mer kinase inhibitors as cancer therapeutics that can target both cell autologous and immune-modulatory anti-tumor effects. We have previously reported several series of potent Mer inhibitors and the objective of the current report is to identify a chemically dissimilar back-up series that might circumvent potential, but currently unknown, flaws inherent to the lead series. To this end, we virtually screened a database of ∼3.8 million commercially available compounds using high-throughput docking followed by a filter involving Structural Protein-Ligand Interaction Fingerprints (SPLIF). SPLIF permits a quantitative assessment of whether a docking pose interacts with the protein target similarly to an endogenous or known synthetic ligand, and therefore helps to improve both sensitivity and specificity with respect to the docking score alone. Of the total of 62 experimentally tested compounds, 15 demonstrated reliable dose-dependent responses in the Mer in vitro kinase activity assay with inhibitory potencies ranging from 0.46 μM to 9.9 μM

Phosphatase Activity in Chemical Cholera Vaccine and its Components

Presented are the data on detection and characterization of phosphomonoesterase and phosphodiesterase activities in detoxicated cultural fluid of production Vibrio cholerae strains 569B and M41, and in choleragen-anatoxin and O-antigenic fraction, the vaccine components. These enzymes were demonstrated to be present in the cholera vaccine tablet, thus its biochemical properties were characterized more completely

Experimental Validation of a Forward Looking Interferometer for Detection of Clear Air Turbulence due to Mountain Waves

The Forward-Looking Interferometer (FLI) is an airborne sensor concept for detection and estimation of potential atmospheric hazards to aircraft. The FLI concept is based on high-resolution Infrared Fourier Transform Spectrometry technologies that have been developed for satellite remote sensing. The FLI is being evaluated for its potential to address multiple hazards, during all phases of flight, including clear air turbulence, volcanic ash, wake vortices, low slant range visibility, dry wind shear, and icing. In addition, the FLI is being evaluated for its potential to detect hazardous runway conditions during landing, such as wet or icy asphalt or concrete. The validation of model-based instrument and hazard simulation results is accomplished by comparing predicted performance against empirical data. In the mountain lee wave data collected in the previous FLI project, the data showed a damped, periodic mountain wave structure. The wave data itself will be of use in forecast and nowcast turbulence products such as the Graphical Turbulence Guidance and Graphical Turbulence Guidance Nowcast products. Determining how turbulence hazard estimates can be derived from FLI measurements will require further investigation

Multivalent histone engagement by the linked tandem Tudor and PHD domains of UHRF1 is required for the epigenetic inheritance of DNA methylation

Histone post-translational modifications regulate chromatin structure and function largely through interactions with effector proteins that often contain multiple histone-binding domains. While significant progress has been made characterizing individual effector domains, the role of paired domains and how they function in a combinatorial fashion within chromatin are poorly defined. Here we show that the linked tandem Tudor and plant homeodomain (PHD) of UHRF1 (ubiquitin-like PHD and RING finger domain-containing protein 1) operates as a functional unit in cells, providing a defined combinatorial readout of a heterochromatin signature within a single histone H3 tail that is essential for UHRF1-directed epigenetic inheritance of DNA methylation. These findings provide critical support for the “histone code” hypothesis, demonstrating that multivalent histone engagement plays a key role in driving a fundamental downstream biological event in chromatin