The Quaternary lions of Ukraine and a trend of decreasing size in Panthera spelaea (advance online)

The fossil record of the cave lion, Panthera spelaea, suggests a gradual decrease in body size, the process peaking just before the extinction of the species at the end of the Late Pleistocene. Such an evolutionary trend appears rather unusual for a large felid species and requires further investigation. This study reviews the cave lions of Ukraine, whose fossils are known from 46 localities dated from 800 kyr to 18–17 kyr ago, with a special emphasis on size changes through time. We describe several important finds including those of Panthera spelaea fossilis from Sambir, Panthera spelaea ssp. from Bilykh Stin Cave and Panthera spelaea spelaea from Kryshtaleva Cave. We make subspecific identifications of specimens from the region and focus on their size characteristics. Our analysis of Ukrainian cave lions agrees with the temporal trend of decreasing size, particularly accelerating during MIS 2, as exemplified by the extremely small female skull from Kryshtaleva Cave. We provide a direct AMS date for this specimen (22.0–21.5 cal kyr BP), which suggests that the Kryshtaleva lioness must have belonged to a Panthera spelaea spelaea population forced south by the spreading ice sheet. We discuss some palaeoecological aspects of the evolutionary history and eventual extinction of the cave lion. Finally, we review the subfossil records of the extant lion Panthera leo known from several Ukrainian sites archaeologically dated to 6.4–2.0 kyr BP. These finds most probably represent the Persian lion Panthera leo persica

Criteria for evaluating the effective use of ultra-strong textiles in personal armor protection

Проаналізовано критерії оцінки якості засобів індивідуального бронезахисту (ЗІБ). Встановлено, що ЗІБ повинні відповідати комплексу жорстких і суперечливих вимог, обумовлених умовами їх використання і ступенем очікуваної загрози.Проанализированы критерии оценки качества средств индивидуальной бронезащиты (СИБ). Установлено, что СИБ должны отвечать комплексу жестких и противоречивых требований, обусловленных условиями их использования и степенью ожидаемой угрозы.The criteria for assessing the quality of personal armor protection were analyzed. It was clarified that the personal body armor must meet stringent, complex and contradictory requirements arising from the terms of usage and degree of expected threats

Сонодинамическая и соно-фотодинамическая терапия в онкологии

In the present publication, authors have analyzed the results of using sonodynamic and sono-photodynamic therapy with photosensitizing agents of various classes (hematoporphyrin, 5-aminolevulinic acid, chlorin derivatives, etc.) in experimental oncology. In a number of in vitro and in vivo studies, the high antitumor efficacy of the above treatment methods has been proven. Ultrasonic treatment with a pulse frequency of 1–3 MHz and an intensity of 0.7 to 5 W/cm2 , independently and in combination with photo-irradiation of experimental tumors, can significantly improve the cytotoxic properties of photosensitizers. This became the basisfor testing the methodsin patients with malignant neoplasms of various localizations. Scientists fromSouth-East Asia presented the preliminary results of the use of sonodynamic and sono-photodynamic therapy with photosensitizers in the treatment of malignant pathology of the mammary gland, stomach, esophagus, prostate, lung and brain. Analysis of the obtained data indicates the absence of serious adverse events and an increase in the antitumor efficacy of treatment, which included these treatment methods with chlorin-type photosensitizers. В представляемой публикации авторами произведен анализ результатов применения сонодинамической и соно-фотодинамической терапии с фотосенсибилизирующими агентами различных классов (гематопорфирин, 5-аминолевулиновая кислота, производные хлорина и др.) в экспериментальных исследованиях и клинической онкологии. В ряде in vitro и in vivo исследований доказана высокая противоопухолевая эффективность указанных выше методов лечения. Ультразвуковое воздействие с частотой импульсов 1–3 МГц и интенсивностью от 0,7 до 5 Вт/см2 в отдельности и в комбинации с фотооблучением экспериментальных опухолей, позволяет существенно повысить эффективность лечения. Это стало основой для апробации методов у пациентов со злокачественными новообразованиями различных локализаций. Учеными из стран Юго-Восточной Азии представлены предварительные результаты применения сонодинамической и соно-фотодинамической терапии с фотосенсибилизаторами в лечении злокачественной патологии молочной железы, желудка, пищевода, предстательной железы, легкого и головного мозга. Анализ полученных данных свидетельствует об отсутствии серьезных нежелательных явлений и повышении противоопухолевой эффективности лечения, в которое были включены данные методы лечения с фотосенсибилизаторами хлоринового ряда.

New Particles Working Group Report of the Snowmass 2013 Community Summer Study

This report summarizes the work of the Energy Frontier New Physics working group of the 2013 Community Summer Study (Snowmass)

Morphological peculiarites and functional activity of adipose-derived mesenchimal stem cells during in vitro cultivation conditions

The studies were conducted on 2-3-months-old males of C57BL/6 mice weighing 20–24 g. Obtaining and cultivating of adipose-derived mesenchimal stem cells (AD MSCs) were carried out in a sterile laminar box with compliance of conditions of asepsis and antiseptics. AD MSCs of the 2, 4, 7 and 12 passages were analyzed. Morphometric analysis was performed using a light microscopy. Morphometric parameters such as cell and nucleus area or nuclear-cytoplasmic ratio (NCR) were calculated using the Axiovision light microscope (Carl Zeiss, Germany) and ImageJ 1.45 software. Trypan blue dye used for investigation of the viability of MSC. The morphological characteristics of mesenchymal stem cells from adipose tissue during the process of cultivation changes: at the first passages of cultivation, the cells are spindle-shaped with two, at least three, long long cytoplasmic processes, located bipolar. Near the nucleus the Golgi complex is clearly visible – a sign of active cells. At later passages cells have a small cytoplasmic processes and the bipolar arrangement of processes changes by stellar arrangement. Golgi complex is also clearly visualized. The indicator of the nuclear-cytoplasmic ratio in MSC from adipose tissue is significantly reduced at 7 passage to 0.2189 ± 0.0122 (P < 0.01), and at 12 passage to 0.1111 ± 0.0086 (P < 0.001) compared to the 2 passage. The coefficient of proliferation of MSC from adipose tissue is significantly reduced at 12th passage. The viability of mesenchymal stem cells from adipose tissue with an increasing of a number of passages significantly reduces and at the 12th passage of cultivation reaches 84,67 ± 1,36* (P < 0.05). The content of apoptotic cells that exhibited sensitivity to serum-free significantly increased at 7 and 12 passages and was respectively 21.33 ± 1.36 (P < 0.05) and 23.67 ± 0.97% (P < 0.05)

Prototype ATLAS IBL Modules using the FE-I4A Front-End Readout Chip

The ATLAS Collaboration will upgrade its semiconductor pixel tracking detector with a new Insertable B-layer (IBL) between the existing pixel detector and the vacuum pipe of the Large Hadron Collider. The extreme operating conditions at this location have necessitated the development of new radiation hard pixel sensor technologies and a new front-end readout chip, called the FE-I4. Planar pixel sensors and 3D pixel sensors have been investigated to equip this new pixel layer, and prototype modules using the FE-I4A have been fabricated and characterized using 120 GeV pions at the CERN SPS and 4 GeV positrons at DESY, before and after module irradiation. Beam test results are presented, including charge collection efficiency, tracking efficiency and charge sharing.Comment: 45 pages, 30 figures, submitted to JINS

MENINGIOMAS OF THE CEREBELLAR TENTORIUM: THE RESULTS OF SURGICAL TREATMENT

Aim of the study was to evaluate the surgeries of tentorial meningiomas in Neurosurgical Department No.1 of the Novosibirsk Institute of Traumatology and Orthopedics. Material and methods. Study includes 64 patients with tentorial meningiomas of different location, treated surgically from 2008 to 2017. Among them 55 (85.9 %) were female patients and 9 were male (14.1 %) with average age of 62.9 years in females and 56.7 years in males. For diagnostic purposes, the patients were performed brain magnetic resonance imaging and/or computed tomography with or without contrast agents. In this series, 83 % of the tumors were of large or giant (with diameter of more than 4 cm). In 63 cases the tumors were typical meningiomas and only 1 case was a malignant anaplastic meningioma. Results. All patients were treated surgically in one or two steps. Overall, there were 70 standard microsurgical resections. Electromyography with Neuropack-2 («NIHON KOHDEN Corp.», Japan) was performed to control brain stem function during the surgery, with short latency auditory evoked potentials (SLAEPs) received. When sinus walls were affected, the tumor matrix was processed with 20W neodymium laser in coherent mode and ablation. In 63 cases, gross-total resection was achieved: Simpson I (76.6 %, n = 49) and Simpson II (21.8 %, n = 14). One patient (1.6 %) was treated with subtotal resection because of complicated surgical approach and massive transverse sinus and sinus confluence bleeding. Post-operative mortality was 3.1 % (2 cases). SLAEP data did not demonstrate any significant irritation or damage to the brain stem with performed surgical approaches. There were no infections of the surgical wound, meninges, brain or CSF leaks after the surgery. Discussion. Tentorial meningiomas are rare brain tumors treated with gross-total tumor resection when possible. Performed surgeries resulted in mild functional decrease in quality of life, but Karnofsky scale for each patient was returning to its original state in 2 weeks. Complications, including neurological disability, presented in 19 % (n = 12) of the patients, and post-operative mortality did not exceed the common literature data. Most of the focal neurological disabilities have disappeared in 2 weeks after the surgery

Search for direct stau production in events with two hadronic tau-leptons in root s=13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for the direct production of the supersymmetric partners ofτ-leptons (staus) in final stateswith two hadronically decayingτ-leptons is presented. The analysis uses a dataset of pp collisions corresponding to an integrated luminosity of139fb−1, recorded with the ATLAS detector at the LargeHadron Collider at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. No significant deviation from the expected StandardModel background is observed. Limits are derived in scenarios of direct production of stau pairs with eachstau decaying into the stable lightest neutralino and oneτ-lepton in simplified models where the two staumass eigenstates are degenerate. Stau masses from 120 GeV to 390 GeV are excluded at 95% confidencelevel for a massless lightest neutralino

Measurement of the Z/gamma* + b-jet cross section in pp collisions at 7 TeV

The production of b jets in association with a Z/gamma* boson is studied using proton-proton collisions delivered by the LHC at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV and recorded by the CMS detector. The inclusive cross section for Z/gamma* + b-jet production is measured in a sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 2.2 inverse femtobarns. The Z/gamma* + b-jet cross section with Z/gamma* to ll (where ll = ee or mu mu) for events with the invariant mass 60 < M(ll) < 120 GeV, at least one b jet at the hadron level with pT > 25 GeV and abs(eta) < 2.1, and a separation between the leptons and the jets of Delta R > 0.5 is found to be 5.84 +/- 0.08 (stat.) +/- 0.72 (syst.) +(0.25)/-(0.55) (theory) pb. The kinematic properties of the events are also studied and found to be in agreement with the predictions made by the MadGraph event generator with the parton shower and the hadronisation performed by PYTHIA.Comment: Submitted to the Journal of High Energy Physic