38 research outputs found

    Особенности конструкции термической печи с барабанным механизмом перемещения заготовок

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    One of the most energy-intensive industries is ferrous metallurgy. The metallurgical sector in industrially developed countries is reducing its specific energy consumption per one ton of products by approximately 1.0 - 1.5 % per annum. In Russia, obsolete technology is the main reason for the high-energy intensity of industrial product. Energy saving in industrial production is associated with production technology and the scope of fuel and energy resources consumption. Therefore, ways to improve energy efficiency focus on reducing energy consumption of any kind during a specific process in a specific process or thermal unit. Ensuring the economical operation of furnace units requires detailed preliminary and verification analyses, upgrading and introduction of state-of-the-art equipment. The study presents a flow diagram and features of thermal operation of a new drum-type chamber furnace for heating metal products for quenching. The technical parameters of the furnace, the results of the thermo-technical analysis, the heat balance and the specific fuel consumption as applicable to the created design are also presented. The flow diagram of the furnace has significant advantages in terms of the energy efficiency of fuel as compared to the roller and conveyor methods of metal transportation. Placing blanks on the drum significantly reduces the complexity of their transportation. Thanks to its small length the proposed design is compact and easy to place in a workshop. The use of a recuperative fuel burning device allows the efficient use of the heat of waste gases in the heating process. The proposed design and method of products transportation in the furnace working space can be used for the heat treatment of bars, pipes, strips, as well as rolled steel of various shapes. © 2021 National University of Science and Technology MISIS. All rights reserved

    The Cryptococcus neoformans Titan cell is an inducible and regulated morphotype underlying pathogenesis.

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    Fungal cells change shape in response to environmental stimuli, and these morphogenic transitions drive pathogenesis and niche adaptation. For example, dimorphic fungi switch between yeast and hyphae in response to changing temperature. The basidiomycete Cryptococcus neoformans undergoes an unusual morphogenetic transition in the host lung from haploid yeast to large, highly polyploid cells termed Titan cells. Titan cells influence fungal interaction with host cells, including through increased drug resistance, altered cell size, and altered Pathogen Associated Molecular Pattern exposure. Despite the important role these cells play in pathogenesis, understanding the environmental stimuli that drive the morphological transition, and the molecular mechanisms underlying their unique biology, has been hampered by the lack of a reproducible in vitro induction system. Here we demonstrate reproducible in vitro Titan cell induction in response to environmental stimuli consistent with the host lung. In vitro Titan cells exhibit all the properties of in vivo generated Titan cells, the current gold standard, including altered capsule, cell wall, size, high mother cell ploidy, and aneuploid progeny. We identify the bacterial peptidoglycan subunit Muramyl Dipeptide as a serum compound associated with shift in cell size and ploidy, and demonstrate the capacity of bronchial lavage fluid and bacterial co-culture to induce Titanisation. Additionally, we demonstrate the capacity of our assay to identify established (cAMP/PKA) and previously undescribed (USV101) regulators of Titanisation in vitro. Finally, we investigate the Titanisation capacity of clinical isolates and their impact on disease outcome. Together, these findings provide new insight into the environmental stimuli and molecular mechanisms underlying the yeast-to-Titan transition and establish an essential in vitro model for the future characterization of this important morphotype

    Host genetic signatures of susceptibility to fungal disease

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    Our relative inability to predict the development of fungal disease and its clinical outcome raises fundamental questions about its actual pathogenesis. Several clinical risk factors are described to predispose to fungal disease, particularly in immunocompromised and severely ill patients. However, these alone do not entirely explain why, under comparable clinical conditions, only some patients develop infection. Recent clinical and epidemiological studies have reported an expanding number of monogenic defects and common polymorphisms associated with fungal disease. By directly implicating genetic variation in the functional regulation of immune mediators and interacting pathways, these studies have provided critical insights into the human immunobiology of fungal disease. Most of the common genetic defects reported were described or suggested to impair fungal recognition by the innate immune system. Here, we review common genetic variation in pattern recognition receptors and its impact on the immune response against the two major fungal pathogens Candida albicans and Aspergillus fumigatus. In addition, we discuss potential strategies and opportunities for the clinical translation of genetic information in the field of medical mycology. These approaches are expected to transfigure current clinical practice by unleashing an unprecedented ability to personalize prophylaxis, therapy and monitoring for fungal disease.This work was supported by the Northern Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the Portugal 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000013), the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) (IF/00735/2014 to AC, and SFRH/BPD/96176/2013 to CC), the Institut Mérieux (Mérieux Research Grant 2017 to CC), and the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID Research Grant 2017 to AC)

    The cytoskeleton in cell-autonomous immunity: structural determinants of host defence

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    Host cells use antimicrobial proteins, pathogen-restrictive compartmentalization and cell death in their defence against intracellular pathogens. Recent work has revealed that four components of the cytoskeleton — actin, microtubules, intermediate filaments and septins, which are well known for their roles in cell division, shape and movement — have important functions in innate immunity and cellular self-defence. Investigations using cellular and animal models have shown that these cytoskeletal proteins are crucial for sensing bacteria and for mobilizing effector mechanisms to eliminate them. In this Review, we highlight the emerging roles of the cytoskeleton as a structural determinant of cell-autonomous host defence
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