Direct cooling cyclic air process features in gas turbine engine and method for it realization

В роботі розглянуто процес охолодження циклового повітря газотурбінного двигуна шляхом його змішування з диспергованою водою та визначено основні недоліки, які притаманні даному способу охолодження. Запропоновано для охолодження циклового повітря застосувати перегріту воду, що утворюється в результаті додаткової утилізації теплоти відпрацьованих газів. Розроблено процес змішування отриманої води з цикловим повітрям, який виключає скидання крапельної рідини на внутрішню поверхню компресора.In the work the gas turbine fog cooling process by mixing air with disperses water (the effect of air isotherming process) has been considered and principal disadvantages for such way of cooling have been detected. As a result, the superheated water using for cycle air cooling has been suggested. At the same time superheated water collected in the process of advanced exhaust recovery. This process realized in the single-circuit heat-recovery and has some advantage opposed to conventional way of heat recovery. In addition, the process of mixing superheated water with cycle air has been developed, which prevent water drops escape to the compressor inner surface.В работе рассмотрен процесс охлаждения циклового воздуха газотурбинного двигателя путем его смешения с диспергированной водой и определены основные недостатки, которые характерны для данного способа охлаждения. Предложено для охлаждения циклового воздуха использовать перегретую воду, которую получают в результате дополнительной утилизации теплоты отработавших газов. Разработан процесс смешения полученной воды с цикловым воздухом, который исключает сброс капельной жидкости на внутреннюю поверхность компрессора

Backbone Dynamics of Plastocyanin in Both Oxidation States SOLUTION STRUCTURE OF THE REDUCED FORM AND COMPARISON WITH THE OXIDIZED STATE

A model-free analysis based on15N R 1, 15NR 2, and 15N-1H nuclear Overhauser effects was performed on reduced (diamagnetic) and oxidized (paramagnetic) forms of plastocyanin from Synechocystis sp. PCC6803. The protein backbone is rigid, displaying a small degree of mobility in the sub-nanosecond time scale. The loops surrounding the copper ion, involved in physiological electron transfer, feature a higher extent of flexibility in the longer time scale in both redox states, as measured from D2O exchange of amide protons and from NH-H2O saturation transfer experiments. In contrast to the situation for other electron transfer proteins, no significant difference in the dynamic properties is found between the two redox forms. A solution structure was also determined for the reduced plastocyanin and compared with the solution structure of the oxidized form in order to assess possible structural changes related to the copper ion redox state. Within the attained resolution, the structure of the reduced plastocyanin is indistinguishable from that of the oxidized form, even though small chemical shift differences are observed. The present characterization provides information on both the structural and dynamic behavior of blue copper proteins in solution that is useful to understand further the role(s) of protein dynamics in electron transfer processes

The novel Parkinson's disease linked mutation G51D attenuates in vitro aggregation and membrane binding of α-synuclein, and enhances its secretion and nuclear localization in cells

A novel mutation in the α-Synuclein (α-Syn) gene "G51D” was recently identified in two familial cases exhibiting features of Parkinson's disease (PD) and multiple system atrophy (MSA). In this study, we explored the impact of this novel mutation on the aggregation, cellular and biophysical properties of α-Syn, in an attempt to unravel how this mutant contributes to PD/MSA. Our results show that the G51D mutation significantly attenuates α-Syn aggregation in vitro. Moreover, it disrupts local helix formation in the presence of SDS, decreases binding to lipid vesicles C-terminal to the site of mutation and severely inhibits helical folding in the presence of acidic vesicles. When expressed in yeast, α-SynG51D behaves similarly to α-SynA30P, as both exhibit impaired membrane association, form few inclusions and are non-toxic. In contrast, enhanced secreted and nuclear levels of the G51D mutant were observed in mammalian cells, as well as in primary neurons, where α-SynG51D was enriched in the nuclear compartment, was hyper-phosphorylated at S129 and exacerbated α-Syn-induced mitochondrial fragmentation. Finally, post-mortem human brain tissues of α-SynG51D cases were examined, and revealed only partial colocalization with nuclear membrane markers, probably due to post-mortem tissue delay and fixation. These findings suggest that the PD-linked mutations may cause neurodegeneration via different mechanisms, some of which may be independent of α-Syn aggregatio

c-Abl phosphorylates α-synuclein and regulates its degradation: implication for α-synuclein clearance and contribution to the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease

Increasing evidence suggests that the c-Abl protein tyrosine kinase could play a role in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD) and other neurodegenerative disorders. c-Abl has been shown to regulate the degradation of two proteins implicated in the pathogenesis of PD, parkin and α-synuclein (α-syn). The inhibition of parkin's neuroprotective functions is regulated by c-Abl-mediated phosphorylation of parkin. However, the molecular mechanisms by which c-Abl activity regulates α-syn toxicity and clearance remain unknown. Herein, using NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, in vitro enzymatic assays and cell-based studies, we established that α-syn is a bona fide substrate for c-Abl. In vitro studies demonstrate that c-Abl directly interacts with α-syn and catalyzes its phosphorylation mainly at tyrosine 39 (pY39) and to a lesser extent at tyrosine 125 (pY125). Analysis of human brain tissues showed that pY39 α-syn is detected in the brains of healthy individuals and those with PD. However, only c-Abl protein levels were found to be upregulated in PD brains. Interestingly, nilotinib, a specific inhibitor of c-Abl kinase activity, induces α-syn protein degradation via the autophagy and proteasome pathways, whereas the overexpression of α-syn in the rat midbrains enhances c-Abl expression. Together, these data suggest that changes in c-Abl expression, activation and/or c-Abl-mediated phosphorylation of Y39 play a role in regulating α-syn clearance and contribute to the pathogenesis of P

Radionuclide accumulation by objects of ecosystem

The isotope contents of family uranium and thorium in the ash of wood of trees and pine needles before and after leaching by water were measured. The element contents in the ash of wood of trees and pine needles were measured by γ-activation analysis and spectrophotometer. A significant excess of lead-210 in pine needles in the vicinity of thermal power plant relatively its average content in Ukraine was discovered. Differences of magnitude of leaching uranium series isotopes, ¹³⁷Cs and ⁴⁰K from the wood of trees and pine needles were defined, which is due to the different character of the formation of crystallites during ashing of these objectsПроведены измерения содержания изотопов ряда урана и тория в золе деревьев и хвои сосны до и после выщелачивания водой. Измерено содержание элементов в золе деревьев и хвое сосны при помощи γ-активационного анализа и спектрофотометрии. Обнаружено значительное превышение содержания свинца-210 в хвое сосны в районе тепловой электростанции относительно его среднего содержания в Украине. Обнаружены различия величины выщелачивания изотопов ряда урана, ¹³⁷Cs и ⁴⁰K из деревьев и хвои сосны, которые обусловлены разным характером формирования кристаллитов при озолении в этих объектах.Проведено вимiрювання вмiсту iзотопiв ряду урану i торiю в золi дерев i хвої сосни до i пiсля вилуговування водою. Вимiряно вмiст елементiв в золi дерев i хвої сосни за допомогою gamma;-активацiйного аналiзу та спектрофотометрiї. Виявлено значне перевищення вмiсту свинцю-210 в хвої сосни в районi теплової електростанцiї щодо його середнього вмiсту в Українi. Виявленi вiдмiнностi величини вилуговування iзотопiв ряду урану, ¹³⁷Cs i ⁴⁰K з дерев i хвої сосни, якi обумовленi рiзним характером формування кристалiтiв при озоленнi в цих об'єктах

Psychological characteristics of art specialists with a highly productive creative imagination

Background: Notwithstanding all the different forms of art, the source of the creative process, its initial impulse, is an artistic image, and its creation is closely connected with the imagination. L. Vygotsky held the view that artistic creativity has great importance in overall development. In this regard, it is relevant to study the role of personal psychological characteristics that stimulate creativity, determine creative potential, and indicate personal predisposition to artistic activity. Objective: to study individual psychological characteristics of art specialists with a highly productive creative imagination. Design: There were 240 respondents: art specialists (artists, actors) and specialists who do not work in artistic fields. The empirical research included: assessment of the level of productivity of the creative imagination and psychological testing. All the participants, within the bounds of their profession, were divided into high productivity and low productivity groups. The productivity level of the creative imagination was assessed by expert judgment of art works made by the participants using a monotype technique. For psychological testing, the following methods were used: Freiburg Personality Inventory (FPI); Volitional Self-Control Inventory by A. Zverkov and E. Eidman; the “Choose the Side” test by E. Torrance; the “Unfinished Figures” subtest by E. Torrance; and the technique of pair comparisons by V. Skvortsov. Statistical data processing was conducted on the basis of percentage distribution and comparative analysis using the Student parametric t-test. We used STATISTICA 13.0 software. Results: We found the following psychological characteristics of art specialists with highly productive creative imagination: high emotionality, inclination to affective reactions, high anxiety and excitability, and need for self-realization. Artists with highly productive creative imagination were characterized by immersion in their own emotions, psychic estrangement, high sensitivity, flexibility, ingenuity, right-hemisphere and combined types of thinking, and a high level of nonverbal creativity. Actors with highly productive creative imagination were characterized by stability, relaxation, selfsatisfaction, and average nonverbal creativity; the mixed type of thinking predominated in this group. Conclusion: The differences in the intensity of the psychological characteristics of representatives of these different professional groups may be determined by the level of productivity of their creative imagination. We discovered general and specific (depending on professional activity) psychological characteristics of art specialists with a high level of productivity of the creative imagination

Characterization of semisynthetic and naturally Nα-acetylated α-synuclein in vitro and in intact cells: implications for aggregation and cellular properties of α-synuclein

N-terminal acetylation is a very common post-translational modification, although its role in regulating protein physical properties and function remains poorly understood. α-Synuclein (α-syn), a protein that has been linked to the pathogenesis of Parkinson disease, is constitutively N(α)-acetylated in vivo. Nevertheless, most of the biochemical and biophysical studies on the structure, aggregation, and function of α-syn in vitro utilize recombinant α-syn from Escherichia coli, which is not N-terminally acetylated. To elucidate the effect of N(α)-acetylation on the biophysical and biological properties of α-syn, we produced N(α)-acetylated α-syn first using a semisynthetic methodology based on expressed protein ligation (Berrade, L., and Camarero, J. A. (2009) Cell. Mol. Life Sci. 66, 3909-3922) and then a recombinant expression strategy, to compare its properties to unacetylated α-syn. We demonstrate that both WT and N(α)-acetylated α-syn share a similar secondary structure and oligomeric state using both purified protein preparations and in-cell NMR on E. coli overexpressing N(α)-acetylated α-syn. The two proteins have very close aggregation propensities as shown by thioflavin T binding and sedimentation assays. Furthermore, both N(α)-acetylated and WT α-syn exhibited similar ability to bind synaptosomal membranes in vitro and in HeLa cells, where both internalized proteins exhibited prominent cytosolic subcellular distribution. We then determined the effect of attenuating N(α)-acetylation in living cells, first by using a nonacetylable mutant and then by silencing the enzyme responsible for α-syn N(α)-acetylation. Both approaches revealed similar subcellular distribution and membrane binding for both the nonacetylable mutant and WT α-syn, suggesting that N-terminal acetylation does not significantly affect its structure in vitro and in intact cells

Determination of the Company's Value under the Influence of Various Factors

The authors studied and analyzed various concepts and approaches to company value management. They described the advantages and disadvantages of the leading traditional approaches to assessing the value of an enterprise and proposed a model of the dynamics of the company's value, taking into account the ownership structure, explaining the mechanism of the influence of the company's ownership structure on the capital structure. Using an example, we examined the change in the company's value by individual factors and identified which factors have the most significant positive and negative impact