Effects of Turbulent Mixing on the Critical Behavior

Effects of strongly anisotropic turbulent mixing on the critical behavior are studied by means of the renormalization group. Two models are considered: the equilibrium model A, which describes purely relaxational dynamics of a nonconserved scalar order parameter, and the Gribov model, which describes the nonequilibrium phase transition between the absorbing and fluctuating states in a reaction-diffusion system. The velocity is modelled by the d-dimensional generalization of the random shear flow introduced by Avellaneda and Majda within the context of passive scalar advection. Existence of new nonequilibrium types of critical regimes (universality classes) is established.Comment: Talk given in the International Bogolyubov Conference "Problems of Theoretical and Mathematical Physics" (Moscow-Dubna, 21-27 August 2009

Laser-induced modification of the patellar ligament tissue: comparative study of structural and optical changes

The effects of non-ablative infrared (IR) laser treatment of collagenous tissue have been commonly interpreted in terms of collagen denaturation spread over the laser-heated tissue area. In this work, the existing model is refined to account for the recently reported laser-treated tissue heterogeneity and complex collagen degradation pattern using comprehensive optical imaging and calorimetry toolkits. Patella ligament (PL) provided a simple model of type I collagen tissue containing its full structural content from triple-helix molecules to gross architecture. PL ex vivo was subjected to IR laser treatments (laser spot, 1.6 mm) of equal dose, where the tissue temperature reached the collagen denaturation temperature of 60 ± 2°C at the laser spot epicenterin the first regime, and was limited to 67 ± 2°C in the second regime. The collagen network was analyzed versus distance from the epicenter. Experimental characterization of the collagenous tissue at all structural levels included cross-polarization optical coherence tomography, nonlinear optical microscopy, light microscopy/histology, and differential scanning calorimetry. Regressive rearrangement of the PL collagen network was found to spread well outside the laser spot epicenter (>2 mm) and was accompanied by multilevel hierarchical reorganization of collagen. Four zones of distinct optical and morphological properties were identified, all elliptical in shape, and elongated in the direction perpendicular to the PL long axis. Although the collagen transformation into a random-coil molecular structure was occasionally observed, it was mechanical integrity of the supramolecular structures that was primarily compromised. We found that the structural rearrangement of the collagen network related primarily to the heat-induced thermo-mechanical effects rather than molecular unfolding. The current body of evidence supports the notion that the supramolecular collagen structure suffered degradation of various degrees, which gave rise to the observed zonal character of the laser-treated lesion

Beyond technology: A research agenda for social sciences and humanities research on renewable energy in Europe

This article enriches the existing literature on the importance and role of the social sciences and humanities (SSH) in renewable energy sources research by providing a novel approach to instigating the future research agenda in this field. Employing a series of in-depth interviews, deliberative focus group workshops and a systematic horizon scanning process, which utilised the expert knowledge of 85 researchers from the field with diverse disciplinary backgrounds and expertise, the paper develops a set of 100 priority questions for future research within SSH scholarship on renewable energy sources. These questions were aggregated into four main directions: (i) deep transformations and connections to the broader economic system (i.e. radical ways of (re)arranging socio-technical, political and economic relations), (ii) cultural and geographical diversity (i.e. contextual cultural, historical, political and socio-economic factors influencing citizen support for energy transitions), (iii) complexifying energy governance (i.e. understanding energy systems from a systems dynamics perspective) and (iv) shifting from instrumental acceptance to value-based objectives (i.e. public support for energy transitions as a normative notion linked to trust-building and citizen engagement). While this agenda is not intended to be—and cannot be—exhaustive or exclusive, we argue that it advances the understanding of SSH research on renewable energy sources and may have important value in the prioritisation of SSH themes needed to enrich dialogues between policymakers, funding institutions and researchers. SSH scholarship should not be treated as instrumental to other research on renewable energy but as intrinsic and of the same hierarchical importance.acceptedVersio

Influence of high-intensity CO2 laser irradiation on collagen matrix composition of normotrophic skin scars (experimental study)

The experiment was carried out in 25 laboratory rats. After modeling of normotrophic cutaneous scars, the procedure of laser dermabrasion with 50 Watt carbon dioxide laser was performed in superpulse mode with impulse-pause ratio of 0,5:100 ms and 500 µm spot diameter. Morphological, immunohistochemical and morphometric examination of skin histological sections were performed. A single exposure to CO2 laser radiation in this mode resulted in the early formation of mainly type III collagen and then type I collagen in ratios approaching to the intact skin.Проведено экспериментальное исследование на 25-ти лабораторных крысах, которым после моделирования нормотрофических кожных рубцов выполняли процедуру лазерной дермабразии излучением углекислого лазера мощностью 50 Вт в суперимпульсном режиме с соотношением импульс – пауза 0,5:100 мс и диаметром пятна 0,5 мм. Проводили морфологическое, иммуногистохимическое морфометрическое исследование гистологических срезов кожи. Установлено, что однократное воздействие излучением Со2 лазера в указанных режимах приводит к образованию в ранние сроки преимущественно коллагена III типа, а затем и коллагена I типа в соотношениях, приближающихся к показателям интактной кожи

Effective transcription factor binding site prediction using a combination of optimization, a genetic algorithm and discriminant analysis to capture distant interactions

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Reliable transcription factor binding site (TFBS) prediction methods are essential for computer annotation of large amount of genome sequence data. However, current methods to predict TFBSs are hampered by the high false-positive rates that occur when only sequence conservation at the core binding-sites is considered.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>To improve this situation, we have quantified the performance of several Position Weight Matrix (PWM) algorithms, using exhaustive approaches to find their optimal length and position. We applied these approaches to bio-medically important TFBSs involved in the regulation of cell growth and proliferation as well as in inflammatory, immune, and antiviral responses (NF-κB, ISGF3, IRF1, STAT1), obesity and lipid metabolism (PPAR, SREBP, HNF4), regulation of the steroidogenic (SF-1) and cell cycle (E2F) genes expression. We have also gained extra specificity using a method, entitled SiteGA, which takes into account structural interactions within TFBS core and flanking regions, using a genetic algorithm (GA) with a discriminant function of locally positioned dinucleotide (LPD) frequencies.</p> <p>To ensure a higher confidence in our approach, we applied resampling-jackknife and bootstrap tests for the comparison, it appears that, optimized PWM and SiteGA have shown similar recognition performances. Then we applied SiteGA and optimized PWMs (both separately and together) to sequences in the Eukaryotic Promoter Database (EPD). The resulting SiteGA recognition models can now be used to search sequences for BSs using the web tool, SiteGA.</p> <p>Analysis of dependencies between close and distant LPDs revealed by SiteGA models has shown that the most significant correlations are between close LPDs, and are generally located in the core (footprint) region. A greater number of less significant correlations are mainly between distant LPDs, which spanned both core and flanking regions. When SiteGA and optimized PWM models were applied together, this substantially reduced false positives at least at higher stringencies.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Based on this analysis, SiteGA adds substantial specificity even to optimized PWMs and may be considered for large-scale genome analysis. It adds to the range of techniques available for TFBS prediction, and EPD analysis has led to a list of genes which appear to be regulated by the above TFs.</p

Задача о рюкзаке с выпуклыми монотонными сепарабельными функциями

Рассмотрена модельная задача о рюкзаке. Предложена схема решения задачи о рюкзаке с выпуклыми монотонными сепарабельными функциями

Инвазивный аспергиллез, обусловленный Aspergillus non-fumigatus, у взрослых пациентов после аллогенной трансплантации гемопоэтических стволовых клеток

   Objective. To study the features of invasive aspergillosis (IA) due to A. non-fumigatus versus A. fumigatus in adult (≥ 18 years) recipients of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) in 2016-2021.   Materials and methods. The study included 33 patients with IA caused by A. non-fumigatus (n = 20) and A. fumigatus (n = 13). A comparative analysis of cases of IA, the results of therapy and outcomes in patients after allo-HSCT in the RM Gorbacheva Research Institute was performed. Diagnostic criteria EORTC / MSGERC 2020 were used.   Results. Invasive aspergillosis caused by A. non-fumigatus made up the majority (60.6 %) of IA cases with an identified pathogen registered in patients after allo-HSCT in the period from 2016 to 2021. The main etiological agents in the A. non-fumigatus group were A. niger in 13 (65 %) patients, A. flavus – in 4 (20 %). The median day of diagnosis of A. non-fumigatus IAwas + 110 days (17–2093), for A. fumigatus it was + 46 days (2–866) (p = 0.171). Overall 12-week survival was 55 % and 59.2 % in the A. non-fumigatus and A. fumigatus groups, respectively (p = 0.617). The majority of patients in both the A. fumigatus (n = 10, 77 %) and A. non-fumigatus (n = 16, 80 %) groups received voriconazole as initial antifungal therapy. Second-linetherapy was required in 2 (10 %) patients with A. non-fumigatus IA: liposomal amphotericin B and echinocandins with or with-out posaconazole, and 2 (15 %) patients in the A. fumigatus group: liposomal amphotericin B and voriconazole in combination with echinocandins. A comparative analysis showed that in patients from the two groups, none of the assessed signs (gender, age, underlying disease, disease status at the time of transplantation, time from diagnosis to allo-HSCT, source of hematopoietic stem cells, conditioning regimen, donor type, antifungal prophylaxis, cytomegalovirus reactivation, severe acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease) did not differ significantly.   Conclusions. A. niger is the main causative agent of IA caused by A. non-fumigatus. Patients characteristics, their treatment and outcomes did not differ significantly between the A. non-fumigatus and A. fumigatus groups.   Цель: изучить особенности инвазивного аспергиллеза, обусловленного A. не-fumigatus в сравнении с A. fumigatus, у взрослых (≥ 18 лет) реципиентов аллогенной трансплантации гемопоэтических стволовыхклеток в 2016–2021 гг.   Материалы и методы. В исследование включили 33 пациента с инвазивным аспергиллезом, обусловленным A. не-fumigatus (n=20) и A. fumigatus (n=13), после аллогенной трасплантации гемопоэтических клеток, выполненной в клинике Научно-исследовательского института детской онкологии, гематологии и трансплантологии им. Р. М. Горбачевой. Использовали диагностические критерии EORTC / MSGERC, 2020.   Результаты. Обусловленный A. не-fumigatus инвазивный аспергиллез составил большую часть (60,6 %) случаев инвазивного аспергиллеза с идентифицированным возбудителем у пациентов после алло-трансплантации гемопоэтических стволовых клеток в 2016–2021 гг. В группе A. не-fumigatus основными возбудителями были A. niger (13, 65 %) и A. flavus (4, 20 %). Сравнительный анализ показал, что в группах сравнения ни один из оцениваемых признаков (пол, возраст, диагноз, статус заболевания на момент трансплантации, время от постановки диагноза до аллотрансплантации гемопоэтических стволовых клеток, источник гемопоэтических стволовых клеток, режим кондиционирования, тип донора, противогрибковая профилактика, реактивация цитомегаловируса, тяжелая острая и хроническая реакция трансплантат против хозяина) достоверно не различались. Медиана срока постановки диагноза A. не-fumigatus инвазивного аспергиллеза составила 110 дней (17 – 2093) после алло-трансплантации гемопоэтических стволовых клеток, A. fumigatus инвазивного аспергиллеза – 46 дней (2 – 866) (p = 0,171). Большинство пациентов с A. fumigatus инвазивным аспергиллезом (n = 10, 77 %) и A. не-fumigatus инвазивным аспергиллезом (n = 16, 80 %) в качестве стартовой противогрибковой терапии получали вориконазол. Терапия второй линии потребовалась 2 (10 %) пациентам с A. не-fumigatus инвазивным аспергиллезом (липосомальный амфотерицин В, эхинокандины и позаконазол) и 2 (15 %) пациентам с А. fumigatus инвазивным аспергиллезом (липосомальный амфотерицин В, вориконазол в комбинации с эхинокандином). Общая выживаемость пациентов с A. неfumigatus инвазивным аспергиллезом в течение 12 недель составила 55 %, A. fumigatus инвазивным асппергиллезом – 59,2 % (p = 0,617).   Выводы. A. niger – основной возбудитель инвазивного аспергиллеза, обусловленного A. non-fumigatus. Характеристики пациентов, их лечение и исходы достоверно не различались между группами A. не-fumigatus и A. fumigatus