Training Higher School Students in Rapid Prototyping Technology as a Final Stage of Their Preparation for Innovative Activities

Introduction. The methodological systems of preparation for innovative engineering activity involve the involvement of students in all stages of the innovation cycle, including obtaining an intangible innovative product. However, the inability to obtain in students a material innovative product reduces the effectiveness of the preparation of these systems. The purpose of this study is to create a methodical system for preparing students for innovative research activities based on their involvement in all stages of obtaining a material innovative product using additive technologies. Materials and Methods. For writing the article the authors used the main points of the integrated approach to learning (integration of theoretical and practical training of innovative research activities and interdisciplinary integration of various branches of science (pedagogy, mathematical modeling, 3D modeling, additive technologies, innovation). Results. The methodical system of training students of technical higher education institution has been created and implemented, ensuring their involvement in all stages of the innovation cycle due to the use of rapid prototyping technologies. The effectiveness of technologies is confirmed by the results of the pedagogical experiment. Discussion and Conclusions. The performed researches allowed to create a methodical system for training students of technical universities of innovative research activities based on rapid prototyping technologies. This method significantly improves the effectiveness of training. It ensures the participation of students in all stages of obtaining a material innovative product: during the study of the course, and during classroom sessions. This method was developed and tested for the implementation at National Research Ogarev Mordovia State University. It provides the practical significance of the study considered in the article. Further development of the material presented in the article can be related to the expansion of the infrastructure of the Rapid Pro university center for designing and prototyping and attracting students to manufacturing industrial products

Interleukin-11 Drives Early Lung Inflammation during Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection in Genetically Susceptible Mice

IL-11 is multifunctional cytokine whose physiological role in the lungs during pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) is poorly understood. Here, using in vivo administration of specific antibodies against IL-11, we demonstrate for the first time that blocking IL-11 diminishes histopathology and neutrophilic infiltration of the lung tissue in TB-infected genetically susceptible mice. Antibody treatment decreased the pulmonary levels of IL-11 and other key inflammatory cytokines not belonging to the Th1 axis, and down-regulated IL-11 mRNA expression. This suggests the existence of a positive feedback loop at the transcriptional level, which is further supported by up-regulation of IL-11 mRNA expression in the presence of rIL-11 in in vitro cultures of lung cells. These findings imply a pathogenic role for IL-11 during the early phase of Mycobacterium tuberculosis-triggered disease in a genetically susceptible host

Amgaite, Tl3+2Te6+O6, a New Mineral from the Khokhoyskoe Gold Deposit, Eastern Siberia, Russia

The new mineral amgaite was discovered at the Khokhoyskoe gold deposit, 120 km W of Aldan town, Aldanskiy District, Sakha Republic (Yakutia), Eastern Siberia, Russia. Amgaite forms fine-grained colloform aggregates up to 0.05 mm across, and is often intimately intergrown with avicennite, unidentified carbonates and antimonates of Tl. Other associated minerals include gold, silver, acanthite, arsenopyrite, pyrite, berthierite, chalcocite, weissbergite, chlorargyrite, calcite, quartz, goethite etc. Amgaite is dark reddish brown to black. It has submetallic luster, black streak, brittle tenacity and conchoidal fracture. Its density calculated from the empirical formula and powder XRD data is 8.358 g/cm3. Its Mohs’ hardness is ca. 1.5–2. Optically, amgaite is uniaxial. In reflected light, it is gray with a bluish shade, very weakly anisotropic with rare brownish red internal reflections. Reflectance values for the four COM wavelengths [Rmin, Rmax (%)(λ in nm)] are: 13.5, 14.2 (470); 12.7, 13.2 (546); 12.3, 12.7 (589); and 11.7, 12.3 (650). The Raman spectrum shows bands of Te–O and Tl–O bonds and confirms the absence in amgaite of H2O, OH–, CO32– groups and B–O bonds. The chemical composition is (electron microprobe, wt.%): MgO 0.43, CaO 1.62, Fe2O3 0.36, Tl2O3 66.27, Sb2O5 3.48, TeO3 27.31, total 99.47. The empirical formula based on 6 O apfu is Tl3+1.74Ca0.17Mg0.06Fe3+0.03Te6+0.93Sb5+0.13O6. Amgaite is trigonal, space group P321; unit-cell parameters are as follows: a = 9.0600(9), c = 4.9913(11) Å, V = 354.82(8) Å3, Z = 3. The strongest lines of the powder X-ray diffraction pattern [dobs, Å (I, %) (hkl)] are as follows: 3.352 (100) (111), 3.063 (15) (201), 2.619 (49) (300), 2.065 (18) (221), 1.804 (28) (302), 1.697 (8) (321), 1.625 (9) (411). The crystal structure of amgaite is the same as of synthetic Tl3+2Te6+O6. The new mineral is named after the Amga River, the basin of which hosts the type locality, Khokhoyskoe occurrence. The type material is deposited in the collections of the Fersman Mineralogical Museum of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia, with the registration number 5773/1

Protein levels of IL-11 affect IL-11 mRNA expression.

<p>(A) <i>In vivo</i> administration of anti-IL-11 antibodies leads to a selective down-regulation of IL-11 mRNA. The level of expression was quantified in 5 individual mice per group, using qrt-PCR and normalization against the level of GAPDH expression. Results obtained in 1 of 2 similar experiments are expressed as mean ± SEM (for IL-11 expression <i>P</i> = 0.021, for other cytokines <i>P</i>>0.05). (B) Introduction of 100 ng/ml rIL-11 in cultures of lung cells up-regulates the expression of IL-11 mRNA. Results of two similar experiments are expressed as mean of 3 wells ± SEM (<i>P</i><0.01, ANOVA, compared to negative controls and cultures stimulated with 10 ng/ml IL-11).</p

Anti-IL-11 antibody therapy decreases levels of IL-11 and pro-inflammatory factors in the lung tissue without shifting the IL-12 – IFN-γ/IL-10 balance.

<p>Cytokine contents in lung homogenates were assessed by ELISA for 4 mice in each group. The results of one of two similar experiments are displayed as mean ± SEM.</p

Treatment with anti-IL-11 antibodies significantly attenuates the severity of TB in I/St mice.

<p>(A) ∼3-fold decrease in lung CFU counts compared to control animals. (B and C) Lung pathology in individual animals. None of anti-IL-11-treated mice developed necrotic TB foci evident in control mice <i>a</i>, <i>d</i> and <i>g</i> (circled). (D) Statistical evaluation of the proportion of inflamed lung tissue. CFU counts and morphometry were performed in all mice included in 2 independent experiments (total N = 16 and 17 for experimental and control groups, respectively). Histology is displayed for individual mice analyzed in one experiment (N = 7 for each group).</p

Properties of anti-IL-11 polyclonal antibodies.

<p>(A) Reactivity of affinity purified rabbit globulin preparation against mIL-11 assessed in ELISA format. No reactivity was found in pre-immune globulin (diamonds); immunoglobulin from rabbits immunized thrice with rmIL-11 showed very strong reactivity (squares); after exhaustion on mycobacterial sonicate adsorbent, specific anti-IL-11 reactivity dropped but was readily detected (triangles). (B) Immune blotting with rmIL-11 with polyclonal rabbit anti-mIL-11 antibodies (preparation identical to one displayed as triangles in (A). Tracks: 1, 2 – immune rabbits 1 and 2; 3, 4 – pre-immune rabbits 1 and 2; 5 – conjugate-free control.</p

Two weeks after TB challenge the level of IL-11 mRNA increases ∼1 log in the lungs of TB-susceptible I/St but does not change in TB-resistant A/Sn mice.

<p>Mean ± SEM expression level plotted against that of GABDT in 4 individual mice per group is displayed (<i>P</i><0.01, ANOVA, between naïve and infected I/St mice).</p