First measurements of oblique ECE with a real-time moveable line-of-sight on TCV

Electron cyclotron (EC) emission (ECE) radiometers viewing perpendicular to the magnetic field are common on nearly all tokamaks for measuring the electron temperature with good spatio-temporal resolution. Two such radiometers are installed on TCV, one looking from the low field side (LFS) and the other from the high field side (HFS). The HFS radiometer is especially sensitive to non-Maxwellian emission in the presence of the strong EC current drive (ECCD) provided by the 3-MW second-harmonic (X2) EC system as the nonthermal radiation is not reabsorbed by the bulk when passing to the receiver. Simultaneous HFS and LFS measurements allow higher-order modeling of the electron distribution function as more constraints are provided by the dual measurements; however, the asymmetric nature of the electron distribution function required for ECCD to occur is not directly put in evidence by these lines of sight. Oblique ECE measurements of an asymmetric nonthermal electron distribution, on the other hand, are expected to also be asymmetric and can provide important information on the current-carrying features of the nonthermal population. A dedicated receiving antenna has been installed allowing real-time swept oblique ECE on TCV in both the co- and counter-looking directions. Proof-of-principle experiments are described in which Doppler-shifted emission is measured

Separation of signals from neutrons and gamma quanta by the method of normalized signals

The solution of the problem how to register fast neutrons in the presence of intense gamma radiation is required when solving such fundamental and applied problems as registration of the neutron and gamma background in underground low-background experiments (the low background detectors of the neutrino and dark matter); beam diagnostic at particle accelerators; radiation monitoring at nuclear facilities, nuclear medicine; environmental monitoring. To separate signals from neutrons and gamma quanta, scintillation detectors with organic scintillators are used. The best scintillators are organic crystals of stilbene and p-terpheny

Relationship of the Content of Systemic and Endobronchial Soluble Molecules of CD25, CD38, CD8, and HLA-I-CD8 and Lung Function Parameters in COPD Patients

© 2017 Nailya Kubysheva et al. The definition of new markers of local and systemic inflammation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one of the priority directions in the study of pathogenesis and diagnostic methods improvement for this disease. We investigated 91 patients with COPD and 21 healthy nonsmokers. The levels of soluble CD25, CD38, CD8, and HLA-I-CD8 molecules in the blood serum and exhaled breath condensate (EBC) in moderate-to-severe COPD patients during exacerbation and stable phase were studied. An unidirectional change in the content of sCD25, sCD38, and sCD8 molecules with increasing severity of COPD was detected. The correlations between the parameters of lung function and sCD8, sCD25, and sHLA-I-CD8 levels in the blood serum and EBC were discovered in patients with severe COPD. The findings suggest a pathogenetic role of the investigated soluble molecules of the COPD development and allow considering the content of sCD8, sCD25, and sHLA-I-CD8 molecules as additional novel systemic and endobronchial markers of the progression of chronic inflammation of this disease

BLR kinematics and Black Hole Mass in Markarian 6

We present results of the optical spectral and photometric observations of the nucleus of Markarian 6 made with the 2.6-m Shajn telescope at the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory. The continuum and emission Balmer line intensities varied more than by a factor of two during 1992-2008. The lag between the continuum and Hbeta emission line flux variations is 21.1+-1.9 days. For the Halpha line the lag is about 27 days but its uncertainty is much larger. We use Monte-Carlo simulation of the random time series to check the effect of our data sampling on the lag uncertainties and we compare our simulation results with those obtained by random subset selection (RSS) method of Peterson et al. (1998). The lag in the high-velocity wings are shorter than in the line core in accordance with the virial motions. However, the lag is slightly larger in the blue wing than in the red wing. This is a signature of the infall gas motion. Probably the BLR kinematic in the Mrk 6 nucleus is a combination of the Keplerian and infall motions. The velocity-delay dependence is similar for individual observational seasons. The measurements of the Hbeta line width in combination with the reverberation lag permits us to determine the black hole mass, M_BH=(1.8+-0.2)x10^8 M_sun. This result is consistent with the AGN scaling relationships between the BLR radius and the optical continuum luminosity (R_BLR is proportional to L^0.5) as well as with the black-hole mass-luminosity relationship (M_BH-L) under the Eddington luminosity ratio for Mrk 6 to be L_bol/L_Edd ~ 0.01.Comment: 17 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA

The structure and evolution of M51-type galaxies

We discuss the integrated kinematic parameters of 20 M51-type binary galaxies. A comparison of the orbital masses of the galaxies with the sum of the individual masses suggests that moderately massive dark halos surround bright spiral galaxies. The relative velocities of the galaxies in binary systems were found to decrease with increasing relative luminosity of the satellite. We obtained evidence that the Tully-Fisher relation for binary members could be flatter than that for local field galaxies. An enhanced star formation rate in the binary members may be responsible for this effect. In most binary systems, the direction of orbital motion of the satellite coincides with the direction of rotation of the main galaxy. Seven candidates for distant M51-type objects were found in the Northern and Southern Hubble Deep Fields. A comparison of this number with the statistics of nearby galaxies provides evidence for the rapid evolution of the space density of M51-type galaxies with redshift Z. We assume that M51-type binary systems could be formed through the capture of a satellite by a massive spiral galaxy. It is also possible that the main galaxy and its satellite in some of the systems have a common cosmological origin.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, to be published in Astronomy Letter

Нитрозивный стресс и растворимые дифференцировочные молекулы при обострении хронической обструктивной болезни легких

Summary. The aim of this study was to investigate nitrite blood levels (NO2 –) and the total nitrite and nitrate concentration (Σ NO2 – / NO3 –) in the exhaled breath condensate (EBC) and to evaluate interrelationships between NO metabolites and serum sCD50, sCD54, sHLA-I, sCD95 soluble differentiation molecules in patients with exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We examined 110 patients with exacerbation of COPD stages I–III and 28 healthy non-smokers. Exacerbation of COPD stages II and III was found to be related to a significant increase in NO2 level in the blood and (Σ NO2 – / NO3 –) in EBC, increased concentrations of sCD50, sCD54, sHLA-I molecules and decreased concentration of sCD95 molecules. Statistically significant strong relationships were found between nitrous stress parameters and serum concentrations of soluble differentiation molecules in exacerbation of COPD. These data could indicate a role of soluble sCD50, sCD54, sHLA-I, sCD95 molecules and nitrous stress in the pathogenesis of COPD progression. These biomarkers could be used as predictors of poor prognosis of early-stage COPD and as diagnostic criteria of exacerbation of COPD stages II–III.Резюме. Целью исследования было изучение содержания нитритов в крови (NO2 –), суммарной концентрации нитритов и нитратов (Σ NO2 – / NO3 –) в конденсате выдыхаемого воздуха (КВВ), оценка взаимосвязей между уровнем метаболитов оксида азота и сывороточным содержанием растворимых дифференцировочных молекул sCD50, sCD54, sHLA-I, sCD95 у больных с обострением хронической обструктивной болезни легких (ХОБЛ). Были обследованы 110 пациентов с обострением ХОБЛ I–III стадии и 28 здоровых некурящих лиц. Показано, что обострение ХОБЛ II и III стадии связано с достоверным повышением уровня NO2 в крови (Σ NO2 – / NO3 –) и в КВВ, увеличением в циркуляции содержания sCD50, sCD54, sHLA-I и снижением сывороточной концентрации sCD95 молекул. Обнаружены сильные статистически значимые связи между параметрами нитрозивного стресса и сывороточным содержанием растворимых дифференцировочных молекул при обострении ХОБЛ. Полученные данные свидетельствуют о патогенетической роли нитрозивного стресса и растворимых форм молекул sCD50, sCD54, sHLA-I, sCD95 в прогрессировании ХОБЛ. Изученные маркеры можно использовать в качестве предикторов неблагоприятного прогноза ХОБЛ на ранних стадиях и в качестве критериев в диагностике обострений ХОБЛ II и III стадии

Multifrequency Photo-polarimetric WEBT Observation Campaign on the Blazar S5 0716+714: Source Microvariability and Search for Characteristic Timescales

Here we report on the results of the WEBT photo-polarimetric campaign targeting the blazar S5~0716+71, organized in March 2014 to monitor the source simultaneously in BVRI and near IR filters. The campaign resulted in an unprecedented dataset spanning $\sim 110$\,h of nearly continuous, multi-band observations, including two sets of densely sampled polarimetric data mainly in R filter. During the campaign, the source displayed pronounced variability with peak-to-peak variations of about $30\%$ and "bluer-when-brighter" spectral evolution, consisting of a day-timescale modulation with superimposed hourlong microflares characterized by $\sim 0.1$\,mag flux changes. We performed an in-depth search for quasi-periodicities in the source light curve; hints for the presence of oscillations on timescales of $\sim 3$\,h and $\sim 5$\,h do not represent highly significant departures from a pure red-noise power spectrum. We observed that, at a certain configuration of the optical polarization angle relative to the positional angle of the innermost radio jet in the source, changes in the polarization degree led the total flux variability by about 2\,h; meanwhile, when the relative configuration of the polarization and jet angles altered, no such lag could be noted. The microflaring events, when analyzed as separate pulse emission components, were found to be characterized by a very high polarization degree ($> 30\%$) and polarization angles which differed substantially from the polarization angle of the underlying background component, or from the radio jet positional angle. We discuss the results in the general context of blazar emission and energy dissipation models.Comment: 16 pages, 17 Figures; ApJ accepte

Жировые эмульсии третьего поколения в составе парентерального питания оперированных онкологических больных

Objective: to study the efficacy of third- versus secondary-generation fatty emulsions as part of parenteral nutrition in patients operated on for gastric cancer. Subjects and methods. Envelope randomization was used to make up two groups, each comprising 10 patients, operated on for gastric cancer in the scope of gastrectomy. A control group received parenteral nutrition having the following components: Lipofundin MST/LST 20%, (500 ml daily) + Nutriflex 48/150 (B. Braun) (1000 ml daily, 1744 kcal/day). The study group patients were given Lipoplus 20% (500 ml daily) + Nutriflex 48/150 (1000 ml daily, 1745 kcal/day). Parenteral nutrition was used on postoperative days 1 to 5. Results. Nutritional status evaluation revealed a significant increase in the concentration of total protein and albumin in the control and study group patients on postoperative day 6. The use of both second- and third-generation fatty emulsions caused a significant increase in the concentration of triglycerides on day 6 after surgery; no differences were found between the groups. On day 6 following surgery, there was a significant decrease in IL-4 in both groups (p<0.05). At the same time the Lipofundin MST/LST group showed a significantly lower concentration of IL-4 than did the study group (p<0.05). After termination of a parenteral nutrition course, the study and control groups showed a significant decrease in one of the major pro-inflammatory cytokines — IL-6. Conclusion. In the study group, the serum anti-inflammatory activity of IL-4 was more evident than that in the control group and the proinflammatory activity (IL-6 concentration) decreased, which can support that as compared with the second-generation fatty emulsions, third-generation ones with a balanced omega 3 to omega-6 fatty acid ratio (1:2.7) had a normalizing effect on systemic inflammatory processes and cytokine balance with increased anti-inflammatory and reduced proinflammatory activities. Key words: third-generation fatty emulsions, omega-3/omega-6 fatty acids, pro and anti-inflammatory cytokines.Цель исследования . Изучить эффективность жировых эмульсий третьего поколения в составе парентерального питания больных, радикально оперированных по поводу рака желудка, в сравнении с жировыми эмульсиями второго поколения. Материал и методы. Путем рандомизации методом конвертов сформировано две группы по 10 пациентов в каждой, радикально оперированных по поводу рака желудка в объеме гастрэктомии. В контрольной группе использовали парентеральное питание в следующем составе: «Липофундин МСТ/ЛСТ» 20% — 500 мл в сутки + «Нутрифлекс 48/150» (B. Braun) — 1000 мл в сутки (1744 ккал/сут). Пациенты исследуемой группы получали «Липоплюс» 20% — 500 мл в сутки + «Нутрифлекс 48/150» — 1000 мл в сутки (1745 ккал/сут). Парентеральное питание применяли с первых по пятые послеоперационные сутки. Результаты. Оценка нутритивного статуса выявила достоверное повышение концентрации общего белка и альбумина на 6-е послеоперационные сутки у пациентов контрольной и исследуемой групп. Отмечена адекватная утилизация парентерального питания в обеих группах. Назначение жировой эмульсии, как второго, так и третьего поколения сопровождалось достоверным повышением концентрации триглицеридов на 6-е сутки после операции, при этом различий между группами не выявлено. Получено достоверное уменьшение IL-4 на 6-е сут после операции в обеих группах (