The Effects of Mechanical Preload on Transmural Differences in Mechano-Calcium-Electric Feedback in Single Cardiomyocytes: Experiments and Mathematical Models

Transmural differences in ventricular myocardium are maintained by electromechanical coupling and mechano-calcium/mechano-electric feedback. In the present study, we experimentally investigated the influence of preload on the force characteristics of subendocardial (Endo) and subepicardial (Epi) single ventricular cardiomyocytes stretched by up to 20% from slack sarcomere length (SL) and analyzed the results with the help of mathematical modeling. Mathematical models of Endo and Epi cells, which accounted for regional heterogeneity in ionic currents, Ca2+ handling, and myofilament contractile mechanisms, showed that a greater slope of the active tension–length relationship observed experimentally in Endo cardiomyocytes could be explained by greater length-dependent Ca2+ activation in Endo cells compared with Epi ones. The models also predicted that greater length dependence of Ca2+ activation in Endo cells compared to Epi ones underlies, via mechano-calcium-electric feedback, the reduction in the transmural gradient in action potential duration (APD) at a higher preload. However, the models were unable to reproduce the experimental data on a decrease of the transmural gradient in the time to peak contraction between Endo and Epi cells at longer end-diastolic SL. We hypothesize that preload-dependent changes in viscosity should be involved alongside the Frank–Starling effects to regulate the transmural gradient in length-dependent changes in the time course of contraction of Endo and Epi cardiomyocytes. Our experimental data and their analysis based on mathematical modeling give reason to believe that mechano-calcium-electric feedback plays a critical role in the modulation of electrophysiological and contractile properties of myocytes across the ventricular wall. © Copyright © 2020 Khokhlova, Konovalov, Iribe, Solovyova and Katsnelson.AAAA-A18-118020590031-8Russian Foundation for Basic Research, RFBR: 18-01-00059Russian Science Foundation, RSF: 18-74-10059Funding. Wet experiments were supported by the Russian Science Foundation (#18-74-10059). The development of mouse ventricular cardiomyocyte model was supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (#18-01-00059), IIF UrB RAS theme (AAAA-A18-118020590031-8), and by RF Government Act #211 of March 16, 2013 (agreement 02.A03.21.0006)

The formation of social and professional mobility of students in continuing education «school – college – university»

The authors reveal the potential of continuing vocational education within social and occupational mobility of graduates. The article discusses the components of pedagogical maintenance of professionally important qualities of a young specialist in the labor marketРаскрывается потенциал системы непрерывного профессионального образования в вопросе формирования социально-профессиональной мобильности выпускников; приведены компоненты педагогического сопровождения процесса формирования профессионально важных на рынке труда качеств молодого специалист

Is microtubule disassembly a trigger for cold acclimation?

Cold acclimation was followed in three cultivars of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) that differ in freezing tolerance, using root growth as the indicator. During acclimation (followed through 7 d at 4°C), growth rate progressively recovered. The recovery was fast in the tolerant, slow in the sensitive cultivars. The development of freezing tolerance was followed by a challenging cold shock administered after various time intervals of acclimation. Acclimation proceeded faster in the tolerant cultivars. Microtubules were monitored during the acclimation period. A rapid, but transient partial disassembly in the tolerant cultivars preceded the formation of cold-stable microtubules and the recovery of growth rate. In contrast, this transient disassembly was absent in the sensitive cultivar. When a transient disassembly was artificially generated by a pulse-treatment with the antimicrotubular herbicide pronamide, this could induce freezing tolerance. The appearance of cold-stable microtubules was accompanied by a reduced abundance of type TUA1/2 a-tubulin isotypes. These findings are discussed with respect to a role of microtubule disassembly in the sensing of low-temperature stress

Формные материалы для выборочного лакирования

Проаналізовано технічні і технологічні особливості проведення опоряджувального процесу лакування, зокрема вибіркового. Розроблено класифікацію формних матеріалів для фрагментарного лакування та алгоритм їх підготовки.The technical and technological features of leadthrough of finishing process of the varnishing, in particular selective are analysed. Classification of the material plates for the fragmentary varnishing and algorithm of its preparing is developed.Проанализированы технические и технологические особенности проведения отделочного процесса лакирования, в частности выборочного. Разработана классификация формных материалов для фрагментарного лакирования и алгоритм их подготовки

Transformation of the Bryansk paleosol in microdepressions in the center of the East European forest-steppe during the maximum of valdai glaciation and in the Holocene

Recent and Late Pleistocene soils of the central forest-steppe in the East European Plain have been studied. The main objective of the work is to reveal changes in the properties of the Bryansk paleosol (final phase of MIS 3), one of the most important geosols of the Late Pleistocene. These changes could be induced by cryogenesis during the Valdai glaciation maximum (MIS 2) and by the Holocene pedogenesis (MIS 1) under different conditions of the modern microtopography. We have studied the catena of Holocene soils underlain by the Bryansk paleosol within a small closed depression in the Kazatskaya Steppe of the V.V. Alekhin Central Chernozemic Biospheric Reserve in Kursk oblas

Dependence of inertial cavitation induced by high intensity focused ultrasound on transducer <i>F</i>-number and nonlinear waveform distortion.

Pulsed high intensity focused ultrasound was shown to enhance chemotherapeutic drug uptake in tumor tissue through inertial cavitation, which is commonly assumed to require peak rarefactional pressures to exceed a certain threshold. However, recent studies have indicated that inertial cavitation activity also correlates with the presence of shocks at the focus. The shock front amplitude and corresponding peak negative pressure (p -) in the focal waveform are primarily determined by the transducer F-number: less focused transducers produce shocks at lower p -. Here, the dependence of inertial cavitation activity on the transducer F-number was investigated in agarose gel by monitoring broadband noise emissions with a coaxial passive cavitation detector (PCD) during pulsed exposures (pulse duration 1 ms, pulse repetition frequency 1 Hz) with p- varying within 1-15 MPa. Three 1.5 MHz transducers with the same aperture, but different focal distances (F-numbers 0.77, 1.02, 1.52) were used. PCD signals were processed to extract cavitation probability, persistence, and mean noise level. At the same p -, all metrics indicated enhanced cavitation activity at higher F-numbers; specifically, cavitation probability reached 100% when shocks formed at the focus. These results provide further evidence supporting the excitation of inertial cavitation at reduced p - by waveforms with nonlinear distortion and shocks

Magnetic field, chemical composition and line profile variability of the peculiar eclipsing binary star AR Aur

AR Aur is the only eclipsing binary known to contain a HgMn star, making it an ideal case for a detailed study of the HgMn phenomenon. HgMn stars are a poorly understood class of chemically peculiar stars, which have traditionally been thought not to possess significant magnetic fields. However, the recent discovery of line profile variability in some HgMn stars, apparently attributable to surface abundance patches, has brought this belief into question. In this paper we investigate the chemical abundances, line profile variability, and magnetic field of the primary and secondary of the AR Aur system, using a series of high resolution spectropolarimetric observations. We find the primary is indeed a HgMn star, and present the most precise abundances yet determined for this star. We find the secondary is a weak Am star, and is possibly still on the pre-main sequence. Line profile variability was observed in a range of lines in the primary, and is attributed to inhomogeneous surface distributions of some elements. No magnetic field was detected in any observation of either stars, with an upper limit on the longitudinal magnetic field in both stars of 100 G. Modeling of the phase-resolve longitudinal field measurements leads to a 3 sigma upper limit on any dipole surface magnetic field of about 400 G.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS, 11 pages, 9 figure

Rotational and Cyclical Variability in gamma Cassiopeia

We report results of a nine-year monitoring effort on the unusual classical Be with a robotic ground-based (APT) B,V-filtered telescope as well as simultaneous observations in 2004 November with this instrument and the RXTE (X-ray) telescope. Our observations disclosed no correlated optical response to the rapid X-ray flares in this star, nor did the star show any sustained flux changes during the course of either of the two monitored nights in either wavelength regime. Our optical light curves reveal that gamma Cas undergoes \~3%-amplitude cycles with lengths of 60--90 days. Over the nine days we monitored the star with the RXTE, the X-ray flux varied in phase with its optical cycle and with an amplitude predicted from correlated optical/X-ray data from an earlier paper. The amplitudes of the V magnitude cycles are 30--40% larger than the B amplitudes, suggesting the seat of the cycles is circumstellar. The cycle lengths constantly change and can damp or grow on timescales as short as 13 days. We have also discovered a coherent period of 1.21581 +/-0.00002 days in all our data, which is consistent only with rotation. The full amplitude of this variation is 0.0060 in both filters. The derived waveform, somewhat surprisingly, is almost sawtooth in shape. This variation probably originates on the star's surface. This circumstance hints at the existence of a strong magnetic field with a complex topology and an associated heterogeneous surface composition.Comment: 31 pages, 7 figures. Submitted to The Astrophysical Journa

XRD Characterization of the Structure of Graphites and Carbon Materials Obtained by the Low-Temperature Graphitization of Coal Tar Pitch

The structure of some commercial graphites and carbon materials (CMs) obtained by the low-temperature catalytic graphitization of coal tar pitch with iron salt, needle coke, foamed graphite as the catalysts has been studied. The study was performed using the X-ray diffraction technique with reflections from base plane and their decomposition into two components corresponding to the structural phases of graphite which have different XRD characteristics. Various CMs were compared with respect to the structural phase ratio, distance between polyarene layers in these phases, and sizes of the coherent scattering regions. The (004) reflection provided a better fit of some properties of graphites to the calculated XRD characteristics as compared to calculation from the (002) reflection. In the case of carbonization of coal tar pitch with investigated catalyst additions, prepared carbon materials have a higher degree of graphitization and a crystallite size greater than in the other case of carbonization of the individual pitch. The highest catalytic activity is shown by foamed graphite. It was found that the use of foamed graphite as the catalyst at 800-900 ºC produced carbon materials possessing a crystalline structure with interplanar spacing close to that in commercial graphites, while in the absence of catalyst the coal tar pitch material has an amorphous structure

Analysis of Mechanical Alternans in Single Cardiomyocytes in Atrial Fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation (AF) has a significant impact on the contractile function of the heart in the form of alternans activity in atrial cardiomyocytes. In this study, we designed a method for evaluating mechanical alternans in atrial cardiomyocytes in AF.Работа выполнена при поддержке государственной темы ИИФ УрО РАН № 122022200089-4