Delivering Bio-Mems & Microfluidic Education Around Accessible Technologies

Electronic Systems are now being deployed in al-most all aspects of daily life as opposed to being confined to consumer electronics, computing, communication and control applications as was the case in the 90’s. One of the more significant growth areas is medical instrumentation, health care, bio-chemical analysis and environmental monitoring. Most of these applications will in the future require the integration of fluidics and biology within complex electronic systems. We are now seeing technologies emerging together with access services such as the FP6 “INTEGRAMplus” and “MicroBuilder” programs that offer competitive solutions for companies wishing to de-sign and prototype microfluidic systems. For successful deployment of these systems, a new breed of electronic engineers are needed that understand how to deliver bio-chemistry and living cells to transducers and integrate the required technologies reliably into robust systems. This paper will report on initial training initiatives now active under the INTEGRAMplus program

Dendrological collections of the Stavropol Botanical Garden: introduction and development prospects

Received: April 15th, 2021 ; Accepted: July 21st, 2021 ; Published: August 2nd, 2021 ; Correspondence: [email protected] gardens perform active introductory work, carry out educational and academic activities, preserve the gene pool of the red book species, and serve as a source of enrichment plant resources. The leading role in solving these problems is played by dendrological collections, on the basis of which botanical research is carried out. The main part of the woody collections is located in the Stavropol Botanical Garden (SBG) arboretum. Work on the construction of the SBG arboretum began in 1959. Initially, it was planned to collect various species, natural and cultural forms of woody and shrubby plants from the temperate, and partly northern and subtropical zones. In addition, four models of forest vegetation formations of the Stavropol Krai and Karachay-Cherkessia were created on the territory of the SBG. The article presents the main stages of the introduction work on the creation of dendrological collections, the methods used. Most of the collections were formed in a short time due to the preliminary selection and mobilization of planting material. The long period of introduction made it possible to judge the advantages and disadvantages of the chosen method of genus complexes. The modern composition of the collections is analyzed, the role of the introduction process in the conservation of biodiversity is noted. The species that are promising for use in the landscaping of the region are listed. In the future, work with dendrological collections implies the attraction of new species, the introduction of information technologies, continuation of study and monitoring of plants listed in the Red Books of the Stavropol Krai, Russia and the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature

Mechanism of reduced sintering temperature of Al2O3–ZrO2 nanocomposites obtained by microwave hydrothermal synthesis

A novel method to obtain Al2O3–ZrO2 nanocomposites is presented. It consists of the co-precipitation step of boehmite (AlO(OH)) and ZrO2, followed by microwave hydrothermal treatment at 270 °C and 60 MPa, and by calcination at 600 °C. Using this method, we obtained two nanocomposites: Al2O3–20 wt % ZrO2 and Al2O3–40 wt % ZrO2. Nanocomposites were characterized by Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy. Sintering behavior and thermal expansion coefficients were investigated during dilatometric tests. The sintering temperatures of the nanocomposites were 1209 °C and 1231 °C, respectively—approximately 100 °C lower than reported for such composites. We attribute the decrease of the sintering temperature to the specific nanostructure obtained using microwave hydrothermal treatment instead of conventional calcination. Microwave hydrothermal treatment resulted in a fine distribution of intermixed highly crystalline nanoparticles of boehmite and zirconia. Such intermixing prevented particle growth, which is a factor reducing sintering temperature. Further, due to reduced grain growth, stability of the θ-Al2O3 phase was extended up to 1200 °C, which enhances the sintering process as well. For the Al2O3–20 wt % ZrO2 composition, we observed stability of the zirconia tetragonal phase up to 1400 °C. We associate this stability with the mutual separation of zirconia nanoparticles in the alumina matrix

A Comparative Analysis of Pesticides Production, Consumption, and Foreign Trade

The production, consumption and foreign trade of pesticides are important sectors of the chemical industry in particular, and of the national economy as a whole. The pesticides sector has a positive impact on increasing crop yields and a negative effect on the environment as a pollutant hazardous to plants, humans, etc. To analyze the place and role of pesticides in the national economy, we gathered a large amount of data from sources including national and international statistical yearbooks (UN, FAO, OECD, Eurostat, National Statistical Yearbooks and Foreign Trade Statistical Yearbooks). The following pesticides data were compiled, handled and keyboarded into a PC: pesticides production 1966-1988, including production by types of pesticides (according to available data); pesticides consumption; and foreign trade (exports and imports of pesticides in value and volume). The following data on territory, population and agricultural production were compiled, handled and used for suitable calculations and comparative analysis for the eight major producers and/or exporters of pesticides: Austria, Czechoslovakia, the FRG, the GDR, the Netherlands, Poland, the USA and the USSR (from 1966-1986): total territory; arable territory; total population; agricultural population; total cereal production; rye production; potato production; vegetable production; fruit production; total cereal yield; wheat yield; rye yield; and potato yield. The validity of this information is determined by the data reliability taken from suitable sources. For instance, the population data in the FAO Production Yearbook were taken from the UN Demographic Yearbooks which give time series of estimates from national statistics. The data on pesticides production and consumption were compiled from National Statistics Yearbooks and National Foreign Trade Yearbooks which ensure their validity and reliability. Usually, pesticides volumes are very aggregated (in total or by large groups like herbicides, insecticides, fungicides and others), including the same components and, as a rule, are measured in identical units (thousand tons of active ingredients according to international classification), and are comparable for different countries. With the compiled data for the period 1966-1986, the following analytical calculations were made along with a comparative analysis of eight East and West countries: share of main pesticide producers in the World and Europe; pesticides production per hectare of total and arable land; pesticides production per capita (of total and agricultural population); pesticides production per unit of agricultural production for the main agricultural products mentioned above; structure of pesticides production for the period 1966-1986 in the main pesticide-producing countries; pesticides consumption per hectare of total and arable land; pesticides consumption per capita of total and agricultural population; and pesticides consumption per unit of agricultural production for the main agricultural products mentioned above. The following data on world foreign trade for over eighty countries over the period 1972-1986 were compiled, handled and keyboarded into a PC for analytical calculations: exports in value and volume; imports in value and volume; volumes of total exports by country; and volumes of total imports by country. Data on world pesticides foreign trade used for calculations and comparative analysis over the period 1972-1986: share of pesticides exports in the total exports for each country; share of pesticides imports in total imports for each country; and dynamics of the pesticides export and import prices. The results of this study suggest the following future research directions: increase in the number of countries studied in a comparative analysis; analysis of more detailed information on pesticides production and consumption (differentiated by types of pesticides, territories, plants, environmental impact, etc.); more relevant information on pesticides application efficiency based on a correlated analysis of crop yields with pesticides application by types, plants, territories, etc.; and pesticides hazard assessment, requiring more differentiated information on pesticides application norms for different plants, areas for plants, toxicity of specific pesticides in use, soil and water conditions, accumulation in plants, etc

Macrospin limit and configurational anisotropy in nanoscale Permalloy triangles

In Permalloy submicron triangles, configurational anisotropy - a higher-order form of shape anisotropy - yields three equivalent easy axes, imposed by the structures' symmetry order. Supported by micromagnetic simulations, an experimental method was devised to evaluate the nanostructure dimensions for which a Stoner-Wohlfarth type of reversal could be used to describe this particular magnetic anisotropy. In this regime, a straightforward procedure using an in-plane rotating field allowed us to quantify experimentally the six-fold anisotropy fields for triangles of different thicknesses and sizes

Економічна стратегія стимулювання регіонів України у післявоєнний період

Післявоєнне економічне відновлення регіонів України - це складний і багатогранний процес, який включає в себе ряд заходів та стратегій. Ці шляхи можуть відрізнятися залежно від конкрет­ного регіону, його потреб і можливостей, а також політичної ситуації в країні. Однак ключові на­прямки для післявоєнного економічного віднов­лення регіонів України: інфраструктурний розви­ток, де регіони повинні інвестувати в розвиток та модернізацію інфраструктури, включаючи до­роги, залізниці, порти, аеропорти та комунікації, що сприятиме поліпшенню умов для бізнесу та підвищенню конкурентоспроможності регіону; підтримка малих та середніх підприємств може стати джерелом нових робочих місць і стимулю­вати економічний розвиток регіонів. Зокрема, це може включати в себе фінансову підтримку, нав­чання та консультації для підприємців; розвиток освіти та науки важливі для створення квалі­фікованої робочої сили і розвитку інноваційних технологій, що можуть збільшити конкуренто­спроможність регіону; підтримка сільськогоспо­дарського сектору для багатьох регіонів України, а саме інвестиції в розвиток сільськогосподар­ського сектору можуть покращити якість життя сільського населення та забезпечити продоволь­чу безпеку; приваблення іноземних інвестицій, тобто сприятливе інвестиційне середовище, щоб привабити іноземні інвестори, які могли б вкла­дати в регіональну економіку; соціальна полі­тика, включаючи підтримку вразливих груп на­селення та підвищення якості життя громадян; регіональна співпраця між різними регіонами та місцевими владами може сприяти обміну досві­дом і ресурсами для спільного розвитку. Ці шляхи можуть бути поєднані в різних ком­бінаціях, в залежності від потреб та можливостей конкретного регіону. Однак успішне післявоєнне економічне відновлення вимагає спільних зусиль уряду, бізнесу та громадськості

Cardioprotective effect of thiotriazoline in cancer patients

Aim. To evaluate the effectiveness of morpholinium-methyl-triazolyl-thioacetate (thiotriazoline) as a cardioprotector in patients with non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas who received chemotherapy with the inclusion of anthracyclines.Material and methods. Fifty patients with non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas were examined on the background of antitumor therapy. The patients were divided into 2 following groups: group 1 (n=27) — standard chemotherapy; group 2 (n=23) — thiotriazoline as a cardioprotector. The quality of life was assessed using the SF-36 questionnaire; the level of troponin I and the natriuretic peptide NT-proBNP was determined; an electrocardiography and echocardiography were performed.Results. In the course of the study, significant differences (p<0,05) were found in following parameters: the severity of dyspnea and lower limb edema, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, creatine phosphokinase, troponin I level, NT-proBNP, corrected QT interval, end systolic volume, left ventricular ejection fraction, E/A ratio. The results obtained indicate the clinical and paraclinical advantage of thiotriazoline and reflect its cardioprotective effect. Conclusion. The use of thiotriazoline makes it possible to prevent and slow down the cardiovascular disease continuum, leading to the development of heart failure or decompensation that exists in this category of patients. Keywords: cardio-oncology, thiotriazoline, heart failure, anthracyclines, cardiotoxicity>˂0,05) were found in following parameters: the severity of dyspnea and lower limb edema, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, creatine phosphokinase, troponin I level, NT-proBNP, corrected QT interval, end systolic volume, left ventricular ejection fraction, E/A ratio. The results obtained indicate the clinical and paraclinical advantage of thiotriazoline and reflect its cardioprotective effect.Conclusion. The use of thiotriazoline makes it possible to prevent and slow down the cardiovascular disease continuum, leading to the development of heart failure or decompensation that exists in this category of patients