Role of spatial coherence in polarization tomography

We analyze an experimental setup in which a quasi-monochromatic spatially coherent beam of light is used to probe a paraxial optical scatterer. We discuss the effect of the spatial coherence of the probe beam on the Mueller matrix representing the scatterer. We show that according to the degree of spatial coherence of the beam, the \emph{same} scattering system can be represented by \emph{different} Mueller matrices. This result should serve as a warning for experimentalists.Comment: 3 pages, 1 figur

Cellulases from Mycelial fungi <em>Penicillium verruculosum</em> as a Real Alternative to Trichoderma Enzymes in Industrial Hydrolysis of Cellulosic Biomass

Abstract The possibility of using the recipient strain Penicillium verruculosum B1-537 (ΔniaD) as a producer of laboratory and industrial enzymes was considered. The advantage of this strain is its ability to secrete a basic cellulase complex consisting of cellobiohydrolases, endoglucanases, and β-glucosidase, which exceeds in its hydrolytic ability the enzyme complex of Hypocrea (Trichoderma) strains. Using the expression system, the basic complex of cellulases of the recipient strain Piptochaetium verruculosum B1-537 (ΔniaD) was supplemented with new (booster) enzymes that are necessary to increase its hydrolytic activity. Enzyme preparations adapted to the processing of various types of renewable plant biomass were obtained

Efficacy and safety of diacerein in patients with knee osteoarthritis

Diacerein (D) belongs to a class of symptomatic slow-acting agents, has an original mechanism of action, and is widely used as a diseasemodifying antirheumatic drug to treat osteoarthritis (OA) in Russia and many countries of the world. The ability of the drug to affect the main symptoms and progression of OA has been shown in a number of well-organized clinical trials.Objective: to evaluate the efficacy and safety of D in patients with knee OA.Patients and methods. An open-label trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of D (diaflex) in patients with knee OA was conducted in accordance with the multicenter program «Osteoarthrosis: Assessment of Progression in Real Clinical Practice». The trial included 80 patients of both sexes with Stage II–III knee OA; mean age, 60.8±6.8 years (47–75 years); mean body mass index, 31.8±5.9 kg/m2; disease duration, 10.3±5.7 years (2–30 years). The duration of the trial was 9 months (6 months of therapy and 3 months of follow-up).Results. There was a statistically significant reduction in visual analog scale pain on walking just 1 month after therapy initiation (57.1±9.7 and 44.7±13.9 mm; p&lt;0.0001) and a further significant improvement throughout the 6-month therapy. Pain did not increase after the drug was discontinued (the follow-up period was 3 months). The same pattern was observed in the assessment of the WOMAC index (pain during early therapy, 243.8±73.9; pain at the end of therapy, 137.5±78.9; stiffness, 97.8±41.1 and 57.7±38.6; functional failure, 875.8±250.4 and 525±305.7 respectively; p&lt;0.0001). Statistically significantly improved quality of life indicators measured by EQ-5D were noted throughout the follow-up period: 0.43±0.23 at the beginning of therapy, 0.61±0.14 at its end, and 0.63±0.11 at 3 months following treatment completion (p&lt;0.0001). By the time of therapy completion, 71.3% of the patients completely refused to take nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Both the patient and the physician evaluated the efficiency of treatment identically. By the end of therapy, 87.5% of the patients were observed to have improvement. Adverse reactions (ARs) were recorded in 10 (12.5%) patients and mainly associated with more frequent stools; ARs were not a cause of treatment interruptions or protocol deviations.Conclusion. Diaflex has a good symptomatic and anti-inflammatory effect: the therapy statistically significantly reduces pain, stiffness, and the need for NSAIDs and improves quality of life and joint function. The drug has a good safety profile and after-effects, which is seen at least 3 months after therapy discontinuation

Сравнительный анализ показателей качества лекарственного препарата альбумина человека с измененным стабилизирующим составом

Scientific relevance. The national and international human albumin preparations registered in the Russian Federation mainly differ in their excipient compositions. While all the international preparations of human albumin contain a mixture of sodium caprylate and N-acetyl-DL-tryptophan, the Russian ones contain only sodium caprylate. However, albumin stabilisation with sodium caprylate at high concentrations affects the ligand-binding properties of albumin. For this reason, as well as to achieve storage stability not only at temperatures of 2 °C to 8 °C but also   at room temperature, most international manufacturers have reduced the sodium caprylate content in albumin preparations and added N-acetyl-DL-tryptophan. This demonstrates the relevance of studying the quality of a new Russian human albumin preparation with a modified stabilising composition, including both sodium caprylate and N-acetyl-DL-tryptophan.Aim. The study aimed at comparing several quality attributes of the human albumin preparation with a modified stabilising composition with those of imported human albumin preparations.Materials and methods. The human albumin preparation with a modified stabilising composition was manufactured by fractionation from donor plasma meeting the requirements of monograph FS.3.3.2.0001.19 of the State Pharmacopoeia of the Russian Federation edition XIV. The quality control was in line with the monograph on human albumin (FS.3.3.2.0006.18), and statistical analysis was conducted in Microsoft Excel in accordance with the general chapter on statistical analysis (OFS.1.1.0013.15).Results. The study preparation complied with the requirements specified in monograph FS.3.3.2.0006.18. All the manufactured batches were clear, thermostable, sterile, and non-pyrogenic. The prekallikrein activator levels were low (below 1 IU/mL). The aluminium content varied from 30.36±10.39 µg/L to 50.22±6.94 µg/L. The study preparation contained sodium ions at a concentration from 127.44±10.46 mmol/L to 145.59±7.32 mmol/L and less than 0.01 mmol/g of potassium ions. The osmolarity exceeded 240 mOsm/L. The content of α- and β-globulins  ranged  from  1.79±0.06%  to  2.24±0.20%.  The  study  preparation  had  a  pH  level  of 6.9 to 7.2. The concentrations of polymers and aggregates did not exceed 0.5%.Conclusions. The quality attributes studied suggest that the human albumin preparation with   a modified stabilising composition is comparable to its international counterparts and that it meets Russian and European pharmacopoeial standards.Актуальность. Зарубежные лекарственные препараты альбумина человека, зарегистрированные в Российской Федерации, отличаются от отечественных главным образом по составу вспомогательных веществ. Все иностранные препараты альбумина содержат смесь вспомогательных веществ — натрия каприлата и N-ацетил-DL-триптофана; отечественные — только натрия каприлат. Однако стабилизация раствора альбумина натрия каприлатом в высоких концентрациях приводит к ухудшению его лигандсвязывающих свойств. По этой причине, а также для достижения стабильности препаратов при хранении не только при температуре от 2 до 8 °C, но и при комнатной температуре, большинство зарубежных производителей изменили состав препарата альбумина путем снижения содержания натрия каприлата и дополнительного введения N-ацетил-DL-триптофана. В связи с этим актуальным представляется изучение показателей качества разработанного отечественного препарата альбумина человека с измененным стабилизирующим составом, содержащим оба указанных компонента.Цель. Анализ показателей качества препарата альбумина человека с измененным стабилизирующим составом в сравнении с зарубежными лекарственными средствами.Материалы и методы. Активной фармацевтической субстанцией для получения препарата альбумина человека с измененным стабилизирующим составом служила плазма крови доноров, соответствующая требованиям Государственной фармакопеи Российской Федерации XIV изд. (ГФ РФ XIV) ФС.3.3.2.0001.19. Препарат получали методом фракционирования белков плазмы крови. Контроль показателей качества препарата осуществляли в соответствии с требованиями  ФС.3.3.2.0006.18.  Статистическую обработку проводили с помощью программы Microsoft Excel в соответствии с ОФС.1.1.0013.15.Результаты. Показано соответствие показателей качества исследуемого препарата установленным требованиям  ФС.3.3.2.0006.18. В ходе исследований   установлено,  что изготовленные серии  препарата были прозрачными,  термостабильными, стерильными  и апирогенными; имели низкий уровень активатора прекалликреина — менее 1 МЕ/мл; содержание алюминия было в диапазоне от 30,36±10,39 до  50,22±6,94  мкг/л;  натрий-иона — от 127,44±10,46 до 145,59±7,32 ммоль/л; калий-иона — менее 0,01 ммоль/г; осмолярность — более 240 мОсм/л. Препарат содержал от 1,79±0,06 до 2,24±0,20% примесей других белков  (α- и β-глобулинов); показатель рН был в диапазоне от 6,9 до 7,2;  концентрация полимеров    и агрегатов не превышала 0,5%.Выводы. По изученным показателям качества препарат альбумина человека  с  измененным стабилизирующим составом был сопоставим с зарубежными аналогами и соответствовал требованиям ГФ РФ XIV и Европейской фармакопеи

The Electron Calorimeter (ECAL) Long Duration Balloon Experiment

Accurate measurements of the cosmic ray electron energy spectrum in the energy region 50 GeV to greater than 1 TeV may reveal structure caused by the annihilation of exotic dark matter particles and/or individual cosmic ray sources. Here we describe a new long duration balloon (LDB) experiment, ECAL, optimized to directly measure cosmic ray electrons up to several TeV. ECAL includes a double layer silicon matrix, a scintillating optical fiber track imager, a neutron detector and a fully active calorimeter to identify more than 90% of the incident electrons with an energy resolution of about 1.7% while misidentifying only 1 in 200,000 protons and 0.8% of secondary gamma rays as electrons. Two ECAL flights in Antarctica are planned for a total exposure of 50 days with the first flight anticipate for December 2009

Measurement of the cross-section and charge asymmetry of WW bosons produced in proton-proton collisions at s=8\sqrt{s}=8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

This paper presents measurements of the $W^+ \rightarrow \mu^+\nu$ and $W^- \rightarrow \mu^-\nu$ cross-sections and the associated charge asymmetry as a function of the absolute pseudorapidity of the decay muon. The data were collected in proton--proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV with the ATLAS experiment at the LHC and correspond to a total integrated luminosity of 20.2~\mbox{fb^{-1}}. The precision of the cross-section measurements varies between 0.8% to 1.5% as a function of the pseudorapidity, excluding the 1.9% uncertainty on the integrated luminosity. The charge asymmetry is measured with an uncertainty between 0.002 and 0.003. The results are compared with predictions based on next-to-next-to-leading-order calculations with various parton distribution functions and have the sensitivity to discriminate between them.Comment: 38 pages in total, author list starting page 22, 5 figures, 4 tables, submitted to EPJC. All figures including auxiliary figures are available at https://atlas.web.cern.ch/Atlas/GROUPS/PHYSICS/PAPERS/STDM-2017-13

Search for chargino-neutralino production with mass splittings near the electroweak scale in three-lepton final states in √s=13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for supersymmetry through the pair production of electroweakinos with mass splittings near the electroweak scale and decaying via on-shell W and Z bosons is presented for a three-lepton final state. The analyzed proton-proton collision data taken at a center-of-mass energy of √s=13  TeV were collected between 2015 and 2018 by the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139  fb−1. A search, emulating the recursive jigsaw reconstruction technique with easily reproducible laboratory-frame variables, is performed. The two excesses observed in the 2015–2016 data recursive jigsaw analysis in the low-mass three-lepton phase space are reproduced. Results with the full data set are in agreement with the Standard Model expectations. They are interpreted to set exclusion limits at the 95% confidence level on simplified models of chargino-neutralino pair production for masses up to 345 GeV

Measurement of inclusive D*+- and associated dijet cross sections in photoproduction at HERA

Inclusive photoproduction of D*+- mesons has been measured for photon-proton centre-of-mass energies in the range 130 < W < 280 GeV and a photon virtuality Q^2 < 1 GeV^2. The data sample used corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 37 pb^-1. Total and differential cross sections as functions of the D* transverse momentum and pseudorapidity are presented in restricted kinematical regions and the data are compared with next-to-leading order (NLO) perturbative QCD calculations using the "massive charm" and "massless charm" schemes. The measured cross sections are generally above the NLO calculations, in particular in the forward (proton) direction. The large data sample also allows the study of dijet production associated with charm. A significant resolved as well as a direct photon component contribute to the cross section. Leading order QCD Monte Carlo calculations indicate that the resolved contribution arises from a significant charm component in the photon. A massive charm NLO parton level calculation yields lower cross sections compared to the measured results in a kinematic region where the resolved photon contribution is significant.Comment: 32 pages including 6 figure