Transplantable Subcutaneous Hepatoma 22a Affects Functional Activity of Resident Tissue Macrophages in Periphery

Tumors spontaneously develop central necroses due to inadequate blood supply. Recent data indicate that dead cells and their products are immunogenic to the host. We hypothesized that macrophage tumor-dependent reactions can be mediated differentially by factors released from live or dead tumor cells. In this study, functional activity of resident peritoneal macrophages was investigated in parallel with tumor morphology during the growth of syngeneic nonimmunogenic hepatoma 22a. Morphometrical analysis of tumor necroses, mitoses and leukocyte infiltration was performed in histological sections. We found that inflammatory potential of peritoneal macrophages in tumor-bearing mice significantly varied depending on the stage of tumor growth and exhibited two peaks of activation as assessed by nitroxide and superoxide anion production, 5′-nucleotidase activity and pinocytosis. Increased inflammatory reactions were not followed by the enhancement of angiogenic potential as assessed by Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor mRNA expression. Phases of macrophage activity corresponded to the stages of tumor growth characterized by high proliferative potential. The appearance and further development of necrotic tissue inside the tumor did not coincide with changes in macrophage behavior and therefore indirectly indicated that activation of macrophages was a reaction mostly to the signals produced by live tumor cells

The Phenomenon of «Islamic State»

On the first day of the holy month of Ramadan July 29,2014, jihadist organization "Islamic State" (IG), formerly known as "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant" (ISIS), announced the creation of a "caliphate" in the areas controlled by its militants in Iraq and Syria. Using the weakness of state power and poignancy of inter-ethnic, inter-tribal conflicts, the leaders of the ISIS were able to multiply the number of its supporters and increase their influence. The crisis of "secular ideologies" (primarily Western liberalism and communism), greatly contributed to the success of "Islamic boom", including the creation of the ISIS. It prompted broad appeal to the Muslim masses on the ideological basis closer to them in spirit, mentality, purely religious values. The ISIS is funded better than any other extremist group before it. At least five sources of replenishment of its finances can be named. Current goals ofjihadists include the use of a power vacuum, bringing chaos in the various territories in the Muslim world, and prepare the ground for the transition to the ultimate goal of the program, namely the re-establishment, as it is declared, of the powerful theocratic state - the Caliphate, in the likeness of that which existed in Middle Ages, during the victorious Muslim conquests in the VII-IX centuries. The effectiveness of the fight against the ISIS depends on a combination of political, military, economic and social measures. Furthermore, it should be coordinated internationally. International coordination of anti-terrorist activities of Russia with the West and the East should bring positive results

The Phenomenon of «Islamic State»

On the first day of the holy month of Ramadan July 29,2014, jihadist organization "Islamic State" (IG), formerly known as "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant" (ISIS), announced the creation of a "caliphate" in the areas controlled by its militants in Iraq and Syria. Using the weakness of state power and poignancy of inter-ethnic, inter-tribal conflicts, the leaders of the ISIS were able to multiply the number of its supporters and increase their influence. The crisis of "secular ideologies" (primarily Western liberalism and communism), greatly contributed to the success of "Islamic boom", including the creation of the ISIS. It prompted broad appeal to the Muslim masses on the ideological basis closer to them in spirit, mentality, purely religious values. The ISIS is funded better than any other extremist group before it. At least five sources of replenishment of its finances can be named. Current goals ofjihadists include the use of a power vacuum, bringing chaos in the various territories in the Muslim world, and prepare the ground for the transition to the ultimate goal of the program, namely the re-establishment, as it is declared, of the powerful theocratic state - the Caliphate, in the likeness of that which existed in Middle Ages, during the victorious Muslim conquests in the VII-IX centuries. The effectiveness of the fight against the ISIS depends on a combination of political, military, economic and social measures. Furthermore, it should be coordinated internationally. International coordination of anti-terrorist activities of Russia with the West and the East should bring positive results

The quest to uncover the nature of benzonitrile anion

Anionic states of benzonitrile are investigated by high-level electronic structure methods. The calculations using equation-of-motion coupled-cluster theory for electron-attached states confirm earlier conclusions drawn from the photodetachment experiments wherein the ground state of the anion is the valence 2B1 state, while the dipole bound state lies adiabatically ∼0.1 eV above. Inclusion of triple excitations and zero-point vibrational energies is important for recovering relative state correct ordering. The computed Franck-Condon factors and photodetachment cross-sections further confirm that the observed photodetachment spectrum originates from the valence anion. The valence anion is electronically bound at its equilibrium geometry, but it is metastable at the equilibrium geometry of the neutral. The dipole-bound state, which is the only bound anionic state at the neutral equilibrium geometry, may serve as a gateway state for capturing the electron. Thus, the emerging mechanistic picture entails electron capture via a dipole bound state, followed by non-adiabatic relaxation forming valence anions.status: publishe

Dynamic Kinetic Capillary Isoelectric Focusing: A Powerful Tool for Studying Protein-DNA Interactions

A new method called dynamic kinetic capillary isoelectric focusing (DK-CIEF) is presented for the study of protein-DNA interactions. The method is based on CIEF with laser-induced fluorescence-whole column imaging detection in which protein-DNA complexes are separated with spatial resolution while dissociations of the complexes are dynamically monitored using a CCD camera with temporal resolution. This method allows for the discrimination of different complexes and the measurement of the individual dissociation rate constants

Fracture strength and fatigue endurance in Gd-doped ceria thermal actuators

We studied the stability of the mechanical properties and the fatigue endurance of Gd-doped ceria (CGO), which is a promising electromechanically active material for microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). Specifically, the fracture strength and long-term operation of plate-type circular (2 mm diameter) thermal actuators made of ≈1.15 μm thick Ce0.95Gd0.05O1.975 (CGO5) were investigated. Excitation voltage of 10 V at the frequency range between 1 and 2.1 MHz induces Joule heating effect that can generate an in-plane strain of ≈0.1 %. The operation temperature ranged from 25 °C to 80 °C and the temperature shift, caused by the AC heating, was about 80 K at 10 V. Critical fracture was found to occur at out-of-plane displacements between ∼35 and ∼42 μm, which corresponds to the average bending stress of ∼44 MPa at the center of the plate. During long-term operation, the actuators exhibit gradual decrease in the response, probably due to contact degradation. However, structural damage or mechanical fatigue was not found even after 107 cycles at a stress level of ∼30 % of the critical fracture strength.publishe