Designing the setup for testing of a 30 kW steam turbine

In order to investigate a low power steam turbine with a non-standard design, an experimental stand was assembled. The main tasks in the tests are to determine the turbine efficiency and obtain the turbine power dependence on the steam consumption in steady-state conditions. The stand scheme and the equipment characteristics are given. The testing technique is described. Based on obtained results, will be conclusion made about the turbine's preparedness for mass production.С целью исследования паровой турбины малой мощности с нестандартной конструкцией собран экспериментальный стенд. Основными задачами при испытаниях является определение эффективности турбины и получение зависимости мощности турбины от расхода пара в установившихся режимах. Приведена схема стенда и характеристики оборудования. Описана методика проведения испытаний. Основываясь на полученных результатах, будет сделан вывод о готовности турбины к серийному производству

THERMAL ENERGY ACCUMULATOR OF PERIODIC OPERATION

The article discusses processes of thermal energy storage. The present invention relates to the thermal energy accumulators, periodically rechargeable from the electrical energy at a predetermined time, for example, when using the cheaper night rate electricity and release of heat energy to consumers at their request at other times of the day. As a high-temperature working fluid used graphite blocks with channels for gas flow, and the heat transfer gas is carbon dioxide at temperatures above 125 °C.В настоящей статье рассмотрены процессы аккумулирования тепловой энергии. Представленное изобретение относится к аккумуляторам тепловой энергии, заряжаемым от электрической энергии периодически в заданное время, например, при использовании более дешевого ночного тарифа за электроэнергию и отдачу тепловой энергии потребителям по их требованию в другое время суток. В качестве высокотемпературного рабочего тела использованы графитовые блоки с каналами для потока газа, а в качестве теплопередающего газа – углекислый газ при температурах выше 125 °С

CLINICAL AND MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND EVALUATION OF TORUS TUBARIUS IN CHILDREN WITH PHARYNGEAL TONSIL HYPERTROPHY

Introduction: Among children with hypertrophy of pharyngeal tonsils undergoing adenoidectomy, 31.3% of cases show hypertrophy of the torus tubarius, even in the absence of middle ear pathology. However, the nature of the changes in this anatomical area in these children has not been described. The aim of the study: to investigate and evaluate morphological changes of pharyngeal tonsil and torus tubarius in children with hypertrophy of pharyngeal tonsil. Materials and methods: histological investigation and scanning electron microscopy were performed on fragments of pharyngeal tonsil and torus tubarius, obtained during adenoidectomy of 12 children with nasal breathing disturbances (Group 1) and 13 children with concomitant inflammatory diseases of the upper respiratory tract (Group 2). Results: In patients of Group 2, changes in the pharyngeal tonsil were more pronounced, showing inflammatory alterations such as infiltration by polymorphonuclear leukocytes in the covering epithelium and subepithelial layer, as well as lymphocytes in the covering epithelium, along with the presence of fibrosis compared to patients of Group 1. Additionally, samples covered by biofilms were significantly more frequently identified in Group 2 compared to Group 1 (53.8% vs. 16.6%, p<0.05). The mucosal changes in the torus tubarius corresponded to the nature of the changes observed in the pharyngeal tonsil in the respective group. Biofilms in the torus tubarius samples were found in 38.5% of cases in Group 2 and 8.3% of cases in Group 1 (p<0.05). Conclusions: 1. In children with hypertrophy of pharyngeal tonsil and torus tubarius, the morphological characteristics of the mucous membrane of torus tubarius are similar to those observed in the mucous membrane of pharyngeal tonsil of the respective group. 2. Biofilms were reliably more frequently identified on the surface of pharyngeal tonsil and torus tubarius in children with upper respiratory tract infections than in patients with nasal breathing disturbances. 3. The detected changes provide a basis for revising the therapeutic approach to hypertrophic torus tubarius in children with pharyngeal tonsil hypertrophy

Correct quantum chemistry in a minimal basis from effective Hamiltonians

We describe how to create ab-initio effective Hamiltonians that qualitatively describe correct chemistry even when used with a minimal basis. The Hamiltonians are obtained by folding correlation down from a large parent basis into a small, or minimal, target basis, using the machinery of canonical transformations. We demonstrate the quality of these effective Hamiltonians to correctly capture a wide range of excited states in water, nitrogen, and ethylene, and to describe ground and excited state bond-breaking in nitrogen and the chromium dimer, all in small or minimal basis sets

IL-23 suppresses innate immune response independently of IL-17A during carcinogenesis and metastasis

IL-23 is an important molecular driver of Th17 cells and has strong tumor-promoting proinflammatory activity postulated to occur via adaptive immunity. Conversely, more recently it has been reported that IL-17A elicits a protective inflammation that promotes the activation of tumor-specific CD8(+) T cells. Here we show the much broader impact of IL-23 in antagonizing antitumor immune responses primarily mediated by innate immunity. Furthermore, the majority of this impact was independent of IL-17A, which did not appear critical for many host responses to tumor initiation or metastases. IL-23-deficient mice were resistant to experimental tumor metastases in three models where host NK cells controlled disease. Immunotherapy with IL-2 was more effective in mice lacking IL-23, and again the protection afforded was NK cell mediated and independent of IL-17A. Further investigation revealed that loss of IL-23 promoted perforin and IFN-gamma antitumor effector function in both metastasis models examined. IL-23-deficiency also strikingly protected mice from tumor formation in two distinct mouse models of carcinogenesis where the dependence on host IL-12p40 and IL-17A was quite different. Notably, in the 3'-methylcholanthrene (MCA) induction of fibrosarcoma model, this protection was completely lost in the absence of NK cells. Overall, these data indicate the general role that IL-23 plays in suppressing natural or cytokine-induced innate immunity, promoting tumor development and metastases independently of IL-17A

LAB/NTAL Facilitates Fungal/PAMP-induced IL-12 and IFN-γ Production by Repressing β-Catenin Activation in Dendritic Cells.

Fungal pathogens elicit cytokine responses downstream of immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motif (ITAM)-coupled or hemiITAM-containing receptors and TLRs. The Linker for Activation of B cells/Non-T cell Activating Linker (LAB/NTAL) encoded by Lat2, is a known regulator of ITAM-coupled receptors and TLR-associated cytokine responses. Here we demonstrate that LAB is involved in anti-fungal immunity. We show that Lat2−/− mice are more susceptible to C. albicans infection than wild type (WT) mice. Dendritic cells (DCs) express LAB and we show that it is basally phosphorylated by the growth factor M-CSF or following engagement of Dectin-2, but not Dectin-1. Our data revealed a unique mechanism whereby LAB controls basal and fungal/pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMP)-induced nuclear β-catenin levels. This in turn is important for controlling fungal/PAMP-induced cytokine production in DCs. C. albicans- and LPS-induced IL-12 and IL-23 production was blunted inLat2−/− DCs. Accordingly, Lat2−/− DCs directed reduced Th1 polarization in vitro and Lat2−/−mice displayed reduced Natural Killer (NK) and T cell-mediated IFN-γ production in vivo/ex vivo. Thus our data define a novel link between LAB and β-catenin nuclear accumulation in DCs that facilitates IFN-γ responses during anti-fungal immunity. In addition, these findings are likely to be relevant to other infectious diseases that require IL-12 family cytokines and an IFN-γ response for pathogen clearance

The introduction of modern educational technologies of discipline «Life safety, emergency medicine»

One of the most acute problems of the Russian higher education system is the real transition from the «knowledge» to the practice-oriented approach. The solution to this problem affects not only the content, but also the technological aspects of the educational process. Among the latter, the technologies of formation of students‘ competences are especially important. For realization of cognitive and educational activity of students in educational process the modern educational technologies giving the chance to improve quality of education are used, more effectively to use classroom time.Одной из острейших проблем системы российского высшего образования является переход парадигмы от «знаниевого» к практико-ориентированному. Решение этой проблемы затрагивает не только содержательные, но и технологические аспекты образовательного процесса. Среди последних особенно важны технологии формирования компетенций обучающихся. Для реализации познавательной и учебной активности студентов используются современные образовательные технологии, позволяющие повышать качество образования, более эффективно использовать аудиторное время

Evidence for Involvement of Th17 Type Responses in Post Kala Azar Dermal Leishmaniasis (PKDL)

Post kala azar dermal leishamniasis (PKDL), an unusual dermatosis, develops in 5–15% of apparently cured visceral leishmaniasis cases in India and in about 60% of cases in Sudan. PKDL cases assume importance since they constitute an important human reservoir for the parasite. Host immunological responses, considered as major factors in PKDL development, are poorly understood. Limited studies have been performed to explore the host immune responses and that too, restricted to a few immune parameters. The present study employed cDNA array technique that identified various host immuno-determinants including cytokines, chemokines, apoptotic and signaling molecules which were not reported previously in PKDL. In addition, we showed for the first time that Th17 responses are present during L. donovani infection in PKDL which possibly contributes significantly to disease pathogenesis by inducing TNF-α and nitric oxide production. Our findings lead to improved understanding of the host parasite interaction in terms of immune responses and pathology in tissue lesions of PKDL

Role of IL-1 Beta in the Development of Human TH17 Cells: Lesson from NLPR3 Mutated Patients

T helper 17 cells (T(H)-17) represent a lineage of effector T cells critical in host defence and autoimmunity. In both mouse and human IL-1β has been indicated as a key cytokine for the commitment to T(H)-17 cells. Cryopyrin-associated periodic syndromes (CAPS) are a group of inflammatory diseases associated with mutations of the NLRP3 gene encoding the inflammasome component cryopyrin. In this work we asked whether the deregulated secretion of IL-1β secondary to mutations characterizing these patients could affect the IL-23/IL-17 axis.A total of 11 CAPS, 26 systemic onset juvenile idiopathic arthritis (SoJIA) patients and 20 healthy controls were analyzed. Serum levels of IL-17 and IL-6 serum were assessed by ELISA assay. Frequency of T(H)17 cells was quantified upon staphylococcus enterotoxin B (SEB) stimulation. Secretion of IL-1β, IL-23 and IL-6 by monocyte derived dendritic cells (MoDCs), were quantified by ELISA assay. A total of 8 CAPS and 11 SoJIA patients were also analysed before and after treatment with IL-1β blockade. Untreated CAPS patients showed significantly increased IL-17 serum levels as well as a higher frequency of T(H)17 compared to control subjects. On the contrary, SoJIA patients displayed a frequency of T(H)17 similar to normal donors, but were found to have significantly increased serum level of IL-6 when compared to CAPS patients or healthy donors. Remarkably, decreased IL-17 serum levels and T(H)17 frequency were observed in CAPS patients following in vivo IL-1β blockade. On the same line, MoDCs from CAPS patients exhibited enhanced secretion of IL-1β and IL-23 upon TLRs stimulation, with a reduction after anti-IL-1 treatment.These findings further support the central role of IL-1β in the differentiation of T(H)17 in human inflammatory conditions