GPGPU-assisted polymer nanocomposite modelling and characterisation

Poster "Advanced Hybrid Materials I I: design and applications" (Simposio P)Development of the hybrid materials with predefined properties by addition of inorganic nanoinclusions to a polymer material constitutes a hard challenge due to significant properties’ variations depending on inclusion’s distribution and interaction. To understand structure-property relations in such materials optical image analysis and numeric modeling are widely used, however matching such data with properties’ measurements for industrial nanocomposites requires a link to be established between experimental and modeling length scales. In this work a computer code was developed to create a model composite structure with a predefined distribution probability of inclusions using NVIDIA CUDA GPGPU approach. The code is capable of randomly populating and analyzing samples of the typical size of microphotographs used for experimental characterization and typical nanoinclusions’ concentrations avoiding unphysical intersections and thus allow correlating the results of both optical characterization and statistical computer modeling. The initial probability distribution can be taken from experimental samples and further varied to investigate the effect of distribution on a desired property. Application to study the effect of carbon nanotubes and carbon nanofibers in a polymer matrix on the composite electrical and mechanical properties is discussed.FEDER - Programa Operacional Factores de Competitividade (COMPETE)Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) - CONC-REEQ/443/EEI/2005, PEst-C-FIS/UI607/2011-201

Features of molecular mechanisms of insulin resistance pathogenesis in various tissues in obesity

Obesity is a chronic pathology, which experts of theWorld Health Organization regard as an epidemic, based on the high rates of annual growth in the proportion of the overweight population in almost all countries of the world. Obesity is the leading cause of tissue insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes mellitus. This disease is fraught with serious complications: the onset and aggravation of cardiovascular pathology, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, the appearance of certain types of malignant neoplasms and dysfunctions of the reproductive system. Adipose tissue, skeletal muscle and liver play unique roles in maintaining metabolic homeostasis of the whole organism. These differences are due to the tissue-specificity of the intracellular signaling  pathways of insulin. This review presents the current literature data on the features of the molecular mechanisms responsible for disturbances in the conduction of regulatory insulin signals at the intracellular level in its main target organs in obesity. The data on the nature of disturbances  in interorgan metabolic flows caused by the growth of adipose tissue mass and their participation in the formation of insulin resistance in the liver and muscles are presented. The importance of  further in-depth study of the tissue features of the mechanisms of insulin resistance pathogenesis  for the development of new targeted pharmaceuticals that will serve to improve the complex drug correction of metabolic disorders in patients with type 2 diabetes is discussed

Micro-CT-based analysis of fibre-reinforced composites:Applications

The paper presents an overview of cases in which the analysis of the internal structure and mechanical properties of fibre reinforced composites is performed based on the micro-computed X-ray tomography (micro-CT) reconstruction of the composite reinforcement geometry. In all the cases, the analysis relies on structure tensor-based algorithms for quantification of the micro-CT image, implemented in VoxTex software

Quartz crystal microbalance immunosensor for the detection of antibodies to double-stranded DNA

We report the development of a novel quartz crystal microbalance immunosensor with the simultaneous measurement of resonance frequency and motional resistance for the detection of antibodies to double-stranded DNA (dsDNA). The immobilization of poly(l-lysine) and subsequent complexation with DNA resulted in formation of a sensitive dsDNA-containing nanofilm on the surface of a gold electrode. Atomic force microscopy has been applied for the characterization of a poly(l-lysine)-DNA film. After the blocking with bovine serum albumin, the immunosensor in flow-injection mode was used to detect the antibodies to dsDNA in purified protein solutions of antibodies to dsDNA and to single-stranded DNA, monoclonal human immunoglobulin G, DNase I and in blood serum of patients with bronchial asthma and systemic lupus erythematosus. Experimental results indicate high sensitivity and selectivity of the immunosensor. [Figure not available: see fulltext.]. © Springer-Verlag 2007

Physico-chemical foundations underpinning microarray and next-generation sequencing experiments

Hybridization of nucleic acids on solid surfaces is a key process involved in high-throughput technologies such as microarrays and, in some cases, next-generation sequencing (NGS). A physical understanding of the hybridization process helps to determine the accuracy of these technologies. The goal of a widespread research program is to develop reliable transformations between the raw signals reported by the technologies and individual molecular concentrations from an ensemble of nucleic acids. This research has inputs from many areas, from bioinformatics and biostatistics, to theoretical and experimental biochemistry and biophysics, to computer simulations. A group of leading researchers met in Ploen Germany in 2011 to discuss present knowledge and limitations of our physico-chemical understanding of high-throughput nucleic acid technologies. This meeting inspired us to write this summary, which provides an overview of the state-of-the-art approaches based on physico-chemical foundation to modeling of the nucleic acids hybridization process on solid surfaces. In addition, practical application of current knowledge is emphasized

Hydrodynamics of the Motion of the Liquid Droplet of Electrode Metal in the Molten Slag

The results of mathematical modeling of liquid metal droplet hydrodynamics in the slag bath during ESR in the field of centrifugal forces are presented. The size of the bead affects its trajectory, the time of stay in the slag bath and the temperature of heating when passing the slag bath

Correlation of wall velocity and tip curvature radius of dendrite domain in lithium niobate

The research was made possible by Russian Science Foundation (Project № 19-12-00210). The equipment of the Ural Center for Shared Use “Modern nanotechnology” Ural Federal University was used

The impact of olfactory and gustatory perception on metabolic homeostasis in obese patients

Obesity is currently a major global public health problem. As a result, in recent decades there has been a growing interest in studying the impact of this disease on the functioning of the central nervous system. One of the least understood aspects is the impact that obesity has on sensory systems.The olfactory and gustatory systems are closely related to various vital functions, such as the nocifensors activation, the stimulation of digestive reflexes. In addition, these sensory systems are known to play an important role in the mechanisms of food consumption through the regulation of appetite and satiety, influencing food choice and, therefore, they are involved in the development of obesity. A number of clinical studies have shown that obese patients are more likely to suffer from hyposmia compared to lean people of the same age.The reasons why this relationship exists remain largely unclear. The aim of this review is to assess the available data on this topic and to identify new promising areas for further research. The review was conducted in the PubMed databases for 2017–2023