Electromechanical effect in freely suspended liquid crystal films

This article may be downloaded for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the author and AIP Publishing. This article appeared in Serguei V. Yablonskii, Toshiyasu Oue, Hidetaka Nambu, Aleksey S. Mikhailov, Masanori Ozaki, and Katsumi Yoshino, Appl. Phys. Lett. 75, 64 (1999) and may be found at https://doi.org/10.1063/1.124325

Challenges in QCD matter physics - The Compressed Baryonic Matter experiment at FAIR

Substantial experimental and theoretical efforts worldwide are devoted to explore the phase diagram of strongly interacting matter. At LHC and top RHIC energies, QCD matter is studied at very high temperatures and nearly vanishing net-baryon densities. There is evidence that a Quark-Gluon-Plasma (QGP) was created at experiments at RHIC and LHC. The transition from the QGP back to the hadron gas is found to be a smooth cross over. For larger net-baryon densities and lower temperatures, it is expected that the QCD phase diagram exhibits a rich structure, such as a first-order phase transition between hadronic and partonic matter which terminates in a critical point, or exotic phases like quarkyonic matter. The discovery of these landmarks would be a breakthrough in our understanding of the strong interaction and is therefore in the focus of various high-energy heavy-ion research programs. The Compressed Baryonic Matter (CBM) experiment at FAIR will play a unique role in the exploration of the QCD phase diagram in the region of high net-baryon densities, because it is designed to run at unprecedented interaction rates. High-rate operation is the key prerequisite for high-precision measurements of multi-differential observables and of rare diagnostic probes which are sensitive to the dense phase of the nuclear fireball. The goal of the CBM experiment at SIS100 (sqrt(s_NN) = 2.7 - 4.9 GeV) is to discover fundamental properties of QCD matter: the phase structure at large baryon-chemical potentials (mu_B > 500 MeV), effects of chiral symmetry, and the equation-of-state at high density as it is expected to occur in the core of neutron stars. In this article, we review the motivation for and the physics programme of CBM, including activities before the start of data taking in 2022, in the context of the worldwide efforts to explore high-density QCD matter.Comment: 15 pages, 11 figures. Published in European Physical Journal

ОПЕРАЦИИ НА СОННЫХ АРТЕРИЯХ В ОСТРОМ ПЕРИОДЕ ИШЕМИЧЕСКОГО ИНСУЛЬТА

Introduction. The study reviewed the experience of surgical treatment of 145 patients in Samara State Clinical Hospital (SSCH) №1 named after N.I. Pirogov, city of Samara, during the period 2013 - 2016, which had 146 reconstructive operations on carotid arteries during acute period of ischemic stroke. Materials and methods. Indications for urgent intervention were 3 groups of clinicalmorphological criteria (analysis groups): 1. Stenosis of the internal carotid artery  (ICA) over 55% of lumen with unstable neurological symptoms; stenosis of ICA more than 70% of lumen with stable neurological symptoms; heterogeneous atherosclerotic plaque with tire defect, according to  colour duplex ultrasonography of brachiocephalic artery – in 94 patients, 81 of them have undergone everting  carotid endarterectomy (CEAE), 13 of them -CEAE with plasty of the autovenous patch.  2. Pathological tortuosity of ICA on the side of symptom-based brain injury in combination with or without stenosis + unstable neurologic symptoms - in 22 patients, 18 of them have undergone everting CEAE in combination with resection of ICA, 4 patients have undergone resection of ICA and elimination of pathologic tortuosity. 3. Thrombotic occlusion of ICA on the side of the stroke, regardless of stability of neurological symptoms - in 29 patients, 17 of them have undergone resection of ICA with plasty of the external carotid artery, 6 patients have undergone thrombendarterectomy from ICA with plasty with the autovenous patch, 6 patients have undergone everting CEAE for thrombotic occlusion of ICA. Results. By the time of discharge from the hospital the regression of neurological symptoms reported for 124 (85%) patients. Early lethality was 3.4%. Conclusions. Thus, the findings allow considering that under conditions of multispeciality hospital, with strict compliance with the selection criteria, the surgical treatment on the brachiocephalic vessel in the acute period of ischemic stroke, has the right to be regarded as one of the most effective treatments for this disease.Введение. Проанализирован опыт хирургического лечения 145 больных СГКБ №1 имени Н.И. Пирогова г. Самара за период с 2013 по 2016 гг., которым было выполнено 146 реконструктивных операций на сонных артериях в острый период ишемического инсульта. Материалы и методы. Показаниями к срочному оперативному вмешательству служили 3 группы клинико-морфологических критериев (группы анализа): 1-я группа - стеноз внутренней сонной артерии (ВСА) более 55 % просвета сосуда с нестабильной неврологической симптоматикой; стеноз ВСА более 70% просвета сосуда со стабильной неврологической симптоматикой; гетерогенная атеросклеротическая бляшка с дефектом покрышки по данным цветного дуплексного сканирования (ЦДС) брахиоцефального ствола (БЦС) - 94 пациента, из них 81 была выполнена эверсионная каротидная эндартерэктомия (КЭАЭ), 13 – КЭАЭ с пластикой аутовенозной заплатой; 2-я группа - патологическая извитость ВСА на стороне симптомного поражения головного мозга в сочетании со стенозом или без него + нестабильная неврологическая симптоматика - 22 пациента, из них 18 выполнена эверсионная КЭАЭ в сочетании с резекцией ВСА, 4 пациентам - резекция ВСА и устранение патологической извитости; 3-я группа - тромботическая окклюзия ВСА со стороны инсульта независимо от стабильности неврологической симптоматики - 29 пациентов, из них 17 пациентам выполнена резекция окклюзированной ВСА с пластикой наружной сонной артерии, 6 пациентам – тромбэндартерэктомия из ВСА с пластикой аутовенозной заплатой, 6 пациентам - эверсионная КЭАЭ при тромботической окклюзии ВСА. Результаты. К моменту выписки из стационара регресс неврологической симптоматики отмечен у 124 (85%) пациентов. Ранняя летальность составила 3,4%. Заключение. Таким образом, установлено, что в условиях многопрофильного стационара при строгом соблюдении критериев отбора, оперативное лечение на БЦС в остром периоде ишемического инсульта имеет право рассматриваться как один из эффективных методов лечения данной патологии

OPERATIONS ON THE CAROTID ARTERIES FOR ACUTE PERIOD OF ISCHEMIC STROKE

Introduction. The study reviewed the experience of surgical treatment of 145 patients in Samara State Clinical Hospital (SSCH) №1 named after N.I. Pirogov, city of Samara, during the period 2013 - 2016, which had 146 reconstructive operations on carotid arteries during acute period of ischemic stroke. Materials and methods. Indications for urgent intervention were 3 groups of clinicalmorphological criteria (analysis groups): 1. Stenosis of the internal carotid artery  (ICA) over 55% of lumen with unstable neurological symptoms; stenosis of ICA more than 70% of lumen with stable neurological symptoms; heterogeneous atherosclerotic plaque with tire defect, according to  colour duplex ultrasonography of brachiocephalic artery – in 94 patients, 81 of them have undergone everting  carotid endarterectomy (CEAE), 13 of them -CEAE with plasty of the autovenous patch.  2. Pathological tortuosity of ICA on the side of symptom-based brain injury in combination with or without stenosis + unstable neurologic symptoms - in 22 patients, 18 of them have undergone everting CEAE in combination with resection of ICA, 4 patients have undergone resection of ICA and elimination of pathologic tortuosity. 3. Thrombotic occlusion of ICA on the side of the stroke, regardless of stability of neurological symptoms - in 29 patients, 17 of them have undergone resection of ICA with plasty of the external carotid artery, 6 patients have undergone thrombendarterectomy from ICA with plasty with the autovenous patch, 6 patients have undergone everting CEAE for thrombotic occlusion of ICA. Results. By the time of discharge from the hospital the regression of neurological symptoms reported for 124 (85%) patients. Early lethality was 3.4%. Conclusions. Thus, the findings allow considering that under conditions of multispeciality hospital, with strict compliance with the selection criteria, the surgical treatment on the brachiocephalic vessel in the acute period of ischemic stroke, has the right to be regarded as one of the most effective treatments for this disease

Mitochondrial Genomes of Kinorhyncha: <i>trnM</i> Duplication and New Gene Orders within Animals

<div><p>Many features of mitochondrial genomes of animals, such as patterns of gene arrangement, nucleotide content and substitution rate variation are extensively used in evolutionary and phylogenetic studies. Nearly 6,000 mitochondrial genomes of animals have already been sequenced, covering the majority of animal phyla. One of the groups that escaped mitogenome sequencing is phylum Kinorhyncha—an isolated taxon of microscopic worm-like ecdysozoans. The kinorhynchs are thought to be one of the early-branching lineages of Ecdysozoa, and their mitochondrial genomes may be important for resolving evolutionary relations between major animal taxa. Here we present the results of sequencing and analysis of mitochondrial genomes from two members of Kinorhyncha, <i>Echinoderes svetlanae</i> (Cyclorhagida) and <i>Pycnophyes kielensis</i> (Allomalorhagida). Their mitochondrial genomes are circular molecules approximately 15 Kbp in size. The kinorhynch mitochondrial gene sequences are highly divergent, which precludes accurate phylogenetic inference. The mitogenomes of both species encode a typical metazoan complement of 37 genes, which are all positioned on the major strand, but the gene order is distinct and unique among Ecdysozoa or animals as a whole. We predict four types of start codons for protein-coding genes in <i>E</i>. <i>svetlanae</i> and five in <i>P</i>. <i>kielensis</i> with a consensus DTD in single letter code. The mitochondrial genomes of <i>E</i>. <i>svetlanae</i> and <i>P</i>. <i>kielensis</i> encode duplicated methionine tRNA genes that display compensatory nucleotide substitutions. Two distant species of Kinorhyncha demonstrate similar patterns of gene arrangements in their mitogenomes. Both genomes have duplicated methionine tRNA genes; the duplication predates the divergence of two species. The kinorhynchs share a few features pertaining to gene order that align them with Priapulida. Gene order analysis reveals that gene arrangement specific of Priapulida may be ancestral for Scalidophora, Ecdysozoa, and even Protostomia.</p></div

<i>Pycnophyes kielensis</i> genome organization.

<p><i>Pycnophyes kielensis</i> genome organization.</p

The codon usage in <i>E</i>. <i>svetlanae</i> and <i>P</i>. <i>kielensis</i>.

<p>The codon usage in <i>E</i>. <i>svetlanae</i> and <i>P</i>. <i>kielensis</i>.</p

Eternal morphology of kinorhynchs.

<p><b>A.</b><i>Pycnophyes kielensis</i>, scale bar = 500 μm; <b>B.</b> <i>Echinoderes svetlanae</i>, scale bar = 200 μm. Heads orient down.</p