Wind-driven summer surface hydrography of the eastern Siberian shelf

High interannual variability of summer surface salinity over the Laptev and East Siberian Sea shelves derived from historical records of the 1950s–2000s is attributed to atmospheric vorticity variations. In the cyclonic regime (positive vorticity) the eastward diversion of the Laptev Sea riverine water results in a negative salinity anomaly to the east of the Lena Delta and farther to the East Siberian Sea, and a positive anomaly to the north of the Lena Delta. Anticyclonic (negative) vorticity results in negative salinity anomalies northward from the Lena Delta due to freshwater advection toward the north, and a corresponding salinity increase eastward

HISTÓRIA DOS ESTUDOS MUSICOLÓGICOS NAS UNIVERSIDADES DE CRACÓVIA E LVIV

This work deals with the system research of the activities of the departments of musicology of the Jagiellonian and Lviv Universities in the context of the Jagiellonian tradition of Poland and Ukraine in the original refraction of principles of the European musical academic education since the time of their foundation in years 1911-1912 and till the beginning of the XXI century. Besides the educational orientation of the Jagiellonian tradition have been revealed. This tradition inextricably linked with the national-confessional polysyllabity within the teacher's and student's community. It has been established that the Neojagiellonian-Panslavic worldview of the XIX – first half of the XX century was historically significant corrective component of the existence of Krakow and Lviv Universities. "Equation on the European East" of the most prominent representatives of Polish culture and art in the twentieth century was a testimony of the influence of that worldview.Este trabalho trata da pesquisa do sistema das atividades dos departamentos de musicologia das Universidades Jagiellonian e Lviv no contexto da tradição Jagiellonian da Polônia e Ucrânia na refração original dos princípios da educação acadêmica musical europeia desde a época de sua fundação nos anos 1911-1912 e até o início do século XXI. Além disso, a orientação educacional da tradição jagielloniana foi revelada. Esta tradição está inextricavelmente ligada à polissilabidade nacional-confessional dentro da comunidade de professores e alunos. Foi estabelecido que a visão de mundo Neojagiellonian-Panslavic do século XIX – primeira metade do século XX foi um componente corretivo historicamente significativo da existência das universidades de Cracóvia e Lviv. A "Equação sobre o Leste Europeu" dos representantes mais proeminentes da cultura e arte polonesa no século XX foi um testemunho da influência dessa visão de mundo

Cytotoxicity Evaluation of Ammonia-Modified Graphene Oxide Particles in Lung Cancer Cells and Embryonic Stem Cells

Potential toxicity of graphene oxide (GO) is a subject of increasing research interest in the recent years. Here, we have evaluated the cytotoxicity of ammonia-modified GO (GO-NH2) and pristine GO particles in human lung cancer cells, A549 and embryonic stem cells, Lep3 exposed to different particles concentrations (0.1, 1, 10, 20, and 50 μg/ml) for different times (24 and 48h). Compared with GO, GO-NH2 particles possessed smaller size, positive surface charge and higher thickness. An increased propensity to aggregation in cell cultures was also found for GO-NH2 particles. Cytotoxicity evaluation revealed that GO-NH2 particles are more toxic than pristine GO. Applied at concentrations of 10, 20 and 50 μg/ml for 24h they affect significantly cell morphology of viable embryonic stem cells whereas human lung cancer A549 cells seem to be relatively more resistant to short-time exposure. After 48h exposure however cell proliferation of A549 cells was strongly suppressed in a dose-dependent manner while the proliferation ability of embryonic stem cells was not affected. These results suggested that both GO particles exert different degree of cytotoxicity which is time, dose and cell dependent. In general, ammonia-modified GO particles are more toxic than the pristine GO which should be taken into account for future biomedical applications

Differential Effect of Novel Plant Cystatins on the Adhesive Behaviour of Normal and Cancer Breast Cells

In the present work, we have investigated a novel recombinant cystatin dgECP1 and its mutant form, dgECP1m1, focused on their impact on the adhesive behaviour of two breast cell lines: the cancerous, MDA-MB-231, and the normal, MCF-10A. DgECP1 cystatin is intriguing with its RGD motif, responsible for cell adhesion and typical for mammalian extracellular matrix proteins but uncommon for plant cystatins. The presence of the RGD sequence suggests the potential of the dgECP1 to influence the adhesion of cancer cells and, respectively, cancer metastasis. A mutant form of the dgECP1cystatin, dgECP1m1, where RGD is replaced with HGD tripeptide, was also investigated. We found that both phytocystatins exerted differential effects on the adhesion behaviour of normal and cancer cells. In the case of dgECP1 cystatins, the effect on cancer cell adhesion also depends on the mode of administration of the cystatin to cells. When dgECP1 is pre-adsorbed on a substrate, it improves the attachment of breast cancer cells and induces cell aggregation, which is more typical for normal breast cells, and oppositely suppressed adhesion of cancer cells when added to the medium. The mutant form, dgECP1m1, inhibited cancer cell adhesion independently on the way of administration. On the other hand, both plant cystatins only slightly reduced the adhesion of normal mammary cells pointing to the higher sensitivity of cancer cells to both cystatins. These preliminary results open the possibility of considering the plant cystatin dgECP1 for anti-cancer strategies.

Ir(III) Compounds Containing a Terdentate Ligand Are Potent Inhibitors of Proliferation and Effective Antimetastatic Agents in Aggressive Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells

©2023. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ This document is the Published, version of a Published Work that appeared in final form in Journal of Medicinal Chemistry. To access the final edited and published work see https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c00586Herein, we report a series of new octahedral iridium(III) complexes Ir1–Ir9 of the type [Ir(N^N^N)(C^N)Cl]PF6 (N^N^N = 4′-(p-tolyl)-2,2′:6′,2″-terpyridine; C^N = deprotonated 2-arylbenzimidazole backbone) to introduce new metal-based compounds for effective inhibition of metastatic processes in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). The results show that the structural modifications within the C^N scaffold strongly impact the antimetastatic properties of these complexes in TNBC cells. Furthermore, testing the antimetastatic effects of the investigated Ir complexes revealed that the highest antimetastatic activity in TNBC cells is exhibited by complex Ir1. This result was in contrast to the effects of the clinically used drug doxorubicin used in conventional chemotherapy of TNBC, which conversely promoted metastatic properties of TNBC cells. Thus, the latter result suggests that doxorubicin chemotherapy may increase the risk of metastasis of breast cancer cells, so the search for new drugs to treat breast cancer that would show better antitumor effects than doxorubicin is justified

Diurnal distribution of carbohydrates and fat affects substrate oxidation and adipokine secretion in humans.

BACKGROUND: A diet in which fat is mainly eaten in the morning and carbohydrates mainly in the evening (compared with the reverse order) was recently shown to worsen glycemic control in people with prediabetes. OBJECTIVE: We investigated the effects of these dietary patterns on energy metabolism, and on the daily profiles of circulating lipids, adipokines, and inflammatory markers. DESIGN: In a randomized controlled crossover trial, 29 nonobese men (with normal glucose tolerance, n = 18; or impaired fasting glucose/glucose tolerance, n = 11) underwent 2 isocaloric 4-wk diets: 1) carbohydrate-rich meals until 1330 and fat-rich meals between 1630 and 2200 (HC/HF); or 2) the inverse sequence of meals (HF/HC). During a 12-h clinical investigation day after each intervention period, 2 meal tolerance tests were performed, at 0900 and 1540, respectively. Substrate oxidation and concentrations of circulating lipids, adipokines, and cytokines were assessed pre- and postprandially. The postprandial inflammatory response in leukocytes was analyzed ex vivo. RESULTS: Fasting carbohydrate oxidation decreased (P = 0.004) and lipid oxidation increased (P = 0.012) after the HC/HF diet. Fasting concentrations of blood markers did not differ between diets. The diets modulated the daily profiles of carbohydrate oxidation, lipid oxidation, and β-hydroxybutyrate, although the average daily values of these parameters showed no difference between the diets, and no interaction between diet and glucose tolerance status. Diurnal patterns of triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, leptin, visfatin, and of LPS-induced cytokine secretion in blood leukocytes were also modulated by the diets. Average daily concentrations of leptin (P = 0.017) and visfatin (P = 0.041) were lower on the HF/HC diet than on the HC/HF diet. CONCLUSIONS: Diurnal distribution of carbohydrates and fat affects the daily profiles of substrate oxidation, circulating lipids, and cytokine secretion, and alters the average daily concentrations of adipokine secretion in nonobese nondiabetic humans. The study was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02487576

Effect of Graphene Oxide and Ammonia-modified Graphene Oxide Particles on ATPase Activity of Rat Liver Mitochondria

Graphene and its derivatives have become promising materials for biomedical applications in the last decade. Before their widespread application, however, evaluating their toxicity and mechanisms underlying interactions with cellular components is imperative. Aims: Assessment of the effect of two graphene derivatives, pristine graphene oxide (GO) and ammonia-modified GO (GO-NH2) particles, on the ATPase activity of rat liver mitochondria and ROS production. Methods: Liver mitochondria were isolated from male albino rats and treated with different concentrations of GO and GO-NH2 particles (4, 10, 25, and 50 μg/ml). ATPase activity of both, intact and uncoupled by freezing/thawing mitochondria was determined by the measurement of inorganic phosphate (Pi) released from ATP. The generation of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) after exposure of mitochondria to GO and GO-NH2 particles was determined by a DCFH-D assay. Results: GO and GO-NH2 particles applied at concentrations of 4 and 50 μg/ml did not affect the ATPase activity of intact mitochondria. In contrast, in uncoupled mitochondria, they demonstrated a stimulating effect on ATPase activity. The impact of GO-NH2 was more substantial and concentration-dependent. ROS production was also higher in GO-NH2-treated mitochondria. Conclusion: The present study demonstrated that GO and GO-NH2 particles can exert a cytotoxic effect on mitochondria even after a short-time of exposure to both types of particles.

Моделирование и практическая реализация широкополосной двухгребневой рупорной антенны с шириной рабочей полосы более октавы и высоким уровнем кроссполяризационной развязки

Introduction. The resolution of the problem of radio polarimetry in multiposition microwave screening systems (MMSS) with aperture synthesis requires the use of antennas with a high level of cross-polarization discrimination (XPD) in a wide spatial angle. The radio images are reconstructed in MMSS at distances commensurate with the aperture of the antenna structures. Therefore, the value of the spatial angle, at which high XPD is required, can reach 30°. This leads to a new problem of creating an antenna configuration of the X and Ku band, the application of which in MMSS will resolve the problem of constructing a radio image of depolarized microwave radiation scattered on the human body in the form of hidden dangerous objects.Aim. To develop a double-ridged receiving antenna for long-term operation in MMSS with an XPD level of 28 dB at a spatial angle of 30° and operating frequencies of 8…20 GHz.Materials and methods. The requirements for the receiving antenna in MMSS were determined. Theoretical justifications were proposed for the choice of antenna design. Aperture synthesis was used to construct microwave images in MMSS. The stages and results of modelling broadband double-ridge antennas were presented using the CST Studio software broadly applied for three-dimensional electro-magnetic field modelling. The results of modelling pyramidal and conical double-ridged antennas, as well as those in circular and elliptical waveguides, were analyzed. The designed antenna was tested in an anechoic chamber. The measurement results were compared with those obtained during simulation.Results. An elliptical double-ridged horn antenna with a VSWR of no more than 2 and cross-polarization discrimination in a spatial angle of 30° of no less than 28 dB for the frequency range that covers an octave was designed and constructed.Conclusion. The developed antenna can be used in MMSS for the purpose of detecting the effect of micro-wave radiation depolarization as hidden dangerous objects on a human body. Such characteristics of the antenna as its high XPD value in a wide spatial angle will allow the future introduction of microwave polarimetry in MMSS.Введение. Для решения задачи радиополяриметрии в многопозиционных микроволновых досмотровых системах (ММДС) с апертурным синтезом необходимо использовать антенны с высоким уровнем кроссполяризационной развязки (КПР) в широком пространственном угле. Восстановление радиоизображений в ММДС происходит на дистанциях, соизмеримых с размерами апертуры антенных структур, поэтому значение пространственного угла, в котором необходимо выполнение требования высокой КПР, может достигать 30°. Таким образом, возникает новая задача создания антенной структуры X- и Ku-диапазонов, применение которой в ММДС позволило бы решить задачу построения радиоизображения деполяризованного микроволнового излучения, рассеянного скрытыми опасными объектами на теле человека.Цель работы. Разработка приемной антенны жесткой конструкции для долговременной эксплуатации в ММДС с уровнем КПР 28 дБ при пространственном угле 30° и рабочих частотах 8… 20 ГГц.Материалы и методы. Определены требования для приемной антенны в ММДС. Приведены теоретические обоснования для выбора конструкции антенны. В разработанной ММДС для построения микроволнового изображения используется апертурный синтез. Представлены этапы и результаты моделирования широкополосных двухгребневых антенн в программе трехмерного моделирования электромагнитного поля CST Studio. Рассмотрены результаты моделирования двухгребневых антенн: пирамидальной, конической, в круглом и эллиптическом волноводах. Произведено сравнение результатов измерения в безэховой камере для макета полученной антенны и результатов моделирования.Результаты. Разработана и изготовлена двухгребневая эллиптическая антенна жесткой конструкции, с КСВН не более 2 и кроссполяризационной развязкой в пространственном угле 30° не менее 28 дБ в диапазоне частот, перекрывающем октаву.Заключение. Антенна может быть использована в ММДС для детектирования эффекта деполяризации микроволнового излучения скрытыми опасными объектами на теле человека. Высокое значение КПР антенны в широком пространственном угле позволит в дальнейшем внедрить микроволновую поляриметрию в ММДС