A comparative study of optical properties and X-ray induced luminescence of octahedral molybdenum and tungsten cluster complexes

© 2017 The Royal Society of Chemistry. Octahedral metal cluster complexes have high potential for biomedical applications. In order to evaluate the benefits of these moieties for combined CT/X-ray luminescence computed tomography, this paper compares photoluminescence, radiodensity and X-ray induced luminescence properties of eight related octahedral molybdenum and tungsten cluster complexes [{M 6 I 8 }L 6 ] n (where M is Mo or W and L is I - , NO 3 - , OTs - or OH - /H 2 O). This article demonstrates that despite the fact that molybdenum cluster complexes are better photoluminescence emitters, tungsten cluster complexes, in particular (Bu 4 N) 2 [{W 6 I 8 }I 6 ], demonstrate significantly higher X-ray induced luminescence due to a combination of relatively good photoluminescence properties and high X-ray attenuation. Additionally, photo-degradation of [{M 6 I 8 }(NO 3 ) 6 ] 2- was evaluated

Genome-wide sequence analyses of ethnic populations across Russia

The Russian Federation is the largest and one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the world, however no centralized reference database of genetic variation exists to date. Such data are crucial for medical genetics and essential for studying population history. The Genome Russia Project aims at filling this gap by performing whole genome sequencing and analysis of peoples of the Russian Federation. Here we report the characterization of genome-wide variation of 264 healthy adults, including 60 newly sequenced samples. People of Russia carry known and novel genetic variants of adaptive, clinical and functional consequence that in many cases show allele frequency divergence from neighboring populations. Population genetics analyses revealed six phylogeographic partitions among indigenous ethnicities corresponding to their geographic locales. This study presents a characterization of population-specific genomic variation in Russia with results important for medical genetics and for understanding the dynamic population history of the world's largest country

Formation and Properties of Thermistor Chips Based on Semiconductor 3D Metal Oxide Films Obtained by RF-Magnetron Sputtering

The formation of oxide semiconductor films of the (Mn,Co,Cu)3O4 type by radio frequency magnetron sputtering is presented. The conditions of deposition and subsequent heat treatment make it possible to obtain films with electrophysical characteristics close to those of the bulk ceramic materials used as a target for magnetron sputtering. Two variants of thermistor geometry were implemented. In the first case, the working layer of oxide semiconductor was deposited directly on the dielectric substrate (planar geometry), and in the second case on the layer with high electrical conductivity (Ni or Al) forming the inner electrode (layered geometry). The lower limit of the nominal resistance of the planar thermistor while maintaining high temperature nonlinearity is ~ 10 kΩ. The layered structure with the inner electrode makes it possible to reduce the lower limit of resistance up to ~ 50 Ω without losing the temperature nonlinearity of the thermistor. In addition, heat treatment above 450 °C or current self-heating with sufficient power output leads to the appearance of a pronounced voltage nonlinearity, which increases the thermal constant B of thermistors from 2400–3400 to 5000–5500 K. The fields of application of oxide-film structures for the correction of linear resistors and the implementation of integration approaches in the construction of linearized sensors are discussed

Efficiency evaluation of cavitation heat generator used for desalination of saline solutions

Nowadays, the issue of efficient desalination and treatment of seawater for its further use in various domains of human activity is of much interest worldwide. There are plenty of known treatment techniques. This research paper discusses the method of hydrodynamic cavitation treatment in a heat generator in various modes and proves the performance efficiency of this method. The process of treating saline solutions of different concentrations and registration of electric conductivity of solutions are studied. The possibility of changing the concentration of salt in the solution by treating it in a vortex cavitation heat generator is undertaken. The efficiency of the cavitation process depends on the temperature of the working environment: with the temperature increase, the desalination intensity decreases. Two possible scenarios of the process are revealed, i.e., the decrease in the concentration of salt in the solution or its increase in the presence of a salt source. When working on depleted solutions with a salinity of 1÷5 ‰ at high temperatures, the reverse diffusion of previously adsorbed salts from the internal surfaces into the solution takes place. When working on solutions of elevated concentrations in the same high-temperature range, the reverse diffusion decreases and at a salinity of 67 ‰, its effect ceases, since the concentration of salts on the inner surfaces becomes comparable to the concentration of the solution. The hypothesis of centrifugal separation of salts from water is experimentally proved

Dependence of Anterior Active Rhinomanometry Indices on Nasal Obstructive Disorders in Children with Atopic Bronchial Asthma Complicated by Nasal Symptoms

Background. Atopic bronchial asthma (BA) in children is associated with upper airways pathology (UAP). Among them, a combination of allergic rhinitis (AR) and nasal obstructive disorders (NOD), including hypertrophy of the pharyngeal tonsil (HPT) and anomalies of the intranasal structures (AINS), is abundant. In such patients, anterior active rhinomanometry (AARM) is an important method of examining nasal patency. However, NOD can influence the AARM parameters in children with BA and nasal symptoms, and this effect must be taken into account in clinical practice. Study goal was to elucidate the effect of NOD on rhinomanometric parameters in this group of patients. Methods. Total of 66 children with BA and AR were examined with AARM, rhinovideoendoscopy, spirometry, and standard clinical tests allowing revealing the structure of comorbid pathologies. In order to avoid the influence of anthropometric parameters of children and their age on AARM parameters, a special index of reduced total nasal airflow was used. Results. It has been established that NOD, especially HPT, have a significant negative impact on the indices of anterior active rhinomanometry during the periods of both AR remission and AR exacerbation. The effect of AINS is much weaker and was remarkable only in combination with HPT