Decoration of nanovesicles with pH (low) insertion peptide (pHLIP) for targeted delivery

Acidity at surface of cancer cells is a hallmark of tumor microenvironments, which does not depend on tumor perfusion, thus it may serve as a general biomarker for targeting tumor cells. We used the pH (low) insertion peptide (pHLIP) for decoration of liposomes and niosomes. pHLIP senses pH at the surface of cancer cells and inserts into the membrane of targeted cells, and brings nanomaterial to close proximity of cellular membrane. DMPC liposomes and Tween 20 or Span 20 niosomes with and without pHLIP in their coating were fully characterized in order to obtain fundamental understanding on nanocarrier features and facilitate the rational design of acidity sensitive nanovectors. The samples stability over time and in presence of serum was demonstrated. The size, ζ-potential, and morphology of nanovectors, as well as their ability to entrap a hydrophilic probe and modulate its release were investigated. pHLIP decorated vesicles could be useful to obtain a prolonged (modified) release of biological active substances for targeting tumors and other acidic diseased tissues

The Modern Methods of Promoting Restaurant Services

Restaurant enterprises should strive to constantly adapt to customer needs and ever-changing market conditions, offering appropriate services, identifying adequate methods of communication and promotion. The article is aimed at studying modern methods of promotion and determining the most appropriate restaurant services for this in wartime. The article discusses the essence and directions of application of modern methods of promotion. It is proved that promotion methods are very important both during the COVID-19 pandemic and during the war, and the variability of the market environment necessitates the innovative orientation of the restaurant business. The relevance of the creation and use of modern methods of promotion in restaurant facilities is substantiated. The definitions of the essence of the concepts of «promotion», «traditional forms of promotion» have been improved. Promotion of restaurants is one of the mandatory directions of successful business. It is determined that the pandemic and martial law have significantly changed the conditions of existence of the restaurant business in Ukraine, but the current trends in the development of promotion methods can improve the state of this area, i. e.: automation, which has become a key trend in visitor service procedures – from receiving orders to calculating visitors; personalization – the possibility of the visitor feeling of interest on the part of the institution to his preferences in food and service, special needs, etc.; playing on the feelings and emotions of visitors – the main share of the content; influencer marketing, that is, using the authority of popular bloggers, sites and pages in social networks of famous people, which allows creating and conveying to the target audience the content that is better remembered due to its emotional component; charity and volunteering that help raise the image of the restaurant. Complete and reliable information about customers and their preferences plays a significant role in promotion. The main modern methods of promotion are highlighted, with the help of which the enterprise will not only earn decent money, but also become popular in the city. Each of these methods is unique and requires the attention of marketers, you also need to have a specific strategy on how to use each method. The modern consumer has become more demanding both to the product itself and to the ways it has to be presented. Therefore, the more unique the method of providing information, the more successful the advertising will be

Частотные характеристики коэффициентов отражения и преломления объемных спиновых волн в спиновой линзе с неидеальными интерфейсами

Проблематика. Робота присвячена застосуванню формалізму геометричної оптики до описання поведінки спінових хвиль, які поширюються у феромагнітному середовищі з неоднорідним розподілом магнітних параметрів. Використання такого підходу дає змогу описати процес заломлення спінових хвиль, визначити фокусну відстань спінової лінзи чи спінового дзеркала та контрольовано керувати нею за рахунок зміни частоти спінової хвилі за заданих магнітних параметрів середовища. Мета дослідження. Метою роботи є розрахування показника заломлення, коефіцієнта відбиття та фокусної відстані спінової лінзи як функцій частоти спінової хвилі, зовнішнього магнітного поля та магнітних параметрів середовища. Методика реалізації. Для знаходження коефіцієнтів заломлення та фокусної відстані використано підхід геометричної оптики. При описі динаміки вектора намагніченості застосовано формалізм параметра порядку спінової густини, що також дало змогу скористатись методами квантової механіки для розрахунку коефіцієнта відбиття. Результати дослідження. Знайдено показник заломлення та фокусну відстань об’ємної спінової лінзи. З урахуванням узагальнених граничних умов вдалося знайти відповідний вираз для коефіцієнта відбиття спінової лінзи. Отримано графіки залежностей коефіцієнта відбиття від частоти спінових хвиль за різних значень магнітних параметрів структури. Висновки. Показано можливість змінювати “оптичні” параметри спінової лінзи у широкому діапазоні значень, змінюючи лише частоту спінових хвиль та залишаючи при цьому сталими значення зовнішнього магнітного поля та магнітних параметрів структури. Результати досліджень доводять, що існує сильна залежність прозорості спінової лінзи від якості її меж, яка характеризується відповідними параметрами інтерфейсу.Background. This work is devoted to the application of geometrical optics formalism to describe the behavior of spin waves, which is propagating in a ferromagnetic medium with non-uniform distribution of magnetic parameters. Use of this approach allows to describe the process of refraction of spin waves to determine the focal length of spin lenses or mirrors and to operate it by changing the frequency of the spin wave with a given magnetic parameters of a medium. Objective. The objective is to calculate the index of refraction, reflection coefficient and focal length of spin lens as function of frequency of spin waves, the external magnetic field and magnetic parameters of the medium. Methods. In this paper, to find the refractive index and the focal length was used the geometrical optics approach. To describe the dynamics of the magnetization vector the formalism was used of the parameter of order of spin density that also gives an opportunity to use the methods of quantum mechanics to calculate the spin wave reflection coefficient. Results. In the paper the refractive index and focal length of a bulk spin lens have been found. By considering the generalized boundary conditions the expression has been found for the reflection coefficient of spin lens. In addition, results of investigation says that strong dependence exists of transparency of spin lens on the frequency of spin waves that is characterized by corresponding magnetic parameters of structure. Conclusions. It is shown the possibility to change “optical” spin lens parameters in a wide range of values by changing only the frequency of spin waves and keeping constant the values of the external magnetic field and magnetic structure parameters. In addition, the results of studies prove that exists a strong dependence of the spin lens transparency on the quality of its borders, which is characterized by appropriate parameters of interface.Проблематика. Данная работа посвящена применению формализма геометрической оптики к описанию поведения спиновых волн, которые распространяются в ферромагнитной среде с неоднородным распределением магнитных параметров. Использование такого подхода позволяет описать процесс преломления спиновых волн, определить фокусное расстояние спиновой линзы или спинового зеркала и контролируемо управлять им за счет изменения частоты спиновой волны или магнитных параметров среды. Цель исследования. Целью работы является расчет показателя преломления, коэффициента отражения и фокусного расстояния спиновой линзы как функций частоты спиновой волны, внешнего магнитного поля и магнитных параметров среды. Методика реализации. Для нахождения коэффициентов преломления и фокусного расстояния использован подход геометрической оптики. При описании динамики вектора намагниченности применен формализм параметра порядка спиновой плотности, что дало возможность использовать методы квантовой механики для расчета коэффициента отражения. Результаты исследования. Найдены показатель преломления и фокусное расстояние объемной спиновой линзы. С учетом обобщенных граничных условий удалось найти соответствующее выражение для коэффициента отражения спиновой линзы. Получены графики зависимостей коэффициента отражения от частоты спиновых волн при разных значениях магнитных параметров структуры. Выводы. Показана возможность изменять “оптические” параметры спиновой линзы в широком диапазоне значений, изменяя лишь частоту спиновых волн и оставляя при этом постоянными значения внешнего магнитного поля и магнитных параметров структуры. Результаты исследований доказывают, что существует сильная зависимость прозрачности спиновой линзы от качества ее границ, которое характеризуется соответствующими параметрами интерфейса

LABOR PRODUCTIVITY AS A PRODUCTION EFFICIENCY FACTOR

El objetivo de esta investigación es estudiar el factor de eficiencia y la productividad laboral. En gran medida, el nivel de productividad laboral creció debido a la intensificación de la producción. Al mismo tiempo, según Rosstat, en agricultura, silvicultura y pesca solo hay un 8% de empleos altamente eficientes. Por lo tanto, el factor de intensificación de la producción se utiliza de manera insignificante. Es obvio que hay una necesidad de un componente innovador del crecimiento de la productividad laboral, por un lado, y la creación de nuevos empleos en las zonas rurales para los recursos laborales liberados, por otro lado. Aquí es necesario determinar los principales factores que afectan la productividad en las condiciones modernas, y justificar las propuestas para mejorarla.Of the goal of this investigation is to study the efficiency factor and labor productivity. To a large extent, the level of labor productivity grew due to the intensification of production. At the same time, according to Rosstat, in agriculture, forestry and fisheries there are only 8% of high-efficient jobs. Thus, the factor of production intensification is used insignificantly. It is obvious that there is a need for an innovative component of labor productivity growth on the one hand, and the creation of new jobs in rural areas for the released labor resources, on the other hand. Here it is necessary to determine the main factors affecting productivity in modern conditions, and to justify proposals to improve it.O objetivo desta investigação é estudar o fator de eficiência e a produtividade do trabalho. Em grande medida, o nível de produtividade do trabalho aumentou devido à intensificação da produção. Ao mesmo tempo, segundo Rosstat, na agricultura, silvicultura e pesca, existem apenas 8% dos empregos de alta eficiência. Assim, o fator de intensificação da produção é usado de forma insignificante. É óbvio que é necessário um componente inovador do crescimento da produtividade do trabalho, por um lado, e a criação de novos empregos nas áreas rurais para os recursos liberados, por outro. Aqui é necessário determinar os principais fatores que afetam a produtividade nas condições modernas e justificar propostas para melhorá- la

Light-induced surface sliding of the nematic director in liquid crystals

We report the effect of light-induced sliding of the nematic director over an isotropic boundary surface in an azo-dye doped liquid-crystal cell. We show that illumination of the cell with polarized laser light induces transient dynamic sliding followed by permanent reorientation of the director. The two effects are in competition and tend to orient the director along mutually orthogonal directions. The sliding can be controlled and even completely quenched by the amount of induced anchoring energy. A physical model is proposed which accounts for the experimental results. [S0031-9007(99) PACS numbers: 42.70. Df, 61.30.Cz Light-induced anchoring and reorientation effects in liquid crystals (LC) have been the subject of intense research interests in recent years Optical reorientation was originally concerned with light fields acting on the bulk of a liquid crystal cell, the aligning surface determining only the boundary conditions in the reorientation process. Gibbons et al. These results stimulated an interest to investigate the possibility of getting free surface sliding of the nematic director under the control of the incident light. In the paper of Marusii et al. [8], the authors interpreted the observed molecular reorientation close to the isotropic control surface as an effect of director sliding. However, the impossibility of changing the anchoring energy in their experiment did not allow one to establish definitively the actual nature of the phenomenon. In this paper we report the first clear demonstration of the effect of molecular director sliding over an isotropic surface endowed with very weak anchoring energy. We show that illumination with polarized laser light of an azo-dye doped LC cell induces both a transient dynamic sliding and a permanent reorientation of the molecular director. These two effects are regulated by different physical mechanisms and occur on different time scales. The key points of our experimental observations are (i) on a macroscopic scale, i.e., in the frame of the continuum theory, free director sliding over an isotropic boundary surface is possible, and (ii) this effect can be controlled and even completely quenched by the amount of anchoring energy induced on the surface. The scheme of the experimental setup is shown in The exciting polarized beam from He-Cd laser ͑l 0.442 mm; P 1 mW͒ was focused on the cell from the size of the control surface by the lens L 1 . The director reorientation over this surface was detected by checking the polarization state of a He-Ne laser probe beam ͑l 0.638 mm; P 0.1 mW͒ crossing the cell from the side of the reference surface. The electric field E p of the probe beam was set parallel to the initial director orientation n 0 , and the signal transmitted through an analyzer crossed to it was detected. In this geometry, any rotation of the molecular director (up to 90 ± ) over the control surface led to an increase of the transmitted signal. In fact, in our experimental conditions the Mauguin regime was 0031-9007͞99͞82(9)͞1855(4)$15.0

Nano-colloids of Sn2P2S6 in Nematic Liquid Crystal Pentyl-cianobiphenile

It has been shown experimentally that the ferroelectric nano-particles, in common with other molecular additives, shift the clearing temperature, Tc, extending or reducing the two-phase coexistent region and changing the average order parameter of the single-component nematics. An increase of up to 11°C or a smaller decrease of as much as 3°C of Tc, and corresponding changes of the order parameter were observed. In all cases the order parameter of the colloid followed the universal temperature behaviour, which is a characteristic of LCs with molecular additives

Morphological Features of Red Blood Cells in Patients with Severe Concomitant Injury

Objective: to reveal changes in the structure and shape of red blood cells depending on blood loss (BL) volume in patients with severe concomitant injury (SCI). Subjects and methods. Eighteen patients (9 men, 9 women) aged 48.6±16.1 years who had sustained severe concomitant mechanical injury (CMI) with different BL volumes and hemodynamic disorders were examined. According to the volume of BL, the patients were divided into two groups: 1) 7 victims with a BL volume of < 750 ml (5.7±1.9 ml/kg), grade 1 BL; 2) 11 victims with a BL volume of > 2000 ml (37.5±5.1 ml/kg), grade 4 BL. A comparison group consisted of 5 apparently healthy volunteers whose mean age was 26.4±2.7 years. The shapes and sizes of red blood cells were examined by light optical and atomic force microscopy (AFM). To study the composition of red blood cells, ten microliters of whole blood were applied to the slides and red blood cell monolayers were prepared using a V-sampler. The membrane surface was scanned by semicontact resonance AFM. The investigators used NSGL 01-A cantilevers with a resonance frequency in the range of 80200 kHz, a probe radius of 10 nm, 512 and 1024 scanning points, and 100X100 ^m and 10X10 ^m scanning fields. Planar and 3D images were obtained. Results. Calculation of 1000 cells by light optical microscopy and AFM showed significantly different counts of macro- and microcytes in the comparison group. The 100X100-^m field exhibited the following types of red blood cells: discocytes (97.9±1.5% and 96±5%), echinocytes (2.1±0.9% and 3±1%), and squamous cells (0.1±0.02% and 1±0.5%). Within the first 24 hours after injury, the victim group displayed lower normocyte counts and higher counts of macrocytes and microcytes than the control group. AFM in the 100X100-^m field revealed that the victims with SMI when admitted to an intensive care unit exhibited a significant decrease in the counts of discocytes counts and increases in those of echinocytes, stomatocytes, and squamous cells, as compared to the controls. Anisocytosis and poikylocytosis was found to depended on the degree of BL. The squamous cells are most likely to be a variety of young erythrocytes. An appreciable increase in macrocytes and squamous cells on day 5 most likely reflects enhanced compensatory erythropoiesis in response to BL. Examination of red blood cell shapes within the first 24 hours after injury in the AFM field revealed profound discocytes with a protuberance in the center. On day 1 of injury changes in the nanostructure of red blood cell membranes included: 9-fold increase of first-order height (hj); 1.5-fold and 3-fold increase of second- and third-order heights (h2 and h3), respectively. The magnitude of changes in hj, h2 and h3 depended on the volume of BL and tended to decrease within the first two weeks of injury. Conclusion. The victims with SMI were observed to possess significant anisocytosis and poikylocytosis. The changes were associated with the volume of BL and included profound discocytes with a protuberance in the center as well aso changes in heights of nanostructural patterns of red blood cell membranes. Key words: severe concomitant injury, blood loss, atomic force microscopy, light optical microscopy, nanostructure of red blood cell membranes