Application of Radiation Technologies for Quality Improvement of LEDs Based upon AlGaAs

The investigation results of the radiation resistance and reliability of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) based upon AlGaAs are presented. The radiation model and the reliability model are described for LEDs. Preliminary irradiation by gamma-quanta and fast neutrons makes it possible to improve the radiation resistance and reliability of the LEDs during further operation. Based on the developed models, radiation technologies are proposed, and the use of which allows increasing the service properties of the LEDs. The suggested technologies can be used for other types of semiconductor devices

Experimental Observation of the Temperature at the Liquid/Gas Interface

Experimental studies on measurements of the temperature profile in the vicinity of the evaporating distilled water layer were carried out. The temperature was measured with a chromel-alumel thermocouple, when it moves under the action of the precision actuator directed perpendicular to the evaporating layer. According to the experimental results the fluctuation in temperature of the air and liquid was found in the immediate vicinity of the liquid/gas interface. However, temperature jumps near the interface was not observed

Proteotoxic stress induced by Autographa californica nucleopolyhedrovirus infection of Spodoptera frugiperda Sf9 cells

AbstractBaculovirus AcMNPV causes proteotoxicity in Sf9 cells as revealed by accumulation of ubiquitinated proteins and aggresomes in the course of infection. Inhibition of proteasomes by lactacystin increased markedly the stock of ubiquitinated proteins indicating a primary role of proteasomes in detoxication. The proteasomes were present in Sf9 cells as 26S and 20S complexes whose protease activity did not change during infection. Proteasome inhibition caused a delay in the initiation of viral DNA replication suggesting an important role of proteasomes at early stages in infection. However, lactacystin did not affect ongoing replication indicating that active proteasomes are not required for genome amplification. At late stages in infection (24–48hpi), aggresomes containing the ubiquitinated proteins and HSP/HSC70s showed gradual fusion with the vacuole-like structures identified as lysosomes by antibody to cathepsin D. This result suggests that lysosomes may assist in protection against proteotoxicity caused by baculoviruses absorbing the ubiquitinated proteins

Novel inter-subunit contacts in Barley Stripe Mosaic Virus revealed by Cryo-Electron Microscopy

Barley stripe mosaic virus (BSMV, genus Hordeivirus) is a rod-shaped single-stranded RNA virus similar to viruses of the structurally characterized and well-studied genus Tobamovirus. Here we report the first high-resolution structure of BSMV at 4.1 Å obtained by cryo-electron microscopy. We discovered that BSMV forms two types of virion that differ in the number of coat protein (CP) subunits per turn and interactions between the CP subunits. While BSMV and tobacco mosaic virus CP subunits have a similar fold and interact with RNA using conserved residues, the axial contacts between the CP of these two viral groups are considerably different. BSMV CP subunits lack substantial axial contacts and are held together by a previously unobserved lateral contact formed at the virion surface via an interacting loop, which protrudes from the CP hydrophobic core to the adjacent CP subunit. These data provide an insight into diversity in structural organization of helical viruses

ИССЛЕДОВАНИЕ ОРГАНОЛЕПТИЧЕСКИХ И ФУНКЦИОНАЛЬНО-ТЕХНОЛОГИЧЕСКИХ СВОЙСТВ МЫШЕЧНОЙ ТКАНИ NOR И PSE СВИНИНЫ НА МЯСОПЕРЕРАБАТЫВАЮЩИХ ПРЕДПРИЯТИЯХ ЮФО

The paper presents the results of studies of organoleptic (color, consistency, water content) and functional-technological (pH, moisture binding capacity and loss of juice during cooking) properties of muscle tissue of NOR and PSE pork, obtained from animals transported at distances of 50 and 170 km, depending on pre-slaughter preparation. Experimental data of systematization of pork properties and calculation of the quantitative value of meat properties allowed to establish pork belonging to the quality groups NOR and PSE and to form a data bank of organoleptic and functional-technological parameters of pork muscle tissue entering the meat processing enterprises of the Southern Federal district. It is shown, that pork from rested animals had higher organoleptic and functional-technological parameters and higher quality levels of meat properties. The results of the studies confirm the positive impact of pre-slaughter preparation of pigs on the quality of their meat raw materialsВ работе представлены результаты исследований изучения органолептических (цвет, консистенция, водянистость) и функционально-технологических (рН, влагосвязывающая способность и потери сока при варке) свойств мышечной ткани NOR и PSE свинины, полученной от животных, транспортированных на расстояния 50 и 170 км, в зависимости от предубойной подготовки. Экспериментальные данные систематизации свойств свинины и расчета количественного значения свойств мяса позволили установить принадлежность свинины к качественным группам NOR и PSE и сформировать банк данных органолептических и функционально-технологических показателей мышечной ткани свинины, поступающей на мясоперерабатывающие предприятия Южного Федерального округа. Показано, что свинина от отдохнувших животных имела более высокие органолептические и функционально-технологические показатели и более высокие качественные уровни свойств мяса. Результаты проведенных исследований подтверждают положительное влияние предубойной подготовки свиней на качество получаемого от них мясного сырья

Menstrual function and mental health of medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic: a continuous cross-sectional study

Aim. To assess the impact of new coronavirus infection (NCI) and COVID-19 vaccination on menstrual function in comparison with the frequency of depressive disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic among female students of a medical university. Materials and methods. Data for a continuous transverse (cross-sectional) study were obtained using an online survey. The questions included demographics, characteristics of menstrual function, the history of COVID-19 and vaccinations against it, and the standard CES-D (Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale) questionnaire. The survey included 1.879 female medical students. The exclusion criteria were age under 18 and over 25 years, hormonal contraceptives, pregnancy, childbirth during the last year, and vaccination after COVID-19. After applying the exclusion criteria, three study groups were formed. Group 1 included female students with a history of NCI (n=140), group 2 included students with no history of NCI, who were initially vaccinated against COVID-19 (n=647), group 3 (control group) included unvaccinated students with no history of NCI (n=55). Results. There were no differences in the prevalence of changes in menstrual function in female students after the NCI (49.3%) and after COVID-19 vaccination (39.6%) compared to the control group (43.6%); p=0.477. The rate of depression in the overall study cohort was 43.3%, without any significant differences between the study groups. Significant predictors of changes in menstrual function during the pandemic were marriage (odds ratio OR 2.33 [1.513.61]), depression (OR 1.72 [1.282.3]), a history of menstrual dysfunction (OR 1.5 [0.121.99]), and later menarche (OR 1.76 [1.023.04]). Multivariate analysis did not show the significance of the history of NCI and vaccination as factors of menstrual dysfunction (OR 1.61 [0.892.90] and OR 0.91 [0.591.41], respectively). Conclusion. During the COVID-19 pandemic, female medical students reported frequent changes in menstrual function and depressive disorders. During the pandemic, the most significant predictors of menstrual disorders in female students were depression, a history of menstrual dysfunction, and marriage. A multicenter prospective study is necessary to clarify the mechanisms of the pandemic's impact on menstrual function

Immunoglobulin, glucocorticoid, or combination therapy for multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children: a propensity-weighted cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), a hyperinflammatory condition associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection, has emerged as a serious illness in children worldwide. Immunoglobulin or glucocorticoids, or both, are currently recommended treatments. METHODS: The Best Available Treatment Study evaluated immunomodulatory treatments for MIS-C in an international observational cohort. Analysis of the first 614 patients was previously reported. In this propensity-weighted cohort study, clinical and outcome data from children with suspected or proven MIS-C were collected onto a web-based Research Electronic Data Capture database. After excluding neonates and incomplete or duplicate records, inverse probability weighting was used to compare primary treatments with intravenous immunoglobulin, intravenous immunoglobulin plus glucocorticoids, or glucocorticoids alone, using intravenous immunoglobulin as the reference treatment. Primary outcomes were a composite of inotropic or ventilator support from the second day after treatment initiation, or death, and time to improvement on an ordinal clinical severity scale. Secondary outcomes included treatment escalation, clinical deterioration, fever, and coronary artery aneurysm occurrence and resolution. This study is registered with the ISRCTN registry, ISRCTN69546370. FINDINGS: We enrolled 2101 children (aged 0 months to 19 years) with clinically diagnosed MIS-C from 39 countries between June 14, 2020, and April 25, 2022, and, following exclusions, 2009 patients were included for analysis (median age 8·0 years [IQR 4·2-11·4], 1191 [59·3%] male and 818 [40·7%] female, and 825 [41·1%] White). 680 (33·8%) patients received primary treatment with intravenous immunoglobulin, 698 (34·7%) with intravenous immunoglobulin plus glucocorticoids, 487 (24·2%) with glucocorticoids alone; 59 (2·9%) patients received other combinations, including biologicals, and 85 (4·2%) patients received no immunomodulators. There were no significant differences between treatments for primary outcomes for the 1586 patients with complete baseline and outcome data that were considered for primary analysis. Adjusted odds ratios for ventilation, inotropic support, or death were 1·09 (95% CI 0·75-1·58; corrected p value=1·00) for intravenous immunoglobulin plus glucocorticoids and 0·93 (0·58-1·47; corrected p value=1·00) for glucocorticoids alone, versus intravenous immunoglobulin alone. Adjusted average hazard ratios for time to improvement were 1·04 (95% CI 0·91-1·20; corrected p value=1·00) for intravenous immunoglobulin plus glucocorticoids, and 0·84 (0·70-1·00; corrected p value=0·22) for glucocorticoids alone, versus intravenous immunoglobulin alone. Treatment escalation was less frequent for intravenous immunoglobulin plus glucocorticoids (OR 0·15 [95% CI 0·11-0·20]; p<0·0001) and glucocorticoids alone (0·68 [0·50-0·93]; p=0·014) versus intravenous immunoglobulin alone. Persistent fever (from day 2 onward) was less common with intravenous immunoglobulin plus glucocorticoids compared with either intravenous immunoglobulin alone (OR 0·50 [95% CI 0·38-0·67]; p<0·0001) or glucocorticoids alone (0·63 [0·45-0·88]; p=0·0058). Coronary artery aneurysm occurrence and resolution did not differ significantly between treatment groups. INTERPRETATION: Recovery rates, including occurrence and resolution of coronary artery aneurysms, were similar for primary treatment with intravenous immunoglobulin when compared to glucocorticoids or intravenous immunoglobulin plus glucocorticoids. Initial treatment with glucocorticoids appears to be a safe alternative to immunoglobulin or combined therapy, and might be advantageous in view of the cost and limited availability of intravenous immunoglobulin in many countries. FUNDING: Imperial College London, the European Union's Horizon 2020, Wellcome Trust, the Medical Research Foundation, UK National Institute for Health and Care Research, and National Institutes of Health