Experimental opisthorchiasis: a study of blood cells, hematopoiesis and startle reflex in laboratory animals

One of the species of the family Opisthorchiidae, Opisthorchis felineus (O. felineus), causes severe disturbances in humans and animals, and so it is the subject of important research studies. Two weeks after infection we compared the impact of O. felineus invasion on the changes in blood cells composition, bone marrow hematopoiesis and behavioral startlereflex in inbred C57BL/6 male mice and Syrian hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus). Considerable interspecies differences were revealed for many parameters estimated. It was found that the relative weight of the main organ of the peripheral immune system – spleen, is significantly larger in mice than in hamsters. Moreover, the infection with O. felineus caused a significant enlargement of the spleen only in mice. More pronounced changes in the blood cells composition, which was accompanied by activation of hematopoietic stem cells of myeloid and erythroid set, were determined in hamsters. Blood changes in the response to infection in mice were less severe and were not accompanied by the changes in colony formation. Mouse acoustic startle reaction differed from hamster one too. The expression of the startle reaction and the value of pre-pulse inhibition were discriminated in animals of two species. Infected hamsters had no reaction of habituation  to the sound stimulus. In addition, the maturation of O. felineus worms was faster in hamsters than in mice. Data obtained suggest a greater resistance of mice to O. felineus infection, but do not exclude the availability of mice as a model in the study of processes taking place in the host during the development of experimental opisthorchiasis

Challenges in Ceramic Science: A Report from the Workshop on Emerging Research Areas in Ceramic Science

In March 2012, a group of researchers met to discuss emerging topics in ceramic science and to identify grand challenges in the field. By the end of the workshop, the group reached a consensus on eight challenges for the future:—understanding rare events in ceramic microstructures, understanding the phase-like behavior of interfaces, predicting and controlling heterogeneous microstructures with unprecedented functionalities, controlling the properties of oxide electronics, understanding defects in the vicinity of interfaces, controlling ceramics far from equilibrium, accelerating the development of new ceramic materials, and harnessing order within disorder in glasses. This paper reports the outcomes of the workshop and provides descriptions of these challenges

Mourning and melancholia revisited: correspondences between principles of Freudian metapsychology and empirical findings in neuropsychiatry

Freud began his career as a neurologist studying the anatomy and physiology of the nervous system, but it was his later work in psychology that would secure his place in history. This paper draws attention to consistencies between physiological processes identified by modern clinical research and psychological processes described by Freud, with a special emphasis on his famous paper on depression entitled 'Mourning and melancholia'. Inspired by neuroimaging findings in depression and deep brain stimulation for treatment resistant depression, some preliminary physiological correlates are proposed for a number of key psychoanalytic processes. Specifically, activation of the subgenual cingulate is discussed in relation to repression and the default mode network is discussed in relation to the ego. If these correlates are found to be reliable, this may have implications for the manner in which psychoanalysis is viewed by the wider psychological and psychiatric communities

Antiknock Properties of Furfural Derivatives

Текст статьи не публикуется в открытом доступе в соответствии с политикой журнала.Preparative amounts of furfuryl alcohol ethers and furfural acetals were prepared from renewable vegetable raw materials. The blending reseach octane numbers of mixing of furan derivatives in straight-run gasoline were estimated: butyl furfuryl ether, 97.8 ± 7; propyl furfuryl ether, 112 ± 6; furfural diethyl acetal, 105 ± 6, furfural ethylene glycol acetal, 108 ± 7; furfurylamine, 194 ± 4. These results demonstrate prospects for using furan derivatives as available biofuels

Control of the process of wear of the tribosystems based on the optical density of the lubricating oil using neural network models

The article considers the task of studying how the two processes relate - the destruction of lubricating oil and the wear of the elements of the tribosystem. The paper analyzes one of these indicators - the optical density of the oil, which characterizes the process of its destruction. The study includes the stage of constructing multifactor intelligent critical wear models depending on the optical density of the oil and the effort in the friction pair. The initial data for the construction of models are the results of measurements of the optical density of oils and the diameter of the wear spot. The obtained forecast models are indispensable for explaining the fundamental processes of wear that occur during the operation of lubricating oil. In addition to this, it should be noted that the results obtained make it possible to take the next step towards the creation of a new technique for the rapid assessment of the state of lubricating oil and the corresponding nature of the process of wear of the tribosystem

Antiknock Properties of Furfural Derivatives

Текст статьи не публикуется в открытом доступе в соответствии с политикой журнала.Preparative amounts of furfuryl alcohol ethers and furfural acetals were prepared from renewable vegetable raw materials. The blending reseach octane numbers of mixing of furan derivatives in straight-run gasoline were estimated: butyl furfuryl ether, 97.8 ± 7; propyl furfuryl ether, 112 ± 6; furfural diethyl acetal, 105 ± 6, furfural ethylene glycol acetal, 108 ± 7; furfurylamine, 194 ± 4. These results demonstrate prospects for using furan derivatives as available biofuels

Production of 6-L-[18F]Fluoro-m-tyrosine in an Automated Synthesis Module for 11C-Labeling

6-L-[18F]Fluoro-m-tyrosine (6-L-[18F]FMT) represents a valuable alternative to 6-L-[18F]FDOPA which is conventionally used for the diagnosis and staging of Parkinson’s disease. However, clinicalapplications of 6-L-[18F]FMT have been limited by the paucity of practical production methods for its automated production. Herein we describe the practical preparation of 6-L-[18F]FMT using alcoholenhancedCu-mediated radiofluorination of Bpin-substituted chiral Ni(II) complex in the presence of non-basic Bu4ONTf using a volatile iPrOH/MeCN mixture as reaction solvent. A simple and fast radiolabeling procedure afforded the tracer in 20.0 3.0% activity yield within 70 min. The developed method was directly implemented onto a modified TracerLab FX C Pro platform originally designed for 11C-labeling. This method enables an uncomplicated switch between 11C- and 18F-labeling. The simplicity of the developed procedure enables its easy adaptation to other commercially available remote-controlled synthesis units and paves the way for a widespread application of 6-L-[18F]FMT in the clinic

Synthesis and Anti-Knock Properties of Furfural Derivatives

Исследовательским методом оценены октановые числа растворов диэтилацеталя фурфурола и фурфуриламина в прямогонном бензине и установлены линейные зависимости октанового числа растворов изученных веществ от их концентрации. Рассчитаны октановые числа смешения диэтилацеталя фурфурола (106,0±3,8) и фурфуриламина (193,5±7,7). Предложен новый метод препаративного синтеза диэтилацеталя фурфурола прямым взаимодействием спирта и альдегида. Для смещения равновесия реакции пары воды из газовой фазы над раствором реагирующих веществ удаляются оксидом кальция. Оценена окислительная стабильность растворов фурфуриламина в прямогонном бензине: по показателю «индукционный период» (более 1000 мин) она соответствует требованиям ГОСТ 2084-77 при концентрации фурфуриламина менее 5 мас. %.Research octane numbers (RON) of the furfural diethyl acetal and furfurylamine solutions in straight-run gasoline were measured, and the liner dependences between the solution octane numbers and concentrations of furfural derivatives were found. Blending research octane numbers (BRON) for furfural diethyl acetal (106.0±3.8) and furfurylamine (193.5±7.7) are calculated. A novel method of syntheses of furfural diethylacetal by the direct interaction of the alcohol and the aldehyde is developed. To shift the reaction equilibrium a water vapour from gas phase over the reaction mass is removed by calcium oxide. Oxidative stability of the furfurylamine solutions in straight-run gasoline (test for induction period) was estimated. It corresponds to the GOST 2084-77 conditions at the furfurylamine concentrations less than 5 wt. % and exceeds value of 1000 mi