End-to-end convolutional neural network for automatic encoding facial descriptor (N-CNN) in the diagnosis of intrauterine distress

Background. Existing methods for studying intrauterine distress, despite their prevalence, still have their limitations, so studying and assessment of fetal movements during ultrasound diagnostics can become a convenient and affordable additional tool for diagnosing this pathological condition. The aim of the study. To assess the prevalence and diagnostic significance of a known set of fetal facial movements for the timely determination of intrauterine distress. Methods. This prospective single-center study included 225 fetuses of a gestational age from 32 to 40 weeks. The FIGO chart was used as fitting criteria of intrauterine distress. The assessment of facial movements in all fetuses was carried out using the BabyFACS technique, where the action unit (AU) used for the assessment; its coding is carried out in strict accordance with the chart of  motor descriptors (MD). Statistical data processing was carried out using SPSS Statistics 20 (IBM Corp., USA). The Mann – Whitney test was used as the main statistical parameter, where a threshold level of 0.05 was chosen to interpret the p-tests value. Results. Despite the occurrence of AU1, AU2, AU3, AU4 in both groups, these MDs were recorded in the group with confirmed distress (p  =  0.00001). Facial units such as AU9 and AU20 were found only in children with intrauterine distress, which, in the total amount of the MD assessment, can be considered one of the main search signs that specialists should first of all pay attention to. All motor descriptors showed high positive predictive value and diagnostic sensitivity, with the highest results registered for AU9 and AU20. Conclusion. Assessment of facial units during ultrasound diagnostics can be a convenient tool as an additional diagnosis of the development of intrauterine distress and requires further study

ARCHITECTURAL MODELLING OF “SOUND” PERGOLA

The article describes architectural solutions of pergolas adapted for the reproduction of synthesized acoustic space. The solution is represented by means of computer modelling and visualizes both processes and ob-jects on the example of construction and calculations. The project design of architectural models is an integral part in the practical reconstruction of the geospatial space studied by the architectural geography

Features of Forming a Cubic Li7La3Zr2O12 Film by Tape Casting

Thin films of Li7La3Zr2O12 solid electrolyte were obtained by tape casting.The optimal heat treatment mode without films’ deformation was proposed.The highest conductivity values were observed for the Li7La3Zr2O12 film annealed at 800 °С – 1.5·10–5 S·cm–1 at 215 °С.Received: 13.10.23. Revised: 07.11.23. Accepted: 17.11.23. Available online: 21.11.23.Currently, interest to lithium and lithium-ion all-solid-state power sources is rapidly growing all over the world. However, several issues should be addressed before all-solid-state batteries production: high resistance values of the solid electrolyte membrane and poor contact between electrolyte and electrode materials. The transition to thin-film technologies is one of the promising ways to solve these problems. Tape casting can be proposed to obtain thin-film solid electrolytes. In this research, the features of the structure formation, morphology and lithium-ion conductivity of Li7La3Zr2O12 films were investigated. Li7La3Zr2O12 films with the thickness of 35 μm were obtained by tape casting on Ni substrate. The influence of organic components’ content on homogeneous coatings formation was established. Heat treatment conditions for dried films were chosen based on differential scanning calorimetry and optical dilatometry. Phase change from tetragonal to cubic modification occurs after annealing the Li7La3Zr2O12 films at 700 °C and higher. The annealed Li7La3Zr2O12 films have developed surface, which can lead to improved contact between the solid electrolyte and an electrode in an electrochemical cell. Li7La3Zr2O12 films annealed at 800 °C have the highest lithium-ion conductivity values (2.5·10–7 and 1.5·10–5 S·cm–1 at 90 and 215 °С, respectively). The technology of Li7La3Zr2O12 films formation with the thickness of ~23 μm by tape casting was developed.This research was funded by the Research Program No. 122020100210-9 (IHTE UB RAS), Russian Academy of Sciences, Ural Branch, Russia.The research has been carried out with the equipment of the Shared Access Center “Composition of Compounds” at the IHTE UB RAS

Study of fertility and cytogenetic variability in androgenic plants (R0 and R1) of alloplasmic introgression lines of common wheat

Anther culture is one of the methods to obtain DH lines of wheat. A limitation of this method can be cytogenetic instability in plants R0, leading to a decrease in fertility or sterility. In this study, we have investigated the fertility of R0, the fertility and cytogenetic variability of R1 in alloplasmatic introgression lines of common wheat in order to develop a cytogenetically stable DH lines with introgressions from different species. Lines 311/134, 311/FL, 311/IR with the cytoplasm from H. vulgare were studied. 311/134 carries the wheat-rye 1RS.1BL and wheatwheatgrass 7DL-7Ai translocations; 311/FL has the 1RS.1BL translocation and probably introgressions from A. glaucum; and 311/IR has the wheat-rye 1RS.1BL and wheat-Ae. speltoides T2B/2S#2 translocations. Green seedlings developed in anther culture for all lines. Differences between the lines in the ability for androgenesis and in the level of fertility in R0 and R1 have been revealed. Depressed androgenesis, low fertility and high aneuploidy were observed in 311/IR. It has been proposed that the reason for this is cytogenetic instability in gametes, which is caused by Gc genes located on T2B/2S#2. 63.3 % of 311/134 and 311/FL R1 plants that were grown from low seed-set R0 plants were aneuploids. Fertile R0 regenerant plants were identified that segregated in R1 for fertility and chromosome numbers. It has been demonstrated that DH lines are best developed from highfertility R1 plants with 2n = 42 irrespective of fertility in R0

Alloplasmic recombinant lines (H. vulgare)-T. aestivum with 1RS.1BL translocation: initial genotypes for production of common wheat varieties

Alloplasmic lines are formed when the cytoplasm of one species is replaced by the cytoplasm of another as a result of repeated recurrent crosses of wide hybrids with the paternal genotype. Since the cytoplasm replacement results in new intergenomic interactions between a nucleus and cytoplasm leading to variability of plant characteristics, alloplasmic lines with restored fertility can be an additional source of biodiversity of cultivated plants. Earlier, recombinant alloplasmic lines (H. vulgare)-T. aestivum designated as L-17(1)–L-17(37) were formed from a plant with partially restored fertility of the BC3 generation of barley-wheat hybrid H. vulgare (cv. Nepolegayushchii) × T. aestivum (cv. Saratovskaya 29). This male-sterile hybrid was consistently backcrossed with wheat varieties Mironovskaya 808 (twice) and Saratovskaya 29, and Mironovskaya 808 had a positive impact on the restoration of fertility. This paper presents the results of investigation into a group of recombinant alloplasmic lines (L-17F4), as well as into doubled haploids (DH) lines – alloplasmic DH-17-lines obtained from anther culture of alloplasmic lines (L-17F2). The most productive of these lines were used as initial breeding genotypes. Hybrid form Lutescens 311/00-22 developed from the crossing of the alloplasmic DH(1)-17 line (as maternal genotype) with euplasmic line Com37 (CIMMYT), the source of the 1RS.1BL wheat-rye translocation, proved to be successful for breeding. The presence of the 1RS.1BL translocation in the genome of the Lutescens 311/00-22 form and the L-311(1)–L-311(6) alloplasmic lines isolated from it did not lead to a decrease of fertility or sterility in the plants. This indicates that the chromosome of the 1BS wheat does not carry the gene(s) that determine the restoration of fertility in the studied (H. vulgare)-T. aestivum alloplasmic lines. Alloplasmic lines L-311(1)–L-311(6) showed their advantage in comparison with the standard varieties for resistance to leaf and stem rust, yield, and grain quality. The breeding tests performed at Omsk Agricultural Scientific Center, Agrocomplex “Kurgansemena”, Federal State Unitary Enterprise “Ishimskoe” (Tyumen Region), using alloplasmic lines L-311(5), L-311(4) and L-311(6) resulted in varieties of spring common wheat Sigma, Uralosibirskaya 2 and Ishimskaya 11, respectively

Wheat-barley hybridization – the last forty years

Abstract Several useful alien gene transfers have been reported from related species into wheat (Triticum aestivum), but very few publications have dealt with the development of wheat/barley (Hordeum vulgare) introgression lines. An overview is given here of wheat 9 barley hybridization over the last forty years, including the development of wheat 9 barley hybrids, and of addition and translocation lines with various barley cultivars. A short summary is also given of the wheat 9 barley hybrids produced with other Hordeum species. The meiotic pairing behaviour of wheat 9 barley hybrids is presented, with special regard to the detection of wheat– barley homoeologous pairing using the molecular cytogenetic technique GISH. The effect of in vitro multiplication on the genome composition of intergeneric hybrids is discussed, and the production and characterization of the latest wheat/barley translocation lines are presented. An overview of the agronomical traits (b-glucan content, earliness, salt tolerance, sprouting resistance, etc.) of the newly developed introgression lines is given. The exploitation and possible use of wheat/barley introgression lines for the most up-to-date molecular genetic studies (transcriptome analysis, sequencing of flow-sorted chromosomes) are also discussed

Gender differences in the pharmacological actions of pegylated glucagon-Like peptide-1 on endothelial progenitor cells and angiogenic precursor cells in a combination of metabolic disorders and lung emphysema

In clinical practice, the metabolic syndrome (MetS) is often associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Although gender differences in MetS are well documented, little is known about sex-specific differences in the pathogenesis of COPD, especially when combined with MetS. Consequently, it is not clear whether the same treatment regime has comparable efficacy in men and women diagnosed with MetS and COPD. In the present study, using sodium glutamate, lipopolysaccharide, and cigarette smoke extract, we simulated lipid metabolism disorders, obesity, hyperglycemia, and pulmonary emphysema (comorbidity) in male and female C57BL/6 mice. We assessed the gender-specific impact of lipid metabolism disorders and pulmonary emphysema on angiogenic precursor cells (endothelial progenitor cells (EPC), pericytes, vascular smooth muscle cells, cells of the lumen of the nascent vessel), as well as the biological effects of pegylated glucagon-like peptide 1 (pegGLP-1) in this experimental paradigm. Simulation of MetS/COPD comorbidity caused an accumulation of EPC (CD45−CD31+CD34+), pericytes, and vascular smooth muscle cells in the lungs of female mice. In contrast, the number of cells involved in the angiogenesis decreased in the lungs of male animals. PegGLP-1 had a positive effect on lipids and area under the curve (AUC), obesity, and prevented the development of pulmonary emphysema. The severity of these effects was stronger in males than in females. Furthermore, PegGLP-1 stimulated regeneration of pulmonary endothelium. At the same time, PegGLP-1 administration caused a mobilization of EPC (CD45−CD31+CD34+) into the bloodstream in females and migration of precursors of angiogenesis and vascular smooth muscle cells to the lungs in male animals. Gender differences in stimulatory action of pegGLP-1 on CD31+ endothelial lung cells in vitro were not observed. Based on these findings, we postulated that the cellular mechanism of in vivo regeneration of lung epithelium was at least partly gender-specific. Thus, we concluded that a pegGLP-1-based treatment regime for metabolic disorder and COPD should be further developed primarily for male patients

Неврологические проявления иксодового клещевого боррелиоза, ассоциированного с хроническим описторхозом, в Томской области

A comparative analysis of neurological manifestations in patients with acute ixodic tick-borne borreliosis (ITB) and patients with ITB associated with chronic opisthorchiasis has been carried out. It has been found that at ITB in the acute phase, nearly all parts of the nervous system are involved in the pathological process. Diseases of central parts of the nervous system were found in 86.7% patients with the monoinfection and in 96.7% patients with ITB associated with chronic opisthorchiasis, diseases of the vegetative part were found in 75.0 and 83.3% patients, and peripheral failures were found in 18.3 and 48.3% patients, respectively. In the structure of neurological pathology of the acute stage of ITB with chronic opisthorchiasis, the prevalence of the combined disease of different parts of the nervous system (93.3%), the more frequent occurrence (96.7%) and higher intensity of headaches (more than 4 points by the visual analog scale), vertigo (76.7%), cognitive failures (35.0%), signs of the vegetative disfunction syndrome (95.0%), and peripheral neuropathy (48.3%) were diagnosed.Проведен сравнительный анализ неврологических проявлений у 60 пациентов с острым иксодовым клещевым боррелиозом (ИКБ) и 60 больных с острым ИКБ на фоне хронического описторхоза. Установлено, что при ИКБ острой стадии в патологический процесс вовлекаются практически все отделы нервной системы. Так, поражение центральных отделов нервной системы выявлено у 86,7% больных с моноинфекцией и у 96,7% — с ИКБ на фоне хронического описторхоза, вегетативного отдела — у 75,0 и 83,3% и периферические расстройства — у 18,3 и 48,3% соответственно. В структуре неврологической патологии острой стадии ИКБ на фоне хронического описторхоза констатировали преобладание комбинированного поражения различных отделов нервной системы (93,3%), более значимую частоту регистрации (96,7%) и бóльшую выраженность головных болей (по визуальный аналоговой шкале более 4 баллов), головокружения (76,7%), когнитивных расстройств (35,0%), проявлений синдрома вегетативной дисфункции (95,0%) и периферических нейропатий (48,3%)

Magnetic-Responsive Doxorubicin-Containing Materials Based on Fe3O4 Nanoparticles with a SiO2/PEG Shell and Study of Their Effects on Cancer Cell Lines

Novel nanocomposite materials based on Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) coated with silica and covalently modified by [(3-triethoxysilyl)propyl]succinic acid–polyethylene glycol (PEG 3000) conjugate, which provides a high level of doxorubicin (Dox) loading, were obtained. The efficiency of Dox desorption from the surface of nanomaterials under the action of an alternating magnetic field (AMF) in acidic and neutral media was evaluated. Their high cytotoxicity against tumor cells, as well as the drug release upon application of AMF, which leads to an increase in the cytotoxic effect, was demonstrated. © 2022 by the authors.Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation, Minobrnauka: 075-15-2020-777This research was funded by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, grant number 075-15-2020-777