The relationship of air temperature variations over the northern hemisphere during the secular and 11-year solar cycles

A comparison was made of air temperature anomaly maps for the months of January and July against a background of high and low secular solar activity, with and without regard for the 11 year cycle. By comparing temperature variations during the 11 year and secular cycles, it is found that the 11 year cycle influences thermal conditions more strongly than the secular cycle, and that temperature differences between extreme phases of the solar cycles are greater in January than in July

ТЕХНОЛОГИИ МАШИННОГО ЗРЕНИЯ В ОККЛЮЗИОННОЙ ПЛЕТИЗМОГРАФИИ

The purpose of this publication – to familiarize the readers with the newest achievements in the field of vision   machine   technologies   with   regard to the   occlusal   plethysmography.   The   principle   of plethysmograph work is similar to a principle of mechanical occlusal plethysmograph work, with that only a difference that working measuring environment (gas or liquid) is replaced with laser labels, and fixation of change of volume is made by machine vision with the subsequent computer processing. Application of laser technologies of machine vision in future considerably simplified process of diagnostics, will allow to carry out diagnostics repeatedly and under various conditions of, for example, case of external action on the examined finiteness of the of heat, cold, physical exercise, and so, is representative of more and accurate picture of the state of blood vessels in the dynamics.Цель публикации – познакомить читателей с новейшими достижениями в области технологий машинного зрения применительно к окклюзионной плетизмографии. Принцип работы плетизмографа аналогичен принципу работы механического окклюзионного плетизмографа, с той лишь разницей, что рабочая измерительная среда (газ или жидкость) заменена лазерными метками, а фиксирование изменения объема производится машинным зрением с последующей компьютерной обработкой. Применение лазерных технологий машинного зрения в будущем значительно упростит процесс диагностики, позволит проводить диагностику многократно и при различных условиях, например, при внешнем воздействии на исследуемую конечность теплом, холодом, физической нагрузкой и т.п., отражая более полную и точную картину состояния кровеносных сосудов в динамике

Methodological approaches to the analysis of space-time distribution of sanitary and hygienic indices of environmental quality

The objective of the study was to improve methodological approaches to the analysis of space-time distribution of indices of environmental quality. Suggested methodics allows assessment and interpretation of changes in spatial characteristics of the subjects of inquiry, the dynamics of spatial and statistical characteristics of the indices, as well as modeling and predicting the development of space-time processes.Целью настоящей работы явилось совершенствование методических подходов к анализу пространственно-временного распределения показателей качества среды обитания. Предложенная методика позволяет оценивать и интерпретировать изменения пространственных характеристик объектов исследования, динамику пространственных и статистических характеристик показателей, проводить моделирование и прогнозирование развития пространственно-временных процессов

Vaccinia Virus Protein C6 Is a Virulence Factor that Binds TBK-1 Adaptor Proteins and Inhibits Activation of IRF3 and IRF7

Recognition of viruses by pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) causes interferon-β (IFN-β) induction, a key event in the anti-viral innate immune response, and also a target of viral immune evasion. Here the vaccinia virus (VACV) protein C6 is identified as an inhibitor of PRR-induced IFN-β expression by a functional screen of select VACV open reading frames expressed individually in mammalian cells. C6 is a member of a family of Bcl-2-like poxvirus proteins, many of which have been shown to inhibit innate immune signalling pathways. PRRs activate both NF-κB and IFN regulatory factors (IRFs) to activate the IFN-β promoter induction. Data presented here show that C6 inhibits IRF3 activation and translocation into the nucleus, but does not inhibit NF-κB activation. C6 inhibits IRF3 and IRF7 activation downstream of the kinases TANK binding kinase 1 (TBK1) and IκB kinase-ε (IKKε), which phosphorylate and activate these IRFs. However, C6 does not inhibit TBK1- and IKKε-independent IRF7 activation or the induction of promoters by constitutively active forms of IRF3 or IRF7, indicating that C6 acts at the level of the TBK1/IKKε complex. Consistent with this notion, C6 immunoprecipitated with the TBK1 complex scaffold proteins TANK, SINTBAD and NAP1. C6 is expressed early during infection and is present in both nucleus and cytoplasm. Mutant viruses in which the C6L gene is deleted, or mutated so that the C6 protein is not expressed, replicated normally in cell culture but were attenuated in two in vivo models of infection compared to wild type and revertant controls. Thus C6 contributes to VACV virulence and might do so via the inhibition of PRR-induced activation of IRF3 and IRF7

CONTACTLESS MEASUREMENT OF KEY PARAMETERS OF LIMB VESSELS ON AN OCCLUSAL PLETHYSMOGRAPHY METHOD

The purpose of this publication – to familiarize the readers with the newest achievements in the field of vision   machine   technologies   with   regard to the   occlusal   plethysmography.   The   principle   of plethysmograph work is similar to a principle of mechanical occlusal plethysmograph work, with that only a difference that working measuring environment (gas or liquid) is replaced with laser labels, and fixation of change of volume is made by machine vision with the subsequent computer processing. Application of laser technologies of machine vision in future considerably simplified process of diagnostics, will allow to carry out diagnostics repeatedly and under various conditions of, for example, case of external action on the examined finiteness of the of heat, cold, physical exercise, and so, is representative of more and accurate picture of the state of blood vessels in the dynamics

Reduced core transport in T-10 and TEXTOR discharges at rational surfaces with low magnetic shear

It has been observed in the T-10 tokamak that immediately after off-axis electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH) switch-off, the core electron temperature stays constant for some time, which can be as long as several tens of milliseconds, i.e. several energy confinement times (tau(E)), before it starts to decrease. Whether or not the effect is observed depends critically on the local magnetic shear in the vicinity of the q = 1 rational surface, which should be close to zero. It is hypothesized that a small shear can induce the formation of an internal transport barrier. Measurements of density fluctuations in the transport barrier with a correlation reflectometer show immediately after the ECRH switch-off a clear reduction in the fluctuation level, corroborating the above results. The delayed temperature decrease has also been observed in similar discharges in the TEXTOR tokamak; however, the delay is restricted to similar to1 x tau(E)

Alpha kinase 1 controls intestinal inflammation by suppressing the IL-12/Th1 axis

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are heterogenous disorders of the gastrointestinal tract caused by a spectrum of genetic and environmental factors. In mice, overlapping regions of chromosome 3 have been associated with susceptibility to IBD-like pathology, including a locus called Hiccs. However, the specific gene that controls disease susceptibility remains unknown. Here we identify a Hiccs locus gene, Alpk1 (encoding alpha kinase 1), as a potent regulator of intestinal inflammation. In response to infection with the commensal pathobiont Helicobacter hepaticus (Hh), Alpk1-deficient mice display exacerbated interleukin (IL)-12/IL-23 dependent colitis characterized by an enhanced Th1/interferon(IFN)-γ response. Alpk1 controls intestinal immunity via the hematopoietic system and is highly expressed by mononuclear phagocytes. In response to Hh, Alpk1−/− macrophages produce abnormally high amounts of IL-12, but not IL-23. This study demonstrates that Alpk1 promotes intestinal homoeostasis by regulating the balance of type 1/type 17 immunity following microbial challenge

Fibulin-5 binds urokinase-type plasminogen activator and mediates urokinase-stimulated β1-integrin-dependent cell migration.

uPA (urokinase-type plasminogen activator) stimulates cell migration through multiple pathways, including formation of plasmin and extracellular metalloproteinases, and binding to the uPAR (uPA receptor; also known as CD87), integrins and LRP1 (low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1) which activate intracellular signalling pathways. In the present paper we report that uPA-mediated cell migration requires an interaction with fibulin-5. uPA stimulates migration of wild-type MEFs (mouse embryonic fibroblasts) (Fbln5+/+ MEFs), but has no effect on fibulin-5-deficient (Fbln5-/-) MEFs. Migration of MEFs in response to uPA requires an interaction of fibulin-5 with integrins, as MEFs expressing a mutant fibulin-5 incapable of binding integrins (Fbln(RGE/RGE) MEFs) do not migrate in response to uPA. Moreover, a blocking anti-(human β1-integrin) antibody inhibited the migration of PASMCs (pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells) in response to uPA. Binding of uPA to fibulin-5 generates plasmin, which excises the integrin-binding N-terminal cbEGF (Ca2+-binding epidermal growth factor)-like domain, leading to loss of β1-integrin binding. We suggest that uPA promotes cell migration by binding to fibulin-5, initiating its cleavage by plasmin, which leads to its dissociation from β1-integrin and thereby unblocks the capacity of integrin to facilitate cell motility

Defactinib inhibits PYK2 phosphorylation of IRF5 and reduces intestinal inflammation

Interferon regulating factor 5 (IRF5) is a multifunctional regulator of immune responses, and has a key pathogenic function in gut inflammation, but how IRF5 is modulated is still unclear. Having performed a kinase inhibitor library screening in macrophages, here we identify protein-tyrosine kinase 2-beta (PTK2B/PYK2) as a putative IRF5 kinase. PYK2-deficient macrophages display impaired endogenous IRF5 activation, leading to reduction of inflammatory gene expression. Meanwhile, a PYK2 inhibitor, defactinib, has a similar effect on IRF5 activation in vitro, and induces a transcriptomic signature in macrophages similar to that caused by IRF5 deficiency. Finally, defactinib reduces pro-inflammatory cytokines in human colon biopsies from patients with ulcerative colitis, as well as in a mouse colitis model. Our results thus implicate a function of PYK2 in regulating the inflammatory response in the gut via the IRF5 innate sensing pathway, thereby opening opportunities for related therapeutic interventions for inflammatory bowel diseases and other inflammatory conditions