THERMAL STABILITY AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF NANOSTRUCTURED NICKEL BASED ALLOY INCONEL 718

Abstract. Thermal stability of nanostructured (NS) nickel based alloy Inconel 718 has been investigated. This structure was formed by severe plastic deformation (SPD) via high pressure torsion (HPT) and multiple isothermal forging (MIF) of the alloy with an initial coarse-grained (CG) structure. The produced microstructures were analyzed. Such NS conditions are characterized by the nonequilibrium grain boundaries and a high hardness value that is twice larger than that of a CG alloy. Tensile tests of NS alloy after MIF have shown very high room-temperature strength. Thermal stability of the studied structural conditions of the alloy depends on the presence and stability of the precipitates of -and n W P b T b T P R W U f W X R W X ] P R R a S P ] R T f X c W X c b d P ] c X c h sizes, coherence with matrix, prevents the grain growth

A new finite difference method for computing approximate solutions of boundary value problems including transition conditions

This article is aimed at computing numerical solutions of new type of boundary value problems (BVPs) for two-linked ordinary differential equations. The problem studied here differs from the classical BVPs such that it contains additional conditions at the point of interaction, so-called transition conditions. Naturally, such type of problems is much more complicated to solve than classical problems. It is not clear how to apply the classical numerical methods to such type of boundary value transition problems (BVTPs). Based on the finite difference method (FDM) we have developed a new numerical algorithm for computing numerical solution of BVTPs for two-linked ordinary differential equations. To demonstrate the reliability and efficiency of the presented algorithm we obtained numerical solution of one BVTP and the results are compared with the corresponding exact solution. The maximum absolute errors (MAEs) are presented in a table

Calibration and functional analysis of three genetically encoded Cl-/pH sensors

Monitoring of the intracellular concentrations of Cl- and H+ requires sensitive probes that allow reliable quantitative measurements without perturbation of cell functioning. For these purposes the most promising are genetically encoded fluorescent biosensors, which have become powerful tools for non-invasive intracellular monitoring of ions, molecules and enzymatic activity. A ratiometric CFP/YFP-based construct with a relatively good sensitivity to Cl- has been developed (Markova et al., 2008; Waseem et al., 2010). Recently, a combined Cl-/pH sensor (ClopHensor) opened the way for simultaneous ratiometric measurement of these two ions (Arosio et al., 2010). ClopHensor was obtained by fusion of a red-fluorescent protein (DsRed-monomer) to the E2GFP variant that contains a specific Cl--binding site. This construct possesses pKa = 6.8 for H+ and Kd in the 40-50 mM range for Cl- at physiological pH (~7.3) As in the majority of cell types the intracellular Cl- concentration ([Cl-]i) is about 10 mM, the development of sensors with higher sensitivity is highly desirable. Here we report the intracellular calibration and functional characterization of ClopHensor and its two derivatives: the membrane targeting PalmPalm-ClopHensor and the H148G/V224L mutant with improved Cl- affinity, reduced pH dependence and pKa shifted to more alkaline values. For functional analysis, constructs were expressed in CHO cells and [Cl-]i was changed by using pipettes with different Cl- concentrations during whole-cell recordings. Kd values for Cl- measured at 33°C and pH ~ 7.3 were, respectively, 39 mM, 47 mM and 21 mM for ClopHensor, PalmPalm-ClopHensor and the H148G/V224L mutant. PalmPalm-ClopHensor resolved responses to activation of Cl--selective glycine receptor channels better than did ClopHensor. Our observations indicate that these different ClopHensor constructs are promising tools for non- invasive measurement of [Cl-]i in various living cells. © 2013 Mukhtarov, Liguori, Waseem, Rocca, Buldakova, Arosio and Bregestovski

Evaluation of individual informativity of features used to analyze the results of echocardiography automatically

Evaluation results of individual informativity of features used for analyzing ultrasonic images of the left ventricle of the heart is provided. With the 5% significance level all features have good individual separation capacity. So, they can be used for classify-ing pixels of the image into two classes - background pixels and the pixels of the left ventricle.Приведены результаты оценки индивидуальной информативности признаков, которые используются для анализа ультразвуковых изображений левого желудочка сердца. С уровнем значимости 5 % все признаки обладают хорошей индивидуальной разделительной способностью, а значит могут быть использованы для классификации пикселей изображения на два класса – пиксели фона и пиксели области левого желудочка

Latitudinal wave coupling of the stratosphere and mesosphere during the major stratospheric warming in 2003/2004

The coupling of the dynamical regimes in the high- and low-latitude stratosphere and mesosphere during the major SSW in the Arctic winter of 2003/2004 has been studied. The UKMO zonal wind data were used to explore the latitudinal coupling in the stratosphere, while the coupling in the mesosphere was investigated by neutral wind measurements from eleven radars situated at high, high-middle and tropical latitudes. It was found that the inverse relationship between the variability of the zonal mean flows at high- and low-latitude stratosphere related to the SSW is produced by global-scale zonally symmetric waves. Their origin and other main features have been investigated in detail. Similar latitudinal dynamical coupling has been found for the mesosphere as well. Indirect evidence for the presence of zonally symmetric waves in the mesosphere has been found

Structure and Dynamics of Solvation Shells of Copper(II) Complexes with N,O-Containing Ligands

© 2015 American Chemical Society. EPR, NMR relaxation methods, and DFT calculations were jointly used to investigate the structural and dynamical characteristics of solvation shells of copper(II) complexes with iminodiacetic acid, glycylglycine, and glycyglycylglycine in comparison with the copper(II) bis-glycinate studied previously. A strong trans influence of deprotonated peptide nitrogen was revealed in EPR spectra parameters of copper(II) complexes with oligopeptides. With models of the experimental NMRD data and literature X-ray structural information, it was suggested that only one water molecule coordinates in axial position of copper(II) complexes with glycine and di- and triglycine (Cu(Gly)2, Cu(GGH-1), and Cu(GGGH-2)-), and the copper ion in these complexes is pentacoordinated, while in the iminodiacetate complex, Cu(IDA), both apical positions can be occupied by solute molecules. The obtained structural results were confirmed by DFT calculations of structures of studied compounds using different functionals and basis sets. It was shown that the donor ability of equatorial ligands and trans influence have an effect on the characteristics of the axial water bond. With increasing donor strength of equatorial ligands, pentacoordination of copper(II) complexes in water solutions becomes more preferable

Glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation in neurons and astrocytes during network activity in hippocampal slices

Network activation triggers a significant energy metabolism increase in both neurons and astrocytes. Questions of the primary neuronal energy substrate (e.g., glucose vs. lactate) as well as the relative contributions of glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation and their cellular origin (neurons vs. astrocytes) are still a matter of debates. Using simultaneous measurements of electrophysiological and metabolic parameters during synaptic stimulation in hippocampal slices from mature mice, we show that neurons and astrocytes use both glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation to meet their energy demands. Supplementation or replacement of glucose in artificial cerebrospinal fluid (ACSF) with pyruvate or lactate strongly modifies parameters related to network activity-Triggered energy metabolism. These effects are not induced by changes in ATP content, pH i, Ca 2+ i or accumulation of reactive oxygen species. Our results suggest that during network activation, a significant fraction of NAD(P)H response (its overshoot phase) corresponds to glycolysis and the changes in cytosolic NAD(P)H and mitochondrial FAD are coupled. Our data do not support the hypothesis of a preferential utilization of astrocyte-released lactate by neurons during network activation in slices - instead, we show that during such activity glucose is an effective energy substrate for both neurons and astrocytes. © 2014 ISCBFM All rights reserved

Transgenic mouse lines for non-invasive ratiometric monitoring of intracellular chloride

Chloride is the most abundant physiological anion and participates in a variety of cellular processes including trans-epithelial transport, cell volume regulation, and regulation of electrical excitability. The development of tools to monitor intracellular chloride concentration ([Cli]) is therefore important for the evaluation of cellular function in normal and pathological conditions. Recently, several Cl-sensitive genetically encoded probes have been described which allow for non-invasive monitoring of [Cli]. Here we describe two mouse lines expressing a CFP-YFP-based Cl probe called Cl-Sensor. First, we generated transgenic mice expressing Cl-Sensor under the control of the mouse Thy1 mini promoter. Cl-Sensor exhibited good expression from postnatal day two (P2) in neurons of the hippocampus and cortex, and its level increased strongly during development. Using simultaneous whole-cell monitoring of ionic currents and Cl-dependent fluorescence, we determined that the apparent EC50 for Cli was 46 mM, indicating that this line is appropriate for measuring neuronal [Cli] in postnatal mice. We also describe a transgenic mouse reporter line for Cre-dependent conditional expression of Cl-Sensor, which was targeted to the Rosa26 locus and by incorporating a strong exogenous promoter induced robust expression upon Cre-mediated recombination. We demonstrate high levels of tissue-specific expression in two different Cre-driver lines targeting cells of the myeloid lineage and peripheral sensory neurons. Using these mice the apparent EC50 for Cli was estimated to be 61 and 54 mM in macrophages and DRG, respectively. Our data suggest that these mouse lines will be useful models for ratiometric monitoring of Cli in specific cell types in vivo. © 2013 Batti, Mukhtarov, Audero, Ivanov, Paolicelli, Zurborg, Gross, Bregestovski and Heppenstall

Study of structural and dynamic characteristics of copper(ii) amino acid complexes in solutions by combined EPR and NMR relaxation methods

Structural features and dynamical behaviour of the copper(ii) bis-complexes with glycine, d-alanine, d-valine, l-serine, l-aspartic acid, l-glutamic acid, l-lysine, l-proline, and sarcosine were studied by combined EPR and NMR relaxation methods. The cis and trans isomers were unambiguously assigned and characterized by EPR data. It was found that addition of a salt background has an influence on the cis-trans isomer equilibrium in favour of the formation of the cis isomer. By comparison of NMRD, DFT computations, and structural data it was shown that only one water molecule is coordinated in the axial position of these complexes. The increased exchange rates of this molecule found for Cu(l-Asp)2 2-, Cu(l-Glu)2 2-, Cu(l-LysH)2 2+, and Cu(l-Pro)2 were attributed to its pushing out by side chain groups of the ligands. By simulation of NMRD profiles an increase of lifetimes of the copper(ii) 2nd coordination sphere water molecules was revealed in the presence of additional carboxylic, alcoholic, or ammonium groups of the ligands, as well as the pyrrolidine ring of proline. The very short lifetimes of the 2nd coordination sphere water molecules (4-13 ps at 298 K) were explained in terms of the Frank-Wen structural model by the existence of cavities which draw in quickly enough water molecules from the 2nd coordination sphere. © 2014 The Partner Organisations