Structural Investigations of Li1.5Al0.5Ge1.5(PO4)3 glass-ceramics by Solid State NMR

NASICON-type conductors based on LiGe2(PO4)3 are very promising lithium-conducting electrolytes for all-solid-state lithium-ion and lithium batteries. Al-doped LiGe2(PO4)3 solid electrolytes possessed higher conductivity (∼10-4 S/cm at room temperature) and stability versus metallic Li. In this paper, we present the structure study of Li1.5Al0.5Ge1.5(PO4)3 compound. Fast lithium-ion conductor Li1.5Al0.5Ge1.5(PO4)3 solid electrolyte have been obtained through glass crystallization at 820 °C during 8 h. Structural positions occupied by atoms have been examined by solid state nuclear magnetic resonance experiments. 6Li, 7Li, 27Al 31P NMR measurements have been performed at room temperature. © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd.Russian Science Foundation, RSFThe reported study was funded by the Russian Science Foundation according to the research project № 18-73-00099. The characterization of materials was carried out at the Shared Access Centre “Composition of Compounds” of the Institute of High Temperature Electrochemistry of the Ural Branch of the RAS, Yekaterinburg, Russian Federation

Effect of Li2O–Al2O3–GeO2–P2O5 glass crystallization on stability versus molten lithium

Glass and glass-ceramic NASICON-type electrolytes of Li1.5Al0.5Ge1.5(PO4)3 composition were obtained by melt quenching and glass crystallization, respectively. The stability of the solid electrolytes to molten metallic Li was studied by immersing the samples and holding them at 230 °C for 72 h. Li|glass|Li and Li|glass-ceramics|Li electrochemical cells were assembled and their resistance was measured by impedance spectroscopy at 200 °C for 9 days. It was established that, unlike the glass, the glass-ceramics did not change in its phase composition and molecular structure after the tests. It is shown that Li1.5Al0.5Ge1.5(PO4)3 glass-ceramics is chemically stable in contact with metallic Li. © 2019 Elsevier B.V.Russian Science Foundation, RSF: 18-73-00099The reported study was funded by the Russian Science Foundation according to the research project No. 18-73-00099 . The authors are grateful to Antonov B.D. and Vovkotrub E.G. The research has been carried out with the equipment of the Shared Access Center “Composition of Compounds” of Institute of High Temperature Electrochemistry of the Ural Branch of the RAS, Ekaterinburg, Russian Federation

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

Clustering of the Russian regions by information and communication technologies indicators – infrastructure and Internet access

In the context of the digitalization of the economy, it is important to systematize indicators that will fully assess the work of the regions of the Russian Federation in the direction of the country’s information development. The article presents a system for assessing state entities within the framework of infrastructure and access to the Internet network throughout the country. The authors analyze the heterogeneity of the regional structure of Russia in terms of digitalization indicators. The use of advanced statistical parametric and non-parametric methods made it possible to determine the stratification of regions. The paper compares the level of development of information and communication technologies in groups (layers) of regions according to the indicators included in the block “information and communication technologies infrastructure and access”, obtained as a result of monitoring the development of the information society in the Russian Federation. Researchers conduct a factor analysis to identify the main components that affect the level of development of information and communication technologies in the Russian regions

Production of subtilisin proteases in bacteria and yeast

In this review, we discuss the progress in the study and modif ication of subtilisin proteases. Despite longstanding applications of microbial proteases and a large number of research papers, the search for new protease genes, the construction of producer strains, and the development of methods for their practical application are still relevant and important, judging by the number of citations of the research articles on proteases and their microbial producers. This enzyme class represents the largest share of the industrial production of proteins worldwide. This situation can explain the high level of interest in these enzymes and points to the high importance of designing domestic technologies for their manufacture. The review covers subtilisin classif ication, the history of their discovery, and subsequent research on the optimization of their properties. An overview of the classes of subtilisin proteases and related enzymes is provided too. There is a discussion about the problems with the search for (and selection of) subtilases from natural strains of various microorganisms, approaches to (and specifics of) their modif ication, as well as the relevant genetic engineering techniques. Details are provided on the methods for expression optimization of industrial subtilases of various strains: the details of the most important parameters of cultivation, i. e., composition of the media, culture duration, and the inf luence of temperature and pH. Also presented are the results of the latest studies on cultivation techniques: submerged and solid-state fermentation. From the literature data reviewed, we can conclude that native enzymes (i. e., those obtained from natural sources) currently hardly have any practical applications because of the decisive advantages of the enzymes modified by genetic engineering and having better properties: e. g., thermal stability, general resistance to detergents and specif ic resistance to various oxidants, high activity in various temperature ranges, independence from metal ions, and stability in the absence of calcium. The vast majority of subtilisin proteases are expressed in producer strains belonging to different species of the genus Bacillus. Meanwhile, there is an effort to adapt the expression of these enzymes to other microbes, in particular species of the yeast Pichia pastoris

Diversity and occurrence of methylotrophic yeasts used in genetic engineering

Methylotrophic yeasts have been used as the platform for expression of heterologous proteins since the  1980’s. They are highly productive and allow producing eukaryotic proteins with an acceptable glycosylation level.  The first Pichia pastoris-based system for expression of recombinant protein was developed on the basis of the treeexudate-derived strain obtained in the US southwest. Being distributed free of charge for scientific purposes, this system has become popular around the world. As methylotrophic yeasts were classified in accordance with biomolecular  markers, strains used for production of recombinant protein were reclassified as Komagataella phaffii. Although patent  legislation suggests free access to these yeasts, they have been distributed on a contract basis. Whereas their status  for commercial use is undetermined, the search for alternative stains for expression of recombinant protein continues.  Strains of other species of methylotrophic yeasts have been adapted, among which the genus Ogataearepresentatives prevail. Despite the phylogenetic gap between the genus Ogataeaand the genus Komagataellarepresentatives, it turned out possible to use classic vectors and promoters for expression of recombinant protein in all cases. There  exist expression systems based on other strains of the genus Komagataellaas well as the genus Candida. The potential  of these microorganisms for genetic engineering is far from exhausted. Both improvement of existing expression systems and development of new ones on the basis of strains obtained from nature are advantageous. Historically, strains  obtained on the southwest of the USA were used as expression systems up to 2009. Currently, expression systems  based on strains obtained in Thailand are gaining popularity. Since this group of microorganisms is widely represented  around the world both in nature and in urban environments, it may reasonably be expected that new expression systems for recombinant proteins based on strains obtained in other regions of the globe will appear

ELECTROCHEMICAL SYSTEMS BASED ON MOLYBDENUM PHOSPHATE GLASSES

В данной работе получена и исследована система стёкол MoO3-P2O5. Изучено влияние концентрации оксида молибдена на характеристические температуры стёкол, структуру и электропроводность. Установлено, что при увеличении концентрации P2O5 до 85 мол. % происходит постепенное увеличение электропроводности. Максимальное значение проводимости при комнатной температуре составляет 1,0±0,1·10-5 См/см для состава 80MoO3-20P2O5.In this paper MoO3-P2O5 glasses system is obtained and investigated. The influence of molybdenum oxide concentration on glasses characteristic temperatures, structure and electrical conductivity has been investigated. It was found that at the P2O5 concentration of 85 mol. % the electrical conductivity increases. The maximum value of conductivity is 1,0 ± 0,1·10-5 S/cm at room temperature for the composition 80MoO3-20P2O5

Physico-chemical properties of actin cleaved with bacterial protease from E. coli A2 strain

The 36 kDa fragment of actin molecule obtained with the protease from E. coli A2 strain [(1988) FEBS Lett. 228, 172] was shown to begin with Val-43 and retain the COOH-terminal amino acid residues of the parent molecule. The E. coli protease split actin preserves the NH2-terminal part of the polypeptide chain as well as the native conformation of actin molecule. However, the E. coli protease split actin failed to polymerize in 0.1 M KCl, suggesting that integrity of actin molecule between Gly-42 and Val-43 is crucial for actin polymerization. © 1991

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