LC acousto-optical transducer for nondestructive holographic control systems

The construction of acousto-optical display based on the hysteretic in cholesteric liquid crystals (CLCs) is proposed for nondestructive holographic test systems. The influence oblique reactive sputtering deposited thin films of In₂O₃, AlxOy, SiOx, upon alignment properties of CLC, which are used as ultrasonic holographic recording media, is investigated. The technical characteristics and properties of developed acousto-optical display (AOD) are represented. The high sensitivity and planar texture reproducibility CLC are shown to be implicit advantages of AOD developed

Vacuum method for creation of liquid crystal orienting microrelief

A mechanism for creation of microrelief surface anisotropy of amorphous films oxides materials which are obtained by oblique reactive cathode sputtering method is described. The influence of technological parameters of sputtering on the LC orienting parameters is investigated. The dependencies of the target material, angle of material emission and reemission processes under the substrate negative ion treatment is shown. The application of oblique reactive cathode sputtering method for creation of LCD with differ-ent size is demonstrated

Disappearance of aligning properties of deposited SiOx films as caused by external factors

Thermal and degradation stability of SiOx aligning films deposited by cathode reactive sputtering (CRS) in glow discharge plasma were investigated. It was shown that a heat treatment and other external factors initiate transformations on the surface of aligning film and provided new conditions at the interface. This leads to a change of slight axis orientation direction of LC molecules and appearance of various defects in the LC aligned structures. The technological ways to increase the aligning layer durability under influence of external factors were proposed

Surface microrelief obtained by composed target deposition for LC molecules alignment

Technology of SiOx:In,Sn aligning films deposited by the cathode reactive sputtering (CRS) method is presented. The influence of In, Sn alloy surface concentration in Si cathode target on aligning film properties are investigated by the AFM and optical profilometry methods. The properties of aligning microrelief obtained by CRS method for various In, Sn concentration and by the polyimide rubbing method are compared. It was shown that such aligning microrelief can create defectless and perfect at the microscopic level nematic LC oriented structures

Development and investigation of LC light shutters for a welding automatic mask

Elements of technology to produce liquid crystal (LC) light shutters for a welding automatic mask with the built-in transparent heater for operating LC layer were developed. Experimental samples of light shutters were created using the developed technology, and their parameters and characteristics were investigated. Measuring the “switch-on” times of the created light shutters has shown that the transition from the transparent state to the opaque one within the temperature range from –20 up to +50 °C lasts less than 1.5 ms. This value meets the requirements of international standards

ITO layers modified in glow discharge plasma for Nematic Liquid Crystal alignment

Influence of ionic and plasma treatment on orienting properties of indium-tinoxide (ITO) films was investigated. The stable tilt angle generation of nematic liquid crystal (NLC) molecules was attended. Dependences of NLC molecules tilt angles on various technological parameters and regimes of ITO film deposition have been shown. Results for oriented film surfaces investigated by atomic-force microscopy showed the viscous-elastic mechanism of NLC molecules alignment by the modified ITO films.

THE ROLE OF A NEW BIOMARKER GROWTH DIFFERENTIATION FACTOR 15 IN PROGNOSIS OF PATIENTS WITH ACUTE CORONARY SYNDROME AND TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS

Numerous studies confirm worse results in diabetic patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) compared with non-diabetic patients. Different mechanisms underlie the adverse outcomes of ACS and diabetes mellitus. In this connection, a special place is occupied by the study of new biomarkers that reflect the complex pathogenic processes in these patients. Purpose: to investigate the role of the biomarker GDF 15 in prognosis of adverse outcomes in type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2T) patients with ACS. Materials and methods: 73 patients with different forms of ACS were screened. Levels of biomarkers: GDF 15, N-terminal pro brain natriuretic peptide (NT-pro BNP) and C-reactive protein (C-RP) were determined. The follow up period was 1 year. Endpoint was defined as lethal outcome. Results: significant differences in GDF 15 level has been found, prognostic value of GDF 15 was estimated in patients with DM2T, using a ROC-analysis. Threshold level of GDF 15 has been determined as 3894 pg/ml, with sensitivity of 64 % and specificity of 75 %. Conclusion: Patients with ACS and DM2T more often had a history of different cardiovascular diseases and risk factors compared to patients without diabetes. GDF 15 level was significantly higher in patients with ACS who had history of DM2T

Microhomology-mediated end joining drives complex rearrangements and overexpression of MYC and PVT1 in multiple myeloma

MYC is a widely acting transcription factor and its deregulation is a crucial event in many human cancers. MYC is important biologically and clinically in multiple myeloma, but the mechanisms underlying its dysregulation are poorly understood. We show that MYC rearrangements are present in 36.0% of newly diagnosed myeloma patients, as detected in the largest set of next generation sequencing data to date (n=1,267). Rearrangements were complex and associated with increased expression of MYC and PVT1, but not other genes at 8q24. The highest effect on gene expression was detected in cases where the MYC locus is juxtaposed next to super-enhancers associated with genes such as IGH, IGK, IGL, TXNDC5/BMP6, FAM46C and FOXO3. We identified three hotspots of recombination at 8q24, one of which is enriched for IGH-MYC translocations. Breakpoint analysis indicates primary myeloma rearrangements involving the IGH locus occur through non-homologous end joining, whereas secondary MYC rearrangements occur through microhomology-mediated end joining. This mechanism is different to lymphomas, where non-homologous end joining generates MYC rearrangements. Rearrangements resulted in overexpression of key genes and chromatin immunoprecipitation-sequencing identified that HK2, a member of the glucose metabolism pathway, is directly over-expressed through binding of MYC at its promoter

BRAF and DIS3 Mutations Associate with Adverse Outcome in a Long-term Follow-up of Patients with Multiple Myeloma

Purpose: Copy number changes and translocations have been studied extensively in many datasets with long term follow-up. The impact of mutations remains debated given the short time to follow-up of most datasets. Methods: we performed targeted panel sequencing covering 125 myeloma-specific genes and the loci involved in translocations in 223 newly diagnosed myeloma samples recruited into one of the Total Therapy Trials (TT). Results: As expected, the most commonly mutated genes were NRAS, KRAS, and BRAF making up 44% of patients. Double-Hit, BRAF and DIS3 mutations had an impact on outcome alongside classical risk factors in the context of an intensive treatment approach. We were able to identify both V600E and non-V600E BRAF mutations, 58% of which were predicted to be hypoactive or kinase dead. Interestingly, 44% of the hypoactive/kinase dead BRAF mutated patients showed co-occurring alterations in KRAS, NRAS or activating BRAF mutations suggesting they play a role in the oncogenesis of multiple myeloma (MM) by facilitating MAPK activation and may lead to chemo resistance. Conclusion: Overall, these data highlight the importance of mutational screening to better understand newly diagnosed MM (NDMM) and may lead to patient specific mutation-driven treatment approaches