The stabilizing role of itinerant ferromagnetism in inter-granular cohesion in iron

We present a simple, general energy functional for ferromagnetic materials based upon a local spin density extension to the Stoner theory of itinerant ferromagnetism. The functional reproduces well available ab initio results and experimental interfacial energies for grain boundaries in iron. The model shows that inter-granular cohesion along symmetric tilt boundaries in iron is dependent upon strong magnetic structure at the interface, illuminates the mechanisms underlying this structure, and provides a simple explanation for relaxation of the atomic structure at these boundaries.Comment: In review at Phys. Rev. Lett. Submitted 23 September 1997; revised 16 March 199

The use of quantitative enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the determination of S-antigen concentration in whole-virion inactivated adsorbed coronavirus vaccines

The severe consequences and high mortality of COVID-19 prompted the development of a wide range of preventive vaccines. The first vaccines to be tested were developed in China and formulated as inactivated SARS-CoV-2 adsorbed on aluminium hydroxide. One of the quality indicators for inactivated adsorbed vaccines is the degree of adsorption, which can be used to control the content not only of non-adsorbed antigen, but also of specific antigen in one dose of a vaccine.The aim of the study was to investigate the possibility of desorbing SARS-CoV-2 antigen from formulated adsorbed vaccines and the possibility of measuring its concentration using the BioScan-SARS-CoV-2 (S) ELISA kit for SARS-CoV-2 S-protein content determination.Materials and methods: the study used four batches of BBIBP-CorV by CNBG, Sinopharm (China) and three batches of CoronaVac by Sinovac Biotech (China). The authors desorbed SARS-CoV-2 S antigen in accordance with monograph FS.3.3.1.0029.15 of the State Pharmacopoeia of the Russian Federation (Ph. Rus.), edition XIV, and quantified it using the BioScan-SARS-CoV-2 (S) ELISA kit by Bioservice Biotechnology Co. Ltd. (Russia).Results: mean S-antigen concentrations in the desorbed samples ranged from 61 to 129 ng/mL for BBIBP-CorV and from 461 to 533 ng/mL for CoronaVac.Conclusions: the study demonstrated the possibility of specific SARS-CoV-2 antigen desorption from the surface of aluminium hydroxide using the Ph. Rus. method, as well as the possibility of S-antigen quantification in desorbed medicinal products and supernatants using the BioScan-SARS-CoV-2 (S) ELISA kit. The authors observed 3.6- to 8.7-fold difference between the S-antigen concentrations of the desorbed preparations by the two manufacturers

Direct Observation of Martensitic Phase-Transformation Dynamics in Iron by 4D Single-Pulse Electron Microscopy

The in situ martensitic phase transformation of iron, a complex solid-state transition involving collective atomic displacement and interface movement, is studied in real time by means of four-dimensional (4D) electron microscopy. The iron nanofilm specimen is heated at a maximum rate of ∼10^(11) K/s by a single heating pulse, and the evolution of the phase transformation from body-centered cubic to face-centered cubic crystal structure is followed by means of single-pulse, selected-area diffraction and real-space imaging. Two distinct components are revealed in the evolution of the crystal structure. The first, on the nanosecond time scale, is a direct martensitic transformation, which proceeds in regions heated into the temperature range of stability of the fcc phase, 1185−1667 K. The second, on the microsecond time scale, represents an indirect process for the hottest central zone of laser heating, where the temperature is initially above 1667 K and cooling is the rate-determining step. The mechanism of the direct transformation involves two steps, that of (barrier-crossing) nucleation on the reported nanosecond time scale, followed by a rapid grain growth typically in ∼100 ps for 10 nm crystallites

Ранние функциональные результаты хирургического лечения опухолей единственной почки

Background. Tumors of a solitary kidney (SK) are extremely rare. They are an absolute indication for organ-preserving treatment. Decrease in the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and development of acute kidney injury in early postoperative period often require hemodialysis, and patients have to stay in the ICU.Objective. Evaluation of short-term functional results and identification of factors affecting GFR decrease in the early postoperative period after partial nephrectomy for renal masses in the SK.Materials and methods. Analysis of patients’ data with tumor of the SK who underwent open partial nephrectomy at the Oncourology Department of the N.N. Alexandrov National Cancer Centre ofBelarus in the period of 16 years was performed. The study included 136 patients.Results. Multifactor regression analysis (including potential risk factors) revealed that the GFR decrease in the early postoperative period significantly correlated with multifocality (p = 0.028-), ischemia (p < 0.001), blood transfusion (p < 0.001), and the maximum tumor size (p = 0.006). Additional analyses didn’t show any statistically significant correlations between decrease of kidney function and duration of the SK status (n = 127; p = 0.31) or the volume of preserved parenchyma (n = 82; p = 0.77).Conclusion. Early GFR decrease after partial nephrectomy of the SK is strongly associated with ischemia time, blood transfusion, tumor size, and multifocality. In this study, the volume of preserved parenchyma didn’t affect early functional results of the surgery. Введение. Опухоль единственной почки (ЕП) встречается крайне редко и является абсолютным показанием к органосохраняющему лечению. Снижение скорости клубочковой фильтрации (СКФ) и развитие острой почечной недостаточности в раннем послеоперационном периоде часто требует проведение сеансов гемодиализа и нахождение пациента в отделении реанимации.Цель работы – оценка ближайших функциональных результатов резекции ЕП, выявление факторов, влияющих на степень снижения СКФ в раннем послеоперационном периоде.Материалы и методы. Проведен анализ данных пациентов, прооперированных в отделении онкоурологии РНПЦ ОМР им. Н.Н. Александрова за 16 лет с опухолью ЕП. Всего в исследование включено 136 пациентов.Результаты. По данным мультифакторного регрессионного анализа с  включением потенциальных факторов риска установлено, что статистически значимая корреляция со степенью снижения СКФ в раннем послеоперационном периоде отмечалась с мультифокальностью (p=0,028), длительностью ишемии (p < 0,001), гемотрансфузией (p < 0,001) и наибольшим размером опухоли (p=0,006). При выполнении дополнительных анализов данных не было выявлено статистически значимого влияния на степень снижения функции почки ни длительности статуса единственной почки (n=127, p=0,31), ни объёма сохраненной паренхимы (n=82, p=0,77).Заключение. Установлена статистически значимая связь длительности ишемии,  гемотрансфузии в интра- или послеоперационном периоде, размера опухоли и мультифокальности со степенью снижения почечной функции в раннем послеоперационном периоде после резекции ЕП. В данной работе объём сохраненной паренхимы не оказал влияния на ранние функциональные результаты операции.

Применение количественного иммуноферментного анализа для определения концентрации S-антигена в цельновирионных инактивированных адсорбированных коронавирусных вакцинах

The severe consequences and high mortality of COVID-19 prompted the development of a wide range of preventive vaccines. The first vaccines to be tested were developed in China and formulated as inactivated SARS-CoV-2 adsorbed on aluminium hydroxide. One of the quality indicators for inactivated adsorbed vaccines is the degree of adsorption, which can be used to control the content not only of non-adsorbed antigen, but also of specific antigen in one dose of a vaccine.The aim of the study was to investigate the possibility of desorbing SARS-CoV-2 antigen from formulated adsorbed vaccines and the possibility of measuring its concentration using the BioScan-SARS-CoV-2 (S) ELISA kit for SARS-CoV-2 S-protein content determination.Materials and methods: the study used four batches of BBIBP-CorV by CNBG, Sinopharm (China) and three batches of CoronaVac by Sinovac Biotech (China). The authors desorbed SARS-CoV-2 S antigen in accordance with monograph FS.3.3.1.0029.15 of the State Pharmacopoeia of the Russian Federation (Ph. Rus.), edition XIV, and quantified it using the BioScan-SARS-CoV-2 (S) ELISA kit by Bioservice Biotechnology Co. Ltd. (Russia).Results: mean S-antigen concentrations in the desorbed samples ranged from 61 to 129 ng/mL for BBIBP-CorV and from 461 to 533 ng/mL for CoronaVac.Conclusions: the study demonstrated the possibility of specific SARS-CoV-2 antigen desorption from the surface of aluminium hydroxide using the Ph. Rus. method, as well as the possibility of S-antigen quantification in desorbed medicinal products and supernatants using the BioScan-SARS-CoV-2 (S) ELISA kit. The authors observed 3.6- to 8.7-fold difference between the S-antigen concentrations of the desorbed preparations by the two manufacturers.Тяжелые последствия заболевания, вызываемые вирусом SARS-CoV-2, а также большое количество случаев заболевания с летальным исходом, обусловили разработку целого ряда профилактических вакцин. Первые вакцины, об испытаниях которых было заявлено, были разработаны в Китае и представляли собой инактивированный вирус SARS-CoV-2, адсорбированный на гидроокиси алюминия. Для инактивированных адсорбированных вакцин одним из показателей качества является полнота сорбции. Определение этого параметра позволяет не только контролировать количество несорбированного антигена, но и количество специфического антигена в дозе.Цель работы: изучение возможности проведения десорбции антигена вируса SARS-CoV-2 в готовых лекарственных формах адсорбированных вакцин и определение концентрации антигена вируса с использованием набора реагентов «БиоСкан-SARS-CoV-2 (S)» для количественного определения S-белка вируса SARS-CoV-2 методом иммуноферментного анализа (ИФА).Материалы и методы: в работе были использованы образцы четырех серий вакцины BBIBP-CorV (CNBG, Sinopharm, Китай) и трех серий вакцины CoronaVac (Sinovac Biotech, Китай). Десорбцию антигена проводили в соответствии с ФС.3.3.1.0029.15 Государственной фармакопеи Российской Федерации XIV издания (ГФ РФ XIV), а количественное определение S-антигена вируса SARS-CoV-2 – с использованием набора реагентов для ИФА «БиоСкан-SARS-CoV-2 (S)» (АО БТК «Биосервис», Россия).Результаты: в исследованных образцах четырех серий вакцины BBIBP-CorV концентрация S-антигена в десорбированных образцах варьировала в среднем от 61 до 129 нг/мл, а в образцах трех серий вакцины CoronaVac – от 461 до 533 нг/мл.Выводы: была показана возможность десорбции специфического антигена вируса SARS-CoV-2 с гидроокиси алюминия по методике ФС.3.3.1.0029.15 ГФ РФ XIV. Показана возможность количественной оценки содержания S-антигена в десорбированном препарате и в супернатанте с использованием набора реагентов для ИФА «БиоСкан-SARS-CoV-2 (S)». Разница в концентрациях S-антигена в десорбированных препаратах между двумя разными производителями составляла от 3,6 до 8,7 раза

Screened Coulomb interactions in metallic alloys: I. Universal screening in the atomic sphere approximation

We have used the locally self-consistent Green's function (LSGF) method in supercell calculations to establish the distribution of the net charges assigned to the atomic spheres of the alloy components in metallic alloys with different compositions and degrees of order. This allows us to determine the Madelung potential energy of a random alloy in the single-site mean field approximation which makes the conventional single-site density-functional- theory coherent potential approximation (SS-DFT-CPA) method practically identical to the supercell LSGF method with a single-site local interaction zone that yields an exact solution of the DFT problem. We demonstrate that the basic mechanism which governs the charge distribution is the screening of the net charges of the alloy components that makes the direct Coulomb interactions short-ranged. In the atomic sphere approximation, this screening appears to be almost independent of the alloy composition, lattice spacing, and crystal structure. A formalism which allows a consistent treatment of the screened Coulomb interactions within the single-site mean-filed approximation is outlined. We also derive the contribution of the screened Coulomb interactions to the S2 formalism and the generalized perturbation method.Comment: 28 pages, 8 figure

Sponge spicules as blueprints for the biofabrication of inorganic–organic composites and biomaterials

While most forms of multicellular life have developed a calcium-based skeleton, a few specialized organisms complement their body plan with silica. However, of all recent animals, only sponges (phylum Porifera) are able to polymerize silica enzymatically mediated in order to generate massive siliceous skeletal elements (spicules) during a unique reaction, at ambient temperature and pressure. During this biomineralization process (i.e., biosilicification) hydrated, amorphous silica is deposited within highly specialized sponge cells, ultimately resulting in structures that range in size from micrometers to meters. Spicules lend structural stability to the sponge body, deter predators, and transmit light similar to optic fibers. This peculiar phenomenon has been comprehensively studied in recent years and in several approaches, the molecular background was explored to create tools that might be employed for novel bioinspired biotechnological and biomedical applications. Thus, it was discovered that spiculogenesis is mediated by the enzyme silicatein and starts intracellularly. The resulting silica nanoparticles fuse and subsequently form concentric lamellar layers around a central protein filament, consisting of silicatein and the scaffold protein silintaphin-1. Once the growing spicule is extruded into the extracellular space, it obtains final size and shape. Again, this process is mediated by silicatein and silintaphin-1, in combination with other molecules such as galectin and collagen. The molecular toolbox generated so far allows the fabrication of novel micro- and nanostructured composites, contributing to the economical and sustainable synthesis of biomaterials with unique characteristics. In this context, first bioinspired approaches implement recombinant silicatein and silintaphin-1 for applications in the field of biomedicine (biosilica-mediated regeneration of tooth and bone defects) or micro-optics (in vitro synthesis of light waveguides) with promising results

Common Genetic Denominators for Ca++-Based Skeleton in Metazoa: Role of Osteoclast-Stimulating Factor and of Carbonic Anhydrase in a Calcareous Sponge

Calcium-based matrices serve predominantly as inorganic, hard skeletal systems in Metazoa from calcareous sponges [phylum Porifera; class Calcarea] to proto- and deuterostomian multicellular animals. The calcareous sponges form their skeletal elements, the spicules, from amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC). Treatment of spicules from Sycon raphanus with sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) results in the disintegration of the ACC in those skeletal elements. Until now a distinct protein/enzyme involved in ACC metabolism could not been identified in those animals. We applied the technique of phage display combinatorial libraries to identify oligopeptides that bind to NaOCl-treated spicules: those oligopeptides allowed us to detect proteins that bind to those spicules. Two molecules have been identified, the (putative) enzyme carbonic anhydrase and the (putative) osteoclast-stimulating factor (OSTF), that are involved in the catabolism of ACC. The complete cDNAs were isolated and the recombinant proteins were prepared to raise antibodies. In turn, immunofluorescence staining of tissue slices and qPCR analyses have been performed. The data show that sponges, cultivated under standard condition (10 mM CaCl2) show low levels of transcripts/proteins for carbonic anhydrase or OSTF, compared to those animals that had been cultivated under Ca2+-depletion condition (1 mM CaCl2). Our data identify with the carbonic anhydrase and the OSTF the first two molecules which remain conserved in cells, potentially involved in Ca-based skeletal dissolution, from sponges (sclerocytes) to human (osteoclast)

A many-analysts approach to the relation between religiosity and well-being

The relation between religiosity and well-being is one of the most researched topics in the psychology of religion, yet the directionality and robustness of the effect remains debated. Here, we adopted a many-analysts approach to assess the robustness of this relation based on a new cross-cultural dataset (N=10,535 participants from 24 countries). We recruited 120 analysis teams to investigate (1) whether religious people self-report higher well-being, and (2) whether the relation between religiosity and self-reported well-being depends on perceived cultural norms of religion (i.e., whether it is considered normal and desirable to be religious in a given country). In a two-stage procedure, the teams first created an analysis plan and then executed their planned analysis on the data. For the first research question, all but 3 teams reported positive effect sizes with credible/confidence intervals excluding zero (median reported β=0.120). For the second research question, this was the case for 65% of the teams (median reported β=0.039). While most teams applied (multilevel) linear regression models, there was considerable variability in the choice of items used to construct the independent variables, the dependent variable, and the included covariates