Nitrogen substitutional defects in silicon. A quantum mechanical investigation of the structural, electronic and vibrational properties

RD and FSG acknowledges the CINECA award (HP10CTG8YY) under the ISCRA initiative, for the availability of high performance computing resources and support.The vibrational infrared (IR) and Raman spectra of seven substitutional defects in bulk silicon are computed, by using the quantum mechanical CRYSTAL code, the supercell scheme, an all electron Gaussian type basis set and the B3LYP functional. The relative stability of various spin states has been evaluated, the geometry optimized, the electronic structure analyzed. The IR and Raman intensities have been evaluated analitically. In all cases the IR spectrum is dominated by a single N peak (or by two or three peaks with very close wavenumbers), whose intensity is at least 20 times larger than the one of any other peak. These peaks fall in the 645–712 cm−1 interval, and a shift of few cm−1 is observed from case to case. The Raman spectrum of all defects is dominated by an extremely intense peak at about 530 cm−1, resulting from the (weak) perturbation of the peak of pristine silicon.ISCRA initiative CINECA award (HP10CTG8YY); Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia as the Center of Excellence has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Framework Programme H2020-WIDESPREAD-01-2016-2017-TeamingPhase2 under grant agreement No. 739508, project CAMART

О совершенствовании контроля качества медицинского и фармацевтического образования

ОБРАЗОВАНИЕ МЕДИЦИНСКОЕВУЗЫМЕДИЦИНСКИЕ УЧЕБНЫЕ ЗАВЕДЕНИЯОБРАЗОВАНИЕ ФАРМАЦЕВТИЧЕСКОЕКОНТРОЛЬ КАЧЕСТВА ОБРАЗОВАНИ

The VISIR Open Lab Platform 5.0 - an architecture of a federation of remote laboratories

This paper outlines a new laboratory learning infrastructure based on the VISIR (Virtual Instrument Systems in Reality) Open Lab Platform, which is an architecture for opening hands-on instructional laboratories for remote access 24/7 with preserved context. The aim is to embrace such laboratories in which telemanipulators can be used to remotely set up and/or start experiments and where the outcome can be observed remotely using instruments, video and/or audio transmission. As hands-on laboratories, VISIR ones can be used for exploring nature and for training laboratory workmanship. The current release (4.1) of the VISIR Open Lab platform can be used for opening electronics laboratories and laboratories for mechanical vibration experiments for remote access. Other subject fields will follow. So far, seven VISIR laboratories are online globally. The coming VISIR Open Lab Platform 5.0 will offer new functionality and will support a federation of VISIR laboratories.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

FGF/FGFR1 system in paired breast tumor-adjacent and tumor tissues, associations with mammographic breast density and tumor characteristics

IntroductionMammographic breast density (MBD) is an established breast cancer risk factor, yet the underlying molecular mechanisms remain to be deciphered. Fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (FGFR1) amplification is associated with breast cancer development and aberrant FGF signaling found in the biological processes related to both high mammographic density and breast cancer microenvironment. The aim of this study was to investigate the FGF/FGFR1 expression in-between paired tumor-adjacent and tumor tissues from the same patient, and its associations with MBD and tumor characteristics.MethodsFGFR1 expression in paired tissues from 426 breast cancer patients participating in the Karolinska Mammography Project for Risk Prediction of Breast Cancer (KARMA) cohort study was analyzed by immunohistochemistry. FGF ligand expression was obtained from RNA-sequencing data for 327 of the included patients.ResultsFGFR1 levels were differently expressed in tumor-adjacent and tumor tissues, with increased FGFR1 levels detected in 58% of the tumors. High FGFR1 expression in tumor tissues was associated with less favorable tumor characteristics; high histological grade (OR=1.86, 95% CI 1.00–3.44), high Ki67 proliferative index (OR=2.18, 95% CI 1.18–4.02) as well as tumors of Luminal B-like subtype (OR=2.56, 95%CI 1.29–5.06). While no clear association between FGFR1 expression and MBD was found, FGF ligand (FGF1, FGF11, FGF18) expression was positively correlated with MBD.DiscussionTaken together, these findings support a role of the FGF/FGFR1 system in early breast cancer which warrants further investigation in the MBD–breast cancer context

Genetically controlled mtDNA deletions prevent ROS damage by arresting oxidative phosphorylation

Deletion of mitochondrial DNA in eukaryotes is currently attributed to rare accidental events associated with mitochondrial replication or repair of double-strand breaks. We report the discovery that yeast cells arrest harmful intramitochondrial superoxide production by shutting down respiration through genetically controlled deletion of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation genes. We show that this process critically involves the antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase 2 and two-way mitochondrial-nuclear communication through Rtg2 and Rtg3. While mitochondrial DNA homeostasis is rapidly restored after cessation of a short-term superoxide stress, long-term stress causes maladaptive persistence of the deletion process, leading to complete annihilation of the cellular pool of intact mitochondrial genomes and irrevocable loss of respiratory ability. This shows that oxidative stress-induced mitochondrial impairment may be under strict regulatory control. If the results extend to human cells, the results may prove to be of etiological as well as therapeutic importance with regard to age-related mitochondrial impairment and disease

Chapter 1

Experimenting is fundamental to the training process of all scientists and engineers. While experiments have been traditionally done inside laboratories, the emergence of Information and Communication Technologies added two alter-natives accessible anytime, anywhere. These two alternatives are known as virtual and remote labs, and are sometimes indistinguishably referred as online labs. Sim-ilarly to other instructional technologies, virtual and remote labs require some ef-fort from teachers in integrating them into curricula, taking into consideration sev-eral factors that affect their adoption (i.e. cost) and their educational effectiveness (i.e. benefit). This chapter analyses these two dimensions and sustains the case where only through international cooperation it is possible to serve the large num-ber of teachers and students involved in engineering education. It presents an ex-ample in the area of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, based on a remote lab named Virtual Instruments System in Reality, and it then describes how a number of European and Latin-American institutions have been cooperating under the scope of an Erasmus+ project2, for spreading its use in Brazil and Argentina.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Construction of an ECU for AD activation paddles

The cars used by Zenuity for prototyping software for autonomous driving (AD) needs a convenient way for the driver to activate and deactivate AD functionality. Since the cars were equipped with shifting paddles, repurposing them to act as AD activation paddles had become a compelling option. The goal of this thesis was to design an electronic control unit (ECU) to read the analog value of each paddle and transmit them digitally to an industry PC already implemented in the vehicle. In order to improve the human to machine interface, the paddle ECU also had to control two different LED indicators to show the status of the AD system to the driver as different color codes. A prototype of the ECU has been built on a PCB (printed circuit board) that consists of a microcontroller and hardware for it to interface with paddles, indicators and for communication with the industry PC. The prototype was tested and the resulting ECU has been shown to work successfully, fulfilling all the requirements. In particular it can correctly read the status of each paddle, control the indicators, as well as communicate with the industry PC

Construction of an ECU for AD activation paddles

The cars used by Zenuity for prototyping software for autonomous driving (AD) needs a convenient way for the driver to activate and deactivate AD functionality. Since the cars were equipped with shifting paddles, repurposing them to act as AD activation paddles had become a compelling option. The goal of this thesis was to design an electronic control unit (ECU) to read the analog value of each paddle and transmit them digitally to an industry PC already implemented in the vehicle. In order to improve the human to machine interface, the paddle ECU also had to control two different LED indicators to show the status of the AD system to the driver as different color codes. A prototype of the ECU has been built on a PCB (printed circuit board) that consists of a microcontroller and hardware for it to interface with paddles, indicators and for communication with the industry PC. The prototype was tested and the resulting ECU has been shown to work successfully, fulfilling all the requirements. In particular it can correctly read the status of each paddle, control the indicators, as well as communicate with the industry PC