CD147 is a widely expressed plasma membrane protein that has been implicated in a variety of physiological and pathological activities. It is best known for its ability to function as extracellular ...matrix metalloproteinase inducer (hence the other name for this protein, EMMPRIN), but has also been shown to regulate lymphocyte responsiveness, monocarboxylate transporter expression and spermatogenesis. These functions reflect multiple interacting partners of CD147. Among these CD147-interacting proteins cyclophilins represent a particularly interesting class, both in terms of structural considerations and potential medical implications. CD147 has been shown to function as a signalling receptor for extracellular cyclophilins A and B and to mediate chemotactic activity of cyclophilins towards a variety of immune cells. Recent studies using in vitro and in vivo models have demonstrated a role for cyclophilin-CD147 interactions in the regulation of inflammatory responses in a number of diseases, including acute lung inflammation, rheumatoid arthritis and cardiovascular disease. Agents targeting either CD147 or cyclophilin activity showed significant anti-inflammatory effects in experimental models, suggesting CD147-cyclophilin interactions may be a good target for new anti-inflammatory therapeutics. Here, we review the recent literature on different aspects of cyclophilin-CD147 interactions and their role in inflammatory diseases.
Fe-based superconductors bridge a gap between MgB2 and the cuprate high temperature superconductors as they exhibit multiband character and transition temperatures up to around 55 K. Investigating ...Fe-based superconductors thus promises answers to fundamental questions concerning the Cooper pairing mechanism, competition between magnetic and superconducting phases, and a wide variety of electronic correlation effects. The question addressed in this review is, however, is this new class of superconductors also a promising candidate for technical applications? Superconducting film-based technologies range from high-current and high-field applications for energy production and storage to sensor development for communication and security issues and have to meet relevant needs of today's society and that of the future. In this review we will highlight and discuss selected key issues for Fe-based superconducting thin film applications. We initially focus our discussion on the understanding of physical properties and actual problems in film fabrication based on a comparison of different observations made in the last few years. Subsequently we address the potential for technological applications according to the current situation.
Nanostructured composite surface layers of metal articles improve the operating characteristics of the work-piece. Under the conditions of electrospark alloying (ESA), both the material transfer to ...the treated surface and the change in its characteristics under the influence of an electric discharge occur. A possibility of surface modification during ESA with the use of electrodes containing carbide phases, as well as with the use of graphite electrodes in order to form such phases, has been investigated. In this case, the main purpose was to strengthen the surface and to increase its friction resistance. The electrodes of T15K6 and VK8 alloys, as well as of steel 45, tungsten, and graphite, were used. It is shown that the presence of carbides in the surface layers has a decisive influence on the wear resistance, in particular, when a steel 45 electrode is used. With an increase in the carbides’ concentration in the substrate, the wear resistance of the obtained layers also increases. It is shown that the ESA treatment with tungsten and graphite electrodes with sequential deposition of a number of alternating layers allows the production of carbide-containing surface layers directly in the alloying process.
Development of a general computer program for the design and verification of thin-walled bar structural members remains an actual task. Despite the prevailing influence of normal stresses on the ...stress-strain state of thin-walled bars design and verification of thin-walled structural members should be performed taking into account not only normal stresses, but also shear stresses. Therefore, in the paper a thin-walled bar of an arbitrary cross-section which is undergone to the general load case is considered as investigated object. The main research question is development of mathematical support and knoware for numerical solution for the shear stresses problem with orientation on software implementation in a computer-aided design system for thin-walled bar structures. The problem of shear stresses outside longitudinal edges of an arbitrary cross-section (including open-closed multi-contour cross-sections) of a thin-walled bar subjected to the general load case has been considered in the paper. The formulated problem has been reduced to the searching problem for unknown shear forces flows that have the least value of the Castigliano’s functional. Besides, constraints-equalities of shear forces flows equilibrium formulated for cross-section branch points, as well as equilibrium equation formulated for the whole cross-section relating to longitudinal axes of the thin-walled bar have been taken into account. A detailed numerical algorithm intended to solve the formulated problem has been proposed by the paper. The algorithm is oriented on software implementation in systems of computer-aided design of thin-walled bar structures. Developed algorithm has been implemented in SCAD Office environment by the program TONUS. Numerical examples for calculation of thin-walled bars with open and open-closed multi-contour cross-sections have been considered in order to validate developed algorithm and verify calculation accuracy for sectorial cross-section geometrical properties and shear stresses caused by warping torque and shear forces. Validity of the calculation results obtained using developed software has been proven by considered examples.
Problems of parametric optimization of rod structure stated in terms of the nonlinear programming problem are considered. Use is made of the method of projection of the gradient of the cost function ...onto the surface of active constraints while eliminating the residuals in the violated constraints. The equivalent Householder transformations are proposed for the governing equations of the optimization method. They ensure the computational efficiency of the algorithm based on the gradient method. In addition, the equivalent Givens transformations are also proposed for solving the equations of the method. They ensure, in the cases described in this article, the acceleration of the iterative process by reducing the amount of computation. The reliability of the optimal solutions obtained using the proposed modification of the gradient method is confirmed by comparing the results of optimization of rod systems. The efficiency of the proposed improvement of the optimization method is also confirmed by the obtained absolute values of the maximum residuals in the constraints in a small number of iterations.
Abstract
The processes of ordering and structuring of particles in a magnetic fluid (MF) arise in three cases: interactions of magnetic particles, internal forces of liquid and an external magnetic ...field of constant or variable magnitude. Processes of magnetic particles ordering in a magnetic fluid by interaction an external field are considered, and threshold of occurrence of a periodic lattice from particles with different size is established.
In this research, the oxidation of a series of benzoins, R-C(=O)-CH(OH)-R, where R = phenyl, 4-methoxyphenyl, 4-bromophenyl, and 2-naphthyl, by hydrogen peroxide in the presence of nanostructured ...HKUST-1 (suspension in acetonitrile/water mixture) was studied. The respective benzoic acids were the only products of the reactions. The initial average reaction rates were experimentally determined at different concentrations of benzoin, H
O
and an effective concentration of HKUST-1. The sorption of the isotherms of benzoin, dimethoxybenzoin and benzoic acid on HKUST-1, as well as their sorption kinetic curves, were measured. The increase in H
O
concentration expectedly led to an acceleration of the reaction. The dependencies of the benzoin oxidation rates on the concentrations of both benzoin and HKUST-1 passed through the maxima. This finding could be explained by a counterplay between the increasing reaction rate and increasing benzoin sorption on the catalyst with the increase in the concentration. The electronic effect of the substituent in benzoin had a significant influence on the reaction rate, while no relation between the size of the substrate molecule and the rate of its oxidation was found. It was confirmed by DFT modeling that the reaction could pass through the Baeyer-Villiger mechanism, involving an attack by the HOO
anion on the C atom of the activated C=O group.
Bivalves comprise a large, highly diverse taxon of invertebrate species. Developmental studies of neurogenesis among species of Bivalvia are limited. Due to a lack of neurogenesis information, it is ...difficult to infer a ground pattern for Bivalvia. To provide more comprehensive morphogenetic data on bivalve molluscs and relationships among molluscan clades, we investigated neurogenesis in the Pacific oyster,
, from the appearance of the first sensory cells to the formation of the larval ganglionic nervous system by co-immunocytochemistry of the neuronal markers FMRFamide or 5-HT and vesicular acetylcholine transporter (VAChT).
Neurogenesis begins with the emergence of the apical serotonin-immunoreactive (5-HT-ir) sensory cells and paired sensory posttrochal dorsal and ventral FMRFamide-immunoreactive (FMRFamide-ir) cells at the early trochophore stage. Later, at the early veliger stage, the apical organ (AO) includes 5-HT-ir, FMRFamide-ir, and VAChT-ir cells. At the same stage, VAChT-ir cells appear in the posterior region of larvae and send axons towards the AO. Thus, FMRFamide-ir neurites and VAChT-ir processes form scaffolds for longitudinal neurite bundles develop into the paired ventral nerve cords (VNC). Later-appearing axons from the AO/CG neurons join the neurite bundles comprising the VNC. All larval ganglia appear along the VNC as paired or fused (epiathroid) clusters in late veliger and pediveliger larvae. We observed the transformation of the AO into the cerebral ganglia, which abundantly innervated the velum, and the transformation of ventral neurons into the pedal ganglia, innervating the foot, gills, and anterior adductor muscle. The visceral ganglia appear last in the pediveliger oyster and innervate the visceral mass and posterior adductor of premetamorphic larvae. In addition, a local FMRFamide-ir network was detected in the digestive system of pediveliger larvae. We identified VAChT-ir nervous elements in oyster larvae, which have not been observed previously in molluscs. Finally, we performed a morphology-based comparative analysis of neuronal structures among bivalve, conchiferan, and aculiferan species.
We described the development of the nervous system during the larval development in
. These data greatly advance the currently limited understanding of neurodevelopment in bivalves and mollusks, which has hampered the generation of a ground pattern reconstruction of the last common ancestor of Mollusca. Our morphological data support phylogenomic data indicating a closer Bivalvia-Gastropoda sister group relationship than the Bivalvia-Scaphopoda (Diasoma) group relationship.
The experimental results of the magnetic field sensor based on various materials are presented. In article the possibility of use of magnetic fluid as a sensitive element of the magnetic field sensor ...is considered. The importance of current tasks deals with the search of the perspective magnetic substances susceptible to weak magnetic field. The operation principle of the sensor is based on change in the capacity of the condenser with magnetic active medium caused by the magnetic field. The complex organization of magnetic particles into chain aggregates was considered. The principle of measuring the condenser capacity is described. The experimental results are promising for future application.
Major reshaping of electromagnetic MM-wave beams transmitted at resonant frequencies through high-quality multilayer structures is demonstrated. Beam reshaping emerges due to efficient excitation of ...intrinsic quasi-optical modes with complex spatial profiles by an incident beam. This leads to a significant increase of width and distortion of shape of transmitted beams, which grow with increasing likelihood of excitation of higher-order modes. The beam shape is extremely sensitive to imperfections of real structures and can become complex and asymmetric even at the normal-angle transmission of symmetric incident beams. The effect is of importance for the resonant MM-wave and THz spectroscopy of low-loss dielectric materials.
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