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Ionizing radiation (IR) leads to a variety of the cardiovascular diseases, including the arterial hypertension. A number of studies have demonstrated that blood vessels represent ...important target for IR, and the endothelium is one of the most vulnerable components of the vascular wall. IR causes an inhibition of nitric oxide (NO)-mediated endothelium-dependent vasodilatation and generation of reactive oxygen (ROS) and nitrogen (RNS) species trigger this process. Inhibition of NO-mediated vasodilatation could be due to endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) down-regulation, inactivation of endothelium-derived NO, and abnormalities in diffusion of NO from the endothelial cells (ECs) leading to a decrease in NO bioavailability. Beside this, IR suppresses endothelial large conductance Ca2+-activated K+ channels (BKCa) activity, which control NO synthesis. IR also leads to inhibition of the BKCa current in vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs) which is mediated by protein kinase C (PKC). On the other hand, IR-evoked enhanced vascular contractility may result from PKC-mediated increase in SMCs myofilament Ca2+ sensitivity. Also, IR evokes vascular wall inflammation and atherosclerosis development. Vascular function damaged by IR can be effectively restored by quercetin-filled phosphatidylcholine liposomes and mesenchymal stem cells injection. Using RNA-interference technique targeted to different PKC isoforms can also be a perspective approach for pharmacological treatment of IR-induced vascular dysfunction.
The predictions of Moore's law are considered by experts to be valid until 2020 giving rise to "post-Moore's" technologies afterwards. Energy efficiency is one of the major challenges in ...high-performance computing that should be answered. Superconductor digital technology is a promising post-Moore's alternative for the development of supercomputers. In this paper, we consider operation principles of an energy-efficient superconductor logic and memory circuits with a short retrospective review of their evolution. We analyze their shortcomings in respect to computer circuits design. Possible ways of further research are outlined.
Abstract
Unlike conventional planar Josephson junctions, nanowire-based devices have a bridge geometry with a peculiar coupling to environment that can favor non-equilibrium electronic phenomena. ...Here we measure the influence of the electron bath overheating on critical current of several bridge-like junctions built on a single Au-nanowire. Using the Usadel theory and applying the two-fluid description for the normal and superconducting components of the flowing currents, we reveal and explain the mutual influence of the neighbouring junctions on their characteristics through various processes of the electron gas overheating. Our results provide additional ways to control nanowire-based superconducting devices.
We examine the influence of superconductivity on the magneto-transport properties of a ferromagnetic Ni nanowire connected to Nb electrodes. We show experimentally and confirm theoretically that the ...Nb/Ni interface plays an essential role in the electron transport through the device. Just below the superconducting transition, a strong inverse proximity effect from the nanowire suppresses superconducting correlations at Nb/Ni interfaces, resulting in a conventional anisotropic magneto-resistive response. At lower temperatures however, the Nb electrodes operate as superconducting shunts. As the result, the magneto-resistance exhibits a strongly growing hysteretic behavior accompanied by a series of saw-like jumps. The latter are associated with the penetration/escape of individual Abrikosov vortices that influence non-equilibrium processes at the Nb/Ni interface. These effects should be taken into account when designing superconducting quantum nano-hybrids involving ferromagnetic nanowires.
Adiabatic superconducting logic circuits can ensure the practical implementation of operations with the energy dissipation below the Landauer limit. However, applications of the existing solutions ...are limited because of two contradictory requirements of a high energy efficiency and a sufficiently fast response of devices. Josephson junctions with a negative critical current (π junctions) allow one to obtain a certain form of the potential energy of superconducting circuits and, as a result, a practically required degree of control of dynamic processes in the proposed reversible logic cells. The features of the current transport and balance of Josephson phases in circuits with π junctions make it possible to improve the coupling between the parts of a reversible computer by a factor more than 2. At the same time, the continuous evolution of the state is ensured at higher critical currents and higher characteristic voltages of the main Josephson junctions of adiabatic superconducting logic cells, which allows an increase in the response rate.
Sterile (noninfected) inflammation underlies the pathogenesis of many widespread diseases, such as allergies and autoimmune diseases. The evolutionarily conserved innate immune system is considered ...to play a key role in tissue injury recognition and the subsequent development of sterile inflammation; however, the underlying molecular mechanisms are not yet completely understood. Here, we show that cholesterol sulfate, a molecule present in relatively high concentrations in the epithelial layer of barrier tissues, is selectively recognized by Mincle (Clec4e), a C-type lectin receptor of the innate immune system that is strongly up-regulated in response to skin damage. Mincle activation by cholesterol sulfate causes the secretion of a range of proinflammatory mediators, and s.c. injection of cholesterol sulfate results in a Mincle-mediated induction of a severe local inflammatory response. In addition, our study reveals a role of Mincle as a driving component in the pathogenesis of allergic skin inflammation. In a well-established model of allergic contact dermatitis, the absence of Mincle leads to a significant suppression of the magnitude of the skin inflammatory response as assessed by changes in ear thickness, myeloid cell infiltration, and cytokine and chemokine secretion. Taken together, our results provide a deeper understanding of the fundamental mechanisms underlying sterile inflammation.
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