Modular 3D In Vitro Artery-Mimicking Multichannel System for Recapitulating Vascular Stenosis and Inflammation

Inflammation and the immune response in atherosclerosis are complex processes involving local hemodynamics, the interaction of dysfunctional cells, and various pathological environments. Here, a modular multichannel system that mimics the human artery to demonstrate stenosis and inflammation and to study physical and chemical effects on biomimetic artery models is presented. Smooth muscle cells and endothelial cells were cocultured in the wrinkled surface in vivo-like circular channels to recapitulate the artery. An artery-mimicking multichannel module comprised four channels for the fabrication of coculture models and assigned various conditions for analysis to each model simultaneously. The manipulation became reproducible and stable through modularization, and each module could be replaced according to analytical purposes. A chamber module for culture was replaced with a microfluidic concentration gradient generator (CGG) module to achieve the cellular state of inflamed lesions by providing tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, in addition to the stenosis structure by tuning the channel geometry. Different TNF-α doses were administered in each channel by the CGG module to create functional inflammation models under various conditions. Through the tunable channel geometry and the microfluidic interfacing, this system has the potential to be used for further comprehensive research on vascular diseases such as atherosclerosis and thrombosis.

HIGH SPEED REGISTRATION SPECTROFLUORIMETER SFL-S

An experimental multifunctional high speed registration spectrofluorimeter SFL-S has been developed at the Institute for Biological Instrumentation of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The spectroflu-orimeter is designed to measure excitation and emission spectra of solutions and suspensions of bio-logical molecules and cells in the ultraviolet, visible, and near infrared spectral regions in the course of fundamental and applied research in the field of physicochemical biology, biophysics, biochemistry, and medicine. Features of the instrument are: the possibility of high-speed registration of spectra by means of multichannel system (32 channels, more than 20 spectra per second); the ability to control the change of the temperature of the solution in the measuring cell according to a given algorithm (0 to 100 °C); the possibility of microtitration of the solution in the measuring cell using an automatic microtitrator.

DIAGNOSTICS WITH A MULTI-CHANNEL MEASURING SYSTEM WITH A FLEXIBLE STRUCTURE OF BOSCH INJECTORS

At the CR-Jet 4E stand, the vibroacoustic signals of BOSCH injectors were studied using a multichannel system with a flexible structure in the BGATU Educational Institution. They were processed in the Mathcad system with spectral analysis and wavelet transformations in MATLAB programs. (Research purpose) The research purpose is in analyzing the vibration characteristics of BOSCH injectors, identifying possible malfunctions and predict their service life. (Materials and methods) The article presents testing results of a new and working nozzle at an injection pressure of 158, 200 and 1000 bar. In five tests it were used the MPU6050 vibration sensors, the INMP621 microphone, and the temperature sensor. The vibration signals were displayed along the xyz axes according to the amplitude-frequency response with the Fourier transform. (Results and discussion) The article presents graphs of wavelet transformations and amplitude-frequency characteristics from five binary files of accelerometer signals and sound files of injectors. The article presents the accelerometer signals on the y-axis at the top of the graphs, the spectrum of their constancy in the middle, and the scalogram at the bottom. For worn-out injectors, the spectrum of constancy is less expressed, the main signal peaks are in the frequencies of 150 and 300 hertz, they are less than in the new nozzle, and the amplitudes are higher up to 800 units. For the new nozzle, the uniform peaks are less than 200 units. The acoustic amplitude of the worn–out nozzle is 150 units, and the new one at frequencies up to 250 hertz is up to 120 units. (Conclusion) Studies of BOSCH injectors with signal processing in the Mathcad system, followed by spectral analysis and wavelet transformations using the MATLAB software package, have shown that the worn-out injectors are characterized by a less expressed spectrum of oscillation constancy. The research goals have not been achieved, but they deepen the traditional diagnosis.

Renegotiating quality TV in the Swedish press

In this article, I explore the reception of American “quality” serial television in Sweden from 1999 to the mid-2010s. My analysis includes how cultural critics and journalists writing for Sweden's leading newspapers conceptualised American serial television as “quality TV” and as legitimate “art”, and it charts the ways in which these discourses relate to the reconfiguration of Swedish television from public service monopoly to niche-oriented multichannel system. The analysis uncovers a process of cultural consecration that was based on comparisons with already consecrated art forms, applications of authorship discourses that promote certain individuals as genius television auteurs, and deployment of critical protocols borrowed from literary criticism – all in service of pre-established cultural hierarchy and “good taste”. This article also highlights the ubiquity of American quality serial television across the Swedish television landscape, which suggests that such programmes represent both a niche product and a mass phenomenon with extensive reach and multidimensional appeal.

DIAGNOSTICS WITH A MULTI-CHANNEL MEASURING SYSTEM WITH A FLEXIBLE STRUCTURE OF BOSCH INJECTORS

At the CR-Jet 4E stand, the vibroacoustic signals of BOSCH injectors were studied using a multichannel system with a flexible structure in the BGATU Educational Institution. They were processed in the Mathcad system with spectral analysis and wavelet transformations in MATLAB programs. (Research purpose) The research purpose is in analyzing the vibration characteristics of BOSCH injectors, identifying possible malfunctions and predict their service life. (Materials and methods) The article presents testing results of a new and working nozzle at an injection pressure of 158, 200 and 1000 bar. In five tests it were used the MPU6050 vibration sensors, the INMP621 microphone, and the temperature sensor. The vibration signals were displayed along the xyz axes according to the amplitude-frequency response with the Fourier transform. (Results and discussion) The article presents graphs of wavelet transformations and amplitude-frequency characteristics from five binary files of accelerometer signals and sound files of injectors. The article presents the accelerometer signals on the y-axis at the top of the graphs, the spectrum of their constancy in the middle, and the scalogram at the bottom. For worn-out injectors, the spectrum of constancy is less expressed, the main signal peaks are in the frequencies of 150 and 300 hertz, they are less than in the new nozzle, and the amplitudes are higher up to 800 units. For the new nozzle, the uniform peaks are less than 200 units. The acoustic amplitude of the worn-out nozzle is 150 units, and the new one at frequencies up to 250 hertz is up to 120 units. (Conclusion) Studies of BOSCH injectors with signal processing in the Mathcad system, followed by spectral analysis and wavelet transformations using the MATLAB software package, have shown that the worn-out injectors are characterized by a less expressed spectrum of oscillation constancy. The research goals have not been achieved, but they deepen the traditional diagnosis.