Hydrodeoxygenation of 2,5-dimethyltetrahydrofuran over bifunctional Pt–Cs2.5H0.5PW12O40 catalyst in the gas phase: enhancing effect of gold

Addition of gold to the Pt–CsPW catalyst has an enhancing effect on the HDO of DMTHF, with a twofold increase of turnover rate at Pt sites.

The relationship between markers of antenatal iron stores and birth outcomes differs by malaria prevention regimen—a prospective cohort study

Background Iron deficiency (ID) has been associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes, maternal anaemia, and altered susceptibility to infection. In Papua New Guinea (PNG), monthly treatment with sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine plus azithromycin (SPAZ) prevented low birthweight (LBW; <2500 g) through a combination of anti-malarial and non-malarial effects when compared to a single treatment with SP plus chloroquine (SPCQ) at first antenatal visit. We assessed the relationship between ID and adverse birth outcomes in women receiving SPAZ or SPCQ, and the mediating effects of malaria infection and haemoglobin levels during pregnancy. Methods Plasma ferritin levels measured at antenatal enrolment in a cohort of 1892 women were adjusted for concomitant inflammation using C-reactive protein and α-1-acid glycoprotein. Associations of ID (defined as ferritin <15 μg/L) or ferritin levels with birth outcomes (birthweight, LBW, preterm birth, small-for-gestational-age birthweight [SGA]) were determined using linear or logistic regression analysis, as appropriate. Mediation analysis assessed the degree of mediation of ID-birth outcome relationships by malaria infection or haemoglobin levels. Results At first antenatal visit (median gestational age, 22 weeks), 1256 women (66.4%) had ID. Overall, ID or ferritin levels at first antenatal visit were not associated with birth outcomes. There was effect modification by treatment arm. Amongst SPCQ recipients, ID was associated with a 81-g higher mean birthweight (95% confidence interval [CI] 10, 152; P = 0.025), and a twofold increase in ferritin levels was associated with increased odds of SGA (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.25; 95% CI 1.06, 1.46; P = 0.007). By contrast, amongst SPAZ recipients, a twofold increase in ferritin was associated with reduced odds of LBW (aOR 0.80; 95% CI 0.67, 0.94; P = 0.009). Mediation analyses suggested that malaria infection or haemoglobin levels during pregnancy do not substantially mediate the association of ID with birth outcomes amongst SPCQ recipients. Conclusions Improved antenatal iron stores do not confer a benefit for the prevention of adverse birth outcomes in the context of malaria chemoprevention strategies that lack the non-malarial properties of monthly SPAZ. Research to determine the mechanisms by which ID protects from suboptimal foetal growth is needed to guide the design of new malaria prevention strategies and to inform iron supplementation policy in malaria-endemic settings. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01136850.

Development of a method for estimating the effect of transformation of the normalized frequency mismatch function of a coherent bundle of radio pulses on the quality of radar frequency resolution

The necessity of studying the influence of the transformation of the frequency mismatch function of a coherent bundle of radio pulses on the quality of solving the radar frequency resolution problem is substantiated. This solution determines the effectiveness of radar observation of high-speed and maneuvering individual and group aerodynamic objects. The method is based on explicit expressions for calculating the normalized frequency mismatch function of a coherent bundle of radio pulses, taking into account its transformation due to the radial motion of high-speed and maneuvering individual and group aerodynamic objects. The estimation of the potential frequency resolution of bundles with different numbers of radio pulses with typical parameters for a coherent pulse radar is carried out. Possible values of frequency resolution under the additive effect of uncorrelated internal noise of the radar receiver and the multiplicative effect of correlated phase fluctuations of the radar signal are estimated. With an insignificant multiplicative effect of correlated phase fluctuations, a twofold increase in the number of radio pulses in a bundle provides an improvement in the frequency resolution (reduction of the width of the normalized frequency mismatch function) by 100 %. With the predominant multiplicative effect of these fluctuations, a twofold increase in the number of radio pulses results in an improvement in the frequency resolution by about 40 %. The developed method is of great theoretical and practical importance for the further development of the radar theory of high-speed and maneuvering individual and group aerodynamic objects.

INFLUENCE OF BORINATION, BORON CEMENTATION OF STEEL 45 AND VISCOSITY OF A LUBRICANT ON THE PARAMETERS OF ADHESION BOND IN THE STEEL 45 - 40X SYSTEM

In the work, the regularities of changes in the shear strength of the adhesive bond τ and the piezoelectric coefficient β in the metal systems "steel 45 - 40X", "steel 45+В-40Х", "steel 45+ВС-40Х" were obtained during physical modeling of the materials I-20A, Wolf 10W-40, TAD-17i, Litol-24 with distinctive dynamic viscosities using the additional equipment of the SMTs-2 friction machine. It has been established that a twofold increase in the shear rate causes a decrease in the piezoelectric coefficient in the "steel 45+VS - 40X" system by a factor of 1.2-1.6 for Wolf 10W-40, TAD-17i, Litol-24 lubricants and its relative similarity independent of dynamic viscosity. At the same time, a twofold increase in the shear rate in the "steel 45+B-40X" system also causes a decrease in the piezoelectric coefficient by a factor of 1.16-1.38 for all tested lubricants and its alignments, as in the "steel 45+VS" system, does not observed. It was found that the clearly expressed regularity of the effect of the equivalent dynamic viscosity on the strength of the adhesive bond at p = 0 MPa is not revealed, and the nature of the manifestation is predetermined by a possible change in the mechanism of intermolecular interaction, which depends on the structure of the molecules of lubricants. It was determined that the piezoelectric coefficient naturally decreases with an increase in dynamic viscosity in the entire considered range of normal pressures.

Hormonal treatment with Ovopel increases sperm production in lake minnow, Eupallasella percnurus (Pallas, 1814)

The aim of the study was to determine the suitability of Ovopel, which contains an mGnRH analog and metoclopramide (a dopamine inhibitor), for the stimulation of spermiation in the cyprinid fish lake minnow, Eupallasella percnurus (Pallas), which is endangered with extinction in Poland. The hormonal treatment effected an approximate twofold increase in sperm volume with a simultaneous decrease in sperm concentration and negligible differences in motility and straight-line velocity.

Cues from human atrial extracellular matrix enrich the atrial differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes

Decellularized extracellular matrix (dECM) from human atria preserves key native components that directed the cardiac differentiation of hiPSCs to an atrial-like phenotype, yielding a twofold increase of functional atrial-like cells.

SPACE WEATHER AND SOCIAL REGULATION: COVID-19 PANDEMIC GENOGEOGRAPHIC

A feature of the COVID-19 pandemic is a significant variability in the number of deaths per 1 million of population in different countries (4-10 times), while the norm for ordinary flu is 1.5-2 times. The maximum mortality are observed in countries with a high level of development and organization of medicine, but with a dominant haplogroup R1b.The report examines the significant role of solar activity, genetic composition of the population and the degree of social regulation in the geographical unevenness of the severity of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Low solar activity is expected to persist for the next 40 years. Under these conditions, a twofold increase in the number of pandemics can be expected (every 5-6 years instead of 10-11 years) with pronounced genogeographic differences in the development of local epidemics.

Solar activity and COVID-19 pandemic

Solar activity (SA) dynamics increases mankind’s evolutionary adaptability to pandemics. Flu pandemics from 1880 to 2020 took place during maximum or minimum of solar cycles. The article discusses several factors that modulated the development of the COVID-19 pandemic: SA dynamic, genetic population features, environment temperature, the effect of lockdowns, and vaccination in various countries. The population genetic composition turned out to be the most significant factor for coronavirus mortalities during a SA global minimum 2019-2020. COVID-19 pandemic is most severe in countries with a dominant haplogroup R1b (the relative number of deaths per million is more than 12-25). Local COVID-19 epidemics were more easily in countries with a dominant haplogroup N (relative number of deaths less than 3). The incidence per million people in haplogroups R1b: R1a: N has a ratio of about 7: 2: 1. This ratio does not depend on the pandemic waves and the population vaccinated rate. Vaccination effectiveness may depend on the population’s genetic characteristics too. It is expected to maintain extremely low solar activity during the 30 years. Under these conditions, a twofold increase in the number of pandemics (every 5-6 years instead of 10-11 years) can be expected with pronounced genogeographic differences.

Differential Osteoprotegerin Kinetics after Stimulation with Desmopressin and Lipopolysaccharides In Vivo

Osteoprotegerin (OPG) regulates bone metabolism by reducing the activation of osteoclasts, but may also be involved in blood vessel calcification and atherosclerosis. Within endothelial cells OPG is stored in Weibel–Palade bodies (WPBs). Blood kinetics of OPG are essentially unknown. We aimed to assess these using two distinct in vivo models; one after stimulation with desmopressin (DDAVP) and another after stimulation with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Both clinical trials were conducted at the Department of Clinical Pharmacology at the Medical University of Vienna, Austria. Participants received desmopressin (0.3 µg/kg), LPS (2 ng/kg), or placebo (sodium chloride 0.9%) with subsequent blood sampling at time points up to 24 hours after administration. The primary objective of this study was to investigate the plasma kinetics of OPG after stimulation with desmopressin and LPS. Secondary analyses included the release of other WPB contents including von Willebrand factor (vWF). This analysis included 31 healthy volunteers (n = 16 for desmopressin and placebo, n = 15 for LPS). Infusion of desmopressin did not increase OPG concentrations compared with placebo, while LPS infusion significantly increased OPG levels, both compared with desmopressin (p < 0.0001) and to placebo (p = 0.004), with a maximum of ∼twofold increase in OPG levels ∼6 hours after infusion. von Willebrand factor levels increased after both desmopressin and LPS infusion (p < 0.0001), with a maximum of ∼threefold increase 2 hours after desmopressin and a maximum of ∼twofold increase 6 hours after LPS administration. In conclusion, we report that, in contrast to vWF, OPG is not released upon stimulation with desmopressin, but increases significantly during experimental endotoxemia.

CLIP THINKING IN ANESTHESIOLOGY: THE PARADOX OF MODERNITY

An analysis was made of 1,156 anonymous questionnaires of 3-4th year students, residents of the 1st year of study and doctors in the specialties «Anesthesiology» and «Children’s Anesthesiology» of cycles of specialization and advanced training The test method proposed by MB Litvinova was used. It is characterized by criteria and categorical validity. Unexpected results were obtained in research groups of anesthetists with 5–20 years of work experience, which was manifested by more than a twofold increase in clip thinking compared to those in interns. So far, we have not found such dynamics of the progress of the phenomenon in any of the groups of medical professionals. The same tendency, to a slightly lesser extent, was discovered by us among pediatric anesthetists. A significant increase in the number of carriers of clip thinking in the anesthetic environment is explained by professional regularity and multifunctionality of narrow specialization (if information fragments refer to the whole, this means that clip thinking becomes symbolic).