Investigation of Shape Transformations of Vesicles, Induced by Their Adhesion to Flat Substrates Characterized by Different Adhesion Strength

The adhesion of lipid vesicles to a rigid flat surface is investigated. We examine the influence of the membrane spontaneous curvature, adhesion strength, and the reduced volume on the stability and shape transformations of adhered vesicles. The minimal strength of the adhesion necessary to stabilize the shapes of adhered vesicles belonging to different shape classes is determined. It is shown that the budding of an adhered vesicle may be induced by the change of the adhesion strength. The importance of the free vesicle shape for its susceptibility to adhesion is discussed.

Ground Subsidence Prediction Model and Parameter Analysis for Underground Gas Storage in Horizontal Salt Caverns

Due to a great demand of natural gas or oil storage in these years, horizontal caverns were proposed to fully use bedded salt formations of China. Under the same geological and operating conditions, the horizontal cavern would shrink more than traditional pear-shaped cavern, which might bring larger ground subsidence and affect the safety of storage facilities. A new prediction model was proposed in this paper for the time-dependent ground subsidence above horizontal caverns. The proposed model considered the impurity of bedded salt formations and simplified the horizontal cavern to an ideal cylinder. The shape of the subsidence trough was determined by the probabilistic integration method, and corresponding calculation formulas for the tilt, curvature, horizontal displacement, and horizontal strain were derived. Based on the assumption that the subsidence volume at the ground was proportional to the reduced volume of horizontal cavern, a formula for the reduced volume over time was established. FLAC3D was introduced to simulate the ground subsidence, and the results show that the proposed prediction model agreed well with the simulation results. Finally, the proposed prediction model was used to analyze the impacts of different stratigraphic parameters and design parameters. The results mainly show that, as the draw angle increases, the subsidence trough becomes deeper and narrower; as the depth of the cavern increases, the maximum subsidence first increases and then decreases, and the subsidence trough gradually becomes round; with the increase of the purity, the subsidence gradually decreases; with the increase of the creep properties and the stress exponential constant, the maximum subsidence first increases rapidly and then slowly approaches the limit; increasing the brine extraction velocity can shorten the cavern construction period and then reduce excessive ground subsidence; the subsidence decreases nonlinearly with the increase of internal pressure; with the increase of the cross section diameter and length of the horizontal cavern, the subsidence presents a significant nonlinear increase. In addition, unlike the traditional pear-shaped cavern, under the same conditions, the ground subsidence above the horizontal cavern according to this newly proposed model is much larger, and the ground subsidence contour line is no longer a standard circle. The findings of this study can help for better understanding of the prediction of ground subsidence above salt caverns and also provide a reference for the design and construction. However, the proposed prediction method is ideal and theoretical and should be further improved by engineering practice in the future.

Mutual attacks of highly qualified saber players in the competitions of the fencing season 2018/2019

Sword fencing is a special sport in which swordsmen can inflict both injections and blows. We studied the indicators of mutual attacks of highly qualified male saber players at the competitions of the fencing season 2018/2019, the peculiarities of which were that this season followed the next changes in the rules of the competition and preceded the next Olympic Games. At the competitions of this period, the tactical schemes of conducting fights were tested, the sports struggle for the ratings of the International Fencing Federation (FIE) and obtaining licenses for the XXXII Olympiad was conducted. The video of individual matches of saber players, which took place at the stages of the World Cup (Algeria, Budapest, Warsaw), at the Grand Prix (Cairo, Moscow, Seoul) and at the 2019 World Cup (Budapest) was used in the work. The article presents the results of a comparative analysis of the indicators of mutual attacks of saber players in the playoff rounds and in the finals of competitions. It was established that the fights of highly qualified swordsmen were characterized by the average size of mutual attacks. However, as we approached the finals and intensified the tactical confrontation of rivals, the volume of mutual attacks increased. The final fights were characterized by a reduced volume of mutual attacks. Data on the correlation of the volume of mutual attacks with the ratings of fencers are given.

The role of the orbitofrontal cortex and the nucleus accumbens for craving in alcohol use disorder

This study aimed to investigate structural and functional alterations of the reward system and the neurobiology of craving in alcohol use disorder (AUD). We hypothesized reduced volume of the nucleus accumbens (NAcc), reduced structural connectivity of the segment of the supero-lateral medial forebrain bundle connecting the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) with the NAcc (OFC-NAcc), and reduced resting-state OFC-NAcc functional connectivity (FC). Furthermore, we hypothesized that craving is related to an increase of OFC-NAcc FC. Thirty-nine recently abstinent patients with AUD and 18 healthy controls (HC) underwent structural (T1w-MP2RAGE, diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI)) and functional (resting-state fMRI) MRI-scans. Gray matter volume of the NAcc, white matter microstructure (fractional anisotropy (FA)) and macrostructure (tract length) of the OFC-NAcc connection and OFC-NAcc FC were compared between AUD and HC using a mixed model MANCOVA controlling for age and gender. Craving was assessed using the thoughts subscale of the obsessive-compulsive drinking scale (OCDS) scale and was correlated with OFC-NAcc FC. There was a significant main effect of group. Results were driven by a volume reduction of bilateral NAcc, reduced FA in the left hemisphere, and reduced tract length of bilateral OFC-NAcc connections in AUD patients. OFC-NAcc FC did not differ between groups. Craving was associated with increased bilateral OFC-NAcc FC. In conclusion, reduced volume of the NAcc and reduced FA and tract length of the OFC-NAcc network suggest structural alterations of the reward network in AUD. Increased OFC-NAcc FC is associated with craving in AUD, and may contribute to situational alcohol-seeking behavior in AUD.

A Toll Booth on the Mersey

This chapter describes how the raw cotton trade was financed, before showing that – despite a drastically reduced volume – the vast rise in price meant that the value of raw cotton imports was greater than at any time in the 19th century and, in terms of the cotton traded, possibly the greatest ever. The implications for the earnings of the cotton brokers are demonstrated, together with the fury in Manchester that Liverpool was enriching itself while the rest of the industry starved. Two elements of Thomas Ellison’s etiquette are considered: that cotton brokers were not simultaneously buying and selling brokers, and that they did not trade cotton on their own account. Evidence is produced to suggest that both contentions are false. The chapter shows how cotton speculation infested the market during the war, but also how the spinners were implicated in it themselves. It concludes with the conflict that erupted towards the end of the war between the Liverpool Cotton Brokers’ Association and the Cotton Spinners’ Association, led by Hugh Mason.

Laboratory-Developed Test for SARS-CoV-2 Using Saliva Samples at the University of California, Riverside

ABSTRACTHere we describe a relatively quick, simple, economical and accurate laboratory developed test (LDT) for detection of SARS-CoV-2 in heated and diluted saliva samples without RNA extraction. Our protocol is a variation of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign SHIELD LDT. Differences include chilling of the samples during dilution and using a reduced volume for the qRT-PCR reactions. The level of detection for our LDT is 3125 copies/ml, which compares favorably with other saliva-based tests. Initial validation studies with a limited number of patient samples have demonstrated excellent agreement between results using our LDT and those obtained from external laboratories. The cost of consumables for our test is under $8 and a throughput of 1000 tests/day can be achieved with 3-4 personnel.

Reliability Problems of Micro-Electronic Encapsulations

Smaller, lighter, faster, cheaper are today demands; new technologies stack and interconnect materials and components are utilised to achieve high density, small size, low weight, reduced power, and very low cost. Particularly important in this context is the implementation of higher densities, reduced volume hand in hand with improved reliability. A good price-performance ratio is key.