Principles of obtaining light permeable conglomerate materials based on wood filler

Recently, the world has seen a demand for transparent or translucent concrete, capable of performing both, structural functions and decorative - design tasks. Such concrete use opens up new opportunities for the creative searches of designers, allows inclusion of new materials in those elements of decorating the internal and external of buildings, structures, large and small architectural forms. The research results on obtaining a new translucent material in the form of wood concrete (arbolite), which makes it possible to introduce previously unused wood processing waste of low-value wood species - birch and aspen into the technological process are presented in the article. The primary results open up new possibilities for light-conducting concretes at significantly low economic costs of their production. The results allows us to conclude about the complexity and ambiguity of wood bleaching processes and the need to strictly follow optimal formulations, modes and compositions at all stages of production.

Understanding the Functional Expression of Na+-Coupled SLC4 Transporters in the Renal and Nervous Systems: A Review

Acid-base homeostasis is crucial for numerous physiological processes. Na+/HCO3− cotransporters (NBCs) belong to the solute carrier 4 (SLC4) family, which regulates intracellular pH as well as HCO3− absorption and secretion. However, knowledge of the structural functions of these proteins remains limited. Electrogenic NBC (NBCe-1) is thought to be the primary factor promoting the precise acid–base equilibrium in distinct cell types for filtration and reabsorption, as well as the function of neurons and glia. NBC dysregulation is strongly linked to several diseases. As such, the need for special drugs that interfere with the transmission function of NBC is becoming increasingly urgent. In this review, we focus on the structural and functional characteristics of NBCe1, and discuss the roles of NBCe1 in the kidney, central nervous system (CNS), and related disorders, we also summarize the research on NBC inhibitors. NBCe1 and the related pathways should be further investigated, so that new medications may be developed to address the related conditions.

Study of Structural Behavior of Cadmium Based Alloys at Molten State

The simple statistical model or simple theory of mixing has been used to study the structural behavior of cadmium based alloys at their molten state at a temperature of 800 K by computing thermodynamic functions and structural functions. The thermodynamic functions include free energy of mixing (GM), activity (a), the heat of mixing (HM), and the entropy of mixing (SM). The structural functions include concentration fluctuation in the long-wavelength limit (SGG(0)) and Warren-Cowley short-range order parameter (α1). Interchange energy or interaction energy or ordering energy (ω) was calculated for the respective alloys system and found to be positive and temperature-dependent. Based on interchange energy (ω) and coordination number (Z), theoretical values of all the functions are calculated by applying the grand partition function. All the computed values for the mentioned functions are in good agreement with experimental values. For the cadmium based alloys, viz., Cd-Zn & Cd-In, both show the segregating in nature at temperature 800 K for the concentration of range 0.1 to 0.9, however, Cd-Zn is more segregating than Cd-In.

Ubiquitous organic molecule-based free-standing nanowires with ultra-high aspect ratios

The critical dimension of semiconductor devices is approaching the single-nm regime, and a variety of practical devices of this scale are targeted for production. Planar structures of nano-devices are still the center of fabrication techniques, which limit further integration of devices into a chip. Extension into 3D space is a promising strategy for future; however, the surface interaction in 3D nanospace make it hard to integrate nanostructures with ultrahigh aspect ratios. Here we report a unique technique using high-energy charged particles to produce free-standing 1D organic nanostructures with high aspect ratios over 100 and controlled number density. Along the straight trajectory of particles penetrating the films of various sublimable organic molecules, 1D nanowires were formed with approximately 10~15 nm thickness and controlled length. An all-dry process was developed to isolate the nanowires, and planar or coaxial heterojunction structures were built into the nanowires. Electrical and structural functions of the developed standing nanowire arrays were investigated, demonstrating the potential of the present ultrathin organic nanowire systems.

Hierarchically adaptive image block matching under complicated illumination conditions

Image block matching is one of active research fields in image processing, which has been widely used in security monitoring and motion estimation. Due to great disparities in images of the same scene under various illumination, block matching has been a challenging task. To this end, we propose a hierarchical block matching method which is adaptive to the computational complexity and suited to complicated illumination environments. The approach is divided into two parts. First, in order to reduce searching time, the whole algorithm is established in the framework of pyramid structures. Second, the correlation coefficient and structural functions are adopted to evaluate the similarity between two images so as to get better matching results. Simulation results show that, compared with the classical three-step, four-step searching algorithms and OHBM algorithm, this algorithm can reduce the time complexity efficiently. Moreover, since the algorithm makes use of the structure details of images, it is robust to complicated scenes.

Evolution of an Epidermal Differentiation Complex (EDC) Gene Family in Birds

The transition of amniotes to a fully terrestrial lifestyle involved the adaptation of major molecular innovations to the epidermis, often in the form of epidermal appendages such as hair, scales and feathers. Feathers are diverse epidermal structures of birds, and their evolution has played a key role in the expansion of avian species to a wide range of lifestyles and habitats. As with other epidermal appendages, feather development is a complex process which involves many different genetic and protein elements. In mammals, many of the genetic elements involved in epidermal development are located at a specific genetic locus known as the epidermal differentiation complex (EDC). Studies have identified a homologous EDC locus in birds, which contains several genes expressed throughout epidermal and feather development. A family of avian EDC genes rich in aromatic amino acids that also contain MTF amino acid motifs (EDAAs/EDMTFs), that includes the previously reported histidine-rich or fast-protein (HRP/fp), an important marker in feather development, has expanded significantly in birds. Here, we characterize the EDAA gene family in birds and investigate the evolutionary history and possible functions of EDAA genes using phylogenetic and sequence analyses. We provide evidence that the EDAA gene family originated in an early archosaur ancestor, and has since expanded in birds, crocodiles and turtles, respectively. Furthermore, this study shows that the respective amino acid compositions of avian EDAAs are characteristic of structural functions associated with EDC genes and feather development. Finally, these results support the hypothesis that the genes of the EDC have evolved through tandem duplication and diversification, which has contributed to the evolution of the intricate avian epidermis and epidermal appendages.

Zinc supplementation in ruminant diets: efficacy, safety, and formulation.

Zinc (Zn) is a micro mineral with catalytic regulatory and structural functions in muscle tissue. It increases growth in ruminants because it modulates energy metabolism. It participates in the metabolism of proteins and nucleic acids; it stimulates the activity of approximately 100 enzymes and contributes to the proper functioning of the immune system. The use of different sources of Zn in ruminant diets has increased in recent years. Because of the human healthy living trend, dietary supplement alternatives have grown fast in ruminant production. In this sense, dietary Zn has a potential to enhance antiviral immunity, both innate and humoral, and to restore depleted immune cell function or to improve normal immune cell function. In addition, Zn supplementation improves weight gain and reproductive parameters in ruminants. The objective of this review was to update current knowledge on Zn in ruminant diets from intake to excretion.

Analisis Struktur Organisasi Sekretariat Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat Daerah Kabupaten Buleleng

This study aims to analyze the duties and functions of the organizational structure of the regional legislative council secretariat of Buleleng Regency. This research used a qualitative descriptive approach which was conducted at the Secretariat of the Regional People's Representative Council of Buleleng Regency. The source of qualitative data was obtained through interviews with 8 informants, observations, and documents. Data analysis techniques used are data collection, data reduction, data presentation and conclusion drawing. The results of this study indicate that the factors that affect the duties and functions of the organizational structure of the local people's representative council secretariat in Buleleng Regency are matters that become regional authorities where the meaning of government affairs which is the authority of the region is regional apparatus which is only formed to carry out government affairs based on the principle of autonomy assistance tasks, apart from that those that affect the formulation of the organizational structure in Buleleng Regency are efficiency, effectiveness, division of tasks, span of control and flexibility. The secretariat of the regional people's representative council of Buleleng Regency with type A or large structure, in compiling the main tasks and structural functions organization refers to the goals of the organization and also the name of the position in the organizational structure, the disposition system or using a letter of assignment is used in assigning tasks that are not broken down into the duties and functions of the organizational structure.