Simultaneous measurement of inhaled air and exhaled breath by “Double-MCC/IMS”. A new method for breath analysis. Results of a feasibility study

The high sensitivity of methods, which are applied in breath analysis, entails a high risk of detecting analytes which do not derive from endogenous production. Consequentially, it appears useful to have knowledge about the composition of inhaled air and to include alveolar gradients into interpretation.The current study aimed to standardise sampling procedures in breath analysis, especially with multicapillary column ion-mobility spectrometry (MCC-IMS), by applying a simultaneous registration of inhaled air and exhaled breath.A “Double MCC-IMS” device, which for the first time allows simultaneous analysis of inhaled air and exhaled breath, was developed and tested in 18 healthy individuals. For this two BreathDiscoverys® (BDs) were coupled with each other.Measurements of inhaled air and exhaled breath in 18 healthy individuals (mean age 46±10.9 years; 9 men, 9 women) identified 35 different volatile organic compounds (VOCs) for further analysis. Not all out of these had positive alveolar gradients and could be regarded as endogenous VOCs; 16 VOCs had a positive alveolar gradient in mean, 19 VOCs a negative one. 12 VOCs were positive in more than 12 of the healthy subjects.For the first time in our understanding a method is described, which enables simultaneous measurement of inhaled air and exhaled breath. This facilitates the calculation of alveolar gradients and selection of endogenous VOCs for exhaled breath analysis. Only a part of VOCs in exhaled breath are truly endogenous VOCs. The observation of different and varying polarities of the alveolar gradients needs further analysis.

The Impact of Cutting with a Shearer on the Conditions of Longwall Ventilation

In coal mines that are exploiting methane-saturated seams, high-level emission of methane is often the basic limitation for modern and high-efficiency longwall complexes. This paper presents selected observations and tests carried out in the Cw-4 longwall in seam 364/2 of the Budryk mine, which belongs to JSW SA. To observe the methane levels in the Cw-4 longwall, additional sensors were installed at the end section of the longwall from the side of the gobs, and the air velocity and methane concentration were registered in a multi-point system that were built in the selected longwall cross-section. The air parameters were recorded in the monitoring system. The use of multi-point simultaneous measurements of the local velocities and concentrations of methane in the longwall cross-section allowed for the precise determination of the air and methane volume flow using the velocity field method. This allowed us to perform a comparative analysis of the obtained records of the air parameters using special software to determine the distribution of the parameters in the cross-section of the excavation. An important element of the study was the simultaneous registration of the methane concentration in the longwall, information on the operating times, the direction of shearer operation, and the type of work being done (i.e., mining/cleaning).

Development of a microfluidic biosensor for the diagnostics and typing of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis

Background. Despite on the general trend towards decreasing the incidence of newly diagnosed active forms of tuberculosis, the situation with spreading of this disease in Russian Federation remains extremely tense. At the same time, the diagnosis is carried out according to the standard scheme, which takes about a month; another month takes test formulation for drug sensitivity. Thus, the development of new methods for diagnostics and typing of mycobacteria, as well as practice implementation of these developments is an urgent direction. Modern developments in the field of microfluidic technologies open up great opportunities in this direction. Aim. Development of a method for identification and typing of Mycobacterium tuberculosis using a label-free biosensor on surface waves in a one-dimensional photonic crystal (PC SM biosensor). Methods. Oligonucleotide probes were selected and synthesized as DNA targets for M. tuberculosis typing. The photonic crystal surface was modified with aqueous solutions of (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane, Leuconostoc mesenteroides dextrans and bovine serum albumin. Experiments were carried out using a PC SM biosensor. Results. Sequences of detecting oligonucleotide probes were selected for spoligotyping of M. tuberculosis on the PC SM biosensor. Modification of their 3'-ends was carried out in order to create extended single-stranded regions that are not subject to the formation of secondary structures and facilitate hybridization with a single-stranded DNA target. Several series of experimental modifications of the PC surface were carried out by using L. mesenteroides dextrans with different functional groups (including detection of the modification results real time) with simultaneous registration of the increment layer size and volume refractive index of the mixture, which excludes the use of a reference cell. Other experiments were carried out to detect the specific binding of biotinylated oligonucleotide probes to the modified PC surface. Conclusions. A technique for the design of probes was developed and a model system of oligonucleotides for the detection of single-stranded DNA using a PC biosensor was proposed. The developed technique of modification of the PC surface with dextrans from L. mesenteroides, which allows to increase the sensitivity of detection of oligonucleotides using the PC SM biosensor. This approach will further expand the panel of diagnostic probes, including identification of resistance markers.

Development of Composite Scintillators Based on the LuAG: Pr Single Crystalline Films and LuAG:Sc Single Crystals

The scintillation properties of novel type of composite scintillator based on Lu3Al5O12:Pr (LuAG:Pr) single crystalline film (SCF) and LuAG:Sc substrate grown by the liquid-phase epitaxy method are considered in this work. The registration of α-particles and γ-quanta in such types of composites occurs by means of separation of the scintillation decay kinetics of SCF and crystal parts, respectively. Namely, under excitation by α-particles of 241Am (5.5 MeV) source and γ-quanta of 137Cs (662 keV) source, the large differences in the respective scintillation decay kinetics and decay time values tα and tγ are observed for the LuAG:Pr SCF/LuAG:Sc SC composite scintillator with various film thicknesses. Furthermore, the best tγ/tα ratio above 4.5 is achieved for such types of epitaxial structure with SCF and substrate thicknesses of 17 μm and about 0.5 mm, respectively. The development types of composite scintillators can be successfully applied for simultaneous registration of α-particles and γ-quanta in the mixed radiation fluxes.

Neuropsychological Peculiarities of Studying Future Psychologists’ Emotional Intelligence

The article considers emotional intelligence as a complex integrative formation, which includes cognitive, behavioural and emotional qualities. These qualities ensure awareness, understanding and regulation of their own and others’ emotions and effect on the success of interpersonal interaction and personal development. A review of relevant scientific sources has revealed the insufficient study of brain correlates and the specifics of future psychologists’ emotional intelligence. In turn, it has determined the purpose of the study, that is the neuropsychological study of features of future psychologists’ emotional intelligence. The parameters of emotional intelligence in the first- and second-year students majoring in Specialty 053 Psychology are received due to the test-questionnaire at simultaneous registration of electric activity of the brain. The Neuron-Spectrum 5 electroencephalograph was used for the EEG registration. The recording was performed monopolarly in 32 leads, using samples “eyes closed”, “eyes opened” and filling out the test-questionnaire to identify the levels of emotional intelligence. The obtained results have made it possible to determine that the levels of psychology students’ emotional intelligence are related to the activation indicators of different parts in the cortex of their brain. The students mostly are at average and initial levels of emotional intelligence, tend to show an interpersonal type of emotional intelligence and control their own and others’ emotions rather than to differentiate the emotions and establish the cause of their occurrence.

The Impact of Cutting With a Shearer on the Conditions of Longwall Ventilation

The data from the extended system was recorded on-going basis in the archives of the monitoring system, and the multipoint system was directly stored in the methane-anemometers, which allows one to perform a comparative analysis of the obtained records from many methane detectors. An important element of the analyses was the simultaneous registration of the methane concentration in the longwall, together with information on operating time, direction of shearer operation and type of work: mining/cleaning. Mining practice shows that in methane coal mines, methane is often the basic limitation for modern and high-efficiency longwall complexes. The paper reports on selected observations and tests carried out in the Cw-4 longwall in seam 364/2 of the Budryk mine belonging to JSW SA. In observation of the methane level in the Cw-4 longwall, additional sensors installed in the end part of the longwall from the side of the gobs and registration of air velocity and methane concentration in the multipoint system built in the selected longwall cross-section were used, regardless of the air parameters recorded in the monitoring system.

On the question of the peripheral innervation of the rectum. Critical and experimental research

All experiments were made by you 56. Of these, 10 experiments with negative pressure, 8 experiments with double registration (according to Courtade and Guyon` y), 15 with simultaneous registration of three bowel sections (colonis, recti and sphinct. Inter.), 4 experiments with irritation spinal roots, 2 experiments for examining the external sphincter. The remaining 17 embrace the usual experiments of investigating the movements of the recti under the influence of the irritated intestinal nerves according to the method indicated by us in the beginning of our work; this also included 5 experiments with combined irritations n. erigentis and n. hypogastrici.

Study of Neurocognitive Processes in a Paradigm of Information Concealment

The work contains a brief overview of the results of a series of experiments using the methods of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and simultaneous registration of vegetative reactions using MRI-compatible polygraph (MRIcP), reflects the next stage in the development of domestic applied — forensic — psychophysiology and states the formation of a new — neuro-forensic — direction of neurobiological research. The work announces the creation of a technology for complex fMRI-MRIcP neurocognitive researches, promising for use in the interests of fundamental science and for a number of branches of practice. Here are the results of testing the effectiveness of this technology of fMRI-MRIcP research, performed on students of a technical university (23 male participants aged 22-23 years old). The experiments used, borrowed from forensic practice, “test with a hidden name” and “test for knowing the guilty”, simulating the concealment of personally significant information (stored in a person’s memory for decades) and situation- ally significant information (entered into a person’s memory an hour before experiment). An analysis of galvanic skin reactions and reactions in photoplethysmogram was carried out using a system for quantitative assessment of physiological data recorded using MRIcP during the simultaneous registration of fMRI. The high consistency of expert scoring and automatic quantitative assessment of polygrams has been confirmed, and ways to improve the automatic evaluation of data have been identified. The usefulness of the application of the system for quantitative assessment of physiological data and the method of “specifying the sample” (carried out with the help of MRIcP) for studying the functional connectivity of the brain areas when hiding personally and situationally significant information in selected forensic tests is shown.