Effective removal of global tilt from atomically-resolved topography images of vicinal surfaces with narrow terraces.

The main feature of vicinal surfaces of crystals characterized by the Miller indices (hhm) is rather small width (less than 10 nm) and substantially large length (more than 200 nm) of atomically-flat terraces. This makes difficult to apply standard methods of image processing and correct visualization of crystalline lattices at the terraces and multiatomic steps. Here we consider two procedures allowing us to minimize effects of both small-scale noise and global tilt of sample: (i) analysis of the difference of two Gaussian blurred images, and (ii) subtraction of the plane, whose parameters are determined by optimization of the histogram of the visible heights, from raw topography image.

[Laparoscopic repair of hiatal hernia after minimally invasive esophagectomy].

Postoperative hiatal hernia is a rare and specific complication after esophagectomy. This complication leads to emergency and affects mortality. Incidence of this complication has increased due to the great number of minimally invasive procedures over the past decades.

Automated Assessment of the Area of Infiltration by CD8 Cells in Gastric Carcinoma and Areas of Normal Mucosa as a Significant Prognostic Factor.

In 139 patients with verified gastric cancer, the infiltration of the postoperative material with CD8 cells was analyzed. Automated morphometric analysis of immunostained slides was performed separately in different specimen sites (tumor center, invasive edge, and peritumoral mucosa). The mean area of infiltrating CD8 cells in the tumor center and in the invasive edge was not predictive, while in the peritumoral mucosa it provided a new negative predictive factor (hazard ratio 2.

Atomic and Electronic Structure of a Multidomain GeTe Crystal.

Renewed interest in the ferroelectric semiconductor germanium telluride was recently triggered by the direct observation of a giant Rashba effect and a 30-year-old dream about a functional spin field-effect transistor. In this respect, all-electrical control of the spin texture in this material in combination with ferroelectric properties at the nanoscale would create advanced functionalities in spintronics and data information processing. Here, we investigate the atomic and electronic properties of GeTe bulk single crystals and their (111) surfaces.

Layer-by-Layer Graphene Growth on β-SiC/Si(001).

The mechanism of few-layer graphene growth on the technologically relevant cubic-SiC/Si(001) substrate is uncovered using high-resolution core-level and angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy, low-energy electron microscopy, and microspot low-energy electron diffraction. The thickness of the graphitic overlayer supported on the silicon carbide substrate and related changes in the surface structure are precisely controlled by monitoring the progress of the surface graphitization in situ during high-temperature graphene synthesis, using a combination of microspectroscopic techniques. The experimental data reveal gradual changes in the preferential graphene lattice orientations at the initial stages of the few-layer graphene growth on SiC(001) and can act as reference data for controllable growth of single-, double-, and triple-layer graphene on silicon carbide substrates.

A photochemical approach for a fast and self-limited covalent modification of surface supported graphene with photoactive dyes.

Herein, we report a simple method for a covalent modification of surface supported graphene with photoactive dyes. Graphene was fabricated on cubic-SiC/Si(001) wafers due to their low cost and suitability for mass-production of continuous graphene fit for electronic applications on millimetre scale. Functionalisation of the graphene surface was carried out in solution via white light induced photochemical generation of phenazine radicals from phenazine diazonium salt.

Nanoclusters and nanolines: the effect of molybdenum oxide substrate stoichiometry on iron self-assembly.

The growth of Fe nanostructures on the stoichiometric MoO/Mo(110) and oxygen-rich MoO /Mo(110) surfaces has been studied using low-temperature scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) and density functional theory calculations. STM results indicate that at low coverage Fe nucleates on the MoO/Mo(110) surface, forming small, well-ordered nanoclusters of uniform size, each consisting of five Fe atoms. These five-atom clusters can agglomerate into larger nanostructures reflecting the substrate geometry, but they retain their individual character within the structure.

Large positive in-plane magnetoresistance induced by localized states at nanodomain boundaries in graphene.

Graphene supports long spin lifetimes and long diffusion lengths at room temperature, making it highly promising for spintronics. However, making graphene magnetic remains a principal challenge despite the many proposed solutions. Among these, graphene with zig-zag edges and ripples are the most promising candidates, as zig-zag edges are predicted to host spin-polarized electronic states, and spin-orbit coupling can be induced by ripples.

Transport Gap Opening and High On-Off Current Ratio in Trilayer Graphene with Self-Aligned Nanodomain Boundaries.

Trilayer graphene exhibits exceptional electronic properties that are of interest both for fundamental science and for technological applications. The ability to achieve a high on-off current ratio is the central question in this field. Here, we propose a simple method to achieve a current on-off ratio of 10(4) by opening a transport gap in Bernal-stacked trilayer graphene.

[Detection of West Nile virus RNA and specific antibodies in blood donors of Volgograd region].

Aim: Study infection level by West Nile virus (WNV) of donors living on the territory of West Nile fever (WNF) foci with long-term activity, and evaluate the possibility of non-transmissible transfer of the causative agent during use of donor blood.

Materials And Methods: Blood sera (432) collected in August and September 2012 in Volgograd and Volzhsky cities were studied by PCR and EIA.

Results: Antibodies to WNV were detected in 16.

[Experience of surgical treatment of abdominal and intraabdominal desmoid fibromas].

It is presented the treatment results of abdominal and intraabdominal desmoid fibromas. Group of abdominal localization included 19 patients. 15 of them had primary tumors, 4 - recurrent tumors after surgical treatment.

Homolytic cleavage of molecular oxygen by manganese porphyrins supported on Ag(111).

Oxygen binding and cleavage are important for both molecular recognition and catalysis. Mn-based porphyrins in particular are used as catalysts for the epoxidation of alkenes, and in this study the homolytic cleavage of O2 by a surface-supported monolayer of Mn porphyrins on Ag(111) is demonstrated by scanning tunneling microscopy, X-ray absorption, and X-ray photoemission. As deposited, {5,10,15,20-tetraphenylporphyrinato}Mn(III)Cl (MnClTPP) adopts a saddle conformation with the average plane of its macrocycle parallel to the substrate and the axial Cl ligand pointing upward, away from the substrate.

Rotated domain network in graphene on cubic-SiC(001).

The atomic structure of the cubic-SiC(001) surface during ultra-high vacuum graphene synthesis has been studied using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and low-energy electron diffraction. Atomically resolved STM studies prove the synthesis of a uniform, millimeter-scale graphene overlayer consisting of nanodomains rotated by ±13.5° relative to the left angle bracket 110 right angle bracket-directed boundaries.

Fabrication of [001]-oriented tungsten tips for high resolution scanning tunneling microscopy.

The structure of the [001]-oriented single crystalline tungsten probes sharpened in ultra-high vacuum using electron beam heating and ion sputtering has been studied using scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The electron microscopy data prove reproducible fabrication of the single-apex tips with nanoscale pyramids grained by the {011} planes at the apexes. These sharp, [001]-oriented tungsten tips have been successfully utilized in high resolution scanning tunneling microscopy imaging of HOPG(0001), SiC(001) and graphene/SiC(001) surfaces.

Atomically resolved STM imaging with a diamond tip: simulation and experiment.

The spatial resolution of a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) can be enhanced using light element-terminated probes with spatially localized electron orbitals at the apex atom. Conductive diamond probes can provide carbon atomic orbitals suitable for STM imaging with sub-Ångström lateral resolution and high apex stability crucial for the small tunneling gaps necessary for high-resolution experiments. Here we demonstrate that high spatial resolution can be achieved in STM experiments with single-crystal diamond tips, which are generally only considered for use as probes for atomic force microscopy.

[Experemental modeling of ovary hyperstimulation syndrome in test animals].

The experimental simulation of ovary hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) in test murine by administration with several dozes of exogenous gonadotropic hormones has been performed. It has been shown that mouse ovary hormone stimulation leads to manifestation of all OHSS symptoms: ovary swelling and hyperemia, injury of their structure, cystic corpus luteum formation, hemorrhagic follicles, folliculogenesis disturbance, oocyte and embryo morphology injury. The degree of OHSS symptom manifestation depends on hormone doze.

Correlation between charge-transfer and rotation of C60 on WO2/W(110).

Understanding molecular switching between different charge states is crucial to further progress in molecule-based nano-electronic devices. Herein we have employed scanning tunnelling microscopy to visualize different charge states of a single C60 molecule within a molecular layer grown on the WO2/W(110) surface. The results obtained demonstrate that individual C60 molecules within the layer switch between neutral and negatively charged states in the temperature range of 220-260 K over the time scale of the experiment.

Steroid profiles in ovarian follicular fluid in women with and without polycystic ovary syndrome, analyzed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

Objective: To compare steroid concentrations and steroid product-to-precursor ratios in ovarian follicular fluid (FF) from women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and from regularly menstruating women in their early follicular phase, using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Polycystic ovary syndrome involves abnormal regulation of the steroidogenic enzymes, leading to arrest of follicle development.

Design: Case-control study.

Steroid profiles in ovarian follicular fluid from regularly menstruating women and women after ovarian stimulation.

Background: Information on the concentrations of steroids in ovarian follicular fluid (FF) from regularly menstruating (RM) women has been limited because of the absence of methods for the simultaneous quantification of multiple steroids in small volumes of FF. We studied steroid profiles in FF during the early follicular phase of the menstrual cycle and after ovarian stimulation for in vitro fertilization (IVF), and compared concentrations with published values obtained by immunoassay (IA).

Methods: We used liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to measure 13 steroids in 40-microL aliquots of FF samples from 21 RM women and from 5 women after ovarian stimulation for IVF.

Pixelated liquid-crystal light valve for neural network application.

The liquid-crystal light valve (LCLV) is a useful component for performing integration, thresholding, and gain functions in optical neural networks. Integration of the neural activation channels is implemented by pixelation of the LCLV, with use of a structured metallic layer between the photoconductor and the liquid-crystal layer. Measurements are presented for this type of valve, examples of which were prepared for two specific neural network implementations.

Atomic row doubling in the STM images of Cu(014)-O obtained with MnNi tips.

We report on scanning tunneling microscopy studies of the Cu(014)-O surface using MnNi tips. Remarkably, the results show a regular apparent doubling of surface atomic rows in the {110} direction. A qualitative explanation of this feature based on tight binding and density functional theory calculations of the electronic structure of the tip is presented.

Granulosa cell aromatase enzyme activity: effects of follicular fluid from patients with polycystic ovary syndrome, using aromatase conversion and [11C]vorozole-binding assays.

The local regulation of ovarian aromatase enzyme in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) was studied with aromatase conversion and [11C]vorozole-binding assays to analyze aromatase activity, substrate-enzyme affinity and number of aromatase binding sites in non-cultured human granulosa cells (GC) incubated with different sources and preparations of follicular fluid (FF). Incubation with FF from women stimulated in in vitro fertilization cycles with follicle-stimulating hormone yielded higher conversion activity than with FF from healthy women and PCOS patients, paralleled with higher substrate affinity (lower Kd) than with FF from healthy women. In PCOS women, charcoal-pretreated FF yielded higher conversion, whereas the ether-pretreated FF yielded lower conversion activity, than with untreated PCOS FF.