Chiral Nanostructured Glycerohydrogel Sol-Gel Plates of Chitosan L- and D-Aspartate: Supramolecular Ordering and Optical Properties.

A comprehensive study was performed on the supramolecular ordering and optical properties of thin nanostructured glycerohydrogel sol-gel plates based on chitosan L- and D-aspartate and their individual components in the X-ray, UV, visible, and IR ranges. Our comparative analysis of chiroptical characteristics, optical collimated transmittance, the average cosine of the scattering angle, microrelief and surface asymmetry, and the level of structuring shows a significant influence of the wavelength range of electromagnetic radiation and the enantiomeric form of aspartic acid on the functional characteristics of the sol-gel materials. At the macrolevel of the supramolecular organization, a complex topography of the surface layer and a dense amorphous-crystalline ordering of polymeric substances were revealed, while at the nanolevel, there were two forms of voluminous scattering domains: nanospheres with diameters of 60-120 nm (L-) and 45-55 nm (D-), anisometric particles of lengths within ~100-160 (L-) and ~85-125 nm (D-), and widths within ~10-20 (L-) and ~20-30 nm (D-).

Effect of Selenium and Garlic Extract Treatments of Seed-Addressed Lettuce Plants on Biofortification Level, Seed Productivity and Mature Plant Yield and Quality.

The enhancement of the plant seed yield and quality represents the basis of the successful productivity of the deriving crop. The effect of single and combined foliar treatments of lettuce plants with sodium selenate and garlic bulb extract on seed yield and quality and on mature plant biochemical characteristics was investigated using four lettuce cultivars (Bouquet, Picnic, Moskovsky parnikovy and Cavalier). The seed production of plants treated with Se increased by 20-41%, compared to the untreated control plants, while the augmentation was as much as 10-23% and 17-27% under garlic extract and the joint application of Se and garlic, respectively.

Unexpected clinical case of infectious endocarditis in a patient with iv drug abuse: why epidemiological history matters.

Introduction: Right-sided lesions caused by staphylococci are the most common clinical entity of infectious endocarditis (IE) among iv drug abusers. But some aspects of the epidemiological history are critical in terms of early detection of uncommon pathogens.

Case Report: We describe a clinical observation of native aortic valve IE caused by in a 37-year-old female with a history of heroin addiction, alcohol abuse and liver cirrhosis.

Speckle-Based Sensing of Microscopic Dynamics in Expanding Polymer Foams: Application of the Stacked Speckle History Technique.

Microscopic structural rearrangements in expanding polylactide foams were probed using multiple dynamic scattering of laser radiation in the foam volume. Formation and subsequent expansion of polylactide foams was provided by a rapid or slow depressurization of the "plasticized polylactide-supercritical carbon dioxide" system. Dynamic speckles induced by a multiple scattering of laser radiation in the expanding foam were analyzed using the stacked speckle history technique, which is based on a joint mapping of spatial-temporal dynamics of evolving speckle patterns.

Extreme Foaming Modes for SCF-Plasticized Polylactides: Quasi-Adiabatic and Quasi-Isothermal Foam Expansion.

The experimental evidence on depressurization foaming of the amorphous D,L-polylactide, which is plasticized by subcritical (initial pressures below the critical value) or supercritical (initial pressures above the critical value) carbon dioxide at a temperature above the critical value, relates to two extreme cases: a slow quasi-isothermal foam expansion, and a rapid quasi-adiabatic expansion. Under certain conditions, the quasi-isothermal mode is characterized by the non-monotonic dependencies of the foam volume on the external pressure that are associated with the expansion-to-shrinkage transition. The quasi-adiabatic and quasi-isothermal expansions are characterized by a significant increase in the degree of foam expansion under conditions where the CO initial pressure approaches the critical value.

Laser speckle probes of relaxation dynamics in soft porous media saturated by near-critical fluids.

Speckle correlation analysis was applied to study the relaxation dynamics in soft porous media saturated by near-critical carbon dioxide. The relaxation of soft matrix deformation was caused by a stepwise change in the fluid pressure. It was found that the deformation rate in the course of relaxation and the relaxation time strongly depend on the temperature of the system.

Resonant scattering and absorption in the titanate-based nanoplatelet dispersions in near ultraviolet region.

Extinction enhancement and nonlinear near-resonant absorption of potassium polytitanate nanoplatelets were experimentally studied in the near-UV region. Phenomenological models such as the one-oscillator Lorentz model for dielectric function and the two-level model with the depleted ground state were used to interpret the experimental data. The introduced model parameters demonstrate the adequately high sensitivity to variations in nanoplatelet morphology and chemical environment.

Analysis of the scatter growth in dispersive media with the use of dynamic light scattering.

Analysis of the structure functions of intensity fluctuations of scattered laser light was applied to monitor the phase separation in probed disperse media. UV-cured mixtures of a liquid crystal and prepolymer were studied during the formation of the structure of dispersive polymer-liquid crystal (DPLC) composites. The experimentally observed features of light beating induced by dynamic light scattering in DPLC systems (the scaling properties of the structure functions, the narrowing of the beating spectrum for certain weight fractions of the liquid-crystalline component) were interpreted in terms of the discrete scattering model using the results of statistical modeling.

Comparison of biphasic insulin aspart 30 given three times daily or twice daily in combination with metformin versus oral antidiabetic drugs alone in patients with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes: a 16-week, randomized, open-label, parallel-group trial conducted in russia.

Background: Modern premixed insulins offer a flexible approach to the initiation of insulin therapy in patients with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes. A disadvantage of twice-daily regimens of biphasic insulin aspart 30 (BIAsp 30) is that lunchtime control (when no insulin is administered) can be suboptimal. Therefore, it is possible that administering BIAsp 30 thrice daily might further optimize glycemic control and offer an option for patients in whom metformin (MET) is contraindicated.

Random media characterization using the analysis of diffusing light data on the basis of an effective medium model.

The transport properties of dense random media such as rutile powder layers and polyball suspensions are analyzed in visible and near infrared on the basis of experimental data on coherent backscattering, diffuse transmittance, and low-coherence interferometry. The developed technique of retrieval of the transport parameters of examined scattering media allows the evaluation of the transport mean free path l* and the effective refractive index n(ef) of the medium without a priori knowledge of the optical properties of the scattering particles. It is found that with decreasing wavelength lambda(0) the value of localization parameter 2pin(ef)l*/lambda(0) of the studied rutile samples abruptly drops and approaches approximately 2.