Photoresponsive and Polarization-Sensitive Structural Colors from Cellulose/Liquid Crystal Nanophotonic Structures.

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) possess the ability to form helical periodic structures that generate structural colors. Due to the helicity, such self-assembled cellulose structures preferentially reflect left-handed circularly polarized light of certain colors, while they remain transparent to right-handed circularly polarized light. This study shows that combination with a liquid crystal enables modulation of the optical response to obtain light reflection of both handedness but with reversed spectral profiles.

Floating Photocatalysts for Effluent Refinement Based on Stable Pickering Cellulose Foams and Graphitic Carbon Nitride (g-CN).

The transfer of heterogeneous photocatalysis applications from the laboratory to real-life aqueous systems is challenging due to the higher density of photocatalysts compared to water, light attenuation effects in water, complicated recovery protocols, and metal pollution from metal-based photocatalysts. In this work, we overcome these obstacles by developing a buoyant Pickering photocatalyst carrier based on green cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) derived from wood. The air bubbles in the carrier were stable because the particle surfactants provided thermodynamic stability and the derived photocatalytic foams floated on water throughout the test period (4 weeks).

Primary cell wall inspired micro containers as a step towards a synthetic plant cell.

The structural integrity of living plant cells heavily relies on the plant cell wall containing a nanofibrous cellulose skeleton. Hence, if synthetic plant cells consist of such a cell wall, they would allow for manipulation into more complex synthetic plant structures. Herein, we have overcome the fundamental difficulties associated with assembling lipid vesicles with cellulosic nanofibers (CNFs).

Peculiarities of Synthesis and Properties of Lignin⁻Silica Nanocomposites Prepared by Sol-Gel Method.

The development of advanced hybrid materials based on polymers from biorenewable sources and mineral nanoparticles is currently of high importance. In this paper, we applied softwood kraft lignins for the synthesis of lignin/SiO₂ nanostructured composites. We described the peculiarities of composites formation in the sol-gel process through the incorporation of the lignin into a silica network during the hydrolysis of tetraethoxysilane (TEOS).

Porous Cellulose Nanofiber-Based Microcapsules for Biomolecular Sensing.

Cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) have recently attracted a lot of attention in sensing because of their multifunctional character and properties such as renewability, nontoxicity, biodegradability, printability, and optical transparency in addition to unique physicochemical, barrier, and mechanical properties. However, the focus has exclusively been devoted toward developing two-dimensional sensing platforms in the form of nanopaper or nanocellulose-based hydrogels. To improve the flexibility and sensing performance in situ, for example, to detect biomarkers in vivo for early disease diagnostics, more advanced CNF-based structures are needed.

Superamphiphobic coatings based on liquid-core microcapsules with engineered capsule walls and functionality.

Microcapsules with specific functional properties, related to the capsule wall and core, are highly desired in a number of applications. In this study, hybrid cellulose microcapsules (1.2 ± 0.

Bioinspired capsules based on nanocellulose, xyloglucan and pectin - The influence of capsule wall composition on permeability properties.

Unlabelled: Materials based on renewable biopolymers, selective permeability and stimuli-responsive release/loading properties play an important role in biomedical applications. Here, in order to mimic the plant primary cell-wall, microcapsules have been fabricated using cell wall polysaccharides, namely pectin, xyloglucan and cellulose nanofibers. For the first time, a large amount of xyloglucan was successfully included in such capsules.

Bioinspired Layer-by-Layer Microcapsules Based on Cellulose Nanofibers with Switchable Permeability.

Green, all-polysaccharide based microcapsules with mechanically robust capsule walls and fast, stimuli-triggered, and switchable permeability behavior show great promise in applications based on selective and timed permeability. Taking a cue from nature, the build-up and composition of plant primary cell walls inspired the capsule wall assembly, because the primary cell walls in plants exhibit high mechanical properties despite being in a highly hydrated state, primarily owing to cellulose microfibrils. The microcapsules (16 ± 4 μm in diameter) were fabricated using the layer-by-layer technique on sacrificial CaCO templates, using plant polysaccharides (pectin, cellulose nanofibers, and xyloglucan) only.

[The comparative evaluation of effectiveness of laboratory techniques of diagnostic of anthrax and detection its agent in objects of environment].

The analysis of samples received during ictus of anthrax in the Stavropolskii kraii in 2013 permitted to study comparative effectiveness of regulated methods of laboratory diagnostic. The effectiveness of bacteriological, biological and molecular methods and necessity of their complex application for receiving optimal results are confirmed. The rapidity, effectiveness and specificity of polymerase chain reaction is emphasized.

Understanding the magnetic interaction between intrinsic defects and impurity ions in room-temperature ferromagnetic Mg1-xFexO thin films.

Understanding the nature and characteristics of the intrinsic defects and impurities in the dielectric barrier separating the ferromagnetic electrodes in a magnetic tunneling junction is of great importance for understanding the often observed 'barrier-breakdown' therein. In this connection, we present herein systematic experimental (SQUID and synchrotron-radiation-based x-ray absorption spectroscopy) and computational studies on the electronic and magnetic properties of Mg1-xFexO thin films. Our studies reveal: (i) defect aggregates comprised of basic and trimer units (Fe impurity coupled to 1 or 2 Mg vacancies) and (ii) existence of two competing magnetic orders, defect- and dopant-induced, with spin densities aligning anti-parallel if the trimer is present in the oxide matrix.

Gas-assisted electron-beam-induced nanopatterning of high-quality titanium oxide.

Electron-beam-induced deposition of titanium oxide nanopatterns is described. The precursor is titanium tetra-isopropoxide, delivered to the deposition point through a needle and mixed with oxygen at the same point via a flow through a separate needle. The depositions are free of residual carbon and have an EDX determined stoichiometry of TiO2.

[Use of GIS technologies in development of a cadaster of stationary unfavorable by anthrax points in Krasnodar region].

Aim: Development of a cadaster of stationary unfavorable by anthrax points in Krasnodar region by using GIS technologies.

Materials And Methods: Ageographical information system (GIS) of ESRI program--Arc GIS 10.1 was used for the composition of an electronic cadaster of stationary unfavorable by anthrax points.

Gas-assisted electron-beam-induced nanopatterning of high-quality Si-based insulator.

An oxygen-assisted electron-beam-induced deposition (EBID) process, in which an oxygen flow and the vapor phase of the precursor, tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS), are both mixed and delivered through a single needle, is described. The optical properties of the SiO(2+δ) (- 0.04 ≤ δ ≤ +0.

[About non-specific prophylaxis of infections typical for organized groups].

Respiratory tract infections and pyodermia are typical for personnel doing military service under conscription. Risk of progression of these infections is connected with activation of carry-over of causative agents among military personnel during replacement and decrease in immunity of conscripts. Usage of medication "Karmolis Kapli" for the purpose of prophylaxis allows to reduce cases of respiratory tract infections among the military personnel.

[Oligomerization of site-specific nicking endonuclease BspD6I at high protein concentrations].

Ability of site-specific nickase BspD6I (Nt.BspD6I) to oligomerize at concentrations > or = 0.5 microM (> or = 0.

[Analysis of outbreak of anthrax in Omsk region in 2010].

Aim: Carrying out analysis of epizootologic-epidemiologic situation on anthrax that had emerged in Omsk region in 2010 when horse meat from epizootic focus of anthrax was used in production of meat semi-finished products.

Materials And Methods: Study of samples for detection of anthrax causative agents and strain identification was performed according to guidelines 1.3.

Pattern shape control for heat treatment purification of electron-beam-induced deposition of gold from the Me2Au(acac) precursor.

Gold structures can be created in a scanning electron microscope (SEM) from the Me(2)Au(acac) precursor by direct writing with the electron beam. The as-deposited purity is usually poor, and a common purification approach is a post-annealing step that indeed is effective but also induces a volume reduction because of carbon loss and an undesirable reconfiguration of the gold structure, resulting in the loss of the original shape. We studied the shape change as a result of such purification, and to minimize this effect, the application of a tantalum and chromium buffer layer was investigated.

Rapid electron beam assisted patterning of pure cobalt at elevated temperatures via seeded growth.

A new method of direct, rapid nano- to micro-scale patterning of high purity cobalt is presented. The method utilizes a combination of electron beam induced deposition (EBID) and seeded growth at elevated temperatures below the temperature of spontaneous thermal decomposition. Dicobalt octacarbonyl Co₂(CO)₈ is used as the precursor and carbon as a seed layer.

Electron beam induced deposition at elevated temperatures: compositional changes and purity improvement.

Thermally assisted electron beam induced deposition can result in an improvement of the purity of nano-scale depositions. Six commonly used organic precursors were examined: W(CO)(6), TEOS (tetraethylorthosilicate), MeCpPtMe(3), Co(CO)(3)NO, Co(2)(CO)(8), and Me(2)Auacac. The last two precursors were also tested on two different instruments to confirm reproducibility of the results.

[Secondary structure of SsoII-like (cytosine-5)-DNA methyltransferases N-terminal region determined by circular dichroism spectroscopy].

(Cytosine-5)-DNA methyltransferase SsoII (M.SsoII) has a long N-terminal region (1-71 residues) preceding the sequence with conservative motifs, which are characteristic for all DNA methyltransferases of such kind. The presence of this region provides M.

[New derivatives of azobenzene for the directed modification of proteins].

Derivatives of azobenzene which contained a maleimide group in one of the benzene rings (for binding to a protein cysteine residue) and maleimide, hydroxyl, or carboxyl substitutes in another benzene ring were synthesized. The reactivity of these compounds towards a cysteine residue of a protein and their optical properties in a free state and after their attachment to the mutant forms of the SsoII restriction endonuclease were studied.

[Methodic approaches to testing Bacillus anthracis susceptibility to antibacterials].

Susceptibility of 50 isolates of Bacillus anthracis to 24 antibiotics was tested by the disk-diffusion method and the method of serial dilutions in solid media. The tests allowed to determine the boundary values of the growth inhibition zones and the minimum inhibitory concentrations of the antibiotics for susceptible and resistant strains of B. anthracis.

[Improvement of methods for identification of atypical anthrax strains and their differentiation from closely related bacilli].

Aim: To study biologic characteristics of atypical strains of anthrax agent in order to improve methods of identification and differentiation from closely related bacilli.

Materials And Methods: Objects of the study were 1101 strains of microorganisms of which following were experimentally examined: atypical--40 strains, typical--2, saprophytic bacilli from Bacillus genus--50. Aside from conventional methods, additional tests for intraspecies differentiation as well as multiplex PCR method were used for identification.

[Phenotypic and genetic features of cultural-morphologic variants of Bacillus anthracis].

Comparative analysis of MVLA-genotypes of 6 Bacillus anthracis strains and 40 their variants differing on capsule- and toxin synthesis, hemolytic, proteolytic and lecitinase activity, nutritional requirements, susceptibility to anthrax bacteriophages, virulence, immunogenicity, and presence of genes for capsule and toxin synthesis was performed. Results of phylogenetic analysis of 5 chromosome locuses and plasmid locus pXO1aat which are variable for this sample of B. anthracis cultures showed that all strains divided on 2 main clusters - A and B.