Structural and magnetic phase transitions in EuLaFe(BO) (x = 0, 0.18).

The crystal structures and hyperfine magnetic parameters of EuFe(BO) and mixed EuLaFe(BO) were studied over a wide temperature range in order to analyze correlations of the structural and magnetic features and the phase transitions in multiferroic compounds of the rare-earth iron borate family. The chemical compositions of the crystals are reported from X-ray fluorescence analysis. The crystal structures of EuFe(BO) and EuLaFe(BO) were determined using single-crystal X-ray diffraction in the temperature range 25-500 K.

Nanostructured Hydrogels of Carboxylated Cellulose Nanocrystals Crosslinked by Calcium Ions.

Bio-based eco-friendly cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) gain an increasing interest for diverse applications. We report the results of an investigation of hydrogels spontaneously formed by the self-assembly of carboxylated CNCs in the presence of CaCl using several complementary techniques: rheometry, isothermal titration calorimetry, FTIR-spectroscopy, cryo-electron microscopy, cryo-electron tomography, and polarized optical microscopy. Increasing CaCl concentration was shown to induce a strong increase in the storage modulus of CNC hydrogels accompanied by the growth of CNC aggregates included in the network.

Design and commissioning of the PRIOR-II "proton microscope for FAIR".

A new high energy proton radiography facility PRIOR-II (Proton Microscope for FAIR) has been designed, constructed, and successfully commissioned at the GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung (Darmstadt, Germany) pushing the technical boundaries of charged particle radiography with normal conducting magnets to the limits. The setup is foreseen to become a new and powerful user facility for carrying out fundamental science experiments in the fields of plasma and shock wave physics, material science, and medical physics. It will help address several unsolved scientific challenges, which require high-speed and precise non-invasive diagnostic methods capable of probing matter with up to 100 g/cm2 areal density.

Structure and dynamics of the interaction of Delta and Omicron BA.1 SARS-CoV-2 variants with REGN10987 Fab reveal mechanism of antibody action.

Study of mechanisms by which antibodies recognize different viral strains is necessary for the development of new drugs and vaccines to treat COVID-19 and other infections. Here, we report 2.5 Å cryo-EM structure of the SARS-CoV-2 Delta trimeric S-protein in complex with Fab of the recombinant analog of REGN10987 neutralizing antibody.

[Zebrafish Xenographs in Oncology and Personalized Medicine].

The bony fish Danio rerio (zebrafish) has become one of the important vertebrate model organisms in biomedical cancer research and is used, among other things, for the development of anticancer drugs using xenotransplantation approaches. The ex utero development of zebrafish, optically transparent tissues in the first month of growth, and the immature adaptive immune system during this period greatly facilitate the manipulation of embryos. For highly aggressive cancers where patient survival may be expected to be only a few months, a zebrafish xenograft assay may be the only appropriate method as it requires only four to seven days.

Near-atomic cryo-EM structure of the light-harvesting complex LH2 from the sulfur purple bacterium Ectothiorhodospira haloalkaliphila.

Bacteria with the simplest system for solar energy absorption and conversion use various types of light-harvesting complexes for these purposes. Light-harvesting complex 2 (LH2), an important component of the bacterial photosynthetic apparatus, has been structurally well characterized among purple non-sulfur bacteria. In contrast, so far only one high-resolution LH2 structure from sulfur bacteria is known.

Diverse Cyclization Pathways Between Nitriles with Active -Methylene Group and Ambiphilic 2-Pyridylselenyl Reagents Enabled by Reversible Covalent Bonding.

Herein, we describe a novel coupling between ambiphilic 2-pyridylselenyl reagents and nitriles featuring an active α-methylene group. Depending on the solvent employed, this reaction can yield two distinct types of cationic pyridinium-fused selenium-containing heterocycles, 1,3-selenazolium or 1,2,4-selenadiazolium salts, in high yields. This is in contrast to what we observed before for other nitriles.

Visualizing kinetics of diffusional penetration in tissues using OCT-based strain imaging.

We report a new application of the recently developed technique, Optical Coherence Elastography (OCE) to quantitatively visualize kinetics of osmotic strains due to diffusive penetration of various osmotically active solutions into biological tissues. The magnitude of osmotic strains may range from fractions of one per cent to tens per cent. The visualized spatio-tempotal dynamics of the strains reflect the rates of osmotic dehydration and diffusional penetration of the active solute, which can be controlled by concentration of the solution components.

Complete genome sequence of a new member of the genus Badnavirus infecting nettle (Urtica dioica).

A new badnavirus was discovered in nettle plants (Urtica dioica L., family Urticaceae) with vein banding symptoms using high-throughput sequencing. This virus was provisionally named "nettle badnavirus 1" (NBV 1).

[Biodegradable devices for annulus fibrosus defect closure after lumbar discectomy].

Objective: To study the properties of materials and select the most suitable one for appropriate device covering annulus fibrosus defect after lumbar discectomy.

Material And Methods: Prototype devices made of poly(L-)lactide, polycaprolactone (PLC) and copolymers of(L-)lactide and ε-caprolactone (LCL) without prior purification were used. Sponge materials were prepared using 1.

[Interbody cage implantation in cadaveric model of the ram spine: biomechanical tests].

Objective: To evaluate the mechanical properties of poly(L-lactide) cage prototypes on cadaveric models of the lumbar spine ram model.

Material And Methods: Prototypes of neck devices were developed on the Ender 2v2 3D printer («Shenzhen Creality 3D Technology Co., Ltd.

Combination of Phenylsilsesquioxane and Acetate Ligands as an Approach to a Record High Nuclear CuNa-Cage. Synthesis, Unique Structure, and Catalytic Activity.

Self-assembly synthesis of mixed-ligand (silsesquioxane/acetate) complex allows to isolate record high nuclear copper(II) Cu-cage (1). In the presence of two additional sodium ions, a unique molecular architecture, with triple combination of ligands (cyclic and acyclic silsesquioxanes as well as acetates), has been formed. The structure was established by single-crystal X-ray diffraction based on the use of synchrotron radiation.

Highly Porous Scandium(III) Tetrafluoroisophthalate Framework for Adsorptive Separation of Light Alkanes.

The separation of light alkanes is one of the most important tasks for modern industry due to the widespread use of ethane and propane as chemical feedstocks. Their extraction from natural gas is a challenging task and is now carried out by cryogenic distillation at a limited number of plants around the world. The development of new materials for adsorption separation is therefore important.

Electrospinning of methacrylated alginate for tissue engineering applications.

Photo-crosslinkable methacrylated alginate derivatives (M-ALGs) were synthesized modification of sodium alginate with glycidyl methacrylate. Needle (capillary) and needleless electrospinning techniques were employed to produce their nonwoven fiber mats. Spinning parameters such as applied voltage, solution composition, and flow rate were optimized to form uniform bead-free fibers with an average diameter of about 150 nm.

Genome-wide association studies of ischemic stroke based on interpretable machine learning.

Despite the identification of several dozen genetic loci associated with ischemic stroke (IS), the genetic bases of this disease remain largely unexplored. In this research we present the results of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) based on classical statistical testing and machine learning algorithms (logistic regression, gradient boosting on decision trees, and tabular deep learning model TabNet). To build a consensus on the results obtained by different techniques, the Pareto-Optimal solution was proposed and applied.

Monolayer Magnetic Metal with Scalable Conductivity.

2D magnets have emerged as a class of materials highly promising for studies of quantum phenomena and applications in ultra-compact spintronics. Current research aims at design of 2D magnets with particular functional properties. A formidable challenge is to produce metallic monolayers: the material landscape of layered magnetic systems is strongly dominated by insulators; rare metallic magnets, such as FeGeTe, become insulating as they approach the monolayer limit.

Mucoadhesive polyelectrolyte complexes of fucoidan and chitin nanowhiskers to prolong the antiprotozoal activity of metronidazole.

The improvement of the specific pharmacological activity of agents with antimicrobial and antiprotozoal properties (e.g. metronidazole, MET) is of interest for clinical applications in the treatment of bacterial infections.

Chiral Dichroism in Resonant Metasurfaces with Monoclinic Lattices.

We demonstrate that chiral response can be achieved in resonant metasurfaces with a monoclinic lattice symmetry (the so-called Bravais oblique lattices) where the mirror symmetry is broken by the lattice asymmetry and also by a substrate, whereas each individual meta-atom remains fully achiral. We describe the underlying physics by introducing a mode chirality parameter as a quantitative measure of the lattice chiral eigenmodes. We confirm experimentally selective linear and nonlinear chiral interaction of resonant silicon metasurfaces with circularly polarized light.

Co-culture of postnatal mouse spinal cord and skeletal muscle explants as an experimental model of neuromuscular interactions.

The intercommunication between nerves and muscles plays an important role in the functioning of our body, and its failure leads to severe neuromuscular disorders such as spinal muscular atrophy and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying nerve-muscle interactions and mediating their mutual influence is an integral part of strategies aimed at curing neuromuscular diseases. Here, we propose a novel ex vivo experimental model for the spinal cord (SC) and skeletal muscle interactions which for the first time utilizes only fully formed (but not yet quite functional) postnatal tissues.

New strokes to the portrait of inactivated actin.

In addition to the well-known monomeric and polymeric forms of actin there is another unique thermodynamically stable state of this protein, called "inactivated actin" (I-actin). I-actin is formed at moderate concentration of a denaturant, release of Ca ions and/or ATP, or after heating. This state is a monodisperse associate and it has the same spectral characteristics regardless of the method of preparation.

HDL Cholesterol-Associated Shifts in the Expression of Preselected Genes Reveal both Pro-Atherogenic and Atheroprotective Effects of HDL in Coronary Artery Disease.

Background: The associations of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) level and functionality with lipid metabolism, inflammation, and innate immunity in coronary artery disease (CAD) remain controversial. The differential expression of a set of genes related to HDL metabolism (24 genes) and atherogenesis (41 genes) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from CAD and control patients with varied HDL cholesterol (HDL-C) levels was compared.

Methods: 76 male patients 40-60 years old with CAD diagnosed by angiography and 63 control patients were divided into three groups with low, normal (1.

Catechol-derived Mannich bases: radical regulatory properties, cytotoxicity and interaction with biomolecules.

Free radicals are ubiquitous in biological systems, being responsible for pathogenesis of degenerative diseases and participating in vitally important biochemical processes, which are mediated by radical regulatory agents. The effects of the aliphatic amine substituents in the catechol-derived Mannich bases on their antioxidant and pro-oxidant activity were investigated. It has been found that the presence of catechol moiety in the structure of Mannich bases allows them to act as Cu(II) reductants, efficient Fe(II) chelators and potent DPPH radical scavengers.

Rubidium vanadium(III) vanadyl(IV) phosphate, RbV(VO)(PO)(HPO): crystal chemistry and low-dimensional magnetism.

In this paper, we present the synthesis and characterization of a rubidium vanadium(III) vanadyl(IV) phosphate, obtained under hydrothermal conditions. The new compound crystallizes in the triclinic space group 1̄ with the unit cell parameters = 9.637(1), = 12.

Delivery system for dexamethasone phosphate based on a Zn-crosslinked polyelectrolyte complex of diethylaminoethyl chitosan and chondroitin sulfate.

Hybrid nano- and microparticles based on metal ion crosslinked biopolymers are promising carriers for the development of drug delivery systems with improved biopharmaceutical properties. In this work, dexamethasone phosphate-containing particles based on chondroitin sulfate and chitosan or diethylaminoethyl chitosan additionally crosslinked with Zn were prepared. Depending on the polycation/polyanion ratio in the system, anionic and cationic polyelectrolyte complexes (PECs) were obtained.