Core-Shell Chitosan Particles Targeting Membrane-Bound Heat Shock Protein 70 for Cancer Therapy.

Anti-cancer targeted therapy is a promising approach. However, the identification of target molecules over-expressed in a wide range of tumors remains a significant challenge. The aim of this study was to analyze the expression of cell membrane-exposed heat shock protein 70 kDa (mHSP70) on different tumor cells and to develop a nanoscale delivery system based on a monoclonal antibody (mAb) that recognizes mHSP70 and uses chitosan core-shell nanoparticles (NPs).

Size-Dependent Biodistribution of Fluorescent Furano-Allocolchicinoid-Chitosan Formulations in Mice.

The aim of this study was to compare the biodistribution in mice of functionalized rhodamine B (Rh) labeled colchicine derivative furano-allocolchicinoid (, ) either conjugated to 40 kDa chitosan (, ) or encapsulated into chitosan nanoparticles (). AC-NPs were formed by ionotropic gelation and were 400-450 nm in diameter as estimated in mice by dynamic light scattering and confocal microscopy. AC-Chi and AC-NPs preserved the specific colchicine activity in vitro.

[The factors of birth of second child in contemporary Russia: The analysis of sociological survey results].

The article considers the factors determining the orientation of Russians in relation to the birth of second child in single-child families. The analysis is based on the sociological survey data of the first wave of the All-Russian survey "The Demographic Well-being of Russia", carried out at the turn of 2019 - in the beginning of 2020 by the research team headed by Professor Rostovskaya T. K.

Control over the relative reactivities of monomers in RAFT copolymerization of styrene and acrylic acid.

The relative monomer reactivities in the reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) radical copolymerization of styrene (S) and acrylic acid (AA) in a solution of the polar solvent ,-dimethylformamide are found to be dependent on the chemical nature of the RAFT agent. Polymeric RAFT agents based on polyacrylic acid enhance the difference in monomer reactivities (dithiobenzoate - = 0.09 ± 0.

Coexisting synchronous and asynchronous states in locally coupled array of oscillators by partial self-feedback control.

We report the emergence of coexisting synchronous and asynchronous subpopulations of oscillators in one dimensional arrays of identical oscillators by applying a self-feedback control. When a self-feedback is applied to a subpopulation of the array, similar to chimera states, it splits into two/more sub-subpopulations coexisting in coherent and incoherent states for a range of self-feedback strength. By tuning the coupling between the nearest neighbors and the amount of self-feedback in the perturbed subpopulation, the size of the coherent and the incoherent sub-subpopulations in the array can be controlled, although the exact size of them is unpredictable.

Bursting dynamics in the normal and failing hearts.

A failing heart differs from healthy hearts by an array of symptomatic characteristics, including impaired Ca transients, upregulation of Na/Ca exchanger function, reduction of Ca uptake to sarcoplasmic reticulum, reduced K currents, and increased propensity to arrhythmias. While significant efforts have been made in both experimental studies and model development to display the causes of heart failure, the full process of deterioration from a healthy to a failing heart yet remains deficiently understood. In this paper, we analyze a highly detailed mathematical model of mouse ventricular myocytes to disclose the key mechanisms underlying the continual transition towards a state of heart failure.

Synthesis and cytostatic properties of polyfunctionalized furanoallocolchicinoids.

A series of furan-based allocolchicinoids was prepared from commercially available colchicine via a nine-step reaction sequence. Cytostatic activity, cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, tubulin and F-actin expression were studied in vitro in 2D and 3D cultures of normal and tumor epithelial keratinocytes, endothelial and mesenchymal cells. Among the prepared furanoallocolchicine analogues, 14a and 7a displayed the most pronounced anti-cancer activity.

Reconstruction of a neural network from a time series of firing rates.

Randomly coupled neural fields demonstrate irregular variation of firing rates, if the coupling is strong enough, as has been shown by Sompolinsky et al. [Phys. Rev.

Marginal chimera state at cross-frequency locking of pulse-coupled neural networks.

We consider two coupled populations of leaky integrate-and-fire neurons. Depending on the coupling strength, mean fields generated by these populations can have incommensurate frequencies or become frequency locked. In the observed 2:1 locking state of the mean fields, individual neurons in one population are asynchronous with the mean fields, while in another population they have the same frequency as the mean field.

Far-red fluorescent cell line for preclinical study of HER2-targeted agents.

We have created novel HER2-overexpressing human ovarian adenocarcinoma cell line stably transfected with far-red fluorescent protein TurboFP635. Growth characteristics, adhesion capacity and morphology of the cells do not differ from that of parental cell line. The obtained cell line (SKOV-kat) was confirmed to have high level of expression of the tumor marker HER2 comparable to that of initial cell line SKOV-3.

Finite-size-induced transitions to synchrony in oscillator ensembles with nonlinear global coupling.

We report on finite-sized-induced transitions to synchrony in a population of phase oscillators coupled via a nonlinear mean field, which microscopically is equivalent to a hypernetwork organization of interactions. Using a self-consistent approach and direct numerical simulations, we argue that a transition to synchrony occurs only for finite-size ensembles and disappears in the thermodynamic limit. For all considered setups, which include purely deterministic oscillators with or without heterogeneity in natural oscillatory frequencies, and an ensemble of noise-driven identical oscillators, we establish scaling relations describing the order parameter as a function of the coupling constant and the system size.

Maximizing Coherence of Oscillations by External Locking.

We study how coherence of noisy oscillations can be optimally enhanced by external locking. Based on the condition of minimizing the phase diffusion constant, we find the optimal forcing explicitly in the limits of small and large noise, in dependence of the phase sensitivity of the oscillator. We show analytically that the form of the optimal force bifurcates with the noise intensity; this is confirmed by the analysis of an optimal locking forcing for an experimentally obtained phase sensitivity of a neural cell.

Two types of quasiperiodic partial synchrony in oscillator ensembles.

We analyze quasiperiodic partially synchronous states in an ensemble of Stuart-Landau oscillators with global nonlinear coupling. We reveal two types of such dynamics: in the first case the time-averaged frequencies of oscillators and of the mean field differ, while in the second case they are equal, but the motion of oscillators is additionally modulated. We describe transitions from the synchronous state to both types of quasiperiodic dynamics, and a transition between two different quasiperiodic states.

Intercommunity resonances in multifrequency ensembles of coupled oscillators.

We generalize the Kuramoto model of globally coupled oscillators to multifrequency communities. A situation when mean frequencies of two subpopulations are close to the resonance 2:1 is considered in detail. We construct uniformly rotating solutions describing synchronization inside communities and between them.

Employment of PhD program graduates in Russia: a study of the University of Nizhni Novgorod graduates' careers.

An analysis is presented of the employment of PhD program graduates of the State University of Nizhni Novgorod, one of Russia's leading universities, from 2009 to 2013. We have studied the features of the career paths of graduates in different disciplines who specialized in natural sciences, social sciences and humanities. The lines of research are proposed for the further study of the issues of highly intellectual labor market development in Russia and employment of PhD program graduates.

Design, synthesis, and functional evaluation of CO-releasing molecules triggered by Penicillin G amidase as a model protease.

Protease-triggered CO-releasing molecules (CORMs) were developed. The viability of the approach was demonstrated through the synthesis of compounds consisting of an η(4) -oxydiene-Fe(CO)3 moiety connected to a penicillin G amidase (PGA)-cleavable unit through a self-immolative linker. The rate of PGA-induced hydrolysis was investigated by HPLC analysis and the subsequent CO release was quantitatively assessed through headspace gas chromatography.

Partial synchronization in networks of non-linearly coupled oscillators: The Deserter Hubs Model.

We study the Deserter Hubs Model: a Kuramoto-like model of coupled identical phase oscillators on a network, where attractive and repulsive couplings are balanced dynamically due to nonlinearity of interactions. Under weak force, an oscillator tends to follow the phase of its neighbors, but if an oscillator is compelled to follow its peers by a sufficient large number of cohesive neighbors, then it actually starts to act in the opposite manner, i.e.

Ensemble inequivalence in a mean-field XY model with ferromagnetic and nematic couplings.

We explore ensemble inequivalence in long-range interacting systems by studying an XY model of classical spins with ferromagnetic and nematic coupling. We demonstrate the inequivalence by mapping the microcanonical phase diagram onto the canonical one, and also by doing the inverse mapping. We show that the equilibrium phase diagrams within the two ensembles strongly disagree within the regions of first-order transitions, exhibiting interesting features like temperature jumps.

Chimeralike states in an ensemble of globally coupled oscillators.

We demonstrate the emergence of a complex state in a homogeneous ensemble of globally coupled identical oscillators, reminiscent of chimera states in nonlocally coupled oscillator lattices. In this regime some part of the ensemble forms a regularly evolving cluster, while all other units irregularly oscillate and remain asynchronous. We argue that the chimera emerges because of effective bistability, which dynamically appears in the originally monostable system due to internal delayed feedback in individual units.

Synthesis and crystal structure of NZP-type thorium-zirconium phosphate.

Microcrystals of Th(1/4)Zr(2)(PO(4))(3) were synthesized by thermal treatment (900 degrees C) of the material obtained using sol-gel technology (including organic complex formation and etherification). Their structure [hexagonal, P3c, a = b = 8.7311(4) A, c = 23.