Nature in the Heart and Mind of the Beholder: Psycho-Emotional and EEG Differences in Perception of Virtual Nature Due to Gender.

Natural environment experiences in virtual reality (VR) can be a feasible option for people unable to connect with real nature. Existing research mostly focuses on health and emotional advantages of the "virtual nature" therapy, but studies of its neuropsychological effects related to visual perception are rare. In our experiment, 20 subjects watched nature-related video content in VR headsets (3D condition) and on a computer screen (2D condition).

Bogolon-mediated light absorption in atomic condensates of different dimensionality.

In the case of structureless bosons, cooled down to low temperatures, the absorption of electromagnetic waves by their Bose-Einstein condensate is usually forbidden due to the momentum and energy conservation laws: the phase velocity of the collective modes of the condensate called bogolons is sufficiently lower than the speed of light. Thus, only the light scattering processes persist. However, the situation might be different in the case of composite bosons or the bosons with an internal structure.

Kinetic Aspects of Benzene Degradation over TiO-N and Composite Fe/BiWO/TiO-N Photocatalysts under Irradiation with Visible Light.

In this study, composite materials based on nanocrystalline anatase TiO doped with nitrogen and bismuth tungstate are synthesized using a hydrothermal method. All samples are tested in the oxidation of volatile organic compounds under visible light to find the correlations between their physicochemical characteristics and photocatalytic activity. The kinetic aspects are studied both in batch and continuous-flow reactors, using ethanol and benzene as test compounds.

Short-Term Outcomes of Phage-Antibiotic Combination Treatment in Adult Patients with Periprosthetic Hip Joint Infection.

Implant-associated infections are the most costly problem in modern orthopedics due to the continued increase in the occurrence of antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains that requires the development of new effective antimicrobials. A non-randomized, prospective, open-label, with historical control study on the use of combined phage/antibiotic therapy of periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) was carried out. Forty-five adult patients with deep PJI of the hip joint were involved in the study, with a 12-month follow-up after one-stage revision surgery.

Structural, Spectroscopic, Electric and Magnetic Properties of New Trigonal KFeHf(MoO) Orthomolybdate.

A new multicationic structurally disordered KFeHf(MoO) crystal belonging to the molybdate family is synthesized by the two-stage solid state reaction method. The characterization of the electronic and vibrational properties of the KFeHf(MoO) was performed using density functional theory calculations, group theory, Raman and infrared spectroscopy. The vibrational spectra are dominated by vibrations of the MoO tetrahedra, while the lattice modes are observed in a low-wavenumber part of the spectra.

Visualization of Swift Ion Tracks in Suspended Local Diamondized Few-Layer Graphene.

In the present study we investigated the nanostructuring processes in locally suspended few-layer graphene (FLG) films by irradiation with high energy ions (Xe, 26-167 MeV). For such an energy range, the main channel of energy transfer to FLG is local, short-term excitation of the electronic subsystem. The irradiation doses used in this study are 1 × 10-5 × 10 ion/cm.

Delivery of into Animal Intestine Using Chitosan-Derived Bioresorbable Gel Carrier: Preliminary Results.

The oral delivery of bacteria in the human intestine is of great interest because of its potential to correct the gut microbiota and treat inflammatory bowel diseases. The aim of this study was to evaluate sodium N-(2-sulfonatoethyl)chitosan gel cross-linked with glutaraldehyde as a delivery carrier for probiotic bacteria to the gut using in vitro and in vivo experiments. The bacterial test strain was .

Neuron-Glia-Ratio-Like Approach Evidenced for Limited Variability and In-Aggregate Circadian Shifts in Cortical Cell-Specific Transcriptomes.

Regardless of shifts in levels of individual transcripts, it remains elusive whether natural variability in cell-specific transcriptomes within the cerebral cortex is limited in aggregate. It is also unclear whether cortical cell-specific transcriptomes might change dynamically in absence of cell number changes. Total variation in neuron- and glia-specific in-aggregate transcriptomes could be identified in a model-free way via glia-neuron ratio approach, by univariate median-to-median ratios comparing integral levels of cell-specific transcripts within a tissue sample.

A concept of "materials" diffraction and imaging beamline for SKIF: Siberian circular photon source.

Over the next decade, the extremely brilliant fourth generation synchrotron radiation sources are set to become a key driving force in materials characterization and technology development. In this study, we present a conceptual design of a versatile "Materia" diffraction and imaging beamline for a low-emittance synchrotron radiation facility. The beamline was optimized for operation with three main principal delivery regimes: parallel collimated beam ∼1 mm beam size, micro-focus regime with ∼10 μm beam spot size on the sample, and nano-focus regime with <100 nm focus.

Methods to Measure Water Permeability.

Water permeability is a key feature of the cell plasma membranes, and it has seminal importance for several cell functions such as cell volume regulation, cell proliferation, cell migration, and angiogenesis to name a few. The transport of water occurs mainly through plasma membrane water channels, aquaporins. Aquaporins have very important function in physiological and pathophysiological states.

Discovering Glioma Tissue through Its Biomarkers' Detection in Blood by Raman Spectroscopy and Machine Learning.

The most commonly occurring malignant brain tumors are gliomas, and among them is glioblastoma multiforme. The main idea of the paper is to estimate dependency between glioma tissue and blood serum biomarkers using Raman spectroscopy. We used the most common model of human glioma when continuous cell lines, such as U87, derived from primary human tumor cells, are transplanted intracranially into the mouse brain.

Dynamics of Vacancy Formation and Distribution in Semiconductor Heterostructures: Effect of Thermally Generated Intrinsic Electrons.

The effect of thermally generated equilibrium carrier distribution on the vacancy generation, recombination, and mobility in a semiconductor heterostructure with an undoped quantum well is studied. A different rate of thermally generated equilibrium carriers in layers with different band gaps at annealing temperatures forms a charge-carrier density gradient along a heterostructure. The nonuniform spatial distribution of charged vacancy concentration that appears as a result of strong dependence in the vacancy formation rate on the local charge-carrier density is revealed.

Analysis of SAW Temperature Properties in KTiOPO Single Crystal.

The surface acoustic wave (SAW) properties of potassium titanyl phosphate (KTiOPO, KTP) single crystal were evaluated by numerical methods. The phase velocity, electromechanical coupling coefficient, power flow deflection angle, and temperature coefficient of delay (TCD) were determined for different crystal cuts of KTP. It was shown that SAW has the electromechanical coupling coefficient of 0.

L-fucose reduces gut inflammation due to T-regulatory response in Muc2 null mice.

Fucose, the terminal glycan of the intestinal glycoprotein Mucin2, was shown to have an anti-inflammatory effect in mouse colitis models and modulate immune response due to macrophage polarization changes. In this study we evaluated the effect of 0.05% L-fucose supplementation of drinking water on immune parameters in the intestine of homozygous mutant Muc2-/-, compared to Muc2+/+ mice.

Virulent and necrotrophic strategies of Bacillus thuringiensis in susceptible and resistant insects, Galleria mellonella.

Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is one of the most common entomopathogenic bacteria used as a biopesticide, and source of endotoxin genes for generating insect-resistant transgenic plants. The mechanisms underpinning an insect's susceptibility or resistance to B. thuringiensis are diverse.

Unique Features of the Immune Response in BTBR Mice.

Inflammation plays a considerable role in the pathogenesis of many diseases, including neurodegenerative and psychiatric ones. Elucidation of the specific features of an immune response in various model organisms, and studying the relation of these features with the behavioral phenotype, can improve the understanding of the molecular mechanisms of many psychopathologies. In this work, we focused on BTBR mice, which have a pronounced autism-like behavioral phenotype, elevated levels of oxidative-stress markers, an abnormal immune response, several structural aberrations in the brain, and other unique traits.

Metallic Glass-Reinforced Metal Matrix Composites: Design, Interfaces and Properties.

When metals are modified by second-phase particles or fibers, metal matrix composites (MMCs) are formed. In general, for a given metallic matrix, reinforcements differing in their chemical nature and particle size/morphology can be suitable while providing different levels of strengthening. This article focuses on MMCs reinforced with metallic glasses and amorphous alloys, which are considered as alternatives to ceramic reinforcements.

Ex Vivo and In Vitro Antiaging and Antioxidant Extract Activity of the from Siberia.

Phenolic acids are biologically active substances that prevent aging and age-related diseases, e.g., cancer, cardiovascular diseases, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, etc.

SNPs in 3'UTR miRNA Target Sequences Associated with Individual Drug Susceptibility.

The complementary interaction of microRNAs (miRNAs) with their binding sites in the 3'untranslated regions (3'UTRs) of target gene mRNAs represses translation, playing a leading role in gene expression control. MiRNA recognition elements (MREs) in the 3'UTRs of genes often contain single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), which can change the binding affinity for target miRNAs leading to dysregulated gene expression. Accumulated data suggest that these SNPs can be associated with various human pathologies (cancer, diabetes, neuropsychiatric disorders, and cardiovascular diseases) by disturbing the interaction of miRNAs with their MREs located in mRNA 3'UTRs.

Engineering of graphene flakes in the process of synthesis in DC plasma jets.

During the pyrolysis of hydrocarbons in helium plasma jets in a plasma-chemical reactor, graphene flakes of a different structure and resistance were obtained. The presence of hydrogen in these structures was established by physicochemical methods, and its content depends on the pressure in the plasma-chemical reactor and the composition of a plasma-forming system. In addition to hydrogen, a relatively low concentration of oxygen atoms is present in the graphene flakes.