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The transmitting channel of the laser location system, composed of a laser and its telescopic radiation expander, forms an output laser beam with specified geometric parameters. In particular, it can be a quasiparallel beam or have a waist at a given distance. Method. The high-precision equipment setup is developed on the basis of geometrical optics methods providing the formation of a laser beam with preset geometrical parameters. The equipment setup is based on a mirror parabolic collimator and a matrix pyroelectric camera, which is located in its focal plane and is able to move along its axis. Flat diagonal mirrors are installed in such a way that they separate the laser beam coming out of the expander and direct it at the peripheral diametrically opposite collimator light zones. After reflection from the parabola, the beams converge at a sufficiently large angle convenient for further analysis. If the laser location system is aligned with the aim to reduce divergence, the matrix camera is positioned in the focal plane of the collimator. If the alignment is intended to create a waist of laser radiation at a given distance, then the matrix camera is placed at a certain distance from the focal plane. The alignment process is reduced to the registration of the gravity centers for the beams coming from parabola edges with their alternate overlapping. As soon as the difference in the beam coordinates becomes commensurate with the measurement error, the process is completed. Main Results. The technique involves the alignment of the telescopic expander together with the laser and eliminates errors associated with the installation of these two components relative to each other. During the operation, labor-intensive movements of the photodetector in space and subsequent calculations are not required, and fewer optical elements are used. Moreover, the effect of fluctuations in the laser radiation power is excluded. According to the proposed technique, a system is aligned consisting of a CO2 laser with divergence of 7.5 mrad and a telescopic expander with tenfold magnification. The obtained alignment accuracy amounts to 10 % of the laser radiation divergence value. It is shown that the main contribution to alignment accuracy is made by coordinate registration error of the image gravity centers, which largely depends on fluctuations in the laser radiation power. Practical Relevance. The proposed technique has a low labor intensity, sufficient accuracy for practical application and can be implemented in the laboratories of enterprises engaged in the production of laser location systems.

The continuing difficulty of treatment of acromegaly depends on: late diagnosis of the disease, the multiplicity of pathological variants of GH-secreting adenomas, the presence of complicated forms of the disease, and the lack of differentiated approach when choosing a treatment strategy. At the present time, when there are many divergent therapeutic tools to achieve the target values depending on the specific structure of the pathological tumor tissue, the main problem lies in the establishment of adequate algorithms to ensure prompt achievement and maintenance of biochemical remission. Due to the improvement of surgical aids medical therapy for acromegaly is generally used as a second line treatment, assignable at continuing disease activity after non-radical adenomectomy.). With the introduction of prolongated analogs of somatostatin, mostly affecting the 2nd (octreotide, lanreotide), or 5th (pasireotide) subtypes of the somatostatin receptors, selective dopamine agonists (cabergoline), and growth hormone receptor antagonist (pegvisomant) into wide clinical practice patients received a great opportunity to achieve a stable biochemical control of acromegaly regardless of secretory activity and receptor phenotype of the tumor tissue. The present paper reveals the mechanisms of action and the characteristics of the most common pharmacological agents, as well as the indications for their use in the combined treatment of acromegaly. It discusses the topic of therapeutic benefit with resistance to somatostatin analogues of the 1st generation. The results of a multicenter randomized clinical trials on the effectiveness and safety of somatostatin analogs, as well as current international recommendations of optimal schemes of therapeutic benefit in acromegaly are also presented here. It stressed the need for a differentiated approach to the treatment based on the clinical and pathological features of somatotropinoms and the individual sensitivity of patients to drugs used.

A synthetic approach to quassinoids is described. The route to the tetracyclic core relies on an efficient and selective annulation between two unsaturated carbonyl components that is initiated by catalytic hydrogen atom transfer from an iron hydride to an alkene. Application of this strategy allows for enantioselective synthesis of quassin, which is prepared in 14 steps from commercially available starting material.

A THz vortex beam describes light with a larger than ordinary total angular momentum. Increased total angular momentum modifies the optical selection rules, opening a new territory of material research. We discuss the basic concept of vortex beams and a possible approach for future THz studies. The experiments on Landau level transitions will be given as an example.

Asymmetric intramolecular hydrofunctionalization of tertiary allylic alcohols is described. This metal hydride-mediated catalytic radical-polar crossover reaction delivers corresponding epoxides in good to high enantioselectivity and constitutes the first example of asymmetric hydrogen atom transfer-initiated process. A series of modified cobalt salen complexes has proven optimal for achieving good efficiency and asymmetric induction. Experimental data suggest that cationic cobalt complexes may be involved in the enantiodetermining step, where cation-π interactions in the catalyst contribute to the asymmetric induction.

In continuation of a series of studies on a new generation of microbathogen sorbents based on electrically conductive polymers: polyaniline and polypyrrole, the possibility of regeneration and reuse of polypyrrole for water purification through the sorption of bacteria and viruses from aqueous media was investigated. For example, the binding of polypyrrole and polypyrrole modified with silver nanoparticles of the pandemicinfluenza virus strain A/South Carolina / 02/2010 (H1N1) pdm09 and epidemiologically and pathogenetically significant bacteria: Staphylococcus aureus (Gram +) and Shigella flexneri (Gram -) shown: During primary sorption, sorbents almost completely neutralize concentrated virus solutions (GAE 512) and epidemically dangerous solutions of bacteria with CFU 2 * 105.• Sorbent regeneration consists of a short-term warming up in an aquatic environment with subsequentexposure to ultrasound.• Secondary sorption of micropathogens leads to almost complete removal of Staphylococcus, and a significant decrease in the concentration of Shigella and viruses The results indicate the possibility of repeated, and possibly repeated use of sorbents. The advantages of these sorbents in their use for the purification of aqueous media from biological contaminants are: 1. theability to effectively sorb a wide range of micropathogens: both bacteria and viruses; 2. suppression of the infectious activity of associated micropathogens, i.e. complete infectious safety of the sorbent + pathogen complexes; 3. possibility of regeneration and repeated use of the sorbent. At the same time, the sorbentsthemselves are non-toxic and relatively cheap.

Provision of the body with zinc and vitamin C is important for CNS functioning. Zinc ions take part in neurotransmission (transmission of signals from acetylcholine, catecholamine, serotonin, and prostaglandin receptors) and in ubiquitin-dependent protein degradation. Zinc deficiency is associated with the development of Alzheimer’s disease and depression. Zinc supplementation (10–30 mg/day) improves neurological recovery in patients with stroke and closed craniocerebral injury and also improves measures of attention; it decreases hyperactivity in children. Vitamin C is a synergist of zinc which supports the antioxidant resources of the brain, synaptic activity, and detoxification. Vitamin C supplements at a dose of 130–500 mg/day are recommended for the prophylaxis of dementia and neurodegenerative pathology.

Materials with electronic bands that possess nontrivial topology have remained a focal point of condensed matter physics since 2005, when topological insulators were theoretically discovered by Kane and Mele [...]

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is one of the main triggers of chronic liver disease. Despite tremendous progress in the HCV field, there is still no vaccine against this virus. Potential vaccines can be based on its recombinant proteins. To increase the humoral and, especially, cellular immune response to them, more effective adjuvants are needed. Here, we evaluated a panel of compounds as potential adjuvants using the HCV NS5B protein as an immunogen. These compounds included inhibitors of polyamine biosynthesis and urea cycle, the mTOR pathway, antioxidants, and cellular receptors. A pronounced stimulation of cell proliferation and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) secretion in response to concanavalin A was shown for antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC), polyamine biosynthesis inhibitor 2-difluoromethylornithine (DFMO), and TLR9 agonist CpG ODN 1826 (CpG). Their usage during the immunization of mice with the recombinant NS5B protein significantly increased antibody titers, enhanced lymphocyte proliferation and IFN-γ production. NAC and CpG decreased relative Treg numbers, CpG increased the number of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), whereas neither NAC nor DFMO affected MDSC counts. NAC and DFMO suppressed NO and interleukin 10 (IL-10) production by splenocytes, while DFMO increased the levels of IL-12. This is the first evidence of immunomodulatory activity of NAC and DFMO during prophylactic immunization against infectious diseases.

The review discusses a new approach to the prevention and treatment of viral infections based on the use of pine needles polyprenyl phosphate (PPP) and associated with the infringement of prenylation process—the attachment of farnesol or geranyl geraniol to the viral protein. Currently, prenylation has been detected in type 1 adenovirus, hepatitis C virus, several herpes viruses, influenza virus, HIV. However, this list is far from complete, given that prenylated proteins play an extremely important role in the activity of the virus. We assume that the interferon produced in response to PPP may suppress expression of the SREBP2 transcription factor. As a result, the mevalonic acid pathway is violated and, as a result, the formation of early polyprenols precursors (geraniol, geranyl geraniol, farnesol), which are necessary for the prenylation of viral proteins, is blocked and the formation of mature, virulent virus particles is broken. As a consequence, the maturation of viral particles is inhibited, and defective particles are formed. Polyprenol was extracted from greenery (pine, fir and spruce needles, mulberry leaves, etc.), purified by chromatography, phosphorylated and identified by HPLC and NMR. Obtained PPP was used as antiviral in some experimental models in vitro and in vivo. During numerous studies, it was found that PPP manifested versatile antiviral effects, both in vitro and in vivo. The maximum effect was observed with viruses in which the presence of prenylated proteins was established, namely influenza A virus, HIV-1, tick-borne encephalitis virus, hepatitis A and C viruses, herpes simplex viruses type 1 and 2, some coronavirus. The available data obtained both in the experimental conditions and during clinical trials allow us to regard PPPs as safe and effective medicine for prevention and treatment of viral diseases.

We present an optical conductivity study of the multifold semimetal PdGa, performed in a broad spectral range (100 - 20000 cm-1; 12 meV - 2.5 eV) down to T = 10 K. The conductivity at frequencies below 4000 cm-1 is dominated by free carriers while at higher frequencies interband transitions provide the major contribution. The spectra do not demonstrate a significant temperature evolution: only the intraband part changes as a function of temperature with the plasma frequency remaining constant. The interband contribution to the conductivity exhibits a broad peak at around 5500 cm-1 and increases basically monotonously at frequencies above 9000 cm-1. The band-structure-based computations reproduce these features of the interband conductivity and predict its linear-in-frequency behavior as frequency diminishes., Comment: 7+ pages, published in PRB

In recent years, due to their outstanding dielectric and magnetic properties, hexagonal ferrites (hexaferrites) have attracted considerable interest for developing electronic components of next-generation communication systems. The complex crystal structure of hexaferrites and critical dependences of their electric and magnetic properties on external factors, like magnetic or electric fields, pressure or doping, open ample opportunities for targeted tuning of these properties when designing specific devices. To that end, we explored the electromagnetic properties of the Pb-substituted barium hexaferrite, Ba1-xPbxFe12O19, a compound featuring an extremely rich set of physical phenomena that are inherent in the dielectric and magnetic subsystems of the material and are expected to have significant effect on its electromagnetic response at radio and terahertz frequencies. We performed the first detailed measurements of the AC response of single-crystalline Ba1-xPbxFe12O19 in an extremely broad spectral range from 1 Hz to 240 THz down to temperatures as low as 5 K. We fully characterized numerous microscopic phenomena that determine the broad-band dielectric response of the compound, and we analyzed their nature. This includes temperature-activated radiofrequency relaxations that were attributed to the dynamic response of magnetic/dielectric domains. The terahertz response is dominated by a ferroelectric-like soft mode with an unusual temperature behavior that we explain by means of a microscopic model. Several narrower terahertz excitations are associated with electronic transitions between the fine-structure components of the Fe2+ground state. Narrow resonances detected in the gigahertz region are presumably of magneto-electric origin. The obtained data on diverse but controllable electromagnetic properties of Ba1-xPbxFe12O19 compounds provides the researchers with information that makes the entire class of hexaferrites materials attractive for manufacturing electronic devices for the radiofrequency and terahertz ranges, such as absorbing coatings, anti-reflective coatings, absorbers, electromagnetic shields, antennas, phase shifters, filters, resonators, modulators, etc.

The most common species in liquid water, next to neutral $$\hbox {H}_2\hbox {O}$$H2O molecules, are the $$\hbox {H}_3\hbox {O}^+$$H3O+ and $$\hbox {OH}^-$$OH- ions. In a dynamic picture, their exact concentrations depend on the time scale at which these are probed. Here, using a spectral-weight analysis, we experimentally resolve the fingerprints of the elusive fluctuations-born short-living $$\hbox {H}_3\hbox {O}^+$$H3O+, $$\hbox {DH}_2\hbox {O}^+$$DH2O+, $$\hbox {HD}_2\hbox {O}^+$$HD2O+, and $$\hbox {D}_3\hbox {O}^+$$D3O+ ions in the IR spectra of light ($$\hbox {H}_2\hbox {O}$$H2O), heavy ($$\hbox {D}_2\hbox {O}$$D2O), and semi-heavy (HDO) water. We find that short-living ions, with concentrations reaching $$\sim 2\%$$∼2% of the content of water molecules, coexist with long-living pH-active ions on the picosecond timescale, thus making liquid water an effective ionic liquid in femtochemistry.

Landau-level spectroscopy, the optical analysis of electrons in materials subject to a strong magnetic field, is a versatile probe of the electronic band structure and has been successfully used in the identification of novel states of matter such as Dirac electrons, topological materials or Weyl semimetals. The latter arise from a complex interplay between crystal symmetry, spin-orbit interaction and inverse ordering of electronic bands. Here, we report on unusual Landau-level transitions in the monopnictide TaP that decrease in energy with increasing magnetic field. We show that these transitions arise naturally at intermediate energies in time-reversal-invariant Weyl semimetals where the Weyl nodes are formed by a partially gapped nodal-loop in the band structure. We propose a simple theoretical model for electronic bands in these Weyl materials that captures the collected magneto-optical data to great extent., Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures + supplementary materials, accepted in Phys. Rev. Lett

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the morphological parameters of the fovea, foveola, and foveolita of the human eye and the psychophysical and electrophysiological indices of the sensory and cognitive activities. We investigated the relationship between the sizes of these structures and the resolving power of the eye, as well as the influence of the size on the amplitudes and latent periods of various evoked potential components. It has been found that the foveola diameter affects the latent periods of the early waves of the visual evoked potentials (component P100) in the occipital areas. Our data confirm the effect of the foveola diameter on the parameters of cognitive processes during reading. In particular, it has been found that a larger fovea size provides the perception of a higher amount of printed characters.

The oil generating potential of Domanic rocks from Dankov–Lebedyan horizon of the Zelenogorsk area of Romashkino oil field was evaluated by Rock-Eval pyrolysis technique. The result of given method...

Age-related dynamics of hematological and functional parameters of Pekin duck blood during administration of organic selenium preparation DAFS-25k (at a 1.3 mg/kg dose) was presented. In order to study morphological parameters from the age of one day old to 120 days old blood was collected from axillary vein of birds prior to feeding each 15 days in the morning. To assess hematological parameters RBC and WBC count was performed, hemoglobin contents and hematocrit value were determined and color index of blood was calculated. The experiment demonstrated gradual increase in these parameters in the experimental and control groups. Birds from the experimental group demonstrated higher parameters than those of the control group. It was determined that hemoglobin contents was 9.86% higher in the experimental group in comparison with the control group due to selenium administration. The blood color index in this group was also higher (р ≤ 0.05). Biochemical blood analysis included the following parameters: total protein, albumin, uric acid, glucose, calcium, phosphorus, ALT and AST transaminase. The test results showed that during all age periods total protein and albumin contents in ducks of the experimental group exceeded those of the control group. The selenium-containing preparation had a positive influence on the carbohydrate metabolism ensuring high level of metabolic processes in birds, contributed to optimal calcium to phosphorus ratio which positively influenced mineral metabolism and development of the locomotor system. Obtained AST and ALT values in both groups are not beyond reference values which indirectly confirms absence of toxic effect on ducks’ organism if selenium is administered at the specified doses. It was determined that DAFS-25k has not affected hematological and functional parameters of Pekin duck blood and it contributed to mineral metabolism correction, reduction of stress factor effect within critical periods of development and improvement of the excretory system function.

Objectives. To study the neuroprotective properties of lithium ascorbate (LA) in in vivo and in vitro stress models. Materials and methods. Neurocytological and behavioral studies were run in models of stress in nerve cell cultures and experimental animals. Results. LA was shown to have a marked neuroprotective effect in conditions of glutamate-induced cytotoxicity in vitro and an adaptogenic effect on induction of stress in vivo. Conclusions. The results obtained here demonstrated that LA has high neuroprotective potential in stress induced in vivo and in vitro.

The purpose of this work was to establish the possibility of using electrically conductive polymers to remove different types of micropathogens that are simultaneously present in aqueous media As sorbents for micropathogens, polypyrrole (PPy) and polyaniline (PANI) composites without and containing silver ions, differing in shape, chemical structure and properties were used. It was sorbed : the virus - influenza B, line B/Victoria/2/87, similar to the epidemic strains that circulated during the period 2016-2017 in Russia and the world and representatives of bacteria Gram (+)) bacteria - Staphylococcus aureus and Gram-negative (Gram (-)) bacteria: Shigella flexneri 2a. Shigella flexneri 2a. Staphylococcus aureus are conditionally pathogenic microorganisms that are present as in healthy people, as in the many people for several months, and also cause numerous life-threatening zooanthroponotic infections. Shigella flexneri 2a is the causative agent of an acute intestinal infection, characterized by the development of secondary immunodeficiencies, protracted and chronic forms of infectious diseases, and has a predominantly waterway pathway. Biological models had the differed morphology and structure of proteins. The experiment was conducted in several stages. At the first stage, sorption of individual micro pathogens was carried out for all types of polymer sorbents: the influenza virus and each type of bacteria. To do this, the micropathogen was contacted with the sorbent in the aqueous phase, precipitation was performed with low-speed centrifugation of the complex formed, the activity of the virus in the supernatant and in the complex was analyzed. To determine the intensity of sorption in solution, a comparison the number of pathogen was made before and after sorption (in the case of influenza viruses of hemagglutinating titers) and (in the case of bacteria) the number of viable bacteria after compared with the control of the corresponding dilutions after seeding of the test samples with 2% nutrient agar. In the main experiment, samples containing virus + sorbent complexes were placed in an aqueous solution into which one type of bacteria was added. After contact and centrifugation the efficiency of bacterial sorption for each species was evaluated both in the number of viable bacteria in the supernatant and as in the virus + sorbent + bacteria complex, When comparing the adsorption properties of polymers with the sorbet virus, it was shown that the greatest bacteria sorption activity is decreased in the following sequence of PANI> PPy-Ag> PANI-Ag> PPy sorbents for the bacteria Shigella flexneri 2a and PANI> PANI-Ag> PPy-Ag> PPy for bacteria Staphylococcus aureus. High sorption characteristics allow using these materials for two aims - anti viral and anti bacterial filters simultaneously .

The article sums up 10 years of experience in assessing the quality of the environment based on the parameters of the immune system. The studies were conducted on rodents caught in areas with different levels of radioactive or chemical contamination, under the influence of electromagnetic fields of the radio range, and also in laboratory conditions. The most revealing results were obtained when evaluating the proliferative activity of lymphoid cells. A formula has been proposed that allows one to evaluate the degree of anthropogenic impact on the state of an organism in points based on an analysis of the level of spontaneous and mito-gen-induced proliferation of lymphocytes.

Dose-dependent protective effects of lanthanum nitrate solution and gel were shown on the model of experimental infection caused by a virulent strain of Shigella flexneri 2a or opportunistic bacteria Klebsiella pneumoniae in outbred and DBA mice.

Structurally simple low-temperature dashed test objects (miras) with elements at temperatures lower than ambient are presented. These devices are based on thermoelectric elements (Peltier modules) with interchangeable thermal-insulating substrates mounted on them. The substrates have rectangular openings and heat-emitting conducting layers applied to the surface. Experimental thermograms of the models of test-objects are presented. The proposed devices are designed to align thermal imaging systems. They enhance the possibilities of investigating such systems and can be applied either separately or within infrared collimators.

Behavioral experiments were performed in which rhesus macaques were trained to interact with a computer using a touchscreen. Stimuli consisted of semitone images of Gabor elements with low spatial frequency with different contrast levels. The monkeys’ task was to touch the screen with the paw at the site at which the target stimulus appeared, which was followed by automatic delivery of a food or drink (juice) reward. Contrast was gradually decreased when correct responses were obtained. A two-way forced choice paradigm was used to measure the threshold contrast at which the monkeys could detect the appearance of low-frequency images. Decreases in the spatial frequency of stimuli were accompanied by decreases in contrast sensitivity, while reaction times increased. These data widen our understanding of primate activity in a virtual environment and make it possible to model and study a variety of human diseases.

Increasing anthropogenic impact on the natural environment determines the urgency and significance of provision of the all-round estimation and monitoring of its consequences. The methodology of the health of environment estimation based on characteristics of the condition of different species of living beings by the developmental homeostasis is proposed as an operational approach for this problem solution. The elaborated methodology approbation during the execution of a number of the projects on the estimation of the environmental quality under different types of the anthropogenic impact allows one to characterize the possibilities of used approaches for estimation of the environment’s auspiciousness for living beings and humans. This also opens up the possibility to estimate the range of possible changes of the developmental homeostasis in real natural conditions.

The paper describes the results of studies aimed at evaluating the effect of interactive virtual environments on the visual system, including the magno-and parvo-systems. Analysis was conducted in patients diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia diagnosed from one to five years ago. Comparative analysis of visual evoked potentials during the perception of images that differed in their semantic (animate/inanimate) and physical characteristics (filtration images at high/low spatial frequencies) was used for the assessment of the impact of virtual environments. The images of objects were filtered via digital filtration for selective effect on the magno-and parvo-channels of the visual system. To evaluate the function of visual perception, the measurement of contrast sensitivity using Gabor elements was used. At the early stages of schizophrenia, the patients exhibited a decrease in the amplitudes of the components of cognitive visual evoked potentials to stimuli filtered at high spatial frequencies and reduced contrast sensitivity at high spatial frequencies. The effect of virtual environments on the visual system resulted in a significant increase in the amplitude of the cognitive components of visual evoked potentials in the paradigm of presentation of images filtered at the high spatial frequencies, which allows the conclusion about a stimulating effect of the virtual environment on the parvo-system functioning. The activation of the magno-system occurred to a lesser extent. The present study represents the findings obtained by the studies of cognitive impairments in schizophrenia and the methods of their correction conducted at the Laboratory of Physiology of Vision of the Pavlov Institute of Physiology of the Russian Academy of Sciences and at the Laboratory of Neurobiology of Action Programming of the Bechtereva Institute of the Human Brain of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

A method is considered for determining the distance between two wedges and the speed of longitudinal ultrasonic waves in a test object when measuring the profile of the surface of pipelines under the bead of a weld. The method makes it possible to reduce the error in determining the profile of the bottom of a pipeline in the course of testing by refining the distance between the wedges and the speed of sound using head-wave pulses. Results of numerical experiments are provided for the processing of echo signals calculated by the finite-difference method in the time domain. The efficiency of the proposed technique is demonstrated with some model experiments.

Effects of Miramistin and Phosprenil on biofilms of S. pyogenes, S. aureus, E. coli, L. acidophilus, and L. plantarum were studied. Significant differences in the effects of these substances on mature biofilms of microorganisms and the process of their formation were observed. Miramistin had significant inhibiting effects on the forming of biofilms and on the formed biofilms of all studied microorganisms. Treatment with Miramistin inhibited biofilm formation by 2-3 times compared to the control. This effect was found already after using of Miramistin in the low doses (3.12 μg/ml). Inhibition of the growth of a formed biofilm was observed only after treatment with Miramistin in the high doses (25-50 μg/ml). Phosprenil in the high doses (15-30 mg/ml) inhibited the forming of biofilms, especially the biofilms of S. pyogenes and L. plantarum (by 3-4.5 times). Treatment of formed biofilms with the agent in doses of 6.0 and 0.6 mg/ml was associated with pronounced stimulation of its growth in S. pyogenes, S. aureus, and L. acidophilus.

In the conditions of dense keeping dogs are constantly faced with the attack of the representatives of conventional and conventionally pathogenic microflora, which ultimately leads to a decrease in resistance of animals. Thus, in the case of appearance of new animals in a kennel, or after visiting exhibitions and competitions it’s appropriate to use harmless and effective drugs to increase natural resistance of the organism. The aim of this work was to assess the effectiveness of Maxidin 0.4 in improving the natural resistance of dogs kept in the kennel. The work was carried out on 20 dogs which were divided into 2 equal groups. Dogs in the control group received saline at a dose of 1 ml. Dogs of the experimental group were inoculated with Maxidin 0.4 at a dose of 1 ml, subcutaneously. Clinically at the start of the study we noted the reduction of appetite, slight serous-catarrhal discharge from conjunctiva of eye and nasal cavity, ruffled hair. 5 days after application of Maxidin 0.4 dogs of the experimental group showed improvement of appetite, weakening or absence of the serous and serous-catarrhal discharge from the conjunctiva and nasal cavity, skin turgor increased, the animals become more active. At the start of the study blood analysis showed signs of anemia, erythropenia, slight leukopenia and increase in hematocrit. 5 days after administration of Maxidin 0.4 we observed disappearance of anemia, erythropenia and leukopenia, normalization of hematocrit. Serum levels of IFN-α and IFN-γ increased 3–6 times.Thus, Maxidin 0.4, which contains germanium in an easily digestible form improves the clinical state and normalizes blood counts in dogs kept in the kennel. Also Maxidin 0.4 was shown to increase the levels of IFN-α and IFN-γ in the blood serum of dogs, which is very important as in previous studies this effect was found only in experiments with laboratory animals.

Among the most important issues of food safety, which conducted an extensive international discussion, is the use in livestock of drugs, such as recombinant bovine growth hormone, or somatotropin, and, in particular, ractopamine, stimulating the growth of cattle, pigs and poultry. Ractopamine is used in veterinary medicine to increase the meatiness of the carcass. Ractopamine improves feed conversion, reduces body fat through lipolysis and an intense muscle-building. In the United States, Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Canada and many other countries, ractopamine is allowed for usage as growth stimulator in livestock. However, in most countries of the European Union the use of ractopamine is forbidden. In this regard, it seems very important to develop effective and safe drugs that can stimulate the production of endogenous somatotropic hormone (STH). We propose to use for this purpose Gamavit – well-studied veterinary medicine stimulating metabolism and widely used by veterinary specialists in the Russian Federation, Ukraine, Belarus and some other countries. The aim of this work was to study the effect of Gamavit on STH production in suckling piglets and lambs. Previously it was shown elsewhere that Gamavit induced 2-fold increase in the STH blood level in calves. The experiment was done using 30 suckling piglets of Landrace breed at the age of 0 to 7 days and 10 newborn lambs of the Stavropol breed. All animals were kept in identical conditions, they were fed the same balanced diet. The study was conducted according to the following protocol: The piglets of the 1st group (control) received 0.9% NaCl solution at a dose of 0.5 ml/kg intramuscularly on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 5th days of the experiment. Piglets of group 2 (experimental) were inoculated with Gamavit at a dose of 0.5 ml/kg intramuscularly on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 5th days of the experiment. Lambs were inoculated with Gamavit at a dose of 0.5 ml/kg of body weight on 7th, 14th and 21st days after birth. Using method of enzyme immunoassay we shown that during the study level of STH in the experimental group of piglets inoculated with Gamavit gradually increased from 8.5 mIU/l before the experiment to 14.3 mIU/l on the 5th day. In the control group it ranged from 7.5 mIU/l to 10.2 mIU\l. At the end of the experiment greatest body weight gain was observed in the experimental group and amounted 45.450 g compared with 26,700 g in the control group piglets. In the experimental group of newborn lambs Gamavit induced raise in the STH serum level 2 from 6.5 mIU/l at day 0 to 13.1 mIU/l at day 21. Thus, Gamavit, unlike synthetic growth hormone, ractopamine and other beta-agonists used in livestock, induces the production of endogenous STH, which stimulates growth of the animal, while being safe and rapidly metabolizing on its own metabolic pathway.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is one of the major causes of chronic liver disease and leads to cirrhosis and hepatocarcinoma. Despite extensive research, there is still no vaccine against HCV. In order to induce an immune response in DBA/2J mice against HCV, we obtained modified mouse mesenchymal stem cells (mMSCs) simultaneously expressing five nonstructural HCV proteins (NS3-NS5B). The innate immune response to mMSCs was higher than to DNA immunization, with plasmid encoding the same proteins, and to na&iuml, ve unmodified MSCs. mMSCs triggered strong phagocytic activity, enhanced lymphocyte proliferation, and production of type I and II interferons. The adaptive immune response to mMSCs was also more pronounced than in the case of DNA immunization, as exemplified by a fourfold stronger stimulation of lymphocyte proliferation in response to HCV, a 2.6-fold higher rate of biosynthesis, and a 30-fold higher rate of secretion of IFN-&gamma, as well as by a 40-fold stronger production of IgG2a antibodies to viral proteins. The immunostimulatory effect of mMSCs was associated with pronounced IL-6 secretion and reduction in the population of myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSCs). Thus, this is the first example that suggests the feasibility of using mMSCs for the development of an effective anti-HCV vaccine.

Accurate determination of the intrinsic electronic structure of thermoelectric materials is a prerequisite for utilizing an electronic band engineering strategy to improve their thermoelectric performance. Herein, with high‐resolution angle‐resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES), the intrinsic electronic structure of the 3D half‐Heusler thermoelectric material ZrNiSn is revealed. An unexpectedly large intrinsic bandgap is directly observed by ARPES and is further confirmed by electrical and optical measurements and first‐principles calculations. Moreover, a large anisotropic conduction band with an anisotropic factor of 6 is identified by ARPES and attributed to be one of the most important reasons leading to the high thermoelectric performance of ZrNiSn. These successful findings rely on the grown high‐quality single crystals, which have fewer Ni interstitial defects and negligible in‐gap states on the electronic structure. This work demonstrates a realistic paradigm to investigate the electronic structure of 3D solid materials by using ARPES and provides new insights into the intrinsic electronic structure of the half‐Heusler system benefiting further optimization of thermoelectric performance., Herein, the intrinsic electronic structure of archetypical 3D ZrNiSn half‐Heusler compound is resolved using angle‐resolved photoemission spectroscopy. Unexpectedly large intrinsic bandgap and anisotropic conduction characteristics are directly revealed. These results provide new insights into the origin of high power factor of half‐Heuslers and offer a new strategy to further optimize their thermoelectric properties.

Asymmetric intramolecular hydrofunctionalization of tertiary allylic alcohols is described. This metal hydride-mediated catalytic radical-polar crossover reaction delivers corresponding epoxides in good to high enantioselectivity and constitutes the first example of asymmetric hydrogen atom transfer-initiated process. A series of modified cobalt salen complexes has proven optimal for achieving good efficiency and asymmetric induction. Experimental data suggest that cationic cobalt complexes are involved in enantio-determining step, where cation–π interactions in the catalyst contribute to the asymmetric induction.

Coherent-source THz spectroscopy was employed for measuring the Faraday rotation angle of Mn$_{\mathbf {2-x}}$PtSn films (x $=$ 0; 0.2). In the THz experiments, we observe clear signatures of an anomalous Hall state, while any indications of the so-called topological Hall effect recently observed in these magnetically disordered systems in dc measurements - are absent. This demonstrates that the charge scattering mechanisms, responsible for the two phenomena, possess very different time scales: the anomalous Hall state is governed by the scattering process with the rates above THz frequencies, while the electron interaction, providing the topological Hall, possesses very low characteristic time scales.

A new catalytic radical-polar crossover annulation between two unsaturated carbonyl compounds is described. The annulation proceeds under exceptionally mild conditions and provides direct and expedient access to complex terpenoid motifs. Application of this chemistry allows for synthesis of forskolin, a densely functionalized terpenoid, in 14 steps from commercially available material.

Development of enantioselective synthesis of precursor en route to paxilline indoloterpenoids is described. Evaluation of 25 diphosphine-based ligands has led to identification of JosiPhos derivative that allows for asymmetric conjugate addition of homoprenyl Grignard reagent to 2-methylcyclopent-2-en-1-one in excellent yield and with appreciable levels of enantioinduction. Application to the conjugate addition of other Grignard reagents is demonstrated.

We report optical transmission measurements through a single crystal of the Weyl semimetal TaAs at terahertz frequencies. The measurements were performed at T=1.6 K using intense coherent light from a free-electron laser in high magnetic fields. We detected small but measurable changes in the sample’s transparency upon applying dc voltage (current) to the sample. In a constant magnetic field, the sign of the transmission change depends on the current direction. The effect disappears in zero magnetic field. These observations are qualitatively consistent with theory predictions for optical signatures of the chiral anomaly in a Weyl semimetal. Keywords: Topological semimetals, Weyl fermions, Chiral anomaly

We measured the reflectivity of the multifold semimetal RhSi in a frequency range from 80 to 20000 cm$^{-1}$ (10 meV - 2.5 eV) at temperatures down to 10 K. The optical conductivity, calculated from the reflectivity, is dominated by the free-carrier (Drude) contribution below 1000 cm$^{-1}$ (120 meV) and by interband transitions at higher frequencies. The temperature-induced changes in the spectra are generally weak: only the Drude bands narrow upon cooling, with an unscreened plasma frequency that is constant with temperature at approximately 1.4 eV, in agreement with a weak temperature dependence of the free-carrier concentration determined by Hall measurements. The interband portion of conductivity exhibits two linear-in-frequency regions below 5000 cm$^{-1}$ ($\sim$ 600 meV), a broad flat maximum at around 6000 cm$^{-1}$ (750 meV), and a further increase starting around 10000 cm$^{-1}$ ($\sim$ 1.2 eV). We assign the linear behavior of the interband conductivity to transitions between the linear bands near the band crossing points. Our findings are in accord with the predictions for the low-energy conductivity behavior in multifold semimetals and with earlier computations based on band structure calculations for RhSi., Comment: 7 pages, supplemental material added, figures improved

We present a far-infrared magneto-optical study of the gapped nodal-line semimetal ZrSiS in magnetic fields $B$ up to 7 T. The observed field-dependent features, which represent intra- (cyclotron resonance) and interband transitions, develop as $\sqrt{B}$ in increasing field and can be consistently explained within a simple 2D Dirac band model with a gap of 26 meV and an averaged Fermi velocity of $3\times10^{5}$ m/s. This indicates a rather narrow distribution of these parameters along the in-plane portions of the nodal line in the Brillouin zone. A field-induced feature with an energy position that does not depend on $B$ is also detected in the spectra. Possible origins of this feature are discussed., Comment: accepted to Phys. Rev. Research

Multiple studies of hepatitis B virus (HBV) genetic variability and its relationship with the disease pathogenesis are currently ongoing, stemming from growing evidence of the clinical significance of HBV mutations. It is becoming increasingly evident that patients with hematologic malignancies may be particularly prone to a higher frequency of such mutations. The present report is the first extensive study of the prevalence of escape mutations in S-HBsAg, performed using isolates from 59 patients from hospital hematology departments with diagnoses of leukemia (n = 32), lymphoma (n = 20), multiple myeloma (n = 3), and non-tumor blood diseases (n = 4). The isolates were serologically examined for the presence of HBV markers and sequenced using either next-generation sequencing (NGS) or Sanger sequencing. Occult hepatitis B was found in 5.1% of cases. Genetic analysis of the region corresponding to S-HBsAg demonstrated an exceptionally high mutation frequency in patients with leukemias (93.4%) and lymphomas (85.0%), along with the prominent mutation heterogeneity. Additionally, more than 15 mutations in one sample were found in patients with leukemias (6.3% of cases) and lymphomas (5.0% of cases). Most of the mutations were clinically significant. The study analyzes the mutation profile of HBV in different oncohematological diseases and the frequency of individual mutations. The data strongly suggest that the NGS method, capable of detecting minor populations of HBV mutations, provides a diagnostic advantage, lays the foundation for the development of screening methods, and allows for the study of the virological and pathogenetic aspects of hepatitis B.