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The aim of this study was to conduct a clinical and statistical analysis of ophthalmological manifestations in patients with Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) using biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) as a basic therapy. The study included 58 patients (19[32.7%] women and 39[67.3%] men) with AS receiving bDMARDs. The median age of patients was 41.81(25;60) years. The average age of the disease onset was 25.23(9;47) years. The patients were divided into two groups: Group 1 included 24 patients with ophthalmic manifestations; Group 2 included 34 patients without ophthalmic manifestations. All patients in Group 1 took TNF-α inhibitors, (infliximab, adalimumab, golimumab, etarnacept, and cetrolizumab-pegol). In Group 2, TNF-α inhibitors (infliximab, adalimumab, golimumab, etarnacept) were received by 32(92.4%) patients and interleukin-17 inhibitor (secukinumab) by 2(5.8%) patients. Group 1 was characterized by a greater age and average duration of the disease, as well as the presence of metabolic instability (blood glucose and creatinine levels in the borderline range). The effectiveness of bDMARD in AS is characterized by the normalization and stabilization of clinical and biochemical parameters, including blood cholesterol and creatinine levels, which prevents the occurrence of vascular lesions, including uveitis.

Obesity, ethanol, and contaminants are known risk factors of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases (CMD). However, their interplay on clinical profiles of these diseases remains unclear, and thus were investigated in this study. Male lean or obese JCR rats were given water or 10% ethanol and orally treated with or without a contaminant mixture (CM) dissolved in corn oil and loaded on two cookies at 0, 1.6, or 16 mg/kg BW/day dose levels for 4 weeks. The CM consisted 22 environmental contaminants found in human blood or serum of Northern populations. Over 60 parameters related to CMD were examined. The results revealed that obesity in JCR rats resembles the clinical profiles of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in humans. Obesity was also associated with increased serum and organ retention of mercury, one of the chemical components of CM. Exposure to ethanol lightened hyperlipidemia, increased liver retention of mercury, and increased risk for hypertension in the obese rats. CM lessened hyperlipidemia and hyperenzymemia, worsened systemic inflammation and increased the risk for hypertension in the obese rats. CM markedly increased serum ethanol levels with or without ethanol exposure. Tissue total mercury contents significantly correlated with clinical parameters with altered profiles by both ethanol and obesity. These results suggest that obese individuals may be more prone to contaminant accumulation. Ethanol and CM exposure can alter clinical profiles associated with obesity, which may lead to misdiagnosis of CMD associated with obesity. CM can alter endogenous production and/or metabolism of ethanol, further complicating disease progression, diagnosis, and treatment.

Introduction. During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was quarantine, limited contacts, and an increased burden on the healthcare system in the last two years. These problems have led to a rethinking and transformation of patients’ readiness for the digitalisation of healthcare. Purpose. to form a patient profile, ready to use digital technologies and artificial intelligence methods in medical care during the COVID-19 pandemic, based on technological competence and digital literacy skills analysis. Material and methods. The sociological survey of patients was used through the remote distribution of links to the Google form on the Internet. The survey consists of 11 blocks, including an assessment of attitudes towards digital technologies and artificial intelligence in healthcare. Results. The average age of respondents was 41.8 ± 0.7 years, mostly female 225 (74%) in the group of patients ready to use electronic wearable devices to monitor and control their health. One hundred thirty-one people (43.1 %) regularly monitor their blood pressure levels. One hundred thirty-seven people (45%) assess their health as good and 133 (43.7%) satisfactory. 256 (84.2%) respondents mostly work full-time. Ones do physical exercises regularly in 34.2% (n = 104) cases and rarely in 48,7% (n = 148). Only 164 respondents (29.4%) consider it possible to use artificial intelligence methods in providing medical care, preventing the development of diseases and promoting a healthy lifestyle, against 256 people (45.9%), the remaining 137 people (24.6%) found it difficult to answer. Women (49.7%) were more often against artificial intelligence methods than men (33.6%). Conclusion. It is necessary to consider the patient’s profile characteristics, who is ready to use digital technologies and artificial intelligence methods in medical care when developing effective programs to increase the level and pace of healthcare’s digitalisation in the region.

Background: Panretinal photocoagulation (PRP) remains one of the effective methods of treatment in pre- and proliferative forms of retinopathy with high efficiency. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of PRP depending on the somatic status, laboratory parameters, and the severity of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and a history of diabetic retinopathy (DR). Methods and Results: The study included 76 patients (50 women and 26 men) with T2D who underwent PRP for DR (152 eyes) using a VISULAS® 532s solid-state laser (ZEISS). The patients were divided into two groups depending on the severity of CKD. Group 1 (n=32, 64 eyes) included patients with CKD Stage 1, Group 2 (n=44, 88 eyes) included patients with CKD Stage 2. All patients underwent standard ophthalmological examination: visometry, tonometry, perimetry, biomicroscopy of the anterior segment of the eye and vitreous body, and fundus ophthalmoscopy. Thickness map of the retina was obtained using the RTVue-100 OCT (Optovue, Fremont, CA) EMM5 scan protocol and the Stratus OCT (Carl Zeiss Meditec, USA) radial scan protocol. Laboratory methods included a general blood test, PPG, FG, HbA1c, general urine analysis, and the assessment of blood levels of creatinine, ALT, and AST. PRP was carried out according to the standard method, gradually, in three stages; the interval between the stages of laser treatment was 1 month. After laser treatment, all patients, regardless of the treatment stage, were prescribed topical Broxinac® (Bromfenac ophthalmic solution 0.09%). The dynamics of corrected visual acuity (CVA) parameters and the retinal thickness of the macular region were assessed before PRP and 3 months after the complex treatment. Multivariate analysis revealed a linear and nonlinear effect of lipid spectrum indicators (TC and LDL) on the formation of CL (crystalline lens) pathology. After treatment, a significant increase in CVA was noted in both study groups. The effectiveness of PRP coagulation depended on the severity of the CKD stage in T2D patients with DR. Normalization of morphometric parameters of the macular region of the retina was noted in 93.8% of cases in Group 1 and in 86.4% of cases in Group 2. The decrease in the effectiveness of treatment was associated with the presence of macroangiopathy (CAD), concomitant diseases (CHF, AH and dyslipidemia), and CKD stage. Conclusion: Prolonged administration of the non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory drug Bromfenacum® for a month after each stage of PRP is effective.

The article discusses the development and application of technical devices for medical research. Biomedical engineering is one of the scientific and technical fields that explores and develops the application of engineering principles and concepts in medicine and biology to create artificial organs that can compensate for the lack of physiological functions. Medical engineering combines engineering and design skills with problem solubilities in the field of medicine and life sciences, and can also improve therapies based on the fundamental principles of molecular and cell biology, including diagnosis, monitoring and treatment.

In modern medicine, biotechnological products and systems are used and widely studied, in which various elements and parts interact with biological fluids, soft and hard muscle tissues. This mainly concerns products used in cardiovascular surgery, orthopaedic surgery, dentistry and reconstructive surgery, as well as in ophthalmology. The article studies scientific approaches to the creation of biocompatible implant materials, considers their types, defines the basic requirements for biocompatible materials.

In the past, different bacterial species have been tested for cancer therapy in preclinical and clinical studies. The success of bacterial cancer therapy is mainly dependent on the ability of the utilized bacteria to overcome the host immune defense system to colonize the tumors and to initiate tumor-specific immunity. In recent years, several groups have demonstrated that the gut microbiome plays an important role of modulation of the host immune response and has an impact on therapeutic responses in murine models and in cohorts of human cancer patients. Here we analyzed the impact of the gut microbiome on tumor colonization and tumor therapy by the

The development of the telecommunication networks observed in present and future time is impressive. Today we witness rapid implementation of 5G networks. We can say that this actually is the moment when (artificial intelligence) AI enters at small door but in the beyond 5G world it is expected to have the prime role in smart operation, management and maintenance of non-software defined networking (SDN), network function virtualization (NFV) and especially at SDN and NFV aware networks. Number of standardization body’s and work groups are focused in a way to create a framework that will define the future use of AI and security standards necessary to exist in order to create health environment for the next generation telecommunication infrastructure. In the wireless world AI/Machine learning (ML) has great potential to shake the way we operate and to become foundation of the transformation that leads to the next industrial revolution. Network virtualization gives flexibility and freedom of the telco operators to choose the hardware and network topology they need for AI/ML platforms and big data sets. 5G and IoT create positive environment for AI and ML development and usage. As the network requirements are developed and the number of the users raises, gains are expected to grow with the number of variables and the interactions among them so it becomes impossible to relay on humans to control the network for increased number of variables and this is why AI with ML and automation become beneficial and necessity to run the future networks. AI generally is defined as capacity of mind or ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills while ML is defined as learning that does not require explicit programming. Combined usage of AI and ML can optimize almost any component of the wireless network, this does not mean that it should be used everywhere mainly because at the end of the day the cost benefit analysis of its usage must be positive. Smart operation, management and infrastructure maintenance (SOMM) networks are defined as: Intelligent, data driven, integrated and agile. Today AI is introduced but in future it will represent the network engine. It is interesting to mention that network security must be upgraded because the network will provide services for massive number of IoT devices that will have variety of functions and requests. AI/ML can improve the security services and to be used in order to elevate them at advanced level. In this text we focus our attention at AI/ML and security scenarios defined for IoT in 5G environment.

Design of each successor mobile technology assures improved and advanced functionality features compared to its predecessor. Machine Learning and generally Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming necessity for further expansion of the beyond 5G mobile world. AI-assisted IoT services, data collection, analytics and storage should become native in the beyond 5G era. 5G introduces New Radio (NR) in sub-6 GHz bands and also in mmWave bands above 24 GHz, network virtualization and softwarization, which means that Next Generation Core and 5G NR access network are built by using different functions in split user and control planes that introduces the network slicing approach. Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC) and Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communication (URLLC), that are provided via separate network slices as logically separated network partitions are the key 5G services that constantly will increase the traffic volume and the number of connected devices. Terahertz and visible light communication and fundamental technologies like compressed sensing theory, new channel coding, large-scale antenna, flexible spectrum usage, AI-based wireless communication, special technical features as Space-Air-Ground-Sea integrated communication and wireless tactile network are few of the novelties that are expected to become a common network standard available beyond 2030.

High hardness and toughness are generally considered mutually exclusive properties for single-crystal ceramics. Combining experiments and ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) atomistic simulations at room temperature, we demonstrate that both the hardness and toughness of single-crystal NaCl-structure VNx/MgO(001) thin films are simultaneously enhanced through the incorporation of anion vacancies. Nanoindentation results show that VN0.8, here considered as representative understoichiometric VNx system, is approximate to 20% harder, as well as more resistant to fracture than stoichiometric VN samples. AIMD modeling of VN and VN0.8 supercells subjected to [001] and [110] elongation reveal that the tensile strengths of the two materials are similar. Nevertheless, while the stoichiometric VN phase cleaves in a brittle manner at tensile yield points, the understoichiometric compound activates transformation-toughening mechanisms that dissipate accumulated stresses. AIMD simulations also show that VN0.8 exhibits an initially greater resistance to both {110} < 1 (1) over bar0 > and {111} < 1 (1) over bar0 > shear deformation than VN. However, for progressively increasing shear strains, the VN0.8 mechanical behavior gradually evolves from harder to more ductile than VN. The transition is mediated by anion vacancies, which facilitate {110} < 1 (1) over bar0 > and {111} < 1 (1) over bar0 > lattice slip by reducing activation shear stresses by as much as 35%. Electronic-structure analyses show that the two-regime hard/tough mechanical response of VN0.8 primarily stems from its intrinsic ability to transfer d electrons between 2nd-neighbor and 4th-neighbor (i.e., across vacancy sites) V-V metallic states. Our work offers a route for electronic-structure design of hard materials in which a plastic mechanical response is triggered with loading. (C) 2020 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Funding Agencies|Swedish Research CouncilSwedish Research Council [201607213]; VINN Excellence Center Functional Nanoscale Materials (FunMat-2) Grant [2016-05156]; Olle Engkvist Foundation; Knut and Alice Wallenberg FoundationKnut & Alice Wallenberg Foundation [KAW-2016-0358]; Government Strategic Research Area in Materials Science on Advanced Functional Materials at Linkoping University (Faculty Grant SFO-Mat-LiU) [2009-00971]

The ability to reverse the inherent tendency of noble metals to grow in an uncontrolled three-dimensional (3D) fashion on weakly interacting substrates, including two-dimensional (2D) materials and oxides, is essential for the fabrication of high-quality multifunctional metal contacts in key enabling devices. In this study, we show that this can be effectively achieved by deploying nitrogen (N-2) gas with high temporal precision during magnetron sputtering of nanoscale silver (Ag) islands and layers on silicon dioxide (SiO2) substrates. We employ real-time in situ film growth monitoring using spectroscopic ellipsometry, along with optical modeling in the framework of the finite-difference time-domain method, and establish that localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) from nanoscale Ag islands can be used to gauge the evolution of surface morphology of discontinuous layers up to a SiO2 substrate area coverage of similar to 70%. Such analysis, in combination with data on the evolution of room-temperature resistivity of electrically conductive layers, reveals that presence of N-2 in the sputtering gas atmosphere throughout all film-formation stages: (i) promotes 2D growth and smooth film surfaces and (ii) leads to an increase of the continuous-layer electrical resistivity by similar to 30% compared to Ag films grown in a pure argon (Ar) ambient atmosphere. Detailed ex situ nanoscale structural analyses suggest that N-2 favors 2D morphology by suppressing island coalescence rates during initial growth stages, while it causes interruption of local epitaxial growth on Ag crystals. Using these insights, we deposit Ag layers by deploying N-2 selectively, either during the early precoalescence growth stages or after coalescence completion. We show that early N-2 deployment leads to 2D morphology without affecting the Ag-layer resistivity, while postcoalescence introduction of N-2 in the gas atmosphere further promotes formation of three-dimensional (3D) nanostructures and roughness at the film growth front. In a broader context this study generates knowledge that is relevant for the development of (i) single-step growth manipulation strategies based on selective deployment of surfactant species and (ii) real-time methodologies for tracking film and nanostructure morphological evolution using LSPR. Funding Agencies|French Government program "Investissements dAvenir" (LABEX INTERACTIFS)French National Research Agency (ANR) [ANR-11-LABX-0017-01]; Linkoping University [Dnr-LiU-2015-01510]; Swedish Research CouncilSwedish Research Council [VR-2015-04630]; AForsk foundation [AF 19-137, AF 19-746]; Olle Engkvist Foundation [SOEB 190-312]; Wenner-Gren Foundation [UPD2018-0071, UPD2019-0007]; Slovenian Research AgencySlovenian Research Agency - Slovenia [BI-US/18-20-08]; project "INNOVATION-EL" - Operational Program "Competitiveness, Entrepreneurship and Innovation" (NSRF 2014-2020) [MIS 5002772]; European Union (European Regional Development Fund)European Union (EU)

The paper presents a comparative analysis of different modulation techniques for BLDC motor control in terms of several types of losses in the system inverter – BLDC motor in motor mode. The experimental investigated modulation strategies are: unipolar modulation of upper (PWM-TOP or UT) transistors, a bipolar PWM-ON modulation (PWM-ON-BIP), a symmetrical modulation (PWM-PWM), a vector control and non-modulation mode. A simple equivalent circuit for the BLDC motor is used to calculate different losses and the system efficiency. On the basis of the equivalent circuit for the different modulation techniques, simple design procedures are discussed for the determination the eddy current and mechanical viscous loss, the copper loss, the hysteresis and mechanical friction loss, the voltage-drop loss of the inverter transistor and diode. Loss distribution experimental data for the brushless DT4260 motor when operating with different modulations and load torque are presented. On the basis of the obtained values for the efficiency of the studied modulations, references for use in battery powered devices such as electric vehicles, electric scooters and more are made.

Hybrid high-power impulse and dc magnetron co-sputtering (HiPIMS/DCMS) with substrate bias synchronized to the high mass metal-ion fluxes was previously proposed as a solution to reduce energy consumption during physical vapor deposition processing and enable coatings on temperature-sensitive substrates. In this approach, no substrate heating is used (substrate temperature is lower than 150 C-o) and the thermally activated adatom mobility, necessary to grow dense films, is substituted by overlapping collision cascades induced by heavy ion bombardment and consisting predominantly of low-energy recoils. Here, we present direct evidence for the crucial role of W+ ion irradiation in the densification of Ti0.31Al0.60W0.09N films grown by the hybrid W-HiPIMS/TiAl-DCMS co-sputtering. The peak target current density J(max) on the W target is varied from 0.06 to 0.78 A/cm(2) resulting in more than fivefold increase in the number of W+ ions per deposited metal atom, eta = W+/(W + Al + Ti) determined by time-resolved ion mass spectrometry analyses performed at the substrate plane under conditions identical to those during film growth. The DCMS is adjusted appropriately to maintain the W content in the films constant at Ti0.31Al0.60W0.09N. The degree of porosity, assessed qualitatively from cross-sectional SEM images and quantitatively from oxygen concentration profiles as well as nanoindentation hardness, is a strong function of eta ( J m a x ). Layers grown with low eta values are porous and soft, while those deposited under conditions of high eta are dense and hard. Nanoindentation hardness of Ti0.31Al0.60W0.09N films with the highest density is & SIM;33 GPa, which is very similar to values reported for layers deposited at much higher temperatures (420-500 C-o) by conventional metal-ion-based techniques. These results prove that the hybrid HiPIMS/DCMS co-sputtering with bias pulses synchronized to high mass metal ion irradiation can be successfully used to replace conventional solutions. The large energy losses associated with heating of the entire vacuum chamber are avoided, by focusing the energy input to where it is in fact needed, i.e., the workpiece to be coated. Funding Agencies|Swedish Research Council VR [2018-03957]; Swedish Energy Agency [51201-1]; Aforsk Foundation Grant [22-4]; Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation [KAW2016.0358, KAW2019.0290]; Carl Tryggers Stiftelse [CTS 20:150]; Competence Center Functional Nanoscale Materials (FunMat-II) VINNOVA Grant [2016-05156]; Swedish Research Council VR-RFI [2017-00646_9]; Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research [RIF14-0053]

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.

Caching content on mobile devices reduces not only the transmission of backhaul links but also the latency of content acquisition. However, in the existing caching schemes, the joint effect of the caching-aware indicator of users and content dimensions on the caching strategy is not considered. Thus, how to learn fine-grained caching- aware indicators and design caching schemes are still challenging issues. In order to solve these problems, in this article, we first propose the cognitive caching architecture and give the fine-grained caching-aware indicators metric. Then we design a cognitive caching scheme that includes what to do in cognitive caching and how to do cognitive caching. Finally, experimental results show that the proposed cognitive caching scheme is superior to other caching schemes in terms of learning regret and caching cost.

The following paper investigates and analyses the electromagnetic processes in an electrical drive system composed of a power source, a power inverter and a brushless dc (BLDC) motor using known pulse-width modulation (PWM) methods. Investigated modulation techniques are: unipolar modulation of the upper transistors (PWM-TOP) and bottom transistors (PWM-BOT), symmetrical PWM-PWM, modulation type PWM-ON and ON-PWM, and bipolar PWM-ON modulation indicated with PWM-ON-BIP. The voltage source inverter is considered as DC-DC buck power converter, when BLDC is operated in motor mode. On the basis of summarized equivalent circuits, the analytical expressions are received for the electromagnetic processes in the system by the different modulation techniques. The efficiency of the system battery-inverter-machine for each discussed modulation is experimentally investigated and compared. These results are also compared with the efficiency of the BLDC driven with vector control. A MATLAB/SIMULINK model is proposed to implement these modulations and to analyze the obtained results. From this model, the harmonic composition of the phase currents for each modulation is investigated.

This paper covers technological and business aspects of 5G mobile networks at their initial targeted year for acceptance, 2020. It gives a high level view beyond 5G, toward the next generation which is referred to here as 6G. The 5G introduces New Radio (NR) in sub-6 GHz bands and also in mm Wave bands above 24 GHz. The paper analyzes 5G novelties such as network function virtualization and network softwarization, which means that 5G Next Generation Core and 5G NR access network are built by using different functions in split user and control planes. That provides the basis for the network slicing approach, with three main service types defined for the 5G era: enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC) and Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communica­tion (URLLC), which may be provided via separate network slices as logically separated network partitions. Consid­ering the 5G business aspects, the paper states that the initial 5G driver is eMBB, then follows mMTC, and last to be deployed is the most demanding one, the URLLC. Finally, with many 5G network functions, also exposed to the third parties such as Over-The-Top (OTT) service providers, with constantly increasing volume of traffic and number of connected devices, this paper also includes future use of Machine Learning and generally Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming necessity for further expansion of the mobile world beyond 5G, toward the 6G in 2030s.

A series of unfilled and stabilized natural rubber compounds varying in concentration of tetramethylthiuram disulfide (TMTD) was analyzed using rheometry, hardness, dynamic mechanical properties, stress–strain (Mooney–Rivlin), equilibrium solvent swell (Flory–Rhener), and low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) by the double quantum (DQ) technique. Crosslinking level increased proportionately with TMTD concentration, and the reaction ratio of three TMTD molecules producing one crosslink was generally upheld. Unreacted TMTD acted as a pseudo-plasticizer and lowered the chain entanglement density with increasing TMTD content. DQ NMR confirmed that the elastic network was homogeneous and that the absolute chemical crosslink distributions broaden with increasing curative level. Upon mild heat aging, zinc complexes based on TMTD/ZnO are likely responsible for causing additional crosslinking, explaining the rise in crosslink density by equilibrium solvent swell and DQ NMR. The amine-based antioxidant, the generation of thiocarbamate radicals from TMTD, and the heat stability of the predominant monosulfide crosslinking system helped to limit network breakdown through chain scission. The chain entanglement increase is likely due to reduction of the plasticizing effect caused by unreacted curative. The distribution of crosslinks slightly broadens toward higher total crosslink density because of the generation of additional chemical crosslinks and chain entanglement densification.

Methodology. 48 somatically healthy patients of both gender in age from 25 up to 45 was examined, that included questioning, examination, index estimation of the state of fabrics of paradontium, doppler ultrasound of vessels of paradontium with the use of device of "Minimax-Doppler-K" NB model with the sensor 20 Mhz. Linear speed of blood stream, volume speed of blood stream were defined. Patients were divided into 3 groups: 1 - basic group (n=22) are patients with chronic catarrhal gingivitis where the standard treatment was complemented by application of injections of gel, containing 1 % of hyaluronic acid and 0,015 % of hydrophilic polysaccharide of AGEG, under a mucous membrane on a mucogingival fold; 2 is a control group (n=16) patients with chronic catarrhal gingivitis and the standard treatment (in accordance with clinical recommendations) was complemented; 3 group are people with a clinically healthy paradontium (n=10). Dynamic estimation of efficiency of treatment was conducted on the 2 day and 7th day, 14th day, in 1 month, 3 months.Results. There was a stable reduction of PMA index in a basic group, that shows the efficiency of treatment and remission in the period of 3 months observation. More low level of PBI and PI (p

The present paper describes the implementation of a microstepping control of a stepper motor with advanced mixed current decay mode. The proposed development is based on a programmable field array (FPGA) and a galvanically separated ADC, which allows for continuous measurement and filtering of current through the windings of the motor used. It makes a comparison of the maximum reached frequencies of the control pulses supplied to the motor windings for the proposed algorithm with advanced mixed current decay mode and microstepping control without current decay mode.

We systematically study the oxidation properties of sputter-deposited TiB2.5 coatings up to 700 °C. Oxide-scale thickness dox increases linearly with time ta for 300, 400, 500, and 700 °C, while an oxidation-protective behavior occurs with dox=250∙ta0.2 at 600 °C. Oxide-layer’s structure changes from amorphous to rutile/anatase-TiO2 at temperatures ≥ 500 °C. Abnormally low oxidation rate at 600 °C is attributed to a highly dense columnar TiO2-sublayer growing near oxide/film interface with a top-amorphous thin layer, suppressing oxygen diffusion. A model is proposed to explain the oxide-scale evolution at 600 °C. Decreasing heating rate to 1.0 °C/min plays a noticeable role in the TiB2.5 oxidation. Funding: Swedish Research Council VR [2018-03957, 2019-00191, 2021-00357]; Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research (SSF); Swedish Government Strategic Research Area in Materials Science on Advanced Functional Materials (AFM) at Link o ?; ping University (Faculty Grant SFO Mat LiU) [2009 00971]; Swedish National Graduate School in Neutron Scattering (SwedNess); Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation [KAW 2015.0043]

Direct-current magnetron sputtering (DCMS) and high-power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) were used to deposit understoichiometric Ti(1-x)Al(x)B(2-y )diboride coatings by sputtering from a segmented TiB2-AlB2 target using Ar and Kr as sputtering gas. For films with a fixed Al/(Ti + Al) ratio of x = 0.1 (Ti0.9Al0.1B2-y), the B content was varied with y & ISIN; (0.1, 0.6 and 0.7). For films with a fixed y = 0.7 (Ti1-xAlxB1.3), the Al content was varied with x & ISIN; (0.1, 0.4 and 0.7). Evaluation of the mechanical properties of the Ti1-xAlxB1.3 samples showed a reduction in both hardness and elastic modulus with increasing Al concentration, while the Ti0.9Al0.1B2-y samples showed a hardness increase with decreasing B content. Thus, Ti0.9Al0.1B1.3 films exhibited a superior hardness of 46.2 +/- 1.1 GPa and an elastic modulus of 523 & PLUSMN; 7 GPa, compared to the values for Ti0.9Al0.1B1.4 and Ti0.9Al0.1B1.9, showing a hardness of 44 +/- 1 GPa and 36 +/- 1 GPa, and an elastic modulus of 569 +/- 7 GPa and 493 +/- 6 GPa, respectively. The oxidation behavior of the mechanically most promising Ti0.9Al0.1B2-y sample series was investigated through air-annealing at 600 C for durations from 1 h to 10 h. All films formed a mixed non-conformal Al2O3-TiO2 oxide scale which acts as an inward and outward diffusion barrier, significantly reducing the oxidation rate compared to TiBz films, which form an oxide scale consisting of porous TiO2. The thinnest oxide scale after 10 h was found in the B-deficient samples, Ti0.9Al0.1B1.3 and Ti0.9Al0.1B1.4, at ~200 nm, which is significantly below that for Ti0.9Al0.1B1.9 at 320 nm. The enhanced oxidation resistance of highly understoichiometric films is due to the elimination of the B-rich tissue phase that is present at the grain boundaries for higher B content, where the latter has been shown to enhance the rate of oxidation in borides. Funding Agencies|Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research (SSF) [EM16-0004, RIF 14-0074]; Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research (SSF) [EM16-0004]; Knut and Alice Wallenberg (KAW) Foundation for a Fellowship/Scholar Grant [EM16-0004, RIF 14-0074]; KAW; Swedish Government Strategic Research Area in Materials Science on Functional Materials at Linkoping University (Faculty Grant SFOM at-LiU) [RIF 14-0074]; Swedish Research council [EM16-0004]; German Research Foundation (DFG) [RIF 14-0074]; [KAW 2015.0043]; [2009 00971]; [2016-04412]; [SCHN 735/42-1]

The present paper proposes a mathematical model for the examination of dynamic processes of a motorvehicle during operation in different regimes. A non-linear mathematical model based on the equations for joint movement of an engine and an operating machine is created in this respect. The behaviour of the system is examined at operating regimes of an internal combustion engine (ICE) during idle running, motor-vehicle starting with clutch engagement, motor-vehicle accelerating at engaged gear. The transitional performance includes the transition of the engine operation from idle running to external frequency characteristics. Developed, accordingly, is a computing programme for analysis of the transitional performance of an ICE during starting at initial state without motion and consecutive acceleration. The changes of the kinematic and ecological parameters of an ICE during its operation in transitional performance are determined and graphically presented.

This article considers the new period of relations between the state and the Church in the USSR which began between 1943 and 1948. It was characterised by the restoration of patriarchate and a general warming between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Stalinist state. However, a different process began on the territory occupied by Nazi troops at the beginning of the war. Arrests of the clergy began to take place, with some priests being removed from large parishes and others transferred to neighbouring dioceses. Many bishops, especially those from among the former Renovationists, tried to protect themselves by removing priests associated with the Nazis from their dioceses. At the same time, there was a process of appointing clergymen who had shown their commitment to the Soviet state and helped the pro-Soviet underground during the war, especially partisans, to vacant parishes. Many of the priests were not ready for such serious appointments and asked to be excused from the administration of parishes. The clergymen who had participated in anti-Soviet propaganda during the war and who had been members of diocesan administrations organised under the German occupation were replaced by young priests who had previously served in the Red Army and who were absolutely loyal to the Soviet regime. They were incredibly ambitious and able to quickly gain the trust of local believers. Some of latter were friendly to priests who had served under the Germans and even tried to help them and prevent their criticism. Others, on the contrary, were sending “signals” to the diocesan authorities about the suspicious actions of the “occupation priests”. Believers also behaved differently. Many opposed the appointment of new clergymen, did not trust them, and considered them to be supporters of the Soviet regime. Such believers appreciated priests who did not incessantly collect money for patriotic needs during the war, did not preach about protecting collective farm property, or publicly denounce unregistered church groups in the region. Other believers, however, became champions of church repressions and started to organise internal investigations into the economic activities of “occupation priests”. This research is relevant as currently there are no works tracing the fate of the Orthodox clergy who found themselves in the temporarily occupied territory of the Russian SFSR during World War II and stayed in the Soviet Union afterwards. Works published mostly focus on the clergy evacuated to the West or the new generation of Orthodox pastors who became priests after the war. This article is based on documents of Russian regional archives, mainly in the so-called Central Black Earth region (Kursk, Belgorod, Voronezh, Orel), as well as the archives of north-western and southern Russia and Belarus.

TiBx thin films with a B content of 1.43 ≤ x ≤ 2.70 were synthesized using high-power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) and direct-current magnetron sputtering (DCMS). HiPIMS allows compositions ranging from understoichiometric to overstoichiometric dense TiBx thin films with a B/Ti ratio between 1.43 and 2.06, while DCMS yields overstoichiometric TiBx films with a B/Ti ratio ranging from 2.20 to 2.70. Excess B in overstoichiometric TiBx thin films from DCMS results in a hardness up to 37.7 ± 0.8 GPa, attributed to the formation of an amorphous B-rich tissue phase interlacing stoichiometric TiB2 columnar structures. We furthermore show that understoichiometric TiB1.43 thin films synthesized by HiPIMS, where the deficiency of B is found to be accommodated by Ti-rich planar defects, exhibit a superior hardness of 43.9 ± 0.9 GPa. The apparent fracture toughness and thermal conductivity of understoichiometric TiB1.43 HiPIMS films are 4.2 ± 0.1 MPa√m and 2.46 ± 0.22 W/(m·K), respectively, as compared to corresponding values for overstoichiometric TiB2.70 DCMS film samples of 3.1 ± 0.1 MPa√m and 4.52 ± 0.45 W/(m·K). This work increases the fundamental understanding of understoichiometric TiBx thin films and their materials properties, and shows that understoichiometric films have properties matching or going beyond those with excess B. Fulltext published under Creative Commons license CC BY 4.0https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Funding agencies: Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research (SSF)Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research [EM16-0004]; Research Infrastructure Fellow program from the Knut and Alice Wallenberg (KAW) Foundation [RIF 14-0074]; KAW; Swedish Government Strategic Research Area

The atomic structure and local composition of high quality epitaxial substoichiometric titaniumdiboride (TiB1.9) thin film, deposited by unbalanced magnetron sputtering, were studied usinganalytical high-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy, density functional theoryand image simulations. The unmatched Ti is pinpointed to planar defects on {1-100} prismaticplanes and attributed to the absence of B between Ti planes that locally relaxes the structure.This mechanism allows the line compound to accommodate the off-stoichiometry and remaina line compound between defects. The planar defects are embedded in otherwise stoichiometricTiB2 and are delineated by insertion of dislocations. An accompanied decrease in Ti-Ti bondlengths along and across the faults is observed.Introduction

We describe in detail three braincases of the ankylosaur Bissektipelta archibaldi from the Late Cretaceous (Turonian) of Uzbekistan with the aid of computed tomography, segmentation, and 3D modeling. Bissektipelta archibaldi is confirmed as a valid taxon and attributed to Ankylosaurinae based on the results of a phylogenetic analysis. The topographic relationships between the elements forming the braincase are determined using a newly referred specimen with preserved sutures, which is an exceedingly rare condition for ankylosaurs. The mesethmoid appears to be a separate ossification in the newly referred specimen ZIN PH 281/16. We revise and discuss features of the neurocranial osteology in Ankylosauria and propose new diagnostic characters for a number of its subclades. We present a 3D model of the braincase vasculature of Bissektipelta and comment on vascular patterns of armored dinosaurs. A complex vascular network piercing the skull roof and the wall of the braincase is reported for ankylosaurs for the first time. We imply the presence of a lepidosaur-like dorsal head vein and the venous parietal sinus in the adductor cavity of Bissektipelta. We suggest that the presence of the dorsal head vein in dinosaurs is a plesiomorphic diapsid trait, and extant archosaur groups independently lost the vessel. A study of two complete endocranial casts of Bissektipelta allowed us to compare endocranial anatomy within Ankylosauria and infer an extremely developed sense of smell, a keen sense of hearing at lower frequencies (100–3000 Hz), and the presence of physiological mechanisms for precise temperature control of neurosensory tissues at least in derived ankylosaurids.

Several oncolytic viruses (OVs) including various human and canine adenoviruses, canine distemper virus, herpes-simplex virus, reovirus, and members of the poxvirus family, such as vaccinia virus and myxoma virus, have been successfully tested for canine cancer therapy in preclinical and clinical settings. The success of the cancer virotherapy is dependent on the ability of oncolytic viruses to overcome the attacks of the host immune system, to preferentially infect and lyse cancer cells, and to initiate tumor-specific immunity. To date, several different strategies have been developed to overcome the antiviral host defense barriers. In our study, we used canine adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (cAdMSCs) as a “Trojan horse” for the delivery of oncolytic vaccinia virus Copenhagen strain to achieve maximum oncolysis against canine soft tissue sarcoma (CSTS) tumors. A single systemic administration of vaccinia virus-loaded cAdMSCs was found to be safe and led to the significant reduction and substantial inhibition of tumor growth in a CSTS xenograft mouse model. This is the first example that vaccinia virus-loaded cAdMSCs could serve as a therapeutic agent against CSTS tumors.

Gaming learning is accepted in our society for a long time, practically from its inception and therefore has historical roots. The game is multifaceted, it allows you to successfully learn new skills for both children and adults. The game not only trains, develops, educates, but also socializes. An historical excursion shows that one of her first tasks is training. The substantiation of the use of gaming methods in psychotherapeutic and developmental psycho-correction work is given by many scientists working in the field of psychology. Methods of playing developmental psychocorrection and psychotherapy remain a very important tool that allows not only to study aspects of the child's and adult's inner world, but also, depending on the level of his mental maturity, social skills, cognitive and emotional processes, build interaction in the formation of the principles of a healthy lifestyle in patients of dental profile. Gaming psychotechnics are psychologically conditioned, a natural element of culture, which is a kind of voluntary activity of the individual, enriching the social experience of our patients, allowing one to master the norms and rules for preserving one's dental health through voluntary acceptance of a role, virtual simulation of the playing space and changing the conditions of one's own own being in society. The players perform the following functions: communicative; self-realization of a person; diagnostic; psychotherapeutic; psycho-corrective. Gaming psychotechnics allow you to escape from the paternalistic positions in communication with the patient, to form a request for maintaining your own health in the patient himself. The use of gambling practices and gaming promotes the consolidation and improvement of knowledge, the development of the psychological qualities of the individual, the development of the ability to find the best solutions for large and small patients in the formation of their health.

Life quality is an integral part of an individual’s psychophysiological functioning in society. Its features include one’s individual health, psychological status, level of independence, social intercourse, personal beliefs formed by society and environment, as well as the individual’s capability to function in public settings in accordance with their status and to derive satisfaction from life. Subject. When rendering high-technology dental services, dental practitioners conducting a clinical examination of a patient most commonly do not consider the patient’s psychological readiness for long-term stomatological treatment and neglect their psychological constitution. Relevance. The relevance of this research stems from immaturity of medical and psychological issues of diagnosing a patient’s life quality level and correcting emotional reactions patients tend to have in the process of receiving complex dental care. The necessity of this research arose as well from clinical needs of dental practitioners. Objective. The research objective is to study life quality parameters and a patient’s attitude to dental treatment in the context of complex surgical interference. Methodology. The study employed methods of observation, questionnaire survey, and introspection of a number of the patient’s mental and psychophysiological functions during complex stomatological interference. Results. Our research showed that medical staff directly interacting with patients should have soft skills, anticipate potential risks resulting in patients’ life quality reduction, analyze such risks in a certain way, and have the opportunity and methods to solve arising questions to mutual benefit. Conclusions. For the purpose of forming life quality criteria in a patient, a dental practitioner should use not only specialized medical skills and technologies, but also skills of communicating and overcoming negative views on occurring situations in the process of conducting extensive, complex dental interference.

Nanometer-sized structures, surfaces and sub-surface phenomena have played an enormous role in science and technological applications and represent a driving-force of current interdisciplinary science. Recent developments include the atomic-scale characterization of nanoparticles, molecular reactions at surfaces, magnetism at the atomic scale, photoelectric characterization of nanostructures as well as two-dimensional solids. Research and development of smart nanostructured materials governed by their surface properties is a rapidly growing field. The main challenge is to develop an accurate and robust electronic structure description. The density of surface-related trap states is analyzed by transient UV photoconductivity and temperature-dependent admittance spectroscopy. An advanced application of thin films on shaped substrates is the deposition of catalytic layers on hollow glass microspheres for hydrogen storage controlled exothermal hydrolytic release. Surface properties of thin films including dissolution and corrosion, fouling resistance, and hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity are explored to improve materials response in biological environments and medicine. Trends in surface biofunctionalization routes based on vacuum techniques, together with advances in surface analysis of biomaterials, are discussed. Pioneering advances in the application of X-ray nanodiffraction of thin film cross-sections for characterizing nanostructure and local strain including in-situ experiments during nanoindentation are described. Precise measurements and control of plasma properties are important for fundamental investigations and the development of next generation plasma-based technologies. Critical control parameters are the flux and energy distribution of incident ions at reactive surfaces; it is also crucial to control the dynamics of electrons initiating non-equilibrium chemical reactions. The most promising approach involves the exploitation of complementary advantages in direct measurements combined with specifically designed numerical simulations. Exciting new developments in vacuum science and technology have focused on forward-looking and next generation standards and sensors that take advantage of photonics based measurements. These measurements are inherently fast, frequency based, easily transferrable to sensors based on photonics and hold promise of being disruptive and transformative. Realization of Pascal, the SI unit for pressure, a cold-atom trap based ultra-high and extreme high vacuum (UHV and XHV) standard, dynamic pressure measurements and a photonic based thermometer are three key examples that are presented.

Transition-metal (TM) carbides are an important class of hard, protective coating materials; however, their brittleness often limits potential applications. We use density functional theory to inve ...

Boron-containing materials exhibit a unique combination of ceramic and metallic properties that are sensitively dependent on their given chemical bonding and elemental compositions. However, determining the composition, let alone bonding, with sufficient accuracy is cumbersome with respect to boron, being a light element that bonds in various coordinations. Here, we report on the comprehensive compositional analysis of transition-metal diboride (TMBx) thin films (TM = Ti, Zr, and Hf) by energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), time-of-flight elastic recoil detection analysis (ToF-ERDA), Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS), and nuclear reaction analysis (NRA). The films are grown on Si and C substrates by dc magnetron sputtering from stoichiometric TMB2 targets and have hexagonal AlB2-type columnar structures. EDX considerably overestimates B/TM ratios, x, compared to the other techniques, particularly for ZrBx. The B concentrations obtained by XPS strongly depend on the energy of Ar+ ions used for removing surface oxides and contaminants prior to analyses and are more reliable for 0.5 keV Ar+. ToF-ERDA, RBS, and NRA yield consistent compositions in TiBx. They also prove TiBx and ZrBx films to be homogeneous with comparable B/TM ratios for each film. However, ToF-ERDA, employing a 36-MeV 127I8+ beam, exhibits challenges in depth resolution and quantification of HfBx due to plural and multiple scattering and associated energy loss straggling effects. Compared to ToF-ERDA, RBS (for the film grown on C substrates) and NRA provide more reliable B/Hf ratios. Overall, a combination of methods is recommended for accurately pinpointing the compositions of borides that contain heavy transition metals. Funding agencies: The SwedishResearch Council VR (Grant Nos. 2021-00357, 2018-03957, and642-2013-8020); the Knut and Alice Wallenberg (KAW) Foundation for project funding (No. KAW 2015.0043), the Swedish Energy Agency under Project No. 51201-1, Carl Tryggers Stiftelse (Contract Nos. CTS 15:219, CTS 20:150, and CTS 14:431); the Swedish Government Strategic Research Area in Materials Science on Functional Materials at Linköping University (Faculty Grant SFO Mat LiU No. 2009 00971), the Swedish Research Council VRRFI (No. 2017-00646_9) for supporting the Accelerator based ion technology center; the Swedish Foundation for StrategicResearch (Contract No. RIF14-0053)

The aim of this paper is to test for the persistence of the landlord-tenant energy efficiency problem in the residential rental property market in the presence of information on property energy performance. To do this, we compare the efficiency of rental and non-rental properties using a combination of Coarsened Exact Matching (CEM) and parametric regression. We use a sample of 585,578 residential properties in the Republic of Ireland - a region that legally requires rental properties to display energy performance certificates when advertised. The findings suggest that the landlord-tenant problem is present in the Irish rental market but that it is not uniform across locations, indicating the influence of other factors. To explore this further, we exploit the regional variation in rental property prices. We find a larger difference between rental and non-rental properties’ energy efficiency in markets with scarcity in rental property supply. In addition, we are able to take advantage of a unique trait in building design to compare rental and non-rental properties which were identical at the time of their construction. The findings from this sub-group mirror our finding for the sample as a whole.

This article deals with the personality of archpriest Alexander Osipov, the prominent Orthodox priest, who in the middle of the 20th century renounced his faith in God and became an active fi ghter against the Russian Orthodox Church. The main purpose of the article is to comprehend main reasons for Osipov’s abandoning religion, his psychology and main lines of behaviour. Contrary to the lay opinion, this priest, still serving in non-Soviet Estonia, was extremely ambitious and wished rapid promotion. The article specifi cally demonstrates how the renegade could fi nd his key to hearts of various representatives of church and state authorities, how he altered his own political views and denominational preferences. The article shows how he managed to ingratiate himself with representatives of the Orthodox Church, then literally betrayed them and passed compromising judgments to Soviet security offi cers. The article does not raise the issue of where and when Osipov lost his way to God because excessive ambition and envy were always typical of the renegade, and his conversion to atheism was nothing but a tactical step determined by the inception of the new phase of religious persecutions. The article draws on archival materials, both church and secular: Archive of St Petersburg diocese, Central State Historical Archive of St Petersburg, Estonian Historical Archive in Tartu. Besides, the study made use of the historiography of life and work of archpriest Alexander Osipov.