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K. A. Fedin’s diaries related to the time of the intense activity of the literary community “Serapion brothers” (1921–1924) have not been preserved. Therefore, the material for the studies of the life of the group as well as of its separate members is obtained by the researchers in the epistolary legacy of the writer. The researchers hardly ever refer to the diaries of the later period, apparently believing that Serapion brothers entirely disappeared from the literary life after 1929. However, the Serapion theme still figures on the pages of Fedin’s diaries of the 1948–1968. It is of interest how the already renowned master contemplates the artistic problems which concerned all the “brothers” at the dawn of their writing youth, “general” mentions of the Serapion brothers in the context of the current dwellings on literature and art. Nevertheless, in the diaries of the period in question, certain writers connected by their general past of the “brothers” come to the foreground. Among them, first of all, are Vs. Ivanov, N. Tikhonov, M. Zoshchenko, V. Kaverin, M. Slonimsky, N. Nikitin. Each of them is an object of Fedin’s scrutiny, who responded to all the personal and creative events in the life of the “brothers”. The article presents, among other sources, previously unpublished materials, which provide a means of identifying the role of Serapion brothers on the pages of Fedin’s diaries of 1946–1968. They make it possible to include these references in the context of how the relationships of the writers – the former members of the group – developed, and to determine the degree to which this literary phenomenon influenced Fedin’s life.

The article analyzes the correspondence of E. G. Polonskaya and K. A. Fedin, members of the literary group Serapion Brothers, formed in Petrograd in 1921. The short but bright period of the existence of the association is still of interest to many researchers. Particularly relevant is the study of documentary sources, which make it possible to fi ll in the factual gaps in the history of both the Serapion fraternity itself and the relationships of its individual members. The author of the article draws on previously unpublished materials from the archive of K. A. Fedin and on their basis considers how the theme of Serapion is refl ected in the epistolary of Polonskaya and Fedin of 1925–1968. Of a particular interest is Polonskaya’s letter of 1925: written during the active work of Serapion Brothers, it refl ects the current view of the author on the events of the literary life of the 1920s. The bulk of the correspondence covers the period of the late 1950s – early 1960s. At this time, Polonskaya begins to work on her memoirs, some of which she dedicates to the Serapion Brothers: Konstantin Fedin and Mikhail Zoshchenko. She fi rst publishes them in 1963 in the Academic Proceedings of the Tartu State University. The manuscript sent to Fedin for review before publication becomes for the correspondents the starting point of a conversation about the uniqueness of the memoir genre, about the revival of interest in the Serapions, and about future research. The recurring theme of all letters is the feeling of belonging to the Serapion fraternity, friendly support over the years and the signifi cance of this for each of them.

Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) is one of the most appealing radiotherapy modalities, whose localization can be further improved by the employment of boron-containing nanoformulations, but the fabrication of biologically friendly, water-dispersible nanoparticles (NPs) with high boron content and favorable physicochemical characteristics still presents a great challenge. Here, we explore the use of elemental boron (B) NPs (BNPs) fabricated using the methods of pulsed laser ablation in liquids as sensitizers of BNCT. Depending on the conditions of laser-ablative synthesis, the used NPs were amorphous (a-BNPs) or partially crystallized (pc-BNPs) with a mean size of 20 nm or 50 nm, respectively. Both types of BNPs were functionalized with polyethylene glycol polymer to improve colloidal stability and biocompatibility. The NPs did not initiate any toxicity effects up to concentrations of 500 µg/mL, based on the results of MTT and clonogenic assay tests. The cells with BNPs incubated at a 10B concentration of 40 µg/mL were then irradiated with a thermal neutron beam for 30 min. We found that the presence of BNPs led to a radical enhancement in cancer cell death, namely a drop in colony forming capacity of SW-620 cells down to 12.6% and 1.6% for a-BNPs and pc-BNPs, respectively, while the relevant colony-forming capacity for U87 cells dropped down to 17%. The effect of cell irradiation by neutron beam uniquely was negligible under these conditions. Finally, to estimate the dose and regimes of irradiation for future BNCT in vivo tests, we studied the biodistribution of boron under intratumoral administration of BNPs in immunodeficient SCID mice and recorded excellent retention of boron in tumors. The obtained data unambiguously evidenced the effect of a neutron therapy enhancement, which can be attributed to efficient BNP-mediated generation of α-particles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Featured Application: Electrochromic devices, such as smart windows. The goal of this work was the synthesis study of the [WO2(C5H7O2)2] complex and its application as a precursor for the growth of WO3 films in hydrothermal conditions, as well as evaluating the microstructural features and electrochromic properties of the formed materials. Dioxotungsten acetylacetonate was synthesized in an aqueous medium and purified. It was found that during hydrothermal treatment of the alcohol solution of the complex, acetylacetonate ligands undergo partial destructive substitution by alkoxyl groups, intensifying at temperatures above 140 °C. Considering these data and using a [WO2(C5H7O2)2] solution, WO3 films were grown on glass and glass/ITO substrates. The resulting films had different microstructures according to scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM): the former consisted of submicron spheres (~500 nm), distinct nanoparticles (60–160 nm), and submicron- and micron-sized ridges, while the latter consisted of 1D structures (length 350 ± 25 nm, width 110 ± 25 nm). Using Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM), the electron work function was determined for the film on glass/ITO substrate (4.77 eV). It was found that the electrochemical coloration process of the obtained WO3 film can proceed in two stages, and the optical contrast is about 17.5% (at the wavelengths of 600–1100 nm). The results obtained show the prospects of applying the proposed approach to obtaining WO3 electrochromic films with a hierarchical microstructure with the hydrothermal method using the [WO2(C5H7O2)2] complex as a precursor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]