PEO Coatings Modified with Halloysite Nanotubes: Composition,Properties, and Release Performance

In this work, the properties of the coatings formed on the Mg-Mn-Ce alloy by plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) in electrolytes containing halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) were investigated. The incorporation of halloysite nanotubes into the PEO coatings improved their mechanical characteristics, increased thickness, and corrosion resistance. The studied layers reduced corrosion current density by more than two times in comparison with the base PEO layer without HNTs (from 1.1 × 10⁻⁷ A/cm² to 4.9 × 10⁻⁸ A/cm²). The presence of halloysite nanotubes and products of their dihydroxylation that were formed under the PEO conditions had a positive impact on the microhardness of the obtained layers (this parameter increased from 4.5 ± 0.4 GPa to 7.3 ± 0.5 GPa). In comparison with the base PEO layer, coatings containing halloysite nanotubes exhibited sustained release and higher adsorption capacity regarding caffeine.     

Dispirooxindole-β-Lactams: Synthesis via Staudinger Ketene-Imine Cycloaddition and Biological Evaluation

In this work, we present the first synthesis of dispirooxindole-β-lactams employing optimized methodology of one-pot Staudinger ketene-imine cycloaddition with N-aryl-2-oxo-pyrrolidine-3-carboxylic acids as the ketene source. Spiroconjugation of indoline-2-one with β-lactams ring is considered to be able to provide stabilization and wide scope of functionalization to resulting scaffolds. The dispipooxindoles obtained demonstrated medium cytotoxicity in the MTT test on A549, MCF7, HEK293, and VA13 cell lines, and one of the compounds demonstrated antibacterial activity against E. coli strain LPTD.     

A combined technique for amplifier oriented small‐signal noise model extraction

Based on the earlier experimental investigation of the existing GaAs pHEMT small‐signal modeling approaches and their applicability to different manufacturing processes, a combined automatic small‐signal noise model extraction technique, suitable for design of low‐noise and buffer amplifiers is proposed. The technique is based on the usage of measured S‐parameters of passive test structures and S‐parameters of the transistor in cold modes. Expressions are given for extraction of the intrinsic parameters of an equivalent circuit using linear regression. It is shown that the application of the proposed method allows extracting a small‐signal GaAs pHEMT model both in the probe‐tip reference planes and at on‐wafer calibration planes. The moving average algorithm was applied for preprocessing the results of measurements of the 50 Ohm noise figure during extraction of the noise model. The results of S‐parameters and noise figure simulation agree well with the measurements. The new technique was implemented as a plugin in a commercial EDA tool and enables to derive a ready‐to use small‐signal noise model from measured S‐parameters and 50 Ohm noise figure of a 0.15 μm GaAs pHEMT.     

Multi-Agent Dynamic Logics with Informational Test

This paper investigates a family of logics for reasoning about the dynamic activities and informational attitudes of agents, namely the agents' beliefs and knowledge. The logics are based on a new formalisation and semantics of the test operator of propositional dynamic logic and a representation of actions which distinguishes abstract actions from concrete actions. The new test operator, called informational test, can be used to formalise the beliefs and knowledge of particular agents as dynamic modalities. This approach is consistent with the formalisation of the agents' beliefs and knowledge as K(D)45 and S5 modalities. Properties concerning informativeness, truthfulness and preservation of beliefs are proved for a derivative of the informational test operator. It is shown that common belief and common knowledge can be expressed in the considered logics. This means, the logics are more expressive than propositional dynamic logic with an extra modality for belief or knowledge. The logics remain decidable and belong to 2EXPTIME. Versions of the considered logics express natural additional properties of beliefs or knowledge and interaction of beliefs or knowledge with actions. It is shown that a simulation of PDL can be constructed in one of these extensions.     

From Autonomy to Cooperative Traded Control of Humanoid Manipulation Tasks with Unreliable Communication

In this paper, we present our system design, operational procedure, testing process, field results, and lessons learned for the valve-turning task of the DARPA Robotics Challenge (DRC). We present a software framework for cooperative traded control that enables a team of operators to control a remote humanoid robot over an unreliable communication link. Our system, composed of software modules running on-board the robot and on a remote workstation, allows the operators to specify the manipulation task in a straightforward manner. In addition, we have defined an operational procedure for the operators to manage the teleoperation task, designed to improve situation awareness and expedite task completion. Our testing process, consisting of hands-on intensive testing, remote testing, and remote practice runs , demonstrates that our framework is able to perform reliably and is resilient to unreliable network conditions. We analyze our approach, field tests, and experience at the DRC Trials and discuss lessons learned which may be useful for others when designing similar systems.     

Ascorbic Acid-Assisted Eco-friendly Synthesis of NiCo<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript> Nanoparticles as an Anode Material for High-Performance Lithium-Ion Batteries

We have synthesized NiCo₂O₄ nanoparticles (NCO NPs) using an ascorbic acid-assisted co-precipitation method for the first time. When NCO NPs are used as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries, the cell exhibits superior lithium storage properties, such as high capacity (700 mA h g^?1 after 300 cycles at 200 mA g^?1), excellent rate capabilities (applied current density range 100–1200 mA g^?1), and impressive cycling stability (at 1200 mA g^?1 up to 650 cycles). The enhanced electrochemical properties of NCO NPs are due to the nanometer dimensions which not only offers a smooth charge-transport pathway and short diffusion paths of the lithium ions but also adequate spaces for volume expansion during Li storage. Hence, this eco-friendly synthesis approach will provide a new strategy for the synthesis of various nanostructured metal oxide compounds, for energy conversion and storage systems applications.     

Laboratory investigation of a new scale inhibitor for preventing calcium carbonate precipitation in oil reservoirs and production equipment

The formation of mineral scale is a complex problem during the oilfield operations. Scale inhibitors are widely used to prevent salt precipitation within reservoirs, in downhole equipment, and in production facilities. The scale inhibitors not only must have high effectiveness to prevent scale formation, but also have good adsorption–desorption characteristics, which determine the operation duration of the scale inhibitors. This work is focused on the development of a new scale inhibitor for preventing calcium carbonate formation in three different synthetic formation waters. Scale inhibition efficiency, optical density of the solution, induction time of calcium carbonate formation, corrosion activity, and adsorption–desorption ability were investigated for the developed scale inhibitor. The optimum concentration of hydrochloric acid in the inhibitor was determined by surface tension measurement on the boundary layer between oil and the aqueous scale inhibitor solution. The results show that the optimum mass percentage of 5 % hydrochloric acid solution in the inhibitor was in the range of 8 % to 10 %. The new scale inhibitor had high efficiency at a concentration of 30 mg/L. The results indicate that the induction period for calcium carbonate nucleation in the presence of the new inhibitor was about 3.5 times longer than the value in the absence of the inhibitors. During the desorption process at reservoir conditions, the number of pore volumes injected into the carbonate core for the developed inhibitor was significantly greater than the volume of a tested industrial inhibitor, showing better adsorption/desorption capacity.     

Age-Related Changes in the Fibroblastic Differon of the Dermis: Role in Skin Aging

Skin aging is a multi-factorial process that affects nearly every aspect of skin biology and function. The processes developing in the skin during aging are based on fundamental molecular mechanisms associated with fibroblasts, the main cellular population of the dermis. It has been revealed that the amount of fibroblasts decreases markedly with age and their functional activity is also reduced. This inevitably leads to a decrease in the regenerative abilities of the skin and the progression of its aging. In this review we consider the mechanisms underlying these processes, mainly the changes observed with age in the stem/progenitor cells that constitute the fibroblastic differon of the dermis and form their microenvironment (niches). These changes lead to the depletion of stem cells, which, in turn, leads to a decrease in the number of differentiated (mature) dermal fibroblasts responsible for the production of the dermal extracellular matrix and its remodeling. We also describe in detail DNA damages, their cellular and systemic consequences, molecular mechanisms of DNA damage response, and also the role of fibroblast senescence in skin aging.     

Brain Neurons during Physiological Aging: Morphological Features,Autophagic and Mitochondrial Contribution

Accumulating data suggest that the brain undergoes various changes during aging. Among them are loss of both white and gray matter, neurons and synapses degeneration, as well as oxidative, inflammatory, and biochemical changes. The above-mentioned age-related features are closely related to autophagy and mitochondria. Therefore, we aimed to reveal the most peculiar morphological features of brain nervous tissue and to characterize the expression of autophagy and mitochondrial immunohistochemical biomarkers in neurons of different human brain zones during aging. Counting the number of neurons as well as Microtubule-associated proteins 1A/1B light chain 3B (LC3B), Heat shock protein 70 (HSP70), Lysosome-associated membrane protein type 2A (LAMP2A), Alpha subunit of ATP synthase (ATP5A), and Parkinson disease protein 7 (DJ1) immunohistochemical staining were performed on FFPE samples of human prefrontal cortex, corpus striatum, and hippocampus obtained from autopsy. Statistical analysis revealed a loss of neurons in the studied elderly group in comparison to the young group. When the expression of macroautophagy (LC3B), chaperon-mediated autophagy (HSP70, LAMP2A), and mitochondrial respiratory chain complex V (ATP5A) markers for the young and elderly groups were compared, the latter was found to have a significantly higher rate of optical density, whilst there was no significance in DJ1 expression. These findings, while preliminary, suggest that both autophagy and mitochondria are involved in neuronal maintenance during aging and could indicate their potential role in adaptive mechanisms that occur in aging.