Intravenous Nicotinamide Riboside Administration Has a Cardioprotective Effect in Chronic Doxorubicin-Induced Cardiomyopathy

Doxorubicin, which is widely used to treat a broad spectrum of malignancies, has pronounced dose-dependent side effects leading to chronic heart failure development. Nicotinamide riboside (NR) is one of the promising candidates for leveling the cardiotoxic effect. In the present work, we performed a comparative study of the cardioprotective and therapeutic actions of various intravenous NR administration modes in chronic doxorubicin-induced cardiomyopathy in Wistar rats. The study used 60 mature male SPF Wistar rats. The animals were randomized into four groups (a control group and three experimental groups) which determined the doxorubicin (intraperitoneally) and NR (intravenous) doses as well as the specific modes of NR administration (combined, preventive). We demonstrated the protective effect of NR on the cardiovascular system both with combined and preventive intravenous drug administration, which was reflected in a fibrous tissue formation decrease, reduced fractional-shortening decrease, and better antioxidant system performance. At the same time, it is important to note that the preventive administration of NR had a more significant protective effect on the animal organism as a whole. This was confirmed by better physical activity parameters and vascular bed conditions. Thus, the data obtained during the study can be used for further investigation into chronic doxorubicin-induced cardiomyopathy prevention and treatment approaches.     

Modeling the structure of composite solid rocket fuel

Results are reported on the creation of a model for the structure of a composite solid rocket fuel in terms of such concepts as “pockets” and “interpocket bridges.” Appropriate model calculations and experimental data are presented, and the possibility of using the model for predicting the characteristics of the combustion process is pointed out. Translated fromFizika Goreniya i Vzryva Vol. 35, No. 2, pp. 35–40, Mach–April 1999.     

An efficient approach to approximation and practical application of DGS diagrams

A nonstandard experimental and mathematical approach to the development of analytical and numerical multidimensional approximations for DGS diagrams is proposed. This method features sufficiently high accuracy, versatility, and reliability for different types of piezoelectric probes (PPs) and test objects (TOs). The efficiency of the approach is demonstrated by a test example and is also checked in its implementation in software for the UD4-S device based on standard specimens simulating flaws. Issues related to the solution of the direct and inverse problems of ultrasonic nondestructive testing are discussed.Translated from Defektoskopiya, Vol. 40, No. 10, 2004, pp. 49–61.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2004 by Sviridov, Gaburov, Veremeenko, Pokladov.     

Dynamics of Josephson Junction under “Green” Noise

The stochastic dynamics of the Josephson junction is studied when external noise is nonwhite and high-pass filtered (“green” noise). In this case the diffusion coefficient of the Fokker-Planck equation is zero. Therefore the phase locking between the wave functions of the Cooper pairs is described and interpreted by the Krylov-Bogoljubov averaging method. The maximum (“critical”) Josephson current is redefined. Nonlinear diffusion and the lifetime of the phase locking of wave functions are considered. Background illumination, zero-point fluctuations and filtered white noise are used as examples of green noise. It is shown that the effect of green noise on the superconducting state of the junction is much less destructive than that of white one.     

Thermoacoustic Waves Arising under Conditions of Heating a Perfect Viscous Gas

We used the control volume approach and a modified SIMPLER algorithm to numerically solve a fully formulated unsteady-state problem on the heating of a perfect gas in a plane confined layer.     

Diffusion of cations in sodium-potassium and sodium-barium silicate melts

Diffusion coefficients of sodium and potassium ions in molten glasses with the composition (25 ? x)Na₂O · xK₂O · 75SiO₂ have been determined by the sectioning method with measurement of the residual activity ²²Na and ⁴²K isotopes. Diffusion of sodium and ¹³³Ba ions has been studied in melts of the (30 ? x)Na₂O · xBaO · 5Ga₂O₃ · 65SiO₂ system. It has been found that the concentration dependences of diffusion characteristics in melts containing alkali and alkaline-earth cations principally differ from the regularities diffusion in dialkali melts.     

Kinetics of structural relaxation in glasses: A hierarchical model of relaxation centers

A definition is proposed for the characteristic time of structural relaxation τ_{str. rel} in metallic glasses—the universal parameter describing the kinetics of various processes associated with the structural relaxation. The behavior of τ_{str. rel} in model situations of isothermal annealing of a glass and its heating at a constant rate is considered. In the former case, the time τ_{str. rel} is equal to the age of the sample. In the latter case, after a time, τ_{str. rel} reaches a steady-state value. This is in agreement with the τ_{str. rel} values determined from the creep rate. The kinetics of structural relaxation is analyzed with due regard for the hierarchical structure of the phase space in glasses. The kinetic equation taking into account this feature is proposed, and the results of its numerical solution are given.     

Green Lithography for Delicate Materials

A variety of unconventional materials, including biological nanostructures, organic and hybrid semiconductors, as well as monolayer, and other low-dimensional systems, are actively explored. They are usually incompatible with standard lithographic techniques that use harsh organic solvents and other detrimental processing. Here, a new class of green and gentle lithographic resists, compatible with delicate materials and capable of both top-down and bottom-up fabrication routines is developed. To demonstrate the excellence of this approach, devices with sub-micron features are fabricated on organic semiconductor crystals and individual animal's brain microtubules. Such structures are created for the first time, thanks to the genuinely water-based lithography, which opens an avenue for the thorough research of unconventional delicate materials at the nanoscale.