Formation of electron transport barriers under ECR control of the q(r) profile in the T-10 tokamak

Abstract-the formation of transport barriers under electron cyclotron resonance heating and current drive in the t-10 tokamak is studied. in regimes with off-axis co-eccd and q _L <4 at the limiter, a spontaneous transition to improved confinement accompanied by the formation of two electron transport barriers is observed. the improvement resembles an L-H transition. It manifests itself as density growth, a decrease in the D_α emission intensity, and an increase in the central electron and ion temperatures. Two deep wells on the potential profile (the first one at r/a _L ≈0.6, where a _L is the limiter radius, and the second one near the edge) arise during the transition. the internal barrier is formed when dq/dr～0 with q≈1 in the barrier region.     

The role of Ca2+ transport across the plasma membrane for cell migration.

Cell migration plays a central role in many physiological and pathophysiological processes. On a cellular level it is based on a highly coordinated restructuring of the cytoskeleton, a continuous cycle of adhesion and de-adhesion as well as on the activity of ion channels and transporters. The cytoplasmic Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) concentration is an important coordinator of these intracellular processes. Thus, [Ca2+]i must be tightly controlled in migrating cells. This is among other things achieved by the activity of Ca2+ permeable channels, the plasma membrane Ca2+-ATPase (PMCA) and the Na+/Ca2+ exchanger (NCX) in the plasma membrane. Here, we wanted to determine the functional role of these transport proteins in cell migration. We therefore quantified the acute effect of inhibitors of these transport proteins (Gd3+, vanadate, KB-R7943) on migration, [Ca2+]i, and intracellular pH (pHi) of MDCK-F cells. Migration was monitored with computer-assisted time-lapse video microscopy. [Ca2+]i and pHi were measured with the fluorescent indicators fura-2 and BCECF. NCX expression in MDCK-F cells was verified with ion substitution experiments, and expression of PMCA was tested with RT-PCR. All blockers lead to a rapid impairment of cell migration. However, the most prominent effect is elicited by NCX-inhibition with KB-R7943. NCX-blockade leads to an almost complete inhibition of migration which is accompanied by a dose-dependent increase of [Ca2+]i and an intracellular alkalinisation. We show that inhibition of NCX and PMCA strongly affects lamellipodial dynamics of migrating MDCK-F cells. Taken together, our results show that PMCA and in particular NCX are of critical importance for cell migration.     

Assessment of muscle and fat mass in type 2 diabetes patients by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry

Objectives:The aim of this study was to assess the quantitative composition of muscle and adipose tissue in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients on the basis of dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry for the diagnosis of obesity and sarcopenia.Methods:Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry was administered to 50 patients with T2DM. Evaluation of the composition of muscle and adipose tissue was performed.Results:The median of Appendicular Lean Mass Index (ALMI) in the general group was 8.04 [7.32; 8.97]. In general, there was a decrease in the appendicular muscle mass with increasing age. According to the results of T-score ALMI and Z-score ALMI, we did not identify patients with sarcopenia. However, the calculation of the T- and Z-criteria, adjusted for fat mass, led to a significant decrease of these parameters and in 98.0% it was possible to identify patients who meet the criteria of sarcopenia.Conclusion:We did not detect patients with sarcopenia on the basis of ALMI, T-ALMI. After revision of these criteria for fat mass, almost all patients started to meet the criteria of sarcopenia (98.0%).     

Theoretical evaluation of the parameters of glucose metabolism on the basis of continuous glycemia monitoring data using mathematical modeling

The aim of this paper is to construct a mathematical model that takes the main physiological parameters of blood-glucose regulation into account, in order to identify these parameters for an individual patient according to continuous glucose-monitoring data. The constructed mathematical model consists of six ordinary differential equations that describe the dynamics of changes in glucose concentrations, as well as insulin and anti-insulin factors in the blood. Estimation of the parameters of the equations was performed using an evolutionary programming method. The model predictions were fitted to the continuous glucosemonitoring data. As a result of the identification of the model parameters for two patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus, the estimated insulin secretion was close to zero and the estimated glucose utilization and insulin clearance were increased in comparison with the data for healthy donors. Here, we present a personalized model of the regulation of blood glucose, which can be used to predict the results of continuous glucose monitoring depending on modification of the prescribed glucose-lowering therapy. This approach can significantly reduce the number of iterations of the selection of medical hypoglycemic therapy and therefore increase the effectiveness of treatment according to glucose-monitoring data.

     

Innovative instrumentation for microarray scanning and analysis: application for characterization of oligonucleotide duplexes behavior.

Accuracy in microarray technology requires new approaches to microarray reader development. A microarray reader system (optical scanning array or OSA reader) based on automated microscopy with large field of view, high speed 3 axis scanning at multiple narrow-band spectra of excitation light has been developed. It allows fast capture of high-resolution, multi-fluorescence images and is characterized by a linear dynamic range and sensitivity comparable to commonly used photo-multiplier tube (PMT)-based laser scanner. Controlled by high performance software, the instrument can be used for scanning and quantitative analysis of any type of dry microarray. Studies implying temperature-controlled hybridization chamber containing a microarray can also be performed. This enables the registration of kinetics and melting curves. This feature is required in a wide range of on-chip chemical and enzymatic reactions including on-chip PCR amplification. We used the OSA reader for the characterization of hybridization and melting behaviour of oligonucleotide:oligonucleotide duplexes on three-dimensional Code Link slides.