Current State Of Investigations Research Articles

Promoting axonal regeneration following nerve surgery: a perspective on ultrasound treatment for nerve injuries.

Nerve injury is often associated with limited axonal regeneration and thus leads to delayed or incomplete axonal reinnervation. As a consequence of slow nerve regeneration, target muscle function is often insufficient and leads to a lifelong burden. Recently, the diagnosis of nerve injuries has been improved and likewise surgical reconstruction has undergone significant developments. However, the problem of slow nerve regeneration has not been solved. In a recent meta-analysis, we have shown that the application of low-intensity ultrasound promotes nerve regeneration experimentally and thereby can improve functional outcomes. Here we want to demonstrate the experimental effect of low intensity ultrasound on nerve regeneration, the current state of investigations and its possible future clinical applications.

Broadband Prosthetic Interfaces: Combining Nerve Transfers and Implantable Multichannel EMG Technology to Decode Spinal Motor Neuron Activity.

Modern robotic hands/upper limbs may replace multiple degrees of freedom of extremity function. However, their intuitive use requires a high number of control signals, which current man-machine interfaces do not provide. Here, we discuss a broadband control interface that combines targeted muscle reinnervation, implantable multichannel electromyographic sensors, and advanced decoding to address the increasing capabilities of modern robotic limbs. With targeted muscle reinnervation, nerves that have lost their targets due to an amputation are surgically transferred to residual stump muscles to increase the number of intuitive prosthetic control signals. This surgery re-establishes a nerve-muscle connection that is used for sensing nerve activity with myoelectric interfaces. Moreover, the nerve transfer determines neurophysiological effects, such as muscular hyper-reinnervation and cortical reafferentation that can be exploited by the myoelectric interface. Modern implantable multichannel EMG sensors provide signals from which it is possible to disentangle the behavior of single motor neurons. Recent studies have shown that the neural drive to muscles can be decoded from these signals and thereby the user's intention can be reliably estimated. By combining these concepts in chronic implants and embedded electronics, we believe that it is in principle possible to establish a broadband man-machine interface, with specific applications in prosthesis control. This perspective illustrates this concept, based on combining advanced surgical techniques with recording hardware and processing algorithms. Here we describe the scientific evidence for this concept, current state of investigations, challenges, and alternative approaches to improve current prosthetic interfaces.

On coordinated approach to the problem of asteroid-comet impact hazard

A review of the current state of investigations into the complex global problem of asteroid-comet hazard (ACH) is presented. Main attention is drawn to a comprehensive analysis of prospects of developing the intra-Russia cooperation of studies on the ACH problem and initiating a working program of solving this problem on the national basis. Special space projects are briefly discussed, aimed to investigate and solve the ACH problem, in particular, the project of a mission of spacecraft with an onboard transponder to a hazardous asteroid (conventionally, asteroid Apophis is chosen as a target).

Enhancement of anti-tumor immunity by photodynamic therapy

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an FDA-approved modality that rapidly eliminates local tumors, resulting in cure of early disease and palliation of advanced disease. PDT was originally considered to be a local treatment; however, both pre-clinical and clinical studies have shown that local PDT treatment of tumors can enhance systemic anti-tumor immunity. The current state of investigations into the ability of PDT to enhance anti-tumor immunity, the mechanisms behind this enhancement and the future of PDT as an immunotherapy are addressed in this review.

QCD analysis of experimental polarized deep-inelastic-scattering data

A detailed review of the current state of investigations into polarized deep inelastic scattering (DIS) is presented. Special attention is given to the methods of the QCD analysis of experimental data on these processes and to the methods of extrapolation of polarized structure functions and polarized quark distributions in the regions inaccessible to current experiments. In the case of pure inclusive processes, the QCD analysis of all worldwide data, including the latest COMPASS data, is presented in detail. Special attention is given to such important components of the nucleon-spin problem as the polarized strangeness and polarized gluon distribution. The features of SIDIS processes are considered; in particular, the role of fragmentation functions in the analysis of the semi-inclusive data is discussed. The methods of extracting the fragmentation functions from experimental data are considered in detail, and the corresponding results are presented. The results of analysis of the existing semi-inclusive polarized data both in the QCD leading order and in the next-to-leading order are considered. Special attention is given to non-standard, so-called difference asymmetries, which make it possible to minimize the dependence of results of analysis on the fragmentation functions. The current methods of QCD analysis of semi-inclusive polarized data are critically reviewed. An alternative method of QCD analysis of semi-inclusive data is presented for next-to-leading order QCD. Advantages of the method in practical applications are illustrated by the example of analysis of the HERMES data.

Dispersions in porous beds

Dispersions and porous media exist either in nature or in industrial applications. They have been the subject of investigations for a long time, but the complexity of the phenomenon is the major obstacle to its better understanding. Many factors influence the interface interactions, transport, accumulation and detachment of particles in a porous matrix limiting new applications. The current state of investigations which include dispersions in the liquid continuous phase, especially emulsions, liquid/solid interface interactions in porous media and some new mathematical functions were reviewed in this paper.

The current state of investigations regarding the thermospheric midnight temperature maximum (MTM)

The thermospheric midnight temperature maximum (MTM) is an upper atmospheric effect found at low latitudes. It is accompanied by an increase in pressure and a signature poleward abatement or reversal in the meridional neutral winds. The MTM exhibits a poleward propagation away from the geographic equator with two secondary maxima developing at approximately ±15° latitude. In this paper, we review early works and recent efforts regarding the MTM. Outstanding questions dealing with seasonal and longitudinal dependencies of the MTM's basic characteristics are discussed. All-sky imaging systems at Arequipa and El Leoncito observed the propagation of 6300 A ̊ airglow enhancements related to the MTM past 35°S latitude. This provides useful information on the upper latitude limit of the MTM. TIEGCM modeling efforts simulate the MTM through upward propagating semi-diurnal tides but have difficulty reproducing accurately its amplitude and occurrence time. It is suggested that the role of the terdiurnal tidal mode may be more important than previously thought. Recent comparative observation and modeling studies of MTM related 6300 A ̊ emission proved unsuccessful. We report that the amplitude of the modeled MTM was not strong enough to instigate the ‘midnight collapse’ of the F-region needed to produce the airglow signature.

Oxygen-Bridged Carboxylato Complexes of Cobalt, Rhodium, and Iridium.

The current state of investigations of homonuclear cobalt(III), rhodium(III), and iridium(III) complexes containing bridging O atoms and bridging carboxylato groups is reviewed.

ChemInform Abstract: Current State of Investigations in Surface Chemistry, Adsorption and Ion Exchange in Ukraine

AbstractChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 100 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a “Full Text” option. The original article is trackable via the “References” option.

Current State of Investigations in Surface Chemistry, Adsorption and Ion Exchange in Ukraine

Studies in surface chemistry, adsorption, ion exchange and the practical application of adsorbents and ion exchangers currently being performed in Institutes of the Ukrainian National Academy of Sciences, Ukrainian universities and institutes for applied studies supervised by the Ukrainian Ministry of Industrial Policy are summarised. The origins, development and current state of these works are reviewed along with their significance for surface science, Ukrainian industry and environmental protection.

Advances in the chemical synthesis of withanolides

This review considers the current state of investigations into the chemical synthesis of phytosteroids of the withanolide group.

Current state of investigations concerning the properties of transition metal nitrides

Current state of investigations concerning the properties of transition metal nitrides