β-hydroxyacyl-coa-dehydrogenase (HADH) activity of unfrozen and frozen—thawed frog (Rana esculenta) legs

The β-hydroxyacyl-CoA-dehydrogenase (HADH) activity of unfrozen and thawed frog legs was investigated. The enzyme was extracted by either immersing frog legs in phosphate buffer 0.1 M, pH 6.0 at 25°C for 15 min or pressing them between trichinoscopy glasses. The enzyme activity was assayed using acetoacetyl-CoA as substrate and measured spectrophotometrically at 340 nm. It was possible by both extraction methods to distinguish between thawed and unfrozen samples although when the juice was obtained by pressing the HADH activity of the dilution was ～ 1.5 times higher than that obtained by immersion. The HADH activity was significantly higher (P≤0·001) in frozen-thawed frogs than in unfrozen legs because during freezing there is a release of HADH. No significative differences were found in the HADH activity in samples frozen in the temperature range -10 to -196°C. HADH activity was not affected by the storage time in crushed ice up to 6 days.     

Status of Work on the VÉPP-5 Injection Complex

The VÉPP-5 injection complex under construction at the Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences is a powerful source of intense electron and positron bunches at 510 MeV, which covers all needs of the electron–positron colliding beam setups currently operating and under construction at the Institute of Nuclear Physics. The complex includes a 285 MeV linear electron accelerator, a 510 MeV linear positron accelerator, and an accumulator–cooler with beam injection and ejection channels. Intense work on the design, assembly, and tuning of the linear electron accelerator has been conducted in the last 2 yr. As a result, by August 2002 the linear electron accelerator was put into operation with all standard subsystems. By this time, the isochronous achromatic turning of the electron beam, a system for converting electrons into positrons, and the first accelerating structure of the linear positron accelerator were assembled and put into operation. All this made it possible to accelerate the positron beam up to 75 MeV. Preliminary results of tests of the linear accelerators are presented.     

Urgent Problems of Creation and Commercial Use of Corrosion-Resistant Ferritic Steels with Special Physical Properties

Metal Science and Heat Treatment -     

Experimental Investigation of a Piezo-Optical Transducer for Highly Sensitive Strain Gauges

The characteristics of a piezo-optical transducer of a new design with high strain sensitivity at compact size have been studied.The original form of the photoelastic element provides a considerable increase in the stress in its working area at a given external force, resulting in an increase in the sensitivity of the transducer. The main characteristics of the transducer were measured using a specially designed device. The strain at a given applied force was calculated using a developed mathematical model of the transducer. As a result, the sensitivity to the relative strain was Δx/x=3 · 10^?10, the dynamic range was at least four orders of magnitude higher and the gauge factor three orders of magnitude higher than those of strain-resistive gauges.     

The ortho-to-para conversion in solid hydrogen,catalyzed by hydrogen atoms

The combined techniques of ESR and NMR were used to investigate the process of ortho-para conversion in solid molecular hydrogen, containing small amounts ( 500 ppm) of hydrogen atoms as impurity. Although the impurity atoms catalyze the effective conversion of the neighboring ortho-H₂, the total catalyzed conversion rate at temperatures from 2.2 K to 4.4 K is much less than expected from the rate of the H atoms recombination. A possible explanation is given in terms of the diffusion of H atoms, which is confined to some defects in the crystal.     

Laser-Printed Plasmonic Metasurface Supporting Bound States in the Continuum Enhances and Shapes Infrared Spontaneous Emission of Coupled HgTe Quantum Dots

In order to advance the development of quantum emitter-based devices, it is essential to enhance light-matter interactions through coupling between semiconductor quantum dots with high quality factor resonators. Here, efficient tuning of the emission properties of HgTe quantum dots in the infrared spectral region is demonstrated by coupling them to a plasmonic metasurface that supports bound states in the continuum. The plasmonic metasurface, composed of an array of gold nanobumps, is fabricated using single-step direct laser printing, opening up new opportunities for creating exclusive 3D plasmonic nanostructures and advanced photonic devices in the infrared region. A 12-fold enhancement of the photoluminescence in the 900–1700 nm range is observed under optimal coupling conditions. By tuning the geometry of the plasmonic arrays, controllable shaping of the emission spectra is achieved, selectively enhancing specific wavelength ranges across the emission spectrum. The observed enhancement and shaping of the emission are attributed to the Purcell effect, as corroborated by systematic measurements of radiative lifetimes and optical simulations based on the numerical solution of Maxwell's equations. Moreover, coupling of the HgTe photoluminescence to high quality factor modes of the metasurface improves emission directivity, concentrating output within an ≈20° angle.     

Monolithic Integrated Circuits Based on Gallium Nitride for Short-Range Radar and Communications in the 22–25 GHz Frequency Range

Russian Microelectronics - A set of monolithic integrated circuits (MICs) in the 22–25 GHz range based on gallium nitride nanoheterostructures on sapphire substrates is designed, produced,...