Publications

Introduction: The emergence of a new member of the Coronaviridae family, which caused the 2020 pandemic, requires detailed research on the evolution of coronaviruses, their structure and properties, and interaction with cells. Modern nanobiotechnologies can address the many clinical challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, they offer new therapeutic approaches using biocompatible nanostructures with “specific” antiviral activity. Therefore, the nanosized spherical-like molecule (0.72 nm in diameter) composed of 60 carbon atoms, C60 fullerene, is of interest in terms of fighting coronaviruses due to its high biological activity. In here, we aim to evaluate the effectiveness of anticoronavirus action of water-soluble pristine C60 fullerene in the model and in vitro systems. As a model, apathogenic for human coronavirus, we used transmissible gastroenteritis virus of swine (TGEV), which we adapted to the BHK-21 cell culture (kidney cells of a newborn Syrian hamster).Methods: The shape and size of the particles present in C60 fullerene aqueous colloidal solution (C60FAS) of given concentration, as well as C60FAS stability (value of zeta potential) were studied using microscopic (STM, scanning tunneling microscopy, and AFM, atomic force microscopy) and spectroscopic (DLS, dynamic light scattering) methods. The cytopathic effect of TGEV was determined with the help of a Leica DM 750 microscope and the degree of monolayer changes in cells was assessed. The microscopy of the viral suspension was performed using a high resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM; JEM-1230, Japan). Finally, the search for and design of optimal possible complexes between C60 fullerene and target proteins in the structure of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, evaluation of their stability in the simulated cellular environment were performed using molecular dynamics and docking methods.Results: It was found that the maximum allowable cytotoxic concentration of C60 fullerene is 37.5 ± 3.0 [my]g/ml. The investigated C60FAS reduces the titer of coronavirus infectious activity by the value of 2.00 ± 0.08 TCID50/ml. It was shown that C60 fullerene interacts directly with SARS-CoV-2 proteins, such as RdRp (RNA-dependent RNA polymerase) and 3CLpro (3-chymotrypsin-like protease), which is critical for the life cycle of the coronavirus and, thus, inhibits its functional activity. In both cases, C60 fullerene fills the binding pocket and gets stuck there through stacking and steric interactions.Conclusion: Pioneer in vitro study to identify the anticoronavirus activity of water-soluble pristine C60 fullerenes indicates that they are highly promising for further preclinical studies, since a significant inhibition of the infectious activity of swine coronavirus of transmissible gastroenteritis in BHK-21 cell culture was found. According to molecular modeling results, it was shown that C60 fullerene can create the stable complexes with 3CLpro and RdRp proteins of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus and, thus, suppress its functional activity.

Repetitively applied laser pulses are used for tissue heating and temperature measurement. The potential of model-based control techniques for temperature regulation by adjusting the energy of the heating pulses is explored.

WSe2 has been widely used in NO2 gas sensors in recent years, but it still suffers from low responsiveness and slow reaction kinetics. Herein, we used the chemical vapor deposition method to synthesize a vertically grown few-layer WSe2 (3D-WSe2) nanosheet film. Three-dimensional-WSe2 is transformed into vertical growth by introducing a TiO2 buffer layer and exposes much more edge active sites to improve gas sensitivity. As a result, it has not only high crystallinity and few defects but also a high response to NO2 (34.6% at 1 ppm), a fast response time (66 s), a short recovery time (17 min), a low limit of detection (4 ppb), excellent stability, and gas selectivity at room temperature.

Triggered by the increasing number of renewable energy sources, the German electricity grid is undergoing a fundamental change from mono to bidirectional power flow. This paradigm shift confronts grid operators with new problems but also new opportunities. In this chapter we point out some of these problems arising on different layers of the grid hierarchy and sketch mathematical methods to handle them. While the transmission system operator’s main concern is stability and security of the system in case of contingencies, the distribution system operator aims to exploit inherent flexibilities. We identify possible interconnections among the layers to make the flexibility from the distribution grid available within the whole network. Our presented approaches include: the distributed control of energy storage devices on a residential level; transient stability analysis via a new set-based approach; a new clustering-based model-order reduction technique; and a modeling framework for the power flow problem on the transmission level which incorporates new grid technologies.