Experiments with small-size dynamic loads in the S-300 high-power pulsed generator

Results are presented from experimental studies of promising output units for high-current pulsed generators within the framework of the program on inertial confinement fusion research with the use of fast Z-pinches. The experiments were carried out on the S-300 facility (4 MA, 70 ns, 0.15 Ω). Specifically, sharpening systems similar to plasma flow switches but operating in a nanosecond range were investigated. Switching rates to a load as high as 2.5 MA per 2.5 ns, stable switching of a 750-kA current to a low-size Z-pinch, and the radiative temperature of the load cavity wall of up to 50 eV were achieved.     

Cochliopodium barki n. sp. (Rhizopoda, Himatismenida) re-isolated from soil 30 years after its initial description

A strain of Cochliopodium isolated from grassland soil at Sourhope Research Station (Scotland, UK) was found to be identical to the strain “Cochliopodium sp.2” studied by Bark in 1973. We name it Cochliopodium barki. It belongs to a group of species (comprising also C. minus and Cochliopodium sp. “NYS strain”) with very similar scale pattern.     

Differential Participation of Central L-Glutamate Receptors of non-NMDA-Subtype in Associative Learning of the Honeybee Apis mellifera

Participation of non-NMDA-receptors in associative learning in the honeybee was analyzed using a complex approach. There were studied effects of systemic and intracerebral AMPA injections on retention of the elaborated conditional reflex in short-term memory, on dynamics of the bioelectrical activity of neurons of calyx of the mushroom bodies, and on the limb locomotor activity. It has been shown that the systemic and intracerebral AMPA injections stimulate processes of short-term memory and activate bioelectrical activity of neurons of the mushroom body medial calyx. Antagonist of AMPA-receptors NS-257 HCl suppressed spontaneous activity of these neurons. The observed processes did not depend on the character of locomotor activity. These results confirm the hypothesis proposed earlier about involvement of non-NMDA-receptors in the process of associative learning.     

ATM gene mutations result in both recessive and dominant expression phenotypes of genes and microRNAs

The defining characteristic of recessive disorders is the absence of disease in heterozygous carriers of the mutant alleles. However, it has been recognized that recessive carriers may differ from noncarriers in some phenotypes. Here, we studied ataxia telangiectasia (AT), a classical recessive disorder caused by mutations in the ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) gene. We compared the gene and microRNA expression phenotypes of noncarriers, AT carriers who have one copy of the ATM mutations, and AT patients with two copies of ATM mutations. We found that some phenotypes are more similar between noncarriers and AT carriers compared to AT patients, as expected for a recessive disorder. However, for some expression phenotypes, AT carriers are more similar to the patients than to the noncarriers. Analysis of one of these expression phenotypes, TNFSF4 level, allowed us to uncover a regulatory pathway where ATM regulates TNFSF4 expression through MIRN125B (also known as miR-125b or miR125b) [corrected] In AT carriers and AT patients, this pathway is disrupted. As a result, the level of MIRN125B is lower and the level of its target gene, TNFSF4, is higher than in noncarriers. A decreased level of MIRN125B is associated with breast cancer, and an elevated level of TNFSF4 is associated with atherosclerosis. Thus, our findings provide a mechanistic suggestion for the increased risk of breast cancer and heart disease in AT carriers. By integrating molecular and computational analyses of gene and microRNA expression, we show the complex consequences of a human gene mutation.     

New and little known cladocerans (Crustacea: Anomopoda) from southeastern Mexico

Mexico represents a transitional area in which two biogeographic regions meet. A survey of the cladocerans collected in true tropical waterbodies from the country revealed a diverse fauna. The environments examined included temporary pools in the forest, rivers, permanent lagoons and karstic sinkholes. New records or little known taxa include: Diaphanosoma brevireme, D. fluviatile, Pseudosida ramosa, Simocephalus mixtus, Onchobunops tuberculatus,Guernella raphaelis, Chydorus nitidilus, Notoalonacf. globulosa, Alonella brasiliensis and Leydigiopsis curvirostris. In contrast to high altitude systems, with clear nearctic affinity, the lowlands of southeastern Mexico showed a striking resemblance with the South and Central American cladoceran fauna. Apparently, orographic barriers control the distribution of the cladoceran taxa in this region.     

Studies of the Stability of Microbial Association Use in Industrial Biofiltering of Gaseous Discharges

Results of industrial exploitation of a biofiltration plant tailored for purifying gaseous discharges of hazardous organic components such as toluene, cyclohexane, and xylene, are examined. Both numerical and compositional variations were monitored for a long-term (more than 1.5 years) utilization process in an association of microorganisms decomposing organic pollutants. A population of microbial association composed by one yeast and two bacterial strains in the biofilm on the surface of filtering sheets was abundant (10⁸–10⁹ yeast cells/cm² and 10¹⁰–10¹¹ bacterial cells/cm²) and stable during the whole period of monitoring. A microbial association in the culture medium averaging 10⁶ yeast cells/l and 10⁸ bacterial cells/l is more susceptible to technogenic impacts and seasonal fluctuations. Overall, the biofilter as an open and autonomic system maintained its microbial association, thereby providing high-degree (93–98%) purification of industrial gaseous discharges from organic pollutants.