The order of the <Emphasis Type=Italic>bs,Skdh</Emphasis>, and <Emphasis Type=Italic>Aadh1</Emphasis> genes in chromosome 5R of rye <Emphasis Type=Italic>Secale cereale</Emphasis> L.

Segregation analysis was performed in the progenies obtained in analyzing crosses of hybrids of spring and winter accessions of rye Secale cereale L. and wild S. montanum subsp. anatolicum (Grossh.) Tzvel. (syn. S. strictum (J. Presl) J. Presl). The test genes controlled the brittle stem (bs), the allelic variants of aromatic alcohol dehydrogenase (Aadh1) and shikimate dehydrogenase (Skdh), and the growth habit (Vrn1). A linkage was observed in the inheritance of the brittle stem and the aromatic alcohol dehydrogenase and shikimate dehydrogenase alloenzymes. The order of genes was established to be bs-Skdh-Aadh1, and the genetic distances were estimated to be bs-(9.0%)-Skdh, bs-(10.8%)-Aadh1, and Skdh-(5.3%)-Aadh1. The recombination coefficient between the Skdh and Aadh1 genes varied from 2.2 to 18.2%, averaging 5.3%. The growth habit was inherited independently of the bs-Skdh-Aadh1 linkage group.     

Activation of the sensorimotor cortex using a device for mechanical stimulation of the plantar support zones

Numerous studies on the mechanisms of the motor control carried out in the interests of space medicine resulted in a concept on the leading role of the support afferent input in the regulation of the postural tonic system in mammals. The implementation of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has permitted in vivo brain mapping during stimulation of the support afferent input. The goal of this study was to identify activated regions in the brain during mechanical stimulation of the plantar support zones in different modes using a special Korvit simulator. Twelve healthy volunteers (six women and six men) aged from 22 to 42 years were studied using fMRI, each of them was scanned once. The fMRI protocol for each subject consisted of two different blocked paradigms: (1) with the soles of a subject stimulated in an imitated standing mode and (2) with the soles stimulated in an imitation slow-walking mode. The patterns of activation in each mode were analyzed using the SPM5 statistical software package for each subject and for the group as a whole. All the paradigms showed significant activation (p _correct < 0. 05 at the cluster level) in the primary somatosensory, premotor, dorsolateral and prefrontal cortices, as well as in the insula. The involvement of the prefrontal cortex during simulation of standing and a broad involvement of the primary and secondary sensorimotor cortices during simulation of slow walking were found.     

Cytogenetic studies of Lucilia cuprina dorsalis R.-D. (Diptera: Calliphoridae)

Standard photographic maps of the trichogen cell polytene chromosomes are presented. Polytene chromosome locations of 39 mutations have been determined by genetic mapping of autosomal duplications, inversions and translocations. Homologies between the polytene chromosomes of L. cuprina, other Calliphoridae, and Sarcophagidae are noted; genetic linkage groups may have been conserved largely intact during the evolution of the higher Diptera.     

Ideal internal kink modes in a differentially rotating cylindrical plasma

The Velikhov effect leading to magnetorotational instability (MRI) is incorporated into the theory of ideal internal kink modes in a differentially rotating cylindrical plasma column. It is shown that this effect can play a stabilizing role for suitably organized plasma rotation profiles, leading to suppression of MHD (magnetohydrodynamic) instabilities in magnetic confinement systems. The role of this effect in the problem of the Suydam and the m = 1 internal kink modes is elucidated, where m is the poloidal mode number. Published in Russian in Fizika Plazmy, 2008, Vol. 34, No. 7, pp. 589–597. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Comparison of Some Plant DNA Extraction Methods

DNA isolation is a routine procedure when performed in laboratory environment, yet in the field it may still remain problematic. This is especially true of some crop species bred for useful metabolites that may also hinder DNA extraction. Here we compare the efficiency of DNA extraction protocols and commercial DNA isolation kits when used on samples from Helianthus and Allium. Since extraction of DNA is known to be compromised by co-extraction of PCR-inhibiting metabolites, the isolation of DNA was followed by PCR as a testing procedure for the isolation step. The MagnoPrime Fact and MagnoPrime Uni DNA isolation kits were better suited for field work due to faster processing times and smaller required amount of starting material (20 mg fresh/0.5 mg dry). In all cases the subsequent PCR managed to amplify the DNA fragments of interest well enough to be useful in further research.     

Influence of plasma pedestal profiles on access to ELM-free regimes in ITER

The influence of current density and pressure gradient profiles in the pedestal on the access to the regimes free from edge localized modes (ELMs) like quiescent H-mode in ITER is investigated. Using the simulator of MHD modes localized near plasma boundary based on the KINX code, calculations of the ELM stability were performed for the ITER plasma in scenarios 2 and 4 under variations of density and temperature profiles with the self-consistent bootstrap current in the pedestal. Low pressure gradient values at the separatrix, the same position of the density and temperature pedestals and high poloidal beta values facilitate reaching high current density in the pedestal and a potential transition into the regime with saturated large scale kink modes. New version of the localized MHD mode simulator allows one to compute the growth rates of ideal peeling-ballooning modes with different toroidal mode numbers and to determine the stability region taking into account diamagnetic stabilization. The edge stability diagrams computations and sensitivity studies of the stability limits to the value of diamagnetic frequency show that diamagnetic stabilization of the modes with high toroidal mode numbers can help to access the quiescent H-mode even with high plasma density but only with low pressure gradient values at the separatrix. The limiting pressure at the top of the pedestal increases for higher plasma density. With flat density profile the access to the quiescent H-mode is closed even with diamagnetic stabilization taken into account, while toroidal mode numbers of the most unstable peeling-ballooning mode decrease from n = 10?40 to n = 3?20.     

Neutralizing Monoclonal Antibodies Cross-React with Fusion Proteins Encoded by <Emphasis Type="Italic">129L</Emphasis> of the Ectromelia Virus and <Emphasis Type="Italic">A30L</Emphasis> of the Variola Virus

PCR fragments containing the fusion protein genes 129L of the ectromelia virus (EV) and A30L of the variola virus (VARV) were cloned in pQE32. The expression products, recombinant prA30L and pr129L, were isolated from Escherichia coli cell lysates by metal-chelate affinity chromatography. The recombinant proteins retained the capability of oligomerization, characteristic of their natural analogs. ELISA and immunoblotting were used to test 22 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to orthopoxviruses (19 mAbs to EV, 2 mAbs to the vaccinia virus (VACV), and 1 mAb to the cowpox virus (CPXV)) for interaction with prA30L, pr129L, and orthopoxviruses. Twelve species-specific epitopes were found in the EV fusion protein 129L and its recombinant analog. Ten cross-reacting epitopes were found in the EV, CPXV, and VACV fusion proteins. Of these, nine epitopes were present both in prA30L and in the VARV fusion protein. Five mAbs interacting with cross-reacting epitopes were capable of efficient neutralization of VACV; two of these mAbs neutralized VARV. It was demonstrated that there are species-specific epitopes in EV 129L and cross-reacting epitopes in the EV, VARV, CPXV, and VACV fusion proteins, including epitopes that induced synthesis of virus-neutralizing antibodies against VACV and VARV.     

Mathematical models for the study of electromechanical and mechanoelectrical coupling in the myocardium

Mathematical models have been developed to describe interactions of electrical, mechanical and chemical processes in cardiomyocytes. The models simulate wide range of experimental data on excitation-contraction coupling and, more importantly, on mechanoelectric feedback in heart muscle. The model results clearly show that mechano-dependence of intracellular calcium handling due to cooperative effects of contractile proteins activation plays a key role in cardiac mechanoelectric coupling. At the same time, mechanosensitive currents can also contribute to action potential responses to mechanical perturbations. Using this model to study the heterogeneous myocardium we have shown that temporal and functional electromechanical heterogeneity of coupled cardiomyocytes can essentially determine the myocardium contractility. Optimization of the electromechanical function of contractile system emerges from the fine coordination between the activation sequence of cardiomyocytes, their local electromechanical properties and the mechanical interaction during contraction.