Order/disorder phase transition in cordierite and its possible relationship to the development of symplectite reaction textures in granulites

Based on a consistent set of empirical interatomic potentials, static structure energy calculations of various Al/Si configurations in the supercell of Mg-cordierite and Monte Carlo simulations the phase transition between the orthorhombic and hexagonal modifications of cordierite (Crd) is predicted at 1623 K. The temperature dependences of the enthalpy, entropy, and free energy of the Al/Si disorder were calculated using the method of thermodynamic integration. The simulations suggest that the commonly observed crystallization of cordierite in the disordered hexagonal form could be related to a tendency of Al to occupy T1 site, which is driven by local charge balance. The increase in the Al fraction in the T1 site over the ratio of 2/3(T1): 1/3(T2), that characterizes the ordered state, precludes formation of the domains of the orthorhombic phase. This intrinsic tendency to the crystallization of the metastable hexagonal phase could have significantly postponed the formation of the association of orthorhombic cordierite and orthopyroxene over the association of quartz and garnet in metapelites subjected to granulite facies metamorphism. The textures of local metasomatic replacement (the formation of Crd + Opx or Spr + Crd symplectites between the grains of garnet and quartz) indicate the thermodynamic instability of the association of Qtz + Grt at the moment of the metasomatic reaction. This instability could have been caused by the difficulty of equilibrium nucleation of orthorhombic cordierite

Unsupervised Extraction of Stable Expression Signatures from Public Compendia with an Ensemble of Neural Networks

Cross-experiment comparisons in public data compendia are challenged by unmatched conditions and technical noise. The ADAGE method, which performs unsupervised integration with denoising autoencoder neural networks, can identify biological patterns, but because ADAGE models, like many neural networks, are over-parameterized, different ADAGE models perform equally well. To enhance model robustness and better build signatures consistent with biological pathways, we developed an ensemble ADAGE (eADAGE) that integrated stable signatures across models. We applied eADAGE to a compendium of Pseudomonas aeruginosa gene expression profiling experiments performed in 78 media. eADAGE revealed a phosphate starvation response controlled by PhoB in media with moderate phosphate and predicted that a second stimulus provided by the sensor kinase, KinB, is required for this PhoB activation. We validated this relationship using both targeted and unbiased genetic approaches. eADAGE, which captures stable biological patterns, enables cross-experiment comparisons that can highlight measured but undiscovered relationships.Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation (GBMF 4552)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (grant R01-AI091702)Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (STANTO15R0

SOURCES OF HIGH PROTEIN CONTENT IN COMMON BEAN SEEDS (PHASEOLUS VULGARIS) FROM THE VIR COLLECTION

Background. An important trend in modern breeding of common beans is to improve the quality of grain. High protein content in seeds is one of the most important indicators of the nutritional value of beans. Searching for high-protein accessions, identifying sources of high protein content, and using them in the breeding process, while developing new cultivars, still remain relevant. The aims of our research included the identification of variability patterns for protein content in accessions of different origin, characterization of cultivars, and description of their morphological and economic traits.Materials and methods. Presented here are the results of biochemical screening of 166 common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) accessions of various ecogeographic origin, added to the VIR collection in 2005–2016. Field study of economically valuable traits was carried out according to VIR’s techniques. The protein content in seeds was measured in the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department at VIR using Kjeldahl method. Mathematical data processing (correlation analysis and single-factor analysis of variance) was performed using Statistica 7.0 software (StatSoft, Inc., USA).Results and conclusions. As a result of the assessment, 12 sources of high protein content in seeds (> 28% annually) were identified and described. The average value of the trait differed depending on the country of origin, genotype and year of study. The correlation analysis failed to find general regularities (strong stable interrelations) between the protein content in seeds and morphological, economically valuable traits. The values of correlation coefficients were unstable over the years of study. Weak links between the protein content and the genotype (r = 0.25) or the year of reproduction (r = 0.24) were identified. Significant relationships between protein content, morphological and economically valuable traits were not found. Seed protein content, according to the results of the single-factor analysis of variance, largely depended on the genetic properties of plants (effect size is 70.1%), and, to a smaller extent, on the year of reproduction (14.5%) and origin (17.5%)

Concerning the issue of early diagnostics of low tannin content in faba bean seeds (<i>Vicia faba</i> L.)

Background. The use of faba bean (Vicia faba L.) as a feed and food plant is hindered by the presence of antinutritional substances and in particular phenolic compounds – tannins – in the seed coat. The existence of low-tannin or zero-tannin forms in the faba bean gene pool allows breeders to promote this trait. The aim of this work was to carry out biochemical validation of a known morphological marker of low tannin content and identify relationships of some phenotypic traits characterized by accumulation of phenolic compounds (tannins and anthocyanins) with their concentration for use as additional morphological markers of the low content of these antinutrients in bean seeds.Materials and methods. Associations of the presence/absence of anthocyanin in seedlings, pigmentation on petals, and dark extrafloral nectaries on stipules with the content of tannins and anthocyanins were analyzed in 10 faba bean accessions with different seed coat colors from the VIR collection. The plants were grown and evaluated in Leningrad Province in 2020–2021. Tannins in seeds were assessed using Leventhal’s method. Anthocyanins were analyzed in the green biomass of plants using a spectrophotometric method.Results and conclusion. Different combinations of the studied morphological features associated with the coloration of the studied organs were found. A high positive correlation between the levels of anthocyanins and tannins (r = 0.79) was identified as well as a direct connection of the high value of these traits with the presence of a dark extrafloral nectary on stipules and anthocyanin in seedlings. The absence of anthocyanin staining on seedlings and the absence of dark-colored extrafloral nectaries on stipules can serve as markers of low-tannin genotypes in the early stages of plant development. The light seed coat color that does not darken for a long time may also be the evidence of low tannin content

Перспективы развития инновационной деятельности

The transition to a market economy requires a significant increase in production flexibility and receptivity to innovations. Newly created enterprises of knowledge-intensive sectors, in contrast to the conventional focus on full cycle, including the stage of R &amp; d and production of new products and services. Innovations link the different character and methods of management activity: science, production, investment, sales. The improvement of the styles and techniques of innovation management, quick and adequate response to changing market conditions, the development of new lines of instruments in the companies, etc. allow the innovators to use all kinds of resources for successful innovation. In recent years Russia has made a serious step towards innovative development to a greater extent by providing a system for encouraging innovation and technological development of sectors of the economy. Active development and modernization of technology, introduction of various technological projects is one of the driving forces of the innovation process. That is why the creation of new, unique cutting-edge production technologies is an important element of innovative development of the economy. And as shown by the forecast values, the prospects for development in this area is very high. However, many domestic enterprises follow the «conservative» paths of development, the essence of which is to maximize the preservation of existing company structures, technology of production, even in the transition to the new generation of products. Such a scenario for many years preserves the situation of backwardness of the domestic industry from the leading countries of the West. The way out of this situation - a complete overhaul of the company based on innovation. Therefore, the development of industrial design is one of the main stimulating factors of innovative development of Russia. Be aware that the development of the innovation sector through which progress in manufacture of achievements of scientific and technological progress, is a particularly relevant area of research, and needs serious attention at all levels of management.Переход к рыночной экономике требует существенного повышения гибкости производства и восприимчивости к инновациям. Вновь создаваемые предприятия наукоемкого сектора, в отличие от обычных, ориентируются на полный цикл, включающий стадию НИОКР и освоение производства новых продуктов и услуг. Инновации связывают различные по характеру и способам управления области хозяйственной деятельности: науку, производство, инвестиции, реализацию продукции. Совершенствование стилей и приемов инновационного управления, быстрое и адекватное реагирование на изменение конъюнктуры рынка, развитие новых направлений инструментов в работе предприятий и т.д. дают возможность инноваторам использовать все виды резервов для успешной инновационной деятельности. В последние годы Россия сделала серьезный шаг на пути к инновационному развитию в большей степени за счет обеспечения системного стимулирования инноваций и технологического развития секторов экономики. Активное создание и модернизация технологий, внедрение различных технологических проектов является одной из движущих сил инновационного процесса. Именно поэтому создание новых, уникальных передовых производственных технологий выступает важнейшим элементом инновационного развития экономики страны. И как показывают прогнозные значения, перспективы развития в этой области весьма велики. Однако многие отечественные предприятия следуют по «консервативному» пути развития, суть которого состоит в максимальном сохранении существующей структуры предприятия, технологии производства даже при переходе на выпуск нового поколения продукции. Такой вариант развития на многие годы консервирует сложившуюся ситуацию отставания отечественной промышленности от ведущих стран Запада. Выход из данной ситуации – полная перестройка предприятия на базе инноваций. Именно поэтому развитие производственного проектирования является одним их основных стимулирующих факторов инновационного развития России. Необходимо учитывать, что развитие инновационной сферы, через которую продвигаются в производство достижения научно-технического прогресса, является особенно актуальной областью исследований, и нуждается в серьезном внимании на всех уровнях управления

Prof. Alexey V. Konarev (celebrating the 75th birthday)

On January 16, 2023 we celebrated the 75th birthday of Professor Alexey V. Konarev, Doctor of Biological Sciences, a renowned scientist in the sphere of plant biochemistry and molecular biology, one of the eldest staff members of VIR

Impact of weather and climate on seed protein and oil content of soybean in the North Сaucasus

For a targeted search of initial breeding material for the quality of soybean seeds, it is necessary to know the patterns of the dependence of the corresponding seed characters on the weather and climatic conditions in a particular region. Global climatic change, the concretization of which is relevant, has a share in this dependence. Thus, the aim of this work was to identify the relationship between the variability of protein and oil content in soybean seeds with climatic parameters in the North Caucasus as well as trends in this variability over a long time period. The study of 1 442 soybean accessions from VIR collection in the Krasnodar region during 1987–2015 had been carried out and the tendencies of the variability of protein and oil content in seeds in this environment were estimated. The regression analysis in differences with forward stepwise selection of variables has been used to construct models for the dependence of the protein and oil content on generalized agrometeorological indices. During 1987–2015, for the period with temperatures above 10 °C, the sums of active temperatures increased by 218 °C/10 years and precipitation decreased by 20.9 mm/10 years. In the dynamics of protein content, a trend has been revealed as an increase by 2.5 % over 10 years, while there is no reliable trend in oil content. The maximum average mean of oil content and the smallest protein were in the middle-maturing accessions (22.2 and 38.8 %), and a relatively high protein content was detected, on average, in the early- (21.6 and 40.0 %) and late-maturing (20.2 and 39.9 %) varieties. The protein content had been increasing with a growth of the duration of the period with temperatures above 22 °C and decreasing with a raise in precipitation over a period of temperatures above 18 °C. The accumulation of oil in seeds was promoted by an increase of the hydrothermal coefficient over the period with temperatures above 19 °C, and, in late-maturating varieties, prevented by a prolonged autumn period with temperatures below 15 °C. Long-term growth in protein content is due to both climatic change and genetic improvement of varieties

Selection of an optimal method for screening the collection of narrow-leaved lupine held by the Vavilov Institute for the qualitative and quantitative composition of seed alkaloids

Narrow-leaved lupine (Lupinus аngustifolius L.) is a widely cultivated leguminous forage and green manure crop with a potential for human nutrition. However, the presence of secondary metabolites – alkaloids – in lupine seeds considerably affects the quality of raw produce, reducing its nutritive value; in addition, high concentrations of alkaloids are toxic to humans and animals. Therefore, plant breeders working with lupine need to gain knowledge about the variability of alkaloid content in seeds of different genotypes and search for the sources of their low concentrations in the crop’s gene pool. The collection of narrow-leaved lupine genetic resources held by the N.I. Vavilov Institute of Plant Genetic Resources (VIR) offers wide opportunities for such search by means of mass screening. For its part, largescale gene pool screening requires the selection of an optimal technique to measure alkaloid content in seeds, so that it would be easily reproducible and as little labor-, time- and fund-consuming as possible. The results of the search for such method are presented. Qualitative and quantitative indices were compared when target compounds had been extracted with multicomponent mixtures and individual reagents (chloroform, methanol, etc.) and the extracts analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. High-performance liquid chromatography combined with mass spectrometry was also employed. Five major alkaloids were found to be present in all types of extracts: lupanine, 13-hydroxylupanine (dominant ones), angustifoline, sparteine, and isolupanine. The fullest extraction of alkaloids was observed when the extractant with an added alkaline agent was used (425 mg/100 g). The lowest level of extraction was registered with chloroform (216 mg/100 g). The significance of the differences was confirmed statistically

Rapid assessment of the main economic value indicators in lupine flour samples using infrared spectroscopy

Background. A calibration model has been developed for rapid assessment of economic value indicators (protein, oil, and quinolizidine alkaloid contents) in the seeds of narrowleaf lupine accessions from VIR using near-infrared spectroscopy, with the help of which it is possible to decide on the further use of the accessions.Materials and methods. Biochemical quality indicators (protein, oil, and quinolizidine alkaloid content) were studied in the seeds of narrowleaf lupine (Lupinus angustifolius L.) grown in 2019 in the northwest of Russia. Calibration models for measuring protein, oil and alkaloids in lupine seeds (62 accessions) were developed using a MATRIX-I IR analyzer (Bruker Optics, Germany). To construct calibration models, we used the values obtained by chemical analysis methods accepted at VIR. The oil content in lupine seeds was assessed by the defatted dry residue technique in Soxhlet extractors, protein by the Kjeldahl method, and quinolizidine alkaloids by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. All indicators were recalculated on the dry-weight basis.Results and conclusion. Statistical significance of the developed models was verified according to the results of measuring the content of protein, oil and alkaloids in the seeds of the test batch. The protein and oil content data obtained using a calibration curve did not differ significantly from the results of chemical studies, in contrast to alkaloid indicators. Consequently, the developed calibration model for the MATRIX-I IR analyzer can be used for rapid assessment of protein and oil content in narrowleaf lupine flour samples, thus accelerating the process of obtaining data on the main economic value indicators. The analysis does not require reagents and is safe

Radiation-Induced Cerebro-Ophthalmic Effectsin Humans

: Exposure to ionizing radiation (IR) could affect the human brain and eyes leading to both cognitive and visual impairments. The aim of this paper was to review and analyze the current literature, and to comment on the ensuing findings in the light of our personal contributions in this field. The review was carried out according to the PRISMA guidelines by searching PubMed, Scopus, Embase, PsycINFO and Google Scholar English papers published from January 2000 to January 2020. The results showed that prenatally or childhood-exposed individuals are a particular target group with a higher risk for possible radiation effects and neurodegenerative diseases. In adulthood and medical/interventional radiologists, the most frequent IR-induced ophthalmic effects include cataracts, glaucoma, optic neuropathy, retinopathy and angiopathy, sometimes associated with specific neurocognitive deficits. According to available information that eye alterations may induce or may be associated with brain dysfunctions and vice versa, we propose to label this relationship “eye-brain axis”, as well as to deepen the diagnosis of eye pathologies as early and easily obtainable markers of possible low dose IR-induced brain damage