Seven new species of Rhynchobombyx Aurivillius, 1909 from Congolian lowland forests (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae)

Seven new species of the Afrotropic Lasiocampidae genus Rhynchobombyx are described and illustrated: Rh. gavinfilippone Prozorov, Saldaitis & Müller sp. n., Rh. avadomenicarocchio Prozorov, Saldaitis & Müller sp. n., Rh. julianjameseaton Prozorov, Saldaitis & Müller sp. n., Rh. anthonychristophereaton Prozorov, Saldaitis & Müller sp. n., Rh. nicolasroberteaton Prozorov, Saldaitis & Müller sp. n., Rh. arijakefriend Prozorov, Saldaitis & Müller sp. n., Rh. madisonellafriend Prozorov, Saldaitis & Müller sp. n. All species originate from the poorly studied Congolian lowland forests ecoregion of Congo and Democratic Republic of the Congo. Lectotype and paralectotype of Rh. nasuta Aurivillius, 1909 are designated here, the species type locality is specified

Mechanism of hot spots formation in pentaerythritol tetranitrate under pulsed laser irradiation

The spectral, kinetic, spatial, and amplitude characteristics of emissions of pressed samples of PETN (pentaerythritole tetranitrate) by the first harmonic of a neodymium laser (1064 nm, 12 ns) are studied. It is found that at the moment of irradiation of PETN by laser pulses, hot spots are formed on the surface of the samples. The energy density of laser radiation varies in the range of 0.5-3 J/cm{2}. The characteristics of hot spots are determined by absorbing inhomogeneities and parameters of laser radiation. Multi-pulse excitation leads to the annealing of absorbing irregularities and increased threshold of optical breakdown. The received results are interpreted on the basis of ideas of the low-threshold optical breakdown as evolving within local (defective) regions of the PETN in the electric field of the light wave

Annama H chondrite-Mineralogy, physical properties, cosmic ray exposure, and parent body history

The fall of the Annama meteorite occurred early morning (local time) on April 19, 2014 on the Kola Peninsula (Russia). Based on mineralogy and physical properties, Annama is a typical H chondrite. It has a high Ar-Ar age of 4.4 Ga. Its cosmic ray exposure history is atypical as it is not part of the large group of H chondrites with a prominent 7-8 Ma peak in the exposure age histograms. Instead, its exposure age is within uncertainty of a smaller peak at 30 +/- 4 Ma. The results from short-lived radionuclides are compatible with an atmospheric pre-entry radius of 30-40 cm. However, based on noble gas and cosmogenic radionuclide data, Annama must have been part of a larger body (radius >65 cm) for a large part of its cosmic ray exposure history. The Be-10 concentration indicates a recent (3-5 Ma) breakup which may be responsible for the Annama parent body size reduction to 30-35 cm pre-entry radius.Peer reviewe

Age-Dependent, Subunit Specific Action of Hydrogen Sulfide on GluN1/2A and GluN1/2B NMDA Receptors

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is an endogenously produced neuroactive gas implicated in many key processes in the peripheral and central nervous system. Whereas the neuroprotective role of H2S has been shown in adult brain, the action of this messenger in newborns remains unclear. One of the known targets of H2S in the nervous system is the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) glutamate receptor which can be composed of different subunits with distinct functional properties. In the present study, using patch clamp technique, we compared the effects of the H2S donor sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS, 100 μM) on hippocampal NMDA receptor mediated currents in rats of the first and third postnatal weeks. This was supplemented by testing effects of NaHS on recombinant GluN1/2A and GluN1/2B NMDA receptors expressed in HEK293T cells. The main finding is that NaHS action on NMDA currents is age-dependent. Currents were reduced in newborns but increased in older juvenile rats. Consistent with an age-dependent switch in NMDA receptor composition, in HEK239T cells expressing GluN1/2A receptors, NaHS increased NMDA activated currents associated with acceleration of desensitization and decrease of the deactivation rate. In contrast, in GluN1/2B NMDA receptors, which are prevalent in newborns, NaHS decreased currents and reduced receptor deactivation without effect on the desensitization rate. Adenylate cyclase inhibitor MDL-12330A (10 μM) did not prevent the age-dependent effects of NaHS on NMDA evoked currents in pyramidal neurons of hippocampus. The reducing agent dithiothreitol (DTT, 2 mM) applied on HEK293T cells prevented facilitation induced by NaHS on GluN1/2A NMDA receptors, however in GluN1/2B NMDA receptors the inhibitory effect of NaHS was still observed. Our data indicate age-dependent effect of H2S on NMDA receptor mediated currents determined by glutamate receptor subunit composition. While the inhibitory action of H2 on GluN1/2B receptors could limit the excessive activation in early age, the enhanced functionality of GluN1/2A receptor in the presence of this gasotransmitter can enlarge synaptic efficacy and promote synaptic plasticity in adults

A new species of Typhonoya Prozorov (Lepidoptera, Lasiocampidae, Lasiocampinae, Gastropachini) from the moist broadleaf forest of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

The second species of the genus Typhonoya Prozorov 2011T. kravchenkoi Prozorov, Mller Zolotuhin sp. n. from the Democratic Republic of the Congo is described. A previously monotypic genus becomes bitypic. One paratype specimen was collected in the buffer zone of the southern part of the Salonga National Park during a one year-long stationary expedition (June 2017June 2018). Spread imagoes, heads, legs, venations and genitalia of both species are figured and compared. Additional notes on the genus description and previously known species are adde

Thermo-Optical Studies of Laser Ceramics

A cycle of works on manufacturing and studying laser and magnetooptical ceramics with a focus on their thermo-optical characteristics performed by the research team is analyzed. Original results that have not been published before such as measurements of the Verdet constant in the Zr:TAG, Re:MgAl2O4, and ZnAl2O4 ceramics are also presented

Cell-penetrating nanobiosensors for pointilistic intracellular Ca2+-transient detection.

International audience: Small-molecule chemical calcium (Ca2+) indicators are invaluable tools for studying intracellular signaling pathways but have severe shortcomings for detecting local Ca2+ entry. Nanobiosensors incorporating functionalized quantum dots (QDs) have emerged as a promising alternative, but their use to monitor intracellular processes is still a major challenge. We designed cell-penetrating FRET-based Ca2+ nanobiosensors for the detection of local Ca2+ concentration transients, using commercially available CANdot®565QD as a donor and CaRuby, a custom red-emitting Ca2+ indicator as an acceptor. With Ca2+ -binding affinity in the range of 3 to 20 µM, our CaRubies allow sensors to be scalable for detecting intracellular Ca2+ transients at various concentrations. To facilitate their cytoplasmic delivery, QDs were further functionalized with a small cell-penetrating peptide (CPP) derived from hadrucalcin (HadUF1-11: H11), a ryanodine receptor-directed scorpion toxin identified within the venom of Hadrurus gertschi. Efficient internalization of QDs doubly functionalized with PEG5-CaRuby and H11 (in a molar ratio of 1:10:10, respectively) is demonstrated. In BHK cells expressing a N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) construct, these nanobiosensors report rapid intracellular near-membrane Ca2+concentration changes following agonist application as evidenced by TIRF imaging. Our work presents the synthesis of cell-penetrating FRET-based nanobiosensors and validates their function for detection of intracellular Ca2+ transients