Efficiency of Cultivating Corn for Grain under Irrigation in the Prialeyskaya Steppe

To assess the effectiveness of irrigation when cultivating corn for grain in the conditions of the arid Prialeyskaya steppe of the Altai Territory, an irrigation regime was developed to maintain pre-irrigation moisture at 60 and 70 % minimum moisture-holding capacity in the soil layer – 0.5 m. Water with irrigation was used mineralization of 0.3 g/l, it lacked toxic salts. In 2015, the irrigation norm with an irrigation regime of 60 % minimum moisture-holding capacity was 2650 m3/ha, with a regime of 70 % minimum moisture-holding capacity – 2850 m3/ha. In 2016, irrigation norms for irrigation regimes were 60 and 70 % minimum moisture-holding capacity of 2250 and 2450 m3/ha, respectively. In 2017, at the 60 % minimum moisture-holding capacity option, 7 irrigations were carried out, the irrigation rate was 2700 m3/ha. On the irrigation variant of 70 % of the minimum moisture-holding capacity, 8 irrigations were carried out, the irrigation rate was 2900 m3/ha. The highest yield of corn grain was obtained while maintaining a humidity level of at least 70 % minimum moisture-holding capacity. The maximum yield in 2015 was 6.7 t/ha, in the control – 3.8 t/ha. The yield increases on this option were significant in comparison not only with the control without irrigation, but also in comparison with the 60 % minimum moisture-holding capacity. To identify the economic efficiency of cultivating corn with irrigation, the costs of irrigation and the cost of the resulting crop were considered. The highest net income and profitability were obtained in 2016 with an irrigation regime of 70 % minimum moisture-holding capacity. Net income was 63.31 thousand rubles/ha, profitability level 370.45 %. In all years of research, the economic indicators for irrigation options were significantly superior to those for the non-irrigation option

Characterization and Structure of a Zn2+ and [2Fe-2S]-containing Copper Chaperone from Archaeoglobus Fulgidus

Bacterial CopZ proteins deliver copper to P1B-type Cu+-ATPases that are homologous to the human Wilson and Menkes disease proteins. The genome of the hyperthermophile Archaeoglobus fulgidus encodes a putative CopZ copper chaperone that contains an unusual cysteine rich N-terminal domain of 130 amino acids in addition to a C-terminal copper-binding domain with a conserved CXXC motif. The N-terminal domain (CopZ-NT) is homologous to proteins found only in extremophiles and is the only such protein that is fused to a copper chaperone. Surprisingly, optical, electron paramagnetic resonance, and X-ray absorption spectroscopic data indicate the presence of a [2Fe-2S] cluster in CopZ-NT. The intact CopZ protein binds two copper ions, one in each domain. The 1.8 Å resolution crystal structure of CopZ-NT reveals that the [2Fe-2S] cluster is housed within a novel fold and that the protein also binds a zinc ion at a four cysteine site. CopZ can deliver Cu+ to the A. fulgidus CopA N-terminal metal binding domain and is capable of reducing Cu2+ to Cu+. This unique fusion of a redox-active domain with a CXXC-containing copper chaperone domain is relevant to the evolution of copper homeostatic mechanisms and suggests new models for copper trafficking

LEVELS OF SITUATIONAL AND PERSONAL ANXIETY IN OLDER AGE GROUPS

The prevalence of anxiety disorders in older age groups is becoming a significant burden on public health. Compared with other age groups, elderly people suffering from mental illness, especially with anxiety disorders, often remain without proper diagnosis and treatment. Underestimation of anxiety disorder and its insufficient therapy can create difficulties in correcting general medical problems and be a factor in the progression of somatic disease. Purpose. To study age-related characteristics of levels of situational and personal anxiety in people of older age groups. Materials and methods. The present study involved patients with arterial hypertension aged 45 to 90 years. A total of 535 patients were examined of which 266 people. we made up an elderly group and 103 people – a group of senile age. Using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) questionnaire designed for self-assessment of various levels of anxiety, the severity of personal and situational anxiety was assessed. Results. The frequency of situational and personal anxiety varied in the range from 3.25% to 40.4% and was slightly lower in people of older age groups. Among men of older age groups, the frequency of increased and pronounced levels of personal anxiety was statistically significantly higher in comparison with women of the same age group. Both among women and among older men pronounced levels of situational anxiety were more common in comparison with persons of younger age groups. Conclusion. In people of older age groups, the severity of levels of personal and situational anxiety depended on the age and gender of the subjects

Spectroscopic Description of the E1 State of Mo Nitrogenase Based on Mo and Fe X‑ray Absorption and Mössbauer Studies

Mo nitrogenase (N2ase) utilizes a two-component protein system, the catalytic MoFe and its electron-transfer partner FeP, to reduce atmospheric dinitrogen (N2) to ammonia (NH3). The FeMo cofactor contained in the MoFe protein serves as the catalytic center for this reaction and has long inspired model chemistry oriented toward activating N2. This field of chemistry has relied heavily on the detailed characterization of how Mo N2ase accomplishes this feat. Understanding the reaction mechanism of Mo N2ase itself has presented one of the most challenging problems in bioinorganic chemistry because of the ephemeral nature of its catalytic intermediates, which are difficult, if not impossible, to singly isolate. This is further exacerbated by the near necessity of FeP to reduce native MoFe, rendering most traditional means of selective reduction inept. We have now investigated the first fundamental intermediate of the MoFe catalytic cycle, E1, as prepared both by low-flux turnover and radiolytic cryoreduction, using a combination of Mo Kα highenergy-resolution fluorescence detection and Fe K-edge partial-fluorescence-yield X-ray absorption spectroscopy techniques. The results demonstrate that the formation of this state is the result of an Fe-centered reduction and that Mo remains redoxinnocent. Furthermore, using Fe X-ray absorption and 57Fe Mössbauer spectroscopies, we correlate a previously reported unique species formed under cryoreducing conditions to the natively formed E1 state through annealing, demonstrating the viability of cryoreduction in studying the catalytic intermediates of MoFe

The energy gap of intermediate-valent SmB6 studied by point-contact spectroscopy

We have investigated the intermediate valence narrow-gap semiconductor SmB6 at low temperatures using both conventional spear-anvil type point contacts as well as mechanically controllable break junctions. The zero-bias conductance varied between less than 0.01 mikrosiemens and up to 1 mS. The position of the spectral anomalies, which are related to the different activation energies and band gaps of SmB6, did not depend on the the contact size. Two different regimes of charge transport could be distinguished: Contacts with large zero - bias conductance are in the diffusive Maxwell regime. They had spectra with only small non-linearities. Contacts with small zero - bias conductance are in the tunnelling regime. They had larger anomalies, but still indicating a finite 45 % residual quasiparticle density of states at the Fermi level at low temperatures of T = 0.1 K. The density of states derived from the tunelling spectra can be decomposed into two energy-dependent parts with Eg = 21 meV and Ed = 4.5 meV wide gaps, respectively.Comment: 9 pages incl. 13 figure

Taxonomic diversity and abundance of enchytraeids (Annelida, Clitellata, Enchytraeida) in the Northern Palaearctic. 1. Asian part

Enchytraeids, or potworms, are tiny oligochaetes that are distributed worldwide in many terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems. Despite their key role in the functioning of ecosystems, the diversity and abundance of Enchytraeidae are rarely studied due to the laborious process of species identification. The present study addresses this gap and sheds some light on the distribution and abundance of enchytraeids in the lands of the Northern Palearctic. The provided dataset constitutes the latest and comprehensive field sampling of enchytraeid assemblages across the Asiatic part of the Northern Palearctic, encompassing an original set of soil samples systematically collected throughout the region from 2019 to 2022.The dataset includes occurrences from 131 georeferenced sites, encompassing 39 species and 7,074 records. This represents the first dataset providing species-specific information about the distribution and abundance of terrestrial enchytraeids across an extensive geographic area covering the Asian sector of the Northern Palaearctic. The compiled dataset is the key for exploring and understanding local and regional enchytraeid diversity. It may also serve as a valuable resource for monitoring and conserving the entire soil biodiversity

The SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics' resources: focus on curated databases

The SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics (www.isb-sib.ch) provides world-class bioinformatics databases, software tools, services and training to the international life science community in academia and industry. These solutions allow life scientists to turn the exponentially growing amount of data into knowledge. Here, we provide an overview of SIB's resources and competence areas, with a strong focus on curated databases and SIB's most popular and widely used resources. In particular, SIB's Bioinformatics resource portal ExPASy features over 150 resources, including UniProtKB/Swiss-Prot, ENZYME, PROSITE, neXtProt, STRING, UniCarbKB, SugarBindDB, SwissRegulon, EPD, arrayMap, Bgee, SWISS-MODEL Repository, OMA, OrthoDB and other databases, which are briefly described in this article

Nuclear and New Energy Technology

Due to the growing demand for electrical energy generation worldwide [...