Климатические особенности и статистические оценки изменения элементов климата в районах вечной мерзлоты на территории севера Западной Сибири

Актуальность работы связана с необходимостью оценки изменений климата, влияющих на многолетнюю мерзлоту, в связи с возможным увеличением выбросов парниковых газов и увеличения аварийности на объектах промышленной, в том числе и нефтегазовой, инфраструктуры при таянии многолетнемерзлых пород. Цель работы: исследование современных изменений характеристик климата, непосредственно влияющих на термическое состояние почвогрунтов в районах распространения многолетней мерзлоты севера Западной Сибири. Методы исследования. Анализ многолетних изменений метеорологических данных включал в себя проверку нулевых гипотез о случайности и однородности рядов наблюдений и наличия тренда. Проверка на однородность осуществлялась с помощью теста Аббе, на случайность - критерием Питмена, на наличие тренда производилась с помощью критерия инверсий. Вывод о неслучайном изменении или нарушении однородности рядов соответствовал условию, когда расчетная статистика превышала соответствующее критическое значение при уровне значимости 0,05. Результаты. Рассмотрены особенности климата севера Западной Сибири и его изменчивость в последние годы. Исследованы изменения температуры воздуха и почвогрунтов на глубинах 160 и 320 см, продолжительность прямой солнечной радиации, суммы атмосферных осадков и высоты снежного покрова на основе инструментальных данных за последние 35 лет. В результате статистического анализа установлено сохранение темпов роста температуры воздуха в теплое время года, увеличение температуры почвогрунтов в течение всего года, выявлен зональный характер изменения суммы атмосферных осадков и снежного покрова. Микроклиматические изменения характеристик метеорологических величин могут искажать реальную картину изменения климата.The relevance of the research is related to the necessity to assess climate changes affecting the permafrost due to the possible growth of greenhouse gas emissions and increase of accident rate in industrial, oil and gas infrastructure at permafrost thawing. The aim of the research is to estimate the current changes in climate characteristics, which affect directly the thermal state of soils in permafrost areas in the north of Western Siberia. Methods. Analysis of long-term changes of meteorological data consisted of tests of null hypothesis of randomness and homogeneity of observation series and trend presence. The homogeneity test was carried out using the Abbe test, the test of randomness was carried out by Pitman criterion, the trend presence was checked using the criterion of inversions. The conclusion on nonrandom change or violation of the homogeneity of rows corresponded to the condition, when the modulus of the estimated statistics exceeded the corresponding critical value at significance level of 0,05. Results. The paper considers the climatic features in the north of Western Siberia and its variability in recent years. The analysis of temperature changes of air and soil at depths of 160 and 320 cm, the amount of precipitation and snow cover based on the instrumental data for the last 35 years has shown that air temperature continues rising in the warmer months, soil temperature increases throughout the year. The authors have revealed zonal character of changes in the amount of precipitation and snow cover. Microclimatic changes in characteristic of meteorological values can distort the real picture of climate change

The genomes of two key bumblebee species with primitive eusocial organization

Background: The shift from solitary to social behavior is one of the major evolutionary transitions. Primitively eusocial bumblebees are uniquely placed to illuminate the evolution of highly eusocial insect societies. Bumblebees are also invaluable natural and agricultural pollinators, and there is widespread concern over recent population declines in some species. High-quality genomic data will inform key aspects of bumblebee biology, including susceptibility to implicated population viability threats. Results: We report the high quality draft genome sequences of Bombus terrestris and Bombus impatiens, two ecologically dominant bumblebees and widely utilized study species. Comparing these new genomes to those of the highly eusocial honeybee Apis mellifera and other Hymenoptera, we identify deeply conserved similarities, as well as novelties key to the biology of these organisms. Some honeybee genome features thought to underpin advanced eusociality are also present in bumblebees, indicating an earlier evolution in the bee lineage. Xenobiotic detoxification and immune genes are similarly depauperate in bumblebees and honeybees, and multiple categories of genes linked to social organization, including development and behavior, show high conservation. Key differences identified include a bias in bumblebee chemoreception towards gustation from olfaction, and striking differences in microRNAs, potentially responsible for gene regulation underlying social and other traits. Conclusions: These two bumblebee genomes provide a foundation for post-genomic research on these key pollinators and insect societies. Overall, gene repertoires suggest that the route to advanced eusociality in bees was mediated by many small changes in many genes and processes, and not by notable expansion or depauperation

Intradermal Indocyanine Green for In Vivo Fluorescence Laser Scanning Microscopy of Human Skin: A Pilot Study

BACKGROUND: In clinical diagnostics, as well as in routine dermatology, the increased need for non-invasive diagnosis is currently satisfied by reflectance laser scanning microscopy. However, this technique has some limitations as it relies solely on differences in the reflection properties of epidermal and dermal structures. To date, the superior method of fluorescence laser scanning microscopy is not generally applied in dermatology and predominantly restricted to fluorescein as fluorescent tracer, which has a number of limitations. Therefore, we searched for an alternative fluorophore matching a novel skin imaging device to advance this promising diagnostic approach. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Using a Vivascope®-1500 Multilaser microscope, we found that the fluorophore Indocyanine-Green (ICG) is well suited as a fluorescent marker for skin imaging in vivo after intradermal injection. ICG is one of few fluorescent dyes approved for use in humans. Its fluorescence properties are compatible with the application of a near-infrared laser, which penetrates deeper into the tissue than the standard 488 nm laser for fluorescein. ICG-fluorescence turned out to be much more stable than fluorescein in vivo, persisting for more than 48 hours without significant photobleaching whereas fluorescein fades within 2 hours. The well-defined intercellular staining pattern of ICG allows automated cell-recognition algorithms, which we accomplished with the free software CellProfiler, providing the possibility of quantitative high-content imaging. Furthermore, we demonstrate the superiority of ICG-based fluorescence microscopy for selected skin pathologies, including dermal nevi, irritant contact dermatitis and necrotic skin. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our results introduce a novel in vivo skin imaging technique using ICG, which delivers a stable intercellular fluorescence signal ideal for morphological assessment down to sub-cellular detail. The application of ICG in combination with the near infrared laser opens new ways for minimal-invasive diagnosis and monitoring of skin disorders

Amino Acid Residues Contributing to Function of the Heteromeric Insect Olfactory Receptor Complex

Olfactory receptors (Ors) convert chemical signals—the binding of odors and pheromones—to electrical signals through the depolarization of olfactory sensory neurons. Vertebrates Ors are G-protein-coupled receptors, stimulated by odors to produce intracellular second messengers that gate ion channels. Insect Ors are a heteromultimeric complex of unknown stoichiometry of two seven transmembrane domain proteins with no sequence similarity to and the opposite membrane topology of G-protein-coupled receptors. The functional insect Or comprises an odor- or pheromone-specific Or subunit and the Orco co-receptor, which is highly conserved in all insect species. The insect Or-Orco complex has been proposed to function as a novel type of ligand-gated nonselective cation channel possibly modulated by G-proteins. However, the Or-Orco proteins lack homology to any known family of ion channel and lack known functional domains. Therefore, the mechanisms by which odors activate the Or-Orco complex and how ions permeate this complex remain unknown. To begin to address the relationship between Or-Orco structure and function, we performed site-directed mutagenesis of all 83 conserved Glu, Asp, or Tyr residues in the silkmoth BmOr-1-Orco pheromone receptor complex and measured functional properties of mutant channels expressed in Xenopus oocytes. 13 of 83 mutations in BmOr-1 and BmOrco altered the reversal potential and rectification index of the BmOr-1-Orco complex. Three of the 13 amino acids (D299 and E356 in BmOr-1 and Y464 in BmOrco) altered both current-voltage relationships and K+ selectivity. We introduced the homologous Orco Y464 residue into Drosophila Orco in vivo, and observed variable effects on spontaneous and evoked action potentials in olfactory neurons that depended on the particular Or-Orco complex examined. Our results provide evidence that a subset of conserved Glu, Asp and Tyr residues in both subunits are essential for channel activity of the heteromeric insect Or-Orco complex

Identification of Pax6-Dependent Gene Regulatory Networks in the Mouse Lens

Lineage-specific DNA-binding transcription factors regulate development by activating and repressing particular set of genes required for the acquisition of a specific cell type. Pax6 is a paired domain and homeodomain-containing transcription factor essential for development of central nervous, olfactory and visual systems, as well as endocrine pancreas. Haploinsufficiency of Pax6 results in perturbed lens development and homeostasis. Loss-of-function of Pax6 is incompatible with lens lineage formation and results in abnormal telencephalic development. Using DNA microarrays, we have identified 559 genes expressed differentially between 1-day old mouse Pax6 heterozygous and wild type lenses. Of these, 178 (31.8%) were similarly increased and decreased in Pax6 homozygous embryonic telencephalon [Holm PC, Mader MT, Haubst N, Wizenmann A, Sigvardsson M, Götz M (2007) Loss- and gain-of-function analyses reveals targets of Pax6 in the developing mouse telencephalon. Mol Cell Neurosci 34: 99–119]. In contrast, 381 (68.2%) genes were differently regulated between the lens and embryonic telencephalon. Differential expression of nine genes implicated in lens development and homeostasis: Cspg2, Igfbp5, Mab21l2, Nrf2f, Olfm3, Spag5, Spock1, Spon1 and Tgfb2, was confirmed by quantitative RT-PCR, with five of these genes: Cspg2, Mab21l2, Olfm3, Spag5 and Tgfb2, identified as candidate direct Pax6 target genes by quantitative chromatin immunoprecipitation (qChIP). In Mab21l2 and Tgfb2 promoter regions, twelve putative individual Pax6-binding sites were tested by electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSAs) with recombinant Pax6 proteins. This led to the identification of two and three sites in the respective Mab21l2 and Tgfb2 promoter regions identified by qChIPs. Collectively, the present studies represent an integrative genome-wide approach to identify downstream networks controlled by Pax6 that control mouse lens and forebrain development

Mobile teledermatology: A feasibility study of 58 subjects using mobile phones

We investigated the diagnostic agreement between teledermatology based on images from a mobile phone camera and face-to-face (FTF) dermatology. Diagnostic agreement was assessed for two teledermatologists (TD) in comparison with FTF consultations in 58 subjects. In almost three-quarters of the cases (TD1: 71%; TD2: 76%), the telediagnosis was fully concordant with the FTF diagnosis. Furthermore, the diagnosed diseases were almost all in the same diagnostic category (TD1: 97%; TD2: 90%). If mobile teledermatology had been used for remote triage, TD1 could have treated 53% subjects remotely and 47% subjects would have had to consult a dermatologist FTF TD2 could have treated 59% subjects remotely, whereas 41% subjects would have had to consult a dermatologist FTF Forty-eight subjects responded to a questionnaire, of whom only 10 had any concerns regarding teledermatology. Thirty-one subjects stated that they would be willing to pay to use a similar service in future and suggested an amount ranging from E5 to E50 per consultation (mean is an element of 22) (is an element of E = 0.7 pound, US $1.4). These results are encouraging as patient acceptance and reimbursement represent potential obstacles to the implementation of telemedicine services

The Impact of Replacing Complex Hand-Crafted Features with Standard Features for Melanoma Classification using Both Hand-Crafted and Deep Features

Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer and it is the most rapidly spreading cancer in the world. An earlier detection of this kind of cancer is curable; hence, earlier detection of melanoma is pre-eminent. Because of this fact, a lot of research is being done in this area especially in automatic detection of melanoma. In this paper, we are proposing an automatic melanoma detection system which utilizes a combination of deep and hand-crafted features. We analyzed the impact of using a simpler and standard hand-crafted feature, in place of complex usual hand-crafted features e.g. shape, texture, diameter, or some custom features. We used a convolutional neural network (CNN) known as deep residual network (ResNet) to extract the deep features and utilized the scale invariant feature descriptor (SIFT) as the hand-crafted feature. The experiments revealed that combining SIFT did not improve the accuracy of the system however, we obtained higher accuracy than state-of-the-art methods with our deep only solution