A resurgence in field research is essential to better understand the diversity, ecology, and evolution of microbial eukaryotes

Author Posting. © The Author(s), 2013. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of John Wiley & Sons for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology 61 (2014): 214-233, doi:10.1111/jeu.12095.The discovery and characterization of protist communities from diverse environments are crucial for understanding the overall evolutionary history of life on earth. However, major questions about the diversity, ecology, and evolutionary history of protists remain unanswered, notably because data obtained from natural protist communities, especially of heterotrophic species, remain limited. In this review, we discuss the challenges associated with “field protistology”, defined here as the exploration, characterization, and interpretation of microbial eukaryotic suggestions to help fill this important gap in knowledge. We also argue that increased efforts in field studies that combine molecular and microscopical methods offer the most promising path toward (1) the discovery of new lineages that expand the tree of eukaryotes; (2) the recognition of novel evolutionary patterns and processes; (3) the untangling of ecological interactions and functions, and their roles in larger ecosystem processes; and (4) the evaluation of protist adaptations to a changing climate.We thank the International Society of Protistologists as well as the Tula Foundation’s Centre for Microbial Diversity and Evolution at the University of British Columbia for funding this symposium. B.S.L. and J.L. are fellows of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research. T.H is supported by the Swiss Science Fundation (project PA00P3 145374).2015-02-2

Моделирование процесса каплеобразования при промысловой подготовке нефти

Цель работы: - поиск и анализ методик расчета размера капель при разрушении водонефтяной эмульсии; - внедрение их в математическую модель процесса каплеобразования; - проведение исследований влияния технологических параметров на показатели процесса каплеобразования с применением математической модели. В процессе работы найдены методики для расчета размера капель воды в водонефтяных эмульсиях. С учетом полученных формул, разработан алгоритм и программный блок расчета процесса каплеобразования при промысловой подготовке нефти. Проведены исследования влияния технологических параметров на показатели процесса каплеобразования с применением математической модели.Objective: - search and analysis of methods for calculating the droplet size when the water-oil emulsion is destroyed; - their introduction into the mathematical model of the process of drop formation; - conducting studies of the influence of technological parameters on the parameters of the process of drop formation using a mathematical model. In the course of work, methods for calculating the size of water droplets in water-oil emulsions were found. Taking into account the obtained formulas, an algorithm and a program block for calculating the process of drop formation during oil field preparation have been developed. Investigations of the influence of technological parameters on the parameters of the process of drop formation using a mathematical model are carried out

Assessing the Diversity and Distribution of Apicomplexans in Host and Free-Living Environments Using High-Throughput Amplicon Data and a Phylogenetically Informed Reference Framework

Apicomplexans are a group of microbial eukaryotes that contain some of the most well-studied parasites, including the causing agents of toxoplasmosis and malaria, and emergent diseases like cryptosporidiosis or babesiosis. Decades of research have illuminated the pathogenic mechanisms, molecular biology, and genomics of model apicomplexans, but we know little about their diversity and distribution in natural environments. In this study we analyze the distribution of apicomplexans across a range of both host-associated and free-living environments. Using publicly available small subunit (SSU) rRNA gene databases, high-throughput environmental sequencing (HTES) surveys, and our own generated HTES data, we developed an apicomplexan reference database, which includes the largest apicomplexan SSU rRNA tree available to date and encompasses comprehensive sampling of this group and their closest relatives. This tree allowed us to identify and correct incongruences in the molecular identification of apicomplexan sequences. Analyzing the diversity and distribution of apicomplexans in HTES studies with this curated reference database also showed a widespread, and quantitatively important, presence of apicomplexans across a variety of free-living environments. These data allow us to describe a remarkable molecular diversity of this group compared with our current knowledge, especially when compared with that identified from described apicomplexan species. This is most striking in marine environments, where potentially the most diverse apicomplexans apparently exist, but have not yet been formally recognized. The new database will be useful for microbial ecology and epidemiological studies, and provide valuable reference for medical and veterinary diagnosis especially in cases of emerging, zoonotic, and cryptic infections

Very Massive Stars in the local Universe

Recent studies have claimed the existence of very massive stars (VMS) up to 300 M ⊙ in the local Universe. As this finding may represent a paradigm shift for the canonical stellar upper-mass limit of 150 M ⊙, it is timely to discuss the status of the data, as well as the far-reaching implications of such objects. We held a Joint Discussion at the General Assembly in Beijing to discuss (i) the determination of the current masses of the most massive stars, (ii) the formation of VMS, (iii) their mass loss, and (iv) their evolution and final fate. The prime aim was to reach broad consensus between observers and theorists on how to identify and quantify the dominant physical processe