The 8200 calBP climate event and the spread of the Neolithic in Eastern Europe

At 8200 calBP, the beginning of the Atlantic period, there was a drastic change from warm and humid climatic conditions to cold conditions. The abrupt cooling at 8200 calBP has been documented in different parts of Europe. In western, and some parts of southern, Europe, this event was a trigger for new forms of economy and migrations of groups of Neolithic farmers. This paper considers the different ways in which ceramic traditions developed in eastern Europe in the steppe,steppe-forest and forest zones as a result of the rapid climate changes at about 8200 calBP.V času okoli 8200 calBP, to je na začetku obdobja atlantika, je prišlo do korenite spremembe klime, od toplih in vlažnih pogojev do ohladitev. Nenadna ohladitev v času 8200 calBP je dokumentirana v različnih delih Evrope. V zahodni in v delu južne Evrope je dogodek sprožil nove oblike gospodarstev in preseljevanje skupin neolitskih poljedelcev. V članku razpravljamo o različnih oblikah razvoja keramičnih tradicij na stepskih, gozdno-stepskih in gozdnih območjih v vzhodni Evropi kot posledico te hitre klimatske spremembe v času 8200 calBP

Comparative Analysis of the Ability to Ferment Carbohydrates in Typical Strains and Genovariants of <I>Vibrio cholerae</I> Biovar El Tor

Carried out is a comparative analysis of the ability to ferment various carbohydrates in the 6 typical strains and 10 genovariants of V. cholerae biovar El Tor, imported to the territory of the Russian Federation. It has been revealed that genovariants, as well as typical El Tor vibrios, ferment mannose, saccharose, and mannite, but are inactive against arabinose and rhamnose. However, it is demonstrated that genovariants, as compared to typical strains of El Tor vibrios, possess lowered capacity to ferment glucose. Both, genovariants and classical vibrios, do not grow on the minimal media with 1 % content of glucose, and are unable to fully ferment glucose up to acetylmethylcarbinol in Voges-Proskauer reaction test. Put forward is a hypothesis that alteration of glucose metabolism in the studied strains of genovariants is probably due to changes in regulating mechanism of some virulence genes

Stepwise Acquisition of Pyrimethamine Resistance in the Malaria Parasite

The spread of high-level pyrimethamine resistance in Africa threatens to curtail the therapeutic lifetime of antifolate antimalarials. We studied the possible evolutionary pathways in the evolution of pyrimethamine resistance using an approach in which all possible mutational intermediates were created by site-directed mutagenesis and assayed for their level of drug resistance. The coding sequence for dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) from the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum was mutagenized, and tests were carried out in Escherichia coli under conditions in which the endogenous bacterial enzyme was selectively inhibited. We studied 4 key amino acid replacements implicated in pyrimethamine resistance: N51I, C59R, S108N, and I164L. Using empirical estimates of the mutational spectrum in P. falciparum and probabilities of fixation based on the relative levels of resistance, we found that the predicted favored pathways of drug resistance are consistent with those reported in previous kinetic studies, as well as DHFR polymorphisms observed in natural populations. We found that 3 pathways account for nearly 90% of the simulated realizations of the evolution of pyrimethamine resistance. The most frequent pathway (S108N and then C59R, N51I, and I164L) accounts for more than half of the simulated realizations. Our results also suggest an explanation for why I164L is detected in Southeast Asia and South America, but not at significant frequencies in Africa.Organismic and Evolutionary Biolog

Molecular MLVA Typing of Typical and Genetically Altered Natural Strains of <I>Vibrio cholerae</I> El Tor Biovar

Displayed is the possibility of differentiation between typical and genetically altered strains of Vibrio cholerae biovar El Tor, which vary in their virulence and epidemic potential, by means of MLVA. Determined is a significant genetic diversity of the gene-variants, probably, due to their polyclonal origin and continuous alterations within genome under the influence of varying environmental factors

Predictability of evolutionary trajectories in fitness landscapes

Experimental studies on enzyme evolution show that only a small fraction of all possible mutation trajectories are accessible to evolution. However, these experiments deal with individual enzymes and explore a tiny part of the fitness landscape. We report an exhaustive analysis of fitness landscapes constructed with an off-lattice model of protein folding where fitness is equated with robustness to misfolding. This model mimics the essential features of the interactions between amino acids, is consistent with the key paradigms of protein folding and reproduces the universal distribution of evolutionary rates among orthologous proteins. We introduce mean path divergence as a quantitative measure of the degree to which the starting and ending points determine the path of evolution in fitness landscapes. Global measures of landscape roughness are good predictors of path divergence in all studied landscapes: the mean path divergence is greater in smooth landscapes than in rough ones. The model-derived and experimental landscapes are significantly smoother than random landscapes and resemble additive landscapes perturbed with moderate amounts of noise; thus, these landscapes are substantially robust to mutation. The model landscapes show a deficit of suboptimal peaks even compared with noisy additive landscapes with similar overall roughness. We suggest that smoothness and the substantial deficit of peaks in the fitness landscapes of protein evolution are fundamental consequences of the physics of protein folding.Comment: 14 pages, 7 figure

ОСОБЕННОСТИ ЛЕГИРОВАНИЯ КРЕМНИЯ МЕТОДОМ ТЕРМОМИГРАЦИИ

Characteristics of crystal doping with electrically active impurities by the thermomigration method for two− and three−component liquid zones in comparison with diffusion alloying (for the example of silicon) have been analyzed.We have  found  that  the  concentration range of doping for the  two− component migration zone is much narrower than the range of diffusion doping. Introduction of a third component into the liquid phase allows extending the range of doping thermomigration to values  exceeding the diffusion doping range for the same impurity. For silicon crystals this technological advantage of thermomigration is achieved with the use of three zones, GaxAl1−xSi and SnxAl1−xSi.We show  that  the  speed of crystal  doping by the  thermomigration method in technologically relevant situations is by orders of magnitude higher  than that of diffusion alloying. Thermomigration doped layers with steadily moving liquid zones have higher structural perfection than diffusion doped layers.We show that the thermomigration alloying method can be used in the technology of semiconductor device  structures, provided that  their planar dimensions and thickness are tens  micrometers or more. Quantitative results obtained for the example of liquid zone migration in silicon, but the features of thermomigration as a doping method are true for other  semiconductor materials.Рассмотрены особенности легирования кристаллов электрически активными примесями методом термомиграции  (ТМ) двух− и трехкомпонентных жидких зон в сравнении с диффузионным легированием (на примере кремния).Установлено, что концентрационный диапазон легирования миграцией двухкомпонентной зоны значительно уже диапазона легирования диффузией. Введение в жидкую фазу  третьего компонента позволяет расширить диапазон легирования термомиграцией до значений, превышающих диапазон  легирования той же примесью методом диффузии. Применительно к кристаллам кремния указанная технологическая особенность метода ТМ обеспечивается при использовании трехкомпонентных зон GaxAl1−xSi и SnxAl1−xSi.Показано, что скорость легирования кристаллов методом ТМ в технологически значимых  ситуациях на порядки превышает скорость легирования диффузией. Слои, легированные термомиграцией стабильно движущихся жидких зон, структурно  более совершенны, чем диффузионные слои. Показано, что легирование методом ТМ может быть реализовано в технологии получения полупроводниковых приборных структур при условии, что их планарные размеры и толщины составляют десятки микрометров и более

SIT for African malaria vectors: Epilogue

As a result of increased support and the diligent application of new and conventional anti-malaria tools, significant reductions in malaria transmission are being accomplished. Historical and current evolutionary responses of vectors and parasites to malaria interventions demonstrate that it is unwise to assume that a limited suite of tools will remain effective indefinitely, thus efforts to develop new interventions should continue. This collection of manuscripts surveys the prospects and technical challenges for applying a novel tool, the sterile insect technique (SIT), against mosquitoes that transmit malaria. The method has been very successful against many agricultural pest insects in area-wide programs, but demonstrations against malaria vectors have not been sufficient to determine its potential relative to current alternatives, much of which will hinge ultimately upon cost. These manuscripts provide an overview of current efforts to develop SIT and identify key research issues that remain

Tenascin-C as a cardiovascular marker

Novel biological markers, such as fibrosis marker galectin-3, peptide hormone adrenomedullin, soluble ST2, chemokine CX3CL1, surrogate marker of vasopressin, and others, are every year one step closer to being introduced into health practice. Over the past decades, significant progress has been made in the study of cardiovascular biomarkers. A key moment was the introduction of deter mining the concentration of natriuretic peptides used as markers for the diagnostic and prognostic evaluation of patients with heart failure. Currently, in order to search for novel markers for early diagnosis and risk stratification, studies have been conducted on the analysis of promising inflammatory marker tenascin-C (TNC) in cardiovascular patients. Data have been obtained that allow us to consider TNC as a tool for risk stratification and assessment of cardiovascular disease prognosis. The combination of TNC with other biological markers, in particular brain natriuretic peptide, may improve prognostic power. Nevertheless, serial testing to assess the prognosis and effectiveness of ongoing treatment, including in the conditions of a multimarker model, requires further research

Extended book review: Transnational trade unionism: dream and reality

Book review of : Reiner Tosstorff, The Red International of Labour Unions (RILU), 1920–1937, Leiden: Brill, 2016; 918 pp.: ISBN 9789004236646, (hbk); Chicago, IL: Haymarket Books, 2018; 918 pp.: ISBN 9781608468164, (pbk

The effect of differential rotation on Jupiter's low-degree even gravity moments

The close-by orbits of the ongoing Juno mission allow measuring with unprecedented accuracy Jupiter's low-degree even gravity moments J(2), J(4), J(6), and J(8). These can be used to better determine Jupiter's internal density profile and constrain its core mass. Yet the largest unknown on these gravity moments comes from the effect of differential rotation, which gives a degree of freedom unaccounted for by internal structure models. Here considering a wide range of possible internal flow structures and dynamical considerations, we provide upper bounds to the effect of dynamics (differential rotation) on the low-degree gravity moments. In light of the recent Juno gravity measurements and their small uncertainties, this allows differentiating between the various models suggested for Jupiter's internal structure.Israeli Ministry of Science; Minerva foundation; Federal German Ministry of Education and Research; Helen Kimmel Center for Planetary Science at the Weizmann Institute of Science; CNES; BSF; NSF; Juno project6 month embargo; Published Online: 19 June 2017This item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]