A multiscale approach to evaluate the structure of diversity of Collembola in boreo-nemoral forests of the Russian Plain

Collembola is a group of numerous ubiquitous small soil-dwelling arthropods decomposing the plant residues. The study analyses the diversity structure of this group in mesic conditions of coniferous, mixed, and broad-leaved forests. Sample plots were located in three Protected Areas in the Moscow Region (Losiny Ostrov National Park and the Valuyevsky Forest Park) and Smolensk Region (Smolenskoe Poozerye National Park). In total, 70 species of Collembola were registered in the forest litter. Two Collembola species were of Asian origin, namely Appendisotoma stebayevae (noted in Europe for the first time) and Vertagopus asiaticus (the second record of this species in the study area). The number of species was close to the number of genera, indicating the allochthonous character of the forest fauna of Collembola of the central Russian Plain. A multiscale approach was applied for sampling design. This allowed us to assess the diversity of Collembola at various spatial scales: from 1 m to hundreds of kilometres. The study scheme included two regions, four localities, 12 sample sites, and 36 plots; the latter was 1 m2 (the smallest area unit). The data analysis was based on the concept of alpha-beta diversity accompanied by the additive partitioning method. The region (the largest area unit) was the most important factor in forming the species diversity. The type of forest litter (coniferous vs. broad-leaved) was less significant; the habitat heterogeneity factor made even a less contribution. On average, 1 m2 of forest litter comprised about a quarter of the entire list of Collembola species in the studied forests. The species richness of Collembola in the broad-leaved forests was more variable in space and in time compared to coniferous forests and mixed forests; a transitional pattern was observed. The species composition of Collembola varied between the seasons of the year by about a quarter when considering the same sites of coniferous and mixed forests. In broad-leaved forests of various areas, seasonal changes in species composition varied highly, from very pronounced to insignificant. The new concept of plant litter traits is discussed as a factor for affecting the patterns of the structure and dynamics of the Collembola species diversity

Demonstration of a parity-time symmetry breaking phase transition using superconducting and trapped-ion qutrits

Scalable quantum computers hold the promise to solve hard computational problems, such as prime factorization, combinatorial optimization, simulation of many-body physics, and quantum chemistry. While being key to understanding many real-world phenomena, simulation of non-conservative quantum dynamics presents a challenge for unitary quantum computation. In this work, we focus on simulating non-unitary parity-time symmetric systems, which exhibit a distinctive symmetry-breaking phase transition as well as other unique features that have no counterpart in closed systems. We show that a qutrit, a three-level quantum system, is capable of realizing this non-equilibrium phase transition. By using two physical platforms - an array of trapped ions and a superconducting transmon - and by controlling their three energy levels in a digital manner, we experimentally simulate the parity-time symmetry-breaking phase transition. Our results indicate the potential advantage of multi-level (qudit) processors in simulating physical effects, where additional accessible levels can play the role of a controlled environment.Comment: 14 pages, 9 figure

Impact of cultivation conditions on haemolytic activity of Pseudoalteromonas issachenkonii KMM 3549T

The present work aimed to study the effects of cultivation conditions on the haemolytic activities of Pseudoalteromonas issachenkonii. The kinetics of growth and haemolytic activities was investigated on sea-salts and NaCl-based nutrient media supplemented with either starch, or KBr over a period of 140 h. The first haemolytic activity occurred when bacterial cells reached the late stationary phase. The second haemolytic activity was observed in marine broth (MB) after 110 h of incubation. Addition of Fe to the culture medium neither affected bacterial growth nor reduced the haemolytic activity. However, the activity was enhanced in the presence of iron chelator. The second haemolytic activity was not affected by Ca2+, or inhibited by chymotrypsin or EDTA. The production of haemolysins by P. issachenkonii was greater on MB and was dependent on both the medium composition and time of incubation. The second haemolytic activity was heat stable, nonproteinaceous, calcium-independent and was regulated by Fe. The results demonstrated the importance of optimization of both the media composition and monitoring the haemolytic activity over a prolonged cultivation time to detect different types of haemolysins

Sorption recovery of copper (II) and zinc (II) from chloride aqueous solutions

The present investigation is devoted to simultaneous sorption recovery of copper (II) and zinc (II) ions on some commercial anion exchangers with different physical-chemical properties. The initial concentrations of zinc and copper were 1-3 mmol L-1 and the recovery was carried out in 0.01 M and 2 M hydrochloric acid solutions. It was shown that the investigated anion exchangers possess good sorption and kinetic properties. After the recovery of copper and zinc from strong acidic solutions, their selective elution was carried out by means of 2 M hydrochloric acid solution (zinc recovery) and 2 M ammonia solution (copper recovery). In weak acidic solutions, copper and zinc were separated during sorption, as zinc sorption did not proceed in this case. The subsequent copper (II) elution was carried out by 2 M ammonia solution. The anion exchangers Purolite S985, Purolite A500 and AM-2B can be recommended for zinc and copper recovery from acidic industrial solutions and waste water

Кооперация науки и бизнеса: международная практика и сибирский опыт

The paper discusses possibilities and directions for bridging the gaps between academic research and business by reducing barriers and strengthening incentives for the development of partnership interactions between participants of the regional innovation ecosystem. Many researchers from developed and developing countries focus on the problems of interaction between universities and companies in order to find ways to increase academic research effectiveness and make the results relevant to the business sector’s real demand. Development of partnership relations is known to be a factor which accelerates creation and dissemination of innovations. Improvement of such relationship favours academic researchers’ possibilities, educational programs adjustment, and regional economy development. Basing on international experience review, the paper determines the main tendencies and perspectives of research – business cooperation as well as key directions of partnership cooperation support. The empirical part of the paper deals with the results of original pilot survey which uses data from a number of research, educational organizations and high tech companies from Novosibirsk region. The aim of the survey was to analyze success factors and main obstacles for sustainable research – business cooperation. Qualitative methods including case studies, interviews, and surveys were used within the research. It is shown that, although all representatives of science and business recognize the need to develop partnership relationships, differences in motivations and conflicting goals of participants still remain. Besides well known barriers (lack of financial and other resources, personnel etc.) some other factors turned to be important. Low level of confidence and negative cooperation experience impede cooperation development. Personal issues and previous successful experience help to develop and improve partnerships. Such cases could be found. State support (especially at the regional level) is quite necessary; it is not limited to financial instruments. Support of communications which helps to increase the level of confidence and to decrease “attrition costs” of cooperation is also of great importanceРабота посвящена обоснованию возможностей и направлений сокращения разрывов между наукой и бизнесом за счет снижения барьеров и усиления стимулов для развития партнерских взаимодействий между участниками региональной экосистемы инноваций. Проблемы формирования кооперации между наукой и бизнесом для повышения эффективности и востребованности исследовательских разработок предпринимательским сектором находятся в фокусе интересов исследователей и практиков как развивающихся, так и развитых стран. Исследования доказывают, что развитие партнерских связей ускоряет производство и продвижение инноваций в предпринимательском секторе, расширяет возможности проведения исследований учеными, корректирует образовательные программы, а также способствует региональному развитию. На основе обобщения мирового опыта выделяются основные тенденции и перспективы развития кооперации науки и бизнеса, а также направления поддержки партнерских взаимосвязей. В эмпирической части работы представлены результаты пилотного обследования ряда исследовательских и образовательных организаций и высокотехнологичных компаний Новосибирской области, направленного на оценку факторов успеха и препятствий для формирования устойчивой кооперации науки и бизнеса. В работе использованы качественные методы исследования (case study, интервью, анкетирование). Показано, что, хотя все представители науки и бизнеса признают необходимость развития партнерских взаимосвязей, сохраняются различия мотиваций и конфликт целей участников как между собой, так и внутри организаций. Кроме известных препятствий (недостаток ресурсов, недофинансирование, дефицит кадров) выделены низкий уровень доверия и негативный опыт предыдущего сотрудничества, препятствующие участию в кооперации. Персонализация отношений участников и предыдущий опыт успешного сотрудничества становятся стимулами для развития партнерств, и такие примеры имеются. Государственная поддержка (особенно регионального уровня) необходима, она не ограничивается финансовыми инструментами, не меньшую важность имеет поддержка коммуникаций, способствующих повышению уровня доверия и снижению «издержек трения» между участниками партнерств

Pseudomonas extremorientalis sp. nov., isolated from a drinking water resevoir

On the basis of phenotypic and genotypic characteristics and 16S rDNA sequence analysis, a novel species belonging to the genus Pseudomonas sensu stricto was identified. The saprophytic, fluorescent bacterium, designated KMM 3447(T), was isolated from a drinking water reservoir near Vladivostok City, Russia. The novel organism was a Gram-negative, aerobic, rod-shaped bacterium that produced a cyclic depsipeptide with surface-active properties. It degraded casein, but did not degrade gelatin, starch, agar or Tween 80. The bacterium was also haemolytic. Growth of the novel bacterium occurred between 4 and 35 degrees C. The predominant cellular fatty acids of the novel pseudomonad were C(16:0), C(16:1(n-7)), C(18:1(n-7)) and C(17:0 cyclo); branched fatty acids were only found in trace amounts. The G+C content of the novel bacterium was 61.0 mol%. 16S rDNA sequence analysis indicated that the novel bacterium had a clear affiliation with Pseudomonas fluorescens and species closely related to this recognized pseudomonad. DNA--DNA hybridization experiments showed that the novel bacterium bound at low levels (27--53%) with the DNA of the type strains of its nearest phylogenetic relatives, namely Pseudomonas tolaasii, Pseudomonas veronii, Pseudomonas orientalis and Pseudomonas rhodesiae, indicating that the novel bacterium represented a novel species within the genus Pseudomonas, for which the name Pseudomonas extremorientalis is proposed; the type strain is KMM 3447(T) (=LMG 19695(T)).200

Evaluation of the Safety and Toxicity of the Original Copper Nanocomposite Based on Poly-N-vinylimidazole

A new original copper nanocomposite based on poly-N-vinylimidazole was synthesized and characterized by a complex of modern physicochemical and biological methods. The low cytotoxicity of the copper nanocomposite in relation to the cultured hepatocyte cells was found. The possibility to involve the copper from the nanocomposite in the functioning of the copper-dependent enzyme systems was evaluated during the incubation of the hepatocyte culture with this nanocomposite introduced to the nutrient medium. The synthesized new water-soluble copper-containing nanocomposite is promising for biotechnological and biomedical research as a new non-toxic hydrophilic preparation that is allowed to regulate the work of key enzymes involved in energy metabolism and antioxidant protection as well as potentially serving as an additional source of copper

Preoperative Typing of Thyroid and Parathyroid Tumors with a Combined Molecular Classifier

In previous studies, we described a method for detecting and typing malignant tumors of the thyroid gland in fine-needle aspiration biopsy samples via analysis of a molecular marker panel (normalized HMGA2 mRNA level; normalized microRNA-146b, -221, and -375 levels; mitochondrial-to-nuclear DNA ratio; and BRAFV600E mutation) in cytological preparations by quantitative PCR. In the present study, we aimed to estimate the specificity of the typing of different thyroid tumors by the proposed method. Fine-needle aspiration cytological preparations from 278 patients were used. The histological diagnosis was known for each sample. The positive and negative predictive values of the method assessed in this study were, respectively, 100% and 98% for papillary thyroid carcinoma (n = 63), 100% and 100% for medullary thyroid carcinoma (n = 19), 43.5% and 98% for follicular carcinoma (n = 15), and 86% and 100% for Hürthle cell carcinoma (n = 6). Thus, we demonstrate that the diagnostic panel, including the analysis of microRNA expression, mRNA expression, the BRAFV600E mutation, and the mitochondrial-to-nuclear DNA ratio, allows the highly accurate identification of papillary thyroid carcinoma, medullary thyroid carcinoma, and Hürthle cell carcinoma but not malignant follicular tumors (positive predictive value was below 50%)