Genotypic variability in the functioning of photosystem II in leaves of covered and naked oats

Background. Comparing the characteristics of primary photosynthetic processes in photosystem II (PSII) in the leaves of two oat (Avena sativa L.) subspecies will help to understand their genetic differentiation. Comparisons between naked and covered oats to assess the efficiency of energy flows within PSII and its relation to useful agronomic traits have not been previously made but can have an effect on their cultivation practices.Materials and methods. Two-week-old plants of 16 covered and 17 naked oat genotypes were assessed for rapid chlorophyll α fluorescence using a Fluor Pen FP 110/S fluorometer. Data on the yield structure were obtained in 2021. The data were processed statistically using descriptive statistics, correlation (Excel 2013) and cluster (StatSoft Statistica 10; Ward's method) analyses.Results. The groups of oat genotypes differed significantly in the absolute magnitude of adsorbed (ABS/RC) and trapped (TRo/RC) light energy flows, which were higher in naked oats (by 7.8 and 7.4%, respectively). The efficiency of electron transfer from plastoquinone QB to PSI in naked oats exceeded that in covered oats by 8.2%. For the whole set of genotypes, a statistically significant correlation of grain yield with the PIABS performance index (r = 0.403), light energy adsorption (r = -0.477) and its utilization at the reaction centers of PSII (r = -0.452) was manifested. The performance indices (PIABS and PIABS_total) positively correlated with part of grain in total biomass (0.571 and 0.418, respectively) and were higher in covered oats (by 28.2 and 21.9%, respectively).Conclusion. The existence of significant differences was shown between covered and naked oats according to six of the nine evaluated structural and functional parameters of the PSII leaf functioning. The results of the cluster analysis demonstrated the tendency to the grouping of genotypes by the presence/absence of grain hullness

Search for potential gastric cancer markers using miRNA databases and gene expression analysis

Aim: The aim of this study was to identify genes that are differentially expressed in gastric tumors and to analyze the association of their expression level with tumor clinicopathologic features. Methods: In the present research, we used bioinformatic-driven search to identify miRNA that are down-regulated in gastric tumors and to find their potential targets. Then, the expression levels of some of the target mRNAs were investigated using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis. Results: As a result of the bioinformatics analysis, fifteen genes were found to be potentially differentially expressed between the tumors and normal gastric tissue. Five of them were chosen for the further analysis (WNT4, FGF12, EFEMP1, CTGF, and HSPG2) due to their important role in cell proliferation and differentiation. Expression levels of these genes were evaluated in our collection of frozen tissue samples of gastric tumor and paired normal stomach epithelia. Increased FGF12 expression was observed in diffuse type of gastric cancer while WNT4 mRNA was found to be down-regulated in intestinal type of gastric cancer. Besides, CTGF gene overexpression was revealed in diffuse type of stomach cancer in comparison with that in intestinal type. Up-regulation of CTGF was also associated with lymph node metastasis. Conclusions: The findings show its expedient to perform further investigations in order to clarify diagnostic and prognostic value of CTGF, FGF12, and WNT4’s in stomach cancer as well as the role of these genes in carcinogenesis

Structural and luminescent characteristics of YAG phosphors synthesized in the radiation field

YAG:Ce, YAGG:Ce ceramics were obtained by sintering the oxide powders in the radiation field. The results of investigations of the structure, composition and luminescence of ceramics are presented. The luminescence characteristics of powders exactly correspond to the phosphors luminescence used in practice obtained by solid-state synthesis methods. It has been established that in the used radiation exposure modes the main factor determining the efficiency of the synthesis is the ionization density

The Campanian Ignimbrite and Codola tephra layers: Two temporal/stratigraphic markers for the Early Upper Palaeolithic in southern Italy and eastern Europe

Tephra layers from archaeological sites in southern Italy and eastern Europe stratigraphically associated with cultural levels containing Early Upper Palaeolithic industry were analysed. The results confirm the occurrence of the Campanian Ignimbrite tephra (CI; ca. 40 cal ka BP) at Castelcivita Cave (southern Italy), Temnata Cave (Bulgaria) and in the Kostenki–Borshchevo area of the Russian Plain. This tephra, originated from the largest eruption of the Phlegrean Field caldera, represents the widest volcanic deposit and one of the most important temporal/stratigraphic markers of western Eurasia. At Paglicci Cave and lesser sites in the Apulia region we recognise a chemically and texturally different tephra, which lithologically, chronologically and chemically matches the physical and chemical characteristics of the Plinian eruption of Codola; a poorly known Late Pleistocene explosive event from the Neapolitan volcanoes, likely Somma–Vesuvius. For this latter, we propose a preliminary age estimate of ca. 33 cal ka BP and a correlation to the widespread C-10 marine tephra of the central Mediterranean. The stratigraphic position of both CI and Codola tephra layers at Castelcivita and Paglicci help date the first and the last documented appearance of Early Upper Palaeolithic industries of southern Italy to ca. 41–40 and 33 cal ka BP, respectively, or between two interstadial oscillations of the Monticchio pollen record – to which the CI and Codola tephras are physically correlated – corresponding to the Greenland interstadials 10–9 and 5. In eastern Europe, the stratigraphic and chronometric data seem to indicate an earlier appearance of the Early Upper Palaeolithic industries, which would predate of two millennia at least the overlying CI tephra. The tephrostratigraphic correlation indicates that in both regions the innovations connected with the so-called Early Upper Palaeolithic – encompassing subsistence strategy and stone tool technology – appeared and evolved during one of the most unstable climatic phases of the Last Glacial period. On this basis, the marked environmental unpredictability characterising this time-span is seen as a potential ecological factor involved in the cultural changes observed

Electron Beam-Assisted Synthesis of YAG:Ce Ceramics

The work was carried out within the framework of the grant AP14870696 of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan. This research was funded by the Russian Science Foundation of the Russian Federation. (Grant No. 23-73-00108). A.I.P is also thankful for financial support from Latvian Project LZP-2018/1-0214. In addition, A.I.P. is thanking the Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia (ISSP UL). ISSP UL as the Centre of Excellence has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Framework Programme H2020-WIDESPREAD01-2016-2017-Teaming Phase2 under grant agreement No. 739508, project CAMART2.In this work, we present the results of the structure and luminescence properties of YAG:Ce (Y3Al5O12 doped with Ce3+ ions) ceramic samples. Their synthesis was carried out by sintering samples from the initial oxide powders under the powerful action of a high-energy electron beam with an energy of 1.4 MeV and a power density of 22–25 kW/cm2. The measured diffraction patterns of the synthesized ceramics are in good agreement with the standard for YAG. Luminescence characteristics at stationary/time-resolved regimes were studied. It is shown that under the influence of a high-power electron beam on a mixture of powders, it is possible to synthesize YAG:Ce luminescent ceramics with characteristics close to the well-known YAG:Ce phosphor ceramics obtained by traditional methods of solid-state synthesis. Thus, it has been demonstrated that the technology of radiation synthesis of luminescent ceramics is very promising. © 2023 by the authors. --//-- Karipbayev Z.T., Lisitsyn V.M., Golkovski M.G., Zhilgildinov Z.S., Popov A.I., Zhunusbekov A.M., Polisadova E., Tulegenova A., Mussakhanov D.A., Alpyssova G., Piskunov S.; Electron Beam-Assisted Synthesis of YAG:Ce Ceramics; (2023) Materials, 16 (11), art. no. 4102; DOI: 10.3390/ma16114102; https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85161490971&doi=10.3390%2fma16114102&partnerID=40&md5=e33da4c2d44c563881bdeffe410d734b published under the CC BY 4.0 licence.Grant AP14870696 of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan; Russian Science Foundation of the Russian Federation Grant No. 23-73-00108; the Latvian Council of Science LZP-2018/1-0214; ISSP UL as the Centre of Excellence has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Framework Programme H2020-WIDESPREAD01-2016-2017-Teaming Phase2 under grant agreement No. 739508, project CAMART2

THERMOLUMINESCENCE OF Ga2O3 IRRADIATED BY HIGH-DOSE PULSED ELECTRON BEAM

The TL curves of pure gallium oxide ceramics synthesized in a stream of fast electrons are studied. It is established that the TL curve is the sum of two peaks with activation energies of 0.84 and 0.95 eV. The nature of the dose characteristics of the TL of the studied material is analyzed

FEATURES OF THERMOLUMINESCENCE KINETICS OF ZrO2 CERAMICS SYNTHESIZED BY ELECTRON BEAM METHOD

Luminescent properties of ceramics of zirconium dioxide (ZrO2) synthesized by electron beam method are investigated. On the TL curves in the samples, a dominant TL peak was detected at 425-430 K, excited by a pulsed electron beam. The kinetic parameters of the TL peak were determined by two methods

Thermoluminescence of Magnesium Oxide Ceramics Obtained by the Method of Electron Beam Synthesis

The luminescent properties of MgO ceramics synthesized by the electron beam method were investigated. The luminescence centers were identified in the samples. The TL curves and dose characteristics of TL peaks excited by a pulsed electron beam (130 keV, 1.5–60 kGy) were analyzed

Study of the influence of the electron irradiation dose on the deformation of Mylar films taking into account the processes of destruction and crosslinking

Experimental studies of the dependence of the deformation [epsilon] on the dose of electron irradiation D taking into account the processes of destruction and crosslinking for films of the Mylar type have been carried out. It was obtained that the dependence of [epsilon] on D for the process of cross-linking is described by a linear and destruction by an exponential function

Идентификация маркеров аденокарциномы желудка на основе биоинформатического поиска и анализа генной экспрессии

Introduction. Searching for specific and sensitive molecular tumor markers is one of the important tasks of modern oncology. These markers can be used for early tumor diagnosis and prognosis as well as for prediction of therapeutic response, estimation of tumor volume or to assess disease recurrence through monitoring. Gene expression data base mining followed by experimental validation of results obtained is one of the promising approaches for searching of that kind.Objective: to identify several membrane proteins which can be used for serum diagnosis of intestinal type of gastric adenocarcinoma.Materials and methods. We used bioinformatic-driven search using Gene Ontology and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data to identify mRNA up-regulated in gastric cancer (GC). Then, the expression levels of the mRNAs in 55 pare clinical specimens were investigated using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction.Results. Comparative analysis of the mRNA levels in normal and tumor tissues using a new bioinformatics algorithm allowed to identify 3 high-copy transcripts (SULF1, PMEPA1 and SPARC), intracellular content of which markedly increased in GC. Expression analysis of these genes in clinical specimens showed significantly higher mRNA levels of PMEPA1 and SPARC in tumor as compared to normal gastric tissue. Interestingly more than twofold increase in expression level of these genes was observed in 75 % of intestinal-type GC. The same results were found only in 25 and 38 % of diffuse-type GC respectively.Conclusions. As a result of original bioinforamtic analysis using TCGA data base two genes (PMEPA1 and SPARC) were shown to be significantly upregulated in intestinal-type gastric adenocarcinoma. The findings show the importance of further investigation to clarify the clinical value of their expression level in stomach tumors as well as their role in carcinogenesis.Введение. Одна из важных задач современной онкологии – поиск ассоциированных с опухолями молекулярных маркеров, которые могут использоваться для диагностики и прогнозирования рака, оценки степени радикальности операции и последующего лечения, а также раннего выявления рецидивов. Одним из продуктивных вариантов подобного поиска является анализ транскриптомных баз данных с применением методов биоинформатики с последующей валидацией полученных результатов на клиническом материале.Цель исследования – поиск мембранных белков, которые могут быть использованы для сывороточной диагностики аденокарциномы желудка интестинального гистологического типа.Материалы и методы. Идентификацию потенциальных маркеров рака желудка (РЖ) проводили с использованием баз данных Gene Ontology и the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Последующую оценку дифференциальной экспрессии генов выполняли на парных образцах аденокарциномы и нормальной ткани желудка, взятых от 55 пациентов. Экспрессию генов оценивали с помощью полимеразной цепной реакции с обратной транскрипцией в режиме реального времени по методу ΔCq.Результаты. Сравнительный анализ уровней синтеза матричных РНК (мРНК) нормальных и опухолевых тканей с применением нового алгоритма биоинформатического поиска привел к идентификации 3 наиболее высококопийных транскриптов (SULF1, PMEPA1 и SPARC), внутриклеточное содержание которых заметно повышается при РЖ. При анализе уровня мРНК данных генов в клиническом материале наблюдалось более чем двукратное увеличение уровня экспрессии PMEPA1 и SPARC в 75 % образцов РЖ интестинального гистологического типа. В образцах РЖ диффузного гистологического типа этот показатель составил 25 и 38 % соответственно.Выводы. Использование оригинального биоинформатического подхода, основанного на анализе данных TCGA, позволило выявить 2 гена (PMEPA1 и SPARC), преимущественно экспрессирующихся в опухолях желудка интестинального типа. Полученные результаты свидетельствуют об актуальности дальнейшего исследования роли этих генов в патогенезе РЖ и оценки клинической значимости уровня их экспрессии в опухолевой ткани