Personal archiv as the object of sociological research (on the base of Dostavalov”s personal archiv)

This article is about of the personal archive, and we consider it as "field" of sociological research. Sociological focus of the analysis of personal papers is allocated. We describe experience with personal archive, the text of personal papers can show us the structure of archive and value of the author of archive.В данной статье личный архив рассматривается как «поле» социологического исследования, выделяется социологический фокус анализа личных документов. Описывается опыт работы с личным архивом, где открывается возможность в разрозненных текстах личных документов увидеть структуру архива основанную на ценностной позиции его втора

Metal Oxide Nanoparticle Preparation by Pulsed Laser Ablation of Metallic Targets in Liquid

The basic mechanisms of pulsed laser ablation in liquids (PLAL) as a method for the synthesis of nanoparticles (NPs) were considered. Physical and chemical processes occurring during the PLAL that determine the formation, composition and structure of the nanoparticles obtained are described. The influence of the composition and properties of the target material, the solvent and the characteristics of the laser irradiation on the efficiency of the synthesis of nanoparticles is discussed. Separately, an influence of the absorption and scattering (including nonlinear) of laser radiation in the dispersion of nanoparticles on the primary synthetic processes and secondary transformations inside the colloidal solution is examined. The specificity of the characterization of the colloidal solutions of oxide particles produced by PLAL is highlighted. The most promising practical applications of nanomaterials obtained are identified and the examples of their successful use in catalytic research and biomedicine are provided

Analysis of Russian market of foodstuffs and agricultural raw materials in modern conditions of managing

The paper analyzes the characteristics and trends in the product structure and geographical flows of Russia’s trade. A significant influence of TNCs on the Russian market of food and agricultural raw materials was detected. The developmental problems, place and prospects of Russia on the global food market in terms of import substitution policy were identified.У статті проаналізовано особливості та тенденції товарної структури та географічних потоків торгівлі Росії. Виявлено істотний вплив ТНК на російський ринок продовольства та сільськогосподарської сировини. Визначено проблеми розвитку, місце та перспективи Росії на світовому ринку продовольства в умовах політики імпортозаміщення.В статье проанализированы особенности и тенденции в товарной структуре и географических потоках торговли России. Выявлено существенное влияние ТНК на российский рынок продовольствия и сельскохозяйственного сырья. Определены проблемы развития, место и перспективы России на мировом рынке продовольствия в условиях политики импортозамещения

Visualization of nanoconstructions with DNA-Aptamers for targeted molecules binding on the surface of screen-printed electrodes

Nanoconstructions of gold nanoparticles (NPs) obtained via pulsed laser ablation in liquid with DNA-aptamer specific to protein tumor marker were visualized on the surface of screen-printed electrode using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). AuNPs/aptamer nanoconstuctions distribution on the solid surface was studied. More uniform coverage of the carbon electrode surface with the nanoconstuctions was showed in comparison with DNA-aptamer alone on the golden electrode surface. Targeted binding of the tumor marker molecules with the AuNPs/DNA-aptamer nanoconstuctions was approved

Comparison of vaccination and booster rates and their impact on excess mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic in European countries

AimTo evaluate the effect of vaccination/booster administration dynamics on the reduction of excess mortality during COVID-19 infection waves in European countries.MethodsWe selected twenty-nine countries from the OurWorldInData project database according to their population size of more than one million and the availability of information on dominant SARS-CoV-2 variants during COVID-19 infection waves. After selection, we categorized countries according to their “faster” or “slower” vaccination rates. The first category included countries that reached 60% of vaccinated residents by October 2021 and 70% by January 2022. The second or “slower” category included all other countries. In the first or “faster” category, two groups, “boosters faster’’ and “boosters slower” were created. Pearson correlation analysis, linear regression, and chi-square test for categorical data were used to identify the association between vaccination rate and excess mortality. We chose time intervals corresponding to the dominance of viral variants: Wuhan, Alpha, Delta, and Omicron BA.1/2.Results and discussionThe “faster” countries, as opposed to the “slower” ones, did better in protecting their residents from mortality during all periods of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and even before vaccination. Perhaps higher GDP per capita contributed to their better performance throughout the pandemic. During mass vaccination, when the Delta variant prevailed, the contrast in mortality rates between the “faster” and “slower” categories was strongest. The average excess mortality in the “slower” countries was nearly 5 times higher than in the “faster” countries, and the odds ratio (OR) was 4.9 (95% CI 4.4 to 5.4). Slower booster rates were associated with significantly higher mortality during periods dominated by Omicron BA.1 and BA.2, with an OR of 2.6 (CI 95%. 2.1 to 3.3). Among the European countries we analyzed, Denmark, Norway, and Ireland did best, with a pandemic mortality rate of 0.1% of the population or less. By comparison, Bulgaria, Serbia, and Russia had a much higher mortality rate of up to 1% of the population.ConclusionThus, slow vaccination and booster administration was a major factor contributing to an order of magnitude higher excess mortality in “slower” European countries compared to more rapidly immunized countries

A putative RNA-interference-based immune system in prokaryotes: computational analysis of the predicted enzymatic machinery, functional analogies with eukaryotic RNAi, and hypothetical mechanisms of action

BACKGROUND: All archaeal and many bacterial genomes contain Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindrome Repeats (CRISPR) and variable arrays of the CRISPR-associated (cas) genes that have been previously implicated in a novel form of DNA repair on the basis of comparative analysis of their protein product sequences. However, the proximity of CRISPR and cas genes strongly suggests that they have related functions which is hard to reconcile with the repair hypothesis. RESULTS: The protein sequences of the numerous cas gene products were classified into ~25 distinct protein families; several new functional and structural predictions are described. Comparative-genomic analysis of CRISPR and cas genes leads to the hypothesis that the CRISPR-Cas system (CASS) is a mechanism of defense against invading phages and plasmids that functions analogously to the eukaryotic RNA interference (RNAi) systems. Specific functional analogies are drawn between several components of CASS and proteins involved in eukaryotic RNAi, including the double-stranded RNA-specific helicase-nuclease (dicer), the endonuclease cleaving target mRNAs (slicer), and the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase. However, none of the CASS components is orthologous to its apparent eukaryotic functional counterpart. It is proposed that unique inserts of CRISPR, some of which are homologous to fragments of bacteriophage and plasmid genes, function as prokaryotic siRNAs (psiRNA), by base-pairing with the target mRNAs and promoting their degradation or translation shutdown. Specific hypothetical schemes are developed for the functioning of the predicted prokaryotic siRNA system and for the formation of new CRISPR units with unique inserts encoding psiRNA conferring immunity to the respective newly encountered phages or plasmids. The unique inserts in CRISPR show virtually no similarity even between closely related bacterial strains which suggests their rapid turnover, on evolutionary scale. Corollaries of this finding are that, even among closely related prokaryotes, the most commonly encountered phages and plasmids are different and/or that the dominant phages and plasmids turn over rapidly. CONCLUSION: We proposed previously that Cas proteins comprise a novel DNA repair system. The association of the cas genes with CRISPR and, especially, the presence, in CRISPR units, of unique inserts homologous to phage and plasmid genes make us abandon this hypothesis. It appears most likely that CASS is a prokaryotic system of defense against phages and plasmids that functions via the RNAi mechanism. The functioning of this system seems to involve integration of fragments of foreign genes into archaeal and bacterial chromosomes yielding heritable immunity to the respective agents. However, it appears that this inheritance is extremely unstable on the evolutionary scale such that the repertoires of unique psiRNAs are completely replaced even in closely related prokaryotes, presumably, in response to rapidly changing repertoires of dominant phages and plasmids. This article was reviewed by: Eric Bapteste, Patrick Forterre, and Martijn Huynen. OPEN PEER REVIEW: Reviewed by Eric Bapteste, Patrick Forterre, and Martijn Huynen. For the full reviews, please go to the Reviewers' comments section

Distinct Patterns of Expression and Evolution of Intronless and Intron-Containing Mammalian Genes

Comparison of expression levels and breadth and evolutionary rates of intronless and intron-containing mammalian genes shows that intronless genes are expressed at lower levels, tend to be tissue specific, and evolve significantly faster than spliced genes. By contrast, monomorphic spliced genes that are not subject to detectable alternative splicing and polymorphic alternatively spliced genes show similar statistically indistinguishable patterns of expression and evolution. Alternative splicing is most common in ancient genes, whereas intronless genes appear to have relatively recent origins. These results imply tight coupling between different stages of gene expression, in particular, transcription, splicing, and nucleocytosolic transport of transcripts, and suggest that formation of intronless genes is an important route of evolution of novel tissue-specific functions in animals

Evolution of alternative and constitutive regions of mammalian 5'UTRs

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Alternative splicing (AS) in protein-coding sequences has emerged as an important mechanism of regulation and diversification of animal gene function. By contrast, the extent and roles of alternative events including AS and alternative transcription initiation (ATI) within the 5'-untranslated regions (5'UTRs) of mammalian genes are not well characterized.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We evaluated the abundance, conservation and evolution of putative regulatory control elements, namely, upstream start codons (uAUGs) and open reading frames (uORFs), in the 5'UTRs of human and mouse genes impacted by alternative events. For genes with alternative 5'UTRs, the fraction of alternative sequences (those present in a subset of the transcripts) is much greater than that in the corresponding coding sequence, conceivably, because 5'UTRs are not bound by constraints on protein structure that limit AS in coding regions. Alternative regions of mammalian 5'UTRs evolve faster and are subject to a weaker purifying selection than constitutive portions. This relatively weak selection results in over-abundance of uAUGs and uORFs in the alternative regions of 5'UTRs compared to constitutive regions. Nevertheless, even in alternative regions, uORFs evolve under a stronger selection than the rest of the sequences, indicating that some of the uORFs are conserved regulatory elements; some of the non-conserved uORFs could be involved in species-specific regulation.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The findings on the evolution and selection in alternative and constitutive regions presented here are consistent with the hypothesis that alternative events, namely, AS and ATI, in 5'UTRs of mammalian genes are likely to contribute to the regulation of translation.</p