First results of the SPHERE experiment

First results of the balloon-borne experiment SPHERE are presented. The primary spectrum in the energy range 1016 – 5 · 1017 eV is compared with data of other experiments. The primary energies were reconstructed using characteristics of the Vavilov-Cherenkov radiation from extensive air showers, reflected from a snow surface

The Anatomy of the Knee and Gamma-Families

It is shown that the fine stucture of the cosmic ray energy spectrum in the knee region, if explained by the Single Source Model (SSM), can, in principle, be clearly revealed and magnified in the size spectrum of extensive air showers (EAS) associated with gamma families. Existing experimental data on EAS at mountain level give support to this hypothesis.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, to appear in the Proceedings of 14th International Symposium on Very High Energy Cosmic Ray Interactions, Weihai, China, 15-22.08.06, Nucl.Phys.B (Proc.Suppl.), 200

Истоки и эволюция мифа о Достоевском

The concept of «myth» in the article is used for the study of the functioning of cultural tradition.Firstly, it is a cultural myth, i.e tradition of perception, formulated in a complex image, which constitutes our understanding of the writer and affects on our interpretation of his works. During the writer`s lifetime the myth of Dostoevsky has absorbed his own activity and contemporary critical reactions. Its basis was the «complex of the Prophet», included Dostoevsky`s reactualization of Pushkin`s heritage. At the same time, at the birth stage, the myth has incorporated its own parodic variation into its structure. Internal contradictions led to the dynamism of the receptive tradition.As a receptive artifact the myth of Dostoevsky in the XX century became both a material for creative activity, and the actor of influence on the national culture. From this perspective сases of denial or a radical rethinking of Dostoevsky’s heritage are more important for the understanding of functionig the national cultural memory.Temporary domination of this negative receptive strategy in Soviet culture gave rise to a specific vector of «returning» to Dostoevsky, especially noticeable in the end of XX century. It exposes the main function of the myth: “Dostoevsky” in the twentieth century, on the one hand, became an ethical model for Russia, and on the other – a stamp of mass consciousness, which in turn gave birth to an influential tendency of denial and parodization.The historical and literary perspective of Dostoevsky’s perception are homologous to the social and aesthetic transformation of Russian culture. The evolution of the myth of Dostoevsky can indicate changes and crises in cultural consciousness of the nation.Понятие «миф» используется в статье для исследования функционирования культурной традиции. Речь идет о культурном мифе, о традиции восприятия, формулируемой в изменяющемся вместе с культурой комплексе образов, конституирующих представление о писателе и влияющих на интерпретацию его произведений. Истоки этого мифа – собственная жизнетворческая активность писателя и актуальные реакции современников. Структурный центр мифа – «комплекс пророка», выстроенный Ф.М. Достоевским на фоне реактуализации пушкинского наследия. При этом уже на стадии рождения миф вобрал в свою структуру собственную травестированную вариацию. Внутренняя противоречивость обусловила динамизм рецептивной традиции. В XX веке миф о Достоевском в качестве рецептивного артефакта стал одновременно и материалом творческой активности, и актором культурного процесса. Причем, для понимания устройства и принципов «работы» национально-культурной памяти интереснее всего случаи отрицания мифа или попыток его радикального переосмысления. Временное господство негативной стратегии восприятия Достоевского в советской культуре породило специфический вектор «возвращения» к Достоевскому, обнаживший в интеллектуальной рефлексии конца ХХ века основную функцию мифа. «Достоевский» в ХХ веке, с одной стороны, превратился в этический образец, с которым сверяется Россия, а с другой – стал штампом массового сознания, в свою очередь породившим влиятельную тенденцию отрицания и пародизации. Смысловые и структурные изменения мифа о Достоевском гомологичны социальным и эстетическим трансформациям русской культуры. Поэтому в более широком смысле эволюция мифа о Достоевском может служить индикатором изменений и кризисов национально-культурного сознания

Possibility of Using a Satellite-Based Detector for Recording Cherenkov Light from Ultrahigh-Energy Extensive Air Showers Penetrating into the Ocean Water

We have estimated the reflected component of Cherenkov radiation, which arises in developing of an extensive air shower with primary energy of 10^20 eV over the ocean surface. It has been shown that, under conditions of the TUS experiment, a flash of the reflected Cherenkov photons at the end of the fluorescence track can be identified in showers with zenith angles up to 20 degrees.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures. This preprint corrects errors which appeared in the English version of the article published in Bull. Rus. Acad. Sci. Phys., 2011, Vol. 75, No. 3, p. 381. The original russian text was published in Izv. RAN. Ser. Fiz., 2011, Vol. 75, No. 3, p. 41

Chloride intracellular channel proteins respond to heat stress in Caenorhabditis elegans

Chloride intracellular channel proteins (CLICs) are multi-functional proteins that are expressed in various cell types and differ in their subcellular location. Two CLIC homologs, EXL-1 (excretory canal abnormal like-1) and EXC-4 (excretory canal abnormal± 4), are encoded in the Caenorhabditis elegans genome, providing an excellent model to study the functional diversification of CLIC proteins. EXC-4 functions in excretory canal formation during normal animal development. However, to date, the physiological function of EXL-1 remains largely unknown. In this study, we demonstrate that EXL-1 responds specifically to heat stress and translocates from the cytoplasm to the nucleus in intestinal cells and body wall muscle cells under heat shock. In contrast, we do not observe EXC-4 nuclear translocation under heat shock. Full protein sequence analysis shows that EXL-1 bears a non-classic nuclear localization signal (NLS) that EXC-4 is lacking. All mammalian CLIC members have a nuclear localization signal, with the exception of CLIC3. Our phylogenetic analysis of the CLIC gene families across various animal species demonstrates that the duplication of CLICs in protostomes and deuterostomes occurred independently and that the NLS was subsequently lost in amniotes and nematodes, suggesting convergent evolution. We also observe that EXL-1 nuclear translocation occurs in a timely ordered manner in the intestine, from posterior to anterior regions. Finally, we find that exl-1 loss of function mutants are more susceptible to heat stress than wild-type animals, demonstrating functional relevance of the nuclear translocation. This research provides the first link between CLICs and environmental heat stress. We propose that C. elegans CLICs evolved to achieve different physiological functions through subcellular localization change and spatial separation in response to external or internal signals