MADS-box genes controlling inflorescence morphogenesis in sunflower

MADS-box genes play an important role in plant ontogeny, particularly, in the regulation of floral organ induction and development. Eight full-length cDNAs of HAM genes (Helianthus annuus MADS) have been isolated from sunflower. They encode MADS-box transcription factors expressed in inflorescence tissues. In the frames of the ABCDE model, the HAM proteins were classified according to their structural homology to known MADS-box transcription factors. The HAM45 and HAM59 genes encode the homeotic C function and are involved in the control of the identity of pistil and stamens, while the HAM75 and HAM92 genes determine the A function and identity of floral and inflorescence meristems and petal identity. The HAM31, HAM2, HAM63, and HAM91 genes encode the B function and are involved in the formation of petals and stamens; and the HAM137 gene encodes the E function. Analysis of the expression of HAM genes in sunflower has demonstrated that the structural and functional differences between the ray and tubular flowers in the inflorescence could be a consequence of the lack of HAM59 expression during ray flower initiation

In planta localisation patterns of MADS domain proteins during floral development in Arabidopsis thaliana

Background: MADS domain transcription factors play important roles in various developmental processes in flowering plants. Members of this family play a prominent role in the transition to flowering and the specification of floral organ identity. Several studies reported mRNA expression patterns of the genes encoding these MADS domain proteins, however, these studies do not provide the necessary information on the temporal and spatial localisation of the proteins. We have made GREEN FLUORESCENT PROTEIN (GFP) translational fusions with the four MADS domain proteins SEPALLATA3, AGAMOUS, FRUITFULL and APETALA1 from the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana and analysed the protein localisation patterns in living plant tissues by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). Results: We unravelled the protein localisation patterns of the four MADS domain proteins at a cellular and subcellular level in inflorescence and floral meristems, during development of the early flower bud stages, and during further differentiation of the floral organs. The protein localisation patterns revealed a few deviations from known mRNA expression patterns, suggesting a non-cell autonomous action of these factors or alternative control mechanisms. In addition, we observed a change in the subcellular localisation of SEPALLATA3 from a predominantly nuclear localisation to a more cytoplasmic localisation, occurring specifically during petal and stamen development. Furthermore, we show that the down-regulation of the homeodomain transcription factor WUSCHEL in ovular tissues is preceded by the occurrence of both AGAMOUS and SEPALLATA3 proteins, supporting the hypothesis that both proteins together suppress WUSCHEL expression in the ovule. Conclusion: This approach provides a highly detailed in situ map of MADS domain protein presence during early and later stages of floral development. The subcellular localisation of the transcription factors in the cytoplasm, as observed at certain stages during development, points to mechanisms other than transcriptional control. Together this information is essential to understand the role of these proteins in the regulatory processes that drive floral development and leads to new hypotheses

Possibility of Simulating Forced Convection in Fast Neutron Reactors Using a Light Water Test Facility

The paper evaluates the possibility of modeling the heat transfer phenomena in a liquid-metal coolant using a light water test facility. A large nuclear power reactor (like the BN-1200 project) was selected as a reactor installation to be modeled. To validate the model, the similarity theory and the “black box” method were used. The paper uses the experience of a number of researchers in this field, in particular, the accepted assumptions which do not result in serious loss in modeling accuracy. The governing criteria of similarity were estimated based on the fundamental differential equations of convective heat transfer, so were the conditions under which it is possible to model sodium coolant by using  light water with adequate accuracy. The paper presents the scales of the parameters used for the model - reactor comparison. Dependence curves of certain scales with regard to others are constructed, and the possibility of achieving similarity of certain parameters in modeling was estimated. Recommendations are provided on designing a water test model of the BN reactor and on carrying out experiments using this test model

Genetic sources for barley (<i>Hordeum vulgare</i>) breeding in the Volga-Vyatka region

Background. The environmental conditions in the northeast of the Russian Non-Black-Soil zone require development of barley cultivars with resistance to higher soil acidity, drought and diseases. Increased productivity in stressful environments was achieved by combining different breeding techniques, including application of cell technologies.Materials and methods. Barley accessions from the unique collection of the N. I. Vavilov All-Russian Institute of Plant Genetic Resources (VIR) served as sources of useful traits. These accessions underwent field- and laboratory-based research at the FASC of the North-East, which was targeted at the main qualities of breeding value: grain yield, growing season duration, and resistance to lodging, diseases and soil stress. Cultivation of callus tissues and regeneration of barley plants were performed in vitro on artificial nutrient media modified by adding selective agents simulating the effect of natural stressors.Results and discussion. After studying the accessions from VIR for various traits of breeding value for the environments of the Volga-Vyatka region, the following breeding sources were selected: cvs. ‘Dina’ (k‑29216, Russia), ‘Andrey’ (k‑30122, Russia), etc. for their earliness; ‘Belogorsky 90’ (k‑29770, Russia), ‘Syabra’ (k‑29917, Belarus), etc. for combined high yield and earliness; ‘Musson’ (k‑30968, Russia), ‘Fenix’ (k‑30835, Ukraine), etc. for lodging resistance; ‘Dina’ (k‑29216, Russia), ‘Medikum’ (k‑30962, Russia), etc. for disease resistance; and ‘Tandem’ (k‑30883, Russia), ‘Novichok’ (k‑30806, Russia), etc. for soil stress resistance. Besides, cvs. ‘Ekolog’ (k‑29417, Russia), ‘Conrad’ (k‑30406, USA), etc. were identified as promising for cellular breeding. General principles regulating selection of initial genotypes for barley tissue culture were formulated. Of practical interest is application of cell-level breeding techniques to cultivars sensitive or moderately resistant to stressors. Accessions from VIR’s collection have been used to develop spring barley cultivars adapted to the cultivation conditions of the Volga-Vyatka region: more than 30 cultivars through hybridization and selection, and 6 cultivars with theuse of in vitro tissue culture

Association of morphological traits with lodging resistance in spring barley under the conditions of the Volga-Vyatka region

Background. Lodging has an extremely negative impact on barley yield: grain quality and planting properties are deteriorated, disease incidence increases, and mechanized harvesting becomes difficult, so it is important to find new sources of lodging resistance in barley and use them in crosses and breeding programs to develop non-lodging barley cultivars.Materials and methods. Experimental work was carried out in 2018 and 2019 at Federal Agricultural Science Center of the North-East (FASC North-East), Kirov. Yield structure components and lodging resistance levels were assessed for 29 accessions from the spring barley collection. The study was based on the International COMECON List of Descriptors for the Genus Hordeum L. (subgen. Hordeum) and Methodological Guidelines for the Study and Preservation of the World Collection of Barley and Oats.Results and conclusions. Lodging resistance was observed to have a strong correlation with yield (r = 0.72) and plant height (r = –0.60), and a medium correlation with tillering (r = 0.40) and number of nodal roots at maturation (r = 0.44). No relationship was found between lodging resistance and morphological features of the second lowest internode, which means that selection of non-lodging forms by these criteria will not be effective. Lodging-resistant accessions demonstrated higher yield, tillering, productivity, 1000 grain weight, and a longer and denser ear compared to nonresistant accessions. Accessions combining high yield with lodging resistance and a set of traits promising for breeding were identified: ‘Belgorodsky 100’, ‘Naran’ (k-30892), ‘Kazminsky’ (k-30926), ‘Shchedry’ (k-31046) (Russia); ‘Syabra’ (k-30917), ‘Raider’ (Belarus); ‘Odesssky 115’ (k-29010, Ukraine), ‘Mie’ (k-30379, Estonia), ‘Rodos’ (k-30256, Poland)

Results of using cell technologies for creation of new barley varieties resistant against aluminum toxicity and drought

Results of a study of economically valuable parameters of barley regenerant lines obtained by cell selection on selective media with aluminum, hydrogen ions and polyethylene glycol are presented. Genotypes superior to the initial variety and standard variety have been identified under laboratory conditions: root length index (regenerants: 0.9–1.2 %; standard: 0.8 %) and drought resistance (regenerants: 17.8–45.2 %; standard: 8.5 %); productive parameters under growth chamber conditions (12 % increase in germination ability, 21 % increase in productive plant stand, 2.3- fold increase in grain number per ear, 1.5-fold increase in weight of grains per plant). The parameter ”weight of grains per plant” correlates with the level of alkalization of the rhizosphere zone of the investigated plants under stressful conditions in growth chamber experiments (r = 0.908). Regenerant pants are typically much less affected by phytopathogenic fungi. The genotypes screened in selective systems in vitro had advantages over the initial varieties and standard varieties in productivity, especially under provocative conditions of acid soils and moisture deficit in 2010. As a result of field tests, the genotypes of regenerant origin were identified that had consistently shown a 10.0–43.2 % higher productivity than the standard variety over several years. The proportion of varieties regenerated at the stage of competitive variety trials increased from 8.3 % (2006) to 32.4 % (2014). The varieties regenerated with high combining ability are used as the parental forms in crosses. New barley varieties Forward and Bionik have been developed on the basis of regenerant lines 917-01 and 496-07. Under edaphic stress (pH 3.8–4.5; Аl3+ 0.5–9.6 mg/100 g soil), Forward has productivity up to 5.5 t/ha and Bionik, 6.6 t/ha; which is 113–128 % higher than the standard

“ON EDUCATION” IN A HIGHER SCHOOL

This paper deals with a significant problem of education “outside” the classrooms. Authors present the methodological cases, using their pedagogical experience. Much attention is paid in the article to specific practical assignments and examples of how best to organize extra-curricular activities of students. This paper is a presentation of a real year program for learners of RUDN University. It may be used in similar cases as its effectiveness is proved by numerous examples

Chronotope of D. Nakipov’s Novel “The Circle of Ash.”

In the context of the predominance of polystylistics as a method of creating a modern Kazakh translingual novel, the research into new ways of realizing the author’s intention is extremely relevant. This study addresses the problem of chronotope in D. Nakipov’s novel “The Circle of Ash,” as well as the goal pursued by the author when choosing a specific representation of the space-time continuum in the work. A detailed analysis and a comparison of two layers of the narrative was made: the existence of the Samion tribe and the existence of the Onosam civilization. With the help of consecutive comparisons of the two worlds, not only the difference between the two cultures is emphasized, but also the points of their contact. The position is substantiated that two different worlds are a single chronotope of the novel. The study reveals the intention of the work which is that D. Nakipov demonstrates what kind of decadence the rejection of naturalness, the naturalness of being, can hypothetically lead to, what the desire to enclose living life within the framework of industrialization can lead to, how detrimental the impact of isolation from roots and the past can be. According to Nakipov, not a single scrupulously verified and refined convention cannot generate freedom and, by definition, cannot be as fruitful as wild but bright primitive chaos. In addition, the contrast between the Samion tribe and the Onosam civilization serves to express an idea common to Kazakh Russian-speaking writers - the idea of the absolute connection of all things between times and spaces. The article also records the peculiarity of the formation of objectification of the chronotope in the postmodern novel with the help of artistic detail. Even though the novel “The Circle of Ash” cannot be unambiguously attributed to postmodernism, it is still impossible not to say that the features of this literary movement are present in the novel. The objectification of the chronotope in the novel is the Kazakh archetype of the circle, which emphasizes the idea of the Absolute expressed in the novel

In planta localisation patterns of MADS domain proteins during floral development in Arabidopsis thaliana

BACKGROUND: MADS domain transcription factors play important roles in various developmental processes in flowering plants. Members of this family play a prominent role in the transition to flowering and the specification of floral organ identity. Several studies reported mRNA expression patterns of the genes encoding these MADS domain proteins, however, these studies do not provide the necessary information on the temporal and spatial localisation of the proteins. We have made GREEN FLUORESCENT PROTEIN (GFP) translational fusions with the four MADS domain proteins SEPALLATA3, AGAMOUS, FRUITFULL and APETALA1 from the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana and analysed the protein localisation patterns in living plant tissues by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). RESULTS: We unravelled the protein localisation patterns of the four MADS domain proteins at a cellular and subcellular level in inflorescence and floral meristems, during development of the early flower bud stages, and during further differentiation of the floral organs. The protein localisation patterns revealed a few deviations from known mRNA expression patterns, suggesting a non-cell autonomous action of these factors or alternative control mechanisms. In addition, we observed a change in the subcellular localisation of SEPALLATA3 from a predominantly nuclear localisation to a more cytoplasmic localisation, occurring specifically during petal and stamen development. Furthermore, we show that the down-regulation of the homeodomain transcription factor WUSCHEL in ovular tissues is preceded by the occurrence of both AGAMOUS and SEPALLATA3 proteins, supporting the hypothesis that both proteins together suppress WUSCHEL expression in the ovule. CONCLUSION: This approach provides a highly detailed in situ map of MADS domain protein presence during early and later stages of floral development. The subcellular localisation of the transcription factors in the cytoplasm, as observed at certain stages during development, points to mechanisms other than transcriptional control. Together this information is essential to understand the role of these proteins in the regulatory processes that drive floral development and leads to new hypotheses

Comparison of efficacy of laser and radio-wave methods of surgical treatment of patients with chronic rhinitis

Introduction. Chronic rhinitis occurs more often in patients; it’s symptoms deteriorate their quality of life, affect sleeping, daily activity, and sometimes cause complications. The treatment depends on the clinical symptoms. In case of inefficiency of conservative therapy, surgery is indicated. Choosing an exact surgical instrument is still controversial.Objective. The aim of our study is to compare using semiconductor laser (wavelength 1.56 mkm) and radiofrequency (4 MHz) in patients with chronic rhinitis.Materials and methods. 60 patients with chronic drug-induced rhinitis aged 19–80 years were recruited and divided into two equal groups. All patients underwent surgical procedures: semiconductor laser (IRE-Polus) and radiofrequency (Ellman Surgitron) inferior nasal turbinate reduction. To assess and compare the healing process in two groups we used endoscopy and active anterior rhinomanometry. All patients filled out the SNOT-20 questionnaire. For the mucociliary clearance evaluation saccharin test was used. We observed patients during 12 months.Conclusion. Both, laser and radiofrequency, techniques are effective in patients with chronic rhinitis. In laser group shorter healing period was observed, what leads to rehabilitation shortening and life quality improvement