Problematic Issues of Qualifying Crimes and Determining the Jurisdiction of Criminal Cases in Relation to Special Subjects: From Practice to Theory

Attention to the effectiveness of modern lawmaking, its prognostic assessments and optimization of law enforcement has not weakened. The consideration of these problems from the point of view of system analysis  requires creative interaction of various structures interested in improving  state-building, balanced development of the legal system, ensuring the  effectiveness of its impact on society, strengthening the rule of law and orderin the country.One of the most effective forms of such coordination is the Scientific and Methodological Council created under the Prosecutor of the Omsk region, a special task among the many of which the development and discussion,  together with legal scholars, of scientifically based recommendations on  problematic issues of prosecutor’s supervision, legislation and law enforcement practice, legal advisory opinions on issues arising in the practice of prosecutor's supervision.The article proposes to discuss some actual problems of law enforcement raised at one of the meetings of the Scientific and Methodological Council under the Prosecutor of the Omsk region. In particular, the problematic issues of the qualification of actions of persons under Article 165 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (causing property damage by deception or abuse of trust) related to the misuse of funds of  resourcesupplying organizations are considered. In this regard, the position  is expressed, according to which the process of qualifying a person's actions according to the examined norm requires an analysis of civil law relations.In the second part of the material, the problematic issues of determining the jurisdiction in the proceedings based on the materials of inspections and criminal cases against persons specified in Article 447 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of the Russian Federation, but who have lost their status, are considered. In solving this problem, the actions of Chapter 52 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of the Russian Federation are proposed to be fully extended to the special person specified in it, who at the time of  initiating a criminal case lost  their official position, but on the condition that  the subject of criminal prosecution is a crime committed by one of these persons during the period of their special status. In addition, consideration of other features of criminal proceedings of this type should depend on the specific investigative and judicial situation, and the jurisdiction of criminal cases against “special persons” who have lost their status should be  determined according to the general rule of Chapter 52 of the Code of  Criminal Procedure of the Russian Federation

Naphthalene Degradation and Biosurfactant Activity by Bacillus cereus 28BN

Biosurfactant activity and naphthalene degradation by a new strain identified as Bacillus cereus 28BN were studied. The strain grew well and produced effective biosurfactants in the presence of n-alkanes, naphthalene, crude oil and vegetable oils. The biosurfactants were detected by the surface tension lowering of the medium, thin layer chromatography and infrared spectra analysis. With (2%) naphthalene as the sole carbon source, high levels of rhamnolipids at a concentration of 2.3 g l Ð1 were determined in the stationary growth. After 20 d of incubation 72 ð 4% of the initial naphthalene was degraded. This is the first report for a Bacillus cereus rhamnolipid producing strain that utilized naphthalene under aerobic conditions. The strain looks promising for application in environmental technologies

Purification and Characterization of Enzymes from Yeast: An Extended Undergraduate Laboratory Sequence for Large Classes

Providing a project-based experience in an undergraduate biochemistry laboratory class can be complex with large class sizes and limited resources. We have designed a 6-week curriculum during which students purify and characterize the enzymes invertase and phosphatase from bakers yeast. Purification is performed in two stages via ethanol precipitation and anion exchange chromatography, and students perform both direct and coupled enzyme assays. By completion of the experimental series, students are able to identify which enzymes they have purified and have obtained kinetic parameters for one. This experimental series requires minimal instructor preparation time, is cost effective, and works with multiple sections of large groups of students. Students participating in this sequence showed increases in conceptual understanding of biochemical concepts as measured through in-class assessments and anonymous surveys

Some Issues of Terminating a Criminal Case

This publication continues the experience of covering the work of the Scientific and Meth­odological Council under the Prosecutor of the Omsk Region, among the main tasks of which remains the development and discussion, together with representatives of legal science, of sound recommenda­tions on problematic issues of prosecutorial supervision, legislation and law enforcement practice, legal advisory opinions on issues arising in prosecutorial practice. In this regard, the article proposes to dis­cuss certain topical problems of law enforcement practice raised at one of the last meetings of the Scien­tific and Methodological Council under the Prosecutor of the Omsk Region. Thus, based on a systematic analysis of errors in the implementation of the institution of a judicial fine, it is proposed to provide prosecutors with systematic supervision over compliance with the requirements of the law when it is ap­plied, which requires a more thorough study of criminal cases, as well as a proper initiative to establish the circumstances associated with the application of a judicial fine, and timely challenging unfounded court decisions. In addition, the practice of law enforcement highlights the fundamental problem of a unified interpretation of the grounds for terminating a criminal case (criminal prosecution) against a person who has committed an act prohibited by criminal law in a state of insanity. Based on the analy­sis of legal situations and various approaches to their resolution, the article argues for the need to make a decision on the studied criminal cases on the grounds of paragraph 4 of part 1 of Art. 24 of the Criminal Procedure Code of the Russian Federation in connection with the death of a person involved in criminal proceedings. In other similar situations, but related to the criminal prosecution of these persons, the deci­sion must be made taking into account the specific circumstances of the criminal case

Transcriptional loops meet chromatin: a dual-layer network controls white–opaque switching in Candida albicans

The human pathogen Candida albicans is able to undergo a reversible switch between two distinct cell types called white and opaque, which are considered different transcriptional states of cells harbouring identical genomes. The present model of switching regulation includes the bistable expression of a master switch gene that is controlled by multiple transcriptional feedback loops. Here, we show that chromatin-modifying enzymes constitute an additional important regulatory layer of morphogenetic switching. We identify eight chromatin modifiers as switching modulators. Extensive epistasis analysis maps them into at least two independent signalling pathways overlaying the known transcriptional network. Interestingly, we identify the conserved Set3/Hos2 histone deacetylase complex as a key regulator relying on the methylation status of histone H3 lysine 4 for switching modulation. Furthermore, we demonstrate that opaque to white switching is facilitated by the presence of adenine in vitro, but adenine has no effect on switching once the Set3/Hos2 complex is disrupted. Our observations postulate that chromatin modifications may serve as a means to integrate environmental or host stimuli through the underlying transcriptional circuits to determine cell fate in C. albicans

Rhamnolipids: diversity of structures, microbial origins and roles

Rhamnolipids are glycolipidic biosurfactants produced by various bacterial species. They were initially found as exoproducts of the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa and described as a mixture of four congeners: α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-β-hydroxydecanoyl-β-hydroxydecanoate (Rha-Rha-C10-C10), α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-β-hydroxydecanoate (Rha-Rha-C10), as well as their mono-rhamnolipid congeners Rha-C10-C10 and Rha-C10. The development of more sensitive analytical techniques has lead to the further discovery of a wide diversity of rhamnolipid congeners and homologues (about 60) that are produced at different concentrations by various Pseudomonas species and by bacteria belonging to other families, classes, or even phyla. For example, various Burkholderia species have been shown to produce rhamnolipids that have longer alkyl chains than those produced by P. aeruginosa. In P. aeruginosa, three genes, carried on two distinct operons, code for the enzymes responsible for the final steps of rhamnolipid synthesis: one operon carries the rhlAB genes and the other rhlC. Genes highly similar to rhlA, rhlB, and rhlC have also been found in various Burkholderia species but grouped within one putative operon, and they have been shown to be required for rhamnolipid production as well. The exact physiological function of these secondary metabolites is still unclear. Most identified activities are derived from the surface activity, wetting ability, detergency, and other amphipathic-related properties of these molecules. Indeed, rhamnolipids promote the uptake and biodegradation of poorly soluble substrates, act as immune modulators and virulence factors, have antimicrobial activities, and are involved in surface motility and in bacterial biofilm development