Evaluation of interspecific populations of grapevine in breeding for complex resistance to fungal diseases and phylloxera

Roentgenoscopy was used as a method to determine the quality of hybrid seeds and to predict the development of viable plants from interspecific hybridization. The seeds were grouped into five classes of quality (embryo classes) depending on embryo size and degree of endosperm development As the index number of a class increased, the proportion of plantlets and vigorous plants produced also increased. In order to evaluate genotypic peculiarities of the original forms and seedlings, the seedlings were studied at the juvenile stage of ontogeny. Analysis of development of the hybrids studied during 5-6 years under conditions of complex infection pressure at a special planting site made it possible to evaluate the degree of their resistance to phylloxera, pathogenic soil microflora and fungal diseases and to eliminate susceptible genotypes. The heritability of resistance to fungal diseases (mildew, oidium, grey rot) and phylloxera was studied, conclusions were made concerning the combining ability of the original forms, and these forms were evaluated as donors of the desirable characters. Using transgressive resistant hybrids as donors in backcrossing provided improved quality with a broad range of resistance variability, which made it possible to select promising genotypes

Метеорологические условия экстремального лавинообразования в горах Кавказа по данным наблюдений и реанализов

The possibility of using the data of modern ERA-Interim, CFSR and NCEP-NCAR re-analyses to assess an avalanche danger in the mountains of the North Caucasus is considered. Previously, the mean seasonal values of the surface air temperature and seasonal precipitation amounts obtained from the reanalysis archives were compared with the data of meteorological stations. The mean temperature of the cold period (November–March) was best reproduced by the ERA-Interim reanalysis: the correlation coefficients amounted to 0.8–0.9, and the average deviation from the station data ±1.7 °C. The accuracy of measurements of precipitation is lower, but the magnitude of the errors does not exceed the limits of inter-seasonal variability. To estimate the avalanche hazard, a correlation matrix was used based on the relationship of the avalanche hazard indicator with the standard deviations of seasonal values of temperature and precipitation. The ERA-Interim reanalysis reproduces the avalanche danger in the North Caucasus most adequately (71% of coincidences with the actually observed events). Synoptic processes which may promote formation of catastrophic avalanches in the North Caucasus were also determined. The most typical situation is the position of a high-level cyclone over the Eastern Europe, accompanied by the invasion of cold air masses from Scandinavia that activates cyclogenesis in the Mediterranean. It was found that the extreme avalanche hazards occurred at negative anomalies of mean seasonal air temperature near the ground and in the middle troposphere (about 1.5–2 °C) when the integral water content of the atmosphere was close to the norm.Рассмотрена возможность использования данных современных реанализов ERA-Interim, CFSR и NCEP-NCAR для оценки лавинной опасности в горах Северного Кавказа, которые предварительно сравнивали с материалами метеорологических станций (средние сезонные значения приземной температуры и осадков). Для расчёта лавинной опасности использовалась корреляционная матрица, основанная на связи показателя лавинной опасности со стандартными отклонениями сезонных значений температуры и осадков. Установлены синоптические процессы, способствующие формированию катастрофических лавин. Показано, что аномально высокая лавинная опасность возникает при отрицательной аномалии температуры воздуха у земли и на высотах при близком к норме интегральном влагосодержании атмосферы

Neoglycolipids Micelle-like Structures as a Basis for Drug Delivery Systems

Targeted drug delivery is one of the most promising tasks of nanomedicine, as this is a real way to increase the effectiveness of therapeutic effects against many diseases. In this regard, the development of new inexpensive highly effective stimulating and non-immunogenic drug delivery systems (DDS) is of great importance. In this work new molecular candidates were proposed and studied for the creation of such systems based on the use of new compounds, neoglycolipids. It is shown that these compounds are capable of self-association in aqueous solutions and can serve as potential carriers of drug compounds with targeted delivery determined by their terminal groups (in particular, glycans). The processes of their associates formation and features of their structure are investigated. The results show that these selforganizing nanoscale systems can be used as a basis for developing new drug delivery systems. Keywords: neoglycolipids, micelle-like structures, small-angle X-ray scattering, molecular dynamics simulatio

DEVELOPMENT OF SPATIAL ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES FOR IDENTIFICATION OF "RISK AREAS" IN CASE OF EXTERNAL THREATS REALIZATION AS REGARDS SANITARY AND EPIDEMIOLOGICAL WELLFARE

Objective of the study was to develop the methodology for identification of administratively independent areas under potential risk of “external” epidemiological threat realization, by the example of cholera.Materials and methods. Analysis was conducted using free software package with open source code (QGIS 2.8 and GRASS GIS 7.0) on the basis of the data received from Rosgranitsa and the Federal State Statistics Service. The construction of risk cartogram was performed on the base of Euclidean distance and estimation of nuclear density.Results and conclusions. In accordance with the obtained results, the GIS containing information about the checkpoints on the Russian border, settlements, roads and railway lines was worked out. The method of identification of risk areas due to importation of infectious diseases based on the cholera model has been developed, and the total area of such territories was less than 1 % of the total area of the country. It was found that in some cases the risk area is located at a certain distance from the checkpoint, but the existence of checkpoint does not lead to the formation of risk areas. The developed GIS is available on the geo-information portal of FGHI Rostov-on-Don Research Anti-Plague Institute of Rospotrebnadzor

Differential Recognition of P. falciparum VAR2CSA Domains by Naturally Acquired Antibodies in Pregnant Women from a Malaria Endemic Area

Plasmodium falciparum infected red blood cells (iRBC) express variant surface antigens (VSA) of which VAR2CSA is involved in placental sequestration and causes pregnancy-associated malaria (PAM). Primigravidae are most susceptible to PAM whereas antibodies associated with protection are often present at higher levels in multigravid women. However, HIV co-infection with malaria has been shown to alter this parity-dependent acquisition of immunity, with more severe symptoms as well as more malaria episodes in HIV positive women versus HIV negative women of a similar parity.Using VAR2CSA DBL-domains expressed on the surface of CHO-745 cells we quantified levels of DBL-domain specific IgG in sera from pregnant Malawian women by flow cytometry. Dissociations constants of DBL5epsilon specific antibodies were determined using a surface plasmon resonance technique, as an indication of antibody affinities.VAR2CSA DBL5epsilon was recognized in a gender and parity-dependent manner with anti-DBL5epsilon IgG correlating significantly with IgG levels to VSA-PAM on the iRBC surface. HIV positive women had lower levels of anti-DBL5epsilon IgG than HIV negative women of similar parity. In primigravidae, antibodies in HIV positive women also showed significantly lower affinity to VAR2CSA DBL5epsilon.Pregnant women from a malaria-endemic area had increased levels of anti-DBL5epsilon IgG by parity, indicating this domain of VAR2CSA to be a promising vaccine candidate against PAM. However, it is important to consider co-infection with HIV, as this seems to change the properties of antibody response against malaria. Understanding the characteristics of antibody response against VAR2CSA is undoubtedly imperative in order to design a functional and efficient vaccine against PAM

The ART-XC telescope on board the SRG observatory

ART-XC (Astronomical Roentgen Telescope - X-ray Concentrator) is the hard X-ray instrument with grazing incidence imaging optics on board the Spektr-Roentgen-Gamma (SRG) observatory. The SRG observatory is the flagship astrophysical mission of the Russian Federal Space Program, which was successively launched into orbit around the second Lagrangian point (L2) of the Earth-Sun system with a Proton rocket from the Baikonur cosmodrome on 13 July 2019. The ART-XC telescope will provide the first ever true imaging all-sky survey performed with grazing incidence optics in the 4-30 keV energy band and will obtain the deepest and sharpest map of the sky in the energy range of 4-12 keV. Observations performed during the early calibration and performance verification phase as well as during the on-going all-sky survey that started on 12 Dec. 2019 have demonstrated that the in-flight characteristics of the ART-XC telescope are very close to expectations based on the results of ground calibrations. Upon completion of its 4-year all-sky survey, ART-XC is expected to detect ~5000 sources (~3000 active galactic nuclei, including heavily obscured ones, several hundred clusters of galaxies, ~1000 cataclysmic variables and other Galactic sources), and to provide a high-quality map of the Galactic background emission in the 4-12 keV energy band. ART-XC is also well suited for discovering transient X-ray sources. In this paper, we describe the telescope, results of its ground calibrations, major aspects of the mission, the in-flight performance of ART-XC and first scientific results.Comment: 19 pages, 30 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysic

Hybrid nanoparticles based on sulfides, oxides, and carbides

The methods for synthesis of hybrid nanoparticles based on sulfides, oxides, and carbides of heavy and transition metals were considered. The problem of the influence of the method of synthesis of the hybrid nanoparticles on their atomic structure, morphology of the nanomaterials, and functional properties was analyzed. The areas of practical use of the hybrid nanoparticles were proposed. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media New York

Allelic Diversity of the Plasmodium falciparum Erythrocyte Membrane Protein 1 Entails Variant-Specific Red Cell Surface Epitopes

The clonally variant Plasmodium falciparum PfEMP1 adhesin is a virulence factor and a prime target of humoral immunity. It is encoded by a repertoire of functionally differentiated var genes, which display architectural diversity and allelic polymorphism. Their serological relationship is key to understanding the evolutionary constraints on this gene family and rational vaccine design. Here, we investigated the Palo Alto/VarO and IT4/R29 and 3D7/PF13_003 parasites lines. VarO and R29 form rosettes with uninfected erythrocytes, a phenotype associated with severe malaria. They express an allelic Cys2/group A NTS-DBL1α1 PfEMP1 domain implicated in rosetting, whose 3D7 ortholog is encoded by PF13_0003. Using these three recombinant NTS-DBL1α1 domains, we elicited antibodies in mice that were used to develop monovariant cultures by panning selection. The 3D7/PF13_0003 parasites formed rosettes, revealing a correlation between sequence identity and virulence phenotype. The antibodies cross-reacted with the allelic domains in ELISA but only minimally with the Cys4/group B/C PFL1955w NTS-DBL1α. By contrast, they were variant-specific in surface seroreactivity of the monovariant-infected red cells by FACS analysis and in rosette-disruption assays. Thus, while ELISA can differentiate serogroups, surface reactivity assays define the more restrictive serotypes. Irrespective of cumulated exposure to infection, antibodies acquired by humans living in a malaria-endemic area also displayed a variant-specific surface reactivity. Although seroprevalence exceeded 90% for each rosetting line, the kinetics of acquistion of surface-reactive antibodies differed in the younger age groups. These data indicate that humans acquire an antibody repertoire to non-overlapping serotypes within a serogroup, consistent with an antibody-driven diversification pressure at the population level. In addition, the data provide important information for vaccine design, as production of a vaccine targeting rosetting PfEMP1 adhesins will require engineering to induce variant-transcending responses or combining multiple serotypes to elicit a broad spectrum of immunity