Toxic Effect of Lead on the Red Marrow Cells of Birds

The purpose of this study was to determine the main patterns of the toxic effect of lead on the red marrow cells of birds in the first three days after exposure. The electro-microscopic study revealed that the toxic effect of lead nitrate on bone marrow cells begins even at a slight MAL excess after 1 day of intoxication. Hematopoietic and stromal marrow cells mainly show the signs of dystrophic changes, which increase as the term after exposure to lead nitrate increases. In the cytoplasm of many cells, heterogeneous lipid inclusions are formed, which are likely the lipid products of cell membrane destruction. In lead intoxication of chickens, the structure of the cell nuclei in the bone marrow is changed, and the morphological characteristics reveal a decrease in the transcription of ribosomal RNA genes and the preparation of many cells for apoptosis. Keywords: lead toxic effect, birds, marrow cell

The Temperature-Dependent Selectivity of Potential Interaction Partners for the Small Heat Shock Protein IbpA from Acholeplasma laidlawii

© 2016, Springer Science+Business Media New York.Small heat shock proteins (sHsps) of α-crystalline type play a key role in the cell survival under stress conditions by preventing irreversible denaturation and aggregation of proteins. In contrast to most Mollicutes (mycoplasmas) where no sHsps were found, recently, some sHsp homologs were identified in the Acholeplasmataceae family, including Acholeplasma laidlawii, the only representative of Mollicutes that is known to survive in a host-free environment. Using pull-down followed by LC-MS, we identified the potential target proteins co-eluting with IbpA from the A. laidlawii cell extracts after exposition to low- and high temperatures. 308 and 464 proteins were co-eluted with IbpA from the cold- and heat-treated extracts, respectively, while only 240 of them were co-eluted with sHsp independently of the temperature. Most of potential IbpA targets were identified as enzymes involved in biosynthetic cycles and energy metabolism. We show IbpA specificity for target proteins on the incubation temperature. Significant differences between protein pools co-eluting specifically with IbpA at either 4 or 46 °C could be observed in terms of their aliphatic index, charge, molecular weight, and isoelectric point. Interestingly, only the isoelectric point distribution significantly differed between the protein pool co-eluting with IbpA under cooling (4 °C) and the entire proteome. In contrast, significant discrepancies in the distributions of aliphatic index, charge, hydropathy, molecular weight, and isoelectric point could be observed between the pool of proteins co-eluting with IbpA under heating (46 °C) and the entire proteome, indicating that there is likely a complex selective mechanism for proteins interaction with IbpA under heat shock conditions

Mycoplasma Diversity in Arctic Permafrost

© 2016, Springer Science+Business Media New York.Viable bacterial cells and its genetic material can be stably maintained in Arctic permafrost for a long geological time. Because of the seasonal melting of permafrost strata, it cannot be excluded an access to the surface of ancient highly invasive species with increased pathogenicity. Mycoplasmas are very successful pathogens in humans, mammals, birds, insects, and plants, with high genome plasticity and ability to avoid immune response of host organism. The metagenomic approach allowed us to predict mycoplasma diversity in the Arctic permafrost. The number of mycoplasma DNA fragments in soil deposits of comparable age (∼30,000 years) and origin (the late Pleistocene Ice Complexes) is not so abundant compared with other microorganisms, but it is enough for a chance in the presence of living mycoplasmal cells in permafrost. DNA fragments of human, animal, insect, and plant pathogens were identified. The “ubiquitous” mycoplasma Acholeplasma laidlawii is the undisputed leader in the number of identified sequences in all three metagenomes. It may indicate a higher adaptive capacity and more powerful metabolic potential of A. laidlawii among Mollicutes

Nanomechanical testing of thin films to 950 °C

Nanomechanical testing has been a revolutionary technique in improving our fundamental understanding of the basis of mechanical properties of thin film systems and the importance of the nanoscale behaviour on their performance. However, nanomechanical tests are usually performed in ambient laboratory conditions even if the coatings being developed are expected to perform at high temperature in use. It is important to measure nanomechanical and tribological properties of materials under test conditions that are closer to their operating conditions where the results are more relevant. We can then better understand the links between properties and performance and design advanced materials systems for increasingly demanding applications. However, high temperature nanomechanics is highly challenging experimentally and a high level of instrument thermal stability is critical for reliable results. To achieve this stability the NanoTest Vantage has been designed with (i) active heating of the sample and the indenter (ii) horizontal loading to avoid convection at the displacement sensor (iii) patented stage design and thermal control method. By separately and actively heating and controlling the temperatures of both the indenter and test sample there is minimal/no thermal drift during the high temperature indentation and measurements can be performed as reliably as at room temperature. Illustrative results are presented for TiAlN, TiFeN, DLC and MAX-phase coatings. Above 500 °C it is necessary to use Argon purging to limit oxidation of samples and the diamond indenter, although the efficiency of this decreases over 750 °C. To test at higher temperatures without indenter or sample oxidation an ultra-low drift high temperature vacuum nanomechanics system (NanoTest Xtreme) has been recently developed. Results with the vacuum system are presented up to 950 °C

CREATION OF AN ACTIVE ELEMENT OF A NEW BRANCH OF KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY – THE DIGITAL ECONOMY

The brief analysis of the development of L. V. Kantorovich's ideas in the works of his students and followers has been presented. This intellectual base can be used in solving the problems of digital transformation, digitalization, creation of digital platforms and their ecosystems in the digital economy. It has been proposed to create an active element of a new branch of knowledge economy – the digital economy – in the form of “Association of departments of applied mathematics of economic and managerial profiles of Russian Universities”, the advisability of this decision has been substantiated. The Association will allow you to simultaneously conduct research on a wide range of topical issues of the digital economy, optimally form creative teams and expert groups, carry out constant scientific communication in real time, and connect talented young people to research between the postgraduate students, graduate students, and students. Working together in the structure of the Association, the departments of higher education institutions will be able to show the effect of synergy and achieve much more results in their activities. The Association has a great educational potential, which can be effectively used to improve the various levels of personnel potential of management systems. Creating associations in the field of breakthrough technologies is the best way to activate Russia's intellectual potential

Fracture toughness in some hetero-modulus composite carbides: carbon inclusions and voids. Advances in Applied Ceramics

Fracture toughness of ceramics in some cases can be significantly improved by the inclusion of low-modulus phase and even voids. Structure and mechanical characteristics of dense ceramic composites synthesised by reactive hot pressing of TiC-B4C powder mixtures at 1800 - 1950°С under 30MPa during 16 minutes are investigated. X-Ray Diffraction, Scanning Electron Microscopy and Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (SEM and EDX) have shown that during hot pressing solid phase chemical interaction 2TiС + B4C = 2TiВ2 + 3С has occurred resulting in TiB2-TiC-C, TiB2-C or TiB2-B4C-C hetero-modulus composite formation with approximately 1μm carbon precipitates. The volume of such precipitated carbon can reach 35 vol. %. The fracture toughness depends on the precipitate size and amount of graphite precipitation and has a distinct maximum K1C = 10MPa∙m1/2 at nearly 7 vol. % . Such fracture toughness behaviour is explained by the proposed model of crack propagation and the model-based assessment of hetero-modulus ceramic fracture toughness. It is shown that voids and low modulus carbon inclusions blunt the cracks and can increase ceramic toughness. The later has been demonstrated in the another carbon containing ceramic Cr2AlC, so named MAX phase material, when thin film fracture resistance increases as the ceramic was deposited to be porous

РЕСУРСНОЕ ОБЕСПЕЧЕНИЕ СТАТИСТИЧЕСКОЙ И ОРГАНИЗАЦИОННО-МЕТОДИЧЕСКОЙ СЛУЖБЫ В САНКТ-ПЕТЕРБУРГЕ

The article presents materials on staff and personnel of statistics departments (offices), their equipment and data of sociological survey of employees of these units concerning the problems of Saint-Petersburg medical statistics service.Представлены материалы о штатном и кадровом составе отделений (кабинетов) статистики, их технической оснащенности и данные социологического исследования мнения сотрудников этих подразделений по вопросам состояния службы медицинской статистик

Recombinant small heat shock protein from Acholeplasma laidlawii increases the Escherichia coli viability in thermal stress by selective protein rescue

© 2017, Pleiades Publishing, Inc.In both prokaryotes and eukaryotes, the survival at temperatures considerably exceeding the optimum is supported by intense synthesis of the so-called heat shock proteins (HSPs), which act to overcome the adverse effects of heat stress. Among mycoplasmas (class Mollicutes), which have significantly reduced genomes, only some members of the Acholeplasmataceae family possess small HSPs of the α-crystallin type. Overproduction of a recombinant HSP IbpA (Hsp20) from the free-living mycoplasma Acholeplasma laidlawii was shown to increase the resistance of Escherichia coli to short-term heat shock. It has been long assumed that IbpA prevents protein aggregation and precipitation thereby increasing viability of E. coli cells. Several potential target proteins interacting with IbpA under heat stress were identified, including biosynthetic enzymes, enzymes of energy metabolism, and components of the protein synthesis machinery. Statistical analysis of physicochemical properties indicated that IbpA interaction partners significantly differ in molecular weight, charge, and isoelectric point from other members of the E. coli proteome. Upon shortterm exposure to increased temperature, IbpA was found to preferentially interact with high-molecularweight proteins having a pI of about 5.1, significantly lower than the typical values of E. coli proteins

Sanitary protection of the territory of Russian Federation. Report 2. The differentiation of the territory of a region of Russian Federation for risk of diseases dangerous for people

The risk of emergency situations in the sphere of sanitary-epidemiological welfare associated with diseases dangerous for population varies for different municipalities of a region of Russian Federation. Therefore a differentiation of a region for three types of territories (A, B, C) is necessary. Adequate number of sanitary protection measures is determined for each type of territories. The purpose of this study was the development of methodical reception for differentiation of a region of Russian Federation. Point scoping of criteria of external and. internal epidemiological risks for each of municipality is proposed as this method. Criteria of external epidemiological risk allow to take into account the probability of the importation of infectious diseases, requiring measures for sanitary protection of the territory. Criteria of internal epidemiological risk reflect both actual and. potential dangers: morbidity, the registration of particular nosologic forms of diseases in animals and. detection of pathogens in the living and. non-living environment objects. Assessment of internal risk is carried out in the analysis of information about epizootic and. epidemiological situation of infectious diseases, the list of which is proposed, with, consideration of their epidemiological significance and. can be used for any Russian Federation region. According to the results of total assessment of risks for each of municipalities the complex index of epidemiological risk (CIER) is determined. On the basis of CIER the territory type (A, B, C) is determined. Type A, B or C defines for the municipality the volume of measures for sanitary protection of the territory on the basis of a sufficient level for preparedness of forces and means of public health institutions. The method, based, on the assessment of external and. internal epidemiological risks, that allows to differentiate the region of Russian Federation, at municipal level for risk of diseases dangerous for people, is proposed, as the result of this work. A new methodical approach, will contribute to the increase of the preparedness of public health, institutions to emergency situations in the sphere of sanitary-epidemiological welfare associated, with, diseases dangerous for people