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The pandemic caused by a new strain of SARS-CоV-2 coronavirus has swept the whole world, however, despite the developed strategic directions for the treatment of coronavirus infection and intensive research in all countries, effective methods for treating this severe pathology have not yet been created. The list of drugs against COVID-19 practically does not use compounds that affect the renin-angiotensin system, in the functioning of which the ACE2 coronavirus binding receptor plays a central role. It is assumed that the virus, causing a decrease in the density of ACE2 receptors, leads to disruption of RAS activity. This review presents current research on the response of the immune system to infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, describes adaptive and innate cellular mechanisms, and describes a number of predictors of severe COVID-19. To write this review, a search was made in the PubMed database and the scientific electronic library eLibrary.ru. The selection of articles was carried out manually with the main goal of synthesizing data and describing the mechanisms of influence of SARS-CoV-2 on the renin-angiotensin system, and, as a result, on the activation of the adaptive and innate immune response. This review includes 53 publications, including methodological recommendations of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, data from ongoing clinical trials and patents. Data from selected scientific sources were structured and visualized.

Modern humans have populated Europe for more than 45,000 years1,2. Our knowledge of the genetic relatedness and structure of ancient hunter-gatherers is however limited, owing to the scarceness and poor molecular preservation of human remains from that period3. Here we analyse 356 ancient hunter-gatherer genomes, including new genomic data for 116 individuals from 14 countries in western and central Eurasia, spanning between 35,000 and 5,000 years ago. We identify a genetic ancestry profile in individuals associated with Upper Palaeolithic Gravettian assemblages from western Europe that is distinct from contemporaneous groups related to this archaeological culture in central and southern Europe4, but resembles that of preceding individuals associated with the Aurignacian culture. This ancestry profile survived during the Last Glacial Maximum (25,000 to 19,000 years ago) in human populations from southwestern Europe associated with the Solutrean culture, and with the following Magdalenian culture that re-expanded northeastward after the Last Glacial Maximum. Conversely, we reveal a genetic turnover in southern Europe suggesting a local replacement of human groups around the time of the Last Glacial Maximum, accompanied by a north-to-south dispersal of populations associated with the Epigravettian culture. From at least 14,000 years ago, an ancestry related to this culture spread from the south across the rest of Europe, largely replacing the Magdalenian-associated gene pool. After a period of limited admixture that spanned the beginning of the Mesolithic, we find genetic interactions between western and eastern European hunter-gatherers, who were also characterized by marked differences in phenotypically relevant variants. Ancient DNA data generation Before the LGM LGM in southwestern and western Europe Post-LGM in the Italian peninsula Post-LGM in western and central Europe Post-14 ka to Neolithic Phenotypically relevant variants Discussion and conclusions Methods

This work explores the strategy of adding physical coefficients as predictor variables in a Physics-Informed Neural Network (PINN) for the time-dependent Maxwell linear equations in case electric and magnetic fields present highly oscillatory behavior.

This study investigates the distributional effects of international organizations within their member countries. It addresses the issue empirically by examining the causal effect of International Monetary Fund (IMF) programs on income inequality. Introducing a new instrumental variable for IMF programs, I exploit time variation in the IMF’s liquidity and cross-sectional variation in a country’s probability of having a lending arrangement with the IMF. Using panel data for 155 countries over the 1973–2013 period, the results show that IMF programs substantially increase income inequality in democracies, while having no such effect in non-democracies. The size of this effect on democracies is smaller the more democratized the IMF’s decision-making processes are. These results are consistent with the theory that powerful, ‘democratically deficient’ international organizations that interfere in domestic politics are capable of restricting the responsiveness of democratic governments to the preferences of their citizens.

The article is focused on microbiological and silvicultural properties of bacterial wetwood of silver birch (Betula pendula), also known as European white birch. During the active phase of the disease, bacterial wetwood (i.e. bacterial dropsy, vascular parenchymatous bacteriosis or flux slime) is characterised by crust and periderm bloating, necrotic wet stains and abundance of exudate. The disease is more likely to occur in older (r = 0.56, p < 0.01) and less-dense (r = −0.29, p < 0.01) stands. The statistical model showed that the chance of bacterial wetwood increases with birch age by 0.36% per year. The stands with birch proportion of over 70% demonstrated 15.3% lower infection rate compared to the stands with lower birch presence. The stands with lower stocking demonstrated a higher proportion of infected tree distribution by 7.5% compared to the stands with higher birch representation. The most vulnerable were larger, older B. pendula trees with longitudinally fissured bark that grow on poorer soils and experience frequent water stress. Birch associations with Pteridium aquilinum and Vaccinium myrtillus were more susceptible to infection (31.6% and 44.3%, respectively), whereas associations with Brachypodium sylvaticum, Sphagnum palustre and Calluna vulgaris were at lower risk. Strong ecological and trophic association of bacterial wetwood was present between silver birch and Tremex spp., particularly Tremex fuscicornis. Mycobiota was represented by Rhizopus microsporus, Mucor mucedo, Penicillium aurantiogriseum, Penicillium purpurogenum and Acremonium strictum. Enterobacter, Xanthomonas, Pantoea and Bacillus spp. associated with bacterial wetwood of silver birch were isolated. Enterobacter nimipressuralis was found to be the primary causative agent through means of artificial infection, while other bacteria were found to be either weak pathogens or concomitant. E. nimipressuralis formed the largest number of colony-forming units (CFU) for bark and cambium (164 and 127 CFU, respectively) and was also found in a small amount as a vital obligate in the automicrobiota in healthy birch trees.

В работе исследовано влияние гидродробеструйной обработки на предел выносливости при изгибе и растяжении-сжатии в случае симметричного цикла цилиндрических образцов с круговым надрезом полукруглого профиля радиуса 0,3 мм. Образцы диаметром 10 мм для испытаний на усталость изготавливались из сталей 30ХГСА, 12Х18Н10Т, ЭИ961, 45 и алюминиевых сплавов В93, Д16Т. Влияние поверхностного упрочнения на предел выносливости образцов с надрезом оценивалось по двум критериям: остаточным напряжениям на поверхности надреза и среднеинтегральным остаточным напряжениям, вычисленным по толщине поверхностного слоя опасного сечения образцов, равной критической глубине нераспространяющейся трещины усталости. По результатам определения остаточных напряжений и предела выносливости образцов с надрезом установлено, что коэффициенты влияния поверхностного упрочнения на приращение предела выносливости при изгибе и растяжении-сжатии по обоим критериям примерно одинаковы. Однако коэффициент влияния по критерию среднеинтегральных остаточных напряжений изменяется в значительно меньших пределах, чем коэффициент влияния по критерию остаточных напряжений на поверхности концентратора. Поэтому для оценки влияния поверхностного упрочнения на предел выносливости деталей с концентраторами напряжений следует использовать критерий среднеинтегральных остаточных напряжений. На примере образцов при наличии и отсутствии наклёпа в опасном сечении показано, что в условиях концентрации напряжений наклёп не оказывает влияния на предел выносливости поверхностно упрочнённой детали. На предел выносливости таких деталей оказывают влияние только сжимающие остаточные напряжения.

The influence of roller strengthening on endurance limit under bending of the 25 mm and 50 mm diameter shafts made of steel 20 and 25 mm diameter shafts made of steel 40X with a pressurized hub has been examined. Its been stated that the endurance limit of roller strengthened shafts with a pressurized hub depends not only on a value of compressive residual stresses in their dangerous section but on the character of its distribution. The valuation of a surface hardening influence on the endurance limit of shafts by the surface residual stresses criterion and the average integral residual stresses criterion has been shown that the average integral residual stresses criterion calculated through the parts dangerous section surface layer thickness equal the critical depth of the non-propagating fatigue crack can be recommended for the hardened shafts with a pressurized hub endurance limit increase prediction. Its been shown that on a diameter of a shaft with a pressurized hub raising it is necessary to increase a thickness of a hardened surface layer with compressive residual stresses.

RNAs contain post-transcriptional modifications, which fulfill a variety of functions in translation, secondary structure stabilization and cellular stress survival. Here, 2-methylthiocytidine (ms2C) is identified in tRNA of E. coli and P. aeruginosa using NAIL-MS (nucleic acid isotope labeling coupled mass spectrometry) in combination with genetic screening experiments. ms2C is only found in 2-thiocytidine (s2C) containing tRNAs, namely tRNAArgCCG, tRNAArgICG, tRNAArgUCU and tRNASerGCU at low abundances. ms2C is not formed by commonly known tRNA methyltransferases. Instead, we observe its formation in vitro and in vivo during exposure to methylating agents. More than half of the s2C containing tRNA can be methylated to carry ms2C. With a pulse-chase NAIL-MS experiment, the repair mechanism by AlkB dependent sulfur demethylation is demonstrated in vivo. Overall, we describe ms2C as a bacterial tRNA modification and damage product. Its repair by AlkB and other pathways is demonstrated in vivo by our powerful NAIL-MS approach., Bacterial tRNA is modified by thiolation of nucleosides. Here the authors identify 2-methylthiocytidine in bacterial tRNA using nucleic acid isotope labeling coupled mass spectrometry. Exposure to methylating agents converts 2-thiocytidine to 2-methylthiocytidine, which is repaired by demethylase AlkB in vivo.

The study of the initial radial deformations influence on the residual strained state components distribution through the hardened layer thickness under various types of surface hardening has been conducted. Chemical thermal machining (CTM) and shot blasting (SB) have been examined on the example of smooth solid steel cylindrical specimens with diameters D=10 mm and D=25 mm under a linear distribution of initial deformations through the hardened layer thickness (the maximum value is on the surface and zero on the maximum depth of hardening). The calculation has been conducted with use of the program complex PATRAN/NASTRAN. The solution has been carried out in axial symmetric positing by thermo elasticity method. On study results its been stated that the radial stresses through the hardened layer thickness under CTM and SB are positive. Incidentally the radial component of initial deformations under chemical thermal machining and shot blasting doesnt exercise essential influence on the radial and axial residual stresses distribution through the hardened layer thickness. Hence the initial radial deformations havent much significance at the evaluation of the residual strained stress state influence on the hardened parts endurance limit increment calculated by the average integral residual stresses criterion.

In all domains of life, the nucleobases of tRNA can be methylated. These methylations are introduced either by enzymes or by the reaction of methylating agents with the nucleophilic centers of the nucleobases. Herein, we present a systematic approach to identify the methylation sites within RNA in vitro and in vivo. For discrimination between enzymatic tRNA methylation and tRNA methylation damage in bacteria, we used nucleic acid isotope labeling coupled mass spectrometry (NAIL‐MS). With NAIL‐MS, we clearly observed the formation of 7‐methylguanosine, 3‐methyluridine, and 6‐methyladenosine during exposure of bacteria to the alkylating agent methyl methanesulfonate (MMS) in vivo. These damage products were not reported to form in tRNA in vivo, as they were masked by the enzymatically formed modified nucleosides in previous studies. In addition, we found formation of the known damage products 1‐methyladenosine and 3‐methylcytidine in vivo. With a dynamic NAIL‐MS setup, we observed tRNA repair by demethylation of these two RNA modifications in vivo. Furthermore, we saw the potential repair of 6‐methyladenosine but not 7‐methylguanosine in bacterial tRNA.

The thumb's radial collateral ligament (RCL) plays an important role in stabilizing the first metacarpophalangeal joint (MCP-1). RCL injuries are rare and treatment recommendations are inconsistent in the current literature. The aim of this study was to report on long-term outcomes following surgical repair of thumb RCL tear and to identify prognostic risk factors for treatment failure.Patients with RCL tear from 10/1998 to 10/2019 were included in the present retrospective single center cohort study. In follow-up visits, participants were assessed regarding pain, range of motion and strength as well as with disability of shoulder, arm and hands (DASH), and the Short-Form 36 (SF36) questionnaires. Finally, predictive factors of postoperative deficits were identified.43 patients fulfilled inclusion criteria. Median age was 43.5 years (range 18-80 years). The most frequent mechanism of injury was a fall or impact. Bony avulsions were identified in 46.5% (20/43). Time from injury to surgery was 12 days (0-276 days). One Stener-like lesion was observed intraoperatively among our patients. After surgical repair, the MCP-1 joint was stable in every patient. Mean time to follow-up was 5.3 years (1 month to 17 years). Persistency of pain in the MCP-1 joint was reported by 11 patients. Postoperative averaged score was 3.75 on DASH and 44.96 on SF36, respectively. The average grip and pinch strength was 32.7 kg and 8.37 kg, respectively. Predictive factors of postoperative deficits were delay of surgery of 3 weeks (OR 10.72, p 0.017) and palmar subluxation prior to surgery (OR 8.86, p 0.019).Long-term follow-up has proven that surgical repair of RCL enables the patient to regain adequate stability and strength of the MCP-1 joint and minimizes disability. Predictive risk factors of pain persistency after surgery are surgical delay and palmar subluxation of the MCP-1 joint.

The incidence of hearing impairment (HI) is higher in low- and middle-income countries when compared to high-income countries. There is therefore a necessity to estimate the burden of this condition in developing world. The aim of our study was to use a systematic approach to provide summarized data on the prevalence, etiologies, clinical patterns and genetics of HI in Cameroon. We searched PubMed, Scopus, African Journals Online, AFROLIB and African Index Medicus to identify relevant studies on HI in Cameroon, published from inception to 31 October, 2019, with no language restrictions. Reference lists of included studies were also scrutinized, and data were summarized narratively. This study is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42019142788. We screened 333 records, of which 17 studies were finally included in the review. The prevalence of HI in Cameroon ranges from 0.9% to 3.6% in population-based studies and increases with age. Environmental factors contribute to 52.6% to 62.2% of HI cases, with meningitis, impacted wax and age-related disorder being the most common ones. Hereditary HI comprises 0.8% to 14.8% of all cases. In 32.6% to 37% of HI cases, the origin remains unknown. Non-syndromic hearing impairment (NSHI) is the most frequent clinical entity and accounts for 86.1% to 92.5% of cases of HI of genetic origin. Waardenburg and Usher syndromes account for 50% to 57.14% and 8.9% to 42.9% of genetic syndromic cases, respectively. No pathogenic mutation was described in GJB6 gene, and the prevalence of pathogenic mutations in GJB2 gene ranged from 0% to 0.5%. The prevalence of pathogenic mutations in other known NSHI genes was

The studies have established a number of causes of birch stand dieback in the Zhytomyr Polissya of Ukraine. Attention is focused on the deep pathology of the birch, caused by a complex of factors and, first of all, associated with bacterial etiology. It is established that the wetwood in the trunk of birch trees is of bacterial origin. The samples of wood and exudate have been selected for laboratory studies of plants, which had pronounced signs of pathology (cracks, swelling). It has been experimentally proven that the causative agent of birch dieback is the phytopathogenic bacteria Enterobacter nimipressuralis Carter, which causes dropsy of coniferous and deciduous forest trees. It has been established that the symptoms of bacterial dropsy are directly related to the saturation of the moisture of the tissues of the trunk and the shoots of the birch, the formation of the wet pathological nucleus in the plant, the cracks and ulcers on the trunks, the periderm during the active phase of the disease, necrotic wet ulcers in the places of external penetration of the infection, abundant fluxes exudate in the affected trees on the trunks are formed numerous water shoots. It was observed that in some mature birches the pathological core never came out with sapwood in the form of a crack, remaining inside the trunk during the whole ontogenesis. The plant's vitality was ensured by the activity of the last year's annual layers of wood and cambium, which were not affected by bacterial dropsy and annually set aside annual radial growth. This testified to the deep pathology of birch. It has been established that the composition of stand somewhat affects the dieback of birch trees. Complex and mixed tree stands are more resistant to bacteriosis. The prevalence of bacterial dropsy in birch stands of different age groups increases with their age and decrease in fullness. The unequal level of bacterial dropsy of various groups of plant associations was noted: blueberry, cereal, green-moss and heather. When examining the trunks of model trees, a pattern of altitude location of lesions was discovered. The data on the type of lesion and the density of wounds on the trunk are given, the species composition and the level of dominance of tremex, which are ecologically and trophically associated with birch, are analysed . Tremex are carriers of the causative agent of bacterial dropsy. Moreover, they are the source of accumulation and an important vector of inoculum spread in birch stands. It is also important that the pathogen is biologically inert to xylophagous insects.

The kinetics and mechanism of the formation of subvalent cadmium complexes in the Cdo – CdCl2 – ZnCl2 – NH4Cl system were studied spectroscopicaly. The results indicate that metallic cadmium reacts with Cd2 2+ and Cd2 3+ complex cations. The formation of Cd2 2+ and Cd2 3+ is evidenced by the absorption bands around 270 and 335 nm, respectively, in the electronic spectrum of the melt. The variation of the intensity of absorption bands during the reaction between Cd2+ and metallic cadmium was used to evaluate the kinetics of Cd2 2+ and Cd2 3+ formation. The rate constants for the formation of Cd2 2+ and Cd2 3+ complex cations evaluated from the slop of plot of lg(Ao - A∞) versus time are 4.22∙10-3 and 3.50∙10-3 s-1 , respectively. The effect of the electrolysis conditions on the rate of cadmium exchange between the electrodes was examined. The anode current efficiency of cadmium dissolution was found to increase with current density and temperature and to exceed the theoretically predicted value, which was attributed to the formation of subvalent cadmium compounds. The present results may be helpful in assessing parameters of cadmium electrorefining. A method was proposed for electrolytic Cd refining in which electrolysis is performed in molten cadmium chloride containing Cd in lower oxidation states. The technique for the preparation of the electrolyte was described. To prevent impurity transfer from the anode to cathode, bipolar Cd electrodes were used. The distribution ratios evaluated for typical metallic impurities in Cd show that high-purity Cd can be obtained in a single electrolysis cycle.

We exploit the degree of discretion embedded in the World Bank-IMF Debt Sustainability Framework (DSF) to understand the decision-making process of international financial institutions. The unique, internal dataset we use covers the universe of debt sustainability analyses conducted between December 2006 and January 2015 for low-income countries. These data allow us to identify cases where the risk rating implied by the application of the DSF's mechanical rules was overridden to assign a different official rating. Our results show that both political interests and bureaucratic incentives influence the decision to intervene in the mechanical decision-making process. Countries that are politically aligned with the institutions' major shareholders are more likely to receive an improved rating; especially in election years and when the mechanical assessment is not clear-cut. These results suggest that the room for discretion international financial institutions have can be a channel for informal governance and a source of biased decision-making.

Background: There is a huge gap in the audiological care in Africa by comparison with Western countries. Its main reason is the prohibitive cost of the medical devices used to screen or diagnose patients. A Cameroonian team tackled this problem by developing a medical device (SON’OR©) which integrates a new instrumentation amplifier structure dedicated to perform otoacoustic emissions (OAE) and brainstem evoked response audiometry (BERA). The major technical challenges to perform OAE and BERA are the synchronization and the amplification of signals of very low amplitude. In this work, we emphasize on the general criteria necessary and indispensable to achieve an optimal amplification. The application of a novel instrumentation amplifier structure characterized by its optimized noise factor in the case of BERA and OEA emissions provides simulations and experimental results fully in line with forecasts. The design of SON’OR© is based on general techniques of electronic instrumentation to which we associated the new instrumentation amplifier structure. Objective: To report the clinical evaluation of SON’OR© as a screening and diagnostic tool. Methods: We conducted a cross sectional comparative study in Centre Hospitalier d’Essos in Yaounde. We tested SON’OR© on two sets of subjects, one for OAE with OTODYNAMICS Echoport ILO 292-II as gold standard and the other for BERA with NEUROSOFT NEURO AUDIO© as gold standard. Each patient was tested with both devices and then we studied the inter device differences and calculated the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value for each test. Results: We got 52 subjects for OEA and 51 for BERA testing. Sex ratio was 1 woman for 2 men in both groups. Mean age was 24.86(SD = 10.53) and 26.33 (10.55) for OAE and BERA groups respectively. SON’OR© had good performances, showing sensitivity of 92.85%/95%, specificity of 96.77%/90.47%, positive predictive value of 95.21%/93.44% and negative predictive value of 95.23%/92.68% for OAE/ BERA respectively. Conclusion: SON’OR© has good characteristics as a medical diagnostic tool. Furthermore its stability and performances in poor electrical conditions make it a robust device really suited for resource limited settings.

This study aimed to investigate GJB2 (connexin 26) and GJB6 (connexin 30) mutations associated with familial non-syndromic childhood hearing impairment (HI) in Cameroon. We selected only families segregating HI, with at least two affected individuals and with strong evidence of non-environmental causes. DNA was extracted from peripheral blood, and the entire coding region of GJB2 was interrogated using Sanger sequencing. Multiplex PCR and Sanger sequencing were used to analyze the prevalence of the GJB6-D3S1830 deletion. A total of 93 patients, belonging to 41 families, were included in the analysis. Hearing impairment was sensorineural in 51 out of 54 (94.4%) patients. Pedigree analysis suggested autosomal recessive inheritance in 85.4% (35/41) of families. Hearing impairment was inherited in an autosomal dominant and mitochondrial mode in 12.2% (5/41) and 2.4% (1/41) of families, respectively. Most HI participants were non-syndromic (92.5%, 86/93). Four patients from two families presented with type 2 Waardenburg syndrome, and three cases of type 2 Usher syndrome were identified in one family. No GJB2 mutations were found in any of the 29 families with non-syndromic HI. Additionally, the GJB6-D3S1830 deletion was not identified in any of the HI patients. This study confirms that mutations in the GJB2 gene and the del(GJB6-D13S1830) mutation do not contribute to familial HI in Cameroon.

The chapter reviews the literature on the political economy of international organizations (IOs). Considering IOs as products of the preferences of various actors rather than monolithic entities, the authors focus on national politicians, international bureaucrats, interest groups, and voters. By looking into the details of decision-making in IOs, the literature shows that a focus on states as the prime actors in IOs overlooks important facets of the empirical reality. Mainly focusing on empirical research, the authors discuss the four main actors involved and examine how they influence, use, and shape IOs. They find that IO behavior often reflects the interests of politicians, bureaucrats, and interest groups, while the impact of voters is limited. The final section reviews proposals for reforms addressing this weak representation of voter preferences.

Much of the International Finance Corporation's (IFC) lending benefits private companies from rich countries and supports projects in middle-income countries. Large corporations such as Lidl or Movenpick have received its loans for highly profitable investments. This contrasts to some extent with the IFC's official mandate, which is to finance poverty-reducing projects for which private capital is not available on reasonable terms. Investigating a potential driver of this mismatch, we argue that some governments can influence the allocation of IFC loans to the benefit of private companies in their countries. Using new data for more than 3000 IFC projects over the 1995–2015 period we show that (joint) IFC Board membership of countries where borrowing companies are based and of countries where the projects are implemented increases the likelihood that these countries receive IFC loans. This has implications for the debate on leveraging private-sector investments for development.

It has been found by spectroscopy and electrochemical voltammetry that when rhodium is anodically dissolved in a carbamide-chloride melt, [Rh(NH3)4Cl2]+ complexes of D4h symmetry are formed, which are electroactive. The electrochemical behavior of rhodium in a carbamide-chloride melt under stationary and nonstationary electrolysis conditions has been studied. It has been found that the reduction of Rh(III) complexes at the cathode is controlled by the stage involving the formation of a passive film on anodic polarization.

A method for the refining of gallium, using bipolar gallium electrodes, in molten electrolytes containing its compounds with lower oxidation states has been developed. A gallium (I) - β –alumina membrane was used to separate the electrodes and bipolar electrodes. The effect of the electrolysis conditions on gallium transfer from the anode to the cathode through the gallium (I) - β –alumina membrane has been studied. It has been show that gallium refining in molten electrolytes allows one to obtain high-purity gallium with high current efficiency.

We explore the chemical space of Pseudomonas quinolone signal analogs as privileged structures and report the discovery of a thioquinolone as a potent inhibitor of the important virulence factor elastase of the human pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. We provide evidence that the derivative binds to the active site zinc of elastase and additionally acts as a fluorescent zinc sensor. published

The present work describes the development of a comprehensive two-dimensional heterogeneous model of a fixed-bed reactor for Fischer–Tropsch synthesis. The chemical kinetics for cobalt-based catalysts is modeled on the basis of the LHHW approach. The intraparticle transport model takes into account the fact that the catalyst pores are filled with liquid hydrocarbons and water due to capillary condensation under realistic conditions. The validity of the reactor model is tested against the experimental data from laboratory and pilot plant fixed-bed reactors over a wide range of operating conditions. Detailed numerical simulations are performed to investigate the effect of major process parameters on the reactor performance.

Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is central to many life processes and, to fulfill its function, it has a substantial chemical variety in its building blocks. Enzymatic thiolation of uridine introduces 4‐thiouridine (s4U) into many bacterial transfer RNAs (tRNAs), which is used as a sensor for UV radiation. A similar modified nucleoside, 2‐thiocytidine, was recently found to be sulfur‐methylated especially in bacteria exposed to antibiotics and simple methylating reagents. Herein, we report the synthesis of 4‐methylthiouridine (ms4U) and confirm its presence and additional formation under stress in Escherichia coli. We used the synthetic ms4U for isotope dilution mass spectrometry and compared its abundance to other reported tRNA damage products. In addition, we applied sophisticated stable‐isotope pulse chase studies (NAIL‐MS) and showed its AlkB‐independent removal in vivo. Our findings reveal the complex nature of bacterial RNA damage repair., Through a combination of synthetic and analytical chemistry, the structure of the modified nucleoside 4‐methylthiouridine was confirmed in bacterial tRNA. The modification is of low abundance and forms after bacterial stress induced by methylating agents; this argues for its nature as a natural tRNA lesion. By pulse chase analysis, we show its repair through a dethiomethylation mechanism in vivo.

International audience; In this work, we address time-dependent electromagnetic wave propagation problems with strong multiscale features with application to nanophotonics, where problems usually involve complex mul-tiscale geometries, heterogeneous materials, and intense, localized electromagnetic fields. Nanopho-tonics simulations require very fine meshes to incorporate the influence of geometries as well as high order polynomial interpolations to minimize dispersion. Our goal is to design a family of innovative high performance numerical methods perfectly adapted for the simulation of such multiscale problems. For that purpose we extend the Multiscale Hybrid-Mixed (MHM) finite element method, originally proposed for the Laplace problem in [1], to the solution of 2d and 3d transient Maxwell equations with heterogeneous media. The MHM method arises from the decomposition of the exact electromagnetic fields in terms of the solutions of locally independent Maxwell problems. Those problems are tied together with an one field formulation on top of a coarse mesh skeleton. The multiscale basis functions, which are responsible for upscaling, are also driven by local Maxwell problems. A high order Discontinuous Galerkin method (see [2]) in space combined with a second-order explicit leapfrog scheme in time discretizes the local problems. This makes the MHM method effective and parallelizable, and yields a staggered algorithm within a divide-and-conquer framework. In this talk we will present the general formulation of this MHM-DGTD method and presen some preliminary numerical results in 2d. REFERENCES 1. C. Harder, D. Paredes, and F. Valentin. A family of Multiscale Hybrid-Mixed finite element methods for the Darcy equation with rough coefficients. J. Comput. Phys., 245:107-130, 2013. 2. S. Descombes, C. Durochat, S. Lanteri, L. Moya, C. Scheid, and J. Viquerat. Recent advances on a DGTD method for time-domain electromagnetics. Photonics and Nanostructures-Fundamentals and Applications, 11(4):291-302, 2013.

Ribonucleic acids (RNA) are extensively modified. These modifications are quantified by mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to determine the abundance of a modification under certain conditions or in various genetic backgrounds. With LC-MS/MS the steady state of modifications is determined, and thus we only have a static view of the dynamics of RNA modifications. With nucleic acid isotope labeling coupled mass spectrometry (NAIL-MS) we overcome this limitation and get access to the dynamics of RNA modifications. We describe labeling techniques for E. coli, S. cerevisiae and human cell culture and the current instrumental limitations. We present the power of NAIL-MS but we also outline validation experiments, which are necessary for correct data interpretation. As an example, we apply NAIL-MS to study the demethylation of adenine and cytidine, which are methylated by the damaging agent methyl-methanesulfonate in E. coli. With NAIL-MS we exclude the concurrent processes for removal of RNA methylation, namely RNA degradation, turnover and dilution. We use our tool to study the speed and efficiency of 1-methyladenosine and 3-methylcytidine demethylation. We further outline current limitations of NAIL-MS but also potential future uses for e.g. relative quantification of tRNA isoacceptor abundances.

This chapter reviews the aid effectiveness literature to assess whether foreign aid given to areas of limited statehood (ALS) can be expected to promote economic and social outcomes in the recipient country. It distinguishes between different types of aid, motives for granting it, recipient country policies and characteristics, and the modalities by which aid is delivered, as these factors have been argued to influence its effectiveness. This chapter then compares these properties between recipients most affected by limited statehood and those least affected. This allows us to assess the relative effectiveness of aid in countries with ALS. We conclude that on average aid given there is less likely to be effective than elsewhere. As countries with ALS, however, constitute a heterogeneous group, the specifics of individual countries and the types of aid given matter.

This dissertation consists of four essays on the decision-making and the effects of international organizations. Its empirical focus is on the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The dissertation shows that political interests influence the IMF's decision-making and that IMF programs have important economic effects on sovereign creditworthiness and income inequality. Chapter 1: Buying Votes and International Organizations: The Dirty-Work Hypothesis; Chapter 2: Room for Discretion: Biased Decision-Making in International Financial Institutions; Chapter 3: Stigma or Cushion? IMF Programs and Sovereign Creditworthiness; Chapter 4: The Economics of the Democratic Deficit: The Effect of IMF Programs on Inequality

IMF programs are often considered to carry a “stigma” that triggers adverse market reactions. We show that such a negative IMF effect disappears when accounting for endogenous selection into programs. To proxy for a country's access to financial markets, we use credit ratings and investor assessments for 100 countries from 1988 to 2013. Our instrumental variable strategy exploits the differential effect of changes in IMF liquidity on loan allocation. We find that the IMF can “cushion” against falling creditworthiness, despite contractionary adjustments related to its programs. This positive signaling effect is also visible in monthly event-based specifications using country-times-year fixed effects. A text analysis of rating statements indicates a positive signal to investors if countries under IMF programs commit to economic reforms.

The post-2015 development agenda requires improved concepts to define and measure different forms of poverty and inequality. Building on the experiences made with the Millennium Development Goals, this paper gives an overview of several possible approaches by discussing their strengths and weaknesses. National, international, relative and multidimensional concepts are considered. Arguing that the discussions on the post-2015 agenda offer an opportunity to introduce new global measurements of progress that complement gross domestic product-based approaches, the authors make the case for a simple yet comprehensive index as a headline indicator that could help to better inform poverty and inequality reduction policies in the post-2015 world. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The effect of thermoexposition on residual stresses and limiting amplitude of the stress cycle for M6 bolts made of 16KhSN steel having a rolled thread is examined. Based on the fatigue tests performed, it has been shown that the relationship between residual stresses in bolt cavities and limiting amplitude of bolt stress cycle is well illustrated using the criterion of mean integral residual stresses.

Kılıç, Fatma Arzu (Balikesir Author), Uncombable hair syndrome (UHS), also known as “spun glass hair syndrome,” “pili trianguli et canaliculi,” or “cheveux incoiffables” is a rare anomaly of the hair shaft which occurs in children and improves with age. UHS is characterized by dry, frizzy, spangly and often fair hair that is resistant to being combed flat.