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Aim. To develop a method for detecting Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains belonging to highly lethal, hypervirulent, multidrug-resistant Beijing 14717-15-cluster to be applied to screen for M. tuberculosis retrospective collections obtained from various regions of Russia. The collection included M. tuberculosis DNA samples obtained during population studies. Spoligotyping and genotyping of 24 variable number tandem repeats loci were performed according to standard protocols. Phylogenetic analysis was based on the whole genome sequencing data. Polymorphism at the genomic position 2423040 A G, specific for the Beijing 14717-15 cluster, was detected using PCR-RFLP and HhaI restriction enzyme. The bioinformatic and phylogenetic analysis of whole genome sequencing data for 205 strains of the early ancient sublineage of the M. tuberculosis Beijing genotype showed that strains with the VNTR 14717-15 profile (according to MIRU-VNTRplus.org) and those close to it were grouped into one monophyletic cluster of related strains, which we defined as Beijing 14717-15-cluster. Among the SNPs specific for the 14717-15 cluster, we chose a functionally neutral SNP at the genomic position 2423040 A G (Rv2161c Val33Ala) and developed a method for its detection in the PCR-RFLP format. Next, we applied this method to screening DNA collections from the regions of the European and Asian parts of Russia and Asian countries. The data demonstrate the presence of strains of the Beijing 14717-15 cluster only in the Asian region of Russia peaking in Buryatia (18%). We have developed a method for detection of the hypervirulent and highly lethal genetic cluster M. tuberculosis Beijing 14717-15 based on detection of the specific mutation in the Rv2161c gene using PCR followed by HhaI restriction of the PCR product and agarose gel electrophoresis to discriminate between wild-type and mutant alleles. The advantages of the proposed method are the speed, simple and unambiguous data interpretation, opportunity to detect contamination and mixed infection, suitability for efficient analysis of large collections of M. tuberculosis strains.

Background. Russian Federation is included in the list of 30 countries with the highest burden of tuberculosis, including MDR tuberculosis. The most important part of this problem is the primary MDR/XDR TB in children.The aim: a comparative analysis of the phenotypic and genotypic profile of drug resistance to anti-tuberculosis drugs (ATP) according to whole genome sequencing of M. tuberculosis strains from children.Materials and methods. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) results of 61 M. tuberculosis isolates from children with tuberculosis in 2006–2020 in the Russian Federation were analyzed for anti-TB drug resistance mutations, according to the WHO catalog and were compared with the results of phenotypic drug sensitivity.Results. The M. tuberculosis belonged to two genetic groups: Beijing genotype – 82 % (50/61) dominant Central Asian Russian (31/50) and B0/W148 (16/50) subtypes, and non-Beijing (Ural, S, LAM) – 18 % (11/61). Three isolates belonged to Asian Ancestral subtype (3/50). Of the 61 isolates, only 14.7 % (9/61) were sensitive to antiTB drugs, 49.2 % (30/61) were MDR and 14.7 % (9/61) were pre-XDR. Comparison of the resistance profile (MDR/pre-XDR) with genotype revealed an upward shift for Beijing isolates, in particular Beijing B0/W148 (15/16) subline compared to other Beijing (19/34) (Chi-square with Yates correction = 5.535; p < 0.05) and nonBeijing (5/12) (Chi-square with Yates correction = 6.741; p < 0.05) subtypes. Discrepancies between genotypic and phenotypic drug resistance profiles were found in 11.5 % (7/61) of cases.Conclusions. Based on the analysis of WGS data, the genotypic characteristics of M. tuberculosis and the most complete set of drug resistance mutations were obtained, indicating a significant prevalence in MDR and pre-XDR TB of cases caused by epidemic subtypes of Beijing (B0/W148 and Central Asian Russian). The molecular mechanisms of adaptation of M. tuberculosis to the treatment of anti-TB drugs are not unique for the child population but reflect the general processes of the spread of MDR/XDR in Russia.

BACKGROUND: The potential relationship between pulmonary tuberculosis and lung cancer has been the subject of intense interest over the past few decades. Nevertheless, the features of the pathogenesis of concomitant pathology remain poorly studied. AIM: The ain of the study to develop an experimental model of the concomitant pathology of tuberculosis and lung cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was performed on mice of the C57BL/6 line at the age of two months in four groups: 1st intact mice (n = 12), 2nd mice without a tumor infected with tuberculosis (n = 24), 3rd tumor-bearing mice not infected with tuberculosis (n = 23), 4th tumor-bearing mice infected with tuberculosis (n = 24). Individual and group parameters were evaluated using the SPSS Statistica v23 software package. RESULTS: Tumor was developed at the site of primary transplantation in all mice from groups 3 and 4, which was confirmed by visual assessment and the results of histological examination. Tumor growth in the main group was significantly less than in the control group of the tumor, which may be due to intoxication against the background of tuberculosis infection. All infected mice from groups 2 and 4 developed pulmonary tuberculosis, confirmed by computed tomography of the lungs, bacteriological and histological examination of lung samples. Mycobacterial load in the lungs was the highest in animals with concomitant pathology of tuberculosis and tumor. The survival rate of mice was determined to a large extent by tumor growth rather than by the progression of tuberculosis infection. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the study indicate the possibility of creating an experimental biological model of the concomitant pathology of tuberculosis and lung cancer in mice. The features of the course of the concomitant pathology were revealed: Lewis lung epidermoid carcinoma develops more slowly in tuberculosis infected animals than in the tumor control group; the development of the tuberculosis process in mice with a tumor occurs more intensively than in the tuberculosis infection control group. The survival rate of mice with concomitant pathology is determined more by the intensity of tumor growth than by the progression of tuberculosis.

The objective: to study drug susceptibility of M. avium and M. intracellulare isolates received from patients with mycobacteriosis residing in the North Western Federal District using the Sensititre SLOMYCO panels.Subjects and Methods. From 2014 to 2020, 192 slow-growing MAC strains (164 – M. avium, 28 – M. intracellulare) obtained from HIV-negative patients with pulmonary mycobacteriosis were studied. Drug susceptibility testing of MAC strains was performed using the Sensititre SLOMYCO panel consisting of 13 antibacterial drugs.Results. Of the 13 antibacterial drugs, clarithromycin was also most effective against both M. avium (67.1%; 110/164) and M. intracellulare (60.7%; 17/28) (p > 0.05). The proportion of M. avium and M. intracellulare strains sensitive to linezolid was high and amounted to 57.3 and 53.5%, as well as to amikacin – 57.3 and 53.5% respectively.Of the four antibacterial drugs of the Sensititre SLOMYCO panel (clarithromycin, moxifloxacin, linezolid, and amikacin), for which critical concentrations (CC) were established, clarithromycin was the most effective against M. avium and M. intracellulare. Antibiotic-resistant M. avium isolates were more frequent in the group of previously treated patients.

Currently, a significant number of patients with COVID-19 require inpatient treatment. At the same time, predictors of hospitalization are still stable, including in persons with concomitant pathology.Assessment of factors affecting the probability of hospitalization of COVID-19 patients with concomitant pathology and the development of a prognostic model based on them.An observational retrospective cohort study of 74 314 patients with COVID-19 with various comorbidities was carried out in the period from March to November 2020 in the Russian Federation.Based on 16 factors, including age, gender, place of diagnosis, fever, rhinitis, loss of taste, shortness of breath, concomitant diseases of the cardiovascular, bronchopulmonary system, oncological, endocrine diseases in patients included in the study, a prognostic model was developed. The need for inpatient treatment of patients with COVID-19 and comorbidities was determined.The constructed predictive model has demonstrated sufficient efficiency to assess the likelihood of hospitalization of patients with COVID-19 by medical specialists.Введение. В настоящее время значительное число пациентов с COVID-19 требуют лечения в условиях стационара. При этом предикторы госпитализации все еще четко не определены, в том числе у лиц с сопутствующей патологией. Цель. Оценка факторов, влияющих на вероятность госпитализации больных COVID-19 с сопутствующей патологией, и разработка на их основе прогностической модели. Материалы и методы. Проведено обсервационное ретроспективное когортное исследование 74 314 больных COVID-19 с сопутствующей патологией с марта по ноябрь 2020 г. Результаты. На основании 16 факторов, среди которых возраст, пол, место установления диагноза, повышение температуры тела, ринит, потеря вкуса, одышка, сопутствующие заболевания сердечно-сосудистой, бронхолегочной системы, онкологические, эндокринные заболевания, разработана прогностическая модель вероятности стационарного лечения пациентов с COVID-19 и сопутствующей патологией. Заключение. Построенная прогностическая модель продемонстрировала достаточную эффективность для оценки вероятности госпитализации пациентов с COVID-19 медицинскими специалистами.

Although rare, sedimentary deposits containing exceptionally preserved fossils (i.e., Lagerstätten) have shaped our view on the history of life at particular intervals, such as those recording the Cambrian radiation of animals. Therefore, understanding the processes that lead to the fossilization of unmineralized tissues is crucial to better interpret these fossil assemblages. A key issue on the fossilization of exceptionally preserved fossils is linked to the role of clay minerals in the high-fidelity preservation of recalcitrant and soft tissues. Here, we show for the first time, an association of unusual fibrous clays with carbonaceous fossils (Vendotaenia) in the late Ediacaran Tamengo Formation (Mato Grosso do Sul State, western Brazil). The vendotaeniaceans occur in laminated mudstones/siltstones interpreted as being deposited in outer to distal mid-ramp depositionary settings. The fossils are characterized by ribbon-shaped compressions 0.56 mm in mean width. The fibrous clays are obliquely oriented with respect to the bedding plane, and follow the orientation of tectonically deformed structures. Our mineralogical, geochemical, and petrographic data demonstrate that these clays are mainly composed of chlorite-smectite mixed layered minerals, with >50% chlorite. Altogether, our results suggest that these fibrous minerals formed in the late-diagenetic zone to lower anchizone, reinforcing the previous idea that clay minerals associated with fossils are not necessarily related to the preservation of soft tissues. Instead, the initial preservative pathway in our fossils was probably restricted to organic matter conservation in reducing fine-grained sediments, similar to other deposits with carbonaceous fossils. This newly established mechanism, which involves the formation of clays on organic templates in the late-diagenetic zone, is likely a more widespread phenomenon than previously thought.

We describe aggregative microconchid (Lophophorata) tubes from the uppermost Permian (upper Changhsingian) and Lower Triassic (Olenekian) lacustrine and fluvial strata of the Tunguska and Kuznetsk basins and the southern Cis-Urals, Russia. These attach to clam shrimp carapaces, bivalve shells, terrestrial plant fragments and a horseshoe crab head shield, and also form their own monospecific agglomerations. Planispiral tubes of a wide size range (0.1–2.5 mm) create dense settlements on these firm substrates, which likely comprise multiple generations of the same species. These finds confirm that this extinct lophophorate group was inhabiting non-marine continental basins during latest Permian and earliest Triassic time, when they were major suspension feeders in such limnic ecosystems. Microconchids dispersed extensively and rapidly in the aftermath of the Permian–Triassic mass extinction into both marine and continental basins at low and moderately high latitudes, which were notably different in salinity, temperature, depth and redox conditions. This confirms that small lightly calcified microconchids were a genuine disaster eurytopic group, whose expansion may have been promoted by low predator pressure and low competition for substrate.

Oxygenation during the Cambrian Radiation progressed via a series of short-lived pulses. However, the biotic response of metazoans to this episodic oxygenation has not been quantified, nor have the causal evolutionary processes been constrained. Here we present high-resolution ecological metrics of archaeocyath sponge reef communities on the Siberian Platform through Cambrian stages 2 to 3 (525–514 Million years ago (Ma)). During the oxic pulse at ~521–519 Ma, we quantify an expansion of reef habitat both on- and offshore, together with an increase in both reef size and the ecological complexity of the metacommunity, from communities where individual species responded to their local environment (Gleasonian), to more ecologically complex where groups of species show a synchronous community-wide response (Clementsian). These changes were accompanied by an increase in individual archaeocyath body size, total species diversity, and rates of origination. But during the succeeding phase of expanded marine anoxia (~519–516.5 Ma), reef and archaeocyath body size reduced as did diversity, driven by increased rates of extinction. A later oxic pulse at ~515 Ma shows further reef habitat expansion, increased archaeocyath body size and diversity, but a return to less complex, quasi-Clementsian communities. These metrics confirm that oxygenation events created temporary pulses of evolutionary diversification and enhanced ecosystem complexity, potentially via the expansion of habitable space, and increased archaeocyath individual and reef longevity in turn leading to niche differentiation. Most notably, we show that progression towards increasing biodiversity and ecosystem complexity was episodic and discontinuous, rather than linear, during the Cambrian Radiation., XCL124 from Leverhulme Trust

All skeletal marine invertebrate phyla appeared during the Cambrian explosion, except for Bryozoa with mineralized skeletons, which first appear in the Early Ordovician. However, the skeletal diversity of Early Ordovician bryozoans suggests a preceding interval of diversification. We report a possible earliest occurrence of palaeostomate bryozoans in limestones of the Cambrian Age 4 Harkless Formation, western United States. Following recent interpretations of the early Cambrian Protomelission as a soft-bodied bryozoan, our findings add to the evidence of early Cambrian roots for the Bryozoa. The Harkless fossils resemble some esthonioporate and cystoporate bryozoans, showing a radiating pattern of densely packed tubes of the same diameter and cross-sectional shape. Further, they show partitioning of new individuals from parent tubes through the formation of a separate wall, a characteristic of interzooecial budding in bryozoans. If confirmed as bryozoans, these fossils would push back the appearance of mineralized skeletons in this phylum by ~30 million years and impact interpretations of their evolution.

This article presents the results of experimental studies of properties that are resistant to abnormal high and abnormally low temperatures of samples of the radio-absorbing material VTMV-1C. Based on the studies, it was concluded that the radar-absorbing material can be used to attenuate reflected waves of electromagnetic fields from various parts of the spacecraft structure and to reduce the levels of resonance phenomena of the electromagnetic field in the modules and cases of onboard instruments and devices of spacecraft.

This article discusses adjustment of processing modes of selective laser melting of powdered 03Kh16N15M3 steel allowing fabrication of lattice structures with steady parameters. On the basis of statistical analysis of sizes of cells, ribs, and nodes in cross section parallel to the growth direction of lattice structures of two sizes of ribs and voids (400 × 1000 and 300 × 600 μm), the process variables providing fabrication of items with the most stable sizes along the height of the structure have been determined. The sizes of the main elements of the lattice structure have been determined using a scanning electron microscope; the crystallographic texture and material structure have been determined using X-ray structural analysis. It has been determined that increase in laser power leads to increase in distortions in crystalline structure and decrease in the lattice constant of the material of lattice structures. The highest distortions of the structure have been detected in ribs of lattice structures as well as in items with smaller sizes of ribs and voids. The material of the considered lattice structures is characterized by axial texture, for which crystallographic axes are oriented parallel to the growth direction. The degree of manifestation of the axial texture component depends on the laser power used for growing of lattice structures. The samples obtained by minimum radiation power are characterized by a scattered axial texture, which is dictated by an increase in the number of chaotically oriented grains with a simultaneous decrease in the bulk of strictly oriented columnar crystals, located mainly in the vicinity of the axis of the ribs of the lattice structure. The texture sharpness in lattice samples with voids of small size is higher than that in samples with voids of large size.

The paper discusses the results of feasibility studies for using a carbon web as the radiating surface of a spacecraft radiative cooler. It proposes a design and manufacturing process solution that provides for a link between heat-transfer devices and the carbon web that has the necessary strength and minimizes heat loss. It presents results of experimental studies of temperature distribution across the radiative surface of the carbon web with mockups of the heat transfer devices. An analysis of the obtained results showed that the use of a carbon web in the design of a spacecraft radiative cooler is both feasible and promising. Key words: spacecraft, heat-conductive carbon web, radiative cooler, heat pipe, braze joint, heater.

To this day, scientists argue about the extent and rate of accumulation of heavy metals and potentially toxic substances in the soil. Questions regarding the forms of heavy metals, their spatial distribution, solubility, plant availability, etc., are still relevant. It is known that the content of heavy metals is considerably influenced by the content and composition of soil organic matter, particle size distribution, soil pH and parent rocks, as well as redox conditions. Since 2007, the steppe soils of the Volga region have been monitored for the content of heavy metals in virgin and arable landscapes. In this work, the content of poorly soluble and mobile forms of Zn, Cu, Pb, Cd, Ni, Hg and As in 0–20 cm topsoil was determined in two types and eight subtypes of Chernozem and chestnut soils. Some differences were found in the accumulation of heavy metals between the soil types and subtypes which were studied. No changes were found in the content of poorly soluble heavy metals between the virgin and corresponding arable soil in the Volga steppes. The content of heavy metals in all the soils which were studied was below the maximum allowed concentrations. The relative content of the mobile forms of heavy metals as a percentage of the total varied from 7–25% for Cd and 0.5–2.2% for Zn and Cu. The accumulation of Pb, Cd, Ni and As in soils located near the large industrial zone showed an increasing trend. The maximum allowed concentrations of heavy metals were not exceeded in the soils studied. Also, agricultural soil management did not significantly increase the heavy metal concentrations.

Two-dimensional electron systems in a quantizing magnetic field are regarded as of exceptional interest, considering the possible role of anyons—quasiparticles with non-boson and non-fermion statistics—in applied physics. To this day, essentially none but the fractional states of the quantum Hall effect (FQHE) have been experimentally realized as a system with anyonic statistics. In determining the thermodynamic properties of anyon matter, it is crucial to gain insight into the physics of its neutral excitations. We form a macroscopic quasi-equilibrium ensemble of neutral excitations - spin one anyon complexes in the Laughlin state ν = 1/3, experimentally, where ν is the electron filling factor. The ensemble is found to have such a long lifetime that it can be considered the new state of anyon matter. The properties of this state are investigated by optical techniques to reveal its Bose properties., The microscopic nature of neutral collective excitation of the fractional quantum Hall state is still debated. Here the authors show that a macroscopic ensemble of neutral excitations in the 1/3 state exhibits properties of a Bose system with an exceptionally long coherence time.

The objective: to study the efficacy of etiological verification of tuberculosis in case of systemic inflammation syndrome in HIV patients. Subjects and methods. 116 HIV patients were examined; all of them were admitted to hospital due to systemic inflammatory syndrome (SIS). In order to diagnose tuberculosis, clinical, bacteriological, and instrumental examinations were performed. Specimens of venous blood were used for the detection of tuberculous mycobacteria by RT-PCR and culture. Results. More than half (64.6%) of cases of systemic inflammatory syndrome in the examined HIV patients was due to tuberculosis onset. The degree of immunity suppression (considering CD4 count) in SIS patients with tuberculosis onset and various HIV-associated pathologies was not statistically significantly different. The frequency of MTB DNA detection by RT-PCR in venous blood in case of verified tuberculous sepsis (non-academic term) in TB/HIV patients made 29.3%, and taking into account positive results of blood culture in 5 patients with no MTB DNA found in the blood, the efficiency of diagnosis of tuberculosis in blood specimens reached 33.3%, while efficiency of blood cultures for MTB made 36.0%, with 100% specificity. Repeated PCR tests and blood cultures performed in some patients allowed increasing the total efficiency of blood tests.

The lower member of the Poleta Formation is well known for its abundant archaeocyaths, including an exceptionally preserved reef at Stewart’s Mill in Nevada. Large archaeocyath-bearing reefs are relatively uncommon, with most occurring as small nearshore patch reefs. Here, we describe a new 70 m-thick archaeocyath reef from the lower Poleta Formation, herein referred to as the Gold Point Reef, located near the townsite of Gold Point, Nevada. In spite of broad similarities with the Stewart’s Mill exposure, the Gold Point Reef shows an interplay between shoal and reef development over the ~ 70 m exposure that differs from what is observed at Stewart’s Mill. This reef also preserves a small shelly fauna in its uppermost 10 m, dominated by Hyolithellus. Three successive ecological stages of reef development are observed here: the pioneer stage characterized by a single rare frame-building species; the diversification stage involving about nine species of both frame-building and mud-sticking archaeocyaths; and the final foundering stage represented by one to two species of archaeocyaths and facies indicating reef demise, including abundant grainstone/packstone shoals and a silicified upper bed with a settlement of hyolitheminthes. During the apex of reef development here, there are large modular archaeocyaths, which were able to produce thick secondary skeletal tissue for a firm attachment; these archaeocyaths were capable of building large reefs in a variety of settings. Additionally, the carbon isotope profile recorded in the Gold Point Reef shows similarities to nearby exposures of the equivalent lower Poleta Formation, with the exception of a small negative downturn at the top of the reef that is not found in other locations. Combined with the documentation of facies changes over short lateral distances, the isotope data suggest that archaeocyathan reefs may have been time-transgressive across the shelf during deposition of the lower Poleta. Additionally, our work suggests that both here and globally, the specific biotic assemblage reflected the local influences of the environment on reef development, creating highly variable coeval paleocommunities even within a restricted area.

The Volga region occupies more than 1.04 Million km2 of the Russian Federation. On its steppes (44% of the total area) there is concentrated crop production. Fertilizers play an important role in increasing the yield of agricultural plants. This chapter presents the findings which emerge from studying the effect of mineral fertilizers in a long-term field experiment on agricultural landscapes of the Volga steppes. Information is provided about the productivity of crop rotation and individual crops cultivated in this area: winter wheat, spring wheat, millet, barley, oats. The size of the yield increase caused by fertilizers and their variation due to the moisture conditions during the vegetative period is shown as the nutrient balance and payback indicators for 1 kg of fertilizer grain yield. It is proved that in modern farming conditions with insufficient moisture, nitrogen plays the leading role among fertilizers. Long-term observations revealed the influence of climatic conditions on crop yields and their responsiveness to mineral fertilizers in the agricultural landscapes of the Volga steppes. The chapter also considers the long-term effect of using various doses of mineral fertilizers on the agrochemical properties of southern chernozem: the content of organic matter, gross reserves of nitrogen and phosphorus, as well as their individual fractions. It was revealed that mineral fertilizers significantly affect the mineralization of organic matter and the accumulation of nitrogen and phosphorus compounds which are inaccessible to plants.

The work carried out finite element modeling for the thin-walled shell of revolution loaded uniform pressure with using MSC NASTRAN software. The simulations results allow us to study the stress-strain state of the torus rolling zone for refine the boundaries of plastic deformation. It is determined that the region of plastic deformation does not arise in the entire torus zone. This region is limited by the outer part of the torus along the generatrix edges.

We propose a new approach to the creation of modified materials for friction couples of the band-shoe brakes of drawworks.

Taking into account the historical context the characteristic features of the Novgorod architectural school of Orthodox temple architecture of the 12th-15th centuries are explored. A comparative analysis of the most signifi cant objects of this period is carried out. The process of formation of the Novgorod style is traced. The volume-spatial and architectural-artistic features of a number of buildings are listed and described. A conclusion is drawn about authentic elements and expressive methods characteristic of this direction.

Comparative proteomic profiling of M. tuberculosis H37Rv strains cultured on two different nutrient media, Lowenstein-Jensen and Middlebrook 7H11, was performed using a label-free LC-MS/MS approach. It was shown that results obtained from two media possessed high convergence. The only difference was observed in the representation of fumarate reductase FrdB, its abundance was higher in the mycobacterial cells cultured on the Lowenstein-Jensen medium. The correlation analysis of biological repeats revealed the high convergence of the results obtained using the Middlebrook 7H11 medium. Thus, we can conclude that the use of the Middlebrook 7H11 medium is most appropriate in the scientific laboratory.

Diverse skeletal assemblage has been discovered in the Ediacaran/Cambrian strata of the Codos locality in NE Spain (Aragón, Cadenas Ibéricas). This assemblage includes at least seven genera, only three of which can be ascribed to known taxa. All the fossils are preserved in phosphate but their original microstructures are traceable by both elementary composition and microstructural features that are indicative for primary aragonite and high-magnesium calcite biomineralogies. Already these early skeletal fossils show sophisticated microstructures represented by heterogeneous multilayered composites to satisfy the requirements for better protection against both chemical dissolution and mechanical predator deterioration. The most common and best-preserved fossil, which is tubicolous Codositubulus grioensis gen. et sp. nov., is described here. The composition of the fossil assemblage and its stratigraphic position are indicative for the lowermost Terreneuvian (lower Cambrian) or even pre-Terreneuvian age of this fauna.

Comparative proteomic profiling of M. tuberculosis H37Rv strains cultured on two different nutrient media, Levenstein-Jensen and Middlebrook 7H11, was performed using a label-free LC-MS/MS approach. It was shown that results obtained from two media possessed high convergence. The only difference was observed in the representation of fumarate reductase FrdB, its abundance was higher in the mycobacterial cells cultured on Levenstein-Jensen medium. The correlation analysis of biological repeats revealed the high convergence of the results obtained from Middlebrook 7H11 medium. Thus, we can conclude that the use of the Middlebrook 7H11 medium is most appropriate in the scientific laboratory.S ispol'zovaniem bezmetochnogo LC-MS/MS podkhoda provedeno sravnitel'noe proteomnoe profilirovanie Micobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv, kul'tivirovannogo na dvukh raznykh pitatel'nykh sredakh: Levenshteĭna-Ĭensena i Middlbruk 7H11. Pokazano, chto rezul'taty, poluchaemye na dvukh sredakh, obladaiut vysokoĭ skhodimost'iu. Dostovernoe razlichie vyiavleno v predstavlennosti lish' dlia odnogo belka – fumaratreduktazy FrdB, predstavlennost' kotoroĭ byla vyshe v kletkakh mikobakteriĭ, kul'tivirovannykh na srede Levenshteĭna-Ĭensena. Analiz korreliatsii biologicheskikh povtorov vyiavil naibol'shuiu skhodimost' na srede Middlbruk 7N11. Takim obrazom, poluchennye rezul'taty pozvoliaiut sdelat' vyvod, chto ispol'zovanie sredy Middlbruk 7N11 naibolee tselesoobrazno v laboratornykh usloviiakh.

Now detectors that sensing on two and more fire physical factors have appeared and get popular application. These detectors are different concerning usual combined fire detectors and they use more difficult algorithm of information processing. The considered classification of multicriterial fire detectors has allowed to dedicate two features accounting various ways of their technical implementation. The first feature is probably number of used types of monitored physical environment parameters. Now four main channels of detection are actively used in such detectors: heat, smoke, flame and gas. However, this list doesn’t limit possible detected factors of ignition. Now there are known, for example, devices which use acoustic effects, conducting fire, change video image within scene of specter and others. The second feature is way of technical implementation of detection channel. They can be joined by one constructively completed unit or be multiblock structure, with wire communication lines between cooperated components and with fire control panel. Construction complication and the introduction additional connections negatively influence on detector’s reliability. Thus, during evaluating of efficiency it is necessary additionally to consider important indicator - reliability, which can be characterized by degree of readiness of multicriterial fire detector to perform its main function of fire detection at any moment of time. In this article the opportunity of introduction of complex indicator “technical readiness” of multicriterial fire detector is considered. This indicator is probability of performance by multicriterial fire detector the main preset task (objective function), that consists in insured fire detection. The mathematical expression for technical efficiency of multicriterial fire detector is received. Its numeric analysis for determination of dependences character of “technical efficiency” from number of detection channels at different values of detection channels characteristics and parameters their reliability is carried out. The opportunity of construction detector’s optimization by usage of introduced parameter is shown in this article. The offered parameter of technical efficiency may be used in well-founded cases for designing and application of multicriterial fire detector and also for modular complexes and fire alarm systems.

The role of oxygen as a driver for early animal evolution is widely debated. During the\ud Cambrian explosion, episodic radiations of major animal phyla occurred coincident with\ud repeated carbon isotope fluctuations. However, the driver of these isotope fluctuations and\ud potential links to environmental oxygenation are unclear. Here, we report high-resolution\ud carbon and sulphur isotope data for marine carbonates from the south-eastern Siberian\ud Platform, which documents the canonical explosive phase of the Cambrian radiation from\ud ~524 to ~514 Myr ago. These analyses demonstrate a strong positive covariation between\ud carbonate \ud 13C and carbonate-associated sulphate \ud 34S through five isotope cycles.\ud Biogeochemical modelling suggests that this isotopic coupling reflects periodic oscillations\ud in atmospheric O2 and the extent of shallow ocean oxygenation which, remarkably, directly\ud coincides with episodic maxima in biodiversity of animal phyla. Conversely, the subsequent\ud Botoman–Toyonian animal extinction events (~514 to ~512 Myr ago) coincided with\ud decoupled isotope records that suggest a shrinking marine sulphate reservoir and expanded \ud shallow marine anoxia. These observations demonstrate that fluctuations in oxygen\ud availability in the shallow marine realm exerted a primary control on the timing and tempo\ud of biodiversity radiations at a crucial phase in the early history of animal life.

Namacalathus hermanastes is one of the oldest known skeletal metazoans, found in carbonate settings of the terminal Ediacaran (~550-541 million years ago [Ma]). The palaeoecology of this widespread, goblet-shaped, benthic organism is poorly constrained yet critical for understanding the dynamics of the earliest metazoan communities. Analysis of in situ assemblages from the Nama Group, Namibia (~548-541 Ma), shows that Namacalathus exhibited size variation in response to differing water depths, hydrodynamic conditions and substrate types. In low-energy, inner ramp environments, Namacalathus attains the largest average sizes but grew in transient, loosely aggregating, monospecific aggregations attached to microbial mats. In high-energy mid-ramp reefs, Namacalathus spatially segregated into different palaeoecological habitats with distinct size distributions. In outer ramp environments, individuals were small and formed patchy, dense, monospecific aggregations attached to thin microbial mats. Asexual budding is common in all settings. We infer that variations in size distribution in Namacalathus reflect differences in habitat heterogeneity and stability, including the longevity of mechanically stable substrates and oxic conditions. In the Nama Group, long-lived skeletal metazoan communities developed within topographically heterogeneous mid-ramp reefs, which provided diverse mechanically stable microbial substrates in persistently oxic waters, while inner and outer ramp communities were often ephemeral, developing during fleeting episodes of either oxia and/or substrate stability. We conclude that Namacalathus, which forms a component of these communities in the Nama Group, was a generalist that adapted to various palaeoecological habitats within a heterogeneous ecosystem landscape where favourable conditions persisted, and was also able to opportunistically colonise transiently hospitable environments. These early skeletal metazoans colonised previously unoccupied substrates in thrombolitic reefs and other microbial carbonate settings, and while they experienced relatively low levels of interspecific competition, they were nonetheless adapted to the diverse environments and highly dynamic redox conditions present in the terminal Ediacaran.

The long-term Mycobacterium tuberculosis drug resistance monitoring data were obtained in St. Petersburg Research Institute Phthisiopulmonology for four periods of observation (I — 1984–1988 years, start period; II — 1996–2000 years, the period of acute epidemic situation and the sharp rise in drug resistance; III — 2007–2011 years, the period of relative stabilization; IV — 2012–2014 years, the final period). Totally 2267 strains from patients with pulmonary tuberculosis, treated previously and with chronic process, and 691 strains from patients with extrapulmonary tuberculosis were studied. Researches of drug resistance were made by indirect method of absolute concentrations in the medium Lowenstein–Jensen and in the automated system ВАСТЕС™ MGIT™ 960 (Becton Dickinson, USA). It shows a steady increase of the overall drug resistance, which has reached in the last three years 90.1% in pulmonary tuberculosis. At the same time there was a sharp worsening of the structure of drug resistance due to the growth of multidrug (MDR) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR), which by 2014 accounted for 81.9 vs 28.5% in 1984–1988. In extrapulmonary tuberculosis the growth of drug resistance of Mycobacterium tuberculosis continues to outpace: overall drug resistance increased from 39.4% (1984–1988) to 80.2% (2012–2014), reaching figures that are comparable to those of pulmonary tuberculosis. At the same time there was an even more rapid change for the worse of its structure due to the increase of MDR/XDR strains: from 10.5% in the first period to 69.5% in the fourth. This is due to the more frequency of existing in locus of extrapulmonary tuberculosis of highly adaptive multiresistant strains of genotype Beijing: in tuberculous spondylitis, which is the most severe and frequent form of osteoarticular tuberculosis, 70 of the 78 (89.7%) Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates with MDR/XDR belong to this genotype. In pulmonary tuberculosis the XDR growth rate exceed those in extrapulmonary tuberculosis: from 26.8% (III period) to 39.5% (IV period) and, accordingly, from 8.0 to 8.6%. The situation with drug resistance in all localizations of the disease may be characterized as extremely tense, which can lead to unpredictable consequences, if promptly one not take appropriate measures.

Emergence and development of pulmonary tuberculosis is often accompanied by the signs of immune system dysfunction. The key enzymes of purine metabolism, e.g., adenosine deaminase (ADA and its isoforms, i.e. ADA1, ADA1 protein complex, and ADA-2), ecto-5’-nucleotidase (5’-NC) controlling adenosine levels, may play an important role in regulation of cell-mediated immunity. We have correlated the parameters of purine metabolism with cytokine production in patients with fibro-cavernous pulmonary tuberculosis (FCT) with a severe specific process. Our studies have revealed an association between cytokine production and purine metabolism indexes, thus reflecting an important role of the latters in immunopathogenesis of the hyperchronic specific disorder. It is mainly referred to adenosine deaminase (ADA1 and ADA2) which are antagonistic in regulation of IL-17 and IL-18. A significantly decreased activity of intracellular ADA1, lowered CD26 concentrations, with lacking intercorrelation, along with increased activity of ecto-ADA-2 is, generally, typical to patients with fibrous-cavernous tuberculosis, thus being a possible marker for prediction of unfavorable hyperchronic specific process, being consistent with functional depletion of immunocompetent cells. Lack of the ADA/ectopeptidase complexes leads to an imbalance between adenosine supply and its deamination. Increased extracellular adenosine concentrations in the patients with severe specific processes may cause metabolic alterations of immunocompetent cells, thus complicating clinical course of the disease, e.g., contributing to enhancement and progression of pulmonary fibrosis.

Background Nucleic acid amplification tests are widely used in TB diagnostics. Priority tasks in their development consist of increasing the specificity and sensitivity of the detection of resistance to a wide spectrum of anti-TB drugs. Methods We developed a multiplexed assay allowing the detection of 116 drug resistance-determining mutations in the rpoB, katG, inhA, ahpC, gyrA, gyrB, rrs, eis and embB genes in the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex genome and six SNPs to identify the main lineages circulating in Russia. The assay is based on the amplification of 17 fragments of the genome using the universal primer adapter technique and heat pulses at the elongation step, followed by hybridization on a microarray. Results The method was evaluated using 264 pairs of clinical samples and corresponding isolates. A significant proportion (25%) of smear-negative samples were correctly analysed by microarray analysis in addition to 96% of smear-positive samples. The sensitivity and specificity of the assay exceeded 90% for rifampicin, isoniazid, ofloxacin and second-line injection drugs. In agreement with previous studies, the specificity of ethambutol resistance was as low as 57%, while the sensitivity was 89.9%. Strong association of the Beijing lineage with a resistant phenotype was observed. Euro-American lineage strains, excluding Ural and LAM, were predominantly associated with the susceptible phenotype. Conclusions The developed test has a high sensitivity and specificity and can be directly applied to clinical samples. The combination of mutation-based drug resistance profiling and basic genotyping could be useful for clinical microbiology studies and epidemiological surveillance of the M. tuberculosis complex.

The goal of this work was to obtain genotypic characteristics of multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (i.e., strains that are resistant at least to rifampicin and isoniazid) isolated from consumptives in Northwestern Russia in 2011–2012. Spoligotyping of 195 strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis revealed 14 spolingotypes belonging to genetic families Beijing (n = 162), LAM (n = 15), H3/URAL (n = 14), T, Harleem, and X. Spolingotypes SIT1 (Beijing), SIT42 (LAM), and SIT62 (H3/URAL) were predominant. Regardless of genotype, all studied strains were resistant to streptomycin. Multidrug-resistant strains were resistant to ethionamide (56%), amikacin (31%), kanamycin (40%), and capreomycin (33%). The fractions of the strains resistant to ethambutol were 71 (n = 115) and 42% (n = 14) among the Beijing and nonBeijing strains, respectively (p < 0.05). Representatives of the Beijing genetic family remain predominant in Northwestern Russia in the population of multidrug-resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (83%).

Successful molecular biology, which led to the revision of fundamental views on the relationships and evolutionary pathways of major groups (“phyla”) of multicellular animals, has been much more appreciated by paleontologists than by zoologists. This is not surprising, because it is the fossil record that provides evidence for the hypotheses of molecular biology. The fossil record suggests that the different “phyla” now united in the Ecdysozoa, which comprises arthropods, onychophorans, tardigrades, priapulids, and nematomorphs, include a number of transitional forms that became extinct in the early Palaeozoic. The morphology of these organisms agrees entirely with that of the hypothetical ancestral forms reconstructed based on ontogenetic studies. No intermediates, even tentative ones, between arthropods and annelids are found in the fossil record. The study of the earliest Deuterostomia, the only branch of the Bilateria agreed on by all biological disciplines, gives insight into their early evolutionary history, suggesting the existence of motile bilaterally symmetrical forms at the dawn of chordates, hemichordates, and echinoderms. Interpretation of the early history of the Lophotrochozoa is even more difficult because, in contrast to other bilaterians, their oldest fossils are preserved only as mineralized skeletons. However, the unity of the microstructures of mollusks, brachiopods, and bryozoans, which is absent in other metazoans, is indicative of the presence of close relatives among the various earliest lophotrochozoans, some of which were sedentary suspension-feeders while others were mobile epibenthic detritophages. In the aggregate, modern data from molecular biology, palaeontology, and comparative embryology/morphology, having been revitalized by the introduction of new microscopy techniques, imply that the hypothesized planktotrophic gastrae-like common ancestor is the least likely of the diverse suggestions on the origins of the Metazoa. The common ancestor of the Bilateria had to be a motile epibenthic animal, and the explosive metazoan diversification embracing the Late Ediacaran–Early Cambrian interval (c. 40 Ma) was probably a real event, which was predated by a long (ca. a billion years) period of the assembly of the metazoan genome within the unicellular and colonial common ancestors of the Opisthokonta, and possibly even the entire Unikonta.

Understanding the mechanisms that sustain high biodiversity and regulate community structure remains a major challenge as past ecological interactions cannot be reconstructed with precision. Here we reveal the dynamics of the earliest diverse skeletal metazoan communities known, the early Cambrian (Tommotian–Atdabanian) archaeocyathan sponge reefs, over a period of 20million years from their first appearance ~535million years ago (Ma) until the first mass extinction event ~512Ma. Archaeocyaths were restricted to the Siberian Platform until ~520Ma, and so these data provide unique insight into a single, evolving isolated species pool. Systematic and statistical analyses, including α-diversity, evenness, Jaccard similarity, species abundance distributions, and Spearman statistics coefficient were undertaken for 58 sampling units representing 6121 individuals of 84 archaeocyath species from the Siberian Platform. These statistical results indicate an overall similarity to analyses of species co-occurrence in modern tropical coral reefs and rainforest communities. We show a prevalence of niche-assembly mechanisms throughout the entire Tommotian–Atdabanian interval. By the late Atdabanian, however, these earliest metazoan reefs showed the addition of community assembly processes, which can be attributed to neutral behaviour.

Detailed analysis of the distribution of archaeocyaths in five lower Cambrian sections in South China has resulted in the erection of four new archaeocyathan zones and one new archaeocyathan bed. Listed in order of ascending age, these are: theDailycyathus xiuqiensisZone; theDictyocyathus shaanxiensisZone; theSpirillicyathus duplexRange Zone; theSibirecyathus meitanensisRange Zone; and theArchaeocyathus yanjiaoensisbeds. These new subdivisions permit a correlation of lower Cambrian strata both within the area of the Yangtze Platform (South China) as well as between this region and Siberia, Australia, Western Europe and North America. Within the Yangtze Platform area, archaeocyaths of theDailycyathus xiuqiensisandDictyocyathus shaanxiensiszones co-occur with trilobites of the middle and upperEoredlichiaTrilobite Zone of the Qiongzhusian Stage. TheSpirillicyathus duplexand theSibirecyathus meitanensisRange Zone correspond to theMalungia, Yiliangella–YunnanaspisandDrepanuroidesTrilobite zones of the basal and middle Canglangpuan Stage, respectively. Finally, theArchaeocyathus yanjiaoensisbeds belong to thePalaeolenus fengyangensisTrilobite Zone of the upper Canglangpuan Stage. Global correlations based on archaeocyath assemblage zones suggest that: (1) the middle–upper Qiongzhusian of South China correlates with the middle Atdabanian Stage of the Siberian Platform, theWarriootacyathus wilkawillinensisArchaeocyath Zone in South Australia, the middle Issendalenian Stage of Morocco and the lower Ovetian Stage in Spain; (2) the lowermost Canglangpuan Stage of South China correlates with the uppermost Atdabanian of the Siberian Platform, theSpirillicyathus tenuis – Jugalicyathus tardusarchaeocyath zones in South Australia, the uppermost Issendalenian – lower Banian stages of Morocco, the middle Ovetian Stage of Spain and the middle Montezuman Stage of North America; (3) the middle Canglangpuan Stage approximates the lowermost Botoman Stage of the Siberian Platform, middle Banian Stage of Morocco, the uppermost Ovetian – lowermost Marianian stages of Spain and the upper Montezuman Stage of North America; (4) the uppermost Canglangpuan Stage is equivalent of the middle Toyonian Stage of the Siberian Platform,Archaeocyathus abacusbeds in Australia, the middle Bilbilian Stage in Spain and the middle Dyeran Stage (Bolbolenellus eurypariaTrilobite Zone) in North America.

Nowadays, there is a great demand for the accelerated hardening construction mixtures. That causes the necessity to the methods development for testing the effectiveness of accelerators, well as the analysis of kinetics of cement systems hydration in the early stages of hardening. This paper presents the results of an experimental research of interrelation between the growth kinetics of cement-based binder system strength and the heat release for pure cement hydration. How it was found, two compositions of construction mix, which are identical in mineral composition and differ in the presence of mono-functional accelerator, a comparison of strength growth dynamics can be carried out indirectly via the integral curve of heat release, obtained using the method of isothermal calorimetry.

The nontuberculosis mycobacteria Mycobacterium avium subsp. hominissuis (MAH) are able to cause human mycobacteriosis. In this work, results of the first comprehensive study of the genome polymorphism of the clinical strains of MAH are reported for Russia using a typing scheme of 13 MATR VNTR loci (TR292, TRX3, TR25, TR47, MATR-1, MATR-4, MATR-5, MATR-6, MATR-8, MATR-11, MATR-14, MATR-15, MATR-16) containing tandem nucleotide sites and IS1245 RFLP typing sites. Ninety MAH strains isolated from patients with epidemiologically unconnected lung mycobacteriosis (including HIV-positive ones) were tested in 2008-2011. The heterogeneity of the MAH strains in accordance with 36 profiles of 13 MATR VNTR loci was observed. The majority of the strains (68.8%) were in eight MATR VNTR clusters; the biggest cluster contained 37 strains with the 13-bit numerical profile 2222223145443′. The nucleotide sequence of the MATR-16 (3′) locus contains an extensive deletion (GenBank accession no. KF479191). The MAH strains of the MATR VNTR clusters were found to be heterogeneous by the IS1245 marker. The MATR VNTR typing method by 13 loci is recommended for preliminary differentiation of domestic MAH strains with further analysis of the MATR VNTR clusters using the IS1245 RFLP typing method.

This study investigates the influence of two fine mineral fillers on the main characteristics of tile adhesives – limestone powder and silica flour Silverbond 50. These fillers were added in various dosages: from 2.5% to 10% by weight of mixture.

Mycobacterium avium subsp. hominissuis (MAH) are typical inhabitants of the environment, which are known as opportunistic pathogens of animals and humans. The aim of our study was to analyze single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the hsp65 and MACPPE12 genes to characterize the Russian population of MAH in the context of studying phylogenetic relationships and the evolution of geographically distant populations of M. avium subsp. hominissuis. The sequence analysis of the hsp65 and MACPPE12 genes was applied for 40 MAH strains isolated from humans (patients with mycobacteriosis). The nucleotide sequences were aligned to the reference genome of M. avium subsp. hominissuis 104 (accession no. NC_008595.1). The mutational profiles of Russian strains were compared with those isolated in other countries. In total, 40 MAH strains were classified into three different hsp65 sequevars: code 1, code 2, and code 3. The majority of MAH strains (72.5%) belonged to code 1, the same sequevar as for MAH strain 104. The sequence analysis of the MACPPE12 gene revealed 20 SNPs grouped into nine sequevars at the nucleic acid level: NA01, NA02, NA03, NA06, NA10, NA13, NA14, NA19, and NA_Rus01. Eight out of 20 SNPs were nonsynonymous, resulting in seven sequevars at the amino acid level: AA01, AA02, AA04, AA07, AA08, AA13, and AA_Rus01. The sequevar AA02 consisted of three different NA variants with synonymous SNPs profiles: NA02, NA03, and NA06. Half of the MAH strains belonged to the sequevar AA02 (type NA02). The predominant cluster AA02 (type NA02)/code 1 and the unique variant AA_Rus01 (NA_Rus01) were identified among MAH strains from Russia. Thus, we confirmed the relative conservativeness of the nucleotide sequence of the hsp65 gene but the polymorphism of the MACPPE12 gene. At the same time, a comparative analysis of the SNPs profiles of the hsp65 and MACPPE12 genes allowed us to identify differences and similarities between geographically distant populations of MAH, which highlighted the variability of the global population of M. avium species.

Assembly of the necessary biochemical machinery for biomineralisation long-predated the appearance and rapid diversification of metazoan skeletons in the late Ediacaran to Middle Cambrian (~ 550–520 million years ago (Ma)), and the independent acquisition of skeletons of differing mineralogies suggests a trigger that conferred selective advantage to possession of a skeleton even though this involved physiological cost. The cost–benefit ratio of biomineralisation has changed over geological time, varying not only with the availability of precursor ions in seawater, but also with evolutionary innovations, as the energy required to produce a skeleton will change as a function of community ecology, particularly with increases in predation pressure. Here, we demonstrate that during the Cambrian Radiation the choice of biomineral was controlled by an interaction between changing seawater chemistry and evolving ecology. The record also reveals the successive skeletonisation of groups with increasing levels of activity from the Ediacaran to Middle Cambrian. The oldest (~ 550–540 Ma) biomineralised organisms were sessile, and preferentially formed low-cost, simple, skeletons of either high-Mg calcite coincident with high m Mg:Ca and/or low p CO 2 (aragonite seas), or phosphate during with a well-documented phosphogenic event. More elaborate, but tough and protective, aragonitic skeletons appeared from ~ 540 Ma, dominantly in motile benthos (mostly stem- and crown-group Lophotrochozoa). The first low-Mg calcite skeletons of novel organic-rich composite materials (e.g. trilobites) did not appear until the late early Cambrian (~ 526 Ma), coincident with the first onset of low m Mg:Ca and/or high p CO 2 (calcite seas). Active, bentho-pelagic predatory groups (vertebrates, chaetognaths, some arthropods) appearing mainly in the late early Cambrian preferentially possessed phosphatic skeletons, which were more stable at the low pH ranges of extracellular fluids associated with intense activity and high-energy ecologies. These trends suggest that the increasing physiological cost of biomineralisation in successively more demanding metabolisms was offset by the increased chance of survival conferred by a protective skeleton, so indicating a driver of escalating community ecology, in particular an increase in predation pressure.