Search

Thermal effects of adsorption and desorption, leading to temperature fluctuations and losses of adsorption storage systems capacity in the processes of gas charging and discharging, are the main obstacle to the wide practical application of adsorbed natural gas (ANG) technology. This work presents a numerical simulation of heat and mass transfer processes under various cyclic operation modes of a full-scale adsorption storage tank with various thermal control systems. The high-density monolithic adsorbent KS-HAM, obtained on the basis of industrial activated carbon KS-HA, was used as the adsorption material. The phase composition, surface morphology, and porous structure of the sorbents were studied. The adsorption of methane on the KS-HA adsorbent was measured. It is shown that increasing the duration of charging leads to obtaining additional capacity of the ANG system; however, the final efficiency and benefit at the end of the charging–discharging cycle are determined by the efficiency of the thermal control system and the gas-discharging mode. It has been shown that the presence of a finned thermal control system allows for charging the adsorption storage tank 3–8 times faster and provides an 8–24% greater amount of gas discharged at the discharging stage compared to the ANG system without fins.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) remains a major threat worldwide, although only a fraction of infected individuals develops tuberculosis (TB). TB susceptibility is shaped by multiple genetic factors, and we performed comparative immunological analysis of two mouse strains to uncover relevant mechanisms underlying susceptibility and resistance. C57BL/6 mice are relatively TB-resistant, whereas I/St mice are prone to develop severe TB, partly due to the MHC-II allelic variant that shapes suboptimal CD4+ T cell receptor repertoire. We investigated the repertoires of lung-infiltrating helper T cells and B cells at the progressed stage in both strains. We found that lung CD4+ T cell repertoires of infected C57BL/6 but not I/St mice contained convergent TCR clusters with functionally confirmed Mtb specificity. Transcriptomic analysis revealed a more prominent Th1 signature in C57BL/6, and expression of pro-inflammatory IL-16 in I/St lung-infiltrating helper T cells. The two strains also showed distinct Th2 signatures. Furthermore, the humoral response of I/St mice was delayed, less focused, and dominated by IgG/IgM isotypes, whereas C57BL/6 mice generated more Mtb antigen-focused IgA response. We conclude that the inability of I/St mice to produce a timely and efficient anti-Mtb adaptive immune responses arises from a suboptimal helper T cell landscape that also impacts the humoral response, leading to diffuse inflammation and severe disease.

The purpose of this literature review is to analyze the evidence of the effectiveness of the use of electrotherapy in the treatment of epilepsy. In chronological order, the opinions of various leading scientists and doctors of antiquity, XVIII, XIX centuries, such as Avicenna, J Wesley, W Erb, etc., based on the results of their own work, are presented on the possibilities of using animal, static, galvanic current in the treatment of epilepsy. Particular attention is paid to the transcranial micropolarization method, which has been gaining popularity in recent decades, based on the effect of low-intensity direct current on the projections of selected cortical structures. The data of experimental and clinical studies conducted under the guidance of corresponding member GA Vartanyan, academician NP Bekhtereva, etc., as well as foreign authors, testifying to the effective use of micropolarization in the treatment of epilepsy are presented. Possible prospects for the development of the method for obtaining the greatest therapeutic effect are discussed. The result of such work may be the development of a method of bio-controlled micropolarization.

The soil response to a jet-fuel contamination is uncertain. In this article, original data on the influence of a jet-fuel spillage on the topsoil properties are presented. The data set is obtained during a one-year long pot and field experiments with Dystric Arenosols, Fibric Histosols and Albic Luvisols. Kerosene loads were 1, 5, 10, 25 and 100 g/kg. The data set includes information about temporal changes in kerosene concentration; physicochemical properties, such as рН, moisture, cation exchange capacity, content of soil organic matter, available P and K, exchangeable NH4+, and water-soluble NO3–; and biological properties, such as biological consumption of oxygen, and cellulolytic activity. Also, we provide sequencing data on variable regions of 16S ribosomal RNA of microbial communities from the respective soil samples.

Thermal effects of adsorption and desorption, leading to temperature fluctuations and losses of adsorption storage systems capacity in the processes of gas charging and discharging, are the main obstacle to the wide practical application of adsorbed natural gas (ANG) technology. This work presents a numerical simulation of heat and mass transfer processes under various cyclic operation modes of a full-scale adsorption storage tank with various thermal control systems. The high-density monolithic adsorbent KS-HAM, obtained on the basis of industrial activated carbon KS-HA, was used as the adsorption material. The phase composition, surface morphology, and porous structure of the sorbents were studied. The adsorption of methane on the KS-HA adsorbent was measured. It is shown that increasing the duration of charging leads to obtaining additional capacity of the ANG system; however, the final efficiency and benefit at the end of the charging–discharging cycle are determined by the efficiency of the thermal control system and the gas-discharging mode. It has been shown that the presence of a finned thermal control system allows for charging the adsorption storage tank 3–8 times faster and provides an 8–24% greater amount of gas discharged at the discharging stage compared to the ANG system without fins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lichens are important components of high‐latitude boreal and Arctic habitats. While stress tolerant, they are among the most sensitive ecosystem components to climate change, in particular, an increase in ultraviolet light (UV) arising from polar ozone depletion and deforestation. This study is the first to explore the effects of UV‐B on gene expression in lichens to predict metabolic pathways involved in tolerance. Using transcriptome profiling and bioinformatic analyses, here we studied the effects of UV‐B on gene expression in lichens using Lobaria pulmonaria (L.) Hoff. as a model species. UV‐B exposure causes significant browning of the upper cortex of the thallus, which correlates to an increased expression of biosynthetic gene clusters involved in the synthesis of eu‐ and allomelanins and melanin precursors. Based on transcriptome analyses, we suggest that the biosynthesis of melanins and other secondary metabolites, such as naphthalene derivates, tropolones, anthraquinones, and xanthones, is a trade‐off that lichens pay to protect essential metabolic processes such as photosynthesis and respiration. Expression profiles of general stress‐associated genes, in particular, related to reactive oxygen species scavenging, protection of proteins, and DNA repair, clearly indicate that the mycobiont is the more UV‐B‐responsive and susceptible partner in lichen symbiosis. Our findings demonstrate that UV‐B stress activates an intricate gene network involved in tolerance mechanisms of lichen symbionts. Knowledge obtained here may enable the prediction of likely effects on lichen biodiversity caused by climate change and pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Chlamydia are ancient intracellular pathogens with reduced, though strikingly conserved genome. Despite their parasitic lifestyle and isolated intracellular environment, these bacteria managed to avoid accumulation of deleterious mutations leading to subsequent genome degradation characteristic for many parasitic bacteria. Results We report pan-genomic analysis of sixteen species from genus Chlamydia including identification and functional annotation of orthologous genes, and characterization of gene gains, losses, and rearrangements. We demonstrate the overall genome stability of these bacteria as indicated by a large fraction of common genes with conserved genomic locations. On the other hand, extreme evolvability is confined to several paralogous gene families such as polymorphic membrane proteins and phospholipase D, and likely is caused by the pressure from the host immune system. Conclusions This combination of a large, conserved core genome and a small, evolvable periphery likely reflect the balance between the selective pressure towards genome reduction and the need to adapt to escape from the host immunity.

Alternative oxidase (AOX) in the mitochondrial electron transport chain is considered important for sustaining photosynthesis under high light conditions. Here, we examined the effects of the AOX pathway on the state of chloroplast photoprotective systems. Arabidopsis thaliana plants (4 weeks old), comprising three genotypes (wild type [WT], overexpressing [XX-2] and antisense [AS-12] lines for AOX1a), were exposed to moderately high light conditions (MHL, 400 μmol m−2 s−1) in a short-term experiment (8 h). After 8 h of MHL, the WT and XX-2 plants showed stable non-photochemical quenching (qN) and violaxanthin cycle activity. Antisense plants displayed the lowest level of qN and a lower de-epoxidation state (DEPS) relative to plants of the same line after 4–6 h MHL, as well as compared to WT and XX-2 plants after 8 h MHL. The decline in DEPS in AS-12 plants was attributed to an insufficient violaxanthin de-epoxidase activity, which in turn was associated with a decrease in reduced ascorbate levels in the chloroplasts and leaves. Simultaneously, gene expression and the activity of ascorbate peroxidase in the antisense line increased after 8 h of MHL, supporting the compensatory effect of the antioxidant system when AOX1a expression is suppressed. This study emphasizes the role played by AOX in modulating the photoprotection processes and in the maintenance of relationships between mitochondria and chloroplasts by influencing ascorbate content.

Semiconductor devices of quantum electronics based on InP/GaInAsP heterostructures require the creation of non-defective chips for emitting devices and photodetectors. The production of such chips is impossible without a thorough technological study of the growth processes of epitaxial structures. One of the important problems in relation to the growth of such structures is the growth defects associated with the process of dissociation of indium phosphide on the surface during their growth. The aim of the work was the investigation of the process and mechanism of destruction (dissociation) of the surface of indium phosphide substrates in the range of growth temperatures of structures, as well as the study of methods and techniques that allow minimize the process of dissociation of surface of indium phosphide. The work provides studies of the growth processes of InP/GaInAsP heterostructures, from the liquid phase, taking into account the degradation processes of the growth surface and the mechanisms for the formation of dissociation defects. The schemes of the dissociation process of the InP on the surface of the substrate and the formation of the defective surface of the substrate were analysed. At the same time, technological methods allowing to minimize the dissociation of the surface compound during the process of liquid-phase epitaxy were shown. The original design of a graphite cassette allowing to minimize the dissociation of the indium phosphide substrate in the process of liquid-phase epitaxy was proposed

The interplay between T- and B-cell compartments during naïve, effector and memory T cell maturation is critical for a balanced immune response. Primary B-cell immunodeficiency arising from X-linked agammaglobulinemia (XLA) offers a model to explore B cell impact on T cell subsets, starting from the thymic selection. Here we investigated characteristics of naïve and effector T cell subsets in XLA patients, revealing prominent alterations in the corresponding T-cell receptor (TCR) repertoires. We observed immunosenescence in terms of decreased diversity of naïve CD4+ and CD8+ TCR repertoires in XLA donors. The most substantial alterations were found within naïve CD4+ subsets, and we have investigated these in greater detail. In particular, increased clonality and convergence, along with shorter CDR3 regions, suggested narrower focused antigen-specific maturation of thymus-derived naïve Treg (CD4+CD45RA+CD27+CD25+) in the absence of B cells - normally presenting diverse self and commensal antigens. The naïve Treg proportion among naïve CD4 T cells was decreased in XLA patients, supporting the concept of impaired thymic naïve Treg selection. Furthermore, the naïve Treg subset showed prominent differences at the transcriptome level, including increased expression of genes specific for antigen-presenting and myeloid cells. Altogether, our findings suggest active B cell involvement in CD4 T cell subsets maturation, including B cell-dependent expansion of the naïve Treg TCR repertoire that enables better control of self-reactive T cells.

The effect of various planes was studied when growing epitaxial layers by liquid-phase epitaxy (LPE) on the profiled InP substrates. The studies allowed obtaining buried heterostructures in the InP/InGaAsP system and creating highly efficient laser diodes and image sensors. It was found that protruding mesa strips or in-depth mesa strips in the form of channels formed by the {111}А, {111}B, {110}, {112}A, or {221}A family of planes can be obtained with the corresponding selection of an etching agent, strip orientation, and a method of obtaining a masking coating. It was noted that in the case of the polarity of axes being in the direction of , the cut of mesa strips was conducted along the most densely packaged planes. This cut led to the difference in rates of both chemical etching and epitaxial burying of profiled surfaces. The cut was made along the planes at a low dissolution rate {111}A for a sphalerite lattice, to which the studied material, indium phosphide, belongs. Analysis of planes {110} and {Ī10} showed that the location of the most densely packaged planes {111}A and {111}B relative to them is different.

The organizational integrity of the adaptive immune system is determined by functionally discrete subsets of CD4+ T cells, but it has remained unclear to what extent lineage choice is influenced by clonotypically expressed T-cell receptors (TCRs). To address this issue, we used a high-throughput approach to profile the αβ TCR repertoires of human naive and effector/memory CD4+ T-cell subsets, irrespective of antigen specificity. Highly conserved physicochemical and recombinatorial features were encoded on a subset-specific basis in the effector/memory compartment. Clonal tracking further identified forbidden and permitted transition pathways, mapping effector/memory subsets related by interconversion or ontogeny. Public sequences were largely confined to particular effector/memory subsets, including regulatory T cells (Tregs), which also displayed hardwired repertoire features in the naive compartment. Accordingly, these cumulative repertoire portraits establish a link between clonotype fate decisions in the complex world of CD4+ T cells and the intrinsic properties of somatically rearranged TCRs.

The emerging human enteropathogen Clostridioides difficile is the main cause of diarrhea associated with antibiotherapy. Regulatory pathways underlying the adaptive responses remain understudied and the global view of C. difficile promoter structure is still missing. In the genome of C. difficile 630, 22 genes encoding sigma factors are present suggesting a complex pattern of transcription in this bacterium. We present here the first transcriptional map of the C. difficile genome resulting from the identification of transcriptional start sites (TSS), promoter motifs and operon structures. By 5′-end RNA-seq approach, we mapped more than 1000 TSS upstream of genes. In addition to these primary TSS, this analysis revealed complex structure of transcriptional units such as alternative and internal promoters, potential RNA processing events and 5′ untranslated regions. By following an in silico iterative strategy that used as an input previously published consensus sequences and transcriptomic analysis, we identified candidate promoters upstream of most of protein-coding and non-coding RNAs genes. This strategy also led to refine consensus sequences of promoters recognized by major sigma factors of C. difficile. Detailed analysis focuses on the transcription in the pathogenicity locus and regulatory genes, as well as regulons of transition phase and sporulation sigma factors as important components of C. difficile regulatory network governing toxin gene expression and spore formation. Among the still uncharacterized regulons of the major sigma factors of C. difficile, we defined the SigL regulon by combining transcriptome and in silico analyses. We showed that the SigL regulon is largely involved in amino-acid degradation, a metabolism crucial for C. difficile gut colonization. Finally, we combined our TSS mapping, in silico identification of promoters and RNA-seq data to improve gene annotation and to suggest operon organization in C. difficile. These data will considerably improve our knowledge of global regulatory circuits controlling gene expression in C. difficile and will serve as a useful rich resource for scientific community both for the detailed analysis of specific genes and systems biology studies.

Abstract Background The genus Streptococcus comprises pathogens that strongly influence the health of humans and animals. Genome sequencing of multiple Streptococcus strains demonstrated high variability in gene content and order even in closely related strains of the same species and created a newly emerged object for genomic analysis, the pan-genome. Here we analysed the genome evolution of 25 strains of Streptococcus suis, 50 strains of Streptococcus pyogenes and 28 strains of Streptococcus pneumoniae. Results Fractions of the pan-genome, unique, periphery, and universal genes differ in size, functional composition, the level of nucleotide substitutions, and predisposition to horizontal gene transfer and genomic rearrangements. The density of substitutions in intergenic regions appears to be correlated with selection acting on adjacent genes, implying that more conserved genes tend to have more conserved regulatory regions. The total pan-genome of the genus is open, but only due to strain-specific genes, whereas other pan-genome fractions reach saturation. We have identified the set of genes with phylogenies inconsistent with species and non-conserved location in the chromosome; these genes are rare in at least one species and have likely experienced recent horizontal transfer between species. The strain-specific fraction is enriched with mobile elements and hypothetical proteins, but also contains a number of candidate virulence-related genes, so it may have a strong impact on adaptability and pathogenicity. Mapping the rearrangements to the phylogenetic tree revealed large parallel inversions in all species. A parallel inversion of length 15 kB with breakpoints formed by genes encoding surface antigen proteins PhtD and PhtB in S. pneumoniae leads to replacement of gene fragments that likely indicates the action of an antigen variation mechanism. Conclusions Members of genus Streptococcus have a highly dynamic, open pan-genome, that potentially confers them with the ability to adapt to changing environmental conditions, i.e. antibiotic resistance or transmission between different hosts. Hence, integrated analysis of all aspects of genome evolution is important for the identification of potential pathogens and design of drugs and vaccines.

The existing model of financial support of medical assistance for clinical-statistical groups (CSGs) in 2018 provides for the reimbursement for hospital stay expenses by the compulsory medical insurance fund in patients claiming the need for genetically engineered biological products (GiBP) during their stay in a day-care or 24-hour inpatient facility. The payment is made to CSG no. 121 in a day care and to CSG no. 316 in a 24-hour inpatient facility. The heterogeneity of the expenses for therapy with GiBP necessitates further division of the Federal CSGs into subgroups located in the constituent parts of the Russian Federation. This process has been initiated in some parts of the country, and it is seen as a way of regional adaptation of the Federal Medical insurance model. The proposed subdivision of the Federal CSGs allows for setting the tariffs reflecting the real expenses incurred by a local medical organization due to the therapeutic use of GiBP. The models of such specific CSGs proposed by RF subjects (after an expert evaluation) can be taken as a basis for updating the Federal CSG model, taking into account the differences in the costs of different drug therapy regimens.

One of the most important challenges for soil science is to determine the limits for the sustainable functioning of contaminated ecosystems. The response of soil microbiomes to kerosene pollution is still poorly understood. Here, we model the impact of kerosene leakage on the composition of the topsoil microbiome in pot and field experiments with different loads of added kerosene (loads up to 100 g/kg; retention time up to 360 days). At four time points we measured kerosene concentration and sequenced variable regions of 16S ribosomal RNA in the microbial communities. Mainly alkaline Dystric Arenosols with low content of available phosphorus and soil organic matter had an increased fraction of Actinobacteriota, Firmicutes, Nitrospirota, Planctomycetota, and, to a lesser extent, Acidobacteriota and Verrucomicobacteriota. In contrast, in highly acidic Fibric Histosols, rich in soil organic matter and available phosphorus, the fraction of Acidobacteriota was higher, while the fraction of Actinobacteriota was lower. Albic Luvisols occupied an intermediate position in terms of both physicochemical properties and microbiome composition. The microbiomes of different soils show similar response to equal kerosene loads. In highly contaminated soils, the proportion of anaerobic bacteria-metabolizing hydrocarbons increased, whereas the proportion of aerobic bacteria decreased. During the field experiment, the soil microbiome recovered much faster than in the pot experiments, possibly due to migration of microorganisms from the polluted area. The microbial community of Fibric Histosols recovered in 6 months after kerosene had been loaded, while microbiomes of Dystric Arenosols and Albic Luvisols did not restore even after a year.

Abstract Background Bacterial carbohydrate metabolism is extremely diverse, since carbohydrates serve as a major energy source and are involved in a variety of cellular processes. Bacterial genes belonging to same metabolic pathway are often co-localized in the chromosome, but it is not a strict rule. Gene co-localization in linked to co-evolution and co-regulation. This study focuses on a large-scale analysis of bacterial genomic loci related to the carbohydrate metabolism. Results We demonstrate that only 53% of 148,000 studied genes from over six hundred bacterial genomes are co-localized in bacterial genomes with other carbohydrate metabolism genes, which points to a significant role of singleton genes. Co-localized genes form cassettes, ranging in size from two to fifteen genes. Two major factors influencing the cassette-forming tendency are gene function and bacterial phylogeny. We have obtained a comprehensive picture of co-localization preferences of genes for nineteen major carbohydrate metabolism functional classes, over two hundred gene orthologous clusters, and thirty bacterial classes, and characterized the cassette variety in size and content among different species, highlighting a significant role of short cassettes. The preference towards co-localization of carbohydrate metabolism genes varies between 40 and 76% for bacterial taxa. Analysis of frequently co-localized genes yielded forty-five significant pairwise links between genes belonging to different functional classes. The number of such links per class range from zero to eight, demonstrating varying preferences of respective genes towards a specific chromosomal neighborhood. Genes from eleven functional classes tend to co-localize with genes from the same class, indicating an important role of clustering of genes with similar functions. At that, in most cases such co-localization does not originate from local duplication events. Conclusions Overall, we describe a complex web formed by evolutionary relationships of bacterial carbohydrate metabolism genes, manifested as co-localization patterns. Reviewers This article was reviewed by Daria V. Dibrova (A.N. Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia), nominated by Armen Mulkidjanian (University of Osnabrück, Germany), Igor Rogozin (NCBI, NLM, NIH, USA) and Yuri Wolf (NCBI, NLM, NIH, USA).