The origins of neural systems remain unresolved. In contrast to other basal metazoans, ctenophores (comb jellies) have both complex nervous and mesoderm-derived muscular systems. These holoplanktonic ...predators also have sophisticated ciliated locomotion, behaviour and distinct development. Here we present the draft genome of Pleurobrachia bachei, Pacific sea gooseberry, together with ten other ctenophore transcriptomes, and show that they are remarkably distinct from other animal genomes in their content of neurogenic, immune and developmental genes. Our integrative analyses place Ctenophora as the earliest lineage within Metazoa. This hypothesis is supported by comparative analysis of multiple gene families, including the apparent absence of HOX genes, canonical microRNA machinery, and reduced immune complement in ctenophores. Although two distinct nervous systems are well recognized in ctenophores, many bilaterian neuron-specific genes and genes of 'classical' neurotransmitter pathways either are absent or, if present, are not expressed in neurons. Our metabolomic and physiological data are consistent with the hypothesis that ctenophore neural systems, and possibly muscle specification, evolved independently from those in other animals.
A coupled chain of superconductor/ferromagnet/superconductor (S/F/S) with anomalous ground phase shift
represents a system realizing long-range interaction between magnetic moments of the weak links. ...The interaction is of magnetoelectric origin and is mediated by the condensate phase of superconductors. The system is a paradigmic platform for investigation of collective magnetic states governed by the superconducting phase. Here we study the magnetic eigenmodes of such a system and demonstrate that the eigenfrequencies are determined by the magnetic configuration of the whole system and are controlled by the superconducting phase. Depending on the orientation of the magnetic easy axis the eigenmodes can be very different ranging from individual oscillations of different magnets to highly-cooperative behavior.
•D plasma ions impact on BMG leads to D absorption and modification of some properties.•At D ion energy< 120 eV, the amount of D absorbed increases linearly with ion fluence.•At D ion energy> 450 eV, ...the sputtering process dominates.•Plane BMG samples exposed in D plasma are bent due to D trapping in near-surface layer.
Samples of two kinds of bulk metallic glasses (BMG) with different compositions, Zr48Cu36Al8Ag8 and Zr57Cu15.4Al10Ni12.6Nb5, were polished to mirror-like quality and, after measuring the initial reflectance at normal light incidence, were subjected to impact of ions of deuterium or argon plasma with fixed energy. The main attention was paid to phenomenon on deuterium absorption that reveals as the weight gain after every exposure of the samples in deuterium plasma. For a fixed ion energy (in the range<100 eV), the amount of absorbed deuterium increased linearly with increasing of the ion fluence. Bending of the samples was observed when one side of sample was bombarded by deuterium plasma ions. At that, the radius of curvature of samples was decreasing with increasing the amount of trapped deuterium in such a way that its curvature was increasing proportionally to the amount of trapped deuterium. This is an evidence of near-surface distribution of the trapped deuterium. The results demonstrate that D ions within a fluence of ∼2·1025 ions/m2 are initially accumulated in a thin near-surface layer of the samples. Further, they are noted effects of stress relaxation and of deuterium redistribution.
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is known to cause annual epidemics of respiratory infections; however, the lack of specific treatment options for this disease poses a challenge. In light of this, ...there has been a concerted effort to identify small molecules that can effectively combat RSV. This article focuses on the mechanism of action of compound K142, which was identified as a primary screening leader in the earlier stages of the project. The research conducted demonstrates that K142 significantly reduces the intensity of virus penetration into the cells, as well as the formation of syncytia from infected cells. These findings show that the compound’s interaction with the surface proteins of RSV is a key factor in its antiviral activity. Furthermore, pharmacological modeling supports that K142 effectively interacts with the F-protein. However, in vivo studies have shown only weak antiviral activity against RSV infection, with a slight decrease in viral load observed in lung tissues. As a result, there is a need to enhance the bioavailability or antiviral properties of this compound. Based on these findings, we hypothesize that further modifications of the compound under study could potentially increase its antiviral activity.
The chemical-technological process of phosphate pellets drying is investigated in the paper. The hybrid fuzzy kinetic model of phosphorite pellets drying process is proposed. The features of the ...proposed model are as follows: firstly, differential equations with fuzzy thermal-physical characteristics of pellets are used to estimate the thermal conductivity of pellets; secondly, a fuzzy rule-based model is used to determine the most difficult parameters to calculate. The method based on the developed hybrid model is proposed for analyzing the drying process of phosphorite pellets. The proposed method uses an original approach that allows solving the problem of increasing uncertainty of results in iterative calculations based on the modal interaction of fuzzy thermal characteristics represented by fuzzy numbers.
Phosphate ore are a complex combination of chemical substances in natural minerals. The complicated physicochemical process of heating phosphorites includes a set of heat and mass exchange processes, ...endothermic reactions of carbonates dissociation, and processes of structural transformations during solid- and liquid-state sintering. The temperature-concentration and temperature-time dependences of the heat capacity of phosphate ore samples on the thermal conditions of the carbonates dissociation reaction in the samples, under structural modifications, as a result of a change in the chemical composition of the samples were experimentally investigated. The influence of the structural changes in the samples in the range of the raw material roasting temperatures and of the heating rates on the heat capacity of the phosphorites was evaluated. Scientific justification was provided for the occurrence of significant temperature gradients in the samples due to transient heating conditions and to the action of the thermal effects of the carbonates dissociation reaction, which limits the applicability of conventional methods to determine the true and effective heat capacities of the samples. The relationship between the heterogeneous endothermic structural transformations and the thermophysical conditions of the endothermic reaction of carbonates dissociation was established, which allows increasing the energy efficiency of the thermal treatment of the phosphate raw material during beneficiation on roasting conveyor and sintering machines. Analysis of the experimental data reveals a significant effect of thermal dissociation of carbonates and of the internal heat exchange on the heat capacity of the phosphorites. The error of the found heat capacity is determined by the technique of thermoanalytical experiments, the dimensions of the samples, the thermal effect of the carbonates dissociation reaction, and the reacting phase concentration. The error increases with an increase in the sample heating rate, i.e., with growth of the factors increasing the steepness of the temperature gradient field in the samples. The chemical and energy technological features of the thermal treatment of the phosphate raw materials are determined by the dependence of their heat capacity on the endothermic reaction of carbonates dissociation during heating in a wide range of heating rates in a moving dense multilayer of pellets on the grate of operating roasting conveyor machines, which allows optimizing energy-saving roasting modes.
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