First Detection of Podocytes in the Circulatory System of Enigmatic Echiurids (Annelida: Thalassematidae).

The fine structure of echiurid blood vessels in the proboscis is known in detail, but the circulatory system of the trunk is still understood mainly at the level of general anatomy. The trunk circulatory system was studied in Bonellia viridis females, and specialized podocytes were found to form the walls of the ring vessel and the anterior part of the ventral vessel. Podocytes were for the first time described in the echiurid circulatory system.

[Results of a randomized double-blind multicenter clinical trial of the efficacy and safety of riamilovir in the treatment of COVID-19].

Aim: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of riamilovir in the treatment of COVID-19 in adults.

Materials And Methods: The study included 180 patients with a laboratory-confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 which fully meet the criteria for inclusion, non-inclusion and exclusion, signed a voluntary informed consent to participate in a clinical trial.

Results: The efficacy, good tolerability and safety of the drug riamilovir in the treatment of COVID-19 have been established.

The Genetic Origin of the Indo-Europeans.

The Yamnaya archaeological complex appeared around 3300BCE across the steppes north of the Black and Caspian Seas, and by 3000BCE reached its maximal extent from Hungary in the west to Kazakhstan in the east. To localize the ancestral and geographical origins of the Yamnaya among the diverse Eneolithic people that preceded them, we studied ancient DNA data from 428 individuals of which 299 are reported for the first time, demonstrating three previously unknown Eneolithic genetic clines. First, a "Caucasus-Lower Volga" (CLV) Cline suffused with Caucasus hunter-gatherer (CHG) ancestry extended between a Caucasus Neolithic southern end in Neolithic Armenia, and a steppe northern end in Berezhnovka in the Lower Volga.

Phase transformation and strengthening of the gas-atomized FeCoCrNiMoAl high-entropy alloy powder during annealing.

Phase evolution and strengthening of the FeNiCoCrMoAl powder alloy produced via inert gas atomization and annealed in the temperature interval of 300-800 °C have been studied by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and microhardness testing. It was found that annealing at 300-600 °C leads to an increase of the element segregations between the several solid solutions with a rise of the lattice misfit to 1.5 % and microhardness growth to 1070 HV.

Various Types of Light Guides for Use in Lossy Mode Resonance-Based Sensors.

A comparative study of figure-of-merit fiber sensors of the mass concentration of NaCl solutions based on single-mode and multi-mode fibers was carried out. Lossy mode resonance is realized on chemically thinned sections of optical fibers to various diameters (from 26 to 100 μm) coated with ZnTe. Thin-film coatings were applied using the method of metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD).

Molecular Structure-Intrinsic Photostability Relationships for a Series of Conjugated Polymers: Backbone Substitution Matters!

Herein, we present an efficient approach for screening the intrinsic photostability of organic absorber materials used in photovoltaic applications. Using a series of structurally related conjugated polymers and a set of complementary techniques, we established important "material structure-photostability" relationships. In particular, we have revealed that the introduction of alkoxy, thioalkyl, and fluorine substituents adversely affects the material photostability.

Opportunistic consumption of marine pelagic, terrestrial, and chemosynthetic organic matter by macrofauna on the Arctic shelf: a stable isotope approach.

Macrofauna can contribute substantially to the organic matter cycling on the seafloor, yet the role of terrestrial and chemosynthetic organic matter in the diets of microphagous (deposit and suspension) feeders is poorly understood. In the present study, we used stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen to test the hypothesis that the terrestrial organic matter supplied with river runoff and local chemosynthetic production at methane seeps might be important organic matter sources for macrofaunal consumers on the Laptev Sea shelf. We sampled locations from three habitats with the presumed differences in organic matter supply: "Delta" with terrestrial inputs from the Lena River, "Background" on the northern part of the shelf with pelagic production as the main organic matter source, and "Seep" in the areas with detected methane seepage, where chemosynthetic production might be available.

Mitigating methane emission from oil sands tailings using enzymatic and lime treatments.

Engineering strategies to reduce greenhouse gases (GHGs) emissions by inhibiting methanogenesis in oil sands tailings have rarely been examined. In this study, we explored the potential impact of chemical treatment (lime) and biological treatment using enzymes (lysozyme and protease) on inhibiting methane emissions from tailings. Overall, treatment with protease 3%, lysozyme 3%, and lime 5000 ppm reduced CH production (by 52%, 28%, and 25%, respectively) and were weakly associated with the archaeal abundance.

A Study of the Lossy Mode Resonances during the Synthesis Process of Zinc Telluride Films.

Films of zinc telluride (ZnTe) were deposited on the surface of a chemically thinned section of an optical fiber by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. The boundary values of temperatures and the concentration ratios of the initial tellurium and zinc precursors at which the synthesis of ZnTe coatings is possible are determined. The influence of the position of the thinned part of the optical fiber in the reactor on the growth rate of films on the side surface of the fiber was studied, on the basis of which, the parameters of the deposition zone were determined.

Topological Insulator Films for Terahertz Photonics.

We discuss experimental and theoretical studies of the generation of the third terahertz (THz) frequency harmonic in thin films of BiSe and BiSbTeSe (BSTS) topological insulators (TIs) and the generation of THz radiation in photoconductive antennas based on the TI films. The experimental results, supported by the developed kinetic theory of third harmonic generation, show that the frequency conversion in TIs is highly efficient because of the linear energy spectrum of the surface carriers and fast energy dissipation. In particular, the dependence of the third harmonic field on the pump field remains cubic up to the pump fields of 100 kV/cm.

Ultrastructure of proboscis blood vessels in females of Bonellia viridis (Annelida: Bonellinae): New reconstructions.

Many data on echiurid anatomy and ultrastructure are obtained for Bonellia viridis and extrapolated to other species. The ultrastructure of the axial blood vessels, which has been described as an "osmotic pump," is regarded as one of the unusual features of echiurids. In this study, the ultrastructure of the proboscis blood vessels in females of B.

Agreement in Spiking Neural Networks.

We study the problem of binary agreement in a spiking neural network (SNN). We show that binary agreement on inputs can be achieved with of auxiliary neurons. Our simulation results suggest that agreement can be achieved in our network in time.

The consensus number of a cryptocurrency.

Many blockchain-based algorithms, such as Bitcoin, implement a decentralized asset transfer system, often referred to as a cryptocurrency. As stated in the original paper by Nakamoto, at the heart of these systems lies the problem of preventing double-spending; this is usually solved by achieving consensus on the order of transfers among the participants. In this paper, we treat the asset transfer problem as a concurrent object and determine its consensus number, showing that consensus is, in fact, not necessary to prevent double-spending.

Microstructure Evolution of FeNiCoCrAlMo High Entropy Alloy during Powder Preparation, Laser Powder Bed Fusion, and Microplasma Spraying.

In the present study, powder of FeCoCrNiMoAl HEA was manufactured by gas atomization process, and then used for laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) and microplasma spraying (MPS) technologies. The processes of phase composition and microstructure transformation during above mentioned processes and subsequent heat treatment were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and differential thermal analysis (DTA) methods. It was found that gas atomization leads to a formation of dendrites of body centered cubic (BCC) supersaturated solid solution with insignificant Mo-rich segregations on the peripheries of the dendrites.

Dairying enabled Early Bronze Age Yamnaya steppe expansions.

During the Early Bronze Age, populations of the western Eurasian steppe expanded across an immense area of northern Eurasia. Combined archaeological and genetic evidence supports widespread Early Bronze Age population movements out of the Pontic-Caspian steppe that resulted in gene flow across vast distances, linking populations of Yamnaya pastoralists in Scandinavia with pastoral populations (known as the Afanasievo) far to the east in the Altai Mountains and Mongolia. Although some models hold that this expansion was the outcome of a newly mobile pastoral economy characterized by horse traction, bulk wagon transport and regular dietary dependence on meat and milk, hard evidence for these economic features has not been found.

Biofilms for Turbidity Mitigation in Oil Sands End Pit Lakes.

End pit lakes (EPLs) have been proposed as a method of reclaiming oil sands fluid fine tailings (FFT), which consist primarily of process-affected water and clay- and silt-sized particles. Base Mine Lake (BML) is the first full-scale demonstration EPL and contains thick deposits of FFT capped with water. Because of the fine-grained nature of FFT, turbidity generation and mitigation in BML are issues that may be detrimental to the development of an aquatic ecosystem in the water cap.

Scale-Up of Biosynthesis Process of Bacterial Nanocellulose.

Bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) is a unique product of microbiological synthesis, having a lot of applications among which the most important is biomedicine. Objective complexities in scaling up the biosynthesis of BNC are associated with the nature of microbial producers for which BNC is not the target metabolite, therefore biosynthesis lasts long, with the BNC yield being small. Thus, the BNC scale-up problem has not yet been overcome.

Concentric Inclusions in the Intestinal Epithelium of Echiura Bonellia viridis: Structure and Possible Function.

The study of the anatomy and fine structure of Echiura is of great importance for understanding the biology of these animals, which lead a secretive life and dominate in various benthic communities. The first data on the organization of the siphonal part of the midgut of female Bonellia viridis were obtained by the methods of scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Unusual concentric inclusions similar in the ultrastructure to those described in other animals, e.

New data on echiuran anatomy and histology: the case of Lissomyema mellita (Annelida: Thalassematidae).

Echiura is small group of unsegmented marine worms that are sometimes abundant in the benthos of all areas of the World Ocean. The study of echiuran morphology and anatomy is important for understanding echiuran biology and the function of benthic communities where echiurans dominate. The current study used paraffin histology, scanning electron microscopy, and 3D reconstruction to describe the anatomy of organ systems in Lissomyema mellita, which is within the tribe Thalassematini of the subfamily Thalassematinae.

Solubilizing Side Chain Engineering: Efficient Strategy to Improve the Photovoltaic Performance of Novel Benzodithiophene-Based (X-DADAD) Conjugated Polymers.

Conjugated polymers represent a promising family of semiconductor materials for thin-film organic solar cells (OSCs). An efficient approach to improve the photovoltaic performance of conjugated polymers is engineering the side chains attached to the polymer backbone. This work reports the impact of different alkyl substituents on the optoelectronic properties, charge carrier mobilities, thin film morphology, and photovoltaic performance of novel (X-DADAD) conjugated polymers incorporating benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b']dithiophene moieties.

Solvolysis of Bituminous Coal in Coal- and Petroleum-Derived Commercial Solvents.

The solvolytic conversion of softening bituminous coal at 380 °C in solvents derived from the commercial hydrocarbon byproducts and residues from coal and petroleum processing was studied. Hydrogen-donor tetrahydronaphthalene (THN) and nondonor 1-methylnaphthalene (MN) were also used for comparison. The high-boiling solvents of different chemical classes (highly aromatic coal tar, its anthracene fraction, and low-aromatic heavy gas oil of catalytic cracking of the oil residue) and the H-donor THN solvent were found to exhibit high efficiency for coal conversion into quinoline-soluble products.

The formation of human populations in South and Central Asia.

By sequencing 523 ancient humans, we show that the primary source of ancestry in modern South Asians is a prehistoric genetic gradient between people related to early hunter-gatherers of Iran and Southeast Asia. After the Indus Valley Civilization's decline, its people mixed with individuals in the southeast to form one of the two main ancestral populations of South Asia, whose direct descendants live in southern India. Simultaneously, they mixed with descendants of Steppe pastoralists who, starting around 4000 years ago, spread via Central Asia to form the other main ancestral population.