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We detected and quantified six stilbenes ( cis -piceid, t -piceid, t -ε-viniferin, cis -ε-viniferin, t -resveratrol, and t -δ-viniferin) in the leaves, petioles, berry skins, and seeds of wild-growing Vitis amurensis . The highest content of stilbenes and expression of stilbene biosynthesis genes were in the probes collected in the autumn and after ultraviolet elicitation. Stilbenes, including the best-studied stilbene resveratrol, are known to display valuable bioactivities and protect plants against various pathogens. There is a lack of studies on stilbene quantities and spectrum combined with an analysis of the stilbene biosynthesis pathway gene expression in Vitaceae species, despite grapevine is an important source of stilbenes. This study presents an analysis of stilbene spectrum, stilbene content, and expression of stilbene biosynthesis genes both in natural conditions and after ultraviolet (UV-C) elicitation in the leaves, petioles, berry skins, and seeds of wild-growing Vitis amurensis, a highly stress-tolerant plant species. Using HPLC analysis, we detected six main stilbenes: cis-piceid (up to 0.257 mg/g of dry weight (DW) of plant material), t-piceid (up to 0.055 mg/g DW), t-ε-viniferin (up to 0.122 mg/g DW), cis-ε-viniferin (up to 0.031 mg/g DW), t-resveratrol (from 0.004 to 0.121 mg/g DW), and t-δ-viniferin (up to 0.019 mg/g DW). The stilbenes were actively synthesized in the leaves (total stilbenes 0.39 mg/g DW) and berry skins (total stilbenes 0.249 mg/g DW) of V. amurensis collected in the autumn. qRT-PCR revealed that the stilbene synthase (STS), resveratrol O-glucosyltransferase (Glu1), and polyphenol oxidase (PPO1) genes were actively expressed in the analyzed tissues. The resveratrol methyltransferase (Romt1) gene, which is known to catalyze biosynthesis of pterostilbene, was also expressed, but no pterostilbene has been detected in V. amurensis. The content of all detected stilbenes and expression of stilbene biosynthesis genes increased after UV-C treatment, except for Romt1. The data are important for understanding the stilbene biosynthesis in grapevine.

Carbon-silica sorbent containing onion-like structures and simultaneously having sorption properties of both carbons and silicates was produced by carbonization of a mixture of silica sapropel and hydrolytic lignin at 20–700°C. The sorption characteristics of the sorbent with respect to radioactive nuclides (90Sr, 90Y, 137Cs, 232Th, 238U, 239Pu) and oil were determined. It was shown that the carbon-silica sorbent accelerates the biodegradation of oil in soil.

Abstract It is increasing clear that biofuels can be a viable source of renewable energy in contrast to the finite nature, geopolitical instability, and deleterious global effects of fossil fuel energy. Collectively, biofuels include any energy-enriched chemicals generated directly through the biological processes or derived from the chemical conversion from biomass of prior living organisms. Predominantly, biofuels are produced from photosynthetic organisms such as photosynthetic bacteria, micro- and macro-algae and vascular land plants. The primary products of biofuel may be in a gas, liquid, or solid form. These products can be further converted by biochemical, physical, and thermochemical methods. Biofuels can be classified into two categories: primary and secondary biofuels. The primary biofuels are directly produced from burning woody or cellulosic plant material and dry animal waste. The secondary biofuels can be classified into three generations that are each indirectly generated from plant and animal material. The first generation of biofuels is ethanol derived from food crops rich in starch or biodiesel taken from waste animal fats such as cooking grease. The second generation is bioethanol derived from non-food cellulosic biomass and biodiesel taken from oil-rich plant seed such as soybean or jatropha. The third generation is the biofuels generated from cyanobacterial, microalgae and other microbes, which is the most promising approach to meet the global energy demands. In this review, we present the recent progresses including challenges and opportunities in microbial biofuels production as well as the potential applications of microalgae as a platform of biomass production. Future research endeavors in biofuel production should be placed on the search of novel biofuel production species, optimization and improvement of culture conditions, genetic engineering of biofuel-producing species, complete understanding of the biofuel production mechanisms, and effective techniques for mass cultivation of microorganisms.

Gangliosides located at the outer leaflet of plasma membrane are molecules that either participate in recognizing of exogenous ligand molecules or exhibit their own receptor activity, which are both essential phenomena for cell communication and signaling as well as for virus and toxin entry. Regulatory mechanisms of lipid-mediated recognition are primarily subjected to the physical status of the membrane in close vicinity of the receptor. Concerning the multivalent receptor activity of the ganglioside GM1, several regulatory strategies dealing with GM1 clustering and cholesterol involvement have been proposed. So far however, merely the isolated issues were addressed and no interplay between them investigated. In this work, several advanced fluorescence techniques such as Z-scan fluorescence correlation spectroscopy, Förster resonance energy transfer combined with Monte Carlo simulations, and a newly developed fluorescence antibunching assay were employed to give a more complex portrait of clustering and cholesterol involvement in multivalent ligand recognition of GM1. Our results indicate that membrane properties have an impact on a fraction of GM1 molecules that is not available for the ligand binding. While at low GM1 densities (~1 %) it is the cholesterol that turns GM1 headgroups invisible, at higher GM1 level (~4 %) it is purely the local density of GM1 molecules that inhibits the recognition. At medium GM1 content, cooperation of the two phenomena occurs. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Nanoscale membrane organisation and signalling.

The article analyzes the principal directions modernization of Russian statistics can take, formulates the main requirements for the official statistics system, considers opportunities for improving the quality of statistical data for the benefit of the state and business.

Summary Several decades of research on invasive marine species have yielded a broad understanding of the nature of species invasion mechanisms and associated threats globally. However, this is not true of the Arctic, a region where ongoing climatic changes may promote species invasion. Here, we evaluated risks associated with non‐indigenous propagule loads discharged with ships' ballast water to the high‐Arctic archipelago, Svalbard, as a case study for the wider Arctic. We sampled and identified transferred propagules using traditional and DNA barcoding techniques. We then assessed the suitability of the Svalbard coast for non‐indigenous species under contemporary and future climate scenarios using ecophysiological models based on critical temperature and salinity reproductive thresholds. Ships discharging ballast water in Svalbard carried high densities of zooplankton (mean 1522 ± 335 SE individuals m−3), predominately comprised of indigenous species. Ballast water exchange did not prevent non‐indigenous species introduction. Non‐indigenous coastal species were present in all except one of 16 ballast water samples (mean 144 ± 67 SE individuals m−3), despite five of the eight ships exchanging ballast water en route. Of a total of 73 taxa, 36 species including 23 non‐indigenous species were identified. Of those 23, sufficient data permitted evaluation of the current and future colonization potential for eight widely known invaders. With the exception of one of these species, modelled suitability indicated that the coast of Svalbard is unsuitable presently; under the 2100 Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 8·5 climate scenario, however, modelled suitability will favour colonization for six species. Synthesis and applications. We show that current ballast water management practices do not prevent non‐indigenous species from being transferred to the Arctic. Consequences of these shortcomings will be shipping‐route dependent, but will likely magnify over time: our models indicate future conditions will favour the colonization of non‐indigenous species Arctic‐wide. Invasion threats will be greatest where shipping transfers organisms across biogeographic realms, and for these shipping routes ballast water treatment technologies may be required to prevent impacts. Our results also highlight critical gaps in our understanding of ballast water management efficacy and prioritization. Thereby, our study provides an agenda for research and policy development.

Understanding how genetic-based traits of plants interact with climate to affect associated communities will help improve predictions of climate change impacts on biodiversity. However, few community-level studies have addressed such interactions. Pinyon pine (Pinus edulis) in the southwestern U.S. shows genetic-based resistance and susceptibility to pinyon needle scale (Matsucoccus acalyptus). We sought to determine if susceptibility to scale herbivory influenced the diversity and composition of the extended community of 250+ arthropod species, and if this influence would be consistent across consecutive years, an extreme drought year followed by a moderate drought year. Because scale insects alter the architecture of susceptible trees, it is difficult to separate the direct influences of susceptibility on arthropod communities from the indirect influences of scale-altered tree architecture. To separate these influences, scales were experimentally excluded from susceptible trees for 15 years creating susceptible trees with the architecture of resistant trees, hereafter referred to as scale-excluded trees. Five patterns emerged. (1) In both years, arthropod abundance was 3-4X lower on susceptible trees compared to resistant and scale-excluded trees. (2) Species accumulation curves show that alpha and gamma diversity were 2-3X lower on susceptible trees compared to resistant and scale-excluded trees. (3) Reaction norms of arthropod richness and abundance on individual tree genotypes across years showed genotypic variation in the community response to changes in climate. (4) The genetic-based influence of susceptibility on arthropod community composition is climate dependent. During extreme drought, community composition on scale-excluded trees resembled susceptible trees indicating composition was strongly influenced by tree genetics independent of tree architecture. However, under moderate drought, community composition on scale-excluded trees resembled resistant trees indicating traits associated with tree architecture became more important. (5) One year after extreme drought, the arthropod community rebounded sharply. However, there was a much greater rebound in richness and abundance on resistant compared to susceptible trees suggesting that reduced resiliency in the arthropod community is associated with susceptibility. These results argue that individual genetic-based plant-herbivore interactions can directly and indirectly impact community-level diversity, which is modulated by climate. Understanding such interactions is important for assessing the impacts of climate change on biodiversity.