Search

It has been suggested that NLRP3 (NOD-, LRR- and pyrin domain-containing protein 3) activation is a critical trigger for functional impairment and damage to pancreatic -cells in type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). In this work, using the immunohistochemical method, we studied the effect of aminalon and picamilon on the early modulation of NLRP3 inflammasome activity during experimental alloxan-induced DM in laboratory rats. Per os administration of aminalon (500 mg/kg) and picamilon (250 mg/kg) for 5 days before the administration of alloxan and for 2 days after the injection, suppression of NLRP3 activity was noted, as indicated by a significant decrease in the area of immunopositive pancreatocytes to (21,30 5,44) and (39,31 5,24) %, respectively, relative to the value in the group of animals that were not treated (75,197,69%). The results of the study showed that the studied preparations with GABAergic action promoted correction of functional disorders of the pancreas during alloxan-induced DM by inhibiting activation of NLRP3 inflammasome in pancreatocytes.

Metchnikovellids are a deep-branching group of microsporidia, parasites of gregarines inhabiting the alimentary tract of polychaetes and some other invertebrates. The diversity and phylogeny of these hyperparasites remain poorly studied. Modern descriptions and molecular data are still lacking for many species. The results of a light microscopy study and molecular data for Metchnikovella spiralis Sokolova et al., 2014, a hyperparasite of the eugregarine Polyrhabdina sp., isolated from the polychaete Pygospio elegans, were obtained. The original description of M. spiralis was based primarily on the analysis of stained preparations and transmission electron microscopy images. Here, the species description was complemented with the results of in vivo observations and phylogenetic analysis based on the SSU rRNA gene. It was shown that in this species, free sporogony precedes sac-bound sporogony, as it occurs in the life cycle of most other metchnikovellids. Spore sacs are entwined with spirally wound cords, and possess only one polar plug. Phylogenetic analyses did not group M. spiralis with M. incurvata, another metchnikovellid from the same gregarine species, but placed it as a sister branch to Amphiacantha. The paraphyletic nature of the genus Metchnikovella was discussed. The taxonomic summary for M. spiralis was emended.

AIM: The work aimed to investigate inducible NO synthase (iNOS) expression in dentate gyrus in mature rats when modeling depression, as well as the establish the pharmacological correction possibility of detected changes with Phenibut and compounds under laboratory codes of RSPU-189, RSPU-135. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Depressive-like behavior in animals was modeled by combining stressful stimuli such as loud sound, pulsating bright light, and vibration simultaneous with constant restriction of mobility and fluctuations in temperature of environment for 7 days (daily for 30 minutes). Changes in level of iNOS expression in dentate gyrus were assessed by calculating relative area of immunoreactive material (IRM) and staining intensity in points from 0 to 3. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, rats with experimental depression showed an increase in expression of iNOS-IRM in cytoplasm of neuronal perikarya in granular layer of dentate gyrus, as well as an increase in relative area of iNOS-IRM in neuropil and nerve cells. The use of the compound RSPU-189 (salifen) demonstrated to a greater extent the corrective effect, since in the cytoplasm of neuronal perikarya in granular layer of dentate gyrus of rats, there was a decrease in the expression of iNOS-IRM, as well as a decrease in the relative area of iNOS-IRM in neuropil and nerve cells, which corresponded to values of these parameters in the control group of animals. CONCLUSIONS: An experimental modeling of depression in dentate gyrus of mature rats revealed an increase of iNOS-IRM expression, the decrease of which was noted in its pharmacological correction with the compound RSPU-189 (salifen), which may indicate the predominant neuroprotective effect of this compound on GABAergic neurotransmission mechanisms.

The species Metchnikovella dogieli (Paskerova et al. Protistology 10:148-157, 2016) belongs to one of the early diverging microsporidian groups, the metchnikovellids (Microsporidia: Metchnikovellidae). In relation to typical ('core') microsporidia, this group is considered primitive. The spores of metchnikovellids have no classical polar sac-anchoring disk complex, no coiled polar tube, no posterior vacuole, and no polaroplast. Instead, they possess a short thick manubrium that expands into a manubrial cistern. These organisms are hyperparasites; they infect gregarines that parasitise marine invertebrates. M. dogieli is a parasite of the archigregarine Selenidium pygospionis (Paskerova et al. Protist 169:826-852, 2018), which parasitises the polychaete Pygospio elegans. This species was discovered in samples collected in the silt littoral zone at the coast of the White Sea, North-West Russia, and was described based on light microscopy. No molecular data are available for this species, and the publicly accessible genomic data for metchnikovellids are limited to two species: M. incurvata Caullery & Mesnil, 1914 and Amphiamblys sp. WSBS2006. In the present study, we applied single-cell genomics methods with whole-genome amplification to perform next-generation sequencing of M. dogieli genomic DNA. We performed a phylogenetic analysis based on the SSU rRNA gene and reconstructed a multigene phylogeny using a concatenated alignment that included 46 conserved single-copy protein domains. The analyses recovered a fully supported clade of metchnikovellids as a basal group to the core microsporidia. Two members of the genus Metchnikovella did not form a clade in our tree. This may indicate that this genus is paraphyletic and requires revision.

The novel of the Nobel Prize winner in literature Albert Camus "The Plague" became one of the most widely read books in Europe during the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic. A number of researchers consider Camus to be an existentialist writer. Existentialism arises, after two bloody wars, to give answers to questions that concern humanity. Since Albert Camus wrote the novel during the Second World War, he understands the plague not only as a disease, but also as German soldiers, whom the inhabitants of France called the "brown plague" because the invaders wore brown shirts. As the inhabitants of the city of Oran resisted the plague on the pages of the work, so the inhabitants of France fought against Nazism and fascism. A. Camus in the novel "The Plague" describes the quarantine measures that take place in the city of Oran in the 40s of the XX century. The consequences of the epidemic and the behavior of the residents described in the novel have much in common with modern coronavirus realities: the decline of the economy, the growth of the number of unemployed, protests against the quarantine measures introduced; the introduction of curfews, the creation of new medicines, etc. In Russia, as in the pages of the novel, there is a decline in the economy. Thus, during the pandemic in Russia, the number of registered unemployed increased from 1.3 million people to 4.8 million, and the appeal to employment centers for support measures increased from 20% to 80%. Camus in his novel writes about the creation of an anti-plague serum, in Russia, the first in the world, a vaccine against coronavirus infection "Sputnik V" was created. The director of the hotel, described in the work, said that due to the epidemic and quarantine, the tourist business disappeared. According to the World Tourism Organization — tourism at the end of 2020 it has decreased by 77% compared to 2019, which is equivalent to the tourist activity that was recorded in the late 80s. Stray animals were shot in Oran, because they believed that they could be carriers of infection. In China, during the Covid-19 pandemic, pets were thrown out of windows because people believed that they could be the source of Covid-19, and in Denmark, more than 11 million minks were exterminated for the same reasons. The authors of this article attempted to analyze the development of the epidemiological process in the novel and plot the mortality rate from the plague according to the data of the work.

The genus Deuteramoeba is one of the six amoebae genera belonging to the best-known amoeba family - Amoebidae (Amoebozoa, Tubulinea), containing such a popular species as Amoeba proteus. However, members of other genera of the family Amoebidae are much less known, and most of the studies of their morphology and ultrastructure date back to the 1970s and 1980s. Since these "classical" species are believed to be "well studied", their morphology and fine structure rarely become a subject of re-investigation. The absence of modern morphological data may be critical when molecular data of the type strain are not available, and the only way to identify a species is by morphological comparison. For this paper, we performed an ultrastructural study of the strain CCAP 1586/1 - the type strain of the species Deuteramoeba mycophaga. Our study revealed new details of the nuclear structure, including a peripheral layer of filaments and a heterogeneous nucleolus, and provided new data on the cytoplasmic inclusions of this species. We performed a whole-genome amplification of the DNA from a single amoeba cell followed by NGS sequencing and searched for genetic evidence for the presence of a putative nuclear parasite detected in 2017, but found no evidence for the presence of Opisthosporidia.

We have obtained a sequence of the 18S rRNA gene of the species Polychaos annulatum (Penard 1902) Smirnov et Goodkov 1998 using the isolation of a single nucleus from an amoeba cell. Attempts to amplify the 18S rRNA gene from the DNA of this species by conventional PCR were not successful, so we applied the whole genome amplification of the nuclear DNA followed by NGS sequencing. The 18S rRNA gene was found among the resulting contigs. The analysis unexpectedly shows that P. annulatum robustly groups within the family Hartmannellidae, but not Amoebidae. This finding warrants revision of the basic morphological criteria used to classify Euamoebida families and show that "proteus-type" amoebae may belong to other families rather than Amoebidae. This makes taxonomic assignments of such species more complex and the borders between Euamoebida families more nuanced. It is getting evident that molecular data are necessary to clarify the position of species even in this most "classical" order of naked lobose amoebae.

В статье описана биография, научная и научно-организационная работа академика Ореста Александровича Скарлато (1920–1994) – зоолога и гидробиолога, специалиста по двустворчатым моллюскам, с 1975 по 1994 гг. возглавлявшего Зоологический институт АН СССР/РАН. Ключевые слова: О.А. Скарлато, биография, история малакологии. The article describes the biography, scientific and scientific-organizational work of the Academician Orest Alexandrovich Scarlato (1920–1994), zoologist and hydrobiologist, specialist in bivalves, who headed the Zoological Institute of the USSR Academy of Sciences/Russian Academy of Sciences from 1975 to 1994. Key words: O.A. Scarlato, biography, history of malacology.

Metchnikovellids are a deep-branching group of microsporidia, parasites of gregarines inhabiting the alimentary tract of polychaetes and some other invertebrates. The diversity and phylogeny of these hyperparasites remain poorly studied. Modern descriptions and molecular data are still lacking for many species. The results of a light microscopy study and molecular data for Metchnikovella spiralis Sokolova et al., 2014, a hyperparasite of the eugregarine Polyrhabdina sp., isolated from the polychaete Pygospio elegans, were obtained. The original description of M. spiralis was based primarily on the analysis of stained preparations and transmission electron microscopy images. Here, the species description was complemented with the results of in vivo observations and phylogenetic analysis based on the SSU rRNA gene. It was shown that in this species, free sporogony precedes sac-bound sporogony, as it occurs in the life cycle of most other metchnikovellids. Spore sacs are entwined with spirally wound cords, and possess only one polar plug. Phylogenetic analyses did not group M. spiralis with M. incurvata, another metchnikovellid from the same gregarine species, but placed it as a sister branch to Amphiacantha. The paraphyletic nature of the genus Metchnikovella was discussed. The taxonomic summary for M. spiralis was emended.

The pandemic of the new corona-virus infection COVID-19 will be over only when population immunity will be developed. This condition can be achieved by both vaccination and surviving disease in natural way. The WHO recommends the first mode for achieving population immunity, since immune response to vaccine is similar to that one developed while surviving natural infection, but with minimal risks to health and life. The article presents the results of sociological survey organized with purpose of studying the attitude of Russians to vaccination against COVID-19 infection. The results of the survey demonstrated that at present, 22% of respondents are ready to be vaccinated i.e. they responded positively to the corresponding question. The following main factors determining population attitude to vaccination were identified. First, there is statistically significant correlation between vaccination readiness and education level: respondents with higher level of education are more likely to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Secondly, in general, the population is quite positive about the response of the National health care to the corona-virus pandemic. However, the percentage of population that is positive about vaccination can be higher if it would be possible to apply foreign-made vaccines in Russia. Thirdly, still there is large percentage of population believing that vaccination with medications that have not passed long-term clinical trials can result in health negative consequences. Fourthly, the majority of respondents experienced various manifestations of the pandemic on themselves: either they have been ill themselves, or their relatives and friends were ill or died and almost all of them somehow limited their common mobility.The survey results did not established statistically significant differences in distribution of responses among males and females. We assume that in order to develop positive attitude of population to vaccination, and specifically to Russian-made vaccines, more extensive information campaign is needed to be implemented. Also, significant increase of percentage of vaccinated population can be achieved if clearly defined requirements for availability of COVID-19 vaccination would be adopted on the international level. Actually, this is key condition for restoring international mobility and removing restrictions in national economies.

Rock swelling and rock disintegration in the presence of drilling, stimulation and completion fluids are considered to be the main reasons for operational and production problems for wells in clay-rich formations. The impact of these fluids on rock properties shall be established for the effective treatment design. This paper describes the development of the experimental setup for studying rock swelling in reservoir conditions and the application of this setup for the evaluation of swelling mechanisms of shale rock samples. Swelling quantification was performed using measuring piston displacement that was caused by rock swelling in a piston accumulator during pressure maintenance. We studied the interaction of the disintegrated rock samples with water-based and hydrocarbon-based fluids and supercritical CO2. It was found that alkaline water solution in reservoir conditions causes swelling of the used rock samples in the amount of 1–3% vol. with a direct correlation between the rock swelling magnitude and the total clay content. The change in the rock volume in the presence of the used hydrocarbon-based fluid depends on the content of organic matter, its distribution in the rock, and the clay content. The observed swelling degree in the hydrocarbon fluid and CO2 was significantly lower (0–0.5% vol.) than in water. The proposed methodology and obtained results can further be used for the optimization of various operations in clay-rich formations.

An inverse scattering problem (ISP) for synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data in application to through-the-wall imaging is addressed. In contrast with the conventional algorithms of SAR imaging, which work with the linearized mathematical model based on the Born approximation, the fully nonlinear case is considered here. To avoid the local minima problem, the so-called “convexification” globally convergent inversion scheme is applied to approximate the distribution in the slant range (SR) plane of a function that is associated with the dielectric constant. It is demonstrated that this function estimates quite well both the value of the dielectric constant and the location of the target. The benchmark scene of this article comprises a homogeneous dielectric wall and different dielectric targets hidden behind it. The results comprise 2-D images of the SR dielectric constant of the scene of interest. Numerical results are obtained by the proposed inversion method for both the computationally simulated and experimental data. Our results show that the values, cross-range sizes, and locations of SR dielectric constants for targets hidden behind the wall are close to those of real targets. Numerical comparison with the solution of the linearized ISP provided by the Born approximation, commonly used in conventional SAR imaging, shows a significantly better accuracy of our results.

A new species of the "proteus-type" naked amoebae (large cells with discrete tubular pseudopodia) was isolated from tree bark sample of a birch tree in the surrounding of Kislovodsk town, Russia and named Polychaos centronucleolus n. sp. (Amoebozoa, Tubulinea). Amoebae of this species have a filamentous cell coat and a nucleus with a central compact nucleolus. This type of nucleolar organization has not been previously known for the genus Polychaos. A sequence of the 18S rRNA gene of this strain was obtained using whole genome amplification of DNA from the single amoeba cell, followed by NGS sequencing. The analysis of molecular data robustly groups this species with Polychaos annulatum within the family Hartmannellidae. Our results, together with the results of our previous studies, show that the taxonomic assignment of "proteus-type" amoebae species is becoming increasingly complex, and the taxonomic characters that can be used to classify these organisms are becoming more shadowed.

Amoebae of the order Vannellida (Amoebozoa, Discosea) have a fairly recognizable spatulate, fan-shaped or semi-circular outlines and a wide area of frontal hyaloplasm. They can be easily distinguished from the other groups of lobose amoebae even by light microscopy. The dorsal side of these amoebae is usually smooth and rarely bears ridges or folds, which are never numerous or regular. We have isolated an unusual species of vannellid amoebae, called Vannella primoblina n. sp. from a terrestrial substrate. It has well-developed dorsal relief consisting of regularly appearing folds and ridges. This amoeba superficially resembles members of the genus Thecamoeba. However, molecular analysis showed that this strain belongs to the genus Vannella. This finding indicates that dorsal folds may also be a characteristic of some species of vannellid amoebae and probably are a functional detail of the cell morphology rather than an apomorphy of Thecamoebida lineage. Overall outlines of the cell and the presence of the expanded frontal hyaline area remains the most reliable characters used to differentiate vannellid amoebae from other gymnamoebae lineages.

The species Metchnikovella dogieli (Paskerova et al. Protistology 10:148-157, 2016) belongs to one of the early diverging microsporidian groups, the metchnikovellids (Microsporidia: Metchnikovellidae). In relation to typical ('core') microsporidia, this group is considered primitive. The spores of metchnikovellids have no classical polar sac-anchoring disk complex, no coiled polar tube, no posterior vacuole, and no polaroplast. Instead, they possess a short thick manubrium that expands into a manubrial cistern. These organisms are hyperparasites; they infect gregarines that parasitise marine invertebrates. M. dogieli is a parasite of the archigregarine Selenidium pygospionis (Paskerova et al. Protist 169:826-852, 2018), which parasitises the polychaete Pygospio elegans. This species was discovered in samples collected in the silt littoral zone at the coast of the White Sea, North-West Russia, and was described based on light microscopy. No molecular data are available for this species, and the publicly accessible genomic data for metchnikovellids are limited to two species: M. incurvata CaulleryMesnil, 1914 and Amphiamblys sp. WSBS2006. In the present study, we applied single-cell genomics methods with whole-genome amplification to perform next-generation sequencing of M. dogieli genomic DNA. We performed a phylogenetic analysis based on the SSU rRNA gene and reconstructed a multigene phylogeny using a concatenated alignment that included 46 conserved single-copy protein domains. The analyses recovered a fully supported clade of metchnikovellids as a basal group to the core microsporidia. Two members of the genus Metchnikovella did not form a clade in our tree. This may indicate that this genus is paraphyletic and requires revision.

International audience; Abstract Metchnikovellids are highly specialized hyperparasites, which infect and reproduce inside gregarines (Apicomplexa) inhabiting marine invertebrates. Their phylogenetic affiliation was under constant discussion until recently, when analysis of the first near-complete metchnikovellid genome, that of Amphiamblys sp., placed it in a basal position with respect to most Microsporidia. Microsporidia are a highly diversified lineage of extremely reduced parasites related to Rozellida (Rozellosporidia = Rozellomycota = Cryptomycota) within the Holomycota clade of Opisthokonta. By sequencing DNA from a single-isolated infected gregarine cell we obtained an almost complete genome of a second metchnikovellid species, and the first one of a taxonomically described and well-documented species, Metchnikovella incurvata. Our phylogenomic analyses show that, despite being considerably divergent from each other, M. incurvata forms a monophyletic group with Amphiamplys sp., and confirm that metchnikovellids are one of the deep branches of Microsporidia. Comparative genomic analysis demonstrates that, like most Microsporidia, metchnikovellids lack mitochondrial genes involved in energy transduction and are thus incapable of synthesizing their own ATP via mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation. They also lack the horizontally acquired ATP transporters widespread in most Microsporidia. We hypothesize that a family of mitochondrial carrier proteins evolved to transport ATP from the host into the metchnikovellid cell. We observe the progressive reduction of genes involved in DNA repair pathways along the evolutionary path of Microsporidia, which might explain, at least partly, the extremely high evolutionary rate of the most derived species. Our data also suggest that genome reduction and acquisition of novel genes co-occurred during the adaptation of Microsporidia to their hosts.

Mitochondrial genome sequence of Vannella croatica (Amoebozoa, Discosea, Vannellida) was obtained using pulse-field gel electrophoretic isolation of the circular mitochondrial DNA, followed by the next-generation sequencing. The mitochondrial DNA of this species has the length of 28,933 bp and contains 12 protein-coding genes, two ribosomal RNAs, and 16 transfer RNAs. Vannella croatica mitochondrial genome is relatively short compared to other known amoebozoan mitochondrial genomes but is rather gene-rich and contains significant number of open reading frames.

Vannella simplex (Amoebozoa, Discosea, Vannellida) is one of the commonest freshwater free-living lobose amoebae, known from many locations worldwide. In the present study, we describe the complete mitochondrial genome of this species. The circular mitochondrial DNA of V. simplex has 34,145obp in length and contains 27 protein-coding genes, 2 ribosomal RNAs, 16 transfer RNAs and 4 open reading frames. Mitochondiral genome of V. simplex is one of the most gene compact due to overlapping genes and reduced intergenic space. It has much in common with its closest relative, mitochondrial genome of V. croatica GenBank number MF508648. In the same time, both of them show considerable differences in length and in gene order from the next close relative – that of Neoparamoeba pemaquidensis KX611830 (deposited as Paramoeba) and even more – from other sequenced amoebozoan mitochondrial genomes. The present study confirms the opinion that the level of synteny between the mitochondrial genomes across the entire Amoebozoa clade is low. More or less considerable similarity yet was found only between members of the same clade of the genera or family level, but hardly — among more distant lineages.

An efficient and mild one-pot protocol has been developed for the synthesis of 1,2,4-oxadiazoles via the reaction of amidoximes with dicarboxylic acid anhydrides in a NaOH/DMSO medium. The method allows the synthesis of diversely substituted carboxylic acids bearing the 1,2,4-oxadiazole motif, – a popular building block for pharmaceutical research, in moderate to excellent yields. The reaction scope includes aromatic and heteroaromatic amidoximes as well as five-, six- and seven-membered anhydrides. The advantages of this procedure are proven gram-scalability and the use of inexpensive starting materials, which from a process chemistry point of view are essential for future industrial applications.

Marine amebae of the genus Paramoeba (Amoebozoa, Dactylopodida) normally contain a eukaryotic endosymbiont known as Perkinsela-like organism (PLO). This is one of the characters to distinguish the genera Neoparamoeba and Paramoeba from other Dactylopodida. It is known that the PLO may be lost, but PLO-free strains of paramoebians were never available for molecular studies. Recently, we have described the first species of the genus Paramoeba which has no parasome-Paramoeba aparasomata. In this study, we present a mitochondrial genome of this species, compare it with that of Neoparamoeba pemaquidensis, and analyze the evolutionary dynamics of gene sequences and gene order rearrangements between these species. The mitochondrial genome of P. aparasomata is 46,254 bp long and contains a set of 31 protein-coding genes, 19 tRNAs, two rRNA genes, and 7 open reading frames. Our results suggest that these two mitochondrial genomes within the genus Paramoeba have rather similar organization and gene order, base composition, codon usage, the composition and structure of noncoding, and overlapping regions.

A new marine species of naked lobose amoebae Pseudoparamoeba garorimi n. sp. (Amoebozoa, Dactylopodida) isolated from intertidal marine sediments of Garorim Bay, Korea was studied with light and transmission electron microscopy. This species has a typical set of morphological characters for a genus including the shape of the locomotive form, type of subpseudopodia and the tendency to form the single long waving pseudopodium in locomotion. Furthermore, it has the same cell surface structures as were described for the type species, Pseudoparamoeba pagei: blister-like glycostyles with hexagonal base and dome-shaped apex; besides, cell surface bears hair-like outgrowths. The new species described here lacks clear morphological distinctions from the two other Pseudoparamoeba species, but has considerable differences in the 18S rDNA and COX1 gene sequences. Phylogenetic analysis based on 18S rDNA placed P. garorimi n. sp. at the base of the Pseudoparamoeba clade with high PP/BS support. The level of COX1 sequence divergence was 22% between P. garorimi n. sp. and P. pagei and 25% between P. garorimi n. sp. and P. microlepis. Pseudoparamoeba species are hardly distinguishable by morphology alone, but display clear differences in 18S rDNA and COX1 gene sequences.

Rare and highly medicinally relevant N- alkoxy-substituted benzo[1,4]oxazepines have been synthesized conveniently via the base-promoted S N Ar/Smiles rearrangement/S N Ar tandem cyclization of N- alkoxysalicylamides with a range of bis-electrophilic substrates; subsequent de-alkylation gives rise to the respective N- hydroxy versions. The compounds reported herein significantly add to the contemporary arsenal of small molecule tools for drug discovery.

The importance of taking into account parallelisms in the evolution of morphological characters is analyzed for the taxonomy of the class Holothuroidea. The establishment of the order Dactylochirotida and classification of the order Elasipodida serve as examples to illustrate insufficient appreciation of parallelisms in Holothuroidea. The following characters, evolving independently in different groups of sea cucumbers, are considered: a stout skeleton, reduction of the calcareous ring and the body wall sclerites; similarity of body shape; similarity in the shape of tentacles; reduction in the number of tentacles from 12 to 10 in different fam-ilies and subfamilies of the order Synaptida. Based on the analysis of morphological and molecular data, the family Deimatidae is transferred from the order Elasipodida to the order Aspidochirotida. It is hypothesized that the concave cup-shaped sclerites with three to five rays occurring in the family Laetmogonidae (order Elasipodida) are of paedomorphic origin and correspond to the early growth stages of the laetmogonid wheels; the concave cross-shaped sclerites of the families Elpidiidae and Psychropotidae may have originated from laetmogonid concave cup-shaped sclerites. Emended diagnosis of the order Elasipodida is proposed. The family Vaneyellidae previously synonymized by the author with the family Cucumariidae is reestablished, and its emended diagnosis is also proposed.

Secondary o-hydroxybenzene sulfonamides have been explored as bis-electrophilic partners in a practically simple, atom-economical approach to dibenzo[b,f][1,4,5]oxathiazepine-5,5-dioxides and their heterocyclic analogs, which is an underexplored version of privileged tricyclic scaffolds for drug design. The reaction proceeds smoothly and regiospecifically under conventional heating conditions and delivers the target compounds in good to excellent yields. The approach represents a completely new disconnection of the dibenzo[b,f][1,4,5]oxathiazepine-5,5-dioxide scaffolds and allows accessing a new chemical space in terms of the substitution pattern. In particular, heterocycles can be conveniently varied within the tricyclic frameworks by altering the nature of the bis-electrophilic aromatic partner in the cyclization. This has been demonstrated by the synthesis of three hitherto undescribed heterotricyclic scaffolds. The cyclizations were shown to proceed via the Smiles rearrangement, as had been observed by us for a range of similar ring-forming processes.

Until recently it seemed that amoebae of the genus Thecamoeba can be reliably identified using light-microscopic characters, like the size and shape of the cell, a characteristic pattern of folds and ridges and structure of the nucleus. However, recent molecular studies show the presence of sibling species that can be reliably distinguished based on the gene sequence data only. Here we describe a new terrestrial species, Thecamoeba foliovenanda n. sp. This species is almost identical with Thecamoeba similis in light-microscopy, which has minor differences in the ultrastructure but considerable differences in the SSU rRNA gene sequence. We investigated the light-microscopic data, as well as transmission electron-microscopic images and videorecords on the type strain of T. similis 1583/8 and performed its comparison with the new species. This study further supports the conclusion that species of the genus Thecamoeba nowadays require gene sequencing for reliable identification and species distinction.

The forward problem here is the Cauchy problem for a 1D hyperbolic PDE with a variable coefficient in the principal part of the operator. That coefficient is the spatially distributed dielectric constant. The inverse problem consists of the recovery of that dielectric constant from backscattering boundary measurements. The data depend on one variable, which is time. To address this problem, a new version of the convexification method is analytically developed. The theory guarantees the global convergence of this method. Numerical testing is conducted for both computationally simulated and experimental data. Experimental data, which are collected in the field, mimic the problem of the recovery of the spatially distributed dielectric constants of antipersonnel land mines and improvised explosive devices.

116 pages, 1 figure, 4 tables, 3 appendices, This revision of the classification of eukaryotes follows that of Adl et al., 2012 [J. Euk. Microbiol. 59(5)] and retains an emphasis on protists. Changes since have improved the resolution of many nodes in phylogenetic analyses. For some clades even families are being clearly resolved. As we had predicted, environmental sampling in the intervening years has massively increased the genetic information at hand. Consequently, we have discovered novel clades, exciting new genera and uncovered a massive species level diversity beyond the morphological species descriptions. Several clades known from environmental samples only have now found their home. Sampling soils, deeper marine waters and the deep sea will continue to fill us with surprises. The main changes in this revision are the confirmation that eukaryotes form at least two domains, the loss of monophyly in the Excavata, robust support for the Haptista and Cryptista. We provide suggested primer sets for DNA sequences from environmental samples that are effective for each clade. We have provided a guide to trophic functional guilds in an appendix, to facilitate the interpretation of environmental samples, and a standardized taxonomic guide for East Asian users, Research support was provided as follows: SMA by NSERC 249889‐2007; DB by NERC NE/H009426/1 and NE/H000887/1; MWB by NSF 1456054; FB by a Fellowship from Science for Life Laboratory and VR/2017‐04563; PC by EU‐Horizon 2020 research and innovation program through the SponGES project 679849 [...]; IC by CSF 18‐18699S; BE by RCN TaxMArc 268286/GMR; LG by ANR HAPAR (ANR‐14‐CE02‐0007); VH MK JL by ERDF; MEYS with ERC 771592 CZ 1.05/1.1.00/02.0109 BIOCEV; SK by RSF 16‐14‐10302; MK by CSF GA18‐28103S; CEL by NSF 1541510 and NIH‐AI124092; EL by CAM: 2017‐T1/AMB‐5210; and by grant 2017‐T1/AMB‐5210 from the program >Atracción de talentos> from the Consejería de Educación, Juventud y Deporte, Comunidad de Madrid; JL by ERC CZ LL1601 and OPVVV 16_019/0000759; MP by NSF DEB‐1455611; DJR by the Beatriu de Pinós postdoctoral programme of the Government of Catalonia's Secretariat for Universities and Research of the Ministry of Economy and Knowledge; CLS by the intramural research program of the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health; AS by RSF 17‐14‐01391 and RFBR 16‐04‐01454 NY by NSF DEB 1557102; VZ by RFBR 16‐34‐60102 mol‐a‐dk; UniEuk and EukRef by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation