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The germplasm collection of 87 wheat-wheatgrass hybrids developed in Tsitisin Main Botanical Garden (Russia, Moscow) was evaluated for resistance to pre-harvest sprouting (PHS) by spike sprouting (SS) and germination index (GI) assays as well as for spike and grain features. The PHS resistance variation and haplotype polymorphism of the wheatgrass ThVp-1 and wheat TaVp-1B genes orthologues of Vp-1 was revealed in the studied collection. Four haplotypes of ThVp-1 were revealed: ThVp-1a (41% of the entries), ThVp-1b (13%), ThVp-1c (29%), and ThVp-1d (15%). The association between the allelic state of ThVp-1 and PHS resistance in the wheat-wheatgrass hybrids was shown: haplotype ThVp-1d of the wheatgrass Vp-1 gene is significantly associated with reduced PHS in the wheat-wheatgrass hybrids (mean SS 0.33, mean GI 0.64). The resistant entries may be perspective as a source of PHS resistance in the development of commercial cultivars of perennial wheat.

A scale of Discordichthys spinifer is described from the Upper Kazanian (Guadalupian) freshwater deposits of Sidorovy Gory-2 locality, on the right bank of the Kama River (Votkinsk District, Udmurt Republic, Russia). This is the first record of discordichthyiform fish in the Kazanian, which supports a wide stratigraphic distribution of this group in the Middle and Upper Permian (Biarmian and Tatarian) of the East-European Platform. A new synonymy is established: Mutovinia stella Minikh, 1992 = Mamulichthys ignotus A. Minikh, 2014, syn. nov.

Plant height is one of the most important traits of wheat because it influences lodging resistance, harvest index and yield. Reduced height of wheat is achieved mainly by the introduction of Rht-B1b (Rht1), Rht-B1e (Rht11) or Rht-D1b (Rht2) dwarfing genes, which produce mutant DELLA proteins that constitutively restrain plant growth irrespective of gibberellin hormone level. The exploration of new variations of these genes is necessary for plant breeding purposes. A set of alleles with various degrees of height reduction may be useful for optimization of wheat plant height in different environments. Also, new alleles may give different pleiotropic effects on other important traits, as leaf area, coleoptile length, disease resistance and preharvest sprouting tolerance. In the present work, we discovered a new allelic variation at the Rht-B1 locus in the ‘Chris Mutant’ bread wheat line that carries the Rht17 gene. The Rht-B1 gene from the Chris Mutant line was cloned and sequenced. The alignment showed an C-to-T substitution at a position 178 nucleotides from the start codon that created a stop codon in the DELLA domain. We designated the new allele as Rht-B1p and developed a diagnostic PCR marker for its identification. As a result of crossing and segregation analysis, we showed that Rht-B1p reduced plant height by approximately 30 and 50 % in bread wheat and durum wheat, respectively, under greenhouse conditions. We concluded that Rht-B1p was identical to the earlier identified gene Rht17.

The association between genomic constitution and agronomic traits was studied in F ₂ plants and F ₃:₄ families of two crosses between a winter hexaploid triticale line with a 2D(2R) chromosome substitution and two hexaploid triticale cultivars carrying the complete rye genome (BBAARR). The analyses revealed that 2D(2R) substitution reduces plant height and spikelet number per spike, increases the 1,000-kernel weight, does not reduce grain shrivelling, and promotes early heading and anthesis. 2D(2R) substitution lines exhibit deeper postharvest seed dormancy, which provides resistance to preharvest sprouting. However, 2D(2R) substitution lines are not recommended for winter hexaploid triticale cultivar development purposes due to their reduced grain productivity.

The dynamics of impedance values of the small and large intestine, parietal peritoneum, and greater omentum was analyzed during different periods of experimental acute intestinal obstruction. The impedance was below the normal, which indicated progressive microcirculatory disorders and necrosis of the intestinal wall. The histomorphological picture of healing of anastomoses created after resection of the intestine with consideration for bioimpedance values and of anastomoses created after resection of the intestine in a priori viable tissues virtually did not differ.

Results of investigations of engine cylinder-piston group (CPG) damages and causes of their occurrence are given. The object of the study is the KIA Ceed engine, which came for examination due to a significant decrease in power, increased consumption of motor oil, violation of the dynamics of the car. The analysis of the technical condition of the disassembled engine showed that the parts of the crank mechanism and the cylinder head have no operational damages. Serious damages were detected only in the cylinder-piston group of the engine: abrasive wear of the working surfaces of cylinders, pistons and compression rings, coking of oil removal rings, deposits on the surfaces of all pistons of the engine. According to the results of the studies, the cause of loss of efficiency by the engine is the destruction of the ceramic catalyst, the products of which in the form of ground powdered substance enter the cylinders together with the exhaust gases. This occurs at the moment of simultaneous opening of exhaust valves of two cylinders having different exhaust gas pressure. A small amount thereof, together with the catalyst breakage products, penetrates the lower pressure cylinder through the manifold. A study of the substance of deposits on the pistons of the engine and the destruction products of the elements of the ceramic catalyst (cordierite Al4Mg2O16Si5), carried out on the powder diffractometer BRUKER AXS, showed the identity of their diffraction composition. This indicates that damage to the parts of the CPG and loss of performance by the engine is caused by destruction of the ceramic catalyst.

Results of the executed researches on prediction of an individual residual operating life of engines are pre-sented in article. Prediction is based on the diagnostic information on technical condition of engines ob-tained during the carrying out their maintenance and repair. The analytical equation, the describing regu-larities of change of diagnostic parameters on an operating time and its graphic interpretation are given. The forecasting technique of a residual operating life of mechanisms of engines with use of the lower fidu-cial bound of distribution of their practices to the limiting condition is offered. The technique is approved on the example of forecasting of a residual operating life of cylinder-piston group of the ZMZ-40524.10 engine.

Biological organisms learn from interactions with their environment throughout their lifetime. For artificial systems to successfully act and adapt in the real world, it is desirable to similarly be able to learn on a continual basis. This challenge is known as lifelong learning, and remains to a large extent unsolved. In this Perspective article, we identify a set of key capabilities that artificial systems will need to achieve lifelong learning. We describe a number of biological mechanisms, both neuronal and non-neuronal, that help explain how organisms solve these challenges, and present examples of biologically inspired models and biologically plausible mechanisms that have been applied to artificial systems in the quest towards development of lifelong learning machines. We discuss opportunities to further our understanding and advance the state of the art in lifelong learning, aiming to bridge the gap between natural and artificial intelligence. It is an outstanding challenge to develop intelligent machines that can learn continually from interactions with their environment, throughout their lifetime. Kudithipudi et al. review neuronal and non-neuronal processes in organisms that address this challenge and discuss pathways to developing biologically inspired approaches for lifelong learning machines.

Sponges are probably the earliest branching animals and their fossil record dates back to the Precambrian. Identifying their skeletal structure and composition is thus a crucial step in improving our understanding of the early evolution of metazoans. Here, we present the discovery of 505–million-year-old chitin, found in exceptionally well preserved Vauxia gracilenta sponges from the Middle Cambrian Burgess Shale. Our new findings indicate that, given the right fossilization conditions, chitin is stable for much longer than previously suspected. The preservation of chitin in these fossils opens new avenues for research into other ancient fossil groups.

The toxic effect of strained hydrocarbon 2,2'-bis (bicyclo[2.2.1]heptane) (BBH) was studied using whole-cell bacterial lux-biosensors based on Escherichia coli cells in which luciferase genes are transcriptionally fused with stress-inducible promoters. It was shown that BBH has the genotoxic effect causing bacterial SOS response however no alkylating effect has been revealed. In addition to DNA damage, there is an oxidative effect causing the response of OxyR/S and SoxR/S regulons. The most sensitive to BBH lux-biosensor was E. coli pSoxS-lux which reacts to the appearance of superoxide anion radicals in the cell. It is assumed that the oxidation of BBH leads to the generation of reactive oxygen species, which provide the main contribution to the genotoxicity of this substance.