Intermediate Link Research Articles

A 35-Year Record (1987-2022) of Hg Concentrations in Two of the Fish Species Most Consumed by People Living in the Upper Madeira River Basin, Brazilian Amazon Region.

This study presents a 35-year record of total mercury (Hg) concentrations in the detritivore fish Prochilodus nigricans (Curimatã) and the carnivore Cichla pleiozona (Tucunaré), two of the most widely distributed, ecologically important and consumed fish species in the upper Madeira River Basin in the Western Brazilian Amazon. Fish samples from the major Madeira River and marginal lakes and tributaries were compared. Irrespective of site, Hg concentrations were higher in the carnivore fish compared to the detritivore. Hg concentrations increased 5-fold in C. pleiozona in the past three decades, whereas they remained relatively constant in P. nigricans when analyzing the entire 35-year period. When analyzed separately, fish in the main river and marginal lake and tributaries presented the same pattern of Hg variation, with a significant increase in Hg concentrations in the carnivore and in the detritivore in marginal lakes and tributaries but not in the main river. This was in line with the increase in methyl-Hg production in tributaries, mostly associated with deforestation in the past decade in the basin. Although an increase in direct emissions from artisanal gold mining also occurred in the past decade, this caused virtually no impact on fish Hg concentrations, suggesting atmospheric emission and deposition in forests and further export to water systems as an intermediate link with fish Hg concentrations.

Histone deacetylase inhibitors VPA and WT161 ameliorate the pathological features and cognitive impairments of the APP/PS1 Alzheimer’s disease mouse model by regulating the expression of APP secretases

BackgroundAlzheimer’s disease (AD) is a degenerative neurological disorder. Recent studies have indicated that histone deacetylases (HDACs) are among the most prominent epigenetic therapy targets and that HDAC inhibitors have therapeutic effects on AD. Here, we identified sodium valproate (VPA), a pan-HDAC inhibitor, and WT161, a novel HDAC6 selective inhibitor, as potential therapeutic agents for AD. Underlying molecular mechanisms were investigated.MethodsA cellular model, N2a-APPswe, was established via lentiviral infection, and the APPswe/PSEN1dE9 transgenic mouse model was employed in the study. LC–MS/MS was applied to quantify the concentration of WT161 in the mouse brain. Western blotting, immunohistochemical staining, thioflavin-S staining and ELISA were applied to detect protein expression in cells, tissues, or serum. RNA interference was utilized to knockdown the expression of specific genes in cells. The cognitive function of mice was assessed via the nest-building test, novel object recognition test and Morris water maze test.ResultsPrevious studies have focused mainly on the impact of HDAC inhibitors on histone deacetylase activity. Our study discovered that VPA and WT161 can downregulate the expression of multiple HDACs, such as HDAC1 and HDAC6, in both AD cell and mouse models. Moreover, they also affect the expression of APP and APP secretases (BACE1, PSEN1, ADAM10). RNA interference and subsequent vitamin C induction further confirmed that the expression of APP and APP secretases is indeed regulated by HDAC1 and HDAC6, with the JNK pathway being the intermediate link in this regulatory process. Through the above pathways, VPA and WT161 effectively reduced Aβ deposition in both AD cell and mouse models and significantly improved cognitive function in AD mice.ConclusionsIn general, we have discovered that the HDAC6-JNK-APP secretases cascade is an important pathway for VPA and WT161 to exert their therapeutic effects on AD. Investigations into the safety and efficacy of VPA and WT161 were also conducted, providing essential preclinical evidence for assessing these two epigenetic drugs for the treatment of AD.

Integrative data of a novel ciliate (Alveolata, Ciliophora) propose the establishment of Heterodeviata nantongensis nov. sp.

BackgroundAs unicellular eukaryotes, ciliates are an indispensable component of micro-ecosystems that play the role of intermediate nutrition link between bacteria or algae and meiofauna. Recent faunistic studies have revealed many new taxa of hypotrich ciliates, indicating their diversity is greater than previously thought. Here we document an undescribed form isolated from an artificial brackish water pond in East China. Examination of its morphology, ontogenesis and molecular phylogeny suggests that it represents a new species.ResultsThe morphology and morphogenesis of the new brackish-water deviatid ciliate, Heterodeviata nantongensis nov. sp., isolated from Nantong, China, were investigated using live observations and protargol staining. The diagnostic traits of the new species include three frontal cirri, one buccal cirrus, one or two parabuccal cirri, an inconspicuous frontoventral cirral row of four to six frontoventral cirri derived from two anlagen, three left and two right marginal rows, two dorsal kineties, dorsal kinety 1 with 9–14 dikinetids and dorsal kinety 2 with only two dikinetids, and one to three caudal cirri at the rear end of dorsal kinety 1. Its main morphogenetic features are: (i) the old oral apparatus is completely inherited by the proter except undulating membranes, which are reorganized in situ; (ii) anlagen for marginal rows and the left dorsal kinety develop intrakinetally in both proter and opisthe; (iii) dorsal kinety 2 is generated dorsomarginally; (iv) five cirral anlagen are formed in both proter and opisthe; (v) in the proter, anlagen I and II very likely originate from the parental undulating membranes and the buccal cirrus, respectively, anlage III from anterior parabuccal cirrus, anlage IV originates from the parental frontoventral cirri and anlage V from the innermost parental right marginal row; and (vi) anlagen I–IV of the opisthe are all generated from oral primordium, anlage V from the innermost parental right marginal row. Phylogenetic analyses based on SSU rRNA gene sequence data were performed to determine the systematic position of the new taxon.ConclusionsThe study on the morphology, and ontogenesis of a new brackish-water taxon increases the overall knowledge about the biodiversity of this ciliate group. It also adds to the genetic data available and further provides a reliable reference for environmental monitoring and resource investigations.

Jezuitska dramatika in gledališče na Slovenskem

Jesuit theatre was a pan-European phenomenon in the early modern period, originating from the Jesuits’ educational and pastoral activity. The Jesuits’ drama activity in Ljubljana, Klagenfurt, Gorica and Trieste followed general European trends; it was an intermediate link between theatre performances at Protestant estates school and later performances by visiting German and Italian theatre troupes in Slovenia. It represents the first proper and organised theatre in Slovenia on which reliable archival sources have been preserved. Since Jesuit theatre in Ljubljana operated for over 170 years, offering regular performances, it contributed significantly to the development of the provincial theatre and general culture. The present article provides an overview of the Jesuits’ drama activity in Ljubljana from the establishment of the Jesuit College (1596) to the dissolution of the Jesuit order (1773), highlighting selected examples of preserved Ljubljana plays.

РИЗИКИ ТА ЗАГРОЗИ ЕФЕКТИВНОГО ФУНКЦІОНУВАННЯ ЛОГІСТИЧНОГО МЕХАНІЗМУ ДІЯЛЬНОСТІ ПІДПРИЄМСТВА

The article analyzes various aspects of the formation and implementation of the logistics mechanism of the operation and development of the enterprise. The purpose of the study is to improve methodical approaches to identification, analysis and leveling of risks and threats to the effective functioning of the logistics mechanism of the enterprise. It is argued that the logistics mechanism plays one of the key roles in the production and economic activity of enterprises of the real sector of the economy, acting as a continuation of the technological component of business and its spread into the sector of distribution and consumption of products. It is shown that for enterprises that specialize in the production of products and promote them to the market, as well as importers and organizations of trade or distribution in the domestic market, logistics plays one of the decisive roles, implementing functions and tasks that are closely related to promotion, distribution and sale goods; thus, logistics serves as an intermediate link between the sectors of production (import) and retail sales of products, their consumption. Special attention is drawn to the challenges, risks and threats of building and effective functioning of the logistics subsystem of the economic entity. Thus, the object of the study is the improvement of methodical approaches to the identification, analysis and leveling of risks and threats to the effective functioning of the logistics mechanism of the enterprise. The basic elements of the risk management policy in the field of formation of the logistics mechanism of the functioning of enterprises have been determined. It is substantiated that the risk and threat management model of the logistics mechanism of the enterprise involves the implementation of a number of functions and tasks in such directions as protecting the interests of the enterprise from changes in the institutional-legal and institutional-organizational environment of logistics; ensuring control and proper efficiency of logistics and warehouse personnel; taking into account changes in the market situation and their impact on the volumes and economic efficiency of the enterprise, etc.

Мотив превращения в калмыцких сказках на сюжетный тип АТ 400 «Муж (жена) ищет исчезнувшую жену (мужа)»

Introduction. In the foundation of Kalmyk folktales, there are several options of the plot type ATU 400 «The Man on a Quest for His Lost Wife». In these fairy tales the motif of the hero’s transformation is a plot-forming one. Goals. In this article, for the first time in Kalmyk folklore studies, the motif of transformation is considered in Kalmyk Folktales of the Plot Type ATU 400. Results. In terms of gender, in fairy tales based on the plot of AT 400, the snake is represented in a male hypostasis. This character is localized on earth in the middle world of people (thickets of weeds, steppe). The image of a wonderful spouse in the form of a frog gives its localization in the water element (sea, river). When burning the skin of a snake / frog, the spouse, a representative of the upper world, ascends to heaven in the guise of a yellow–headed swan. The motif of the transformation of a wonderful spouse shows the «ease» of the transformation of a snake into a bird, in the considered texts — a swan. The attribute of a snake /frog is «golden», represented in various forms, starting from a golden belly and ending with a golden ring, an intermediate link can be called a golden trail left by a snake. This feature indicates belonging to another world and reflects the connection of the components of the semantic series «golden — sunny». In the image of the yellow-headed swan, in addition to the white color, which correlates with solar semantics, yellow is also noted, reinforcing this connection.

Lesson Fragments Modelling in the System of Practical Training of Speech Therapy Students

The study investigates the effective techniques to train primary skills of organizing and conducting speech therapy classes with speech therapy students. The article demonstrates that lesson modelling is a necessary and important technique that functions as an intermediate link between lesson plan preparation and its implementation. The purpose of the study is to determine the tasks and the most effective ways to use lesson modelling in the system of practical training of speech therapy students. Methodology and research methods: experimental analysis of typical mistakes made at the primary stage of lesson plan implementation by speech therapy students; comparative analysis of the tasks set before speech therapy students in the course of their professional training at the stages of note taking, modelling and implementation of lesson fragments; systematization of the main aspects of lesson modelling taught in various modules of specialized speech therapy disciplines. Research results. The research has revealed that lesson modelling of speech therapy classes increases the effectiveness of students’ training in their work with children and adults with speech disorders, as well as in family counseling and other areas of their professional activity. It is shown that there are certain skills that are best practiced at the first stages of lesson modelling; they include the skills of competent selection of speech material, tasks distribution in the overall structure of a lesson and the development of various models of a speech therapist’ speech behavior when working with different categories of persons with speech disorders. The article concludes by summarizing the data on the role, tasks, content and characteristic features of lesson modelling in the system of practical training of speech therapy students, and the prospects for the development of this method.

Ferritinophagy Mediated by Oxidative Stress-Driven Mitochondrial Damage Is Involved in the Polystyrene Nanoparticles-Induced Ferroptosis of Lung Injury.

Nanoplastics are a common type of contaminant in the air. However, no investigations have focused on the toxic mechanism of lung injury induced by nanoplastic exposure. In the present study, polystyrene nanoplastics (PS-NPs) caused ferroptosis in lung epithelial cells, which could be alleviated by ferrostatin-1, deferoxamine, and N-acetylcysteine. Further investigation found that PS-NPs disturbed mitochondrial structure and function and triggered autophagy. Mechanistically, oxidative stress-derived mitochondrial damage contributed to ferroptosis, and autophagy-dependent ferritinophagy was a pivotal intermediate link, resulting in ferritin degradation and iron ion release. Furthermore, inhibition of ferroptosis using ferrostatin-1 alleviated pulmonary and systemic toxicity to reverse the mouse lung injury induced by PS-NPs inhalation. Most importantly, the lung-on-a-chip was further used to clarify the role of ferroptosis in the PS-NPs-induced lung injury by visualizing the ferroptosis, oxidative stress, and alveolar-capillary barrier dysfunction at the organ level. In summary, our study indicated that ferroptosis was an important mechanism for nanoplastics-induced lung injury through different lung cells, mouse inhalation models, and three-dimensional-based lung-on-a-chip, providing an insightful reference for pulmonary toxicity assessment of nanoplastics.

An input trade model with Keynesian unemployment: Bridging a gap between trade theory and international Input–Output analysis

AbstractThis study presents a trade model with (1) intermediate inputs, (2) link commodities, and (3) Keynesian unemployment. The model has linear input coefficients, stable commodity prices, and short‐run adjustment of the quantity supplied on the occasion of demand changes, making it compatible with international input–output tables and analysis. Given production techniques, labor endowments, upper limits of unemployment rates, markup rates, and final demand in each country, this model specifies feasible trade patterns and determines commodity prices, wage rates, gross outputs, employment/unemployment rates, national income, income distribution, and trade volumes/values for each pattern. Starting with a two‐country, three‐commodity case, this model expands to a multi‐country, multi‐commodity case.

Migration dynamics simulation of migratory fish in rivers

The decline of migratory fish stocks is a major problem facing the global aquatic ecosystem. Understanding the dynamics of fish migration and their entire life history is crucial for quantitatively assessing the impact of natural and anthropogenic barriers on migratory fish and to understand the mechanisms of their decline. However, this understanding is largely ambiguous due to limited field survey data in the absence of models. Although Huang and Wang (Curr. Biol. 28, 2018, 3640–3647) and Huang (iScience 19(9), 2019, 772–785) proposed a Migration Dynamics Model (MDM) to describe the upriver and downriver migration processes of the Chinese sturgeon, but a crucial intermediate link—the breeding aggregation process—is still missing, while the standard Crank-Nicolson scheme, a common computational method, of finite difference methods cannot adapt to the model parameters changing with time and space. Here we propose a six-point implicit scheme to address the complexity of model parameters. The parameters of migration speed and diffusion coefficient are decomposed into fish-related and current-related components for analyzing their effects on model parameters and estimating them. Additionally, we propose a parameterization method for the aggregation process of spawners during the breeding season by introducing a set of clustering functions. Next, we examine the complete migration processes of adult and juvenile Chinese sturgeons in the Yangtze River and elucidate the underlying mechanisms behind the fish migration dynamics, including their spatiotemporal distributions, aggregation behavior, and migration schedule. We discover that the Gezhouba Dam (GD) significantly impacted the breeding aggregation behavior of Chinese sturgeon during the breeding season. The GD altered the distribution of fish along their migration path and schedule. Prior to the construction of the dam, 99.9 % of the total Chinese sturgeon were able to reach the 240 km-long spawning ground. However, after the dam was built, only 36.7 % were able to reach the 30 km-long spawning ground below the GD on the day of mating. Finally, we discuss the aggregation phenomenon and its driving factors during Chinese sturgeon migration, and categorize it into three types, namely biotic-driven, abiotic-driven and dual-driven aggregation behaviors. We reveal the existence of aggregations for non-biological reasons, such as the slowdown of fish migration speed induced by natural and anthropogenic barriers and estuarine tidal effects.

XQTLbiolinks: a comprehensive and scalable tool for integrative analysis of molecular QTLs.

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified thousands of disease-associated non-coding variants, posing urgent needs for functional interpretation. Molecular Quantitative Trait Loci (xQTLs) such as eQTLs serve as an essential intermediate link between these non-coding variants and disease phenotypes and have been widely used to discover disease-risk genes from many population-scale studies. However, mining and analyzing the xQTLs data presents several significant bioinformatics challenges, particularly when it comes to integration with GWAS data. Here, we developed xQTLbiolinks as the first comprehensive and scalable tool for bulk and single-cell xQTLs data retrieval, quality control and pre-processing from public repositories and our integrated resource. In addition, xQTLbiolinks provided a robust colocalization module through integration with GWAS summary statistics. The result generated by xQTLbiolinks can be flexibly visualized or stored in standard R objects that can easily be integrated with other R packages and custom pipelines. We applied xQTLbiolinks to cancer GWAS summary statistics as case studies and demonstrated its robust utility and reproducibility. xQTLbiolinks will profoundly accelerate the interpretation of disease-associated variants, thus promoting a better understanding of disease etiologies. xQTLbiolinks is available at https://github.com/lilab-bioinfo/xQTLbiolinks.

Leadership by Progymnasium Teachers in Organising the Educational Process

The problem of leadership by progymnasium teachers in organising the educational process is analysed in this article. In Lithuania, a progymnasium is an educational institution providing a general education (forms 1 to 8) functioning as an intermediate link between an elementary school and a gymnasium. Quantitative research was conducted with the participation of 120 progymnasium teachers. The assessment of teacher leadership in organising the educational process was based on an SLII situational leadership model (Blanchard, 1985). The research revealed that in organising the educational process, teachers apply different leadership strategies: they provide gifted pupils with the possibility to take responsibility for carrying out a task; they praise and encourage pupils to express their opinions; they carry out tasks without direction; they allow pupils to make their own decisions on how a task will be carried out; they provide feedback, etc. In the organisation of the educational process, teachers tend to apply coaching, supporting and delegating styles of situational leadership. In order to organise the educational process more effectively, the examples of teachers-leaders in creating common educational scenarios and trying out innovative methods, mentoring couples, group supervision, and the creation of learning organisation at progymnasium, could be helpful.

ASTRAKHAN BROTHERHOOD OF SAINTS CYRIL AND METHODIUS: TO THE HISTORY OF CREATION

This article examines the process of organizing the Cyril and Methodius society of devotees of faith, enlightenment and morality in the spirit of the Holy Orthodox Church in the Astrakhan governorate at the end of the XIX century. The border regions of the country, to which the Astrakhan governorate belonged, were distinguished by confessional heterogeneity. In the region beginning from the XVII century, a significant percentage of the population was made by Old Believers, schismatics, sectarians of various kinds appeared here. Such a state in the region persisted in the XIX century, which was overlaid by new trends in the secularization of society, the spread of atheistic ideas. The intensification of schismatic and sectarian movements in the second half of the XIX century required expanding and deepening the missionary activity on the part of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Astrakhan governorate. For this purpose, the Brotherhood of Saints Cyril and Methodius was established in the region, officially called the “Astrakhan Cyril and Methodius society of devotees of faith, enlightenment and morality in the spirit of the Holy Orthodox Church”.
 
 The main purpose of the presented research is a retrospective and problem-chronological analysis of the main stages in the formation of the Brotherhood of Saints Cyril and Methodius in Astrakhan governorate at the end of the XIX century.
 
 Materials and methods. Based on the analysis of the reports of Cyril and Methodius society of devotees of faith, enlightenment and morality in the spirit of the Holy Orthodox Church and the diocesan papers using historical-genetic, retrospective, problem-chronological methods, the main institutionalisation stages of Cyril and Methodius Society, created to help the diocese for missionary work in the region, are considered.
 
 Study results. Based on the analysis of the source materials in the periodical press and accounting documents, the main milestones in institutionalisation of Cyril and Methodius society of devotees of faith, enlightenment and morality in the spirit of the Holy Orthodox Church at the end of the XIX century in the Astrakhan governorate are investigated. The main reasons and factors that predetermined the need to create the Orthodox Brotherhood are considered, among which the prevalence of Molokanism teachings, schismatics and various religious sects in the Astrakhan Region was predominant. The need to activate the missionary activity of the Russian Orthodox Church in the region for the Orthodox-Christian education of local residents is emphasized. The first steps in the formation of Cyril and Methodius Brotherhood are considered, starting with the opening of a Brotherhood for conducting missionary conversations with Molokans in the town of Tsarev in Astrakhan governorate, the center of concentration of Molokans. The activity of Astrakhan Holy Trinity Brotherhood at the cathedral as an intermediate link in the formation of Cyril and Methodius Brotherhood is studied. The factors of the growth of the Trinity Brotherhood into an organized structure of Cyril and Methodius society of devotees of faith, enlightenment and morality in the spirit of the Holy Orthodox Church are analyzed.
 
 Conclusion. Having passed through several stages of its evolvement, Astrakhan Cyril and Methodius Society became an organized socio-Orthodox structure to help the diocese in missionary activities.

Планирование социально-экономического развития регионов России: проблемы полимасштабного сценирования

Introduction. Regional development in the last year and a half has faced new challenges related to the limitations of foreign economic relations, which poses the task of revising forecasts of socio-economic dynamics in the subjects of the Russian Federation. Such a task can be solved only by applying a deductive approach: combining development scenarios at different taxonomic levels. Theoretical analysis. Since the subject ofthe Russian Federation is an intermediate(betweenmacro- andmicro-level) link,the development oftheregionalsystem is determined by exogenous and endogenous processes. Of great importance are the properties of its stability and the effectiveness of adaptation to changing conditions. These properties are largely related to the complexity and diversity of the region’s industry, as well as its reproductive processes. This determines the importance of multi-scale scenario planning, as well as taking into account the spatial features of regional development. Conclusions. In general, in the scenarios of the economic development of the country as a kind of generalized sum of the development of the Russian regions, the differentiation of the latter by some signs is either not expressed at all, or is poorly expressed. The effectiveness of socioeconomic development in the regional context will largely be determined by the use of a multi-scale approach when working out alternative scenarios taking into account the spatial component.

Adaptive technique for physical human–robot interaction handling using proprioceptive sensors

The work focuses on the development of an adaptive technique for the physical interaction handling between a human and a robot, as well as its experimental validation. The proposed technique is based on the deep residual neural network and dedicated finite state machine, where the states are the robot behavior modes and transitions are the switchings between the states that depend on the interaction parameters and characteristics. It ensures the human operator safety and improves the human–robot collaboration performance by implementing various scenarios. In the scope of this technique, the parameters of human–robot interaction are used to select an appropriate robot reaction strategy using data from internal robot sensors only, i.e. proprioceptive sensors. These parameters define the interaction force vector and its application point on the robot surface, which allow to classify the interaction within the set of predefined categories. This classification distinguishes interactions applied at the tool or intermediate link (Tool/Link), having soft or hard nature (Soft/Hard), as well as having different intention (Intl/Accd) or duration (Short/Long). Based on identified category and the current robot state, the algorithm chooses an appropriate robot reaction. To confirm the efficiency the developed technique, an experimental study was conducted, which involved the collaboration between the real industrial manipulator KUKA LBR iiwa and the human operator.

Design and Control of Two Stage Battery Charger for Low Voltage Electric Vehicles Using High Gain Buck-Boost PFC AC-DC Converter

The design and control of a two-stage onboard battery charger (OBC) for the low-voltage electric vehicle (LVEVs) are presented in this study. The presented charger operates over a wide range of AC input voltage at high power factor. The presented charger utilizes a bridgeless high gain high power factor AC-DC converter with continuous input current characteristics at its front end. At the back end of the charger, an isolated Cuk DC-DC converter is employed to control and implement different battery charging modes, viz. constant current (CC) and constant voltage (CV) charging profiles. The presented AC-DC converter operates under discontinuous current mode (DCM) operation and achieves minimum control complexity at the AC-DC stage. The DCM design and high voltage conversion ratio allow it to function reliably over a comprehensive range of input and intermediate DC link voltage. This study covers the charger's design for a power rating of 650 W and output battery voltage of 24 to 72 V. The overall operational analysis and effectiveness of the design are verified through both simulations and experimental implementation and the performance is compared with other contemporary power factor correction (PFC) topologies on various parameters.

MARKETING RESEARCH OF FACTORS OF FINANCIAL EDUCATION/LITERACY OF SCHOOL STUDENTS IN IMERETI REGION

School that gives general education has been the most significant intermediate link for the transfer of social experience, knowledge, skills and abilities from the older generation to the youth. On one hand, the school, as a public institution, is a kind of mirror of a social organism, on the other hand, the school is a powerful tool for forming the personal qualities of adults. From this point of view, the school is the basis for enforcing the state and social order, creating the conditions for the country's development. In the contemporary conditions, the issue of raising the level of financial education of the population in Georgia is acute, therefore the modern school also "includes" the problems/tasks of financial education. The purpose of the research was to describe the "portrait" of the contemporary teenager in the context of financial literacy. Research methods included: to the research problem, synthesis and analysis of different scientific approaches, questionnaire survey and statistical processing methods. As a result of the marketing research conducted by us, we managed to identify the qualitative characteristics of giving financial education to children in the family, substantiated the main components of the concept of "financial literacy" in the context of integrating various scientific approaches, and formulated the task as a questionnaire. Thus, School students’ awareness about finances was analyzed considering five main factors: financial skills, financial behavior, values, types of management of money, financial education and awareness. This research has been tremendously significant and crucial since it has given us the opportunity to find out the financial education and practice of financial behavior, that have been done spontaneously, in the process of adults’ socialization. Keywords: Financial literacy, financial behavior, financial skills, values, money management style, financial knowledge, educational programs.

Voltage Regulators for Small wind Power Plants

Structural and schematic solutions of voltage stabilizers for alternating current and direct current generators of wind power plants, made using direct frequency converters, an intermediate link of increased frequency and a transformer with a rotating magnetic field, are proposed. Their advantages and disadvantages are revealed. To improve energy efficiency and reliability of power supply to autonomous consumers, a block diagram of a combined autonomous power supply system is proposed.

Mechanics of cell-cell junctions

Tissue cells in epithelial or endothelial monolayers are connected through cell-cell junctions, which are stabilized by transmembrane E-cadherin bonds and intracellular actin filaments. These bonds and junctions play a crucial role in maintaining the barrier function of epithelia and endothelia and are believed to transmit forces between cells. Additionally, E-cadherin bonds can impact the shape of cell-cell junctions. In this study, we develop a continuum mechanical model of the cell-cell junction by explicitly incorporating the cell membrane, distributions of E-cadherin bonds, cytoplasmic fluid pressure, and F-actin dynamics. The static force-balanced version of the model is able to analyze the influences of cell cortical tension, actin dynamics, and cytoplasmic pressure on the junction shape and E-cadherin bonds. Furthermore, an extended model that incorporates fluid flow, across the cell boundary as well as around the cell, is also examined. This model can couple cell-shape changes with cell cortical tension and fluid flow, and predicts the additional effect of fluid motion on cell-cell junction mechanics. Taken together, our models serve as an intermediate link between molecular-scale models of cell-junction molecules and cell-scale models of tissue and epithelia.

The Red Squat Lobster Pleuroncodes monodon in the Humboldt Current System: From Their Ecology to Commercial Attributes as Marine Bioresource.

This study focused on gathering available information on Pleuroncodes monodon, a widely distributed crustacean in the Humboldt Current System. Off the Chilean coast, this species presents benthic habits and constitutes the main resource of the industrial crustacean fishery; many studies have been carried out on its life cycle during the last century. In contrast, off the coast of Peru, this species exhibits mainly pelagic habits, with latent information gaps on aspects of its life history and no commercial fishery activities, such as catching, taking or harvesting from the marine environment. P. monodon is an ecologically important species, as a source of energy for its predators, which include invertebrates, birds, marine mammals and fish of commercial interest. Thus, P. monodon seems to play a key role in this ecosystem, mainly as an intermediate link between top predators and the first links in the food chain. In addition, this species presents various adaptation strategies to the changing oceanographic parameters of the areas it inhabits, even tolerating hypoxic environments and great depths in order to avoid being predated. Likewise, from an economic viewpoint, it has a high commercial value as a marine bioresource with great potential in the pharmaceutical and food industries. Considering this, more studies must be carried out to corroborate the biological, ecological, and fishing importance of this species in order to generate efficient management measures and ensure a sustainable fishery.