Research Laboratory Research Articles

Chitin quantitation (as glucosamine) in food raw materials by HPLC[sbnd]C18-DAD with off-line derivatization

This HPLC method is suitable for chitin quantitation (reported as glucosamine) in food raw materials like insects (mealworm larvae, crickets), shrimps, mushrooms and fungi in a research (non-routine) laboratory using a C18 column with HPLC system <600 bar with UV detection capability (at 265 nm). To remove interferences, the sample is defatted (Soxhlet) and deproteinized (by alkali) prior to acid hydrolysis in 6 M HCl. A five-point linear calibration (5–100 µg/mL) is used. The use of fluorescence detection (λex = 260 nm, λem = 350 nm) is also possible with this method [1].•18 min HPLC run time•LOD = 0.05 µg/mL and LOQ = 5 µg/mL

Remediation of pharmacophoric laboratory waste by using biodegradable carbon nanoparticles of bacterial biofilm origin

Research laboratories generate a broad range of hazardous pharmacophoric chemical contaminants, from drugs to dyes used during various experimental procedures. In the recent past, biological methods have demonstrated great potential in the remediation of such contaminants. However, the presence of pharmacophoric chemicals containing antibiotics, xenobiotics, and heavy metals suppresses the growth and survivability of used microbial agents, thus decreasing the overall efficiency of biological remediation processes. Bacterial biofilm is a natural arrangement to counter some of these inhibitions but its use in a systemic manner, portable devices, and pollutant remediation plants post serious challenges. This could be countered by synthesizing a biodegradable carbon nanoparticle from bacterial biofilm. In this study, extracellular polymeric substance-based carbon nanoparticles (Bio-EPS-CNPs) were synthesized from bacterial biofilm derived from Bacillus subtilis NCIB 3610, as a model bacterial system. The produced Bio-EPS-CNPs were investigated for physiochemical properties by dynamic light scattering, optical, Fourier-transformed infrared, and Raman spectroscopy techniques, whereas X-ray diffraction study, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy were used to investigate structural and morphological features. The Bio-EPS-CNPs exhibited negative surface charge with spherical morphology having a uniform size of sub-100 nm. The maximum remediation of some laboratory-produced pharmacophoric chemicals was achieved through a five-round scavenging process and confirmed by UV/Vis spectroscopic analysis with respect to the used pharmacophore. This bioinspired remediation of used pharmacophoric chemicals was achieved through the mechanism of surface adsorption via hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interactions, as revealed by different characterizations. Further experiments were performed to investigate the effects of pH, temperature, stirring, and the protocol of scavenging to establish Bio-EPS-CNP as a possible alternative to be used in research laboratories for efficient removal of pharmacophoric chemicals by incorporating it in a portable, filter-based device.

Breaking barriers in electrochemical biosensing using bioinspired peptide and phage probes.

Electrochemical biosensing continues to advance tirelessly, overcoming barriers that have kept it from leaving research laboratories for many years. Among them, its compromised performance in complex biological matrices due to fouling or receptor stability issues, the limitations in determining toxic and small analytes, and its use, conditioned to the commercial availability of commercial receptors and the exploration of natural molecular interactions, deserved to be highlighted. To address these challenges, in addition to the intrinsic properties of electrochemical biosensing, its coupling with biomimetic materials has played a fundamental role, among which bioinspired phage and peptide probes stand out. The versatility in design and employment of these probes has opened an unimaginable plethora of possibilities for electrochemical biosensing, improving their performance far beyond the development of highly sensitive and selective devices. The state of the art offers robust electroanalytical biotools, capable of operating in complex samples and with exciting opportunities to discover and determine targets regardless of their toxicity and size, the commercial availability of bioreceptors, and prior knowledge of molecular interactions. With all this in mind, this review offers a panoramic, novel, and updated vision of both the tremendous advances and opportunities offered by the combination of electrochemical biosensors with bioinspired phage and peptide probes and the challenges and research efforts that are envisioned in the immediate future.

Investigation on Utilization of Medical Waste Ash in Concrete

There is a major problem in India for generation of biomedical waste from health care units, research laboratories, clinics and other medical sources. Generation of waste adversely affect the whole environment for human being. Therefore Utilization of medical waste ash is a challenging work for all over India. Some researches revealed the scope for the use of medical waste ash in concrete as partly replacing of cement. In this paper the study describes the workability, density and compressive strength of concrete after partly replacing of cement with medical waste ash. Keyword: Medical waste, ash, concrete, coarse, aggregate, workability.

DIY peristaltic perfusion pump and rotarod apparatuses from common and recycled materials

To reduce the high costs of research associated with specialized laboratory equipment, the current study aimed to construct and validate two devices (peristaltic perfusion pump and rotarod) critical in physiology, neuroscience, and histology laboratories using largely recycled materials and affordable electrical parts. The resulting systems are comparable to commercially available devices but at a fraction of the cost. The peristaltic perfusion pump has an adjustable flow rate suitable for the whole-body perfusion of rats and mice. Testing in rodents confirmed that the pump operated conveniently and consistently, yielding high-quality tissue perfusion and fixation. The rotarod worked flawlessly in behavioral studies with live mice, yielding speed, torque, acceleration and timing comparable to commercially-available devices. Collectively, the findings indicate that the purpose-built peristaltic perfusion pump and rotarod can be used in research laboratories as cost-effective alternatives to comparable but costly commercial devices.

Musculoskeletal Biorepository: Establishment, Sustainment, and Tips for Success.

A biorepository, also referred to as a "biobank," is a collection of biologic samples that are stored for laboratory research. With the emergence of precision medicine, the importance of leveraging individual patient biomolecular signatures to improve diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment is becoming increasingly recognized. Successful development and sustainment of a biorepository provides the potential for transformative preclinical research. Establishing a biobank requires a team approach with involvement of the institutions' research laboratory team and regulatory body. Execution of research activities requires a coordinated team approach for case identification, consent process, data and specimen collection, specimen processing, and storage and archiving. The advancing fields of precision medicine and orthobiologics provide incredible opportunities for institutions to generate novel lines of inquiry in musculoskeletal diseases through a multiomics approach (genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic, microbiomic). In addition, a biobank is an important component of post-market surveillance for the rapidly emerging field of orthobiologics.

An inexpensive moist chamber culture technique for finding microbiota on live tree bark.

Traditional moist chamber cultures (MCs) prepared in aseptic laboratory environments using sterile Petri dishes are commonly used to quantify the microbiota of rough-bark tree species and woody vines. MCs are typically expensive and may be difficult to make, so a less expensive option made from easily available supplies was developed. These cost-friendly MCs were compared with standard laboratory methods to demonstrate their efficacy. Modified MCs were made using inexpensive, store-bought supplies; compared to a standard laboratory setting, the modified MCs are shown to be less expensive with a faster setup time and larger size that facilitates a variety of tree and woody vine species. MC use resulted in the discovery of new species of fungi and myxomycetes with associated locality records. We provide detailed instructions for creating modified MCs, as well as a list of myxomycete species and their associated bark characteristics, pH values, and water-holding capacity. This new, low-cost MC technique makes the study of microbiota more inclusive and accessible for those in research laboratories, classrooms, and homes, including both amateurs and professionals. MCs are easy to prepare, versatile, and applicable for many areas of botany and the biological sciences, potentially allowing exploration into unexplored areas in urban ecosystems.

Investigation of Atmospheric Anomalies due to the Great Tohoku Earthquake Disturbance Using NRLMSISE-00 Atmospheric Model Measurement

AbstractIn this study, the atmospheric changes for the 9.0-magnitude Tohoku earthquake, which occurred on March 11, 2011, are analyzed. The March 11, 2011 earthquake was preceded by a large foreshock on March 09, 2011 with magnitude M 7.3 and depth 32 km at 02:45:20 UT near the east coast of Honshu, Japan. The earthquake doesn’t limit its effects on the Earth’s lithosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere; it also extends its effects to the atmosphere because of the gas emissions, which produce large-scale seismic waves from the ground and release gases into the atmosphere. In this study, the anomalies of the atmospheric parameters are studied by using one of the atmospheric models from the Naval Research Laboratory Mass Spectrometer Incoherent Scatter Extension 2000 (NRLMSISE-00) model data to analyze the atmospheric anomalies of the Tohoku Earthquake on March 11, 2011. The atmospheric parameters of atomic oxygen (O), hydrogen (H), atomic nitrogen (N), helium (He), argon (Ar), molecular oxygen (O2), molecular nitrogen (N2), total mass density (ρ), neutral temperature (Tn), exospheric temperature (Tex) and anomalous oxygen (AO) are used for analysis during the earthquake occurrence. The epicenter of the Tohoku earthquake, with a geographical location of latitude 38.30° N and longitude 142.37° E, is used for the NRLMSISE-00 model as input parameters to analyze the output of atmospheric parameters. To compare the atmospheric changes caused by the earthquake, 5 days before and after the earthquake are considered. To detect where the atmospheric parameters increased or decreased from the earthquake day, the percentage deviation of the NRLMSISE-00 model is applied. The results indicate that there were atmospheric parameter anomalies that occurred a few days before, following and during the earthquake on March 11, 2011. Except for hydrogen (H), all atmospheric parameters average daily percentage deviation values were positive during the 5 days before and after with respect to the main earthquake shock on March 11, 2011. The NRLMSISE-00 model can capture the atmospheric parameter anomalies of the Tohoku earthquake well.

Towards tailored thermoelectric materials: An artificial intelligence-powered approach to material design

The pursuit of novel thermoelectric (TE) materials with exceptional properties stands as a critical frontier in material science. This transformative endeavor demands a paradigm shift in materials discovery, necessitating the integration of cutting-edge computational approaches. In this groundbreaking study, we employ the power of artificial neural networks (ANNs) to accelerate the identification of promising TE candidates. By meticulously training an ANN model on a comprehensive dataset of TE compounds and their corresponding properties, we have established a powerful tool capable of accurately predicting atoms that can be substituted into a TE material's structure to achieve desired TE properties. Our findings, validated the Materials Research Laboratory (MRL) dataset, demonstrate the exceptional accuracy of the ANN model, with an r2 detection coefficient of 0.97 in the best architectural case. This underscores the transformative potential of ANNs in propelling materials discovery forward, offering a promising avenue for the development of next-generation TE devices.

Assessment of the impact of micro fertilizers on winter wheat and winter barley crops under the Sevan basin conditions

Background: Microelements are crucial for numerous physiological and biochemical processes in plant life. They constitute parts of various vitamins and enzymes, stimulate respiration, and accelerate oxidation and regeneration reactions, positively impacting protein metabolism in plant organisms. Objective: Considering the significant role of microelements in living organisms, our aim is to investigate the effectiveness of applying microfertilizers and biohumus on the growth, development, and quality of winter wheat and winter barley. We conducted field experiments and laboratory research to analyze the impact of trace element content in the soil at our experimental sites. This research holds particular significance amidst the ongoing global climate changes, emphasizing the urgency and relevance of our study․ Methods: Field experiments, both in winter wheat and winter barley, were set up with three replications, with the same fertilization scheme. The size of each plot was 30 m2, and the size of the experimental field in each crop area was 630 m2 consisting of the following types: 1. Control (non-fertilized); 2. Background: biohummus t/ha; 3. Background+Mn (MnSO4 4H2O); 4. Background +Cu (CuSO4. 5H2O); 5. Background+B (Na2 B407.10 H2O); 6. Background + Mo (HH4)2MoO4; 7. Background +Zn (ZnSO45H2O): Microfertilizers were used for pre-sowing seed treatment. Results: The three-year results of the studies revealed that the amount of harvest and the quality indicators of these crops increased from the application of molybdenum, manganese, and copper in the sowing of autumn wheat and autumn barley on the background of biohumus. The increase of the autumn wheat crop under the influence of these elements was 3.3-6.4 c/ha (6.9-13.3%), and the increase of the autumn barley grain crop compared to the biohumus background was 2.6-5.4 c/ha. ha, or 6.5-13.4%. A certain increase in the nitrogen content of wheat and barley grains can be seen as an indicator of a protein problem necessary for life. According to research, it was found that the nitrogen content in the grains of spikelets is high in the versions that received molybdenum, manganese, and copper. Specifically, for wheat, the nitrogen content ranges from 2.64-2.68% for Mo, 2.53-2.57% for Cu, and for barley grains, it ranges from 2.16-2.24% for Mo, 2.08-2.10% for Cu, and 2.02-2.07% for Mn. Simultaneously with the studies, it was proved that the crop yield and quality indicators did not undergo significant changes from the application of Zn and B, which is explained by the higher content of the total and mobile forms of these elements in the soil. Conclusion: In the practice of fertilizing grain crops such as wheat and barley, it's essential to judiciously use specific micro fertilizers like molybdenum ammonium (NH4MoO4), manganese sulfate (MnSO4 · 4H2O), or copper sulfate (CuSO4 · 5H2O). These should be applied alongside organic fertilizers to ensure that the crops receive a comprehensive supply of both microelements and macroelements. This approach not only guarantees the production of high-quality crops but also plays a pivotal role in managing the protein content within them, which is crucial for nutritional value and overall crop health. Keywords: microelements, winter wheat, winter barley, growth and development, yield quantity and quality

Continuous and Scalable Synthesis of Prussian Blue Analogues with Tunable Structure and Composition in Surfactant-Free Microreactor for Stable Zinc-Ion Storage.

We represent a segmented flow surfactant-free microfluidic strategy for continuous synthesis of Prussian blue analogues (PBAs) with high dispersity and high crystallization. Representative zinc hexacyanoferrate (ZnHCF) nanocubes were successfully synthesized in a microfluidic reactor within a few minutes via the cooperation method and possessed lower contents of crystal water and Fe(CN)63- vacancies than that of synthesis in bulk solution. The nucleation and particle growth process can be precisely controlled by the exploration of different flow rates and reaction temperatures during the formation of ZnHCF nanocubes in segmented flow microfluidic reactors. High crystallinity, low crystal water and vacancies in the ZnHCF structure were presented at relatively high temperatures for the crystal growth process. High-quality ZnHCF with a low content of crystal water showed excellent electrochemical activity and stability towards zinc-ion storage. The continuous and scalable synthesis approach can be extended to the fabrication of other PBAs such as NiHCF, CoHCF, MnHCF, and CuHCF with high dispersity without using any surfactants. The controllable construction of PBAs with tunable properties in microfluidic reactors provides a promising direction to minimize the gap between commercial reality and laboratory research.

Pathogenetic parallels and clinical relationships of HIV infection and Hodgkin’s lymphoma

Aim: to show the importance of the features of the development of Hodgkin’s lymphoma (HL) against the background of HIV infection, possible clinical relationships and consequences of simultaneous diseases in patients, as well as complex therapy. Material and methods. The article presents an analytical review of the problem and retrospective data on 63 patients with HIV[1]associated HL (HIV-HL) who were diagnosed with HL in St. Petersburg hospitals in the period 2000–2017. For the diagnosis of HIV-HL, regulated morphological, immunohistochemical, instrumental and laboratory research methods were used, the tumor stage was determined based on the Cotswolds-modified Ann Arbor classification. The diagnosis of HIV infection was confirmed by the detection of specific antibodies to HIV (and the p24 antigen) during serological and enzyme immunoassay of blood, by immune blotting. The number of copies of HIV RNA and the number of CD4 lymphocytes in the blood of patients were determined using commercial test systems approved for use in the territory of the Russian Federation. The analysis of overall survival was performed using the Kaplan–Meyer method. Statistical processing of the research results was performed using statistical programs MS Excel 2010, GraphPad Prism 8 (GraphPad Software, Inc., USA), SPSS version 22.Results. The study group was dominated by men (73%), the median age was 32 years, in 16 (25.4%) patients HIV and HL were detected simultaneously. The number of CD4 lymphocytes &gt; 500 cl/μl at the HL debut was noted in 33.3% of patients, patients with severe immunosuppression prevailed (50–250 cl/μl in 20 (31.7%), 250–500 cl/μl in 11 (17.5%), less than 50 cl/μl in 11 (17.5%). The amount of HIV RNA&gt;400 kop/ml was noted in 82.5%, HIV infection at stages 4B-5 was detected in 89% of cases, at the time of detection of HL ART was performed in 16 patients. EBV coinfection (77.8%), cytomegalovirus (60%), viral hepatitis (55.6%) with a predominance of viral hepatitis C, common opportunistic infections (tuberculosis, pneumocystis pneumonia, toxoplasmosis of the brain, common candidiasis), simultaneously occurring from 1 to 3 infections were observed in 77.8%. Stage IV HL was established in 54%, III — in 22%, II — in 24% of patients, the presence of B-symptoms was confirmed in 73% of cases. The predominant histological variant of HIV-HL was nodular sclerosis (58 patients), mixed[1]cell sclerosis in 4 patients, with lymphoid predominance in 1 case. Extranodal lesions were observed in 34 (54%), complications of the tumor process in 33 (37.5%) patients. 42 (66.7%) patients received antitumor treatment for HL: line 1 according to the ABVD scheme — 85.7% (80% achieved PET-negative complete remission (CR), according to the VEASORR esc or VEASORR schemes — 33.3%; line 2 — according to the ICE or DHAP schemes (n=10). An objective response was noted in 4 patients, PET-negative response in 2 of them, partial PET-positive regression in 2 patients. Progression was observed in 2 people. Autologous bone marrow transplantation was performed in 2 patients (in partial PET-positive regression); line 3 (n=3) — chemoimmunotherapy with bendamustine, gemcitabine (2 patients underwent autologous bone marrow transplantation). The cumulative life expectancy of patients for 1 year and 2 years was 44% and 37%, respectively, 1-year overall survival was 75%, 2-year — 60%. The factors negatively affecting survival and life expectancy were tumor progression and complications, ECOG≥2 (p=0.0001), candidiasis, pneumonia (p=0.001), viral hepatitis B and C (p=0.045), lack of antitumor treatment and ART (p=0.0001), age younger than 40 years, central nervous system damage, the presence of 1 or more concomitant infections (p=0.024). Conclusion. HIV-HL is one of the most common hematological malignancies, characterized by heterogeneity in its manifestations, polymorphism of pathogenetic and clinical features and relationships. During the dispensary supervision of PLHIV, special attention should be paid to the factors of an unfavorable prognosis of the disease, the timeliness of the appointment of ART and the assessment of the risks of developing lymphoproliferative diseases within the framework of the immune system restoration syndrome (IRIS) in order to increase their survival and quality of life. Further research is needed on the pathogenesis, early diagnosis and effective treatment of lymphomas associated with the human immunodeficiency virus

Study of the initial vasculotoxic risk in patients with lymphoproliferative diseases before the start of polychemotherapy

Research objective. To evaluate the levels of CRP, cardio-specific markers, lipids, structural-functional (SF) state of vessels, and their interrelations in patients with lymphoproliterative diseases (LPD) before polychemotherapy (PCT).Materials and methods. The study included patients with newly diagnosed LPD (n = 30), including 16 men (53.3%) and 14 women (46.7%). All patients were divided into two groups: group 1 (n = 15) — patients with low/intermediate cardiovascular toxicity (CVT) risk; group 2 (n = 15) — patients with high/very high CVT risk. CVT risk stratification was performed with the use of specialized scales according to the current European clinical guidelines for cardio-oncology 2022. All patients included in the study underwent standard laboratory and instrumental examinations. Specific laboratory research involved assessing the levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), troponin I (TnI), N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), and lipid profile. The SF state of vessels was evaluated non-invasively using photoplethysmography (PPG) (Angioscan-01 device, Russia) and computerized videocapillaroscopy (CVC) of the periungual area (Capillaroscan-01 device, Russia).Results. According to the results of PPG and CVC, the occlusion index (OI) in group 2 was significantly lower and amounted to 1.2 [1; 1.3] compared to 1.7 [1.45; 2.1] in group 1 (p &lt; 0.001); capillary density after reactive hyperemia (CDRH) was also significantly lower in group 2 compared to group 1 — 43 [35.5; 45] and 54 [43; 58] cap/mm², respectively (p = 0.033). According to the obtained results, there were no statistically significant diff erences in the levels of CRP, TnI, and NT-proBNP between patients in both groups; the indicators were within the reference values. A moderate inverse statistically signifi cant correlation was found between the level of CRP and the percentage of perfused capillaries (PPC) (rs = –0.545; p = 0.02) and the percentage of capillary recovery (PCR) (r = –0.446; p = 0.013).Conclusion. Patients with LPD have endothelial dysfunction before PCT, primarily due to the presence of cardiovascular risk factors (age, body mass index), and concomitant cardiovascular diseases. At the same time, the SF state of vessels initially does not depend on the stage and course of LPD, lipid levels, and TnI.

Ensuring the Quality of the Analytical Process in a Research Laboratory

This paper discusses approaches for verification of methods of measurements of chemical and physical characteristics of specific samples. The limitations of well-known approaches are discussed. Some examples of alternatives are given to demonstrate specific issues encountered in the research laboratory analyzing new materials or characterizing new properties of materials. Application of sequential procedure using lower quantities of samples and reagents is presented. A standard addition to solid samples is discussed. The approach of control charts for estimation of method uncertainty for determination of plant available phosphorus is presented. The method comparison is applied as an approach to verification of alkaline reactivity by inductively coupled plasma–optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) measurement, as well as density of newly synthesized chalcogenide glass materials. The presented examples demonstrated that alternative approaches are needed in order to verify the methods applied due to the great variety of activities and corresponding tasks in a research laboratory.

Production of native recombinant proteins using a novel split intein affinity technology

Affinity tags are frequently engineered into recombinant proteins to facilitate purification. Although this technique is powerful, removal of the tag is desired because the tag can interfere with biological activity and can potentially increase the immunogenicity of therapeutic proteins. Tag removal is complex, as it requires adding expensive protease enzymes. To overcome this limitation, split intein based affinity purification systems have been developed in which a CC-intein tag is engineered into a protein of interest for binding to a NC-intein peptide ligand fixed to a chromatographic support. Tag removal in these systems is achieved by creating an active intein-complex during protein capture, which triggers a precise self-cleavage reaction. In this work, we show applications of a new split intein system, Cytiva™ ProteinSelect™. One advantage of the new system is that the NC-intein ligand can be robustly produced and conjugated to large volumes of resin for production of gram scale proteins. SARS-CoV-2 spike protein receptor binding domain and a Bispecific T Cell Engager in this work were successfully captured on the affinity resin and scaled 10-fold. Another advantage of this system is the ability to sanitize the resin with sodium hydroxide without loosing the 10–20 g/L binding capacity. Binding studies with IL-1b and IFNAR-1 ECD showed that the resin can be regenerated and sanitized for up to 50 cycles without loosing binding capacity. Additionally, after several cycles of sanitization, binding capacity was retained for the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein receptor binding domain and a Bispecific T Cell Engager. As with other split intein systems, optimization was needed to achieve ideal expression and recovery. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of the protein of interest required engineering to enable the cleavage reaction. Additionally, ensuring the stability of the CC-intein tag was important to prevent premature cleavage or truncation. Controlling the hold time of the expression product and the prevention of protease activity prior to purification was needed. These results demonstrate the feasibility of the Cytiva™ ProteinSelect™ system to be used in academic and industrial research and development laboratories for the purification of novel proteins expressed in either bacterial or mammalian systems.

Modification and simplification of Rongey's method for measurement of meat batter stability

The method of Rongey for assessment and quantification of meat batter/emulsion stability has over the years proven useful to many research and industrial laboratories around the world. Unfortunately, its requirement for specialized glassware and a very large centrifugation unit makes the method inaccessible to many modern laboratories. We have, therefore, modified Rongey's original method by adapting it to present-day commercially-available glassware and centrifugation equipment. This modified method was validated by comparing it to Rongey's method on both high-fat (27%) and low-fat (10%) finely comminuted pork batters, each with and without the addition of salt (1.8%) and sodium phosphates (0.5%). This design provided us with batters ranging in stability from very low to very high, thus allowing us to compare the methods across analytical extremes.This modified method:•Utilizes glassware and centrifugation equipment that are commercially-available today.•Maintains the simplicity and speed of the original method of Rongey.•Yields results that are comparable to those of Rongey's traditional method.

Russia in the Struggle for Russia: Statehood and Society, Econ-omy and Culture, Global Conflicts and Peacemaking

This review presents the discussion on the topic «Russia – World – Russia: Problems, Configurations, Outcomes», held at the Faculty of Economics of the Moscow State University within the International Scientific Conference «Russia in the struggle for Russia: statehood and society, economy and culture, global conflicts and peacemaking», ran by the The Philosophy of Economics Research Lab along with the scientific council "Center for Social Sciences" of the Moscow State University and held in a mixed format. The discussion participants expressed their vision of the current political and economic situation, the role and prospects of Russia.

Ten simple rules for leading a successful undergraduate-intensive research lab.

Participating in mentored research is an enormous benefit to undergraduate students. These immersive experiences can dramatically improve retention and completion rates, especially for students from traditionally underserved populations in STEM disciplines. Scientists typically do not receive any formal training in management or group dynamics before taking on the role of a lab head. Thus, peer forums and shared wisdom are crucial for developing the vision and skills involved with mentorship and leading a successful research lab. Faculty at any institution can help improve student outcomes and the success of their labs by thoughtfully including undergraduates in their research programs. Moreover, faculty at primarily undergraduate institutions have special challenges that are not often acknowledged or addressed in public discussions about best practices for running a lab. Here, we present 10 simple rules for fostering a successful undergraduate research lab. While much of the advice herein is applicable to mentoring undergraduates in any setting, it is especially tailored to the special circumstances found at primarily undergraduate institutions.

Defining the Most Potent Osteoinductive Culture Conditions for MC3T3-E1 Cells Reveals No Implication of Oxidative Stress or Energy Metabolism.

The MC3T3-E1 preosteoblastic cell line is widely utilised as a reliable in vitro system to assess bone formation. However, the experimental growth conditions for these cells hugely diverge, and, particularly, the osteogenic medium (OSM)'s composition varies in research studies. Therefore, we aimed to define the ideal culture conditions for MC3T3-E1 subclone 4 cells with regard to their mineralization capacity and explore if oxidative stress or the cellular metabolism processes are implicated. Cells were treated with nine different combinations of long-lasting ascorbate (Asc) and β-glycerophosphate (βGP), and osteogenesis/calcification was evaluated at three different time-points by qPCR, Western blotting, and bone nodule staining. Key molecules of the oxidative and metabolic pathways were also assessed. It was found that sufficient mineral deposition was achieved only in the 150 μg.mL-1/2 mM Asc/βGP combination on day 21 in OSM, and this was supported by Runx2, Alpl, Bglap, and Col1a1 expression level increases. NOX2 and SOD2 as well as PGC1α and Tfam were also monitored as indicators of redox and metabolic processes, respectively, where no differences were observed. Elevation in OCN protein levels and ALP activity showed that mineralisation comes as a result of these differences. This work defines the most appropriate culture conditions for MC3T3-E1 cells and could be used by other research laboratories in this field.

In-Season Cotton Yield Prediction with Scale-Aware Convolutional Neural Network Models and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle RGB Imagery.

In the pursuit of sustainable agriculture, efficient water management remains crucial, with growers relying on advanced techniques for informed decision-making. Cotton yield prediction, a critical aspect of agricultural planning, benefits from cutting-edge technologies. However, traditional methods often struggle to capture the nuanced complexities of crop health and growth. This study introduces a novel approach to cotton yield prediction, leveraging the synergy between Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and scale-aware convolutional neural networks (CNNs). The proposed model seeks to harness the spatiotemporal dynamics inherent in high-resolution UAV imagery to improve the accuracy of the cotton yield prediction. The CNN component adeptly extracts spatial features from UAV-derived imagery, capturing intricate details related to crop health and growth, modeling temporal dependencies, and facilitating the recognition of trends and patterns over time. Research experiments were carried out in a cotton field at the USDA-ARS Cropping Systems Research Laboratory (CSRL) in Lubbock, Texas, with three replications evaluating four irrigation treatments (rainfed, full irrigation, percent deficit of full irrigation, and time delay of full irrigation) on cotton yield. The prediction revealed that the proposed CNN regression models outperformed conventional CNN models, such as AlexNet, CNN-3D, CNN-LSTM, ResNet. The proposed CNN model showed state-of-art performance at different image scales, with the R2 exceeding 0.9. At the cotton row level, the mean absolute error (MAE) and mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) were 3.08 pounds per row and 7.76%, respectively. At the cotton grid level, the MAE and MAPE were 0.05 pounds and 10%, respectively. This shows the proposed model's adaptability to the dynamic interplay between spatial and temporal factors that affect cotton yield. The authors conclude that integrating UAV-derived imagery and CNN regression models is a potent strategy for advancing precision agriculture, providing growers with a powerful tool to optimize cultivation practices and enhance overall cotton productivity.