No 5 (2021)

In response to coronavirus infection, just as with any other infection, our body mobilizes two immune defense systems: antibodies and T-lymphocytes, or T-cells. The humoral response to SARS-CoV-2 infection (the production of antibodies that intercept the virus and prevent it from infecting the cell) has been well-studied; however T-cell response is not. Nevertheless, it is T-lymphocytes that not only detect and destroy infected cells, but also affect long-term immune memory. How is T-cell immunity tested? Are there any differences in its development in people who have had COVID-19 and those who have been vaccinated? Will vaccines created for the original SARS-CoV-2 protect against mutants? Grigorii Aleksandrovich Efimov, Candidate of Biological Sciences, Head of the Laboratory of Transplant Immunology at the National Medical Research Center for Hematology answers these and other questions.

The data on the first findings of bryozoa and tabulatomorphic corals of the genus Aulopora on the shells of atrypids of Transcaucasia in the range from the Emsian to the Frasnian stage are presented. Most of the bryozoa, represented by genera Atactotoechus (?), Fistulipora (?), and Leioclema (?), were found on the dorsal valves of brachiopods in the immediate vicinity of the commissura. Corals are developed in approximately equal proportions either only on the dorsal valve, or on both valves. In the latter case, the colonies usually cover a significant part of the dorsal valve, pass through the commissura and occupy a small part of the abdominal valve. The presence of epibionts in the immediate vicinity of the commissura (some colonies are confined strictly to the commissura) and the frequent orientation of the corallite holes in its direction indicate a lifetime settlement of the fouling. The discovery of colonies crossing over the edge of the brachiopod shell indicates a postmortem settlement and reveals the depths of the surface waves or bottom currents that moved the shells of the dead brachiopods. The absence of over-growth of colonies of bryozoa and corals on each other may indicate the lack or a shortage of the solid substrate on the sea floor that was necessary for their vital activity.

As a flagship of the Soviet research fleet, the research vessel “Vityaz” participated in a number of international projects devoted to the World Ocean exploration. In 1960–1980, she made a large-scale geological and geophysical research of the Earth’s crust and the upper mantle under the oceans within the international project “Upper Mantle and Its Effects on Development of the Earth’s Crust” and the Global Geodynamics Project. However, the information on these projects deserves much more attention. Based on all the published archival and museum materials, the article tries to present a coherent picture and show a scale of the research made by the USSR; to compare and evaluate significance of the works performed on board the R-V “Vityaz” within the above-mentioned projects.

The article provides information on the vertebrate species diversity of Leningrad Oblast, including those listed in the Red Book, as well as on the system of specially protected natural territories of the region. Authors describe where and what animals can be found in different seasons of the year. A comparison of the modern fauna of Leningrad Oblast with data achieved half a century ago shows, unfortunately a steady trend in number decreasing of rare and unique species, such as lynx, flying squirrel, all species of owls, and many others. On the contrary, the number of synanthropic birds, mallards, coots, wild boars, beavers, and a number of introduced species is increasing.

Глава из книги А.К.Чернышёва «Из поколения победителей. Академик А.Д.Сахаров в Атомном проекте СССР» (Саров, 2021)

РУССКАЯ ЭМИГРАЦИЯ И ДВИЖЕНИЕ СОПРОТИВЛЕНИЯ В ГОДЫ ВТОРОЙ МИРОВОЙ ВОЙНЫ. Сост. М.Ю.Сорокина. М.: Дом русского зарубежья имени Александра Солженицына, 2021. 228 с. ОПРЕДЕЛИТЕЛЬ ВЫСШИХ РАСТЕНИЙ ЯКУТИИ / Авторы-составители: Е.А.Афанасьева, К.С.Байков, А.А.Бобров и др.; Отв. ред. Н.Г.Николин. 2-е изд., перераб. и доп. М.: Товарищество научных изданий КМК; Новосибирск: Наука, 2020. 896 с.