Inhibitory effects of divalent metal ions on liver microsomal 7-ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase (EROD) activity of leaping mullet

The purpose of the present study was to elucidate in vitro effects of Hg²⁺, Zn²⁺, Ni²⁺ and Cd²⁺ on cytochrome P4501A1 (CYP1A1) dependent EROD activities in leaping mullet liver microsomes. Fish captured from the most polluted part of Izmir Bay, had highly elevated EROD activities, and induced CYP1A1 protein levels as determined by Western blotting. Although all of the metal ions caused inhibition of the initial velocity of the reaction, Hg²⁺ and Cd²⁺ exhibited much higher inhibitory effect at lower concentrations and they were evidently more potent inhibitors than others. The inhibitor concentration giving 50% inhibition (IC₅₀ values) of Zn²⁺, Ni²⁺, Cd²⁺ and Hg²⁺ of initial EROD activity were 107, 16, 1.3 and 0.15 micromolar, respectively. Glutathione (GSH) at 0.5 mM final concentration, completely reversed Ni²⁺ and Cd²⁺ inhibition of EROD activity indicating the protective action of GSH.     

The key features of the bottom sediment composition in the anoxic Lake Mogil’noe

In the summer 2006, integrated geological, geochemical, hydrological, and hydrochemical studies were performed on the relict anoxic Lake Mogil’noe (down to 16 m depths) located on Kil’din Island in the Barents Sea. The chemical and grain-size composition of the bottom sediments were compared for the lake (a permanently anoxic basin) and the Baltic Sea Deeps (periodically anoxic basins). The vertical location of the hydrogen sulfide layer boundary in the lake (9–11 m depths) was practically the same from 1974 up to now. The concentrations of suspended particulate matter in the lake in June and July 2006 appeared to be close to its summer concentrations in the seawaters of the open part of the Baltic Sea. The mud from Lake Mogil’noe compared to those of the Baltic Sea Deeps are characterized by fluid and flake consistency and by pronounced admixtures of sandy and silty fractions probably of eolic origin. The lacustrine mud contain much plant remains; iron sulfides and vivanite were also found in ooze. The concentrations of 22 elements determined in the lacustrine bottom sediments were of the same levels as those found here 33 years ago. The concentrations also appeared to be close to those in the corresponding grain-size types of the bottom sediments in the Baltic Sea. The low C_org/N value (5% on average) in the mud of Mogil’noe Lake compared to the values for the mud of the Baltic Sea Deeps (10% on average) points to the considerable planktogenic component in the organic matter composition of the lacustrine mud. No indications were reveled for anthropogenic contaminations of the lacustrine bottom sediments with toxic metals.     

Magmatism of the submarine Vityaz Ridge (Pacific slope of the Kuril Island Arc)

Original results of igneous rock studies are presented. The rocks were dredged during a marine expedition (cruise 37 of R/V Akademik M.A. Lavrent’ev in August–September, 2005) in the region of the submarine Vityaz Ridge and Kuril Arc outer slope. Several age complexes (Late Cretaceous, Eocene, Late Oligocene, Miocene, and Pliocene-Pleistocene) are recognizable on the Vityaz Ridge. These complexes are characterized by a number of common geochemical features since all of them represent the formations of island arc calc-alkali series. At the same time, they also have individual features reflecting different geodynamic settings. The outer slope of the Kuril Arc demonstrates submarine volcanism. The Pliocene-Pleistocene volcanic rocks dredged here are similar to the volcanites of the Kuril-Kamchatka Arc frontal zone.     

40Ar–39Ar dating, whole-rock and Sr–Nd–Pb isotope geochemistry of post-collisional Eocene volcanic rocks in the southern part of the Eastern Pontides (NE Turkey): implications for magma evolution in extension-induced origin

The Eocene volcano-sedimentary units in the southern part of the Eastern Pontides (NE Turkey) are confined within a narrow zone of east–west trending, semi-isolated basins in Bayburt, Gümü?hane, ?iran and Alucra areas. The volcanic rocks in these areas are mainly basalt and andesite through dacite, with a dominant calc-alkaline to rare tholeiitic tendency. ⁴⁰Ar–³⁹Ar dating of these volcanic rocks places them between 37.7 ± 0.2 and 44.5 ± 0.2 Ma (Middle Eocene). Differences in the major and trace element variations can be explained by the fractionation of clinopyroxene ± magnetite in basaltic rocks and that of hornblende + plagioclase ± magnetite ± apatite in andesitic rocks. Primitive mantle-normalized multi-element variations exhibit enrichment of large-ion lithophile elements and to a lesser extent, of light rare earth elements, as well as depletion of high field strength elements, thus revealing that volcanic rocks evolved from a parental magma derived from an enriched mantle source. Chondrite-normalized rare earth element patterns of the aforementioned volcanic rocks resemble each other and are spoon-shaped with low-to-medium enrichment (La_N/Lu_N = 2–14), indicating similar spinel lherzolitic mantle source(s). Sr, Nd and Pb isotopic systematics imply that the volcanic rocks are derived from a subduction-modified subcontinental lithospheric mantle. Furthermore, post-collisional thickened continental crust, lithospheric delamination and a subduction-imposed thermal structure are very important in generating Tertiary magma(s). The predominantly calc-alkaline nature of Eocene volcanic rocks is associated with increasing geodynamic regime-extension, whereas tholeiitic volcanism results from local variations in the stress regime of the ongoing extension and the thermal structure, as well as the thickness of the crust and the mantle-crust source regions. Based on volcanic variety and distribution, as well as on petrological data, Tertiary magmatic activity in Eastern Pontides is closely related to post-collisional thinning of the young lithosphere, which, in turn, is caused by extension and lithospheric delamination after collisional events between the Tauride–Anatolide Platform and the Eurasian Plate.     

Sources and Databases for the Study of the Dynamics of Moons of Asteroids

A new database of all astrometric observations of moons of asteroids is offered. It has a simple structure and is accessible through the Internet. Regular database updating is provided when new observational results occur in publications. The database is located at the sites of the Natural Satellites Data Center created as a result of collaboration between the Sternberg Astronomical Institute of Moscow State University and the Institut de Mécanique Céleste et de Calcul des Ephémérides (IMCCE). The database addresses in the Internet are https://doi.org/www.sai.msu.ru/neb/nss/indexr.htm and https://doi.org/nsdb.imcce.fr/obsposrespectively. On entering these sites, we need to select one of three languages, the Observation item, and the Astrometric positions of asteroids with moons item. The observational data are provided here with explanations and hyperlinks to the publications in the bibliographic database SAO/NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS) Abstract Service.     

Astrometric Results for Observations of Jupiter’s Galilean Satellites During Mutual Occultations and Eclipses in 2009 and 2014–2015

Solar System Research - Photometric observations of satellites during their mutual occultations and eclipses are a valuable source of astrometric data for studying the motion of natural planetary...     

Computer vision techniques for quantifying, tracking, andidentifying bioluminescent plankton

This paper applies computer vision techniques to underwater video images of bioluminescent biota for quantifying, tracking, and identification. Active contour models are adapted for computerized image segmentation, labeling, tracking, and mapping of the bioluminescent plankton recorded by low-light-level video techniques. The system automatically identifies luminous events and extracts features such as duration, size, and coordinates of the point of impact, and uses this information to taxonomically classify the plankton species. This automatic classification can aid oceanographic researchers in characterizing the in situ spatial and temporal relationships of these organisms in their underwater environment. Experiments with real oceanographic data are reported. The results indicate that the approach yields performance comparable to human expert level capability. Furthermore, because the described technique has the potential to rapidly process vast quantities of video data, it may prove valuable for other similar applications     

Geological structure of the submarine Vityaz Ridge within the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Seismic Gap</Emphasis> area (Pacific slope of the Kurile island arc)

Results of geological research conducted by the Pacific Oceanological Institute of the Far East Division of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences on the submarine Vityaz Ridge during Cruise 37 of R/V Akademik M.A. Lavrentyev in 2005 are discussed. Various rocks constituting the basement and sedimentary cover of the ridge were dredged in three areas of the ridge. Based on isotope geochronology, petrogeochemical, petrographic, and paleontological data and comparison with similar rocks available from the adjacent land and Sea of Okhotsk, they are subdivided into several age complexes. Late Cretaceous, Eocene, Late Oligocene, Miocene, and Pliocene-Pleistocene complexes are defined among the igneous rocks, while volcanogenic-sedimentary rocks are united into Late Cretaceous-Early Paleocene (late Campanian-Danian), undivided Paleogene (Paleocene-Eocene?), Oligocene-early Miocene, and Pliocene-Pleistocene complexes. The obtained data on the age and formation settings of the defined complexes made it possible to reconstruct the geological evolution of the central Pacific slope of the Kurile island arc.     

Determination of the masses of planetary satellites from their mutual gravitational perturbations

We analyze the possibility of determining the masses of outer planetary satellites from their mutual gravitational perturbations via ground-based observations. Such a technique has been applied in (Emelyanov, 2005b) to determine the mass of the Jovian satellite Himalia. In this paper, we use the least-squares method to compute the errors of satellite masses inferred from simulated observations. We analyze several of the most suitable variants of groups of outer satellites of planets with maximum mutual attraction. We found that the mass of the Satumian satellite Phoebe (S9) can be refined by continuing observations of the satellite S25 Mundilfari until 2027. We show that the masses of other known outer planetary satellites cannot be determined from ground-based observations.