Ulyanovsk State University

The genus Ptilodontella Kiriakoff, 1967 (the type species Bombyx cucullina Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775) has been separated from the synonymy with the genus Ptilodon Hübner, 1822 (the type species Phalaena camelina Linnaeus, 1758) and reinstated as a distinct genus (stat. rev.) based on differences in male and female genitalia. Additionally, a new species, Ptilodontella albertisp. n., has been described from the Greater and Lesser Caucasus and the Pontic Mountains spanning northern Turkey, with the type locality in the Republic of South Ossetia. This new species differs from its close relatives Ptilodontella cucullina (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775) comb. rev. and Ptilodontella saerdabensis (Daniel, 1938) comb. n. in the shape of antennal rami and the genitalia of both sexes. Variability in wing patterns among species is demonstrated and is regarded as an unreliable feature for distinguishing the three species. The distribution boundary between the new species and P. cucullina lies between the lowland Pontic steppe and the foothills of the Greater Caucasus, while the boundary between the new species and P. saerdabensis is situated between the Lesser Caucasus and the Alborz Mountains. None of these species are found to fly sympatrically.

Specific features of the preparative extraction-chromatographic separation of small amounts of lutetium and prevalent amounts of ytterbium using a sorbent based on Prefilter resin, impregnated with 2-ethylhexyl hydrogen 2-ethylhexylphosphonate, are considered. In the presence of prevalent ytterbium amounts, the distribution ratios of both ytterbium and lutetium decrease owing to the formation of complexes Ln(HA2)3 or LnA(HA2)2, which decreases the concentration of the free extractant in the sorbent and is the major factor responsible for the significant deviation of the elution curve shape from the classical Gaussian shape. Analysis of the Lu and Yb distribution along the column and the Fourier IR spectra of the sorbent samples show that the formation of the third phase in the sorbent at the acidity lower than 0.1 M is improbable, and this process does not affect the behavior of Yb and Lu.

To investigate whether patterns of ploidy state variation known to occur in macrophytes at broad global scales can be detected at finer site scale, we examined macrophyte assemblages present in 1239 individual inland lentic and lotic waterbodies sampled from 2000 onwards. The sites include lakes and reservoirs, rivers and streams, slow-flowing or static water bodies associated with rivers (such as oxbows), man-made channels, and temporary or ephemeral lentic waterbodies in 22 countries worldwide. The latitude range for these sites was 10.58-68.40 degrees N and from 0.01 to 54.88 degrees S, covering climatic conditions ranging from tropical to temperate/Arctic. We examined the influence of geospatial variables, current or historic climate variables, and additional local water physical and chemical variables measured for each site, as potential predictors of the incidence of ploidy state (diploidy, polyploidy, and mixed-cytotype) in the macrophyte species assemblage. At fine scales (individual sites), we observed the same latitudinal and climatic patterns influencing all macrophyte ploidy states, especially diploid species, compared to findings at a broad spatial resolution of 10 degrees x 10 degrees latitude-longitude. Ploidy state of macrophyte assemblages slightly, but significantly, differs between lentic and lotic environments. Along with geospatial and climate variables, local physical and chemical variables also helped predict the occurrence of polyploid and mixed-ploidy species. Our results support previous findings on ploidy state distribution and drivers at broader scales but also unravel new information on key drivers for the distribution of polyploid and mixedploidy species, relevant to understanding macrophyte adaptation mechanisms and evolutionary processes worldwide.

Controlling defect type and concentration is essential for manipulating the optoelectronic properties of van der Waals heterostructures to meet specific device requirements. This study uses first-principles calculations to systematically investigate how specific extrinsic defects-namely carbon substitutions and interstitial oxygen, carbon, boron, and hydrogen atoms-alter the properties of a MoS2/four-layer h-BN heterostructure. Our results quantify defect-induced structural deformations, revealing that carbon substitution for boron causes local compression while other defects induce lattice expansion. Critically, substitutions of boron and nitrogen with carbon, along with interstitial carbon and boron atoms, introduce in-gap electronic states that significantly modify the optical absorption spectrum. These findings establish relationships between defect type and the resulting structural, electronic, and optical changes, providing essential insights for targeted property engineering in van der Waals heterostructures.

According to Russian clinical COPD guidelines (2024), 101 bronchial asthma (BA) patients were diagnosed with a possible BA and COPD overlap (32.7%). The main clinical and functional characteristics were compared in patients with BA without (BA group) and with COPD overlap (BA+COPD group). Against the background of a higher rate of pack-years indicator, severe asthma with more pronounced bronchial obstruction and reduced SpO2 levels was more common in BA+COPD group. According to the results of 6MWT in BA+COPD group, we revealed a more pronounced impairment of physical performance against the background of a more significant decrease in all main characteristics of blood oxygenation before, during and after 6MWT combined with high levels of desaturation-distance ratio (DDR) and the need for additional O2 flow during physical activity (O2-GAP index). The potential diagnostic regression model included: age, the factor of the severe asthma presence, the factor of the lack of complete control of bronchial asthma according to GINA, the DDR value, the dynamics of dyspnea as a result of 6MWT, average blood oxygenation after 6MWT, FEV1 , FVC and pack-years indicator. Three independent factors were included in the final model to accurately determine the probability of a combination of bronchial asthma and COPD: DDR, FEV1 , and pack-years indicator. The developed model has characteristics: AUC=0,88 (p<0.001), the sensitivity is 75.0%, specificity is 90.6%. The BA and COPD overlap was highly probable with the diagnostic threshold of the model ≥0.481.