Surface photochemical processes and the interconnected photophysical events taking place in the bulk and at the surface of a wide band gap insulator material, e.g. scandia (Sc 2 O 3 ), have been examined to ascertain the role of intrinsic defects (e.g. anion and cation vacancies) on surface processes such as photoadsorption of electron acceptor (O 2 ) and donor (H 2 and CO) molecules. The influence of surface processes on the formation and destruction of photoinduced defects (i.e. electron F-type color centers and hole V-type color centers) in scandia and the role that color defect centers play in the overall efficiency of surface reactions have been explored spectroscopically. Photoadsorption of gases on the scandia particle surface and the resulting effect on photocoloration and photobleaching have been used to identify the type of color centers produced on photoexcitation with UV light in the fundamental absorption edge (intrinsic) and in the extrinsic absorption region of powdered scandia specimens. Formation of color centers red-shifts the spectral limits of surface photoreactions. Formation of F and V color centers decreases the quantum yield of surface photochemical processes because of recombination of charge carriers through color centers, but increases the overall efficiency of these processes through photobleaching of the color centers on irradiation at appropriate UV wavelengths.

Introduction. Specific molecular epidemic features of HIV infection in Tyumen Oblast (TO), Russia, were studied. Methods. The genome sequences encoding HIV-1 protease-reverse transcriptase, integrase, and major envelope protein were examined for 72 HIV-1 specimens isolated from the TO resident infected in 2000–2015. Results. The recorded prevalence of HIV-1 subtype A (A1) is 93.1%; HIV-1 subtype B continues to circulate in MSM risk group (1.4%). Solitary instances of HIV-1 recombinant forms, CRF63_02A1 (1.4%) and CRF03_AB (1.4%), were detected as well as two cases of HIV-1 URF63_A1 (2.8%). Phylogenetic analysis showed no HIV-1 clustering according to the duration of infection and risk groups but revealed different epidemic networks confirming that HIV infection spread within local epidemic foci. A high incidence of CXCR4-tropic HIV-1 variants and a higher rate of secondary mutations influencing the virus fitness (K20R, L10V, and I) are observed among the virus specimens isolated from newly infected individuals. Conclusions. The current HIV-1 epidemic in TO develops within the local epidemic networks. Similar to the previous period, HIV-1 subtype A is predominant in TO with sporadic cases of importation of HIV-1 recombinant forms circulating in adjacent areas.

The paper explores the syntax of direct questions in Old High German (OHG) with particular reference to the placement of the finite verb and the interrogative element. It evaluates the complete OHG corpus and analyses the word order patterns taking into account the relevant loan-syntactic or metrical factors. The study shows that there is secure evidence allowing to retrace the emergence of V1 and V2 as the core patterns in alternative and constituent questions in modern German. In addition, the relation between the establishment of the V2-pattern in interrogatives and the consolidation of the V2-rule in main declarative clauses is discussed.

Using as a starting point the finding that in linguistics Verfügbarkeit and Unverfügbarkeit have not yet been recognised as categories, the authors point out that strategies have, nevertheless, been investigated in a highly intensive way: these are aimed at the activiation of a certain knowledge in the recepient – thereby making this knowledge verfügbar (or not, as the case may be). In this process an important role is played by agents, which in linguistics are called ‘discourse referents’: the authors follow up the communicative potential of these discourse referents from a language historical-systematic perspective.

Introduction. Soy pulp, or okara, is a soy milk by-product. It contains a complex of valuable macro- and micronutrients, including fat-soluble vitamins. Recently, there has been a growing interest in replacing synthetic antioxidants with a mix of natural tocopherols. Soy beans and their by-products contain vitamin E and therefore can be used in food production, cosmetic, etc. Study objects and methods. The present research featured soy pulp. The content of tocopherols in the soy product was determined by high performance liquid chromatography using Sigma Aldrich standards and corresponding calibration dependencies. The research also involved spectrophotometry for determining tocopherols in standard solutions followed by chromatographic separation using fluorimetric detection. Results and discussion. To determine tocopherols in the okara, the test samples were treated with hexane. The filtered solution was exposed to low temperatures, after which the phases formed by centrifugation were separated. The samples were tested for all forms of tocopherols with the exception of β- and γ-forms. The chromatographic separation of the peaks of these forms was difficult due to the fact that their structural formulas were similar and differed only in the arrangement of methyl groups, i.e. the ortho- and paraposition. As a result, it was decided to determine the sum of the β- and γ-forms, which did not affect the objectivity of the analysis, since, according to published data, the content of β-tocopherol in soy products stays within 5%. Conclusion. The proposed method for sample preparation made it possible to improve the separation of the lipid fraction, which had a positive effect on the results of the analysis. The method also determined not only the quantitative, but also the qualitative content of tocopherols in the product. This reduced the risk of malfunctioning chromatographic equipment: the method proved more economical in terms of labor and reagent use. The obtained results corresponded to the existing scientific data on the content of tocopherols in soy products. The content of tocopherols in soy okara was 109 mg%.