An Overview of Antennal Esterases in Lepidoptera

Lepidoptera are used as a model for the study of insect olfactory proteins. Among them, odorant degrading enzymes (ODEs), that degrade odorant molecules to maintain the sensitivity of antennae, have received less attention. In particular, antennal esterases (AEs; responsible for ester degradation) are crucial for intraspecific communication in Lepidoptera. Currently, transcriptomic and genomic studies have provided AEs in several species. However, efforts in gene annotation, classification, and functional assignment are still lacking. Therefore, we propose to combine evidence at evolutionary, structural, and functional level to update ODEs as well as key information into an easier classification, particularly of AEs. Finally, the kinetic parameters for putative inhibition of ODEs are discussed in terms of its role in future integrated pest management (IPM) strategies.

Using the fruits of the guelder-rose ordinary (Viburnum opulus L.) new genetic types in the creation of the functional assignment drinks

The strategy of growing fruit crops in our country requires a revision of the food market business environment formation from the iewpoint of the population providing with biologically valuable food products and raw material for the processing and food industries, not only the gross production of separate export attractive types of fruit and small fruit products. In order to solve this proble, a special attention must be paid to the cultivation of minor fruit and small fruit crops which ensure, first of all, obtainning biologically valuable raw material as the source of making the functional assignment products. Talking into consideration all the above mentioned, the studies of the fruits of the new Viburnum opulus L. forms and cultivars were carried out in 2018-2020 at the Institute of Horticulture of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine concerning the biochemical indicators, suitability for processing and production of inland wines and juices for the functional assignment. It should be noted that contrary to wild forms, the new selectional forms (F 329-10-17, F 360-5-17) and varietie Uliana have a more harmonious taste and reduced bitterness, so their fruits can be eaten both as fresh, and in a processed form. The infusion of crushed mass from the fruits of Ulyana for 40 hours, followed by squeezing and adding the second fraction, infused with the apple juice in a ratio of 1:2 at a temperature of 80 ºC, with the further squeezing and gradual addition of sugar appeared cause the growth of the phenolic compounds amount to 2800 mg/dm3 and of acidity to some extent the point value being high (8.0 points). In order to balance the alcohol content and acidity of wine materials and increase their tasting evaluation, it is advisable to use gradually honey instead of sugar. That will raise the tasting evaluation to 8+ points. The infusion of crushed mass from the berries of the selectional forms F 329-10-17 and 360-6-17 for 40 hours the with further squeezing and adding the second fraction, infused with the apple juice in a ratio of 1:2 at a temperature of 80 ºC followed by squeezing and gradual addition of honey proved to bring about the formation of the satisfactory physical and technological parameters, namely: ruby-bright colour, typical rich aroma and pure pleasant and asringent taste. The obtained results made it possible to differentiate the varieties and forms as for the indices of the aroma-formational complex of soft drinks and the of their fruits favourability for processing and making functional food products. Among these genotypes, the variety Uliana and forms, F 329-10-17 and F 360-5-17 were selected that became the prerequisite for the development and improvement of the methods of producting of functional assignment drinks.

Identification and characterization of enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of pyrimidine nucleoside antibiotics

This review highlights the functional assignment and partial characterization of multiple proteins involved in the biosynthesis of structurally complex pyrimidine-derived nucleoside antibiotics.

Novel polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic degrading enzymes from the environmental metagenome

Several plastic degrading enzymes have been described in the literature, most notably PETases that are capable of hydrolyzing polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic. One of them, the PETase from Ideonella sakaiensis, a bacterium isolated from environmental samples within a PET bottle recycling site, was the subject of extensive studies. To test how widespread PETase functionality is in other bacterial communities, we used a cascade of BLAST searches in the JGI metagenomic datasets and showed that PETases can also be found in other metagenomic environmental samples from both human affected and relatively pristine sites. To confirm their classification as PETases, we verified that the newly identified proteins have the PETase sequence signatures common to all PETases and that phylogenetic analyses group them with the experimentally characterized PETases. Additionally, docking analysis was performed in order to further confirm the functional assignment of the putative environmental PETases.

Critique of the functional assignment architecture of Punjab’s local governance legislation of 2013 & 2019

In 2013 and 2019, the local government legislation of the province of Punjab in Pakistan saw two rounds of major changes – each of which led to a new local government Act being passed. In 2013 the changes were driven by constitutional and judicial requirements and in 2019 by the political will of Pakistan’s new coalition government. This article analyses and compares the functional assignment (FA) architecture of the two Acts against a set of parameters. The study finds that marginal improvements to the FA architecture introduced by the 2019 Act are offset by continuing inconsistencies and lack of clarity over ‘who does what’ in the functions assigned to local governments. The authors suggest that improving the functionality of local governments requires full implementation of the design features of the new system, including institutional strengthening of provincial-level entities which regulate and oversee the local government system.

FUNCTIONAL ASSIGNMENT OF TECHNOLOGICAL ACCESSORIESFOR WOODWORKING

Urgency of the research. The use of modern technological accessories allows increasing the productivity of woodworking pro-cesses, the accuracy and quality of wood products and furniture. Also, technological accessories allows to expand the technological capabilities of woodworking accessories, tools, to ensure safe working conditions during mechanical processing of wood.Target setting. When designing technological processes for woodworking and furniture production, the task of choosing or designing technological accessories always exists. For a reasonable choice or design of technological accessories in the woodworking industry, an analysis of the functional purpose is important.Actual scientific researches and issues analysisis devoted to works on the functional analysis of technical systems and the choice of technological accessories.Uninvestigated parts of general matters defining. At the moment, little attention has been paid to the issues of selection and design of technological accessories for woodworking and furniture production in the scientific literature. Analysis and systemati-zation of the functions of technological accessories for woodworking will allow for a more informed choice and design.The purpose of the articleis to determine the functions of technological accessories for woodworking and furniture pro-duction for a more informed choice and design.The statement of basic materials. based on the principles and approaches of the functional analysis of technical systems, the method of formulating the functional assignment of technological equipment for woodworking and furniture production is presented in the work. the main and auxiliary functions are formulated as an example of a conductor with an adjustable center distance. an example of the formulation of the functional assignment of a device for mechanical processing of a wooden blank is given.Conclusions. In this work, for the first time, a general approach to the functional analysis of technological accessories for woodworking is proposed. The functions of the technological accessories are determined and their applied application is demonstrated. The presented materials can be used for an informed choice or design of technological equipment for wood-working and furniture production.

Assessing the performance of different approaches for functional and taxonomic annotation of metagenomes

Background Metagenomes can be analysed using different approaches and tools. One of the most important distinctions is the way to perform taxonomic and functional assignment, choosing between the use of assembly algorithms or the direct analysis of raw sequence reads instead by homology searching, k-mer analysys, or detection of marker genes. Many instances of each approach can be found in the literature, but to the best of our knowledge no evaluation of their different performances has been carried on, and we question if their results are comparable. Results We have analysed several real and mock metagenomes using different methodologies and tools, and compared the resulting taxonomic and functional profiles. Our results show that database completeness (the representation of diverse organisms and taxa in it) is the main factor determining the performance of the methods relying on direct read assignment either by homology, k-mer composition or similarity to marker genes, while methods relying on assembly and assignment of predicted genes are most influenced by metagenomic size, that in turn determines the completeness of the assembly (the percentage of read that were assembled). Conclusions Although differences exist, taxonomic profiles are rather similar between raw read assignment and assembly assignment methods, while they are more divergent for methods based on k-mers and marker genes. Regarding functional annotation, analysis of raw reads retrieves more functions, but it also makes a substantial number of over-predictions. Assembly methods are more advantageous as the size of the metagenome grows bigger.

Assessing the performance of different approaches for functional and taxonomic annotation of metagenomes

Metagenomes can be analysed using different approaches and tools. One of the most important distinctions is the way to perform taxonomic and functional assignment, choosing between the usage of assemblies or the direct analysis of raw sequence reads instead. Many instances of each approach can be found in the literature, but to the best of our knowledge no evaluation of their different performances has been carried on, and we question if their results are comparable. We have studied this point by analysing several real and mock metagenomes using different methodologies and tools, and comparing the resulting taxonomic and functional profiles. Our results show that database completeness is the main factor determining the performance of the methods relying on direct read assignment either by homology, k-mer composition or similarity to marker genes, while methods relying on assembly and assignment of predicted genes are most influenced by sequencing depth, that in turn determines the completeness of the assembly. Although differences exist, taxonomic profiles are rather similar between raw read assignment and assembly assignment methods, while they are more divergent for methods based on k-mers and marker genes. Regarding functional annotation, analysis of raw reads retrieves more functions, but it also makes a significant number of over-predictions. Assembly methods are more advantageous as the size of the metagenome grows bigger.