A Meeting of the USSR Academy of Sciences Technology Division Bureau and Its Role in the History of Soviet Computer Engineering
The paper gives an account of a historicmeeting held by the governing body of the USSRAcademy of Sciences Technology Division, whosedecisions played a key role in the development of Sovietcomputer engineering.
Computers in Russia: science, education, and industry
The history of Russian computer development is described from the first experiments in 1948 to modern times. In the past decade (1989-99), in connection with the change in the general political situation-the disintegration of the Soviet Union into independent states and the economic crisis in Russia-the conditions have changed for scientific research and education in the field of computers. In connection with industrial recession, this branch of science suffered heavy damage, especially in areas associated with the military-industrial complex. Russian enterprises have sharply reduced their development of computers oriented to military-industrial use. The restrictions of the state budget on science have had an effect on scientific activity of state research institutes and higher educational establishments. There have been changes in the system of financing scientific organizations and educational establishments.
New Trends in Fungal Biooxidation
Biooxidations using isolated biocatalysts for the oxidative conversion of organic compounds and materials are becoming more and more important in the industrial sector. Research in this direction is part of the rapidly developing field of White Biotechnology and is carried out not least against the background of sustainable development and the need to replace environmentally risky technologies by eco-friendly processes. Whereas whole cells are already widely used as oxidative biocatalysts, the application of isolated enzymes is still limited to a few examples. One reason for that is the cost-intensive production and laborious purification of enzymes which are mostly intracellular and sometimes membrane-bound proteins with low stability and complex co-factor requirements. The use of secreted oxidoreductases offers several advantages: they are easier to separate and purify, need only cheap co-substrates such as dioxygen or peroxides and are far more stable than intracellular enzymes. Filamentous fungi secrete a broad spectrum of oxidative biocatalysts which are involved, amongst others, in the degradation of recalcitrant biopolymers, the synthesis of melanins as well as the detoxification of plant ingredients, microbial metabolites and organopollutants. We focus here on novel secreted enzymes - peroxygenases and DyP-type peroxidases - with remarkable catalytic properties. Furthermore selected features of “classic” fungal oxidoreductases, such as laccase, tyrosinase and chloroperoxidase, are discussed against the background of innovative recent developments in the field of enzyme application.