The paper considers the basic problems of preparing the substrate surface for applying Langmuir films. Images obtained by confocal laser scanning microscopy and atomic force microscopy are represented; they allowed us to reveal the correlation between structure defects of the film and substrate surfaces. The influence of the substrate surface topography on the structure of the formed film is discussed.

Institute for Analytical Instrumentation RAS, Saint-Petersburg

Optimal parameters of the ionization chamber for a time-of-flight ion-mobility spectrometer with a tritium ion source have been determined. While detecting ions typical for dried air, dependences of reactant ion peak amplitudes and shapes, as well as of background current, on the ejection pulse height and width and direct-current voltage between the ejection electrode and grid shutter have been obtained.

*Federal state unitary enterprise "A.P. Alexandrov Research Institute of Technology", Sosnovy Bor **A.F. Ioffe Physico-Technical Institute of RAS, St. Petersburg

A new 16-channel ion counter has been developed; the detector comprises a microchannel plate (MCP) assembly, phosphor screen, magnifying lens, and linear 16-anode photomultiplier (PM). The multi-anode PM allowed the dynamic counting range to be expanded to 10^5 pulse/channel. The dark noise does not exceed 0.1 pulse/s per channel. Cross interference is negligible due to digitally processing each ion signal. The detector makes it possible to concurrently measure actinide isotopes and background in the intervals between spectral peaks. The paper considers the detector design and performance.

Institute for Analytical Instrumentation RAS, Saint-Petersburg

The paper considers indirect methods of measuring short time intervals and discusses nonlinear effects of their scaling. Some solutions for circuit configuration aimed at reducing such distortions in time interval expanders are presented. Those circuits, being integrated into the analog-to-digital time converters, guarantee integral nonlinearity not higher then 0.05 %.

*Obninsk State Technical University of Nuclear Power Engineering **RF State Research Center Phisical-Technical Institute, Obninsk

Investigation of silver ion interaction with sulfur-containing amino acids and cysteine-containing peptides has been performed. Using an electrospray ionisation orthogonal ion introduction time-of-flight (ESI-O-TOF) mass spectrometer, it has been shown that Cys and Hcy exhibit the largest affinity for silver ions with respect to both methionine and cysteine residues in peptides. The effect of predominant formation of ions containing two silver atoms per a sulfhydryl group of cysteine-containing peptides, provided the nearest microenvironment does not hinder this, was revealed for the first time.

Institute for Analytical Instrumentation RAS, Saint-Petersburg *M.M. Shemyakin and Ju.A. Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry RAS, Moscow **Research Institute of Biomedical Chemistry RAMS, Moscow

Simplification of trypsin proteom E. coli in searching for RNA-polymerase peptides has been achieved by using gel-penetrating chromatography. As a result of analyzing the fractions obtained in the process of chromatography by the method of time-of-flight mass spectrometry with electrospray ionization, peptides were identified, the presence of which is the evidence of the presence of RNA-polymerase in the initial total protein.

*Limnological Institute of the RAS Siberian Branch, Irkutsk **Institute for Analytical Instrumentation RAS, Saint-Petersburg

In connection with the problem of ellipsometry accuracy improvement, the paper presents successive derivation and analysis of null ellipsometry zonal relations for a general case of arbitrary orientation of the compensator "fast" axis with respect to the plane of incidence. Those zonal relations define polarization angles Ψ and Δ (by the positions of optical elements quenching) in each of 4 measurement zones. The technique of averaging the polarization angles (zonal relations) over the pairs of measuring zones has been generalized. The paper demonstrates that such a procedure makes weaker the explicit dependence on the compensator parameter only in a sufficiently narrow interval of the compensator "fast" axis angular positions. The problem of ellipsometric measurement accuracy improvement in the Ψ and Δ ranges where the intensity minimum of light beam at the analyzer output is weakly defined (by one or two quenching parameters) is discussed. Weight of evidence suggests that this minimum can be considerably intensified by fitting the "fast" axis position. The problem of null ellipsometry measurement accuracy improvement will be considered in details in the next paper.

*Institute of Applied Physics NAS, Ukraine, Sumy **Institute for Analytical Instrumentation RAS, Saint-Petersburg

The paper presents a number of useful definitions and properties of the scattering amplitude as an analytical function of spherical coordinates. The scattering amplitude is considered in a composite incident field. It has been shown that, in calculating the scattering field in the wave zone, scattering amplitudes going beyond the visible range can be neglected. The results of this work can be used in calculating radiation pressure in case of irregular external field.

Saint-Petersburg

The paper demonstrates the topicality of alternative (with respect to conventional) techniques for stochastic nonlinear parametric identification. The identification procedure of the discrete observer parameter based on the minimum criterion of the estimation error probability is offered herein for the first time. A model example that demonstrates the efficiency of the technique proposed is considered. The algorithm based on the generalized probabilistic criterion can be used in a vast variety of applications in the fields of communication, control, metrology, etc.

Rostov State University of Transport Communication, Rostov-on-Don

The paper considers a closed system for measuring levels of liquid in moving reservoirs. The procedure of creating a mathematical model for the liquid motion, as well as the respective software, is presented.

Saint-Petersburg University of Airspace Instrumentation

The paper presents the results of investigating the processes of ultrasonic disintegration of microorganisms by using fibrous filling agent in the disintegration chamber. Ultrasonic disintegration of Escherichia coli and Methilocystis echinoides cells, which was carried out in the ultrasonic disintegrator flow-through chamber filled with siliconized fibrous glass with volume of 0.1–0.7 of the chamber volume, provided higher degree of disintegration, yield of dissolved protein, and enzyme activity as compared to disintegration without fibrous filling agent with the same parameters of other conditions and disintegration modes. In addition, electric power consumption for disintegration is lower in this case.

Institute for Biological Instrumentation of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Pushchino

The homogenizer for vegetable and animal tissues has been designed and tested; the device is intended to prepare under the laboratory conditions samples of homogenized vegetable and animal tissues in liquid media for research work, laboratory analyses, and developing chemical and biotechnological processes, as well as for producing initial material for preparations. Rotation speed of the shaft with knives is smoothly adjustable within range of 1000 to 15 000 rpm. The volume of one milling chamber charge does not exceed 600 cm3 for chamber 1, 100 cm3 for chamber 2, and 600 cm3 for the chamber with a filter. The test has shown that the homogenizer for vegetable and animal tissues can be used to pulverize vegetable and animal tissues in liquid media in order to prepare homogenized products for research, analytical and preparation works. The homogenizer can find applications in preparing suspensions, emulsions, and solutions. The homogenizer chamber can work in the flow-through mode. The homogenizer set comprises a chamber that filters organelles and biopolymers at the output of the milling zone, thus ensuring their high quality. The homogenizer is designed so as to ensure fast and convenient access into the chamber to load and unload it, to replace knives and stirrers, and to change the chamber. The homogenizer component parts contacting with the processed materials can be thoroughly washed and sterilized with chemical reagents and steam.

Institute for Biological Instrumentation of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Pushchino

The Institute for Biological Instrumentation has developed a device for cell electroporation that can be used in cellular engineering, biotechnology and biology. The electroporator comprises two electrically connected units: controller and chamber. The controller generates electric signals necessary for the electroporation process. A single pulse or a series of pulses are formed within two ranges. In the first range, the pulse amplitude is 100 to 500 V for the length of 300 μs to 99 ms. In the other one, the amplitude is 500 to 3000 V for the length of 5 μs to 99 μs. Number of pulses in a series varies from 1 to 99. An acoustic warning signal is generated at the end of each pulse train. The chamber is constructed based on a standard Petri dish 90 mm dia. Stainless steel electrodes ensure the best uniformity of electric field. The distance between the electrodes can be varied with a 2-mm step. Total protection against electric shock is provided. The electroporator specimens have been manufactured and tested for compliance with the specifications.

Institute for Biological Instrumentation of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Pushchino, Moscow region

Academician Yu.A. Zolotov has turned 75. On behalf of the RAS Institute for Analytical Instrumentation staff, he was sincerely congratulated by the institute Director and journal "Nauchnoe Priborostroenie" Editor V.E. Kurochkin. The text of Congratulation Letter is enclosed.