Serpula (fungus) cover the surface they are growing on (known as the substrate). The hymenophore, or spore-forming surface, generally has a wrinkled appearance. The species grow on, and digest, mainly coniferous wood, causing a process known as brown rot. One species, dry rot ("S. lacrymans"), is a highly destructive agent of houses. Damp structural timber is an ideal substrate for the germination of "Serpula" spores. The fungal hyphae penetrate the wood and release enzymes that break down structural polysaccharides such as cellulose. There may be no external indications that the fungus is present until the rot is far advanced and fruit bodies
Center for Scientific and Technical Creativity of the Youth subsidiaries of Komsomol "raikoms". The Centers enjoyed various benefits, including no taxes and only 3% contribution to the all-union fund. The fortunes of quite a few "new Russians", notably Mikhail Khodorkovsky arose from these Centers. The Centers continue to exist in modern Russia. Similar establishments were the Foundations of Youth Initiatives (фонды молодёжных инициатив, ФМИ). Center for Scientific and Technical Creativity of the Youth Centers for Scientific and Technical Creativity of the Youth , NTTM) were established in the late Soviet Union during "perestroika" as enterprises whose goal was commercialization of science and technology. Other translations of the Russian term