Plio-Pliocene vole fauna from Zverinogolovskoye locality (Southern Trans-Urals region)

The Plio-Pleistocene arvicoline fauna of Zverinogolovskoye is revised. The molar morphology of Pliomys sp., Borsodia praehungarica, Pitymimomys ex gr. inceptor, Pitymimomys baschkiricus, Mimomys ex gr. hajnackensis, Mimomys polonicus, Mimomys hintoni, and M. cf. reidi is described. Biozones of most forms indicate the Late Pliocene-earliest Pleistocene interval (Villanyian European Land Mammal Age, zones MN16 to MN17). The vole fauna includes common species occurring in Western Europe, the Russian Plain, and West Siberia. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd and INQUA

Organization and management of clusters in Russia in the context of import substitution

The article covers the trends of the agribusiness development in Russia. It is shown that it is desirable to develop organizational-economic forms of entrepreneurship based on the cluster approach in the modern realities. The most famous agribusiness clusters in the world are explored. Regions of Russia that have achieved the most significant results in agribusiness clustering are mentioned. It is found that the establishment of agribusiness in Russia is defined by the political decision of regional authorities rather than based on research and development. An algorithm for establishing the agribusiness cluster is proposed, which includes four stages: methodological, analytical, organizational-economic and control. The key areas of state support for the development of agribusiness clusters in Russia are defined.peer-reviewe

Assessment of the actual nutrition of rural adolescents of the Irkutsk region because of revision of the norms of physiological needs for energy and nutrients

Background. The rational nutrition of the child population is given great medical importance as a factor in preserving the health and development of the child. A complete and balanced diet in terms of the content of basic nutrients ensures the normal growth and development of the child’s body.The aim. To analyze of the actual nutrition of adolescents living in rural areas of the Irkutsk region.Materials and methods. The study involved 69 rural adolescents aged 11–17 years (34 boys, 35 girls). The actual nutrition was studied by the method of 24-hour nutrition reproduction. The energy value of the diet was determined, the nature of the provision of the diet with basic macro- and microelements was studied. The obtained values were compared with the norms of  physiological needs for energy and nutrients in 2008 and 2021.Results. The analysis of actual nutrition revealed deviations from the principles of  healthy nutrition: insufficient energy value of the diet, deficiency of proteins and  fats. The diet of  adolescents was characterized by an insufficient content of the main groups of macro- and micronutrients – vitamins A, C and D, essential trace elements, and a deficiency of dietary fiber. The diet of adolescents was characterized by increased sodium intake. The calculated ratio of proteins, fats, carbohydrates indicated a carbohydrate type of diet.Conclusion. Despite the great attention to the problem of balanced nutrition of adolescents, the question of the impact of nutrition on the health of a teenager, considering the regional factor, remains open. Recommendations for the development of a regional program for the organization of proper nutrition for school-age children are of great practical importance

Dietary intake in indigenous adolescents in rural Buryatia, Russia

Background. The diet of adolescents is an important factor in their future health. The diet is formed under the influence of biological, personal, family, socio-economic, environmental, and cultural factors.The aim: to study the diet of adolescents in rural areas of Buryatia and compare the dietary intake of the Russian and Buryat ethnic groups.Materials and methods. The study included 92 rural adolescents 11–17 years old (44 boys, 48 girls); 49 of them were Buryats, 43 – Russians. Dietary intake was assessed by the food record method. The intake of energy, macronutrients (proteins, fats and carbohydrates) and micronutrients (major groups of vitamins and trace elements) of the diet was determined. The values obtained were compared with references to daily energy and nutrient intake, and between groups of adolescents of different ethnicity.Results. The diets of rural adolescents were not balanced. Only 7.6 % of adolescents include fish in their diet. Milk and dairy products are consumed by 38 % of the respondents. Daily energy intake was significantly lower the recommended guidelines. The diet is characterized by a deficiency of vitamins of groups A, C, and D, group B (with the exception of cobalamin), niacin, biotin, essential trace elements (calcium, phosphorus, iodine), high sodium intake. A significant deficiency of dietary fiber has been noted. The Buryats showed a shift in the ratio of proteins, fats and carbohydrates in the diet towards carbohydrates (1 : 1.2 : 5.3).Conclusion. The results indicate significant disturbances in the composition of the diet in rural adolescents in Buryatia, more pronounced in the Asian subgroup. This can be a rationale for the development of targeted nutrition monitoring programs aimed at preserving the health of the youth

Non-hemagglutinating flaviviruses: molecular mechanisms for the emergence of new strains via adaptation to European ticks

Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) causes human epidemics across Eurasia. Clinical manifestations range from inapparent infections and fevers to fatal encephalitis but the factors that determine disease severity are currently undefined. TBEV is characteristically a hemagglutinating (HA) virus; the ability to agglutinate erythrocytes tentatively reflects virion receptor/fusion activity. However, for the past few years many atypical HA-deficient strains have been isolated from patients and also from the natural European host tick, Ixodes persulcatus. By analysing the sequences of HA-deficient strains we have identified 3 unique amino acid substitutions (D67G, E122G or D277A) in the envelope protein, each of which increases the net charge and hydrophobicity of the virion surface. Therefore, we genetically engineered virus mutants each containing one of these 3 substitutions; they all exhibited HA-deficiency. Unexpectedly, each genetically modified non-HA virus demonstrated increased TBEV reproduction in feeding Ixodes ricinus, not the recognised tick host for these strains. Moreover, virus transmission efficiency between infected and uninfected ticks co-feeding on mice was also intensified by each substitution. Retrospectively, the mutation D67G was identified in viruses isolated from patients with encephalitis. We propose that the emergence of atypical Siberian HA-deficient TBEV strains in Europe is linked to their molecular adaptation to local ticks. This process appears to be driven by the selection of single mutations that change the virion surface thus enhancing receptor/fusion function essential for TBEV entry into the unfamiliar tick species. As the consequence of this adaptive mutagenesis, some of these mutations also appear to enhance the ability of TBEV to cross the human blood-brain barrier, a likely explanation for fatal encephalitis. Future research will reveal if these emerging Siberian TBEV strains continue to disperse westwards across Europe by adaptation to the indigenous tick species and if they are associated with severe forms of TBE

ФИНАНСОВО-ЭКОНОМИЧЕСКИЕ МЕХАНИЗМЫ СОЗДАНИЯ ИННОВАЦИОННЫХ ТЕРРИТОРИАЛЬНЫХ КЛАСТЕРОВ

Nowadays, the introduction of innovative business models is a factor of sustainable development of the Russian economy and its regions. One of such models is creation of clusters. The cluster approach came into widespread use in the 80s of the last century. The innovative development and understanding of the importance of the economy at the regional level made it possible to apply the cluster theory to these problems. At present, the cluster approach is regarded as one of the most effective tools for the development of national and regional economies. This is the way to allow the country to maintain the domestic industry and promote the development of entrepreneurship in the regions. Although the budget funding of the country’s industrial potential is characterized by relatively high indices it is not sufficient for the concurrent implementation of many large-scale projects, including the creation of innovative regional clusters and ensuring high rates of economic development of the country and individual regions. The paper discusses the use of the cluster approach to boost the innovative development of the region, methods for building a cluster management system, organizational and financial mechanisms for the development of a cluster. The analysis of the Russian experience in the use of innovative financial and economic mechanisms for creation and development of regional clusters made it possible to identify the main trends in the application of such mechanisms, evaluate their effectiveness and outline possible areas of improvement.В современных условиях одной из составляющих обеспечения устойчивого развития экономики России и ее регионов является внедрение инновационных моделей хозяйствования, одна из которых - создание кластеров. Кластерный подход получил широкое распространение в 80-х годах XX в. Инновационное развитие и понимание важности развития экономики на региональном уровне позволили применить к этим задачам кластерную теорию. В настоящее время кластерный подход рассматривается в качестве одного из наиболее эффективных инструментов развития национальных и региональных экономик. Именно такой путь позволит стране сохранить отечественное производство и стимулировать развитие предпринимательства в регионах. Несмотря на то что бюджетное финансирование развития промышленного потенциала страны характеризуется относительно высокими показателями, его недостаточно для одновременной реализации многих масштабных проектов, в том числе создания инновационных территориальных кластеров и обеспечения высоких темпов экономического развития страны и отдельных регионов. В статье рассмотрены вопросы применения кластерного подхода для активизации инновационного развития регионов, направления построения системы управления кластером и организационно-финансовые механизмы развития кластера. Анализ российского опыта использования финансово-экономических механизмов создания и развития инновационных территориальных кластеров позволил выявить основные тенденции в применении таких механизмов, оценить их эффективность и наметить возможные направления совершенствования

Correlation between actual nutrition and lipid peroxidation and antioxidant defense parameters in aged 14–17 years adolescents living in rural area

The aim of the study was to reveal the relationship between the parameters of actual nutrition and the lipid peroxidation and antioxidant defense system in adolescents aged 14–17 in a rural area. Material and methods. 76 adolescents aged 14–17 of the Irkutsk region were examined by the cross-sectional study method. Actual nutrition was studied by the 24-hour nutrition reproduction method. The content of substrates with unsaturated double bonds (DB), diene conjugates (DC), ketodienes and conjugated trienes (KD and CT), thiobarbituric acid reacting species (TBARS), α-tocopherol, retinol, reduced (GSH) and oxidized glutathione (GSSG), total blood antioxidant activity (TAA), superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in blood by spectrophotometry and fluorometry methods were analyzed. Results. The adolescents’ diet did not meet the principles of a balanced diet – there was reduced protein intake, an imbalance of unsaturated fatty acids, A, C, D, B vitamins deficiency. An excessive element in the diet was sodium. The content of substrates with DB, KD and CT and TBARS increased significantly in the studied group of adolescents, the concentration of DC decreased. Parameters of antioxidant defense both decreased (TAA, retinol content) and increased (α-tocopherol, GSH concentration). Correlation analysis showed relationships between DB and vitamin B1, B2 content; DC level and calories, carbohydrate and vitamin B1 content; concentration of KD and CT and fats, TAA and vitamin A and β-carotene level; level of α-tocopherol in blood and vitamin E in food; GSH and vitamin K; SOD activity and vitamin H content. Multiple negative correlations were between GSSG and fat, vitamins B1, B9, C, K food concentration were found.Conclusions. The calculated vitamin consumption indicators allow to reveal nutritional deviations in adolescents and to connect them with the real provision of the body with these metabolites

‘Good fences make good neighbours’: Concepts and records of range dynamics in ground squirrels and geographical barriers in the Pleistocene of the Circum-Black Sea area

Ground squirrels were an important member of the Pleistocene steppe-tundra mammal community. They evolved ecological specialisations and exhibit behaviours that make them particularly informative subjects to study palaeoenvironmental constraints affecting species distribution and speciation. Interspecific competition and isolating geographical barriers are considered as the principal factors that define species range boundaries. The present paper provides a first comprehensive compilation of the living and extinct Spermophilus species in Europe. These data suggest ‘patchwork quilt’ model for the expansion and spatial distribution of ground squirrel species. Here we consider mainly small-sized Spermophilus species because large-sized (e.g., S. superciliosus) ground squirrels consist another ‘patchwork quilt’, which overlap the first one. This overlapping of the species ranges is possible because of the size difference that lowers interspecific competition (Hutchinson's rule). We consider two main types of range boundaries. One type includes roughly ‘sub-parallel’ boundaries that oscillate in concert with climatic and vegetational changes (a case of climatically controlled competitive exclusion). The other type consists of roughly ‘sub-meridional’ boundaries corresponding to geographical barriers (e.g., water barriers, mountain ridges); these boundaries are rather stable. Examples of ‘sub-parallel range modifications include: oscillations of boundaries between S. pygmaeus and S. suslicus; the immigration of S. citellus into the Pre-Carpathian area; the branching of S. suslicus from S. pygmaeus; the regional appearance of the Late Pleistocene species S. severskensis and S. citelloides. Examples of ‘sub-meridional events’ are: the crossing of the Danube by S. citellus; the appearance of an isolated population of S. pygmaeus on right bank of the Dnieper during the Late Pleistocene to Middle Holocene; a crossing of the Dnieper river by S. pygmaeus, which resulted in the appearance of S. odessanus; the intrusion of eastern populations of S. pygmaeus into the Trans-Volga areas. © 2018 Elsevier Ltd and INQU

Homochiral growth through enantiomeric cross-inhibition

The stability and conservation properties of a recently proposed polymerization model are studied. The achiral (racemic) solution is linearly unstable once the relevant control parameter (here the fidelity of the catalyst) exceeds a critical value. The growth rate is calculated for different fidelity parameters and cross-inhibition rates. A chirality parameter is defined and shown to be conserved by the nonlinear terms of the model. Finally, a truncated version of the model is used to derive a set of two ordinary differential equations and it is argued that these equations are more realistic than those used in earlier models of that form.Comment: 20 pages, 6 figures, Orig. Life Evol. Biosph. (accepted