Dreams and Desires of Preschoolers

AbstractThe research presented in this article is part of the “Children in a Changing World” project, a cross-sectional study that explores the influence of social changes on the world views of children. The project was launched in 1992, at a time when socioeconomic reforms began to unfold in Russia. Six cross sections have been conducted to date, each including interviews with older preschoolers in the age range of 5.6-7.0 years. The children were asked about their life today and how they imagine it in the future. This article analyzes the way that the dreams and desires of older preschoolers have changed over the past two decades (comparing the dreams and desires children expressed in the 1990s with those voiced by children of the same age in 2015). The main results obtained through qualitative analysis suggest certain changes in the structure of the preschooler's desires (in particular, an increase in “magical,” non-realistic wishes) and a decrease in the negative influence of the distant environment on the children

The selection of production technology of polymer-bitumen binders as an innovative nanobinders used in asphaltic concrete pavement

In recent years nanotechnology and nanomaterials have been used in various industries including road construction and road construction has reached a new level. Today it is one of the most priority field for the state. To increase the number of roads that would meet modern requirements is impossible without new technologies and materials. Bituminous materials are the example of such materials. They are typical oil nanodisperse systems, the properties of which are determined by the nanostructured particles of the dispersed phase and hydrocarbon dispersion medium.To expand the range of modern and promising binders, the aim of the research was to design a promising technology for the production of polymer-containing bituminous materials obtained by different technologies: modification by polymers of roadside bitumen, compounding of deeply oxidized bitumen with modified polymers, tar. The objects of the studies were the road bitumen, deepoxygenized bitumen, light and heavy tar. Butadiene-styrene thermoplastic elastomer DST-30-01 was used as polymer modifier that allows achieving the desired particle size of the dispersed phase and creates an additional nanophase of the polymer and thus provides the required performance. The analysis of the properties of polymer-bitumen binders showed the advantage of the technology based on the compounding of deep-oxidized bitumen with modified polymer tar. There is an increase in the values of the maximum tensile force, cohesive and strength properties, adhesion index with a certain decrease in extensibility. A promising technology for the production of polymer-bitumen binders as innovative nanobinders for asphaltic concrete pavement with improved quality indicators has been designed. The technology will expand the range of high-quality products needed in road construction and will provide the growth of technical and economic indicators of bitumen production

Reduced purine biosynthesis in humans after their divergence from Neandertals

We analyze the metabolomes of humans, chimpanzees, and macaques in muscle, kidney and three different regions of the brain. Although several compounds in amino acid metabolism occur at either higher or lower concentrations in humans than in the other primates, metabolites downstream of adenylosuccinate lyase, which catalyzes two reactions in purine synthesis, occur at lower concentrations in humans. This enzyme carries an amino acid substitution that is present in all humans today but absent in Neandertals. By introducing the modern human substitution into the genomes of mice, as well as the ancestral, Neandertal-like substitution into the genomes of human cells, we show that this amino acid substitution contributes to much or all of the reduction of de novo synthesis of purines in humans

Copper–Bispidine Complexes: Synthesis and Complex Stability Study

A new series of dicarboxylic derivatives of bispidines have been synthesized to develop novel copper­(II) complexes suitable as imaging agents for positron emission tomography. For characterization purposes, copper complexes of bispidines were synthesized in the pure form and in quantitative yields by neutralization of ligands with malachite. The formation of complexes and their stoichiometries were studied by potentiometric titration, cyclic voltammetry, and spectroscopic methods. The stability constants were found to be fairly suitable for copper cation fixation inside dianionic chelate molecules

Copper–Bispidine Complexes: Synthesis and Complex Stability Study

A new series of dicarboxylic derivatives of bispidines have been synthesized to develop novel copper­(II) complexes suitable as imaging agents for positron emission tomography. For characterization purposes, copper complexes of bispidines were synthesized in the pure form and in quantitative yields by neutralization of ligands with malachite. The formation of complexes and their stoichiometries were studied by potentiometric titration, cyclic voltammetry, and spectroscopic methods. The stability constants were found to be fairly suitable for copper cation fixation inside dianionic chelate molecules

Comparative Study of Plastomes in <i>Solanum tuberosum</i> with Different Cytoplasm Types

The potato is one of the most important food crops in the world. Improving the efficiency of potato breeding is of great importance for solving the global food problem. Today, researchers distinguish between six potato cytoplasm types: A, M, P, T, W, D. In the current study, the complete chloroplast genomes of Solanum tuberosum accessions with five out of the six major cytoplasmic genome types were sequenced (T-, W-, D-, A-, and P-genomes). A comparative analysis of the plastomes in potato accessions with different cytoplasm types was carried out for the first time. The time of origin of the different cytoplasm types was estimated. The presence of two main groups of chloroplast genomes among cultivated potato was confirmed. Based on the phylogenetic analysis of the complete plastome sequences, five main evolutionary branches of chloroplast genomes can be distinguished within the Petota section. Samples with A- and P- cytoplasm formed isolated and distant groups within a large and polymorphic group of samples with M-type cytoplasm, suggesting that A and P genomes arose independently. The findings suggest that the diversity of the T-genome in S. tuberosum Group Tuberosum could be initially low due to a bottle neck already existing at the origin of the Chilean clade. Differences in the rbcL gene sequence may be one of the factors causing differences in economically important traits in species with A and T-type cytoplasm. The data obtained will contribute to the development of methods for molecular marking of cytoplasm types and increase knowledge about the evolution and diversity of potato

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and Gut Microbiota: Phenotype Matters

Abnormalities in gut microbiota diversity are considered important mechanisms in metabolic disorders in polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). However, the data on the association of these disorders with the PCOS phenotype remain controversial. The objectives of this study were to estimate the alpha diversity of the gut microbiota of healthy women and PCOS patients depending on phenotype. The study participants (184 premenopausal women: 63 with PCOS, 121 without PCOS) were recruited during the annual employment assessment in the Irkutsk Region and the Buryat Republic (Russia) in 2016–2019. For PCOS diagnosis, we used the Rotterdam (2003) criteria and definitions of PCOS phenotypes. Five indexes of alpha diversity (ASV, Shannon, Simpson, Chao, and ACE) were estimated for the gut microbiota in all participants using amplicon metasequencing. As a result, two out of five alpha diversity indexes showed a statistical difference between the non-PCOS and PCOS groups. We did not find a significant difference in the alpha diversity of gut microbiota in the subgroups of women with hyperandrogenic PCOS phenotypes vs non-androgenic phenotype D and the group of women with the presence of only one of the PCOS criteria. Nevertheless, “classic” PCOS phenotypes demonstrated the most significant decrease in alpha diversity compared with healthy women without any signs of PCOS

Effect of Aprotinin and Avifavir^® Combination Therapy for Moderate COVID-19 Patients

COVID-19 is a contagious multisystem inflammatory disease caused by a severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). We studied the efficacy of Aprotinin (nonspecific serine proteases inhibitor) in combination with Avifavir® or Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) drugs, which are recommended by the Russian Ministry of Health for the treatment therapy of moderate COVID-19 patients. This prospective single-center study included participants with moderate COVID-19-related pneumonia, laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2, and admitted to the hospitals. Patients received combinations of intravenous (IV) Aprotinin (1,000,000 KIU daily, 3 days) and HCQ (cohort 1), inhalation (inh) treatment with Aprotinin (625 KIU four times per day, 5 days) and HCQ (cohort 2) or IV Aprotinin (1,000,000 KIU daily for 5 days) and Avifavir (cohort 3). In cohorts 1–3, the combination therapy showed 100% efficacy in preventing the transfer of patients (n = 30) to the intensive care unit (ICU). The effect of the combination therapy in cohort 3 was the most prominent, and the median time to SARS-CoV-2 elimination was 3.5 days (IQR 3.0–4.0), normalization of the CRP concentration was 3.5 days (IQR 3–5), of the D-dimer concentration was 5 days (IQR 4 to 5); body temperature was 1 day (IQR 1–3), improvement in clinical status or discharge from the hospital was 5 days (IQR 5–5), and improvement in lung lesions of patients on 14 day was 100%