A glossy magazine discourse of the early twenty-first century as a tool of globalization: Sochi school of linguistics and rhetoric

The authors consider the discourse of a glossy magazine. They highlight the glossy magazine discourse, which appears in the framework of the General media discourse as an institutional discourse from the standpoint of the linguistical-rhetorical paradigm (LRP) of the Sochi scientific school. This type of discourse is a discursive process of a special type, acts as an explicit tool of globalization. The authors emphasize the novelty of this discourse in the context of its influence on the formation and transformation of the modern linguistic personality. The relevance of the study is emphasized by the fact that the glossy magazine discourse is the latest in terms of the chronology of the historical process. In addition, he actualizes the poly-ethno-socio-cultural and educational space (PESCES) of the beginning of the XXI century, on the example of glossy magazine discourse practices in Russia. For the first time, Glossy magazine discourse stimulates transformations in line with the leading trend of the formation of the "planetary language personality (PLP)" - globalization in the value orientations of the "philosophy of glamour"

Xenon isotopes in Archean and Proterozoic insoluble organic matter: a robust indicator of syngenecity?

Insoluble organic materials (kerogens) isolated from ancient sedimentary rocks provide unique insights into the evolution of early life. However, establishing whether these kerogens are indeed syngenetic with the deposition of associated sedimentary host rocks, or contain contribution from episodes of secondary deposition, is not straightforward. Novel geochemical criterions are therefore required to test the syngenetic origin of Archean organic materials. On one hand, the occurrence of mass-independent fractionation of sulphur isotopes (MIF-S) provides a tool to test the Archean origin of ancient sedimentary rocks. Determining the isotope composition of sulphur within kerogens whilst limiting the contribution from associated minerals (e.g., nano-pyrites) is however challenging. On the other end, the Xe isotope composition of the Archean atmosphere has been shown to present enrichments in the light isotopes relative to its modern composition, together with a mono-isotopic deficit in ¹²⁹Xe. Given that the isotopic composition of atmospheric Xe evolved through time by mass dependent fractionation (MDF) until ∼2.5-2.0 Ga, the degree of MDF of Xe isotopes trapped in kerogens could provide a time stamp for the last chemical equilibration between organic matter and the atmosphere. However, the extent to which geological processes could affect the signature of Xe trapped in ancient kerogen remains unclear. In this contribution, we present new Ar, Kr and Xe isotopic data for four kerogens isolated from 3.4 to 1.8 Gy-old cherts and confirm that Xe isotopes from the Archean atmosphere can be retained within kerogens. However, new Xe-derived model ages are lower than expected from the ages of host rocks, indicating that initially trapped Xe components were at least partially lost and/or mixed together with some Xe carried out by younger generations of organic materials, therefore complicating the Xe-based dating method. Whilst non-null Δ³³S values and ¹²⁹Xe deficits relative to modern atmosphere constitute reliable imprints from the Archean atmosphere, using Xe isotopes to provide information on the syngenetic origin of ancient organic matter appears to be a promising - but not unequivocal - tool that calls for further analytical development

Genomic landscape of a relict fir-associated fungus reveals rapid convergent adaptation towards endophytism

Comparative and pan-genomic analyses of the endophytic fungus Pezicula neosporulosa (Helotiales, Ascomycota) from needles of the relict fir, Abies beshanzuensis, showed expansions of carbohydrate metabolism and secondary metabolite biosynthetic genes characteristic for unrelated plant-beneficial helotialean, such as dark septate endophytes and ericoid mycorrhizal fungi. The current species within the relatively young Pliocene genus Pezicula are predominantly saprotrophic, while P. neosporulosa lacks such features. To understand the genomic background of this putatively convergent evolution, we performed population analyses of 77 P. neosporulosa isolates. This revealed a mosaic structure of a dozen non-recombining and highly genetically polymorphic subpopulations with a unique mating system structure. We found that one idiomorph of a probably duplicated mat1-2 gene was found in putatively heterothallic isolates, while the other co-occurred with mat1-1 locus suggesting homothallic reproduction for these strains. Moreover, 24 and 81 genes implicated in plant cell-wall degradation and secondary metabolite biosynthesis, respectively, showed signatures of the balancing selection. These findings highlight the evolutionary pattern of the two gene families for allowing the fungus a rapid adaptation towards endophytism and facilitating diverse symbiotic interactions

Предложения по совершенствованию системы радиационной безопасности при медицинском облучении. Часть 1. Анализ информации, содержащейся в государственных отчетных формах и информационных базах данных, на примере города Москвы

The aim of the search was to compare the sources of information and evaluate dynamics of changes of the patients doses during x-ray and radionuclide examinations in medical organizations in Moscow from 2017 to 2020. Material and methods: Reporting forms № 3-DOZ, № 30 and Radiation-Hygienic Passport for 2017–2020 from Moscow organizations of different forms of ownership were collected and analyzed. The analysis was performed of the main indicators that determine the radiation safety in medical exposure: the number of medical organizations operating sources of ionizing radiation, the equipment of radiation diagnostics, the structure of radiation diagnostics and collective doses from medical exposure. Results: The analysis of trends of the development of radiation diagnostics in Moscow presented in the paper shows that the number of organizations operating ionizing radiation sources is increasing every year; the number of computed tomography scanners is growing by an average of 10% per year, and there is approximately the same increase in the number of computed tomography examinations. Therefore, in 2017-2019 the annual increase in the number of examinations was 10%; it was 30% in 2019–2020, which is associated with the epidemic of the new coronavirus infection COVID-19. The increase in the collective dose from medical exposure corresponds to the increase in the number of X-ray examinations. Comparison of the considered reporting forms and data from the unified X-ray information system shows that all reporting forms have their advantages and disadvantages, which are discussed in detail in the paper. For a comprehensive assessment of the condition of radiation diagnostics, it is necessary to compile data from different statistical reporting forms, which negatively affects the reliability and representativeness of the data. It should be noted that all the considered statistical reporting forms provide no data on individual and accumulated patients doses, as well as standard (typical) doses for the equipment of X-ray and radionuclide diagnostics. The existing procedure of data collection does not allow to receive and analyze the data online. Conclusion: Among the analyzed statistical reporting forms, there is no one that fully provides the tasks of the current assessment of the situation and operational management of public radiation doses. Some of the data in fact duplicate each other, and the existing discrepancies are more likely express difficulties in collecting and summarizing information than differences in reporting forms. Current statistical reporting forms require revision, consolidation, clarification and automation of data collection processes. Further implementation of electronic systems for recording and controlling patients doses, and generation monitoring and reporting systems, as well as interdepartmental interaction systems and the creation of an electronic office of organizations will reduce the rate of non-submission of reporting documentation. That makes it more objective and provides all the data necessary to optimize radiation protection of patients.Цель: сравнить источники информации и оценить динамику изменений уровня дозовых нагрузок на пациентов при проведении рентгенологических и радионуклидных исследований в медицинских организациях г. Москвы за период с 2017 по 2020 г. Материал и методы: собраны и проанализированы отчетные формы № 3-ДОЗ, радиационно-гигиенический паспорт и форма № 30 за 2017–2020 гг., полученные от медицинских организаций города Москвы различных форм собственности. Проведен анализ основных показателей, определяющих состояние радиационной безопасности при медицинском облучении: числа медицинских организаций, использующих источники ионизирующего излучения, аппаратного парка лучевой диагностики, структуру лучевой диагностики и коллективных доз от медицинского облучения. Результаты: представленный в статье анализ трендов развития лучевой диагностики в Москве показывает, что с каждым годом увеличивается число организаций, использующих источники ионизирующего излучения; в среднем на 10% в год растет число компьютерных томографов, наблюдается примерно такой же рост числа компьютерно-томографических исследований. Так, за период 2017–2019 гг. ежегодный прирост числа исследований составил 10%; в период 2019–2020 гг. – 30%, что связано с эпидемией новой коронавирусной инфекции COVID-19. Рост коллективной дозы от медицинского облучения соответствует росту числа рентгенорадиологических исследований. Сравнение рассмотренных отчетных форм и данных из единой рентгеновской информационной системы показывает, что все формы обладают своими достоинствами и недостатками, которые подробно рассмотрены в статье. Для комплексной оценки состояния лучевой диагностики необходима компиляция данных из различных форм статистической отчетности, что негативным образом влияет на достоверность и репрезентативность данных. Следует отметить, что во всех рассмотренных формах отсутствуют данные по индивидуальным и накопленным дозам пациентов, а также стандартным (типичным) дозам для аппаратов для рентгеновской и радионуклидной диагностики. Существующий формат сбора данных не позволяет получать данные и анализировать информацию в оперативном режиме. Заключение: среди проанализированных отчетных форм нет полностью отвечающей задачам текущей оценки ситуации и оперативного управления дозами облучения населения. Часть данных фактически дублируют друг друга, а имеющиеся расхождения скорее свидетельствуют о сложностях при сборе и обобщении информации, чем об отличиях в отчетных формах. Действующие формы требуют пересмотра, объединения, уточнения и автоматизации процессов сбора данных. Дальнейшее внедрение электронных систем учета и контроля доз облучения пациентов и систем мониторинга и отчётности следующего поколения, а также систем межведомственного взаимодействия и создание электронного кабинета организаций позволят снизить вероятность непредставления отчетной документации, сделать ее более объективной и представить все данные, необходимые для оптимизации радиационной защиты пациентов

Economic downturn results in tick-borne disease upsurge

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The emergence of zoonoses is due both to changes in human activities and to changes in their natural wildlife cycles. One of the most significant vector-borne zoonoses in Europe, tick-borne encephalitis (TBE), doubled in incidence in 1993, largely as a consequence of the socio-economic transition from communism to capitalism and associated environmental changes.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>To test the effect of the current economic recession, unemployment in 2009 and various socio-economic indices were compared to weather indices (derived from principal component analyses) as predictors for the change in TBE case numbers in 2009 relative to 2004-08, for 14 European countries.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Greatest increases in TBE incidence occurred in Latvia, Lithuania and Poland (91, 79 and 45%, respectively). The weather was rejected as an explanatory variable. Indicators of high background levels of poverty, e.g. percent of household expenditure on food, were significant predictors. The increase in unemployment in 2009 relative to 2008 together with 'in-work risk of poverty' is the only case in which a multivariate model has a second significant term.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Background socio-economic conditions determine susceptibility to risk of TBE, while increased unemployment triggered a sudden increase in risk. Mechanisms behind this result may include reduced resistance to infection through stress; reduced uptake of costly vaccination; and more exposure of people to infected ticks in their forest habitat as they make greater use of wild forest foods, especially in those countries, Lithuania and Poland, with major marketing opportunities in such products. Recognition of these risk factors could allow more effective protection through education and a vaccination programme targeted at the economically most vulnerable.</p

Biology and biotechnology of Trichoderma

Fungi of the genus Trichoderma are soilborne, green-spored ascomycetes that can be found all over the world. They have been studied with respect to various characteristics and applications and are known as successful colonizers of their habitats, efficiently fighting their competitors. Once established, they launch their potent degradative machinery for decomposition of the often heterogeneous substrate at hand. Therefore, distribution and phylogeny, defense mechanisms, beneficial as well as deleterious interaction with hosts, enzyme production and secretion, sexual development, and response to environmental conditions such as nutrients and light have been studied in great detail with many species of this genus, thus rendering Trichoderma one of the best studied fungi with the genome of three species currently available. Efficient biocontrol strains of the genus are being developed as promising biological fungicides, and their weaponry for this function also includes secondary metabolites with potential applications as novel antibiotics. The cellulases produced by Trichoderma reesei, the biotechnological workhorse of the genus, are important industrial products, especially with respect to production of second generation biofuels from cellulosic waste. Genetic engineering not only led to significant improvements in industrial processes but also to intriguing insights into the biology of these fungi and is now complemented by the availability of a sexual cycle in T. reesei/Hypocrea jecorina, which significantly facilitates both industrial and basic research. This review aims to give a broad overview on the qualities and versatility of the best studied Trichoderma species and to highlight intriguing findings as well as promising applications

Towards barcode markers in Fungi: an intron map of Ascomycota mitochondria

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>A standardized and cost-effective molecular identification system is now an urgent need for Fungi owing to their wide involvement in human life quality. In particular the potential use of mitochondrial DNA species markers has been taken in account. Unfortunately, a serious difficulty in the PCR and bioinformatic surveys is due to the presence of mobile introns in almost all the fungal mitochondrial genes. The aim of this work is to verify the incidence of this phenomenon in Ascomycota, testing, at the same time, a new bioinformatic tool for extracting and managing sequence databases annotations, in order to identify the mitochondrial gene regions where introns are missing so as to propose them as species markers.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The general trend towards a large occurrence of introns in the mitochondrial genome of Fungi has been confirmed in Ascomycota by an extensive bioinformatic analysis, performed on all the entries concerning 11 mitochondrial protein coding genes and 2 mitochondrial rRNA (ribosomal RNA) specifying genes, belonging to this phylum, available in public nucleotide sequence databases. A new query approach has been developed to retrieve effectively introns information included in these entries.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>After comparing the new query-based approach with a blast-based procedure, with the aim of designing a faithful Ascomycota mitochondrial intron map, the first method appeared clearly the most accurate. Within this map, despite the large pervasiveness of introns, it is possible to distinguish specific regions comprised in several genes, including the full NADH dehydrogenase subunit 6 (ND6) gene, which could be considered as barcode candidates for Ascomycota due to their paucity of introns and to their length, above 400 bp, comparable to the lower end size of the length range of barcodes successfully used in animals.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The development of the new query system described here would answer the pressing requirement to improve drastically the bioinformatics support to the DNA Barcode Initiative. The large scale investigation of Ascomycota mitochondrial introns performed through this tool, allowing to exclude the introns-rich sequences from the barcode candidates exploration, could be the first step towards a mitochondrial barcoding strategy for these organisms, similar to the standard approach employed in metazoans.</p

Российские системы поддержки принятия врачебных решений в лучевой диагностике как элемент обеспечения радиационной безопасности пациентов

There is a well-established opinion that the radiation safety of the patient and staff lies within the scope of the activities and responsibilities of the radiation diagnostics departments. However, repeated referrals and unjustified X-ray examinations from clinicians can make a significant contribution to the radiation load of the patient and the workload of the staff. The radiation safety requirements formulated in the article are designed for an effective monitoring tool for unjustified studies – the Clinical Decision Support System. The modern park of domestic software in this area was also analyzed. It was found, that the existing domestic Clinical Decision Support Systems do not fully meet the formulated current radiation safety requirements. The majority of clinical decision support system do not offer a choice of the most sparing methods of X-ray examinations (only 31% offer), and do not contain information about the accumulated patient dose for making a decision on the appointment of studies (only 23% contain). The developed methodology for assessing the Clinical Decision Support Systems will allow choosing and implementing the most optimal system in terms of radiation safety into clinical practice.Существует устоявшееся мнение, что радиационная безопасность пациента и персонала лежит в пределах деятельности и ответственности отделений лучевой диагностики. Однако назначение дополнительных и зачастую необоснованных рентгенорадиологических исследований, которые поступают от врачей-клиницистов, может внести существенный вклад в облучение пациента и рабочую нагрузку персонала. Выполнение на практике принципа обоснования радиационной безопас ности в современных реалиях может быть реализовано с помощью цифровых систем. В данной статье с точки зрения радиационной безопасности разработаны требования к эффективному инструменту контроля за необоснованными исследованиями – системе поддержки принятия врачебных решений. Также был проанализирован современный парк отечественного программного обеспечения в данной области. В работе показано, что существующие отечественные системы поддержки принятия врачебных решений не в полной мере удовлетворяют сформулированным действующим требованиям радиационной безопасности. Большинство систем поддержки принятия врачебных решений не предлагают выбор наиболее щадящих методов рентгенологических исследований (только 31% предлагают) и не содержат информацию о накопленной дозе пациента для принятия решения о назначении исследований (только 23% содержат). Разработанная методика оценки систем поддержки принятия врачебных решений позволит выбрать и внедрить в клиническую практику наиболее оптимальную систему с точки зрения радиационной безопасности

Необоснованные направления на рентгенорадиологические исследования и их влияние на коллективную эффективную дозу пациентов в амбулаторных медицинских организациях

In recent years, an increase in the collective dose from medical exposure has been recorded annually, which is associated with an increase in the availability of high-tech methods of medical care and an increase of their percentage in the structure of X-ray studies. However, any exposure to ionizing radiation on a patient is associated with an increased risk of stochastic effects. The justification principle is the most effective to ensure the radiation safety of patients. The article considers in detail the experiment on the application of the justification principle in medical organizations. The aim of the study was to evaluate the incidence of unjustified referrals to radiological examinations and their impact on the collective effective dose of patients in outpatient medical organizations. As a result, it was ound, that the collective dose from studies with unjustified referrals contributes 21% to the annual collective dose from X-ray studies in outpatient medical organizations. The result obtained confirms the need to ensure the availability of information on clinical recommendations, the accumulated effective dose and patient characteristics in medical information systems, and proves the importance of using this information when prescribing X-ray radiological studies.В последние годы ежегодно фиксируется увеличение коллективной дозы за счет медицинского облучения, что связано с повышением доступности высокотехнологичных методов медицинской помощи и увеличением их доли в структуре рентгенорадиологических исследований. Однако любое воздействие ионизирующего излучения на пациента связано с увеличением риска возникновения стохастических эффектов. Для обеспечения радиационной безопасности пациентов наиболее действенным является применение принципа обоснования. В статье подробно рассмотрен эксперимент по применению принципа обоснования в медицинских организациях. Целью исследования являлась оценка частоты возникновения необоснованных направлений на рентгенорадиологические исследования и их влияние на коллективную эффективную дозу пациентов в амбулаторных медицинских организациях. В результате было установлено, что коллективная доза от проведения исследований по необоснованным направлениям вносит 21% вклад в годовую коллективную дозу от рентгенорадиологических исследований в выбранных амбулаторных медицинских организациях. Полученный результат подтверждает необходимость обеспечения доступности информации о клинических рекомендациях, накопленной эффективной дозе и особенностях пациента в медицинских информационных системах, а также обосновывает значимость использования данной информации при назначении рентгенорадиологических исследований

The Amsterdam Declaration on Fungal Nomenclature

The Amsterdam Declaration on Fungal Nomenclature was agreed at an international symposium convened in Amsterdam on 19–20 April 2011 under the auspices of the International Commission on the Taxonomy of Fungi (ICTF). The purpose of the symposium was to address the issue of whether or how the current system of naming pleomorphic fungi should be maintained or changed now that molecular data are routinely available. The issue is urgent as mycologists currently follow different practices, and no consensus was achieved by a Special Committee appointed in 2005 by the International Botanical Congress to advise on the problem. The Declaration recognizes the need for an orderly transitition to a single-name nomenclatural system for all fungi, and to provide mechanisms to protect names that otherwise then become endangered. That is, meaning that priority should be given to the first described name, except where that is a younger name in general use when the first author to select a name of a pleomorphic monophyletic genus is to be followed, and suggests controversial cases are referred to a body, such as the ICTF, which will report to the Committee for Fungi. If appropriate, the ICTF could be mandated to promote the implementation of the Declaration. In addition, but not forming part of the Declaration, are reports of discussions held during the symposium on the governance of the nomenclature of fungi, and the naming of fungi known only from an environmental nucleic acid sequence in particular. Possible amendments to the Draft BioCode (2011) to allow for the needs of mycologists are suggested for further consideration, and a possible example of how a fungus only known from the environment might be described is presented