Experiment K-6-06. Morphometric and EM analyses of tibial epiphyseal plates from Cosmos 1887 rats

Light and electron microscopy studies were carried out on decalcified tibial epiphyseal plates of rats flown aboard Cosmos 1887 (12.5d flight plus 53.5h recovery). Analysis of variance showed that the proliferative zone of flight animals was significantly higher than that of synchronous controls, while the hypertrophic/calcification zone was significantly reduced. Flight animals had more cells than synchronous controls in the proliferative zone, and less in the hypertrophic/calcification region. The total number of cells, however, was significantly higher in flight animals. No differences were found for perimeter or shape factor of growth plates, but area was significantly lower in flight animals in comparison to synchronous controls. Collagen fibrils in flight animals were shorter and wider than in synchronous controls. The time required for a cell to cycle through the growth plate is 2 to 3 days, so most of the cells and matrix present were formed after the animals had returned to 1 g, and probably represent stages of recovery from microgravity exposure, which in itself is an interesting question

Experiment K-6-04. Trace element balance in rats during spaceflight

Exposure to microgravity causes alterations in the skeletal and mineral homeostatic systems. Little is known about the effects of flight in an older skeleton; limited data suggest that bone resorption is increased after 5 days but no data are available about other metabolic effects. The response of a more slowly-growing skeleton to microgravity may be different than that of a younger animal, similar to the different responses seen in adolescents and adult humans to immobilization. This experiment was designed to investigate changes occurring in skeletal and mineral homeostatis in these older rats flown for two weeks in space. We may expect that the two portions of the rat vertebra, the vertebral body and the posterior elements, will show different responses to spaceflight. The results of the analyses from this study confirm major differences between portions of the vertebra. The posterior bone is more highly mineralized, evidenced by increased concentration (per unit weight of bone) of calcium (5 percent), phosphorus (6 percent) and osteocalcin (37 percent), similar to the differences seen between proximal and mid humerus in previous studies. The major increase in osteocalcin content indicates the presence of mature, low-turnover bone. The difference between flight and control animals were minimal in these older, slower-growing rats. Mass of whole vertebrae increased 6.2 percent in synchronous rats compared to less than 2 percent in flight rats over the 16 days when compared to basal controls, suggesting a decreased rate of bone growth in flight. Compared to young rats in which vertebral mass increased over 40 percent in 10 days in controls and 20 percent in flight rats, this may be a clear indication that even in the older skeleton bone growth will slow in microgravity

Experiment K-6-01. Distribution and biochemistry of mineral and matrix in the femurs of rats

Previous analyses of the composition of mineral and matrix in the bone of young rats following space flight has revealed deficits in calcium, phosphorus, and osteocalcin, a non-collagenous protein, without an associated decrease in collagen. To characterize the location and nature of this mineralization defect in a weight bearing long bone, the femur, researchers attempted to relate the spatial distribution of mineral in situ in the proximal, central and distal thirds of the femoral diaphysis to the biochemical composition of bone from the same area. Biochemical analyses revealed lower concentrations of calcium, phosphorus and osteocalcin but not collagen only in the central third of the diaphysis of the flight animals (F) compared to synchronous controls (S). Collagen concentration was reduced only in the proximal third of the diaphysis, where all 3 crosslinks, expressed as nM/mol collagen were higher in F than S. A new technique, x ray microtomography, with a resolution of 26 microns, was used to obtain semi-quantitative data on mineral distribution in reconstructed sections of wet whole bone. To improve the resolution of the mineral density distribution, images of the surfaces of cut sections were analyzed by backscattered electrons in a scanning electron microscope (BSE). There was good agreement between the results of the two stereochemical techniques which revealed distinct patterns of mineralization in transverse and longitudinal directions of the diaphysis. The novel methodology developed for this flight experiment shows considerable promise in elucidating the biochemical nature of what appear to be regional alterations in the mineralization of long bones of animals exposed to spaceflight

Policy expertise and culture: the case of “civil sexuality” in Iran

Modern governments which have placed expertise at the core of their governing have always worked with cultural context so as to raise arguments for their policies and to legitimize them. While traditional approaches to culture in public policy have marginalized it as a discursive battlefield, this article offers new insights into the role of culture in policy expertise. In order to do so, it proposes “civil sexuality” as a conceptual lens through which to discuss how expertise makes use of culture to frame a policy and to support its legitimacy. In the analysis of the Iranian policy debate, civil sexuality serves to show how the government normalizes women’s sexual behavior as part of Islamic culture and how it integrates this into the Iranian family-planning program. The analysis shows that, despite an apparently progressive view on sexual health – demonstrated through sexual education, unprecedented acknowledgment of women’s sexual desire and encouragement of an active sexual role – in fact, the Islamic Republic is implementing an illiberal family program that serves its recent pronatalist and nationalist agenda. We draw conclusions from the results of our analysis for the way in which social practices – such as sexual practices – become normalized through a specific combination of expert knowledge and cultural context

Morphology of Camellia Sinensis L. leaves as marker of white tea authenticity

Received: February 1st, 2021 ; Accepted: April 24th, 2021 ; Published: August 18th, 2021 ; Correspondence: [email protected] is one of the most common drinks in the world. Classic tea is obtained by brewing the leaves of the Camellia sinensis L plant in hot water. However, even the leaves collected from the same branch of the same tea bush can have completely different anatomical, biochemical and taste characteristics. White tea is the youngest, immature apical leaves of the tea bush (fleshes) together with leaf buds (tips) which are is considered the most valuable parts of teaplant. The chemical composition of tea is studied in sufficient detail, however, there are still no uniform criteria for determining the authenticity of white tea leaves, which creates great preconditions for falsifying this most valuable type of raw material. The aim of this study was to study the macroand microstructure of white tea leaves from different manufacturers and to determine the morphological markers of the authenticity of white tea leaves. The objects of research were white tea from the Nandana Tea Factory (Sri Lanka) and white tea from an unknown manufacturer, purchased from a local tea shop. The study of raw materials was carried out in accordance with the requirements of GF XIV OFS 1.5.1.0003.15 ‘Leaves’ and OFS 1.5.3.0003.15 ‘Technique of microscopic and microchemical examination of medicinal plants and herbal medicinal products.’ The work was carried out on the basis of the laboratories of the Department of Food Technologies of FGBOU VO Saratov GAU named after N.I. Vavilov, and the Department of General Biology, Pharmacognosy and Botany, Saratov State Medical University named after V.I. Razumovsky Ministry of Health of Russia. Studies of the structure of white tea leaves from various manufacturers have shown that the structure and presence of morphological elements of leaves, such as hairs, stomata, leaf edge, druses, sclereids, differ markedly and can serve as reliable markers for identifying the variety of tea

Experiment K-6-03. Gravity and skeletal growth, part 1. Part 2: Morphology and histochemistry of bone cells and vasculature of the tibia; Part 3: Nuclear volume analysis of osteoblast histogenesis in periodontal ligament cells; Part 4: Intervertebral disc swelling pressure associated with microgravity

Bone area, bone electrophysiology, bone vascularity, osteoblast morphology, and osteoblast histogenesis were studied in rats associated with Cosmos 1887. The results suggest that the synchronous animals were the only group with a significantly larger bone area than the basal group, that the bone electrical potential was more negative in flight than in the synchronous rats, that the endosteal osteoblasts from flight rats had greater numbers of transitional Golgi vesicles but no difference in the large Golgi saccules or the alkaline phosphatase activity, that the perioteal vasculature in the shaft of flight rats often showed very dense intraluminal deposits with adjacent degenerating osteocytes as well as lipid accumulations within the lumen of the vessels and sometimes degeneration of the vascular wall (this change was not present in the metaphyseal region of flight animals), and that the progenitor cells decreased in flight rats while the preosteoblasts increased compared to controls. Many of the results suggest that the animals were beginning to recover from the effects of spaceflight during the two day interval between landing and euthanasia; flight effects, such as the vascular changes, did not appear to recover

Questions of authentication and standardization of white varieties of Ceylon tea imported to Russia

The article raises questions concerning the reasons for the falsification of white tea varieties in Russia, the possibility of determining its authenticity by instrumental and sensory methods. The technological process and parameters of brewing leaves of white tea varieties, for example, silver tea, are considered. The criteria for the organoleptic evaluation of the silver tea infusion are developed with repeated brewing by "spillage" metho

Cytogenetic effects of orthopedic constructions

Research objective: To estimate cytogenetic effect of dentures on the condition of buccal epithelium by means of the micronuclear test. Materials and methods: For this test the most convenient object of the research is nonkeratinized stratified epithelium which has been taken from 24 patients before prosthetics. Statistical data processing has been done by means of a package of statistical programs «Stadia». Results: The increase in frequency of occurrence of cells with micronuclei in buccal epithelium in patients after the prosthetics that testifies to stability disturbance of genetic material in the studied cells. Influence of fillings and dentures has been revealed. Conclusion: It allows to apply safe materials in stomatology, having reduced their side effects on an organism as a whol

Principles of education of students at a highe medical school

The article considers the issues of organization of the educational process at the Department of General Biology, Pharmacognosy and Botany of Saratov State Medical University named after V. I. Razumovsky. The most important component of the educational process at higher schools is education. Teaching and educational process at the department is carried out with the observance of the basic principles of didactics. The analysis of the main directions of educational work is carried out: professional, civil and patriotic, moral, cultural and aesthetic, ecological, medical-prophylactic (promotion of healthy lifestyle) and supervision.</p

Nationalist Reframing of the Finnish and Swedish Welfare States - The Nexus of Nationalism and Social Policy in Far-right Populist Parties

The rise of right-wing populist parties in the Nordic countries is slowly redefining the Nordic social democratic discourse of the universal and egalitarian welfare state. The nexus of nationalism and social policy has been explored in regions and countries such as Quebec, Scotland, Belgium and the UK, but the change of discourse in the Nordic countries has received less attention. Taking the case of Sweden and Finland, this article argues that Nordic populism does not question the redistributive welfare state per se as many other European neo-liberal far-right parties have done. Instead, it reframes the welfare state as being linked to a sovereign and exclusive Swedish and Finnish political community with distinct national boundaries. Although Sweden and Finland largely share a common welfare nation state discourse, the article also points to important differences in the way this discourse is able to frame the welfare nation state where access to, and the design of, social services are no longer universal and egalitarian but based around ethnicity. The article aims to demonstrate this through an analysis of the welfare discourses of two populist parties: Sweden Democrats and True Finns