Total mercury in small mammals from forest ecosystems (nearby Cherepovets, Vologda region)

The aim of the research is to determine the total mercury (THg) in small mammals in forest ecosystems at a distance of 3 – 8 km from the boundaries of the industrial site of PJSC Severstal near Cherepovets, Vologda region. THg in the pelage and organs of the Ural field mouse (Apodemus uralensis, Pallas, 1811) varies from less than 0.001 to 0.56 mg/kg of dry weight (DW), the average maximum THg value was in the spleen (0.18 ± 0.07 mg/kg) and minimum in the muscles (0.02 ± 0.01 mg/kg). The content of THg in the pelage and organs of the common shrew (Sorex araneus, Linnaeus, 1758) varies from 0 to 4.57 mg /kg DW, the average maximum value of THg was in pelage (0.76 ± 0.15 mg / kg) and the average minimum in the liver (0.11 ± 0.01 mg /kg). The estimated mean THg level in the common shrew in the wet years 2021-2022 is lower than in the dry years 2009 and 2010. The reason for this is not clear. The results indicate the need for further investigation of changes in the total mercury content in the terrestrial ecosystem

Periodicity of professional pedagogical education within bachelor’s and master’s programmes in natural sciences

The article provides grounding and a methodological macro-development basis for a system periodic model of professional pedagogical education within bachelor's and master’s programmes in natural sciences. In the abovementioned context, periodicity is regarded as a universally applicable procedural basis for multilevel continuous professional pedagogical education in the sphere of natural sciences. A key category of system periodic model of professional pedagogical education within bachelor's and master’s programmes in natural sciences is a didactic cycle characterised by purposefulness, internal system integrity, dynamism, iterativity, controllability and hierarchy of levels based on phase logic. Didactic cycle is represented as a dual procedure of development of subject-subject relations oriented to correlation changes of self-balancing systems depending on quantitative augmentation in a form of grasping of content of professional pedagogical education within bachelor's and master’s programmes in natural sciences to qualitative personal transformations. Realisation of the hierarchy position is realised as macro-didactic, mesodidactic and micro-didactic cycles within the structure of a system model. Their attributive signs are goals, peculiarities of learning activity within the process of subject-subject dialogic interaction, types of solved tasks and performance. We have defined and characterised specificity of phases of didactic cycle: initiatives and perspectives, designing, implementation, assessment of results.peer-reviewe

The critical parameters of the human health impact calculation

There are many LCA methods and models (e.g. CML 1992, Eco-Indicator 95, IMPACT 2002+, TRACI, USEtox, etc.), used to characterize environmental impacts. Only four LCIA methods include spatial dimension at different geographical levels: Impact World+, LC-IMPACT, EDIP 2003 and USEtox (Bratec et al., 2019). Among these, three (Impact World+, EDIP 2003 and USEtox) include a human health impact category: human toxicity. The USEtox model, recommended by the European Commission, has already proved its efficiency for the coupling of environmental and geochemical studies. The Characterization factors of the USEtox describe environmental fate (FF) of the chemicals, their non- and carcinogenic effect (EF), direct and the indirect exposure (XF). All these factors vary depends on the applicable area. However, despite all advantages of the model, its geographical customization is rather generic. This paper presents the utilization of the already published case study (Belyanovskaya et al., 2019: 2020) with the indirect human exposure factor modification. The investigation present the modified biotransfer factor of the metals (Cr, Zn, Sb, As, Ba) of the meat product calculated specifically for different location inside the area “Central Asia”. The paper extends already published results with local data of the city of Vladivostok (Russia)

Development of a supplier assessment model

Supervisory activity in any sphere of the economy is special, requiring the involvement of highly qualified specialists and strict regulation of this process. The article reveals the current state of regulation of the process of consumer control over suppliers in the aircraft industry and presents proposals for its improvement

Evaluating the factors of corporate website favorability: a case of UK and Russia

Purpose - This research evaluates the significance of the corporate website favorability notion and examines its factors in developing competitive advantage in the context of retail and service settings in UK and Russia. Design/methodology/approach - Based on the attribution, social identity, and signaling theories, this research adopted the qualitative exploratory approach by conducting 14 interviews with retail experts and 8 focus groups with retail users in UK and Russia, combined with experts in website design, communication, and marketing. Findings - The research findings indicated that it is crucial to build and maintain a favorable corporate website that reveals the corporate identity as part of the overall company strategy. The study suggests that navigation, visual, information, usability, customization, security, availability, website credibility, customer service, perceived corporate social responsibility, and perceived corporate culture are the factors of corporate website favorability that contribute to the company’s competitive advantage. The findings show that consumers from Russia, as well as from UK found the significance of a favorable corporate website (i.e. corporate website favorability), as well as the factors affecting corporate website favorability. However, consumers in UK are more critical and demanding in the level of expectation of the website overall and put more weight than consumers from Russia on the perceived corporate social responsibility, perceived corporate culture, customer service, and website credibility Practical implications - Corporate website favorability should be adopted by the companies, as part of the overall corporate identity management. Furthermore, it is advised to take into consideration the variations in the level of importance of the factors of corporate website favorability in different countries. The findings of this research suggest that this investigation will make a considerable managerial contribution to the understanding of a company’s decision-makers, communication professionals and website specialists about the building of a favorable corporate website in line with corporate identity strategy of the company. Originality/value - There has been little systematic study of the effect of corporate websites on consumer evaluations of the websites, also there is a lack of research in regard to the factors that contribute to the development of a favorable corporate website (i.e. corporate website favorability). This is the first research of its kind to find the effect of corporate website favorability in Russia, representing a non-western country, and the UK, representing a western country. Therefore, it contributes to the corporate visual identity literature by presenting the corporate website favorability construct and demonstrating the factors that influence corporate website favorability

Situational context of environmental university education

The scientific interest in improving the environmental training of university students emphasizes the training technology associated with the disclosure of their personal and professional potential through inclusion in the joint solution of environmental problems not in abstract but in real life situations. The use of situationality for educational purposes creates an internal unity of the learning process and facilitates the professional socialization of graduates. The aim of the study was to develop a model of environmental education for future ecologists based on situational analysis technology. Theoretical and practical methods of system generalization, comparative analogy, questionnaires, pedagogical evaluation, and modelling were used in the development of the model, which provided objectivity and heuristic conclusions. The model created and tested in the system of higher professional education is based on the ideas of ecohumanism, coevolution and sustainable development, cultural-competence orientation of higher education; principles of subjectivity, value-sense saturation, communicativeness, problematization, events, local history orientation. The key concepts of “situation” and “analysis” are defined and disclosed in the context of the work, and their types are identified and justified. The developed model includes target, content, procedural, technological and reflexive-evaluation components. The tasks, activity content and characteristic for each stage of the educational process, environmental cases and types of analysis are considered. The obtained results in the form of basic research bases and the model of environmental education of future ecologists in situational context testify to the promising application of this technology to improve the quality of professional training

Tumor biology: molecular genetics mechanisms of initiation, promotion and progression

For all tumors, regardless of type and tissue, there are a number of common features. These include high proliferative activity, disturbances in the mechanisms of apoptosis and "invisibility" for the cells of the immune system. At the basis of all these disorders lies a malfunction in the interaction between signaling proteins inside the cell, due to a violation of the expression of genes responsible for their synthesis. The aim of the review is to study the molecular biological mechanisms of carcinogenesis, characteristics and features of tumor cells that affect the development of the disease, progression, drug resistance and clinical results and the possibilities of targeted therapy of oncological diseases. Material and methods. The search for literature sources was carried out using PubMed, CyberLeninka, eLibrary, Google Scholar databases; the search depth was 15 years. Results. Recent works have shown the evolution of views on the classification of tumors from the point of view of the mechanisms of damage to the processes of cellular regulation and histogenesis, as well as the development of the modern theory of carcinogenesis, ideas about the mechanisms of development of tumor diseases and the prospects of modern therapies. Conclusion. The study of molecular biological mechanisms of carcinogenesis, characteristics and features of tumor cells is not only fundamental, but also of applied importance in order to predict the development of the disease, progression, drug resistance, clinical results and the possibilities of targeted therapy

CLINICAL AND LABORATORY FEATURES OF THE IMMUNE RESPONSE IN CHILDREN WITH COVID-19 INFECTION

The article presents the results of the analysis of clinical and morphological characteristics and a number of indicators of peripheral blood in children with a new coronavirus infection. The purpose of the study is to give clinical and laboratory characteristics of the immune response in children with a new coronavirus infection. Materials and methods. 102 children with a new coronavirus infection were examined. Evaluation of peripheral blood parameters and lymphocyte subpopulations in children of three age groups 0-4 years, 5-9 years and 10-14 years. Results. In children with a new coronavirus infection, an imbalance of the granulocytic and lymphocytic link is observed, which is most pronounced for children of the younger (0-4 years) and middle (5-9 years) age groups. The general trend of changes is characterized by an increase in lymphocytes and granulocytes at the onset of the disease and a decrease after 2 weeks. The ratio of neutrophils to lymphocytes shows the predominance of neutrophils. Conclusion. The established changes are characterized as specific for most viral infections, but at the same time reflect the pathogenetic specifics of SARS-CoV-2 infection, as a combination of age-related features of the functioning of the immune system and the etiotropic effect of the virus