Animal cognition (reasoning) in the light of genetic ideas

The historical overview is presented of genetic experiments in L.V. Krushinsky’s laboratory in Moscow State University. L.V. Krushinsky stated the three-component concept of animal behavior. He claimed that animal behavior has not only innate species specific behavior and the learning ability, but should be supplemented by another mental category, reasoning the ability for elementary logic operarions. Being rather lonesome at the beginning, Krushinsky got the spiritual support from D.K. Belyaev and B.L. Astaurov. The attempt to study the genetic bases of reasoning ability was performed in Krushinsky’s lab using the trait “extrapolation problem solving”, which meant the ability of an unexperienced naïve animal to find the food bait when it moved aside and disappeared from (not “in”) the view. The selection for high scores of this trait in the hybrid rat population (Norway rat × laboratory strain cross) was started. Initially the hybrid rats solved this problem in the statistically significant proportions, while the animals from further selection generations demonstrated the dramatic increase of anxiety (in spite of extensive handling of these animals), which made further experiments impossible. Much later another selection experiment started in which mice of a genetically heterogeneous population were selected for high scores of extrapolation problem and concomitantly for the lack-ofanxiety signs during the testing procedure. This selection for a cognitive trait produced some positive results, although the direct response to selection was very weak. The data obtained show the intricate connection between the mouse ability to solve the problem and the processes of anxiety, which in turn looks as non-uniform by its nature and mechanisms. The data from experiments performed in classical genetics should be combined with the new knowledge concerning the role of single genes determining animal behavior

A spinor-like representation of the contact superconformal algebra K'(4)

In this work we construct an embedding of a nontrivial central extension of the contact superconformal algebra K'(4) into the Lie superalgebra of pseudodifferential symbols on the supercircle S^{1|2}. Associated with this embedding is a one-parameter family of spinor-like tiny irreducible representations of K'(4) realized just on 4 fields instead of the usual 16.Comment: 19 pages, TeX. Corrections to the references in the paper to be published in J. Math. Phys. v 42, no 1, 200

Conditions of formation of Vikhoreva river and Ust-Vikhorevsky bay hydrochemical regime (Ust-Ilimsk reservoir)

Relevance. The necessity to control the hydrochemical regime of water bodies significantly affected by anthropogenic impacts. Aim. To study the spatial distribution of major ions and trace element concentrations and identify natural and anthropogenic formation factors of the hydrochemical composition of the Vikhoreva river and Ust-Vikhorevsky bay of the Ust-Ilimsk reservoir. Objects. Waters of the Vikhoreva river before and after inflow of wastewater from the Bratsk industrial zone, waters of the Ust-Vikhorevsky bay (Vikhorevskaya and Burdoyskaya parts) of the Ust-Ilimsk reservoir. Methods. Determination of micronutrients concentrations in water was performed by inductive coupled plasma mass spectrometry, mercury – by atomic absorption method. Cations and anions were determined using standard methods accepted in hydrochemical studies, Sorg – by titrimetric method, oxygen – by iodometric method. Results. In the Vihoreva river water after wastewater inflow from the Bratsk industrial zone, significant transformations of its hydrochemical composition were detected. Along the water area of river decrease of O2 concentrations (up to 0.3 mg O2/l) and increase of Сorg (up to 131 mg/l), SO42– (up to 262 mg/l), K+ (up to 10.6 mg/l), Cl– (up to 220 mg/l), Na+ (up to 240 mg/l), Mn (up to 248.5 mg/l), Cr (up to 7.4 mg/l), to a lesser extent Al (up to 224.1 mg/l), Co (up to 0.26 mg/l), Cu (up to 5.4 mg/l), Zn (up to 43.2 mg/l), Cd (up to 0.126 mg/l), Pb (up to 0.40 mg/l), Hg (up to 0.0032 mg/l) are observed. In surface waters of the Ust-Vikhorevsky bay concentrations of most components of the main ionic composition and trace elements decrease, as compared to the Vikhoreva river water. Maximum concentrations of Mn (511.5 mg/l), Fe (1567.2 mg/l), Co (0.80 mg/l), Pb (0.77 mg/l) were detected in bottom waters. The main ionic composition and trace element concentrations in the Vihoreva river water are determined primarily by anthropogenic factor. At the same time, the hydrochemical regime of the river is effected by natural factors. Inflow of both waters of the highly polluted and forming waters of the channel part of the Ust-Ilimsk reservoir impacts the hydrochemistry of the Ust-Vikhorevsky bay

The Krushinsky – Molodkina genetic rat strain as a unique experimental model of seizure states

The study of genetic mechanisms, which underlie normal and abnormal behavioral traits, are important not only for fundamental knowledge of CNS function, but also for human well-being, as well as in the aspect of treatment of brain diseases. Accumulation of knowledge concerning the functions of genes, which are expressed in the CNS and are involved in the specific brain functions determined now by the success of molecular genetics, but it could not overshadow the importance of phenotype expression investigation of genetically determined traits, especially pathological ones. Epilepsy, as one of CNS diseases, occupies an important place in the row of these studies. In spite of numerous anticonvulsant drugs a significant proportion of epilepsy cases are still resistant to drug treatments. It means that the study of various aspects of epileptogenesis using animal models should be welcomed as it will help to elucidate those aspects of increased seizure proneness that are now out of scope of research attention. The distinct trait of this domain, which is not easy to analyze genetically, is audiogenic epilepsy (the seizure attack in response to loud sound). The important feature of audiogenic epilepsy is that the intense tonic seizures could be induced and analyzed repeatedly which makes it possible to induce the seizures repeatedly in the course of chronical experiments with the same animal, which is not possible in the cases of pharmacologically or electrically induced seizures. The Krushinsky – Molodkina (KM) inbred rat strain, which was the first among strains selected for audiogenic epilepsy, is briefly characterized. The specific seizure pattern, the rodent proneness for audiogenic epilepsy, as well as abnormal postictal states (catalepsy, in particular) illustrate the importance of this phenomenon not only as a model of certain brain pathology, but also as a matter of general biological importance. The importance of genetic background factor (demonstrated in the case of study of comorbidity (audiogenic epilepsy, anxiety and depression)) could be crucial in the studies of other CNS anomalies. The audiogenic seizures as a physiological phenomenon which often accompanies several brain pathologies had been in the scope of research interests for D.K. Belyaev and his colleagues in his Institute

Rhizobacteria Effect on Arsenic Migration and Translocation of Biogenic Elements in Plants

The study was aimed at the transformation of arsenic compounds in the rhizosphere, its accumulation in plants, P and Si translocation to plants under the influence of Bacillus megaterium var. phosphaticum, and Bacillus mucilaginosus with various forms of As compounds in the soil. The authors describe the maximum effect of Bacillus megaterium var. Phosphaticum strain on As migration, its mobilization and immobilization in the rhizosphere due to arsenic leaching from mineral and difficult-todestroy compounds and its accumulation in plants. The forms of arsenic compounds were isolated from the rhizosphere based on sequential extraction procedures. The features of the inter-element As-P interaction in plants were established. With the intense accumulation of As in the rhizosphere inoculated with rhizobacteria, the intake of phosphorus into plants was not observed, as contrary to Si. The study of As and biogenic elements behavior under the influence of rhizobacteria is of great importance in the development of ecobiotechnologies related to soil remediation and crop production

Arterial cerebral blood flow in COPD patients associated with arterial hypertension

In oder to study the arterial cerebral blood flow the following patients were examined: 30 patients with COPD associated with arterial hypertension (AH), 30 patients with isolated COPD, 30 healthy volunteers. All participants undergone ultrasound duplex scanning of intra- and extracranial arteries, echocardiography. In patients with COPD associated with hypertension impaired autoregulation in the resistance vessels was discovered.С целью изучения артериального мозгового кровотока обследовано 30 пациентов с ХОБЛ, ассоциированной с артериальной гипертензией (АГ), 30 пациентов с изолированной ХОБЛ, 30 здоровых добровольцев. Всем участникам проведено ультразвуковое дуплексное сканирование интра- и экстракраниальных артерий, зхокардиография. У пациентов с ХОБЛ, ассоциированной с АГ выявлено нарушение ауторегуляции на уровне резистивных сосудов

Cпектроскопия спонтанного комбинационного рассеяния для ex vivo диагностики внутричерепных опухолей

Neurosurgery of intracranial tumors, especially of glial origin, is a non-trivial task due to their infiltrative growth. In recent years, optical methods of intraoperative navigation have been actively used in neurosurgery. However, one of the most widely used approaches based on the selective accumulation of fluorescent contrast medium (5-ALA-induced protoporphyrin IX) by the tumor cannot be applied to a significant number of tumors due to its low accumulation. On the contrary, Raman spectroscopy, which allows analyzing the molecular composition of tissues while preserving all the advantages of the method of fluorescence spectroscopy, does not require the use of an exogenous dye and may become a method of choice when composing a system for intraoperative navigation or optical biopsy. This work presents the first results of using the principal component method to classify Raman spectra of human glioblastoma with intermediate processing of spectra to minimize possible errors from the fluorescence of both endogenous fluorophores and photosensitizers used in fluorescence navigation. As a result, differences were found in the principal component space, corresponding to tissue samples with microcystic components, extensive areas of necrosis, and foci of fresh hemorrhages. It is shown that this approach can serve as the basis for constructing a system for automatic intraoperative tissue classification based on the analysis of Raman spectra.Cпектроскопия спонтанного комбинационного рассеяния для ex vivo диагностики внутричерепных опухолей  Нейрохирургия внутричерепных опухолей, особенно глиального происхождения, представляет нетривиальную задачу в силу их инфильтративного роста. В последние годы в нейрохирургии активно используются оптические методы интраоперационной навигации, однако один из наиболее широко распространенных подходов, основанный на селективном накоплении опухолью флуоресцентного контрастного вещества (5-АЛК индуцированного протопорфирина IX), не может быть применен для значимой части опухолей вследствие его низкого накопления. Напротив, спектроскопия комбинационного рассеяния, позволяющая проводить анализ молекулярного состава тканей с сохранением всех достоинств метода флуоресцентной спектроскопии, не требует при этом введения экзогенного красителя и может быть вариантом выбора при построении системы интраоперационной навигации или оптической биопсии. В настоящей работе представлены первые результаты использования метода главных компонент для классификации спектров комбинационного рассеяния глиобластомы человека с промежуточной обработкой спектров для минимизации возможных ошибок от флуоресценции как эндогенных флуорофоров, так и фотосенсибилизаторов, используемых при флуоресцентной навигации. В результате были обнаружены различия в пространстве главных компонент, соответствующие образцам тканей с микрокистозными компонентами, обширными участками некрозов, фокусами свежих кровоизлияний. Показано, что данный подход может послужить основой для построения системы автоматической интраоперационной классификации тканей на основе анализа спектров комбинационного рассеяния