Psychotropic endophytes of cereals as potential bioagents

Creating new biopesticides for protecting agricultural crops and developing their application methods, which are among the priority areas of the agro-industrial complex, are inextricably linked with continuous observation of soil microbiocenosis, growing plants, and changes in agro-climatic conditions in a specific region. Plant endophytes are potentially active bioagents for creating new microbiological preparations for protecting winter crops, as well as agricultural produce during its storage period. In connection with this, the morphophysiological characteristics of six isolates of endophytic bacteria, isolated at low temperatures from winter cereal plants, were studied. The species affiliation of the strains was determined - five isolates belonged to the genus Pseudomonas and one to the genus Chryseobacterium. An assessment of the antagonistic activity of endophytes in relation to phytopathogens causing rot of agricultural produce was conducted

Assessment of the Soil Buffer Capacity in the Sea of Azov Basin Under Heavy Metal Pollution

Heavy metals (HM) are among the most hazardous soil pollutants. The intensity of accumulation and distribution of HM in soils directly depends on the ecological conditions of pedogenesis and its buffering properties. At the same time, a significant accumulation of HM in the soil as a result of anthropogenic impacts reduces the buffering capacity of the soil and its resistance to pollution. The purpose of this work was to assess the buffering capacity of soils to HM pollution in the Don River delta and the coast of the Taganrog Bay of the Sea of Azov undergoing the great anthropogenic impact. The buffer capacity of experimental soils was carried out using the Il’in’s method (1995), based on the calculation of the inactivation ability of soils: organic matter, clay fraction (particle size < 0.01 mm), carbonates, sesquioxides, and pH. The content of HM was compared with soil Clarke and the maximum permissible concentration of HM in soils accepted in the Russian Federation. It was found that the experimental soils could be ordered by buffer capacity value as following (in decreasing order): haplic chernozem ≥ alluvial-meadow light loamy ≥ solonchak > alluvial-meadow sandy and sandy loamy > sandy primitive soil ≥ stratified alluvial soil. Keywords: trace elements, contamination, impact territorie

Predictive risk factors before the onset of familial rheumatoid arthritis: the Tatarstan cohort study

BackgroundA familial history of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) predisposes an individual to develop RA. This study aimed at investigating factors associated with this conversion from the Tatarstan cohort.MethodsA total of 144 individuals, referred to as pre-RA and at risk for familial RA, were selected 2 years (range: 2–21 years) before conversion to RA and compared to non-converted 328 first-degree relatives (FDR) from RA as assessed after ≥2 years follow-up, and 355 healthy controls were also selected (HC). Preclinical parameters and socio-demographic/individual/HLA genetic factors were analyzed when data were available at the time of enrollment.ResultsAs compared to FDR and HC groups, pre-RA individuals were characterized before conversion to RA by the presence of arthralgia, severe morning symptoms, a lower educational level, and rural location. An association with the HLA-DRB1 SE risk factor was also retrieved with symmetrical arthralgia and passive smoking. On the contrary, alcohol consumption and childlessness in women were protective and associated with the HLA-DRB1*07:01 locus.ConclusionBefore RA onset, a combination of individual and genetic factors characterized those who are at risk of progressing to RA among those with familial RA relatives

Psychotropic endophytes of cereals as potential bioagents

Creating new biopesticides for protecting agricultural crops and developing their application methods, which are among the priority areas of the agro-industrial complex, are inextricably linked with continuous observation of soil microbiocenosis, growing plants, and changes in agro-climatic conditions in a specific region. Plant endophytes are potentially active bioagents for creating new microbiological preparations for protecting winter crops, as well as agricultural produce during its storage period. In connection with this, the morphophysiological characteristics of six isolates of endophytic bacteria, isolated at low temperatures from winter cereal plants, were studied. The species affiliation of the strains was determined - five isolates belonged to the genus Pseudomonas and one to the genus Chryseobacterium. An assessment of the antagonistic activity of endophytes in relation to phytopathogens causing rot of agricultural produce was conducted

Efficient parameter generation for constrained models using MCMC

Abstract Mathematical models of complex systems rely on parameter values to produce a desired behavior. As mathematical and computational models increase in complexity, it becomes correspondingly difficult to find parameter values that satisfy system constraints. We propose a Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) approach for the problem of constrained model parameter generation by designing a Markov chain that efficiently explores a model’s parameter space. We demonstrate the use of our proposed methodology to analyze responses of a newly constructed bistability-constrained model of protein phosphorylation to perturbations in the underlying protein network. Our results suggest that parameter generation for constrained models using MCMC provides powerful tools for modeling-aided analysis of complex natural processes

Zinc and cadmium accumulation in different parts of wild plants of the

The regularities of the accumulation and distribution of metals (Zn and Cd) in various parts of wild herbaceous plants and the agricultural crop of the impact zone in Rostov region (Russia) was considered. A large accumulation of elements in wild herbaceous plants of the Asteraceae family was noted compared with Triticum aestivum. The pollution of Triticum aestivum by Cd was observed. Wild herbaceous plants of the Asteraceae family were contaminated mostly with Zn. It was found that Artemisia austriaca and Ambrosia artemisiifolia accumulated Zn and Cd in the aboveground part. Achillea nobilis accumulated Cd mainly in the root system. Closer location monitoring plots to the source of anthropogenic load and the location of the northwest winds prevailing in the region were main influencing factors leading to higher pollution

The social capital impact on the effectiveness of university departments

The article presents the results of assessing the level of social capital of a university department, the mutual influence of the type of organizational culture and the effectiveness of its work. In the course of the study, the concept of social capital was generalized and refined in the context of the concept of sustainable education, as well as in relation to an educational institution, to the community of a higher educational organization. There were tested the ideas of N.P. Makarkin and O.B. Tomilina about the impact of organizational culture on the efficiency of the university. To ensure the comparison of the different departments data with each other there was proposed a method for bringing to a single scale of assessments and calculating weighted average indicators, which made it possible to derive a single integral assessment of the social capital of a department/unit

Establishment of regional background for heavy metals in the soils of the Lower Don and the Taganrog Bay coast

Data on the regional geochemical background and threshold values of heavy metals are required to establish anomalies and assess soil pollution. As a rule, the background values are the average contents of elements in natural undisturbed soils, or the threshold values for the study area, obtained by statistical methods. The aim of the study is to obtain geochemical threshold values of heavy metals in the soils of the Lower Don and the Taganrog Bay coast using different statistical approaches. A total of 86 topsoil samples were collected from the study area. The concentrations of Cr, Mn, Ni, Сu, Zn, As, Cd, and Pb were analyzed by X-ray fluorescence. The median element concentrations in the soils of the study area were consistent with world soil average and metal concentrations in background soils of protected area. Using a ‘geochemical’ approach is not suitable for this dataset because it does not take into account the natural variability of concentrations in different soil types. The Tukey inner fence method delivers estimates that do not detect outliers for Ni, As, Cd, and Pb. The ‘median + 2 median absolute deviations’ method was the most appropriate, as it consistently provided the most conservative background values

Neuroinflammatory Dysfunction of the Blood–Brain Barrier and Basement Membrane Dysplasia Play a Role in the Development of Drug-Resistant Epilepsy

Drug-resistance epilepsy (DRE) is a key problem in neurology. It is possible that damage to the blood–brain barrier (BBB) may affect resistance in DRE. The aim of this work was to assess the damage and dysfunction in the BBB in the area of epileptic foci in patients with DRE under conditions of neuroinflammation. The changes to the BBB in temporal lobe epilepsy (by immunohistochemistry and transmission electron microscopy), levels of neuroinflammatory proteins, and cytokine levels in the blood (by multiplex analysis) were studied. Increased levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and growth-regulated protein (GRO), and decreased levels of epidermal growth factor (EGF) in plasma, combined with overexpression of the VEGF-A receptor by endotheliocytes were detected. Malformation-like growths of the basement membrane of the capillaries of the brain complicate the delivery of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). Dysplasia of the basement membrane is the result of inadequate reparative processes in chronic inflammation. In conclusion, it should be noted that damage to the microcirculatory network of the brain should be considered one of the leading factors contributing to DRE