Marginal imprint of human land use upon fire history in a mire-dominated boreal landscape of the Veps Highland, North-West Russia

Dendrochronological reconstructions inform us about historical climate-fire-human interactions, providing a means to calibrate projections of future fire hazard. Most of these reconstructions, however, have been developed in landscapes with a considerable proportion of xeric sites that could potentially inflate our estimates of the historic levels of fire activity. We provide a 420-year long reconstruction of fires in a mire-dominated landscape of the Veps Nature Park, North-West Russia. The area has mostly escaped large-scale forestry operations in the past and is an example of pristine mid-boreal vegetation with a high (approximately 30% for the area studied) proportion of waterlogged areas with ombrotropic mires. The historical fire cycle was 91.4 years (90% confidence intervals, CI 66.2-137.6 years) over the 1580-1720 period, decreasing to 35.9 (CI 28.1-47.6 years) between 1730 and 1770, and then increasing again to 122.7 years (CI 91.0-178.0 years) over the 1780-2000 period. Early season fires dominated over late season fires during the reconstruction period. We documented a higher fire activity period between 1730 and 1780, resulting from the increase in early season fires. This period coincided with one of the largest multi-decadal declines in the reconstructed spring precipitation since 1600 CE, although we found no significant relationship between fire and precipitation over the whole reconstructed period. The nine largest fire years were associated with negative summer precipitation and positive summer temperature anomalies over the study region. Land-use history of the area did not appear to have an effect on historical fire dynamics. Modern (1996-2016) fire records indicate a regional fire cycle of ~ 1300 years, featuring a pronounced pattern with early (April-May) and late (July-September) season fires. The uniform fire cycle in the area since 1780, occurrence of nine largest fire years during years with spring-summer droughts, and low ignition frequencies over the last 420 years (0.005 to 0.037 ignitions per year and km2) suggest that the fire regime of the Veps Highland remained largely natural until the onset of the 20th century

Climate drove the fire cycle and humans influenced fire occurrence in the East European boreal forest

Understanding long-term forest fire histories of boreal landscapes is instrumental for parameterizing climate-fire interactions and the role of humans affecting natural fire regimes. The eastern sections of the European boreal zone currently lack a network of annually resolved and centuries-long forest fire histories. To fill in this knowledge gap, we dendrochronologically reconstructed the 600-year fire history of a middle boreal pine-dominated landscape of the southern part of the Republic of Komi, Russia. We combined the reconstruction of fire cycle (FC) and fire occurrence with the data on the village establishment and climate proxies and discussed the relative contribution of climate versus human land use in shaping historic fire regimes. Over the 1340-1610 ce period, the territory had a FC of 66 years (with the 90% confidence envelope of 56.8 and 78.6 years). Fire activity increased during the 1620-1730 ce period, with the FC reaching 32 years (31.0-34.7 years). Between 1740-1950, the FC increased to 47 years (41.9-52.0). The most recent period, 1960-2010, marks FC's historic maximum, with the mean of 153 years (102.5-270.3). Establishment of the villages, often as small harbors on the Pechora River, was associated with a non-significant increase in fire occurrence in the sites nearest the villages (p = 0.07-0.20). We, however, observed a temporal association between village establishment and fire occurrence at the scale of the whole studied landscape. There was no positive association between the former and the FC. In fact, we documented a decline in the area burned, following the wave of village establishment during the second half of the 1600s and the first half of the 1700s. The lack of association between the dynamics of FC and the dates of village establishments, and the significant association between large fire years and the early and latewood pine chronologies, used as historic drought proxy, indirectly suggests that the climate was the primary control of the landscape-level FCs in the studied forests. Pine-dominated forests of the Komi Republic may hold a unique position as the ecosystem with the shortest history of human-related shifts in fire cycles across the European boreal region

Site types revisited : comparison of traditional Russian and Finnish classification systems for European Boreal forests

doi: 10.1111/avsc.12525Questions Forest classifications are tools used in research, monitoring, and management. In Finland, the Cajanderian forest site type classification is based on the composition of understorey vegetation with the assumption that it reflects in a predictable way the site's productive value. In Russia, the Sukachevian forest classification is similarly based on understorey vegetation but also accounts for tree species, soil wetness, and paludification. Here we ask whether Cajander's and Sukachev's forest types are effectively the same in terms of species composition, site productivity, and biodiversity. Location Boreal forests on mineral soils in Finland and the Russian part of Fennoscandia. Methods We use vegetation and soil survey data to compare the Cajanderian and the Sukachevian systems in terms of the understorey community composition (that is supposed to define them), soil fertility and tree productivity (that they are expected to indicate), and biodiversity (that is of interest for conservation purposes). We create and employ class prediction models to divide Russian and Finnish sites into Cajander's and Sukachev's types, respectively, based on vegetation composition. We perform cross-comparisons between the two systems by non-metric multidimensional scaling ordination and statistical tests. Results Within both systems, the site types formed similar, meaningful gradients in terms of the studied variables. Certain site types from the two systems were largely overlapping in community composition and arranged similarly along the fertility gradient and may thus be considered comparable. Conclusions The Cajanderian and the Sukachevian systems were both developed in the European boreal zone but differ in terms of the exact rules by which site types are determined. Our results show that analogous types between the systems can be identified. These findings aid in endeavours of technology and information transfer between Finnish and Russian forests for the purposes of basic or applied ecological research and forest management.Peer reviewe

Anti-inflammatory and immunomodulating effects of the bacterial lysate in the <em>in vivo</em> models of aseptic lymphadenitis and pneumococcal pneumonia

Bacterial lysates may produce immunoregulatory effects in the inflammatory diseases that are not directly caused by infectious agents; they may also stimulate the immune response against pathogens which are not a part of the lysate composition. Imudon® is a polyvalent bacterial lysate that is available in orodispersible tablets. However, the influence of this drug product on aseptic inflammation and immune defense against the infectious agents, the antigens of which are not contained in this preparation have not been studied so far. The aim of this study, therefore, was to determine the anti-inflammatory and immunomodulating effects of Imudon® using the models of aseptic lymphadenitis (in Wistar rats) and pneumococcal pneumonia (in Balb/c mice), i.e., the conditions not related to the specific components of the bacterial lysate. Lymphadenitis was induced in rats by administration of λ-carrageenan into a cervical lymph node via an open operative approach. Whereas pneumonia was induced in mice by administering Streptococcus pneumoniae suspension intranasally. The choice of pneumococcus was determined by the absence of pneumococcal antigens in Imudon®, i.e., it cannot be a direct inducer of adaptive immune response against pneumococcal infection. Imudon® was administered intragastrically as a crushed tablet suspension following a therapeutic-preventive regimen (for 14 days daily until the induction of inflammation and for 3 [in the lymphadenitis model] or 5 days [in the model of pneumonia] in three doses thereafter). In the lymphadenitis model, Imudon® demonstrated both local and systemic anti-inflammatory responses manifested in the reduced number of circulating leucocytes and lower TNFα levels and by ameliorated histological features of inflammation in the operated lymph node. In rats, the anti-inflammatory effect was most pronounced when the product was administered at a dose of 2.2 mg/kg (equivalent to a human therapeutic dose) and 6.6 mg/kg. In the model of pneumonia, administration of Imudon® at 4.44 mg/kg (equivalent to a human therapeutic dose) and 13.32 mg/kg demonstrated a trend towards increased survival rate as compared to the control group. On Day 5 after infection Imudon® (4.44 and 13.32 mg/kg) decreased significantly the severity of inflammation and bacterial titer in the lungs. The titer of anti-pneumococcal immunoglobulins A in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid were found to be higher in the Imudon® treated group (13.32 mg/kg) compared to control group. The results of this study showed high antiinflammatory and immunomodulatory activities of Imudon® and provided an insight into the mechanisms that underlie the clinical effects of this drug in various inflammatory diseases

Research of the teaching efficiency the section “Thermal trauma” using interactive technologies

The goal of research is the formation of educational community of students who have been certain skills and ready to acquire new knowledge in the process of communicating with each other, joint cognitive activity through the use of interactive technologies - the method of cooperative groups. This method is used to search for common features in different schemes of medical care for patients with burns. The study involved 8 student groups of the 3rd year of the Faculty of Medicine, State Medical University, Dnipro. The total number is 79 students aged 20-21 years, of which 26 are men and 53 are women. The lesson was divided into three stages. At first stage teacher divided the students into four groups and gave an assignment to each group. On second one, each group announced the result and presented it in a unified form. After discussion the exact decision was made regarding the general features of first aid, treatment and creation of an algorithm of actions. At third stage the groups exchanged the results of previous clinical experience, summing up and solving situational tasks an third-level tests. The teacher assessed each student according to the developed assessment criteria (on a five-point system). Each grade consisted of the sum of points of correct answers obtained when solving complex situational tasks (tests) - the maximum number of points = 80% of the total grade. Also students have got bonuses for leadership qualities (5 points); sociability (5 points); oratory (5 points); ability to defend convincingly their point of view (5 points); teaming work (5 points). Each student could receive maximum of 100 points. When processing results of study, the methods of descriptive analysis were used to calculate the mean values and standard deviation of trust-distrust indicators, correlation-regression analysis of them. The method of cooperative groups allows to increase the students motivation for learning, determines more effective and deep assimilation of the material, develops clinical thinking capacity and sense of need for collective cooperation with responsibility and promotion in favor of personal future doctor qualities. Цель исследования - формирование учебного сообщества студентов, обладающих определенными навыками и готовых получать новые знания в процессе общения друг с другом, совместной познавательной деятельности путем применения интерактивных технологий – метода кооперативного обучения. Метод кооперативного обучения используется для поиска общих черт при разных схемах оказания медицинской помощи больным с термической травмой. В исследовании приняли участие 8 студенческих групп III курса медицинского факультета Днепровского государственного медицинского университета. Общее количество - 79 студентов, возраст - 20-21 год, 26 мужчин и 53 женщины. Занятие распределено на три этапа: на первом этапе студенты разделены на три группы и каждая группа получила задание. На втором этапе каждая группа оглашала результат и представляла его в виде унифицированной формы. После обсуждения принималось решение, касающееся общих черт оказания первой медицинской помощи, лечения и создания алгоритма действий. На третьем этапе между группами происходил обмен результатами предыдущего клинического опыта, подведение итогов, решение ситуационных задач и тестов третьего уровня. Преподаватель оценивал каждого студента по выработанным критериям оценки по пятибалльной системе. Каждая оценка состояла из суммы баллов верных ответов, полученных при решении сложных ситуационных задач (тестов) – максимальное количество баллов = 80% общей оценки. Студенты также получали бонусы за качества лидера (5 баллов); коммуникабельность (5 баллов); ораторское искусство (5 баллов); умение отстаивать свою точку зрения (5 баллов) и умение работы в группе (5 баллов). Каждый студент мог максимально получить 100 баллов. При обработке результатов исследования использованы методы дескриптивного анализа при расчете средних значений и стандартного отклонения по показателям доверия-недоверия, корреляционно-регрессионный анализ показателей доверия-недоверия. Метод кооперативного обучения позволяет повысить мотивацию учащихся к процессу обучения, способствует более эффективному и глубокому усвоению материала, формирует клиническое мышление, развивает чувство потребности в коллективном сотрудничестве и ответственности, благоприятствует развитию личностных качеств будущего врача