Central Asia and its countries: The political and economic development after the collapse of the Soviet Union

The collapse of the Soviet Union led to the formation of a new geopolitical reality in the post-Soviet space with the emergence in 1991 of five new independent states in Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan) and a complete transformation of their political and economic systems. The purpose of this study is the institutional and socio-economic evolution of the Central Asian region (CAR) and its states after Chapter I defines geographically the different possible boundaries of the Central Asian region, which over the centuries were part of different empires, kingdoms, and states, and the population of which historically de jure and de facto never had their independent national statehood until 1991. The study also focuses on the consequences of the policy of the ethnic and territorial division adopted in the Soviet era in Central Asia on the current political instability in the region. The chapter analyzes the features and results of the transformation of the Soviet political system into a Western democratic system in the CAR. Why did Central Asian countries abandon communism for democracy, then turn to authoritarian rule? This paper proposes a theoretical framework, which discusses the durability and sustainability of the super-presidential regimes in the region, and the key factors that have largely determined the failure of a democratic transition in all five post-Soviet Central Asian states. Special attention is given to the issues of political legitimacy of the current authoritarian regimes and the prospects of further democratic modernization. Chapter II is devoted to an analysis of the main features and results of the socio-economic transformation of the Soviet planned economy to a market economy in Central Asian states. The research area includes an analysis of the structural changes in the five Central Asian economies. State capitalism and critical dependence on external factors have become today the main common features of all these economies. In particular, the second chapter describes the restrictions imposed on the Central Asian commodity and labor exported economies and the protectionist policies adopted by national governments. Protectionist policies are aimed at reducing the economies’ vulnerability to external shocks, which are due to the high sectorial and geographical concentration of exports, significant migrants’ remittances and consistent inflows of foreign direct investments. The chapter discusses the issues of regional cooperation and integration and the perspectives of sustainable economic development in the states of Central Asia. Finally, this study highlights the emerging challenges associated with the intersection of the competitive multidirectional interests of the major world powers, which consistently expand and strengthen their control over the natural resources of the CAR. Through different economic instruments, such as providing loans and investments, or the formation of alternative macro-regional integration projects in Eurasia, they seek to achieve their ambitious strategic objectives in Central Asia

The Utility of Graph Clustering of 5S Ribosomal DNA Homoeologs in Plant Allopolyploids, Homoploid Hybrids, and Cryptic Introgressants

Introduction: Ribosomal DNA (rDNA) loci have been widely used for identification of allopolyploids and hybrids, although few of these studies employed high-throughput sequencing data. Here we use graph clustering implemented in the RepeatExplorer (RE) pipeline to analyze homoeologous 5S rDNA arrays at the genomic level searching for hybridogenic origin of species. Data were obtained from more than 80 plant species, including several well-defined allopolyploids and homoploid hybrids of different evolutionary ages and from widely dispersed taxonomic groups. Results: (i) Diploids show simple circular-shaped graphs of their 5S rDNA clusters. In contrast, most allopolyploids and other interspecific hybrids exhibit more complex graphs composed of two or more interconnected loops representing intergenic spacers (IGS). (ii) There was a relationship between graph complexity and locus numbers. (iii) The sequences and lengths of the 5S rDNA units reconstituted in silico from k-mers were congruent with those experimentally determined. (iv) Three-genomic comparative cluster analysis of reads from allopolyploids and progenitor diploids allowed identification of homoeologous 5S rRNA gene families even in relatively ancient (c. 1 Myr) Gossypium and Brachypodium allopolyploids which already exhibit uniparental partial loss of rDNA repeats. (v) Finally, species harboring introgressed genomes exhibit exceptionally complex graph structures. Conclusion: We found that the cluster graph shapes and graph parameters (k-mer coverage scores and connected component index) well-reflect the organization and intragenomic homogeneity of 5S rDNA repeats. We propose that the analysis of 5S rDNA cluster graphs computed by the RE pipeline together with the cytogenetic analysis might be a reliable approach for the determination of the hybrid or allopolyploid plant species parentage and may also be useful for detecting historical introgression events

Some groups of Toll-like receptor gene polymorphisms and their clinical and pathogenetic manifestations in children with bronchial asthma

The prevalence of bronchial asthma has shown its steady increase in the world in recent years. Despite all the achievements of Allergology, control of the disease can be achieved only in two-thirds of patients even if all social risk factors and the influence of concomitant diseases are excluded. Thus, it is necessary to study endogenous factors that modify the pathogenesis of the disease. Toll-like receptors are the main molecules for recognizing pathogenic patterns in the human immune system. Since any Allergy is a recognition error, mutation of the genes of the recognizing molecules can have a direct and multidirectional effect on the nature of the inflammation and its clinical manifestations in bronchial asthma (BA). To detect this effect, 65 patients with BA were examined, and mutations of Toll-like receptor genes were detected: TLR2-Arg753Glu, TLR4- Asp299Gly, TLR4-Ghr399Ile, TLR9-T1237C, TLR9-A2848G, lymphocyte subpopulations CD3, CD19, CD4, CD8, CD16, phagocytosis indicators, levels of IgA, IgM, IgG, IgE and IL-6, IL-7, IL-9. The assessment of the severity of asthma and its level of control were conducted according to clinical recommendations of the Ministry of health of the Russian Federation in 2019 criteria. We have shown characteristic clinical manifestations of the studied mutations. A lighter course of the disease, more complete control over it and a better response to therapy were found in single-nucleotide substitutions in the Toll-like receptor 4 and 9 (TLR4-Asp299Gly, TLR4-Ghr399Ile, TLR9-T1237C, TLR9-A2848G). On the contrary, a heavier course and a worse response to therapy were detected in the TLR2 mutation with Arg753Glu replacement. In the studied groups, the features of immunity indicators characteristic of genotypes with a lighter and more controlled course of BA were determined: a higher absolute number of T-helpers, with multidirectional changes in the number of T-killers, but with invariably preserved higher ratio of CD4/CD8 in such genotypes. Higher levels of phagocytosis indicators (primarily characterizing chemotaxis) and IL-7, IL-9 were also detected. The exception is the TLR9-A2848G mutation, in which greater disease control and better response to therapy are combined with no changes in the studied laboratory characteristics. At the same time, a specific feature of the genotype of the studied patients with BA was revealed – a combination of Toll-like receptors 4 and 9 mutations. This suggests the presence of genetic patterns that characterize groups of patients with BA that differ in severity, response to therapy, and degree of control, which makes it possible to personalize approaches to diagnosis, prevention, and therapy of the disease

Remarkable variation of ribosomal DNA organization and copy number in gnetophytes, a distinct lineage of gymnosperms

[ntroduction] Gnetophytes, comprising the genera Ephedra, Gnetum and Welwitschia, are an understudied, enigmatic lineage of gymnosperms with a controversial phylogenetic relationship to other seed plants. Here we examined the organization of ribosomal DNA (rDNA) across representative species. [Methods] We applied high-throughput sequencing approaches to isolate and reconstruct rDNA units and to determine their intragenomic homogeneity. In addition, fluorescent in situ hybridization and Southern blot hybridization techniques were used to reveal the chromosome and genomic organization of rDNA. [Key results] The 5S and 35S rRNA genes were separate (S-type) in Gnetum montanum, Gnetum gnemon and Welwitschia mirabilis and linked (L-type) in Ephedra altissima. There was considerable variability in 5S rDNA abundance, ranging from as few as ~4000 (W. mirabilis) to >100 000 (G. montanum) copies. A similar large variation was also observed in 5S rDNA locus numbers (two to 16 sites per diploid cell). 5S rRNA pseudogenes were interspersed between functional genes forming a single unit in E. altissima and G. montanum. Their copy number was comparable or even higher than that of functional 5S rRNA genes. In E. altissima internal transcribed spacers of 35S rDNA were long and intrinsically repetitive while in G. montanum and W. mirabilis they were short without the subrepeats. [Conclusions] Gnetophytes are distinct from other gymnosperms and angiosperms as they display surprisingly large variability in rDNA organization and rDNA copy and locus numbers between genera, with no relationship between copy numbers and genome sizes apparent. Concerted evolution of 5S rDNA units seems to have led to the amplification of 5S pseudogenes in both G. montanum and E. altissima. Evolutionary patterns of rDNA show both gymnosperm and angiosperm features underlining the diversity of the group.The work was supported by the Czech Science Foundation (P506/16/02149J), NERC and the Dirección General de Investigación Científica y Técnica (CGL2016-75694-P). W.W. is sponsored by the China Scholarship CouncilPeer reviewe

Complex estimation of mitochondrial changes of immunocompetent blood cells in pregnant women with urgent and premature birth

Inflammation is among the factors promoting development of premature rupture of the membranes (PPROM). Upon the conditions of physiological immune imbalance in pregnancy, inflammation modifies its course and can even change the immune response. Appropriate indexes may be quantitative and functional. We used a marker of mitochondrial membrane potential (MPM, Ay) as an integral index of the functional state of immunocompetent blood cells (IBC) in 159 women who were examined at 8-14 weeks of gestation; they were observed up to 34-36 weeks. Of these cohort, 121 women were referred to a comparison group. The main group (n = 46) consisted of pregnant women with PPROM at the term of 28-33 weeks. The examination was carried out according to current medical standards, with informed consent, being approved by the Ethics committee at the Khabarovsk branch of Far Eastern Scientific Centre of Physiology and Pathology of Respiration — Research Institute of Maternity and Childhood Protection. Additionally, MPM and lymphocyte populations were determined by flow cytometry. The degree of disturbed energy supply in the IBC was based on the data of simultaneous determination of lymphocyte, granulocyte and monocyte numbers with reduced MPM values (application for invention No. 2020115963), thus revealing 3 degrees of energy deficiency: 1st degree, monovariant IBC composition with reduced MPM; 2nd degree, bivariant composition, 3rd degree, total changes. A relative and absolute decrease in CD3 (72% vs 78% and 1624 vs 1980), CD8 (28% vs 33% and 651 vs 851), an increase in CD19 (14% vs 9% and 304 vs 219) were revealed in pregnant women with PPROM. When assessing MPM values in the IBC populations, a decreased proportion of women without energy deficiency from the 1st to the 2nd trimester (from 41% to 30%), due to the 3rd degree of energy deficiency (from 17% to 26%) was detected. A shift of affected pools at the 2nd degree of energy deficiency in favor of lymphocytic-granulocytic association (from 7% to 25%) from lymphocytic-monocytic compartment (from 73% to 50%) was found. From the 2nd to 3rd trimester, we have detected redistribution of granulocyte pools at the 1st degree (0 to 8%) and from the lymphocytic-granulocytic association (25% and 5%) to monocytic-granulocytic (25% and 40%). In the group with PPROM, there was a decreased proportion of pregnant women without energy deficiency (13% and 27%), as well as with the 1st and 2nd degrees (17% vs 31% and 9% vs 17%), due to the 3rd degree of energy deficiency (61% and 26 %), relative to the comparison group. The IBC pools of in the main group were redistributed at the 1st degree in favor of granulocytes (25% and 8%), at the 2nd, in favor of the lymphocytic-monocytic association (100% and 55%) from the granulocytic-monocytic (0% and 40%). Such imbalance of bioenergetic processes in the IBC can be an important factor of pathologically ongoing inflammation. These changes could be caused by both higher incidence of infections in such patients and by alloimmune interactions between mother and fetus. However, they may also determine the pathological course of inflammation. Preterm birth, which is usually caused by PPROM, is a multifactorial pathological condition. However, independent on specific triggers, the changes in energy supply of IBC, at least, may serve as a significant biomarker of probability for this disorder

Features of mitochondrial membrane potential of immunocompetent blood cells in children with chronic nonspecific lung diseases accompanied by pneumofibrosis

Pneumofibrosis is a pathological outcome of pulmonary tissue inflammation. It can complicate any lung and bronchial disorder. The mitochondrial membrane potential reflects functional state of immunocompetent blood cells that influence progression of a chronic inflammatory process. The aim of this work was to study the features of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) of immunocompetent blood cells in children with chronic nonspecific lung diseases (CNPD), accompanied by pneumofibrosis. We have examined 79 children with CNPD manifesting with symptoms of focal pneumofibrosis. The group of patients included children with congenital lung malformations (43%), consequences of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (41%), chronic bronchitis (10%), post-pneumonic pulmonary fibrosis (6%). The average age of children was 6.5±1.2 years, including 43 boys (54%) and 36 girls (46%). The comparison group included 46 children with COPD without signs of pulmonary fibrosis, the control group consisted of 30 apparently healthy children. The contents of cells with reduced MMP among lymphocytes, monocytes, and granulocytes in peripheral blood was determined with JC-1 dye, using the BD FACSCalibur instrument and Cell Quest Pro software (Becton Dickinson, USA). The proportion of lymphocytes with reduced MMP in patients with COPD was similar in the children of the main and comparison group, exceeding the indexes of the control group by 1.7 times (p < 0.001). Decreased MMP of granulocytes in children with pneumofibrosis was detected 1.9 times more often than in children with fibrosis-free CNPD cases (p < 0.05), and 3.4 times more common than in children from the control group (p < 0.001). Monocytes with reduced MMM in children with pulmonary fibrosis were detected 2 times more often than in children with COPD without fibrosis (p < 0.05), and 7.3 times more frequent than in the control group (p < 0.001). The changes were more expressed in children during exacerbation of the disease. The revealed features suggest a decreased level of metabolic activity of blood cells, thus, probably, presenting an immunopathogenetic basis for development of pneumofibrosis

Creation of a ribonuclease abzyme through site-directed mutagenesis

UI - 99046900NRC publication: Ye

Entrepreneurial skills development through distance learning

© BEIESP. Distance learning is becoming more and more popular with students of the Russian Federation. However, since this form of education is relatively new for our country, its organization has some drawbacks that need correction in order to increase the effectiveness of such education. The purpose of this research is to determine whether students of distance learning are confident in the effectiveness of their education, as well as in their competitiveness with full-time students and readiness for entrepreneurship. It is necessary to find out directly from entrepreneurs whether graduates will be able to compete in the labor market. Two groups of respondents were surveyed: 426 students of public and private universities of Kazan and 35 local entrepreneurs. The survey was conducted in order to determine the prospects of distance learning from all possible aspects: both from the future applicant and from the potential employer. The results showed students' positive attitude towards distance learning. It was confirmed by students' confidence in their successful employment and readiness to compete in the market. However, half of the respondents were not ready for their own business activities. The reason for this may be the lack of adequate educational materials, lack of easy access to university libraries and lack of practice during the educational process. Moreover, the favorable attitude of entrepreneurs towards students of this form of education was revealed, since they find skills and experience more important than the specifics of the educational form. However, most entrepreneurs are not ready to do business with graduates of distance learning. Insufficient practical training of students may also be the reason for this. These developments can significantly affect the quality of distance learning. The administration of all universities should ensure that all students are provided with the necessary educational materials, as well as organize compulsory internships for undergraduates in each department where it has not been implemented yet

Entrepreneurial skills development through distance learning

© BEIESP. Distance learning is becoming more and more popular with students of the Russian Federation. However, since this form of education is relatively new for our country, its organization has some drawbacks that need correction in order to increase the effectiveness of such education. The purpose of this research is to determine whether students of distance learning are confident in the effectiveness of their education, as well as in their competitiveness with full-time students and readiness for entrepreneurship. It is necessary to find out directly from entrepreneurs whether graduates will be able to compete in the labor market. Two groups of respondents were surveyed: 426 students of public and private universities of Kazan and 35 local entrepreneurs. The survey was conducted in order to determine the prospects of distance learning from all possible aspects: both from the future applicant and from the potential employer. The results showed students' positive attitude towards distance learning. It was confirmed by students' confidence in their successful employment and readiness to compete in the market. However, half of the respondents were not ready for their own business activities. The reason for this may be the lack of adequate educational materials, lack of easy access to university libraries and lack of practice during the educational process. Moreover, the favorable attitude of entrepreneurs towards students of this form of education was revealed, since they find skills and experience more important than the specifics of the educational form. However, most entrepreneurs are not ready to do business with graduates of distance learning. Insufficient practical training of students may also be the reason for this. These developments can significantly affect the quality of distance learning. The administration of all universities should ensure that all students are provided with the necessary educational materials, as well as organize compulsory internships for undergraduates in each department where it has not been implemented yet

Preparation, characterization and crystallization of an antibody Fab fragment that recognizes RNA. Crystal structures of native Fab and three Fab-mononucleotide complexes

NRC publication: Ye