On Students Training in a New Masters Program “Molecular Biology and Plant Agrobiotechnology” at SaintPetersburg State University (SPbSU)

The development of an agro-industrial complex under present-day conditions is impossible to imagine without the development of agro-biotechnology, which in turn requires specialists with profound knowledge of biology, chemistry and related sciences. In this regard, training of personnel is needed to ensure active implementation of modern technologies in agricultural sciences. Until recently, such specialists have not been trained at classical universities, to which St. Petersburg State University belongs. To deal with this challenge, a Masters Program «Molecular Biology and Agrobiotechnology of Plants» has been developed and is being implemented in SPbSU. Teaching staff from eight departments of the Biological Faculty of SPbSU is involved in the creation and implementation of the Program. The Program in question is focused on familiarizing students with the modern problems, achievements, methodology of agro-biotechnology of plants, as well as on practical application of the obtained knowledge. Special attention is paid to the formation of trainees’ perceptions of the possibility and necessity of bringing plant breeding to the level of requirements and possibilities of the «post-genome era» to achieve high productivity and sustainability of agricultural production with minimal environmental risks. The Program seamlessly integrates practical exercises and students’ research work in the SPbSU facilities, as well as that performed at St. Petersburg research institutes. Much attention is paid to the development of students’ skills in conducting scientific discussions and in presenting their scientific data in different formats, for instance in English, which is very important for monitoring current scientific trends and integrating own research into world science. The Program is popular with students and many of its graduates have been employed by the leading biological and agricultural research institutes

Genetic engineering of cotton: current status and perspectives

Currently, several species of the genus Gossypium are cultivated in agriculture to produce fiber. Cotton has been cultivated for a long time, however, many aspects of its cultivation and processing are still researched. Writing about the cultivation of cotton, it is worth mentioning the fundamental problems of its processing. For example, the amounts of pesticides used in the cultivation of cotton are greater than for any other crop. Chemicals sprayed on cotton fields are washed away from the fields and, reaching the fresh water sources, pollute them, causing significant damage to the environment. Fortunately, such challenges can be solved by switching to the cultivation of transgenic cotton. Transgenic cotton has already brought many important environmental, social and economic benefits, including reduce of the used pesticides, indirectly increasing of yield, minimizing environmental pollution, reducing the labor force involved and economic costs.Today, the main methods of obtaining transgenic cotton lines are still agrobacterial transformation and biolistics. In recent years, however, innovative methods of transformation have also been developed. For example, the introduction of genetic material mediated by a pollen tube for the cultivation of commercial transgenic cotton is actively used in China. Although in recent decades transgenic lines resistant to diseases, abiotic stresses and with improved fiber quality have been obtained, the dominant position in the market of transgenic cotton is still occupied by lines of plants resistant to insects and herbicides. All the above indicates an insufficient degree of integration between institutes that introduce new advanced developments and agricultural industry.In this review the results of research involving the cultivation and genetic modification of cotton were collected and summarized. The main methods of genetic transformation of cultivated representatives of the genus Gossypium, both actively used at present and still under development, were considered. The most remarkable transgenic lines were also described, among which both those that have already entered agricultural industry and those that have only recently been obtained. Thus, the reader will be able to get a general idea of the current achievements in the field of cotton genetic modification

Computational psychiatry approach to stigma subtyping in patients with mental disorders: explicit and implicit internalized stigma

BACKGROUND: Psychiatric stigma has potentially controversial effects on patients health-related behaviors. It appears that both stigmatization and motivation in psychiatric patients are heterogeneous and multi-dimensional, and that the relationship between stigma and treatment motivation may be more complex than previously believed. AIM: To determine psychiatric stigma subtypes as they relate to treatment motivation among inpatients with various mental disorders. METHODS: Sixy-three psychiatric inpatients were examined by the Treatment Motivation Assessment Questionnaire (TMAQ) and the Russian version of Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness scale (ISMI). K-Means cluster and dispersion analysis were conducted. RESULTS: Cluster 3 (25 subjects) was the least stigmatized. Cluster 1 (18 subjects) showed an explicit stigma. Cluster 2 (20 subjects) showed an implicit stigma that took the form of the lowest treatment motivation compared to other clusters. Implicitly stigmatized patients, in contrast to explicitly stigmatized individuals, showed a decline in 3 out of 4 TMAQ factors (Mean dif.=1.051.67). CONCLUSION: Cooperation with doctors, together with reliance on ones own knowledge and skills to cope with the disorder, might be the way to overcome an internalized stigma for patients with mental disorders