Moral Judgements of Contemporary Adults (Parents, Teachers, Tutors)

AbstractThe article presents the results of the analysis of adults’ moral judgements, directly connected with the process of socialization of the younger generation in big-city life. The comparative analysis we have carried out allows us to discuss the question of homogeneity/heterogeneity of the joint team of tutors, to elicit significant differences for each category and to raise the issue of possibility of mutual substitution among the roles of tutors, teachers and parents

Src kinases and Flt3: phosphorylation, interference with receptor maturation and mechanism of association

Flt3 is the most recently discovered member of the platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR) subfamily of receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs). It is expressed on early hematopoietic progenitor cells and is involved in their growth. Activating mutations of Flt3, such as internal tandem duplications (ITD) in the juxtamembrane (JM) region of Flt3, are among the most common genetic alterations found in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). For this reason Flt3 is an attractive target for specific tyrosine kinase inhibitors, and a number of such compounds are currently being tested in clinical trials. However, the mechanisms of Flt3-mediated signal transduction are poorly understood. Src family tyrosine kinases (SFKs) are involved in the signaling processes of various RTKs, including those of the PDGFR subfamily . Most SFKs are expressed predominantly or exclusively in hematopoietic cells, and at least Hck and Lyn were found to be activated in AML patients. These observations indicate that SFKs could also be involved in Flt3 signaling. In this work the role of SFKs in signal transduction of the Flt3 receptor was investigated. A panel of Hck and Flt3 mutants was used in biochemical and biological assays to deduce the contribution of kinase activity, SH2 and SH3 binding domains and tyrosine phosphorylation status to Flt3-SFK interaction. The work presented shows that SFKs interfere with the maturation of wild type and Flt3 ITD receptors in human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK- 293) cells in a kinase-dependent manner. The SFK-mediated effect on receptor maturation is reflected by accumulation of the immature, intracellular form of Flt3 at the expense of the mature, plasma membrane-inserted form of the receptor. This effect of SFK kinase activity on receptor maturation is not limited to Flt3, because analogous results were also obtained for the Kit receptor, another member of the PDGFR subfamily. The demonstration of the role of SFKs in regulation of receptor maturation is novel and the exact mechanism underlying this effect requires further investigation. Using the HEK-293 cells it was also shown that Hck is able to phosphorylate Flt3 on tyrosine residues and to associate with autophosphorylated Flt3 in an SH2 domain-dependent manner. Hck-mediated tyrosine phosphorylation occurs in the JM region of Flt3. Tyrosine residues 589 and 591 in the JM region, when phosphorylated, were also identified as the docking sites for Hck. Although Hck phosphorylation and binding sites on Flt3 overlap, Hck-mediated phosphorylation of Flt3 is not sufficient for Flt3-Hck association. In contrast to the situation in HEK-293 cells, Hck neither interferes with Flt3 maturation nor phosphorylates Flt3 on tyrosine residues, and does not detectably associate with the Flt3 receptor in the hematopoietic murine cell line 32D clone 3 (32D cl.3). However, the level of the ectopic expression of Hck in 32D cl.3 cells was lower than in HEK-293 cells. This difference in Hck expression level probably accounts for both the lack of the Hck-mediated phosphorylation of Flt3 and the interference with its maturation in 32D cl.3 cells. The lower Hck expression level, however, does not account for the lack of detectable association of Hck with Flt3 in 32D cl.3 cells. Using biological assays in which activation of Flt3 can partially overcome the requirement for cytokine stimulation in 32D cl.3 survival and proliferation, it was shown that Hck is not involved in Flt3 signal transduction leading to Flt3-mediated cell survival and Flt3 ITD-dependent cell growth. Therefore, biological relevance of SFKs in Flt3 signaling remains unclear. In summary, although the binding and phosphorylation of Flt3 by Hck can be shown, the biological relevance of Hck in Flt3 signaling remains to be formally demonstrated. This research led to the novel finding that, at least when over-expressed or hyperactivated, SFKs interfere with the maturation process of RTKs. Various studies have shown that the ligandindependent activation of RTKs as well as their premature phosphorylation can interfere with maturation of RTKs. This study reveals that, by virtue of their phosphorylating of Flt3, Kit and possibly other RTKs, SFKs can regulate maturation of these RTKs and consequently alter their transport to the plasma membrane. Further studies are required to investigate the biological relevance of this function of SFKs

Flow experience and interaction in online gaming. Comparative study of Russian and Chinese MUD players

Abstract. Flow experience (as introduced by M.Csikszentmihalyi) and patterns of\ud interactive behavior were investigated in an online surveys administered within\ud samples of Russian (N = 347) and Chinese (N = 133) online role-playing gamers.\ud Three main hypotheses were stated: (1) both Russian and Chinese MUD players\ud experience flow; (2) flow is positively correlated with interaction patterns for both\ud Russian and Chinese samples of MUD players; (3) patterns of flow experience\ud and interaction patterns characteristic for the Russian and the Chinese samples of\ud MUD players differ. All the hypotheses proved to be true. The following methods\ud of data analysis were used: comparative demography, path analysis, explorative\ud and confirmatory factor analyses. The paper presents the full results of the study\ud and justification of the hypotheses.\ud \ud <br />\ud <br />\ud \ud Résumé. L’expérience optimale (le ‘flow’, tel que l’introduit M.Csikszentmihalyi)\ud et les schémas interactifs de comportement ont fait l’objet d’une investigation\ud dans des études en ligne auprès d’un public engagé dans des jeux de rôle : Russe\ud (N=347) et Chinois (N = 133). On avance les hypothèses principales : (1) les\ud joueurs russes comme les chinois vivent une expérience optimale (2) le ‘flow’ est\ud corrélé positivement avec les schémas d’interaction pour les joueurs russes et\ud chinois (3) il y a des différences entre les Russes et les Chinois pour les schémas\ud de l’expérience optimale et les caractéristiques des interactions. Toutes les\ud hypothèses se sont avérées exactes. Nous avons utilisé les méthodes d’analyse\ud suivantes : comparaison démographique, analyse des choix opérés, analyse des\ud facteurs pour l’exploration et la confirmation. Cet article présente les résultats de\ud ces travaux et justifie les hypothèses

Neuromarketing Research On Consumers' Visual Perception of Cryptomarking a Product Package

&nbsp; This article discusses the possibility of using information technology in product marking. In order to effectively inform consumers about the product and its ingredients on the basis of cryptographic protection of a two-dimensional bar code (QR code), it is necessary to conduct preliminary neurophysiological analysis. Therefore, the aim of the research was to analyze and evaluate consumers' visual perception of a cryptographic marking in order to best position a QR code on a product package. A comprehensive neuromarketing experiment had been carried out to study the visual attention and interest in cryptographic marking on a soft milk package. The oculomotor behaviors of 28 testees were recorded as an array of 395 data sets. Two groups of testees aged from 18 to 50 were involved in the experiment. The results were processed by using economic-mathematical and statistical analysis methods that are implemented in the SPSS environment. Having the results of the processed data summarized, the best QR code positioning spots on a soft milk package have been found. The revealed positioning areas were proved to be the best by the objective neurophysiological parameters of the testees' visual perception of the milk test packages. Cryptomarking had been done on the selected areas on experimental materials and then tested in the control group concerning the testees' attention. The areas of interest and memorability of milk brands were distinguished as well. The obtained results can be used as a practical tool for managing the consumer's attention when choosing milk. The further studies will be related to the research of the visual visibility of a cryptomarking in foveal and peripheral eyesight which will make it possible to understand the consumer's situational behavior in the decision-making process

Luminescent SiO2 nanoparticles for cell labeling: combined water dispersion polymerization and 3D condensation controlled by oligoperoxide surfactant-initiator

Hybrid polymer coated silica nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized using low temperature graft (co)polymerization of trimethoxysilane propyl methacrylate (MPTS) initiated by surface-active oligoperoxide metal complex (OMC) in aqueous media. These NPs were characterized by means of kinetic, solid-state NMR, TEM and FTIR techniques. Two processes, namely the radical graft-copolymerization due to presence of double bonds and 3D polycondensation provided by the intra- or/and intermolecular interaction of organosilicic fragments, occurred simultaneously. The relative contribution of the reactions depending on initiator concentration and pH value leading to the formation of low cured polydisperse microparticles or OMC coated SiO2 NPs of controlled curing degree was studied. The availability of free-radical forming peroxide fragments on the surface of SiO2 NPs provides an opportunity for seeded polymerization leading to the formation of the functional polymer coated NPs with controlled particle structure, size, and functionality. Encapsulation of the luminescent dye (Rhodamine 6G) in SiO2 core of functionalized NPs provided a noticeable increase in their resistance to photo-bleaching and improved biocompatibility. These luminescent NPs were not only attached to murine leukemia L1210 cells but also tolerated by the mammalian cells. Their potential use for labeling of the mammalian cells is considered

A global look at time: a 24-country study of the equivalence of the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory

In this article, we assess the structural equivalence of the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory (ZTPI) across 26 samples from 24 countries (N = 12,200). The ZTPI is proven to be a valid and reliable index of individual differences in time perspective across five temporal categories: Past Negative, Past Positive, Present Fatalistic, Present Hedonistic, and Future. We obtained evidence for invariance of 36 items (out of 56) and also the five-factor structure of ZTPI across 23 countries. The short ZTPI scales are reliable for country-level analysis, whereas we recommend the use of the full scales for individual-level analysis. The short version of ZTPI will further promote integration of research in the time perspective domain in relation to many different psycho-social processes

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Olga Mitina - Methods of the analysis of data files obtained in social studies which have dimension greater than two

Content: Associations between two sets of variables; Redundancy analysis (FIA); Need for robust multivariate methods; Aternating regression; Robust procedure; Interpretation of the redundancy variable

How to Use Expert Advice in the Case when Actual Values of Estimated Events Remain Unknown

The problem how to use experts whose competence is unknown has been studied in several recent papers. It has been assumed that after we have made a prediction we learn the actual value of the predicted event. In some situations, however, we do not learn the actual outcomes. This is the case, for example, in diagnosing a disease, in some kinds of competitions, in making political decisions and so on. In the present paper we consider a model in which we never get to know actual outcomes. The predicted events are binary. Each expert independently on other experts estimates each outcome correctly with some probability depending on expert. His/her estimates of different events are mutually independent, too. The performance of a strategy of using expert advice is measured as the probability of correct estimate on the worst-case outcome sequence. Our main result is the polynomial time strategy such that for any group having at least 3 experts the difference between its performance and the per..