The evolution of early Spermophilus in eastern Europe and the antiquity of the Old World ground squirrels

Spermophilus is the most diverse and abundant genus of Eurasian sciurids. Even though many species have been described, the early evolution of the group is poorly understood. Here we present a review of the evolution and taxonomy of early Spermophilus, based on analysis of more than 1500 specimens from the late Pliocene and Early–Middle Pleistocene of Ukraine and European Russia, representing the most complete and continuous fossil record of the early Old World ground squirrels known to date. In addition to documenting previously unpublished specimens of Spermophilus nogaici, we describe a new species, Spermophilus praecox sp. nov., the oldest member of the genus, from the late Pliocene and Early Pleistocene (middle Villanyian to earliest Biharian) of southern Ukraine. It is intermediate in size between a somewhat smaller Spermophilus nogaici and larger Spermophilus polonicus and Spermophilus primigenius. Morphologically, the new species can be distinguished from all known Spermophilus by the retention of primitive traits including a small P3; rudimentary lingual metaloph; large metaconule and mesostyle; presence of P4–M2 endoloph; and premolariform p4 lacking a lingual metalophid. The patterns of dental evolution in eastern European early Spermophilus throughout 2.15 My indicates the existence of a single gradually evolving S. praecox–S. nogaici lineage characterized by a decrease of molar size but enlargement of premolars; the tendency toward high-crowned teeth with more expanded anterior and reduced posterior lobes; well-developed transverse ridges and anterostyles; reduced endolophs, anteroconules, metaconules, and mesostyles of P4–M2; molariform p4; complete m1–m2 metalophids; and stronger m3 hypoconid, hypoconulid, and entoconulid. Dental character regression suggests that Spermophilus evolved from a relatively large-sized sciurid having generalized Otospermophilus-like dentition, probably an unknown North American member of stem Marmotina. Copyright © 2019 M.V. Sinitsa and N.V. Pogodina. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (for details please see http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.Government Council on Grants, Russian FederationWe would like to thank Dmitry V. Ivanoff, Oleksandr M. Kovalchuk, Vadym O. Yanenko (all National Museum of Natural History, Kiev, Ukraine), Olga V. Makarova (Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Saint Petersburg, Russia), Mihály Gasparik and Piroska Pazonyi (both Hungarian Museum of Natural History, Budapest, Hungary) for access and guidance during MVS’s visits to their respective institutions. We are also grateful to Alexey S. Tesakov (Geological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia) for discussions on fossil ground squirrels and southern Ukraine stratigraphy. Finally, we thank Thomas H. Goodwin (Andrews University, Berrien Springs, USA), William W. Korth (Rochester Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology, New York, USA), and the Editor, Olivier Lambert (Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Brussels, Belgium) for their constructive comments that greatly improved the manuscript. The research was supported by Act 211 of the Government of the Russian Federation, contract No. 02.A03.21.0006; and by INQUA Project 1606:‘Ground Squirrels on the March: Expansion and Speciation in the Quaternary of the Circum-Pontic Area and Surroundings’

Plio-Pliocene vole fauna from Zverinogolovskoye locality (Southern Trans-Urals region)

The Plio-Pleistocene arvicoline fauna of Zverinogolovskoye is revised. The molar morphology of Pliomys sp., Borsodia praehungarica, Pitymimomys ex gr. inceptor, Pitymimomys baschkiricus, Mimomys ex gr. hajnackensis, Mimomys polonicus, Mimomys hintoni, and M. cf. reidi is described. Biozones of most forms indicate the Late Pliocene-earliest Pleistocene interval (Villanyian European Land Mammal Age, zones MN16 to MN17). The vole fauna includes common species occurring in Western Europe, the Russian Plain, and West Siberia. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd and INQUA

Arterial stiffness: basic determinants, methods of assessment, and the connection with obesity in children (literature review)

The review reflects the features of the structure and function of the arteries. The physiological mechanism of the formation of the pulse wave is described, and various levels of arterial pressure in the aorta and peripheral arteries are explained. Disorders of hemodynamics with a change in resilient-elastic properties of arterial vessels are described. Amplification and augmentation - factors modifying the pulse wave are presented. Also the paper describes the main methods of measuring arterial stiffness at the local, regional and system level, the advantage of direct measurement of the parameters related to the stiffness of the arterial wall, and the method of assessing the local and regional rigidity of the arteries. Separately, a method for determining pulse wave velocity in the carotid-femoral region was presented. Data of age impact on the structure and function of the arteries are presented. As it has been shown it is necessary to study parameters characterizing arterial rigidity in obese children, since this disease increases the incidence of cardiovascular complications in both adults and children. The relationship between the stiffness of arterial vessels and obesity children is considered. Various results of studies of arterial stiffness in children with obesity are presented. The lack of a consensus on the use of method of arterial vessels rigidity studying in childhood patients shows the need for further study of vascular remodeling and factors that may affect the structure of arteries in obese children

THE STUDY OF EMOTIONAL BURNOUT IN CONNECTION WITH LIFE MEANING AND CAREER ORIENTATIONS AMONG REPRESENTATIVES OF SOCIONOMIC PROFESSIONS

The study results of life meaning, career orientations and emotional burnout syndrome among representatives of socionomic (helping) professions have been described. The purpose of the work was to identify the characteristics of emotional burnout, career and life meaning orientations of the personality and their relationships. To achieve the goal of the study, V. V. Boyko’s “Method for diagnosing the level of emotional burnout”, D. A. Leontiev’s test of “Life Sense Orientations” (LSO), and E. Shein’s “Career Anchors test” have been used. It has been established, that the “Resistance” phase is in the formation stage, the “Stress” and “Depletion” phases were not formed. The leading career orientation of specialists is “professional competence”. As a result of the study, the interrelation of indicators of emotional burnout, career and life meaning orientations, has been identified. High scores on the scales of the LSO: “goals in life”, “life process”, “locus of control – life”, “locus of control – I” have been found. It has been established that career-oriented industrial professionals are more susceptible to emotional burnout. The article is a contribution to the study of various aspects of helping a person experiencing emotional burnout syndrome

Features of physiological reactivity of the respiratory system by highly qualified male athletes in the age range 17-46 years

The low reactivity of the respiratory system at low intensity and high responsiveness to the load of submaximal intensity detected in highly qualified athletes in the age range 22-46 years, coaching and aerobic endurance in athletes 17 to 26 years coaching and power performance. The high reactivity of the respiratory system at low load and reduced response to loading of submaximal intensity detected in highly skilled athletes 17-18 years coaching and aerobic endurance in athletes 40-46 years coaching power performance is that the former does not reduce the effectiveness of fan response. From elite athletes 40-46 years revealed a relative limitation of ventilatory response to submaximal activity, which is more pronounced in the representatives of power sports

Predictors of exaggerated blood pressure response to aerobic exercise in obese adolescents

Association of blood pressure response during exercise of cardiometabolic risk factors (CMRF) is demonstrated in adults. The objective was to determine predictors of raised exercise blood pressure (BP) response during aerobic exercise in obese adolescents. The maximal treadmill test using the Bruce protocol was performed in 82 normotensive obese adolescents (12-17 y.o., 43 boys). Adolescents were divided into 2 groups: group 1 (n = 68) - children with normal BP response to exercise; group 2 (n = 14) - adolescents who had excessive increase in systolic BP (SBP) during exercise. We used logistic regression analysis to examine the associations between cardiometabolic risk factors (CMRF) and SBP response during exercise with adjustment for baseline SBP, sex, age and duration of exercise test period. We have found exaggerated BP response to exercise in 17.1 % of patients. In adolescents of group 2 baseline SBP was higher than in group 1 (p = 0.01). Glucose level and lipid metabolism disturbances, SDS Z-score, baseline SBP levels only by 24.8 % explained the formation of the hyperreactive SBP response to exercise (χ2 = 13.2; р = 0.068). Only baseline SBP was an independent predictor for exaggerated BP response (p = 0.025) and age was a significant trend towards influence (p = 0.054). Exaggerated BP response to exercise in normotensive obese adolescents is more common for older adolescents who have baseline SBP levels in the range of elevated normal values. Knowing CMRF as well as the degree of excess weight has no effect on excessive BP rise during exercise

Obesity and functional bowel disorders: are they linked?

Obesity and functional bowel disease (FBD) are affecting a large number of people worldwide. They have psychosocial consequences and associated with considerable healthcare resource use. The purpose of this review was a comprehensive study of the relationship between obesity and FBD, as well as mechanisms to explain this relationship. An analysis of the literature provides strong evidence of a link between obesity and diarrhea, but there is currently insufficient data to speak confidently about the link between obesity and irritable bowel syndrome. Most studies suggest that adult obesity is not associated or negatively associated with constipation. The association of obesity with diarrhea is most convincingly explained through diet, eating behavior, changes in the metabolism of bile acids, accelerated colonic transit, altered intestinal microbiota and associated inflammation and increased intestinal permeability. Medicines taken by patients, as well as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, can play their own role.Planning and conducting studies, including longitudinal ones, based on valid diagnostic criteria and taking into account the widest possible range of confounders, will allow a deeper study of the problem of comorbidity of obesity and FBD. This will help optimize the treatment of these diseases

Obesity and functional bowel disorders in adolescents: a pilot study

Background: Studies of the relationship between obesity and functional bowel disorders, carried out in different age groups, provide conflicting results. It remains unclear what factors are responsible for the transition from a tendency to constipation in children to a tendency to diarrhea in adults with obesity.Aim: To establish factors related to stool consistency as a surrogate marker of colon transit in adolescents with obesity.Materials and methods: A single-center observational cross-sectional study was carried out. We consecutively recruited adolescents, aged 11–17 years with obesity. Socio-demographic characteristics, lifestyle and nutritional characteristics were assessed using questionnaires. Bowel symptoms were assessed using questionnaires and interviews. Stool consistency was assessed using the Bristol Stool Form Scale. Serum concentrations of ALT, AST, bilirubin, cholesterol, glucose, HbA1c, leptin, and insulin were determined. The HOMA-IR index was used to determine insulin resistance.Results: One hundred and ten adolescents with obesity were enrolled in the study. Of these, 69.1% had a pathological consistency of feces, with the prevalence of forms characterizing delayed gut transit (49.1%). The predominance of loose stools was reported by 5.5% of patients. The combination of different forms of stool (unstable stool) was described by 14.5% of adolescents. Hard stools were common among adolescents from single-parent families and adolescents who rarely consume dairy products. The presence of loose stools has been associated with insulin resistance.Conclusion: Most obese adolescents who do not have abdominal complaints have colon transit disorders. Medical professionals should actively ask these patients about stool frequency and properties. With constipation, dietary correction is justified. Research is needed to investigate in-depth gut microbiota as a possible link between obesity and diarrhea

Intercultural Communication in Confessional Legal Relations (Common and Particular in Russia and Japan)

The study of particularities of regional cross-country images of confession and intercultural communication as well as the semantic image surrounding these concepts is vital in today’s social life. The article analyzes denotations and connotations of the terms confession and intercultural communication in the Russian and Japanese sociocultural contexts from the point of view of a new research discourse — glocal religious studies with the focus on vernacular specifics of religiosity in Russia and Japan. The case study methodology includes description and analysis of how various views on certain aspects of religiosity correlate. It makes possible to adjust the theoretical understanding of the problem and weigh it against the variety of real-life communicational practices. The article investigates the complexity and dramatism of communication between members of the ingroup and others. The study bases on the materials from the history, media and academic discourses where in the internal and external of particular communities in the given historic circumstances may not only vary significantly, but also be intentionally marked to divide one from the other. Sometimes this demarcation takes a form of stigmatization that label one’s perspective as not-true or lawless. The paper describes two major types of culture: the first one (ethnocentrism in terms suggested by M. Bennet) derives from the idea that other’s statements are sealed and cannot be translated thus must be destroyed. The second type — ethnorelativism — comes from the idea of affinity and openness. It is presumed that taking one a different perspective and accepting diversity is empowering and gives start to an intercultural dialogue. Common and particular are the two basic viewpoints on any identity, when both positive and negative promotes understanding. The phenomenon of unity as similarity of indistinguishable (like grains of sand) on the one hand, and systemic unity of the different (like people) on the other hand, are considered within the framework of distancing extralinguistic social facts from the term that stand for them. The latter shown as special imaginary unities and descriptions of autopoietic systems