Tajikistan : key priorities for climate change adaptation

How should Tajikistan adapt to ongoing and future climate change, in particular given the many pressing development challenges it currently faces? The paper argues that for developing countries like Tajikistan, faster economic and social development is the best possible defense against climate change. It presents some key findings from a recent nationally representative household survey to illustrate the strong public support for more climate change related spending on better management of water resources, disaster management, agriculture, and public health--four key sectors that the government's latest poverty reduction strategy identifies as being especially important from a climate change perspective. Finally, the paper argues that, as important as project-based adaptation measures may be, it is imperative that they be supported by an overall policy framework that provides a truly enabling environment to facilitate faster climate change adaptation.Science of Climate Change,Climate Change Mitigation and Green House Gases,Climate Change Economics,Water Supply and Sanitation Governance and Institutions,Population Policies

The Role of Extracurricular Activities in Foreign Language Learning in University Settings

This thesis discusses the role of extracurricular activities in foreign language learning in universities in Canada and Russia. The research study outlines an array of extracurricular activities offered for university students in these two countries, and investigates the opinions of students and language instructors regarding the perceived impact of these activities on students’ language acquisition, cultural acquaintance and language learning motivation. Chapter One provides a review of the history of extracurricular activities in Russia and North America. It explains the reported benefits of these activities and states research questions. Chapter Two contains the description of research methodology applied in the study as well as the description of the sample. Chapter Three provides the results of data analysis and points out significant differences in responses across the subject groups (Russian and Canadian, students and teachers). The results showed significant involvement of students in both countries in extracurricular work, but also identified some problems with organization and managing these activities. In Chapter Four the results are discussed, followed by conclusions that include some practical recommendations for language students and instructors on the most efficient ways of organizing language-related extracurricular activities

Anatomy of coping: evidence from people living through the crises of 2008-11

This paper surveys qualitative crisis monitoring data from sites in 17 developing and transition countries to describe crisis impacts and analyze the responses and sources of support used by people to cope. These crises included shocks to export sectors as a result of the global financial crisis, as well as food and fuel price volatility, in the period from 2008 to early 2011. Respondents reported the crisis had resulted in significant hardships in the form of foregone meals, education, and health care, food insecurity, asset losses, stress, and worsening crime and community cohesion. Although the export-oriented formal sector was most exposed to the global economic downturn, the crises impacts were more damaging for informal sector workers, and some of the adverse impacts will be long-lasting and possibly irreversible. There were important gender and age differences in the distribution of impacts and coping responses, some of which diverged from what has been seen in previous crisis coping responses. The more common sources of assistance were family, friends, and community-based and religious organizations; formal social protection and finance were not widely cited as sources of support in most study countries. However, as the crisis deepened, the traditional informal safety nets of the poor became depleted because of the large and long-lasting shocks that ensued, pointing to the need for better formal social protection systems for coping with future shocks.

Optimization of treatment and prevention of generalized periodontal diseases with the use of transgingival photoactived disinfection

The aim of the study is to develop protocols for the treatment and prevention of generalized periodontal disease using a nozzle that designed for transgingival photosensitizer activation. Methods. Analysis of available variants of irradiation nozzles for photoactivated disinfection. Circuit design and construction of authors’ irradiation nozzle for transgingival photosensitizer activation. Results. Based on the analysis of data, there was developed a nozzle design that allows treating periodontium areas within 4-6 teeth, evenly distributes the required power of laser radiation, and can be used in hard-to-reach areas of the oral cavity. Based on the above calculations, a nozzle for transgingival photosensitizer activation was created (jointly with Fotonika Plus, PE). To optimize the PAD procedure, there was created a protocol of transgingival photoactivated disinfection to be applied at the stage of professional oral hygiene, using the created irradiation nozzle NOU-9 of authors’ design, and diode 2 W laser LIKA-surgeon with a wavelength of 660 nm. The result is the accelerated procedure of transgingival photoactivated disinfection. Conclusions. The development of photoactivated disinfection technology allows supplementing the traditional treatment of generalized periodontal diseases. Studies of non-invasive, transgingival method of photosensitizer activation have recently become popular. This, in turn, carries a lower probability of cross-infection and less traumatization of periodontal tissues during the manipulation. The use of PAD cannot lead to resistance of the microflora in contrast to pharmacological antibacterial preparations. Carrying out PAD does not require any complex manual skills, the purchase of expensive equipment, provides an opportunity for widespread introduction of technology. The use of the therapeutic complex and protocols of PAD that were developed can significantly reduce the duration of the procedure, resulting in improved comfort for both the doctor and the patient. The NOU-9 irradiation nozzle allows reaching hard-to-reach areas of the oral cavity, distributing laser radiation efficiently and evenly on periodontal tissues. The LIKA-surgeon 2 W laser with a wavelength of 660 nm provides the operating parameters required to activate the photosensitizer. Due to low-intensity radiation, it is possible to enhance regenerative processes in the periodontium after traumatic intervention. Clinical studies on the antibacterial efficacy of the technology are ongoin

The SeqWord Genome Browser: an online tool for the identification and visualization of atypical regions of bacterial genomes through oligonucleotide usage

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Data mining in large DNA sequences is a major challenge in microbial genomics and bioinformatics. Oligonucleotide usage (OU) patterns provide a wealth of information for large scale sequence analysis and visualization. The purpose of this research was to make OU statistical analysis available as a novel web-based tool for functional genomics and annotation. The tool is also available as a downloadable package.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The SeqWord Genome Browser (SWGB) was developed to visualize the natural compositional variation of DNA sequences. The applet is also used for identification of divergent genomic regions both in annotated sequences of bacterial chromosomes, plasmids, phages and viruses, and in raw DNA sequences prior to annotation by comparing local and global OU patterns. The applet allows fast and reliable identification of clusters of horizontally transferred genomic islands, large multi-domain genes and genes for ribosomal RNA. Within the majority of genomic fragments (also termed genomic core sequence), regions enriched with housekeeping genes, ribosomal proteins and the regions rich in pseudogenes or genetic vestiges may be contrasted.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The SWGB applet presents a range of comprehensive OU statistical parameters calculated for a range of bacterial species, plasmids and phages. It is available on the Internet at <url>http://www.bi.up.ac.za/SeqWord/mhhapplet.php</url>.</p

Methyltransferases of gentamicin biosynthesis

Gentamicin C complex from Micromonospora echinospora remains a globally important antibiotic, and there is revived interest in the semisynthesis of analogs that might show improved therapeutic properties. The complex consists of five components differing in their methylation pattern at one or more sites in the molecule. We show here, using specific gene deletion and chemical complementation, that the gentamicin pathway up to the branch point is defined by the selectivity of the methyltransferases GenN, GenD1, and GenK. Unexpectedly, they comprise a methylation network in which early intermediates are ectopically modified. Using whole-genome sequence, we have also discovered the terminal 6'-N-methyltransfer required to produce gentamicin C2b from C1a or gentamicin C1 from C2, an example of an essential biosynthetic enzyme being located not in the biosynthetic gene cluster but far removed on the chromosome. These findings fully account for the methylation pattern in gentamicins and open the way to production of individual gentamicins by fermentation, as starting materials for semisynthesis.This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China Grant 31470186; by the 973 Program Grant 2012CB721005 from the Ministry of Science and Technology of China; by Open Project Grant MMLKF15-12 from the State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Shanghai Jiao Tong University (to Y.S.); by Medical Research Council (MRC) Grants G1001687 and MR/M019020/1 (to P.F.L.); and by an MRC postgraduate studentship (1343325) (to A.R.)

Пропаганда та PR у соціальних мережах як елемент антикризового маркетингу окремих територій

У цій статті розглядається роль соціальних мереж у житті людей під час війни. Важливу роль в інформу- ванні та поширенні інформації відіграють соціальні мережі. Середній користувач проводить в мережі близько 6 годин 43 хвилини на день. Це більше 100 днів на одного користувача на рік. Одна людина проводить в Інтернеті 2,7 року з 10 років. Соціальні мережі стали інструментом впливу на людей різної статі, національності та достатку. Якщо близькі друзі вважають ваш пост важливим, вони його перепублікують. Таким чином, маючи 100 друзів, вашу публікацію зможуть побачити мільйони людей. Начебто фантастика, але в українському світі зараз це норма. У лютому 2022 року почалася війна в Україні. Після вторгнення агресора в Україну люди потребували негайної допомоги. Саме соціальні мережі допомогли поширити інформацію. Потрібна була допомога транспортом, бензином, продуктами харчування, медикаментами, медичною допомогою, грошима. Люди похилого віку 65+ отримують інформацію з телебачення та сім’ї, а люди віком від 18 до 65 років – у соціальних мережах. У президента України Володимира Зеленського 17 мільйонів підписників в Instagram. Президент або його команда щоденно публікують новини, важливі пости та відеозвернення. Населення України становить близько 44 млн осіб. Використання офіційних сайтів для отримання інформації не є зручним способом. Люди вирішують, що знайти важливу інформацію в соціальних мережах легше і швидше. Це сталося раптово і незаплановано. Це перша війна, в якій соціальні мережі відіграють таку важливу роль. Важливо розуміти, що там, де багато добра, є багато зла. У соцмережах почали з’являтися сторінки, які збирали гроші на потреби військових чи біженців, а потім разом із грошима зникали. Щоб цього не сталося, завжди знайдуться добрі і злі люди, погані і добрі вчинки. Соціальні мережі можуть як допомогти, так і нашкодити. До будь-якого майданчика потрібно ставитися обережно і дотримуватися правил поведінки в Інтернеті. Кожен повинен вміти користуватися інструментами соціальних мереж. Метою статті є дослідження соціальних мереж як елемента антикризового маркетингу на конкретних територіях з моменту настання війни в Україні. Стаття несе науково-практичні знання про вплив соціальних мереж на суспільство у цих кризових умовах. Підсумком статті є важливість підтримки та використання соціальних мереж не лише в хороші часи як «місця для розваг», але й як рупора правди та «острівця безпеки».This article examines the role of social networks in the lives of people in war crises. Social networks play an important role in informing and disseminating information. The average user spends about 6 hours and 43 minutes a day online. This is more than 100 days per user per year. One person spends 2.7 years out of 10 years on the Internet. Social networks have become a tool for influencing people of different genders, nationalities, and wealth. If your post is considered important by close friends, they will repost it. So having 100 friends your post can be seen by millions of people. It seems to be fantastic, but in the Ukrainian world it is the norm now. In February 2022, the war in Ukraine began. After the aggressor invaded Ukraine, people needed immediate help. It was social networks that helped spread the word. Assistance was needed in transport, gasoline, food, medicine, medical care, and money. Older people aged 65+ receive information from television and family, and people aged 18 to 65 receive information on social networks. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has 17 million Instagram followers. The president or his team publishes daily news, important posts, and video appeals. Ukraine has a population of about 44 million. Using official websites to obtain information is not a convenient method. People decide that it is easier and faster to find important information on social media. It happened suddenly and unplanned. This is the first war in which social networks play such an important role. It is important to understand that where there is a lot of good, there is a lot of evil. Pages began to appear on social networks that collected money for the needs of the military or refugees, and then they disappeared with the money. To prevent this from happening, there will always be good and bad people, bad and good deeds. Social networks can both help and harm. Any platform should be treated with caution and follow the rules of conduct on the Internet. Everyone should be able to use the tools of social networks. The purpose of the article is to study social networks as an element of anti-crisis marketing of certain territories during the war in Ukraine. The article carries scientific and practical knowledge about the impact of social networks on society. The conclusion of the article is the importance of maintaining and using social networks not only in good times as a "place for entertainment" but also as a mouthpiece of truth and an "island of security"

Comparison of structures and cytotoxicity of mupirocin and batumin against melanoma and several other cancer cell lines

AIM : To determine the computer-predicted anticancer activity of mupirocin and to compare its activities with those determined for another polyene antibiotic, batumin. MATERIALS AND METHODS : Molecular docking, cytotoxicity assays, cell microscopy and cell cycle progression were studied in cancer and nontumorigenic cell lines. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION : Cytotoxicity of mupirocin against several cancerous cell lines was detected with the highest one (IC50 = 5.4 μg/ml) against melanoma cell line. The profile of cytotoxicity of mupirocin was similar to that reported for batumin. Nevertheless, the morphology of cells treated with these antibiotics and alterations in cell cycle progression suggested possible dissimilarity in their mechanisms of action. Selective cytotoxicity of mupirocin against melanoma cells potentiates further studies to discover nontoxic drugs for melanoma prevention.AM Joubert acquired grants from the National Research Foundation (NRF; 105992, 90523 and 85818), Cancer Association of South Africa (A0V741 and A0W228), the Struwig Germeshuysen Trust (A0N074), the School of Medicine Research Committee of the University of Pretoria (AOH561) and Medical Research Council (A0W110). MH Visagie was funded from the NRF (99706), the School of Medicine Research Committee of the University of Pretoria (AOH561) and Struwig Germeshysen Trust. N Lall was funded from NRF/IKS160514165042 Grant No: 105169. ON Reva was funded from NRF grant 105996.https://www.future-science.com/journal/fmchj2019BiochemistryGeneticsMicrobiology and Plant PathologyPhysiologyPlant Production and Soil Scienc

Deriving a mutation index of carcinogenicity using protein structure and protein interfaces

With the advent of Next Generation Sequencing the identification of mutations in the genomes of healthy and diseased tissues has become commonplace. While much progress has been made to elucidate the aetiology of disease processes in cancer, the contributions to disease that many individual mutations make remain to be characterised and their downstream consequences on cancer phenotypes remain to be understood. Missense mutations commonly occur in cancers and their consequences remain challenging to predict. However, this knowledge is becoming more vital, for both assessing disease progression and for stratifying drug treatment regimes. Coupled with structural data, comprehensive genomic databases of mutations such as the 1000 Genomes project and COSMIC give an opportunity to investigate general principles of how cancer mutations disrupt proteins and their interactions at the molecular and network level. We describe a comprehensive comparison of cancer and neutral missense mutations; by combining features derived from structural and interface properties we have developed a carcinogenicity predictor, InCa (Index of Carcinogenicity). Upon comparison with other methods, we observe that InCa can predict mutations that might not be detected by other methods. We also discuss general limitations shared by all predictors that attempt to predict driver mutations and discuss how this could impact high-throughput predictions. A web interface to a server implementation is publicly available at http://inca.icr.ac.uk/

Promising anticancer activity of batumin : a natural polyene antibiotic produced by Pseudomonas batumici

AIM : To determine the computer-predicted anticancer activity of antibiotic batumin. MATERIALS AND METHODS : Cytotoxicity assays, cell morphology microscopy and cell cycle progression were studied in cancer and nontumorigenic cell lines. An in vivo experiment on Lewis lung carcinoma (3LL)-transplanted mice was conducted to evaluate potential antimetastatic. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION : Cytotoxicity against melanoma and lung carcinoma cells (IC50 ≈ 5 μg/ml) was detected. Hypercondensed chromatin and apoptotic body formation in batumin-treated cells suggested the induction of apoptosis supported also by an observed increase in the quantity of cells occupying the sub-G1 cell cycle phase. Twofold reduction in the number and volume of lung metastases in Lewis lung carcinoma (3LL)-bearing batumin-treated mice was demonstrated. Highly specific cytotoxicity of batumin against cancer cell lines potentiates further studies.https://www.future-science.com/loi/fmc2019-09-01hj2018BiochemistryGeneticsMicrobiology and Plant PathologyPhysiologyPlant Production and Soil Scienc