Bound by One Belt

The article contains an information about the alignment of the Silk Road Economic Belt with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and Russian integration projects the main of which is the Eurasian Economic Union. Complex Chinese initiative has many different aspects and dimensions relating to trade, investment, transport infrastructural, cultural and humanitarian issues. The author considers the problem of alignment in many aspects including the current state of Russian academic expertise and the possible ways of using the project in order to improve socioeconomic situation in the Russian territories in the Central Asia, Siberia and the Far East. The author stresses the security concerns, which seemed to be underestimated by China on the early stages of the program implementation. In this context, the author pays special attention to the threats of international terrorism, the rais ing instability in the states-participants, transnational crime and drug market. The author concludes that the project will not bring positive consequences unless Chinese authorities will closely cooperate with Russia and the regional organizations it associated with. As a result, it is possible to reach a partner cooperation between the states (although different in their economic potential), under which China will benefit effective using of its resources and overcome the current economic isolation of the Сentral Asian states. From the other hand, Russia will get a chance to improve the situation of economic inequality between its internal regions. Russian military and political power may guarantee successful assimilation of Chinese financial investments

Parasites of the genus Nosema, Crithidia and Lotmaria in the honeybee and bumblebee populations : a case study in India

The populations of honeybees and bumblebees have been decreasing around the world in the recent decades. A variety of pathogens and parasites, including  bacteria, fungi, protozoa, nematodes, mites and insects play signi ficant role in honeybee and bumblebee colonies loss. Pa rasites of the genus Nosema (Microsporidia: Nosematidae) and the genera Crithidia and Lotmaria (Kinetoplastida: Trypanosomatidae) have a significant negative impact on honeybee and bumblebee colonies. Recent  studies of nuclear DNA markers of these parasites allowed to describe new species and genetic variants. The aim of this study was to investigate the Microsporidia (Nosema spp.) and Trypanosomatidae (Crithidia spp. and Lotmaria  passim) prevalence and genetic diversity in honeybee and bumble bee populations of Indian territories that haven’t been studied before. In total 119 specimens of 4 honeybee and 5 bumblebee species were analyzed in this study. The prevalence of parasites in honeybee and bumblebee po pulations of the two Indian states (Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka) were identified using PCR with primers specific for the ribosomal RNA genes cluster of Nosema, Crithidia and Lotmaria species. Co­infection by microsporidian and trypanosomatid parasites was detected in several honeybee and bumblebee specimens from Jammu and Kash mir state. Comparative analysis of ribosomal RNA genes sequences showed that honeybee samples from India studied were infected by N. bombi, N. ceranae and L. passim.  Bumblebee populations were infected by Nosema D, Crithidia bombi and Crithidia expoeki. No honeybee’s specimen with trypanosomatid infection was found in Karnataka state. For the first time N. bombi infection was detected in the honeybee population. The studies of distribution of microsporidia and trypanosomatid parasites among the honeybee and bumblebee populations all over the World were summarized and supplemented