Educating students with disabilities who study at the university

In this article the authors aim to analyze the ways of educating students with disabilities. Research activities at the university are the main type of educational and professional activities for students. Students with disabilities have difficulties in organizing research activities. Students have difficulties in self-regulation, their goals in research activities related to internal well-bein

The competency levels of disabled students who study in university

The article is devoted to the problem of inclusive education of students with disabilities at the university. The article analyses the study of the readiness of students with disabilities to research activitie

Developmental and hormonal regulation of Arabidopsis thaliana ornithine-delta-aminotransferase

Ornithine aminotransferase (OAT) catalyzes transfer of the delta-amino group from L-ornithine to oxo-glutarate. In plants, this reaction biochemically connects urea cycle, proline cycle, and polyamine biosynthesis pathway. OAT activity is shown to be associated with biotic and abiotic stress responses and nitrogen metabolism, but its physiological role is still unclear. In our study, we decided to investigate transcriptional regulation of the OAT gene in Arabidopsis thaliana under normal conditions and in response to various growth regulators. In the present work, the reporter gene construct containing the Escherichia coli β-glucuronidase gene (gus) under control of the A. thaliana OAT gene promoter was introduced into the genome of A. thaliana ecotype Columbia plants using the floral dip method; GUS activity was assayed in different experimental conditions including hormone treatment, low and high nitrogen and salinity. The GUS activity was analyzed histochemically. Plants were incubated with staining solution containing X-Gluc. We show that under standard growth conditions, the promoter is active during germination and in developing floral organs. OAT promoter activity specifically activates in response to different forms of auxin (IAA, NAA, and 2,4D), cytokinin (6- BAP), ethylene precursor (ACC), high nitrogen and salinity. Analysis of the OAT expression by qRT-PCR confirmed the pattern observed using the GUS reporter system. The OAT gene showed a significantly elevated expression in fourday- old seedlings and in plant roots in response to auxins and cytokinins. The analysis of the OAT promoter structure reveals cis-acting regulatory DNA elements associated with auxin regulation and abiotic stresses. The results of the study indicate that the OAT gene is involved in developmental processes and is regulated by auxin and cytokinins

The Impact of the Functional Layer Composition of Glucose Test-Strips on the Stability of Electrochemical Response

Herein, the impact of the chemical stability of RedOx mediator ferricyanide, K3 [Fe(CN)6 ] (FC), a type of buffer solution used for bioreceptor preparation, gel composition (carboxymethylcellulose, CMC, Aerosile, AS, and alginate, ALG) on the long term stability of glucose test-strips and their analytical performance was examined. By simple addition of ALG to the functional gel aiming to improve its viscosity, we managed to enhance the sensitivity of conventional CMC-containing amperometric glucose test-strips from 3.3 µA/mM to 3.9 µA/mM and extend their shelf life from 8 months to 1.7 years. Moreover, during the course of investigations, it was revealed that the activity of enzyme in dependence with the used buffer did not linearly correlate with its activity in a dried functional layer, and the entire long-term electrochemical signal of glucose test-strips was determined by RedOx mediator FC chemical stability. The most stable and sensitive test-strips were obtained by the screen-printing approach from a gel containing 24 mg/mL GOx prepared in citrate buffer with pH 6, 200 mg/mL of FC and 10 mg/mL of CMC supplemented with 25 mg/mL of ALG

ELISPOT assay of the SARS-CoV-2 specific T cells immune response

The COVID-19 pandemic has stimulated interest in the development of biotechnology, as well as in the search for new solutions in the diagnostics of immune processes. The response of immunoglobulins A, M and G had a significant role in the assessment of virus-specific immune responses. Later, it was understood that for a comprehensive assessment of adaptive immunity processes, it is reasonable to study its cellular component. One of the most affordable methods for assessing T cell immunity, which has proven itself in the diagnosis of other infectious diseases, such as latent tuberculosis infection, is IGRA ELISPOT.The aim of the study. To determine SARS-СoV-2 specific immune response of T lymphocytes in vitro in the peripheral blood of volunteers from various groups using IGRA ELISPOT method. We evaluated the applicability of the method to assess T cell immune response to infection and vaccination. In addition, we determined the duration of the maintenance period of the SARS-CoV-2 specific T cells immune response induced by vaccination.Materials and methods. The study was carried out on venous blood samples of volunteers from three groups: 1) hospital patients with COVID-19; 2) COVID-19 convalescents; 3) vaccinated against COVID-19. The T cell immune response was assessed using the TigraTest® SARS-CoV-2 test system, which determines in vitro the number of T cells secreting interferon-gamma in response to stimulation with SARS-СoV-2 peptides in two antigens panels: 1) peptides of the spike protein (S); 2) peptides of N, M, Orf3a and Orf7a proteins.Conclusion. The IGRA ELISPOT assay is a specific and sensitive tool in the assessment of T cell immunity to the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The method makes it possible to assess SARS-CoV-2 specific T cell responses induced both by natural encounter with the pathogen and by vaccination. It is advisable to use the method in routine practice for comprehensive assessment of immunity to SARS-CoV-2

New records of lichens and allied fungi from the Leningrad Region, Russia. VIII

Thirteen species and one variety of lichens, nine lichenicolous and two saprobic fungi are reported for the first time for St. Petersburg, the whole Leningrad Region or its western or eastern parts. The lichens Bacidina brandii, B. neosquamulosa, Porina leptalea, Rinodina aspersa and the lichenicolous fungus Scutula dedicata are reported for the first time for Russia, lichenicolous fungus Lichenoconium aeruginosum – for European Russia, the lichen Tetramelas chloroleucus, lichenicolous fungi Lichenoconium pyxidatae and Tremella cetrariicola are new for the North-Western European Russia. The most interesting records are briefly discussed.

Current achievements in modifying crop genes using CRISPR/Cas system

With the advent of the new genome editing tool of target-specifically customizable endonucleases, a huge variety of novel opportunities have become feasible. The crop improvement is one of the main applications of genome editing in plant science and plant biotechnology. The amount of publications referring to genome editing and CRISPR/Cas system based molecular tools application in crops is permanently growing. The aim of this study is the systematization and cataloging of these data. Earlier we published the first catalog of targeted crop genome modifications as of February 10, 2017. The current review is an update of the catalog; it covers research papers on crop genome modifications from February 10, 2017 to August 17, 2018, found by searching 47 crop names in the Scopus database. Over one year and a half, 377 articles mentioning CRISPR/Cas and crop names have been published, of which 131 articles describe an experimental application of this tool for editing 193 genes in 19 crops, including rice with the largest number of genes modified (109 genes). Editing 50 of 193 genes was aimed at crop improvement. The catalog presented here includes these 50 genes, specifying the cultivars, each gene and gene product function, modification type and delivery method used. The current full list of genes modified with CRISPR/Cas with the aim of crop improvement is 81 in 16 crops (for 5 years from August 2013 to August 2018). In this paper, we also summarize data on different modifications types in different crops and provide a brief review of some novel methods and approaches that have appeared in crop genome editing research over the reviewed period. Taken together, these data provide a clear view on current progress in crop genome modifications and traits improvement using CRISPR/Cas based genome editing technology

THE BIOSYNTHESIS REGULATION OF POTATO STEROIDAL GLYCOALKALOIDS

Potato steroidal glycoalkaloids (SGAs) compose a part of plant immunity. Some of their modified variants are toxic to humans. In the course of potato domestication, plants with a lower SGA level were selected. The advent of approaches for manipulation with the regulation of metabolic pathways provides an opportunity to overcome the undesirable direct relationship between the potato resistance to pests and the toxicity of its tubers. However, for such a fine regulation, a deep knowledge of the regulatory network of potato SGA biosynthesis is required. The purpose of this review is to summarize the information on the known SGA biosynthesis genes in plants and the results of the investigation of these genes in potato, as well as to consider the mechanisms of the SGA protective toxic action against pathogens and pests. The SGA biosynthesis is realized via the cytosolic mevalonate pathway and consists of three stages. The first two stages are required for the synthesis of primary metabolites, and lead to cycloartanol and cholesterol, respectively. Twelve enzymes are involved in the biosynthesis, and the half of them are involved in the biosynthesis of phytosterols, which is a branch of the first stage of this metabolic pathway. In the potato leaves with an excess of phytosterols, the synthesis switches to SGAs, increasing the content of the latter. In tubers, with an excess of SGA precursors, they are involved in the synthesis of lanosterol, supporting in this way the stable level of SGA. The importance of structural genes encoding the enzymes of the first two stages of biosynthesis does not allow us to consider them as a target for knockout in order to reduce the level of SGAs. However, information about the tissue-specific mechanisms of switching between the pathways of synthesis of SGA and other compounds having common precursors with SGAs can be used to manipulate the tissue-specific level of steroidal glycoalkaloids. At the third stage (the synthesis of glycoalkaloids from cholesterol), about 20 enzymes participate. In the potato genome, 14 corresponding genes were identified, 8 of which were studied in detail using reverse genetics approaches. As a promising target for reducing SGA levels in tubers, the genes encoding PGA enzymes (belonging to the CYP72 subfamily cytochrome-P450-dependent monooxygenases catalyzing the conversion of hydrocholesterol to trihydrocholesterol) and SGT (SGA glycosyltransferases that catalyze the conversion of solanidine to its toxic glycosylated derivatives α-solanine and α-chaconine) are considered. Cis-regulatory elements in the promoter regions of some glycoalkaloid biosynthesis genes, including elements responsible for tissue-specific expression, are described. The accumulated information provides the base for creating potato genotypes with tissue-specific regulation of SGAs, in which high levels of SGAs in leaves will remain to protect against pathogens and pests and, at the same time, the synthesis of toxic substances in tubers will be suppresse

A tetrachotomy of ontology-mediated queries with a covering axiom

Our concern is the problem of efficiently determining the data complexity of answering queries mediated by descrip- tion logic ontologies and constructing their optimal rewritings to standard database queries. Originated in ontology- based data access and datalog optimisation, this problem is known to be computationally very complex in general, with no explicit syntactic characterisations available. In this article, aiming to understand the fundamental roots of this difficulty, we strip the problem to the bare bones and focus on Boolean conjunctive queries mediated by a simple cov- ering axiom stating that one class is covered by the union of two other classes. We show that, on the one hand, these rudimentary ontology-mediated queries, called disjunctive sirups (or d-sirups), capture many features and difficulties of the general case. For example, answering d-sirups is Π2p-complete for combined complexity and can be in AC0 or L-, NL-, P-, or coNP-complete for data complexity (with the problem of recognising FO-rewritability of d-sirups be- ing 2ExpTime-hard); some d-sirups only have exponential-size resolution proofs, some only double-exponential-size positive existential FO-rewritings and single-exponential-size nonrecursive datalog rewritings. On the other hand, we prove a few partial sufficient and necessary conditions of FO- and (symmetric/linear-) datalog rewritability of d- sirups. Our main technical result is a complete and transparent syntactic AC0 / NL / P / coNP tetrachotomy of d-sirups with disjoint covering classes and a path-shaped Boolean conjunctive query. To obtain this tetrachotomy, we develop new techniques for establishing P- and coNP-hardness of answering non-Horn ontology-mediated queries as well as showing that they can be answered in NL

Crop genes modified using CRISPR/Cas system

The CRISPR/Cas system is the most promising among genome editing tools. It can provide the development of modified nontransgenic plants with the possibility of simultaneous multiple targeted mutations. The purpose of this review is to analyze published papers describing the utilization of the CRISPR/Cas system for crop gene modification in order to assess the potential of this technology as a new plant breeding technique. The search for “CRISPR & crop name” within article titles, abstracts and keywords in the Scopus database was carried out for 45 crops. Among a total of 206 search results, only 88 have been recognized as original articles describing editing crop genes with the CRISPR/Cas system. A total of 145 target genes of 15 crops are described in these 88 articles, including rice with the largest number of genes modified (78 genes). In these studies, the ability to get transgene-free modified plants was widely demonstrated. However, in most cases research was aimed at the approbation of the technology or was to elucidate target gene function, while modification of just 37 target genes was related with crop improvement. We present here a catalogue of these genes. In most of these cases, modifications resulted in knockout of the genes such as negative growth and development regulators or negative regulators of plant resistance. In most cases, the phenotype of modified plants was assessed, and the presence of desired changes was shown. However, since the estimated number of “negative regulators” is limited in plant genomes, the CRISPR-directed gene knockout has a restricted potential for crop improvement. Intensive application of the CRISPR/Cas system for more complicate modifications such as replacement of defect alleles by functional ones or insertion of a desired gene is required (so far reports about such modifications are very rare in crops). In addition, to provide a basis for broad practical application of CRISPR/Cas-based genome editing, more cultivars of crop species should be involved in ongoing studies. Just a few genotypes of crop species have been used for gene modifications thus far. Nevertheless, in spite of the restrictions mentioned, essential success has been achieved over a short period (3.5 years since the first publications on CRISPR/Cas application in plants)