Chemosensitization of Plant Pathogenic Fungi to Agricultural Fungicides

A common consequence of using agricultural fungicides is the development of resistance by fungal pathogens, which undermines reliability of fungicidal effectiveness. A potentially new strategy to aid in overcoming or minimizing this problem is enhancement of pathogen sensitivity to fungicides, or “chemosensitization.” Chemosensitization can be accomplished by combining a commercial fungicide with a certain non- or marginally fungicidal substance at levels where, alone, neither compound would be effective. Chemosensitization decreases the probability of the pathogen developing resistance, reduces the toxic impact on the environment by lowering effective dosage levels of toxic fungicides, and improves efficacy of antifungal agents. The present study shows that the antifungal activity of azole and strobilurin fungicides can be significantly enhanced through their co-application with certain natural or synthetic products against several economically important plant pathogenic fungi. Quadris (azoxystrobin) combined with thymol at a non-fungitoxic concentration produced much higher growth inhibition of Bipolaris sorokiniana, Phoma glomerata, Alternaria sp. and Stagonospora nodorum than the fungicide alone. The effect of Dividend (difenoconazole) applied with thymol significantly enhanced antifungal activity against B. sorokiniana and S. nodorum. Folicur (tebuconazole) combined with 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde (4-HBA), 2,3-dihydroxybenzaldehyde or thymol significantly inhibited growth of Alternaria alternata, at a much greater level than the fungicide alone. In addition, co-application of Folicur and 4-HBA resulted in a similar enhancement of antifungal activity against Fusarium culmorum. Lastly, we discovered that metabolites in the culture liquid of Fusarium sambucinum biocontrol isolate FS-94 also had chemosensitizing activity, increasing S. nodorum sensitivity to Folicur and Dividend

Civil society as a culturological category

The study is devoted to the current problems of studying civil society by means of culturology. The processes of formation of civil society as a culturological category are highlighted; its place and role in social development, as well as various interpretations of this sociocultural phenomenon, are considered. A fairly unambiguous understanding of the prerequisites of citizenship in the context of political culture and the culture of social interaction is proposed. The main problem situations that hinder the development of the civic activity of the population and their overcoming using the possibilities of state cultural policy are highlighted. A significant place in the study is devoted to the potential of civil society as a sociocultural mechanism of the relationship between the state and society, the institutional reality of the “systemic world” and the culture of everyday life, formed mainly in the space of the “lifeworld”.The morphology of civil society as a specific social formation and its cultural potential, which is associated mainly with the implementation of axiological components in social and civic activity in modern society, are analyzed. It also compares the understanding of the civil society in Western countries and the Russian experience of civil life. Further prospects for the study of civil society are outlined in the direction of searching for a synthesis of Russian and foreign experience in the formation and development of civil culture.

Program-targeted regulation of the regional consumer market

The primary strategic tasks for development of the Russian Federation and its regions are the increase of the level and quality of life and increase of the share of the middle class on the basis of modernization and restructuring the economy, the growth of entrepreneurial and innovative activities and competitiveness. For the solution of these problems the development of the consumer market should play an important role, performing important economic and social functions. In the article the results of the study of scientific views of foreign and national scientists on the category "consumer market" are shown from the perspective of the principle of historical and logical unity, theoretical and conceptual approaches to its formation and development are systematized, positive trends in its development are revealed; negative social consequences associated with excessive consumption growth and the formation of a consumer society are proved (violation of the ecological balance, people health aggravation, change of people’s attitudes). The necessity of government regulation of the consumer market on all the levels is proved (federal, regional and municipal) based on the prospective vision and its development strategy in the context of globalization, Russia's accession to WTO and the implementation of the sanctions against Russia by the United States, several European and Asian countries. As a methodological approach to solve identified problems on the regional level it is proposed to use the program-targeted regulation of the consumer market, which allows connecting the objectives with the resources and deadlines for their implementation by particular executives. Its use also allows authorities to develop alternative solutions for the tasks on the basis of the justification of priorities in the development of the consumer market and assessment of the risks associated with the implementation of program activities.peer-reviewe

Integrative Neuropsychological Characteristics of Subcortical-Frontal Brain Regions as a Schizophrenia Liability Factor

Para estudiar las características de las regiones cerebrales subcórtico-frontal, se investigaron la función y la evaluación de su relación con la vulnerabilidad a la esquizofrenia en 59 pacientes y 23 controles, empleando los métodos neuropsicológicos de Luria. El análisis estableció anormalidades bilaterales de la función de las zonas lobulares prefrontal y frontal profunda en pacientes comparados con los controles. Estas anormalidades eran más predominantes en el hemisferio izquierdo. Las coeficientes de correlación punto-biserial de algunos indicadores neuropsicológicos integrativos con la vulnerabilidad a la esquizofrenia eran de 0,39 ± 0,11 y 0,28 ± 0,09, respectivamente. Los datos obtenidos llevan a la discusión de los indicadores neuropsicológicos integrativos de regiones subcortical-frontales del cerebro que se revelan como marcadores potenciales de vulnerabilidad a la esquizofrenia y confirma el papel de la asimetría estructural y funcional del cerebro en la patogénesis de la esquizofrenia.In order to study neuropsychological characteristics of subcortical-frontal brain regions function and assessment of their relation with vulnerability to schizophrenia 59 patients and 23 controls were investigated using Luria’s neuropsychological methods. The analysis established bilateral abnormalities of the function of prefrontal and profound frontal lobe zones in patients as compared with controls. These abnormalities were more predominate in the left hemisphere. Point biserial correlation coefficients of determined integrative neuropsychological indicators with liability to schizophrenia were 0.39 ± 0.11 and 0.28 ± 0.09, for the left and right brain zones respectively. The obtained data permits discussion of the integrative neuropsychological indicators of subcorticalfrontal brain regions as potential markers of liability to schizophrenia and confirms the role of structural and functional brain asymmetry in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia

Personal Aesthetic Values Development as the Basis for a Modern Musician’s Spiritual Formation

This article proves the necessity of personal aesthetic foundations development, proposes mechanisms for the formation of aesthetic values, studies the "aesthetic" category in the aspect of the problem of the individual’s spiritual world formation. Musical activity is considered as a basis for the development of aesthetic consciousness and the most important factor in the formation of aesthetic culture of the modern musician. In Methods section, a four-complex model of individual’s spiritual self-determination and self-actualization is provided. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2015.v6n5s1p56

Ruthenibacterium lactatiformans gen. nov., sp.nov., an anaerobic, lactate-producing member of the family Ruminococcaceae isolated from human faeces

Two novel strains of Gram-stain-negative, rod-shaped, obligately anaerobic, non-spore-forming, non-motile bacteria were isolated from the faeces of healthy human subjects. The strains, designated as 585-1T and 668, were characterized by mesophilic fermentative metabolism, production of d-lactic acid, succinic acid and acetic acid as end products of d-glucose fermentation, prevalence of C18 : 1 ω9, C18 : 1 ω9 aldehyde, C16 : 0 and C16 : 1 ω7c fatty acids, presence of glycine, glutamic acid, lysine, alanine and aspartic acid in the petidoglycan peptide moiety and lack of respiratory quinones. Whole genome sequencing revealed the DNA G+C content was 56.4–56.6 mol%. The complete 16S rRNA gene sequences of the two strains shared 91.7/91.6 % similarity with Anaerofilum pentosovorans FaeT, 91.3/91.2 % with Gemmiger formicilis ATCC 27749T and 88.9/88.8 % with Faecalibacterium prausnitzii ATCC 27768T. On the basis of chemotaxonomic and genomic properties it was concluded that the strains represent a novel species in a new genus within the family Ruminococcaceae , for which the name Ruthenibacterium lactatiformans gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain of Ruthenibacterium lactatiformans is 585-1T (=DSM 100348T=VKM B-2901T)

Investigation of electrical and viscoelastic parameters of erythrocytes in patients with autoimmune gastritis

Patients with autoimmune gastritis (AIG) often have anemia of various origins. Hematological disorders usually portend severe atrophy, and in many cases, are the only indicators of the disease. Aim of the study was to investigate the electrical and viscoelastic parameters of erythrocytes in patients with AIG for their possible use in diagnostics. Material and methods. 73 patients with AIG (mean age 55.3 ± 12.54 years) and 38 people of the control group were examined. Electrical and viscoelastic parameters of erythrocytes were studied by dielectrophoresis. Results. Statistically significant decrease in the average cell diameter, the proportion of discocyties cells and an increase in the proportion of spherocytes, deformed forms were found in the group of patients with AIG in combination with Helicobaсter рylori (H. pylori, H.p.) infection compared with healthy individuals. Patients with AIG had significantly lower levels of amplitude of deformation, membrane capacity, dipole moment, speed of cell movement to the electrodes, polarizability at high frequencies of the electric field (106, 0.5×106 Hz), relative polarizability, and, conversely, higher values of membrane conductivity, aggregation, destruction indexes, summarized viscosity, rigidity, than those in the comparison group. Between groups of patients with and without H. pylori infection, differences were found in indicators reflecting the surface charge of erythrocytes – the speed of movement to the electrodes (p = 0.019), the dipole moment (p < 0.001) and the state of the membranes – its capacity (p = 0.004). The diagnostic model, which includes three parameters of erythrocytes – the dipole moment, the speed of movement to the electrodes, the capacity of the cell membrane, provided high diagnostic accuracy of distinguishing AIG H.p. (+) and H.p. (–) – area under ROC curve AUC 0.925, sensitivity 92.4 %, specificity 89.7 %. Conclusions: Electrical and viscoelastic parameters of erythrocytes are promising in the diagnosis of AIG, including on the background of H. pylori infection

Psychological Features of Adolescent Children's Tolerance Development as an Actual Problem of Inclusive Practice

One of the indicators of psychological safety of an inclusive educational environment is the tolerance of adolescent children. The article presents the consideration of this indicator through the prism of tolerance, which allowed us to identify three types of attitudes of junior schoolchildren with normotype development to those developing atypically: intolerant (negative), neutral, tolerant (positive). The identified types of tolerant attitude of junior schoolchildren are correlated with the levels of interaction: pre-subject, subject-object, subject-subject (activity-value and polysubject). The empirical research that allowed to reveal the prevailing types of attitude and corresponding levels of interaction of junior schoolchildren: neutral attitude – subject-object type of interaction and tolerant attitude – activity-value type of interaction with obvious deprivation of the polysubject type of interaction is presented. The article clarifies the concept of tolerance towards children with special educational needs. The article reveals the indicators and levels of teacher's competence in fostering tolerance of junior schoolchildren in relation to peers with special educational needs. The article defines the psychological features of adolescent children with different types of pathological disorder; investigates the role of psychological safety of inclusive educational environment in the formation of tolerance of adolescent children; makes a structural and functional analysis of tolerance of adolescent children as a relevant problem of inclusive practice; defines the role of the teacher in the formation of tolerance of adolescent children as a relevant problem of inclusive practice.</p

Polypeptide self-assembled nanoparticles as delivery systems for polymyxins B and E

Polymyxins are peptide antibiotics that are highly efficient against many multidrug resistant pathogens. However, the poor stability of polymyxins in the bloodstream requires the administration of high drug doses that, in turn, can lead to polymyxin toxicity. Consequently, different delivery systems have been considered for polymyxins to overcome these obstacles. In this work, we report the development of polymyxin delivery systems based on nanoparticles obtained from the self-assembly of amphiphilic random poly(L-glutamic acid-co-D-phenylalanine). These P(Glu-co-DPhe) nanoparticles were characterized in terms of their size, surface charge, stability, cytotoxicity, and uptake by macrophages. The encapsulation efficiency and drug loading into P(Glu-co-DPhe) nanoparticles were determined for both polymyxin B and E. The release kinetics of polymyxins B and E from nanoformulations was studied and compared in buffer solution and human blood plasma. The release mechanisms were analyzed using a number of mathematical models. The minimal inhibitory concentrations of the nanoformulations were established and compared with those determined for the free antibiotics. © 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

Assessment of the continuing education of employess and manager of the organization

Currently, new requirements are being put forward for personnel training: constant updating, expansion and deepening of the existing knowledge of workers, specialists and managers of all levels, and this article proposes a solution to the problem of assessing the continuous education of employees and managers of an organization. The hypothesis of this study is to prove the effectiveness of continuing education for employees and managers of an organization, its impact on the competitiveness of the latter in the context of the transformation of the world economy. It is concluded that the assessment of continuous training of personnel is necessary to establish how the organization benefits from training, or to find out whether the form of training used by the organization is effective. Research methods prioritized were - analysis, synthesis, generalization, systematization.This assessment allows you to constantly work to improve the quality of education, to exclude ineffective curricula and forms of education