Dynamics of Students’ Opinions in the Context of the Transition to Online Learning Based on Social Network Data

The article presents the results of the analysis of users’ sentiment in social networks, performed using big data tools. The research was aimed at developing the methodology, which enables to analyze the content of social networks, assess students’ attitude to the transition to online learning in conditions of COVID-19 pandemic, identify dynamics and main trends in student satisfaction with the quality of educational process. We explored about 2 million posts and comments posted in university social networks (more than 1000 university public pages) for the period from Sept 2020 to July 2021. Special attention was paid to the problems of communication between students and teachers, strategies to solve them, an emotional reaction. PolyAnalyst software was applied for data precleaning. It has been found that the main problem affecting the quality of education is a change in the mechanisms of interaction between students and teachers. Based on student publications in social networks, we have identified the strategies for adapting students to online learning. We came to a conclusion that teachers’ support of students is crucial in preventing and solving social and academic problems in conditions of online learning. One of the ways to improve interaction between students and teachers, raise students’ involvement is using discussion forums, chats in messengers for academic purposes, and providing teachers’ methodical support

Functional state of the nigrostriatal system of Krushinsky – Molodkina rats during audiogenic seizure expression

Neurochemical mechanisms of initiation and expression of epileptic seizures are poorly explored, and there are no published data that could demonstrate the functional state of the neuromediator systems at the initial state of seizure in the animals genetically prone to seizure. In the current work, we studied the role of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK1/2) in the regulation of the nigrostriatal glutamate, GABA and dopamine neurons of Krushinsky – Molodkina rats at clonus-tonus and ataxia stages of audiogenic seizure. We demonstrated upregulation of ERK1/2 activity upon audio stimulation which was accompanied by increased activation of Synapsin I in the striatum and substantia nigra in comparison to intact Krushinsky – Molodkina rats. The observed exocytosis activation led to secretion of glutamate in the striatum and, as a result, to stimulation of seizures. However, at clonus-tonus stage in the striatum we revealed the changes that could participate in further inhibition of seizure activity, such as increased phosphorylation of tyrosine hydroxylase upon increased ERK1/2 activity followed by activation of dopamine release in the pars compacta of the substantia nigra. At the same time, enhanced D2 and increased D1 dopamine receptor contents were observed. These data revealed attenuation of direct (pro-seizure) and indirect (anti-seizure) pathways of the regulation of the substantia nigra GABA neurons. We demonstrated activation of GABA in the substantia nigra pars reticulate, which probably results in the inhibition of glutamate neurons of the thalamus and could be one of the mechanisms inhibiting seizure activity during ataxia

Russia and the Arab Spring: supporting the counter-revolution

Russia’s response to the Arab Spring ranged from apprehension to deep anxiety and diverged significantly from the US and the EU responses. While initially welcoming the popular demands for political reform in North Africa, the Russian reaction rapidly became more critical as a result of Western military intervention into Libya and the threat of the spread of Islamist extremism. It was these twin fears which prompted the Russian leadership to adopt an uncompromizing stance towards Syria. While geopolitical factors certainly played a role in driving Russian strategy, domestic political factors were also more significant. As the Russian leadership felt internally threatened by the growing opposition within the country, conflict in the Middle East highlighted the perceived flaws of the imposition of Western liberal democracy and the virtues of Russia’s own model of state-managed political order. There was, as such, a significant ideational and ideological dimension to the Russian response to the Arab Spring

Glutamatergic Fate of Neural Progenitor Cells of Rats with Inherited Audiogenic Epilepsy

Epilepsy is associated with aberrant neurogenesis in the hippocampus and may underlie the development of hereditary epilepsy. In the present study, we analyzed the differentiation fate of neural progenitor cells (NPC), which were isolated from the hippocampus of embryos of Krushinsky-Molodkina (KM) rats genetically prone to audiogenic epilepsy. NPCs from embryos of Wistar rats were used as the control. We found principal differences between Wistar and KM NPC in unstimulated controls: Wistar NPC culture contained both gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glutamatergic neurons; KM NPC culture was mainly represented by glutamatergic cells. The stimulation of glutamatergic differentiation of Wistar NPC resulted in a significant increase in glutamatergic cell number that was accompanied by the activation of protein kinase A. The stimulation of KM NPC led to a decrease in immature glutamatergic cell number and was associated with the activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) and protein kinase B/ glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta (Akt/GSK3β), which indicates the activation of glutamatergic cell maturation. These results suggest genetically programmed abnormalities in KM rats that determine the glutamatergic fate of NPC and contribute to the development of audiogenic epilepsy

Translation-oriented reading of scientific-technical texts vs ordinary reading: Psychological and psycholinguistic aspects

Translation-oriented reading makes it possible to identify the differences and similarities of the professional reading and ordinary reading in psychological and psycholinguistic terms. The translator should comprehend both the meaning of the source text and its linguistic form of representation in order to produce an adequate translation. The analysis of translation-oriented reading based on the cognitive approach suggests that the translator arrives at a concept representing the content and meaning to be retrieved from the text. The obtained results may be used for the future research connected with the professional translator’s training. © 2018, Slovenska Vzdelavacia Obstaravacia. All rights reserved

Translation-oriented reading of scientific-technical texts vs ordinary reading: Psychological and psycholinguistic aspects

Translation-oriented reading makes it possible to identify the differences and similarities of the professional reading and ordinary reading in psychological and psycholinguistic terms. The translator should comprehend both the meaning of the source text and its linguistic form of representation in order to produce an adequate translation. The analysis of translation-oriented reading based on the cognitive approach suggests that the translator arrives at a concept representing the content and meaning to be retrieved from the text. The obtained results may be used for the future research connected with the professional translator’s training. © 2018, Slovenska Vzdelavacia Obstaravacia. All rights reserved