Virioplankton as an important component of plankton in the Volga Reservoirs

The distribution of virioplankton, abundance and production, frequency of visibly infected cells of heterotrophic bacteria and autotrophic picocyanobacteria and their virus-induced mortality have been studied in mesotrophic and eutrophic reservoirs of the Upper and Middle Volga (Ivankovo, Uglich, Rybinsk, Gorky, Cheboksary, and Sheksna reservoirs). The abundance of planktonic viruses (VA) is on average by 4.6 ± 1.2 times greater than the abundance of bacterioplankton (BA). The distribution of VA in the Volga reservoirs was largely determined by the distribution of BA and heterotrophic bacterioplankton production (PB). There was a positive correlation between VA and BA and between VA and PB. In addition, BA and VA were both positively correlated with primary production of phytoplankton. Viral particles of 60 to 100 µm in size dominated in the phytoplankton composition. A large number of bacteria and picocyanobacteria with viruses attached to the surface of their cells were found in the reservoirs. Viruses as the most numerous component of plankton make a significant contribution to the formation of the planktonic microbial community biomass. The number of phages inside infected cells of bacteria and picocyanobacteria reached 74‒109 phages/cell. Easily digestible organic matter, which entered the aquatic environment as a result of viral lysis of bacteria and picocyanobacteria, could be an additional source of carbon for living bacteria. The results of long-term studies indicate a significant role of viruses in functioning of planktonic microbial communities in the Volga reservoirs

Communication of COVID-19 consequences in the Baltic States inforsphere

This article seeks to describe the dynamics of COVID-19 in the Baltic States and to analyse the ways of communicating the threat and its consequences. Particular attention is paid to the media strategies pursued in the study area. The research is based on Russian and English texts from the Baltic media, WHO official documents and datasets, as well as initiatives of the Baltic Sea region organisations (2020) counteracting COVID-19. A combination of these sources builds up an objective view of the situation and demonstrates how the pandemic and its consequences are represented in public consciousness given a certain pragmatic goal. The pandemic is a new type of threat; its consequences demonstrate a tendency towards negative synergy and a category shift from soft threats to hard ones. The research shows that several key strategies - counter-active, projective, conservative, mobilising, resilient, and reflective - are used to communicate the threat and its consequences in the media

COMMUNICATION OF COVID-19 CONSEQUENCES IN THE BALTIC STATES INFORSPHERE

This article seeks to describe the dynamics of COVID-19 in the Baltic States and to analyse the ways of communicating the threat and its consequences. Particular attention is paid to the media strategies pursued in the study area. The research is based on Russian and English texts from the Baltic media, WHO official documents and datasets, as well as initiatives of the Baltic Sea region organisations (2020) counteracting COVID-19. A combination of these sources builds up an objective view of the situation and demonstrates how the pandemic and its consequences are represented in public consciousness given a certain pragmatic goal.The pandemic is a new type of threat; its consequences demonstrate a tendency towards negative synergy and a category shift from soft threats to hard ones. The research shows that several key strategies — counter-active, projective, conservative, mobilising, resilient, and reflective — are used to communicate the threat and its consequences in the media. © Zabotkina, V. I., Pavlenko, O. V., Boyarskaya, E. L., Moiseeva, E. Yu., 2020 All rights reserve

Analysis of the assessment of the global socio-cultural risk of pandemics in the 21th century

The article examines the problem of perception and assessment of such a socio-cultural threat as a pandemic in the modern history of the 21th century. The study is premised on an understanding of threats and risks based on the advanced foreign and Russian experience of the last decades. The results obtained consist in representing pandemics and epidemics as a significant socio-cultural threat that is constantly present in the system of global risks and is characterized by certain historical dynamics. It has been shown that the level of assessment of the global risk of pandemics and epidemics decreases as soon as the next pandemic goes into history, which leads to a lack of preparedness at the global level. People tend to continue to assess risks based on intuition and heuristic methods, ignoring data from recent history. The article substantiates the position that the lessons of historical memory can also apply to recent events, in particular with regard to the threat of a pandemic, which is increasingly becoming a reality for all of humanity. It is emphasized that the data on the historical dynamics of pandemics can be useful not only for historians, but also for people and groups working in the field of forecasting and overcoming global threats

Unveiling the unseen: the challenge of phenomenological conceptual untranslatables

This article aims to explore the significant challenges posed by phenomenological un­translatables while also emphasizing their role as cultural phenomena. Phenomenological untranslatables are typically associated with a specific cultural, historical, or social context, and their meanings are shaped by the unique experiences of the community that uses them. They encode complex elements of human perception, emotions, or phenomena that do not have direct equivalents in other languages. Yet, the absence of direct linguistic equivalents should not be misconstrued as the absence of shared human experiences. By employing a multidisci­plinary approach that encompasses linguistics, cognitive science, and cultural studies, we have conducted an analysis of the conceptual framework underlying this type of lexis and identified macro- and micro-conceptual attributes that may necessitate various verbalizations in different cultural and contextual settings

On the challenge of polysemy in contemporary cognitive research: What is conscious and what is unconscious

Background. The problem of polysemy has attracted scholars’ attention since antiq­uity and interest in the phenomenon never lessens. A substantial number of works have been published on the cognitive nature of meaning ambiguity. Despite a new emphasis on the cognitive aspects of polysemy, little has been done towards an inte­grated approach to the study of this linguistic phenomenon. Objective and Method. This work’s objective was to contribute to an integrated interdisciplinary theory of polysemy. To this end, we explored the cognitive founda­tion of meaning using empirical and theoretical research methods, but mostly relying on semiotic analysis of texts central to the humanities. In particular, we analyzed the dichotomy of conscious vs. unconscious processing in the acquisition and use of polysemy. For the identification of cognitive patterns of polysemy development in ontogenesis, we used probabilistic conceptual modeling. Results. The acquisition of meaning is a conscious process: it is a conscious interaction of the speaker with an interlocutor and their common social environ­ment. On the other hand, meanings are unconscious unless a connection between the phonological, acoustic form and the concept is established. Correspondingly, polysemy is conscious when a new meaning is formed in the course of social inter­action. However, polysemy, as an inherent language phenomenon, remains uncon­scious for native speakers, who are unaware of its presence provided they are not involved in some form of intentional language games (pun, zeugma or intended ambiguity). Conclusion. The present approach to the analysis of meaning ambiguity seems to be a productive endeavor. Further research into polysemy has to be based on a range of additional types of evidence, including those obtained by methods of cogni­tive neuroscience

IMPLEMENTATION OF ESG FOR INTERNATIONAL JOINT EDUCATION PROGRAMMES

Introduction: joint international programmes stimulate staff and student mobility, provide joint studies, provide development of joint study programmes of excellence, and open up new possibilities for cooperation between countries. Promotion and development of joint international programmes depend on effective quality assurance system which is high on the universities` priority list. ESG provide solid basis for the quality assurance system development at both institutional and programme levels. The problems of ESG interpretation in compliance with national legislative systems and education traditions in the countries participating in Bologna process are paid much attention to. Our emphases are on the practical aspects of ESG (2015 version) implementation. The article concentrates on one of the most acute problems facing Russian Higher Education Institutions in the field of development and promotion of joint international programs: the problem of setting up modern quality assurance systems compatible with those in European HEIs is closely correlating with the profile of the journal “Integration of Education”. The journal centers around the publications on the enhancement and dissemination of the best practices on integration of regional education in Russia and abroad. Materials and Methods: methodical and practical aspects of the implementation of the ESG provisions for international joint educational programs on the basis of the European approach to education quality are the materials of study. The descriptive method, analysis of documents about education quality, and synthesis were used as research methods. Results: the authors come up with concrete recommendations for the implementation of the ESG renewed version (2015) in Quality Assurance systems of joint international programmes. This approach enhances the practical value of ESG. Modern Quality Assurance system is one of the main prerequisites for the successful collaboration among higher Education Institutions worldwide. Discussion and Conclusions: the authors have identified and analyzed the key directions of ESG implementation in Quality Assurance system within joint international proggrames