Practical book on biology

УЧЕБНО-МЕТОДИЧЕСКИЕ ПОСОБИЯПРАКТИКУМЫБИОЛОГИЯИНОСТРАННЫЕ СТУДЕНТЫДОВУЗОВСКАЯ ПОДГОТОВКАКЛЕТКИРАЗМНОЖЕНИЕНАСЛЕДСТВЕННОСТЬИЗМЕНЧИВОСТЬ ГЕНЕТИЧЕСКАЯВИРУСЫБАКТЕРИИВОДОРОСЛИЛИШАЙНИКИГРИБЫРАСТЕНИЯЖИВОТНЫЕЧЕЛОВЕКА РАЗВИТИЕМОРФОГЕНЕЗВ практикуме рассматриваются сущность жизни, уровни организации живого, биология и физиология клетки, размножение организмов, индивидуальное развитие, наследственность и изменчивость, вирусы, бактерии, водоросли, лишайники, грибы, растения, животные, особенности строения и физиологии человека. Пособие включает 34 темы практических и 5 итоговых занятий. Каждое практическое занятие состоит из вводной части материала, цели занятия, вопросов, основных понятий и терминов для подготовки к занятию, 20 тестов для проверки уровня знаний по теме, литературы для подготовки и материалов для выполнения практической работы. Итоговые занятия включают цель, вопросы для подготовки, литературу и материалы для выполнения практической работы

Representation of Communicative and Pragmatic Frame ‘Intellect’ In English, German and Russian Paremiological World Pictures

The purpose of the study is to conduct a cognitively-comparative analysis of the representation of the communicative-pragmatic frame intellect (Russianум, German Klugheit) objectified in proverbs of English and Russian languages, which, being a reflection of the world view of a particular ethnic group, are a conventional way of expressing stereotypes of the people.The scientific novelty of the study lies in a comprehensive analysis of stereotypical assessments of the intellectual abilities of an individual as a representative of a particular society, through the study of paremias containing the nomination of the intellect – foolishness binome in the English, German and Russian paremiological view of the world.The article bears the result of the study of 1243 proverbial units – 412 English, 433 German and 398 Russian proverbs and sayings. As a result, universal and unique stereotypical representations of the value and the availability of knowledge and intelligence were revealed; the relationship between the level of mental abilities and behavior, luck; dependence of intelligence on alcohol, age, wealth and happiness.In addition, a correlation was determined between related (English and German) and unrelated (Russian) languages, which, in turn, facilitates the process of cognitive learning of the languages studied. Consequently, the article contributes to solving the problems of intercultural communication.

Magnetic Transformations in the Organic Conductor kappa-(BETS)2Mn[N(CN)2]3 at the Metal-Insulator Transition

A complex study of magnetic properties including dc magnetization, 1H NMR and magnetic torque measurements has been performed for the organic conductor kappa-(BETS)2Mn[N(CN)2]3 which undergoes a metal-insulator transition at T_MI~25K. NMR and the magnetization data indicate a transition in the manganese subsystem from paramagnetic to a frozen state at T_MI, which is, however, not a simple Neel type order. Further, a magnetic field induced transition resembling a spin flop has been detected in the torque measurements at temperatures below T_MI. This transition is most likely related to the spins of pi-electrons localized on the organic molecules BETS and coupled with the manganese 3d spins via exchange interaction.Comment: 6 pages, 5 Figures, 1 Table; Submitted to Phys.Rev.B (Nov.2010

CONCENTRATIONS OF IMMUNOREGULATORY PROTEINS AND SOME CYTOKINES IN BLOOD OF WOMEN DURING MENOPAUSAL THERAPY

It has been shown that the influence of hormonal and non-hormonal therapy of menopausal syndrome upon immune profile may be variable, and the results of appropriate studies may be often contradictory. The aim of this work was to investigate the influence of hormonal and non-hormonal therapy in menopausal syndrome upon serum levels of some immunoregulatory proteins, i.e., alpha2-macroglobulin (a2-MG), pregnancy-associated alpha 2-glycoprotein (PAG), contents of some related cytokines (IL-6, IL-8, TNFα, IFNγ, IL-2) as well as VEGF amounts. Administration of menopausal hormone treatment and nonhormonal therapy was associated with reduced IL-6 levels in serum, regardless of treatment duration, or type of drug applied. We have found a statistically significant decrease of IL-8 serum levels in the course of dynamic monitoring in the women taking a menopausal hormone preparation containing 1 mg of 17β-estradiol and 5 mg dydrogesterone, and a non-hormonal drug containing genistein (60 mg) for 3-6 months. The levels of VEGF demonstrated high individual variability during therapy of menopausal syndrome. Serum concentrations of immunoregulatory a2-MG were stable in climacteric syndrome, and did not differ from normal values. However, the content of PAG, a known immunosuppressive protein, was increased 3-4 times in serum of 33-50% of the women receiving menopausal hormonal therapy, regardless of progestogen dose (5 or 10 mg dydrogesterone), and duration of its use. These findings suggest a need for individualized drug selection in order to minimize a risk of immunodeficiency conditions in the patients receiving hormone therapy of menopausal syndrome

Impact of hydrotechnical construction on aquatic ecosystems of the Kiliia branch of the Danube Delta

Resumption of shipping in the Bystryi branch in the Ukrainian part of the Danube Delta, one of the largest aquatic-wetland areas of Europe and the world, has made it necessary to control the anthropogenic impact on the neighboring water areas of the Danube Biosphere Reserve. The objective of the study was comparing the compositions and structure of phytoplankton, microphytobenthos, macrophytes, benthic invertebrates and ichthyofauna of the mouth area of the Bystryi branch with such communities of the mouths of the branches Vostochnyi, Tsyhanka and Starostambulskyi, which are situated in the protected zone and characterized by limited anthropogenic activity. We also determined the correspondence of the descriptors of biotic groups to the categories of the ecological status according to the Water Framework Directive of the EU. The studies were performed in the autumn and summer periods in 2020–2021. We recorded 367 species of animals and plants, the richest biodiversity was seen for the biota of the Bystryi branch – 250 species, and 180–231 species of hydrobionts were found in the undisturbed mouths. We determined 25.3% of shared species for the water areas, and therefore high values of similarity of the species compositions according to Bray-Curtis (47.5% to 81.5%). We determined no significant differences between the groups of the mouths of the examined branches according to most indicators of taxonomic and ecological structure. As the descriptors of ecological status, we chose assemblage indices of phytoplankton and microphytobenthos, which are based on ratios of biomass of functional groups of algae, and also the Macrophyte Biological Index for Rivers, saprobic index of Zelinka & Marvan and Biological Monitoring Working Party Index of Benthic Invertebrates and Representation of Species of Ichthyfauna according to vulnerability to actions of environmental factors. We determined that the range of descriptors of phytoplankton and microphytobenthos corresponded to the “high” ecological status category, such of macrophytes and benthic invertebrates to “good”, and such of ichthyofauna varied “high” to “good”. In general, all the mouth areas were characterized by “good” ecological status. Similarities of the species composition and the structure of biotic communities of the mouths of the studied branches of the delta indicate the absence of negative impact of the deepwater shipping on adjacent ecosystems, which may be related to the peculiarities of reactions of groups in the water areas with natural stress, as well as local impact of the hydrotechnical construction

Animal cognition (reasoning) in the light of genetic ideas

The historical overview is presented of genetic experiments in L.V. Krushinsky’s laboratory in Moscow State University. L.V. Krushinsky stated the three-component concept of animal behavior. He claimed that animal behavior has not only innate species specific behavior and the learning ability, but should be supplemented by another mental category, reasoning the ability for elementary logic operarions. Being rather lonesome at the beginning, Krushinsky got the spiritual support from D.K. Belyaev and B.L. Astaurov. The attempt to study the genetic bases of reasoning ability was performed in Krushinsky’s lab using the trait “extrapolation problem solving”, which meant the ability of an unexperienced naïve animal to find the food bait when it moved aside and disappeared from (not “in”) the view. The selection for high scores of this trait in the hybrid rat population (Norway rat × laboratory strain cross) was started. Initially the hybrid rats solved this problem in the statistically significant proportions, while the animals from further selection generations demonstrated the dramatic increase of anxiety (in spite of extensive handling of these animals), which made further experiments impossible. Much later another selection experiment started in which mice of a genetically heterogeneous population were selected for high scores of extrapolation problem and concomitantly for the lack-ofanxiety signs during the testing procedure. This selection for a cognitive trait produced some positive results, although the direct response to selection was very weak. The data obtained show the intricate connection between the mouse ability to solve the problem and the processes of anxiety, which in turn looks as non-uniform by its nature and mechanisms. The data from experiments performed in classical genetics should be combined with the new knowledge concerning the role of single genes determining animal behavior