Crows Spontaneously Exhibit Analogical Reasoning

SummaryAnalogical reasoning is vital to advanced cognition and behavioral adaptation. Many theorists deem analogical thinking to be uniquely human and to be foundational to categorization, creative problem solving, and scientific discovery [1]. Comparative psychologists have long been interested in the species generality of analogical reasoning, but they initially found it difficult to obtain empirical support for such thinking in nonhuman animals (for pioneering efforts, see [2, 3]). Researchers have since mustered considerable evidence and argument that relational matching-to-sample (RMTS) effectively captures the essence of analogy, in which the relevant logical arguments are presented visually [4]. In RMTS, choice of test pair BB would be correct if the sample pair were AA, whereas choice of test pair EF would be correct if the sample pair were CD. Critically, no items in the correct test pair physically match items in the sample pair, thus demanding that only relational sameness or differentness is available to support accurate choice responding. Initial evidence suggested that only humans and apes can successfully learn RMTS with pairs of sample and test items [4–7]; however, monkeys have subsequently done so [8–12]. Here, we report that crows too exhibit relational matching behavior. Even more importantly, crows spontaneously display relational responding without ever having been trained on RMTS; they had only been trained on identity matching-to-sample (IMTS). Such robust and uninstructed relational matching behavior represents the most convincing evidence yet of analogical reasoning in a nonprimate species, as apes alone [7] have spontaneously exhibited RMTS behavior after only IMTS training

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.

THE SUBSTANTIAL FEATURES OF REPRESENTATIONS OF STUDENTS ABOUT THEMSELVES AS THE SUBJECT OF PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITY

Abstract. The article deals with the characteristics of self-image of a person as the central organizing,integrating and regulatory authority of the psyche, and the main result of ontogenetic human mental development. The authors of the article consider the individual’s image “I am a professional” as an objective indicator of the dynamics of the professional consciousness of an individual. The changes in the person’s content and structure, thoroughly characterize the changes in the attitude of the person to him or herself as the subject of professional activity at all psychological levels. The definitions of self-awareness, self-concept self-evaluation and self-image in professional development are considered. Modern research on the person professional development are made on the basis of the person-activity approach which takes into account the unity of both the operational sphere and the sphere of motives and needs of the educational and professional activity. All the students of the Romano-Germanic Philology Faculty andthe Faculty of Math’s and Physics beginning with the freshmen and ending up with the undergraduate students, took part in the research the article describes. The content features of the changes of the self-image ‘I am a professional’ according to the stage of learning were analyzed.Keywords: Professional self-awareness, self-concept, professional, beginner expert, professionalization,student, subject, personality

Factors of research groups’ productivity: The case of the Ural Federal University

Relevance. One of the main goals of state university support programs in Russia is to increase the number of scientific publications. In 2021, Project 5-100 was replaced by the program PRIORITY 2030 (Strategic Academic Leadership Program). The new program increased the significance of the factors affecting the number of publications in universities and the issue of the optimal allocation of funding among research groups.Research objective. This study examines the factors that affect the productivity of research groups at the university. Unlike the majority of other studies on this topic, this study analyzes scientific productivity at the level of research groups.Data and methods. The study was possible due to the availability of data for 79 research groups at the Ural Federal University for the period from 2014 to 2020. The total number of articles and the number of articles in journals with an impact factor of more than two were used as indicators of research groups’ performance. To determine the factors influencing these indicators, we used econometric models for panel data. We used two separate samples: for social sciences and humanities and for other sciences.Results. We identified the following factors affecting the performance of research groups: the number of participants, the age of the research group, the supervisor’s scientific age, and the amount of funding (the possibility of obtaining more funds or being denied funds). The most interesting result is the following: the supervisor's scientific age and increased funding have a negative impact on the group’s performance. The article provides possible explanations for these results.Conclusion. Since the purpose of creating and funding research groups is primarily to increase their productivity, the results may be in favor of younger supervisors. University managers may also be interested in the ambiguous impact of increased funding: we suppose that research groups are more motivated not by the actual funding but by the prospective amount they may get

LEXICAL FEATURES OF THE ENGLISH-LANGUAGE NEWS MEDIA DISCOURSE IN THE CORONAVIRUS ERA

Background. The article is devoted to the semantic and discursive analysis of lexical units of English-language news articles aimed at highlighting the coronavirus issue in the period of 2020-2022. Purpose. The paper presents the results of the analysis of The Guardian news articles devoted to Covid-19 pandemic in the period of 2020-2022. Materials and methods. The news articles of The Guardian newspaper devoted to coronavirus issues were selected as the research materials. The methods of semantic and discourse analysis, partial sampling, as well as descriptive method were used in the study. Results. The article provides a detailed semantic and discursive analysis of the lexical means used in the texts. The analysis results reveal the most typical lexical means, providing such features as informativeness and expressiveness. The article provides a detailed description of functioning of expressive means in the total number of 2658 units. Practical implications. The practical significance of the research lies in the fact that the results obtained can be used in practical classes in the disciplines “Practical course of the English language”, “Foreign (English) language”, “Lexical aspects of translation”, as well as when writing term papers and final qualifying papers

New palynological data for Toarcian (Lower Jurassic) deep-marine sandstones of the Western Caucasus, southwestern Russia

Information on Jurassic palynomorphs from the Greater Caucasus is potentially of great importance, but its availability to the international research community is severely limited. New palynological data for Toarcian deposits of the Western Caucasus are recorded in the present paper. Particularly, dinoflagellate cysts are described for the first time from the Bagovskaja Formation; palynomorphs are found in sandstone levels within this unit. The most representative assemblage includes pollen (with predominant bisaccate pollen), spores (Cyathidites being commonest), and dinoflagellate cysts amongst which the predominant taxon is Nannoceratopsis spiculata. The dinocyst assemblage implies a late Toarcian age for the upper part of the Bagovskaja Formation. On the basis of these new palynostratigraphical results, the range of the formation is extended; previously, only the lower part had been dated on ammonite evidence

Economic processes in the safety measurement

The monograph covers the theoretical and methodological foundations of the formation of economic security system and the determinants of its development. Special attention is paid to the influence of geoeconomic factors on the country's economic security in the conditions of globalization and the elimination of the negative impact of world crises on the economic security of Ukraine. The monograph provides a thorough analysis of the international policy of ensuring national security in the context of economic and social aspects. The problem of economic security of regions and economic entities is investigated. The monograph is intended for scientists, lecturers, civil servants, specialists, managers of enterprises and financial institutions, teachers, postgraduates, students, as well as a wide range of readers who are studying national economic security problems

Treatment for Mild Chronic Hypertension during Pregnancy.

BACKGROUND: The benefits and safety of the treatment of mild chronic hypertension (blood pressure, \u3c160/100 mm Hg) during pregnancy are uncertain. Data are needed on whether a strategy of targeting a blood pressure of less than 140/90 mm Hg reduces the incidence of adverse pregnancy outcomes without compromising fetal growth. METHODS: In this open-label, multicenter, randomized trial, we assigned pregnant women with mild chronic hypertension and singleton fetuses at a gestational age of less than 23 weeks to receive antihypertensive medications recommended for use in pregnancy (active-treatment group) or to receive no such treatment unless severe hypertension (systolic pressure, ≥160 mm Hg; or diastolic pressure, ≥105 mm Hg) developed (control group). The primary outcome was a composite of preeclampsia with severe features, medically indicated preterm birth at less than 35 weeks\u27 gestation, placental abruption, or fetal or neonatal death. The safety outcome was small-for-gestational-age birth weight below the 10th percentile for gestational age. Secondary outcomes included composites of serious neonatal or maternal complications, preeclampsia, and preterm birth. RESULTS: A total of 2408 women were enrolled in the trial. The incidence of a primary-outcome event was lower in the active-treatment group than in the control group (30.2% vs. 37.0%), for an adjusted risk ratio of 0.82 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.74 to 0.92; P CONCLUSIONS: In pregnant women with mild chronic hypertension, a strategy of targeting a blood pressure of less than 140/90 mm Hg was associated with better pregnancy outcomes than a strategy of reserving treatment only for severe hypertension, with no increase in the risk of small-for-gestational-age birth weight. (Funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; CHAP ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT02299414.)

Stress Sensors and Signal Transducers in Cyanobacteria

In living cells, the perception of environmental stress and the subsequent transduction of stress signals are primary events in the acclimation to changes in the environment. Some molecular sensors and transducers of environmental stress cannot be identified by traditional and conventional methods. Based on genomic information, a systematic approach has been applied to the solution of this problem in cyanobacteria, involving mutagenesis of potential sensors and signal transducers in combination with DNA microarray analyses for the genome-wide expression of genes. Forty-five genes for the histidine kinases (Hiks), 12 genes for serine-threonine protein kinases (Spks), 42 genes for response regulators (Rres), seven genes for RNA polymerase sigma factors, and nearly 70 genes for transcription factors have been successfully inactivated by targeted mutagenesis in the unicellular cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. Screening of mutant libraries by genome-wide DNA microarray analysis under various stress and non-stress conditions has allowed identification of proteins that perceive and transduce signals of environmental stress. Here we summarize recent progress in the identification of sensory and regulatory systems, including Hiks, Rres, Spks, sigma factors, transcription factors, and the role of genomic DNA supercoiling in the regulation of the responses of cyanobacterial cells to various types of stress