Evolution of Thalamic Sensory Centers in Amniotes: Phylogeny and Functional Adaptation

This chapter is a continuation of our previous study of the forebrain evolution in vertebrates using some new tests allowing evolutionary transformations to be revealed. As such tests, we chose the expression of calcium-binding proteins as neuronal functional markers and the metabolic activity of cytochrome oxidase, characterizing the level of neuronal activity. Here, we report the results of our study of the thalamic visual and auditory centers in reptiles (turtles, Emys orbicularis and Testudo horsfieldii) and birds (pigeon, Columba livia) with a special focus on differences in their parallel visual thalamofugal and tectofugal channels and auditory lemniscal and extralemniscal channels. A comparison with data obtained in other Sauropsida amniotes was drawn to elucidate the role of phylogenetic and functionally adaptive factors determining variable distribution of calcium-binding proteins and metabolic activity, as well as to identify evolutionary conservative and plastic traits in the organization of these thalamic sensory centers

МОНЕТАРНОЕ НЕРАВЕНСТВО И ИНФЛЯЦИЯ: ОФИЦИАЛЬНАЯ СТАТИСТИКА И ОЦЕНКИ РОССИЯН

The longstanding nature of significant income differentiation of the population and the instability of consumer prices affect the uneven distribution of resources and life opportunities among different groups of the population, exposing some of them to an increased risk of economic vulnerability. These problems are even more made worse during periods of instability in socio-economic life caused by political, anthropogenic or natural (for example, pandemic 2020) reasons. In this regard, the tasks of analyzing the emerging dynamics of inequality and inflation and identifying, on this basis, risks to the well-being of the population, acquire scientific and practical significance.Purpose: The goal of our work is to study the trends of income inequality and inflation, developing against the background of the pandemic, and to identify possible risks to the material wellbeing of Russians.Method or methodology: The paper uses general scientific methods (analysis and synthesis), dynamic analysis of official statistical data and materials of national sociological surveys.Results: We analyzed the dynamics of main indicators of income inequality and inflation, the structure of consumer spending, the volume of deposit and credit transactions of the population, trends in the population’s perception of the financial situation and inflation, the practice of adaptation of the population in conditions of quarantine restrictions. We revealed the current trends in the socio-economic situation and possible risks for the population.Practical implications: The results of the study can be used by federal public authorities to develop social policy directions for lifting people out of poverty and reduce inequality, to develop monetary policy directions to reduce inflation, as well as by researchers interested in this topic. Затяжной характер существенной доходной дифференциация населения и нестабильность потребительских цен влияют на неравномерное распределение ресурсов и жизненных возможностей среди различных групп населения, подвергая некоторые из них повышенному риску экономической уязвимости. Данные проблемы еще более усугубляются в периоды нестабильности социально-экономической жизни, вызванной политическими, техногенными или природными (например, пандемия 2020 г.) причинами. В связи с этим научную и практическую значимость приобретают задачи анализа складывающейся динамики неравенства и инфляции и выявления на этой основе рисков для благополучия населения.Цель работы: изучение тенденций монетарного неравенства и инфляции, складывающихся на фоне протекания пандемии, и выявление возможных рисков для материального благополучия россиян.Метод или методология проведения работы: общенаучные методы (анализ и синтез), динамический анализ официальных статистических данных и результатов национальных социологических опросов населения.Результаты: проанализированы динамика показателей доходного неравенства и инфляции, структура потребительских расходов, объемы вкладных и кредитных операций населения, тенденции восприятия населением материального положения и инфляции, практики адаптации населения в условиях карантинных ограничений. Выявлены современные тенденции социально-экономического положения и возможные риски для населения.Область применения результатов: результаты исследования могут быть использованы федеральными органами государственной власти для разработки направлений социальной политики по борьбе с бедностью и сокращению неравенства, для разработки направлений денежно-кредитной политики по снижению инфляции, а также научными работниками, интересующимися данной тематикой

Quality of Work Life of Women with and without Children

The article presents the results of a comparative study of the quality of work life (QWL) among working women with and without children. The research is based on the questionnaire survey data collected from the working age population of Vologda oblast in 2018. It is defined that the quality of work life of women with and without children does not differ greatly. The most significant differences are observed in the structure of income sources, satisfaction with wages, working conditions and organisation, in the reasons for employment outside the profession, restrictions on the implementation of professional qualities in labour activity. The group of women aged 36-45 without children stands out: they are unsatisfied in many aspects of QWL, which is probably due to the conflict between achievements in working life and unmet needs for motherhood and family.Приводятся результаты сравнительного исследования качества трудовой жизни работающих женщин с детьми и без детей. Анализ основан на материалах анкетного опроса населения трудоспособного возраста Вологодской области, проведенного в 2018 г. Установлено, что качество трудовой жизни работающих женщин с детьми и без детей во многом сходно. Наиболее существенные различия наблюдаются в структуре источников доходов, в степени удовлетворенности оплатой труда, условиями и организацией труда, в причинах занятости не по специальности, в ограничениях для реализации профессиональных качеств в трудовой деятельности. Отмечаются специфические особенности в зависимости от возраста женщин. Особо выделяется группа женщин 36-45 лет без детей, которые по многим аспектам КТЖ показывают неудовлетворительные оценки, что, вероятно, связано с конфликтом между достижениями трудовой жизни и неудовлетворенными потребностями в материнстве и семье

Importance of manual skills development for a surgery doctor

the article is devoted to the question of the importance of practicing manual skills in the development of man in the profession of surgeon. Today, in the training of a surgical physician, there is a minimization of emphasis on the development of manual, basic and specific surgical skills. This is due to the lack of proper biological material, the high cost of modern simulation simulators. Also, students spend less and less time at the bedside. The greater bias is placed on theoretical training. It is necessary to find a balance so that theoretical knowledge is supported by constant mastering and training of practical skills.статья посвящена вопросу о значимости отработки мануальных навыков в становлении человека в профессии врача-хирурга. На сегодняшний день в обучении врача хирургического профиля происходит минимизация акцента на отработке мануальных, базовых и специфических хирургических навыков. Это связано с отсутствием надлежащего биологического материала, дороговизны современных симуляционных тренажеров. Также студенты проводят всё меньше времени у кровати больного. Больший же уклон ставится на теоретическом обучении. Необходимо найти баланс, чтобы теоретические знания подкреплялись постоянным освоением и тренировкой практических навыко

Layered control architectures in robots and vertebrates

We revieiv recent research in robotics, neuroscience, evolutionary neurobiology, and ethology with the aim of highlighting some points of agreement and convergence. Specifically, we com pare Brooks' (1986) subsumption architecture for robot control with research in neuroscience demonstrating layered control systems in vertebrate brains, and with research in ethology that emphasizes the decomposition of control into multiple, intertwined behavior systems. From this perspective we then describe interesting parallels between the subsumption architecture and the natural layered behavior system that determines defense reactions in the rat. We then consider the action selection problem for robots and vertebrates and argue that, in addition to subsumption- like conflict resolution mechanisms, the vertebrate nervous system employs specialized selection mechanisms located in a group of central brain structures termed the basal ganglia. We suggest that similar specialized switching mechanisms might be employed in layered robot control archi tectures to provide effective and flexible action selection

Subdivisions of the Auditory Midbrain (N. Mesencephalicus Lateralis, pars dorsalis) in Zebra Finches Using Calcium-Binding Protein Immunocytochemistry

The midbrain nucleus mesencephalicus lateralis pars dorsalis (MLd) is thought to be the avian homologue of the central nucleus of the mammalian inferior colliculus. As such, it is a major relay in the ascending auditory pathway of all birds and in songbirds mediates the auditory feedback necessary for the learning and maintenance of song. To clarify the organization of MLd, we applied three calcium binding protein antibodies to tissue sections from the brains of adult male and female zebra finches. The staining patterns resulting from the application of parvalbumin, calbindin and calretinin antibodies differed from each other and in different parts of the nucleus. Parvalbumin-like immunoreactivity was distributed throughout the whole nucleus, as defined by the totality of the terminations of brainstem auditory afferents; in other words parvalbumin-like immunoreactivity defines the boundaries of MLd. Staining patterns of parvalbumin, calbindin and calretinin defined two regions of MLd: inner (MLd.I) and outer (MLd.O). MLd.O largely surrounds MLd.I and is distinct from the surrounding intercollicular nucleus. Unlike the case in some non-songbirds, however, the two MLd regions do not correspond to the terminal zones of the projections of the brainstem auditory nuclei angularis and laminaris, which have been found to overlap substantially throughout the nucleus in zebra finches

Confirmation of functional zones within the human subthalamic nucleus: Patterns of connectivity and sub-parcellation using diffusion weighted imaging

The subthalamic nucleus (STN) is a small, glutamatergic nucleus situated in the diencephalon. A critical component of normal motor function, it has become a key target for deep brain stimulation in the treatment of Parkinson's disease. Animal studies have demonstrated the existence of three functional sub-zones but these have never been shown conclusively in humans. In this work, a data driven method with diffusion weighted imaging demonstrated that three distinct clusters exist within the human STN based on brain connectivity profiles. The STN was successfully sub-parcellated into these regions, demonstrating good correspondence with that described in the animal literature. The local connectivity of each sub-region supported the hypothesis of bilateral limbic, associative and motor regions occupying the anterior, mid and posterior portions of the nucleus respectively. This study is the first to achieve in-vivo, non-invasive anatomical parcellation of the human STN into three anatomical zones within normal diagnostic scan times, which has important future implications for deep brain stimulation surgery

On the methodological approaches to the study of saving behavior of the population

The task to ensure effective functioning of all systems in the society and sustainable economic growth requires significant amounts of investment resources, which include savings of the population. This involves identification of the amount of funds accumulated by the population and studies of the characteristics of its saving behavior. The article reveals advantages and disadvantages of the main methodological approaches to the research in saving behavior and gives a comparative analysis of methods on the basis of official statistical information. As for Russia income is a key factor in saving behavior, the article also addresses the problem of assessing the degree of income differentiation of saving behavior. For this purpose we have used a method of household budgets sample surveys on the basis of which we have calculated and analyzed key performance indicators of savings behavior of households, including in the context of groups with different income levels. Unlike previous works on the topic, our study uses available resources (not money income) as a basis for the calculation of saving behavior indicators, as they more fully characterize funds of low-income households, which are mostly represented in the budget surveys sample. The performed analysis has helped identify that the degree of the population’s savings differentiation does not yield to the incomes differentiation, and the highest levels of savings and used financial assets belong to the well-to-do group. What is more, the growth in per capita income has not encouraged the poor to save. Thus, in contrast to the well-to-do, increasing the volume of savings in the cost structure, poorer groups direct the major part of funds for consumer needs and different payments. Thus, the share of savings in the overall structure of their income remains practically unchanged. The conclusion emphasizes that sociological methods can be used to study qualitative changes in saving behavior and analyze the impact of subjective factor

The interrelation of the financial behaviour of the population and population process

В работе раскрывается взаимосвязь одного из компонентов уровня жизни населения – финансового поведения – и демографических процессов. Выводы основаны на результатах экономико-математического моделирования и данных социологических опросов населения.The paper reveals the interrelation of one of the components of the standard of living – financial behaviour of the population – and population process. The conclusion of the paper is based on the results of mathematical modelling in economics and specific social research held on the territory of the Vologda Region.Исследование выполнено при финансовой поддержке РГНФ. Проект «Факторы и мотивы экономического поведения населения (на материалах Вологодской области)» №16-02-00276