Case Method as a Tool for Evaluation and Development of Terminological Competence of Future Teachers

Introduction. Theoretical and practical aspects of applying case methods have been considered for the first time as tools for developing terminological competence of students mastering educational programs in the field of pedagogics. The aim of the study is to determine scientific basis for choosing and applying cases while studying specifics of development of terminological competence in the field of didactics, and assessment of their efficiency at different levels of professional training of a teacher . Materials and methods. The study is based on the analysis of solution of pedagogical cases. The data were processed using mathematical statistics methods. The sample included 860 persons, among them students currently undergoing vocational training and those receiving higher education, teachers of secondary schools and institutions of secondary vocational pedagogical education. Results. The findings of the study indicate that object-cognitive, professional-speech and reflective-evaluation cases provide for efficient use of the case method in evaluation of the level of formedness of terminological competence. Empirical verification of the cases allowed to identify differences in the extent to which terminological competence of future teachers is formed at different stages of professional training, and the significance of object-cognitive component in ensuring that professional terminology is duly mastered. The effectiveness of completion of different case types was evaluated. This study expanded our understanding of principles of selection and structuring of case tasks to evaluate and improve development of future teachers’ terminological competence in the course of learning theoretical basics of modern teaching. The research results provide a better understanding of case methods in pedagogical education. Discussion and conclusion. The case method is an important issue for future research. A further study of the other subject fields in professional pedagogical training with special focus on the level of terminological competence of educators in secondary and vocational schools is suggested. Practical significance of this article lies in the prospect of uncovering potential capabilities of the case method for diagnostic and didactic purposes in universities

The father of Russian Romanticism’s literary translingualism: Vasilii Zhukovskii’s German compositions and self-translations

This article examines the translingual literary production of the Russian poet and translator Vasilii Zhukovskii, considered the father of Russian Romanticism. The article focuses on his original and self-translated works in German, all of which have previously been unknown and difficult to access. Zhukovskii’s translingual work in general reflects his creative development as a poet, translator and mentor. His German oeuvre, composed in the later period of his literary career, constituted a new vector in his individual creative evolution and aimed to present Russian culture to a German audience. In addition, Zhukovskii’s transcultural activities provided a forum for his reconsideration of the historical paths of Russia and Europe. His translingual experiments had an influence on many aspects of Russian literature, including the formation of a communicative system of friendly literary societies in the early nineteenth century and the development of literary and cultural institutions

Salicornia europaea L. (fam. Chenopodiaceae) Plants as Possible Constituent of Bioregenerative Life Support Systems’ Phototrophic Link

The work is devoted to investigation of productivity, biochemical and mineral composition of Salicornia europaea grown under intensive light culture conditions as applied to bioregenerative life support systems (BLSS). Furthermore influence of amide form of nitrogen on plants growth is investigated in the work. Biochemical composition of the Salicornia europaea edible part showed that raw protein was contained in the highest degree. The water-soluble sugars content and the polysaccharides number (except cellulose) were not high in the Salicornia europaea edible part. It was shown that the plants lipids are characterized by a high unsaturation degree mainly due to alpha linolenic and linoleic acids. Nitrogen nutrition form did not significantly affect the Salicornia europaea productivity. Sodium and its concentrations predominated in the plants mineral composition. Hence Salicornia europaea vegetable plants not only contribute to involvement of sodium chloride in BLSS matter turnover, but also can be the source of several biochemical substances and essential fatty acids for a human

DEVELOPMENT OF INTERNAL E-LEARNING QUALITY ASSESSMENT SYSTEM ON EXAMPLE THE MOSCOW STATE UNIVERSITY OF ECONOMICS, STATISTICS AND INFORMATICS

The article discusses development mechanisms of internal e-learning quality assessment system, an analysis of foreign and russian e-learning standardization practice features. The criterion model structure and the relationship between control areas. Focuses on the importance of the e-learning quality assessment inclusion in the internal business processes of the university and a unified system of quality managemen

Salicornia europaea L. (fam. Chenopodiaceae) Plants as Possible Constituent of Bioregenerative Life Support Systems’ Phototrophic Link

The work is devoted to investigation of productivity, biochemical and mineral composition of Salicornia europaea grown under intensive light culture conditions as applied to bioregenerative life support systems (BLSS). Furthermore influence of amide form of nitrogen on plants growth is investigated in the work. Biochemical composition of the Salicornia europaea edible part showed that raw protein was contained in the highest degree. The water-soluble sugars content and the polysaccharides number (except cellulose) were not high in the Salicornia europaea edible part. It was shown that the plants lipids are characterized by a high unsaturation degree mainly due to alpha linolenic and linoleic acids. Nitrogen nutrition form did not significantly affect the Salicornia europaea productivity. Sodium and its concentrations predominated in the plants mineral composition. Hence Salicornia europaea vegetable plants not only contribute to involvement of sodium chloride in BLSS matter turnover, but also can be the source of several biochemical substances and essential fatty acids for a human

Suppression of Light-Induced Oxidative Stress in the Retina by Mitochondria-Targeted Antioxidant

Light-induced oxidation of lipids and proteins provokes retinal injuries and results in progression of degenerative retinal diseases, such as, for instance, iatrogenic photic maculopathies. Having accumulated over years retinal injuries contribute to development of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Antioxidant treatment is regarded as a promising approach to protecting the retina from light damage and AMD. Here, we examine oxidative processes induced in rabbit retina by excessive light illumination with or without premedication using mitochondria-targeted antioxidant SkQ1 (10-(6’-plastoquinonyl)decyltriphenyl-phosphonium). The retinal extracts obtained from animals euthanized within 1–7 days post exposure were analyzed for H2O2, malondialdehyde (MDA), total antioxidant activity (AOA), and activities of glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) using colorimetric and luminescence assays. Oxidation of visual arrestin was monitored by immunoblotting. The light exposure induced lipid peroxidation and H2O2 accumulation in the retinal cells. Unexpectedly, it prominently upregulated AOA in retinal extracts although SOD and GPx activities were compromised. These alterations were accompanied by accumulation of disulfide dimers of arrestin revealing oxidative stress in the photoreceptors. Premedication of the eyes with SkQ1 accelerated normalization of H2O2 levels and redox-status of lipids and proteins, contemporarily enhancing AOA and, likely, sustaining normal activity of GPx. Thus, SkQ1 protects the retina from light-induced oxidative stress and could be employed to suppress oxidative damage of proteins and lipids contributing to AMD

A Novel Approach to Bacterial Expression and Purification of Myristoylated Forms of Neuronal Calcium Sensor Proteins

N-terminal myristoylation is a common co-and post-translational modification of numerous eukaryotic and viral proteins, which affects their interaction with lipids and partner proteins, thereby modulating various cellular processes. Among those are neuronal calcium sensor (NCS) proteins, mediating transduction of calcium signals in a wide range of regulatory cascades, including reception, neurotransmission, neuronal growth and survival. The details of NCSs functioning are of special interest due to their involvement in the progression of ophthalmological and neurodegenerative diseases and their role in cancer. The well-established procedures for preparation of native-like myristoylated forms of recombinant NCSs via their bacterial co-expression with N-myristoyl transferase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae often yield a mixture of the myristoylated and non-myristoylated forms. Here, we report a novel approach to preparation of several NCSs, including recoverin, GCAP1, GCAP2, neurocalcin δ and NCS-1, ensuring their nearly complete N-myristoylation. The optimized bacterial expression and myristoylation of the NCSs is followed by a set of procedures for separation of their myristoylated and non-myristoylated forms using a combination of hydrophobic interaction chromatography steps. We demonstrate that the refolded and further purified myristoylated NCS-1 maintains its Ca2+-binding ability and stability of tertiary structure. The developed approach is generally suited for preparation of other myristoylated proteins

Membrane Binding of Neuronal Calcium Sensor-1: Highly Specific Interaction with Phosphatidylinositol-3-Phosphate

Neuronal calcium sensors are a family of N-terminally myristoylated membrane-binding proteins possessing a different intracellular localization and thereby targeting unique signaling partner(s). Apart from the myristoyl group, the membrane attachment of these proteins may be modulated by their N-terminal positively charged residues responsible for specific recognition of the membrane components. Here, we examined the interaction of neuronal calcium sensor-1 (NCS-1) with natural membranes of different lipid composition as well as individual phospholipids in form of multilamellar liposomes or immobilized monolayers and characterized the role of myristoyl group and N-terminal lysine residues in membrane binding and phospholipid preference of the protein. NCS-1 binds to photoreceptor and hippocampal membranes in a Ca2+-independent manner and the binding is attenuated in the absence of myristoyl group. Meanwhile, the interaction with photoreceptor membranes is less dependent on myristoylation and more sensitive to replacement of K3, K7, and/or K9 of NCS-1 by glutamic acid, reflecting affinity of the protein to negatively charged phospholipids. Consistently, among the major phospholipids, NCS-1 preferentially interacts with phosphatidylserine and phosphatidylinositol with micromolar affinity and the interaction with the former is inhibited upon mutating of N-terminal lysines of the protein. Remarkably, NCS-1 demonstrates pronounced specific binding to phosphoinositides with high preference for phosphatidylinositol-3-phosphate. The binding does not depend on myristoylation and, unexpectedly, is not sensitive to the charge inversion mutations. Instead, phosphatidylinositol-3-phosphate can be recognized by a specific site located in the N-terminal region of the protein. These data provide important novel insights into the general mechanism of membrane binding of NCS-1 and its targeting to specific phospholipids ensuring involvement of the protein in phosphoinositide-regulated signaling pathways

Mechanisms and Treatment of Light-Induced Retinal Degeneration-Associated Inflammation: Insights from Biochemical Profiling of the Aqueous Humor

Ocular inflammation contributes to the pathogenesis of blind-causing retinal degenerative diseases, such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD) or photic maculopathy. Here, we report on inflammatory mechanisms that are associated with retinal degeneration induced by bright visible light, which were revealed while using a rabbit model. Histologically and electrophysiologically noticeable degeneration of the retina is preceded and accompanied by oxidative stress and inflammation, as evidenced by granulocyte infiltration and edema in this tissue, as well as the upregulation of total protein, pro-inflammatory cytokines, and oxidative stress markers in aqueous humor (AH). Consistently, quantitative lipidomic studies of AH elucidated increase in the concentration of arachidonic (AA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA) acids and lyso-platelet activating factor (lyso-PAF), together with pronounced oxidative and inflammatory alterations in content of lipid mediators oxylipins. These alterations include long-term elevation of prostaglandins, which are synthesized from AA via cyclooxygenase-dependent pathways, as well as a short burst of linoleic acid derivatives that can be produced by both enzymatic and non-enzymatic free radical-dependent mechanisms. The upregulation of all oxylipins is inhibited by the premedication of the eyes while using mitochondria-targeted antioxidant SkQ1, whereas the accumulation of prostaglandins and lyso-PAF can be specifically suppressed by topical treatment with cyclooxygenase inhibitor Nepafenac. Interestingly, the most prominent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits and overall retinal protective effects are achieved by simultaneous administrating of both drugs indicating their synergistic action. Taken together, these findings provide a rationale for using a combination of mitochondria-targeted antioxidant and cyclooxygenase inhibitor for the treatment of inflammatory components of retinal degenerative diseases