Female Scent Signals Enhances Male Resistance to Influenza

Scent of receptive females as signal to reproduction stimulate male mice to olfactory search of a potential breeding partner^1, 2^. This searching behavior is coupled with infection risk due to bacterial contamination of the fecal and urine scent marks^4^. The theoretical consideration of host evolution under inevitable parasitic pressures, including helminthes, bacteria, virus etc., predicts adaptations that help protect against parasites associated with breeding^7^. In this study, we propose that acceptation of female signals by male mice leads to adaptive redistribution of immune defense directed to protection against respiratory infection risks. Our results reveal migration of macrophages and neutrophils to upper airways upon exposure to female odor stimulus resulting in increased resistance to influenza virus in male mice. Contrary to widely accepted immunosuppressive function of female sexual signals, our data provide the first demonstration of the adaptive immunological response to female odor stimulus through induction of nonspecific immune response in upper airways

Innovation as the basis for inclusive growth

High rates of social exclusion and poverty are important challenges for many development strategies in developing countries. However, significant inequalities, high levels of poverty and social exclusion in many developing countries, despite successful innovation experiences, suggest that the innovative opportunities that are being built are not necessarily comprehensive. Many developing countries have successfully developed "excellence", while the vast majority of firms and individuals lack even basic innovation capabilities, leading to wage inequality. At the same time, however, innovative products targeted at or created by low-and middleincome groups should be used to address inequalities. The global Competitiveness index (The Global Competitiveness Index) is a global study that accompanies its ranking of countries in terms of economic competitiveness. It is based on the methodology of the world economic forum, which defines national competitiveness as the ability of the country and its institutions to ensure stable rates of economic growth, which would be stable in the medium term. Representatives of the world economic forum point out that the competitiveness of national economies is determined by numerous and very diverse factors. The study presents two indices on the basis of which country rankings are compiled: the global Competitiveness index (GCI) and the business competitiveness index (BCI)

Innovation as the basis for inclusive growth

High rates of social exclusion and poverty are important challenges for many development strategies in developing countries. However, significant inequalities, high levels of poverty and social exclusion in many developing countries, despite successful innovation experiences, suggest that the innovative opportunities that are being built are not necessarily comprehensive. Many developing countries have successfully developed "excellence", while the vast majority of firms and individuals lack even basic innovation capabilities, leading to wage inequality. At the same time, however, innovative products targeted at or created by low-and middleincome groups should be used to address inequalities. The global Competitiveness index (The Global Competitiveness Index) is a global study that accompanies its ranking of countries in terms of economic competitiveness. It is based on the methodology of the world economic forum, which defines national competitiveness as the ability of the country and its institutions to ensure stable rates of economic growth, which would be stable in the medium term. Representatives of the world economic forum point out that the competitiveness of national economies is determined by numerous and very diverse factors. The study presents two indices on the basis of which country rankings are compiled: the global Competitiveness index (GCI) and the business competitiveness index (BCI)

Intellectual Profile of the Republic of Belarus and its Potential in the Global Competitiveness Rating

The article theoretically substantiates the importance of intellectual labor to improve the competitiveness of the economic system of the country, identifies practical problems of the Republic of Belarus in this direction, offers measures to solve them

Intellectual Profile of the Republic of Belarus and its Potential in the Global Competitiveness Rating

The article theoretically substantiates the importance of intellectual labor to improve the competitiveness of the economic system of the country, identifies practical problems of the Republic of Belarus in this direction, offers measures to solve them

The nonenzymatic template-directed ligation of oligonucleotides

International audienceThe nonenzymatic template-directed ligation of oligonucleotides containing 2',3'-cyclic phosphate was investigated in the presence of divalent cations. Ligation of the oligonucleotides readily occurred in the presence of Mg2+, Mn2+, Co2+, Zn2+, Pb2+. Efficacy of the metal ion catalysts inversely correlated with pKa values of the metal-bound water molecules. The intermolecular transesterification reaction yielded at least 95% of 2',5'-phosphodiester bonds independently on the nature of the metal ion. Relatively high reaction yields (up to 15%) suggest, that RNA fragmentation to oligonucleotides with 2',3'-cyclic phosphates, followed by reactions of those oligonucleotides could provide a source of new RNA molecules under prebiotic conditions

Вуглецеві наночастинки. Виготовлення, властивості, перспективи використання

The paper is devoted to the study of the optical properties of carbon nanoparticles synthesized by the method developed during our experimental studies. The optimal conditions for the creation of carbon nanostructures with predetermined properties are defined. Nanoparticles of the size of about 100 nm were obtained, the maximum of absorption of which is localized at wavelengths in the violet-blue region of the spectrum, while the maximum of luminescence – in the green region of the spectrum. The assumption is made about the possibility of using the obtained particles for correlation diagnostics of optical speckle fields.Робота присвячена вивченню оптичних властивостей карбонових наночастинок, синтезованих за методикою, розвинутою в ході проведених нами експериментальних досліджень. Визначено оптимальні умови створення вуглецевих наноструктур з наперед визначеними властивостями. Отримано наночастинки до розмірів порядка 100 нм, максимум поглинання яких локалізований на довжинах хвиль у фіолетово-синій області спектра, а максимум люмінісценції у зеленій області спектра. Зроблено припущення про можливість використання отриманих частинок для кореляційної діагностики оптичних спекл-полів

Modeling of the high-resolution optical-coherence diagnostics of bi-refringent biological tissues

We present a computer model of the polarization-sensitive interference diagnostics of the bi-refringent biological media, with a particular example of the lamella of eye cornea. The diagnostic procedure employs the modified Mach–Zehnder interferometer with controllable phase retardation of the reference wave, separate observation of the orthogonal linearly-polarized interference signals, and evaluation of the phases and amplitudes of their variable (AC) components. The data obtained permit to determine the mean refractive index as well as the difference between the extraordinary and ordinary refractive indices, which, in turn, indicates the optical axis and the collagen fibers’ orientation in the lamella. The modelled procedure enables the sample structure diagnostics with the longitudinal and lateral resolution ∼100 nm and ∼1.8 μm, correspondingly. In particular, it permits a reliable detection and quantitative characterization of a thin (<100 nm) near-surface layer where the mean refractive index differs by less than 1% from that in the main volume (due to the different orientation of the collagen fibers). The diagnostic approach, developed in the paper, can be useful in various problems of structure characterization of optically-anisotropic biological tissues

Female Scent Signals Enhance the Resistance of Male Mice to Influenza

Background: The scent from receptive female mice functions as a signal, which stimulates male mice to search for potential mating partners. This searching behavior is coupled with infection risk due to sniffing both scent marks as well as nasal and anogenital areas of females, which harbor bacteria and viruses. Consideration of host evolution under unavoidable parasitic pressures, including helminthes, bacteria, viruses, etc., predicts adaptations that help protect hosts against the parasites associated with mating. Methods and Findings: We propose that the perception of female signals by BALB/c male mice leads to adaptive redistribution of the immune defense directed to protection against respiratory infection risks. Our results demonstrate migration of macrophages and neutrophils to the upper airways upon exposure to female odor stimuli, which results in an increased resistance of the males to experimental influenza virus infection. This moderate leukocyte intervention had no negative effect on the aerobic performance in male mice. Conclusions: Our data provide the first demonstration of the adaptive immunological response to female odor stimul

Site-Selective Artificial Ribonucleases: Oligonucleotide Conjugates Containing Multiple Imidazole Residues in the Catalytic Domain

Design of site-selective artificial ribonucleases (aRNases) is one of the most challenging tasks in RNA targeting. Here, we designed and studied oligonucleotide-based aRNases containing multiple imidazole residues in the catalytic part and systematically varied structure of cleaving constructs. We demonstrated that the ribonuclease activity of the conjugates is strongly affected by the number of imidazole residues in the catalytic part, the length of a linker between the catalytic imidazole groups of the construct and the oligonucleotide, and the type of anchor group, connecting linker structure and the oligonucleotide. Molecular modeling of the most active aRNases showed that preferable orientation(s) of cleaving constructs strongly depend on the structure of the anchor group and length of the linker. The inclusion of deoxyribothymidine anchor group significantly reduced the probability of cleaving groups to locate near the cleavage site, presumably due to a stacking interaction with the neighbouring nucleotide residue. Altogether the obtained results show that dynamics factors play an important role in site-specific RNA cleavage. Remarkably high cleavage activity was displayed by the conjugates with the most flexible and extended cleaving construct, which presumably provides a better opportunity for imidazole residues to be correctly positioned in the vicinity of scissile phosphodiester bond