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Ecological risks associated with chemical pesticides encourage application of biopesticides and integrated pest management. The study compared efficiency of the Manfil fungicide and Agat-25K biopreparation (single or combined with the ExelGrow biostimulator) against the late (LB) and early (EB) blights of potato. Field experiments were conducted with three potato cultivars (Arizona, Vektor, Aluett) of different resistance levels to the LB and EB diseases. Leaf blight development was registered as LB (Arizona), LB+EB (Vektor), and EB (Aluett). Agat25K delayed LB development under epiphytotic conditions on the susceptible cv. Arizona (biological efficiency 39%), though was inferior to Manfil (62%). On the contrary, for cv. Aluett, Agat-25K showed more significant EB suppression than Manfil (96 vs. 83%). Compared to the control, the yield increase of cv. Arizona was 15.8 t/ha for Agat-25K and 25.4 t/ha for Manfil. Tuber marketability increased by 28 and 13% for Agat-25K and Manfil, respectively. For moderately resistant and resistant cultivars (Vektor, Aluett), Agat-25K provided the highest yield increase compared to Manfil (19.1 vs. 16.7 t/ha for Vektor and 4.5 vs. 1.4 t/ha for Aluett, respectively), while the tuber marketability increased by 15% (Vektor) and 18% (Aluett). Agat-25K can be recommended for use on moderately-resistant cultivars under sporadic LB epiphytoties and for the EB control. ExelGrow application with Manfil and Agat-25K was first shown to improve their biological efficiency on moderately LB-resistant and LB-resistant cultivars (up to 12%).

In the present article we suggest several ideas for the use of question-and-answer brainstorming and of its form known as “starbursting” in the advanced English language university classroom. Supported by an overview of psychological research, the article highlights the advantages of question storming over the traditional form. The method is seen as a tool for personalisation that allows making study materials preparation less time-consuming.

Abstract Preeclampsia (PE) is a serious gestational complication affecting the life of a mother and child. The immunophenotype and gene expression profile of isolated blood monocyte subpopulations of pregnant women with PE have not been studied before. In this work, we assessed changes in CD14++ and CD16++ monocyte subpopulations in PE and physiological pregnancy (n = 33). Immunophenotyping, immunomagnetic sorting of monocytes and analysis of the transcriptional profile of their genes were carried out. The percentage of classical monocytes was significantly lower, while the intermediate fraction of monocytes was significantly higher in late-onset PE compared to control. Transcriptome analysis of late-onset PE classical CD14++ monocytes revealed significant activation of inflammation mediated by chemokine and cytokine signalling pathways; apoptosis; regulation of transcription from RNA polymerase II promoter in response to stress and others. The most suppressed signalling pathways were associated with T cell activation and selection. In CD16++ monocytes of late-onset PE cases, positive regulation of cell–cell adhesion, integrin signalling pathway, blood coagulation cascade were the most activated ones. The inflammation mediated by chemokine and cytokine signalling pathway and p53 pathway were the most down-regulated in CD16++ monocytes. The obtained results indicate profound changes occurring to two most polar monocyte subpopulations in PE and their different roles in the pathogenesis of this disease.

For the first time in the Lower Volga region, comprehensive studies have been conducted to study the effectiveness of the use of compound feeds with different structures when adding cellobacterin and acidifiers to them in egg poultry farming. Their influence on the digestibility and digestibility of nutrients in diets, physiological and biochemical parameters of young and laying hens, egg productivity and egg quality, economic efficiency of production has been studied. As a result of research, the possibility of replacing animal feed with vegetable feed in compound feeds with the use of cellobacterin and acidifiers has been established, which, despite a slight increase in the consumption of compound feeds, leads to a reduction in the cost of rations per 1 laying hen to 11.48 rubles. Morphobiochemical blood parameters remain within the limits of physiological norms. The results of the studies conducted on laying hens showed that the safety of the livestock was 98%, egg production was 309.1 pieces in the control group and 310.7 pieces per laying hen in the experimental group, hematological indicators of laying hens in the control and experimental groups were almost at the same level. The consumption of compound feed for the period of experience in the control group of laying hens was 4414.41 kg in the amount of 67010.74 rubles, in the experimental group 4791.71 kg and 65886.01 rubles, respectively, that is, the difference in the cost of feed costs in favor of the experimental group was 1124.73 rubles. The production approbation confirmed the economic efficiency of the introduction of compound feeds into the poultry diet, in which animal feed is replaced with vegetable feed with the addition of cellobacterin and acidifiers.

There is no denying it: the ER is not a fun place to be in January of 2021. I'm in the waiting room while my husband parks, watching a chaplain [...]

A comparative analysis of the genomic assessment results of Holstein breed stud bulls and their assessment on the offspring quality in the conditions of the Udmurt Republic was carried out. To analyze the efficiency of using stud bulls assessed by different methods, data from farms included in the ranking of the top 20 enterprises in terms of milk yield per cow for 2019-2020 were used. A high indicator of the complex LPI index (over 2500) was obtained in three bulls at the beginning of the assessment, by the end of the assessment there were two bulls left - J. Koln-M 11087837 and Super 64131037. The outsiders of the LPI ranking were stud bulls Parlament 52800347 and Patrik 51660096. The indicators of the complex LPI index are at a decent level for all analyzed stud bulls. It should be noted that stud bulls, which had the least change in the LPI index from April 1, 2014 to December 1, 2017, performed well. Bulls, which initially had overestimated results on this indicator, subsequently gave a sharp decline in the LPI index. The value of milk productivity of the evaluated stud bulls' daughters ranged from 5930 to 6415 kg, the mass fraction of fat in milk - from 3.79 to 4.02%, protein - from 3.06 to 3.11%. In most cases, the genomic assessment does not accurately reflect the change in the productive quality of stud bulls' daughters. But in the case of a predicted change to a positive or negative side in the genome, it is also confirmed by the results of assessing the offspring quality, that is, if a bull is predicted to have a sharp decrease in milk yield, then negative indicators are observed according to the “daughter-peer” method.

The effect of cadmium ions introduced into fluorophosphate glass on the growth and photoluminescence (PL) of the CsPb1–xCdxBr3 perovskite nanocrystals (NCs) is systematically studied. The x-ray diffraction patterns have shown that cadmium ions are really incorporated into the NCs that results in a decrease in the lattice constant from 5.85 (x = 0) to 5.75 Å (x = 0.45). At the large cadmium content in the glass (x > 0.38), simultaneous formation of the perovskite CsPb1–xCdxBr3 NCs and the non-luminescent CsCdBr3 NCs in the hexagonal phase is found. It is also found that the lattice contraction leads to an increase in the bandgap energy and a noticeable shift of the PL band to the blue region of the spectrum (from 2.42 to 2.68 eV) with a drop in quantum yield from 85% for CsPbBr3 NCs down to 4% for CsPb0.55Cd0.45Br3 NCs. It is shown that the PL quantum yield decreases due to the formation of deep trap states, which manifest themselves as a PL band in the energy range of 1.6–2.5 eV at cryogenic temperatures. A simple model explaining the behavior of the PL band as a function of temperature in the range from 30 to 300 K is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim/Purpose: The main purpose is to study the experience of using virtual team building as a means of forming educational and research teams in the context of the development of online education and its effect among students and teachers of higher educational institutions. Background: Methods ensuring effective engagement of students in learning are critical to the success of online education. The most obvious problems in higher educational institutions are procrastination, academic dishonesty due to easy access to electronic resources, decreased attendance, and insufficient interaction between teachers and students. Methodology: The research methodology is based on an empirical approach, which is a research survey using a questionnaire to collect data based on closed-ended questions. For quantitative analysis, the independent sample t-test was used. The survey was conducted among students and teachers of two educational institutions in the Russian Federation. Contribution: This study is of practical and scientific importance as it can contribute to the introduction of virtual team building in the modern education system. Findings: Based on the analysis of the data obtained, it can be concluded that students and teachers approximately equally assess the impact of team building on the ability to get to know each other better, improve communication skills, and psycho-emotional intimacy. Despite the need and sometimes no alternative to virtual team building (for example, during a pandemic), half of the sample of students (50.8%) agreed that team building was more effective in an offline environment while 64.3% of teachers believe that the effectiveness could have been higher in the offline environment. The respondents assessed the positive effect of team building on their interest and motivation to study or work. Recommendations for Practitioners: These findings can contribute to a broader and faster implementation of virtual team-building practices in the education system of the Russian Federation and other countries of the world. The results of this study can be applied by higher educational institutions that are interested in increasing team cohesion, interest, and motivation to study or work, as well as the creation of closer and trusting relationships, and an atmosphere of psycho-emotional safety. Recommendation for Researchers: This topic requires more observations to verify the influence of student personality on the effectiveness of virtual team building in intelligent collaborative learning environments. Impact on Society: The study highlights the importance of communication between the student and the teacher, as well as between students, as psycho-emotional well-being in the micro-society results in a better academic performance. Future Research: Further research can be aimed at studying the difference in the effectiveness of team building in online and offline learning environments, as well as the impact of team building on the teaching staff.

Abstract Background Rodents have been reported to contain large arrays of interstitial telomeric sequences (TTAGGG)n (ITS) located in pericentromeric heterochromatin. The relative sizes of telomeric sequences at the ends of chromosomes (TS) and ITS in Syrian hamster (Mesocricetus auratus) cells have not been evaluated yet, as well as their structural organization in interphase nuclei. Results FISH signal distribution analysis was performed on DAPI-banded metaphase chromosomes of Syrian hamster fibroblasts, and relative lengths of telomere signals were estimated. Besides well-distinguished FISH signals from ITS located on chromosomes ##2, 4, 14, 20 and X that we reported earlier, low-intensity FISH signals were visualized with different frequency of detection on all other metacentric chromosomes excluding chromosome #21. The analysis of 3D-distribution of TS in interphase nuclei demonstrated that some TS foci formed clearly distinguished associations (2–3 foci in a cluster) in the nuclei of cells subjected to FISH or transfected with the plasmid expressing telomeric protein TRF1 fused with GFP. In G0 and G1/early S-phase, the average total number of GFP-TRF1 foci per nucleus was less than that of PNA FISH foci in the corresponding cell cycle phases suggesting that TRF1 overexpression might contribute to the fusion of neighboring telomeres. The mean total number of GFP-TRF1 and FISH foci per nucleus was increased during the transition from G0 to G1/early S-phase that might be the consequence of duplication of some TS. Conclusions The relative lengths of TS in Syrian hamster cells were found to be moderately variable. All but one metacentric chromosomes contain ITS in pericentromeric heterochromatin indicating that significant rearrangements of ancestral genome occurred in evolution. Visualization of GFP-TRF1 fibrils that formed bridges between distinct telomeric foci allowed suggesting that telomere associations observed in interphase cells are reversible. The data obtained in the study provide the further insight in the structure and dynamics of telomeric sequences in somatic mammalian cells.

Creative thinking and scientific knowledge are essential components of twenty-first-century learning. The aim is to assess the effectiveness of an inquiry-based interdisciplinary course of study, complemented by training that stimulates the development of creative and research skills. The main sample, which provided the most complete data set, consisted of 175 students. Participants filled out a questionnaire created by the authors and presented in Appendix A to get the participants' assessment of the characteristics of the training course. The analysis was carried out using the Atlas.ti software. The study of Pearson's correlation between the variables of the questionnaire, as well as the variables of the questionnaire and the estimates of the 'creative and search process' according to the results of the described analysis was carried out. A significant correlation was revealed between such factors as 'satisfaction with the training course' and 'usefulness of the training course' (r = 0.85), 'usefulness of the training course' and 'research process' (r = 0.72), 'satisfaction with the training course' and 'creative process' (r = 0.62). The research results can be implemented in colleges and universities to create specialised training courses or training elements in order to increase creativity and improve the scientific thinking of students with usage of electronic educational environment.

SUMMARY: Among flowering plants, genome size varies remarkably, by >2200‐fold, and this variation depends on the loss and gain of noncoding DNA sequences that form distinct heterochromatin complexes during interphase. In plants with giant genomes, most chromatin remains condensed during interphase, forming a dense network of heterochromatin threads called interphase chromonemata. Using super‐resolution light and electron microscopy, we studied the ultrastructure of chromonemata during and after replication in root meristem nuclei of Nigella damascena L. During S‐phase, heterochromatin undergoes transient decondensation locally at DNA replication sites. Due to the abundance of heterochromatin, the replication leads to a robust disassembly of the chromonema meshwork and a general reorganization of the nuclear morphology visible even by conventional light microscopy. After replication, heterochromatin recondenses, restoring the chromonema structure. Thus, we show that heterochromatin replication in interphase nuclei of giant‐genome plants induces a global nuclear reorganization. Significant Statement: The replication of giant plant genomes requires a global chromatin reorganization in interphase nuclei. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The oomycete Phytophthora infestans (Mont.) de Bary is a causative agent of the most harmful potato disease, late blight. The pathogenicity of P. infestans is associated with (a)virulence genes (Avr genes). Changes in the composition and nucleotide sequence of these genes lead to the emergence of new races of the pathogen, which affect potato varieties previously considered resistant. Therefore, to successfully combat late blight, it is important to study polymorphisms in Avr genes in populations of this pathogen. We conducted a large‐scale molecular and phytopathological study of P. infestans strains collected in European Russia. In this study, polymorphisms of 11 Avr genes were analysed using SSCP analysis and sequencing. The genes included Avr1, Avr2, Avr2‐like, Avr3a, Avr3b, Avr4, Avr8, Avr‐Smira1, Avr‐blb1, Avr‐blb2 and Avr‐vnt1. As a result, the allelic composition of Avr genes was studied and new alleles unique to Russia were identified in Russian populations of P. infestans for all studied Avr genes, with the exception of Avr4 and Avr8. The vast majority of the Avr1, Avr2‐like, Avr3a, Avr4, Avr‐vnt1 and Avr‐Smira1 gene sequences correspond to known virulence variants of these genes that avoid recognition by the corresponding potato resistance genes. The Avr‐blb2 gene was represented by approximately equal amounts of virulent and avirulent variants. Predominantly avirulent variants were found for the Avr‐blb1 gene. The Avr2, Avr3b and Avr8 genes were represented only by avirulent variants. Summarising the results of our study, we can conclude that the populations of the European territory of Russia differ from the populations of Europe and the USA in the allelic composition of virulence genes. We failed to detect a dominant clonal lineage in the territory of Russia, and the Russian population of P. infestans is highly diverse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, skin blemish diseases of potato (including black dot (BD) caused by Colletotricum coccodes) have begun to be important for global potato marketing, since consumers often reject tubers with an imperfect appearance, which results in financial losses caused by the disposal of unwanted potatoes. Like for many non-fatal plant diseases, BD severity may depend on the immune status of plants influenced by other infectious agents. Using a set of 98 potato cultivars differing in their late blight (LB) resistance, we examined the correlation between the intensity of their infection with LB determined by their LB resistance and the occurrence of the BD disease under field conditions with a high background level of both diseases. Using LB-susceptible (Arizona) and moderately susceptible (Sante) cultivars, we also evaluated the effect of a crop protection against LB on BD development under the same field conditions. A strong negative correlation (r = −0.81, p < 0.05) between the LB resistance and the BD occurrence has been revealed. An experiment using the two cultivars, chemically protected against LB, showed a significant reduction in BD occurrence of 30% (cv. Arizona) and 20% (cv. Sante) compared to the untreated controls; the total yield and marketability of potatoes increased by 103.6 and 62.5% for cv. Arizona and by 65.9 and 43.8% for cv. Sante. The reduction in the LB affection of potato is one of the key factors improving the immune status of potato cultivars in relation to BD infection, so methods of LB protection should be included in a complex approach to BD control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resident macrophages of various mammalian organs are characterized by several distinctive features in their gene expression profile and phenotype, including involvement in the regulation of organ functions, as well as reduced sensitivity to proinflammatory activation factors. The reasons for the formation of such a specific phenotype remain the subject of intensive research. Some papers emphasize the role of the origin of organ macrophages. Other studies indicate that monocytes that develop in the red bone marrow are also able to form resident macrophages with a phenotype characteristic of a particular organ, but this requires appropriate microenvironmental conditions. In this article, we studied the possibility of differentiation of monocyte‐derived macrophages into cells with a Kupffer‐like phenotype under the influence of the main stromal components of Kupffer cells macrophage niche: Ito cells, liver sinusoid endotheliocytes and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF). It was found that Kupffer cells are characterized by several features, including increased expression of transcription factors Spic and Id3, as well as MUP family genes, Clusterin and Ngp genes. In addition, Kupffer cells were characterized by a higher proliferative activity. The expression of marker genes of Kupffer cells (i.e. Id3, Spic, Marco and Timd4) increased in monocyte‐derived macrophages during coculture with Ito cells, liver sinusoid endothelial cells, macrophage colony–stimulating factor and HGF cells only by 3 days. However, the expression level of these genes was always higher in Kupffer cells. In addition, a complete coincidence of the expressed gene profile in monocyte‐derived macrophages and Kupffer cells did not occur even after 3 days of culturing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Potato virus Y, an important viral pathogen of potato, has several genetic variants and geographic distributions which could be affected by environmental factors, aphid vectors, and reservoir plants. PVY is transmitted to virus-free potato plants by aphids and passed on to the next vegetative generations through tubers, but the effects of tuber transmission in PVY is largely unknown. By using high-throughput sequencing, we investigated PVY populations transmitted to potato plants by aphids in different climate zones of Russia, namely the Moscow and Astrakhan regions. We analyzed sprouts from the tubers produced by field-infected plants to investigate the impact of tuber transmission on PVY genetics. We found a significantly higher diversity of PVY isolates in the Astrakhan region, where winters are shorter and milder and summers are warmer compared to the Moscow region. While five PVY types, NTNa, NTNb, N:O, N-Wi, and SYR-I, were present in both regions, SYRI-II, SYRI-III, and 261-4 were only found in the Astrakhan region. All these recombinants were composed of the genome sections derived from PVY types O and N, but no full-length sequences of such types were present. The composition of the PVY variants in the tuber sprouts was not always the same as in their parental plants, suggesting that tuber transmission impacts PVY genetics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Applications of DNA-containing nanomaterials (DNA-NMs) in science and technology are currently attracting increasing attention in the fields of medicine, environment, engineering, etc. Such objects have become important for various branches of science and industries due to their outstanding characteristics such as small size, high controllability, clustering actions, and strong permeability. For these reasons, DNA-NMs deserve a review with respect to their recent advancements. On the other hand, precise cluster control, targeted drug distribution in vivo, and cellular micro-nano operation remain as problems. This review summarizes the recent progress in DNA-NMs and their crossover and integration into multiple disciplines (including in vivo/in vitro, microcircles excisions, and plasmid oligomers). We hope that this review will motivate relevant practitioners to generate new research perspectives and boost the advancement of nanomanipulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]