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Abstract Population density is known to affect the health and survival of many species, and is especially important for social animals. In mice, living in crowded conditions results in the disruption of social interactions, chronic stress, and immune and reproductive suppression; however, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we investigated the role of chemosignals in the regulation of mouse physiology and behavior in response to social crowding. The pheromone 2,5-dimethylpyrazine (2,5-DMP), which is released by female mice in crowded conditions, induced aversion, glucocorticoid elevation and, when chronic, resulted in reproductive and immune suppression. 2,5-DMP olfaction induced genome destabilization in bone marrow cells in a stress-dependent manner, providing a plausible mechanism for crowding-induced immune dysfunction. Interestingly, the genome-destabilizing effect of 2,5-DMP was comparable to a potent mouse stressor (immobilization), and both stressors led to correlated expression changes in genes regulating cellular stress response. Thus, our findings demonstrate that, in mice, the health effects of crowding may be explained at least in part by chemosignals and also propose a significant role of stress and genome destabilization in the emergence of crowding effects.

Efforts aimed at enhancing the health of young individuals through physical education are a pressing concern for specialists in this area. Research objective: To increase the daily physical activity level and physical fitness of students with somatic diseases through the implementation of Nordic walking. Materials and methods: The study was conducted among female students of Irkutsk National Research Technical University (Russia) over the course of one academic year. Fifty girls aged 17-19 participated, with various chronic somatic diseases identified through medical examinations. The students were divided into a control group (CG, n=20) and an experimental group (EG, n=30). Traditional physical education and wellness classes were conducted twice a week for two hours for all students. Additionally, girls in the EG were encouraged to engage in Nordic walking four times a week for at least 20 min during their free time, in addition to their regular physical education classes. Every month, the time for Nordic walking was increased by 5 minutes. A high-stakes test of the motor activity for all female students was conducted using the motor activity questionnaire "MAQ - 23+" ("1 - 23+"). The state of the CG and girls EG motor qualities was studied using high-stakes testing. Results. At the end of the research project, the average physical activity score increased 2.1 times from 51.0±8.0 to 106.6±11.8 points, p <0.05 among the students of the experimental group, where Scandinavian walking was used during the day, in the control one this increase was 40.7% (from 51.1±8.3 to 71.9±9.8 points). There is an increase in the direct indicators of physical activity of female students and the walking time and distance. At the same time, the increase in the values of physical fitness indicators was greater in the girls of the experimental group, where Scandinavian walking was used during the day, compared with the results in the girls of the control one. By the end of the project, students with a good level of health status are registered among EG girls. Conclusions. The results of the conducted research project can be recommended for use in planning physical activity of young people to improve their health and physical condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The search for technologies and methods to achieve a high effect from the impact of physical exercises on the correction of disorders of the musculoskeletal system in children continues to be an urgent problem. The purpose of this research is to test and evaluate the effectiveness of the use of means and methods of physical education for the correction of flat feet and posture disorders in 6-year-old children through a comprehensive online program for parents. Materials and methods. The participants in the research project were 6-year-old children, of which 10 children were in the control (CG) group and 10 children with their parents were in the experimental (EG) group. The participants in the research project were 10 6-year-old children in the control (CG) group and 10 children with their parents in the experimental (EG) group. The experiment was carried out in the fitness center of the Siberian Federal District (Russia). For parents of EG, an online pedagogical program has been prepared on the correction and prevention of flat feet and scoliosis. A milestone survey of parents and testing of the state of the arch of the foot, the functional state of the skeleton, the muscular system and the postural state of the children were carried out. Results. At the end of the research project, an increase in the values of test indicators in EG children was reliably established. The number of children with violation of the arch of the foot and posture has decreased. All mothers of the experimental group (EG) formed a conscious motivation about the need for regular corrective exercises and massage at home to prevent the occurrence of disorders of the musculoskeletal system in their children. Conclusions. The pedagogical technology proposed by us for joint training of children and parents in the methods of correction and prevention of the pathology of the musculoskeletal system turned out to be more effective than the traditional health-improving lesson only with children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In his novel Netherland, Joseph O'Neill discusses several issues that arise for a contemporary wanderer or immigrant, namely, issues of adjustment, cultural transition, becoming visible, etc. The search for a new home is accompanied by the idea of a new place and the memory of the native place. Immigrants provide a particular perspective of the city from the position of an outsider. New York is the city that allows seeing the correlation between a geographic perception and the idea of a place that is formed by an immigrant. Real places of New York and their fictional representations in O'Neill's novel become the focus of this study. The geocritical approach is employed as a productive tool for the analysis of New York spatiality and myth-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]