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The research is devoted to the issue of teaching listening to school students. The paper aims to explore the potential of the audio theatre method for solving the problem of forming such schoolchildren’s auditory skills as the interpretation of speech utterances and the control of speech. The study utilises the methods of modelling audio theatre activity and theoretical literature analysis as well as the comparison between intonational and sound interpretation and audio theatre. The paper describes the procedural model of audio theatrical activity and the forms of organising school students’ work on an audio performance (lesson-reading, lesson-communication). Additionally, literary genres and literary texts that can be subject to oral interpretation are mentioned. The examples of converting genre-role scenes from A. S. Pushkin’s works (mainly from «The Captain’s Daughter») into sound form demonstrate the way the audio theatre method is applied. The paper consistently conveys the nuances of converting the verbal language and the paralanguage of individual dialogic fragments into sound. It is concluded that audio theatre is effective not only as a method of building the skills that are needed to interpret and control speech. Moreover, helping learners to master listening skills in practical activity, audio theatre is a method to stimulate readers’ interpretations, develop students’ meta-consciousness, and bring together two school subjects, namely the Russian Language and Literature.

The paper exposes a contradiction between the subject-specific (listening and reading) educational outcomes required in the Federal State Educational Standard of basic compulsory education and the actual data concerning the development of teenagers’ receptive skills. The author suggests adopting an integrated approach to teaching the two above-mentioned types of speech activity. Learners are instructed in listening and reading in an interconnected manner using the method of intonational and sound text interpretation. The study relies on literature analysis, the content analysis of scientific concepts, the methods of concretization and reading activity modelling in conjunction with an abstraction technique. Intonational and sound interpretation is construed as a teaching method and a type of creative reading. Additionally, the paper brings to light the differences between reading aloud and role-reading on the one hand and intonational and sound interpretation on the other. The differentiating features of the proposed activity are its dialogic nature; the attitude to text as to an object open to modifications; the focus on addressing the acoustic-semantic issues related to textual transfer from visual to auditory modality; applicability in Russian lessons in the 8th–9th forms. The paper describes a processual model of a reader’s activity. The intonational and sound text interpretation includes the stages of orientation, performance, reflection, and evaluation. The performance stage consists in working with the author’s speech plane as well as the character’s speech plane and the reading activity itself. The paper presents a detailed methodology of working with N. V. Gogol’s poem "Dead Souls"; moreover, other works which can be subject to an intonational and sound interpretation in Russian lessons in the 8th–9th forms are mentioned. The research resulted in an enumeration of the conditions necessary to efficiently organise intonational and sound text interpretation. These include the choice of a sound-oriented work for reading; group work; practicing in spoken form without recording the results of the conversion from written speech to oral speech in writing; the audio recording of the product of intonational and sound interpretation of a dialogic fragment. The author concludes that the chosen method facilitates the development of learners’ skill to comprehend what they read; motivates them to orient themselves in the work while converting an excerpt from the visual into the auditory modality; gives an idea of the polyphony of a literary text. Moreover, it promotes the psychophysiological mechanisms that are involved in the auditory activity and reading (memory, attention, acoustic control, the converting mechanism, probabilistic forecasting); enriches readers’ apperceptive basis (background knowledge), stimulates readers’ interaction in a work group.

Relevance. The presented studies are aimed at obtaining new forms of tomato with a complex of genes for resistance to fungal diseases in combination with a standard type of bush and dark coloring of fruits based on marker-mediated selection.Methodology. The biological objects of the study are varieties and hybrid forms of tomato from the collection of the Michurinsky SAU. Molecular genetic analysis was performed using the following methods. DNA extraction was carried out from young leaves using a kit for isolation of NC Sample NC manufactured by Agrodiagnostika LLC according to the manufacturer's protocol. Fermentas production kits were used for PCR. Identification of the cladosporosis resistance gene was Cf-19 performed using the DNA marker R7. The presence of a fusarious wilting resistance gene was determined by a I-2/5 marker. The amplification results were visualized by agarose gel electrophoresis.Results. During the research, a collection of varieties and hybrid forms of tomato of the Michurinsky GAU was analyzed in order to identify genes for resistance to cladosporiosis Cf-19 and fusarium wilt I-2. A total of 52 genotypes were analyzed. It was found that most samples (41 samples) are characterized by a heterozygous state of the Cf-19 gene. All indeterminant and semi-determinant forms had both alleles. Of the 23 determinant forms presented in the collection, 10 had only one allele corresponding to recessive homozygote. Among all analyzed tomato genotypes, no dominant homozygous forms were noted. The study of the collection revealed several alleles of the I-2 gene. In total, four fragments corresponding to various alleles were amplified. A total of 50 resistant genotypes have been identified in the collection. Two alleys of the I-2 gene (633/693 bp) were identified in 42 tomato samples. Four varieties are homozygous in one allele (633 bp), which determines resistance. Three varieties have a second resistance allele (566 bp). One genotype has only an allele defining susceptibility (693 bp). On the basis of molecular analysis, as well as an assessment of the type of bush and fetal color, initial forms were selected with subsequent hybridization. 67 hybrid tomato plants were obtained. Evaluation of the presence of resistance genes showed that most of the resulting hybrids are resistant to cladosporiosis and fuzariosis. This is due to the presence of dominant alleles of Cf-19 and I-2 genes in a heterozygous state. Among the resulting hybrids, plants with a bark type of bush were identified. A total of 13 such plants were obtained.Conclusion. Thus, the work carried out allowed to obtain hybrid forms of tomato combine the signs of resistance to two pathogens of fungal diseases and the stem type of the bush. These forms are planned to be used in further selection work.

Background. Clonal apple rootstocks are one of the main components of intensive gardening. The degree of rootstock damage by fire blight affects the resistance of the variety–rootstock combination. The paper presents a study on marking quantitative trait loci (QTL) of resistance to fire blight Erwinia amylovora in clonal apple rootstock.Materials and methods. A collection of 20 rootstock forms was analyzed. For the study, SCAR markers GE-8019, AE10-375 and microsatellite marker CH-F7-FB1 were used.Results. Polymorphism was observed for all three markers, and their various combinations in one genotype were revealed. It was previously noted that genotypes that carry all three markers were more resistant than those that lack them. The presence of all three markers was observed only in forms 62-396 (В10), 16-1 and 2-9-102. The other genotypes did not have the GE8019 marker. The AE10-375 marker was identified in eight clonal rootstocks. Microsatellite marker CH-F7-FB1 was present in all tested rootstocks. However, polymorphism was detected there. Most genotypes had a 174 bp fragment, but a 210 bp fragment was identified in two of the 20 forms. Clonal rootstock 70-20-21 proved heterozygous for this marker. The analyzed collection also included samples that had only the microsatellite marker: G16, Malysh Budagovskogo, Paradizka Budagovskogo (B9), 54-118 (В118), 57-491, 70-20-20 (В119), 70-20-21, 71-7-22, 76-3-6, 83-1-15, 87-7-12, and 2-12-10. The study of rootstock forms on the basis of resistance to metabolites of the fire blight pathogen was carried out under laboratory conditions using the E. amylovora culture filtrate in vitro on leaf explants. Most of the studied genotypes had different combinations of markers. However, the experiments showed that forms 62-396 and 14-1 with two out of three markers (AE10-375 and CH-F7-FB1) phenotypically manifested the trait of resistance to metabolites of E. amylovora.

The process of sorption of lead, zinc, cadmium and cobalt ions from aqueous solutions on titanium-containing sorbents of various compositions is studied. Morris —Weber and Boyd diffusion models, Lagergren pseudo-first ordermodels, and Ho and Mackay pseudo-second order models were used to simulate sorption kinetics. It was shown that the speed of the sorption process is influenced by both the composition of the sorbent and the interaction in the sorbent —sorbate system. Thehigh chemical affinity of the studied cations to phosphate groups determines the prospects of using titanium phosphate for the concentration of heavy metals and their subsequent immobilization in phosphate matrices.

Gastrointestinal diseases and eating disorders are among the most common pathologies in the world. One of the most widespread and dangerous consequence of many eating disorders is an uncontrolled weight gain that often leads to obesity. This review focuses on the 15-year-long studies of obestatin, one of the potential regulators of eating behavior. This peptide contains 23 amino-acids and appears due to the processing of the preproghrelin gene responsible for the coding of another orexigenic protein ghrelin. Obestatin and ghrelin have multiple physiological functions, including appetite regulation. Obestatin was originally obtained from the gastric mucosa in rats, but subsequent studies showed that it could be expressed in various tissues and had different effects in various organs and tissues. This review emphasizes possible anorexigenic effects of this peptide and their mechanisms. Despite the 15 years of research on obestatin, its influence on different organs and the mechanism of anorexigenic effects in particular bring about a lot of discussion. This is primarily due to the ambiguity of the peptide receptors’ determination and is also related to the possible degradation of the molecule into small fragments, which, in turn, can have their own effects. The local effects of obestatin and its derivatives in peripheral tissues and the possible effect at the central level indicate the potential of these peptides for further studies. For example, these compounds can be considered as the potential therapeutic compounds for eating disorders’ treatment. The aim of this work was to describe the relevance of the problem associated with obesity treatment and to summarize the results of numerous studies on obestatin and its fragments and their effects on appetite regulation in order to explain its possible mechanisms.

The disturbed metabolism of vitamins B1 or B6, which are essential for neurotransmitters homeostasis, may cause seizures. Our study aims at revealing therapeutic potential of vitamins B1 and B6 by estimating the short- and long-term effects of their combined administration with the seizure inductor pentylenetetrazole (PTZ). The PTZ dose dependence of a seizure and its parameters according to modified Racine’s scale, along with delayed physiological and biochemical consequences the next day after the seizure are assessed regarding sexual dimorphism in epilepsy. PTZ sensitivity is stronger in the female than the male rats. The next day after a seizure, sex differences in behavior and brain biochemistry arise. The induced sex differences in anxiety and locomotor activity correspond to the disappearance of sex differences in the brain aspartate and alanine, with appearance of those in glutamate and glutamine. PTZ decreases the brain malate dehydrogenase activity and urea in the males and the phenylalanine in the females. The administration of vitamins B1 and B6 24 h before PTZ delays a seizure in female rats only. This desensitization is not observed at short intervals (0.5–2 h) between the administration of the vitamins and PTZ. With the increasing interval, the pyridoxal kinase (PLK) activity in the female brain decreases, suggesting that the PLK downregulation by vitamins contributes to the desensitization. The delayed effects of vitamins and/or PTZ are mostly sex-specific and interacting. Our findings on the sex differences in sensitivity to epileptogenic factors, action of vitamins B1/B6 and associated biochemical events have medical implications.

The article attempts to avoid the unjustified transfer of the features of the oral exam in a foreign language to the final interview in the Russian language. The intentionally-thematic repertoire of dialogues was expanded. The correspondence between initial intentions and variants of reactive steps (moves, actions) in dialogical fragments was established. The dialogues contained in the audio supplement to the Russian language textbooks under the editorship of A.D.Shmelev were parameterized in terms of the theme and intention / response.

Disturbed metabolism of vitamins B1 or B6, which are essential for neurotransmitters homeostasis, may cause epilepsy. Our study aims at revealing therapeutic potential of vitamins B1 and B6 in epilepsy by estimating effects of their combined administration on a seizure and its consequences in rats subjected to pentylenetetrazole (PTZ). The PTZ dose dependence of a seizure and its parameters according to Racine’s scale along with delayed physiological and biochemical consequences next day after the seizure are assessed regarding sexual dimorphism in epilepsy. PTZ sensitivity is stronger in the female than male rats. Next day after a seizure, gender differences in behavior and brain biochemistry arise. The induced gender differences in anxiety, exploratory and locomotor activity correspond to disappearance of gender differences in the brain GABA, aspartate, alanine and serine, with appearance of those in glutamate, glutamine and tyrosine. PTZ decreases the brain malate dehydrogenase activity, glutamine and urea in the males, and phenylalanine in the females. Administration of vitamins B1 and B6 24 h before PTZ delays a seizure in female rats only. This desensitization is not observed at short intervals (0.5-2 h) between the vitamins and PTZ administration. With the increasing interval, the pyridoxal kinase (PLK) activity in the female brain decreases, suggesting that the PLK downregulation by vitamins contributes to the desensitization. Delayed effects of vitamins and/or PTZ are mostly gender-specific and interacting. Our findings on the gender differences in sensitivity to epileptogenic factors, action of vitamins B1/B6 and associated biochemical events have medical implications.

The purpose of the study is to determine therapeutic effectiveness of the pulsed high intensity optical irradiation device "Zarya" exemplified by treatment of model wounds in laboratory animals and to compare with traditional methods of wound treatment. The prototype of "Zarya" device was used whose operating principle was based on pulsed irradiation of affected areas with high intensity optical radiation in continuous spectrum generated by pulsed xenon lamp. The therapeutic effect of the "Zarya" device was compared with effectiveness of the certified medical ultraviolet irradiator based on low-pressure mercury lamp and also with known wound-healing and antibacterial medication Levomekol ointment. The mature male rats of Wistar line were used in the study. The animals were distributed to 4 groups: group 1 was irradiated by "Zarya" device, group 2 was irradiated by low-pressure mercury lamp, group 3 was treated with Levomekol ointment and group 4 was exposed to no exposure. The linear wound was modeled according to the standard method under ether anesthesia. The therapeutic procedures were applied daily during 7 days. The bactericidal effect was studied on the basis of smears from wound onto flora on the 2nd, 5th and 7th day. On the 8th day the animals were subjected to euthanasia. It was established that "Zarya" device application permits to reduce considerably both duration of therapeutic procedures and therapy course in general and also to achieve more pronounced bactericidal effect. The obtained data is supposed to be used for development of program of clinical trials.

The study of the laser radiation impact on the functional state of the tissues of the apple-tree of the Antonovka ordinary variety showed that the use of coherent light enables to increase the level of photosynthetic activity. It is worth noting that the greatest effect of laser stimulation was observed in variants with artificial infection with the bacterium Pseudomonas syringae Van Hall (the causative agent of bacterial necrosis of fruit trees). This fact testifies to the activation of plant defense reactions against the pathogen. In this regard, the use of coherent light to increase plant resistance to pathogens is a promising direction for the development of organic farming.

Experimental data on the change in the number and species composition of microorganisms in the atmosphere have been provided. These includes the changes on the walls of refrigeration chambers and on the surface of berries of the grape varieties Preobrazhenie and Livia when stored in a refrigerating chamber with a normal and ionized atmosphere. It was shown that the use of an ionized atmosphere with a concentration of positive aeroions of 0.25… 0.48 × 1 × 103 cm3 and negative aeroions of 0.11… 0.25 × 1 × 103 cm3 helped to reduce the overall microbiota contamination in a storage atmosphere by 94.7%. This happened on the surface of the walls and structures of the refrigerating chamber by 100% and on the surface of berries of the grape varieties Preobrazhenie and Livia by 95.6% and 97.1%, respectively.

By the example of plants, fungi and bacteria, we consider the possibility of controlling the interaction of cells, being in competitive, antagonistic, or parasitic relations. For this aim we used short-time irradiation (a few seconds or minutes) with the red (633 nm) quasi-monochromatic light having different spatiotemporal coherence. It is shown that the functional activity is mostly increased in the cells whose size does not exceed the coherence length and the correlation radius of the light field. Thus, in the case of cells essentially differing in size, it is possible to increase the activity of smaller cells, avoiding the stimulation of larger ones. For example, the radiation having relatively low coherence (Lcoh, rcor ≤ 10 μm) facilitates mainly the damage of large-size plant cells by pathogen fungi, while the exposure to light with less statistical regularity (Lcoh = 4 μm, rcor = 5 μm) inhibits the growth of the Fusarium microcera fungus, infected by the bacterium of the Pseudomonas species. The quasi-monochromatic radiation with sufficiently high spatiotemporal coherence stimulated all interacting species (bacteria, fungi, plants). In the considered biocenosis, the equilibrium was shifted towards the favour of organisms having the highest rate of cell division or the ones better using their adaptation potential.

Glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) is essential for the brain function and highly regulated, according to its role in metabolism of the major excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate. Here we show a diurnal pattern of the GDH acetylation in rat brain, associated with specific regulation of GDH function. Mornings the acetylation levels of K84 (near the ADP site), K187 (near the active site), and K503 (GTP-binding) are highly correlated. Evenings the acetylation levels of K187 and K503 decrease, and the correlations disappear. These daily variations in the acetylation adjust the GDH responses to the enzyme regulators. The adjustment is changed when the acetylation of K187 and K503 shows no diurnal variations, as in the rats after a high dose of thiamine. The regulation of GDH function by acetylation is confirmed in a model system, where incubation of the rat brain GDH with acetyl-CoA changes the enzyme responses to GTP and ADP, decreasing the activity at subsaturating concentrations of substrates. Thus, the GDH acetylation may support cerebral homeostasis, stabilizing the enzyme function during diurnal oscillations of the brain metabolome. Daytime and thiamine interact upon the (de)acetylation of GDH in vitro. Evenings the acetylation of GDH from control animals increases both IC50 GTP and EC50 ADP . Mornings the acetylation of GDH from thiamine-treated animals increases the enzyme IC50 GTP . Molecular mechanisms of the GDH regulation by acetylation of specific residues are proposed. For the first time, diurnal and thiamine-dependent changes in the allosteric regulation of the brain GDH due to the enzyme acetylation are shown.

The viscosity of hyaluronic acid solutions kept at different pH values was found to decrease in the following order of pH: 6.5 > 3.5 > 4.3, although acid hydrolysis occurred at a higher rate in the most acidic solution. The poorest stability of the solutions with pH 4.3 was attributed to the compaction of the macromolecules as a result of charge density redistribution along the polyacid chains.

The effects of chronic intranasal administration of 300 nmol/kg obestatin and its fragment FNAP-NH2 on behavioral activity and nociceptive threshold were examined in male Wistar rats with normal body weight or alimentary obesity. In normal rats, obestatin produced no effect on behavior and nociception, whereas FNAP-NH2 fragment enhanced risk-taking behavior. Rats with excess body weight demonstrated less pronounced risk-taking behavior and elevated nociceptive threshold in comparison with normal animals, but these differences were abolished by chronic administration of FNAP-NH2.

We report here the first studies of the effects of acute hypobaric hypoxia (AHH)during the period of early organogenesis on three sequential generations: the generation including pregnant females exposed to AHH (F0) and the two subsequent generations – F1 and F2. All three generations showed significant abnormalities in behavioral measures of motor and orientational-investigative activity, reflecting the state of anxiety, while generations F1 and F2 also showed changes in the ability of offspring to learn with positive reinforcement. These changes persisted to the pubertal period of life. In addition, females of generations F0 and F1 showed influences of AHH on maternal behavior, these influences being in different directions. The possible mechanisms of the effects of gestational stress during early organogenesis on subsequent generations are discussed.

Acid-base and sorption properties of amorphous titanium phosphate were studied. Three types of functional groups, H2PO4−, HPO42−, and OH−, with pK 2.79, 5.13, and 11.2, respectively, were revealed by potentiometric titration. The sorption recovery of double-charged metal cations was studied, and the selectivity series was found: Mg2+ < Ca2+ < Mn2+ < Ni2+ < Zn2+ < Cu2+ < Co2+.

We studied the effects of the anorexigenic peptide obestatin on the coagulation system and blood rheology (by the parameters of platelet aggregation and osmotic resistance of erythrocytes) in vitro and in vivo. Obestatin inhibited in vitro platelet aggregation in the entire dose range and reduced osmotic resistance of erythrocytes in all doses except 300 nmol/kg (obestatin in a dose of 300 nmol/kg had no effect on this parameter). Similar to the results of in vitro experiments, intranasal, intraperitoneal, and subcutaneous administration of obestatin in a dose of 300 nmol/kg inhibited platelet aggregation and had no effect on the osmotic resistance of erythrocytes.

The effect of the statistical properties of light on the value of the photoinduced reaction of the biological objects, which differ in the morphological and physiological characteristics, the optical properties, and the size of cells, was studied. The fruit of apple trees, the pollen of cherries, the microcuttings of blackberries in vitro, and the spores and the mycelium of fungi were irradiated by quasimonochromatic light fluxes with identical energy parameters but different values of coherence length and radius of correlation. In all cases, the greatest stimulation effect occurred when the cells completely fit in the volume of the coherence of the field, while both temporal and spatial coherence have a significant and mathematically certain impact on the physiological activity of cells. It was concluded that not only the spectral, but also the statistical (coherent) properties of the acting light play an important role in the photoregulation process.

The effects of chronic intranasal administration of 300 nmol/kg obestatin and its fragment FNAP-NH

A comparative study of the physicochemical and performance properties of samples of Ti(OH)1.36·(HPO4)1.32·2.3H2O ion exchanger in the finely dispersed and granulated forms, utilized for commercial production, was made. The sorption of Cs and Sr cations from solutions of various compositions was studied in batch experiments, and the diffusion coefficients of the exchanging ions were determined. The hydrolytic stability of the ion exchangers was examined with the aim to determine the optimal operation conditions. Experiments showed that the cation exchangers based on titanium phosphate are the most efficient in removal from liquid radioactive waste of induced radioactive isotopes of corrosion products, which is due to formation of weakly dissociating compounds of nonferrous metal ions with functional groups of the ion exchangers in the sorbent phase.

Single exposure of white outbred rats to electromagnetic radiation with a frequency 905 MHz (GSM frequency) for 2 h increased anxiety, reduced locomotor, orientation, and exploration activities in females and orientation and exploration activities in males. Glucocorticoid levels and antioxidant system activity increased in both males and females. In addition to acute effects, delayed effects of radiation were observed in both males and females 1 day after the exposure. These results demonstrated signifi cant effect of GSM-range radiation on the behavior and activity of stress-realizing and stress-limiting systems of the body.

This paper considers the transgenerational effects of prenatal stress of different etiology. The impacts of stress factors on the biochemical and morphofunctional parameters of life of the mother, fetus, and offspring in the first and subsequent generations (F1–F4) are estimated. Particular attention is paid to assessing changes in the parameters of physical development, the state of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, proinflammatory status, behavioral indicators, cognitive performance, and vegetative balance in the poststress period. Contemporary concepts of possible mechanisms of transgenerational transmission of the effects of prenatal stress are considered.

This study analyses the spontaneous behavior and anxiety-phobic status of mature rats that were subjected to antenatal intermittent hypoxia during the early stages of organogenesis. Antenatal intermittent hypoxia caused a decrease of motor activity as well as an enhanced anxiety level in rats of both sexes, while males appeared to be more sensitive to hypoxic influence. The effects of single antenatal intermittent hypoxia were more expressed than those of double exposure.

We studied the effects of a single immobilization stress on pregnant (9th or 10th day of pregnancy) and nonpregnant female rats in the early post-stress period (1 day after a stress). We analyzed the changes in behavioral responses, activity of antioxidant systems (ASs), and GABA metabolism. It was shown that control unstressed pregnant rats had a higher level of locomotor and exploratory activities and a lower level of anxiety and emotional tension as compared to nonpregnant rats. The pregnant rats were characterized by a higher activity of glutamate decarboxylase (GDC). In nonpregnant rats in the early post-stress period, the locomotor and exploratory activity and “risk behavior” increased, while anxiety decreased. These changes were not related to changes in the GABA metabolism, while the efficacy of ASs was increased. In the group of pregnant rats, the consequences of immobilization included only a significant increase in the activity of GABA transaminase (GABA-T). Thus, pregnant rats had higher stress resistance than the nonpregnant rats, according to behavioral indices and activities of systems of GABA metabolism and ASs.

A diagnostic instrument in which a combination of a plastic scintillator and a solid-state photomultiplier is used as a nuclear radiation detector, is described. The detector is designed to record x-ray, gamma-ray, and neutron radiation in experimental nuclear power plant.

Acute progestational hypoxia induced hyperactivity with low anxiety level and bradycardia in female descendants only. The experimental males demonstrated a significant increase in the duration and frequency of contractions of lymphatic vessels following NE application, while females showed no difference compared to the control.

Sorption capacity of a composite ion exchanger based on titanium phosphate for Cs+ and Sr2+ cations was studied. The effect of pH and concentration of salts and, in particular, sodium chloride in solution on the sorption efficiency and distribution coefficient was analyzed. The diffusion coefficients were calculated for the Cs+ and Sr2+ cations and the time of half-exchange of the Na+ cation for the Cs+ and Sr2+ cations was found.

Sorption of nonferrous metal ions under static conditions by a composite sorbent based on titanium phosphate was studied. The distribution coefficients and exchange constants for Cu(II), Ni(II), and Co(II) were calculated from the experimental data. The kinetics of the sorption of multiply charged ions from dilute hydrochloric acid solutions was studied, and the diffusion coefficients of exchanging ions were determined.

Single administration of the obestatin fragment 1-4 (300 nmol/kg) to male Wistar rats produced a significant weight loss in male rats on observation days 5-8, while in female rats only on day 8. In addition, males demonstrated decreased risk factor in the elevated plus-maze test, but no effect of the preparation on behavior of female rats was revealed. Obestatin fragment 1-4 had no effect on corticosterone level 1 week after single administration in both females and male rats.

Composition and structure of synthetic ion-exchange materials based on titanium phosphate were studied. The materials were synthesized from titanium(IV), phosphorus(V), and silicon(IV) reagents taken in various concentrations, using various modes of the synthesis and treatment of the precursors. The dependence of the ion-exchange properties of the final products on the composition of the precursors was examined.

The composition and structure of titanium phosphate products formed in decomposition of titanite with phosphoric acid were studied. The sorption capacity of the products obtained for alkali and alkaline-earth elements was determined. The possibility of using phosphate products as titanium-containing pigment fillers was examined.

The survival rate, physical development, and spontaneous behavior has been evaluated in pups of albino rats exposed to acute hypobaric hypoxia on the 9–10th day of gestation corresponding to the onset of organogenesis. Prenatal hypoxia increased the mortality among the offspring, delayed their physical development, and affected their spontaneous behavior up to the age of 2 months. The females exposed to intrauterine hypoxia proved to be more sensitive to hypoxia than males.

The kinetics of titanium(IV) extraction from sphene with boiling 4–6 M sulfuric acid was studied. The rate constants of the sphene dissolution were determined. The influence of the particle size of the starting mineral on the rate of its dissolution was established. The feasibility of performing sphene dissolution by a liquid-phase procedure yielding stable titanium-containing sulfate solutions suitable for the synthesis of multifunctional composite materials was examined.

The structural characteristics of cleaved mica are studied. Cleavage of phlogopite and muscovite is shown to be accompanied by the deformation of their crystal lattices. The structural charge emerging as a result amounts to 90–95% of the total charge of the mica surface. The acid–base properties of the surfaces of these minerals are studied by the method of potentiometric titration. As is shown using constant capacitance surface complexation model, only deprotonation reactions are characteristic for muscovite, whereas phlogopite undergoes also ion-exchange reactions. The corresponding constants of acid–base equilibrium are determined.