The structure, oxygen non-stoichiometry, and defect equilibrium in perovskite-type PrBa1−xSrxFe2O6−δ (x = 0, 0.25, 0.50) synthesized at 1350 °C were studied. For all compositions, X-ray diffraction ...testifies to the formation of a cubic structure (S.G. Pm3¯m), but an electron diffraction study reveals additional diffuse satellites around each Bragg spot, indicating the primary incommensurate modulation with wave vectors about ±0.43a*. The results were interpreted as a sign of the short-order in both A-cation and anion sublattices in the areas of a few nanometers in size, and of an intermediate state before the formation of an ordered superstructure. An increase in oxygen deficiency was found to promote the ordering, whereas partial substitution of barium by strontium caused the opposite effect. The oxygen content in oxides as a function of oxygen partial pressure and temperature was measured by coulometric titration, and the data were used for the modeling of defect equilibrium in oxides. The simulation results implied oxygen vacancy ordering in PrBa1−xSrxFe2O6−δ that is in agreement with the electron diffraction study. Besides oxidation and charge disproportionation reactions, the reactions of oxygen vacancy distribution between non-equivalent anion positions, and their trapping in clusters with Pr3+ ions were taken into account by the model. It was demonstrated that an increase in the strontium content in Pr0.5Ba0.5−xSrxFeO3−δ suppressed ordering of oxygen vacancies, increased the binding energy of oxygen ions in the oxides, and resulted in an increase in the concentration of p-type carriers.
Dysferlinopathy is a phenotypically heterogeneous group of hereditary diseases caused by mutations in the DYSF gene. Early contractures are considered rare, and rigid spine syndrome in ...dysferlinopathy has been previously reported only once.
We describe a 23-year-old patient with Miyoshi myopathy with a rigid spine and multiple contractures, a rare phenotypic variant. The disease first manifested when the patient was 13 years old, with fatigue of the gastrocnemius muscles and the development of pronounced contractures of the Achilles tendons, flexors of the fingers, and extensors of the toes, followed by the involvement of large joints and the spine. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed signs of connective tissue and fatty replacement of the posterior muscles of the thighs and lower legs. Edema was noted in the anterior and medial muscle groups of the thighs, lower legs, and the multifidus muscle of the back. Whole genome sequencing revealed previously described mutations in the DYSF gene in exon 39 (c.4282 C > T) and intron 51 (c.5785-824 C > T). An immunohistochemical analysis and Western blot showed the complete absence of dysferlin protein expression in the muscle fibers.
This case expands the range of clinical and phenotypic correlations of dysferlinopathy and complements the diagnostic search for spine rigidity.
The article analyzes one of the most famous textbooks by S.A. Khavronina for studying Russian as a foreign language Russian as we speak it. The book has become a hallmark of the Russian methodology ...and culture of teaching a non-native language abroad. The author examines the structure of the book, emphasizes the innovative findings of S.A. Khavronina, speaks about the features of presenting and explaining the material. Special attention is paid to the communicative orientation of the textbook, which for the first time offered a clear, simple and at the same time methodologically based strategy for teaching Russian as a foreign language. According to the author of the article, the book by S.A. Khavronina is an example of a balanced approach to the analysis of how the live speech influences on foreigners. It solves the key tasks of modern methodology of Russian as a foreign language: grammar-translated, personal-practical and audio-linguistic. The article draws readers attention to the problem of creating a modern textbook on Russian and intercultural communication, taking into account the best achievements in the history of these disciplines, using traditional approaches proven over the years and the latest methods of studying language as a cultural phenomenon.
•EthoStudio and 3-D sensor were applied for automated tracking of minpig behavior.•3-D sensor can trace white, black and agouti minipigs in the open field test.•Agouti minipigs explored arena more ...than white or black animals.•3-D imaging system can be used to study behavior of farm-bred animals.
The minipig is a promising model in neurobiology and psychopharmacology. However, automated tracking of minipig behavior is still unresolved problem.
The study was carried out on white, agouti and black (or spotted) minipiglets (n=108) bred in the Institute of Cytology and Genetics. New method of automated tracking of minipig behavior is based on Microsoft Kinect 3-D image sensor and the 3-D image reconstruction with EthoStudio software. The algorithms of distance run and time in the center evaluation were adapted for 3-D image data and new algorithm of vertical activity quantification was developed.
The 3-D imaging system successfully detects white, black, spotted and agouti pigs in the open field test (OFT). No effect of sex or color on horizontal (distance run), vertical activities and time in the center was shown. Agouti pigs explored the arena more intensive than white or black animals, respectively. The OFT behavioral traits were compared with the fear reaction to experimenter. Time in the center of the OFT was positively correlated with fear reaction rank (ρ=0.21, p<0.05). Black pigs were significantly more fearful compared with white or agouti animals.
The 3-D imaging system has three advantages over existing automated tracking systems: it avoids perspective distortion, distinguishes animals any color from any background and automatically evaluates vertical activity.
The 3-D imaging system can be successfully applied for automated measurement of minipig behavior in neurobiological and psychopharmacological experiments.
Toxoplasma gondii is a zoonotic parasite with a wide host range that includes humans, domestic animals and wild animals. Small mammals serve as intermediate hosts for T. gondii and may contribute to ...the persistence of this parasite in the environment. Mass mortality in wild animals and deaths in rare endemic species make the study of this parasite of growing importance. In this study, T. gondii infection prevalence was evaluated in brain tissues from 474 small mammals captured at 26 trapping points in urban and rural areas of Tatarstan, Russian Federation. Nested PCR was used to detect the T. gondii B1 gene in the samples. Overall, 40/474 samples (8.44%) showed B1 gene positivity. T. gondii infection among the wild small mammals trapped in the rural area was significantly higher as a whole than that of the urban area as a whole. Multivariate logistical regression analysis also showed that the trapping area (rural or urban) significantly contributed to T. gondii positivity. Vegetation in the trapping points, small mammal species, sex, age or distance from the trapping points to the nearest human settlements did not significantly affect T. gondii positivity in the sampled small mammals.
The oxygen content in La0.5Sr0.5Fe1−xMnxO3−δ, measured by coulometric titration in a wide range of oxygen partial pressure at various temperatures, was used for defect chemistry analysis. The ...obtained data were well approximated by a model assuming defect formation in La0.5Sr0.5Fe1−xMnxO3−δvia Fe3+ and Mn3+ oxidation reactions and charge disproportionation on Fe3+ and Mn3+ ions. The partial molar enthalpy and entropy of oxygen in La0.5Sr0.5Fe1−xMnxO3−δ obtained by statistical thermodynamic calculations were found to be in satisfactory agreement with those obtained using the Gibbs–Helmholtz equations, thus further confirming the adequacy of the model. The impact of manganese substitution on defect equilibrium in La0.5Sr0.5Fe1−xMnxO3−δ was shown to be attributed to a lower enthalpy of Mn3+ oxidation reaction (Formula Omittedvs.Formula Omitted for the oxidation of Fe3+) and the charge disproportionation reaction on Mn3+ (Formula Omittedvs.Formula Omitted for that on Fe3+). The former makes Mn4+ ions more resistant to reduction than Fe4+. The latter favors the presence of Mn2+, Mn3+, and Mn4+ ions in oxides in comparable concentrations. The distribution of charge carriers over iron and manganese ions was determined as a function of oxygen content in La0.5Sr0.5Fe1−xMnxO3−δ.
The oxygen content in La
Sr
Fe
Mn
O
, measured by coulometric titration in a wide range of oxygen partial pressure at various temperatures, was used for defect chemistry analysis. The obtained data ...were well approximated by a model assuming defect formation in La
Sr
Fe
Mn
O
Fe
and Mn
oxidation reactions and charge disproportionation on Fe
and Mn
ions. The partial molar enthalpy and entropy of oxygen in La
Sr
Fe
Mn
O
obtained by statistical thermodynamic calculations were found to be in satisfactory agreement with those obtained using the Gibbs-Helmholtz equations, thus further confirming the adequacy of the model. The impact of manganese substitution on defect equilibrium in La
Sr
Fe
Mn
O
was shown to be attributed to a lower enthalpy of Mn
oxidation reaction (
for the oxidation of Fe
) and the charge disproportionation reaction on Mn
(
for that on Fe
). The former makes Mn
ions more resistant to reduction than Fe
. The latter favors the presence of Mn
, Mn
, and Mn
ions in oxides in comparable concentrations. The distribution of charge carriers over iron and manganese ions was determined as a function of oxygen content in La
Sr
Fe
Mn
O
.
The study is devoted to the actualization of the ideas of the great comparative scholar of the XIXth century Max Müller (1823-1900), a contemporary of A. Schleicher, who, as is traditionally ...believed, worked mainly in the naturalistic trend. The authors of the study show that the achievements of M. Müller were unreasonably underestimated, calling the scientist a popularizer of science. The victory of positivism in German linguistics weakened interest in the works by M. Müller: linguistics was no longer perceived as a natural science. It is noted that the positivist approach denied the “metaphysical” typology, close in spirit to M. Müller. The authors come to the conclusion that M. Müller’s ideas and methodological attitudes survived his time into the future and sound relevant in the humanities of the XXIst century, based on the anthropological understanding of linguistic phenomena. M. Müller was one of the first scholars to distinguish between philology and linguistics, he boldly extrapolated the attitudes of comparative studies to other areas of humanitarian knowledge - mythology, religion, innovatively applied a socio-cultural approach to the analysis of language features and the study of archaic texts. The study compares M. Müller’s ideas with traditional historical observations of national comparativist- and-historical observations of Russian comparativists - F.I. Buslaev and I.I. Sreznevsky. It is emphasized that his works reveal the connection of philosophy with private sciences: linguistics, theology, cultural history. In this sense, “The Science of Language” can be regarded as an original experience of creating philological hermeneutics. It is stated that M. Müller studied the historical space of language from the point of view relevant to the modern science of comparative semasiology. The refraction of his ideas is observed in the works of modern scientists - typologists, comparativists, conceptologists: V.A. Dybo, V.V. Ivanov, V.N. Toporov, Yu.S. Stepanov. Once again, the naturalistic approach is reaching a new level of development in the XXIst century, and the comparative method - the main research tool of M. Müller and other scientists of the Schleicher era - is being actualized not only in linguistics, but also in philology, history of religion and ethnology. The dialectical approach to typological linguistics applied by M. Müller, remains in demand by the science of modern times.
In this work, we have applied, for the first time, solution plasma processing of cellulose-containing material to produce cellulose nanocrystals (CNC). The CNC samples produced in three different ...modes of solution plasma treatment were characterized using methods of dynamic light scattering, infrared spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The proposed method of CNC production comprising the oxidation–hydrolysis strategy has proved to be effective and allowed us to reduce significantly the time of acid hydrolysis and to increase considerably the total CNC yield.
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