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BACKGROUND: A better understanding of treatment progression and recovery in pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) infectious disease is crucial. This study analyzed longitudinal serum samples from pulmonary TB patients undergoing interventional treatment to identify surrogate markers for TB-related outcomes. METHODS: Serum that was collected at baseline and 8, 17, 26, and 52 weeks from 30 TB patients experiencing durable cure were evaluated and compared using a sensitive LC-MS/MS proteomic platform for the detection and quantification of differential host protein signatures relative to timepoint. The global proteome signature was analyzed for statistical differences across the time course and between disease severity and treatment groups. RESULTS: A total of 676 proteins showed differential expression in the serum over these timepoints relative to baseline. Comparisons to understand serum protein dynamics at 8 weeks, treatment endpoints at 17 and 26 weeks, and post-treatment at 52 weeks were performed. The largest protein abundance changes were observed at 8 weeks as the initial effects of antibiotic treatment strongly impacted inflammatory and immune modulated responses. However, the largest number of proteome changes was observed at the end of treatment time points 17 and 26 weeks respectively. Post-treatment 52-week results showed an abatement of differential proteome signatures from end of treatment, though interestingly those proteins uniquely significant at post-treatment were almost exclusively downregulated. Patients were additionally stratified based upon disease severity and compared across all timepoints, identifying 461 discriminating proteome signatures. These proteome signatures collapsed into discrete expression profiles with distinct pathways across immune activation and signaling, hemostasis, and metabolism annotations. Insulin-like growth factor (IGF) and Integrin signaling maintained a severity signature through 52 weeks, implying an intrinsic disease severity signature well into the post-treatment timeframe. CONCLUSION: Previous proteome studies have primarily focused on the 8-week timepoint in relation to culture conversion status. While this study confirms previous observations, it also highlights some differences. The inclusion of additional end of treatment and post-treatment time points offers a more comprehensive assessment of treatment progression within the serum proteome. Examining the expression dynamics at these later time periods will help in the investigation of relapse patients and has provided indicative markers of response and recovery.

The article is based on the materials of field research conducted in the Kaliningrad region in 2022–2023. The authors proceed from the idea of this region as a frontier emerged due to redefinition of jurisdiction of the territories of East Prussia after World War II and geopolitical transformations after 1991. Currently, the region is surrounded by EU countries, and this predetermines its perception as a civilizational frontier – a space of comparison between Russian and European ways of life, and intensified the politicization of local historical memory. The aim of the article is to examine the narratives underlying visual transformation of the cultural landscape of the Kaliningrad region since 1945, their relation to the tasks of de-actualization of the region’s past, appropriation of German heritage and its integration into the Russian cultural space. Cultural landscape is defined both as a product and environment of human activity saturated with a variety of artifacts, and as a sign system that forms, preserves, and controls a certain vision of the world. The use of the semiotic paradigm allowed us to consider monuments as its long-term semantic accents. We also took into account the multiplicity of actors influencing the organization and reorganization of the cultural landscape, the variability of the correlation of political forces and opportunities, and the participation in the transformation processes of both power institutions that limit the possibility of alternative perception of reality, and society that resists ideological programming. The evolution of semantic dominants of the cultural landscape we analyzed in the context of shifts in the ideology and attitudes of regional society. We conclude that the compromise tactics of appropriation of the region’s past, developed over time, are based on countering the challenges of the time and solving practical problems, rather than on political attitudes.

Abstract Digitalization is a core component of the green transition. Today’s focus is on quantifying and predicting the climate effects of digitalization through various life-cycle assessments and baseline scenario methodologies. Here we argue that this is a mistake. Most attempts at prediction are based on three implicit assumptions: (a) the digital carbon footprint can be quantified, (b) business-as-usual with episodic change leading to a new era of stability, and (c) investments in digitalization will be delivered within the cost, timeframe, and benefits described in their business cases. We problematize each assumption within the context of digitalization and argue that the digital carbon footprint is inherently unpredictable. We build on uncertainty literature to show that even if you cannot predict, you can still mitigate. On that basis, we propose to rethink practice on the digital carbon footprint from prediction to mitigation.

Abstract Background Breast cancer (BC) is the most commonly diagnosed cancer and the leading cause of cancer death among women globally. Despite advances, there is considerable variation in clinical outcomes for patients with non-luminal A tumors, classified as difficult-to-treat breast cancers (DTBC). This study aims to delineate the proteogenomic landscape of DTBC tumors compared to luminal A (LumA) tumors. Methods We retrospectively collected a total of 117 untreated primary breast tumor specimens, focusing on DTBC subtypes. Breast tumors were processed by laser microdissection (LMD) to enrich tumor cells. DNA, RNA, and protein were simultaneously extracted from each tumor preparation, followed by whole genome sequencing, paired-end RNA sequencing, global proteomics and phosphoproteomics. Differential feature analysis, pathway analysis and survival analysis were performed to better understand DTBC and investigate biomarkers. Results We observed distinct variations in gene mutations, structural variations, and chromosomal alterations between DTBC and LumA breast tumors. DTBC tumors predominantly had more mutations in TP53, PLXNB3, Zinc finger genes, and fewer mutations in SDC2, CDH1, PIK3CA, SVIL, and PTEN. Notably, Cytoband 1q21, which contains numerous cell proliferation-related genes, was significantly amplified in the DTBC tumors. LMD successfully minimized stromal components and increased RNA–protein concordance, as evidenced by stromal score comparisons and proteomic analysis. Distinct DTBC and LumA-enriched clusters were observed by proteomic and phosphoproteomic clustering analysis, some with survival differences. Phosphoproteomics identified two distinct phosphoproteomic profiles for high relapse-risk and low relapse-risk basal-like tumors, involving several genes known to be associated with breast cancer oncogenesis and progression, including KIAA1522, DCK, FOXO3, MYO9B, ARID1A, EPRS, ZC3HAV1, and RBM14. Lastly, an integrated pathway analysis of multi-omics data highlighted a robust enrichment of proliferation pathways in DTBC tumors. Conclusions This study provides an integrated proteogenomic characterization of DTBC vs LumA with tumor cells enriched through laser microdissection. We identified many common features of DTBC tumors and the phosphopeptides that could serve as potential biomarkers for high/low relapse-risk basal-like BC and possibly guide treatment selections.

The article presents a report on the work of the international scientific and practical conference “Ethnopsychology: Theory and Practice”, which took place on November 16-17, 2023 in Moscow and was dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the Department of Cross-Cultural Psychology and Psychological Problems of Multicultural Education, Faculty of Social Psychology, Moscow State University of Psychology & Education. The content of plenary and sectional sessions, master classes and round tables is reflected. The range of questions and problems raised during the conference reflects the current issues of Russian cross-cultural psychological research.

The current research was conducted in 2020–2023 on the botanical-geographical plot “Steppes of Ukraine” at the M.M. Gryshko National Botanical Garden of the NAS of Ukraine and was focused on ripe fruits of Asparagus officinalis. This study aimed to find out the main statistical characteristics of morphometric traits of A. officinalis fruits: fruit diameter, number of locules per fruit, number of seeds per fruit, number of seeds per locule, and to confirm or deny the hypothesis of positive pairwise correlations of the first three traits. Eighteen combinations of four morphometric traits were found in the A. officinalis fruits. For each morphometric feature of A. officinalis fruits, ten statistical characteristics were determined: arithmetic mean, median, mode, range of variation, oscillation coefficient, standard deviation, coefficient of variation, standard error of the mean, coefficient of skewness, and coefficient of kurtosis. The coefficient of variation showed that the number of seeds per fruit is the most variable of the studied morphometric traits of A. officinalis fruits, and the fruit diameter is the least variable. According to the comprehensive assessment of the coefficients of skewness and kurtosis, the distributions of the number of seeds per fruit and the diameter of the fruits are closest to the normal distribution. It was established that the correlations between pairs of such traits as fruit diameter and number of locules per fruit, fruit diameter and number of seeds per fruit, number of locules per fruit and number of seeds per fruit are positive, direct, and strong. Thus, considering the economic feasibility, it is more practical to collect A. officinalis fruits of a larger size to obtain a larger number of seeds. The results of this work are of interest for the morphology and biometrics of A. officinalis and its cultivation.

In this paper, the synthesis of high-quality nanostructured zinc oxide (ZnO) and zinc oxide-graphene oxide (ZnO-GO) nanocomposites was carried out by a simple and efficient cost-effective chemical bath deposition method. The effect of different GO concentrations as well as thermal treatment on the structural, optical and photoluminescent properties of ZnO-GO semiconductor composites was investigated. All the synthesised samples were studied by electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray and Raman spectroscopy. ZnO usually exhibits luminescence in the visible region of the spectrum due to various intrinsic defects. This emission can be controlled by surface modification, doping and various treatments of the synthesised materials after synthesis. The considered ZnO-GO composites were subjected to thermal treatment in air at 375°C for one hour. The study of photoluminescence spectra showed that the heat treatment affects different types of optical recombination in the considered samples of zinc oxide - graphene oxide composites. The improved photoluminescence properties of ZnO-GO nanocomposites make them promising for application in various optical devices of nano- and microelectronics.

The spectrum of localized hole states (traps) in amorphous silicon nitride, a-Si3N4, is experimentally studied using the method of thermally stimulated depolarization. The experiment is compared with theoretical calculations using three models of the energy spectrum of traps: discrete spectrum (monoenergetic trap), continuous spectrum, and Gaussian trap distribution. The experiment is quantitatively described by a model of a discrete spectrum of traps with an energy of 1.15 eV and a width of no more than 0.01 eV. In the case of a continuous and Gaussian spectrum of traps, the contribution to depolarization is made by the deepest traps. The blurring of the trap energy level in a-Si3N4 due to the absence of long-range order (fluctuations in the Si–N bond length and fluctuations in the N–Si–N and Si–N–Si angles) does not exceed 0.01 eV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alcohol-associated hepatitis (AH) is a form of liver failure with high short-term mortality. Recent studies have shown that defective function of hepatocyte nuclear factor 4 alpha (HNF4a) and systemic inflammation are major disease drivers of AH. Plasma biomarkers of hepatocyte function could be useful for diagnostic and prognostic purposes. Herein, an integrative analysis of hepatic RNA sequencing and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was performed to identify plasma protein signatures for patients with mild and severe AH. Alcohol-related liver disease cirrhosis, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, and healthy subjects were used as comparator groups. Levels of identified proteins primarily involved in hepatocellular function were decreased in patients with AH, which included hepatokines, clotting factors, complement cascade components, and hepatocyte growth activators. A protein signature of AH disease severity was identified, including thrombin, hepatocyte growth factor α, clusterin, human serum factor H-related protein, and kallistatin, which exhibited large abundance shifts between severe and nonsevere AH. The combination of thrombin and hepatocyte growth factor α discriminated between severe and nonsevere AH with high sensitivity and specificity. These findings were correlated with the liver expression of genes encoding secreted proteins in a similar cohort, finding a highly consistent plasma protein signature reflecting HNF4A and HNF1A functions. This unbiased proteomic-transcriptome analysis identified plasma protein signatures and pathways associated with disease severity, reflecting HNF4A/1A activity useful for diagnostic assessment in AH.

The paper proposes applying a precise and low-cost internal combustion engine (ICE) diagnostic method based on acceleration and rundown characteristics. We developed an engine test stand based on and selected diagnostic tools to record acceleration-rundown parameters: a DBD-4 gasoline engine loader and USB Autoscope 4. We established that the injector feed rate significantly affects acceleration time, while the wear of the cylinder-piston group (CPG) significantly affects the acceleration time of the ICE crankshaft. When CPG wear was 28%, acceleration time increased to 15 s, and when the wear was 5% - to 3s. The rundown time significantly depends on the outlet resistance and increases with an increase in the degree of CPG wear. Applying the developed method reduced the fuel consumption of the test engine by 21%.

Abstract Neural circuits embed limb dynamics for motor control and sensorimotor integration. The somatotopic organization of motoneuron pools in the spinal cord may support these computations. Here, we tested if the spatial organization of motoneurons is related to the musculoskeletal anatomy. We created a 3D model of motoneuron locations within macaque spinal cord and compared the spatial distribution of motoneurons to the anatomical organization of the muscles they innervate. We demonstrated that the spatial distribution of motoneuron pools innervating the upper limb and the anatomical relationships between the muscles they innervate were similar between macaque and human species. Using comparative analysis, we found that the distances between motoneuron pools innervating synergistic muscles were the shortest, followed by those innervating antagonistic muscles. Such spatial organization can support the co-activation of synergistic muscles and reciprocal inhibition of antagonistic muscles. The spatial distribution of motoneurons may play an important role in embedding musculoskeletal dynamics.

Objective. The aim of the study is to analyze the salience and subjective significance of patriotic self-identity, and analyze the attitude towards patriotism among Russian student youth under conditions of polarization of Russian society. Background. Patriotic education of Russian youth, based on the potential of subject-to-subject interaction and implemented in the current polarization of Russian society, requires analysis of the patriotic self-identity of young people and their attitude towards patriotism. Study design. We carried out reflexive thematic analysis and qualitative content analysis of respondents' answers to open questions about the manifestations, advantages and shortcomings of patriotism. We evaluated the salience and subjective significance of patriotic self-identity among young people. Participants. University students from Moscow, Omsk, Penza, Saratov, Smolensk, Khabarovsk (670 Russians ages 18 to 25, M = 19,3, SD = 1,5, 21% of men) participated in the study. Data were collected in October 2022. Measurements. We used the shortened version of the questionnaire «Who am I?» by M. Kuhn, T. McPartland. We formulated the close-ended question to assess salience of patriotic self-identity, as in the Scale of Rapid Assessment of Ethnic Identity by N.M. Lebedeva, and open-ended questions for the assessment of attitude towards patriotism. Results. The subjective significance of patriotic self-identity for young people is low. One third of respondents are characterized by a fluctuating patriotic self-identity, one tenth of respondents feel very little patriotic, 6,4% of respondents do not feel patriotic at all. We discovered 5 types of attitudes among students towards patriotism. Recommendations were developed to increase the effectiveness of patriotic education of Russian students in the current conditions. Conclusions. There are barriers to the formation of a stable patriotic identity for a large part of the Russian student youth. Almost half of respondents identified a request for the development of constructive civic patriotism. In order to increase the effectiveness of patriotic education of young people in the current Russian context it is important to take into account the results of such research.

The question of sociolinguistic authenticity has been widely researched with reference to authentic linguistic production and authentic language users. Globalization and intense language contacts have brought increased attention to the question of authenticity as it applies to what linguistic and cultural production is considered authentic and what facets of linguistic and cultural production are most salient to authenticity. The study examines the notion of authenticity in relation to the linguistic presentation of Russian womanhood by the Tajik-Russian singer Manizha in her song Russian woman . We aim to show how linguistic and cultural transgression underlying her performance prompted contestable interpretations and opened up the evaluative divide among the audience. Using Pennycook’s semiotics of transignification (Pennycook 2007), we analyze the performance at different levels (pretextual history, contextual relations, subtextual and intertextual meanings, and post-textual interpretations). We juxtapose the song, the singer’s post-performance interviews, and the viewers’ online comments in order to reveal the authenticating and deauthenticating discourses of gender and ethnicity. We have identified the opposing conceptions of Russian womanhood in the performance, both of which can be deemed authentic or inauthentic. We argue that authentication and deauthentication of this textual assemblage are driven by different ideologies and often depend on a single textual level or element. Moreover, authenticity may be recontextualized and renegotiated through discourse. The study highlights the co-existence of multiple and competing authenticies within a single multimodal performance and demonstrates how semiotics of transignification may be used to un-cover these competing ideological orientations.