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Although sexual dimorphism manifestations are widespread in the family Dolichopodidae, a detailed characterization of their phylogenetic significance is lacking. In order to study the distribution patterns of wing sexual dimorphism, we have analyzed 57 species from 17 genera of 9 subfamilies. A comparative analysis of the evidence, obtained by geometric morphometry and molecular data, allowed us to assess the phylogenetic signal in the sexual dimorphism of the wing. The results of the study confirm the presence of diverse patterns of sexual variability in the wings of this family. More often, females have larger wings with blunted apexes, whereas males are characterized by a more pointed apex. In some cases, the larger size of females wings is associated with an increase in the body size, while in other cases, differences in shape and size can be explained by differences in behavioural and life patterns. Although there exists a general pattern of sexual dimorphism, its features differ even in closely related species. The absence of a significant phylogenetic signal in seven out of nine studied wing points indicates that the sexual dimorphism in form evolved, at least partially, in each of the studied species.

The article shows the history of the development by the German High Command of the plans of the Wehrmacht’s offensive operation in the south wing of the Soviet-German front for the spring-summer campaign of 1942. The objective of this paper is to elaborate on some individual aspects of the planning by the Nazi leadership of “Case Blue” (German – Fall Blau) and its subsequent realization. The result of this correction was a quick creation of the two new strategic plans: “Operation Braunschweig” – the offensive against Stalingrad and “Operation Edelweiss” – the offensive against the Caucasus. In the paper, the authors as a conclusion note that such dispersion of the armed forces of the German army led in the end to the shortage of forces for the realization of the both plans and the defeat of the Wehrmacht both in Stalingrad and in the battle of the Caucasus. The victories of the Red Army in those battles resulted in the radical turning-point at the entire Soviet-German front, in the beginning of the liberation of the Soviet territories from the German occupation troops.

The article describes Tatiana G. Stefanenko’s cooperation with teachers and students of the Social and Differential Psychology Department of the Peoples' Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University), the most international university in Russia. The authors focus on contribution of T.G. Stefanenko’s contribution to the development of ethnopsychological science and practice at the RUDN University: teaching ethnopsychology, conducting intercultural competence trainings, organising joint scientific research on the intercultural adaptation of international students and other ethnopsychological problems.

Increasing interest in microbial communities of Arctic and Antarctic extreme environments, their taxonomic diversity, and forms and mechanisms of adaptation of inhabitants of Antarctic biotopes to extreme conditions determined the goal of the present work. Next generation sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene fragments was used to determine the taxonomic structure of microbial communities in soil samples from the Larsemann Hills and Bunger Hills. Revealed differences in the composition of predominant bacterial phyla and genera indicate that the type of the biotope developing on the soil surface and a combination of various physicochemical factors play a major role in formation of Antarctic microbial communities. High number of filterable forms of prokaryotes (FFP) was found in the communities. Analysis of the libraries of the 16S rRNA gene clones revealed that the FFP from three Larsemann Hills samples belonged to the phylum Proteobacteria. In all three samples, the dominant FFP group exhibited the highest similarity (99%) to an uncultured bacterial clone of the class Deltaproteobacteria revealed by assessment of bacterial diversity of rocks and groundwater of the Donghai County, China. The FFP capable of growth of standard nutrient media belonged to the phyla Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Deinococcus-Thermus, Firmicutes, and Proteobacteria. Taking into account the data of high FFP number in the samples and their taxonomic composition, their significant contribution to stability of the bacterial composition of Antarctic soils may be suggested. The FFP fraction was mainly represented by bacterial dormant forms able to revert to active growth under favorable conditions. Rapid transition of a vegetative part of the population to small dormant forms under unfavorable conditions is probably one of the strategies enabling their survival in extreme environments. The FFP fraction also contained the cells belonging to novel bacterial species, probably ultramicrobacteria.

Conjugative mega-plasmids play a special role in adaptation since they carry a huge number of accessory genes, often allowing the host to develop in new niches. In addition, due to conjugation they are able to effectively spread themselves and participate in the transfer of small mobilizable plasmids. In this work, we present a detailed characterization of a recently discovered family of multiple-drug resistance mega-plasmids of Acinetobacter species, termed group III-4a. We describe the structure of the plasmid backbone region, identify the rep gene and the origin of plasmid replication, and show that plasmids from this group are able not only to move between different Acinetobacter species but also to efficiently mobilize small plasmids containing different mob genes. Furthermore, we show that the population of natural Acinetobacter strains contains a significant number of mega-plasmids and reveal a clear correlation between the living conditions of Acinetobacter strains and the structure of their mega-plasmids. In particular, comparison of the plasmids from environmental and clinical strains shows that the genes for resistance to heavy metals were eliminated in the latter, with the simultaneous accumulation of antibiotic resistance genes by incorporation of transposons and integrons carrying these genes. The results demonstrate that this group of mega-plasmids plays a key role in the dissemination of multi-drug resistance among Acinetobacter species.

The growing number of migrants makes it relevant to study the problem of acculturation to a new culture and to develop adequate methodological tools for assessing acculturation. Acculturation scales are a common tool for studying the adaptation of international citizens; in Russia, however, there is a shortage of them. The purpose of this study was to develop a short, easy to use, and not requiring translation into the mother tongue scale, aimed at determining the level of acculturation. When developing the methodology, we relied on the analysis of the available acculturation scales and on the recommendations proposed by van de Vijver et al. This study included the following stages: development of the initial version of the scale, testing and analysis of comprehensibility of the scale questions, psychometric analysis, repeated testing and psychometric verification, and finally, determining external validity. At the various stages, the study covered 445 international students (42% female) from 71 countries. For psychometric analysis, descriptive statistics methods, Cronbach α and MacDonald ω coefficients, bifactor analysis were used. To check the external validity, the method of expert evaluations (16 experts are teachers of the Russian language, basic disciplines, tutors on educational work) and correlation analyses were used. As a result, the proposed Acculturation Scale to Russia (ASR) has a high consistency (α = 0,89, ω = 0,91), three-factor structure (3 subscales were identified), and its satisfactory external validity. This scale can be used to assess the level of acculturation of international students in Russia.

The competitiveness of the tourist destination of the Altai territory depends on new interesting approaches to the formation of tours. It was revealed the following trend that the design and development of gastronomic tours is the impetus for the more effective development of destinations. The existing gastronomic route “Altai gourmet” is the only tour, other gastronomic holidays are associated with event, ethnographic, rural tourism. In the Altai region there are all the prerequisites for the development of gastronomic tourism, and this direction needs to be developed, since this destination is an agricultural region. To promote this direction, it is necessary to include all kinds of interactive moments, including the processes of master classes on cooking and consumption of dishes. For even more diverse emotional inclusions, museums and ethnic centers can play an active role, which can provide an educational component of a gastronomic tour.

The aim of the research was to study the composition and the characteristics of the synanthropic flora of the western lowlands of the Altai mountains. The territory is located in the north-west of the Altai mountains (See Fig. 1). It is represented by the Kolyvan Ridge and a part of the adjacent Pre-Altai Plain with low stony arrays along the Alei river, the Loktevka river, the Belaya river and the Charysh River (within geographical coordinates 50°45'-51°45'N, 81°35,-82°46'E). About 300 years ago, on this territory there were discovered deposits of non-ferrous metals and ornamental stones. The start of mining originated from the beginning of deforestation and plowing of the adjacent steppe territories. Besides agricultural use, touristic and recreational use of the territory is being intensively developed nowadays. However, the western lowlands of the Altai mountains are the main areas for keeping the biological diversity of the Altai-Sayan region, especially the steppe biome. Therefore, synanthropic plants of this region need to be studied due to the anthropogenic pressure on natural ecosystems that creates a problem today. We have been studying the synanthropic flora of the western lowlands of the Altai mountains since 1996. This research includes the results of our field studies published earlier [Maslova OM, 2003] and recently (the herbarium is kept at ALTB and KUZ), as well as data of other researchers [Ebel AL, 2012; Silant’eva MM, 2013; Kopitina TM, Terehina TA and Nekrasova NV, 2003; Kleshcheva E, Korolyuk A and Lashchinsky N, 2005; Usik NA, 2014]. In the synanthropic flora, we included species which are adventive on the studied area and apophytes encountered in disturbed habitats. We analyzed systematic and typological structure of the synanthropic flora to identify its characteristics. The flora of the western lowlands was tested according to hemerobility [Kunick W, 1974; Klotz S, 1984; Frank D and Klotz S, 1990; Pestryakov BN, Cherosov MM and Ishbirdin AR, 2011] and hemeroby [Zverev AA, Sheremetova SA and Sheremetov RT, 2018] scales in the app IBIS (version 7.2). We established that the flora of the western lowlands of the Altai mountains is represented by 1105 species, 455 genera and 109 families of vascular plants. The synanthropic fraction of the flora embraces 272 species, 173 genera and 41 families. Families Asteraceae, Brassicaceae, Poaceae, Chenopodiaceae, Lamiaceae are prevalent while Fabaceae, Rosaceae, Cyperaceae are losing their leading positions, traditional for the natural flora (See Table 1). Such genera as Chenopodium (8 species); Potentilla (7); Centaurea, Artemisia, Cirsium, Rumex (6 species each); Cuscuta, Plantago and Trifolium (including Amoria) (5 species each) are equally represented. The arealological analysis was carried out on the basis of the modern settlement of species; 11 types of areas were identified in the synanthropic fraction (See Table 2). Among alien species, Holarctic species hold the first place while Palearctic species prevail among apophytes. Ecological analysis was executed for the synanthropic fraction as a whole and its individual parts (apophytes and alien species) for two factors: the relation of plants to the conditions of moistening (See Table 3) and the stony substrate. In the synanthropic flora, xeromesophytes and mesophytes are prevalent. According to the stony factor of the substrate, two ecological groups were revealed: optional petrophytes (29.4%) and non-petrophytes (70.6%). There were 6 floristic complexes identified in the eco-coenotic structure of the synanthropic flora: ruderal, steppe, meadow, valley, shrub and forest. 105 adventive species and 44 apophytes are attributed to the ruderal complex. These are plants that are widespread in the anthropogenic habitats. Among them are apophytes, such as Amaranthus retroflexus L., Arctium lappa L., Carduus crispus L., Chelidonium majus L., Chenopodium album L., Convolvulus arvensis L., Cynoglossum officinale L., Descurainia sophia (L.) Webb ex Prantl, Dracocephalum thymiflorum L., Lactuca serriola L., Polygonum aviculare L., Psammophiliella muralis (L.) Ikonn., Setaria pumila (Poir.) Roem. et Schult., Sisymbrium loeselii L., and Spergularia rubra (L.) J. Presl et C. Presl. Some apophytes (123) are also found in natural (or intact) communities. The steppe complex includes 34 species encountered in common (Lappula consanguinea (Fisch. et C.A. Mey.) Guerke, Orobanche cumana Wallr., Sisymbriumpolymorphum (Murray) Roth) and stony steppes (Artemisiafrigida Willd., Erysimum cheiranthoides L., Potentilla bifurca L., Teloxys aristata (L.) Moq.). The meadow complex comprises 22 species from dry (Achillea millefolium L., Amoria repens (L.) C. Presl, Bromopsis inermis (Leyss.) Holub, Calamagrostis epigeios (L.) Roth, Medicago falcata L., Trifolium pratense L.) and saline (Cirsium esculentum (Siev.) C.A. Mey., Melilotus dentatus (Waldst. et Kit.) Pers., Polygonum patulum M. Bieb.) meadows. The valley complex contains 23 species (Calystegiasepium (L.) R. Br., Cirsium setosum (Willd.) Besser, Lycopus europaeus L., Potentilla anserina L.). The shrub complex (34 species) is extremely heterogeneous (Cuscuta lupuliformis Krock., Fallopia convolvulus (L.) A. Love, Galium vaillantii DC. et DC., Sonchus arvensis L., Artemisia glauca Pall. ex Willd.). The forest complex (10 species) is represented by the plants of forest meadows and forest edges (Chamaenerion angustifolium (L.) Scop., Dactylis glomerata L., Leucanthemum vulgare Lam., Prunella vulgaris L., Rumex acetosella L.). From the synanthropic flora of the western lowlands of the Altai mountains, 31 species are included in the Black Book of Siberian flora. On the whole, the adventive species in the flora of the western lowlands of the Altai mountains rise up to 11.6%. To compare, the part of the alien species in the flora of Altai Region is 13.7%, in the Altai Republic - 10.6%, in Kemerovo Region - 11% and in the Baikal Siberia - 13%. In regional floras of Eastern Europe the part of alien species reaches 2025%. The low level of urbanization and the absence of large transport routes restrains the spread of synanthropic plants. On the contrary, the increasing use of the territory for recreational and touristic purposes leads to the intensification of the anthropogenic flora transformation. We found out that to analyze the flora of the western lowlands of the Altai mountains, any scale of hemerobility and hemeroby is not suitable, specifically the scales of hemerobility developed for East Germany (DHEM), the Northern Volga region (IHEM) and the Yakutia (YA_HEM). This fact arises from a low compliance of these scales (IHEM - 58.5%; YA_HEM - 46.6%; DHEM - 47.2%) to the floristic list of the area being subject of studies. A high compliance was proved by using the hemeroby scale developed for the south of Siberia whose data amount to 91.9% of the studied flora. The integral disturbance index was calculated using the IBIS program. For the flora of the western lowlands of the Altai mountains, it is equal to 3.5 (9 grades in the scale); its apophytic fraction is 3.3. In the composition of the synanthropic fraction of the flora of the western lowlands of the Altai mountains, the proportion of highly tolerant species (gradations 8-9) significantly increases (See Table 4). We can conclude that the modern composition of the synanthropic flora includes 105 alien species and 167 apophyte species. In the spectrum of the leading families of the synanthropic flora, we revealed significant modifications as compared with the data of the overall flora complex. The analysis of typological elements established that synanthropic plants are mainly species widespread in large areas (Holarctic, Palearctic, West Palaearctic, cosmopolites); most of them are xeromesophytes and mesophytes; two thirds of them are non-petrophytes. Eco-cenotic analysis data show that 55% of aboriginal apophytes that migrate to anthropogenic habitats belong to the steppe and shrub complexes. The part of alien species (11.6%), as well as the results of the analysis on the hemeroby scale, indicate a low degree of transformation of the flora of the western lowlands of the Altai mountains. The paper contains 1 Figure, 4 Tables and 62 References.

The aim of the work is to analyze innovation dynamics and form tools for assessing the effectiveness of long-term innovation policy of Russian regions. Open official data were used to form the metric. They characterize innovative activity in the regions of Russia in the time interval from 2000 to 2018. The paper presents a methodology for the formation of a metric characterizing the innovative development of a region in two projections: long-term in the form of a rating of the severity of the trend of change in indicators of innovative activity and current, in the form of a rating of the level (value) of indicators of innovative activity.

People differ in their value hierarchies, i.e., in the importance they attach to basic personal values. A large number of studies were performed to establish similarities and differences between national, ethnic, or professional groups in terms of Schwartz&rsquo, s values structure. In addition to this sample-level approach, we found it useful to disclose a number of subgroups within those larger social groups, which are more homogeneous in themselves and reflect the individual-level types of personal values systems. The study was performed on university students (n = 1237) who were asked to fill in the SVS и PVQ Schwartz&rsquo, s questionnaires. The sample was then treated with the K-means cluster analysis, which resulted in the division of the initial sample into three subgroups or clusters according to their values hierarchy being measured separately at the (1) Normative Ideals scale and (2) the scale of Behavioral Priorities. These clusters were equally common among male and female students, but they were unequally found in young people coming from different ethnic groups and regions, demonstrating the role of socio-cultural environment in building up personal values. The results may extend our capabilities for the prediction of the social, economic, and political behavior of the younger generation.

The article studies the acute issues of global climate change, which today is one of the most burning problems of the world. Analysis of different sources dealing with climate changes in the second half of the 20-th and early 21st centuries conducted by the authors gave them an opportunity to identify problems of ecological nature influencing climate changes. They grounded topicality of problems of global and regional environment and climate changes due to increasing impact of anthropogenic factors, including the continuous growth in concentration of CO2 and other green house gases in the atmosphere. The authors underline topicality of researching different effects of climate change, which could be harmful and at the same time become catalysts of various changes in many industries of economy. The article analyzes different points of view on the process of climate change, its forecast and consequences. Risks of disasters in technological and social spheres caused by global warming were demonstrated. Possible effects of global warming on the territory of Russia were shown, including those in the Arctic zone. Climatic policy and the Climatic Doctrine of the Russian Federation for the period up to 2020 were discussed. Participation of Russia in the system of global management of climate changes was underlined.

The problem of procrastination of the economic actions at the regional level has led to the emergence of the negative consequences of the implementation of economic policy mechanisms. The time factor is distorted in accordance with the slowdown in economic growth. Mechanisms for the implementation of economic policies are conditional. The problematics revealed the need to study the topic in the implementation of regional economic policy mechanisms. The purpose of the research is to examine the mechanisms for the implementation of regional economic policies. The objectives of the study are to review the chronology of regional economic policies; to determine the role of regional economic policy; to grouping the design of regional economic policy; formation of the copyright mechanisms for the implementation of the regional economic policy. The main research methods are the method of phasing, the method of retrospective analysis, the method of evolutionary assumptions, the method of katahrez, the method of essential perception, the method of invariant formalism, the method of abstraction, the methods of identification installations, the method of transparent parts, the method of imitational perception. The scientific article is theoretical and practical. The scientific article conducted a study of the issue of the regional economic policy with the presentation of mechanisms for its implementation.

Alpine tundra ecosystems exhibit one of the most limited availabilities of nitrogen. Furthermore, climate change may potentially stimulate not only soil organic matter decomposition, but also N mineralization; therefore, a better understanding of the response of microorganisms to increasing N availability is crucial for evaluating soil C cycling under warmer climate scenarios. In this study, we suggested that the degree of N limitation of microbial activity in the surface and subsurface soil horizons of a N-poor dwarf-shrub heath (DSH) and an N-rich graminoid meadow (GM) during a single active growing season. We conducted three series of laboratory incubations under natural (+10 °C) and high (+20 °C) temperatures with soil samples collected at the beginning, peak, and end of the growing season to examine the effects of rising temperature and intra-seasonal variations on the N limitation of microbial activity. We measured the contents of microbial C and N, microbial respiration, and the potential activity of peroxidase and β-1.4-glucosidase (enzymes that play a key role in the SOM turnover processes). It was found that the N limitation of microorganism activity could be dynamic and demonstrate temporal (depending on the season) and spatial (depending on the soil horizon) variations. The results disputed the universality of previous conclusions about the high degree of N limitation of microorganisms in alpine tundra soils, thereby suggesting that N is not always a limiting factor for microbial activity, even in the N-poor DSH. We found that warming could increase the N limitation of microorganisms, even in the N-rich GM soil, thereby limiting the effect of warming on the mineralization of soil organic matter. These data demonstrate the importance of further understanding the internal feedback mechanisms that control soil organic matter mineralization and microbial activity for accurately predicting the effects of global climate change in the Arctic.

Neurogenetics is a thriving young science greatly contributing to the generally accepted concept of the brain development in health and disease. Thereby; scientists are not only able to highlight new key points in traditional ideas about the origin of diseases; but also to completely rethink their view on the problem of pathology development. In particular; new data on neurogenetics of perinatal affections of the central nervous system (CNS) has appeared. Genetic factors in varying degrees affect perinatal hypoxic-ischemic CNS affections. Prematurity determination stays the most studied among them. Nevertheless; there is increasing evidence of significant epigenetic regulations of neuro-expression caused by hypoxia; malnutrition of a pregnant woman; stress; smoking; alcohol; drugs that either directly pathologically affect the developing brain; or form a brain phenotype sensitive to a perinatal CNS affection. New data obliges to change the approaches to prevention of perinatal CNS affections.

Negrobov, Oleg P., Maslova, Olga O., Selivanova, Olga V. (2016): The Genus Thinophilus Wahlberg, 1844 (Diptera, Dolichopodidae) From Eastern Palaearctic, With Description Of Two New Species And New Records. Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 62 (2): 143-151, DOI: 10.17109/AZH.62.2.143.2016, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.17109/azh.62.2.143.2016

The objective of the study was to compare the efficacy and tolerability of once-daily atomoxetine (or =1.8 mg/(kg day) with those of placebo in children and adolescents (aged 6-16 years) with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder [ADHD (DSM-IV)]. This randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial was conducted in Russia. The primary efficacy measure was baseline-to-end point changes in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Rating Scale-IV-Parent Version: Investigator-Administered and Scored (ADHDRS-IV-Parent:Inv) total score. Tolerability measures included treatment-emergent signs and symptoms (TESS), laboratory values and weight. Compared with patients in the placebo group (n = 33), patients treated with atomoxetine (n = 72) with a mean final dose of 1.4 mg/kg showed significantly greater improvement in ADHDRS-IV-Parent:Inv total score (least-squares mean: atomoxetine, -15.8; placebo, -11.4; p = 0.013). The most common TESS in the atomoxetine group included anorexia [atomoxetine, n = 13 (18.1%); placebo, n = 2 (6.1%)], somnolence, n = 11 versus n = 3 (15.3% vs. 9.1%, respectively), abdominal pain n = 9 versus n = 1 (12.5% vs. 3.0%, respectively) and nausea, n = 8 versus n = 1 (11.1% vs. 3.0%, respectively). Seven patients in the atomoxetine group and two in the placebo group experienced clinically important weight loss during the study (or =7% from baseline; mean change, kg: atomoxetine, -0.6; placebo, 0.1; p = 0.032). Atomoxetine is efficacious in improving ADHD symptoms in children and adolescents. Atomoxetine treatment may be associated with a numerically higher incidence of anorexia, somnolence, abdominal pain and nausea, as well as statistically greater losses in body weight.

We demonstrated the possibility of long-term and efficient application of a biosensitive element (BE) in the form of Photobacterium phosphoreum photobacteria immobilized in poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) cryogel for detecting various ecotoxicants (Zn(2) (+) , Cu(2) (+) , Hg(2) (+) , Pb(2) (+) , 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, 2,6-dimethylphenol, pentachlorophenol, coumaphos, malathion, chlorpyrifos and methyl parathion) in flow-through media. The range of detectable concentrations of ecotoxicants was determined at 1 × 10(-8) to 1 × 10(-4) M for heavy metal ions and at 1 × 10(-8) to 1 × 10(-5) M for phenol derivatives and organophosphorus pesticides. Immobilized cells of photobacteria quantitatively reacted with these ecotoxicants; cell sensitivity exhibited no flow rate dependence in the range from 45 to 180 mL/h. At a constant concentration of ecotoxicant in the flow, the bioluminescence quenching profile of immobilized cells demonstrated an integral response. The BE could remain in a flow-through medium for at least 10 days while retaining 95% of luminescent activity in the absence of ecotoxicants. The BE tested in this work was demonstrated to have a long shelf life (60 weeks) at -80°C without changes in the baseline level of bioluminescence. Copyright © 2016 John WileySons, Ltd.

This paper summarizes the research done at the Russian Federal Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography to develop hatchery technology for the Black Sea turbot Scophthalmus maeoticus and release the juveniles produced into the sea. Quality of eggs and larvae, nutritional value of the live food organisms, and bacterial contamination of rearing tanks were the major factors responsible for the highly variable survival of turbot larvae during the first month of life, and the unpredictable hatchery production. Control of the timing of egg stripping and fertilization and removal of nonviable embryos during incubation helped improve the quality of eggs and larvae. Methods were developed to improve the quality of live food and the rearing conditions. Improved cultivation of live foods, enrichment of rotifers with algae mix, enrichment of Artemia metanauplii alternately with artificial diets and algae, and delaying the transition to feeding on Artemia nauplii helped improve the survival of turbot larvae. Only 5-7% of larvae had abnormal pigmentation. Survival was 80% at the end of the first month of life and 40-65% at the end of two months. Hatchery operation and production were thus stabilized. Regular release of hatchery-reared juvenile turbot into the sea can be an effective method of increasing the turbot population in the Black Sea.