HONEY POLLEN ANALYSIS AND POPULATION CHARACTERISTICS OF HONEY BEES LIVING IN THE TOWN OF NAUCHNIY GORODOK OF THE ALTAI REGION

Honeybeepopulations were formed under certain phy-toclimatic conditions and, in the process of natural selec-tion, acquired useful characters that ensured the survival and successful reproduction of the species. Throughout the evolutionary process, insects and plants have developed certain relationships, and therefore bees developed priori-ties and tools in collecting nectar and pollen from certain plant species. On the territory of Russia, several popula-tions of Apis melliferaL. are zoned; they differ in flora spe-cialization, color and body size, behavior, productivity, win-ter hardiness and disease resistance. The main morpho-metric indices of insects that confirm the purity of the breed are the proboscis length and cubital index. To determine the species compositionof bees, insect samples were tak-en from 3 bee colonies inhabiting the town of Nauchniy Gorodok of the Altai Region, and 4 honey varieties were taken for pollen analysis. It was found that all samples of centrifuged honey belonged to polyfloral varieties and con-sisted of pollen of plants of the Cruciferous family (6.0-23.5%), Polygonaceae(1.4-33.0%), Fabaceae (2.5-28.1%), and Compositae (0.5-23.5%). The range of the indices of proboscis length (6.46 ± 0.033; 6.57 ± 0.021; 6.53 ± 0.021 mm) and cubital index(42.58 ± 1.514; 50.31 ± 1.78; 45.36 ± 1.134%) of the studied bees was quite high. The coefficients of variation were as following: re-garding proboscis length -1.38-2.25%, and cubital index -10.9-15.49%. Thus, in the 3 studied bee colonies, there were individuals with exterior features (proboscis length and cubital index) belonging to the European dark, Carpa-thian, Carniolan,Italian, Yellow and Mountain Grey Cauca-sian honeybee breeds.

Three-dimensional spike localization and improved motion correction for Neuropixels recordings

Neuropixels (NP) probes are dense linear multi-electrode arrays that have rapidly become essential tools for studying the electrophysiology of large neural popula- tions. Unfortunately, a number of challenges remain in analyzing the large datasets output by these probes. Here we introduce several new methods for extracting use- ful spiking information from NP probes. First, we use a simple point neuron model, together with a neural-network denoiser, to efficiently map single spikes detected on the probe into three-dimensional localizations. Previous methods localized indi- vidual spikes in two dimensions only; we show that the new localization approach is significantly more robust and provides an improved feature set for clustering spikes according to neural identity (spike sorting). Next, we denoise the resulting three-dimensional point-cloud representation of the data, and show that the result- ing 3D images can be accurately registered over time, leading to improved tracking of time-varying neural activity over the probe, and in turn, crisper estimates of neural clusters over time. Open source code is available at https://github. com/int-brain-lab/spikes_localization_registration.git.

Clinically Translatable Approaches of Inhibiting TGF-β to Target Cancer Stem Cells in TNBC

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a subtype of breast cancer that disproportionally accounts for the majority of breast cancer-related deaths due to the lack of specific targets for effective treatments. In this review, we highlight the complexity of the transforming growth factor-beta family (TGF-β) pathway and discuss how the dysregulation of the TGF-β pathway promotes oncogenic attributes in TNBC which negatively affects patient prognosis. Moreover, we discuss recent findings highlighting TGF-β inhibition as a potent method to target mesenchymal (CD44+/CD24-) and epithelial (ALDHhigh) cancer stem cell (CSC) populations. CSCs are associated with tumorigenesis, metastasis, relapse, resistance, and diminished patient prognosis; however, due to differential signal pathway enrichment and plasticity, these popula-tions remain difficult to target and persist as a major barrier barring successful therapy. This review highlights the importance of TGF-β as a driver of chemoresistance, radioresistance and reduced patient prognosis in breast cancer and discusses novel treatment strategies which modulate TGF-β, impede cancer progression and reduce the rate of resistance generation via targeting the CSC populations in TNBC and thus reducing tumorigenicity. Potential TGF-β inhibitors targeting based on clinical trials are summarized for further investigation which may lead to the development of novel therapies to improve TNBC patient prognosis.

Enhanced Outcrossing, Directional Selection and Transgressive Segregation Drive Evolution of Novel Phenotypes in Hybrid Swarms of the Dutch Elm Disease Pathogen Ophiostoma novo-ulmi

In the 1970s, clones of the two subspecies of Ophiostoma novo-ulmi, subsp. americana (SSAM) and subsp. novo-ulmi (SSNU) began to overlap in Europe, resulting in hybrid swarms. By 1983–1986, hybrids with high, SSAM-like growth and pathogenic fitness comprised ~75% of popula-tions at Limburg, Netherlands and Orvieto, Italy. We resampled these populations in 2008 to examine trends in hybrid fitness traits. Since preliminary sampling in 1979–1980, MAT-1 locus frequency had increased from ~0% to ~32% at Orvieto and 5% to ~43% at Limburg, and vegeta-tive incompatibility type frequency had changed from near clonal to extremely diverse at both sites. This represents an enormous increase in outcrossing and recombination potential, due in part to selective acquisition (under virus pressure) of MAT-1 and vic loci from the resident O. ulmi and in part to SSAM × SSNU hybridisation. Overt virus infection in the 2008 samples was low (~4%), diagnostic SSAM and SSNU cu and col1 loci were recombinant, and no isolates exhib-ited a parental SSAM or SSNU colony pattern. At both sites, mean growth rate and mean patho-genicity to 3–5 m clonal elm were high SSAM-like, indicating sustained directional selection for these characters, though at Orvieto growth rate was slower. The once frequent SSNU-specific up-mut colony dimorphism was largely eliminated at both sites. Perithecia formed by Limburg isolates were mainly an extreme, long-necked SSNU-like form, consistent with transgressive segregation resulting from mismatch of SSAM and SSNU developmental loci. Orvieto isolates produced more parental-like perithecia, suggesting the extreme phenotypes may have been se-lected against. The novel phenotypes in the swarms are remodelling O. novo-ulmi in Europe. Locally adapted genotypes may emerge.

Size Structure of Cupressus sempervirens L. and Pistacia lentiscus L. Popula- tions in Wadi Alkuf, East of Libya

Wadi Alkuf is one of the richest of all the phytogeographical regions of Al-Jabal Al- Akhder. The present work aims to study the size structure of Cupressus sempervirens L. and Pista- cia lentiscus L. populations in relation to their physiographic and soil conditions in Wadi Alkuf, northeast of Libya. Eighteen terraces (25 m × 25 m) were selected at Wadi Alkuf of Al-Jabal Al- Akhder at three different levels (six downstream, midstream, and upstream). The number of indi- viduals of each species was counted while the height (H) and mean crown diameter (D) were meas- ured. The size index of each individual was calculated and then used to classify the population into 7 size classes: 1 m to 7 m. The height, mean diameter, height to diameter ratio, size index, and vol- ume per individual in each size class were determined. Generally, the height to diameter ratio was more than unity for C. sempervirens L., this means that the diameter of these species tend to expand vertically rather than horizontally, while the height to diameter ratio was less than unity for P. len- tiscus L, this means that the diameter of these species tends to expand horizontally rather than verti- cally. The total size structure of C. sempervirens L. in the study area is characterized by the prepon- derance of the young individuals comparing with the old ones, while that of P. lentiscus L. showed a reverse pattern (i.e., preponderance of mature individual compared with the young ones). Five forms of size distributions along the different elevations were recognized: more or less inverse J- shaped distribution, positively skewed distribution, bell-shaped distribution, more or less J-shaped distribution, and more or less stationary size distribution biased to large size. The study’s results show that density histograms of size distributions are good indicators of future trends in population numbers for the studied species. The field observations were consistent with the results of the inves- tigation of soil properties. The soil downstream has the highest values of pH, EC, HCO-3, SO4-2, Cl- and Na+, while that of the upstream has the lowest values except for K+.

Generalizability challenges in applied psychological and organizational research and practice

Yarkoni (2020) highlights patterns of overgeneralization in psychology research. In this comment, we note that such challenges also pertain to applied psychological and organizational research and prac-tice. We use two examples—cross-cultural generalizability and implicit bias training—to illustrate common practices of overgeneralization from narrow research samples to broader operational popula-tions. We conclude with recommendations for research and practice.

Social Conflicts in Dictyostelium discoideum : A Matter of Scales

The ’social amoeba’ Dictyostelium discoideum, where aggregation of genet- ically heterogeneous cells produces functional collective structures, epitomizes social conflicts associated with multicellular organization. ’Cheater’ populations that have a higher chance – quantified by a positive spore bias – of surviving to the next generation are selectively advantaged. Their spread is thus expected to undermine collective functions over evolutionary times. In this review, we discuss the two main approaches adopted to conceptualize social conflicts in Dictyostelium discoideum: describing spore bias as a property of cell popula- tions (strains), or as a result of individual cell choices during the developmental process. These two points of view are often held equivalent and used inter- changeably. While the population-level view allows for more direct evolutionary inference, however, the cell-level interpretation reveals that such evolutionary predictions may be modified if developmental mechanisms, such as dependence on the environment and intrinsic unpredictability of cell fate choices, are taken into account. We conclude by proposing a set of open questions that in our opinion lie at the core of a multi-scale description of aggregative life cycles, where the formulation of predictive evolutionary models would include cell-level mechanisms responsible for spore bias alongside population-level descriptors of multicellular organization.

Online Short Spatial Ability Battery (OSSAB): Psychometric Norms for Older Students

The need for STEM specialists is growing in current technologically-oriented economy. This calls for new approaches in evaluation and development of relevant abilities and skills. However, the current educational systems might miss some students who have high potential for this field or who can develop such potential. For example, according to the results of one Russian study, gifted children may be missed by existing methods of talent search, partially due to the lack of standardised psychometric tests, especially of abilities beyond verbal and numerical abilities. One important predictor of STEM, often neglected in education, is spatial ability. Recently an online short spatial ability battery (OSSAB) for use in adolescent popula-tions was developed. However, no published norms are available. The aim of this study was to develop normalised thresholds for spatial ability testing using OSSAB battery with Russian 13-17 year old schoolchildren. Schoolchildren from the Sirius Educational Centre, demonstrating high achievement in 3 different areas: science (N = 640; 238 females), sports (N = 436; 67 females) and art (N = 260; 204 females), and schoolchildren (N = 752; 350 females) from general education schools of the Russian Federation participated in the study. Age of participants: 13-17 (M = 15.01; SD = 1.18). The study identified thresholds for 8 spatial ability levels: from Very low ability to Extraordinary giftedness. These thresholds can be used by teachers and school psychologists to determine the level of spatial ability in schoolchildren of 13-17 years of age. Based on individual students’ current levels of spatial ability, teachers can provide individual support and recommendations. For high performance recommendations may include additional clas-ses in STEM or natural sciences, for example, electronics, robotics, programming, physics or chemistry. For lower performance recommendations may include computer games containing spatial components; sports; playing musical instruments; origami classes; and studying the Chinese language. More broadly, school curricula in different subjects should include more spatial elements, such as: inclusion of stereometric tasks in learning materials; computer pro-grams for modelling in teaching geometry and other subjects; adding visualizations (graphs and tables) when explaining material. Overall, the results of this study suggest that a significant number of children have very low or very high level of spatial ability in both mainstream schools and in educational centres for high-preforming students. The norms developed in this study can be used for identification and individualized support in all educational settings.

Sexual structure of Juniperus polycarpos C. Koch populations in Dagestan

The study of the sexual structure of Juniperus polycarpos C. Koch was carried out in the popula-tions of Piedmont (Talginskaya, Dubkinsko-Miatlinskaya, and Gubdenskaya) and highmountain (Tlyaratinskaya and Tsumadinskaya) Dagestan. In total, 1009 individuals were studied within the entire range of the species in the territory of Dagestan, in which biometric parameters were measured. In populations, polygamous-dioecious individuals of J. polycarpos were identified, and a quantitative ratio of female, male, and polygamous-dioecious individuals was established. Biometric indicators of individuals of different sexes and their index indicators have been determined. The ratio of females and males in the Dagestan populations of J. polycapos, as well as for other Juniperus species in general, may be related to the ecological conditions of the environment (an increase in the altitude above sea level of the place of growth and more arid conditions). At the same time, the change in the ratio of the height and diameter of the crown in trees of different sex groups may depend on the age of individu-als in the population, the timing of their entry into the generative state, and other processes.

The «bone» version of the anthropomorphic model in the traditional worldview of the Turko-Mongols of Inner Asia: images, meaning, functions

The human body, its structure, appears as a universal model of the structure of the world around us and the society. Through the anatomical code, the Universal chaos is set in order, structures arise, hierarchies are estab-lished. The most illustrative example of a structure is the human skeleton. The purpose of this article is to identify the entire known corpus of information about this anthropomorphic model and to reconstruct the meaning and functions of the “bone” system in the worldview and life of the Turko-Mongols of Inner Asia. Historical, ethno-graphic and folklore materials represented the sources of the research. The methods used were comparative historical analysis which helps to identify common features in understanding and interpretation of natural phe-nomena and cultural objects in the Turko-Mongolian world, and the method of cultural and historical reconstruc-tion, which allows to determine the logic of the archaic conceptions. In the culture of the Turko–Mongolian popula-tions of Inner Asia, the anthropomorphic model in one of its variants, expressed in the skeleton, is extremely im-portant for organising and regulating the life of society. In the nomadic culture, an extensive complex of ideas has been identified, related to the «bone» version of the anthropomorphic model and representing different ideas. The main ideas consider bones of a person as a life resource of their family (in case of animals — their species), closely connected with the generation counting system and the perception of the degree of kinship. These per-ceptions substantiate the ideas of the necessity to preserve the skeleton after the death of a person (and all living creatures in general, especially revered animals), and funeral traditions, also confirmed by linguistic data. The evolution of beliefs based on vitality contained in the bones was reflected in the religious customs of the hunting and fishing complex, the ritual practices of the daily life of nomads, accompanied by the slaughter of animals. The concept of «bone» and its derivatives in the worldview of the Turko-Mongols is associated with views about the so-cial structure of the community, the state of the entire organism as a whole, the dignity and character of a person.