Poetics of infrastructure

Historical evolution of urban infrastructure is a phenomenon not only (and, perhaps, not so much) of spatial and functional development of urbanization as a reflection of changing spiritual and mythopoetic perceptions of the city and its relationship with the outer world. The article is devoted to the study of centuries-old historical transformation of urban infrastructure as a subject of mythopoetic discourse.

Generation of Infant-dedicated Fine-grained Functional Parcellation Maps of Cerebral Cortex

Infancy is a dynamic and immensely important period in human brain development. Studies of infant functional development using resting-state fMRI rely on precisely defined cortical parcellation maps. However, available adult-based functional parcellation maps are not applicable for infants due to their substantial differences in functional organizations. Fine-grained infant-dedicated cortical parcellation maps are highly desired but remain scarce, due to difficulties ranging from acquiring to processing of infant brain MRIs. In this study, leveraging 1,064 high-resolution longitudinal rs-fMRIs from 197 infants from birth to 24 months and advanced infant-dedicated processing tools, we create the first set of infant-specific, fine-grained cortical functional parcellation maps. Besides the conventional folding-based cortical registration, we specifically establish the functional correspondences across individuals using functional gradient densities and generate both age-specific and age-common fine-grained parcellation maps. The first set of comprehensive brain functional developmental maps are accordingly derived, and reveals a complex, hitherto unseen multi-peak fluctuation development pattern in temporal variations of gradient density, network sizes, and local efficiency, with more dynamic changes during the first 9 months than other ages. Our proposed method is applicable in generating fine-grained parcellations for the whole lifespan, and our parcellation maps will be available online to advance the neuroimaging field.

THE ROLE OF LANGUAGE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION

The purpose of the article is to substantiate the socio-philosophical aspects of the functional development of the Uzbek language as a "state language". The article defines the content and structure of the concepts of "state language" and "functions of language" on the basis of a new approach and shows its connection with the development of national identity. The growth and enrichment of the existing social functions of the Uzbek language as the state language - the impact on the competitiveness of the national economy, as well as the social, political, economic and spiritual significance of the transition of the Uzbek script to the Latin alphabet in Uzbekistan and the problems in this area were critically analyzed.

Relative Adrenal Insufficiency: Crisis Averted?

Relative adrenal insufficiency (AI) is a disease process commonly associated with preterm birth and critical illness. Further, the incidence of AI is inversely proportional to gestational age. The incidence of AI is likely underreported; however, it is reported to occur in 150–280/1,000,000 live births worldwide. Functional development of the adrenal gland does not occur until after 30 weeks of gestation; however, advances made in neonatal care increase the survivability of infants born well before this period. Among infants with AI, the adrenal gland is transiently incapable of secreting physiologic levels of cortisol in response to stressors. Common and nonspecific signs include hypotension, poor perfusion, and dysregulation of fluid, electrolytes, and euglycemia. Recognition, diagnosis, and steroid therapy is critical, as inappropriately managed AI can lead to an adrenal crisis, shock, and death. Understanding the presentation and common risk factors for developing relative AI is crucial for quick diagnosis and timely management to prevent morbidity and mortality in this vulnerable population.

The retrospective comparative analysis of physical development of middle school age children

Objective: We determined the morphological indicators of 12-year-old schoolchildren in Lviv, established the differences between the anthropometric parameters of the children's population from other large cities of Ukraine, and assessed the trends in physical development changes over a long period. Materials and methods: According to the conventional methods of anthropometry, we examined 348 12-year-old schoolchildren (including 172 boys and 176 girls) studying at Lviv city general education institutions. Results: Gender peculiarities of morpho-functional development of 12-year-old schoolchildren in the large cities of Ukraine were revealed. They reflect the active endocrine remodeling of children, which is primarily inherent in the performance of girls. The values of individual anthropometric parameters, both among boys and girls, were determined to be significantly higher (p <0.05) than the National criteria (2013). At the same time, the height of Kyiv schoolgirls is smaller (p <0.05) against the national norms. During the analyzed period, pronounced accelerative processes were observed in the development of the 12-year-old children’s population in Kharkiv and Odessa, which indicates a certain dependence of the processes of growth and formation of the organism on the climatic and geographical conditions of habitat and the level of industrial development of the territory. The average statistical parameters of the basic indicators of physical development of Lviv schoolchildren are lower than the similar parameters of 12-year-old children in Poland. Conclusions: The obtained results of the study confirm our previous assumptions about the necessity to work out the regional standards for anthropometric indicators of middle age schoolchildren at the regional level and recommend to use them in the assessment of children's health by family doctors and pediatricians. In the future, it is planned to expand the list of major cities in Ukraine selected for our study, and increase the number of sample groups of 12-year-old schoolchildren, which will increase the level of statistical reliability of the results.

Attention in Early Development

Attention is a complex construct that shows development throughout the life span and undergoes significant changes over the first years of life. The complexity of attentional processes is described by the different systems and brain network theorized to describe the construct (i.e., alerting, orienting, executive attention, and sustained attention). Evidence of the development of attention in infancy comes from several behavioral paradigms—primarily focused on the analysis of infants’ eye gaze—physiological measures, and neuroimaging techniques. Many of the changes in attention rely upon the structural and functional development of brain areas involved in attention processes. Behavioral and physiological signs mark the development of attention and are identifiable very early in life. The investigation of the typical development of attention is pivotal for the understanding of atypical trajectories that characterize many neurodevelopmental disorders. The individuation of alterations in early visual attention processes may be utilized to guide intervention programs aimed at improving attention and other cognitive domains.

The secreted neuronal signal Spock1 regulates the blood-brain barrier

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is comprised of a single layer of endothelial cells with uniquely restrictive properties required for maintaining a tightly controlled homeostatic environment in the brain. Classic quail-chick grafting experiments showed that BBB properties are not intrinsic to brain endothelial cells, but instead are induced by signals from the embryonic brain microenvironment. Here we have identified a neuronally produced signal, Spock1, that specifically regulates BBB functional development in both zebrafish and mice without affecting angiogenesis. Using a combination of mosaic genetic analysis, tracer leakage assays and live imaging we show that Spock1 from neurons can regulate brain vasculature permeability non-cell autonomously. Electron microscopy analyses of spock1 mutants revealed that the leakage arises predominantly through increased endothelial transcytosis of both clathrin-independent small and large vesicles due to altered pericyte-endothelial interactions. Single-cell RNA sequencing analyses revealed a reduction in vascular expression of the cell adhesion molecule mcamb in the spock1 mutants, and this down-regulation of mcamb occurred specifically in regions with increased BBB leakage. These analyses indicate that the neuronal signal Spock1 regulates BBB properties by altering vascular gene expression and cellular interactions.