THE CONCEPT OF “TOLERANCE” IN LEXICO-SEMANTIC, COGNITIVE-DISCURSIVE, SEMIOTIC AND LINGUOCULTURAL ASPECTS

The article is devoted to the study of lexico-semantic, cognitive-discursive, semiotic and linguocultural aspects of the concept “TOLERANCE”. The aim of the study is to analyze the features of the concept in the above-mentioned aspects in modern political discourse. Analyzing the concept of “TOLERANCE” in lexical and semantic aspects of dictionary definitions, we can determine that there are mainly four ways to understand it: 1) indifference to the existence of different views; 2) the impossibility of mutual understanding; 3) indulgence to the weakness of others in combination with a certain dose of contempt for them; 4) expanding one's own experience and critical dialogue. In our opinion, the first three methods have negative connotations. The concept “TOLERANCE” reveals the cognitive side of language, which expresses the diverse characteristics of human beings, their qualities, cognitive abilities, humanism in terms of ethnocultural relations. However, the position of the ambiguity and emotional coloring of this phenomenon is unique, often depending on the perception in a particular cultural conceptosphere. The typology of tolerance is based on the main criterion - moral potential, the presence or absence of a moral basis in a particular direction of tolerance. The vector of tolerance allows to attribute the components of the concept of “TOLERANCE” from a semiotic point of view to palliative or constructive. Based on the study, we can conclude that the three components of the concept “TOLERANCE” have a negative connotation and a palliative vector that closes the way to dialogue (tolerance as indifference, tolerance as impossibility of understanding, tolerance as indulgence), and only one component can be characterized as a such that has a constructive orientation, moral potential - tolerance as an extension of one's own experience and critical dialogue. The linguistic and cultural aspect of the concept “TOLERANCE“ is that in different languages ​​this concept is different and has its own specifics of verbalization. In modern English and Ukrainian, the concept of “TOLERANCE” retains an ambivalent meaning: it can be replaced by the word “acceptable” (to someone else's way of life, behavior, customs, feelings, thoughts, ideas, beliefs). Tolerance is the willingness to accept and acknowledge the behavior, beliefs, and attitudes of others that are different from one's own, even if the beliefs are not shared but are accepted as having a right to exist.

Unveiling The Potential Tolerance And Physiological Responses Mechanisms of Wheat (Ningmai 16) After Exposure to Nickel In a Soil-plant System

Nickel (Ni) accumulation in soils could lead to critical risks to plants, animals and humans. This study aims to unveil the adverse impacts of Ni on wheat Ningmai 16 and toxicity tolerance mechanisms. Lipid peroxidation was significantly facilitated under high Ni stress, mainly reflecting the notable accumulation of malondialdehyde followed by the increase in glutathione-S-transferase (GST) activities. High Ni contamination caused the decrease in chlorophyll content, with the remarkable inhibition of root activity. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) micrographs further confirmed the toxicity of Ni and provided significant supporting evidence for the accumulation and localisation of Ni in wheat. The mechanisms adopted in alleviating the oxidative damages induced by Ni were revealed by increasing the soluble sugar and proline content, and inducing the GST related gene expression. Additionally, the cell-wall thickening and vacuole compartmentation were also produced in wheat for improving the tolerance of Ni. Finally, most of biochemical parameters indicated a clearly positive or negative relationship with the available Ni contents, and they are proved as good biomarkers to predict the bioavailability of Ni in a soil-wheat system. We believe that our concluding findings would open a new window for a deeper understanding of ecological risks of an often-underestimated element Ni in future endeavors.

Functional Gene Identification and Corresponding Tolerant Mechanism of High Furfural-Tolerant Zymomonas mobilis Strain F211

Furfural is a major inhibitor in lignocellulose hydrolysate for Zymomonas mobilis. A mutant F211 strain with high furfural tolerance was obtained from our previous study. Thus, its key tolerance mechanism was studied in the present study. The function of mutated genes in F211 was identified by functional complementation experiments, revealing that the improved furfural tolerance was resulted from the C493T mutation of the ZCP4_0270 gene promoting cell flocculation and the mutation (G1075A)/downregulation of ZCP4_0970. Comparative transcriptome analysis revealed 139 differentially expressed genes between F211 and the control, CP4, in response to furfural stress. In addition, the reliability of the RNA-Seq data was also confirmed. The potential tolerance mechanism was further demonstrated by functional identification of tolerance genes as follows: (I) some upregulated or downregulated genes increase the levels of NAD(P)H, which is involved in the reduction of furfural to less toxic furfuryl alcohol, thus accelerating the detoxification of furfural; (II) the mutated ZCP4_0270 and upregulated cellulose synthetase gene (ZCP4_0241 and ZCP4_0242) increased flocculation to resist furfural stress; (III) upregulated molecular chaperone genes promote protein synthesis and repair stress-damaged proteins; and (IV) transporter genes ZCP4_1623–1,625 and ZCP4_1702–1703 were downregulated, saving energy for cell growth. The furfural-tolerant mechanism and corresponding functional genes were revealed, which provides a theoretical basis for developing robust chassis strains for synthetic biology efforts.

Enterococci and Bacilli from surface water: assessment of their resistance to copper and antibiotics

Heavy metal-resistant bacteria can be efficient bioremediators of metals and might provide an alternative method for metal removal in contaminated environments. The present study aims to isolate bacteria from the aquatic environment and evaluate their potential tolerance to copper metal, aiming at bioremediation processes. Also, compare co-resistance to heavy metal and antibiotics. The morphology of isolates was observed, and sequence analysis (16S ribosomal DNA) revealed that isolated strains were closely related to species belonging to the genera Enterococcus and Bacillus. Bacterial isolates were resistant to CuSO4, with a minimum inhibitory concentration of 0.78 mg ml-1. Enterococcus lactis was resistant to a combination of copper and tetracycline. The other tested isolates were sensitive to the tested antimicrobials. The metal removal ability of these isolates was assayed using atomic absorption spectroscopy, and the strains 27, 23, and E. lactis were best at removing heavy metals, at 87.7%. Enterococcus casseliflavus EC55 was 62%, followed by Bacillus aerius (18.4%), E. casseliflavus EC70 (10%) and Bacillus licheniformis (10%). Based on our findings, Enterococcus sp and Bacillus sp. have potential applications in enhanced remediation of contaminated environments.

A STUDY OF LIFE CYCLE FEATURES OF THREE STRAINS OF CYANOBACTERIA NOSTOC CF. PUNCTIFORME VAUCH

The article presents the study of the life cycle of three strains (Pk20j, Ch55 and Sv31j) of filamentous nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria Nostoccf. punctiforme Vauch. The wide distribution, high adaptation potential, tolerance to the artificial cultivation conditions, high growth rates and peculiar features of physiological and biochemical processes (propensity for oxygenate photosynthesis, nitrogen fixation, etc.) make these microorganisms a convenient biotechnological object of research. Although Nostoc cf. punctiforme can find use in various fields of biotechnology, its life cycle is still poorly understood. The methods of the study were the pendent drop method and the microscope observation of bacterial cultures inoculated into fresh Gromov’s medium No. 6. It was found that all the strains of cyanobacteria passed through several stages of development: the formation of hormogonia (status oscillatorioideus orsecondary hormogonia, day 2), the germination of hormogonia (statusoscillatorioideus, statuscylindrospermoideus and status anabaenoideus,days 2-5), the transition from filaments to colonies (status angulato-flexuosus, days 5-17), and the formation of colonies (status punctiforme, from day14 to more than a month; statussphaericus, status stratosus). The time of development in the laboratory heterogeneous population increases by 2-3 days as compared with the development of isolated hormogonia. The reproduction by secondary hormogonia can begin at any stage of the life cycle. Also, the three strains demonstrated different patterns of heterocyst formation. The obtained results indicate that cultivation conditions affect the life cycle of cyanobacteria and strains, isolated from different habitats, have intraspecific variability.

Social living simultaneously increases infection risk and decreases the cost of infection

Elevated parasite infection risk is considered to be a near-universal cost of social living. However, living in groups may also provide benefits that reduce the negative impacts of infection. These potential ‘tolerance’ benefits of living socially are theoretically possible, but have rarely been described. In this study, we used an anthelmintic treatment experiment in wild Grant's gazelles ( Nanger granti ), who are commonly infected with gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN), to show that social living confers both costs and benefits related to GIN parasitism. We show that although larger group size increases GIN infection risk, a key cost of GIN infection—the suppression of food intake—is simultaneously moderated by living in larger groups. Our findings help illuminate the complex role parasites play in the evolution of host social behaviour.

Hepatic T Cell Tolerance Induction in An Inflammatory Environment

For the development of autoimmune hepatitis (AIH), genetic predisposition and environmental triggers are of major importance. Although experimental AIH can be induced in genetically susceptible mice, the low precursor frequency of autoreactive T cells hampers a deeper analysis of liver-specific T cells. Here, we established a system where the model antigen hemagglutinin (HA) is expressed exclusively in hepatocytes of Rosa26-HA mice following administration of a replication deficient adenovirus expressing Cre recombinase (Ad-Cre). Under these conditions, hepatocytes mimic the generation of altered-self neoantigens. To follow autoreactive T cells during AIH, we adoptively transferred HA-­specific Cl4-TCR and 6.5-TCR T cells into Ad-Cre infected ­Rosa26-HA mice. Alternatively, Rosa26-HA mice have been crossed with TCR transgenic mice that were infected with Ad-Cre to break hepatic tolerance and induce the expression of the HA antigen as a hepatic self-antigen. Surprisingly, neither adoptive transfer nor a very high precursor frequency of autoreactive T cells was able to break tolerance in the context of adenoviral infection. The low proliferation of the antigen experienced autoreactive T cells despite the presence of the autoantigen and inflammation points to anergy as a potential tolerance mechanism. This model underscores the crucial importance of genetic susceptibility to break tolerance against hepatic autoantigens.