Differentiation of the functions of social networks in the media environment of students (on the example of MGIMO University)

The paper represents the results of an empirical case, the purpose of which was to characterize social networks as a source of information in the media consumption of students. Based on the analysis of the results of focus group interviews with MGIMO students, as well as on the secondary analysis of quantitative data collected by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM), the author discovers a clear differentiation of functions between various social networks, due to their varying ability to satisfy information, communication and leisure needs of students. Qualitative differences were revealed in the practices of using social networks like Telegram, Instagram, VKontakte, TikTok and YouTube. The author concludes that sociological study of social networks is essential, taking into account the specifics of different functions in various target groups of users. Besides, the research has shown the risks of using social networks perceived by students, among which the most obvious are the spread of fakes, clip thinking, and learning disabilities.

THEMATIC GROUPS OF ENGLISH TERMS OF THE SPECIALIZED LANGUAGE OF THE U. S. HIGHER EDUCATION

The article, based on a systematic approach, highlights the author's thematic groups of English-language terminological units of the specialized language of higher education in the United States. An attempt has been made to comprehend on the scholarly basis the correlation between the concepts of “thematic group” and “lexical-semantic group”. It is noted that the thematic classification of lexical units, which is the most common way of combining words, is bgrounded on the internal connections of objects and phenomena of reality, and is determined by the subject-logical features and common functional purpose of these units. Thematic groups of one or another branch terminological system can contain several nuclear lexical-semantic groups, and their units are characterized by a clear differentiation of features. It is emphasized that in interpreting the concept of thematic group, modern linguistics aims to determine the ways and features of semantic development (extralinguistic aspects) not of individual words, but of groups of lexems that have one semantic orientation. A thematic group is a group of words that includes words selected and combined on the basis of common subject-logical connections, and these words are the same parts of speech; or words from other parts of speech, needed to reveal a common theme. In the process of systematic study of English terminology of the U. S. higher education at the conceptual level, the terms are distributed by the author in a certain order – built subject-matter classification, which results in combining terms into thematic groups. Thematic classification involves a clear, logically sound organization of terminological vocabulary. The classification of the terminology of American higher education is based on determining its content, establishing the scope of semantics of each term, its concept that is combined with other terminological units in a single terminology system of the U. S. higher education.

Genetic Diversity of Peach Cultivars from the Collection of the Nikita Botanical Garden Based on SSR Markers

The Nikita Botanical Garden (NBG) has a unique Prunus L. collection (peach, apricot, plum, cherry) comprising more than 3000 accessions. NBG is also a breeding center for stone fruits, including peach (Prunus persica (L.) Batsch). In the present study a set of 85 peach cultivars bred in NBG, Europe, and North America was analyzed using 12 SSR markers to assess their genetic diversity and relatedness. The detected polymorphism level was comparable to the previous estimates of genetic variability in peach cultivars. The average number of alleles per locus was 5.67, PIC value averaged 0.49, expected, and observed heterozygosity averaged 0.52 and 0.31, respectively. Among the detected alleles, 19 (27.94%) were rare and 12 (17.65%) were unique. All studied accessions except two could be identified with the used marker set. Cluster analysis revealed some groups according to the cultivars’ pedigrees. No clear differentiation of the studied sample according to geographic origin or fruit characteristics of peach cultivars was revealed. The results provide valuable information for identification and rational management of the material preserved in the NBG peach collection.

A Survey of Cheese from Small-Scale Artisanal Producers in Western Cape, South Africa

The objective of this study was to assess cow milk cheese from small-scale producers in the Western Cape Province, South Africa. Forty cheeses were selected, and microbiological data of the samples were analyzed with age (1, 3, 6 months), cheese type (Cheddar, Gouda, other), and milk type (raw and pasteurized) as main factors. Rapid sensory characterization was done using the sorting technique. The results indicated that the available cheese types were diverse, with minority (20.0%) in the Gouda group followed by Cheddar (32.5%) and “other” (47.5%). Most of these cheeses (45%) were aged three months and produced using pasteurized milk (92.5%). Five cheese samples did not meet the European Union standards for coliforms, and four samples tested positive for Escherichia coli. Sensory analysis results showed a clear differentiation between mature and young cheese. In conclusion, the current market presents more diverse milder cheeses, and there is a need to follow proper hygiene protocols to reduce cross-contamination.

VinegarScan: A Computer Tool Based on Ultraviolet Spectroscopy for A Rapid Authentication of Wine Vinegars

Ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy has shown successful results in the last few years to characterize and classify wine vinegar according to its quality, particularly those with a protected designation of origin (PDO). Due to these promising results, together with the simplicity, price, speed, portability of this technique and its ability to create robust hierarchical classification models, the objective of this work was the development of a computer tool or software, named VinegarScan, which uses the UV-vis spectra to be able to perform quality control and authentication of wine vinegar in a quick and user-friendly way. This software was based on the open-source GUI created in C++ using several data mining algorithms (e.g., decision trees, classification algorithms) on UV-vis spectra. This software achieved satisfactory prediction results with the available analytical UV-vis data. The future idea of utility is to combine the VinegarScan tool with a portable UV-vis device that could be used by control bodies of the wine vinegar industry to achieve a clear differentiation from their competitors to avoid fraud.

Premenstrual Exacerbations of Mood Disorders: Findings and Knowledge Gaps

Purpose of Review In contrast to premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), premenstrual exacerbations (PMEs) of ongoing mood disorders are understudied. The aim of this review is to describe diagnostic issues, epidemiology, underlying mechanisms, and treatment for PME in unipolar depression and bipolar disorder, and to discuss clinical and research implications. Recent Findings Community-based and clinical studies estimate that in women with mood disorders around 60% report PME, while some women with bipolar disorder also show symptom exacerbations around ovulation. In general, PME predicts a more severe illness course and an increased burden. While heightened sensitivity to fluctuations of sex hormone levels across the menstrual cycle appears to contribute to PME and PMDD, the overlap of their underlying biological mechanisms remains unclear. Beneficial treatments for PMDD show less or no efficacy in PME. Pharmacological treatments for PME in mood disorders predominantly seem to profit from adjustable augmentation of treatment dosages during the luteal phase for the underlying disorder. However, the evidence is sparse and mainly based on earlier small studies and case reports. Summary Previous research is mainly limited by the lack of a clear differentiation between PME and PMDD comorbidity with mood disorders. More systematic research with uniformly defined and prospectively assessed subgroups of PME in larger epidemiological and clinical samples is needed to receive reliable prevalence estimates and information on the clinical impact of PME of mood disorders, and to uncover underlying mechanisms. In addition, larger randomized controlled trials are warranted to identify efficacious pharmacological and psychotherapeutic treatments for affected women.

Morphometric and Nutritional Characterization of the Main Spanish Lentil Cultivars

Nowadays, there is a growing demand for high-quality vegetal protein food products, such as pulses and lentils in particular. However, there is no scientific evidence on the nutritional and morphometric characterization of the main lentil cultivars in the Western Mediterranean area. For this reason, the aim of this work is to carry out a morphometric and nutritional characterization of the main Spanish lentil cultivars. Nutrient content assessment was performed on dry matter. The results showed that all studied cultivars are large and heavy lentils, except for the cultivar “Pardina”. They have high protein levels, ranging from 21% to 25%, which is higher than those found in any other pulse, as well as a high carbohydrate content, greater than 59% in all cases. Fiber content was higher than expected in “Armuña” and “Rubia Castellana” cultivars, ranging from 6% to 6.6%, and exceptionally high in the case of the cultivar “Pardina”, which reached 7.8%. Conversely, very low values were found for fat content, varying between 0.5% and 0.9%. Ca, Fe and Mg levels were remarkably higher (from 550 ppm to 851 ppm, from 98 ppm to 139 ppm and from 790 ppm to 989 ppm, respectively) than those found for other lentil cultivars, especially the high Mg content in the cultivars “Jaspeada” and “Microjaspeada”, both above 955 ppm. Clear differentiation was found between the cultivars “Rubia Castellana”, “Pardina” and those included in the Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) “Lenteja de la Armuña”. Overall, lentil cultivars included in the PGI “Lenteja de la Armuña” showed better morphometric and nutritional characteristics than cultivars “Pardina” or “Rubia Castellana”.

An abundant myeloid progenitor shapes neonatal hematopoiesis of naked mole-rats

The naked mole-rat became a significant animal model for its exceptional longevity and resistance mechanisms to cancers, however the developmental properties of their native stem and progenitor compartments are poorly understood. Here we report a high frequency bone marrow progenitor exclusively present in neonatal animals. The heterotypic developmental stage was marked by an immunophenotype resembling adult naked mole-rat CMP-like progenitors with mature neutrophilic Thy1.1-antigen levels and showed a clear differentiation bias and transcriptome signature towards myelopoiesis. Importantly, myeloid progenitors overexpressed both CXCL12 and its alternative receptor CXCR7, thereby abrogating their homing capacity and produced multiple secreted matrix components related to neonatal bone marrow niche formation. These results indicate a transient ontogenic cell stage during postnatal hematopoiesis unique to naked mole-rats and further advances our understanding of the developmental steps involved in creating the regenerative cell pool and its environment in a long-lived species.

Characterization of the Volatile Profile of Cultivated and Wild-Type Italian Celery (Apium graveolens L.) Varieties by HS-SPME/GC-MS

Celery (Apium graveolens L.) is a vegetable belonging to the Apiaceae family that is widely used for its distinct flavor and contains a variety of bioactive metabolites with healthy properties. Some celery ecotypes cultivated in specific territories of Italy have recently attracted the attention of consumers and scientists because of their peculiar sensorial and nutritional properties. In this work, the volatile profiles of white celery “Sedano Bianco di Sperlonga” Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) ecotype, black celery “Sedano Nero di Torricella Peligna” and wild-type celery were investigated using head-space solid-phase microextraction combined with gas-chromatography/mass spectrometry (HS-SPME/GC-MS) and compared to that of the common ribbed celery. Exploratory multivariate statistical analyses were conducted using principal component analysis (PCA) on HS-SPME/GC-MS patterns, separately collected from celery leaves and petioles, to assess similarity/dissimilarity in the flavor composition of the investigated varieties. PCA revealed a clear differentiation of wild-type celery from the cultivated varieties. Among the cultivated varieties, black celery “Sedano Nero di Torricella Peligna” exhibited a significantly different composition in volatile profile in both leaves and petioles compared to the white celery and the prevalent commercial variety. The chemical components of aroma, potentially useful for the classification of celery according to the variety/origin, were identified.

Introduction

The first chapter introduces the reader to the enhanced cooperation mechanism through an overview of the cornerstones of the law-making procedure, the aim and purpose of the procedure, and via a thorough differentiation between the political and the legal dimension of enhanced cooperation law-making. A clear differentiation between legal and political dimensions of enhanced cooperation law-making is particularly important for the success of differentiated law-making within the European Union. If the political intention expressed by Art 20 of the TEU were understood as a strict legal requirement, the entire mechanism of enhanced cooperation would be unstable, unclear, and ineffective.