Конкуренція університетів: світовий досвід і українські реалії

Досліджено процеси конкуренції вищих навчальних закладів; обґрунтовано основні критерії формування рейтингів університетів; виявлено взаємозв’язок між високим рейтингом університету і показником його елітності; розкрито значення капіталізації в конкурентних перевагах вищих навчальних закладів; визначено роль елітних університетів у постіндустріальному розвитку суспільства.Исследованы процессы конкуренции высших учебных заведений; обоснованы основные критерии формирования рейтингов университетов; показана взаимосвязь между высоким рейтингом университета и показателем его элитности; раскрыто значение капитализации в конкурентных преимуществах высших учебных заведений; определена роль элитных университетов в постиндустриальном развитии общества.The processes of competition of universities are studi ed, proved the main criteria for the formation of university rankings, found the relationship between highly-rated university and the rate of its elite, disclosed the value of capitalization in the competitive advantages of higher education institutions, and determined the role of elite universities in the post-industrial development

Contribution of Cystine-Glutamate Antiporters to the Psychotomimetic Effects of Phencyclidine

Altered glutamate signaling contributes to a myriad of neural disorders, including schizophrenia. While synaptic levels are intensely studied, nonvesicular release mechanisms, including cystine–glutamate exchange, maintain high steady-state glutamate levels in the extrasynaptic space. The existence of extrasynaptic receptors, including metabotropic group II glutamate receptors (mGluR), pose nonvesicular release mechanisms as unrecognized targets capable of contributing to pathological glutamate signaling. We tested the hypothesis that activation of cystine–glutamate antiporters using the cysteine prodrug N-acetylcysteine would blunt psychotomimetic effects in the rodent phencyclidine (PCP) model of schizophrenia. First, we demonstrate that PCP elevates extracellular glutamate in the prefrontal cortex, an effect that is blocked by N-acetylcysteine pretreatment. To determine the relevance of the above finding, we assessed social interaction and found that N-acetylcysteine reverses social withdrawal produced by repeated PCP. In a separate paradigm, acute PCP resulted in working memory deficits assessed using a discrete trial t-maze task, and this effect was also reversed by N-acetylcysteine pretreatment. The capacity of N-acetylcysteine to restore working memory was blocked by infusion of the cystine–glutamate antiporter inhibitor (S)-4-carboxyphenylglycine into the prefrontal cortex or systemic administration of the group II mGluR antagonist LY341495 indicating that the effects of N-acetylcysteine requires cystine–glutamate exchange and group II mGluR activation. Finally, protein levels from postmortem tissue obtained from schizophrenic patients revealed significant changes in the level of xCT, the active subunit for cystine–glutamate exchange, in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. These data advance cystine–glutamate antiporters as novel targets capable of reversing the psychotomimetic effects of PCP

Pan-Atlantic analysis of the overlap of a highly migratory species, the leatherback turtle, with pelagic longline fisheries

This is the final version of the article. Available from the publisher via the DOI in this record.Large oceanic migrants play important roles in ecosystems, yet many species are of conservation concern as a result of anthropogenic threats, of which incidental capture by fisheries is frequently identified. The last large populations of the leatherback turtle, Dermochelys coriacea, occur in the Atlantic Ocean, but interactions with industrial fisheries could jeopardize recent positive population trends, making bycatch mitigation a priority. Here, we perform the first pan-Atlantic analysis of spatio-temporal distribution of the leatherback turtle and ascertain overlap with longline fishing effort. Data suggest that the Atlantic probably consists of two regional management units: northern and southern (the latter including turtles breeding in South Africa). Although turtles and fisheries show highly diverse distributions, we highlight nine areas of high susceptibility to potential bycatch (four in the northern Atlantic and five in the southern/equatorial Atlantic) that are worthy of further targeted investigation and mitigation. These are reinforced by reports of leatherback bycatch at eight of these sites. International collaborative efforts are needed, especially from nations hosting regions where susceptibility to bycatch is likely to be high within their exclusive economic zone (northern Atlantic: Cape Verde, Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Mauritania, Senegal, Spain, USA and Western Sahara; southern Atlantic: Angola, Brazil, Namibia and UK) and from nations fishing in these high-susceptibility areas, including those located in international waters.Work in Gabon was financially supported by the Large Pelagics Research Center through National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Agency award no. NA04NMF4550391, the UK Defra Darwin Initiative, the Shellshock Campaign (European Association for Zoos and Aquaria) and the UK Natural Environment Research Council. Sea turtle monitoring programmes in Gabon were financially supported by the Wildlife Conservation Society and by the Gabon Sea Turtle Partnership with funding from the Marine Turtle Conservation Fund (United States Fish and Wildlife Service, US Department of the Interior). Four of the satellite tags were deployed in Canadian waters by M. James (Dalhousie University) and the Canadian Sea Turtle Network, with the funding support of Canadian Sea Turtle Network leatherback field research provided by R. A. Myers, the Canadian Wildlife Federation, Environment Canada and WWF-Canada. Work in French Guiana was financially supported by CNES, DEAL and the European Union.This study results from the collaborative effort of 10 data providers, which have satellite-tracked leatherback turtles in the Atlantic Ocean since 1995, through their voluntary participation in the Trans-Atlantic Leatherback Conservation Initiative (TALCIN), a WWF-led initiative. We thank C. Drews (WWF-International) and Jean-Yves Georges (IPHC-CNRS) for having initiated this project. Significant contributions were made by A. Fonseca and M. L. Felix and the WWF Guianas office in fostering this project to secure its continuation. We thank those involved in the sea turtle restoration plan in French Guiana (DEAL, ONCFS, Kulalasi NGO, Kwata, the Reserve Naturelle de l'Amana, Chiefs of Awala and Yalimapo), Yvon Le Maho (IPHC-CNRS) for having initiated the leatherback tracking programme in French Guiana, colleagues from the Regional Program for Sea Turtles Research and Conservation of Argentina–PRICTMA, Aquamarina and Fundación Mundo Marino, the onboard scientific observers from PNOFA-DINARA, the crew and owner of the F/V Torres del Paine, the artisanal fishermen from Kiyú, San José, Uruguay, D. del Bene (PROFAUMA), Z. Di Rienzo and colleagues from Karumbé, the University of Pisa for initiating the satellite tagging programmes in South Africa, and the South African Department of Environmental Affairs for continuing the work in cooperation with Dr Nel from the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Port Elizabeth and Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife. We thank M. L. Felix for her efforts in the deployment of satellite tags in Suriname and the Nature Conservation Division Suriname for facilitating these research efforts. P.M. thanks C. Palma for his help in dealing with ICCAT's database, C. Ere, as well as the GIS training and support received from SCGIS and the ESRI Conservation Program, which allowed processing of fishing-effort data. We thank J. Parezo for her careful reading of the manuscript. All authors designed the study and contributed data; S.F, M.S.C., P.M. and M.J.W. compiled the data; S.F., M.A.N. and A.L. coordinated and supervised the project; S.F., M.J.W., P.M. and B.J.G. led the data analysis and interpretation with contributions from all authors; the manuscript was developed by S.F. and M.J.W. as lead authors, with contributions from all authors

Phenotypic Complexity, Measurement Bias, and Poor Phenotypic Resolution Contribute to the Missing Heritability Problem in Genetic Association Studies

Background The variance explained by genetic variants as identified in (genome-wide) genetic association studies is typically small compared to family-based heritability estimates. Explanations of this ‘missing heritability’ have been mainly genetic, such as genetic heterogeneity and complex (epi-)genetic mechanisms. Methodology We used comprehensive simulation studies to show that three phenotypic measurement issues also provide viable explanations of the missing heritability: phenotypic complexity, measurement bias, and phenotypic resolution. We identify the circumstances in which the use of phenotypic sum-scores and the presence of measurement bias lower the power to detect genetic variants. In addition, we show how the differential resolution of psychometric instruments (i.e., whether the instrument includes items that resolve individual differences in the normal range or in the clinical range of a phenotype) affects the power to detect genetic variants. Conclusion We conclude that careful phenotypic data modelling can improve the genetic signal, and thus the statistical power to identify genetic variants by 20-99

How young adults view older people: exploring the pathways of constructing a group image after participation in an intergenerational programme

In recent years, a multitude of intergenerational contact programmes and interventions has emerged to counteract ageism among young adults. Research on these programmes and its supposed effect on ageism often start from the assumption that intergenerational contact follows a largely linear process in which a high level of encounters, in the right setting, decreases ageism and negative stereotyping. The purpose of this article is to critically examine this assumption by focussing on the underlying process of intergenerational contact, rather than examining the positive or negative outcome. Using in-depth interviews with 35 young adults, we found that although conditions and mediating factors during the contact do play a role in the outcome of intergroup contact, the process of contact is rather varied and does not follow a linear path. The results reveal that whether or not a positive contact experience translates into a changed group image of older people is related to the positioning of such experience within the young adults? personal frame of reference. We found that this has to do with the young adults having diverse and both positive and negative previous experiences, their grandparent-grandchild relationship, stories from others and personal characteristics. With this study, we point to the complexity of intergenerational contact and highlight potential pathways leading to varying group images of ?the old?.Prevention, Population and Disease management (PrePoD)Public Health and primary car

Brevicoryne brassicae aphids interfere with transcriptome responses of Arabidopsis thaliana to feeding by Plutella xylostella caterpillars in a density‑dependent manner

Plants are commonly attacked by multiple herbivorous species. Yet, little is known about transcriptional patterns underlying plant responses to multiple insect attackers feeding simultaneously. Here, we assessed= transcriptomic responses of Arabidopsis thaliana plants to simultaneous feeding by Plutella xylostella caterpillars and Brevicoryne brassicae aphids in comparison to plants infested by P. xylostella caterpillars alone, using microarray analysis. We particularly investigated how aphid feeding interferes with the transcriptomic response to P. xylostella caterpillars and whether this interference is dependent on aphid density and time since aphid attack. Various JA-responsive genes were up-regulated in response to feeding by P. xylostella caterpillars. The additional presence of aphids, both at low and high densities, clearly affected the transcriptional plant response to caterpillars. Interestingly, some important modulators of plant defense signalling, including WRKY transcription factor genes and ABA-dependent genes, were differentially induced in response to simultaneous aphid feeding at low or high density compared with responses to P. xylostella caterpillars feeding alone. Furthermore, aphids affected the P. xylostella-induced transcriptomic response in a density dependent manner, which caused an acceleration in plant response against dual insect attack at high aphid density compared to dual insect attack at low aphid density. In conclusion, our study provides evidence that aphids influence the caterpillar-induced transcriptional response of A. thaliana in a density-dependent manner. It highlights the importance of addressing insect density to understand how plant responses to single attackers interfere with responses to other attackers and thus underlines the importance of the dynamics of transcriptional plant responses to multiple herbivory

Genome-wide Association Analysis Identifies 14 New Risk Loci for Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a heritable disorder with substantial public health impact. We conducted a multi-stage genome-wide association study (GWAS) for schizophrenia beginning with a Swedish national sample (5,001 cases, 6,243 controls) followed by meta-analysis with prior schizophrenia GWAS (8,832 cases, 12,067 controls) and finally by replication of SNPs in 168 genomic regions in independent samples (7,413 cases, 19,762 controls, and 581 trios). In total, 22 regions met genome-wide significance (14 novel and one previously implicated in bipolar disorder). The results strongly implicate calcium signaling in the etiology of schizophrenia, and include genome-wide significant results for CACNA1C and CACNB2 whose protein products interact. We estimate that ∼8,300 independent and predominantly common SNPs contribute to risk for schizophrenia and that these collectively account for most of its heritability. Common genetic variation plays an important role in the etiology of schizophrenia, and larger studies will allow more detailed understanding of this devastating disorder