We have studied the epizootological situation in
Azerbaijan, i.e., collected the necessary samples among wild
and domestic birds. The samples obtained were analyzed at
the Republican Veterinary Laboratory. The results of the research
are shown on the map of the country. The routes of
migrating birds which are reservoirs of infection, as well as
the infectious disease seasonality are studied. Outbreaks of
Newcastle disease occur at any time of the year, the tendency
to an increased morbidity rate being observed from November
till January with a peak in December. It was established
that, the timely vaccination plays an important role in the prevention
of the disease.

We present the results of the microbiological
research, performed for the fi rst time in the Iranian coastal
waters of the Caspian Sea near the regions of Astara and
Anzali. The collection of the samples and observation were
carried out seasonally at 13 stations; the objective was to determine
the ecological situation of the coast line, where dozens
of local rivers join together and fl ow in. It was found that
the local rivers enrich the areas near the river mouths with a
rich substance called allochthonous. Solid particles present
in the river fl ow, mainly in narrow areas, reduce the clarity of
water, which affects negatively the process of photosynthesis
of plankton. We have also shown that special environmental
conditions are typical of lake Anzali, where in summer the
phytoplankton develops to the stage of fl owering, thereby
enriching the waters with phytoncids, autochthonous organic
particles, which in turn have an impact on anaerobiosis-dying
appearance.

The physical development of children is one of
the indicators of health of school children. The living conditions
of children in villages and cities are signifi cantly different,
which affects the level of their physical development. The
statistical analysis of the results of screening of the physical
development of rural school children in the Arzamas district
of the Nizhnii Novgorod region showed that school children
living in villages and cities differ in body weight and physiometric
parameters.

The possibility of application of exogenious
phytoregulators to increase plant tolerance to salinity is
shown. Treatment of wheat by 6-BAP and ABA leads to
compensation of NaCl infl uence. In this case, the nature of
the physiological response of plants depends on the level
of salinity and indirectly depends on trends of changes in
endogenous hormone levels and their ratio. Treatment by
6-BAP with 213 mM NaCl has a protective effect.

The main stages of L. Pasteurs scientifi c activity
are briefl y characterized. The importance of L. Pasteurs
methodology and main discoveries for the development of
microbiology and other natural sciences is discussed. The
role of Pasteur as the founder of the experimental method
in biology and medicine is mentioned. The role of L. Pasteur
as the initiator in the reformation of high school education in
France is marked. The article is prepared to celebrate the
190th anniversary of the birth of the scientist.

Infl uence of a number of ecological characteristics
of bodies of water (temperature, pH, conductivity, salts
and oxygen dissolved in water) on chromosomal structure of
larvae of a malaria mosquito Anophelesmesseae (Diptera,
Culicidae) is studied. Limits of variation in the ecological parameters
under study in the breeding places on the territory of
the European part of Russia are defi ned. Negative correlation
between the amount of the dissolved oxygen and frequencies
of inversion genotypes XL00 (XL0), XL01, 2R00 of males and
females of An.messeae is found. A relation between the value
of pH and a share of females with XL00 and XL01 genotypes
is established.

The aim of the present research was to study
the effect of proteolytic strain Enterococcus faecalis AN1 on
liberation of casein-derived antimicrobial peptides, as well as
also to determine the infl uence of the subsequent hydrolysis
by pepsin and pancreatin in the in vitro stimulated gastrointestinal
system on this activity. The protein hydrolysis and
peptide production were analyzed with the help of SDS PAGE
and RP-HPLC. The peptides released upon hydrolysis of
caseins with the studied strain presented antimicrobial activity
against Listeria monocytogenes EGDe107776. Antimicrobial
activity of casein-derived peptides was stable after pepsin
hydrolysis; however, the effect totally disappeared after
pancreatic digestion. Moreover, prehydrolysis of caseins by
proteases from strain Enterococcus faecalis AN1 increased
their digestion by pepsin. The strain under study could be a
potential starter for production of functional dairy products.

Gladiolus (gladiolus grandifl orum var. white
prosperity) is one of the most popular species of bulbous
fl owering plants widely cultivated in the word. The failure of
cut gladiolus fl owers to open fully after transportation and
storage is a major post harvest problem. The marketability
of these cut fl owers is limited by their short life. This study
was carried out to determine the effect of gibberellic acid (GA)
and indole-3-acedic acid (IAA) on germination, onset fl owering,
open fl ower, vase life and bulb formation of gladioluses
(var. white prosperity). Gibberellic acid at a concentration of
50 (G1), 100 (G2) and 150 (G3) ppm and indole-3-acedic acid
at a concentration of 100 (I1), 150 (I2), 200 (I3) ppm were applied.
In the control group neither GA nor IAA were used. Primarily,
bulbs were treated with the indicated concentrations
of gibberellic acid and indole-3-acedic acid solely for 6 hours
then planted. According to the results obtained, application of
GA (G3) had the highest effect on germination (12 days after
being planted), whereas the control group had lowest effect
(within 21 days). The use of GA at a concentration of 150 ppm
stimulated fl owering. The results obtained indicated that the
GA application (G3) resulted in the largest diameter of the
fl ower rosettes (120mm) compared to the control group (83.5
mm). Treatment with GA (G3) caused an increase in the vase
life of cut fl owers and in the bulb weight which was the highest
among all groups.

We have developed a new method for quantitative
assessment of the activity of deoxyribonucleases, which
makes it possible to investigate the kinetics of enzymatic reactions.
As a substrate of deoxyribonucleases (DNase) use is
made of a synthetic double- or single-stranded oligonucleotide
of length 25 - 30 b, which carries fl uoretic labels as a reporter
and quencher (emission energy acceptor ). Hydrolysis
of this oligonucleotide of the DNase in any place of its short
sequence leads to dissociation and to appearance of the reporter
signal, which indicates the accumulation of the product
of the enzymatic reaction. This method is used to determine
the activity and the Michaelis constant of DNase from digestive
gland of the pond snail.

We have studied the growth of chiral strings in
model solutions of trifl uoroacetylated aminoalcohols (TFAAS)
in heptane and water in comparison with the formation of
anisometric objects providing switching of biological cells. In
heptane, the strings with a diameter of about 1 m (i) are
woven spirally of thinner strings, and (ii) have on the growing
end the corolla of thin strings, which condenses the TFAAS
dissolved. The situation in water is similar; however, in some
cases, thin strings in the corolla branch out, creating new
corollas. Similar phenomena found during the observation of
switching of real cells are presented.

Using optical microscopy we calculated the
number of strings, formed on a glass substrate with the free
dry samples (drops) by evaporating the solvents from a number
of homochiral solutions of trifl uoro acetylated amino alcohols
in various organic solvents, on a set of optical fi elds.
From the statistical analysis of the distribution of strings on the
investigated optical fi elds the collective nature of their formation
was identifi ed. The characteristic scale of their correlated
formation [(200 - 600) m] was found. The likely mechanism
of the detected correlations was considered. As an illustration
of the correlated formation of strings, we described the
frequent phenomenon of paired strings.

Evaporation of microscopic droplets of a
model solution of homochiral biomimetic (trifl uoro acetylated
amino alcohol) on a solid surface results in the emergence
of annular chiral strings. Thus, we have modeled a possible
mechanism for the formation of ring structures, i.e., prebiotic
matrix precursors of DNA and RNA, which is independent of
the formation of the corresponding linear matrix. The likely
scenario of implementation of the proposed non-equilibrium
mechanism is the drying of micro splashes that inevitably
arise when waves crash on rocky seashore. This result may
be signifi cant in the construction of a sequence of evolutionary
events (trajectories of evolution).

The methods of granulation of multicomponent
polydisperse media (DM) are classifi ed depending on the
technological humidity, and special attention is given to the
description of rheological models of deformable bodies. The
possibility of such a classifi cation of DM is proved by the fact
that in the course of technological processing (mixing, granulation
by nodulizing and pressing) the material passes from
one rheological condition to another, often opposite to the fi rst
one. The general properties of DM packing and development
of their rheological properties under various conditions taking
into account mechanical and physico-chemical effects are
determined. The compression DM curves characterizing the
process of compaction from the applied pressure are given.
The mechanism of granulation is presented in the form of a
six-stage process refl ecting structurization of the material in
the course of its processing.

For different stages of the life cycle of thermal
power plants (TPPs), the scales of technogenic impacts of the
TPPs on landscape components are elicited. It is found that in
the case of routine TPP operation, the largest horizontal scale
of contamination is typical of the atmosphere. In emergency
situations the maximum size of the zones of contamination is
reached when waste waters are discharged into rivers or fl ow
reservoirs, as well as in cases of the groundwater pollution. It
is noted that the scales of technogenic impacts stem from the
design features of the TPP, the general plan of the TPP siting
and the structure of landscapes of the territory.

We present the results of the analysis of
anthropogenic transformation of the three zonal groups of
forest ecosystems in the Dniester-Prut interfl uve: (i) fresh
types, (ii) dry type, and (iii) very dry type. Schemes of the
direction of transformation of these ecosystems are given. In
fresh beech-hornbeam forests the infl uence of the economic
activity gradually increases the proportion of hornbeam
trees. At the same time, the environmental conditions in the
derivatives of plant communities change little. In oak groves,
when hornbeam trees replace oak trees, there occurs a
change in the composition and condition of undergrowth and
grass cover. The composition and nature of the derivatives
of plant communities depends on the position of the original
ecosystem in the landscape. An important factor is the
exposure of the slope. Anthropogenic impact on dry and very
dry types of forest ecosystems leads to their degradation and
to formation of drier habitats compared to initial conditions.
Anthropogenic transformation of forest ecosystems between
the rivers Dniester and Prut has led to the loss of stability and
gradual degradation.

As a result of fi eld works, 26 samples of larch
pine needles were selected on the territory of the Klyon deposit
(Bilibinsky district of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug) and
then examined at the laboratory. The results obtained allowed
ecological and geochemical estimation of accumulation of
metals in pine needles. It was found that the level of accumulation
of microelements in pine needles may act as an indicator
of the territorys ecological condition. It was established
that generally the ecological condition of the examined territory
is characterized by the minimal level of pollution. Local
pollution of the pine needles in the sole sample may be due
to the position of the geological materials with a high metal
content typical for the minefi eld, close to the ground surface.

We consider the process of development of the
Paatsjoki (Paz) river basin in the 20the century; the historical
stages are defi ned. The determining environmental impacts
are found: anthropogenic activities and military operations,
which change each other over time. In the beginning of the
20th century the economic integration of the region took
place, roads and the telegraph lines were constructed, which
led to transformation of landscapes on the narrow elongated
areas of the earth's surface. In 1920 the Soviet part of the
Paatsjoki basin was turned over to Finland; therefore, Finland
gained access to the Arctic Ocean. Then, copper-nickel
ores were mined in the basin; the fi rst hydro power plant was
built. From 1939 to 1944 the appearance of landscapes was
changed greatly due to fi ghting: there were built military airfi
elds, reinforced concrete shelters, trenches, tank traps. After
the war the mining and metallurgical plant and six new hydro
power plants were built on the Paatsjoki. The current territory
condition is a result of integrate impact of anthropogenic factors
on the indigenous landscapes