RUDN Journal of Ecology and Life Safety

In connection with the widespread problem of soil salinity, the issue of increasing the salt tolerance of cultivated plants is becoming increasingly important. In this aspect, humic substances and preparations based on them are very promising. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of humic preparations on agricultural crops and lawn cereals under salt stress. Under laboratory conditions, the protective properties of the humic preparation «Ekorost» were evaluated in relation to the industrial crop Brassica rapa L. and to lawn grasses under the influence of salt stress induced by excessive concentrations of sodium chloride and anti-icing agent. It was revealed that the humic preparation «Ekorost» exhibits protective properties in relation to the indicated test cultures under conditions of artificially simulated salt stress, which is expressed in a noticeable stimulation of their germination and growth processes. In all the experiments, the most effective was a 0.1% aqueous solution of the drug «Ekorost», which allows us to recommend it in the indicated dosage to increase the salt tolerance of oil radish ( Brassica rapa L.) and lawn cereals.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), antibiotic resistance is currently one of the most serious threats to human health, food security, and development. Tuberculosis (TB) remains one of the deadliest bacterial diseases. The primary challenge in treating tuberculosis infection is the emergence of strains with multidrug resistance (MDR) to 4-9 drugs. The emergence of bacterial strains with MDR is a consequence of patients’ insufficient adherence to treatment, interrupted therapy, improperly prescribed courses of chemotherapy, and, according to recent data, the accumulation of antibiotics in the environment, which can activate the natural drug resistance system in bacteria. The consequences of MDR to antibiotics include prolonged hospitalizations, increased medical expenses, and mortality. Therefore, the task is to develop new effective antibacterial agents with novel mechanisms to reduce the emergence of bacterial resistance. In this study, we investigated the mechanisms of action of new promising antimycobacterial derivatives of quinoxalin-1,4-dioxide on the model organism Mycobacterium smegmatis .

A significant rise in water levels in the rivers during the spring flood and the release of rivers to the floodplain is the main danger in this period for nearby territories and people living there. This phenomenon can lead to flooding of large areas, significant economic losses, environmental damage, and threaten the health and life of local residents. Such negative consequences of high floods are typical for the Tambov region rivers, which indicates the need to develop an effective system for forecasting and preventing maximum flood levels. The climatic changes that have taken place over the past few decades, which are also reflected in the rivers’ water regime, show the need to modernize existing forecasting methodologies. In this paper, the authors have demonstrated the results of the effectiveness assessment of the existing methodology for short-term forecasting of the maximum flood level on the Tsna River at two gauging stations (“Kuzmino-Gat” and “Tambov”). Calculations were made using modern data in accordance with this methodology and a comparative analysis was carried out with the calculations of previous years. Based on this analysis, an assessment of the flood levels forecast methodology accuracy was given. According to the study results, it was found that the existing methodology for short-term forecasting of the maximum flood level on the Tsna River is largely ineffective nowadays with regard to modern conditions of spring flood runoff formation. In the analysis of the Kuzmino-Gat gauging station, the values of the maximum flood levels obtained by the reanalysis method according to the tested methodology using modern data showed significant deviations from the actual observed values. At the same time, for the operational forecast of maximum water levels at the Tambov gauging station, it is possible to use the correlation dependence with the observed water levels at the Kuzmino-Gat gauging station, as before. The correlation coefficient with modern data was 0.96. The authors have highlighted the main drawbacks of the existing methodology and made suggestions for improvement, in particular, what factors need to be analyzed in order to clarify the forecast.