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Rubina N. Formation of research topics for schoolchildren and students in the Biological Effects research project
Abstract. Choosing a Worthy Goal is an important stage to form a Creative Personality. Finding a Worthy Goal is often connected with scientific and research activities, with the choice of a topic for research. The paper presents an approach to forming research topics based on regularities in the development of biological systems, creating a new classification for the list of biological effects. It contains examples of forming research topics according to the concept of maximum upward progression. The article develops an approach to forming research topics for senior schoolchildren and students discussed in the 2022 publication 'Methodological Approach to Forming a Worthy Goal and Finding Research Topics for the Development of a Creative Personality'.
Keywords: list of biological effects, system development laws, Creative Personality Development Theory (CPDT), concept of maximum upward progression.
INTRODUCTION
The modern educational process gives much attention to organising research activities of schoolchildren and students. The key problem in forming research topics for schoolchildren is the following contradiction: the topic should concern civilisation and society as a whole to motivate adolescents and senior schoolchildren, and at the same time it should be narrowly technical, narrowly scientific and narrowly artistic so that it could be implemented by adolescents and senior schoolchildren. Developed in the CPDT, the concept of maximum upward progression can be used to address this contradiction. The application of TIPS (Theory of Inventive Problem Solving) tools to form research topics and implement projects makes it possible to increase the novelty and originality of results.
In this article, we will consider a methodological approach to forming research topics for schoolchildren and students in the format of the Biological Effects project. The project brings together research in various areas ranging from collecting and analysing card catalogues of biological effects to projects exploring evolutionary lines of living organisms.
The article also discusses two approaches to classifying biological effects:
1. Based on the attributes of living organisms and the organisation level of living matter. This approach allows us to identify regularities in evolution of living matter.
2. Based on the functions that can be implemented with biological objects. This allows to construct links of biological effects with those or other actions taken with respect to function objects.
1. METHODOLOGICAL BASIS OF THE STUDY
The use of TIPS methods in forming topics for research papers of senior schoolchildren and students makes it possible to formulate topics of various complexity levels without losing the novelty and originality of results. The concept of maximum upward progression outlines transitions from narrow technical and narrow scientific topics first to general technical and general scientific topics and then to socio-technical and socio-scientific topics. The opposite is also possible: generalised so-cio-technical and socio-scientific topics can be presented as a set of topics available for independent research by senior schoolchildren and students.
Creating the List of Biological Effects is a project that falls under the category of general scientific research. The project involves collecting and analysing card catalogues of biological effects implemented at various levels of living matter organisation, from molecular to biocenotic. This wide range of study allows for formulating research topics for schoolchildren and students with a variety of interests, both in the field of biology and in engineering or invention. Biological objects are of interest to engineers and inventors, because they have a number of advantages over technical systems:
closed-loop operation, cost-effectiveness, self-regulation, self-management, and self-reproduction mechanisms [1].
In this article, we will use the following definition of BIOLOGICAL EFFECT: transformation of an initial parameter (IP) of a biological object (BO) into a final parameter (FP).
To identify mechanisms for applying biological effects to change a function object, it is necessary to form the List of of Biological Effects. CATALOGUES OF EFFECTS (CEs) - physical, geometrical, chemical, biological - are part of the TIPS information pool. CEs are classifiers (tables) of effects built based on the connection of effects with the implementation of certain actions with respect to function objects. Catalogues of effects can be built on a parametric basis: which parameter changes in a function. Two scenarios of creating such links are possible: 1) A table with a list of actions with respect to a function object (heat, move, grind, etc.) specifying the effects that this action can implement. 2) A reverse table listing various effects and what actions can be implemented using them [2].
Example 1. 'Solar collector - a polar bear fell.'
heat pipe heat carrier
Figure 3. Elepole formula of the effect
The polar bear fur structure in the form of thin hollow tubes (light guides) allows for directing the maximum quantity of sunlight to the black skin, which accumulates heat and warms up quickly. In addition, the underfur provides thermal insulation by preventing heat from escaping from the skin [3].
The solar collector is based on the same principle of operation, which, unlike solar panels generating electricity, heats the heat carrier. [4]
Using a principle of action, which is similar to biological objects, for technical systems is the basis of applied science - BIONICS [5].
Bionics research is one of sources for the card catalogue of biological effects. It is necessary to identify a parameter of the biological object that changes and a mechanism that provides the change in the parameter.
2. CLASSIFICATION OF BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
Classification of biological effects is an independent task in drafting the List of Biological Effects. Physical, chemical and geometric effects are classified according to sections of relevant fields of knowledge. Traditional sections of biology do not allow for identifying biological effects, because the function object is often not a living organism as a whole, but a sort of its functional system or, on the contrary, a union of organisms.
2.1. Approach to the classification of biological effects based on the organisation level of living matter and attributes of living matter.
The following organisation levels of living matter and attributes of living matter were chosen to construct the classification.
Organisation levels of living matter:
1. Molecular
2. Subcellular
3. Cellular
4. Tissular
5. Organ
6. Organismal
7. Species
8. Populational
9. Biogenetic
Signs of living matter:
1. Integrity and orderliness
2. Metabolism (of substances and energy)
3. Homeostasis
4. Irritability
5. Cyclicality
6. Reproduction (self-reproduction)
7. Heredity/variability
8. Growth and development
9. Evolution
Table 1. Classification of biological effects based on attributes of living matter and organisation level of living matter (fragment)
Level 1 - organisation levels
Level 2 - attributes of living matter
Level 3 - mechanisms for implementing attributes of living matter
Level 4 - key parameters (P)
nodal contradiction
bioeffects
Organism
Integrity and orderliness
structures implementing the functions
P of key structures of organisms
Implementation of key structures/ genes, environmental factors
Living organism -functional-target system.
Metabolism (of substances and energy)
nutrition, respiration, excretion
P of processes
Intake of substances, energy/activity
Type of feed, method of energy use
Homeostasis
metabolic parameters
P of metabolism
Absorption/excretion
Plastic and energy metabolism
Irritability
nervous and humoral activity
P of nervous and humoral activity
Environmental signals/receptors, effectors
Tropisms, nastia, taxis, kinesis, reflexes
Cyclicality
organism cycles
Cycle parameters
Activity/cyclicality
Hormone phenomena, reflexes
Reproduction (self-reproduction)
animal reproduction plant reproduction
Puberty, duration of gestation, sexual behaviour; modes of gamete contact
Synchronisation of behaviour and puberty
Sexual and asexual reproduction
Heredity/ variability
phenotype and genotype
Phenotypic traits
Hereditary traits/pheno-type
Mutations, inherited diseases, adaptation
Growth and development
mass increase, differentiation
Protoplasm mass
Weight gain/metabolic activity
Ontogenesis, morphogenesis
Evolution
genotype-based norm of organism response
Response norm
Genotype-based organism adaptation within the normal response range
Relationship between onto- and phylogenesis
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The classification is presented in the form of a table, which considers, apart from the organisation level of living matter (level 1) and attributes of living matter (level 2), the mechanism of implementing attributes of living matter at a given organisation level (level 3), key parameter changing at a given level (level 4), as well as nodal contradiction and biological effects. We will consider a fragment of the table relating to the organismal organisation level of living matter.
The organismal organisation level of living matter is the level that is studied by various sections of biology: botany and zoology, morphology, physiology, ethology, etc. The table in the Biological Effects column shows the directions where card catalogues of biological effects should be collected.
The table also makes it possible to study evolutionary development lines both in terms of the complexity of living matter organisation and in terms of the attributes of living matter.
Let's consider IRRITABILITY as a universal attribute of living matter.
Table 2. Irritability. Evolutionary development line
Organisation level Key contradiction Biological effects
AP conductance / ATF energy action potential
Molecular consumption
membrane conductivity/energy cell membrane composition
Subcellular consumption
response/energy consumption, specific cell responses to excitation; synapses,
Cellular speed inhibition effects
specialised tissue/remote expo- structure and function of nerve tissue
sure; phytohormone levels and phytohormone conduction
Tissular functions/response rate
excitator level / effector response, unconditional and conditioned reflexes; struc-
phytohormone synthesis / environ- ture of plant organs
Organ mental conditions
environmental signals / presence tropisms, nastia, taxis, kinesis, reflexes
Organismal of receptors and effectors
ensuring ethological isolation of behavioural isolation of species
Species species
interactions between individuals blocking (stimulation) of reproduction
within the habitat/level of aggres-
Populational sion
number of species / number of competition, predation, parasitism, symbiosis
Biocenotic abiotic environment resources
Irritability is the ability of living cells, tissues or the whole organism to respond to external or internal exposures (excitators), which is the basis of their adaptation to changing environmental conditions. Irritability is manifested at all levels of life development and is accompanied by a complex of non-specific changes expressed in shifts in metabolism, electrical potential, protoplasm state, and in highly organised animals is associated with the performance of specific functions (conduction of nerve impulse, muscle contraction, excretion of secretion by glandular tissue, etc.). [6]
At each organisation level of living matter, this universal feature is implemented by changing a certain key parameter and resolving nodal contradictions through biological effects.
Example 2. Nerve impulse velocity.
As early as the 19th century, it was proven that the nerve impulse that transmits the excitation signal in the nervous system is electrical in its nature. In 1852, Hermann von Helmholtz measured the nerve impulse velocity [7].
Chart of Helmholtz's experiments to measure the excita-tion propagation velocity. A - kymograph, B - time sen-sor, C -irritation marker, D - muscle (M) contraction recorder, P 1 and P 2 - irritating electrodes (near and far), I and II - kymograms of the first and second experiments respectively, a - time mark, b -irritation mark, c - record of muscle contraction, t1 and t2 - times from the moment of nerve irritation to the moment of muscle contraction. (Time At = t2 - t1 is spent on the signal passage along the nerve from the far to near electrodes, hence the signal speed
n... = 0"l/0"t
Further studies revealed that different animal species have different nerve impulse velocities. What biological effects define the difference in nerve impulse velocity? There are two ways to in-crease the nerve impulse velocity: increase the axon size (giant squid) and change the axon structure (myelin sheaths, saltatory or spike-like nerve impulse propagation).
It is possible to describe this biological effect as a way of resolving relevant contradictions: - the diameter of motor axons must be large to ensure rapid propagation of the nerve impulse,
and must be small to fit anatomical features of animals;
- the axoplasm resistance must be low so that the nerve impulse velocity is high, and must be high so as not to increase the axon diameter.
An increase in the nerve impulse transmission velocity while maintaining a small nerve fibre diameter gives vertebrates an evolutionary advantage and determines the further development of higher nervous activity [8]. We can describe the evolution of nerve tissue as an improvement in the mechanism and structure of nerve impulse transmission.
2.2. Approach to the classification of biological effects based on functions of biological objects and organisation levels of living matter.
The following functions of living matter were chosen to build the classification:
1. Bioenergetic
1.1. energy accumulation
1.2. energy dissipation
2. Biomaterial
2.1. substance accumulation
2.2. organic substance degradation
2.3. substance transformation
2.4. substance dispersion
2.5. substance movement
2.6. substance detection
3. Biogas
3.1. gas emission
3.2. gas absorption
4. Biofield
4.1. field detection
4.2. field generation
4.3. field absorption
4.4. field transformation
5. Environment-forming effects
5.1. change in environment parameters
5.2. change in environment composition
6. Bioinformatic
6.1. information accumulation
6.2. information transformation
6.3. information consolidation
6.4. information transmission
7. Self-regulatory
Figure 4. Helmholtz's experience in measuring the nerve impulse velocity
Organisation levels of living matter were chosen to be the same as in the previous classification. Example 3. The 'tip-of-the-tongue' phenomenon.
Depending on the experience gaining situation, memories may be stored in different ways. The
'tip-of-the-tongue' phenomenon is the inability to recall a familiar word, while a certain quantity of information about the forgotten word pops up in the memory [12]. There is a feeling that the forgotten word will be found right away and that it is very easy to remember, but nevertheless it is not recalled. This condition can be distressing and even haunting. This phenomenon is a form of occlusion and is accompanied by an intense feeling of frustration due to the inability to recall a familiar word. The phenomenon was first described by William James in his seminal work The Principles of Psychology in 1890. One of the researchers, Bennett Schwartz, illustrates this phenomenon with the example of Chekhov's story A Horsey Name: the character of this story cannot remember a surname, but nevertheless he is sure that the forgotten surname has something to do with horses. This phenomenon is an illustration that the meaning of a word can temporarily exist in consciousness without its iconic form. The causes of this phenomenon are currently unknown, but there are several hypotheses that can be used to explain the problem of forgetting familiar words, such as: 'blocking hypothesis', which suggests that such forgetting takes place if another word, which came to mind earlier, blocks the retrieval of the desired word from memory; 'incomplete activation hypothesis', which explains forgetting of a word by the fact that the phonological representation of the desired word receives less activation than other words similar in meaning or sound[13]. There are several hypotheses to explain the increased frequency of the 'tip-of-the-tongue' phenomenon in older adults: the fading model emphasises that older adults have reduced efficiency in retrieving information from memory; the accumulation model suggests that because older adults have significantly more information stored in memory, this causes more frequent difficulty in finding the right word. There are various ways to combat the problem. For example, some people go through all the letters in the alphabet to find the first letter of a forgotten word. It is also recommended to relax and switch attention to something else - the forgotten word will be remembered by itself, although the person has stopped thinking about it [14].
This effect can be classified as a bioinformational effect of information accumulation at the organismal level. The explanation for how this effect occurs involves the organ level: mechanisms of brain functioning, ways of remembering and ways of retrieving information. Ways to overcome this cognitive distortion provide for using attention switching mechanisms or information transformation and retrieval techniques.
The proposed classifications of biological effects reflect two different approaches to using the descriptions of biological effects:
1. Study and characterisation of biological effects to reveal mechanisms and regularities of evolution of living matter;
2. Study and characterisation of biological effects to use as an information pool for inventive activities.
3. RESEARCH TOPICS FOR SENIOR SCHOOLCHILDREN AND STUDENTS IN THE BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS PROJECT.
The following groups of research topics are proposed in the Biological Effects project:
- card catalogue of examples how natural analogues are used to solve inventive problems;
- card catalogue of inventions in the field of medicine based on natural analogues;
- card catalogues of biological effects illustrating lines of evolutionary development;
- projects to study the mechanisms of evolutionary development and regularities of evolution;
- card catalogues of biological effects to use as an information pool for inventive activities.
Collecting and analysing card catalogues is an available form of research activity for senior
schoolchildren and students, forming important skills of a researcher: systematic thinking, observation, ability to identify regularities, skills of working with a large volume of information, and ability to identify and solve inventive problems.
CONCLUSIONS
1. We proposed new approaches to classifying biological effects: based on organisation levels of living matter and attributes of living matter, and based on functions of biological objects and organisation levels of living matter.
2. Forming research topics based on the proposed classifications allows us to structure a large volume of information on biology, increasing the novelty and originality of research of senior schoolchildren and students.
3. The research topics in the Biological Effects project are available to senior schoolchildren and students and can be used as an information pool for inventive activities and as a form of studying regularities of evolutionary development and, therefore, they have a great methodological potential.
REFERENCES
1. V. Timokhov Card Catalogue of Biological Effects. Date of publication February 28, 2010 https://www.trizland.ru/trizba/1755
2. TIPS-100 Glossary. https://triz-summit.ru/certif/glossary/gloss-2023/
3. Christiana Dorion. Invented by Animals. Moscow, Labyrinth Press, 2022, pp. 42-43
4. Vacuum Solar Collector: Principle of Operation. https://sovet-ingenera.com/eco-en-ergy/sun/vakuumnyj-solnechnyj-kollektor.html
5. The Great Russian Encyclopaedia. https://old.bigenc.ru/biology/text/1867538
6. The Great Russian Encyclopaedia. https://old.bigenc.ru/biology/text/3490631
7. H. Helmholtz Nerve Excitation Propagation Velocity. Moscow-Petrograd: State Publishing House, 1923, p. 89
8. N. Agadzhanyan, V. Smirnov. Normal Physiology. Textbook. Revision 3, corrected and supplemented. Medical Information Agency, Moscow, 2012, pp. 65-71
