  We present a general derivation of semi-fermionic representation for spin
operators in terms of a bilinear combination of fermions in real and imaginary
time formalisms. The constraint on fermionic occupation numbers is fulfilled by
means of imaginary Lagrange multipliers resulting in special shape of
quasiparticle distribution functions. We show how Schwinger-Keldysh technique
for spin operators is constructed with the help of semi-fermions. We
demonstrate how the idea of semi-fermionic representation might be extended to
the groups possessing dynamic symmetries (e.g. singlet/triplet transitions in
quantum dots). We illustrate the application of semi-fermionic representations
for various problems of strongly correlated and mesoscopic physics.
