Performance of the invasive horse-chestnut leaf miner, Cameraria ohridella Deschka & Dimic, 1986 (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae), was studied on two host plants: the white-flowering horse-chestnut Aesculus hippocastanum L. and the Ohio buckeye Aesculus glabra Willd. C. ohridella developed successfully on both host plants; however, mine density and survival were much higher on A. hippocastanum than on A. glabra. The pupal mass and potential fecundity were strongly affected by the host plant on which the larvae fed. On A. hippocastanum pupae were significantly heavier and females more fecund than those on A. glabra. Furthermore, on both host plants there was a significant positive correlation between the number of oocytes in ovaries and pupal body mass, and as a consequence, heavier females produced more eggs. Our study demonstrates that the mine density, survival, pupal mass and potential fecundity were significantly lower on A. glabra than on A. hippocastanum. The observed lower performance of C. ohridella on the exotic host plant was assumed to be due to its poor food quality (nutritional and chemical composition)., Urszula Walczak, Edward Baraniak, Piotr Zduniak., and Obsahuje bibliografii
This paper develops some analytical perspectives for a proper assessment of the dynamics observed on the Hungarian residential property market over the last decade. These dynamics are examined in comparison to official policy objectives. On the one hand, sustainable development and social balance were particularly urgent issues after the last financial crisis. On the other, the residential property market was officially instrumentalised to achieve them. We examined real estate market processes using data from the Hungarian Central Statistical Office and found a change in investment motives and in the main groups of actors dominant in the market, and we also examined the role of foreign investment. At the aggregate national level, the past decade looks like a process of recovery. Nonetheless, the factors relevant for the observable dynamics do not seem to correspond to the goals also formulated in the new constitution, but rather document the investment fever of certain groups.
A synopsis of 43 nominal species from five genera of tailed Myxobolidae infecting Indian freshwater and marine fishes is presented. The main characteristic of this group is the presence of at least one tail-like caudal process. For each species, relevant morphological and morphometric data are provided, such as the host(s), site(s) of infection within the host and sampling state. A key for the identification of 13 genera of tailed Myxobolidae is also included.
A synopsis of the species of Myxobolus Bütschli, 1882 (Cnidaria, Myxosporea, Myxobolidae) described from 2014 up till now is presented. It includes 122 nominal species described all over the world. For each of the species, the most relevant morphological and morphometric data, as well as data are provided related to the location in the host, type host and type locality. The GenBank accession numbers are provided whenever possible, and the spores were redrawn based on the original descriptions. The bibliography includes all the papers containing the species descriptions.
Metabolic syndrome (MetS) belongs to the serious health complications expanding in cardiovascular diseases, obesity, insulin resistance, and hyperglycemia. In this study, hypertriacylglycerolemic rats fed a high-fat-fructose diet (HFFD) were used as an experimental model of MetS to explore the effect of tested compounds. Effects of a new prospective pyridoindole derivative coded SMe1EC2 and the natural polyphenol rutin were tested. Endothelial nitric oxide synthase (NOS3) and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) expression were assessed in the left ventricle immunohistochemically and left ventricle activity was monitored in isolated perfused rat hearts. NOS3 activity in the left ventricle decreased markedly as a result of a HFFD. NOS3 expression was upregulated by both substances. NF-κB expression was increased in the MetS group in comparison to control rats and the expression further increased in the SMe1EC2 treatment. This compound significantly improved the coronary flow in comparison to the control group during reperfusion of the heart followed after ischemia. Further, it tended to increase left ventricular systolic pressure, heart product, rate of maximal contraction and relaxation, and coronary flow during baseline assessment. Moreover, the compound SMe1EC2 decreased the sensitivity of hearts to electrically induced ventricular fibrillation. Contrary to this rutin decreased coronary flow in reperfusion. Present results suggest that despite upregulation of NOS3 by both substances tested, pyridoindole SMe1EC2 rather than rutin could be suitable in treatment strategies of cardiovascular disorders in MetS-like conditions.
Tato výzkumná studie se zabývá kolegiální podporou coby druhem sociální opory u bezpečnostního sboru. Kolegiální podporou se rozumí poskytování psychické podpory policistům a zaměstnancům, kteří jsou v komplikované, psychicky náročné životní situaci. Spočívá v nabídce rozhovoru, sdílení pocitů a problémů, konkrétní pomoci či informacích, eventuálně zprostředkování psychologické pomoci. Jejím cílem je předcházet rozvoji psychických obtíží policistů a zaměstnanců a rozšířit možnost psychické podpory. Výzkumná studie shrnuje základní zdroje stresu, se kterými se policisté potýkají a zároveň i stručně představí specifika policejní kultury, která u kolegiální podpory hraje důležitou roli. Následně je představena i česká praxe. Výzkum byl proveden pomocí polostrukturovaných rozhovorů s devíti poskytovateli kolegiální podpory ve Středočeském kraji, který jako první zavedl kolegiální podporu do systému psychologické péče o policisty. Analýza rozhovorů přinesla odpovědi na výzkumné otázky týkající se motivace policistů zapojit se do systému kolegiální podpory, vnímaní pozice kolegiální podpory v rámci policejní kultury a dovedností získaných v průběhu vstupního školení. Vedle témat výzkumných otázek se objevila i další důležitá témata jako je mlčenlivost, limity kolegiální podpory, její propagace, osobnost poskytovatele apod. Výsledky poukazují na místa v systému kolegiální podpory, jejichž propracování a prohloubení může přispět k úspěšnému vybudování komplexního systému kolegiální podpory u Policie ČR. and Research paper the Peer Support System by the Police of the Czech Republic deals with peer support as a kind of social support for the safety forces. Peer support means providing psychological support to policemen and employees who are in a complicated, psychologically challenging life situation. It consists of offering an interview, sharing feelings and problems, any specific help or information, or possibly providing psychological help. Its goal is to prevent the development of psychological difficulties for police officers and employees and to extend possibilities of psychological support. The research paper summarizes the basic sources of stress the cops face, and at the same time briefly introduces the specifics of the police culture that plays an important role in peer support. Further the Czech practice is described. The research was conducted through semi-structured interviews with nine peer support providers in the Central Bohemian Region, where the system of peer support was first introduced as a new way of psychological care for police officers. The analysis of interviews brought responses to research issues related to motivation of police officers to engage in the Peer Support System, perception of the position of the peer support within the police culture and skills acquired during initial training. Besides the topics of research questions, other important topics appeared such as confidentiality, limits of peer support, promotion, personality of the provider, etc. The results point to areas in the Peer Support System, whose elaboration and deepening can contribute to the successful establishment of a comprehensive system of the Peer Support System by the Police of the Czech Republic.
In our previous work we established a T7 polymerase-driven Tetracycline-inducible protein expression system in Leishmania mexicana (Biagi, 1953). We used this system to analyse gene expression profiles during development of L. mexicana in procyclic and metacyclic promastigotes and amastigotes. The transcription of the gene of interest and the T7 polymerase genes was significantly reduced upon cell differentiation. This regulation is not locus-specific. It depends on untranslated regions flanking open reading frames of the genes analysed. In this paper, we report that the previously established conventional inducible protein expression system may not be suitable for studies on differentiation of species of Leishmania Ross, 1903 and protein expression systems might have certain limitations., Aygul Ishemgulova, Natalya Kraeva, Drahomíra Faktorová, Lucie Podešvová, Julius Lukeš, Vyacheslav Yurchenko., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Understanding the diets of predators, prey selection and their impact on prey populations is pivotal to investigations on the ecology of predator and prey species. In this study, we observed a hand-reared European otter (Lutra lutra) foraging in the wild, in order to identify the type of prey captured by the predator. The study was carried out between March and June 2001 in a diverse range of natural otter habitats in Białowieża Forest (NE Poland). We found that tadpoles represented an important part of the otter's diet in June, when their frequency of occurrence and biomass reached 38% and 11%, respectively. During spring, tadpoles were less common than other types of prey, such as adult amphibians, fish, or aquatic Coleoptera. Otter diet varied among months and there were differences in the main prey type captured among water body types. Our results highlight the need to develop methods that enable the identification of tadpoles and other cryptic seasonal food items in riparian predator diets.
To explore the debated phylogenetic relationship of two Hesperiidae subfamilies, Pyrginae and Eudaminae, and contribute to the understanding of the evolution of mitogenomic architecture in butterflies, we sequenced the complete mitogenome of Tagiades vajuna. The mitogenome is a typical circular duplex molecule of 15,359 bp. Apart from the standard 22 tRNAs, it has a tandem duplication of trnS(AGN) and trnE, which is unique in lepidopteran insects. Comparison with Ctenoptilum vasava indicates that the trnS1 duplication is not an ancestral state shared with other species of Tagiadini. Independent origin of the trnS1 duplications was further confirmed by the reconstruction of the ancestral character state based on the topology of the phylogram. Furthermore, comparative analysis of mitogenomes with and without tRNA duplications indicates that tRNA duplication does not alter the codon usage pattern. The mitogenome has negative AT- and GC-skews, and it is highly A+T-biased (79.7%). The AT-rich (or control) region (283 bp) contains "ATAGA" and "ATTTA" motifs. Regarding the phylogenetic analysis, we found that removal of the third codon position (3CP) from datasets used for the mitochondrial phylogenomics of Hesperiidae is likely to produce results that are more consistent: Pyrginae were rendered paraphyletic by Eudaminae in both analyses of the dataset from which the 3CP was removed (13 PCGs + all RNAs), but inclusion of the 3CP resulted in a destabilized topology, resulting in both monophyly and polyphyly. We conclude that even shallow-phylogenies of insects should pay close attention to compositional and mutational biases in mitogenomes., Fang-Fang Liu, Yi-Ping Li, Ivan Jakovlić, Xiang-Qun Yuan., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Fenomén tandemového kojení nebyl v psychologickém výzkumu zatím příliš zachycen. Tandemové kojení bývá praktikováno některými matkami, které následují trend tzv. kontaktního rodičovství. Při tandemovém kojení matka kojí mladší i starší dítě zároveň. Se čtyřmi ženami, které se hlásí ke kontaktnímu rodičovství a tandemově kojí dítě v batolecím věku spolu s jeho starším sourozencem v předškolním věku, byly provedeny hloubkové rozhovory. Pro analýzu dat byla použita interpretativní fenomenologická analýza (IPA), s jejíž pomocí byla identifikována čtyři hlavní témata: 1) Snaha udržet kojení za každou cenu – od útlumu kojení v těhotenství, po prudký nárůst po porodu až k ideálu samoodstavu; 2) Matka uprostřed – „Připadám si, že jsem pořád … pořád mezi dětma…fyzicky a psychicky… uprostřed“; 3) Tandemové kojení jako jistota pro starší dítě v novém uspořádání rodiny a snaha matky o podporu sourozeneckých vztahů; 4) Podpora i kritika tandemového kojení vedoucí k upevnění přesvědčení. and The phenomenon of tandem nursing has not been much captured by psychological research. Tandem nursing is practiced by some mothers who follow the trend of attachment parenting. In tandem nursing, the mother breastfeeds both the younger and the older child at the same time. In-depth interviews were conducted with four women who claimed to practice attachment parenting and breastfed their toddler child together with their older sibling at preschool age. Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was used to analyze the data, and four main themes were identified: 1) Efforts to maintain breastfeeding at all costs - from the decline of breastfeeding in pregnancy to the sharp increase after childbirth to the ideal of selfreinstatement; 2) Mother in the middle - "I feel like I'm still...always in the middle...physically and mentally...between the children"; 3) Tandem nursing as a safeguard for the older child in the new family structure and the mother's efforts to support sibling relationships; 4) Support and criticism of tandem nursing leading to reinforcement of beliefs.