We surveyed ladybirds (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) in 10 stands of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris), all monoculture stands 5–100 years old, in western Slovakia, Central Europe, over two successive periods, October 2013 – March 2014 and October 2014 – March 2015. The winter in each period was exceptionally mild. Ladybirds were collected from the lower branches of pine trees using beating trays and were present in 61% of the 1040 samples (one sample containing ladybirds from 20 branches, 1 m long each). In total 3965 individuals of 20 species were recorded. Non-conifer dwelling species associated with broadleaved trees or herbaceous plants prevailed (45% of species), followed by conifer specialists (40%) and generalists (15%). Although 13 species were found at least in one winter month, December, January or February, only four of them, Exochomus quadripustulatus, Coccinella septempunctata, Harmonia axyridis and Hippodamia variegata, were recorded continually during both winters. The number of species, the abundance of all ladybirds and the abundance of dominant species (E. quadripustulatus, C. septempunctata and H. axyridis) decreased from late autumn towards winter and remained lowest during this most adverse time of the year for ladybirds. Overwintering species assemblages of ladybirds changed over time and varied with age of pine stand. Our results suggest that Scots pine in Central Europe supports species rich assemblages of ladybirds from late autumn to early spring and, being widely distributed, it could be suited to winter surveying of ladybirds at large spatial scales to reveal behavioural and ecological responses of species to changing weather or different climates.
The cucumber moth, Diaphania indica (Saunders) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), is a major pest of cucurbitaceous plants. The oviposition preference and olfactory response of larvae, mated and unmated male and female adults to volatiles emanating from uninfested and infested plants of four species of cucurbitaceous host plants and odours of conspecifics were recorded. Also the role of experience in the host finding behaviour of D. indica was evaluated. The experiments were done using a wind tunnel, olfactometer attraction assays and oviposition bioassays. The results reveal that fewer eggs were laid on infested plants than on uninfested plants. Females significantly preferred cucumber over squash, melon and watermelon. Cucurbitaceous plants elicited adults of D. indica to fly upwind followed by landing on the plants. The effect of experience on the olfactory preference of D. indica was dependent on the host plant. Females that had experience of cucumber, squash and melon plants were significantly attracted to the same plant, but not in the case of watermelon. Larvae of this pest were attracted only to volatiles of uninfested cucumber, squash and melon, whereas volatiles of conspecifics, infested plants and intact watermelon did not attract larvae. This study is an initial attempt to investigate the role of volatile infochemicals in the host-finding behaviour of D. indica. These results provide baseline information for the development of new control strategies against D. indica.
Podstatná první část článku se zabývá totalitou v jejích aspektech filozofických, sociologických a psychologických. Ve druhé části článku je demonstrován cíl a průběh tzv. normalizace na příkladu pražské filozofické fakulty UK.V článku se věnuje zvýšená pozornost fenoménu strachu jako základnímu předpokladu fungování totalitních systémů. Dále se upozorňuje na skutečnost, že prvky totalitarismu mají v sobě také režimy demokratické. Toho si všiml už před 90 lety Alexis de Tocqueville, francouzský historik a politik, když v polovině 19. století pobýval ve Spojených státech a studoval tamní právě se rodící demokratické zřízení. K jeho zásluhám patří mj. první pokusy o vymezení povahy demokratického despotismu. Ten je blíže vymezen jako destrukce lidské psychiky, rezignace člověka na výkon jeho svobodné vůle a další povahové vlastnosti, jako je sklon ke kvietizmu. Následující poměrně rozsáhlá část textu se týká problematiky hodnot. Výklad je přednostně založen na publikaci od brněnského právníka Vladimíra Čermáka. Logicky se věnuje prvořadá pozornost hodnotám svoboda, rovnost a spravedlnost. Filosofické hledisko je v článku zastoupeno pohledem filozofa Ladislava Tondla. Poslední část prvního dílu článku obsahuje přehled metod, užívaných psychology a sociology k empirickému zkoumání hodnotových orientací.Celá druhá část článku se opírá o důkladnou sociálněkulturní analýzu období tzv. "norma-lizace" (1969-89). Analýzu uskutečnili mladí historici FF UK v knize Náměstí Krasnoarmějců 2. Z této knihy o 400 stranách v tomto Souhrnu pokládá autor za velmi žádoucí přiblížit čtenářům následující text, který byl nazván (pouze pro účel tohoto článku) jako Poučení: Nežádoucím výsledkem normalizace je oslabení "zcela základní dovednosti intelektuálů, a to schopnosti formulovat obecnější stanoviska, která by mohla působit jako protipól přirozeně technokratického diskurzu větší části politických elit... Normalizace tak skutečně uspěla v jednom ze svých hlavních cílů, totiž nejen diskreditovat, ale zároveň zevnitř poddolovat stav kritického veřejného intelektuála. Politická proměna, kterou přinesl rok 1989, na tomto úspěchu normalizace nic nezměnila. I díky tomu vykazují dominantní myšlenkové vzorce v české společnosti dvacet let po sametové revoluci tak významnou kontinuitu s obdobím, které jí před-cházelo." (s. 375-376)., Totalitarianism and its philosophical, sociological and psychological aspects are a subject matter of a substantial first part of the article. The second part of the article is more specific, as it demonstrates the goals and the course of the so-called "normalization" on the example of the Faculty of Arts of the Charles University, Prague. A great deal of attention is devoted to the phenomenon of fear, which is a fundamental prerequisite of totalitarian systems. Further, it is pointed out that even democratic regimes possess some totalitarian elements, which has been pointed out already by Alexis de Tocqueville, the French historian who personally studied the nascent democratic regime in the 19th century United States. Among de Tocqueville’s merits are the first attempts to define the nature of democratic despotism. Democratic despotism is defined in terms of destruction of the human psyche, resignation to the exercise of one’s free will and such additional character traits, as the tendency to quietism (calm acceptance of things as they come). The following, relatively extensive part, is devoted to values. The explanation of values is based primarily on a publication by the Brno lawyer Vladimír Čermák. Logically, the values of freedom, equality, and justice receive the main attention. The philosophical perspective of the article is represented by views of the philosopher Ladislav Tondl. The first part of the article is concluded by an overview of methods which psychologists and sociologists use to empirically assess value orientations. The second part of the article deals with a thorough socio-cultural analysis of the so-called "normalization" period (1969-1989). Its analy-sis has been recently carried out by young historians of the Faculty of Arts of the Charles University and it resulted in a book listed in the References. In this Summary, the author considers it important to share the main message resulting from the analysis: Normalization resulted in the debilitation of "the fundamental ability of the intellectuals, i.e., of the ability to form generalized views, which could act as a counterpoint to the naturally (technocratic) discourse of the majority of political elites." Thus, normalization succeeded in one of its main goals, i.e., not only to discredit, but also to undermine the public intellectuals. The political change, brought about by the revolutionary year of 1989, did not take away fromnormalization accomplishment. That is one of the reasons why even two decades after the democratic Velvet Revolution, the dominant thought patterns in the Czech society still manifest a significant continuity with the preceding totalitarian period.”, Jan Srnec., and Obsahuje bibliografické odkazy
Pluripotent pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs) receive growing interest in past decades. Two types of PSCs are recognized – vitamin A accumulating quiescent PSCs and activated PSCs- the main producents of extracellular matrix in pancreatic tissue. PSCs plays important role in pathogenesis of pancreatic fibrosis in pancreatic cancer and chronic pancreatitis. PSCs are intensively studied as potential therapeutical target because of their important role in developing desmoplastic stroma in pancreatic cancer. There also exists evidence that PSC are involved in other pathologies like type-2 diabetes mellitus. This article brings brief characteristics of PSCs and recent advances in research of these cells.
Data available in each EU member state regarding the numbers of people infected with Covid-19, tested for it and vaccinated against it suggest that Denmark has been one of the most successful ones, as it has (at least for now) managed to somewhat keep a balance between the protection of life and health and economic loss. The designated legal framework enabling the protection of public health was enacted within one day through an unprecedented emergency parliamentary ruling, though. Based on this act, all the necessary actions were taken for almost a year through implementing legislation and/or non-binding recommendation.
In this text, the grounds for the amendments of the Act on measures against infectious and other transmittable illnesses (Lov om foranstaltninger mod smitsomme og andre overførbare sygdomme), i.e. the amendments from 12th March 2020 and subsequently the new Act on epidemic are going to be analysed. Furthermore, the relevant legal regulation for protection of public health in times of epidemic in Denmark is going to be introduced in a way which also shows the main similarities and differences to the Czech legal regulation. and Z dostupných statistik ohledně počtu nakažených onemocněním covid-19, počtu testovaných a počtu očkovaných v jednotlivých zemích EU vychází Dánsko jako jeden z premiantů a jako země, jež (alespoň prozatím) zvládla vybalancovat ochranu životů a zdraví a ekonomické ztráty. Přitom zákonný rámec, jak chránit veřejné zdraví v zcela bezprecedentní situaci novodobé dánské historie v boji s epidemií onemocnění covid-19, byl přijat dánským parlamentem během jediného dne ve zrychleném legislativním režimu a veškerá následná opatření za účelem ochrany veřejného zdraví byla na jeho základě po dobu téměř 1 roku prováděna formou podzákonných nařízení, případně nezávazných doporučení.
V tomto textu budou analyzovány důvody, proč bylo dne 12. 3. 2020 přistoupeno k novelizaci zákona o opatřeních proti infekčním a jiným přenosným chorobám (Lov om foranstaltninger mod smitsomme og andre overførbare sygdomme) a následně k přijetí zákona o epidemiích (Lov om epidemier) a bude představena platná právní úprava relevantní pro ochranu veřejného zdraví v době epidemie v Dánsku tak, aby bylo možné její rámcové srovnání s českou právní úpravou.
In the present study, we determine the presence of parasites in fish larvae collected from nearshore waters along the northern and central coast of Chile. The parasites were identified to the lowest possible taxonomic level based on morphological and molecular analyses. The fish sample was composed of 5 574 fish larvae. Of these, 3% harboured only larval ectoparasitic copepods whereas no endoparasites were found in the 1 141 fish evaluated for this group of parasites. The parasitic copepods collected were initially classified as 'morphotypes' according to differences in morphological characteristics. They were then analysed using molecular techniques based on the 28S and COI genes. Seven morphotypes of parasitic copepods (mostly at chalimus stages) were recognised: two of the morphotypes belonged to Pennellidae Burmeister, 1835, three to Caligidae Burmeister, 1835 and two were not identified. Only five morphotypes of copepods were analysed using molecular sequences, which confirmed the existence of six species: two pennellids of the genus Trifur Wilson, 1917 and two caligids of the genus Caligus Müller, 1785, plus two additional species that were morphologically different from these taxa. The pennellids were present in several fish species, being generally more prevalent than the caligids, in both the central and northern localities of Chile. Multispecies infections in larval fish were infrequent (< 1%). We conclude that fish larvae were rich in parasites, considering that these hosts exhibited small body sizes and were very young. We suggest that fish larvae could play a role, as intermediate hosts, in the life cycle of the parasitic copepods found., Gabriela Muñoz, Mauricio F. Landaeta, Pamela Palacios-Fuentes, Zambra López, María Teresa González., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Southern Africa is considered one of the world's 'hotspots' for the diversity of cartilaginous fishes (Chondrichthyes), with currently 204 reported species. Although numerous literature records and treatises on chondrichthyan fishes are available, a paucity of information exists on the biodiversity of their parasites. Chondrichthyan fishes are parasitised by several groups of protozoan and metazoan organisms that live either permanently or temporarily on and within their hosts. Reports of parasites infecting elasmobranchs and holocephalans in South Africa are sparse and information on most parasitic groups is fragmentary or entirely lacking. Parasitic copepods constitute the best-studied group with currently 70 described species (excluding undescribed species or nomina nuda) from chondrichthyans. Given the large number of chondrichthyan species present in southern Africa, it is expected that only a mere fraction of the parasite diversity has been discovered to date and numerous species await discovery and description. This review summarises information on all groups of parasites of chondrichthyan hosts and demonstrates the current knowledge of chondrichthyan parasites in South Africa. Checklists are provided displaying the host-parasite and parasite-host data known to date., Bjoern C. Schaeffner, Nico J. Smit., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Parathyroid hormone (PTH) increases the release of serum calcium through osteoclasts, which leads to bone resorption. Primary, PTH stimulates osteoblasts leading to increase RANKL (receptor activator for nuclear factor kappa-B ligand) expression and thus differentiation of osteoclasts. In kidneys, PTH increases calcium and decrease phosphate reabsorption. In kidneys, PTH stimulates 1alpha-hydroxylase to synthesize active vitamin D. Primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) is characterized by skeletal or renal complications. Nowadays, the classical form of PHPT is less seen and asymptomatic or subclinical (oligo symptomatic) forms are more frequent. Previously, it was thought that cortical bone is preferably affected by PHPT and that predispose bones to fracture at sites with a higher amount of cortical bone. However, an increased risk of vertebral fractures has been found by most of the studies showing that also trabecular bone is affected. Bone Mass measurement (BMD) at all skeletal sites is advised, but another specific tool for fracture assessment is needed. Trabecular bone score (TBS), an indirect measure of trabecular bone, maybe a useful method to estimate fracture risk. TBS is associated with vertebral fractures in PHPT regardless of BMD, age, BMI and gender. Furthermore, there is an association between TBS and high resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT) parameters in the trabecular and cortical compartment. However, studies considering the effect of PHPT treatment on TBS are more conflicting. Secondary hyperparathyroidism caused by vitamin D deficiency was associated with impaired bone microarchitecture in all age categories, as measured by TBS and Hr-pQCT with further improvement after treatment with vitamin D. and Martin Kužma, Peter Jackuliak, Zdenko Killinger, Juraj Payer.
Parental care in which females attend their offspring is recorded in over 30 species of ground beetles. Despite this, there is no quantitative data on the fate of the offspring when the mother is experimentally removed. This paper investigates parental care in Pterostichus anthracinus (Coleoptera: Carabidae). The objectives of the study were to estimate: (1) egg survival when the female is removed; (2) the ability of females to defend their eggs from attack by predators; (3) the ability of females to repair a damaged nest in which egg attendance takes place. In the laboratory, the reproductive activity of P. anthracinus lasted four months (from May till August) and peaked in late June. Mean (± SE) number of eggs in each clutch was 25.25 ± 2.19. All of the egg clutches were guarded by a female. Female attendance had no effect on egg mortality due to microbial attack. The duration of embryonic development lasted on average 5.2–5.3 days, and did not differ between the groups with and without maternal care. In P. anthracinus maternal care is important in preventing egg mortality due to predators. In the laboratory the percentage mortality of eggs without maternal care due to predators was 100%. In the group in which females attended their eggs, percentage mortality of offspring due to predation was about 51%. Female ability to repair damaged nests is important in preventing dehydration and reducing predation pressure. This laboratory study provides the fi rst quantitative data on the importance of maternal care in ground beetles in determining the survival of their offspring.