Avian haemosporidians are common vector-borne blood parasites that have been reported in birds all over the world. Investigations of avian haemosporidian parasites are conducted mainly on passerine birds. However, studies that focus on non-passerine avian hosts are important for our understanding of the true diversity, host specificity and genetic variability among these widespread parasites. In the present study, blood samples from a total of 22 raptor birds belonging to two orders, two families and six species from the Central Anatolia Region of Turkey were investigated for three genera of avian haemosporidians (Plasmodium Marchiafava et Celli, 1885, Haemoproteus Kruse, 1890 and Leucocytozoon Sambon, 1908) using a combination of microscopic examination of blood films and nested PCR targeting the parasite mitochondrial cytochrome b gene (cyt-b). In total, six individual raptor birds identified positive for species of Plasmodium or Leucocytozoon and one individual was found co-infected with all three haemosporidian genera. We identified five parasite cyt-b haplotypes, three of which were reported for the first time. Among these, one Plasmodium haplotype is linked to a corresponding morphospecies (P-TURDUS1, Plasmodium circumflexum Kikuth, 1931). All haplotypes were clearly distinguishable in phylogenetic analyses. As one of the first studies to investigate blood parasites from non-passerine birds in the Central Anatolia Region of Turkey, this study provides important new information on the phylogenetic relationships and genetic diversity of avian haemosporidian parasites from raptor birds. We discuss these findings in the context of avian haemosporidian host-parasite relationships and we draw attention to the need for microscopy to detect parasite sexual development stages in surveys of avian haemosporidians., Arif Ciloglu, Alparslan Yildirim, Onder Duzlu, Zuhal Onder, Zafer Dogan, Abdullah Inci., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Terbium (Tb^'*") was ušed as a fluorescence probe in the study of calcium-binding sites on 33 kDa protein of photosystem 2. The fluorescence of Tb^^ was enhanced markedly when bound to the 33 kDa protein, and the non-radiative energy transfer between tryptophan (Trp) residue and Tb^+, bound to the calcium-binding sites on the 33 kDa protein, took plače. According to the Forster non-radiative energy transfer mechanism, the average distance between the bound Tb3+ and Trp residue was found to be 1.05 nm. The pH titration indicated that major groups in the 33 kDa protein, involved in Ca2+ ions binding, were the carboxylic side groups of the glutamic acid and/or aspartic acid.
Increasing human and industrial activities lead to heavy metal pollution. Heavy metal chromium (Cr) is considered to be a serious environmental contaminant for the biota. Phytotoxic effects of Cr were studied in wheat plants. Growth parameters were largely inhibited as a result of disturbances in the plant cell metabolism in response to Cr toxicity. Chromium toxicity led to decline in a number of active reaction centres of PSII, rate of electron transport, and change in PSII heterogeneity. Chromium did not cause any change in heterogeneity of the reducing side. A significant change in antenna size heterogeneity of PSII occurred in response to Cr toxicity. Chromium seems to have extensive effects on the light harvesting complex of PSII., S. Mathur, H. M. Kalaji, A. Jajoo., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
Carnosine is a dipeptide formed of the amino acids β-alanine and histidine. Only a limited number of studies have examined the effects of carnosine on sympathetic nerve activation and anxiety. The present study was undertaken to determine the dose-related effects of carnosine on anxiety in the elevated T-maze test (ETM) with electrodermal activity (EDA). Carnosine was injected in three groups of rats with doses of 10 (low dose), 100 (medium dose) and 1000 (high dose) mg/kg i.p. Physiological saline was injected in the sham group. The anxiety scores of the rats were measured with ETM 20 minutes after injection. Then, SCL was measured. The decreased number of entries into the open arm (NEOA), the percentage of time spent in the open arm (% TSOA) and higher EDA [shown by skin conductance level (SCL)] indicate higher anxiety. The NEOA and % TSOA were lower in the high-dose group than in the other groups. SCL was lower in the medium-dose carnosine group than in the high-dose carnosine and sham groups. SCL was higher in the high-dose group than in the medium-dose and sham groups. Our results suggest that high-dose carnosine produced anxiety-like effects as assessed in the SCL and ETM. Medium-dose carnosine acted as an anxiolytic. The anxiety-related responses of carnosine depend on its dose-related effect. and N. Dolu, H. Acer, A. Y. Kara
The results presented in this paper concern investigation of environmental influences to GNNS coordinates on the example of ASG-EUPOS network. The problem of the impact of environmental effects is crucial for observing gravity. Satellite systems are not as susceptible to changes in local hydrology or atmospheric effects, although significant influences are clearly visible in the change of coordinates. The authors analyzed daily and sub-daily solutions (geocentric coordinates) in the context of different disturbances to eliminate sites suffering from poor quality for further researches (e.g. data from the most reliable ASG-EUPOS stations will be used for investigating the correlation of their movements with the lithosphere deformations on territory of Poland). There are many doubts regarding proper antennas’ placement - as they are mostly placed on the roofs, there were questions if data from these sites can be used for scientific purposes like velocity estimations or geodynamical researches. Analysis of daily solutions was supposed to prove that the majority of Polish sites give fully valuable data. Some factors that may cause a precision decreasing can be avoided or eliminated in the future. Taking into consideration that GLONASS will be soon fully operational and it will be an alternative for commonly used GPS, the authors made separate elaboration of GPS and GLONASS data. Usage of two different satellite systems holds the potential to increase of solutions’ reliability and eliminate errors that could be possibly related to the specific satellite system. Base on time series of coordinates residual values, systematic errors that could prove geophysical and geodynamical influence on GNSS measurements were investigated. In this elaboration only post-processing observations were taken into account, but the monitoring of the network in the near real-time by means of coordinates’ stability is under development., Janusz Bogusz, Mariusz Figurski, Krzysztof Kroszczyński and Karolina Szafranek., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Blood-sucking arthropods, collected in South Moravia, Czech Republic, were examined by darkfteld microscopy for borreliae from 1988 to 1996. Among host-seeking ixodid ticks (8481 Ixodes ricinus (L.), 372 Dermacentor reticulatus (Fabr.), 167 Haemaphysalis concinna Koch), borreliae were only observed in adult (23.2%), nymphal (17.2%) and larval (6.3%) I. ricinus. The prevalence of borreliae in I. ricinus did not vary considerably among habitats except for lower values in agroecosystems, xerothermic oak woods and grasslands. The frequency of intensity of spirochaetal infection (log,,, counts of borreliae per tick) in /. ricinus approximated the negative binomial distribution. The proportions of host-seeking female and nymphal ticks containing >100 borreliae were 5.0% and 1.7%, respectively. Among preimaginal ticks (749 I. ricinus, 222 D. reticulatus, 82 II. concinna) parasitizing free-living forest birds and small mammals, borreliae were detected in 6.1% of larval and 10.3% of nymphal I. ricinus, and in one larval H. concinna', 3.2% of the birds and 19.4% of the mammals carried infected ticks. Among 3464 female mosquitoes (Culicidae) of 6 species, 4.1% contained spirochaetes: 1.4% of Aedes vexans Meig., 1.3% of A. cantons (Meig.), 2.2% of A. sticticus (Meig.), 2.2% of Culex pipiens pipiens L. and 5.9% of C. p. molestus Forskal. Borreliae were also detected in 8.4% of 142 fleas (Siphonaptera, largely Ctenophthalmus agyrtes Heller and Hystrichopsylla talpae Curtis) collected from small mammals. Twelve isolates of B. burgdorferi sensu lato have been identified to genospecies: 6 strains from I. ricinus (4 Borrelia garinii Baranton et al., 1 В. afzelii Canica et al. and 1 В. lusitaniae Le Fleche et al.), 1 strain from A. vexans (В. afze-lii), 2 strains from C. agyrtes (В. afzelii), and 3 strains from host rodents (B. afzelii).
The GRID_STRAIN software that runs under the MATLAB® environment helped us in achieving the continuous strain field model. Unfortunately, the program averages the results. Therefore, the authors’ main goal of this paper was to work out a method of good verification of data to avoid falsifying of the results of strain calculations. We decided to use the method of the Delaunay triangulation to build a set of triangles of the data (EPN and ASG-EUPOS stations as the vertexes) and by the use of the velocities of each point and their errors, to estimate the single strain in each triangle. This approach made it possible to exclude the outlying values from the data. Selection of the criteria of the characteristic of insufficiently stable points in order to remove them from further computations is of a great importance for the final results of computations of the deformation field. In such a tectonically stable region, as the area of Poland, the strain values should not be higher than 3 to 4 nanostrains/year. At the low rate of tectonic deformations observed in Poland, the disturbances resulting from insufficient stabilization of the ASG-EUPOS network influence the computations of the deformation field to a significant extent. Improper stabilization of a single permanent station causes unification of the deformation field within 2 to 3 computation triangles having a common vertex at this station. Based on this assumption, nearly 30 of the ASG-EUPOS stations were excluded from further strain calculations. The analysis of the geodynamic consistency of the deformation field for the computation triangles is basis for indicating stations for which the dislocation resulting from insufficient stabilization, significantly exceeds the dislocation resulting from the deformation of the lithosphere. Most of the ASG-EUPOS network stations may be used for analysis of local differentiation of the deformation field in Poland., The regularities of the deformations distribution determined by ASG-EUPOS network stations constitute a new set of data which will be used for further geodynamic interpretation. In case of lower rank disturbances resulting from destabilization of the network stations, this factor’s component cannot be recognized using qualitative analysis of the deformation field., Janusz Bogusz, Anna Klos, Mariusz Figurski, Marek Jarosinski and Bernard Kontny., and Obsahuje bibliografii
This paper concerns an analysis of accuracy of estimated parameters ( ω, Λ, Φ) which define the tectonic plate motions. The study is based on the velocities of station positions published by ITRF2000 for (Satellite Laser Ranging) SLR and (Global Positioning System) GPS technique, separately. The Eurasian, North-American, Australian and Pacific plates were analysed. Influence of the number and localization of stations on estimation accuracy of the tectonic plate motions for SLR and GPS technique were analysed. The discrepancies were discussed., Katarzyna Kraszewska and Miłosława Rutkowska., and Obsahuje bibliografické odkazy
The paper concerns analysis of solutions obtained during common processing of data from GNSS permanent stations situated on mountainous terrain: the Western Carpathians, the Sudetes Mountains and adjacent areas. As the outcome daily and weekly solutions (ellipsoidal coordinates) of forty Polish, Czech, Slovak, Ukrainian and German sites were obtained. Weekly solutions were used to determine velocity field and vertical movements, daily solutions enabled quality and precision of sites’ coordinates estimation to check if permanent GNSS sites can be used as a stable reference frame for geodetic, geological and geodynamical measurements in the mountainous area. First investigations concerning data from permanent GNSS stations in the Sudetes Mountains were made in 2007 using daily solutions from EPN sites obtained in test reprocessing of the whole regional network performed in Centre of Applied Geomatics. Since that time, national systems became operational increasing density of GNSS network, so the data can be used for wider range of investigations. As the majority of examined stations started to gather data in 2008, analysis were based on relatively short observation period, so they rather play a role of tests for further investigations and they give the preliminary estimation of individual sites’ activity., Mariusz Figurski, Karolina Szafranek, Janusz Bogusz and Paweł Kamiński., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Distension is a regular mechanical stimulus in gastrointestinal (GI) tract. This study was designed to investigate the effect of hypotonic stress on pacemaking activity and determine whether actin microfilament is involved in its mechanism in cultured murine intestinal interstitial cells of Cajal (ICCs) by using whole-cell patch-clamp and calcium imaging techniques. Hypotonic stress induced sustained inward holding current from the baseline to -650±110 pA and significantly decreased amplitudes of pacemaker current. Hypotonic stress increased the intensity of basal fluorescence ratio (F/F0) from baseline to 1.09±0.03 and significantly increased Ca2+ oscillation amplitude. Cytochalasin-B (20 μM), a disruptor of actin microfilaments, significantly suppressed the amplitudes of pacemaker currents and calcium oscillations, respectively. Cytochalasin-B also blocked hypotonic stress-induced sustained inward holding current and hypotonic stress-induced increase of calcium oscillations. Phalloidin (20 μM), a stabilizer of actin microfilaments, significantly enhanced the amplitudes of pacemaker currents and calcium oscillations, respectively. Despite the presence of phalloidin, hypotonic stress was still able to induce an inward holding current and increased the basal fluorescence intensity. These results suggest that hypotonic stress induces sustained inward holding current via actin microfilaments and the process is mediated by alteration of intracellular basal calcium concentration and calcium oscillation in cultured intestinal ICCs., Z. Y. Wang, X. Huang, D. H. Liu, H. L. Lu, Y. C. Kim, W. X. Xu., and Obsahuje bibliografii