Adipose tissue is an important target for thyroid hormones (TH). However, the metabolism of TH in white adipose tissue is poorly characterized. Our objective was to describe possible changes in activities of TH-metabolizing enzymes in white adipose tissue, and the role of TH metabolism in the tissue during obesogenic treatment, caloric restriction and in response to leptin in mice. Activity of type I iodothyronine 5’-deiodinase (D1) in white fat was stimulated by a high-fat diet, which also increased plasma leptin levels, while brown adipose tissue D1 activity did not change. Caloric restriction decreased the activity of D1 in white fat (but not in the liver), reduced leptin levels, and increased the expression of stearoyl CoA desaturase 1 (SCD-1), a marker and mediator of the effect of leptin on tissue metabolism. Leptin injections increased D1 activity and down-regulated SCD-1 in white fat. Our results demonstrate changes in D1 activity in white adipose tissue under the conditions of changing adiposity, and a stimulatory effect of leptin on D1 activity in the tissue. These results suggest a functional role for D1 in white adipose tissue, with D1 possibly being involved in the control of adipose tissue metabolism and/or accumulation of the tissue., Z. Macek Jílková ... [et al.]., and Obsahuje bibliografii a bibliografické odkazy
We give a new representation of solutions to a class of time-dependent Schrödinger type equations via the short-time Fourier transform and the method of characteristics. Moreover, we also establish some novel estimates for oscillatory integrals which are associated with the fractional power of negative Laplacian $(-\Delta )^{\kappa /2}$ with $1\leq \kappa \leq 2$. Consequently the classical Hamiltonian corresponding to the previous Schrödinger type equations is studied. As applications, a series of new boundedness results for the corresponding propagator are obtained in the framework of modulation spaces. The main results of the present article include the case of wave equations.
For every module $M$ we have a natural monomorphism \[ \Psi :\coprod _{i\in I}\mathop {\mathrm Hom}\nolimits _R(M,A_i)\rightarrow \mathop {\mathrm Hom}\nolimits _R\biggl (M,\coprod _{i\in I}A_i\biggr) \] and we focus our attention on the case when $\Psi $ is also an epimorphism. Some other colimits are also considered.
The present work gives some characterizations of $R$-modules with the direct summand sum property (in short DSSP), that is of those $R$-modules for which the sum of any two direct summands, so the submodule generated by their union, is a direct summand, too. General results and results concerning certain classes of $R$-modules (injective or projective) with this property, over several rings, are presented.
The present paper describes a method for identification of reflected waves on the seismogr ams from a cluster of quarry blasts. These reflections are used for determination of the Moho depth. Only one seismic station is sufficient, but a cluster of seismic sources is needed. To increase the signal-to-noise ratio of reflected waves, several techniques are applied, such as filtering, polarisation analysis and stacking of seismograms. Th e method was tested on seismic data from the central part of the Ore Mountains region, Czech Republic. Seismic waves were generated by strong quarry blasts at the Tušimice open-pit coal mine, and recorded at the Přísečnice (PRI) temporal seismic station at an epicentral distance of about 16 km. As the station was equipped with a three-component seismograph, also S-wave onsets could be determined. Although Pg, Sg and surface waves dominate the seismograms, weak Moho reflections of P and S waves could also be recognized at travel times of 9.7 s and 17.3 s, respectively. From these times we found the mean ratio of the P- to S-wave ve locities in the crust to be 1.78. Considering P-wave velocity model of Beránek (1971), the observed travel times of the reflections yield a crustal thickness of 29.5 -n31.5 km, which agrees with recent receiver function studies. These agreements indicate that the proposed method of reflected seismic waves, generated by quarry blasts, could represent a simple way for mapping the Moho discontinuity., Hana Kampfová, Jiří Málek and Oldřich Novotný., and Obsahuje bibliografické odkazy
Desiccation resistance of adult males and females of the midge, Belgica antarctica (Diptera: Chironomidae) was evaluated to determine how this short-lived stage maintains water balance in the dry Antarctic environment. Both sexes had slightly lower water content (≈60%) and a higher dehydration tolerance (>30% water loss) than most other insects. Water loss rates were high and increased rapidly at temperatures above 15°C, indicating that the adult midges are more hygric than many other polar terrestrial arthropods. Water gain was accomplished by free water uptake with minimal or no contribution from absorption of water vapor or metabolic water production. Parameters related to water balance did not differ among populations from different islands. Overall, the high water requirements of the adult midge appear to be a significant challenge and presumably dictate that the adult midges must emerge during the brief period when free water is readily available and seek protected microhabitats that facilitate water retention.
Several studies have demonstrated that the invasive ladybird Harmonia axyridis is a strong intra-guild predator of native species of ladybird. Laboratory studies have shown that H. axyridis can be an intra-guild predator of aphid predators other than coccinellids, including the hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus and lacewing Chrysoperla carnea. However, little is known about the effect of intra-guild predation (IGP) by H. axyridis on hoverfly and lacewing populations in the field. In the present study molecular analyses were used to detect the DNA of E. balteatus and C. carnea in the gut contents of H. axyridis. Primers for the syrphid and chrysopid prey were designed and feeding experiments performed to determine how long prey DNA remains detectable in the guts of this ladybird. DNA detection was influenced by the life stage of the predator and species of prey. Meal size did not affect detection time, except when fourth instar individuals of H. axyridis were fed 10 eggs or one second instar of C. carnea. Predator weight, sex and morpho-type (melanic/non-melanic) did not influence DNA detection. The half-life of the time for which the DNA of the prey remained detectable was calculated for each predator-prey combination, and ranged from 8.9 to 52.4 h. This method can be used to study the ecological importance of IGP by H. axyridis on aphidophagous predators other than coccinellids in the field., Brecht Ingels ... [et al.]., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
South African clinids are a major component of the temperate intertidal regions that are also known to participate in life cycles and transmission of several groups of parasites. However, the knowledge of trematode diversity of these fishes is incomplete. In this study, two species of Clinus Cuvier, the super klipfish Clinus superciliosus (Linnaeus) and the bluntnose klipfish Clinus cottoides Valenciennes, were collected from six localities along the South African coast and examined for the presence of trematodes. Metacercariae of Cardiocephaloides Sudarikov, 1959 were found in the eye vitreous humour and brain of C. superciliosus and in the eye vitreous humour of C. cottoides. Detailed analyses integrating morphological and molecular sequence data (28S rDNA, ITS2 rDNA-region, and COI mtDNA) revealed that these belong to two species, Cardiocephaloides physalis (Lutz, 1926) and an unknown species of Cardiocephaloides. This study provides the first report of clinid fishes serving as intermediate hosts for trematodes, reveals that the diversity of Cardiocephaloides in South Africa is higher than previously recorded, and highlights the need for further research to elucidate the life cycles of these trematode species. The broad geographical distribution of Cardiocephaloides spp. was confirmed in the present study based on molecular sequence data. The host-parasite interactions between clinid fishes and metacercariae of Cardiocephaloides are yet to be explored.
Phylogenetic relationships of the braconid wasp genus Yelicones Cameron are studied using the D2-D3 region of the nuclear 28S rRNA gene, both alone and simultaneously with morphology. The results support a morphology-based phylogeny, presented elsewhere, with Yelicones being divided into two major groups corresponding to the New and Old World faunas. The African and Asian species largely form separate clades except for Yelicones wui Chen & He from China which is associated with the Afrotropical species. Potential molecular synapomorphies are illustrated.