Amongst the non-native Ponto-Caspian gobies that have invaded the Middle Danube is the monkey goby Neogobius fluviatilis (Pallas, 1814). Despite a strong specialization towards sandy substratum, revealed in a previous study, monkey goby is considered an invasive species and therefore should demonstrate great plasticity in its biological traits. The main aim of the present study was to evaluate the age and growth of a non-native population of monkey goby from the River Ipeľ in Slovakia. Six age groups (0 – V) were observed in the sample from the River Ipeľ (n = 165), with males demonstrating faster growth than females, which was reflected both in the smoothing cubic B-spline model and in the annual increment. The cubic B-spline model indicated a reverse Lee’s phenomenon, especially in males, which is likely to have arisen from the size selective mortality. Growth of invading monkey goby from the River Ipeľ was slower than that reported for the species’ native range. Together with other growth patterns, this may suggest (among other possible explanations) a greater allocation of resources to reproduction than to somatic growth, which is a life-history pattern typical for newly established populations of successful invaders.
Growth patterns of the golden loach, Sabanejewia balcanica were examined in the Rijeka River in Central Croatia on a total of 77 specimens collected in a single sampling session in June 2006. No significant difference was found in total body length between males and females. Age was determined from otoliths. Both males and females live 4 years, though due to the sampling period, no 0+ age fish were found in this study. The length-weight relationship was calculated as W=2x10-6TL3.3229 for males and W=3x10-6TL3.2811 for females, indicating positively allometric growth. According to the growth factor k, growth of males was three times faster than that of females.
A total of 174 specimens of the spined loach Cobitis taenia Linnaeus, 1758, comprising 117 females, 45 males and 12 juveniles, from Lake Klawoj (Poland) were identified as C. taenia from their karyotype (2n = 48 chromosomes). The overall sex ratio (M:F = 1:2.6) showed that females dominated in the population, but this varied with increasing fish size. Age and growth were determined based on otolith measurements. Standard lengths were back- calculated from the regression of fish standard length on the otolith radius and the growth pattern was described using the von Bertalanffy model separately for males and females, which revealed a strong fit for both females (Lt =92.4(1– exp(–0.278 (t – 0.456)); r2 = 0.803) and males (Lt=120.6(1 – exp(– 0.227 (t – 0.558); r2= 0.772). Comparison of asymptotic length with maximum observed size of males and females revealed that all values were a bit overestimated (as per the Taylor criteria). The SL – weight equations for males (W = 0.0003 SL3.8377; r2 = 0.8961) and females (W = 0.0039 SL3.1683; r2 = 0.9616) indicated allometric growth in both sexes, though more so in males than in females.
Male rats aged 45, 85, 145 and 270 days (daily body mass increments on ar, optimal diet containing casein were 6.73, 2.88, 0.53 and 0.31 g respectively) were fed 15 days ad libitum on a diet with a nutrient content physiological for their age, in which the protein source was milk casein (ratio of essential to nonessential amino acids E/N = 0.79, compensation coefficient K = 14) or wheat gluten (E/N = 0.30, K= -8). In the case of gluten, net protein utilization (NPU) fell markedly in rapidly growing animals aged 45 and 85 days (33 and 30 % more than with casein), indicating that without essential amino acid compensation, gluten is inadequate for animals of this age, whose organism requires fully ensured proteosynthesis for growth and development. In adolescence and adulthood (145 and 270 days), the utilization of proteins is not dependent on their quality (the decrease in NPU 13 and 12 % - is nonsignificant). That means that a smaller amount of essential amino acids, including the limiting amino acid in uncompensated protein, is sufficient for the maintenance and renewal of organs and tissues, i.e. for proteosynthesis. The activation of gluconeogenesis (phosphoenolpyruvate carboxvkinase activity in the liver) after the intake of plant protein confirms the effect of proteins on catabolic processes.
Age discrimination (or ageism) is a cross-sectional stereotyping phenomenon that affects thewhole of society particularly in respect of recent demographic changes, the evolution of legislation andrelevant case law. The ambivalence of this kind of discrimination is widespread due to the differing natureof ageism’s two subcategories – adultism and jeunism. The different manifestations of discriminationhave their impact primarily on two specific age groups which complicates an integrated analytical andmethodological approach. Prohibition of age discrimination is legally established in both Czech and Europeanlaw. This study provides a view of changes in the perception of ageism throughout the EU Courtof Justice’s rulings, develops a number of case studies regarding direct, indirect, positive and negativeforms of age discrimination and analyses the existing or potential private law consequences, such as nonpecuniarylosses caused by age discrimination, in the Czech legal system with special regard to the newCzech Civil Code.
Age-dependent changes of the caecal fermentation pattern were studied in female chickens using in vitro batch incubation technique. Chickens were sequentially killed at the age of 1, 2, 3 and 4 months, their caecal contents added to a broth with starch and incubated at 39 °C for 20 h. Net productions of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), succinate, ethanol, lactate, methane, hydrogen and ammonia were determined. Methanogenesis was absent in caeca of 1-month-old chickens. Production of methane started in the second month and doubled in the third month of age. The start of methanogenesis was accompanied by changes of the fermentation stoichiometry. The production of succinate ceased and that of ethanol decreased to less than one tenth. There were no major changes of the caecal fermentation pattern in the fourth month of age. The ammonia production increased in the second month, indicating increased deamination activity. No major shifts in SCFA molar composition dependent on age were found. Calculated hydrogen recoveries suggest a decrease of reductive acetogenesis until 3 months of age. It can thus be concluded that age and the onset of methane production affect the fermentation pattern in the caeca of chickens.
Postconditioning (PostC) is a re cently discovered phenomenon whereby brief repetitive cycles of ischaemia with intermittent reperfusion following prolonged is chaemia elicit cardioprotection. This study investigated whether the age, genetic characteristics or number of repetitive cycles influenced the protective effect of PostC in mice. C57BL/6 floxed or non-floxed STAT-3 mice aged between 14-16 weeks (young) or 18-20 weeks (older) were perfused on a Langendorff apparatus and subjected to 35 min global ischaemia and 45 min reperfusion. PostC was elicited by either 3 (PostC-3) or 6 cycles (PostC-6) of 10s ischaemia and 10 s reperfusion. PostC-3 and PostC-6 in both young and older non-floxed mice reduced the myocar dial infarct size. In contrast, only PostC-3 reduced myocardial infarct size in young floxed mice. Neither PostC-3 nor PostC-6 reduced the in farct in older floxed mice. Our data reveal that genetic characteristics, a minute difference in age or the nu mber of postconditioning cycles are critical factors to be consid ered for the successful effect of ischaemic postconditioning in a murine model. Moreover, these factors should be taken into consideration for future experimental research or clinical applications of this protective phenomenon., S. J. Somers ... [et al.]., and Obsahuje bibliografii a bibliografické odkazy