Eleven plants of Asplenium platyneuron (ebony spleenwort) were found in disturbed serpentine woodland in south-central Slovakia (Central Europe). This find represents a new addition to the fern flora of Europe. It is probably the result of long-distance spore dispersal. The nearest known sites for this species are those in eastern North America, about 6500 km away. The important determination characters of A. platyneuron are described, the Slovakian locality characterized and an overview of the ecology and a map of the worldwide distribution of this species provided.
Species assembly in ground beetle (Coleoptera: Carabidae) communities in local microhabitats was studied in a forest. The following questions were addressed: are there important filters that sort the species in the assemblages? If so, what is the specific nature of these filters? In order to address these questions rarefaction analysis was used to determine whether ground beetle species are distributed non-randomly. Next, the nature of filters was determined by analyzing (1) the community matrix and searching for the consequences of competitive exclusion and (2) species-environmental relations. Rarefaction analysis revealed that the species composition is filtered: species richness was less than expected and there were fewer than expected congeneric species coexisting at high beetle population densities. However, community matrix and body size analyses did not detect significant competition among the beetle species and the matrix was significantly nested. Species-environmental analyses indicated that the ground beetle assembly was strongly linked to ground vegetation. It is concluded that spatial distribution of ground beetles across local communities in this forest habitat is determined more by local environmental conditions than competition, and ground beetles do not interact strongly among themselves so that competitive effects do not play an important role in their distribution except at high beetle population densities. and Sonomi Shibuya, Kohei Kubota, Masahiko Ohsawa, Zaal Kikvidze.
Several aspects of invasive round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) biology are based on sporadic observations or anecdotal reports only, e.g. they are night feeders, they prey on eggs and larvae of native fish and male feeding ceases or is highly restricted during breeding due to nest-guarding. To test the general validity of such hypotheses, we assessed diel and inter-sex differences in diet and feeding intensity of 232 gobies (144 female [54 day:90 night] and 88 male [39 day:49 night]) caught during the breeding season. Gobies took primarily aquatic insect larvae and did not predate on eggs, larvae or juveniles of native fish. Unlike previous studies, we observed no diel difference in feeding intensity or diet composition; hence no universal diel pattern can be implied for round goby feeding. On the other hand, we observed significant inter-sex differences in both feeding intensity and diet composition, with males consuming less food than females, presumably due to restricted feeding activity during nest-guarding. Inter-sex shifts in both diet composition and amount of food were less than expected, however, suggesting that, under most conditions, there is no reason to expect a fatal decrease in male energy intake, as suggested by some earlier studies.
Záměr. Cílem studie bylo ověření psychometrických parametrů české verze Jeffersonské škály empatie (JSPE-S) na podkladě výpovědí českých studentů medicíny a testování diferencí z hlediska pohlaví, délky studia medicíny a místa studia. Soubor a procedura. Soubor tvořilo 725 studentů medicíny 3. lékařské fakulty UK a 871 studentů Fakulty medicíny UPOL. Studie byla průřezová a odpovědi byly získány od studentů všech šesti ročníků. Výsledky. Explorační faktorová analýza přinesla podporu pro existenci tří ortogonálních faktorů „Perspective taking“ (přebírání perspektivy), „Compassionate care“ (soucitná péče), „Empathetic understanding“ (empatické porozumění) a vnitřní konzistence stupnice byla pro celý soubor 0,76. Efekt pohlaví a místa studia nebyl statisticky významný. Výše JSPE-S skórů českých studentů statisticky i klinicky významně klesala v prvních dvou letech studia a zůstala beze změn do konce šestého ročníku. Nálezy obecně podpořily konstruktovou validitu i vnitřní konzistenci české verze nástroje. Omezení studie. Postoje k roli empatie se mohou výrazně lišit od skutečného chování, vzhledem k průřezovému plánu studie je zde možný kohortový efekt, data byla získána pouze na dvou lékařských fakultách., Objectives. The objective of the study was to examine the psychometric parameters of the Czech version of the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy-Student (JSPE-S), and to study differences in empathy scores between women and men, and students in different years of medical school. Sample and setting. The JSPE-S was administered to 725 students at the 3rd Medical School, CU Prague and to 871 students at the Faculty of Medicine UPOL. The design was cross-sectional and first to sixth year students were surveyed. Results. Exploratory factor analysis supported the existence of three components of “Perspective taking”, “Compassionate care”, “Empathetic understanding” and the Cronbach alpha coefficient was 0.76. The effects of gender and locality were not statistically significant. The JSPE-S scores of Czech students decreased in a statistically significantly and clinically meaningfully way over the first two years of study, staying low until the 6th year. The construct validity and internal consistency of the Czech version of the JSPE-S was generally supported. Study limitations. Firstly, attitude toward the role of the empathy in doctor-patient relation may differ substantially from actual behavior. Secondly, there is very strong possibility of cohort effects. Thirdly, the survey was conducted at one Czech and at one Moravian medical school only, what potentially limits the external validity of our finding., Jiří Kožený, Lydie Tišanská, Cyril Höschl., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
Using continuous-wave near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), this study compared three different methods, namely the slope method (SM), the amplitude method (AM), and the area under the curve (AUC) method to determine the variations of intramuscular oxygenation level as a function of workload. Ten right-handed subjects (22±4 years) performed one isometric contraction at each of three different workloads (30 %, 50 % and 90 % of maximal voluntary strength) during a period of twenty seconds. Changes in oxyhemoglobin (Δ[HbO2]) and deoxyhemoglobin (Δ[HHb]) concentrations in the superficial flexor of fingers were recorded using continuous-wave NIRS. The results showed a strong consistency between the three methods, with standardized Cronbach alphas of 0.87 for Δ[HHb] and 0.95 for Δ[HbO2]. No significant differences between the three
methods were observed concerning Δ[HHb] as a function of workload. However, only the SM showed sufficient sensitivity to detect a significant decrease in Δ[HbO2] between 30 % and 50 % of workload (p<0.01). Among these three methods, the SM appeared to be the only method that was well adapted and sensitive enough to determine slight changes in Δ[HbO2]. Theoretical and methodological implications of these results are discussed.
The spider community of a beech forest on limestone was studied for one year using four sampling techniques: emergence traps, pitfall traps, soil samples, and arboreal eclectors. 87 spider species were recorded. Emergence traps and arboreal eclectors were particularly efficient in detecting spider species. Dominance identity (percentage similarity) was highest for catches from emergence traps and pitfall traps. Species recorded were assigned to various ecological groups. In terms of proportional abundance, representation of the ecological groups varied and appeared related to the sampling method used. Stratum type and type of prey capture strategy accounted for >60% of the variance in the catch results (canonical correspondence analysis). Proportional abundance of funnel-web spiders was much higher in pitfall trap catches (31.7%) than in any other method (1.0-11.6%).
We assessed the xtent of temporal variation and autocorrelation in fish habitat use based on an experimental study of individual 0+ juvenile barbel, Barbus barbus, in an artificial flume. Five treated and five control fish were individually subjected to an increase in discharege (intervention) hlfway through each experiment and kept at baseline discharge throughout, respectively. Preference surves for velocity were generated for each of 60 trials per experiment and for each combination of treated/control (fish) x before/after-intervention. There were large between- and within-individual differences in velocity preference, both in treated and in control fish. Most barbel explored the entire range of velocities, whereas some individuals used a more limited range. Temporal variation in behavioural responses was assessed by a PCA-based methodology. Autocorrelation (i.e. correlation between sequential trials) was diagnosed in most response profiles, supporting recent fidings that individuals may have a "memory" of their past velocity usage. The relevance of the results for numerical habitat models of fish habitat assessment is discussed, as well as the importance of incorporating temporal variability into fish habitat use models (e.g. PHABSIM), not only as ontogenetic intervals but also as longitudinal data of individual behaviours. A warning is also re-issued about the erroneous belief of "pseudoreplication" simly arising from repeated measurements in time.
Light trapping is the most widely used tool for determining the diversity of nocturnal Lepidoptera, but UV LEDs have yet to be used as light sources for the large-scale monitoring of Lepidoptera. We assessed the efficiency of this novel light source for sampling moths using a Heath type moth equipped with a strip of 150 high brightness UV LEDs (emission peak 398 nm, ~ 15 W) powered by a 12 V battery. We compared the number of individuals, the number of species and the Geometridae / Noctuidae ratio recorded for the samples collected using UV LED traps with those collected in two monitoring programs carried out in the same geographic region using two different light sources: a 200 W incandescent lamp (Rothamsted trap) and a 160 W mercury vapour lamp (manual catch). The total catch consisted of 61,120 individuals belonging to 699 species. The species richness rarefaction curves revealed that the Rothamsted trap collected fewer species and individuals than UV LED traps. Furthermore, the median numbers of species and individuals caught by UV LED traps fell within the range of those caught by mercury vapour lamp traps. In addition, the community composition recorded using incandescent lamps and UV LEDs was similar. The data obtained using UV LED traps, in absolute terms and in comparison with the other light sources and different sampling methods, clearly reveal that this light source is suitable for sampling macro-moth communities. For field work UV LEDs have many advantages, as they are resistant to mechanical damage, easily protected from heavy rain and energy efficient., Marco Infusino, Gunnar Brehm, Carlo Di Marco, Stefano Scalercio., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Brown adipose tissue (BAT) physiology and imaging have recently attracted considerable attention. BAT is characterized both by enhanced perfusio
n and increased mitochondrial activity. 99mTc-sestamibi is a lipophilic cationic
tracer that concentrates in mitochondria. Data on the accumulation of 99mTc-sestamibi in BAT are currently lacking. This study investigates the
in vivo99mTc-sestamibi uptake in rat BAT. 99mTc-sestamibi was administered in male Wistar rats of various age and body size. 99mTc-sestamibi uptake was measured in vitro in BAT and white fat (WF) together with cytochrome c oxidase activity. Both 99mTc-sestamibi uptake and cytochrome c oxidase activity were higher in BAT than in WF (P<0.05). 99m
Tc-Sestamibi uptake in both BAT and WF was negatively related to body weight (r= -0.96 and -0.89, respectively) as was the BAT/WF uptake ratio (r = -0.85). These data show a higher 99mTc-sestamibi uptake in
BAT compared to WF, in agreement with the high mitochondrial content and respiratory activity of the former. The strong negative correlation between 99mTc-sestamibi uptake in BAT and body weight (negative allometry), is in accordance to increased needs of thermogenesis in smaller animals. Implications of increased 99mTc-sestamibi uptake in BAT in radionuclide imaging are also discussed.
An assessment of DNA integrity in erythrocytes using the alkaline comet assay was carried out to estimate the impacts of water pollution on Balkan loaches (Cobitis elongata Heckel et Kner, 1858) inhabiting the Sava and Kupa Rivers, rivers of varying different water quality. The amount of DNA damage in cells was estimated from three different parameters comet tail length as the extent of genetic material migration, tail intensity (% DNA in comet tail) and tail moment. The results suggest a genotoxicity of the aquatic environment in the Sava River and demonstrated significantly lower levels of DNA damage in fish captured from the Kupa River. This study confirmed that the comet assay, applied to fish erythrocytes, is a useful tool in determining potential genotoxicity of water pollutants. Although a good DNA damage pattern for Balkan loach was obtained, due to its global and regional conservation status, only restricted use of a small number of specimens per sampling site could be permitted.