The Neolithisation and the first agricultural societies in Southeast Europe are under constant discussions. Besides numerous data on the earliest farming settlements in this region, still there are debates on the directions and chronology of the dispersion of such significant economic and social process. Many proposed the diffusion of agriculture was initially introduced from Asia Minor to southern parts of Greece or eastern areas of Bulgaria, but there is not much written on how this process further progressed towards Macedonia. This region is still insufficiently explored to be thoroughly incorporated into the studies of Neolithisation in the Balkans, but however the modest research provided substantial data in order to propose the emergence of first agricultural societies in the Early Neolithic. Therefore this paper will incorporate the current knowledge on the initial Neolithic stages in Macedonia and how it was manifested within material culture, economy, rituals and social features specific for the farming communities in this region. In regard to vivid pottery patterns and abundance of human representations it will be proposed as well that the Neolithisation also involved a variety of symbolic processes. and Neolitizace a první zemědělské společnosti v jihovýchodní Evropě jsou předmětem stálých diskusí. Kromě četných dat o prvních zemědělských osadách v této oblasti se diskutují směry a chronologie šíření tohoto významného ekonomického a společenského procesu. Mnoho badatelů zastává názor, že zemědělství se nejdříve šířilo z Malé Asie do jižních částí Řecka nebo východních oblastí Bulharska, ale o tom, jak tento proces pokračoval do Makedonie, nebylo mnoho napsáno. Tato oblast je stále nedostatečně prozkoumaná na to, aby ji bylo možno plně začlenit do studií neolitizace Balkánu, nicméně stávající výzkum poskytl dostatek dat k předpokladu výskytu prvních zemědělských společností v časném neolitu. Tento článek shrnuje stávající znalosti o časném neolitu Makedonie a o jeho projevech v materiální kultuře, hospodářství, rituálech a společenských rysech specifických pro zemědělská společenství v této oblasti. S ohledem na živé vzory keramiky a hojnost znázornění lidí se také předpokládá, že neolitizace zahrnovala i celou řadu symbolických procesů.
Male Wistar rats adapted to an artificial light-dark regimen (12 h light: 12 h darkness) were whole-body irradiated with a dose of 14.35 Gy of gamma rays. Irradiation, sham-irradiation and decapitation 30, 60 and 120 min after the exposure were performed between 2000 h and 0100 h in the darkness. The serotonin N-acetyltransferase activity (NAT), the concentration of melatonin, dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine were measured in the pineal gland. The serum levels of melatonin and corticosterone were also determined. Ionizing radiation did not change the activity of the key enzyme of melatonin synthesis, NAT, but decreased the concentration of pineal melatonin. The concentration of pineal dopamine and norepinephrine decreased 30 and 120 min after exposure, while the concentration of epinephrine was elevated 30 min after irradiation, though later it was markedly decreased. The serum melatonin level was not changed, but an increase in corticosterone level was observed. In the early period after the exposure, a decrease in pineal melatonin occurred, accompanied by a decrease in pineal catecholamines. On the contrary, in the phase of developed radiation injury the signs of increased melatonin synthesis were observed on days 3 and 4 after the exposure (Kassayova et al. 1993a). The underlying mechanisms require further research.
(-)-Linalool is the major floral scent occurring mainly in families
Lamiaceae, Lauraceae and Rutaceae and is the main active compound of lavender oil. The purpose of this study was to reveal the influence of subchronic systemic treatment with (-)-linalool on the metabolic activity of CYP2A, 2B, 2C6, 2C11 and 3A in rat liver microsomes (RLM). The second aim was to reveal possible inhibitory effect of (-)-linalool on CYP2C6
in vitro. Wistar albino male rats were treated with (-)-linalool intragastrically at the doses of 40, 120, and 360 mg/kg/day for 13 days. Treatment with (-)-linalool at the dose of 360mg/kg increased the metabolic activity of CYP2A assessed with testosterone as a probe substrate. (-)-Linalool showed weak competitive inhibition of CYP2C6 in rat liver microsomes, with IC50 of 84μM with use of diclofenac as a probe substrate.
To reveal the effect of foreign innervation and altered thyroid status on fiber type composition and the myosin heavy chain (MyHC) isoform expression in the rat slow soleus (SOL) and fast extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscles, a method of heterochronous isotransplantation was developed. In this experimental procedure, the SOL or EDL muscles of young inbred Lewis rats are grafted either into the host EDL or SOL muscles of adult rats of the same strain with normal or experimentally altered thyroid status. To estimate the extent of fiber type transitions in the transplanted muscles, the SOL and EDL muscle from the unoperated leg and unoperated muscles from the operated leg could be legitimately used as controls, but only when the experimental procedure itself does not affect these muscles. To verify this assumption, we have compared the fiber type composition and the MyHC isoform content of unoperated contralateral SOL and EDL muscles and ipsilateral unoperated SOL muscle of experimental rats after unilateral isotransplantation into the host EDL muscle with corresponding muscles of the naive rats of the same age and strain. We provide compelling evidence that the unilateral heterochronous isotransplantation has no significant effect on the fiber type composition and the MyHC isoform content of unoperated muscles of experimental animals. Hence, these muscles can be used as controls in our grafting experiments.
The influence of estradiol and testosterone on body growth of young male Wistar rats was investigated. In the first experiment, estradiol was given to intact ad libitum fed male rats at 32, 37 and 42 days of age. Moreover, two untreated groups of animals were used: one was fed rcstrictedly according to the food intake of animals receiving estradiol and another was fed ad libitum. The animals were sacrificed at 47 days of age. Both untreated groups of animals achieved significantly higher body weight and length of tibia than estradiol treated animals. Also the growth of the tail of untreated animals was more intensive than that of estradiol treated animals. In the second experiment, estradiol was given to intact ad libitum fed male rats at 30, 35 and 45 days of age. Moreover, testosterone was given to a half of these animals at 45, 50 and 55 days of age. The animals were sacrificed at 60 days of age. Administration of testosterone significantly increased the growth of the tail and tibia in comparison to the animals which did not receive testosterone after estradiol administration. The results of the present study show that the inhibitory effect of estradiol on body growth of young male rats is not only the result of decreased food intake and that testosterone can improve the skeletal growth of male rats altered by previously given estradiol.
Herbivory on liverworts is rarely reported. We studied the effects of feeding by larvae of the sciarid fly Scatopsciara cunicularius on the growth of the thalloid liverwort Marchantia polymorpha at two different constant temperatures, 12°C and 22°C. Larvae reared at the lower temperature fed slower and over a longer period of time, which resulted in more damage and a greater reduction in the growth of the liverwort than that caused by those reared at the higher temperature. The reduction in growth of the liverwort was positively density-dependent in terms of number of larvae at both temperatures. These results indicate that the larvae of S. cunicularius are likely to be an effective means of controlling M. polymorpha, which is a common weed in plant nurseries and greenhouse cultures., Weerachon Sawangproh, Johan Ekroos, Nils Cronberg., and Obsahuje bibliografii