The East-Central European post-socialist transformations have now reached a new stage, with the need to address the problems of further modernisation and maintenance in the context of the EU. The role of elites in this process is as intermediators between the influence of the European context and the needs and interests of differentiated internal social structures. Their attitudes and behaviour exhibit a high degree of internal fragmentation and division corresponding to various strategical orientations favouring various societal models. The post-socialist Czech economic elite was initially reproduced out of former state socialist managers and their cadre reserves. After the first phase of economic developments, inspired by neo-liberal radical privatisation and elements of 'shock therapy', and once the new, more European phase ushered in many new factors, there was a distinct decline in the number of 'old-new' economic elite on the scene. In the empirical part of the article the results of several surveys are used to briefly describe the changes in the composition of the Czech economic elite in the 1994-2005 period and to summarise their attitudes and behaviour. The analysis concludes that the current image of a liberal and pro-European Czech elite is consistent with the stable and remarkable progress of the Czech economy since 1999, the considerable wealth, strong profits, and high salaries enjoyed by top elites, and the enhancement of their role in the European economy. There are also some limitations and weak points that diverge from this general picture. The article's conclusions touch on the question of the role of the economic elite in the progress of arriving at more consensual attitudes and behaviour among societal elites as a whole, favouring further economic growth, modernisation and the strengthening of social cohesion in the context of the EU.
The development of the nematode Procamalianus (Spirocamallanus) neocaballeroi (Caballero-Deloya, 1977), an intestinal parasite of the characid fish, Astyanax fasciatus (Cuvier) in Mexico, was studied in the experimental copepod intermediate host, Mesocyclops sp. After the copepod’s ingestion of free first-stage larvae of the nematode, these penetrate into the haemocoel of the intermediate host; they moult twice (on the 3rd and 4-5th day p.i. at 21-22”C) before they attain the third, infective stage. The third-stage larva already possesses the large buccal capsule subdivided into an anterior broad portion with eight spiral thickenings (as observed in lateral view) and a narrow posterior portion, and its tail tip bears three conical processes. The definitive host acquires infection by feeding on infected copepods; in the intestine of this fish, the nematode larvae undergo two more moults (on the 10th and 14-15th day p.i. at 25-32°C) before attaining their maturity. The prepatent period is approximately two months.
The tegument ultrastructure of the cestode Triaenophorus nodulosus has been studied in the stages of oncosphere, procercoid, plerocercoid and adult. The syncytium of primary tegument has glandular origin and is located in the peripheral areas of the oncosphere. The primary tegument degenerates at the initial stages of the procercoid development and is replaced with secondary tegument persisting throughout all following stages of the worm’s development. Two ways of microthrix formation on the body surface of procercoid were discovered. The formation of the cyst consisting of fibrillar material around the plerocercoid was observed. It fills spaces between numerous finger-like évaginations of plerocercoid’s tegument. The structural differentiation of tegument and microtriches was demonstrated on the scolex and all parts of strabila of T. nodulosus.
The light response changes of oxygen evolutíon in the isolated spinách (Spinacia oleracea L.) thylakoids associated with the photoinhibition, influenced by the temperature and radical protection, were determined. Photoinhibition was performed at 20 ®C with or without an addition of antioxidant mixture consisting of glutathione, ascorbate, superoxide dismutase and catalase, oř, altematívely, at 0 oC without the antioxidants. Beside the effects on decline of atrazine binding sites and variable room temperature fluorescence, the three variants of photoinhibition differed with respect to their effects on the yield of oxygen evolutíon. Quantum yield of oxygen evolutíon (<{>02) flecline preceded Úie decrease of electron transport capacity at the beginning, while similar low values were found at the end of the treatment. In the presence of antioxidants the electron transport capacity remained high, whereas marked decline of (|»o^ occurred with the equally treated thylakoids. Comparable deviating behaviour of (t»Oj and the electron transport capacity was not found following photoinhibition at 0 oC; both were affected to the same degree, regardless if ferricyanide or the Qg- independent electron acceptor siUcomolybdate were ušed. With isolated thylakoids the quotient FyF,„, which is often ušed as a measure for photochemical efficiency of open photosystem 2 reaction centres in whole plant studies, did not decline to the same extent as (|)Oj under the dififerent photoinhibitoiy conditions applied. The main conclusion is that in thylakoid photoinhibition the independent mechanisms are associated with the changes of both the and electron transport capacity, and that the (j>02-related mechanism is inhibited at 0 oC.
Anguillicola australiensis (Johnston et Mawson, 1940) is widespread and common in Anguilla reinhardtii Steidachner in rivers and dams of eastern Queensland, Australia, having been found in nine out of ten localities. Overall prevalence was 50% and maximum local prevalence reached 77.7%. The parasite never attained high levels of abundance and maximum adult abundance never exceeded 3.22 or intensity 10. Adults were overdispersed throughout the eel populations and abundance was unrelated to eel or swimbladder size. The greater part of the adult population was composed of immature parasites. The occurrence of larvae in the swimbladder wall was erratic and unrelated to the size of the adult population. Larvae were never abundant and the great majority were damaged by a host response. It appears that parasites either pass through the swimbladder wall rapidly and moult to adults or if delayed are destroyed. There was no indication that a paratenic host was involved in the life cycle. There was no evidence that adult parasites had any local pathogenic effects on their hosts. The population biology of Anguillicola australiensis in its natural host Anguilla reinhardtii appears to be far more similar to those of other Pacific species of Anguillicola in Anguilla japonica in China and Japan than to A. crassus in Anguilla anguilla in Europe or Japan. This latter host-parasite combination appears to be the exception not the rule. It is suggested that the lack of pathogenicity of A. australiensis may reflect a long period of host-parasite co-evolution and/or lower transmission rates resulting in lower parasite population densities.
Quantitative data are presented on the spatial distribution of metacercariae of the digenean trematode Diploslomum phoxini (Faust, 1918) in the brains of minnows, Phoxinus phoxinus (Linnaeus, 1758), from two Scottish populations. Sequential examination of serial histological sections revealed metacercariae to be unevenly distributed throughout the brain, aggregating in specific regions including the cerebellum, the medulla oblongata and the optic lobes. In addition, a number of metacercariae were found in the anterior part of the spinal cord. The inferior lobe of the cerebellum, pituitary, olfactory lobes and olfactory bulbs were largely free of metacercariae. Reasons for the uneven distribution of metacercariae within the brains of infected minnows are discussed, including the possibility that the parasite may have evolved to enhance its transmission to subsequent hosts by aggregating in regions known to be important in the control of the host’s antipredator responses.
Two hundred and forty brown trout (Salmo trutta) and 49 rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), obtained from 21 locations in Central Scotland between October 1990 and August 1993, were examined for endoparasitic helminth infections. Crepidostomum farionis (Digenea) was the most widely distributed helminth species, followed by Eubothrium crassum (Cestoda), Diphyllobothrium dendriticum and D. ditremum (Cestoda), Neoechinorhynchus rutili (Acanthocephala), Echinorhyn-chus truttae (Acanthocephala), Eustrongylides sp. (Nematoda), Capillaria salvelini (Nematoda), Cyalhocephalus truncatus (Cestoda), Raphidascaris acus (Nematoda) and Cystidicola farionis (Nematoda), in that order. The prevalences and intensities of each helminth infection were recorded. No evidence was found to indicate that even fish with the highest worm burdens (e.g. 339 plerocercoids of Diphyllobothrium spp.) were experiencing any obvious morbidity. An analysis of pairs of associations between species of helminths revealed a significantly positive association between N. rutili and C. farionis (P < 0.01). The results are discussed in terms of patterns in helminth communities in freshwater fish.
Chemical modification of purifíed phosphoenolpyravate carboxylase (PEPC) from the crassulacean acid metabolism plant Crassula argentea Thunb. with the histidyl reagent diethylpyrocarbonate (DEPC) resulted in a transient increase in activity followed by a decrease of activity with time. This biphasic response was observed when the modifíed enzyme was assayed at both low (sub-K,^ and saturating substráte (phosphoenolpyruvate, PEP) concentrations. There was an approximate 25- fold difference in the apparent rate constants for the activation and inhibition phases. This is in contrast to what we háve observed under similar conditions for the C4 enzyme from Zea mays L. for which only inhibition of activity occurs. Spectral studies indicated that up to 7 of the potential 20 histidine residues per subunit were modifíed, at least 3 of which were necessary for activity. The biphasic response of the Crassula enzyme was dependent on the concentration of DEPC. Progressively less inactivation was observed when modifying the enzyme with lower concentrations of DEPC. Chemical modification of PEPC with 75 pM DEPC resulted in a form of the enzyme with a lower K^, and higher This was concomitant with the modification of 4 histidines per subímit. Changes in the response of the enzyme to allosteric effectors were also observed; with modification the enzyme was desensitized to malate inhibition and glucose-6-phosphate activation. The Kj of the modifíed enzyme for malate increased over 15-fold. This was consistent with fluorescence binding studies using the extrinsic conformationalprobe S-anilino-l-naphthalenesulfonate which indicated the elimination of binding of malate and increased binding of the substráte to PEPC. Protection studies showed that malate desensitization was delayed by the presence of malate during modification. Malate also slowed the initial rate of histidine modifícation as measured spectrophotometrically. Thus histidine plays a role in the malate site of Crassula PEPC.
The effects of condensed tannins (CT) extracted from seven forages on the motility of the economically important nematode, Trichostrongylus colubriformis (Giles, 1892), were evaluated by using a larval migration inhibition (I.MI) assay. The assay involved incubation of third stage (L3) exsheathed T. colubriformis larvae with CT extracted from Lotus pedunculatus, Lotus corniculatus, sulla (Hedysarum coronorium), sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia), Dorycnium rectum, Dorycnium pentaphyllum and dock (Rumex abtusifolius) and measurement of larval migration through nylon mesh with a 20pm pore size. At 100 pg ml'1, CT from L. pedunculatus, L. corniculatus, sulla, sainfoin, D. rectum, D. pentaphyllum and dock inhibited 20%, 10%, 15%, 25%, 28%, 32% and 27% of the larvae, respectively from passing through the sieves compared to controls (no CT added). At 1000 pg CT ml'1, CT purified from D. pentaphyllum had the highest inhibitory activity (63%) against 1-month old larvae followed by sainfoin (59%), L. pedunculatus (57%), D. rectum (53%), dock (50%), sulla (40%) and L. corniculatus (37%). Seven-month old larvae were more sensitive to the action of CT than 1-month old larvae (P < 0.001). Addition of 2 pg polyethylene glycol ([PHG] per pg CT; to remove the effect of'CT) eliminated 81-93% of the CT activity (P < 0.001) compared to incubations without PEG. The impact of CT on larval migration suggests a possible role for these plants in ruminant diets as a means to reduce dependence upon proprietary anthelmintics.
Prolamellar bodies (PLBs) isolated from dark-grown, 6.5-d-old leaves of wheat (Triticum aesíivum L. cv. Kosack) were treated with the carboxylic acid cross-linker l-ethyl-3-[3-(diniethylaniino)propyl]carbodiimide (EDC) or with the lysině specific cross-linker 2-iniinothiolane. SDS-PAGE showed that the most prominenent cross- linked product was a dimer of the NADPH-protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase (PCR), but also larger aggregates of the polypeptide were identified by inununological detection on electro-blots. A two-dimensional diagonál gel showed that much of the cross-linking was between the PCR polypeptides. The cross-linkers induced a shift of the fluorescence peak to shorter wavelengths, a bandwidth increase of the fluorescence peak, and an increase of the fluorescence yield. In the presence of NADPH the blue shift was reduced, but the increase in the fluorescence yield still occmred. A cross-linker treatment of PLBs prior to solubilization with 1-0-n-octyl-P -D-glucopyranoside (octylglucoside) delayed, but did not prevent the spectral shifts from 657 to 646 nm and from 646 to 635 nm observed in non-cross-linked detergent- treated PLBs. The cross-linking did not prevent a spectral shift, corresponding to the Shibata shift, of Chlide. Thus the spectral shifts are not strictly coupled to disaggregation of the PCR polypeptides.