Vegetation and biocrust play crucial roles in dune stability and mobility, and their interaction can lead to bistability, temporal oscillations, and hysteresis. We studied a two-dimensional (2D) mathematical model of vegetation and biogenic crust cover dynamics on sand dunes. Under a certain parameter range, the space-independent version of the model exhibited the bi-stability of an oscillatory state and a steady state, and we studied the 2D dynamics of the model under these parameters. The patterns developed by the 2D model showed a high degree of spatial heterogeneity and complexity depending on the initial conditions and on the state type across the front. The results suggest that spatial heterogeneity and complexity can evolve from the intrinsic dynamics between vegetation and biocrust, even without natural geodiversity and spatiotemporal climate fluctuations. In the real world, these two types of intrinsic and extrinsic heterogeneity processes interact such that it is difficult to distinguish between them.
The subgenus Alienosternus Lackner, 2016 of the genus Phoxonotus Marseul, 1862 (Coleoptera: Histeridae), described in Eur. J. Entomol. 113: 240-258, is a junior homonym of Alienosternus Martins, 1976 (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) and is hereby replaced by Saprinosternus nom. n. The status of the single known type specimens of Phoxonotus suturalis Lewis, 1907, P. lectus Lewis, 1902 and P. venustus (Erichson, 1834) (assumed to be holotypes in Lackner, 2016) is clarified., Tomáš Lackner., and Obsahuje bibliografii
In the era of COVID-19 pandemic, organ transplantation programs were facing serious challenges. The lung transplantation donor pool was extremely limited and SARS-CoV-2 viral load assessment has become a crucial part of selecting an optimal organ donor. Since COVID-19 is a respiratory disease, the viral load is thought to be more important in lung transplantations as compared to other solid organ transplantations. We present two challenging cases of potential lung donors with a questionable COVID-19 status. Based on these cases, we suggest that the cycle threshold (Ct) value should always be requested from the laboratory and the decision whether to proceed with transplantation should be made upon complex evaluation of diverse criteria, including the nasopharyngeal swab and bronchoalveolar lavage PCR results, the Ct value, imaging findings and the medical history. However, as the presence of viral RNA does not ensure infectivity, it is still to be clarified which Ct values are associated with the viral viability. Anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgA antibodies may support the diagnosis and moreover, novel methods, such as quantifying SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid antigen in serum may provide important answers in organ transplantations and donor selections.
This article summarizes the importance of the exact morphology of human uterine/fallopian tube epithelium at the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) level for the clinical outcome even nowadays. Visual referential micrographs from SEM reflect two ways to view human epithelial cell lining surfaces: the surface epithelial uterine tube from surgical tissue biopsy and human fallopian tube epithelial cells (HFTEC) culture monolayer surface. One colorized image visualizes ciliated cells, distinguishes them from non-ciliated cells, and provides an educational benefit. A detailed description of the ultrastructure in referential and pathologic human uterine tube epithelium is important in defining the morphological basis of high-grade carcinomas, in the mechanism of pathophysiology, and in discussing options for its prevention. Cell cultures of human fallopian tube epithelial cells offer new approaches in simulating the mechanisms of cancer genesis or may help to elucidate the genetic basis of several diagnoses. New technical approaches in SEM provide higher resolution and detailed surface images. The SEM modality is still one of the current options in diagnostics and may be useful for advancing human reproductive organ cancer research.
This study examined escape behaviour of hooded crows, Corvus cornix, in an urban environment, in Belgrade, Serbia, with the goal of assessing the effect of breeding season on components of escape behaviour; flight initiation distance (FID), distance fled (DF), and escape method (flying vs. running/walking). Using GLMMs, it was shown that FID was longer during the breeding season, and increased with alert distance. DF was significantly influenced by escape method, with birds escaping for distances greater than 10 m more often when flying, whereas escape method itself was significantly influenced by FID, with birds escaping more often by flying at greater distances from an approaching predator. The majority of individuals (78%) fled for distances < 10 m after initiating escape, and escaped by walking or running (67%). Our results show that hooded crows, although adapted to living in highly urbanized environments, may be more risk-averse during the breeding season, which may allow them to more successfully take care of their young.
Seasonal polyphenism in adults may be a season-specific adaptation of the adult stage and/or a by-product of adaptive plasticity of the juvenile stages. The swallowtail butterfly Papilio xuthus L. exhibits seasonal polyphenism controlled by photoperiod. Adults emerging in spring from pupae that spend winter in diapause have smaller bodies than adults emerging in summer from pupae that do not undergo diapause. Pupal diapause is induced by short-day conditions typical of autumn. To explore the interactive effects of temperature and developmental pathways on the variation in adult body size in P. xuthus, we reared larvae at two temperatures (20°C, 25°C) under two photoperiods (12L : 12D and 16L : 8D). Pupal weight and adult forewing length were greater in the generation that did not undergo diapause and were greater at 25°C than at 20°C. Thus, body size differences were greatest between the individuals that were reared at the longer day length and higher temperature and did not undergo diapause and those that were reared at the shorter day length and lower temperature and did undergo diapause. Unlike in other Lepidoptera, larvae of individuals that undergo diapause had shorter developmental times and higher growth rates than those that did not undergo diapause. This developmental plasticity may enable this butterfly to cope with the unpredictable length of the growing season prior to the onset of winter. Our results indicate that there are unexplored variations in the life history strategy of multivoltine Lepidoptera., Shinya Komata, Teiji Sota., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Eristalis pertinax varies seasonally, with the spring morph more hairy than the summer morph. We measured the size and the venation of the wings of the seasonal morphs. Wings of the spring morph were significantly larger than those of the summer morph and those of females were larger than those of males. There were also significant differences between the morphs in wing venation and their allometric relationship. The differences between sexes were larger than differences between seasonal morphs. The allometry can account for the sexual dimorphism but not seasonal dimorphism. The differences between seasonal morphs in wing shape were relatively large with very few intermediate individuals. The differences were comparable to those between two related species of Syrphidae. Genetic analyses based on markers in nuclear and mitochondrial genomes unequivocally revealed that spring and summer morphs of E. pertinax form a single population and should not be regarded as separate taxa. Thus seasonal variability in this species is a rare example of polyphenism in Diptera., Lukasz E. Mielczarek, Andrzej Oleksa, Katarzyna Meyza, Adam Tofilski., and Obsahuje bibliografii
The increase in wild boar numbers in recent decades is partly due to the involvement of most young females in reproduction as early as their first year of life. After the rut of adult females is over, young females are still entering oestrous as they attain maturity, prolonging the rutting period by several months. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of seasonality on the growth rate of male wild boar bodies, the growth of piglet and yearling male wild boar gonads, and sperm concentration in the epididymides. We found that yearlings’ weight and body length were almost constant in summer and autumn, with a sharp increase in winter. Seasonality was also reflected in the body condition index, which rose by more than 41% between summer and winter. In terms of seasonality, the testimetric dimensions again differed significantly only in winter. Sperm were recorded in piglets weighing more than 15 kg. Regardless of the time of capture, 41% of piglets were examined as juveniles, only 6%, resp. 8% of piglets reached low or medium concentration values. While 10% of all yearling males were azoospermatic (juvenile), regardless of weight, there was evidence of seasonality in the proportion of males with measurable concentrations. These concentrations gradually increased from 62.5% in summer to 78.6% in winter. No sterile male over two years of age was noted. The results show that even in wild boars, there is a culmination not only of physical characteristics in winter but also a culmination of testimetric dimensions. Sperm already occur in 15 kg of piglets, which means they can theoretically participate in the fertilisation of female piglets.
Lidé s vyšší mírou sebehodnocení vykazují nízkou míru neuroticismu a vysokou míru přívětivosti, svědomitosti, extraverze a otevřenosti vůči zkušenosti, což by mohly být ideální předpoklady pro pozici výchovného pracovníka na dětském táboře. Cílem práce bylo zjistit, zda existuje rozdíl v sebehodnocení a rysech osobnosti u výchovných pracovníků a běžnou populací. Výzkumu se dobrovolně účastnilo 1153 respondentů (18 – 40 let), z toho 563 výchovných pracovníků a 590 respondentů z běžné populace. Data byla získávána pomocí online dotazníku, který se skládal z demografických otázek, RSES a BFI – 44. K analýze výsledků jsme využili deskriptivní statistiku a T–test pro nezávislé výběry. Výchovní pracovníci vykazují vyšší hodnotu sebehodnocení, a všech faktorů kromě neuroticismu, zde byly hodnoty nižší. Vedoucími se častěji stávají bývalí účastníci dětských táborů. Výsledky lze uplatnit při výběru vhodných vedoucích na pozice výchovných pracovníků. and People with a higher level of self-esteem show a low level of neuroticism and a high level of friendliness, conscientiousness, extraversion, and openness to experience, which could be ideal preconditions for the position of an educator at a children's camp. This work aims to find out whether there is a difference in self-esteem and personality traits between educators and the general population. 1,153 respondents (18–40 years) participated in this research, where 563 were educators and 590 were respondents from the general population. Data were obtained using an online questionnaire, which consisted of demographic questions, RSES and BFI-44. Data were analyzed by basic descriptive statistics and T-test for independent selections. Educators show a higher value of self-esteem and of all other factors except for neuroticism, where lower values were recorded. Former participants in children's camps became educators more often. The results can be applied in the selection of suitable leaders for the positions of educators.
The aim was search for and analyze published researchs dealing with self-efficacy and care burden in informal caregivers and to assess whether there is a relationship between self-efficacy and care burden. The source of the obtained data were licensed and freely available electronic databases. Based on the set criteria, 13 foreign studies published in the period 2010–2020 were included in the detailed analysis and subsequent processing. The results of the found studies have shown that lower self-efficacy is associated with higher care burden, increased stress, and a higher incidence of depressive syndrome in the informal caregivers. On the other hand high self-efficacy is related to the well-being of caregivers and the quality of life of patients. Self-efficacy appears to be an important phenomenon in influencing the care burden and therefore it is necessary to support caregivers to increase their self-efficacy. Appropriately chosen training and education can increase self-efficacy in various areas of care. and Cílem bylo vyhledat a analyzovat publikované výzkumy zabývající se self-efficacy a pečova-telskou zátěží u neformálních pečovatelů a po-soudit, zda existuje vztah mezi self-efficacy a pečovatelskou zátěží. Zdrojem získaných dat byly licencované a volně dostupné elektronické databáze. Na základě stanovených kritérií bylo do podrobné analýzy a následného zpracování zařazeno 13 zahraničních studií publikovaných v období 2010–2020. Výsledky vyhledaných studií poukazují, že nižší self-efficacy souvi-sí s vyšší pečovatelskou zátěží, se zvýšeným stresem a s vyšším výskytem depresivního syndromu u neformálního pečovatele. Vysoké self-efficacy naopak souvisí s pocitem pohody pečovatele a zlepšením kvality života pacienta. Self-efficacy se jeví jako významný fenomén v rámci ovlivňování pečovatelské zátěže, a pro-to je nutné podporovat pečovatele ve zvyšování jejich self-efficacy. Zvýšit self-efficacy v růz-ných oblastech péče mohou vhodně zvolená školení a edukace.