The aim of this study was to explore how the mitochondrial alternative oxidase (AOX) pathway alleviates photoinhibition in chilled tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) seedlings. Chilling induced photoinhibition in tomato seedlings despite the increases in thermal energy dissipation and cyclic electron flow around PSI (CEF-PSI). Chilling inhibited the function of PSII and blocked electron transport at the PSII acceptor side, however, it did not affect the oxygen-evolving complex on the donor side of PSII. Upregulation of the AOX pathway protects against photoinhibition by improving PSII function and photosynthetic electron transport in tomato seedlings under chilling stress. The AOX pathway maintained the open state of PSII and the stability of the entire photosynthetic electron transport chain. Moreover, the protective role of the AOX pathway on PSII was more important than that on PSI. However, inhibition of the AOX pathway could be compensated by increasing CEF-PSI activity under chilling stress.
Infertility affects approximately 48 million couples globally. Despite the enormous progress of the methods of reproductive medicine that has been made since the first test-tube baby was born in 1978, the implantation rate of day-3 embryos is only around 15-20 % and 30 % of day-5 embryos. Numerous strategies aim to improve implantation rates and prevent repeated implantation failure. However, there is no specific general recommendation leading to satisfying results. One of the many risk factors relevant in this regard is the uterine immunological make-up, mainly the uterine Natural Killer (uNK) cells. They orchestrate the overall immune response during implantation by influencing trophoblast invasion and vascular remodeling and throughout pregnancy, uNK cells are also the main immune cells at the maternal–fetal interface. Previously, uNK count has been correlated with various fertility issues including idiopathic recurrent miscarriage. The present study used endometrial samples collected from 256 patients with recurrent implantation failure (RIF), habitual abortion (HA) and idiopathic sterility. Samples were collected between day 19 and 21 of the menstrual cycle mainly by Pipelle endometrial sampling. The samples were fixed in formalin for 24 hours and further processed for immunohistochemistry using anti-CD56 to visualize this antigen marker of uNK cells. Immunohistochemical counting was performed to assess the low, normal, or elevated count of uNK cells. According to the one-way ANOVA test, the age of our patients did not have any influence on the count of uNK cells. With Spearman correlation analysis, we found statistically significant correlation (p-value 0.05) of -0.133 between prior miscarriage and lower uNK cell count. Using the same analysis we found statistically significant correlation (correlation 0.233 with p-value 0.01) between number of uNK cells and activation status. Patients with higher uNK cells were more frequenty diagnosed with endometriosis (p-value 0.05, correlation 0.130). Patients with an immunological factor of sterility (defined by a clinical immunologist) had a lower chance of gravidity (-0.203 with p-value 0.01). Based on our results, we can confirm that there is a correlation between RIF, HA, idiopathic sterility, endometriosis, and immunological factor of sterility (uNK cell count). The true predictive value with regard to fertility outcomes needs to be addressed in future research.
Cultivated fruits can serve as an important winter food resource for medium-sized carnivores in rural areas that experience heavy snowfall. However, studies on the food analysis of medium-sized carnivores in heavy snowfall areas, particularly on the use of cultivated fruits, are limited. We evaluated the use of cultivated fruits by medium-sized carnivores during winter in a heavy snowfall area by comparing their feeding habits in rural and forest landscapes. We conducted faecal analysis of Japanese martens (Martes melampus) and red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in rural and forest landscapes in north-eastern Japan during periods of snow cover. Based on a faecal analysis in the rural landscape, both Japanese martens and red foxes consumed mammals, birds, fruits, and other plant material. In the forest landscape, mammals and insects were consumed by Japanese martens and mammals, fruits, and other plant material were consumed by red foxes. Our results showed that cultivated fruits, such as persimmons and apples, were a major food source in snowy environments, suggesting a wider range of available resources and overlapping feeding habits. It has been suggested that red foxes in forest landscapes move long distances (several kilometres) to consume cultivated fruits. This study suggests that cultivated fruits may also indirectly feed wildlife, even in areas with heavy snowfall.
Casuistry is one of the most widespread methods of moral reasoning in contemporary bioethics. It is often found in opposition to the dominant theory of principlism. While theoretically, ethical principlism has been elaborated quite often in the Czech bioethical and medical-ethical literature, the theoretical definition of the casuistic method does not appear. This article, therefore briefly presents the theoretical foundations of the so-called casuist method. The historical context of the casuistry method, its advantages, and disadvantages are presented. In particular, it was compared with so-called deductivist approaches and principlism, which appear in contemporary bioethics as basic competing approaches. and Kazuistika či kazuistická metoda (casuistry) je jednou z nejrozšířenějších metod morálního rozvažování v současné bioetice. Bývá často považována za protiklad k dominantní teorii principialismu. Zatímco teoreticky byl etický principialismus v české bioetické a medicínsko-etické literatuře poměrně často rozpracován, teoretické vymezení metody kazuistické se spíše neobjevuje. Tento článek proto krátce představuje teoretické základy tzv. kazuistická metody. Jsou představeny historické souvislosti kazuistické metody, její výhody a nevýhody. Zejména byla porovnávána s tzv. deduktivistickými přístupy a principialismem, které se objevují v současné bioetice jako základní konkurenční přístupy.
The aim of this review is to summarize main aspects of the book Eutanázie: definice, historie, legislativa, etika. and Tento příspěvek je recenzí publikace Eutanázie: definice, historie, legislativa, etika, která vyšla v roce 2019.
Objectives. Due to the rise of depressive symptomatology especially among vulnerable populations such as young adults during the COVID-19 outbreak, a reliable measuring tool is needed. Because of the lack of such studies, the authors decided to validate the 8-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D 8) among Czech university students capturing the beginning of lockdown experience. Statistical analyses. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted and structural equation modelling with diagonally weighted least squares estimation using lavaan was employed. Different hypotheses about the dimensionality of the CES-D 8 scale were tested. The authors assessed the measurement equivalence of the CES-D 8 scale according to gender using multigroup confirmatory factor analysis. The effect of socio-demographic and COVID-19 issues variables on depression was examined. Results. One dimensional model with correlated errors showed sufficient validity and therefore, the best fit. Multigroup confirmatory factor analysis results revealed that the factor structure is invariant across gender. Women and those who reported financial distress and academic stress showed a higher level of depressive symptomatology. On the other hand, relationships proved to have a protective effect. Limitations. The sample came from an online survey, respondents were self-selected. There was a gender imbalance in the sample that cannot be explained by a higher number of women in the Czech university environment. Conclusions. The CES-D 8 proved to be a useful instrument for measuring depressed mood that opens further possibilities for depression research in the university environment and during pandemic situations. and Cíle. Vzhledem k nárůstu depresivní sympto-matologie během pandemie covid-19 zejména u zranitelných skupin, jako jsou mladí dospělí, narostla potřebnost spolehlivého nástroje na mě-ření depresivity. Z důvodu chybějící validizace se autoři rozhodli ověřit osmipoložkovou škálu Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D 8) u českých vysokoškolských studentů v době samého počátku pandemie.Statistické analýzy. Byla provedena konfir-mační faktorová analýza za použití struktur-ního modelování metodou DWLS (diagonally weighted least squares) pomocí balíku laavan. Byly testovány různé hypotézy o dimenziona-litě škály CES-D 8. Pomocí MCFA (multigroup confirmatory factor analysis) autoři posuzovali ekvivalenci měření škály CES-D 8 podle po-hlaví. Byl zkoumán vliv sociodemografických proměnných a proměnných týkajících se pro-blematiky covid-19 na depresivní symptoma-tologii.Výsledky. Jednodimenzionální model s korelo-vanými reziduálními rozptyly u dvou položek prokázal dostatečnou validitu a nejlépe odpoví-dal datům. Výsledky MCFA ukázaly, že faktoro-vá struktura zvoleného modelu byla invariantní vzhledem k pohlaví. Ženy a osoby, které byly ve finanční nouzi nebo prožívaly zvýšený stres ze studia, vykazovaly vyšší úroveň depresivní symptomatologie. Naopak partnerský vztah se ukázal mít protektivní efekt.Limity práce. Vzorek pochází z online průzku-mu, respondenti byli vybráni samovýběrem. Nadreprezentaci žen-studentek v datech nelze zdůvodnit vyšším podílem žen na českých uni-verzitách.Závěr. CES-D 8 se ukázal být užitečným nástro-jem pro měření depresivity, jenž otevírá další možnosti pro výzkum deprese v univerzitním prostředí a během pandemických situací.
Objectives. Research on populism has pro-gressed over the last decade and several scales have been proposed to measure populist at-titudes. None of these has been validated in the context of Slovakia, where populists are a long-term part of both coalition and opposition. This study aimed to verify the psychometric properties of four populist attitudes scales that are frequently used and verified in international research, on a Slovak sample. Participants and setting. Data of 832 respond-ents collected using an online panel in Novem-ber 2021 were analyzed using the R software. The research sample was representative accord-ing to the distribution of gender, age, education, and regions in Slovakia. Statistical analysis. The original scales were tested using an exploratory dataset (N = 416). The modified scales were verified using a con-firmatory dataset (N = 416). Results.The results showed that the original scales did not fit the data. However, after several modifications, the two scales were validated on the Slovak sample. The scales were invariant across the gender, age, and educational groups. Limits. A possible shortcoming of the validated populist attitudes scales is the instability in pre-dicting electoral behavior, which is discussed in connection with the results of other studies, and the Slovak political and cultural context. and Ciele. Výskum populizmu posledné desaťročie napreduje, čoho znakom je navrhnutie niekoľ-kých škál na meranie populistických postojov. Žiadna z nich nebola overená v podmienkach Slovenska, kde sú populisti dlhodobo súčasťou koalície aj opozície. Cieľom tejto štúdie bolo overiť psychometrické vlastnosti štyroch škál populistických postojov, ktoré sa často používa-jú a overujú v medzinárodných výskumoch, na slovenskej vzorke. Participanti a postup výskumu. Dáta 832 res-pondentov, získané pomocou online panelu v novembri 2021, boli analyzované pomocou softvéru R. Výskumná vzorka bola reprezen-tatívna z hľadiska distribúcie pohlavia, veku, úrovne vzdelania a príslušnosti k regiónom Slo-venska. Štatistická analýza. Pôvodné škály boli testova-né pomocou exploračného súboru dát (N = 416). Modifikované škály boli overené pomocou kon-firmačného súboru dát (N = 416). Výsledky. Výsledky ukázali, že pôvodné škály nezodpovedajú dátam. Po niekoľkých úpravách však boli dve škály validované na slovenskej vzorke. Škály boli invariantné pre pohlavie, vek a dosiahnuté vzdelanie. Limity. Možným nedostatkom validovaných škál populistických postojov je nestabilita pri predikcii volebného správania, ktorá je disku-tovaná v kontexte výsledkov iných štúdií a tiež v politickom a kultúrnom kontexte Slovenska.
Dehydration affects the photosynthetic apparatus. The impact of dehydration on photosynthesis was assessed in twelve Mediterranean species representing different growth forms. Rapid and slow dehydration experiments were conducted to (1) compare the impact of water stress among species and growth forms, (2) rank species according to their drought tolerance. Rapid dehydration reduced the electron transport up to PSI, the reduction being linearly related to leaf relative water content (RWC), except for the deciduous species. Specific energy fluxes per reaction center and maximum photochemical activity of PSII remained relatively stable until 10-30% RWC. The modification pattern of the studied parameters was similar for all the growth forms. Slow rehydration increased specific energy fluxes and decreased quantum yields. The dehydration pattern was similar among growth forms, while the recovery pattern was species-specific. Drought tolerance ranking through drought factor index was relatively modified with the integrated biomarker response method.
Thermal requirements for flight in butterflies is determined by a combination of external factors, behaviour and physical constraints. Thorax temperature of 152 butterflies was monitored with an infra-red thermometer in controlled laboratory conditions. The temperature at take-off varied from 13.4°C, for a female Heteronympha merope to 46.3°C, for a female Junonia villida. Heteronympha merope, an understorey species, had the lowest recorded take-off temperatures, with females flying at a much lower thorax temperatures than males. Among the tested butterfly species, warming-up rate was positively correlated with take-off temperature and negatively with body mass. Wing loading is a major variable in determining the thorax flight temperature. Butterflies with the highest wing-loadings experienced the highest thorax temperatures at take-off. A notable exception to this rule is Trapezites symmomus, the only Hesperiidae of our data set, which had thorax flight temperatures of 31.5°C and 34.5°C, well within the range of the observed butterflies, despite a wing load ca. five times higher. The high thorax temperature recorded in J. villida is probably linked to its high flight speed. The results highlight the importance of physical constraints such as body size on the thermal requirements for flight across a range of butterfly species., Gabriel Nève, Casey Hall., and Obsahuje bibliografii