Recent reports have indicated a considerably inactivated PSII in twig cortices, in spite of the low light transmittance of overlying periderms. Corresponding information for more deeply located and less illuminated tissues like xylem rays and pith are lacking. In this investigation we aimed to characterize the efficiency of PSII and its light sensitivity along twig depth, in conjunction with the prevailing light quantity and quality. To that aim, optical methods (spectral reflectance and transmittance, chlorophyll fluorescence imaging, low temperature fluorescence spectra) and photoinhibitory treatments were applied in cut twig sections of four tree species, while corresponding leaves served as controls. Compared to leaves, twig tissues displayed lower chlorophyll (Chl) levels and dark-adapted PSII efficiency, with strong decreasing gradients towards the twig center. The low PSII efficiencies in the inner stem were not an artifact due to an actinic effect of measuring beam or to an enhanced contribution of PSI fluorescence. In fact, the PSII/PSI ratios in cortices were higher and those in the xylem rays similar to that of leaves. Inner twig tissues were quite resistant to photoinhibitory treatments, tolerating irradiation levels several-fold higher than those encountered in their microenvironment. Moreover, the extent of high light tolerance was similar in naturally exposed and shaded twig sides. The results indicate an increasing, inherent and light-independent inactivation of PSII along twig depth. The findings are discussed on the basis of a recently proposed model for photosynthetic electron flow in twigs, taking into account the specific atmospheric and light microenvironment as well as the possible metabolic needs of such bulky organs. and C. Yiotis, Y. Petropoulou, Y. Manetas.
Because of the shortage of phycoerythrin (PE) gene sequences from rhodophytes, peBA encoding β- and α -subunits of PE from three species of red algae (Ceramium boydenn, Halymenia sinensis, and Plocamium telfariae) were cloned and sequenced. Different selection forces have affected the evolution of PE lineages. 8.9 % of the codons were subject to positive selection within the PE lineages (excluding high-irradiance adapted Prochlorococcus). More than 40 % of the sites may be under positive selection, and nearly 20 % sites are weakly constraint sites in high-irradiance adapted Prochlorococcus. Sites most likely undergoing positive selection were found in the chromophore binding domains, suggesting that these sites have played important roles in environmental adaptation during PE diversification. Moreover, the heterogeneous distribution of positively selected sites along the PE gene was revealed from the comparison of low-irradiance adapted Prochlorococcus and marine Synechococcus, which firmly suggests that evolutionary patterns of PEs in these two lineages are significantly different. and S. Qin, F. Q. Zhao, C. K. Tseng.
The effects of environmental salinity on physiological responses, growth, and survival of the Gulf corvina, C. othonopterus, were evaluated in a 6-week completely randomized design experiment. Corvina (17.2±2.3 g mean initial body weight) were subjected to salinities of 5, 15, 25, and 35 ‰ and fed a commercial feed with protein and lipid contents of 46 and 14 %, respectively. Plasma osmolality increased significantly with salinity, ranging from 335.1±5.3 mOsm/kg in fish maintained at 5 ‰, to 354.8±6.8 mOsm/kg in fish kept in seawater, while a significant inverse relationship was observed between salinity and moisture content of whole fish, ranging from 73.8±0.7 (measured at 5 ‰) to 76.9±1.0 % (measured at 35 ‰). In spite of this, growth indices (final weight, weight gain, specific growth rate, condition factor, survival) were not altered, suggesting that, like other members of the family Sciaenidae, the Gulf corvina is a strong osmoregulator. The isosmotic point for this species was estimated to correspond to a salinity of 9.8 ‰. The present study represents the first set of experimental data on salinity tolerance of C. othonopterus and confirms the euryhalinity of this species., M. Perez-Velazquez, P. Urquidez-Bejarano, M. L. González-Félix, C. Minjarez-Osorio., and Obsahuje bibliografii
The purpose of this study was to investigate the occurrence and time-course of apoptosis in soleus skeletal muscle during the first 48 hours of unloading. Fifty Charles River mice were randomly divided into five groups (n=10 each) according to the time of hindlimb suspension (HS). Mice we re suspended for 0 (Control), 6 (6HS), 12 (12HS), 24 (24HS), and 48 hours (48HS). Soleus muscle atrophy was confirmed by a significant decrease of 20 % in muscle-wet weight and of 5 % in the ratio protein concentration/muscle wet-weight observed after 48 hours of unloading. The apoptotic index, the AIF (apoptosis-inducing factor) and p53 expression presented th eir uppermost value (304 %, 241 % and 246 %, respectively) at 24HS, and were preceded by the highest activity of caspase-3 and -8 at 12HS (170 % and 218 %, respectively) and of Bax/Bcl-2 content at 6HS (160 %). There were no marked ultrastructural alterations until 24 hours of simulated weightlessness. Lysosomal autophagic activity and infiltration of phagocytic cells were observed at 24HS and 48HS and might have contributed to the degenerative changes noticed in both groups. Though not consistently supported by morphological evidences, the biochemical parameters sustain the concept that the occurrence of apoptosis parallels the soleus atrophic response in its early phase., R. Ferreira, M. J. Neuparth, R. Vittorino, H. J. Appell, F. Amado, J. A. Duarte., and Obsahuje bibliografii a bibliografické odkazy
The paper presents a contrastive Czech–Spanish study concentrating on reportative markers. Methodologically, it is based on the cognitive theories of mental spaces and grounding, with the primary focus on the Spanish counterparts of the Czech prý, and the secondary focus on the Czech counterparts of the Spanish dizque. The analysis is conducted using the parallel corpus InterCorp and presents evidentiality as a complex category, which is closely related to tense and evaluative modality. The translation respondents of prý and dizque in both languages display significant variability. The corpus data reveal that notions attributed to them are expressed in a complex way in the other language, pointing out that grammatical and lexical elements such as sequence of tenses and diminutive suffixes can convey notions similar to those conveyed by adverbial hearsay markers or verba dicendi. and Článek se zaměřuje na kontrastivní česko-španělskou analýzu reportativních částic. Metodologicky vychází z kognitivních teorií mentálních prostorů a groundingu, přičemž pozornost je zaměřena primárně na španělské protějšky českého prý, ve druhém plánu také na české protějšky španělského dizque. Analýzy vycházejí z jazykového materiálu pocházejícího z korpusu InterCorp a prezentují evidencialitu jakožto komplexní kategorii, která je blízce spjatá s kategoriemi času a evaluativní modality. Překladatelské protějšky prý a dizque vykazují v obou jazycích velkou variabilitu, přičemž data z korpusu dokazují, že významy, které v sobě tyto částice zahrnují, jsou v druhém jazyce často vyjádřeny komplexním způsobem. Časová souslednost nebo deminutivní sufixy v některých kontextech vyjadřují podobné významové odstíny, jaké přisuzujeme adverbiálním částicím označujícím externí zdroj informace nebo slovesům mluvení.
S myšlenkou vytvořit vlastní evoluci a její úspěšnou implementaci přišel Thomas Ray, biolog z Delawarské univerzity. Na počátku 90. let minulého století vytvořil systém zvaný Tierra (Země). Šlo o počítačový systém několika krátkých vzájemně si konkurujících programů. Programy se množily, v systému docházelo k mutacím a díky tomu k evoluci. V tomto systému Thomas Ray mj. pozoroval vznik parazitismu, kdy některé programy zkrátily svůj kód a k životu používaly kód programů jiných. Dalším významným systémem byla Avida, vyvinutá na Michigan State University, kde byl pozorován vznik složitých funkcí, a systém Amoeba, ve které byl pozorován vznik samoreplikujících struktur z náhodného počátečního kódu., The idea of creating an own self-evolution and its successful implementation came from Thomas Ray, a biologist at the University of Delaware, In the early 90s of the last century he created a computer system of short competing programs called Tierra (Earth) where programs reproduce and mutations occur. Thomas Ray observed the creation of parasitism, where some programs shorten their code length and the missing parts used from other programs. Another important system Avida was developed at Michigan State University, where the creation of new complex functions was observed and the system Amoeba, in which the emergence of self-replicating structures from random initial code was observed., Vladimír Scholtz., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
Příspěvek pojednává o využití výpočetní techniky ve fyzikálních vědách, speciálně o aplikaci evolučních algoritmů v problematice deterministického chaosu. V obou ukázkových studiích jsou použity jak klasické evoluční algoritmy, tak algoritmy moderní. Veškeré údaje byly získány mnohonásobně opakovanými simulacemi, jejichž výsledky jasně poukazují na robustnost a životaschopnost použitých metod. Získaná řešení a postupy k nim vedoucí uvedené v článku jsou diskutovány pouze na úrovni informativního charakteru; pro nastudování plného popisu jsou na konci příspěvku uvedeny potřebné odkazy., Ivan Zelinka, Roman Šenkeřík, Zuzana Oplatková., and Obsahuje seznam literatury