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36052. White adipose tissue: storage and effector site for environmental pollutants
- Creator:
- Müllerová, D. and Kopecký , J.
- Type:
- article, model:article, and TEXT
- Subject:
- White adipose tissue, Organic pollutants, Endocrine disruption, and Adipokines
- Language:
- English
- Description:
- White adipose tissue (WAT) represents a reservoir of lipophilic environmental pollutants, especially of those which are resistant to biological and chemical degradation – so-called persistent organic pollutants (POPs). Large amounts of different congeners and isomers of these compounds exhibit a variety of adverse biological effects. Interactions among different classes of compounds, frequently with opposing effects, complicate hazard evaluation and risk assessment. WAT is the key organ for energy homeostasis and it also releases metabolites into the circulation and adipokines with systemic effects on insulin sensitivity and fuel partitioning in muscles and other tissues. Its beneficial role is lost in obesity when excessive accumulation of WAT contributes to severe diseases, such as diabetes. POPs may crossroad or modulate the effect of endogenous ligands of nuclear transcription factors, participating in differentiation, metabolism and the secretory function of adipocytes. These mechanisms include, most importantly: i) endocrine disrupting potency of POPs ́ mixtures on androgen, estrogen or thyroid hormone metabolism/functions in WAT, ii) interference of dioxin-like chemicals with retinoic acid homeostasis, where impact on retinoid receptors is expected, and iii) interaction with transcriptional activity of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors is likely. Thus, the accumulation and action of POPs in WAT represents a unitary mechanism explaining, at least in part, the effects of POPs in the whole organism. By modulating WAT differentiation, metabolism and function, the POPs could affect not only the physiological role of WAT, but they may also influence the development of obesity-associated diseases.
- Rights:
- http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ and policy:public
36053. White Carpathian grasslands: can local ecological factors explain their extraordinary species richness?
- Creator:
- Kristina, Preislerová, Zdenka, and Chytrý , Milan
- Type:
- article, model:article, and TEXT
- Subject:
- Bílé Karpaty, Czech Republic, diversity, dry grassland, meadow, nutrients, productivity, Slovakia, spoil pH, vascular plants, and Western Carpathians
- Language:
- English
- Description:
- Semi-dry grasslands in the White Carpathian (Bílé Karpaty) Mountains on the Czech-Slovak border are famous for their extremely high species richness. In places they contain more than 130 species of vascular plants per 100m2 and for some plot sizes they hold world records in the number of vascular plant species, but the reasons for this are poorly understood. Here we ask whether the high number of species in these grasslands can be explained by local ecological factors. We compared the White Carpathian grasslands with similar grasslands in adjacent areas in the west (southern Moravia) and the east (Inner Western Carpathians), which are on average notably poorer in species than those in the White Carpathians. In both of these areas, we sampled grasslands that were among the species richest in the regional context and had a similar physiognomy, species composition and ecology as those in the White Carpathians. We found 75 sites with >70 and >25 species of vascular plants per 100 m2 and 1 m2, respectively, in which we recorded species composition and local environmental conditions, including precipitation, soil depth, soil pH and nutrient concentrations, above-ground biomass production and nutrients in plant biomass. Although the White Carpathian grasslands were considerably richer in species than the richest grasslands in the adjacent regions, there were no differences in the values of the factors studied that could provide an unequivocal explanation of their high species richness. However, the values of the factors studied were within the ranges reported in the literature as conducive to high species richness in temperate grasslands. We conclude that the high species richness recorded in the White Carpathian grasslands cannot be explained by a single factor. It results from a unique combination of regional factors (long history of these grasslands, large size of individual grassland areas and their existence in a landscape mosaic with forests, scrub and small wetlands), local abiotic factors (soil pH, soil nutrient status, moisture regime and resulting grassland productivity that are suitable for many species from the regional species pool) and management (low fertilizer input and mowing once a year in late spring or summer).
- Rights:
- http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ and policy:public
36054. White linear markings on the abdomen of river loaches (Nemacheilidae) - potential usage for the identification of individuals
- Creator:
- Aoyama, Shigeru, Satoh, Aki, and Kunisue, Ayako
- Type:
- article and TEXT
- Subject:
- individual identification and Balitoridae
- Language:
- English
- Description:
- Former studies demonstrated that the river loach species Lefua sp. and Lefua echigonia (Nemacheilidae) have thin white linear markings from the pectoral fin base to the ventral fin base on both right and left sides of the abdomen that can be used to identify individuals in laboratory and in the field. In the present study we demonstrate the existence of such markings and the uniqueness of their shape in reared individuals of a further six species of Nemacheilidae, but found them absent in three species of Balitoridae. Furthermore, the long-term stability of the shape of the markings was examined in reared individuals of the nemacheilid Barbatula toni over two years. The white line markings offer a non-invasive tool for the individual recognition of nemacheilid species, some of which are threatened with extinction.
- Rights:
- http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
36055. White plant shoots, wax-producing insects and other white structures made by arthropods: a mimicry complex?
- Creator:
- Yamazaki, Kazuo
- Format:
- print, počítač, and online zdroj
- Type:
- article, články, journal articles, model:article, and TEXT
- Subject:
- Zoologie, vosky, pavouci, waxes, spiders, plant mimicry, anti-herbivore defence, cocoon, entomopathogenic fungus, spider egg sac, spittlebug froth, trichome, 2, and 59
- Language:
- English
- Description:
- Many insects masquerade as parts of plants, such as bark or leaves, or mimic poisonous organisms in order to defend themselves against predators. However, recent studies indicate that plants may mimic insects and other arthropods to deter herbivores. Here, I report visually similar white structures of plants and arthropods in Japan and suggest they are part of a mimicry complex. Young shoots covered with white trichomes or waxy substances may mimic wax-producing insects, such as woolly aphids, coccids and caterpillars, potentially resulting in reduced herbivory. Since wax-producing insects would reduce plant quality and quantity, be distasteful and attract natural enemies, herbivorous insects and mammals may avoid such white shoots. Furthermore, fungus-infected insects, gregarious braconid cocoons, spider egg sacs and froth made by froghopper nymphs or blasticotomid sawfly larvae are also conspicuously white and impose risks for herbivorous insects. Thus, these white structures may be mimicry models for white shoots and are likely to be part of a defensive mimicry complex. Although this study focuses on defence against herbivores, there are simultaneous physiological roles for white colouration that will not be discussed in depth here., Kazuo Yamazaki., and Obsahuje bibliografii
- Rights:
- http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ and policy:public
36056. White-tailed deer winter feeding strategy in area shared with other deer species
- Creator:
- Homolka, Miloslav, Heroldová, Marta, and Bartoš, Luděk
- Type:
- article and TEXT
- Subject:
- Capreolus capreolus, Cervus elaphus, Czech Republic, Dama dama, diet analysis, fallow deer, Odocoileus virginianus, red deer, and roe deer
- Language:
- English
- Description:
- White-tailed deer were introduced into the Czech Republic about one hundred years ago. Population numbers have remained stable at low density despite almost no harvesting. This differs from other introductions of this species in Europe. We presumed that one of the possible factors preventing expansion of the white-tailed deer population is lack of high-quality food components in an area overpopulated by sympatric roe, fallow and red deer. We analyzed the WTD winter diet and diets of the other deer species to get information on their feeding strategy during a critical period of a year. We focused primarily on conifer needle consumption, a generally accepted indicator of starvation and on bramble leaves as an indicator of high-quality items. We tested the following hypotheses: (1) If the environment has a limited food supply, the poorest competitors of the four deer species will have the highest proportion of conifer needles in the diet ; (2) the deer will overlap in trophic niches and will share limited nutritious resource (bramble). White-tailed, roe, fallow, and red deer diets were investigated by microscopic analysis of plant remains in their faeces. The volume of bramble decreased in the diet of all four deer species from November to March. The content of conifer needles in the diet of white-tailed and roe deer was negatively correlated with bramble and in spring made up 90 % of their diet volume. On the other hand conifer needles in the diet of red and fallow deer occurred only in January with snow cover. Fallow and red deer started the compensation of winter starvation at least one monthearlier than both roe and white-tailed deer. a high content of conifers in white-tailed deer diet in the second half of the winter fully support the presumption about low nutritional food supply and its diet. It can lead to a markedly impaired condition for white-tailed and roe deer and negatively affect their condition. The dietary overlap of four sympatric deer species was extensive in winter. All species share a limited good quality food supply (bramble) when food is scarce, suggesting that interspecific competition may occur.
- Rights:
- http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
36057. Whither peripheral financialisation? Housing finance in Croatia since the global financial crisis
- Creator:
- Mikuš, Marek
- Format:
- počítač and online zdroj
- Type:
- model:article and TEXT
- Subject:
- Croatia, Eastern Europe, household debt, housing finance, and peripheral financialisation
- Language:
- English
- Description:
- This article analyses recent developments in Croatian housing finance to update the established account of housing finance and peripheral financialisation in Eastern Europe that is based on the boom-bust cycle of the 2000s and early-to-mid 2010s. During the bust stage of that cycle, changes in regulation and in the behaviour of debtors and creditors resulted in deleveraging and a shift away from the risky and exploitative lending practices characteristic of peripheral housing finance. However, new increases in household debt and housing prices since 2016–17, coupled with the COVID-19 pandemic, seem to have reversed these trends. While a boom-bust cycle of similar scope and modality to the first one is unlikely to be repeated, peripheral forms of housing finance have persisted to some degree.
- Rights:
- http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ and policy:public
36058. Whitton, B.A., Potts, M. (ed.): The ecology of cyanobacteria. Their diversity in time and space
- Creator:
- Šesták, Z.
- Format:
- bez média and svazek
- Type:
- model:article and TEXT
- Subject:
- cyanobacteria
- Language:
- Multiple languages
- Rights:
- http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ and policy:public
36059. Who borrows and who may not repay?
- Creator:
- Bičáková, Alena, Prelcová, Zuzana, Pašaličová, Renata, Kejak, Michal, Univerzita Karlova. Centrum pro ekonomický výzkum a doktorské studium, and Národohospodářský ústav (Akademie věd ČR)
- Publisher:
- CERGE-EI
- Format:
- electronic and 43 s. : grafy.
- Type:
- model:monograph and TEXT
- Subject:
- Finance, spotřebitelské úvěry, platební neschopnost, zadluženost, regionální rozdíly, 336.77.067, 347.736, 336:005.931.2, 332.1, (048.8), 4, and 336.7
- Language:
- English and Czech
- Description:
- Alena Bičáková, Zuzana Prelcová, Renata Pašaličová ; editor: Michal Kejak., Obsahuje bibliografii, and born digital
- Rights:
- http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ and policy:public
36060. Who is likely to be rementioned? An experimental study of implicit causality bias in Croatian
- Creator:
- Košutar, Sara and Matić Škorić, Ana
- Format:
- bez média and svazek
- Type:
- model:article and TEXT
- Subject:
- implicit causality verbs, semantic structure account, verb taxonomy, and Croatian
- Language:
- Czech
- Description:
- Implicit causality (IC) verbs influence the pronoun ambiguity resolution by directing the speakers’ (readers’ or listeners’) attention to the referent that is likely to be the cause of the event or state. Although IC bias is considered universal, there are cross-linguistic differences in its direction and strength. Previous studies have attempted to build large datasets of IC verbs, but very few Slavic languages have been investigated. In this experimental study, we examined the direction and strength of IC bias in Croatian, an understudied Slavic language in this regard, and compared it with IC bias observed in English. After selecting 137 verbs and classifying them according to thematic roles (agent-patient, agent-evocator, stimulus-experiencer, experiencer-stimulus), 86 participants were asked to complete sentence fragments containing these verbs. The study was conducted under the semantic structure account. Our results show that most Croatian verbs followed the predicted direction, which is consistent with findings suggesting that the direction of IC bias is relatively generalizable across languages. We also detected cross-linguistic variability in the strength of IC bias, especially in stimulus-experiencer verbs. This is consistent with studies showing that the strength of IC bias can vary across languages. Implications for theoretical and methodological approaches are discussed. and Implicitnouzročni glagoli utječu na razdvosmislenje upućivanja zamjenicom usmjeravajući govornikovu (čitateljevu ili slušateljevu) pozornost na referent koji je vjerojatniji uzrok događaja ili stanja. Iako se implicitnouzročna pristranost smatra univerzalnom, pronađene su međujezične razlike u smjeru i jačini glagolske pristranosti. U prijašnjim se istraživanjima težilo stvaranju velikih baza implicitnouzročnih glagola, no ta je jezična pojava nedovoljno istražena u slavenskim jezicima. Cilj ovoga eksperimentalnoga istraživanja bio je ispitati smjer i jačinu pristranosti implicitnouzročnih glagola u hrvatskome, koji je slavenski jezik i u kojem je ta pojava slabo istražena, te dobivene podatke usporediti s podatcima u engleskom jeziku. Izabrano je 137 glagola koji su razvrstani prema semantičkim ulogama (agens – pacijens, agens – pobuđivač, poticajnik – doživljavač, doživljavač – poticajnik). Ukupno je 86 sudionika dovršavalo rečenice s tim glagolima. Istraživanje je provedeno u okviru pristupa značenjske strukture. Rezultati pokazuju da većina hrvatskih glagola pokazuje predviđeni smjer pristranosti, što je u skladu s istraživanjima koja upućuju na to da je smjer implicitnouzročne pristranosti sličan u različitim jezicima. S druge strane, pronađene su međujezične razlike u snazi glagolske pristranosti, ponajprije u kategoriji poticajnik – doživljavač. Taj je rezultat u skladu s istraživanjima koja pokazuju da se jačina implicitnouzročne pristranosti može razlikovati među jezicima. U radu se raspravlja o teorijskim i metodološkim implikacijama.
- Rights:
- http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ and policy:public