Methods of analyses of biological time series are presented and compared to the traditional techiiiques based on the Fourier transform. Paranietric methods are used for computation of the autoregressive estimator, for the model order selection and for the spectrum estirnation. A nonlinear analysis deals with the state-space trajectory reconstruction and with the fractal and embedding dirnension estirnation. Experimental resiilts compare the abilities of traditional, pararnetric and nonlinear methods to distinguish different cognitive States of the human operator by an analysis of an EEG curve.
The relationship between species richness of plants and animals and altitude can be either hump-shaped, a monotonic decrease or increase. In this study the altitudinal distribution of moths on one of the highest mountains in South Korea was investigated. Moths were captured using a UV-light trap from May to October in 2007 and 2008. This revealed that the relationship between the total numbers of moth species and individuals and altitude is hump-shaped. A significant relationship was also recorded between the size of the area at each altitude and moth abundance and richness. However, the evenness index yielded a consistent decrease with increase in altitude because of the dominance of few species at high altitudes. Non-metric multidimensional scaling identified two major axes for the moth assemblage on Mount Jirisan. The correlations between the axes and variables demonstrated that the first axis was strongly correlated with altitude and aspect and the second axis with forest and site location.
The altitudinal gradient in diversity of dung beetles (Scarabaeidae) was studied in a Mediterranean mountain chain located in Central Anatolia to (i) determine if there are altitudinal differences between the main taxonomic groups, (ii) describe the seasonal variations in these assemblages and (iii) assess whether closed habitats influence dung beetle diversity differentially at different altitudes. Beetles were collected throughout a year at 14 localities between 469 and 1810 m above sea level in three different types of habitats. Dung beetle assemblages at 400 to 1200 m did not vary greatly in species richness, abundance and biomass. However, they varied in composition, with the assemblages dominated by species of Scarabaeinae up to 900 m, whereas in the mid-mountain assemblages (from 900 m to 1600 m) the numbers of species of Aphodiinae was higher. The decline with increase in altitude in richness, abundance and biomass of both small and large species of Scarabaeinae up to 1500 m, together with the constancy of these parameters in the case of Aphodiinae, accounts for the changes in the composition from the lowland to mid-mountain localities. Unlike at other Mediterranean localities, the open/closed structure of the habitat only slightly influences these assemblages independently of altitude or season. The general seasonal pattern follows the classical Mediterranean bimodal pattern associated with summer drought, but the patterns are more complex when the seasonal responses of the different groups and at different localities are analysed separately. We propose that the interplay between local climatic conditions (mainly temperature) and evolutionary conserved species preferences accounts for both the current seasonal and altitudinal gradients and the changes in species composition in terms of Aphodiinae and Scarabaeinae.
One of the best documented effects of climate change on biodiversity are shifts in phenology. However, long-term data quantifying and projecting the expected changes in phenology associated with climate warming are limited to a few well-recorded areas in the world. In the absence of temporal recording, an alternative approach is to determine the phenological response of species along marked gradients in climate or along latitudinal or altitudinal transects (space-for-time substitution). We studied the phenology (timing and duration of the flight period) of butterflies in 2006 along an altitudinal gradient (900-1680 m; estimated temperature lapse rate = -6.6°C/km) in the Serranía de Cuenca (central Spain) at the assemblage and individual species levels. Timing of the flight period was later for assemblages at high than at low altitudes. A similar trend of an increasing delay in the flight period with altitude was recorded for some individual species. However, there were also some exceptions to this pattern regardless of the number of sites and the altitudinal ranges of the species, suggesting possible local adaptation to regional climate. The duration of the flight period was shorter at high altitudes for assemblages, but this trend was not mirrored in the response of individual species. The results partly support substituting space-for-time when assessing the potential effect of climate change on phenophases such as the timing of the flight period, but we recommend extreme caution in extrapolating the results in the absence of information on how the responses of populations differ. and Juan Ignacio De Arce Crespo, David Gutiérrez.
Úvod: Alveolární echinokokóza je vzácné a závažné zoonotické parazitární onemocnění. Kazuistika: Autoři demonstrují případ mladého nemocného s postižením jater, bránice a plic touto formou infekce. Diagnóza echinokokové infekce byla stanovena na základě anamnézy, klinické symptomatologie v kombinaci s USG, CT, MRI a sérologickými metodami. Byla provedena radikální bloková resekce 7. jaterního segmentu, dolního plicního laloku vpravo a bránice. Definitivní stanovení diagnózy alveolární echinokokózy bylo provedeno histopatologicky a pomocí PCR metody ze vzorku resekované tkáně. Závěr: Nemocný je 8 měsíců po operaci bez potíž, trvale dispenzarizován s long-life terapií albendazolem., Introduction: Alveolar echinococcosis is a life-threatening zoonotic parasitic disease. Its incidence is rare. In some cases, the correct and timely diagnosis can be difficult. Case report: The authors present the case of a young patient with liver, diaphragm and lung involvement. The suspicion of echinococcus infection was made on the basis of medical history, clinical symptoms, and a combination of ultrasonography, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging tests and serological methods. The patient underwent multimodal treatment with albendazole and en-bloc resection of the liver, lung and diaphragm. The definitive diagnosis of alveolar echinococcosis was determined from samples of the resected tissues using histopathology and polymerase chain reaction methods. The patient has been followed regularly and is on life-long treatment with albendazole. Conclusion: The precise diagnosis and multimodal therapy of alveolar echinococcosis is fundamental from the point of view of patient long-term survival., and V. Třeška, L. Kolářová, H. Mírka, O. Daum, J. Matějů, V. Liška, A. Koubová, D. Sedláček
Alzheimerova choroba (ACH) je nejčastější forma demence. Jedná se o degenerativní, nevyléčitelné, terminální onemocnění. Postihuje až 75 % nemocných na celém světě postižených demencí. Prevalence tohoto onemocnění je vysoká, etiologie stále není známá. Je sledována řada rizikových faktorů. Pilotní studie projektu Epidemiologie a genetika Alzheimerovy choroby s 334 případy a 102 kontrolami z psychiatrických léčeben přináší následující výsledky z dotazníkového šetření a stěru z bukální sliznice. Dotazník se skládá z otázek zaměřených na základní identifikační údaje, vzdělání, životní styl, vaskulární rizikové faktory, zájmy, zaměstnání, výskyt nemoci v rodině, výsledky Minimental State Examination (MMSE). Dále jsou uvedeny výsledky analýzy polymorfizmů genu pro angiotenzinkonvertázu (ACE). Ve výsledcích je naznačeno, že u pacientů s ACH se v anamnéze častěji vyskytuje kardiovaskulární onemocnění a úraz hlavy. Výsledky analýz vztahu polymorfizmu I/D genu pro ACE k Alzheimerově chorobě odpovídají dosud publikovaným výsledkům, tzn., že genotypy II a ID mají vztah k riziku ACH, i když zatím nebyl zjištěn statisticky významný rozdíl ve sledovaných skupinách respondentů., Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia. It is a degenerative incurable terminal disease. AD affects a high percentage (75%) of persons with dementia all over the world. Prevalence is very high. Etiology is still unknown. Numerous etiological factors of AD have already been discovered. Pilot evaluation of 334 cases and 102 controls from mental hospitals in project Epidemiology and Genetics of Alzheimer's Disease provided following the results from questionaires and buccal mucosa smears. The questionnaires contain questions about identification, education, lifestyle, vascular risk factors, hobbies, occupation, incidence of the disease in the family, results of Minimental State Examination (MMSE).Results of the analysis of the gene of I/D polymorphism of ACE are presented. Results suggest that persons with AD have often a cardiovascular disease and head injury in their case history. The results of analysis of the relationship between I/D polymorphism of ACE gene and Alzheimer's diseases in accordance with results published until now, even if the statistical difference between AD patients and controls is not statistically significant., Jana Povová, Hana Tomášková, Omar Šerý, Petr Ambroz, Kateřina Vařechová, Vladimír Janout, and Literatura