Mechanistic and experimental analysis of condition and reproduction in a polymorphic lizard

The importance of genetic and environmental variation in condition in shaping evolutionary trade-offs have recently been subject to much theoretical discussion, but is very difficult to investigate empirically in most field-based systems. We present the results from mechanistic experimental manipulations of reproductive investment and condition in two female colour morphs (orange and yellow) of side-blotched lizards (Uta stansburiana). We investigated the interactions between throat colour morphs, condition, local social environment and female survival using path-analysis. Using follice-ablation experiments, we show that large clutch size has a negative effect on field survival among yellow females, and that this effect is partly mediated by immunosuppressive effects of large clutches. In orange females these effects were less pronounced, and there was a negative survival effect of strong antibody responses. Hence, we experimentally confirmed our previous findings of correlational selection between female morphotype and immunocompetence, an important condition trait. Manipulation of corticosterone revealed multiple (pleiotropic) direct and indirect effects of this hormone on both condition and reproductive traits. We argue that interaction effects (e.g. between local environments and genotypes) could explain a substantial fraction of variation in condition and reproduction in natural populations. Increased attention to such interaction effects and their fitness consequences will provide novel insights in field studies of selection and reproductive allocation

Amount of compensation for household consumers of electric energy in the case of renewable energy sources promotion

Promovarea scenariului de acoperire integrală a cererii de energie electrică din surse regenerabile duce la scumpirea energiei electrice, afectând cel mai mult populația săracă din Republica Moldova. În vederea reducerii Ratei sărăciei absolute, în lucrare este propusă o modalitate de determinare a indemnizațiilor corespunzătoare. Atingerea obiectivului menționat este împiedicată de faptul că, Metodologia existentă de calculare a Pragului absolut al sărăciei, nu conține expres componenta aferentă cheltuielilor pentru prestarea serviciului de energie electrică. Un astfel de algoritm este propus, în acest sens, de către autor, utilizându-se structura consumului casnic pe categoriile de consum, disponibilă în companiile de distribuție. Calculele au arătat că promovarea conceptului de acoperire a cererii, din surse regenerabile de energie electrică, nu ar prejudicia semnificativ capacitatea de plată a consumatorilor casnici, în condițiile costurilor existente în anii 2020-2021.The promotion of the scenario which fully covers the electricity demand from renewable sources leads to an electricity price increase, mostly impacting poor population from the Republic Moldova. In order to decrease the Absolute Poverty Rate, the paper proposes a way to determine the appropriate allowances. Achieving the objective is hampered by the fact that the existing Methodology for calculating the Absolute Poverty Threshold does not expressly contain the component related to the expenses for the electricity services provided. Such an algorithm is proposed in this regard using the structure of household consumption by categories of consumption, available at distribution companies. The calculations showed that the promotion of the concept of covering the power demand from renewable sources does not significantly harm the payment capacity of household consumers, in terms of the 2020-2021 years costs

Familial benign pemphigus Hailey-Hailey: a case presentation

Generalităţi. Boala Hailey-Hailey (pemfigus benign familial) este o genodermatoză (mutaţii în gena ATP2C1) rară, cu transmitere autosomaldominantă, caracterizată printr-o fragilitate crescută a pielii şi structură anormală a desmozomilor. La instalarea diagnosticului, pe lângă tabloul clinic specific şi antecedentele familiale, o importanţă semnificativă o are examenul histopatologic: bula situată suprabazal, papilomatoza – papile dermice cu aspect „în degete de mănuşă”, care proemină în interiorul bulei, pe alocuri cu asociere de hiperkeratoză. Prezentare de caz. Prezentăm cazul unei paciente de 43 de ani, din mediul rural, observată în secţia femei a Spitalului Dermatologie şi Maladii Comunicabile, cu diagnosticul Pemfi gus benign familial Hailey-Hailey, durata maladiei fi ind de aproximativ 7 ani. Pacienta s-a tratat ambulator, de mai multe ori, pentru intertrigo şi lichen plan, cu efect curativ neînsemnat. Cazuri asemănătoare s-au constatat la bunică, tată, soră şi frate. Pentru prima dată, erupţia s-a observat pe gât. Datele obiective relevă prezenţa plăcilor eritemato-veziculo-buloase, zemuinde, circinate, cu tendinţă spre confl uare, macule hipercromice, localizate în pliurile axilare, submamare şi pe gât, asociate de prurit. Semnul Nikolsky a fost negativ. Diagnosticul s-a stabilit în baza următoarelor date: tablou clinic, antecedente familiale, examen histopatologic. S-a observat o evoluţie favorabilă în tratamentul indicat, care a inclus: corticoizi pe cale generală (doze moderate de prednison cu reducere treptată), dermatocorticoizi, loţiuni antiseptice. Concluzii. Cazul este adus în discuţie pentru raritatea acestuia şi particularităţile clinico-evolutive specifi ce. Maladia a evoluat timp de mai mulţi ani cu aspect de intertrigo şi lichen plan, ceea ce a creat difi cultăţi de diagnostic pozitiv şi diferenţial.Overview. Hailey-Hailey disease (familial benign pemphigus) is rare autosomal-dominant genodermatoses (induced by a mutation in ATP2C1 gene), which is chracterized by an increased skin fragility and abnormal structure of the desmosomes. A case report. A 43 year old female patient, originated from a rural region,was treated in Hospital of Dermatology and Communicable Diseases for familial benign pemphigus,the disease lasted for approximately 7 years. Initially,the patient was treated for intertrigo and lichen planus, but without any signifi cant eff ect. Similar clinical manifestations have been seen in the patient’s relatives: grandmother, father, sister and brother. For the fi rst time, skin lesions occurred on the patients’ neck. Clinical inspection revelead presence of erythematous macules covered with vesicle, bulla and erosions with oozing, which had a tendency to confluent together, itching hyperpigemented macules were seen in axila, submamary folds, as well as on neck. Nicolsky sign was negative. Diagnosis was made on the basis of clinical signs, heredetary anamnesis and histopathological report. Treament, which included systemic steroids, moderate dosage of prednisolone, topical steroids and antiseptic lotions, has shown a positive result. Conclusion. Th is case was presented for discussion due to its rarity

Surse de finanțare a construcțiilor de locuință în Republica Moldova

Fișierul atașat conține: Rezumat, Cuprins, Introducere, Bibliografie.În cadrul acestei lucrări s-a caracterizat sectorul finanțării construcțiilor de locuință al Republicii Moldova. S-a realizat analiza băncilor comerciale și a fondului locativ din R.Moldova. A fost efectuată o analiză asupra procesului de acordare a creditelor ipotecare în cadrul B.C. “Moldova-Agroindbank” S.A., propunându-se măsuri de îmbunătățire a acesteea. Scopul cercetat în prezenta teză de master și realizat constă în determinarea celor mai potrivite surse de finanțare a construcțiilor de locuință, influenţa tipului de achitare al creditului ipotecar, asupra debitorului, precum şi propunerea măsurilor de optimizare a procesului de creditare în incinta a unei bănci comerciale. Obiectul cercetării a servit procesului de creditare în cadrul BC Moldova Agroindbank SA.Within this paper, the financing sector of housing constructions of the Republic of Moldova was characterized. The analysis of commercial banks and the housing stock in the Republic of Moldova was performed. An analysis was performed on the process of granting mortgages under the B.C. “Moldova-Agroindbank” S.A., proposing measures to improve it. The aim researched in this master's thesis and achieved is to determine the most appropriate sources of financing for housing construction, the influence of the type of mortgage payment on the debtor, as well as proposing measures to optimize the lending process within a commercial bank. . The object of the research served the crediting process within BC Moldova Agroindbank SA

Anatomical variability of the extrahepatic bile ducts

Department of Human Anatomy, Nicolae Testemitanu State University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova, The 8th International Medical Congress for Students and Young Doctors, September 24-26, 2020Introduction. The extrahepatic bile ducts comprise a canalicular system made up of the common hepatic bile duct, cystic duct and the common bile duct (CBD). The cystic duct may be variable in length and usually join the common hepatic bile duct to form CBD, which passes between the layers of the inferior portion of the hepatoduodenal ligament anteriorly to the portal vein and on the right side of the hepatic artery. CBD is directed inferoposteriorly towards the descending part of the duodenum, where it lodges the pancreatic groove, often covered by a thin layer of pancreas, and finally, it penetrates duodenal wall and either alone, or after joining the main pancreatic duct it opens at the level of the greater duodenal papilla. The main arteries that supply the CBD are branches of the gastroduodenal and the right hepatic arteries. This arterial anatomy is clinically relevant in iatrogenic CBD injury, as compromise of this vascular network can lead to stenosis. Several classifications have been proposed for anatomical variations of the biliary tree. In 1996 Huang et al. proposed a classification based on the right posterior hepatic bile duct insertion and it is primarily used for living donors in liver transplantation. Huang classification includes five groups starting with A1 as the most common and ending with A5 as the least common types. Aim of the study. Analysis of the anatomical variation of the biliary system Materials and methods. This study is based on a references review accessed from PubMed, NCBI, Research Gate and Academia.edu databases. Results. Five anatomical variants of the biliary tree were classified by Huang. Type A1 (rightdominant): the right posterior duct drains into the right anterior hepatic ducts and joins the left hepatic duct to form the common hepatic duct (CHD). Huang type A2 (trifurcation): the right posterior hepatic duct, right anterior hepatic ducts and left hepatic duct join each other in a trifurcation and form CHD. Huang type A3 (left dominant): the right posterior hepatic duct drains into the left hepatic duct and then joins the right anterior hepatic duct to form CHD. Huang type A4 (aberrant right): the right anterior hepatic duct drains into the left hepatic duct and then joins the right posterior hepatic duct to form CHD. Huang type A5 (aberrant right): the right anterior hepatic duct drains into the left hepatic duct and forms CHD. The study included 362 patients (181 males and 181 females): 163 patients had type A1 (right dominant). The prevalence of A1 (right dominant) was 45%, the most prevalent type among the studied patients. Type A2 Huang (trifurcation) was marked out in 78 patients (21.5%). Type A3 Huang (left dominant) was established in 48 patients (13.3%). Type A4 was pointed out in 13 patients (3.6%). There was no patients categorized as type 5. Non-right dominant anatomy was determined in 55% of patients. Conclusions. The anatomical variation of the biliary system presents a relatively increased incidence. A full understanding of the relationships between these structures is imperative for general and hepatobiliary surgeons

Amount of Compensation for Household Consumers of Electric Energy in the Case of Renewable Energy Sources Promotion

COMENDANT, Ion. Cuantumul indemnizațiilor pentru consumatorii casnici de energie electrică în cazul promovării surselor regenerabile de energie = Amount of Compensation for Household Consumers of Electric Energy in the Case of Renewable Energy Sources Promotion. Economica. 2023, nr. 1(123), pp. 78-88. ISSN 1810-9136.Promovarea scenariului de acoperire integrală a cererii de energie electrică din surse regenerabile duce la scumpirea energiei electrice, afectând cel mai mult populația săracă din Republica Moldova. În vederea reducerii Ratei sărăciei absolute, în lucrare este propusă o modalitate de determinare a indemnizațiilor corespunzătoare. Atingerea obiectivului menționat este împiedicată de faptul că, Metodologia existentă de calculare a Pragului absolut al sărăciei, nu conține expres componenta aferentă cheltuielilor pentru prestarea serviciului de energie electrică. Un astfel de algoritm este propus, în acest sens, de către autor, utilizându-se structura consumului casnic pe categoriile de consum, disponibilă în companiile de distribuție. Calculele au arătat că promovarea conceptului de acoperire a cererii, din surse regenerabile de energie electrică, nu ar prejudicia semnificativ capacitatea de plată a consumatorilor casnici, în condițiile costurilor existente în anii 2020-2021. CZU: [364.422:364.124]+[620.97:621.311](478); JEL: C8, I3, H2; DOI: https://doi.org/10.53486/econ.2023.123.078 ************************************************************************************************************************************* The promotion of the scenario which fully covers the electricity demand from renewable sources leads to an electricity price increase, mostly impacting poor population from the Republic Moldova. In order to decrease the Absolute Poverty Rate, the paper proposes a way to determine the appropriate allowances. Achieving the objective is hampered by the fact that the existing Methodology for calculating the Absolute Poverty Threshold does not expressly contain the component related to the expenses for the electricity services provided. Such an algorithm is proposed in this regard using the structure of household consumption by categories of consumption, available at distribution companies. The calculations showed that the promotion of the concept of covering the power demand from renewable sources does not significantly harm the payment capacity of household consumers, in terms of the 2020-2021 years costs. UDC: [364.422:364.124]+[620.97:621.311](478); JEL: C8, I3, H2; DOI: https://doi.org/10.53486/econ.2023.123.07

Data Basin Climate Center: sharing and manipulating spatial information on the web

Monitoring datasets is essential to detect changes that are occurring and identify thresholds that cause them, but scientists around the world are now generating large volumes of data that vary in quality, format, supporting documentation, and accessibility. Moreover, diverse models are being run at various spatial and temporal scales to try and understand past climate variability and its impacts, generate future climate and land use scenarios, and project potential future impacts to the planet. Conservation practitioners and land managers are struggling to synthesize this wealth of information, identify relevant and usable datasets, and translate evolving science results into on-the-ground climate-aware strategies.
In partnership with ESRI and Mambo media, the Conservation Biology Institute (CBI) is developing a versatile web-based resource that centralizes usable climate change-relevant datasets and provides analytical tools to visualize, analyze, and communicate findings for practical applications. To illustrate its capability to store, manipulate, and derive relevant conclusions to users, we present three examples of projects involving scientists and managers that are part of the Climate Center of Data Basin (http://www.databasin.org): a conservation project in the Puget Sound area of Washington State, a climate change impacts project in California, a North American project looking at climate change impacts on Canada lynx. We conclude by showing the use of this new web tool in workshops that bring together scientists and practitioners, allowing all to access the data and develop more effective management strategies

Data Basin Climate Center: sharing and manipulating spatial information on the web

Monitoring datasets is essential to detect changes that are occurring and identify thresholds that cause them, but scientists around the world are now generating large volumes of data that vary in quality, format, supporting documentation, and accessibility. Moreover, diverse models are being run at various spatial and temporal scales to try and understand past climate variability and its impacts, generate future climate and land use scenarios, and project potential future impacts to the planet. Conservation practitioners and land managers are struggling to synthesize this wealth of information, identify relevant and usable datasets, and translate evolving science results into on-the-ground climate-aware strategies.
In partnership with ESRI and Mambo media, the Conservation Biology Institute (CBI) is developing a versatile web-based resource that centralizes usable climate change-relevant datasets and provides analytical tools to visualize, analyze, and communicate findings for practical applications. To illustrate its capability to store, manipulate, and derive relevant conclusions to users, we present three examples of projects involving scientists and managers that are part of the Climate Center of Data Basin (http://www.databasin.org): a conservation project in the Puget Sound area of Washington State, a climate change impacts project in California, a North American project looking at climate change impacts on Canada lynx. We conclude by showing the use of this new web tool in workshops that bring together scientists and practitioners, allowing all to access the data and develop more effective management strategies

RESEARCH OF SPACE AND TIME AS A SUBJECT OF THE ART OF PAINTING (on the example of the works of the contemporary Moldovan artists Valeriu and Ion Jabinschi)

The modern era has many characteristics that not only connect it with the previous historical stages, but also emphasize its features in the general historical and cultural process. The artistic and aesthetic features of recreating the spatial-temporal characteristics of a mobile, constantly changing era in modern fine arts should be emphasized. The article treats the concept of temporal-spatial definition in the plastic arts by means of philosophical thought expressed by researchers in the cultural process of the epochs. Attention is also paid to the numerous means of portraying, the artistic techniques used in the art of painting in the context of the theme of space and time. The proposed material analyzes the mental and social conditions in which a new generation of artists of the Republic of Moldova — Valeriu and Ion Jabinschi, was formed, who in a special way perceive and picturesquely reflect the space and time in our fast-moving epoch. Keywords: time, painting, plastic art, space, Valeriu Jabinschi, Ion Jabinsch

Genetic and Maternal Determinants of Effective Dispersal: The Effect of Sire Genotype and Size at Birth in Side-Blotched Lizards

We assessed genetic factors on progeny dispersal due to sire color morph genotypes in a field pedigree and lab crosses, and we measured maternal effects by studying both natural and experimentally induced egg size variation. Progeny were released into nature upon hatching, but we recorded dispersal distance at maturity, which reflects effective dispersal after viability selection has run its course. Progeny dispersal was significantly affected by sire genotype. Progeny from orange sires dispersed the farthest. Progeny from blue sires dispersed intermediate distances. Progeny from yellow sires were the most philopatric. Sire genotype effects interacted with egg size. In particular, enlarged progeny from orange sires dispersed farther, while enlarged progeny from yellow sires were more philopatric. Progeny from blue sires were unaffected by egg size manipulations. Egg manipulations and natural variation generally had concordant effects indicative of causation. However, asymmetry of gigantization and miniaturization on progeny dispersal from some sire genotypes suggest the involvement of maternal factors besides egg size. Results of laboratory crosses with progeny released into nature confirmed key sire genotype effects and identified additional maternal effects that modulated dispersal as a function of progeny gender. We discuss the adaptive implications of progeny dispersal in the context of male (rock‐paper‐scissors) and female strategies (r‐ and K‐density cycle) that are associated with color morphs