Indicators of agricultural soil genesis under varying conditions of land use, Steppe Crimea

This study investigates the effects of agricultural exploitation of soils of the north-western Crimea, the active and large-scale cultivation of which began with the Greek colonization of the area. In order to compare soils using a wide spectrum of physical and chemical properties, the studied objects (virgin land, post-antique idle land, continually plowed land, modern-day plowed land, idle land of the modern era) have been grouped into a chronosequenceyesБелгородский государственный университе

Segmentation in Earthworms, Resulting from Inability to Regenerate a Portion of the Ventral Nerve Cord

The first of the two following experiments was performed in 1927-1928. Thirty-five sexually mature earthworms (Lumbricidae) were put under the influence of ether. Anesthesia was resorted to so that the subjects would remain inactive during the subsequent operation. A tiny incision was made in the ventral body wall of each specimen, at a point just posterior to the clitellum. The ventral nerve cord was then severed with a fine pointed scissors. It will be noticed that the place of operation was posterior to the more important organs of the body. It was selected as such for the foregoing reason and also because the clitellum furnished the only available spot that might readily be identified at or after the time of operation

Modeling of the Evolution of Steppe Chernozems and Development of the Method of Pedogenetic Chronology

Geoarchaeological methods were used to study chronosequences of surface soils in the steppe zone and to trace soil evolution during the Late Holocene in northwestern Crime

Postantique soils as a source of land use information: a case study of an ancient greek agricultural area on the Northern Black Sea coast

This paper explores ancient land-use practices in order to reconstruct the original parameters of the land division system, as well as agricultural techniques employed. For postantique agricultural landscapes, an integrated geoarchaeological approach that includes GIS and remote sensing methodologies, in-field study of microrelief and soil registrograms, pedochronological dating technique, and physicochemical, geochemical, and biomorphic soil analyses has been developed and teste

Archaeological ash deposits and soils formed on ash in the south of the East European Plain

Ash as an anthropogenic substrate is widely found at archaeological sites in the south of the East European Plain. Investigations of archaeological ashes, the results of which are presented here, have been conducted in three regions that differ in climate and extent of forest cover (from 29 to 1.5%): 1) typical forest–steppe; 2) piedmont forest-steppe with islands of groves; 3) steppe, almost woodless landscapes. Using spectrometry and X-ray analysis, the present study investigates the chemical composition of ancient ash and ash experimentally produced from different sorts of fuel, as well as the geochemistry of soils developed on ash deposit

Post-agrogenic evolution of soils in ancient Greek land use areas in the Herakleian peninsula, southwestern Crimea

The paper examines the regularities of the post-agrogenic evolution of soils of differing age in the Herakleian Peninsula (southwestern Crimea, Ukraine), which developed under conditions of the sub-Mediterranean climate and have been cultivated since ancient timesyesBelgorod State Universit

Perfluorodecaline residue in the anterior chamber of a patient with an intact crystalline lens: a case report

Abstract Background Perfluorocarbon liquids are frequently used as intraoperative tools in vitreoretinal surgery and may occasionally be retained in the vitreous cavity. We report a patient who underwent pars plana vitrectomy for a giant tear after receiving blunt trauma to his right eye and sustained postoperative perfluorocarbon liquid residue in the anterior chamber in spite of an intact crystalline lens. Case presentation Perfluorodecaline was used as a temporary retinal tamponade. Three weeks after the surgery, a residue of heavy liquid was observed in the anterior chamber, even though the patient had an intact crystalline lens without any tilt or dislocation. The remnant of the heavy liquid was taken out of the anterior chamber immediately to avoid secondary complications. Conclusion Presence of heavy liquids in the anterior chamber may be associated with zonular defects even though the patient has an intact crystalline lens.</p

Chemical data on ashy soils as an information basis for dating archaeological sites

Geochemical associations of accumulated and dis- persed elements in the upper horizon of soils of different age in relation to the original ash were determined. This makes it possible to calculate the time of biogeochemical transfor- mation of ash in the course of pedogenesis, thus offering a new dating technique for archaeologist

Competing ultrafast photoinduced electron transfer and intersystem crossing of [Re(CO)(3)(Dmp)(His124)(Trp122)]+ in Pseudomonas aeruginosa azurin:a nonadiabatic dynamics study

We present a computational study of sub-picosecond nonadiabatic dynamics in a rhenium complex coupled electronically to a tryptophan (Trp) side chain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa azurin, a prototypical protein used in the study of electron transfer in proteins. To gain a comprehensive understanding of the photoinduced processes in this system, we have carried out vertical excitation calculations at the TDDFT level of theory as well as nonadiabatic dynamics simulations using the surface hopping including arbitrary couplings (SHARC) method coupled to potential energy surfaces represented with a linear vibronic coupling model. The results show that the initial photoexcitation populates both singlet metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MLCT) and singlet charge-separated (CS) states, where in the latter an electron was transferred from the Trp amino acid to the complex. Subsequently, a complex mechanism of simultaneous intersystem crossing and electron transfer leads to the sub-picosecond population of triplet MLCT and triplet CS states. These results confirm the assignment of the sub-ps time constants of previous experimental studies and constitute the first computational evidence for the ultrafast formation of the charge-separated states in Re-sensitized azurin

Longitudinal effects of environmental enrichment on behaviour and physiology of pigs reared on an intensive-stock farm

The aim of this paper was to provide a longitudinal evaluation of the effects of physical enrichments on the behaviour and physiology of intensive stock-farming pigs. Twenty-eight crossbred pigs of both sexes, were exposed to four types of enrichments (hemp ropes, steel chains, plastic balls, rubber hoses) over a period of eleven weeks. This investigation was based on specific abnormal behaviours and physiological indicators, including hematologic parameters. For behavioural score, focal sampling was used with recording of abnormal behaviours (body-, tail- and ear-biting), belly nosing, running, and interaction with objects (for Enriched pigs). The presence of skin injuries was also recorded. In general, the frequency of abnormal behaviours was significantly reduced in the Enriched group. A timerelated profile appeared in the use of the enrichments. Males showed higher occurrence of skin injuries than females. Physiological measurements, such as levels of complement system, white blood cells and neutrophils, were lower in pigs from the Enriched group. Enriched pigs, as a whole, presented much lower levels of serum DHEA-S concentration over two weeks. The findings of this study show the successful provision of appropriate enrichments to encourage behaviours which may result in satisfactory animal oral interaction with the enriching objects, preventing them biting pen-mates. In this respect, the objects proposed were strongly effective in producing changes in behaviour which could mitigate inadequate conditions, such as the relationship between animal body weight and the available space allowance