Back to the Bad Old Days: President Putin\u27s Hold on Free Speech in the Russian Federation

This paper addresses new laws promulgated in Russia that restrict freedom of speech. Each implicitly reflects the Kremlin\u27s hostility toward political dissidence in the aftermath of serious protests following President Putin\u27s reelection and elections to the legislature. Disturbed by the outcry, which took place in cities across Russia but also infiltrated the Internet, the Russian legislature passed strict laws censoring Internet speech, prohibiting behavior and speech deemed extremist, and curbing the size and type of public gatherings. The new legislation is examined through the lens of some of the Kremlin\u27s most infamous and recent targets: namely, the Internet blacklist and the Pussy Riot scandal. It is critical to note that these instances are only a fraction of the free speech violations that are now legal in the Russian Federation. These incidents-and the potential for similar and more serious results under the new laws-are of grave importance. For many Western critics and Russian citizens, the laws confirm their worst fears about Putin\u27s autocratic leanings: that with the stifling of free speech will come a complete unraveling of Russian democracy. The effect is a grim future for the former Soviet Union eerily reminiscent of the past

Detection of stress biomarkers in sperm, embryonic, and early larval states of aquatic invertebrates following pesticide exposure

Current regulatory testing provides the basis for determining acceptable levels of pollutants in the environment, yet these acceptable levels of contaminants have resulted in undesirable consequences to organisms. The purpose of this dissertation was to test the hypothesis that biomarkers of cellular stress could be detected from sub-lethal exposure to pesticides in sperm and early life stages of broadcast spawning invertebrates. Exposures were conducted on oyster (Crassostrea virginica), mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis and Dreissena polymorpha), and sea urchin (Lytechinus variegatus) embryos and larvae for 4 and 24 h to Bayluscide® and Roundup®. DNA fragmentation, a characteristic of apoptotic cells, was detected with the TUNEL method and an ELISA. Hsp70 expression was detected with Western blotting and quantified with densitometry. Sperm were exposed to the pesticides for 20 min and analyzed for cellular effects using flow cytometry. Apoptosis levels often revealed a bell-shaped dose response in which there was a threshold concentration that elicited a change from apoptotic induction to necrosis. This change suggests irreversible damage to the organism has occurred and it is no longer using apoptosis as a defensive mechanism. The apoptotic results also revealed differential response levels among species despite very similar developmental stages. Hsp70 isoform expression was variable in controls and treatments of the majority of exposures. Therefore, it was concluded that this biomarker is unsuitable for use in early life stages of these species. Flow cytometric analyses of sperm viability biomarkers revealed that MitoTracker® was a reliable indicator for detecting changes in mitochondrial membrane polarization from Bayluscide® exposures, FITC-peanut agglutinin (PNA) reported acrosome reaction in two test species after Roundup exposures, and the SYBR®-14/propidium iodide (PI) assay only detected compromised membranes with Roundup® exposures as PI did not bind in the presence of Bayluscide®. If the damage incurred at these stages does translate to lower fertilization success and abnormal development, then it is probable that reproductive competence will also be affected. Once long-term effects are established, detecting damage to sperm and early life stages can provide insight into the sub-lethal concentrations that may seemingly appear safe for an organism but can potentially pose serious risks to the population

A Brief Introduction to ULOI and RIMAPS Technique

I was really surprised when this prestigious Journal of Powder Metallurgy and Mining invited me to be part of the Editorial Board, because I am mostly a physicist characterizing metallic and biological surfaces using different optical and electronic microscopes and during the last years I focus my research interest on biomimetism (self-cleaning surfaces). As you can see there is nothing about powder metallurgy and mining. However, it is my profound believe that science need to be interdisciplinary and scientists opened-mind. Specialization is fine but sometimes avoids you understanding new facts. I hope that the journal?s interest goes in the same way. Let me introduce you one of my research activities: the application of two surface characterization techniques, ULOI and RIMAPS, for the study of topographical patterns.Fil: Favret, Eduardo Alfredo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación de Recursos Naturales; Argentin

An Innovative Approach for Modeling Crop Yield Response to Fertilizer Nutrients

Fertilizer recommendations seldom account for agro-climatic conditions, which are important factors that determine the response to fertilizer and the optimal rate of fertilizer. The nitrogen fertilizer response to open pollinated and hybrid canola types will also impact optimal nitrogen rates. This study used quantile regression to model canola yield response to nitrogen fertilizer. Quantile regression can apply different weights to the residuals, facilitating a response estimation where the agro-climatic conditions are not limiting and the yield response is due to the variable of interest. The economically optimal levels of fertilizers were calculated using the proposed and the conventional least squares procedures of the two canola types in western Canada. Results showed that the effects of nitrogen fertilizer on yield depended on the canola type and on the estimation procedure. Optimal levels of nitrogen for open-pollinated canola were estimated as 91, 115, and 134 kg ha-1 for severe, moderate and low levels of agro-climatic constraints. Hybrid had a higher yield potential, and also required more nitrogen fertilizer (137, 142, and 158 kg ha-1). Unlike conventional approach, proposed approach could benefit producer by recommending less (more) fertilizer when the crop response to fertilizer is expected to be low (high) due to agro-climatic conditions.Crop Production/Industries,

RIMAPS Analysis of Filtered Images

This research work analyzes how RIMAPS spectrum varies when a filter is applied on the image of a leaf surface. The stylize filter from the Adobe Photoshop software program is used. This filter identifies the areas of the image with significant transitions and emphasizes the edges with dark lines against a white background and is useful for highlighting the borders of cells and papillae.Fil: Favret, Eduardo Alfredo. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación de Recursos Naturales; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Pidal, Bárbara. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación de Recursos Naturales; Argentin

The natural patterns of self-cleaning surfaces: RIMAPS analysis of superhydrophobic leaves

In the present work, an image technique based on the two-dimensional Fourier transform is introduced as a tool for describing the topographical self-cleaning pattern of the epidermis, which is composed of different features (e.g. epidermal cells and papillae, which are the microstructure or micro-pattern, and epicuticular wax, which is the nanostructure or nano-pattern). Our method allows identification of the main directions of the micro-nano structural pattern and its distribution on the x-y surface. This technique, called Rotated Image with Maximun Average Power Spectrum (RIMAPS), has recently been applied in the description of technological and biological surfaces. Therefore, the aim of the present work is to describe, by using RIMAPS, the micro-nano patterns of binary structures found on superhydrophobic (ultra non-wettable) leaves.Fil: Favret, Eduardo Alfredo. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación de Recursos Naturales; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Molina, Ana M.. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación de Recursos Naturales; Argentin

Update to the registers of family-group and genusgroup taxa of aphidoidea (Hemiptera, Sternorrhyncha)

P. 1-23Errors and omissions to the Registers of family-group and genus-group taxa of Aphidoidea (Hemiptera Sternorrhyncha) are ammended and new information made available in 2011, 2012 and 2013 is added. The former data are presented in two lists, one for minor corrections, and the other for corrections with important nomenclatural or taxonomic significance. The additions are presented in a third list. Also, Neoaulacorthum Lee (W.) & Lee (S.), 2011 is shown to be a synonym of Pseudomegoura Shinji, 1928, and the consequent combinations are presented: Pseudomegoura magnoliae (Essig & Kuwana, 1918) comb. nov., and P. nipponica (Essig & Kuwana, 1918) comb. nov.S