Decrease of psychomotor performance in subjects with latent 'asymptomatic' toxoplasmosis

Toxoplasma gondii is known to induce specific behavioural changes in its intermediate hosts. This is usually considered to be an evolutionary adaptation aimed to increase the probability of transmission of the parasite into its definitive host, the cat, by predation. In rodents an increase of reaction time as well as many other specific behavioural patterns have been observed. Here we report the results of our double blind study showing the significantly longer reaction times of 60 subjects with latent toxoplasmosis in comparison with those of 56 controls. Moreover, the existence of a positive correlation between length of infection and mean reaction time suggested that slow and cumulative effects of latent toxoplasmosis rather than a one-step (and possibly transient) effect of acute toxoplasmosis disease are responsible for the decrease of psychomotor performance of infected subjects. To our knowledge, this is the first study confirming the existence of such parasite-induced changes in human behaviour that could be considered in evolutionary history of the human species as adaptive from the point of view of parasite transmission

[Rezension zu:] Adamcová, Lívia/Adamcová, Silvia (2019): Linguistische Charakteristik der deutschen Sprache. München: Lincom, ISBN 978–3–86288–968–6, 234 S.

Adamcová, Lívia/Adamcová, Silvia (2019): Linguistische Charakteristik der deutschen Sprache. München: Lincom, ISBN 978–3–86288–968–6, 234 S

Navázání na novou figuraci 80.tých let dvacátého století

Pro toto zadání jsem namalovala šest obrazů s figurální tématikou. Jsou to dva triptichy první triptich je horizontálně řazený, a ten druhý vertikálně. Mým osobním tématem je dav. Tyto Obrazy jsem zpracovala expresivním způsobem s krajinřským a koloristickým viděním.ObhájenoFor this entry I painted six paintings with figurative themes. It is two triptichy first triptych is ordered horizontally and the other vertically. My personal issue is a crowd. These images I have processed an expressive manner with krajinřským and colouristic vision

Contents of nutrients and arsenic in litterfall and surface humus in mature nudal beech stands subjected to different emission-immission loads

The aim of the paper was to compare the litterfall and surface humus (Oo) quality in nudal beech stands with different emission-immission load from the Al smelter Žiar nad Hronom. The study was carried out in the Kremnické vrchy Mts (control stand, 18 km from the emission source) and the Štiavnické vrchy Mts (stressed stand, 1.5 km from the emission source), both in Central Slovakia. The contents of arsenic and nutrients (Cat, Mgt, Kt, Nat), with exception of calcium in the beech litterfall from the stressed stand were markedly higher (by 4.3%, 23.9%, 2.1% and 87.9%, respectively) compared to the samples taken from the control plot. On the contrary, the surface humus samples (with the exception of Na in the necrotic Oon subhorizon) from control plot were richer in nutrients. However, significant differences (p < 0.01) between the plots were observed for Ca content in the litterfall as well as in the surface humus. The concentrations of As in Oo samples from the stressed stand mainly increased with the organic horizon depth (mg kg-1): necrotic Oon 1.10 < fermentation Oof 3.1 < humification Ooh 55.6. The results showed, that As amounts detected in subhorizon Ooh and in beech litterfall from the stressed stand were higher than the limit values, thus indicating that the environment of the Žiar territory is exposed to persistent negative impacts of industrial activities