Morphometric characteristics of the small and large intestines of Mus musculus during postnatal development

The objective of this study was to investigate the size of the small and large intestine in postnatal development of Mus musculus mice. The gut was obtained from 2-, 4-, 6-, and 12-week-old animals. The morphometric analysis was performed at microscopic level. Measurements and calculations included dimensions of villi (height, diameter) and their number per 1 mm2 surface area in the proximal, middle, and distal section of the small intestine, as well as the length and surface area (external and internal) of the small and large intestines. To find the allometric relationship between the size of the small and large intestines and body mass, reduced major axis regression was applied. The length and surface area of both intestinal segments gradually increased with age. The increase in the internal surface area of the small intestine was the result of lengthening of the intestine and increasing diameter of the villi in its proximal and middle sections. No increase in villus height during the studied period was detected. A marked increase in the size of the intestinal segments was observed between the 2nd and 4th weeks of life, when the length doubled and the surface area tripled in size. Allometric analysis revealed that the increase in length and internal surface area of the small and large intestines was more rapid than the body mass increase during the weaning period, while it was not different from isometry after the weaning. In conclusion, the greatest changes in the structure and size of the small and large intestines of mice occurred in the weaning period. During this period these two segments of intestine grew faster than the rest of the body and reached adult proportions. (Folia Morphol 2011; 70, 4: 252–259

Effect of multi-component fertilizers on seeds yield, yield components and physiological parameters of winter oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.)

ArticleSubject of the discussed studies was an analysis of the impact of mineral multicomponent fertilizers, from Polish and foreign producers, on the yield and yield components of winter oilseed rape (Brassica napus var. oleifera). Two field experiments were carried out in 2015–2017 in Lipnik. The experimental crop was winter oilseed rape, hybrid cultivar DK EXPLICIT. Two factors were studied in the experiment A: 4 multi-component mineral fertilizers - two Belarusian (1 i 2), one Russian and one Polish (Polifoska 6) and 4 doses of fertilization (250, 500 and 750 kg ha-1 ). In the experiment (B) were compared two factors: 3 multi-component mineral fertilizers - Belarusian, Russian and Polish production - Polifoska 8 and 4 doses of fertilization (200, 400 and 600 kg ha-1 ). The fertilizers applied in the experiments, manufactured in Belarus, Russia and Poland, did not show variations in the amount of yield of winter rape. The number of winter rapeseed plants on the area unit (in autumn and spring) was independent of the type of fertilizers. In the experiment B, higher number of rapeseed siliques was obtained after application of Polifoska 8, than other fertilizers. Rapeseed grown on soil with the fertilizers manufactured in Belarus showed a lower value of greenness index (SPAD) and leaf area index (LAI). As a result of the application of multi-component fertilizers, manufactured in Belarus, Russia and Poland, the recorded differences in the winter rapeseed yield, yield components and physiological parameters did not exceed 10%

On the Hausdorff dimension of invariant measures of weakly contracting on average measurable IFS

We consider measures which are invariant under a measurable iterated function system with positive, place-dependent probabilities in a separable metric space. We provide an upper bound of the Hausdorff dimension of such a measure if it is ergodic. We also prove that it is ergodic iff the related skew product is.Comment: 16 pages; to appear in Journal of Stat. Phy

Tridimensional model structure and patterns of molecular evolution of Pepino mosaic virus TGBp3 protein

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Pepino mosaic virus </it>(PepMV) is considered one of the most dangerous pathogens infecting tomatoes worldwide. The virus is highly diverse and four distinct genotypes, as well as inter-strain recombinants, have already been described. The isolates display a wide range on symptoms on infected plant species, ranging from mild mosaic to severe necrosis. However, little is known about the mechanisms and pattern of PepMV molecular evolution and about the role of individual proteins in host-pathogen interactions.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The nucleotide sequences of the triple gene block 3 (TGB3) from PepMV isolates varying in symptomatology and geographic origin have been analyzed. The modes and patterns of molecular evolution of the TGBp3 protein were investigated by evaluating the selective constraints to which particular amino acid residues have been subjected during the course of diversification. The tridimensional structure of TGBp3 protein has been modeled <it>de novo </it>using the Rosetta algorithm. The correlation between symptoms development and location of specific amino acids residues was analyzed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The results have shown that TGBp3 has been evolving mainly under the action of purifying selection operating on several amino acid sites, thus highlighting its functional role during PepMV infection. Interestingly, amino acid 67, which has been previously shown to be a necrosis determinant, was found to be under positive selection.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Identification of diverse selection events in TGB3p3 will help unraveling its biological functions and is essential to an understanding of the evolutionary constraints exerted on the <it>Potexvirus </it>genome. The estimated tridimensional structure of TGBp3 will serve as a platform for further sequence, structural and function analysis and will stimulate new experimental advances.</p

Pepino mosaic virus RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase POL Domain Is a Hypersensitive Response-Like Elicitor Shared by Necrotic and Mild Isolate

[SPA] El virus del mosaico del pepino dulce (PepMV) es un patógeno emergente que representa una grave amenaza para la producción de tomate. Las enfermedades inducidas por PepMV se manifiestan con una amplia gama de síntomas, incluyendo la necrosis sistémica. Nuestros resultados muestran que la acumulación de PepMV depende tanto del aislado del virus, como de la variedad de tomate o las condiciones ambientales, asociado todo ello al desarrollo de la necrosis. La sustitución de una lisina por un ácido glutámico en la posición 67 del triple bloque de genes (TGB3), previamente descrita como un determinante de la necrosis, parece favorecer una mayor acumulación del virus pero no parece ser el elemento elicitor de la necrosis sistémica. La sobreexpresión tanto de TGB3 como del dominio polimerasa (POL) de la replicasa (RdRp) produjo necrosis, aunque sólo la expresión local de POL desencadenó síntomas caracteristos de HR. En conjunto, nuestros datos sugieren que el dominio RdRp-POL desempeña un papel importante en la inducción de necrosis de PepMV, dependiendo del nivel de acumulación del virus, que puede ser modulado por la naturaleza de TGB3, el genotipo del huesped y las condiciones ambientales. [ENG] Pepino mosaic virus (PepMV) is an emerging pathogen that represents a serious threat to tomato production worldwide. PepMV-induced diseases manifest with a wide range of symptoms, including systemic necrosis. Our results showed that PepMV accumulation depends on the virus isolate, tomato cultivar, and environmental conditions, and associates with the development of necrosis. Substitution of lysine for glutamic acid at position 67 in the triple gene block 3 (TGB3) protein, previously described as a necrosis determinant, led to increased virus accumulation and was necessary but not sufficient to induce systemic necrosis. Overexpression of both TGB3 and the polymerase domain (POL) of the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) resulted in necrosis, although only local expression of POL triggered HR-like symptoms. Altogether, our data suggest that the RdRp-POL domain plays an important role in PepMV necrosis induction, with necrosis development depending on the virus accumulation level, which can be modulated by the nature of TGB3, host genotype and environmental conditions.Agradecer la financiación del Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (AGL2012-37390 ) y la fundación Séneca por la financiación de la Beca FPI

Molecular evolution of viral multifunctional proteins: the case of Potyvirus HC-Pro

[EN] Our knowledge on the mode of evolution of the multifunctional viral proteins remains incomplete. To tackle this problem, here, we have investigated the evolutionary dynamics of the potyvirus multifunctional protein HC-Pro, with particular focus on its functional domains. The protein was partitioned into the three previously described functional domains, and each domain was analyzed separately and assembled. We searched for signatures of adaptive evolution and evolutionary dependencies of amino acid sites within and between the three domains using the entire set of available potyvirus sequences in GenBank. Interestingly, we identified strongly significant patterns of co-occurrence of adaptive events along the phylogenetic tree in the three domains. These patterns suggest that Domain I, whose main function is to mediate aphid transmission, has likely been coevolving with the other two domains, which are involved in different functions but all requiring the capacity to bind RNA. By contrast, episodes of positive selection on Domains II and III did not correlate, reflecting a trade-off between their evolvability and their evolutionary dependency likely resulting from their functional overlap. Covariation analyses have identified several groups of amino acids with evidence of concerted variation within each domain, but interdomain significant covariations were only found for Domains II and III, further reflecting their functional overlappingThis work was supported by grants BFU2012-30805 (SFE) and BFU2012-36346 (MAF) from the Spanish Direccio´n General de Investigacio´n Cientı´fica y Te´cnica and by an EMBO Short-Term Fellowship and the Mentoring Program from the Foundation for Polish Science (BHJ).Hasiów-Jaroszewska, B.; Fares Riaño, MA.; Elena Fito, SF. (2014). Molecular evolution of viral multifunctional proteins: the case of Potyvirus HC-Pro. 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Applying the reduce, reuse, and recycle principle in the hospitality sector: Its antecedents and performance implications

Although the literature on eco-friendly strategies followed by firms is abundant, the focus on the reduce, reuse, and recycle (3Rs) policies as the cornerstone of environmental sustainability is scarce. This study examines the 3Rs environmental strategy among 143 large organizations in the hospitality industry. We use the resource-based view (RBV) of the firm theory to test the strategy's determinants and its impact on business performance on a suggested conceptualization level. As hypothesized, green corporate governance and environmental management systems, along with slack financial resources, were found to positively influence the adoption of a 3Rs environmental strategy. In turn, the implementation of the latter leads to superior business performance, measured in terms of operating profits and Tobin's Q. The study has several implications on a theoretical, managerial, and public policy level where intriguing directions for future research are provided