Stimulatory activity of four green freshwater sponges on aquatic mycotal communities

The influence of the four species of green sponges (Ephydatia muelleri, Heteromeyenia stepanowii, Spongilla fluviatilis, and Spongilla lacustris) on the occurrence of aquatic mycotal species in the water of three four water bodies of different trophy was investigated in this study. Seeds and snake exuviae were used as baits. For the measurement of the primary and extracellular production by symbiotic algae of green sponges and assimilation of those products by mycota, radioactive carbon (14C) was used. A total of 75 mycotal species were found to be growing on the baits. The fewest mycota were noted in the containers in water from oligotrophic Lake Hańcza; the most in the containers with eutrophic water from River Supraśl. More mycota were found to grow in the containers with green sponges (Sp) than in the controls (Co) in water from all water bodies. The mean ratio of Sp/Co in green sponges ranged from 2.30 (E. muelleri) to 4.80 (H. stepanowii); in brown colonies (without symbiotic algae) it was 0.90. Mean value of 14C fixation (primary production) in symbiotic algae of Spogilla fluviatilis was 5.67 mg C g-1 dry weight sponge per hour. The effect of green sponges on the abundance of aquatic mycotal species is caused by dissolved organic matter produced during photosynthesis by symbiotic zoochlorellae, a symbionts of green sponges and excreted into the water environment (S. fluviatilis excreted mean 12.8% of carbon fixation). Those excreted organic substances serve as nutrients for aquatic mycota. The mean value of extracellular products assimilated by mycota was 4.96 mg C g-1 dry weight mycelium per hour.Key words: Sponges, symbiotic zoochlorellae, aquatic mycota, interactions, hydrochemistry

Amount and qualities of carotenoids in fillets of fish species fed with natural feed in some fisheries of West African Coast

Using column (CC), thin- layer (TLC) and high- performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), carotenoid content was examined in the fillets (muscles with skin) of 16 fish species from the fisheries of West African Coast. 15 carotenoids, including 6 ketocarotenoids (4’- hydroxyechinenone, canthaxanthin, phoenicopterone, phoenicoxanthin, astaxanthin, 7,8- didehydroastaxanthin) were found, with a predominance of 3,4- dihydro- α- carotene, zeaxanthin, phoenicopterone, canthaxanthin, phoenicoxanthin and astaxanthin. Total carotenoid content in the examined material ranged from 0.086 (Merluccius merluccius) to 0.352 μg g-1 wet mass (Macrurus aequalis). Also, the increase of different environmental factors- especially food, parasites and organochlorine pollution on carotenoid content in fishes and their role in human’s life was discussed.Keywords: Carotenoids, fish, fillets, fisheries, West AfricaAfrican Journal of Biotechnolog Vol. 12(12), pp. 1443-144

Characteristic structures of the highland boundary on Mars: Evidence against a single mega-impact event?

It has been suggested that an early mega-impact event might explain the fumdamental crustal dichotomy on Mars. Detailed morphological mapping of the structures which characterize the boundary between the cratered highlands and northern plains does not support this idea: the distribution of these features along and especially away from the boundary is more consistent with a larger number of smaller but overlapping impacts. A data base was assembled for the study of the highland boundary through quantitative mapping (including crater counts) based on the 1:2 M controlled photomosaics. Whole and partial craters larger than 10 km in diameter, knobby terrain, detached plateaus and intervening plains-forming units have been identified wherever they occur on Mars between +65 and -45 deg latitude. There is evidence for occurrences of possible old cratered terrain (or its remanents) at high latitudes well north of the current or likely former location of the proposed Borealis Basin rim which are difficult to reconcile with an impact structure of the proposed size and location

The Holocene Becher Point Cuspate Foreland, Western Australia – An internationally significant and globally unique potential geopark

Located in south-western Australia in a distinctive setting sedimentologically, oceanographically, climatically, biologically, and sea-level history context, the Becher Point Cuspate Foreland is globally unique, and is a site of International Geoheritage Significance that has the potential to be developed as a Geopark. The cuspate foreland is part of an extensive shore-parallel Holocene coastal sand system that forms the seaward edge of the Swan Coastal Plain and eastern border of the Rottnest Shelf. It is the largest cuspate foreland complex in Western Australia and one of the largest in the World. Sedimentary accretion in the region began some 7000 years BP with a sea level + 2 m AHD. Since then, attended by a progressive climate change, sea level has steadily fallen to its present position, and sedimentation has built a coastal plain of low beach ridges with wetlands in the swales. Sedimentologically and stratigraphically, the cuspate foreland developed by seagrass bank accretion shoaling to the strand to form beach and beach-ridge/dune deposits capped in the swales by wetland deposits. Key features of the Cuspate Foreland are (1) the accreted Holocene beach-ridge plain, (2) the evolution of Holocene swale wetlands, (3) the Holocene sea level history, (4) Holocene climate history as recorded in the wetlands, and (5) a host of small-scale geological phenomena. The complex of beach ridges and swale wetlands is the basis of a geopark in which coastal plain evolution, wetland evolution, Holocene sea level history, and Holocene climate changes can be explored and explained essentially in an outdoor Museum. To illustrate the richness of the natural history information, from macroscale to microscale, embedded in the Becher Point Cuspate Foreland, we choose, as case studies, two aspects of the area and describe them in a holistic and multi-scalar manner for education and research, and potential thematic geotours

Use of tools of interactive marketing in the higher educational institution activity

Досліджено теоретичні засади інтерактивного маркетингу, визначено його роль, основні компоненти та інструменти, зокрема проведено науковий аналіз сутності визначення інтерактивного маркетингу, досліджено поняття «ринок освітніх послуг». Доведена необхідність застосовувати найефективніші засоби просування освітніх послуг, серед яких актуальними є інструменти інтерактивного маркетингу. Проаналізовано доцільність використання таких інструментів інтерактивного маркетингу, як розроблення сайту університету, розвиток сайтів його структурних підрозділів, створення бренд-спільнот у соціальних мережах, розміщення контекстної реклами на тематичних сайтах і форумах, ведення блогів і мікроблогів.The theoretical foundations of Interactive Marketing are investigated; its role, the core components and tools are defined. In particular a scientific analysis of definition nature of interactive marketing is conducted; the concept of “education market” is studied. The necessity to use the most effective means of promoting educational services, among which there are relevant tools of interactive marketing is proved. The feasibility of using such interactive marketing tools as design of websites of higher education institution, the development of websites of its structural units, creating brand- communities in social networks, placing contextual ads on content sites and forums, blogging and micro- blogging

Wanted: Knowledge workers for foreign firms in developed markets

Competition in attracting talented employees can be tough, particularly for firms looking for knowledge workers. How will foreign firms fare in this competition, if potential employees assess their own level of person-organization fit, based on the firms’ country of origin (COO), long before any job offer is made? In order to explore the question of what influences an individual’s attraction to a foreign firm, I conducted a mixed-methods investigation of the organizational attractiveness (OA) of foreign firms that enter developed markets, from the perspective of person-organization fit. First, I developed a model that illustrates the effect of various factors on the OA of foreign firms in developed markets. The first of the factors that may influence a potential applicant’s assessment of their fit with a generic foreign firm was predicted to be the applicant’s perception of tone of news coverage of the firm’s COO in the media. A second factor is the prior experience that potential applicants may have had with people from the foreign firm’s COO. Both of these factors were predicted to be moderated by the potential applicants’ level of cultural intelligence and their affinity with the firm’s COO. A third factor was the potential applicants’ preference for a type of psychological contract. An online survey of knowledge workers in Canada tested this model. The perception of tone of news coverage showed a positive, significant relationship with OA. Many firms utilize the assistance of labour market intermediaries to attract potential employees. Thus, my second study in this dissertation investigated how the foreignness of firms affected the work of headhunters as they sought to attract candidates for the firms. Due to the exploratory nature of this research, I conducted interviews to address these questions

Comparative aspects of treatment of endometrial hyperplasia in women of reproductive age with overweight

The aim. Minimization of the frequency of recurrence of endometrial hyperplasia (EH) in women of reproductive age with overweight (OW) depending on the tactics of treatment. Materials and methods. 90 women of reproductive age with endometrial hyperplasia and OW were selected. They, in turn, were divided into three groups: group 1 – 30 women who took a gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRH agonist), namely at a dose of 3.75 mg intramuscularly once every 28 days; group 2 – 30 women who used progestin (norethisterone) at a dose of 10 mg per day from day 16 to 25 of the cycle, group 3 – 30 women who took combined oral contraception (COC) (30 mcg ethinyl estradiol and 150 mcg desogestrel) in a cyclic mode 21/7. Evaluation of the effectiveness of therapy included a clinical picture of the disease 6 months after the start of treatment, assessment of the variability of the average values of endometrial thickness and uterine size on ultrasound (US) of the pelvis 6 months after treatment. Also analyzed the effectiveness of therapy based on the results of morphological examination of the endometrium in a biopsy of the uterine mucosa, performed 6 months after the start of treatment. In addition, a general analysis of the frequency of EH recurrence was performed 6–24 months after treatment. Results. The results showed that in the group in which women were prescribed GnRH agonist, there was a significantly higher effectiveness of treatment, in particular the absence of uterine bleeding and menstrual disorders (MD). At the same time, in the other norethisterone group, 53.3 % (16) of women had intermenstrual uterine bleeding. In patients in the group in which women received COC, uterine bleeding was observed in 30.0 % (i.e. 9) of patients (p <0.05). Immediately after treatment, the average values of endometrial thickness in patients of group 1, according to ultrasound, was 3.59±0.47 mm, which was significantly less than in women of groups 2 and 3 – 6.81±0.59 mm (p<0.001) and 7.58±0.69 mm (p<0.001). In addition, patients in group 1 at 3, 6, 12, 24 months after the end of hormone therapy were registered significantly lower average values of endometrial thickness, compared with patients receiving norethisterone and estrogen-progestogen drugs. Conclusions. In a comparative evaluation of the effectiveness of treatment of endometrial hyperplastic processes in overweight women, it was found that the recurrence rate after 6–24 months occurs in 6.7 % (i.e. 2) of patients after GnRH agonist therapy, in 33.3 % (i.e. in 10) patients receiving norethisterone (p<0.001), and in 50 % (i.e. 15) of women treated with COC (p<0.001)

PROGESTERONE INSUFFICIENCY AS A PREDICTOR OF FUTURE REPRODUCTIVE LOSSES

The article presents new data on the significance of vitamin D deficiency in the formation of endometrial structure disorders in women with luteal phase defect and unrupted follicle syndrome. Disorders of the menstrual cycle caused by a progesterone deficiency from the position of influence on the onset and progression of pregnancy are considered. Fertility of women, especially with endocrine imbalances, deserves special attention, since the frequency of early pregnancy loss in them is about 67 %. Aim: study of the effects of vitamin D deficiency and progesterone deficiency in the luteinized unruptured follicle syndrome (Geis-Genes) and the luteal phase defect on the reproductive potential of women. Materials and methods: a hormonal study, determination of vitamin D levels, a sonographic study conducted on days 5–7 and 21–24 of the menstrual cycle in the periconceptional supplementation program of 45 women with luteal phase deficiency (LPD) and luteinized unruptured follicle syndrome (LUF). Results: The relationship between the content of vitamin D and the hormonal levels of the reproductive system of women with LPD and LUF is traced. The role of reducing vitamin D levels in the formation of hormonal imbalances in women of reproductive age has been established. Conclusions: – progesterone deficiency entails changes in various regulatory substances of the reproductive system, and therefore the periconceptional supplementation must be individual. – The introduction of the definition of vitamin D in the periconceptional supplementation plan and its correction are justified and necessary to improve the structure of the endometrium and its secretory transformation in women with progesterone imbalance