Assessment of Productive Potential of Peanut Varieties (Arachis hypogaea L.) from the Bulgarian Breeding Program and Opportunities for Genetical Improvement

The study was conducted in the experimental field of IPGR Sadovo in the period 2016-2017. Three peanut varieties type Valencia from the Bulgarian breeding program: Kalina, Kremena and Tsvetelina, are morphologically assessed. The aim of the study is to establish the possibility of genetic control over indicators directly related to productivity. The influence of the variety, the impact of the climate and the growing conditions, as well as the effect of the two factors on gynophores number, the fruit number and their weight were investigated. The relations between the studied signs are clarified. The components of the variation, phenotypic and genotypic variance are evaluated. The genetic progress and the genetic progress as a percentage of the mean are defined. The results show that the conditions of the environment are the strongest sources of variation for the studied signs. The gynophores number and the fruit number per plant are in direct positive relation to the fruit weight per plant as an element of the yield. In the studied components of the yield there is no possibility for genetic control. Their manifestation depends on applied agro-technology and the meteorological conditions. The future breeding work for obtaining high-yield peanut varieties requires finding out signs indirectly related to increasing the fruit weight per plant and possessing genetic control

Cerebral blood flow imaging. Relation to blood rheology

Abstract A number of techniques allow imaging of the cerebral blood flow (CBF). Flow-sensitive time-of -flight (TOF) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrates good representation of the flow but the extracranial hemodynamics could be assessed by color duplex ultrasound of the carotid arteries. Computerized tomography (CT), Xenon enhanced or CT perfusion with iodinated contrast, single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) with HMPAO, positron emission tomography (PET) with radiolabeled water, contrast perfusion-weighted and non-invasive MRI technique using continuous arterial spin labeling (CALS) provide precise assessment of cerebral perfusion with measurement of blood flow velocities. The contrast agents used have hemorheological and vessel wall effects. Keywords: Cerebral blood flow, Doppler ultrasound, functional neuroimaging, blood rheology _____________________________________________________________________________ Cerebral blood flow (CBF), is the blood supply to the brain in a given time. In an adult, CBF is typically 750 milliliters per minute or 15% of the cardiac output. This equates to 50 to 54 milliliters of blood per 100 grams of brain tissue per minute. The CBF is determined by a number of factors, such as viscosity of blood, vascular tone and the net pressure of the flow of blood into the brain, known as cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP), which is determined by the body's blood pressure (BP). CBF is equal to CPP divided by the cerebrovascular resistance (CVR): The cerebral autoregulation is a process, which aims to maintain adequate and stable CBF regardless of the changes of systemic BP or CPP. The stability of CBF is accomplished by altering the blood vessels diameter through constriction or dilatation The conventional neuroimaging methods -computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are good enough to estimate the state of brain morphology. However the contemporary diagnosis and treatment options need: • To define the cerebral physiology by application of different stimuli (CO 2 inhalation, cognitive or movement tasks etc.), which lead to local CBF changes. • To identify areas of abnormal blood flow in cerebral pathology: stroke, vascular malformations, carotid stenoses or occlusions, traumatic brain injury, vascularized brain tumors, resistant epilepsy, psychiatric diseases. • To estimate the therapeutic choice and to do the CBF measurement as earlier as possible after the brain injury. • To monitor the effectiveness of contemporary thrombolytic therapy and surgical interventions. This important information for the therapeutic behavior is achieved by the so-called functional neuroimaging methods. The Doppler ultrasound is one of those methods. It provides information about the change of velocity and direction of moving erythrocytes in the major arteries of the neck and the proximal segments of intracranial arteries, and other parameters of blood flow in the examined vascular segment. It can thus identify and characterize stenosing arterial section or change in the direction of flow

Ecological and physiological specificity of Portulaca oleraceae L. Vegetative organs in conditions of Zaporozhye region

В роботі наведено еколого-фізіологічну специфічність вегетативних органів (корінь, стебло, листок) Portulaca oleraceaе L. в умо-вах Запорізької області. Розкрито насіннєву продуктивність дослідної рос-лини, а також показано динаміку формування маси насіння Portulaca oleraceaе L

Histological-functional characteristic of vegetative organs of Mentha piperita L. in the conditions of the Zaporozhye region

Робота присвячена гістолого-функціональній характеристиці вегетативних органів Mentha piperita в умовах Запорізької області. Наведено відсоткове співвідношення тканих вегетативних органів (листка, стебла, кореня), визначена екологічна група Mentha piperita в залежності від волог

Досвід вирощування, заготівлі та використання рослинного матеріалу малопоширених сільськогосподарських культур в аранжуванні

The authored works, including dry plant material, are recently becoming increasingly popular. Artistic compositions made of preserved plants do not require special care, and in combination with interesting materials look bright and spectacular and preserve the natural beauty of plants for a long time. Modern preservation technology of the arrangement material allows ensuring its high quality; therefore it is as beautiful and original as live flowers. During the study the authors applied special and general research techniques, laboratory and phytodynamics in particular. We have revealed that that fruits (inflorescences) of rare agricultural crops have high decorative character and can be used as dry (preserved) vegetative material in volumetric and semispecific varieties of compositions as a forming, main and secondary material. These are such plants as ordinary cotton, bamia, kenaf, cannate, safflower dipping and thistle spotted. It is advisable to use a natural way of bulk preservation for them, i.e. drying in the field. In addition, the benefits of this plant material are its originality, accessibility, ease of cultivation and storage duration. It can be used in the learning process to get skills for creating tracks for students. The results of visual perennial observations showed a high drought tolerance of these plants in the conditions of the Agrobiological complex of Bogdan Khmelnitsky Melitopol State Pedagogical University. The investigated plants without noticeable damage can withstand prolonged periods of drought, which are characteristic for the Southern steppe and do not require special conditions of cultivation. Thus, on the basis of the given data, we believe that the study of the decorative qualities of some types of rare crops, the characteristics of cultivation and evaluation of compositional use are the basis for their application in decorative floristics and the expansion of the plant range that can be used to make compositions throughout the year.Встановлено, що малопоширені сільськогосподарські культури можна використовувати як сухий (консервований) рослинний матеріал в об'ємному та напівоб'ємному різновидах композицій. Це такі рослини, як: бавовник звичайний, бамія, кенаф, канатник, сафлор красильний та розторопша плямиста. Результати візуальних багаторічних спостережень показали високу посухостійкість цих рослин в умовах Агробіологічного комплексу МДПУ ім. Б. Хмельницького. Досліджувані рослини без помітних пошкоджень витримують затяжні періоди посухи, які характерні для Південного Степу та не потребують особливих умов вирощування. Окремо для кожної культури визначено особливості заготівлі аранжувального матеріалу – термін збирання, консервування та умови зберігання. З'ясовано, що плоди або суцвіття цих рослин мають декоративні властивості, їх можна використовувати в композиціях як формоутворювальний основний рослинний матеріал та як матеріал-наповнювач. Для них доцільно використовувати природний спосіб об'ємного консервування – сушіння в польових умовах на колекційній ділянці. Окрім цього, перевагами цього рослинного матеріалу є його оригінальність, доступність, простота вирощування та тривалість зберігання. Оскільки ці рослини можна вважати перспективними для декоративної флористики, їх доцільно не тільки впроваджувати в навчальний процес під час вивчення дисциплін "Основи аранжування" та "Фітодизайн", але й включати в перелік рекомендованих рослин для аранжування у професійній літературі

Applying plant disturbance indicators to reveal the hemeroby of soil macrofauna species

Hemeroby is an integrated indicator for measuring human impacts on environmental systems. Hemeroby has a complex nature and a variety of mechanisms to affect ecosystems. Hemeroby is often used to assess disturbances in different vegetation types but this con-cept has seldom been evaluated for animals. The role of the hemeroby gradient in structuring the soil macrofauna community was inves-tigated. The experimental polygon was located in Botanical Garden of the Oles Honchar Dnipro National University (Dnipro City, Ukraine). There were 20 sites within the polygon. On each of them at 105 points samples of soil macrofauna were taken, soil penetration resistance, electrical conductivity of soil, depth of litter, height of grasses were measured. Within each site, a description of the vegetation cover was made. Based on the description of the vegetation, an indication of the level of ecosystem hemeroby within the polygons was conducted. In total, 48,457 invertebrate (Annelida, Arthropoda, and Mollusca) individuals of 6 classes, 13 orders, 50 families and 83 species or parataxonomic units were recorded. Phytoindication reveals that the level of hemeroby within the studied polygons varies from 34.9 to 67.2. The model V and VI from the HOFJO-list were the most optimal model of the species response to hemeroby gra-dient. The weighted average factor value was used to assess the optimal factor level for the species in a symmetrical bell-shaped re-sponse model. The optimal factor level of the hemeroby for the soil macrofauna species ranges from 34.9 to 66.0. Species also differ in degree of specialization to the factor of hemeroby. There was a regular change in the soil macrofauna community size and diversity in the hemeroby gradient. The limiting influence of anthropogenic transformation of the environment on the abundance of soil macrofauna community is clearly marked at the level of hemeroby above average. Species diversity of the community is greatest at moderate heme-roby level. Both relatively little transformed habitats and strongly transformed ones are characterized by lower species richness of the soil macrofauna community. The Shannon index shows a clear upward trend with increasing hemeroby. The Pielou index indicates that the main reason for this trend is an increase in community evenness with increasing hemeroby. The intermediate disturbance hypothesis was fully supported with respect to species richness. For the number of species, there is indeed a certain level of heterogeneity at which the number of species is highest. For another aspect of diversity, evenness, this pattern is not true. The evenness increases with increas-ing habitat disturbance. This result is due to a decrease in the abundance of dominant species. Keywords: diversity; urbanization; bioindication; canonical correspondance analysis; variation fractioning

Effects of alirocumab on types of myocardial infarction: insights from the ODYSSEY OUTCOMES trial

Aims  The third Universal Definition of Myocardial Infarction (MI) Task Force classified MIs into five types: Type 1, spontaneous; Type 2, related to oxygen supply/demand imbalance; Type 3, fatal without ascertainment of cardiac biomarkers; Type 4, related to percutaneous coronary intervention; and Type 5, related to coronary artery bypass surgery. Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) reduction with statins and proprotein convertase subtilisin–kexin Type 9 (PCSK9) inhibitors reduces risk of MI, but less is known about effects on types of MI. ODYSSEY OUTCOMES compared the PCSK9 inhibitor alirocumab with placebo in 18 924 patients with recent acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and elevated LDL-C (≥1.8 mmol/L) despite intensive statin therapy. In a pre-specified analysis, we assessed the effects of alirocumab on types of MI. Methods and results  Median follow-up was 2.8 years. Myocardial infarction types were prospectively adjudicated and classified. Of 1860 total MIs, 1223 (65.8%) were adjudicated as Type 1, 386 (20.8%) as Type 2, and 244 (13.1%) as Type 4. Few events were Type 3 (n = 2) or Type 5 (n = 5). Alirocumab reduced first MIs [hazard ratio (HR) 0.85, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.77–0.95; P = 0.003], with reductions in both Type 1 (HR 0.87, 95% CI 0.77–0.99; P = 0.032) and Type 2 (0.77, 0.61–0.97; P = 0.025), but not Type 4 MI. Conclusion  After ACS, alirocumab added to intensive statin therapy favourably impacted on Type 1 and 2 MIs. The data indicate for the first time that a lipid-lowering therapy can attenuate the risk of Type 2 MI. Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol reduction below levels achievable with statins is an effective preventive strategy for both MI types.For complete list of authors see http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehz299</p

Effect of alirocumab on mortality after acute coronary syndromes. An analysis of the ODYSSEY OUTCOMES randomized clinical trial

Background: Previous trials of PCSK9 (proprotein convertase subtilisin-kexin type 9) inhibitors demonstrated reductions in major adverse cardiovascular events, but not death. We assessed the effects of alirocumab on death after index acute coronary syndrome. Methods: ODYSSEY OUTCOMES (Evaluation of Cardiovascular Outcomes After an Acute Coronary Syndrome During Treatment With Alirocumab) was a double-blind, randomized comparison of alirocumab or placebo in 18 924 patients who had an ACS 1 to 12 months previously and elevated atherogenic lipoproteins despite intensive statin therapy. Alirocumab dose was blindly titrated to target achieved low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) between 25 and 50 mg/dL. We examined the effects of treatment on all-cause death and its components, cardiovascular and noncardiovascular death, with log-rank testing. Joint semiparametric models tested associations between nonfatal cardiovascular events and cardiovascular or noncardiovascular death. Results: Median follow-up was 2.8 years. Death occurred in 334 (3.5%) and 392 (4.1%) patients, respectively, in the alirocumab and placebo groups (hazard ratio [HR], 0.85; 95% CI, 0.73 to 0.98; P=0.03, nominal P value). This resulted from nonsignificantly fewer cardiovascular (240 [2.5%] vs 271 [2.9%]; HR, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.74 to 1.05; P=0.15) and noncardiovascular (94 [1.0%] vs 121 [1.3%]; HR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.59 to 1.01; P=0.06) deaths with alirocumab. In a prespecified analysis of 8242 patients eligible for ≥3 years follow-up, alirocumab reduced death (HR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.65 to 0.94; P=0.01). Patients with nonfatal cardiovascular events were at increased risk for cardiovascular and noncardiovascular deaths (P<0.0001 for the associations). Alirocumab reduced total nonfatal cardiovascular events (P<0.001) and thereby may have attenuated the number of cardiovascular and noncardiovascular deaths. A post hoc analysis found that, compared to patients with lower LDL-C, patients with baseline LDL-C ≥100 mg/dL (2.59 mmol/L) had a greater absolute risk of death and a larger mortality benefit from alirocumab (HR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.56 to 0.90; Pinteraction=0.007). In the alirocumab group, all-cause death declined wit h achieved LDL-C at 4 months of treatment, to a level of approximately 30 mg/dL (adjusted P=0.017 for linear trend). Conclusions: Alirocumab added to intensive statin therapy has the potential to reduce death after acute coronary syndrome, particularly if treatment is maintained for ≥3 years, if baseline LDL-C is ≥100 mg/dL, or if achieved LDL-C is low. Clinical Trial Registration: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01663402