Untraditional Solutions For The Usage Of Greenhouse Effect

The heat solar energy traditionally is used in greenhouses for ensuring optimal plant vegetation regime in our climatic conditions. Glass verandas built during last centuries at the south side of living houses and summer cottages are appreciated as original use of solar energy. Veranda as light and warm room was used for different household needs and also for social activities. Up-to-date materials and technologies proposes wide spectrum of innovative activities for greenhouses and conservatories. The variable amount of solar energy is possible to smooth out by using accumulation system. In the paper results from vegetable drying experiments are presented. In the research used products – carrots, dry matter of the product at the start 8.5%, chopped product – 9.9%, after desiccation – equilibrium moisture content 10 -11%. The experimental device placed in the room is simulating the processes, which would occur if we use greenhouse for product drying, accordingly making changes in the design of conventional greenhouses by separating drying section from growing section, supplying warm heated in the greenhouse upper layer air from the bottom by forcing it with axial ventilator, and accordingly choosing appropriate accumulation system for energy storage in case when outside air temperature drop occurs

Assessment of the greenhouse gas emissions and energy inputs applying different weed control methods for wheat growing

Received: January 25th, 2023 ; Accepted: May 21st, 2023 ; Published: June 17th, 2023 ; Correspondence: [email protected] indicators are often used to evaluate and select technologies, determining the production costs of the product. However, according to the EU's green course, the ecological assessment of technologies is increasingly important. The purpose of the article is to comparatively evaluate two winter wheat weed control methods, which are widely used in Latvia, according to two ecological indicators - the amount of the GHG emissions and the energy consumption, to find out whether these indicators can serve as a criterion for the selection of technologies. These two methods are HA (harrowing), in which weeds are controlled by harrowing and herbicides, HE (herbicides), in which weeds are controlled only by herbicides. The methodology for calculating the mentioned indicators was developed by analyzing several studies by other authors. The total GHG emissions generated are calculated as the sum of five components: emissions, generated for the manufacture and delivery of the machinery used; emissions, generated by the fuel, consumed for implementation of the technology; emissions, generated for the production, delivery and installation of fertilizers; emissions, generated for the production, delivery and installation of pesticides, seed production, delivery and installation emissions. Analogously, the total energy consumption is calculated by summing the components The technologies were implemented on a specific farm, with the machinery of this farm, labor, fertilizers and the plant protection products. It has been established that the technologies differ by the calculated ecological indicators within the range of 1.2–2.6%; moreover, these indicators are lower for the technology with the herbicide spraying, and the technology is simpler to implement. Therefore, it is also more widely used. Since the coefficients for the calculation of the ecological indicators can be applied by the methodology of this article, the characteristics of the technique and the doses of fertilizers and the plant protection agents, used on the farms, are known, the ecological indicators can be used as an additional criterion for the selection of technologies on the farms. The ratio of the energy value and energy consumption of the produced product (the output and the input ratio) was also determined, this indicator for technologies HA and HE being, respectively, 8.30 and 8.41. In comparison with the research by the authors in other countries, from the point of view of the amount of the generated CO2-eq emissions and rational consumption of energy, the analysed winter wheat production technologies are evaluated as moderately efficient, but from the point of view of the energy value of the product produced and the ratio of the energy consumption (the output and the input ratio) - as efficient

Evaluation of the honey bee colonies weight gain during the intensive foraging period

Received: March 5th, 2022 ; Accepted: April 1st, 2022 ; Published: April 13th, 2022 ; Correspondence: [email protected] in Latvia has a long tradition and it is a classical branch of agriculture. In Latvia, there is no traditional beekeeping region, and beekeeping is performed in all regions. Honey yield is influenced by various factors - variety of crops (nectar plants) around the apiary, man-made changes in land/forests (deforestation), climate change, beekeepers’ actions, etc. Application of information and communication technologies (ICT) in the field of beekeeping can bring benefits to the beekeepers. To be more specific, continuous remote monitoring of certain bee colony parameters can improve beekeeper’s apiary management, by informing timely about the nectar flow (or even provide information on bee colony states, e.g., swarming). In such a way, beekeepers can plan their next actions - prepare supers or even choose to move the apiary to a different geographical location. Within this research, weight gain of the ten honey bee colonies was remotely monitored and analysed during two-week period at the beginning of the summer 2021 in Vecauce, Latvia, using the precision beekeeping approach. This monitoring period corresponded to intensive flowering of the winter rapeseed and field beans. Colonies were equipped with the automatic scales. In addition, colony and environmental temperature was monitored. Measurements were taken every thirty minutes. Analysing the obtained data, weight increase can be observed in all colonies, from 17 to 48 kg. As well, based on weight data, swarming event can be identified. Constant monitoring of weight change can also help to identify daily patterns in honey bee activity

Parties, promiscuity and politicisation: business-political networks in Poland

Research on post-communist political economy has begun to focus on the interface between business and politics. It is widely agreed that informal networks rather than business associations dominate this interface, but there has been very little systematic research in this area. The literature tends to assume that a politicised economy entails business-political networks that are structured by parties. Theoretically, this article distinguishes politicisation from party politicisation and argues that the two are unlikely to be found together in a post-communist context. Empirically, elite survey data and qualitative interviews are used to explore networks of businesspeople and politicians in Poland. Substantial evidence is found against the popular idea that Polish politicians have business clienteles clearly separated from each other according to party loyalties. Instead, it is argued that these politicians and businesspeople are promiscuous. Since there seems to be little that is unusual about the Polish case, this conclusion has theoretical, methodological, substantive and policy implications for other post-communist countries

Is oxidative stress MYC’s Achilles heel?

No abstract available

Tomato: a crop species amenable to improvement by cellular and molecular methods

Tomato is a crop plant with a relatively small DNA content per haploid genome and a well developed genetics. Plant regeneration from explants and protoplasts is feasable which led to the development of efficient transformation procedures. In view of the current data, the isolation of useful mutants at the cellular level probably will be of limited value in the genetic improvement of tomato. Protoplast fusion may lead to novel combinations of organelle and nuclear DNA (cybrids), whereas this technique also provides a means of introducing genetic information from alien species into tomato. Important developments have come from molecular approaches. Following the construction of an RFLP map, these RFLP markers can be used in tomato to tag quantitative traits bred in from related species. Both RFLP's and transposons are in the process of being used to clone desired genes for which no gene products are known. Cloned genes can be introduced and potentially improve specific properties of tomato especially those controlled by single genes. Recent results suggest that, in principle, phenotypic mutants can be created for cloned and characterized genes and will prove their value in further improving the cultivated tomato.

Heme Oxygenase-1 Accelerates Cutaneous Wound Healing in Mice

Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), a cytoprotective, pro-angiogenic and anti-inflammatory enzyme, is strongly induced in injured tissues. Our aim was to clarify its role in cutaneous wound healing. In wild type mice, maximal expression of HO-1 in the skin was observed on the 2nd and 3rd days after wounding. Inhibition of HO-1 by tin protoporphyrin-IX resulted in retardation of wound closure. Healing was also delayed in HO-1 deficient mice, where lack of HO-1 could lead to complete suppression of reepithelialization and to formation of extensive skin lesions, accompanied by impaired neovascularization. Experiments performed in transgenic mice bearing HO-1 under control of keratin 14 promoter showed that increased level of HO-1 in keratinocytes is enough to improve the neovascularization and hasten the closure of wounds. Importantly, induction of HO-1 in wounded skin was relatively weak and delayed in diabetic (db/db) mice, in which also angiogenesis and wound closure were impaired. In such animals local delivery of HO-1 transgene using adenoviral vectors accelerated the wound healing and increased the vascularization. In summary, induction of HO-1 is necessary for efficient wound closure and neovascularization. Impaired wound healing in diabetic mice may be associated with delayed HO-1 upregulation and can be improved by HO-1 gene transfer

Tuberculosis is associated with expansion of a motile, permissive and immunomodulatory CD16(+) monocyte population via the IL-10/STAT3 axis

The human CD14+ monocyte compartment is composed by two subsets based on CD16 expression. We previously reported that this compartment is perturbed in tuberculosis (TB) patients, as reflected by the expansion of CD16+ monocytes along with disease severity. Whether this unbalance is beneficial or detrimental to host defense remains to be elucidated. Here in the context of active TB, we demonstrate that human monocytes are predisposed to differentiate towards an anti-inflammatory (M2-like) macrophage activation program characterized by theCD16+CD163+MerTK+pSTAT3+ phenotype and functional properties such as enhanced protease-dependent motility, pathogen permissivity and immunomodulation. This process is dependent on STAT3 activation, and loss-of-function experiments point towards a detrimental role in host defense against TB. Importantly, we provide a critical correlation between the abundance of the CD16+CD163+MerTK+pSTAT3+ cells and the progression of the disease either at the local level in a non-human primate tuberculous granuloma context, or at the systemic level through the detection of the soluble form of CD163 in human sera. Collectively, this study argues for the pathogenic role of the CD16+CD163+MerTK+pSTAT3+ monocyte-to-macrophage differentiation program and its potential as a target for TB therapy,and promotes the detection of circulating CD163 as a potential biomarker for disease progression and monitoringof treatment efficacy.Fil: Lastrucci, Claire. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; FranciaFil: Bénard, Alan. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; FranciaFil: Balboa, Luciana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Medicina Experimental. Academia Nacional de Medicina de Buenos Aires. Instituto de Medicina Experimental; ArgentinaFil: Pingris, Karine. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; FranciaFil: Souriant, Shanti. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; FranciaFil: Poincloux, Renaud. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; FranciaFil: Al Saati, Talal. Inserm; FranciaFil: Rasolofo, Voahangy. Pasteur Institute in Antananarivo; MadagascarFil: González Montaner, Pablo. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital de Infecciosas ; ArgentinaFil: Inwentarz, Sandra. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital de Infecciosas ; ArgentinaFil: Moraña, Eduardo José. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital de Infecciosas ; ArgentinaFil: Kondova, Ivanela. Biomedical Primate Research Centre; Países BajosFil: Verreck, Franck A. W.. Biomedical Primate Research Centre; Países BajosFil: Sasiain, María del Carmen. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Medicina Experimental. Academia Nacional de Medicina de Buenos Aires. Instituto de Medicina Experimental; ArgentinaFil: Neyrolles, Olivier. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; FranciaFil: Maridonneau Parini, Isabel. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; FranciaFil: Lugo Villarino, Geanncarlo. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; FranciaFil: Cougoule, Celine. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; Franci