Everything but the Squeal:The Politics of Porcinity in the Livre des Propriétés des Choses

Mediaeval encyclopaedias described nonhuman animals in terms of their corporeality and cosmic significance by combining zoological and theological knowledge. Such descriptions were therefore prescriptions of normative parameters for how animals were supposed to function within Christian society, rather than objective observations. As mediaeval conceptualisations of species were highly malleable, particular animals that shared no biological relation could be considered kin, and animals who behaved against their prescribed nature could become a different animal altogether. This paper investigates how several species were implicated in the mediaeval invention of what it meant to be (like) a pig. My counter-hegemonic reading of the Livre des propriétés des choses, a fifteenth-century French encyclopaedia, draws attention to how late mediaeval Christian scripts of porcinity simultaneously defined the nonhumanity of pigs and of ‘other’ humans. These render the idea of the pig inseparable from what it meant to be human. I contend that the Livre des propriétés des choses employs discourses of porcinity to self-define and -stabilise particular notions of human identity by debasing and othering human and nonhuman animals with seemingly porcine traits. Additionally, I underline how such fabrications of humanity are often mired in practices that devaluate and harm real animals, including other humans. Mediaeval studies need to further address the crucial roles of animal suffering in human history. This way, historians can add valuable insights to present debates about anthropocentrism and its devastating socio-ecological consequence

Morphological and anatomical characterization of Actinidia kolomikta (Rupr. & Maxim.) Maxim. (C3) and Amaranthus tricolor L. (C4) leaves

Received: February 1st, 2022 ; Accepted: March 27th, 2022 ; Published: April 27th, 2022 ; Correspondence: [email protected] and anatomical features of new cultivars with photosynthesis of C3 (Actinidia kolomikta (Rupr. & Maxim.) Maxim. cv. ‘Narodnaya’) and C4 (Amaranthus tricolor L. cv. ‘Valentina’) were established by light and scanning electron microscopy, as well as energy-dispersive analysis. The leaf lamina of Actinidia kolomikta cv. ‘Narodnaya’ has a dorsoventral anatomical structure, anomocytic stomata on the abaxial epidermis and two types of trichomes: multicellular, uniseriate hairs and multicellular bristle-like protrusions, containing raphids. The needle-like raphides are located in subepidermal layers along the veins. A vascular system of petiole consists of two upper concentric bundles and the crescentic vascular strand. A starch sheat is present. Raphides (needle-shaped and rectangular) are located in phloem and cortical parenchyma cells, contain Ca, K, Mg, P and Si. The leaf lamina of Amaranthus tricolor cv. ‘Valentina’ have the kranz-anatomy, dorsiventral mesophyll and contain druses. Betacyanins are concentrated in the epidermis and mesophyll, but are not present in the bundle sheath. The number of vascular bundles in petioles is odd-numbered and variable (from 5 to 13). Trichomes are multicellular, uniseriate, ending in a large oval cell. Cells with betacyanins are present in the epidermis cortex, and, rarely, the collenchyma and phloem of the petiole. Cells with betaxanthins are absent. A starch sheat is brightly pigmented with betacyanins. The crystall sand is deposited in the parenchyma cells of the cortex and pith of the petiole and contains Ca (mainly) and K oxalates. Druses in the leaf lamina additionally contain Mg and P

Phytoextraction of toxic elements by Amaranthus Tricolor grown on technogenically polluted soils in open ground conditions

Using the INAA method, the ability of Amaranthus tricolor L. variety “Valentina” growing on soils with different degree of pollution to extract heavy metals was evaluated in the field experiments. It was found that amaranth of the studied variety characterized by the content of betacianin pigment, amaranthine, in the shoots and generative organ, is able to accumulate elements such as Mn, Fe and Ni from soils. The content of most of the studied elements decreases in the following order: leaves inflorescences stems. Under conditions of soil pollution with emissions from metallurgical plant, the phytoextraction of such elements as Mn, Fe, Co, Sb increases. The content of Fe and Mn in the leaves of A. tricolor var. “Valentina” exceeds the average data for vegetation from 7 to 17 times; the Co content exceeds the average data for vegetable from 4 to 7 times; the Sb content in the leaves exceeds the average data for vegetable from 10 to 23 times. Due to the fact that amaranth forms a sufficient biomass for the growing season, it can be recommended for phytoextraction of heavy metals from soils in case of polymetallic pollution

Mineral composition of amaranth (Amaranthus L.) seeds of vegetable and grain usage by ARHIVBSP selection

The questions of the practical usage of the analytical scanning electron microscope JSM 600 LA by JEOL company (Japan) with EDS system - microanalysis for the studying of the ash elemental composition of seeds 9 breeds (Vegetable and Grain application) 4 species genus Amaranthus L. - A. hypochondriacus, A. cruentus, A. hybridus, A. caudatus, A. tricolor. Plant seeds by Federal center of vegetable production selection were envisaged. We studied the concentration of 14 basic elements (in weight %) contained in the mineral part of amaranth seeds. In the amaranth seeds of vegetable forms the accumulation order of the elements is the following: Ca >K >P >Mg >Si >Se >Fe >Mo ≈ S ≈ Cl ≈ Zn >Na >Al. In the seeds of the grain forms the order is different: К >P >Ca >Si >Se >Mg >Fe >Na >Mo >Cl ≈ S ≈ Mn ≈ Zn ≈ Al. The amaranth seeds of the grain forms are rich in macro - and microelements. P, K, Cl and S in the seeds of the grain forms are accumulated on 50, 37, 15 and 5% more and Si, Fe and Al in 2.6 and 1.8 times more than in the vegetable forms seeds. The breeds with the high concentration of the elements are recommended for using in the selection process. The elevated level of the essential macro- and microelements such as Ca, K, P, Mg, Mo, S and Cl stipulates the perspective of the functional products creation on the base of the studied amaranth seeds for the enrichment of the food stuffs

К ВОПРОСУ ОБ АНТИОКСИДАНТНОМ МЕТАБОЛОМЕ ОВОЩНЫХ КУЛЬТУР СЕЛЕКЦИИ ВНИИССОК

The antioxidant metabolome as a part of metabolome of  mbryophytes presents the total low molecular weight hydrophylic and hydrophobic metabolites with antioxidant activity which take part in protection and regulatory plant reactions. The main function of antioxidant metabolites is deactivation of active forms of oxygen and free radicals appearing ue to biotic and abiotic stresses. The level of resistance to oxidative stress of each plant is defined by total metabolome of antioxidants (content, speed of synthesis, accumulation, utilization) depending on genotype, but can be changed under the action of environment.Изучение антиоксидантного метаболома овощных растений, в том числе, интродуцированныхво ВНИИССОК, связано с развитием представления о месте антиоксидантного метаболома, который является частью метаболома высших растений, его функциях и роли в живом организме. Антиоксидантный метаболом представляет собой совокупность низкомолекулярных гидрофильных и гидрофобных метаболитов с антиоксидантной активностью, участвующих в защитных и регуляторных реакциях клетки. В задачу антиоксидантной метаболомики входит изучение состава и содержания метаболитов – антиоксидантов в ходе онтогенеза растений и при действии стрессоров и исследование влияния растительного антиоксидантного метаболома на функциональную активность организма человека. Основная функция низкомолекулярных метаболитов – антиоксидантов антиоксидантного метаболома в клетке заключается в обезвреживании активных форм кислорода и свободных радикалов, возникающих в большом количестве при действии абиогенных и биогенных стрессоров, различающихся по силе воздействия на растения. При этом уровень устойчивости каждого растения к окислительному стрессу определяется суммарным индивидуальным метаболомом антиоксидантов (составом, содержанием, скоростью синтеза, накопления и расходования) индивидуального растения, который формируется генотипом, но может изменяться под воздействием сопутствующих факторов среды

ЗНАЧЕНИЕ МЕЖДУНАРОДНЫХ СИМПОЗИУМОВ «НОВЫЕ И НЕТРАДИЦИОННЫЕ РАСТЕНИЯ И ПЕРСПЕКТИВЫ ИХ ИСПОЛЬЗОВАНИЯ»

On 14-18 June, 2011, XI international symposium on «New and nontraditional Plant Cultures and Prospects of Their Use» was hosted by Institute of Fundamental Problems of Biology, RAS.С 14 по 18 июня 2011 года на базе Института фундаментальных проблем биологии РАН состоялся очередной IX Международный симпозиум «Новые и нетрадиционные растения и перспективы их использования», который собирается один раз в два года

Fatty oil accumulation in vegetable soybean seeds and its thin-layer chromatography

Received: February 23rd, 2021 ; Accepted: May 5th, 2021 ; Published: May 20th, 2021 ; Correspondence: [email protected] paper studies the accumulation of crude oil (triacylglycerides, monoacylglycerides, diacylglycerides, free fatty acids, phospholipids, tocopherols, pigments, sterols, waxes) in soybean vegetable samples. Samples were taken from two groups: grown in an experimental field and in protected ground of the Federal Scientific Center for Vegetable Growing in the Moscow Region. Both groups were observed in the phase of technical ripeness and in the phase of complete biological ripeness (finally ripe seeds). Soxhlet method as arbitration in analysis was used as suitable for the extraction of lipophilic substances. It was determined that the fat content in the technical ripeness phase in most soybean samples averaged 10.5%. In the phase of biological ripeness, the highest accumulation of fatty oil was observed in Hidaka and Nordic (17.6%). The oil content in vegetable forms of soybeans was consistently lower than that of grain varieties: in the phases of technical and biological ripeness by 55.6% and 22.0% (in relative values) respectively. Thus, he accumulation of oil in seeds is determined mainly genetically. The refractive index of vegetable and oil soybean was established equal on average 1.4755. According to this finding the soybean oil can be classified as semi-drying. Thin layer chromatography (TLC) was used to study the lipophilic components of soybean fatty oil. It was found experimentally that the best separation of the components is achieved using an eluent system: carbon tetrachloride: chloroform in a 2: 3 ratio. It was found that the main fatsoluble compounds are the following (in order of increasing Rf in the chromatogram): phospholipids, monoacylglycerides, triacylglycerides, tocopherols, fatty acid esters. As a finding of the research vegetable soybean cultivated at 55 °N in both technical and biological ripeness phases significantly accumulate crude oil in the seeds. This crude oil contained ω-6, ω-3, phospholipids, and vitamin E

A new beamline for laser spin-polarization at ISOLDE

A beamline dedicated to the production of laser-polarized radioactive beams has been constructed at ISOLDE, CERN. We present here different simulations leading to the design and construction of the setup, as well as technical details of the full setup and examples of the achieved polarizations for several radioisotopes. Beamline simulations show a good transmission through the entire line, in agreement with observations. Simulations of the induced nuclear spin-polarization as a function of atom-laser interaction length are presented for $^{26,28}$Na, [1] and for $^{35}$Ar, which is studied in this work. Adiabatic spin rotation of the spin-polarized ensemble of atoms, and how this influences the observed nuclear ensemble polarization, are also performed for the same nuclei. For $^{35}$Ar, we show that multiple-frequency pumping enhances the ensemble polarization by a factor 1.85, in agreement with predictions from a rate equations model. [1] J. Phys. G: Nucl. Part. Phys./174408400