MASS HINDLIMB DEFORMITIES OF GREEN FROGS (PELOPHYLAX ESCULENTUS COMPLEX) IN PRIDNESTROVIE: CAUSES AND BIOINDICATION

Mass hindlimb abnormalities (above 60 %) were found in twolocalities with syntopic Pelophylax ridibundus and hybridogenous P. esculentus in Pridnestrovie. Individually, frogs can have 1–7 anomalies in P. ridibundus and 2–4 in P. esculentus. Some diffe-rences in variety of deformities and their frequencies were observed between both species and both localities. Importantly, water bodies inhabited by green frogs with mass abnormalities were characterizedby absence of chemical pollution and any significant human impact.Массовые аномалии задних конечностей (свыше 60 %)были отмечены у синтопических Pelophylax ridibundus и гибридных P. esculentus в двух локалитетах в Приднестровье. Особь P. ridibundus может нести 1-7 аномалий, а P. esculentus – 2-4. Для обоих видов и локалитетов отмечены различия в вариантах аномалий и их частотах. Важно отметить, что водоемы, населенные лягушками с массовыми аномалиями, характеризовались отсутствием химического загрязнения и какого-либо существенного антропогенного воздействия

Special aspects of communication in a multi-religious space of modern society

The article is devoted to the peculiarities of communication in modern society. The following spheres of a religious discourse functioning are defined: communication in church, communication in small religious groups, communication of the person with God. Besides, each religion has its system of values. The system of values of each religion is not a stable phenomenon and can change with the change of society. Communication in a multi-religious society has some peculiarities. In order to overcome difficulties during communication in multi-religious space of modern society, it is important to know and consider the values of people professing this religion

Storage Potential of the Predatory Ladybird <i>Cheilomenes propinqua</i> in Relation to Temperature, Humidity, and Factitious Food

The ability of the females of the predatory ladybird Cheilomenes propinqua to survive and to retain reproductive potential in the absence of natural food (aphids) was estimated under various hydrothermal (temperatures of 7, 12, 17, 22, and 27 °C; air humidities of 50% and 80–90%) and trophic (starved vs. fed on the frozen eggs of the grain moth Sitotroga cerealella) conditions. The post-storage reproductive potential was estimated using the mean number of eggs laid over 20 days. The experiments showed that fed females can be stored at temperatures of 15–17 °C for 20 days with a rather low (about 20%) and for up to 80 days with an acceptable (not more than 50%) loss of the reproductive potential. The successful short-term (up to 3 days) storage or transportation of fed and starved females can occur at temperatures from 12 to 27 °C. However, storage for more than 10 days at temperatures of 7 °C and lower results in the 100% mortality of both the starved and fed beetles. These data suggest that (1) in greenhouses, C. propinqua can be used for the biological control of aphids by preventing colonization, although this would require the regular supplementation of factitious food, and (2) escaped individuals would not survive the winter even in the south of the temperate zone

Photo-oxidative stress in coconut seedlings: early events to leaf scorching and seedling death

Peer Editor: Angela Senne; Faculty Mentor: Carl Craver The case of Franz Breundl, a man who suffered from anterograde amnesia and a severe impairment of working memory is discussed in this work. After exposure to carbon monoxide fumes, Breundl could remember nothing for more than two seconds – a condition that is, as far we know, unprecedented in the literature. Gustav Störring and Ernst Grünthal originally documented the case in 1931, and the ensuing debate about its authenticity among German academics lasted nearly three decades. Since then, the case has been largely forgotten. Here, Breundl’s condition is reevaluated in light of our current understanding of short-term memory and attentional disorders and a tentative diagnosis of a deficit in the central executive capacities of working memory is offered. From the Washington University Undergraduate Research Digest: WUURD, Volume 6, Issue 2, Spring 2011. Published by the Office of Undergraduate Research, Joy Zalis Kiefer Director of Undergraduate Research and Assistant Dean in the College of Arts & Sciences; Kristin Sobotka, Editor

An atlas of gene expression from seed to seed through barley development

The original publication can be found at www.springerlink.comAssaying relative and absolute levels of gene expression in a diverse series of tissues is a central step in the process of characterizing gene function and a necessary component of almost all publications describing individual genes or gene family members. However, throughout the literature, such studies lack consistency in genotype, tissues analyzed, and growth conditions applied, and, as a result, the body of information that is currently assembled is fragmented and difficult to compare between different studies. The development of a comprehensive platform for assaying gene expression that is available to the entire research community provides a major opportunity to assess whole biological systems in a single experiment. It also integrates detailed knowledge and information on individual genes into a unified framework that provides both context and resource to explore their contributions in a broader biological system. We have established a data set that describes the expression of 21,439 barley genes in 15 tissues sampled throughout the development of the barley cv. Morex grown under highly controlled conditions. Rather than attempting to address a specific biological question, our experiment was designed to provide a reference gene expression data set for barley researchers; a gene expression atlas and a comparative data set for those investigating genes or regulatory networks in other plant species. In this paper we describe the tissues sampled and their transcriptomes, and provide summary information on genes that are either specifically expressed in certain tissues or show correlated expression patterns across all 15 tissue samples. Using specific examples and an online tutorial, we describe how the data set can be interrogated for patterns and levels of barley gene expression and how the resulting information can be used to generate and/or test specific biological hypotheses.Arnis Druka, Gary Muehlbauer, Ilze Druka, Rico Caldo, Ute Baumann, Nils Rostoks, Andreas Schreiber, Roger Wise, Timothy Close, Andris Kleinhofs, Andreas Graner, Alan Schulman, Peter Langridge, Kazuhiro Sato, Patrick Hayes, Jim McNicol, David Marshall and Robbie Waug