CALVING ANALYSIS IN COWS OF CHAROLAIS BREED AT SELECTED FARM

At our work we have analysed the organisation of calving in Charolais breed during the years from 1998 to 2001 at selected farm. Our monitoring of calving during winter season (from January to February) shows the percentage of calving was in particular years ranged from 43.2 to 71.1. The most calves were born in February. We found out (total all years) diffi cult calving (value 3) in 2 cases in April (1998 and 1999) and 1 case in February (1998) and 1 in March (1999). Calving marked with value 2 (total of all years) we found out in January (2 cases), February (3 cases), March (4 cases) and from September to December past one case. From 18 cases of diffi cult calving what we found out, 11 calves (61.11 %) come from CHV 529 bull. In calves born by normal calving was found out average weight 34.75 kg, in ones born by calving with level 2 of diffi culty 36.36 kg, and in calves born by calving with diffi culty 3 was recorded average weight 41.5 kg. Recorded weight at 210 days of age in mostly cases was similar like in published breed standard

Prediction of localization and interactions of apoptotic proteins

During apoptosis several mitochondrial proteins are released. Some of them participate in caspase-independent nuclear DNA degradation, especially apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) and endonuclease G (endoG). Another interesting protein, which was expected to act similarly as AIF due to the high sequence homology with AIF is AIF-homologous mitochondrion-associated inducer of death (AMID). We studied the structure, cellular localization, and interactions of several proteins in silico and also in cells using fluorescent microscopy. We found the AMID protein to be cytoplasmic, most probably incorporated into the cytoplasmic side of the lipid membranes. Bioinformatic predictions were conducted to analyze the interactions of the studied proteins with each other and with other possible partners. We conducted molecular modeling of proteins with unknown 3D structures. These models were then refined by MolProbity server and employed in molecular docking simulations of interactions. Our results show data acquired using a combination of modern in silico methods and image analysis to understand the localization, interactions and functions of proteins AMID, AIF, endonuclease G, and other apoptosis-related proteins

CALVING ANALYSIS IN COWS OF CHAROLAIS BREED AT SELECTED FARM

At our work we have analysed the organisation of calving in Charolais breed during the years from 1998 to 2001 at selected farm. Our monitoring of calving during winter season (from January to February) shows the percentage of calving was in particular years ranged from 43.2 to 71.1. The most calves were born in February. We found out (total all years) diffi cult calving (value 3) in 2 cases in April (1998 and 1999) and 1 case in February (1998) and 1 in March (1999). Calving marked with value 2 (total of all years) we found out in January (2 cases), February (3 cases), March (4 cases) and from September to December past one case. From 18 cases of diffi cult calving what we found out, 11 calves (61.11 %) come from CHV 529 bull. In calves born by normal calving was found out average weight 34.75 kg, in ones born by calving with level 2 of diffi culty 36.36 kg, and in calves born by calving with diffi culty 3 was recorded average weight 41.5 kg. Recorded weight at 210 days of age in mostly cases was similar like in published breed standard

Raman spectroscopic detection of the T-HgII-T base pair and the ionic characteristics of mercury

Developing applications for metal-mediated base pairs (metallo-base-pair) has recently become a high-priority area in nucleic acid research, and physicochemical analyses are important for designing and fine-tuning molecular devices using metallo-base-pairs. In this study, we characterized the HgII-mediated T-T (T-HgII-T) base pair by Raman spectroscopy, which revealed the unique physical and chemical properties of HgII. A characteristic Raman marker band at 1586 cm−1 was observed and assigned to the C4=O4 stretching mode. We confirmed the assignment by the isotopic shift (18O-labeling at O4) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The unusually low wavenumber of the C4=O4 stretching suggested that the bond order of the C4=O4 bond reduced from its canonical value. This reduction of the bond order can be explained if the enolate-like structure (N3=C4-O4−) is involved as a resonance contributor in the thymine ring of the T-HgII-T pair. This resonance includes the N-HgII-bonded state (HgII-N3-C4=O4) and the N-HgII-dissociated state (HgII+ N3=C4-O4−), and the latter contributor reduced the bond order of N-HgII. Consequently, the HgII nucleus in the T-HgII-T pair exhibited a cationic character. Natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis supports the interpretations of the Raman experiments

Positive feedbacks and alternative stable states in forest leaf types

The emergence of alternative stable states in forest systems has significant implications for the functioning and structure of the terrestrial biosphere, yet empirical evidence remains scarce. Here, we combine global forest biodiversity observations and simulations to test for alternative stable states in the presence of evergreen and deciduous forest types. We reveal a bimodal distribution of forest leaf types across temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere that cannot be explained by the environment alone, suggesting signatures of alternative forest states. Moreover, we empirically demonstrate the existence of positive feedbacks in tree growth, recruitment and mortality, with trees having 4–43% higher growth rates, 14–17% higher survival rates and 4–7 times higher recruitment rates when they are surrounded by trees of their own leaf type. Simulations show that the observed positive feedbacks are necessary and sufficient to generate alternative forest states, which also lead to dependency on history (hysteresis) during ecosystem transition from evergreen to deciduous forests and vice versa. We identify hotspots of bistable forest types in evergreen-deciduous ecotones, which are likely driven by soil-related positive feedbacks. These findings are integral to predicting the distribution of forest biomes, and aid to our understanding of biodiversity, carbon turnover, and terrestrial climate feedbacks.</p