Jan Evangelista Purkyně/Purkinje (1787–1869) and the establishment of cellular physiology—Wrocław/Breslau as a central European cradle for a new science

Being a professor of physiology in Wroc?aw/Breslau till the half of nineteenth century, Jan Evangelista Purkyně/Purkinje made, along with his students, many crucial discoveries combining original experimental approaches with new advanced microscopy and histology techniques. Here, he established first Institute of Physiology worldwide and created a framework for the new science of cellular physiology. With his work, he not only substantially contributed to the establishment of cellular and protoplasmic concepts in biology but represented a rare type of Central European scholar by bridging communities separated by ethnicity and language     

The largescaled terapon Terapon theraps: a new Indo‐Pacific fish in the Mediterranean Sea

A specimen of the largescaled terapon Terapon theraps was recorded for the first time from the Mediterranean Sea. The finding of T. theraps in the northernmost part of the Mediterranean Sea raises the number of Lessepsian migrant species to at least 68 and in the Adriatic Sea to at least 11.     

Changes in nonlinear characteristics of heart rate variability under functional load on the cardiovascular system in healthy subjects and coronary heart disease patients

Some nonlinear characteristics of heart rate variability in the course of functional tests with physical exercise are described. Two groups of volunteers participated in the tests: a control group of 32 healthy subjects (group 1) and a group of 35 coronary heart disease (CHD) patients (group 2). Two series of experiments were performed for each group. An active orthostatic test (AOT) was used in the first series, and a gradually growing physical load on a bicycle ergometer (bicycle ergometer test, BET), in the second series. Along with statistical indices of heart rate (the mean RR interval and standard deviation), nonlinear indices of heart rate were estimated: the correlation dimensionality (D ₂) and approximate entropy (ApEn). Trends of the changes in nonlinear indices of heart rate have been found. The D ₂ and ApEn decreased in both groups of subjects during the AOT and BET under the maximum load. However, the groups of healthy subjects and CHD patients differed in the reactivity of indices, the amplitude of changes in nonlinear indices being narrower in the latter group than in group 1. Differently directed shifts in standard deviation (SDNN) and nonlinear indices have been found. Thus, the data obtained with the use of nonlinear heart rate characteristics show that heart rate under physical load is more multivariate and diverse in healthy subjects at rest and the amplitude of changes during the AOT and BET is greater than in CHD patients, which is a result of the specific autonomic control of heart activity in cardiovascular pathologies.     

The cytotaxonomic study of theVicia cracca complex 2. The taxa of the southern part of northern Europe

In the southern parts of Scandinavia there occur two species of theVicia cracca L. complex:Vicia cracca L., represented by the chromosome race 2n=28, andV. oreophila ?ertová. WhereasV. oreophila predominantly inhabits habitats of primary character, especially near the coast, the tetraploid race ofV. cracca, which is the commonest in other parts of area, occurs predominantly on sites of secondary character, such as the borders of paths, roads, meadows and bushy places. The two species differ in several characters.     

High-quality draft genome sequence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa san ai,an environmental isolate resistant to heavy metals

Extremophiles - The strain Pseudomonas aeruginosa san ai, isolated from an extreme environment (industrial mineral cutting oil, pH 10), is able to survive and persist in the presence of a variety...     

Magnesium and iron deficiencies alter Cd accumulation in Salix viminalis L.

Evidence exists that Cd and certain nutrient elements, such as Fe and Mg, could share similar mechanisms of plant uptake and accumulation. Here we report that Mg and Fe deficiency in mature plants of Salix viminalis, grown in hydroponic solutions containing 5 µg ml^?1 of Cd, caused a significant increase in Cd accumulation in roots, stems and leaves. Cd (µg g^?1 dry weight) was determined following three treatments: 1) Cd treatment in complete nutrient solution; 2) Cd treatment with Fe deficiency; and 3) Cd treatment with Mg deficiency, yielding, respectively: in young leaves (65.3, 76.1, and 92.2), mature leaves (51.5 to 76.3 and 87.1), upper stems (80.6, 116.8, and 130.6) lower stems (67.2, 119, and 102.3), roots (377.1, 744.8, and 442,5). Our results suggest that Cd utilizes the same uptake and transport pathways as Mg and Fe. Evidence exists that Mg and Fe uptake and translocation could be further facilitated by plants as an adaptive response to deficiency of these elements. Such physiological reaction could additionally stimulate Cd accumulation. Although Cd uptake was mostly confined in roots, high Cd content in aerial plant parts (51.5–130.6 µg g^?1) indicates that the analysed Salix viminalis genotype is suitable for phytoextraction.     

Comparison of carbonate C and O stable isotope records across the Jurassic/Cretaceous boundary in the Tethyan and Boreal Realms

Carbon and oxygen stable isotope records were compared for Jurassic/Cretaceous (J/K) boundary sections located in the Tethyan Realm (Brodno, Western Slovakia, and Puerto Escaño, Southern Spain; bulk limestones), and the Boreal Realm (Nordvik Peninsula, Northern Siberia, belemnites). Since a detailed biostratigraphic correlation of these Tethyan and Boreal sections is impossible due to different faunal assemblages, correlation of the isotope records was based on paleomagnetic data. This novel approach can improve our understanding of the synchroneity of individual isotope excursions in sections where detailed biostratigraphic correlation is impossible. No significant excursions in either the carbon or oxygen isotope records to be used for future Boreal/Tethyan correlations were found around the J/K boundary (the upper Tithonian and lower Berriasian; magnetozones M20n to M18n) in the studied sections. At the Nordvik section, where a much longer section (middle Oxfordian–basal Boreal Berriasian) was documented, the transition from the middle Oxfordian to the Kimmeridgian and further to the Volgian is characterized by a decrease in belemnite δ¹⁸O values (from δ¹⁸O values up to + 1.6‰ vs. V-PDB in the Oxfordian to values between + 0.3 and ? 0.8‰ in the late Volgian and earliest Boreal Berriasian). This trend, which has previously been reported from the Russian Platform and Tethyan Realm sections, corresponds either to gradual warming or a decrease in seawater δ¹⁸O. Supposing that the oxygen isotope compositions of seawater in the Arctic/Boreal and Tethyan Realms were similar, then the differences between oxygen isotope datasets for these records indicate differences in temperature. The Boreal/Tethyan temperature difference of 7–9 °C in the middle and late Oxfordian decreases towards the J/K boundary, indicating a significant decrease in latitudinal climatic gradients during the Late Jurassic. Two positive carbon isotope excursions recorded for the middle Oxfordian and upper Kimmeridgian in the Nordvik section can be correlated with a similar excursion described earlier for the Russian Platform. Minor influence of biofractionation at the carbon isotopes, and the influence of migration of belemnites to deeper, slightly cooler water at the oxygen isotopes, cannot be excluded for the obtained belemnite data.