Influence of landscape conditions on efficiency of winter rye

Features of spatio-temporal dynamics of efficiency of the winter rye sort Dymka in limits of the moraine hill agrolandscape are investigated. The factors influencing productivity of culture in various landscape and agroclimatic conditions are revealed. Recommendations on adaptation of farm production to agrolandscape features are given.     

Formation of the productivity of a legume-grass mixture under conditions of agrolandscapes in the central region of the non-Chernozem Zone of the Russian federation

The landscape approach to developing perennial grass cultivation practices made it possible to reveal ecologically homogeneous sections and to create the basis for organizing sustainable fodder production under the complex landscape conditions of the region. The adaptation characteristics of perennial grasses and their productivity are different in agromicrolandscapes characterized by the same geochemical association of relief features but on different hill slopes (southern and northern).     

Martian meteorite launch: high-speed ejecta from small craters

We performed high-resolution computer simulations of impacts into homogeneous and layered martian terrain analogs to try to account for the ages and characteristics of the martian meteorite collection found on Earth. We found that craters as small as approximately 3 kilometers can eject approximately 10(7) decimeter-sized fragments from Mars, which is enough to expect those fragments to appear in the terrestrial collection. This minimum crater diameter is at least four times smaller than previous estimates and depends on the physical composition of the target material. Terrain covered by a weak layer such as an impact-generated regolith requires larger, therefore rarer, impacts to eject meteorites. Because older terrain is more likely to be mantled with such material, we estimate that the martian meteorites will be biased toward younger ages, which is consistent with the meteorite collection.     

Radar sounding of the Medusae Fossae Formation Mars: equatorial ice or dry, low-density deposits?

The equatorial Medusae Fossae Formation (MFF) is enigmatic and perhaps among the youngest geologic deposits on Mars. They are thought to be composed of volcanic ash, eolian sediments, or an ice-rich material analogous to polar layered deposits. The Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionospheric Sounding (MARSIS) instrument aboard the Mars Express Spacecraft has detected nadir echoes offset in time-delay from the surface return in orbits over MFF material. These echoes are interpreted to be from the subsurface interface between the MFF material and the underlying terrain. The delay time between the MFF surface and subsurface echoes is consistent with massive deposits emplaced on generally planar lowlands materials with a real dielectric constant of approximately 2.9 +/- 0.4. The real dielectric constant and the estimated dielectric losses are consistent with a substantial component of water ice. However, an anomalously low-density, ice-poor material cannot be ruled out. If ice-rich, the MFF must have a higher percentage of dust and sand than polar layered deposits. The volume of water in an ice-rich MFF deposit would be comparable to that of the south polar layered deposits.     

Antioxidant and Antihypertensive Activity of Extract from Thymus serpyllum L. in Experimental Hypertension

The low incidence of cardiovascular disease in Mediterranean countries leads to an increased interest of the scientific community for the Mediterranean diet. Our aim was to evaluate total phenol and flavonoid contents, antioxidant capacity, free radical scavenging activity and potential antihypertensive effect of aqueous extract obtained from Thymus serpyllum L. (wild thyme, TE), an aromatic herb from the Lamiaceae family (highly present in Mediterranean diet), in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and in normotensive Wistar rats. Total phenol content of TE was 2008.33?±?10.6 mg/L GAE, and rosmarinic and caffeic acids were predominant phenolic compounds. The ferric reducing/antioxidant power and antioxidant capacity analysis revealed strong antioxidative properties of TE. In vitro nitric oxide-scavenging activity of 1 mg/l TE was 63.43 % with the IC₅₀ value of 122.36 μg/ml. Bolus injection of TE (100 mg/kg body weight i.v.) induced significant decrease of systolic and diastolic blood pressure and total peripheral resistance in SHR, without effects on these parameters in normotensive Wistar rats. Cardiac index remained unchanged after TE treatment in all experimental rats. Given dose of TE did not show significant nitric oxide-scavenging activity in vivo. Our results indicate that TE may protect against hypertension in experimental model of essential hypertension.     

Development of a new initial breeding material in sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) using direct organogenesis and somatic embryogenesis

Summary Immature zygotic embryos from three inbred lines of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) were used as donor material for the induction of direct organogenesis and somatic embryogenesis. The scope of the spontaneously appearing somaclonal variation has been studied among the regenerants produced according to the method of Freyssinet & Freyssinet (1988), and was compared to the results obtained after gamma ray mutagenesis (7 and 10 Gy). Freshly excised immature zygotic embryos were used for irradiation treatment. Genetic changes occurring spontaneously during the regeneration procedure were observed for date of flowering, vegetation period, plant height, head diameter, 1000 seed weight, kernel oil content, and fatty acid composition. The mutagenic treatment had a marked stimulatory effect on the frequency of the regenerants produced and the degree of the observed changes. The 7 Gy treatment was most efficient for the majority of the characters studied. The type of changes was correlated with the genotype. The degree and type of somaclonal variation, with or without mutagenic treatment, should be sufficient for an application in the production of new breeding material.     

Investigation of biochemical indices of female rabbit blood with addition of an antioxidant to the ration

Homeostasis constants, the characteristics of growth and development of Soviet Chinchilla female rabbits were studied from an age of 2 to 6 months with addition to the ratio of the antioxidant Eurotiox Plus Dry in doses of 300, 400, and 500 mg/kg mixed feed. A positive effect of the antioxidant on anabolic processes, particularly on protein metabolism, is noted. the age-related dynamics of the activity of transamination enzymes, alkaline phosphatase amylase, and lactate dehydrogenase is given. The effect of a decrease in aspartate aminotransferase activity at an antioxidant dose of 300 mg/kg feed is found.     

Detection of technogenically contaminated soil areas based on their magnetic susceptibility

The magnetic susceptibility of the upper soil horizons in the city of Moscow was studied by the itinerary, key, and transect methods. Statistical regularities were found for the magnetic susceptibility of soils developed under urban conditions. Kappametric measurements can be used for the rapid detection of technogenically contaminated soils on large (the whole city) and small (separate plots) areas of the territory studied. The delineation of areas on the basis of their magnetic susceptibility (minimum, maximum, and average values) was proposed for mapping contaminated territories.