Influence of Human Activity on Radon Concentration, Indoor Air Quality, and Thermal Comfort in Small Office Spaces.

This article focuses on the influence of occupants on the concentration of contaminants (radon Rn-222 and CO) as well as the thermal comfort parameters. A series of sensors were placed to measure the concentration of the contaminants, temperature, and relative humidity in the test room at the Institute of Nuclear Physics PAN in Krakow (IFJ PAN), Poland. The test room is an office that is typical of the offices used in the facility.

Genomic evidence reveals three W-autosome fusions in Heliconius butterflies.

Sex chromosomes are evolutionarily labile in many animals and sometimes fuse with autosomes, creating so-called neo-sex chromosomes. Fusions between sex chromosomes and autosomes have been proposed to reduce sexual conflict and to promote adaptation and reproductive isolation among species. Recently, advances in genomics have fuelled the discovery of such fusions across the tree of life.

Immediate breast reconstruction in breast cancer patients with the use of Serasynth and SeragynBR synthetic meshes. Single-oncological center experience, analysis of complications.

<br><b>Introduction:</b> The use of meshes in mastectomies with immediate breast reconstruction (IBR) has become the gold standard.</br> <br><b>Aim:</b> The use of meshes in mastectomies with immediate breast reconstruction (IBR) has become a gold standard. The purpose of the study was to analyze the complications and own experience with the use of Serasynth fully absorbable and SeragynBR partially absorbable synthetic meshes.

A highly contiguous genome assembly for the pocket mouse Perognathus longimembris longimembris.

The little pocket mouse, Perognathus longimembris, and its nine congeners are small heteromyid rodents found in arid and seasonally arid regions of Western North America. The genus is characterized by behavioral and physiological adaptations to dry and often harsh environments, including nocturnality, seasonal torpor, food caching, enhanced osmoregulation, and a well-developed sense of hearing. Here we present a genome assembly of Perognathus longimembris longimembris generated from PacBio HiFi long read and Omni-C chromatin-proximity sequencing as part of the California Conservation Genomics Project.

Repeated genetic adaptation to altitude in two tropical butterflies.

Repeated evolution can provide insight into the mechanisms that facilitate adaptation to novel or changing environments. Here we study adaptation to altitude in two tropical butterflies, Heliconius erato and H. melpomene, which have repeatedly and independently adapted to montane habitats on either side of the Andes.

Residential Radon Exposure in Patients with Advanced Lung Cancer in Lublin Region, Poland.

Exposure to radon is the second most common factor causing lung cancer in smokers and the first among non-smokers. We aimed to measure the impact of the radon exposure on patients with different histological types of advanced lung cancer. The measurement of radon exposure was performed in 102 patients with lung cancer in stage 3B or higher (Poland).

Rampant Genome-Wide Admixture across the Heliconius Radiation.

How frequent is gene flow between species? The pattern of evolution is typically portrayed as a phylogenetic tree, yet gene flow between good species may be an important mechanism in diversification, spreading adaptive traits and leading to a complex pattern of phylogenetic incongruence. This process has thus far been studied mainly among a few closely related species, or in geographically restricted areas such as islands, but not on the scale of a continental radiation. Using a genomic representation of 40 out of 47 species in the genus, we demonstrate that admixture has played a role throughout the evolution of the charismatic Neotropical butterflies Heliconius.

Treatment Strategies of Gastric Cancer-Molecular Targets for Anti-angiogenic Therapy: a State-of-the-art Review.

Purpose: Recent studies have suggested that molecular targets for the anti-angiogenic therapy might constitute a basis for additional therapy in gastric cancer treatment. A vast number of molecules, receptors, pathways, specific interactions, and thus strategies that target gastric cancer angiogenesis specifically have been reported in numerous research articles and clinical trials.

Methods: We conducted a systematic literature review of molecularly targeted treatment strategies in gastric cancer on the following databases-PubMed, Google Scholar, and Scopus-on September 20, 2020.

Radon-The Element of Risk. The Impact of Radon Exposure on Human Health.

Lung cancer is a heterogeneous group of diseases with multifactorial aetiology. Smoking has been undeniably recognized as the main aetiological factor in lung cancer, but it should be emphasized that it is not the only factor. It is worth noting that a number of nonsmokers also develop this disease.

Forest stratification shapes allometry and flight morphology of tropical butterflies.

Studies of altitudinal and latitudinal gradients have identified links between the evolution of insect flight morphology, landscape structure and microclimate. Although lowland tropical rainforests offer steeper shifts in conditions between the canopy and the understorey, this vertical gradient has received far less attention. Butterflies, because of their great phenotypic plasticity, are excellent models to study selection pressures that mould flight morphology.

Species specificity and intraspecific variation in the chemical profiles of butterflies across a large geographic range.

In many animals, mate choice is important for the maintenance of reproductive isolation between species. Traits important for mate choice and behavioral isolation are predicted to be under strong stabilizing selection within species; however, such traits can also exhibit variation at the population level driven by neutral and adaptive evolutionary processes. Here, we describe patterns of divergence among androconial and genital chemical profiles at inter- and intraspecific levels in mimetic butterflies.

Variation of chemical compounds in wild Heliconiini reveals ecological factors involved in the evolution of chemical defenses in mimetic butterflies.

Evolutionary convergence of color pattern in mimetic species is tightly linked with the evolution of chemical defenses. Yet, the evolutionary forces involved in natural variations of chemical defenses in aposematic species are still understudied. Herein, we focus on the evolution of chemical defenses in the butterfly tribe Heliconiini.

Preliminary Results of Radon Survey in the Kindergartens of V4 Countries.

The measurements of radon concentration were carried out in kindergartens of V4 countries (Hungary, Poland and Slovakia). RSKS detectors (Radosys Ltd., Hungary) were used for integrating measurement in indoor air.

Fast in situ gamma spectroscopy using hand-held spectrometer with NaI probe.

In this work a hand-held spectrometer InSpector 1000 with NaI (Tl) 2″ x 2″ detector has been adapted to fast in situ gamma-ray spectroscopy. Two specially designed mounting stands with shielding have been built, allowing conducting measurements in different geometries. Three particular geometries (NW, IS50, IS00) have been chosen for efficiency calibration and further study.

The ultimate and proximate mechanisms driving the evolution of long tails in forest deer mice.

Understanding both the role of selection in driving phenotypic change and its underlying genetic basis remain major challenges in evolutionary biology. Here, we use modern tools to revisit a classic system of local adaptation in the North American deer mouse, Peromyscus maniculatus, which occupies two main habitat types: prairie and forest. Using historical collections, we find that forest-dwelling mice have longer tails than those from nonforested habitat, even when we account for individual and population relatedness.

The influence of very small doses of alpha radiation on the stability of erythrocytes.

Our aim was to study the influence of low doses (0.2-4 μGy) of α radiation on the stability of human erythrocytes isolated from healthy and diabetic erythrocytes. Absorption spectroscopy was used to measure the level of red blood cell (RBC) hemolysis, along with Mössbauer spectroscopy, which is a highly specific method suited to monitoring various hemoglobin forms.

Indoor radon survey in Visegrad countries.

The indoor radon measurements were carried out in 123 residential buildings and 33 schools in Visegrad countries (Slovakia, Hungary and Poland). In 13.2% of rooms radon concentration exceeded 300Bqm(-3), the reference value recommended in the Council Directive 2013/59/EURATOM.

Extensive range overlap between heliconiine sister species: evidence for sympatric speciation in butterflies?

Background: Sympatric speciation is today generally viewed as plausible, and some well-supported examples exist, but its relative contribution to biodiversity remains to be established. We here quantify geographic overlap of sister species of heliconiine butterflies, and use age-range correlations and spatial simulations of the geography of speciation to infer the frequency of sympatric speciation. We also test whether shifts in mimetic wing colour pattern, host plant use and climate niche play a role in speciation, and whether such shifts are associated with sympatry.

Multilocus species trees show the recent adaptive radiation of the mimetic heliconius butterflies.

Müllerian mimicry among Neotropical Heliconiini butterflies is an excellent example of natural selection, associated with the diversification of a large continental-scale radiation. Some of the processes driving the evolution of mimicry rings are likely to generate incongruent phylogenetic signals across the assemblage, and thus pose a challenge for systematics. We use a data set of 22 mitochondrial and nuclear markers from 92% of species in the tribe, obtained by Sanger sequencing and de novo assembly of short read data, to re-examine the phylogeny of Heliconiini with both supermatrix and multispecies coalescent approaches, characterize the patterns of conflicting signal, and compare the performance of various methodological approaches to reflect the heterogeneity across the data.

Air conditioning impact on the dynamics of radon and its daughters concentration.

Radon and its decay products are harmful pollutants present in indoor air and are responsible for the majority of the effective dose due to ionising radiation that people are naturally exposed to. The paper presents the results of the series of measurements of radon and its progeny (in unattached and attached fractions) as well as indoor air parameters: temperature, relative humidity, number and mass concentrations of fine aerosol particles. The measurements were carried out in the auditorium (lecture hall), which is an indoor air quality laboratory, in controlled conditions during two periods of time: when air conditioning (AC) was switched off (unoccupied auditorium) and when it was switched on (auditorium in normal use).

Female behaviour drives expression and evolution of gustatory receptors in butterflies.

Secondary plant compounds are strong deterrents of insect oviposition and feeding, but may also be attractants for specialist herbivores. These insect-plant interactions are mediated by insect gustatory receptors (Grs) and olfactory receptors (Ors). An analysis of the reference genome of the butterfly Heliconius melpomene, which feeds on passion-flower vines (Passiflora spp.

The potential health hazard due to elevated radioactivity in old uranium mines in Dolina Białego, Tatra Mountains, Poland.

Natural radioactivity is one of the essential components of the environment. Unlike the Sudety mountains area in Poland, the Tatra Mountains were not the subject of wide survey as regards the levels of natural radioactivity. Especially, the concentrations of radon (natural radioactive gas) have not been investigated there in terms of their possible negative health impact.