No abstract

The comparative analysis of the fruit and seed capacity of Chaenomeles Lindl., grew in the botanical garden of the Oles Honchar Dnipro National University, was carried out. It is shown that all studied taxa undergo a complete vegetation cycle. According to our observations, the duration of the growing season is as follows: the smallest in Chaenomeles japonica, the longest in C. × superba and C. maulei, the longest in C. speciosa, C. cathayensis and C. californica. Seed length in Chaenomeles plants ranged from 4.2 ± 0.10 mm (C. japonica var. maulei) to 8.5 ± 0.25 mm (C. сathayensis). Seed widths varied from 4.1 ± 0.32 mm (C. cathayensis) to 11.1 ± 0.10 mm (C. japonica var. maulei). According to the results obtained, the average number of seeds in one fruit of different Chaenomeles species differed, decreasing in the following order: C. cathayensis, C. speciosa > C. × californica > C. × superba > C. japonica > C. japonica var. maulei. Most of the Chaenomeles genus representatives were found to be in a good condition: C. japonica var. maulei vitality was estimated at 7 balls, C. japonica and C. × superba – 6 balls. This index is slightly lower for C. speciosa, C. × californica and C. cathayensis as 5 and 4 balls, respectively. It should be noted that the highest vitality was shown by C. japonica var. maulei, which was introduced in the Botanical Garden of DNU in 1955. In research, considerable attention has been paid to the antioxidant system, which is a powerful mechanism preventing the development of avalanche-free and radical peroxide reactions in living organisms. The antioxidant capacity of Chaenomeles fruits, determined in the range from 565.8 ± 15.7 (C. speciosa) to 1121.7 ± 27.5 (C. cathayensis) mg UAE / 100 g DW, can be considered quite high. The overall antioxidant capacity was highest for C. cathayensis fruits (1121.7 ± 27.5 mg AE / 100 g DW), which exceeded the indexes of other species by 1.2–2.0 times. The presence of antioxidants in raw materials and finished products provides for the prevention of their deterioration, reduction of losses, increase the shelf life and release of high quality products, retaining for a long time the characteristic features inherent in fresh, complete products. High taste qualities are characteristic of C. speciosa and C. × californica. Considering the large assortment of Chaenomeles, representatives differing in their biological, physiological and nutritional properties, we consider it promising to introduce their use in the food industry to obtain functional products with high consumer properties, namely, high content of antioxidants, catering for a variety of dishes or for exotic flavors, as well for direct consumption by the population of useful fruits with different flavors.

No abstract

Diplopoda play an important role in the processes of creating and maintaining soil fertility by implementing leaf litter destruction at its initial stages. Recently, in Ukraine the problem of soil fertility restoration has acquired a great urgency due to climate changes (aridity and temperature rising) and constantly increasing anthropogenic impact on natural biotopes, which often have Diplopoda as its element. The aim of this study was to evaluate the integrity of linear morphological characteristics of experimental animal Rossiulus kessleri (Lohmander, 1927) in different forest biotopes within semi-arid climate of the steppe zone. To determine the interrelation of morphological features, the method of correlation pleiades was used. It is established that 14 studied morphological characteristics of R. kessleri form the most powerful correlation pleiades with relative intensity values 0.64 and 0.93, within natural subwatereshed-ravine landscape and terrace flood plain forest conditions respectively. However, weakened one with 0.07 relative intensity value is observed within standing forest. Generally, the integrity of morphological characteristics of millipedes is increasingly prominent in the natural forest biotopes and extremely low in forest stands. Morphological variability of diplopods identified sylvatization degree of julidae's habitat. Relative potency value of correlation pleiades can be used for diagnostics of forest stands naturalization within the steppe zone of Ukraine.

Results of a study of lipid peroxidation, antioxidant system components, and cholinergic neurotransmitter system in the organs of experimental rats of different ages exposed to alimentary synthetic estrogen are presented. Given the state of peroxidation processes and AChE activities in female rats exposed to xenoestrogen, it is possible to assume the possibility of the restructuring of the functioning of mediator and enzyme systems and additional strengthening of pathological symptoms. In the future, such phenomena may trigger the reduction of potential of compensatory mechanisms in compromising the health of the consumers. In puberty, females were more sensitive to nutritional synthetic estrogen than mature animals, thus proving that age is another factor in xenoestrogen exposure. Because of the changes in the rates of reactions to detoxification but not to the metabolism of estrogen received into the organism, particularly with food, with age the animals were less susceptible to the effects of these substances.