Chemical composition of Desulfovibrio desulfuricans lipid A

Lipopolysaccharides also called endotoxins are an integral component of the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria. When released from the bacterial surface, they interact with a host immune system, triggering excessive inflammatory response. Lipid A is the biologically most active part of endotoxin, and its activity is modulated by the quantity, quality and arrangement of its fatty acids. Desulfovibrio desulfuricans is sulfate-reducing, Gram-negative bacterium that is supposed to be opportunistic pathogens of humans and animals. In the present study, chemical composition of lipid A from various strains of D. desulfuricans was analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. It was found that the fatty acid component of the lipid A contains dodecanoic, tetradecanoic, 3-hydroxytetradecanoic and hexadecanoic acids, and its carbohydrate core is composed of glucosamine. The analysis of 3-acyloxyacyl residue of the lipid A revealed the presence of amide-bound 3-(dodecanoyloxy)tetradecanoic and 3-(hexadecanoyloxy)tetradecanoic acids and ester-bound 3-(tetradecanoyloxy)tetradecanoic acid. It was concluded that both fatty acid and 3-acyloxyacyl residue profiles of the lipid A from the studied bacteria were similar to those of E. coli and S.enterica

Comparative analysis of wood as a construction material with the alternative materials to be used in the construction industry considering energy aspects and the idea of sustainable development

W artykule opisano wyniki analiz porównawczych metodą LCA elementów konstrukcyjnych ze stali, żelbetu i drewna. Za kryteria oceny przyjęto wielkość skumulowanego zużycia energii i skumulowanej emisji CO2. Na podstawie wyników analiz można stwierdzić, że w przypadku ścian największą energią skumulowaną charakteryzuje się ściana szkieletowa o konstrukcji stalowej. Wartość energii skumulowanej jest ok. 1,4 razy mniejsza, a ściany szkieletowej drewnianej ok. 4 razy mniejsza. W przypadku stropów podobnie największa ilość skumulowanej energii przypada na strop z belkami stalowymi - jest to wartość ponad 1,8 razy większa niż stropu żelbetowego i ponad 2,6 razy większa niż stropu drewnianego. Podobne wyniki uzyskano w przypadku skumulowanej emisji CO2.The paper presents the results of comparative analysis of LCA method for structural elements of steel, reinforced concrete and timber. The criteria of assessment were: amount of accumulated usage of energy and accumulated emission of CO2. On the basis of results it can be stated, that in the case of walls - the steel framework wall is characterised by the highest accumulated energy. For the reinforced concrete wall the accumulated energy is about 1,4 times lower and for timber framework wall about 4 times lower. In the case of floors - the floor with steel beams has the highest accumulated energy, which is about 1,8 times as much as for reinforced concrete slab and about 2,6 times as much as for timber floor. Similar results were obtained for accumulated emission of CO2

Computer optimization methods in designing environmentally friendly building using the LCA evaluation

Artykuł zawiera podsumowanie wyników tematu badawczego PT7.1 Metody komputerowej optymalizacji projektowania budynków przyjaznych dla środowiska z wykorzystaniem oceny LCA realizowanego w ramach projektu: „Innowacyjne środki i efektywne metody poprawy bezpieczeństwa i trwałości obiektów budowlanych i infrastruktury transportowej w strategii zrównoważonego rozwoju”. W wyniku prac badawczych zaktualizowano bazy dotyczące emisji CO2 i skumulowanego zużycia energii dla głównych materiałów budowlanych w Polsce oraz sformułowano kilka zadań optymalizacyjnych, dla których następnie przeanalizowano możliwość zastosowania metod optymalizacji wielokryterialnej.The article presents a summary of the results within the research topic PT7.1 Computer optimization methods in designing environmentally friendly building using the LCA evaluation realized within the framework of a research project called “Innovative means and effective methods for improving safety and durability of construction works and transport infrastructure in the strategy of sustainable development”. As a result of the research update of the database on CO2 emissions and cumulative energy consumption for the main construction materials in Poland was made. Also a several optimization tasks were formulated and afterwards analyzed in terms of the possibility of using multi-criteria optimization methods

Associations between the breeding values of Holstein-Friesian bulls and longevity and culling reasons of their daughters

Taking into account functional traits in the breeding practice should lead to a longer productive life of cows. However, despite the increased contribution of these traits in bull selection indices, their daughters are frequently culled as early as the 2nd or 3rd lactation. The problem is whether and to what extent the genetic potential of animals is realized in the production practice. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the associations between the breeding value (BV) of bulls and their daughters for cow longevity and culling reasons in the Holstein-Friesian cattle population in Poland. Data for 532 062 cows culled in 2012, 2015, and 2018 were analyzed. A majority of 5 045 cow sires originated from Poland, Germany, France, the Netherlands, and the United States. The highest variation in the contribution of culling reasons was for the cows culled at the age of 2–4 years. The contribution of the culling reasons, analyzed in relation to the cow culling age, remained similar and the only exception was culling because of old age, for which a significant increase was observed only for the culling age of at least 9 years (13.8%), which was reached by only 7.3% of the cows. The sires were characterized by generally high BV for conformation and reproductive traits. However, they had, at most, the average genetic potential for functional longevity. There were a number of beneficial associations found between the BV of bulls and the distribution of culling reasons in their daughters. For example, it concerns relations between the somatic cell score in milk and culling due to udder diseases and low milk yield, between the interval from calving to first insemination and low milk yield, between the protein yield and old age, or between the BV for certain conformation traits (size, udder) and cow culling due to age. In these cases, as the BV increased for a given trait, the contribution of the corresponding cow culling reason tended to decrease. Our study showed that it seems reasonable to consider Holstein-Friesian cows aged at least 9 years at culling to be long-living animals. This is primarily evidenced by the rapid increase in the culling due to old age in relation to younger cows. Nowadays the above age limit can be suggested as a criterion of longevity for Holstein-Friesian cows but the criterion should be updated to the relation genotype-environment-economy that tends to change over time

Influence of residual pores on optical properties of MgAl₂O₄ ceramics in the infrared range

W pracy wykazano, że straty w transmitancji dla ceramiki MgAl2O4 spowodowane są rozpraszaniem fali elektromagnetycznej na porach obecnych w ceramice. Badania przeprowadzone zostały za pomocą metod mikroskopowych oraz spektroskopii w zakresie światła widzialnego i podczerwieni. Poziom transmitancji w funkcji długości fali zależy od stopnia porowatości ceramiki, rozmiaru porów oraz rozkładu ich wielkości. Do wyznaczenia współczynnika rozpraszania zastosowano teorie rozpraszania Mie z uwzględnieniem rozkładu rozmiarów porów. Porównując transmitancję obliczoną teoretycznie ze zmierzoną określono rozkład rozmiarów porów oraz porowatość ceramiki. Uzyskano dobrą zgodność z danymi eksperymentalnymi. Pomiary odbicia całkowitego oraz wyznaczony współczynnik asymetryczności pokazały, że rozpraszanie zachodzi głównie w kierunku padania fali.The aim of the present work was to study the influence of residual porosity on the transmission of polycrystalline MgAl2O4. Spinel samples were investigated by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy as well as IR and VIS spectroscopy. It was showed that the inline transmission is sensitive to the microstructure of a ceramic and depends on the total porosity, the pore size and the pore distribution. Mie theory for light scattering was applied to compute scattering coefficients. Transmission curves versus wevelength for spinel MgAl2O4 were also estimated on the basis of of the pore radius rm, the width of the distibution a and the porosity Vp. Finaly, the calculated transmission curves were compared with the experimentally determined transmission using rm, σ and Vp as parameters. Good agreement with experimental data was obtained. It was proved that light is mainly scatered in the forward direction

Geological documentation elaborated in order to specify hydrogeological conditions due to determining protection zone of Main Groundwater Basins (MGB) : summing-up research project

From 2009 till 2016 one of the largest in the recent years hydrogeological project "Making programmes and geological documentation in order to specify hydrogeological conditions due to determining protection zone of Main Groundwater Basins (MGB)" has been led by Polish Geological Institute - National Research Institute. The aim of the project was to document and describe MGBs as the most valuable and strategic groundwater reservoirs in Poland. Therefore set of documents for 101 MGBs and adaptation of 30 already existing pieces of MGBs documentation made before 2008 has been done. 131 documented MGBs encompass around 87 000 km2, which is 26.8% area of Poland. 20 groundwater basins didn’t meet all for MGB s established hydrogeological parameters, so they were reclassified to Local Groundwater Basins (LGB). 19 of all groundwater basins (15 MGBs and 4 LGBs) don’t need protection zones as the natural thickness of confining bed provides sufficient protection. For 112 of groundwater basins the protection zone has been determined. Their surface covers around 48 500 km2, which encompasses 15.5% area of Poland

Discovery of potent and selective inhibitors of human aminopeptidases ERAP1 and ERAP2 by screening libraries of phosphorus-containing amino acid and dipeptide analogues

A collection of fifty phosphonic and phosphinic acids was screened for inhibition of ERAP1 and ERAP2, the human endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidases. The cooperative action of these enzymes is manifested by trimming a variety of antigenic precursors to be presented on the cell surface by major histocompatibility class I. The SAR studies revealed several potent compounds, particularly among the phosphinic dipeptide analogues, that were strong inhibitors of ERAP2 (Ki = 100–350 nM). A wide structural diversity of the applied organophosphorus compounds, predominantly non-proteinogenic analogues, allowed identification of representatives selective toward only one form of ERAP. For example, N′-substituted α,β-diaminophosphonates and phosphinates exhibited potency only toward ERAP2, which is in agreement with the P1 basic substrate-oriented specificity. Such discriminating ligands are invaluable tools for elucidating the precise role of a particular aminopeptidase in the concerted function of antigen processing and in human diseases. © 2016 Elsevier Lt