Ex Vivo Method for Assessing the Mouse Reproductive Tract Spontaneous Motility and a MATLAB-based Uterus Motion Tracking Algorithm for Data Analysis

Dysmenorrhea, or painful cramping, is the most common symptom associated with menses in females and its severity can hinder women's everyday lives. Here, we present an easy and inexpensive method that would be instrumental for testing new drugs decreasing uterine contractility. This method utilizes the unique ability of the entire mouse reproductive tract to exhibit spontaneous motility when maintained ex vivo in a Petri dish containing oxygenated Krebs buffer. This spontaneous motility resembles the wave-like myometrial activity of the human uterus, referred to as endometrial waves. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the method, we employed a well-known uterine relaxant drug, epinephrine. We demonstrate that the spontaneous motility of the entire mouse reproductive tract can be quickly and reversibly inhibited by 1 µM epinephrine in this Petri dish model. Documenting the changes of uterine motility can be easily done using an ordinary smart phone or a sophisticated digital camera. We developed a MATLAB-based algorithm allowing motion tracking to quantify spontaneous uterine motility changes by measuring the rate of uterine horn movements. A major advantage of this ex vivo approach is that the reproductive tract remains intact throughout the entire experiment, preserving all intrinsic intrauterine cellular interactions. The major limitation of this approach is that up to 10-20% of uteri may exhibit no spontaneous motility. Thus far, this is the first quantitative ex vivo method for assessing spontaneous uterine motility in a Petri dish model

DNA cleavage and antitumour activity of platinum(II) and copper(II) compounds derived from 4-methyl-2-N-(2-pyridylmethyl)aminophenol: spectroscopic, electrochemical and biological investigation

The reaction of the redox-active ligand, Hpyramol (4-methyl-2-N-(2-pyridylmethyl)aminophenol) with K2PtCl4 yields monofunctional square-planar [Pt(pyrimol)Cl], PtL-Cl, which was structurally characterised by single-crystal X-ray diffraction and NMR spectroscopy. This compound unexpectedly cleaves supercoiled double-stranded DNA stoichiometrically and oxidatively, in a non-specific manner without any external reductant added, under physiological conditions. Spectro-electrochemical investigations of PtL-Cl were carried out in comparison with the analogue CuL-Cl as a reference compound. The results support a phenolate oxidation, generating a phenoxyl radical responsible for the ligand-based DNA cleavage property of the title compounds. Time-dependent in vitro cytotoxicity assays were performed with both PtL-Cl and CuL-Cl in various cancer cell lines. The compound CuL-Cl overcomes cisplatin-resistance in ovarian carcinoma and mouse leukaemia cell lines, with additional activity in some other cells. The platinum analogue, PtL-Cl also inhibits cell-proliferation selectively. Additionally, cellular-uptake studies performed for both compounds in ovarian carcinoma cell lines showed that significant amounts of Pt and Cu were accumulated in the A2780 and A2780R cancer cells. The conformational and structural changes induced by PtL-Cl and CuL-Cl on calf thymus DNA and phi X174 supercoiled phage DNA at ambient conditions were followed by electrophoretic mobility assay and circular dichroism spectroscopy. The compounds induce extensive DNA degradation and unwinding, along with formation of a monoadduct at the DNA minor groove. Thus, hybrid effects of metal-centre variation, multiple DNA-binding modes and ligand-based redox activity towards cancer cell-growth inhibition have been demonstrated. Finally, reactions of PtL-Cl with DNA model bases (9-Ethylguanine and 5'-GMP) followed by NMR and MS showed slow binding at Guanine-N7 and for the double stranded self complimentary oligonucleotide d(GTCGAC)(2) in the minor groove

Women‘s opportunities to achieve the caree in Education

Darbe analizuojamos moterų galimybės švietime. Empirinio tyrimo pagalba siekiama atsakyti į klausimus: ar karjeros galimybes įtakoja asmens lytis? Ar švietimas laikomas specifine sritimi, kurioje moterims sudarytos labiau (menkiau) palankios galimybės siekti karjeros? Tyrimą aktualizuoja pastaruoju metu itin opus lygių lyčių galimybių klausimas. Nors tarptautiniai ir teisės aktai deklaruoja lygias lyčių galimybes, visgi Lietuvoje išlieka lyčių atskirties problema. Nežiūrint į tai, kad moterų išsilavinimo rodikliai didesni, labai aukšto išsilavinimo moterys retai pasiekia mokslo aukštumų. Taip pat egzistuoja profesinių veiklos sričių skirstymas į tradiciškai moteriškas ir vyriškas. Tyrimo tikslas – atskleisti, kaip moterys vertina galimybes švietime, identifikuoti svarbiausias problemas. Tyrimo rezultatai parodė, kad mažiau nei pusė rezpondenčių laiko, kad moterys turi vienodas galimybes siekti karjeros visose srityse. Tai rodo gana didelius socialinės atskirties rodiklius, moterų skeptišką požiūrį į savo galimybes ar nepasitikėjimą savo jėgomis. Beveik ketvirtadalis respondenčių darbe patyrusios diskriminaciją dėl lyties. Respondenčių dauguma (60 proc.) švietimą išskiria kaip labiau ar labiausiai palankią moterų karjerai realizuoti. Beveik pusė respondenčių nurodė egzistuojant tradiciškai moteriškas ir vyriškas profesijas, prie pirmųjų dažniausiai priskiriamas švietimas, prie antrųjų - politika. Tokia padėtis neabejotinai sąlygoja būtinybę visuomenėje optimizuoti lyčių lygybės deklaravimo ir realaus įgyvendinimo santykį. Darbe daryta išvada, kad švietimo laikymas viena iš palankiausių sričių moterų karjerai turi ir pozityvių, ir negatyvių aspektų. Pozityvus aspektas: švietimas laikomas palankiausia sritimi realizuotis moterų profesinėms galioms dėl to, kad šioje srityje gali pasireikšti pačios geriausios moterims tradiciškai priskiriamos asmeninės savybės – atidumas, atsakingumas, empatija, kantrybė, globėjiškumas. Negatyvus aspektas: respondenčių atsakymai rodo, kad švietimas kai kurių laikomas sritimi, “atliekančia” nuo vyriškų, “prestižinių” ir “charizmatiškų” veiklos sričių, į kurią vyrai paprasčiausiai nesiveržia, tad šioje srityje yra mažiausia lyčių konkurencija, mažiausiai gali pasireikšti diskriminacija dėl lyties. Švietimą didžioji dalis respondenčių laiko parankiausia sritimi moteriai siekti karjeros. Nežiūrint to, gerokai mažesnė dalis nori siekti individualios karjeros būtent švietime. Vadinasi, net turėdamos palankesnes sąlygas karjerai švietime, moterys veikiau rinktųsi kitą veiklos sritį. Tai aktualizuoja problemą – nepakankamą švietimo srities prestižą kitų, “madingesnių” ir pelningesnių, profesinės veiklos sričių konteksteThis paper is conserned with women‘s opportunities in the education. With the help of empirical research it is tried to answer the question if the sex of a person effects caree opportunities. Also, there is a question if education is more or less beneficial sphere for women to achieve caree. The problem of equal rights for both sexes is very urgent nowadays. Although international legitimate acts regulate equal rights for both sexes, it is still a problem in Lithuania. Despite the fact that education of women is better, those with the highest results do not achieve the top of caree in science. There is also a devision between male and female jobs. The aim of the research is to reveal how women evaluate their opportunities in Education ,also, to identify the most urgent problems. The results of the research show that less than half of respondents think that women have the same opportunities for caree prospects in every sphere of life. It can be proved by social separation mark, female sceptical attitude towards caree prospects and self – inconfidence. Almost ¼ of respondents experienced descrimination at work. The majority of respondents 60 per cent assume than education is more beneficial sphere for them. Half of the respondents assume that there is a devision between male and female professions. The most female sphere is education and the most male sphere is politics , according to the respondents. This situation causes necessity to optimise realisation of equal rights for both sexes in our society. There is a conclusion, that education is one of the most beneficial sphere for women caree, nevertheless it has both negative and positive aspects. Positive aspect: Education is the most beneficial sphere for women caree because females can reveal their qualities like responsibility, empathy, acuracy, patience, generosity, common female qualities. Negative aspect: respondents assume that Education is abandoned by men as less prestigious, therefore women have more opportunities as there are less male rivals. Education is one of the most beneficial sphere for female caree. Despite that, a very small number of women would like to achieve their personal careee exactly in education. It means, even having better possibilities to achieve the top of caree in education, women prefer other spheres. The problem is that education is not fasionable and prestigious.Švietimo akademijaVytauto Didžiojo universiteta

Transformation of National Identity in Czech society

Práce se zabívá otázkou národní sebe-identifikace české společnosti, zejména potom jak jsou dějiny důležité pro dnešek a jak konturování identity využívá dějin a kolektivní paměti. V práci si stanovuji tři základní hypotézy. První hypotéza je založena na předpokladu, že státní svátek je nejdůležitějším státem legitimizovaným dnem pro oslavování národní identity, tyto dny se vztahují k symbolice událostí, nebo k činům jednotlivců (popř. skupin), které jsou pro národ z hlediska formování kolektivní identity nejvýznamnější. Druhá hypotéza předpokládá, že zároveň vnímání významnosti konkrétních osobností a událostí bude pozitivně korelováno s významností státních svátků. Třetí hypotézu k testování přebírám od Ladislava Holého, který interpretuje českou národní identitu z hlediska charakteristik primordialistické perspektivy. Výzkumnou metodou bude originální dotazníkové šetření, které bude zahrnuto v empirické kapitole. Dotazník s názvem Česká národní identita bude designově vycházet ze studie se stejnojmenným názvem provedené v roce 1995 a 2003 centrem International Social Survey Programme (ISSP). Mého výzkumného šetření se zúčastnilo 457 respondentů.Work slew matter of national self- identification of Czech society, especially after how history is important today, and how contouring identity uses history and collective memory. In this work we set three basic hypotheses. The first hypothesis is based on the assumption that a national holiday is the most important day for the glorification of national identity, these days relate to the symbolism of the event, or to actions of individuals (or groups) that have had significant impact to the nation in terms of shaping the collective identity the most. The second hypothesis is that while the perception of the significance of the specific personalities and events will be positively correlated with the significance of public holidays. The third hypothesis to be tested taking over from Ladislav Holy, which interprets the Czech national identity in terms of primordialistic characteristics. The research method will be an original survey, which will be included in the empirical section. Interview with the name of Czech national identity is based on the study of the same name made in 1995 and 2003 Centre International Social Survey Programme (ISSP). My research investigation was attended by 457 respondents

Women opportunities to reach career in educational sector

In this article is analised women's opportunities to achieve the caree in educational sphere. The empirical research is assisting to answer the questions about the connection between sex and caree, also, about equal possibilities between men and women. The purpose of the article is to reveal how women evaluate their opportunities in the Eeducational sphere. The question of equal opportunities for both sexes is very urgent nowadays. The results of the research show that women who work in the educational sphere asume that their opportunities are rather positive, however the minority of men who worr in education have better possibilties

Diagnostics of Adaptation Levels of Children to Preschool Educational Establishments

Стаття присвячена проблемі адаптації дітей до дошкільного навчального закладу. Автор розкриває основні її показники, а саме: фізіологічні показники, ставлення дітей до пізнавальної діяльності, особливості комунікативної діяльності та емоційних станів дитини. Висвітлено критерії, за якими вони визначалися. У ході проведення констатувального дослідження, відповідно до критеріїв і показників адаптації, визначено рівні адаптованості дітей.The problem of assessing of child’s adaptation level to the conditions of preschool educational establishments, the warning of possible problems that can appear during this period inevitably puts before the participants of the educational process the task of determining the adaptation criteria and indicators, choice of appropriate diagnostic tools, distribution of children for adaptation groups and the development and implementation of children educational support system. The article is devoted to the problem of children’s adaptation to preschool educational establishments. Some of the results of conducted observation research are highlighted in it. In particular, the adaptation criteria and indicators were defined by the author for the diagnostics of adaptation level, namely: the physiological parameters (overall health, frequency and duration of the disease, peculiarities of the appetite, motor activity, specific features of sleep process, the course and duration of daytime sleep); the relation to cognitive activity (the activity in the game practice, interest to the educational process); the peculiarities of communicative activities (verbal activity, interaction with adults and with peers, social skills); the characteristic of the emotional states (the child’s behavior at the time of separation from parents, general emotional state, motivational readiness to visit preschool educational establishments, preference of negative or positive emotions). Theoretical study of literature sources showed that the number of methods by which to study the process of adaptation of children to preschool educational institutions is rather limited. Therefore, during the diagnostics of the levels of adaptation of the children we used the following methods: a survey of educators and parents; the social emotions test developed by M. Lusher; the method of determining the mental condition of the children of V. Manova-Tomova; monitoring of the activities and behavior of children in different periods of time; conversations with children and parents. For the level of children’s adaptability the author conventionally divided them into three groups. The first group includes children who are relatively easy adapting to kindergarten. The second group is characterized by a long period of adaptation and inconsistency of their behavior to the requirements of educational environment. The third group includes the children whose adaptation process is associated with considerable difficulties

Women opportunities to reach career in educational sector

In this article is analised women's opportunities to achieve the caree in educational sphere. The empirical research is assisting to answer the questions about the connection between sex and caree, also, about equal possibilities between men and women. The purpose of the article is to reveal how women evaluate their opportunities in the Educational sphere. The question of equal opportunities for both sexes is very urgent nowadays. The results of the research show that women who work in the educational sphere asume that their opportunities are rather positive, however the minority of men who worr in education have better possibiltiesVytauto Didžiojo universitetasŠvietimo akademij

Effects of Monofunctional Adducts of Platinum(II) Complexes on Thermodynamic Stability and Energetics of DNA Duplexes

Effects of adducts of [PtCl(NH(3))(3)]Cl or chlorodiethylenetriamineplatinum(II) on DNA stability were studied with emphasis on thermodynamic origins of that stability. Oligodeoxyribonucleotide duplexes (15-bp) containing the single, site-specific monofunctional adduct at G-residues of the central sequences TGT/ACA or 5′-AGT/5′-ACT were prepared and analyzed by differential scanning calorimetry, temperature-dependent ultraviolet absorption and circular dichroism. The unfolding of the platinated duplexes was accompanied by relatively small unfavorable free energy terms. This destabilization was enthalpic in origin. On the other hand, a relatively large reduction of melting temperature (T(m)) was observed as a consequence of the monofunctional adduct in the TGT sequence, whereas T(m) due to the adduct in the AGT sequence was reduced only slightly. We also examined the efficiency of the mammalian nucleotide excision repair system to remove from DNA the monofunctional adducts and found that these lesions were not recognized by this repair system. Thus, rather thermodynamic than thermal characterization of DNA adducts of monofunctional platinum compounds is a property implicated in the modulation of downstream effects such as protein recognition and repair