Early Devonian eurypterids with Bohemian affinities from Catalonia (NE Spain)

The sequence of early Lower Devonian (Lochkovian) strata with dominant anchimetamorphic shales of the Olorda Formation yielded numerous remains of eurypterids. These belong to the Family Pterygotidae and are represented by dominant species of Acutiramus (closely related or identical with the Bohemian species Acutiramus bohemicus and A. perneri), and rare finds of Pterygotus cf. barrandei. The eurypterids are typical components of a purely marine assemblage of the offshore, probably open shelf environment of Benthic Assemblage 4 to 5. The clearly expressed Bohemian affinity points to open migration routes along the northern Gondwana shelves between Bohemia and Catalonia during the early Devonian, particularly Lochkovian time

A novel small-caliber bacterial cellulose vascular prosthesis: production, characterization, and preliminary in vivo testing

Vascular grafts are used to bypass damaged or diseased blood vessels. Bacterial cellulose (BC) has been studied for use as an off-the-shelf graft. Herein, we present a novel, cost-effective, method for the production of small caliber BC grafts with minimal processing or requirements. The morphology of the graft wall produced a tensile strength above that of native vessels, performing similarly to the current commercial alternatives. As a result of the production method, the luminal surface of the graft presents similar topography to that of native vessels. We have also studied the in vivo behavior of these BC graft in order to further demonstrate their viability. In these preliminary studies, 1 month patency was achieved, with the presence of neo-vessels and endothelial cells on the luminal surface of the graft.This study was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) and the European Community fund FEDER, through Program COMPETE, under the scope of the Projects FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-007025 (PTDC/AMB/68393/2006), PEST-OE/EQB/LA0023/2013, PEST-C/FIS/UI607/2013, RECI/BBB-EBI/0179/2012 (FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-027462) and the Projects "BioEnv-Biotechnology and Bioengineering for a sustainable world" and "Matepro-Optimizing Materials and Processes". NORTE-07-0124-FEDER-000048, co-funded by the Programa Operacional Regional do Norte (ON.2 - O Novo Norte), QREN, FEDER. The authors also acknowledge the fellowship awarded to Alexandre Felipe Leitao (SFRH/BD/66094/2009) funded by the Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia (FCT). The authors also thank support by FCT through the project BCGrafts, FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-014773 (PTDC/EBB/EBI/112170/2009) and by the People Program (Marie Curie Actions) of the European Union's Seventh Framework Program FP7/2007-2013/under REA grant agreement n317512

Disturbed flow induces a sustained, stochastic NF-κB activation which may support intracranial aneurysm growth in vivo

Intracranial aneurysms are associated with disturbed velocity patterns, and chronic inflammation, but the relevance for these findings are currently unknown. Here, we show that (disturbed) shear stress induced by vortices is a sufficient condition to activate the endothelial NF-kB pathway, possibly through a mechanism of mechanosensor de-activation. We provide evidence for this statement through in-vitro live cell imaging of NF-kB in HUVECs exposed to different flow conditions, stochastic modelling of flow induced NF-kB activation and induction of disturbed flow in mouse carotid arteries. Finally, CFD and immunofluorescence on human intracranial aneurysms showed a correlation similar to the mouse vessels, suggesting that disturbed shear stress may lead to sustained NF-kB activation thereby offering an explanation for the close association between disturbed flow and intracranial aneurysms

Trilobites from the Givetian and Frasnian of the Holy Cross Mountains

Three species of Givetian and Frasnian trilobites have been recognized in the stromatoporoid-coral platform and Dyminy reef complex (Kowala Formation) of the southern part of the Holy Cross Mts, and two more in deeper facies of the Kostomłoty area. Representatives of the genus Scutellum, common in the shallow-water (related to carbonate buildups) associations of the Variscan Europe, are most widespread and diversified. Cyrtodechenella(?) declinans sp. n., Phacops (Chotecops) zofiae sp. n., and Scutellum mariae sp. n. are proposed.W oparciu о nowe kolekcje, pochodzące ze stanowisk głównie w obrębie platformy stromatoporoidowo-koralowcowej i dymińskiego kompleksu rafowego (Formacja z Kowali) południowej części Gór Świętokrzyskich oraz z głębszych facji obszaru kostomłockiego, opisano faunę trylobitową żywetu i franu oraz przedyskutowano różne aspekty jej występowania. Wyróżniono 5 taksonów, w tym 3 nowe gatunki: Cyrtodechenella(?) declinarts sp. n., Phacops (Chotecops) zofiae sp. n. i Scutellum mariae sp. n. Przedstawiciele rodzaju Scutellum są najbardziej szeroko rozpowszechnieni i zróżnicowani. Wykazują oni ścisłe pokrewieństwa z płytkowodnymi asocjacjami środkowej i zachodniej (waryscyjskiej) Europy, związanymi z różnorodnymi budowlami węglanowymi

The enigmatic arthropod Duslia from the Ordovician of Czechoslovakia

Volume: 31Start Page: 611End Page: 62

Phyllocarid crustaceans from the Silurian and Devonian of Czechoslovakia

Volume: 6Start Page: 97End Page: 11

Expertise and Designing Activities in Electrotechnical Equipment

The article informs about the present state and system of solution by the use of research development and projectactivity of KATAE at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at the University of Zilina. Based on the information pertaining to the professional activity of the department, the results of some works are presented in the main features, which require knowledge in the field of electrical engineering, electronics, high-power electronics, theory of regulation also the knowledge of technological process and its influence to the environment

Thermovision Diagnostic

Paper deals with the problem of thermovission diagnostics and its application in some branches of industry