Effect of (pp)pGpp on stress responses in Staphylococcus aureus

The stringent response is a conserved regulatory mechanism among a variety of bacterial species and is characterized by the synthesis of the alarmones pGpp, ppGpp and pppGpp, also collectively called (pp)pGpp. The activating signal of the stringent response differs among species and results in a variety of physiological alterations. In Staphylococcus aureus three enzymes regulate the intracellular level of (pp)pGpp and react to different stress signals. The RelA-SpoT homologue RSH from Staphylococcus aureus synthesizes (pp)pGpp in response to amino acid deprivation. In contrast, the small alarmone synthetase RelP and RelQ are transcriptionally activated upon cell wall stress. To analyze the nucleotide pool and downstream consequences of the three enzymes, we transcriptionally induced a truncated RSH with an inactive hydrolase, RelP and RelQ to ensure results are (pp)pGpp-mediated. Comparison of the nucleotide pool by direct induction of (pp)pGpp versus stress mimicking conditions via mupirocin resulted in similar changes. Stringent response related changes of the nucleotide pool are characterized by lowering of the GTP-Pool, increased ATP pool and the detection of pGpp, ppGpp and pppGpp. These changes were detectable for RSH and RelP but minor in RelQ, indicating a limited synthetase activity in vivo. We next used RNA-Seq to compare global transcriptional changes between RSH and RelQ-mediated (pp)pGpp synthesis. Genes involved in iron storage and oxidative stress response were highly upregulated in response to RSH-induction. Furthermore, (pp)pGpp-mediated expression of phenol soluble modulins (PSMs) consequently resulted in an increased formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Furthermore, we demonstrated a protective role of (pp)pGpp for survival under PSM-mediated or exogenous ROS and identified a new link between (pp)pGpp-dependent regulation of oxidative stress response and activation of PSMs

New Testament Paradigm of the Unity of Christians

The intention of this article is to describe: first, the New Testament paradigm of unity, second, the New Testament nature of unity, and third, the New Testament teaching concerning the responsibility of leaders to maintain unity. Viewed from a New Testament standpoint, the first section discusses the notion of unity: unity of the believers with the Lord, unity of the believers within Christ’s body, unity in diversity within Christ’s Church, then about unity in the Spirit, and finally about the unity toward which we are to incline. The second section deals with the New Testament nature of the unity of the Church, which is a spiritual unity, though it also must be practical. The third section emphasizes the New Testament teaching concerning pastoral responsibility in maintaining and protecting the fellowship. Application of Peter’s, John’s and Paul’s exhortations is a secure way toward the upkeep and maintenance of true biblical unity and practical spiritual fellowship within Christ’s body

Clinical Importance of Changes to Femoral Bone Mineral Density around the Hip Endoprosthesis

The implanting of a hip endoprosthesis changes the mechanical loading in a hip. The changing in loading causes bone remodeling. The loss of loading leads to bone atrophy, whereas an increase in loading leads to hypertrophy of the bones.We investigated the relationship between the clinical result and change in periprosthetic bone mineral density. The Harris hip score was used to measure the clinical outcome. The dual photon densitometry method was used to measure periprosthetic bone mineral density. The obtained results showed that a loss in bone mass around the hip endoprosthesis does not affect the clinical outcome of the operation. Bone hypertrophy has a positive effect on the clinical outcome. The patient’s age, sex and body weight in the investigated population did not have an negative impact on functional status. The time passing from the operation to measuring had a negative impact on the functional status

Kompleksnost skrivenih Markovljevih modela

U ovom diplomskom radu bavili smo se analizom skrivenih Markovljevih modela. Dana je njihova formalna definicija te opisani neki algoritmi za njihovu analizu. Algoritme smo implementirali u programskom jeziku Python te primijenili na modelu nepoštene kockarnice s 32-stranim ``kockama". Prikazano je nekoliko poznatih statističkih metoda za odabir najboljeg modela, međutim, nijedna nije dala zadovoljavajući rezultat pri primjeni na procjenu kompleksnosti skrivenih Markovljevih modela. Zato u radu predlažemo novi kriterij, koji daje bolje rezultate.This thesis is concerned with analysis of hidden Markov models. We give a formal definition of an HMM and describe several algorithms used in their analysis. We implement these algorithms in Python and show their application on an occasionally dishonest casino model with 32-sided “cubes”. We describe several known statistical methods for choosing the best model. However, none give satisfying results when used to assess the complexity of given hidden Markov model. Therefore, we propose a new criterion which gives better results

THE ROLE OF UNIVERSAL SPORTS SCHOOL IN SPORTS SELECTION

The Universal Sports School (hereinafter USŠ) is a project of the Croatian School Sports Federation (hereinafter HŠSS) carried out in lower grades of primary education in the Republic of Croatia. The project involves children from 1st to 4th grade of primary schools and it is conducted by both P.E. teachers and kinesiologists. The aim of the project is to encourage the multifaceted psychosomatic development of children, to raise awareness of preserving and improving health, doing daily physical exercise and to develop motor and functional abilities. The paper focuses on sports selection as a method for identifying potential top athletes and on the notion of USŠ, which is a HŠSS project, regarded as a system for carrying out a selection and directing of potential young athletes for the sports in which they can achieve optimal results in their future sports activities

Analysis of Measurement Uncertainty of (Simple) Pitch Diameter Calibration when Selected Sizes of Zeiss Wires are Used

The calibration of screw thread gauges is a conventional procedure in calibration laboratories and National Metrology Institutes. Proper measurement and reliable uncertainty analysis of the screw thread gauge calibration are complex and demanding tasks. Different technical documents and international standards in screw metrology define calibration categories, explain measurement plans, measuring elements, nominal diameters and their tolerances, and propose guidelines for the measurement uncertainty estimation. Therefore, the first part of this paper provides a detailed overview of different technical documents and international standards in screw thread metrology. The second part of this paper aims to draw attention to critical points of the pitch diameter calibration procedure that lead to a significant increase in measurement uncertainty. Most calibration laboratories do not measure the thread angle during the pitch diameter calibration. Therefore, the selection of the measurement wires can contribute greatly to the measurement uncertainty. Even though the international standards propose the best size wires to avoid this problem, many manufacturers produce measuring wires according to DIN 2269 (Zeiss). In this paper, the authors do simulations of the contribution of measuring wires to the uncertainty in the calibration of the pitch diameter of metric M threads. A simulation is created for each thread gauge according to ISO 1502, and critical threads, in which a significant increase in measurement uncertainty is expected, are highlighted. The authors propose a simple solution for avoiding this unwanted increase in measurement uncertainty of pitch diameter calibration; the solution involves replacing the DIN 2269 (Zeiss) wires with the best-size wires only for the highlighted critical threads

Novozavjetna paradigma jedinstva kršćana

Ovim se člankom namjerava opisati: prvo, novozavjetna paradigma jedinstva, drugo, novozavjetna narav jedinstva, i treće, novozavjetno učenje o odgovornosti duhovnih pastira da čuvaju jedinstvo. Promatrano s novozavjetnog stajališta, o pojmu jedinstva u prvom poglavlju se razmatra: jedinstvo vjernika s Gospodinom, zatim o jedinstvu vjernika unutar Kristovog tijela, onda i o jedinstvo u različitosti unutar Kristove crkve, potom o jedinstvu u Duhu, te jedinstvu za kojim nam je težiti. Drugo poglavlje se bavi novozavjetnom naravi jedinstva crkve, koje je duhovno, ali ono mora biti i praktično. Treće poglavlje naglašava novozavjetno učenje pastoralne odgovornosti u održavanju jedinstva i zaštiti zajedništva. Primjenjivanje Petrovih, Ivanovih i Pavlovih naputaka je siguran put u (o)čuvanju i održavanju zbiljskog svetopisamskog jedinstva i praktičnog duhovnog zajedništva unutar Kristovog tijela

Franchising in the fashion industry

U ovome radu analizirati će se franchising u modnoj industriji. Svake godine se na tržištu pojavljuje sve više franšiza, što znači da franšizno poslovanje predstavlja učinkoviti način širenja, jer omogućuje jačanje tržišne pozicije i širenje distribucijskih kanala za vlastite proizvode ili usluge. Budući da pojam franchising mnogi u najvećoj mjeri vežu uz brendove prehrambene industrije, kao što su Coca Cola, McDonald's, Subway i drugi, ovaj rad će istražiti drugačiji pogled na franchising, a koji je vezan uz modnu industiju. Franchising je u modnoj industriji podjednako zastupljen, ako ne čak i više nego u prehrambenoj industriji, što će se u ovome radu i prikazati. Stoga će se u radu obraditi i istražiti što su to franšize i franšizno poslovanje općenito, zatim kako se ono može primijeniti i kako se primjenjuje u modnoj industriji, koje su prednosti uvođenja franšiznog poslovanja za postizanje konkurentnosti na tržištu, navesti će se nekoliko primjera modnih kuća koje posluju kao franšize i ukratko će ih se opisati te na njihovim primjerima prikazati kako se takav način poslovanja odražava na njihovu uspješnost poslovanja