Do common genetic variants in endotoxin signaling pathway contribute to predisposition to alcoholic liver cirrhosis?

Background: Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β), produced by endotoxin-activated Kupffer cells, play a key role in the pathogenesis of alcoholic liver cirrhosis (ALC). Alleles TNFA -238A, IL1B -31T and variant IL1RN*2 of repeat polymorphism in the gene encoding the IL-1 receptor antagonist increase production of TNF-α and IL-1β, respectively. Alleles CD14 -159T, TLR4 c.896G and TLR4 c.1196T modify activation of Kupffer cells by endotoxin. We confirmed the published associations between these common variants and genetic predisposition to ALC by means of a large case-control association study conducted on two Central European populations. Methods: The study population comprised a Czech sample of 198 ALC patients and 370 controls (MONICA project), and a German sample of 173 ALC patients and 331 controls (KORA-Augsburg), and 109 heavy drinkers without liver disease. Results: Single locus analysis revealed no significant difference between patients and controls in all tested loci. Diplotype [IL1RN*2/*2; IL1B -31T+] was associated with increased risk of ALC in the pilot study, but not in the validation samples. Conclusions: Although cytokine mediated immune reactions play a role in the pathogenesis of ALC, hereditary susceptibility caused by variants in the corresponding genes is low in Central European populations. Clin Chem Lab Med 2009;47:398-40

Level and improvement of ice hockey players skills of 3rd - 5th year in primary school

Tato bakalářská práce se zabývá úrovní a zlepšením dovedností hráčů ledního hokeji v kategorii 3. - 5. tříd v klubu HC Meteor Třemošná s cílem porovnat výsledky daných kategorií. Obsah práce je rozdělen do tří částí, na teoretickou, praktickou a část, která se zaměřuje na shrnutí výsledků. Teoretická část je zaměřena na vývoj ledního hokeje, ontogenetický vývoj a zaměření na vývoj dětí v mladším školním věku. Dále jsou zde zmíněna kritéria sportovního tréninku, fáze motorického učení a je přiblíženo základní rozdělení hokejových dovedností. V praktické části je vysvětleno všech pět cvičení z testové baterie. Dále se zde zaměřujeme na porovnání výsledků ze vstupního a výstupního měření, které jsou podrobně popsány a zpracovány do tabulek a grafů. K posouzení statisticky významného rozdílu mezi vstupním a výstupním testováním jsou použity t - testy. Všichni hráči se během závodního období zlepšili.ObhájenoThis bachelor thesis deals with the level and improvement of skills of ice hockey players in the category of 3rd - 5th classes in the club HC Meteor Třemošná in order to compare the results of the given categories. The content of the thesis is divided into three parts, theoretical, practical and a part that focuses on the summary of the results. The theoretical part focuses on the development of ice hockey, ontogenetic development and focuses on the development of children at younger school age. Furthermore, the criteria of sports training, the stages of motor learning are mentioned and the basic division of hockey skills is approached. In the practical part, all five exercises of the test battery are explained. Furthermore, the comparison of the results from the input and output measurements is discussed in detail and presented in tables and graphs. To assess the statistical significance of the difference between the input and output testing, t - tests are used. All players improved during the competition period

Level and improvement of ice hockey players skills of 3rd - 5th year in primary school

Tato bakalářská práce se zabývá úrovní a zlepšením dovedností hráčů ledního hokeji v kategorii 3. - 5. tříd v klubu HC Meteor Třemošná s cílem porovnat výsledky daných kategorií. Obsah práce je rozdělen do tří částí, na teoretickou, praktickou a část, která se zaměřuje na shrnutí výsledků. Teoretická část je zaměřena na vývoj ledního hokeje, ontogenetický vývoj a zaměření na vývoj dětí v mladším školním věku. Dále jsou zde zmíněna kritéria sportovního tréninku, fáze motorického učení a je přiblíženo základní rozdělení hokejových dovedností. V praktické části je vysvětleno všech pět cvičení z testové baterie. Dále se zde zaměřujeme na porovnání výsledků ze vstupního a výstupního měření, které jsou podrobně popsány a zpracovány do tabulek a grafů. K posouzení statisticky významného rozdílu mezi vstupním a výstupním testováním jsou použity t - testy. Všichni hráči se během závodního období zlepšili.ObhájenoThis bachelor thesis deals with the level and improvement of skills of ice hockey players in the category of 3rd - 5th classes in the club HC Meteor Třemošná in order to compare the results of the given categories. The content of the thesis is divided into three parts, theoretical, practical and a part that focuses on the summary of the results. The theoretical part focuses on the development of ice hockey, ontogenetic development and focuses on the development of children at younger school age. Furthermore, the criteria of sports training, the stages of motor learning are mentioned and the basic division of hockey skills is approached. In the practical part, all five exercises of the test battery are explained. Furthermore, the comparison of the results from the input and output measurements is discussed in detail and presented in tables and graphs. To assess the statistical significance of the difference between the input and output testing, t - tests are used. All players improved during the competition period

The Effect of Heavy-Duty Vehicle Crossings on the State of Stress of Buried Pipelines

The aim of this article is to quantify the loads exerted by heavy-duty vehicles when crossing over buried pipeline. This problem arises in connection to the question pertaining to the use of protective sleeves (casings) applied to gas pipelines in regions with increased demands on pipeline operation safety. An experiment was conducted on a test pipe section made from L360NE pipeline steel equipped with strain gauges along the pipe perimeter, measuring strains in the axial and circumferential directions. Strain measurements were taken after back-filling the pipe trench, then during vehicle crossings over the empty pipe, and again after pressurizing the test pipe with air. Strain-based hoop stresses at the surface of the empty test pipe were found to exceed 30 MPa after back-filling the trench and increased to more than 40 MPa during the vehicle crossings. Similarly, axial stresses reached extremes of around 17 MPa in compression and 12 MPa in tension. Applying internal air pressure to the test pipe resulted in a reduced net effect on both the hoop and axial stresses

Comparison of J Integral Assessments for Cracked Plates and Pipes

The purpose of this article is to compare two predictive methods of J integral assessments for center-cracked plates, single-edge cracked plates and double-edge cracked plates produced from X52 and X70 steels, and a longitudinally cracked pipe produced from X70 steel. The two methods examined are: the GSM method and the Js procedure of the French RCC-MR construction code, designated here as the FC method. The accuracy of J integral predictions by these methods is visualized by comparing the results obtained with the “reference” values calculated by the EPRI method. The main results showed that both methods yielded similar J integral values, although in most cases, the GSM predictions were slightly more conservative than the FC predictions. In comparison with the “reference” values of the J integral, both methods provided conservative results for most crack configurations, although the estimates for cracks of a relative length smaller than 1/8 were not found to be so conservative. The prediction of burst pressures for external longitudinal semielliptical part-through cracks in X70 steel pipe showed that the magnitudes of predicted burst pressures came very close to each other, and were conservative compared to FEM (finite element method) calculations and experimentally determined burst pressures

The Effect of Heavy-Duty Vehicle Crossings on the State of Stress of Buried Pipelines

The aim of this article is to quantify the loads exerted by heavy-duty vehicles when crossing over buried pipeline. This problem arises in connection to the question pertaining to the use of protective sleeves (casings) applied to gas pipelines in regions with increased demands on pipeline operation safety. An experiment was conducted on a test pipe section made from L360NE pipeline steel equipped with strain gauges along the pipe perimeter, measuring strains in the axial and circumferential directions. Strain measurements were taken after back-filling the pipe trench, then during vehicle crossings over the empty pipe, and again after pressurizing the test pipe with air. Strain-based hoop stresses at the surface of the empty test pipe were found to exceed 30 MPa after back-filling the trench and increased to more than 40 MPa during the vehicle crossings. Similarly, axial stresses reached extremes of around 17 MPa in compression and 12 MPa in tension. Applying internal air pressure to the test pipe resulted in a reduced net effect on both the hoop and axial stresses