Prosudba viteštva kroz diskursnu funkciju negacije u Maloryjevu djelu Le Morte DArthur

The paper explores medieval knighthood as a complicated matrix of various cultural, historical, and ethical concepts. We hypothesize that we can access the way people conceptualized the chivalric ideal through analyzing the romances by means of linguistic and conceptual analysis. The justly prominent place among numerous romances is taken by Malory’s Le Morte DArthur (1485), for it provided solid ground for a detailed classification of knightly virtues and vices in later decades. The present paper displays the role of negation in portraying the opposition of a good and a bad knight. We take into account that this category is realized linguistically on various levels: lexical, morphological, and syntactical. Contrary to the preliminary hypothesis on negation featuring the bad, it allowed the author not only to explicate the bad qualities of a knight, but also to stress the language means evaluating the positive ones. As the linguistic analysis unfolds, negation turns out to be not a logical counterpart of positive utterances, but a powerful tool for featuring knighthood as a socially and ethically important endeavour. Pragmatics of negation in the romance, as well as its role in direct speech of various characters, including women, are also considered.U radu se istražuje srednjovjekovno viteštvo kao složena matrica različitih kulturoloških, povijesnih i etičkih koncepata. Kreće se od pretpostavke da se jezičnom i konceptualnom raščlambom romanci može steći uvid u način na koji se konceptualizirao viteški ideal. Istaknuto mjesto među brojnim romancama s pravom pripada Maloryjevu djelu Le Morte DArthur (1485), zato što ono pruža dobar temelj za detaljnu klasifikaciju viteških vrlina i mana u kasnijim desetljećima. Ovaj rad opisuje ulogu negacije u portretiranju suparništva između dobrog i lošeg viteza. Ta se kategorija jezično ostvaruje na više razina: leksičkoj, morfološkoj i sintaktičkoj. Suprotno prvotnim tumačenjima da negacija označava nešto loše, autorima je ona omogućila ne samo da objasne loše viteške osobine, već i da naglase jezična sredstva kojima se prosuđuju vrline. Što se dublje ulazi u jezičnu analizu, pokazuje se da negacije nije samo logički parnjak potvrdnih izričaja, već moćno sredstvo za prikaz viteštva kao društveno i etički vrijednog pothvata. Također se razmatra pragmatika negacije u romanci, kao i njezina uloga u izravnom govoru raznih likova, uključujući i žene

Эпикардиальная трансплантация пластов из мезенхимальных стромальных клеток жировой клетчатки способствует активации эпикарда и стимулирует ангиогенез при инфаркте миокарда (экспериментальное исследование)

Aim: to evaluate the impact of tissue-engineered structures (TES) transplantation based on mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC) sheets in myocardial infarction on the activation of the epicardial cell pool and vascularization of the damaged zone.Materials and methods. Mesenchymal stromal cells were obtained from samples of subcutaneous fat of Wistar rats and C57Bl/6 mice. Tissue engineering structures were obtained by culturing cell sheets on thermosensitive plates (Nunc Dishes with UpCell Surface). Transplantation of TESs was performed after myocardial infarction modeling in rats by ligation of the anterior descending coronary artery. Transplant cells and damaged zones were assessed using immunofluorescent staining of myocardial cryosections. The impact of MSC secretion products on the migration activity of epicardial cells in vitro was evaluated using the explant culture method.Results. MSCs in TESs after transplantation remain viable and induce activation of the epicardial cell pool and local increase of the damaged zone vascularization. The in vitro experiments showed that the conditioned environment of MSCs stimulates the migratory activity of epicardial cells and initiates the formation of activated Wt1/POD1 precursor cells.Conclusion. TES transplantation on the basis of MSC sheets seems to be a promising approach for effective delivery of viable cells into myocardium to activate the epicardial cellular niche and reparative angiogenesis.Цель исследования: оценить влияние трансплантации тканеинженерных конструкций (ТИК) на основе пластов мезенхимальных стромальных клеток (МСК) при инфаркте миокарда на активацию эпикардиального пула клеток и васкуляризацию зоны повреждения.Материалы и методы. МСК получили из образцов подкожной жировой клетчатки крыс линии Wistar и мышей линии C57Bl/6. ТИК получили путем культивирования пластов клеток на чашках с термочувствительным покрытием (Nunc Dishes with UpCell Surface). Трансплантацию ТИК проводили после моделирования инфаркта миокарда у крысы путем перевязки передней нисходящей коронарной артерии. Оценку состояния клеток трансплантата и зоны повреждения проводили с использованием иммунофлуоресцентного окрашивания криосрезов миокарда. Для оценки влияния продуктов секреции МСК на миграционную активность клеток эпикарда in vitro использовали метод эксплантной культуры.Результаты. МСК в составе ТИК после трансплантации сохраняют жизнеспособность и вызывают активацию эпикардиального пула клеток и локальное повышение васкуляризации зоны повреждения. Эксперименты in vitro показали, что кондиционированная среда МСК оказывает стимулирующее воздействие на миграционную активность клеток эпикарда и вызывает образование активированных Wt1/POD1 клеток-предшественниц.Заключение. Трансплантация ТИК на основе пластов МСК представляется рациональным подходом для эффективной доставки жизнеспособных клеток в миокард с целью активирующего воздействия на эпикардиальную клеточную нишу и репаративный ангиогенез

AlgalTextile - a new biohybrid material for wastewater treatment

Efficient nutrient extraction from wastewater and reuse as bio-fertilizer is an important task for reducing anthropogenic load toward circular economy. Inspired by microbial mats and biofilms, we developed a new material AlgalTextile (AT) that effectively absorbs nutrients from a medium. AT consists of three fully organic components: microalgae, alginate and textile. AT sequestered up to 99% of phosphorus (P-PO4) and 76% of total bound nitrogen from a medium. The uptake rate of phosphorus and nitrogen by AT was highest among all methods using photosynthetic microorganisms, but lower than EBPR and physicochemical methods for phosphorus removal, and anammox and denitrifying bacteria for nitrogen removal. Advantages of AT are its easy production, possibility of seasonal use and utilization as fertilizer. AT as biofertilizer for cress resulted in 35% greater length compared to the control. This outlines a promising technique for seasonal wastewater treatment, improving soil fertility and treatment of polluted surface runoff

Epicardial Transplantation of Adipose Mesenchymal Stromal Cell Sheets Promotes Epicardial Activation and Stimulates Angiogenesis in Myocardial Infarction (Experimental Study)

Aim: to evaluate the impact of tissue-engineered structures (TES) transplantation based on mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC) sheets in myocardial infarction on the activation of the epicardial cell pool and vascularization of the damaged zone.Materials and methods. Mesenchymal stromal cells were obtained from samples of subcutaneous fat of Wistar rats and C57Bl/6 mice. Tissue engineering structures were obtained by culturing cell sheets on thermosensitive plates (Nunc Dishes with UpCell Surface). Transplantation of TESs was performed after myocardial infarction modeling in rats by ligation of the anterior descending coronary artery. Transplant cells and damaged zones were assessed using immunofluorescent staining of myocardial cryosections. The impact of MSC secretion products on the migration activity of epicardial cells in vitro was evaluated using the explant culture method.Results. MSCs in TESs after transplantation remain viable and induce activation of the epicardial cell pool and local increase of the damaged zone vascularization. The in vitro experiments showed that the conditioned environment of MSCs stimulates the migratory activity of epicardial cells and initiates the formation of activated Wt1/POD1 precursor cells.Conclusion. TES transplantation on the basis of MSC sheets seems to be a promising approach for effective delivery of viable cells into myocardium to activate the epicardial cellular niche and reparative angiogenesis

Nitrogen Fixation Activity and Genome Analysis of a Moderately Haloalkaliphilic Anoxygenic Phototrophic Bacterium Rhodovulum tesquicola

The genome of the moderately haloalkaliphilic diazotrophic anoxygenic phototrophic bacterium Rhodovulum tesquicola A-36sT isolated from an alkaline lake was analyzed and compared to the genomes of the closest species Rhodovulum steppense A-20sT and Rhodovulum strictum DSM 11289T. The genomic features of three organisms are quite similar, reflecting their ecological and physiological role of facultative photoheterotrophs. Nevertheless, the nitrogenase activity of the pure cultures of the studied bacteria differed significantly: the highest rate (4066 nmoles C2H2/mg of dry weight per hour) was demonstrated by Rhodovulum strictum while the rates in Rhodovulum tesquicola and Rhodovulum steppense were an order of magnitude lower (278 and 523 nmoles C2H2/mg of dry weight per hour, respectively). This difference can be attributed to the presence of an additional nitrogenase operon found exclusively in R. strictum and to the structural variation in nitrogenase operon in R. tesquicola

Magnetically Recovered Co and Co@Pt Catalysts Prepared by Galvanic Replacement on Aluminum Powder for Hydrolysis of Sodium Borohydride

Magnetically recovered Co and Co@Pt catalysts for H2 generation during NaBH4 hydrolysis were successfully synthesized by optimizing the conditions of galvanic replacement method. Commercial aluminum particles with an average size of 80 µm were used as a template for the synthesis of hollow shells of metallic cobalt. Prepared Co0 was also subjected to galvanic replacement reaction to deposit a Pt layer. X-ray diffraction analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and elemental analysis were used to investigate catalysts at each stage of their synthesis and after catalytic tests. It was established that Co0 hollow microshells show a high hydrogen-generation rate of 1560 mL·min−1·gcat−1 at 40 °C, comparable to that of many magnetic cobalt nanocatalysts. The modification of their surface by platinum (up to 19 at% Pt) linearly increases the catalytic activity up to 5.2 times. The catalysts prepared by the galvanic replacement method are highly stable during cycling. Thus, after recycling and washing off the resulting borate layer, the Co@Pt catalyst with a minimum Pt loading (0.2 at%) exhibits an increase in activity of 34% compared to the initial value. The study shows the activation of the catalyst in the reaction medium with the formation of cobalt–boron-containing active phases