La faja cataclástica del borde oriental del Sistema de FamatIna, ArgentIna

The cataclastic rocks autcrops are located at the northwestern Pampean Ranges and have a N-S direction. They are limiting the Famatina system to the eastern and carne along the Puna.They have been recognized protomylonites, mylonite gneiss and mylonite schists which may be formed under 10 or 15 km of deep and 275-350° C temperatures of source.The main dominant structure have NNW direction and dips to the eastern. There can be seen compressive movements related to western blocks displacements.During de Ocloyica distrophic phase (Upper Ordovician-Lower Silurian) may be formed these cataclastic rocks, related to the Antofalla Craton collision.En las Sierras Pampeanas Noroccidentales del noroeste argentino se desarrolla una faja cataclástica de rumbo submeridional, en rocas del basamento ígneo-metamórfico pertenecientes al Paleozoico Inferior. Esta estructura coincide con el límite oriental del Sistema de Famatina y su porción septentrional se extiende dentro de la provincia morfoestructural de la Puna.En el área estudiada se reconocen protomilonitas, gneises y esquistos miloníticos, los que, en base a sus características texturales, se habrían formado a profundidades de 10 a 15 km y a temperaturas de 275-350° C.El plano principal de cizalla tiene rumbo NNW e inclina hacia el este y sobre el mismo se distinguen movimientos compresivos con desplazamientos relativos de bloques hacia el oeste.La faja de cataclasitas se habría originado durante la Fase Diastrófica Oclóyica (Ordovícico Superior-Silúrico Inferior) relacionada con la colisión del Cratón de Antofalla

Soft X-ray induced radiation damage in thin freeze-dried brain samples studied by FTIR microscopy

In order to push the spatial resolution limits to the nanoscale, synchrotron-based soft X-ray microscopy (XRM) experiments require higher radiation doses to be delivered to materials. Nevertheless, the associated radiation damage impacts on the integrity of delicate biological samples. Herein, the extent of soft X-ray radiation damage in popular thin freeze-dried brain tissue samples mounted onto Si3N4 membranes, as highlighted by Fourier transform infrared microscopy (FTIR), is reported. The freeze-dried tissue samples were found to be affected by general degradation of the vibrational architecture, though these effects were weaker than those observed in paraffin-embedded and hydrated systems reported in the literature. In addition, weak, reversible and specific features of the tissue–Si3N4 interaction could be identified for the first time upon routine soft X-ray exposures, further highlighting the complex interplay between the biological sample, its preparation protocol and X-ray probe

„W trosce o słabe serce” — model edukacji chorych hospitalizowanych z powodu dekompensacji niewydolności serca ze zmniejszoną frakcją wyrzutową

Introduction. Kompleksowa opieka nad chorymi z niewydolnością serca (KONS) is the name of a Polish programme for the coordinated care for patients with heart failure that has been proposed as a complex heart failure management solution based on European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Heart Failure recommendations. The challenge is that there are currently no available systemic solutions for educating these patients. Our project aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a pilot model of education and telemonitoring known as ‘The Weak Heart’ for patients hospitalised due to decompensation of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). Materials and methods. ‘The Weak Heart’ educational model consists of three phases: phase I — training and certification of nurses to perform the role of heart failure nurse specialists; phase II — checking the effectiveness of the model in a clinical setting; and phase III — implementation of patient education standards in cardiac centres. Data collected will be used to evaluate the impact of the programme on patients’ understanding regarding heart failure, their compliance with recommendations, and their pro-health behaviours in terms of self-care and self-control. Conclusion. ‘The Weak Heart’ programme will allow conclusions to be drawn concerning the usefulness and effectiveness of the first targeted heart failure-based patient educational model in Poland. Positive results in this pilot project could become the basis for implementing systemic changes, and introducing the model into everyday clinical practice.Introduction. Kompleksowa opieka nad chorymi z niewydolnością serca (KONS) is the name of a Polish programme for the coordinated care for patients with heart failure that has been proposed as a complex heart failure management solution based on European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Heart Failure recommendations. The challenge is that there are currently no available systemic solutions for educating these patients. Our project aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a pilot model of education and telemonitoring known as ‘The Weak Heart’ for patients hospitalised due to decompensation of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). Materials and methods. ‘The Weak Heart’ educational model consists of three phases: phase I — training and certification of nurses to perform the role of heart failure nurse specialists; phase II — checking the effectiveness of the model in a clinical setting; and phase III — implementation of patient education standards in cardiac centres. Data collected will be used to evaluate the impact of the programme on patients’ understanding regarding heart failure, their compliance with recommendations, and their pro-health behaviours in terms of self-care and self-control. Conclusion. ‘The Weak Heart’ programme will allow conclusions to be drawn concerning the usefulness and effectiveness of the first targeted heart failure-based patient educational model in Poland. Positive results in this pilot project could become the basis for implementing systemic changes, and introducing the model into everyday clinical practice

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (4th edition)1.

In 2008, we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, this topic has received increasing attention, and many scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Thus, it is important to formulate on a regular basis updated guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Despite numerous reviews, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to evaluate autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. Here, we present a set of guidelines for investigators to select and interpret methods to examine autophagy and related processes, and for reviewers to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of reports that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a dogmatic set of rules, because the appropriateness of any assay largely depends on the question being asked and the system being used. Moreover, no individual assay is perfect for every situation, calling for the use of multiple techniques to properly monitor autophagy in each experimental setting. Finally, several core components of the autophagy machinery have been implicated in distinct autophagic processes (canonical and noncanonical autophagy), implying that genetic approaches to block autophagy should rely on targeting two or more autophagy-related genes that ideally participate in distinct steps of the pathway. Along similar lines, because multiple proteins involved in autophagy also regulate other cellular pathways including apoptosis, not all of them can be used as a specific marker for bona fide autophagic responses. Here, we critically discuss current methods of assessing autophagy and the information they can, or cannot, provide. Our ultimate goal is to encourage intellectual and technical innovation in the field

Micro computing clusters in the role of the on - board computer

W artykule przedstawiono dwa modele mikro-klastrów obliczeniowych realizujących zadania komputera pokładowego pojazdu. Rozpatrzono dwie koncepcje – pierwszą realizującą model ukierunkowany na realizację rozproszonych usług, drugą związaną ze skalowalną mocą obliczeniową systemu. Podano potencjalny zakres zastosowań oraz podano, jakie ryzyko niesie ze sobą wdrażanie systemów klastrowych w pojazdach. Niewątpliwą zaletą stoso-wania mikro klastrów jest ich skalowalność i unifikacja, pozwalająca na dopasowanie oferowanych opcji systemu do modelu biznesowego poprzez optymalizacje kosztów produkcji. W ramach testów zestawiono przykładowy klaster, składający się z pięciu mikrokomputerów o identycznej konfiguracji wraz z dedykowanym interfejsami wyjściowymi. Interfejsy wyjściowe miały za zadanie generowanie obciążeń obliczeniowych dla całego systemu klastra oraz wizualizację działania testowych algorytmów.The paper presents two models of micro-computing clusters performing tasks of on-board car computer. Two concepts have been considered - the first carries out a model dedicated to the implementation of distributed services, the second is associated with a scalable cluster's computing power. The potential range of applications and that the risks of implementation of cluster systems in vehicles, is identified. An important advantage of the micro-clusters usage is their scalability and unification that allows you to adjust the options, offered to the business model of the system, through optimization of production costs. In part of the tests exemplary cluster consisting of five microcomputers an identical configuration with a dedicated output interfaces has been built. Output Interfaces were aimed at generating computational load for the entire system and visualization of the test operation algorithms

Paulina Bren and Mary Neuburger, eds. <i>Communism Unwrapped - Consumption in Cold War E. Europe</i>; Cathleen M. Giustino, Catherine J. Plum, and Alexander Vari, eds. <i>Socialist Escapes - Breaking Away from Ideology and Everyday Routine in Eastern Europe, 1945-1989.</i>

Reviewed by Agata A. Lisia

Effect of the biofuel products' application in semi-intensive fattening of lambs. Part I. Fattening results and slaughter value

Badano wpływ żywienia jagniąt, tuczonych półintensywnie mieszankami zawierającymi produkty uboczne produkcji biopaliw oraz nasiona lnu, na ich wzrost oraz wartość rzeźną. Jagnięta (tryczki) tuczono od odsadzenia od matek w wieku 8 tygodni do uzyskania masy ciała 35 kg (±3 kg), w 5 grupach po 10 sztuk. Po zakończeniu tuczu po 6 jagniąt z każdej grupy poddano ubojowi i ocenie wartości rzeźnej. W każdej grupie było po 50% jagniąt plenno-mlecznej owcy kołudzkiej (OK) i mieszańców F1 z krzyżowania tryków ile de france x OK (If x OK). Jagnięta żywiono mieszanką treściwą, w ilości około 3% masy ciała. Dodatkowo podawano siano z traw ad libitum lub stosowano wypas na pastwisku przez 5-6 godzin na dobę. Grupa kontrolna otrzymywała mieszankę standardową opartą na komponentach zbożowych (50,5%) i poekstrakcyjnej śrucie rzepakowej (20%), a grupy doświadczalne mieszanki oparte na poekstrakcyjnej śrucie rzepakowej (50%) lub suszonym wywarze kukurydzianym – DDGS (50%), z dodatkiem nasion lnu (5%) i witaminy E (0,2%). Podczas tuczu badano grupowe spożycie paszy i składników pokarmowych oraz tempo wzrostu jagniąt, przeprowadzono też poubojową ocenę wartości rzeźnej. Zastosowanie w mieszance 50% poekstrakcyjnej śruty rzepakowej lub DDGS przy równoczesnym dodatku nasion lnu i witaminy E, niezależnie od stosowanej w dawce paszy objętościowej, nie wpłynęło na spożycie paszy, mimo wyższej zawartości i spożycia tłuszczu w dawkach grup doświadczalnych. Nie stwierdzono istotnego wpływu dużego udziału komponentów oleistych w mieszance na przyrosty dobowe. Ogólnie korzystniejsze wyniki tuczu uzyskano przy stosowaniu DDGS i wypasaniu jagniąt na pastwisku. Przy żywieniu mieszankami z komponentami oleistymi i suplementacji witaminą E stwierdzono wzrost wydajności rzeźnej, a przy równoczesnym wypasaniu na pastwisku – tendencję do większej powierzchni „oka” polędwicy i większego otłuszczenia tuszy. Krzyżowanie plenno-mlecznych owiec kołudzkich z trykami rasy mięsnej ile de france wpłynęło korzystnie na tempo wzrostu mieszańców i ich mięsność, przy tendencji do większego otłuszczenia tusz.In this study, the investigations on the effect of the application of by-products from biofuel production in semi-intensive fattening of lambs on their growth and slaughter value were carried out. After weaning from their mothers at the age of 8 weeks, the ram lambs were fattened until reaching body weight of 35 kg (±3 kg) in 5 groups, 10 animals in each group. After completion of fattening, 6 lambs from each group were slaughtered and subjected to slaughter analysis. Each group contained 50% of lambs of prolific-dairy Koluda sheep breed (OK) and 50% of F1 Ile de France rams x OK ewes (If x OK). The animals were fed the concentrates in the quantity of ca. 3% of body weight. Additionally, hay from grass ad libitum was administered, or grazing on pasture for 5-6 hours per day was employed. The control group received standard concentrate mixture based on cereal components (50.5%) and rapeseed meal (20%) and the control group were fed the experimental mixtures, containing rapeseed meal or maize DDGS (50%), linen seed (5%) and E vitamin (0.2%). During fattening, consumption of feed and nutrients in group and growth rate of the lambs were examined. Assessment of slaughter value was carried out, as well. The application of 50% rapeseed meal or DDGS in the mixture, with the simultaneous addition of linen seeds and E vitamin, irrespectively of the roughage employed in the ration, did not affect feed consumption, in spite of higher level and consumption of dietary fat in the experimental groups. Any significant effect of high participation of oil components in the mixture on daily body weight gains was not found. Generally, more favourable fattening results were obtained when employing DDGS and during grazing of the lambs on the pasture. When feeding the diets with oil components and supplementation with E vitamin, dressing percentage was found to increase; in case of simultaneous grazing on the pasture, the tendency to greater loin “eye” area and higher fatness of carcass was recorded. The crossing of prolific-dairy Koluda ewes with the rams of meat Ile de France breed, had a favourable effect on the growth rate and meatiness of crossbreds, with the tendency towards greater fatness of carcasses