Analysis of defence systems and a conjugative IncP-1 plasmid in the marine polyaromatic hydrocarbons-degrading bacterium Cycloclasticus sp. 78-ME

Marine prokaryotes have evolved a broad repertoire of defence systems to protect their genomes from lateral gene transfer including innate or acquired immune systems and infection-induced programmed cell suicide and dormancy. Here we report on the analysis of multiple defence systems present in the genome of the strain Cycloclasticus sp. 78-ME isolated from petroleum deposits of the tanker 'Amoco Milford Haven'. Cycloclasticus are ubiquitous bacteria globally important in polyaromatic hydrocarbons degradation in marine environments. Two 'defence islands' were identified in 78-ME genome: the first harbouring CRISPR-Cas with toxin-antitoxin system, while the second was composed by an array of genes for toxin-antitoxin and restriction-modification proteins. Among all identified spacers of CRISPR-Cas system only seven spacers match sequences of phages and plasmids. Furthermore, a conjugative plasmid p7ME01, which belongs to a new IncP-1θ ancestral archetype without any accessory mobile elements was found in 78-ME. Our results provide the context to the co-occurrence of diverse defence mechanisms in the genome of Cycloclasticus sp. 78-ME, which protect the genome of this highly specialized PAH-degrader. This study contributes to the further understanding of complex networks established in petroleum-based microbial communities

Viral genome packaging terminase cleaves DNA using the canonical RuvC-like two-metal catalysis mechanism

Bacteriophages and large dsDNA viruses encode sophisticated machinery to translocate their DNA into a preformed empty capsid. An essential part of this machine, the large terminase protein, processes viral DNA into constituent units utilizing its nuclease activity. Crystal structures of the large terminase nuclease from the thermophilic bacteriophage G20c show that it is most similar to the RuvC family of the RNase H-like endonucleases. Like RuvC proteins, the nuclease requires either Mn2+, Mg2+ or Co2+ ions for activity, but is inactive with Zn2+ and Ca2+. High resolution crystal structures of complexes with different metals reveal that in the absence of DNA, only one catalytic metal ion is accommodated in the active site. Binding of the second metal ion may be facilitated by conformational variability, which enables the two catalytic aspartic acids to be brought closer to each other. Structural comparison indicates that in common with the RuvC family, the location of the two catalytic metals differs from other members of the RNase H family. In contrast to a recently proposed mechanism, the available data do not support binding of the two metals at an ultra-short interatomic distance. Thus we postulate that viral terminases cleave DNA by the canonical RuvC-like mechanism

Transplanted human adipose tissue-derived stem cells engraft and induce regeneration in mice olfactory neuroepithelium in response to dichlobenil subministration

We used immunodeficient mice, whose dorsomedial olfactory region was permanently damaged by dichlobenil inoculation, to test the neuroregenerative properties of transplanted human adipose tissue-derived stem cells after 30 and 60 days. Analysis of polymerase chain reaction bands revealed that stem cells preferentially engrafted in the lesioned olfactory epithelium compared with undamaged mucosa of untreated transplanted mice. Although basal cell proliferation in untransplanted lesioned mice did not give rise to neuronal cells in the olfactory mucosa, we observed clusters of differentiating olfactory cells in transplanted mice. After 30 days, and even more at 60 days, epithelial thickness was partially recovered to normal values, as also the immunohistochemical properties. Functional reactivity to odorant stimulation was also confirmed through electroolfactogram recording in the dorsomedial epithelium. Furthermore, we demonstrated that engrafted stem cells fused with mouse cells in the olfactory organ, even if heterokaryons detected were too rare to hypothesize they directly repopulated the lesioned epithelium. The data reported prove that the migrating transplanted stem cells were able to induce a neuroregenerative process in a specific lesioned sensory area, enforcing the perspective that they could become an available tool for stem cell therapy. \ua9 The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved

The Eurasian Modern Pollen Database (EMPD), version 2

The Eurasian (née European) Modern Pollen Database (EMPD) was established in 2013 to provide a public database of high-quality modern pollen surface samples to help support studies of past climate, land cover, and land use using fossil pollen. The EMPD is part of, and complementary to, the European Pollen Database (EPD) which contains data on fossil pollen found in Late Quaternary sedimentary archives throughout the Eurasian region. The EPD is in turn part of the rapidly growing Neotoma database, which is now the primary home for global palaeoecological data. This paper describes version 2 of the EMPD in which the number of samples held in the database has been increased by 60 % from 4826 to 8134. Much of the improvement in data coverage has come from northern Asia, and the database has consequently been renamed the Eurasian Modern Pollen Database to reflect this geographical enlargement. The EMPD can be viewed online using a dedicated map-based viewer at https://empd2.github.io and downloaded in a variety of file formats at https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.909130 (Chevalier et al., 2019)Swiss National Science Foundation | Ref. 200021_16959

The Eurasian Modern Pollen Database (EMPD), version 2

The Eurasian (nee European) Modern Pollen Database (EMPD) was established in 2013 to provide a public database of high-quality modern pollen surface samples to help support studies of past climate, land cover, and land use using fossil pollen. The EMPD is part of, and complementary to, the European Pollen Database (EPD) which contains data on fossil pollen found in Late Quaternary sedimentary archives throughout the Eurasian region. The EPD is in turn part of the rapidly growing Neotoma database, which is now the primary home for global palaeoecological data. This paper describes version 2 of the EMPD in which the number of samples held in the database has been increased by 60% from 4826 to 8134. Much of the improvement in data coverage has come from northern Asia, and the database has consequently been renamed the Eurasian Modern Pollen Database to reflect this geographical enlargement. The EMPD can be viewed online using a dedicated map-based viewer at https://empd2.github.io and downloaded in a variety of file formats at https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.909130 (Chevalier et al., 2019).Peer reviewe

Modern possibilities in the diagnosis of mammary gland cancer and evaluation of the effectiveness of treatment of this pathology

Problēmas aktualitāte. Saskaņā ar Slimības profilakses un kontroles centra datiem krūts vēzis ir biežākais ļaundabīgais audzējs sievietēm Latvijā. Krūts vēža agrīna atklāšana un diagnostika ir būtiska veiksmīgai ārstēšanai. Pašlaik mammogrāfija un ultraskaņa ir galvenās attēlveidošanas metodes krūts audzēju noteikšanai un lokalizācijai. Šo attēlveidošanas metožu zema jutība un specifika izraisīja pieprasījumu pēc jaunām attēlveidošanas metodēm, un krūts magnētiskās rezonanses izmantošana ir kļuvusi arvien svarīgāka ikdienas praksē krūts vēža noteikšanā. Pētījuma mērķis. Izvērtēt MRI ar kontrastvielu ietekmi, lai izvelētos ārstēšanas taktiku agrīna krūts vēža gadījumā. Materiāli un metodes. Pētījums ir retrospektīvs. Pētījumā tika iekļautas pacientes, kuram bija atklāts piena dziedzeru vēzis agrīnajā stadijā RAKUS Latvijas Onkoloģijas centrā. Tika atlasītas 44 pacientes, kuram vecums ir virs 18 gadiem, krūts vēzis diagnosticēts pirmreizēji, vēža stadija – IA, IB, IIA, IIB, histoloģiski apstiprināts invazīvs krūts vēzis. Pētījumā tika izmantotas tādas datu bāzes kā Ārsta birojs, AIRIS, Datamed. Pētījuma rezultāti tika apkopoti un analizēti izmantojot MC Office Excel un IBM SPSS Statistics 22.0 programmas. Rezultāti. Pētījumā iekļauto pacienšu vidējais vecums bija 51 gads. Izmeklēto pacienšu starpā visbiežāk sastopama vēža stadija bija IA – 22 pacientes. Magnētiskas rezonanses izmeklējumā lielāka pacienšu daļa – 31 paciente tika pieskaitītas BI-RADS 6 grupai, kurai tālāka taktika ir specifiskā terapija. No visām pacientēm - 32 kā sākotnēja ārstēšanas metode tika izvēlēta ķirurģiska ārstēšana. No tiem sektorāla rezekcija – 24 pacientēm (75%) un mastektomija – 8 pacientēm (25%). 12 pacientēm kā sākotnēja ārstēšana tika izvelēta neoadjuvanta ķīmijterapija ar sekojošu operāciju. Pārsvarā pacientēm ir laba atbilde uz pielietotu ārstēšanu, tai atbilsts 96% no atlasītām pacientēm jeb 42 cilvēki. Tomēr vienai pacientei tiek novērots recidīvs un viena paciente vēl turpina ārstēšanu. Secinājumi. Magnētiska rezonanse ar kontrastvielu ir informatīva metode, lai izvēlētos ārstēšanas taktiku agrīna krūts vēža gadījumā. Kā sākotnējā ārstēšanas metode lielākā gadījumu skaitā tiek izvelēta ķirurģiska ārstēšana. Priekšroka tiek dota sektorālai rezekcijai. Pat, ja kā primāra ārstēšanas metode tiek izvelēta neoadjuvanta ķīmijterapija, pēc kursa un atkārtota radioloģiska izmeklējuma tā pat seko operācija. Arvien jaunākām sievietēm vecumā no 40 līdz 60 gadiem tiek diagnosticēts vēzis agrīnajā stadijā. Sievietēm šajā vecuma grupā krūtis ir blīvākas, tas ievērojami apgrūtina mamogrāfijas jūtību, tāpēc magnētiskā rezonanse ir daudz informatīvākā metode.The importance of the problem. According to the Center for Disease Prevention and Control, breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women in Latvia. Early detection and diagnosis of breast cancer are essential for successful treatment. At present, mammography and ultrasound are the primary imaging methods for the detection and localization of breast tumors. The low sensitivity and specificity of these imaging tools have led to the demand for new imaging techniques, and breast magnetic resonance imaging has become increasingly important in the daily practice of detecting breast cancer. The aim of the study. Evaluate the effects of contrast-enhanced MRI to select treatment tactics for early breast cancer. Materials and methods. The study is retrospective. The study included patients who had been diagnosed with cancer of the mammary gland at an early stage at the RAKUS Latvian Oncology Center. 44 patients over 18 years of age were diagnosed with breast cancer diagnosed for the first time, stage IA - IB, IIA, IIB, histologically confirmed invasive breast cancer. Databases such as the Doctor's Office, AIRIS, and Datamed were used in the study. The study results were compiled and analyzed using MC Office Excel and IBM SPSS Statistics 22.0 programs. Results. The mean age of the patients in the study was 51 years. The most common stage of cancer among the patients studied was IA-22. In the magnetic resonance imaging study, a larger proportion of patients - 31 patients - were included in the BI-RADS 6 group, for which further therapy is specific therapy. Of all patients, 32 were selected for surgery as initial treatment. Of these, sector resection - 24 patients (75%) and mastectomy - 8 patients (25%). Neoadjuvant chemotherapy with subsequent surgery was selected as the initial treatment in 12 patients. The majority of patients have a good response to the treatment applied, corresponding to 96% of the selected patients or 42 people. However, one patient relapses, and one patient is still receiving treatment. Conclusions. Contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging is an informative method for selecting treatment tactics for early breast cancer. In most cases, surgical treatment is chosen as the initial treatment method. Sectoral resection is preferred. Even if neoadjuvant chemotherapy is chosen as the primary treatment, it is followed by surgery after a course and repeated radiological examination. More and more young women between the ages of 40 and 60 are being diagnosed with cancer at an early stage. For women in this age group, the breasts are thicker, which significantly complicates the sensitivity of mammography, so magnetic resonance imaging is the most informative method

Assessing and mapping energy biomass distribution using a UAV in Finland

The increasing need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to slow down climate change requires more effective and versatile methods for producing energy. In Finland, common reed and forest biomass are used for energy production. There are efforts to increase the utilisation of renewable energy resources. The potential intensification of renewables utilisation may result in changes to the landscape's structure and functions. The objective of this study was to develop a method for energy biomass mapping in landscapes using high-resolution remote sensing data from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The images were obtained from UAVs in Ojalahti, Lipperi, Finland, and a point cloud was calculated from the overlapped images. Individual plants were automatically identified using object-oriented image processing. The size of the individual plants was measured from orthophotographs and the point cloud. It was possible to develop an accurate three-dimensional model of the biomass distribution within the landscape. The error in height measurements of common reed plants and forest trees was 0.044 m. The root-mean-square deviation in common reed biomass measurements using the UAV data obtained was 0.096 m3. The new method developed in this study could be used as a cost-effective solution for common reed biomass resources assessment. This would allow for the mobilisation of common reed biomass for sustainable energy production.201

USING THE OUTSOURCING MECHANISM TO INCREASE THE EFFICIENCY OF REPAIR AND MAINTENANCE IN METALLURGICAL ENTERPRISES

Abstract. Objectives The aim of the work is to study the outsourcing mechanism from the point of view of increasing the efficiency of repair and maintenance at a metallurgical enterprise. Method Analysis of the experience of using outsourcing of repair services at domestic and foreign metallurgical enterprises was carried out. Analysis of the experience of the withdrawal from enterprise repair services into a separate outsourcing company has shown that the main advantages of this method of organising repair activities are an increase in the transparency of the costs of repairs and maintenance, and hence their reduction, as well as a reduction in the amount of equipment downtime. The main characteristics of outsourcing were revealed, substantiating its expediency. The restructuring of the repair system provides a step-by-step transition from decentralised to centralised structures of technical, mechanical, power and electrical repair services of enterprises, from the principle of "self-service" to the principle of "proprietary service" by isolating the subdivisions of the repair system from the structure of enterprises and creating competing members of the repair services market. Put another way, this is typified by moving away from the status of auxiliary production to a selfdependent activity. The stages of outsourcing the repair services of the enterprise are considered and possible problems that may arise in the course of the work of a working group are established to determine the suitability of outsourcing and to resolve the numerous issues arising from the transfer of repair functions. Results The findings of the research include approaches developed for overcoming risky situations: providing guarantees from the customer and the contractor and indicating them in the contract, increasing the motivation of the outsourcing company through a key performance indicator that should increase the interest of the performer in providing quality services to the customer. Conclusion As a result of the research it was revealed that the implementation of outsourcing requires concerted action from the customer and the outsourcer. Outsourcing is a new approach to managing the costs of repair and maintenance of the main equipment. The transfer of repair functions to outsourcing helps the enterprise to operate the service object economically and achieve its goals

Clinical Case of Repeated Generalized Infection and Meningitis in Immunocompetent Child

Background. Meningococcal disease is socially significant, deadly infectious disease characterized by severe and unpredictable course. Clinical case description. The article describes clinical case of repeated generalized infection and meningitis with laboratory unknown etiology, classic picture of meningococcal disease, typical vaccination history, and smooth course of the period between episodes in 6.2-year-old girl. Conclusion. The point of this case is the rare registration of recurrent cases of bacterial meningitis, as well as rare possibility of meningococcal disease diagnosis in clinical practice without laboratory confirmation of the pathogen