JDP2 overexpression provokes cardiac dysfunction in mice

The transcriptional regulator JDP2 (Jun dimerization protein 2) has been identified as a prognostic marker for patients to develop heart failure after myocardial infarction. We now performed in vivo studies on JDP2-overexpressing mice, to clarify the impact of JDP2 on heart failure progression. Therefore, during birth up to the age of 4 weeks cardiac-specific JDP2 overexpression was prevented by doxycycline feeding in transgenic mice. Then, JDP2 overexpression was started. Already after 1 week, cardiac function, determined by echocardiography, decreased which was also resembled on the cardiomyocyte level. After 5 weeks blood pressure declined, ejection fraction and cardiac output was reduced and left ventricular dilatation developed. Heart weight/body weight, and mRNA expression of ANP, inflammatory marker genes, collagen and fibronectin increased. Collagen 1 protein expression increased, and fibrosis developed. As an additional sign of elevated extracellular matrix remodeling, matrix metalloproteinase 2 activity increased in JDP2 mice. Thus, JDP2 overexpression is deleterious to heart function in vivo. It can be concluded that JDP2 overexpression provokes cardiac dysfunction in adult mice that is accompanied by hypertrophy and fibrosis. Thus, induction of JDP2 is a maladaptive response contributing to heart failure development

The effects of electrical hippocampal kindling of seizures on amino acids and kynurenic acid concentrations in brain structures

Our study demonstrated that the development of seizures during the electrically induced kindling of seizures is associated with significant changes in the concentration of kynurenic acid (KYNA) and its precursor, tryptophan (TRP). The primary finding of our study was an increase in KYNA levels and the KYNA/TRP ratio (a theoretical index of activity of the kynurenine pathway) in the amygdala and hippocampus of kindled animals. We also found decreases in the concentration of tryptophan in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. Changes in the concentration of KYNA and TRP in the amygdala were accompanied by a significant decrease in γ-Aminobutryic Acid (GABA) levels and an increase in the glutamate/GABA ratio. Moreover, we found a significant negative correlation between the local concentrations of KYNA and glutamate in the amygdala of kindled rats. However, there were no changes in the local concentrations of the following amino acids: glutamate, aspartate, glutamine, glycine, taurine and alanine. In conclusion, these new results suggest a modulatory influence of KYNA on the process of epileptogenesis, characterized by a negative relationship between the KYNA and glutamate systems in the amygdala

Feasibility of an in situ measurement device for bubble size and distribution

The feasibility of in situ measurement device for bubble size and distribution was explored. A novel in situ probe measurement system, the EnviroCam™, was developed. Where possible, this probe incorporated strengths, and minimized weaknesses of historical and currently available real-time measurement methods for bubbles. The system was based on a digital, high-speed, high resolution, modular camera system, attached to a stainless steel shroud, compatible with standard Ingold ports on fermenters. Still frames and/or video were produced, capturing bubbles passing through the notch of the shroud. An LED light source was integral with the shroud. Bubbles were analyzed using customized commercially available image analysis software and standard statistical methods. Using this system, bubble sizes were measured as a function of various operating parameters (e.g., agitation rate, aeration rate) and as a function of media properties (e.g., viscosity, antifoam, cottonseed flour, and microbial/animal cell broths) to demonstrate system performance and its limitations. For selected conditions, mean bubble size changes qualitatively compared favorably with published relationships. Current instrument measurement capabilities were limited primarily to clear solutions that did not contain large numbers of overlapping bubbles

Balancing the immune response in the brain: IL-10 and its regulation

Background: The inflammatory response is critical to fight insults, such as pathogen invasion or tissue damage, but if not resolved often becomes detrimental to the host. A growing body of evidence places non-resolved inflammation at the core of various pathologies, from cancer to neurodegenerative diseases. It is therefore not surprising that the immune system has evolved several regulatory mechanisms to achieve maximum protection in the absence of pathology. Main body: The production of the anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-10 is one of the most important mechanisms evolved by many immune cells to counteract damage driven by excessive inflammation. Innate immune cells of the central nervous system, notably microglia, are no exception and produce IL-10 downstream of pattern recognition receptors activation. However, whereas the molecular mechanisms regulating IL-10 expression by innate and acquired immune cells of the periphery have been extensively addressed, our knowledge on the modulation of IL-10 expression by central nervous cells is much scattered. This review addresses the current understanding on the molecular mechanisms regulating IL-10 expression by innate immune cells of the brain and the implications of IL-10 modulation in neurodegenerative disorders. Conclusion: The regulation of IL-10 production by central nervous cells remains a challenging field. Answering the many remaining outstanding questions will contribute to the design of targeted approaches aiming at controlling deleterious inflammation in the brain.We acknowledge the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) for providing a PhD grant to DLS (SFRH/BD/88081/2012) and a post-doctoral fellowship to SR (SFRH/BPD/72710/2010). DS, AGC and SR were funded by FEDER through the Competitiveness Factors Operational Programme (COMPETE) and National Funds through FCT under the scope of the project POCI-01-0145-FEDER007038; and by the project NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000013, supported by Norte Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The MS lab was financed by Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional (FEDER) funds through the COMPETE 2020—Operacional Programme for Competitiveness and Internationalisation (POCI), Portugal 2020, and by Portuguese funds through FCT in the framework of the project “Institute for Research and Innovation in Health Sciences ” (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007274). MS is a FCT Associate Investigator. The funding body had no role in the design of the study and collection, analysis, and interpretation of the data and in writing the manuscript

Nowy Kościół copper mine

Kopalnia rud miedzi Nowy Kościół pod Złotoryją wraz z zakładami górniczymi Lena i Konrad tworzyła fundamenty Starego Zagłębia Miedziowego. Jednak do tej pory nie doczekała się ona żadnego opracowania. Budowę kopalni zakończono w 1954 r. Złoże zamierzano eksploatować przez 15 lat. Jednak mimo opracowania planu rozbudowy o złoże zachodnie, którego eksploatacja przedłużyłaby żywot kopalni o kolejne 21 lat – w 1968 r. zakład zamknięto. W sumie w ZG Nowy Kościół wydobyto ponad 4 mln ton rudy miedzi. Unikatem w skali rzeźby powierzchni ziemi dawnych terenów pogórniczych w Polsce jest to, że na zdjęciach satelitarnych i lidarowych widać dokładnie sieć chodników oraz zapadlisk nawiązujących do granic starych pól wydobywczych pokrywających się z planem kopalni.The Nowy Kościół plant and mine were established on the basis of an older lime plant, in which copper ores were extracted in the World War I from marlstone deposits mined in a nearby quarry in an opencast operation. In the early 1950s the shallow deposit was accessed by a system of galleries. The construction of the mine was completed in 1954. Although plans were made to access an additional deposit to the west (from the Kaczawa valley) and thus allow to prolong the operation of the mine until 1990, in 1968 the plant was closed due to the Lubin mine of the so-called New Copper Belt commencing operation. All in all, over 4,000,000 tons of copper ore have been excavated in the Nowy Kościół plant. A specific mark left by this historic mining on the ground above the mine are the terrain characteristics of the surface. Satellite and LIDAR images reveal a network of terrain elevations corresponding to the course of the galleries and some regular subsidence over the mining fields which are a perfect match to the layout of the mine

Prospecting for coal deposits in the Złotoryja and Świerzawa area

Autorzy opisują kilka nieznanych dotąd prób prowadzenia poszukiwań węgla kamiennego na Pogórzu Kaczawskim w XVIII i XIX w. Prowadzono je w rejonie Złotoryi w latach 1767–1768 i 1821 oraz pod Świerzawą w 1874 r. W obu lokalizacjach bez pozytywnych rezultatów.The article describes a number of early and unsuccessful attempts to prospect for coal in the area of Złotoryja and Świerzawa townships located in the Kaczawskie Foothills in the Western Sudetes, Lower Silesia, Poland). In the Złotoryja area, prospecting works for coal deposits have been carried out as early as in the 2nd half of the XVIII ct. However, those operations have to a large extent failed to take relevant geological aspects into account. Especially in the Semler case, one could argue that the local authorities have been persuaded to finance futile prospecting works by an embezzler. Prospecting for coal deposits in the Świerzawa area, however, and the granting of mining claims there appears to have been much more well-founded. Carboniferous coal deposits were expected to be found underneath the Permian, yet to no avail

Schwarze Minna

Autorzy omawiają rozwój niewielkiego ośrodka górniczego „Schwarze Minna” pod Sichowem pomiędzy Złotoryją a Jaworem. Przyczynkiem do powstania artykułu było utworzenie się w 2013 r. koło wsi owalnego zapadliska. Rejon Sichowa, zwłaszcza przy krawędzi uskoku brzeżnego sudeckiego, znany był w przeszłości z eksploatacji rud żelaza, miedzi, ołowiu i barytu. Jednak działalność ta nie sięgała aż do wschodnich granic miejscowości. Badania terenowe, kwerenda kartograficzna i biblioteczna pozwoliły na odtworzenie nieznanej szerzej karty z historii górnictwa węgla brunatnego w tej części Dolnego Śląska.The Schwarze Minna coal mine was opened between 1854 and 1855 and functioned for a period of at least 10 years. Initially lignite was mined; its deposit was, however, disturbed by tertiary basaltic volcanism. Once the lack of profitability of mining coal has been determined, as the deposit was established to be irregular and highly nodular, the mining company initiated an attempt to extract and market ground trass-like volcanic tuff as affordable building material of good quality and a substitute for mortar. The discovery of coal and fossil remains in volcanic tuffs between Chroślice and Sichów was of certain significance in the XIX century’s geology, and was researched as such by established scholars of that age who contributed to furthering the geological knowledge about that particular part of Lower Silesia

Goldmines of the Wielisławka Hill (Kaczawa Upland)

Autorzy przedstawiają opis górnictwa złota w rejonie masywu ryolitowego Wielisławki na Pogórzu Kaczawskim, na podstawie wyników kwerendy kartograficznej i bibliograficznej, analiz numerycznych modeli terenu LiDAR, a także prac terenowych. Niniejszy materiał wzbogacają m.in. dwie unikalne mapy, które należą do najcenniejszych dzieł kartografii górniczej na terenie Polski. Powstały one około 1556 r. jako materiał pomocniczy dla rozpatrzenia konfliktu, do jakiego doszło pomiędzy właścicielami ziemskimi a górnikami z kopalni złota na Wielisławce.This paper presents the history of the gold mining activity within the Wielisławka Hill in the Kaczawskie Foothills. The results are based on a cartographic study of bibliographical research, LIDAR DTM analysis and field work. The article contains e.g. two unique maps from the collection of the State Archive in Prague which belong to the most relevant works of the cartography of mining in Poland. They have been drawn in or around 1556 as a supplementary material for the settlement of a dispute between land owners and miners from the Wielisławka gold mine. The article demonstrates that the gold mining in the Wielisławka massif had taken place on a much larger scale than hitherto expected. The mining operation has left relics in the form of sink hole fields, heaps, adits and underground galleries entering the massif of the hill by the Kaczawa river. The Wielisławka massif is nowadays a valuable destination for geotourism

Copper mining in the Kondratów area (Kaczawskie Foothills, SW Poland)

W artykule przedstawiono dzieje dawnego górnictwa w okolicach Kondratowa na Pogórzu Kaczawskim, rozwiniętego w oparciu o miedzionośne utwory dolnego cechsztynu. Eksploatację podejmowano wielokrotnie przez kilka stuleci, głównie w XVI i XVIII w. Prowadziły ją zarówno gwarectwa jak i właściciele wsi. W pracy wskazano również na występowanie pogórniczych reliktów. Autorzy przeprowadzili kwerendę biblioteczną, kartograficzną oraz prace terenowe. Dodatkowo wykonano analizy NMT LiDAR, które potwierdziły występowanie pola pingów i hałd.Field studies carried out by the authors have revealed the existence of relics of historic mining in the Kondratów area in the Kaczawskie Foothills (Sudetes), consistent with information retrieved from old mining maps. LIDAR DTM analysis has confirmed the presence of heaps and sinkholes in the study area. Their approximate age could be determined in the course of further more detailed research. Mining operation in the Kondratów area has been initiated a number of times in the past throughout the centuries. Mining works have been carried out by mining companies and land owners. The operations have reached their largest scale in the 18th century. The lack of water supply on-site to power the ore processing facilities must certainly have been a major drawback; the ore had to be transported to Leszczyna for processing. In the late 19th ct. and in the 1930s the deposits have been subject to more thorough exploration. Nevertheless, a mine has not been established. Mining plants have been built in Wilków (1940s) and Nowy Kościół (1950s-1960s) instead due to richer and more accessible deposits

Application of geomorphometric methods in mining-related ground deformation analysis – an example of the “Nowy Kościół” Copper Mine (“The Old Copper Basin”, North-Sudetic Synclinorium)

Podczas kartograficznych badań terenowych prowadzonych od października 2015 r. w okolicach miejscowości Nowy Kościół, na Pogórzu Kaczawskim w Sudetach Zachodnich, rozpoznano i zinwentaryzowano wiele form wskazujących na przekształcenia powierzchni terenu związane z działalnością górniczą. Kilkanaście zapadlisk, rowów i obniżeń na terenie dawnych Zakładów Górniczych (ZG) „Nowy Kościół” zaobserwowano również podczas analiz numerycznych modeli terenu oraz zdjęć satelitarnych. Określono zasięg tych form, opisano ich parametry przestrzenne i oszacowano maksymalne obniżenie powierzchni terenu w ich obrębie. Obniżenia powierzchni terenu na tym obszarze nie były jak dotąd tak szczegółowo opisane. Głównym celem przeprowadzonych badań było określenie przydatności metod geomorfometrycznych, opartych na analizie wysokorozdzielczych numerycznych modeli terenu (NMT) LiDAR, do jakościowego i ilościowego opisu deformacji powierzchni spowodowanych podziemną działalnością górniczą.During mapping work carried out since October 2015 in the Nowy Kościół area in the Kaczawskie Foothills, Western Sudetes, a number of morphological forms were identified and catalogued. They indicate surface transformation due to ceased mining activity. Several depressions and grabens were recognized during the digital terrain model and satellite images analysis. The range of deformation has been determined, and their spatial parameters and the maximal depression of the ground level within the mining area have been estimated and described. Such ground level depressions have not been examined in detail before. The main aim of the studies was to determine the usefulness of geomorphometric methods based on LiDAR digital elevation models (DEM) for the purposes of high quality description of surface deformation caused by underground mining operations