Entrepreneurship with Social Responsibility

Since the second half of the twentieth century, the society’s thinking about the behavior of companies has gradually begun to change. Companies are expected to use their power and finances to influence life around themselves, especially their quality. The corporate social responsibility (CSR) concept is a very progressive management approach that focuses on long-term goals and long-term returns. CSR seeks to harmonize relationships with stakeholders, which the company identifies and implements activities that go beyond legal and ethical standards. A socially responsible company performs something extra volunteer, conducts dialog with its stakeholders, and invests in improving relationships. The Department of Economics of the University of Žilina conducted a marketing survey entitled “Perceptions of Corporate Social Responsibility and its Communication by Companies”. The survey was conducted to find out how companies in Slovakia use the CSR concept and what is the level of their communication about this concept in relation to the external environment. Anonymous questionnaire method was used to obtain this data. The method of induction and deduction was used to process the obtained data and the phenomena investigated and to generalize and produce conclusions. Mathematical and statistical methods were used to evaluate survey data, and the synthesis method was used to create recommendations for companies

Modified small-scale batch procedure for isolation of dsRNA from Cryphonectria parasitica

Cytoplasmically-transmissible viral double-stranded RNAs of the genus Hypovirus cause reduced virulence (hypovirulence) in the chestnut blight fungus Cryphonectria parasitica. Biological control of this fungal disease is done by inoculating selected artificial hypovirulent strains of C. parasitica in the wounds of attacked chestnut trees and is followed by testing the transmissibility of dsRNA to C. parasitica isolates affecting these trees. Here we present a modified protocol of isolation and detection of dsRNA. The proposed procedure requires smaller amounts of fungal material for dsRNA detection and uses less reagents, thus resulting in appreciable cost savings.Les ARN double brin (ARNdb) viraux du genre Hypovirus à transmission cytoplasmique réduisent la virulence (hypovirulence) du Cryphonectria parasitica, le champignon responsable de la brûlure du châtaigner. La lutte biologique contre cette maladie fongique se fait par l'inoculation, dans des blessures de châtaigniers atteints, de souches choisies de C. parasitica artificiellement hypovirulentes, suivie de l'analyse de la transmissibilité des ARNdb aux isolats de C. parasitica qui affectent ces arbres. Nous présentons ici un protocole modifié d'isolement et de détection d'ARNdb. La procédure proposée requiert une plus petite quantité de matériel fongique pour la détection d'ARNdb et demande moins de réactifs; il en découle donc des économies appréciables

Genetic variability analysis of 26 sheep breeds in the Czech Republic.

In this study, the intra- and inter-population level of genetic diversity of 26 transboundary and local sheep breeds reared in the Czech Republic was analysed. A total of 14,999 animals genotyped for 11 microsatellite markers were included to describe the gene pool of the breeds. The level of genetic diversity was derived from the proportion of heterozygous animals among and within breeds. The average polymorphic information content (0.745) and Shannon’s index (1.361) showed a high genetic variability of the applied set of genetic markers. The average observed heterozygosity (0.683 ± 0.009), as well as FIS index (-0.025 ± 0.004), pointed to a sufficient proportion of heterozygotes concerning the loss of genetic diversity. The deficit of heterozygotes was most evident in Cameroon sheep (FIS = 0.036). The Nei's genetic distances and Wright's FST indexes showed that the analysed breeds are genetically differentiated to separate clusters with Cameroon sheep as the most genetically distant breed. Individual variation accounted for 83.2 % of total diversity conserved across breeds, whereas 16.8 % of genetic similarity resulted from the inter-population reduction in heterozygosity.Keywords: microsatellite analysis, genetic diversity, sheep, transboundary and local breedReferencesBravo, S. et al. (2019). Genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationship among araucana creole sheep and Spanish sheep breeds. Small Ruminant Research, 172, 23–30. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smallrumres.2019.01.007Chessa, B. et al. (2009). Revealing the history of sheep domestication using retrovirus integrations. Science, 324(5926), 532–536. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1170587Faigl, V. et al. (2012). Artificial insemination of small ruminants - A review. 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Study on metal-triggered callose deposition in roots of maize and soybean

Abstract: Callose plays important roles in a variety of processes of plant development, and/or in a response to a range of biotic and abiotic stresses. In the current work we have studied and compared the effect of lead, cadmium and arsenic on accumulation of newly formed callose deposits in the roots of maize and soybean. We observed formation of characteristic callose deposits in the root cell walls, probably associated with plasmodesmata, depending on the type of metal and the plant species investigated. Further, the callose turnover was analysed by measuring of total callose content as well as activities of total β-(1,3)-glucanases in roots. The latter enzymes are responsible for callose depletion, and their possible role during metal stress has previously been proposed. However, neither of these biochemical values appeared to be sufficiently reliable for scoring the altered callose turnover (including local deposits) in plant tissue. The microscopical observations are discussed in light of the biochemical data obtained

The humidity level matters during the desiccation of Norway spruce somatic embryos

In Norway spruce, as in many other conifers, the germination capacity of somatic embryos is strongly influenced by the desiccation phase inserted after maturation. The intensity of drying during desiccation eminently affected the formation of emblings (i.e., seedlings developed from somatic embryos). Compared to non-desiccated embryos, the germination capacity of embryos desiccated at 100% relative humidity was about three times higher, but the reduction of relative humidity to 95 and 90% had a negative effect on the subsequent embryo development. The water loss observed in these embryos did not lead to an increase in lipid peroxidation, as shown by malondialdehyde levels. Another metabolic pathway in plants that mediates a response to abiotic stresses is directed toward the biosynthesis of polyamines (PAs). The activities of PA biosynthetic enzymes increased steadily in embryos during desiccation at 100% relative humidity, whereas they decreased at lower humidity. The total content of free PAs in the embryos gradually decreased throughout desiccation. The increase in free putrescine (Put) and perchloric acid-insoluble Put conjugates was observed in embryos desiccated at lower humidity. These changes were accompanied to some extent by the transcription of the genes for the PA biosynthesis enzymes. Desiccation at 100% relative humidity increased the activity of the cell wall-modifying enzymes β-1,3-glucanases and chitinases; the activities of these enzymes were also significantly suppressed at reduced humidity. The same pattern was observed in the transcription of some β-1,3-glucanase and chitinase genes. Desiccation treatments triggered metabolic processes that responded to water availability, suggesting an active response of the embryo to the reduction in humidity. A positive effect was demonstrated only for desiccation at high relative humidity. Some of the physiological characteristics described can be used as markers of inappropriate relative humidity during somatic embryo desiccation

The Effect of Cadmium on Plants in Terms of the Response of Gene Expression Level and Activity

Cadmium (Cd) is a heavy metal that can cause damage to living organisms at different levels. Even at low concentrations, Cd can be toxic to plants, causing harm at multiple levels. As they are unable to move away from areas contaminated by Cd, plants have developed various defence mechanisms to protect themselves. Hyperaccumulators, which can accumulate and detoxify heavy metals more efficiently, are highly valued by scientists studying plant accumulation and detoxification mechanisms, as they provide a promising source of genes for developing plants suitable for phytoremediation techniques. So far, several genes have been identified as being upregulated when plants are exposed to Cd. These genes include genes encoding transcription factors such as iron-regulated transporter-like protein (ZIP), natural resistance associated macrophage protein (NRAMP) gene family, genes encoding phytochelatin synthases (PCs), superoxide dismutase (SOD) genes, heavy metal ATPase (HMA), cation diffusion facilitator gene family (CDF), Cd resistance gene family (PCR), ATP-binding cassette transporter gene family (ABC), the precursor 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid synthase (ACS) and precursor 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid oxidase (ACO) multigene family are also influenced. Thanks to advances in omics sciences and transcriptome analysis, we are gaining more insights into the genes involved in Cd stress response. Recent studies have also shown that Cd can affect the expression of genes related to antioxidant enzymes, hormonal pathways, and energy metabolism

Effect of Heat Treatment on the Resulting Dimensional Characteristics of the C45 Carbon Steel after Turning

The presented article deals with the influence of the heat treatment of C45 steel on the surface quality after turning. Turning is a machining technology used to prepare specific geometrical characteristics of surface and dimensional quality. In the present paper, the same turning conditions were used for the turning treatment of differently heat-treated steels. The soft annealed state, normalized state, hardened state, quenched and tempered at 530 °C state and quenched and tempered at 660 °C state have been analyzed. By using this approach, it has been possible to evaluate the effects of hardening and machining on the resulting parameters after turning (roughness, cylindricity and circularity). The highest hardness was observed in the steel after the hardening process (694 ± 9 HV 10). The hardening has negatively influenced the surface quality. The high hardness was related to martensite formation and caused a damage to the cutting edge of the cut insert used, leading to a significant change in geometrical accuracy. The cylindricity change achieved 0.15 ± 0.03 mm which was significantly higher compared to the theoretical value of the diameter of the machined steel bar. An inaccuracy was also observed in diameter dimension. These inaccuracies were caused by the wear of the cutting edge of the tool used in cutting parameters setting

The Precision Analysis of Cutting Edge Preparation on CBN Cutting Inserts Using Rotary Ultrasonic Machining

This paper is focused on the issue of preparing the cutting edge microgeometry of cutting inserts made of cubic boron nitride (CBN). The aim of this research was to investigate the possibilities of rotary ultrasonic machining (RUM) for preparing asymmetric cutting edge microgeometries of various shapes (chamfers, circular, and elliptical rounding and their combinations) on a CBN cutting tool. In this article, a new type of advanced cutting edge preparation method is presented. CBN is relatively resistant to the most often used (abrasive) methods of cutting-edge preparation, due to its very high hardness (which is a prerequisite property for machining difficult-to-cut materials). Such hard materials could be processed using advanced manufacturing methods, and rotary ultrasonic machining (RUM) is one such method. Experiments have shown that RUM can be used for machining CBN. However, high hardness is not the only challenge here. For cutting edge preparation, it is necessary to achieve an adequate accuracy of size and dimensions. The presented paper analyzes the suitability of the RUM process for processing CBN inserts. The results of the experiment showed that this method can be used for preparing asymmetric cutting edge microgeometries with various shapes