Automated Fingerprint Identification System: with and without the Possibility of Correction of a Digitalised Image

According to the fact that systems for automatic processing of biometric data are constantly advancing in terms of speed and reliability, as well as in terms of adding new processing capabilities, the question of choosing the appropriate system becomes more important. In this paper the idea is to present the technical and technological solutions of the Automated Fingerprint Identification System with different operating principles, with and without the possibility of correction or coding of a digitized image. Comparisons of different systems were performed in test and production environments. The test database with 10 000 records and about half a million records of dactyloscoped persons in the production of database for testing the performance of search was used. The results have shown that there exists a statistically significant difference (p < 0.001) between examined systems in face fingerprint search according to latent fingerprint databases (which means indirect verification). In the production environment, it was found that there exists statistically significant difference (p < 0.001) in the direct and indirect verification showing advantages and disadvantages of the compared systems

Guinea pig fetus does not change its presentation during second half of gestation

Objectives: The aims of this paper are: 1. To investigate spontaneous changes in fetal presentation during the second half of gestation in guinea pig fetus, 2. to observe provoked changes of fetal presentation, by passive positioning fetus into an upside-down position and “sitting” position. Eight fetuses from singleton pregnancies were included. Experimental design: Ultrasound examinations (Toshiba Nemio SSA-550A apparatus) were started on the 26th day of gestation (GD). Each fetus was examined 2-3 times in each 5-day interval until the end of gestation. First the spontaneous orientation of fetus was determined by tracking along the longitudinal and transversal axes of the fetus with the ultrasound probe. Then the fetus was brought into a head-down position relative to gravity for 5 minutes. The examination was repeated with the fetus in the head-up position. Results: In the period from the 26th – 30th GD in 7 of 21 observations spontaneous changes of presentation were observed. From the 31st GD all 133 observations were negative regarding spontaneous changes of presentation and situs. The chi-squared test showed that difference in spontaneous changes of presentation and situs before versus after 30th day of gestation had a statistical significance (χ² = 25.16 p 0.05). Fetuses were brought into a head-down and head-up 154 times. In none of these attempts did a fetus change presentation during the five minutes of observation. Conclusion: Guinea pig fetuses do not spontaneously or at provocation change presentation after 30th GD

The human PINK1 locus is regulated in vivo by a non-coding natural antisense RNA during modulation of mitochondrial function

BACKGROUND: Mutations in the PTEN induced putative kinase 1 (PINK1) are implicated in early-onset Parkinson's disease. PINK1 is expressed abundantly in mitochondria rich tissues, such as skeletal muscle, where it plays a critical role determining mitochondrial structural integrity in Drosophila. RESULTS: Herein we characterize a novel splice variant of PINK1 (svPINK1) that is homologous to the C-terminus regulatory domain of the protein kinase. Naturally occurring non-coding antisense provides sophisticated mechanisms for diversifying genomes and we describe a human specific non-coding antisense expressed at the PINK1 locus (naPINK1). We further demonstrate that PINK1 varies in vivo when human skeletal muscle mitochondrial content is enhanced, supporting the idea that PINK1 has a physiological role in mitochondrion. The observation of concordant regulation of svPINK1 and naPINK1 during in vivo mitochondrial biogenesis was confirmed using RNAi, where selective targeting of naPINK1 results in loss of the PINK1 splice variant in neuronal cell lines. CONCLUSION: Our data presents the first direct observation that a mammalian non-coding antisense molecule can positively influence the abundance of a cis-transcribed mRNA under physiological abundance conditions. While our analysis implies a possible human specific and dsRNA-mediated mechanism for stabilizing the expression of svPINK1, it also points to a broader genomic strategy for regulating a human disease locus and increases the complexity through which alterations in the regulation of the PINK1 locus could occur

High frequency of the R75Q CFTR variation in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

AbstractWe performed the complete screening of the CFTR gene in a group of 31 patients with COPD in order to investigate the impact of mutations and polymorphisms in the CFTR gene. The cumulative frequency of CFTR mutations (17.74%) was significantly higher than in our general population (P<0.0001). The R75Q was significantly overrepresented in COPD patients (8.06%; P=0.002). In all patients carrying the R75Q chronic bronchitis was a dominant symptom of COPD, and all were homozygous for the V470 allele. These findings suggest that R75Q mutation could be characteristic CFTR variant for COPD patients

Konvektivno sušenje parčića ploda batata (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam), zavisnost od predtretmana

The dried of pieces of sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam) was carried in experimental convective cabinet drier with loess. This vegetable was rich in beta carotene and was not sufficiently in our countries. The dried process was carried at 55oC, and weight changes were measured every 15 minutes. Were performed three pretreatments: dried with pretreatment, blanched with the 1% vitamin C and 5% NaCl and without pretreatment. Blanched was carried in water at 60oC, for 3 minutes. The moisture content of raw sweet potato was 76.40%, but in dried material value from 16.90 to 19.59%, respectively. Rehydration values were measure of the quality of the dried process. The best results were obtained to dried small pieces of sweet potato without pretreatment, than rehydration was 83.37%.Sušenje parčića ploda batata (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam) ili slatkog krompira vršeno je u eksperimentalnoj konvektivnoj sušari sa lesama. Ova povrtarska biljka bogata je beta karotenom, a nedovoljno se koristi u našoj zemlji. Proces sušenja odvijao se na 55oC, a merena je promena mase na svakih 15 minuta. Rađena su tri predtretmana blanširanjem: bez dodataka (predtretman I), sa dodatkom 1% vitamina C (predtretman II), sa dodatkom 5% NaCl (predtretman III) i sušenje bez predtretmana (kontrola). Blanširanje je vršeno u destilovanoj vodi temperature 60oC za 3 minuta, sa i bez dodataka. Sadržaj vlage u sirovom plodu batatu bio je 76,40%, a u osušenom materijalu kretao se od 16,90 do 19,59 %. Stepen rehidratacije korišćen je kao mera kvaliteta procesa sušenja. Najbolji rezultati dobijeni su kod sušenja parčića ploda batata bez predtretmana, čiji je stepen rehidratacije bio 83,37%

Risk factors for severe dental anxiety among medical students

Background/Aim. Severe dental anxiety (SDA) is the most severe form of dental anxiety, thus the aim of this study was to determine the factors associated with SDA in students of health-related disciplines. Methods. In this case-control study the cases were students with severe dental anxiety. The study was conducted at the Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, Serbia. The participants were undergraduate students attending lectures during spring semester 2010/2011 (n = 1,812). A random sample of 800 students was assessed for the association between various risk factors and the severe dental anxiety. The main outcome measures were the data on demographics, dental anxiety, habits concerning oral hygiene, nutrition, general anxiety and (co)morbidity which were collected from the study participants by semi-structured question questionnaire. Results. Less frequent visits to the dentist (OR adjusted = 7.02 [2.65; 18.60]) and visiting the dentist only when there is a dental problem (OR adjusted = 8.08 [1.28; 50.93]) were associated with severe dental anxiety. The same was true for improper oral hygiene (OR adjusted = 4.25 [1.16; 15.60]). Factors as changing toothbrush more frequently (OR adjusted = 0.33 [0.14; 0.76]) and having chronic disease (OR adjusted = 0.01 [0.00; 0.09]) were inversely associated with severe dental anxiety. The level of education of students was not associated with severe dental anxiety. Conclusion. Inappropriate oral hygiene, less frequent changes of a toothbrush and less frequent visits to the dentist are important risk factors for severe dental anxiety

Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies among primary healthcare workers in the Republic of Srpska, Bosnia & Herzegovina: A cross-sectional study

Healthcare workers (HCW) in primary healthcare centres in the Republic of Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina, are on the first combat line with COVID-19. This study aimed to assess the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 among HCW at the primary healthcare centres and to analyse the risk exposure to COVID-19, clinical signs and vaccination status. A cross-sectional study was conducted among HCW at the selected primary healthcare centres between 19 March and 30 April 2021. Antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 virus were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). A total of 1,023 HCW (mean age 45 years; 71% female) were included in the study. The anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies were detected in 69.5% of all participants. There was a significant difference in seropositivity among primary healthcare centres from different geographical regions. As many as 432 (42%) of all participants had confirmed COVID-19 symptoms before the study and, 84.8% of them were seropositive. This study showed that 702 primary HCW were vaccinated with any of these vaccines: Sputnik V, Sinopharm, Pfizer/Biontech. High titre of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies was found amongst those who received one (92.6%) or both (97.2%) doses of vaccines. In this study, we report high prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibody among HCW in primary healthcare in the Republic of Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina during the third pandemic wave

Gene-chip studies of adipogenesis-regulated microRNAs in mouse primary adipocytes and human obesity

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Adipose tissue abundance relies partly on the factors that regulate adipogenesis, i.e. proliferation and differentiation of adipocytes. While components of the transcriptional program that initiates adipogenesis is well-known, the importance of microRNAs in adipogenesis is less well studied. We thus set out to investigate whether miRNAs would be actively modulated during adipogenesis and obesity.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Several models exist to study adipogenesis <it>in vitro</it>, of which the cell line 3T3-L1 is the most well known, albeit not the most physiologically appropriate. Thus, as an alternative, we produced EXIQON microarray of brown and white <it>primary </it>murine adipocytes (prior to and following differentiation) to yield global profiles of miRNAs.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We found 65 miRNAs regulated during <it>in vitro </it>adipogenesis in primary adipocytes. We evaluated the similarity of our responses to those found in non-primary cell models, through literature data-mining. When comparing primary adipocyte profiles, with those of cell lines reported in the literature, we found a high degree of difference in 'adipogenesis' regulated miRNAs suggesting that the model systems may not be accurately representing adipogenesis. The expression of 10 adipogenesis-regulated miRNAs were studied using real-time qPCR and then we selected 5 miRNAs, that showed robust expression, were profiled in subcutaneous adipose tissue obtained from 20 humans with a range of body mass indices (BMI, range = 21-48, and all samples have U133+2 Affymetrix profiles provided). Of the miRNAs tested, mir-21 was robustly expressed in human adipose tissue and positively correlated with BMI (R2 = 0.49, p < 0.001).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In conclusion, we provide a preliminary analysis of miRNAs associated with primary cell <it>in vitro </it>adipogenesis and demonstrate that the inflammation-associated miRNA, mir-21 is up-regulated in subcutaneous adipose tissue in human obesity. Further, we provide a novel transcriptomics database of EXIQON and Affymetrix adipocyte profiles to facilitate data mining.</p