On preheating in alpha-attractor models of inflation

We study (p)reheating in alpha-attractor T-models of inflation, taking into account both scalar fields present in these models: the inflaton and the spectator. The two-field model has a negative field-space curvature which, at the end of inflation, may lead to geometrical destabilization of the spectator for small values of alpha<~10^(-3). We perform the instability (Floquet) analysis of the linear dynamics and a fully non-linear lattice computations with our numerical code, which we specifically designed for a class of two-field models with non-canonical kinetic terms. We find that the perturbations of the spectator field are much more unstable than the perturbations of the inflaton field, so the dynamics of the early stages of preheating is dominated by the evolution of the spectator perturbations. As a result, the transition from the inflationary era to radiation domination era is practically instantaneous and much faster than previously found in an effective theory including only the inflaton field.Comment: extended numerical simulations, references added, matches published versio

Zawartość barwników asymilacyjnych w liściach drzew Tilia cordata Mill. rosnących na terenach poddanych zróżnicowanej antropopresji miasta Katowice

tekst w j. pol. i ang.Celem pracy było porównanie zawartości barwników asymilacyjnych w liściach drzew Tilia cordata rosnących w Katowicach, na terenach poddanych zróżnicowanej antropopresji

Use of remotely-derived bathymetry for modelling biomass in marine environments

The paper presents results on the influence of geometric attributes of satellite-derived raster bathymetric data, namely the General Bathymetric Charts of the Oceans, on spatial statistical modelling of marine biomass. In the initial experiment, both the resolution and projection of the raster dataset are taken into account. It was found that, independently of the equal-area projection chosen for the analysis, the calculated areas are very similar, and the differences between them are insignificant. Likewise, any variation in the raster resolution did not change the computed area. Although the differences were shown to be insignificant, for the subsequent analysis we selected the cylindrical equal area projection, as it implies rectangular spatial extent, along with the automatically derived resolution. Then, in the second experiment, we focused on demersal fish biomass data acquired from trawl samples taken from the western parts of ICES Sub-area VII, near the sea floor. The aforementioned investigation into processing bathymetric data allowed us to build various statistical models that account for a relationship between biomass, sea floor topography and geographic location. We fitted a set of generalised additive models and generalised additive mixed models to combinations of trawl data of the roundnose grenadier (Coryphaenoides rupestris) and bathymetry. Using standard statistical techniques—such as analysis of variance, Akaike information criterion, root mean squared error, mean absolute error and cross-validation—we compared the performance of the models and found that depth and latitude may serve as statistically significant explanatory variables for biomass of roundnose grenadier in the study area. However, the results should be interpreted with caution as sampling locations may have an impact on the biomass–depth relationship

Possibles coprolithes de vertébrés provenant du Crétacé supérieur (Coniacien) des Sudètes (Pologne méridionale)

Possible coprolites from the Upper Cretaceous (Coniacian) of Waliszów Stary in the Sudetes Mountains (southern Poland) are described for the first time. They are relatively small, irregular in outline, and preserved as goethite, limonite, siderite and hematite. Although it is difficult to identify the producer of these coprolites, they were most probably formed by some fish

Experimental studies of cargo tank cooldown in an LNG carrier

PURPOSE: The paper aims to show and analyze the construction of LNG tanks, systems related to temperature measurement and to describe the operation of the system of cargo tank cooldown, including the design of pressure compensation between tank membranes.DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: This paper presents an experimental study on practical cooling measurements of LNG ship cargo tanks. The measures were aimed at comparing the cooling procedures recommended by the manufacturer with the actual temperature changes occurring during the investigated process.FINDINGS: Based on the own experience of one of the co-authors, the sequence of operations performed after the LNG carrier enters the loading terminal was refined. Procedures and recommendations, important from the point of view of cargo operation and crew safety, were preserved.PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: An analysis was made on safety procedures and potential problems that could arise during LNG trans-shipment. Tank cooldown takes place by delivering liquid methane to the spray pipelines embedded in the tanks. The authors' survey indicates that by lowering the tank temperature to -130°C (and below), excessive vapours can be avoided during the first critical minutes of loading. In some extraordinary circumstances ('warm' membranes), the number of produced vapours may be so large that shipboard facilities will not be able to carry away them to the terminal, pressure in the tanks will start to increase, and, in extreme cases, the pressure may get so high that emergency release of gas will be necessary.ORIGINALITY/VALUE: Each ship has its cooldown tables, used for guidance in this operation. For tanks described in this article, the average value of cargo tanks temperature was used to calculate the time and quantity of liquid methane required for the cooling. The authors compared absolute temperatures recorded during the tank cooldown in the examined ship to temperatures specified in the manufacturer's tables. One should remember that the prerequisite for starting tank cooldown is to create or have a good atmosphere in tank inverting. The analysis presented in this article was performed on an LNG ship in continual operation, so the proper atmosphere was satisfied.peer-reviewe

Multidrug resistant Acinetobacter baumannii--the role of AdeABC (RND family) efflux pump in resistance to antibiotics.

Acinetobacter baumannii is an opportunistic pathogen which play the more and more greater role in the pathogenicity of the human. It is often attached with the hospital environment, in which is able easily to survive for many days even in adverse conditions. Acinetobacter baumannii is the species responsible for a serious nosocomial infections, especially in the intensive care units. Option of surviving in natural niches, and in the hospital environment could also be associated with the efflux pump mechanisms. Mechanisms of efflux universally appear in all cells (eukaryotic and prokaryotic) and play the physiological important role. In prokaryote, the main functions are evasion of such naturally produced molecules, removal of metabolic products and toxins. These pumps could also be involved in an early stage of infection, such as adhesion to host cells and the colonization. Importantly, they remove commonly used antibiotics from the cell in therapy of infections caused by these bacteria. Efflux pumps exemplify a unique phenomenon in drug resistance: a single mechanism causing resistance against several different classes of antibiotics. In Acinetobacter baumannii, the AdeABC efflux pump, a member of the resistance-nodulation-cell division family (RND), has been well characterized. Aminoglicosides, tetracyclines, erythromycin, chloramphenicol, trimethoprim, fluoroquinolones, some beta-lactams, and also recently tigecycline, were found to be substrates for this pump. Drugs, as substrates for the AdeABC pump, can increase the expression of the AdeABC genes, leading to multidrug resistance (MDR). From this reason, treatment failure and death caused by Acinetobacter baumannii infections or underlying diseases are common. Because the AdeABC pump is widespread in Acinetobacter baumannii, similarly to other pumps in Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, exists a need of searching a new therapeutic solutions. Specific efflux inhibitors of pumps (EPIs), including AdeABC inhibitors, could be suppress the activity of pumps and restore the sensitivity of such important bacteria as Acinetobacter baumannii to commonly used antibiotic

Antimicrobial Resistance and Virulence-Associated Traits of Campylobacter jejuni Isolated From Poultry Food Chain and Humans With Diarrhea

The objective of this study was to test the prevalence of virulence-associated markers and antimicrobial resistance in 624 C. jejuni isolated from poultry food chain, i. e., chicken feces (n = 160), poultry carcasses (n = 157), poultry meat (n = 152) and from humans (n = 155). All human strains were positive for 9 out of 13 putative virulence genes responsible for expression of pathogenic factors involved in different stages of the infection. The presence of all markers was also high in strains from chicken feces, carcasses and meat although not all of them were identified in 100% of the isolates. On the other hand, the virB11, wlaN, and iam putative pathogenic genes were detected in only 1.9, 15.2, and 20.5% of strains, respectively. C. jejuni isolates, irrespective of the origin, were highly resistant to ciprofloxacin (92.5% isolates), followed by nalidixic acid (88.9%) and tetracycline (68.4%). In case of ciprofloxacin, significantly more isolates from poultry feces, carcasses and meat were resistant than those obtained from humans and the same relationship was observed for tetracycline where the isolates from chicken feces were more often resistant than C. jejuni of carcasses and meat origin. A low number of strains was resistant to streptomycin (18.4% isolates) and only 5 strains (0.8%) displayed resistance to erythromycin. A relationship between resistance to fluoroquinolones and presence of selected pathogenic markers was observed, e.g., from 83.3% strains with the virB11 to 93.4% with the docA genes were resistant to ciprofloxacin. The isolates that did not possess any of the pathogenic traits were also mainly resistant to this antimicrobial, although the number of such strains was usually low, except virB11 (612 isolates), wlaN (529 strains), and iam (496 isolates). Furthermore, resistance to tetracycline was somehow associated with the presence of the virulence associated genes wlaN and virB11 (56.8 and 75.0% isolates, respectively). The present study shows a high antimicrobial resistance to quinolones and tetracycline of C. jejuni isolated along poultry food chain and from patients with diarrhea, which was closely correlated with the presence of several virulence genes playing a role in the pathogenesis of Campylobacter infection

flaA-SVR Based Genetic Diversity of Multiresistant Campylobacter jejuni Isolated From Chickens and Humans

Campylobacter jejuni is one of the most common causes of human foodborne bacterial infections worldwide. The objective of this study was to assess the molecular diversity, using flaA sequencing, of 602 C. jejuni isolated from chicken food chain, i.e., chicken feces (n = 151), chicken carcasses (n = 150), chicken meat (n = 150), and from humans (n = 151) and to determine antimicrobial multiresistant profiles of the isolates as well as to analyze the relationship of the isolate genotypes with their antimicrobial resistance profiles and source of isolation. Multidrug resistant patterns were identified in 110 (18.3%) C. jejuni isolates recovered from all sources and most isolates were resistant to ciprofloxacin (CIP), nalidixic acid (NAL), streptomycin (STR), and tetracycline (TET) (92; 15.3%) or ciprofloxacin, streptomycin, and tetracycline (13; 2.2%). Only a few isolates were multiresistant to ciprofloxacin, nalidixic acid, tetracycline, and erythromycin (3; 0.5%) or ciprofloxacin, nalidixic acid, streptomycin, tetracycline, and erythromycin (2; 0.3%). A total of 79 flaA-SVR subtypes were identified, including 40 (50.6%) unique to the isolates’ origins, with the most common sequence types 16, 54, 36, 34, and 287 which covered 56 (9.3%), 50 (8.3%), 48 (8.0%), 35 (5.8%), and 32 (5.3%) of C. jejuni isolates, respectively. It was found that 13 isolates had the novel flaA-SVR subtypes which were not present in the pubMLST database. These isolates were recovered from chicken feces (6 isolates), carcasses (2 isolates), meat (one isolate) and from humans (4 isolates). Multiresistant C. jejuni were classified into 26 different sequence subtypes. Among the most numerous multidrug resistant profile CIP+NAL+STR+TET 21 different flaA-SVR subtypes, with total of 92 isolates, were identified. Most of them were classified to 287 (18; 19.6% isolates), 100 (13; 14.1%), 34 (9; 9.8%), 208 (8; 8.7%), and 781 (8; 8.7%) molecular variants. Isolates resistant to CIP, STR and TET (13 isolates) were mainly from chicken feces (12 isolates) and classified into 5 flaA-SVR sequence types, with the most common 36 (8 isolates). The obtained results show a broad molecular diversity of multiresistant C. jejuni isolates and suggest chickens as a possible source of human Campylobacter infections in Poland

Aminoglycosides resistance in clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus from a University Hospital in Bialystok, Poland.

Staphylococcus aureus obtained from a University Hospital in Poland were characterized in relation to resistance to aminoglycoside antibiotics and the distribution of the genes encoding the most clinically relevant aminoglycoside modifying enzymes (AMEs). Of a total of 118 S. aureus, 45 (38.1%) isolates were found to be resistant to at least one of the tested antibiotics. All aminoglycoside resistant isolates except one 44 (97.8%) were resistant to kanamycin. The majority of strains 37 (82.2%) and 32 (71.1%) expressed resistance to neomycin and tobramycin, respectively. Eleven strains (24.4%) were resistant to gentamicin or amikacin. All S. aureus strains were sensitive to netilmicin. The most prevalent resistance gene was aac(6')-Ie+aph(2') found in 13 (28.9%) strains and 12 (26.7%) isolates carried ant(4')-Ia gene, whilst aph(3')-IIIa gene was detected in only 7 (15.6%) isolates. Additionally, the ant(6)-Ia and str genes were detected in 14 (31.1%) and 2 (4.4%) strains, respectively. Ten (22.2%) strains resistant to amikacin, tobramycin, kanamycin or neomycin did not harbor any of the above-noted genes

Lokalizacja taśmy u pacjentek z niepowodzeniem leczenia wysiłkowego nietrzymania moczu za pomocą slingu podcewkowego

Objectives: The high-pressure zone of the urethra (HPZ), which is crucial for the continence mechanism, extends between the point of the maximum urethral closure pressure and the urethral knee, and has been calculated to lie between 53% and 72% of the functional urethral length. According to recent studies the best results of suburethral slings are achieved when tapes are positioned under this zone. The aim of the study was to determine the location of tapes relative to the urethral length in patients seeking help due to recurrent stress urinary incontinence (SUI) following sling procedures. Material and methods: The study group comprised 61 patients suffering from recurrent SUI following suburethral slings performed from 6 months to 5 years earlier. Forty-nine (80.3%) women were initially treated with a transobturator sling and 12 (19.7%) with a retropubic procedure. Twenty patients had the original sling performed at our department whereas, the other 41 in other institutions. The position of the tapes was determined at the sagittal plane by 3-D transvaginal ultrasound using a linear transducer. The length of the urethra was measured from the bladder neck to the external urethral meatus following the urethral lumen, taking into account its curve. The position of the tapes relative to the percentage of the urethral length was calculated assuming the bladder neck as the proximal end of the urethra. The reference point was set at the midpoint on the tape. Results: Only 13 (21.3%) patients had tapes positioned at 50%-75% of the urethral length. In 45 (73.8%) of women examined the tapes were found under proximal half of the urethra and in 3 (4.9%) distally to the 75% of the urethral length. Conclusions: In most patients in whom slings procedures proved unsuccessful the tapes are located under theproximal half of the urethra, that is outside the HPZ. The position of a tape outside the HPZ may be considered as a cause of suburethral sling failure.Cel pracy: Badania ultrasonograficzne, oceniające położenie taśmy pod cewką moczową u pacjentek leczonych z powodu wysiłkowego nietrzymania moczu (WNM) za pomocą slingu podcewkowego wykazały, że najlepsze rezultaty obserwowane są w przypadku umiejscowienia taśmy pod odcinkiem cewki moczowej odpowiadającym strefie wysokiego ciśnienia (SWC). SWC rozciąga się pomiędzy punktem maksymalnego ciśnienia zamykającego cewkę moczową, a jej kolankiem i obejmuje odcinek pomiędzy 53% a 72% funkcjonalnej długości cewki moczowej. Celem pracy była ultrasonograficzna ocena położenia taśm podcewkowych u pacjentek z niepowodzeniami leczenia WNM. Materiały i metody: Badaniem objęto 61 pacjentek po nieskutecznym leczeniu WNM za pomocą slingow podcewkowych. Zabiegi były wykonane od 6 miesięcy do 5 lat przed momentem badania ultrasonograficznego. Z dostępu przez otwory zasłonione wykonano 49 zabiegow (80,3%), a 12 (19,7%) z dostępu załonowego. U 20 pacjentek wykonano zabiegi w II Klinice Ginekologii Uniwersytetu Medycznego w Lublinie, a 41 w innych ośrodkach. nPołożenie taśm oceniano za pomocą przezpochwowej ultrasonografii wykorzystując sondę liniową o częstotliwości 9-12 MHz. Po uzyskaniu trojwymiarowego obrazu mierzono długość cewki moczowej, w odniesieniu do której określano pozycję taśmy, przyjmując szyję pęcherza moczowego jako początek cewki. Wyniki: Jedynie u 13 (21,3%) pacjentek taśmy były umiejscowione pomiędzy 50 a 75% długości cewki moczowej. U 45 (73,8%) pacjentek, taśmę uwidoczniono pod proksymalną częścią cewki (poniżej 50% jej długości), a u 3 (4,9%) dystalnie do 75% długości cewki moczowej. Wnioski: U większości pacjentek z niepowodzeniem leczenia WNM za pomocą slingow podcewkowych taśmy zlokalizowane są pod proksymalnym odcinkiem cewki moczowej, a więc poza SWC cewki. Dlatego rozważając przyczyny niepowodzenia zabiegow slingowych u pacjentek z nawrotem nietrzymania moczu należy brać pod uwagę nieprawidłowe położenie taśmy