Opposite effects of two zinc(II) dithiocarbamates on NF-kB pathway

Inhibiting nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kB) activation in anticancer and antiinflammatory therapy is of topical interest. Current research in molecular biology has dramatically advanced in the understanding of the cellular events involved in NF-kB induction. Dithiocarbamates, in particular diethyldithiocarbamate and pyrrolidinedithiocarbamate, have been known and widely used as strong inhibitors of NF-kB signaling pathway for more than ten years. Their activity is frequently thought to be due to chelating of zinc or copper present in serum supplemented in the culture medium. Zinc(II) diethyldithiocarbamate (Et2Zn) and zinc(II) dibenzyldithiocarbamate (Bz2Zn) were prepared by direct synthesis in aqueous millieu. They were structurally characterized by X-ray analysis (solid phase) and mass spectrometry (aqueous conditions). Et2Zn and Bz2Zn both in 20 micromolar concentration were applied to HeLa cells. The status of NF-kB signaling was assessed as nuclear translocation of p65 subunit. Surprisingly, Et2Zn activated NF-kB pathway, while TNF-dependent activation of NF-kB was inhibited by Bz2Zn. Our results are preliminary

Means of transporting counterfeits to the European Union

Online commerce, in particular, the development of electronic platforms, contributes to making counterfeit goods relatively easy to reach customers. Globally, counterfeit goods are on the rise, and intellectual property rights enforcement authorities publicly acknowledge that the quantity of goods seized is only a minimum of what gets to individual markets. The infringement of intellectual property rights is a significant problem, and due attention is also given to this issue in the European Union (EU) pays due attention to it (European Commission). This finding is also evidenced by a study on the production and trade of counterfeit goods, published by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), mapping the situation in the individual EU Member States. The main aim of the paper is to characterize and mapping of trends in the means of transporting counterfeits to EU countries between 2014-2018. The current trend of globalization and loosening in international trade gives criminal gangs the possibility of organized crime. These gangs make use of all available transport options (air, road, sea, postal, and others), and it is challenging to trace where counterfeit goods originate. The paper maps trends that occurred throughout the EU, whose market is affected by the transport of counterfeit goods. According to OECD and EUIPO reports, which assess, among other things, the rate of customs seizures of counterfeit goods, most counterfeits originate in East Asia (China, Hong Kong, India). The paper is divided into four main parts. The introduction section summarizes the results of a literature review of relevant studies (EC, OECD, EUIPO) and papers published in the SCOPUS and Web of Science databases. In the second part of the paper, attention is paid to the results of a comparison of the statistics from 2014-2018 published by the European Commission. The statistics are based on seizures of individual parts of the Community and are provided to the European Commission by the Customs Administrations of the Member States of the European Union. The paper examines the number of cases, articles, and retail value of transporting counterfeits to the EU by air, express, post, rail, road, and sea. To compare the statistics and the graph of transport trends to visualize the number of cases, articles, and retail value of counterfeits concerning means of transport. These trends are mapped in the discussion section. By comparing the statistics, one can get an idea of the current state of the EU market, and based on statistical analysis, are constructed trend graphs. In conclusion, the main problematic aspects of the transport of counterfeits to the European Union are formulated. It is outlined how the transportation of Intellectual Property infringing items is likely to continue. © 2020 Italian Association of Chemical Engineering - AIDIC. All rights reserved

Design management: Does collaboration with a designer bring business prosperity?

Business prosperity is most often mentioned regarding economic results (for instance profit, sales, sales growth, brand value growth, high demand for products). One of the factors that can be used today in rival competitive struggles is design. The very perception of the role of design as an opportunity is an essential prerequisite for increasing business prosperity. It is, therefore, logical to look at who is the creator of quality design in companies. Companies can solve this problem internally or hire a designer. The question is, which of the variants increases businesses prosperity. The aim of the paper is to clarify this relationship, i.e. whether a company's cooperation with the designer brings business prosperity. Secondly, the strong belief among companies in the Czech Republic that the cooperation with the designer is very expensive is considered. For interpreting results basic statistics indicators and tests of hypotheses (p-value) were used. Results from tests confirmed that most companies that collaborate with a designer believe that design helps to achieve business prosperity. The results also indicate that reluctance to cooperate with a designer because it is too expensive is not confirmed. © 2018 University of Pardubice. All rights reserved

Transportation in emergency and crisis situations

A safe and rapid transport use is essential to minimize the effect of any emergency or crisis situation. The transport use and its comprehensive security deal with emergencies and crisis situations, and are based on the technological requirements which are implemented in the current secure environment. This paper points out some issues, risks and factors that have an impact on transport use in dealing with emergencies and crisis situations. The Inevitable part of transport use is its managing so that the tasks can be fulfilled within the optimal amount of forces and means of transport in the integrated rescue system

Holistic competence level of Corporate governance bodies in the selection process in the Czech Republic

The main objective of the paper has been based on two-phased research to compare the level of holistic competence in selecting the members of governance bodies (Managing Board and Supervisory Board) between the two periods. Holistic competence was defined based on a holistic model of competence by Porvaznik (2008) and implementation of the model was subsequently described in the Corporate Governance based on a study by Taraba, Bartosikova and Bilikova (2014). Using methods of descriptive statistics and spider charts two data files were compared. Data were collected by questionnaire survey conducted among members of the Corporate Governance bodies operating in the Czech Republic in the period from April 2012 to April 2013 (Phase I) and in the period from September 2013 to February 2014 (Phase II.). There is also discussion as a part of paper conclusion which formulates the underlying causes of changes in the holistic assessment of competence in the selection of the members of corporate governance bodies and the recommendations made in this area

Transportation in emergency and crisis situations

A safe and rapid transport use is essential to minimize the effect of any emergency or crisis situation. The transport use and its comprehensive security deal with emergencies and crisis situations, and are based on the technological requirements which are implemented in the current secure environment. This paper points out some issues, risks and factors that have an impact on transport use in dealing with emergencies and crisis situations. The Inevitable part of transport use is its managing so that the tasks can be fulfilled within the optimal amount of forces and means of transport in the integrated rescue system