Participatory Plant Breeding Concept as Tool for Creating Adapted Varieties for Local Conditions

Organic farming has been developing worldwide over the last few decades. However, the crucial problem has not been resolved yet – a lack of suitable varieties. It is a serious factor limiting this development. Breeding is a very demanding and expensive process; special varieties are not bred for the organic farming from many crops then. A concept called "participatory plant breeding“ (PPB) is a possibility for resolving this problem. It is based on a direct involvement and participation of a farmer in the breeding process. Undemanding and cheap breeding methods are chosen there – they do not require any special education or equipment from the farmers involved. Training and professional surveillance are sufficient there. One of PPB methods has been already used and tested in our climatic conditions – a selection. As far as various wheat species originating from the genetic resources are concerned, the most important production parameters of original seeds and seeds coming from plants selected repeatedly have been studied and evaluated. Production parameters are positive (number of spikes, yield). Some other characteristics (the genetically-conditioned ones) are neutral or of a minimum effect. Considering results of our research, PPB method is highly recommended for improving economic characteristics of less bred or completely inbred crops

Glycation and metabolic syndrome in the skin premature aging

Purpose: In recent years, the role of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) in promoting and exacerbating metabolic and skin abnormalities has attracted much attention. In this study, we elucidated the relationship between AGE accumulation and skin characteristics, commonalities, and features in metabolic syndrome (MS) patients and controls. Methods: Caucasian male and female patients (n = 296) living in Riga, Latvia, divided into MS (n = 149) and non-MS (n = 147), were analyzed by skin lesion (epidermoid nigricans, seborrheic keratosis, actinic keratosis, age-related wrinkles, gravitational wrinkles, and facial telangiectasia). MS was diagnosed using IDF criteria. For glycative stress index, skin autofluorescence (SAF) was measured using AGE Reader, and skin AGE accumulation was evaluated. Skin findings were assessed using Dermatoscopy Dermlite for facial teleangiectasia, dermatosis and dyspigmentation. Blood biochemical analysis included oxidative stress indices (glutathione: GSH, selenoprotein: Se, superoxide dismutase: SOD, glutathione peroxidase glutathione peroxidase: GPx, and malondialdehyde: MDA). Results: The MS group showed higher body mass index (BMI) (p < 0.001, Mann-Whitney test), higher triglyceride (TG) (p < 0.001, Mann-Whitney test), lower HDL-C (p < 0.001, Mann-Whitney test), and lower Vitamin D (p = 0.05 compared to the non-MS group. For inflammatory response and oxidative stress, the MS group showed higher C-reactive protein (CRP) (p = 0.007, Mann-Whitney test), higher MDA (p = 0.006, Mann-Whitney test), and significantly equal SOD (p = 0.291). SAF, an index of glycative stress, was significantly equal in the MS group (p = 0.468). Next, we conducted a Spearman rank correlation analysis between SAF and each item. Significant correlations were found for the following items: FPG: r = 0.345 (p = 0.036, n = 37), TC: r = 0.328 (p = 0.023, n = 48), HDL-C: r = −0.399 (p = 0.019, n = 34), CRP: r = 0.372 (p = 0.028, n = 37), and CRP: r = 0.372 (p = 0.028, n = 37). No significant correlations were found with other items. Skin lesions were classified as seborrheic keratosis (n = 109), actinic keratosis (n = 25), acanthosis nigricans (n = 16), aging wrinkles (n = 126), gravity wrinkles (n = 34), facial telangiectasia (n = 242), and lentigo pigmentosa (n = 204). SAF was positively correlated with skin aging parameters of seborrheic keratosis and lentigo pigmentosa (p < 0.05) and associated with the severity of skin aging on the face using the skin aging index (p < 0.05). In skin biopsies, the expression of GLUT-1 was increased, accompanied by a decrease in the number of regulatory T cells. Conclusion: MS was associated with excess ROS and reduced antioxidant capacity. Accumulation of AGEs in the skin was strongly associated with clinical aging-related changes (seborrheic keratosis, telangiectasia, and skin wrinkles). The AGE accumulation was associated with inflammatory processes, indicating that SAF may be closely related to skin health.publishersversionPeer reviewe

Opomíjené obilniny a pseudoobilniny

Ekologičtí zemědělci hospodařící na orné půdě mají často zájem o využití opomíjených plodin, jako jsou pluchaté pšenice (jednozrnka, dvouzrnka a špalda), některé další obilniny (nahý oves a ječmen) a nebo pseudoobilniny (pohanka apod.). V současnosti chybí dostatek informací o výběru odrůd, získání osiva a jejich agrotechnice jak v odborné literatuře, tak v povědomí zemědělců

Konferenzdolmetschen

Gegenstand der vorliegenden Arbeit ist die systematische Erfassung des Wissens- und Informationsmanagement für KonferenzdolmetscherInnen. Es werden Methoden, Strategien und die Auswahl und Erstellung von Hilfsmitteln beim Dolmetschen - elektronischer oder nicht-elektronischer Art – dargestellt, welche für die Vorbereitung, Nachbearbeitung und Dokumentation einer Konferenz wichtig sind, und die Anforderungen an DolmetscherInnen prägen. Durch das systematische Erfassen von verschiedenen Vor- und Nachbereitungsstrategien ergibt sich auch die Darstellung der Anforderungen für die Auswahl und Erstellung von Hilfsmitteln und deren Anwendung. Behandelt werden die verschieden Aspekte der wissens- und terminolgieorientierten Vorbereitung, Dokumentation und Nachbearbeitung eines Fachgebiets, die das Ziel haben, für eine spezifische Dolmetschsituation gerüstet zu sein und in dieser, geeignete Hilfsmittel zur Verfügung zu haben, sowie nach Ablauf der Dolmetschsituation die gewonnen Erkenntnisse weiter verwenden zu können. Besondere Aufmerksamkeit wird auch der Qualität der Dolmetschleistung und den daraus aufkommenden Anforderungen an die DolmetscherInnen gewidmet

Produkce osiv obilnin v ekologickém zemědělství

Stěžejní legislativní normy Nařízení Rady (EC) No. 834/2007 a nařízení komise (EC) No. 889/2008 udávají podmínky použití osiva v ekologickém zemědělství. Povoleno je až na výjimky pouze použití ekologicky certifikovaného osiva pro zakládání porostů. Osivo proto musí pocházet z matečních rostlin, které byly po jedno vegetační období pěstovány v systému ekologického zemědělství. Problémem je ale vysoká náročnost množení osiv v ekologickém zemědělství, protože množitelský porost musí splnit podmínky pro uznávací řízení stejné jako konvenční porost, ale bez podpůrných prostředků konvenčního zemědělství (agrochemikálie). Ekologičtí zemědělci by měli používat pouze ekologicky certifikované osivo, v praxi ale mohou požádat u udělení výjimky pro setí konvenčního nemořeného osiva nebo použít osivo farmářské. V ČR je dlouhodobý nedostatek ekologicky certifikovaných osiv, proto jsou velmi často používána právě osiva konvenční nemořená nebo farmářská. Z těchto důvodů jsou v metodice posuzovány kvalitativní parametry různých kategorií osiva (ekologické certifikované, konvenční nemořené, farmářské) a jejich vliv na výnos a kvalitu produkce u různých druhů obilnin

Diagnostický klíčící test pro stanovení celkové kontaminace zrna obilovin fusariovými mykotoxiny

Předložená metodika slouží k objektivnímu posouzení celkové mykotoxinové kontaminace obilovin pro potravinářské využití. Vlastní klíčící test spočívá v přípravě vzorků a uvolnění vázaných forem mykotoxinů v zrnu. Druhou částí je stanovení DON, D3G, 3‐/15‐ ADON v připraveném vzorku naklíčeného zrna pomocí vysokoúčinné kapalinové chromatografie ve spojení s vysokorozlišovací hmotnostní detekcí (U‐HPLC‐HRMS). Obě části metodiky tvoří jeden celek, lze je ale využít i samostatně pro stanovení ve dvou následných krocích v různých laboratořích

Dietary enrichment with fish oil prevents high fat-induced metabolic dysfunction in skeletal muscle in mice

High saturated fat (HF-S) diets increase intramyocellular lipid, an effect ameliorated by omega-3 fatty acids in vitro and in vivo, though little is known about sex- and muscle fiber type-specific effects. We compared effects of standard chow, HF-S, and 7.5% HF-S replaced with fish oil (HF-FO) diets on the metabolic profile and lipid metabolism gene and protein content in red (soleus) and white (extensor digitorum longus) muscles of male and female C57BL/6 mice (n = 9-12/group). Weight gain was similar in HF-S- and HF-FO-fed groups. HF-S feeding increased mesenteric fat mass and lipid marker, Oil Red O, in red and mixed muscle; HF-FO increased interscapular brown fat mass. Compared to chow, HF-S and HF-FO increased expression of genes regulating triacylglycerol synthesis and fatty acid transport, HF-S suppressed genes and proteins regulating fatty acid oxidation, whereas HF-FO increased oxidative genes, proteins and enzymes and lipolytic gene content, whilst suppressing lipogenic genes. In comparison to HF-S, HF-FO further increased fat transporters, markers of fatty acid oxidation and mitochondrial content, and reduced lipogenic genes. No diet-by-sex interactions were observed. Neither diet influenced fiber type composition. However, some interactions between muscle type and diet were observed. HF-S induced changes in triacylglycerol synthesis and lipogenic genes in red, but not white, muscle, and mitochondrial biogenesis and oxidative genes were suppressed by HF-S and increased by HF-FO in red muscle only. In conclusion, HF-S feeding promotes lipid storage in red muscle, an effect abrogated by the fish oil, which increases mediators of lipolysis, oxidation and thermogenesis while inhibiting lipogenic genes. Greater storage and synthesis, and lower oxidative genes in red, but not white, muscle likely contribute to lipid accretion encountered in red muscle. Despite several gender-dimorphic genes, both sexes exhibited a similar HF-S-induced metabolic and gene expression profile; likewise fish oil was similarly protective in both sexes.Lisa K. Philp, Leonie K. Heilbronn, Alena Janovska, Gary A. Witter

Innovation of costing system in metallurgical companies

Innovation means creating and implementing new ideas in theory and practice. Generally speaking, companies in the Czech Republic that don’t have a foreign owner behave very conservatively as far as the used costing system is concerned. This also applies to metallurgical companies and foundries. The decision on method of costing calculations should be included in the sphere of strategic decision-making. The strategy must also define how to use method so as to obtain new orders which, as a result, should lead to an increase in production volume, and thereby to higher capacity utilization and also to higher overall sales. The article discusses the innovation of costing system in metallurgical companies

Unmasking Differential Effects of Rosiglitazone and Pioglitazone in the Combination Treatment with n-3 Fatty Acids in Mice Fed a High-Fat Diet

Combining pharmacological treatments and life style interventions is necessary for effective therapy of major diseases associated with obesity, which are clustered in the metabolic syndrome. Acting via multiple mechanisms, combination treatments may reduce dose requirements and, therefore, lower the risk of adverse side effects, which are usually associated with long-term pharmacological interventions. Our previous study in mice fed high-fat diet indicated additivity in preservation of insulin sensitivity and in amelioration of major metabolic syndrome phenotypes by the combination treatment using n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 LC-PUFA) and rosiglitazone, i.e. an anti-diabetic drug of the thiazolidinedione (TZD) family. We investigated here whether pioglitazone, a TZD-drug in clinical use, could elicit the additive beneficial effects when combined with n-3 LC-PUFA. Adult male mice (C57BL/6N) were fed an obesogenic corn oil-based high-fat diet (cHF) for 8 weeks, or randomly assigned to various dietary treatments (i) cHF+F, cHF with n-3 LC-PUFA concentrate replacing 15% of dietary lipids; (ii) cHF+ROSI, cHF with 10 mg rosiglitazone/kg diet; (iii) cHF+F+ROSI; (iv) cHF+PIO, cHF with 50 mg pioglitazone/kg diet; and (v) cHF+F+PIO, or chow-fed. Plasma concentrations of 163 metabolites were evaluated using a targeted metabolomics approach. Both TZDs preserved glucose homeostasis and normal plasma lipid levels while inducing adiponectin, with pioglitazone showing better effectiveness. The beneficial effects of TZDs were further augmented by the combination treatments. cHF+F+ROSI but not cHF+F+PIO counteracted development of obesity, in correlation with inducibility of fatty acid β-oxidation, as revealed by the metabolomic analysis. By contrast, only cHF+F+PIO eliminated hepatic steatosis and this treatment also reversed insulin resistance in dietary obese mice. Our results reveal differential effects of rosiglitazone and pioglitazone, unmasked in the combination treatment with n-3 LC-PUFA, and support the notion that n-3 LC-PUFA could be used as add-on treatment to TZDs in order to improve diabetic patient's therapy

Aging-Induced Structural Transition of Nanoscale Oleanolic Acid Amphiphiles and Selectivity against Gram-Positive Bacteria

Triterpenoids are among the largest groups of functional plant secondary metabolites but with intrinsically low water solubility. Because of their rigid backbone, multiple chiral centers, and functional groups, they are suitable for synthesizing water-soluble and conformationally rigid triterpenoid amphiphiles with unique self-assembly behavior. In this context, we present the aqueous self-assembly, structural transition, and antimicrobial properties of nanoscale oleanolic acid–spermine conjugates (2–4). The conjugates contain either one or two spermine moieties connected through a 1,4-disubstituted 1,2,3-triazole linker. We use cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM) imaging to show that conjugates 2 and 3 self-assemble in water initially into kinetically favored metastable micellar nanoparticles (d ≈ 6–10 nm). The nanoparticles further reorganize to form thermodynamically stable helical nanofibers. Notably, cryo-TEM imaging also suggests the formation of spherulite-like structures. Time-dependent infrared (IR) spectroscopy reveals the role of hydration and dehydration in the structural transition of initial micelle-like structures into thermodynamically stable nanofibers. Electronic and vibrational circular dichroism (ECD and VCD, respectively) spectroscopy in the solution state suggests the formation of chiral superstructures with a left-handed helical twist. The conjugates display antibacterial properties with high selectivity against Gram-positive bacterial strains. The results help us understand fibrillar network formation in supramolecular gels, and demonstrate that the position and number of spermine groups influence the self-assembly behavior of the conjugates in aqueous media and their biological properties.acceptedVersionPeer reviewe