EVALUATION OF MILK PRODUCTION OF DAIRY COWS OF THE SLOVAK SPOTTED BREED ACCORDING TO SELECTION FOR LONGEVITY AND GENETIC VARIANTS OF POLYMORPHIC PROTEINS IN MILK

Elektroforetickým rozborom polymorfných bielkovín mlieka (metóda elektroforézy na škrobovom géli) 681 kráv slovenského strakatého plemena sme stanovili genetické varianty polymorfných bielkovín mlieka. Sledovali sme vplyv genetických variantov bielkovín mlieka na vybrané úžitkové vlastnosti (produkcia mlieka v kg, bielkovín v % a kg), kde rozdiely medzi testovanými skupinami boli vyhodnotené pomocou Studentovho t-testu. Pri sumárnom zhodnotení príslušných ukazovateľov úžitkovosti za produkčné obdobie medzi 25 - 162 mesiacom bol vypočítaný medzi skupinou homozygotných (AA + BB + CC genotypov) a heterozygotných genotypov (AB+AC+BC genotypov) β – kazeínu štatisticky vysoko preukazný rozdiel (+++P≤0,001, Tab. 1, 2) v produkcii mlieka o 183,7 kg a produkcii bielkovín o 7,6 kg. V polymorfizme alfa s1 – kazeín, β – laktoglobulín a κ – kazeín medzi testovanými skupinami homozygotných a heterozygotných genotypov nebol zistený preukazný rozdiel (-P≥0, 05).Milk performance of 681 cows of Slovak spotted breed was evaluated according to the genetic variants of the polymorphic proteins determined by starch gel electrophoresis. In the work the effect of genetic variants of the proteins was analysed on selected performance (production milk in kg, proteins in % and kg). Differences between the productive characters in testing groups were evaluated according to statistic method of Student ttest. Evaluation of performance was done during productive period between 25 - 162 months. The calculation between groups of homozygotes (=AA+ BB + CC genotypes) and heterozygotes (=AB+AC+BC genotypes) in the system of β – casein showed a statistically significant difference (+++P≤0,001), (table 1, 2) in milk production (183,7 kg) and proteins production (7,6 kg). In the systems of alpha s1 – casein, β – lactoglobulin and κ – casein polymorphisms, the differencies between the testing groups of homozygotes and heterozygotes were not statistically significant (-P≥0,05)

A host receptor enables type 1 pilus-mediated pathogenesis of Escherichia coli pyelonephritis

Type 1 pili have long been considered the major virulence factor enabling colonization of the urinary bladder by uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC). The molecular pathogenesis of pyelonephritis is less well characterized, due to previous limitations in preclinical modeling of kidney infection. Here, we demonstrate in a recently developed mouse model that beyond bladder infection, type 1 pili also are critical for establishment of ascending pyelonephritis. Bacterial mutants lacking the type 1 pilus adhesin (FimH) were unable to establish kidney infection in male C3H/HeN mice. We developed an in vitro model of FimH-dependent UPEC binding to renal collecting duct cells, and performed a CRISPR screen in these cells, identifying desmoglein-2 as a primary renal epithelial receptor for FimH. The mannosylated extracellular domain of human DSG2 bound directly to the lectin domain of FimH in vitro, and introduction of a mutation in the FimH mannose-binding pocket abolished binding to DSG2. In infected C3H/HeN mice, type 1-piliated UPEC and Dsg2 were co-localized within collecting ducts, and administration of mannoside FIM1033, a potent small-molecule inhibitor of FimH, significantly attenuated bacterial loads in pyelonephritis. Our results broaden the biological importance of FimH, specify the first renal FimH receptor, and indicate that FimH-targeted therapeutics will also have application in pyelonephritis

Probabilistic 3D surface reconstruction from sparse MRI information

Surface reconstruction from magnetic resonance (MR) imaging data is indispensable in medical image analysis and clinical research. A reliable and effective reconstruction tool should: be fast in prediction of accurate well localised and high resolution models, evaluate prediction uncertainty, work with as little input data as possible. Current deep learning state of the art (SOTA) 3D reconstruction methods, however, often only produce shapes of limited variability positioned in a canonical position or lack uncertainty evaluation. In this paper, we present a novel probabilistic deep learning approach for concurrent 3D surface reconstruction from sparse 2D MR image data and aleatoric uncertainty prediction. Our method is capable of reconstructing large surface meshes from three quasi-orthogonal MR imaging slices from limited training sets whilst modelling the location of each mesh vertex through a Gaussian distribution. Prior shape information is encoded using a built-in linear principal component analysis (PCA) model. Extensive experiments on cardiac MR data show that our probabilistic approach successfully assesses prediction uncertainty while at the same time qualitatively and quantitatively outperforms SOTA methods in shape prediction. Compared to SOTA, we are capable of properly localising and orientating the prediction via the use of a spatially aware neural network.Comment: MICCAI 202

International study on nurses' views and experiences of compassion

BACKGROUND: Compassion is considered the cornerstone of nursing practice. However, the recent failures in delivering high-quality compassionate nursing care in the UK's National Health Service have brought the topic of compassion to the attention of the public, service providers, policy makers and academics. AIM: The aim of this study was to explore the nurses' views and experiences of a number of compassion-related issues in nursing and describe similarities and differences at an international level as well as from the different nursing roles of the participating nurses. METHODS: An exploratory, cross-sectional descriptive study, using the International Online Compassion Questionnaire. A total of 1323 nurses from 15 countries completed the questionnaire. RESULTS: The majority of participants (59.5%) defined compassion as "Deep awareness of the suffering of others and wish to alleviate it" but definitions of compassion varied by country. Of participants, 69.6% thought compassion was very important in nursing and more than half (59.6%) of them argued that compassion could be taught. However, only 26.8% reported that the correct amount and level of teaching is provided. The majority of the participants (82.6%) stated that their patients prefer knowledgeable nurses with good interpersonal skills. Only 4.3% noted that they are receiving compassion from their managers. A significant relationship was found between nurses' experiences of compassion and their views about teaching of compassion. CONCLUSION: Our study is unique in identifying the views and experiences of nurses from 15 different countries worldwide. The findings reveal that compassion is neither addressed adequately in nursing education nor supported in the practice environment by managers. LIMITATIONS: Self-report bias was inherent to our survey study design. Furthermore, the individual cultural differences and similarities in the findings are difficult to extrapolate owing to the fact that our analysis was at country level, as well as at the level of the participating nurses. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING POLICY: Understanding the influence of culture on nurses' views about compassion is critical in the current multicultural healthcare environment and merits further research. This will potentially drive changes in nursing education (ensuring that compassion is taught to nurses) and in the way healthcare leaders and managers foster a compassionate culture within their organizations (e.g. by leading by example and compassionate to their staff). © 2016 International Council of Nurses

Centrality dependence of charged particle production at large transverse momentum in Pb-Pb collisions at sNN=2.76\sqrt{s_{\rm{NN}}} = 2.76 TeV

The inclusive transverse momentum ($p_{\rm T}$) distributions of primary charged particles are measured in the pseudo-rapidity range $|\eta|<0.8$ as a function of event centrality in Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm{NN}}}=2.76$ TeV with ALICE at the LHC. The data are presented in the $p_{\rm T}$ range $0.15<p_{\rm T}<50$ GeV/$c$ for nine centrality intervals from 70-80% to 0-5%. The Pb-Pb spectra are presented in terms of the nuclear modification factor $R_{\rm{AA}}$ using a pp reference spectrum measured at the same collision energy. We observe that the suppression of high-$p_{\rm T}$ particles strongly depends on event centrality. In central collisions (0-5%) the yield is most suppressed with $R_{\rm{AA}}\approx0.13$ at $p_{\rm T}=6$-7 GeV/$c$. Above $p_{\rm T}=7$ GeV/$c$, there is a significant rise in the nuclear modification factor, which reaches $R_{\rm{AA}} \approx0.4$ for $p_{\rm T}>30$ GeV/$c$. In peripheral collisions (70-80%), the suppression is weaker with $R_{\rm{AA}} \approx 0.7$ almost independently of $p_{\rm T}$. The measured nuclear modification factors are compared to other measurements and model calculations.Comment: 17 pages, 4 captioned figures, 2 tables, authors from page 12, published version, figures at http://aliceinfo.cern.ch/ArtSubmission/node/284

Measurement of charm production at central rapidity in proton-proton collisions at s=2.76\sqrt{s} = 2.76 TeV

The $p_{\rm T}$-differential production cross sections of the prompt (B feed-down subtracted) charmed mesons D$^0$, D$^+$, and D$^{*+}$ in the rapidity range $|y|<0.5$, and for transverse momentum $1< p_{\rm T} <12$ GeV/$c$, were measured in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 2.76$ TeV with the ALICE detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The analysis exploited the hadronic decays D$^0 \rightarrow$K$\pi$, D$^+ \rightarrow$K$\pi\pi$, D$^{*+} \rightarrow$D$^0\pi$, and their charge conjugates, and was performed on a $L_{\rm int} = 1.1$ nb$^{-1}$ event sample collected in 2011 with a minimum-bias trigger. The total charm production cross section at $\sqrt{s} = 2.76$ TeV and at 7 TeV was evaluated by extrapolating to the full phase space the $p_{\rm T}$-differential production cross sections at $\sqrt{s} = 2.76$ TeV and our previous measurements at $\sqrt{s} = 7$ TeV. The results were compared to existing measurements and to perturbative-QCD calculations. The fraction of cdbar D mesons produced in a vector state was also determined.Comment: 20 pages, 5 captioned figures, 4 tables, authors from page 15, published version, figures at http://aliceinfo.cern.ch/ArtSubmission/node/307

Pion, kaon, and proton production in central Pb-Pb Collisions at sNN=2.76\sqrt{s_{NN}} = 2.76 TeV

In this Letter we report the first results on $\pi^\pm$, K$^\pm$, p and $\mathrm {p\overline{p}}$ production at mid-rapidity ($\left|y\right|<0.5$) in central Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$ = 2.76 TeV, measured by the ALICE experiment at the LHC. The $p_{\rm T}$ distributions and yields are compared to previous results at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$ = 200 GeV and expectations from hydrodynamic and thermal models. The spectral shapes indicate a strong increase of the radial flow velocity with $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$, which in hydrodynamic models is expected as a consequence of the increasing particle density. While the ${\rm K}/\pi$ ratio is in line with predictions from the thermal model, the ${\rm p}/\pi$ ratio is found to be lower by a factor of about 1.5. This deviation from thermal model expectations is still to be understood.Comment: 15 pages, 2 captioned figures, 1 table, authors from page 10, published version, figures at http://aliceinfo.cern.ch/ArtSubmission/node/286

The Influence of Short Duration Exercise on the Concentration of C-Reactive Protein and Selected Haematological and Biochemical Parameters in the Blood of German Shepherd Dogs

Short-term intensive exercise may be associated with many short-lasting metabolic changes. These changes depend on the duration and intensity of the exercise. The aim of our study was to determine potential changes in C-reactive protein (CRP) and selected haematological and biochemical parameters in clinically healthy German shepherd dogs before short duration high-intensity exercise and 6 hours after the exercise. During the study, the dogs were subjected to the following defensive training: detaining a figurant running away from a dog (2×) and detaining with a counterattack (2×). The running distance was 200 m at a mean speed of 28 km.h-1. The investigation of haematological parameters revealed a significant decrease in the mean values of platelet haematocrit (PCT) 6 hours after the training. Significant differences in the levels determined before and after exercise were observed also for phosphorus (P) and for iron (Fe). At the same time, we observed a significant increase in the mean calcium (Ca) level and a significant decrease in sodium (Na) and chlorides (Cl). The activity of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) significantly increased after exercise. Concentrations of acute phase C-reactive proteins were increased 6 hours after exercise in comparison to those before exercise but the difference was insignificant. Although the concentration of CRP was increased insignificantly after the exercise, when interpreting concentrations of this nonspecific indicator of inflammation, one should keep in mind that intensive exercise may also affect its concentrations

Electro-rheological properties of transformer oil-based magnetic fluids

The aim of this work was to study rheological behavior of nanofluids affected by electric field and temperature. We used transformer oil-based magnetic fluids, the suspensions of permanently magnetized colloidal particles (Fe_3O_4) coated by a stabilizing surfactant and immersed in transformer oil. The rheological characterization of transformer oil-based magnetic fluid was performed using the rotational rheometer MCR 502 in the shear rate from 10 to 1000 s¯¹.The strength of electric field was changed in the interval 0-6 kV cm¯¹. The flow curves and viscosity functions detected at three different temperatures 25, 50, and 75°C disclose rheological characteristics of samples, first of all the viscosity growth under increasing strength of electric field