Characterization of the class I Major Histocompatibility Complex of the Macaca fascicularis

In an attempt to establish Macaca fascicularis as a viable animal model for disease studies, characterization of the MHC class I genes is necessary. The necessity arises because the MHC class I molecules have a functional role in immune response. Pig-tailed macaques Macaca nemestrina) and rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta), two species closely related to Macaca fascicularis have been commonly used to model HIV infection and are well characterized in regards to their MHC class I molecules. As an initial step in establishing M. fascicularis as an animal model, we have cloned and characterized both classical and nonclassical MHC class I genes and have identified 21 MHC class I alleles orthologous to rhesus and pig-tailed macaque MHC-B, -E, and -F genes. No MHC-C locus was detected in the M. fascicularis. The MHC-B alleles from M. fascicularis, M. mulatta and M. nemestrina form a single highly polymorphic group

Metoda fluorescencyjna do oceny stanu jednorodności mieszanin ziarnistych

This paper presents a consecutive stage of the research aimed at developing a methodology for the application of fluorescence to evaluate the homogeneity of granular and loose mixtures. At this stage it was examined which of the selected components of feeds are suitable to be use in the proposed method. The experiments were conducted with the use of three components: wheat, kardi, barley. Each of the materials was wet dressed with a solution of a fluorescent material. In the study the substances having the characteristics of fluorescence under UV light such as: tinopal, rhodamine B, uranine, eosin, were applied. The assessment of the homogeneity of a ternary granular system was performed based on the share of a tracer, which was a component coated with a fluorescence substance. In the method a computer image analysis was used. Based on the conducted observations and statistical calculations it was demonstrated that only kardi meets the requirements necessary for the application in the tested method. The remaining components: wheat and barley were excluded. Moreover, types and concentration of fluorescent substances were determined and the methodology was clarified.Artykuł przedstawia kolejny etap badań mających na celu opracowanie metodyki zastosowania fluorescencji do oceny homogeniczności mieszanin ziarnistych i sypkich. Na tym etapie badano, które z wybranych komponentów mieszanek paszowych nadają się do zastosowania proponowanej metody. Doświadczenia przeprowadzono z wykorzystaniem trzech składników: pszenicy, kardii, jęczmienia. Każdy z elementów zaprawiano na mokro roztworem substancji fluorescencyjnej. Do badań wykorzystano wybrane substancje posiadające cechy fluorescencji w świetle UV: tinopal, rodamina b, uranina, eozyna. Ocenę stanu jednorodności trójskładnikowego układu ziarnistego określano na podstawie udziału trasera, czyli danego składnika pokrytego substancją fluorescencyjną. W metodzie wykorzystano komputerową analizę obrazu. Na podstawie dokonanych obserwacji oraz obliczeń statystycznych, wykazano, iż tylko kardi spełnia wymagania niezbędne do zastosowania w testowanej metodzie. Pozostałe składniki: pszenica i jęczmień zostały odrzucone. Dodatkowo określono rodzaje i stężenie substancji fluorescencyjnych oraz doprecyzowano metodykę

Twórcze pisanie – specyfika studiów podyplomowych (na przykładzie najstarszej w Polsce szkoły pisarzy – Studium Literacko-Artystycznego UJ)

W swoim artykule opisuję przypadek studiów podyplomowych – twórcze pisanie – na przykładzie najstarszej istniejącej w kraju szkoły pisarzy – Studium Literacko-Artystycznego Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego

Time for transition : temporal structures in energy governance in contemporary Poland

The institutions of the European Union place a clear emphasis on the importance of energy transition. However, the speed and scope of actions aiming at achieving climate neutrality of economies varies in the different member states. Poland, with an economy based on coal and a particular emphasis on the demands of energy security, appears to be especially sluggish in this respect, despite external and internal pressure from diverse stakeholders expecting particular decisions. The subject literature to date has analysed the structural – economic, political and historical-cultural – difficulties of phasing out coal. This article gives further attention to the causes by analysing the temporality of energy policy, a rarely analysed subject in the literature. It examines various temporal structures in functional systems, questioning how politics, science, economics and social movements designate the future horizons, which concepts of time influence their observations of the environments and how they affect the relationships of expectations and decisions. The discordance of temporal structures generates sources of uncertainty and induces an autoimmunological reaction of the system

Autism genetic database (AGD): a comprehensive database including autism susceptibility gene-CNVs integrated with known noncoding RNAs and fragile sites

Background: Autism is a highly heritable complex neurodevelopmental disorder, therefore identifying its genetic basis has been challenging. To date, numerous susceptibility genes and chromosomal abnormalities have been reported in association with autism, but most discoveries either fail to be replicated or account for a small effect. Thus, in most cases the underlying causative genetic mechanisms are not fully understood. In the present work, the Autism Genetic Database (AGD) was developed as a literature-driven, web-based, and easy to access database designed with the aim of creating a comprehensive repository for all the currently reported genes and genomic copy number variations (CNVs) associated with autism in order to further facilitate the assessment of these autism susceptibility genetic factors. Description: AGD is a relational database that organizes data resulting from exhaustive literature searches for reported susceptibility genes and CNVs associated with autism. Furthermore, genomic information about human fragile sites and noncoding RNAs was also downloaded and parsed from miRBase, snoRNA-LBME-db, piRNABank, and the MIT/ICBP siRNA database. A web client genome browser enables viewing of the features while a web client query tool provides access to more specific information for the features. When applicable, links to external databases including GenBank, PubMed, miRBase, snoRNA-LBME-db, piRNABank, and the MIT siRNA database are provided. Conclusion: AGD comprises a comprehensive list of susceptibility genes and copy number variations reported to-date in association with autism, as well as all known human noncoding RNA genes and fragile sites. Such a unique and inclusive autism genetic database will facilitate the evaluation of autism susceptibility factors in relation to known human noncoding RNAs and fragile sites, impacting on human diseases. As a result, this new autism database offers a valuable tool for the research community to evaluate genetic findings for this complex multifactorial disorder in an integrated format. AGD provides a genome browser and a web based query client for conveniently selecting features of interest. Access to AGD is freely available at http://wren.bcf.ku.edu/ webcite

Statins Do Not Impair Whole-Body Fat Oxidation During Moderate-Intensity Exercise in Dyslipidemic Adults

Objectives: Some lipid-lowering agents, for example, nicotinic acid and fibrates, decrease an individual’s ability to oxidise fat during exercise. However, it is unclear whether statins affect whole-body fat oxidation during exercise in patients. This study investigated whether fatty acid oxidation is impaired in a dyslipidemic population, while walking at a moderate intensity. Methods: Patients (n=16), walked for 45 minutes on a treadmill at 50% of their estimated VO2max, in the absence and presence of their prescribed statin. Fat oxidation was investigated by examining respiratory data, and circulating plasma glycerol and free fatty acids. Results: Analysis of respiratory data indicated a progressive increase in fat oxidation over time, along with a decrease in carbohydrate oxidation, for all patients during exercise, in both the absence and presence of a statin (P≤0.05). The increase in the percent of energy derived from fat was further supported by the observation of a significantly progressive increase in circulating glycerol and free fatty acids during the exercise period. However no significant difference in the extent of change was observed when comparing the respiratory and biochemical response to physical activity in the absence and presence of the prescribed statin. Conclusions: There is no evidence of a negative impact of statins on the ability to use fat as a fuel for moderate-intensity aerobic exercise. Given the importance of physical activity, this result encourages patients to exercise by walking regularly, with the confidence that substrate metabolism is unaltered in the presence of this class of lipid-lowering drug

Insulin resistance – the basics every medical specialist should know

Introduction and purpose: Insulin resistance (IR) is a health problem as it can accompany obesity and lead to serious metabolic complications. In recent years, it has been "overdiagnosed" in clinical practice due to the lack of specific diagnostic criteria. The article summarizes the current knowledge in the field of pathophysiology, clinical picture and diagnostics. State of knowledge: Obesity remains the leading cause of IR, especially in the 21st century. In a positive energy balance, the adipocyte overloaded with fat protects itself against further influx of glucose and fats and becomes insulin insensitive. A component of IR development is subclinical inflammation of macrophage-rich adipose tissue which is exacerbated by an adipocytokine imbalance, which in turn generates IR. The markers of cellular resistance to insulin are free fatty acids in the bloodstream which are responsible for the lipotoxicity in hepatocytes and myocytes. Compensatory fasting hyperinsulinemia, which is currently considered the most sensitive diagnostic criterion, provides evidence of IR. An effective method of sensitizing cells to insulin is lifestyle modification, including a low-energy diet with regular physical activity in the form of aerobic-resistance exercise. Literature recommends no pharmacological treatment of IR alone, without obesity or other concomitant diseases. Conclusions: IR is not a separate disease, but only a pathological expression of cells' adaptation to excess of consumed energy. However, in its systemic form, when the protective mechanisms become ineffective, it induces metabolic disturbances. Only the causal treatment of IR guarantees therapeutic success

FUZZY ASSESSMENT OF MANUFACTURABILITY DESIGN FOR MACHINING

The article attempts to assess the manufacturability design taking into account the assessment due to the processing, assembly process and organization of production. The evaluation was conducted by the fuzzy inference methods. An assessment was presented for machining based on the proposed fuzzy inference database

Android Application Development

Import 05/08/2014Cílem této práce je ilustrovat možnosti systému Android, který patří mezi významné hráče na poli mobilních systému. Možnosti operačního systému Android jsou prezentovány na konkrétní aplikaci pro oblast Geodézie. V práci je věnován důraz na specifika vývoje pro platformu Android a možnostem distribuce aplikace k uživateli, včetně jejich zpětné vazby. Práce se dále zaměřuje na použití jednotlivých komponent systému Android, hlavně komponenty pro zobrazování map.The goal of this work is to show the possibilities of the Android systems which belongs to significant players on the field of mobile systems. The possibilities of the Android operating system are presented on the concrete application for geodesy field. In this work the emphasis is devoted to the developer specifics for the Android platform and to the possibilities of the application distribution to the user including the possibility of their feedback. The work is also focused on the usage of the individual components of the Android system, mainly on the components for the map projection.460 - Katedra informatikyvýborn

Measuring Equality in Machine Learning Security Defenses

The machine learning security community has developed myriad defenses for evasion attacks over the past decade. An understudied question in that community is: for whom do these defenses defend? In this work, we consider some common approaches to defending learned systems and whether those approaches may offer unexpected performance inequities when used by different sub-populations. We outline simple parity metrics and a framework for analysis that can begin to answer this question through empirical results of the fairness implications of machine learning security methods. Many methods have been proposed that can cause direct harm, which we describe as biased vulnerability and biased rejection. Our framework and metric can be applied to robustly trained models, preprocessing-based methods, and rejection methods to capture behavior over security budgets. We identify a realistic dataset with a reasonable computational cost suitable for measuring the equality of defenses. Through a case study in speech command recognition, we show how such defenses do not offer equal protection for social subgroups and how to perform such analyses for robustness training, and we present a comparison of fairness between two rejection-based defenses: randomized smoothing and neural rejection. We offer further analysis of factors that correlate to equitable defenses to stimulate the future investigation of how to assist in building such defenses. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work that examines the fairness disparity in the accuracy-robustness trade-off in speech data and addresses fairness evaluation for rejection-based defenses.Comment: In Submissio