Trodimenzijski matematički model taljenja čeličnog otpatka u konvertorskoj talini

Three - dimensional mathematical model of fusion of cubical steel scrap in the converter melt was developed. The model was solved using modified implicit Brian’s method. The obtained algorithm was programmed in ASCII FORTRAN for the computer SPERRY 1106. In the model temperature dependent thermo-physical properties of material were incorporated. That gives to the model a nonlinearity. On the basis of the model it was concluded that addition of 1% of low - carbon steel scrap decreases the temperature of a middle carbon steel melt for cca 23 °C. This is in good agreement with experimental data from literature. At the same time a new formula for the fusion time of steel scrap was developed, which enables to calculate the fusion time on the basis of the volume of the steel scrap in the converter melt.Trodimenzijski matematički model taljenja čeličnog otpatka u konvertorskoj talini. Razvijen je trodimenzijski matematički model taljenja kockastog čeličnog otpatka u konvertorskoj talini. Model je riješen korištenjem modificirane implicitne Brianove metode. Dobiveni algoritam prograimiran je u ASCII FORTRAN za računalo SPERRY 1106. U model su ugrađena temperaturno ovisna toplofizička svojstva materijala, što modelu daje nelinearnost. Na temelju modela zaključeno je da 1 % niskougljičnog čeličnog otpatka smanji temperaturu srednje ugljične taline za cca 23 °C, što se dobro slaže s eksperimentalnim podacima iz literature. Istodobno, dobivena je nova formula za vrijeme taljenja čeličnog otpatka, koja omogućuje računanje vremena taljenja u ovisnosti o volumenu čeličnog otpatka u konvertorskoj talini

Viruses and apoptosis

Apoptoza je mehanizam kojim se neželjene stanice odstranjuju iz organizma, a poremećaji u regulaciji apoptoze čimbenici su u mnoštvu patoloških stanja. Obzirom na važnu ulogu apoptoze u djelovanju imunološkog sustava, virusi su razvili mnogobrojne mehanizme kojima ometaju njezin proces i time osiguravaju uspješno razmnožavanje i širenje. Sprečavanjem ili odgodom apoptoze može se produljiti raspoloživi vremenski period za proizvodnju novih viriona prije nego putovi biosinteze stanice domaćina, kojima se virus koristi, budu razoreni. S druge strane, određeni genski proizvodi virusa djeluju kao induktori apoptoze, vjerojatno s ciljem otpuštanja i širenja viriona iz inficirane stanice domaćina bez poticanja odgovarajućeg imunološkog odgovora. Ovim smo člankom željeli sažeti glavne mehanizme stanične apoptoze i pružiti primjere na koji način virusi i njihovi genski produkti mogu utjecati na taj proces. Napredak molekularne biologije otvorio je epohu u kojoj bi se virusni geni mogli iskoristiti za proizvodnju čitavog niza terapeutika.Apoptosis is an active process of cell death that doesn\u27t initiate immune system response. Manipulation of the signalling cascades regulating apoptosis can result in a wide variety of human diseases. Viruses have the ability to affect the apoptotic process within the host cell. They can benefit either from the promotion or the inhibition of apoptosis. The benefits of virus avoiding the apoptotic process are obvious but the onset of apoptosis can also be advantageous. It enables the dissemination of virus without initiating a concomitant inflammatory host response. The purpose of this article was to give an overview of the mechanisms of apoptosis and examples for some of the many ways in which viruses and their gene products can influence this process. The progress of molecular biology has opened an era in which viral genes could be used for the production of different therapeutics

Molecular characterization of dengue virus 1 from autochthonous dengue fever cases in Croatia

AbstractIn the summer of 2010, two autochthonous dengue fever cases were detected in Croatia. Here we report the retrospective detection of an additional case of dengue fever, representing the first sustained autochthonous transmission in Europe since 1928. In addition, we present the phylogenetic analyses based on two sequences from the Pelješac peninsula, southern Croatia. The sequences were identified as dengue virus genotype 1 and recovered from two out of the three Pelješac patients in whom infection occurred

Soluble FAS and transforming growth factor beta 2 in infections with viral and bacterial zoonoses

Određivali smo razine sFas (signalna receptor molekula koja biva otpuštena tijekom apoptoze u cirkulirajućem obliku) i TGF-β2 (multifunkcionalni citokin) u bolesnika s različitim zoonozama. Serumi su dobiveni od bolesnika hospitaliziranih u Klinici za infektivne bolesti »Dr. Fran Mihaljević«, Zagreb, Hrvatska, s dijagnozama: hemoragijska vrućica s bubrežnim sindromom – HVBS (n=20), leptospiroza (n=9), borelioza (n=7) ili krpeljni meningoencefalitis – KME (n=7). Za mjerenje razina sFas i TGF-β2 u serumima koristili smo ELISA kitove prema uputama proizvođača. Značajno povišena razina sFas je nađena u svih bolesnika. Ipak, bolesnici s KME ili boreliozom imali su značajno niže razine nego bolesnici s leptospirozom. Nasuprot tome, bolesnici s KME ili boreliozom su imali značajno više razine TGF-β2 nego zdrave kontrole. Naši preliminarni podaci ukazuju da bi povišene razine sFas i TGF-β2 mogle imati ulogu u imunopatogenezi ispitivanih virusnih i bakterijskih zoonoza.We determined levels of sFas (signal receptor molecule released during apoptosis in a soluble circulating form) and TGF-β2 (multifunctional cytokine) in patients with different zoonoses. Serum samples were obtained from patients hospitalized at the University Hospital for Infectious Diseases, Zagreb, Croatia with diagnoses of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome – HFRS, (n=20), leptospirosis (n=9), Lyme borreliosis (n=7), or tick-borne encephalitis – TBE (n=7). In all sera samples the levels of sFAS or TGF-β2 levels were measured using ELISAkits according to the manufacturer\u27s protocol. Significant increase in the levels of sFas was found in all patients. However, the patients with TBE or Lyme borreliosis had significantly lower levels than patients with leptospirosis. In contrary, patients with TBE or Lyme borreliosis had significantly higher levels of TGF-β2 than healthy controls. Our preliminary data indicate that an increase of sFas and TGF-β2 levels may have a role in the immunopathogenesis of tested viral and bacterial zoonoses

Thieno[2,3-b]Pyridine Derivative Targets Epithelial, Mesenchymal and Hybrid CD15s+ Breast Cancer Cells.

The adhesion of cancer cells to vascular endothelium is a critical process in hematogenous metastasis and might be similar to the recruitment of leukocytes at the site of inflammation. It is mediated by E-selectin and its ligands, of which the most stereospecific is a glycoconjugate sialyl Lewis x (CD15s), which may be expressed as an oligosaccharide branch of the CD44 glycoprotein, as well as a self-contained glycosphingolipid. It is also known that increased sialylation of glycoconjugates is a feature of malignant cells. The aim of the study was to analyse the effect of a novel thieno[2,3-b]pyridine, compound 1, in MDA-MB-231 triple-negative breast cancer cells (TNBCs) upon CD15s and CD44 expression in different cell subpopulations using flow cytometry. CD15s expression was compared between mesenchymal-like cancer stem cells (CSC, CD44+CD24-), epithelial cells without CD44 (CD44-CD24+ and CD44-CD24-), and CD44+CD24+ cells that exhibit mesenchymal and epithelial features. In addition, expression of CD44 in CD15s+CSC and CD15s-CSC was determined. Compound 1 significantly decreased the percentage of CD15s+CSC, CD15s+CD44+CD24+, and CD15s+CD44- subpopulations, as well as the expression of CD15s in CD44+CD24+ and CD44- cells, and therefore shows potential as a treatment for TNBC

Novel Thieno [2,3-b]pyridine Anticancer Compound Lowers Cancer Stem Cell Fraction Inducing Shift of Lipid to Glucose Metabolism.

Due to the role of cancer stem cells (CSCs) in tumor resistance and glycosphingolipid (GSL) involvement in tumor pathogenesis, we investigated the effect of a newly synthesized compound (3-amino-N-(3-chloro-2-methylphenyl)-5-oxo-5,6,7,8-tetrahydrothieno[2,3-b]quinoline-2-carboxamide 1 on the percentage of CSCs and the expression of six GSLs on CSCs and non-CSCs on breast cancer cell lines (MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7). We also investigated the effect of 1 on the metabolic profile of these cell lines. The MTT assay was used for cytotoxicity determination. Apoptosis and expression of GSLs were assessed by flow cytometry. A GC-MS-coupled system was used for the separation and identification of metabolites. Compound 1 was cytotoxic for both cell lines, and the majority of cells died by treatment-induced apoptosis. The percentage of CSCs was significantly lower in the MDA-MB-231 cell line. Treatment with 1 caused a decrease of CSC IV6Neu5Ac-nLc4Cer+ MDA-MB-231 cells. In the MCF-7 cell line, the percentage of GalNAc-GM1b+ CSCs was increased, while the expression of Gg3Cer was decreased in both CSC and non-CSC. Twenty-one metabolites were identified by metabolic profiling. The major impact of the treatment was in glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, pyruvate and inositol metabolism. Compound 1 exhibited higher potency in MBA-MB-231 cells, and it deserves further examination

Between the Vinča and Linearbandkeramik worlds: the diversity of practices and identities in the 54th–53rd centuries cal BC in south-west Hungary and beyond

Szederkény-Kukorica-dűlő is a large settlement in south-east Transdanubia, Hungary, excavated in advance of road construction, which is notable for its combination of pottery styles, variously including Vinča A, Ražište and LBK, and longhouses of a kind otherwise familiar from the LBK world. Formal modelling of its date establishes that the site probably began in the later 54th century cal BC, lasting until the first decades of the 52nd century cal BC. Occupation, featuring longhouses, pits and graves, probably began at the same time on the east and west parts of the settlement, the central part starting a decade or two later; the western part was probably abandoned last. Vinča pottery is predominantly associated with the east and central parts of the site, and Ražište pottery with the west. Formal modelling of the early history and diaspora of longhouses in the LBK world suggests their emergence in the Formative LBK of Transdanubia c. 5500 cal BC and then rapid diaspora in the middle of the 54th century cal BC, associated with the ‘earliest’ (älteste) LBK. The adoption of longhouses at Szederkény thus appears to come a few generations after the start of the diaspora. Rather than explaining the mixture of things, practices and perhaps people at Szederkény by reference to problematic notions such as hybridity, we propose instead a more fluid and varied vocabulary including combination and amalgamation, relationships and performance in the flow of social life, and networks; this makes greater allowance for diversity and interleaving in a context of rapid change