Replacement of the First GnRH Administration in the Ovsynch Protocol by Selecting Cows According to the Stage of Follicular Development

The aim of the study was to replace the first GnRH in the Ovsynch protocol by selecting cows bearing corpus luteum as well as follicles in a defined stage of development at PGF2α administration. Additionally, various terms of GnRH administration after PGF2α were tested. Seventy five non-pregnant cows bearing corpus luteum were divided into groups according to the phase of follicular development on D 0 (day of PGF2α administration)-growth (GR, follicles 3.0-7.9 mm in diameter), early dominance (ED, dominant follicle 8.0-14.9 mm) and late dominance (LD, dominant follicle 15.0-23.0 mm). In addition, the cows were divided into groups according to the terms of GnRH administration (24, 48 or 72 h after PGF2α). In this way, groups GR 48 (n = 5), GR 72 (n = 6), ED 24 (n = 10), ED 48 (n = 12), ED 72 (n = 12), LD 24 (n = 10), LD 48 (n = 10) and LD 72 (n = 10) were established. Growth of ovulatory follicle, term of ovulation, insemination and conception rates as well as relation of the size of preovulatory follicle (day of ovulation) to the size of following corpus luteum (day 14) were evaluated. The highest level of synchronization of ovulation (100% on D 3) as well as conception rate (50%) was achieved in group ED 48. This protocol gives an opportunity of timing artificial insemination to 18-24 hours after GnRH administration, as ovulation occurs with a high probability within 24 - 48 hours after GnRH administration

Moduli spaces of toric manifolds

We construct a distance on the moduli space of symplectic toric manifolds of dimension four. Then we study some basic topological properties of this space, in particular, path-connectedness, compactness, and completeness. The construction of the distance is related to the Duistermaat-Heckman measure and the Hausdorff metric. While the moduli space, its topology and metric, may be constructed in any dimension, the tools we use in the proofs are four-dimensional, and hence so is our main result.Comment: To appear in Geometriae Dedicata, minor changes to previous version, 19 pages, 6 figure

mmView: a web-based viewer of the mmCIF format

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Structural biomolecular data are commonly stored in the PDB format. The PDB format is widely supported by software vendors because of its simplicity and readability. However, the PDB format cannot fully address many informatics challenges related to the growing amount of structural data. To overcome the limitations of the PDB format, a new textual format mmCIF was released in June 1997 in its version 1.0. mmCIF provides extra information which has the advantage of being in a computer readable form. However, this advantage becomes a disadvantage if a human must read and understand the stored data. While software tools exist to help to prepare mmCIF files, the number of available systems simplifying the comprehension and interpretation of the mmCIF files is limited.</p> <p>Findings</p> <p>In this paper we present mmView - a cross-platform web-based application that allows to explore comfortably the structural data of biomacromolecules stored in the mmCIF format. The mmCIF categories can be easily browsed in a tree-like structure, and the corresponding data are presented in a well arranged tabular form. The application also allows to display and investigate biomolecular structures via an integrated Java application Jmol.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The mmView software system is primarily intended for educational purposes, but it can also serve as a useful research tool. The mmView application is offered in two flavors: as an open-source stand-alone application (available from <url>http://sourceforge.net/projects/mmview</url>) that can be installed on the user's computer, and as a publicly available web server.</p

A simple fish-based approach to assess the ecological quality of freshwater reservoirs in Central Europe

The assessment of ecological quality in freshwater ecosystems is a key issue in many countries, but conditions for the development of assessment methodologies are often country-specific. This study proposes a simple methodology for the assessment of the ecological potential of reservoirs based on fish communities using a dataset covering major environmental and pressure gradients in reservoirs in the Czech Republic. Fish data obtained by gillnet sampling were correlated with a proxy of eutrophication as a key indicator of anthropogenic pressure for selecting appropriate fish-based indicators, establishing scoring criteria and developing the index of ecological quality. Expert judgement was also used to select potential fish indicators. Nine indicators were selected for the final fish-based index, fulfilling the criteria required by the Water Framework Directive. Two steps were used to validate the fish-based index quantification of its inter annual stability and sensitivity analysis of individual indicators. Finally, the index was compared to a previously developed general index for Central and Western Europe. Our study demonstrates that a combination of expert judgement and strict validation methods can result in an informative assessment of the ecological conditions, which can help identify conservation and restoration priorities. © P. Blabolil

Functional properties of polyurethane ureteral stents with PLGA and papaverine hydrochloride coating

Despite the obvious benefits of using ureteral stents to drain the ureters, there is also a risk of complications from 80-90%. The presence of a foreign body in the human body causes disturbances in its proper functioning. It can lead to biofilm formation on the stent surface, which may favor the development of urinary tract infections or the formation of encrustation, as well as stent fragmentation, complicating its subsequent removal. In this work, the effect of the polymeric coating containing the active substance-papaverine hydrochloride on the functional properties of ureteral stents significant for clinical practice were assessed. Methods: The most commonly clinically used polyurethane ureteral Double-J stent was selected for the study. Using the dip-coating method, the surface of the stent was coated with a poly(D,L-lactide-glycolide) (PLGA) coating containing the papaverine hydrochloride (PAP). In particular, strength properties, retention strength of the stent ends, dynamic frictional force, and the fluoroscopic visibility of the stent during X-ray imaging were determined. Results: The analysis of the test results indicates the usefulness of a biodegradable polymer coating containing the active substance for the modification of the surface of polyurethane ureteral stents. The stents coated with PLGA+PAP coating compared to polyurethane stents are characterized by more favorable strength properties, the smaller value of the dynamic frictional force, without reducing the fluoroscopic visibility.Web of Science2214art. no. 770