83 research outputs found
Whole genome sequencing reveals candidate causal genetic variants for spastic syndrome in Holstein cattle
No full textBovine spastic syndrome (SS) is a progressive, adult-onset neuromuscular disorder (NMD). SS is inherited but the mode of inheritance is unclear. The aim of this study was to characterize the phenotype and to identify a possible genetic cause of SS by whole-genome sequencing (WGS) and focusing on protein-changing variants. Seven affected unrelated Holstein cattle of both sexes were referred for SS at a mean age of 5.3 years (S.D.+/- 1.1) showing intermittent spasm of the skeletal muscles of the pelvic girdle. Assuming monogenic recessive inheritance, analysis of the WGS data did not reveal any private variants common to all cases. Searching for homozygous rare variants considering each case individually, allowed the identification of a rare recessive likely pathogenic missense variant in TOR3A for one case with an allele frequency of 1.69% in a global Holstein population. In the remaining six SS cases, we identified seven potentially dominant de novo mutations or inherited alleles as private heterozygous, mostly missense, variants of uncertain significance involving seven different NMD candidate genes: MPEG1, LHX8, WHAMM, NGRN, TTN, ATP1A1, PCDH1. All eight candidate causal variants identified were predicted to be deleterious. This study describes for the first time WGS findings in confirmed cases of bovine SS and provides evidence for a heterogeneous genetic cause of SS in cattle
E-cigarettes business on its dawn and companies’ approach to users
No full textPředmětem této práce jsou e-cigarety, které jsou alternativou k tradičním tabákovým výrobkům. Teoretická část představuje charakteristiku e-cigaret a jejich marketing v různých regionech světa, kde se uplatňují podobné marketingové strategie s kulturními a legislativními odlišnostmi. Tyto rozdíly jsou podnětem pro zkoumání konkrétní sítě maloobchodních prodejen v regionu západního Slovenska a přístupu firem k uživatelům. Pro analýzu dat získaných od konkrétní firmy v období 2020-2023 byly zvoleny statistické metody. Prodej jednotlivých výrobků byl postupný, proto bylo pro analýzu vybráno více skupin výrobků. Údaje o prodeji výrobků jednotlivých skupin byly shromážděny, očištěny a popsány pomocí popisné statistiky. Tento soubor dat byl základem pro identifikaci trendů v prodeji e-cigaret na slovenském trhu, následně byla pomocí ANOVA určena sezónnost prodeje těchto výrobků. V závěru článku jsou shrnuty hlavní poznatky a doporučeny strategie pro zlepšení postavení e-cigaret na trhu v kontextu ochrany veřejného zdraví a regulačního rámce.The subject of this thesis is e-cigarettes, which are an alternative to traditional tobacco products. The theoretical part presents the characteristics of e-cigarettes and their marketing in different regions of the world where similar marketing strategies with cultural and legislative differences are applied. These differences are the stimulus for the investigation of a specific retail store network in the Western Slovakia region and the firms' approach to users. Statistical methods were chosen to analyze the data collected from a specific firm in the period 2020-2023. The marketing of each product was gradual, so the analysis selected multiple product groups. The sales data of the products of each group were collected, cleaned, and described by descriptive statistics. This dataset was the basis for identifying trends in e-cigarette sales in the Slovak market, followed by ANOVA to determine the seasonality of sales of these products. The paper concludes by summarizing the main findings and recommending strategies for improving the market position of e-cigarettes in the context of public health protection and regulatory framework.Predmetom tejto práce sú e-cigarety, ktoré predstavujú alternatívu k tradičným tabakovým výrobkom. Teoretická časť prezentuje charakteristiky e-cigariet a obchodovanie s nimi v rôznych regiónoch sveta, kde sa uplatňujú podobné marketingové stratégie s kultúrnymi a legislatívnymi odlišnosťami. Tieto rozdiely sú podnetom pre skúmanie konkrétnej maloobchodnej siete predajní v regióne na západnom Slovensku a prístupu firiem k užívateľom. Pre analýzu dát získaných od konkrétnej firmy v období 2020-2023 boli zvolené štatistické metódy. Uvádzanie jednotlivých produktov na trh bolo postupné, preto analýza zvolila viaceré skupiny produktov. Dáta o predaji výrobkov každej skupiny boli zozbierané, očistené a popísané deskriptívnou štatistikou. Tento súbor údajov bol základom pre identifikáciu trendov v predaji e-cigariet na slovenskom trhu a nasledovaný metódou ANOVA pre zistenie sezónnosti predaja týchto produktov. Záver práce sumarizuje hlavné zistenia a odporúča stratégie pre zlepšenie postavenia elektronických cigariet na trhu v kontexte ochrany verejného zdravia a regulatívneho rámca
E-cigarettes business on its dawn and companies’ approach to users
No full textPředmětem této práce jsou e-cigarety, které jsou alternativou k tradičním tabákovým výrobkům. Teoretická část představuje charakteristiku e-cigaret a jejich marketing v různých regionech světa, kde se uplatňují podobné marketingové strategie s kulturními a legislativními odlišnostmi. Tyto rozdíly jsou podnětem pro zkoumání konkrétní sítě maloobchodních prodejen v regionu západního Slovenska a přístupu firem k uživatelům. Pro analýzu dat získaných od konkrétní firmy v období 2020-2023 byly zvoleny statistické metody. Prodej jednotlivých výrobků byl postupný, proto bylo pro analýzu vybráno více skupin výrobků. Údaje o prodeji výrobků jednotlivých skupin byly shromážděny, očištěny a popsány pomocí popisné statistiky. Tento soubor dat byl základem pro identifikaci trendů v prodeji e-cigaret na slovenském trhu, následně byla pomocí ANOVA určena sezónnost prodeje těchto výrobků. V závěru článku jsou shrnuty hlavní poznatky a doporučeny strategie pro zlepšení postavení e-cigaret na trhu v kontextu ochrany veřejného zdraví a regulačního rámce.The subject of this thesis is e-cigarettes, which are an alternative to traditional tobacco products. The theoretical part presents the characteristics of e-cigarettes and their marketing in different regions of the world where similar marketing strategies with cultural and legislative differences are applied. These differences are the stimulus for the investigation of a specific retail store network in the Western Slovakia region and the firms' approach to users. Statistical methods were chosen to analyze the data collected from a specific firm in the period 2020-2023. The marketing of each product was gradual, so the analysis selected multiple product groups. The sales data of the products of each group were collected, cleaned, and described by descriptive statistics. This dataset was the basis for identifying trends in e-cigarette sales in the Slovak market, followed by ANOVA to determine the seasonality of sales of these products. The paper concludes by summarizing the main findings and recommending strategies for improving the market position of e-cigarettes in the context of public health protection and regulatory framework.Predmetom tejto práce sú e-cigarety, ktoré predstavujú alternatívu k tradičným tabakovým výrobkom. Teoretická časť prezentuje charakteristiky e-cigariet a obchodovanie s nimi v rôznych regiónoch sveta, kde sa uplatňujú podobné marketingové stratégie s kultúrnymi a legislatívnymi odlišnosťami. Tieto rozdiely sú podnetom pre skúmanie konkrétnej maloobchodnej siete predajní v regióne na západnom Slovensku a prístupu firiem k užívateľom. Pre analýzu dát získaných od konkrétnej firmy v období 2020-2023 boli zvolené štatistické metódy. Uvádzanie jednotlivých produktov na trh bolo postupné, preto analýza zvolila viaceré skupiny produktov. Dáta o predaji výrobkov každej skupiny boli zozbierané, očistené a popísané deskriptívnou štatistikou. Tento súbor údajov bol základom pre identifikáciu trendov v predaji e-cigariet na slovenskom trhu a nasledovaný metódou ANOVA pre zistenie sezónnosti predaja týchto produktov. Záver práce sumarizuje hlavné zistenia a odporúča stratégie pre zlepšenie postavenia elektronických cigariet na trhu v kontexte ochrany verejného zdravia a regulatívneho rámca
Lossy mode resonance in photonic integrated circuits
No full textThe authors would like to acknowledge the Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia. This research was supported by the European Regional Development Fund project 1.1.1.1/20/A/045 and the European Union's Horizon 2020 Framework Program H2020-WIDESPREAD-01-2016-2017-TeamingPhase2 under grant agreement No. 739508, project CAMART2.In recent years, the promising phenomenon known as lossy mode resonance (LMR) has garnered significant attention in sensing applications. While existing literature in the field of LMR focuses on optical fiber systems and planar waveguides due to their simplicity, there is an absence of research on systems based on photonic integrated circuits (PICs). This article aims to demonstrate, for the first time, the generation of LMR in PICs with sensitivity and a figure of merit (FOM) comparable to that of optical fibers and planar waveguides. Additionally, the article offers a comparison of various polymer materials such as OrmoClear, OrmoCore and SU-8 for integrated waveguides fabrication. To summarize, the main novelty of the article is the demonstration of the LMR phenomenon in integrated chips and the comparison of different polymers commonly used in photonics to fabricate these chips. Moreover, the authors present a novel fabrication workflow for thick polymer waveguides. Finally, the study compares the experimental results obtained with simulations conducted using the finite element method (FEM) in COMSOL Multiphysics environment. © 2024 --//-- This is an open-access article Edvins Letko, Arturs Bundulis, Edgars Vanags, Gatis Mozolevskis,
Lossy mode resonance in photonic integrated circuits, Optics and Lasers in Engineering, Volume 181, 2024, 108387, ISSN 0143-8166, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.optlaseng.2024.108387 published under the CC BY licence.European Regional Development Fund 1.1.1.1/20/A/045; European Union's Horizon 2020 Framework Program H2020-WIDESPREAD-01-2016-2017-TeamingPhase2 739508, project CAMART2
Wind Tunnel Investigation at Low Speed of Aerodynamic Characteristics of Army Chemical Corps Model E-112 Bomblets with Span Chord Ratio of 2 - 1
No full textAn experimental investigation has been made in the Langley stability tunnel to determine the aerodynamic characteristics of the Army Chemical Corps model E-112 bomblets with span-chord ratio of 2:1. A detailed analysis has not been made; however, the results showed that all the models were spirally unstable and that a large gap between the model tips and end plates tended to reduce the instability
A stability study of transparent conducting WO3/Cu/WO3 coatings with antimicrobial properties
No full textThis study was financially supported by ERDF project No. 1.1.1.1/21/A/050 “Large area deposition technologies of multifunctional antibacterial and antiviral nanocoatings”. The Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia, as a Center of Excellence, has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 Framework Programme H2020-WIDESPREAD-01-2016-2017-TeamingPhase2 under grant agreement No. 739508, project CAMART².WO3/Cu/WO3 coatings are transparent electrodes, but conductivity and transmittance have been observed to decrease with time. This paper reports the improved stability of WO3/Cu/WO3 coatings deposited by magnetron sputtering on glass and polyethylene terephthalate substrates. The stability issues due to Cu oxidation and migration can be addressed by adjusting the deposition parameters. Lowering the sputtering pressure results in denser WO3 films, confirmed by spectroscopic ellipsometry, and thus more stable coatings. The coatings retain their properties in an inert atmosphere, indicating that Cu oxidation is the main reason for the decrease in conductivity, rather than its migration observed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Optical property modeling is used to optimize the thickness of the three-layer coatings to obtain the highest figure-of-merit for a transparent electrode. A structure of glass/WO3 (70 nm)/Cu (10 nm)/WO3 (45 nm) gives a sheet resistance of 14 Ω/sq. and a light transmittance of 65% at 600 nm. In addition, the antimicrobial properties of these coatings are revealed. A decrease up to 105 of the gram-negative Escherichia coli and gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus bacterial colony formation units is found for several WO3/Cu/WO3-based coatings. In the case of the MS2 (Emesvirus zinderi) bacteriophage, a decrease in infectious particles for up to 104 plaque-forming units is obtained. The results indicate that more stable samples also had higher antimicrobial activity. --//-- This is an open access article M. Zubkins, V. Vibornijs, E. Strods, I. Aulika, A. Zajakina, A. Sarakovskis, K. Kundzins, K. Korotkaja, Z. Rudevica, E. Letko, J. Purans, A stability study of transparent conducting WO3/Cu/WO3 coatings with antimicrobial properties,
Surfaces and Interfaces, Volume 41, 2023, 103259, ISSN 2468-0230, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.surfin.2023.103259 published under the CC BY licence.ERDF project No. 1.1.1.1/21/A/050. The Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia, as a Center of Excellence, has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 Framework Programme H2020-WIDESPREAD-01-2016-2017-TeamingPhase2 under grant agreement No. 739508, project CAMART²
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NACA Research Memorandums
No full text"An experimental investigation has been made in the Langley stability tunnel to determine the aerodynamic characteristics of the Army Chemical Corps model E-112 bomblets with span-chord ratio of 2:1. A detailed analysis has not been made; however, the results showed that all the models were spirally unstable and that a large gap between the model tips and end plates tended to reduce the instability" (p. 1)
MITOSTATIN, A NOVEL MITOCHONDRIAL PROTEIN, THAT ACTS AS A TUMOR SUPPRESSOR IN PROSTATE CANCER CELLS
No full textMitostatin is a novel putative tumor suppressor gene at chromosome 12q24.1. The 62-kD Mitostatin protein is expressed in most normal human tissues and its immunohistochemical staining is reduced in advanced stages primary breast and bladder tumors. Mitostatin expression negatively affects cell growth, induces cell death and regulates the expression and activation levels of Hsp27.To determine the role of Mitostatin in prostate cancer we transfected LNCaP, PC3, and DU145 prostate cancer cells with an expression vector encoding Mitostatin -V5 fusion protein or expressing the antisense cDNA of the coding sequence of Mitostatin. In addition, we silenced endogenous Mitostatin by siRNA strategies. Mitostatin expression in primary human prostate tumors was analyzed by immunohistochemistry using three tissue arrays (AccuMax Array - A222, A223 and A302) consisted of 293 0.6-mm cores.Our results demonstrate that ectopic expression of Mitostatin in PC3, DU145, and LNCaP prostate cancer cells in addition to induce a reduction in cell growth, significantly inhibits migration and invasion. Moreover, Mitostatin inhibits colony formation in soft-agar in PC3 and LNCaP cells and LNCaP tumorigenicity in nude mice. Conversely, targeting endogenous Mitostatin with siRNA and anti-sense strategies in PC3 and DU145 prostate cancer cells promotes transformation in both cell lines. Mitostatin immunohistochemical staining was absent in 35.5% of prostate tumor samples and its overall reduction was significantly associated with advanced stage disease.Our findings support the hypothesis that Mitostatin acts as a bona fide tumor suppressor and suggest that further investigations of Mitostatin as a useful clinical marker for diagnosis and prognosis in prostate tumors are warranted
Research in Concurrent Software Testing: A Systematic Review
No full textThe current increased demand for distributed applications in domains such as web services and cloud computing has significantly increased interest in concurrent programming. This demand in turn has resulted in new testing methodologies for such systems, which take account of the challenges necessary to test these applications. This paper presents a systematic review of the published research related to concurrent testing approaches, bug classification and testing tools. A systematic review is a process of collection, assessment and interpretation of the published papers related to a specific search question, designed to provide a background for further research. The results include information about the research relationships and research teams that are working in the different areas of concurrent programs testing
Identification of genomic regions associated with differences in fleece type in Huacaya and Suri alpacas (Vicugna pacos).
No full textThe difference in fleece type is the distinguishing trait between the two types of alpacas (Vicugna pacos), Huacaya and Suri. The Suri fleece type has been found to be inherited dominantly over the Huacaya type, resulting in offspring with the Suri phenotype. The aim of our study was to map genomic regions associated with the two different fleece types. In this study, 91 alpacas (54 Huacayas and 37 Suris) from Germany and Switzerland were genotyped using the 76k alpaca SNP array. Only 59k chromosome-localised markers map to the alpaca reference assembly VicPac3.1, and after quality control 49 866 SNPs, were retained for population structure assessment and to conduct a genome-wide association study. Both principal component and neighbour-joining tree analysis showed that the two fleece-type cohorts overlapped rather than forming two distinct clusters. Genome-wide significantly associated markers were observed in the scaffold region of chromosome 16 (NW_021964192.1), which contains a cluster of keratin genes. A haplotype predominantly found in Suri alpacas has been identified which supports dominant inheritance. Variant filtering of nine whole-genome sequenced alpacas from both fleece types in the critical interval of 0.4 Mb did not reveal perfect segregation of either fleece type for specific variants. To our knowledge, this is the first study to use the recently developed species-specific SNP array to identify genomic regions associated with differences in fleece type in alpacas. There are still some limitations, such as the preliminary status of the reference assembly and the incomplete annotation of the alpaca genome
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