The publication is the result of the efforts of an international collective of authors to capture the transformation of exhibition institutions and curation during the Covid 19 pandemic, with a focus ...on the year 2020. It seeks an answer to the question of how curatorial strategies, communication platforms and the social function of exhibition institutions have changed under the influence of rapid and external circumstances, that forced transition from physical gallery spaces to online. It critically reflects on the exhibition project Černá skříňka/The Black Box (Galerie TIC), in which several curatorial approaches were applied, including the use of artificial intelligence, and places it in the broad context of curatorial projects that were carried out at the same time at home and abroad as well as in the network of terminology apparatus, which is built around the phenomenon of online curation. The research method is a combination of writing the history of presence, mostly from the pen of direct participants, which lends authenticity and engagement to the texts, with theoretical reflection informed by digital and network media theory.
Our study is focused on an efficient reduction of amide functional groups to secondary amine on Nylon 6 surface with borane–tetrahydrofuran (BH
3
–THF) complex, followed by
N
-alkylation with benzyl ...chloride (C
6
H
5
CH
2
Cl) which has been successfully used as a model system for further grafting of the reduced Nylon 6 surface by poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether tosylate (Me-PEG-OTs). The amine-activated surface has been obtained by treatment of reduced Nylon 6 with
n
-butyllithium or
tert
-butyllithium in THF. Modified Nylon 6 has been found to be antibacterial particularly due to the presence of hydrophilic poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether (H
3
C-PEG) chains. The surface modifications were successfully characterized by various techniques. Water contact angle and free surface energy analyses indicated a significant change in the surface morphology. It was further supported by scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy. Finally, antibacterial tests were performed against two pathogenic bacterial strains
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
(CCM 3955) and
Staphylococcus aureus
(CCM 3953).
Glaucoma is a significant cause of blindness worldwide, and its treatment remains challenging. The disease progressively leads to damage to the optic disc and thus loss of visual acuity and visual ...field. High intraocular pressure (IOP) is a common risk factor. There are three major methods to treat this disease: topical, laser, and surgical. None of these are completely satisfactory; therefore, alternatives using new biomaterials are being sought. Since biomaterial engineering has experienced significant growth in recent decades, its products are gradually being introduced to various branches of medicine, with the exception of ophthalmology. Biomaterials, such as glaucoma drainage implants, have been successfully used to treat glaucoma. There is significant ongoing research on biomaterials as drug delivery systems that could overcome the disadvantages of topical glaucoma treatment, such as poor intraocular penetration or frequent drug administration. This article summarizes the use of novel biomaterials for glaucoma treatment presented in the literature. The literature search was based on articles published in English on PubMed.gov, Cochranelibrary.com, and Scopus.com between 2018 and 2023 using the following term "biomaterials in glaucoma." A total of 103 published articles, including twenty-two reviews, were included. Fifty-nine articles were excluded on the basis of their titles and abstracts.
Sophisticated strategies to analyze cell surface proteins are indispensable to study fundamental biological processes, such as the response of cells to environmental changes or cell–cell ...communication. Herein, we describe a refined mass spectrometry-based approach for the specific characterization and quantitation of cell surface proteins expressed in the female reproductive tract. The strategy is based on in situ biotinylation of rabbit oviducts, affinity enrichment of surface exposed biotin tagged proteins and dimethyl labeling of the obtained tryptic peptides followed by LC–MS/MS analysis. This approach proved to be sensitive enough to analyze small sample amounts (<1μg) and allowed further to trace the dynamic composition of the surface proteome of the oviductal epithelium in response to male gametes. The relative protein expression ratios of 175 proteins were quantified. Thirty-one of them were found to be altered over time, namely immediately, 1h and 2h after insemination compared to the time-matched control groups. Functional analysis demonstrated that structural reorganization of the oviductal epithelial cell surface was involved in the early response of the female organ to semen. In summary, this study outlines a workflow that is capable to monitor alterations in the female oviduct that are related to key reproductive processes in vivo.
The proper interaction between the female reproductive tract, in particular, the oviduct and the male gametes, is fundamental to fertilization and embryonic development under physiological conditions. Thereby the oviductal epithelial cell surface proteins play an important role. Besides their direct interaction with male gametes, these molecules participate in signal transduction and, thus, are involved in the mandatory cellular response of the oviductal epithelium. In this study we present a refined LC–MS/MS based workflow that is capable to quantitatively analyze the expression of oviductal epithelial cell surface proteins in response to insemination in vivo. A special focus was on the very early interaction between the female organ and the male gametes. At first, this study clearly revealed an immediate response of the surface proteome to semen, which was modulated over time. The described methodology can be applied for studies of further distinct biological events in the oviduct and therefore contribute to a deeper insight into the formation of new life.
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•Optimal solubilizing agent and protein assay are evaluated for cell surface proteins.•LC–MS/MS method is developed for quantifying oviductal epithelial surface proteins.•Dynamic response of oviducts to spermatozoa is studied shortly after insemination.•Functional analysis of oviductal surface proteins affected by semen is performed.
Using animal models in experimental medicine requires mapping of their anatomical variability. Porcine common carotid arteries (CCA) are often preferred for the preclinical testing of vascular grafts ...due to their anatomical and physiological similarity to human small-diameter arteries. Comparing the microscopic structure of animal model organs to their human counterparts reveals the benefits and limitations of translational medicine.
Using quantitative histology and stereology, we performed an extensive mapping of the regional proximodistal differences in the fractions of elastin, collagen, and smooth muscle actin as well as the intima-media and wall thicknesses among 404 segments (every 1 cm) of porcine CCAs collected from male and female pigs (n = 21). We also compared the microscopic structure of porcine CCAs with segments of human coronary arteries and one of the preferred arterial conduits used for the coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), namely, the internal thoracic artery (ITA) (n = 21 human cadavers).
The results showed that the histological structure of left and right porcine CCA can be considered equivalent, provided that gross anatomical variations of the regular branching patterns are excluded. The proximal elastic carotid (51.2% elastin, 4.2% collagen, and 37.2% actin) transitioned to more muscular middle segments (23.5% elastin, 4.9% collagen, 54.3% actin) at the range of 2–3 centimeters and then to even more muscular distal segments (17.2% elastin, 4.9% collagen, 64.0% actin). The resulting morphometric data set shows the biological variability of the artery and is made available for biomechanical modeling and for performing a power analysis and calculating the minimum number of samples per group when planning further experiments with this widely used large animal model.
Comparison of porcine carotids with human coronary arteries and ITA revealed the benefits and the limitations of using porcine CCAs as a valid model for testing bioengineered small-diameter CABG vascular conduits. Morphometry of human coronary arteries and ITA provided more realistic data for tailoring multilayered artificial vascular prostheses and the ranges of values within which the conduits should be tested in the future. Despite their limitations, porcine CCAs remain a widely used and well-characterized large animal model that is available for a variety of experiments in vascular surgery.
The cyanobacterial exposure has been implicated in mass mortalities of wild birds, but information on the actual effects of cyanobacteria on birds in controlled studies is missing. Effects on ...detoxification and antioxidant parameters as well as bioaccumulation of microcystins (MCs) were studied in birds after sub-lethal exposure to natural cyanobacterial biomass. Four treatment groups of model species Japanese quail (
Coturnix coturnix japonica) were exposed to controlled doses of cyanobacterial bloom during acute (10 days) and sub-chronic (30 days) experiment. The daily doses of cyanobacterial biomass corresponded to 0.2–224.6 ng MCs/g body weight. Significant accumulation of MCs was observed in the liver for both test durations and slight accumulation also in the muscles of the highest treatment group from acute test. The greatest accumulation was observed in the liver of the highest treatment group in the acute test reaching average concentration of 43.7 ng MCs/g fresh weight. The parameters of detoxification metabolism and oxidative stress were studied in the liver, heart and brain. The cyanobacterial exposure caused an increase of activity of cytochrome P-450-dependent 7-ethoxyresorufin
O-deethylase representing the activation phase of detoxification metabolism. Also the conjugation phase of detoxification, namely the activity of glutathione-
S-transferase, was altered. Cyanobacterial exposure also modulated oxidative stress responses including the level of glutathione and activities of glutathione-related enzymes and caused increase in lipid peroxidation. The overall pattern of detoxification parameters and oxidative stress responses clearly separated the control and the lowest exposure group from all the higher exposed groups. This is the first controlled study documenting the induction of oxidative stress along with MCs accumulation in birds exposed to natural cyanobacterial biomass. The data also suggest that increased activities of detoxification enzymes could lead to greater biotransformation and elimination of the MCs at the longer exposure time.
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•Efficient functionalization of Nylon 6 was achieved by grafting mPEG.•The antibacterial efficacy was improved by copper nanoparticle incorporation.•The antibacterial activity against ...pathogenic bacteria was performed among all samples.•The cytocompatibility for copper nanoparticle deposited samples was accomplished.
Hospital-acquired infections (HAI) caused by pathogenic bacteria such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus adversely affect public health due to their colonization and subsequent formation of a biofilm on medical devices. Various functionalized polymers including polyamides are commonly used in the biomedical industry aiming to resist bacterial infection as well as to ensure cytocompatibility of the used materials. The present study is focused on the extension of our previous work that developed a new approach to immobilize mPEG on an amine-activated Nylon 6 surface. Herein, we compare functionalized samples of Nylon 6 together with samples additionally containing copper nanoparticles (Cu NPs, size 40–60 nm) physisorbed on a modified surface. Modified samples were analyzed via different techniques including water contact angle measurements, atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy associated with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The copper functionalized samples showed high antibacterial efficacy against Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus and Gram-negative Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Moreover, most of the prepared samples were cytocompatible.
The epigeic fauna in the sink holes was studied using formaldehyde ground traps at 14-day intervals from April to October in 2002 and 2003. A total of 5 transects of traps have been installed within ...5 selected areas of the northern part of the Moravian Karst. Areas within the district of Vilémovice, Lažánky and Ostrov near Macocha villages have been studied in particular. Sink holes have been selected on the basis of how they are probably influenced by human activities (types such as regularly mown sink holes within a thoroughly exploited field – 1, sink holes partially or totally overgrown by shrubs – 3 and 2, sink holes with fully developed trees – 4, sink holes within an intensely exploited meadow – 5.It was the aim of this study to determine the species composition of individual areas, numbers of individual species, differences among areas characterised by synoecological characteristics such as the dominance, Shannon-Wieneręs index of species diversity, equitability, Jaccardęs index of similarity and to try to express the degree of anthropogenic influence. Similarity of individual areas has also been evaluated by means of the cluster analysis (on the basis of the Jaccardęs index).Eudominant species were Abax parallelepipedus, Anchomenus dorsalis, Carabus ullrichi, Microlestes maurus, Poecilus cupreus and Pterostichus melanarius. Species such as Aptinus bombarda, Licinus depressus, Molops elatus and Syntomus obscuroguttatus were the most important ones. The highest and lowest values of the index of species diversity were found in the area No. 4, and 1 and 2, respectively. Equitability was the highest and the lowest in the area No. 4 and 1, respectively. According to the Jaccardęs index, areas No. 2 and 3, and No. 1 and 4 were the most and least similar ones, respectively. A total of 53.3%, 45.6% and 1.1% of species could, be classified as belonging to the group E, A and R, respectively. The group E represents eurytopic species inhabiting a large variety of habitats, the group A contains species of more or less natural habitats while in the group R there are species with the most narrow ecological valence. The highest index of community was in the area No. 4, while the lowest in the area No. 1.The total results and the evaluation of characteristics such as dominance, index of diversity, equitability, ecological bond to the habitat expressed by species classification of A, E or R and the index the carabid beetle community proves the fact that areas No. 4 and 5 are under the least anthropogenic influence.
Using live trapping devices we performed surveillance of small vertebrates in the game bird farm in Jinačovice in 2005 to 2006. The study was aimed at determining the species composition and numbers ...within individual technologies of rearing as well as finding possible reservoirs or sources of infectious agents. Five study areas were examined in 2005 and other three located within buildings were added in 2006. A line of 10 traps approximately 2 metres apart was employed on each study area. Small mammals trapped were sampled for parasitology and serology.Until the present, a total of 92 common species were captured – i.e., yellow-necked fieldmouse (Apodemus flavicollis), house mouse (Mus musculus), common vole (Microtus arvalis) and bank vole (Clethrionomys glareolus). Considering endoparasites, we found nematodes such as Aspicularis tetraptera and Syphacia obvelata, Catenotaenia spp. and undetermined members of the order Eucoccidiida. Ectoparasites included members of the order Siphonaptera – Ctenophthalmus solutus, Ctenophthalmus agyrtes, Megabothris (Gebiella) turbidus and Ctenophthalmus (Euct.) assimilis and order Acarina – Ixodes ricinus and Laelaps hilaris. Serology revealed antibodies against Leptospira grippotyphosa and L. sejroe.
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