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Abstract EPA + DHA intake in land-locked central Europe (CE) is barely fulfilled. Imported marine fish/farmed salmonids are likely the backbone of an ailing EPA + DHA security. Supplementing with captured marine fish oil capsules (~0.5 g up to 1.6 g CO2-eq. mg EPA + DHA−1) could be comparable in GHG emissions with fish consumption itself (~1 g to as low as 0.6 g CO2-eq. mg EPA + DHA−1). But synergistic benefits of EPA + DHA intake by consuming fish protein need consideration too. Taking semi-intensive pond carp and intensively farmed salmon as models, we analyzed footprint, eco-services, and resource use efficiency perspectives of achieving EPA + DHA security in a CE region. Despite a lower production footprint, pond-farmed fish greatly lag in EPA + DHA supply (carp 101–181 mg 100 g−1 salmon 8.7 mg N), phosphorus (carp 6.8 > salmon 1.6 mg P), and climate change (carp 1.84 > salmon 0.8 g CO2-eq.). With enhancements in pond carp (>300 mg EPA + DHA 100 g−1), these differences may cease to exist. Harnessing EPA + DHA bioaccumulation pathways active in ponds, finishing feeding strategies, and polyculture, the EPA + DHA content in pond fish may be increased. Ecosystem services with EPA + DHA mining from pond food web or high EPA + DHA output-to-input ratio (pond carp 1–200 > RAS salmon 0.75) make ponds an eco-efficient system. As fish consumption in CE must improve, pond-farmed fish would be needed to complement (but not substitute) salmonid/marine fish/oil capsules consumption. Achieving EPA + DHA security with minimum pressure on the environment or global resources.

Aim. Specify the risk rate of incorrect patient classification based on the night-to-day ratio specification from singular 24-h ABPM in comparison to the results of 7-day ABPM monitoring Materials and Methods. 1197 24 h cycles were enrolled in 171 subjects in the study and divided into 4 groups: group 1 (40 healthy men and women without exercise), group 2 (40 healthy exercise-training men and women), group 3 (40 patients with ischemic coronary artery disease without exercise), and group 4 (51 patients with ischemic coronary artery disease following cardiovascular rehabilitation). The subject of the evaluation was the percentage rate of incorrect subject classification (dipper, nondipper, extreme dipper, and riser) based on the mean blood pressure values for 7 days and from seven independent 24-hour cycles (the mean value mode). Results. In the case of the individuals included in the monitored groups, the mean night-to-day ratio-based (mode for the 7 days versus the individual days of 24-hour monitoring) classification accordance ranged between 59% and 62%. Only in singular cases did the accordance reach 0% or 100%. The accordance size was not dependent on the health or cardiovascular disease (p

Aims: To retrospectively evaluate the technical features, efficacy, accuracy, appropriate complications, and relationships among monitored parameters of computed tomography-guided biopsies of the retroperitoneum-located processes. Methods: From December 2008 to December 2018, 208 percutaneous biopsy procedures for tumors, sized 14 - 190 mm in diameter (median size 57.5 mm), were performed on patients with suspected retroperitoneal tumorous process on imaging examinations. The patients were men in 124 cases and women in 84 cases, aged 20 to 90 years (median age 63.2 years). Skin to lesion distance was variable; from 43 cm to 178 cm (median length 108.5 cm). Results: In 202 cases (97.1%) results were true positive or true negative; only 6 interventions (2.9%) were histologically false negative and had to be confirmed surgically. DLBCL and metastatic disease to the retroperitoneal lymphatic nodes were the most common diagnoses (23.1% each); lymphoma types were verified in 40.9% of cases. 7 complications in total were revealed, 6 of which were minor hemorrhages, and in one case ureteral injury was detected. A statistically significant relationship between the hypervascular process and complication incidence (P=0.00166) and needle gauge (P=0.01427) was identified. Conclusion: Percutaneous CT-guided biopsy performed in patients with a suspected retroperitoneal tumorous process had a high accuracy in establishing the correct diagnosis including histological subtyping. Simultaneously, the complication rate was low.

Abstract We describe the association of Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD) derived heart failure with the impairment of tissue homeostasis and remodeling capabilities of the affected heart tissue. We report that BMD heart failure is associated with a significantly decreased number of cardiovascular progenitor cells, reduced cardiac fibroblast migration, and ex vivo survival. Background Becker muscular dystrophy belongs to a class of genetically inherited dystrophin deficiencies. It affects male patients and results in progressive skeletal muscle degeneration and dilated cardiomyopathy leading to heart failure. It is a relatively mild form of dystrophin deficiency, which allows patients to be on a heart transplant list. In this unique situation, the explanted heart is a rare opportunity to study the degenerative process of dystrophin-deficient cardiac tissue. Heart tissue was excised, dissociated, and analyzed. The fractional content of c-kit+/CD45− cardiovascular progenitor cells (CVPCs) and cardiac fibroblast migration were compared to control samples of atrial tissue. Control tissue was obtained from the hearts of healthy organ donor’s during heart transplantation procedures. Results We report significantly decreased CVPCs (c-kit+/CD45−) throughout the heart tissue of a BMD patient, and reduced numbers of phase-bright cells presenting c-kit positivity in the dystrophin-deficient cultured explants. In addition, ex vivo CVPCs survival and cardiac fibroblasts migration were significantly reduced, suggesting reduced homeostatic support and irreversible tissue remodeling. Conclusions Our findings associate genetically derived heart failure in a dystrophin-deficient patient with decreased c-kit+/CD45− CVPCs and their resilience, possibly hinting at a lack of cardioprotective capability and/or reduced homeostatic support. This also correlates with reduced plasticity of the explanted cardiac tissue, related to the process of irreversible remodeling in the BMD patient’s heart.

Aim: To retrospectively evaluate the technical features, feasibility, efficacy, accuracy and appropriate complications of CT-guided biopsies of mediastinal masses and correlate them with anatomical relationships in the mediastinum. Methods: Over the course of ten years, 81 percutaneous biopsy procedures in 78 patients for tumors sizes 27 - 189 mm in diameter (median length 57.5 mm) were performed using only local anesthesia. These interventions were done under the guidance of computed tomography. The patients were men in 30 cases and women in 48 cases, aged 19 to 90 years. Results: In 78 cases (96.3%) results were either true positive or true negative; in only 3 cases (3.7%, 3 biopsies of 2 tumors in 2 patients) were histological findings false negative. In 2.3% of the patients, complications were revealed in the anterior part of the mediastinum, 43.7% occurred in the middle region, and 14.3% in the posterior region of the mediastinum. Statistical data analysis verified there was a 3.74 times chance of an increase in complications in the middle mediastinal section in correlation with other anatomical localizations. In only one case was therapeutic intervention for complication necessary. For all other cases, a conservative approach was suitable. Conclusion: Percutaneous CT guided biopsies of the mediastinal tumors has a high accuracy rate in establishing the correct diagnosis. Masses in the middle mediastinum are associated with statistically higher incidences of postprocedural complications, which are not serious.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a severe genetic disorder characterized by the lack of functional dystrophin. DMD is associated with progressive dilated cardiomyopathy, eventually leading to heart failure as the main cause of death in DMD patients. Although several molecular mechanisms leading to the DMD cardiomyocyte (DMD-CM) death were described, mostly in mouse model, no suitable human CM model was until recently available together with proper clarification of the DMD-CM phenotype and delay in cardiac symptoms manifestation. We obtained several independent dystrophin-deficient human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC) lines from DMD patients and CRISPR/Cas9-generated DMD gene mutation. We differentiated DMD-hPSC into cardiac cells (CC) creating a human DMD-CC disease model. We observed that mutation-carrying cells were less prone to differentiate into CCs. DMD-CCs demonstrated an enhanced cell death rate in time. Furthermore, ion channel expression was altered in terms of potassium (Kir2.1 overexpression) and calcium handling (dihydropyridine receptor overexpression). DMD-CCs exhibited increased time of calcium transient rising compared to aged-matched control, suggesting mishandling of calcium release. We observed mechanical impairment (hypocontractility), bradycardia, increased heart rate variability, and blunted β-adrenergic response connected with remodeling of β-adrenergic receptors expression in DMD-CCs. Overall, these results indicated that our DMD-CC models are functionally affected by dystrophin-deficiency associated and recapitulate functional defects and cardiac wasting observed in the disease. It offers an accurate tool to study human cardiomyopathy progression and test therapies in vitro.

Large-bodied, river-migrating, rheophilic fishes (cyprinids) such as barbel Barbus barbus, nase Chondrostoma nasus, asp Leuciscus aspius, and vimba bream Vimba vimba are threatened in major European drainages. This represents the subject of our present study. Their hatchery nutrition prior to river-release is mostly on a hit-and-trial or carp-based diet basis. The study demonstrates an alternative approach to decide optimum nutrition for these conservation-priority and nutritionally data-poor fishes. The study revealed barbel as a central representative species in terms of wild body composition among other native rheophilic cyprinids considered (asp, nase, vimba bream). Taking barbel as a model, the study shows that barbel or rheophilic cyprinids may have carnivorous-like metabolism and higher requirements of S-containing, aromatic, branched-chain amino acids (AAs) than carps. Besides, there are important interactions of AAs and fatty acids (FAs) biosynthesis to consider. Only proper feeding of nutritionally well-selected diets may contribute to river stocking mandates such as steepest growth trajectory (≈less time in captivity), ideal size-at-release, body fitness (≈blend-in with wild conspecifics, predator refuge), better gastrointestinal condition, maximized body reserves of functional nutrients, and retention efficiencies (≈uncompromised physiology). Considering important physiological functions and how AA–FA interactions shape them, hatchery-raised fishes on casually chosen diets may have high chances of physiological, morphological, and behavioral deficits (≈low post-stocking survivability). Based on the observations, optimum nutrient requirements of juvenile (0+ to 1+ age) barbels are suggested. Future efforts may consider barbels as a nutrition model for conservation aquaculture of threatened and data poor rheophilic cyprinids of the region.

In pulse shaping filters, parameters such as the roll-off factor and the symbol span, which determine the overall performance, are of great importance when implementing a real-time system due to limited hardware resources. In this paper, we experimentally investigate a multiband carrier-less amplitude and phase (m-CAP) visible light communications (VLC) system employing such filters and assess the link performance for a range of filter lengths and show the relationship between the system data rate (or spectral efficiency) and computational complexity. We show that lower order m-CAP can offer the same system performance as higher order systems while offering much lower computational complexity. By optimizing the filter parameters and the order m of an m-CAP VLC link, we achieve the largest improvement in the data rate and bandwidth efficiency of 9.69% and 40.43%, respectively, when compared with 2- and 8-CAP. We also show that the m-CAP VLC link with $ m\geq 6$ can be designed with the same filter parameters to demonstrate a link with both the highest data rate and spectral efficiency simultaneously in contrast to lower order systems.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) affects 1:3500–5000 newborn boys and manifests with progressive skeletal muscle wasting, respiratory failure and eventual heart failure. Symptoms show different onset from patients' childhood to the second decade of age. We reprogrammed fibroblasts from two independent DMD patients with a complete loss of dystrophin expression, carrying deletions of exons 45–50 and 48–50. The resulting hiPSCs show expression of pluripotency markers (NANOG, OCT4, SSEA4), differentiation capacity into all three germ layers, normal karyotype, genetic identity to the originating parental fibroblasts and the patient-specific dystrophin mutation.

Background and objectives: For the treatment of chronic unilateral radicular syndrome, there are various methods including three minimally invasive computed tomography (CT)-guided methods, namely, pulsed radiofrequency (PRF), transforaminal oxygen ozone therapy (TFOOT), and transforaminal epidural steroid injection (TFESI). Despite this, it is still unclear which of these methods is the best in terms of pain reduction and disability improvement. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the short and long-term effectiveness of these methods by measuring pain relief using the visual analogue scale (VAS) and improvement in disability (per the Oswestry disability index (ODI)) in patients with chronic unilateral radicular syndrome at L5 or S1 that do not respond to conservative treatment. Materials and Methods: After screening 692 patients, we enrolled 178 subjects, each of whom underwent one of the above CT-guided procedures. The PRF settings were as follows: pulse width = 20 ms, f = 2 Hz, U = 45 V, Z ˂ 500 Ω, and interval = 2 × 120 s. For TFOOT, an injection of 4–5 mL of an O2-O3 mixture (24 μg/mL) was administered. For the TFESI, 1 mL of a corticosteroid (betamethasone dipropionate), 3 mL of an anaesthetic (bupivacaine hydrochloride), and a 0.5 mL mixture of a non-ionic contrast agent (Iomeron 300) were administered. Pain intensity was assessed with a questionnaire. Results: The data from 178 patients (PRF, n = 57; TFOOT, n = 69; TFESI, n = 52) who submitted correctly completed questionnaires in the third month of the follow-up period were used for statistical analysis. The median pre-treatment visual analogue scale (VAS) score in all groups was six points. Immediately after treatment, the largest decrease in the median VAS score was observed in the TFESI group, with a score of 3.5 points (a decrease of 41.7%). In the PRF and TFOOT groups, the median VAS score decreased to 4 and 5 points (decreases of 33% and 16.7%, respectively). The difference in the early (immediately after) post-treatment VAS score between the TFESI and TFOOT groups was statistically significant (p = 0.0152). At the third and sixth months after treatment, the median VAS score was five points in all groups, without a statistically significant difference (p > 0.05). Additionally, there were no significant differences in the Oswestry disability index (ODI) values among the groups at any of the follow-up visits. Finally, there were no significant effects of age or body mass index (BMI) on both treatment outcomes (maximum absolute value of Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient = 0.193). Conclusions: Although the three methods are equally efficient in reducing pain over the entire follow-up, we observed that TFESI (a corticosteroid with a local anaesthetic) proved to be the most effective method for early post-treatment pain relief.

The use of anabolic steroid hormones as growth promoters in feed for farm animals has been banned in the European Union since 1988 on the basis of Council Directive 96/22/EC. However, there is still ongoing monitoring and reporting of positive findings of these banned substances in EU countries. The aim of this work was to investigate the efficacy and discriminatory ability of metabolic fingerprinting after the administration of 17β-testosterone esters to pigs. Plasma and urine samples were chromatographically separated on a Hypersil Gold C18 column. High resolution mass spectrometry metabolomic fingerprints were analysed on a hybrid mass spectrometer Q-Exactive. Three independent multivariate statistical methods, namely principal component analysis, clustre analysis, and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis showed significant differences between the treated and control groups of pigs even 14 days after the administration of the hormonal drug. Plasma samples were also analysed by a conventional quantitative analysis using liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry and a pharmacokinetic curve was constructed based on the results. In this case, no testosterone residue was detected 14 days after the administration. The results clearly showed that a metabolomics approach can be a useful and effective tool for the detection and monitoring of banned anabolic steroids used illegally in pig fattening.

Recent data on Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) show myocyte progenitor’s involvement in the disease pathology often leading to the DMD patient’s death. The molecular mechanism underlying stem cell impairment in DMD has not been described. We created dystrophin-deficient human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC) lines by reprogramming cells from two DMD patients, and also by introducing dystrophin mutation into human embryonic stem cells via CRISPR/Cas9. While dystrophin is expressed in healthy hPSC, its deficiency in DMD hPSC lines induces the release of reactive oxygen species (ROS) through dysregulated activity of all three isoforms of nitric oxide synthase (further abrev. as, NOS). NOS-induced ROS release leads to DNA damage and genomic instability in DMD hPSC. We were able to reduce both the ROS release as well as DNA damage to the level of wild-type hPSC by inhibiting NOS activity.

Small unmanned aerial systems (UASs) equipped with an optical camera are a cost-effective strategy for topographic surveys. These low-cost UASs can provide useful information for three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction even if they are equipped with a low-quality navigation system. To ensure the production of high-quality topographic models, careful consideration of the flight mode and proper distribution of ground control points are required. To this end, a commercial UAS was adopted to monitor a small earthen dam using different combinations of flight configurations and by adopting a variable number of ground control points (GCPs). The results highlight that optimization of both the choice and combination of flight plans can reduce the relative error of the 3D model to within two meters without the need to include GCPs. However, the use of GCPs greatly improved the quality of the topographic survey, reducing error to the order of a few centimeters. The combined use of images extracted from two flights, one with a camera mounted at nadir and the second with a 20° angle, was found to be beneficial for increasing the overall accuracy of the 3D model and especially the vertical precision.

The possibility of replacing the originally discovered and widely used DNA reprogramming transcription factors is stimulating enormous effort to identify more effective compounds that would not alter the genetic information. Here, we describe the generation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSc) from head-derived primary culture of mouse embryonic cells using small chemical inhibitors of the MEK and TGF-beta pathways without delivery of exogenous transcription factors. These iPSc express standard pluripotency markers and retain their potential to differentiate into cells of all germ layers. Our data indicate that head-derived embryonic neural cells might have the reprogramming potential while neither the same primary cells cultivated over five passages in vitro nor a cell population derived from adult brain possesses this capacity. Our results reveal the potential for small molecules to functionally replace routinely used transcription factors and lift the veil on molecular regulation controlling pluripotency. The conditions described here could provide a platform upon which other genome non integrative and safer reprogramming processes could be developed. This work also shows novel potential for developing embryonic neural cells.

Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are pluripotent stem cells with long-lasting capacity to self-renew and differentiate into various cell types of endodermal, ectodermal or mesodermal origin. Unlike mouse ESCs (mESCs), which can be maintained in an undifferentiated state simply by adding leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) into the culture medium, hESCs are notorious for the sustained willingness to differentiate and not yet clearly defined signaling pathways that are crucial for their "stemness". Presently, our knowledge involves only limited number of growth factor signaling pathways that appear to be biologically relevant for stem cell functions in vitro. These include BMP, TGFbeta, Wnt, and FGF signaling pathway. The purpose of this review is to summarize recent data on the expression of FGFs and their receptors in hESCs, and critically evaluate the potential effects of FGF signals for their undifferentiated growth and/or differentiation in context with our current understanding of FGF/FGFR biology.

The aim of this work was to determine antioxidant capacity of beverages containing black, white, and green tea extracts using the photochemiluminescence method, and to monitor its changes based on the storage temperature and time. Samples were stored at two different temperatures (refrigerated at 4°C and laboratory temperature 22°C), analyzed after opening of the original package, and consequently after 4 and 7 days. Results of the antioxidant capacity are expressed as the standard equivalents, that is, ascorbic acid in mmol/L. The highest mean value of the antioxidant capacity was found after opening of the original package in fruit-juice-enriched samples and totaled 9.793 mmol/L. This group revealed significant dependence (P

Abstract Speciation is a continuous process driven by genetic, geographic, and ecological barriers to gene flow. It is widely investigated in multicellular eukaryotes, yet we are only beginning to comprehend the relative importance of mechanisms driving the emergence of barriers to gene flow in microbial populations. Here, we explored the diversification of the nearly ubiquitous soil cyanobacterium Microcoleus. Our dataset consisted of 291 genomes, of which 202 strains and eight herbarium specimens were sequenced for this study. We found that Microcoleus represents a global speciation continuum of at least 12 lineages, which radiated during Eocene/Oligocene aridification and exhibit varying degrees of divergence and gene flow. The lineage divergence has been driven by selection, geographical distance, and the environment. Evidence of genetic divergence and selection was widespread across the genome, but we identified regions of exceptional differentiation containing candidate genes associated with stress response and biosynthesis of secondary metabolites.

Summary: The filamentous cyanobacterium Microcoleus is among the most important global primary producers, especially in hot and cold desert ecosystems. This taxon represents a continuum consisting of a minimum of 12 distinct species with varying levels of gene flow and divergence. The notion of a species continuum is poorly understood in most lineages but is especially challenging in cyanobacteria. Here we show that genomic diversification of the Microcoleus continuum is reflected by morphological adaptation. We compiled a dataset of morphological data from 180 cultured strains and 300 whole genome sequences, including eight herbarium specimens and the type specimen of Microcoleus. We employed a combination of phylogenomic, population genomic, and population-level morphological data analyses to delimit species boundaries. Finally, we suggest that the shape of the filament apices may have an adaptive function to environmental conditions in the soil.

The paper outlines the understanding of emergence in Ontic Structural Realism of James Ladyman (and his co-author Ross). First, the notion of emergence is explored, surveying the various distinctions associated with it (ontological vs. epistemological, diachronic vs. synchronic, weak vs. strong). It turns out that Ross and Ladyman’s notion of emergence is that of weak epistemological emergence compatible with ontic reduction. Particular notions of emergence are associated with the objection embodied in the Generalized Causal Exclusion Argument. The latter is sketched and the solution of Ross and Ladyman is presented: first, in general, the notion of weak emergence is not threatened by this objection. Causal reduction associated with it ensures that there are no competing causal explanations, so no overdetermination arises. Second, there is a peculiar feature of Ross and Ladyman’s theory; namely, there is no causation on the fundamental level, only pattern dynamism. Causation emerges only on higher levels of special sciences. Hence, there is no problem of causal overdetermination.

The paper deals with Thomas Aquinas’s (1225–1274) theory of predication. Aquinas’s numerous works contain passages devoted to the issue of how predication works, usually in various theological or philosophical contexts. Assuming Aquinas’s account of predication was sufficiently uniform in relation to essential and accidental predications, there are several distinct interpretative models of predication possible in relation to the texts. They differ in ascribing different semantic roles to the copula. The first model sees the copula as expressing inherence of a form expressed by the predicate term in the entity denoted by the subject term. The second model interprets the copula as designating identity. The third model incorporates inherence with the fact that Aquinas combines predicative and existential functions of the copula. I argue that the identity model is closest to what Aquinas has in mind when speaking about predication as opposed to extensional truth conditions.

The effect of simultaneous intercropping of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) with different legumes of faba bean (Vicia faba L.), pea (Pisum sativum L.), and purple clover (Trifolium incarnatum L.) on selected production and qualitative parameters of wheat was evaluated in field trials conducted both in organic and conventional cropping systems, in comparison with pure sown wheat. Wheat intercropped with legumes achieved higher grain yield compared to pure sown wheat for an average of two years. However, in organic cultivation, the positive effect of intercropping on wheat yields was more pronounced. In addition, a strong influence of the year was noted. In 2021, in the organic cropping system, the most yielding intercropped wheat (especially with pea and bean) achieved 114-117% higher yields compared to pure sown wheat (in the previous year of 2020, it was usually only about 102-106%). In the conventional cropping system, the effect of intercropping on wheat yield was significantly weaker, and in 2021, wheat intercropped with legumes reached even lower yields than pure sown wheat in some cases. In terms of sowing methods (both in organic and conventional cropping systems), mixed sowing with individual legumes significantly exceeded the yields of wheat grown with legumes in separate, alternating rows. As regards quality parameters, wheat intercropped with legumes reached in comparison with pure sown wheat usually had higher crude protein content in wheat grain dry matter and higher values of Zeleny sedimentation.

Abstract Cyanobacteria are crucial primary producers in soil and soil crusts. However, their biodiversity in these habitats remains poorly understood, especially in the tropical and polar regions. We employed whole genome sequencing, morphology, and ecology to describe a novel cyanobacterial genus Argonema isolated from Antarctica. Extreme environments are renowned for their relatively high number of endemic species, but whether cyanobacteria are endemic or not is open to much current debate. To determine if a cyanobacterial lineage is endemic is a time consuming, elaborate, and expensive global sampling effort. Thus, we propose an approach that will help to overcome the limits of the sampling effort and better understand the global distribution of cyanobacterial clades. We employed a Sequencing Read Archive, which provides a rich source of data from thousands of environmental samples. We developed a framework for a characterization of the global distribution of any microbial species using Sequencing Read Archive. Using this approach, we found that Argonema is actually cosmopolitan in arid regions. It provides further evidence that endemic microbial taxa are likely to be much rarer than expected.

In the post-socialistic space, old, industrialised regions are not only dealing with problems with the regeneration of industrial brownfields but also with the occurrence of post-agricultural brownfields. The main objective of this paper is to identify and interpret how a successful network of cooperating actors was formed that participated in the process of transforming an agricultural brownfield into a successful rural business zone. From a methodological perspective, the article is based on the findings derived from a set of written memories with ten key actors who were involved in the redevelopment process. The studied regeneration project, which was implemented thanks to the successful cooperation of network of actors both from different hierarchical levels (local, regional and central level) and from the different sectors (public, private and non-profit sector), regenerated an area of 10.4 hectares thanks to both public and private investments of approximately CZK 240 million. Regeneration contributed to the creation of approximately 450 new jobs, and thanks to this project, the population in Třanovice also increased significantly in the transition period (1991–2021), which the studied community positively distinguishes from the shrinking urban centres and rural communities in the post-industrial neighbourhoods.

Plastic spacers create a linear and systemic weakening of the structure. The extreme loading of the structure tests the structure itself to its load-bearing limit or even locally exceeds this limit, thus revealing all its weak points, which are the spacers. Nevertheless, the influence of the spacers is not included in the design calculation of the reinforced concrete element. In addition, products intended as spacers for the placement of reinforcement do not belong to the specific families of construction products covered by a harmonized standard of European parliament regulation. For these reasons, it is not required to demonstrate any characteristics of these products. This fact allows the use of arbitrary spacers’ shapes and materials. As shown by the experiment carried out, the use of commonly used plastic liners will result in a weakening of the cross-section. The normal assessment of the ultimate or serviceability limit state is not affected by this weakening. An example of an experiment carried out where this problem was captured is the subject of this paper. With Europe’s current deteriorated safety situation, understanding the influence of spacers in blast-loaded reinforced concrete structures on structural failure is important, and it is appropriate to further address this issue. Based on this experiment, it is not possible to accurately identify the causes of the explosion cracks. In order to determine with certainty the effect of spacers on the strength of the structure under abnormal blast loadings, research needs to focus on this area. In the field experimental measurements and numerical simulations, it was found that the use of linear spacers has an effect on crack formation under the blast action of the tested slab.

Topics focused on the descriptive representation of elected bodies in the Czech Republic are currently on the rise. The article analyzes the composition of regional councils in the Czech Republic regarding gender, education, occupation, residence, and age from 2000 to 2020. We used the proportionality ratio (residence) and other statistical methods to analyze the composition of regional councils in view of the changing political composition.

The incorporation of plasmonic core-shell nanostructures at the grain boundaries of perovskite films reduces the charge recombination loss through photo-brightening of trap states.

The regulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels in plants is ensured by mechanisms preventing their over accumulation, and by diverse antioxidants, including enzymes and nonenzymatic compounds. These are affected by redox conditions, posttranslational modifications, transcriptional and posttranscriptional modifications, Ca2+, nitric oxide (NO) and mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathways. Recent knowledge about protein-protein interactions (PPIs) of antioxidant enzymes advanced during last decade. The best-known examples are interactions mediated by redox buffering proteins such as thioredoxins and glutaredoxins. This review summarizes interactions of major antioxidant enzymes with regulatory and signaling proteins and their diverse functions. Such interactions are important for stability, degradation and activation of interacting partners. Moreover, PPIs of antioxidant enzymes may connect diverse metabolic processes with ROS scavenging. Proteins like receptor for activated C kinase 1 may ensure coordination of antioxidant enzymes to ensure efficient ROS regulation. Nevertheless, PPIs in antioxidant defense are understudied, and intensive research is required to define their role in complex regulation of ROS scavenging.

Aquaponics is a food production system that combines aquaculture with hydroponics. The simultaneous existence of fish, beneficial bacteria and plants in the same water loop predisposes the fish and bacteria to a possible detrimental effect of plant protection products. Additionally, there is an inadequate exploration of scientific studies on the impact of pesticides on fish and bacteria in aquaponics systems. This study investigated the effects of three commercial insecticides based on the following active ingredients: pyrethrum, azadirachtin, and spinosad, on aquaponics systems. Due to ethical concerns in animal testing, applying insecticides directly to aquaponics setup was impossible. Therefore, three separate experiments were conducted: (1) Pesticide runoff rate – in which insecticides were applied to basil (Ocimum basilicum) plants grown in two hydroponic systems: media bed and floating raft. The concentrations of applied insecticides were measured in the water of nutrient solutions of the hydroponics after 1, 3, 6, 12, 24, 36, 48, 72 and 96h to establish a pattern of degradation of insecticides. The result from this experiment showed that pyrethrum and spinosad were detected in unquantifiable concentrations in the nutrient solutions. Hence, further experiments were conducted only with azadirachtin. In a biofilter trial (2) – azadirachtin, at three concentrations (1.5 µg L-1; 7.5 µg L-1; and 15 µg L-1), was added to a running biofilter to investigate the effects on nitrifying bacteria. Mild effects were recorded in the nitrification and bacteria microbiome. In the third trial (3) – Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) were exposed to similar concentrations of azadirachtin for seven days (and the same period for recovery) to investigate effects on fish hematology, blood biochemistry, antioxidative enzymes in the brain, gills, muscle, liver and intestine and histopathology of gills and liver. Results showed mild effects in hematology and biochemistry profile in fish and higher levels of lipid peroxidation in the liver during the exposure. The results indicate a safe use of pyrethrum and spinosad in aquaponics setup, while azadirachtin has to be used with care, especially in coupled aquaponics systems.

The sympatric occurrence of closely related lineages displaying conserved morphological and ecological traits is often characteristic of free-living microbes. Gene flow, recombination, selection, and mutations govern the genetic variability between these cryptic lineages and drive their differentiation. However, sequencing conservative molecular markers (e.g., 16S rRNA) coupled with insufficient population-level sampling hindered the study of intra-species genetic diversity and speciation in cyanobacteria. We used phylogenomics and a population genomic approach to investigate the extent of local genomic diversity and the mechanisms underlying sympatric speciation of Laspinema thermale. We found two cryptic lineages of Laspinema. The lineages were highly genetically diverse, with recombination occurring more frequently within than between them. That suggests the existence of a barrier to gene flow, which further maintains divergence. Genomic regions of high population differentiation harbored genes associated with possible adaptations to high/low light conditions and stress stimuli, although with a weak diversifying selection. Overall, the diversification of Laspinema species might have been affected by both genomic and ecological processes.

The aim of this contribution is to refer to the exceptional function of the Franciscan, so-called “Stabile” Cadastre in landscape description of the first half of the 19th century. The Franciscan Cadastre is an outstanding piece of work, both for its high historic and aesthetic value as well as for its detailed depiction of not only land use but also elementary description of social and economic aspects of the settlements during the beginnings of the Industrial and the Agricultural Revolution in the Czech lands. The Franciscan Cadastre is a perfect tool for research on landscape structures, as it consists of the map records in which the actual landscape situation was recorded with the assistance of precise cartographic techniques, and thus allows us to study its spatial structure; the written records provide us with quantitative information about land use and way of farming. The essence of this contribution is the data analysis making use of the Franciscan Cadastre of Dolní Kounice, and creating a compact “picture” of the area on the basis of social, material-technical and economic situation, which is described in the written records of the Franciscan Cadastre of the town. The pillar of such picture is the data concerning population and its way of living, farming methods, crops cultivated and animals bred. Specific attention is paid to ten categories of land use in Dolní Kounice, which are delimited in the written records of the Franciscan Cadastre. They are: arable land, pastures, vineyards, gardens, builtup areas, forest, arable land with fruit trees, pastures with fruit trees, pastures with trees and shrubs, and crop-fallow rotation, with which we can further on specify the way of farming, proprietary relations and the size of land blocks, using the map cadastral records. The landscape structure described in the Franciscan Cadastre (1841) is compared with the data from 1845 that is used when studying long-term changes of land use based on the statistical data (LUCC UK Prague database). Krajina Dolních Kounic z pohledu autorů Františkánského („Stabilního“) katastru Stabilní katastr, podle panovníka který inicioval jeho vznik též Františkánský katastr, je ucelené, na svoji dobu maximálně objektivní a přesné dílo o kvantitativním i kvalitativním stavu půdního fondu a ekonomiky v Č echách, na M oravě a ve S lezsku, ale i R akousku a Dalmácii. Unikátní je svojí podrobností, rozsahem věcným i územním a jednotnými pravidly, podle nichž vznikal a které usnadňují porovnatelnost jeho výstupů i v mezinárodním kontextu. Velice cenný je precizně zpracovaný mapový operát Stabilního katastru, ze kterého doposud ještě vychází 70 % současných katastrálních map (Pešl 2001), což hovoří za vše. Písemný operát je bohatý na detailní historickogeografická data o celém katastrálním území, jež by se dala seřadit do tří kategorií: údaje o sídle a katastru, informace o zemědělské výrobě a využití půdy, údaje o průmyslové výrobě, obchodu a živnostech. Krajina Dolních Kounic, jak ji zachytil stabilní katastr, je krajinou na přelomu barokní a novověké éry. Stále se zde plně neprojevila zemědělská revoluce v podobě systému střídavého hospodářství a dalších intenzifikačních opatření, ale z pohledu průmyslu je tomu naopak, průmyslová výroba se zde již rozvíjí, nejvýznamnějším podnikem je textilní továrna a cihelny, město je hospodářským a obchodním centrem pro blízký region. Krajinné pokrývce dominuje mozaika polí, vinic a pastvin, která je zejména na levobřežní části katastru velmi drobná a pestrá. Z mapového operátu je patrná snaha o využití každého možného pozemku – pastviny jsou v údolích vodotečí i na velmi strmých svazích, neobhospodařované zůstávají prakticky jen holé skály. Město je determinováno reliéfem a řekou, která ho dělí i významově na jádro (centrum města na pravém břehu) a periferii na levém břehu. Špatné dopravní napojení a poloha Dolních Kounic mimo hlavní obchodní cesty a železnici vedla v pozdější době k jeho stagnaci. Srovnatelnost dat o využití půdy vedených v rámci Stabilního katastru, tedy z roku 1841, a z katastrálních výkazů z roku 1845 není v případě Dolních Kounic jednoznačná, protože byly použity z části jiné kategorie využití půdy (některé upřesňující, jiné naopak generalizující) a zřejmě i odlišné postupy při hodnocení jednotlivých ploch. Z porovnání vyplývá, že tyto dva datové soubory nelze mezi sebou porovnávat na základě základních kategorií land use, ale jen pomocí souhrnných kategorií (zemědělský půdní fond, Lesní plochy a jiné), podobně jak to popisuje metodika použitá tvůrci databáze LUCC UK. Vzhledem k přesně danému postupu při torbě Stabilního katastru i při pozdější tvorbě katastrálních výkazů lze očekávat podobné nesrovnalosti také v ostatních katastrálních územích.

The study aimed to evaluate the effect of the straw mulch and compost application on the soil losses in potatoes cultivation. The three-year (2016-2018) exact field plot trials with the potato cv. Dicolora was carried out at the experimental station in Prague-Uhříněves. Wheat straw mulch in two doses 2.5 t/ha (SM1) and 4.5 t/ha (SM2) was applied on the soil surface; the compost in a dose of 20 t/ha (CM) was shuffled to the surface soil layer. Both straw mulch and compost application contributed to the significant reduction of the soil losses compared to control untreated (C). In the average of 2016-2018, the lowest soil loss 17.54 g/m2 (amount of the soil sediment caught) was found for the variant with the straw mulch treatment (SM2); it means the decrease of soil losses by 71.9% compared to C. Variant SM1 (lower rate of straw mulch in dose 2.5 t/ha) showed the soil loss 18.6 g/m2 (the decrease by 70.2% compared to C). The similar results for both variants indicate that for effective soil protection, it is not necessary to use the high doses of the straw mulch. Regarding the distribution of precipitation during the vegetation season, intensive precipitation during the short time, especially when they came after the longer period of drought led to higher soil losses compared to the precipitation distributed regularly.

In the 2017-2018 mushrooming seasons at the (Bohemian-Moravian Highlands near Dolní­ Roží­nka) a total of 505 mushrooms belonging to 9 species were collected, and analyzed by gamma spectrometry for 137Cs activity. The maximum 137Cs activity of 575 Bq.kg-1 was detected in Boletus edulis species, what in native state, is just below the allowed limit. In contrast, in mushroom Imleria badia, which is reported to be associated with the highest cumulative capability from all fungi species, detected activity level was only 316 Bq. kg-1. However, differences in mean contamination values were not significant due to high variability. It was shown, that activity concentration is not dependent on the weight (size) of Imleria badia. Our results also confirmed generally well known lower 137Cs activity in the Russula species representatives belonging to the group of gills or lamella bearing mushrooms.

Iron superoxide dismutase 1 (FSD1) was recently characterized as a plastidial, cytoplasmic, and nuclear enzyme with osmoprotective and antioxidant functions. However, the current knowledge on its role in oxidative stress tolerance is ambiguous. Here, we characterized the role of FSD1 in response to methyl viologen (MV)-induced oxidative stress in Arabidopsis thaliana. In accordance with the known regulation of FSD1 expression, abundance, and activity, the findings demonstrated that the antioxidant function of FSD1 depends on the availability of Cu2+ in growth media. Arabidopsis fsd1 mutants showed lower capacity to decompose superoxide at low Cu2+ concentrations in the medium. Prolonged exposure to MV led to reduced ascorbate levels and higher protein carbonylation in fsd1 mutants and transgenic plants lacking a plastid FSD1 pool as compared to the wild type. MV induced a rapid increase in FSD1 activity, followed by a decrease after 4 h long exposure. Genetic disruption of FSD1 negatively affected the hydrogen peroxide-decomposing ascorbate peroxidase in fsd1 mutants. Chloroplastic localization of FSD1 is crucial to maintain redox homeostasis. Proteomic analysis showed that the sensitivity of fsd1 mutants to MV coincided with decreased abundances of ferredoxin and photosystem II light-harvesting complex proteins. These mutants have higher levels of chloroplastic proteases indicating an altered protein turnover in chloroplasts. Moreover, FSD1 disruption affects the abundance of proteins involved in the defense response. Collectively, the study provides evidence for the conditional antioxidative function of FSD1 and its possible role in signaling.

The reliability of numerical simulations of the structural response of nonhomogeneous materials to high velocity loadings is highly dependent on the used material model and parameters. For nonhomogeneous materials, such as fibres, reinforced concrete is widely used for the Winfrith model, but the question of appropriate material parameters for Ultra-High Performance Fibre Reinforcement Concrete (UHPFRC) under high velocity loadings is still open. The article deals with possible method of inverse identification of material parameters of a UHPFRC slab under blast loading for a Winfrith material model. Possible application is in the field of numerical simulation of protective or critical infrastructure response to blast loading. Experimental measurement of the time–deflection curve through laser scanning using the triangulation method gave us input data for an inverse identification phase conducted in Optislang software. Obtained material parameters from a given range are optimized for blast loading and their Pearson’s correlation coefficient provides us information about their significance for simulation.

The frequent occurrence of years with extreme drought leads to the investigation of measures for mitigation of their impacts. The efficiency of organic mulch materials - straw and compost application as the preservation of potato production in drought conditions were verified in this study. Three mulching treatments were verified during the three experimental years (2016-2018) in an exact field trial with potatoes cv. Dicolora. Wheat straw mulch in the rate of 2.5 t/ha (SM1) and 4.5 t/ha (SM2), compost in the rate of 20 t/ha (CM), and control block without any treatments (C) were used. The yield of marketable tubers (tuber over 40 mm) showed a significant increase by 21.2% at the straw mulch treatment (SM2) in comparison with control. As for the straw mulch (SM1) and compost mulch (CM), tubers yields increased by 12.8% and 10.1%, respectively, compared to control.

In the present study, Finka and Katka potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) varieties were used at two localities (Leškovice and Uhříněves) and the effects of the surface mulching on chlorophyll content (SPAD values), soil water potential (SWP) and tuber yield of potato (YWP) were observed. Two mulching treatments (chopped grass and black polypropylene mulch) were used in the study. The results showed that plastic mulch can be an important factor for potato cultivation on localities with dystric cambisol soil type currently facing lack of precipitation. Organic mulching (with chopped grass) significantly influenced YWP. It favorably increased the fresh weight of tubers (over 60 mm) per plant by 81.4% in comparison with control. Additionally, it has been found that the type of mulching or varieties can be expressed by different SPAD-yield relationship. Whereas the values of SWP and SPAD values too were not significantly affected by organic mulch, they were significantly correlated with the YWP (r2= 42.4%, P

The study aimed at evaluating the total content of polyphenols (TPC) and phenolic acids (TPA) in grain of 4 spring einkorn, 4 emmer, 4 spelt and 4 common wheat genotypes cultivated under organic cropping system in two-year trials. The TPC and TPA were significantly affected both by genotype, wheat species and crop year (weather conditions). At the same time, TPC and TPA were mainly affected by the crop year while the effect of genetic factors was lesser. The TPC ranged from 618 mg/kg DM (dry matter) (common wheat cv. Annie) to 792.37 mg/kg DM (Triticum monococcum GEO) and TPA from 700.66 mg/kg DM (cv. Annie) to 874.74 mg/kg DM (Schwedishes einkorn) in an average of two-year results. Related to the wheat species, total content of polyphenols was in order einkorn > emmer > common wheat > spelt, total content of phenolic acids in order einkorn > spelt > emmer > common wheat. Higher TPC and TPA were observed in the very dry year 2018.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are signaling molecules essential for plant responses to abiotic and biotic stimuli as well as for multiple developmental processes. They are produced as byproducts of aerobic metabolism and are affected by adverse environmental conditions. The ROS content is controlled on the side of their production but also by scavenging machinery. Antioxidant enzymes represent a major ROS-scavenging force and are crucial for stress tolerance in plants. Enzymatic antioxidant defense occurs as a series of redox reactions for ROS elimination. Therefore, the deregulation of the antioxidant machinery may lead to the overaccumulation of ROS in plants, with negative consequences both in terms of plant development and resistance to environmental challenges. The transcriptional activation of antioxidant enzymes accompanies the long-term exposure of plants to unfavorable environmental conditions. Fast ROS production requires the immediate mobilization of the antioxidant defense system, which may occur via retrograde signaling, redox-based modifications, and the phosphorylation of ROS detoxifying enzymes. This review aimed to summarize the current knowledge on signaling processes regulating the enzymatic antioxidant capacity of plants.

Drivers of the speciation in bacteria, including geographical isolation and horizontal gene transfer, are still poorly understood. Here, we characterized a new lineage within an anciently diverged thermophilic cyanobacteria. We sequenced the whole genome of a strain Thermostichus vulcanus isolated from the Rupite spring (Bulgaria), which is closely related to Theromstichus strains JA-2-3Aa and JA-2-3B′a(2-13). We performed phylogenetic inference, horizontal gene transfer estimation, and CRISPR/Cas system characterization. We found that the Rupite strain is a distinct species from strains JA-2-3Aa, and JA-2-3B′a(2-13). Furthermore, the horizontal gene transfer seemed to be more frequent among the geographically distant species than between the two species within the same hot spring. The CRISPR/Cas system had variable complexity among the species of Thermostichus in terms of both the number of spacers and genes. The Rupite strain had the highest, and JA-2-3Aa the lowest number of spacers among the analyzed strains, and the CRISPR spacers were only rarely shared among the strains. We conclude that the CRISPR/Cas system size varied among the lineages as well as the gene flow.

Annexin 1 (ANN1) is the most abundant member of the evolutionary conserved multigene protein superfamily of annexins in plants. Generally, annexins participate in diverse cellular processes, such as cell growth, differentiation, vesicle trafficking, and stress responses. The expression of annexins is developmentally regulated, and it is sensitive to the external environment. ANN1 is expressed in almost all Arabidopsis tissues, while the most abundant is in the root, root hairs, and in the hypocotyl epidermal cells. Annexins were also occasionally proposed to associate with cytoskeleton and vesicles, but they were never developmentally localized at the subcellular level in diverse plant tissues and organs. Using advanced light-sheet fluorescence microscopy (LSFM), we followed the developmental and subcellular localization of GFP-tagged ANN1 in post-embryonic Arabidopsis organs. By contrast to conventional microscopy, LSFM allowed long-term imaging of ANN1-GFP in Arabidopsis plants at near-environmental conditions without affecting plant viability. We studied developmental regulation of ANN1-GFP expression and localization in growing Arabidopsis roots: strong accumulation was found in the root cap and epidermal cells (preferentially in elongating trichoblasts), but it was depleted in dividing cells localized in deeper layers of the root meristem. During root hair development, ANN1-GFP accumulated at the tips of emerging and growing root hairs, which was accompanied by decreased abundance in the trichoblasts. In aerial plant parts, ANN1-GFP was localized mainly in the cortical cytoplasm of trichomes and epidermal cells of hypocotyls, cotyledons, true leaves, and their petioles. At the subcellular level, ANN1-GFP was enriched at the plasma membrane (PM) and vesicles of non-dividing cells and in mitotic and cytokinetic microtubular arrays of dividing cells. Additionally, an independent immunolocalization method confirmed ANN1-GFP association with mitotic and cytokinetic microtubules (PPBs and phragmoplasts) in dividing cells of the lateral root cap. Lattice LSFM revealed subcellular accumulation of ANN1-GFP around the nuclear envelope of elongating trichoblasts. Massive relocation and accumulation of ANN1-GFP at the PM and in Hechtian strands and reticulum in plasmolyzed cells suggest a possible osmoprotective role of ANN1-GFP during plasmolysis/deplasmolysis cycle. This study shows complex developmental and subcellular localization patterns of ANN1 in living Arabidopsis plants.

For several decades, researchers are working to develop improved major crops with better adaptability and tolerance to environmental stresses. Forage legumes have been widely spread in the world due to their great ecological and economic values. Abiotic and biotic stresses are main factors limiting legume production, however, alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) shows relatively high level of tolerance to drought and salt stress. Efforts focused on alfalfa improvements have led to the release of cultivars with new traits of agronomic importance such as high yield, better stress tolerance or forage quality. Alfalfa has very high nutritional value due to its efficient symbiotic association with nitrogen-fixing bacteria, while deep root system can help to prevent soil water loss in dry lands. The use of modern biotechnology tools is challenging in alfalfa since full genome, unlike to its close relative barrel medic (Medicago truncatula Gaertn.), was not released yet. Identification, isolation, and improvement of genes involved in abiotic or biotic stress response significantly contributed to the progress of our understanding how crop plants cope with these environmental challenges. In this review, we provide an overview of the progress that has been made in high-throughput sequencing, characterization of genes for abiotic or biotic stress tolerance, gene editing, as well as proteomic and metabolomics techniques bearing biotechnological potential for alfalfa improvement.

Anaerobic digestion (AD) plants undoubtedly represent an integral and irreplaceable element in rural energy transition and sustainable waste management. In our study, we focus on an advanced understanding of the dynamics behind the changing perceptions of AD plants in host communities in Poland, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic. The surveyed AD plant case studies were selected to represent best-practice examples of AD plant operations in their countries. By means of a comparative survey in three host communities, we seek to learn more about the shift in perceptions of AD plants between their planning and operational phases. We find that, although our cases are considered best-practice examples of AD plant operations, their overall support in their communities dramatically dropped in the operational phase consequent to real-life experience with living in the neighbourhood of an AD plant. Additionally, our findings indicate that respondents who reported the most severe deterioration of AD plant perceptions were, surprisingly, those who had participated in the planning process more than other respondents. The most frequently mentioned type of participation in the planning phase was reported to be visits to the local administration office to inspect an AD plant’s planning documentation. We argue that deteriorating perceptions of best-practice examples of AD plant operations negatively impact the further development and acceptance of the biogas sector in Eastern Europe. The element of acceptance by the locals of AD plant operations urgently requires reflection in the definition of best practices to inspire and upgrade both existing and planned biogas energy projects.

The aim of the study was to evaluate total antioxidant activity (TAA) and total content of carotenoids (TCC), anthocyanins (TAC), phenolics (TPC) and phenolic acids (PAs) in grain of selected pigmented wheat genotypes and traditional control cultivar cultivated under organic and conventional cropping systems in two-year trials. All of the evaluated parameters were significantly affected both by genotype and evaluated environmental factors. While in TPC, PAs and TCC the effect of years prevailed, TAC was affected mainly by genotype. The effect of genotype and year in TAA was comparable. TPC ranged from 581.71 mg/kg (control cv. Annie) to 723.60 mg/kg (cultivar with purple pericarp PS Karkulka), total PAs content from 711.77 mg/kg (cv. PS Karkulka) to 849.47 mg/kg (cv. Skorpion with blue aleurone). TCC varied from 1.56 mg/kg (cv. PS Karkulka) to 5.32 mg/kg (cv. Citrus with yellow endosperm). The highest TAC (63.23 mg/kg) was found in cv. Skorpion, the lowest (12.70 mg/kg) in cv. AF Jumiko with purple pericarp. Anthocyanins were not detected in cvs. Annie and Citrus. TAA varied from 162.68 mg/kg in cv. Annie to 226.71 mg/kg in breeding line KM 53-14 with blue aleurone. Higher TAA and antioxidants contents and lower grain yields were observed in organic cropping system and in drier year 2016.

Facilities for generating renewable energy form important elements in the rural landscape of the Czech Republic. The distribution of these facilities is highly uneven due to various natural and socio-economic factors. In our paper, we are focusing our attention on one of the important facilities for the generation of renewable energy in the Czech Republic; anaerobic digestion (AD) plants. In 2016, more than five hundred AD plants could be found in the country with a total installed capacity of 360 MW. By means of analyses of data on location of individual AD plants, quality of soils, size of agricultural farms (in which majority of AD plants is incorporated) we found that agricultural AD plants in the Czech Republic tend to concentrate in areas with larger agricultural farms and also in areas with average and slightly below average conditions for agricultural activities. Core areas where agricultural AD plants are the most densely located were also identified. In these areas, large farms with AD plants tend to crowd out smaller farms. Pressure to grow maize for ADs significantly competes here with growing of other agricultural crops for food. This finding is in strong contradiction with the official national agricultural policy where support for small farms is systematically emphasized. Core areas with AD plants make a belt that mostly covers sub-mountainous central parts of the Czech Republic where traditional agricultural plants are now significantly being displaced by maize to feed AD plants.

Common carp (Cyprinus carpio) aquaculture is one of the most important and rapidly growing productions around the world. However, for consumers, carp is often not acceptable due to its distinctive colour and odour. In this study, we investigated the effects of bleeding of common carp on fillet quality. The obtained results show that carp bleeding by cutting the gill arches is an effective way of reducing the total haem content, which here decreased from (9.6±1.6) in unbled carp to (2.34±0.8) μmol/kg of haemoglobin in bled carp. Furthermore, fillets from bled carp showed reduced formation of primary and secondary lipid oxidation products and growth of microorganisms during 12 days of refrigerated aerobic storage. On the last day of storage, the amount of lipid hydroperoxides decreased from (88.9±4.2) in unbled to (62.1±2.9) μmol/kg of cumene hydroperoxide in bled carp, TBARS decreased from (4.2±0.5) in unbled to (2.6±0.4) μmol/kg of malondialdehyde in bled carp, mesophilic and psychrotrophic bacteria count decreased from (6.4±0.1) and (6.2±0.3) log CFU/g in unbled to (4.0±0.2) and (4.2±0.2) log CFU/g in bled carp, respectively. These raw bled fillets showed increased lightness L*, and reduced redness a* and yellowness b* compared to unbled fillets. Sensory analysis showed improved colour, odour and overall acceptability of bled raw fillets. Overall, bleeding improves the quality of carp fillets. Thus, inclusion of bleeding into processing of carp fillets has the potential to improve their acceptance by consumers and prolong their shelf-life.

Fortification structures, both military and civilian, are designed to resist a blast explosion to some extent. Their technical condition after a blast load must be assessed in a fast and reliable way to enable the users’ decision about the future use of the structure. Preferably, for the assessment of the protective structure, the non-destructive testing method should be used. To assess the suitability of ultrasound testing method for fortification structures built from steel fiber reinforced concrete, an investigation in a laboratory and in situ was conducted, together with numerical simulation and statistical evaluation. The numerical simulation of the blast load of a steel fiber reinforced concrete slab was conducted using multiphysics simulation software with the aim to verify basic parameters of the field experiment. During the field tests, several slabs were loaded by plastic explosive and changes in the structure of the slabs, before and after the blast load, were examined using the ultrasound pass-through method. After the field tests, the slabs were subjected to a destructive laboratory test to determine their residual strength. Subsequently, the data sets obtained from the measurements were tested using functional data analysis. The results from the ultrasound pulse method show that specimens after a dynamic blast load can in some cases increase the strength of their cement matrix.