Tailoring the mechanical and rheological properties of poly(lactic acid) by sterilizing UV-C irradiation.

In this study, we irradiated amorphous (A) and semi-crystalline (SC) poly(lactic acid) (PLA) with different UV-C doses up to 2214 kJ/m. We achieved an average crystallinity of 43 % by heat treatment, which was unaffected by UV-C irradiation. Modulated differential scanning calorimetry showed that crystal polymorphs and the ratio of rigid amorphous and mobile amorphous phases were also unaffected.

in vivo Inoculation Assays for Early-, Middle- and Late-stage Strawberries.

Strawberries are delicious and nutritious fruits that are widely cultivated and consumed around the world, either fresh or in various products such as jam, juice, and ice cream. is a fungal pathogen that causes gray mold disease on many crops, including strawberries. Disease monitoring is an important aspect for growing commercial crops like strawberry because there is an urgent need to develop effective strategies to control this destructive gray mold disease.

Photodegradation of polylactic acid: Characterisation of glassy and melt behaviour as a function of molecular weight.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, UV-C germicidal lamps became widely available, even for household applications. However, their long-term degradation effects on the mechanical and rheological properties of polylactic acid (PLA) are still not well established. The relationship between degradation and its effects on the molecular structure and macroscale properties are hardly known.

Dosimetric characteristics of 6MV flattening filter free and flattened beams among beam-matched linacs: a three-institutional study.

Background: Beam matching is a concept in radiotherapy applied to clinics where more than one linac is employed to harmonise beam characteristics across linacs for allowing patients interchange without replanning. In view of this, the current study analyzes and compares dosimetric characteristics of 6MV flattening filter free and flattened beams of three beam-matched linear accelerators (linacs) from three different clinics with the aim to evaluate the matching under tight criteria for gamma analysis.

Methods: Three Elekta linacs from three different clinics were included.

Anemia of geriatric patients.

Anemia is a common finding in the elderly. Approximately 10 percent of the elderly suffers from anemia. Anemia per se is an independent factor of mortality in older patients regardless its cause.

Riding the Pandemic Waves-Lessons to Be Learned from the COVID-19 Crisis Management in Romania.

In our analysis, we assessed how Romania dealt with the numerous challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic during 2021. In that year, the government had to deal with two waves of COVID-19 pandemics caused by the new variants, the low vaccination rate of the population, the overload of the healthcare system and political instability at the same time. Based on publicly available databases and international literature, we evaluated government measures aimed at reducing the spread of the pandemic and ensure the operation of the healthcare workforce and infrastructure.

Mammal extinction facilitated biome shift and human population change during the last glacial termination in East-Central Europe.

The study of local extinction times, together with the associated environmental and human population changes in the last glacial termination, provides insights into the causes of mega- and microfauna extinctions. In East-Central (EC) Europe, groups of Palaeolithic humans were present throughout the last glacial maximum, but disappeared suddenly around 15,200 cal BP. In this study cave sediment profiles dated using radiocarbon techniques and a large set of mammal bones dated directly by AMS C were used to determine local extinction times.

Experiences and Lessons Learned from COVID-19 Pandemic Management in South Korea and the V4 Countries.

In the first year and a half of the COVID-19 pandemic, South Korea suffered significantly less social and economic damage than the V4 countries (Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia) despite less stringent restrictive measures. In order to explore the causes of the phenomenon, we examined the public health policies and pandemic management of South Korea and the V4 countries and the social and economic outcomes of the measures. We identified the key factors that contributed to successful public health policies and pandemic management in South Korea by reviewing the international literature.

Reduced viscosity mutants of Trichoderma reesei with improved industrial fermentation characteristics.

Morphological mutants of Trichoderma reesei were isolated following chemical or insertional mutagenesis. The mutant strains were shown to have reduced viscosity under industrially relevant fermentation conditions and to have maintained high specific productivity of secreted protein. This allowed higher biomass concentration to be maintained during the production phase and, consequently, increased volumetric productivity of secreted protein.

The Scaffold Proteins Paxillin B and α-Actinin Regulate Septation in via Control of Actin Ring Contraction.

Cytokinesis, as the final step of cell division, plays an important role in fungal growth and proliferation. In the filamentous fungus , defective cytokinesis is able to induce abnormal multinuclear or nonnucleated cells and then result in reduced hyphal growth and abolished sporulation. Previous studies have reported that a conserved contractile actin ring (CAR) protein complex and the septation initiation network (SIN) signaling kinase cascade are required for cytokinesis and septation; however, little is known about the role(s) of scaffold proteins involved in these two important cellular processes.

Gait parameters in physically active and inactive elderly as well as young community-living people.

Background: This study aimed to reveal the effects of a complex exercise program on gait among older people through analyzing the gait parameters in three groups: 1) older individuals participating in complex exercise program called 60+; 2) older individuals who were physically inactive; and 3) young individuals.

Methods: Fifty-seven community-living individuals were enrolled in this study. Variability of step length, step time, step width, and double support ratio as well as automaticity were measured.

Study of the effects of multimodal exercise program on physical fitness and health perception in community-living Hungarian older adults.

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects on fitness indicators and subjective health-perception of a multimodal exercise program provided by a district in Budapest among community-living seniors.

Methods: Sixty community-living older adults aged over 60 years formed beginner group (who were at the beginning of the exercise program), advanced group (who had been in the programme for 3-6 months), active group (who had been participating in the exercise program for at least 6 months, in addition to Nordic walking program) and a physically inactive control group. Balance, functional mobility, lower and upper limb strength, lower and upper body flexibility, aerobic endurance and self-reported health perception were measured at baseline, and after a 12-week follow-up period.

Morphometry, Microstructure, and Wear Pattern of Neornithischian Dinosaur Teeth From the Upper Cretaceous Iharkút Locality (Hungary).

Teeth of iguanodontian ornithopods and ceratopsians could be remarkably similar, thus the referral of isolated dental material to particular neornithischian clades can be highly problematic. These groups are represented by the rhabdodontid Mochlodon vorosi and the basal coronosaurian Ajkaceratops kozmai in the Upper Cretaceous Csehbánya Formation at Iharkút (western Hungary). Whereas teeth of Mochlodon are common elements at the locality, no dental material belonging to Ajkaceratops was identified until now.

Short-term and long-term effects of nordic walking training on balance, functional mobility, muscle strength and aerobic endurance among Hungarian community-living older people: a feasibility study.

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the short-term and long-term effects of a moderate intensity nordic walking program, and the feasibility of this exercise form among Hungarian community-living older adults.

Methods: Forty one community-living older adults aged over 60 years (mean 67.5, SD 4.

Anti-mycobacterial activity of 1,3-diaryltriazenes.

The rapid generation and spread of the drug resistant tuberculosis has led to an ongoing demand for novel compounds for therapeutic use. Identification and study of compounds with the ability to inhibit Mycobacterium tuberculosis is of paramount importance. For this reason, a library of substituted 1,3-diaryltriazenes based on the acting component of the anti-trypanosomal drug, diminazene aceturate was created and evaluated for its potential as anti-tubercular agent.

Histogenesis of the unique morphology of proboscidean ivory.

The chequered pattern (often called Schreger pattern), which can be seen by unaided eye on transverse profiles of several proboscidean tusks and which can be emphasized by the spreading pattern of the cracks or by mineral discoloration, is an autapomorph feature of the clade Elephantoidea. The pattern differs among proboscidean taxa; therefore, it allows the coarse differentiation of elephants, mammoths, and some other basal groups. Such identification methods could facilitate efforts concerned with protection of the remaining elephant populations through ivory trade restrictions, since the tooth dentine from extinct Mammuthusprimigenius and from extant Loxodontaafricana and Elephasmaximus are the most common raw materials of the ivory carvings.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of 4-nitro-substituted 1,3-diaryltriazenes as a novel class of potent antitumor agents.

We describe the synthesis and biological activity of a new class of 1,3-diaryltriazenes, namely 4-nitro-substituted 1,3-diaryltriazenes. Structure-activity relationship analysis reveals that 1,3-diaryltriazenes can be modified from inactive to highly cytotoxic compounds by the introduction of two nitro groups at the para positions of benzene rings and two additional electron-withdrawing groups (bromo, chloro, trifluoromethyl or fluoro substituents) at their ortho position. In order to increase the solubility of the modified compounds, we introduced various acyl groups to their triazene nitrogen.

Acute but not chronic differences in skilled reaching for food following motor cortex devascularization vs. photothrombotic stroke in the rat.

The variability in the behavioral outcome of human and nonhuman animals after stroke raises the question whether the way that a stroke occurs is a contributing factor. Photothrombotic stroke in rats has been reported to produce especially variable results, with some animals showing either slight to no impairment to other animals displaying severe impairments. The present study investigated this variability.

Regulation of hyphal morphogenesis by cdc42 and rac1 homologues in Aspergillus nidulans.

The ability of filamentous fungi to form hyphae requires the establishment and maintenance of a stable polarity axis. Based on studies in yeasts and animals, the GTPases Cdc42 and Rac1 are presumed to play a central role in organizing the morphogenetic machinery to enable axis formation and stabilization. Here, we report that Cdc42 (ModA) and Rac1 (RacA) share an overlapping function required for polarity establishment in Aspergillus nidulans.

Functional characterization of Aspergillus nidulans homologues of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Spa2 and Bud6.

The importance of polarized growth for fungi has elicited significant effort directed at better understanding underlying mechanisms of polarization, with a focus on yeast systems. At sites of tip growth, multiple protein complexes assemble and coordinate to ensure that incoming building material reaches the appropriate destination sites, and polarized growth is maintained. One of these complexes is the polarisome that consists of Spa2, Bud6, Pea2, and Bni1 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Synthesis and characterization of new triazenide salts.

Stable triethylammonium triazenide salts were obtained on treatment of the appropriate triazenes with triethylamine. Those salts are described and fully characterized for the first time and are used for the preparation of alkoxycarbonylvinyltriethylammonium triazenides, which are prone to transesterification.

The Spitzenkörper: a molecular perspective.

The Spitzenkörper is a dynamic structure present at the tips of hyphal cells with a single highly polarized growth site. It is closely connected with cell morphogenesis and polar growth, and is only present at actively growing sites. Morphogenesis of such highly polarized cells is complex, and requires the coordinated action of multiple protein complexes.

A mutation in the Neurospora crassa actin gene results in multiple defects in tip growth and branching.

Actin has a pivotal function in hyphal morphogenesis in filamentous fungi, but it is not certain whether its function is equivalent to that of a morphogen, or if it is simply part of a mechanism that executes orders given by another regulatory entity. To address this question we selected for cytochalasin A resistance and isolated act1, the first actin mutant in Neurospora crassa. This mutant branches apically and shows an altered distribution of actin at the tip.

Treatment of pregnant females with dexamethasone influences postnatal development of the adrenal medulla.

In the light of the mutual dependence between the adrenal cortex and medulla, the aim of this work was to examine whether glucocorticoid treatment of pregnant rats affects the development of the adrenal medulla of their offspring in the postnatal period. Pregnant rats were treated with dexamethasone (Dx) in a daily dose of 0.3 mg Dx/kg b.