Development of an ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method for the determination of anabolic steroids currently available on the black market in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Over the past decade, the use of anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) by recreational bodybuilders and regular gym members has been increasing exponentially. However, there is a lack of knowledge on AAS products sold in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The aim of this study was to assess the quantity of active substances in AAS products obtained from AAS users in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Sub-fossil Chironomidae (Diptera) from lake sediments in Central America: a preliminary inventory.

The chironomid diversity of Central America is virtually underestimated and there is almost no knowledge on the chironomid remains accumulated in surface sediments of lakes. Thus, in the present study we provide information on the larval sub-fossil chironomid fauna from surface sediments in Central American lakes for the first time. Samples from 27 lakes analysed from Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras yielded a total of 1,109 remains of four subfamilies.

Excited state intramolecular proton transfer in julolidine derivatives: an ab initio study.

We have studied, using ab initio tools, a series of recently prepared fluorescent julolidine derivatives, undergoing Excited State Intramolecular Proton Transfer (ESIPT). We show that the computed free energy change in the excited state (ΔGES) can be used to predict the preference for enol, keto, or dual emission. Indeed, two julolidine molecules experimentally show dual emission, consistent with our finding of a small ΔGES.

Reconstructing the Trophic History of an Alpine Lake (High Tatra Mts.) Using Subfossil Diatoms: Disentangling the Effects of Climate and Human Influence.

Diatom analysis was undertaken on a 200-year sediment record in an alpine lake (Popradské pleso, Tatra Mountains, Central Europe). Due to its remote character and well-documented human influence since the mid-nineteenth century, it allows a study of the relationship between anthropogenic pressures and diatom assemblages. Altogether, 122 diatom taxa of 40 genera were identified, and two major taxonomic shifts were revealed in the stratigraphic record.

Tsallis Entropy of Product MV-Algebra Dynamical Systems.

This paper is concerned with the mathematical modelling of Tsallis entropy in product MV-algebra dynamical systems. We define the Tsallis entropy of order α , where α ∈ ( 0 , 1 ) ∪ ( 1 , ∞ ) , of a partition in a product MV-algebra and its conditional version and we examine their properties. Among other, it is shown that the Tsallis entropy of order α , where α > 1 , has the property of sub-additivity.

Rényi Entropy and Rényi Divergence in Product MV-Algebras.

This article deals with new concepts in a product MV-algebra, namely, with the concepts of Rényi entropy and Rényi divergence. We define the Rényi entropy of order of a partition in a product MV-algebra and its conditional version and we study their properties. It is shown that the proposed concepts are consistent, in the case of the limit of going to 1, with the Shannon entropy of partitions in a product MV-algebra defined and studied by Petrovičová ( , , 41-44).

Global Study of Social Odor Awareness.

Olfaction plays an important role in human social communication, including multiple domains in which people often rely on their sense of smell in the social context. The importance of the sense of smell and its role can however vary inter-individually and culturally. Despite the growing body of literature on differences in olfactory performance or hedonic preferences across the globe, the aspects of a given culture as well as culturally universal individual differences affecting odor awareness in human social life remain unknown.

Examination of the latent structure of DSM-5 posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms in Slovakia.

The latent structure of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been widely discussed, with the majority of studies in this area being conducted in the US. The current study aimed to extend this area of research by comparing seven existing PTSD factor models in a sample of 754 trauma-exposed university students from Slovakia, where similar research has not been conducted yet. The sample was predominantly female (83.

Solvent Effects on the Actinic Step of Donor-Acceptor Stenhouse Adduct Photoswitching.

Donor-acceptor Stenhouse adducts (DASAs) are negative photochromes that switch with visible light and are highly promising for applications ranging from smart materials to biological systems. However, the strong solvent dependence of the photoswitching kinetics limits their application. The nature of the photoswitching mechanism in different solvents is key for addressing the solvatochromism of DASAs, but as yet has remained elusive.

The interaction of heavy metals and metalloids in the soil-plant system in the São Domingos mining area (Iberian Pyrite Belt, Portugal).

São Domingos belongs among the most important historic Iberian Pyrite Belt Cu mines. The anthrosoil is contaminated by a very high content of heavy metals and metalloids. The study was focused on evaluating the interaction of some chemical elements (Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Cu, Pb, Zn, Ag, Cd, Ni, Co, As, Sb) in the system soil vs.

The Bacterial Population of Neutral Mine Drainage Water of Elizabeth's Shaft (Slovinky, Slovakia).

Although neutral mine drainage is the less frequent subject of the interest than acid mine drainage, it can have adverse environmental effects caused mainly by precipitation of dissolved Fe. The aim of the study was to characterize the composition of bacterial population in environment with high concentration of iron and sulfur compounds represented by neutral mine drainage water of Elizabeth's shaft, Slovinky (Slovakia). Direct microscopic observations, cultivation methods, and 454 pyrosequencing of the 16S rRNA gene amplicons were used to examine the bacterial population.

Age-adjusted Mortality Rates of Neoplasms and Circulatory System Diseases and Their Demographic Factors in Slovak Regions during 1996-2013.

Aim: Knowledge of the causes of deaths in Slovakia is lacking. This is significant because diet and lifestyle factors are different in central Europe compared to Western, Northern and Southern Europe. This study aims to discern trends of age-adjusted mortality rates caused by various diseases in relation to demographic factors.

Influence of Demographic Factors on Standardised Rate Ratio of Age-adjusted Mortality Rates of Men in Comparison with Women Caused by Neoplasms and Circulatory System Diseases in Slovak Regions during 1996-2013.

Aim: The aim of our study was to find statistical associations including trends of standardised rate ratio of age-adjusted mortality rates for the male population as compared to the female population, in relation to available demographic factors (Chapter II - Neoplasms vs. Chapter IX - Diseases of the circulatory system, Slovak region and calendar year of death).

Methods: Dataset of individual cases of death in Slovakia with some demographic factors during 1996-2013 were provided by Slovak National Health Information Center.

Influence of Demographic Determinants on the Number of Deaths Caused by Circulatory System Diseases in Comparison to the Number of Deaths Caused by Neoplasms in Slovak Regions from 1996-2014.

Objectives: The objective of our study was to evaluate the influence of available demographic determinants on the number of deaths caused by circulatory system diseases as compared to deaths caused by neoplasms in Slovakia in 1996-2014.

Methods: Mortality data were kindly provided by the National Health Information Centre in Slovakia. The first method was trend curve fitting of death ratios caused by circulatory system diseases (Chapter IX) and of deaths caused by neoplasms (Chapter II) as a function of age for both sexes.

Similarity of Slovak Regions in Neoplastic Mortality in the Context of Risk Factors and Access to Health Care.

Aim: Access to primary health care is highly connected to the prevention of cancer mortality, since the risk factors threatening health can be early identified. The aim of this paper is, firstly, to explore similarity within and between the regions of the Slovak Republic and cancer mortality patterns, and secondly, to reveal if similar regions are characterised by the similar access to health care or risk factors occurrence.

Methods: Data on deaths by sex, type of cancer death and region from 1996 to 2014 is provided by the National Health Information Centre of Slovakia.

Efficient Light-Induced pK Modulation Coupled to Base-Catalyzed Photochromism.

Photoswitchable acid-base pairs, whose pK values can be reversibly altered, are attractive molecular tools to control chemical and biological processes with light. A significant, light-induced pK change of three units in aqueous medium has been realized for two thermally stable states, which can be interconverted using UV and green light. The light-induced pK modulation is based on incorporating a 3-H-thiazol-2-one moiety into the framework of a diarylethene photoswitch, which loses the heteroaromatic stabilization of the negatively charged conjugate base upon photochemical ring closure, and hence becomes significantly less acidic.

Endoparasites of the grey wolf (Canis lupus) in protected areas of Slovakia.

Although the grey wolf was on the brink of extinction in Central Europe in the last century, it never became extinct in Slovakia and nowadays its population is considered stable. The wolf population in Slovakia is estimated to be around 400 individuals with seasonal variations, and due to these small numbers, studies on the parasite fauna of wolf are scarce. Of the 35 parasitic species recorded worldwide in grey wolves in temperate and mountain zones of the Palearctic region, 15 were detected in Slovakia.

Tailoring Photoisomerization Pathways in Donor-Acceptor Stenhouse Adducts: The Role of the Hydroxy Group.

Donor-acceptor Stenhouse adducts (DASAs) are a rapidly emerging class of visible light-activatable negative photochromes. They are closely related to (mero)cyanine dyes with the sole difference being a hydroxy group in the polyene chain. The presence or absence of the hydroxy group has far-reaching consequences for the photochemistry of the compound: cyanine dyes are widely used as fluorescent probes, whereas DASAs hold great promise for visible light-triggered photoswitching.

MALDI-TOF MS analysis as a useful tool for an identification of Legionella pneumophila, a facultatively pathogenic bacterium interacting with free-living amoebae: A case study from water supply system of hospitals in Bratislava (Slovakia).

Legionellae, i.e. Legionella pneumophila, are human bacterial hydrophilic facultative pathogens causing pneumonia (Legionnaires' disease).

Accurate Excited-State Geometries: A CASPT2 and Coupled-Cluster Reference Database for Small Molecules.

We present an investigation of the excited-state structural parameters determined for a large set of small compounds with the dual goals of defining reference values for further works and assessing the quality of the geometries obtained with relatively cheap computational approaches. In the first stage, we compare the excited-state geometries obtained with ADC(2), CC2, CCSD, CCSDR(3), CC3, and CASPT2 and large atomic basis sets. It is found that CASPT2 and CC3 results are generally in very good agreement with one another (typical differences of ca.

Shedding Light on the Photoisomerization Pathway of Donor-Acceptor Stenhouse Adducts.

Donor-acceptor Stenhouse adducts (DASAs) are negative photochromes that hold great promise for a variety of applications. Key to optimizing their switching properties is a detailed understanding of the photoswitching mechanism, which, as yet, is absent. Here we characterize the actinic step of DASA-photoswitching and its key intermediate, which was studied using a combination of ultrafast visible and IR pump-probe spectroscopies and TD-DFT calculations.

Reductive evolution of chloroplasts in non-photosynthetic plants, algae and protists.

Chloroplasts are generally known as eukaryotic organelles whose main function is photosynthesis. They perform other functions, however, such as synthesizing isoprenoids, fatty acids, heme, iron sulphur clusters and other essential compounds. In non-photosynthetic lineages that possess plastids, the chloroplast genomes have been reduced and most (or all) photosynthetic genes have been lost.

Corrigendum: Marital Satisfaction, Sex, Age, Marriage Duration, Religion, Number of Children, Economic Status, Education, and Collectivistic Values: Data from 33 Countries.

[This corrects the article on p. 1199 in vol. 8, PMID: 28785230.

Problematic issues of air protection during thermal processes related to the energetic uses of sewage sludge and other waste. Case study: Co-combustion in peaking power plant.

Currently, it is necessary to deal with issues related to the emissions as there is a constantly increasing interest in combusting sludge from sewage treatment plants in the boilers for wood. An analysis of the energetic importance of the combustion of sewage sludge has already been carried out, but the effects of various treatments of the sludge are not always clear, e.g.

RUDO: A Home Ambient Intelligence System for Blind People.

The article introduces an ambient intelligence system for blind people which besides providing assistance in home environment also helps with various situations and roles in which blind people may find themselves involved. RUDO, the designed system, comprises several modules that mainly support or ensure recognition of approaching people, alerting to other household members' movement in the flat, work on a computer, supervision of (sighted) children, cooperation of a sighted and a blind person (e.g.