The effect of beta-carotene and vitamins A, D3 and E on some reproductive parameters in cows

Five groups of winter-housed cows (n = 10 per group) that calved in the winter were used to assess the effect of beta-carotene supplementation on postpartum reproductive performance. Near parturition and immediately after calving the beta-carotene concentrations of the blood plasma were decreased and no differences could be found between the control and the supplemented groups. The results obtained at postpartum day 60 suggest that supplementation of the daily winter ration with 300 mg of synthetic beta-carotene with or without vitamins A, D3 and E exerts the most favourable effect on reproduction, as judged not only from B-carotene and vitamin A contents of the blood plasma, colostrum and milk but also from the improved fertility indices. The number of inseminations per cow was reduced and the conception rate was significantly higher in cows supplied additionally with 300 mg of synthetic beta-carotene with or without vitamins A, D3 and E. It can be concluded that beta-carotene is an important factor in bovine reproduction and that its specific role cannot be taken over by vitamin A.     

Effect of the post-deposition annealing on electrical characteristics of MIS structures with HfO2/SiO2 gate dielectric stacks

In this work, we report on effects of post-deposition annealing on electrical characteristics of metal–insulator–semiconductor (MIS) structures with HfO₂/SiO₂ double gate dielectric stacks. Obtained results have shown the deterioration of electro-physical properties of MIS structures, e.g. higher interface traps density in the middle of silicon forbidden band (D_itmb), as well as non-uniform distribution and decrease of breakdown voltage (U_br) values, after annealing above 400 °C. Two potential hypothesis of such behavior were proposed: the formation of interfacial layer between hafnia and silicon dioxide and the increase of crystallinity of HfO₂ due to the high temperature treatment. Furthermore, the analysis of conduction mechanisms in investigated stacks revealed Poole–Frenkel (P–F) tunneling at broad range of electric field intensity.     

Arc-evaporated CrN, CrN and CrCN coatings

The results of investigations of some tribological properties of chromium nitride, carbonitride and carbide films, prepared by cathodic arc-evaporation method (CAE) are presented in this article. The chemical composition of films was determined by the WDXs and EDXs. The different carbon content was obtained by using nitrogen and acetylene mixtures of various concentrations as the deposition atmosphere. The carbon content was ranging from 0 to 53 at.%. The adhesion of CrCN films was estimated from the analysis of scratch-test results comprising tangential (friction) force, acoustic emission and morphology of scratch surface. The films showed very good adhesion to steel substrates, expressed by L_c (critical load) value, as high as 90 N for carbon free films. The L_c decreased slightly as the carbon content increased. The hardness of films was investigated as a function of carbon content and was estimated by Jönsson-Hogmark method. The L_c value and hardness seem to be correlated in the same way with carbon content. The highest hardness (30 GPa) was obtained for CrN films, while carbon rich films (CrC) showed hardness at the level of 20 GPa. The tribological tests were performed in the ball-on-disk geometry in room air under the load of 1 N and 10 N. The wear rate of investigated films increased with carbon content above 20 at.%. The maximum value of the friction coefficient was 0.55, the same as for CrN films. It decreased to 0.33 as the carbon content increased.     

Effects of Non-Opioid Analgesics on the Cell Membrane of Skin and Gastrointestinal Cancers

Skin and gastrointestinal cancer cells are the target of research by many scientists due to the increasing morbidity and mortality rates around the world. New indications for drugs used in various conditions are being discovered. Non-opioid analgesics are worth noting as very popular, widely available, relatively cheap medications. They also have the ability to modulate the membrane components of tumor cells. The aim of this review is to analyze the impact of diclofenac, ibuprofen, naproxen, acetylsalicylic acid and paracetamol on skin and gastrointestinal cancers cell membrane. These drugs may affect the membrane through topical application, at the in vitro and in vivo level after oral or parenteral administration. They can lead to up- or downregulated expression of receptors, transporters and other molecules associated with plasma membrane. Medications may also alter the lipid bilayer composition of membrane, resulting in changes in its integrity and fluidity. Described modulations can cause the visualization of cancer cells, enhanced response of the immune system and the initiation of cell death. The outcome of this is inhibition of progression or reduction of tumor mass and supports chemotherapy. In conclusion, non-opioid analgesics may be used in the future as adjunctive therapy for the treatment of these cancers.     

New method for the on-line signature verification based on horizontal partitioning

Verification of identity based on the analysis of dynamic signatures is an important problem of biometrics. The effectiveness of the verification significantly increases when the dynamic characteristics of signature (e.g. velocity of the pen) are considered. These characteristics are individual for each user and difficult to imitate. The effectiveness of the verification can be further improved by using partitioning. In this paper we propose a new method which uses partitioning. In our method partitions represent areas of high and low speed of signature and high and low pen?s pressure. All selected partitions are used by our algorithm, but more important in the classification process are these partitions, in which the signatures of the user acquired during training phase are more stable. Moreover, final classification is interpretable. In this paper we present the simulation results of the proposed method for the two databases: SVC2004 and BioSecure Database.     

The Role of Psychobiotics in Supporting the Treatment of Disturbances in the Functioning of the Nervous System—A Systematic Review

Stress and anxiety are common phenomena that contribute to many nervous system dysfunctions. More and more research has been focusing on the importance of the gut–brain axis in the course and treatment of many diseases, including nervous system disorders. This review aims to present current knowledge on the influence of psychobiotics on the gut–brain axis based on selected diseases, i.e., Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, depression, and autism spectrum disorders. Analyses of the available research results have shown that selected probiotic bacteria affect the gut–brain axis in healthy people and people with selected diseases. Furthermore, supplementation with probiotic bacteria can decrease depressive symptoms. There is no doubt that proper supplementation improves the well-being of patients. Therefore, it can be concluded that the intestinal microbiota play a relevant role in disorders of the nervous system. The microbiota–gut–brain axis may represent a new target in the prevention and treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders. However, this topic needs more research. Such research could help find effective treatments via the modulation of the intestinal microbiome.     

Octanoic Acid—An Insecticidal Metabolite of Conidiobolus coronatus (Entomopthorales) That Affects Two Majors Antifungal Protection Systems in Galleria mellonella (Lepidoptera): Cuticular Lipids and Hemocytes

The food flavour additive octanoic acid (C8:0) is also a metabolite of the entomopathogenic fungus Conidiobolus coronatus, which efficiently infects and rapidly kills Galleria mellonella. GC-MS analysis confirmed the presence of C8:0 in insecticidal fraction FR3 extracted from C. coronatus filtrate. Topical administration of C8:0 had a dose-dependent effect on survival rates of larvae but not on pupation or adult eclosion times of the survivors. Topically applied C8:0 was more toxic to adults than larvae (LD100 for adults 18.33 ± 2.49 vs. 33.56 ± 2.57 µg/mg of body mass for larvae). The administration of C8:0 on the cuticle of larvae and adults, in amounts corresponding to their LD50 and LD100 doses, had a considerable impact on the two main defense systems engaged in protecting against pathogens, causing serious changes in the developmental-stage-specific profiles of free fatty acids (FFAs) covering the cuticle of larvae and adults and damaging larval hemocytes. In vitro cultures of G. mellonella hemocytes, either directly treated with C8:0 or taken from C8:0 treated larvae, revealed deformation of hemocytes, disordered networking, late apoptosis, and necrosis, as well as caspase 1–9 activation and elevation of 8-OHdG level. C8:0 was also confirmed to have a cytotoxic effect on the SF-9 insect cell line, as determined by WST-1 and LDH tests.