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ObjectivesCell surface glycosylation can influence protein-protein interactions with particular relevance to changes in core fucosylation and terminal sialylation. Glycans are ligands for immune regulatory lectin families like galectins (Gals) or sialic acid immunoglobulin-like lectins (Siglecs). This study delves into the glycan alterations within immune subsets of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).MethodsEvaluation of binding affinities of Galectin-1, Galectin-3, Siglec-1, Aleuria aurantia lectin (AAL, recognizing core fucosylation), and Sambucus nigra agglutinin (SNA, specific for α-2,6-sialylation) was conducted on various immune subsets in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from control and SLE subjects. Lectin binding was measured by multi-parameter flow cytometry in 18 manually gated subsets of T-cells, NK-cells, NKT-cells, B-cells, and monocytes in unstimulated resting state and also after 3-day activation. Stimulated pre-gated populations were subsequently clustered by FlowSOM algorithm based on lectin binding and activation markers, CD25 or HLA-DR.ResultsElevated AAL, SNA and CD25+/CD25- SNA binding ratio in certain stimulated SLE T-cell subsets correlated with SLE Disease Activity Index 2000 (SLEDAI-2K) scores. The significantly increased frequencies of activated AALlow Siglec-1low NK metaclusters in SLE also correlated with SLEDAI-2K indices. In SLE, activated double negative NKTs displayed significantly lower core fucosylation and CD25+/CD25- Siglec-1 binding ratio, negatively correlating with disease activity. The significantly enhanced AAL binding in resting SLE plasmablasts positively correlated with SLEDAI-2K scores.ConclusionAlterations in the glycosylation of immune cells in SLE correlate with disease severity, which might represent potential implications in the pathogenesis of SLE.

The parameter identification of failure models for composite plies can be cumbersome, due to multiple effects as the consequence of brittle fracture. Our work proposes an iterative, nonlinear design of experiments (DoE) approach that finds the most informative experimental data to identify the parameters of the Tsai-Wu, Tsai-Hill, Hoffman, Hashin, max stress and Puck failure models. Depending on the data, the models perform differently, therefore, the parameter identification is validated by the Euclidean distance of the measured points to the closest ones on the nominal surface. The resulting errors provide a base for the ranking of the models, which helps to select the best fitting. Following the validation, the sensitivity of the best model is calculated by partial differentiation, and a theoretical surface is generated. Lastly, an iterative design of the experiments is implemented to select the optimal set of experiments from which the parameters can be identified from the least data by minimizing the fitting error. In this way, the number of experiments required for the identification of a model of a composite material can be significantly reduced. We demonstrate how the proposed method selected the most optimal experiments out of generated data. The results indicate that if the dataset contains enough information, the method is robust and accurate. If the data set lacks the necessary information, novel material tests can be proposed based on the optimal points of the parameters' sensitivity of the generated failure model surface.

Brand names are assets in marketing: a good name can help to sell products. Although research has made several recommendations on how “good” brand names should be created, the complex process is not easily adapted to every product category. Little research is done on a particular product category: the brand names of vaccines. This paper contributes to vaccine brand names in light of the coronavirus pandemic. The theoretical part of the paper first describes the characteristics of “good” and “bad” brand names, and then the focus is narrowed down to the characteristics of drug brand names and to the processes that influenced the naming of coronavirus vaccines. In the empirical part of the paper, Hungarian students perform brand recognition, recall, and association tasks connected to vaccine brand names. It will be shown that the vaccines are known by their public brand names (e.g., Pfizer) and not by their actual brand names (e.g., Comirnaty). The rating of the brand names shows that public brand names are considered to be better than the actual brand names, while brand associations collected for the actual brand names show mixed results. In the last part of the paper, theoretical implications are discussed, and recommendations for pharmaceutical companies are formulated to show what steps these companies could take to overcome the impasse between public and actual brand names.

Manufacturers use a large number of components in the production of modern rubber products. The selection of the constituents of the rubber recipe is primarily determined by the purpose of use. The different fields of applications of rubbers require the presence of appropriate mechanical properties. In this respect, it can be useful to know which substances forming the rubber recipe have significant influence on the different mechanical properties. In this study, the statistical analysis of the influence of rubber components on the hardness of natural rubber (NR) is proposed based on literature review. Based on the literature data, various statistical analyses, like linear regression, constrained linear regression, Ridge regression, Ridge sparse regression and binary classification decision trees were performed to determine which rubber components have the most significant effect on the hardness. In the statistical analyses, the effect of a total of 42 constituents of rubber compound on hardness was investigated. Most of the applied statistical methods confirmed that the traditional frequently used rubber components, such as carbon black and sulfur, have a primary effect on the hardness. However, the substances forming the rubber compound that are not widely used in practice or newly developed components appear differently in the lists of significant additives obtained by the different statistical methods.

Poultry producers’ attitudes towards biosecurity practices were assessed by using the ADKAR® (Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability, and Reinforcement) behavioral change model. Conventional poultry producers (n = 155) from different production types including broilers (n = 35), layers (n = 22), breeders (n = 24), turkeys (n = 19), ducks (n = 23), free-range broilers (n = 11), free-range layers (n = 11), and hatcheries (n = 10) from seven European countries were scored for each ADKAR element (1 = total absence to 5 = perfect fulfilment). Each country performed selected interventions (e.g., coaching, participatory meetings, etc.) to improve biosecurity compliance. After the interventions, significant change was observed in three of the four attitude elements. The overall mean scores (x¯ ± SD) obtained during the initial assessment (n = 130) were 4.2 ± 0.6 for Awareness, 4.1 ± 0.7 for Desire, 3.8 ± 0.8 for Knowledge, and 4.0 ± 0.7 for Ability, whereas after intervention, the scores were A = 4.3 ± 0.6, D = 4.2 ± 0.7, K = 4.1 ± 0.7, and Ab = 4.1 ± 0.7. The Reinforcement component was only evaluated after the change and obtained a score of 3.7 ± 0.7 on average. Identifying the elements influencing poultry producers and their behavior related to farm management decisions was useful in guiding our educational interventions to effectively change their behavior.

Any rock mechanics’ design inherently involves determining the deformation characteristics of the rock material. The purpose of this study is to offer equations for calculating the values of bulk modulus (K), elasticity modulus (E), and rigidity modulus (G) throughout the loading of the sample until failure. Also, the Poisson’s ratio, which is characterized from the stress–strain curve, has a significant effect on the rigidity and bulk moduli. The results of a uniaxial compressive (UCS) test on granitic rocks from the Morágy (Hungary) radioactive waste reservoir site were gathered and examined for this purpose. The fluctuation of E, G, and K has been the subject of new linear and nonlinear connections. The proposed equations are parabolic in all of the scenarios for the Young’s modulus and shear modulus, the study indicates. Furthermore, the suggested equations for the bulk modulus in the secant, average, and tangent instances are also nonlinear. Moreover, we achieved correlations with a high determination factor for E, G, and K in three different scenarios: secant, tangent, and average. It is particularly intriguing to observe that the elastic stiffness parameters exhibit strong correlation in the results.

Compliance with required on-farm biosecurity practices reduces the risk of contamination and spread of zoonotic and economically important diseases. With repeating avian influenza epidemics in the poultry industry, the need to monitor and improve the overall level of biosecurity is increasing. In practice, biosecurity compliance is assessed by various actors (e.g., academic, private and public institutions), and the results of such assessments may be recorded and gathered in databases which are seldom shared or thoroughly analyzed. This study aimed to provide an inventory of databases related to the assessment of biosecurity in poultry farms in seven major poultry-producing European countries to highlight challenges and opportunities associated with biosecurity data collection, sharing, and use. The institutions in charge of these databases were contacted and interviewed using a structured questionnaire to gather information on the main characteristics of the databases and the context of their implementation. A total of 20 databases were identified, covering the gamut of poultry species and production types. Most databases were linked to veterinary health authorities or academia, and to a lesser extent interbranch organizations. Depending on the institutions in charge, the databases serve various purposes, from providing advice to enforcing regulations. The quality of the biosecurity data collected is believed to be quite reliable, as biosecurity is mostly assessed by trained farm advisors or official veterinarians and during a farm visit. Some of the databases are difficult to analyze and/or do not offer information concerning which biosecurity measures are most or least respected. Moreover, some key biosecurity practices are sometimes absent from certain databases. Although the databases serve a variety of purposes and cover different production types, each with specific biosecurity features, their analysis should help to improve the surveillance of biosecurity in the poultry sector and provide evidence on the benefits of biosecurity.

Brand names play a special role for companies: they both convey and guarantee brand value. Despite their special status in brand management, and although the number of brand names is estimated to be over 43 million (!) worldwide, brand names are an underresearched area of linguistics. Brand names are often researched in a marketing context: the effectiveness of brand names is analyzed and suggested catalogs for “good” and “bad” brand names are created. Brand names are however also part of the language and can therefore be also analyzed using linguistic methods. As part of language, brand names are the bearers of a culture’s identity: they can be used to identify a specific culture, or even a specific historical epoch. This cultural identity-bearing and cultural identity conveying function is also recognized by companies: they often create and use brand names in order to consciously associate the given brand with a certain culture. In the article, these identity-giving and -bearing specifics of brand names are analyzed: we show how the Country-of-origin can be pointed out with linguistic and nonlinguistic devices, we show how Foreign Language Display can help to transfer cultural connotations to a brand and we show the possibilities for translating brand names. We argue that brand names should thus be better integrated into interdisciplinary linguistic research; also with the aim of showing new career prospects for (applied) linguists.

As the field of routine pathology transitions into the digital realm, there is a surging demand for the full automation of microscope scanners, aiming to expedite the process of digitizing tissue samples, and consequently, enhancing the efficiency of case diagnoses. The key to achieving seamless automatic imaging lies in the precise detection and segmentation of tissue sample regions on the glass slides. State-of-the-art approaches for this task lean heavily on deep learning techniques, particularly U-Net convolutional neural networks. However, since samples can be highly diverse and prepared in various ways, it is almost impossible to be fully prepared for and cover every scenario with training data. We propose a data augmentation step that allows artificially modifying the training data by extending some artifact features of the available data to the rest of the dataset. This procedure can be used to generate images that can be considered synthetic. These artifacts could include felt pen markings, speckles of dirt, residual bubbles in covering glue, or stains. The proposed approach achieved a 1–6% improvement for these samples according to the F1 Score metric.

The spread of antimicrobial resistance is one of the most serious human and animal health problems of our time. Propolis is a natural substance with antibacterial, antifungal, and antiparasitic activity, the most active components of which are polyphenols and terpenoids. In the present study, the authors investigated the efficacy of propolis against Staphylococcus spp., Enterococcus spp., Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica, Candida albicans fungi, and Trichomonas gallinae isolated from pigeons. For each pathogen, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum eradication concentration (MEC) of eight isolates were determined for 96%, 90%, 80%, 70%, and 60% ethanolic extracts of propolis from the region of Észak-Alföld. Propolis was shown to be effective in inhibiting the growth of Gram-positive bacteria, Candida albicans, and Trichomonas gallinae strains. Propolis showed a much better efficacy against Gram-positive bacteria (1.56–400 µg/mL) than against Gram-negative bacteria (>13,000 µg/mL). For Staphylococcus spp., MIC values ranged within 1.56–400 µg/mL and MEC values within 12.5–3260 µg/mL, while for Enterococcus spp. MIC values ranged within 1.56–400 µg/mL and MEC values within 12.5–800 µg/mL. MIC values > 13,000 µg/mL were found for Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica species. For Candida albicans, MIC values ranging from 1.56 to 400 µg/mL and MEC values ranging from 3.125 to 800 µg/mL were effective. MEC values between 2.5 and 5 mg/mL were observed for three Trichomonas gallinae strains. The effectiveness against Gram-positive bacteria has, in some cases, approached that of antibiotics, making propolis a potential alternative in the treatment of wound infections. Its outstanding efficacy against Trichomonas gallinae holds promise as a potential alternative for treating this widespread infection in pigeons.

The Vehicle Routing Problem (VRP) is a highly researched discrete optimization task. The first article dealing with this problem was published by Dantzig and Ramster in 1959 under the name Truck Dispatching Problem. Since then, several versions of VRP have been developed. The task is NP difficult, it can be solved only in the foreseeable future, relying on different heuristic algorithms. The geometrical property of the state space influences the efficiency of the optimization method. In this paper, we present an analysis of the following state space methods: adaptive, reverse adaptive and uphill-downhill walk. In our paper, the efficiency of four operators are analysed on a complex Vehicle Routing Problem. These operators are the 2-opt, Partially Matched Crossover, Cycle Crossover and Order Crossover. Based on the test results, the 2-opt and Partially Matched Crossover are superior to the other two methods.

The PHENIX experiment measured two-particle Bose–Einstein quantum-statistical correlations of charged kaons in Au+Au collisions at sNN = 200 GeV. The correlation functions are parametrized assuming that the source emitting the particles has a Lévy shape, characterized by the Lévy exponent α and the Lévy scale R. By introducing the intercept parameter λ, we account for the core–halo fraction. The parameters are investigated as a function of transverse mass. The comparison of the parameters measured for kaon–kaon with those measured from pion–pion correlation may clarify the connection of Lévy parameters to physical processes.

Az autóiparban és a fogyasztók között egyre nagyobb népszerűségnek örvendenek az elektromos autók; részben azok környezetkímélő jellemzőinek eredményeként. A tanulmány célja, hogy összehasonlítsa az elektromos és a hagyományos (belsőégésű) motor legfőbb jellemzőit a környezetvédelem kontextusában. A tanulmány első felében az elektromos és a hagyományos meghajtású autók életútját mutatjuk be 7 szakaszra lebontva, ahol összehasonlítjuk egy belsőégésű motorral szerelt és egy elektromos motorral szerelt gépjármű környezetszennyezési adatait. Rámutatunk, hogy bár az elektromos autó üzemeltetése során nem szennyezi a környezetet lokálisan, az üzemeltetéshez szükséges akkumulátorok legyártása, azok töltése és megsemmisítése további kérdéseket vet fel a környezetszennyezéssel kapcsolatban. A második részben saját kérdőíves kutatásunk alapján vizsgáljuk a válaszadók hozzáállását az elektromos autókhoz. A kérdőíves adatok alapján elmondható, hogy a fogyasztók továbbra is drágának tartják az elektromos autókat és tisztában vannak vele, hogy az elektromos autók kis mértékben orvosolnak egyes környezetszennyezési kérdéseket.

Sjögren’s syndrome, a disease that primarily affects women, is poorly understood. Here, the authors combine data from a large cohort of patients and healthy controls to identify biomarkers that distinguish patient subgroups to improve our understanding of the disease and facilitate drug development.

The use of natural feed supplements is an alternative tool to diminish the damage caused by certain bacteria, improving animal health and productivity. The present research aimed to investigate the proinflammatory effect of flagellin released from the bacterial flagellum of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium and to attenuate the induced inflammation with luteolin as a plant-derived flavonoid on a chicken primary hepatocyte–non-parenchymal cell co-culture. Cells were cultured in a medium supplemented with 250 ng/mL flagellin and 4 or 16 µg/mL luteolin for 24 h. Cellular metabolic activity, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity, interleukin-6, 8, 10 (IL-6, IL-8, IL-10), interferon-α, γ (IFN-α, IFN-γ), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and malondialdehyde (MDA) concentrations were determined. Flagellin significantly increased the concentration of the proinflammatory cytokine IL-8 and the ratio of IFN-γ/IL-10, while it decreased the level of IL-10, indicating that the model served adequate to study inflammation in vitro. Luteolin treatment at 4 µg/mL did not prove to be cytotoxic, as reflected by metabolic activity and extracellular LDH activity, and significantly reduced the flagellin-triggered IL-8 release of the cultured cells. Further, it had a diminishing effect on the concentration of IFN-α, H2O2 and MDA and restored the level of IL-10 and the ratio of IFN-γ/IL-10 when applied in combination with flagellin. These results suggest that luteolin at lower concentrations may protect hepatic cells from an excessive inflammatory response and act as an antioxidant to attenuate oxidative damage.

Abstract Background The outcome of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) should be determined early. Rapid radiological progression (RRP) is > or = 5 units increase according to the van der Heijde-Sharp score within a year. The risk of RRP can be estimated by a matrix model using non-radiographic indicators, such as C-reactive protein (CRP), rheumatoid factor (RF) and swollen joint count (SJC). Patients and methods A non-interventional, cross-sectional, retrospective study was conducted in eleven Hungarian arthritis centres. We assessed RRP risk in biologic-naïve RA patients with the prevalence of high RRP risk as primary endpoint. RRP was calculated according to this matrix model. As a secondary endpoint, we compared RRP in methotrexate (MTX) responders vs non-responders. Results We analyzed data from 1356 patients. Mean CRP was 17.7 mg/l, RF was 139.3 IU/ml, mean 28-joint disease activity score (DAS28) was 5.00 and mean SJC was 6.56. Altogether 18.2% of patients had high risk (≥40%) of RRP. RA patients with high RRP risk of RRP (n = 247) had significantly lower age compared to those with RRP

It is well established that cold acclimation processes are highly influenced, apart from cold ambient temperatures, by light-dependent environmental factors. In this study we investigated whether an extra blue (B) light supplementation would be able to further improve the well-documented freezing tolerance enhancing effect of far-red (FR) enriched white (W) light. The impact of B and FR light supplementation to white light (WFRB) on hormone levels and lipid contents were determined in winter barley at moderate (15 °C) and low (5 °C) temperatures. Low R:FR ratio effectively induced frost tolerance in barley plantlets, but additional B light further enhanced frost hardiness at both temperatures. Supplementation of WFR (white light enriched with FR light) with B had a strong positive effect on abscisic acid accumulation while the suppression of salicylic acid and jasmonic acid levels were observed at low temperature which resembles the shade avoidance syndrome. We also observed clear lipidomic differences between the individual light and temperature treatments. WFRB light changed the total lipid content negatively, but monogalactosyldiacylglycerol (MGDG) content was increased, nonetheless. Our results prove that WFRB light can greatly influence phytohormone dynamics and lipid contents, which eventually leads to more efficient pre-hardening to avoid frost damage.

This paper aims to present a generalized ontology model for the Vehicle Routing Problem (VRP) and it gives some out-plant material handling case studies. The Vehicle Routing Problem is a logistics task where customers with a specific need for products are served within the least possible distance traveled by vehicles. The Vehicle Routing Problem has been highly investigated in operations research, computer science, transportation science, and mathematics. As our new approach shows, the VRP can be used to model in-plant and out-plant material handling and out-plant passenger transport. The Vehicle Routing Problem is a complex, multi-component heterogeneous environment, where consistent handling and integrity of components is a more difficult problem. In this alignment (integrity management, automation), our goal was to develop a unified semantic background framework. Our ontology describes the concepts and the relationships between concepts for the investigated domain. The paper presents the construction and application of ontology for a sample framework and presents test runs based on case studies. The paper shows that ontology can be built into the logic of software applications related to logistic problems. The last part of the article focuses on case studies for our ontology model from the field of tank, money, parcel, and perishable food transportation.

The development of an appropriate ontology model is usually a hard task. One of the main issues is that ontology developers usually concentrate on classes and neglect the role of properties. This paper analyzes the role of an appropriate property set in providing multi-purpose ontology models with a high level of re-usability in different areas. In this paper, novel quality metrics related to property components are introduced and a conversion method is presented to map the base ontology into models for software development. The benefits of the proposed quality metrics and the usability of the proposed conversion methods are demonstrated by examples from the field of knowledge modeling.

Cathelicidin-2 is an antimicrobial peptide (AMP) produced as part of the innate immune system of chickens and might be a new candidate to combat infection and inflammation within the gut-liver axis. Studying the hepatic immune response is of high importance as the liver is primarily exposed to gut-derived pathogen-associated molecular patterns. The aim of the present study was to assess the effects of chicken cathelicidin-2 alone or combined with lipoteichoic acid (LTA) or phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) on cell viability, immune response and redox homeostasis in a primary hepatocyte—non-parenchymal cell co-culture of chicken origin. Both concentrations of cathelicidin-2 decreased the cellular metabolic activity and increased the extracellular lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity reflecting reduced membrane integrity. Neither LTA nor PMA affected these parameters, and when combined with LTA, cathelicidin-2 could not influence the LDH activity. Cathelicidin-2 had an increasing effect on the concentration of the proinflammatory CXCLi2 and interferon- (IFN-)γ, and on that of the anti-inflammatory IL-10. Meanwhile, macrophage colony stimulating factor (M-CSF), playing a complex role in inflammation, was diminished by the AMP. LTA elevated IFN-γ and decreased M-CSF levels, while PMA only increased the concentration of M-CSF. Both concentrations of cathelicidin-2 increased the H2O2 release of the cells, but the concentration of malondialdehyde as a lipid peroxidation marker was not affected. Our findings give evidence that cathelicidin-2 can also possess anti-inflammatory effects, reflected by the alleviation of the LTA-triggered IFN-γ elevation, and by reducing the M-CSF production induced by PMA. Based on the present results, cathelicidin-2 plays a substantial role in modulating the hepatic immune response with a multifaceted mode of action. It was found to have dose-dependent effects on metabolic activity, membrane integrity, and reactive oxygen species production, indicating that using it in excessively high concentrations can contribute to cell damage. In conclusion, cathelicidin-2 seems to be a promising candidate for future immunomodulating drug development with an attempt to reduce the application of antibiotics.

Brands can be defined as psychological constructs residing in our minds. By analyzing brand associations, we can study the mental constructs around them. In this paper, we study brands as parts of an associative network based on a word association database. We explore the communities-closely-knit groups in the mind-around brand names in this structure using two community detection algorithms in the Hungarian word association database ConnectYourMind. We identify brand names inside the communities of a word association network and explain why these brand names are part of the community. Several detected communities contain brand names from the same product category, and the words in these categories were connected either to brands in the category or to words describing the product category. Based on our findings, we describe the mental position of brand names. We show that brand knowledge, product knowledge and real word knowledge interact with each other. We also show how the meaning of a product category arises and how this meaning is related to brand meaning. Our results suggest that words sharing the same community with brand names can be used in brand communication and brand positioning.

The effects of salt stress condition on the growth, morphology, photosynthetic performance, and paramylon content were examined in the mixotrophic, unicellular, flagellate Euglena gracilis. We found that salt stress negatively influenced cell growth, accompanied by a decrease in chlorophyll (Chl) content. Circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy revealed the changes in the macro-organization of pigment-protein complexes due to salt treatment, while the small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) investigations suggested a reduction in the thylakoid stacking, an effect confirmed by the transmission electron microscopy (TEM). At the same time, the analysis of the thylakoid membrane complexes using native-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) revealed no significant change in the composition of supercomplexes of the photosynthetic apparatus. Salt stress did not substantially affect the photosynthetic activity, as reflected by the fact that Chl fluorescence yield, electron transport rate (ETR), and energy transfer between the photosystems did not change considerably in the salt-grown cells. We have observed notable increases in the carotenoid-to-Chl ratio and the accumulation of paramylon in the salt-treated cells. We propose that the accumulation of storage polysaccharides and changes in the pigment composition and thylakoid membrane organization help the adaptation of E. gracilis cells to salt stress and contribute to the maintenance of cellular processes under stress conditions.

The results of a series of pump–probe spectral hole-burning experiments are presented on Yb3+- or Er3+-doped Li6Y(BO3)3 (LYB) single crystals in the temperature range of 2–14 K and 9–28 K, respectively. The spectral hole has a complex structure for Yb3+ with superposed narrow and broad bands, while a single absorption hole has been observed for Er3+. Population relaxation times (T1) at about 850 ± 60 μs and 1010 ± 50 μs and dipole relaxation times (T2) with values of 1100 ± 120 ns and 14.2 ± 0.3 ns have been obtained for the two components measured for the Yb3+:2F7/2—2F5/2 transition. T1 = 402 ± 8 μs and T2 = 11.9 ± 0.2 ns values have been found for the Er3+:4I15/2—4I11/2 excitation. The spectral diffusion rate at about 1 and 5 MHz/ms has been determined for the narrow and broad spectral line in Yb3+-doped crystal, respectively. The temperature dependence of the spectral hole halfwidth has also been investigated.

Photomorphogenesis is a process by which photosynthetic organisms perceive external light parameters, including light quality (color), and adjust cellular metabolism, growth rates and other parameters, in order to survive in a changing light environment. In this study we comprehensively explored the light color acclimation of Cyanobium gracile, a common cyanobacterium in turbid freshwater shallow lakes, using nine different monochromatic growth lights covering the whole visible spectrum from 435 to 687 nm. According to incident light wavelength, C. gracile cells performed great plasticity in terms of pigment composition, antenna size, and photosystem stoichiometry, to optimize their photosynthetic performance and to redox poise their intersystem electron transport chain. In spite of such compensatory strategies, C. gracile, like other cyanobacteria, uses blue and near far-red light less efficiently than orange or red light, which involves moderate growth rates, reduced cell volumes and lower electron transport rates. Unfavorable light conditions, where neither chlorophyll nor phycobilisomes absorb light sufficiently, are compensated by an enhanced antenna size. Increasing the wavelength of the growth light is accompanied by increasing photosystem II to photosystem I ratios, which involve better light utilization in the red spectral region. This is surprisingly accompanied by a partial excitonic antenna decoupling, which was the highest in the cells grown under 687 nm light. So far, a similar phenomenon is known to be induced only by strong light; here we demonstrate that under certain physiological conditions such decoupling is also possible to be induced by weak light. This suggests that suboptimal photosynthetic performance of the near far-red light grown C. gracile cells is due to a solid redox- and/or signal-imbalance, which leads to the activation of this short-term light acclimation process. Using a variety of photo-biophysical methods, we also demonstrate that under blue wavelengths, excessive light is quenched through orange carotenoid protein mediated non-photochemical quenching, whereas under orange/red wavelengths state transitions are involved in photoprotection.

Detailed performance testing of agricultural machinery is very important in determining its value in use. These measurements cannot be limited to laboratory tests, such as braking the power take-off (PTO) shaft of a tractor or performing dynamic tests of implements in a soil bin. Field tests are the ultimate way to test the capabilities of agricultural machinery. However, during such field tests, there are many parameters that can interfere with and affect the test results, such as inhomogeneity of the soil and tyre characteristics. In order to minimise these effects as much as possible, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences (MATE) Institute of Technology, Agriculture Engineering Labs. has developed a dynamometer vehicle with an electronic brake control system that is suitable for measuring the traction characteristics of agricultural tractors and other terrain vehicles. It is also capable of testing different track systems and tyre-soil interactions. This paper introduces this special test vehicle by presenting measurement results and also describes other interesting applications for the agricultural community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to show how the analysis of brand associations can help to elaborate the cognitive position of a brand. The paper compares brand associations of Hungarian consumers in two product categories, automobiles and alcoholic drinks, in two datasets. Design/Methodology/Approach – To obtain a detailed picture of a brand’s position in the mind of consumers, free brand associations to 10 alcohol and 13 automotive brands were collected, the associations were categorized, and their frequency and distribution analyzed. K-means clustering was used to identify similarities. Associations within and across product categories are compared, and shifts in associative structures are described. Findings and implications – The paper shows that associative structures differ across product categories. The two datasets (collected in 2011-2012 and 2015-2016) highlight that brand associations and thus a brand’s image change over time and that change is not only due to marketing communication – rather, media news and personal experiences also lead to change. Results confirm that positive and negative associations are likely to be connected to each brand; however, Fetscherin and Henrich’s (2014) matrix is just partly proved by associations. Finally, it is shown that strong associations can be generated by means of marketing communication, and consistent communication over the years is a prerequisite for creating strong associations. Limitations – Brand associations are only able to show the current position of brand names in a special cultural/linguistic and temporal context: thus, the present paper describes the associations for brands in Hungary and in Hungarian in the years 2011-2012 and 2015-2016. Originality – The paper compares associative structures of Hungarian consumers across and within product categories in two different datasets and shows that associative structures change over time.

Non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) is an important photoprotective mechanism in plants and algae. Although the process is extensively studied, little is known about its relationship with ultrastructural changes of the thylakoid membranes. In order to better understand this relationship, we studied the effects of illumination on the organization of thylakoid membranes in Monstera deliciosa leaves. This evergreen species is known to exhibit very large NPQ and to possess giant grana with dozens of stacked thylakoids. It is thus ideally suited for small-angle neutron scattering measurements (SANS)—a non-invasive technique, which is capable of providing spatially and statistically averaged information on the periodicity of the thylakoid membranes and their rapid reorganizations in vivo. We show that NPQ-inducing illumination causes a strong decrease in the periodic order of granum thylakoid membranes. Development of NPQ and light-induced ultrastructural changes, as well as the relaxation processes, follow similar kinetic patterns. Surprisingly, whereas NPQ is suppressed by diuron, it impedes only the relaxation of the structural changes and not its formation, suggesting that structural changes do not cause but enable NPQ. We also demonstrate that the diminishment of SANS peak does not originate from light-induced redistribution and reorientation of chloroplasts inside the cells.

The thylakoid membranes of vascular plants are differentiated into stacked granum and unstacked stroma regions. The formation of grana is triggered by the macrodomain formation of photosystem II and light-harvesting complex II (PSII-LHCII) and thus their lateral segregation from the photosystem I—light-harvesting complex I (PSI-LHCI) super-complexes and the ATP-synthase; which is then stabilized by stacking interactions of the adjacent PSII-LHCII enriched regions of the thylakoid membranes. The self-assembly and dynamics of this highly organized membrane system and the nature of forces acting between the PSII-LHCII macrodomains are not well understood. By using circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy, small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), we investigated the effects of Hofmeister salts on the organization of pigment-protein complexes and on the ultrastructure of thylakoid membranes. We found that the kosmotropic agent (NH4)2SO4 and the Hofmeister-neutral NaCl, up to 2 M concentrations, hardly affected the macro-organization of the protein complexes and the membrane ultrastructure. In contrast, chaotropic salts, NaClO4, and NaSCN destroyed the mesoscopic structures, the multilamellar organization of the thylakoid membranes and the chiral macrodomains of the protein complexes but without noticeably affecting the short-range, pigment-pigment excitonic interactions. Comparison of the concentration- and time-dependences of SANS, TEM and CD parameters revealed the main steps of the disassembly of grana in the presence of chaotropes. It begins with a rapid diminishment of the long-range periodic order of the grana membranes, apparently due to an increased stacking disorder of the thylakoid membranes, as reflected by SANS experiments. SANS measurements also allowed discrimination between the cationic and anionic effects—in stacking and disorder, respectively. This step is followed by a somewhat slower disorganization of the TEM ultrastructure, due to the gradual loss of stacked membrane pairs. Occurring last is the stepwise decrease and disappearance of the long-range chiral order of the protein complexes, the rate of which was faster in LHCII-deficient membranes. These data are interpreted in terms of a theory, from our laboratory, according to which Hofmeister salts primarily affect the hydrophylic-hydrophobic interactions of proteins, and the stroma-exposed regions of the intrinsic membrane proteins, in particular—pointing to the role of protein-water interface in the stacking interactions of granum thylakoid membranes.

Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is a model organism of increasing biotechnological importance, yet, the evaluation of its life cycle processes and photosynthesis on a single-cell level is largely unresolved. To facilitate the study of the relationship between morphology and photochemistry, we established microfluidics in combination with chlorophyll a fluorescence induction measurements. We developed two types of microfluidic platforms for single-cell investigations: (i) The traps of the “Tulip” device are suitable for capturing and immobilizing single cells, enabling the assessment of their photosynthesis for several hours without binding to a solid support surface. Using this “Tulip” platform, we performed high-quality non-photochemical quenching measurements and confirmed our earlier results on bulk cultures that non-photochemical quenching is higher in ascorbate-deficient mutants (Crvtc2-1) than in the wild-type. (ii) The traps of the “Pot” device were designed for capturing single cells and allowing the growth of the daughter cells within the traps. Using our most performant “Pot” device, we could demonstrate that the FV/FM parameter, an indicator of photosynthetic efficiency, varies considerably during the cell cycle. Our microfluidic devices, therefore, represent versatile platforms for the simultaneous morphological and photosynthetic investigations of C. reinhardtii on a single-cell level.

The recent Special Issue on lithium niobate (LiNbO3) is dedicated to Prof. Schirmer and his topics and contains nineteen papers, out of which seven review various aspects of intrinsic and extrinsic defects in single crystals, thin films, and powdered phases; six present brand-new results of basic research, including two papers on Li(Nb,Ta)O3 mixed crystals; and the remaining six are related to various optical and/or thin film applications.

Trace metal contaminations in natural waters, wetlands, and wastewaters pose serious threats to aquatic ecosystems—mainly via targeting microalgae. In this work, we investigated the effects of toxic amounts of chromium and cadmium ions on the structure and function of the photosynthetic machinery of Chlorella variabilis cells. To halt the propagation of cells, we used high concentrations of Cd and Cr, 50–50 mg L−1, in the forms of CdCl2 x 2.5 H2O and K2Cr2O7, respectively. Both treatments led to similar, about 50% gradual diminishment of the chlorophyll contents of the cells in 48 h, which was, however, accompanied by a small (~10%) but statistically significant enrichment (Cd) and loss (Cr) of ß-carotene. Both Cd and Cr inhibited the activity of photosystem II (PSII)—but with more severe inhibitions with Cr. On the contrary, the PsbA (D1) protein of PSII and the PsbO protein of the oxygen-evolving complex were retained more in Cr-treated cells than in the presence of Cd. These data and the higher susceptibility of P700 redox transients in Cr-treated cells suggest that, unlike with Cd, PSII is not the main target in the photochemical apparatus. These differences at the level of photochemistry also brought about dissimilarities at higher levels of the structural complexity of the photosynthetic apparatus. Circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy measurements revealed moderate perturbations in the macro-organization of the protein complexes—with more pronounced decline in Cd-treated cells than in the cells with Cr. Also, as reflected by transmission electron microscopy and small-angle neutron scattering, the thylakoid membranes suffered shrinking and were largely fragmented in Cd-treated cells, whereas no changes could be discerned with Cr. The preservation of integrity of membranes in Cr-treated cells was most probably aided by high proportion of the de-epoxidized xanthophylls, which were absent with Cd. It can thus be concluded that beside strong similarities of the toxic effects of Cr and Cd, the response of the photosynthetic machinery of C. variabilis to these two trace metal ions substantially differ from each other—strongly suggesting different inhibitory and protective mechanisms following the primary toxic events.

Abstract Background Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and cigarette smoking are both risk factors for periodontal disease (PD). Previous research suggests that systemic inflammatory conditions and cigarette smoking may act in synergy, and their co-occurrence leads to a much higher risk of developing severe stage PD than what the combination of their individual risks would suggest. We originally sought to test this in the case of RA, but it turned out that the majority of our patients were former smokers, who smoked for prolonged periods in the past. For that reason, we decided to shift our focus toward the possible effects of past chronic cigarette smoke exposure. Methods The data of 73 RA patients and 77 healthy controls were analyzed. The participants received a full-mouth periodontal examination to determine their periodontal status. Rheumatological indices and data on past tobacco use were also recorded. Both the patient and the control groups were divided into former smoker and non-smoker subgroups for the analyses. Non-smoker controls were used as the reference group. Results In the control group, smoking in history increased the odds of developing both the moderate and the severe stages of PD, but the change was not statistically significant. RA significantly, increased the odds of developing both stages in itself, but the highest odds were seen in the former smoker RA group. Conclusion Based on this surprising observation of ours, we hypothesize that chronic cigarette smoke might bring about permanent changes in the periodontal tissues, leading to their hypersensitivity to inflammatory challenges.

Crown gall (CG) is a globally distributed and economically important disease of grapevine and other important crop plants. The causal agent of CG is Agrobacterium or Allorhizobium strains that harbor a tumor-inducing plasmid (pTi). The microbial community within the CG tumor has not been widely elucidated and it is not known if certain members of this microbial community promote or inhibit CG. This study investigated the microbiotas of grapevine CG tumor tissues from seven infected vineyards located in Hungary, Japan, Tunisia, and the United States. Heavy co-amplification of grapevine chloroplast and mitochondrial ribosomal RNA genes was observed with the widely used Illumina V3–V4 16S rRNA gene primers, requiring the design of a new reverse primer to enrich for bacterial 16S rRNA from CG tumors. The operational taxonomic unit (OTU) clustering approach is not suitable for CG microbiota analysis as it collapsed several ecologically distinct Agrobacterium species into a single OTU due to low interspecies genetic divergence. The CG microbial community assemblages were significantly different across sampling sites (ANOSIM global R = 0.63, p-value = 0.001) with evidence of site-specific differentially abundant ASVs. The presence of Allorhizobium vitis in the CG microbiota is almost always accompanied by Xanthomonas and Novosphingobium, the latter may promote the spread of pTi plasmid by way of acyl-homoserine lactone signal production, whereas the former may take advantage of the presence of substrates associated with plant cell wall growth and repair. The technical and biological insights gained from this study will contribute to the understanding of complex interaction between the grapevine and its microbial community and may facilitate better management of CG disease in the future.

Abstract Background Photobiological H2 production has the potential of becoming a carbon-free renewable energy source, because upon the combustion of H2, only water is produced. The [Fe–Fe]-type hydrogenases of green algae are highly active, although extremely O2-sensitive. Sulphur deprivation is a common way to induce H2 production, which, however, relies substantially on organic substrates and imposes a severe stress effect resulting in the degradation of the photosynthetic apparatus. Results We report on the establishment of an alternative H2 production method by green algae that is based on a short anaerobic induction, keeping the Calvin–Benson–Bassham cycle inactive by substrate limitation and preserving hydrogenase activity by applying a simple catalyst to remove the evolved O2. Cultures remain photosynthetically active for several days, with the electrons feeding the hydrogenases mostly derived from water. The amount of H2 produced is higher as compared to the sulphur-deprivation procedure and the process is photoautotrophic. Conclusion Our protocol demonstrates that it is possible to sustainably use algal cells as whole-cell catalysts for H2 production, which enables industrial application of algal biohydrogen production.

Abstract Photosystem II (PSII) catalyses the photoinduced oxygen evolution and, by producing reducing equivalents drives, in concert with PSI, the conversion of carbon dioxide to sugars. Our knowledge about the architecture of the reaction centre (RC) complex and the mechanisms of charge separation and stabilisation is well advanced. However, our understanding of the processes associated with the functioning of RC is incomplete: the photochemical activity of PSII is routinely monitored by chlorophyll-a fluorescence induction but the presently available data are not free of controversy. In this work, we examined the nature of gradual fluorescence rise of PSII elicited by trains of single-turnover saturating flashes (STSFs) in the presence of a PSII inhibitor, permitting only one stable charge separation. We show that a substantial part of the fluorescence rise originates from light-induced processes that occur after the stabilisation of charge separation, induced by the first STSF; the temperature-dependent relaxation characteristics suggest the involvement of conformational changes in the additional rise. In experiments using double flashes with variable waiting times (∆τ) between them, we found that no rise could be induced with zero or short ∆τ, the value of which depended on the temperature - revealing a previously unknown rate-limiting step in PSII.

The present review is intended for a broader audience interested in the resolution of the several decades-long controversy on the possible role of oxygen-vacancy defects in LiNbO3. Confronting ideas of a selected series of papers from classical experiments to brand new large-scale calculations, a unified interpretation of the defect generation and annealing mechanisms governing processes during thermo- and mechanochemical treatments and irradiations of various types is presented. The dominant role of as-grown and freshly generated Nb antisite defects as traps for small polarons and bipolarons is demonstrated, while mobile lithium vacancies, also acting as hole traps, are shown to provide flexible charge compensation needed for stability. The close relationship between LiNbO3 and the Li battery materials LiNb3O8 and Li3NbO4 is pointed out. The oxygen sublattice of the bulk plays a much more passive role, whereas oxygen loss and Li2O segregation take place in external or internal surface layers of a few nanometers.

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) emerge as promising novel carbon-based nanoparticles for use in biomedicine, pharmacology and precision agriculture. They were shown to penetrate cell walls and membranes and to physically interact and exchange electrons with photosynthetic complexes in vitro. Here, for the first time, we studied the concentration-dependent effect of foliar application of copolymer-grafted SWCNTs on the structural and functional characteristics of intact pea plants. The lowest used concentration of 10 mg L−1 did not cause any harmful effects on the studied leaf characteristics, while abundant epicuticular wax generation on both leaf surfaces was observed after 300 mg L−1 treatment. Swelling of both the granal and the stromal regions of thylakoid membranes was detected after application of 100 mg L−1 and was most pronounced after 300 mg L−1. Higher SWCNT doses lead to impaired photosynthesis in terms of lower proton motive force generation, slower generation of non-photochemical quenching and reduced zeaxanthin content; however, the photosystem II function was largely preserved. Our results clearly indicate that SWCNTs affect the photosynthetic apparatus in a concentration-dependent manner. Low doses (10 mg L−1) of SWCNTs appear to be a safe suitable object for future development of nanocarriers for substances that are beneficial for plant growth.

The energy levels of Dy3+ ions have been determined in lithium yttrium borate (Li6Y(BO3)3) single crystals in a wide spectral range between 3000 and 40,000 cm−1 using optical absorption and luminescence spectroscopy, which also allow for an analysis of the ground state. The crystal field splittings of the 6H15/2 ground state and all excited states up to the 4F7/2 manifold were obtained at a low temperature, based on luminescence (T = 4.2–78 K) and absorption (T = 8–100 K) measurements, respectively. The numbers of experimentally observed Stark sublevels are in agreement with those expected theoretically for Dy3+ ions occupying a single low symmetry (C1) site.

A comprehensive understanding of geological, structural geological, hydrogeological and geotechnical features of the host rock are essential for the design and performance evaluation of surface and underground excavations. The Hungarian National Radioactive Waste Repository (NRWR) at Bátaapáti is constructed in a fractured granitic formation, and Telfer Gold Mine in Australia is excavated in stratified siltstones, sandstones and quartzites. This study highlights relationships between GSI chart ratings and calculated GSI values based on RMR rock mass classification data. The paper presents linear equations for estimating GSI from measured RMR89 values. Correlations between a and b constants were analyzed for different rock types, at surface and subsurface settings.

The paper aims to investigate the basin of attraction map of a complex Vehicle Routing Problem with random walk analysis. The Vehicle Routing Problem (VRP) is a common discrete optimization problem in field of logistics. In the case of the base VRP, the positions of one single depot and many customers (which have product demands) are given. The vehicles and their capacity limits are also fixed in the system and the objective function is the minimization of the length of the route. In the literature, many approaches have appeared to simulate the transportation demands. Most of the approaches are using some kind of metaheuristics. Solving the problems with metaheuristics requires exploring the fitness landscape of the optimization problem. The fitness landscape analysis consists of the investigation of the following elements: the set of the possible states, the fitness function and the neighborhood relationship. We use also metaheuristics are used to perform neighborhood discovery depending on the neighborhood interpretation. In this article, the following neighborhood operators are used for the basin of attraction map: 2-opt, Order Crossover (OX), Partially Matched Crossover (PMX), Cycle Crossover (CX). Based on our test results, the 2-opt and Partially Matched Crossover operators are more efficient than the Order Crossover and Cycle Crossovers.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease with a strong ethnic and gender bias. In a transancestral genetic association study, Langefeldet al. identify 24 novel regions associated with risk to lupus and propose a cumulative hits hypothesis for loci conferring risk to SLE.

Research Highlights: We examined the vegetation appearing in forest-steppes in the Pannon region. In the present survey taxonomical relations of the dominant Festuca species were examined. Background and Objectives: After deforestation and shrubcutting bare soil patches exposed to anthropogenous effects provided an opportunity for new vegetation to form. Materials and Methods: Inflorescence parameters and micromorphological characters of the leaves were examined in a new taxon and compared with two, presumably closely related, species of the genus Festuca L. Festuca tomanii Korneck & T.Gregor, with silvery leaf surface, Festuca vaginata W. K. and Festuca pseudovaginata Penksza were compared based on 24 traits of the inflorescence and their leaf anatomy studied on leaf cross-sections. Moreover, leaf micromorphological features were compared using a stereomicroscope, a scanning electron microscope completed with Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy measurements and phytolith analysis method to establish the taxonomic applications of the micromorphological characters of the epidermis. Results: The awns of the lemma of Festuca tomanii were shown to be longer than those of the two other species. Festuca vaginata and Festuca pseudovaginata specimen showed low variability in inflorescence parameters but inflorescence characters were not uniform because the panicle of Festuca tomanii individuals was found to be bigger in the northern part than the panicles originating from the southern part of the sampled area. The phytolith assemblages of the Festuca pseudovaginata and Festuca tomanii differ from the Festuca vaginata in the abundance of ELONGATE SINUATE phytolith morphotype. Conclusions: we confirmed the appearance of F. vaginata in natural grasslands and discovered new occurrences of F. pseudovaginata and F. tomanii. F. pseudovaginata inhabits only the Pannon region, we found endemic and natural stands of it, but in its secondary habitats it was confirmed as a completely new species. Furthermore, taxa of disturbed vegetations are currently being examined. These habitats are potential hotspots of speciation.

Classification in discrete object space is a widely used machine learning technique. In this case, we can construct a rule set using attribute level implication rules. In this paper, we apply the technique of formal concept analysis to generate the rule base of the classification. This approach is suitable for cases where the number of possible attribute subsets is limited. For testing of this approach, we investigated the problem of the part of speech prediction in natural language texts. The proposed model provides a better accuracy and execution cost than the baseline back-propagation neural network method.

In cereals, C-repeat binding factor genes have been defined as key components of the light quality-dependent regulation of frost tolerance by integrating phytochrome-mediated light and temperature signals. This study elucidates the differences in the lipid composition of barley leaves illuminated with white light or white light supplemented with far-red light at 5 or 15 °C. According to LC-MS analysis, far-red light supplementation increased the amount of monogalactosyldiacylglycerol species 36:6, 36:5, and 36:4 after 1 day at 5 °C, and 10 days at 15 °C resulted in a perturbed content of 38:6 species. Changes were observed in the levels of phosphatidylethanolamine, and phosphatidylserine under white light supplemented with far-red light illumination at 15 °C, whereas robust changes were observed in the amount of several phosphatidylserine species at 5 °C. At 15 °C, the amount of some phosphatidylglycerol species increased as a result of white light supplemented with far-red light illumination after 1 day. The ceramide (42:2)-3 content increased regardless of the temperature. The double-bond index of phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylcholine ceramide together with total double-bond index changed when the plant was grown at 15 °C as a function of white light supplemented with far-red light. white light supplemented with far-red light increased the monogalactosyldiacylglycerol/diacylglycerol ratio as well. The gene expression changes are well correlated with the alterations in the lipidome.