Commercially supplied inoculation wires have a guaranteed chemical composition but not the size and distribution of individual phases, which are very important for nucleation. Therefore, two commercial alloys used for the inoculation of Al-Si alloys (AlTi3B1 and AlTi5B1) are investigated in this paper. The emphasis is placed on their structural analysis and the size and distribution of individual intermetallic phases. Furthermore, the grain refinement effect will be tested by adding these alloys to the AlSi7Mg0.3 alloy and testing the optimal amount of added inoculation wires. The results showed that the size and distribution of the individual phases in AlTi3B1 and AlTi5B1 meet the requirements for the successful inoculation of aluminum alloys, the intermetallic phases based on the TiAl3 phase are fine enough, and there is no agglomeration that would reduce the number of nuclei. This assumption was confirmed by adding these inoculants to the AlSi7Mg0.3 alloy, and it was found that the most ideal amount of inoculants added is 0.01 wt % when the structure was refined by approximately 32%.

• Klíčová slova
• Al-Ti-B, AlSi7Mg0.3, grain size, inoculation, intermetallics,
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

Salinity and phosphorus (P) deficiency are among the most serious soil factors constraining crop productivity. A proposed strategy for alleviating these stresses is supporting plants by inoculation with growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR). Here, a comparison of the ability of two maize composite and two F1 hybrid varieties to tolerate a P deficiency in either a saline or a non-saline environment showed that the uptake of nutrients by all four entries was significantly reduced by the imposition of both soil salinity and P deficiency, and that their growth was compromised to a similar extent. Subsequently, the ameliorative effect of inoculation with three strains of either Arthrobacter sp. or Bacillus sp. in an environment, which suffered simultaneously from salinity and P deficiency, was investigated. Inoculation with each of the strains was found to limit the plants' uptake of sodium cations, to increase their uptake of potassium cations, and to enhance their growth. The extent of the growth stimulation was more pronounced for the composite varieties than for the F1 hybrid ones, although the amount of biomass accumulated by the latter, whether the plants had been inoculated or not, was greater than that of the former varieties. When the bacterial strains were cultured in vitro, each of them was shown as able to produce the phytohormones auxin, abscisic acid, gibberellins, and cytokinins. The implication is that since the presence in the rhizospere of both Arthrobacter sp. and Bacillus sp. strains can support the growth of maize in salinity-affected and P deficient soils in a genotype-dependent fashion, it is important to not only optimize the PGPR strain used for inoculation, but also to select maize varieties which can benefit most strongly from an association with these bacteria.

• Klíčová slova
• P deficiency, bacterial inoculation, maize, phytohormone production, plant growth, salinity stress,
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

BACKGROUND: Babesia spp. are apicomplexan parasites which infect a wide range of mammalian hosts. Historically, most Babesia species were described based on the assumed host specificity and morphological features of the intraerythrocytic stages. New DNA-based approaches challenge the traditional species concept and host specificity in Babesia. Using such tools, the presence of Babesia DNA was reported in non-specific mammalian hosts, including B. canis in feces and tissues of insectivorous bats, opening questions on alternative transmission routes. The aim of the present study was to evaluate if B. canis DNA can be detected in tissues of laboratory rodents following oral inoculation with infected ticks. METHODS: Seventy-five questing adult Dermacentor reticulatus ticks were longitudinally cut in two halves and pooled. Each pool consisted of halves of 5 ticks, resulting in two analogous sets. One pool set (n = 15) served for DNA extraction, while the other set (n = 15) was used for oral inoculation of experimental animals (Mus musculus, line CD-1 and Meriones unguiculatus). Blood was collected three times during the experiment (before the inoculation, at 14 days post-inoculation and at 30 days post-inoculation). All animals were euthanized 30 days post-inoculation. At necropsy, half of the heart, lung, liver, spleen and kidneys were collected from each animal. The presence of Babesia DNA targeting the 18S rRNA gene was evaluated from blood and tissues samples. For histopathology, the other halves of the tissues were used. Stained blood smears were used for the light microscopy detection of Babesia. RESULTS: From the 15 pools of D. reticulatus used for the oral inoculation, six were PCR-positive for B. canis. DNA of B. canis was detected in blood and tissues of 33.3% of the animals (4 out of 12) inoculated with a B. canis-positive pool. No Babesia DNA was detected in the other 18 animals which received B. canis-negative tick pools. No Babesia was detected during the histological examination and all blood smears were microscopically negative. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrate that B. canis DNA can be detected in tissues of mammalian hosts following ingestion of infected ticks and opens the question of alternative transmission routes for piroplasms.

• Klíčová slova
• Babesia canis, Dermacentor reticulatus, Gerbil, Mouse, Oral inoculation,
• MeSH
• aplikace orální MeSH
• Babesia genetika   MeSH
• babezióza krev   parazitologie   MeSH
• Dermacentor parazitologie   MeSH
• Gerbillinae MeSH
• hlodavci parazitologie   MeSH
• infestace klíšťaty parazitologie   MeSH
• myši MeSH
• protozoální DNA analýza   MeSH
• RNA ribozomální 18S genetika   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• myši MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Názvy látek
• protozoální DNA MeSH
• RNA ribozomální 18S MeSH

An investigation was carried out on the effect of inoculation methods on the compost of an organic fraction of municipal solid waste. Three types of white-rot fungi (Phanerochaete chrysosporium, Trametes versicolor and Fomes fomentarius), and a consortium of these fungi, were used. The study assessed their influence on microbial enzymatic activities and the quality of the finished compost. It was found that the addition of white-rot fungi to municipal solid waste (after 37days of composting) could be a useful strategy for enhancing the properties of the final compost product. In comparison with the control sample (compost without inoculation), it accelerates degradation of solid waste as indicated by changes in C/N, electrical conductivity and pH. However, the effectiveness of waste degradation and compost maturation depends on the type of microorganism used for inoculation. The presence of inoculants, such as Trametes versicolor and Fomes fomentarius, led to a higher degrading ratio and a better degree of maturity. This resulted in an increase of enzymatic activities (especially dehydrogenase and protease) and a germination index in comparison with inoculation using Phanerochaete chrysosporium or a consortium of fungi.

• Klíčová slova
• Compost maturation, Inoculation, Landfill restoration, Organic fraction of municipal solid waste, White-rot fungi,
• MeSH
• biodegradace MeSH
• Coriolaceae metabolismus   MeSH
• dusík metabolismus   MeSH
• enzymy metabolismus   MeSH
• houby metabolismus   MeSH
• koncentrace vodíkových iontů MeSH
• odpadky - odstraňování metody   MeSH
• Phanerochaete metabolismus   MeSH
• půda * MeSH
• půdní mikrobiologie * MeSH
• Trametes metabolismus   MeSH
• tuhý odpad * MeSH
• uhlík metabolismus   MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Názvy látek
• dusík MeSH
• enzymy MeSH
• půda * MeSH
• tuhý odpad * MeSH
• uhlík MeSH

Parameters for biolistic transfer of viroid nucleic acids using a Helios Gene Gun device were assayed. The main achievement of this method is high efficiency of inoculation with linear monomeric viroid cDNAs and RNAs. This greatly facilitates the study of mutated sequence variants, viroid libraries and mixed populations. The lower limits for efficient inoculation of monomeric cDNA fragments with the sequence of potato spindle tuber viroid (PSTVd) and native PSTVd RNA as detected 21 days p.i. are in the range of 50 ng and 200 pg per tomato plant, respectively. At a higher dose, i.e. 2 ng of native RNA per plant, biolistic transfer causes drastic stunting compared to conventional mechanical inoculation, which points to higher PSTVd titers after the biolistic transfer. Infection is readily achieved with exact length monomeric RNA transcripts having 5'-triphosphate and 3'-OH termini in amounts ranging from 2 to 20 ng per plant, suggesting no need for any supplementary modifications of ends or RNA circularization. The biolistic transfer is efficient for viroid "thermomutants", which exhibit low or no infectivity with conventional mechanical inoculation with Carborundum. The biolistic inoculation is also efficient for two other members of the Pospiviroidae family, hop stunt and hop latent viroid.

• MeSH
• biolistika * MeSH
• dvouvláknová RNA analýza   MeSH
• nemoci rostlin virologie   MeSH
• RNA virová analýza   chemie   genetika   MeSH
• Solanum lycopersicum virologie   MeSH
• Solanum tuberosum virologie   MeSH
• viroidy klasifikace   genetika   růst a vývoj   patogenita   MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Názvy látek
• dvouvláknová RNA MeSH
• RNA virová MeSH

Inoculation with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) may improve plant performance at disturbed sites, but inoculation may also suppress root colonization by native AMF and decrease the diversity of the root-colonizing AMF community. This has been shown for the roots of directly inoculated plants, but little is known about the stability of inoculation effects, and to which degree the inoculant and the inoculation-induced changes in AMF community composition spread into newly emerging seedlings that were not in direct contact with the introduced propagules. We addressed this topic in a greenhouse experiment based on the soil and native AMF community of a post-mining site. Plants were cultivated in compartmented pots with substrate containing the native AMF community, where AMF extraradical mycelium radiating from directly inoculated plants was allowed to inoculate neighboring plants. The abundances of the inoculated isolate and of native AMF taxa were monitored in the roots of the directly inoculated plants and the neighboring plants by quantitative real-time PCR. As expected, inoculation suppressed root colonization of the directly inoculated plants by other AMF taxa of the native AMF community and also by native genotypes of the same species as used for inoculation. In the neighboring plants, high abundance of the inoculant and the suppression of native AMF were maintained. Thus, we demonstrate that inoculation effects on native AMF propagate into plants that were not in direct contact with the introduced inoculum, and are therefore likely to persist at the site of inoculation.

• MeSH
• genotyp MeSH
• kořeny rostlin mikrobiologie   MeSH
• mycelium růst a vývoj   MeSH
• mykorhiza růst a vývoj   MeSH
• půda MeSH
• rostliny mikrobiologie   MeSH
• semenáček mikrobiologie   MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Názvy látek
• půda MeSH

A relationship between inoculation and elemental uptake of Medicago sativa inoculated with Rhizobia meliloti (isolated from a saline area) was found. The plant uptake of the elements with atomic number between 19 and 42 was significantly higher in plants grown on inoculated soils, with the exception of molybdenum. Preliminary evidence shows that the concentration of some elements was affected by inoculation.

• MeSH
• chlorid sodný farmakologie   MeSH
• prvky MeSH
• půda analýza   MeSH
• rostliny metabolismus   MeSH
• vývoj rostlin MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Názvy látek
• chlorid sodný MeSH
• prvky MeSH
• půda MeSH

BACKGROUND: Fear acquisition of certain stimuli, such as snakes, is thought to be rapid, resistant to extinction, and easily transferable onto other similar objects. It has been hypothesized that due to increased survival chances, preparedness to instantly acquire fear towards evolutionary threats has been hardwired into neural pathways of the primate brain. Here, we compare participants' fear of snakes according to experience; from those who often deal with snakes and even suffer snakebites to those unfamiliar with snakes. METHODS: The Snake Questionnaire-12 (SNAQ-12) and Specific Phobia Questionnaire (SPQ) were administered to three groups of participants with a different level of experience with snakes and snakebites: 1) snake experts, 2) firefighters, and 3) college students. RESULTS: This study shows that individuals more experienced with snakes demonstrate lower fear. Moreover, participants who have suffered a snakebite (either venomous or not) score lower on fear of snakes (SNAQ-12), but not of all other potentially phobic stimuli (SPQ). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that a harmless benign exposure might immunize people to highly biologically prepared fears of evolutionary threats, such as snakes.

• Klíčová slova
• Fear immunization, Fear of snakes, Hypophobia, Preparedness theory, Snake questionnaire, Snakebite,
• MeSH
• fobie * MeSH
• hadi MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• strach MeSH
• uštknutí hadem * MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH

Development of morphological changes was studied in the site of intradermal inoculation of Q-fever chemovaccine. The chemovaccine was obtained by trichloroacetic acid extraction from Coxiella burnetii, strain Nine mile, phase I cells. The effect of two vaccine doses (0.2 mg and 1.0 mg) was compared in two groups of guinea pigs (each consisting of 21 animals). After inoculation of 1.0 mg vaccine abscesses formed in the dermis and in subcutaneous tissue along with dystrophic changes of skeletal muscles. Reparation of these lesions progressed sufficiently slowly and was not completed before 60 days after vaccine inoculation. The regeneration of skeletal muscles was of budding type. After inoculation of 0.2 mg of chemovaccine minimal lesions occurred in the subcutaneous tissue only. However, already within 48 hr this vaccine dose evoked a strong reparation response. Interesting was the finding of Kurloff cells in the haemorrhagic foci. The results suggest that the low-reactogenic chemovaccine dose of 0.2 mg might be sufficiently immunogenic after subcutaneous administration.

• MeSH
• absces etiologie   patologie   MeSH
• časové faktory MeSH
• Coxiella imunologie   MeSH
• inaktivované vakcíny aplikace a dávkování   toxicita   MeSH
• injekce subkutánní MeSH
• kožní nemoci etiologie   patologie   MeSH
• krvácení etiologie   patologie   MeSH
• morčata MeSH
• nemoci svalů etiologie   patologie   MeSH
• rickettsiové vakcíny aplikace a dávkování   toxicita   MeSH
• vakcinace škodlivé účinky   MeSH
• vakcíny toxicita   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• morčata MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Názvy látek
• inaktivované vakcíny MeSH
• rickettsiové vakcíny MeSH
• vakcíny MeSH

The need for an effective treatment against cryptosporidiosis has triggered studies in the search for a working in vitro model. The peculiar niche of cryptosporidia at the brush border of host epithelial cells has been the subject of extensive debates. Despite extensive research on the invasion process, it remains enigmatic whether cryptosporidian host-parasite interactions result from an active invasion process or through encapsulation. We used HCT-8 and HT-29 cell lines for in vitro cultivation of the gastric parasite Cryptosporidium proliferans strain TS03. Using electron and confocal laser scanning microscopy, observations were carried out 24, 48 and 72 h after inoculation with a mixture of C. proliferans oocysts and sporozoites. Free sporozoites and putative merozoites were observed apparently searching for an appropriate infection site. Advanced stages, corresponding to trophozoites and meronts/gamonts enveloped by parasitophorous sac, and emptied sacs were detected. As our observations showed that even unexcysted oocysts became enveloped by cultured cell projections, using polystyrene microspheres, we evaluated the response of cell lines to simulated inoculation with cryptosporidian oocysts to verify innate and parasite-induced behaviour. We found that cultured cell encapsulation of oocysts is induced by parasite antigens, independent of any active invasion/motility.

• Klíčová slova
• Antigen, Apicomplexa, Cryptosporidium muris, Cryptosporidium proliferans, Encapsulation, Invasion,
• MeSH
• antigeny protozoální metabolismus   MeSH
• buněčné linie MeSH
• buňky HT-29 MeSH
• Cryptosporidium fyziologie   MeSH
• interakce hostitele a parazita fyziologie   MeSH
• konfokální mikroskopie MeSH
• kryptosporidióza metabolismus   parazitologie   MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Názvy látek
• antigeny protozoální MeSH