The Institute of the Rock Structure and Mechanics AS CR operates the GEONAS network that now consists of 17 perm anent GPS observatories. The outliers and in consistencies occur within the time series observed in the winter season 200 5/2006 for the position of the GNSS antennas of the observatories SNEC and BISK located high in the m ountains, at th e Sněžka Mt. (1602 m, the Giant Mts.) and the Biskupská kupa Mt. (890 m, the Jeseníky Mts.) respectively. Therefore web cameras and meteorological sensors were in stalled at GEONAS observatories located in the mountain regions. The snow coverage and other meteorological influences affecti ng the antennas monitoring GPS signals at these observatories were estimated. The individual photos were analyzed and compared to variations in the time series to obtain the time series for winter seasons reducing the snow coverage effects., Milada Grácová, František Mantlík, Vladimír Schenk and Zdeňka Schenková., and Obsahuje bibliografické odkazy
Mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress participate in the development of diabetic complications, however, the mechanisms of their origin are not entirely clear. Coenzyme Q has an important function in mitochondrial bioenergetics and is also a powerful antioxidant. Coenzyme Q (CoQ) regenerates alpha-tocopherol to its active form and prevents atherogenesis by protecting low-density lipoproteins against oxidation. The aim of this study was to ascertain whether the experimentally induced diabetes mellitus is associated with changes in the content of endogenous antioxidants (alpha-tocopherol, coenzymes Q9 and Q10) and in the intensity of lipoperoxidation. These biochemical parameters were investigated in the blood and in the isolated heart and liver mitochondria. Diabetes was induced in male Wistar rats by a single intravenous injection of streptozotocin (45 mg.kg-1), insulin was administered once a day for 8 weeks (6 U.kg-1). The concentrations of glucose, cholesterol, alpha-tocopherol and CoQ homologues in the blood of the diabetic rats were increased. The CoQ9/cholesterol ratio was reduced. In heart and liver mitochondria of the diabetic rats we found an increased concentration of alpha-tocopherol, however, the concentrations of CoQ9 and CoQ10 were decreased. The formation of malondialdehyde was enhanced in the plasma and heart mitochondria. The results have demonstrated that experimental diabetes is associated with increased lipoperoxidation, in spite of the increased blood concentrations of antioxidants alpha-tocopherol and CoQ. These changes may be associated with disturbances of lipid metabolism in diabetic rats. An important finding is that heart and liver mitochondria from the diabetic rats contain less CoQ9 and CoQ10 in comparison with the controls. We suppose that the deficit of coenzyme Q can participate in disturbances of mitochondrial energy metabolism of diabetic animals., J. Kucharská, Z. Braunová, O. Uličná, L. Zlatoš, A. Gvozdjáková., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Záměrem této studie je interpretovat Hegelovu tezi, že filosofie dějin je teodiceou. Interpretace postupuje v několika krocích: (1) Na příkladu Hegelovy formulace problému zla ukazuji, že jsou v ní přítomny dvě roviny: teoretická a praktická. Hegel se na jedné straně domnívá, že dějiny jsou přístupné rozumovému poznání, a na druhé straně je přesvědčen, že toto poznání může v důsledku vést ke smíření myšlení a skutečnosti, resp. člověka a světa (včetně existujícího zla). (2) Uvedené domněnky objasňuji v kontextu teze týkající se přítomnosti rozumu v dějinách, přičemž seznamuji s Hegelovou koncepcí rozumu. (3) Následně rozlišuji dva výkladové modely minulých a přítomných událostí: mechanistický a teleologický. Toto rozlišení je mj. motivováno dvěma skutečnostmi: za prvé tím, že dějinní aktéři jednají intencionálně, a za druhé tím, že v tomto svém jednání nevědomě uskutečňují svou povahu, kterou je svoboda. (4) Tezi, že filosofie dějin je teodiceou, se v dalším pokouším odstínit od moralismu a fatalismu. (5) Na závěr uvádím důvody v neprospěch instrumentalistické interpretace Hegelovy filosofie dějin., The aim of this paper is to develop Hegel’s thesis that the philosophy of history is a theodicy. My interpretation proceeds by several steps: Firstly, I examine Hegel’s formulation of the problem of evil and show that his solution has two interconnected dimensions: theoretical and practical. Accordingly, it operates with two presuppositions: (a) history is accessible to rational inquiry, and (b) this kind of inquiry can reconcile a man with the actual world, including existent evil. My next step is to further develop the first presupposition in the context of the thesis about reason in history, and I analyse Hegel’s peculiar understanding of “reason”. I then distinguish two ways of explaining present and past events: mechanical and teleological, and I clarify why teleological explanations are unavoidable. Within the teleological I differentiate two models: intentional and functional. This distinction is motivated by two circumstances: (1) historical agents act intentionally, and in doing so (2) they also unintentionally actualize their own nature, i.e. freedom. Subsequently, I approach the thesis about the philosophy of history as a theodicy. I contrast Hegel´s own position to moralism and fatalism. The last section gives some reasons against an instrumentalist interpretation of Hegel’s philosophy of history., and Ivan Landa.
Decrees of the President of the Republic, more commonly known as the Beneš decrees, were a series of laws that were drafted by the Czechslovak Government-in-Exile in the absence of the Czechoslovak parliament during the German occupation of Czechoslovakia in World War II and issued by President Edvard Beneš. This article deals with this for the Czech history important topic und it analyses, how these decrees perceives Czech society. The theoretical background captures the concept of the historical memory (M. Halbwachs). Important finding is, that it‘s slightly increasing the number of people who promote their boundless force., Lukáš Novotný., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
Stáří a stárnutí jedinců jsou bezpochyby fenomény, které zaujímaly významné místo ve společnosti již v dobách dávno minulých. Během 20. století však nabrala otázka stárnutí nového rozměru, neboť začala nově přesahovat z úrovně individuální na úroveň celospolečenskou. V důsledku zlepšování některých společenských podmínek (např. lékařské péče, životního stylu, hygieny, životní úrovně atd.), jež bylo nastartováno již zhruba na počátku 19. století, dochází k odsouvání úmrtí do vyšších věků, a lidé tak žijí déle. V moderních společnostech je tento jev obvykle doprovázen poklesem porodnosti a plodnosti. Kombinace těchto dvou faktorů pak ve svém konečném důsledku způsobuje proces, který nazýváme demografickým stárnutím. Obecně je tedy třeba rozlišovat dva pohledy na problematiku stárnutí. První pohled se zaměřuje na tzv. stárnutí individuální, druhý přístup se zabývá demografickým stárnutím lidských populací, ovšem je zřejmé, že obě dvě hlediska jsou mezi sebou navzájem provázaná. Podobně tomu bude i v následujícímpříspěvku, jenž se bude zabývat nejen přehledem problematiky demografického stárnutí, ale dotkne se také otázek o dlouhověkosti a kvalitě života, které se dostávají do popředí v souvislosti s tematikou stárnutí jednotlivců., Old age and aging of individuals are phenomenons that took important place in society as early as former times. During twentieth century the question of aging got new meaning, because it newly started to overreach from individual level to all-society. As a result of improvement of some social conditions (f.e. medical care, lifestyle, hygiene, living standard etc.), that was already initiated approximately at the beginning of the nineteenth century, dying started to be moved to higher age and people live longer. In modern societies this event usually goes with decline of natality and fertility. In final effect combination of these two factors causes the process that is known as demographic aging. In general we have to distinction between two views of problems of aging. The first view is focused on individual aging, the second one on demographic aging of human population. But it is clear that both of these views relate to each other. Similarly this article offers the roundup of problems of demographic aging, but also gives a touch of questions about longevity and quality of life, that gain ground in connection with theme of individual aging., Michaela Dimitrová., and Seznam literatury
This note aims to put on record a hitherto unreported function of caterpillar setae supplementary to those already known. When woolly bear caterpillars of the moth Lemyra imparilis (Butler) have their body hairs removed and are dropped into a bucket of water from a height of 30 cm, they sink immediately. Caterpillars, however, with an intact coat of hairs usually float. This hitherto unreported role of caterpillar setae as life-rafts should depend on a high contact angle θe, and thus on the position, density and dimensions of the hairs. An SEM examination of the surface structure of the setae revealed a system of fine grooves and small distally pointing barbs on the hair shaft, which can trap air to support the weight of the insect. Insect setae generally and body hairs of caterpillars in particular are known to possess many functions, but a role as life-rafts for caterpillars in danger of drowning can now be added to the list of possible uses of body hairs., V. Benno Meyer-Rochow., and Obsahuje bibliografii
We estimated the common seasonal signal (annual oscillation) included in the Global Positioning System (GPS) vertical position time series by using Multichannel Singular Spectrum Analysis (MSSA). We employed time series from 24 International GNSS Service (IGS) stations located in Europe which contributed to the newest ITRF 2014 (International Terrestrial Reference Frame). The MSSA method has an advantage over the traditional modelling of seasonal signals by the Least-Squares Estimation (LSE) and Singular Spectrum Analysis (SSA) approaches because it can extract time-varying and common seasonal oscillations for stations located in the considered area. Having estimated the annual curve with LSE, we may make a misfit of 3 mm when a peak-to-peak variations of seasonal si gnals are to be estimated due to the time-variability of seasonal signal. A variance of data modelled as annual signal with SSA and MSSA differs of 3 % at average what proves that the MSSA-curves contain only time-varying and common seasonal signal and leave the station-specific part, local phenomena and power-law noise intact. In contrast to MSSA, these effects are modelled by SSA. The differences in spectral indices of power-law noise between MSSA and LSE esti mated with Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MLE) are closer to zero than the ones between SSA and LSE, which means that MSSA curves do not contain site-specific noise as much as the SSA curves do., Marta Gruszczynska, Anna Klos, Severine Rosat and Janusz Bogusz., and Obsahuje bibliografické odkazy
a1_With hypoxic stress, hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) are elevated and their responses are altered in skeletal muscles of plateau animals [China Qinghai-Tibetan plateau pikas (Ochotona curzoniae )] as compared with control animals [normal lowland Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats]. The results indicate that HIF-1α and VEGF are engaged in physiological functions under hypoxic environment. The purpose of the current study was to examine the protein levels of VEGF receptor subtypes (VEGFRs: VEGFR-1, VEGFR-2 and VEGFR-3) in the end organs, namely skeletal muscle, heart and lung in response to hypoxic stress. ELISA and Western blot analysis were employed to determine HIF-1α and the protein expression of VEGFRs in control animals and plateau pikas. We further blocked HIF-1α signal to determine if HIF-1α regulates alternations in VEGFRs in those tissues. We hypothesized that responsiveness of VEGFRs in the major end organs of plateau animals is differential with insult of hypoxic stress and is modulated by low oxygen sensitive HIF-1α. Our results show that hypoxic stress induced by exposure of lower O2 for 6 h significantly increased the levels of VEGFR-2 in skeletal muscle, heart and lung and the increases were amplified in plateau pikas. Our results also demonstrate that hypoxic stress enhanced VEGFR-3 in lungs of plateau animals. Nonetheless, no significant alternations in VEGFR-1 were observed in those tissues with hypoxic stress. Moreover, we observed decreases of VEGFR-2 in skeletal muscle, heart and lung; and decreases of VEGFR-3 in lung following HIF-1α inhibition. Overall, our findings suggest that in plateau animals 1) responsiveness of VEGFRs is different under hypoxic environment; 2) amplified VEGFR-2 response appears in skeletal muscle, heart and lung, and enhanced VEGFR-3 response is mainly observed in lung; 3) HIF-1α plays a regulatory role in the levels of VEGFRs. Our results provide the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms responsible for hypoxic environment in plateau animals, having an impact on research of physiological and ecological adaptive responses to acute or chronic hypoxic stress in humans who living at high attitude and who live at a normal sea level but suffer from hypoxic disorders., H.-C. Xie, J.-G. Li, J.-P. He., and Obsahuje bibliografii