Funded projects under the Grant Programme for SAS PhD students in 2019

Hydrogen produced from renewable energy sources is nowadays considered to be a fuel of the future. Hydrogen produced from electrolysis of water could be a "sustainable source of energy" without significant emissions of pollutants or other environmental or health hazards. However the simple, efficient, and secure methods of hydrogen retrieval must be developed before it can be recognized as an economically significant resource with an exceptional energy potential. The project is devoted to the preparation of new catalysts for the effective hydrogen evolution from water. The porous carbon fibers modified with metallic nanoparticles and metallic phosphide nanoparticles will be prepared by needle-less elektrospinning technology of polymers from the free surface of polymers, to catalyze the production of hydrogen at low overpotential like platinum or rare metals. The prepared fibers will be characterized by the most up-to-date methods to elucidate the effect of the properties on the HER.

Objective of the project is development of electronic devices based on gallium oxide (Ga2O3). In comparison with other semiconducting materials Ga2O3 provides possibility of preparing devices with high breakdown voltage (>10 kV) thanks to its large bandgap (4,5 – 4,9 eV). No other recently known material could provide high-power electronics for such a voltage range (except SiC with maximum breakdown voltage of 15 kV). In future the aim is to optimize Si-doping of epitaxial layers grown on Ga2O3 substrate, diodes and field effect transistors (FETs) preparation and their exact electric and thermoelectric characterization. Si-doped Ga2O3 research is hampered by very high cost of Ga2O3 substrates needed for high quality epitaxial layer growth. In our project we propose to use lower cost substrates (Si, Al2O3) for optimization of growth and technological steps needed for device preparation. Gained skills and knowledge will be used for device preparation on Ga2O3 substrate and their exact characterization.

Almost 70% of the total production of components produced by the Powder metalurgical (PM) method is based on Iron (Fe), with 80% of input material coming from Fe waste making this production route unique to the environment. Typical density of the PM Fe components is in the range of 7.0 - 7.2 g.cm-3. Residual porosity of about 10% has a negative effect on the strength, fatigue life and stiffness of the material, which is lower in comparison to the materials produced by conventional methods, thus limiting its use for "high-performance" applications. Thus, this project aims at increase the Fatigue strength of PM components of about 20-30% through the increase of density in the manufacturing process which is possible by modifying of powder mixture which include trying out different alloys and composition of Iron powders, improving granulometry and applying higher compacting pressure. Alternative sintering program and heat treatment methods would be investigated and design to match the current production process.

Bacterial strain Acidithiobacillus ferrivorans SS3 belongs to autotrophic iron-oxidizing acidophiles, that play an essential role in the weathering of sulphide minerals e.g. pyrite. The hydrolysis of Fe3+ ion, which is a product of bacterial oxidation, is an acidity producing reaction leading to the formation of secondary iron minerals such as hydroxysulphates (schwertmannite, jarosite). The objective of this project is to describe oxygen and carbon dioxide consumption rates of bacteria and to determine the bacterial growth, iron oxidation kinetics and ferric iron minerals precipitation at suboptimal temperatures simulating the real conditions of AMD (acid mine drainage). The morphology and chemical composition of schwertmannite and jarosite-group minerals will be characterized by SEM microscopy and EDX analyses. The obtained information will lead to a better knowledge of acidophilic bacteria-associated reaction in mine environments, their application in hydrometallurgy and water and soil remediation.

Amyloid fibrils are a special type of protein aggregates studied due to their association with serious diseases. Injection-localized amyloidosis occurs in diabetic patients receiving long-term insulin therapy. New progressive biomaterials can also be formed based on amyloid fibrils. Amyloid fibril formation in vitro is largely affected by solvent properties. Ionic liquids (ILs) represent a new class of solvents whose physicochemical properties can be modified by appropriate selection of their components. The project will focus on the identification of ILs composed of imidazole cations with different hydrophobicity and anions of the Hofmeister series capable of modulating the kinetics and morphology of amyloid insulin fibrils. Understanding the relationship between the physicochemical properties of ILs and their effect on the stability and amyloid aggregation of insulin can contribute to understanding the mechanism of formation of amyloid aggregates as well as their biotechnological applications.

The project is focused on an experimental study of ac magnetic susceptibility of ferronematics – nematic liquid crystal doped with magnetic nanoparticles. Unlike undoped liquid crystals, ferronematics after exposure to a magnetic field display a sudden drop in susceptibility while passing to nematic phase, allowing ferronematics to serve as logic gates or sensors of a magnetic field. The aim of the proposed project is to investigate nanoparticles size effect on ac susceptibility of ferronematics, but also nanoparticles effect on topological properties of liquid crystal droplets and liquid crystal structure in a magnetic field since embedded nanoparticles affect the liquid crystal molecule ordering as well.

In recent decades, abandoned agricultural land has been a major problem in several European countries. It manifests itself in the cessation of agricultural activity in the area, which leads to a loss of active land. It is related to social and economic problems in rural areas, but also unrealised investment projects in suburban zones. Although the reduction in the amount of pesticides used may be positive in intensively used areas, the negative aspects of the abandonment prevail, particularly in areas where meadows and pastures with significant biodiversity potential for both wildlife animals, birds and insects are overgrown. The aim of the project is an automated mapping of abandoned agricultural land using open-access optical and radar satellite data. In the mapping process, we will use object-oriented segmentation methods and classification algorithms using machine learning in the presence of massive hardware support.

Despite the significant development of statistical methods for determining the parameters of theoretical distribution functions, the identification of flood-specific runoffs remains a complex problem, burdened by various uncertainties. The floods that have affected not only our territory in recent decades have led to the adoption of the EU Floods Directive, which requires estimation of floods with a very long repetition period (200 to 1000 years). Now, at the time when climate change is actual, the weather has more extreme effects. Thus, the precipitation from which the runoff is formed is more intensive and unevenly distributed. That is the reason why is necessary to know precipitation patterns and determine where and how great flood could be caused.

Testicular germ cell tumors (TGCTs) belong to the most common solid malignancy in young men. Treatment of TGCTs with conventional cisplatin (CDDP)-based chemotherapy is highly effective, with nearly 95% of patients achieving sustained remission. However, approximately 5% of patients die from inadequate response to treatment or resistance. One of the underlying factors contributing to CDDP response is DNA repair and several regulatory mechanisms can play an important role in CDDP response determined by DNA repair. Epigenetic modification in the form of DNA methylation has been shown to be an important regulatory mechanism in many cancers. The aim of this work is to clarify the role of methylation of the promoter region of XPA, the key nucleotide excision repair (NER) gene, in CDDP response in TGCTs. We hypothesize that CpG methylation of the hypoxia response element (HRE) that is present in the promoter region of the XPA gene can affect its expression, thereby modulating the resulting CDDP response.

Hypoxia during gravidity or birth is one of the most common death and morbidity causes of newborns. Adverse prenatal environmental conditions may also lead to neurological deficits later in life. Long-lasting prenatal hypoxia changes morphological and physiological parameters in the brain, which may lead to behavioral disturbances in adulthood. Despite broader knowledge of pathological mechanisms of the hypoxic impact on the organism, only limited possibilities of prevention or alleviation of delayed deteriorations are available. Hypothermia, which is the most commonly used therapy, is, for example, not indicated for the risk patients. Our goal is to analyze possibilities to influence the rise of neurobehavioral changes in the critical developmental stages and possible therapeutic effect of ergothioneine, which has already shown its effectiveness and safety in other disease models. In our project, we are going to look for the possibility of the use of ergothioneine in the model of late gestational hypoxia.

Genome instability in the form of increased rates of mutations or chromosomal aberrations is a hallmark of tumour cells and a key factor in cancer development. It is widely accepted that phosphorylation of proteins by protein kinases is important for regulation of cellular processes. Recently, we found essential casein kinase II (Cka1) of fission yeast S. pombe to be part of the spliceosome. Additionally, we proved that several spliceosomal proteins are directly phosphorylated by Cka1. These findings suggest that Cka1 is directly involved in regulation of pre-mRNA splicing. In the current project I will analyse the whole phosphoproteome of Cka1 by employing analog sensitive cka1-as mutants. Using our optimized technique of “label free quantitative phosphoproteomics” I plan to identify the proteins and map the cellular pathways which are regulated by Cka1. Given the conserved nature of kinases, I expect my work will shed light on the regulatory role of casein kinase II both in yeast and higher eukaryotes.

The cerebellum is a brain structure known for its role in movement control. There is increasing evidence that the cerebellum contributes to cognitive processes, in particular thinking and language. In our research, we will focus on the yet unexplored role of the cerebellum in semantic cognition. We will modulate cerebellar function in healthy volunteers using noninvasive transcranial direct current electrical stimulation (tDCS). We expect that tDCS will affect the ability to generate semantically related and unrelated word associations. Our project will bring new knowledge about the function of the cerebellum and its role in cognitive processes.

Proteomic analyzes at the level of respiratory chain of cardiac mitochondria represent an ideal choice for monitoring the mechanisms of adaptation onset to maintain energy balance under pseudohypoxic myocardial conditions. Mitochondria play important role as their dysfunction is significant part of the pathogenesis of several diseases and is also considered to be the end effector of signaling pathways involved in cardioprotection. Acute streptozotocin-induced diabetes mellitus will be used as a model for monitoring the mechanisms of adaptation in conditions of reduced oxygen utilization. The aim of this project is to contribute to elucidation of possible initiators of cardioprotective signaling at the level of respiratory chain proteins and proteins forming and regulating mitochondrial permeability transition pores. Knowledge of protein-protein interactions and their regulation will help to clarify the processes of maintaining the dynamic and energy equilibrium of pseudohypoxic myocardium.

Major causes of the tau pathology are still not completely understood. Thus, studying of tau interaction partners in vivo using transgenic animal models developing progressive tau pathology may bring a new insight into this issue. Weak and transient protein interactions are crucial for cell signaling, cycle and maintaining of normal cell function. Since these types of interactions are often loss by some conventional methods and others are relatively error-prone, cross-linking of interacting proteins is the sufficient approach. For completion and interpretability of this method, identification of cross-linked (CL) sites between proteins is necessary. Until now, various mass spectrometry-based approaches and methods focused on identification of CL peptides have been introduced. Proposed project is focused on development and establishment the method for identification of CL peptides through application of published methods and their optimization for routinely use at our institute.

Genomic instability is a characteristic of most cancer cells. Recently it has been shown that interaction and cross-communication between splicing machinery and DNA repair pathways play an important role in regulation of processes involved in maintenance of genome integrity. Within the proposed project I will continue in my effort to describe the molecular function of poorly characterized fission yeast G-patch domain-containing protein orthologous to human GPATCH1 protein, which we named Gpl1. My preliminary data indicate that Gpl1 interacts with uncharacterized putative RNA helicase SPAC20H4.09, protein Wdr83 and spliceosome-associated protein Nrl1 which is required for suppression of accumulation of genome threatening R-loops. Based on these findings, I expect that functional studies of Gpl1 and its interactors will reveal the molecular interconnection of these proteins. Given the conserved nature of studied proteins, this project intends to shed light on their functions both in yeast and higher eukaryotes.

The aim of the present study is to analyze genetic structure and diversity of putative hybrid swarms of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and mountain dwarf pine (P. mugo Turra) in northern Slovakia. The localities of their occurence include peat-bogs in Horná Orava region, namely Medzi Bormi near Zuberec, Tisovnica near Oravská Polhora, and Rudné near Suchá Hora. Hybrid status is also suggested for several individuals on the rocky locality Obšívanka – Sokolie near Terchová (Malá Fatra). To study these populations, the nuclear simple sequence repeats (SSR) will be used. Within-population genetic variation will be evaluated by the concept of genetic structure and diversity, and results will then be used to determine among-population variation (genetic differentiation). Ultimately, this should contribute to specifying the phylogenetic relationships of the respective hybrid swarms with their putative parent taxa.

Antimony (Sb) is a non-essential element and a toxic pollutant which can be taken up by plants and causes serious toxic effects at higher trophic levels. Environmental contamination by Sb is a significant problem in some regions of Slovakia due to excessive mining activities in past. Arbuscular mycorrhizae (AM) is proven to mitigate the toxic effects of various heavy metals in plants. However, no data is available on effects of AM on Sb toxicity, which need to be investigated further. Hence, in this project we would like to investigate the toxic effect of Sb on growth and physiological parameters of important agricultural crop – maize (Zea mays L.) and to describe the role of AM on its possible alleviation.

Despite progress in the treatment of cancer disease through various chemotherapeutic agents, cancer cell resistance can develop during the treatment. One of the effects of chemotherapeutic agents is increased accumulation of misfolded proteins what leads to induction of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, activation of unfolded protein response (UPR) and subsequent overexpression of ER stress chaperones. Under stress conditions, chaperones translocate outside the ER e.g. into the plasma membrane of the cell (PM) or nucleus. The presence of molecular chaperones on PM and in nucleus is associated with their new functions e. g. GRP78 can interact with CD109 to promote proliferation, or with Par-4 what leads to the activation of apoptosis. The aim of the submitted project is to focus on the differences between sensitive and resistant cells in the levels of surface chaperones and their interactions between GR78 and client proteins.

The current trend in livestock nutrition is enrichment of their diets with feed additives to increase production and animal health. One of possibilities is feed supplementation with microelements and/or medicinal plants possess numerous health benefits. The objective of presented project is to point out the biological effects of these feed additives in the intestinal tract of ruminants and their possible interactions, which may affect the absorption and bioavailability of zinc and other trace elements as well. There is very little information dealing with the mutual effect of minerals and medicinal plants on the integrity of intestinal wall. For this reason we would like to obtain new knowledge on this topic. Obtained results would help to better understand the metabolism of microelements in ruminants when fed phytoadditives and should bring also the basis for a potential applied research in future dealing with supplementation of these additives to animal feed to improve their health and performance.

Breast cancer covers 23% of all cancers in the world and causes the second largest number of deaths. To avoid development of disease into advanced stages there is needed early diagnostics, efficient treatment and posttreatment monitoring. Despite wide use of mammography, less than 50% of breast cancers are localized at the time of diagnosis. Therefore there is an enormous demand for efficient less-invasive diagnosis i.e. analyses of cancer biomarkers in serum samples. As predictive biomarkers there are used carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and cancer antigens (CA-15-3, CA 27-29). But these biomarkers could not be applied for breast cancer diagnosis because of their low sensitivity and specificity. Therefore we would like apply this project as a new approach to find biomarkers for breast cancer diagnosis, where we will observe changes in glycan profile of various proteins.

This work is proposed in order to develop multifunctional cellulosic fabrics through modification of their surface by surface initiated photoinduced atom transfer radical polymerization technique (SI-PhotoATRP). A flame-retardant monomer and an antibacterial monomer will be grafted onto the fabric surface for achieving this object. The parameters of the grafting will be investigated. The modified fabrics will be quaternized for increasing the antimicrobial effect. This modification will increase the fabric efficacy in different applications such as clothing, tenting, sails, military garments, curtains and bandages. The modified fabrics will be chemically and physically characterized and they will be evaluated for the acquired properties.

New neurons are formed and integrated into brain regions not just in embryonal brains but also in adult brains of most vertebrates. Important yet still unknown is the function of neurogenesis. Songbirds represent a good model for understanding the neurogenesis function in adults as different neuronal cell types are continually incorporated into the brain areas controlling song learning, its perception and production. In some songbird species, higher neurogenesis is related to higher song variability. It has been proposed that newly generated neurons may facilitate behavioral variability. The aim of this study is to broaden the knowledge of this relationship among six other species belonging to different genus of the same songbird family Estrildidae. Monitoring the relationship between newly generated cells and/or neurons incorporated into the vocal areas and song variability parameters will bring a better understanding of the neurogenesis function as well as possible inter- and intra-species differences.

Non-healing chronic wounds are a serious global socio-economic problem in developed countries. Increased levels of mediators of inflammation and persistent bacterial infection, often existing in the form of a bacterial biofilm together with a proteolytic environment, are the main factors responsible for the wound chronicity. Honey has been successfully used in wound healing management and numerous clinical tests have proven its antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and re-epithelializing properties. The antibacterial effect of honey is based either directly or indirectly on the protein components of honey, including the antibacterial peptide defensin-1 and the enzyme glucose oxidase, which is responsible for the production of hydrogen peroxide. The aim of this project is to characterize the effect of proteolytic action of wound exudate on the antibacterial effect of honey. The obtained results will elucidate the mechanism of antibacterial effect of honey in the process of treatment of chronic infectious wounds.

Therapy of parasitic infections in ruminants is mainly based on repeated use of anthelmintics. However, their excessive use often results in the development of parasite resistance to these chemicals. This problem has led to the search for new alternative strategies for controlling this resistance. Currently, there has been an increased interest in herbal drugs containing plant secondary metabolites that can affect not only individual life cycles of parasites but also the immune system of animals. The aim of project is to find out whether supplementation of medicinal plants in sheep diet can affect immune responses of sheep to Haemonchus contortus infection. The results of this project could lead to an understanding of the plants' effects on the immune system and animal health, which could have the impact on the replacement of chemotherapeutics anthelmintic treatment of gastrointestinal parasitosis with medicinal plants in the future.

Piroplasms are tick-borne blood parasites which cause febrile diseases in humans or animals around the world and have recently become a topic of global interest. In last few years, new species of piroplasms have been discovered in certain territories and this problem is particularly relevant for Slovakia due to climatic changes in our latitudes. The name 'emerging diseases' for diseases such as piroplasmosis highlights their epidemiological and epizootological relevance. Given the possible health, environmental and, last but not least, economic impact of the occurrence and spread of these parasites into new areas, it is important to accurately characterize piroplasms, determine their host spectrum and competent vectors, and also correlate them with the spectrum of clinical symptoms.

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is quite discussed nowadays. This type of diabetes brings possible complications for mother and child and not just during the pregnancy. For diagnostic is used oral glucose tolerance test (OGGT) and messurement level of glucose in blood, both taken in 24th – 28th week of pregnancy. To minimalise health risks, It would be good to have method that allows early GDM detection. One of the possible ways is messurement of the glycosylation status of proteins in the blood. Glycosylation in contrast with glycation is enzymatic process that secures different functions importnant for correct organism functioning. Changes in glycosylation were observed in both of diabetes types, also in GDM. Those changes could be detected before dessease even manifests. The aim of this project is to develop bioanalytic method using lectin microarray to sensitive and selective messurement of glycosylation status of the blood proteins related to GDM and to sum up possible use for early GDM detection.

Cell wall transglycosylases are enzymes which take part in process of reconstruction of the structural polysaccharides, allowing cell to grow and adjust to conditions of it’s surroundings. The most known and first identified are plant xyloglucan endotransglycosylases which were previously considered to be only able to cleave and transfer xyloglucan fragments to other identical molecules. Later were found forms with ability to transfer xyloglycan fragments to wide spectrum of the structurally different neutral oligosaccharides. The aim of this work is the characterisation of so far unknown enzymes able to transfer fragments of xyloglucan to acidic oligosaccharides which are the part of another structural component of the cell wall – pectin. The main objective is the characterisation of various forms from barley, identification of the structural differences which lead to varied acceptor specificity, analysis of their interactions with acceptors and study of their occurence in nature.

The concept of Cold war as a bipolar conflict for a long time reduced the research of this period to the superpowers’ rivalry, in which the states of East-Central Europe were denied any form of agency of their own. However, the recent emergence of new methodological approaches focusing on transnational and global interactions of eastern European countries accelerated the reworking of some traditional conventions in historiography and provoked a formation of new ventures of research. The exploration of various models of development aid to the “Third World” countries during period of decolonization became a hot topic among researchers worldwide. The Czechoslovak experts in UNESCO could be conceived as “agents of internationalization” of Czechoslovak political strategies and initiatives, and simultaneously as mediators of global European policies to the local context. Such a framework enables to investigate the various designs of Czechoslovak participation in globally-based development aid strategical planning.

The aim of this project is to reconstruct the conflicts associated with the condominium between Ottoman functionaries and captains of Hungarian castles. The subject of my investigation are non-military solutions of the conflicts between Ottoman and Hungarian side and reasons of these conflicts caused by soldiers from the mentioned castles. The primary source of my research is the archive of the Koháry family located in the State archive in Banská Bystrica. In this archive is large amount of letters which contain information about grievances of Ottoman functionaries, Hungarian nobles and clerics addressed for Hungarian captains. The part of my project is also systematical research in the Hungarian and Austrian archives and to study Ottoman sources published in Turkish language from The Ottoman Archives of the Prime Minister's Office. For the implementing of this project is necessary interdisciplinary approach with utilization results and methods of turkology and studies about Islam.

Over the past decades, we have seen major changes in family and demographic behavior. Changes in marital and fertile behavior and a value orientation change are manifested in several indicators: the traditional marriage model is weakend and alternative forms of relationships patterns, such as cohabitations or LATs, as well as singleness is being spread and accompanied by overall destandardization of the life paths. The development of the singles phenomenon in Slovakia, as in other post-socialist countries, differs from other states. In Slovakia, in contrast to Western Europe, it did not start to appear until after the revolution in the 1990s. Despite the worldwide growing interest in this topic, its comprehensive (sociological) research in Slovakia is almost completely absent. The aim of this work is thus to identify specific key characteristics of singles living in Slovakia, including explanation of determining factors and creating a typology.

Europe has recently witnessed a rise in right-wing extremism as intolerance towards immigration and minorities is growing. The onset of anti-tolerant attitudes among the youth is especially alarming. For this reason, it is crucial to understand which factors might affect the development of attitudes towards other ethnic groups in young age. The aim of our research is to assess the normative context of intergroup attitudes in both children and adolescents. We will focus on three different age cohorts in order to understand the interplay between students’ attitudes towards ethnic outgroups and the perceived norms of the main socialization actors – parents, teachers and peers, as well as school climate. Studying age differences in intergroup attitudes of children and adolescents may contribute to detecting sensitive periods in which environmental and contextual factors have the biggest impact on the level and reduction of prejudice and thus help us combat growing intolerance and extremism in youth.