Golden Czech hands

The vaccination, which make a tick starve to death. That is the perspective that might be true if the newest discovery of Czech parasitologists proves to work.

A tick sucks blood only three times in its life. As a larvae, a nymph and finally only a female does need it for resources for eggs creation. In order the parasite gets enough, it must stay leeched for quite a long time. Enough time for transmitting viruses which are one of the most dangerous on our planet.

Ondrej Hajdusek and his colleagues from the naturalist faculty of Jihoceska Univerzita in Ceske Budejovice found out, how the parasite deals with too much toxic iron, which it swallows with blood of the host. They could essentially intervene with the digestive tract of these almost insects.

When the scientists blocked the specific protein, the blood accumulated in intestines of the tick, which died of hunger. If the vaccination development will be successful, the parasites could lose their appetite.

Shanghai, the biggest city in China in terms of population, produces lots of architects, who sometimes find work in Prague. When they return, they found out Prague architecture left a deep imprint on their artistic expression. The reflection of typical features of Prague, more or less distant, can be seen on the copy of Prague riverside. With a lime tree promenade included.

The buildings were constructed in free architectural variations, typical for Prague. The architect didn’t forget the details, like lamps of street lighting or mosaic paving. They didn’t even forgot Baroque statues, typical for Prague. Other significant part is Rudolph Inn Hotel, resembling Rudolfinum with its monumental stairways. There is also the Pod Kastanem Restaurant – a Czech pub with everything.

Karel Bruckner has been at lead of the Austria team for only two months, but he achieved one sensation already. By the Saturday win 3:1 the Czech coach Bruckner gained over the Austrian fans. For whom it is an incredible success. France and Austria, compared in the FIFA chart, have incredible 90 positions among them.

Bruckner came with his typical personal style and immediately celebrated success. He pulled back defence a bit, and found an attacker of Jan Koller’s style. And the tall shooter Marek Janko immediately started to shoot goals. The Austria team has a chance to fight at a larger tournament after years.

The graduate of Grammar school by Jedlickuv ustav Michal Kabat presented the invention today – the system called I4Control for people with physical disadvantages. Since the next week, it is possible to buy it in Prague and the CR.

The first version of the gadget was first developed by Czech Marcela Fejtova from Cybernetics faculty of CVUT in Prague.

It is based on a little camera fixed to a spectacle frame, which scans movement of a person’s pupil. Its movement is than transmitted to a cursor on a screen, blinking stands for clicking.

The Czech invention will be sold since 2009 in other countries of the EU. Other systems exist in other countries, but are usually much more expensive. According to Fejtova they costs start from 5000 Euro. The Czech device costs 1560 €.

Clothes of the future are tailored (or build?) in the Czech Republic, in a little factory in Pilsen, the company name is Applycon and they offer constructing clothes enabling listening music, telephoning, filming via in-build camera, sturdy jackets with solar panels, lights, GPS antenna, and all kinds of sensors. The clothes they made are used by rescue workers, refineries, patients in hospitals and extreme sportsmen.

To create ‘intelligent textiles’ is still a quite unique job in the world. The series of snowboard clothes created for O’Neill was a great success in the world. Among the first customers were companies from fashion and entertainment industry. Applycon now expands and wants to create clothes and uniforms for demanding occupations. They came with an innovation this year – a textile keyboard on a sleeve.

Czech Scientists have participated on a discovery, which can radically change the way of Brest cancer cure. They informed about their accomplishments in the last volume of Nature Genetics.

Together with their Denmark colleagues, they discovered the gene responsible for creating the substance which is repressive to tumor occurrence.

Concerning the women with disadvantageous mutation of this gene, the defense against tumor occurrence doesn’t work as it should. And not only this; patients with a slightly changed gene variation are resistant to chemotherapy, quite contrary, the side effect only makes them harm.

The scientists expect it should be possible to cure every patient individually, and so much effectively.

The Professor Jiri Bartek, who participated on the discovery, revealed what this will mean in common language: “Meanwhile traditional medicine is comparable to the situation where is everyone given clothes of the same size, this new era should offer every patient clothes tailored to their individual needs. “

Take a new car, and ride 100 000 km in it. Than disassemble it to the last bolt, and look for malfunction. That would be the test of German magazine Auto Bild put simply. Skoda Octavia II Combi shines among the best. In the tablet of 45 the most dependable cars it was placed third. That means, before such maques as Mercedes, Audi or BMW. Better were only Mazda 6 and Toyota Prius.

What to say more? Skoda Octavia is an ideal family car and a favorite company car. It has beaten such legends in the test of reliability, as Volkswagen Golf or Touran, but also all the Mercedeses, BMWs or Audis.

The car factory have raised its net profits of 44,5% to 16 billions czk. During last year, Skoda Auto sold 630 032 cars worldwide. Compared to 2006, it is 14,5% increase in sales, which is the best sale outcome in the company history.

The car company Skoda Auto wants to double production in India, also it has recently introduced itself on a motor-show in Australia.

The model series with most sales is Octavia with 240 thousand (which is about 20% more than the year before last), by which it outrun another favorite model series – Fabia. There was 230 thousand Fabia cars sold in 2007.

Czech Scientist have managed to get a unique discovery, which should help to develop a medication against the mortal disease, malaria.

The key was to find the mysterious predecessor of today’s parasites. These are conducive to, among others, malaria, to which 1,3 million die every year. There is no vaccine, present preventive medications can cause depressions, leading to suicide. To research a new medicine is problematic, because handling the parasite responsible for malaria is very expensive, sophisticated and dangerous.

As Nature magazine informed, the Czech scientist team went for a clue, the parasitic protozoa have chloroplast in their cells. It was sure there was some sea-weed able of photosynthesis among its ancestors, but the science world regarded it as extinct. However, an Australian biologist Robert Moore found it on a coral reef in Australia, and send it to the Miroslav Odbornik in Ceske Budejovice. Odbornik’s team proved, it is really the long searched-for ancestor, a living fossil who has lived on Earth 750 millions years already.

Testing a new malaria medicine on the newly discovered model, the sea-weed Chromera velia, will be much easier, safer, and faster.

Skoda Auto has started testing the first prototype of the Skoda Fabia Super 2000 today. Designed to be used in the Super 2000 category, the vehicle is based on the second-generation Fabia and, in compliance with the FIA regulations, is equipped with a two-litre atmospheric four-cylinder petrol engine, a six-speed sequential transmission and a four-wheel drive system with three mechanical differentials.

Commenting on the occasion, Dr. Eckhard Scholz, Skoda Auto BOD Member responsible for technological development, said: “We are glad to have started testing the Fabia Super 2000. This year we are planning to optimise and certify the vehicle so that we can use it on both national and international levels. When exactly will the vehicle be released for competition use will depend on the achieved progress, relevant test results and the final certification. Then we are also planning to offer the vehicle to private teams. Based on a customer service arrangement, further development work on the vehicle will be done in close cooperation with our importers worldwide“.

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Czech scientists discovered, why it is not often possible to clone animals or human embryos. The Josef Fulka team from Research Institute of Animal Production in Prague published their findings in American magazine Science.

They found out and proved, the key factor during fertilized egg or early embryo development is the nucleolus from a mother’s egg. They were able to discover, how does the nucleus work, and how to remove or insert it safely.

The first Czech hydrogen-powered bus development is in its first half, informed Nuclear Research Institute in Rez near Prague.

The bus with hydrogen machine should start working at the beginning of the year 2009, said the leading engineer of the hydrogen technology department of the institute Ludek Janik. To adjust a bus to hydrogen power costs about 30 millions CZK (12,1 mil €), the project is co-financed by the European Union and the Ministry of Transport.

If successful, the hydrogen vehicle will be the first developed in the new member countries of the EU. The development is supported e.g. by Skoda Auto, that develops the electrical engine and steering system, and at the end puts all the components into the vehicle.