Potential use of wetland and unique ephemeral salty lakes restoration action to mitigate climate extremes in a Serbian case study. Achieving Transformative Change for Biodiversity

In Serbia, the EU-funded Twinning Green Deal SONATA project focuses on Nature-based solutions (NbS) allocation, planning, and implementation. Focusing on the fact that Serbia is currently ranked as the most vulnerable European country when it comes to climate change. The SONATA approach includes societal involvement, ensuring that NbS planning aligns with local priorities and needs through collaborative methods such as the Living Lab (LL) concept. In the project, the LL will be used as part of a potential scheme to restore the water regime within a protected area near the northern Serbian town of Kanjiža. A number of irrigation channels was built in this area in the first half of the 20th century to drain the wet meadows and small salty lakes, making the land suitable for agriculture. Due to heavy influence of drought the agricultural areas as well as the remaining natural habitats are over drained in the protected area. At the same time a dramatic drop in the ground water levels has been observed. The management company of the protected area, together with the local community, aims to restore the natural water balance by changing the working regime of the existing flood gates. By doing this, they want to bring the water back to wet meadows and lakes during spring and release the water during summer to help maintain groundwater levels. The aim is to reduce the effects of drought on the surrounding agricultural fields, support biodiversity, and food production. A key aspect of the restoration efforts involves collaboration with the regional water management company, whose mandate is to regulate water flow in accordance with existing policies and infrastructure constraints. While their operational framework is shaped by legal regulations and a focus on flood risk mitigation, concerns have been raised about how changes to water retention might impact extreme precipitation events and the potential for cascading floods that could affect both infrastructure and agricultural land.To address these challenges, SONATA will apply the Living Lab (LL) approach as a platform for dialogue, bringing together diverse stakeholders - including policymakers, conservationists, farmers, and the water management company - to co-develop solutions that balance ecological restoration, agricultural needs, and flood risk management. Through this process, the project aims to identify strategies that enhance biodiversity and water resilience while aligning with regulatory requirements and long-term sustainability goals.Publishe

Development and characterization of mid-infrared PbSe photodetectors by iodine-assisted Nd:YAG laser processing

Can you imagine carrying a compact device capable of detecting organic contaminants in milk, coffee, wine or other food products during grocery shopping? This will be feasible with the advancement in middle infrared (mid-IR) photodetectors. Currently, photodetectors are being intensively explored for applications beyond their traditional military and industrial use. Their ability to detect molecular vibrations make them suitable for fast, non-destructive analysis of organic compounds, as the molecular "fingerprint" of most of the organic substances lies in the mid-IR region. Among the materials suitable for this purpose, lead selenide (PbSe) is a promising candidate as a narrow-bandgap semiconductor known for its high mid-IR detectivity, ease of fabrication and operation at room temperature. This work focuses on enhancing the mid-IR sensitivity of PbSe-based detectors through a dual-stage sensitization metod combinig exposure to an iodine-rich atmosphere, following with the Nd:YAG laser treatment. The aim is to incorporate the iodine from the surface into the near-surface region of the PbSe structure using laser, while simultaneously promoting oxygen diffusion limited to a thin surface layer. The introduction of iodine is particularly important, as iodine has been shown to improve infrared sensitivity through complex, yet not fully understood mechanisms. Structure and morphology were investigated using XRD and HRSEM. The forma tion of PbSeO3 nad PbI2 phases confirmed successful incorporation of oxygen and iodi ne. The original cubic PbSe morpology was significantly modified, indicating enhanced diffusion and recrystallization proces during treatment. Eelectrical mesurementswere also performed to investigate the film's potential for achieving mid-IR sensitivity.Publishe

Establishing a Soil Health Baseline for Green Infrastructure: Sampling Natural and Semi-Natural Areas in Agricultural Landscapes

Soil health plays a crucial role in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly Zero Hunger and Life on Land. As global efforts to meet these objectives intensify, the need for openly accessible soil data and capacity building in its use becomes increasingly urgent. The SONATA project in Serbia aims to facilitate knowledge transfer and skill development among its partners to address the impacts of climate change. The project specifically examines green infrastructure within and around agricultural landscapes, exploring how contextual green datasets can be leveraged to inform the optimal allocation of Nature-based Solutions (NbS). While beneficial, soil monitoring is far more common in intensively managed arable land than in natural habitats. The primary goal of the SONATA soil study is to assess soil health within regional green infrastructure, focusing on the natural and semi-natural areas of Vojvodina. The specific objectives are to: Systematically identify representative research locations, considering the diversity of Vojvodina’s natural infrastructure, AND Conduct soil sampling to ensure proportional coverage of the entire study area. So, to ensure a systematic and proportional approach, we applied the LUCAS (Land Use and Coverage Area frame Survey) methodology, an EU standard for characterizing land cover and land use. Sampling area selection was conducted using machine learning techniques, incorporating spatial clustering and optimization to identify representative sites. This approach resulted in the selection of 23 forest and 39 grassland locations. At each location, we identified three sites for composite soil sampling, following the SoilBON methodology (the global Soil Biodiversity Observation Network). Each composite sample was created by mixing subsamples collected from nine points within a 30×30 m square. This process resulted in a total of 186 soil samples, distributed across four grassland clusters and four forest cover clusters. This sample collection enables us to plan and conduct a comprehensive soil health assessment based on a range of properties, including soil texture, structure, compaction, moisture, pH, nutrients, and soil microbial diversity. The resulting dataset will be integrated into the BIOS-Natural-Soil database, serving as a unique baseline dataset and a reference system for the future restoration of degraded agricultural land. Additionally, the obtained data, combined with landscape diversity indicators, will support informed spatial planning and directly contribute to the sustainable development of Vojvodina’s agricultural landscape. The development and continuous expansion of this database will enhance our ability to assess Vojvodina's natural resource capacity in mitigating the effects of climate change.Publishe

Metagenomic Insights into Soil Microbiomes of Natural and Semi-Natural Habitats in Vojvodina: Implication for Carbon Sequestration and Nature-based Solutions

In a world facing global challenges such as climate change and soil degradation, understanding the role of the soil microbiome in carbon sequestration is essential for developing sustainable land-use strategies and preserving ecosystem services. This PhD research focuses on metagenomic analysis of soil microbio- mes from natural and semi-natural habitats in Vojvodina (Serbia). The main objective is to investigate the taxonomic and functional diversity of microbial communities and their potential role in carbon sequestra- tion. Special emphasis is placed on identifying microbial groups involved in the transformation of organic matter and the stabilization of organic carbon in soil. A total of 200 soil samples were collected during the spring/summer seasons in 2024 and 2025, and the ongoing analysis integrates shotgun sequencing data with physico-chemical soil properties to uncover relevant correlations. The expected outcomes will support soil health assessment and reveal opportunities for implementing Nature-based Solutions (NbS) in Vojvodina, with the overarching aim of conserving soil biodiversity and mitigating climate change. These findings will also inform regional land-use policies and foster stakeholder engagement in adopting NbS for enhanced climate resilience and sustainable soil management.Publishe

Bridging In-Situ Data and Earth Observation Technologies for Sustainable Ecosystem Management in Vojvodina (Northern Serbia)

Earth Observation (EO) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are essential tools in tackling the growing challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss. As environmental pressures such as land degradation, and habitat fragmentation intensify, the demand for openly accessible remote sensing data and strengthened capacity to use it effectively is becoming increasingly urgent. These technologies provide the spatial insight needed to support informed decision-making, sustainable land management, and long-term ecological resilience. This aligns closely with the goals of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021–2030), which calls for coordinated global action to reverse ecosystem degradation, combat climate change, and safeguard food and water security. The urgency of these efforts is especially relevant for Serbia, currently ranked as the most climate-vulnerable country in Europe, highlighting the critical need for robust EO and GIS-based approaches to ecosystem monitoring, restoration planning, and climate adaptation at national and regional scales. By focusing on climate adaptation and resilience through spatially explicit analysis of ecosystems, we are developing a sustainable habitat mapping service for Serbian stakeholders, with a particular focus on the Vojvodina region. As one of Serbia’s most agriculturally intensive and ecologically altered regions, Vojvodina still contains valuable remnants of natural and semi-natural habitats, such as steppe grasslands, wetlands, and riparian forests. As part of this effort, we are also developing systematic field data collection protocols to gather in-situ information on habitat types and conditions, which is essential for accurate habitat classification, monitoring, and the implementation of nature-based solutions in support of long-term environmental resilience. To gain a comprehensive understanding of the spatial variability in habitat composition, structural attributes, and functional characteristics of selected ecosystems, we will leverage existing in-situ ecosystem data obtained through expert surveys and aboveground biodiversity maps. This will be complemented by targeted field data collection initiatives led by specialists, following stratified sampling designs to document plant communities across environmental gradients and geographic regions. The resulting ground-truth data will be essential for training, calibrating, and validating high-resolution habitat maps derived from satellite imagery and machine-learning models. Accurate field observations will reduce classification errors, ensure alignment with established habitat typologies (such as the European Nature Information System - EUNIS), and improve the reliability of spatial analyses. In addition to supporting habitat classification, field-based information on habitat conditions will allow for the assessment of ecological variability within habitat types and provide a foundation for long-term monitoring of changes driven by land use or climate pressures. Special attention will be given to transitional zones within agricultural landscapes such as field margins, hedgerows, and riparian buffers where fine-scale ecological variation is particularly important for biodiversity and ecosystem functions. When integrated with biophysical, topographic, and contextual GIS datasets, these combined data sources will enable the detailed mapping, detection, and delineation of habitat types across agricultural landscapes, facilitating precise spatial monitoring and supporting effective landscape-scale planning and ecosystem management. Further, using machine learning and AI-driven workflows, EO data can be processed to create accurate, high-resolution habitat classifications. The integration of Earth Observation, GIS, field data, and advanced AI-driven analysis provides a powerful framework for sustainable habitat mapping and ecosystem management in Vojvodina. This approach not only enhances our understanding of habitat dynamics under climate change but also supports informed decision-making to promote resilience, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable development in this vulnerable region.Publishe

ARTEM-IS for ERP: Agreed Reporting Template for EEG Methodology-International Standard for Event-Related Potential Experiments

The choices we make during the recording, preprocessing and analysis of event-related potentials (ERP) data can affect study outcomes. As such, it is critical that they are transparently reported to allow for reproducibility. Yet, systematic reviews of reporting practices in the field have shown that journal articles often do not meet this goal and that existing reporting guidelines have not resulted in a sufficient improvement in reporting transparency. An easier workflow for transparently documenting pipelines used in regular journal articles is needed. The ARTEM-IS (Agreed Reporting Template for EEG Methodology-International Standard) initiative is working towards addressing this issue by building dynamic, interactive web applications that support documenting information required by existing publication guidelines in the form of a standardized metadata template. Completing an ARTEM-IS form results in a human-reader-friendly PDF or DOCX and a machine-readable JSON summary of methodological information. This level of specificity surpasses conventional article methods sections, ensuring fewer omissions and ambiguities. These can be used as supplements to a publication, as a memory aid when writing a paper, or as records that allow easier metadata extraction. Here, we present the ARTEM-IS for ERP, which supports describing a typical ERP study, including most of its core methodological aspects (study description, experimental design, hardware, data acquisition, pre-processing, measurement, visualization, additional comments). We discuss the current functionalities of ARTEM-IS for ERP, its development via a grassroots collaborative initiative, and potential extensions (e.g., including complex designs or statistical analyses). In doing so, we highlight how widespread adoption of ARTEM-IS can benefit researchers, reviewers, and the broader scientific community by improving transparency, reducing reporting errors, and expediting rigorous replication efforts.Unknow

Insights from a Patent Portfolio Analysis on Sensor Technologies for Measuring Fruit Properties

A patent portfolio focusing on sensors for the measurement of fruit properties was generated and analyzed with the aim of contributing to a better understanding of the trends in the development and application of sensors intended for measuring fruit properties and their changes. A patent portfolio of 189 patents, utility models and patent applications was formed. Three groups of patents were identified: (i) sensor-based measurement of individual parameters, (ii) multisensor solutions for the simultaneous monitoring of multiple relevant aspects and (iii) solutions integrating sensor-derived data with artificial intelligence tools and techniques. The analysis of the patent portfolio pointed out the main driving forces of technology strengthening in the field of fruit property measurement. The development of sensing technologies enables the real-time, rapid and cost-effective determination of ever-increasing and more sophisticated sets of fruit properties and environmental conditions. Solutions integrating different sensing technologies into multisensor systems for monitoring fruit quality, ripening or freshness as holistic concepts opens avenues for the introduction of a new approach to fresh produce management. Increasing numbers of solutions introducing the application of artificial intelligence tools such as computer vision, machine learning and deep learning into the fresh produce supply chain contribute to the possibilities of substituting human decision-making at points of relevance for fresh produce management with optimal evidence-based solutions.Publishe

Genetic diversity and pathogenicity of the Fusarium species complex on soybean in Serbia

Using morphological and cultural characteristics for identification, 36 Fusarium isolates were recovered from diseased roots, stems, and seeds of soybean from several localities throughout Vojvodina Province, Serbia, were identified as Fusarium spp. Based on molecular characterization, 12 Fusarium species were identified: F. acuminatum, F. avenaceum, F. commune, F. equiseti, F. graminearum, F. incarnatum, F. oxysporum, F. proliferatum, F. solani, F. sporotrichioides, F. subglutinans, and F. tricinctum. The EF-1α based-phylogeny grouped the isolates into 12 well-supported clades, but the polymorphisms among sequences in some clades suggested the use of the species complex concept: (1) FIESC - F. incarnatum and F. equiseti; (2) FOSC - F. oxysporum; (3) FSSC - F. solani; and (4) FAATSC - F. acuminatum, F. avenaceum and F. tricinctum. Pathogenicity tests showed that the most aggressive species causing soybean seed rot were F. sporotrichioides, F. graminearum, FIESC, and F. avenaceum. Furthermore, F. subglutinans, FSSC, and F. proliferatum, showed a high percentage of pathogenicity on soybean seeds (80-100%), while variability in pathogenicity occurred within isolates of F. tricinctum species has occurred variability in the virulence of different isolates. FOSC, F. commune and F. acuminatum had the lowest pathogenicity degree. To our knowledge, this is the first study of the characterization of Fusarium complex species on soybean in Serbia. This study provides valuable information about the structure composition of Fusarium complex species and pathogenicity that will be used in further research on soybean resistance to Fusarium-based diseases.Publishe

Sharing and Caring for the Bioarchaeological Heritage: What Should We Do With 3D Data in the Post-acquisition Stage?

This paper discusses ways of collecting, storing and sharing 3D datasets of large archaeological assemblages, taking as a case study the Lepenski Vir anthropological collection. Several hundred human bones from individuals dated to Mesolithic-Neolithic have been digitalised through the use of image-based modelling, as well as volumetric and dedicated 3D scanners. The project was centred on providing undisturbed and meaningful options for accessing 3D scans of normally restrictively available physical samples, as well as establishing a base ground for further use of digital output. The results have been presented through the 3DHOP environment, providing a proxy to geometry and texture information, as well as contextual information about the finds. The authors elaborate on the workflow and storing strategies, as well as the possibilities for the public to interact with the digital catalogue. The paper also takes note of sensitivity of the digital 3D content created on the basis of archaeological record – and specifically human remains – for the process of online sharing.Publishe

Development and validation of portable membrane inlet mass spectrometry method for measurements of monoaromatic hydrocarbons from the river canal

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