Scratching the Surface and Digging Deeper: Exploring Ecological Theories in Urban Soils

Humans have altered the Earth more extensively during the past 50 years than at any other time in history (Millennium Assessment 2003). A significant part of this global change is the conversion of land covers from native ecosystems to those dominated by human activities (Kareiva et al. 2007; Ellis and Ramankutty 2008). Although agricultural needs have historicall

Biopotential of Indigobusch (Amorpha fruticosa L.) – Second Year of Investigation

U radu se prinose rezultati druge godine istraživanja biopotencijala amorfe (Amorpha fruticosaL.) u šestgodišnjem pokusu postavljenom u prirodnoj amorfi u odjelu 126a, u gospodarskoj jedinici Posavske šume, šumarija Sunja, UŠP Sisak. Na posječenoj su površini 2008. osnovana četiri pokusna polja sa po šest ploha dimenzija 5 x 5 m svaka. Plohe broj 1 su mjerene drugi put, a plohe broj 2 prvi put. Srednje su visine izdanaka u drugoj jednogodišnjoj vegetaciji na plohama 1 od 2,13 m do 2,25 m. Najveća izmjerena visina je 3,4 m. Srednji je promjer izdanaka u prsnoj visini u rasponu od 7,0 mm do7,6 mm, a najveći 14 mm. U proporciji s brojem i dimenzijama izdanaka na plohama 1, proizvedena je zelena biomasa od 23,29 kg (9 316 kg/ha) do 38,14 kg (15 256 kg/ha). Visinski se prirast na plohama 2 u drugoj vegetaciji znatno smanjuje u odnosu na prvu godinu. Srednje vrijednosti visina su od 2,28 m do 2,58 m, a najveća je 3,7 m. Srednji promjer izdanaka je u rasponu od 9,1 mm do 10,5 mm, uz najveći izmjereni od 20,0 mm. Proizvedena je zelena biomasa na plohama 2 od 54,34 kg (21 734 kg/ha) do 78,55 kg (31 418 kg/ha). K tome je sakupljeno od 3,20 kg (1 280 kg/ha) do 4,94 kg (1 976 kg/ha) ili prosječno 3,97 kg (1 589 kg/ha) sjemena. Udjeli mokrine drva u plohama 1 i 2 u trenutku sječe su niski i iznose 34,23 %, odnosno 33,12 %. Mokrina sjemena je 14,3 %. Prosječna jednogodišnja produkcija suhe biomase je 7,87 t/ha, a u dvogodišnjoj amorfi s pridodanim sjemenom 17,73 t/ha. Energetski ekvivalent zelene biomase jednogodišnje amorfe je 152,2 GJ/ha, a suhe 159,4 GJ/ha. U dvogodišnjoj amorfi energetski ekvivalent zelene biomase je 332,2 GJ/ha, a suhe 359,1 GJ/ha.Recent studies of biomass in Croatia were directed towards commercial forest species. Besides trees, building elements of our natural forests are also various shrubs and ground vegetation. It is assumed that, because of the increasing market demand, the biomass of trees but also some of the other components of forest biomass will be commercially interesting in the near future. One of them is Indigobush (Amorpha fruticosaL.), a North American shrub, which can be found, in the areas of our lowland forest ecosystems since year 1900, making natural regeneration of stands even more difficult or often preventing natural regeneration. Today, Indigobush expands to the habitat of lowland forests and in riparian forest of oak and broom (Genisto elatae-Quercetum roboris Ht. 1938), especially in sub associations with trembling sedge (Genisto elatae-Quercetum roboris caricetosum brizoides Ht. 1938) and remote sedge (Genisto elatae-Quercetum roboris caricetosum remotae Ht. 1938) (Matić2009). According to present research, Indigobush is the most common in the Posavina region. This paper shows the results of the second year of study in Indigobush biopotential as a part of six-year-long experiment in a natural stand of Indigobush in the forest Management Unit Posavina, Department 126a, Forestry Sunja, FA Sisak.On the harvested area in the year 2008, four field experiments were established with six plots measuring 5 x 5 m each.Plots are marked form1 to 6.Numbering indicates the length of rotations for Indigobush as well as rhythm of measurements and harvesting on the plots. In the second year of the project survey sample plots 1 and 2 were included, which position in the experimental fields can be seen in Figure 1. Ways of filed survey, sampling and data processing are described in the chapter Materials and Methods. The results of the field measurements on the plots are shown in Figures 1 to 4, in which positions of Indigobush stumps and values related to Indigobush sprouts can be seen.The number of annual sprouts on plots nr.1 ranges from 276 to 455 and two-yearold sprouts on plots nr. 2 ranges from 265 to 432. Converted to hectares, number of sprouts is 106,000 to 182,000.Medium height of annual sprouts on plots nr.1 is from 2.13 m to 2.25 m, and heights of two-year-old sprouts on plots nr. 2 are form 2.28 m to 2.58 m. The mean diameter of sprouts on plots nr. 1 ranges from 7.0 mm to 7.6 mm, and on the plots nr. 2 it ranges form 9.1 mm to 10.5 mm.At the annual sprouts the largest diameter recorded was 14 mm and maximum height was 3.4 m, and at the biennial sprouts it was 20 mm for maximum diameter and 3.7 m for maximum height. In proportion to the number and size of the Iindigobush sprouts mass of wood substance on plots nr.1 ranges from 23.29 kg to 38.14 kg, on the plots nr.2 from 54.34 kg to 78.55 kg. Given the uniformity of height and diameter growth and increment, we find that the production of Indigobush biomass is in direct correlation with the number of sprouts per unit area.In the second year, height increment is reduced (compared to the first year), the mean diameter increases from 2 to 3 mm, stem branches, starts flowering and fruiting.Table 1 shows green mass on the surface, green mass per hectare, the proportion of moisture or dry weight in green mass and dry wood substance produced on the plot and per hectare for plots 1 and 2 in the field experiment. In two-year-old Indigobush stand, production of green and dry biomass is twice as high (24.52 to 11.96 t/ha or 16.39 to 7.87 t/ha) compared to the biomass of annual stand of other vegetation.In the first vegetation period, after felling old Indigobush, the annual production of green biomass was 15.20 t/ha (Krpanand Tomašić2009), and in the second period was 11.96 t/ha or 3.24 t/ha less, indicating a decrease of Indigobush’s biopotential at repeated annual cutting on the same surface.One third of the green mass goes to moisture and two thirds go to dry matter, which places Indigobush, cut out of vegetation period, commercially favorable for biomass energy. In Table 2, data on seed collection from the plots number 2 of field experiments from 1 to 4 is shown. On the plots it was collected from 3.20 kg (field 3) to 4.94 kg (field 1) or an average of 3.97 kg, so the weight of seed per hectare at the time of collection ranged from 1.280 kg to 1.976 kg or an average of 1.589 kg.Seed moisture content ranged from 14.3 % to 15.7 % or an average of 15.2 %, a mass of dry seeds ranged from 1,082 kg/ha to 1,674 kg/ha, or an average of 1,348 kg/ha.First crop confirmed earlier findings of an abundant yield of Indigobush. Table 3 shows data of green and dry mass of Indigobush wood on plots nr. 2, for which the values of wet and dry seed mass have been added. With moisture content W = 34.2 % the energy value of Indigobush biomass is 12.727 MJ/kg, and at W0 = 20.259 MJ/kg (Marosvölgyiet al. 2009).Very close mean values of moisture content obtained in our study (Table 1) and data of produced biomass (Tables 1 and 3) show us ability to assess the energy value of Indigobush biomass.ld be noted that the Indigobush biomass in our lowland forests forms naturally without any agricultural practice and associated costs. Including Indigobush biomass into alternative energy flows brings multiple benefits and development opportunities. We think that this would significantly increase the amount of available forest biomass in Croatia, would have widened the range of forestry products, would reduce the cost of regeneration of lowland forests, and residents of rural and urban gives up the possibility of earning an income related to the cultivation and harvesting of Indigobush biomassas well as introduction of biomass power plants

Thyroid hormone treated astrocytes induce maturation of cerebral cortical neurons through modulation of proteoglycan levels

Proper brain neuronal circuitry formation and synapse development is dependent on specific cues, either genetic or epigenetic, provided by the surrounding neural environment. Within the sesignals, thyroid hormones (T3 and T4) play crucial role in several steps of brain morphogenesis including proliferation of progenitor cells, neuronal differentiation, maturation, migration, and synapse formation. the lack of thyroid hormones during childhood is associated with several impair neuronal connections, cognitive deficits, and mental disorders. Many of the thyroid hormones effects are mediated by astrocytes, although the mechanisms underlying these events are still unknown. in this work, we investigated the effect of 3,5,3'-triiodothyronine-treated (T3-treated) astrocytes on cerebral cortex neuronal differentiation. Culture of neural progenitors from embryonic cerebral cortex mice onto T3-treated astrocyte monolayers yielded an increment in neuronal population, followed by enhancement of neuronal maturation, arborization and neurite outgrowth. in addition, real time PCR assays revealed an increase in the levels of the heparan sulfate proteoglycans, Glypican 1(GPC-1) and Syndecans 3 e 4 (SDC-3 e SDC-4), followed by a decrease in the levels of the chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan, Versican. Disruption of glycosaminoglycan chains by chondroitinase AC or heparanase III completely abolished the effects of T3-treated astrocytes on neuronal morphogenesis. Our work provides evidence that astrocytes are key mediators of T3 actions on cerebral cortex neuronal development and identified potential molecules and pathways involved in neurite extension; which might eventually contribute to a better understanding of axonal regeneration, synapse formation, and neuronal circuitry recover.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ)Conselho Nacional para o Desenvolvimento Cientifico e TecnologicoCoordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Univ Fed Rio de Janeiro, Inst Ciencias Biomed, BR-21949590 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, BrazilUniv Fed Rio de Janeiro, Inst Bioquim Med, BR-21949590 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, BrazilUniv Fed Rio de Janeiro, Hosp Univ Clementino Fraga Filho, BR-21949590 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Bioquim, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Bioquim, São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Fish and Shellfish Intake and Diabetes in a Costal Population of the Adriatic

Objective: To examine the association between fish and shellfish intake and diabetes in an island population. Design: Cross-sectional. Setting: Two independent population-based field surveys conducted in Hvar Island of the eastern Adriatic coast of Croatia in May 2007 and May 2008. Subjects: A total of 1,379 adults participated. Results: In multivariable logistic regression models, total fish intake was positively associated with diabetes prevalence in the total population (OR Q4 vs Q1 = 1.64; 95% CI = 1.01-2.66; p-trend = 0.09). Oily fish intake also exhibited a positive association with diabetes prevalence in the total population (OR Q4 vs Q1 = 2.22; 95% CI = 1.35-3.64; p-trend = 0.01) and in analyses stratified by body mass index, males and those with a high waist circumference. Conclusions: The study suggests an association between oily fish intake and diabetes in the population of the Hvar Island in Croatia. Longitudinal studies incorporating measures of persistent organic pollutants and local cooking practices are warranted to identify factors in fatty fish that may influence the development or persistence of diabetes

Dietary Patterns in Adults from an Adriatic Island of Croatia and Their Associations with Metabolic Syndrome and Its Components

Adriatic islanders have a high prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) although they have traditionally practiced an active lifestyle and adhered to a Mediterranean diet. We performed a cross-sectional study to identify dietary patterns in a sample of 1442 adults from the island of Hvar, and determined whether MetS and its components: waist-circumference, serum triglycerides, fasting plasma glucose, HDL-cholesterol, and blood pressure, were related to an altered pattern of the traditional Mediterranean diet. Dietary intake was assessed by a food frequency questionnaire. MetS was defined using the International Diabetes Federation criteria. Our study showed that dietary patterns in this population have diversified from the traditional diet. Principal component analysis identified three major patterns. The meat, alcohol, and fish pattern (MAFp), sweets, grains, and fats pattern (SGFp), and an olive-oil, vegetables, and fruits pattern (OVFp) explained 30.6% of total dietary variance. The MAFp associated significantly with MetS (p=0.027) and high plasma glucose (p=0.006)

A program for sustained improvement in preventing ventilator associated pneumonia in an intensive care setting

Background Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is a common infection in the intensive care unit (ICU) and associated with a high mortality. Methods A quasi-experimental study was conducted in a medical-surgical ICU. Multiple interventions to optimize VAP prevention were performed from October 2008 to December 2010. All of these processes, including the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s (IHI) ventilator bundle plus oral decontamination with chlorhexidine and continuous aspiration of subglottic secretions (CASS), were adopted for patients undergoing mechanical ventilation. Results We evaluated a total of 21,984 patient-days, and a total of 6,052 ventilator-days (ventilator utilization rate of 0.27). We found VAP rates of 1.3 and 2.0 per 1,000 ventilator days respectively in 2009 and 2010, achieving zero incidence of VAP several times during 12 months, whenever VAP bundle compliance was over 90%. Conclusion These results suggest that it is possible to reduce VAP rates to near zero and sustain these rates, but it requires a complex process involving multiple performance measures and interventions that must be permanently monitored

Changes in soil carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus due to land-use changes in Brazil

In this paper, soil carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations and stocks were investigated in agricultural and natural areas in 17 plot-level paired sites and in a regional survey encompassing more than 100 pasture soils In the paired sites, elemental soil concentrations and stocks were determined in native vegetation (forests and savannas), pastures and crop-livestock systems (CPSs). Nutrient stocks were calculated for the soil depth intervals 0-10, 0-30, and 0-60 cm for the paired sites and 0-10, and 0-30 cm for the pasture regional survey by sum stocks obtained in each sampling intervals (0-5, 5-10, 10-20, 20-30, 30-40, 40-60 cm). Overall, there were significant differences in soil element concentrations and ratios between different land uses, especially in the surface soil layers. Carbon and nitrogen contents were lower, while phosphorus contents were higher in the pasture and CPS soils than in native vegetation soils. Additionally, soil stoichiometry has changed with changes in land use. The soil C:N ratio was lower in the native vegetation than in the pasture and CPS soils, and the carbon and nitrogen to available phosphorus ratio (P-ME) decreased from the native vegetation to the pasture to the CPS soils. In the plot-level paired sites, the soil nitrogen stocks were lower in all depth intervals in pasture and in the CPS soils when compared with the native vegetation soils. On the other hand, the soil phosphorus stocks were higher in all depth intervals in agricultural soils when compared with the native vegetation soils. For the regional pasture survey, soil nitrogen and phosphorus stocks were lower in all soil intervals in pasture soils than in native vegetation soils. The nitrogen loss with cultivation observed here is in line with other studies and it seems to be a combination of decreasing organic matter inputs, in cases where crops replaced native forests, with an increase in soil organic matter decomposition that leads to a decrease in the long run. The main cause of the increase in soil phosphorus stocks in the CPS and pastures of the plot-level paired site seems to be linked to phosphorus fertilization by mineral and organics fertilizers. The findings of this paper illustrate that land-use changes that are currently common in Brazil alter soil concentrations, stocks and elemental ratios of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus. These changes could have an impact on the subsequent vegetation, decreasing soil carbon and increasing nitrogen limitation but alleviating soil phosphorus deficiency121547654780British Embass

Photoactivity of vanadium oxide TiO2 nanotubes

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of vanadium oxide photosensitive surface layer on the photoactivity of TiO2 nanotubes. Nanotube arrays were synthesized by anodization of titanium foil at different voltages, and vanadium-oxide was deposited by wet chemical deposition. Deposition of the vanadium-oxide layer was confirmed by XPS analysis, which provided the chemical composition of the sample surface. Photovoltaic characteristics and photocatalytic performance for photodegradation of methyl orange dye of modified TiO2 nanotubes were correlated with the nanotube morphology (and anodization voltage). Optimal anodization voltage was determined, in conjunction with the deposition of the surface vanadium oxide layer, in order to achieve maximum performance of the modified TiO2 electrodes. This has been correlated with changes in the optical properties of the TiO2 electrodes, the nanotube length and diameter, as they occur with the change in the anodization voltage, as well as the changes in the vanadium-oxide content in the samples, where the vanadium-oxide content was found to be determined by the nanotube morphology. The photovoltaic performance of the optimized modified TiO2 electrode with the surface vanadium-oxide layer was found to be significantly better than both the performance of the corresponding TiO2 electrode, and the performance of all the other TiO2 electrodes included in the study