Molecular Technologies in Serbian Lowland Forestry under Climate Changes - Possibilities and Perspectives

Background and Purpose: Vojvodina province, the northern part of the Republic of Serbia, is predominantly lowland agricultural region with over 75% of arable land which in previous years, has been highly impacted by drought. The annual precipitation is lower than 700 mm and it is the limit for the growth and development of natural forest vegetation. Unfortunately, the atmospheric precipitation is still a major source of water for plant biodiversity. Taking these facts into account, it is highly recommended to primarily use the xerothermic tree species, which have a well-developed root system for “classical” afforestation. Some species from Salicaceae and Fagaceae like poplars, willows, oaks and beeches are surely the best option for afforestation in temperate zones strongly influenced by drought. Conclusions: In order to develop stress-based genomic information in Populus and the rest of woody plant species from Vojvodina, an integrated genetic research needs to be done. The aim of this particular paper is to analyse and summarize data regarding stress-based biotechnology perspectives in Vojvodina and to give recommendations for future forest tree breeding. Drought as a strong negative ecological factor must be carefully considered. In order to achieve sustainability, new forest management plans must consider wide approaches, from molecular to ecosystem level

Future of the Main Important Forest Tree Species in Serbia from the Climate Change Perspective

Background and Purpose: Climate change is possibly the biggest 21st century challenge for the European forestry. Serbia is also under pressure, since the regions of South Europe and Mediterranean are expected to suffer the most. Main purpose of this study was to predict how distribution of several tree species in Serbia may change in the future. Materials and Methods: Our study integrates climate change scenarios for the region of Serbia together with the current distribution of forest tree species. Evaluation was performed using forest aridity index which takes into account mean temperatures and sums of precipitation of the critical months during the growing season. Distribution data of the nine most abundant tree species in Serbia (European beech, Turkey oak, Sessile oak, Hungarian oak, Pedunculate oak, Norway spruce, Silver fir, Black and Scots pine) were taken from the National Forest Inventory. Results: Significant change of bioclimatic niches is expected for the majority of the studied tree species. The most endangered will be Pedunculate oak due to the extreme change of its habitats, while drought prone species (like pines and Hungarian oak) will be less endangered. Sessile oak, Turkey oak, Silver fir, Norway spruce and European beech will be out of their 20th century bioclimatic niches before the end of 21st century according to A2 scenario. Conclusion: Our results suggest that some of the most important tree species in Serbia (Sessile oak, Turkey oak, Silver fir, Norway spruce and European beech) will be endangered by the end of 21st century. General adaption options and specific measurements for forestry sector have to be made for the region of southeast Europe due to the expected extreme change in climate

Determination of residues of sulfonylurea herbicides in soil by using microwave-assisted extraction and high performance liquid chromatographic method

A modified method for the analysis of nicosulfuron, rimsulfuron and prosulfuron was developed and validated by using microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) and ultra-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection in the ultraviolet region (HPLC-UV-DAD). The most important experimental parameters of extraction procedure and HPLC-UV-DAD technique were optimised in respect to those sulfonylurea herbicides. High recoveries of the microwave-assisted extraction were obtained by using a dichloromethane-acetonitrile mixture (2:1 volume ratio) acidified with acetic acid (0.8 vol.%) with the addition of urea. The mean recoveries at three spiking levels ranged from 97.47 to 98.76% for nicosulfuron, 97.88 to 99.17% for rimsulfuron and from 97.91 to 99.83% for prosulfuron. The limits of detection of nicosulfuron, rimsulfuron and prosulfuron were 0.95, 0.91 and 0.89 mu g kg(-1), respectively. The accuracy of the developed method was confirmed by HPLC coupled with tandem mass spectrometry parallel analyses. The developed method was used to investigate the dissipation dynamics of sulfonylurea herbicides in the real field trials in Vojvodina Province, Serbia. The obtained half-lives were 0.05, 0.23 and 0.15 days for recommended dose application of nicosulfuron, rimsulfuron and prosulfuron, respectively. Low residues and short half-life in soil suggested that the risk to sensitive rotational crops after application of those sulfonylurea herbicides is low when they are used in the appropriate dosages

ZnO/ZnS (hetero)structures: ab initio investigations of polytypic behavior of mixed ZnO and ZnS compounds

The range of feasible ZnO/ZnS polytypes has been explored, predicting alternative structural arrangements compared with previously suggested or observed structural forms of ZnO/ZnS compounds, including bulk crystal structures, various nanostructures, heterostructures and heterojunctions. All calculations were performed ab initio using density functional theory–local density approximation and hybrid Heyd–Scuseria–Ernzerhof functionals. Specifically, pure ZnO and ZnS compounds and mixed ZnO 1– x S x compounds ( x = 0.20, 0.25, 0.33, 0.50, 0.60, 0.66 and 0.75) are investigated and a multitude of possible stable polytypes for ZnO/ZnS compounds creating new possibilities for synthesis of new materials with improved physical and chemical properties are identified

Ispitivanje prisustva specifičnih antitela protiv virusa avijarne influence kod nekih vrsta divljih ptica

Infections caused by the avian influenza virus have been known for a long time and they are present, to a smaller or greater extent, in both extensive and intensive poultry production in many parts of the world. Epidemiological investigations have established a definite significance of the population of wild birds in maintaining and spreading this infection. Avian influenza is a zoonosis, and the virus has a great potential for causing mortality in humans, in particular its subtypes H5 and H7, which is why it has lately been provoking much attention among scientists and experts, as well as the general public. The objective of the work was to catch a certain number of wild birds in several locations in the Republic of Serbia, to identify them, and to collect samples of their blood serum for the determination of specific antibodies against the avian influenza virus. Birds were caught in ten locations in a manner that was safe for the birds themselves, as well as for the staff that did the catching. The birds were caught in especially produced nets, and in some cases in special traps. The caught wild birds were identified using the methods described in reference literature. All the names of the wild birds were coordinated with the valid Serbian nomenclature of European birds, prepared by prominent ornithologist and bird lover Milan Ružić. Following catching and identification, blood samples were taken from the birds from the wing vein (in bigger birds) or from the leg vein (in smaller birds). In taking blood samples from wild birds, all the principles of asepsis and antisepsis were followed in order to prevent any possibility of infection. After that, the birds were returned to their natural habitat, to the same locations in which they were caught. Serums were isolated from the taken blood samples and they were stored at -20ºC until the final examinations. A total of 46 species of wild birds were identified among a total of 259 birds from which 259 samples of blood serum were isolated. The following were used for the detection of the presence of specific antibodies against the avian influenza virus in blood serum samples of wild birds: agar gel precipitation (AGP), the hemagglutination inhibition test (HI) for subtypes H5 and H7, the cELISA test with antigen for the A type avian infleunza virus, and the cELISA test with antigen for subtype H5 of the avian influenza virus. Due to the fact that about 360 different species of wild birds live in the Republic of Serbia, the number of 46 identified species covered by these investigations account for 12.77% of the total number of bird species present in Serbia, which is considered a good sample. Specific antibodies against the A type avian influenza virus were established in serum samples of only 9 of the 259 birds covered by examinations using the cELISA test. Of the 46 identified wild bird species, 6 belonged to birds that live exclusively in water habitats and are considered a reservoir of the avian influenza virus (white stork, mallard, mute swan, common pochard, common goldeneye, and Eurasian coot). Among the listed species, particular attention was drawn to 4 species of wild birds of the order Anseriformes and the family Anatidae (mallard, mute swan, common pochard, common goldeneye) of which there were 30 birds among the total of 259 examined. In the 30 blood serum samples of the listed bird species, specific antibodies against the A type avian influenza virus were established in 9 (30%) serum samples using cELISA. Specific antibodies against the avian influenza virus subtype H5 were established in 3 serum samples of mute swans (one serum sample originated from a mute swan which was tagged in Poland) and in one blood serum sample of a common pochard, or a total of 4 (13.33%) serum samples, using the hemagglutination inhibition test. Specific antibodies against the avian inluenza virus subtype H7 were established in 3 (10%) blood serum samples, in two serum samples from mallards and one sample from a mute swan, using the hemagglutination inhibition test. Specific antibodies against the avian influenza virus type A were not established in any examined bird species using the AGP test. In the population of wild bird species in the Republic of Serbia covered by these investigations, specific antibodies against the avian influenza virus were established only in serum samples of birds of the family Anatidae. Specific antibodies against the avian influenza virus type A established in 3 (6.52%) species of wild birds, and against subtypes H5 and H7 in 2 (4.34%) of the total of 46 examined species. The sensitivity of the cELISA test for the avian influenza virus subtype H5 and the hemagglutination inhibition test for subtype H5 amounted to 100%.Infekcije izazvane virusom avijarne influence, su već odavno poznate i prisutne u manjem ili većem obimu, kako u ekstenzivnoj, tako i u intenzivnoj živinarskoj proizvodnji, u mnogim delovima sveta. Epidemiološkim ispitivanjima je utvrđen nesumnjiv značaj populacije divljih ptica u očuvanju i širenju ove infekcije. Avijarna influenca je zoonoza, a virus ima veliki potencijal da izazove visoku smrtnost kod ljudi, posebno njegovi podtipovi H5 i H7, tako da u novije vreme izaziva veliku pažnju, kako naučne i stručne, tako i najšire javnosti. Cilj ovog rada je bio da se na nekoliko lokacija u Republici Srbiji uhvati određeni broj divljih ptica, izvrši njihova identifikacija i prikupe uzorci krvnog seruma radi otkrivanja specifičnih antitela protiv virusa avijarne influence. Hvatanje ptica vršeno je na deset lokacija na bezbedan način, kako za same ptice, tako i za osoblje koje ih je hvatalo. Hvatanje ptica obavljano je posebnim za te svrhe proizvedenim mrežama, a u nekim slučajevima i posebnim zamkama (klopkama). Za identifikaciju uhvaćenih divljih ptica korišćene su metode koje su opisane u stručnoj literaturi. Svi nazivi divljih ptica usklađeni su sa važećom srpskom nomenklaturom ptica Evrope. Nakon hvatanja i identifikacije, pticama je uzimana krv iz krilne vene (kod većih ptica) ili iz nožne vene (kod malih ptica). Prilikom uzimanja krvi od divljih ptica poštovani su svi principi asepse i antisepse, kako bi se sprečila svaka mogućnost infekcije. Nakon toga, ptice su vraćane u prirodu, na iste lokacije na kojima su i uhvaćene. Od uzetih uzoraka krvi izdvojeni su serumi koji su ostavljani na - 20ºC i čuvani do konačnog ispitivanja. Identifikovano je 46 vrsta divljih ptica sa ukupno 259 jedinki od kojih je izdvojeno 259 uzoraka krvnog seruma. Za otkrivanje prisustva specifičnih antitela protiv virusa avijarne influence u uzorcima krvnog seruma divljih ptica korišćeni su agar gel precipitacija (AGP), test inhibicije hemaglutinacije (IH) za podtipove H5 i H7, cELISA test sa antigenom A tipa virusa avijarne influence i cELISA sa antigenom podtipa H5 virusa avijarne influence. S obzirom na činjenicu da na teritoriji Republike Srbije živi oko 360 različitih vrsta divljih ptica, broj od 46 identifikovanih vrsta obuhvaćenih ispitivanjem, činio je 12,77% od ukupnog broja prisutnih vrsta ptica u Srbiji, što se smatra dobrim uzorkom. Specifična antitela protiv A tipa virusa avijarne influence ustanovljena su u uzorcima seruma samo 9 od 259 jedinki koje su bile obuhvaćene ispitivanjem primenom cELISA testa. U identifikovanih 46 vrsta divljih ptica 6 je pripadalo pticama koje žive isključivo u vodenim staništima i smatraju se rezervoarom virusa avijarne influence (bela roda, patka gluvara, labud grbac, riđoglava patka, patka dupljašica i liska). Od navedenih vrsta posebnu pažnju privukle su 4 vrste divljih ptica iz reda Anseriformes i familije Anatidae (patka gluvara, labud grbac, riđoglava patka, patka dupljašica) kojima je od ukupno 259 ptica pripadalo 30 jedinki. U 30 uzoraka krvnog seruma navedenih vrsta ptica, specifična antitela protiv A tipa virusa avijarne influence utvrđena su u 9 (30%) uzoraka seruma, primenom cELISA. Specifična antitela protiv podtipa H5 virusa avijarne influence su ustanovljena u 3 uzorka seruma labudova grbaca (jedan uzorak seruma je poticao od labuda grbca koji je prstenovan u Poljskoj) i u jednom uzorku krvnog seruma riđoglave patke, ili ukupno u 4 (13,33%) uzorka seruma, primenom testa inhibicije hemaglutinacije. Specifična antitela protiv podtipa H7 virusa avijarne influence utvrđena su u 3 (10%) uzorka krvnog seruma i to u dva seruma pataka gluvara i u jednom serumu labuda grbca, primenom inhibicije hemaglutinacije. Specifična antitela protiv A tipa virusa avijarne influence nisu ustanovljena ni kod jedne ispitivane vrste ptice, primenom AGP testa. U populaciji divljih vrta ptica u Republici Srbiji obuhvaćenih ovim ispitivanjem, specifična antitela protiv virusa avijarne influence ustanovljena su samo u uzorcima seruma ptica iz familije Anatidae. Specifična antitela protiv A tipa virusa avijarne influence su otkrivena kod 3 (6,52%) vrste divljih ptica, a protiv podtipova H5 i H7 kod 2 (4,34%) od ukupno 46 vrsta koje su ispitivane. Senzitivnost cELISA testa za podtip H5 virusa avijarne influence i testa inhibicije hemaglutinacije za isti podtip iznosila je 100%

The association between obesity and visit-to-visit variability in systolic blood pressure: A prospective study

© 2017, University of Kragujevac, Faculty of Science. All rights reserved. With the prevalence of obesity and all accompanying health risks, both prevention and health education, as well as identifying predictors for the development of obesity-related diseases are primary. The pathophysiological relationship between obesity and visit-to-visit variability in systolic blood pressure (SBPV) has not been completely resolved. To investigate the association between obesity and SBPV in hypertensive patients. The prospective study comprised three visits was performed at the hypertension outpatient clinic during the follow up period of 22-months between March 2014 and January 2016. This study included 300 randomly selected hypertensive patients (average 67.76±9.84 years), who were divided in groups of obese/non-obese examinees. SBPV was defined as the standard deviation (SD) from three values of SBP. The values of SBP and SBP-SD were significantly higher in the group of obese hypertensive patients than in the group of non-obese patients (126.67±8.22 vs 120.45±7.79 mmHg, 11.00±5.64 vs 7.34±3.96; p<0.01). The highest SBPV was recorded in the 4th quartile in obese patients (43.13±7.50 mmHg). There was statistically stronger correlation between SBPV and BMI/Waist cirumferences (WC) (ρο=0.425/ ρο=0.356, p<0.01). During 22-months follow up there was a significant decrease of SBPV for 8.2 mmHg, BP for 31/8 mmHg, BMI for 3.8 kg/m2, WC for 10 cm and body weight for 8.24 kg. During 22-months follow-up, reduction of body weight was associated with reduction of blood pressure variability in hypertensive patients. Persistently decrease both body weight and long term visit-to-visit variability may explain lower cardiovascular risk in obese-related disease

Enzymatic synthesis and application of fatty acid ascorbyl esters

Fatty acid ascorbyl esters are liposoluble substances that possess good antioxidative properties. These compounds could be synthesized by using various acyl donors for acylation of vitamin C in reaction catalyzed by chemical means or lipases. Enzymatic process is preferred since it is regioselective, performed under mild reaction conditions, with the obtained product being environmentally friendly. Polar organic solvents, ionic liquids, and supercritical fluids has been successfully used as a reaction medium, since commonly used solvents with high Log P values are inapplicable due to ascorbic acid high polarity. Acylation of vitamin C using fatty acids, their methyl-, ethyl-, and vinyl esters, as well as triglycerides has been performed, whereas application of the activated acyl donors enabled higher molar conversions. In each case, majority of authors reported that using excessive amount of the acyl donor had positive effect on yield of product. Furthermore, several strategies have been employed for shifting the equilibrium towards the product by water content control. These include adjusting the initial water activity by pre-equilibration of reaction mixture, enzyme preparation with water vapor of saturated salt solutions, and the removal of formed water by the addition of molecular sieves or salt hydrate pairs. The aim of this article is to provide a brief overview of the procedures described so far for the lipase-catalyzed synthesis of fatty acid ascorbyl esters with emphasis on the potential application in food, cosmetics, and pharmaceutics. Furthermore, it has been pointed out that the main obstacles for process commercialization are long reaction times, lack of adequate purification methods, and high costs of lipases. Thus, future challenges in this area are testing new catalysts, developing continuous processes for esters production, finding cheaper acyl donors and reaction mediums, as well as identifying standard procedures for purification of products which will not require consumption of large amounts of non-biocompatible organic solvents

Genetic Diversity and Differentiation of Pedunculate Oak (Quercus robur L.) Populations at the Southern Margin of Its Distribution Range—Implications for Conservation

Understanding intraspecific genetic variation is one of the principal requirements for the evaluation of tree species capacity to cope with intensive climatic changes, as well as designing long-term conservation programs. Herein, we evaluated the genetic diversity and genetic structure of seven pedunculate oak (Quercus robur L.) populations, located at the southern margin of its distribution range on the Balkan Peninsula (Serbia). The objective of the study was to propose future in situ conservation measures aimed at protection of pedunculate oak adaptive and neutral genetic diversity at the species rear-edge. Genetic diversity and structure were estimated using twelve highly polymorphic simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. The mean expected heterozygosity (He) was 0.769, allelic richness (AR) 9.63, and private allelic richness (pAR) 0.79, indicating high genetic diversity in the studied populations. Genetic differentiation among the populations was low (Fst = 0.032). Structure analysis, the unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean (UPGMA) showed the existence of two gene pools unrelated to the populations’ area of occurrence. Taking into consideration the results of the current study and previous conservation activities on the pedunculate oak in Serbia, as well as the importance of rear-edge populations in the long-term conservation of the species genetic diversity, we suggested establishing three additional gene conservation units for securing long-term sustainability of the species

Different tree-ring width sensitivities to satellite-based soil moisture from dry, moderate and wet pedunculate oak (Quercus robur L.) stands across a southeastern distribution margin

Associations of pedunculate oak (Quercus robur L.) radial growth with satellite-based soil moisture (SM) during the intensive tree growth period over a 30-year time span (1980-2010) were analyzed. This study included tree-ring width (TRW) chronologies from 22 stands located in four southeastern (SE) European countries (Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia and Bulgaria), which were grouped into three wetness groups (WGs): dry (750 mm), following the annual sum of precipitation. High correlation strengths during the intensive growth period-late spring and early summer months (April to June) was noted, which was opposite to the trend in late summer months. Variations in detrended TRW (TRWi) sensitivity to SM were also observed among the WGs. Specifically, the TRWi chronologies from the dry and wet WGs provided a greater number of significant correlations (p < 0.01) than trees from the moderate WG did. In wetter stands, TRWi correlated more negatively in the wettest (spring) months, while the correlation was weaker in summer months; these trends were opposite to those of trees growing in drier conditions that had the strongest responses to SM. A generalized additive mixed model (GAMM) based on 38 variables indicated that the fit for SM and radial growth was as strong as the fits for other traditionally measured parameters (temperature, precipitation, and river water level) and calculated drought indices (standardized precipitation index and the Ellenberg index) and TRW. Additionally, radial growth chronologies from drier sites had stronger fits with surrounding environmental factors. In conclusion, our findings suggest that SM can potentially be used as a reliable remote sensing indicator of the soil wetness in oak forests, which affects tree productivity and radial growth patterns and provides a new opportunity in dendrochronology research on larger scales.11111Science Fund of the Republic of SerbiaMinistry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of SerbiaSlovenian Research AgencySlovenian Research AgencyBulgarian National Science Fund (BNSF