Ose biljarice (Hymenoptera, Symphyta) u biotopima Kopačkog rita

During 2003, entomological investigations were carried out into the sawflies (Hymenoptera, Symphyta) of Kopački rit Nature Park, supported by the Ministry of Culture, project Insect Research, and by the Ministry of Science, Education and Sports project Entomofauna of Kopački rit. At three groups of stations: inundated, forest and open ground (a total of 8 stations) a total of 220 individuals were sampled selectively with a net and with sticky tablets. From this material, 73 species of sawfly were determined. There is a clear differentiation of the inundated area at which the presence of only 15 species was recorded, but with great abundance, 7 species being recorded only in such kind of habitat (they were recorded only in the inundated area). This investigation also demonstrated that the borderline area between forest and meadow was the best habitat for the sawfly. At this kind of station in Tikveš, the presence of 35 species was recorded.Tijekom 2003. obavljena su entomološka istraživanja osa biljarica (Hymenoptera, Symphyta) na području Parka Prirode Kopački rit uz financijsku potporu Ministarstva kulture (projekt Istraživanje kukaca) i Ministarstva znanosti, obrazovanja i športa (projekt Entomofauna Kopačkog rita). Na tri skupine postaja: poplavnom, šumskom i otvorenom prostoru (ukupno 8 postaja) selektivno mrežicom i ljepljivim pločama uzorkovano je 220 jedinki. Iz tog materijala determinirane su 73 (taksona) vrste osa biljarica. Jasno se razlikuje poplavni prostor na kojemu je zabilježeno prisustvo samo 15 vrsta velike brojnosti, od kojih je 7 vrsta karakteristično za takvo stanište (zabilježene su samo na poplavnom prostoru). I ovim istraživanjem je dokazano da je granično područje šume i livade najbolje stanište za ose biljarice. Na takvoj postaji u Tikvešu zabilježeno je 35 vrsta

Ose biljarice (Hymenoptera, Symphyta) u biotopima Kopačkog rita

During 2003, entomological investigations were carried out into the sawflies (Hymenoptera, Symphyta) of Kopački rit Nature Park, supported by the Ministry of Culture, project Insect Research, and by the Ministry of Science, Education and Sports project Entomofauna of Kopački rit. At three groups of stations: inundated, forest and open ground (a total of 8 stations) a total of 220 individuals were sampled selectively with a net and with sticky tablets. From this material, 73 species of sawfly were determined. There is a clear differentiation of the inundated area at which the presence of only 15 species was recorded, but with great abundance, 7 species being recorded only in such kind of habitat (they were recorded only in the inundated area). This investigation also demonstrated that the borderline area between forest and meadow was the best habitat for the sawfly. At this kind of station in Tikveš, the presence of 35 species was recorded.Tijekom 2003. obavljena su entomološka istraživanja osa biljarica (Hymenoptera, Symphyta) na području Parka Prirode Kopački rit uz financijsku potporu Ministarstva kulture (projekt Istraživanje kukaca) i Ministarstva znanosti, obrazovanja i športa (projekt Entomofauna Kopačkog rita). Na tri skupine postaja: poplavnom, šumskom i otvorenom prostoru (ukupno 8 postaja) selektivno mrežicom i ljepljivim pločama uzorkovano je 220 jedinki. Iz tog materijala determinirane su 73 (taksona) vrste osa biljarica. Jasno se razlikuje poplavni prostor na kojemu je zabilježeno prisustvo samo 15 vrsta velike brojnosti, od kojih je 7 vrsta karakteristično za takvo stanište (zabilježene su samo na poplavnom prostoru). I ovim istraživanjem je dokazano da je granično područje šume i livade najbolje stanište za ose biljarice. Na takvoj postaji u Tikvešu zabilježeno je 35 vrsta

Restoration of the Bishop Danilo\u27s mausoleum at Eagle\u27s Rock, Cetinje (Montenegro)

Studija slučaja se odnosi na restauraciju mauzoleja vladike Danila na Orlovom kršu, u crnogorskoj prijestonici Cetinje. Ovo je jedan od najznačajnijih spomenika nepokretne kulturne baštine u istorijskoj jezgri Cetinja. Kroz prikaz projekta restauracije mauzoleja i postupak izvođenja radova ukazano je na specifičnost i osjetljivost restauracije i konzervacije spomenika kulture koji nose značajne poruke iz povijesti naroda i dio su kolektivne memorije. U posljednje tri decenije mauzolej je dva puta restauriran. Prva strukturna sanacija je izvršena 1985. gdje su otklonjene posljedice od potresa iz 1979., a druga na prijedlog Republičkog zavoda za zaštitu spomenika kulture na Cetinju nakon istraživanja postojećeg stanja konstrukcije mauzoleja koja su provedena 2004. U radu je prikazan karakter oštećenja koja su zatečena prilikom istraživanja konstrukcije objekta kroz vrijeme, uzroci njihovog pojavljivanja, zatim konzervatorski uvjeti za restauraciju, izbor najracionalnijeg rješenja 2007., postupak izvođenja radova na objektu kao i prikaz objekta nakon završetka restauracije 2011. Rezultati istraživanja ukazali su na kompleksnost u restauraciji objekata posebnih kulturnih vrijednosti, bez obzira na dimenzije i složenost same arhitektonske strukture.The case study refers to the restoration of the Bishop Danilo\u27s mausoleum at Eagle’s Rock, in Cetinje Royal Capital of Montenegro. This is one of the most significant unmovable cultural heritage monuments in Cetinje\u27s historic center. Presentation of the project for the restoration of the mausoleum and the process of construction works indicated the specificity and sensitivity of the restoration and conservation of cultural monuments that carry significant messages from the history of the people and are a part of collective memory. During the last three decades, the mausoleum was repaired twice. The first structural sanation was done in 1985, eliminating consequences of the earthquake of 1979, and the other one was done on the initiation of the Republic Institute for Protection of Cultural Monuments in Cetinje, following an investigation of the existing state of the mausoleum’s structure, which was conducted in 2004. This paper presents the character of defects that occurred over time and were found during the investigation of the structure of the object, the causes of defect occurrence, conservation requirements for the restoration, choice of the most rational solution in 2007, method for construction works on the object, as well as the review of the object after the completion of the restoration in 2011. Research results point out the complexity of the restoration of objects that have special cultural value, regardless of the dimensions and complexity of the architectural structure itself

Research on the effectiveness and tolerability of vaginal administration of probiotic Lactobacillus acidophilus in women with symptoms of colpitis

Probiotici su živi mikroorganizmi koji primijenjeni u dostatnoj količini mijenjaju sastav i metaboličku aktivnost mikroflore ili utječu na imunološki sustav što djeluje povoljno na zdravlje čovjeka. Lactobacillus acidophilus je najbolje proučena acidofilna bakterija koju prirodno nalazimo u jogurtu i acidofilnom mlijeku. Cilj ovog ispitivanja je bio istražiti djelotvornost i podnošljivost vaginalne primjene probiotika Lactobacillus acidophilus u bolesnica sa simptomima kolpitisa. U ovom prospektivnom ispitivanju djelotvornosti i podnošljivosti sedmodnevne primjene Lactobacillus acidophilus solucije za vaginalnu primjenu u žena s kolpitisom – probiotik Lactobacillus acidophilus se pokazao djelotvoran s obzirom da je 42 od ukupno 50 liječenih žena bilo klinički izliječeno. Klinički uspjeh bio je češći u žena iznad 50 godina starosti, te u žena koje su imale simptome iritacije i svrbeža. Lactobacillus acidophilus solucija za vaginalnu primjenu se pokazala izrazito podnošljiva s obzirom da niti jedna od 50 liječenih žena nije imala nuspojave liječenja.Probiotics are live microorganisms which, when administered in adequate amounts, change the structure and metabolic activity of human microflora or affect the immune system in a way beneficial for human health. Lactobacillus acidophilus is the most studied acidophilus bacteria that is naturally found in yogurt and acidophilus milk. The aim of this research was to investigate the effectiveness and tolerability of vaginal administration of probiotic Lactobacillus acidophilus in patients with symptoms of colpitis. In this prospective research on the efficacy and tolerability of Lactobacillus acidophilus vaginal solution used for 7 days in women with colpitis – probiotic Lactobacillus acidophilus has proved effective in 42 out of 50 treated women. Clinical success was more common in women over 50 years of age and in women with symptoms of irritation and pruritis. Lactobacillus acidophilus vaginal solution has proved especially tolerable since not one among 50 treated women experienced treatmant side effects

High-throughput discrimination of bacteria isolated from Astacus astacus and A. leptodactylus

Bacterial diseases and pathogens of crayfish are common, widespread, and occasionally causing serious mortalities. In order to take rapid measures for correct treatment of crayfish diseases, the turnover time and accuracy in bacterial identification is an issue. Bacteria isolated from tissues of apparently healthy Astacus astacus and A. leptodactylus were identified by the commercial phenotypic tests (API 20E) and by the matrix assisted laser induced desorption ionization connected to the time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). For Gram-negative rods, API 20E resulted in fewer species identifications than MALDI-TOF MS (5.2% versus 52.61%). The most frequently identified genus from A. astacus and A. leptodactylus was Pseudomonas spp.: API 20E (47.82%) and MALDI-TOF MS (52.17%). Both systems identified 60.86% of total isolates identically to the genus. Hafnia alvei was the only isolate for which API 20E and MALDI-TOF MS had a concordant reading to the species. MALDI-TOF MS proved to be a powerful, low-cost, rapid tool in bacterial genus identification. This is the first report of a direct comparison between the two systems for the identification of bacteria in crayfish, and also the first report on using MALDI-TOF MS for discrimination of freshwater crayfish bacterial isolates

Inducible ASABF-Type Antimicrobial Peptide from the Sponge Suberites domuncula: Microbicidal and Hemolytic Activity in Vitro and Toxic Effect on Molluscs in Vivo†

Since sponges, as typical filter-feeders, are exposed to a high load of attacking prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms, they are armed with a wide arsenal of antimicrobial/cytostatic low-molecular-weight, non-proteinaceous bioactive compounds. Here we present the first sponge agent belonging to the group of ASABF-type antimicrobial peptides. The ASABF gene was identified and cloned from the demosponge Suberites domuncula. The mature peptide, with a length of 64 aa residues has a predicted pI of 9.24, and comprises the characteristic CSα β structural motif. Consequently, the S. domuncula ASABF shares high similarity with the nematode ASABFs; it is distantly related to the defensins. The recombinant peptide was found to display besides microbicidal activity, anti-fungal activity. In addition, the peptide lyses human erythrocytes. The expression of ASABF is upregulated after exposure to the apoptosis-inducing agent 2,2′-dipyridyl. During the process of apoptosis of surface tissue of S. domuncula, grazing gastropods (Bittium sp.) are attracted by quinolinic acid which is synthesized through the kynurenine pathway by the enzyme 3-hydroxyanthranilate 3,4-dioxygenase (HAD). Finally, the gastropods are repelled from the sponge tissue by the ASABF. It is shown that the effector peptide ASABF is sequentially expressed after the induction of the HAD gene and a caspase, as a central enzyme executing apoptosis

Evagination of Cells Controls Bio-Silica Formation and Maturation during Spicule Formation in Sponges

The enzymatic-silicatein mediated formation of the skeletal elements, the spicules of siliceous sponges starts intracellularly and is completed extracellularly. With Suberites domuncula we show that the axial growth of the spicules proceeds in three phases: (I) formation of an axial canal; (II) evagination of a cell process into the axial canal, and (III) assembly of the axial filament composed of silicatein. During these phases the core part of the spicule is synthesized. Silicatein and its substrate silicate are stored in silicasomes, found both inside and outside of the cellular extension within the axial canal, as well as all around the spicule. The membranes of the silicasomes are interspersed by pores of ≈2 nm that are likely associated with aquaporin channels which are implicated in the hardening of the initial bio-silica products formed by silicatein. We can summarize the sequence of events that govern spicule formation as follows: differential genetic readout (of silicatein) → fractal association of the silicateins → evagination of cells by hydro-mechanical forces into the axial canal → and finally processive bio-silica polycondensation around the axial canal. We termed this process, occurring sequentially or in parallel, bio-inorganic self-organization

Contamination, risk, and source apportionment of potentially toxic microelements in river sediments and soil after extreme flooding in the Kolubara River catchment in Western Serbia

Climate change is contributing to an increase in extreme weather events. This results in a higher river flooding risk, causing a series of environmental disturbances, including potential contamination of agricultural soil. In Serbia, the catastrophic floods of 2014 affected six river basins, including the Kolubara River Basin, as one of the larger sub-catchments of the large regional Sava River Basin, which is characterized by large areas under agricultural cultures, various geological substrates, and different types of industrial pollution. The main aim of this study was to establish the sources of potentially toxic elements in soil and flood sediments and the effect of the flood on their concentrations. Field sampling was performed immediately after water had receded from the flooded area in May 2014. In total, 36 soil samples and 28 flood sediment samples were collected. After acid digestion (HNO3), concentrations of the most frequent potentially toxic elements (PTE) in agricultural production (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn) and Co which are closely related to the geological characteristics of river catchments, were analyzed. The origin, source, and interrelations of microelements, as well as BACKGROUND: values of the PTE of the river catchment, the pollution index (Pi), enrichment factor (Ef), and geological index (Igeo), were determined, using statistical methods such as Pearson correlations, principal component analysis (PCA), and multiple linear regression (MLRA). The content of the hot acid-extractable forms of the elements, PCA, and MLRA revealed a heavy geological influence on microelement content, especially on Ni, Cr, and Co, while an anthropogenic influence was observed for Cu, Zn, and Cd content. This mixed impact was primarily related to mines and their impact on As and Pb content. The pseudo-total concentrations of all the analyzed elements did not prove to be a danger in the catchment area, except for Cu in some samples, indicating point-source pollution, and Ni, whose pseudo-total content could be a limiting factor in agricultural production. For the Ef, the Ni content in 59% soil and 68% flood sediment samples is classified into influence classes. The similar pseudo-total contents of the elements studied in soil samples and flood sediment and their origin indicate that the long-term soil formation process is subject to periodic flooding in the Kolubara River Basin without any significant changes taking place. This implies that floods are not an endangering factor in terms of the contamination of soil by potentially toxic elements in the explored area

Crop pests and predators exhibit inconsistent responses to surrounding landscape composition

The idea that noncrop habitat enhances pest control and represents a win–win opportunity to conserve biodiversity and bolster yields has emerged as an agroecological paradigm. However, while noncrop habitat in landscapes surrounding farms sometimes benefits pest predators, natural enemy responses remain heterogeneous across studies and effects on pests are inconclusive. The observed heterogeneity in species responses to noncrop habitat may be biological in origin or could result from variation in how habitat and biocontrol are measured. Here, we use a pest-control database encompassing 132 studies and 6,759 sites worldwide to model natural enemy and pest abundances, predation rates, and crop damage as a function of landscape composition. Our results showed that although landscape composition explained significant variation within studies, pest and enemy abundances, predation rates, crop damage, and yields each exhibited different responses across studies, sometimes increasing and sometimes decreasing in landscapes with more noncrop habitat but overall showing no consistent trend. Thus, models that used landscape-composition variables to predict pest-control dynamics demonstrated little potential to explain variation across studies, though prediction did improve when comparing studies with similar crop and landscape features. Overall, our work shows that surrounding noncrop habitat does not consistently improve pest management, meaning habitat conservation may bolster production in some systems and depress yields in others. Future efforts to develop tools that inform farmers when habitat conservation truly represents a win–win would benefit from increased understanding of how landscape effects are modulated by local farm management and the biology of pests and their enemies