Morphological characteristics of Ancylus fluviatilis O. F. Müller, 1774 (Gastropoda, Planorbidae)

Glavni cilj ovog rada bio je usporediti morfološke značajke dviju populacija slatkovodnog puža Ancylus fluviatilis te utvrditi razlike i sličnosti u mjerenim vrijednostima. Jedna populacija uzorkovana je u rijeci Rudi (Dalmacija) koja pripada jadranskom slijevu, a druga u potoku Slapnica (Žumberak) koja pripada crnomorskom slijevu. Na oba lokaliteta jedinke su ručno skupljane s kamenja i valutica na koje su bile pričvršćene. Za određivanje morfoloških značajki vrste iz svake populacije odabrano je 110 jedinki kojima su izmjerene četiri morfometrijske značajke kućice (duljina, visina, anteriorna širina, posteriorna širina) te je određena suha i mokra masa jedinke. Osim toga, analizirano je i pet omjera morfoloških značajki kućice. Deskriptivna statistika mjerenih značajki pokazala je da jedinke uzorkovane u Rudi imaju manje kućice u usporedbi s puževima iz Slapnice. Prema rezultatima t-testa sve morfološke značajke, omjeri visine i duljine kućice, kao i omjeri visine i anteriorne širine kućice statistički se značajno razlikuju između dvije populacije. Visoke vrijednosti Pearsonovog koeficijenta korelacije za sve mjerene morfometrijske značajke pokazuju da je korelacija gotovo potpuna. Najjača linearna povezanost među mjerenim obilježjima populacije puževa u rijeci Rudi uočena je između duljine i anteriorne širine kućice (koeficijent determinacije linearnog regresijskog modela R² = 0,939). Za rijeku Slapnicu najjača je linearna povezanost uočena između duljine kućice i suhe mase jedinke (R² = 0,862).The main objective of this study was comparison of the morphological characteristics of the two populations of freshwater snail Ancylus fluviatilis and to determine differences and similarities between measured values. One snail population was sampled from Ruda River (Dalmacija) which belongs to the Adriatic basin and the second population was sampled from stream Slapnica which belongs to the basin of Black Sea. At both sites individuals were manually collected from rocks and pebbles. To determine the morphological characteristics of species, 110 individuals were selected from each of the two populations. For each of the individuals, four morphometric values of the shell were measured (length, height, anterir width, posterior width), as well as their dry and wet mass. Five morphometric ratios of shell were also calculated. Descriptive statistics indicated that the individuals sampled from Ruda River have smaller shells compared to snails from stream Slapnica. According to the results of t-test, all the morphological features and ratios between shell height and shell length, as well as ratios between shell height and shell anterior width were significantly different among two populations. The high value of Pearson correlation coefficient for all measured morphometric features indicated that the correlation was almost perfect. The strongest linear relationship among the measured characteristics of the snail population in the river Ruda was observed between the shell length and shell anterior width (coefficient of determination R² = 0,939). For stream Slapnica the strongest linear relationship was observed between the shell length and its dry mass (R² = 0,862)

Grand hotels around the kvarner bay: Seaside hospitality between Austria and Hungary

The hotel architecture around the Kvarner bay represents a specific Austro-Hungarian response to the Riviera phenomenon, made possible by the railway connections to the continental capitals of the Empire with the port of Rijeka. Through a detailed comparison between different investments and realisations, the article explores the ways of dealing with the hotellerie in the coastal area administratively divided between Austria, Hungary and Croatia in the last decades of the 19th century and the years leading to WWI

Resemiotization of eastern adriatic antiquities uses and abuses of the ancient past

The article explores reverberations of meanings attributed to antiquities in Pula/Pola, Zadar/Zara and Split/Spalato through the lens of the strategy of territorialization, i.e. uses and abuses of the ancient monuments in the political context. Through a wide chronological and geographical framework, the text compares and contrasts for the first time instances such as Renaissance reconstructions of the ancient arch in Zadar, citations of the Pula Arch of Sergii in the context of Habsburg and Valois triumphal entries, 18th-19th-century appropriation of the Eastern Adriatic through archeological knowledge as attempted by Cassas and Lavallée and the iconic value of Eastern Adriatic antiquities as a backdrop for public monuments between the late 19th and mid-20th century

Do-or-die life cycles and diverse post-infection resistance mechanisms limit the evolution of parasite host ranges

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from the publisher via the DOI in this record.In light of the dynamic nature of parasite host ranges and documented potential for rapid host shifts, the observed high host specificity of most parasites remains an ecological paradox. Different variants of host-use trade-offs have become a mainstay of theoretical explanations of the prevalence of host specialism, but empirical evidence for such trade-offs is rare. We propose an alternative theory based on basic features of the parasite life cycle: host selection and subsequent intrahost replication. We introduce a new concept of effective burst size that accounts for the fact that successful host selection does not guarantee intrahost replication. Our theory makes a general prediction that a parasite will expand its host range if its effective burst size is positive. An in silico model of bacteria-phage coevolution verifies our predictions and demonstrates that the tendency for relatively narrow host ranges in parasites can be explained even in the absence of trade-offs.IG was supported by a NERC Advanced Fellowship. IG and MS were also funded by a BBSRC EEID grant

Simulation and Optimization of Independent Renewable Energy Hybrid System

In this paper the majority of research refers to the optimal configuration of hybrid system that uses renewable energy and wind energy and solar radiation in association with diesel aggregate and batteries. These independent energy systems (hybrid systems) are becoming popular due to increasing energy costs and decreasing prices of turbines and Photo-Voltaic (PV) panels. But the only drawback is that their outputs depend upon the climatic conditions. The main goal to optimization a hybrid system is necessary to obtain the configuration of the system as well as the control strategy that minimizes the total cost through the useful life of the installation to meet the desired consumption and/or the pollutant emissions. The HOGA (Hybrid Optimizations by Genetic Algorithms) program was used to simulate the system operation and calculate technical economic parameters for each configuration. The system configuration of the hybrid is derived based on the data of wind and solar radiation which are related to the southern Croatian coast, as on a theoretical annual load at an observed location. Also, technical data for components are taken from the manufacturer’s specifications (datasheet). In this paper the advantages and disadvantages of commonly used types of generators (synchronous and asynchronous generators) are presented. Results show that the hybrid systems have considerable reductions in carbon emission and cost of the system

IMMUNOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA

There are many theories about the etiology of schizophrenia. This paper presents the assumptions and latest findings about many immunological characteristics of schizophrenia. According to the neuroimunological theory, this disorder is due to neuroimunological disbalance, increased microglial activity and increased levels of proinflammatory cytokines. Studies have found that intrauterine infections in pregnant women have an effect on the fetal brain development, and that infections with rubella, measles, herpes virus, and toxoplasma are associeted with schizophrenia onset in adult life. In the first episode of schizophrenia and during exacerbation in the serum of the patient, an increased level of proinflammatory cytokines was found. Increased levels of IL-6, TNF- and IL-1, and decreased levels of anti-inflammatory cytokines, Il-10. Interleukin 6 levels increase in the psychotic phase of the disease and normalize after the antipsychotic drug treatment. Increased level of IL-6 is associated with severe cognitive impairment and it is more common with patients who had been without adequate treatment for a long time and patients with therapeutic-resistant schizophrenia. Treatment of schizophrenia could be improved by the introduction of anti-inflammatory drug in the therapy

Optimal Design of Ship’s Hybrid Power System for Efficient Energy

The International Maritime Organization regulations on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) from ships require efficient dealing with this complex techno-economic and highly political problem through joint efforts of all major stakeholders from the shipbuilding industry and ship operations. The key problems of any research in the field of renewable energy, including power generation, storage, transformation and distribution, and the issues associated with limited power generation for specific loads, are the same issues that are experienced in the implementation of electric distribution technologies onboard ships. This paper analyses the effects of efficient shipping using the solar panel system and batteries to ensure continuous power supply, regardless of the weather conditions. The logistics chain of this control architecture is modelled by Colored Petri Nets. The economic analysis examines the annual costs of fuel consumption, the initial capital cost, total net cost and CO2 emissions