Differential response of communities of plants, snails, ants and spiders to long-term mowing in a small-scale experiment

We examined the response of communities of four groups of organisms (plants, snails, ants and spiders) in a small scale mosaic of 8-years mown and unmown plots in a wet meadow in Central Europe. The experimental setup consisted of 7 unmown and 8 regularly mown 4 m2 plots in checkerboard arrangement. Eight years after the start of the experiment, the plant community structure diverged in response to mowing/nonmowing, both in species composition and structure. Both bryophyte and vascular plant species numbers were significantly higher in the mown plots. In unmown plots, bryophytes nearly disappeared and plots were dominated by the tall tussock grass Molinia caerulea. Both diversity and abundance of snails were higher in unmown plots than in mown ones. Ant nests were more abundant in mown plots and species composition differed between mown and unmown plots. We captured significantly more individuals of spiders in mown plots but we did not find any difference in species composition. We conclude that the 8-years duration of different management of 4 m2 plots was sufficient to establish different communities in low movable organisms, whereas these plots are probably too small to host different assemblages of organisms with good active dispersal abilities

Epoxyeicosatrienoic Acid-Based Therapy Attenuates the Progression of Postischemic Heart Failure in Normotensive Sprague-Dawley but Not in Hypertensive Ren-2 Transgenic Rats

Epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs) and their analogs have been identified as potent antihypertensive compounds with cardio- and renoprotective actions. Here, we examined the effect of EET-A, an orally active EET analog, and c-AUCB, an inhibitor of the EETs degrading enzyme soluble epoxide hydrolase, on the progression of post-myocardial infarction (MI) heart failure (HF) in normotensive Hannover Sprague-Dawley (HanSD) and in heterozygous Ren-2 transgenic rats (TGR) with angiotensin II-dependent hypertension. Adult male rats (12 weeks old) were subjected to 60-min left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery occlusion or sham (non-MI) operation. Animals were treated with EET-A and c-AUCB (10 and 1 mg/kg/day, respectively) in drinking water, given alone or combined for 5 weeks starting 24 h after MI induction. Left ventricle (LV) function and geometry were assessed by echocardiography before MI and during the progression of HF. At the end of the study, LV function was determined by catheterization and tissue samples were collected. Ischemic mortality due to the incidence of sustained ventricular fibrillation was significantly higher in TGR than in HanSD rats (35.4 and 17.7%, respectively). MI-induced HF markedly increased LV end-diastolic pressure (Ped) and reduced fractional shortening (FS) and the peak rate of pressure development [+(dP/dt)max] in untreated HanSD compared to sham (non-MI) group [Ped: 30.5 ± 3.3 vs. 9.7 ± 1.3 mmHg; FS: 11.1 ± 1.0 vs. 40.8 ± 0.5%; +(dP/dt)max: 3890 ± 291 vs. 5947 ± 309 mmHg/s]. EET-A and c-AUCB, given alone, tended to improve LV function parameters in HanSD rats. Their combination amplified the cardioprotective effect of single therapy and reached significant differences compared to untreated HanSD controls [Ped: 19.4 ± 2.2 mmHg; FS: 14.9 ± 1.0%; +(dP/dt)max: 5278 ± 255 mmHg/s]. In TGR, MI resulted in the impairment of LV function like HanSD rats. All treatments reduced the increased level of albuminuria in TGR compared to untreated MI group, but neither single nor combined EET-based therapy improved LV function. Our results indicate that EET-based therapy attenuates the progression of post-MI HF in HanSD, but not in TGR, even though they exhibited renoprotective action in TGR hypertensive rats

Actual changes in system of urban planning in post-socialist city: the case of Prague

After the change of political system in Czechoslovakia (1989) came also a lot of social, economical and cultural changes. Today, all the Czech cities stay in front of the biggest change of city planning philosophy in last two decades. Prague, the capital city of Czech Republic, decided for a big institutional transition in 2012. The municipality, in cooperation with Faculty of Architecture CTU in Prague, is preparing completely pioneering methodology for quality commissioning of land use plans and, in cooperation with the new Institute of Planning and Development, is preparing innovative system of city planning. There are new ordinances, laws, regulations, tourist trade strategies and many other documents. Prague, as one of the strongest regions in East-Central Europe, can be seen like a laboratory of current development of post-socialist city. The new methodology of Metropolitan Plan could be a key to success

Demography and Dispersal Ability of a Threatened Saproxylic Beetle: A Mark-Recapture Study of the Rosalia Longicorn (Rosalia alpina)

The Rosalia longicorn or Alpine longhorn (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) is an endangered and strictly protected icon of European saproxylic biodiversity. Despite its popularity, lack of information on its demography and mobility may compromise adoption of suitable conservation strategies. The beetle experienced marked retreat from NW part of its range; its single population survives N of the Alps and W of the Carpathians. The population inhabits several small patches of old beech forest on hill-tops of the Ralska Upland, Czech Republic. We performed mark-recapture study of the population and assessed its distribution pattern. Our results demonstrate the high mobility of the beetle, including dispersal between hills (up to 1.6 km). The system is thus interconnected; it contained ∼2000 adult beetles in 2008. Estimated population densities were high, ranging between 42 and 84 adult beetles/hectare a year. The population survives at a former military-training ground despite long-term isolation and low cover of mature beech forest (∼1%). Its survival could be attributed to lack of forestry activities between the 1950s and 1990s, slow succession preventing canopy closure and undergrowth expansion, and probably also to the distribution of habitat patches on conspicuous hill-tops. In order to increase chances of the population for long term survival, we propose to stop clear-cuts of old beech forests, increase semi-open beech woodlands in areas currently covered by conifer plantations and active habitat management at inhabited sites and their wider environs

Biomass Combustion Control and Stabilization Using Low-Cost Sensors

The paper describes methods for biomass combustion process control and burning stabilization based on low-cost sensing of carbon monoxide emissions and oxygen concentration in the flue gas. The designed control system was tested on medium-scale biomass-fired boilers and some results are evaluated and presented in the paper

Emise ze spalování biopaliv

Výsledky prezentované v závěrečné zprávě lze shrnout: 1. Přirozený dřevní odpad je možno charakterizovat jako standard, se kterým je nezbytné jiné rostlinné projekty použité jako energetickou biomasu srovnávat. 2. Energetické rostliny pěstované na polích obdělávaných běžnými pěstebními postupy jsou těmito postupy a půdním biotopem velmi výrazně ovlivněny z hlediska složení inertní složky sušiny biomasy. 3: Většina druhů energetických rostlin jsou charakteristické zvýšenou schopností čerpat z půdy významná množství těžkých kovů, pokud jsou v půdě obsaženy. 4. Emisní charakteristiky CO, THC a persistentních látek lze ovlivnit konstrukčním řešením spalovacího zařízení. 5. další významnou podmínkou nízkých emisí je standardní příprava paliva. 6. Absolutních emisí persistentních látek typu PCDD/F a PAH lze pro standardizovaná paliva a na kotlích umožňujících zaručit vhodné podmínky dosáhnout takových, že splňují požadavky na tyto látky stanovené pro velká spalovenská zařízení dle nařízení vlády č. 354/2002 Sb. 7. Absolutní emise látek typu PCB jsou u biopaliv řádově nižší než požaduje nařízení vlády č. 354/2002 Sb

Emise ze spalování biopaliv

V r. 2004 byly provedeny všechny plánované organizační a výzkumné práce: 1. V tepelné laboratoři řešitele pro provádění krátkých zkoušek s peletizovanými biopalivy byl instalován nový kotel Verner na spalování pelet; 2. na tomto kotli byla zopakována série zkoušek s peletizovanými palivy, která již proběhla na kotli VIADRUS; 3. byl proveden základní rozbor podmínek vzniku perzistentních organických látek při spalování biomasy a mechanismy možného vzniku těchto látek při spalování produktů, které primárně tyto látky neobsahují (biomasa); 4. v rámci krátkých spalovacích zkoušek byl proveden prvkový rozbor vstupního materiálu; 5. v rámci krátkých spalovacích zkoušek byl proveden odběr pevných zbytků po spalování a byl proveden prvkový rozbor těchto zbytků, a to včetně stopových prvků; 6. pro objasnění vlivnosti typu biomasy na možný obsah stopových prvků byly použity pelety ze šťovíku získaného od producentů z lokálně velmi vzdálených pěstebních míst s vysokou pravděpodobností rozdílného složení půdy v těchto lokalitách