INTERACTION OF THE DRY MATTER ON CONTENTS OF BIOGAS PRODUCED FROM PIG MANURE

Korištenje svinjske gnojovke kao biomase za proizvodnju bioplina jedan je od načina za učinkovitu uporabu otpada uz minimalan utjecaj na okoliš. Prednost bioplina i biomase u odnosu na fosilna goriva je neusporedivo manje emisije štetnih plinova i otpadnih tvari. Opterećenje atmosfere ugljik dioksidom (CO2) pri korištenju biomase je zanemarivo, jer je količina emitiranog CO2 prilikom izgaranja jednaka količini apsorbiranog CO2 tijekom rasta biljaka. Materijal istraživanja je svinjska gnojovka sa farme u okolici Osijeka gdje su svinje držane na rešetkastom podu a u istraživanju koristila se standardna metoda i kvantitativni postupak. Na uzorku se ispitivao postotak suhe tvari (ST) i njegova ovisnost o količini nastalog bioplina različitog sastava. Količina (ST) je niska i teoretski se kreće se od 0,5 do 10 %. Ona je varijabilna i ovisi o pasmini, hranidbi, uvjetima držanja, tehnologiji, izgnojavanju itd. Uzorak sa niskom količinom (ST) sadržavao je veliku količinu pepela te je njegov postotak iznosio više od 50 %. Većina uzoraka s najvećim postotkom suhe tvari imala je visoki postotak (iznad 70 %) hlapljive organanske tvari (OT). Udio dušika (N) i CO2 viši je u bioplinu proizvedenom iz svinjske gnojovke s većim udjelom ST. Količina N obrnuto je proporcionalna količini metana (CH4) /r=-0,948; p<0,001/. Dokazana je visoko pozitivna korelacija između koncentracije ST i količine bioplina (r = 0,947, p<0,001). Količina bioplina ovisi o sadržaju ST s posebnim naglaskom na visoki postotak OT. Koncentracija CH4 najveća je kod skupine s najnižom proizvodnjom bioplina. Što je veći sadržaj suhe OT i udio masti u supstratu, veći je i postotak CH4.Taking advantage of pig manure as biomass for production of biogas, is one of the ways of efficient use of waste with minimum interaction with the environment. Biogas and biomass oposite on fossil fuels has less emission of harmfull gasses and wastage rate. Emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) in biomass, as a fuels, become from burning out is almost equal with amoung of apsorpted CO2 during growth of plants. Material from investigation was pig manure from a farm near Osijek, where all the pigs were kept on latticed floor. Methods of investigation were quantitative procedure with standard methods. On pig manure was investigated percent of dry matter (DM) and her correlation on amount of biogas with different composition. Amount of (DM) is low and teoreticaly between 0,5- 10 %. Results are variable and depends on rase, nutrition, handeling conditions, technology... The sample with low (DM) had high amount of ash > 50 % mineral part and high amount of (DM) had > 70 % dry organic matter (DOM). Higher amount of (DM) represents nutritive base for microorganisms with growing faster and produce more methane (CH4). High amount of (DM) gave high percentage of nitrogen N and CO2. Amount of N was in inverse proportion to the amount of CH4 (r=-0,948; p<0,001). Highly positive correlation was determined between (DM) on special accent on (DOM) and biogas amount (r = 0,947, p<0,001). Methane concentration was the highest in the group with the lowest biogas production. Higher content the (DOM) and the share of has positive correlation with fat in pig manure and gave high percentage of CH4

EFFECTS OF TEMPERATURE ON ACYRTHOSIPHON PISUM AND THERIOAPHIS TRIFOLII (HEMIPTERA: APHIDIDAE) ABUNDANCE IN ALFALFA CROPS: A CASE STUDY IN NORTHERN SERBIA

Populations of the most abundant alfalfa aphids, Acyrthosiphon pisum and Therioaphis trifolii, have periodic fluctuations, and many factors affect their dynamics. In the present study, we examined the impact of daily air temperatures on the abundance of two alfalfa aphids in field conditions. The numbers of these two aphids on alfalfa were documented at two locations in a representative alfalfa growing area in Serbia during a three-year field study. Based on the records of aphid abundance and daily air temperatures during the whole study, it was found that a correlation between the sum of optimal daily air temperatures for aphid development, the sum of maximum daily air temperatures and the number of recorded aphid peaks was significant and can therefore be considered for the detection of suitable temperature conditions to increase aphid abundance. The study shows that the highest correlations were between a high density of A. pisum and the sum of optimal daily air temperatures for its development (Ck=0.569) and between a high density of T. trifolii and the sum of maximum daily air temperatures (Ck=0.595). The length of time required for the growth of populations of the two alfalfa aphids differed: 30 days for A. pisum and 5 days for T. trifolii. The association of temperature data to alfalfa aphid abundance enables a projection of their population behavior in changed future climate conditions. This study suggests increased population sizes of T. trifolii and decreased population sizes of A. pisum on alfalfa under the warmer conditions that are expected to prevail in the future. © 2022 Journal of Agricultural Sciences (Belgrade). All rights reserved

Antimicrobial, antioxidant and DNA-binding studies of palladium(II) complexes with different chelate ligands containing nitrogen donor atoms

The antimicrobial and antioxidant activities, as well as the DNA-binding of four square-planar Pd(II) complexes, [Pd(terpy)Cl]+ (C1), [Pd(en)Cl2] (C2), [Pd(DMEAImiPr)Cl2] (C3) and [Pd(dach)Cl2] (C4) (terpy = 2,2′:6′,2′′- -terpyridine, en = ethylenediamine, dach = trans-1,2-diaminocyclohexane and DMEAImiPr = N2-((1,3-dihydro-1,3-diisopropyl-4,5-dimethyl)-2H-imidazol-2- ylidene)-N1,N1-dimethyl-1,2-ethanediamine are reported. The antimicrobial activities of the Pd(II) complexes with the appropriate ligands were tested using the microdilution method against 18 strains of microorganisms, whereby the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and the minimal microbicidal concentration (MMC) were determined. The antibiofilm activity of [Pd(terpy)Cl]+ and the corresponding ligand were determined on a formed biofilm. The intensity of antimicrobial activity varied depending on the type of microorganism and the tested compound. The C1 complex with the corresponding ligand demonstrated significantly greater overall antimicrobial activity than C2, C3 and C4. The antibacterial activity of the C1 complex was better than its antifungal activity that was overall greater than that of the positive control, fluconazole. The greatest sensitivity for C1 and L1 was with Penicillium italicum (MIC < 0.49 μg mL-1) among the fungi, and with Proteus mirabilis ATCC 12453 (MIC = 0.98 μg mL-1) among the tested bacteria. The tested compounds show low and moderate antibiofilm activity. The complexes showed weak antioxidant properties when tested using the DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2- -picrylhydrazyl) method. The interaction of the metal complexes C1–C4 with calf thymus DNA (CT-DNA) was further examined by absorption (UV–Vis) and emission spectral studies (EthBr displacement studies). Overall, the investigated complexes exhibited good DNA interaction ability. [Project of the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Grant no. 172011 and Grant no. 173032

White Matter Changes in Two Leber's Hereditary Optic Neuropathy Pedigrees: 12-Year Follow-Up

We are presenting two Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) pedigrees with abnormal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (HMRS) findings but without neurological manifestation associated with LHON. The study included 14 LHON patients and 41 asymptomatic family members from 12 genealogically unrelated families. MRI showed white matter involvement and H-MRS exhibited metabolic anomalies within 12 LHON families. Main outcome measures were abnormal MRI and H-MRS findings in two pedigrees. MRI of the proband of the first pedigree showed a single demyelinating lesion in the right cerebellar hemisphere, while the proband of the second family displayed multiple supratentorial and infratentorial lesions, compatible with the demyelinating process, and both the absolute choline (Cho) concentration and Cho/creatinine ratio were increased. MRI and H-MRS profiles of both affected and unaffected mitochondrial DNA mutation carriers suggest more widespread central nervous involvement in LHON. Although even after 12 years our patients did not develop neurological symptoms, MRI could still be used to detect possible changes during the disease progression

Alien species of aphids (Hemiptera: Aphididae) found in Serbia, new to the Balkan Peninsula

New alien species of aphids (Illinoia liriodendri (Monell), Wahlgreniella nervata (Gillete), Takecallis arundicolens (Clarke) and Tinocallis takachihoensis Higuchi) have been found for the first time in Serbia. These records are new for the Balkan Peninsula. Data of Ericaphis scammelli (Mason), species recently mentioned in Serbia, are also presented in the text. The species have been found during the last five years at four sites (Belgrade, Zemun, Mladenovac and Bojnik) on five cultivated plants. Ericaphis scammelli is a pest of blueberry and a vector of Blueberry scorch virus. The other four develop colonies on decorative plants: I. liriodendri has been found on Liriodendron tulipifera, W. nervata on Rosa sp., T. arundicolens on Pseudosasa japonica and T. takachihoensis on Ulmus x hollandica. The origin of three of the species (E. scammelli, I. liriodendri and W. nervata) is North America and two (T. arundicolens and T. takachihoensis) have come from East Asia. Their morphology, biology and the damage they inflict are discussed here, as well as their potential economic and environmental threat. Only parthenogenetic viviparous females of all 5 species have been collected. Their biology has not been studied enough in Europe and needs further examination. Original drawings of all species are presented