Co-occurrence pattern of ground beetle (Coleoptera, Carabidae) assemblages along pollution gradient in scotch pine forest

Over the last 30 years there has been a great deal of interest in investigating patterns of species co-occurrence across space and time, which may be shaped by interspecific competition for shared resources. A good model of co-occurrence mechanisms is developed among predatory animals along a pollution gradient, where shared resources become more limited in more contaminated areas and the energy budget for detoxification is much higher. Community disassembly by heavy metal pollution may occur when the presence of toxic elements shifts patterns of species co-occurrence from structured to random. On the other hand, limited resources on a pollution gradient should lead to higher competition between dominant species. Disassembly may entail the loss of existing co-evolved interactions among species, which has ramifications for community dynamics and the quality of the functioning of polluted ecosystems. We expect an assemblage dominated by competitive species interactions to exhibit a significant segregation of taxa, whereas one dominated by mutualistic or syntrophic interactions would exhibit an aggregation of taxa. Responses of Carabidae co-occurrence patterns and changes in body size measures to heavy metal concentrations were investigated in a zinc contamination gradient in a Scots pine forest in the vicinity of Olkusz (southern Poland), at 12 study sites. The zinc concentration in the humus layer varied between 108 mg kg-1 dw to 6150 mg kg-1 dw. We used the C-score index, between all possible species pairs in a matrix. The ground beetle assemblages from the reference sites showed a significant segregation pattern. Community disassembly occurred only among assemblages in heavily polluted sites. The average value of skewness and kurtosis were significantly higher in the highly contaminated sites, indicating the greater proportion of small-bodied species in contaminated areas. The Gini coefficient was highest in the low contaminated sites, indicating the body-size inequality of carabid assemblages was greatest in the uncontaminated areas. Our data suggest that increased pollution contributes to the extinction of sensitive forest specialists with large body size and higher competitive abilities, leading to replacement by less sensitive generalists, with smaller body size and that the co-occurrence of species on heavily polluted sites is a result of unstable interactions between species in communities

Assemblages of carabid beetles (Col. Carabidae) and ground-dwelling spiders (Araneae) in natural and artificial regeneration of pine forests

Carabid beetles and spiders are at the top of the hierarchy of general invertebrate predators, which can help to reduce the abundance of harmful forest pests. They are also frequently used as environmental indicators. In this paper we analyzed the abundance, species richness and changes in carabid beetle and spider assemblages in three treatments of pine forest regeneration – natural, natural with soil prepared by ploughing and artificial with seedlings planted in ploughed soil. The most beneficial forest regeneration treatment variant of forest regeneration for carabid beetles and spiders was the natural regeneration of pine stands without any preceding soil preparation. Both taxa responded strongly to soil ploughing. We also noted the replacement of forest species by less sensitive open area species. In carabid assemblages, large changes in the trophic structure were observed, as predatory species were replaced by hemizoophages in the ploughed treatments

Synthetic development of a broadly neutralizing antibody against snake venom long-chain α-neurotoxins

Snakebite envenoming is a major global public health concern for which improved therapies are urgently needed. The antigenic diversity present in snake venom toxins from various species presents a considerable challenge to the development of a universal antivenom. Here, we used a synthetic human antibody library to find and develop an antibody that neutralizes long-chain three-finger α-neurotoxins produced by numerous medically relevant snakes. Our antibody bound diverse toxin variants with high affinity, blocked toxin binding to the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor in vitro, and protected mice from lethal venom challenge. Structural analysis of the antibody-toxin complex revealed a binding mode that mimics the receptor-toxin interaction. The overall workflow presented is generalizable for the development of antibodies that target conserved epitopes among antigenically diverse targets, and it offers a promising framework for the creation of a monoclonal antibody–based universal antivenom to treat snakebite envenoming

Passenger information in urban public transport

Informacja pasażerska w komunikacji zbiorowej w dzisiejszych czasach to nie tylko tradycyjny rozkład jazdy umożliwiający sprawdzenie godzin odjazdów pojazdów poszczególnych linii z przystanków. Ciągły rozwój nowych technologii powoduje, że informacja pasażerska staje się nawigatorem towarzyszącym podróżnemu przez całą drogę i na bieżąco dostarcza niezbędnych informacji oraz istotnych wskazówek, aby pasażer mógł bez przeszkód dotrzeć do celu podróży. W sytuacji, gdy dominuje udział transportu indywidualnego, należy zwrócić szczególną uwagę na sposób przekazu i formę informacji pasażerskiej, aby klient czuł się bezpiecznie i miał pewność dotarcia do celu. Informacja pasażerska musi być jednocześnie zachętą do skorzystania z publicznego transportu zbiorowego. W artykule przedstawiono pojęcie informacji pasażerskiej, różne metody oraz formy przekazu na poszczególnych etapach podróży, czyli podczas jej planowania, podczas realizowania i po jej zakończeniu. Zaprezentowano także wyniki badania marketingowego przeprowadzonego na przystankach komunikacji miejskiej w Krakowie. Celem badania była ocena poziomu informacji pasażerskiej w Krakowie na podstawie opinii użytkowników komunikacji miejskiej. Przedstawiono ocenę jakości informacji dostępnej na etapie planowania podróży, na przystankach i w pojazdach. Wskazano również źródła i rodzaje informacji najczęściej wykorzystywanych i najistotniejszych dla pasażerów oraz propozycje usprawnienia zakresu informacji i sposobów jej przekazywania.Nowadays, passenger information system in urban public transport seems to consist not only of traditional timetable that provide passengers with information about departures’ times of buses and trams from tram/bus stops. The permanent development of new technologies causes that passenger information becomes a kind of navigator assisting passenger alongside his travel route and provides him necessary information or hints to help him reach goal of his travel. Taking into account that the share of private cars dominates over any other mode of urban transport it is especially essential to provide proper attention to the measure and to the form of passenger information system that should assure safe journey and reaching his goal. At the same time passenger information system need to encourage passengers to use public transport. Characteristics of passenger information as well as various methods and forms of transferring information at particular stages of travel such as: planning, progress and after its completion have been presented in the article. The finding of marketing survey carried out at bus/tram stops among passengers of public transport in Cracow have also been described. The survey has been aimed to assess the level of passenger information in Cracow based on the feedback of public transport users. The assessment of the quality of information available at the stage of travel planning and when passenger approaches the bus/tram stop or gets in the bus of tram have been evaluated. Moreover, sources and types of information which is the most frequently used and the most important for passengers as well as proposals of improvement of its transmission and expanding the range of information have been formulated

Accumulation of selected heavy metals in willow shoots (Salix viminalis L.) cultivated in the neighbourhood of a coal ash and slag landfill

The aim of the study was to evaluate the contents of Cd, Pb, Zn and Cu in shoots of willow (Salix viminalis L.) cultivated in the vicinity of a coal ash and slag landfill. The landfill is surrounded by arable lands and meadows. There are two major negative influences of the landfill - dusting and flooding. The result of these interactions is the systematic reduction of agricultural value of the land. A field with an area of 9600 m2 were chosen. The land is located east to the landfill. A total of 40 samples of biomass was collected. The contents of analysed elements were determined by FAAS using a Unicam Solaar M6 spectrometer. Distance from the landfill affects the contents of Cd, Pb, Zn and Cu in the tested willow shoots. However, there is no single concentration pattern for all the investigated metals. An increase in willow cultivation on the described area can bring a good environmental effect and become an example of proper management of the ash and slag landfill neighbourhood

Sedimentation of the coal-bearing succession in the Upper Silesia Coal Basin: research trends and the current state of knowledge

The coal-bearing succession in the Upper Silesia Coal Basin consists of molasse deposits filling a flexural foredeep basin. Analysis of lithofacies in cores from deep boreholes revealed the presence of depositional environments typical of alluvial plains and coastal (in a broad sense) environments. Accumulation compensated regional subsidence, so that general depositional surface remained nearly flat. The higher part of the csuccession was laid in fluvial systems, while the lower part mostly in fluvial systems and subordinately in complex coastal systems. Reconstruction of depositional architecture has shown lateral variation in thickness and extent of individual lithosomes, and also pointed to the role of peat-compaction control in shaping their 3D geometry. Sedimentation was controlled by both autigenic and allogenic factors

Thermal stability in the oxidising atmosphere of polypropylene composite strengthened with glass fibre

Sprawdzano doświadczalnie wrażliwość kompozytu polipropylenu, w postaci maty o niskiej gęstości upakowania, na działanie podwyższonej temperatury. Wrażliwość oceniano, analizując wpływ atmosfery o różnej zawartości tlenu na temperaturę początku rozkładu kompozytu polipropylenu z włóknem szklanym o składzie zbliżonym do 45/55. Stwierdzono, że w atmosferze powietrza początkowa temperatura rozkładu wynosi ok. 200ºC. Obniżenie stężenia tlenu w atmosferze do ok. 2% powoduje wzrost temperatury rozkładu kompozytu do ok. 240ºC. Produkty rozkładu zidentyfikowano w kondensacie oraz ekstrakcie kompozytu w chlorku metylenu. Oszacowana szybkość rozkładu umożliwia przeprowadzanie analizy bezpieczeństwa procesu przetwarzania kompozytu.Sensitivity of the polypropylene composite in the form of mat with low density of packing was checked experimentally to operation at increased temperature. The sensitivity was examined analyzing the impact of atmosphere with different oxygen content on the temperature of the beginning of degradation of the polypropylene composite with fiber glass with composition 45/55. It has been found that in the air atmosphere, the initial degradation temperature is about 200ºC. Lowering the oxygen concentration in the atmosphere to approximately 2% results in increase of composite degradation temperature to ca. 240ºC. Degradation products were identified in the condensate and in the extract of composite in methylene chloride. Rate of degradation was estimated which is allowing for a brief safety analysis