Hospital

The former Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto was a sight in need of little description: beyond the fenced property, the building, recognizably a postwar hospital, uncaringly dismantled its red brick and regularly spaced windows. With the rare exception of few canonical cases, most modernist institutional construction, ubiquitous and undervalued, is facing a similar future. This trend however speaks more about the mindset befitting contemporary societal attitudes towards architectural modernism, than about the actual inability of the buildings to be redesigned for further use. Through artefactual construction of discursive, literary and factual texts collected in relation to the epigone structure whose taking apart I have subsequently witnessed, I set out to trace the conditions of this typical occlusion of architectural potential, and to query the framework generating the inadvertent yet constant destruction of the architecture of a period that promised much enlightenment at its inception

The most westward European occurrence point for Dreissena bugensis (Andrusov 1897)

The occurence of Dreissena bugensis (Andrusov 1897) from the Romanian Danube is reported. This represents the most westward occurrence point of quagga mussel in Europe

Isolation and Characterization of New Microsatellite Markers for the Invasive Softshell Clam, Mya arenaria (L.) (Bivalvia: Myidae)

The invasive softshell clam (Mya arenaria Linnaeus, 1758) is native to the northwestern region of the Atlantic Ocean. This species has been introduced in the northeast Pacific and along the European coasts, due to intense naval transports and aquaculture, and it is now present in all the European seas. In this paper we describe seven new microsatellite loci for Mya arenaria. The isolated loci are polymorphic with a number of alleles per locus between 6 and 14. The observed and expected heterozygosities ranged from 0.417 to 0.951, and from 0.643 to 0.895, with an average of 0.716 and 0.775, respectively. These microsatellite markers should be useful in analyzing this species’ genetic diversity, which could explain various processes of its invasion history

Specii noi de Staphylinidae (Coleoptera) din Republica Moldova identificate prin barcodarea ADN-ului și analiza morfologică

Introduction. Saproxylic beetles are important components of biodiversity and are used for monitoring the quality of old-growth forests. Due to the substantial reduction of forested areas and low availability of dead wood, saproxylic beetles are becoming threatened and many small coleopteran species risk disappearing before they are even discovered. Material and methods. The research was carried out in one natural forest, three natural and two landscape reserves. Coleoptera species were identified using morphological characters and DNA barcoding. Molecular identification established using the GenBank database was confirmed by querying the BOLD Systems database. Results. The work includes 9 species of coleoptera: Batrisodes unisexualis, Trichonyx sulcicollis, Sepedophilus bipunctatus, S. constans, S. pedicularius, Gyrophaena manca, Scaphisoma agaricinum, Medon rufiventris and Hypnogyra angularis newly identified for the fauna of the Republic of Moldova. Obtained COI sequences were analysed and compared with European species stored in GenBank. From a phylogeographic point of view, the majority of the sequences from the Republic of Moldova are grouped into private haplotypes, that are distributed only in the analysed region. The species Gyrophaena manca has 2 haplotypes, one is present in Finland and Germany, another in the Republic of Moldova. Conclusions. As a result of the research 9 species of saproxylic coleoptera from the studied natural forests were identified as new for the fauna of the Republic of Moldova. Obtained genetic data are available for future phylogeny, phylogeography and conservation biology studies carried out at European level.Introducere. Coleopterele saproxilice sunt un component important al biodiversității și sunt utilizate pentru monitorizarea stării pădurilor seculare. Din cauza reducerii substanțiale a suprafețelor împădurite și a volumului redus de lemn mort în păduri, coleopterele saproxilice sunt amenințate și multe specii de dimensiuni mici riscă să dispară, chiar înainte de a fi descoperite. Material si metode. Cercetarea a fost efectuată într-o pădure naturală, trei rezervații naturale și două peisagistice. Speciile de coleoptere au fost identificate folosind caractere morfologice și prin barcodarea ADN-ului. Veridicitatea identificării moleculare cu GenBank a fost confirmată prin interogarea BOLD Systems. Rezultate. Lucrarea include nouă specii de coleoptere noi pentru fauna Republicii Moldova: Batrisodes unisexualis, Trichonyx sulcicollis, Sepedophilus bipunctatus, S. constans, S. pedicularius, Gyrophaena manca, Scaphisoma agaricinum, Medon rufiventris și Hypnogyra angularis. Secvențele COI obținute au fost analizate și comparate cu cele europene stocate în GenBank. Din punct de vedere filogeografic, majoritatea speciilor secvențiate din Republica Moldova se grupează în haplotipuri private, care sunt distribuite doar în regiunea analizată. Specia Gyrophaena manca are două haplotipuri – unul esre prezent în Finlanda și Germania, iar altul în Republica Moldova. Concluzii. În urma studiului realizat au fost identificate nouă specii de coleoptere saproxilice noi pentru fauna Republicii Moldova. Genele obținute au fost depozitate în GenBank și sunt disponibile pentru studiile de filogeneză, filogeografie și conservare a biodiveristății la nivel european

Isolation and Characterization of the First Microsatellite Markers for the Endangered Relict Mussel Hypanis colorata (Mollusca: Bivalvia: Cardiidae)

Hypanis colorata (Eichwald, 1829) (Cardiidae: Lymnocardiinae) is a bivalve relict species with a Ponto-Caspian distribution and is under strict protection in Romania, according to national regulations. While the species is depressed in the western Black Sea lagoons from Romania and Ukraine, it is also a successful invader in the middle Dniepr and Volga regions. Establishing a conservation strategy for this species or studying its invasion process requires knowledge about the genetic structure of the species populations. We have isolated and characterized nine polymorphic microsatellite markers in H. colorata. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 4 to 28 and the observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.613 to 1.000. The microsatellites developed in the present study are highly polymorphic and they should be useful for the assessment of genetic variation within this species

Researches Regarding Waste Processing of Cellulosic Materials by Pyrolysis Process

In this paper were performed laboratory experiments regarding processing by pyrolysis process of urban waste components (wood, paper, textiles). The authors designed and developed an experimental equipment and were applied several technological parameters such as temperature and plant maintenance time. The analysis of physical and chemical properties of obtained products found that pyrolysis process can be an effective alternative treatment of urban waste to reduce their quantity and to increase environmental protection