Rangelands in the Mediterranean Zone of Croatia

Rangelands dominate the landscape of the Mediterranean part of Croatia along the Adriatic coastline, occupying 83% of the agricultural land (1.7 million ha) and 40% of the entire country. The proportion of rangelands is considerably higher in the Mediterranean littoral than in other ecological regions of Croatia. Sheep and goats are widespread in the region, comprising 76% of total sheep and goat numbers in Croatia. However, in comparison to other regions of Croatia, livestock production in the Mediterranean zone is not well developed. Continuous grazing begun too early in the growing season has caused substantial rangeland degradation and a decline from potential productivity. The improvement strategy is to rely on controlled grazing systems, in which priority is given to restricting grazing pressure in the early spring, improving animal distribution and introducing rotational grazing practices. The more difficult task is to regulate animal numbers. Although the general climate of southern Croatia is Mediterranean, there is a gradient inland from the coast. Dry summer stress, combined with a long history of man\u27s influence on the natural vegetation, has resulted in the formation of several contrasting rangeland types. The main types are pasture vegetation, shrublands (maquis and garrigues) and forested ranges (Horvatic, 1975)

Solvent filtration through the use of monolayer-protected gold nanoparticles

Thesis (S.B.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering, 2008.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (p. 35).Chemical purification is typically approached by taking advantage of the constituent molecules' sizes, densities, phase transitions, or bonding capabilities to isolate individual chemical components from one another. Here, a novel approach for solvent filtration is proposed based on localized geometric constraints and bonding capabilities through the use of mixed monolayer ligand coated nanoparticles. Gold nanoparticles were synthesized and coated with octane thiol and mercaptoproprionic acid in a 3:1 ratio. Such nanoparticles have been reported to form an interesting grooved surface morphology, and it has been shown that their solubility varies according to the ability for individual solvent molecules to penetrate these grooves. Here, a system of filtration was designed, aimed at using these nanoparticles to remove a small quantity of ethanol from a solution of methanol. Solubility tests were performed on the synthesized nanoparticles and additional possible contaminants were isolated for testing including toluene, chloroform, and trihydrofuran. Titration columns were run to test the ability of the synthesized nanoparticles to separate the candidate contaminants above from a methanol solution. NMR spectroscopy of both the filtered and unfiltered solutions was performed and the results compared. Although far from conclusive, the evidence presented in this paper indicates that it very may well be possible to remove specific solute molecules from solution by flowing them through a group of nanoparticles with very clearly defined surface morphologies.by John Rogosic.S.B

CAR-T cell therapy in paediatric acute lymphoblastic leukaemia - past, present and future

Over the last decade, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy has emerged as a promising treatment modality for relapsed/refractory B-cell malignancies in both children and adults. As an adoptive immune therapy, CAR-T cells have the potential to overcome disease that is resistant to chemo- and radiotherapy as well as represent a viable option for those who have already reached toxicity ceilings with standard therapies. CD19-directed CAR-T cell products have been licensed for use in paediatric B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia that is refractory, in relapse post-transplant or in second or later relapse. Many challenges remain, rightly resulting in a heavily-mined research field. These include mitigating short-term immune-mediated toxicity, maintaining durability of responses, broadening treatment accessibility and extending its applicability to other malignant settings. In this review, dedicated to marking 60 years since the establishment of the British Society for Haematology, we will focus on the contribution of our community towards the success of CD19-directed CAR-T cell therapy in children. We will put current practice in CAR-T cell therapy into the context of future challenges to be addressed in order for it to fulfil its "game-changing" therapeutic potential

Public Sector Accounting: Transparency Issues

Public accounting systems differ among countries so the reform towards harmonization is needed especially for EU Member Countries. The transition from cash-based to accrual-based accounting is necessary in order to provide the wide scope of relevant information to the internal and external users. The objectives of the paper are: to examine the level of conversance with IPSAS (International Public Sector Accounting Standards) among public sector accountants in Croatia, to outline the potential benefits and improvements of accrual principle application, and to determine the implication of increased effectiveness and efficiency of the administrations' actions on greater transparency of financial statements. Empirical research is based on survey addressed to the accountants employed by local government. The findings suggest that accrual principle application in Croatian public sector accounting would lead to the increase of effectiveness and efficiency of the public sector and eventually to the higher level of transparency

Decadent Rome in the literature of Decadence: Antiquity, Enlightenment, and Barbey d'Aurevilly

How is it that the Roman decadence, a derogatory term during the Enlightenment, became the fundamental aesthetic reference for a nineteenth century literary movement? Focusing on the intersections of literature, politics, religion, science and art history, this dissertation adopts a diachronic approach to decadence, read against a backdrop mobilizing twentieth century philosophers Vladimir Jankelevitch and Michel Serres. Decadence (Latin cadere, to fall) first designated the fall of the Roman Empire and a falling away from its political, moral and aesthetic norms. Drawing on Petronius and Baudelaire, I crystallize three ways in which philosophers, scholars (“érudits”), and poets faced the troubling notion of the fall : they observe its occurrence, restore its ruins, or praise its beauty. With this in mind, the dissertation closely analyzes eighteenth century topoi that conceive decadence as political instability (Montesquieu, Gibbon), moral corruption (Rousseau, de Maistre), and architectural imbalance (Diderot, Seroux d’Agincourt). The principal emphasis is on the semantic and stylistic value assigned to the term “decadence”. These interdiscursive readings disclose the displacement of decadent topoi : shifting from one context to another, they narrate the fall of the Roman Empire and remain inscribed in the literary production of Decadence. Whereas the Enlightenment underlines the edifying dimension of the Roman example, nineteenth century authors, lapsing into original sin and propelled by thermodynamic loss, salute the expression of the fall. Barbey d’Aurevilly’s writings reveal consistent historical, structural and textual references to Roman topoi, caught up in the arrested completion of political and mechanical cycles. Furthermore, his dandyism and ultramontanism conjure up the Roman conflict, while recurring fragments, maculae and lacunae destabilize the architectural balance of his texts. The Literature of Decadence emerges as an artificial intervention that suspends the irreparable fall, enlightening the political, moral and technological turmoil of the Second Empire with those of the Roman Empire. In returning Decadence back to its Roman origins, and tracing their configuration in the age of Enlightenment, this dissertation unravels a formative, yet frequently overlooked component of nineteenth century literature and aesthetics

Some Slaughter and Carcass Traits of the Lambs of Dalmatian Pramenka Reared in Three Different Fattening Systems

In order to determine the impact of different fattening system (I - milk, pasture; II - indoors, milk, grains, III - milk, pasture, concentrate) on slaughter value and carcass quality of the lambs of Dalmatian Pramenka, 18 lambs (100 ± 5 days old), 6 in each group, were slaughtered. Lambs of one group were from the same flock and selected by birth weight (2.00 ± 0.20 kg). After slaughtering and cutting the carcasses into halves, in order to determine the share of legs and shoulders as well as certain tissues in the halves, the legs and shoulders were separated from the halves and total dissection was made. The significant differences (P<0.05) of slaughter weight (I - 21.17 kg, II - 23.25 kg, III - 26.25 kg) and hot carcass weight (I - 9.98 kg, II - 11.92 kg, III - 12.92 kg) among three groups were found. The legs II (1.65 kg) and III (1.71 kg) were significantly heavier (P<0.001) than legs I (1.32 kg), as well as shoulders (I - 0.52 kg, II - 0.65 kg, III - 0.69 kg; P<0.01). Total dissection of the halves established these tissues ratio: muscle 51.25 %, fat 10.18 %, connective 13.93%, bone 23.04% and other tissues 2.32%. The biggest quantity of muscle tissue was found in halves III (3.27 kg) what was more (P<0.05) than in halves II (2.83 kg) and I (2.50 kg). However, the biggest quantity of fat was found in halves II (0.85 kg) what was more (P<0.01) than in halves I (0.33 kg) and III (0.52 kg). Therefore, the addition of concentrate in pasture fattening system (III) increased the muscularity, without significantly increasing the amount of fat in the lamb carcass

Association of Age-Related Macular Degeneration with Erythrocyte Antioxidant Enzymes Activity and Serum Total Antioxidant Status

The aim was to estimate association of the oxidative stress with the occurrence of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The activities of erythrocyte antioxidant enzymes: superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and catalase (CAT) and additionally serum total antioxidant status (TAS) were used as indicators of the oxidative stress level. 57 AMD patients (32 early and 25 late AMD) and 50 healthy, age and gender matched controls were included. GPx activity ( &lt; 0.001) and serum TAS ( = 0.015) were significantly lower in AMD patients. The difference was not significant for SOD or CAT activities. Significant interaction between GPx and SOD was detected ( = 0.003). At high levels of SOD activity (over 75th percentile), one standard deviation decrease in GPx increases the odds for AMD for six times (OR = 6.22; &lt; 0.001). ROC analysis revealed that combined values of GPx activity and TAS are significant determinants of AMD status. Accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values were 75%, 95%, 52%, 69%, and 90%, respectively. The study showed that low GPx activity and TAS are associated with AMD. SOD modulates the association of GPx and AMD. The results suggest that erythrocyte antioxidant enzymes activity and serum TAS could be promising markers for the prediction of AMD

Association of Age-Related Macular Degeneration with Erythrocyte Antioxidant Enzymes Activity and Serum Total Antioxidant Status

The aim was to estimate association of the oxidative stress with the occurrence of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The activities of erythrocyte antioxidant enzymes: superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and catalase (CAT) and additionally serum total antioxidant status (TAS) were used as indicators of the oxidative stress level. 57 AMD patients (32 early and 25 late AMD) and 50 healthy, age and gender matched controls were included. GPx activity (P<0.001) and serum TAS (P=0.015) were significantly lower in AMD patients. The difference was not significant for SOD or CAT activities. Significant interaction between GPx and SOD was detected (P=0.003). At high levels of SOD activity (over 75th percentile), one standard deviation decrease in GPx increases the odds for AMD for six times (OR = 6.22; P<0.001). ROC analysis revealed that combined values of GPx activity and TAS are significant determinants of AMD status. Accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values were 75%, 95%, 52%, 69%, and 90%, respectively. The study showed that low GPx activity and TAS are associated with AMD. SOD modulates the association of GPx and AMD. The results suggest that erythrocyte antioxidant enzymes activity and serum TAS could be promising markers for the prediction of AMD

Substrate displacement colorimetry for the detection of diarylethylamines

In this work, a novel detection assay for the new psychoactive substance (NPS) 2-methoxiphenidine (2-MXP) and other diarylethylamines is introduced. The assay is based on the competitive displacement of dye molecules from molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) by the target molecule. The assay was fully characterized by studying the affinity of the MIP for six common dyes, expressed as the binding factor (BF). The results of this study indicate that the mathematical relationship between the BF of a dye and the imprinting factor (IF) for the target could be used for the prediction of the efficacy of the displacement assay. Dye-loaded MIP particles where incubated with the target, two adulterants and two legal pharmacological compounds. The target has a higher affinity for the MIP than the dye and displaces it out of the nanocavities of the receptor leading to a colour change in the filtrate that can be observed with the naked eye. Incubation of the MIP particles with the adulterants and legal medicines did not result in any observable change in absorbance. The robust, fast and low-cost nature of the assay, combined with its tailorable selectivity and generic nature, illustrate its potential as a pre-screening tool for the identification of narcotic substances in unidentified powders. Keywords: Molecularly imprinted polymer, displacement assay, colorimetry, new psychoactive substance identificatio