Revegetation of ski runs in Serbia: Case studies of Mts. Stara Planina and Divčibare

Revegetation is the most sustainable method of soil stabilization at ski runs. In order to establish a stable plant community, it is recommended to use native species. However, non-native species are most often used. In this paper the revegetation of ski runs at two ski resorts is investigated: Divčibare and Stara Planina. Seven species were used for the revegetation of the ski run at the Divčibare ski resort of which six species were native. Six species were used for the revegetation of the Stara Planina ski resort, of which two species were native. It was established that the plant species used in the seed mixtures were suitable for erosion control at the investigated ski resorts

MEDICINAL PROPERTIES OF BUCKWHEAT PRODUCTS AND HONEY IN COMPLIANCE WITH FOOD SAFETY REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS

Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench) is a gluten-free pseudo-cereal and honey plant. Buckwheat grain yields vary greatly and depend on the genotype, agro-ecological conditions of production and harvesting method. The grain yield of the 'Novosadska' variety variеs 1.5-3 t ha-1and the honey yield amounts and more than 300 kg ha-1. Buckwheat grain contains: carbohydrates, proteins, fats, organic acids and rutin (quercetin-3-rutinosid), minerals (potassium, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, sodium, iodine, zinc, bromine and iron), vitamins (D2-ergokalciferol, D3-holekalciferol, P-bioflavonoids, vitamins group B: B1-Thiamine, B2-Riboflavin, B3-niacin, B4-Choline, B5-Pantothenic acid, B6-Piridoxin, B9-Folate; and vitamin E-Tocopherols. 'Novosadska' buckwheat contains the highest level of phenolic acids, proanthocyanidins, flavones and flavonols. Buckwheat honey is dark color, which it gets from polyphenols. Polyphenols is antioxidants, organic compounds which affect the quality of food, especially the color and taste. In accordance with the law on food safety, the interests of consumers must be ensured the highest level of protection. Phenolic antioxidants from honey are bioavailable and increase the antioxidant activity of plasma. Buckwheat honey has a beneficial effect on bronchitis and cough, hypertension, arteriosclerosis, of heart disease, liver and intestinal diseases and has antibacterial effects

Medicinal properties of buckwheat products and honey in compliance with food safety regulatory requirements

Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench) is a gluten-free pseudo-cereal and honey plant. Buckwheat grain yields vary greatly and depend on the genotype, agro-ecological conditions of production and harvesting method. The grain yield of the 'Novosadska' variety variеs 1.5-3 t ha-1 and the honey yield amounts and more than 300 kg ha-1. Buckwheat grain contains: carbohydrates, proteins, fats, organic acids and rutin (quercetin-3-rutinosid), minerals (potassium, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, sodium, iodine, zinc, bromine and iron), vitamins (D2-ergokalciferol, D3-holekalciferol, P-bioflavonoids, vitamins group B: B1-Thiamine, B2-Riboflavin, B3-niacin, B4-Choline, B5-Pantothenic acid, B6-Piridoxin, B9-Folate; and vitamin E-Tocopherols. 'Novosadska' buckwheat contains the highest level of phenolic acids, proanthocyanidins, flavones and flavonols. Buckwheat honey is dark color, which it gets from polyphenols. Polyphenols is antioxidants, organic compounds which affect the quality of food, especially the color and taste. In accordance with the law on food safety, the interests of consumers must be ensured the highest level of protection. Phenolic antioxidants from honey are bioavailable and increase the antioxidant activity of plasma. Buckwheat honey has a beneficial effect on bronchitis and cough, hypertension, arteriosclerosis, of heart disease, liver and intestinal diseases and has antibacterial effects

Terpene relationships among some soft and hard pine species

In this study we have reported the chemical composition of the essential oils obtained from the needles of twelve Pinus taxa, belonging to the subgenera Pinus (sections Pinus and Trifoliae) and Strobus (sect. Quinquefoliae). Monoterpenes dominated over sesquiterpenes in most of the investigated taxa of both subgenera, except in representatives of the subsection Pinaster, subgenus Pinus. α-Pinene was the most abundant terpene in eight pines, but other dominant terpenes were found in some taxa - trans-caryophyllene, germacrene D, abietadiene and β-pinene. In the subsect. Pinaster, the most dominant compounds varied from species to species. In addition, P. halepensis and P. pinaster had the highest percentage of diterpenes, while P. heldreichii was the richest in germacrene D. In the PCA and cluster analyses, three species from the subsect. Pinaster emerged as the most distant: P. halepensis, P. pinaster, and P. heldreichii. In addition, the possible taxonomic implications of the terpene profile in the analysed Pinus taxa were also discussed

The pygidial gland secretion of Laemostenus punctatus (Coleoptera, Carabidae): a source of natural agents with antimicrobial, anti-adhesive, and anti-invasive activities

In the present study, we investigated in vitro the antimicrobial activity of the pygidial gland secretion of the guanophilic ground beetle Laemostenus (Pristonychus) punctatus (Dejean, 1828) and some of its chemicals against resistant and non-resistant bacteria and Candida species, the synergistic and additive potential of combinations of selected chemicals and antimicrobial drugs against resistant bacterial and fungal strains, anti-adhesive and anti-invasive potential of the secretion and formic acid alone and in selected combinations with antimicrobial drugs against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) toward spontaneously immortalized human keratinocyte cell line (HaCaT cells). In addition, we examined the antiproliferative activity of the secretion and formic acid in vitro. The tested secretion and the standards of formic and oleic acids possessed a significant level of antimicrobial potential against all tested strains (P < 0.05). The isolate from guano Pseudomonas monteilii showed the highest resistance to the secretion and formic acid, while MRSA achieved a significantly high level of susceptibility to all agents tested, particularly to the combinations of formic acid and antibiotics, but at the same time showed a certain level of resistance to the antibiotics tested individually. Candida albicans and C. tropicalis were found to be the most sensitive fungal strains to the secretion. Formic acid (MIC 0.0005 mg/mL) and gentamicin (MIC 0.0010 mg/mL) in the mixture achieved synergistic antibacterial activity against MRSA (FICI = 0.5, P < 0.05). The combination of formic acid, gentamicin and ampicillin accomplished an additive effect against this resistant bacterial strain (FICI = 1.5, P < 0.05). The secretion achieved a better inhibitory effect on the adhesion ability of MRSA toward HaCaT cells compared to formic acid alone, while formic acid showed better results regarding the invasion (P < 0.001). The combinations of gentamicin and ampicillin, as well as of formic acid and gentamicin and ampicillin achieved similar anti-adhesive and anti-invasive effects, with a slight advantage of formic acid and antibiotics in combination (P < 0.001). The secretion and formic acid were found to be non-toxic to HaCaT cells in vitro (IC50 ≥ 401 μg/mL)

Predicting attitudinal and behavioral responses to COVID-19 pandemic using machine learning

At the beginning of 2020, COVID-19 became a global problem. Despite all the efforts to emphasize the relevance of preventive measures, not everyone adhered to them. Thus, learning more about the characteristics determining attitudinal and behavioral responses to the pandemic is crucial to improving future interventions. In this study, we applied machine learning on the multi-national data collected by the International Collaboration on the Social and Moral Psychology of COVID-19 (N = 51,404) to test the predictive efficacy of constructs from social, moral, cognitive, and personality psychology, as well as socio-demographic factors, in the attitudinal and behavioral responses to the pandemic. The results point to several valuable insights. Internalized moral identity provided the most consistent predictive contribution—individuals perceiving moral traits as central to their self-concept reported higher adherence to preventive measures. Similar was found for morality as cooperation, symbolized moral identity, self-control, open-mindedness, collective narcissism, while the inverse relationship was evident for the endorsement of conspiracy theories. However, we also found a non-negligible variability in the explained variance and predictive contributions with respect to macro-level factors such as the pandemic stage or cultural region. Overall, the results underscore the importance of morality-related and contextual factors in understanding adherence to public health recommendations during the pandemic

National identity predicts public health support during a global pandemic

Changing collective behaviour and supporting non-pharmaceutical interventions is an important component in mitigating virus transmission during a pandemic. In a large international collaboration (Study 1, N = 49,968 across 67 countries), we investigated self-reported factors associated with public health behaviours (e.g., spatial distancing and stricter hygiene) and endorsed public policy interventions (e.g., closing bars and restaurants) during the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic (April-May 2020). Respondents who reported identifying more strongly with their nation consistently reported greater engagement in public health behaviours and support for public health policies. Results were similar for representative and non-representative national samples. Study 2 (N = 42 countries) conceptually replicated the central finding using aggregate indices of national identity (obtained using the World Values Survey) and a measure of actual behaviour change during the pandemic (obtained from Google mobility reports). Higher levels of national identification prior to the pandemic predicted lower mobility during the early stage of the pandemic (r = −0.40). We discuss the potential implications of links between national identity, leadership, and public health for managing COVID-19 and future pandemics

Social and moral psychology of COVID-19 across 69 countries

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all domains of human life, including the economic and social fabric of societies. One of the central strategies for managing public health throughout the pandemic has been through persuasive messaging and collective behaviour change. To help scholars better understand the social and moral psychology behind public health behaviour, we present a dataset comprising of 51,404 individuals from 69 countries. This dataset was collected for the International Collaboration on Social & Moral Psychology of COVID-19 project (ICSMP COVID-19). This social science survey invited participants around the world to complete a series of moral and psychological measures and public health attitudes about COVID-19 during an early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic (between April and June 2020). The survey included seven broad categories of questions: COVID-19 beliefs and compliance behaviours; identity and social attitudes; ideology; health and well-being; moral beliefs and motivation; personality traits; and demographic variables. We report both raw and cleaned data, along with all survey materials, data visualisations, and psychometric evaluations of key variables

Author Correction: National identity predicts public health support during a global pandemic

Correction to: Nature Communications https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-27668-9, published online 26 January 2022

Psicología social y moral de COVID-19 en 69 países

La pandemia de COVID-19 ha afectado a todos los ámbitos de la vida humana, incluido el tejido económico y social de las sociedades. Una de las estrategias centrales para gestionar la salud pública a lo largo de la pandemia ha sido el envío de mensajes persuasivos y el cambio de comportamiento colectivo. Para ayudar a los estudiosos a comprender mejor la psicología social y moral que subyace al comportamiento en materia de salud pública, presentamos un conjunto de datos compuesto por 51.404 individuos de 69 países. Este conjunto de datos se recopiló para el proyecto de la Colaboración Internacional en Psicología Social y Moral de COVID-19 (ICSMP COVID-19). Esta encuesta de ciencias sociales invitó a participantes de todo el mundo a completar una serie de medidas morales y psicológicas y actitudes de salud pública sobre COVID-19 durante una fase temprana de la pandemia de COVID-19 (entre abril y junio de 2020). La encuesta incluía siete grandes categorías de preguntas: Creencias sobre COVID-19 y conductas de cumplimiento; identidad y actitudes sociales; ideología; salud y bienestar; creencias morales y motivación; rasgos de personalidad; y variables demográficas. Presentamos los datos brutos y depurados, junto con todos los materiales de la encuesta, las visualizaciones de los datos y las evaluaciones psicométricas de las variables clave.The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all domains of human life, including the economic and social fabric of societies. One of the central strategies for managing public health throughout the pandemic has been through persuasive messaging and collective behaviour change. To help scholars better understand the social and moral psychology behind public health behaviour, we present a dataset comprising of 51,404 individuals from 69 countries. This dataset was collected for the International Collaboration on Social & Moral Psychology of COVID-19 project (ICSMP COVID-19). This social science survey invited participants around the world to complete a series of moral and psychological measures and public health attitudes about COVID-19 during an early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic (between April and June 2020). The survey included seven broad categories of questions: COVID-19 beliefs and compliance behaviours; identity and social attitudes; ideology; health and well-being; moral beliefs and motivation; personality traits; and demographic variables. We report both raw and cleaned data, along with all survey materials, data visualisations, and psychometric evaluations of key variables