Role of etology in detecting environmental pollutants that affect changes in animal behaviour

A large number of chemical pollutants originating from industrial agricultural and urban through the direct or indirect disruption of endocrine gland and hormone function. That is why these pollutants are known as endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDC). By disrupting endocrine function, the EDC change certain forms of animal behaviour. This is why a direct link can be established between etology, as a scientific discipline that studied the role, function, ontogenetic and evolutionary development of behaviour from the aspect of the animal's adaption to living conditions, and ecotoxicology. In this mutual connection, the role of etology is to identify changes in animal behaviour which will serve as the first bioindicator of the presence of EDC in a certain environment, and before the occurrence of organic changes that could have lethal consequences

An EPR spin-probe and spin-trap study of the free radicals produced by plant plasma membranes

Plant plasma membranes are known to produce superoxide radicals, while the production of hydroxyl radical is thought to occur only in the cell wall. In this work it was demonstrated using combined spin-trap and spin-probe EPR spectroscopic techniques, that plant plasma membranes do produce superoxide and hydroxyl radicals but by kinetically different mechanisms. The results show that superoxide and hydroxyl radicals can be detected by DMPO spin-trap and that the mechanisms and location of their production call be differentiated using the reduction of spin-probes Tempone and 7-DS. It was shown that the mechanism of production of oxygen reactive species is NADH dependent and diphenylene iodonium inhibited. The kinetics of the reduction of Temponc, combined with scavengers or the absence of NADH indicates that hydroxyl radicals are produced by a mechanism independent of that of superoxide production. It was shown that a combination of the spill-probe and spin-trap technique can be used in free radical studies of biological systems, with a number of advantages inherent to them

Principi procene dobrobiti riba u farmskim uslovima gajenja

For several decades fish welfare has been subject of many researches, and the interest for this subject is connected with the fact that fish can feel pain and suffering. In addition to this stressors' mechanisms of action and their consequences are similar in mammals and fish. Assessment of welfare for farmed fish is based on the same principles as for terrestrial farm animals. However, special methods of collecting data are needed due to morphological characteristics of fish and properties of their environment. In the world and in our country, researches of different ways of fish welfare assessment are being conducted, especially based on non-invasive techniques such as monitoring of behaviour. In this paper a review of basic principles and methods used in assessment of farmed fish welfare is given.Dobrobit riba je već nekoliko decenija predmet brojnih istraživanja, a zainteresovanost za ovu temu povezana je sa činjenicom da ribe mogu da osećaju bol i patnju. Osim toga, mehanizmi i posledice delovanja stresora kod riba vrlo su slični onima kod sisara. Procena nivoa dobrobiti kod farmski uzgajanih riba zasniva se na istim principima kao kod kopnenih farmskih životinja. Međutim, voda kao životna sredina riba i njihove morfološke specifičnosti zahtevaju posebne metode prikupljanja podataka. U svetu i kod nas se istražuju različiti načini procene dobrobiti riba, naročito oni koji se zasnivaju na neinvazivnim postupcima, kao što je praćenje ponašanja. U ovom radu dat je prikaz osnovnih principa i metoda koji se koriste u proceni dobrobiti farmski gajenih riba

Evaluacija kriterijuma za dijagnozu atopijskog dermatitisa i detekcija alergen specifičnih IgE antitela kod pasa alergičnih na polen biljke Ambrosia artemisiifolia

Common ragweed (Ambrosia atremisiifolia) is one of the most frequent causes of pollen-induced allergic reactions both in humans and dogs. It has not been defined yet, what is the major allergen(s) to which most dogs allergic to ragweed show a positive result on intradermal skin test (IDST). In the present study sensitization to Ambrosia artemisiifolia pollen allergens in dogs with atopic dermatitis was examined with both in vivo and in vitro tests, including IDST and serum allergen specific IgE test. Detection of specific-IgE antibodies against ragweed allergens by immunoblotting in the sera of allergic dogs was optimized, as well. Dogs that were positive, as judged by IDST reactions to ragweed pollen allergens, also had alergen specific IgE antibodies in their sera. Results indicate that major allergens of A. artemisifolia pollen in dogs are Amb a 1 and Amb a 2. Further characterization of ragweed allergens is needed before they could potentially be used in intradermal testing or allergen immunotherapy in affected dogs. Also, we evaluated new Favrots diagnostic criteria for canine atopic dermatitis in dogs allergic to Ambrosia atremisiifolia pollen. It might be concluded that proposed criteria are of great assistance for seting up suspected diagnosis of canine atopic dermatitis, after ruling out other pruritic dermatoses.Kratka ambrozija (Ambrosia artemisiifolia) je jedan od najčešćih uzročnika alergijskih reakcija izazvanih polenom kod ljudi i pasa. Još uvek nije definisano koji je glavni alergen (i), na koji, većina pasa alergičnih na polen ambrozije, ispoljava pozitivnu reakciju na intradermalnom testu. U ovoj studiji je ispitana senzibilizacija na polen ove biljke kod pasa sa simptomima atopijskog dermatitisa in vivo i in vitro testovima, uključujući intradermalni test i dokazivanje prisustva alergen specifičnih IgE antitela u serumu. Optimizovani su uslovi za detekciju IgE specifičnih antitela iz seruma pasa alergičnih na polen ambrozije imunoblot tehnikom. Psi koji su imali pozitivnu reakciju na polen ove biljke na intradermalnom testu, takođe su imali specifična IgE antitela u serumu. Dobijeni rezultati ukazuju da su glavni alergeni Ambrosia artemisiifolia kod pasa Amb a 1 i Amb a 2. Neophodna je dalja karakterizacija alergena ambrozije kako bi se oni mogli primeniti pri rutinskom intradermalnom testiranju ili u alergen specifičnoj imunoterapiji obolelih pasa. Takođe je razmatrana i validnost Favrotovih dijagnostičkih kriterijuma kod pasa alergičnih na polen ambrozije. Može se zaključiti da su predloženi kriterijumi od velike pomoći u postavljanju suspektne dijagnoze atopijskog dermatitisa pasa, nakon isključenja drugih pruritičnih dermatoza

Multivariate analysis of the contents of metals in urban snow near traffic lanes in Novi Sad, Serbia

During December 2009, snow was collected at twenty two locations across the urban area of Novi Sad, directly from roads and from traffic islands near crossroads. The total metal concentration was determined for each of ten metals (Al, Ca, Cu, Fe, K, Mn, Na, Ni, Pb and Zn) using the ICP-OES analytical technique. Ni was found to have the lowest concentration (0.0265 mg dm(-3)). Na was the metal with the highest concentration (10786 mg dm(-3)), which was the consequence of sodium chloride being used as a de-icing salt on the roads. The metal with the second highest concentration at all locations was Ca; this was most likely the result of soil dust. The Spearman rank correlation coefficients between analyzed metals were calculated to determine how the concentrations of the metals were related. Cluster analysis was performed on the obtained data sets, using both the hierarchical and partitioning methods in order to identify associations among metals and/or locations. It was shown that traffic density was not the most important factor that caused the differences between the concentrations of the metals in the samples

Digestibilnost β-laktoglobulina nakon njegovog unakrsnog povezivanja dejstvom lakaze iz Trametes versicolor i polifenola iz jabuke

beta-Lactoglobulin (BLG) is an important nutrient of dairy products and an important allergen in cow's milk allergy. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential of laccase to cross-link BLG in the presence of an apple phenolic extract (APE) and to characterize the obtained products for their digestibility by pepsin and pancreatin. The composition of the apple phenolics used for cross-linking was determined by liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS). The apple phenolic extract contained significant amounts of quercetin glycosides, catechins and chlorogenic acid. The laccase cross-linked BLG in the presence of apple phenolics. The polymerization rendered the protein insoluble in the reaction mixture. Sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) analysis of the cross-linking reaction mixture revealed a heterogeneous mixture of high molecular masses (cross-linked BLG), with a fraction of the BLG remaining monomeric. Enzymatic processing of BLG by laccase and apple polyphenols as mediators can decrease the biphasal pepsin pancreatin digestibility of the monomeric and cross-linked protein, thus decreasing its nutritional value. In addition, reduced BLG digestibility can decrease its allergenic potential. Apple polyphenols can find usage in the creation of new, more functional food products, designed to prevent obesity and hypersensitivity-related disorders.β-Laktoglobulin (BLG) je važan nutrijent mlečnih proizvoda i važan alergen kod alergija na kravlje mleko. Cilj ove studije je bilo ispitivanje potencijala lakaze da unakrsno poveže BLG u prisustvu fenolnog ekstrakta jabuke (APE), kao i karakterizacija dobijenih proizvoda sa aspekta njihove digestibilnosti pepsinom i pankreatinom. Kompozicija fenola jabuke korišćenih za unakrsno povezivanje određena je pomoću LC-ESI-MS. Fenolni ekstrakt jabuke sadrži znatne količine glikozida kvercetina, katehine i hlorogensku kiselinu. BLG je unakrsno povezan lakazom u prisustvu fenola jabuke, pri čemu je polimerizacija učinila BLG nerastvornim u reakcionoj smeši. SDS-PAGE analiza pokazala je da reakciona smeša sadrži heterogenu smešu velikih molekulskih masa (unakrsno povezan BLG), kao i deo zaostalog monomernog BLG. Enzimsko procesovanje BLG lakazom, u prisustvu polifenola jabuke kao medijatora, može smanjiti bifaznu pepsin-pankreatinsku digestibilnost kako monomernog, tako i unakrsno povezanog BLG, i na taj način smanjiti njegovu nutritivnu vrednost. Takođe, smanjena digestibilnost BLG može smanjiti njegov alergeni potencijal. Polifenoli jabuke mogu se koristiti za kreiranje novih, funkcionalnijih prehrambenih proizvoda, dizajniranih za prevenciju kako gojaznosti, tako i bolesti vezanih za preosetljivost

MAAT system design – weight model of very large lighter-than-air vehicle

Paper presented to the 10th International Conference on Heat Transfer, Fluid Mechanics and Thermodynamics, Florida, 14-16 July 2014.The main objective of this paper is to provide a realistic weight model, based on the physical-mathematical foundations, for the design of the new very large lighter-than-air vehicle, called Multibody Advanced Airship for Transport (MAAT), the ongoing European FP7 project, which is currently under intensive research and development activities. The Modeling and Simulation (M&S) principles, aided with simulations and visualization tools, have been extensively used, as the key enablers to combine, manage and structure such highly complex engineering process, which emerged as a natural integration mechanism and evidence provider of the encountered complexity, successfully encompassing the MAAT multidisciplinary design requirements. The authors experience, in solving the M&S problems, gained within the European R&D projects, was efficiently reused, where the use of such software technologies have been successfully demonstrated, and today, further applied for the new generation transportations solutions, as envisaged by MAAT, especially addressing the best practices in taking advantage of the variety of multi-physics software and their related analysis tools. The MAAT system is envisaged to be composed of two airships: the Cruiser, which stays at a constant altitude of 16 km, travelling horizontally; and the Feeder, which acts like an elevator system connecting the Cruiser to the ground. In this paper, the proposed weight model is similar to the typical one applied in the aircraft design process. The main difference is primarily the airship teardrop shape, which is commonly applied for the currently produced airships. The main challenge is that MAAT has a very large shape, which has required the introduction of new elements and references, as being presented in this work. The achieved results show that MAAT can be realized, by taking into account the significant weight estimated for such aircrafts, to be for the Cruiser about 533 tons, while the Feeder weight is about 12 tons. As highlighted before, the MAAT design is still under intensive developments, and thus, it is expected that in the coming years, by taking into account the new emerging technological solutions, the lightening of such aircrafts structure is inevitable. In addition, the authors plans are to further investigate new materials and their related applications, in order to improve the structural part of the MAAT system, as one of the essential parts in such new transportation system, expected to become the reality in the forthcoming future.cf201

Purification of Effluent from the Groundwood Production by Organo-zeolite

Efluenti proizvodnje drvenjače karakterizirani su povišenim koncentracijama organskih onečišćavača, koji generiraju složeni vodeni sustav suspendiranih, koloidno-disperznih i topljivih vrsta. Zbog toga je za obradu takvih efluenata često potrebno integrirati različite dostupne tehnološke procese i metode pročišćavanja. Jedna od alternativnih metoda je sorpcija onečišćavača na modificiranu hidrofilnu ili hidrofobnu vanjsku mineralnu površinu. Ovaj rad obuhvaća konvencionalni proces predobrade koagulacijom s aluminijevim kloridom heksahidratom, AlCl3·6H2O i primjenu HDTMA-Br [C16H33(CH3)3N+ Br-] modificiranog klinoptilolitnog tufa kao sorbensa za poboljšanje učinkovitosti pročišćavanja efluenta proizvodnje drvenjače. Otpadna voda tretirana je uzorcima klinoptilolitnog tufa opterećenih s L = 0,074 do 0,204 mmol g-1 HDTMA. Od ispitivanih modificiranih uzoraka u reakciji s otpadnom vodom, najdjelotvornijim se pokazao uzorak organo- zeolita koji je maksimalno opterećen heksadeciltrimetilamonijevim kationima u obliku dvosloja. Dodatak modificiranog uzorka klinoptilolitnog tufa s masenim udjelom od w = 1,0 % u filtrat dobiven nakon procesa koagulacije, poboljšao je učinkovitost smanjenja kemijske potrošnje kisika od 54,0 % na 65,0 %, ukupnog organskog ugljika od 23,0 % na 40,0 % te boje od 33,0 % na 77,0 %. HDTMA-modificirani klinoptilolitni tuf može se upotrijebiti za obezbojenje i pročišćavanje ispitivane otpadne vode u složenom tehnološkom postupku koji uključuje i neke druge fizikalno-kemijske i/ili biološke metode pročišćavanja.Wastewaters of the wood processing into groundwood are characterized by increased concentrations of organic contaminants (oils, resin acid, lignin (polymeric phenols), lignin salts (sulphonates, phenoxides), tannins, triglycerides, waxes, free long-chained fatty acids and other). Organic compounds which appear as colour come from extracted lignin, tannins and resin acids. Wood processing effluents are often resistant to degradation using biological methods, and are not removed effectively by conventional physicochemical treatment methods, such as coagulation/flocculation, sedimentation, filtration and ozonation. For processing of those effluents it is often necessary to link different methods of purification, and one of the alternative methods is sorption. In this work the removal of organic pollutants was tested from effluent of the production of mechanically milled groundwood by using sorption to clinoptilolite tuff and to samples of tuff which were modified using the solutions of cationic surfactant- hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (HDTMA-Br) of different concentrations. The sorption processes of hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide were researched on the clinoptilolite tuff from Turkey (Aegean Region Turkey, Bigadic), which contains more than 70 % of clinoptilolite, and in smaller mass fraction quartz and opal-CT are present. The tested effluent has the following characteristics: chemical oxygen demand (COD): 13200 mg dm-3, total organic carbon (TOC): 3010 mg dm-3, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5): 470 mg dm-3, colour: 681 Pt Co, turbidity: 799 NTU, pH 4.8. All testing was done without the adjustment of pH. The conventional process of pre-processing of effluent by coagulation with aluminum chloride hexahydrate (AlCl3·6H2O) was tested and the application of HDTMA-modified clinoptilolite tuff with the intention of further decrease in organic burden of wastewater. In the Fig. 1A the results of the HDTMA uptake onto clinoptilolite tuff are shown, and in Fig. 1B the pertaining zeta potentials of the samples are shown. HDTMA cations were essentially quantitatively taken up by the clinoptilolite tuff up to loading level of L = 0.204 mmol g-1(Fig. 1A). The results of the zeta potential measurements show that the negative surface charge changed to positive after modification with surfactant solutions (Fig. 1B). HDTMA cations form a stable organophilic coating on the clinoptilolite surface, and above surfactant loading level of 0.110 mmol g-1(isoelectric point), a second layer of HDTMA+ cations reverses the surface charge into positive. The optimal mass concentration of coagulant AlCl3·6H2O for the tested wastewater is γ = 0.8 g dm-1(Figs. 2A and 2B). Zeta potential of the solution above sediment received by coagulation with AlCl3·6H2O of mass concentration γ= 0.8 g dm-3 is ζ= -3.92 mV. The efficiency of removing the turbidity (Table 1) and COD is η = 67 % (from 799 to 263 NTU) and 54% (from 13 200 to 6 040 mg dm-3). The efficiency of removing solved organic carbon and colour is significantly lesser: 22.7% (from 3010 to 2322 mg dm-3) and η = 33.0 % (from 681 to 457 Pt Co). By processing the solutions received after coagulation with AlCl3·6H2O of mass concentration of 0.8 g dm--3, with natural tuff and organo-zeolites whose loading are: 0.074; 0.123; 0.164 and 0.204 mmol g-1 HDTMA, TOC was decreased from γ=2322 mg dm-3 to the following: γ=2042, 1976, 1945, 1907 and 1821 mg dm-3 and was sorbed: q = 28.0; 34.6; 37.7; 41.5; and 50.1 mg g-1 TOC (Fig. 3A). Using the sample of organo-zeolite with loading of 0.204 mmol g-1 HDTMA, the efficiency of removing the organic carbon was improved from η= 22.7 % to 40.0 %. The efficiency of discolouring the tested solutions also increases with the change of the surface charge of organo-zeolites from negative to positive (Fig. 3B). The efficiency of removing the colour by using the natural tuff was improved from η= 33.0 % to η = 40.0 %, and by using the organo-zeolite with loading of L = 0.204 mmol g-1 HDTMA to η= 76.3 %. In order for the biodegradation of the processes effluents to be tested, the rations of BOD5/COD are predetermined (Figs. 4A and 4B). According to literature data, the good value of biodegradation is the ratio of BOD5/COD higher than 0.5. The tested effluent was characterized as having particularly poor biodegradation. After processing the effluent with coagulation and organo-zeolite (0.204 mmol g-1 HDTMA), the biodegradation has not shown significant improvement. It could be concluded that HDTMA-modified clinoptilolite tuff can be used for discolouring and purification of the examined wastewater in one part of wastewater treatment which combines and some other physicochemical and/or biological purification methods

Carcass characteristics and meat quality of broilers fed on earthworm (Lumbricus rubellus) meal

ΔΕΝ ΔΙΑΤΙΘΕΤΑΙ ΠΕΡΙΛΗΨΗThe aim of the research was to evaluate the carcass characteristics and meat quality from chickens fed on diets in which fish meal was substituted with raw earthworms (Lumbricus rubellus) or earthworm meal. In the trial which lasted 42-days, 100 one-day-old Hybro broilers were divided into the control and three experimental groups. The control group was fed on standard broiler feed, the first (E-I) and the second experimental groups (E-II) were fed a diet in which 50% or 100% of fish meal was substituted with earthworm meal, respectively, whilst the third group (E-III) consumed feed without fish meal, but was given raw chopped earthworms ad libitum from day 1 to day 42. The replacement of fish meal with fresh earthworms resulted in significantly lower carcass weights in the E-III group in comparison with the control group (p<0.05). The differences in drumstick, thigh and breast meat share relative to the carcass mass were not significant (p>0.05). The lowest fat content in thigh and breast meat was in the group in which fish meal was replaced with earthworm meal. The lightness (L*) of thigh and breast meat was highest in the broilers fed fresh earthworms ad libitum. No significant differences in pH value were detected between the experimental groups (p>0.05). The most consumer acceptable were drumstick samples from E-II group and the least acceptable samples from the control group. Earthworm meal may be considered an adequate substitute for fish meal in broiler chickens’ diet since it does not impair the production performance, carcass yield and meat quality

Magnetic Properties of Cr(III) and Fe(III) Ions in Hexaaqua-Nitrate-Trihydrates

The manuscript contains new measurements and calculations of magnetic susceptibility of Cr(III) and Fe(III) ions in hexaaqua-nitrate-trihydrate. The magnetic properties of the ion M=Cr(III), Fe(III) in hexaaqua-nitrate-trihydrate M(H2O)6(NO3)3·3H2O were studied from the temperature dependence of magnetic susceptibility determined using the SQUID susceptometer, within the temperature range 4 K ≤ T ≤ 290 K. The detected deviation from the CurieWeiss law is explained by the splitting of the ground state energies of the magnetic ions under the influence of the crystalline field (splitting in the zero field) and the contribution of the temperature independent Van-Vleck paramagnetism