Effectiveness of mowing for the flora diversity preservation: a case study of steppe-like grassland in Croatia (NATURA 2000 site)

Intensive human activities have resulted in a critical reduction of grasslands in Croatia, one of the richest Europian countries in terms of biodiversity. Sub-Pannonic steppic grasslands are very rare, only few occur in the continental part of Croatia and most of them are protected as NATURA 2000 sites. We studied vascular flora of the Sub-Pannonic stepic grassland with the aim to examine the changes in plant communities 15 years from the mowing application. Results showed that hand mowing once per year at the end of vegetation season increased the species diversity as well as the number of medium and low growth taxa. The critically endangered, nearly threatened and vulnerable species remained preserved. The occurrence of trees, shrubs and invasive species as a consequence of succession and anthropogenic influences could be important threat for steppe-like grassland flora. From a conservation point of view infrequent mowing regime could be an effective management tool, although it needs to be adapted to regional and local circumstances for maintaining high biodiversity of steppe-like grasslands and valuable plant species.     

The influence of detergent, the active component of detergent and sodiumtripolyphosphate on the biochemical process of some fungi.

Detergent "Merix" (Merima-Krusevac) and its components, sodiumtripolyphosphate and ethoxyled oleyl-cetyl alcohol in defined concentrations have influence on the enzymatic activity, bioproduction of amino acids and proteins and total biomass of species Aspergillus niger (A. niger) and Fusarium oxysporum (F. oxysporum). Detergent in concentration of 1% vol., in some cases, significantly stimulated production of the majority of amino acids. Detergent and its components (ethoxyled oleyl-cetyl alcohol and sodiumtripolyphosphate) in concentration of 1% vol. showed different influences on the production of proteins by the species of fungi A. niger and F. oxysporum. The enzymatic activity of fungi A. niger and F. oxysporum changed from total inhibition up to partial or total stimulation under influence of investigated pollutants. Detergent, sodiumtripolyphosphate and ethoxyled oleyl-cetyl alcohol, all in concentration of 1% vol. have reduced the production of the biomass of fungi A. niger and F. oxysporum. Investigated fungi have shown different response to the used pollutants.     

Carbon Incorporation and Anion Dynamics as Synergistic Drivers for Ultrafast Diffusion in Superionic LiCB11H12 and NaCB11H12

The disordered phases of LiCB₁₁H₁₂ and NaCB₁₁H₁₂ possess superb superionic conductivities that make them suitable as solid electrolytes. In these materials, cation diffusion correlates with high orientational mobilities of the CB₁₁H₁₂^? anions; however, the precise relationship has yet to be demonstrated. In this work, ab initio molecular dynamics and quasielastic neutron scattering are combined to probe anion reorientations and their mechanistic connection to cation mobility over a range of timescales and temperatures. It is found that anions do not rotate freely, but rather transition rapidly between orientations defined by the cation sublattice symmetry. The symmetry‐breaking carbon atom in CB₁₁H₁₂^? also plays a critical role by perturbing the energy landscape along the instantaneous orientation of the anion dipole, which couples fluctuations in the cation probability density directly to the anion motion. Anion reorientation rates exceed 3 × 10¹⁰ s^?1, suggesting the underlying energy landscape fluctuates dynamically on diffusion‐relevant timescales. Furthermore, carbon is found to modify the orientational preferences of the anions and aid rotational mobility, creating additional symmetry incompatibilities that inhibit ordering. The results suggest that synergy between the anion reorientational dynamics and the carbon‐modified cation–anion interaction accounts for the higher ionic conductivity in CB₁₁H₁₂^? salts compared with B₁₂H₁₂^2?.     

Linking Above- and Belowground Responses to 16 Years of Fertilization,Mowing, and Removal of the Dominant Species in a Temperate Grassland

Species-rich oligotrophic meadows are affected by a wide range of management interventions that influence their functioning and capacity to deliver ecosystem services, but long-term studies on the above- and belowground adaptations to different management tools are still scarce. We focused on the interactive effects of NPK fertilization, mowing, and removal of the initially dominant species (Molinia caerulea) on plant, soil, and microbial responses in wet oligotrophic grassland in a 16-year full-factorial manipulative experiment. Changes in vegetation composition, soil pH, and nutrient availability were accompanied by altered microbial phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) composition, whereas treatment effects on soil microbial biomass and carbon (C) mineralization were mainly related to changes in soil organic matter (SOM) content and nutrient availability. Fertilization decreased plant species richness aboveground and lowered SOM storage and microbial activity belowground. Mowing preserved high plant diversity and led to more efficient recycling of N within the grassland, whereas Molinia removal significantly affected only plant community composition. Mowing combined with fertilization maintained high species richness only in the short term. Belowground, mowing reduced N leaching from the fertilized system but did not prevent SOM depletion, soil acidification, and concomitant adverse effects on soil microbes. We conclude that annual mowing is the appropriate type of extensive management for oligotrophic species-rich meadows, but the concomitant nutrient depletion should not be compensated for by regular NPK fertilization due to its adverse effects on soil quality.     

Synthetic esters recognized by glucuronoyl esterase from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Schizophyllum commune</Emphasis>

Glucuronoyl esterase is a novel carbohydrate esterase recently discovered in the cellulolytic system of the wood-rotting fungus Schizophyllum commune on the basis of its ability to hydrolyze methyl ester of 4-O-methyl-d-glucuronic acid. This substrate was not fully corresponding to the anticipated function of the enzyme to hydrolyze esters between xylan-bound 4-O-methyl-d-glucuronic acid and lignin alcohols occurring in plant cell walls. In this work we showed that the enzyme was capable of hydrolyzing two synthetic compounds that mimic the ester linkages described in lignin-carbohydrate complexes, esters of 4-O-methyl-d-glucuronic and d-glucuronic acid with 3-(4-methoxyphenyl)propyl alcohol. A comparison of kinetics of hydrolysis of methyl and 3-(4-methoxyphenyl)propyl esters indicated that the glucuronoyl esterase recognizes the uronic acid part of the substrates better than the alcohol type. The catalytic efficiency of the enzyme was much higher with the ester of 4-O-methyl-d-glucuronic acid than with that of d-glucuronic acid. Examination of the action of glucuronoyl esterase on a series of methyl esters of 4-O-methyl-d-glucopyranuronosyl residues α-1,2-linked to xylose and several xylooligosaccharides suggested that the rate of deesterification is independent of the character of the carbohydrate part glycosylated by the 4-O-methyl-d-glucuronic acid.     

Association of β<Subscript>2</Subscript>-microglobulin with the α<Subscript>3</Subscript> domain of H-2D<Superscript>b</Superscript> heavy chain

MHC class I molecules are heterotrimeric complexes composed of heavy chain, ₂-microglobulin (₂m) and short peptide. This trimeric complex is generated in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), where a peptide loading complex (PLC) facilitates transport from the cytosol and binding of the peptide to the preassembled ER resident heavy chain/₂m dimers. Association of mouse MHC class I heavy chain with ₂m is characterized by allelic differences in the number and/or positions of amino acid interactions. It is unclear, however, whether all alleles follow common binding patterns with minimal contributions by allele-specific contacts, or whether essential contacts with ₂m are different for each allele. While searching for the PLC binding site in the ₃ domain of the mouse MHC class I molecule H-2D^b, we unexpectedly discovered a site critical for binding mouse, but not human, ₂m. Interestingly, amino acids in the corresponding region of another MHC class I heavy chain allele do not make contacts with the mouse ₂m. Thus, there are allelic differences in the modes of binding of ₂m to the heavy chain of MHC class I.     

Internal quality audit and quality standards as a method of quality improvement at the Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital

Quality assessment of clinical health care with the programme of quality standard is a method of health management, through which better efficiency and safety of health outcomes can be achieved. In the period from 2002 to 2004, a pilot program of quality has been carried out on the Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Center in Zagreb. Seven internal audit teams of hospital commission and teams of hospital departments were evaluating introducing practice for quality standards every three months. In the period of two years improvement in all standards of quality has been noticed (expressed in percent of progress towards the ideal result of 100%): personnel 20%, patient rights 15%, medical equipment 40%, quality of emergency service 60%, implementation of clinical guidelines and criteria for elective admission 55%, quality of risk prevention 70%, quality of medical records 60%. The two-years-improvement dynamics of about 46%, first year 24%.     

Signaling of Ankle Joint Position by Receptors in Different Muscles

Plots were made of multiunit activity versus ankle joint position for receptors in each of the 12 muscles crossing the cat ankle joint, except peroneus tertius, by recording from populations of afferent fibers in muscle nerves. The discharge was measured 15 or 30 sec after terminating the movements that altered the position of the joint. These recordings were dominated by large-spike activity that would be expected to originate mainly from primary spindle endings. Seven of the 12 muscles also cross other joints. Their responses at a given ankle joint position were so altered by changes in the position of the knee or toe joints that they could not reliably signal the position of the ankle joint. As judged from multiunit recording, receptors in each of the five muscles specific to the ankle joint were influenced by more than one axis of ankle joint displacement.

Single-unit recording from dorsal root filaments was used to determine whether primary or secondary spindle receptors in soleus and tibialis anterior could selectively signal one axis of ankle joint rotation. Individual soleus receptors were tested both on the flexion extension axis and with a combined adduction–eversion movement.

For 38 of the 70 soleus receptors examined (54%), firm adduction–eversion produced a level of activity greater than that caused by 10° of flexion, and for 77% the level of activity was greater than that caused by 5° of flexion. For 168 of the 184 tibialis anterior receptors studied (91%), firm abduction inversion produced a level of activity greater than that caused by 10° of extension. Thus few receptors were found that responded exclusively to one axis of rotation.

One way in which the position of the ankle joint could be specified in the face of multiaxial receptor activity is by examining the receptor discharge from more than one muscle. A suggestion for how the nervous system might do this is given in the discussion.     

The CFTR M470V gene variant as a potential modifier of COPD severity: study of Serbian population

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a complex disease influenced by genetic and environmental factors. Cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) protein is an important component of the lung tissue homeostasis, involved in the regulation of the rate of mucociliary clearance. As it is known that certain CFTR variants have consequences on the function of CFTR protein, the aim of this study was to examine the possible role of F508del, M470V, Tn locus, and R75Q variants in COPD development and modulation. Total number of 86 COPD patients and 102 control subjects were included in the study. Possible association between COPD susceptibility, severity, and onset of the disease and allele or genotype of four analyzed CFTR variants was examined. No associations were detected between COPD development, onset of the disease and tested CFTR alleles and genotypes. However, VV470 genotype was associated with mild/moderate COPD stages in comparison to severe/very severe ones (OR = 0.29, 95%CI = 0.11-0.80, p = 0.016). Our study showed that patients with VV470 genotype had a 3.4-fold decreased risk for the appearance of severe/very severe COPD symptoms, and the obtained results indicate that this genotype may have a protective role. These results also suggest the importance of studying CFTR gene as a modifier of this disease.     

Delayed contraction of the CD8+ T cell response toward lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus infection in mice lacking serglycin

We previously reported that the lack of serglycin proteoglycan affects secretory granule morphology and granzyme B (GrB) storage in in vitro generated CTLs. In this study, the role of serglycin during viral infection was studied by infecting wild-type (wt) mice and serglycin-deficient (SG(-/-)) mice with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV). Wt and SG(-/-) mice cleared 10(3) PFU of highly invasive LCMV with the same kinetics, and the CD8(+) T lymphocytes from wt and SG(-/-) animals did not differ in GrB, perforin, IFN-gamma, or TNF-alpha content. However, when a less invasive LCMV strain was used, SG(-/-) GrB(+) CD8(+) T cells contained approximately 30% less GrB than wt GrB(+) CD8(+) T cells. Interestingly, the contraction of the antiviral CD8(+) T cell response to highly invasive LCMV was markedly delayed in SG(-/-) mice, and a delayed contraction of the virus-specific CD8(+) T cell response was also seen after infection with vesicular stomatitis virus. BrdU labeling of cells in vivo revealed that the delayed contraction was associated with sustained proliferation of Ag-specific CD8(+) T cells in SG(-/-) mice. Moreover, wt LCMV-specific CD8(+) T cells from TCR318 transgenic mice expanded much more extensively in virus-infected SG(-/-) mice than in matched wt mice, indicating that the delayed contraction represents a T cell extrinsic phenomenon. In summary, the present report points to a novel, previously unrecognized role for serglycin proteoglycan in regulating the kinetics of antiviral CD8(+) T cell responses.