Antifungal activity of the pygidial gland secretion of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Laemostenus punctatus</Emphasis> (Coleoptera: Carabidae) against cave-dwelling micromycetes

The antifungal potential of the pygidial gland secretion of the troglophilic ground beetle Laemostenus punctatus from a cave in Southeastern Serbia against cave-dwelling micromycetes, isolated from the same habitat, has been investigated. Eleven collected samples were analyzed and 32 isolates of cave-dwelling fungi were documented. A total of 14 fungal species were identified as members of the genera Aspergillus, Penicillium, Alternaria, Cladosporium, Rhizopus, Trichoderma, Arthrinium, Aureobasidium, Epicoccum, Talaromyces, and Fusarium. Five isolates were selected for testing the antifungal activity of the pygidial gland secretion: Talaromyces duclauxi, Aspergillus brunneouniseriatus, Penicillium sp., Rhizopus stolonifer, and Trichoderma viride. The microdilution method has been applied to detect minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and minimal fungicidal concentrations (MFCs). The most sensitive isolate was Penicillium sp., while the other isolates demonstrated a high level of resistance to the tested agent. L. punctatus has developed a special mechanism of producing specific compounds that act synergistically within the secretion mixture, which are responsible for the antifungal action against pathogens from the cave. The results open opportunities for further research in the field of ground beetle defense against pathogens, which could have an important application in human medicine, in addition to the environmental impact, primarily.     

The state of bird and nature protection in Croatia

Summary Croatia, as a Mediterranean country in the south-eastern part of Europe, is an area with a characteristic flora and fauna. The ornithofauna of Croatia reflects that it is a breeding area for some of the globally endangered bird species, as well as a site for the spring/autumn passage and the wintering of European migratory birds. Many ornithologically significant localities are designated and there are 20 ornithological reserves and four wetland sites that are on the list of the Ramsar Convention.In Croatia, there are four governmental organizations dealing with scientific research on birds of which the Institute for Ornithology of the Croatian Academy, of Sciences and Arts is that with the longest tradition. There are also many non-governmental organizations dedicated to the protection of environment, but only the Croatian Society for Bird and Nature Protection is dedicated mostly to bird protection. There are not many sources of funding for research and the protection of birds; the chief source being the Ministry of Sciences and Technology of the Republic of Croatia.Croatia has to establish new legislation according to European criteria and The Hunting Law, The Nature Protection Law and The Environment Protection Law have been recently accepted in Parliament. International Conventions, such as Bern, Bonn and Washington, have yet to be adopted. Foreign, hunting tourism, especially organized by fishpond authorities, is believed to be killing large numbers of protected water birds. A red data book exists only for plants and mammals and this makes biological assessments difficult.With the end of military operations and the reintegration of the occupied areas of Croatia, an assessment of the damage to the national parks and nature reserves, and to nature in general, will be necessary. Bird and nature conservation in Croatia remains promising, provided the legal control of the Croatian government over the occupied parts of the country is restored soon and international organizations give assistance.Dr Jasmina Muini is Croatian by birth and she has studied in Paris, Oslo, and Zagred where she gained her PhD. She is a President of the Croatian Society for Bird and Nature Protection, a member of the Croatian Parliament Board for Environmental Protection, vice-president of the Scientific Council of the Zoological Garden in Zagreb, and a member of other Croatian environmental bodies. She is a leading authority on the ornithofauna of the Croatian wetlands.     

Early prenatal diagnosis of genetic microcephaly

We report a new case of prenatal diagnosis of recessive microcephaly by ultrasound examination allowing termination of pregnancy at 25 weeks gestation.     

Emissions Scenarios Database and Review of Scenarios

This paper reviews and analyzes more than 400 scenarios of global and regional greenhouse gas emissions and their main driving forces - population, economy, energy intensity, and carbon intensity - drawn from an extensive literature survey and summarized in a database. This new and growing database is available online, which makes summary statistics on these scenarios widely available. The scenarios in the database were collected from almost 200 different literature sources and other scenario evaluation activities. The ultimate objective of the database is to include all relevant global and regional emissions scenarios. This paper shows how the database can be utilized for the analysis of greenhouse gas emissions ranges across the scenarios in the literature and for the analysis of their main driving forces. The scenarios in the database display a large range of future greenhouse gas emissions. Part of the range can be attributed to the different methods and models used to formulate the scenarios, which include simple spreadsheet models, macroeconomic models and systems-engineering models. However, most of the range is due to differences in the input assumptions for the scenarios, in particular of the main scenario driving forces. Special emphasis is given to an analysis of medians and ranges of scenario distributions and the distributions of the main scenario driving forces in the database. The analysis shows that the range for projected population increase in the world, across the scenarios in the database, is the smallest of all main driving forces (about a factor of 3 in 2100). The range of economic growth, measured by the gross world product, and the range of primary energy consumption vary by a factor of 10 in 2100. Carbon intensity of energy, an indicator of the degree of technological change, varies by nearly two orders of magnitude in the year 2100. In addition, this paper presents the first attempt to analyze the relationships among the main scenario driving forces. Subsequent papers in this special issue give further analyses of the relationships among the main scenario driving forces and their other relevant characteristics.     

Changing the Course of Biodiversity Conservation in the Caatinga of Northeastern Brazil

Abstract:  The 735,000-km² Caatinga is a mosaic of thorn scrub and seasonally dry forests, with more than 2000 species of vascular plants, fishes, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and mammals. Endemism in these groups varies from 7% to 57%. Inappropriate land use has already caused serious environmental damage and accelerating desertification, which is currently threatening about 15% of the region. Moreover, the rich and diversified biota of the Caatinga is poorly protected: only 11 reserves (<1% of the region) are strictly protected areas. A conservation strategy for the Caatinga biota should be designed to (1) avoid further habitat loss and desertification, (2) maintain key ecological services necessary for improving the living standards of the rural population, and (3) promote the sustainable use of the region's natural resources. Implementing an effective conservation agenda for the Caatinga is not an easy task but, with creativity and consistent financial support, it should be possible to nurture this unique biome and guarantee the preservation of its rich and diversified fauna and flora, and, with this, the well-being of its rural populations.     

Kinetics of heterogeneous ozone reactions

Earlier results on ozone destruction on solid surfaces gave apparent first order kinetics. Estimating the reaction kinetics from our data on ozone destruction on various powders (silica-gel, alumina, wood ash, coal ash, Saharan sand, calcite), we found that only calcite and wood ash exhibited such a behaviour. Removal of ozone by other powders used showed two straight lines in ln c-t plot with two different half-lives, t'(1/2) < t'(1/2). Comparing the kinetic constants for ozone removal on silica-gel and that of ozone reactions with polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) adsorbed in submonolayer coverage on the same powder, the first reaction seems to be more likely in the case of pyrene and particularly fluoranthene. Enhanced ozone destruction on airborne aerosols could be an additional reason for fluoranthene stability in the real atmosphere.     

Investigation of interactions between surface water and petroleum-type pollutants

Background, Aims and Scope In oil spill investigations, one of the most important steps is a proper choice of approaches that imply an investigation of samples taken from different sedimentary environments, samples of oil contaminants taken in different periods of time and samples taken at different distances from the oil spill. In all these cases, conclusion on the influence of the environment, microorganisms or migration on the oil contaminants' composition can be drawn from the comparison of chemical compositions of the investigated contaminants. However, in case of water contaminants, it is very important to define which part of organic matter has been analyzed. Namely, previous investigations showed that there were some differences in chemical composition of the same oil contaminant depending on the intensity of its contact with ground water. The aim of this work is to define more precisely the interactions between oil contaminant and water, i.e. the influence of the intensity of interaction between the oil contaminant and water on its chemical composition. The study was based on a comparison of four fractionated extracts of an oil pollutant, after they had been analyzed in details. Methods Oil polluted surface water (wastewater canal, Pančevo, Serbia) was investigated. The study was based on a comparison of four extracts of an oil contaminant: extract 1 (decanted part), and extracts 2, 3 and 4 (extracted by shaking for 1 minute, 5 minutes and 24 hours, respectively). The fractionated extracts were saponified with a solution of KOH in methanol, and neutralized with 10% hydrochloric acid. The products were dissolved in a mixture of dichloromethane and hexane, and individually fractionated by column chromatography on alumina and silica gel (saturated hydrocarbon, aromatic, alcohol and fatty acid fractions). n-Alkanes and isoprenoid aliphatic alkanes, polycyclic alkanes of sterane and triterpane types, alcohols and fatty acids were analyzed using gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). δ13CPDB values of individual n-alkanes in the aliphatic fractions were determined using gas chromatography-isotope ratio monitoring-mass spectrometry (GC-irmMS). Results and discussion. Extracts 1 and 2 are characterized by uniform distribution of n-alkanes, whereas extract 3 is characterized by an even-numbered members dominating the odd-ones, and extract 4 showed a bimodal distribution. Extract 1 is characterized by the least negative δ13CPDB values of C19-C26 n-alkanes. Sterane and triterpane analysis confirmed that all extracts originated from the same oil contaminant. n-Fatty acids, C19-C24, in all extracts are very low, being somewhat higher in extract 4. Even-numbered n-alcohols, C12–C16, were identified in the highest concentration in extract 3. It was assumed that algae were responsible for the composition of extract 3. Furthermore, a possible reason for higher concentrations of C19–C26 n-alkanes and C19–C24 fatty acids in extract 4 is the formation of inclusion compounds with colloidal micelles formed between the oil contaminant's NSO-compounds and water. Conclusion It was undoubtedly confirmed that there were specific differences in the compositions of the different extracts depending on the intensity of the interaction between the oil contaminant and the surface water. Recommendation and Outlook. When comparing the composition of oil contaminants from different water samples (regardless of the ultimate investigation goal) it is necessary to compare the extracts isolated under the same conditions, in other words, extracts that were in the same or very similar interaction with water.