Effects of cage fish farming on phytoplankton community structure,biomass and primary production in an aquaculture area in the middle Adriatic Sea

In this study, we investigated the physical, chemical and biological parameters of the water column at two stations under different trophic conditions during a 1‐year period (from September 2005 to September 2006) in an aquaculture area. The investigation was performed monthly at a station inside the fish farm in Maslinova Bay (middle Adriatic Sea, Croatia) and at a control station located in the Hvar Channel in the vicinity of the farm. The results showed that the concentrations of dissolved nutrients were slightly enhanced at the farm station in comparison with the control station, although those differences were not statistically significant, nor were the differences in oxygen saturation recorded during the investigation period. As opposed to the chemical parameters, considerably higher deviations were recorded for biological parameters as demonstrated by a significant increase in phytoplankton biomass and primary production (measured in situ) at the farm station, particularly during the summer season. Phytoplankton community structure analysis showed that the phytoplankton composition at the farm was mostly determined by seasonal changes rather than by the influence of fish farming. In Maslinova Bay, no causal links were identified between increased biomass and the appearance of toxic species.     

Effects of fish farming on microbial planktonic communities in the middle Adriatic sea

The effects of farming on planktonic microbial communities were investigated at the coastal sea bass/sea bream farm in the oligotrophic middle Adriatic Sea. Analyses of nutrients, chlorophyll a, cyanobacteria (Prochlorococcus), heterotrophic bacteria and nanoflagellates (both pigmented and heterotrophic) were carried out on samples taken during six seasonal cruises at different water depths. Farming activity increased the natural concentrations of some nutrients (ammonium, nitrite, phosphate, dissolved inorganic nitrogen) and changed their seasonal pattern. The values still remained typical for oligotrophic environ‐ments demonstrating no risk for eutrophication. Enhanced nutrient supply provoked an immediate increase in abundances of both autotrophic and heterotrophic microbial groups (except pigmented nanoflagellates) and chlorophyll a. The effect of farming was more visible for the heterotrophic microbial component. Results from this study reveal a potential common pattern of microbial response to farming in the oligotrophic environments. It also suggests the importance of heterotrophic microbial web in transferring the matter and energy released from the fish farms in nutrient poor environments.     

Antioxidant and Antihypertensive Activity of Extract from Thymus serpyllum L. in Experimental Hypertension

The low incidence of cardiovascular disease in Mediterranean countries leads to an increased interest of the scientific community for the Mediterranean diet. Our aim was to evaluate total phenol and flavonoid contents, antioxidant capacity, free radical scavenging activity and potential antihypertensive effect of aqueous extract obtained from Thymus serpyllum L. (wild thyme, TE), an aromatic herb from the Lamiaceae family (highly present in Mediterranean diet), in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and in normotensive Wistar rats. Total phenol content of TE was 2008.33?±?10.6 mg/L GAE, and rosmarinic and caffeic acids were predominant phenolic compounds. The ferric reducing/antioxidant power and antioxidant capacity analysis revealed strong antioxidative properties of TE. In vitro nitric oxide-scavenging activity of 1 mg/l TE was 63.43 % with the IC₅₀ value of 122.36 μg/ml. Bolus injection of TE (100 mg/kg body weight i.v.) induced significant decrease of systolic and diastolic blood pressure and total peripheral resistance in SHR, without effects on these parameters in normotensive Wistar rats. Cardiac index remained unchanged after TE treatment in all experimental rats. Given dose of TE did not show significant nitric oxide-scavenging activity in vivo. Our results indicate that TE may protect against hypertension in experimental model of essential hypertension.     

Nutritive quality and energy yield of high oil,opaque-2 and waxy maize hybrids compared to normal maize hybrids

Grain yield, chemical composition, protein quality and digestible energy were measured for 18 maize varieties (opaque-2, high oil, waxy hybrids, normal hybrids) cultivated in Yugoslavia. Protein quality assessment was based on amino acid composition, and true protein digestibility, biological value, net protein utilization and utilizable protein as determined in nitrogen balance experiments with rats. The protein concentration in dry matter varied from 8.63–18.81% while the fat concentration varied from 4.45–16.13%. There were only minor differences in ash and crude fibre, while starch and sugar varied inversely to fat and protein concentration. Lysine levels were approximately 30% higher for the opaque-2 varieties compared with normal maize, while leucine levels were about 30% lower. Yields were extremely high for all varieties with the highest value being 10.3 tonnes/ha. Due to the high yields, protein production/ha was high in range of 822–977 kg. This resulted in high yields of amino acids/ha. Protein utilization was very high in the opaque-2 varieties, which had the highest lysine contents. The biological values were close to 80 in these varieties, whereas they were only 60–65 in the normal maize varieties.     

Application of artificial neural network (ANN) for prediction of fabrics’ extensibility

In the field of clothing technology, prediction of the fabric properties is very important because the fabric is the basic element of every clothing item. Knowing the fabric properties it is possible to predict fabrics’ behaviour during process of clothing manufacturing (in phase of cutting, sewing and ironing) as well as clothing items’ behaviour during usage. According to the fabrics’ characteristics and model design it is possible to predict appearances of the clothing items and their draping which can be presented with many computer simulations. In this paper extensibility of the fabric which appears during a small forces loading on the fabrics are investigated. Loading of small forces on the fabric appears in each phases of clothing manufacturing processes and during usage of clothing items. Investigations are managed on 50 fabrics which are weaving in twill weave and 100 % wool. The basic characteristics of fabric (density of warp and weft, mass per unit area, thickness) are defined according appropriate standard methods and tensile properties in the warp and weft directions are measured using KES-FB1 measuring system. Using an artificial neural network (ANN) prediction of extensibility properties of the fabrics are done, results are compared with experimental values and deviations are determined. ANN is an adaptive system that changes its structure based on external or internal information that flows through the network during the learning phase. They can be used to model complex relationships between inputs and outputs or to find patterns in data. Based on the implemented investigations, minimal deviations between experimental and predicted values are obtained and can be concluded that ANN can be used for prediction of the fabrics properties.     

Antioxidant,Antimicrobial and Genotoxicity Screening of Hydro-alcoholic Extracts of Five Serbian <Emphasis Type="Italic">Equisetum</Emphasis> Species

The hydro-alcoholic extracts of five Equisetum species, E. arvense L., E. sylvaticum L., E. fluviatile L., E. palustre L. and E. telmateia Ehrh., growing-wild in Serbia were evaluated for their genotoxicity, antimicrobial activity, antioxidant capacity and the results related to the total phenol content and HPLC flavonoid profiles. The total phenol content was 92–349 μmol expressed as equivalents of chlorogenic acid per g of dried plant material. Main identified compounds were kaempferol-, quercetin- glycosides and caffeic acid derivatives. E. telmateia extract showed the greatest antioxidant capacity. Almost all tested microorganisms demonstrated some degree of sensitivity to the examined extracts. All tested extracts at 62.5 μg/ml showed higher incidence of micronucleus formation than in the control sample. The obtained data allowed mutual comparison of examined species and their assessment as possible sources of antioxidants, antimicrobials and/or genotoxic substances.     

Species selection maintains self-incompatibility

Identifying traits that affect rates of speciation and extinction and, hence, explain differences in species diversity among clades is a major goal of evolutionary biology. Detecting such traits is especially difficult when they undergo frequent transitions between states. Self-incompatibility, the ability of hermaphrodites to enforce outcrossing, is frequently lost in flowering plants, enabling self-fertilization. We show, however, that in the nightshade plant family (Solanaceae), species with functional self-incompatibility diversify at a significantly higher rate than those without it. The apparent short-term advantages of potentially self-fertilizing individuals are therefore offset by strong species selection, which favors obligate outcrossing.     

Distribution of porcine circovirus 2 cap antigen in the lymphoid tissue of pigs affected by postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome

The lymphatic organs of 50 pigs from a total of eight farms located at different sites in the epizootiological region of North Ba?ka County were studied to obtain data on the prevalence of circoviral infections in Serbia. All of the pigs examined had clinical signs suggestive of postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS). All pigs underwent necropsy and tissue samples were taken for histopathological, immunohistochemical (IHC) and PCR analysis. The presence of porcine circovirus 2 (PCV2) was established by PCR analysis in the organs of the pigs tested. The most frequent histopathological lesions of lymphoid tissue linked with the presence of positive immunostaining for PCV2 Cap antigen confirmed the existence of PMWS in all farms tested in North Ba?ka County. Using PCR, histopathological and IHC techniques, the presence of PMWS was proved in the Republic of Serbia. During necropsy, generalised enlargement of the lymph nodes was evident. The most common histopathological finding was lymphocyte depletion in the follicular and perifollicular areas of lymph nodes. Infiltration by macrophages was also recorded. By IHC analysis, the cytoplasm of macrophages was shown to contain a large amount of the ORF2-coded Cap antigen of PCV2. Lymphocyte depletion and large numbers of macrophages were recorded in the tonsils, spleen, intestinal lymphatic tissue, Peyer's patches and ileocaecal valve. The presence of typical granulomatous lesions with multinuclear giant cells (MGCs) was also recorded in the lymphatic tissue. Cap antigen was shown to be present in macrophages and less often in lymphocytes.     

Biological properties of a naturally attenuated infectious bursal disease virus isolated from a backyard chicken flock

The biological properties of an infectious bursal disease (IBD) virus isolated from bursas collected during an outbreak in a village chicken flock in Macedonia are described. The mortality rate was 50%. Two viruses coexisted in the bursas of infected chickens (IBDVwt and IBDVtc). The virus termed IBDVtc grows on chicken embryo fibroblast (CEF) cells from the first passage. Specific pathogen free chickens inoculated with IBDVtc at passage level 4 did not develop any clinical signs of disease. Some discrete bleeding on the leg muscles was seen and the bursa of Fabricius revealed pathological lesions similar to those caused by classical strains. However, the bursa recovered quickly (bursa lesion score 2) by 14 days post infection (PI). We also found evidence of bursal repopulation by means of perinuclear antigen staining. Strong CD3 influx was evident at 4 days PI, and at 33 days PI the CD3+ cell finding was comparable to the control. The mean antibody titre was 9.2 log 2 at 14 days PI. The amino acid composition of VP2 in IBDVwt (222 Ala, 242 Ile, 253 Gln, 256 Ile, 279 Asp, 284 Ala, 294 Ile and 299 Ser) is described. The same sequence was found in IBDVtc, except for two point mutations, at Gln253→His and Ala284→Thr. Such amino acid substitution is responsible for partial attenuation and the ability of the strain to replicate in cell culture. None of the commercial vaccine viruses has a similar arrangement of amino acids in the variable domain of IBDV. This strongly suggests that IBDVtc originates from a very virulent strain. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a concomitant infection of chickens with highly pathogenic IBDV and its mutant counterpart.