bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Controlling toxic and harmful gas in blasting with an inhibitor
Authors: Yi Haibao , Zhang Xiliang , Yang Haitao , Li Longfu , Wang Yu , Zhan Sibo
Published: December 2023

In engineering blasting, while efficiently breaking rocks with explosives, a large amount of toxic and harmful gases are generated, which not only pollutes the production environment but also easily leads to explosion smoke poisoning accidents. It must be highly valued by engineering technicians and management personnel. To effectively control the production of harmful gases during explosive blasting, an environmentally friendly and efficient harmful gas inhibitor has been developed, and its mechanism of action has been analyzed and revealed. Through model and on-site experiments, the appropriate addition ratio and charging structure scheme were determined, and good control effects were achieved. The research results indicate that the environment in which explosives are used has a significant impact on the composition of harmful gases produced during blasting. CO, NO, and NO2 are mainly produced in natural air environments, while NH3, CO, and NO are mainly produced in underground blasting environments. As the proportion of inhibitors added increases (2%, 4%, 6%), the decrease in the concentration of harmful gases during blasting first increases and then decreases. Compared with the control experiment, the total reduction rate of harmful gas concentration is 39.23%, 68.20%, and 59.69%, respectively, and the best control effect is achieved when 4% is added. When using the developed inhibitor adding device for the full hole addition scheme, the control effect of harmful gas concentration in blasting is the best, and the decrease in harmful gas concentration reaches 62.79%~84.73% at a distance of 30m~120m. The use of harmful gas inhibitors for blasting combined with other control measures can significantly improve the blasting operation environment, enhance the safety level of production operations, and have good promotion and application value.
A scaling investigation of urban form features in Latin America cities
Authors: Paiva Aureliano S. S. , Santos Gervásio F. , Castro Caio P. , Rodriguez Daniel A. , Bilal Usama , Sousa Filho J. Firmino de , Freitas Anderson , Montes Felipe , Dronova Iryna , Barreto Maurício L. , Andrade Roberto F. S.
Published: December 2023

This paper examines scaling behaviors of urban landscape and street design metrics with respect to city population in Latin America. We used data from the SALURBAL project, which has compiled and harmonized data on health, social, and built environment for 371 Latin American cities above 100,000 inhabitants. These metrics included total urbanized area, effective mesh size, area in km2 and number of streets. We obtained scaling relations by regressing log(metric) on log (city population). The results show an overall sub-linear scaling behavior of most variables, indicating a relatively lower value of each variable in larger cities. We also explored the potential influence of colonization on the current built environment, by analyzing cities colonized by Portuguese (Brazilian cities) or Spaniards (Other cities in Latin America) separately. We found that the scaling behaviors are similar for both sets of cities.
Reliability and validity assessment of a survey: Measuring satisfaction with cochlear implant rehabilitation services for children in Jordan
Authors: Alkhamra Rana , Al-Omari Hala M. , Hani Hanady A. Bani
Published: December 2023

Background

Assessing parental satisfaction with healthcare services is crucial, particularly for parents and their children, who are the primary recipients of these services. In the context of Arabic-speaking parents, there is a notable absence of survey instruments tailored to measure their satisfaction. This study seeks to address this gap by validating a survey designed to evaluate parental satisfaction with rehabilitation services (RSs) provided to Jordanian children who have received cochlear implants (CIs).

Methods

The study included 92 participants and followed a four-step methodology: 1) a literature review and expert input; 2) cognitive interviews, pilot testing, and test-retest reliability testing; 3) data collection; 4) validity and reliability assessments.

Results

The survey’s validity was confirmed. Expert input and cognitive interviews improved content validity, and factor analysis established construct validity by revealing six factors explaining 82.33% of the variance in the survey scale. Convergent and discriminant validity were confirmed (composite reliability >0.7 and average variance extracted value >0.5). Cronbach’s α exceeded 0.8 for each factor and reached 0.855 for the total scale. Survey results showed reliance on speech therapy and audiology, varied rehabilitation durations, and progress. Parents expressed overall satisfaction, particularly influenced by technical quality and efficacy/outcome dimensions. Parents’ recommendations to enhance satisfaction with RSs included financial support, improved service accessibility, enhanced service delivery, specialized education, and increased public awareness.

Conclusion

This study validates an Arabic satisfaction survey, emphasizing the significance of multidisciplinary, extended rehabilitation programs, skilled professionals, and positive outcomes. It emphasizes the necessity for improved access to specialized care and collaboration among healthcare, government, and media to shape parental perceptions of RSs. While the findings indicate overall satisfaction, they also reveal challenges faced by parents, highlighting the need for comprehensive support systems. These insights assist healthcare providers and policymakers in enhancing care quality and meeting the needs of CI children’s families, thereby improving the RSs experience in Jordan.
The establishment and application of quality gain-loss function when the loss of primary and cubic term is not ignored and the compensation quantity is constant
Authors: Wang Bo , Li Xiaojuan , Shi Jianyou , Li Qikai , Nie Xiangtian
Published: December 2023

The traditional quality gain-loss function(QGLF) considers the case that the primary term loss cannot be ignored, does not consider the cubic term loss, but in practice the cubic term loss should not be ignored. In this paper, based on the existing QGLF model, the Taylor expansion is reserved to the third order, the determination of the quality loss coefficient is discussed and analyzed under the condition that the compensation quantity is constant, and the asymmetric cubic QGLF model is established, and uses an example of concrete mixture out of the machine slump during the dam concrete construction to analyze and discuss the relationship between the proposed model and the traditional quadratic QGLF, which verifies the rationality of the proposed model.
Do humour styles moderate the association between hopelessness and suicide ideation? A comparison of student and community samples
Authors: Drake Aaron C. , Sears Christopher R.
Published: December 2023

Research has found that humour styles can moderate the relationship between various facets of mental health and well-being. Most of these studies have used college student samples, however, and the generalizability of these findings has not been firmly established. This study examined how humour styles moderate the relationship between hopelessness and suicide ideation in both student and community samples. Community participants from the U.S. and Canada (n = 554) and student participants from a Canadian university (n = 208) completed several self-report measures including the Humor Styles Questionnaire. Analyses revealed differences in humour styles between the samples, as well as differences in humour styles between men and women. Regression analyses showed that self-defeating humour moderated the relationship between hopelessness and suicide ideation for student participants but not for community participants. Conversely, self-enhancing humour moderated the relationship between hopelessness and suicide ideation for community participants but not for student participants. These results suggest that high levels of self-defeating humour and self-enhancing humour may be uniquely maladaptive for these respective samples. These and other findings point to the necessity of recruiting diverse samples to better understand the beneficial and detrimental associations between humour styles and mental health. The potential to use measures of humour style as a tool to help identify at-risk individuals and to inform the development of intervention programs is discussed.
TRPV1 controls innate immunity during Citrobacter rodentium enteric infection
Authors: Cremin Michael , Tay Emmy Xue Yun , Ramirez Valerie T. , Murray Kaitlin , Nichols Rene K. , Brust-Mascher Ingrid , Reardon Colin
Published: December 2023

Mucosal immunity is critical to host protection from enteric pathogens and must be carefully controlled to prevent immunopathology. Regulation of immune responses can occur through a diverse range of mechanisms including bi-directional communication with neurons. Among which include specialized sensory neurons that detect noxious stimuli due to the expression of transient receptor potential vanilloid receptor 1 (TRPV1) ion channel and have a significant role in the coordination of host-protective responses to enteric bacterial pathogens. Here we have used the mouse-adapted attaching and effacing pathogen Citrobacter rodentium to assess the specific role of TRPV1 in coordinating the host response. TRPV1 knockout (TRPV1-/-) mice had a significantly higher C. rodentium burden in the distal colon and fecal pellets compared to wild-type (WT) mice. Increased bacterial burden was correlated with significantly increased colonic crypt hyperplasia and proliferating intestinal epithelial cells in TRPV1-/- mice compared to WT. Despite the increased C. rodentium burden and histopathology, the recruitment of colonic T cells producing IFNγ, IL-17, or IL-22 was similar between TRPV1-/- and WT mice. In evaluating the innate immune response, we identified that colonic neutrophil recruitment in C. rodentium infected TRPV1-/- mice was significantly reduced compared to WT mice; however, this was independent of neutrophil development and maturation within the bone marrow compartment. TRPV1-/- mice were found to have significantly decreased expression of the neutrophil-specific chemokine Cxcl6 and the adhesion molecules Icam1 in the distal colon compared to WT mice. Corroborating these findings, a significant reduction in ICAM-1 and VCAM-1, but not MAdCAM-1 protein on the surface of colonic blood endothelial cells from C. rodentium infected TRPV1-/- mice compared to WT was observed. These findings demonstrate the critical role of TRPV1 in regulating the host protective responses to enteric bacterial pathogens, and mucosal immune responses.
Embodying care: Trauma-informed practice in community dance
Authors: Pethybridge Ruth , Smith Lindsay
Published: December 2023

As part of the ATTUNE project, this article critically appraises the strengths of community dance as a trauma-informed practice and examines areas for development in relation to guidelines on trauma-informed care. In the context of exacerbated mental health problems amongst young people in the United Kingdom, meeting the diverse needs of people who attend community dance spaces requires robust and empathetic enquiry across sectors. This article presents a critique of regularly cited literature from the distinct disciplines of dance and psychology and focuses specifically on the merits of relational approaches within community dance.
Sequenciação de DNA – NGS: Manual de Boas Práticas
Authors: Regateiro Fernando , Marques Sofia L. , Neto Sonya , Pinheiro Miguel , Miranda João Manuel Santos de , Santos Manuel , Moura Gabriela
Published: December 2023

Este guião de boas práticas não pretende impor uma plataforma, kit ou protocolo de sequenciação em particular. O presente documento tem antes como objetivo final contribuir para a produção de dados genómicos e clínicos de qualidade, nos laboratórios da Região Centro. Foi realizado com um foco particular no processamento e análise de variantes germinativas. Todavia, outras omicas têm lugar no âmbito da medicina genómica que, apesar das diferentes finalidades e proveniências, são, de algum modo, também abrangidas pelas recomendações contidas neste documento. O mesmo se aplica às diferentes metodologias. Apesar de atualmente existirem no mercado várias plataformas de NGS, será evidenciada a tecnologia de sequenciação por síntese (SBS), utilizada pelas plataformas de sequenciação Illumina, que é também a mais difundida na Região Centro. Contudo, cabe a cada laboratório a escolha dos métodos mais ajustados à sua rotina laboratorial.
Admitting a patient with musculoskeletal pain following COVID-19 disease
Authors: Romanov I. D. , Shavlovskaya O. A. , Bokova I. A.
Published: December 2023

A significant proportion of patients who have had COVID-19 continue to suffer from persistent symptoms such as severe weakness, shortness of breath, joint pain, mood swings and memory impairment during the recovery phase. More than half of the patients experienced joint pain for the first time after recovery from COVID-19. Three months after COVID-19 episode, joint pain continued to occur in more than a third of patients. We observed a 47-year-old patient with moderate shoulder pain that occurred for the first time after COVID-19. The examination also revealed changes in the hip joint. The diagnosis was made: post-COVID syndrome with reactive arthritis of the left shoulder joint, deforming osteoarthritis of the left hip joint stage I, degenerative-dystrophic changes in the lumbosacral spine, lower back pain. The therapy was prescribed – Chondroguard® intramuscularly every other day according to the following scheme: the first three injections (day 1, 3, and 5) 1 ml (100 mg), then, from the fourth injection (day 7) – 2 ml (200 mg) every other day, a course of 30 injections. Positive dynamics were achieved. No adverse events were noted during the treatment. The patient continued taking the nutraceutical Chondroguard® TRIO orally for 2 months. During the observational period, no adverse events were noted. Thus, in cases where post COVID-19 musculoskeletal pain is caused by joint involvement, chondroprotective therapy is effective: stage 1 – injections, stage 2 – oral therapy.
Neurohumoral gate for the entry of coronavirus into the central nervous system through the cribriform plate of the skull
Authors: Nikolenko V. N. , Oganesyan M. V. , Rizaeva N. A. , Nikitina A. T. , Pavliv M. P. , Polyakova А. V. , Sozonova E. A. , Khabibov M. N.
Published: December 2023

Recent research has shown that there are different drainage systems in the brain. During the drainage of cerebrospinal and interstitial fluids, intracerebral (intracranial) lymph is formed, which becomes part of the glymphatic system. Later, the glymphatic system was subdivided into periand paravascular spaces, but their existence has not yet been proven. The article contains data on the anatomy of the lamina cribrosa, its age-related changes, the characteristics of the lymphatic system and the theory of the existence of glymphatic vessels in this area. We also hypothesize that in addition to the classical view, which assumes that viruses enter the central nervous system (CNS) through the blood-brain barrier or with the help of immune cells, there are other routes of pathogen entry, for example through the glymphatic system. Possible routes of movement of cerebrospinal and interstitial fluids through the structures of the nervous system and other systems are considered. The lamina cribrosa is considered a possible portal of entry for viruses into the CNS, in particular for the SARS-CoV-2 virus. In our review, we analyzed the likely mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 spread in the central nervous system and the possible consequences of previous viral disease.
«Gut-brain» axis and multiple sclerosis
Authors: Omarova M. A. , Boyko A. N.
Published: December 2023

An increase in the incidence of multiple sclerosis (MS) has been reported over the last decade, possibly due to environmental factors. The purpose of this review article is to summarize current advances in the understanding of the gut-brain axis, which mediates the link between the central nervous system and the gut microbiome. It also summarizes the clinical findings from numerous studies investigating the effects of diseasemodifying therapies on the gut microbiome in patients with MS.
Effect of dopaminergic therapy on lacrimation in Parkinson's disease
Authors: Pilipovich A. A. , Vorob'eva O. V. , Makarov S. A. , Kuchuk A. V.
Published: December 2023

The prevalence of dry eye syndrome (DES) in Parkinson's disease (PD) reaches 87% and leads to impaired quality of life in many patients.

Objective: to evaluate the lacrimal function and the effect of dopaminergic therapy in patients with PD.

Material and methods: 43 patients with stage II–III PD according to Hoehn and Yahr (H&Y) receiving therapy with levodopa (n=17), amantadines (n=13) and dopamine receptor agonists (ADR) (n=28) were assessed using Schirmer's test (to estimate tear flow), sialometry, Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRSI-IV), Schwab and England Activities of Daily Living scale (Sch&En), the Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire Summary Index (PDQ-39), the Mini Mental State Examination Scale (MMSE), the Non-Motor Symptom Questionnaire (NMSQ), the American Urological Association Symptom Scale (AUA), the Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS), the Bristol Stool Form Scale (BSFS).

Results. Lacrimal insufficiency was found in 49% of patients. It occurred more frequently (χ2=9.546; p=0.003) in patients taking amantadine and correlated with the daily dose of amantadine (r-S=-0.359). It did not depend on the intake of ADR and levodopa and their doses but correlated with the UPDRS-IV score (r-S= -0.463), namely with the presence and duration of OFF-periods. Lacrimal insufficiency correlated with the Sch&En score (r-S=0.321) and non-motor parameters: UPDRSI (r-S =-0.302), NMSQ (r-S=-0.435), constipation domain of the GSRS (r-S=-0.362), BSFS (r-S=0.363). It was not related to age, gender, stage and duration of PD, motor symptoms of parkinsonism (assessed during the ON-phase) and was not related to salivation (although it was reduced in 39.5% of patients).

Conclusion. Lacrimal insufficiency is observed in half of patients with stage II–III PD; it is related to the presence and duration of OFF-periods, the severity of other autonomic disorders and the use of amantadines, suggesting the role of dopamine dysregulation, neurodegeneration of autonomic centers and anticholinergic therapy in the development of DES in PD.
Amino acid composition of beans and lentil
Authors: PIRMAN Tatjana , STIBILJ Vekoslava , STEKAR Jasna M. A. , COMBE Etiennette
Published: December 2023

The amino acid composition of raw seeds, lyophilised cooked seeds and the water soluble matter from cooking of three varieties of Slovenian common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris), namely Češnjevec, Semenarna 22 and Cipro, and of the French green lentil (Lens esculenta) Anicia was determined. For the raw seeds, crude protein contents vary from 21.5, 23.5 and 26.2 g per 100 g of dry matter for the Češnjevec, Cipro and Semenarna 22, respectively, and 26.7 g in the lentil. However, non-protein N is higher in the lentil than in the beans. The contens of amino acids in beans are similar, whereas for the lentil concentrations of methionine and tyrosine are lower and the concentration of arginine much higher than for the beans. After cooking the amount of some amino acids (in 100 g of crude protein) increased, especially tyrosine, methionine and cystine, more in lentil and less in beans. The EAAI was higher in beans than in lentil and was increased after cooking the legumes. CS increased after cooking by more than 100 % for the lentil and 20 % for the beans. Analysis of the material obtained by drying the cooking water showed that predominantly non-essential amino acids were present in this fraction.
Endosperm protein polymorphism of common and tartary buckwheat
Authors: LIČEN Marija , DVOŘÁČEK Vaclav , ČEPKOVÁ Petra , MICHALOVÁ Anna
Published: December 2023

The endosperm protein polymorphism of seven accessions of common buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench) and two accessions of tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum Gaertn.) were studied by SDS-PAGE electrophoresis. The position and the intensity of the main four electrophoretic protein bands (marked as “a”, “b”, “c” and “d”) of cultivar Siva (common buckwheat) were estimated and the polymorphism was studied using seeds from open pollinated heterozygous plants. Two high significant correlations (correlation coefficient 0.559 for “a” and “c” bands, and 0.264 for “a” and “d” bands) were established among the intensities of electrophoretic protein bands of common buckwheat, while other four possible relations were not significant. The results indicate significantly higher protein polymorphism of endosperm within individual accessions than among accessions of common buckwheat. In contrary to common buckwheat, there was in material studied found no variability in endosperm protein bands between or within two accessions of tartary buckwheat.
Scientometric assessment of publishing patterns of agricultural researchers in the Slovenian national journals as indexed by the national online bibliographic database COBISS/COBIB
Authors: BARTOL Tomaž , STOPAR Karmen
Published: December 2023

The aim was to systematically analyze the patterns of scatter of both scientific and non-scientific articles by the scientists of the Agronomy, Biology, Food Science and Technology, Forestry, Wood Science and Technology, and the Zootechnical Departments of the Biotechnical Faculty of the University of Ljubljana in the Slovenian national journals in the period 1995-2002. The national online catalogue and bibliographic databases COBISS/ COBIB were employed to this end. Two experimental databases were set up to upload the data for further analysis. 240 different journals that published 4163 different articles were identified. 3141 Scientific and 1022 non-scientific articles were published in 82 and 203 journals respectively. 45 journals published both scientific and non-scientific articles. 12 journals published more than 100 articles each, and 78 different journals published a single article. The five core journals published 39% of all articles. This is an assessment of the national serial productivity and does not reflect the total scientific productivity as many authors may publish mainly in international periodicals which were not the object of this analysis. The main difficulties of this kind of study were presented in establishing a uniform group of authors. COBIB can be used to some extent but with limitations as a lot of manual editing is needed to extract the relevant data into a consistent group of articles for further analysis.
influence of grafting on yield of two tomato cultivars (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) grown in a plastic house
Authors: KACJAN-MARŠIĆ Nina , OSVALD Jože
Published: December 2023

The influence of different grafting methods on the success of grafting and fruit yield of two tomato cultivars (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) was studied in a greenhouse trial in Ljubljana. The cultivars used as scion were 'Monroe' and 'Belle', and as rootstock 'PG 3' and 'Beaufort'. Two grafting methods were applied: cleft grafting and tube  grafting. Grafted plants were then hand planted in a plastic house. The treatments applied in each cultivar were: cleft grafting onto 'PG 3' and 'Beaufort', and tube grafting onto 'PG3' and 'Beaufort', and ungrafted control. The following measurements were recorded: number of plants that survived until the transplanting date; fruit yield (g plant-1) and total number of fruits harvested per plant. The high percentage (79-100%) of succesful grafting observed for both tomato scions and rootstocks, using cleft and tube grafting methods, indicated that both grafting methods are suitable for tomato grafting. A positive effect of grafting was recorded when 'Monroe' was used as scion, and 'Beaufort' as rootstock. When  'Belle' was used as scion, a negative effect of grafting was observed, since the total fruit yield of non-grafted plants was significantly higher than that of plants grafted onto both rootstock cultivars. Grafting is thus considered an important technique for sustainable greenhouse production of fruit-bearing vegetables.
Traditional manufacturing of hard chese – kachkaval on Stara Planina mountain
Authors: MIJAČEVIĆ Zora , BULAJIĆ Snežana
Published: December 2023

Nomads from Greece implemented the tradition of kachkaval cheese making on Stara Planina, 100 years ago. At the beginning, the kachkaval was made exclusively from sheep’s milk, during the grazing period. In the past, kachkaval was made on «bačija« dairies, and besides the kachkaval the significant by-products were ghee and «urda«. The historical data showed that in the year 1903, 160 wagons of kachkaval were exported to Vienna and Budapest. The changes in animal breeding conditions and increasing number of cattle in this region lead to significant reduction in number of sheep, and consequently caused the discontinuance in production of kachkaval. Nowadays, there are few “bačija”-dairies on Stara Planina Mountain which are producing kachkaval in the traditional way. The characteristics of chemical content of traditionally produced kachkaval are: 60.79±3.37% dry matter, 29.50±2.25% milk fat, 55.57±3.55% moisture on a fat-free basis, 48.52±2.41% fat in dry matter, 24.99±1.60% proteins, 3.8±2.57% NaCl and pH value 5.62±0.09. The traditionally made kachaval has a shape of a flatten cylinder, with the weigh of 6–7 kg, bright-yellow crust and firm dough. The traditional cheese making of kachkaval comprises the hand made process of «pasta filatta« cheese and for the end product a spicy and salty taste are typical. Revitalizing the traditional kachkaval production also means the preservation of cultural identity of the region of Stara Planina.
Enumeration, isolation, and identification of bifidobacteria from dairy products
Authors: VLKOVÁ Eva , RADA Vojtěch , TROJANOVÁ Iva
Published: December 2023

Six dairy products were tested. Bifidobacteria were enumerated and isolated using TPY agar modified by the addition of mupirocin (100 mg l–1). Isolates were identified to the genus level by the detection of fructose-6-phosphate phosphoketolase (F6PPK) and by the FISH method. Bifidobacteria were characterised using API 50 CHL and API ID 32 A Rapid tests. In addition, grow at 46 °C was tested. Subsequently, all strains were identified to the species level using computer program Bacter. The identification was also carried out by PCR method using genus- and species-specific primers. The bifidobacterial counts in products tested varied from 2.37 to 7.17 log CFU/ml. High selectivity was seen for modified TPY agar from which all isolates were identified as bifidobacteria. While most strains were identified as B. animalis using Bacter program, the same isolates had positive reaction with B. lactis-specific primers. Strain isolated from Rajo yogurt was identified as B. longum by Bacter as well as using PCR, but its bacterial counts were too low. Our results showed, that most of the bifidobacterial strains currently used in food products could be of animal origin.
Polimorfizem genov za b-laktoglobulin in as1-kazein paške ovce
Authors: IVANKOVIĆ Ante , DOVČ Peter
Published: December 2023

Polimorfizmi genov, ki kodirajo proteine mleka imajo pogosto pomemben vpliv na tehnološke lastnosti mleka. Čeprav so podatki o vplivu alelnih variant laktoproteinskih genov na tehnološke lastnosti mleka pogosto kontradiktorni, v selekcijske programe vse pogosteje vključujejo tudi informacije o genotipu na laktoproteinskih lokusih, da bi v populacijah povečali frekvenco alel z ugodnim učinkom na tehnološke lastnosti mleka. Glavni proizvod paške ovce je mleko, ki ga večinoma predelajo v paški sir. Izboljšanje tehnoloških lastnosti mleka te pasme bi bistveno pripomoglo k večji ekonomičnosti reje te pasme. Z namenom, da bi ugotovili frekvenco alelov laktoproteinskih genov, ki pomembno vplivajo na predelovalne lastnosti ovčjega mleka, smo v tej raziskavi tipizirali gena za β-laktoglobulin in as1-kazein štiridesetih živali. Genotipizacijo smo izvedli s pomnoževanjem delov obeh genov z verižno reakcijo s polimerazo in estrikcijo amplifikatov z ustreznimi endonukleazami. Na lokusu za β-laktoglobulina smo našli alela A in B (0,5375; 0,4625), na lokusu za as1-kazein pa smo določali aleli A in D (0,0875; 0,1340). Glede na podatke v literaturi lahko rečemo, da frekvence alel za β-laktoglobulin in as1‑kazein v populaciji paške ovce niso najugodnejše in da bi z uporabo molekularnih metod frekvenco alel z ugodnimi tehnološkimi lastnostmi lahko sorazmerno hitro povečali. To bi vodilo k izboljšanju ekonomičnosti reje te pasme, katere edini tržno uveljavljeni produkt je paški sir.
Conservation of natural ecosystems by land consolidation in the rural landscape
Authors: LISEC Anka , PINTAR Marina
Published: December 2023

Protecting the environment better livelihoods in rural communities have become increasingly important elements in land consolidation. The main objective of land consolidation is to improve the land holdings of farmers by concentrating their farms in as few plots as possible, and to support the farms with roads and infrastructure when needed. Experiences from the Western European countries and also from Slovenia show that land consolidation, which solely focuses on increase in productivity without taking into consideration the ecological aspects easily lead to negative effects. The fragmentation of natural ecosystems resulting from inappropriate land consolidation has been recognised as one of the major causes of the decline of biodiversity, the others being erosion, and the lowering of water table. In the areas of intensive agricultural production ecological structures, such as hedges, small areas of bushes, trees and water holes should be preserved. Because the efficiency of land utilisation increases after the implementation of land consolidation, the small land areas could be justified to ecological land use.
Effects of rugose wood and GLRaV-1 on yield of cv. ‘Refošk’ grapevines
Authors: TOMAŽIČ Irma , PETROVIČ Nataša , KOROŠEC-KORUZA Zora
Published: December 2023

The influences of rugose wood (RW) disease and grapevine leafroll associated Closterovirus 1 (GLRaV-1) on yield in grapevine cv. Refošk were studied. Both diseases were shown to reduce the yield. The grape quality expressed as sugar degree (°Oe) was higher in GLRaV-1 infected vines probably due to lower yield and consequent early ripeness. 18 % of plants with RW symptoms on the rootstock part of the vine have died 10 years after planting.
The correlation of the pear (Pyrus communis L.) cv. 'Williams' yield quality to the foliar nutrition and water regime
Authors: HUDINA Metka , ŠTAMPAR Franci
Published: December 2023

The influence of the foliar nutrition and the water regime on the pear fruits quality (Pyrus communis L.) cv. ‘Williams’ was studied in 1998. We determined the contents of individual sugars (glucose, fructose, sucrose and sorbitol) and organic acids (malic, citric, fumaric and shikimic) by HPLC (High Performance Liquid Chromatography). The sizes of the fruits (diameter, length, weight) were measured as well as the amounts of soluble solids and titrable acids. The experiment comprised three treatments: the foliar nutrition, the irrigation and the control. In the treatment of the foliar nutrition the trees were sprayed for five times (from May 22 to July 7) with a foliar fertilizer, which contained 15% of P2O5, 20% of K2O, 0.1% of Mn, 0.1% of B and 0.1% of Mo. In the treatment of irrigation the trees were watered during the growth period with 4 l/tree/day. The foliar nutrition influenced bigger sizes of fruits, increased contents of glucose, sorbitol, soluble solids, malic, citric and fumaric acids, titrable acids and higher pH of juice. The irrigation had influence on the decrease in the contents of individual sugars (glucose, fructose, sucrose, sorbitol), soluble solids, organic acids (malic, citric, fumaric and shikimic) and pH of juice as well as on the bigger sizes of fruits (length, diameter, weight).
Poškodovanost kostanjevih listov zaradi kostanjevega listnega zavrtača (Cameraria ohridella Deschka&Dimić)
Authors: PIVK Alenka , MILEVOJ Lea
Published: December 2023

Za potrebe načrtovanja varstva kostanjevih dreves smo v letih 2003 in 2004 ocenjevali poškodbe, ki jih povzročajo gosenice kostanjevega listnega zavrtača (Cameraria ohridella Deschka&Dimić) na  listih divjega kostanja (Aesculus hippocastanum L.) v parku Tivoli v Ljubljani. V letu 2003 smo določili stopnjo  napadenosti dreves  s pomočjo računalniškega programa, v letu 2004 pa smo se odločili za vizualno ocenjevanje napadenosti listov. Liste smo glede na delež izvrtin uvrstili v osem razredov. Rezultati poskusa so pokazali, da so bila drevesa v letu 2003 bolj napadena s kostanjevim listnim zavrtačem kot v naslednjem letu. Površina izvrtin v avgustu 2003 je pri več kot 80% listov v povprečju zavzela od 10% do 50% njihove celotne površine, v septembru istega leta pa od 50% do 100%. V letu 2004 so bili listi napadeni s kostanjevim listnim zavrtačem v obeh mesecih pod 25%, vendar smo opazili, da so bili istočasno okuženi z listno sušico divjega kostanja (Guignardia aesculi Peck./Stev./) tudi do 50%. Pri spremljanju napadenosti listov glede na starost kostanjevih dreves v letu 2003 smo ugotovili, da obstajajo statistično značilne razlike med obravnavanji. Podatki kažejo, da so bila junija najmlajša drevesa manj napadena, v juliju pa bolj napadena od ostalih dveh obravnavanj. V avgustu in septembru so bila drevesa srednje starosti manj napadena od najmlajših in najstarejših dreves, a hkrati močno okužena z glivo Guignardia aesculi.
Pollinators of Helleborus niger in Slovenian naturally occurring populations
Authors: ŠUŠEK Andrej , IVANČIČ Anton
Published: December 2023

The study is based on documentation and analysis of the major visitors and pollinators of the Christmas rose (Helleborus niger L.) flowers in Slovenian naturally occurring populations. The emphasis was put on 5 groups of insects: bees, bumblebees, large flies, small dipterous flies and pollinators of minor importance. Systematic observations took place in March 2003, at two different locations: on the valley of Bohinjska Bela and on the Peca Mountain. The first location was not far from a rural area, while the second one was in an isolated area, completely in the wild. The analysis of insect activity showed that there were obvious differences in frequency of visits among the insect groups investigated, locations and time of day. In the population of Bohinjska Bela, bees were the most important pollinators, with the highest activity occurred between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. In the isolated population in Peca the most frequent visitors were small dipterous flies. The study suggests that the Christmas rose is probably an entomophylous (the most important pollinators are insects, such as bees and flies) and predominantly cross-pollinating species. The entomophylous nature appears to be closely associated with the specific botanic characteristics of flowers. Another pollinating agent is probably wind.
Vpliv rabe tal na botanično sestavo travne ruše v različnih talnih razmerah Ljubljanskega barja
Authors: SINKOVIČ Tomaž
Published: December 2023

Floristična sestava travinja opredeljuje pridelovalno in naravno vrednost travne ruše. Ker ugodna botanična sestava ruše za pridelovanje krme pogosto pomeni njeno vrstno siromašnost, smo ta odnos želeli preučiti za travnike Ljubljanskega barja. Leta 1999 smo zasnovali na zvezah Arrhenatherion (poskus T1) in Molinion (poskus T2) dva travniška poskusa v obliki deljenk s štirimi ponovitvami. Glavne parcele predstavljajo pogostnost rabe (2 košnji na leto z zapoznelo in običajno 1. košnjo, 3 košnje in 4 košnje), podparcele pa stopnjo gnojenja (negnojeno – kontrola, PK in NPK z različni odmerki N). Rezultati raziskave, ugotovljeni pred 1. košnjo v 4. letu trajanja poskusov: V primerjavi s kontrolo ni gnojenje tako s PK kot NPK gnojili na nobenem poskusu zmanjšalo rastlinske pestrosti v ruši. Povprečno je bilo v negnojeni in gnojeni ruši po 20 vrst. Število vrst v ruši se ni zmanjšalo niti pri povečanem številu košenj (19 vrst pri 2 košnjah nasproti 20 vrstam pri 3 oz. 4 košnjah). Zastopanost metuljnic se je na obeh poskusih opazno povečala pri PK gnojenju in ekstenzivni rabi – 2 ali 3 košnjah. Večja pogostnost rabe je pri vseh postopkih delovala pozitivno na delež trav v ruši. Na poskusu T1 je gnojenje zmanjšalo relativno zastopanost močvirske preslice v travni ruši. Njen delež se je še dodatno zmanjšal s povečanjem košenj iz dve na tri oz. štiri. Zastopanost močvirske preslice je bila največja v negnojeni 2 kosni ruši in najmanjša v NPK gnojeni 4 kosni ruši.
Investigation of declared values of iodine in food supplements on the Slovene market
Authors: OSTERC Andrej , STIBILJ Vekoslava
Published: December 2023

The essentiality of iodine for man is well recognized. The primary sources of iodine in anormal, balanced diet are fish, shellfish, milk and iodinated salt. Alternative sources of iodinemeant to complement the normal diet are food supplements containing iodine. The complexcomposition of food supplements, due to their content of various vitamins and minerals,makes determination of iodine very difficult. In our work we employed radiochemical neutronactivation analysis to determine the content of iodine in different series of seven different foodsupplements available on the Slovene market intended for adults, children and sportsmen.The levels of iodine found ranged from 21 to 231 μg/g. Three food supplements were not inagreement with the declaration made by the producer and two food supplements were not inagreement with the recommendations made by U.S. Pharmacopoeia that dietarysupplements should contain not less then 90 % and not more then 200 % of the declaredamount of substance.
Response of onion (Allium cepa L.) to combined application of biological and chemical nitrogenous fertilizers
Authors: BALEMI Tesfaye , PAL Netra , SAXENA Anil Kumar
Published: December 2023

A field experiment was conducted during the summer season of 2000-2001 at the Vegetable Research Farm of Indian Agricultural Research Institute (I.A.R.I.), New Delhi (India) to test the efficacy of three Azotobacter strains as a potential supplement to nitrogenous fertilizer in improving growth and yield of onion cv. Pusa Madhvi. The treatments consisted of factorial combination of four levels of nitrogen (0, 25, 50 and 75 kg N ha-1) and three Azotobacter strains (CBD-15, AS-4 and M-4) with two uninoculated controls one with full dose of N (100 kg ha -1) and the other without NPK. Application of 75 kg N ha-1 along with inoculation of CBD-15 was found to have significantly increased most of the growth and yield parameters, soil available nitrogen, and nitrogen content in the bulb followed by M-4 inoculation as compared to application of full dose of nitrogen without the inoculation. Days to bulb initiation were significantly reduced due to inoculation with CBD-15 or M-4 along with 50 kg N ha-1 whereas days to bulb maturity were significantly reduced due to inoculation with any of the strains along with the same N rate (50 kg ha-1) as compared to application of full dose of nitrogen without the inoculation. The finding demonstrated a saving of 50 kg N ha-1 without significantly affecting yield and an average increase of 13.5% marketable yield due to Azotobacter inoculation in the presence of 75 kg N ha-1.
Relation of myofibril fragmentation to textural and chemical parameters of aged pork Longissimus dorsi
Authors: DOŠLER Dejan , POLAK Tomaž , ŽLENDER Božidar , GAŠPERLIN Lea
Published: December 2023

The relation of myofibrilar fragmentation (length of myofibrilar fragments, myofibrilar fragmentation index) to textural (Warner-Bratzler share force) and chemical parameters (non-protein nitrogen changes) of pork Longisimus dorsi muscles (acquired 24 h post mortem, normal meat quality) were investigated over a 16-day ageing period at 2 °C (± 1 °C). Ageing time significantly affected all parameters at the 1% level or less. The pH value for 16-day aged samples was slightly higher; the average values being 5.61 for nonaged and 5.67 for aged samples. Length of myofibrilar fragments being in average the highest (73 mm) for nonaged samples, and the lowest (15.7 mm and 12.4 mm) for 11 and 16 days aged ones. Myofibrilar fragmentation index increases significantly with storage: for nonaged samples below 30, after a 2-day ageing about 50, and after 5-day ageing 63.7 (determined as described by Olson et al., 1976), or after 11-day ageing 56.9 (determined as described by Hopkins et al., 2004) Indexes for Hopkins procedure were about 7% lower (P ≤ 0.001) compared to those for Olson procedure. Non-protein nitrogen after 11 and 16 days of storage was higher (10.78% and 10.93% of total nitrogen) compared to the nonaged pork (9.39% of total nitrogen). Warner-Bratzler share force was markedly affected by 16-day ageing (nonaged 51.3 N, 16 days 29.2 N). On the basis of instrumentally measured texture differences in thermally treated aged pork we concluded that myofibrilar fragmentation index was a suitable proteolysis rate pointer already from the second day on. The increase in non-protein nitrogen content indicates a release of free amino acids; so, it is a suitable measure of proteolysis after 5 days of ageing.
Entomopathogenic nematode Steinernema feltiae (Filipjev) (Rhabditida: Steinernematidae) recorded for the first time in Slovenia
Authors: LAZNIK Žiga , TÓTH Timea , LAKATOS Tamás , TRDAN Stanislav
Published: December 2023

In Slovenia only recently entomopathogenic nematodes were recorded for the first time. In the beginning of 2007, the presence of Steinernema affine was confirmed. During the further investigations in the same year Steinernema feltiae was recorded on the arable field near Cerknica. In the previous year this field was planted with chicory. In Slovenia, until now the entomopathogenic nematodes had a status of an exotic agents and their use was allowed only in the laboratory experiments. We expect that in Slovenia the use of these biological agents against insect pests will become important alternative to insecticides as it is known in many other countries of the world.
Corn salad (Valerianella olitoria L.) yield response to cell size of plug trays
Authors: ŽNIDARČIČ Dragan , KACJAN-MARŠIĆ Nina
Published: December 2023

The research was undertaken to determine if the plug tray cell size had an impact on plant characteristics and yield of corn salad (Valerianella olitoria L.). Seeds of four cultivars ('Ljubljanski', 'Holandski', 'Flavor' and 'Masse') were sown in styrofoam plug trays with 40 cells (60 ml cell-1), 84 cells (35 ml cell-1) and 160 cells (20 ml cell-1). Plants growth generally increased with cell size, though the effect varied with different cultivars. An increase in cell volume resulted in an increase in leaves height, leaves number and leaves fresh mass, as well as percentage of dry matter. Cv. 'Holandski' was obtained the highest leaves fresh mass regardless of cell volume.
Plant parasitic nematodes associated with banana crop in Crete, Greece
Authors: TZORTZAKAKIS Emmanuel A.
Published: December 2023

This is a report on the presence of Meloidogyne spp., Helicotylenchus multicintus and Pratylenchus goodeyi in roots of banana crops in Crete.
response of two potato cultivars on combined effects of selenium and drought
Authors: GERM Mateja
Published: December 2023

The combined effect of selenium (Se) foliar spraying and drought was studied for 3 months in two cultivars of potato; Bard and Adora in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Four combinations of treatments were conducted: well-watered plants with and without Se foliar spraying, and drought exposed plants with and without Se foliar spraying. Net photosynthesis, transpiration rate, quantum yield of photosystem II (PSII), and respiration potential measured by electron transport system activity were monitored throughout the period. After three months of treatment, leaf water potential, the number and size of leaf stomata, and tuber yield were determined. Several impacts of drought and Se application and their combinations were established, and the responses shown to be cultivar-specific. Net photosynthesis, transpiration rate, effective quantum yield of PSII, and respiratory potential were lower in drought exposed plants. Se lowered respiratory potential in the leaves in cv. Bard. The mass of the tubers in cv. Adora, and photosynthesis in cvs. Bard and Adora were lower in Se treated plants. Se treatment did not significantly affect the number and size of leaf stomata in the cultivars.
Isolation of Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes from milk products sold under market conditions at Agra region
Authors: SINGH Priyanka , PRAKASH Alka
Published: December 2023

Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Listeria monocytogenes were isolated from milk products i.e. curd and cottage cheese, sold at shops in the unorganized sector of Agra region. Of the 116 bacterial isolates from cottage cheese, 15 were confirmed as E. coli, 12 as S. aureus, and two as L. monocytogenes. Fifty-eight isolates were obtained from curd samples of which five were confirmed as E. coli, eleven as L. monocytogenes, and no S. aureus contamination was found in curd. The result indicates that strict preventive measures should be adopted to ensure contamination free milk products for the good health of all consumers.
Changes in the inner quality parameters of apple fruit from technological to edible maturity
Authors: MIKULIČ PETKOVŠEK Maja , ŠTAMPAR Franci , VEBERIČ Robert
Published: December 2023

The changing dynamics of organic acids, sugars, phenolics and antioxidant potential in apples from technological to edible maturity was studied. During the time of storage, the content of citric and malic acids generally decreased. The content of sucrose, fructose and glucose decreased significantly in some varieties, while it increased in others. The content of total sugars changed only slightly over the storage period. In the apple pulp, the content level of single phenolics generally changed to a minor extent during storage. In the peel, the content levels of the rutin and quercetin-3-rhamnoside flavonoids remained generally constant during storage, while the level of p-coumaric acid increased slightly; on the other hand, the content levels of epicatechin and catechin decreased. In the pulp of most cultivars, there was no significant decrease in total phenolics at edible maturity. In contrast, the apple peel usually has a higher content level of total phenolics at edible maturity than at the time of technological maturity. Therefore, the antioxidant activity of the peel increased from technological to edible maturity.
Scenario use for fostered adaptation to the future landscape changes
Authors: GANTAR Damjana
Published: December 2023

Article presents the review of the theoretical framework for a specific question that arose from the use of the scenario technique in the field of landscape planning. This specific issue is: does the use of scenarios influence the perception of the cultural landscape changes and actions the individuals take to change the cultural landscape? Review includes research articles aiming to approve the influence of scenarios and also case studies of scenario use in the field of landscape planning that perceived possible influence of scenario use on stakeholders. The decision for the review was stimulated by the growing popularity of the scenario-based studies connected with landscape planning and environmental issues. Scenarios are also an important incentive for public participation. The question is whether we can influence relations between individuals and cultural landscape by showing them evidently with scenarios, how the future landscape will look like.