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Real-time monitoring of brown bear behaviour: integrating Deep Learning pose estimation with remote hair snare sampling in the Catalan Pyrenees
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Detection of Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in slaughtered cattle and hunted red deer in Lithuania
Get PDFPhenological trends of European beech stands along the Carpathian arc
Get PDFEuropean forests are severely threatened by rapid global climate change. Predicting the effects of climate change on the future performance of tree species can be enhanced by using geographical gradients as space-time proxies. This study focuses on analysing seasonal and inter-annual phenological trends for eight sites of European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) in the Carpathians along such geographical gradient. Using time series of the Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) from 2003 to 2022, derived from 16-day MODIS Terra and Aqua vegetation products, combined with meteorological parameters (temperature and precipitation) interpolated for a grid and Land Surface Temperature (LST) data from Landsat, we compared annual forest development at the study sites and extracted key phenological metrics (start, length, and end of the growing season) using the phenofit software package for R. Our results show varied responses of the studied forest sites to climate change. The end of season extended significantly at Soveja (slope = 0.50, p = 0.023). Spring temperatures had negative correlations with the start of season (r = -0.37) and autumn temperatures positive correlation with the end of season (r = 0.43). Understanding these patterns is crucial for developing adaptive forest management strategies in Carpathians
Investigating aquatic biodegradation and changes in the properties of pristine and UV-irradiated microplastics from conventional and biodegradable agricultural plastics
Get PDFThere is an increasing tendency to replace conventional agricultural plastic mulching films with biodegradable alternatives. However, while the latter biodegrade well under controlled conditions (e.g. industrial compost), their biodegradation in non-target environments (e.g. aquatic environments) is questioned and poorly understood. Therefore, in this study, microplastics derived from conventional polyethylene (PE) and biodegradable polybutylene adipate terephthalate starch blend (PBAT) mulching films were exposed to UV irradiation and subsequently tested for their ready biodegradability in an aqueous medium where changes in their characteristics were evaluated. The results showed limited biodegradation for pristine and UV-aged PE: no morphological, surface chemical or internal changes were observed. Pristine PBAT showed signs of initial biodegradation, while UV-aged PBAT biodegraded by up to 57%. New functional groups appeared on the PBAT surface after UV irradiation according to FTIR analysis and crystallinity increased after biodegradation. Elemental analysis revealed a range of metals in PE and PBAT microplastics. No changes in metal distribution analysed in microplastic after UV-aging or biodegradation were found, except that less titanium was present in PBAT after biodegradation indicating potential leaching. None of the PBAT microplastics had ecotoxic effects towards the aquatic plant Lemna minor. Pristine and UV-aged PE showed negative effects on roots, but these were not observed after biodegradation. Low biodegradation of pristine PBAT and possible leaching of metals demonstrated here raise questions about the sustainable use of biodegradable alternatives, especially when they enter non-target environments
Composition, microstructure and corrosion resistance of DED-LB additively manufactured Ti–6Al–4V alloy: comparison with wrought alloy
Get PDFEfficient decoration of graphene oxide with a narrow size distribution of noble metal nanoparticles: green reduction and integration into a thermoelastic composite
Get PDFWe have developed a significantly enhanced method for the effective and homogeneous decoration of graphene oxide (GO) and reduced graphene oxide (r-GO) flakes with gold (Au) and platinum (Pt) nanoparticles. This method involves the direct nucleation of nanoparticles on the surface of dispersed GO through a single-step reaction. By carefully controlling the stepwise introduction of gold and platinum complexes at elevated temperatures, without additional reducing agents, we successfully achieved a homogeneous distribution of Au and Pt nanoparticles, ∼ 20 nm and ∼ 3 nm in size, densely covering the GO sheets. The decoration yield in a mass ratio between Au and GO was up to 20 %. Reduced GO with attached gold and platinum nanoparticles was obtained using ascorbic acid as a reducing agent. Finally, we embedded Au-decorated r-GO in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) to form a composite. We show how this stable hybrid material composite can be spin-coated to form a thin thermoelastic film on a flexible substrate, enabling promising photoacoustic properties that could be exploited further in biomedical applications
