165 research outputs found
Short communication: Pedoecological regularities of soil cover functioning
Get PDFSaabunud / Received 16.07.2021 ; Aktsepteeritud / Accepted 21.09.2021 ; Avaldatud veebis / Published online 21.09.2021 ; Vastutav autor / Corresponding author: Raimo Kõlli [email protected] contradictory statements and opinions, which need by the mind of author additional explanation or disentangle are in the work followings: stages in the forming soil covers' humus status; additional carbon sequestration into the soil; discord between consumption and accumulation of soil organic matter; the influence of land use, land-use change and soil tillage on soil humus status; permanent and dynamic properties of soil; the role of agriculture in carbon turnover; degradation of soil fertility; the influence of different components of soil organic matter on soil functioning; pedoecological approach of peat soils; biodiversity and species richness of soils; weediness of agroecosystems; ethical statements concerning land use
Galilean Jews and Christians in Context : Spaces Shared and Contested in the Eastern Galilee in Late Antiquity
Get PDFThe article examines Jewish and Christian groups in the eastern rural Galilee in relation to synagogues and churches that can be dated to Late Antiquity. The author first provides an overview of recent scholarly discussions about Jewish-Christian relations elsewhere in the ancient world. He then discusses Galilean synagogues and their diversity, and proposes that the building and renovation of rural Galilean synagogues in Late Antiquity attests to the vitality of village settlements in the region. The Christian churches and communities surrounding them that had connections with pilgrimage were also part of this diversity. The author suggests that local Jewish and Christian communities in late antique Galilee cherished their particular traditions by constructing specific spaces which set them apart from the rest of the society and reinforced their collective identity. Despite these attempts at separation, the author claims that there were also social and cultural interactions between different local communities.Peer reviewe
Podzolic soil is the year 2023 soil of Estonia
Get PDFSaabunud / Received 01.01.2023 ; Aktsepteeritud / Accepted 17.03.2023 ; Avaldatud veebis / Published online 30.09.2023 ; Vastutav autor / Corresponding author Raimo Kõlli ; [email protected] the Year 2023 Soil of Estonia by the Estonian Soil
Science Society was elected the Podzolic or podzolized soil, which is
known by the World Reference Base for Soil Resources (WRB) as Umbric
Podzol. In introduction of actual review the Podzolic soils’ morphology
and their subdivision principles (by moisture conditions and profile
development) are analysed. By the Estonia Soil Classification totally
seven species of podzolized automorphic soils have been separated, from
which each species have an original code used in the soil mapping. By
mean of schematic map is characterized the distribution of these soils in
Estonia, but by mean of normally developed soils’ matrix the co-evolution
with other soil species. Podzolic soils are formed totally 5.0% from the
total Estonian soil cover, but 4.3% from the forest and 5.2% from the
arable land. Special attention was payed to humus status of these soils,
characterizing among others humus cover (or humipedons) fabric and
essential properties separately on forest and arable lands. Beside of
depending on soil texture, moisture conditions and land use, soil
quantitative characteristics (given by soil species or by soil groups), as
well the results of comparative analysis and using peculiarities of Podzolic
soils in agricultural practice have been explained. At end of the review the
possibilities for characterizing Podzolic soils’ species and varieties
peculiarities by mean of principal and supplemental qualifiers WRB is
explained
Review: The Estonian Soil of Year 2019 is fen soil
Get PDFArticleSaabunud / Received 30.05.2019 ; Aktsepteeritud / Accepted 10.06.2019 ; Avaldatud veebis / Published online 14.06.2019 ; Vastutav autor / Corresponding author: Raimo Kõlli e-mail: [email protected] the Estonian Soil Sciences Society for the Year 2014 Soils the Leached soils, for 2015 – Limestone rendzinas, for 2016 – Bog soils, for 2017 – Typical podzols, for 2018 – Pseudopodzolic soils, and for 2019 – Fen soils (M) were elected. As the Year Soil of 2019 was not previously introduced in the Journal of Agricultural Science, in the actual overview was necessary to treat their classification, ecological conditions of their forming and functioning, hydro-physical and ecological properties, association of them with other soil species, distribution and conversion their names into WRB system. In the review, the main morphological properties of fen soils and the principles of their dividing into soil species (identified by soil genesis) and varieties (divided on basis of peat decomposition stage) are treated. Besides that, the fen soils' productivity, peculiarities of their paludification processes, distribution in Estonia and the data about their chemical properties are presented. In the overview, as well, the estimations of organic carbon stocks and assessments of annual organic carbon fluxes in peaty soil cover are presented and discussed. In the final part, the problems connected with environmentally sustainable use in agriculture and forestry and protection of fen soils are treated
Digital Image Cytometry zur Untersuchung der Aufnahme von Nanomaterialien durch eukaryotische Zellen
No full textDue to their small size and related interesting properties, artificial nanoma-terials are utilized for a great number of biological and medical applications. Cell entry routes, intracellular trafficking and processing of nanoparticles, which determine their fate, efficiency, and toxicity, are depending on various parameters of the specific nanomaterial, such as size, surface charge, surface chemistry and elasticity. Nanoparticle-cell interactions are typically elucidated by means of fluorescence microscopy. Cell functions can be observed by a multiplicity of commercially available probes. For the quantification of cell features from images (image cytometry), computer-based algorithms are favoured to avoid bias introduced by the subjective perception of the observer. By applying high throughput microscopy in combination with digital image cytometry the screening of high numbers of cells is made possible. With the large quantity of obtained data, cell populations can be identified and, in general, results that are statistically meaningful are obtained.
In the first part of this work this method is applied in order to examine the cellular responses upon exposure to plasmonic poly(methacrylic acid)-coated gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) with respect to morphology and viability of human endothelial and epithelial cells (HUVECs and HeLa cells). Au NPs of 4-5 nm size were chosen which had been thoroughly characterized in terms of their physico-chemical parameters. These particles bear interesting properties for biomedical applications and, for several years, have been in the focus of research. In this work significant impacts on mitochondrial and lysosomal morphology upon exposure to the Au NPs are reported. The alteration of the structure of the cytoskeleton and a dramatically reduced proliferation are described. Interestingly, the smallest dose inducing the described cellular responses was of one or two magnitudes lower than those, where acute cytotoxicity and an increase in the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) were observed.
In the second part the process of endocytosis of polymer capsules is examined. These systems are seen as a promising tool for intracellular cargo delivery and release. After lipid raft-mediated phagocytosis, the capsules are transferred from the neutral extracellular medium to increasingly acidic intracellular vesicles. By embedding a pH-sensitive fluorescent dye into the cavity of the capsule the uptake process and the associated acidification can be monitored time-dependently. It is demonstrated that the kinetic of the acidification process strongly depends on the stiffness of the capsules. Soft particles with minor stiffness are transported faster into lysosomal structures than stiffer ones. Additionally, these sensor particles are used to confirm the importance of the V1G1-subunit of the vacuolar ATPase being responsible for vesicle acidification.Künstliche Nanomaterialien eignen sich aufgrund ihrer winzigen Größe und der damit verbundenen interessanten Eigenschaften für zahlreiche biologische und medizinische Anwendungen. Die Wechselwirkungen auf zellulärer Ebene hängen von einer Vielzahl unterschiedlicher Faktoren ab. Um die Wirksamkeit und Toxizität von Nanopartikeln einschätzen zu können, ist es notwendig, ihre zelluläre Aufnahme, ihren intrazellulären Transport und letztendlichen intrazel-lulären Verbleib sowie die durch sie ausgelöste Zellantwort zu verstehen. Die genannten Faktoren werden ihrerseits von den physikalisch-chemischen Parame-tern des eingesetzten Nanomaterials wie z.B. Größe, Oberflächenchemie, Ober-flächenladung und Elastizität beeinflusst.
Durch Fluoreszenzmikroskopie lassen sich mit einer Vielzahl kommerziell er-hältlicher, fluoreszierender Reporterfarbstoffe viele zelluläre Funktionen abbilden und auswerten. Zur bildbasierten Quantifizierung von Zellmerkmalen (engl. Image Cytometry) eignen sich Computer-basierte Algorithmen sehr gut, da Ver-fälschungen durch die subjektive Wahrnehmung und Beobachtungsperspektive des Experimentators vermieden werden können. Diese im folgenden als Digital Image Cytometry bezeichnete Methode profitiert von automatisierter Mikroskopie, da eine große Anzahl von Zellen abgebildet werden muss, um in der Lage zu sein, einzelne Populationen zu identifizieren und statistisch aussagekräftige Resultate zu erzielen.
Diese Methode wurde in der vorliegenden Arbeit zur Untersuchung der Auswirkung von plasmonischen Gold-Nanopartikeln (Au NP) auf die Morpholo-gie und die Lebensfähigkeit von menschlichen Endothel- und Epithelzellen (HUVEC- und HeLa-Zellen) angewandt. Die verwendeten 4 5 nm großen Au NP sind mit Polymethacrylsäure umhüllt und ihre physikalisch-chemischen Eigen-schaften sind nahezu vollständig beschrieben. Mehr oder weniger identische Gold-Nanopartikel sind bereits in mehreren zuvor durchgeführten und entsprechend dokumentierten Studien eingesetzt worden und bieten interessante An-wendungsmöglichkeiten im biomedizinischen Bereich. Die verwendeten Gold-Nanopartikel werden nach der Aufnahme in intrazellulären lysosomalen Struk-turen angereichert. Als Ergebnis des ersten Teils der Arbeit lässt sich eine signi-fikante Auswirkung der eingesetzten Nanopartikel auf die Morphologie von Mi-tochondrien und Lysosomen sowie auf die Struktur des Aktinzytoskeletts und insbesondere auf die Teilungsfähigkeit der Zellen (Proliferationsfähigkeit) be-obachten. Bemerkenswert ist die Tatsache, dass die dafür ausreichende Dosis um ein bis zwei Größenordnungen geringer ist als diejenige, bei der akute Zyto-toxizität und erhöhte Werte von reaktiven Sauerstoffspezies (ROS) gemessen werden.
Der zweite Teil dieser Arbeit beruht auf Untersuchungen des Endozytose-Vorgangs von Polymer-Mikrokapseln. Diese stellen ein interessantes Trägersystem dar, um Wirkstoffe in das Zellinnere zu transportieren und dort freizusetzen. Nach der Aufnahme durch Lipid Raft-vermittelte Phagozytose durchlaufen die Kapseln eine intrazelluläre Kaskade von immer azidischer werdenden Vesikeln. Durch das Einbringen eines pH-sensitiven Fluoreszenzfarbstoffs in die Kapseln kann ihr Aufnahmevorgang mittels der damit assoziierten Ansäuerung zeitaufgelöst abgebildet werden. Die Kinetik des Ansäuerungs-prozesses hängt dabei maßgeblich von der Elastizität der Kapseln ab. Weiche Partikel mit hoher Elastizität werden schneller in Lysosomen transportiert als weniger elastische. Außerdem wird mit diesem Sensorpartikelsystem die Relevanz der V1G1-Untereinheit der an der Ansäuerung lysosomaler Vesikel beteiligten vakuolären ATPase verifiziert
Erosion-affected soils in Estonian soil cover: nomenclature of soils and their research history
Get PDFSaabunud / Received 26.04.2020 ; Aktsepteeritud / Accepted 11.06.2020 ; Avaldatud veebis / Published online 30.06.2020 ; Vastutav autor / Corresponding author: Raimo Kõlli e-mail: [email protected] work, dedicated to the eroded soil i.e. the year 2020 soil of Estonia, consists of two-part. In Part I the general overview (a) the regularities of erosion processes and their forming conditions in the soil cover, and (b) the agro-ecological properties and nomenclature of formed erosion-affected soils (EAS), are treated. Totally in the Estonian soil classification (ESC) 11 eroded and 3 deluvial (colluvial) soil species have been determined. For the main criteria of eroded soils' determination is (a) the intensity or stage of erosion, and (b) the calcareousness of soil cover, but deluvial soils (a) the soils' water regime and (b) the thickness of formed deluvial humus horizon. In this part also the determination criteria of erosion-prone soils and the agronomic quality of EAS are analysed. In Part II the historic overview about scientific researches dedicated to the study of influenced by erosion soils during the last century in Estonia. In this overview, the main thematic issue and the role of leading scientists on researches of most actual problems are presented. The most important themes during this period were: (a) the elaboration suitable for local conditions EAS classification and methods for their field researches; (b) the distribution of EAS in Estonia; (c) the studies upon forming, composition and status of EAS-s; (d) forming databases on essential properties of EAS-s and derived from this the rules of their ecologically sustainable use, and finally (e) the international aspects of Estonian EAS presentation and local researches
Technosols in Estonian soil classification: nomenclature, establishment and differences-similarities with normally developed soils
Get PDFSaabunud: 22.05.2022
Received:
Aktsepteeritud: 07.06.2022
Accepted:
Avaldatud veebis: 07.06.2022
Published online:
Vastutav autor: Raimo Kõlli
Corresponding author:
E-mail: [email protected]
ORCID: 0000-0002-7725-3757Technogenic soils (TS) or Technosols are year 2022 soils
of Estonia. In Estonian Soil Classification (ESC) totally 17 technogenic
soil species is listed (Table 1). By way or mode of their forming or
establishing almost four TS groups (formed on heaps of wastes, instead of
removed soil cover, on mixed soil horizons with parent materials and
buried soil covers) have been separated. In dominating cases by
technological elaborating works much more than only humus cover are
enfold. In the vertical profile of different development stages TS the
humus cover, consisting from fine earth subsoil and parent material may
be presented (or occur). In the work separately the formed on mineral and
organic (mostly peats) origin parent material TS are treated. Among
mineral TS by their moisture conditions the automorphic, moist and wet
soils are distinguished. Among peaty TS the formed on fen (sapric) and
bog (fibric) peats soils are prevailed. The main difference between grounds
(non-soil) and TS is their functioning. The real TS is as sustainably
functioning assemblage of soil and plant covers or soil-plant system. The
concordance or matching of presented in ESC TS’ taxa with World
Reference Bases for Soil Resources (WRB) and Polish Soil Classification
taxa was elucidated by comparable analysis. The distribution and forming
of soils associations with normally developed soils and non-soils
(grounds) is characterised by mean of excerpts from digitalized large-scale
soil map (1:10,000) and schematic distribution maps. In the work as well
the peculiarities of establishing technologies of mineral and peaty TS is
treated
Advances in Use of Capsule-Based Fluorescent Sensors for Measuring Acidification of Endocytic Compartments in Cells with Altered Expression of V-ATPase Subunit V1G1
No full textAcidification of eukaryotic cell compartments is accomplished by vacuolar H+-ATPases (V-ATPases), large multisubunit complexes able to pump protons into the lumen of organelles or in the extracellular medium. V-ATPases are involved in a number of physiological cellular processes, and thus regulation of V-ATPase activity is of crucial importance for the cell. Indeed, dysfunction of V-ATPase or alterations of acidification have been recently recognized as key factors in a variety of human diseases. In this study, we applied capsule-based pH sensors and a real-time tracking method for investigating the role of the V1G1 subunit of V-ATPases in regulating the activity of the proton pump. We first constructed stable cell lines overexpressing or silencing the subunit V1G1. Second, we used fluorescent capsule-based pH sensors to monitor acidification before and during internalization by modified and control living cells. By using a simple real-time method for tracking capsule internalization, we were able to identify different capsule acidification levels with respect to each analyzed cell and to establish the kinetics for each. The intracellular pH measurements indicate a delay in acidification in either V1G1-overexpressing or V1G1-silenced cells compared to controls. Finally, in an independent set of experiments, we applied transmission electron microscopy and confocal fluorescence microscopy to further investigate the internalization of the capsules. Both analyses confirm that capsules are engulfed in acidic vesicular structures in modified and control cell lines. The use of capsule-based pH sensors allowed demonstration of the importance of the V1G1 subunit in V-ATPase activity concerning intravesicular acidification. We believe that the combined use of these pH-sensor system and such a real-time method for tracking their internalization path would contribute to systematically measure the proton concentration changes inside the endocytic compartments in various cell systems. This approach would provide fundamental information regarding molecular mechanisms and factors that regulate intracellular acidification, vesicular trafficking, and cytoskeletal reorganizations
Short communication : humus status of Estonian soil cover and its environment protective management
Get PDFSaabunud / Received 12.11.2022 ; Aktsepteeritud / Accepted 29.12.2022 ; Avaldatud veebis / Published online 31.12.2022 ; Vastutav autor / Corresponding author: Raimo Kõlli ; [email protected] the framework of the European mission “Soil Deal for
Europe” ambitious tasks have been load to the whole European Union and
forming its states in the field of carbon management. Departing from pedo-
ecological conditions of Estonia, the pros and cons of the European
Union's plans about carbon farming are treated. By the principles of
pedocentric approach the soil humus status and carbon farming
technologies are soil type specifics and should be utilized in the most
detailed as possible soil taxonomic unit, for which by Estonian soil
classification are soil species and soil varieties. Thanks to gathering during
large scale (1:10,000) soil mapping in earlier time data and proceeding
later field experiments in Estonia there are relatively good databases on
soil humus status for all most dominated soil species and/or varieties by
different land use conditions (arable, grass- and forest lands). The main
available quantitative characteristics on soil humus status (expressed via
carbon) are concentration (g C kg‒1) and superficial densities (Mg C ha‒1)
of organic carbon given by soil species and their genetic horizons in above-
named third land use conditions. Besides that, these data have been
calculated (1) separately for humus cover (humipedons) and subsoil layers
and (2) as well in relation to layers with certain thickness (30, 50 and 100
cm). As a qualitative index of humus status, the humus cover types (humus
forms) have been elaborated separately for arable soils and for being in
natural state soils. As the carbon concentration in arable soils depends
mainly on contents of clay particles, watering conditions and calcareous-
ness, was possible to elaborate for all dominating arable soils three humus
(and carbon) concentration levels: scarce, optimal and excess, which are
needed for choice of suitable to soil conditions agro technology. There is
a declared serious shortage of knowledge on composition of soil
organisms’ societies by soil types and on syn- and autecology of their
functioning
Three-dimensional surface reconstruction within noncontact diffuse optical tomography using structured light
No full textA main field in biomedical optics research is diffuse optical tomography, where intensity variations of the transmitted light traversing through tissue are detected. Mathematical models and reconstruction algorithms based on finite element methods and Monte Carlo simulations describe the light transport inside the tissue and determine differences in absorption and scattering coefficients. Precise knowledge of the sample's surface shape and orientation is required to provide boundary conditions for these techniques. We propose an integrated method based on structured light three-dimensional (3-D) scanning that provides detailed surface information of the object, which is usable for volume mesh creation and allows the normalization of the intensity dispersion between surface and camera. The experimental setup is complemented by polarization difference imaging to avoid overlaying byproducts caused by inter-reflections and multiple scattering in semitransparent tissue
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