Aspects from the evolution of past vegetation in Southern Transylvania (Sibiu region)

The article reviews the results obtained through the palynological study of sequences obtained from the Sibiu region and adjacent areas. The oldest Upper Pleistocene sequences we refer to seem to reflect snapshots from the Last Glacial Maximum. The history of the Late Glacial and Holocene vegetation here is broadly part of the succession known for the territory of Romania, in the Carpathians and the surrounding areas of medium and low altitudes. The dynamics of the main forest and grasses taxa were highlighted, influenced both by natural factors and, more recently, by human activity. The reference area is characterized by the domination of the forests during the interstadials and by open landscape of forested steppe during the cold, stadial periods.

Comparative analysis of the digestive system’s anatomical parts in two zoophagous bird species: White Stork (Ciconia ciconia) and Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo)

Aristotle in his anatomical observations is marking the beginning of functional anatomy followed by Georges Cuvier that formulate the low of the correlation of parts. According with this we can expect that the digestive system structures tend to be similar between species that consume approximately the same type of food. In this study we chose to evaluate macroscopic the digestive system of two different zoophytophagous species, with similar body size but different life behavior and feeding strategies: White Stork (Ciconia ciconia) and Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo). Data were collected after the dissection of 10 carcass (5 White Stork and 5 Common Buzzard). The digestive tract and its structures were measured and weighed. In common buzzard the beak is strong and short adapted for the laceration of the prey. In white stork the beak is long, strong, straight adapted to capture prey like a harpoon. In both species, the esophagus is located on the right side of the neck, the length is different, proportional to the neck. In common buzzard the crop is present and absent in white storks. The cuticle or koilin layer is highlighted in white stork compared to common buzzard. In common buzzard, the small intestine is reduced in size, without marked transition between the duodenum and the ileum. The white storks have a long small intestine with many loops, with no transition between the segments. In both species, the cecum is reduced in size and has a vestigial appearance; the colon is reduced in size, and extends from the level of the ileo-colic junction to the cloaca. The digestive system is adapted to a strictly carnivorous diet and the differences identified between the anatomical structures of the digestive tract of the two species are correlated with the differences of their feeding behavior.

Preliminary data regarding the influence of the COL1a1 rs2249492 polymorphism on the risk of malocclusion in the Romanian population

Malocclusion is a condition characterized by diverse phenotypic expression patterns, with a complex underlying genetic background. COL1a1 is one of the genes that has been previously associated with malocclusion, with one particular SNP, rs2249492 (C>G, C>T), having been linked with an increased risk of skeletal class II malocclusion. In this paper, making use of DNA sequencing and cephalometric measurements, we present preliminary data regarding the association between the rs2249492 SNP and the risk of malocclusion in the Romanian population, illustrated as continuous, rather than categorical phenotypes. The results show a tendency towards a Class II pattern determined by mandibular retrognathism, rather than maxillary prognathism among the individuals possessing the mutant allele. Subsequent studies on larger sample sizes should include statistical analysis focused on associations between the rs2249492 allele and continuous phenotypic variation inside, but not restricted to Class II malocclusion, in order to acquire a more detailed picture of the interaction between the polymorphism and this complex condition

Assessing the performance of Alphitobius piceus (Oliver, 1792) as novel feeder insect species for small sized postmetamorphic frogs

One of the major difficulties of frog farming is providing adequate food in the first few weeks after the metamorphosis. This is a critical time frame, with rapid growth and high mortality. The established feeder insect species used throughout this delicate stage (cricket and mealworm larvae, adult fruit flies) are suitable from a trophic perspective, but present challenges and difficulties that influence the production costs. The aim of this study is to assess the performance of an alternative feeder species - Alphitobius piceus - with a simpler production technology and a lower production cost. Two species of feeder insect were used: the conventionally used Acheta domestica larvae as control species, and Alphitobius piceus larvae as experimental species. As model anuran we used the European common frog, Rana temporaria. The experimental insect species was easily accepted and produced a strong feeding response in the post-metamophic frogs. There were no significant differences between the control and experimental groups in terms of body condition index and mortality, however survival was better in the experimental group. This similarity indicates a high potential of Alphitobius piceus as feeder species for the newly metamorphosed frogs and also a good economic opportunity for frog farms.

Mycorestoration of crude oil polluted soil using Pleurotus tuberregium

Crude oil contamination is known to cause unwholesome damage to man, his environment comprising of soil, air and water bodies as well as other forms of life. This study determined the effect of crude oil polluted soils on the composition of different microorganisms and plants and the growth of Pleurotus tuberregium. Oil polluted soils in bowls were amended with sawdust from Brachystegia nigerica as substrate. Fruiting bodies and the diameter of the mushroom cap were found to increase with increasing weeks of exposure to oil as against the control which had no fruiting bodies throughout the experiment. Pepperomia pellucida was found to be the predominant weed (n = 20), followed by Asystasia gangetica (n = 11). The bacterial and fungal counts were higher at the oil polluted soil attached to sclerotia than the control. The growth of Pleurotus tuberregium in the polluted soil samples showed its ability to degrade and utilize hydrocarbon as the source of carbon and energy, thereby remediating the contaminated soil environment. This work has shown that the fungus has bioremediation and pollution control capacity.

Preliminary data on terrestrial isopods from some railways in Dobruja, eastern Romania

In July 2020 we analyzed the terrestrial isopod assemblages from different (mostly abandoned) railway constructions in Dobruja, eastern Romania. We identified 10 terrestrial isopod species, of which the most abundant and frequent were Porcellionides pruinosus (Brandt, 1833) and Armadillidium vulgare Latreille, 1804. We identified species that, in Romania, are present only in Dobruja: Leptotrichus pilosus Dollfus, 1905 and Trachelipus squamuliger (Verhoeff, 1907). Most of the species are common, generalist or synanthropic, connected to dry and open habitats. In abandoned railway-stations the number of species/samples was low (at most two), but at the base of a stone railway bridge in Babadag forest six species were found.

The morphometric analysis of Eurasian coot eggs (Fulica atra) under the local conditions from Câmpenești, North-Western Romania

The aim of the present paper was to analyze the measurements of the Eurasian Coot (Fulica atra) eggs in order to evaluate if the local conditions, presented here, differ in some way from older data found in references dating to 1955 in Romania. The data were collected from the Eurasian Coot nests identified (N=8) at Câmpenești fishponds, located in North-Western Romania, in May 2018. The clutch size was 7.5 ±1.6, ranging from 5 to 10 eggs. The mean egg length was 50.81 mm, and the mean egg breadth was 34.5 mm with higher variability in case of the first measurement. The mean egg volume was 31.3 cm3 which is much smaller than reported in the Romanian references (36.13 cm3). Regarding intra-clutch variance, we found that some clutches manifest a higher length, breadth and volume variance than others which can be a result of the intraspecific nest parasitism or environmental variances. The results brought some extensions of egg length and egg breadth limits and also may reflect a decrease in egg size over time.

Fatty acid composition and biological activity of four olive oils from Kabylia (Algeria) against Rhyzopertha dominica (Coleoptera: Bostrychidae) infesting wheat seeds

The use of conventional insecticides is one of the most widely used methods of controlling pests of stored grains. But the presence of toxic residues in treated commodities and the emergence of insect resistant strains are becoming a growing concern. Olive oil is well known throughout the world for its benefits to human health, but little known for its biological activity against insect pests.The aim of this work is to study the fatty acid composition and the insecticidal activity of oils according to origin of plantation, against one of the main insect pests of stored grain Rhyzopertha dominica (Coleoptera: Bostrychidae). The olive oils were obtained using an oleodoser from olives of the 'Chemlal' variety harvested in 4 olive groves in Kabylia (Algeria) and the analysis of the fatty acid composition was carried out by gas chromatography. The main fatty acids found are oleic, palmitic and linoleic acids. Biological tests conducted under laboratory conditions, at a temperature of 30±1°C and a relative humidity of 70 ± 5 %, revealed that the 4 olive oils, applied on soft wheat grains, showed a contact toxicity against R. dominica. The toxicity of the oils varied as a function of the dose and the duration of treatments. After 24 h of exposure, all oils tested at the highest dose (0.4 mL/25 g) were found to be highly toxic to adults of R. dominica, with mortality rates ranging from 72.5 to 95 %. The toxicity of the 4 oils based on the LD50 (mL/25 g) values for 24 h mortality is established as follows: Maatkas (213), Bachloul (232), Tadmait (234) and M'Chedellah (263). The number of the F1 offspring decreases as the dose of oil is increased to reach zero with the highest dose, for all treatments. All oils tested completely preserve soft wheat seeds from R. dominica attacks using the same highest dose. On the other hand, results also revealed that treatments with olive oil do not affect the germination capacity of soft wheat seeds.

Current perspectives on the remediation methods of marine plastic pollution: a review

Plastic debris represents a contemporary point of concern for the marine environment, being discharged into the ocean at an alarming scale. However, the quantity of waste that is found in the ocean is unknown. Where does this waste come from, and where does it end up are questions that scientists and researchers are still trying to accurately answer. The majority of plastic products that make their way into the ocean come mainly from human activities. Most of them land on beaches, and eventually find their way into the ocean, being washed away by waves and tides. To assess the impact of these pollutants that are found in the marine environment, it is necessary to determine the concentration of the chemicals accumulating in the biomass, and the effects they cause. There are numerous biological effects which lead to many obvious diseases in marine species. Also, these harmful effects determine changes in community structure, the modification of the habitat and local or complete extinction of many aquatic species. This review aims to lay out the present situation of the marine environment, and the effects of the pollution caused by industrialization and urbanization. Different types of remediation approaches have been discussed, such as physical remediation techniques. Besides that, the role of numerous bacteria and fungi that are capable of breaking down these chemicals that surround us, has been highlighted and point at some of the bioremediation technologies that are currently available.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa at the dawn of a post-antibiotic era: clinical significance, resistance mechanisms, novel antibiotics and alternative treatments

Since their discovery, antibiotics have helped treat diseases prior to which many were untreatable, saving millions of lives. However, due to the overuse of antibiotics in medicine and agriculture, the advent of resistant strains of bacteria followed shortly after. The current antibiotic resistance crisis is bringing humanity closer to a post-antibiotic era, when all the advancements made by modern medicine could easily be reversed. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a Gram-negative, rod-shaped bacterium, ubiquitous owing to its minimal nutritional and growth requirements. P. aeruginosa is one of the pathogens included in the priority list of the WHO, being assessed as critical due to its high antimicrobial resistance, leaving only a few effective treatment options to combat it. As an opportunistic pathogen, P. aeruginosa establishes infection in immunocompromised patients, primarily in hospital settings. In order to initiate infection, it requires several virulence factors that mediate the invasion of the pathogen into host cells. Owing to the multiple resistance mechanisms of P. aeruginosa, it has developed resistance to most classes of antibiotics. Due to its increased resistance, treating P. aeruginosa infections is a great challenge for clinicians. Several β-lactam/β-lactamase combinations have been approved and are available as treatment options, which overall show high efficacy against P. aeruginosa. Moreover, novel antibiotics are currently in development as possible antipseudomonal agents, including a Pseudomonas-specific formulation. In addition, new strategies such as bacteriophage therapy, pyocins or the inhibition of the quorum sensing system are being investigated for the treatment of P. aeruginosa infections.