221. Investigation of the hyporheic zone of two gravel-bed rivers after reservoir drainingMaja Zagmajster, Nataša Mori, Gregor Bračko, Anton Brancelj, Špela Di Batista Borko, Teo Delić, Žiga Fišer, Klemen Koselj, Simona Prevorčnik, Valerija Zakšek, Cene Fišer, 2024, izvirni znanstveni članek Povzetek: Dams and reservoirs are a common and globally widespread anthropogenic disturbance with documented negative effects on riverine and riparian habitats. The two most well-known impacts of river damming are longitudinal fragmentation of surface running waters and a shift from lotic habitats towards habitats with lentic characteristics that affect the benthic and pelagic communities. However, there is very little empirical evidence about the effects of damming on the aquatic fauna inhabiting interstitial habitats extending in and alongside the river-bed (i.e., hyporheic zone). In this study, we investigated the patterns in the interstitial community composition upstream, downstream and within the reservoir that was formed 80 years ago, when the river was dammed for the hydropower production. We used the rare opportunity to directly access the bottom of the reservoir drained due to dam maintenance in January 2018, to compare physical, chemical and faunistic data from the reservoir area, with those from downstream and upstream reaches of the two gravel bed rivers that are flowing into the reservoir. We sampled the interstitial invertebrate communities at seven locations, using a Bou-Rouch pump at two depths (30–60 cm and 60–90 cm within the river bed) and at three sampling points within each location. At the same sampling points we measured also physical and chemical parameters (temperature, conductivity, oxygen and pH). The interstitial water from the deepest point of the drained reservoir had substantially lower oxygen concentration, lower pH, and higher conductivity than water from the other sampling localities. This was also the site where taxa richness was lowest, and only one obligate groundwater species (i.e. stygobiont) was found. Most probably, the changes in morphology of the river channel and speed of water flow due to damming, which increased sedimentation rate and clogging of interstitial habitat, resulted in such large differences in environmental conditions and invertebrate community composition. This study provides rare empirical evidence of the effects of damming on the river interstitial habitats and fauna within the reservoir area. We recommend that environmental impact assessments conducted prior dam constructions should include also assessment of the effect of river damming on the interstitial communities. These organisms are playing important role in driving important ecosystem processes, such as organic matter degradation on one hand, and on the other hand, are composed of many rare and endangered species that need to be protected. Ključne besede: damming, interstitial habitats, subterranean fauna, invertebrate communities, stygobionts, dam, hydropower, environmental impact Objavljeno v DiRROS: 22.11.2024; Ogledov: 132; Prenosov: 77 Celotno besedilo (1,06 MB) Gradivo ima več datotek! Več... |
222. Vibrational noise disrupts Nezara viridula communication, irrespective of spectral overlapRok Janža, Nataša Stritih Peljhan, Aleš Škorjanc, Jernej Polajnar, Meta Virant-Doberlet, 2024, izvirni znanstveni članek Povzetek: Insects rely on substrate vibrations in numerous intra- and interspecific interactions. Yet, our knowledge of noise impact in this modality lags behind that in audition, limiting our understanding of how anthropogenic noise affects insect communities. Auditory research has linked impaired signal perception in noise (i.e., masking) to spectral overlap. We investigated the impact of noise with different spectral compositions on the vibrational communication of the stink bug Nezara viridula, examining courtship behaviour and signal representation by sensory neurons. We found negative effects of vibrational noise regardless of spectral overlap, challenging common expectations. Noise impaired the ability of males to recognize the female signal and localise its source: overlapping noise decreased sensitivity of receptor neurons to the signal and disrupted signal frequency encoding by phase-locking units, while non-overlapping noise only affected frequency encoding. Modelling neuronal spike triggering in sensory neurons linked disrupted frequency encoding to interference-induced alterations of the signal waveform. These alterations also affected time delays between signal arrivals to different legs, crucial for localisation. Our study thus unveils a new masking mechanism, potentially unique to insect vibrosensory systems. The findings highlight the higher vulnerability of vibration-mediated behaviour to noise, with implications for insect interactions in natural and anthropogenically altered environments. Ključne besede: biotremology, vibrations, noise, communication, neurons, masking, entomology, neurobiology Objavljeno v DiRROS: 21.11.2024; Ogledov: 142; Prenosov: 2477 Celotno besedilo (2,25 MB) Gradivo ima več datotek! Več... |
223. Initial glutathione depletion during short-term bed rest : pinpointing synthesis and degradation checkpoints in the γ-glutamyl cycleFilippo Giorgio Di Girolamo, Filippo Mearelli, Mariella Sturma, Nicola Fiotti, Kaja Teraž, Alja Ivetac, Alessio Nunnari, Pierandrea Vinci, Boštjan Šimunič, Rado Pišot, Gianni Biolo, 2024, izvirni znanstveni članek Povzetek: Hypokinesia triggers oxidative stress and accelerates the turnover of the glutathione system via the γ-glutamyl cycle. Our study aimed to identify the regulatory checkpoints controlling intracellular glutathione levels. We measured the intermediate substrates of the γ-glutamyl cycle in erythrocytes from 19 healthy young male volunteers before and during a 10-day experimental bed rest. Additionally, we tracked changes in glutathione levels and specific metabolite ratios up to 21 days of bed rest. Using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and the internal standard technique, we observed a 9 ± 9% decrease in glutathione levels during the first 5 days of bed rest, followed by an 11 ± 9% increase from the 5th to the 10th day, nearly returning to baseline ambulatory levels. The cysteinyl-glycine-to-glutathione ratio, reflecting γ-glutamyl cyclotransferase activity (a key enzyme in glutathione breakdown), rose by 14 ± 22% in the first 5 days and then fell by 10 ± 14% over the subsequent 5 days, again approaching baseline levels. Additionally, the γ-glutamyl cysteine-to-cysteine ratio, indicative of γ-glutamyl cysteine synthetase activity (crucial for glutathione synthesis), increased by 12 ± 30% on day 5 and by 29 ± 41% on day 10 of bed rest. The results observed on day 21 of bed rest confirm those seen on day 10. By calculating the ratio of product concentration to precursor concentration, we assessed the efficiency of these key enzymes in glutathione turnover. These results were corroborated by directly measuring glutathione synthesis and degradation rates in vivo using stable isotope techniques. Our findings reveal significant changes in glutathione kinetics during the initial days of bed rest and identify potential therapeutic targets for maintaining glutathione levels. Ključne besede: antioxidant, muscle unloading, glutathion turnover, γ-glutamyl cycle, gamma-glutamyl cycle Objavljeno v DiRROS: 21.11.2024; Ogledov: 150; Prenosov: 1116 Celotno besedilo (1,84 MB) Gradivo ima več datotek! Več... |
224. Acute effects of high-intensity interval training on microvascular circulation : a case control study in uveal melanomaMichael Mendes Wefelnberg, Johanna Hubert, Freerk T. Baumann, Damir Zubac, 2024, izvirni znanstveni članek Povzetek: Objectives: The aim of this study was to explore the acute effects of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on the microvascular circulation and vascular tumor microenvironment (TME) in a patient with uveal melanoma (UM). Additionally, the acceptance of the applied diagnostics and the exercise protocol in a clinical ophthalmic-oncology setting were evaluated. Methods: This case-control study included a young adult male patient with UM previously treated with radiation and an age-matched healthy control. Participants underwent a baseline assessment of dynamic retinal vessel analysis (DRVA) and cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) to determine endothelial function and intensity for HIIT. Optical coherences tomography angiography (OCTA) was performed before, immediately and 30 min after one session of HIIT. The primary outcome were changes in ocular vessel parameters and whole body oxygen uptake. Results: The UM patient exhibited lower arterial dilation and constriction in the affected eye compared to his healthy eye and both eyes of the healthy control. OCTA revealed heterogeneous patterns of vascular response to HIIT in both participants. The tumor eye showed an increase followed by a significant decrease in vessel density post-exercise, while the healthy control exhibited minor increases. Conclusions: The findings of this study highlighted the potential of UM combined with OCTA and DRVA as a model for examine exercise-induced vascular effects within the TME. However, a pre-treated UM as well as detailed image analyses and further research with longitudinal, randomized controlled designs are essential to validate these findings and address methodological limitations. Such investigations could refine integrative cancer treatment. Ključne besede: uveal melanoma, endothelial dysfunction, aerobic exercise, oxygen kinetics Objavljeno v DiRROS: 21.11.2024; Ogledov: 124; Prenosov: 476 Celotno besedilo (2,08 MB) Gradivo ima več datotek! Več... |
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226. Dry-cured ham, ‘Kraški pršut’, from heavy pig production : a pilot study focusing on the effect of ham weight and saltingBojana Savić, Marjeta Čandek-Potokar, Martin Škrlep, 2024, izvirni znanstveni članek Ključne besede: ham weight, reduced salt, dry-cured ham quality, sensory analysis, check all that apply, CATA Objavljeno v DiRROS: 20.11.2024; Ogledov: 119; Prenosov: 59 Celotno besedilo (816,03 KB) Gradivo ima več datotek! Več... |
227. Selected topics on Wiener indexMartin Knor, Riste Škrekovski, Aleksandra Tepeh, 2024, izvirni znanstveni članek Povzetek: The Wiener index is defined as the sum of distances between all unordered pairs of vertices in a graph. It is one of the most recognized and well-researched topological indices, which is on the other hand still a very active area of research. This work presents a natural continuation of the paper Mathematical aspects of Wiener index (Ars Math. Contemp., 2016) in which several interesting open questions on the topic were outlined. Here we collect answers gathered so far, give further insights on the topic of extremal values of Wiener index in different settings, and present further intriguing problems and conjectures. Ključne besede: graph distance, Wiener index, average distance, topological index, molecular descriptor, chemical graph theory Objavljeno v DiRROS: 20.11.2024; Ogledov: 116; Prenosov: 50 Celotno besedilo (519,71 KB) Gradivo ima več datotek! Več... |
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229. Tensiomyography : from muscle assessment to talent identification toolDražen Čular, Matej Babić, Damir Zubac, Ana Kezić, Iva Macan, Leonardo Alexandre Peyré-Tartaruga, Francesco Ceccarini, Johnny Padulo, 2023, pregledni znanstveni članek Povzetek: Introduction: Tensiomyography (TMG) is a non-invasive and cost-effective tool that is gaining popularity in fields such as sports science, physical therapy, and medicine. In this narrative review, we examine the different applications of TMG and its strengths and limitations, including its use as a tool for sport talent identification and development. Methods: In the course of crafting this narrative review, an exhaustive literature search was carried out. Our exploration spanned several renowned scientific databases, such as PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and ResearchGate. The materials we sourced for our review included a broad spectrum of both experimental and non-experimental articles, all focusing on TMG. The experimental articles featured varied research designs including randomized controlled trials, quasi-experiments, as well as pre-post studies. As for the non-experimental articles, they encompassed a mix of case-control, cross-sectional, and cohort studies. Importantly, all articles included in our review were written in English and had been published in peer-reviewed journals. The assortment of studies considered provided a holistic view of the existing body of knowledge on TMG, and formed the basis of our comprehensive narrative review. Results: A total of 34 studies were included in the review, organized into three sections: 1) assessing muscle contractile properties of young athletes, 2) using TMG in the talent identification and development process and 3) Future research and perspectives. According to data presented here, the most consistent TMG parameters for determining muscle contractile properties are radial muscle belly displacement, contraction time, and delay time. Biopsy findings from the vastus lateralis (VL) confirmed TMG as a valid tool for estimating the ratio of myosin heavy chain (%MHC-I). Conclusion: TMGs ability to estimate the ratio of %MHC-I has the potential to aid in the selection of athletes with the muscle characteristics best suited for a particular sport, eliminating the need for more invasive procedures. However, more research is warranted to fully understand TMG’s potential and its reliability when used with young athletes. Importantly, the use of TMG technology in this process can positively impact health status, reducing the frequency and severity of injuries and the duration of recovery, and subsequently can reduce drop out rates among youth athletes. Future studies should look at twin youth athletes, as a model capable of discriminating between the influence of hereditary factors vs. environmental factors, in therms of muscle contractility and TMG’s potential for instance. Ključne besede: muscle assessment, muscle fiber composition, noninvasive metthod, MHC ratio, TMG Objavljeno v DiRROS: 20.11.2024; Ogledov: 89; Prenosov: 56 Celotno besedilo (707,02 KB) Gradivo ima več datotek! Več... |
230. The influence of lifestyle interventions and overweight on infertility : a systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-regression of randomized controlled trialsAna Glavač, Vedran Hadžić, Cécil J. W. Meulenberg, Ensar Abazović, Mateja Videmšek, Tanja Burnik Papler, Armin Paravlić, 2023, pregledni znanstveni članek Ključne besede: sport, physical activity, infertility, intervention, overweight, pregnancy, ovulation Objavljeno v DiRROS: 20.11.2024; Ogledov: 123; Prenosov: 66 Celotno besedilo (1,04 MB) Gradivo ima več datotek! Več... |