CT reconstruction based 3D model of the digital cushion's blood supply in the hind foot of an African savanna elephant (Loxodonta africana).

Introduction: Foot health is crucial for elephants, as pathological lesions of the feet are a leading cause of euthanasia in captive elephants, which are endangered species. Proper treatment of the feet, particularly in conditions affecting the digits and the digital cushion, requires a thorough understanding of the underlying anatomy. However, only limited literature exists due to the small population and the epidemiological foot diseases which often precludes many deceased elephants from scientific study. The aim of this study was to provide a detailed anatomical description of the blood supply to the African elephant's hindfoot. Methods: The healthy right hindlimb of a 19-year-old deceased female African savanna elephant was examined using computed tomography. Following a native sequence, 48 mL of barium-based contrast agent was injected into the caudal and cranial tibial arteries, and a subsequent scan was performed. The images were processed with 3D Slicer software. Results: The medial and lateral plantar arteries run in a symmetrical pattern. They each have a dorsal and a plantar branch, which reach the plantar skin before turning toward the axial plane of the sole to reach the digital cushion from the proximal direction. An accurate 3D model of the arteries and the bones of the foot, a set of labeled images and an animation of the blood supply have been created for ease of understanding. Discussion: In contrast to domestic ungulates, the digital cushion of the hindlimb is supplied differently from that of the forelimb. The lack of large vessels in its deeper layers indicates a slow regeneration time. This novel anatomical information may be useful in the planning of surgical interventions and in emergency medical procedures.

CT based 3D reconstruction of the forefoot's blood supply in a white rhinoceros.

BACKGROUND: The white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) is close to extinction, listed as "Near Threatened", with a decreasing population on the Red List of Threatened Species of the International Union for Conservation of Nature. In at least 50% of the specimens in captivity, podiatric diseases, such as osteitis, osteomyelitis, chip fractures, enthesophytes, fractures and osteoarthritis were found during necropsy. These osteal deformations cause further pathogenic alterations in the soft tissues, particularly in the digital cushion. The literature provides good description of the skeleton of the rhino's limbs, but similar for the vascular system is non-existent. In order to recognize the symptoms in an early state and for a successful surgical treatment, precise knowledge of the vascular anatomy is essential. The purpose of our study was to provide detailed anatomical description of the blood supply of the digits and that of the digital cushion. RESULTS: The blood supply of the distal foot, digits and digital cushions were perfectly visible on the reconstructed and coloured 3D models. The deep palmar arch provided not only the blood supply to the digits but had a palmaro-distal running branch which developed a trifurcation proximal to the proximal sesamoid bones of the third digit. Two of its branches participated in the blood supply of the digits' proximal palmar surface, while the major branch supplied the digital cushion from proximal direction. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings show a unique blood supply: the main vessels of the digital cushion stem both directly from the deep palmar arch and from the digits' own arteries. The detailed description of vessels may be useful in planning surgery of the region and also in cases where the veins of the ear are not accessible.

The genomic and epidemiological investigations of enteric viruses of domestic caprine (Capra hircus) revealed the presence of multiple novel viruses related to known strains of humans and ruminant livestock species.

IMPORTANCE: Compared with other domestic animals, the virome and viral diversity of small ruminants especially in caprine are less studied even of its zoonotic potential. In this study, the enteric virome of caprine was investigated in detail using next-generation sequencing and reverse transcription PCR techniques. The complete or nearly complete genomes of seven novel viruses were determined which show a close phylogenetic relationship to known human and ruminant viruses. The high similarity between the identified caprine tusavirus (family Parvoviridae) and an unassigned CRESS DNA virus with closely related human strains could indicate the (reverse) zoonotic potential of these viruses. Others, like astroviruses (family Astroviridae), enteroviruses, or novel caripiviruses (named after the term caprine picornavirus) of family Picornaviridae found mostly in multiple co-infections in caprine and ovine, could indicate the cross-species transmission capabilities of these viruses between small ruminants.

Space Compositional Aspects Regarding the Importance of Trees in the Urban Landscape.

Individual trees and tree compositions provide a wide range of cultural ecosystem services, including playing a key role in defining urban character. In Hungary, urban landscape protection tools have recently been expanded, bringing the topic into the spotlight. However, the significance of natural elements (and particularly trees) in relation to the urban landscape is still under-researched. In this paper, using a novel methodology, the character-forming significance of trees and tree-compositional elements of historic gardens in Hungary that define the urban character is analysed and evaluated. The urban landscape protection tools that establish the current recognition of green elements within the urban landscape are also analysed. In addition, the spatial situations and characteristics making certain trees in historic gardens defining character elements within Hungarian settlements are studied. Reasons behind the lack of significant tree features in certain historic gardens, as well as the external and internal characteristics of tree elements that determine their visual impact have been categorised. The results reveal that visually important trees, while diverse, show distinct trends in terms of visibility and are subject to constant change. The results imply that a paradigm shift is necessary to maintain, design and regulate green infrastructure in relation to visually important trees.

Expression Levels of GHRH-Receptor, pAkt and Hsp90 Predict 10-Year Overall Survival in Patients with Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Rectal cancer constitutes nearly one-third of all colorectal cancer diagnoses, and certain clinical and molecular markers have been studied as potential prognosticators of patient survival. The main objective of our study was to investigate the relationship between the expression intensities of certain proteins, including growth-hormone-releasing hormone receptor (GHRH-R), Hsp90, Hsp16.2, p-Akt and SOUL, in specimens of locally advanced rectal cancer patients, as well as the time to metastasis and 10-year overall survival (OS) rates. We also investigated whether these outcome measures were associated with the presence of other clinical parameters. METHODS: In total, 109 patients were investigated retrospectively. Samples of pretreatment tumors were stained for the proteins GHRH-R, Hsp90, Hsp16.2, p-Akt and SOUL using immunhistochemistry methods. Kaplan-Meier curves were used to show the relationships between the intensity of expression of biomarkers, clinical parameters, the time to metastasis and the 10-year OS rate. RESULTS: High levels of p-Akt, GHRH-R and Hsp90 were associated with a significantly decreased 10-year OS rate (p = 0.001, p = 0.000, p = 0.004, respectively) and high expression levels of p-Akt and GHRH-R were correlated with a significantly shorter time to metastasis. Tumors localized in the lower third of the rectum were linked to both a significantly longer time to metastasis and an improved 10-year OS rate. CONCLUSIONS: Hsp 90, pAkt and GHRH-R as well as the lower-third localization of the tumor were predictive of the 10-year OS rate in locally advanced rectal cancer patients. The GHRH-R and Hsp90 expression levels were independent prognosticators of OS. Our results imply that GHRH-R could play a particularly important role both as a molecular biomarker and as a target for the anticancer treatment of advanced rectal cancer.

Human-stool-associated tusavirus (Parvoviridae) in domestic goats and sheep.

In this study, genetic counterparts of the human-stool-associated tusavirus (subfamily Parvovirinae, family Parvoviridae) with >97% and 95-100% amino acid sequence identity in the parvoviral NS1 and VP1 protein were identified in faecal specimens from domestic goats (Capra hircus) and sheep (Ovis aries) in Hungary. Eleven (17.8%) of the 62 faecal specimens from goats and 12 (25.5%) of the 47 from sheep both from less than 12 months old animals were positive for tusavirus DNA by PCR, while none of the specimens collected from cattle and swine were positive. Thus, it cannot be ruled out that tusavirus infection in humans is of zoonotic origin.

Development and Large-Scale Testing of a Novel One-Step Triplex RT-qPCR Assay for Simultaneous Detection of "Neurotropic" Porcine Sapeloviruses, Teschoviruses (Picornaviridae) and Type 3 Porcine Astroviruses (Astroviridae) in Various Samples including Nasal Swabs.

Porcine sapeloviruses, teschoviruses of family Picornaviridae and type 3 porcine astroviruses of family Astroviridae are (re-)emerging enteric pathogens that could be associated with severe, disseminated infections in swine, affecting multiple organs including the central nervous system (CNS). Furthermore, small-scale pioneer studies indicate the presence of these viruses in porcine nasal samples to various extents. The laboratory diagnostics are predominantly based on the detection of the viral RNA from faecal and tissue samples using different nucleic-acid-based techniques such as RT-qPCR. In this study, a novel highly sensitive one-step triplex RT-qPCR assay was introduced which can detect all known types of neurotropic sapelo-, tescho- and type 3 astroviruses in multiple types of samples of swine. The assay was evaluated using in vitro synthesized RNA standards and a total of 142 archived RNA samples including known sapelo-, tescho- and type 3 astrovirus positive and negative CNS, enteric and nasal specimens. The results of a large-scale epidemiological investigation of these viruses on n = 473 nasal swab samples from n = 28 industrial-type swine farms in Hungary indicate that all three neurotropic viruses, especially type 3 astroviruses, are widespread and endemically present on most of the investigated farms.

Additional Value of 18F-FDOPA Amino Acid Analog Radiotracer to Irradiation Planning Process of Patients With Glioblastoma Multiforme.

PURPOSE: To investigate the added value of 6-(18F]-fluoro-L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (FDOPA) PET to radiotherapy planning in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). METHODS: From September 2017 to December 2020, 17 patients with GBM received external beam radiotherapy up to 60 Gy with concurrent and adjuvant temozolamide. Target volume delineations followed the European guideline with a 2-cm safety margin clinical target volume (CTV) around the contrast-enhanced lesion+resection cavity on MRI gross tumor volume (GTV). All patients had FDOPA hybrid PET/MRI followed by PET/CT before radiotherapy planning. PET segmentation followed international recommendation: T/N 1.7 (BTV1.7) and T/N 2 (BTV2.0) SUV thresholds were used for biological target volume (BTV) delineation. For GTV-BTVs agreements, 95% of the Hausdorff distance (HD95%) from GTV to the BTVs were calculated, additionally, BTV portions outside of the GTV and coverage by the 95% isodose contours were also determined. In case of recurrence, the latest MR images were co-registered to planning CT to evaluate its location relative to BTVs and 95% isodose contours. RESULTS: Average (range) GTV, BTV1.7, and BTV2.0 were 46.58 (6-182.5), 68.68 (9.6-204.1), 42.89 (3.8-147.6) cm3, respectively. HD95% from GTV were 15.5 mm (7.9-30.7 mm) and 10.5 mm (4.3-21.4 mm) for BTV1.7 and BTV2.0, respectively. Based on volumetric assessment, 58.8% (28-100%) of BTV1.7 and 45.7% of BTV2.0 (14-100%) were outside of the standard GTV, still all BTVs were encompassed by the 95% dose. All recurrences were confirmed by follow-up imaging, all occurred within PTV, with an additional outfield recurrence in a single case, which was not DOPA-positive at the beginning of treatment. Good correlation was found between the mean and median values of PET/CT and PET/MRI segmented volumes relative to corresponding brain-accumulated enhancement (r = 0.75; r = 0.72). CONCLUSION: 18FFDOPA PET resulted in substantial larger tumor volumes compared to MRI; however, its added value is unclear as vast majority of recurrences occurred within the prescribed dose level. Use of PET/CT signals proved to be feasible in the absence of direct segmentation possibilities of PET/MR in TPS. The added value of 18FFDOPA may be better exploited in the context of integrated dose escalation.

Genome characterization, prevalence and tissue distribution of astrovirus, hepevirus and norovirus among wild and laboratory rats (Rattus norvegicus) and mice (Mus musculus) in Hungary.

Rodents including rats are reservoir of several pathogens capable of affecting human health. In this study, faecal and different organ specimens from free-living Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) (N = 18) and faecal samples from laboratory rodents (rats N = 21 and mice N = 20) collected from different geographic areas in Hungary between 2017 and 2020 were investigated by viral metagenomics and conventional RT-PCR methods. The complete genome of three different RNA viruses, rat astrovirus, rat norovirus and rat hepevirus were characterized and analysed in detail. Rat norovirus was detected in faecal (17.6%, 3/17) and kidney (7.1%, 1/14) samples; rat astrovirus in faecal (23.5%, 4/17) and spleen (13.3%, 2/15) samples, and rat hepevirus in 43% to 67% the faecal, liver, kidney, lung, heart, muscle, brain and blood samples from Norway rats, respectively. Rat norovirus was also identifiable in 5% (1/21) of laboratory rats and rat astrovirus in 40% (8/20) of faecal samples from laboratory mice. Co-infections were found in 28% (5/18) wild Norway rats. The highest RNA viral load of astrovirus (1.81 × 108 copy/g) and norovirus (3.49 × 107 copy/g) were measured in faecal samples; while the highest RNA viral load of hepevirus (1.16 × 109 copy/g) was found in liver samples of Norway rats, respectively. This study confirms the wide geographic distribution and high prevalence of astrovirus, norovirus and hepevirus among wild rats in Hungary with confirmation of different organ involvement of as well as the detection of norovirus and astrovirus in laboratory rats and mice, respectively. This finding further strengthens the role of rodents in the spread of viral pathogens especially infecting human.

Injury-Induced Innate Immune Response During Segment Regeneration of the Earthworm, Eisenia andrei.

Regeneration of body parts and their interaction with the immune response is a poorly understood aspect of earthworm biology. Consequently, we aimed to study the mechanisms of innate immunity during regeneration in Eisenia andrei earthworms. In the course of anterior and posterior regeneration, we documented the kinetical aspects of segment restoration by histochemistry. Cell proliferation peaked at two weeks and remitted by four weeks in regenerating earthworms. Apoptotic cells were present throughout the cell renewal period. Distinct immune cell (e.g., coelomocyte) subsets were accumulated in the newly-formed blastema in the close proximity of the apoptotic area. Regenerating earthworms have decreased pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) (e.g., TLR, except for scavenger receptor) and antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) (e.g., lysenin) mRNA patterns compared to intact earthworms. In contrast, at the protein level, mirroring regulation of lysenins became evident. Experimental coelomocyte depletion caused significantly impaired cell divisions and blastema formation during anterior and posterior regeneration. These obtained novel data allow us to gain insight into the intricate interactions of regeneration and invertebrate innate immunity.

[Linac-based stereotactic ablative radiotherapy for pancreatic cancer with intrafractional triggered imaging]. / Hasnyálmirigyrák lineáris gyorsító alapú sztereotaxiás sugárterápiája kezelés alatti tumorkövetéssel.

Our aim was to present different treatment strategies (non-gated [NG], respiratory-gated [RG] and deep inspiration breath-hold [DIBH] technique) of linac-based stereotaxic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) for pancreatic cancer in terms of use of marker, abdominal compression, image quality, and time efficiency. From October 2016 to October 2020 14 patients were treated with VMAT-based SABR (NG: 6/14, 8/14 RG RT including 3/8 DIBH SABR). Treatment verification consisted of 3D/4D CBCTs. For intrafractional tumor visualization (11/14) different type of fiducials were used. The average treatment time was the shortest with NG RT, followed by DIBH and RG RT. However, the best image quality was achieved with DIBH technique. The Krippendorff's agreement test among three independent RTTs showed that DIBH CBCT (Cone Beam CT) can produce sufficient image quality for OARs and can be used to reliably determine OARs position related to safety zone (PRV). Overall, marker-based DIBH SABR with intrafractional tumor visualization appears to be the best technique on linac at present.

Multiple Types of Novel Enteric Bopiviruses (Picornaviridae) with the Possibility of Interspecies Transmission Identified from Cloven-Hoofed Domestic Livestock (Ovine, Caprine and Bovine) in Hungary.

Most picornaviruses of the family Picornaviridae are relatively well known, but there are certain "neglected" genera like Bopivirus, containing a single uncharacterised sequence (bopivirus A1, KM589358) with very limited background information. In this study, three novel picornaviruses provisionally called ovipi-, gopi- and bopivirus/Hun (MW298057-MW298059) from enteric samples of asymptomatic ovine, caprine and bovine respectively, were determined using RT-PCR and dye-terminator sequencing techniques. These monophyletic viruses share the same type II-like IRES, NPGP-type 2A, similar genome layout (4-3-4) and cre-localisations. Culture attempts of the study viruses, using six different cell lines, yielded no evidence of viral growth in vitro. Genomic and phylogenetic analyses show that bopivirus/Hun of bovine belongs to the species Bopivirus A, while the closely related ovine-origin ovipi- and caprine-origin gopivirus could belong to a novel species "Bopivirus B" in the genus Bopivirus. Epidemiological investigation of N = 269 faecal samples of livestock (ovine, caprine, bovine, swine and rabbit) from different farms in Hungary showed that bopiviruses were most prevalent among <12-month-old ovine, caprine and bovine, but undetectable in swine and rabbit. VP1 capsid-based phylogenetic analyses revealed the presence of multiple lineages/genotypes, including closely related ovine/caprine strains, suggesting the possibility of ovine-caprine interspecies transmission of certain bopiviruses.

Triggered Imaging With Auto Beam Hold and Pre-/Posttreatment CBCT During Prostate SABR: Analysis of Time Efficiency, Target Coverage, and Normal Volume Changes.

PURPOSE: Our purpose was to investigate time efficiency and target coverage for prostate stereotactic ablative radiation therapy (SABR) using triggered imaging (TI) and auto beam hold. METHODS AND MATERIALS: A total of 20 patients were treated with volumetric modulated arc-based SABR. Treatment verification consisted of pre- and post-radiation therapy cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) with gold marker-based TI every 3 seconds. In case of ≥3 mm (deviation limit) displacement, the treatment was interrupted and imaging-based correction was performed. Beam interruptions, intrafractional shifts, and treatment times were recorded. Prostate, rectum, and bladder were delineated on each CBCT. Target coverage was evaluated by comparing the individual prostate delineations with 98% isodose contour volumes (% of the evaluated volumes exceeding the reference). Both inter- and intrafractional changes of bladder and rectal volumes were assessed. RESULTS: The average overall treatment time (±standard deviation) was 18 ± 11 min, with a radiation delivery time of 6 ± 3 min if no intrafractional CBCT acquisitions were necessary (91% of fractions). On average, 1.2 beam interruptions per fraction were required with 0/1 correction in 71% of the fractions. The mean residual 3-dimensional shift was 1.6 mm, exceeding the deviation limit in 8%. In the case of intrafractional CBCT and/or ≥2 corrections the treatment time dramatically increased. The 98% isodose lines did not encompass the prostate in only 8/180 (4%) evaluations in 6 different patients, leading to a loss of D98 between 0.1%-6% as a worst case scenario. The bladder volumes showed significant increases during treatment (P < .01) while rectal volumes were stable. CONCLUSIONS: Time efficiency of TI + auto beam hold with 3 mm/3 sec threshold during prostate SABR is comparable with competitive techniques, resulting in minimal 3-dimensional residual errors with maintained target coverage. Technical developments are necessary to further reduce radiation delivery time. Use of CBCT allowed full control of rectal volumes, while bladder volumes showed significant increases over time.

Change of Acoustic Emission Characteristics during Temperature Induced Transition from Twinning to Dislocation Slip under Compression in Polycrystalline Sn.

In this study, acoustic emission (AE) measurements on polycrystalline tin as a function of temperature at different driving rates under compression were carried out. It is shown that there is a definite difference between the acoustic emission characteristics belonging to twinning (low temperatures) as well as to dislocation slip (high temperatures). The stress averaged values of the exponents of the energy probability density functions decreased from ε = 1.45 ± 0.05 (-60 °C) to ε = 1.20 ± 0.15 (50 °C) at a driving rate of ε=0.15 s-1, and the total acoustic energy decreased by three orders of magnitude with increasing temperature. In addition, the exponent γ in the scaling relation SAE~DAEγ (SAE is the area and DAE is the duration) also shows similar temperature dependence (changing from γ = 1.78 ± 0.08 to γ = 1.35 ± 0.05), illustrating that the avalanche statistics belong to two different microscopic deformation mechanisms. The power law scaling relations were also analyzed, taking into account that the detected signal is always the convolution of the source signal and the transfer function of the system. It was obtained that approximate values of the power exponents can be obtained from the parts of the above functions, belonging to large values of parameters. At short duration times, the attenuation effect of the AE detection system dominates the time dependence, from which the characteristic attenuation time, τa, was determined as τa ≅ 70 µs.

UCE data reveal multiple origins of rose gallers in North America: Global phylogeny of Diplolepis Geoffroy (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae).

Gall wasps in the genus Diplolepis Geoffroy are specialized herbivores that induce galls exclusively on roses. Despite their wide distribution across the Holarctic, little is known about their evolutionary history. Here we present the first phylogenomic tree of global Diplolepis reconstructed using Ultraconserved Elements (UCEs), resulting in a robust phylogeny based on 757 genes. Results support the existence of two principal clades: a Nearctic stem-galler clade, and a Holarctic leaf-galler clade that further splits into two Palearctic groups and one Nearctic group. This topology is congruent with a previous study based on the mitochondrial gene COI, an unexpected result given the common occurrence of mitonuclear discordance in closely related oak gall wasp lineages. Most Diplolepis species were recovered as reciprocally monophyletic, with some notable exceptions such as the D. polita and the D. ignota complex, for which species boundaries remain unresolved. Historical biogeographic reconstruction was unable to pinpoint the origin of Diplolepis, but confirms two independent incursions into the Nearctic. Ancestral state reconstruction analysis highlights the conservatism of gall location on the host plants, as shifts to different host organs are relatively rare. We suggest that Diplolepis were originally leaf gallers, with a Nearctic stem-galler clade undergoing a major plant organ switch onto rose stems. Host organ switch or reversal is uncommon, which suggests a level of conservatism. Our study showcases the resolving power of UCEs at the species level while also suggesting improvements to advance future Cynipoidea phylogenomics. Our results also highlight the additional sampling needed to clarify taxonomic relationships in the Nearctic and eastern Palearctic regions.

Acoustic Emission Characteristics and Change the Transformation Entropy after Stress-Induced Martensite Stabilization in Shape Memory Ni53Mn25Ga22 Single Crystal.

Measurements have been carried out to compare stress-induced martensite stabilization aged (SIM-aged) and as grown shape memory Ni53Mn25Ga22 single crystals with the means of simultaneous differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and acoustic emission (AE). Contrary to expectations, the position of the hysteresis practically did not change, whilst the width of the hysteresis increased, and the forward and reverse transitions became sharper in the SIM-aged sample. The energy distributions of acoustic hits showed regular power law behaviour and the energy exponents were slightly different for heating and cooling; this asymmetry had different signs for the SIM-aged and as grown samples. During heating, in accordance with the sharper transitions observed in the DSC runs, two well-marked jumps could be seen on the plot of cumulative number of the acoustic emission events. Therefore, these were attributed to high sudden jumps in the phase transition during heating observed in the DSC. The effect of the SIM-aging on the transformation entropy was also investigated and it was found that it was about 36% less in the case of the SIM-aged sample.

High prevalence, genetic diversity and a potentially novel genotype of Sapelovirus A (Picornaviridae) in enteric and respiratory samples in Hungarian swine farms.

All of the known porcine sapeloviruses (PSVs) currently belong to a single genotype in the genus Sapelovirus (family Picornaviridae). Here, the complete genome of a second, possibly recombinant, genotype of PSV strain SZ1M-F/PSV/HUN2013 (MN807752) from a faecal sample of a paraplegic pig in Hungary was characterized using viral metagenomics and RT-PCR. This sapelovirus strain showed only 64 % nucleotide identity in the VP1 region to its closest PSV-1 relative. Complete VP1 sequence-based epidemiological investigations of PSVs circulating in Hungary showed the presence of diverse strains found in high prevalence in enteric and respiratory samples collected from both asymptomatic and paraplegic pigs from 12 swine farms. Virus isolation attempts using PK-15 cell cultures were successful in 3/8 cases for the classic but not the novel PSV genotype. Sequence comparisons of faeces and isolate strains derived VP1 showed that cultured PSV strains not always represent the dominant PSVs found in vivo.

A new Diplolepis Geoffroy (Hymenoptera, Cynipidae, Diplolepidini) species from China: a rare example of a rose gall-inducer of economic significance.

A new species of the genus Diplolepis Geoffroy, Diplolepis abei Pujade-Villar & Wang sp. nov. is described on host plant Rosa sertata Rolfe × R. rugosa Thunb. from China with an integrative approach based on molecular and morphological data. Diagnosis, distribution and biology of the new species are included and illustrated. This species is the first known rose gall-inducer of economic importance. A review of Eastern Palearctic species of Diplolepis is given and a key to the Chinese fauna is presented.

Attenuated total reflection fourier transform infrared spectroscopy based methods for identification of chromatography media formulations used in downstream processes.

Chromatographic media play a crucial role in the downstream processing of biotechnology products. The physical and chemical properties of these processing aids are mostly monitored by expensive and time-consuming preparative tests, but spectroscopic techniques may also be used to measure chromatographic media samples. In this study, chromatographic media formulations used in downstream processes were investigated using attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared (ATR FT-IR) spectroscopy. Samples were measured both in original suspension form and after drying to examine the possibilities of a potential spectroscopic method without sample preparation. Principal component analysis (PCA) was employed to identify the spectral differences among the formulations with distinct support matrices and functional groups and soft independent modeling of class analogy (SIMCA) was performed to creating classification models for identification of chromatography media. To increase the number of samples in the SIMCA, simulated spectra were generated based on the experimental spectra. PCA models indicated that spectra of samples in original suspension form and after drying contained similar information about the chemical properties of chromatographic media samples. Moreover, during the classification of spectra based on SIMCA, both measurement techniques gave high sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) results. These results show that ATR FT-IR could be applied as a simple alternative method for monitoring the chromatography media samples. This technique is also feasible without sample preparation. Thereby the multi-hours drying steps may be omitted, the measurements can be performed in a few minutes, and the potential effects of sample preparations can be eliminated.

Landscape-scale terrestrial factors are also vital in shaping Odonata assemblages of watercourses.

Habitat loss and fragmentation causes a decline in insect populations. Odonata (both dragonflies and damselflies) are especially threatened by the destruction of both aquatic and terrestrial environment. Moreover, effects of large-scale habitat heterogeneity on Odonata assemblages are poorly studied. In a two years study along East-European lowland watercourses both aquatic and terrestrial environment were studied to reveal the importance of local (e.g. water depth, macrovegetation cover, etc.) and landscape-scale (e.g. farmland patch size, forest patch proportion, etc.) variables to Odonata (as well as to dragonflies and damselflies separately) through increasing spatial sampling scales. The specimens were sampled using 500 m long transects from May to September. Results, both on local and landscape scales emphasized the importance of terrestrial environment on Odonata. Local variables influence damselflies, while dragonflies are more sensitive to landscape variables. Damselfly's diversity decreased with increasing macrovegetation cover, while dragonfly's diversity decreased with the increasing degree of land use intensification, but increased with the length of watercourses. It is thus vital to stress the importance of partial watercourse clearing, and moderate maintenance of traditional farm management based on small parcel farming near watercourses to maintain diverse and healthy Odonata assemblages.