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- Author or Editor: L. Papp x
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It is an essential property of diversity indices that increases in the abundance or frequency of the most frequent species result in a decline in diversity, whereas increases in the abundance of the rarest species lead to an increase in diversity. At the same time, without resort to mathematical operations, it is difficult to determine the sign and measure of alteration in diversity when increasing an additional frequency while leaving all others unaltered. A more concrete task is to determine the index response to a partial alteration of fixed percentage in the frequencies of the multi-species community or collection. Plotting the observed responses or sensitivity values against the frequencies concerned makes possible a good overview of the sensitivity relations. The mathematical groundwork of sensitivity analysis with respect to diversity indices has already been elaborated. To date, however, the methodological possibilities engendered by such analyses have yet to be exploited. In the present work, sensitivity relations are discussed for apple-bait Drosophilidae collections and human faeces trap collections of flies inhabiting brook valleys in the low mountains of Hungary. Inspection of the results enables us to identify the range of frequencies at which significant increases or decreases in diversity will result. A relatively small increase of so-called nearly indifferent or quasineutral frequencies lying within that frequency range has a trivial influence on diversity values. While sensitivity is astonishingly sizeable with a few dominant case numbers, all other frequencies scarcely influence the index value.
Adult fly collections were made in May and August 2006, from the mud of a salty lake in the Kiskunság National Park, Hungary. We collected 21,600 individuals of 62 species in May and 18,400 individuals of 81 species in August, giving a total of 103 species (only 40 appearing in both seasons). Dominant species were different in the two collections. Five species are new for the Hungarian fauna. Diversity measured by several indices was higher in the May collection. We observed simultaneously a nearly lognormal distribution and a power-law like behaviour of the abundances.
This paper presents the phytosociological description of a drained swamp community, Veratro albi-Fraxinetum angustifoliae, so far found only in the Nyírség at Nyírábrány “Kis-kőrises”, “Mogyorósi-erdő”; Vámospércs “Jónásrész-Kőrises”; and Vámospércs “Jónásrész-Buzita”. The habitat of the community is transitional between that of alder swamps (Fraxino pannonicae-Alnetum glutinosae), and hardwood riparian forests (Fraxino pannonicae-Ulmetum). The community is characterised by high proportions of character species of Alnion glutinosae and Molinion coerulei as well as Quercetea pubescentis-petraeae s. l. whereas character species of the order Fagetalia are almost completely absent. It hosts several rare, often threatened species, such as Angelica palustris, Ophioglossum vulgatum, Trollius europaeus and Veratrum album.
Rats were treated with a combination of insecticide agents in different timing schemes. In acute administration, 1/5 LD50 of the three insecticides: dimethoate, propoxur and cypermethrin, or their combination, was given once by gavage. In the developmental model, female rats received oral doses of 1/25 LD50 of the above insecticides in combination in three timing schemes including pregnancy and lactation. Responses in the somatosensory cortex and in the tail nerve, evoked by peripheral electric stimulation, were recorded in acute preparation under urethane anesthesia. It was tested whether the parameters of the cortical and peripheral evoked response are dependent on the frequency and whether this dependence is different in control and treated animals. The latency increase of the cortical responses with increasing stimulation frequency was significantly stronger in rats treated acutely with cypermethrin and the combination, and in rats receiving the combination during both intra- and extrauterine development. On the duration, the effects were less clear. Frequency dependent increase of the tail nerve action potential latency was significantly intensified by cypermethrin, and the amplitude decrease, by cypermethrin and dimethoate. Fatigue of this response during a stimulation series was also altered by the insecticides. Frequency dependence and fatigue possibly reflect the actual state of the nervous system and may have the potency to be developed to functional biomarkers.
Abstract
The fundamental parameters method (FPM) for X-ray fluorescence (XRF) has been applied to determine the MN, Cr and Sr components of aluminium wires and sheets. The results are compared with neutron activation analysis (NAA) and atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS). The FPM does not require standards, however, it requires the spectra of the pure element for the concentration determination.
Clinical observations of Babesia canis infection in 63 dogs during a 1-year period are summarised, demonstrating the pathogenicity of the Babesia strain endemic in Hungary. Most patients had babesiosis in the spring and autumn, correlating with the seasonal activity of ticks. Male animals appeared in higher numbers, probably due to an overrepresentation of outdoor dogs. Uncomplicated babesiosis was diagnosed in 32 cases. The disease affected dogs of any age in this study. Symptoms were similar to those published from other parts of the world: lethargy, fever, splenomegaly, pallor, icterus, haemoglobinuria and presence of ticks were the most common observations. Thrombocytopenia, lymphopenia and neutropenia were frequent haemogram changes. Imidocarb appeared to be highly effective in eliminating the Babesia infection. Thirty-one animals demonstrated babesiosis with complications. Most Rottweilers (7/9) developed complicated disease. Old age was a risk factor for multiple complications. Multiple organ manifestations had poor prognosis. Hepatopathy (44%), pancreatitis (33%), acute renal failure (ARF; 31%) and disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC; 24%) were frequent complications, while immune-mediated haemolytic anaemia (IMHA; 10%), acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS; 6%) and cerebral babesiosis (3%) were rarely observed. There was a significant difference between the mean age of dogs having uncomplicated disease, babesiosis with a single complication and babesiosis with multiple complications (3.4, 4.8 and 8.6 years, respectively, p < 0.001). The recovery rate (78, 68 and 25%, respectively, p = 0.005) and mortality rate (3, 21 and 67%, respectively, p < 0.001) also tended to differ significantly in these groups. Systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) and DIC are two possible pathways leading to multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) in babesiosis. DIC was found to predict MODS more sensitively in this study than SIRS: there were 6 animals developing MODS out of 11 identified with DIC, while only 5 dogs developed MODS out of 22 having SIRS.
Abstract
The problem of converting measured intensities into mass concentrations arises from the fact that the measured intensity of a characteristic X-ray line of an element or compound depends not only on the mass concentration of that element or compound but also on the nature and abundance of the other constituents of the specimen. In this work the empirical coefficient method which comprises both absorption and enhancement effects of each element on each other element by parameters independent of mass concentrations was used for correction of enhancement effects from antimony and praseodymium on bromine in two groups of samples. The results of analysis of bromine shows a relative error of not more than ±4%.
Abstract
A method is described for the simultaneous determination of cadmium, antimony and praseodymium by 14-MeV neutron activation analysis based on characteristic X-ray spectrometry. The results of analysis show a relative error not higher than ±5%, when diluted with H3BO3 /
90%/ and utilizing the internal standard method to minimize the interelement effects.
Abstract
The empirical coefficient method represents the absorption and enhancement effect of each element on each other by parameters independent of mass concentrations. This method is used together with the internal standard method for the determination of cadmium, bromine and selenium by 14 MeV neutron activation followed by X-ray spectrometry. The results of analysis show a relative error not more than ±5%.
Abstract
14 MeV neutron activation followed by X-ray spectrometry was applied to the simultaneous nondestructive determination of cadmium, antimony and bromine, utilizing praseodymium as an internal standard. The results of analysis show a relative error not higher than ±5%, when the samples were diluted with H3BO3
-5% to minimize the interelement effects.
