Este estudo teve por objetivo avaliar, in vitro, a influência do material de confecção das matrizes, traçando um perfil da conversão monomérica de um compósito micro-híbrido, além de avaliar qual dos materiais testados mais se assemelha a uma matriz de dentina. A avaliação foi feita através da análise do grau de conversão (GC). Foram confeccionadas 3 matrizes bipartidas, sendo estas de teflon negro, tefon branco e aço inoxidável, ambas com 10mm de diâmetro e 2 mm de profundidade. Para o grupo controle foi utilizado um incisivo central bovino, o qual teve sua face vestibular aplainada em uma lixadeira sob refrigeração constante, com o auxílio de uma lixa de carbeto de silício, número 800. Após, este dente foi preparado com uma broca diamantada número 2294 (KG Sorensen) em alta rotação, própria para a preparação de cavidades padronizadas para ensaios de laboratório, apresentando um limitador de penetração. Em seguida, com um motor de baixa rotação foi realizado o acabamento das paredes, obtendo-se uma cavidade de 2,0 mm de profundidade por 9,0 mm de diâmetro. Pela palatina desse dente, com uma broca carbide cilíndrica de numeração 2056 (KG Sorensen), fez-se uma penetração até se obter uma parede de dentina extremamente fina, porém sem que esta fosse rompida. Assim, com uma agulha, fez-se uma pequena perfuração no centro dessa dentina para que este instrumental servisse como um pino para remoção do corpo de prova de dentro da matriz de dente. Os corpos de prova (CP) foram obtidos a partir da inserção do compósito no interior da perfuração das matrizes em um único incremento e cobertos na superfície externa com uma matriz de poliéster mais uma lamínula de vidro. Os CP foram fotopolimerizados por 40 s pela fonte de luz halógena Optilux 501 (Demetron), com 500 mW/cm. Imediatamente após a polimerização, os corpos de prova eram submetidos no topo e na base para a análise de espectrometria no infravermelho para a determinação da profundidade de polimerização, pela técnica do filme vazado para o compósito não polimerizado e pela técnica da pastilha de brometo de potássio (KBr) para o compósito polimerizado. Foram confeccionados 5 CP de cada grupo. Em cada grupo, o compósito da base e do topo das amostras foi moído até se obter de 1,5 a 2,0 mg de pó e misturado com 70 mg de KBr, para obtenção da pastilha de KBr. Foi feita a análise de espectrofotometria no infravermelho por Transformada de Fourier (FTIR). As absorções selecionadas para o cálculo foram 1610 cm-1 e 1637 cm-1, os picos dos espectros das ligações dos carbonos aromáticos e alifáticos, respectivamente. Os dados obtidos foram tratados estatisticamente. Os grupos Gr1B, Gr2B, Gr3B e Gr4B representam, respectivamente, as bases dos CP confeccionados pelas matrizes de DB, TN, TB e AI. Já os Gr1T, Gr2T, Gr3T e Gr4T representam os topos. Médias (%) e DP: Gr1T (46,461,99), Gr2T (39,864,51), Gr3T (44,053,44) e Gr4T (38,045,08). Gr1B (40,441,49), Gr2B (36,153,81), Gr3B (40,093,18) e Gr4B (35,593,35). Em posse dos resultados, pôde-se concluir que os grupos do teflon negro, teflon branco e aço inoxidável não apresentaram diferenças entre o grau de conversão do topo e da base, enquanto que o grupo da dentina apresentou maior conversão do topo. Comparando as matrizes entre elas, pôde-se perceber que no topo, o GC do dente bovino é maior que o GC do aço inoxidável e do que o de teflon negro, o GC do teflon branco é maior que o GC do aço inoxidável e do que o de teflon negro. Já o topo dos grupos de dente bovino e teflon banco foram semelhantes. Nas bases dos CPs, não houve diferença significativa entre os grupos testados. De acordo com os resultados obtidos no experimento, pôde-se concluir que nos grupos do teflon negro, teflon branco e aço inoxidável não houve diferença entre 0 e 2 mm, ou seja, topo e base, o que mostra que o material de confecção da matriz não influênciou o grau de conversão do compósito. Já para o grupo da matriz de dentina, o topo apresentou valor de conversão monomérica maior, mostrando que, neste caso, o material da matriz interferiu no grau de conversão. Pode-se perceber também que existe uma tendência da matriz de teflon branco se assemelhar mais a matriz de dentina, pois foi o único grupo que apresentou semelhança nos valores de conversão monomérica no topo das amostras. Porém analisando a base das amostras, percebe-se que todos os grupos se comportaram de forma semelhante, obtendo valores do grau de conversão sem diferença significante. / This study was undertaken in order to determine, in vitro, the influence of mould material by the degree of conversion in a composite, and assess which of the materials tested was more akin to an array of dentin. The assessment was made by examining the degree of conversion (DC). Three bipartite moulds were made of black Teflon, white Teflon and stainless steel. All of them had 10 mm of diameter and 2 mm of deep. To the control group it was used a bovine central incisor, which had its buccal face leveled off in a sander under refrigeration with help of sandpaper 800. After that, this tooth was prepared in high speed with a diamond bur 2294 (KG Sorensen). This bur is proper for preparing standardized cavities for laboratories tests, and has a flat end with stop. A cavity of 2 mm of deep for 9 mm of diameter was obtained by a low speed that made the walls finished. With a cylindrical carbide bur 2056 (KG Sorensen), through the tooth lingual, a penetration was made until an extremely thin wall of dentin was obtained. Thus, with a needle, a little perforation was made in the center of this dentin. The specimens were made dispensed the restorative material on a single increment. A strip of cellulose was placed on top and a glass slab was pressed on the top. The material was cured during 40 seconds by halogen light, Optilux 501 (Demetron), with 500 mW/cm. Immediately, after cured, the specimens were submitted, on the top and on the bottom, to analyze their degree of conversion by FTIR. For the uncured composite was used the technique of the film leaked and for the cured composite, the technique of the potassium bromide tablet (KBr). Five specimens of each group had been confectioned. In each group, the bottom and top composite of the samples was worn out until if getting of 1,5 the 2,0 mg of dust and mixed with 70 mg of KBr, for attainment of the tablet of KBr. The analysis of FTIR was made. The absorptions selected for the calculation had been 1610 cm-1 and 1637 cm-1, the peaks of the specters of the linkings of aromatical and alifatic carbons, respectively. The data had been treated statistical. It could be concluded that the groups of black Teflon, white Teflon and stainless steel had not presented differences between the degree of conversion of the top and the bottom, whereas the group of the dentin presented greater conversion of the top. Comparing the moulds between them, it could be noticed that in the top, the DC of the bovine tooth is greater that the DC of the stainless steel and black Teflon, the DC of white Teflon is greater that the DC of the stainless steel and black Teflon. The top of the groups of bovine tooth and black teflon been similar. In the bottoms of the specimens, it did not have significant difference between the tested groups. In accordance with the results gotten in the experiment, could be concluded that in the groups of black Teflon, white Teflon and stainless steel it did not have difference between 0 and 2 mm, that is, top and bottom, its means that the material of mould confection did not influence the degree of conversion of the composite. Already for the group of the dentin, the top presented value of bigger conversion, showing that, in this in case that, the material of the matrix intervened with the DC. It can also be perceived that a trend of the white Teflon mould to resemble more the dentin mould, therefore was the only group that presented similarity in the values of DC in the top of the samples. However analyzing the bottom of the samples, all the groups had values of the degree of conversion without significant difference.

Fungal contamination of buildings poses numerous challenges to researchers, building owners and occupants. Public health agencies promote prevention and remediation of mold and water damage, but lack sensitive methods to detect hidden mold growth and a complete understanding of the biological mechanisms that make occupying moldy buildings a hazard. The wide spread use of the fire retardant antimony trioxide (Sb2O3) on building materials and furnishings makes it inevitable that mold growth on treated materials will occur in some buildings with water damage. Several authors have speculation that microbial growth on materials treated with antimony trioxide could mobilize antimony through a volatile intermediate, trimethylstibine. The purpose of this study was to determine if fungal growth on a commonly used building material that contains antimony trioxide, fiberglass ductboard, results in the mobilization and release of antimony compounds. Additionally, CO2 generation rates were determined during fungal growth on fiberglass ductboard and gypsum wallboard. Results demonstrated a significant reduction of antimony concentration in fiberglass ductboard after fungal growth had occurred. Antimony emission rates and resulting concentrations of antimony oxide aerosols were estimated using an indoor mass balance mathematical model. Concentrations of CO2 were also modeled within a wall cavity and static HVAC ducts to determine if fungal growth could elevate CO2 levels above ambient concentrations. Although volatile phase antimony was not detected in chamber experiments, probably due to rapid oxidation and high humidity, mobilization of antimony trioxide from fiberglass ductboard components was demonstrated in several experiments. Indoor Air modeling of a residence suggest that concentrations of antimony could, under worst case conditions, exceed the reference concentration (RfC) of antimony trioxide by 10 to 1,000 times. These results suggest that biomethylation and mobilization of antimony by mold growth on building materials could result in elevated occupant exposures to antimony compounds. Antimony is a known respiratory irritant that can be similar to arsenic in its toxicity. Modeling results also suggest that elevated carbon dioxide concentrations due to fungal metabolic respiration are variable and dependent on environmental conditions. Measuring elevated carbon dioxide concentrations to detect hidden fungal growth was determined to not be a predictive assessment tool.

Strawberries are an extremely perishable fruit mainly due to their soft texture and sensitivity to fungal infection. The fungal pathogen Botrytis cinerea is responsible for grey mould on strawberries and is the main causal agent of postharvest decay and subsequent economic loss. As an alternative to fungicides, manipulation of plant nutrition, such as calcium and boron, has been suggested as a means of disease management. This project investigated the effects of calcium and boron application on fruit quality and grey mould development in strawberry. The effect of calcium on fruit quality, grey mould development and leaf blight in strawberry cultivars ‘Aromas’ and ‘Selva’ was investigated through preharvest and postharvest applications. To determine the effect of preharvest application, calcium sulphate in 0.25X strength Hoagland’s solution was applied at 0, 100, 300 and 500 ppm Ca through fertigation. Fully-ripened fruit were harvested and evaluated for postharvest quality at harvest and then after storage at 10⁰C, 90±5% RH for 2 to 10 days. Although fruit firmness of both cultivars declined slightly during storage, this was not affected by preharvest calcium application. Similarly, preharvest calcium treatment had no effect on the external appearance, pH, soluble solids content (SSC) or titratable acidity (TA). No grey mould development was observed on fruit at harvest when flowers were inoculated with a conidia suspension of B. cinerea (10⁴ conidia per mL). However, fruit harvested from plants that received calcium at any concentration had less incidence of grey mould during storage at 10⁰C, 90±5% RH for 14 days than fruit harvested from plants that received no calcium for both cultivars. For ‘Aromas’, 79% and 51% of fruit, and for ‘Selva’, 69% and 43% of fruit, showed rot when treated with 0 and 500 ppm Ca, respectively. The shelf life of ‘Aromas’ and ‘Selva’ increased by about 8% when plants received 500 ppm Ca in comparison with plants that received 0 ppm Ca. After 7 days of incubation at 22 to 24⁰C, there was no difference between blight lesions on wound-inoculated detached leaves from different calcium treatments for either cultivar. However, the lesions on ‘Selva’ were smaller than on ‘Aromas’. The calcium levels in leaves from plants that received calcium at any concentration were adequate for strawberry growing and significantly higher (P < 0.05) than in leaves from plants that received 0 ppm Ca. However, calcium treatment did not ensure transfer of calcium to fruit tissues. Calcium lactate and calcium chloride were used as postharvest calcium treatments at 1500, 3000 and 4500 ppm Ca. Fruit of ‘Selva’ were dipped in calcium solution for 5 min and wound-inoculated with B. cinerea (10⁶ conidia per mL). Calcium lactate and calcium chloride at 3000 and 4500 ppm Ca, respectively, were most effective in delaying Botrytis rot development on ‘Selva’ after 7 days of storage at 10⁰C, 90±5% RH. Storage for least 24 h after calcium dips prior to inoculation was required to delay the development of fruit rot. Fruit harvested early in the season seemed to be less susceptible to grey mould than those harvested later. However, calcium treatment tended to be more effective when applied to late-season fruit. Preharvest boron treatment, applied as for calcium but at 0, 0.25, 0.5 and 1.0 ppm B, had no effect on fruit firmness of either cultivar. However, firmness of ‘Aromas’ fruit was slightly greater than ‘Selva’ fruit for all treatments. The amount of boron applied had no effect on the external appearance, pH, SSC or TA for either cultivar after storage of fruit for up to 10 days. Application of boron had no effect on fruit grey mould development in either cultivar. Furthermore, boron had minimal effect on the incidence of blight on woundinoculated detached leaves of ‘Aromas’ 7 days after inoculation. However, blight lesion diameters on ‘Selva’ leaves in the 1.0 ppm B treatment (8.0 mm) were significantly smaller (P < 0.001) than in the 0 ppm B treatment (13.0 mm). Phytotoxicity was observed in boron treatments even at the level considered optimum for strawberry growing. Severity increased with increasing boron concentration but no consistent effect on flower death or flower abortion was observed. In conclusion, strawberry is sensitive to boron toxicity. Calcium may enhance fruit firmness and, consequently, delay grey mould development if calcium penetrates the fruit. Postharvest calcium treatment tended to be more effective in delaying development of grey mould when applied to late-season fruit. Calcium lactate is a potential alternative to calcium chloride for reducing decay caused by B. cinerea in strawberry without providing undesirable bitterness. This finding may provide a basis for application in industry. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1331382 / Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Agriculture, Food and Wine 2008

We report on the process parameters of nanoimprint lithography (NIL) for the fabrication of two-dimensional (2-D) photonic crystals. The nickel mould with 2-D photonic crystal patterns covering the area up to 20mm² is produced by electron-beam lithography (EBL) and electroplating. Periodic pillars as high as 200nm to 250nm are produced on the mould with the diameters ranging from 180nm to 400nm. The mould is employed for nanoimprinting on the poly-methyl-methacrylate (PMMA) layer spin-coated on the silicon substrate. Periodic air holes are formed in PMMA above its glass-transition temperature and the patterns on the mould are well transferred. This nanometer-size structure provided by NIL is subjective to further pattern transfer. / Singapore-MIT Alliance (SMA)

Gesunde sowie qualitativ hochwertige Nahrungsmittel sind wichtige Voraussetzungen, um einerseits die Lebensmittelsicherheit entlang der Wertschöpfungskette (Wachstum, Verarbeitung, Lagerung und Transport) und andererseits einen vorbeugenden Verbraucherschutz zu gewährleisten. Die Belastung der Nahrung mit Rückständen jeglicher Art war in letzter Zeit häufig Mittelpunkt heftiger öffentlicher Diskussionen. Zahlreiche Untersuchungen haben gezeigt, dass unter bestimmten Bedingungen durch Pilze gebildete Giftstoffe, so genannte Mykotoxine, die Ernteprodukte belasten und es bei deren Verzehr durch Menschen oder Tiere zu Vergiftungen kommen kann. Die FAO schätzt, dass etwa 25% der Weltproduktion von Nahrungsmitteln mit Mykotoxinen kontaminiert und in 20% der Getreideernte der Europäischen Union messbare Konzentrationen an Mykotoxinen detektierbar sind. Damit die Lebensmittelsicherheit weiterhin gewährleistet bleibt, werden neben den Routinemethoden schnellere und zerstörungsfreie Methoden benötigt, um die Lebensmittel direkt vor Ort auf Schimmelpilze und deren Mykotoxine zu untersuchen. In dieser Arbeit wird das Potenzial von ausgewählten optisch-basierten spektroskopischen Methoden für die in-situ bzw. in-line Detektion von Schimmelpilzen sowie Mykotoxinen in Getreide(produkten) untersucht. Es werden Absorptions- und Reflexionsmethoden einerseits und Fluoreszenztechniken andererseits eingesetzt. Die spektroskopischen Methoden werden dabei auf Proben unterschiedlicher Komplexität angewandt - beginnend mit der Untersuchung der photophysikalischen Eigenschaften der reinen Mykotoxine in Lösung über künstlich mit verschiedenen Mykotoxinen kontaminierten Getreideproben bis hin zu mit Pilzen befallenem Getreide und hochveredelte Lebensmittel (Wein und Bier) als Proben höchster Komplexität. / Problems of food safety have led to an increasing concern regarding contamination of foods and feeds with mycotoxins and the relevant toxigenic fungi, mainly Aspergillus, Penicillium and Fusarium genera. There is a real need for rapid, sensitive and inexpensive sensors for the detection of toxigenic fungi and mycotoxins, both in the field and after harvest in order to obtain real-time monitoring data on contamination and this assist in food safety assessment. This will result in an enormous cost saving to the farmers as well as to agro-food industry through the prevention and reduction of product recalls and reduced treatment costs. The German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) has provided funding of more than 1.9 million Euros from July 2006 to December 2009 for the large joint project "ProSeso.net2" on the development of innovative sensor-based techniques and processes in the field of food quality and safety. In this research-project "Exploration of sustainability potentials by use of sensor-based technologies and integrated assessment models in the production chain of plant related food" 13 partners from universities, non-university institutions and industry cooperate within seven subprojects. The expected results shall contribute to maintain freshness and improve safety of the food production chain. In the subproject “Indicators and sensor technology for the identification of mycotoxin producing fungi in the processing of grain” spectroscopic methods are tested for in-situ and in-line detection of moulds and/or mycotoxins. This presentation focuses on some possible spectroscopic methods for the rapid detection of mycotoxins and fungi on grains. Methods based on one- and two-photon-induced fluorescence spectroscopy are highly attractive because of their outstanding sensitivity and selectivity. In order to utilize a fluorescence technique for the analysis of the mycotoxins in food and feedstuff as well as for basic research on the fungal metabolism, the photochemistry and photophysics of the mycotoxins and fungi need to be elucidated in detail, especially the influence of solvent parameters such as polarity and pH value. Consequently, for a sensitive and selective spectroscopic analysis, it is indispensable to take the specific photophysic of the known mycotoxins into account in order to minimize serious limitations upon sensitivity, selectivity, and accuracy of a potential fluorescence-based sensing application. The spectroscopic techniques are complemented by chemometric tools (Principle Component Analysis) to extract the desired chemical information, e.g. with respect to presence of contaminations. The combination of data obtained from different spectroscopic methods (such as optimal excitation and emission wavelength, fluorescence decay times, and fluorescence quantum efficiency) on the one hand side and NIR spectroscopy on the other side shows promising results for the qualitative as well as quantitative identification of mycotoxins grains. Moreover, NIR reflectance spectra yield additional information on ingredients, moisture content, and the presence (or absence) of fungi in the sample.

<p>Pesticides are designed to control or eliminate pests such as insects, rodents, weeds,<br /> bacteria, and fungi. They are used at a global scale for agricultural produce. Although<br /> pesticides play a significant role in increasing food production and eliminating diseases,<br /> exposure to pesticides may be harmful to non-target organisms. As a result concern over<br /> safety and resistance to pesticides has increased and there is pressure to reduce use and<br /> search for more environmentally and toxicologically safe and efficacious pesticides. Most<br /> pesticides currently in use are synthetic / therefore an alternative to synthetic pesticides is<br /> the use of naturally occurring products/ botanicals with pesticidal properties.</p> <p>Two plants indigenous to South African with pesticidal properties were chosen for this<br /> study. Dicerothamnus rhinocerotis (D. rhinocerotis) and Galenia africana (G. africana)<br /> have potential antifungal properties thus, may have potential use on agricultural produce<br /> as fungicides. Galenia africana and D. rhinocerotis extracts inhibit growth of B. cinerea<br /> (a fungal pathogen) at concentrations greater than 31.25 mg/ml and 125mg/ml<br /> respectively. A major consideration in approving pesticides for use is whether they pose<br /> an unreasonable risk to humans and to the environment. Toxicity studies are required to<br /> determine the safety of the plant extracts.</p> <p>The purpose of this study was to evaluate potential toxicity of ethanol extracts of D.<br /> rhinocerotis and G. africana, which is important when designing practices to reduce or<br /> eliminate excess exposure to them. Natural plant products with pesticidal properties could<br /> provide an alternative to synthetic pesticides and may thus effectively reduce resistance<br /> levels.<br /> <br /> <br /> &nbsp / </p>

High osmolarity causes amoebae of the cellular slime mould Polysphondylium pallidum to individually encyst, forming microcysts. During microcyst differentiation, actin is tyrosine phosphorylated. Tyrosine phosphorylation of actin is independent of encystment conditions and occurs during the final stages of microcyst formation. During microcyst germination, actin undergoes dephosphorylation prior to amoebal emergence. Renewed phosphorylation of actin in germinating microcysts can be triggered by increasing the osmolarity of the medium which inhibits emergence. Immunofluorescence reveals that actin is dispersed throughout the cytoplasm in dormant microcysts. Following the onset of germination, actin is observed around vesicles where it co-localizes with phosphotyrosine. Prior to emergence, actin localizes to patches near the cell surface. Increasing osmolarity disrupts this localization and causes actin to redistribute throughout the cytoplasm, a situation similar to that observed in dormant microcysts. Together, these results indicate an association between actin tyrosine phosphorylation, organization of the actin cytoskeleton, and microcyst dormancy.

High osmolarity causes amoebae of the cellular slime mould Polysphondylium pallidum to individually encyst, forming microcysts. During microcyst differentiation, actin is tyrosine phosphorylated. Tyrosine phosphorylation of actin is independent of encystment conditions and occurs during the final stages of microcyst formation. During microcyst germination, actin undergoes dephosphorylation prior to amoebal emergence. Renewed phosphorylation of actin in germinating microcysts can be triggered by increasing the osmolarity of the medium which inhibits emergence. Immunofluorescence reveals that actin is dispersed throughout the cytoplasm in dormant microcysts. Following the onset of germination, actin is observed around vesicles where it co-localizes with phosphotyrosine. Prior to emergence, actin localizes to patches near the cell surface. Increasing osmolarity disrupts this localization and causes actin to redistribute throughout the cytoplasm, a situation similar to that observed in dormant microcysts. Together, these results indicate an association between actin tyrosine phosphorylation, organization of the actin cytoskeleton, and microcyst dormancy.

The primary objective of this study was to investigate mould growth resistance of different types of wood products which include the sheathing and framing within full scale wall assemblies. Secondary objectives were to investigate the difference in mould growth resistance between borate-treated and untreated wood products as well as provide information about mould growth under different temperature and humidity conditions for treated and untreated wood products. <br /><br /> The objective of the study is to better understand mould growth, and to examine the effects of varying high moisture conditions on wooden products and the mould growth which may result. More importantly this will be examined on full scale wall assemblies; to date mould growth studies have only been performed within a laboratory on small samples of materials. Moreover, this study recreates the conditions which evidently cause mould growth on full scale wall assemblies. Tests were performed within a climate chamber on three full scale wall assemblies. The original scope of this study included an examination of the sheathing and framing components within a full scale wall assembly, however this study will focus mainly on the sheathing. <br /><br /> Results of this study indicate that the relative humidity conditions needed for mould growth on wood are higher than originally believed (i. e. , significantly greater than 80%RH). During the first eight weeks of test number one the relative humidity at the surface of the sheathing was held constant at 95% and little mould growth was observed on the untreated sheathing (mould growth index of 3 or less); little or no mould growth on the treated sheathing (mould growth index of 1 or less). The second and third tests demonstrated that the presence of liquid water greatly accelerated the time to germinations, the amount of mould growth (up to a mould growth index of 6), and the rate of mould growth. All three tests clearly showed that borate-treatment reduced the amount of mould growth; however, the concentration of borate-treatment, and the types of materials treated, does affect the resistance of mould growth. Furthermore, there was some evidence to suggest Borate treatments of the plywood increased the time to germination significantly, from a few weeks to 16 weeks in this study, but once mould growth was initiated, the rate of mould growth was similar to that of the untreated plywood. Two mathematical models to determine mould growth were examined: Viitanen and WUFIBIO (Sedlbauer). Viitanen?s model predicted time to germination and rate of growth rate well for untreated plywood, and WUFIBIO predicted time to germination but not the growth rate. It was also found both models err on the side of caution in predicting mould growth. <br /><br /> Recommendations include improvements to the test method and producers, and for future work.

<p>Saproxylic species living in old hollow trees have low dispersal rate. Many of the species are threatened since their micro habitats are rare. To prevent some of these species from going extinct their habitats have to have the right management. In some areas artificial environment could be a solution. The aim of this study was to investigate if the insects that are dependent on tree cavities with wood mould would colonize an artificially created habitat: large wooden boxes filled with artificial wood mould placed on tree trunks. The boxes were filled with substrates like oak saw dust, oak leaves, dead hens, hen excrements, medicago (Medicago falcata flour) or potatoes. Over three years, 136 species and 10 380 specimens were caught in 47 boxes. The groups classified as specialists were in general statistically significant more often than groups classified as generalists. Dead hen was the substrate with the highest number of species, although differences were small. In conclusion, a large number of species, including red listed ones and saproxylic specialists used the boxes. A dead hen in the box gave some extra species and 1800 meters was too long for some of the species to disperse. Hence, the prospects for using artificial environments are good especially to reduce habitat availability gaps in time and space.</p>