Preserving the maritime cultural heritage of the Mediterranean,a cradle of cultures,religions and civilizations—the holy land perspective

The article presents the main ancient marine sites of the Holy Land, points the endangered sites and the needed preservation activities. The ancient cultural heritage existing on the Mediterranean shores reflect important events in the history of humanity. It represents numerous important cultures, religions and traditions. This coastal and underwater heritage is rapidly eroded due to sea level rise, global changes and rapid coastal development. Actions taken by the state of Israel to rescue, protect and preserve the marine cultural heritage include: underwater rescue surveys, coastal erosion monitoring, risk assessment surveys and pilot projects for protecting and preserving the sea front of the antique sites at Akko, Apollonia and Ashkelon. Israel proposes that the Mediterranean and European countries will establish a collaborative project aimed at mapping the cultural recourses and establishing master plans for the protection and preservation of the marine and coastal cultural heritage of the Mediterranean.     

Field-testing the protandry-based mating system for the lizard, Anolis carolinesis: does the model organism have the right model?

Using the lizard Anolis carolinensis as its subject, an early and enduring model of psychobiology was presented in which neuroendocrines and social behavior interact to coordinate reproduction between the sexes. The adaptive context for the model was protandry, here defined as a "male-first" emergence pattern from winter dormancy to the onset of breeding. In the protandry scenario, males emerge, become reproductive, and contest for territories. Then, pre-reproductive females emerge to settle on male territories, whereby ovarian recrudescence is facilitated by the behavior of courting males. A collateral inference of the protandry sequence is that females are choosing their future mates from among local males and their territories (i.e., intersexual selection). The model and its assumptions, though never validated by field data, have served as the paradigm for many laboratory experiments on A. carolinensis. Recently, however, field studies described an intrasexually selected mating system for A. carolinensis, without evidence of direct female choice. Differences between the selective inferences from the two perspectives led us to test in the field a number of protandry-based characteristics previously ascribed to A. carolinensis. We monitored free-ranging adults across the winter-to-breeding period using data on sex ratios, social behavior, gut contents, sex steroids, and gonadal condition. We found no evidence of protandry, and little support for any of the associated assumptions. Instead, the sexes broadly overlapped in their temporal transition from winter retreats to an active status in the habitat, with average male reproductive development about 1-2 weeks in advance of females. We replace the traditional protandry-based A. carolinensis paradigm with a realistic onset sequence into the breeding season and a new model for the species' mating system. Our study underscores the need for field validation when laboratory-generated data are fitted to adaptive paradigms.     

Is the economic dimension inducing the other sustainability dimensions,or is it the reverse? Perceptions from the Portuguese metal industry

ABSTRACT

In organizational sustainability, the economic dimension is recognized as having a very important role. However, the discussion regarding whether it is exclusively the economic dimension that has the power to induce the other sustainability dimensions is far from agreement. The purpose of the present paper is to analyze the perceptions regarding the existence of mutual influences between the economic dimension of sustainability and the other sustainability dimensions – environmental, social and cultural – in a relevant Portuguese economic sector: the metal industry. The analysis and statistical tests performed with the 211 collected answers led to the conclusion that the influence exerted by the economic dimension on the other sustainability dimensions is perceived as dominant, both in present and future perspectives. The results also show the perception that the economic dimension is equally influenced by the environmental and social dimensions, and in a less extent, by the cultural dimension, and that all these mutual influences are perceived to increase in the future. The existence of organizational management systems has a positive effect on the perceptions regarding the existence of mutual influences between sustainability dimensions, but only for those companies with more than one certified management system. These results confirm that organizational management systems are connected to higher degrees of awareness regarding sustainability issues. Given that the great majority of the sampled industries are SMEs, the results obtained in this research demonstrate that the existence of mutual influences between sustainability dimensions is recognized even in small-sized industries.     

Are breaking waves,bores, surges and jumps the same flow?

The flow structure in the aerated region of the roller generated by breaking waves remains a great challenge to study, with large quantities of entrained air and turbulence interactions making it very difficult to investigate in details. A number of analogies were proposed between breaking waves in deep or shallow water, tidal bores and hydraulic jumps. Many numerical models used to simulate waves in the surf zone do not implicitly simulate the breaking process of the waves, but are required to parameterise the wave-breaking effects, thus relying on experimental data. Analogies are also assumed to quantify the roller dynamics and the energy dissipation. The scope of this paper is to review the different analogies proposed in the literature and to discuss current practices. A thorough survey is offered and a discussion is developed an aimed at improving the use of possible breaking proxies. The most recent data are revisited and scrutinised for the use of most advanced numerical models to educe the surf zone hydrodynamics. In particular, the roller dynamics and geometrical characteristics are discussed. An open discussion is proposed to explore the actual practices and propose perspectives based on the most appropriate analogy, namely the tidal bore.     

Tessaria absinthioides: a possible bio‐monitor for Cd,Pb, and Cu,in the middle and lower basin of the loa river,North Chile

Some ecotoxic metals such as Cd, Pb, and Cu in Tessaria absinthioides were quantified to study its possible use as a bio‐indicator and/or bio‐monitor of these metals. This plant was chosen for its abundance in the area under study, along Chile and even in southern Latin America. For Cd, Pb, and Cu in all three parts of the plant (leaves, stems and roots) a different concentration pattern in each sampling areas was observed. In sampling areas Coya Sur and La Cascada copper and cadmium concentration decrease in order: leaves > roots > stems. In samples collected in Xalquincha the lowest concentrations of Cd and Pb were observed in stems. A maximum of cadmium concentration (9ug/gd.w. in leaves) was found in samples from La Cascada, a inflow to river Loa in Calama. High concentrations of lead were found in roots and leaves. Collected data demonstrate that the main pathway for cadmium is from ground water via roots into the plant. Some data obtained for lead and copper indicate that the influence of dust particles adsorbed on leaves and stems can be higher than uptake from ground water.     

Accumulation and transfer of Hg, As, Se, and other metals in the sediment-vegetation-crab-human food chain in the coastal zone of the northern Brazilian state of Pará (Amazonia)

The high consumption of crabs (Ucides cordatus) stimulated interest in the present study on the northern coast of Brazil, which encompasses a preserved area of mangrove forest. The objective was to describe and quantify the transfer of metals from the muddy sediments to the leaves of the Rhizophora mangle, and thence the crabs and humans. The samples were collected along two transects, while samples of hair were obtained from local habitants. The pH, interstitial salinity, Eh (mV) were measured, the granulometry and mineralogical and multi-element chemical analyses were run, and the organic material determined. The sediments are silty-clayey, composed of quartz, kaolinite, iron oxides, and illite, as well as smaller portions of smectite, pyrite, halite, and high levels of SiO₂ (56.5 %), Al₂O₃ (18.5 %), and Fe₂O₃ (7 %). The elements Zn, Sr, As, and Zr are concentrated in the leaves, while the bioaccumulation of Zn, Se, Sr, and As was recorded in the crabs, of which, Se is the most concentrated in the tissue of the muscles and the hepatopancreas. The concentrations of nutrient and toxic elements were similar in all age groups (hair samples), with only Hg presenting an increasing concentration between infants and adults. The highest rates of transfer were recorded for the elements Zn and Se in the crabs and Hg in leaves and hair. The accumulation of metals in the leaves and crabs reflects the chemical composition of the sediments and low rates of sediment-vegetation-crab transfer, with the exception of Hg, which accumulated in the hair.     

Simulations of the flow in the Mahakam river–lake–delta system,Indonesia

Large rivers often present a river–lake–delta system, with a wide range of temporal and spatial scales of the flow due to the combined effects of human activities and various natural factors, e.g., river discharge, tides, climatic variability, droughts, floods. Numerical models that allow for simulating the flow in these river–lake–delta systems are essential to study them and predict their evolution under the impact of various forcings. This is because they provide information that cannot be easily measured with sufficient temporal and spatial detail. In this study, we combine one-dimensional sectional-averaged (1D) and two-dimensional depth-averaged (2D) models, in the framework of the finite element model SLIM, to simulate the flow in the Mahakam river–lake–delta system (Indonesia). The 1D model representing the Mahakam River and four tributaries is coupled to the 2D unstructured mesh model implemented on the Mahakam Delta, the adjacent Makassar Strait, and three lakes in the central part of the river catchment. Using observations of water elevation at five stations, the bottom friction for river and tributaries, lakes, delta, and adjacent coastal zone is calibrated. Next, the model is validated using another period of observations of water elevation, flow velocity, and water discharge at various stations. Several criteria are implemented to assess the quality of the simulations, and a good agreement between simulations and observations is achieved in both calibration and validation stages. Different aspects of the flow, i.e., the division of water at two bifurcations in the delta, the effects of the lakes on the flow in the lower part of the system, the area of tidal propagation, are also quantified and discussed.     

From overexploitation to sustainable use,an overview of 160 years of water extraction in the Amsterdam dunes,the Netherlands

Dune slacks are low-lying, nutrient-poor, species-rich, inter-dunal, seasonally flooded wetlands, are amongst the most threatened habitats in the Dutch coastal dunes. Since 1853 Waternet has been extracting groundwater from the coastal dunes southwest of Haarlem to produce its drinking water. Dune slacks largely disappeared due to the desiccation caused by this water abstraction, over more than a century biodiversity declined as a consequence. Increased societal concern pushed habitat restoration high on the political agenda by the end of the 1980s. It was agreed to do what is possible to restore original dune slacks without endangering the water supply. Far reaching interventions in the dune water system were foreseen to achieve this mutual goal. To allow reliable decision making, the entire hydrological history of the drinking water production in the Amsterdam Dunes since 1853 and its ecological consequences were evaluated over a 10-year study period. The main tool was a 3D groundwater model constructed using all information gathered to date and calibrated using the long-term monitoring data available and widely extended for the purpose, to which ecological modeling was added and calibrated with the available long-term and extended vegetational inventories. These scientific tools were used to assess proposed interventions to be decided upon, which aimed at finding a new balance between groundwater extraction and nature restoration. In 1996 and 2007 large-scale measures were taken, which include filling in of recovery canals, mowing, grazing and sod-cutting to support the native plant communities of wet dune slack habitats. Results of these measures in terms of the restoration of natural hydrological conditions are shown together with the first results for the recovery of wet slacks vegetation that resulted from the combined hydrological and ecological restoration measures that were taken since 1995.     

Environmental selenium in the Kaschin–Beck disease area,Tibetan Plateau,China

Now, there is a decreasing trend for the prevalence rate of Kaschin–Beck disease (KBD) in most parts of China, but the disease is still active and severe in the Tibetan Plateau for some reason. To further explore the role of selenium in the occurrence of KBD, We collected samples including drinking water, cultivated topsoil, Highland Barley grains, and tsamba in Rangtang County and Aba County, Sichuan Province and determined concentrations of selenium by Hydride Generation Atomic Fluorescence Spectrometry. Levels of selenium in the environment were analyzed in detail. Selenium in the soil–plant–food system and their relationship with prevalence rate of KBD were also discussed. The results indicate: (a) the levels of environmental selenium are very low and the study area belongs to a selenium-deficient ecological landscape; (b) the KBD becomes much more severe with decreasing environmental selenium under the selenium-deficient condition. Namely, the lower the environmental selenium is, the more severe the disease is; (c) soil selenium deficiency plays a critical role for the prevalence of local KBD, and more factors inducing selenium deficiency should be more concerned in the future.     

Induced anti-predator responses of the green mussel, Perna viridis (L.), on exposure to the predatory gastropod, Thais clavigera Küster, and the swimming crab, Thalamita danae Stimpson

A laboratory experiment was conducted to test whether anti-predator responses could be induced in the green mussel, Perna viridis, on exposure to waterborne cues from two predators, the muricid gastropod, Thais clavigera, and the portunid crab, Thalamita danae, and from damaged conspecifics. There were five treatments in this study. Aquaria of two treatments housed either Thalamita danae or Thais clavigera. Another three treatments housed only intact mussels, broken and intact mussels, or no mussels. No significant differences were found among these five treatments in final shell weight and tissue dry weight. Induced defensive responses were predator-specific. Experimental mussels exposed to waterborne cues of T. clavigera had a higher percentage increase in shell length, height and width, whereas those exposed to waterborne cues of T. danae had a higher percentage increase in shell width and height. Mussels raised in the presence of crabs developed thicker shell at the umbo and lip margin, whereas mussels raised in the presence of gastropods had thicker shell lip. Predator preference for mussels from the control group and for those pre-exposed to waterborne cues of either of the predators was studied. T. clavigera preferentially selected mussels from the control group, whereas no prey preference was found for T. danae, although shell breaking time for mussels exposed to a crab was longer than that for the control. While the present results should be viewed with caution in the absence of a dietary control, this was the first time that prey handling was shown to be affected by defensive changes in the morphology of mussels.Communicated by T. Ikeda, Hakodate     

Toxicity,degradation and analysis of the herbicide atrazine

Excessive use of pesticides and herbicides is a major environmental and health concern worldwide. Atrazine, a synthetic triazine herbicide commonly used to control grassy and broadleaf weeds in crops, is a major pollutant of soil and water ecosystems. Atrazine modifies the growth, enzymatic processes and photosynthesis in plants. Atrazine exerts mutagenicity, genotoxicity, defective cell division, erroneous lipid synthesis and hormonal imbalance in aquatic fauna and nontarget animals. It has threatened the sustainability of agricultural soils due to detrimental effects on resident soil microbial communities. The detection of atrazine in soil and reservoir sites is usually made by IR spectroscopy, ELISA, HPLC, UPLC, LC–MS and GC–MS techniques. HPLC/LC–MS and GC–MS techniques are considered the most effective tools, having detection limits up to ppb levels in different matrices. Biodegradation of atrazine by microbial species is increasingly being recognized as an eco-friendly, economically feasible and sustainable bioremediation strategy. This review presents the toxicity, analytical techniques, abiotic degradation and microbial metabolism of atrazine.     

Basic features,conjunctive searches,and the confusion effect in predator–prey interactions

The confusion effect describes the observed decrease in the likelihood that a predator will successfully catch any prey when attacking larger groups of moving prey. We introduce readers to the work of cognitive psychologists interested in human visual attention who have been studying their own version of the confusion effect for many years, developing methods and concepts that may be of fundamental utility to behavioral ecologists. In psychology, ‘basic features’ are characteristics unique to a target object in the visual field that no distracter objects share. Images containing targets with basic features are often less likely to induce the confusion effect in human subjects. Target objects with conjunctions of features, on the other hand, have no individual characteristics unique from distracters, but unique characteristics in combination. Such targets more often induce the confusion effect in humans. We propose the ‘basic feature’ (vs. conjunctions of features) as a new organizing concept for studies on the occurrence of the confusion effect in nature, potentially allowing predictions about which types of prey groups are likely to induce the confusion effect in predators.     

Efficient implementation of the Metropolis-Hastings algorithm,with application to the Cormack–Jolly–Seber model

Judicious choice of candidate generating distributions improves efficiency of the Metropolis-Hastings algorithm. In Bayesian applications, it is sometimes possible to identify an approximation to the target posterior distribution; this approximate posterior distribution is a good choice for candidate generation. These observations are applied to analysis of the Cormack–Jolly–Seber model and its extensions.     

The booklet “Genetically modified crops”, published from the German Research Foundation, does not meet the given claim - Discussion article

In December 2009 the German Research Foundation published the booklet "Grüne Gentechnik" (Genetically modified crops) claiming to give a scientifically well balanced information about GMO's in agriculture. In this paper we analyse this approach resulting in a critical review regarding the intention of the booklet. We conclude that the evaluation of GMO's in agriculture primarily from a crop breeding perspective is lacking crucial positions in terms of ecology, socio-economy, agronomy, nutritional sciences and finally ethics in life science.     

Challenge, dialogue, action… Recent developments in the protection of coastal zones in Italy

In Italy, the incapability of the State to implement a national strategy for the sustainable development of coastal areas lead the regional authorities to adopt integrated coastal zone management plans. These initiatives are often relevant, correcting the defiency of the national legislation, but do not assure the implementation of a coherent littoral policy. Thereby, it is to be hoped that the recent developments in international law—and particularly the Mediterranean protocol on integrated coastal zone management recently adopted—will compel the Italian State to make a positive commitment to coastal protection.     

Aquatic litter, management and prevention—the role of measurement

Methodology of litter management has many forms and increasingly measurement is linked to management. By providing measured profiles of the quality of litter types, trends in the input of new items can be assessed and prevention programmes directed more effectively to sources. Developing methodologies and their application to management cover three main areas.

Trade, technology, and the environment: Does access to technology promote environmental regulation?

Focusing specifically on regulation of coal-fired power plants, we examine how technological innovation by early adopters influences the timing of new environmental regulation in non-innovating countries. We build a general equilibrium model of an open economy to identify the political-economy determinants of regulation. With a newly created dataset of SO₂ and NO_x regulations for coal-fired power plants and a patent-based measure of the technology frontier, we estimate the determinants of environmental regulation diffusion. Our findings support the hypothesis that international economic integration eases access to environmentally friendly technologies and leads to earlier adoption, ceteris paribus, of regulation in non-innovating countries. However, we also find evidence that domestic trade protection promotes earlier adoption allowing shifts of regulatory costs to domestic consumers. Furthermore, international market power permits large countries to shift costs to foreign consumers. Other political economy factors, such as the quality of domestic coal, are also important determinants.     

Distribution characteristics of dinoflagellate cysts in the Yantian Port,Shenzhen, China北大核心CSCD

An annual quarterly survey of six stations in Yantian Port, Shenzhen, China was conducted from January 2020 to October 2020 to investigate the spatial and temporal distribution of dinoflagellate cysts in the surface sediment of Yantian Port. In total, 36 species representing five groups and two uncertain taxa were identified. The dominant species were Scrippsiella trochoidea, Alexandrium spp., Gymnodinium catenatum, Cochlodinium spp., and Lingulodinium polyedrum. The seasonal difference was not obvious in terms of temporal distribution. The number of species ranged from 32 to 36, and the abundance varied from 297 to 996 cysts/g. The annual average values of the diversity index, richness index, and evenness index were 3.65, 1.55, and 0.93, respectively. The annual number and abundance of heterotrophic species were higher than those of autotrophic species. The number and abundance of species at stations near the dock zone were lower than those near the adjacent area. Notably, six toxic dinoflagellate cysts were found in the surface sediment of Yantian Port, indicating a potential outbreak risk for their vegetative cells in the local coastal area. This study provides a picture of the “Seed Bank” of dinoflagellates near Yantian Port, Shenzhen, and provides a reference value for predicting the occurrence of algal blooms. © 2022 Science Press. All rights reserved.     

Isolation,identification, and the biodegradation characteristics of a benzoylurea insecticides-degrading strain北大核心CSCD

A chlorbenzuron, diflubenzuron, and hexaflumuron-degrading bacterium strain M6, was isolated from the activated sludge of an insecticide factory. The strain was identified as Achromobacter sp. according to an analysis on the 16S rRNA gene sequences, morphological, and physiological characteristics. Strain M6 could degrade more than 91% of 100 mg/L chlorbenzuron, diflubenzuron, and hexaflumuron within 48 hours, which could act as the sole carbon source. Strain M6 showed more chlorbenzuron degradation at a temperature range between 25 and 40 ℃ and a pH range between 6.0 and 8.0. The optimal temperature and the initial pH of medium for chlorbenzuron degradation by strain M6 were 30 ℃ and 7.0, respectively; the maximum chlorbenzuron tolerated concentration of strain M6 was as high as 400 mg/L. Strain M6 hydrolyzed 4-acetaminophenol into a purple-red product. Moreover, an approximately 1.4 kb DNA fragment, which could be expressed into an amidase to degrade amide pesticides, was amplified from the genomic DNA of strain M6. The results preliminarily proved that 3 benzoylurea insecticides could be degraded because of strain M6 hydrolyzing their amide bonds. This study obtained a highly efficient degrading strain and provided new resources and valuable information on benzoylurea insecticide degradation. © 2018 Science Press. All rights reserved.     

The surgeonfish, Acanthurus bahianus, has crossed the Amazon–Orinoco outflow barrier

Dispersal varies among species according to different biological and environmental factors. It is known that there is strong genetic division between the Ocean Surgeonfish (Acanthurus tractus) and the Barber Surgeonfish (Acanthurus bahianus) in the Caribbean and southern Atlantic biogeographic provinces with relation to the Amazon–Orinoco outflows. We analyzed cytb gene sequence diversity from 149 individuals collected at five localities around Cuba between October 2006 and February 2010. As expected, most individuals had haplotypes identical or closely related to those previously reported for the Caribbean. However, south Atlantic lineage haplotypes were also found in all surveyed localities with frequencies around 5 %. This finding suggests that A. bahianus has dispersed in recent times across the Amazon–Orinoco barrier, probably because environmental perturbations have aided dispersal.