The variability in absolute and relative growth of Pinna nobilis along the Tunisian coastline was investigated. Five populations of P. nobilis were sampled, three from northern and two from eastern Tunisia. The specimens were aged and ten morphometric characters were
measured on each individual. To test if differences existed in absolute and relative growth patterns among the different populations
an information theory approach was followed. For absolute growth, von Bertalanffy, Gompertz, the logistic and the power models
were fitted in combination with three assumptions regarding inter-population differences in absolute growth patterns: no differences,
differences among all five populations or just between northern and eastern populations. The assumption of common absolute
growth parameters among all five populations had the greatest support by the data, whereas the assumption of different growth
patterns among all five populations had no support. Von Bertalanffy growth model and the power model were both equally supported
by the data (while Gompertz had considerably less support and the logistic model had no support), and thus it may not be definitely
concluded whether P. nobilis grows asymptotically or not. The P. nobilis populations of the Tunisian coastline had a slow growth and up to an age of ∼ 9 years their shells were smaller than from
all other reported populations in the Mediterranean. For relative growth, apart from the classical allometric model Y = aXb, relating the size of a part of a body Y to another reference dimension X, more complicated models were used in combination with the three abovementioned assumptions regarding inter-population differences.
Those models, of the form logY = f (logX), either assumed breakpoints in the relative growth trajectories or non-linearities. For most morphometric characters, the
classical allometric model had no support by the data and more complicated models were necessary. In most cases, different
relative growth either among all five populations or between the northern and eastern population groups was supported by the
data. Further investigation is needed to relate the morphological differences observed among different populations of P. nobilis to environmental factors. 相似文献
Objective: Lane departure, caused by inattention, distraction, drowsiness, or any unusual driver behavior, is a typical risk threatening the driver as well as other road users. Accurate perception of such situations through effective warnings would help drivers to avoid serious consequences. With regard to critical functions of warning symbols for risk communication, the present study focused on providing effective and easily perceivable symbols, compatible with human cognitive capabilities. Thus, the main purpose of the present study was to design and cognitively appraise 6 newly designed dynamic symbols, candidates for a new type of lane departure warning system.
Methods: Simplicity, familiarity, concreteness, meaningfulness, and semantic closeness were the major assessment criteria, defining cognitive features by the earlier researchers in the field. A total number of 187 driving license applicants, with a mean age of 20.58 years (SD = 3.20), participated in the present survey. The participants rated cognitive features of the 6 dynamic symbols along a 0–100 scale.
Results: Significant main effect of the element factor type of the designed symbols on rating cognitive features revealed that the existence of car element was the best predictor for illustrating lane departure. The interaction of both element factor and location of element factor significantly affected the ratings. However, the location of element factor did not solely have any strong effect on the ratings. The results also demonstrated that semantic closeness received the highest overall mean score across symbols (M = 61.80), especially within the symbols that include the car element (M = 75.67). Moreover, a significant difference was observed between the average ratings of the cognitive features, despite the fact that a significant correlation was found between cognitive features.
Conclusion: The most considerable result of the current study was the match between the symbol with the highest ratings and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO)-related icon in appearance. Because previous studies demonstrated a strong correlation between comprehension scores of the symbol and both semantic closeness and meaningfulness, high-level comprehensibility of the best ranked symbol is expected. 相似文献
Journal of Polymers and the Environment - Nowadays, many chemical methods have been proposed for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles, but green synthesis has received more attention due to its... 相似文献
Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The 2019 outbreak of corona virus disease began from Wuhan (China), transforming into a leading pandemic, posing an immense threat to the global... 相似文献
Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Neurodegeneration is the loss of neuronal capacity and structure over time which causes neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer, amyotrophic... 相似文献
Scenario-based land surface temperature (LST) modeling is a powerful tool for adopting proper urban land use planning policies. In this study, using greater Isfahan as a case study, the artificial neural network (ANN) algorithm was utilized to explore the non-linear relationships between urban LST and green cover spatial patterns derived from Landsat 8 OLI imagery. The model was calibrated using two sets of variables: Normalized Difference Built Index (NDBI) and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). Furthermore, Compact Development Scenario (CDS) and Green Development Scenario (GDS) were defined. The results showed that GDS is more successful in mitigating urban LST (mean LST?=?40.93) compared to CDS (mean LST?=?44.88). In addition, urban LST retrieved from the CDS was more accurate in terms of ANOVA significance (sig?=?0.043) than the GDS (sig?=?0.010). The findings of this study suggest that developing green spaces is a key strategy to combat against the risk of LST concerns in urban areas. 相似文献
An ecological model for the solar saltern of Sfax (Tunisia) was established and validated by comparing simulation results to observed data relative to horizontal distributions of temperature, nutrients and phytoplankton biomass. Sensitivity analysis was performed in order to assess the influence of the main ecological model parameters. First applied at the saltern’s pond A1, the model was calibrated with field data measured over 4 years of study (from 2000 to 2003), which allowed an evaluation of parameters such as maximum growth rate of phytoplankton, optimal growth temperature and constant of half saturation for P/N assimilation by phytoplankton. Simulation results showed that the model allowed us to predict realistic phytoplankton variations of the study area, though we were unable to accurately reproduce the nutrient variation. The model was then applied to simulations of the impact of changes in phytoplankton biomass through scenarios such as hypothetic climate changes and saltern restoration. 相似文献
A survey of the epiphytic leaves of Posidonia oceanica was conducted along a depth transect at both the control station Attaya in the Kerkennah Islands and the disturbed Mahres station on the Sfax coast (Tunisia). Samples were collected by scuba divers at depths of 5, 10, 15, and 20 m in July 2008. We evaluated whether the pattern of spatial variability of the macroepiphyte assemblages of leaves of Posidonia oceanica differed in relation to anthropogenic interference. The results indicate that the decrease in shoot density and leaf length according to depth was low at Mahres. The biomass of epiphytic leaves and the percentage cover of epiphytic assemblages decreased with depth for both stations and heavily at Mahres, this decline being related to anthropogenic disturbance. This study shows that the highest values of epifauna and epiflora were detected at the disturbed station Mahres. Macroalgae assemblages decreased with depth at both stations and were dominated by Rhodophyta, whereas the percentage cover of the epifauna leaf that decreases according to depth was dominated by Hydrozoa and Bryozoa. Changes in epiphyte assemblages, epiphytic biomass, percentage cover, and species richness in proportion to Heterokontophyta, Rhodophyta, Cyanobacteria, Hydrozoa, Porifera, and Tunicata between the two stations constitute promising tools for detecting environmental disturbance. 相似文献
The current work reports the activity concentrations of several natural radionuclides (226Ra, 232Th, and 40K) in Khak-Sefid area of Ramsar, Iran. An evaluation of total effective dose equivalent (TEDE) from exposure to high-level natural radiations is also presented. Soil samples were analyzed using a high-purity germanium detector with 80 % relative efficiency. The TEDE was calculated on a land area of 40,000 m2 with 1.5-m thickness of contaminated zone for the member of three critical groups of farmer, construction worker, and resident using Residual Radioactive Material Guidelines (RESRAD) modeling program. It was found that the mean activity concentrations (in Bq/kg) were 23,118?±?468, 25.8?±?2.3, and 402.6?±?16.5 for 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K, respectively. The maximum calculated TEDE during 1,000 years was 107.1 mSv/year at year 90, 92.42 mSv/year at year 88, and 22.09 mSv/year at year 46 for farmer, resident, and construction worker scenarios, respectively. The maximum TEDE in farmer scenario can be reduced to the level below the dose limit of 1 mSv/year which is safe for public health using soil cover with thickness of 50 cm or more on the contaminated zone. According to RESRAD prediction, the TEDE received by individuals for all exposure scenarios considerably exceed the set dose limit, and it is mainly due to 226Ra. 相似文献
Economists have shown the empirical relationships between the economic growth of a nation and its environmental quality using
the hypothesis of the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC). To understand the EKC phenomena, a study of the literature was undertaken.
As waste, waste emission, and suspended particulate matter (SPM) are the active agents of environmental degradation, the study
focused on those agents for EKC consideration. Through understanding the different EKC trajectories, an attempt was made to
relate the economic development of Bangladesh to the EKC. It is shown that the EKCs for waste, emissions from waste, and SPM
follow the conventional EKC trajectory with a turning point related to higher income per capita in most cases. The type of
economic policy that Bangladesh should follow to deal with the pollutants and their sources is also shown. The study recommends
creating a tunnel in the EKC to lower the turning point in Bangladesh. The study is likely to help stimulate policy development
in Bangladesh. 相似文献