Ecophysiology of Steppe Mouse Subspecies <Emphasis Type="Italic">Mus spicilegius spicilegus</Emphasis>, Peteni, 1883 (Rodentia,Mammalia) at the South Boundary of its Distribution

Diet, food preferences and main ecophysiological characteristics such like energy requirements and thermoregulation characteristics of Mus spicilegus spicilegus (Petenyi, 1882) were studied. The most preferred foods for the mice were seeds of weed species that composed more than 85% of their diet. The results of food selection experiments shows that the total daily consumption by mice is 2.77 ± 0.76 g/animal/day or 5.5 kJ/g/day or 84.9 kJ/animal/day. From the total daily energy consumption 16.4% go back to nature in the form of feces and urine and the rest 83.6% animals utilized for assimilation. The results of the temperature preferences for Mus s. spicilegus shows preferred temperature zone from around 26 to 36°C where mice spent about 72% of the experimental time. The lowest value of oxygen consumption for resting metabolism rate (RMR) was registered at 30°C–3.20 ± 0.71 cm³ O₂/g/h. It is possible to consider that the thermoneutral zone is around these temperature values. The obtained results give reason to conclude that from an ecophysiologycal point of view the climate in the south boundary of distribution provides optimal conditions for species development. The main cause for population decreasing probably is the loss of open habitats including natural steppe grasslands.     

Holocene Dynamics of Vegetation and Ecological Conditions in the Center of the East European Plain

Changes in the vegetation and fire regimes in the central East European Plain during the second half of the Holocene have been reconstructed based on the results of paleobotanical analysis and radiocarbon dating of material from a section of peat deposit in the Mordovia State Nature Reserve. It has been shown that birch–pine forests were widespread in the region between 7000 and 5000 yr BP, with the frequency of fires in that period being high (the fire return interval ranged from 10–20 to 100 years). Beginning from 5000 yr BP and to the early 20th century, broadleaf forests were dominant, with the fire return interval increasing to 300–500 years or longer.     

High Toughness and Fast Crystallization Poly(Lactic Acid)/Polyamide 11/SiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> Composites

A poly(lactic acid) (PLA)/polyamide 11 (PA11)/SiO₂ composite was mixed from PLA, PA11, and nanosilica particles through twin-screw extrusion. The PLA/PA11/SiO₂ composite was evaluated with tensile and Izod impact tests, light transmission and haze measurement, and isothermal and nonisothermal crystallization behavior determinations. The PLA/PA11/SiO₂ (97.0/3.0) composite had approximately 10.8% less ultimate tensile strength than neat PLA, but it had greater ductility and approximately ninefold greater elongation at break. A dimple morphology was observed on the fractural surface of the PLA/PA11/SiO₂ composite, indicating that the incorporation of PA11 and nanosilica particles increased the ductility of the PLA matrix. PLA with less than 3 wt% of PA11 and 0.5 phr of nanosilica particles had an Izod impact strength of 8.72 kJ/m². PA11 and nanosilica particles effectively toughened this PLA polymer; they accelerated both isothermal and nonisothermal crystallization rates and increased the crystallinities of the resulting composites under isothermal and nonisothermal crystallization processes.     

Minimizing irrigation water demand: An evaluation of shifting planting dates in Sri Lanka

Climate change coupled with increasing demands for water necessitates an improved understanding of the water–food nexus at a scale local enough to inform farmer adaptations. Such assessments are particularly important for nations with significant small-scale farming and high spatial variability in climate, such as Sri Lanka. By comparing historical patterns of irrigation water requirements (IWRs) to rice planting records, we estimate that shifting rice planting dates to earlier in the season could yield water savings of up to 6%. Our findings demonstrate the potential of low-cost adaptation strategies to help meet crop production demands in water-scarce environments. This local-scale assessment of IWRs in Sri Lanka highlights the value of using historical data to inform agricultural management of water resources when high-skilled forecasts are not available. Given national policies prioritizing in-country production and farmers’ sensitivities to water stress, decision-makers should consider local degrees of climate variability in institutional design of irrigation management structures.     

The Effect of Silane Treated Fibre Loading on Mechanical Properties of Pineapple Leaf/Kenaf Fibre Filler Phenolic Composites

The aim of the present study is to investigate mechanical and morphological properties of pineapple leaf fibres (PALF) reinforced phenolic composites and its comparison with kenaf fibre (KF)/phenolic composites. Mechanical properties (tensile, flexural and impact) of untreated and treated PALF phenolic composites at different fibre loading were investigated. Tensile, flexural and impact properties of PALF and kenaf/phenolic composites were analyzed as per ASTM standard. Morphological analysis of tensile fracture samples of composites was carried out by scanning electron microscopy. Obtained results indicated that treated PALF/phenolic composites at 50% PALF loading exhibited better tensile, flexural and impact properties as compared to other untreated PALF/phenolic composites. Treated kenaf/phenolic composites at 50% fibre loading showed better tensile, flexural and impact properties than untreated kenaf/phenolic composite. It is concluded that treated 50% fibre loading kenaf and PALF/phenolic composites showed better mechanical properties than untreated kenaf and PALF/phenolic composites due to good fibre/matrix interfacial bonding. Results obtained in this study will be used for the further study on hybridization of PALF and KF based phenolic composites.     

PCDD/Fs in the soils in the province of Trento: 10 years of monitoring

Nuclear bud (NB) formation was investigated in blood erythrocytes of 1892 flounder Platichthys flesus, herring Clupea harengus, and eelpout Zoarces viviparus specimens that were collected at 82 sites representing different regions of the Baltic Sea in 2009–2011. This is the first attempt to evaluate the baseline levels of NB and rank the genotoxicity risk for native fish species. NB levels were compared to the previously published micronuclei (MN) data from the same individual fish specimens in order to compare the two methods of genotoxicity assessment and investigate the relationship between MN as the cytogenetic measure of genotoxicity and the DNA damage reflecting NB. In 2009–2011, elevated NB levels in 89.4 % of flounder sampling groups indicated high and extremely high genotoxicity risk levels. Herring and eelpout sampling groups showed elevated levels of NB, 74.6 and 45.7 %, respectively. In general, herring and eelpout NB measure was more sensitive as the genotoxicity biomarker than MN.