Growth conditions affect carotenoid-based plumage coloration of great tit nestlings

 Carotenoid-based integument colour in animals has been hypothesised to signal individual phenotypic quality because it reliably reflects either foraging efficiency or health status. We investigated whether carotenoid-derived yellow plumage coloration of fledgling great tits (Parus major) reflects their nestling history. Great tit fledglings reared in a poor year (1998) or in the urban habitat were less yellow than these reared in a good year (1999) or in the forest. The origin of nestlings also affected their coloration since nestlings from a city population did not improve their coloration when transferred to the forest. Brood size manipulation affected fledgling colour, but only in the rural population, where nestlings from reduced broods developed more yellow coloration than nestlings from increased and control broods. Effect of brood size manipulation on fledgling plumage colour was independent of the body mass, indicating that growth environment affects fledgling body mass and plumage colour by different pathways. Received: 20 March 2000 / Accepted in revised form: 4 September 2000     

Compensation of vestibular lesions in relation to development

The Science of Nature -     

环境地球化学与人体健康的关系

本文探讨了环境地球化学与人体健康的关系,试图以医学与环境地球化学相结合和元素地球化学分布与生态学特征相结合的方式进一步阐述这一问题,揭示其内在联系和规律。最后从营养角度讨论了强身健体、延年益寿的方法。     

Method of pollution sources assessment in relation to residential site selection

Much investigation supports a high incidence of disease and death rates when people live in ambient polluted air for a long time. Thus, the location of residential sites is important from a public health viewpoint. The method outlined in this paper is useful for determining the location of residential sites based on pollution sources assessment.     

Movements and corridors of African elephants in relation to protected areas

Understanding how mammals satisfy their need for space in fragmenting ecosystems is crucial for ecosystem conservation. Using state-of-the-art global positioning system (GPS) technology we tracked 11 focal African elephants (Loxodonta africana) in Kenya at 3-hourly fix intervals and collected between 34 and 406 days per individual. Our recordings gave a high spatio-temporal resolution compared to previous studies and allowed novel insights into range use. The actual ranges of the tracked elephants are smaller than usually represented. Moreover, the ranges in our sample were complex and not confined to officially designated protected areas, except where fenced. All the unfenced elephants in our sample had distinct home sectors linked by travel corridors. Within each home sector the elephants concentrated in favourite core zones. Such core zones tended to lie in protected areas whereas corridors typically crossed unprotected range. Elephants moved significantly faster along corridors than elsewhere in their range, which suggests awareness of danger outside the protected area. We conclude that understanding the complex use of an animals range is crucial for conservation planning aiming to balance animal interests with those of human beings that co-habit in their range.The revised version was published online in April 2005 with correction to figure 1a and b.     

Oviposition strategies of conifer seed chalcids in relation to host phenology

Insects are considered the most important predators of seed cones, the female reproductive structures of conifers, prior to seed dispersal. Slightly more than 100 genera of insects are known to parasitize conifer seed cones. The most diverse (i.e., number of species) of these genera is Megastigmus (Hymenoptera: Torymidae), which comprises many important seed pests of native and exotic conifers. Seed chalcids, Megastigmus spp., lay eggs inside the developing ovules of host conifers and, until recently, oviposition was believed to occur only in fertilized ovules. Ovule development begins just after pollination, but stops if cells are not fertilized. The morphological stage of cone development at the time of oviposition by seed chalcids has been established for many species; however, knowledge of ovule development at that time has been documented for only one species, M. spermotrophus. Megastigmus spermotrophus oviposits in Douglas-fir ovules after pollination but before fertilization. Unlike the unfertilized ovules, those containing a M. spermotrophus larva continue to develop, whether fertilized or not, stressing the need to broaden our understanding of the insect–plant interactions for this entire genus. To achieve this task, we reviewed the scientific literature and assembled information pertaining to the timing of oviposition and to the pollination and fertilization periods of their respective host(s). More specifically, we were searching for circumstantial evidence that other species of Megastigmus associated with conifers could behave (i.e., oviposit before ovule fertilization) and impact on female gametophyte (i.e., prevent abortion) like M. spermotrophus. The evidence from our compilation suggests that seed chalcids infesting Pinaceae may also oviposit before ovule fertilization, just like M. spermotrophus, whereas those infesting Cupressaceae seemingly oviposit after ovule fertilization. Based on this evidence, we hypothesize that all species of Megastigmus associated with Pinaceae can oviposit in unfertilized ovules, whereas those exploiting Cupressaceae cannot, and thus oviposit only in already fully developed fertilized seeds. Furthermore, we predict that the presence of a larva in unfertilized ovules of all Pinaceae will influence the development of the female gametophyte by preventing its abortion. This influence on the Pinaceae can be interpreted as an ability to parasitize any of the potential seeds present in a seed cone, and as such represents a much more efficient oviposition strategy than searching and locating only fertilized seeds. Concomitantly, this ability has likely led to an overestimation of the impact of the species of seed chalcid infesting Pinaceae on seed production.     

Surface properties of bacteria from activated sludge in relation to bioflocculation

Two bacterial stains were isolated from the activated sludge and identified as Leucobacter sp.and Alcaligenes faecalis by 16S rDNA sequencing.Pure cultures of these two strains,representing well or poorly settled bacteria,were used to investigate the mechanism of bioflocculation in activated sludge.Based on the analyses of the characteristics of cells hydrophobicity,ζ-potential,flocculation ability and extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) composition under different growth stages,it was found that the ratio of cell EPS protein had the highly influence on ζ-potential and hydrophobicity,which were important factors to bioflocculation.Cellulase and Proteinase K could destroy the extracellular biopolymer and resulted in a decrease in the hydrophobicity and ζ-potential.However,in our study,the flocculation characteristics exhibited differently in relation to cellulase and Proteinase K.Flocculation of cells treated with cellulase and Proteinase K decreased sharply,and then recovered quickly in cellulase treatment,while cells treated with Proteinase K showed no sign of recovery.This reveals that the presence of protein in extracellular biopolymer plays an important role to the bioflocculation of cells.     

水体有机和无机颗粒组分变化对散射和后向散射特性影响研究

研究颗粒物的比例构成对散射及后向散射特性的影响,对推动水色遥感的发展具有重要的意义。本文结合2017年6月和9月秦皇岛附近海域的实测数据,获取了各站位有机颗粒（POM）、无机颗粒（PIM）的浓度以及散射、后向散射等光谱参数,并进行了相关性分析。结果表明,受水体颗粒物浓度的影响,各波段比后向散射系数的变化幅度明显增大,变异系数CV最大值出现在550 nm处;通过建立散射、后向散射系数与总悬浮颗粒物浓度（SPM）以及与PIM和POM之间的关系模型发现,水体的后向散射受水体颗粒物构成影响较大,与有机、无机颗粒物浓度之间的模型精度较高,均方根误差（RMSE）的变化范围为0.0094~0.0143,模型精度在700 nm处最好;同时,分析了无机颗粒物的比例构成（PIM/SPM）对散射效率和后向散射效率的影响,得出相对于散射效率Q_be,后向散射效率Q_bbe受无机颗粒物比例构成影响最大,但是Q_bbe与PIM/SPM的相关性并不是很高,决定系数R2为0.4。     

FloodProBE: technologies for improved safety of the built environment in relation to flood events

The FloodProBE project started as a FP7 research project in November 2009.Floods, together with wind related storms, are considered the major natural hazard in the EU in terms of risk to people and assets. In order to adapt urban areas (in river and coastal zones) to prevent flooding or to be better prepared for floods, decision makers need to determine how to upgrade flood defences and increasing flood resilience of protected buildings and critical infrastructure (power supplies, communications, water, transport, etc.) and assess the expected risk reduction from these measures.The aim of the FloodProBE-project is to improve knowledge on flood resilience and flood protection performance for balancing investments in flood risk management in urban areas. To this end, technologies, methods and tools for assessment purposes and for the adaptation of new and existing buildings and critical infrastructure are developed, tested and disseminated.Three priority areas are addressed by FloodProBE. These are: (i) vulnerability of critical infrastructure and high-density value assets including direct and indirect damage, (ii) the assessment and reliability of urban flood defences including the use of geophysical methods and remote sensing techniques and (iii) concepts and technologies for upgrading weak links in flood defences as well as construction technologies for flood proofing buildings and infrastructure networks to increase the flood resilience of the urban system.The primary impact of FloodProBE in advancing knowledge in these areas is an increase in the cost-effectiveness (i.e. performance) of new and existing flood protection structures and flood resilience measures.