Seating position and impression formation in an office setting

The relationships between seating position (professor and student sitting across a desk or at a small conference table) and the professor's sex on subjects' impressions of the professor in a feedback situation were evaluated. Using a 2 × 2 design, 188 student subjects rated a hypothetical professor located in one of two seating positions depicted on a simple line drawing in terms of a number of interpersonal attributes. Significant differences were found for seating position, but effects were not found for either sex of professor or the sex of professor by seating position interaction.     

Increased mortality and photoinhibition in the symbiotic dinoflagellates of the Indo–Pacific coral Stylophora pistillata (Esper) after summer bleaching

Coral bleaching (the loss of symbiotic dinoflagellates from reef-building corals) is most frequently caused by high-light and temperature conditions. We exposed the explants of the hermatypic coral Stylophora pistillata to four combinations of light and temperature in late spring and also in late summer. During mid-summer, two NOAA bleaching warnings were issued for Heron Island reef (Southern Great Barrier Reef, Australia) when sea temperature exceeded the NOAA bleaching threshold, and a ‘mild’ (in terms of the whole coral community) bleaching event occurred, resulting in widespread S. pistillata bleaching and mortality. Symbiotic dinoflagellate biomass decreased by more than half from late spring to late summer (from 2.5×10⁶ to 0.8×10⁶ dinoflagellates cm² coral tissue), and those dinoflagellates that remained after summer became photoinhibited more readily (dark-adapted F _V : F _M decreased to (0.3 compared with 0.4 in spring), and died in greater numbers (up to 17% dinoflagellate mortality compared with 5% in the spring) when exposed to artificially elevated light and temperature. Adding exogenous antioxidants (d-mannitol and l-ascorbic acid) to the water surrounding the coral had no clear effect on either photoinhibition or symbiont mortality. These data show that light and temperature stress cause mortality of the dinoflagellate symbionts within the coral, and that susceptibility to light and temperature stress is strongly related to coral condition. Photoinhibitory mechanisms are clearly involved, and will increase through a positive feedback mechanism: symbiont loss promotes further symbiont loss as the light microenvironment becomes progressively harsher.     

Contaminants in American alligator eggs from Lake Apopka,Lake Griffin,and Lake Okeechobee,Florida

Residues of organochlorine pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and 16 elements were measured in American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) eggs collected in 1984 from Lakes Apopka, Griffin, and Okeechobee in central and south Florida. Organochlorine pesticides were highest in eggs from Lake Apopka. None of the elements appeared to be present at harmful concentrations in eggs from any of the lakes. A larger sample of eggs was collected in 1985, but only from Lakes Griffin, a lake where eggs were relatively clean, and Apopka, where eggs were most contaminated. In 1985, hatching success of artificially incubated eggs was lower for Lake Apopka, and several organochlorine pesticides were higher than in eggs from Lake Griffin. However, within Lake Apopka, higher levels of pesticides in chemically analyzed eggs were not associated with reduced hatching success of the remaining eggs in the clutch. Therefore, it did not appear that any of the pesticides we measured were responsible for the reduced hatching success of Lake Apopka eggs.     

Effects of H2O2 on growth,metabolic activity and membrane integrity in three strains of Microcystis aeruginosa

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The application of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) as a management tool to control Microcystis blooms has become increasingly popular due to its short...     

Evaluation of combustion by-products of MTBE as a component of reformulated gasoline

Methyl tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE) is a gasoline oxygenate that is widely used throughout the US and Europe as an octane-booster and as a means of reducing automotive carbon monoxide (CO) emissions. The combustion by-products of pure MTBE have been evaluated in previous laboratory studies, but little attention has been paid to the combustion by-products of MTBE as a component of gasoline. MTBE is often used in reformulated gasoline (RFG), which has chemical and physical characteristics distinct from conventional gasoline. The formation of MTBE by-products in RFG is not well-understood, especially under "worst-case" vehicle emission scenarios such as fuel-rich operations, cold-starts or malfunctioning emission control systems, conditions which have not been studied extensively. Engine-out automotive dynamometer studies have compared RFG with MTBE to non-oxygenated RFG. Their findings suggest that adding MTBE to reformulated gasoline does not impact the high temperature flame chemistry in cylinder combustion processes. Comparison of tailpipe and exhaust emission studies indicate that reactions in the catalytic converter are quite effective in destroying most hydrocarbon MTBE by-product species. Since important reaction by-products are formed in the post-flame region, understanding changes in this region will contribute to the understanding of fuel-related changes in emissions.     

Forecasts of habitat loss and fragmentation due to urban growth are sensitive to source of input data

The conversion of natural habitat to urban settlements is a primary driver of biodiversity loss, and species' persistence is threatened by the extent, location, and spatial pattern of development. Urban growth models are widely used to anticipate future development and to inform conservation management, but the source of spatial input to these models may contribute to uncertainty in their predictions. We compared two sources of historic urban maps, used as input for model calibration, to determine how differences in definition and scale of urban extent affect the resulting spatial predictions from a widely used urban growth model for San Diego County, CA under three conservation scenarios. The results showed that rate, extent, and spatial pattern of predicted urban development, and associated habitat loss, may vary substantially depending on the source of input data, regardless of how much land is excluded from development. Although the datasets we compared both represented urban land, different types of land use/land cover included in the definition of urban land and different minimum mapping units contributed to the discrepancies. Varying temporal resolution of the input datasets also contributed to differences in projected rates of development. Differential predicted impacts to vegetation types illustrate how the choice of spatial input data may lead to different conclusions relative to conservation. Although the study cannot reveal whether one dataset is better than another, modelers should carefully consider that geographical reality can be represented differently, and should carefully choose the definition and scale of their data to fit their research objectives.     

Opinions of 12 to 13-year-olds in Austria and Australia on the concern,cause and imminence of climate change

Early adolescence (12–13 years old) is a critical but under-researched demographic for the formation of attitudes related to climate change. We address this important area by exploring adolescent views about climate change. This paper presents opinions collected from surveys of 463 1st-year secondary school students (12–13 years old) in public secondary schools in inner-urban centres in Austria and Australia on whether climate change is (1) something about which to worry, (2) caused by humans and (3) happening now. Eligible respondents in both countries showed similar levels of agreement that climate change was probably or definitely something we should (1) worry about (84.6% Austria, 89.1% Australia), which is significantly higher than either country’s adult population. Eligible respondents agreed that climate change probably or definitely is (2) caused by humans (75.6% Austria, 83.6% Australia) and that climate change is probably or definitely something that is (3) happening now (73.1% Austria, 87.5% Australia). Their response differed from the respective adult populations, but in opposite directions. Our results suggest that socio-cultural worldview may not have as much influence on this age group as it does on the respective adult populations and suggests that this age group would be receptive and ready for climate science education and engagement initiatives.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s13280-020-01356-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Jack pine growth and elemental composition are affected by saline tailings water

In the processing of oil sands from Alberta's Athabasca formation, large quantities of alkaline, saline tailings and associated process-affected waters are produced. These waters may have a negative effect on plants used in reclamation of mined areas in this region of the northern boreal forest. In the present study, we examined the effects of process-affected water on the growth and elemental composition of jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.) seedlings. Seedlings were grown in sand culture, and treated with tailings water to which mineral nutrients had been added. One-month-old seedlings were treated for 14 d, and all measured growth parameters were reduced. Growth and shoot elemental composition were also measured in seven-month-old seedlings that were treated for 10 wk with process-affected water. Shoots had significantly elevated levels of Na, Cl, S, P, B, and Sr, and significantly reduced levels of Fe, Mo, Ba, and K. The relationships between elemental composition and seedling growth and injury were examined using multiple regression. Growth rates, dry weights, and carotenoid content were reduced, but were not related to shoot elemental composition. Needle necrosis was positively related to tissue Na and Cl. Results indicate that reclamation planning must consider substrate Na and Cl levels when planting jack pine on tailings-affected sites.