Rapid sperm evolution in the bluethroat (Luscinia svecica) subspecies complex

Spermatozoa are among the most variable animal cell types, and much research is currently directed towards explaining inter- and intraspecific variation in sperm form and function. Recent comparative studies in passerine birds have found associations between the level of sperm competition and both sperm length and sperm velocity. In species with sperm competition, postcopulatory sexual selection may shape the morphology of sperm as adaptations to the female environment. The speed of evolutionary change in sperm morphology at the species level is largely unknown. In this study, we analysed variation in sperm morphology among morphologically distinct and geographically isolated bluethroat subspecies in Europe. Consistent with previous studies, our analyses of mtDNA and nuclear introns suggest recent divergence and lack of lineage sorting among the subspecies. We found significant divergence in total sperm length and in the length of some sperm components (i.e. head and midpiece). There was a significantly positive relationship between pairwise divergences in sperm morphology and mitochondrial DNA, suggesting a role for genetic drift in sperm divergence. The magnitude of sperm length divergence was considerably higher than that in other geographically structured passerines, and even higher than that observed between several pairs of sister species. We hypothesize that the rapid sperm evolution in bluethroats is driven by sperm competition, and that strong postcopulatory sexual selection on sperm traits can lead to rapid speciation through reproductive incompatibilities.     

Effects of polyaluminium chloride on the freshwater invertebrate Daphnia magna

In a number of countries across the world, aluminium in the form of polyaluminium chloride has been used in the treatment of freshwaters for the direct removal of cyanobacteria, or phosphorus removal, but knowledge about its effect on zooplankton species is poor. In our study, polyaluminium chloride toxicity was tested on both artificial and natural freshwaters for a better understanding and prediction of effects in real ecosystems. Our results indicate that prediction of effects in a real ecosystem based on standard ISO methods is insufficient, and tests with nontarget species (including invertebrates) should be done before each treatment using the water samples from the treated location. Effective concentrations of polyaluminium chloride can differ markedly according to the type of water composition used in the assay. Our experiments proved that EC₅₀ values can fluctuate between 9.89 and 54.29 mg·L^?1 of Al³⁺, and the toxicity is dominantly dependent on the treated water conductivity. This parameter seems to be the dominant source of different effects on zooplankton species after treatment and thus should be properly tested before each use of polyaluminium chloride as a treatment compound.     

Development of a complex-based flow injection spectrophotometric method for determination of the herbicide pinoxaden in environmental samples

A flow injection (FI) spectrophotometric method for the determination of the herbicide pinoxaden (PXD) has been proposed. PXD was converted in alkaline media with hydroxylamine hydrochloride to the hydroxamate salt. The salt was reacted with iron(III) chloride, and the absorbance of the red colored tris iron hydroxamate complex was measured at 500?nm using a FI system. The method was found to be linear between 0.5 and 40?mg?L^?1 with a molar absorptivity of 1.53?×?10^4?L?mol^?1?cm^?1. The limit of detection and limit of quantification were found to be 0.1?±?0.01?mg?L^?1 and 0.6?±?0.05?mg?L^?1, respectively. Any interference of fenoxaprop-p-ethyl (FE) was avoided by the separation of PXD by liquid chromatography with a mixture of dichloromethane and n-hexane (1?:?1) as eluent. The method was applied to the determination of PXD in soil, water, and wheat grains with percent recoveries of 98?±?2, 100?±?2, and 98?±?5, respectively. Sample throughput of 60 samples per hour was achieved under optimized conditions.     

Transition management as a model for managing processes of co-evolution towards sustainable development

Sustainable development requires changes in socio-technical systems and wider societal change – in beliefs, values and governance that co-evolve with technology changes. In this article we present a practical model for managing processes of co-evolution: transition management. Transition management is a multilevel model of governance which shapes processes of co-evolution using visions, transition experiments and cycles of learning and adaptation. Transition management helps societies to transform themselves in a gradual, reflexive way through guided processes of variation and selection, the outcomes of which are stepping stones for further change. It shows that societies can break free from existing practices and technologies, by engaging in co-evolutionary steering. This is illustrated by the Dutch waste management transition. Perhaps transition management constitutes the third way that policy scientists have been looking for all the time, combining the advantages of incrementalism (based on mutual adaptation) with the advantages of planning (based on long-term objectives).     

Population genetic structure of escolar (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Lepidocybium flavobrunneum</Emphasis>)

Escolar (Lepidocybium flavobrunneum) is a large, mesopelagic fish that inhabits tropical and temperate seas throughout the world, and is a common bycatch in pelagic longline fisheries that target tuna and swordfish. Few studies have explored the biology and natural history of escolar, and little is known regarding its population structure. To evaluate the genetic basis of population structure of escolar throughout their range, we surveyed genetic variation over an 806 base pair fragment of the mitochondrial control region. In total, 225 individuals from six geographically distant locations throughout the Atlantic (Gulf of Mexico, Brazil, South Africa) and Pacific (Ecuador, Hawaii, Australia) were analyzed. A neighbor-joining tree of haplotypes based on maximum likelihood distances revealed two highly divergent clades (δ = 4.85%) that were predominantly restricted to the Atlantic and Indo-Pacific ocean basins. All Atlantic clade individuals occurred in the Atlantic Ocean and all but four Pacific clade individuals were found in the Pacific Ocean. The four Atlantic escolar with Pacific clade haplotypes were found in the South Africa collection. The nuclear ITS-1 gene region of these four individuals was subsequently analyzed and compared to the ITS-1 gene region of four individuals from the South Africa collection with Atlantic clade haplotypes as well as four representative individuals each from the Atlantic and Pacific collections. The four South Africa escolar with Pacific mitochondrial control region haplotypes all had ITS-1 gene region sequences that clustered with the Pacific escolar, suggesting that they were recent migrants from the Indo-Pacific. Due to the high divergence and geographic separation of the Atlantic and Pacific clades, as well as reported morphological differences between Atlantic and Indo-Pacific specimens, consideration of the Atlantic and Indo-Pacific populations as separate species or subspecies may be warranted, though further study is necessary.     

When is a male not a male? Sex recognition and choice in two sex-changing species

For dioecious species, choosing a mate of the same sex can have reproductive costs. For sex-changing animals, however, a lack of sex recognition may not carry a reproductive cost, as pairs that were initially same-sex can become opposite-sex pairs as one partner changes sex. The strength of sex discrimination in sex changers, then, should depend on the duration of mating associations and whether the time of sex change is influenced by social situation (“flexible” sex change). We studied two species of marine snails that change sex from male to female, one with flexible sex change and long-term or permanent mating associations (Crepidula fornicata) and one with short-term pairings and relatively fixed time of sex change (Crepidula convexa), to determine whether either species exhibits sex recognition and whether members of C. convexa show stronger sex discrimination. In laboratory experiments, small males, the choosing animals, were placed with either a male or a female conspecific (no-choice experiments) or given a choice of a male or female (choice experiments). We controlled for shell length in all experiments, as relative size may influence sex change or choice. Males of both species paired more often with females than males, but, as predicted, males of C. convexa showed stronger discrimination: When given a choice, no C. convexa male paired with another male. In contrast, some C. fornicata males always chose other males even when given the choice of a female. These results suggest that sex recognition can be adaptive even for sex changers but demonstrate that the level of sex recognition will depend on other aspects of reproductive behavior.     

Measurement method for objective cyclist behavior parameters

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this research is to study the feasibility of measuring behavioral indicators that reflect effects of infrastructure and interaction with other road users.

Methods: An observation study was performed using 6 cameras above a separated cycle path next to a road which included a crossing with both cyclists and cars. A learning method based on Single Shot MultiBox Detector was applied to automatically detect the cyclists, and cyclist tracks were determined. Next, kinematic parameters were calculated from the cyclists’ tracks. Amongst others, the cyclists’ intensity, speed, position on the cycle path, and the distance to each other were analyzed for a busy period as well as for a quiet period of the day.

Results: With the measurement method developed in this study it is possible to analyze the cyclists’ intensity, the space they use at the cycle path, their average velocity, waiting times, the space and velocity amongst each other, and red light negation. However, collisions were not seen in the dataset analyzed, and the data is not sufficiently accurate to analyze sudden braking actions.

Conclusion: It can be concluded that the developed measurement method provides insight of the cyclists’ behavior in such a way that it can already be used for obtaining information to make changes to the infrastructure that will improve the comfort and safety of cyclists. The method could be further developed for doing qualitative comfort and safety analyses, and for doing analyses of the interaction between various types of road participants.     

Construction waste management based on industrial management models: a Swedish case study.

This paper describes a methodology for estimating the true internal costs of construction waste, aimed at promoting environmentally friendly waste management. The study employs cost-benefit analysis, contribution margin analysis, the polluter-pays principle and a mathematical model: the model for Efficient Use of Resources for Optimal Production Economy (EUROPE), which has been introduced previously by the author for assigning industrial costs to waste. The calculations are performed on construction waste created in a case study of a building project. Moreover, waste is regarded as, in a business sense, having the same basic status as any normal industrial product, namely the 'equality principle'. Application of the methodology is suggested to create incentives for environmental and profitability improvement in construction companies and other types of industrial sectors. The results of the case study show the generation of construction waste to substantially decrease the final operating income, due to the internal shadow price cost it creates. This paper is intended to reduce the gap between the choice of waste management procedures and their economic impact, the overall objective being to accomplish an improved industrial environmental situation.     

Participatory ergonomics and an evaluation of a low-cost improvement effect on cleaners' working posture.

Cleaning is a highly physically demanding job with a high frequency of awkward postures and working environments as contributing risk factors. Participatory ergonomics is a method in which end-users take an active role in identifying risk factors and solutions. The aim of this study was to apply the participatory ergonomics method to identify cleaning problems and to evaluate the effect of a low-cost improvement on cleaners' working postures in an office environment. The results show that the cleaning problem was identified, and the low-cost ergonomics solution suggested by the cleaners was implemented. Thus an improved working environment reduced the number of awkward cleaning postures and the Ovako Working Posture Analysis System (OWAS) action category for floor mopping decreased. It can be concluded that working in an improved environment can lead to better working postures which, in turn, leads to the cleaners' better health and better cleaning results.     

An Effect of Salt Concentration and Inoculum Size on Poly(Vinyl Alcohol) Utilization by Two <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sphingomonas</Emphasis> Strains

Due to its widespread use and water solubility, poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) has the potential to find its way into various water or soil ecosystems. Despite the fact that many bacterial species with the capacity of utilizing PVA have been found and described, the influences of some environmental factors on their capabilities to biodegrade PVA have not been adequately studied. Therefore, study was made of the effects of two environmental factors on PVA degradation exhibited by two Sphingomonas strains. Both strains originated from common wastewater treatment plants, and proved to be considerably sensitive to increased inorganic salt concentrations; in brief, 13.3 mmol/l either of phosphate or chloride ions significantly delayed the degradation process or inhibited it entirely. In contrast to such halosensitivity, both strains were able to rapidly utilize PVA under suitable conditions, even when low inoculum sizes were applied. Initial cell densities, ranging from 10⁰ to 10⁷ cells/ml, were used in two series of degradation trials and PVA degradation occurred in all cases; merely delays extending over several days in the degradation process were noted when inoculum sizes of 10⁰–10³ cells/ml were applied.