We compared membrane thickness of fully developed eggs with those of non-developed eggs in different endangered falcon taxa.
To our knowledge, membrane thickness variation during development has never been examined before in falcons or any other wild
bird. Yet, the egg membrane constitutes an important protective barrier for the developing embryo. Because eggshell thinning
is a general process that occurs during bird development, caused by calcium uptake by the embryo, eggs are expected to be
less protected and vulnerable to breakage near the end of development. Thus, egg membranes could play an important protective
role in the later stages of development by getting relatively thicker. We used linear mixed models to explore the variation
in membrane thickness (n = 378 eggs) in relation to developmental stage, taxon, female age, mass and identity (73 females), egg-laying sequence (105
clutches) and the study zone. Our results are consistent with the prediction that egg membranes are thicker in fully developed
eggs than in non-developed eggs, suggesting that the increase in membrane thickness during development may compensate for
eggshell thinning. In addition, our data shown that thicker membranes are associated with larger, heavier and relatively wider
eggs, as well as with eggs that had thinner eggshells. Egg-laying sequence, female age and the study zone did not explain
the observed variation of membrane thickness in the falcon taxa studied. As we provide quantitative data on membrane thickness
variation during development in falcons not subjected to contamination or food limitation (i.e. bred under captive conditions),
our data may be used as a reference for studies on eggs from natural populations. Considering the large variation in membrane
thickness and the multiple factors affecting on it and its importance in the protection of the embryo, we encourage other
researchers to include measurements on membranes in studies exploring eggshell thickness variation. 相似文献
The effect of the integration of Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) technology in a sugar-ethanol factory on the environmental profile/footprint of the products (sugar, ethanol, electricity) is evaluated. The sugarcane is the primary feedstock and sugar, ethanol and electricity are the main products of the system, where the functional unit is defined as 9.86 ton/h of sugar, 2.195 ton/h of hydrated ethanol (96% w/w) and 847 kWh of electricity. A detailed set of material and energy inputs and outputs was obtained from a local factory and was completed using simulation data by Aspen Plus®.The environmental impacts (greenhouse gases and air pollution), exergy efficiency and a renewability parameter have been considered as indicators for the comparative assessment with conventional sugar, ethanol and electricity production technologies. The results show that the use of a SOFC technology involves a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions (52-55%) and non-renewable resources (60-64%) when compared with the conventional integrated sugar and ethanol plant. The higher renewability index (0.93) and exergy efficiency (38%) are noticed for the Solid Oxide Fuel Cell technology integrated in the sugar-ethanol factory than conventional sugar-ethanol plant. 相似文献
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. 相似文献
Environmental Chemistry Letters - Because many engineered nanoparticles are toxic, there is a need for methods to fabricate safe nanoparticles such as plant-based nanoparticles. Indeed, plant... 相似文献
Covid-19 lockdowns have improved the ambient air quality across the world via reduced air pollutant levels. This article aims to investigate the effect of the partial lockdown on the main ambient air pollutants and their elemental concentrations bound to PM2.5 in Hanoi. In addition to the PM2.5 samples collected at three urban sites in Hanoi, the daily PM2.5, NO2, O3, and SO2 levels were collected from the automatic ambient air quality monitoring station at Nguyen Van Cu street to analyze the pollution level before (March 10th–March 31st) and during the partial lockdown (April 1st–April 22nd) with “current” data obtained in 2020 and “historical” data obtained in 2014, 2016, and 2017. The results showed that NO2, PM2.5, O3, and SO2 concentrations obtained from the automatic ambient air quality monitoring station were reduced by 75.8, 55.9, 21.4, and 60.7%, respectively, compared with historical data. Besides, the concentration of PM2.5 at sampling sites declined by 41.8% during the partial lockdown. Furthermore, there was a drastic negative relationship between the boundary layer height (BLH) and the daily mean PM2.5 in Hanoi. The concentrations of Cd, Se, As, Sr, Ba, Cu, Mn, Pb, K, Zn, Ca, Al, and Mg during the partial lockdown were lower than those before the partial lockdown. The results of enrichment factor (EF) values and principal component analysis (PCA) concluded that trace elements in PM2.5 before the partial lockdown were more affected by industrial activities than those during the partial lockdown.
Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Using post-mining areas for planting energy crops has emerged as a promising and sustainable reclamation solution due to its potential contributions... 相似文献
Environmental Science and Pollution Research - This paper provides a novel survey of current collections of frozen raptor carcasses and tissue samples in natural history museums (NHMs),... 相似文献
Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - Mechanical properties of recycled concrete aggregates (RCA) such as compaction and California bearing ratio (CBR) are important for application as... 相似文献
Journal of Polymers and the Environment - This study attempted to develop carrageenan/chitosan based microparticles loading α-mangostin which was extracted from Vietnamese mangosteen skin. The... 相似文献
ABSTRACTThe concept of an agro-production park combines industrial with environmental and animal friendly agriculture. In The Netherlands, academics and government introduced this idea—what we consider a boundary concept—to align economic and environmental ambitions. In this contribution, we argue that boundary concepts are important in deliberations as they create a sphere of engagement that enables participants to scrutinize their routines and to explore new interpretations and practices that replace their normal ways. In this way we ground the notion of ‘reflexive governance’ in deliberative practices for sustainable agriculture. We explored if and how the concept of an agropark induced frame-reflective conversations about conflicting and overlapping interpretations. We conducted a frame analysis of four Dutch national newspapers from which we derived four possible interpretations of an agropark: Pigs in the City, Surviving Farmers, Pigs in the Mud and Surviving Citizens. Next, we analysed 10 deliberative sessions about agroparks to study if reflectivity occurred. Our findings suggest that to move to more sustainable agriculture, the introduction of innovative boundary crossing concepts invites participants to reflect on conflicting frames and engage in reflective governance. However, facilitators and governmental actors need to support this boundary crossing for it to become tangible. 相似文献