Influence of oceanic factors on long-distance movements of loggerhead sea turtles displaced in the southwest Indian Ocean

The routes of five satellite-tracked loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta), subjected to an experimental translocation away from their usual migratory routes, have been analysed in relation to the concurrent oceanographic conditions. Remote sensing data on sea surface temperature and height anomalies, as well as trajectories of surface drifters were used, to get simultaneous information on the currents encountered by the turtles during their long-range oceanic movements. Turtles mostly turned out to move in the same direction as the main currents, and their routes were often influenced by circulation features they encountered. A comparison between turtle ground speeds with that of drifters shows that in several instances, the turtles did not drift passively with the currents but contributed actively to the overall movement. Two turtles embarked on an oceanic crossing, probably induced by seasonal changes in surface temperatures, a crossing that was largely determined by the main currents existing in the area.     

The Impact of Biodegradable Plastics in the Properties of Recycled Polyethylene Terephthalate

Journal of Polymers and the Environment - Since biodegradable materials are unwittingly mixed with synthetic materials, this work aimed to study the feasibility of reliably identifying some...     

A new integrated treatment for the reduction of organic and nitrogen loads in methanogenic landfill leachates

Because of their high organic and nitrogen loads and the presence of toxic and phytotoxic compounds, methanogenic landfill leachates are not easily biodegradable; therefore, direct biological treatment of these wastewaters in conventional treatment plants is not recommended.In the present paper, we report the results of an experimental investigation conducted with the aim of defining an innovative integrated process that is low in cost and easily manageable and that is able to substantially improve the characteristics of methanogenic leachates.Thus, an initial oxidation process was developed using hydrogen peroxide without a catalyst, which, operating under ambient conditions, reduces the phytotoxic compound content to 10% of the initial level, reduces the COD (chemical oxygen demand) content by 50% and increases the rapidly biodegradable substrate content by 50%. Next, nitrogen removal is accomplished by means of struvite precipitation using seawater bittern and bone meal as sources of magnesium and phosphorus, respectively, with this process, abatements were reached of approximately 90% of the ammonia nitrogen, which was recovered as struvite powder.     

基于WRF模式热带气旋对西南低涡暴雨作用数值试验研究

基于WRF模式,利用发生在远距离“天鹅”台风作用下的西南低涡暴雨个例,通过修改台风动力风场,分析了不同数值试验中西南低涡降水系统对台风系统的响应。结果表明：在“天鹅”台风作用下,增强了水汽和不稳定能量的输送,导致了长时间强降水的发生;不同的台风动力风场作用下,西南低涡的移动路径具有明显的不同,降水也具有明显的区域性局地差异;在增强（减弱）台风倒槽动力风场环流作用下,低涡系统中心偏西（东）偏北（南）,相应地,低空急流输送带偏东（西）,进而导致中低层水汽和不稳定能量输送偏东（西）,以及中低层辐合带空间位置偏东（西）,进而对区域性降水空间位置产生影响,导致了降水区域局地性差异,表明远距离台风对西南低涡环流系统具有重要影响     

随机故障、蓄意攻击与城乡路网空间稳定性——以武汉城市圈为例

基于1995~2010武汉城市圈城乡路网空间数据,综合运用复杂网络理论、动力系统理论及现代控制理论等多学科的方法和理论,采取随机故障和蓄意侵略两种攻击策略及多种评价指标,通过建立动力学演化模型并进行模拟仿真,揭示武汉城市圈城乡道路网的空间稳定性：（1）因分布相对均匀,节点连接随机多样,在面临随机攻击时,武汉城市圈城乡路网体现出“类随机性”,抗攻击能力强;（2）高度节点、高介数节点失效时,引致的城乡路网效率和结构变化程度不一,高介数节点失效往往更容易导致路网破碎和效率降低（形成众多子图）;（3）桥梁和高速成为整个圈域城乡路网的关键边,不同桥梁或高速路段相对网络稳定性的重要程度不一样：圈域中心城区的大桥和二桥、南北向的京港澳、大广高速成为整个城乡路网的关键路径     

Brood parasitism disproportionately increases nest provisioning and helper recruitment in a cooperatively breeding bird

Obligate avian brood parasites lay their eggs in nests of other species (hosts), which raise parasitic young. Parasitic nestlings are likely to influence host’s parental behaviours as they typically beg for food more vigorously than young host for a given hunger level. However, few studies have tested this idea, with conflicting results. These prior studies were largely limited to biparental hosts, but little is known about the effect of brood parasitism on parental behaviours in hosts that breed cooperatively. We followed a multimodel approach to examine the effect of brood parasitism on nest provisioning and helper recruitment in the baywing (Agelaioides badius), a cooperative breeder parasitised by screaming (Molothrus rufoaxillaris) and shiny (Molothrus bonariensis) cowbirds. Multimodel inference results indicated that feeding visits increased with nestling age, cooperative group size and number of cowbird nestlings in the brood. Brood size had little influence on feeding visits, which further suggests that baywings adjusted their provisioning effort in response to cowbird parasitism. In addition, nests parasitised artificially with shiny cowbird eggs or hatchlings recruited more helpers than unmanipulated nests having only host or screaming cowbird young. Our results provide novel evidence that brood parasitism and cooperative breeding interact in determining the levels of nest provisioning.     

Amplifying the benefits of agroecology by using the right cultivars

Tropical soils are particularly vulnerable to fertility losses due to their low capacity to retain organic matter and mineral nutrients. This urges the development of new agricultural practices to manage mineral nutrients and organic matter in a more sustainable way while relying less on fertilizer inputs. Two methods pertaining to ecological engineering and agroecology have been tested with some success: (1) the addition of biochar to the soil, and (2) the maintenance of higher earthworm densities. However, modern crop varieties have been selected to be adapted to agricultural practices and to the soil conditions they lead to and common cultivars might not be adapted to new practices. Using rice as a model plant, we compared the responsiveness to biochar and earthworms of five rice cultivars with contrasted selection histories. These cultivars had contrasted responsivenesses to earthworms, biochar, and the combination of both. The mean relative increase in grain biomass, among all treatments and cultivars, was 94% and 32%, respectively, with and without fertilization. Choosing the best combination of cultivar and treatment led to a more than fourfold increase in this mean benefit (a 437% and a 353% relative increase in grain biomass, respectively, with and without fertilization). Besides, the more rustic cultivar, a local landrace adapted to diverse and difficult conditions, responded the best to earthworms in terms of total biomass, while a modern common cultivar responded the best in term of grain biomass. This suggests that cultivars could be selected to amplify the benefit of biochar- and earthworm-based practices. Overall, selecting new cultivars interacting more closely with soil organisms and soil heterogeneity could increase agriculture sustainability, fostering the positive feedback loop between soils and plants that has evolved in natural ecosystems.     

Assessing the effects of Cu, Cd, and exposure period on metallothionein production in gills of the Brazilian brown mussel Perna perna by using factorial design

Factorial design plan was experimented in Perna perna in order to find out the contribution of day exposure, Cd and Cu concentrations in water, and their interactions on metallothioneins (MT), Cd, and Cu (the dependent measured variables) in the gills. The picture obtained is more adequate than by studying the factor effect separately. Compared with the control group, the MT concentration after 22?days exposure period in the mixture of 100?μg/mL Cu and Cd is increased almost two times, showing that P. perna might be used as a biomonitor. Cd showed stronger effect than Cu on MT inducing.     

Assessment of trade-offs,quantity, and biochemical composition of organic materials and farmer's perception towards vermicompost production in smallholder farms of Ethiopia

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - The use of agricultural crop residues and animal manure for soil amendment is limited in most part of Ethiopia because of high competition for the...     

Scaled-up and economic assessment approach of the split-phase glycolysis process for the recycling of flexible polyurethane foam wastes

The economic viability of the split-phase glycolysis process for the recycling of any kind of flexible polyurethane foam waste employing crude glycerol as cleavage agent has been demonstrated. First, experiments at pilot plant scale were carried out to check that the process can be extrapolated to larger scales. With the goal of scaling-up the process from laboratory scale to pilot plant, geometric similarity criteria were applied together with dynamic similarity for laminar flow in agitated tank reactors. Hence, a pilot plant installation was designed with geometrically similar equipment to those used for lab scale, obtaining analogous results in terms of recovered polyol properties. Then, the basic design of a split-phase glycolysis industrial plant with a capacity for treating 270 Tm per year of flexible PU foams scraps was proposed. Finally, the economic feasibility of such recycling process was confirmed because of the obtention of a Net Present Value (NPV) of 1,464,555€, with an Internal Rate of Return (IRR) of 27.99%, and a payback time between 4 and 5 years.