Health-dependent vulnerability to predation affects escape responses of unguarded chinstrap penguin chicks

Predators may select more often to attack the more vulnerable prey or those with an inferior health status. Thus, prey should be able to assess their own vulnerability to predation and modify their antipredatory behavior accordingly. When approached by predator skuas, unguarded penguin chicks flee short distances, and usually aggregate in dense packs, but there is a clear interindividual variability in their responses under similar conditions. We hypothesized that this variability in escape responses might be related to the perceived vulnerability to predation of each individual chick. We simulated predator attacks to chinstrap penguin chicks and analyzed the sources of variation in their escape response, such as the presence of adults or the density of other chicks, and the sex, age, body condition, and health status of responding chicks. Chicks allowed shorter approach distances when they had a better health condition (i.e., a greater T-cell-mediated immunity, CMI), when they were younger, and when the density of adults around was higher. Sex and density of other chicks were not important. Similarly, chicks fled from the experimenter to longer distances when they had a lower CMI and when the density of adults was lower. Therefore, escape characteristics of chicks depended on the presence of adults that can deter predators and on the health-dependent vulnerability of chicks.     

Infrared thermography reveals effect of working posture on skin temperature in office workers

Introduction. Musculoskeletal symptoms related to using traditional computer workstations are common. Quantitative methods for measuring muscle stress and strain are needed to improve ergonomics of workstations. We hypothesize that infrared thermography (IRT) is suited for this purpose. Methods. This hypothesis was evaluated by estimating muscle activity in upright and traditional working postures with IRT and surface electromyography (sEMG). IRT and sEMG measurements were conducted in 14 female participants with both working postures. First, measurements with the traditional posture were performed. Later, participants had 1?month to adjust to the upright working posture before repeating the measurements. IRT images were acquired before and after a full working day, with sEMG recordings being conducted throughout the measurement days. Participants evaluated their neck pain severity using neck disability index (NDI) questionnaires before the first and after the second measurement day. Results. Spatial variation in upper back temperature was higher (p?=?0.008) when working in traditional posture and the upright working posture reduced (p?p?=?0.003) after working in the upright posture. Conclusion. IRT was found suitable for evaluating muscle activity and upright working posture to reduce the NDI and muscle activity in the upper back.     

Validation of a multiclass multiresidue method and monitoring results for 210 pesticides in fruits and vegetables by gas chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry

A rapid, sensitive, accurate and reliable multiresidue method for the identification and quantification of 210 relevant pesticides in four representative fruit and vegetable commodities (tomato, potato, spring onion and orange) has been developed and validated by gas chromatography in tandem with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry. The method has been fully validated and applied to 292 samples from different countries. Prior to instrumental analysis, an extraction procedure based on a sample extraction of multiclass analytes, using the ethyl acetate method was employed. Mass spectrometric conditions were individually optimized for each compound in the selected reaction monitoring (SRM) mode to achieve maximum sensitivity. The pesticides were separated in less than 25 min. This was followed by an exhaustive control of the retention times. The Retention Time Locking Method was applied, working at a constant pressure throughout the analysis. System maintenance was reduced by using a purged capillary flow device that provided backflush capabilities by reversing column flow immediately after elution of the last compound of interest. Istotopically labelled internal standards were employed to improve the quality of the analytical results.     

Application of the Active Soda Process for Removing Sulphur Dioxide from Flue Gases

The active soda process1 was applied for desulfurlzatlon of flue gases emitted by a plant burning heavy fuel oil In a rotary drum drier for stone aggregate. The flue gas capacity of the plant was about 6,7 m³/s at normal conditions. The SO₂ concentration varied between 400– 500 ppm. The solid, dry and fine-grained NaHCO₃ of good quality was fed directly into the hot gas stream at the outlet of the rotary drier In two variants—with and without grinding. The mean particle size was 0.180 m^-3 or 0.070 m^-3, respectively. The achieved desulfurizatlon degree was shown to be directly dependent on the flue gas temperature and on the grinding effect, as well as on the normalized stoichiometric ratio. The highest achieved desulfurization degree amounted up to 74 percent. During the design of the desulfurization process no pilot plant installations and tests were necessary, and for the final process no special chemical reactor was used.     

Determination of priority pesticides in water samples combining SPE and SPME coupled to GC–MS. A case study: Suquía River basin (Argentina)

This study reports a combined method using solid phase extraction (SPE), followed by solid phase microextraction (SPME) to concentrate different pesticides, including chlorinated, organophosphorus, triazines, pyretroids and chloroacetamides, present at trace levels in water samples. Identification and quantification was carried out by gas chromatography coupled to Mass Spectrometry (GC–MS). The optimized methodology showed LOQs at ng L^?1 levels (ranging 0.2–3.5 ng L^?1) in addition to acceptable precision and robustness (recoveries ranged 63–104%, RSD from 4% to 23%), presenting a novel method to reach trace levels, similar to that obtainable using EC detector, with structural confirmation by MS during the analysis of a wide range of environmental pollutants.This method was applied to the study of temporal and spatial distribution of pesticides in the Suquía River basin (Córdoba-Argentina). As expected, highest levels of agrochemicals were observed in areas with intensive agricultural practices, being atrazine (max. = 433.9 ng L^?1), alpha-cypermetrine (max. = 121.7 ng L^?1) and endosulfan sulfate (max. = 106.7 ng L^?1) predominant. In urban areas, the prevalent pesticide was alpha-cypermethrine. These results draw attention to the need of pesticide monitoring programs in rivers, considering both urban and rural sections.     

Degradation of lidocaine,tramadol, venlafaxine and the metabolites O-desmethyltramadol and O-desmethylvenlafaxine in surface waters

The photodegradation and biotic transformation of the pharmaceuticals lidocaine (LDC), tramadol (TRA) and venlafaxine (VEN), and of the metabolites O-desmethyltramadol (ODT) and O-desmethylvenlafaxine (ODV) in the aquatic environmental have been investigated. Photodegradation experiments were carried out using a medium pressure Hg lamp (laboratory experiments) and natural sunlight (field experiments). Degradation of the target compounds followed a first-order kinetic model. Rates of direct photodegradation (light absorption by the compounds itself) at pH 6.9 were very low for all of the target analytes (?0.0059 h^?1 using a Hg lamp and ?0.0027 h^?1 using natural sunlight), while rates of indirect photodegradation (degradation of the compounds through photosensitizers) in river water at pH 7.5 were approximately 59 (LDC), 5 (TRA), 8 (VEN), 15 (ODT) and 13 times (ODV) higher than the rates obtained from the experiments in ultrapure water. The accelerated photodegradation of the target compounds in natural water is attributed mainly to the formation of hydroxyl radicals through photochemical reactions. Biotic (microbial) degradation of the target compounds in surface water has been shown to occur at very low rates (?0.00029 h^?1). The half-life times determined from the field experiments were 31 (LDC), 73 (TRA), 51 (VEN), 21 (ODT) and 18 h (ODV) considering all possible mechanisms of degradation for the target compounds in river water (direct photodegradation, indirect photodegradation and biotic degradation).     

Inhibition of the antioxidant activity of catalase and superoxide dismutase from Fusarium verticillioides exposed to a Jacquinia macrocarpa antifungal fraction

The aim of this study was to investigate the in vitro effect of an antifungal fraction obtained from Jacquinia macrocarpa plant (JmAF) in the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the activity of the catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) enzymes from Fusarium verticillioides, as well as their influence in the viability of the fungus spores. The compounds present in the JmAF were determined by gas chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC/QTOF-MS). The effect of the exposition to JmAF on the generation of ROS, as well as in the CAT and SOD activities in F. verticillioides, was determined. The main compounds detected were γ-sitosterol, stephamiersine, betulinol and oleic acid. JmAF showed very high ability in inhibiting the spore viability of F. verticillioides, and their capacity to cause oxidative stress by induction of ROS production. JmAF induced the highest ROS concentration and also inhibited CAT and SOD activities. The results obtained in this study indicate that JmAF is worthy of being considered for the fight against phytopathogenic fungi.     

Global mismatches in aboveground and belowground biodiversity

Human activities are accelerating global biodiversity change and have resulted in severely threatened ecosystem services. A large proportion of terrestrial biodiversity is harbored by soil, but soil biodiversity has been omitted from many global biodiversity assessments and conservation actions, and understanding of global patterns of soil biodiversity remains limited. In particular, the extent to which hotspots and coldspots of aboveground and soil biodiversity overlap is not clear. We examined global patterns of these overlaps by mapping indices of aboveground (mammals, birds, amphibians, vascular plants) and soil (bacteria, fungi, macrofauna) biodiversity that we created using previously published data on species richness. Areas of mismatch between aboveground and soil biodiversity covered 27% of Earth's terrestrial surface. The temperate broadleaf and mixed forests biome had the highest proportion of grid cells with high aboveground biodiversity but low soil biodiversity, whereas the boreal and tundra biomes had intermediate soil biodiversity but low aboveground biodiversity. While more data on soil biodiversity are needed, both to cover geographic gaps and to include additional taxa, our results suggest that protecting aboveground biodiversity may not sufficiently reduce threats to soil biodiversity. Given the functional importance of soil biodiversity and the role of soils in human well-being, soil biodiversity should be considered further in policy agendas and conservation actions by adapting management practices to sustain soil biodiversity and considering soil biodiversity when designing protected areas.