Social personality traits in chimpanzees: temporal stability and structure of behaviourally assessed personality traits in three captive populations

Animals of many species show consistency in behaviour across time and contexts that differs from other individuals' behaviour in the same population. Such ‘personality’ affects fitness and has therefore become an increasingly relevant research topic in biology. However, consistent variation in social behaviour is understudied. In socially living species, behaviour occurs in a social environment and social interactions have a significant influence on individual fitness. This study addressed personality in social behaviour of 75 captive chimpanzees in three zoos by coding observed behaviour. Fifteen behavioural variables were significantly repeatable (range 0.21–0.93) in at least two of the three zoos. The behaviours showed considerable long-term stability across 3 years, which did not differ from the short-term repeatability. The repeatable behaviours were then analysed with factor analyses. They formed five independent factors, three of which consisted of social traits and were labelled ‘sociability’, ‘positive affect’ and ‘equitability’. The two non-social behaviour factors were labelled ‘anxiety’ and ‘activity’. The factor scores were analysed for sex and population differences. Males had higher factor scores in all traits except ‘sociability’. The factor scores differed also between the zoos, implying considerable external effects in trait expression. The results show that chimpanzees show personality in a broad range of social and non-social behaviours. The study highlights the importance of assessing personality in the social behaviour, especially in cohesive social species, as only then can we understand the consequences of personality in socially living species.     

Adsorption of arsenic (V) by iron (III)-modified natural zeolitic tuff

Adsorption of arsenic (V) by natural zeolitic tuff, modified with iron (III), was investigated. Also, the iron (III) adsorption characteristics by natural zeolitic tuff was evaluated. It was determined that iron (III) adsorption by starting zeolitic tuff was best represented by the Freundlich type of isotherm, having correlation coefficient (r ²) of 0.990. Arsenic (V) adsorption by iron (III)-modified zeolitic tuff followed a nonlinear type of isotherm. The best fit of the experimental data was obtained using the Langmuir–Freundlich model (r ² = 0.99), with the estimated maximum of arsenic (V) adsorption to iron (III)-modified zeolitic tuff of 1.55 mg/g.     

PVC and PET microplastics in caddisfly (Lepidostoma basale) cases reduce case stability

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Caddisfly larvae occur in streams and rivers, and many caddisfly species build protective cases using material from their habitat such as sand grains....     

A people‐centred perspective on climate change,environmental stress,and livelihood resilience in Bangladesh

The Ganges–Brahmaputra delta enables Bangladesh to sustain a dense population, but it also exposes people to natural hazards. This article presents findings from the Gibika project, which researches livelihood resilience in seven study sites across Bangladesh. This study aims to understand how people in the study sites build resilience against environmental stresses, such as cyclones, floods, riverbank erosion, and drought, and in what ways their strategies sometimes fail. The article applies a new methodology for studying people’s decision making in risk-prone environments: the personal Livelihood History interviews (N = 28). The findings show how environmental stress, shocks, and disturbances affect people’s livelihood resilience and why adaptation measures can be unsuccessful. Floods, riverbank erosion, and droughts cause damage to agricultural lands, crops, houses, and properties. People manage to adapt by modifying their agricultural practices, switching to alternative livelihoods, or using migration as an adaptive strategy. In the coastal study sites, cyclones are a severe hazard. The study reveals that when a cyclone approaches, people sometimes choose not to evacuate: they put their lives at risk to protect their livelihoods and properties. Future policy and adaptation planning must use lessons learned from people currently facing environmental stress and shocks.     

Persistence of the fluoroquinolone antibiotic difloxacin in soil and lacking effects on nitrogen turnover

The environmental risks caused by the use of fluoroquinolone antibiotics in human therapeutics and animal husbandry are associated with their persistence and (bio)accessibility in soil. To assess these aspects, we administered difloxacin to pigs and applied the contaminated manure to soil. We then evaluated the dissipation and sequestration of difloxacin in soil in the absence and presence of plants within a laboratory trial, a mesocosm trial, and a field trial. A sequential extraction yielded antibiotic fractions of differing binding strength. We also assessed the antibiotic's effects on nitrogen turnover in soil (potential nitrification and denitrification). Difloxacin was hardly (bio)accessible and was very persistent under all conditions studied (dissipation half-life in bulk soil, >217 d), rapidly forming nonextractable residues. Although varying environmental conditions did not affect persistence, dissipation was accelerated in soil surrounding plant roots. Effects on nitrogen turnover were limited due to the compound's strong binding and small (bio)accessibility despite its persistence.     

Measuring limitations in activities of daily living: a population-based validation of a short questionnaire

Purpose. A newly developed questionnaire assessing limitations in activity of daily living (LADL–Q) that should improve assessment of LADL is tested in a large population-based validation study. Methods. This survey was paper-based. Overall, 16,634 individuals who were representative of the working population in the German-speaking part of Switzerland participated in the study. Item analysis was used the final version of the LADL–Q to four items per subscale that correspond to potential problems in three body regions (back and neck, upper extremities, lower extremities). Analysis included tests for reliability, internal consistency, dimensionality and convergent validity. Results. Test–retest reliability coefficients after 2 weeks ranged from 0.82 to 0.99 (Mdn?=?0.87), with no item having a coefficient below 0.60. The median item-total coefficients ranged between moderate and good. Correlation coefficients between LADL–Q subscales and three validated clinical instruments (Western Ontario and McMaster Universities osteoarthritis index, shoulder pain disability index, Oswestry) ranged from 0.63 to 0.81. In structural equation modeling the three subscales were significantly related with two important outcomes in occupational rehabilitation: self-reported general health and daily task performance. Conclusion. The new LADL–Q is a brief, reliable and valid tool for assessment of LADL in studies on musculoskeletal health.     

Determination of toxic elements in meat products from Serbia packaged in tinplate cans

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - This work aimed to examine the influence of the storage period on the content of toxic elements (As, Cd, Hg, and Pb) in five types of canned meat...     

I will not go,I cannot go: cultural and social limitations of disaster preparedness in Asia,Africa, and Oceania

While much work has been invested in addressing the economic and technical basis of disaster preparedness, less effort has been directed towards understanding the cultural and social obstacles to and opportunities for disaster risk reduction. This paper presents local insights from five different national settings into the cultural and social contexts of disaster preparedness. In most cases, an early warning system was in place, but it failed to alert people to diverse environmental shocks. The research findings show that despite geographical and typological differences in these locations, the limitations of the systems were fairly similar. In Kenya, people received warnings, but from contradictory systems, whereas in the Philippines and on the island of Saipan, people did not understand the messages or take them seriously. In Bangladesh and Nepal, however, a deeper cultural and religious reasoning serves to explain disasters, and how to prevent them or find safety when they strike.     

The implications of ecosystem dynamics for fisheries management: a case study of selected fisheries in the Gulf of Paria, Trinidad

It is accepted that if fisheries resources are to remain renewable and able to sustain livelihoods, appropriate management practices must be implemented. Even while fisheries management grapples to resolve single-species issues, the biological and economic interactions among species mandate that to be effective, management techniques must be based on more interactive and aggregate-level analyses. In order to implement these techniques, the actual links, and the potential impact of these links, among the fisheries must be established. Vector autoregression (VAR) analysis has the potential to play an increasingly important role in ecosystem modelling for fisheries management. This study uses VAR analysis to demonstrate the quantitative impact of certain ecosystem changes on the productivity of the carite, honey shrimp and croaker fisheries of the Gulf of Paria, Trinidad, in the particular context of the ecosystem dynamics of trophic linkages, bycatch and multispecies fisheries. Four VAR models are constructed to investigate the extent to which these factors affect the production of the selected fisheries, and to evaluate the management implications of these linkages. The empirical analysis is further evidence that, if sustainable management of fishery resources is to be achieved, management practices based on more multi-species, ecosystem approaches must replace the traditional, single-species management techniques.