Human appropriation of net primary production as determinant of avifauna diversity in Austria

The relationship between land-use induced changes in production ecology and avifauna diversity was analysed using a GIS land cover dataset on a 0.25 km × 0.25 km grid covering Austria's national territory. Considering only aboveground processes, the “human appropriation of net primary production” (HANPP = potential NPP − NPP_t), actual NPP (NPP_act), harvest (NPP_h) and NPP_t (= NPP_act − harvest) were recalculated based on existing datasets. Elevation as well as indicators of land cover heterogeneity and landscape heterogeneity were also considered. Correlation analyses were performed between these potential determinants of avifauna diversity and breeding bird species richness data as well as the percentage of endangered breeding birds included in the Austrian red list. Four spatial scales—0.25 km × 0.25 km, 1 km × 1 km, 4 km × 4 km and 16 × 16 km, were analysed. It was shown that breeding bird species richness was more strongly correlated with production ecological indicators and elevation than with heterogeneity indicators. A residual analysis in which the effect of elevation (a proxy for climate) on species richness and its potential determinants was removed confirmed the importance of the availability of trophic energy (NPP) for bird diversity patterns. The results support the species-energy hypothesis, thus confirming the notion that HANPP could be a useful pressure indicator for biodiversity loss.     

One-step preparation of a novel graphitic biochar/Cu0/Fe3O4 composite using CO2-ambiance pyrolysis to activate peroxydisulfate for dye degradation

Herein,a one-step co-pyrolysis protocol was adopted for the first time to prepare a novel pyrogenic carbon-Cu⁰/Fe₃O₄ heteroatoms (FCBC) in CO₂ ambiance to discern the roles of each component in PDS activation.During co-pyrolysis,CO₂ catalyzed formation of reducing gases by biomass which facilitated reductive transformation of Fe³⁺ and Cu²⁺ to Cu⁰ and Fe₃O₄,respectively.According to the a...     

Developing new product service systems (PSS): methodologies and operational tools

The co-evolution of industrial production and social patterns calls for systemic solutions that can only be provided by partnerships between companies and other stakeholders, including final users. Such partnerships are defined as Solution Oriented Partnerships (or SOP). Product Service Systems (PSS) are the catalyser of such solutions. The capability of PSS to become an attractive solution depends on factors that are commonly considered to belong to the design domain. The role of designers is therefore essential to the definition of effective and attractive PSS. Designers are now urged to find their own methodological approach to the design of PSS. This paper addresses this need by proposing methods to define a map of the actors involved in PSS, methods to define requirements and structure of a PSS and methods to represent and blueprint a PSS.     

Maternal age-specific risks for trisomies at 9—14 weeks' gestation

This study provides data on the incidence of fetal trisomies 21, 18, and 13 at 9–14 weeks' gestation in women aged 35–45 years and estimates of maternal age-specific risks in women aged 20–45 years. Our data from 5814 singleton pregnancies undergoing first-trimester karyotyping for the sole indication of maternal age ⩾ 35 years were combined with those from two previous reports and the incidence of the trisomies was calculated from a total of 15 793 pregnancies. Comparison of incidences at 9–14 weeks' gestation with published data at 15–20 weeks' gestation and in livebirths demonstrated that at birth the maternal age-specific incidence of trisomy 21 is 33 per cent lower than at 15–20 weeks' gestation and 54 per cent lower than at 9–14 weeks' gestation. Furthermore, the relative frequency of trisomies 18 and 13 decreases from 30 per cent at 9–14 weeks to 22 per cent at 15–20 weeks and 14 per cent at birth.     

Prenatal diagnosis of 21-hydroxylase deficiency by rflp analysis of the 21-hydroxylase,complement C4, and HLA class II genes

In 19 pregnancies at risk for 21-hydroxylase deficiency (21OHD) in 18 families with at lea one affected child, prenatal diagnosis was performed by RFLP analysis using the enzymi Taq I and EcoRI and the DNA probes specific for the 21 OH genes, the closely linke complement C4 genes and the highly polymorphic HLA class II genes DRB, DQB, and DPI For fetal DNA analysis either chorionic villi or cultivated amniotic cells were used. In all 1 cases, a clear prenatal diagnosis was possible either with the 21OH probe alone or in mo cases, by combining the results of the different closely linked loci.     

Mating System and Sexual Selection in the Scorpionfly Panorpa vulgaris (Mecoptera: Panorpidae)

Panorpa vulgaris   has become a model insect for testing theories of sexual selection. This contribution summarizes that which has been learned in recent years and presents new data that clearly show that the mating system of P. vulgaris is not simply a resource-defense polygyny, as has previously been thought. In P. vulgaris neither the pattern in food exploitation nor the ratio of variance in the lifetime reproductive success of the two sexes is in accordance with that expected in resource defense polygynous mating systems. Lifetime mating duration is the most important proximate determinant of male fitness. Males employing alternative mating tactics obtain copulations of varying duration in relation to the following sequence: saliva secretion  1  food offering  1  no gift. The number of salivary masses which males provide to females during their lifetime is significantly correlated with the lifetime condition index. The condition index depends on the fighting prowess of males and their ability to find food items. Thus saliva secretion of Panorpa is considered a Zahavian handicap, which can serve as an honest quality indicator used by mating females. Our results confirm four main predictions of the indicator model of the theory of sexual selection: (a) the indicator signals high ecological quality of its bearer, (b) the indicator value increases with phenotypic quality, (c) the indicator value is positively correlated with the genetic quality affecting offspring fitness in a natural selection context, and (d) the quality indicator is more costly for low- than for high-quality individuals. The evolutionary consequences of the mating pattern and the sperm competition mechanism in P. vulgaris are discussed in the context the way in which sexual selection creates and maintains sperm mixing and the evolution of a promiscuous mating system.     

The effect of oxygen tension on colony formation and cell proliferation of amniotic fluid cellsin vitro

The effects of reduced oxygen concentrations in the gas phase over the culture medium on colony formation and cell proliferation were investigated in high and low cell density primary and secondary cultures of amniotic fluid cells. Using two standard culture methods (25 cm² plastic flasks and Leighton type tubes) a significantly reduced culture time was observed at high cell density for mass cultures by incubation within a low oxygen tension gas phase (2.5 per cent to 7.5 per cent O₂) instead of conventional air (18 per cent O₂). At low cell density colony formation was significantly enhanced in cultures grown at reduced oxygen tension. Using gas permeable membranes as support, lowering the oxygen tension from 7.5 per cent to 2.5 per cent yielded an increase in plating efficiency of cells from approximately 5 per cent to 25 per cent, whereas plating efficiency was less than 2 per cent for cells grown at ambient 18 per cent O₂. It is suggested that low oxygen tension in the gas phase is an effective means of enhancing clonal growth in amniotic fluid cell cultures, thereby reducing both culture time and risk of culture failure.     

Monitoring GHG from manure stores on organic and conventional dairy farms

Organic farming methods are claimed to be more environmentally friendly than conventional methods and the EU MIDAIR project had an overall aim to compare emissions from organic dairy farming with conventional methods of milk production. Manure stores are the second largest source of methane emissions (after enteric fermentation) on European dairy farming.The aim of this project was to measure green house gas (GHG) emissions from manures in covered and uncovered slurry stores and farm yard manure (FYM) heaps. The chosen method for measuring these emissions was the tracer ratio method, using sulphur hexafluoride (SF₆) as the tracer gas, the limitations of this method prevented successful measurements being made on some of the stores and a modified method was used on the covered stores. The difference in concentration of the upwind and downwind samples and interfering sources were limiting factors. FYM emission measurements were successful only when the manure was stored indoors.Methane emissions were successfully measured over a 12 month period from the uncovered slurry stores. Emission rates from the uncovered slurry stores on the conventional farm and the organic farm ranged from 14.4 to 49.6 and from 12.4 to 42.3 g C m⁻³ d⁻¹, respectively, with the mean CH₄ emission rates of 35 and 26 g C m⁻³ d⁻¹. On both farms, nitrous oxide emissions were close to zero.Methane emissions measured from the indoor organic FYM in summer were 17.1 g C m⁻³ d⁻¹ and the nitrous oxide emission was 411 mg N m⁻³ d⁻¹.The covered slurry stores were in such close proximity to other GHG sources that the tracer ratio method was unsuitable and the air-injection method was adopted. The measured emissions from covered slurry stores of CH₄, CO₂ and NH₃ were, respectively, 14.9 g C m⁻³ d⁻¹, 12.9 g C m⁻³ d⁻¹ and 18.6 mg NH₃ m⁻² d⁻¹ of slurry in February and 12.0 g C m⁻³ d⁻¹, 9.5 g C m⁻³ d⁻¹ and 335 mg NH₃ m⁻² d⁻¹ slurry in March. No nitrous oxide production could be measured.     

High-performance permanent magnets

 High-performance permanent magnets (pms) are based on compounds with outstanding intrinsic magnetic properties as well as on optimized microstructures and alloy compositions. The most powerful pm materials at present are RE–TM intermetallic alloys which derive their exceptional magnetic properties from the favourable combination of rare earth metals (RE=Nd, Pr, Sm) with transition metals (TM=Fe, Co), in particular magnets based on (Nd,Pr)₂Fe₁₄B and Sm₂(Co,Cu,Fe,Zr)₁₇. Their development during the last 20 years has involved a dramatic improvement in their performance by a factor of >15 compared with conventional ferrite pms therefore contributing positively to the ever-increasing demand for pms in many (including new) application fields, to the extent that RE–TM pms now account for nearly half of the worldwide market. This review article first gives a brief introduction to the basics of ferromagnetism to confer an insight into the variety of (permanent) magnets, their manufacture and application fields. We then examine the rather complex relationship between the microstructure and the magnetic properties for the two highest-performance and most promising pm materials mentioned. By using numerical micromagnetic simulations on the basis of the Finite Element technique the correlation can be quantitatively predicted, thus providing a powerful tool for the further development of optimized high-performance pms.