Paleosols of the Solonchanka IX site and climate of the Transural steppe zone in the fourth century AD

Studies on paleosols under an archaeological landmark of a rare type (a complex of kurgans with “whiskers”) dating from the Early Iron Age (the fourth century AD) have been performed in the steppe zone of the Transural Plateau. The size and shape of third-order soil polygons under stony ridges (“whiskers”) between the kurgans have been described in detail. The results have shown that the paleosol under the kurgans erected at the turn of the Late Sarmatian and Hun times (1600 years ago) is characterized by a higher humus content and deeper location of the carbonate horizon, compared to the recent soil. This indicates that an increase in atmospheric humidity took place in the fourth century AD.     

Distractions and the risk of car crash injury: the effect of drivers' age

PROBLEM: Motor-vehicle accidents are one of the major causes of injury in most motorized countries. Driver distractions have been suggested as a contributor to traffic accidents. Moreover, age of the driver seems to have a role in the relationship between distractions and car crashes. But very few studies have investigated the effect of driver's age on this relationship. This exploratory study investigated the association between distractions, both inside and outside the vehicle, and the increased risk of car crash injury among drivers across different ages. METHOD: This study used a case series design to analyze data routinely collected by the NSW police in Australia. A special focus of this study was on how drivers' age affects the risk of car crash injury, which was determined by using a well-documented risk estimation methodology. RESULTS: The results obtained indicated that drivers of all ages, on the whole, are more susceptible to distractions inside the vehicle than distractions coming from outside. Age was shown to affect the relationship between in-vehicle distraction and the risk of car crash injury. A separate analysis was also conducted on hand-held phone usage while driving with results supplementing previous findings reported in the literature. IMPACT TO INDUSTRY: Safety strategies to countermeasure in-vehicle distractions have been suggested and discussed.     

Secondary analysis of time of day on simulated driving performance

PROBLEM: Age and gender are frequently controlled for in studies of driving performance, but the effects of time of day or circadian cycles on performance are often not considered. Previous research on time of day effects of simulated driving is contradictory and provides little guidance for understanding the impact of these variables on results. METHODS: Using driving simulator data from 79 subjects ages 18 to 65, this paper focuses on the impact of age, gender, and time of day on the simulated driving performance of subjects who self-selected the time of participation. RESULTS: Time of day effects were consistently evident for drivers' speed overall and across different simulated environments. Drivers in the late afternoon period consistently drove significantly slower than drivers in other time periods. Age and gender affected speed such that women and those participants 50 and older tended to drive more slowly. Time of day also had an effect on reaction time and on speed variability measures. Gender did not have significant effects on reaction time or variability measures, but age effects were present. SUMMARY: Taken together, the results suggest that time of day effects should be considered as part of simulated driving performance, and that interactions between time of day and other variables, notably age, should be controlled for as part of future research. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: Implications of these findings on current efforts for older driver testing are discussed.     

Regulation of honey bee division of labor by colony age demography

The age at which worker honey bees begin foraging varies under different colony conditions. Previous studies have shown that juvenile hormone (JH) mediates this behavioral plasticity, and that worker-worker interactions influence both JH titers and age at first foraging. These results also indicated that the age at first foraging is delayed in the presence of foragers, suggesting that colony age demography directly influences temporal division of labor. We tested this hypothesis by determining whether behavioral or physiological development can be accelerated, delayed, or reversed by altering colony age structure. In three out of three trials, earlier onset of foraging was induced in colonies depleted of foragers compared to colonies depleted of an equal number of bees across all age classes. In two out of three trials, delayed onset of foraging was induced in colonies in which foragers were confined compared to colonies with free-flying foragers. Finally, in three out of three trials, both endocrine and exocrine changes associated with reversion from foraging to brood care were induced in colonies composed of all old bees and devoid of brood; JH titers decreased and hypopharyngeal glands regenerated. These results demonstrate that plasticity in age-related division of labor in honey bee colonies is at least partially controlled by social factors. The implications of these results are discussed for the recently developed ‘‘activator-inhibitor” model for honey bee behavioral development. Received: 8 November 1995/Accepted after revision: 10 May 1996     

中国全新世气候变化研究进展

全新世气候变化研究是古气候研究的一个重点。中国全新世气候变化的研究也是全球变化研究中重要的一部分。大量的研究工作为恢复中国全新世气候做了重大贡献。中国地形地貌复杂 ,又处在具有复杂时空变率的东亚季风控制范围内 ,这使得不同的研究工作者在一些问题上存在意见分歧。比较统一的意见是 :中国全新世始于约 10 .5kaBP ;在约 9～ 8kaBP左右为一段降温期 ;7～ 4kaBP为一段温暖期 ,通常称之为全新世大暖期 ;大约 3kaBP左右开始降温 ,至近代才又升温 ;约 130 0aA .D .左右进入小冰期 ,到 185 0aA .D .左右结束 ,其间又有几次比较明显的温度振荡。 185 0aA .D .至今为温度的上升期。对于气候变动的驱动因素 ,不同的学者看法不一 ;从长时间尺度看 ,太阳辐射变化是气候变化的主要驱动力。     

基于地理探测器的湖南新石器时期聚落遗址人居环境适宜度评价

湖南地区是长江中游新石器时期文化发源地之一,为了更有效地了解新石器时期的人地关系,以高程、坡度、坡向、水体、地貌、土壤和植被类型这7个指标构建新石器时期聚落遗址人居环境模糊指数综合评价体系,运用地理探测器的因子探测法确定各要素的权重,在ArcGIS中将各因子的权重值进行加权叠加和综合等级类型分类,最终得到湖南新石器时期聚落遗址人居环境适宜度评价结果:宜居度中等以上的区域面积最大,总面积为18.59万km2,占湖南省总面积的87.77％;水体权重值占比最高;古人偏爱聚水而居,且集中分布在洞庭湖区域,湘、资、沅、澧周边沿干流分布或在河流的交汇区域分布;适宜度等级较高的遗址类型偏向于丘陵型、台地型和平原型;宜居度中等及以上的遗址多分布在地形较低、朝南、微斜坡、地貌、土壤和植被类型最为丰富的区域.本文可为今后史前聚落遗址分布与自然环境分析提供借鉴意义.     

退化梭梭林禁牧封育周期的研究

对阿拉善荒漠地区不同时间（2005年、2002年、1999年和1980年）禁牧围封梭梭生态特征进行了对比研究。生态特征分析表明7年封育梭梭恢复效果最好,梭梭盖度达到了22．6％,密度增加到每公顷594株,生物量提高到每公顷12．01吨。而25年围封梭梭林密度、盖度和生物量均低于7年封育。年龄结构分析表明1年、4年和7年禁牧封育梭梭均发展趋势,而25年禁牧封育梭梭呈现衰退趋势。动态模拟分析表明通过禁牧封育,干旱区退化梭梭林恢复最佳周期14年,生物量达15．3吨／公顷,盖度28％,密度高达770彬公顷。     

Determinants of paternity success in the spider Pholcus phalangioides (Pholcidae: Araneae): the role of male and female mating behaviour

In double mating experiments, we examined whether and to what extent various male and female behavioural traits influence the course of mating and fertilization success in the cellar spider. In males, we focussed on pre-copulatory behaviour and on the rhythmic twisting movements that the male performs with his pedipalps during copulation. In females, we investigated remating decisions and the effect of female termination of copulation. Second males fertilized a high proportion of the eggs (P ₂: median 89%) despite much shorter second matings, with high variation in relative paternity success. The number of pedipalp movements (PPMs) of either male was a better predictor of paternity than copulation duration. Our results suggest that in second matings, PPMs help to remove sperm from previous males, whereas in first matings a high number of PPMs enhances fertilization success, either due to numerical sperm competition or cryptic female choice. Furthermore, we found a negative male age effect on paternity in second matings, implying that age-related deterioration of spermatozoa may promote variation in fertilization success. Female receptivity decreased significantly in second matings; only 70% of the females remated. Females that accepted a second copulation were found to terminate these much earlier and with higher probability than first matings. This suggests that the intensity of conflict between the sexes is higher in second matings. Increased intensity of sexual conflict may be responsible for stronger selection on male traits, as pre-copulatory behaviour and age only affected male copulatory performance and paternity in second matings. Electronic Publication     

Accumulation of trace elements in the peripheral and central parts of two species of epiphytic lichens transplanted to a polluted site in Portugal

This paper compares the dynamics, i.e. the rates of change in element concentrations of young and older lichen thallus parts, of one foliose and one fruticose lichen, during a transplant experiment to a polluted site. Both lichen parts respond to environmental changes. Here, differential accumulation suggests that differential constitution leads to differential uptake and release, and/or the overall behaviour is partly due to internal translocation and regulation mechanisms within the whole lichen. For thallus parts, internal translocation should be taken into account as one more factor affecting lichen “memory length”. Young parts of the thallus presented higher rates of change, but different lichen parts accumulate different elements to different extents. Therefore tissue selection in monitoring may depend on the element of interest, and cannot be made into a generalized approach in survey set-ups: the choice depends on the element.     

Comparison of the Vegetation and Seed Bank on Hedge Banks of Different Ages in Brittany,France

The composition of the herbaceous cover and the seed bank of old and recent hedge banks in Brittany were studied and compared. Concentration method was used for seed bank samples. Grimes plant strategies were used to explain observed patterns. The analysis of the seed bank of these hedge banks showed that the species richness and diversity differed in relation to the date of construction of the hedge banks. The seed banks of recent hedge banks were richer and more diversified than those of old hedge banks. Differences in the floristic composition of the established plant cover between the recent and old hedge banks were determined by multivariate analyses. The species exclusively found in the seed bank and in the herb cover of recent hedge banks were mainly grassland species, whereas the species that only occurred on old hedge banks tended to be woodland species. The floristic composition of the two compartments (established vegetation and seed bank) was very different. A multivariate analysis revealed that the difference between the composition of the seed banks of recent and old hedge banks was less than that between the composition of the established vegetation and seed bank of hedge banks of the same age. Both seed bank and vegetation of recent hedge banks were dominated by ruderal species, whereas old hedge vegetation was dominated by stress-tolerant woodland species, indicating that mechanically constructed hedge banks may impose limitations on colonization by late woodland species.