Suchergebnisse

The majority of cultural heritage is stored in archives, libraries and museum storage spaces. To reduce degradation risks, many archives adopt the use of archival boxes, among other means, to provide the necessary climate control and comply with strict legislation requirements regarding temperature and relative air humidity. A strict ambient indoor climate is assumed to provide adequate environmental conditions near objects. Guidelines and legislation provide requirements for ambient indoor climate parameters, but often do not consider other factors that influence the near-object environment, such as the use of archival boxes, airflow distribution and archival rack placement. This study aimed to provide more insight into the relation between the ambient indoor conditions in repositories and the hygrothermal conditions surrounding the collection. Comprehensive measurements were performed in a case study archive to collect ambient, local and near-object conditions. Both measurements and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling were used to research temperature/relative humidity gradients and airflow distribution with a changing rack orientation, climate control strategy and supply as well as exhaust set-up in a repository. The following conclusions are presented: (i) supplying air from one air handling unit to multiple repositories on different floors leads to small temperature differences between them. Differences in ambient and local climates are noticed; (ii) archival boxes mute and delay variations in ambient conditions as expected—however, thermal radiation from the building envelope may have a large influence on the climate conditions in a box; (iii) adopting night reduction for energy conservation results in an increased influence of the external climate, with adequate insulation, this effect should be mitigated; and (iv) the specific locations of the supply air and extraction of air resulted in a vertical gradient of temperature and insufficient mixing of air, and adequate ventilation strategies should enhance sufficient air mixing in combination with the insulation of external walls, and gradient forming should be reduced.

10 páginas.-- 5 figuras.-- 1 tabla.-- 45 referencias.-- Supporting Information Additional Supporting Information may be found in the online versionof this article. Fig. S1. Performance of palm seedlings in each treatment. Fig. S2. Influence of light intensity on VPD. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2664.12311/suppinfo ; © 2014 British Ecological Society. The degradation of the Andean cloud forest raises strong biological conservation issues and threatens the sustainability of a crucial water resource. The idea that nurse-based restoration can accelerate the recovery of these forests is underexplored, despite its promise as a restoration technique. Recent conceptual models predict that facilitation among plants may be an important mechanism, but there is a lack of strong empirical support. We gathered experimental data to test this prediction and explore the relevance of using nurse-based forest restoration in these environments. A 20-month factorial experimental design in the Andean tropical cloud forest was established. We measured the survival and estimated the biomass production of transplanted seedlings of a keystone canopy forest species, Ceroxylon echinulatum (Arecaceae), in a deforested area in the presence/absence of herbivory, a potential nurse plant (the tussock grass Setaria sphacelata, Poaceae) and artificial shade. The joint effects of deforestation and herbivory led to the death of all seedlings, whereas most seedlings survived in the adjacent forest, which was used as the control. The presence of nurse plants led to significantly higher survival and growth of Ceroxylon seedlings throughout the experiment, regardless of herbivore presence. The nurse effects were explained by a reduction of the relative abiotic stress experienced by the seedlings outside the forest, that is, the consistently decreasing maximum vapour pressure deficit. Furthermore, nurse tussocks delayed and reduced the effects of herbivory by offering physical protection and a refuge for seedlings against detection by herbivores. However, the effects of herbivory and abiotic stress on facilitation were not additive. Synthesis and applications. Facilitation in degraded cloud forest can be intense as soon as the beneficiary plants are driven away from their physiological optimum (relative abiotic stress) and/or are confronted by herbivory. Using pre-established exotic tussock grasses as a nurse-based restoration technique in degraded cloud forest is a low-cost, non-detrimental (to biodiversity) option, especially in the absence of nurse trees and shrubs. The success of this method requires transplanting seedlings at the base of tussocks. Facilitation in degraded cloud forest can be intense as soon as the beneficiary plants are driven away from their physiological optimum (relative abiotic stress) and/or are confronted by herbivory. Using pre-established exotic tussock grasses as a nurse-based restoration technique in degraded cloud forest is a low-cost, non-detrimental (to biodiversity) option, especially in the absence of nurse trees and shrubs. The success of this method requires transplanting seedlings at the base of tussocks. ; We thank the people of the Inti-Llacta Reserve for their kind reception and J. Lincango, S. Cauvy-Fraunie, and C. Gully for their help with data collection. We are also grateful to P. Liancourt and two anonymous reviewers for extensive comments on the manuscript and to the LucidPapers team for English revision. This research was funded by the Ecuadorian government (ECOFONDO grant no. 019-ECO7-Inv1) and the project PALMS FP7-ENV-2007-I (www.fp7-palms.org). ; Peer Reviewed

AbstractIntertidal sands are global hotspots of terrestrial and marine carbon cycling with strong hydrodynamic forcing by waves and tides and high macrofaunal activity. Yet, the relative importance of hydrodynamics and macrofauna in controlling these ecosystems remains unclear. Here, we compare geochemical gradients and bacterial, archaeal, and eukaryotic gene sequences in intertidal sands dominated by subsurface deposit-feeding worms (Abarenicola pacifica) to adjacent worm-free areas. We show that hydrodynamic forcing controls organismal assemblages in surface sediments, while in deeper layers selective feeding by worms on fine, algae-rich particles strongly decreases the abundance and richness of all three domains. In these deeper layers, bacterial and eukaryotic network connectivity decreases, while percentages of clades involved in degradation of refractory organic matter, oxidative nitrogen, and sulfur cycling increase. Our findings reveal macrofaunal activity as the key driver of biological community structure and functioning, that in turn influence carbon cycling in intertidal sands below the mainly physically controlled surface layer.

Tese de mestrado, Ecologia Marinha, Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Ciências, 2021 ; The increasing degradation of marine coastal habitats due to many types of anthropogenic pressures (e.g. overfishing, water pollution, underwater tourism, etc.), led governments and intergovernmental organizations to create directives and regulations for the protection of marine ecosystems (e.g. Marine Strategy Framework Directive) and establish Marine Protected Areas (MPA), which are now widely accepted as adequate tools to protect, maintain, and restore marine ecosystems. However, in order to well manage their effectiveness, periodic monitoring is required. Biological indicators are typically used to access the protection effect of a MPA. Nevertheless, for temperate marine subtidal rocky reefs, most of these indicators are based on fish and commercial invertebrates' traits, whereas for the overall invertebrates' assemblages, information is lacking. Therefore, the present study assessed the taxonomic and functional response of invertebrate assemblages to the protection effect of the Arrábida Marine Protected Area (Portugal), in order to define specific traits, useful to be used as biological indicators. The combined results of PERMANOVA and discriminant analyses showed an overall strong environmental gradient along the MPA, revealing an already expected situation of multiple stressors (natural and anthropogenic) influencing the local invertebrate communities. This environmental gradient is evident and seemed capable of weakening protection effects. Nevertheless, some potentially good biological indicators of protection effects were detected, namely "density of high value species", "density of bycatch species with high value", "densities of scavengers and omnivores" and "densities of grazers and herbivores" showed responsive trends to fishing pressure; Bryozoa and Gorgoniidae taxa showed responsive trends to diving pressure, even though no functional trait responded significantly to this pressure. Although most of these ...

National audience ; Bacteria contribute the largest proportion of the soil genetic pool, and along with other soil organisms are thought to be key drivers of various biogeochemical cycles. There is therefore widespread scientific interest in how bacterial biodiversity is affected by land use change and how this affects soil functionality and ecosystem services. From a policy perspective also, there is a need to provide relevant indicators of change in soils so as to establish target criteria to assess soil degradation and the efficacy of mitigation procedures. This talk will discuss results from over one hundred local land use transitions on soil biodiversity and soil properties, using datasets from both large scale soil biodiversity surveys such as the UK Countryside Survey, and more recent targeted sampling within the EU funded EcoFINDERS project and other UK initiatives. We firstly show that bacterial communities are a particularly sensitive component of soil biodiversity for use as indicators of change in soils. Secondly we illustrate that bacterial communities in bulk soils are strongly driven by soil parameters, and that this knowledge of broad biodiversity gradients from large scale surveys can be used to predict and explain change within local land use transitions. In particular we show that the magnitude of variation in bacterial biodiversity is related to the specific land use transition context, and also relates to the relative change in soil parameters such as pH and organic matter. Finally we will discuss the results in terms of specific bacterial indicators of change, and demonstrate that similar bacterial taxa can be indicators of either intensively managed or pristine soils depending upon the specific context of the land use transition with respect to the wider soil biodiversity physical-chemical gradient.

National audience ; Bacteria contribute the largest proportion of the soil genetic pool, and along with other soil organisms are thought to be key drivers of various biogeochemical cycles. There is therefore widespread scientific interest in how bacterial biodiversity is affected by land use change and how this affects soil functionality and ecosystem services. From a policy perspective also, there is a need to provide relevant indicators of change in soils so as to establish target criteria to assess soil degradation and the efficacy of mitigation procedures. This talk will discuss results from over one hundred local land use transitions on soil biodiversity and soil properties, using datasets from both large scale soil biodiversity surveys such as the UK Countryside Survey, and more recent targeted sampling within the EU funded EcoFINDERS project and other UK initiatives. We firstly show that bacterial communities are a particularly sensitive component of soil biodiversity for use as indicators of change in soils. Secondly we illustrate that bacterial communities in bulk soils are strongly driven by soil parameters, and that this knowledge of broad biodiversity gradients from large scale surveys can be used to predict and explain change within local land use transitions. In particular we show that the magnitude of variation in bacterial biodiversity is related to the specific land use transition context, and also relates to the relative change in soil parameters such as pH and organic matter. Finally we will discuss the results in terms of specific bacterial indicators of change, and demonstrate that similar bacterial taxa can be indicators of either intensively managed or pristine soils depending upon the specific context of the land use transition with respect to the wider soil biodiversity physical-chemical gradient.

Bacteria contribute the largest proportion of the soil genetic pool, and along with other soil organisms are thought to be key drivers of various biogeochemical cycles. There is therefore widespread scientific interest in how bacterial biodiversity is affected by land use change and how this affects soil functionality and ecosystem services. From a policy perspective also, there is a need to provide relevant indicators of change in soils so as to establish target criteria to assess soil degradation and the efficacy of mitigation procedures. This talk will discuss results from over one hundred local land use transitions on soil biodiversity and soil properties, using datasets from both large scale soil biodiversity surveys such as the UK Countryside Survey, and more recent targeted sampling within the EU funded EcoFINDERS project and other UK initiatives. We firstly show that bacterial communities are a particularly sensitive component of soil biodiversity for use as indicators of change in soils. Secondly we illustrate that bacterial communities in bulk soils are strongly driven by soil parameters, and that this knowledge of broad biodiversity gradients from large scale surveys can be used to predict and explain change within local land use transitions. In particular we show that the magnitude of variation in bacterial biodiversity is related to the specific land use transition context, and also relates to the relative change in soil parameters such as pH and organic matter. Finally we will discuss the results in terms of specific bacterial indicators of change, and demonstrate that similar bacterial taxa can be indicators of either intensively managed or pristine soils depending upon the specific context of the land use transition with respect to the wider soil biodiversity physical-chemical gradient.

The investigations presented in this work were carried out in order to further deepen the knowledge about nitrite pathways in the area of sugar beet extraction. The article consists of two parts with different experimental set-up: the first part focuses on laboratory trials in which the fate of nitrate and nitrite was studied in a so-called mini-fermenter. These trials were carried out using juice from the hot part of the cossette mixer of an Agrana sugar factory in Austria. In the experiments, two common sugar factory disinfectants were used in order to study microbial as well as microbial-chemical effects on nitrite formation and degradation caused by bacteria present in the juice. The trials demonstrated that the direct microbial effect (denitrification) on nitrite degradation is more pronounced than the indirect microbial-chemical effect coming from pH value decrease by these bacteria and subsequent nitrite loss. The second part describes the findings from laboratory experiments and full scale factory trials using a mobile laboratory set-up based on insulated stainless steel containers and spectrophotometric detection of nitrite in various factory juices. The trials were made at two Nordzucker factories located in Finland (factory A) and Sweden (factory B). The inhibiting effect of the two common sugar factory disinfectants on nitrite formation was evaluated in laboratory trials, whereas the full scale trials focused on one disinfectant. Other trials to evaluate potential contamination sources of thermophilic nitrite producing bacteria to the extraction system, reactivation of nitrite producing bacteria in raw juice and the effect of a pH gradient on bacterial nitrite activity in cossette mixer juice are also reported.

Abstract
Background
Ofloxacin (OFL) is stable and difficult to degrade. It has been detected in water, soil, and plants throughout the world. This study domesticated OFL-contaminated livestock manure soil with simplified carbon sources to identify flora capable of effectively degrading OFL. The changes in the structural composition and diversity of the microbial community and the functional abundance of the soil flora were analyzed by metagenome sequencing technology. The Biolog-ECO microplate method was used to study the utilization of 31 different carbon sources by selected bacteria and to identify the best co-metabolized carbon source for degradation.

Results
Amino acid carbon sources were more likely to cause significant changes in community structures with increasing OFL concentrations during the acclimation stage. The abundance of Sphingobacterium decreased from 69.23% to 9.84%, while Alcaligenes increased from 0.27% to 62.79%, and Stenotrophomonas increased from 11.63% to 33.33%, becoming the dominant genus. The results suggested that Stenotrophomonas and Alcaligenes were potential candidate bacteria for the degradation of quinolone antibiotics, such as OFL. Compared with the first stage of acclimation, there was an 87% increase (the concentration was 30 mg·L−1) in the OFL degradation rate by functional flora obtained by gradient acclimation, and the functional abundance of the microbial community also increased and stabilized with the depth of the domestication process. The most significant changes in membrane transport were observed in the functional abundance of the microbial community, and it was found that itaconic acid, Tween 80, and L-aspartic acid could increase the biomass of the microbial community under OFL stress.

Conclusion
Significant changes in the bacterial composition and functional abundance of the microbial community resulted from the addition of amino acid carbon sources, together with the OFL concentration. Functional flora resulting from domestication were better able to degrade OFL. The addition of a co-metabolic carbon source significantly enhanced the biomass of the functional flora. In this study, co-metabolism was performed by adding specific carbon sources, thus achieving metabolic diversity of functional flora and ultimately efficient biodegradation of OFL. This was an important discovery in the field of microbial remediation of environmental contamination.

The majority of cultural heritage is stored in archives, libraries and museum storage spaces. To reduce degradation risks, many archives adopt the use of archival boxes, among other means, to provide the necessary climate control and comply with strict legislation requirements regarding temperature and relative air humidity. A strict ambient indoor climate is assumed to provide adequate environmental conditions near objects. Guidelines and legislation provide requirements for ambient indoor climate parameters, but often do not consider other factors that influence the near-object environment, such as the use of archival boxes, airflow distribution and archival rack placement. This study aimed to provide more insight into the relation between the ambient indoor conditions in repositories and the hygrothermal conditions surrounding the collection. Comprehensive measurements were performed in a case study archive to collect ambient, local and near-object conditions. Both measurements and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling were used to research temperature/relative humidity gradients and airflow distribution with a changing rack orientation, climate control strategy and supply as well as exhaust set-up in a repository. The following conclusions are presented: (i) supplying air from one air handling unit to multiple repositories on different floors leads to small temperature differences between them. Differences in ambient and local climates are noticed; (ii) archival boxes mute and delay variations in ambient conditions as expected-however, thermal radiation from the building envelope may have a large influence on the climate conditions in a box; (iii) adopting night reduction for energy conservation results in an increased influence of the external climate, with adequate insulation, this effect should be mitigated; and (iv) the specific locations of the supply air and extraction of air resulted in a vertical gradient of temperature and insufficient mixing of air, and adequate ventilation strategies should ...

Introduction -- Influence of Changing Patterns of Precipitation and Temperature on Tropical Soil Ecosystem -- Nature and Extent of Forest Degradation in Central Himalayas -- Management of invasive alien plants in Nepal: current practices and future prospects -- Invasive species and their impact on tropical forests of Central India- a review -- Aboveground tree carbon stocks along a disturbance gradient in wet tropical forests of south Assam, India -- Responses of tropical and sub-tropical plants to air pollution -- Shorea robusta forest resources of Mainpat/Phendeling Tibetan Refugee Camp, Chhattisgarh, India -- Ecology of Treeline Vegetation in Western Himalaya: Anthropogenic and Climatic Influences -- Ideas and Approaches for Studying Treelines in the Himalayas: Expanding the Concept from a Landmark to Community and Ecosystem Levels -- Community Response and Adaptation to Climate Change in Central Himalaya, Uttarakhand, India -- Environmental Changes and Challenges of Tarai and Siwalik of Nepal -- Ecological value and change sensitivity based approach for defining integrity of forests in west Himalaya, India -- Himalayan biodiversity in the face of climate change -- Phenological Pattern and Community Structure of Dipterocarpaceae in Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park, Lampung -- Integrated landscape modelling in India: Evaluating the scope for micro-level spatial analysis over temporal scale -- Conclusions and way forward

Antbirds (Thamnophilidae) comprise many insectivorous, mostly understory birds present in all Neotropical biomas. Many species occur specifically in the Amazonia, so a decline in species richness is expected from central Amazonian sites, to peripheral ones; this pattern is due primarily to the evolutionary history of the taxon. Rapid surveys to state the antbird species richness were performed in six sites of terra firme forest in the Belém Center of Endemism, the Easternmost and one of the most threatened regions in the Amazonia. These sites followed a series from more central to more peripheral areas, the latter being located in the edge of the Amazonia. The antbird species richness of every site was stated by presence-absence criteria. Two surveys were made in each site, by walking three transects in each of two trails in every survey. This species richness progressively fell from 19 species in the most central site (Gurupi Biological Reserve) to only two in the most peripheral one (São Luís). Probably, the gradient in the species richness is primarily associated to the evolutionary history of this group, however new studies using methods appropriated to assess the effects of environmental degradation in the regional richness of Thamnophilidae and other forest bird species should be encouraged.

[EN] Thin films of ferromagnetic LTP-MnBi (Low Temperature Phase of MnBi) have been grown by magnetron sputtering onto quartz substrates. Two particular issues related to LTP-MnBi have been investigated: the strong influence of the growth temperature and the degradation of magnetic properties in time. The temperature dependence on the magnetic, morphological and microstructural properties has been investigated, evidencing drastic changes on the properties of MnBi with small temperature variations. By inducing a gradient of temperature during the growth, two well differentiated regions with different morphology and crystal structure have been observed in a MnBi film sample. On the other hand, aging experiments performed in a different LTP-MnBi sample has led to a notable decrease of 54% in the saturation magnetization after 6 days and a complete loss of ferromagnetic response after 4 months. ; The authors acknowledge the financial support from the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO) through NEXMAG (M-era.Net Programme, Ref. No. PCIN-2015- 126), 3D-MAGNETOH (Ref. No. MAT2017-89960-R) and Ref. No. MAT2014-52402-C2-2-R, and from the Regional Government of Madrid through NANOMAGCOST project (Ref. P2018/NMT-4321).

Chlorinated solvents and their daughter products are the most common contaminants of groundwater at industrial and military facilities in the United States. Limitations of conventional technologies have intensified efforts to find alternative methods to remediate contaminated sites to regulatory goals set by CERCLA. Natural attenuation of chlorinated solvents is a promising alternative to traditional pump and treat methods but has not been well understood or widely accepted. This modeling study investigated the ability of TCE to completely degrade under various aquifer conditions and rate order constants. It also examined a case study of a former landfill site at Moody AFB. We found unusually high flow of ground water by advection or dispersion inhibits the complete degradation of TCE. High concentrations of sulfate or nitrate inhibit the creation of methanogenic conditions and therefore inhibit reductive dechlorination of TCE. We also found an electron donor co-contaminant a critical factor for the complete destruction of TCE because it creates anaerobic conditions. The model illustrated a possible explanation for the lack of down gradient contaminants at the landfill site may be the coupling of reductive dechlorination and cometabolism naturally attenuation the contaminants.

According to the prevailing 'clock' model, chromosome decondensation and nuclear envelope reformation when cells exit mitosis are byproducts of Cdk1 inactivation at the metaphase-anaphase transition, controlled by the spindle assembly checkpoint. However, mitotic exit was recently shown to be a function of chromosome separation during anaphase, assisted by a midzone Aurora B phosphorylation gradient-the 'ruler' model. Here we found that Cdk1 remains active during anaphase due to ongoing APC/CCdc20- and APC/CCdh1-mediated degradation of B-type Cyclins in Drosophila and human cells. Failure to degrade B-type Cyclins during anaphase prevented mitotic exit in a Cdk1-dependent manner. Cyclin B1-Cdk1 localized at the spindle midzone in an Aurora B-dependent manner, with incompletely separated chromosomes showing the highest Cdk1 activity. Slowing down anaphase chromosome motion delayed Cyclin B1 degradation and mitotic exit in an Aurora B-dependent manner. Thus, a crosstalk between molecular 'rulers' and 'clocks' licenses mitotic exit only after proper chromosome separation. ; We thank Eric Griffis, Jean-René Huynh, Claudio Sunkel, Jonathon Pines, Melina Schuh and Christian Lehner for the kind gift of reagents, and Marco Gonzalez-Gaitán for supporting OA during the final stages of this work. LPC is the recipient of a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action fellowship (grant agreement 746515). EMS holds an FCT Investigator position and his work is supported by Fundac¸ ão para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (PTDC/BEX-BCM/0432/2014). This work was supported by R01GM107026 grant to TJM and a Commonwealth Honors College grant to CMC Confocal and FLIM microscopy data collection was performed in the Light Microscopy Facility and Nikon Center of Excellence at the Institute for Applied Life Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst with support from the Massachusetts Life Science Center. Work in the HM lab is supported by the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement No 681443) and FLAD Life Science 2020.