Hasil untuk "Natural history (General)"

موسی عنبری, مرجان خاکساری رنانی

امروزه وجود نابرابری‌های فضایی و فاصله‌های درآمدی و سرمایه‌ای میان نواحی مختلف جامعه، به‌عنوان یکی از موانع مهم توسعۀ پایدار به‌حساب می‌آید. نابرابری‌های میان مناطق کم‌برخوردار (مرزی یا غیرمرزی) و مناطق برخوردار از توسعه، و شکاف‌های شهری ‌ـ ‌روستایی، مهم‌ترین مصداق نابرابری‌های فضایی و منطقه‌ای هستند. این مقاله با روش توصیفی ـ تحلیلی، بر مبنای تحلیل ثانویۀ داده‌های موجود، میزان یکپارچگی یا شکاف مناطق شهری و روستایی ایران را برحسب چهار متغیر مکان‌های استقرار جمعیت، بخش‌های عمدۀ اقتصادی و تولیدی، میزان و توزیع فقر، و شکاف درآمدی و هزینه‌ای در چهار دهۀ اخیر مورد مطالعه قرار داده ‌است. ارزیابی عملکرد نظام برنامه‌ریزی فضایی در کشور نشان می‌دهد این نظام با نوعی رویکرد بخشی و غیرآمایشی، با تأکید بر دو محور «تمرکزگرایی» و «شهرگرایی»، بر نابرابری‌ و فاصلۀ میان مناطق پیرامونی و مناطق مرکزی کشور از یک سو و مناطق شهری و روستایی از سوی دیگر افزوده ‌‌است. طی چهار دهۀ اخیر، نوعی شهرنشینی روزافزون، بی‌رویه و گاهی ناموزون به ‌ضرر پایداری و تعادل جمعیت در مناطق شهری کوچک و مناطق روستایی اتفاق افتاده که لزوماً با ظرفیت‌های منطقه‌ای متناسب نبوده ‌‌است. شهرهای بزرگ جاذب جمعیت کار، نوعی زندگی توأم با فقر را در بخش‌های حاشیه‌ای و روستایی ایجاد کرده ‌‌است. در طی این سال‌ها، با وجود کاهش معنادار فقر مطلق در جامعه، همچنان بار فقر بر دوش روستاییان، آن‌هم بیشتر در مناطق کم‌برخوردار سنگینی می‌کند. شاخص‌های درآمد و هزینه نیز به نفع شهرنشینان بوده‌‌ است. به‌طور‌ کلی داده‌های کلان در کشور نشان می‌دهد هرجا پیوندهای شهری‌ ـ ‌روستایی برقرار و تقویت شده، نابرابری‌های منطقه‌ای و شهری ـ‌ روستایی کاهش یافته ‌است.

Rachele Macirella, Vittoria Curcio, Abdalmoiz I. M. Ahmed et al.

Lead (Pb) is a non-essential, highly toxic, and persistent element widely recognized as one of the most concerning pollutants. It is listed on the Priority List of Hazardous Substances. Widespread environmental contamination from Pb is a serious issue for human health and wildlife. In fish, Pb mainly accumulates in the liver, which is a key component for metal detoxification and excretion processes. In this study, we investigated, for the first time, the morphological and functional injuries induced in zebrafish (<i>Danio rerio</i>) liver by two very low and environmentally relevant concentrations of Pb (2.5 and 5 μg/L) after 48, 96, and 192 h of exposure. We observed significant histological alterations in all the exposed samples, and it was demonstrated that the extent of injuries increased with dose and exposure time. The most common modifications observed were congestion of blood vessels and sinusoids, cytoplasmic vacuolizations, parenchyma dyschromia, and macrophage proliferation. Pb administration also resulted in a significant increase in lipid content and the upregulation of key genes that are involved in metal detoxification (<i>mtf1</i>) and the defensive response against oxidative stress (<i>sod1</i> and <i>cat</i>). We show that even very low doses of Pb can disrupt liver morphology and function.

Roller MaMing

Our recent investigation in China encompasses the species and number studies of eagles in captivity, study of methods and tools used to capture raptors in the field, investigation into whether there is trade (and at which level), estimation of damage to wild populations and their resources, assessment of the current situation in the field, negative factors, conflicts between laws and traditional culture (such as the Intangible Cultural Heritage), and how to solve and effectively manage them.

Niu Li, Niu Li, Ming Nie et al.

Grazing prohibition has been used for some conservation purposes in salt marshes. However, the impact of this measure on microbe-mediated key nitrogen removal processes remains poorly understood. Therefore, this study assessed the impact of grazing prohibition on potential rates of nitrification and denitrification under short- and long-term grazing prohibition in high and middle elevation of the Dongtan salt marsh on Chongming Island, China. Compared with short-term grazing prohibition, we found that long-term grazing prohibition significantly increased nitrification and denitrification (except for nitrification in the high marsh), which indicates that the nitrogen removal ability of the salt marsh was improved along with the grazing prohibition time. Furthermore, we found that nitrification and denitrification in the high marsh were largely affected by NH4+ and soil moisture, respectively. Nitrification and denitrification in the middle marsh were mainly controlled by soil organic carbon (SOC) and nirS gene abundances, respectively. Our results indicate that the implementation of scientific and reasonable grazing prohibition policies in salt marshes has great potential to restore their ecosystem functions, maintain their ecosystem balance and realize their sustainable development.

Ole Nielsen, Thaís C. S. Rodrigues, Vsevolod L. Popov et al.

As part of an ongoing investigation of harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) mortalities within Puget Sound, Washington State, United States, between October 2007 and July 2008, 25 seal cases were submitted for histopathology and ancillary diagnostic testing, including additional attempted virus isolation. In vitro granular and refractile cytopathic effects (CPE) were consistently observed in Vero.DogSLAMtag cells inoculated with tissue homogenates from three seals. Transmission electron microscopy of infected Vero.DogSLAMtag cells revealed cytoplasmic clusters of icosahedral viral particles morphologically consistent with members of the family Reoviridae. The complete genome of a novel species within the genus Orthoreovirus, tentatively named phocid orthoreovirus 1 (PhRV1), was determined by next-generation sequencing and confirmed by rt-PCR in isolates from the three harbor seals. This is the first report of an orthoreovirus infection associated with dead stranded harbor seals. Aside from the CPE and ultrastructural findings, no consistent signalment, gross pathology, histopathology, or ancillary diagnostic findings were identified with PhRV1 infection. Further research is needed to determine the prevalence, tissue tropism, transmission, pathogenicity, zoonotic potential, and host range of orthoreoviruses in pinnipeds. This study demonstrates the value of thorough necropsy investigations and a multidisciplinary team approach to advance our understanding of marine mammal health.

Emily R. Williamson, Christopher J. Sergeant

Downscaling coarse global and regional climate models allows researchers to access weather and climate data at finer temporal and spatial resolution, but there remains a need to compare these models with empirical data sources to assess model accuracy. Here, we validate a widely used software for generating North American downscaled climate data, ClimateNA, with a novel empirical data source, 20th century weather journals kept by Admiralty Island, Alaska homesteader, Allen Hasselborg. Using Hasselborg’s journals, we calculated monthly precipitation and monthly mean of the maximum daily air temperature across the years 1926 to 1954 and compared these to ClimateNA data generated from the Hasselborg homestead location and adjacent areas. To demonstrate the utility and potential implications of this validation for other disciplines such as hydrology, we used an established regression equation to generate time series of 95% low duration flow estimates for the month of August using mean annual precipitation from ClimateNA predictions and Hasselborg data. Across 279 months, we found strong correlation between modeled and observed measurements of monthly precipitation (ρ = 0.74) and monthly mean of the maximum daily air temperature (ρ = 0.98). Monthly precipitation residuals (calculated as ClimateNA data - Hasselborg data) generally demonstrated heteroscedasticity around zero, but a negative trend in residual values starting during the last decade of observations may have been due to a shift to the cold-phase Pacific Decadal Oscillation. Air temperature residuals demonstrated a consistent but small positive bias, with ClimateNA tending to overestimate air temperature relative to Hasselborg’s journals. The degree of correlation between weather patterns observed at the Hasselborg homestead site and ClimateNA data extracted from spatial grid cells across the region varied by wet and dry climate years. Monthly precipitation from both data sources tended to be more similar across a larger area during wet years (mean ρ across grid cells = 0.73) compared to dry years (mean ρ across grid cells = 0.65). The time series of annual 95% low duration flow estimates for the month of August generated using ClimateNA and Hasselborg data were moderately correlated (ρ = 0.55). Our analysis supports previous research in other regions which also found ClimateNA to be a robust source for past climate data estimates.

Jonathan D. Cook, Evan H. C. Grant, Jeremy T. H. Coleman et al.

Abstract The virus that causes COVID‐19 likely evolved in a mammalian host, possibly Old‐World bats, before adapting to humans, raising the question of whether reverse zoonotic transmission to bats is possible. Wildlife management agencies in North America are concerned that the activities they authorize could lead to transmission of SARS‐CoV‐2 to bats from humans. A rapid risk assessment conducted in April 2020 suggested that there was a small but significant possibility that SARS‐CoV‐2 could be transmitted from humans to bats during summer fieldwork, absent precautions. Subsequent challenge studies in a laboratory setting have shed new information on these risks, as has more detailed information on human epidemiology and transmission. This inquiry focuses on the risk to bats from winter fieldwork, specifically surveys of winter roosts and handling of bats to test for white‐nose syndrome or other research needs. We use an aerosol transmission model, with parameter estimates both from the literature and from formal expert judgment, to estimate the risk to three species of North American bats, as a function of several factors. We find that risks of transmission are lower than in the previous assessment and are notably affected by chamber volume and local prevalence of COVID‐19. Use of facemasks with high filtration efficiency or a negative COVID‐19 test before field surveys can reduce zoonotic risk by 65 to 88%.

Isabel C. Romero, Jeffrey P. Chanton, Gregg R. Brooks et al.

Following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill (DWHOS), the formation of an unexpected and extended sedimentation event of oil-associated marine snow (MOSSFA: Marine Oil Snow Sedimentation and Flocculent Accumulation) demonstrated the importance of biology on the fate of contaminants in the oceans. We used a wide range of compound-specific data (aliphatics, hopanes, steranes, triaromatic steroids, polycyclic aromatics) to chemically characterize the MOSSFA event containing abundant and multiple hydrocarbon sources (e.g., oil residues and phytoplankton). Sediment samples were collected in 2010–2011 (ERMA-NRDA programs: Environmental Response Management Application – Natural Resource Damage Assessment) and 2018 (REDIRECT project: Resuspension, Redistribution and Deposition of Deepwater Horizon recalcitrant hydrocarbons to offshore depocenter) in the northern Gulf of Mexico to assess the role of biogenic and chemical processes on the fate of oil residues in sediments. The chemical data revealed the deposition of the different hydrocarbon mixtures observed in the water column during the DWHOS (e.g., oil slicks, submerged-plumes), defining the chemical signature of MOSSFA relative to where it originated in the water column and its fate in deep-sea sediments. MOSSFA from surface waters covered 90% of the deep-sea area studied and deposited 32% of the total oil residues observed in deep-sea areas after the DWHOS while MOSSFA originated at depth from the submerged plumes covered only 9% of the deep-sea area studied and was responsible for 15% of the total deposition of oil residues. In contrast, MOSSFA originated at depth from the water column covered only 1% of the deep-sea area studied (mostly in close proximity of the DWH wellhead) but was responsible for 53% of the total deposition of oil residues observed after the spill in this area. This study describes, for the first time, a multi-chemical method for the identification of biogenic and oil-derived inputs to deep-sea sediments, critical for improving our understanding of carbon inputs and storage at depth in open ocean systems.

Irina A. Krayneva

The unique personality and scientific biography of Nikolai Andreevich Chinakal (1888–1979), a scientist in the field of mining, a Corresponding Member of the USSR Academy of Sciences make it relevant. He was the oldest among the members of the SB RAS and got his education before the October Revolution. He lived through change of epoch, turmoil of revolutions and wars, forced labour in a “sharaga”, scientific advances, technical failures and creative breakthroughs. This feature of his biography actualizes the ways of transiting a specialist from one social reality to another, where the profession determines the model of behavior. This transition required significant efforts since it was sometimes complicated by the historical context. The aim of the research is to study the mentality of the actor in science whose professional activity dominated over other social life imperatives. Importantly, Chinakal’s work was connected with two geographic regions known for their major coal basins: the Donetsk Coal Basin, or Donbass, and Kuznetsk Coal Basin, or Kuzbass. The author highlights the characteristic features of these regions and shows how they affected the engineering and organizational decisions made by the scientist. The methodology and research methods are based on the theory of biography, activity-oriented aspect of the life of the history actor that depended strongly on his occupation, B. Latour’s actor-network theory, systematic approach to studying the natural character of causality and network connections of the “scientist-science-object” structure examined in this work. N. A. Chinakal was actively involved in starting academic science in Siberia. For 28 years, he was a director of the Institute of Mining in the West-Siberian Branch of the USSR Academy of Sciences, which later became part of the Siberian Branch of the USSR Academy of Sciences. The authority and academic status of the director were of great importance for the institute staff. Equally important was the stability provided by Chinakal’s leadership. In our time, stability is very much in demand, although there is an imbalance of stability and instability, which is felt by the staff of the Institute of Mining.

Sander W. K. van den Burg, Christine Röckmann, Jennifer L. Banach et al.

Spatial claims concerning the rapidly growing European offshore wind sector give rise to various ideas for the multi-use application of wind farms. Seaweed is considered a promising feedstock for food and feed that could be produced at offshore wind farms. Concerns about risks resulting in liability claims and insurance premiums are often seen as show-stoppers to multi-use at offshore wind farms. In this study, key environmental risks of seaweed cultivation at offshore wind farms, identified through literature review, are characterized based on stakeholder consultation. The current approach to risk governance is evaluated to assess how it can handle the uncertain, complex, and/or ambiguous risks of multi-use. It is concluded that current risk governance for multi-use is poorly equipped to deal with the systemic nature of risks. Risk governance should be a joint effort of governments and private regulators. It can improve if it is based on an adaptive framework for risk assessment that can deal with complex, systemic risks. Furthermore, it should be flexible and inclusive, i.e., open to new incoming information and stakeholder input, and taking into account and communicate about the different stakes and values of the various parties involved. The importance of communication and inclusion must be recognized, which promotes participation of concerned stakeholders.

Andrés J. Gutiérrez-Escobar, María M. Bravo, Orlando Acevedo et al.

The stomach bacterium Helicobacter pylori is one of the most prevalent pathogens in humans, closely linked with serious diseases such as gastric cancer. The microbe has been associated with its host for more than 100,000 years and escorted modern humans out of Africa. H. pylori is predominantly transmitted within families and dispersed globally, resulting in distinct phylogeographic patterns, which can be utilized to investigate migrations and bioturbation events in human history. Latin America was affected by several human migratory waves due to the Spanish colonisation that drastically changed the genetic load and composition of the bacteria and its host. Genetic evidence indicates that independent evolutionary lines of H. pylori have evolved in mestizos from Colombia and other countries in the region during more than 500 years since colonisation. The vacuolating cytotoxin VacA represents a major virulence factor of the pathogen comprising two domains, p33 and p55, the latter of which is essential for binding to the host epithelial cell. The evolution of the VacA toxin in Colombia has been strongly biased due to the effects of Spanish colonization. However, the variation patterns and microevolution of the p55 domain have not yet been described for this population. In the present study, we determined the genetic polymorphisms and deviations in the neutral model of molecular evolution in the p55 domain of 101 clinical H. pylori isolates collected in Bogotá, a city located in Andean mountains characterized by its high gastric cancer risk and its dominant mestizo population. The microevolutionary patterns of the p55 domain were shaped by recombination, purifying and episodic diversifying positive selection. Furthermore, amino acid positions 261 and 321 in the p55 domain of VacA show a high variability among mestizos clinical subsets, suggesting that natural selection in H. pylori may operate differentially in patients with different gastric diseases.

Beatriz Elena Patiño Quiroz, Nicolás E. Baldrich Romero, Gloria Elena Estrada- Cely et al.

En países de vía de desarrollo como Colombia, algunas poblaciones vulnerables utilizan equinos como herramientas de trabajo en lo que se conoce comúnmente como vehículos de tracción a sangre o comúnmente conocidos como coches, donde los ingresos que generan, son apenas suficientes para las necesidades de las familias, afectando generalmente, los principios de bienestar animal, en ciudades como Florencia, esta situación es bastante generalizada, lo que hace que el grueso de los caballos utilizados en estas labores presentes enfermedades o lesiones graves que no son atendidas ni en el plazo ni de la forma adecuada por sus propietarios. Esta condición y el desconocimiento general sobre los mecanismos legales para la prevención y atención de estos casos, facilitan la afectación legal y sanitario de estos animales. El presente documento, pretende socializar el caso de un equino utilizado para tracción urbana, que presentó fractura oblicua cerrada con minuta en la porción distal del radio en el miembro torácico izquierdo, sin conocer la causa, los propietarios no buscaron asistencia de un veterinario, y atendieron de manera empírica al animal, personal de la policía ambiental y del Coso Municipal atienden la situación por denuncias de la comunidad, remiten el caso a la Clínica de Grandes Animales de la UNIAMAZONIA, donde realizados los exámenes y evidenciando la gravedad de las lesiones se decide sacrificar al paciente. El conocer una ruta adecuada de atención de estos casos permitiría una asistencia más rápida por parte de las autoridades y la probabilidad de recuperación seria considerablemente más alta.

Heitor Francischini, Paula Dentzien-Dias, Spencer G. Lucas et al.

Tetrapod tracks in eolianites are widespread in the fossil record since the late Paleozoic. Among these ichnofaunas, the ichnogenus Chelichnus is the most representative of the Permian tetrapod ichnological record of eolian deposits of Europe, North America and South America, where the Chelichnus Ichnofacies often occurs. In this contribution, we describe five sets of tracks (one of which is preserved in cross-section), representing the first occurrence of Dicynodontipus and Chelichnus in the “Pirambóia Formation” of southern Brazil. This unit represents a humid desert in southwestern Pangea and its lower and upper contacts lead us to consider its age as Lopingian–Induan. The five sets of tracks studied were compared with several ichnotaxa and body fossils with appendicular elements preserved, allowing us to attribute these tracks to dicynodonts and other indeterminate therapsids. Even though the “Pirambóia Formation” track record is sparse and sub-optimally preserved, it is an important key to better understand the occupation of arid environments by tetrapods across the Permo–Triassic boundary.

Jenny R. Hillman, Carolyn J. Lundquist, Carolyn J. Lundquist et al.

Developing a framework to quantify the transformation, sequestration or connectivity of energy and matter across habitats is one of the most significant challenges faced by ecologists and resource managers today. However, there are significant challenges associated with quantifying the ecosystem processes that connect and interact across habitats. These processes include the movement of nutrients and energy and can have substantial effects on the structure and dynamics of adjacent habitats and ecosystem functioning. Here, we use a connectivity framework developed for populations to inform our understanding of the challenges associated with connectivity in ecosystem processes, and how specific habitats can contribute to overall ecosystem functioning. The landscape patterns and potential connections between habitats in terms of material storage or transformation have important implications for understanding how fragmentation and degradation of habitats in ecosystems will influence broad-scale ecosystem function.

Rachel Urovitz

In the mid twentieth century, Britain was experiencing the beginnings of decolonization and heightened nationalistic movements from many of its colonial holdings and protectorate territories. Specifically, in 1952 the Mau Mau Uprising in Kenya highlighted colonial desires to be independent and exiled from the Empire. Simultaneously, the case study of the Mau Mau also shows the British government attempting to preserve the spirit of Empire. Continuing to demonstrate their motivations and purpose as the leading global imperial power in Kenya, the British exhibited their self-imposed paternalistic ‘duty’, as civilizing initiatives persisted. Critically analyzing the roles of female Mau Mau members in the rebellion demonstrates the cultural and ideological discrepancies between British and Kenyan conceptions of traditional gender roles and further, how British preconceived notions of gendered stereotypes provided an opportunity for Mau Mau women to exhibit significant political influence and agency that arguably contributed to the end of the rebellion (1956) and the eventual independence of Kenya (1963). Due to the contiguity of the crisis and the limited availability of sources on the Mau Mau, this paper seeks to shed light on the intersection between the perceptions and realities of Metropolitan and Mau Mau gender roles. Though the rebellion was multi-faceted and can be analyzed for a plethora of historical narratives, focusing specifically on the role female Mau Mau members played in the rebellion demonstrates the clashing British and Kikuyu conceptions of gender roles. Studying the Mau Mau women emphasizes the importance of considering women's roles in history as they factor into broader ideologies of race, politics, and culture, while also showing the shift in western historical approaches that are validating oral histories.

Louis C. Bender, Jon C. Boren, Heather Halbritter et al.

Pronghorns (Antilocapra americana) are an important source of revenue and recreation for property managers throughout New Mexico, but have been declining in number. We documented body condition, survival, production of fawns, and trends in population size of pronghorns on the Corona Range and Livestock Research Center (CRLRC), a working research ranch and wildlife enterprise located in east-central New Mexico, from 2006 through 2011. Accrual of all indices of condition and size of both adult female and adult male pronghorns was positively associated with precipitation during June to July, August to September, and annually. Annual survival rates of females (0.33 to 0.78) and males (0.63 to 0.89) were highly variable on CRLRC. Survival of individuals was not related to any measure of condition or size taken the prior autumn. Survival of adult females was related to reproductive status the previous year; females that had successfully weaned >1 fawn the previous year were 0.11 times less likely to survive. Malnutrition was the most common cause of mortality (nine of 22 females; seven of 15 males), followed by suspected plant toxicities and enterotoxaemia (nine of 22 females) and harvest (six of 15 males). Most adult female mortality (73%) occurred after parturition and prior to weaning when energy demands are greatest on adult females; females that successfully weaned >1 fawn accrued significantly less condition by autumn. Survival of fawns was related to maternal condition, and fawn:adult female ratios were positively correlated with cumulative precipitation during late gestation and parturition. Low survival of adult females and fawns has resulted in the CRLRC pronghorn population declining from a minimum of 136 individuals to 66 from 2005 to 2011. Timing and causes of mortality highlight a strong nutritional limitation faced by lactating females related to the most energetic costs of reproduction being borne prior to the onset of summer monsoonal precipitation. The poor timing of reproduction to precipitation (and, thus, to forage phenology) in the southwestern United States will likely always limit productivity and survival of pronghorn relative to northern populations.

Sumit Srivastava, Ashish Dvivedi, Ravindra Prasad Shukla

The vegetational landscape of north-eastern Terai region at the foot hills of Central Himalayas is a mosaic of grassland, old-field, wasteland, and forest ecosystems. Like many other parts of the country, this region is also infested with alien intruders which not only interfere with the growth and production of food crops but also exercise adverse effects on the biodiversity of native species. The present study attempts to catalogue the invasive alien species of the terrestrial vegetation of north-eastern Uttar Pradesh especially with reference to their habit, taxonomic position, and nativity. A total of 1135 plant species within 580 genera under 119 families are so far known to occur in the region. Of these, only 149 species within 100 genera under 41 families have been found to be invasive aliens as evident from their center of origin, past history, nature of aggregation, and invasion observed under field conditions. About 80% of these invaders have been introduced from neotropics. Out of 173 invasive plants across India, this region shares 149 species, out of which 66% of species have come from Tropical America, 14% from African continent, and the rest from other countries. A better planning in the form of early identification and reporting of infestation and spread of noxious weeds is needed for their control.

Mohammad Javad Sharifzade, Elyas Naderan

The publication of “The Problem of Social Cost” by Ronald Coase in the 1960s shaped a turning point in the interdisciplinary studies between economics and other related disciplines. The pre-coasian economic theories –which mostly belonged to neo-classical school - place no importance on the legal and historical institutions. Coase along with other property rights economists showed that when transaction costs are positive, allocative efficiency is not independent from legal rules and so the legal institutions have a determining role in achieving efficiency. This framework remembers us that when transaction costs are positive, interdisciplinary studies are unavoidable. The rise of “Law and Economics” movement in the academic literature was the natural consequence of the Coase Theorem. In this paper, we shall introduce these new perspectives and their implications for interdisciplinary research about law, economics, and history in Islam. We will see that Coase theorem and the very conception of transaction costs can play an important role in developing Islamic interdisciplinary research on economics and open new research perspectives.