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Appearance and processing characteristics of 45 japonica rice samples, collected from different regions in Jiangsu province, were investigated and evaluated in this study. Specifically, the chalkiness degree had been presented significant differences among different cultivars and regions. The average chalkiness degree varied from 6.81% to 15.34% for different regions and from 1.93% to 28.31% for different cultivars. The minimum head rice rate of cultivars from four regions, NJ9108 (HA), was 80.5%. The AC of CNG10, HD5, and PJ surpassed 13.68% and lower than 11.33% for the others. The protein content ranged from 6.1% to 11%, and the taste value was significantly different among cultivars. In addition, the RVA curves of the samples were similar, but the peak viscosities of NG8 and NJ5055 were higher than others, and there were significant differences in RVA traits among regions. Cultivars were the main reasons for the difference in appearance and processing quality of japonica rice, while environmental factors had leaded to the change of rice composition, texture, and gelatinization., We collected 45 high‐quality japonica rice samples for quality analysis. Cultivars were the main reasons for the difference in appearance and processing quality of japonica rice, and environmental factors had leaded to the change of rice AC content, texture, and gelatinization.

Environmental exposures are increasingly investigated as possible drivers of health behaviours and disease outcomes. So-called exposome studies that aim to identify and better understand the effects of exposures on behaviours and disease risk across the life course require high-quality environmental exposure data. The Netherlands has a great variety of environmental data available, including high spatial and often temporal resolution information on urban infrastructure, physico-chemical exposures, presence and availability of community services, and others. Until recently, these environmental data were scattered and measured at varying spatial scales, impeding linkage to individual-level (cohort) data as they were not operationalised as personal exposures, that is, the exposure to a certain environmental characteristic specific for a person. Within the Geoscience and hEalth Cohort COnsortium (GECCO) and with support of the Global Geo Health Data Center (GGHDC), a platform has been set up in The Netherlands where environmental variables are centralised, operationalised as personal exposures, and used to enrich 23 cohort studies and provided to researchers upon request. We here present and detail a series of personal exposure data sets that are available within GECCO to date, covering personal exposures of all residents of The Netherlands (currently about 17 M) over the full land surface of the country, and discuss challenges and opportunities for its use now and in the near future.

It is increasingly recognized that interacting with nature promotes well-being and health for both adults and children. Less is known about the role of nature in people's everyday lives during emerging adulthood which means the shift from adolescence to young adulthood. This study examines university students' participation in outdoor recreation and the perceived well-being effects of nature. The qualitative data consists of thematic writings (N = 47) produced by environmental students at the University of Helsinki, Finland, in 2020. The findings show that most students have negotiated time and other constraints and maintained active participation in outdoor recreation. The findings highlight that nature can have an important role in students' well-being during a life stage loaded with stress factors, and especially in times of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nature provides opportunities not only for physical activity but also for emotional and cognitive renewal, strengthening social relationships, and relieving the negative physiological effects of various stressors. Nature helps students in reflecting on their lives and even gaining a stronger sense of self. Natural settings provide a venue for students' socially shared experiences but also support retreat behaviors by enabling ‘being away’ and providing freedom from the pressures of student life. To prevent decline in connection with nature, special efforts should be made to support young adults' interaction with nature and gaining well-being benefits. Encouraging outdoor recreation at all life stages is needed to foster a lifelong nature connection and well-being experiences. Management implications: The study highlights the importance of hearing young adults' voices in decision-making and land-use planning to provide diverse opportunities for outdoor recreation and nature-based tourism. The findings stress the value of urban green spaces in supporting students' well-being in their everyday lives. To provide a sense of extent and ‘being away’ from daily routines and requirements within the city, it is important to preserve slightly managed natural settings that generate opportunities to explore nature and receive multisensory and embodied experiences. Emphasis on multisensory experiences, such as hearing bird song and breathing fresh air, also stresses the importance of taking natural elements into account in all urban planning. Promoting easy access to both urban green spaces and more distant natural settings is important for young adults. Organizing outdoor activities may also help students in familiarizing themselves with green spaces and socializing with peers. © 2021 The Author

International audience; Néré (Parkia biglobosa) is a wild species preferred and overexploited for its multiple uses by rural populations in Sub-Saharan Africa. The study of its germination and seedlings could constitute a prerequisite for its domestication, necessary for its conservation. This study aimed to assess the germination and morphology of seedlings taking into account distinct habitats from its natural environment.A total of 2160 seeds from different mother plants and 540 seedlings from germination were selected and evaluated. The trials were conducted on three sites (two nurseries in Côte d'Ivoire vs one greenhouse in France) with different microclimates. The results showed that the larger the mother trees are, the larger the seeds they produce, which in turn generate more vigorous seedlings. This study showed that the species grows better in a milder environment that is different from its region of origin (fertile soil with a stable or humid tropical climate: Montpellier greenhouse and Daloa nursery). Overall, parent trees did not statistically influence each germination and seedling development parameter for the three sites combined (P > 0.05). However, analysis of variance showed that germination and seedling development parameters differed between experimental sites (P < 0.05). These results are useful and could be used as decision support tools to guide conservation (domestication) and agroforestry programmes based on Parkia biglobosa. This study could be extended to other endangered species in order to preserve biodiversity.

Desertification is influenced by different factors that relate to climate, soil, topography, geology, vegetation, human pressure, and land and water management. The quantification of these factors into spatially explicit indicators and subsequent evaluation provides for a framework that allows us to identify areas currently at risk of desertification and to evaluate important contributing biophysical and socio-economic factors. Based on local knowledge of environmental contributing factors to the risk of desertification in the Binh Thuan Province of southeast Vietnam, a baseline 2010 map showed that 14.4 % of the area, mainly along the coast and in the northeast, is desertified with another 35.4 % at severe risk of desertification. The Vietnamese Ministry of Natural Resource and Environment has defined the area with a ratio of rainfall to evapotranspiration smaller or equal to 0.65, which equals 1233 km2 or 15 % of the province, as desertified area, which corresponds well with the baseline 2010 map. The developed framework incorporates the important contributing factors and therefore allows for decision support in a “what if” structure and for the projection of potentially vulnerable areas under future scenarios. With projected climate change and population growth, the desertified area is expected to increase by 122 % (or 137 850 ha) towards 2050. The developed methodology can be extended to neighbouring provinces that experience similar sensitivities to desertification.

Growing and densifying cities set challenges for preserving and enhancing sufficient and good quality green urban environment. Rooftops offer vacant room for additional urban greening that may contribute to the well-being of people and the liveability of cities, but this potential lacks empirical support. In spite of the fact that even small green spaces produce, for example restorative experiences, the literature concerning the experiential and recreational benefits of green roofs is still scarce. To identify the experiential potential of a small urban green roof we explored restorative and other experiences of 178 people visiting a sparsely vegetated green roof in the centre of Helsinki, Finland, using a questionnaire. We showed that the studied green roof provided restorative and other positive experiences to the visitors. The level of perceived restorativeness was relatively high. In addition, the results revealed multiple perceived qualities that reflected visual as well as other sensory experiences, beauty, suitability of the place for oneself and the urban context, nature, desire to explore the place and interestedness, positive excitement, and safety. Furthermore, answers to the open questions revealed a wide range of other observations and feelings, such as peace, joy, excitement and hope. Our study indicates that even a small and rather ascetic accessible green roof has potential to offer a moment of respite in the middle of urban everyday hassle, thus implying that these kinds of solutions may allow for a pinch of beneficial green in places where more diverse and lusher solutions are not possible due to, e.g. the load capacity of a roof Growing and densifying cities set challenges for preserving and enhancing sufficient and good quality green urban environment. Rooftops offer vacant room for additional urban greening that may contribute to the well-being of people and the liveability of cities, but this potential lacks empirical support. In spite of the fact that even small green spaces produce, for example restorative experiences, the literature concerning the experiential and recreational benefits of green roofs is still scarce. To identify the experiential potential of a small urban green roof we explored restorative and other experiences of 178 people visiting a sparsely vegetated green roof in the centre of Helsinki, Finland, using a questionnaire. We showed that the studied green roof provided restorative and other positive experiences to the visitors. The level of perceived restorativeness was relatively high. In addition, the results revealed multiple perceived qualities that reflected visual as well as other sensory experiences, beauty, suitability of the place for oneself and the urban context, nature, desire to explore the place and interestedness, positive excitement, and safety. Furthermore, answers to the open questions revealed a wide range of other observations and feelings, such as peace, joy, excitement and hope. Our study indicates that even a small and rather ascetic accessible green roof has potential to offer a moment of respite in the middle of urban everyday hassle, thus implying that these kinds of solutions may allow for a pinch of beneficial green in places where more diverse and lusher solutions are not possible due to, e.g. the load capacity of a roof

Trinil (Java, Indonesia) yielded the type fossils of Homo erectus and the world?s oldest hominin-made engraving. As such, the site is of iconic relevance for paleoanthropology. However, our understanding of its larger geological context is unsatisfactory. Previous sedimentological studies are around 100 years old and their interpretations sometimes contradictory. Moreover, the existing stratigraphic framework is based on regional correlations, which obscure differences in local depositional dynamics. Therefore, a new and more local framework is urgently needed. We carried out a comprehensive geological study of the Trinil area. Using a Digital Elevation Model, we identified seven fluvial terraces. Terrace deposits were described and OSL-dated and fluvial behaviour was reconstructed. The terraces were correlated with terraces of the Kendeng Hills (e.g. the hominin-bearing Ngandong terrace) and date back to the past -350 ka. Thus far, most of the Trinil terraces and their deposits had remained unidentified, confounding sedimentological and stratigraphic interpretations. The exposed pre-terrace series has a thickness of -230 m. Together with the terraces, it forms a -3 Ma record of tectonism, volcanism, climate change and sea-level fluctuations. We subdivided the series into five new and/or revised stratigraphic units, representing different depositional environments: Kalibeng Formation, Padas Malang Formation, Batu Gajah Formation, Trinil Formation and Solo Formation. Special attention was paid to erosional contacts and weathering profiles, forming hiatuses in the depositional series, and offering insight into paleoclimate and base-level change. The Trinil Formation provides a new landscape context of Homo erectus. Between -550 and 350 ka, the area was part of a lake basin (Ngawi Lake Basin), separated from the marine base level by a volcanic barrier, under dry, seasonal conditions and a regular supply of volcanic ash. An expanding and retreating lake provided favourable living conditions for hominin populations. After 350 ka, this role was taken over by the perennial Solo River. Landscape reconstructions suggest that the Solo formed by headward erosion and stream piracy, re-connecting the Ngawi Lake Basin to the plains in the west. Our study offers a local framework, but its Pleistocene landscape record has regional significance. Most of all, it forms a much-needed basis for future, detailed studies on the build-up of the hominin site of Trinil, its fossil assemblages and numerical ages. (c) 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Environmental science & technology 55(11), 7246-7255 (2021). doi:10.1021/acs.est.1c01512, Published by American Chemical Society, Columbus, Ohio

Potassium chromium jarosite, KCr3(OH)(6)(SO4)(2) (Cr-jarosite), is considered a promising candidate to display spin liquid behavior due to the strong magnetic frustration imposed by the crystal structure. However, the ground state magnetic properties have been debated, since Cr-jarosite is notoriously non-stoichiometric. Our study reports the magnetic properties for deuterated KCr3(OD)(6)(SO4)(2) on chemically well-defined samples, which have been characteried by a combination of powder X-ray diffraction, neutron diffraction, solid state NMR spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy. Eight polycrystalline samples, which all contained only 1-3% Cr vacancies were obtained. However, significant substitution (2-27%) of potassium with H2O and/or H3O+ was observed and resulted in pronounced stacking disorder along the c-axis. A clear second-order transition to an antiferromagnetically ordered phase at T-N = 3.8(1) K with a small net moment of 0.03 mu(B) per Cr3+-ion was obtained from vibrating sample magnetometry and temperature dependent neutron diffraction. The moment is attributed to spin canting caused by the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction. Thus, our experimental results imply that even ideal potassium chromium jarosite will exhibit magnetic order below 4 K and therefore it does not qualify as a true spin liquid material.

Freshwater scarcity and other abiotic factors, such as climate and soil salinity in the Near East and North Africa (NENA) region, are affecting crop production. Therefore, farmers are looking for salt-tolerant crops that can successfully be grown in these harsh environments using poor-quality groundwater. Barley is the main staple food crop for most of the countries of this region, including Tunisia. In this study, the AquaCrop model with a salinity module was used to evaluate the performance of two barley varieties contrasted for their resistance to salinity in three contrasted agro-climatic areas in Tunisia. These zones represent sub-humid, semi-arid, and arid climates. The model was calibrated and evaluated using field data collected from two cropping seasons (2012&ndash, 14), then the calibrated model was used to develop different scenarios under irrigation with saline water from 5, 10 to 15 dS m&minus, 1. The scenario results indicate that biomass and yield were reduced by 40% and 27% in the semi-arid region (KAI) by increasing the irrigation water salinity from 5 to 15 dS m&minus, 1, respectively. For the salt-sensitive variety, the reductions in biomass and grain yield were about 70%, respectively, although overall biomass and yield in the arid region (MED) were lower than in the KAI area, mainly with increasing salinity levels. Under the same environmental conditions, biomass and yield reductions for the salt-tolerant barley variety were only 16% and 8%. For the salt-sensitive variety, the biomass and grain yield reductions in the MED area were about 12% and 43%, respectively, with a similar increase in the salinity levels. Similar trends were visible in water productivities. Interestingly, biomass, grain yield, and water productivity values for both barley varieties were comparable in the sub-humid region (BEJ) that does not suffer from salt stress. However, the results confirm the interest of cultivating a variety tolerant to salinity in environments subjected to salt stress. Therefore, farmers can grow both varieties in the rainfed of BEJ, however, in KAI and MED areas where irrigation is necessary for crop growth, the salt-tolerant barley variety should be preferred. Indeed, the water cost will be reduced by 49% through growing a tolerant variety irrigated with saline water of 15 dS m&minus, 1.

Nowadays, information and communication technologies (mobile phones, connectedobjects) strongly occupy our daily life. The increasing use of these technologies and the complexity ofnetwork infrastructures raise issues about radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (Rf-Emf) exposure.Most previous studies have assessed individual exposure to Rf-Emf, and the next level is to assesspopulational exposure. In our study, we designed a statistical tool for Rf-Emf populational exposureassessment and mapping. This tool integrates geographic databases and surrogate models tocharacterize spatiotemporal exposure from outdoor sources, indoor sources, and mobile phones.A case study was conducted on a 100 x 100 m grid covering the 14th district of Paris to illustratethe functionalities of the tool. Whole-body specific absorption rate (SAR) values are 2.7 times higherthan those for the whole brain. The mapping of whole-body and whole-brain SAR values showsa dichotomy between built-up and non-built-up areas, with the former displaying higher values.Maximum SAR values do not exceed 3.5 and 3.9 mW/kg for the whole body and the whole brain,respectively, thus they are significantly below International Commission on Non-Ionizing RadiationProtection (ICNIRP) recommendations. Indoor sources are the main contributor to populationalexposure, followed by outdoor sources and mobile phones, which generally represents less than 1%of total exposure., info:eu-repo/semantics/published

Genetic diversity studies are performed based on information on a set of traits measured in a group of genotypes, considering one or more environments. The pattern recognition methods allow classifying genotypes from a set of important agronomic information. Thus, this study aimed to present and compare pattern recognition methods to inquire about the similarity of environments and genotypes in flood-irrigated rice for the recommendation of cultivars. The experim>ents were performed in the municipalities of Leopoldina, Lambari, and Janaúba, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. To evaluate the pattern of similarity, 25 rice genotypes in three environments belonging to the flood-irrigated rice breeding program were used. Among these genotypes, five cultivars were used as an experimental control for the grain yield, the height of the plant, flowering, panicle length, grains filled by panicles, percentages of grains filled by panicles, in the 2012/2013 agricultural year. The methods us>ed were mixtures of multivariate normal distributions and density-based clustering algorithm. It was observed, therefore, that the genotypes are distributed in three distinct groups, in which there are intragroup homogeneity and intergroup heterogeneity for the agronomic traits of the flooded rice culture. The methods >used to assess the dissimilarity of environments using pattern recognition methods were efficient in classifying flooded rice irrigated environments.

Crop productivity and food quality are affected by environmental conditions. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of the environment on the concentration of phytochemical components in several potato (Solanum tuberosum) cultivars. The content of vitamin C (ascorbic acid, AA), the total carotenoids content (TCC), the total polyphenols content (TPC), and the total anthocyanins content (TAC) of 11 potatoes varieties grown in Ecuador (Cutuglahua, Pujil&iacute, and Pilahu&iacute, n) was measured by the spectrophotometric method. The antioxidant capacity (AC) of potato cultivars was evaluated by the ABTS method. The AA concentration ranged between 12.67 to 39.49 mg/100g fresh weight (FW), the TCC ranged between 50.00 and 1043.50 &mu, g/100g FW, the TPC ranged between 0.41 and 3.25 g of gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/kg dry weight (DW), the TAC ranged between 2.74 and 172.53 &mu, g/g FW and finally the AC ranged between 36.80 and 789.19 &mu, g of trolox equivalents (TE)/g FW. Genotypes (G), location (L), and interaction (G x L) were significant at p &lt, 0.01. The genotype (G) showed a greater variation in the phytochemical contents. AA and TPC showed the highest correlation with the AC. A selection of genotypes with these characteristics can be used to develop germplasms with a high AC.

Several studies evaluating exposure to pollutants in microenvironments (MEs) are available in the scientific literature, but studies that evaluate the inhaled doses of pollutants are few in number. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the exposure of commuters to different pollutants (i.e., nitrogen dioxide [NO2] and fractionated particulate matter [PM], including ultrafine particles [UFPs]) using miniaturized and portable real-time monitoring instruments in selected MEs, the inhaled doses of these pollutants were estimated for each of these MEs. Measurements were performed along a typical commute, considering different traffic and nontraffic MEs. Experimental data were collected over four working weeks in two different seasons (winter and summer). Different portable and miniaturized instruments were used to evaluate PM and NO2 exposure. Furthermore, physiological parameters were evaluated using a heart rate monitor. The principal results show that higher exposure levels were measured in Underground (for all PM fractions and NO2) and in Car (UFP), while lower levels were measured in Car (PM and NO2) and in Train (UFP). In contrast, higher values of the inhaled cumulative dose were estimated in environments defined as Other, followed by Walking (ht), while lower values were observed in Walking (lt) and in Car.

With the increase in environmental monitoring and assessing, we are gaining insight into the extent of microplastic pollution in our environment. The threat posed by microplastics to biota could come, e.g., from leached substances. As some plastic materials have been decaying in nature for extended periods already, the toxic effects of leaching compounds need to be investigated. It is furthermore essential to understand the adverse effects of new plastic and how these effects differ from the effects elicited by old plastic material. Therefore, in the present study, the effects of exposure to leachates from new and artificial aged polycarbonate as well as new and aged polycarbonate granules on various germination parameters of Lepidium sativum were studied. Germination, root, and shoot length, as well as the calculated germination rate index as a measure for germination speed, was negatively influenced in substrate-free and substrate containing exposures. From an ecological and agricultural point of view, this implies possible yield losses with less germinating seeds, slower plant germination speed, and smaller seedlings in general.

10 pages, 6 figures, 1 table, supplementary data https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2020.102435, Image-based research in mesophotic and deep environments of the Mediterranean Sea has significantly increased during the past decades. So far, this research has been focused on the ecology of key structuring organisms such as scleractinians, antipatharians, gorgonians or large demosponges. However, the ecology of true soft corals has barely been studied and is still in a very preliminary stage. To overcome this situation, soft coral assemblages in shelf and slope environments of the Menorca Channel (Western Mediterranean Sea) have been studied through the quantitative analysis of 85 video transect recorded over 38500 m2. Highest soft coral diversity was encountered on the shelf edge, resembling deep Mediterranean gorgonian patterns. Three soft coral assemblages, segregated by depth, substrate, and slope were identified: two monospecific ones composed by Nidalia studeri and Alcyonium palmatum, respectively and a multispecific one composed by Paralcyonium spinulosum, Alcyonium sp., Chironephthya mediterranea and Daniela koreni. The evaluated species presented average densities within the same range as other deep Mediterranean anthozoans ranging from 1 to 9 col.·m¿2. However, N. studeri and P. spinulosum punctually formed dense monospecific aggregations, reaching maximum densities of 49 col.·m¿2 and 60 col.·m¿2 respectively. Both species monopolized vast extensions of the continental shelf and shelf edge. The identification and ecological characterization of these assemblages brings new insight about deep Mediterranean anthozoan communities, and provides baseline for future management plans in the study area, This work was funded by the European project LIFE + INDEMARES ‘‘Inventario y designación de la Red Natura 2000 en áreas marinas del estado español” (LIFE07/NAT/E/000732) and the EU-ENPI CBC-Med project ECOSAFIMED "Towards Ecosystem Conservation and Sustainable Fisheries in the Mediterranean basin"(ENPI-ECOSAFIMED-II-B/2.1/1073, With the funding support of the ‘Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence’ accreditation (CEX2019-000928-S), of the Spanish Research Agency (AEI)

Urban waterways are underutilised assets, which can provide benefits ranging from climate-change mitigation and adaptation (e.g., reducing flood risks) to promoting health and well-being in urban settings. Indeed, urban waterways provide green and blue spaces, which have increasingly been associated with health benefits. The present observational study used a unique 17-year longitudinal natural experiment of canal regeneration from complete closure and dereliction in North Glasgow in Scotland, U.K. to explore the impact of green and blue canal assets on all-cause mortality as a widely used indicator of general health and health inequalities. Official data on deaths and socioeconomic deprivation for small areas (data zones) for the period 2001&ndash, 2017 were analysed. Distances between data zone population-weighted centroids to the canal were calculated to create three 500 m distance buffers. Spatiotemporal associations between proximity to the canal and mortality were estimated using linear mixed models, unadjusted and adjusted for small-area measures of deprivation. The results showed an overall decrease in mortality over time (&beta, = &minus, 0.032, 95% confidence interval (CI) [&minus, 0.046, &minus, 0.017]) with a closing of the gap in mortality between less and more affluent areas. The annual rate of decrease in mortality rates was largest in the 0&ndash, 500 m buffer zone closest to the canal (&minus, 3.12%, 95% CI [&minus, 4.50, &minus, 1.73]), with smaller decreases found in buffer zones further removed from the canal (500&ndash, 1000 m: &minus, 3.01%, 95% CI [&minus, 6.52, 0.62]), and 1000&ndash, 1500 m: &minus, 1.23%, 95% CI [&minus, 5.01, 2.71]). A similar pattern of results was found following adjustment for deprivation. The findings support the notion that regeneration of disused blue and green assets and climate adaptions can have a positive impact on health and health inequalities. Future studies are now needed using larger samples of individual-level data, including environmental, socioeconomic, and health variables to ascertain which specific elements of regeneration are the most effective in promoting health and health equity.

In urban areas, high air temperatures and heat stress levels greatly affect human thermal comfort and public health, with climate change further increasing the mortality risks. This study presents a high resolution (100 m) modelling method, including detailed offline radiation calculations, that is able to efficiently calculate outdoor heat stress for entire urban agglomerations for a time period spanning several months. A dedicated measurement campaign was set up to evaluate model performance, yielding satisfactory results. As an example, the modelling tool was used to assess the effectiveness of green areas and water surfaces to cool air temperatures and wet bulb globe temperatures during a typical hot day in the city of Ghent (Belgium), since the use of vegetation and water bodies are shown to be promising in mitigating the adverse effects of urban heat islands and improving thermal comfort. The results show that air temperature reduction is most profound over water surfaces during the afternoon, while open rural areas are coolest during the night. Radiation shading from trees, and to a lesser extent, from buildings, is found to be most effective in reducing wet bulb globe temperatures and improving thermal comfort during the warmest moments of the day.

The subsurface is a technical space, the “engine room of the city,” that incorporates the vital functions of water and energy supply, communication systems, sewers and drainage. Natural systems too – crucial for stable, dry, cool and nature inclusive cities – are also largely dependent on the quality of the subsoil. The subsurface is critical in an era of climate and demographic changes, the energy transition and economic uncertainty and constraints. However, due to the domain’s current segregation and a weak urban design and planning connection, crucial design potential, benefits and innovations, remain unexploited. This paper first introduces an innovative systems approach, the System Exploration Environment and Subsurface (SEES), to recognise the subsurface as an “under-arching” domain for urban planning and design. The physical impact of the subsurface on the surface quality is described for the categories: civil constructions, water, energy and soil/ecology. After setting understanding of the surface and subsurface as one united space, the paper will go into using the SEES as knowledge brokerage tool, integrating the subsurface artefacts into the design process and how the concept of Reversed Engineering with Nature is useful to uncover synergies between subsurface technologies, new urban maintenance regimes and scripts for design.

Cape gannet Morus capensis chicks depend entirely on fish prey and metabolic water for water requirements during development. Water loss through evaporative cooling due to heat stress is substantial. We measured water flux and field metabolic rates (FMR) of Cape gannet chicks and adults to determine if gannets developed water saving strategies. The water economy index (WEI, gkJ(-1)) decreased with chick age according to the model WEI=0.676 - 0.272xlog(10)(t), indicating that water efficiency increased with age. At fledging, the WEI of chicks was at the level expected of adult desert birds. Desert birds maintain a low WEI by also having a low FMR, whereas Cape gannet chicks have FMR comparable to other seabird species' nestling requirements. We propose that maintaining low WEI is adaptive for Cape gannets because (1) chicks need to balance water loss through evaporative cooling, (2) fledglings need to overcome a period of up to a week when they cannot ingest any water and (3) adults spend extended periods in the breeding colony during which water can become a limiting factor. Understanding the physiological mechanism of maintaining low WEI will become increasingly important with future rising temperatures.

The chemical industry has a great importance in implementation the sustainable development strategy. The environmental protection from different risks from the mining and metallurgical industry, in which the use of chemical is the basic precondition for production, is the primary goal in the EU and Serbia, also. The European Commission's specific Chemical Strategy (Registration, Evaluation, and Authorization of Chemicals-REACH) legislation is the one among many of the most important environmental regulations. Hence, is it an urgent need of policy makers in Serbia and all stakeholders to understand how the future REACH implementation could prevent ecological risks in the mining industry and strengthening economy? Hence, this is the topic of this paper. Conclusion of the work presents the recommendations that have been given as a result of performed analysis. It is clear at the end that REACH could mitigate the ecological risks in mining and metallurgy, and improve competitiveness of the Serbian chemical industry on the EU market.

We investigated relations between various types of self-reported nature exposure at work and at home, and well-being among employees (N = 664) across two years. An electronic questionnaire was delivered three times, once a year. We identified seven employee groups with different long-term trajectories of four well-being indicators (vitality, happiness, vigor and creativity at work). More frequent physical activity (PA) in natural surroundings during free time in the first measurement increased the odds of belonging to long-term "beneficial" well-being groups after including control variables. The decrease in using one's home garden decreased the odds of belonging to one beneficial well-being group suggesting a threshold level, the decrease of which may diminish the chances of better well-being longitudinally. The dose-response relationships and the role of personal agency in the interaction with the natural environment deserve further attention. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Galaxies located in the environment or on the line of sight towards gravitational lenses can significantly affect lensing observables, and can lead to systematic errors on the measurement of $H_0$ from the time-delay technique. We present the results of a systematic spectroscopic identification of the galaxies in the field of view of the lensed quasar HE0435-1223, using the W. M. Keck, Gemini and ESO-Very Large telescopes. Our new catalog triples the number of known galaxy redshifts in the vicinity of the lens, expanding to 102 the number of measured redshifts for galaxies separated by less than 3 arcmin from the lens. We complement our catalog with literature data to gather redshifts up to 15 arcmin from the lens, and search for galaxy groups or clusters projected towards HE0435-1223. We confirm that the lens is a member of a small group that includes at least 12 galaxies, and find 8 other group candidates near the line of sight of the lens. The flexion shift, namely the shift of lensed images produced by high order perturbation of the lens potential, is calculated for each galaxy/group and used to identify which objects produce the largest perturbation of the lens potential. This analysis demonstrates that i) at most three of the five brightest galaxies projected within 12 arcsec of the lens need to be explicitly used in the lens models, and ii) the groups can be treated in the lens model as an external tidal field (shear) contribution., Comment: Version revised to address referee's comments, submitted to MNRAS, 21 pages (incl. Appendix). Data associated to the paper available from the H0LICOW website www.h0licow.org

Coastal areas experience multiple pressures from anthropogenic activities that negatively change the ecological and environmental status of beaches and impact human welfare. The focus of this paper is coastal erosion, an issue that is very relevant for Argentina, the second largest nation in Latin America with an extensive coastline of nearly 5000 km. Coastal erosion decreases the attractiveness of coastal areas for tourism development, leading to considerable economic impacts. In this paper, two complementary approaches, the Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) and the Systems Approach Framework (SAF), were used to analyse two beach resorts in Argentina: Monte Hermoso and Pehuen Co.Application of the SAF included stakeholder mapping, governance (institutional) mapping and issue identification. During the participatory meetings with stakeholders and decision makers, the problem of coastal erosion was identified as the most important in the region. The joint approach of DPSIR and SAF contributed to: (i) the determination and description of the economic drivers of coastal erosion; (ii) the identification of the associated activities and pressures; (iii) the assessment of the ecological and environmental state of coastal areas; (iv) the assessment of impacts of environmental changes on human wellbeing; and finally (v) a proposal of the possible management responses for mitigating the coastal erosion problem and the sustainable development of the region to the responsible authorities. Fil: Semeoshenkova, Vera. Universidad de Bologna; Italia. Universidad de Cádiz; España Fil: Newton, Alice. Universidad de Algarve; Portugal Fil: Rojas, Mara Leticia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto de Investigaciones Económicas y Sociales del Sur. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Economía. Instituto de Investigaciones Económicas y Sociales del Sur; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Economía; Argentina Fil: Piccolo, Maria Cintia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Geografía y Turismo; Argentina Fil: Bustos, María Luján. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Geografía y Turismo; Argentina Fil: Huamantinco Cisneros, María Andrea. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía; Argentina Fil: Berninsone, Leonardo. Universidad de Cádiz; España. Aquamarina

Irrespective of substantial research in land use/land cover (LULC) monitoring of urban area, hyperspectral data is not yet exploited effectively because of lack of local spectral resources and a practical reflectance calibration method. The objective of this research is to develop an effective methodology for urban LULC classification using image-based reflectance calibration methods: especially Vegetation-Impervious-Soil classes (VIS), using hyperspectral data. We used EO-1 Hyperion image of Pune City, India and assessed the suitability of different land covers as reflectance calibration surfaces. Furthermore, we performed LULC classification using different reflectance calibration methods such as Internal Area Relative Reflectance, Flat Field Relative Reflectance, and 6S for comparative analysis. Urban VIS signatures extracted from Hyperion image show distinct spectral curves at broader level. Flat Field Relative Reflectance method provides above 90 percent average overall accuracy. An advanced physics-based method such as 6S does not provide any added advantage over image-based calibration methods.

A generalized formulation for coagulation of charged particles is presented in this paper. The governing equations can be solved semi-implicitly for a number of discrete size and charge bins. The computationally efficient mechanism gives volume and charge conserved solution with time. A distinct way of handling electrostatic dispersion in dynamic model has been used in this work. The scheme has been tested for charged, nebulized aerosol particles by model studies and also compared with experimental observations. The model simulated results show that charge can significantly affect the coagulation dynamics if charge level is higher than the Boltzmann equilibrium charge limit for less than 1 μm particles. It was found that for the bipolar charge case, there was a significant effect on the enhancement of the coagulation process. For the case of unipolar charge, electrostatic dispersion was seen to play a role in the depletion of number concentration. The model was then validated against results of six controlled experiments in which electrical low pressure impactor (ELPI) was used for measurement of charge and number size distribution. Our model results were found to be in reasonable agreement with observed values. The developed model is fast (independent of time step) and numerically stable. It can be used for several applications involving coagulation dynamics of charged aerosol particles.

Within the context of enhancing sustainable and livable urban environments, one aim is to establish multifunctional green infrastructure (GI). We argue that in order to successfully plan and manage the development of GI, an inclusive and future-oriented stance concerning the needs and expectations of urbanites is required. By using green roofs as an example, the aim of this paper was to offer insights into how people envisage novel GI in urban environments and to reveal the scope of meanings and values people attach to these kinds of green infrastructure. We present results based on 149 stories collected with the method of empathy-based stories. Respondents were asked to use their imagination to produce mental images of not-yet-existing green roofs in different urban situations. Our results reflect a rich set of dimensions of green roofs that the respondents vividly imagined. Green roofs may contribute to the livability of urban areas in multiple ways, such as strengthening social cohesion, providing space for everyday renewal and restoration, offering interesting sceneries and multisensory experiences, softening the hard cityscape, showing ephemeral events and making experiences of "height" possible, as well as increasing the "contact with nature" experiences for residents, e.g. through biodiverse nature in the middle of built environments. Furthermore, the need for local, customized solutions that offer different benefits and experiences was expressed. Using both qualitative and quantitative analyses, we idealized four green roof meta-types for understanding the diverse expectations people may have for green roofs in urban area: Urban farm, Oasis, Urban hill and Meadow. Based on our results we suggest that comprehensive experiences and needs of people should be taken into account when designing urban green roofs or urban green in general not only, e.g. visual pleasure. Also, site- and user-specific solutions should be considered instead of generally applied ones. Our results offer tools for, e.g. urban planners to understand the value of diverse green roof solutions to the user. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Irrigation treatments involving two water regimes were carried out in a controlled environment on eight nearisogenic durum wheat lines that differed in a major yield-related QTL region (QYld. idw-3B) in order to assess the relationship between morpho-physiological traits, antioxidant enzyme activities, and polyamine contents in the flag leaves, and drought tolerance. Drought stress, simulated under a rain-out shelter, negatively affected the performance of the isogenic lines, leading to significant reductions in seed yield, tiller number, chlorophyll content, plant height, leaf area, and ascorbate peroxidase activity, while the polyamine content and guaiacol peroxidase activity increased. The ascorbate peroxidase activity was negatively correlated with seed weight per main (r = -0.446) and side spike (r = -0.465) and the 1000-grain weight of the main and side spike (r = -0.396 and r = -0.49, respectively) and the guaiacol peroxidase activity with the number of seeds per main (r = -0.457) and side spike (r = -0.378) and the seed weight per side spike (r = -0.38). PUT, SPD, and SPN contents showed a significant positive relationship with the number of seeds per main spike (0.534***, 0.496***, and 0.481**, respectively) and the seed weight per main spike (0.383*, 0.352*, and 0.399**, respectively). ANOVA showed that the QYld. idw-3B++ lines had significantly better yield performance under non-watered conditions than the QYld. idw-3B--lines, but their response to drought stress was not uniform regarding other yield-related traits. (C) 2016 SAAB. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) is an important component of nutrient cycling, but the role of different organisms controlling the processing of autochthonous DOM remains poorly understood. Aiming to characterize phytoplankton-derived DOM and the effects of complex pelagic communities on its dynamics, we incubated natural plankton communities from a temperate mesohaline estuary under controlled conditions for 18 days. The incubations were carried out in contrasting seasons (spring and autumn) and changes in the planktonic community (phytoplankton, bacteria and microzooplankton), nutrients and DOM were assessed. Our results highlight the complexity of DOM production and fate in natural planktonic communities. Small changes in DOM composition were observed in the experiments relative to the orders-of-magnitude variations experienced in the phytoplankton assembly. We argue that the tight coupling between microbial processing and DOM production by phytoplankton and grazers stabilizes variations in quantity and characteristics of autochthonous DOM, resulting in apparently homogeneous semi-labile DOM pool throughout the experiments. However, seasonal differences in the production and processing of DOM were observed, reflecting differences in the nutrient regimes and initial DOM characteristics in each experiment, but also likely influenced by changes in the successional status of the pelagic community. Acknowledging that characteristics of the DOM derived from phytoplankton growth can vary broadly, heterotrophic processing and successional status of the community are synergistically important factors for shaping those characteristics, and thus affecting the seasonal signature of the semi-labile autochthonous DOM pool. peerReviewed

Publisher's version (útgefin grein)., Background: Menopause is associated with a number of adverse health effects and its timing has been reported to be influenced by several lifestyle factors. Whether greenspace exposure is associated with age at menopause has not yet been investigated. Objective: To investigate whether residential surrounding greenspace is associated with age at menopause and thus reproductive aging. Methods: This longitudinal study was based on the 20-year follow-up of 1955 aging women from a large, population-based European cohort (ECRHS). Residential surrounding greenspace was abstracted as the average of satellite-based Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) across a circular buffer of 300 m around the residential addresses of each participant during the course of the study. We applied mixed effects Cox models with centre as random effect, menopause as the survival object, age as time indicator and residential surrounding greenspace as time-varying predictor. All models were adjusted for smoking habit, body mass index, parity, age at menarche, ever-use of contraception and age at completed full-time education as socio-economic proxy. Results: An increase of one interquartile range of residential surrounding greenspace was associated with a 13% lower risk of being menopausal (Hazard Ratio: 0.87, 95% Confidence Interval: 0.79–0.95). Correspondingly the predicted median age at menopause was 1.4 years older in the highest compared to the lowest NDVI quartile. Results remained stable after additional adjustment for air pollution and traffic related noise amongst others. Conclusions: Living in greener neighbourhoods is associated with older age at menopause and might slow reproductive aging. These are novel findings with broad implications. Further studies are needed to see whether our findings can be replicated in different populations and to explore the potential mechanisms underlying this association., Kai Triebner has received a postdoctoral fellowship from theUniversity of Bergen. Payam Dadvand is funded by a Ramón y Cajalfellowship (Grant: RYC-2012-10995) awarded by the Spanish Ministryof Economy and Finance. The present analyses are part of a projectfunded by the Norwegian Research Council (Grant: 228174).Coordination of the ECRHS I was supported by the EuropeanCommission as part of the“Quality of Life”program and the authorsand participants are grateful to the late C. Baya and M. Hallen for theirhelp during the study and K. Vuylsteek and the members of the COMACfor their support. Coordination of the ECRHS II was supported by theEuropean Commission as part of the“Quality of Life”program (Grant:QLK4-CT-1999-01237). The coordination of the ECRHS 3 was fundedthrough the Medical Research Council (Grant: 92091). NDVI calcula-tions were conducted within the framework of the Ageing Lungs InEuropean Cohorts study that was funded by the European Union'sHorizon 2020 research and innovation program under (Grant: 633212).Bodies funding the local studies are listed in the online data supple-ment. The funding sources were not involved in the conduct of theresearch and/or preparation of the article, in study design, in the col-lection, analysis and interpretation of data, in the writing of the reportor in the decision to submit the article for publication.

Este artículo contiene 8 páginas, 4 figuras., Experiments have shown that increasing dissolved CO2 concentrations (i.e. Ocean Acidification, OA) in marine ecosystems may act as nutrient for primary producers (e.g. fleshy algae) or a stressor for calcifying species (e.g., coralline algae, corals, molluscs). For the first time, rapid habitat dominance shifts and altered competitive replacement from a reef-forming to a non-reef-forming biogenic habitat were documented over one-year exposure to low pH/high CO2 through a transplant experiment off Vulcano Island CO2 seeps (NE Sicily, Italy). Ocean acidification decreased vermetid reefs complexity via a reduction in the reef-building species density, boosted canopy macroalgae and led to changes in composition, structure and functional diversity of the associated benthic assemblages. OA effects on invertebrate richness and abundance were nonlinear, being maximal at intermediate complexity levels of vermetid reefs and canopy forming algae. Abundance of higher order consumers (e.g. carnivores, suspension feeders) decreased under elevated CO2 levels. Herbivores were non-linearly related to OA conditions, with increasing competitive release only of minor intertidal grazers (e.g. amphipods) under elevated CO2 levels. Our results support the dual role of CO2 (as a stressor and as a resource) in disrupting the state of rocky shore communities, and raise specific concerns about the future of intertidal reef ecosystem under increasing CO2 emissions. We contribute to inform predictions of the complex and nonlinear community effects of OA on biogenic habitats, but at the sametime encourage the use ofmultiple natural CO2 gradients in providing quantitative data on changing community responses to long-term CO2 exposure., This work contributes to the University of Palermo FFR-A project and the EU-FP7 MedSeA project (grant agreement no. 265103) to M.M.

An upper fourth molariform of a Scelidotheriine ground sloth is reported from Cameiro Cave, which is located in the karstic region of Serra da Mesa (Goias). In this limestone cave the tooth was found at the base of a depositional sequence, associated with a 2 m thick debris flows deposit, which is covered by the lowest carbonate crust dated at approximately 200,000 yr BP. Detailed morphological description, stable isotope data and stratigraphic context are provided. This represents the first megafauna record for this region of Central Brazil, where this record is found in direct association with a diverse microvertebrate fauna. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

This paper presents a radio frequency (RF)-based location tracking system that improves its performance by eliminating the shadowing caused by the human body of the user being tracked. The presence of such a user will influence the RF signal paths between a body-worn node and the receiving nodes. This influence will vary with the user's location and orientation and, as a result, will deteriorate the performance regarding location tracking. By using multiple mobile nodes, placed on different parts of a human body, we exploit the fact that the combination of multiple measured signal strengths will show less variation caused by the user's body. Another method is to compensate explicitly for the influence of the body by using the user's orientation toward the fixed infrastructure nodes. Both approaches can be independently combined and reduce the influence caused by body shadowing, hereby improving the tracking accuracy. The overall system performance is extensively verified on a building-wide testbed for sensor experiments. The results show a significant improvement in tracking accuracy. The total improvement in mean accuracy is 38.1% when using three mobile nodes instead of one and simultaneously compensating for the user's orientation.

Na–H3O jarosite was synthesized hydrothermally at 413 K for 8 days and investigated using single-crystal X-ray diffraction (XRD) and electron microprobe analysis (EMPA). The chemical composition of the studied crystal is [Na0.57(3) (H3O)0.36 (H2O)0.07]A Fe2.93(3) (SO4)2 (OH)5.70 (H2O)0.30, and Fe deficiency was confirmed by both EMPA and XRD analysis. The single-crystal XRD data were collected at 298 and 102 K, and crystal structures were refined in space group $$ R\overline{3}m$$ . The room-temperature data match structural trends of the jarosite group, which vary linearly with the c axis. The low-temperature structure at 102 K shows an anisotropic decrease in the unit cell parameters, with c and a decreasing by 0.45 and 0.03 %, respectively. Structural changes are mainly confined to the A site environment. Only minor changes occur in FeO6 and SO4 polyhedra. The structure responds upon cooling by increasing bond length distortion and by decreasing quadratic elongation of the large AO12 polyhedra. The structural parameters at low temperature follow very similar patterns to structural changes that correspond to compositional variation in the jarosite group, which is characterised by the flexibility of AO12 polyhedra and rigidity of Fe(OH)4O2–SO4 layers. The most flexible areas in the jarosite structure are localized at AO12 edges that are not shared with neighbouring FeO6 octahedra. Importantly, for the application of XRD in planetary settings, the temperature-related changes in jarosite can mimic compositional change.

This work was supported by Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia, Portugal, grants PTDC/BIA-EVF/118618/2010 (J.P.S., P.A., P.G.), PTDC/AGR-ALI/118590/2010 (J.P.S., P.A., P.G., R.B.), UID/Multi/04378/2013 (J.P.S., P.G.), and SFRH/BD/77390/2011 (P.A.), by Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico-CNPq (CAR, process numbers 560715/2010-2 and 457499/2014-1, PBM process number 457443/2012-0) and Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa de Minas Gerais FAPEMIG and VALE S.A (CAR, process number RCP-00094-10). Work of C.R.L. on this project was supported by a NSERC Discovery grant. C.R.L. holds the Canada Research Chair in Evolutionary Cell and Systems Biology. The authors thank Dr. Siu Mui Tsai, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Brazil, for making available strain UFMG-CM-Y640. The natural biology of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the best known unicellular model eukaryote, remains poorly documented and understood although recent progress has started to change this situation. Studies carried out recently in the Northern Hemisphere revealed the existence of wild populations associated with oak trees in North America, Asia, and in the Mediterranean region. However, in spite of these advances, the global distribution of natural populations of S. cerevisiae, especially in regions were oaks and other members of the Fagaceae are absent, is not well understood. Here we investigate the occurrence of S. cerevisiae in Brazil, atropical region where oaks and other Fagaceae are absent. We report a candidate natural habitat of S. cerevisiae in South America and, using whole-genome data, we uncover new lineages that appear to have as closest relatives the wild populations found in North America and Japan. A population structure analysis revealed the penetration of the wine genotype into the wild Brazilian population, a first observation of the impact of domesticated microbe lineages on the genetic structure of wild populations. Unexpectedly, the Brazilian population shows conspicuous evidence of hybridization with an American population of Saccharomyces paradoxus. Introgressions from S. paradoxus were significantly enriched in genes encoding secondary active transmembrane transporters. We hypothesize that hybridization in tropical wild lineages may have facilitated the habitat transition accompanying the colonization of the tropical ecosystem. publishersversion published

Plant adaptations to changing environments rely on integrating external stimuli into internal responses. Brassinosteroids (BRs), a group of growth-promoting phytohormones, have been reported to act as signal molecules mediating these processes. BRs are perceived by cell surface receptor complex including receptor BRI1 and coreceptor BAK1, which subsequently triggers a signaling cascade that leads to inhibition of BIN2 and activation of BES1/BZR1 transcription factors. BES1/BZR1 can directly regulate the expression of thousands of downstream responsive genes. Recent studies in the model plant Arabidopsis demonstrated that BR biosynthesis and signal transduction, especially the regulatory components BIN2 and BES1/BZR1, are finely tuned by various environmental cues. Here, we summarize these research updates and give a comprehensive review of how BR biosynthesis and signaling are modulated by changing environments and how these changes regulate plant adaptive growth or stress tolerance.

Benthic foraminiferal populations were studied in a shallow bay of San Salvador Island, the Bahamas. Surface sediments and marine macrophytes were collected from 14 sample sites along a 500 m transect at Grahams Harbour to investigate the foraminiferal assemblage in each microhabitat and to test the link between dead foraminiferal test accumulation patterns and living epiphytic and sedimentary foraminiferal assemblages, macrophyte distribution, and environmental gradients. The analyses include grain size measurements, macrophyte biomass quantification, and qualitative and quantitative studies of benthic foraminifera. The foraminifera found attached to macrophytes differed between macrophyte habitats. However, a correlation between these living communities and the dead assemblages in the sediments at the same sites could not be observed. Principal component analysis (PCA) and redundancy analysis (RDA) suggest that the presence of the macroalgae Halimeda explains 16 % of the residual faunal variation in the dead foraminiferal assemblage after the effects of sorting according to fall speed are partialled out. The RDA also reflects a positive correlation between foraminifera larger than 1.0 mm in diameter and the 0.25–0.5 mm sediment grain size, indicating sedimentological processes as the main factor controlling the sedimentary epiphytic foraminiferal assemblages. These sedimentary processes overprint most effects of ecological features or macrophyte-specific association.

Understanding the relationship between people and their soundscapes in an urban context of innumerable and diverse sensory stimulations is a difficult endeavor. What public space users hear and how they evaluate it in relation to their performed or intended activities can influence users’ engagement with their spaces as well as their assessment of suitability of public space for their needs or expectations. While the interaction between the auditory experience and activity is a topic gaining momentum in soundscape research, capturing the complexity of this relationship in context remains a multifaceted challenge. In this paper, we address this challenge by researching the user-soundscape relationships in relation to users’ activities. Building on previous soundscape studies, we explore the role and interaction of three potentially influencing factors in users’ soundscape evaluations: level of social interaction of users’ activities, familiarity and expectations, and we employ affordance theory to research the ways in which users bring their soundscapes into use. To this end, we employ a mixed methods design, combining quantitative, qualitative and spatial analyses to analyze how users of three public spaces in Amsterdam evaluate their soundscapes in relation to their activities. We documented the use of an urban park in Amsterdam through non-intrusive behavioral mapping to collect spatial data on observable categories of activities, and integrated our observations with on site questionnaires on ranked soundscape evaluations and free responses detailing users’ evaluations, collected at the same time from park users. One of our key findings is that solitary and socially interactive respondents evaluate their soundscapes differently in relation to their activities, with the latter offering higher suitability and lower disruption ratings than the former; this points to qualitatively different auditory experiences, analyzed further based on users’ open-ended justifications for their evaluations. We provide a methodological contribution (adding to existing soundscape evaluation methodologies), an empirical contribution (providing insight on how users explain their soundscape evaluations in relation to their activities) and a policy and design-related contribution, offering additional insight on a transferable methodology and process that practitioners can employ in their work on the built environment to address the multisensory experience of public spaces.

We present milliarcsecond (mas) angular resolution observations of the gravitationally lensed radio source MG J0751+2716 (at z=3.2) obtained with global Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) at 1.65 GHz. The background object is highly resolved in the tangential and radial directions, showing evidence of both compact and extended structure across several gravitational arcs that are 200 to 600~mas in size. By identifying compact sub-components in the multiple images, we constrain the mass distribution of the foreground z=0.35 gravitational lens using analytic models for the main deflector [power-law elliptical mass model; $\rho(r) \propto r^{-\gamma}$, where $\gamma=2$ corresponds to isothermal] and for the members of the galaxy group. Moreover, our mass models with and without the group find an inner mass-density slope steeper than isothermal for the main lensing galaxy, with $\gamma_1 = 2.08 \pm 0.02$ and $\gamma_2 = 2.16 \pm 0.02$ at the 4.2$\sigma$ level and 6.8$\sigma$ level, respectively, at the Einstein radius ($b_1 = 0.4025 \pm 0.0008$ and $b_2 = 0.307 \pm 0.002$ arcsec, respectively). We find randomly distributed image position residuals of about 3 mas, which are much larger that the measurement errors ($40$ $\mu$as on average). This suggests that at the mas level, the assumption of a smooth mass distribution fails, requiring additional structure in the model. However, given the environment of the lensing galaxy, it is not clear whether this extra mass is in the form of sub-haloes within the lens or along the line of sight, or from a more complex halo for the galaxy group., Comment: 15 pages, 8 figures; published by MNRAS

Formation of notches is an important process in the erosion of seaside cliffs. Monitoring of coastal notch erosion rate and processes has become a prime research focus for many coastal geomorphologists. Observation of notch erosion rate considers a number of characteristics, including cliff collapse risk, distinction of historical sea levels, and recognition of ongoing erosional mechanisms. This study presents new approaches for surveying and classifying marine notches based on a high-precision light detection and ranging (LiDAR)-based experiment performed on a small region of a coastal cliff in southern Portugal. A terrestrial LiDAR scanner was used to measure geometrical parameters and surface roughness of selected notches, enabling their classification according to shape and origin. The implemented methodology proved to be a highly effective tool for providing an unbiased analysis of marine morphodynamic processes acting on the seaside cliffs. In the analyzed population of voids carved into Miocene calcarenites in a coastal cliff section, two types of notch morphology were distinguished, namely U-shaped and V-shaped. The method presented here provides valuable data for landscape evaluation, sea-level changes, and any other types of analyses that rely on the accurate interpretation of cliff morphological features. National Science Centre [UMO-2015/17/D/ST10/02191] UMO-2015/17/D/ST10/0219

A measuring campaign for the assessment of electromagnetic radiation near base stations in the city center of Leuven, Belgium, has been carried out. The main objective of this assessment is to study the correlation between the outdoor and the indoor exposure produced by cellular base stations and to investigate the changes of electromagnetic exposure within a typical day and over 1 month in the vicinity of these base stations. The study was also carried out as a function of location and time using highly precise measurement equipment. The measurements were performed in both public and private areas in sixty (30 indoor and 30 outdoor) different locations in Leuven. The measurement was focused on mobile communication networks: GSM (Global System for Mobile Communication, 900 MHz and 1800 MHz) and UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System, 2110 MHz) were the frequency bands of interest. The data at these frequencies were extracted from raw measurements in the 824-2170 MHz frequency band. The results show that all analyzed locations are in compliance with the exposure limits recommended by ICNIRP (International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection) and that the (maximum) indoor exposure correlates to the outdoor exposure with a factor of about 0.5. ispartof: ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH vol:168 pages:428-438 ispartof: location:Netherlands status: published

The redoxclines that form between the oxic and anoxic water layers in the central Baltic Sea are sites of intensive nitrogen cycling. To gain better understanding of nitrification, we measured the biogeochemical properties along with potential nitrification rates and analyzed the assemblages of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and archaea using functional gene microarrays. To estimate nitrification in the entire water column, we constructed a regression model for the nitrification rates and applied it to the conditions prevailing in the area in 2008–2012. The highest ammonia oxidation rates were found in a thin layer at the top of the redoxcline and the rates quickly decreased below detection limit when oxygen was exhausted. This is probably because extensive suboxic layers, which are known to harbor pelagic nitrification, are formed only for short periods after inflows in the Baltic Sea. The nitrification rates were some of the highest measured in the water columns, but the thickness of the layer where conditions were favorable for nitrification, was very small and it remained fairly stable between years. However, the depth of the nitrification layer varied substantially between years, particularly in the eastern Gotland Basin (EGB) due to turbulence in the water column. The ammonia oxidizer communities clustered differently between the eastern and western Gotland Basin (WGB) and the composition of ammonia-oxidizing assemblages correlated with the environmental variables. The ammonia oxidizer community composition was more even in the EGB, which may be related to physical instability of the redoxcline that does not allow predominance of a single archetype, whereas in the WGB, where the position of the redoxcline is more constant, the ammonia-oxidizing community was less even. Overall the ammonia-oxidizing communities in the Baltic Sea redoxclines were very evenly distributed compared to other marine environments where microarrays have been applied previously., final draft, peerReviewed

The aim of this study was to explore the heavy-metal resistance and hydrocarbonoclastic potential of microorganisms in a hypersaline soil. For this, hydrocarbonoclastic microorganisms were counted on a mineral medium with oil vapor as a sole carbon source in the presence of increasing concentrations of ZnSO4, HgCl2, CdSO4, PbNO3, CuSO4, and Na2HAsO4. The colony-forming units counted decreased in number from about 150 g-1 on the heavy-metal-free medium to zero units on media with 40-100 mg l-1 of HgCl2, CdSO4, PbNO3, or Na2HAsO4. On media with CuSO4 or ZnSO4 on the other hand, numbers increased first reaching maxima on media with 50 mg l-1 CuSO4 and 90 mg l-1 ZnSO4. Higher concentrations reduced the numbers, which however, still remained considerable. Pure microbial isolates in cultures tolerated 200-1600 mg l-1 of HgCl2, CdSO4, PbNO3, CuSO4, and Na2HAsO4 in the absence of crude oil. In the presence of oil vapor, the isolates tolerated much lower concentrations of the heavy metals, only 10-80 mg l-1. The addition of 10 Fe2(SO4)3 and 200 mg l-1 proline (by up to two- to threefold) enhanced the tolerance of several isolates to heavy metals, and consequently their potential for oil biodegradation in their presence. The results are useful in designing bioremediation technologies for oil spilled in hypersaline areas.

Composition and content of photosynthetic pigments is finely tuned by plants according to a subtle equilibrium between the absorbed and used energy by the photosynthetic apparatus. Subarctic and Arctic plants are subjected to extended periods of continuous light during summer. This condition represents a unique natural scenario to study the influence of light on pigment regulation and the presence of diurnal patterns potentially governed by circadian rhythms. Here, we exam- ined the modulation of the photosynthetic apparatus in three naturally co-occurring woody species: mountain birch (Betula pubescens ssp. czerepanovii), alpine bearberry (Arctostaphylos alpina) and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) around the sum- mer solstice, at 67 °N latitude. Plants were continuously exposed to solar radiation during the 3-day study period, although PPFD fluctuated, being lower during night-times. Photochemical efficiencies for a given PPFD were similar during daytime and night-time for the three species. In Scots pine, for a given PPFD, net assimilation was slightly higher during daytime than during night-time. Overall, the dynamism in pigment content was mainly driven by PPFD, and was generally unrelated to day/night cycles. Weak indications of potential circadian regulation were found over a few pigments only. Interestingly, the xanthophyll cycle was active at any time of the day in the three species but its responsiveness to PPFD was exacerbated during night-times. This was particularly evident for bearberry, which maintained a highly de-epoxidised state even at night- times. The results could indicate an incomplete acclimation to a 24-h photoperiod for these species, which have colonised subarctic latitudes only recently. Basque Government (UPV/EHU IT-1018-16); Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) and the ERDF (FEDER) (CTM2014-53902-C2-2-P) to JIGP and BFM; and “Juan de la Cierva-Incorporation” Fellowship IJCI-2014-22489 to BFM; Finnish Academy (272041 and 293443); Funds of the University of Helsinki (490116).

AKCURA, MEVLUT/0000-0001-7828-5163; WOS: 000431531600004 Beans are grown in different environments. The most important issue in bean agriculture is to increase seed yield as expected in other plants. As well reported so far, environmental factors such as rain, heat, their timing and topography affect yield and yield quality in dry beans. So, this study was conducted in 2011-2015 in Samsun (Ambarkopru and Gelemen) and Kirsehir (Mucur and Cogun) locations in order to investigate the effects of the environmental factors on dry bean. For this aim, 20 dry bean genotypes (7 cultivars and 13 pure lines) were used as plant materials. Results showed that G5, G11 and G15 genotypes were close to ideal genotypes. When the year was considered as the environmental factor, the ideal production year was in 2013 with respect to yield and yield quality, concluding that climate changes between years affected yield parameters in dry bean genotypes.

The use of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to solve indoor airflow problems has increased tremendously in the last decades. However, the accuracy of CFD simulations depends greatly on user experience, the available validation data, and the effort made to verify solutions. This study presents the results of a conference workshop, which assessed user influence on the CFD results obtained for a generic non-isothermal flow problem; ie, a backward-facing step flow problem with a heated wall below the supply. Fifty-five simulation sets were submitted by 32 teams. The results showed a very large spread in predicted penetration length (xre /(H - h)), location of maximum velocity in the lower part of the recirculation cell (xrm /(H - h)), and maximum velocity at this location (urm /u0 ). The turbulence model seemed to very strongly influence the results, with a statistically significant difference in the predictions yielded by the k-ε and k-ω models. The results obtained using a single turbulence model generally also showed a spread in results; the level of spread depended on factors such as grid size and near-wall treatment. The statistical data strongly indicate the need for validation studies using experimental data (benchmarks) to ensure the accuracy, reliability, and trustworthiness of CFD simulations for indoor airflow problems. ispartof: INDOOR AIR vol:28 issue:6 pages:866-880 ispartof: location:England status: published

Smart cities are required to engage with local communities by promoting a user-centred approach to deal with urban life issues and ultimately enhance people’s quality of life. Soundscape promotes a similar approach, based on individuals’ perception of acoustic environments. This paper aims to establish a model to implement soundscape maps for the monitoring and management of the acoustic environment and to demonstrate its feasibility. The final objective of the model is to generate visual maps related to perceptual attributes (e.g. ‘calm’, ‘pleasant’), starting from audio recordings of everyday acoustic environments. The proposed model relies on three main stages: (1) sound sources recognition and profiling, (2) prediction of the soundscape’s perceptual attributes and (3) implementation of soundscape maps. This research particularly explores the two latter phases, for which a set of sub-processes and methods is proposed and discussed. An accuracy analysiswas performed with satisfactory results: the prediction models of the second stage explained up to the 57.5% of the attributes’ variance; the cross-validation errors of the model were close to zero. These findings show that the proposed model is likely to produce representative maps of an individual’s sonic perception in a given environment.

We analyse the Kormendy relations (KRs) of the two Frontier Fields clusters, Abell S1063, at z = 0.348, and MACS J1149.5+2223, at z = 0.542, exploiting very deep Hubble Space Telescope photometry and VLT/MUSE integral field spectroscopy. With this novel dataset, we are able to investigate how the KR parameters depend on the cluster galaxy sample selection and how this affects studies of galaxy evolution based on the KR. We define and compare four different galaxy samples according to: (a) S\'ersic indices: early-type ('ETG'), (b) visual inspection: 'ellipticals', (c) colours: 'red', (d) spectral properties: 'passive'. The classification is performed for a complete sample of galaxies with m$_{\textit{F814W}} \le$ 22.5 ABmag (M$_{*}$ $\gtrsim 10^{10.0}$ M$_{\odot}$). To derive robust galaxy structural parameters, we use two methods: (1) an iterative estimate of structural parameters using images of increasing size, in order to deal with closely separated galaxies and (2) different background estimations, to deal with the Intracluster light contamination. The comparison between the KRs obtained from the different samples suggests that the sample selection could affect the estimate of the best-fitting KR parameters. The KR built with ETGs is fully consistent with the one obtained for ellipticals and passive. On the other hand, the KR slope built on the red sample is only marginally consistent with those obtained with the other samples. We also release the photometric catalogue with structural parameters for the galaxies included in the present analysis., Comment: 23 pages, 18 figures, Accepted for publication in MNRAS

In the Gondwanan Parana Basin, two fossil assemblages with affinity to the Eurydesma Fauna are well known in the Early Permian post-glacial deposits of the Rio Bonito Formation. Although the assemblages display similar invertebrate fossil content, the fossil concentrations were potentially accumulated in different paleo-bathymetric zones represented by the shallow marine and marginal marine settings. This paper provides a taphonomic analysis of the body-fossil concentration and the ichnological signatures of the fossiliferous deposits of the Rio Bonito Formation at the southern border of the Parana Basin and also discusses their paleo-ecological and paleo-environmental significance. Three distinct taphofacies representing the fair-weather deposits, storm-wave deposits in the inner part of estuary, and time-averaged and storm-influenced deposits in the outer part of the estuary were recognized in the studied succession. They characterize the depositional processes that filled a shallow, marginal marine paleovalley formed during the Late Paleozoic Ice Age. The taphonomic signatures of the fossil concentrations suggest deposition under the transgressive and highstand phases of the paleo-valley infill. These new data reinforce the previous interpretation of the paleo-valley infill as estuarine depositional setting and further contribute to refining the stratigraphic framework of the post-glacial deposits at the southern margin of the Parana Basin.

A multi-band Body-Worn Distributed exposure Meter (BWDM) calibrated for simultaneous measurement of the incident power density in 11 telecommunication frequency bands, is proposed. The BDWM consists of 22 textile antennas integrated in a garment and is calibrated on six human subjects in an anechoic chamber to assess its measurement uncertainty in terms of 68% confidence interval of the on-body antenna aperture. It is shown that by using multiple antennas in each frequency band, the uncertainty of the BWDM is 22 dB improved with respect to single nodes on the front and back of the torso and variations are decreased to maximum 8.8 dB. Moreover, deploying single antennas for different body morphologies results in a variation up to 9.3 dB, which is reduced to 3.6 dB using multiple antennas for six subjects with various body mass index values. The designed BWDM, has an improved uncertainty of up to 9.6 dB in comparison to commercially available personal exposure meters calibrated on body. As an application, an average incident power density in the range of 26.7-90.8 muW.m - 2 is measured in Ghent, Belgium. The measurements show that commercial personal exposure meters underestimate the actual exposure by a factor of up to 20.6.