The European honey bee (Apis mellifera) is both a crucial pollinator for agricultural and natural ecosystems, and an agricultural commodity in its own right. However, honey bees are experiencing heavy mortality in North America and Europe due to a complex suite of factors. Weather affects both the bees themselves and the plants that support them. Surrounding land use, particularly proportion of agricultural and urban areas, determines forage resource abundance and pesticide exposure risk. Finally, management decisions, including treatment to control parasitic Varroa destructor mites, contribute to colony success and failure. We used three years of data from a survey of Pennsylvania beekeepers to assess the importance of weather, topography, land use, and management factors on overwintering mortality of managed honey bee colonies at both apiary and colony levels. A Random Forest model for mite-treated apiaries predicted overwintering survival with 73.3% accuracy for colonies and 65.7% for apiaries, as determined by cross-validation. Growing degree days was the most important predictor at both levels. Neither topographic nor management variables were important predictors. A weather-only model was used to predict colony survival probability across Pennsylvania for the three years of the study, and to create a composite map of survival probability for 1981-2019 (long-term probability mean value of 59.5%). Although three years of data were not enough to adequately capture the range of possible climatic conditions, the model nonetheless performed well within its constraints. The Random Forest approach is suited to understanding complex nonlinear drivers of survival, and to predicting outcomes given current conditions or projected climate changes.

The Southern Ocean is one of the most isolated marine ecosystems, characterized by high levels of endemism, diversity, and biomass. Ascidians are among the dominant groups in Antarctic benthic assemblages, thus recording the evolutionary patterns of this group is crucial to improve our current understanding of the assembly of this polar ocean. We studied the genetic variation within Cnemidocarpa verrucosa sensu lato, one of the most widely distributed abundant and studied ascidian species in Antarctica. Using a mitochondrial and a nuclear gene (COI and 18S), the phylogeography of fifteen populations distributed along the Antarctic Peninsula and South America (Burdwood Bank/MPA Namuncurá) was characterized, where the bimodal distribution of the genetic distance suggested the existence of two species within the nominal C. verrucosa. When re-evaluating morphological traits to distinguish between genetically defined species, the presence of a basal disc in one of the genotypes could be a morphological trait to differentiate the species. These results are surprising due to the large research that has been carried out with the conspicuous C. verrucosa with no differentiation between species. Furthermore, it provides important tools to distinguish species in the field and laboratory. But also, these results give new insights to patterns of differentiation between closely related species that are distributed in sympatry, where the permeability of species boundaries still needs to be well understood.

For certain parameters, a class of density dependent Leslie population model has a chaotic attractor. The chaotic dynamics of the Ricker mapping is studied. Control parameter is perturbed slightly depending times by the improvement of OGY. By the pole placement technique of the linear control theory, when the mapping point wanders to the neighborhood of the periodic point, the control parameter is perturbed. The chaotic motion are controlled on the stable periodic period-1 point and period-2 orbits, and the influence of different control parameter ranges on the control average time is analyzed. When the selected regulator poles are different, the number of iterations used to control chaotic motion on a stable periodic orbit is difference. Numerical simulations are presented to illustrate our results with the theoretical analysis and show the effect of the control method. The analysis and results in this paper are interesting in mathematics and biology.

Soil clay content is one of the primary intrinsic soil properties affecting soil erodibility, but few studies have tested the effects of clay amendment on soil wind erosion. The objective of this study was therefore to evaluate the effect of progressive clay amendment on soil wind erosion in the inland Pacific Northwest (iPNW), where there is a high soil erodibility risk due to the arid and semi-arid environment. Clay amendment significantly increased crust crushing energy when physical soil crusts formed after simulated rainfall. Crusts were then subject to simulated tillage to create an erodible soil surface before determining wind erosion in a wind tunnel. Soil loss significantly decreased with increasing clay amendment, even for low clay amendments (2%). In addition, the rate of change in erosion decreased with increasing amounts of clay amendment. Clay amendment was more effective in decreasing soil loss for two sandy loams or soil types with lower clay content. Clay amendment decreased soil loss primarily due to its impact on increasing aggregate geometric mean diameter (GMD), but aggregate crushing energy is also important in decreasing soil loss in terms of decreasing abrasion flux. Clay amendment is thus an effective way to restrain land deterioration in terms of increasing crust crushing energy, aggregate GMD, and decreasing abrasion flux.

Rock fines from basalt, trachyte and volcanic pyroclastic materials in addition to limestone and gneiss were applied as fertilizers on tropical soils in several localities in west Cameroon. After harvesting, soil samples from controls and different treatments were collected and analyzed to assess the variation of textures and soil chemical compositions. Cabbage and potatoes as the test crops treated under fines from volcanic pyroclastic materials and basalt yielded the highest and lowest productivities, respectively. The initial loamy sand of the controls moves towards clay textures while initial clay textures remained unchanged, suggesting a loss of sand proportion and an increase in clay particles. For the pH, the slightly, moderately to strongly acidic properties of the local soils (4.8 ≤ pH ≤ 6.5) were shifted upwards in between the slightly acidic and the slightly alkaline soils (6.6 ≤ pH ≤ 7.2). However, a sample treated with fines from pyroclastic materials showed a remarkable pH increase from 5.9 to 6.9. The trends of fluctuation of organic carbon and organic matter are parallel with a general increase of these chemicals in soils. Na and K remains constant with a general increase trend for Mg and Ca in most treatments. The highest available phosphorus content of 96.0 ppm was found on the treatment with trachyte fines; followed by 50.9 and 51.5 ppm encountered on treatments with limestone and basalt fines, respectively. Then, this suggests a significant increase of phosphorus in soil after treatments with some rock fines such as trachyte, limestone, gneiss and basalt.

Abstract Land degradation due to poor land management is the main constraint for agricultural productivity globally. Many developing countries have developed national soil and water conservation (SWC) program however, sustainable land management is not yet attained. To understand the effect of SWC measures, a bibliographical review was carried out from the Scopus Elsevier citation database from 1990 to 2017 using the keywords “Effect of SWC” in the title, abstract or keywords. Total amounts of 869 documents were found, and synthesis was made from these scientific journal articles to assess the main biophysical dynamics of watersheds due to SWC measures and to highlight the research gaps. The synthesis revealed that SWC measures in agricultural landscapes have a significant impact on water and sediment connectivity and therefore on the erosion process. It potentially slows the runoff generation, reduces the soil particle detachment and sediment transport; and subsequently, enhances soil moisture and nutrient availability. However, many research article outputs and recommendations focus on plot and small-scale watersheds and are based on short-term or intermediate time frame results. Since there is a lack of sufficient recommendations and scientific evidence founded on long-term observations strong scientifically based feedback on the dynamics of soil properties, surface runoff and erosion processes at watershed and parcel scale should be drawn based on both short- and long-term evidence and considering connectivity and natural-based solutions. This will help to develop and promote ecologically sound, economically viable and socially acceptable conservation measures in agricultural watersheds.

Le emissioni di odori costituiscono uno dei principali impatti ambientali generati da impianti di trattamento delle acque reflue percepiti dalla popolazione esposta. Di conseguenza, il controllo delle emissioni odorigene è un aspetto rilevante che deve essere considerato nella gestione di questi impianti. Pur non essendo una causa diretta della malattia, l'esposizione a lungo termine alle emissioni odorigene ad alta resistenza, in realtà, influisce negativamente sulla salute umana (ad esempio, causando nausea, mal di testa, problemi respiratori). Pertanto, la minimizzazione e l’abbattimento delle emissioni di odori sgradevoli sono sempre due delle principali sfide nella gestione degli impianti di trattamento delle acque reflue in tutto il mondo. Obiettivo dello studio è delineare le principali metodologie di misurazione degli odori ed identificare le principali fonti di odori in un grande impianto di trattamento delle acque reflue utilizzando la procedura GC-MS (gascromatografia-spettrometria di massa) basata su uno strumento analitico, in loco, con l’obiettivo di rimuovere la componente soggettiva nella misurazione dell’odore. 

Objectives: To evaluate risks of adverse obstetric outcomes in pregnancies with myoma(s) or in pregnancies following myomectomy. Design: Retrospective cohort Setting: The national health insurance database Population: Women who had delivered in Republic of Korea, between 2004 and 2015 Methods: We analyzed the risks of adverse pregnancy outcomes in pregnancies with myoma(s) or in pregnancies following myomectomy, compared to those in women without a diagnosed myoma. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed. Main Outcome Measures: The adverse obstetric outcomes. Results: There are 740,675 women who had never been diagnosed with myoma (Group A), 38,402 women who had diagnosed myoma(s) but no history of myomectomy (Group B), and 9,890 women who had a history of myomectomy (Group C). Group B and Group C had significantly higher risks of cesarean section and placenta previa, compared to Group A. The risks of uterine rupture, preterm birth, and low birth weight were significantly higher in Group C (aOR 12.78, 95% CI 6.5-25.13, p < 0.001; aOR 1.64, 95% CI 1.47-1.84, p < 0.001; and aOR 1.53, 95% CI 1.39-1.68, p < 0.001, respectively), but not in Group B, compared to Group A. The incidence of uterine rupture was the highest at delivery within one year after myomectomy and decreased over time after myomectomy. Conclusions: When a woman who might become pregnant later on is diagnosed with uterine myoma, she should be counseled about the risk of myoma(s) and myomectomy on obstetric complications, especially including the significant risk of uterine rupture in pregnancies following myomectomy.

Background: Methods used to develop existing core outcome sets relevant to maternal and neonatal health have not been fully evaluated. Objectives: To systematically review core outcome sets relevant to maternal and neonatal health; evaluate against minimum standards for development; and evaluate overlap between core outcome sets. Search strategy: Multi-faceted search of two core outcome set registers (COMET, CROWN) the ICHOM database of standard sets, and three electronic databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL) was conducted from inception to January 2020. Selection criteria: Published papers reporting completed core outcome sets relevant to maternal or neonatal health, for research or clinical use, were evaluated against COS-STAD minimum standards for development. Data collection and analysis: Descriptive statistics describe characteristics and results. Main results: Thirty-two papers relating to 26 core outcome sets were included (maternal: 18 papers: 17 COS; neonatal: 14 papers: 9 COS). Fifteen (58%) were published since 2017. No included COS met all minimum standards for development. All COS met the minimum standard for scope. Eighteen (69%) met all three minimum standards for stakeholder involvement. No included COS met all five minimum standards for consensus process. COS included between 6 and 56 outcomes. Two COS (8%) provided recommendations for how and when to measure outcomes. Conclusions: This is the first application of COS-STAD minimum standards relevant to maternal and neonatal health. Findings offer a baseline evaluation. There is an urgent need to address outcomes, measurement and timing in core outcomes to support harmonization between core outcome sets.

The Plumbaginaceae (non-core Caryophyllales) is a family well known for species adapted to a wide range of arid and saline habitats. Of its salt-tolerant species, at least 45 are in the genus Limonium; two in each of Aegialitis, Limoniastum and Myriolimon, and one each in Psylliostachys, Armeria, Ceratostigma, Goniolimon and Plumbago. All the halophytic members of the family have salt glands and salt glands are also common in the closely related Tamaricaceae and Frankeniaceae. The halophytic species of the three families can secrete a range of ions (Na+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Cl-, HCO3-, SO42) and other elements (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn). Salt glands are, however, absent in salt-tolerant members of the sister family Polygonaceae. We describe the structure of the salt glands in the three families and consider whether glands might have arisen as a means to avoid the toxicity of Na+ and/or Cl- or to regulate Ca2+ concentrations with the leaves. We conclude that the establishment of lineages with salt glands took place after the split between the Polygonaceae and its sister group the Plumbaginaceae.

Etherification mechanism of 4,5-dihydroxy-1,3-bis (hydroxymethyl) imidazolidin-2-one (DMDHEU) with primary alcohols in acidic and parched condition were investigated by using density functional theory combined with comparision and reference to results of experiment and spectral analysis. Geometry and energy of reactants, products, actived complexes and carbocation intermediate were optimized at B3LYP/6-311g(d,p) level. Energy level diagram is compatible with type of cation – molecule reaction. Reactants and products form actived complexes with H+ and water, in this state H+ is occupied by both alcohol and water or ether and water. This state has lower energy level compared to both of the following cases: H+ is only occupied by water; and H+ is only occupied by the product or reactant. Computational results indicate that the etherification reaction follows unimolecular nucleophilic substitution (SN1) mechanism; substituent group –R in primary alcohol R-CH2OH (-R = -H, -CH3, -CH2CH3, -Vinyl, -CH2NHCH3, -CH2OCH3, -CH2Cl) only affect to energy barrier of step releasing H3O+ Ec but no effect to energy barrier of activation step Ea = 12.8 kcal/mol; value of Ec is much higher than value of Ea which were verified and confirmed through experiment results.

Ricinoleate anion based ionic liquids (ILs) were synthesized from four different nitrogen containing cationic counterparts such as tetrabutylammonium, tetrapropylammonium, cetyltrimethylammonium, imidazolium and evaluated for tribological performance in two lubricant base stocks. From the tribological tests it was found that the synthesized ILs in base oil significantly reduced the wear scar diameter by 17-25 % and a remarkable reduction in wear observed for all the tested load and rotation speed at optimized concentration and also improved the load carrying capacity by 25-43%. The results conclude that the cation present in IL control the thermal stability, antiwear and extreme pressure properties. The imidazolium cation containing IL showed the better performance among all the ILs being studied. Additionally, the morphology of worn surface and deposition of elementals on rubbed surface lubricated with base oil and base oil containing IL was studied by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). The fatty acid constituted ILs are promising immense efficiency as environmentally friendly and renewable lubricant additives since they are free from halide, sulphate and phosphate ions.

Objectives: Clinical biobank is an important way to collect biological samples of various diseases, which is of great significance for clinical research. However, the relationship of clinical biobank and clinical disciplines still need to be further explored, thus we conducted a survey among medical and scientific professionals in a hospital of China. Method: The survey was conducted online, and electronic questionnaires were used to investigate knowledge, utilization and demand of biobank of medical and scientific professionals in different clinical disciplines. In terms of data analysis, chi-square test and rank sum test were used to analyze the collected data. Results: A total of 182 valid questionnaires were collected. The overall survey participation rate of key disciplines is higher than that of non-key disciplines. Key disciplines have higher score on the knowledge of biobank than non-key disciplines. The proportion of sample storage and sample delivery of key disciplines are far higher than non-key disciplines, and key disciplines have higher sample delivery rate than non-key disciplines. The proportion of people who are willing to pay to store samples and people who are willing to pay more than 5000 yuan per year for sample storage in key disciplines are higher than that in non-key disciplines. The per capita national grant application, the approval rate of national grant and per capita published English papers of key disciplines are higher than those of non-key disciplines. Conclusion: Key disciplines are more enthusiastic about the construction of biobank. On the whole, the knowledge, utilization and demand on biobank of key disciplines are better than those of non-key disciplines. The development of key disciplines is better than that of non-key disciplines. The development of clinical biobank is closely related to the development of clinical disciplines, and clinical biobank is an important booster for the development of clinical disciplines.

Objective: We evaluated the clinical usefulness of the endometrial receptivity array (ERA) and the preimplantation genetic test for aneuploidy (PGT-A) Genetic screenings in patients with severe or moderate recurrent implantation failure. Design: Retrospective multicenter cohort. Setting: University affiliate IVF centers. Population: Patients who failed to achieve implantation following transfer of ≥3 or ≥5 embryos at least in three single embryo transfers were evaluated as moderate or severe recurrent implantation failure, respectively. Methods: Patients with previous RIF were compared in PGT-A, ERA and PGT-A+ERA and control group. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed and adjusted ORs were calculated with the aim to control possible bias. Main Outcomes Measures: Mean implantation rate and ongoing pregnancy rates per embryo transfer were considered as primary outcomes. Results: Of the 2,110 patients belonging to the moderate group, those who underwent transfer of euploid embryos after the preimplantation genetic test for aneuploidy had a higher implantation rate than those who did not. Additionally, the preimplantation genetic test for aneuploidy group had a significantly higher rate of ongoing pregnancy. The same outcomes measured for the 488 patients in the severe group did not reveal any statistically significant improvements. The use of the endometrial receptivity array did not significantly improve outcomes in either group. Conclusions: The preimplantation genetic test for aneuploidy may be beneficial for patients with moderate recurrent implantation failure. At its current level of development, the endometrial receptivity analysis by ERA does not appear to be clinically useful for patients with recurrent implantation failure.

Background and Purpose: Puerarin is an important isoflavone component extracted from Pueraria lobate in traditional Chinese medicine. It has a wide range of pharmacological effects. Increasing evidence indicates that puerarin alleviates hyperglycemia and numerous related complications. In this study, we explored the effect of puerarin on skeletal muscle atrophy caused by type 1 diabetes in rats. Experimental Approach: Male Sprague Dawley (SD) rats with streptozotocin (STZ)-induced type 1 diabetes were used in this study. We measured skeletal muscle weight, size and strength together with the transformation of skeletal muscle types in type 1 diabetic rats. Skeletal muscle L6 cells were used for in vitro study. Key Results: Puerarin increased muscle tissue weights and improved muscle strength. An enhanced skeletal muscle cross-sectional area was accompanied by reduced mRNA expression of muscle atrophy marker genes, including F-box only protein 32 (Atrogin-1) and muscle-specific RING-finger 1(Murf-1), both in vitro and in vivo. The transformation from type I fibers (slow muscle) to type II fibers (fast muscle) was also observed after puerarin administration. In vitro studies suggested that puerarin upregulated Akt/mTOR but downregulated the LC3/p62 signaling pathway, eventually resulting in muscle hypertrophy. Conclusions and Implications: Our study observed that puerarin mitigated skeletal muscle atrophy in type 1 diabetic rats. Subsequently, we found that the related mechanisms closely involved the upregulation of protein synthesis via the Akt/mTOR signaling pathway. Whether this anti-diabetic muscle atrophy effect in mice applies to humans remains unknown.

Background：Previous studies have shown that small molecule inhibitors of NLRP3 may be a potential treatment for Parkinson’s disease. NACHT, LRR and PYD domains-containing protein 3 (NLRP3), Heat shock protein HSP 90-beta (HSP90AB1), Caspase-1 (CASP1) and Cellular tumor antigen p53 (TP53) have significant involvement in the pathogenesis pathway of PD. Purpose：Since Parkinson’s syndrome has a serious impact on the quality of life of patients, we desire to investigate Potential Leads with artificial intelligence methods Experimental approach: Molecular docking was used to screen traditional Chinese medicine database TCM Database @Taiwan (http://tcm.cmu.edu.tw). Top TCM compounds with high affinities based on Dock Score were selected to form the drug-target interaction network in order to investigate potential candidates targeting the four proteins. Artificial intelligence model, 3D-QSAR were constructed respectively utilizing training sets of inhibitors against the four proteins with known inhibitory activities (pIC50). After that, we conducted molecular dynamics simulation of these compounds and finally identified candidate compounds. Key Results: 2007_22057, 2007_22325 and 2007_15317 which are from TCM database may show great biological activities with targets. Conclusions: The results shown that 2007_22057, 2007_22325 and 2007_15317 might be a potential medicine formula for the treatment of Parkinson’s Disease.

Background and Purpose: Oleuropein is found in olive trees and in the leaves of olive trees. It may have an important role in the treatment and possible prevention of of Alzheimer’s disease. Applied Approach: The aim of this study is to determine the chemical properties of oleuropein and determine the reactivity of this substance as well as Oleuropein’s inhibition effect on AChE.BChE. Key Results: DFT (Density functional theory), HF (Hartree-Fock) and docking methods were used to measure the chemical properties of oleuropein. The structures of the compounds were fully optimized by using the above-mentioned methods and the results were evaluated. Oleuropein is an unstable molecule and is prone to degredation possibly due to it containing a phenolic structure. Conclusion and Implications:The results of the present study indicate that it may play an important role in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.

It is possible to estimate the prior probability of pathogenicity for germline disease gene variants based on bioinformatic prediction of variant effect/s. However, routinely used approaches have likely led to the underestimation and underreporting of variants located outside donor and acceptor splice site motifs that affect mRNA processing. This review presents information about hereditary cancer gene germline variants, outside native splice sites, with experimentally validated splicing effects. We list 81 exonic variants that impact splicing regulatory elements in BRCA1, BRCA2, MLH1, MSH2, MSH6 and PMS2. We utilized a pre-existing large-scale BRCA1 functional dataset to map functional splicing regulatory elements, assess the relative performance of different tools to predict effects of 283 variants on such elements, and develop a generic workflow to prioritize variants that may impact splicing regulatory elements. We also describe rare examples of intronic variants that impact branchpoint sites and create pseudoexons. We discuss the challenges in predicting variant effect on branchpoint site usage and pseudoexonization, and suggest strategies to improve the bioinformatic prioritization of such variants for experimental validation. Importantly, our review highlights the importance of considering impact of variants outside donor and acceptor motifs on mRNA splicing and disease causation.

Population dynamics models combine density-dependence and environmental effects. Ignoring sampling uncertainty might lead to biased estimation of the strength of density-dependence. This is typically addressed using state-space model approaches, which integrate sampling error and population process estimates. Such models seldom include an explicit link between the sampling procedures and the true abundance, which is common in capture-recapture settings. However, many of the models proposed to estimate abundance in the presence of heterogeneity lead to incomplete likelihood functions and cannot be straightforwardly included in state-space models. We assessed the importance of estimating sampling error explicitly by taking an intermediate approach between ignoring uncertainty in abundance estimates and fully specified state-space models for density-dependence estimation based on autoregressive processes. First, we estimated individual capture probabilities based on a heterogeneity model, using a conditional multinomial likelihood, followed by a Horvitz-Thompson estimate for abundance. Second, we estimated coefficients of autoregressive models for the log abundance. Inference was performed using the methodology of integrated nested Laplace approximation (INLA). We performed an extensive simulation study to compare our approach with estimates disregarding capture history information, and using R-package VGAM, for different parameter specifications. The methods were then applied to a real dataset of gray-sided voles Myodes rufocanus from Northern Norway. We found that density-dependence estimation was improved when explicitly modelling sampling error in scenarios with low innovation variances, in which differences in coverage reached up to 8% in estimating the coefficients of the autoregressive processes. In this case, the bias also increased assuming a Poisson distribution in the observational model. For high innovation variances, the differences between methods were small and it appeared less important to model heterogeneity.

1. The reduction of plant diversity following eutrophication threatens many ecosystems worldwide. Yet, the mechanisms by which species are lost following nutrient enrichment are still not completely understood, nor are the details of when such mechanisms act during the growing season, which hampers understanding and the development of mitigation strategies. 2. Using a common garden competition experiment, we found that early-season differences in growth rates among five perennial grass species measured in monoculture predicted short-term competitive dominance in pairwise combinations and that this effect was stronger under a fertilisation treatment. 3. We also examined the role of early-season growth rate in determining the outcome of competition along an experimental nutrient gradient in an alpine meadow. Early differences in growth rate between species predicted short-term competitive dominance under both ambient and fertilized conditions and competitive exclusion under fertilized conditions. 4. The results of these two studies suggests that plant species growing faster during the early stage of the growing season gain a competitive advantage over species that initially grow more slowly, and that this advantage is magnified under fertilisation. This finding is consistent with the theory of asymmetric competition for light in which fast-growing species can intercept incident light and hence outcompete and exclude slower-growing (and hence shorter) species. We predict that the current chronic nutrient inputs into many terrestrial ecosystems worldwide will reduce plant diversity and maintain low biodiversity state by continuously favouring fast-growing species. Biodiversity management strategies should focus on controlling nutrient inputs and reducing the growth of fast-growing species early in the season.

From its origins, the concept of desertification has been controversial. The prevailing confusion between two desertification visions, one that considers it as the expansion of deserts and another that denotes its anthropogenic component, has been transferred to society. Here we illustrate misunderstandings about desertification using a very illustrative case from the Tabernas-Sorbas Basin (Almeria, Spain), where striking badlands that are often used as an image of desertification coexist with an intensive olive agriculture that is deteriorating irreversibly the only oasis in continental Europe, Los Molinos spring. The olive tree is a traditional Mediterranean dryland crop and until the 1950s only about 200 ha were irrigated. However, the profitability of the crop has caused irrigation to expand to 4,400 ha in the last two decades. The process of intensification has been reinforced giving way to super-intensive irrigation, which involves going from 210 to 1,550 trees/ha and that in a few years already occupies more than 1,500 ha. The effects on the water balance of the aquifer feeding these crops have been severe and the flow of the Los Molinos spring has gone from more than 40 L/s for the period 1970-2000 to the current 7.28 L/s. By unraveling the mechanisms of land degradation, we were able to detect its main drivers in the study area and, with them, to propose management actions to achieve a more sustainable use of resources and to combat desertification.

Snowfall, snow accumulation, and stand structure in a primitive Korean pine forest of the Xiaoxing’an Mountains, China, were assessed for 2 consecutive years. Moreover, a physical mechanism-based snow accumulation model, which can be applicable to stand-scale forests, was introduced to simulate snow accumulation in the studied region. The results showed that the mean atmospheric temperature was −17°C during the snow accumulation period. Snow density was lower during snow accumulation period but slightly higher when snow melted. Moreover, when snow accumulated, snow water equivalent was significantly higher in forest clearings than beneath dense canopies, with a maximum difference of >50%. The variability of snow water equivalent in forest clearings was relatively low, whereas that beneath dense canopies was higher. The maximum snow accumulation in the forest indicated a significant negative correlation with canopy density, tree height, effective leaf area, and slope, whereas it indicated a significant positive correlation with canopy width. However, no significant correlation was noted between the maximum snow accumulation and diameter at breast height, basal area, or canopy height. The effective leaf area index and canopy density of the primitive Korean pine forest in this region could be well explained using a power function. As snow accumulated, the presence of forest canopy significantly affected the spatial distribution of snow accumulation in the forest. When snow melted, atmospheric temperature was the main factor controlling snow melting. Canopy density, slope, and canopy width showed a significant impact on maximum snow water equivalent; this factor increased with a decrease in canopy density and slope and with an increase in canopy width. In the present study, slope was selected as one of the main factors affecting snow accumulation in the forest. Therefore, future studies on snow accumulation models should incorporate slope as a parameter to improve simulation accuracy.

Co-digestion of mixed waste activated sludge (MWAS) and fruit and vegetable waste (FVW) was studied in a two-stage (thermophilic followed by mesophilic) semi-continuous anaerobic digestion to evaluate anaerobic digester performance and stability. A mixing ratio of 75% MWAS and 25% FVW showed a 1.6-fold increase in overall methane yield and achieved 0.38 FOS/TAC ratio (volatile fatty acids to alkaline buffer capacity) compared to mixture of 50% MWAS and 50% FVW. Application of hybrid (MW-H2O2) pretreatment in the former mixing ratio increased sludge solubilisation by 33% and consequently enhanced overall methane yield by 2.17-fold. The treated digester showed increased process stability with a FOS/TAC ratio of 0.26 as a consequence of buffer capacity offered by released biopolymers during pre-treatment. The generation of superoxide radicals during digestion was studied and found to negatively correlate with sludge bioactivity. Two-stage digestion also minimizes the issue of high acidification due to co-digestion involving FVW.

Interação do observador com o sistemaPara o observador, realizar uma medição é interagir com o sistema. Como o observador também é um sistema físico, portanto, feito de partículas em interação, a interação pode mudar o estado de movimento de ambos os sistemas. No entanto, na mecânica clássica essa interação pode ser muito pequena. A medida ideal é aquela em que o observador e o sistema estão isolados um do outro e é assim que os físicos acreditavam ser a natureza da medida até o surgimento da mecânica quântica. No mundo real, é impossível medir sem interagir.Digamos que queremos coletar informações sobre uma bola de futebol. Os dados podem ter, novamente, sobre sua cor. A primeira coisa que poderíamos fazer é lançar luz sobre a bola, de modo que o sistema que interage diretamente com a bola é um feixe de luz branca. A luz em si é um sistema físico, mas não mecânico. Pode ser vista aqui como uma onda de campo eletromagnético, certamente fora do domínio da mecânica clássica. Mas este é um caso em que podemos usar a descrição clássica de partículas para discutir o assunto em questão. Para coletar a medida, no entanto, o observador deve, de alguma forma, interagir com a luz espalhada pela bola, talvez com uma câmera. A câmera também deve enviar informações para um computador, para a resposta final sobre a cor da bola. Obviamente, a câmera pode ser substituída por um olho humano e o computador pode ser substituído por um cérebro humano.A interação pode ser negligenciável, dependendo das propriedades do feixe e da bola. Normalmente, podemos ajustar a intensidade da luz para que a interação se torne fraca demais para resultar em alterações mensuráveis no estado da bola. Portanto, podemos usar essa configuração para medir a cor sem interferência sensível do processo de medição.Por outro lado, se aumentarmos a intensidade da luz, as características da bola passam a sofrer interferência da própria medição. Conseqüentemente, medir a cor de uma bola com luz muito intensa destruirá as informações que você deseja coletar em primeiro lugar. Sabemos que um feixe suficientemente forte pode incendiar uma bola.Na mecânica clássica, sempre supomos que a interação entre o observador e o sistema físico possa ser arbitrariamente negligenciável. No entanto, veremos o colapso dessa suposição se o sistema for, por exemplo, muito pequeno em comparação com a influência do aparelho de medição. Medir a cor de um elétron usando o mesmo procedimento será impossível, pois mesmo a luz mais fraca irá interagir com o elétron, alterando a própria característica que o observador deseja medir. Para sistemas quânticos, a interação do observador com o sistema é sempre esperada; portanto, o que pode ser medido é a resposta do sistema ao ato de medição.