Trapped or residual air (or gas) is known to affect the multiphase hydraulic properties of both soils and rocks. Trapped air is known to impact many vadose zone hydrologic applications such as infiltration and flow in the capillary fringe, but is also a major issue affecting recoverable oil reserves. Although many studies have focused on the relationship between porosity and trapped gas saturation (Sgt) in sandstones, far fewer studies have been carried out for carbonate rocks. This work aims to analyze the influence of porous media properties on trapped gas saturation in carbonate rocks. For this we used thirteen Indiana Limestone and Silurian dolomite rock samples from the USA, and several coquinas from the Morro do Chaves formation in Brazil. Pore size distributions were obtained for all samples using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), and Mercury Injection Capillary Pressure (MICP) data from three of the samples to determine their pore throat size distributions. Additionally, 3D microtomography (microCT) images were used to quantify macropore profiles and pore connectivities. Results indicate a lower capacity of gas trapping in carbonate rocks in which micro- and mesopores predominate. Results also indicate that in carbonate rocks, pore size exerts a greater influence on the ability of gas trapping compared to pore connectivity, so that rocks with a predominance of macropores have greater capacity for gas trapping, even when the macropores are well interconnected. These findings show that pore characteristics very much affect the processes governing gas trapping in carbonate rocks, and indirectly the multiphase hydraulic properties and recoverable oil reserves of carbonate rock reservoirs.
Objectives. At the beginning of the War in East-ern Ukraine, military personnel of the Armed Forces, National Guard of Ukraine (NGU), and soldiers of volunteer battalions, who had no combat experience for the first time faced the death of their comrades. This study aims to de-termine the effects of posttraumatic stress and combat losses on the mental health of combat-ants and to develop the typology of their resil-ience to extreme events.Sample and settings.N = 117 NGU male offic-ers (76% of contract military members and 24% of officers) participated in the study. These com-batants were withdrawn from the combat zone in June 2014 due to combat losses and the death of the unit commander.Hypothesis. After participating in hostilities, military personnel developed different types of personality resilience to the effects of traumatic stress.Statistical analyses. The participants’ typification of resilience and adaptation to extreme events was determined by hierarchical cluster analysis. The differences between groups in mean values were determined using Student’s t-test.Results. Four types of personality resilience to combat stressors were identified: “Those who predicted danger” (68.38%), “Those who were open to danger” (21.37%), “Those who identified themself with the role of the vic-tim” (6.83%), and “Those who hid their fear” (3.42%). The results showed that self-identifi-cation of a personality with symptoms of acute stress disorder affects the features of the imple-mentation of the anxiety buffer role. Limitations. The conclusions on the anxiety buffer role for the formation of PTSD require clarification and further studies. and Cíle. Na začátku války na východní Ukrajině vojáci ukrajinské armády (NGU – Národní gar-da Ukrajiny) a vojáci dobrovolnických praporů, kteří neměli bojové zkušenosti, se poprvé setka-li se smrtí svých spolubojovníků. Cílem tohoto výzkumu bylo zjistit dopady posttraumatického stresu a ztrát v boji na mentální zdraví vojáků a vytvořit typologii jejich resilience vůči extrém-ním událostem.Soubor. Výzkumu se zúčastnilo 117 mužů – dů-stojníků NGU (76 % smluvních vojáků a 24 % důstojníků z povolání). Tito vojáci byli staže-ni z bojové zóny v červnu 2014 kvůli ztrátám v boji a smrti velitele jednotky.Hypotéza. Po účasti v bojích si vojáci vyvinuli různé typy osobní resilience vůči dopadům trau-matického stresu.Statistická analýza. Typologizace resilience účastníků výzkumu a adaptace na extrémní události byla určena hierarchickou trsovou ana-lýzou. Získaná data byla popsána základními popisnými statistikami. Rozdíly mezi skupina-mi ve středních hodnotách byly zjištěny Studen-tovým t-testem.Výsledky. Byly vyčleněny čtyři typy resilience osobnosti vůči bojovým stresorům: „Ti, kdo predikovali nebezpečí“ (68,38 %), „Ti, kdo byli otevřeni nebezpečí“ (21,37 %), „Ti, kdo se identifikovali s rolí oběti“ (6,83 %), a „Ti, kdo skryli svůj strach“ (3,42 %). Výsledky ukázaly, že sebeidentifikace osoby se symptomy akutní stresové poruchy ovlivňuje prvky realizace ná-razníkové role úzkosti.Omezení studie. Závěry o nárazníkové roli úz-kosti pro utváření PTSD vyžadují objasnění a další výzkumy.
A study on the effects of prescribed burning on rodent community ecology was conducted in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. The study aimed at generating ecological knowledge about the changes in rodent communities when areas of the park are intentionally burned to regulate grasslands or reduce undergrowth that can lead to uncontrolled forest fires. A completely randomized design (CRD) factorial layout with two treatments (burned and unburned) and two replications was applied. A total of 148 animals comprising six species of rodent and one insectivore were captured over 2,940 trap nights. Among the trapped individuals, 41.9% were adults, 16.1% juveniles and 41.9% sub-adults. Males and females were at parity between treatments. Species abundance was estimated using the minimum number alive (MNA) method for different rodent species and was found to vary with treatment where Mastomys natalensis declined in burned plots whilst Arvicanthis niloticus increased. However, species diversity did not differ across treatments (F1, 10 = 0.15, p = 0.70). Differences in the reproductive condition of female M. natalensis (z = 4.408, df = 15, p < 0.001) and A. niloticus (z = 2.381, df = 15, p = 0.017) were observed between treatments showing that higher numbers of reproductively active females were observed in burned plots in March, whilst in unburned plots more were observed from November to February. Conservation strategies involving periodic habitat burning should, therefore, consider small mammal reproductive periods to ensure that species potentially at risk are not adversely affected and able to rapidly recover from the effects of burning in temporarily lowering food resources and longer term impacts of increased predation caused by reduced cover.
Secondary soil salinization causes plant stress, which can be relieved by different ratios of red to far-red light (R:FR). Our study aimed to elucidate the role of low R:FR ratios treatments on photosynthesis and growth of tomato seedlings in salinized soils. Tomato seedlings were treated under three R:FR ratios and calcium nitrate was applied simultaneously. The results showed that the treatments under low R:FR ratios stimulated growth parameters of tomato seedlings under calcium nitrate stress, the best impact being achieved at the R:FR ratio of 0.7 in this experiment. Low R:FR ratios treatments increased proline content as well as PSII maximum efficiency, actual electron transport operating efficiency, and photochemical quenching of tomato seedlings under calcium nitrate stress but decreased the value of nonphotochemical quenching. Moreover, low R:FR ratios treatments promoted net photosynthetic rate and increased the expression of a Rubisco gene. In conclusion, low R:FR ratios treatments could improve the salt resistance of greenhouse tomato plants.
Genetic predispositions may influence geographical and interethnic differences in COVID-19 prevalence and mortality in affected populations. Of the many genes implicated in COVID-19 progression, a substantial number have no direct functional link on virus transfer/viability or on the host immune system. To address this knowledge deficit, a large number of in silico studies have recently been published. However, the results of these studies often contradict the findings of studies involving real patients. For example, the ACE2 has been shown to play an important role in regulating coronavirus entry into cells, but none of its variations have been directly associated with COVID19 susceptibility or severity. Consistently was reported that increased risk of COVID-19 is associated with blood group A and with the APOE4 allele. Among other genes with potential impacts are the genes for CCR5, IL-10, CD14, TMPRSS2 and angiotensinconverting enzyme. Variants within the protein-coding genes OAS1 and LZTFL1 (transferred to the human genome from Neanderthals) are understood to be among the strongest predictors of disease severity. The intensive research efforts have helped to identify the genes and polymorphisms that contribute to SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 severity.
Biochars, depending on the types of feedstocks and technological conditions of pyrolysis, can vary significantly in their properties and, therefore, it is difficult to predict biochar-induced effects on nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from various soils, their physical properties and water availability. The objectives of this study were (1) to quantify effects of slow pyrolysis biochar (BC) and fast pyrolysis biochar (PYRO) on physical and hydro-physical properties of sandy soil (Haplic Arenosol) and clayey loam soil (Gleyic Fluvisol), and (2) to assess corresponding N2O emissions from these two soils. The study included a 63-day long laboratory investigation. Two doses of BC or PYRO (15 t ha–1 and 30 t ha–1) were applied to the soils in combination or without nitrogen fertilizer (NH4NO3, 90 kg N ha–1). The obtained results have shown a significant decrease in the bulk density of sandy soil after it was amended with either rate of BC or PYRO. Water retention capacity of the soils in all the treatments with BC or PYRO increased considerably although no changes was found in the soil water-filled pore space (WFPS) which was higher than 60%. BC was increasing N2O emission rates from the sandy soil treated with N fertilizer, and reducing N2O emission rates from the clayey loam soil treated with N fertilizer. PYRO was more efficient and was reducing N2O emissions from both fertilized soils, but for the sandy soil the reduction was statistically significant only at higher dose (30 t ha–1) of the biochar.
A variety of plant protection products and other agrochemicals are used in agro-ecosystems. Products approved for integrated pest management (IPM) or organic farming should have minimal negative side effects on benefi cial insects. The Asian harlequin ladybird Harmonia axyridis (Pallas, 1773) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) has become a widespread and important generalist predator of certain agricultural pests, mainly aphids, throughout Europe. We studied the effects of two agrochemicals, Boundary SW® (auxiliary plant protection product) and Prev B2® (foliar boron fertilizer), usually regarded as “environmentally friendly” and known to have insecticidal side effects against some fruit and vegetable pests (e.g., aphids, spider mites, weevils), on the last larval instar and adults of Harmonia axyridis. The conventional organophosphate insecticide Reldan 22® was used as a chemical standard for evaluating the lethal effect, because this product is usually effective against a broad spectrum of insects, and indeed was immediately lethal for both the adults and larvae of this species. However, whereas Prev B2® had no effect, adult ladybirds sprayed with Boundary SW® survived only for up to 25 h and also none of the larvae completed their development. Thus, although our experiments were not made under natural conditions, the use of Boundary SW® cannot be recommended for IPM and organic farming in terms of safeguarding insect predators such as Harmonia axyridis until further more detailed testing.
The formation of economic yield and fruit quality of Roxburgh rose (Rosa roxburghii Tratt.) depends essentially on its source-sink interaction. Thus, a pruning experiment was conducted to assess the effects of source-sink regulation on photosynthetic physiology and fruit yield of Roxburgh rose, which was of great significance to production. Cutting off vegetative branches reduced physiological fruit loss and malformed fruits but increased single fruit quality and yield. Results revealed that the stomatal characteristics, the composition of mesophyll tissue, and photosynthesis of leaves on reproductive branches were significantly affected by the ratio of the vegetative and reproductive shoots. Our data indicated that the source-sink ratio could reflect the balance between vegetative growth and reproductive growth of the tree during the whole fruit period. Fruit tree pruning had guiding significance for improving the fruit yield of Roxburgh rose.
Low temperature has negative effects on apple photosynthesis by inhibiting the accumulations of photosynthates and nitrogen. The interactive effects of low temperature and nitrogen application on photosynthetic parameters and the absorption and distribution of carbon and nitrogen in different organs were assessed to investigate if nitrogen application can relieve the low-temperature stress on gas exchange and the accumulations of carbon and nitrogen inside the apple plants. No matter under normal or low-temperature conditions, nitrogen application both improved the photosynthetic parameters including net photosynthetic rate, intercellular CO2 concentration, and quantum yield of regulated energy dissipation of PSII as well as the absorption of carbon and nitrogen in roots, stems, and leaves. Thus, we conclude that nitrogen application can relieve the effects of low-temperature stress on photosynthesis and is of benefit for the accumulations of carbon and nitrogen in multiple organs of apple seedlings.
Diachasmimorpha longicaudata is the most widely used endoparasitoid in biocontrol programmes against various species of tephritids and is continuously mass-reared under laboratory conditions at a constant temperature; however, little is known about how varying the temperature might affect the effectiveness of the mass rearing of immature D. longicaudata. This study aimed to determine the optimum temperature for the development of larvae D. longicaudata the larvae of its host, Bactrocera dorsalis. Third-instar B. dorsalis were exposed for 4 h to five pairs of parasitoids, and then they were kept at one of six temperatures ranging from 19°C to 34°C. The activities of three major antioxidant enzymes (CAT, POX, SOD) were individually measured 4, 24, 48 and 72 h after exposure to each of the six temperatures. The results were as follows: for CAT the highest CAT activities were recorded at 25°C (intervals 5-24 h and 25-48 h), at 28°C (interval 0-4 h) and at 31°C (interval 49-72 h), and for POX and SOD identically at 25°C (intervals 0-4 h, 5-24 h) and at 31°C (intervals 25-48 h, 49-72 h), respectively. Subsequently, the effects keeping the parasitized larvae at these different temperatures on the biological attributes of D. longicaudata reared under laboratory conditions were investigated. The percentage of their eggs that hatched, percentage of adults that emerged, pupal weight and longevity were significantly greater than that recorded for the control when the parasitized host larvae were kept at 28°C for 4 h, 25°C for 5 and 48 h and 31°C for 49 and 72 h.