scholarly journals Age of enlightenment: long-term effects of outdoor aesthetic lights on bats in churches

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (8) ◽  
pp. 161077 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jens Rydell ◽  
Johan Eklöf ◽  
Sonia Sánchez-Navarro
Keyword(s):  
Visual Inspection ◽  
Habitats Directive ◽  
Historical Buildings ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Term Survival ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Survival And Reproduction ◽  
Eu Habitats Directive ◽  
The Eu

We surveyed 110 country churches in south-western Sweden for presence of brown long-eared bats Plecotus auritus in summer 2016 by visual inspection and/or evening emergence counts. Each church was also classified according to the presence and amount of aesthetic directional lights (flood-lights) aimed on its walls and tower from the outside. Sixty-one of the churches had previously been surveyed by one of us (J.R.) between 1980 and 1990, before lights were installed on Swedish churches, using the same methods. Churches with bat colonies had decreased significantly in frequency from 61% in 1980s to 38% by 2016. All abandoned churches had been fitted with flood-lights in the period between the two surveys. The loss of bat colonies from lit churches was highly significant and most obvious when lights were applied from all directions, leaving no dark corridor for the bats to leave and return to the roost. In contrast, in churches that were not lit, all of 13 bat colonies remained after 25+ years between the surveys. Lighting of churches and other historical buildings is a serious threat to the long-term survival and reproduction of light-averse bats such as Plecotus spp. and other slow-flying species. Bat roosts are strictly protected according to the EU Habitats Directive and the EUROBATS agreement. Lighting of buildings for aesthetic purposes is becoming a serious environmental issue, because important bat roosts are destroyed in large numbers, and the problem should be handled accordingly. As a start, installation of flood-lights on historical buildings should at least require an environmental impact assessment (EIA).

scholarly journals Impacts of treatments on recurrence and 28-year survival of ischemic stroke patients

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ting-Ann Wang ◽  
Tzy-Haw Wu ◽  
Shin-Liang Pan ◽  
Hsiu-Hsi Chen ◽  
Sherry Yueh-Hsia Chiu
Keyword(s):  
Ischemic Stroke ◽  
Cerebrovascular Disease ◽  
Cox Regression ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Stroke Recurrence ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Stroke Patients ◽  
Double Blind ◽  
Term Survival

AbstractAspirin and nicametate are well-established therapies for preventing recurrence and mortality from stroke in patients diagnosed as ischemic stroke. However, their respective effects on the recurrence, making allowance for the duration of recurrence and death without the occurrence of recurrence, and long-term survival have not been well elucidated. We aimed to evaluate long-term effect of two kinds of treatment on cerebrovascular death among ischemic stroke patients with or without the recurrence of stroke. Data used in this study were derived from the cohort based on a multicenter randomized double-blind controlled trial during 1992 to 1995 with the enrollment of a total of 466 patients with first-time non-cardioembolic ischemic stroke who were randomly allocated to receive aspirin (n = 222) or nicametate (n = 244). The trial cohort was followed up over time to ascertain the date of recurrence within trial period and death until Sep of 2019. The time-dependent Cox regression model was used to estimate the long-term effects of two treatments on death from cerebrovascular disease with and without recurrence. A total of 49 patients experienced stroke recurrence and 89 cerebrovascular deaths was confirmed. Patients treated with nicametate were more likely, but non statistically significantly, to have recurrence (aHR: 1.73, 95% CI 0.96–3.13) as compared with those treated by aspirin. Nicametate reduced the risk of cerebrovascular death about 37% (aHR: 0.63, 95% CI 0.41–0.97) compared with aspirin. The aspirin group had a lower recurrence rate than the nicametate group even with recurrence after 1–2 years of follow-up of first stroke but the latter had significantly reduced death from cerebrovascular disease for nicametate group, which requires more research to verify.

scholarly journals Foraging Behavior of Bottlenose Dolphins in the Shannon Estuary, Ireland as Determined through Static Acoustic Monitoring

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 275
Author(s):  
Mathijs Carmen ◽  
Simon D. Berrow ◽  
Joanne M. O’Brien
Keyword(s):  
Foraging Behavior ◽  
Bottlenose Dolphins ◽  
Industrial Area ◽  
Acoustic Monitoring ◽  
Habitats Directive ◽  
Foraging Area ◽  
Special Area ◽  
High Conservation ◽  
Eu Habitats Directive ◽  
The Eu

The Shannon Estuary in Ireland is home to a resident population of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) and is designated as a Special Area of Conservation under the EU Habitats Directive. It is an important industrial area, with numerous deep-water berths for shipping. Despite its high conservation value, there are few published studies on habitat use or foraging behavior of the Shannon dolphins throughout the year. The present study assessed the year-round presence and foraging activity of bottlenose dolphins at different locations in the middle and inner estuary using static acoustic monitoring. Dolphin presence was found to decrease with increased distance from the estuary mouth, i.e., where the estuary meets the Atlantic Ocean, while at the same time, foraging was found to be considerably higher in the upriver areas, suggesting the inner estuary was an important foraging area. Model predictions for seasonal, tidal and diel foraging were highly variable across locations, indicating that changes in dolphin behavior occurred over relatively small geographical scales. These results indicate that conservation efforts should consider the Shannon Estuary as a dynamic aggregation of habitats and future development initiatives should attempt to mitigate disturbance to the dolphins during important foraging periods on seasonal and diel scales.

scholarly journals Sporophytes of the rare liverwort Cephalozia macounii

2013 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 491-494 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sanna Laaka-Lindberg ◽  
Kimmo Syrjänen
Keyword(s):  
Northern Hemisphere ◽  
Critically Endangered ◽  
Reproductive Capacity ◽  
Distribution Area ◽  
Habitats Directive ◽  
Eu Habitats Directive ◽  
The Eu ◽  
Entire Distribution

Abstract The dioicous epixylic liverwort Cephalozia macounii (Aust.) Aust. is rare over its entire distribution area in the Northern Hemisphere. It is protected under the EU Habitats Directive and classified as critically endangered in Finland and Sweden. One reason cited for its rareness and the declining trend in its distribution its poor reproductive capacity. It does not produce asexual gemmae, which in general is common among liverworts. Although female plants with perianths are quite common, the male plants of the species have rarely been seen and sporophytes have not been described until now. In this paper we describe and illustrate the sporophytes of C. macounii on the basis of an old specimen collected in Southern Finland in the 1800s.

scholarly journals New woodland beetle species (Coleoptera) in Estonian fauna

2009 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 98-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilmar Süda
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Bark Beetles ◽  
Habitats Directive ◽  
Northern Europe ◽  
Fruiting Bodies ◽  
Baltic Region ◽  
New Type ◽  
Northern Edge ◽  
Eu Habitats Directive ◽  
The Eu

Metsamardikate (Coleoptera) uued liigid Eestis The article presents faunistic data on 85 species of Coleoptera new to the Estonian fauna. Most of the material has been collected within the framework of various research and monitoring projects carried out in Estonian nature reserves (1998-2009). A new type of trunk window trap, designed by the author in 2004 mainly for monitoring purposes, has been successfully used. 17 of the 85 species are new for the fauna of whole Baltic region: Pseudeuglenes pentatomus (Ths.) (Aderidae), Caenocara subglobosum (Muls. & Rey), Xyletinus tremulicola Y. Kangas (Anobiidae), Choragus sheppardi Kirby (Anthribidae), Cryptocephalus saliceti Zebe (Chrysomelidae), Dirrhagofarsus attenuatus (Mäklin), Hylis cariniceps (Rtt.), Microrhagus emyi (Rouget) (Eucnemidae), Gnathoncus communis (Marseul) (Histeridae), Notolaemus unifasciatus (Latr.) (Laemophloeidae), Agathidium discoideum Er. (Leiodidae), Anisoxya fuscula (Ill.) (Melandryidae), Mordellistena neuwaldeggiana (Pz.) (Mordellidae), Ripidius quadriceps Abeille de Perrin (Rhipiphoridae), Lissodema cursor (Gyll.) (Salpingidae), Aphodius quadrimaculatus (L.) (Scarabaeidae) and Eutheia schaumii Kiesw. (Scydmaenidae). One of the species, Caenocara subglobosum (Muls. & Rey) (Anobiidae), is new for the whole Northern Europe. Specimens of this species were collected from eastern and southern Estonia: most were caught in window traps but some also emerged from the collected fruiting bodies of Common Puffball (Lycoperdon perlatum). For 21 new species, Estonia lies on the northern edge of their range. Three of these, Triphyllus bicolor (F.), Mycetophagus ater (Rtt.) and Glischrochilus grandis (Tournier) that were collected from 6-10 sites, have a wider distribution in Estonia. Two species, Xyletinus tremulicola Y. Kangas (Anobiidae) and Stephanopachys linearis (Kug.) (Bostrichidae), have been listed on Annex II of the EU Habitats Directive. Two new species (Lymantor aceris (Lindemann) and Xyleborinus saxesenii (Ratz.)) were also added to the list of Estonian bark beetles (Curculionidae: Scolytinae).

scholarly journals First Insights into the Effect of Low-Dose X-Ray Irradiation in Adipose-Derived Stem Cells

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (23) ◽  
pp. 6075 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annemarie Schröder ◽  
Stephan Kriesen ◽  
Guido Hildebrandt ◽  
Katrin Manda
Keyword(s):  
Stem Cells ◽  
Low Dose ◽  
Dose Range ◽  
Adipose Derived Stem Cells ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Low Dose Radiation ◽  
Term Survival ◽  
Cell Therapies ◽  
Dose Radiation

(1) Background: Emerging interest of physicians to use adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) for regenerative therapies and the fact that low-dose irradiation (LD-IR ≤ 0.1 Gy) has been reported to enhance the proliferation of several human normal and bone-marrow stem cells, but not that of tumor cells, lead to the idea of improving stem cell therapies via low-dose radiation. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate unwanted side effects, as well as proliferation-stimulating mechanisms of LD-IR on ADSCs. (2) Methods: To avoid donor specific effects, ADSCs isolated from mamma reductions of 10 donors were pooled and used for the radiobiological analysis. The clonogenic survival assay was used to classify the long-term effects of low-dose radiation in ADSCs. Afterwards, cytotoxicity and genotoxicity, as well as the effect of irradiation on proliferation of ADSCs were investigated. (3) Results: LD (≤ 0.1 Gy) of ionizing radiation promoted the proliferation and survival of ADSCs. Within this dose range neither geno- nor cytotoxic effects were detectable. In contrast, greater doses within the dose range of >0.1–2.0 Gy induced residual double-strand breaks and reduced the long-term survival, as well as the proliferation rate of ADSCs. (4) Conclusions: Our data suggest that ADSCs are resistant to LD-IR. Furthermore, LD-IR could be a possible mediator to improve approaches of stem cells in the field of regenerative medicine.

Leaf decomposition of cork oak under three different land uses within a montado of southern Portugal

Soil Research ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 55 (3) ◽  
pp. 215
Author(s):  
Maria Luísa Arosa ◽  
Sofia R. Costa ◽  
Helena Freitas
Keyword(s):  
Soil Nutrient ◽  
Cork Oak ◽  
Habitats Directive ◽  
Land Uses ◽  
Leaf Fall ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
Southern Portugal

This study compared litter decomposition dynamics of cork oak at three sites under different land-uses (grassland, shrubland and woodland), in a montado ecosystem in Southern Portugal. The montado is a protected habitat within the EU Habitats Directive, but the long-term persistence of cork oak is endangered in these ecosystems, with health of poor cork oak and low natural regeneration rates being the main causes of degradation. Moreover, human management has resulted in the conversion of woodlands to grasslands and may have long-term effects on soil nutrient availability, eventually modifying soil nutrient budgets. Knowledge of the ecological processes is therefore relevant for ecosystem management and species conservation. In the study, the estimated amount of leaf fall from cork oak showed no significant differences between land uses, despite the positive influence of tree crown size on leaf fall. Decomposition was affected by season, vegetation cover, leaf thickness and litter quality. Differences in land use that exposed soil to harsh climate conditions negatively affected soil microbial dynamics, resulting in lower decomposition rates in the more disturbed sites with lower canopy cover.

Protected lepidopteran species (Insecta: Lepidoptera) in North-East of Romania

2011 ◽  
Vol 54 (1) ◽  
pp. 115-123
Author(s):  
Constantin Corduneanu
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Habitats Directive ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Natural Protected Areas ◽  
North East ◽  
Lepidopteran Species ◽  
The Government ◽  
Eu Habitats Directive ◽  
The Eu

Protected lepidopteran species (Insecta: Lepidoptera) in North-East of Romania In the present paper references on the lepidopteran species in need of protection, specified in the EU Habitats Directive, as well as the species included in the Government Emergency Ordinance no. 57/2007 on the regime of the natural protected areas, the conservation of the natural habitats of flora and fauna have been made. Information is provided on the distribution and status of the protected population of Lepidoptera from Botoşani county (North-East of Romania).

scholarly journals Robust monitoring of the Eurasian lynx Lynx lynx in the Slovak Carpathians reveals lower numbers than officially reported

Oryx ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 53 (3) ◽  
pp. 548-556 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jakub Kubala ◽  
Peter Smolko ◽  
Fridolin Zimmermann ◽  
Robin Rigg ◽  
Branislav Tám ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Habitats Directive ◽  
Lynx Lynx ◽  
Eurasian Lynx ◽  
Favourable Conservation Status ◽  
Scientific Approach ◽  
Capture Recapture ◽  
Eu Habitats Directive ◽  
The Eu

AbstractThe Eurasian lynx Lynx lynx population in the Carpathian Mountains is considered to be one of the best preserved and largest in Europe and hence is a source for past and current reintroduction projects in central Europe. However, its status in Slovakia has been reported to the European Commission on the basis of hunters´ reports and expert estimates that have never been validated by a robust scientific approach. We conducted the first camera-trapping surveys to estimate the density of Eurasian lynx in Slovakia by means of spatial capture–recapture models in two reference areas during 2011–2015. We estimated population density per 100 km2 of suitable lynx habitat (posterior SD) as 0.58 ± SD 0.13 independent individuals (adults and subadults) in the Štiavnica Mountains and 0.81 ± SD 0.29 in Veľká Fatra National Park and surroundings. These are the lowest densities estimated using spatial capture–recapture models so far reported for the species, suggesting the lynx population in Slovakia is below carrying capacity. We suspect that low densities may be attributable to undetected human-caused mortality. Our results imply that official game statistics are substantially overestimated. Moreover, the lynx population in Slovakia may not be at favourable conservation status as required by the EU Habitats Directive. We therefore call for a thorough assessment of the density and trend of the Slovak Carpathian lynx population, and the establishment of a scientifically robust monitoring system.

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