A new Critically Endangered species of stone breaker (Phyllanthus, Phyllanthaceae) from Central Brazil, with notes on its leaf and stem anatomy

A new species from the state of Goiás, Brazil, Phyllanthus pterocaulis, is described and illustrated, with comments on its geographic distribution and environmental preferences, phenology, morphological relationships, and systematic position. It is morphologically allied with Phyllanthus avicularis, P. heliotropus, and P. hyssopifolioides, but differs from all of them by a set of characters related to cymules sex, presence and types of trichomes on leaves and stems, leaf consistency, numbers of sepals in flower of both sexes, integrity of stamens, capsules and seeds. Additionally, we provide images of the new species in the field, conservation status, mapped distribution, the anatomical description of its stem and leaves, and a key to differentiate it from the other similar species belonging to Phyllanthus sect. Loxopodium occurring in Brazil. The new species is one of the few in the genus that occurs in shaded environments in seasonal dry forests within the Cerrado biome.

Environmental Preferences and Fish Handling Practice among European Freshwater Anglers with Different Fishing Specialization Profiles

Recreational specialization is characteristic of many activities, including recreational fishing, which is a popular and important form of recreation throughout the world. The pressure on the environmental resources used by anglers is increasing. It is becoming crucial to understand the preferences and behaviors of anglers, which can accumulate and multiply the risk of damage to fish stocks and aquatic habitats. The main objective of the study was to comprehensively analyze the differences between anglers with diverse specialization profiles. By investigating the fishing preferences within the context of the socioeconomic, demographic and engagement factors, three groups of anglers were identified: anglers who specialize in predatory fish, anglers who specialize in non-predatory fish and unspecialized anglers. Specialized anglers, regardless of type, were found to be more supportive of releasing caught fish (71% on average) and were less likely to keep them (16%) than unspecialized anglers (55% and 27%, respectively). Unspecialized anglers (26.5% of the surveyed population) show less commitment to ethical values. The potential negative environmental impact of the least specialized anglers is an accumulation of the preferences for the use of ground bait, artificial lures, and live fish as bait. Anglers specializing in predatory fish are the most critical in their evaluation of fish resources and water quality and are least attached to specific fisheries. This work provides insight into angler experience and it may help to better identify anglers who are disrespectful towards the fishing laws in place. The results of this work may be incorporated into fishery management strategies, including strategies to reduce naïve anglers and deter disrespectful anglers, which are lucrative in the fishing process.

The Influence of Street Microenvironment on the Walking Activities of Older Adults: A Longitudinal Study Based on the Structural Equation Model and Manipulated Photos

There is growing evidence of an association between the built environment and walking activity, but knowledge of street microenvironmental factors and older adults’ walking is limited and inconsistent. We used a socio-ecological model as the theoretical framework for this study, aiming to investigate longitudinally the important influences of the street microenvironment on older people’s walking by manipulated street photographs and whether there are different groups of older people with different environmental preferences, and to determine the influence of environmental factors in the socio-ecological model. The clustering analysis method was used to divide the samples into four groups, and those four subgroups were put in a comparative analysis regarding their street environments by methods of semantic differential (SD). The preferences of various subgroups were checked by the variance analysis and post hoc tests, and the structural equation model (SEM) was applied to discuss the relations of correlation and influence among each factor. The results showed that “parking on the sidewalk” was rated the lowest in the pre-intervention photos, and “shaded” and “hedge” were rated the highest in the post-intervention photos, and the environmental requirements were different for the older, poorer and higher income and education subgroups. There was a significant positive relationship between residential status and architectural interventions as well as self-efficacy and physical condition. These findings suggest that when developing environmental interventions to promote walking among older adults, priority should be given to those factors that need to be improved most. In addition, attention should be paid to the differences in walking needs among different groups of older adults, with particular attention on the impact of self-selected living environments on street-level environmental interventions.

Changes in urban walking before and during COVID-19 in a metropolitan city of South Korea

This study aimed to assess how the social distancing measures impacted the choice of walking as a transportation mode, environmental preferences for walking, and walking practice among urban residents in Seoul, the capital city of South Korea. Data were collected through an online survey from September 21 to September 28, 2020, when the second level of social distancing measures was implemented; 2,112 participants aged 19 or older were included in the analysis. During COVID-19, the choice of walking as a means of transportation increased by 10.1%p, while the choice of public transportation decreased by 16.9%p. Environmental preferences for walking were more than moderate in neighborhood public open spaces, neighborhood streets, and riverside trails. Walking practice by purposes decreased significantly during COVID-19, especially in utilitarian walking. The study suggests that social distancing measures have a visible negative effect on walking practice among urban residents, as well as an invisible effect on perceived environment and choice of transportation mode in the metropolitan city. To break the physical inactivity habits established during COVID-19, guidelines for promoting walking should be developed, focusing on the frequency of walking practice. In the post-COVID-19 era, urban and transportation planning in metropolitan cities need to be reviewed focusing on the development of neighborhood assets related to walking and activation of active transportation.

Environmental preferences of occupants: A multi-domain approach in the Swiss open office case study

Defining indoor environmental conditions that meet the needs and preferences of occupants in open space offices can be challenging since the same space might be occupied by people with different individual needs and preferences regarding what constitutes a comfortable work environment. This study presents outcomes of a set of longitudinal point-in-time comfort surveys that were designed to capture instantaneous preference votes about momentary environmental conditions twice a day covering all four major domains of IEQ. The surveys were disseminated during two weeks across three seasons (fall, winter, summer) to 31 occupants in a Swiss open space office and supplemented with environmental data simultaneously measured in-situ at the occupant’s desk level. These surveys (up to 670 responses per environmental domain) offered insights into the discrepancies of expressed environmental preferences with respect to measured environmental conditions in open space offices.

The effects of induced emotions on environmental preferences and behavior: An experimental study

Communication policies employed by policymakers and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) often appeal to the emotions to persuade people to adopt virtuous behavior. The aim of this paper is to study the impact of induced emotions on pro-environmental behavior (PEB). We design a three-stage laboratory experiment. In the first stage, we determine the level of the subjects’ environmental awareness. In the second stage, subjects read scripts that place them in realistic hypothetical scenarios designed to induce specific emotions. We implement a 2 x 2 in-between design by varying both the valence and social dimension of the four emotional states induced: happiness, sadness, pride and shame. In the third stage, subjects play a modified dictator game in which the recipient is an environmental non-governmental organization (ENGO). We show that the emotional states of subjects can influence PEB. In particular, negative emotions significantly reduce the average individual amount of donations made to ENGOs. We also find that the precise impact of the emotional states is more complex and appears to be dependent on individuals’ characteristics and awareness for environmental issues. For instance, in positive emotional states, men donate significantly less than women. In addition, a high level of environmental awareness increases donations in subjects experiencing shame and decreases their likelihood to donate when feeling pride. Also, we observe behavioral consistency for negative emotions and rather compensatory behavior for positive emotions.

Quantitative Real-Time PCR Assay for the Detection of Pectobacterium parmentieri, a Causal Agent of Potato Soft Rot

Pectobacterium parmentieri is a plant-pathogenic bacterium, recently attributed as a separate species, which infects potatoes, causing soft rot in tubers. The distribution of P. parmentieri seems to be global, although the bacterium tends to be accommodated to moderate climates. Fast and accurate detection systems for this pathogen are needed to study its biology and to identify latent infection in potatoes and other plant hosts. The current paper reports on the development of a specific and sensitive detection protocol based on a real-time PCR with a TaqMan probe for P. parmentieri, and its evaluation. In sensitivity assays, the detection threshold of this protocol was 102 cfu/mL on pure bacterial cultures and 102–103 cfu/mL on plant material. The specificity of the protocol was evaluated against P. parmentieri and more than 100 strains of potato-associated species of Pectobacterium and Dickeya. No cross-reaction with the non-target bacterial species, or loss of sensitivity, was observed. This specific and sensitive diagnostic tool may reveal a wider distribution and host range for P. parmentieri and will expand knowledge of the life cycle and environmental preferences of this pathogen.