Responses of aquatic plants to eutrophication in rivers: a revised conceptual model

Compared to research on eutrophication in lakes, there has been significantly less work carried out on rivers despite the importance of the topic. However, over the last decade, there has been a surge of interest in the response of aquatic plants to eutrophication in rivers. This is an area of applied research and the work has been driven by the widespread nature of the impacts and the significant opportunities for system remediation. A conceptual model has been put forward to describe how aquatic plants respond to eutrophication. Since the model was created, there have been substantial increases in our understanding of a number of the underlying processes. For example, we now know the threshold nutrient concentrations at which nutrients no longer limit algal growth. We also now know that the physical habitat template of rivers is a primary selector of aquatic plant communities. As such, nutrient enrichment impacts on aquatic plant communities are strongly influenced, both directly and indirectly, by physical habitat. A new conceptual model is proposed that incorporates these findings. The application of the model to management, system remediation, target setting, and our understanding of multi-stressor systems is discussed. We also look to the future and the potential for new numerical models to guide management

The impact of sequencing depth on the inferred taxonomic composition and AMR gene content of metagenomic samples

Shotgun metagenomics is increasingly used to characterise microbial communities, particularly for the investigation of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in different animal and environmental contexts. There are many different approaches for inferring the taxonomic composition and AMR gene content of complex community samples from shotgun metagenomic data, but there has been little work establishing the optimum sequencing depth, data processing and analysis methods for these samples. In this study we used shotgun metagenomics and sequencing of cultured isolates from the same samples to address these issues. We sampled three potential environmental AMR gene reservoirs (pig caeca, river sediment, effluent) and sequenced samples with shotgun metagenomics at high depth (~ 200 million reads per sample). Alongside this, we cultured single-colony isolates of Enterobacteriaceae from the same samples and used hybrid sequencing (short- and long-reads) to create high- quality assemblies for comparison to the metagenomic data. To automate data processing, we developed an open- source software pipeline, ‘ResPipe’

Electric charge quantization and the muon anomalous magnetic moment

We investigate some proposals to solve the electric charge quantization puzzle, which simultaneously explain the recent measured deviation on the muon anomalous magnetic moment. For this we assess extensions of the Electro-Weak Standard Model spanning modifications on the scalar sector only. It is interesting to verify that one can have modest extensions which easily account for the solution for both problems.Comment: 20 pages, 1 figures, needs macro axodraw.st

Will You Make Me Happy? The Role of Dating and Dating Violence Victimisation in Happiness Among Adolescents in Europe

Purpose: the aim of the article is to show the role of dating and dating violence victimisation, different socioeconomic characteristics, personal experiences of abuse, perceived social support, and the ability to resolve social problems in happiness among adolescents in Europe. Methods: the study had a cross-sectional design. The study participants were 1.528 students from secondary schools (age 13–16) in Spain, Italy, Romania, Portugal, Poland, and the UK. In order to understand which variables were associated with happiness, we fit multiple regression models. Results: the mean value of happiness is lower when teens are in a romantic or dating relationship and have suffered physical and/or sexual violence [β (CI 95%): -1.32(-2.41; -0.22)]. Both not being a victim of bullying and cyberbullying [β(CI 95%):0.90 (0.38; 1.41)] and not witnessing domestic violence against the mother β(CI 95%):1.97(1.06; 2.87)] is associated with relatively higher mean happiness value compared to having such experiences of violence. Also, problem-solving skills [β (CI 95%):0.13 (0.11; 0.14)] and perception of social support [β (CI 95%): 0.03 (0.02, 0.03)] is positively associated with mean value of happiness. Conclusions: there is an association between dating violence victimisation, and happiness among adolescents in Europe. The results suggest the importance of creating healthy, non-violent romantic relationships to build happiness during adolescence, the importance of seeking social support and to provide educational interventions focused on the development of problem-solving skills.The project ‘Lights, Camera and Action against Dating Violence’ (Ligts4Violence) was funded by the European Commission Directorate-General Justice and Consumers Rights, Equality and Citizen Violence Against Women Program 2016 for the period 2017–2019 to promote healthy dating relationship assets among secondary school students from different European countries, under grant agreement No. 776905. It was also co-supported by the CIBER of Epidemiology and Public Health of Spain for its aid to the Gender-based Violence and Youth Research Program

Bullying and Cyberbullying Victimization and Associated Factors among Adolescents in Six European Countries

Bullying and cyberbullying victimization are significant factors that threaten adolescent development and mental health. Our study aimed to analyze how socioeconomic characteristics and personal experiences of violence are associated with adolescents’ experiences of bullying and cyberbullying victimization. The study participants were 1146 students, 698 females and 448 males, aged between 13 and 16 years old, from secondary schools in Spain, Italy, Romania, Portugal, Poland and the UK. Data was collected through an online questionnaire. Prevalence ratios (PR) were calculated using Poisson regression with robust variance. In total, 37.2% of girls and 35.0% of boys reported being victims of bullying and or cyberbullying. The likelihood of bullying and or cyberbullying victimization was higher when adolescents had experienced physical and or sexual abuse before the age of 15, had witnessed domestic violence against their mother or had been victims of intimate partner violence. Perceived social support from teachers and classmates and higher self-esteem were associated with a lower likelihood of becoming a victim of bullying and or cyberbullying, but an association between experience of any other form of violence and the greater possibility of becoming a victim of bullying and or cyberbullying persisted even when self-esteem and social support were included in the model. Protecting adolescents from bullying and or cyberbullying means preventing all exposure to violent experiences in childhood and adolescence. Not having such experiences seems to be the most relevant protective factor.The project “Lights, Camera and Action against Dating Violence” (Ligts4Violence) was funded by the European Commission Directorate-General Justice and Consumers Rights, Equality and Citizen Violence Against Women Program 2016 for the period 2017–2019 to promote healthy dating relationship assets among secondary school students from different European countries, under grant agreement No. 776905. It was also co-supported by the CIBER of Epidemiology and Public Health of Spain for its aid to the Gender-based Violence and Youth Research Program

4-(4-Ethyl­phenyl­diazen­yl)phenol

The crystal structure of the title compound, C14H14N2O, determined at 100 K, shows that the mol­ecules are not planar in the solid state, in contrast to other diazene (azobenzene) derivatives. The dihedral angle between the planes of the two aromatic rings is 42.32 (7)°. The mol­ecules are linked by inter­molecular O—H⋯N hydrogen bonds, forming an infinite one-dimensional chain

Citizens’ survey for the implementation of a new means of transport

The analysis of this survey looks into the opinion regarding two key questions: the need for this new mode of transport, and how much support is behind investing to implement. The application of Ordered Logit Models has led to identify the variables that best explain the answers to these key questions. Moreover, the marginal effects of these variables were calculated, and the conditions increasing a tendency to answer contrary opinions (agreement/disagreement) to the key questions were identified. Finally, the working hypothesis —that if the new means of transport is considered necessary, then the investment is supported— was confirmed.The support from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (Research Project TRA2015-66235-R, MINECO/FEDER, UE), co-funded with FEDER and the support from the Commission for Regional Coordination and Development of Central Region (Research Project CENTRO-01-0145-FEDER-000006), funded by Regional Operational Programme CENTRO2020 (European Union, Portugal), are gratefully acknowledged