155 research outputs found

    Wpływ konwencjonalnych i niekonwencjonalnych źródeł energii na środowisko naturalne

    No full text
    Warunki egzystencji człowieka na świecie powodują ciągły wzrost zapotrzebowania na surowce energetyczne. Liczne opracowania dowodzą, że na przełomie najbliższych kilku dekad światowe potrzeby energetyczne wzrosną o 55%. Niekończąca eksploatacja surowców energetycznych to nie tylko ich wyczerpalność ale drastyczne zanieczyszczenie środowiska naturalnego. W tym względzie należy dążyć do jak najszybszego zastąpienia surowców energetycznych konwencjonalnych surowcami niekonwencjonalnymi.Людська діяльність сьогодні є результатом безперервного збільшення попиту на енергоресурси. Численні наукові дослідження підтверджують той факт, що через кілька найближчих десятиліть світові потреби в енергії зростуть на 55%. Постійний видобуток природних ресурсів для енергетичної промисловості зумовлює не тільки їх різку вичерпність, але й призводить до значного забруднення навколишнього середовища. У зв'язку з цим, необхідно докласти всіх зусиль для якнайшвидшої заміни традиційних джерел енергії на нетрадиційні види сировини.Today the human being lives in the conditions causing a continuous increase in the demand for energy resources. The numerous studies confirm that world energy needs will increase by 55% at the turn of the next few decades. The endless over-exploitation of energy resources leads to using up and to global environmental pollution. In this regard, it should be made possible efforts to replace conventional energy sources with unconventional raw materials

    Nest-site competition between bumblebees (Bombidae), social wasps (Vespidae) and cavity-nesting birds in Britain and the Western Palearctic

    Get PDF
    Capsule: There is no evidence of widespread significant nest-site competition in Britain or the Western Palearctic between cavity-nesting birds and bumblebees or social wasps. Aims: To investigate competition between cavity-nesting birds and bumblebees and wasps, particularly the range-expanding Tree Bumblebee, Saxon Wasp and European Hornet in Britain, and review evidence throughout the Western Palearctic. Methods: We compared field data from English and Polish studies of tits and woodpeckers breeding in nest-boxes and/or tree holes to assess nest-site competition with bumblebees and wasps. We reviewed the literature quantifying nest-site competition between birds and these insects in the Western Palearctic. Results: Bumblebees and wasps are capable of usurping small passerines from nests. In England, these insects commandeered a mean annual 4.1% of tit nests initiated in nest-boxes; occurrence of hornets showed a long-term increase, but not other wasps or bumblebees. Across the Western Palearctic, insect occupation of nest-boxes was generally low, and was lower in England than in Poland. No insects were discovered in tree cavities, including those created by woodpeckers (Picidae). Conclusion: Nest-site competition between cavity-nesting birds and bumblebees and wasps appears to be a ‘nest-box phenomenon’, which may occasionally interfere with nest-box studies, but appears negligible in natural nest-sites

    Genetic Associations with Gestational Duration and Spontaneous Preterm Birth

    Get PDF
    BACKGROUND Despite evidence that genetic factors contribute to the duration of gestation and the risk of preterm birth, robust associations with genetic variants have not been identified. We used large data sets that included the gestational duration to determine possible genetic associations. METHODS We performed a genomewide association study in a discovery set of samples obtained from 43,568 women of European ancestry using gestational duration as a continuous trait and term or preterm (<37 weeks) birth as a dichotomous outcome. We used samples from three Nordic data sets (involving a total of 8643 women) to test for replication of genomic loci that had significant genomewide association (P<5.0x10(-8)) or an association with suggestive significance (P<1.0x10(-6)) in the discovery set. RESULTS In the discovery and replication data sets, four loci (EBF1, EEFSEC, AGTR2, and WNT4) were significantly associated with gestational duration. Functional analysis showed that an implicated variant in WNT4 alters the binding of the estrogen receptor. The association between variants in ADCY5 and RAP2C and gestational duration had suggestive significance in the discovery set and significant evidence of association in the replication sets; these variants also showed genomewide significance in a joint analysis. Common variants in EBF1, EEFSEC, and AGTR2 showed association with preterm birth with genomewide significance. An analysis of mother-infant dyads suggested that these variants act at the level of the maternal genome. CONCLUSIONS In this genomewide association study, we found that variants at the EBF1, EEFSEC, AGTR2, WNT4, ADCY5, and RAP2C loci were associated with gestational duration and variants at the EBF1, EEFSEC, and AGTR2 loci with preterm birth. Previously established roles of these genes in uterine development, maternal nutrition, and vascular control support their mechanistic involvement.Peer reviewe
    corecore