Grey Gerygone hosts are not egg rejecters, but Shining Bronze-Cuckoos lay cryptic eggs

Many brood parasites rely on mimicry to prevent the detection of their eggs by hosts, yet most Australasian cuckoo species lay darkly colored eggs while the eggs of their hosts are pale and speckled. In the dimly lit nests of their hosts, these cuckoo eggs may appear cryptic; however, it is unclear if this disguise has evolved to fool hosts or other cuckoos. Recent work suggests that in at least one species of bronze-cuckoo, cuckoos are more likely to reject conspicuous eggs than are hosts, but it remains unclear whether this is common across the species group. Here, we present field experiments on the sole host of the Shining Bronze-Cuckoo (Chalcites lucidus lucidus) in New Zealand, the Grey Gerygone (Gerygone igata; known locally as the Grey Warbler), that explored whether this host ignores cuckoo eggs because they are cryptic. Using an avian vision model, we showed that Shining Bronze-Cuckoo eggs were variable in their conspicuousness, but were more cryptic in host nests than the host's eggs. We then experimentally parasitized all available clutches with model eggs that mimicked darkly or brightly colored cuckoo eggs, or were of maximum conspicuousness (white) as determined by visual modeling. Hosts never rejected our model eggs, nor cuckoo eggs when naturally parasitized. Instead, only cuckoos rejected model eggs: In 3 out of 4 experimental nests that were subsequently parasitized, the model egg was taken and replaced by a cuckoo's egg. Together, these data and previous experiments suggest that competition among cuckoos, rather than rejection by hosts, provides a stronger selection pressure for the evolution of cryptic eggs across the genus Chalcites.Peer reviewe

Development of an enhanced CPT system for Dogger Bank

An enhanced seafloor CPT system has been developed to support completion of the soil investigation campaign for Dogger Bank. This enhanced system has a demonstrable and significant performance increase over standard seafloor CPT systems; capable of pushing through dense sand layers with qc>100 MPa and through tens of meters of very stiff clays. At Dogger Bank, this enhanced system has enabled CPT penetrations of more than 40 m below seafloor, in soils where standard systems could only average in the twenties. The system enhancement has been achieved through the application and adaption of techniques well known in the geotechnical industry (water lubrication and water injection), but which have never before been combined in an offshore seafloor CPT system. The performance of the enhanced CPT system has enabled a reliance on seafloor CPTs to acquire data to beyond monopile toe depths, therefore removing absolute reliance on boreholes to acquire data at turbine locations and facilitating the fast and efficient development of a geotechnical design basis.Development of an enhanced CPT system for Dogger BankpublishedVersio

Kriterer for sirkulære bygg. Kartlegging av bransjestandard

Kriterier for sirkulære bygg - Kartlegging av bransjestandard Det er behov for videre metodeutvikling av sirkularitet i norske bygninger, inkludert målenheter, definisjoner, systemgrenser og kartlegging av bransjestandard. Denne rapporten samler nåværende statistikk og data for å sette «dagens» bransjestandard for sirkularitet i norske bygg. Resultatene viser at den norske byggenæringen er rundt 7% sirkulær i 2023 ifølge FutureBuilts sirkularitetsindeksmetode. Framskrivingene viser at sirkularitet kan være rundt 14-42% innen 2030 og 34-71% innen 2050 når en rekke politiske og strukturelle tiltak og endringer gjennomføres. Det vises også at dersom målet om full sirkularitet skal oppnås må det settes inn enda flere tiltak. Allikevel er det høye usikkerheter i datakvalitet på grunn av mange antagelser, mange datahull, og et lappeteppe av ulike datakilder. Resultatene fra denne studien er et første steg mot å kartlegge sirkularitet i den norske byggenæringen og viser at et mye mer detaljert datagrunnlag om sirkulær statistikk trengs for å redusere usikkerheter. Resultatene viser hvor mye som må til for at Norges byggenæring skal være fullt sirkulær. Disse resultatene er nyttige for blant annet videreutvikling av FutureBuilts sirkularitetsindeks og Grønn Byggallianses miljødashboard. ZEN partnere FutureBuilt, Bærum kommune, Oslo kommune, Statsbygg, Asplan Viak, og Multiconsult har bidratt til denne rapporten. I tillegg har Entra bidratt.publishedVersio

Detection and diversity of a putative novel heterogeneous polymorphic proline-glycine repeat (Pgr) protein in the footrot pathogen Dichelobacter nodosus

Dichelobacter nodosus, a Gram-negative anaerobic bacterium, is the essential causative agent of footrot in sheep. Currently, depending on the clinical presentation in the field, footrot is described as benign or virulent; D. nodosus strains have also been classified as benign or virulent, but this designation is not always consistent with clinical disease. The aim of this study was to determine the diversity of the pgr gene, which encodes a putative proline-glycine repeat protein (Pgr). The pgr gene was present in all 100 isolates of D. nodosus that were examined and, based on sequence analysis had two variants, pgrA and pgrB. In pgrA, there were two coding tandem repeat regions, R1 and R2: different strains had variable numbers of repeats within these regions. The R1 and R2 were absent from pgrB. Both variants were present in strains from Australia, Sweden and the UK, however, only pgrB was detected in isolates from Western Australia. The pgrA gene was detected in D. nodosus from tissue samples from two flocks in the UK with virulent footrot and only pgrB from a flock with no virulent or benign footrot for >10 years. Bioinformatic analysis of the putative PgrA protein indicated that it contained a collagen-like cell surface anchor motif. These results suggest that the pgr gene may be a useful molecular marker for epidemiological studies

Parental Substance Abuse As an Early Traumatic Event. Preliminary Findings on Neuropsychological and Personality Functioning in Young Drug Addicts Exposed to Drugs Early.

open5noParental substance use is a major risk factor for child development, heightening the risk of drug problems in adolescence and young adulthood, and exposing offspring to several types of traumatic events. First, prenatal drug exposure can be considered a form of trauma itself, with subtle but long-lasting sequelae at the neuro-behavioral level. Second, parents’ addiction often entails a childrearing environment characterized by poor parenting skills, disadvantaged contexts and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), leading to dysfunctional outcomes. Young adults born from/raised by parents with drug problems and diagnosed with a Substance Used Disorder (SUD) themselves might display a particularly severe condition in terms of cognitive deficits and impaired personality function. This preliminary study aims to investigate the role of early exposure to drugs as a traumatic event, capable of affecting the psychological status of young drug addicts. In particular, it intends to examine the neuropsychological functioning and personality profile of young adults with severe SUDs who were exposed to drugs early in their family context. The research involved three groups, each consisting of 15 young adults (aged 18–24): a group of inpatients diagnosed with SUDs and exposed to drugs early, a comparison group of non-exposed inpatients and a group of non-exposed youth without SUDs. A neuropsychological battery (Esame Neuropsicologico Breve-2), an assessment procedure for personality disorders (Shedler-Westen Assessment Procedure-200) and the Symptom CheckList-90-Revised were administered. According to present preliminary results, young drug addicts exposed to drugs during their developmental age were characterized by elevated rates of neuropsychological impairments, especially at the expense of attentive and executive functions (EF); personality disorders were also common but did not differentiate them from non-exposed youth with SUDs. Alternative multi-focused prevention and intervention programs are needed for children of drug-misusing parents, addressing EF and adopting a trauma-focused approach.openParolin, Micol; Simonelli, Alessandra; Mapelli, Daniela; Sacco, M.; Cristofalo, P.Parolin, Micol; Simonelli, Alessandra; Mapelli, Daniela; Sacco, M.; Cristofalo, P