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Ship strikes of fin whales in the north-east atlantic: identifying hotspots and simulating mitigation measures
Full text linkLarge whales are likely the marine megafauna most at risk from vessel collisions. However, studies often identify areas of greatest risk by calculating two-dimensional overlap metrics, overlooking vertical overlap in the three-dimensional water column. This study quantifies collision risk for fin whales in the north-east Atlantic by including dynamic parameters in collision risk models and simulates potential mitigation measures. Dive profiles of 21 fin whales instrumented with time-depth recorders in the Azores were used to estimate the proportion of time spent within reach of vessel draughts across the north-east Atlantic. Fin whales were at greater vertical risk at night, with a median dive depth of 5 m compared to 12 m during daylight hours. When dive depths (vertical risk) was integrated into spatio-temporal variation of vessel characteristics and animal distribution, 972 (796–1200 when incorporating uncertainty in animal density estimates) collisions were estimated to occur annually, of which 641 (525–791) were likely to be fatal – when assuming no avoidance response. This is well above the estimated sustainable potential biological removal level of 131 individuals a year in this region. Simulation of potential mitigation measures indicated that re-routeing shipping lanes may be largely infeasible, whereas vessel slowdowns may be more practical and effective to minimize population-level impacts to a vulnerable species. However, how such measures would be accepted by the shipping industry remains to be seen. These findings provide a quantitative assessment of ship-strike risk and inform mitigation methods, providing an invaluable basis for discussions with environmental managers and maritime authorities
Combining Stated and Revealed Preferences for valuing attributes associated with Organic Chicken Meat
Full text linkThis paper examines consumer willingness to pay (WTP) for attributes of organic chicken meat in the UK, a product experiencing increasing popularity both domestically and internationally. We combine stated preference (SP) data from a discrete choice experiment with revealed preference (RP) data from supermarket scanner transactions in a joint estimation framework. This approach mitigates common limitations of analysing SP and RP data separately, such as hypothetical bias in SP and multicollinearity in RP. Using a heteroskedastic conditional logit model with interaction terms, we estimate WTP values that account for both preference heterogeneity and scale differences across datasets. Results indicate that consumers assign a substantial premium to the organic attribute, with joint estimates approximately 9% higher than those based solely on SP data and more than double those fromRP. These findings underscore the importance of integrating SP and RP data to inform evidence-based food policy
Is cattle welfare affected by the methane-reducing feed additive 3-Nitrooxypropanol (3-NOP)?
No full textTo meet climate change targets, countries including Scotland are taking steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Agriculture contributes around 10% of UK emissions, of which methane from ruminant livestock contributes around half. Across sectors, mitigation methods are being explored. The feed additive 3-Nitrooxypropanol (3-NOP, Bovaer) can reduce cattle methane emissions by up to 30% by inhibiting the final enzyme in methane synthesis in the rumen microbiome. Although now licensed for use in various jurisdictions including the UK and EU (for dairy and suckler cows), the possible impact of 3-NOP use on cattle welfare has not been fully investigated
Ship strikes of fin whales in the north-east atlantic: identifying hotspots and simulating mitigation measures
Full text linkLarge whales are likely the marine megafauna most at risk from vessel collisions. However, studies often identify areas of greatest risk by calculating two-dimensional overlap metrics, overlooking vertical overlap in the three-dimensional water column. This study quantifies collision risk for fin whales in the north-east Atlantic by including dynamic parameters in collision risk models and simulates potential mitigation measures. Dive profiles of 21 fin whales instrumented with time-depth recorders in the Azores were used to estimate the proportion of time spent within reach of vessel draughts across the north-east Atlantic. Fin whales were at greater vertical risk at night, with a median dive depth of 5 m compared to 12 m during daylight hours. When dive depths (vertical risk) was integrated into spatio-temporal variation of vessel characteristics and animal distribution, 972 (796–1200 when incorporating uncertainty in animal density estimates) collisions were estimated to occur annually, of which 641 (525–791) were likely to be fatal – when assuming no avoidance response. This is well above the estimated sustainable potential biological removal level of 131 individuals a year in this region. Simulation of potential mitigation measures indicated that re-routeing shipping lanes may be largely infeasible, whereas vessel slowdowns may be more practical and effective to minimize population-level impacts to a vulnerable species. However, how such measures would be accepted by the shipping industry remains to be seen. These findings provide a quantitative assessment of ship-strike risk and inform mitigation methods, providing an invaluable basis for discussions with environmental managers and maritime authorities
Does susceptibility to informational and normative influences mediates the link between food security status and food purchasing behaviour?
Full text linkThere is a growing need to understand how structural and cognitive constraints jointly shape consumers’ food-related decisions, particularly in online environments where consumers are exposed to social information through ratings, reviews and peer recommendations. While previous studies have established the influence of socially driven cues on consumer behaviour, less is known about how these mechanisms function at different levels of food insecurity. This study addresses that gap by examining how informational and normative signals operate across varying levels of food insecurity and whether these influences help explain disparities in takeaway food consumption. Based on a survey of 573 adults in China, the study used validated multi-item scales to measure informational and normative influences and classified respondents into food security categories using the Food Insecurity Experience Scale. Statistical analyses included ANOVA, MANOVA and causal mediation models to assess both group differences and explanatory pathways. The results show that food-insecure individuals reported significantly lower levels of both informational and normative influence which indicate reduced susceptibility to social cues in food-related decision-making. However, these reductions did not significantly mediate the relationship between food insecurity and takeaway-ordering frequency. Informational influence remained slightly more stable than normative influence across the gradient of food insecurity, implying a differential sensitivity to the two types of cues. The findings have clear implications for policy and behavioural design. Interventions that rely on social proof or informational nudges may be less effective among food-insecure consumers unless paired with initiatives that lower financial and logistical constraints on food choice. More broadly, the results highlight the need to re-evaluate assumptions of universal behavioural responsiveness in food environments, particularly in situations of food insecurity
Ship strikes of fin whales in the north-east atlantic: identifying hotspots and simulating mitigation measures
Full text linkLarge whales are likely the marine megafauna most at risk from vessel collisions. However, studies often identify areas of greatest risk by calculating two-dimensional overlap metrics, overlooking vertical overlap in the three-dimensional water column. This study quantifies collision risk for fin whales in the north-east Atlantic by including dynamic parameters in collision risk models and simulates potential mitigation measures. Dive profiles of 21 fin whales instrumented with time-depth recorders in the Azores were used to estimate the proportion of time spent within reach of vessel draughts across the north-east Atlantic. Fin whales were at greater vertical risk at night, with a median dive depth of 5 m compared to 12 m during daylight hours. When dive depths (vertical risk) was integrated into spatio-temporal variation of vessel characteristics and animal distribution, 972 (796–1200 when incorporating uncertainty in animal density estimates) collisions were estimated to occur annually, of which 641 (525–791) were likely to be fatal – when assuming no avoidance response. This is well above the estimated sustainable potential biological removal level of 131 individuals a year in this region. Simulation of potential mitigation measures indicated that re-routeing shipping lanes may be largely infeasible, whereas vessel slowdowns may be more practical and effective to minimize population-level impacts to a vulnerable species. However, how such measures would be accepted by the shipping industry remains to be seen. These findings provide a quantitative assessment of ship-strike risk and inform mitigation methods, providing an invaluable basis for discussions with environmental managers and maritime authorities
Long-term balanced organic and synthetic nitrogen fertilization can realize sustainable crop production
No full textCONTEXT: Manure recycling to cropland reduces synthetic fertilizer use and nitrogen (N) waste while increasing soil carbon (C) sequestration, which is important for sustainable crop production. However, few studies have systematically integrated long-term N budgets with changes of soil C and N stocks and the greenhouse gas (GHG) balance. OBJECTIVE: We aim to quantify the long-term responses of crop productivity, changes of soil C and N stock, reactive N losses and the GHG balance to various C and N management practices, thus providing evidence for sustainable crop production. METHODS: We used a 15-year wheat-maize double cropping system in the North China Plain. The experiment included eight fertilization treatments with contrasting C and N management practices. Crop productivity, N losses, changes of soil C and N stock; and the GHG balance were evaluated. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Compared with conventional fertilization with excess synthetic N, long-term balanced organic and synthetic N fertilization (in which N rates were determined using an N balance approach and target N yield, and the rates of synthetic N equal to the difference between above N rate and mineralized N from manure) increases crop yield and N harvest by 8–11%, and soil C and N sequestration by 191–230%, while reducing N inputs by 23%, thus also reducing reactive N losses by 40% and the GHG balance from 59 to −2143 kg CO2-eq ha−1. Although the N surplus was relatively high in the balanced organic and synthetic N fertilization, it did not cause high N losses but achieved high soil C and N sequestration and crop yield, which were not achieved under the optimum synthetic N fertilization. SIGNIFICANCE: This study emphasizes the benefits of combining organic and synthetic N within an appropriate N management framework, offering a global model for sustainable crop production in croplands. Site-specific adjustments could be necessary when applying these findings to other regions with distinctly different soil or climatic conditions. We should interpret N surplus cautiously because a high N surplus does not necessarily lead to high N losses with manure recycling to croplands.</p
Exploring molecular mechanisms of aminoglycoside resistance in Escherichia coli MG1655 using the antibiotic resistance growth plate
Full text linkThe overuse of antibiotics in human and animal health has driven the rapid emergence of multi-drug-resistant bacterial strains. To investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying resistance, we developed the Antibiotic Resistance Growth Plate (ARGP), an experimental evolution tool that imposes a spatiotemporal antibiotic gradient. Using the ARGP, Escherichia coli MG1655 populations developed resistance to gentamicin up to 10x MIC within two days. Whole-genome sequencing of wildtype and resistant strains revealed mutations in 16 S rRNA genes and the fusA gene. Bioinformatic, phylogenetic, and molecular docking analyses were used to demonstrate the mechanical significance of the fusA gene in the molecular pathways of gentamicin resistance in E. coli MG1655, where mutations in fusA alter EF-G function, disrupting gentamicin's inhibition of ribosomal translocation. These results highlight the rapidity and specificity of adaptive responses to aminoglycosides and establish the ARGP as a versatile tool for studying the molecular pathways driving antibiotic resistance. [Abstract copyright: © 2026. The Author(s).
A novel framework to study the evolution of crop rotation diversity reveals changes towards regional crop type specialisation in Sweden
Full text linkDiversification of cropping systems can help decrease the negative environmental impacts of agriculture while increasing ecosystem service benefits to crop production. The crop diversification measure introduced by the 2013 CAP reform aimed to trigger the diversification of cropping systems. There is currently no framework to show how policies that aim to trigger diversification of cropping systems, affect crop rotation diversity at the field scale. In this study, we propose a framework to study the evolution of cropping system diversity, which comprises (1) building crop sequences for two periods using the Geo-spatial Application (GSA) database of the Integrated Administration and Control System (IACS), (2) calculating two indicators of diversity of crop sequences, (3) creating a typology of crop sequences, and (4) determining the significance of change and highlighting drivers of change by using mixed models. Our framework was tested on 1100,760 ha in Sweden, focusing on the periods 2005–2010 and 2011–2016, with four ways of categorizing crops (i.e., crop species, crop types, winter crops vs spring crops, botanical family) in five homogeneous production regions. Using different crop categorization is a way of expressing the robustness of the trends in diversity which account for various relationships among crops. We showed that the value of all diversity indicators in all regions decreased significantly between the two periods, except for the estimated agronomic quality of the crop sequence in the most productive regions where it increased. This general decrease could be explained by longer duration of rotational perennial leys and reduced cultivation of minor cereals, such as rye and oats in the later period. Overall, there was an 8 % increase in ley area, which was particularly evident in regions with less productive land, where the high proportion of ley often became permanent grassland. We found that the trend towards longer duration leys was strong in livestock farms, while regions with productive land favoured the inclusion of more annual cash crops in the rotation, especially oilseed rape, which contributed to the agronomic quality of the sequences. The framework could be widely adopted across Europe using the GSA database of the IACS to track diversification changes at a country and regional level and design appropriate policies to increase the diversity of crop rotations using the potential local drivers highlighted