MEGA SAMPLES VOL-92
Cherly Fleitas
When accounting for the total mass, 92% of the debris found in the patch consists of objects larger than 0.5 cm, and three-quarters of the total mass is made of macro- and mega plastic. However, in terms of object count, 94% of the total is represented by microplastics.
Plastic has increasingly become a ubiquitous substance in the ocean. Due to its size and color, animals confuse the plastic for food, causing malnutrition; it poses entanglement risks and threatens their overall behavior, health, and existence.
84% of samples contained toxic chemicals Studies have shown that about 700 species have encountered marine debris, and 92% of these interactions are with plastic. 17% of the species affected by plastic are on the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List of Threatened Species.
The fleet returned with over 1.2 million plastic samples that rendered an unprecedented amount of plastic measurements from the three months of study. Scientists present on the expedition noted that there was an alarming amount of plastic floating in the patch, and their preliminary findings indicated that there were more large objects than originally expected.
Every piece of plastic that was recovered was cleaned, counted and classified by size and type. In total, 1.2 million plastic samples were counted, one by one, and were used to further study the physical properties and toxicity of the plastic that floats in the GPGP.
It is commonly known that harmful PBT (Persistent Bio-accumulative Toxic) chemicals are found in ocean plastics, so researchers at The Ocean Cleanup tested plastic samples from the expeditions for their chemical levels. Their results helped them to realize what chemicals are present in the patch and what that means for animals feeding there.
L.L., B.S., F.F., R.M., J.R. designed the study, F.F., J.A., S.H., S.C., A.S., A.L., K.N., P.D., H.M., R.S.-A., R.B., J.R. processed samples, L.L., B.S.-R. developed the model, L.L., J.R. wrote the manuscript, L.L., J.A., S.H., J.R. prepared figures and tables. All authors reviewed the manuscript.
In recent years, the southern African region has experienced repeated incursions of highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (HPAIVs), with wild migratory birds being implicated in the spread. To understand the profile of avian influenza viruses (AIVs) circulating in Zambia, we surveyed wild waterfowl for AIVs and phylogenetically characterised the isolates detected in 2015, 2020, and 2021. A total of 2,851 faecal samples of wild waterfowl were collected from Lochinvar National Park in the Southern Province of Zambia. During the study period, 85 (3.0%) low pathogenicity AIVs belonging to various subtypes were isolated, with H2N9, H8N4, and H10N8 being reported for the first time in avian species in Africa. The majority of the isolates were detected from glossy ibis (order Pelecaniformes) making it the first report of AIV from these birds in Zambia. Phylogenetic analysis of all eight gene segments of the 30 full genomes obtained in this study revealed that all the isolates belonged to the Eurasian lineage with their closest relatives being viruses isolated from wild and/or domestic birds in Bangladesh, Belgium, Egypt, Georgia, Mongolia, the Netherlands, and South Africa. Additionally, the Zambian viruses were grouped into distinct clusters based on the year of isolation. While no notifiable AIVs of the H5 or H7 subtypes were detected in wild birds in Zambia, viral internal protein genes of some viruses were closely related to H7 low pathogenicity AIVs. This study shows that periodically, a considerable diversity of AIV subtypes are introduced into the Zambian ecosystem by wild migratory waterfowl. The findings highlight the importance of continuous surveillance and monitoring of AIVs in wild waterfowl, including birds traditionally not considered to be major AIV reservoirs, for a better understanding of the eco-epidemiology and evolutionary dynamics of AIVs in Africa.
In 2015, 2020, and 2021, a total of 2,851 faecal samples of wild waterfowl were collected from LNP in the Southern Province of Zambia. A total of 85 samples obtained from ducks, geese, and ibises were positive for AIV with a positivity rate of 3.0% by virus isolation as shown in Table 1. The positivity rate differed among bird species, seasons, and sampling years. Among the bird species, the positivity rate was highest in ibis birds (23.8%), followed by ducks (0.8%), and geese (0.2%). No virus was detected in great white pelicans and white egrets. High positivity rates were observed in the wet season (5.7%) and the 2015 (4.1%) sampling period (Table 1).
Based on the HI and NI assay results, 10 HA/NA subtype combinations were detected, namely, H2N9, H3N8, H4N6, H8N9, H10N7, H10N8, H10N9, H11N8, H11N9, and H13N6 and three HA subtypes, H1, H3, and H8 with NA subtypes not determined. Of the 85 positive samples, 50 representing all the subtypes determined by HI/NI assays in this study were subjected to NGS for subtype confirmation and genetic characterisation. We obtained good sequences for 30 samples by NGS. Through NGS, eight HA/NA subtypes (i.e., H1N8, H2N9, H8N4, H10N6, H10N8, H10N9, H11N6, and H11N9) were detected. All the H1N8, H2N9, H8N4, H10N6, H10N9, and H11N9 isolates were detected in 2015 with the majority being samples collected in November. All the two H8N4 and four H11N6 isolates were detected in samples collected in September 2020 and November 2021, respectively. The most prevalent subtypes in the present study were H10N8 (20%; 6/30), followed by H11N9 (16.7%; 5/30). The most prevalent HA subtype was H10 (40%; 12/30) which occurred in combination with three NA (N6, N8, and N9) subtypes.
"On a Ragga Tip" is a song by British breakbeat hardcore group SL2, released as a single in 1992. The song contains samples of Jah Screechy's "Walk and Skank" and Kid 'n Play's "Gittin' Funky (UK Remix)".
Oil development and resulting impacts also threaten Yasuní's wilderness characters and its largely intact mega-faunal assemblage. The Via Maxus fragmented the northwestern section of Yasuní from the rest of the park. Further fragmentation is occurring because the Via Auca is facilitating illegal logging in Yasuní [26], [35]. Irreversible impacts on the park's biodiversity may occur even faster from fragmentation than from deforestation, based on regional analyses [172], [174]. Large predator species may need unfragmented forest areas as large as 1 million hectares to persist [181]. Rare species, such as the Near Threatened Jaguar, Margay, Short-eared Dog, and Golden-mantled Tamarin, are also susceptible to the effects of oil-industry-related deforestation and fragmentation [132], [133], [182], [183].
The clear coat samples were applied on pre-prepared white panels with a film applicator to ensure thickness unity. The dry film thickness of clear coat was about 30 µm. This way samples containing 1, 3 and 5 wt% of filler were prepared. The rheological behavior of the samples did not show any noticeable difference. In addition, a 30µm thickness clear coat was applied over a bare mild steel panel and also on a glass substrate using film applicator. For assessing the optical properties, 2 sets of samples (blank and filler contained clear coat) were sprayed over white paint coated panels. The dry film thicknesses of sprayed samples were 30 - 45 µm. Finally, the very same procedure was implemented for Cloisite Na+ and Cloisite30B.
Two different methods were adopted to monitor the scratch resistance of coatings. The first one, the Chipping test (Pars Horm Instrument) was performed according to ASTM D3170 standard on sprayed substrate. The test consists of projecting a ball coated with silicon carbide onto the surface of a coating applied to a support in order to reproduce the superficial degradation (scaling) equivalent to that caused by grit projected on a vehicle. The second one, the Automatic Scratch test (Sheen Instrument) was performed according to ASTM D5178. The pendulum hardness test (Erichsen Instrument) was performed according to ASTM D4366-95. This test method is intended to measure the hardness using a Persoz pendulum for coatings applied to plane substrates. The test is aimed at determining the damping of the oscillations of a pendulum resting on the film to be examined by two steel balls, of equal diameter, being integral with the pendulum (performed as from amplitude 12 down to amplitude 4). The test was performed on samples after 48 hrs and also 1 week after application. The coating films were prepared on glass boards and dried at room temperature. Some complementary tests were performed to find out whether the addition of nano filler can adversely affect other important properties of coating or not. The adhesion of coating was measured by the pull-off method according to ASTM D4541 and ISO 4624 (DeFelsko Instrument). Pull-off method is a quantitative test for adhesion where a loading fixture, commonly called a dolly or stub, is affixed by an adhesive to a coating. The force required to pull the dolly off or the force the dolly withstamds, yields the tensile strength in pounds per square inch (psi) or mega Pascals (MPa). Failure will occur along the weakest plane within the system (comprised of the dolly, adhesive, coating system and substrate) and will be exposed by the fracture surface.
The drying time recorder, pendulum hardness (Persoz), mandrel bending, Impact, Pull-off and gloss retention tests results are listed in Table 1. The initial gloss of all samples did not change noticeably unless for the 5 wt% sample of synthetic nano layered silicate. The initial gloss reduction of mineral clays can be interpreted as a
result of their bigger size in comparison to synthetic silicate used in this study. The equality of samples filled with Cloisite Na+ and Cloisite30B shows that the modifier plays an insignificant role regarding initial gloss and the most important parameter to be taken into account is the primary size of the layered silicate.
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