Rodenticides are a key component of rodent management strategies, but birds of prey are susceptible to non-target exposure. New rules on sale and use of rodenticide products were introduced across ...the UK in 2016 in an industry-led stewardship scheme, with the aim of reducing this risk. To determine if this intervention has achieved its aim, exposure to second generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs) was measured in buzzards. Liver samples from 790 buzzards collected between 2005 and 2022 (excluding 2016 and 2017 samples) were analyzed and the percentage presence and concentrations of SGARs from pre-stewardship and post-stewardship samples were compared.
There was no statistically significant decrease in the percentage of buzzards exposed to bromadiolone, difenacoum or combined SGAR residues after the introduction of stewardship. The percentage of buzzards exposed to brodifacoum increased significantly post-stewardship, from 8 % to 27 %. There were no significant decreases in the concentrations of individual SGARs post-stewardship but concentration of combined SGARs increased significantly post-stewardship. Individual buzzards were significantly more likely to be exposed to multiple SGARs post-stewardship.
Rodenticide poisoning was recorded as the cause of death for 5 % of pre- and post-stewardship buzzards with detectable levels of SGARs, and 90 % of these had combined SGAR residues >0.1 mg/kg.
These findings suggest that the industry-led stewardship scheme has not yet had the intended impact of reducing SGAR exposure in non-target wildlife. The study highlights a substantial increase in exposure of buzzards to brodifacoum and to multiple SGARs post-stewardship, indicating that further changes to the stewardship scheme may be necessary.
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•Exposure of buzzards to anticoagulant rodenticides was investigated.•There was no decrease in rate of exposure or concentrations of SGARs in buzzards.•More buzzards were exposed to brodifacoum post-stewardship.•Higher concentrations of combined SGARs were detected post-stewardship.•The stewardship scheme has not yet reduced wildlife exposure to rodenticides.
Wildlife is at risk of exposure to rodenticides used in pest management. An industry-led stewardship scheme introduced new rules on use and sale of products across the UK in 2016, with the aim of ...reducing this risk. To determine if the scheme had achieved this, exposure to second generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs) was measured in foxes. Liver samples from 406 foxes collected between 2011 and 2022 were analysed and the percentage presence and concentrations of SGARs, where present, from pre-stewardship and post-stewardship samples were compared. There was no statistically significant change in the percentage of foxes exposed to bromadiolone, difenacoum or summed SGAR residues after the introduction of stewardship. The percentage of foxes exposed to brodifacoum increased significantly post-stewardship, from 18% to 43%. There were no significant changes of either summed or individual SGAR concentrations post-stewardship.
These findings suggest that the industry-led stewardship scheme has not yet had the intended impact of reducing SGAR exposure in non-target wildlife, and they highlight a substantial increase in foxes encountering brodifacoum, together with weak statistical evidence of an increase in the percentage of foxes exposed to multiple SGARs.
•Exposure of red foxes to anticoagulant rodenticides was investigated.•There have been no significant reductions in SGAR contamination in red fox.•Rates of brodifacoum exposure increased post-stewardship.•Efforts to reduce SGAR exposure in wildlife may not yet been successful.
The smart city concept, influenced by societal changes, technology, and geopolitics, is transitioning towards a human-centered model—Smart City 3.0. Emphasizing community engagement, this model ...ensures that new technologies are tailored to each city’s unique needs. The creation of a participatory society is essential for this approach, fostering public involvement in decision-making. Core mechanisms include public consultations and participatory budgeting, as legislated, enhancing co-management between authorities and residents. To successfully implement Smart City 3.0, it is vital to build a partnership based on mutual trust between local authorities and communities. Opinions must not only be expressed, but factored into city planning and development. Advisory bodies like city youth councils illustrate this approach, engaging youth in meaningful roles and ensuring their interests are represented. This paper investigates the vital role of community members in the creating of smart city. Additionally, the paper conducts a comprehensive review of various models of participation, evaluating their respective strengths and weaknesses within the context of smart city development.
The purpose of this paper is to indicate the possibility of applying cognitive technologies in smart city services and analyze their impact on strategic management in the city. The subject of this ...study is the use of cognitive technologies in big data as one of the tools of smart city. The study also identifies the risks that may occur when using modern technologies at the local level. At the same time, it refers to features that can provide a form of safeguards for an individual’s rights and freedoms. This article also covers legal issues that affect the use of cognitive technologies in local government units. This paper indicates that the challenge that local governments should now meet is to build a Smart Sustainable City. Implementation of modern solutions should strive to improve the lives of all residents and thus prevent the exclusion of social groups or individuals.
•The 04BM beamline is operational and very effective for the soft x-ray absorption spectroscopy.•The examples for PEEM and XAS end stations show good surface sensitivity down to submonolayer material ...thickness.•The transition metal sensitivity using XAS is down to submonolayer material thickness.•The nanocomposite films were decomposed to different iron oxide phases.
The spectroscopy using synchrotron radiation is the advanced tool for materials characterization. In the current work we are reporting recent activity in this research field implemented at the 04BM (PEEM/XAS) beamline of the National Synchrotron Radiation Centre SOLARIS in Krakow, Poland. The beamline is designed to cover wide energy range of soft X-rays, which is well suited for a broad range of applications, including surface physics, material science and magnetism. The comparison of the experimental parameters and selected examples of the results achieved on the PEEM and XAS end stations is demonstrated.
The contamination of the environment by some veterinary medicines and their impact on wild animals is of increasing concern. However, there is a lack of information about their residues in wildlife. ...The sentinel animals most commonly used for monitoring the level of environmental contamination are birds of prey, and information on other carnivores and scavengers scarce. This study examined the livers from 118 foxes for residues of a range of 18 veterinary medicines (16 anthelmintic agents and 2 metabolites) used on farm livestock. The samples were collected from foxes, primarily in Scotland, shot during legal pest control activities conducted between 2014 and 2019. Closantel residues were detected in 18 samples, and the concentrations found ranged from 6.5 µgkg−1 to 1383 µgkg−1. No other compounds were found in significant quantities. The results show a surprising frequency and level of closantel contamination, raising concerns about both the route of contamination and the potential impacts on wild animals and the environment, such as the potential for significant wildlife contamination to contribute to the development of closantel-resistant parasites. The results also suggest that red fox (Vulpes vulpes) could be a useful sentinel species for detecting and monitoring some veterinary medicine residues in the environment.
•The livers from 118 foxes were examined.•Tissues were screened for residues of 16 anthelmintic veterinary medicines and 2 metabolites.•Closantel was detected in 18 (>15%) of the samples.•The concentrations found ranged from 6.5 ugkg−1 to 1383 ugkg−1.•Red fox may be a useful sentinel to detect environmental residues of veterinary medicines.
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•Oxygen striped superstructures cannot be explained through alternating site-exchanged domains.•Superstructures originate from misfits between tungsten and oxygen lattices; striped ...appearance corresponds to moiré pattern.•113- and 337-phases differ in the average adsorption sites of oxygen atoms.•Thermal evolution of oxygen monolayer occurs via uniaxial reorganization along 〈11¯1〉 close-packed chains.
Systematic studies of the two high-temperature monolayer oxygen structures that exist on the (110) tungsten surface were performed using low-energy electron microscopy and diffraction measurements. Our work questions the commonly accepted interpretation from the literature that striped oxygen superstructures arise from alternating site-exchanged (S-E) domains. We postulate that the superstructures originate from a misfit between tungsten and oxygen lattices while the striped appearance corresponds to a moiré pattern. Moreover, we show that the two structures, indicated as 113- and 337-phases due to the characteristic directions of the respective moiré patterns, differ considerably in their symmetry properties. This suggests that oxygen atoms in the two overlayers occupy different adsorption sites on average. In particular, the 113-phase features rotational domains that retain mirror symmetries with respect to the 001 and 11¯0 directions, whereas the 337-phase is characterized by the appearance of additional domains due to the breaking of these symmetries. We propose structural models for both phases that consistently explain their unusual properties and suggest a universal mechanism for the thermal evolution of oxygen monolayer adsorbed on W(110).
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