Explanations of some technical requirements for fire lanterns

В статье отражены результаты обсуждения наиболее актуальных вопросов, возникших при формировании технических требований к фонарям пожарным при разработке межгосударственного стандарта «Техника пожарная. Фонари пожарные. Общие технические требования. Методы испытаний». Предложения, требующие подробных разъяснений, касаются количества циклов применения фонаря, обоснования принятого уровня освещенности и разработки требований к нормированию светового потока источника света фонаря. На основании качественных испытаний четырех наиболее распространенных моделей групповых фонарей в подразделениях противопожарной службы Российской Федерации, проведенных испытательной лабораторией института в период с 2010 по 2018 год, сформулированы основные их эксплуатационные показатели. This article contains some comments and suggestions that caused a discussion during the consideration of the draft of the interstate standard provisions “Fire fighting equipment. Fire lanterns. General technical requirements. Test methods”. The proposals that require detailed explanations include issues related to the cycle life of lamp, the justification of the accepted level of illumination and the development of requirements for the normalization of the luminous flux of the lamp light source. As a reference point for determining the cycle life of the flashlight there was selected the battery. Based on the standard indicators of the resource of different types batteries the value of cycle life of the flashlight is equal to 400. On the base of the qualitative tests on the four most common models of group lamps in the divisions of the fire service of the Russian Federation, conducted by the testing laboratory of the Institute for the period from 2010 to 2018, the main operational indicators are formulated as the following: “The time of continuous illumination of the lamp under normal conditions according to GOST 15150, excluding the time of triggering the warning alarm (FPG), should be at least 5 hours; the illumination of the working surface with the lamp must be at least 1500 lux during the entire glow time”. The introduction of requirements for the normalization of the luminous flux of the light source of the lamp is not provided.

Effects of artificial light on bird movement and distribution: a systematic map

Background Artificial light is ubiquitous in the built environment with many known or suspected impacts on birds. Birds flying at night are known to aggregate around artificial light and collide with illuminated objects, which may result from attraction and/or disorientation. In other contexts, birds are repelled by light-based deterrents, including lasers and spotlights. Artificial light can also change birds’ perceptions of habitat quality, resulting in selection or avoidance of illuminated areas. Studies documenting aggregation, deterrence, and habitat selection are typically considered separate literature bodies, but they actually study a common set of populations, interventions/exposures, and responses. Our systematic map provides a comprehensive, searchable database of evidence of the effects of artificial light on bird movement and distribution, increasing both the quantity and diversity of studies that are accessible for further comparison and synthesis. We identify and describe the evidence available for four secondary questions relevant to conservation or management: aggregation/mortality at structures with artificial lights, evidence that light attracts and/or disorients birds, light-based deterrent efficacy, and the influence of continuous illumination on habitat selection. Methods Using the principles of systematic reviews and methods published in an earlier protocol, we conducted an extensive and interdisciplinary literature search. We searched multidisciplinary citation indices as well as databases and websites specific to conservation, pest management, transportation, and energy. In our map, we included all studies reporting eligible populations (birds), interventions/exposures (artificial light), and outcomes (movement through space, behaviour preceding movement, or distribution). We evaluated the quantity of available evidence based on meta-data fields related to study context, population traits, light source characteristics, and outcome variables. We used these meta-data to identify relevant evidence for each secondary question and describe aspects of our secondary questions that may support reviews (evidence clusters) and others that require more research (knowledge gaps). Review findings We manually screened 26,208 articles and coded meta-data for 490 eligible studies in a searchable database, organizing the literature to facilitate future reviews and evidence-based management. Much of the evidence was concentrated in particular locations (Northern hemisphere), taxonomic orders (Passeriformes, Charadriiformes, and others), and light wavelengths (red and white). We identified 56 distinct response variables and organized them into 3 categories (behaviour, distribution, and avian community), showing the diversity in bird responses to light. Conclusions Our database can be used to answer the secondary questions we identified and other questions about the effects of artificial light on bird movement and resulting changes to distribution. There may be sufficient evidence for a review of the weather and lunar conditions associated with collisions, which could help identify nights when reduction of artificial light is most important. Further experiments should investigate whether specific types of light can reduce collisions by increasing the detectability of structures with artificial lights. The efficacy of lasers as deterrents could be evaluated through systematic review, though more studies are needed for UV/violet lasers. To reduce the impacts of outdoor lighting on birds, research should investigate how spectral composition of white light influences bird attraction, orientation, and habitat selection.

Use of factors of photoperiod duration and growth regulators to increase the yield of mixoploid plants in C0 generation in meadow clover (Trifolium pratense L.)

It has been established that the studied mode of cultivation of meadow clover under controlled environmental conditions, with continuous illumination with an intensity of 18-20 thousand lux and a constant temperature of + 25 °C, causes significant morphological changes in meadow clover. Compared with the optimal (control), the proposed growing regime halves the development time of plants and by the same amount reduces the severity of morphological traits, while simultaneously causing apical dominance in 54% of plants. Spraying plants with phytohormone in the form of naphthylacetic acid in all studied concentrations reduced the growing season by 4-8 days and increased pollen fertility by 8-10%. The optimal concentration of naphthylacetic acid (NLA) was revealed to suppress the growth of secondary meristems in meadow clover under the conditions of an experimental plant growing regime. The most significant effect on the manifestation of apical dominance was shown by the use of naphthylacetic acid at a concentration of 0.001%. The combined use of the proposed growing regime and treatment with naphthylacetic acid at a concentration of 0.001% increased the yield of plants with apical dominance from 54.5% to 76%. The developed method has shown high efficiency for the creation of tetraploid forms of meadow clover. When growing clover C0 generation and selection of mixoploid plants, the yield of mixoploids increased 5.4 times, the survival rate of seedlings increased by 21%, the time to obtain one generation and the selection of mixoploids decreased by 58%.

Influence of Illumination Time and Soil Moisture on Seed Germination and Seedling Establishment of Magnolia sprengeri Pamp.

This study investigated the effects of illumination time and soil moisture on seed germination and seedling establishment of Magnolia sprengeri Pamp. to improve the seed germination percentage and seedling survival percentage of M. sprengeri. It is of great significance for rapid propagation, seedling regeneration, field management, and artificial high-efficiency cultivation of M. sprengeri. In this study, the seeds of natural M. sprengeri populations from original habitat were used as test materials. Seed germination and seedling establishment of M. sprengeri were performed under different illumination time and soil moisture treatments in artificial climate incubator. The study found that there were significant differences among various key parameters related to seed germination and seedling establishment under different treatments (P < 0.05). Germination percentage, germination potential, germination index, vigor index, germination rate, plant height, number of leaves, base diameter, taproot length, number of lateral roots, maximum lateral root length, single plant leaf area, fresh weight, and seedling survival rate reached the maximum at continuous illumination and 13% of soil moisture, respectively. By the integrative evaluation for the influence of these two factors on seed germination and seedling establishment, soil moisture is a dominant factor affecting seed germination and seedling establishment, whereas illumination is an important promoting factor for seedling establishment of M. sprengeri. Continuous illumination and 13% of soil moisture content is suitable for seed germination and seedling establishment of M. sprengeri.

Embryo-to-embryo communication facilitates synchronous hatching in grasshoppers

Synchronous hatching within single egg clutches is moderately common in locusts and other insects and can be mediated by vibrational stimuli generated by adjacent embryos. However, in non-locust grasshoppers, there has been little research on the patterns of egg hatching and the mechanisms controlling the time of hatching. In this study, the hatching patterns of six grasshoppers (Atractomorpha lata, Oxya yezoensis, Acrida cinerea, Chorthippus biguttulus, Gastrimargus marmoratus, and Oedaleus infernalis) were observed under various laboratory treatments. Under continuous illumination and a 25/30°C thermocycle, the eggs of these grasshoppers tended to hatch during the first half of the daily warm period. Eggs removed from egg pods and cultured at 30°C tended to hatch significantly earlier and more synchronously when kept in groups vs. singly. In general, eggs hatched earlier when egg group size was increased. Egg hatching was stimulated by hatched nymphs in some species, but not in others. In all species, two eggs separated by several millimeters on sand hatched less synchronously than those kept in contact with one another, but the hatching synchrony of similarly separated eggs was restored if they were connected by a piece of wire, suggesting that a physical signal transmitted through the wire facilitated synchronized hatching. In contrast, hatching times in the Emma field cricket, Teleogryllus emma, which lays single, isolated eggs, were not influenced by artificial clumping in laboratory experiments. These results are discussed and compared with the characteristics of other insects.

Hole-Transporting Low-Dimensional Perovskite for Enhancing Photovoltaic Performance

Halide perovskites with low-dimensionalities (2D or quasi-2D) have demonstrated outstanding stabilities compared to their 3D counterparts. Nevertheless, poor charge-transporting abilities of organic components in 2D perovskites lead to relatively low power conversion efficiency (PCE) and thus limit their applications in photovoltaics. Here, we report a novel hole-transporting low-dimensional (HT2D) perovskite, which can form a hole-transporting channel on the top surface of 3D perovskite due to self-assembly effects of metal halide frameworks. This HT2D perovskite can significantly reduce interface trap densities and enhance hole-extracting abilities of a heterojunction region between the 3D perovskite and hole-transporting layer. Furthermore, the posttreatment by HT2D can also reduce the crystal defects of perovskite and improve film morphology. As a result, perovskite solar cells (PSCs) can effectively suppress nonradiative recombination, leading to an increasement on photovoltage to >1.20 V and thus achieving >20% power conversion efficiency and >500 h continuous illumination stability. This work provides a pathway to overcome charge-transporting limitations in low-dimensional perovskites and delivers significant enhancements on performance of PSCs.