A hybrid fluorescent pigment composed of fluorescent yellow X-10GFF (FY-10G) and palygorskite (PLG) was prepared by semi-dry grinding. The effects of the physically adsorbed water content and grinding time on the environmental stability of FY-10G/PLG hybrid fluorescent pigments in terms of acid, ethanol and ultraviolet irradiation are discussed in detail. The incorporated FY-10 G molecules are mainly trapped on the external surface and the groove of PLG. Due to the host–guest interaction between PAL and FY-10G, the emission spectrum of the FY-10G/PLG hybrids shifts to a greater wavelength compared with that of FY-10G, but the physically adsorbed water content and grinding time have no effect on the position of the emission spectrum except for its intensity. A larger, physically adsorbed water content and appropriate grinding time may effectively prevent the aggregation and breakage of the bundles of PLG and facilitate FY-10 G molecules to enter into the groove of PAL. This increases the environmental stability of the as-prepared hybrid pigments.

Late Quaternary vegetation history and environmental changes in a biodiverse tropical ecosystem are inferred from pollen, charcoal and carbon isotope evidence derived from a ∼ 48,000-yr sedimentary record from the Uluguru Mountains, a component of the Eastern Arc Mountains of Kenya and Tanzania. Results indicate that Eastern Arc forest composition has remained relatively stable during the past ∼ 48,000 yr. Long-term environmental stability of the Eastern Arc forests has been proposed as a mechanism for the accumulation and persistence of species during glacial periods, thus resulting in the diverse forests observed today. The pollen and isotope data presented here indicate some marked changes in abundance but no significant loss in moist forest taxa through the last glacial maximum, thereby providing support for the long-term environmental stability of the Eastern Arc. Anthropogenic activities, including burning and forest clearance, were found to play a moderate role in shaping the mosaic of forest patches and high-altitude grasslands that characterise the site today; however, this influence was tempered by the inaccessibility of the mountain.

The present study examined the genetic and environmental contributions to the temporal stability of verbal, non-verbal and general intelligence across a developmental period spanning childhood and adolescence (5–18 years). Longitudinal twin data collected in four different studies on a total of 1,748 twins, comprising 4,641 measurement points in total, were analyzed using genetic adaptations of the simplex model. The heterogeneity in the type of instrument used to assess psychometric intelligence across the different subsamples and ages allowed us to address the auxiliary question of how to optimally utilize the existing longitudinal data in the context of gene-finding studies. The results were consistent across domains (verbal, non-verbal and general intelligence), and indicated that phenotypic stability was driven primarily by the high stability of additive genetic factors, that the stability of common environment was moderate, and that the unique environment contributed primarily to change. The cross-subscale stability was consistently low, indicating a small overlap between different domains of intelligence over time. The high stability of additive genetic factors justifies the use of a linear combination of scores across the different ages in the context of gene-finding studies.