Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Relationships between carbon isotope discrimination and grain yield in winter wheat under well-watered and drought conditions

SUMMARY The association of carbon isotope discrimination of grain (Δ13C) with yield performance under rain-fed and well-watered conditions was analysed using a doubled-haploid (DH) winter wheat population, derived from the cross between cvars Beaver×Soissons, within field experiments at two site-seasons. The aim of this work was to quantify associations between Δ13C and yield responses to drought and to test effects of major genes (the semi-dwarf genes, Rht-B1b, Rht-D1b, an awn suppressor gene, B1 and the 1BL.1RS wheat–rye chromosome translocation) segregating in the population for associations with Δ13C and drought performance. Carbon isotope discrimination, through its negative relationship with transpiration efficiency, may be used as a surrogate for this trait. Grain Δ13C was positively associated with grain yield under both irrigated and unirrigated conditions in each site-season and, overall, explained 0·34 of the phenotypic variation in grain yield amongst DH lines under drought and 0·14 under well-watered conditions. There was a positive association between specific leaf lamina N content (SLN) at anthesis and Δ13C under drought amongst DH lines in one site-season, suggesting higher SLN may confer increased stomatal conductance via higher photosynthetic capacity, hence increased grain Δ13C. Overall the Rht-D1b (semi-dwarf) lines had slightly higher Δ13C of grain (20·0‰) than the Rht-B1a/Rht-D1a (tall) group of lines (19·8‰). There were no significant differences between the Rht-B1b (semi-dwarf) or the Rht-B1b/Rht-D1b (dwarf) lines and the tall lines. Comparing their performance under irrigated and unirrigated conditions, the Rht groups of lines (Rht-B1b semi-dwarf, Rht-D1b semidwarf and dwarf and tall groups) responded no differently to drought for Δ13C. The Rht-D1b semi-dwarf lines had higher grain yield (9·50 t/ha) than the tall lines (8·76 t/ha), while the yield of the Rht-B1b semi-dwarf and dwarf lines did not differ significantly from the tall lines. In each site-season, the presence of the 1BL.1RS chromosome increased grain Δ13C (P<0·001), with an overall increase from 19·7‰ in the 1B lines to 20·0‰ in the 1BL.1RS lines (P<0·001). However, the 1BL.1RS and 1B lines responded similarly to drought. The effect of the presence/absence of awns on grain Δ13C was not statistically significant in either site-season. Overall, the present results show that Rht-D1b confers higher Δ13C and grain yield, and the 1BL.1RS translocation confers higher Δ13C. This implies that modern UK wheat cultivars may have lower water-use efficiency during the grain filling period than their predecessors, and therefore may require more water to fulfil their yield potential.
Modelling Bioaccumulation and Toxicity of Metal Mixtures

ABSTRACT Bioaccumulation of metals in mixtures may demonstrate competitive, anticompetitive, or non-competitive inhibition, as well as various combinations of these and/or enhancement of metal uptake. These can be distinguished by plotting (metal in water)/(metal in tissue) against metal in water and comparison to equivalent plots for single-metal exposure. For the special case of pure competitive inhibition where only one site of uptake is involved, inhibition of metal accumulation in any metal mixture can be predicted from bioaccumulation of the metals when present singly. This is consistent with the commonly used Biotic Ligand Model (BLM) but does not explain bioaccumulation of metals in Hyalella azteca. Options for modelling toxicity of metal mixtures include concentration or response addition based on metal concentrations in either water or tissues. If the site of toxic action is on the surface of the organism, if this is the same as the site of metal interaction for bioaccumulation, if there is only one such type of site, and if metal bioaccumulation interactions are purely competitive (as in the BLM), then metal toxicity should be concentration additive and predictable from metal concentrations in either water or tissues. This is the simplest toxicity interaction to model but represents only one of many possibilities. The BLM should, therefore, be used with caution when attempting to model metal interactions, and other possibilities must also be considered.
Assurance on CSR reports: impact on the credibility perceptions of non-financial information by bank directors

Purpose This paper aims to clarify whether assurance on non-financial corporate social responsibility (CSR) reports impacts the perceptions and decisions of banks as capital providers. The authors investigate the effects of the type of assurance provider and the level of assurance provided on decisions by banks to grant credit, make their own personal investments or recommend share purchases to their customers. The study aims to expand the domain of assurance on CSR reports (CSRR) by taking up a call by Cohen and Simnett (2015), who ask for behavioral research on how non-financial report’s intended users interpret and react to assurance. Design/methodology/approach The paper is based on an experiment case on a fictitious company with a 2 × 2 + 1 between-subjects design. To overcome concerns regarding external validity and to prove results in a real-world setting, the authors selected German bank directors as subjects due to the extremely high relevance of banks to the German economy. The authors investigated the perceptions of 69 bank directors and analyzed the influence of CSR assurance on their decisions. Findings The findings suggest that assurance positively influences confidence in CSRR and that, consequently, bankers are more likely to make favorable decisions toward the reporting companies, such as approving applications for credit, investing themselves in the company or recommending the purchase of shares to their clients. These effects are stronger when an accounting firm provides the assurance and when the assurance level is reasonable rather than limited. Research limitations/implications The arguments presented are, strictly speaking, limited to the case in the experiment and the views held by the bank directors at the time the authors sent out the questionnaires. Moreover, the cell sizes are quite small. Nevertheless, the authors were able to find highly significant results. Practical implications The main implication of the paper is that the purchase of CSRR assurance services has a positive effect on bank directors’ perceptions and decisions. They favor the provision of such services by accounting firms and they prefer a reasonable assurance level. Thus, it can be concluded that bank directors perceive quality differences between assurance providers, are able to recognize the difference between reasonable and limited assurance and that the related information is relevant for their decisions. Originality/value This paper fulfils an identified need to study the influence of CSRR assurance on decisions by bank directors. The observation of a high decisions-usefulness of CSRR assurance suggests that regulators should consider mandating some form of assurance on non-financial reports throughout the EU member states.
Occupational Stress on Employees’ Performance among National Union of Road Transportation Workers in Ilorin Metropolis, Nigeria

Stress has been denoted has a state of mental or emotional draining or tension consequential from adverse or demanding circumstances. The study has investigated the influence of occupational stress on employees’ performance among national union of road transportation workers in Ilorin Metropolis, Kwara State, Nigeria. The objectives of the study are to examine the influence of occupational stress (time pressure, workload, lack of motivation and role ambiguity) on employees’ performance. The study population consists of random selection of commercial drivers in Ilorin Metropolis. A structured questionnaire was administered to the commercial drivers to solicit their options on the variable concerned. A total number of 200 questionnaire are administered but only 171 questionnaires were fully filled representing 86% response rate. The structured questionnaire includes the demographic information’s and statements to measure the four independent variable examined on employees’ performance. Linear regression analysis was carried out to examine the dependent and independent variables using SPSS. The hypotheses revealed that that time pressure and role ambiguity have significant and negative influence on employees’ performance while the two other variables of workload and lack of motivation do not have any significant influence on employee performance. Therefore, it was concluded that increasing time pressure and role ambiguity would reduce employees’ performance in all aspects. Therefore it is important for managers to ensure role ambiguity is minimized and clear roles are given and communicated to the employees if they wish to enhance employees’ performance. Government should encourage the use of ministry of transportation (MOT) for testing vehicles; this will force and compel the owners to maintain their vehicles as adopted by UK government. Also government should provide good road facilities and good road networks.
Growth and energetics of a small shorebird species in a cold environment: the little stint Calidris minuta on the Taimyr Peninsula, Siberia

The little stint Calidris minuta is one of the smallest shorebird species breeding in the Arctic (weighing 4.3 g on hatching). Their chicks are small and have a high surface area-to-volume ratio. We determined prefledging growth, energy expenditure and time budgets for little stint chicks in northwestern Taimyr, Siberia. A modified power curve was introduced to model the relationship between daily energy expenditure and body mass. Total metabolisable energy, TME, over the 15-d prefledging period was 107% greater than the allometric prediction for a bird the size of a little stint. Their growth rate coefficient was 14% greater than the prediction for a bird their size. The growth of young chicks was reduced in cool weather, possibly due to a reduction in foraging time in order to be brooded and reduced food availability which impact foraging efficiency. We did not detect weather effects on energy expenditure of chicks, but lack of temperature variation during energy expenditure measurements may have prevented this. In sum, both growth rate coefficient and energy expenditure of little stint chicks were greater than predicted and this is similar to that observed in other arctic shorebird species.
Circadian modulation of the electroretinogram (a- and b-waves) in the diurnal lizard Anolis carolinensis

Abstract The electroretinogram (ERG) of the diurnal lizard Anolis carolinensis was monitored once per hour in constant dark for periods of approximately 5 consecutive days. The amplitude of the b‐wave component of the ERG exhibited a rhythm in all eyes, while the amplitude of the a‐wave component exhibited a rhythm in only 30% of the eyes. These rhythms had a period of approximately 24 hr and their peak amplitudes occurred near projected midday. Constant light masked the b‐wave rhythm, but only produced a phase delay in the a‐wave rhythm. ERGs were also monitored from the nocturnal lizard Gecko gecko in constant dark. The amplitude of the b‐wave exhibited a rhythm that had a period of approximately 23 hr, and its peak amplitude occurred near projected sunset. In contrast to the b‐wave, there was no evidence for a rhythm in the a‐wave.
Wing Morphology and Flight Behaviour of the Golden-Tipped Bat, Phoniscus Papuensis (Dobson) (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae)

The wing morphology and flight performance of Phoniscus papuensis was examined to determine whether the wing morphology reflected published observations of flight behaviour and habitat preference. Wingspan and wing area were above the vespertilionid average for its mass. The wing loading and aspect ratio were below average. The wing loading is the lowest of any Australian vespertilionid. P. papuensis was able to successfully negotiate arrays of obstacles 22 cm apart 60% of the time. This ability, and the extremely broad, lightly loaded wings, afford the species unique flight characteristics which have been observed in the field and allow flight in complex, 'closed' habitats.
Modern termites inherited the potential of collective construction from their common ancestor

Abstract Animal collective behaviors give rise to various spatial patterns, such as the nests of social insects. These structures are built by individuals following a simple set of rules, slightly varying within and among species, to produce a large diversity of shapes. However, little is known about the origin and evolution of the behavioral mechanisms regulating nest structures. In this study, we discuss the perspective of inferring the evolution of collective behaviors behind pattern formations using a phylogenetic framework. We review the collective behaviors that can be described by a single set of behavioral rules, and for which variations of the environmental and behavioral parameter values produce diverse patterns. We propose that this mechanism could be at the origin of the pattern diversity observed among related species, and that, when they are placed in the proper conditions, species have the behavioral potential to form patterns observed in related species. The comparative analysis of shelter tube construction by lower termites is consistent with this hypothesis. Although the use of shelter tubes in natural conditions is variable among species, most modern species have the potential to build them, suggesting that the behavioral rules for shelter tube construction evolved once in the common ancestor of modern termites. Our study emphasizes that comparative studies of behavioral rules have the potential to shed light on the evolution of collective behaviors.
Genetic Vulnerability of Modern Crop Cultivars: Causes, Mechanism and Remedies

Plant breeding is one way to confront the challenge of bridging the widening gap between the demand and supply of food. Despite the importance, however, plant breeding has its own negative side effects. The replacement of landraces with a few genetically uniform varieties depletes genetic diversity and provides ideal conditions for diseases and insect pests that called genetic vulnerability. The increasingly growing human population and the subsequently rising de- mands for more food, on the one hand, and the success of such efforts like the "Green Revolution" from adoption of ge- netically uniform varieties in many parts of the world, on the other, are the main driving force towards this narrow genetic base. It is, therefore, important to understand the phenomena and plan to minimize the risks from genetic vulnerability. Under marginal conditions where resource-poor farmers dominate, the current plant breeding strategies, variety release, registration and certification procedures leading to genetic uniformity should be reconsidered and some level of genetic diversity should deliberately be maintained in variety development programs. Genetic diversity can be introduced at different levels and in different ways which may include intra-varietal, inter-varietal, inter-parental and inter-specific diversities. Breeding for specific adaptation instead of wide adaptation, systematic spatial and temporal gene deployment, use of inter-specific varietal mixtures and integration of horizontal and vertical resistances have been suggested as solutions.
Unchartered waters: Climate change likely to intensify infectious disease outbreaks causing mass mortality events in marine mammals

Infectious disease emergence has increased significantly over the last 30 years, with mass mortality events (MMEs) associated with epizootics becoming increasingly common. Factors influencing these events have been widely studied in terrestrial systems, but remain relatively unexplored in marine mammals. Infectious disease‐induced MMEs (ID MMEs) have not been reported ubiquitously among marine mammal species, indicating that intrinsic (host) and/or extrinsic (environmental) ecological factors may influence this heterogeneity. We assess the occurrence of ID MMEs (1955–2018) across extant marine mammals (n = 129) in relation to key life‐history characteristics (sociality, trophic level, habitat breadth) and environmental variables (season, sea surface temperature [SST] anomalies, El Niño occurrence). Our results show that ID MMEs have been reported in 14% of marine mammal species (95% CI 9%–21%), with 72% (n = 36; 95% CI 56%–84%) of these events caused predominantly by viruses, primarily morbillivirus and influenza A. Bacterial pathogens caused 25% (95% CI 14%–41%) of MMEs, with only one being the result of a protozoan pathogen. Overall, virus‐induced MMEs involved a greater number of fatalities per event compared to other pathogens. No association was detected between the occurrence of ID MMEs and host characteristics, such as sociality or trophic level, but ID MMEs did occur more frequently in semiaquatic species (pinnipeds) compared to obligate ocean dwellers (cetaceans; χ2 = 9.6, p = .002). In contrast, extrinsic factors significantly influenced ID MMEs, with seasonality linked to frequency (χ2 = 19.85, p = .0002) and severity of these events, and global yearly SST anomalies positively correlated with their temporal occurrence (Z = 3.43, p = 2.7e‐04). No significant association was identified between El Niño and ID MME occurrence (Z = 0.28, p = .81). With climate change forecasted to increase SSTs and the frequency of extreme seasonal weather events, epizootics causing MMEs are likely to intensify with significant consequences for marine mammal survival.
Herbarium Specimens Reveal Putative Insect Extinction on the Deforested Island of Mangareva (Gambier Archipelago, French Polynesia)1

Abstract: Human activities are expected to result in extinction of many organisms in taxonomically neglected lineages; however, actually documenting these extinctions is very difficult for soft-bodied organisms that do not leave a subfossil record. Subfossil and historic records reveal that human-induced extinction has been particularly marked for gastropods and terrestrial vertebrates on Pacific islands, but whether human activities resulted in similar biodiversity loss in soft-bodied, taxonomically neglected animals (such as insects) remains unclear. However, in cases in which specialized plant-feeding insects leave diagnostic feeding damage on plants, herbarium specimens coupled with resurvey efforts may indicate potential extinctions or extirpations during historic times. Here, I report the discovery of leaf mines in herbarium specimens of the plant Phyllanthus wilderi (Phyllanthaceae: Glochidion sensu lato) from the island of Mangareva (Gambier Islands, French Polynesia). These mines were not rediscovered in recent surveys on Mangareva but are similar to those made today by leaf-mining moths (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) on many other islands in southeastern Polynesia. This is, to the best of my knowledge, the first report of a potential insect extinction from Mangareva, an island already well known for its history of anthropogenic habitat destruction and biodiversity loss. This result indicates that herbarium specimens may be used to identify potentially extinct and extirpated insect taxa. Future biodiversity surveys on Pacific islands and elsewhere should use herbarium specimens as a guide both to documenting potential extinctions and to search for rediscovery of rare taxa.
THE IMPORTANCE OF ENVIRONMENTAL VARIABILITY AND MANAGEMENT CONTROL ERROR TO OPTIMAL HARVEST POLICIES

Abstract State-dependent strategies (SDSs) are the most general form of harvest policy because they allow the harvest rate to depend, without constraint, on the state of the system. State-dependent strategies that provide an optimal harvest rate for any system state can be calculated, and stochasticity can be appropriately accommodated in this optimization. Stochasticity poses 2 challenges to harvest policies: (1) the population will never be at the equilibrium state; and (2) stochasticity induces uncertainty about future states. We investigated the effects of 2 types of stochasticity, environmental variability and management control error, on SDS harvest policies for a white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) model, and contrasted these with a harvest policy based on maximum sustainable yield (MSY). Increasing stochasticity resulted in more conservative SDSs; that is, higher population densities were required to support the same harvest rate, but these effects were generally small. As stochastic effects increased, SDSs performed much better than MSY. Both deterministic and stochastic SDSs maintained maximum mean annual harvest yield (AHY) and optimal equilibrium population size (Neq) in a stochastic environment, whereas an MSY policy could not. We suggest 3 rules of thumb for harvest management of long-lived vertebrates in stochastic systems: (1) an SDS is advantageous over an MSY policy, (2) using an SDS rather than an MSY is more important than whether a deterministic or stochastic SDS is used, and (3) for SDSs, rankings of the variability in management outcomes (e.g., harvest yield) resulting from parameter stochasticity can be predicted by rankings of the deterministic elasticities.
The systematic status of the lagoon periwinkle, Littorina tenebrosa

Eight samples of Littorina tenebrosa and L. saxatilis (Mollusca: Gastropoda) from Ireland and Britain, including pairs of each form from two locations in Ireland, were screened for genetic variation at 12 polymorphic enzyme loci using starch gel electrophoresis. Levels of polymorphism and heterozygosity were similar in L. tenebrosa and L. saxatilis, apart from a sample of L. tenebrosa from Britain which was less polymorphic than the Irish samples. No alleles were found to be unique to either form. Phylogenetic analysis using UPGMA showed that L. saxatilis and L. tenebrosa populations clustered as a monophyletic group. Nevertheless, the mean genetic distance between parapatric populations of L. saxatilis and L. tenebrosa (D=0.076) was similar to the mean for allopatric populations of either species (D=0.080). This indicates that there is a barrier to gene flow between the two forms Despite this, L. tenebrosa does not merit specific status since populations of this snail do not cluster as a distinct group, separate from L. saxatilis populations.
Degradation of silicone polymer in a variety of soils

Previous studies on one soil showed that silicone polymer (polydimethylsiloxane, or PDMS) degrades to dimethyl-silanediol (DMSD). This study examines PDMS degradation on seven U.S. soils differing in pH, % organic matter, texture, mineralogy, and geographic origin. Moist soils were amended with 350-centistoke (cs) [ 14 C]PDMS at 100 mg kg -1 , and soils were dried at 23°C for 0, 2, 4, 7, 10, or 14 d. Foam plugs were inserted in tube necks to trap volatiles. Samples were extracted with water to monitor silanol formation, or with THF (tetrahydrofuran) for analysis of molecular weight changes and identification of degradates. In all soils, PDMS degraded extensively to low-molecular-weight, water-soluble products. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) identified the main product in all soils as DMSD. Other small silanols and cyclic siloxanes were either not detected or were present in only trace amounts. No volatile 14 C was captured by the plugs, and quantitative recovery of 14 C showed no loss of unidentified volatiles. PDMS degradation was thus similar in a wide range of soils, and DMSD was the main degradate. A lower limit of 4,900 ± 1,250 L kg -1 for the k d of this PDMS suggests that the polymer should be immobile in soil.