bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Preliminary Bat Guano Isotope Evidence for Past Vegetation and Climate Change in Southwest Virginia
Authors: Reid Rachel E. B. , Harman Payton , Kennedy Lisa , Orndorff William , Langwig Kate
Published: February 2023

The Appalachian Mountains, one of the most biologically diverse regions in the temperate world, have been heavily altered by human activity for millennia yet the relative roles of human and other disturbances and climate change in creating modern landscapes are not well understood. Holocene paleoenvironmental records could provide a window into past Appalachian landscapes, but are restricted by a dearth of appropriate sites, such as natural lakes. Recent research suggests that bat guano deposits can serve as valuable archives of past environmental change. Carbon isotope (δ13C) values of guano from insectivorous bats can reflect the relative abundance of forest (C3) versus grassland (C4) vegetation at a regional scale, while guano nitrogen isotope (δ15N) values have been linked to landscape-scale N-cycling and precipitation. To investigate the paleoenvironmental history of an Appalachian site in southwest Virginia, we collected a 170 cm guano core from a limestone cave on Salt Pond Mountain. Bats are no longer active in the cave, but recovered bones indicate the past presence of Myotis species. Preliminary results show clear trends of increasing δ15N values and decreasing δ13C values from deep in the core toward the surface. δ13C and δ15N values are also significantly negatively correlated (R2=0.6, p=5.6e-15). The increase in δ15N values may signal a moistening climate toward the present, a finding consistent with regional Holocene pollen records. Higher δ13C values deep in the core likely indicate a greater prevalence of C4 grassland vegetation on the landscape, which could be linked to drier climate, indigenous burning, or both. Increased variation in δ13C and δ15N values below about 65 cm may indicate more variable climate or increased disturbance during the time represented. Forthcoming radiocarbon dates will anchor these trends in time and inform correction for the Suess effect, while other proxies could help disentangle the drivers of landscape change.
Describing a Newly Excavated Packrat Midden Near Natural Trap Cave, Wyoming to Help Assess Biases in Fossil Microfaunal Accumulation
Authors: Sketel Michael J. , McGuire Jenny L. , Schap Julia A. , Short Rachel A.
Published: February 2023

Microfauna communities resulting from packrat accumulation provide crucial information about how natural communities respond to environmental changes. However, fossil accumulation mechanisms can be complex, making it difficult to interpret these community responses. Natural Trap Cave (NTC) is an open-mouth cave with an 85-foot drop that often lies unseen by passing animals, making it a major location for fossil accumulation. NTC, located in the Bighorn Mountains of Wyoming, has accumulated a paleontological record of the local community’s biota dating back to the Late Pleistocene, 25,000 years ago. The rim of the cave’s mouth is home to packrat middens located directly above the major deposits of microvertebrate (<5 kg) fossils. It is hypothesized that middens along the rim have accumulated seeds, bones, teeth, and bird pellets from the local communities over time and have periodically washed into the cave below. We seek to assess the bias in microvertebrate community composition introduced by packrat accumulation. We identified bones and teeth collected from a 9-section grid of a modern midden located adjacent to the cave, which allow us to see which species dominate the NTC environment. We calculate species evenness, richness, and relative abundances using MNI. To assess local bias resulting from packrat accumulation, we compare the modern midden with live-and camera-trap data of small mammal communities. To assess which NTC fossils result from packrat accumulation, we compare the modern midden with fossil material from within the cave, ranging in age from 2 to 20 ka. Once we understand these biases present in the fossil accumulation, we can associate species’ relative abundances with changes in climate, such as drought, increasing temperatures, and flooding. By knowing how climate has affected NTC species’ abundances through time, we will be prepared to aid in conservation efforts by predicting how species numbers will be affected by future climate change.
Conservation Paleobiology and the Stewardship of U.S. National Park Service Paleontological Resources
Authors: Santucci Vincent L.
Published: February 2023

Conservation biology, and the descendent discipline conservation paleobiology, are philosophically aligned with the mission of the National Park Service (NPS), including near time and deep time frameworks. As defined in the Organic Act of August 25, 1916, the purpose and mission of the NPS is “…to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wild life therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations”. This conservation mandate is broadly inclusive of grizzly bears, redwood trees, and dinosaur bones equally, throughout the 424 officially designated parks, monuments, and other areas managed by the NPS. Although conservation paleobiology is reported by some to be a new and integrated field of study, there are remarkable similarities to traditional and old school perspectives which embraced natural history more holistically during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Notably, the written contributions by Charles Darwin, Aldo Leopold, and Edward Abbey synthesize observations at the global and landscape scales, promoting conservation advocacy of the natural world, past and present. U.S. National Park Service areas preserve some of Planet Earth’s most globally significant natural resources, ecological systems, and biosphere reserves. Discoveries of fossil condors and mummified bats within caves of Grand Canyon National Park, the co-occurrence of human and megafaunal footprints preserved in Late Pleistocene strata at White Sands National Park, and pygmy mammoth remains on Channel Islands National Park, collectively demonstrate how valuable temporal and historical biological perspectives contribute to science, stewardship, and resources management in parks and beyond. The paleobiology community is cordially invited to join in the holistic study and conservation of the near time and deep time resources in the national parks.
Variance of Carotid-Rete-Mediated Selective Brain Cooling Across Aridity Indices
Authors: Slenker Katherine , O’Brien Haley , Yann Lindsey
Published: February 2023

Species-environment interactions are integral to survivorship, especially when those environments test the extremes of organismal physiology. Large-bodied (>50kg) mammals, specifically artiodactyls and feliform carnivores, possess a specialized physiology known as carotid-rete-mediated selective brain cooling (CR-SBC), which has been established to be selectively advantageous in environments where water availability is limited and risk for dehydration is high. In this study, we investigate whether CR-SBC provides a release from physiological constraint imposed by the environment, specifically aridity. Using 18O values from tooth enamel as a proxy for water metabolism, we model the range in variance across 1265 individuals from species that possess a carotid rete against those without from three different environmental categories – arid, dry subhumid, and humid – using a non-parametric ANOVA. The results of the analysis indicate there is a comparatively higher, and statistically significant, amount of variance of 18O in mammals possessing CR-SBC than those without, especially within arid climates, that begins to equalize as environmental water availability increases. As environments become increasingly arid, understanding which species are more vulnerable to shifts in climate becomes more pertinent. The presence of CR-SBC provides a clear, binary feature by which to measure the relationship between the environment and species survivorship under varying levels of water availability, and is useful in informing and improving conservation tools, such as physiological distribution models.
Integrating Paleo, Historical, Archeological, and Traditional Ecological Knowledge Data into Caribbean Coral Reef Management
Authors: Cramer Katie L. , McClenachan Loren , Alvarez-Filip Lorenzo , Carilli Jessica , Cope Jason , Graham Rachel , Martínez Ilse , McField Melanie , Nowlis Josh , Pérez Jiménez Juan Carlos , Rubio-Cisneros Nadia , Tewfik Alexander , Vardi Tali , Whaley Zachary
Published: February 2023

Studies using paleoecological and historical data can inform coral reef management by providing accurate ecological baselines and by pinpointing the timing, magnitude, and drivers of ecosystem declines. However, these studies have rarely been incorporated into policy and management frameworks. This working group brings together paleontologists, historical ecologists, ecologists, fisheries scientists, and conservation practitioners to develop pathways for incorporating long-term ecological data into decision-making to advance the sustainable management of reef ecosystems. Our group is focusing on Caribbean coral reefs, a geography with an abundance of historical ecological data and a track record of collaboration between reef scientists and managers. This spirit of collaboration is enhanced by the immediacy of conservation needs for reef ecosystems in this region. We are focusing on the application of long-term data to two pressing management issues for Caribbean coral reefs, which together address the most urgent local human drivers of ecosystem change – fishing and land-based pollution. In this talk, I will outline our working group’s aims and progress to date.
Developing Testable Hypotheses of Anthropogenic Stress: Some Approaches That Work
Authors: Kidwell Susan M.
Published: February 2023

Conservation Paleobiology (CPB) has many aims, but ultimately depends upon our uncovering, for a target region, the history of environmental pressures and history of biological change, particularly biological change that signifies a response to anthropogenic stress: this is how we detect and correctly attribute deterioration, how we design and evaluate recovery, and how we ultimately assess resilience and sustainability. The focus of concern might be a single taxon of economic or other particular value, or larger-scale changes in biomass, taxonomic or phylogenetic diversity, or trophic complexity. One of the biggest challenges for natural scientists can be building the requisite history of cultural stressors – i.e., uncovering the diverse economic, industrial, social, and regulatory activities that might have affected the system. Such information is commonly not accessible via the Web of Science; it can be extremely important but qualitative or can be quantitative but highly variable in units or methods of measurement; and, with the exception of data on commercial harvesting (e.g., fishing, logging) and human population size, useful time-series are scarce. The CPB scientist thus typically needs to compile their own, original history of human activities having potential to affect natural systems, either to evaluate the (paleo)biological data that they already have on hand (from biomonitoring, live-dead analysis, sedimentary cores) or to frame a new campaign of data collection. Here, I describe approaches to finding and merging cultural data that have worked both for research and for class projects, using two coastal marine examples: (1) testing the effects of historical over-fishing (meta-analyses from the early 2000s), and (2) the unexpected role of land-use in the collapse of the open-shelf benthic ecosystem of southern California.
Paleo-Biological Approaches to Present Day Wetland Ecosystem Restoration Problems
Authors: Meeder John F.
Published: February 2023

Establishing historic conditions of a site is frequently the first step in ecosystem restoration. Whether restoration to historic conditions is possible or not, recognition of change and the cause of change is critical information. Three different wetland restoration problems are addressed by paleo-biological methods. Chrono-stratigraphy was instrumental in all three cases, 210Pb at the decadal and radiocarbon for the century to millennial scale questions. In order to document salinity, change in the Southeast Saline Everglades molluscan assemblages were utilized as a proxy for salinity. Vertical changes in cores established that beginning in ~ 1900 salinity increased with the Anthropocene Marine Transgression. The freshwater-marine contact in all cores was identified and the contacts dated. The differences in time between two adjacent cores and the distance between them was utilized to determine the rate of saltwater encroachment, documenting that not all coastal basins exhibited the same rate and that the rate increased over time in response to the accelerating rate of sea-level rise, increasing from the pre-1960 rate of ~ 20 m yr-1 to > 80 m yr-1 between 1995 and 2017. This shift in regime suggests that present restoration activities are inadequate. Soon after Audubon acquired Corkscrew Swamp to preserve the largest remaining wood stork rookery, the swamp was diked to hold surface water because it was believed that surrounding land development was adversely impacting swamp hydroperiod. However, by 1970 cypress regeneration was severely reduced and hydrology and sediment core studies were initiated in an attempt to understand the driver of the change. Core analysis revealed that hydroperiod increased upwards terminating in patchy open-water peats, based upon pollen analysis, previous peat analysis and tissue recognition. Open-water peats indicate no drawdown, eliminating cypress germination. Cypress regeneration began soon after removal of the dike.
Small Biological Preserves and Smaller Mammals: Can Protected Areas in Our Most Populous Regions Conserve Historic Community Composition?
Authors: Viteri Maria C. , Stegner M. Allison , Hadly Elizabeth A.
Published: February 2023

The multi-faceted impacts of the Anthropocene are increasingly modifying natural ecosystems and threatening biodiversity. Protected spaces in and adjacent to urban landscapes may be critical in protecting species in human-modified systems. Can small, protected spaces act as reservoirs for biodiversity across dynamic spatial and temporal gradients of human impact? To address this question, we identified small mammal remains from modern raptor pellets and Holocene archaeological sites along a human modification gradient in the San Francisco Bay Area, CA. We assessed small mammal alpha and beta diversity for both modern and Holocene sites. We tested for significant differences between sites and time bins using permutational multivariate analysis of variance (PERMANOVA) and visualized these differences using non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS). We found that alpha diversity decreased with increasing human modification in Anthropocene sites, with no corresponding change between Holocene sites. Additionally, the alpha diversity of modern sites with moderate/high levels of human modification was significantly lower than that of protected modern sites and all Holocene sites, driven by the dominance of human-commensal and disturbance-tolerant species. On the other hand, the small mammal communities from a small, protected area (Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve) retained Holocene levels of alpha diversity. Jasper Ridge has also changed less over time in terms of overall community composition than more modified sites. Despite this, both PERMANOVA and NMDS show that Holocene and Anthropocene communities are significantly distinct regardless of collection site and level of anthropogenic modification. Our results suggest that even relatively small, protected spaces within an urbanized matrix conserve native faunal communities, highlighting their important role in urban conservation.
Using Fish Remains to Trace Dynamic Exchanges Between Ecology and Economy in Fiji
Authors: Rubin Leah D. , Sibert Elizabeth , Drew Joshua
Published: February 2023

Island nations in the developing world are some of the communities most at-risk to the effects of climate change and are under increasing pressure from globalized seafood markets. Indigenous Fijians have a stark understanding of environmental change because of their economic and dietary reliance on marine resources, including shark fisheries and tourism. Sharks are important apex predators with deep cultural significance in Fiji and they are thus useful species to focus on when investigating historical ecology. However, they are difficult to study; sharks have cartilaginous skeletons, making full body fossils rare, and their behavior can make them difficult to survey with traditional methods. Sharks are also covered in dermal denticles which they shed throughout their lives and which compose some of the most extensive and oldest fossil types. All fish, including sharks, also shed their teeth, and together these microfossils are called ichthyoliths. Scientists in the Caribbean have developed innovative techniques to use ichthyoliths to illuminate the importance of parrotfish to coral reef ecology and trace historical and pre-anthropogenic shark populations. However, this microfossil approach has not yet reached Fiji. We developed a trait-based character coding scheme to describe denticle morphology based on both modern denticles and fossil denticles and discuss our work to expand current denticle reference collections. When combined with ecological factors, morphological analysis can identify temporal periods and spatial regions of importance in both modern and paleo-ocean ecosystem dynamics and aid historical ecologists in describing shark communities of the past. We are embarking on a research project to collect cores from Fiji to examine parrotfish and shark ecology through time. Here we summarize the methods we will use and how we have tailored them to our study region and invite input from the conservation paleobiology community on our study design.
Small Mammal Hypsodonty Ratios Do Not Track Precipitation Changes at Natural Trap Cave, Wyoming
Authors: Turner Lily , Schap Julia A. , McGuire Jenny L.
Published: February 2023

With future climate change, drought events are expected to increase. Hypsodonty is an adaptation in herbivorous mammals for higher crowned teeth, which are better able to process coarse foods. Typically, animals with highly hypsodont teeth are found in arid places. This trait is considered an adaptation to aridity and drought. Many studies examined the spatial distribution of hypsodonty with respect to climate in both ungulates and Glires (rodents and lagomorphs). However, few studies have examined whether spatial trends play out across known climate shifts at a single location. Glires evolved hypsodonty millions of years before ungulates, adapt readily due to short generation times, and have relatively small home ranges, so they may provide more accurate climate predictions. Here, we use Glires from Natural Trap Cave, WY to examine whether community-level changes in hypsodonty reflect known precipitation changes. Additionally, this study investigates the effects of measurement techniques (teeth in-jaw versus out-of-jaw) and tooth wear on hypsodonty measurements. Currently, most hypsodonty studies try to use only completely unworn teeth, which are difficult to find in the fossil record. We find that community-level hypsodonty did change over time, but not in ways that corresponded with established precipitation values at Natural Trap Cave. There were likely other factors driving hypsodonty levels within this community, such as an increasing abundance of grasses with increases in temperature and precipitation. Tooth wear did not seem to have significant effects on hypsodonty measurements across time, and tooth wear only sometimes significantly affected hypsodonty measurements across taxa. With further analysis, it might be conclusively decided that samples can be expanded to somewhat worn teeth. This analysis of hypsodonty as a climate proxy can help shape both its use in future studies and our understanding of how species will respond to future climate changes.
Examining the Biogeographic History and Evolution of Otters in the Americas to Identify Conservation Solutions
Authors: DeNeve Weeks Danaan , Lindsey Emily
Published: February 2023

Anthropogenic impacts affect nearly every living species. The habitats and ranges of many taxa are now so modified that modern distribution information alone is insufficient to determine what conditions they can persist in. As climate change and other anthropogenic impacts increase, clear information on species’ needs and tolerances simultaneously becomes even more critical for conservation and harder to obtain. Historic records and paleontological data can provide key insights into organisms’ past requirements, resilience, and adaptive capacity, which can be used to identify specific areas of vulnerability and to inform conservation policies and strategies. Here we review the evolutionary history and paleobiogeography of North and South American river otters to investigate how geography and environmental change have driven river otter evolution in the Americas, and shaped the ecology, threats, and conservation status of each of the extant species in these clades. Members of the two extant American otter genera, Lontra and Pteronura, overlap in geographic and ecological niche space, and their shared history provides an opportunity for an evolutionarily-grounded examination of relative rarity, specialization, and level of conservation concern. Integrated paleobiological, historical, and modern ecological data indicates that American otters are less habitat-specific than previously thought. We found that changes in waterway connectivity impacts speciation and population connectivity, and likely plays a role in population health and persistence in times of stress. All American river otters exhibit sensitivity to anthropogenic habitat modifications but can coexist with humans in urbanized environments with proper support. This deeper-time perspective suggests that otter conservation in regard to both habitat alteration and climate change may strongly benefit from supporting riverine ecosystem productivity and connectivity in both wild and urban settings.
Transferable Skills and Big Ideas for the Next Generation of (Paleo)Environmental Decision Makers: A Curricular Example Using Salmon Restoration and Conservation in the Pacific Northwest for Undergraduate and Graduate Student Training
Authors: Fox-Dobbs Kena , Sherman Daniel , Wimberger Peter
Published: February 2023

Future (paleo)environmental and Earth scientists will need to partake in interdisciplinary dialogue and apply systems thinking to address current and projected environmental problems. Towards this goal, undergraduate and graduate student training should include transferable skills, such as the ability to identify policy claims and understand the role of values, beliefs and attitudes when engaging potential stakeholders. Students should also have robust opportunities to practice these skills in the context of big ideas or issues that are environmentally-relevant. Here we present an example of a project-based scenario which has students first build a set of physical, biological, geohistorical, regulatory, social, and environmental justice “landscape” layers at the watershed-level. Second, the students consider real proposed restoration projects to recover salmon, and convince stakeholders and funding agencies to support their highest priority project. The projects are scored and ranked using Washington State Salmon Funding Recovery Board (SRFB) technical and social criteria. Students gain experience in; 1) analyzing interactions among the science and policy landscape layers in their watersheds, 2) navigating the process of individual and collective decision making regarding restoration and conservation, and 3) communicating to broad audiences, such as the SRFB which includes indigenous, government agency, academic, industry, and non-profit representatives. The ability to connect scientific understandings of the natural world, including paleobiological perspectives, to policy and decision making is a skill-set that needs to be taught and practiced at the undergraduate and graduate levels. While the connections are often clear, acting on those connections is usually the challenge, and student training prepares the next generation of (paleo)environmental decision makers.
Mollusk Response Under Ocean Acidification in Shallow Marine Settings of Sicily (Central Mediterranean)
Authors: Scarponi Daniele , Mancuso Arianna , Goffredo Stefano , Kowalewski Michał
Published: February 2023

Anthropogenic CO2 is a major driver of change in most marine ecosystems, as the consequent ocean acidification is threatening marine calcifying organisms. In this respect, long-term analyses on ocean acidification effects on marine ecosystems acclimated to high pCO2, as found around CO2 vents, are needed. Here we tackle mollusk assemblages from acidified shallow marine settings off the Aeolian archipelago (Central Mediterranean). The detected gradient manifests along a 34 m long transect (9.6 m and 11.4 m water depth), mostly in a Posidonia oceanica matte from normal (site 1) to high levels (site 3) of pCO2 (405 μatm, pH 8.1 and 715 μatm, pH 7.8; respectively). The strongest acidified condition at the vent crater (site 4, pCO2 1110 μatm, pH 7.7). At the vent site gaseous emissions are characterized by ~99% in volume of CO2 and ~0.6% of H2S. However, water dissolved H2S was below detection limit and the sulphate content along the transect does not show significant variations with respect to normal seawater values. Preliminary paleoecologic surveys on diversity structure (diversity profiles) and taphonomic degradation (NMDS, z scored % values) were conducted on mollusk remains collected along the natural pH gradient (sites 1-4). Along the P. oceanica matte (sites 1-3), overall mollusk taxon diversity (alpha and beta) decreased, mollusk in site 3 were mostly juveniles and had higher overall taphonomic damages than those retrieved at normal pH conditions. Within the vent crater only fewer and highly taphonomically altered gastropod specimens were retrieved on the pebbly seafloor, suggesting a very short residence time of shell material and rapid dissolution. Even if vents are not exact predictors of the anthropogenic-designed future of marine settings, due to their limited spatial and temporal extent, they can act as natural laboratories where to evaluate the output of ecosystem processes under rising pCO2 and the effects on the creation of the future fossil record.
Assessing Impact of Domestic and Non-Native Species on Trait-Environment Relationships Using Hypsodonty and Precipitation Since the Late Pleistocene
Authors: Short Rachel A. , Sketel Michael , Martin Jeff M. , Schap Julia A. , McGuire Jenny L. , Lawing A. Michelle
Published: February 2023

Ecosystem function relies in part on aligned relationships between functional traits of animals and the environments in which they live. Studies of trait-environment relationships have largely focused on communities of native species, but domestic and non-native species also play a role in the functioning of modern ecosystems. We use ecometrics, or study of functional trait-environment relationships, to evaluate the impact of domestic and non-native species on community-level trait composition and its relationship with precipitation by comparing four community compositions: modern native, modern native plus domestic, modern native plus non-native, and late Pleistocene (0.126–0.0117 Ma). We integrate large and small herbivorous mammals into a single ecometric model of hypsodonty (i.e., tooth crown height) and annual precipitation (n=8439, r=-0.7, R2=0.4, p<0.001). We hypothesize: 1) ecometric models of modern native communities will differ from those for late Pleistocene communities, 2) inclusion of domestic species will align ecometric relationships with those from the late Pleistocene, 3) inclusion of non-native species will maintain ecometric relationships of modern native communities. We found modern communities of native species have lower hypsodonty values and higher precipitation estimates than late Pleistocene communities. Domestic species shift modern communities toward higher hypsodonty values and lower precipitation estimates like those in the late Pleistocene. Today’s domestics are mostly high-crowned grazing species representative of the fauna lost prior to the Holocene. Non-native species do not shift modern native trait composition or the associated precipitation estimates, illustrating the success of non-native species due to trait alignment with their new environments. Thus, conservation and restoration efforts should consider trait composition of whole communities because it provides unique information to measures of taxonomic composition.
Tribally-Led Consultation on the Ethical Use of Sedimentary Ancient DNA for a Culturally Important Plant: Manoomin, Psin, Zizania (Wild Rice)
Authors: Myrbo Amy , Vogt Darren , Schuldt Nancy , Howes Thomas , Schirmer Ron , Diver Karen
Published: February 2023

Led by Native American resource managers, we have convened a working group across 20+ tribal entities in the north-central United States, with the goal of building consensus around the use of sedimentary ancient DNA (sedaDNA) to detect deep-past and recent populations of wild rice (manoomin in Ojibwe, psiŋ in Dakota, Zizania palustris and Z. aquatica) using lake sediment cores. Wild rice is of extremely high cultural and spiritual importance to many Indigenous people of the Laurentian Great Lakes region, as well as being a valuable traditional food and providing important habitat for waterfowl and other organisms. Because of its importance, any research involving wild rice must be tribally led, and outcomes designed to benefit the tribes (e.g., Matson et al. 2020). Wild rice is threatened by environmental degradation due to industrial processes and agriculture, so its protection can be a contentious regulatory and political issue in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan, involving tribal, state, and federal agencies. The wild rice paleorecord has tremendous potential for detecting and tracking past changes in wild rice distributions. Until recently, however, proxies for wild rice were either ineffective (pollen, seeds), or low-throughput and thus not scalable to region-wide use (phytoliths). SedaDNA would supplement Indigenous knowledge and Western scientific methods to inform conservation, management, designation for protection, and the enhancement of cultural and historical records. In this presentation, we will describe how we are synthesizing output from facilitated online meetings with and presentations to tribal resource managers into a white paper providing guidance from these sovereign Nations to academic researchers, agencies, and policymakers on restrictions on the utilization of sedaDNA of wild rice, the leadership roles tribal entities should take in all research, and tribal priorities for the application of this technique.
Using Simulations to Evaluate the Utility of Geohistorical Reference Conditions for Assessing Ecological Quality
Authors: Pruden M. J. , Smith Jansen A. , Handley John C. , Durham Stephen R. , Dietl Gregory P.
Published: February 2023

Incorporating paleontological data into the methods and formats familiar to conservation practitioners may facilitate greater use of paleontological data in conservation practice. Benthic indices (e.g., Multivariate-AZTI Marine Biotic Index; M-AMBI) utilize reference conditions for monitoring ecological conditions. However, reference conditions from monitoring records are limited in temporal scope and often represent degraded conditions, which can cause inaccurate assessments of ecological quality. Paleontological data, such as molluscan death assemblages, have potential to provide long-term, location-specific reference conditions, which are otherwise inaccessible to decision-makers. Here we use simulations of living communities under constant and changing environmental conditions to evaluate the capacity of death assemblage reference conditions to replicate M-AMBI values when used in place of reference conditions from the living communities. Reference conditions from all death assemblage scenarios successfully replicated correct remediation decisions in most simulation runs with environmental change and stability. Variations in M-AMBI values were due to overestimated species richness and Shannon entropy values in the death assemblages and effects of changes to these parameters varied across scenarios. Time averaging was largely beneficial, particularly when environmental change occurred, and short-term observations of the living communities produced incorrect remediation decisions. When the duration of time averaging is known, death assemblages can provide valuable longer-term perspectives with the potential to outperform temporally constrained baseline information from monitoring the living community.
Can the market affect non-government banking returns during COVID-19 pandemic?
Authors: Mallisa Citra Salniati , Timbang Febriani , Palullungan Marni , Appulembang Olfin M.
Published: February 2023

At the beginning of the era of the Covid-19 pandemic, returns on the capital market became increasingly uncertain, especially for non-government-owned banks in Indonesia. The purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between market movements and returns from non-government banks in Indonesia. The results of the analysis on MEGA and BNGA in the range 5 June 2020 to 30 December 2021 show that the two banks have the same stock return. Empirically, this study finds that stock returns and market returns have unidirectional relationship even though the two banks have different risks.
The effect of the gold index and NIKKEI on the Indonesian market index
Authors: Gerung Dina S. , Arikalang Silva S. , Agow Tessalonika , Sambeka Irmando M. J. J.
Published: February 2023

Gold and NIKKEI are two important market mechanisms and can directly affect the market in Indonesia. The Covid-19 pandemic has had an adverse impact on the world economy and one of them is Indonesia. This study observes the period from June 2021 to May 2022. This study finds that in the period June to December 2021 the gold index is negative and significant on the JCI although NIKKEI has quite a positive effect. Reversely, in the period of January to May 2022, the gold index has a positive effect on the JCI movement, but not on NIKKEI.
The influence of the crude oil and the gold on energy sector returns
Authors: Tanod Ekleysia Gracela , Pontoh Florencia Arum Sari , Tuyu Gabril , Marianne Halldila
Published: February 2023

Oil and gold are the most essential commodities in the business world. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the price of gold tended to be stable and the price of crude oil, on the other hand, tended to increase. The objective of this study is to analyze the effect of crude oil returns and gold returns on the returns of firms especially in the energy sector during 8 June 2020 to 4 June 2021. This study finds that only crude oil returns significantly and positively impact the returns of the firms in the energy sector.
Human resource planning reforms in South Korea: Implications for Ho Chi Minh city
Authors: Nguyen Phan Thu Hang , Le Lan Huong
Published: February 2023

Human resource had inevitably been a key factor in contributing to South Korea’s high technology boom and rapid economic growth. Sharing similarities in historical situation, social and economic condition, lessons from what South Korean government had implemented to develop skilled manpower that meets economic development needs would be valuable for Vietnam situation in general and Ho Chi Minh City in particular. Firstly, this study clarified the reciprocal relation of education, human resource and economic development. Then, it focused on analyzing and finding out effective policies in human resource development of Ho Chi Minh City from South Korea’s case study.
Factors affecting the tourist’s behavioural of booking tours via online network in the new stage: Case of Ho Chi Minh city
Authors: Bui Mai Hoang Lam
Published: February 2023

With the rapid development of society in the era of information technology, the tourism industry is also required to connect with new revolutionary technology tools to increase exploitation efficiency. In addition, recently, the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic has caused heavy damage, especially to the tourism industry in Vietnam and around the world. The article focuses on analyzing the factors affecting the Behavioural Intention of the tourist via online networks. The study was conducted  using quantitative and qualitative methods based on a survey of 355 tourists in Ho Chi Minh City. The results show that the most important factor affecting the Behavioural Intention to purchase an online tour is Perceived Behavioral Control (β = 0.449), Subjective Norm (β = 0.261), and Perceived Usefulness (β = 0.230).
Tekstil Sektöründe Çalışanların Toz ve Gürültü Maruziyetlerinin İncelenmesi
Authors: Ersoy Ziya
Published: February 2023

Tekstil sektörü ulusal ve uluslararası ticarette ciddi bir pazara sahiptir. Türkiye'de çalışanların istihdam kaynaklarından biridir. Sektör içerisinde çalışanlar açısından ciddi risk oluşturabilecek etkenler yer almaktadır. Açığa çıkan bu risklerden ikisi de toz ve gürültüdür. Bu riskler çalışan sağlığını etkilemektedir. Çalışanın sağlığına etki eden bu risklere karşı önlem alınmalı ve çalışanlara iş sağlığı ve güvenliği çerçevesinde sağlıklı ve güvenli bir çalışma şartları sağlanmalıdır. Bu çalışmanın amacı; risklerin çalışanların sağlığını ne derece etkilediğinin tespitinin yapılması ve gerekli olan önlemlerin belirlenmesidir. Bu amaçla Uşak ili içerisinde tekstil işi yapan üç fabrikanın yaptırmış olduğu çalışma ortamındaki toz ve gürültü ölçüm değerleri analiz edilmiştir. Bunun yanı sıra bu fabrikalarda çalışan 100 işçinin sağlık muayene sonuçları incelenmiştir. Çalışma yapılan tekstil fabrikalarının birçok bölümünde toz ve gürültü risklerinin sınır değerleri aştığı görülmüştür. Toz ve gürültünün yoğun olduğu bu bölümlerde çalışanlara sağlıklı ve güvenli bir çalışma alanı sağlanmadan çalışma yapılmaması gerektiği tespit edilmiştir. Bu riskli çalışma alanlarında daha sağlıklı ve güvenli çalışılması için önerilerde bulunulmuştur. Toz ve gürültü etkenlerini ortadan kaldırabilmek veya azaltabilmek için kaynakta mücadele edilmelidir. Diğer taraftan çalışanlar kişisel koruyucularını kullandıkları tespit edilse de sağlık açısından işyerlerinin tehlike sınıflarına göre ya da işyeri hekiminin yapılmasını istediği aralıklarla çalışanların muayene edilmeleri gerektiği öngörülmüştür.
Genesis 1–3 as a Resource for Twenty–First Century Faith
Authors: King Carolyn
Published: February 2023

Centuries of pre-scientific tradition underlie the widespread modern misunderstanding of the Book of Genesis. But, in fact, it is full of sharply relevant wisdom for the here and now. We can find real inspiration when we read it with attention to the original cosmological environment of Genesis 1, which supports the idea that it is not a prehistoric account of the origins of the universe, but the text of a six-day festival celebrating the inauguration of the cosmos as a fit and functional home for humanity. Likewise, a contemporary reinterpretation of the Eden story of Genesis 2–3 in terms of the origins, anatomy, and functions of the human brain can undo millennia of guilt and grief imposed by the idea of original sin. In this light, a serious, respectful, and integrated approach to Genesis based on the best of biblical scholarship and of modern neurobiology can reassure us that the widely assumed warfare between science and religion was never necessary in the first place. Rather, a deeply informed biblical faith can inspire us with new confidence in God and in our own human nature.
YOGA - AS I SEE IT
Authors: Banerjee Alok K.
Published: February 2023

For many years I had a belief that yogic practice is good for those who are unable to perform dynamic exercises. Existing literature by leading yoga researchers claimed to have multiple benefits of yoga, since yoga creates a healthy climate in mind and body. Gradually more and more research publications have been appearing and in good number of journals researchers have established with sufficient and convincing explanation that practicing yoga have many psycho-physiological benefits too.
ENHANCEMENT TEACHING AND LEARNING PROCESS THROUGH THE APPLICATION OF ICT IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION
Authors: Ahmed Nasim , Sarkar Amlan
Published: February 2023

Today’s world, the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in education has grown rapidly. The application of computer in the field of education, teaching through projectors, smart boards and internet, classes are becoming more interesting. Computer and Internet technology is being used in research work, to assess, to do statistical analysis, to collect class materials, to communicate with teachers and students. Teachers are an important element in education system. We can’t imagine better educational environment without a better teacher. The age we are living in is known as the knowledge explosion age. The domain of knowledge is expanding very fast. To teach better a teacher needs to be update with the changes. For this ICT helps a lot. Education systems play a major role in the development of modern economics. ICT or Information and Communications Technology broadly refers to tools and services that handle and communicate information. ICT enables self-paced learning through various tools such as assignment, computer etc as a result of this the teaching learning enterprise has become more productive and meaningful. Today’s classrooms are full of young minds who are technologically conscious. By using a combination of audio-visual learning alongside the traditional blackboard, institutes can facilitate better learning opportunities for students. Other than the subject of Physical Education has already been entangled with the fascination of modern scientific technology but till now the subject, Physical Education is embodied with deteriorated and traditional method of teaching. We do need a transitional change to explore the subject for the welfare of the learners in the realm of globalization of education. In this paper, an attempt was made to discuss the problems, importance and benefits of Information and communication technology in Education. The general findings can be concluded that the use of computer is the use of technology teaching and learning, we ensure that ICT is a positive relationship with students’ learning. This paper analyzes the current situation of Physical Education in colleges, shows the current deficiencies of Physical Education in colleges, then elaborates the advantages of information technology in the application of Physical Education in colleges.
AGE AT MAXIMUM GROWTH SQURT IN BODY HEIGHT AND WEIGHT FOR WEST BENGAL SCHOOL CHILDREN AGED 6-17 YEARS
Authors: Sarkar Amlan , Ahmed Nasim
Published: February 2023

The present study was conducted among the boys and girls of Birbhum District, West Bengal, India in order to evaluate the pattern of growth in height and weight of these middle-class Bengali children. The data comprises 600 children (300 boys and 300 girls) ranging in age from 6-17 years, measured cross-sectionally. The present study reveals that the girls attain peak Height and weight Velocity earlier than boys. The results revealed that the age at Peak Height Velocity (PHV) and Peak Weight Velocity (PWV) for Bengali boys 13-14 years and for Bengali girls for 11-12 years.
Investigating the role of computer simulations in modeling complex biological systems
Authors: Ka Chen
Published: February 2023

The use of computer simulations in modeling complex biological systems has become an important tool for biotechnology research. This study investigates the role of computer simulations in modeling complex biological systems and their potential applications in biotechnology. The focus of the study was on protein folding, a complex biological process that plays a critical role in the structure and function of proteins. The simulation was carried out using molecular dynamics techniques that allowed the simulation of the movement of the protein molecules over time. The simulation results were compared to experimental data and showed a good agreement with the actual protein structure. Furthermore, the simulation provided insights into the dynamics of the protein folding process, such as the folding pathway and the stability of the intermediate states. These insights can be used to design new drugs and therapies that target specific protein structures and functions. The study concludes that computer simulations are a valuable tool in biotechnology research and have the potential to revolutionize the field by providing accurate and detailed information about complex biological systems. Future research could investigate the use of advanced computer simulations and machine learning algorithms in biotechnology applications to improve their accuracy and efficiency.
Deep Learning Analysis of Virtual Reality Technology for pharma industry
Authors: Qiulin Gu  , Li Zhang
Published: February 2023

The use of virtual reality (VR) technology is rapidly expanding in the pharmaceutical industry, and with the application of deep learning analysis, this technology is becoming more sophisticated and effective. Deep learning is a subfield of artificial intelligence that enables machines to learn and improve through experience, and its application in VR technology has the potential to transform the way pharmaceutical research and development is conducted. The use of VR technology in the pharmaceutical industry has numerous applications, including drug discovery, development, and testing. VR technology allows for the simulation of complex biological processes, which can lead to more accurate and efficient drug development. Additionally, VR technology can be used to train medical professionals, provide patient education, and improve the overall delivery of care. Deep learning analysis of VR technology in the pharmaceutical industry has the potential to unlock new insights and improve the efficiency of drug discovery and development. With the application of deep learning algorithms, machines can learn from large datasets and simulate complex biological processes with greater accuracy and speed. This can help to identify potential drug candidates more efficiently, reducing the time and costs associated with traditional drug development processes. Furthermore, deep learning analysis of VR technology can also be used to improve patient outcomes by enabling more personalized medicine. By analyzing large amounts of patient data, deep learning algorithms can help identify the best treatments for individual patients, leading to better health outcomes