bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Study of resistance and vitality responses in six silkworm (Bombyx mori L.) hybrids under individual selection for parental lines
Authors: Seidavi A , Mirhosseini S Z , Mavvajpour M , Bizhannia A , Ghanipoor M
Published: June 2019

Sericulture has been an important agricultural industry since 2650 BC (Seidavi et al. 2006). There are about 10 million farmers and 0.5 million related industrial workers in the world. The present capacity of silkworm eggs production in Iran is about 70000 boxes per year which are distributed among 40000 silkworm house holders. Annual cocoon production in Iran is about 6000 metric tons which is small in comparison with production in previous centuries. Silkworm breeding using selection systems can improve line and hybrid performance. Individual selection based on cocoon weight in GGP generation (great grandparent) improved GP (grandparent) and P (parent) parental line generation (Seidavi et al. 2007), but it did not consider the effects on resistance performance of hybrid generation. In this experiment, the effects of two phenotypic selections of GGP parents on vitality (percentage of survival pupae) and resistance properties in six of their hybrids (including 31×32, 32×31, 103×104, 104×103, 107×110 and 110×107) were studied.
Animal performance characteristics in suckler-bred steers and heifers finished at 16-20 months of age on a grass silage and barley-based concentrate ration offered as a complete diet
Authors: Hyslop J J , Ross D W , Navajas E A , Prieto N , Roehe R , Simm G
Published: June 2019

Due to an increasingly discerning consumer demand, the eating quality of beef has become a major focus of research effort for the beef supply chain and some pricing schemes currently reward Aberdeen Angus sired animals over animals sired by other breeds. However, the animal performance characteristics of beef cattle at a farm level must also be examined in studies on beef eating quality since they will remain an integral part of primary producer returns for the foreseeable future. As part of a wider beef eating quality project, the objective of the current study was to assess the on-farm and carcass animal performance characteristics in suckler-bred steers and heifers during the finishing phase.
Effects of different levels replacement of ensiled pistachio epicarp with corn silage on fattening parameters and lamb performance
Authors: Mahdavi A , Zaghari M , Zahedifar M , Nikkhah A , Alemi F , Aghashahi A , Hosseini S A , Mahdavi A
Published: June 2019

There is about 430000 hectares of pistachio garden in Iran and annual dry pistachio production is 688000 tones. There are some problems with this by-product are including: 1) deterioration in less than 24 hours so it could not stored for long term. 2) Pistachio epicarp contains high level of tannins and other phenolic compounds, and there is little information about its effects in ruminants. 3) This by-product is potentially an environmental pollutant and cost effective for disposal. A study was conducted to investigate possibility of different levels replacement of ensiled pistachio epicarp (EPE) with corn silage and its effects on growth rate and carcass composition of lambs.
The effect of non-structural carbohydrate on in vitro first order disappearance kinetic of cellulose
Authors: Rezaii F , Mesgaran M Danesh , Moussavi A Heravi
Published: June 2019

Ruminal cellulose digestion is a complex microbial process that involves adhesion of microbial cells to cellulose, cellulose hydrolysis, and fermentation of the resulting cellodextrins to volatile fatty acid, methane, and CO2 (Weimer, 1996). Information about how cellulose digestion and fermentation are affected by different ruminal environmental conditions is necessary to understand ruminant performance (Mourino, 2001). The aim of the present study was to elucidate the impact of type of supplemental non-structural carbohydrates (NSC) (starch and/or sucrose) on invitro first order disappearance kinetic of commercial cellulose (Cell).
The wool properties and body weights of the indigenous Red Karaman and Karyaka sheep breeds of Turkey
Authors: Pasa E , Esfandyari H , Farajiyan M , Mogghaddam G , Shahbazi P , Bayram B
Published: June 2019

Sheep breeding has an important role in animal production in Turkey. The diversity of animal genetic resources of Turkey have not been fully appraised and some indigenous farm animal breeds are in danger of disappearing even before being scientifically defined. An equilibrium is needed between the genetic improvement studies and the conservation of the genetic resources Ozcan et al (1994). The greatest part of the wool produced by the indigenous sheep breeds in Turkey is of coarse and mixed type of wool and most of it is used in the hand woven authentic carpet production Kizilay (1986). This paper reports body weights and wool production characteristics of the indigenous Red Karaman and Karayaka sheep breeds.
Disappearance of dry matter and neutral detergent fibre (NDF) of sunflower meal treated with sodium hydroxide or formaldehyde by isolated mixed rumen bacteria usingin vitroculture
Authors: Mesgaran M Danesh , Mohammadabidi T , Moussavi A Heravi , Nassiry M
Published: June 2019

Cellulolytic bacteria, such asRuminococcus albus,R. flavefaciensandFibrobacter succinogenesare major micro-organisms responsible for ruminal digestion of plant cell walls ingested by the animal due to their numerical predominance and metabolic diversity (Chenget al., 1991). It has been proposed that sodium hydroxide might breakdown hemicelluloses, expose the cellulose to microbial attachment and improve digestibility (Chenet al., 2006). The objective of this experiment was to estimate the disappearance of dry matter (DM) and neutral detergent fibre (NDF) of sunflower meal (25 g fat/kg DM; SM) as untreated or treated with formaldehyde (3 g/kg DM) or sodium hydroxide (40 g/kg DM) usingin vitroculture with isolated mixed rumen bacteria.
Antinutritional factors, ruminal degradation and in vitro protein digestibility of gamma irradiated full-fat soybean
Authors: Roudbaneh M Taghinejad , Nikkhah A , Sadeghi A A , Raisali G , Chamani M
Published: June 2019

Whole soybean is used as a high energy-protein supplement for dairy cows, but contains various antinutritional factors and the protein is highly degradable by rumen microbes. Roasting and extrusion are very popular ways of feeding soybeans to dairy cows but these processing methods may adversely affect the protein digestibility and lysine availability of the ﬁnal product in the small intestine. Gamma irradiation has been recognized as a reliable and safe method for improving the nutritional value and inactivation or removal of certain antinutritional factors in foods and feeds (Siddhuraju et al., 2002). As far as we know, information about the effects of γ-irradiation on ruminal crude protein (CP) degradation of full-fat soybean in the literature is scarce. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of gamma irradiation (γ-irradiation) on nutritional value and antinutritional factors of soybean (SB) for ruminants.
The effects of in ovo feeding of threonine and carbohydrates on growth performance of broiler chickens
Authors: Mousavi S N , Foroudi F , Baghi F Arab , Shivazad M , Ghahri H
Published: June 2019

The few days before and after hatch is a critical period for the development and survival of commercial broilers. Glycogen reserves in the chick embryo are significantly depleted during the perihatch period in order to meet the high energy demands during the process of emergence (Uni and Ferket, 2004). The immediate posthatch period is characterized by a transition from the use of lipid-rich yolk as the nutrient source to exogenous feed rich in carbohydrates and proteins. This transition is accompanied by rapid physical and functional development of the gastrointestinal tract (Sklan, 2001). The accelerated rate of development posthatch is reflected in the several-fold improvement in the development of the gastrointestinal tract and organ growth which will allow for a more efficient uptake of nutrients for muscle development. During late embryogenesis, solutions administered into the amniontic fluid (in ovo feeding) are consumed by the embryo, digested, and absorbed by the embryonic intestine prior to pipping (Uni et al., 2005). In ovo feeding of supplemental nutrients may help to overcome the constraint of limited egg nutrients (Foye et al., 2006). The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the effects of in ovo feeding of carbohydrates and threonine, alone or in combination, on growth performance of broiler chicks from 1 to 42 d of age.
Effect of medicinal plants and organic acid on growth performance of Ross broilers
Authors: Ziaie H , Torshizi M A Karimi , Bashtani M , Farhangfar H , Rowlinson P , Zeinali A
Published: June 2019

The prophylactic use of antibiotic (as growth promoters) in animal feeds has made intensive farming possible and improved feed conversion. In the presence of low levels of an antibiotic, resistant cells survive and grow which produces an antibiotic-resistant population. Consequently, the use of antibiotic for broilers has been limited. Therefore, a number of studies on alternative products that can aid promotion of growth, improved feed utilization, and maintenance of gut health have taken placed (Hernandez et al, 2004). Herbs and organic acid have received an increased attention as an alternative to antibiotics (Craig, 1999; Ricke, 2003). The main aim of the present research was to evaluate the efficiency of alternative antibiotic growth promoters on Ross broiler performance.
Effect of different levels of digestible lysine on performance, and blood parameters of male and female broilers in the starter period
Authors: Alemi F , Shivazad M , Zaghari M , Moravej H , Mahdavi A , Hosseini S A , Mahdavi A , Sofla S Savar
Published: June 2019

Lysine is the reference amino acid (AA) in the ideal AA ratios for chickens. Feed formulation based on digestible AA has been shown to increase weight gain and feed intake and improve body composition in broilers. Amino acid (AA) in most feed ingredients will not be totally digested, and knowledge of such efficiency is important in formulating diets and will be used to eliminate differences in absorption efficiencies due to feedstuff sources. This study was conducted to evaluate the growth performance and blood parameters of broilers fed various levels of DL (Digestible Lysine) supplemented in diets from day 1 to day 18.
Balancing the competing needs of climate change, biodiversity and rural communities
Authors: Prosser H
Published: June 2019

The work of the UK Climate Change Commission (UKCCC) in recommending targets and options for reducing emissions of greenhouse gases is focusing attention on what agriculture and land use can contribute to deliver these targets. Although overall the major issue is the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions from energy use, agriculture and land use are significant emitters of methane and nitrous oxide. UKCCC has identified three main routes by which emissions can be reduced

• Lifestyle change with less reliance on carbon intensive produce -eg switching from sheep, and beef to pig, poultry and vegetables.

• Changing farm practices – eg to improve use of fertilisers and manures

• Using new technology on farms – eg modifying rumen processes, anaerobic digestion.
How well are citizens represented by their governments? Issue congruence and inequality in Europe
Authors: Rosset Jan , Stecker Christian
Published: June 2019

This study analyses congruence across various issues in 16 European democracies. Making use of public opinion and expert survey data, our analyses show that congruence between the policy preferences of citizens and the stances of governments is much more complex than what is revealed by studies focusing on ideology solely. Size and directions of incongruence are larger and more systematic on specific issues than on the left–right scale. On redistribution, citizens are more to the left than their governments, while popular support for European integration is systematically lower among citizens than among their representatives. Moreover, the relatively poor are particularly underrepresented on redistribution, while the preferences of the relatively lower educated are not well reflected in government preferences in relation to European integration. We interpret these results as being partly linked to a representation gap with privileged social groups enjoying higher levels of congruence with their government.
Treaty Stasis
Authors: Israel Brian
Published: June 2019

We shouldn’t necessarily be concerned when international lawmaking is a victim of its own success. A trend in a given domain of international governance in which multilateral treaty-making gives way to bilateral and non-binding alternatives does not itself signal a decline in the influence or efficacy of international law. It may in fact be a normal symptom of a properly functioning international legal framework—as much a cause for celebration among international lawyers as for concern.

I wish to offer some brief reflections on this Agora theme, The End of Treaties?, from the perspective of a lawyer responsible for engineering international cooperation. I say “engineering” because international lawyers in this role must carefully weigh design tradeoffs in selecting among potential cooperative mechanisms, not unlike an engineer weighing the tradeoffs between materials in designing to a performance and cost specification. Like architects, international lawyers must also be attuned to the social dimensions of the arrangements they craft, but should ultimately privilege function above the aesthetics of legal form. Ugly international cooperative arrangements may nevertheless perform beautifully.
The True Meaning of Force
Authors: O’Connell Mary Ellen
Published: June 2019

Tom Ruys’s article in the latest issue of the American Journal of International Law is an erudite study of the prohibition on the use of force in UN Charter Article 2(4). Ruys makes many points with which I wholeheartedly agree. In note 241, he says that the case for cross-border drone attacks by the United States “verges on stretching criteria for necessity, proportionality, and armed attack to the point of absurdity . . . .” He is also right to reject emerging claims that the defense of necessity provides a basis for the lawful resort to force. Indeed, there is much that is truly excellent about the article—just not, unfortunately, its central thesis.
Identifying International Organizations’ Contributions to Custom
Authors: DeBartolo David M.
Published: June 2019

It is widely acknowledged that international organizations (IOs) indirectly affect customary international law by catalyzing and focusing State practice. But next year the International Law Commission and Michael Wood, its Special Rapporteur on the Identification of Customary International Law, are primed to address a more contentious issue: when and how IOs can directly contribute, like States, to custom.

This past summer the Commission’s Drafting Committee provisionally adopted a draft conclusion stating that “[i]n certain cases, the practice of international organizations also contributes to the formation, or expression, of rules of customary international law.” Based on Wood’s Second Report dated May 2014, three topics merit particular attention in the year ahead: 1) distinguishing State practice from IO practice, 2) scrutinizing potentially relevant types of IO practice, and 3) considering types of cases in which such IO practice might contribute to custom. (While the Drafting Committee declined to include definitions in its draft conclusions, this article defines “IO” as Wood did in his Second Report: “an intergovernmental organization.”)
Does Custom Have A Source?
Authors: Bodansky Daniel
Published: June 2019

Customary international law often seems like a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. According to Manley O. Hudson, even the drafters of the International Court of Justice Statute “had no very clear idea as to what constituted international custom.” The situation has not changed much since then.

I got my first taste of the difficulties in identifying custom when I was a junior attorney at the U.S. Department of State and was assigned the task of preparing the U.S. submission in a juvenile death penalty case before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. The juvenile death penalty is prohibited by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the American Convention on Human Rights, but the question in the Inter-American Commission case was whether it is also prohibited as a matter of customary international law.
Democratic Legitimacy between Port-au-Prince and Cairo: A Reply to Erika de Wet
Authors: Vidmar Jure
Published: June 2019

In the 1990s, international legal scholarship was marked by democratic idealism and the belief that democracy had become the only legitimate political system. The more radical proposals even speculated about legality of pro-democratic intervention. Such re-conceptualizations of international law were met with determined criticism. However, even skeptical voices were willing to admit that democracy nevertheless did have some limited normative force in post-Cold War international law. While it would be an exaggeration to say that nondemocratic governments are illegitimate per se, a consensus started to emerge that international law prohibited at least a coup against a democratic government. In the absence of a workable definition of substantive democracy for international law purposes, a democratic government was understood as an authority which comes to power in an electoral process that is reasonably free and fair.
Whither Democratic Legitimism?: Contextualizing Recent Developments in the Recognition and Non-recognition of Governments
Authors: R. Roth Brad
Published: June 2019

Erika de Wet has provided a useful and balanced assessment of the current state of the international law of governmental illegitimacy. Her account quite rightly concludes that “democratic legitimacy is not yet a requirement for the recognition of ade juregovernment under customary international law.” What follows below seeks to expand on her observations in two ways: by developing somewhat further the doctrinal linkages to which she alludes; and by explaining the failure of a consistently legitimist state practice to materialize, in light of the dynamics of the legal order within which the question of governmental illegitimacy is embedded.
“Exploitation Creep” and Development: A Response to Janie Chuang
Authors: Ahmed Aziza
Published: June 2019

In her article Exploitation Creep and the Unmaking of Human Trafficking Law, Janie Chuang insightfully describes transformations in the discourse on trafficking as it shifted from sex trafficking to human trafficking, and as human trafficking came to be understood as forced labor, and now modern day slavery. With each of these transformations, the United States government, self-anointed “global sheriff” of anti-trafficking efforts, deepened its emphasis on a prosecution-oriented strategy focused on individual perpetrator accountability. As an alternative trajectory, Chuang identifies and convincingly argues for a labor-rights approach that takes into consideration the structural causes of exploitation in the labor market, including poverty, unemployment, discrimination, and conflict.
Why Dinosaurs Were Not Mammals and Vice Versa
Authors: Hotton Nicholas
Published: June 2019

Everybody knows what dinosaurs are- or were. They were land animals which appeared first in the late Triassic, about 210 million years ago, and became extinct at the end of the Cretaceous, about 65 million years ago. They were extremely successful, being the most conspicuous and diverse terrestrial vertebrates for about 145 million years. The most impressive feature of dinosaurs is their large size, and though much is made of adult dinosaurs no bigger than a chicken, the fact remains that the smallest of these were larger than more than 70% of living mammals (Hotton, 1980).
Tyrannosaurus sex
Authors: Larson Peter L.
Published: June 2019

The discovery in recent years of several well preserved and partially articulated skeletons of Tyrannosaurus rex has provided the impetus for a study of sexual dimorphism in dinosaurs. The fifteen significant specimens of Tyrannosaurus rex discovered to date may be divided into “robust” and “gracile” morphotypes. Examinations of extant crocodiles and birds show a link between musculature of sexual organs and sexual dimorphism of osteoskeletons. Analogous differences in articulated dinosaur remains point to a method of determining the gender of individual dinosaur skeletons and the presence of an intromittent organ in at least some species. For theropods, and particularly for Tyrannosaurus rex, the larger and more robust individuals are almost certainly female.
Steak Knives, Beady Eyes, and Tiny Little Arms (A Portrait of T. rex as a Scavenger)
Authors: Horner John R.
Published: June 2019

I'll begin with the obvious question, how many people saw the movie “Jurassic Park”? How many people believed it? In the movie, “Jurassic Park”, there were basically two stars. Tyrannosaurus rex was one of them and the Velociraptors (or Deinonychus, or whatever they happened to be) were the others. What you might also know is that I was an advisor on the movie. All I was able to do was basically tell them when the dinosaurs were walking right and tell Laura Dern how to pronounce her words.

Any time the dinosaurs were going to do something, any time Steven Spielberg wanted to have the dinosaurs do something in the movie, he would ask me if I thought they could do that. If I said yes or no, he would take that as an answer. But if I said maybe, he would just do whatever he wanted. That's fiction.
Dinosaur Bone Histology: Implications and Inferences
Authors: Chinsamy Anusuya
Published: June 2019

A study of the anatomy and morphology of a fossil skeleton indicates the overall size, posture, and form of the animal. Even various functional aspects of the skeleton such as preferred mode of locomotion and chewing mechanisms can be deduced from such studies. But the desire to understand dinosaurs as dynamic, once-living animals and not merely as taxonomic entities arranged in phylogenetic schemes, goes beyond this. In 1842, Sir Richard Owen not only presented dinosaurs taxonomically but he also initiated the quest to understand the biology of these animals. In recent decades, the study of dinosaur paleobiology has blossomed, and has provided a crucial link between studies of morphology (structures) and that of function and physiology.
On the Elusive Trail of Fossil Dung
Authors: Chin Karen
Published: June 2019

Every once in a while, prospecting paleontologists happen upon distinctive fossil blobs with vaguely familiar shapes. They are usually sausage-shaped or roundish, and are made of material that is clearly not just bone or parent sediment These unusual formations are fossil feces—also known as coprolites. They were produced by fish, crocodiles, and mammals, and some were produced by dinosaurs.
Dinosaur Habitats: An Example from the Late Cretaceous Fossil Forest Study Area, San Juan Basin, Northwestern New Mexico
Authors: Wolberg Donald L.
Published: June 2019

In recent years paleontology has witnessed explosive popularity in schools at all grade levels as well as among the general public. It is ironic that although paleontology continues to receive such interest and attention, teaching and research programs at universities, industry, museums and elsewhere are in decline with fewer positions committed to paleontology and less interest in collecting or storing fossils. Yet, the fact remains that paleontology is a cornerstone of geologic and evolutionary science, as well as having important contributions to make towards discovering and evaluating natural resources. The truths recognized more than a century ago by F. B. Meek and A. H. Worthen (1866), although written in a style that belies its age, are still appropriate:

“When it is therefore borne in mind, that coal and other valuable minerals were not indiscriminately distributed through the earth, but were mainly formed or deposited, at least in quantities and under conditions to be useful to man, during particular geological periods, the importance of knowing to what epoch of the earth's history the rocks of any given district belong, before undertaking mining enterprises of any kind, will be readily understood, and the intelligent general reader will at once comprehend why it is that geologists give so much attention to fossils. In short, the first and most important step in the prosecution of a geological survey, is a careful and thorough study and investigation of the organic remains found in every seam and stratum of the rocks of the district to be explored; for without a knowledge of these, all conclusions in regard to the geological structure of the country, or of the age and position in the geological column of its rocks, must necessarily be vague and unreliable. Indeed, without the aid of Palaeontology, Geology would scarcely be entitled to rank as a science at all.”
The Extinction of Dinosaurs
Authors: Sheehan Peter M.
Published: June 2019

That dinosaurs have been extinct for 65 million years is a well established fact of paleontology. But determining why dinosaurs (other than birds) became extinct has been a difficult problem for science.
Perceiving Change with Continuity: Morphologic Patterns in the Fossil Record Using an Analogy
Authors: Allmon Warren D.
Published: June 2019

The Belgian inventor and scientist Joseph Antoine Ferdinand Plateau (1801-1883) pioneered one of the first devices aimed at making pictures that seemed to move. Plateau studied various optical illusions that seemed to result from the persistence of the image on the retina of the eye after the image had passed from view. In 1832, he built an apparatus consisting of a flat wheel on which were sequential images of a dancer dancing. When the wheel was turned, the dancer was “seen” to execute the dance. Plateau chose a revealing name for his invention. He called it a “phenakistiscope,” meaning “deceitful view” (Figure 1). The images did not move, but they looked like they did.
The Use of Amino Acid Sequences in Phylogenetic Analysis
Authors: Joysey K.A.
Published: June 2019

It seems likely that I was invited to contribute to this course because I am a renegade geologist. Many years ago I was lured by the attractions of living animals and switched to zoology. Later I became interested in the possibility of using immunological methods to assess evolutionary relationships among shrews, moles, hedgehogs, tree-shrews, elephant-shrews, otter-shrews, golden-moles and tenrecs, and I set a graduate student onto this project. We also sought to explore the relationships between these so-called ‘Insectivora’ and other orders of mammals, using immunological techniques to estimate crude biochemical distances between the serum proteins of representative species.
Vertebrate Paleontology and Evolutionary Theory
Authors: Schoch Robert M.
Published: June 2019

For over two hundred years the subject of vertebrate paleontology—the study of ancient vertebrates (animals with backbones) and their nearest relatives—has been popular among the lay public. Everyone seems to have a certain fascination with gigantic bones of extinct animals, be they mastodons or dinosaurs. The discovery of a “new” early hominid skull that bears on the evolution of humans can still make front-page headlines around the globe. In a very real sense, the field of vertebrate paleontology has helped shape the way that modern humans think about themselves and the world around them. Vertebrate paleontology, in a literal sense, has helped elucidate humankind's place in nature, especially within the larger context of life on planet Earth through the last four billion years.
The Origin of the Tetrapods
Authors: Thomson Keith Stewart
Published: June 2019

The origin of tetrapods is one of the longest standing (and still not fully resolved) fields in vertebrate evolution (Thomson, 1993). The discovery of living lungfishes in the nineteenth century sparked interest because of their apparent intermediate position between other kinds of fishes and amphibians. (As is well known, the South American lungfishLepidosirenwas actually first described as a degenerate amphibian.) The discovery of the Australian lungfish provided a direct link between a living form (a “living fossil” to use Darwin's term) and well-known Triassic fossils. The lungfishes therefore accorded well with Darwinian theory, just as didArchaeopteryx. The discovery of the living coelacanthLatimeriain 1938 continues to spark public interest (Thomson, 1991a).
The Diversification of the Amniotes
Authors: Gauthier Jacques A.
Published: June 2019

Publication of the English-language version of Hennig's (1966)Phylogenetic Systematicsmarked a turning point in the history of inquiry into the genealogy of life. Hennig catalyzed a long overdue reevaluation of systematic theory and method that should have followed immediately upon publication of Darwin's revolutionary ideas (de Queiroz, 1988). Hennig revitalized the field by taking the Theory of Descent to the core ofsystematics(de Queiroz, 1988, 1992)—the methods for investigating life's genealogy—andtaxonomy—the methods for communicating the results of those investigations (de Queiroz and Gauthier, 1992). Unfortunately, the Darwinian revolution has yet to sweep aside all vestiges of nonevolutionary thinking in this field. To further that goal, and to provide an update of Gauthier et al. (1989), this contribution summarizes current progress in the phylogeny and taxonomy of the major clades of land-egg-laying, or amniote, vertebrates.
Synapsid Evolution and the Radiation of Non-Eutherian Mammals
Authors: Hopson James A.
Published: June 2019

The Synapsida is the mammal-like ramus of the Amniota, the sister group of the Sauropsida (or Reptilia of Gauthier et al., 1988). Synapsids are characterized by the possession of a lateral temporal fenestra (Fig. 1A), among other features (see Gauthier, this volume). Of all the great transitions between major structural grades within vertebrates, the transition from basal amniotes to basal mammals is represented by the most complete and continuous fossil record, extending from the Middle Pennsylvanian to the Late Triassic and spanning some 75 to 100 million years. Structural evolution of particular functional systems has been well investigated, notably the feeding mechanism (Barghusen, 1968; Crompton, 1972; Crompton and Parker, 1978; Crompton and Hylander, 1986) and the middle ear (Hopson, 1966; Allin, 1975, 1986; Allin and Hopson, 1992), and these studies have demonstrated the gradual nature of these major adaptive modifications.
Heritability of Age at Menarche in South Korean Female Twins
Authors: Hur Yoon-Mi , Jin Hee-Jeong , Lee Siwoo
Published: June 2019

Genetic and environmental influences on age at menarche (AAM) have rarely been examined in Asian females. This study aimed to investigate the heritability of AAM in South Korean female twins. The AAM data from 1370 female twins (933 monozygotic [MZ] twins, 294 dizygotic [DZ] twins and 160 female members of opposite-sex DZ twins) born between 1988 and 2001 were analyzed. The age of the sample at the time of the assessment ranged from 16 to 28 years with a mean of 19.3 (SD = 2.2) years. The mean AAM in the total sample was 12.49 (SD = 1.41) years. Although the mean AAM decreased with increasing birth years, it levelled off in birth years 2000–2001. Maximum likelihood MZ and DZ twin correlations were 0.72 [95% CI (0.67, 0.76)] and 0.35 [95% CI (0.19, 0.50)], respectively. The results of model-fitting analysis indicated that the additive genetic and individual-specific environmental effects were 72% [95% CI (67%, 76%)] and 28% [95% CI (24%, 33%)], respectively. Neither nonadditive genetic nor shared environmental effects were significant.
Dicamba volatility in humidomes as affected by temperature and herbicide treatment
Authors: Mueller Thomas C. , Steckel Lawrence E.
Published: June 2019

This research examined dicamba measurements following an application to soil inside a humidome. The dicamba formulations examined were the diglycolamine (DGA) and diglycolamine plus VaporGrip® (DGA+VG), both applied with glyphosate. Post-application dicamba measurements were related to ambient temperature, with more dicamba detected as the temperature increased. There also appeared to be a minimum temperature of ~15 C at which dicamba decreased to low levels. The addition of glyphosate to dicamba formulations decreased the spray mixture pH and increased the observed dicamba air concentrations. Adding glyphosate to DGA+VG increased detectable dicamba air concentrations by 2.9 to 9.3 times across the temperature ranges examined. Particle drift would not be expected to be a factor in the research, as applications were made remotely before treated soil was transported into the greenhouse. The most probable reason for the increased detection of dicamba at higher temperatures and with mixtures of glyphosate is via volatility.
Die 5-Item-Skala zur Messung der momentan verfügbaren Selbstkontrollkapazität (SMS-5) im Lern- und Leistungskontext
Authors: Lindner Christoph , Lindner Marlit Annalena , Retelsdorf Jan
Published: June 2019

Zusammenfassung. In Leistungssituationen sind Personen angehalten Selbstkontrolle aufzuwenden, um ihre Aufmerksamkeit, Gedanken und Emotionen zielgerichtet zu regulieren. Selbstkontrolle wird als begrenzte mentale Kapazität betrachtet, die situativen Fluktuationen unterliegt und sich kurzfristig erschöpfen kann. In dieser Validierungsstudie stellen wir eine 5-Item-Skala zur Messung der momentan verfügbaren Selbstkontrollkapazität (SMS-5) basierend auf der State Self-Control Capacity Scale (SSCCS) vor, mit dem Ziel auch in kurzen zeitlichen Abständen intra- und interindividuelle Variabilitäten der momentan verfügbaren Selbstkontrollkapazität (d. h. die Ausprägung der empfundenen mentalen Erschöpfung) ökonomisch abzubilden und externe Kriterien im Lern- und Leistungskontext valide vorherzusagen. Die interne Struktur der SMS-5 erwies sich in Stichproben von Auszubildenden ( N = 2 395), Zehntklässlerinnen und Zehntklässlern ( N = 129) und Studierenden ( N = 95; N = 140) als eindimensional. Zusammenfassend zeichnete sich die SMS-5 als valides, reliables, über Ausbildungsgruppen, Geschlecht und Zeit invariantes und änderungssensitives Instrument zur ökonomischen Messung der momentan verfügbaren Selbstkontrollkapazität im Lern- und Leistungskontext ab, das gegenüber der SSCCS in der Vorhersage externer Kriterien vergleichbar gut abschnitt. Die SMS-5 empfiehlt sich besonders, um durch kurzfristig wiederholte Messungen, Veränderungen der Selbstkontrollkapazität im zeitlichen Verlauf von Lern- und Leistungshandlungen abzubilden.
Das Angstbewältigungsinventar für medizinische Situationen (ABI-MS)
Authors: C. Sturmbauer Sarah , Hock Michael , Rathner Eva-Maria , R. Schwerdtfeger Andreas
Published: June 2019

Zusammenfassung. Das „Angstbewältigungsinventar für medizinische Situationen“ (ABI-MS) ist ein Situations-Reaktions-Inventar, das habituelle Präferenzen für den Einsatz kognitiv vermeidender und vigilanter Bewältigungsstrategien in potenziell bedrohlichen medizinischen Kontexten messen soll. Im ABI-MS, das sich konzeptuell und methodisch an das Angstbewältigungs-Inventar (ABI; Krohne & Egloff, 1999 ) anlehnt, werden 4 Szenarien vorgegeben (Blutabnahme, Schnittwunde, Darmspiegelung und Narkose), in die sich die Personen hineinversetzen sollen. Zu jedem Szenario werden jeweils 4 kognitiv vermeidende und 4 vigilante Reaktionsoptionen gegeben, deren Zutreffen die Personen beurteilen. In der vorliegenden Untersuchung wurden Struktur und psychometrische Qualität des ABI-MS geprüft. Konfirmatorische Faktorenanalysen ( N = 2 131) auf der Basis des Zwei-Parameter Logistischen Item-Response-Modells bestätigen die Annahme zweier situationsübergreifender Faktoren der Angstbewältigung in medizinischen Kontexten. Das Inventar erreicht zufriedenstellende Reliabilitäten. Eine Retest-Untersuchung belegt, dass primär habituelle Präferenzen erfasst werden. Korrelationen mit Verfahren zur Messung von Angstbewältigung und Persönlichkeitseigenschaften geben Hinweise auf die konvergente und diskriminante Validität des ABI-MS.
More Extreme Precipitation in Chinese Deserts From 1960 to 2018
Authors: Li Guoshuai , Yang Hong , Zhang Ying , Huang Chunlin , Pan Xiaoduo , Ma Mingguo , Song Minhong , Zhao Haipeng
Published: June 2019

Extreme precipitation over drylands, especially deserts, has been observed, whereas the precipitation changes in Chinese deserts have been rarely studied. Here, we used a daily grid precipitation data set generated via weather station data (0.25° horizontal grid spacing) to investigate the spatial and temporal changes in extreme precipitation in Chinese deserts. Extreme precipitation based on the changes in the total precipitation (PRCPTOT) and the annual maximum daily precipitation (Rx1day) in the Chinese desert exhibited markedly increasing trends and presented a spatial distribution of wetting in the western deserts and drying in the eastern deserts. The increase in extreme precipitation could minimize wind erosion and intensify dune stabilization in the western Chinese deserts.
Modeling Porosity Evolution Throughout Reaction‐Induced Fracturing in Rocks With Implications for Serpentinization
Authors: Zhang Lingran , Nasika Christina , Donzé Frédéric‐Victor , Zheng Xiaojiao , Renard François , Scholtès Luc
Published: June 2019

Numerical modeling based on the discrete element method was used to explore the kinetics and mechanics of fractures induced by mineral volumetric expansion during rock hydration. Two systems were considered: the hydration of periclase into brucite and the hydration of peridotite into serpentine. We modeled the coupling between mineral transformation, stress, volume increase, and deformation by simulating the volumetric growth of discrete elements based upon an Avrami‐type kinetics equation. The model was implemented to consider the effects of stress and temperature on reaction kinetics as well as the alteration of material properties during hydration reactions. We were able to reproduce experimental evidences observed during the transformation of periclase into brucite, including volume growth, fracturing of periclase, formation of a porosity pulse, as well as the slow‐down effect of effective stress on the kinetics of the transformation. The model was also applied to study the serpentinization process. We estimated a bell‐shaped relationship between temperature and reaction rate of peridotite transformation following observations made during serpentinization experiments. For both periclase and peridotite systems, we characterized a relationship between the formation of a porosity pulse and the rate of fracture development within the medium. During serpentinization, the amplitude of the porosity pulse and the duration of this pulse depend on the reaction rate and, therefore, on the temperature. Our investigations provide geomechanical explanations on how native dihydrogen formed during serpentinization can be expelled and initiates its migration process.
Low‐Level and Surface Wind Jets Near Sea Ice Edge in the Beaufort Sea in Late Autumn
Authors: Liu Zheng , Schweiger Axel
Published: June 2019

Low‐level wind jets (LLJs) and strong surface winds are frequently observed near the sea ice edge in the presence of strong thermal contrast between open water and sea ice. Two LLJ cases near the sea ice edge in the Beaufort Sea are examined using dropsonde observations made from Seasonal Ice Zone Reconnaissance Survey flights. Ensembles of Polar Weather Research and Forecast simulations with and without sea ice demonstrate the contribution of the surface thermal contrast to the boundary layer structure, the LLJ, and surface ice edge jets. Because the surface temperature contrast only influences the lower most hundreds of meters in the atmospheric boundary layer, its contribution to the temperature gradient and wind speed at the level of the LLJ is limited. The sea ice does strengthen the LLJ by extending the LLJ northward over sea ice and increasing the maximum LLJ wind speeds by up to 13% and as much as 29% further north at a lower altitude. However, the primary reason for the observed strong winds in these two cases are the synoptic interactions between anticyclones and approaching cyclones. The effect of the surface thermal contrast on surface winds is controlled by a separate mechanism. The cold and stable boundary layer over sea ice prevents the momentum transport from the LLJ to the surface. This leads to weaker surface winds over sea ice and confines the strong surface winds close to the sea ice edge. This mechanism contributes to the frequent occurrence of the surface “ice edge jets.”
Subtropical High Affects Interdecadal Variability of Tropical Cyclone Genesis in the South China Sea
Authors: Li Hong , Xu Fanghua , Sun Jingru , Lin Yanluan , Wright Jonathon S.
Published: June 2019

Interdecadal variability of tropical cyclone (TC) genesis in the South China Sea (SCS) during 1982–2015 is investigated using observations and atmospheric reanalysis data. TC genesis primarily occurs in the northern SCS (north of 13 °N) in July–September (summer), while in the southern SCS (south of 13 °N) in October–December (autumn). The TC genesis location is consistent with the climatological distribution of TC genesis potential index. Noticeably, the TC genesis frequency (TCGF) is relatively low in 1982–1993 and 2003–2015 while relatively high in 1994–2002 in summer in the SCS. In autumn, the TCGF shows an abrupt transition from high to low in the early 2000s in the SCS. It is found that such interdecadal change of TCGF is closely related to the east‐westward movement of the subtropical high (SH). When the SH is close to the SCS, large‐scale air subsidence, low‐level divergence, negative vorticity, and high pressure are prominent and inhabit TC genesis in the SCS. On the contrary, when the SH moves away from the SCS, environmental conditions become more favorable for TC genesis. In addition, the localized atmospheric intraseasonal variability can affect TCGF at interdecadal time scales as well.
Multicomponent Satellite Assessment of Drought Severity in the Contiguous United States From 2002 to 2017 Using AMSR‐E and AMSR2
Authors: Du J. , Kimball J. S. , Velicogna I. , Zhao M. , Jones L. A. , Watts J. D. , Kim Y. , A G.
Published: June 2019

The Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for the Earth Observing System and Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer 2 sensors (AMSR) have provided multifrequency microwave measurements of the global terrestrial water cycle since 2002. A new AMSR surface wetness index (ASWI) was developed by analyzing the near‐surface atmospheric vapor pressure deficit (VPD), surface volumetric soil moisture (VSM), and land surface fractional open water (FW) time series from an established AMSR Land Parameter Data Record (LPDR). The ASWI allows for multicomponent and independent satellite assessments of near‐surface drought conditions by exploiting the weighted anomalies of VPD, VSM, and FW. Comparisons between ASWI and more traditional drought metrics, including the Palmer moisture anomaly index (PDSI‐Z) and the U.S. Drought Monitor, showed generally consistent classifications of drought severity for three major droughts over the Contiguous United States since 2002. The AWSI showed moderate (0.3 ≤ R ≤ 0.7 for 56% of area) to strong (R > 0.7 for 29% of area) correlations with the PDSI‐Z during the summer months (June–August) from 2002 to 2017. ASWI and PDSI‐Z differences were attributed to AMSR retrieval uncertainties and the different aspects of drought represented by the indices. Comparisons between ASWI and the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment drought severity index (GRACE‐DSI) showed strong correspondence (R = 0.61) in regions where possible long‐term total water storage changes occurred. The sole reliance of the ASWI on satellite microwave remote sensing and continuing AMSR2 operations enables effective global monitoring of drought conditions while providing new information on the atmosphere, soil, and surface water components of drought.
Evaluation of Satellite and Reanalysis Precipitable Water Vapor Data Sets Against Radiosonde Observations in Central Asia
Authors: Jiang Jie , Zhou Tianjun , Zhang Wenxia
Published: June 2019

Central Asia is facing severe water shortages and conflicts. The spatiotemporal variations of precipitable water vapor (PWV) are important aspects in understanding the water cycle and water resources. However, station observations in central Asia are limited and the performance of satellite and reanalysis products of PWV in central Asia has not been evaluated. Based on radiosonde observations, we show evidence that the two satellite products, namely, Atmospheric Infrared Sounder‐only and Atmospheric Infrared Sounder/Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit, are applicable to investigate the spatiotemporal characteristics of PWV in central Asia. The two satellite products can capture the main climatological features, annual cycle, and monthly variations of PWV in central Asia, with high correlations with radiosonde observations, although slightly underestimate PWV values by −15% to 0%. All the eight current state‐of‐the‐art reanalysis data sets, including European Centre for Medium‐Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) interim reanalysis, the fifth generation ECMWF atmospheric reanalysis (ERA5), National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP)1, NCEP2, Climate Forecast System Reanalysis, 55‐year modern Japanese Reanalysis Project, Modern Era Retrospective‐Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA), and MERRA version 2 (MERRA2), can reasonably reproduce the spatiotemporal variations of PWV, although with an overestimation in spring, autumn, and winter and an underestimation in summer. ERA5 and MERRA2 (NCEP1 and NCEP2) perform better (poorer) compared with other reanalysis data sets. A skill‐weighted ensemble mean of reanalysis data sets is constructed based on the different performance of individual data sets. It is better for understanding the climatological spatial pattern than the equally weighted ensemble mean and individual reanalysis data sets, while ERA5 is suggested to be used for revealing the interannual variations of PWV in central Asia.
Earthquake Impact on Active Margins: Tracing Surficial Remobilization and Seismic Strengthening in a Slope Sedimentary Sequence
Authors: Molenaar Ariana , Moernaut Jasper , Wiemer Gauvain , Dubois Nathalie , Strasser Michael
Published: June 2019

Strong earthquakes at active ocean margins can remobilize vast amounts of surficial slope sediments and dynamically strengthen the margin sequences. Current process understanding is obtained from resulting event deposits and low‐resolution shear strength data, respectively. Here we directly target a site offshore Japan where both processes are expected to initiate, that is, at the uppermost part (15 cm) of a sedimentary slope sequence. Based on a novel application of short‐lived radionuclide data, we identified, dated, and quantified centimeter‐scale gaps related to surficial remobilization. Temporal correlation to the three largest regional earthquakes attest triggering by strong earthquakes (Mw >8). Also, extremely elevated shear strength values suggest a strong influence of seismic strengthening on shallow sediments. We show that despite enhanced slope stability by seismic strengthening, earthquake‐induced sediment transport can occur through surficial remobilization, which has large implications for the assessment of turbidite paleoseismology and carbon cycling at active margins.