bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Physiological and behavioural effects of hypoxemia in reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) immobilised with xylazine-etorphine
Authors: Risling Tara E. , Fahlman Åsa , Caulkett Nigel A. , Kutz Susan
Published: November 2018

This study examined the physiological effects of xylazine-etorphine (XE) immobilisation in reindeer (Rangifer tarandus), as well as post-immobilisation recovery and behaviour. Six reindeer weighing 105 ± 18 kg (mean ± s.d.) were immobilised via remote delivery of XE into the hind limb musculature. The animals were immobilised for 30 min on two separate occasions, and a randomised crossover design was used to assign nasal oxygen (O2) or unsupplemented air to each animal. Arterial blood gases were collected and analysed at zero (time of arterial catheter placement), 5, 10, 20 and 30 min. Heart rate and respiratory rate, temperature, and arterial blood pressure were monitored every 5 min. After 30 min, immobilisation was reversed with naltrexone hydrochloride and tolazoline hydrochloride. The animals underwent behavioural testing (time required to navigate a novel maze) to assess cognitive function pre- and post-immobilisation. Significantly higher arterial O2 tension levels were seen in O2-supplemented animals (range 95–313 mmHg) compared with unsupplemented animals (range 26–70 mmHg). Hypoxemic animals had elevated heart rates and lactate levels compared with normoxemic. Immobilisation had a significant effect on the animals’ ability to navigate a novel maze.
The level of tree legumes required to meet the maintenance energy requirements of Ongole (Bos indicus) cows fed rice straw in Indonesia
Authors: Syahniar T. M. , Antari R. , Pamungkas D. , Marsetyo  , Mayberry D. E. , Poppi D. P.
Published: November 2018

Improving the productivity and profitability of smallholder cattle enterprises in Indonesia requires greater and more efficient utilisation of underutilised feed resources such as rice straw. The experiment tested the hypothesis that an Ongole cow with low energy requirements can maintain weight (W) on a rice straw-based diet with the addition of a small amount of tree legumes. Thirty-two Ongole cross (Bos indicus) cows were allocated to one of four treatments in a randomised block design with eight cows per treatment. Cows were offered untreated rice straw ad libitum with four levels of tree legumes (0, 11, 21, and 42 g DM/kg W0.75.day) for 20 weeks. Feed intake was determined daily and liveweight was measured every second week. There was no difference in total feed intake between the treatment groups (P > 0.05). Intake of tree legumes was higher when more was offered (P < 0.05), but cows did not consume all of the legumes offered to them. The inclusion of tree legumes in the diet had no effect on organic matter digestibility, ME content of the diet, liveweight gain or estimated energy balance of the cows (P > 0.05). Rice straw alone contained insufficient ME and rumen-degradable N to meet the maintenance requirements of the cows. From the regression relating liveweight change and ME intake for all cows across all diets, the inclusion of tree legumes in the diet at ~12 g DM/kg W0.75.day or 2.8 g DM/kg W.day was enough to meet the energy requirements for maintenance of Ongole cows fed rice straw ad libitum.
Progress in the Brazilian cattle industry: an analysis of the Agricultural Censuses database
Authors: Meyer P. M. , Rodrigues P. H. M.
Published: November 2018

Brazil is the world’s largest exporter of beef and home to the world’s biggest commercial beef herd. So a study was conducted to understand how the Brazilian cattle industry has developed, by analysing the Agricultural Censuses carried out in 1985, 1995 and 2006. Databases (per region) were collected: bovine herd, total pasture area (natural and cultivated) and forage storage silos, and the stocking rate calculated (heads/ha). Brazilian regions are: North, North-east, South-east, South and Midwest. The average annual growth rate (%/year) was calculated. In 1985, Brazil had 128 million bovine heads, raised on 179.2 million hectares of pasture (0.71 head/ha). In 2006, the bovine herd went up to 176.1 million heads, raised on 160 million hectares of pasture (1.1 head/ha). The North region (Amazon forest) showed the highest growth in bovine herd (6.3%/year), and in total (1.2%/year) and cultivated (4.0%/year) pasture areas, increasing the stocking rate from 0.43 (1985) up to 1.21 head/ha (2006). The Midwest region accounted for the largest bovine herd in 2006 and showed the second highest growth in herd size (2.4%/year) and in cultivated (1.9%/year) pasture area, increasing the stocking rate from 0.61 (1985) up to 1.01 head/ha (2006). The South-east and South regions (the most developed regions) presented negative growth in herd size and total pasture, but with the highest stocking rate in 2006 (1.24 and 1.5 head/ha, respectively). The displacement of the cattle industry towards North concerns the government, due to the Amazon’s deforestation, but the intensification of the production system has relieved the pressure on the forest.
Are biotic and abiotic factors and seedling mechanical damage in forest-edge fragments always different from the interior?
Authors: Marques Thamy Evellini Dias , Beijo Luiz Alberto , Ramos Flavio Nunes
Published: November 2018

The regeneration of fragments and adjacent landscape depends on, among others factors, seedling establishment, both in the interior and at the edge. This work considers differences between the edge and fragment interior in (1) environmental descriptors (canopy openness, temperature, soil moisture, bamboo and liana coverage and litterfall), (2) the total number of seedlings damaged and (3) the type of seedling damage. The present study was carried out in four Atlantic forest fragments in south-eastern Brazil. Environmental descriptors and artificial seedling damage were measured in 10 plots, 10 × 10 m each, in each forest fragment, i.e. five at the edges and five in the interior. Litterfall was the main cause of seedling damage in the present study. Bamboo and liana coverage, litterfall, soil moisture, canopy openness, minimal and maximal temperature and temperature amplitude, as well as the type and quantity of damage did not differ between the edge and the fragment interior. Temperature, however, was higher in the interior than in the edge fragments. The lack of difference between the edge and interior fragments was probably due to the reduced size of the remnants of the Atlantic forest studied, resulting from an intense internal anthropogenic impact on them and the early onset of this landscape fragmentation, which is quite old (~200 years).
Delayed emergence and post-fire recruitment success: effects of seasonal germination, fire season and dormancy type
Authors: Ooi Mark K. J.
Published: November 2018

Delayed seedling emergence can negatively affect plant recruitment. Recent work has shown that some species with innate seasonal requirements for germination can have seedling emergence delayed, depending on the season of fire. The impact of this delay, which is in relation to both resprouters and seedlings of species that emerge independent of season, remains unknown. I assessed delayed emergence and subsequent impacts on post-fire recruitment success of three Leucopogon species, which all display a seasonal emergence pattern related to their physiological dormancy. Intra-population comparisons showed that both small (1–6 months) and much larger (12–15 months) delays of emergence reduced seedling survival and growth, and increased the time taken for plants to reach maturity. Fire season induced delays produced very similar results, with higher mortality and slower growth after winter fires compared with post-summer fire cohorts. Seasonal emergence patterns, associated with seed dormancy and germination cues, may therefore provide a mechanism that determines the variation of recruitment success after fires in different seasons. A better understanding of the relationship between fire season and timing of emergence of physiologically dormant species would be timely considering the forecast widening of the fire season due to climate change.
Comparative longevity and low-temperature storage of seeds of Hydatellaceae and temporary pool species of south-west Australia
Authors: Tuckett R. E. , Merritt D. J. , Hay F. R. , Hopper S. D. , Dixon K. W.
Published: November 2018

The comparative longevity of seeds of species from the early-angiosperm group, Hydatellaceae, along with other temporary wetland aquatics from the South-west Australian Floristic Region were tested under standard experimental storage conditions. In contrast to recent hypotheses proposing that seeds from basal angiosperm species may be short-lived in storage, seeds of the Hydatellaceae species (Trithuria submersa Hook.f. and T. austinensis D.D.Sokoloff, Remizowa, T.Macfarlane and Rudall) were longer-lived than the other temporary wetland aquatic species tested. Seeds of Glossostigma drummondii Benth. (Scrophulariaceae), Myriophyllum petreaum Orchard and M. balladoniense Orchard (Haloragaceae), lost viability quickly and are thus predicted to be short-lived in seed bank storage. To assist seed bank conservation programs, the effect of seed moisture content on the viability of seeds stored for 1, 6 and 12 months at −18°C or in vapour phase cryopreservation (−150°C) was determined. Seeds of all species survived storage at both temperatures for up to 12 months, provided seed equilibrium relative humidity was below ~50%. Given the high conservation value of Hydatellaceae species and the potential short-lived nature of seeds of some of the species, we recommend that ex situ conservation programs for these aquatic species should consider cryopreservation as a means to maximise the longevity of their seeds.
Comparative study on the effects of NaCl on selected moss and fern representatives
Authors: Bogdanović Milica , Ilić Milena , Živković Suzana , Sabovljević Aneta , Grubišić Dragoljub , Sabovljević Marko
Published: November 2018

Salt demonstrates various osmotic and ionic effects on vascular plant growth, development and function, but very few data can be found on how salt affects non-tracheophytes. To explore this, gametophytes of two moss – Bryum argenteum Hedw. and Atrichum undulatum (Hedw.) P. Beauv., and three fern species – Asplenium viride Britton, Ceterach officinarum DC, and Phyllitis scolopendrium (L.) Newman, were treated for 3 days with different NaCl concentrations in growth medium under in vitro controlled conditions. Subsequently, these plants recovered for 18 days on NaCl-free medium, after which the following parameters were measured for mosses: presence of secondary protonema and shoots, protonemal radius and index of multiplication. Survival, chlorophyll a, b, total and a/b ratio were determined as well as total phenolic content, both for ferns and mosses. All species tolerated 50 and 100 mM of NaCl-enriched media, quite well. On higher salt concentrations in the substrata, measured morphological parameters and chlorophyll content were reduced. In general, mosses exhibited higher NaCl tolerance than ferns. Change of phenolic content in ferns suggests these plants use antioxidative properties of phenolics as a mechanism of salt tolerance, in contrast with mosses whose phenolic content was stable.
Comparing the impacts of different types of recreational trails on grey box grassy-woodland vegetation: lessons for conservation and management
Authors: Ballantyne Mark , Treby Donna Louise , Quarmby Joseph , Pickering Catherine Marina
Published: November 2018

Tourism and recreation are popular in natural areas but can damage plant communities, including those of high conservation value in protected areas. This includes impacts from recreational trails, but what type of trail has the most impact and why? We compared the impacts of five different trails (narrow, intermediate and wide bare earth trails, intermediate gravel trails and wide tarmac trails) on the endangered grey box grassy-woodland (Eucalyptus microcarpa (Maiden) Maiden) in Belair National Park near Adelaide in South Australia. First, the extent, width and area of recreational trails in the remnant woodland were mapped. Then, vegetation parameters were recorded in quadrats at three distances from the edge of trails in the woodland, with 10 replicate sites per trail type and single quadrats at 10 control sites (i.e. total 60 sites, 160 quadrats). All trails resulted in vegetation loss on the trail surface and along the edges of the trails, as well as changes in vegetation composition, including reductions in shrubs and bulbs close to the trail. The most common types of trail were bare earth trails with an average width of 2.5 m (50% of trails) which resulted in the greatest soil loss (>88 000 m3) and vegetation loss (33 899 m2 or 3.4 ha) in the 167 ha woodland remnant overall. Wider (5.4 m) hardened tarmac trails, however, were associated with low species richness, high cover of exotic grasses and few herbs, shrubs and bulbs compared with vegetation away from trails and closer to other trails. Therefore a mixed approach to the provision of trails may be most appropriate, with hardened trails used in areas of highest use, but in some circumstances leaving trails unhardened may be more appropriate where they are likely to remain narrow and where there is less likely to be erosion and/or safety issues.
Antimicrobial peptides isolated from the blood of farm animals
Authors: Yu Pak-Lam , van der Linden Danitsja S. , Sugiarto Haryadi , Anderson Rachel C.
Published: November 2018

The development of antimicrobial resistance by pathogenic bacteria has fuelled the search for alternatives to conventional antibiotics. Endogenous antimicrobial peptides have the potential to be used as new antimicrobial substances because they have low minimum inhibitory concentration in vitro, have broad-spectrum activity, neutralise lipopolysaccharides, promote wound healing and have synergistic effects with conventional antibiotics. Farm animals, in particular the blood that is a by-product of the meat and poultry industries, are an abundant, and currently underutilised, source of such antimicrobial peptides. These antimicrobial peptides could be isolated and developed into high-value products such as biopreservatives, topical neutraceutical products and pharmaceuticals. There have been some clinical trials of antimicrobial peptides as pharmaceutical products, but up to now, the trials have shown disappointing results. Further research and development is still needed before such peptides can be commercialised and full advantage taken of this waste product of the meat and poultry industries.
Intra-annual changes in seagrass standing crop, Green Island, Northern Queensland
Authors: Mellors JE , Marsh H , Coles RG
Published: November 2018

A visual estimation technique was used to estimate the standing crop of a mixed-species
seagrass meadow at Green Island, northern Queensland. This technique measured monthly
changes in the standing crop of seagrass within 10 fixed quadrats along three fixed transects
from May 1987 to April 1988. The mean standing crop fluctuated by a factor of two from 60 g
dry weight (DW) m-2 (August 1987) to 133 g DW m-2 (December 1987).
The climatic factors that correlated with mean monthly standing crop were investigated.
Owing to the high degree of association between these factors, principal-components analysis
was used to create new orthogonal variables to be included in an 'all- subsets regression'.
The best regression model explained only 12% of the variation in seagrass standing crop.
This model and the magnitude and direction of the loadings of the vectors associated with
the first principal component suggested that seagrass standing crop was positively correlated
with any day length and temperature and negatively correlated with number of strong-wind days.
These variables were indirect measures of light availability and temperature, suggesting that
fluctuations in seagrass standing stock at Green Island were influenced by changes in
temperature and light availability.
Occurrence and fruit and seed biology of Halophila tricostata Greenway (Hydrocharitaceae)
Authors: Kuo J , Lee Long WJ , Coles RG
Published: November 2018

Halophila tricostata Greenway appears to be endemic to eastern Queensland,
Australia, and occurs between 14�11'S and 23�45's. It was found at depths from
1.4 to 30 m in well sheltered habitats, including in shallow coastal sites near
mangrove-lined estuaries, on the lee side of continental and coral- reef islands,
and on some commercial prawn-trawling grounds within the Great Barrier Reef
lagoon. It grows on predominantly fine mud substratum in small monospecific
meadows or mixed with other tropical seagrasses, mostly other Halophila
species. Field observations indicate that H. tricostata is an annual angiosperm
and produces an estimated 70 000 seeds m-2 year-1. Halophila tricostata is
dioecious. The plant has a horizontal rhizome bearing an erect shoot with eight
to twelve nodes and a root at each rhizome node. Except at the first two or three
nodes, the mature plants produce a reproductive organ at each node of their rarely
branched erect shoot. The reproductive organs and fruits develop and mature
acropetally along the erect shoot. There are 24-60 seeds, with a mean of 41 seeds,
per fruit. The seed has a coiled embryo protected by a cotyledon, and an enlarged
hypocotyl. The hypocotyl acts as a nutrient store and contains starch, protein and lipid.
The seed covering consists of pericarp remains and two thin cuticular layers of seed coat.
The surface of the seed covering has numerous fine protrusions. The seed covering
becomes loose and is discarded during germination, exposing the hypocotyl.
The surface of the hypocotyl develops hair-like unicellular structures during seedling
development. The majority of the seeds begin to germinate at 26-28�C after two weeks
of culturing, but germination is not synchronized. The culturing of H. tricostata seedlings
beyond the three-leaf stage was not successful.
The role of epiphytic and epibenthic algal productivity in a tropical seagrass, Syringodium isoetifolium (Aschers.) Dandy, community
Authors: Pollard PC , Kogure K
Published: November 2018

The overall aim of this study, which was part of a multidisciplinary investigation, was to evaluate the
role of epiphytic and epibenthic algae in a tropical seagrass, Syringodium isoetifoliurn (Aschers.) Dandy,
community. Algal biomass (chlorophyll a) and productivity were determined over 20 days. The rates
of photosynthesis were measured with both gas (oxygen) release and H14CO3 incorporation techniques.
The photosynthetic characteristics of the algal community are described by the relationship between the
rates of photosynthesis and irradiance (PI curve). The saturating light intensity (Ik), determined in the
laboratory, was 240 �E m-2 s-1 (1 �E= 1 �mol). However, the maximum rate of net epibenthic
production (Pmax) in situ of 2 g C g chla-1.h-1 was reached only at light intensities above the leaf
canopy of more than 480 �E m-2 s-1 because of shading.
The photoperiod (the period when algae were at Pmax was determined from the daily light profiles
and used to calculate the mean net productivity of the epibenthic (4.2 g C m-2 day-1) and epiphytic
(11.5 g C m-2 day-1.) algae during the study. The net epiphytic and seagrass productivities were equal
and positively correlated (slope = 1.0; r2 = 0.92). However, the net seagrass leaf production was only
25% of the total seagrass net production. Most of the seagrass production appeared to be directed
elsewhere, possibly into the below-ground tissue. Epiphytic algae accounted for more than four times
the above-ground primary production. Compared with the bare sediment surface, the dense seagrass
stand afforded 27�4 (s.d.) times more surface area on which the epiphyton could colonize. Thus,
seagrasses provided the surfaces essential for maintaining the substantial epiphytic primary productivity,
a passive but nonetheless important role.
We compare our findings with other results of the multidisciplinary study and construct a
carbon budget from which we infer a model of carbon transfer through this ecosystem. The algae were
quantitatively the most important of the primary producers, seeming to provide most of the organic
carbon to the higher trophic groups, at least for the period of this study.
PCB profiles in sediments of Lakes Maggiore, Como and Garda (Italy)
Authors: Provini A , Galassi S , Guzzella L , Valli G
Published: November 2018

Single PCB congeners were determined in dated sediment cores taken from the three greatest Italian lakes. The PCB profile is fairly constant with time in the three lakes and similar to that of a mixture of Aroclor 1254 and 1260 (35 : 65). Qualitative and quantitative results are consistent with the amounts of Aroclor sold, showing a general trend towards less in recent sediments than in the 1970s. However, this decrease was sharper in Lakes Maggiore and Como, which in the past had PCB concentration peaks of 197 ng g-1 and 822 ng g-1, repectively, than in Lake Garda (peak 38 ng g-1). There is disequilibrium between the top sediment layer and the water column due to freshly settled algae, which can adsorb PCBs to a greater extent than can abiotic particulate matter. A comparison of PCB loads in rain and in sediment shows that there are still local sources of contamination in Lake Como. The net flux of less chlorinated PCBs from Lake Maggiore to the atmosphere indicates that this waterbody can be a source of pollution for the surrounding area.
Retention and horizontal redistribution of sedimentary Chernobyl 137Cs in a small Swedish forest lake
Authors: Konitzer K , Meili M
Published: November 2018

The horizontal and vertical distribution of sedimentary 137Cs was examined in 20 cores to assess the long-term immobilization of 137Cs contamination in a small Swedish soft-water lake after the nuclear accident in Chemobyl in 1986. The sediment inventory of 137Cs was highly correlated with water depth, demonstrating a substantial net transport of sedimentary 137Cs from littoral areas towards the profundal zone of the lake basin. Flux estimates suggest that about half of the 137Cs has been removed from the shallow areas within the first six years after contamination, while the inventory in the deepest areas has increased by 50%. Gross loss rates are strongly related to the duration (annual number of days) of lake-water mixing. Wind-driven resuspension is thus suggested to be the main cause of the redistribution and focusing of sedimentary 137Cs. The importance of resuspension is confirmed by the horizontal uniformity of 137Cs concentrations in surficial sediment and by their similarity to 137Cs concentrations in settling material collected in sediment traps.

Extra keywords: resuspension, focusing.
Mechanisms, measurement and importance of sediment resuspension in lakes
Authors: Bloesch J
Published: November 2018

The process of sediment resuspension in lakes influences lake metabolism by causing turbidity and cycling of particulate material. Wind, currents and morphometry of the lake basin are the most important causes of resuspension. So far, episodic resuspension events have been studied, rather than the impact on whole lakes. The bottom shear stress and the cohesion of sediments are the key mechanisms for sediment resuspension. Two zones of resuspension can be distinguished: the littoral zone, where wave action is significant; and the profundal zone, where seiche-induced currents are the most important factor governing resuspension. Repetitive sediment resuspension and redeposition over large areas are common in shallow lakes. Nearshore sediment resuspension, subsequent focusing and redeposition in the profundal zone are the main processes in large, deep lakes. The various methods of measuring sediment resuspension are reviewed, with special emphasis on the sediment trap method and the use of radionuclides.
170 Effect of Folic Acid Supplementation on In Vitro Maturation of Oocytes and Folate Cycle
Authors: Saini S. , Sharma V. , Kumar A. , Thakur A. , Bajwa K. K. , Malakar D.
Published: November 2018

Folic acid (vitamin B9) is the principal component of one-carbon (C1) metabolism in mammalian cells. It acts as a coenzyme in C1 unit transfer during nucleotide and amino acid metabolism. Therefore, it is unquestionably essential for the formation of thymidylate (TMP) for DNA synthesis and methylation, which is in turn crucial for post-implantation embryonic brain and nerve chord development. However, the role of folic acid in maturation of oocytes and subsequent blastocyst production is largely ambiguous in different mammalian species. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of folic acid supplementation on expression of oocyte maturation markers and folate cycle enzymes in cumulus cells in addition to blastocyst development rate in goat. Immature oocytes were isolated from ovaries, and 1600 oocytes were matured in maturation medium (medium-199) supplemented with 0 (control), 50, 100, or 150 µM folic acid (Sigma Aldrich, India), comprising total 400 oocytes in each group in 5 replicates. The oocytes were in vitro fertilized and embryos were cultured for 7 days. Blastocyst rate was calculated in all 4 groups. Cumulus cells from matured oocytes from each group were analysed for the differential expression of oocyte maturation markers: PTX3, PTGS2, CTSB, and CTSS, and folate cycle enzyme transcripts MTR, MAT2A, ACHY, DHFR, and SLC19A1, by qRT-PCR. For statistical analysis, one-way ANOVA was used. The results of present study show that blastocyst rate was significantly higher (P ≤ 0.05) at 50 µM folic acid (21.4 ± 1.2%) compared with control (13.6 ± 0.4%), 100 µM (10.4 ± 0.34%), and 150 µM (7.4 ± 0.54%). However, there was no effect on the number of cleaved embryos among control (72 ± 0.21%), 50 µM (70.6 ± 0.58%), 100 µM (73.75 ± 0.31%), and 150 µM (73.02 ± 0.04%). The expression of the oocyte maturation markers PTX3 and PTGS2 was up-regulated, whereas that of CTSS and CTSSB was down-regulated (P ≤ 0.05), in the 50 µM group, but did not change (P ≤ 0.05) among the other groups. The expression of these genes did not change significantly among the other groups. The expression of genes of the folate cycle, MTR, MAT2A, ACHY, and DHFR, increased (P ≤ 0.05) by 5.7-, 3.6-, 2.2-, and 1.7-fold, respectively, at 50 µM, but did not change (P ≤ 0.05) among the other groups. The expression of SLC19A1 did not change significantly among all the groups. The results of present study show that the supplementation of 50 µM folic acid to the maturation medium results in increased maturation of oocytes, making them more competent for the blastocyst development. Up-regulation of transcripts of folate cycle enzymes at 50 µM might explain the increase in the blastocyst production rate, which further needs to be validated.
Effect of cattle and sheep treading on surface configuration of a sedimentary hill soil
Authors: Betteridge K. , Mackay A. D. , Shepherd T. G. , Barker D. J. , Budding P. J. , Devantier B. P. , Costall D. A.
Published: November 2018

Pastures with a 6-year history of grazing by cattle (cattle pasture) and sheep
(sheep pasture) were used to measure the effects on soil disturbance of a
single severe grazing/treading event by sheep (S), one by cattle
(C1), or 2 events within 3 weeks by cattle
(C2). Treatments were stocked at 35 500 kg LW
0·9 /ha (≡ 200 cattle/ha) for 48 h
when the soil was wetter than the plastic limit. A control plot (untrodden, U)
was grazed only lightly by sheep to control pasture cover while causing
minimal observable surface damage. Change in surface contour, random
roughness, soil surface damage, and pasture cover were determined with a
‘contometer’. The construction and use of the contometer to
measure change in microtopography and to describe the soil surface and
vegetative state by grazing is described. Disturbance was calculated as the
change in height (mm) of soil level at fixed positions along transects within
treatment plots.
Both sheep and cattle pastures were affected similarly
(P > 0·05) in relation to absolute and net
disturbance of soils. Averaged across both pasture types, very little absolute
surfacesoil disturbance was measured on S, whereas cattle-treading caused
significant upward and downward movement of soil. Mean ( s.d.) absolute
surface disturbance (sum of upward and downward movement on a transect) was
greater by cattle (C1, 11·2 8·1;
C2, 9·9 5·0 mm) than by sheep (5·1
1·8 mm) (P < 0·01) after the single
treading and 9·0 4·1 mm for C2 after the
second treading. Net disturbance (average of upward and downward movement on
atransect) was 1·9 4·0, 1·8 4·0, and 3·0
1·8 mm for C1, C2, and S
(P > 0·05), respectively, after the first
treading and 4·1 3·7 mm for C2 after the
second treading. Cumulative net disturbance resulting from
C2 on sheep pasture was greater than on cattle pasture
(P <0·05), especially after the first
treading, suggesting sheep pasture was more susceptible to compaction than the
previously damaged cattle pasture. Random roughness and percentage of surface
soil penetrated by hooves, based on observation, was greater following cattle
than sheep treading. Random roughness tended to increase more
(P < 0·07) following treading of sheep than of
cattle pastures, which were already rougher.
It was concluded that the effect on soil surface configuration of severe
short-term treading events on wet soils was greater by cattle than by sheep
stocked at the same metabolic liveweight per hectare and that this occurred
irrespective of the previous grazing history. Although absolute disturbance in
each of the 2 cattle treadings in C2 was similar, net
disturbance (compaction) on sheep pasture was more than twice that on cattle
pasture (P < 0· 05).
Anion and cation leaching through large undisturbed soil cores under different flow regimes. 1. Experimental results
Authors: Heng L. K. , Tillman R. W. , White R. E.
Published: November 2018

The movement of anions and cations under different unsaturated flow regimes
was studied in 2 large undisturbed cores from a soil under pasture. Sequential
leaching of calcium sulfate (CaSO4) and potassium
bromide (KBr) solutions was carried out at water fluxes which ranged from a
normal 5–20 mm/h rate in one core (the slow flow core), to unusually
high values up to 350 mm/h in the other (the fast flow core). The
objective was to examine the leaching behaviour of the applied cations and
anions under these contrasting flow conditions, and determine the relative
influence of soil physical and chemical processes in governing ion movement. A
better understanding of this behaviour should help in the development of
improved practices to reclaim saline soils, ameliorate sodic soils, and
minimise unwanted leaching of nutrients.
In the slow flow core, miscible displacement breakthrough curves (BTCs) were
observed for bromide, with sulfate movement retarded relative to the bromide.
Cation exchange reactions occurred in the slow flow core, with calcium
generally the dominant cation balancing anions during their movement through
the soil. When KBr solution was substituted for CaSO4,
potassium ions replaced calcium ions on the exchange sites, resulting in an
increase in the calcium concentration in the effluent. In the fast flow core,
however, flow was highly preferential and the water flux very variable. The
surface-applied solutes appeared very rapidly in the effluent, irrespective of
whether they were cations or anions. Under these conditions, solution
cation/anion interactions with the soil surfaces did not appear to
approach equilibrium, so that the leaching process was dominated by the
soil’s water flow characteristics and showed little influence of surface
chemical reactions.
Hill slope effects on the vertical fluxes of photosynthetically fixed 14C in a grazed pasture
Authors: Saggar S. , Mackay A. D. , Hedley C. B.
Published: November 2018

New Zealand hill-country farms consist of an amalgamation of land units in
different slope and aspect categories, each with unique production potentials.
Information on the influence these slope categories have on carbon (C)
partitioning is imperative for more accurate and complete understanding of C
inputs and fluxes through a grazed hill pasture ecosystem. The effects of 3
slope categories [representing 1–12°, 13–25°, and
≥26° microtopographical units corresponding to low (L), medium (M), and
steep (S) slopes] on the vertical translocation of photosynthetically
fixed C was studied by using a 14
C-CO2 pulse-labelling chamber technique.
Pasture and soil samples were taken after 4-h, 7-day, and 35-day chase
periods, to examine the fluxes of 14C in the pasture
plant{root–soil system. Total C and 14C were
determined in the pasture shoot, root, and soil components. Microbial biomass
C and 14C contents in each soil were also determined
using the chloroform fumigation{extraction technique. Pasture composition
and growth varied with slope category. High fertility grasses (90%)
were dominant on the L slope while low fertility grasses (≥60%) were
dominant on the M and S slopes. Shoot growth over 35 days amounted to 4470,
2045, and 1308 kg/ha at the L, M, and S slopes, respectively. The standing
root biomass did not differ signifficantly among the slopes. Allocation of the
14C-labelled assimilate below-ground was rapid, with
23–35% detected in the roots within 4 h of pulse-labelling. The
above- and below-ground partitioning of 14C varied with
the length of the chase period, and was strongly influenced by slope. Pasture
plants allocated more C below-ground in the M and S slope categories. During
the study period, 173 kg C/ha was assimilated daily at the L slope site,
with 73 kg being respired, 50 kg remaining above-ground in the shoot, and 43
kg being partitioned into the root. In comparison, at the S slope, of the 56
kg/ha C assimilated daily, 22 kg was respired, 14 kg remained in the
shoot, and 18 kg was partitioned into the root, and the daily input to the
soil varied between 2 and 7 kg C/ha. By using annual growth measurements
from adjacent areas, the amounts of C translocated annually to roots and soil
at each slope category were also estimated from the 14C
distribution of spring growth. At the L slope site, 9340 kg C/ha was
respired, 6375 kg remained above-ground in the shoot, and 5510 kg was
translocated to roots and 930 kg to soil. At the S slope site, 5710 kg
C/ha was respired, 3490 kg remained in the shoot, and 4490 kg was
translocated to the roots and 555 kg to soil.
Effectiveness of three post-fire treatments at reducing soil erosion in Galicia (NW Spain)
Authors: Fernández Cristina , Vega José A. , Jiménez Enrique , Fonturbel Teresa
Published: November 2018

This study assessed the effectiveness of different methods of reducing soil erosion after a severe wildfire in Galicia (NW Spain). The treatments compared were: straw mulch (2.5 Mg ha–1), wood-chip mulch (4 Mg ha–1), cut-shrub barriers and control. Straw mulch provided an initial ground cover of 80% and the wood chips only 45%. Sediment yields were measured by means of sediment fences in 500-m2 bordered plots. During the first year after wildfire, mean precipitation was 1520 mm. The mean sediment yield in the control plots was 35 Mg ha–1. During this period, only straw mulch application significantly reduced soil erosion relative to controls (66%). The mean sediment yields in the wood-chip mulch and erosion barrier treatments, 33 and 30 Mg ha–1 respectively, were similar to rates in the untreated plots (35 Mg ha–1). Soil erosion decreased sharply during the second year after wildfire when mean precipitation was 1194 mm. Vegetation regrowth was very fast and treatments had no significant effect on the rate of recovery of vegetation cover, which was ~80% at the end of the study. The results obtained showed that ground cover was a key factor in determining post-fire soil loss. Stabilisation treatments such as wood-chip mulch and erosion barriers were not effective in reducing soil loss relative to the untreated control.
Modelling the rate of fire spread and uncertainty associated with the onset and propagation of crown fires in conifer forest stands
Authors: Cruz Miguel G. , Alexander Martin E.
Published: November 2018

Crown fires are complex, unstable phenomena dependent on feedback mechanisms between the combustion products of distinct fuel layers. We describe non-linear fire behaviour associated with crowning and the uncertainty they cause in fire behaviour predictions by running a semiphysical modelling system within a simple Monte Carlo simulation framework. The method was able to capture the dynamics of passive and active crown fire spread regimes, providing estimates of average rate of spread and the extent of crown fire activity. System outputs were evaluated against data collected from a wildfire that occurred in a radiata pine plantation in south-eastern Australia. The Monte Carlo method reduced prediction errors relative to the more commonly used deterministic modelling approach, and allowed a more complete description of the level of crown fire behaviour to expect. The method also provides uncertainty measures and probabilistic outputs, extending the range of questions that can be answered by fire behaviour models.
Integrate multiple traits to detect novel trait–gene association using GWAS summary data with an adaptive test approach
Authors: Guo Bin , Wu Baolin
Published: November 2018

Motivation

Genetics hold great promise to precision medicine by tailoring treatment to the individual patient based on their genetic profiles. Toward this goal, many large-scale genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have been performed in the last decade to identify genetic variants associated with various traits and diseases. They have successfully identified tens of thousands of disease-related variants. However they have explained only a small proportion of the overall trait heritability for most traits and are of very limited clinical use. This is partly owing to the small effect sizes of most genetic variants, and the common practice of testing association between one trait and one genetic variant at a time in most GWAS, even when multiple related traits are often measured for each individual. Increasing evidence suggests that many genetic variants can influence multiple traits simultaneously, and we can gain more power by testing association of multiple traits simultaneously. It is appealing to develop novel multi-trait association test methods that need only GWAS summary data, since it is generally very hard to access the individual-level GWAS phenotype and genotype data.

Results

Many existing GWAS summary data-based association test methods have relied on ad hoc approach or crude Monte Carlo approximation. In this article, we develop rigorous statistical methods for efficient and powerful multi-trait association test. We develop robust and efficient methods to accurately estimate the marginal trait correlation matrix using only GWAS summary data. We construct the principal component (PC)-based association test from the summary statistics. PC-based test has optimal power when the underlying multi-trait signal can be captured by the first PC, and otherwise it will have suboptimal performance. We develop an adaptive test by optimally weighting the PC-based test and the omnibus chi-square test to achieve robust performance under various scenarios. We develop efficient numerical algorithms to compute the analytical P-values for all the proposed tests without the need of Monte Carlo sampling. We illustrate the utility of proposed methods through application to the GWAS meta-analysis summary data for multiple lipids and glycemic traits. We identify multiple novel loci that were missed by individual trait-based association test.

Availability and implementation

All the proposed methods are implemented in an R package available at http://www.github.com/baolinwu/MTAR. The developed R programs are extremely efficient: it takes less than 2 min to compute the list of genome-wide significant single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for all proposed multi-trait tests for the lipids GWAS summary data with 2.5 million SNPs on a single Linux desktop.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Inappropriate Antibiotic Prescribing for Acute Bronchiolitis in US Emergency Departments, 2007–2015
Authors: Papenburg Jesse , Fontela Patricia S , Freitas Raphael R , Burstein Brett
Published: November 2018

One-fourth of patients with bronchiolitis seen in US emergency departments between 2007 and 2015 received antibiotics; 70% of them had no documented bacterial coinfection. Macrolides were prescribed in 38% of the cases. Antibiotic use did not decrease after national recommendations against routine prescribing. Efforts are needed to reduce unnecessary and inappropriate antibiotic use for bronchiolitis.
The ‘Prima Facie Expectation Relief’ Approach in the Australian Law of Proprietary Estoppel
Authors: Liew Ying Khai
Published: November 2018

In Australia, proprietary estoppel attracts the prima facie remedy of expectation relief. This article argues that this remedial approach can be understood simply as a presumption of fact, providing a practical starting point that reflects the frequency with which cases justifying expectation relief are brought. This understanding of the remedial approach is consistent with the aim of the doctrine, which is (and remains) the avoidance of detriment. The article suggests that the remedial approach does provide, and ought to be understood as providing, only a weak default position. This position encourages judges to be alive to the facts of particular cases in framing the appropriate relief.
The History of Bronze and Iron Age Israel
Authors: Matthews Victor H.
Published: November 2018

This volume provides a basic introduction to the historical, archaeological, and contextual aspects of ancient Israel during its formative period in the Bronze and Iron Age. It integrates extrabiblical sources from regions throughout the ancient Near East with the data found in the biblical narratives in order to explore the development of ancient Israelite identity, cultural traditions, and their interaction with the other major cultures of the ancient Near East. Given the nature of available information on this early culture, it is necessary to take into account the methods designed to examine the transmission of cultural memories and foundation stories in shaping a people’s concept of themselves. Because we do have more data available from neighboring regions, attention is expanded beyond the biblical narratives to include what we know about the physical realities of geopolitics and super-power politics, the international and interregional movement of peoples, and the evolutionary process from inchoate to complex states. In addition, attention is also given to what archaeological excavations can contribute to the reconstruction of the history of ancient Israel and its cultures. In particular, aspects of everyday life both in the village culture and in urban settings are examined as a key to the development of social, legal, and religious traditions and practices.
Placing Ancient Israel in Its Ancient Near Eastern Context
Authors: Matthews Victor H.
Published: November 2018

The focus of this chapter is on the methods employed in examining the history writing (historiography) of the biblical writers and editors, and of the task associated with writing a history of ancient Israel. In every instance an effort is made to place ancient Israel into its social, political, and economic context as part of the world of the ancient Near East. Also included is the current library of extrabiblical sources available to scholars that throw light on the history of ancient Israel. Attention is then given to the role of historical geography as it relates to a study of the history of the countries of the Levant, as well as an introduction to the values and limitations of archaeology.
Israel’s Earliest Historical Traditions
Authors: Matthews Victor H.
Published: November 2018

The ancestral narratives in Genesis 12–49 and the exodus account (Exod 1–19) fall into the category of foundational stories. This chapter traces the many pathways of cultural memory and the salient features that eventually grew into the completed narratives of the received biblical text. Thus the stories about each of the ancestors provide a genealogical framework for both the tribes as well as the nation of Israel. In turn, the connection between the ancestral narratives and the story of the people’s sojourn in Egypt leads up to a further clarification of God’s covenantal promise to Abraham and Moses.
The Emperor and the Empire
Authors: Maier Harry O.
Published: November 2018

The chapter discusses the Roman emperor, the administration of the empire, and the imperial cult. It defines the terms “imperium,” and “imperator” and their changing definitions in the Augustan era. It considers the empire as a network of roads, laws, trading partners, and ethnicities, and also the ways religion traveled and spread through these networks through the actions of religious entrepreneurs. It discusses diaspora urban Judaism and its integration within the empire. It presents the division of the empire into senatorial and imperial provinces and their administration of law, along with the collection of taxes through provincial officials and tax farmers. It treats civic patronage by elected officials in the form of liturgies in return for honors. The imperial cult as religious devotion and a ritualized means of communication between the emperor and provincial elites and the high frequency of imperial language and imagery in the New Testament are discussed.
Eno’s Journey from Art School to the Studio
Authors: Lysaker John T.
Published: November 2018

Chapter 3 offers a brief biography of Eno’s development as an artist. It shows how he came to enter the avant-garde and how he acquired the techniques that blossomed on Music for Airports. Early influences like cybernetic theory and avant-garde musical practice are considered. The chapter also looks at his early work with Roxy Music and Robert Fripp in order to explain Eno’s self-proclaimed status as a “non-musician.” The chapter argues that this is Eno’s way of approaching and organizing the activity of sounds. Overall, the chapter argues that Eno is less a rock musician that found the avant-garde than an avant-garde art student who chanced into and transformed popular music.
Between Hearing and Listening
Authors: Lysaker John T.
Published: November 2018

Chapter 5 treats Music for Airports as a work of conceptual art and compares it to the work of Steve Reich, arguing that the album, like Eno’s visual art, provides a sonic image of the ecological character of human activity and meaning. The chapter also tracks how the album’s ambient function changes when it is reproduced through differing technologies, and how it becomes an entirely different kind of artwork when scored for and performed on traditional instruments by Bang on a Can. Because the album proves to have three distinct dimensions, it requires “prismatic listening.” Prismatic listening switches between distinct modes of attention, in this case between the album’s ambient function, its exploration of the activity of sounds, and its standing as conceptual art. And it does so in the knowledge that these dimensions cannot be heard simultaneously.
Firearms
Authors: Pirelli Gianni
Published: November 2018

The purpose of this chapter is to provide an overview intended to summarize essential introductory information to help the reader consume the material provided throughout the remainder of the book. First, the authors review the history of firearms across numerous contexts, including military, law enforcement, corrections, civilian, and pop culture. They then outline the available statistics from various sources related to firearm ownership and use in the United States, as well as provide comparisons across states. Next, they set forth important foundational information about firearms. They then address issues related to the public sentiment and attitudes toward firearms, gun control, and related concepts. Finally, they review a wide range of Second Amendment and other firearm-related groups, including gun control, gun violence prevention, and antigun groups.