bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Individual variation explains ageing patterns in a cooperatively breeding bird, the long‐tailed titAegithalos caudatus
Authors: Roper Mark , Sturrock Nicole J. , Hatchwell Ben J. , Green Jonathan P. 
Published: May 2022

AbstractAlloparental care in cooperatively breeding species may alter breeder age‐specific survival and reproduction and subsequently senescence. The helping behaviour itself might also undergo age‐related change, and decisions to help in facultative cooperative breeders are likely to be affected by individual condition.Helpers in long‐tailed titsAegithalos caudatusassist relatives after failing to raise their own brood, with offspring from helped nests being more likely to recruit into the breeding population.Using data collected over 25 years, we examined the age trajectories of survival and reproduction in adult long‐tailed tits to determine how these were affected by the presence or absence of helpers and how helper behaviour changed with age.There was evidence for increased reproductive performance with breeder age, but no effect of age on the probability of survival. We found no evidence of significant senescent decline in survival or reproductive performance, although individuals accrued less inclusive fitness in their last year of life. Lifetime reproductive success was positively related to both reproductive life span and body mass. Within a season, breeders that were assisted by helpers enjoyed greater reproductive success through enhanced offspring recruitment in the following year. We found no evidence that age affected an individual's propensity to help, or the amount of indirect fitness accrued through helping.We found a positive correlation between life span and multiple components of reproductive success, suggesting that individual variation in quality underpins age‐related variation in fitness in this species. Helping decisions are driven by condition, and lifetime inclusive fitness of immigrants was predicted by body mass. These findings further support individual heterogeneity in quality being a major driver for fitness gains across the life course of long‐tailed tits.
Relative perceptions of prevalence, impact and importance of photosensitisation in Australian livestock: A survey of veterinarians, livestock traders and livestock producers
Authors: Chen Y , Loukopoulos P , Xie G , Quinn JC 
Published: May 2022

AimsTo investigate the relative differences in the perceptions and awareness of outbreaks of photosensitisation in Australian livestock stakeholders, including veterinarians, livestock traders and producers.MethodsA questionnaire was developed and circulated to livestock veterinarians, producers and traders in Australia via email addresses obtained from public access sources. The questionnaire was designed to evaluate participants' awareness and perception of health, welfare, and production issues associated with outbreaks of photosensitisation and towards the incidence and importance of photosensitisation in livestock.ResultsOne hundred and twenty‐eight online responses were received in total. Nearly half of the respondents (49.0%) indicated they would encounter 1–3 outbreaks annually. The majority of veterinarian and livestock producers stated that outbreaks of photosensitisation were common and economically important, with cattle and sheep being equally considered as susceptible species to this condition, and secondary (hepatogeneous) photosensitisation is the most common type.ConclusionThis survey confirms the anecdotal evidence that photosensitisation in livestock in Australia is commonly encountered by veterinarians and livestock producers. However, there is no industry‐wide common acceptance of the issue, broader opinions should be canvassed when considering impacts on stakeholders regarding photosensitisation outbreaks in livestock in Australia or abroad in the future.
Factors affecting willingness to pay premium prices for socially responsible food products: Evidence from Indian consumers
Authors: Khan Waseem , Siddiquei Mohd Imran , Muneeb Syed Mohd , Farhan Mohd 
Published: May 2022

AbstractThe motive of this study is to identify the factors influencing the willingness to pay (WTP) a premium price for socially responsible food products (SRFPs) in India. This study is based on primary survey of 398 respondents. Descriptive statistics and factor analysis have been used for data analysis. Further, logistic regression was used to examine the factors affecting the WTP a premium price for SRFPs. Results demonstrate that respondents of higher age are more likely to pay premium prices for SRFPs. Male consumers are two times more likely to have higher WTP for SRFPs. WTP a premium price is significantly influenced by the consumers' reference group, pro‐environmental intention, and concern for the animals. Gender, age, consumers' reference group, pro‐environmental intention, and concern for the animals determine WTP premium prices for SRFPs. There are relatively very limited researches on this topic in emerging economies including India, where the adoption of socially responsible products is in early stage. The practical implications of this study are to help in increasing the sales of the SRFPs and producers to develop appropriate policy design.
Social services provision and stakeholder engagement in the Nigerian informal sector: A systemic concept for transformation and business sustainability
Authors: Ufua Daniel E. , Olujobi Olusola J. , Tahir Hammad , Okafor Victoria , Imhonopi David , Osabuohien Evans 
Published: May 2022

AbstractThe informal business sector has made enormous contributions to Nigeria's economic growth and development, but this sector is not given the necessary attention to transforming these businesses toward sustainability. This study explores the depth of informal business sector practices in Nigeria. It underscores the inputs of stakeholders in the transformation of businesses in the Nigerian informal sector to increase tax remittances and employment generation for job security in the Nigerian economy. Also, it underpins value chain performances to transform the informal sector and rescue it from liquidation through voluntary company arrangements, administration, merger, takeover, and acquisition schemes. The study adopts a conceptual review. The research relies on extant literature relating to the antecedence of informal business sector activities in Nigeria. It relies on reports from tertiary data sources such as academic articles, books, newspapers, the Internet, and website sources. It further explores the views of researchers, covering the informal sector development and the support of the provisions of the social services in Nigeria. There is the absence of a model for the transformation and sustainability of the informal sector enterprises in Nigeria. This study recommends a model approach to address informal sector enterprises' issues and challenges necessary to transform the businesses into a formal status while supporting their sustainability and resilience.
Predictive value of new onset versus primary meconium‐stained amniotic fluid
Authors: Shai Daniel , Mazaki‐Tovi Shali , Hendler Israel , Meyer Raanan , Cahan Tal , Shapira Moran , Sivan Eyal , Barzilay Eran , Haas Jigal 
Published: May 2022

AbstractBackgroundTransition of clear amniotic fluid to meconium‐stained fluid is a relatively common occurrence during labor. However, data regarding the clinical significance and the prognostic value of the presence of meconium‐stained amnionic fluid (MSAF) are scarce. This study aimed to investigate delivery and neonatal outcomes according to the presence of MSAF and the timing of the meconium passage.MethodsWe used an historical cohort study at a single tertiary medical center in Israel between the years 2011 and 2018. Women were divided into two groups according to timing of meconium passage: primary MSAF (MSAF present at membrane rupture) and secondary MSAF (clear amnionic fluid that transitioned to MSAF during labor). Neonatal complication rates were compared between groups. Composite adverse neonatal outcome was defined as arterial cord blood pH <7.1, 5 min Apgar score ≤7, and/or neonatal intensive care unit admission.ResultsThe study cohort included 56 863 singleton term births. Of these, 9043 (15.9%) were to women who had primary MSAF, and 1484 (2.6%) to those with secondary MSAF. Secondary MSAF compared with primary MSAF increased the risks of cesarean birth and operative vaginal delivery, increased the risks of low one‐ and five‐minute Apgar scores and low arterial cord blood pH, and increased hospital stay duration. Multivariate analysis revealed that secondary MSAF was independently associated with an increased risk of composite adverse neonatal outcome (OR1.68, 95% CI 1.25–2.24, p < 0.001) compared with primary MSAF.ConclusionsIn this sample, secondary MSAF was associated with more adverse neonatal outcomes than primary MSAF. Closer monitoring of fetal well‐being may be prudent in these cases.
Children gradually construct spatial representations of temporal events
Authors: Tillman Katharine A. , Fukuda Eren , Barner David 
Published: May 2022

AbstractEnglish‐speaking adults often recruit a “mental timeline” to represent events from left‐to‐right (LR), but its developmental origins are debated. Here, we test whether preschoolers prefer ordered linear representations of events and whether they prefer culturally conventional directions. English‐speaking adults (n = 85) and 3‐ to 5‐year‐olds (n = 513; 50% female; ~47% white, ~35% Latinx, ~18% other; tested 2016–2018) were told three‐step stories and asked to choose which of two image sequences best illustrated them. We found that 3‐ and 4‐year‐olds chose ordered over unordered sequences, but preferences between directions did not emerge until at least age 5. Together, these results show that children conceptualize time linearly early in development but gradually acquire directional preferences (e.g., for LR).
Emotions in the mediated civic context of the family: Understanding children's and parents' mutually constitutive mediation environment
Authors: Seddighi Gilda , Chimirri Niklas Alexander , Brites Maria José 
Published: May 2022

AbstractThis article proposes that more attention should be paid to how mediated civic engagements are shaped in a family context. Through an interpretive literature review of research that studies the family's role in mediating civic engagement, we identify several problematic conceptual understandings that create rigid distinctions between the family sphere and its members' civic engagement, as well as between their analogue and digital engagements. The article introduces a conceptual framework that has implications for further research on mediated civic engagement by taking into consideration parents', children and youth's emotions and affective relations as relevant for engaging in the civic realm.
Genomic erosion in a demographically recovered bird species during conservation rescue
Authors: Jackson Hazel A. , Percival‐Alwyn Lawrence , Ryan Camilla , Albeshr Mohammed F. , Venturi Luca , Morales Hernán E. , Mathers Thomas C. , Cocker Jonathan , Speak Samuel A. , Accinelli Gonzalo G. , Barker Tom , Heavens Darren , Willman Faye , Dawson Deborah , Ward Lauren , Tatayah Vikash , Zuël Nicholas , Young Richard , Concannon Lianne , Whitford Harriet , Clavijo Bernardo , Bunbury Nancy , Tyler Kevin M. , Ruhomaun Kevin , Grace Molly K. , Bruford Michael W. , Jones Carl G. , Tollington Simon , Bell Diana J. , Groombridge Jim J. , Clark Matt , Van Oosterhout Cock 
Published: May 2022

AbstractThe pink pigeon (Nesoenas mayeri) is an endemic species of Mauritius that has made a remarkable recovery after a severe population bottleneck in the 1970s to early 1990s. Prior to this bottleneck, an ex situ population was established from which captive‐bred individuals were released into free‐living subpopulations to increase population size and genetic variation. This conservation rescue led to rapid population recovery to 400–480 individuals, and the species was twice downlisted on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. We analyzed the impacts of the bottleneck and genetic rescue on neutral genetic variation during and after population recovery (1993–2008) with restriction site‐associated sequencing, microsatellite analyses, and quantitative genetic analysis of studbook data of 1112 birds from zoos in Europe and the United States. We used computer simulations to study the predicted changes in genetic variation and population viability from the past into the future. Genetic variation declined rapidly, despite the population rebound, and the effective population size was approximately an order of magnitude smaller than census size. The species carried a high genetic load of circa 15 lethal equivalents for longevity. Our computer simulations predicted continued inbreeding will likely result in increased expression of deleterious mutations (i.e., a high realized load) and severe inbreeding depression. Without continued conservation actions, it is likely that the pink pigeon will go extinct in the wild within 100 years. Conservation rescue of the pink pigeon has been instrumental in the recovery of the free‐living population. However, further genetic rescue with captive‐bred birds from zoos is required to recover lost variation, reduce expression of harmful deleterious variation, and prevent extinction. The use of genomics and modeling data can inform IUCN assessments of the viability and extinction risk of species, and it helps in assessments of the conservation dependency of populations.
Consensus and controversy in the discipline of invasion science
Authors: Shackleton Ross T. , Vimercati Giovanni , Probert Anna F. , Bacher Sven , Kull Christian A. , Novoa Ana 
Published: May 2022

AbstractApproaches, values, and perceptions in invasion science are highly dynamic, and like in other disciplines, views among different people can diverge. This has led to debate in the field specifically surrounding the core themes of values, management, impacts, and terminology. Considering these debates, we surveyed 698 scientists and practitioners globally to assess levels of polarization (opposing views) on core and contentious topics. The survey was distributed online (via Google Forms) and promoted through listservs and social media. Although there were generally high levels of consensus among respondents, there was some polarization (scores of ≥0.39 [top quartile]). Relating to values, there was high polarization regarding claims of invasive species denialism, whether invasive species contribute to biodiversity, and how biodiversity reporting should be conducted. With regard to management, there were polarized views on banning the commercial use of beneficial invasive species, the extent to which stakeholders’ perceptions should influence management, whether invasive species use alone is an appropriate control strategy, and whether eradication of invasive plants is possible. For impacts, there was high polarization concerning whether invasive species drive or are a side effect of degradation and whether invasive species benefits are understated. For terminology, polarized views related to defining invasive species based only on spread, whether species can be labeled as invasive in their native ranges, and whether language used is too xenophobic. Factor and regression analysis revealed that views were particularly divergent between people working on different invasive taxa (plants and mammals) and in different disciplines (between biologists and social scientists), between academics and practitioners, and between world regions (between Africa and the Global North). Unlike in other studies, age and gender had a limited influence on response patterns. Better integration globally and between disciplines, taxa, and sectors (e.g., academic vs. practitioners) could help build broader understanding and consensus.
Novel chytrid pathogen variants and the global amphibian pet trade
Authors: Fu Minjie , Waldman Bruce 
Published: May 2022

AbstractGlobal wildlife trade spreads emerging infectious diseases that threaten biodiversity. The amphibian chytrid pathogenBatrachochytrium dendrobatidis(Bd) has caused population declines and species extinctions worldwide except in Asia. Fire‐bellied toads (Bombina orientalis), exported in large numbers from Asia, are tolerant of Bd and carry hypervirulent ancestral chytrid BdAsia‐1 variants. We assayed the virulence of a new isolate of BdAsia‐1 on the model Australasian frog hostLitoria caerulea. Infected individuals (n= 15) all showed rapid disease progression culminating in death, whereas sham‐inoculated individuals (n= 10) presented no clinical signs of disease and all survived (log rank test, χ2= 15.6, df = 1,p< 0.0001). The virulence of the new isolate of BdAsia‐1 is comparable to the one we assayed previously (χ2= 0.0, df = 1,p= 0.91). Internationally traded wildlife, even when they appear healthy, can carry hypervirulent variants of pathogens. Once new pathogen variants escape into the environment, native species that have had no opportunity to evolve resistance to them may perish. Our study suggests that hypervirulent pathogens are being spread by the international pet trade. Notifiable wildlife diseases attributable to locally endemic pathogens often fail to generate conservation concern so are rarely subject to border surveillance or import controls. Because of the danger novel variants pose, national border control agencies need to implement disease screening and quarantine protocols to ensure the safety of their endemic fauna.
Freshwater macroinvertebrate traits assessment as complementary to taxonomic information for mining impact detection in the northern Peruvian Andes
Authors: Mercado‐Garcia Daniel , Beeckman Eveline , Van Butsel Jana , Deza Arroyo Nilton , Sanchez Peña Marco , Forio Marie Anne Eurie , De Schamphelaere Karel A. C. , Wyseure Guido , Goethals Peter 
Published: May 2022

AbstractAimWe studied the distribution of freshwater macroinvertebrate taxa and traits to distinguish ecological gradients among the mining‐controlled and natural headwaters, and rural and urban economic activity influences.LocationIn 2016’s dry season, macroinvertebrate samples were collected at 40 locations in the Mashcon watershed, northern Peruvian Andes. Six locations were in the headwaters directly influenced by mining, eight near‐pristine tributary headwaters, 14 agricultural locations at midstream and 12 urban locations downstream.MethodsEight traits (five biological and three ecological) were selected according to data availability, and modalities scores were assigned using the weighted and the dominant‐trait approaches. The traits relative abundances and abiotic conditions were compared among watershed sections. The ecological interpretability of the ungrouped data was verified with a distance‐based redundancy analysis.ResultsThe high‐altitude mining section had fewer taxa types and abundance, and distinct body forms distributions and prevalent body sizes in macroinvertebrate communities, relatable to the control of the mining headwaters. Physiological and ecological traits (respiration, mobility and attachment, food sources, feeding habits, saprobity and pH preferenda) differed among traits quantification approaches and were less informative at high altitudes. The ecological conditions from the near‐pristine tributaries recovered in the vegetated midstream section, to again be affected in the downstream urban section.Main ConclusionsOur results suggest the presence of ecological impairment despite the excellent physicochemical quality of the water discharged by the mine. The obtainment of autecological information at a higher taxonomic resolution, e.g. for ubiquitous taxa like Acari and Chironomidae, would be needed to advance the freshwater quality assessment of ecologically and hydrogeochemically complex Andean mining ecosystems.
The unique relevance of executive functions and self‐regulation behaviors for understanding early childhood experiences and preschoolers’ outcomes in rural Pakistan
Authors: Obradović Jelena , Finch Jenna E. , Connolly Catie , Siyal Saima , Yousafzai Aisha K. 
Published: May 2022

AbstractPerformance‐based measures of children's executive functions (EFs) do not capture children's application of these skills during everyday emotionally‐laden and socially‐mediated interactions. The current study demonstrates the value of using assessor report of self‐regulation behaviors (inhibitory control and positive affect/engagement) in addition to EF tasks when studying early childhood experiences and development in a rural lower‐middle‐income country setting. In a sample of 1302 disadvantaged 4‐year‐olds living in rural Pakistan, we found that directly assessed EFs were significantly related to assessor observations of children's inhibitory control and positive affect/engagement during a structured assessment protocol. However, EFs and two types of self‐regulation behaviors demonstrated unique associations with children's (1) contextual experiences, as indexed by family socio‐economic resources, participation in parenting interventions, and children's physical growth; and (2) age‐salient developmental outcomes, as indexed by direct assessment of pre‐academic skills and maternal report of prosocial behaviors and behavior problems. First, family wealth uniquely predicted only observed positive affect/engagement, whereas maternal education uniquely predicted only EFs. Second, children's antecedent linear growth was a significant predictor of both EFs and positive affect/engagement, but exposure to an enhanced nutrition intervention during the first 2 years of life and preschoolers’ hair cortisol concentration were associated only with observed self‐regulation behaviors. Finally, both EFs and observed positive affect/engagement uniquely predicted children's pre‐academic skills. In contrast, only assessors’ ratings of positive affect/engagement uniquely predicted maternal report of prosocial behaviors and only assessors’ ratings of inhibitory control uniquely predicted maternal report of behavioral problems.