A systems approach to understanding the connection between farm systems resilience and pasture resilience

Farm systems resilience in New Zealand pasture-based farming is influenced by external drivers such as environmental regulation, and internal drivers such as existence, expressed as profitability. We examine ten published case studies of farm systems change to provide insight into management interventions to these drivers and their impacts on pasture resilience. Nutrient supply was key to increasing pasture longevity, water use efficiency and animal feed supply. Manipulating water use efficiency through irrigation and legume (predominantly lucerne) use increased nitrogen use efficiency and added pasture supply for animal consumption. Monitoring the pasture supply and animal response ensured both animal feed requirements and pasture conditions for future growth were met. The resilience of pastures was improved when monitoring guided adaptive management application to ensure whole-farm resilience

Proximate, Mineral and Functional Properties of Maize Starch Complemented with Defatted Sesame Seed Flour

Background: Maize is known to be one of the major cereals used as indigenous breakfast meal and for infant weaning. It is high in carbohydrate with limited protein content and deficient in lysine. There is a need to complement its nutritional attributes with the inclusion of sesame seed flour known to be rich source of protein, fat and some essential minerals to maximize adequate nutrition and minimize mal nutrition that could result from the deficiency of these essential nutrients. Objectives: The physicochemical properties of maize starch complemented with defatted sesame seed flour were investigated.  Methods: Maize grains and sesame seed were processed into starch and flour respectively. The ratio of maize starch to sesame seed flour was 90:10, 85:15, with 100% maize starch as control and 100% maize flour as control. The samples were evaluated for proximate, mineral and functional properties using standard analytical procedure. Results: The proximate composition varies significantly (P≤0.05).The moisture content was in the range of (9.25 to 12.0%), protein (10.58 to 21.70%), crude fiber (0.50 to 3.0%), fat content(1.75 to 10.0%), ash content (1.35 to 3.45%) and carbohydrate (50.55 to 72.67%).The mineral composition shows no significant difference (P≤0.05). Copper was in the range of (0.29 to 0.33 mg/100g), potassium (2.08 to 2.13 mg/100g), sodium (3.67 to 3.72 mg/100g), magnesium (0.77 to 0.84 mg/100g) and manganese (1.47 to 1.54 mg/100g). Most of functional properties investigated show no significant difference (P≤0.05). Bulk density was in the range of (0.62 to 0.64g/ml), swelling power (4.75 to 8.56 g/ml), water absorption capacity (1.8 to 3.0 g/g), oil absorption capacity (1.35 to 1.70 g/g) and gelation capacity (8.20 to 11.90%). Conclusion: The inclusion of defatted sesame seed flour to maize starch during processing can significantly improve proximate, mineral and the functionality of the blends.    Keywords: Maize starch, physicochemical properties, sesame seed flour&nbsp

Pengembangan Lembar Kegiatan Siswa (Lks) Kimia Sma/ma Berbasis Learning Cycle 5e Pada Materi Laju Reaksi

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk: (1) mengembangkan Lembar Kegiatan Siswa (LKS) berbasis Learning Cycle 5E, (2) mengetahui kualitas Lembar Kegiatan Siswa (LKS) berbasis Learning Cycle 5E, (3) mengetahui efektivitas Lembar Kegiatan Siswa (LKS) berbasis Learning Cycle 5E untuk meningkatkan prestasi belajar siswa. Penelitian dan pengembangan Lembar Kegiatan Siswa (LKS) berbasis Learning Cycle 5E menggunakan prosedur penelitian dan pengembangan dari Borg and Gall yang disederhanakan menjadi 9 tahapan yaitu: (1) penelitian pendahuluan dan pengumpulan data, (2) perencanaan, (3) pengembangan produk, (4) uji coba lapangan awal, (5) revisi produk awal, (6) uji coba pelaksanaan lapangan, (7) penyempurnaan produk hasil uji coba lapangan, (8) uji coba pelaksanaan lapangan, (9) penyempurnaan produk akhir. Analisis Data yang digunakan adalah analisis deskriptif kualitatif. Hasil Penelitian menunjukkan: (1) telah berhasil dikembangkan Lembar Kegiatan Siswa (LKS) berbasis Learning Cycle 5E pada materi Laju Reaksi yang dilakukan berdasarkan tahapan penelitian dan pengembangan R&D yang terdiri dari 9 tahapan, (2) kualitas Lembar Kegiatan Siswa (LKS) berbasis Learning Cycle 5E pada materi Laju Reaksi memiliki kualitas sangat baik pada aspek komponen kelayakan isi, bahasa, penyajian dan kegrafisan dengan persentase sebesar 84,06% berdasarkan penilaian siswa dan 90,88% berdasarkan penilaian guru, (hasil uji efektivitas pada aspek pengetahuan terdapat perbedaan antara kelas eksperimen (pembelajaran dengan menggunakan model Learning Cycle 5E disertai Lembar Kegiatan Siswa (LKS) berbasis Learning Cycle 5E ) dan kelas baseline (pembelajaran dengan menggunakan model pembelajaran Learning Cycle 5E tanpa disertai Lembar Kegiatan Siswa (LKS) berbasis Learning Cycle 5E ),, sedangkan pada aspek sikap dan keterampilan tidak terdapat perbedaan

Using satellite tracking to optimize protection of long-lived marine species: olive ridley sea turtle conservation in Central Africa.

Published onlineJournal ArticleResearch Support, Non-U.S. Gov'tResearch Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.Tractable conservation measures for long-lived species require the intersection between protection of biologically relevant life history stages and a socioeconomically feasible setting. To protect breeding adults, we require knowledge of animal movements, how movement relates to political boundaries, and our confidence in spatial analyses of movement. We used satellite tracking and a switching state-space model to determine the internesting movements of olive ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) (n = 18) in Central Africa during two breeding seasons (2007-08, 2008-09). These movements were analyzed in relation to current park boundaries and a proposed transboundary park between Gabon and the Republic of Congo, both created to reduce unintentional bycatch of sea turtles in marine fisheries. We additionally determined confidence intervals surrounding home range calculations. Turtles remained largely within a 30 km radius from the original nesting site before departing for distant foraging grounds. Only 44.6 percent of high-density areas were found within the current park but the proposed transboundary park would incorporate 97.6 percent of high-density areas. Though tagged individuals originated in Gabon, turtles were found in Congolese waters during greater than half of the internesting period (53.7 percent), highlighting the need for international cooperation and offering scientific support for a proposed transboundary park. This is the first comprehensive study on the internesting movements of solitary nesting olive ridley sea turtles, and it suggests the opportunity for tractable conservation measures for female nesting olive ridleys at this and other solitary nesting sites around the world. We draw from our results a framework for cost-effective protection of long-lived species using satellite telemetry as a primary tool.This work was supported by the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund (STO-08-01) and the Tagging of Pacific Predators Project, with additional support from the Darwin Initiative, Center for the Dynamics and Evolution of the Land-Sea Interface, Friends of Long Marine Laboratory, Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, the Marilyn Davis Memorial Scholarship, the UCSC Graduate Student Association, Square's Landscaping and Kitchen Gardens, Inc. SMM was supported by fellowships from the National Science Foundation, University of California Santa Cruz, Achievement Awards for College Scientists and Steve Blank. Sea turtle nest monitoring in Gabon was coordinated through the Gabon Sea Turtle Partnership, with funding from the Marine Turtle Conservation Fund (United States Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Department of the Interior). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript

Using Cumulative Impact Mapping to Prioritize Marine Conservation Efforts in Equatorial Guinea

This is the final version. Available on open access from Frontiers Media via the DOI in this recordData Availability Statement Ensemble ecological niche models (EENMs) and threat maps (anthropogenic footprint, cumulative impact, and cumulative utilization and impact) for each species (Atlantic humpback dolphin Sousa teuszii; bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus; humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae; leatherback Dermochelys coriacea; and olive ridley sea turtle Lepidochelys olivacea) are available from the Dryad Digital Repository doi: 10.5061/dryad.v6wwpzgr9 (Trew et al., 2019).Marine biodiversity is under extreme pressure from anthropogenic activity globally, leading to calls to protect at least 10% of the world’s oceans within marine protected areas (MPAs) and other effective area-based conservation measures. Fulfilling such commitments, however, requires a detailed understanding of the distribution of potentially detrimental human activities, and their predicted impacts. One such approach that is being increasingly used to strengthen our understanding of human impacts is cumulative impact mapping; as it can help identify economic sectors with the greatest potential impact on species and ecosystems in order to prioritize conservation management strategies, providing clear direction for intervention. In this paper, we present the first local cumulative utilization impact mapping exercise for the Bioko-Corisco-Continental area of Equatorial Guinea’s Exclusive Economic Zone – situated in the Gulf of Guinea, one of the most important and least studied marine regions in the Eastern Central Atlantic. This study examines the potential impact of ten direct anthropogenic activities on a suite of key marine megafauna species and reveals that the most suitable habitats for these species, located on the continental shelf, are subject to the highest threat scores. However, in some coastal areas, the persistence of highly suitable habitat subject to lower threat scores suggests that there are still several strategic areas that are less impacted by human activity that may be suitable sites for protected area expansion. Highlighting both the areas with potentially the highest impact, and those with lower impact levels, as well as particularly damaging activities can inform the direction of future conservation initiatives in the region.Waitt FoundationWildlife Conservation SocietyDarwin InitiativeDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)Waterloo FoundationNatural Environment Research Council (NERC)Marine Turtle Conservation Fund (United States Fish and Wildlife Service, United States Department of the Interior)Vaalco EnergyHarvest Natural ResourcesSea World and Busch Gardens Conservation FundTullow OilOld Dominion UniversityWWFWildlife Conservation SocietyUniversity of Exete

An invisibility cloak using silver nanowires

In this paper, we use the parameter retrieval method together with an analytical effective medium approach to design a well-performed invisible cloak, which is based on an empirical revised version of the reduced cloak. The designed cloak can be implemented by silver nanowires with elliptical cross-sections embedded in a polymethyl methacrylate host. This cloak is numerically proved to be robust for both the inner hidden object as well as incoming detecting waves, and is much simpler thus easier to manufacture when compared with the earlier proposed one [Nat. Photon. 1, 224 (2007)].Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, 2 table

Tilted frames of reference have similar effects on perception of the gravitational vertical and the planning of vertical saccadic eye movements

We investigated the effects of a tilted reference frame (i.e., allocentric visual context) on perception of the gravitational vertical and saccadic eye movements along a planned egocentric vertical path. Participants (n=5) in a darkened room fixated a point in the center of a circle on an LCD display, and decided which of two sequentially presented dots was closer to the unmarked ‘6 o’clock’ position on that circle (i.e., straight down towards their feet). The slope of their perceptual psychometric functions showed that participants were able to locate which dot was nearer the vertical with a precision of 1-2°. For three of the participants, a square frame centered at fixation and tilted (in the roll direction) 5.6° from the vertical caused a strong perceptual bias, manifest as a shift in the psychometric function, in the direction of the traditional ‘rod and frame’ effect, without affecting precision. The other two participants showed negligible or no equivalent biases. The same subjects participated in the saccade version of the task, in which they were instructed to shift their gaze to the 6 o’clock position as soon as the central fixation point disappeared. The participants who showed perceptual biases showed biases of similar magnitude in their saccadic end points, with a strong correlation between perceptual and saccadic biases across all subjects. Tilting of the head 5.6° reduced both perceptual and saccadic biases in all but one observer, who developed a strong saccadic bias. Otherwise, the overall pattern and significant correlations between results remained the same. We conclude that our observers' saccades-to-the-vertical were dominated by perceptual input, which outweighed any gravitational or head-centered input