Lucerne guidelines for Western Australia principles for integrating a perennial pasture into broadacre dryland farming systems

Lucerne, often regarded as the queen of forages, has been used in agriculture for centuries. In Western Australia, however, its potential has never been fully realised despite its well-documented ability to dewater soils and reduce groundwater recharge. Over the years adoption has been limited by a range of factors including pests and diseases, soil acidity, grazing management and economics. During the last decade research has addressed these issues, paving the way for much greater impact at the farm and catchment level.https://researchlibrary.agric.wa.gov.au/bulletins/1204/thumbnail.jp

Una experiencia de aula en torno a la representación gráfica de una función

En la escuela es frecuente que para introducir la gráfica cartesiana de la función de expresión simbólica , se parta de dicha expresión para hacer una tabla de valores, se determinen los correspondientes puntos en el plano cartesiano y se trace "una curva suave" que conecte tales puntos. En este artículo presentamos detalles de una experiencia de aula que buscaba plantear una estrategia metodológica alternativa a la ya mencionada. Somos conscientes de la necesidad de hacerle modificaciones, sin embargo creemos que darla a conocer permite a profesores colegas ver la posibilidad de tomar rutas diferentes en la enseñanza del tema. Además, nos parece importante mostrar la gran cantidad y diversidad de información relevante para aproximarse a la comprensión de los estudiantes, que pudimos acopiar a partir de sus producciones al hacer una observación directa mientras los alumnos trabajaban y también al mirar con detenimiento el trabajo escrito de ellos

High seasonal variability in sediment carbon stocks of cold‐temperate seagrass meadows

Seagrass meadows have a high ability to capture and store atmospheric CO2 in the plant biomass and underlying sediment and thereby function as efficient carbon sinks. The seagrass Zostera marina is a common species in the temperate Northern Hemisphere, a region with strong seasonal variations in climate. How seasonality affects carbon storage capacity in seagrass meadows is largely unknown, and therefore, in this study, we aimed to assess variations in sedimentary total organic carbon (TOC) content over a 1‐year cycle in seagrass meadows on the Swedish west coast. The TOC was measured in two Z. marina sites, one wave exposed and one sheltered, and at two depths (1.5 and 4 m) within each site, every second month from August 2015 to June 2016. We found a strong seasonal variation in carbon density, with a peak in early summer (June), and that the TOC was negatively correlated to the net community production of the meadows, presumably related to organic matter degradation. There was seasonal variation in TOC content at all sediment sections, indicating that the carbon content down to 30 cm is unstable on a seasonal scale and therefore likely not a long‐term carbon sink. The yearly mean carbon stocks were substantially higher in the sheltered meadow (3,965 and 3,465 g m−2) compared to the exposed one (2,712 and 1,054 g m−2) with similar seasonal variation. Due to the large intra‐annual variability in TOC content, seasonal variation should be considered in carbon stock assessments and management for cold‐temperate seagrass meadows.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Spatial frequency supports the emergence of categorical representations in visual cortex during natural scene perception

In navigating our environment, we rapidly process and extract meaning from visual cues. However, the relationship between visual features and categorical representations in natural scene perception is still not well understood. Here, we used natural scene stimuli from different categories and filtered at different spatial frequencies to address this question in a passive viewing paradigm. Using representational similarity analysis (RSA) and cross-decoding of magnetoencephalography (MEG) data, we show that categorical representations emerge in human visual cortex at ∼180 ms and are linked to spatial frequency processing. Furthermore, dorsal and ventral stream areas reveal temporally and spatially overlapping representations of low and high-level layer activations extracted from a feedforward neural network. Our results suggest that neural patterns from extrastriate visual cortex switch from low-level to categorical representations within 200 ms, highlighting the rapid cascade of processing stages essential in human visual perception

Food habits of the Cougar Puma concolor (Carnivora: Felidae) in the Central Andes of the Colombian Coffee Region

The feeding habits of the cougar have been scarcely studied in Colombia, despite its importance in the ecosystems it inhabits. In this study, we analysed the diet of the cougar using 53 feces samples collected from several sites in the Central Andes of Colombia’s Coffee Growing Region. To identify prey species, we examined and compared bone fragments and hairs found in each sample with descriptions published in relevant literature and with specimens from the Natural History Museum of the Universidad de Caldas, Colombia. We found that rabbits (Sylvilagus sp.) provided half of the relative biomass consumed by the cougar (50%). Other preys identified belong to representatives of medium and large mammals such as marsupials (Didelphis: 10%), sloths (Choloepus: 9%), rodents (Coendou: 10%, Cuniculus: 9%), and deer (Mazama: 9%). Of the preys, Coendou rufescens has not, to our knowledge, been previously included in cougar diet literature. The curve of accumulation of species indicated that the number of samples obtained in this work fully describe the diet of this feline. Neither domestic species were recorded in this work, nor were there any relationships between the dry or rainy seasons and the consumption of prey species. The comparison of the information reported in this study and others carried out in the Andes may indicate the general nature of this feline’s diet and its adaptability to the prey species found in each area, since these vary in each one of them. It is probable that the obtained trophic niche value (0.33) is due to the abundance of rabbits present in the study area. It is also probable that the cougar has not consumed domestic species since, although it is close to cattle ranches, it has enough of wild prey in the area to supply its needs. The results of this study may help to improve our understanding of the feeding habits of this predator and its interaction with other species in this important region of Colombia. This will, in turn, promote major comprehension of the role of cougars in the Colombian Cordilleras and lead actions for their conservation

The Multifaceted Appearance of Supratentorial Ependymoma with ZFTA-MAML2 Fusion

Ependymomas are glial neoplasms with a wide morphological spectrum. The majority of supratentorial ependymomas are known to harbor ZFTA fusions, most commonly to RELA. We present an unusual case of a 9-year-old boy with a supratentorial ependymoma harboring a noncanonical ZFTA-MAML2 fusion. This case had unusual histomorphological features lacking typical findings of ependymoma and bearing resemblance to a primitive neoplasm with focal, previously undescribed myogenic differentiation. We discuss the diagnostic pitfalls in this case and briefly review the histological features of ependymoma with noncanonical gene fusions. Our report underscores the importance of molecular testing in such cases to arrive at the correct diagnosis. Supratentorial ependymomas with noncanonical fusions are rare, and more studies are necessary for better risk stratification and identification of potential treatment targets

Assessment and elimination of the effects of head movement on MEG resting-state measures of oscillatory brain activity

Magnetoencephalography (MEG) is increasingly being used to study brain function because of its excellent temporal resolution and its direct association with brain activity at the neuronal level. One possible cause of error in the analysis of MEG data comes from the fact that participants, even MEG-experienced ones, move their head in the MEG system. Head movement can cause source localization errors during the analysis of MEG data, which can result in the appearance of source variability that does not reflect brain activity. The MEG community places great importance in eliminating this source of possible errors as is evident, for example, by recent efforts to develop head casts that limit head movement in the MEG system. In this work we use software tools to identify, assess and eliminate from the analysis of MEG data any possible correlations between head movement in the MEG system and widely-used measures of brain activity derived from MEG resting-state recordings. The measures of brain activity we study are a) the Hilbert-transform derived amplitude envelope of the beamformer time series and b) functional networks; both measures derived by MEG resting-state recordings. Ten-minute MEG resting-state recordings were performed on healthy participants, with head position continuously recorded. The sources of the measured magnetic signals were localized via beamformer spatial filtering. Temporal independent component analysis was subsequently used to derive resting-state networks. Significant correlations were observed between the beamformer envelope time series and head movement. The correlations were substantially reduced, and in some cases eliminated, after a participant-specific temporal highpass filter was applied to those time series. Regressing the head movement metrics out of the beamformer envelope time series had an even stronger effect in reducing these correlations. Correlation trends were also observed between head movement and the activation time series of the default-mode and frontal networks. Regressing the head movement metrics out of the beamformer envelope time series completely eliminated these correlations. Additionally, applying the head movement correction resulted in changes in the network spatial maps for the visual and sensorimotor networks. Our results a) show that the results of MEG resting-state studies that use the above-mentioned analysis methods are confounded by head movement effects, b) suggest that regressing the head movement metrics out of the beamformer envelope time series is a necessary step to be added to these analyses, in order to eliminate the effect that head movement has on the amplitude envelope of beamformer time series and the network time series and c) highlight changes in the connectivity spatial maps when head movement correction is applie

Temperate fish community variation over seasons in relation to large-scale geographic seascape variables

In shallow-water marine environments, ecosystem functioning is a complex interworking of fine-scale characteristics and region-wide factors, and the importance of these variables can vary on multiple temporal and spatial scales. This underwater video study targeted seasonal changes in the fish community of seagrass habitats along the Swedish west coast and the influence of offshore seascape variables (latitudinal position, wave exposure, open ocean, and deep water). Results showed that fish assemblage structure exhibited seasonal changes between summer and autumn and strong spatiotemporal variations in the importance of offshore factors affecting shallow-water fish communities. In summer, abundance from the Gobiidae family responded to wave exposure, whereas the Gadidae family and juvenile migrant habitat preference guild responded to latitudinal position and proximity to deep water. In autumn, deep water was related to abundance of Gadidae and juvenile migrants, whereas latitudinal position influenced Gasterosteidae. These findings underscore the importance of understanding the influence of offshore factors on facets of coastal fish assemblages to address large-scale geographic connectivity along nearshore– offshore gradients

Impact of indoor residual spraying with pirimiphos-methyl (Actellic 300CS) on entomological indicators of transmission and malaria case burden in Migori County, western Kenya

Indoor residual spraying (IRS) of insecticides is a major vector control strategy for malaria prevention. We evaluated the impact of a single round of IRS with the organophosphate, pirimiphos-methyl (Actellic 300CS), on entomological and parasitological parameters of malaria in Migori County, western Kenya in 2017, in an area where primary vectors are resistant to pyrethroids but susceptible to the IRS compound. Entomological monitoring was conducted by indoor CDC light trap, pyrethrum spray catches (PSC) and human landing collection (HLC) before and after IRS. The residual effect of the insecticide was assessed monthly by exposing susceptible An. gambiae s.s. Kisumu strain to sprayed surfaces in cone assays and measuring mortality at 24 hours. Malaria case burden data were extracted from laboratory records of four health facilities within the sprayed area and two adjacent unsprayed areas. IRS was associated with reductions in An. funestus numbers in the intervention areas compared to non-intervention areas by 88% with light traps (risk ratio [RR] 0.12, 95% CI 0.07–0.21, p < 0.001) and 93% with PSC collections (RR = 0.07, 0.03–0.17, p < 0.001). The corresponding reductions in the numbers of An. arabiensis collected by PSC were 69% in the intervention compared to the non-intervention areas (RR = 0.31, 0.14–0.68, p = 0.006), but there was no significant difference with light traps (RR = 0.45, 0.21–0.96, p = 0.05). Before IRS, An. funestus accounted for over 80% of Anopheles mosquitoes collected by light trap and PSC in all sites. After IRS, An. arabiensis accounted for 86% of Anopheles collected by PSC and 66% by CDC light trap in the sprayed sites while the proportion in non-intervention sites remained unchanged. No sporozoite infections were detected in intervention areas after IRS and biting rates by An. funestus were reduced to near zero. Anopheles funestus and An. arabiensis were fully susceptible to pirimiphos-methyl and resistant to pyrethroids. The residual effect of Actellic 300CS lasted ten months on mud and concrete walls. Malaria case counts among febrile patients within IRS areas was lower post- compared to pre-IRS by 44%, 65% and 47% in Rongo, Uriri and Nyatike health facilities respectively. A single application of IRS with Actellic 300CS in Migori County provided ten months protection and resulted in the near elimination of the primary malaria vector An. funestus and a corresponding reduction of malaria case count among out-patients. The impact was less on An. arabiensis, most likely due to their exophilic nature